The So-Called Good Life vs. The Real Life I Thessalonians 3:9-13
* We are bombarded everyday with propaganda on the good life.
* Innumerable appeals, some subtle and some bold, invite us to buy into the philosophy of life that promises us to make us happy. * Most of the time those appeals are hedonistic and materialistic.
* Each one promises us things that will bring lasting satisfaction, but they never deliver on their promise. Why? * Because nothing that is external or temporal is capable of meeting our deepest internal needs.
* Jim Dobson wrote: “The life that truly satisfies only exists when we stop wanting a better one. It is the condition of savoring what is rather than longing for what might be. The itch for things, the lust for more – so brilliantly injected by those who peddle them – is a virus draining our souls of contentment. Have you noticed? A man never earns enough. A woman is never beautiful enough. Clothes are never fashionable enough. Cars are never nice enough. Gadgets are never modern enough. Houses are never furnished enough. Food is never fancy enough. Relationships are never romantic enough. Life is never full enough. Satisfaction comes when we step off the escalator of desire and say, ‘This is enough. What I have will do. What I make of it is up to me and my vital union with the Lord.’ That is the same message Solomon tells us in his journal we call Ecclesiastes.”
I. Left To Ourselves – We Substitute * Specific Substitutes We Have Devised A.) Mentally We substitute education for wisdom
B.) Emotionally We substitute feelings for truth C.) Spiritually We substitute a horizontal perspective for a vertical one or eternal one
II. Listening To God – We Change Element #1 Joyful in Thanksgiving (v.9) Element #2 Ernest in Prayer (v.10)
Element #3 Abounding in Love (v.v. 11-12) L – Listen graciously hear what others say O – Overlook pass-over petty differences V – Value hold your tongue, critical comments are unnecessary E – Express love should be demonstrated Element #4 Established in Holiness (v.13)
Learning From These Verses – We Grow Three Summary Statements to think About: 1.) Mentally Let Us Grow in Wisdom 2.) Emotionally Let Us Grow in Truth 3.) Spiritually Let Us Grow in Purity
