Francis Chan: Living with Joy (Part 2) - Choosing Joy

man you ever ever been so happy you feel like you're gonna hyperventilate you know where it's just like I I don't know I just feel like I've been just in feelin that so much more lately this whole series on joy you know I was at the men's retreat with the guys and there's so many great things going on you know and my boat there's a couple guys that don't believe in God and and it was cool because three years ago I was on a boat with a guy who was just mocking the things were doing and just gonna you know the cult whatever and he's the very guy that was sharing the Lord with these other guys that didn't believe and you're just going it just doesn't get any better than this you know and then anything you do the typical guy stuff you know and you know Friday night Friday night we were it was midnight Friday night and there's a full moon I was like let's go wakeboarding you know and just a 10 of us jumped on a ski boat at midnight and there was just something about being drugged in this dark lake lit by the moon you know on a wakeboard I'm just like I am so happy right now you know just water splashing on my face going there's ten of my buddies on the boat ready to sink you know it's just God this is it just life doesn't get any better than this and just just thanking God praising God man if you had a have you had a joyful week you know the sermon last week do anything for you just just focusing on the right things and being filled with God's joy so much that you just can't even contain it you know if you didn't have a good week I got some good news for you good news for you I was I was eating Cheetos the other day and I noticed on the wrapper Cheetos now have zero grams of trans fat oh that great so great oh man cuz I know how you're worried you know as a kid you're like oh no mom I can't eat those they might have like two or three grams of trans fat I've always worried about it well you know have to worry about anymore it's gone okay no grams of trans fat um I looked at that I thought man that's so dumb what are they trying to fool us oh they're healthy now don't worry no trans fat and and it made me look at the ingredients because I realized my whole life have I ever thought about what is a cheeto obviously as it everyone entered your mind like what is this thing I'm throwing in my mouth I'm just shoveling them in but what is it you know I know what it torito's are you know it's a tortilla chip but you just fry to death and you know and throw some junk on it but what it really is a cheeto that's cool huh yeah you learn a lot of good things at church it's a it's just a bunch of cornmeal you know and and I was reading through the ingredients partially hydrogenated soybean oil maltodextrin disodium phosphate artificial flavor monosodium glutamate lactic acid artificial colors including yellow six sounds like good stuff for you huh you know I just went through his list and I'm gonna I don't even know what these things are it just doesn't sound good to be eating yellow six but but you know what look what I thought about when I I saw this I just thought you know what this is what a lot of Christians look like to me you know seriously what we do is we put on the label we come to church and we just talk about that one good thing in our life you know when we boast about the good side and we hide the true ingredients of who we really are well come in here and we'll go hey guess what I've been to church every Sunday this this month I teach Sunday school or I give 10% of my income I I serve here I do this I don't swear anymore I don't drink I don't sleep with anyone you know well whatever it is we we say these things and we throw out that one thing that's good and then we hide all the other stuff and fine print and that's really what we're made of but we put on this label hey no trans fat you know and what's what's crazy about this do you know what partially hydrogenated soybean oil is trans fat but it's less than a gram so they say zero grams you know and it's just practice is totally what we do in the Christian world well well like throw out something about ourselves to make everyone believe that we're such a good Christian thinking well this is what I do and I was like oh wow really you went on a missions trip eight years ago Lord what a godly man what a godly woman meanwhile your life's falling apart there's all sorts of junk inside of you you just you just keep it inside and you label yourself with something positive so everyone will just focus on that guys that's not Christianity that's the very thing that turns the whole world off to Christianity is when we come here and we just boast about that one good thing we do or don't do and think that that's what makes us a good Christian you guys what the Bible teaches what God teaches you know what Jesus thinks is a good Christian he's a good Christian is someone who is just at the core of their being is madly in love with me he says you know what a good Christian is you know what's most important to me that you love me with every fiber of your being see Jesus was asked he say what's the most important command in the world because just love me love the Lord your God with all your heart all your soul all of your mind every ounce of being that you have just just you're crazy you're madly in love with him is that true of you see a Christian is someone who finds so much pleasure in this relationship with God it's not a guy that just trying to by obey a bunch of rules it's a person who just madly in love with God and because you love them is like man I don't want to do the things that offend you I'm crazy about you absolutely madly in love with you that's what a Christian is someone who finds that pleasure in him is that what you are is that really the true ingredient in your life that you're just marked as a man or woman who is just madly in love with God rejoicing in him this week you know I want to UM there's a passage of Scripture when I look at today and and it's so I just realized this about myself yesterday I never took this passage seriously as a command of God but it's uh it's Philippians 4 for many of