From His Heart

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Are you trying your very best to achieve real happiness? How's that working for you? Here's Pastor Jeff Shreve.

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We think that if we just achieve, if we get that next promotion, if we get to the next rung on the ladder, if we get that degree, if we achieve something, then we'll be happy.

Hey, you're never gonna find happiness in any of these things. Why? Because happiness is not found under the sun.

It's only found in the sun, in the s O n, in the son of the living God. He can heal every scar with real truth, real love, real hope from his heart.

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So many people are so not happy. They acquire everything they think they need to be happy, but happiness seems to intentionally avoid them. Then they get more stuff and they're still unhappy. Then they begin to wonder, is true happiness really even possible for me?

Well, today on, from his Heart, Pastor Jeff Shreve will conclude this message about happiness from his six message series, Life's Big Questions. Addressing the most profound questions we can ask, in this lesson, he'll explore six areas of King Solomon's life. For the king tried to find lasting happiness, but to no avail.

But, hey, we can learn from Solomon and discover the true happiness God wants for us all. Open your Bible now to the book of Ecclesiastes and turn to chapter one. Here's Pastor Jeff to share the answer to this question: Is true happiness really possible?

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Solomon says, "I'm gonna look at everything that you can do in life and see where is the source of satisfaction? Where is happiness to?" So here's the question: Well, Solomon, where'd you look? Where'd you look to find happiness?

Let's look at these areas. Area number one is the area of wisdom and knowledge. Solomon concluded that true happiness is not found in wisdom, knowledge, learning, or education. He says in Ecclesiastes 1:17-18, "I decided to learn how wisdom and knowledge are better than thinking foolish thoughts. But I learned that trying to become wise is like trying to catch the wind. With much wisdom comes frustration. The one who gains more wisdom also gains more sorrow." So, it's not found in wisdom, knowledge, or education.

It's also not found, number two, in fun and games. In Ecclesiastes 2, beginning in verse 1, he states, "I said to myself, I should have fun. I should enjoy everything as much as I can. But I learned that this also is useless. It is foolish to laugh all the time. Having fun does not do any good."

Then Solomon said, "All right, I haven't found it in wisdom and learning. I haven't found it in laughter and fun and games. So now I'm gonna try a third area." The third area is drugs and alcohol. He found out that true happiness is not found in drugs and alcohol. He says in Ecclesiastes 2:3, "So I decided to fill my body with wine while I filled my mind with wisdom. I tried this foolishness because I wanted to find a way to be happy." He was looking for happiness, thinking, "Maybe I can find happiness in a bottle. Maybe I can find it in a pill. Maybe there's something external that I can bring inside of me that will make me happy." But he didn't find happiness in any stimulant. Most of us know that, but many of us struggle with that.

Number four, true happiness is not found in money and possessions. Solomon learned that. Now, Solomon had more money than anyone has ever had. He says in verse 8 of chapter 2, "I also collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces." He had so much silver that the Bible says during the reign of Solomon, silver was as common as stones. They didn't really think silver was very valuable during the reign of Solomon.

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Why?

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Because gold was it. And Solomon, he covered everything in gold when he made the temple of God, when he made his palace. It's just gold, gold, gold, gold. He would bring in 666 talents of gold every year. The scripture says he was so rich. And most of us think that's what will make me happy. So many people think that, man, if I just had more money, then I would be happy. Then I would be satisfied. Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, "He who loves money," Solomon says, "will not be satisfied with money." It's impossible. Cause money can't do it. Money is like salt water. You're thirsty and you can't drink salt water because salt water can't quench your thirst. Money is like that. That's why Pat O'Brien said that he knows very few celebrities, very wealthy people who are happy. Why? Cause they think that the celebrity status, all that stuff is supposed to make them happy. All their money is supposed to make them happy. And it doesn't, because it can't. And it's like drinking salt water, and it won't do the job.

