Do you realize, in the world we live in today, there are literally millions of ways to try and find the treasure that everyone seeks—and no its not money—its happiness and joy. Without these two elements, absolutely nothing would be worthwhile. In the absence of happiness and joy, we tend to find other ways to satisfy that void in our lives. That fleshly satisfaction that can spell bound us into a different world behind the pages of a good book, transform us into an indestructible villain while playing those video games and lose us in the moment when watching a movie or tv show. But do you realize, all of this is temporary! Nothing we do to satisfy the flesh will last. Listen to what Paul says to the people of Galatia, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” I can quite literally make a sermon from just this passage alone. Just think friends, everyday of our lives, we are fighting a war, between flesh and spirit. And my question to you today, for each of us, whom do we adhere to? Listen to? Dance to?
In starting our journey today, we are going to look more into the realism of happiness, joy, desire and freewill while we should be Dancing to Gods Beat.
If truth be told, each of us can relate to the countless ways we tried satisfying the voids of life. We try to find it in other people, in things we do, in habits we grown accustomed to, in the crowds we mingled with, in what we watch and listen to. Its nearly endless of what is available to us in todays culture where our exposure to so much stuff seems to bombard us with thoughts, ideas, scenes that most of which we have no use for. In my opinion, if you can imagine it, in some form or fashion, it can be done.
I remember while in the service, we traveled to a country that had one of the most extravagant night clubs in the region called the BCM. It was three floors high with a basement and each floor was about 10 thousand square feet. It consisted of dance floors, all kinds of booths, nearly every option available to satisfy your curiosities of the body and mind—not to mention all the booze and drugs a person could ever want. People from all around came to this one place in an attempt to satisfy the void of happiness and joy. Here I was, under 21 in a foreign land, having my moral compass literally showing me to the front door, yet I wanted to explore this unique environment! There was no other place within a hundred miles like this place, it was one of a kind. Then the next day, you see sailors of all ages slowly strolling back to the ship, having their heads lay low as they were recouping from such a strenuous time of joy, but only to find out this joy came at a high cost—and I’m not talking about money.
I learned early that when we want to do things our own way, we look in places never visited before, trying to find something much more. It becomes exciting, adventurous, and downright fun, or so we think. You have heard the saying “Grass is not always greener on the other side,” well I tell you that is a very true statement. I wanted to dance to my own tune. I actually lost the ability to hear God’s music, the heavenly, beautiful music. I ignored the signs, I didn’t consider sinful consequences, I misplaced my judgement with false hope, and yet, at night, I cried myself to sleep countless times, being so far away from friends and family, not truly realizing how much damage I caused in my own life, let alone others that I didn’t even mean to. I was a good person yes, I done great things, I prayed to God when I felt like it, I read my bible every now and then, I attended worship service on the ship and on land when I felt led to, but it just wasn’t enough.
Can anyone understand or relate to what I’m saying? In truth, all of us want to sing the song that pierces our mortal minds to hopefully find a remedy for this age-old aliment of happiness and joy. We just can’t seem to shake the idea that even though we are not like others, we want to be liked, we want to be somebody, we have untold expressions to share, even if that means dancing to the tune that may ultimately destroy our very lives and even others.
Let me be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong on earth for mankind to find joy, contentment, and happiness. Scripture speaks fluently on subject. If we find something we enjoy, well listen to what Charles Swindoll once said “The habit of always putting off an experience until you can afford it, or until the time is right, or until you know how to do it is one of the greatest burglars of joy. Be deliberate, but once you’ve made up your mind—jump in”. In other words, go for it, but be cautious, enjoy it, but be mindful of its origins, live the happiness only to the point where the spirit is nurtured and not just the flesh. Then, and only then, will you find true and genuine happiness, by learning to Dance to God’s beat.
A near sited percussionist, was at the end of his rope. He was ridiculed countless times for not staying in beat with the rest of the band. So he decided to change instruments. He walks into a music shop and says, "I'll take that red trumpet over there, and that accordion." After a second, the shop assistant says, "OK, you can have the fire extinguisher but the radiator stays." Maybe the band members had a reason after all.
Let us look at the Gospel of Matthew chapter 11 where we are finding Jesus has just answered John the Baptist question about “Are you the one we are expecting,” and then following, Jesus contributed the rest of His message to the multitude of people concerning John. We will start at verse 16. “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call out to the other children, 17 and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a song of mourning, and you did not mourn.’
When you hear Jesus’s message to the people, He is comparing the people of His day to whom cannot be satisfied with any game or activity, whether festive or somber. I can just imagine the children playing in the streets crying out to the adults, “You spoil sports! We wanted to play and dance at weddings (which normally is strictly done by men), we wanted to sing a song of mourning at a funeral (which normally is done by the women).” The people was being way too critical, nit picking and down right rude! These type of people actually are festive in their own environment by deliberate finding flaws just to get a rouse out of someone, to start separations just to see people squirm and to sit back and see their handiwork—all because it didn’t originally go their way.
How many of us know people like that today? Jesus is proclaiming friends, we don’t play with our own orchestra! We don’t play religion like a child would play doctor or house, but with far less sincerity. Children play while it lasts, but the Pharisees in Jesus day, and even some people today used their acting to deceive people, even themselves. God wants Spiritual fruits, not religious nuts.