us have heard it we could read quote it where he says rejoice in the Lord always I'll say it again rejoice rejoice I never took that as a serious command because in my mind commands are thou shalt not commit murders like okay I won't you know and it's just as negative don't do that that's a command but then you get a commit and this is every bit of command is written in the imperative he says rejoice and you go how come on that's not commands too happy to be a command rejoice always rejoice in the Lord always the word rejoice means to be cheerful God says be cheerful in me and this love relationship with you because you're so happy to be in relation to me just be cheerful all the time be glad in me all the time rejoice in me always and then you go we'll is that really a command yeah it is just because it's happy that's for me it's not a command in fact think about it do you know of any other verse in Scripture that's written like this where he says rejoice in the Lord always and then right after goes I'm gonna say it again rejoice just in case you missed it two seconds ago rejoice in the Lord always I'm gonna say it again rejoice to get that I want you to rejoice I want you to be cheerful I want you to be glad that you're in this love relationship with me cuz that's what this is about you guys when the Bible talks about this this this following of God he says specifically in John 15 Jesus says I'm not calling you my slaves Jesus says that I do not call you my slaves because a slave does not know his master's businesses instead I call you what friends friends you're my friends this is a friendship it's a friendship with God God when he describes the church he says you're my bride bride and he talks about the groom coming one day for his bride Jesus says you know to all who received him all who believed in his name he gave him the right to become what children of God you're my children you're my bride you're my friend you understand what was he trying to communicate what is God Almighty trying to communicate to me saying man I want intimacy with you I want to have a relationship with you that brings you so much pleasure you're just crazy about me and I want you to rejoice rejoice that you're in this love relationship with me rejoice in the Lord always and I'll say it again rejoice has that been you not a great command just saying okay so you want me always happy always cheerful to be in a relationship with you what have you really pulled that off picture what what if when you walk out the doors today you just rejoiced all the time for the rest of your life so you got to heaven then you rejoiced even more sounds like a pretty good existence huh there's rejoice and Lord always I'll say it again rejoice and he says let your gentleness be evident to all the Lord is near because because your rejoicing me all the time then then let everyone else see this gentleness you have see this idea this word gentleness it's hard to really translate because it's really the word appropriateness and it's the idea of that you act or respond appropriately to situations so only if when you're in love you respond differently to situations you you really respond appropriately to situations like remember when you first fell in love yeah you know I mean I'm just talking about being madly in love I mean not that you're not more madly love I understand that okay I'm more in love with my wife than ever I'm just saying you know when you that in that infatuation stage where you think about him the whole time and just like no way you know I'm in this relationship and what did you do with your problems problem still came into your life but they just didn't really seem to matter did they it's just like alright so water wrecked my car you know I'm in love you know and it's just that's the appropriateness it's like I'm in this relationship and that's so much greater than this issue you're not going to make me mad in love right now and it's that same mentality God saying would you just be in this relationship where you just rejoicing then you know the God the universe he's your dad he's your groom he's your friend he's your best friend the most intimate relationships with me just rejoicing that so much that you respond to things appropriately and let everyone see that what does it mean to respond appropriately let your gentleness your appropriateness appropriate that three three weeks ago I was golfing golfing with some friends of mine and you know one of my friends I've never beaten golf this guy Jesse but I was on fire and I just thought this is my day all right I could do no wrong just nailing it I'm right there neck to neck and we get in this one hole and I just drill my drive but it actually went too far through the fairway into the rough thank you but um but then then you know it's in the rough and I hit it and you know and I kind of hit this branch and you know hurt my wrist and just kind of pops up I'm like oh so I hit it again and get it out of there but it goes right in a sand trap like oh you know and then I just hit it out of the sand again but it doesn't go out of sand it just pops straight up comes right back down and I just grab my club and I just threw it you know that's not appropriate okay that that that's that's what you call inappropriate you know and and it just pray for me I I you know it's it's weird you know because you I was so rejoicing before that like ah thank you lord great weather I'm winning you know every and and it's amazing you know and this is a weakness you know like I'll take my mind off of God I'll get focused on competition you know and I'll just that just all in my mind and then the whole idea what would have been appropriate appropriate said never take your mind off a god to rejoice and Nick oh gosh you know what I'm in love with the god of the universe how's that compared to hitting a little white ball it's like who even cares who even cares you know and it's this whole idea of is is that what you're known for this person where it's evident to everyone that you know what you deal with things approach do people know you as a person that someone come to you all angry and you're just saying no big deal