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Howdy. Well, happy to have you all here today. You know, I say it's happy to have you all here today.

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But you know what's interesting is that happiness can be kind of a tricky sort of a fleeting thing.

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The thing is that happiness is not always something that is easy to put your finger on

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because sometimes it can be fleeting and it can change from moment to moment.

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There was a time, it was a few years back, where I ended up spending a few weeks in Guatemala

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and a few of us went up into these mountains and we ended up going to a place that had zip lining.

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And as we were there and we were all realizing just how long and just how far it was going to go

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and we're all really nervous and really excited all at the same time.

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With it though is as each person was traveling down and they would take a different pose

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or a different way of doing it as they were going and people would video the whole thing as they were going down.

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And I was somewhere around maybe, you know, third, fourth to last or whatever and I get on there and as I'm going

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I start singing the greatest American hero theme song.

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I was like, believe it or not, I'm walking on air and I go through the entire song.

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It is literally such a long zip line that I can go through the entire theme song all the way down

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and people are laughing and everything from both sides and I finally get to the end and I was like,

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oh, that was great and they take me down and I was like, okay, who recorded it?

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Nobody recorded any of it.

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Talk about going from this happy, excited moment to such a big let down.

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This moment of not only was it exciting but frankly, I loved the way that it happened the whole time.

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But I wasn't going to be able to share it with anybody back home after all.

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The thing is, is that even though it was this wonderful moment, just like that, the happiness started to drift away.

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Now that's the thing about it is that happiness in life, it's tricky.

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We look for things that bring us happiness in life but the difficulty is how do we stay happy when we're disappointed?

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Or is happiness actually the same thing as joy?

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Is happiness actually something that we're always supposed to pursue?

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The thing is that finding happiness is not a bad thing but the question is, is it always a good thing?

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Is it always a necessary thing? Is that the whole goal of joy?

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Is trying to feel happy?

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And that's the thing that we're going to be looking at today because we want to ask this question is that

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if joy is something that is the fruit of the spirit, the question is though, what about happiness as a whole?

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And why is it that happiness and pleasure are so hard to find in today's world?

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See, the thing is that when we ask this question of why is pleasure so hard today,

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make sure that I at least explain a little bit about why it is that happiness even happens at all.

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Turns out that there are different chemicals that happen that can create happy feelings inside of you.

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There is dopamine, endorphins, oxytocin, serotonin.

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Dopamine comes whenever you're eating food or achieving goals, completing a task or you take care of yourself.

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Endorphins happen when you're exercising or listening to music, watching a movie or laughing.

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Oxytocin happens when you're socializing with people, when someone touches you, whenever you are petting animals

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or helping other people. And serotonin is whenever you're out in the sun or you're being more mindful of what's happening

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or you're in nature or meditating on something.

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The thing is that these different chemicals can create this feeling of happiness that can be connected to what you're doing

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or what's happening around you.

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But turns out there's also something more that happens with one of them.

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Dopamine also includes whenever we are anticipating something.

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So it's not just what happens when we're actually enjoying the thing that we're looking forward to,

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but it's even the process of looking forward to it in the first place.

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But it turns out that it's not just when you're looking forward to something that brings you that happiness,

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but even levels of uncertainty.

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When you're not always positive that you're going to get what you're looking for.

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It can even create a little bit extra feeling.

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Now with that is to realize that this is one of the reasons why people are so addicted to their social media today.

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The idea that someone is going to post something out into the world

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and they're spending the whole time hoping that somebody likes it or says something nice.

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Because then what you can do on your phone is you can quickly go and check and see,

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but you're not sure.

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You're not sure if somebody has said something nice or clicked like on it.

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So not only is it bolstering this dopamine because of the fact that you can go and check

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and that there's a possibility of someone saying something nice,

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but also a little bit of uncertainty because you're not sure that they will.

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See it turns out that in today's world we keep hyping up one of the chemicals that brings us happiness.

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And then we end up struggling with regular things in everyday life that should create that same feeling.

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See it turns out that in today's world we have instant gratification.

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We don't have to wait or wonder.

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We can check things automatically.

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And even though we have a little bit of uncertainty, all we have to do is keep scrolling to the next thing

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and try to hope that something else gives us that same feeling.

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The thing is though, is that the more we do it, the less satisfying it is.

