Well, we talked about Christian hedonism last week and we're back to it today.

We are pleasure seekers.

We are in pursuit of our highest joy, our highest happiness, or as you said,

Pastor John, last time, we zealously seek to maximize

in every way we can our joy in God, now and forever.

Amen. And such a zealous commitment to our own joy raises an

objection for many people. Does that mean Christian hedonists deny self-denial? In an email from

email from Aaron a young woman who listens to the podcast comes this question hello

Pastor John how does self-denial fit in Christian

hedonism the endless pursuit of our greatest happiness?

Well, my mind just explodes, what things I say.

But before I say, a half a dozen crazy wonderful things about the eternal benefits of self-denial,

I have to nail down something with absolute clarity. If we don't get this, everything I say about

self-denial will not be biblical. When I speak of the pursuit of our greatest and longest happiness.

I am speaking of God himself being that happiness,

not primarily his gifts.

His gifts are wonderful, but they're not primary.

Psalm 1611 is essential here.

In your presence there is fullness of joy at your right hand

are pleasures forevermore.

The difference between Christian heonism and the prosperity gospel is that the

prosperity gospel down plays suffering and foregrounds material blessing.

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