Sermon Cloud

1. Happy New Year! Together, we've given more to Seeds of Hope than last year--$29,000 as of this morning. That's not due to happenstance; that your faith and your Christmas kindness. The state economy was against us, but together we rose above our economic circumstances to be generous with the poor.

2. I hope you're healthy and happy. John Hopkins Magazine included an article about the research of Allan Luks, a scientist exploring the phenomenon known as the HELPER's HIGH. Luks states that studies are proving that doing for others, volunteering time and giving money to others in need actually eases bodily stress which, in turn may strengthen the immune system. Luks has concluded that acts of generosity can decrease our sensitivity to pain, activate positive emotions vital to good health and reduce the deep well of negativity that can damage our health.

Studies show that people who give money to help others in need show the kind of increased brain activity and an increase in the presence of mood-enhancing chemicals such as dopamine that match what happens when people receive money. A 10-year study of the physical, health, and social activities of 2,700 men, found that those who did regular volunteer work had death rates two-and-one-half times lower than those who didn't volunteer time.

At Duke University's Medical Center, recovering heart patients were asked to visit current patients just to listen to them and share their experiences. The helpers recovered 60% faster than those who chose not to help other patients. AIDS patients' immune systems have been boosted by volunteering to visit other AIDS patients. Senior citizens who volunteer in elementary schools have reported fewer daily aches and pains.

"Giving is as good for the giver as it is for the receiver. Science says it's so. We'll be happier, healthier, and even-odds are-live a little longer if we're generous," says Stephen Post, author of Why Good Things Happen to Good People. According to Post, the Helper's High has been measured physically, indicating there's an actual physiological state that is euphoric".

I. HELPERS ARE HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER.

That's interesting because the Bible contains such strong encouragement to live a life of serving and giving. You might have thought that the Bible calls us to live as servants just because there is so much chaos in the world. You might have thought that God calls us to be generous with our money just because there are so many needy people in our world. But maybe God urges us to adopt generous servant-like lifestyles because serving and giving actually deepen our enjoyment of life. Maybe the God of the Bible had something to do with creating the Helper's High!

Luke 22:27, Jesus-"I am among you as one who serves"
Ephesians 6:7, "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord"
I Peter 4:10, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others"
I Corinthians 16:15, "They have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord's people"

If, on the point of giving and helping, scientific studies confirm the relevance of Scripture, what can we learn about God . . . the God who gave us the Bible? Maybe God had our good in mind when he gave us the Bible. Maybe Scripture's instructions and promises and warnings and revelations aren't just to get us to do God's work for him. Maybe has given us the Bible for our good. Sure . . . generously serving and giving does advance God's purposes in our world . . . giving and serving do bring beauty out of chaos . . . but giving and serving also lead us into greater health and happiness. MAYBE GOD IS GOOD AND WISE AND DESERVES TO BE TRUSTED!

Men and women who believe God is good and wise and deserves to be trusted, pay close attention to the Bible. The Bible is a collection of stories and instructions and revelations and promises that reveal God's heart and ways and purposes to us . . . who are trying to make sense out of life.

You may or may not regularly bring a Bible to church on Sundays and read along as the pastor talks. You may or may not begin or end your day by reading or reflecting on the Bible. You may or may not think that Bible studies are good use of your time. But here's a thought for men and women who describe themselves as ‘people of faith'. The value we place on the Bible and the amount of time and attention we give it, really does say something about how good and wise we really think God is. People who think God is good and wise and deserves to be trusted are people who give careful attention to what he has revealed in the Bible.

TRANS: Together with Mike and Matt, I want to appeal to you-young Christian, long-time Christian; new church member, long-time church member-to make a new year's resolution. It's big.

II. MAKE THE BIBLE YOUR GUIDE TO LIFE in 2008.

Psalm 1 was most likely written by the OT's King David-a man with a rich life and a mixed record. For all his triumphs and defeats, God said that David was a man after his own heart. "David has my heart . . . he marches to the beat of my heart . . . he really gets what I'm about . . . I know I can trust him" (Acts 13:22). We could hardly pick a better guide into a new year, than King David. In Psalm 1, David urges us to make the Bible our guide to life. READ. PRAY.

A. We all have options-two paths (vv. 1-2)

Jesus isn't the only way through life. The Bible isn't the only holy book. Evangelical Christians don't have the only churches. People have choices and the freedom to choose. But Jesus himself said that while it might look like there are many paths through life, many paths to God, there are really only two paths-a narrow path that leads to life, and a wide path (with many lanes) that leads to destruction.

