The Pursuit of Happiness

Series: Breakout
June 8, 2008

Last week I spent some time setting up our breakout series and the letter to the church in Philippi. If you missed it, it’s online. Today I want to set up what the book of Philippians is largely about – the pursuit of happiness.

I was born in the states and grew up under the revolutionary document call the Declaration of Independence. This document states that all men (they caught on to slaves and women later) are created equal, and all of us are endowed by our creator with certain rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

That’s a fascinating declaration. You have the right to life and we can create a government where that can largely be enforced. We’ll argue a bit about when life begins and ends, does we ever have the right to take a life in between, but for the most part, we can enforce this. You also have the right to liberty, unless you’re a slave or a woman, but give it some time. So don’t take someone’s life, pay your taxes, and you’ll basically be free. Great enlightenment ideals, great biblical ideals. Then we have this third piece- you have the right to happiness. Well, not really. We can’t make you the promise of happiness, but we offer you this- the right to pursue your happiness. Don’t take a life, don’t take anyone’s liberty, and you’ll be free to pursue happiness. Basically we can say that the American experiment is basically the unfettered, unrelenting chasing after a dream- happiness.

So America must be the happiest place on earth, right? Well, I actually have no idea, but I do know this, on the website, the pursuit of happiness.org, America is not number 1. It’s not even in the top ten. But do you want to know who is? Yeah baby, you got it- Canada. We just barely made it in, by the skin of our teeth! Number 10.

But isn’t it interesting, or sad rather, that the very place where we’ve elevated the pursuit of happiness to one of highest ideals, is not even in the top ten happy places in the world. Despite Bobby McFerrin’s appeal, we still worry, and we aren’t just happy. That much like REM appears, we’re not just shinny happy people.

Have you ever seen one of those ads where they talk about being 100% satisfied? If you’re not 100% satisfied with your bank, call us, if your not 100% satisfied with your sex life, call us. That’s brilliant marketing, terribly misleading, but brilliant. Because really who is ever 100% satisfied? It’s not going to happen this side of heaven! Let me propose this, our relative happiness, or unhappiness, has a lot to do with where we are looking, what we are expecting. And the truth is, we are looking for love in all the wrong places, and we’re looking for joy in many of the wrong places.

I’m nowhere close to 100% on what I imagine would be a happiness scale. I mean, folks who know me I’m glad to say, really say I’m a fun guy and pretty fun to be around. Dare I say, I’m as happy and satisfied with my life as anyone I know. But when I think about it, I’m not where close to being 100% happy. My bike got stolen. I still have aches and pains. I struggle with my fragile male ego. My wife isn’t a like one of the stepford wives. My kids drive me nuts. My car needs constant maintenance. My house isn’t paid off yet. I mean, when I really think about it, there’s a lot in our lives to not be happy about. But on the other side of the coin, John gave me a free bike, I have my health, I have a wonderful real wife, the best in the world. I have three amazing kids. I have a car and a home. But am I 100% happy? That sound kind of ridiculous to me.

This is not a comprehensive list, and neither do I want to overly analyze this socially or psychologically, but I propose that people are looking for happiness in three main areas- in possessions, in power, and in people. Looking at many folks it is clear that they are pursuing possessions. It seems to be the whole point and passion of their life. They work for it, they cheat for it, they are slaves to the market, when the market is up, all is good, when the market is down, all is miserable. Some seem to truly love money itself. Like scrooge Mc duck swimming in his money, or Montgomery Burns bathing in money, it’s just money that seems to bring them joy.

They want the biggest, the best, the most and more. It’s the newest car, the latest gadget, the finest clothes, it’s just stuff. What’s the new saying, the one with the most toys wins. And that’s really how so many live. You know that people actually get addicted to stuff. Just stuff. The thrill of getting more stuff. They compulsively shop and accumulate more clothes, more jewelry, more shoes, more music, more of anything and everything.
Personally, I don’t want lots of toys. I want to be friends with the guy who has a lot of toys, and then enjoy his toys while he’s at work trying desperately to pay for all his toys, who then has a massive heart attack because he’s so stressed out over his toys, and who subsequently wills all his toys to me. I’m always encouraging my neighbors to buy a boat, put in a pool, get stuff, then let me play with it!

Others pursue it in power. They often think they can buy happiness not with stuff, but with the more intangible things like power and fame. People lust for power. They direct their education to get power. The look for relationships that can position them for power. They get into relationships because they can exert power. If possession can become an addiction, how much more power. The old saying goes, power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. But it’s a corruption we are so happy to embrace. But powerful people are, again, very often miserable people. The stress, the responsibly, the lust for power is overwhelming.

Some pursue happiness in people, in relationships. They live their life looking for the right person to come and make all their hopes and dreams come true. Their happiness is on hold, because it’s wrapped up in a person they’ve never meet, a person who might not exist, a person, if your outlook and expectations are really messed up, a person who can never exist. Because ultimately no person can bring you the happiness that you desire. In fact, what I’ve seen time and time again is that people get involved in a relationship with the stated or unstated expectation that this person will truly be for them everything they’ve always wanted, hoped and dreamed for.

Folk, particularly you folks that maybe are still looking or hoping to find that one, let me break the news to you, the one doesn’t exist. Now I’m not saying relationships aren’t awesome and hold the power for joy in our lives. IN fact, I don’t think we can really be joyful and happy without relationships. But again, it’s this expectation, this need, to have your joy fulfilled in another person. But the truth is this- no person can sustain your happiness. They’ll try. There are plenty of folks who will try to be your savior, your messiah, your everything, because they think that true joy is in being god to someone. But folks, I’ve seen it time and time again, it’s doesn’t work, it doesn’t last, the whole thing falls apart. Two people come together, expecting the other one to meet their needs, and they keep taking and taking from each other, pulling fro the other, protecting themselves, and it doesn’t work. It doesn’t end in happiness, it ends in pain. Your ultimate happiness can’t be wrapped up and dependent upon another person.

