PLEASURE DOES NOT EQUAL HAPPINESS
Series: “Living the Better Life” ~ Part 2 of 5
April 15, 2012 – 9:30am & 11:15am – The Bridge Church
Dan Quagliata, Lead Pastor
Ecclesiastes 2:1-10 “I thought in my heart, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.’
But that also was meaningless… And I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted
vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water
groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more
herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of
kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well – the delights of the heart of
man… I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my
work, and this was the reward for all my labor…”
1. BREK THE CONNECTION BETWEEN TEMPORARY PLEASURE AND LASTING HAPPINESS
Hebrews 11:24, 25 “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s
daughter; choosing rather to endure ill treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures
of sin…”
1 Timothy 5:6 “[The one] who lives for pleasure is dead even while [he] lives.”
2. BREAK THE CONNECTION BETWEEN WHAT YOU DO AND WHO YOU ARE.
Ecclesiastes 2:11 “Then I took a good look at everything I’d done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But
when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke; smoke and spitting into the wind.
There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.”
3. BREAK THE CONNECTION BETWEEN YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES AND YOUR CHARACTER.
“Happy are you when men hate you and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil
because of the Son of Man…” Luke 6:22
“Even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.” 1 Peter 3:14
HAPPINESS IS AN INSIDE JOB!
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, thought the olive crop fails and the
fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the
Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” Habakkuk 3:17, 18
HOW DO YOU FIND HAPPINESS?
1. RECEIVE GOD’S FORGIVENESS
“Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be – you get a fresh start, your slate’s wiped clean. Count yourself
lucky. God holds nothing against you and you’re holding nothing back from Him. When I kept it all inside, my
bones turned to powder, my words became day long groans. The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life
dried up. Then I let it all out; I said, ‘I’ll make a clean breast of my failures to God.’ Suddenly the pressure was
gone – my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.” Psalm 32
2. SUBMIT TO GOD’S DISCIPLINE, HIS WAY OF LIFE
“Happy is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”Job 5:17
“Happy are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Luke 11:28
“Happy is the person who listens to God.” Proverbs 8:34
“Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found.” Psalm 119:35
“Jesus was not advocating a perfect life, we cannot live perfectly. He was advocating the life that all women
and all men have been created to live. First, to receive forgiveness from Christ; to have Him say to us
personally, ‘You are not condemned by Me.’ Then, to go from this place living life His way – not consumed by
pleasure, but inwardly at please with God.”
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PLEASURE DOES NOT EQUAL HAPPINESS
Series: “Living the Better Life” ~ Part 2 of 5
April 15, 2012 – 9:30am & 11:15am – The Bridge Church
Dan Quagliata, Lead Pastor
We are in a teaching series called “Living the Better Life - When the Good Life is not Good Enough.” Today we
want to talk about a life that’s better than just pleasure. It’s possible to fill your life with pleasure and still
have a life that’s empty of happiness. You have all kinds of pleasure but still have no happiness in your life.
You come into a church. If you’re like I’ve been many times in my life you see the topic is going to be on
pleasure, your mind immediately expects that pastor to take that topic in a certain direction. Like, All pleasure
is bad, You ought to spend two years of your life in self-flagellation, All women should be assigned to
monasteries, All men should be assigned to caves unless we be seduced and tempted by pleasure.
If that’s the direction you think the topic is going this morning, you got on the wrong train. Because I want to
say to you, I'm all for pleasure. As a matter of fact, I like pleasure. Pleasure is one of God’s good gifts. He
intends for us to enjoy pleasure when it’s in the proper place. But pleasure, like all of God’s gifts, can be
abused, it can be misused and it can become very destructive.
As we go through life the things that bring pleasure to our lives change. What brings pleasure to a baby is
going to be different than what brings pleasure to an adult. First there is the baby stage of life. At the baby
stage of life you would expect to find pleasure by having a clean diaper or a warm bottle. But then you get to
the childhood pleasures of life with child size pleasures. A new skateboard is a great pleasure in life or maybe
having a new superman uniform. Or can you top the pleasure that comes from a well fitting leotard? Or when
you’re teenagers – having a zit-free day or a date for the prom or getting a new haircut. That would be a great
pleasure in life. Or when you get to the old man stage of life going out bird watching would be a pleasure or
wearing dress socks and shoes with shorts – that would be a pleasure.
