Christ Church

Envy and Rivalry (Christ Church)
Christ Church on February 18, 2026
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Dr. Joe Rigney

Eternity (Christ Church)

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THE TEXT

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”

INTRODUCTION

As human beings, we struggle to even comprehend the meaning of the word “eternal.” To begin, we need to make some distinctions. First, we need to distinguish God’s eternity from our eternity, or timeless eternity from everlasting eternity. His life is so full that he doesn’t experience it in a succession of moments like we do. Our eternity is better thought of as everlastingness. Everlasting means that we will last forever. We never get outside of time; we live within time forever.

But, more than that, we will exist either in a state of everlasting joy and life, or in a state of everlasting destruction and death. The Scriptures (Matthew 25, Revelation 20) teach that at the end of history, Christ will return, raise the dead, and execute a final judgment. At that time, the righteous—body and soul—will enter into the Joy of God forever, and the wicked—body and soul—will enter into Misery forever. The common names for these two eternal destinies are Heaven and Hell.

I want to focus on two issues. One is a fear we have about Heaven and one is a concern we have about Hell. Our fear about Heaven is this: we worry that we will be bored. We know that we are promised unending joy, but we struggle to believe it because we fear that having “arrived” at Joy, Joy will grow old and stale to us. Our desires always outrun their satisfaction. Desire dies in its fulfillment. We get what we want, and we find that it’s not enough. And our repeated experience of this phenomenon, in every aspect of our lives, creates the fear in us that Heaven will be no different.

THE PROBLEM OF HELL

The concern about Hell is this: Hell sounds to us like Cosmic Overkill. God is pouring out infinite punishment for a limited and finite amount of sin. The punishment doesn’t fit the crime.

In response, consider: 1) The greatness or heinousness of evil depends on the one sinned against, either the worth and value of the person, or our relation to him. 2) God is the most valuable, important, and worthy being in reality. What’s more, he stands in the highest and nearest relation to all of us. Both of these mean that our obligation to God is an infinite obligation, because he is infinitely worthy of all honor. 3) Therefore, to reject God and despise God and disobey God is to commit an infinite offense. A small sin against an infinitely worthy Being is an infinite sin, 4) Finally, an infinite sin requires an eternal punishment.

Let’s consider three biblical images for Hell through the lens of one question: Is Hell God-inflicted or self-inflicted?  Image 1: The Bible presents Hell as banishment or ultimate exile (2 Thess. 1:9). This is the outer darkness, outside the City of Joy and Life, where morning never comes, where we are utterly and completely alone. Image 2: The Bible depicts Hell as the pouring out of God’s wrath on sinners. The wicked store up wrath for the day of judgment (Romans 2:5). They fill up the cup of God’s wrath and he makes them drink it and they stagger and fall.  Image 3: The Bible depicts Hell as eternal destruction. “The worm does not die; the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48). The smoke goes up forever and ever (Rev. 14:11). Eternal death is eternal dying.

All three of these images accent that Hell is God-inflicted. We are “thrown” into the outer darkness, cast outside of the city, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. The pouring out of the wrath of God is his all-consuming response to human rebellion and pride. The fire of eternal destruction is sustained by the God who is a consuming fire. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb. 10:29).

But it’s also true that “men loved darkness and hated the light and would not come to the light, lest their deeds be exposed” (John 3:19-20). Those who are banished from God’s presence may hate Hell, but they hate God more. Their exile is, in some sense, self-imposed. When God gives a person or a people over to their rebellion, the Bible calls that “the wrath of God.” As C. S. Lewis once noted, “God says to us, ‘Thy will be done.’”So is Hell self-inflicted or God-inflicted? Yes. It is both. We cannot out-horror Hell.

THE PROBLEM OF HEAVEN

What about Heaven? What about our fear of disappointment and boredom? First, our disappointment in this life in some ways actually points to the surpassing glory of Heaven’s joys. Lewis called this the Argument from Desire: We were made for God. The best joys here can only awaken and stoke the flames of our deepest and ultimate desire; they are pointers to a joy that is deeper and higher and wider and longer than anything that we can imagine.

God is infinite—infinitely valuable, infinitely worthy, infinitely desirable, infinitely satisfying. And therefore, in Heaven, we will arrive at Infinite Joy, and never stop arriving. Just as a finite creature cannot receive an infinite punishment unless they have an infinite amount of time, so also a finite creature cannot receive infinite joy without an eternal amount of time. “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has the mind of man conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Just as we cannot out-horror Hell, we cannot out-hope Heaven.