"Wide is the gate and broad is the path that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matthew 7:13-14). Jesus' words are an echo of Psalm 1.

2. David writes, "if you want your worship to be authentic, your religion to be real, your partnership with God to be a source of power and life in 2008, you need to step on the path that God has marked out in the Bible. Otherwise, when you when you worship and serve, go to work and build a career, when you face a great challenge or fearful risk, you're going to be playing a game-a hypocrite, a phony. You'll be running your heart out, trying to stay ahead of the reaper, but you'll be running toward a dead end.

Blessed= happy = the path to a happy life. If you want God to pour happiness (consistent optimism, deep peace, joyful buoyancy, real-world blessing that isn't tied to money or easy relationships) into your life, your waking up and going to bed, your family times and your business trips, your week days and weekends . . . there is a path you can take.

3. The two options/paths are two sources of counsel and advice. Our happiness is determined by who and what we look to for counsel, advice, and support when we're making decisions, when we're setting goals, when we're struggling, when we're succeeding. The Psalm starts out with a negative warning: 0ur happiness in life is determined by who we hang around with and listen to, and who we decide to trust and follow into the future.

a. You're headed for trouble when you're getting advice from people who are immoral, self-serving, who live like there is no God, there is no right or wrong, and no final judgment. The problem isnt' that we work with these people, live next door to them, have them over for dinner, or look for ways to bless them. The danger is that we might follow them through life, taking in their counsel, and choosing their values as our own.

All young couples are sexually intimate before marriage.
No one thinks that divorce is a big deal anymore.
Everyone is doing everything they can to get rich.
Everyone maxes out their credit cards.
Everyone buys the biggest and best houses and cars they can possibly afford.
Everyone buys shops at the most expensive stores they can afford.
Everyone works 60-80 hours a week to get ahead.
Everyone puts their retirement plan ahead of giving to the poor.
Everyone tells a few lies to the people around them.
Everyone has a few secrets they keep from their spouse, children, and friends
Everyone puts personal convenience ahead of commitment and sacrifice

All of us want to be respected, loved, to be invited into the inner circle, to avoid rejection and loss, so we feel some pressure to adjust our lives to the majority of people we're hanging around with as we do life. So, who we're doing life with matters a lot. What are the messages you're getting from the majority of the people you're hanging out with on a daily basis?

b. ILLUS: Imagine yourself walking along through life, feeling tired, stopping, finally taking a seat at the table with your friends. You're tired, you're not at your best, and you're sitting in the company of mockers-at a bar, at a girlfriend's house late at night, with guys trading stories of their sexual conquests during a lunch break . . . just like Peter did the night he swore he didn't every know Jesus (cf. John 18:15-18). Don't be shocked if you find your attitudes changing (have another drink), your perspective shifting (don't be so narrow-minded), your feelings confused (don't you love me?), your decisions muddled. In time, you too will be going with the flow . . . better, you'll be traveling with the herd.

c. ILLUS: Romans 12:2, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind". HOW . . .

1) Become a person who delights in, discovers pleasure in, devotes himself to the instructions, warnings, and promises God gives in his Word. God's word is sometimes like a map (specific instructions) and sometimes like a compass (general values)

2) Delighting is being deeply thankful. Do you ever find yourself kneeling down or standing up with uplifted hands, thanking God that he's given you a map and a compass for navigating your relationships with women, the challenges in your career, the expectations you feel as a parent, and traps others in our culture fall into? Do you ever pray, "God, in the midst of this forest of options, this maze of opinions, I thank you that you've given me instruction on how to deal with my anger and handle my hurts, how to choose peace and hope from day to day, how to overcome crises and stand up against threats, how to make a positive difference in my world? I would have made such a mess of my own life and brought hurt to the people around me if I had just gone with the flow of people around me. If it weren't for your Word, I would have become my own worst enemy".

3) Meditating is taking a lot of quiet, focused time to think about a verse or a paragraph, to speak it out loud to yourself, to consider what it would look if you chose it as an attitude or a practice at home or at work. Chewing on a Bible passage like a cow chews it's cud. This isn't reading several chapters of the Bible a day, but underling a few statements and taking it through the week, mulling it over and over and over until it comes out of your life like nutritious milk.

ILLUS: Ephesians 2:14, "For he [Christ] is our peace" What does this mean, and how can I take this to work? Meditation is a lengthy, focused process of coming up with personal answers and applications. Does Paul mean that I should wear a cross around my neck or that I should focus more on looking at my challenges as Jesus might. Does Paul mean that I should become better acquainted with the story of Jesus' life on earth or does he mean that I should pray more often and talk to Jesus about how I'm really feeling about my marriage or my singleness.

