Delighting my self in the Lord 2009
The Study
I am hoping to capture what God would have me to learn in my walk with Him – that nothing in this world is ever going to take away the hole in my heart – that feeling of sorrow and dissatisfaction that we all have. I am reading a book called the Dangerous Duty of Delight – John Piper – and this study is based on it. I want to get to the place where I can be full of Joy and full of confidence and trust in my Lord – thus I pray for God to Cause by His grace for me to be filled.
Deut. 27:47-48
47Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
48Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies, which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he has destroyed thee.
God will use “others” to cause us to recognize the need for and cause us to be grateful. I want to serve Him with gladness of heart – recognizing that He has blessed me with Abundance of all things. He does deserve a cheerful heart of worship. LOOK and see all that He has done for me.
Ps. 43:4
Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.
I need to sing unto Him – that which uplifts all that He is. He listens to me and receives my worship.
Ps. 100:2
2Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Don’t serve Him otherwise. Serve Him at work with Gladness – whatever God in His providence has choosen for me to do. Many look at their jobs as their source fullfillment. But for many – they come to understand that ‘what they do” doesn’t really satisty the soul like knowing and loving God – thru faith in Christ can and does.
Ps 37:4
4Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
What do I take Delight in other than God. Is that thing – something that really fully fills my heart? No – it does not. No wonder I am so dry sometimes. I need to actively examine God’s Character and rejoice in what I am seeing. There is so much to see and delight in.
Small List:
Grace of God – Truth – Love of God – Family and Friends –Physical and Spiritual Health from the Lord – Influence from the truth within me – Holy Spirit and His leadership – His Sovereignty in all matters – Strength in my weakness and the Grace that is sufficient in trials and problems – Wisdom that is not worldly but from my Father – Abba Father – the names of God and how He manifests them to me – Wrath of God – He will pay!
Ps. 90:14
14O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Teach me of my need early so that I can walk with God all my days and be glad in Him.
Ps. 16:11
11Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
God will show those who He chooses that Path of Life – (Walking in Truth) and He will lead me into the presence of Himself and show me the fullness of Joy in Him. This is what I want – Fullness of Joy – not in stuff – People – this world – BUT in Him.
How God glorifies Himself in the processes of Salvation
Predestination
Eph. 1:5-6
He predestined us to adoption, as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His Grace
The first step in God glorifying Himself is in his sovereign choice of me before the foundation of the world was ever laid. In eternity past, He choose me, before I was ever created in my mothers womb (which He choose) that I would participate in the Grace of God – and the entire process of Salvation. What a wonder to think that God has choosen me. Not according to any thing that I brought to the table – but just because He choose me – to demonstrate His mercy and Grace . He awakened me from my death in sin – made me alive in Christ through faith – and continues the process of sanctification through trials and circumstances of life. All – to glorify the Grace shown to me. Thus glorifying Himself.
Creation of Man
Is. 43:6-7
Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth – everyone who is called by My name and whom I have created for My Glory.
Wow – You can see the choice and call of God in these verses. God calls us sons and daughters who are far off – dead in sins – the elect – all over the earth. Those who hear the call – (only the elect) have been called for the purpose of glorifying the Lord. I am part of that! I have heard the call because of God drawing me to Himself – Ordering my footsteps to the direction of glorifying Him with my life. It is like a fruit tree that bears its fruit in its season. The fruit tree bears specific fruits that are in accordance with its nature. For example – an Apple tree produces Apples and so on. Did the apple tree choose to be an apple tree? Or did the lepard choose to have spots on it. NO! This is how God is! It is all His choice and all for His glory.
I know that this produces many thoughts of “free will” and the “responsibility of man” all of which is a tention in scripture. But since God is the author of Scripture – (All scripture is perfect and completely pure – trustworthy) and the heart of God is trustworthy and pure – I know that I can live with this tention, since it is from the heart of my Father.
My understanding is fallen due to my sin. His ways are not my ways and thought not my thougths and He will do what He wants without my understanding and “permission.” (Is. 46:10)
Deut. 29:29
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed beling to us and to our children forever…
Sanctification
Phil 1:9,11
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more… having been filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
What can bring praise to God – that really is sufficient? Well – nothing in me that is for sure. Only God can glorify Himself rightly. And He chooses to do this through me and by true brothers and sisters in the Lord.
