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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