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“I
denied myself
nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure...
“Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I
had
toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the
wind...”
These sad words were written by one who would seem to be one of the least likely men on earth to have such a hopeless outlook on life. King Solomon, ruler in Israel about 1000 years before Christ, was one of the wisest and wealthiest men that has ever lived. Yet, when he sought to find happiness and contentment through the pleasures and possessions this world has to offer, he was desperately disappointed. As one observes these writings of King Solomon, the society in which we live, or for that matter, the entire course of human history, it is evident that most people lead empty, unfulfilled lives. They sense that they are missing something and spend their entire lives attempting to satisfy this feeling of incompleteness through wealth, popularity, possessions, illicit sex, a career, or any other venture which seems to offer fulfillment and satisfaction. When these pursuits fail to produce any lasting happiness, and they always do, one is left confused and depressed with seemingly nowhere to turn as he continues his search for contentment and peace of mind.
At this point, one may turn to
religion; but, sadly, he like many others may not go to a
church that teaches the Bible accurately and, depending
on the person, he may either be led astray by the false
teaching or "turned off" to church altogether by the same.
Days turn into months and months
into years, and the emptiness of one's life becomes increasingly
apparent as he grows older. Friends and family which he once could
count on change, move, or pass away; hobbies which once occupied his
spare time lose their novelty, and goals which he has pursued all his
life, having been achieved, leave him unfulfilled. For some, escaping
from the futility and sorrow of life becomes more important than life
itself, and, along with over one million others every year,
they commit suicide (World Health Organization statistic
for the year 2000).
But your iniquities
have
separated you from your God...
...for all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God. II. God's Solution... All life ultimately comes from God, and one's spiritual life consists of a personal relationship with Him. Just as physical death is the separation of a man's spirit from his body, spiritual death is the separation of one's spirit from God because of sin. Without a relationship with God, man is incomplete, and no experience or possession this world has to offer will satisfy the emptiness he feels inside. He feels this emptiness because he is spiritually dead, separated from God by his sin. Worst of all, if nothing is done about this sin that separates him from God, he is doomed to spend all of eternity separated from God in hell - created by God to be a place of eternal punishment and confinement for satan and the other angels (now referred to as demons) who followed him in his rebellion. Any happiness man may enjoy outside of God's love will be short-lived and hollow, and all of one's greatest achievements will be meaningless if he is not at peace with Him. It is because of this terrible situation that mankind is in that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to become a Man and to take the penalty for our sins upon Himself... For
Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust,
that When man's religion strays from the truth, one of the most common false teachings that occurs is that man can and must get to Heaven by "living a good life" and/or by following some list of religious rules and rituals. If man was capable of "earning" his way to Heaven, however, there would have been no reason for Christ to die for our sins! I
do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be
gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! Because
Jesus has
paid the
penalty for our sin, however, God is now able to
offer complete
and permanent forgiveness as well as an eternal home in Heaven. All
that He requires is that you go to Him in prayer and...
1. Admit
your
sinfulness and your need for His forgiveness.
If we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.
For by grace are ye saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not
of works, lest any man should boast.
He that covereth his sins
shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have
mercy. If you accept God's offer, He promises you the joy of knowing your sins are forgiven and the assurance of being able to look forward to spending the rest of forever in Heaven and on a newly-created earth where there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain
And I saw a new
Heaven and a new earth: for the first Heaven and the first earth were
passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy
city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as
a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great Voice
out of Heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and
He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God
Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the
former things are passed away. III. Your Decision God does not want anyone to face the penalty for their sin, but desires that all of us would accept His free offer of forgiveness so that we can live under His guidance and blessing here on earth and spend eternity with Him in Heaven.
If we choose not
to accept
His offer, we choose to spend a miserable existence here on earth -
trying to find fulfillment in things that promise much but will never
satisfy. If we choose not to accept His offer, we
choose to spend
all of eternity separated from God in hell as we pay the penalty for
our sin ourselves - The decision is up to us.
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they
shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat upon it, from whose Face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is The Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire. And if any was not found written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:10-15 (KJV) God loves you and spared no expense to provide a way for you to escape the unimaginable terror of being separated from Him in that place for all eternity...
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten
Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. As mentioned, this is not God’s will for anyone...
The
Lord... is not willing
that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
For
the wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
For I know the plans I have
for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not
to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.
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