THE CHOICE

Here we live in the world of the Choice. For much of the time, eternity feels distant, far away, out of sight, and out of mind. The reality is that, for all of us, it is always just around the corner. It is as near as death, and our lives are just a vapor. There is no turning back; you are here and now. You are alive and you are heading in a particular direction. This sermon is a fork in the road.

You will cling to something forever. There will be something that you will seek to satisfy the ache and longing of your soul with forever. It will either be God, or it will be yourself. You will either come out of yourself into the clear sky of God’s glory and gladness and find your heart filled to overflowing, or you will curve inward on yourself, trying to satisfy your soul’s thirst on broken pieces of clay that turn to ash in your mouth.

In a moment we’ll come to the Table. When Jesus died, he swallowed Death and Hell. On the cross, he endured the infinite wrath of Almighty God on behalf of sinners. He took our banishment, our wrath, our destruction. And in doing so, he opened a way out of the prison of Self into the bright, blue sky of God’s goodness and joy. At this table, we eat and drink to proclaim the good news that we need no longer fear eternity. In his presence is fullness of joy and at his right hand are pleasures forevermore.

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Acts for Americans (Christ Church)

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INTRODUCTION

I want to take a step back and highlight certain patterns in the first nine chapters of Acts, lest we miss the forest for the trees. This section has particular relevance for us given the events of the last ten days. We want to read the story that we’re in, in light of God’s story in the Scriptures, because while history does not repeat itself, it does rhyme.

TEXT: ACTS 7:54-8:3

Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

8 And Saul approved of his execution.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

ESCALATING CONFLICT

In this section of Acts, there are four main groups that we should attend to: 1) the apostles; 2) the believers; 3) the Jewish crowds; and 4) the Sanhedrin. The first seven chapters of Acts follow these four groups as they collide with one another again and again. Conflict abounds in these chapters, with the apostles and the Jewish leaders publicly colliding three times (4:1–22; 5:17–41; 6:8–7:60). The Sanhedrin opposes the apostolic testimony, and their opposition escalates over time in terms of the motive for arresting the apostles; the response to the apostolic witness; and the resolution to the collisions.

In terms of motive, we move from theological annoyance (Acts 4) to envy and jealousy (Acts 5) to outright hatred and slander (Acts 6–7). In terms of the Sanhedrin’s response, we move from amazement (Acts 4) to barely controlled anger (Acts 5) to uncontrollable rage (Acts 7). In terms of resolution, we move from verbal warning (Acts 4) to violent warning (Acts 5) to murder by mob (Acts 7).

THE ROOTS OF RISING OPPOSITION

What accounts for this rising conflict? First is the phenomenal growth of the church. From 120 people in Acts 1 to thousands in Acts 5. It’s no surprise that the Jewish leaders move from viewing the apostles with annoyance to being filled with envy and jealousy. They are losing their grip on the people.

The second cause of the escalation is the apostolic boldness. Christian boldness is courage and clarity about Jesus and sin (Acts 5:27-32). They fill Jerusalem with teaching about the risen Lord Jesus. And the preach clearly and courageously about particular sins and evil done by their audience. “God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness” (Acts 3:26)

WHERE BOLDNESS COMES FROM

The first and most important source of boldness is the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31). But the Holy Spirit doesn’t operate in a vacuum. And the most obvious means in these chapters is the formation of the church. Christian boldness emerges from a resilient community, united in one heart and soul around the testimony of the resurrection, stewarding resources to meet each others needs (4:32-37), and seeking the good of the lost (3:1-10), and living in holiness and integrity. A bold church is a holy church. Whenever there is a genuine work of God, it won’t be five minutes before counterfeits show up, aping generosity. As Ananias and Sapphira demonstrate, we cannot lie to God and expect his blessing (5:4–5). God is not mocked; he is a consuming fire, and insists that we live in holy fear before him.

So where does Christian boldness come from? It comes from God the Father, who fills us with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gathers a people around the preaching of the death and resurrection of Jesus, uniting us in heart and soul, so that we sacrifice to meet each other’s needs and seek the good of the city and live holy lives of reverent fear.

APPLICATION

Over the last 20 years, we’ve seen escalating conflict in our country as the Christian faith and reality collide with our secular insanity. There have been smaller scale collisions through cancel culture and social pressure and the legal harassment. The Rainbow Sanhedrin have essentially said, “We’ve told you once; we’ve told you twice. Stop resisting, or else.”

