Because God is Good, We Have JOY
As we journey in this season of Advent, we’ve been briefly exploring the truth of who God is and what he’s done to free us from sin and to set us free to live flourishing, God-exalting lives for his glory, our good, and for the sake of the world. Understanding some of the eternal truths about God does empower us to see this Christmas time in a fresh, new way.
We’ve been looking at the “Four G’s,” four eternal truths about God that cause us to live whole, Spirit-filled lives. The four truths are:
God is great, so we don’t have to be in control.
God is glorious, so we don’t have to fear others.
God is good, so we don’t have to look elsewhere for satisfaction.
God is gracious, so we don’t have to prove ourselves.
This week, we look at the third “G” and consider how this truth about God sets us free to have joy in our lives because God alone is our satisfaction.
Consider this: Everyone everywhere seeks satisfaction in their lives. But sooner or later, we all realize that the satisfaction we most want isn’t found in anything on earth. We have an inconsolable longing deep in our souls. Throughout Scripture, we see witness to this: that only God himself can be the one to fill the abyss of our longing hearts. Only God himself can be our true satisfaction and fulfillment in life. Scripture is shot through with the declaration of God’s goodness to us. As David tells us in Psalm 145:
9 The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made…15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Psalm 145: 9; 15-16 ESV)
God created us to be needy people! He reminded us of our need for him and his ongoing provision: hunger, thirst, and need for love, relationship, and intimacy. Yet, none of these things can be fulfilled within ourselves. We were designed to need God, to delight in him, and to see that he is our good Provider. Our physical needs point deeper to our spiritual need of God as the “greatest good” we could ever get.
God is good, so we don’t have to look elsewhere for satisfaction. Yet, we often don’t believe this to be true. Why is that? According to C.S. Lewis, it’s because we are far too easily pleased, willing to settle for so much less than what God would give us:
If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, p.26
So what do we do? First, we recognize it’s a battle we’re in. We struggle to see that our desires are too weak and that we need God to satisfy us fully. We need to repent of our sins, believe in the promises of God, and look to Jesus, the very one who brings us true satisfaction. Jesus himself is our true joy!
When an angel of the LORD appeared to the shepherds in the field so long ago, the angel declared:
10…”Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11 NIV)
Jesus came into the world to be our satisfaction and joy. His life, death, resurrection, and exaltation are the means of fueling our joy. Jesus said of himself in John 14:6:
“I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus himself is the path of life. It is Jesus who is seated at the right hand of God. The very one in whom are pleasures forevermore (see Psalm 16). In Jesus, we see the very goodness of God for us. Jesus came to satisfy our souls’ hunger, give us rest, and live in an intimate and loving relationship with us. Jesus is the better fulfillment of our every need.
Jesus is our joy — the glorious delight of our hearts. This Advent, rest in Jesus as your greatest satisfaction and greatest joy!
–Pastor Wade
