Christian, Satan wants you to believe that the pleasures of sin are worth more and are more enjoyable than obeying the commandments of God. And while it is true that our flesh often finds sin enjoyable, we forget that as Christians we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, and this allows us to say no to the flesh and to experience something which Satan wasn’t capable of enjoying and that is the joy of the Lord. And in my book Christian joy trumps sin’s pleasures every time!
You see sin is only pleasurable for a moment while Christian joy lasts for a lifetime, and may I add, on into eternity. I really like what John Piper says about how to defeat the sinful desires that the human heart often craves: “I know of no other way to triumph over sin long-term than to gain a distaste for it because of a superior satisfaction in God.”1
Let’s take a look at why short term Christian joy is better than short term sinful pleasures and then why long-term (eternal) joy trumps sin’s most enjoyable pleasures.
Did you ever realize that obedience to God’s commands brings instant amazing blessings and intense joy! Just read (Psalm 19:7-11):
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
In these above verses notice the blessings: (verse 7) – refreshment to the soul and great wisdom. (verse 8) – light to the eyes. (verse 10) – God’s commandments are more precious than gold and sweeter than honey. (verse 11) – God gives us the warnings for disobedience and the rewards for obedience to his commands. I think this is an incredible list of short-term blessings. And notice what we read in (verse 8): “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart…” I love this verse because what can be better than having joy in one’s heart and knowing that when you obey God you are doing what is right – and you bring joy to God’s heart. That my friend is what I like to call super joy when both you and God can rejoice together by your actions!
But wait it gets even better because when you choose God’s ways over the desires of our sinful flesh, God gives us eternal joy! Notice what we read in (Hebrews 11:24-26): “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” Here we see that Moses, not only sacrificed the fleeting pleasures of sin, but chose the reward of eternal pleasures and everlasting joy in the world to come.
I totally concur with John Piper when he says that doing it God’s way gives us “a superior satisfaction in God.” So why settle for momentary pleasures from sin when eternal joy and treasures are accruing to us when we live for Jesus now.
In closing, I leave you with these two wonderful meditation verses:
“Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.” (Psalm 119:111).
“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11).
JOY OUTLASTS SIN (EVEN WHEN SIN FEELS LIKE IT’S WINNING)
When pitching a game to the lost or the struggling (or the bored), Classic Apologists sometimes rely on bringing the heat to get the strikeout. Other classical preachers will use the off-speed pitches and hit the corners for the strike 3 call.
Mr. Blattman does both well (that’s not annoying, by the way.) What’s annoying is how often Scripture agrees with the inconvenient truth: sin is a sparkler on a stick; joy is a hearth in a deep haven.
Sin throws heat for a second, then you’re standing there in the dark holding a puff of smoke. Moses called it early: “the passing pleasures of sin” are real, but they’re passing (Hebrews 11:25–26). Passing is just a polite Bible word for “it won’t stay, and it won’t pay.”
Sin is a short lease with a long penalty. Joy is a long inheritance with a hard entrance.
Sin runs on urgency and secrecy, like “stolen water is sweet” until you realize the room is full of dead men (Proverbs 9:17–18). The flesh pays out in corrosion, not comfort (Galatians 6:8). The wages are always due (Romans 6:21–23).
Obedience doesn’t just keep you clean. It keeps you alive inside.
Curt’s Psalm move is dead-on: God’s ways refresh, steady, and “give joy to the heart” (Psalm 19:7–11, esp. v.8). That’s not church-scented poetry.
That’s field-tested engineering: precepts that don’t snap under pressure. And it’s not temporary either. “Your statutes are my heritage forever… the joy of my heart” (Psalm 119:111).
Joy is better than sin because joy has a future. Sin has an ending.
The world’s cravings are “passing away,” and that includes the parts of you that used to crave them (1 John 2:16–17). But God’s joy dares to stay: “no one is going to take your joy away from you” (John 16:22).
Jesus doesn’t offer “joy-ish.” He goes for “your joy may be made full” (John 15:11). Full is the opposite of hollow, and sin is basically a hollowing machine with hellion marketing.
Now watch this: (yes, Dr Stanley)
There’s a moment, right before you step into the mess, when you can feel the crowd behind you. Sin loves that moment. It loves having numbers.
It loves being normal. It loves being the majority opinion with a little grin like, “C’mon. Everybody does it.” That’s how the wide gate stays wide. It’s not just temptation, it’s a stampede (Matthew 7:13–14).
Christian joy is weirder. It doesn’t always feel like joy at first. Sometimes it feels like restraint, like loneliness, like swallowing your pride with no applause. But then morning shows up, and you realize you didn’t lose anything worth keeping (Psalm 30:5).
You traded sugar-rush pleasure for something with weight. You chose the path where God is present, and in His presence is “fullness of joy”… “pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11). Forever is the word sin can’t pronounce without choking.
So ya baby, who loves ya? Well, who brings us joy?
Joy trumps sin even when it doesn’t feel like it. Feelings are great at filing false financial statements. Scripture brings the audit.
The majority is where sin launders itself into ‘normal.’ Joy usually shows up alone, holds the door, and dares you to walk through it.
Citations are from NASB.
Thanks Curt, happy New Year.