I was thinking through my simple pleasures. Don’t we all have some simple pleasures that we can experience
all through life? Breakfast anywhere where I can see the water is huge for me. That’s one of my pleasures. Or
sitting at the beach or on a boat. Having the freedom to go to my grandmothers to just sit and be is a pleasure
I’d forgotten how much I missed. Zipping up the parkway with Pastor Joe in his corvette and then walking the
boardwalk along the north shore – a huge pleasure. I still get pleasure of the memory of being with my wife
when she gave birth to both to Nicholas. That memory brings me pleasure.
I think we can all agree that we can experience pleasure all the way through life. The problem is when we live
only for pleasure that we find our lives empty. We find that it’s ultimately not very satisfying. But if you listen
to the words and the voices of the people around us they really are communicating to us to chase pleasure at
any price. Pursue pleasure no matter what it costs. That’s the voice of the world.
I thought it would be instructive for us and helpful for us to go to the Bible and literally see what the Bible has
to say about it. It’s interesting. The Bible has a lot to say on this topic. What you’ll find is there is a sharp
contrast drawn in the Bible between pleasure and what the Bible describes as true happiness. They’re not the
same thing. If you go to the teachings of Jesus you’ll see that often He turns the current thinking of the day on
its head. He teaches almost exactly the opposite of what most people are living. When we go to His very first
sermon called the Sermon on the Mount we see that Jesus literally revolutionized the meaning of true
happiness.
Today, that’s what we’re going to talk about – the difference between mere pleasure and true happiness and
how do we find true happiness in our lives.
1. You must break the connection between temporary pleasure and lasting happiness.
We think those are tied together. In order to have happiness I have to have pleasure. That’s not true. We
have to break the connection between those two ideas. Hebrews 11:24-25 we read “By faith Moses when he
had grown up refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter choosing rather to endue ill treatment with
the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.”
Moses was a leader in the Old Testament that God used to bring the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery. It’s
interesting. Because Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s household, raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. But now he’s
working against the Pharaoh and he’s leading the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery.
There are several verses in this passage of scripture. I want us to just land here for a couple of minutes and
circle a few key words in this passage.
Circle the two words “by faith” right at the beginning of Hebrews 11. What does that mean? The Bible says
we’re saved by faith. The Bible says we’re supposed to live by faith. The Bible says that when we have faith it
pleases God. But what is faith?
Simply, faith is hanging your whole life and your whole future on Jesus Christ. Faith is believing so much that
Jesus is the Son of God you are willing to follow Him with your whole life. It is believing so much that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God that you are betting your eternity that He will deliver on His promise to give you a
home in heaven.
Several of you said last weekend that you’re trusting Him to help you live life. And not a good life – you can
live a good life without God. You’re saying, I'm trusting Him to give me the better life – a life of meaning and
purpose and significance.
This is the life of faith. This is what it means to live by faith. Believing so much in who Jesus is that you give
your whole life to Him. You’re trusting Him that much.
By faith, the Bible says, Moses lived his life believing in the Lord so strongly he gave his whole life trying to do
whatever God asked him to do. The Bible tells us that God was greatly pleased by that.
“By faith Moses when he grew up refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to endure ill
treatment with the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.”
Circle “enjoy”. You’ll very seldom ever hear in church a connection between the word “enjoy” and the word
“sin”. Most of the time when you talk about sin or sinners (people who sin) don’t you typically think of people
who are miserable all the time? People who are despondent and hopeless and crying. That is not an accurate
biblical portrayal of sin. Not completely. The Bible teaches very clearly that it’s possible to enjoy sinning. It’s
possible to gain some temporary measure of satisfaction and pleasure from sin.
Think about the prodigal son. The prodigal son was the story Jesus told about this young runaway boy. He
had just left home. He has a pocket full of money and he has a bar room filled with friends. Just imagine.
