“Satan is ever seeking to inject that poison into our hearts to distrust God's goodness--especially in connection with his commandments. That is what really lies behind all evil, lusting and disobedience. A discontent with our position and portion, a craving from something which God has wisely held from us. Reject any suggestion that God is unduly severe with you. Resist with the utmost abhorrence anything that causes you to doubt God's love and his lovingkindness [“chesed” Hebrew] toward you. Allow nothing to make you question the Father's love for his child.”--Arthur W. Pink, holiness author

1. Right now is an unguarded moment. Your Sunday school class isn’t listening. You’re not “playing for any crowd.” Pretend God can’t even see this list. It’s just you. Honestly list as many qualities of God that are in your “God concept” (positive & negative ones). Do you act like you believe that way about Him? Signs you do? Signs you don’t?

2. Anhedonia is from the word for hedonism, that philosophy where pursuit of pleasure was the highest goal. Anhedonia is what happens when you gradually lose your delight in simple pleasures like watching a child delight in life, enjoying a sunset, or a sharing some meaningful moments with a trusted friend. Instead, you seem to need more and more to give you that same pleasure jolt. But it’s the law of diminishing returns, like the drug addict who needs more and more to give him the same high. The antidote, FIRST “delight yourself in the Lord…” (Psa 37:4). Then continually find pleasure in the little, God-given pleasures. –Dr Arch Hart, Christian Psychiatrist, Thrilled to Death: How the Endless Pursuit of Pleasure Is Leaving Us Numb

3. “Most of us believe God is great. Few of us believe He is ENOUGH.” So much of the time we think “To live is ______ and to ________ is gain.”

4.  How did Paul fill in those blanks in Phil 1:21? Honestly fill them in (HINT; what your mind’s “default setting” turns to when you think of what you want most).

5. We need to make His Kingdom our priority (Mt 6:33). We need to bring His will to earth as it is being done in Heaven; i.e. bring Heaven to earth as much as we can (Mt 6:10). Heavenly love, heavenly values, heavenly ways of relating to one another, heavenly worship (Psa 37:4-6), heavenly sacrifice & service for others, heavenly forgiveness; heavenly unity, peace, & rest. Which do you crave the most? Which do you have?

6. God’s DESIRE (for us, His will) = God’s DESIGN (of us) à our delight (and His). So how has He made you? What are you good at? What do others tell you? What is HE telling you?

 

I.  Labor Day is coming quickly. The latest employment figures show 81% of (63% all men) men ages in their prime, 25-54, are employed, compared to 95% in 1969 and wages for that group (aver.) dropped 27% over that time period to $33K/yr. (“The Slow Disappearance of the American Working Man,” by Mike Dorning, Bloomberg Business Week 8/25/11 on Yahoonews.com 8/27/11.)

     A.  Jobs will likely be the number one campaign issue for both Presidential candidates and their respective parties in the 2012 elections on all levels.

     B.  Watch a fictional President in the movie “Dave” skyrocket in popularity for his jobs initiative, and explain what having a job means. There’s some good, biblical theology here. [PROJECT ONE MIN. DVD CLIP]

     C.  As Labor Day approaches our thoughts turn to that which we spend more of our waking hours than on any other task, our work. So do you think God cares about this area?

II.  We start with the concept God is good, God loves us as a loving Father and wants to provide for us, our needs. But beyond our needs the Bible tells us we have a loving heavenly Father who also wants to give us the desires of our hearts (Ps 37:4)…with the condition… GOSPEL HERE.

     A.  Would it be safe to say many of our God concepts (GC) are not of someone good, but someone who sparsely and scarcely rewards? He withholds pleasure, like a father who fears he’ll spoil his child unless he subjects him to all sorts of hardship. Be honest…what is your GC?

     B.  Where does that GC come from? (Gen 3:1-5)? Is it biblical? [Q #1 above]

     C.  Aurthur Pink wrote [QUO above HERE, PROJECT]

III.  (Psa 37:4; 20:4; Rom 2:4). GOSPEL HERE.

     A.  The whole theme of (Ps 37) is how we don’t have to FEAR if we have FAITH in the Lord, especially when we see bad men prosper and good men suffer (v 1). This is probably the #1 gut-wrenching question in the Bible.

     B.  When we see that kind of injustice, that’s when we’re tempted to take matters into our own hands (orchestrate by our flesh), because we’re afraid we won’t get all the good that is coming to us, AND “THEY” won’t get all the bad coming to them. You know, those that have done you dirt. Who do you see in the center of your dartboard?

          1.  Why haven’t WE received all the good things we think have coming to us?

          2.  The psalmist says: “Don’t sweat and don’t fret, because you can trust God for all the good things you need to come your way, because He is good and He loves you (vs 1-4).