there's some way I deal with or work it out and yeah I mean love with God yeah things in my life they're they're not perfect and I got problems but I sit there and worry about it I love with God right now he says make that it'd be so much in love with God that it's evident to everyone rejoice so much that everyone sees and then it says the Lord is near and you can you can really interpret that one of two ways the idea of the Lord being near could can refer to you know who cares I mean God of the universe is right here he's inside of me he's present with me the other idea between the Lord is near is also in this book of Philippians Paul talks about you know the return of Christ and the whole thought that you know at any moment Christ is going to return from me he's gonna return for his bride there's gonna be this marriage from his Union at any second so why is this stuff even matter and let me have this you know in fact one commentator translated that word gentleness as sweet reasonableness someone's just so reasonable so he's just so sweet just so joyful to be around some would love that the problems aren't going to destroy them and he goes on and he says do not be anxious about anything there's a verse many of us know do not be anxious about anything think about that we all know the verse I just wonder if there's anyone here that's actually done this don't be anxious about anything imagine what if we walked out this the picture yourself you're walking out the sanctuary and for the rest the time your whole life you never worried again not only is that possible it's commanded that tells me it's possible but you understand that can you imagine how good life would be just picture the rest of your existence how good it would be if you never ever worried about anything see sometimes we'll look at a verse like that I go come on anything let me hold onto it like the big things it's almost like we want to hold on to some of this thinking that if we could if we're allowed to worry a little bit that would kind of ease the pain of this or something like like it's a bad thing you know it's like telling a doctor okay I know I have cancer get rid of most of it but I did but just save a little bit allow me to have some of it in my life let me have a little anxiety let me have a little worry I gotta have a little stress come on God let me keep a little a little bit isn't good coz a little bit is gonna spread you want it all out in the same way saying you know it's so much easier to live the Christian life if you just go cold turkey just so you know I'm not gonna worry again about anything I don't care how big it is I'm letting it go none of it you know I was really convicted because when I was teaching at the men's retreat this week I was they had me teacher Ephesians 5 and in it there's this verse it says don't even let a hint of immorality impurity or greed be in you you know which is a improper for God's holy people he doesn't even want a hint of it you know cuz I look at this and uncle Kashi always remember you know Christmastime I was pretty stressed down my heart I was having problems you know on a scale of 1 to 10 I was for like an eighth of stress level I'm probably had a two right now that's awesome man for the last eight nine months everything like a tattoo I don't worry about hardly anything and God's gone I don't want a hint of that I said don't worry about anything man what a great way to live really I mean and you go well is that possible a few verses later what's Philippians 4:13 you guys know it I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me see the thought that I really can't see I've never taken this seriously I've never taken it as something that's really possible it's almost like this ideal to always rejoice and it's like you know what I'm done with that I'm gonna really believe this that I can do this that I can rejoice always and not stop and not stop for a while to dwell on problems and focus on them and get bummed out and then go back to a joy know I want to just never worry again you know because this was so powerful to me I've read it a million times memorized it as a kid don't be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving present your requests to God now you say don't worry about anything just give it all up in prayer now this weekend I feel like as well as times where God just opened my eyes again to really how bad it is when I worry because think about this when I pray and I still worry about the situation let me put it to you this way okay how many how many of you have ever been in position where you were in charge like you were just a supervisor or boss and whatever it was whatever said you even have to be the owner but you just had people working under you that you could give assignments to anyone been in that position okay okay a lot of you okay let me ask you something when you gave someone an assignment did you worry about that assignment getting done yeah yeah yeah we usually do now let me ask you something else were there ever times when you would give someone an assignment and then you didn't worry and you knew they would get it done okay why okay probably when you gave someone an assignment you're sure is gonna get it done why were you sure is gonna get it done from there from their past history they're capable of doing you trusted that person there's other people you give a task to and going on I better check up hey did you do it yet yeah you know give him a note you know email call him you know you eat you don't know but other people you seriously because I've had that you know some people you give them a task even come through other people you can trust they have a history what does that tell you when you give God something and then you worry afterwards and trust him that kill'd me it's like God opened my eyes to that Saint Francis you give it to me and then you keep worrying it like I'm not going to get it done or something or I didn't really hear you or that I don't really care about you it was like a revelation to me of this verse that I've looked at so many times and God's just saying you know what you can trust me then when you give me something