What if CNN had sent a news crew to that bar and asked that young man, “What’s life like? How are you now
enjoying this life of rebellion, your plunge into decadence, your distance from your family and your father in
this moment?” I think in that moment the young man would have said, “It’s the best decision of my life! In
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this moment my life is filled with pure pleasure.” It wasn’t until sometime later – we’re not sure how long –
but some time later the prodigal son’s pleasure ended. He ran out of money and the Bible says his friends ran
out on him. He was hungry, he was homeless, he was unhappy and he was filled with shame over his
situation.
Here’s the point – pleasure ends. Pleasure will come to an end. Living for pleasure only – pleasure at any
price – is like jumping off a tall building. The first 95% of the fall might be sheer thrill but that last 5% is going
to get you!
The prodigal son became destitute and deserted. His life was broken. He would have never chosen that road,
he would have never gone down that road, if he’d known where that road was going. At all costs he would
have avoided the shame and the pain of that kind of life.
Is there anybody here who would silently say, “You’re right Dan. You’re absolutely right. I was in a season of
pleasure. It became my duel aims in life to avoid pain and find pleasure at almost any cost. Just like you said
the ending was abrupt and the pain was very real.”
There are several stories like this in the Bible. There’s a story of another guy. His personal life motto was,
“Eat, drink and be merry.” That was his life motto. It was the gusto of pleasure. But the Bible tells us that the
very next day that guy died. And he’s called a fool in the Bible because he gave no thought to his eternity.
Think of it like this. Sin is fun on credit. Have you ever had pleasure on credit? Like you charge your whole
vacation on your credit card. Or you buy all your Christmas presents on credit cards and you make some huge
purchase. It’s great for a while. There’s no pain involved. You give them the little plastic. It doesn’t hurt that
card. They can just run over that thing all they want to, swipe it, charge it, stick it in your pocket. Cash doesn’t
change any hands. You just sign your name a couple times. It’s fun. It doesn’t feel like it cost you anything.
Then thirty days later a bill comes. You still think it was the greatest vacation ever, the best Christmas we ever
had. So you pay a little bit on the bill. It’s still worth it. But then thirty days later the balance comes due
again. You think, the pleasure is still lingering in my mind. It’s still worth it. You pay a little bit on the balance
then thirty days later it comes again. Then thirty days later it comes again. And thirty days later it comes
again. Finally you say, “That pleasure was temporary! And the price was really, really large.”
That’s why we have to circle this final phrase in Hebrews 11. “The passing pleasure of sin.” Circle that. Here’s
the truth of it. Even positive pleasure is temporary. For example, what’s the best meal you’ve ever had? How
long until you’re hungry again? What’s the best night’s sleep you have ever had? How long until you were
tired again? What’s the best kiss you’ve ever had? How long until you needed to be kissed again?
Let’s turn this thing a little darker. How long will the pleasure of the next purchase last? That next gadget,
that next suit of clothes, that next plunge into dept, that next pull from the bottle, that next high from the
needle, that next moment of pleasure from illicit sex. How long will that last?
Pleasure does not last. It doesn’t. It doesn’t last. That’s why making this the focus of your life is not fulfilling
because it always leaves you empty and wanting more and more and more. You know this if you’ve ever
looked into the deadened eyes of someone whose life has been spent on degrading sex or drug addiction or
indebtedness or shame. There’s just something very empty in those eyes. 1 Timothy 5:6 says “The one who
lives for pleasure is dead even while he lives.”
2. Break the connection between what you do and who you are.
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Pleasure is found in what you do. Happiness is found in who you are. In the Old Testament there was a king
named Solomon. He wrote a book in the Bible called Ecclesiastes. What we learn here is that Solomon spent
a lot of his time doing things trying to find pleasure.
Let’s look at this list of all the stuff he did. Verse 4, I built and I planted. Verse 5, I made and I planted. Verse
6, I made. Verse 7, I bought. Verse 8, I amassed silver and gold. I acquired harems and slaves.
His pleasure came from doing. When we get caught up in this, we think if I just do more I’ll have more
pleasure. I can travel, I can find it. I can built, I can find it. I can buy, I can find it. Going down that road you
will find some pleasure. But you will not find deep happiness or lasting satisfaction.
