Life. fun

My pleasure…
We have been following Solomon (traditionally believed to be the writer of Ecclesiastes) as he searches all the nooks and crannies of life to find meaning ‘under the sun’; that is, apart from a belief in eternity. Today he turns his attention on a popular spot where meaning is sought, pleasure. Doing whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want – is that the meaning of life?

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 (NKJV) 1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” 3 I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives. 4 I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. 5 I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. 7 I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds. 9 So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. 10 Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor. 11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.

Notice the line in verse 10, “Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from pleasure.” This is a dangerous experiment that Solomon conducted to see if meaning could be found there. Many today are waging the same experiment, whether they know it or not. They are banking everything on pleasure providing for them meaning in life. The result of his experiment? Here is his conclusion:

· Pleasure can’t give meaning to life.

If that’s all there is to life, then it is all meaningless. There must be more than living your life chasing after pleasures, because they don’t satisfy ultimately.

What about pleasure then? Is it contrary to living a meaningful life? And where does God fit in. Most people see God as entirely opposed to pleasure. If he catches you enjoying yourself at anything, well, that’s the worst thing you can do. Is that true? Can pleasure and God go together?

Diets
I hate diets and I think they are from the devil. Food labels are not meant to be read or understood. I would rather read Leviticus backwards than even one food label. I can’t understand them. Dalene can, but I can’t. Trying to figure out what you can eat and how much is the ulitmate exercise in futility. And what you figure out you can eat isn’t really worth it anyway.

Here is my theory: Those diets have no biological/chemical basis. They claim that they do, but they don’t. What really happens is that you get so sick of reading food labels and eating nasty food, that you just eat less.

I don’t have to read food labels anymore because I have figured out the overriding principle: If I like the taste of something, I can’t have it. If I hate the taste, I can have all I want. That is my perception of diets.

That is what many people think of ‘religion’: “I don’t need to read the bible. If there is anything that I enjoy, then I know I can’t do it. There must be a commandment against it somewhere. If something is dull or void of the least little bit of fun, then that’s what God wants me to do.” Is this an accurate picture of God and pleasure?

THE PLEASURE PUZZLE
This issue of pleasure can be very puzzling. Today we want to look at ‘The Pleasure Puzzle.’ We are going to look at three key pieces of the puzzle: the God-piece, The Me-Piece, and the Peace-piece.

The big question: How do these three fit together? Have you ever been putting together a puzzle and you hold up a piece, determined to find where it goes. You search the whole picture on the box and decide it doesn’t go anywhere. They must have given you a piece that doesn’t go with this puzzle. Then, later it slips neatly into its intended place.

How do these three pieces – God, me and peace – fit together in this issue of pleasure?
1. The GOD-Piece.

Is God anti-pleasure as most people think? Did pleasure sneak in the back door when He wasn’t looking? Let’s look at the biblical evidence.

· God created pleasure.

There would be no pleasure if God had not created it. When God created us He gave us the ability to experience pleasure. Scientists think that they have identified the primary pleasure center in the brain: the limbic system in the brain, with the hypothalamus and the nucleus accumbens. This system is combined with an innumerable amount of sensors all throughout our body to give us the sensation of pleasure. God did that.
God created the place for Adam called Eden. The word ‘eden’ literally means in Hebrew, “delight” or “pleasure.”

Genesis 2:8-9 (NKJV) 8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.

The devil will try to convince you that he is the father of pleasure – that it was all his idea. That’s not true. God is the Father of pleasure. The devil is the one who perverts pleasure and makes it destructive.

· God takes pleasure.

Throughout scripture we are told that God Himself also takes pleasure. He takes pleasure in you. All things were created “for His pleasure.” (Rev. 4:11)

· God prescribes pleasure.

In fact, God makes sure that pleasure isn’t neglected. For His people Israel, He prescribed throughout the calendar year certain feasts and celebrations to be observed.
At one point in history, under the leadership of Nehemiah in Jerusalem, the people were hanging their heads low in shame and guilt on the day of a feast. God had Nehemiah break it up:
Nehemiah 8:10 (NKJV) 10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

God created pleasure, God takes pleasure and God prescribes pleasure. So what’s the problem?

2. The ME-Piece.

Surprisingly enough, the problem isn’t with God but it is with me. I’m the one that has a problem with pleasure, not God.
· I can become a slave to pleasure.
Here is the real issue. It is not that we would enjoy the pleasures of life, but that we would pursue those things at all cost. One of the ways that this happens is what we refer to as ‘addictions.’
Romans 6:16 (NKJV) 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?