and say okay you know what God here's your something for you okay here's my prom here's my issue now you just do whatever is best because I trust you more I trust myself I could ask for something but I might not ask for what's best for me or best for my family's not gonna work out the best in your plan so here it is you just do what's best and God says you know what then let it go don't worry stop it knock it off right now don't worry about anything just give it to me and then give it to me with Thanksgiving oh thank you I like over I mean cuz how many times as a boss have I given something to someone who's working here and I go you know what here it is and then I just go home thank you for taking care of that I know it's taken care of do I believe that about God or do I keep worrying yeah that just absolutely nailed me he says if you can do that he says then the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus because that's when we're gonna have peace is when you trust and you let go and go here it is I'm done with it God's got it now then he said you can have the peace of God that means the peace that God has I can have think about that you see cuz the reason why we don't have peace is is we don't know what's gonna happen right you know a piece over situation is there like ah what's gonna happen what's gonna happen you worry about it but what if your God and you already wrote down what's gonna happen and you know what's gonna happen in the future you got it all laid out I just no picture God on his throne ever going what's he gonna do what's he gonna do you know and you know it's just he knows he's sitting on his throne in perfect peace and the Bible says I can have the peace of God I can have that same peace where I'm just sitting back on even charge but I'm worried about it and the peace of God will guard my heart and guard my mind and and just choosing not to worry again I'll let it go still let it go and then verse 8 you know some people stop right there and I think verse 8 is really a key to this because he says finally brothers whatever is true whatever is noble whatever is right whatever is pure whatever is lovely whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things because man have your minds well on these things what does God want us thinking about run through the list whenever you have a thought in your head run through this list and go okay the thing that I'm thinking about right now is it honorable is it right is it lovely is it pure is it admirable is it excellent is it praiseworthy is that what God wants me thinking about right now there's a praiseworthy saying those are the things that we should let our minds think about actually dwell and meditate on them and I know what some people are thinking you're going what are you saying you want me to just kind of lose touch with reality and pretend there's no problems keep my head in the clouds and just dwell on God and rejoice because I thought this through I am NOT asking you to lose sight of reality I am asking you this morning to get a grip on reality that regardless of how big you think your issues and problems are in reality they don't match up to the cross that's reality okay that your little light and momentary I know you think it's the biggest thing in the world but compared to Eternity compared to the forgiveness you have in Jesus it's nothing you're gonna see that one day and that's reality and the reality is yeah you know what I should keep my head in the clouds because I'm not of this world this isn't my home this is just a little place I'm dwelling in for a little while compared to the forgiveness and the eternity that I have in God you know it's like when Mark was leading some worship and that verse you know about all these pleasures at the right hand of God for me that's reality and God saying that's worthy of dwelling upon is what you haven't made this love relationship you have in me see when we dwell on our problems we glorify our problems we do we're just saying you know what this is something that's worthy for my mind to dwell on right now it's that great that important that praiseworthy I'm gonna dwell on it because it's that big and we really are bringing glory to our issues glory to our problems you see when you when you dwell on a problem if you uh if you focus on a problem I've got a problem now now let's say what what happens when you stare at your problem you start looking at all the facets of it and pretty soon man we've all done this we're pretty soon it just consumes you and that's all you can see all you can see is this problem right and you walk around everyone's like well looks like you got a problem you know I'm like yeah it's written all over my face you know it's just yeah you know that's just all you you know you're just you're just focused on you're so intense I can see it and you guys you want to be known as that you want to be known as the person that has that problem or or worse ha he's got so many problems you know it's just you just go gosh you know that's what you glorify it's like honor the guy with all the problems there's a girl with all the problems you know and it's like gosh I don't want to do that he says don't let your mind dwell on that that's not worthy of your time it's not worthy of your mind just give it up to me give give me don't here God here's the problem you do what's best with it oh cool I gave those to God I'm done with them they're gone I'm not gonna look at them again you know what God you just make it work out make it work out however you think I trust you thank you with Thanksgiving I give it to you it's done with I'm gonna go back just rejoicing over the fact that gosh I could give that up to God that's so cool my dad up there cares about me he loves me a groom my friend God Almighty I just gave it to him oh this is great I'm just gonna go around rejoicing rejoicing rejoicing always always rejoicing issue comes up there it is go back to rejoicing that's why that's why my dad wants me to live that's the way the father wants me to live he just wants me to be his little kid not all stressed out so could just go back to your plane go back to just telling