Life Church Host

Welcome to Life Church. We're so glad you're here. We've got something so fun coming up in July. It's called at the Movies. We watch clips from movies in church and Pastor Craig uses them to teach us more about God and ourselves. It's unlike anything you've experienced before. At the Movies isn't available on our podcast for copyright reasons, so make sure to attend in person or online. You can find service times and more info about it at Life Church, Hemovie. Now, here's this week's message.

Pastor Torren

So I'm going to have to start this message off by asking for your forgiveness, because I'm going to ask you to bypass your religious reflexes just for a moment. Today I'm going to ask you to forget the scowl of that mean Christian that you encountered at some point in your childhood. I want you to, for a moment, move to the side the disdain that some people happen to carry for just the idea of a happy Christian. Some people are tormented by this idea that we are following Jesus and we're

Pastor Craig

happy about it, that we serve a

Pastor Torren

God who has not endured, but a God who is meant to be enjoyed. I want you to set aside for a moment the notion that happiness is based on personality, circumstances, temperament, emotional state. And I just want to investigate a wild idea that you were created by

Pastor Craig

the God of infinite joy.

Pastor Torren

And if you're created by the God of infinite joy, can I dare tell

Pastor Craig

you today that your happiness matters to God?

Pastor Torren

Y' all remember mythbusters? This was a TV program, as the old heads would say, where they tested ideas and they busted these myths that had been absorbed as truth, but they didn't know if they would really hold up. And so I wanna do a little bit of myth busting before we get into this conversation today. I wanna deal with a few misconceptions. The first misconception is this, that the Bible makes a distinction between happiness and joy. This is a modern day misconception. The distinction between happiness and joy and does not exist in Scripture. Words like joy, blessed, delight, happy are used almost interchangeably in the scriptures. They dance around each other in the text. And this distinction between joy and happiness is a fairly modern development in Christian circles. Even John Piper has said if you have nice little categories for joy is what Christians have and, and happiness is what the world has, you can scrap those when you go to the Bible because the Bible is indiscriminate in its uses of the language of happiness and joy and contentment and satisfaction. Myth busted. Okay, I'm just Going to pretend like you believed everything I just said? Second misconception, that holiness and happiness are enemies. I'm gonna deal with this one for a moment because some teaching in religious circles creates a false dichotomy. And you'll hear this type of preaching. I think I've said this. At some point, God doesn't care about your happiness. He only cares about your holiness. This actually mischaracterizes God. And I get it. What we are trying to emphasize is that God's character being formed in us is more important than our comfort. And to that, I wholeheartedly agree. That's right. But the character of Christ being formed in us produces something. It produces happiness. It produces joy. Not just temporarily, but eternally. Here's a big idea connected to this whole thing that we're gonna set aside for the rest of this conversation.

Pastor Craig

But I want you to think about it. Holiness produces joy.

Pastor Torren

Holiness produces joy. We cannot divorce joy and happiness from God's own character. The scripture says that in his presence is the fullness of joy. Well, how could God produce that which he does not possess? In the New Testament, we find that the spirit of God in a person produces something. Fruit. And the fruit is love.

Worship Leader

Joy.

Pastor Torren

So I get joy when I'm in God's presence and I produce joy when God's presence is in me. And so these ideas are inseparable. His process of sanctification and holiness in you does not kill happiness. It reroutes and deepens the reservoir from which it flows. Now, there is an indelible quality to last words. Y' all know this. Last words. Famous last words. Weighty words that seal the end of a moment.

Pastor Craig

A season with great finality like this ain't gonna be no rematch.

Pastor Torren

Apollo Creed, Rocky iv.

Pastor Craig

You know what I'm talking about.

Pastor Torren

I only regret that I have but

Pastor Craig

one life to lose for my country. Nathan Hale, you must do me this honor.

Pastor Torren

Promise me you'll survive. That you won't give up no matter what happens, no matter how hopeless. Promise me now, Ro. And never let go of that promise. Let's go. I'm just saying, Rose, you robbed us of Titanic, too. Because you were selfish. There was room on the door. That's all I have to say about it. There was room. Why you have to do Leo like famous last words? But what about famous first words? Words that carry weight not because of

Pastor Craig

their finality, but because of their primacy,

Pastor Torren

the reality that they were spoken first. Famous first words like I have a dream that little black boys and little white girls would Procreate and have little beige children. Praise God. That's the dream, Martin. Living the dream, Martin. I don't know if that's exactly, exactly what he was talking about, but we did it anyway. How about this? A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far. Y' all some nerds. Y' all some nerds. Star Wars. Famous first words. Last words.