Then Jesus continues to say at verse 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a heavy drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ And yet wisdom is vindicated [justified] by her deeds.”
Did you know, you can actually talk yourself right into doing something, even though you know its wrong? All because we justify it in our own way! In these verses, the people claimed John the Baptist and Jesus has striking flaws that their own wisdom justified their thoughts and deeds. How many people has ever heard the saying “If it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, if it swims like a duck, then by George, it’s a duck.” The problem with that theory here, no evidence supports their claim—they justified their own wisdom as being right and nothing else. They lost God’s tune in their lives. They failed to acknowledge that God sent His messengers to mankind to save them, you and me—but all the people wanted to do is criticize. “Its not what I would do? Does it need to be this way? How come this or that? WE can’t let this Nazarene in our ranks, he is destroying what we built so far? We are just fine the way things are! I think you get the picture I’m trying to portray. We are not in tune with God’s heart.
When it comes to dancing to Gods beat, we sometimes forget it comes at a price. A man one day rushed to catch his plane and he was quite literally on the verge of missing it. As the man exited security screening, he saw a man in front of him with two large suitcases. Seeing the traveler had a watch the man asked him, “Sir, I’m sorry to bother you, but can you tell me what time it is?” The traveler politely said “Sure, its 10:05am and it’s fifty-three degrees outside. In Singapore it’s seventy-four degrees right now and in Japan its sixty-two. In Canada it is thirty-seven degrees outside and in the Congo it is one hundred and twenty degrees.”
The man was quite astonished and amazed and asked the traveler, “Your watch told you all of that?” “Oh yes it can. Also the DOW jones is at 10,500, NASDAQ is 3500. Is there anything else you like to know?” The man thought for a minute and said, “Well I don’t think so but I am in a serious rush, but can I buy that watch from you.” The traveler refused. The man kept bugging him and bugging him until he reached the price of $10,000 for the watch. Reluctantly the traveler agreed, and the man gave him a check for the amount. So, the man then took his new watch and started to rush towards his gate, then suddenly the traveler quickly approached the man from behind and said, “Sir you forgot the batteries to the watch.” Looking rather puzzled, the man said, “What batteries?” As the traveler laid the two large suitcases at the gentlemen’s feet, he just realized this purchased came with some extra baggage. Could you imagine!
Many people are fascinated by Jesus, Christian and non-Christian alike. Wise words that he gave, work he done with loads of miracles. Even the disciples reached moments where they wanted to esteem themselves as with the title I’m the greatest even amongst their own ranks. We want to taste Gods heavenly gifts, see his promises come true, experience genuine true happiness and joy, yet not realizing we must dance to Gods beat to get it. We are to know God in a way that we never knew him before. We are to become changed ‘new’ creation in Christ, in order to live a life full of happiness and joy, not keep things the way they are.
This morning I wanted to give you a few points to reflect upon when it comes to staying in tuned with God. Firstly, when we are given freewill, God gives us freedom to choose. Peters first letter tells us “Act as free people, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond-servants of God.” Serving God is choosing to have freedom. We not only are to receive it but accept it wholeheartedly. Pauls letter to the Romans tells us “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in relation to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.” When we choose freedom from sin, we choose life everlasting.
During the emancipation of slaves during the civil war, it was reported that once the enslaved men, women and children were now legally free, they continued to live in fear as though it had never happened. In the context of hard-earned freedom, slaves chose to remain slaves. That’s their freewill.
Secondly, happiness and joy is hollow when we do not dance to Gods beat. Nothing satisfies our empty void without God. Happiness and joy friends are from the saving truth that the good news of Jesus Christ is that we all are saved, who call upon His name. Sin no longer reigns in us who truly are His servants—and we all will be satisfied and filled beyond measure when we dance to God’s beat. Listen to Psalms 63, “God, You are my God; I shall be watching for You; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and exhausted land where there is no water. 2 So have I seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and glory. 3 Because Your favor is better than life, My lips will praise You. 4 So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul is satisfied as with fat and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. 6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, 7 For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand takes hold of me.” Where in that psalm does it demonstrated happiness and joy not fulfilled when we are in tuned with God?
Thirdly, and most important, God gives each of us gifts to use and learn to dance to His beat. As believers, we should accept them whole heartedly, but oftentimes we don’t. Mainly because we fail to trust in His everlasting love. We lose the musical note to keep in tuned with Him—pride, stubbornness and many others consume us to be self-sufficient, and not be dependent on our Heavenly Father.
Last but certainly not least, please listen carefully. Always remember the miracles that God has done for you and His people. Remember His wonders and his decisions. Remember who He is in your life, His people and this world. If we are to grow as Christians, we need both knowledge and wisdom, which both come from our loving and merciful God. When it comes to having faith, well He doesn’t intend for us to stand still, but keep growing. No matter how “grown up” we may be, we still have lots of growing to do. So friends, let us learn starting today, to dance to God’s beat, listen to God’s tune, hear His music that saturates our life with love, hope, joy and peace. Without a doubt, it will be the wisest decision we will every make.
Repeat this, Father, what we know not, teach us. What we have not, give us. What we are not, make us. For the sake of your son, our Savior, let us join together in our prayer of ….