Interestingly, some of you like to play the lottery. I think it's ridiculous for people to play the lottery, but lots of people play the lottery. Time magazine in 2016 ran an article that said, "Here's how winning the Lottery makes you miserable." He said, so many of the people that win the lottery wind up unhappy or wind up broke. People have had terrible things happen. That's Don McNay, a financial consultant. He said, people commit suicide. People run through their money. Easy come, easy go. They go through divorce or people die. Now, Jack Whitaker, he won a $350 million lottery pot in West Virginia. And he said this: "I wish that we had torn up the ticket. I wish that we had torn up the ticket." He said, "I just don't like Jack Whitaker anymore. I don't like the hard heart I've got. I don't like what I've become because of all the money." Abraham Shakespeare, he won a $30 million lottery jackpot. He said, "I'd have been better off broke." Donna Micken, she said this, and she won a $34.5 million lottery in the New York State Lottery in 2007. She said, "My life was hijacked by the lottery." She said, "If you had asked me before I won, I would have said, I'm a pretty happy person." But she said, "Now my life has been hijacked, and I'm very unhappy." Isn't that strange? But we think that money is gonna do it. Money is not gonna do it. Money can't do it. And so many people, they long for it, they scheme for it, they dream for it. They sell their souls for money. And then what happens? As Ted Turner, billionaire Ted Turner, said, "Money is like a paper bag. Everybody wants the paper bag. And when you finally get the paper bag, you open it up and find out it's empty." It's empty. He who loves money will not be satisfied with money. And Solomon, who had more money than anyone, he said, "Hey, that's not the source of satisfaction."

So he said, "I'm gonna try something else." And he tried what many people try: sex and sexual immorality. He found out that true happiness is not found in sex. It's not found in sexual immorality. Verse 8 of chapter 2 says, "I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men. Many concubines. Many concubines." What's a concubine? It's like a love slave. She lives in the harem, and she's just in the bullpen there. He had 300 of them. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Not porcupines. We're talking concubines. They're just waiting around in the bullpen for Solomon to call them up. Now, if you're one of a thousand—300 in the bullpen, 700 wives—I mean, the implication is he had sexual relationships with a thousand different women. Well, that's a lot. And he gave himself over to that. It says in God's Word translation, "I had all the women a man could want." I would say so if you had a thousand, all the women a man could want. Well, did that satisfy you, Solomon? No, no. Vanity of vanities is all his vanity now. He calls it the pleasures of men. Many concubines. And that is pleasurable. Sex is pleasurable. When God created sex, he put pleasure in there. It's for procreation, yes, but it's also pleasurable.

But the scripture talks about the passing pleasures of sin. It says in Hebrews chapter 11 that Moses endured ill treatment with the people of God rather than choosing the passing pleasures of sin. Sin is pleasurable, but it's pleasurable for a moment. As I shared with you, those that go the route of drugs and alcohol, it's instant heaven that leads to everlasting hell. I mean, it's fun for a moment, but then the bills come due. And that's the way it is with sexual immorality. It's fun for a moment, but then the bills come. Do we live in a world that is just so saturated with sex and sexual immorality and sexual images? It's just all over the place. And we talked about the technology in America. We talked about the smartphone, and that has ruined so many people because it's just things that they can pull up just at the click of a button. It didn't used to be like that, man. When I was in high school, we didn't have anything like that. We didn't have cable TV. You had three channels, two UHF channels, and it was like you could flip through pretty quick. It's like there's nothing on. Let's go outside and play. I mean, that's the way it was. It's not like that anymore.

Many young people ruin themselves with sexual immorality right off the bat. We live in a Romans 1 society. We don't want to acknowledge God any longer. Scripture makes that clear because it says in Romans 1, the people didn't want to acknowledge God any longer. They didn't want to honor him as God or give him thanks. But their foolish heart was darkened. And so what does God do? God, when you say, "God, I don't want to acknowledge you anymore," God says, "All right, well I'm giving you over then." And the scripture says in Romans 1 that God gave them over to the lust of their minds. And men were consumed with lust. And we have seen that. Men and women just, we're not gonna be married. We're just gonna have sex and we're gonna go out on dates and have sex. And so many people, this first date, we're just having sex. God gives you over to a lustful mind like that. But then God takes it a step further. He gives you over to a degrading passion. And now it's not just men going after the women; it's men going after men and women going after women. The Bible calls that a degrading passion. That's sexual immorality with an exclamation point on it because that's not natural.