And last week, with the assassination of Charlie Kirk, we saw our American Stephen. Like the apostles, Charlie never went to college; he was an “uneducated, common man.” Like Stephen, he was a man “full of faith and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5), “full of grace and power” (Acts 6:8), and as a result of his labors, the word of God increased, and disciples multiplied in our country (6:7). Like Stephen, he was known for his boldness—his courage and clarity about Jesus and sin—for his willingness to go to the Leftist indoctrination centers that we call universities and discuss and debate and dialogue about the most important issues in our nation and in reality. And like Stephen, he was very effective, so that his opponents were “not able to withstand the wisdom and Spirit with which he was speaking” (6:10). And as a result, he, like other faithful Christians, was slandered as a fascist, a racist, a bigot, a Nazi (6:11-14). He was accused of blaspheming the current gods of secularism, progressivism, wokeness, and the gender cult. He spoke against their high places, and claimed that Jesus intends to change the wicked customs and practices that have taken root in America, especially among young people. He told them, “Trust Christ. Go to church. Get married. Have babies. Leave a legacy.” And, as a result of his faith and his boldness, he filled the enemies of Christ with teeth-grinding rage, and like Stephen, they murdered him in public. That’s where we are in the story. At this moment, in Arizona, we are in Acts 8:2: “Devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him.”

Which raises the question: what’s next? If the pattern holds, what’s next? I see an opportunity, a temptation, and an exhortation.

First, the opportunity. In the wake of Stephen’s execution, a general persecution against the church broke out, which resulted in a scattering of the church throughout Judea and Samaria. But then, Acts 8:4: “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” They don’t act like they got kicked out; they act like they got sent out. The martyrdom of Stephen launches the Samaritan mission, the same mission that Jesus promised in Acts 1:8, and a revival breaks out among the outcasts. So may we seize the opportunity that God has given us, and show the same joyful and grateful courage and boldness that Charlie Kirk did, and may the Lord spark a revival in surprising places.

But that leads to the temptation. As the Samaritan revival takes off, we meet Simon Magus, a sorcerer and Samaritan celebrity who thought he was somebody great (8:9-11). But when the attention shifts from him to Philip as he preaches the good news of the kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ, Simon wants in on it. He even gets baptized. But when the Spirit falls as the apostles lay hands on the church, we see that Simon’s “conversion” was opportunistic. He tries to buy his way in, offering money to get some of that spiritual power and seeking to co-opt the church for his own ends.

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s martyrdom, the chief threat will be allowing his deeply Christian legacy to be co-opted by opportunists who want to baptize it for their own purposes. The temptation will be to “Unite the Right” to “Fight the Left” by watering down the central truth that Jesus Christ alone is Lord, turning it into a generic call for “faith in God,” or muting our witness on the evil of homosexuality in order to link arms with secularists and gays agains the trans terrorists.  We must not allow the desire for a big tent to smother Christian boldness or dilute the full Christian gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone.

And that brings me to the exhortation to boldness and to hope. Now is the time for courage and clarity about Jesus and sin. The wickedness of our nation reeks to high heaven—the abortion genocide, sexual immorality, racial and ethnic hatred, lawlessness and the perversion of justice, and ultimately our rejection of the living God and his Son Jesus Christ. We must be bold in the face of threats and dangers (Acts 4:24–30).

And here is the hope. One of the other striking parallels between Acts and our day is the approval of Stephen’s murder and the celebration of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Acts 8:1: “Saul approved of the execution.” Many of us have been shocked that thousands of our fellow citizens have rationalized, justified, and celebrated the murder of a young husband and father. But here’s the hope, and how we should pray. In Acts 8, Saul stood by and approved the brutal murder of Stephen. In Acts, he collided with Jesus on the Damascus Road, and the world was never the same. Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save.

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God’s Character & Covenant (Christ Church)

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THE TEXT

I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.” You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: ‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’ ” Selah

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The psalm is arranged into five sections: two small sections at the beginning and end, and three larger sections in the middle. The first section (v. 1-4) introduces the twin themes: God’s character and his covenant with David. In this psalm, his character is defined by his steadfast love and his faithfulness. Both of these words are applied in terms of his covenant with David–the promise that the seed of David will sit on an everlasting throne (v. 3-4). And this is crucial: the psalmist says he will sing of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness forever.

