Quest for Joy

Six Biblical Truths

Did you know that God commands us to be glad?

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."(Psalm 37:4)

1) God created us for his glory

"Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth,... whom I created for my glory" (Isaiah 43:6-7)

God made us to magnify his greatness - the way telescopes magnify stars. He created us to put his goodness and truth and beauty and wisdom and justice on display. The greatest display of God's glory comes from deep delight in all that he is. This means that God gets the praise and we get the pleasure. God created us so that he is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

2) Every human should live for God's glory

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

If God made us for his glory, it is clear that we should live for his glory. Our duty comes from his design. So our first obligation is to show God's value by being satisfied with all that he is for us. This is the essence of loving God (Matthew 22:37) and trusting him (1 John 5:3-4) and being thankful to him (Psalm 100:2-4) It is the root of all true obedience, especially loving others (Colossians 1:4-5).

3) All of us have failed to glorify God as we should

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

What does it mean to "fall short of the glory of God?" It means that none of us has trusted and treasured God the way we should. We have not been satisfied with his greatness and walked in his ways. We have sought our satisfaction in other things, and treated them as more valuable than God, which is the essence of idolatry (Romans 1:21-23). Since sin came into the world we have all been deeply resistant to having God as our all-satisfying treasure (Ephesians 2:3). This is an appalling offense to the greatness of God (Jeremiah 2:12-13).

4) All of us are subject to God's just condemnation

"The wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23).

We have all belittled the glory of God. How? By preferring other things above him. By our ingratitude, distrust and disobedience. So God is just in shutting us out from the enjoyment of his glory forever. "They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might" (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

The word "hell" is used in the New Testament twelve times¹—eleven times by Jesus himself. It is not a myth created by dismal and angry preachers. It is a solemn warning from the Son of God who died to deliver sinners from its curse. We ignore it at great risk.

If the Bible stopped here in its analysis of the human condition, we would be doomed to a hopeless future. However, this is not where it stops...

5) God sent his only son Jesus to provide eternal life and joy

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." (1 Timothy 1:15)

The good news is that Christ died for sinners like us. And he rose physically from the dead to validate the saving power of his death and to open the gates of eternal life and joy (1 Corinthians 15:20). This means God can acquit guilty sinners and still be just (Romans 3:25-26). "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18). Coming home to God is where all deep and lasting satisfaction is found.

6) The benefits purchased by the death of Christ belong to those who repent and trust him

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out" (Acts 3:19). "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).

"Repent" means to turn from all the deceitful promises of sin. "Faith" means being satisfied with all that God promises to be for us in Jesus. "He who believes in me," Jesus says, "shall never thirst" (John 6:35). We do not earn our salvation. We cannot merit it (Romans 4:4-5). It is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is a free gift (Romans 3:24). We will have it if we cherish it above all things (Matthew 13:44). When we do that, God's aim in creation is accomplished: He is glorified in us and we are satisfied in him - forever.

Does this make sense to you?

Do you desire the kind of gladness that comes from being satisfied with all that God is for you in Jesus? If so, then God is at work in your life.

What should you do?

Turn from the deceitful promises of sin. Call upon Jesus to save you from the guilt and punishment and bondage. "All who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). Start banking your hope on all that God is for you in Jesus. Break the power of sin's promises by faith in the superior satisfaction of God's promises. Begin reading the Bible to find his precious and very great promises, which can set you free (2 Peter 1:3-4). Find a Bible-believing church and begin to worship and grow together with other people who treasure Christ above all things (Philippians 3:7).

The best news in the world is that there is no necessary conflict between our happiness and God's holiness. Being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus magnifies him as a great Treasure.

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."(Psalm 16:11)

The Door God Has Already Opened by: Bob Kauflin

If you’re like me, you’ve probably thanked God many times over for people like Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Paul Baloche, Chris Tomlin, and others whose ministries and songs have impacted your life and served the church throughout the world.

But...if you’re like me, you’ve also probably wondered if God might be calling YOU to have that kind of influence. You can picture yourself going on tour, leading thousands night after night in powerful, life-changing, glorious worship. What a contribution you could make to the kingdom, if only God would open the doors!

The problem is, for most of us, God had already opened the doors. And they lead right in to our local church.

Over the past 30 years I’ve led worship in a variety of contexts, large and small. Living rooms. Auditoriums. Civic centers. Outdoor festivals. Each time it’s been an immense privilege. I’m grateful that God uses events of every size and shape to bring glory to his name.

But nothing compares to the privilege of leading my local church in singing God’s praise every Sunday morning.

Scripture describes the church as “God’s building,” God’s “temple,” the “body” of Christ, “the household of God.” We are “living stones . . . being built as a spiritual house” (1 Cor. 3:9b; Eph. 2:21–22; 1 Cor.12:12; Eph. 2:19; 1 Pet. 2:5).

We can apply all those metaphors to the church universal. But their most immediate and practical application is to a local church—the Christians I live with day by day, week by week, year by year.

On Sundays, I’m doing more than leading people into individual “worship experiences,” as powerful as those might be. God wants to knit the fabric of our lives together as a worshiping community. He wants our singing on Sundays to be an expression of our shared lives throughout the week.

How do we develop a heart for serving in our local church and resist the temptation to be dissatisfied? Here are some thoughts.

Seek to be faithful rather than famous.
One of the biggest surprises in heaven will be watching God hand out the greatest rewards to people whose names we never knew. Individuals who labored year after year in obscurity, at unknown churches in unknown towns. But they were known to God. And in the end, that’s all that matters. God is seeking servants, not stars.

Understand the benefits of congregations over concerts.
Concerts can have value. But concerts last one evening. People come together and then leave, never to meet again. A congregation gathers repeatedly, week after week, year after year. The opportunity to teach, pastor, encourage, and build lives together far exceeds what happens in a single night at a concert.

Recognize that Jesus came to build a worshiping church, not a worship industry.
I once heard Louie Giglio point out that the center of “industry” is “dust.” That’s a reminder that while God may raise up certain bands and artists to bless the church with their songs, none of them are essential to his purposes. The church is. We’re off the mark if we make primary what God thinks is secondary.

Be the best you can be in the place God has called you.
Prov. 22:29 says, “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” That’s not a guarantee that God will make you famous if you practice your instrument. But it’s a clear statement that we shouldn’t wait until we have an massive audience to develop our gifts.

As we seek to please the Audience of One we can trust that the platform we lead from will be just the right size for giving Jesus the praise he desires and that he alone deserves.

Bob Kauflin is the director of worship development for Sovereign Grace, based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA. This involves overseeing its music projects and teaching on congregational worship. He has written the fantastic book ‘Worship Matters,’ which in Tim’s opinion is one of the best books currently written on worship. He and his wife Julie have six children and an ever-growing number of grandchildren. Find out more by checkingwww.worshipmatters.com