Yet in our sinfulness, in our self-centeredness, what do we do?  We deviate from God’s plan and we go our own way.

Here’s what Scripture says about your tendencies and mine.  Look at Romans 1:22, “Professing to be wise, they became fools.”  So every time in my life I have deviated from God’s plan and I’ve said, “God, I know you want me to do this, but I know what’s better God.  I’m going to deviate because, you know, I have my Master’s degree I’ve done some doctoral work and I’m just going to do what I want to do.”  The Bible says, Ed, you’re a fool.  Professing to be wise, you’re a fool.

So when we deviate from God’s plan, it’s just a matter of time before our structures, our foundations are just washed away by those waves of relativism.  Because if we are not anchored in moral absolutes, everything is relative, everything is subjective.  Everything is just pragmatism.

Look at John 15:10-11.  Jesus said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Isn’t that great?  The joy of the Lord, that your joy and my joy may be made full, overflowing, and abundant.  Well there’s this thing going around these days, I hear it now and then, that’s totally not in Scripture.  People skip around and say, You know, Ed, God just wants me to be happy. God wants me to be happy.  That’s what God wants.” God does not want us to be happy. It’s not in the Bible. It’s not in there.