Pastor Craig

First words.

Pastor Torren

Last words.

Pastor Craig

First words. Last words. First words. You know, the last word of your Old Testament is the word curse. The story of God's people did not end on a high note. They could not keep up with the traditions and the requirements and the regulations of God's law. And so all that they were left with was a curse. Until you fast forward to your New Testament and you explore this set of scriptures in Matthew 5, where Jesus sits down with a group of people and

Pastor Torren

brings forth his inaugural message and the very first word out of his mouth is blessed. Do you think the people on the hillside caught it that day? That this wasn't a coincidence? This was a reorientation of a heart posture, a belief system to a people who have been burdened down and beat down with the law, with the entanglement of the law and religion and politics to oppress the people of God. And finally, when all you've done is lived underneath a curse, this new feel good preacher comes to town and says, I've got good news for you. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the meek.

Pastor Craig

Famous first words. He was pointing the heart of the people back to the original intention of God. Because the first interaction God ever had with humanity was he blessed them, told them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. This was a reorientation of the heart. And here's what you have to understand. The word blessed in the original language

Pastor Torren

was not heard or received by the

Pastor Craig

people in the way that we receive it today. When we hear blessed, we hear like shout out, 2016.

Pastor Torren

Blessed Car House, Buddha, promotion, all of these types of.

Pastor Craig

No, no, no.

Pastor Torren

These people heard this word

Pastor Craig

happy in the original language.

Pastor Torren

Go look it up.

Pastor Craig

Happy.

Pastor Torren

It forces us to ask the question, how important

Pastor Craig

is your happiness to God if it's the first thing, thing he chooses to teach about in his first message ever. Now, y' all walk with me here. Y' all walk with me here.

Pastor Torren

The audience that day could not believe

Pastor Craig

what they were hearing. You had these people who were going to become disciples, you had the religious scholars of the day, and they're all getting this information at the same time. And this was problematic. This sent tremors through their traditions.

Pastor Torren

This sent rivets through their rituals and their religious routines. And like some of those in that audience, you've been told that joy is only possible for those with some great religious resume.

Pastor Craig

And Jesus flips it and says, blessed are the poor in spirit. In other words, the spiritually bankrupt.

Pastor Torren

Those who are willing to say, I

Pastor Craig

have nothing to offer to this great and holy God, and yet that is exactly what he receives from me and he gives me in exchange purpose and life and destiny and joy.

Pastor Torren

That it was not through some great impressive religious resume that you earn through your works, righteousness from God, but that

Pastor Craig

you can receive it through humble faith.

Pastor Torren

Like those listening that day. You've been told that happiness is impossible for those caught in a storm of grief. And Jesus says, happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Even in our Christian culture, sometimes we have misled people with emotional ideas that are empty, like faith over feelings. Faith it till you make it. Just because it looks good on a bumper sticker doesn't mean it's true or Scriptural. No, what Jesus is saying, when he says the words blessed are those who mourn, he's reinforcing the reality that we will mourn. That you have permission to feel what you feel. Now, you don't have permission to stay in what you feel, but you have permission to bring the work of the Gospel even into the dark emotions of your life. And you'll realize that the Gospel even works there. That because of the love and the grace and the goodness and the joy that Jesus offers, you don't have to fake a Christian smile. You can actually go find one. Because you realize that even beneath the depths of your sorrow and despair, there's something even deeper. It's the joy of the Lord, and it's your strength and comfort. You've been told that delusional self confidence, confidence brings opportunity. Jesus says, happy are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Intentional humility, Strength under control. Let me tell you the best definition of meekness I've ever heard. Meekness is the evidence of a sanctified ego. Meekness is the evidence of a sanctified ego. I found that God more often puts his greatest gifts and opportunities on the bottom shelf, where only the people who are willing to can reach them. Jesus is revealing a shift in the human condition.

Pastor Craig

And yet, here is the challenge.

Pastor Torren

Many of us will agree ideologically that

Pastor Craig

Jesus is the only way into this great joy. But then, when you look at our

Pastor Torren

lives, practically our lives Tell a different story. The only access point into true, lasting

Pastor Craig

happiness and joy is a doorway called Jesus. And yet, so often, we expect to find joy from our spouse, get joy from the achievements of our children, get joy from whatever the next acquisition is. And what you realize after a certain

Pastor Torren

amount of time as you can walk through every one of those doors and

Pastor Craig

find nothing but empty space on the other side.