Then it goes even further where God gives them over to a depraved mind where their mind is corrupt. They can't process things correctly because their mind has been corrupted by sin. That's the world in which we live in today. Some people say, "Well, you're too hard on that stuff." You know why I'm hard on that stuff? Because I want people to be happy. And you're never gonna be happy if you're going after same-sex marriage. You're never gonna be happy if you live in fornication and adultery. You just can't be. Why? Because you're sinning against God, that's why. Let the marriage bed, Hebrews 13:4 says, "Let the marriage bed be undefiled for fornicators," those who have sex and they're not married, "and adulterers," those who have sex outside of their marriage. "God will judge." Man, it's a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. We act like it's no big deal. Oh, well, you know, I had a girl tell me one time when I was in college, she said, "Well, I just think God understands that we can't control ourselves." I said, "Well, I think God understands what temptation's like. Jesus was tempted in all points, as we are yet without sin." But he doesn't just wink at that and say, "Oh, well, they couldn't say no. So I understand. Yeah, it's okay." God doesn't do that. He says, "It's a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Fornicators and adulterers, God will judge.

Now I realize that there's a huge temptation there. I realize that it's difficult to just say no. Like Nancy Reagan said so many years ago, when it came to drugs, just say no. Or when it comes to sexual immorality, just say no. But it's like, yeah, but there's a part of me that wants to say yes. And that's the thing to remember. You will never find happiness going after sexual immorality. Never. And you will, as a Christian, if you do that, you're gonna be convicted in your heart. The Holy Spirit of God is gonna be stabbing you in the heart, saying, "What you're doing is wrong." And you can try and kick the spirit to death, kick your conscience to death, but in the middle of the night, you're gonna know, "I am in sin before God." And you're gonna question your own salvation, if you have it at all. Because how can you live this way? If you're truly born again, your conscience would just be writhing in pain because you're walking in the darkness. And the Lord will be convicting your heart. "Hey, you're not gonna find happiness in that arena." Solomon didn't. And he had sexual experiences with a thousand women. It's not there. You say, "Well, maybe if he had a few more." It's not there. Wilt Chamberlain, who said he was more, had more sexual prowess than Solomon, said he had sex with 20,000 different women. 20,000. Somebody did the math, and they're like, "How could you even do that?" I mean, that's impossible. But then he said this: "I found that it would have been better to have sex with one woman a thousand times." Pretty astute. From Wilt to Stilt, he realized, "Hey, all this, this doesn't satisfy. What would have satisfied is if I had been with one woman, faithful to one woman."

Solomon said, "Hey, happiness isn't found in sex and sexual immorality." Then he said, "How about this number six: Work and achievement. Surely I will find happiness in my work. Surely I'll find happiness if I achieve, if I do these great things." But true happiness isn't found in that. He said in verse four, "Then I began doing great things. I built houses and I planted vineyards for myself. I planted gardens and I made parks. I planted all kinds of fruit trees. I made pools of water for myself, and I used them to water my growing trees." Oh, man, he's built stuff—gardens and parks—and it was so beautiful. And it was like, "This is what Solomon built." And, man, I'm gonna get happiness out of that. That's gonna be the source of happiness.

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Mm. Mm.

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It's not all his work wasn't satisfying to him. He goes on to say this in verse 17. So I hated life. For the work which was done under the sun was grievous to me, because everything is futility and striving after wind. Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored under the sun. For I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool. Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity. Therefore, I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun.

Man, I've worked and worked and worked, and I built this huge kingdom. But then I'm gonna pass on and I gotta give it to someone else. And who knows whether that someone else is going to be a wise man or a fool? And we know the story about Solomon. His son Rehoboam became king. Rehoboam was a fool. Solomon said, I work my fingers to the bone, and who knows if I don't leave this to a bonehead? And that's what he did. Because Rehoboam was a bonehead, he lost the kingdom. Ten tribes said, we're not following you anymore, Rehoboam.

We think that if we just achieve, if we get that next promotion, if we get the next rung on the ladder, if we get that degree, if we achieve something, then we'll be happy. Perhaps you saw the interview done a few years ago with the greatest quarterback in the history of NFL football, Tom Brady. It was after he had won his third Super Bowl. He was sitting down with 60 Minutes, and they were talking to him about, man, you got it all. You've done it all. I mean, you're a Super Bowl champ. You're the greatest quarterback, you got this beautiful wife. And Tom said, yeah, yeah, I got it all. And he said this, but there just has to be more than this.