The psalmist then celebrates God’s majesty, might, and saving power (v. 5-16). God is incomparable; he sits enthroned among his heavenly council, but he is supreme over all of them. His dominion is from north to south, and east to west, from the highest heavens to the seas to the land. He is all-powerful, with a strong right hand and mighty arm, and his power is directed by his holy character (v. 14).

More than that, God crushes his enemies. Rahab is a reference to a dragon-demon associated with Egypt (Psalm 87:4; Isa 30:7). Crushing Rahab is linked to ruling and stilling the sea, just as God crushed the king of Egypt beneath a wall of water (Job 26:12; Isa 51:9).

This is a celebration of God’s majesty, might, and saving power, and the people who belong to God and join this celebration and walk in the light of his face are blessed (v. 15-16). God is the glory and beauty of his people’s strength (v. 17).

Then the psalmist brings God’s majesty to earth and links it to his covenant promises to David. Israel’s king is Israel’s shield (v. 18), and God is the one who found, helped, anointed, and exalted (v. 19-20). God’s mighty hand and arm? They establish and strengthen David (v. 21). Just as God tore Rahab apart, so will the Davidic king outwit and beat down his enemies (v. 23). God’s steadfast love and faithfulness will be with David (v. 24), and David will call upon God as Father, and God will make him his firstborn, the king of kings (v.26-27), and he will establish David’s offspring on an everlasting throne (v. 28-29). God’s covenant with David and his sons will endure, even if and when David’s sons break God’s law. Discipline? Yes. Rod? Yes? Rejection? No. Why? Because of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness (v. 33). God’s character has established this covenant with an oath (v. 34-35), and David’s offspring and throne will endure as long as the sun, moon, and stars–faithful witnesses in the sky (v. 36-37).

Then we have the turn. Verse 38 introduces a contrast. For the next ten verses, God’s steadfast love and faithfulness are completely absent. Instead, we see a rejected son (v.28) , a renounced covenant, a defiled crown (v. 39), breached walls, ruined fortresses (v. 40), plundered cities (v. 41), triumphant foes, rejoicing enemies (v. 42), a throne in the dust, and shame, scorn, and reproach in every direction (v. 41, 45). God’s wrath has come upon the people because the king, David’s son, has rebelled against God. And so the psalmist is confused. In light of God’s character and covenant, how can this be? How long will it last (v. 46)? If God’s character and covenant fail, then everything is futile, vain, and worthless (v. 47). Will the psalmist see God’s saving power before he dies, because no one escapes the power of Sheol (v. 48)?

The final section is an appeal to God’s steadfast love and his faithfulness to David, in light of the mocking reproach of the nations (v. 50-51). The psalmist asks where God’s covenant love has gone, begs him to remember his promise, and concludes with a triumphant hope: Blessed be the Lord forever (v. 52).

READ YOUR STORY IN LIGHT OF THE STORY

One of the great values of regular Bible reading is knowing what story you’re a part of, and being able to read your life in light of it. This psalm is filled with echoes and allusions to the big events of Israel’s history.

– The revelation of God’s name, glory, and goodness to Moses in Exodus 34:6.

– God’s oath to the patriarchs. When God wants to convincingly show the unchangeable character of his promise (Heb. 6:13), he swears by himself, like he does to Abraham after the sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22:16-18, or in Isaiah 45:23, when God swears by himself that every knee will bow and every tongue swear allegiance to him as the only righteous God and Savior.

– The Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:12-16).

WHAT IS REAL?

The gap in this psalm is between what the psalmist knows of God’s character and covenant on the one hand, and the circumstances at the present moment. Who God is (steadfast love and faithfulness) and what God has said (oath and covenant to David) seem out of accord with the reality before him (judgment, wrath, and a crown in the dust).

That is the question for all of us when the world seems confusing, futile, and vain. Do we interpret our circumstances in light of God’s character and covenant? Or do we abandon God’s character and covenant in the face of our circumstances?

God has promised the nations to Christ as his inheritance (Psalm 2:8; Matthew 28:12-20). And then we look at the state of the world, and the state of our nation, and see the rampant apostasy, rebellion, and decay around us. What’s more real? God’s character and covenant? Or sexual deviancy, political corruption, and widespread evangelical apathy and compromise?

When your kids wander, or when they get a case of the wobbles: what’s more real? God’s character and covenant? Or the wobbles and wandering? How do you pray? Do you bless God in confidence that he will hear and answer?