everyone what a great dad I am okay and I'll take care of your problem I'll work it out just trust me just trust me it's so so good you know for me this passage has always been one of those Y Abbott passages where it's like yeah but does anyone really do that you know yeah but can i really never worry again yeah but I'm do I'm a pastor so I'm doing with spiritual things so it's okay to worry about spiritual things yeah but you know never again worry and always is and I know anyone that's ever always rejoicing and all these excuses of why hey you know my favorite my favorite excuse I always had what this passage was yeah but I wasn't really born with that type of genetic disposition you know we're you know some people they're born it's like you know and they're their whole life is just happy happy happy that's not me that's never been me God you didn't make me like that you made me as a problem solver to give me the problems of the world and let me dwell on it and solve all these issues I mean I just I just really would believe these lies like you know what that's just not natural for me I mean you know how you have those childhood memories and you remember what you are is again you remember certain ends I totally I was thinking about this I remember I remember childhood things where I I remember my aunt looking me in the face one day and just going why are you never happy you know and uh and I just you know that's just what she thought of me and I don't know problems problems you know and you know it just wasn't a happy kid gosh I totally remember I just thought about this weekend this one time my dad was cooking this big fish in Chinese we just throw the whole fish in there you know ahead and suck on it and and I remember just seeing this fish on the counter you know and the mouth always goes like this big frown and I remember just walking by and go wow you know that fish looks pretty sad and my dad goes that how you always look you know and you know it's like that was his impression of me that's how you always rook you know and you know in my mind I'm gonna hope you didn't beat me every day you know it's just this whole thing of you know so I look at a passage like this and go you know what I'm not the happy guy rejoicing all the time you know and it's like that's not who I am that's not my personality and I had all these reasons why this isn't me this isn't really a command I can't really pull this off and you guys I'm just done with it I'm just done I'm just gonna you know what Lord I surrender ok I'll be happy you know and and realizing God this is the greatest thing in the world just been so freeing going I literally don't have to worry about another thing in fact I'm commanded not to and I don't have to solve the problems of the world that's not my job you know I give it up to the Lord even this weekend on men's retreat I'm like gosh how do I convince these guys to believe in God you know these guys and just realizing my job God you pursue them you pursued me we're not in this room because you know you got manipulated into believing it by some preacher it was God somehow you can't even explain it just worked in orchestrate everything he went after you it's just like okay God you down with all these other guys on the boat do it these two guys do them all so I'm done you know go back to rejoicing rejoicing and letting them see the joy it's in my life so it's something they actually want guys are rejoicing in the Lord won't that be so cool if we really did this stuff I'm going for it III give you the license any any any time you see me around town wherever just go what do you think about you know what are you doing on right now it's like hi yeah you know I I don't I just don't wanna I don't wanna I don't want to just hide behind anything I want to truly truly just experience the joy of the Lord and I feel like I've got it more than ever and the more I have of it it's like the more I want it this is a great way to live it's an awesome feeling knowing that God is my dad and he's looking at me going kid I just I just want you to stop worrying about everything dad's got it in control go play go laugh again and I'm gonna do it and I want to do it for the rest of my life I really I really believe that I can never worry again not because there's anything great about me but because the Holy Spirit in me and I know that if I pull that off I'm gonna be the happiest man on earth and that's what I want to be and that's what God wants me to be good goals you know sometimes we we have a prayer time you know where I have you find like four or five people and just write their names down then then you share like hey okay what what's the hardest thing in your life right now and I thought you know let's do something different this week you know that's I I do want you to write people's names down just like four or five people just around you write their name down but rather than just saying the worst thing in your life and bumming each other out let's um why don't we say you know what's the greatest thing that God's doing for life right now well it's just the coolest thing that's going on in your life right now that you want to thank God for as you look at that list of names that you have during the week you know nothing you know now it's nothing wrong with praying for prayer of course that's important and we need to do that I'm just saying let's try something different this week let's pray for each other pray for those people that they would actually have joy all week long they would they would take this passage if they learned today and literally rejoice all week long and every time you're you're feeling bummed out about something oh you hang up with joy so let me pray for these guys on my list you know in favor of these girls that that they rejoice also that we would just really truly enjoy God the way it was meant to be you

Channel: Crazy Love

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Keywords: sermon, Francis Chan, church, GOD, Jesus, Crazy Love, Crazy, Love

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Length: 33min 18sec (1998 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 02 2014