Friday, January 18, 2019

The Source of Sadness – Part One



James 1:14-15 “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.”

Our Wednesday evening small group Bible Study at our church has been going through a video lesson on “Angels and Demons” by the late Pastor d. James Kennedy. This week, Pastor Kennedy explained that there are two clear issues in life. First, that happiness is one of the basic quests of the human heart. Second, that the vast majority of people fail to ever find true happiness and do not seem to know how to obtain it. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word happiness as: the agreeable sensations which spring from the enjoyment of good; that state of a being in which his desires are gratified, by the enjoyment of pleasure without pain; felicity; but happiness usually expresses less than felicity, and felicity less than bliss. Happiness is comparative. Perfect happiness, or pleasure unalloyed with pain, is not attainable in this life.

The greatest deceit Satan has ever perpetrated upon the human race, the most successful lie he has ever used is simply this: We shall find happiness and fulfillment through sin and by disregarding the commandments and precepts of Almighty God. To be clear, the word “sin” is defined as: The voluntary departure of a moral agent from a known rule of rectitude or duty, prescribed by God; any voluntary transgression of the divine law, or violation of a divine command; a wicked act; iniquity. Sin is either a positive act in which a known divine law is violated, or it is the voluntary neglect to obey a positive divine command, or a rule of duty clearly implied in such command. Sin comprehends not action only, but neglect of known duty, all evil thoughts purposes, words and desires, whatever is contrary to God's commands or law. By letting ourselves go and following our own passions, by ignoring Christ and the Word of God, Satan’s most successful lie would have us believe that joy shall be ours through sin.

Yet, the great truth of the Word of God is that at the right hand of God there is joy forevermore. There is happiness in holiness. It is through the submission and obedience to the will of Christ that people will find their true joy and fulfillment. These are two totally and completely antithetical propositions. You cannot have both. One is truth, the other a lie.

Hebrews 11:25-26 “choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.”

Whether it is by pursuing after sexual immorality, of following the lust for power or wealth or fame, the ultimate and bottom-line decision that every human being must make in the world involves the questions: Am I going to find my fulfillment and happiness by following Christ, or am I going to do it by following the baubles and allurements of Satan? Is it true that the chief end of mankind is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, of is it to forget Him and to enjoy the full flow of my passions in this world?

Let's continue this message on the source of sadness in the next post.
In Christ, Brian

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