Pastor Torren

I've been there. I was at my house.

Pastor Craig

This is back when we lived in Houston, Texas.

Pastor Torren

And I was so excited because I

Pastor Craig

had my own writing room.

Pastor Torren

Now I'm a songwriter. But for most of my songwriting career, I had to hide from my children in a closet to record my songs. I had to be at the dining room table with a blanket over my head as a signal. Don't talk to me right now.

Pastor Craig

I'm working.

Pastor Torren

So when I finally got a room to write songs in, it was amazing. I painted the room green because Lorna told me I could paint the room any color I wanted. And I chose green. Cause I like green. And then I found out later that geniuses choose green. I didn't know that before. I found that out after. And it was just a coincidence, But I was in my writing room, and we got family that are about to come over to the house. Because I'm about to be on an award show where people are going to say, hey, this guy was nominated for something. This is crazy to me. Okay. Upstairs, I'm hearing little feet just running around. It's my little boys up there having a great time chasing some imaginary monster

Pastor Craig

or something like that.

Pastor Torren

In the kitchen, Lorna is cooking, like, one of my favorite meals. And we're about to celebrate this night together. And I think, you know what? This is perfect. I'm gonna walk over to the piano, and I'm gonna sing some great. If I were to write a song right now, it'd be a song of joy, honor, and glory to the most high God.

Pastor Craig

I went over to that piano. These melancholy chords started coming together. And I started singing. You could have it all. You could have the whole world at your feet. Every little thing you think you need and still feel empty. And I thought, how in the world could I be surrounded by so much goodness from God? And still what floats to the surface of my heart is a feeling of emptiness. And I realize it's because even when good gifts come from God, they're still not God. And nothing can satisfy your soul like God can.

Pastor Torren

In my research for the book Joy Bomb, I came across an author and a pastor.

Pastor Craig

His name is David Murray.

Pastor Torren

He identifies seven categories of happiness. Seven categories.

Pastor Craig

Social happiness, vocational happiness, physical happiness, intellectual happiness, nature happiness, which I can't relate with. Why would you want to go outside when there's a perfectly air conditioned room somewhere? Have you heard of peloton?

Pastor Torren

You can be in your house and on a mountain. And humor happiness. And all of these, all six of those are available to anyone because of God's common grace. That's why people who are outside of Jesus can find a certain element of fulfillment in career. They can sit at a table with friends and laugh until they cry because of God's common grace.

Pastor Craig

But there's a seventh category, spiritual happiness.

Pastor Torren

And what we often do is we try to use the other six to fill in the void that the absence of the seventh creates. So it's more friends and more opportunity and more busyness and more calendar appointments and more money saved and more stuff trying to fill this void. But that seventh category is spiritual happiness. And spiritual happiness acts as a seal around the human soul. Without that seal, you can consume the whole world and your soul still leak. But if you have the seal of spiritual happiness around your heart, all of a sudden work is different because you're not doing it for people, you're doing

Pastor Craig

it unto the Lord.

Pastor Torren

All of a sudden the sky's a little brighter even when it's gray. Because you know, all things work together for the good of those who love the lo and are called according to his purpose. There is a different sense of joy and expectation and hope with spiritual happiness. But the true genius of Jesus isn't

Pastor Craig

just what he says, it's where he says it.

Pastor Torren

A friend of mine tried to give me good advice when we first started having kids. And I mean tried. He offered this idea to me. He said, as you have kids and have more kids, it's hard to spend one on one time with them. So what you should do is take each one of them on a five year trip every five years with just you and Lorna. Well, this sounded like a good idea when there were two of them things. Now we got four of them things. But I'm like, okay, this is cool, we'll try it. And so I go to my first son, Kanan. He's about to turn five years old. I'm like, hey bro, we going on a five year trip. Where you want to go? How many of y' all know this little big headed little dude picked the trip of all trips, the locations of all locations? He said, dad, I wanna go to Disney World. I said, I don't know who you think your dad is, bro, but we figured it out, though. So we went to Disney World. And then here comes the second son, turning five years old. I'm like, hey, Lawson, where you wanna go? I kid you not. This little dude looks me dead in my eyeball, not even 3ft tall, and

Pastor Craig

says, dad, I want to go to Japan.