Or maybe it’s your own faith and holiness. When you see your abiding anger and envy, your drunkenness and lust, your anxiety and fear of man, your worldliness and selfishness, you feel the confusion and vanity. What is more real to you? Do you still sing of the steadfast love of the Lord?

This is not hypocrisy; it’s what a living faith does when confronted with the vanity of man and the discipline of God. Faith honestly confronts the facts on the ground, and then appeals to God’s character and his covenant. How much of your mental attention is devoted to rooting yourself in God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, in rehearsing his mighty deeds and covenant promises, and how much is spent fixating on the breached walls, triumphant enemies, and reproaching shame?

CHRIST’S CROWN

Christ is the offspring of David. He crushed the dragon’s head. He stilled the waves. He was strengthened by God’s grace. His enemies did not outwit him. God anointed him with his Spirit, and established and exalted him above the angels and the powers.

But Christ himself faced God’s rejection and absence. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” His crown was defiled in the dust. His days were cut short, and he was covered in shame. But Christ bridged the gap between God’s character and covenant, and the rejection and crown in the dust. In his darkest moments, he called upon God as Father, in Gethsemane (Matt 26:39-42) and at Calvary (Luke 23:34, 46).

Christ saw death…and he swallowed it whole. He crushed both Death and the Dragon. So where is the steadfast love of the Lord? Where is his faithfulness that he swore to David? It’s on a Roman cross. It’s exalted at God’s right hand, seated above every angelic and demonic power, ruling over heaven and earth, as God puts all of his enemies under his feet. That’s why in Revelation 1:5, Christ is introduced with distinctive language from Psalm 89 as “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings on earth.”

And his oath and covenant are sealed in blood. He swore by his holiness. He swore by his faithfulness. And that faithfulness is yours. “His oath, his covenant, his blood support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay.”

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The Things of Earth

Lindsey Gardner on

As we enter the holiday season, we ought to take a moment to explore the foundation for our love for God and our enjoyment of this world. Many Christians feel a tension precisely at this point. They ask themselves: “How does a single-minded, whole-hearted pursuit of God and Christ fit with a real and deep enjoyment of created things?

Here are some diagnostic questions:

  1. Do you feel a low-grade sense of guilt because you enjoy legitimate earthly pleasures?
  2. Do you ever have a vague sense that you’re not enjoying God “enough” (whatever that means) or that you’re enjoying his gifts “too much” (whatever that means)?
  3. Do you have the sense that as you progress in holiness, your joy in things of earth ought to diminish because you are becoming increasingly satisfied with God alone?

Where does this tension come from? Think with me about the following Scripture passages. Everything is rubbish compared to Christ (Phil. 3:7-8). Don’t set your affections on things below (Col 3:1-2). Desire nothing besides God (Psalm 73:25).

On the other hand: Everything created by God, and nothing is to be rejected (1 Timothy 4:4). Every good and perfect gift is from above (James 1:17). And in our passage, God richly provides us with everything to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17).

So which is it: Only desire God? Or enjoy everything God richly provides? Count everything as rubbish? Or receive everything with thanksgiving? Set your mind on things above? Or enjoy the good and perfect gifts that have come down from above? That’s the tension.

 

1 TIMOTHY 6:17-19

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Paul gives three exhortations in this passage. First, don’t be haughty. It’s easy for the rich to boast in their riches. Riches easily feed pride. Second, don’t set your hope on the uncertainty of riches. It’s easy for wealthy people to think that their strength comes from their wealth and not from Christ. “I can do all things through wealth which strengthens me.” It’s easy to forget Paul’s words earlier in the chapter (1 Tim. 6:6-10). Third, set your hope on God. He’s not uncertain. Moth and rust don’t destroy him; thieves cannot steal him from you. You can take God with you out of this world. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

And then, Paul surprises us. He reminds the rich that God “richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” That’s not what I would expect Paul to say to the rich. Paul tells us, “Remember rich people, God has given you your wealth so that you would enjoy it.” And so the question becomes: how do you enjoy everything that God richly provides without setting your hope on the uncertainty of riches?

 

TWO APPROACHES

I want to suggest that Paul here is giving us two complementary ways of viewing God’s relationship to his gifts. The first is a comparative approach, in which God and his gifts are separated and set next to each other to determine which is more valuable. Put God on one side of the scales, and his gifts (your wealth) on the other side, and ask, “Which one will I hope in?” And if you’re a faithful Christian, there’s only one answer. “There is nothing I desire beside you.”

