If I were to ask you ‘what is the most fun a human can have?’, how would you answer? Chances are your answer would be subjective. By that I mean based on different people’s interests. One person might really like surfing, so the most fun they can have is catching the perfect wave. Another person might like painting, so the most fun they can have is painting the perfect subject. The Bible however is completely objective on this matter.
Heaven is described in the Bible as an eternal paradise, full of ‘eternal pleasures’ (Ps 16:11). Yet those pleasures, according to passages like Revelation 4, 5 and 7, are singing praises to God, every day. If you describe heaven to the average person that way, unless singing is their greatest joy in this life they will probably say ‘count me out’. But this is only because they don’t understand ‘fun’.
Last week’s sermon topic was ‘The Doctrine of Praise’, in which we learnt that praise is the outward expression of our enjoyment of something. Yet praise is more than JUST an outward expression; it is the consummation or culmination of our enjoyment. When we see, hear, taste or experience something we find deeply enjoyable, our enjoyment isn’t actually complete until we can tell others how good it is. In the absence of a companion, we might even whisper it to ourselves.
The thing about God is, he is infinitely more enjoyable than surfing or painting or watching sports or going to the ballet. What this means is, the most fun a human can have is praising that (i.e. consummating our full enjoyment of that) which is most enjoyable; i.e. God. Does this not change our perspective on singing in church, or praising God during our private devotions? When we sing praises to God, we are experiencing a little taste of heaven. So why not make praising God a daily activity. Go on! Put some REAL fun in your life!