Pastor Torren

I said, bro, you can't even speak English. How are we going to go to another country this Japan? I said, bro, I'm sorry. My fault. My fault, little brother, My fault. Where would you like to go within the intercontinental United States of America? This man melted into a puddle of tears. By the time he finally wiped his last tear, he said, fine, I'll go to Disney World.

Pastor Craig

So you ain't going to Disney World. We took him to Disney World. Then we had our third son, Disney World.

Pastor Torren

And now our youngest son is about to Youngest son is about to turn five years old. Guess what? We're taking him San Antonio. Cause, hey, no, we're not doing that. Here's some Mickey Mouse ears. That's the Alamo. Let's take a picture. You know, Disney World has a reputation.

Pastor Craig

It's the happiest place on Earth.

Pastor Torren

I have seen more people throw fits, temper tantrum, stomp their feet, cry their eyes out, and the kids misbehave too. Y' all know what I'm talking about. They were a great couple. They were a great family till they went to Disney World. It all fell apart. All of a sudden, Dad's got a backpack on with a water straw. It's like, who is this guy?

Pastor Craig

It was you.

Pastor Torren

The happiest place on the happiest place on Earth.

Pastor Craig

Isn't it funny how we assign certain expectations to certain locations in life? Not just geographic locations, locations that we feel like we would be in our lives.

Pastor Torren

Some of us think, if I can

Pastor Craig

just graduate from high school and get

Pastor Torren

rid of my parents, I will be

Pastor Craig

in the happiest place on Earth.

Pastor Torren

And then you go to college and you realize that's actually kind of challenging

Pastor Craig

to do your own laundry and cook your own ramen.

Pastor Torren

And then you trying to figure out how to do all that. You think, if I can just get out of this college, I will be in the happiest place on Earth. But you know what you get for graduating college? A job.

Pastor Craig

Yeah.

Pastor Torren

And then you think, well, the job isn't exactly what I wanted, but if I can just get the right spouse, and then if we can get in this apartment, and then if we can get from the apartment to the Townhouse to the townhouse, to the home. And then the home has an old kitchen, so I need an extra sink. And then we're just constantly moving the goalposts of what happiness is further and further and further and further down the

Pastor Craig

line, not realizing that Jesus anticipated that we would be like this.

Pastor Torren

And so when we study the geography

Pastor Craig

of Matthew 5, we discover the theology of joy.

Pastor Torren

Because Jesus did not choose to teach

Pastor Craig

this message on a mountain.

Pastor Torren

I know. We call it the Sermon on the Mount.

Pastor Craig

I looked it up. It's not a mountain, it's a hill.

Pastor Torren

No, it wasn't Mount Sinai, 7,500ft in elevation. Just glory of God, 10 commandments, glory cloud, divine revelation. No, it wasn't Mount Zion, a place that was prophesied by prophets and psalmists as this great beacon of hope and possibility. 2,500ft in elevation.

Pastor Craig

No, it was a little place that you've never heard of called Aramis, 410ft in elevation, an ordinary place. And Jesus chooses an ordinary place to teach a masterclass on joy.

Pastor Torren

Why?

Pastor Craig

Because we don't live life on Zion, and we don't live life on Mount Moriah, and we don't live life in these spectacular places. And yet, just because it isn't spectacular doesn't mean it isn't significant. Significant.

Pastor Torren

God wants to give you a joy

Pastor Craig

that works in aramis because you are

Pastor Torren

going to spend more time in traffic than on vacation. You are going to spend more time getting crushed in life than being celebrated in life.

Pastor Craig

And if the joy doesn't work there, the joy doesn't work. So Jesus begins to reveal this possibility of joy. You know what aramis means? Desolate, isolated, strength. And Jesus shows us that joy is possible when you're in a desolate place. When you're in an isolated place, he actually shows us where the strength really is. It has nothing to do with where we are, and it has everything to do with whose presence we're in. Because the greatest revelation of Matthew 5 is not eight keys to becoming more Christian. It's not some set of ideals that will give you a better, more prosperous Life. No, Matthew 5 is Jesus revealing himself. He was the one who became poor in spirit, being equal with God. Thought it not robbery. You know what I'm talking about. He was the one who would sow in tears so that we could reap in joy. He was the God man who cried. If God cried. Why do you have to be so strong?

Life Church Host

Wrong.