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And even more than that is that with the level of stress that we have in the world today,

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is that we are constantly trying to find something that can give us that dopamine rush.

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And even more than that, not even just smartphones, but many other addictions as well.

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Food, drugs, alcohol, intimacy, there are many things today that people constantly push

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because they are desperate to feel some level of pleasure have something to make them feel happy.

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But the thing with this is that enjoying things, it's not necessarily a bad thing,

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but it's just the idea to realize that the enjoyment of something is not the goal.

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It's not the final point of everything because joy is meant to be more than just an emotion.

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Because the more that we end up latching on to that, the more likely we are to miss out on the things that really matter.

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But that also then ends up pointing us to John the Baptist.

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Because we want to be asking a question about somebody who may have been denied a lot of things

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that most people would have found to make them happy.

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I mean, what was it that gave John joy in his life?

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It's to realize that John was living out in the middle of the wilderness.

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It's to realize that he didn't have someone to spend his life with.

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He didn't have material possessions or goods.

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He didn't have the typical things that might bring people happiness on a regular basis.

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And yet, what was it that kept him going?

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See, John, he was looking for the Christ.

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He was willing to deny the things that would typically make him feel happy

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because they would end up bringing true joy both to him and to others.

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But then this question came when Jesus actually came on the scene.

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Was his anticipation that brought him so much joy for so long actually satisfied?

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The thing is, is that there were many passages that John might be thinking of

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as he eventually found himself sitting in a prison cell.

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If you were to think of all the things that we listed

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that might end up causing us to feel a sense of happiness,

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whether it might be contact with the people that we love,

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or being out in the sunshine or getting to accomplish goals

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or all sorts of things enjoying the food that we have,

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John was in a place where none of those would have been available.

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What was it that he had to look forward to

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to actually bring him some level of satisfaction, some level of joy?

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He might have been thinking about the passage in Isaiah,

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the one that Jesus himself had quoted when he was saying,

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The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me

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to bring good news to the poor.

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He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

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to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison

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to those who were bound to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

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And yet, where was John?

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Sitting in that prison, waiting for liberty to the captives,

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and the opening of the prison to those who were bound.

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He had been waiting for so long,

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and now the thing that he was expecting, it wasn't there.

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What sort of hurt, what sort of feelings of struggle

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must he have been going through at that point?

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To the point where he has to send his people to go and speak to Jesus

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and say, Are you really the one that we are looking for?

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We are continually scandalized, offended,

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when something or someone is not what we were hoping for.

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We are offended, we are frustrated,

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when what it is that we were looking forward to doesn't live up to it.

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We expect one thing, but we receive another.

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But what does that mean that we reject what God may be doing?

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See, that's the thing about this,

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is that Jesus is speaking to the fact that John is over there,

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and as much as John had done such great work,

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is what is John struggling with?

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The offense that Jesus' work would somehow not be fulfilled

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in what John was dealing with.

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The thing is, though, what does Jesus respond with?

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Was there room for John to see what Jesus was actually doing?

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The thing is, we look at all the things that Jesus was doing

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and we wonder how could John wonder or doubt?

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The thing is, is that we look at what Jesus proclaims,

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the eyes of the blind are open, the ears of the dead are unstopped,

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those who cannot walk are able to leap like deer,

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the ones who cannot speak, their tongues will shout for joy,

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the dead have been raised and good news is preached to the poor.

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But could John still find joy in what was happening?

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Could John look beyond the struggle he had at that point

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to see that the true goals were being accomplished?

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But maybe more than that, are we able to see beyond our disappointments

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to look at what is actually being accomplished in us and in our world?

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The thing is, is that joy goes beyond a given moment.

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Joy is not something that just is waiting to make sure that at that moment

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we could try to fulfill some chemical reaction that we need

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to get ourselves moving and motivated.

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The thing is, is that Jesus' ministry was meant to bear fruit beyond just the temporary.

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The thing is, is that as much as I was frustrated

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that at that moment the thing that I was hoping for wasn't there.

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At the same time, what I also realized was that I had provided an opportunity

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for the people that were there who had so much joy and happiness

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from what was happening that they just lost track of being able to record it.

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Wasn't that maybe more meaningful than posting a video to people

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that are maybe going to spend 5 to 10 seconds on it and then ignore it from then on?

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The thing with it is, many times we miss out on what is truly bearing fruit for the long term

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because we want to find some happiness in the moment.