One of the main characteristics that is present in His true children (lives that are characterized by obedience- yet sometime sinful) is Love and the fruits of the Spirit as found in Galatians 5:22-26.
Consummation
2 Thes. 1:9-10
(Those who do not obey the gospel) will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when he comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed.
Oh… what joy it is to marvel at the things that God IS – and not what we make Him to be. Wrath is part of who He is, and that is just as beautiful and right and pure as His love – mercy and Grace is – becasue it is part of Himself.
Scripture – rightly handled – bring such soul satisfaction to the true child of God. Nothing can satisfy us like the wonder and praise of who God is and as He is revealed in Scripture.
Jonathan Edwards said:
“God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but in being rejoiced in it.”
I think this is so true. To see it is one thing – but to marvel and praise Him for it is another. This should be the aim of my life for to turn my eyes upon Jesus, ( as the old familiar Hymn states) and look fully into His marvelous face – that the things of this world will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.
Romansns 15:8-9
Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the father, and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy.
Me – being a Gentile – will glorify God. I am so glad that God did not only choose the Jews for salvation but that He choose me and I am the Bride of Christ and will one day be free from my sin and be with the Lord forever.
I have had to ask the question many times why God created me? I have asked this many times to myself. Is it merely to work at my job – raise a family – be a good person who is principled and lives life based on these principles? Is this it?
The answer according to Scripture is NO! God is most satisfied when I am most satisfied in Him. His passion to be glorified by me and the elect is not in contradiction to my desire to have joy to its fullest. I am created so that I may spend eternity glorifying the Lord and enjoying Him forever. I will never plum the depths of knowing Him. One of the greatest thoughts to me – now – is knowing that when I die, I will forever spend my “time’ (there will be no time) deepening my understanding and wonder of who God is.
Today is a day in eternity – jut like my “days” (there will be no days) will be there. I am to pursue Theology that is deep and accurately handled by people who have shown themselves a good steward of the Word of God. Apart from deep theology and a proper understanding of God – I will not delight myself as God would have me to, and I will naturally pursue the things that bring some level of delight.
C.S. Lewis said “ We are half hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.”
WOW – could this be true! Yes I think it is. I have spent most of my life pursuing and praising the things of this world as the little child making mud pies in the slums.
Phil 1:20-21 Says ” My earnest expectatin and hope that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
A Christian who is in the process of physically dying (w hich we all will one day apart from the Lord coming back) should be excited about the sure fact that he is about to meet the One who created him. For to live in this world is, and should be for the glory of God and walking with Him. We should be seeking to know Him in all situations in life thru the clear truth revealed to us. If a person has been faithful to live life this way, then their death should be a great and glorious time of graduation. Experiencing Christ as gain in you dying hour magnifies Christ – since He is the One that has been your source of fullfillment and life. NOW – death will only bring more of what you already deeply love. The Loves of this world are dim compaired to the Love you have been partaking from from for years. ( Jesus Christ)
Feelings
We are commanded to Feel and not to Feel certain things. We are not only commanded to think and decide correctly based on Scripture, but to feel certain things. Such as Rejoicing. Rejoicing is part of feeling – but always founded on the truth of God. Without correct knowledge, we cannot rejoice.
1 Peter 1:8
Though you have not seen Him, you Love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with Joy inexpressible and full of Glory.
In Ex. 20:17 we are commanded to not covet – or want what is not yours. This is based on correct thinking about what God has spread before you. To be content with what you have.
Heb. 13:5 Be content with what you have.
God also commands us to bear no grudge.
Lev. 19:18 says
18Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.
Love and not bearing a grudge is a command to feel – but one must first submit to knowing Gods truth as revealed in scripture – and submit and take control of whatever feelings you may have.
1 Peter 1:22
Love one another earnestly from the heart
Romans 12:10
Love one another with brotherly affection
These are not mere intellectual decisions but a command to feel – to Love. Of course love is action – but it always involves feelings. Not only does scripture command us to Love, but – it commands joy, hope, fear, peace, grief, desire, tenderheartedness, brokenness and contrition, gratitude, lowliness etc…
So feelings are not something that are outside of our control but rather we control them based on our thinking and submission to the truth of God. I have no excuse for it. What I feel is based on what I think. I must learn to think on the truth and not let my feelings be ungodly.
Well… So what… What If I do not feel like it anyway…
Three things to doConfess the sin of Joylessness. It is a sinful dark heart that does not see what God has done and that cannot rejoice in what He has done.