Why is it in our culture here in North America that we cannot experience what the old timers called the simple
pleasures of life? Why can’t we relax? What can’t we just sit still and enjoy an afternoon of respite? It’s
because we’re always doing. We’re always going or chasing or building or amassing or acquiring. We’re
always on the go.
Has anybody ever done anything dumb? There was a story about a guy named Larry Walters who had always
wanted to fly. He got an idea one day while he was sitting outside in his Sears lawn chair. He purchased 45
weather balloons from an army navy surplus store and tied them to his tethered lawn chair and filled the fourfoot diameter balloons with helium. He strapped himself into his lawn chair with some sandwiches and some
Miller Lite beer. (You just knew beer had to be a part of this story!) He had a pellet gun in his lap. Larry’s plan
was to sever the anchor and float to a height of about 30 feet above his back yard where he would enjoy a few
hours of flight before coming back down. He figured he would pop a few booze and then use his pellet gun to
pop a few balloons when it was time to descend.
But things did not work out quite the way Larry had planned. When his friends cut the cords anchored to the
bumper of his jeep he did not float lazily up thirty feet as planned. Instead, he streaked into the Los Angeles
sky as if shot from a canon pulled by the lift of 45 balloons holding 33 cubic feet of helium each. He did not
level off at 100 feet. He did not level off at 1000 feet. After climbing and climbing he leveled off at 16,000
feet. At that point he was stone sober! He thought he couldn’t risk shooting out any balloons lest he get in
real trouble.
So there he is drifting along with his beer and his sandwiches for several hours considering all of his options.
At one point he crossed the primary approach corridor of LAX airspace and a Delta and TWA pilot radioed in
this incredulous sight. Can you imagine?!? Flying along and there’s a guy in a Sears lawn chair next to you.
Eventually he gathered enough strength and enough nerve to shoot enough balloons and slowly he started
descending in the night sky. The hanging tethers tangled and caught in some power lines blacking out a Long
Beach neighborhood for twenty minutes. Larry finally climbed to safety where he was arrested by waiting
members of the Los Angeles police department. He’s being led away in handcuffs and a reporter who has
been dispatched to cover the daring rescue asked Larry why he’d done it. Larry said, “A man can’t just sit
there can he?”
I thought, Larry, you should have just sat there, dude!
Solomon must have followed the same philosophy in life. You just can’t sit here. There’s no pleasure in that.
So Solomon spent a lot of time and energy doing. He spent a lot of time developing his external world. The
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problem was in Solomon’s life at this point of his life he had done very little work on his interior world.
Look at the results of that. Ecclesiastes 2:11 “Then I took a good look at everything I’d done. Looked at all
the sweat and hard work and when I looked I saw nothing but smoke – smoke and spitting into the wind.
There was nothing to any of it. Nothing.”
3. Break the connection between your circumstances and your character.
Pleasure can be sustained as long as the circumstances are right. But happiness is sustained when your
character is right.
Have you ever played the “if only” game when it comes to your own personal happiness? “If only this would
happen I would be happy… If only this set of circumstances would change I could be happy…
A huge problem with this is that we’ve already agreed that pleasure is temporary. Now if we’re saying it’s also
circumstantial, where does the cycle end? We’ll just be like a dog chasing our tail. We will never find ultimate
satisfaction this way. It’s cyclical. We’ll be on this treadmill or this racetrack going round and round and
round.
It’s the three-year-old who says, “If only I had a bike like my big sister.” It’s the big sister saying, “If only my
training wheels were off like my older brother.” It’s the older brother saying, “If only I had a girlfriend like the
guy down the street.” And it’s the guy down the street saying, “If only I had a car.” And it’s the guy with the
car saying, “If only I was in college.” It’s the guy in college saying, “If I only I had a date.” And the person
dating saying, “If only I was married.” And the people married saying, “If only we had children.” And those
with children hear their children saying, “If only I had a bike like my big sister.” It never stops.
We are so externally based in our view of life. It’s all about what’s on the outside and the circumstances and
having the right appearances and we take very little time to make sure we have the right substance.
I read a story about a woman who went into life or death surgery. She wasn’t sure she’d make it through.