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Looking at what it is, it's what's happening right here and right now.

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But the same thing is true about our lives of faith.

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The thing is, is that our lives of faith are more than just what is happening immediately.

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Are we willing and ready to see that?

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Because didn't you notice how many things that can actually bring happiness into our life?

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It wasn't just this list of immediate things, not just eating food

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and having something immediate that happens to you, but connection with other people.

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Taking time to slow down and to look at what's happening in your life,

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to be able to set goals that you can meet and to then be able to meet them and continue,

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to care for yourself, but also to take care of yourself, to exercise,

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to push yourself in ways where you get a chance to become more than what you were before.

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To learn, to grow, to laugh.

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Because I almost never laugh when I'm scrolling on social media today.

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The thing is, is that our life of faith is about growth and being built up and learning

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and trying new things and discovering more about God.

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Are we living for that?

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The thing is, is that the joy of this season, the joy of the season goes beyond the happiness of today.

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The joy of the season is more than just these specific events that we end up putting on and going through.

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The joy of God is something that takes time, and it's for things that truly matter.

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Because the thing is, is that whenever we know that we are going through the struggles,

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the times where we have to push, the times whenever things don't always immediately give us some level of happiness,

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is to be able to look at things that matter like faith and life, purpose, doing things that are right even when it isn't easy,

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but especially sharing the good news of Christ Jesus with the world.

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All of these things that are happening in the season, are we utilizing them to bring people to know Christ Jesus?

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But also even taking time for the little pleasures.

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The thing is, is that when things may be hard, there can still be little things that end up bringing sparks of joy to you.

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And if you can't find them from somebody else, they can also happen when you do things for other people.

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That joy can actually be created when you find ways to serve one another.

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Not just to be able to look at some things where, did it make me giddy?

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Because the thing is, is that Jesus himself, well, looking at the things that are on here, Jesus knew how to have fun.

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Clearly, as much as John the Baptist was very much in the wilderness, very serious with his life, Jesus was somebody who could go out and find joy

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and even have a drink of wine with people.

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The thing is though, that he did not allow those things to be the expense of his purpose and his meaning in life.

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And more than just the present, because we're not just animals that respond to some stimulus in a lab.

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We are children of God with new life, of meaning and purpose.

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And maybe if you discover that you're bored, whether bored here in your life of faith or bored in your life every day,

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is to find out that there are things that you could try that may be new, that end up discovering something that you hadn't seen before.

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There may be something new for you to study or to learn, or maybe try a different small group from where you've been.

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Or maybe you haven't had a chance to volunteer somewhere and you have the opportunity now that you realize

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maybe your time is more available or even ways in which you might actually be able to see that you have a gift that you never discovered before.

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With so many ways that they're happening, is that sometimes it takes time.

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Sometimes the gratification has to be delayed.

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It may not happen right now.

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It may not happen tomorrow.

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It may not happen next month.

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It may take time.

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But that's also when we know that it is real and that it is true.

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Are we willing to take longer?

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Because how many years did it take that Mary and Joseph had to see their child grow up waiting to see the salvation of Israel?

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And even more than that is to push through the death that would be required to do so.

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Sometimes joy takes time.

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And there may be some deeper things that are happening in your life right now.

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Maybe there are times where you may need to go through therapy or other ways of talking with somebody.

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There are those who do need medication.

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There are those who need a stronger sense of community and even for those who have struggled with addiction in the past to have those who hold them accountable.

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Or maybe times where you've struggled and you've been afraid to do the same.

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But you're not going to find the joy that you really are looking for if you're not willing to take the time to do the work that is needed.

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Because true joy takes time.

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It is not something where you're going to immediately find it and then be able to hold on to it.

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It will be something that is in here.

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It is something that dwells in us by God's spirit.

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It is something that sometimes ebbs and flows in our feelings but is always true in our life.

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Because nothing takes away what truly matters.

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The joy that is ours in Christ Jesus that lasts for all of eternity.

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So while we may be wondering why something that lasts two, three, four minutes,

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why we can't seem to hold on to that feeling of happiness any longer.

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That's not the joy that we have to look forward to.

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And more than that, we are made for more than just this moment.

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We are made for eternity.

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So may we spend more time living our lives today as if we truly believe in the joy of life everlasting.

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Thanks be to God.