So telling. You could see it in his face. He's just like, yeah, I'm just so empty. But I have it all. But what do I have? I have a paper bag and there's nothing in it. And this is supposed to make me so happy, but it doesn't. It's just a passing pleasure. And then it's, ah, that's all there is. Hey, you're never gonna find happiness in any of these things. Why? Because happiness is not found under the sun. It's only found in the Son, in the S-O-N, in the Son of the living God. True happiness is only found in the Lord.

He says in verse 25, for who can eat and who can have enjoyment without him? Answer: no one. No one. You can have some passing pleasure in some of these things, but it's not the source of satisfaction. And you'll never find happiness in things, and in going after learning and going after laughter and going after drugs and alcohol and going after women and going after any of that stuff. And in work and achievement. None of that stuff is going to do it. It's only in the Lord.

Psalm 128 says this: How blessed, how happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways. When you shall eat of the fruit of your hands, you will be happy, and it will be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, your children like olive plants around your table. Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. It's in the fear of God. It's in walking in his ways. That's where you find happiness; that he's the source of happiness.

And I love how it says, you'll be happy and it will be well with you and your wife. It speaks of the home. You know, lots of unhappy couples today. Lots of unhappy couples in church, in our church and other churches. Many unhappy couples. You wonder, it's like, man, why did you guys get married? Because you seem to hate each other. I mean, did you go to the justice of the peace or the Secretary of War? What's the deal here with you guys?

And here's the thing about marriage. Many people come into marriage, and the wife is at the altar, and her thoughts are, he is going to make me happy. And the husband, the groom, he's there at the altar. He's got the little bubble over his head: she is going to make me happy. You know, it's almost like a tick looking at a dog, saying, well, I can just suck off of you. I can just feed off of you. You're gonna make me happy. You know what marriage is? It's two ticks and no dog. That's what marriage is. You got a lot of trouble because you're thinking, well, that person's gonna make me happy. He's saying, well, this person's gonna make me happy.

The only person who can make you happy is Jesus Christ. And if couples will seek him individually and then come together and seek him, their marriage will turn around, their life will turn around, everything will turn around. People are unhappy in marriage. Why? Because they're unhappy with themselves. They're unhappy in life. Because they're looking for all the wrong places. We have to look for happiness in the one who is the source, and that is Jesus.

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Would you like to have a lasting happiness that's found only in the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, you can do that if you'll repent and trust him by faith. The victory and happiness you want will be yours. Repentance and faith go together because if you believe that Jesus is the Lord who saves, you have a changed mind about your sin—your self-repentance. And if you repent, it's because you trust that Jesus is the Lord who saves. He is who he says he is, and that's the revelation that brings you true happiness.

If you'd like to know more about who Jesus is and how you can find that joy you seek, go to promisheart.org and click the "Why Jesus?" link on our homepage. You'll discover a wealth of important information there to help you in your search and your Christian journey. Today's lesson was called "Is True Happiness Really Possible?" It's part of a series called "Life's Big Six Lessons" that address the six most profound questions we can ask. This series is available in multiple formats. When you call 866-40-BIBLE (866-40-24253) or go online to promisheart.org and make your gift from His Heart this month of any amount, we'll send you the bonus booklet from Pastor Jeff called "The ABCs of the Christian Life."

Without question, the scriptural mandate to fear the Lord is greatly misunderstood today. On the surface, it seems as if we are commanded to be afraid of God. Yet 1 John 4 tells us that God is love and there is no fear in love. How are we to reconcile this apparent contradiction? If you are to fulfill the greatest commandment of loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, I certainly cannot be afraid of Him. Get this booklet and the series today and discover the joy and peace that you will have when you fear God. Call 866-40-BIBLE or go to promisheart.org to make your gift.

Thank you so very much for joining with us to share this kind of truth with a striving but still struggling world. Thank you for joining us. I'm Larry Nobles, trusting you'll be able to be here next time. Pastor Jeff will continue his series "Life's Big Questions," when he will once again open God's word and share real truth, real love, and real hope from His heart.

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There is treasury. There is bless, love there is hope that you always dream Love we can heal every scars.

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From His Heart is the listener-supported broadcast ministry of Dr. Jeff Shreve, speaking the truth in love to a lost and hurting world.

Remember, no matter what, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

Find out more at fromhisheart.org.