During the surgery she heard this voice say, “You still have 42 more years to live.” When she woke up from
surgery she called the surgeon over and said, “I'm going to live a long time now so while I'm here I think I’ll
have a little extra work.” She had a liposuction, a tummy tuck, a face lift, some injections. She had a friend
come by and color her hair. A few days later she was discharged from the hospital. As she was walking out
she was hit by a car and killed. She’s standing before God and said, “I thought You said I’d live 42 more years!
How come You let that car hit me?” God said, “I didn’t recognize you after all the work you had done.”
I know that’s bad theology but it’s a good joke. And there is a spiritual point to the story. God is more
interested in how we look in our hearts and our attitudes and the inner person than how we look on the
outside.
If you’re a new Christian, find a Bible and discover for yourself just how many women and men in the Bible
were able to rejoice even though the circumstances of their life were hard. It’s amazing. They could have
internal joy in spite of external circumstances.
Jesus said in Luke 6:22 “Happy are you when men hate you and exclude you and insult you and reject your
name as evil because of the Son of man.” Look what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:14 “Even if you should suffer for
what is right you are blessed.” That’s the same Greek word for internal happiness.
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When circumstances are bad you can still be happy. Why? Because happiness is an inside job. Jesus taught
about happiness in His very first sermon. Listen to the interior qualities that He named in a truly happy
person. He said it’s a humble spirit, a tender heart, craving for righteousness, a merciful spirit, purity of heart,
peaceful. Notice: none of those qualities require the circumstances of our life to be great. As a matter of fact
the circumstances of our life could be bad and all of those interior qualities could still be true and Jesus said
you’ll still have happiness.
Habakkuk 3 is written to farmers. “The fig tree does not bud. There are no grapes on the vine. The olive crop
fails and the fields produce no fruit. There are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls. [That means
there’s going to be famine.] Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
Over and over the Bible tells me it’s possible to be happy regardless of what’s going on around me. I can be
happy because of what’s going on within me. It doesn’t matter if I have a little. It doesn’t matter if I have a
lot. What I need for happiness is found in Jesus Christ and having Him in my life. We chase after so much.
We’re never satisfied. We get it and find out it’s empty. It’s like a dog chasing a car. Once he catches it
what’s he going to do? It’s just not satisfactory!
Even if we chase after everything, guess what? Nobody gets everything. One of the great lies of our culture is
that you can have it all. You cannot have it all. People think they can. They think they can have career
success and star children and great vacations and rich friendships and a wonderful marriage and rewarding
leisure and a beautiful home and fulfilling community service and thicker hair and whiter teeth and fresher
breath and a flatter stomach and buns of steel. We think we can. The message has shifted from “I can have it
all” to “I must have it all.”
Pleasure is measured by what you do. It’s sustained as long as the circumstances are right. But happiness is
an inside job. It’s eternal and ultimately it’s more satisfying. So how do you find this lasting internal happiness
and joy?
1. First you must receive God’s forgiveness.
That’s where it has to start. You have to get things right between you and God. This probably makes sense to
nearly everybody that’s here today. You know or at least you suspect that you could never have internal
peace and joy and happiness and satisfaction and fulfillment if you are separated from the God who made
you. You know that unless things are right between you and God how could you ever be truly happy inside.
Because in the place where there should be happiness you have shame and guilt and fear. The liar is always
worried about remembering his lies so he won’t get tripped up. The thief is always worried about getting
arrested at midnight or being caught with the goods. Corrupt politicians are always afraid that their ethics
violations will be uncovered. Unfaithful marriage partners are always fearing that their adultery will be
exposed. Why do people continue down that road and have all those negative emotions and feelings when
God wants to replace those with internal peace of mind and happiness?
Because even in the midst of guilt and fear there’s still enough temporary moments of pleasure to keep those
people drugged out, to keep them moving in that destructive pattern. The liar gets by with what he did
because his lie wasn’t detected so there’s a smug smile on his face. The thief enjoys a small financial windfall
because he snatched some stuff. The politician enjoys the adjulation of her constituents as she’s cruising
through the power circles. The adulterer has those stolen moments of sexual pleasure but it’s temporary and
it’s all circumstantial.
