MARK 12:28-33

Center Of The Universe

Center Of The UniverseWe’ve come a long way in our scientific discovery of our universe

There is so much that we have learned about the planets, stars, and our solar system

There was a belief years ago that the center of the universe was…

Center Of The UniverseRegardless of what anyone thinks, we are not the center of the universe

Everything does not revolve around us or our happiness

“God just wants me to be happy” is probably one of the most self-centered things a person can utter

Center Of The UniverseIs that really all God is concerned with, is my individual happiness?

Since what makes us all happy is different, then how could God keep up with it all?

If that was all God wanted, then the Bible would read a lot different

God’s WillWhat really is God’s will for us?Is it wrapped up merely in our happiness?

Is following God’s will more or less important than seeking out my own individual happiness?

God wants us to…

God’s Will1. Love Him above all else

Mark 12:28-33 Our #1 goal everyday should be to

love God with all I have and demonstrate that love with how I live

Our #2 goal should be to love others just like I love myself

God’s Will1. Love Him above all else

When I do that, there is something that stands out about this attitude and mindset…

My focus shifts from myself to my God and others instead

We cannot keep the greatest commands and be self-centered

God’s Will2. Keep His commandments

From the beginning man has had the responsibility to keep God’s commands

Deuteronomy 10:12-14 Deuteronomy 30:19-20 Sin is disobedience to His will (Js. 4:17;

I Jn. 3:4; 5:17)

God’s Will2. Keep His commandments

It doesn’t matter if disobeying Him is what makes us happy

Jesus said if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (Jn. 14:15, 21, 23)

Christ & others taught obedience Matt. 7:21; Lk. 6:46; Heb. 5:9

God’s Will3. Please Him In All We Do

Paul’s prayer for the Colossians was “that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10)

Our goal is to please our God in this life, not ourselves

God’s Will3. Please Him In All We Do

“working in you what is well pleasing in His sight” (Heb. 13:21)

“And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (I Jn. 3:22)

God’s Will4. Live For Jesus

It’s safe to say that I live for my wife and kids

In other words, I do what they want and try not to be selfish when making decisions

That’s what Paul was getting at with Christ in Galatians 2:20

God’s HappinessGod does want us to be happyGod also knows best how we can achieve real, true and lasting happiness

God’s happiness is defined within His word

Blessed = makarios (supremely blest; fortunate, well off; blessed, happy)

God’s HappinessGod’s happiness is based upon being the kind of person that God says we should be

Jesus uses this word over and over in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:3-11)

Happiness is a result of following God’s instruction

God’s HappinessGod told Joshua as long as they followed His commands that they would be blessed (Josh. 1:5-9)

Psalm 1:1-2“Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” (Ps. 144:15)

Psalm 146:5

Man’s HappinessMan has a different definition of happiness

This is one that has been fueled by Satan; it’s a false sense of happiness

This happiness has the root word of hap (chance)

It’s based upon one’s circumstances

Man’s HappinessPaul learned about true happiness (contentment) in Philippians 4:11

Paul learned that true happiness does not depend upon one’s circumstances

There is a danger in this basis of happiness (Jud. 17:6; 21:25)

Man’s HappinessHappiness cannot be defined by each individual

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes” (Prov. 12:15)

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts” (Prov. 21:2)

Man’s HappinessThe problem with the thought that “God just wants me to be happy” is that God is the creator and definer of what true happiness is

Satan convinced Eve that she wasn’t content in the Garden of Eden because she lacked something

A Man On A QuestThe Bible is not without example when it comes to the quest for happiness

A beautiful example of this is an example that we have looked at countless times

Moses – Hebrews 11:23-26

A Man On A QuestIf God just wanted Moses to be happy, then He would have left him alone instead of telling Moses to lead His people (Ex. 3 & 4)

If Moses only cared about his own happiness, he would have probably stayed in Pharaoh's house