Ps 61:2 My heart is faint – lead me to the rock that is higher than I amThere is joy in obedience. Ask for God to restore you to this joy.
Ps. 40:8 I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart,Go and do the outward dimensions of you duty Doing will rekindle the delight of God – so just serve Him and ask Him to restore the joy of your heart.
Does this mean that Christians will never have sorry or tears because they are in some type of state where they don’t know or don’t care about the situations of life? NO – this would be the extreme position. Even Jesus and Paul cried.
2 Cor. 6:10 tell us to “weep with those who weep”
We are to find great joy in others achievements and deeper depths with the Lord. We are also to weep with those who are hurting.
Rom 9:2 Says ” I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart” for those who are going to hell and for those who are already there.
How about the folks you know or churches who are in sin
2 Cor. 2:4 says ” out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears”
The essence of what is being said is found in Acts 20:35 where Paul reminds us to remember what Jesus had said that it was more blessed to give than to receive. A life that is lived – even if that means with great sacrifice – to love others and to give to them is a life that is better than living in luxury. Push upward toward heaven your efforts where the moth of inflation and the rust of death cannot touch your investment.
Matt. 6:19-20 says to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven”
We are far too eaisly pleased with the small luxuries of life. The greatest joys in life is only found as we faithfully give as unto the Lord – all that we have at our disposal. He may choose not to take it all – but if He does, then the reward is great in heaven for us – if we do not grow bitter and loose heart. It is faith in the unshakable God of Love who showed us the greatest sacrifice of all – His death on the Cross.
Worship
Worshiping God is the result of a heart that truly delights in the Lord. Ps. 37:4 says ” Delight yourself in the Lord.” But too often we delight ourselves in so many things other than God. Worship is like the deer who pants after the stream. ps42:1
Hebrews 11:6 says ” and without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
I must believe that God will reward me with Joy and in His presence is fullness for at His right hand are pleasures forever more.
Worship is done for so many wrong reasons. We worship for a list of something like this:
1. Raise money
2. Attract a crowd
3. Heal human hurts
4. Recruit workers for the church
5. Improve Church morale
6. To give talented musicians an opportunity to fulfil their calling
7. To teach our children the way of righteousness
8. Help our marriage
9. To evangelize the lost amoung us
10. To give our church family some feeling
All of which are sometime a by product of worship – but should never be the reasons for our worship. We should be worshipping God and all that He is to the degree that we do not even consider the above mentioned list. We should worship God and God alone – not the results of it.
So Worship GOD and all that He has revealed Himself to be and be full of Joy. Jesus said that He came to give us life and that more abundantly. It would seem that few are those who find it.+
How should this play out in the relationship of Marriage?
Jesus came to die on the cross so that He could have a Bride – which is the church. Eph. 5:29-30
So… If we are as husbands to love our wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, then we should be giving up ourselves for their joy . Jesus for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross (Heb.12:2) What Joy? The joy of marriage to His bride the church. Then I am to do the same. I am to seek my joy in the Joy of my beloved. True love seeks happiness in the happiness of the beloved.
Jesus died, so that He could present to Himself a bride that is full of glory – sanctified. Do I seek what makes my wife joyful – or is it all about me and my felt needs? I am to nourish, cherish, sanctify, and cleanse my Bride by being a godly man and exposing her to the right teaching of the word of God.
Money
Many think that if you attain wealth that you will be happy. Certainly having money can purchase luxuries but having some nice carpet or furniture or car to drive WILL NOT CREATE HAPPINESS.
1 Tim. 6:9
Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
Anyone who desires to be rich – and pursues it will be hurt by it at some point. It depends on why a company or person wants money. What will they do with it is the question. What is the motivations? read 1 Tim 6:10 and follow down a few verses.
Godliness will free a person from the desire to be wealthy and cause a person to be content with what they have. 1 Tim 4:8 speaks of the importance of godliness for it profits not only here (for the purpose of helping others) but also for laying up treasures in heaven.
We are not to pursue wealth for 3 reasons:
1. We brought nothing into the world and we’ll certainly take nothing out. We all are naked before God with only what has been brought with us in our hearts.
2. When God is near and is for you, then you do not need anything additionally to give you peace and security. God is that source – not what His hand provides. Heb. 13:5-6
3. If we pursue wealth then we will end life in the destruction it brings. I Tim 6:5-10 Luke 12:32-34
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