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Between the small taste of pleasure there is always the bitter aftertaste of guilt and shame and fear. If you’re
paying attention at all to the signals in your soul you know intuitively that one day you’re going to have to
stand before God and talk about the life you lived. And the thought of that drains those feelings of pleasure
while it’s draining the color from your face. It doesn’t have to be that way. It does not have to be that way!
There’s a wonderful paraphrase of Psalm 32 that describes the life that’s possible because of God’s
forgiveness through Jesus Christ, His Son. “Count yourself lucky. How happy you must be. You get a fresh
start. Your slate’s wiped clean. Count yourself lucky. God holds nothing against you and you’re holding
nothing back from Him. When I kept it all inside my bones turned to powder. My words became very day long
groans. The pressure never let up. All the juices of my life dried up. Then I let it all out. I said, I’ll make a clean
breast of my failures to God. Suddenly the pressure was gone. My guilt dissolved. My sin disappeared.”
Friends, this is true happiness.
Do you want to be happy?
2. Submit to God’s discipline, His way of life.
Here’s a truth that most parents know and most kids doubt. Discipline is an expression of love. When we
discipline a child it’s not because we’re trying to limit the child. We’re trying to love the child. Discipline is an
expression of love because discipline is an expression of correction and protection. It’s discipline that tells a
child, Don’t touch that hot stove. It’s discipline that says, Don’t run out in the street without looking both
ways. It’s discipline that corrects a bad attitude or a sharp tongue or willful defiance. It’s discipline that
teaches that all behavior will have consequences. It’s discipline that says if you plan and act poorly you’re
going to have pain in life. It’s discipline that says why don’t you take a momentary pass on pleasure so you
can have lasting happiness later. Discipline equals love because discipline equals correction and protection.
This is one of the ways we know that God loves us. Because He disciplines us. He has established boundaries
and He says don’t step out of bounds. Did God do that to limit us? No, He did that to love us. He did that to
protect us, to insure our happiness.
Job 5:17 “Happy is the man whom God corrects. [Why be happy about that? Because it’s proof God loves us.]
So do not despise the discipline of the almighty.”
So much unhappiness could be avoided in your life if you would just live within the boundaries of God. But we
live in a pretty messed up world. And the world says there’s no absolute right and wrong. There are no
boundaries that everybody should adhere to. You can just do what you want. That’s what the world says. So
we’re confused. How can we know if we’re going in the right direction if there is no compass? If there is no
magnetic north by which we can make our settings? How can we know if we’re doing the right thing or the
wrong thing?
Jesus gives us our solution. Jesus said in Luke 11:28 “Happy are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
The same thing is taught in Proverbs 8 “Happy is the person who listens to God.” Or this prayer in Psalm 119
“God, make me walk along the path of Your commands for that is where my happiness is found.”
Some of you are real students of the Bible. Others of you are starting to read your Bibles and you new
Christians who are here I hope you’ve already started doing that or you will soon. The great thing is when you
read the Bible you will discover all kinds of stories about pleasure gone bad and how Jesus then can give a new
life and a fresh start with God if we’ll turn to Him.
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There’s this encounter between Jesus and this guy who’s called “the rich young ruler.” He had all the
pleasures of life but obviously he was looking for more because he comes to Jesus and asks for more. And
Jesus said, I can give you a brand new life. He made an offer to the guy.
The story of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus took great pleasure in robbing from his neighbors. Jesus offered him a
brand new start.
There was a woman who had five husbands and she was currently living with a man whom she was not
married when she met Jesus. She was looking for love and pleasure in all the wrong places. And Jesus offered
her a brand new life that ultimately would be satisfying and fulfilling.
Then one of the most poignant stories in all of the New Testament is found in John 8 where Jesus is
confronted with this angry mob of men who throw this woman at His feet. She had been caught in the very
act of adultery. The religious law said that this woman should be condemned and pummeled with rocks until
she was dead. But Jesus said to the angry accusing mob of men “Let you without sin cast the first stone.” If
you know the story one by one the men dropped their rocks and they walked away leaving Jesus all alone with
this woman. It’s an amazing story of pleasure gone bad and how this woman discovered true happiness.
