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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 (sins)
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, 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 He might bring us to God.
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.
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 our Lord.
God never intended for us to live outside of His love and protection, and life can never be complete without a relationship with Him. It is vital that you accept the gift of forgiveness that Jesus died on the cross to provide before it is forever too late. I hope that you have or will soon have this assurance of forgiveness and eternal life, it's only a prayer away...
For
whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be
saved. If you make this decision, please contact me as I would like to pray for you and send you some material that will help you grow in your relationship with God. If you are still unsure how to be certain your sins are forgiven or have any other questions, you can reach me at the e-mail address below and I will try to help you find the answers from God's Word.
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