The bible speaks a lot about this. A man names Solomon achieved power, fame, riches and wealth. He had the whole world at he fingers. Anything he wanted, anything he desired, he had. He wrote a book of the bible that goes into detail his pursuit of happiness. Ecclesiastes. It’s fascinating. Thomas Wolfe said it is the greatest work of writing he has ever read, it’s wisdom the most lasting and profound. Solomon begins the book with these words- “Meaningless, meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” Right there you know this is going to be a really fun book, great to read to the kids at night before bed. Then he begins to take us through his life, and his pursuit of happiness. He acquired wisdom and knowledge, more than anyone else on earth we’re told. He was given this directly as a gift of God. And what was his conclusion- with wisdom comes much sorrow, with much knowledge, more grief. There you go kids, do yourself a favor and drop out- just kidding. But many of us have been there. We know knowledge is wonderful, but it can also be hard. Without something else in your life, without something more, the very wisdom and knowledge you acquire can become a burden. Many of you have experienced this- the university and college years can be some of the most difficult as young people need to learn not just information, but how to manage and make sense of the information, the education, they receive.

Moving on- pleasure, that is meaningless too. Solomon denied himself nothing- food, drink, and especially women. The dude had thousands of women in his household. He amassed riches and wealth like the world has never seen. He took on projects, he worked diligently, he had it all, he had the power, fame, fortune. Finally, in the end of his hedonistic pursuit of please in any and every way he could find and experience it, he said this.

“Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him- for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives and man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work- this is a gift from God.’ Ecc. 5:18-19

And all of these things, possession, people relationships, power, all of this stuff, instead of bringing us joy, can have the exact opposite effect- they can become prisons. They become bars that hold is in, chains that hold us back, weight that wears us down. They are not the source of happiness and joy. Joy in not found in money, power, fame, possessions. North America has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. And the single most diagnosed and medicated illness in NA is depression. In our pursuit of joy, in our all out, no holds barred search for joy we have uncovered and experienced it’s antithesis- depression.

When Paul wrote to the Philippians from a prison cell he said, “I thank my God every time I remember you in all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with JOY because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he (God) who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Ph. 1:3-6

Brothers and sisters, I want you to take confidence in this- God began a good work in you. You are a good work, you are a great work. You are made, known and loved by God and he has a good work in store for you, and he will bring it to completion in Jesus Christ. And there in is our joy- in what God is working out in us, where he is leading us, when he will complete us in the day of Jesus’ return.

When we become a Christian the Holy Spirit is in our lives. Notice I say in our life, because we are told from the bible that when we come to believe in Jesus, when we put our faith and trust in Him and give our life to him, we do so only because the Spirit first moves us. Think of it this way- your parents didn’t consult you before they conceived you. It just doesn’t work that way. And so it happens this way spiritually. This is why Jesus uses the analogy of being born again. Your earthly parents brought you into the world, and your heavenly father brings you into Spiritual life through his Holy Spirit. The bible is very clear on this. Dead things don’t come back to life without God. Spiritually dead things don’t breathe spiritual life and birth into themselves- they can’t, their dead.

I say all this in relation to joy, because I don’t think we can create joy in our lives. Rather, we can only choose to accept the gift of joy and begin to cultivate it in our lives. Once the Spirit moves in us to bring us spiritual birth, he also births in us certain fruits. They are available to us, and need to be cultivated and nurtured in us. The first is love, because God is love. The second is joy.

I think that’s pretty great. I’d have to say that given the choice for what I’d want God to give me, first I’d have to say life, here and eternally, and guess what, that what God first offers us. Second, I’d have to say love, because without love, with out being loved, well, what would life be. And as I think about, as I’ve prayed about it, I’d have to say the third greatest thing we could experience in life is joy. And that’s exactly what the bible tells us God wants to birth in us.

Joy comes as a gift from God. Joy also comes in know that God will complete his work in you. Since he chose you, since he called you, since he saved you, since he began this great work in you, he will bring ot to completion. God is a great finisher. He’s a great beginner to- he began a great work in creation and a great work in you. But even better, he’s a great finisher. And he will finish his world of joy in you life.

Finally, joy comes from our confidence in the return of Christ. Jesus will finish his work during our lifetime, or at his return. Either way, it will be finished in us. And for the follow of Jesus this is if infinite comfort and joy- to know that Jesus will come and finish this work.

CS Lewis, a famous Oxford scholar who came to faith in Jesus in his adulthood, became the greatest Christian apologist of the 20th century. And one of the most fascinating things he wrote, in my opinion, is simply the title of his autobiography. Obviously, when you write a book about yourself, and come up with a title, you are going to want to say a whole lot in that word or words. The title he chose to capture the first half of his life, and especially his Christian conversion, was “Surprised by Joy.” His experience of coming to faith in Jesus surprised him with joy. He was looking for meaning, for purpose, for a cohesive world view, for all the things you might expect an oxford don to long for, but what he found was the his longings were all meet in this person named Jesus, and in Jesus there was joy. It came to him as a gift, it caught him off guard, and it was wonderful.

And that’s the rub- when we get beyond our search for happiness, and ge to with our search for God, with knowing God, with serving God, the bonus is joy. And so I invite you to give your life to God, to join in partnership with the Gospel, to believe that God will complete his good work in you, that Jesus is coming again. And be surprised by the joy of God that takes root in your life.