Live Free with Josh Howerton - Two Sides to Joy | Ep. 144 | Thursday, August 24, 2023

Episode Date: August 24, 2023

Pastor Mike continues exploring the Beatitudes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The first four Beatitudes are described as internal preparation for a joy-filled life, while the next four are how that joy manifests externally or the presentation of a joy-filled life. Looking for more joy? Tune in! For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.comit. Church slash daily drive. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, what's up, everybody? Hope you're having a great day. Thanks for joining us on the Daily Drive.

My name is Mike Bro, and together we spend a few minutes every day, just trying to draw close to the one who created us to do life with him. And we've been hanging in a little section of the Bible that's commonly called the Beatitudes. It is the introductory part of Jesus' famous sermon on the Mount. If you've never read it, I would encourage you to do so. Greatest sermon ever given, so countercultural, so radically freeing, just mapping out the pathway.

to true inside-out happiness. And you can find all that in Matthew 5 through 7 in the New Testament section of the Bible. And I've said it plenty of times on this podcast, but looking at the life of Jesus was what changed my total perspective on God. Eventually changed my life. I mean, if you're looking for, like, an influencer to follow,

if you need a role model for how to do life, look no further than Jesus. I mean, the way he moved through his days with humility, compassion, kindness, courage just blew me away. the peace and calm, he exhibited in the face of pressure, his inclusive love for people that nobody else included, the way he fought for the underdog, the outcast, the forgotten, all the miracles that proved who he was, his selfless sacrifice on the cross. When the creator of the universe laid down his life, took the rap for our moral failure

and sin, I'm telling you, there's nobody like him. He is, as he once said, the way, the truth, and the life. And the truth that he spoke is a foundation for building a great life. In fact, he ends his sermon by saying this. Whoever listens to my words and puts them into practice is like a wise person who builds their house on the rock. The rains come, the winds blow, and their house, their life, it stands rock solid. We've been looking at the way he begins this sermon by saying to the crowd and to all of us, anybody chasing happy? Well, here's the pathway to true and lasting happiness, deep soul satisfaction. And we've been looking at his words like rungs on a ladder that build upon the one before it. So let's just climb the ladder once again to

catch up. Jesus says, rung number one, blessed are you when you acknowledge your spiritual poverty? Happiness begins by discovering and admitting that you need God. And then rung number two was happy are you when you mourn over that truth and you come to God in your brokenness. Rung number three was you're blessed when you humble yourself and relinquish control of your life over to him. Rung number four was, if you will hung up, and thirst for more of him. Oh, you will be satisfied in the depths of your soul in ways you never dreamed. You will be filled.

Now, these first four are all internal preparation for living a joy-filled life. And the next four things that begin to flow out of us as we practice those first four. Now, these are not like a checklist, well, got step one done, et cetera. These are a daily lifestyle of humility and dependence upon God. He is the source of true happiness and fulfillment. I like to look at the first four rungs as preparation and then the next four as presentation, and both are essential. Well, let's just say I want to surprise my wife, Debbie, with an anniversary dinner.

And I clean the house, I set the table like I'm Joanna Gaines. I got real silver in China, which I borrowed from somebody, a linen tablecloth, I got candorlight flickering, I got rose petals on the floor, got some old-school Marvin Gay playing in the background. I mean, my presentation is amazing. Thing is, I spent so much time trying to make things look good, I totally forgot to prepare the meal. So about a minute before she walks to the door, unscrammeling for leftovers to pop in a microwave,

and on her plate or a few chicken nuggets, a half a tuna fish sandwich, and a stale pop tart. The presentation was incredible. The preparation, not so much. On the other hand, let's say I work all day on the meal. I got filet mignon as season. and cooked to perfection, got grilled asparagus, twice-baked potatoes, the fresh garden salad. I garnish with cherry tomatoes that I grew and picked myself, and I made scrolls from scratch,

and there's homemade apple pie. However, she walks in, and the kitchen is a wreck. There are food scraps everywhere, open cans, pots and pans all over the countertops. The dining table has two paper plates and a paper towel torn in half for us to use as a napkin. There are kids' toys all over the floor, a stack of mail and laundry on the dining table right next to her place. and instead of Marvin Gaya have Jeopardy playing in the background. Now the preparation was awesome. The presentation was sorely lacking. You see, both are essential.

And when they flow together, oh man, it's a beautiful thing. So tomorrow, we're going to start looking at the presentation part of all this. And how when we consistently prepare ourselves by practicing honesty, humility, dependence, and hunger for God, there are certain things that just flow out of us as a presentation to a watching world of what God can do with any life. Have a great day. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship,

join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out? For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.combe.combe.combe.