          3.  Note that condition: we need to make the Lord our primary desire. I said this last week and it went right through the file w/o saving it: “Most of us believe God is great. Few of us believe He is ENOUGH.” You? So much of the time we think “To live is ______ and to ________ is gain” (marriage, girlfriend, kids, $, scholarship, job)

          4.  How did Paul fill this in (Phil 1:21)? Can you even get close? Fill those in with what your mind’s default setting turns to when you honestly answer….

     C.  Making our Father, knowing and pleasing Him our primary desire means we make His Kingdom, His goals & purposes, our priority (Mt 6:33 “all these things”=our desires). We need to help His will be done on earth as it is being done in Heaven; i.e. bringing as much Heaven to earth as much as we can. Heavenly love, heavenly values, heavenly ways of relating to one another, heavenly worship (37:4-6), heavenly sacrifice & service for others, heavenly forgiveness, heavenly unity, peace, & rest. Can you think of concrete ways you are making earth a little more like Heaven in your actions, attitudes, decisions, & relationships?

IV.  God created us to work. That’s just one of the purposes He created us for; to bless others AND to receive blessing (Ps 138:8; 57:2; Jer 29:9+). Through work we have many of the desires of our hearts met as we meet others’ God-given needs, as we exercise the gifts God has given us, provide for our family’s needs all at the same time. These are some of the deepest desires of our hearts.

     A.  His purpose for you could be homemaking, volunteering, taking care of grandchildren, or being a full time student, as well as punching a time clock or sitting in the corner office w/ all the windows? It could mean pastoring a 500 attender church, 1000, 10,000 or 50.

     B.  God designed us to work. Why? It gives purpose to our lives, it blesses others as we meet their God-given needs. It brings us dignity. I thought it was incredibly revealing that both candidates for the real presidency in 2008 said in Rick Warren’s interview with them how work was a pillar of any welfare or program to help the poor for exactly those reasons.

     C.  And when that purpose, those desires, are NOT fulfilled, bad things happen. The National Marriage Project coordinator out of the Univ of VA, Bradford Wilcox, sadly reports that men out of work commit more crimes, sire more children out of wedlock, do less housework, & retreat from family life far more than working men (all destructive).

     D.  We all know government can’t do it all in these times of cut backs, esp for the men most difficult to help. Government can’t give them Jesus, that power from within to do what is right, healthy & good. That’s why mentoring done by Christian men is such a huge concern of ours here. Two men that have led the way are Gil Goodwin and Pete Donahue to mentor & love the young men who will be the most “at risk,” the ones fathering children out of wedlock, committing crimes (often violent), retreating from social groups like their families that could help them if they stay involved. There will be a prayer time for prayer & discussing a Mentoring & jobs initiative here in Alliance at AFC 9/13/11 @ 6:30pm if you care and want to help.

V.  Let me rock your world with this truth about work: God made us to ENJOY what He made us to do. Is THAT biblical?

     A.  YES! Work was created before sin entered into the world (Gen 2:15). And what did God say about all things He created, including work? It was GOOD!

     B.  Dennis Bakke was CEO of the 40K employee AES energy company. He had a book on the NYTimes and Wall St Journal bestseller lists called  Joy at Work: A Revolutionary Approach to Fun on the Job (PVG, 2005). In a stewardship class he was teaching at his church he read the parable of the talents, those servants who went out and took risks, invested and worked for their master. When the master, representing Jesus Christ, returned to reward them for their hard work, what did He say (Mt 25:21, 23)?

          1.  BUT how many people enjoy their work? How many instead go into their work because daddy made them, or someone else said they should fill teeth instead of fix cars? But every time they drive past a garage they have this urge to get grease on their hands and rip into an engine. But no one ever told them God created them for a purpose. He made you for His pleasure and when you function the way He made you, you’ll feel His pleasure. Eric Liddell, 1924 gold medal Olympian: “God made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure” (“Chariots Of Fire”).

          2.  SO many are miserable in their work even though they make lots of money. Of course there are plenty who don’t make much and are miserable too.

          3.  Q: They asked Dennis Bakke when he first realized his employees weren't enjoying their work.
          
          4.  A: When I visited our plant in Monaca, Pennsylvania, I was told that after a person joins the plant—often right out of high school—within two weeks of doing shift work, that person will figure out the day they can retire, and circle that date. That's like a jail sentence: You go in, and now everything you think about is when you can get out.

          5.  Is that you?

     C.  So--what if you’re too old to re-train, or no money, and stuck in a meaningless, boring, dead-end job.

          1.  First don’t assume any of the above. I’ve heard of folks that could make a game out of the most mundane jobs. (Brother Lawrence, Frank Laubaugh’s “Game of Minutes”). Why are you too old? (Satch Paige QUO). Do you realize how much help there is for re-training these days?

          2.  Finally, “God’s DESIRE FOR us (His will) is often found in God’s DESIGN OF us. Our & His delight will be found there.