TRANS: Who or what do you go to for advice and counsel when you're struggling, frustrated, making big decisions? People who think God is good and wise and worth being trusted go to the Bible.

B. Our choices establish our lifestyle-two lives (vv. 3-4).

1. One life is like a tree planted by streams of water. A person drawing in moisture and nutrients moment-by-moment, around the clock-not dependent on occasional storms or floods or even the changing seasons. They're not finding life in seasons of happiness or storms of ecstasy. From somewhere deep within, they're drawing life, and they bring life with them to work . . . they bring life to church . . . they bring life to their marriages and friends.

This is a Christian who is consistently growing-in Jesus' wisdom, character, and power. He grows stronger and happier through difficult times and easy times. Her life doesn't rise and fall with the company or the economy, with church revivals or special conferences. These men and women can take hits without falling apart, endure threats without breaking apart, and stay deeply rooted in the confidence that God loves them and is going to provide for all that they need. They don't quit, run, hide, shift blame-or in any way try to avoid reality. They just keep growing healthier and stronger all through their lives.

2. The alternative is to go through life like chaff. Blowing here and here, traveling most weekends, changing companies, switching partners, starting a million things, but finishing very few. Hard to pin down, unwilling to make commitments. This life is weightless, rootless, transient-like soap bubbles riding the winds of the economy, following the money wherever it blows.

In previous generations, houses and appliances were made to last for several generations. Cars were made of steel. Clothes could last for years, not just ‘till the styles change. People worked and advanced with one company over their entire lives. Christians built cathedrals. Commitment was seen as a gift honorable people gave each other. Times have changed, haven't they?

As a culture, we are so fragile, thin, weightless. We lack substance. We're always being blown away by this and that, moving from house to house, job to job, city to city hoping to find life. We have more money than ever before, and are less grateful. We have more education than every before, but feel less sure of ourselves. We have more leisure time than previous generations, but we're more tired. We have more options than anyone in the world, but less satisfied than ever. We have better news coverage than any previous generation, but less sure of what is really true. ILLUS: We look to movies for meaning, and we say that movies with complicated, sad endings are more realistic than movies that end with a joyful resolution. That's deception. That's just chaff talk-the result of misguided, fly-away thinking.

TRANS: Who or what do you go to for advice and counsel when you're tired, lonely, facing hard decisions? People who think God is good and wise and worth being trusted go to the Bible. Two paths, two lifestyles . . .

Choose carefully-two outcomes (that don't need a lot of explanation), vv. 5-6.

We all know people who don't think God is good and wise, so they think the Bible is irrelevant (except maybe at weddings and funerals). If you told them you were making a huge financial decision or relational decision based on the Bible's instructions or promises, you know they would roll their eyes and tease you as hopeless naïve. They are mockers. In the final judgment, God will respect their decision . . . and yours.

Each of us, in the final judgment, will get what we wanted. Some of us want to be left alone, want to make up our own truth, be our own little gods, to go our own way, and do our own thing. Other's of us believe God is good and wise and deserves to be trusted. We reveal our decision by how much we value his word, the Bible. We really do want to do life with him . . . his way. We're working at it. We're on a journey of trusting him and his word. David ends by saying that the God of the Bible will travel with us, step for step, to the very end of life's journey. And in the final judgment, we will get what we chose-a life with him forever.

III. GOD IS GOOD AND WISE AND Deserves TO BE trusted.

Perhaps this is your day to tell God that you're deciding to trust him, period. You're deciding to invite him into your life as Savior, King, and God. You could do that with a simple prayer right now.

Perhaps you've been living like Christianity is mostly about going to church and trying to be good. It's not, it's about living Jesus life together with people like us, trusting in God's goodness and wisdom . . . and so paying careful attention to the stories and instructions and promises and revelations in the Bible.

Get a modern translation of the Bible. Start reading through the Bible this year. There's a Bible reading guide in your program this morning. I'm guessing that if you asked your wife to join you in reading through the Bible in 2008, she would. Some of you home group leaders might take this back to your group members and make it a step of group growth in 2008.

Robyn Dykstra leads women in Bible studies on Monday evenings and Tuesday mornings. I lead a Bible study for men right here on Friday mornings before work. Let's make 2008 the year of the Bible at VN. Why? Because God is good and wise and deserves to be trusted.