The second I call the integrated approach, in which God and his gifts are enjoyed together. When we set our hope on God, we are free to love creation as creation (as gift, and not as God). God’s gifts become avenues for enjoying him, beams of glory that we chase back to the source. In the words of Charles Simeon, we “enjoy God in everything and everything in God.”.

My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 24:13-14)

The sweetness of honey points beyond itself to the wisdom of God. Our souls have taste buds, just like our tongues, and we can train the soul-buds by exercising the tongue-buds. And this means that we can’t short-circuit the enjoyment of the honey. Neither can you stop with simply enjoying honey. First, enjoy the honey. Taste it; it’s good. And then, press beyond honey to the God who stands behind it.

So then how do we relate these two approaches to each other? My suggestion is that we should seek to live integrated lives (Enjoying God in everything and enjoying everything in God) and we use the comparative separation as a test to ensure that our integration hasn’t become idolatry.

 

TESTING OUR JOY THROUGH SELF-DENIAL

How then do we test our enjoyment of God’s rich provision? We could talk about suffering, and the way that our sovereign God sends both good gifts and hard providences to test whether we treasure him above all his gifts. But I want to talk about the voluntary ways that we test ourselves: self-denial and generosity.

There is an unavoidable strain of asceticism in the Scriptures–Jesus insisting that every one of his disciples deny himself, take up his cross and follow him. This self-denial, such as fasting, serves our joy in God. We temporarily abstain from food in order to increase our physical hunger as a way of confessing to God, “This is how much I want you.” Self-denial serves our joy in God by reminding us that Jesus is better. But self-denial and self-restraint also serves our joy in the gifts themselves. Joy in God’s gifts depends in part on what C. S. Lewis calls resisting the impulse of Encore, that itch to overly indulge our earthly appetites and to have things over again and again and again.

Biblical self-denial puts the lust for Encore to death. By restraining our earthly appetites, we make space for the distinct pleasures of anticipation and memory. Whether we’re talking about a child eagerly awaiting Christmas morning or a married couple planning an anniversary trip, we all know that looking forward to some great event is itself pleasurable. And memories of past joys have a way of growing and maturing and sweetening with time. Again, as Lewis reminds us, a pleasure is only full grown when it is remembered. Resisting Encore makes it possible for us to fully enjoy God’s gifts through anticipation, through enjoyment, and through memory.

 

TESTING OUR JOY THROUGH GENEROSITY

1 Timothy 6 tells us that God richly provides us with everything, and he has purposes for his provision. There are four purposes: 1) to enjoy, 2) to do good, 3) to be rich in good works, and 4) to be generous and ready to share. So how do you test whether you’re enjoying God’s gifts rightly? By your generosity. If wealth comes to you and you’re enjoying it, but it’s not spilling the banks and flooding the lives of others, then something is wrong in your soul.

Gifts are given for our enjoyment, and gifts are given for God’s mission. Every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of lights. We receive the gift. We enjoy it with thanksgiving, acknowledging that God is the one who gives it to us. This thanksgiving spills over into worship, since we know that as good as the gift is, it’s just a taste of his goodness. And then satisfied with God and enjoying his provision, our lives becomes a tidal wave of generosity—eager to do good, on the lookout for needs and ready with open-handed and big-hearted generosity. Our goal is this—we want to be as generous with others as God has been with us. We want to freely receive—because he richly provides us with everything to enjoy—and therefore freely give—because he richly provides us with everything to share.

Now I can’t tell you precisely how much to give. The Old Testament required a tithe. The rich young ruler was called to sell everything (Luke 18:22). When Zacchaeus was saved, he gave half his goods to the poor (Luke 19:8). Barnabas sold a field and put the money at the feet of the apostles (Acts 4:37). The poor widow put two pennies in the offering box and was commended by Jesus (Luke 21:1–3). The amount varies, but the commitment to use our resources to meet the needs of others is the same.

And doing good and being rich in good works and being generous and ready to share isn’t just about money. Be generous with your time and your efforts and your talents and your skills. Be creative in how you think about what God has given you and how your life can be poured out for the sake of others.

And when you do this, when you set your hope on God, and you enjoy what he richly provides, and you share what he richly provides, you are storing up treasure for yourself. You save up and you gladly spend it. You store it up and you pour it out. This is the true life; this is the true foundation for the future, the true foundation of everlasting joy.

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