Can you imagine what the life of this woman had been like? Maybe at some point she had been a young bride
probably with dreams of married life, probably with dreams of having a husband who loved her. But
somehow things did not work out the way she planned. She was disappointed in her marriage. Somewhere
along the line she met another man and he noticed her and that was pleasurable. Maybe it had been a long
time since she had felt noticed. That’s a powerful thing for an aching heart. At first it was all quite innocent.
But then one day she crossed the line. The lines were kind of hazy but this was so pleasurable she crossed the
line. Maybe every once in a while, especially in the beginning, she’d wake up in the middle of the night in a
cold sweat afraid that she’d be caught. But those feelings would always pass. She doesn’t notice what’s
happening inside of her. Not really.
Then comes this night in John 8. There must have been men outside of her house, waiting and watching.
They come in and seize her. Maybe she screamed for mercy. She would give anything in the world if she
could go back to where she crossed that first line of pleasure. But she can’t go back. She would kill herself
right there if they’d let her but they don’t. They wrap her in bed sheets and drag her through town in front of
everybody and they throw her at the feet of Jesus. Suddenly she realizes with terrible clarity why she is here.
She chose to be here. She chose this life. She cast her vote for pleasure at any price and here she is.
Maybe some of you are wrestling in the trap of pursing pleasure at any cost. Greed and materialism fall into
this category. Addictive problems, abusing substances, alcoholism, gambling problems, compulsive shopping,
laziness. They all fit into this category of pleasure gone bad. How far is it going to go? When are you going to
stop? When are you going to ask for help? When will you turn to Jesus Christ? When will you put a stop to
letting the quest for pleasure consume your life? Anybody who’s struggled with a bad habit, anybody who’s
ever experienced a moral free fall, you know that you just can’t spontaneously pull out of that nosedive.
That’s why we need the forgiveness and the help of Jesus Christ.
Jesus looks at this woman and she looks back at Jesus. She heard what He had to say about casting stones.
She heard the mob of angry men walk away. She’s unsure what’s going to happen next. Then Jesus says
something to her. “Woman, I don’t condemn you either.”
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It’s almost more than she can absorb perhaps. Maybe her reaction to that starts as a groan and then bursts
into sobbing. Maybe the fear of being stoned to death falls off her back like a load of rocks. Maybe she
caught her breath and clutched the sheets up around her neck and stood to leave and perhaps starting to well
within her heart was a feeling that she had long since forgotten or maybe had never ever experienced. It was
happiness. Like a seed giving life and pushing through the dirt. Happiness at being forgiven, at getting a fresh
start in life, a fresh start with God, started growing within her. True happiness flooded her spirit. Maybe she
felt reborn.
And Jesus said to her, “Go and sin no more.” Jesus was not advocating a perfect life. He knows that we can’t
live a perfect life. He was advocating that this woman in John 8 and all women and all men live the life they’d
been created to live. First to receive forgiveness from Christ. To have Him say to you personally, You are not
condemned by Me. Then to go from this place living life His way not consumed by pleasure but inwardly at
peace with God. Peace with God.
That is true, lasting and ultimately fulfilling happiness. That’s the life that Jesus Christ offers.
Prayer:
Perhaps there are those of you here today who would say, “Dan, you have just told my life story. I have
just simply moved from one bit of pleasure to the next and each time pleasure ended, many times
painfully. I'm tired of living life that way. I want something more.” If that’s true then I’m going to lead
you in a prayer. You don’t have to say this out loud. I want you to talk to God. You’re not talking to me.
You’re not talking to the people around you. So just do this silently. You’re talking to God. If you’re
ready to have the happiness that only Jesus can give then say to Him this prayer, “Lord Jesus,
I'm
tired. I'm tired of chasing pleasure that always fades, always temporary. Thank You, Lord, Jesus for dying
so that I might have a new life. Thanks for raising from the dead. You proved that You have the power to
give me not the good life but the better life that You created me to live. I ask You to help me to
experience true inner happiness even when the circumstances of my life are not ok. Because You’ve
forgiven me I can be happy because now I know I'm ok with You. Thank You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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