1 Corinthians 6:12 (NKJV) 12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

· My pleasure may lead others to be enslaved.

There may be pleasures that I can withstand well enough, but if someone else sees me doing it, they may give it a try and they become a slave to it. Well, is that my problem? Scripture says we should make it our problem.

· My pleasure may hurt me or others.

Pursuing my own pleasures may also hurt other people. You may like partying with the music up loud until four in the morning, but does your neighbor enjoy it?

3. The PEACE-Piece.

So, how do I reconcile these things? How do I enjoy life without letting pleasures have a destructive influence in my life or in the lives of others around me? Here are the five R’s:

· Repent. Seek the Lord’s deliverance.

God can cleanse me and make me new! That’s good news! It must start here. Until I repent, pleasure that is self-destructive, others-destructive or destructive in my relationship with God continues to have power over my life. Once I repent its power is taken away by God.

1 Corinthians 6:11 (NKJV) 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

1 John 1:9 (NKJV) 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If anything has power over you today, you can repent and be completely clean.

· Remove. Keep a safe distance.

Once you have been made clean, it would be wise to keep a safe distance from the people, places and activities that can lead you back into those same problems. This is where we really show our true intentions, do we really want to be free, or not?
There’s an old saying: “If you don’t want to eat of the fruit, then don’t hang around the tree.” Honestly, we spend a lot of time around the trees of temptation.

Hugaholic
Let’s say that I have a hugging problem. I am a real hugaholic. It has cost me my job, important relationships and my relationship with God but I just can’t help it. I can’t stop hugging people. It is an illness.

If I really wanted to stop, I wouldn’t hang around this church. I know if I come here that I am going to end up hugging people, it is a forgone conclusion. I can predict it. There are a lot of places I can go and not hug people. The DMV comes to mind. I have never hugged anyone in the DMV.

You can tell a person’s real desire to be free from temptation by how far away they stay from it.

· Retreat. Look for the way out.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV) 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

If you do find yourself face to face with temptation, there is always a way out. It’s not too late. There is always an escape plan, provided by God Himself.
How different is it to be trapped in a place where there is no way out, versus a place where there is a way out? If there is a way out, it isn’t really a trap.

I would like to think of temptation as a trap. I would like to think of it that way so that I would become a victim of temptation. It is a perfect excuse for failure. I couldn’t help it. It was a trap and once it sprang shut, my options were eliminated. What could I do but succumb to the temptation?

I would like to think of it that way, but I can’t. The truth is, whenever I am staring temptation square in the face, I do have an option. There is a way of escape. I still have a choice. I can get away.

What temptation are you facing? There is a way out. There is a way out of drug and alcohol addiction. There is a way out of pornography and sexual sins. There is a way out of gossip. There is a way out of stealing, out of pride, out of greed, out of lust.
There is a way out. You can escape.

· Replace with healthy actions.

Psalm 119:9-11 (NKJV) 9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. 10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

This is one of the biggest reasons why we don’t stick with the resolutions we make in our lives: we stop something without starting something else in its place. We create a void or a vacuum.

Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark
Remember in ‘Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark’ in the opening scenes where Indy makes his way through a booby-trapped cave to pedestal with a valuable golden idol on it? Before taking the idol off, he filled a bag with sand to about the same weight as the idol. Then he made a quick switch of the two. Unfortunately, he miscalculated the weight and a huge boulder was released.
When you take something away you have to replace it with something else, something healthy.

· Relate. Don’t do it alone.

Sin has tremendous power over you as long as you keep it covered up. Once you expose it you would be amazed at how much power it loses. The process is called confession or accountability. Do you have someone in your life that you can be real with and can encourage you to keep pleasures in check?

James 5:16 (NKJV) 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Conclusion
In a poem entitled, "Autobiography in Five Short Chapters," Portia Nelson writes these words: (I’m going to read you all five chapters.)
Chapter I: I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost … I am helpless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter II: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I am in the same place,but it isn't my fault.
Chapter III: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I see it is there. I still fall in … it's a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.
Chapter IV: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.
Chapter V: I walk down another street.

God wants you to experience pleasure, but not seek it for the meaning in your life, and not to become a slave to it. If you are caught in destructive pleasures (sin), He can cleanse you and you can be free.