Pastor Craig

He was the king crowned in meekness. He was the one who made peace amongst each Other possible and between God the Father and us. Possible. He was the one who was persecuted for righteousness sake, but not for his righteousness. He already had it for us.

Pastor Torren

So if I'm going to reintroduce you

Pastor Craig

to the idea of joy, I got to tell you, it's more than an idea. It's more than an ideal. It's more than a principle. It's a person. And for some of us, the person of Jesus has been so mischaracterized in our lives, we do not recognize him. And I want you to allow joy to reintroduce himself. Would you pray with me, Jesus? Would you open our hearts and our lives to seeing you for who you really are? That we would experience your power, your goodness, your glory. That we would understand that the joy of the Lord is our strength. But it's not some abstract concept. It is an intimate relationship with you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Life Church Host

Thank you.

Worship Leader

Come on, church. Let's tell Pastor Torren. Thank you. That speaks to me. How many of you would say that speaks to you? Raise your hand. How many of you say you want some of that joy? Raise your hand. God. God, we thank you that the joy of the Lord is our strength. God, that you are present with us now. God, turn our mourning into joyfulness and laughter. God, we thank you that the blessings from you are not even you. You are what fulfills us. You are the one that satisfies us. God, you are the one that our hearts longs for. God, fill us with your joy that we can know you and overflow your goodness in those that we meet. God, thank you for that word today. I pray that it would be planted into our hearts and bring a harvest of joy and righteousness that we could honor you as you keep praying today. No looking around, just staying in the Lord's presence in an attitude of prayer. I love how the pastor talked about just the different areas of happiness and fulfillment. And the final area is that spiritual part. I wonder how many of you today recognize that you've been looking for joy and looking for meaning, looking for happiness and outward accomplishments and in being recognized by people and what you can accumulate and what you have and where you can go and who you know and who you're with and recognize. You've been looking for it in every area outside of the one who can truly give it to you. You're trying to fill a spiritual void with everything that's not spiritual. And what you really need is Jesus today. If you don't know where you stand with God, if You find yourself longing for something more. Maybe it's you're trying to fill that void with something that only Jesus can fill. Who is Jesus? He is the Son of God, perfect in every way. He came to earth not for the righteous, but for the sinners. Not for the healthy, but the sick, the broken ones who needed healing and salvation. He was the Lamb of God who died on a cross and was raised again to life so that anyone, and this includes you, could be broken free of the curse and find the blessing of joy and new life in Christ. What do we do? We stop searching for it in this world. We step away from our sin. We surrender to the lordship of Christ. He makes us new. All the old is gone, the sin is forgiven and you can become new. And I'm so thankful that there are those of you that God brought here today for this moment you recognize something's missing. It's not more of this world, it's more of Jesus. It's not more of this world, it's more of Jesus. So step away. Repent of your sin. Call on him when you do. He'll hear your prayer. He'll forgive of all of your sins. He'll enter your life. He'll fill you with the fullness of joy, with the power of the Holy Spirit. You'll never be the same. If that's you today, you know you need his forgiveness, you need his grace. You want his joy. You want his life. Today we're stepping away from our sins and we're saying, yes, Jesus, take all of me. Be my Savior. Be the Lord of my life. If that's your prayer, forgive my sins, Jesus, I give my life to you. Would you lift your hands high right now? All of our churches say yes. Praise God for you at all of our churches as we have people today saying, yes, Jesus, I surrender to you. Be the Lord of my life. All of our churches, people coming to know Christ online, just type in the comments section. I'm surrendering my life to Jesus today. And as the work of the Holy Spirit is moving in hearts, would you just pray aloud with those around you? Pray. Heavenly Father, I receive eternal life. I receive forgiveness of sins and confess the lordship of Christ. Fill me with your spirit. Fill me with your joy. Fill me with your peace. That I could know you, that I could walk with you, that I could be overflowing with your love. Thank you for forgiveness. Thank you for your joy. Thank you for new life. I give you all of mine in Jesus name. I pray today. Church, can you celebrate who he is? What he's done, the goodness of God, the faithfulness of God New Life in Christ

Life Church Host

we are celebrating with those of you who just made the decision to follow Jesus. Make sure you check out the show notes for helpful resources and next steps. One great next step is making plans to attend at the movies at Life Church. You can find all the info you need, including service times and locations at Life Church Hemovies. We'll see you back here next week for another encouraging message.