“Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to see the sun. 8. But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all, yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.”
I think that these two verses are references to good days and bad days. “Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to see the sun” is a reference to good days. “Yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many” is a reference to bad days.” Of course I am not referring to twenty-four hour periods here, but periods of life when things are going great and periods of life when things are not so sweet and not going our way. I think that all of us can identify with this fact of life. We will have good days and bad days. Let’s begin with the good days. We go through periods of life when things seem to be in our control and life is good. I think of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Before they ate the forbidden fruit, everything was going their way. Indeed, their lives were trouble free. As you know, those days did not last. We can look at the life of David. After he killed Goliath, things went well for David and he was in great favor of the king. But the day came when King Saul’s jealousy of David put his life in daily danger. We can also look at the followers of Jesus Christ in the New Testament when they were accompanying Jesus on his journeys across Palestine and observing His miracles and coming to the realization that He was the Messiah. Those were heady days for them. They even began to argue over which of them would be the greatest when the Messiah overcame the Roman Empire. But then Jesus began to tell them about his coming crucifixion, and things got a little darker. We can identify with these people, because we know that life is so sweet then the “sun is shining” and the days are full of sweetness and light. Solomon wrote that we should enjoy those days, and enjoy all of the benefits of those days. Rejoice when things are going well for you. In his stark, realistic way, Solomon reminded his readers that the days of light will not last forever. This doesn’t mean that when things are going good, we should worry over the fact that this will end. Let’s let Solomon speak for himself: “yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many.” I think what Solomon means is that we need to accept the “days of darkness” and learn from them. This was written by a man who had about everything that he wanted, but he knew the meaning of “days of darkness.” He also knew that they were many. We just have to accept that we will have good times in our lives and bad times in our lives. It’s just the nature of life on earth, beginning with Adam and Eve and coming down to us. That brings me to the point of these good and bad times. I think that you will join me in admitting that we have learned more from the bad times than from the good times. That’s why Solomon wrote “remember the days of darkness.” When things are going good, we just go with the flow and enjoy them without learning a whole lot from them, or even feeling that we have anything to learn from them. But when things are going bad we have a tendency to wonder what in the world is going on, and what we are to learn from this darkness, or what is God trying to tell us in it? I might just be speaking for myself here, but I don’t think that I am. If you are going through hard times now, don’t blame it on God, just thank Him that He is going through it with you. Also remember that “this too shall pass,” and life will go on. Just remember the great gospel song that tells us “The God on the mountain is still God in the valley.” He’s right there with you. Rejoice Bro. Joe
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“Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”
When a lot of people think about the Christian faith, the word “joy” does not come to mind. This is true in part because they have never given the Christian faith a chance in their lives. It is also true because they do not see joy coming from us. A lot of what they hear about is all the “fussing going on down at the church.” A lot of what they see is that we are not letting the joy of Christ in our lives be seen. We need to turn that joy loose on the people around us. Christian joy is very important, and we need to let it show. Christian joy is important because it is evidence that Christ lives in us. If we really have the joy of Christ in us, it should find its way to surface for people to see. Christian joy should be evident on our faces, in our attitudes and in our relationships with people in every aspect of their lives. One thing that should set us apart is not that we wear our religion on our sleeves, so to speak, but that we live joyful lives. We do not defend the Christian faith as well by arguing about it as much as that we live it. Joy is a great part of living the Christian life. Christian joy is important because it encourages us to worship the Lord. Someone said that many people in church services do not appear to worshiping the risen Christ; rather, they appear to be mourning His crucifixion. True worshipers are joyful because they know that Jesus is alive and well. The reason for that is the fact that Jesus lives in them and is a daily companion. Not everyone expresses that joy in the same way, but it should be expressed. Some worshipers express their joy vocally. Some express their joy with radiant smiles. Some express their joy quietly. I normally express my joy with tears of joy. I can tell when the Holy Spirit is really at work, and when the joy of the Lord is rising in my heart when I feel a “lump in my throat.” These are not tears of mourning but tears of joy. Christian joy is important because it has an effect on other people. It is not far-fetched to say that Christian joy is contagious. Christ’s joy is one of the best tools that He has given us for witnessing to people who do not know Him. The plain fact is that people want to be around people who are joyful. It is certain that churches that are growing are churches that are spreading the joy of Jesus. Christ’s joy is evident in the daily lives of members of those churches. Christ’s joy is evident in the welcome given to visitors to those churches. Christ’s joy is evident in the preaching and teaching of those churches. This definitely does not mean that all that church’s preaching and teaching is of the “feel good” variety. It means that the preaching and teaching is laced with Christ-given joy, even when it is negative. Ask yourself this question: “If every member of our church shared Christ’s joy like I do, would we be a growing, alive church? Bro. Joe "And they shall recompense their lewdness upon you, and ye shall bear the sins of your idols: "and ye shall know that I am the Lord God." KJV
"You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord." NIV This verse is part of Ezekiel's warning to Judah about their impending doom. They were supposed to be God's people, but they were not acting like it. Judah had given herself over to idolatry and to all of the sins that this worship entailed. They had forgotten that they were to serve "the Lord God," or as the NIV translates it, "the Sovereign Lord." Ezekiel warned that Judah would be brought to judgment by the Babylonians because they had forgotten that God was the Sovereign Lord. After all of their years of existence as "God's people," Judah had forgotten that you do not toy with the Sovereign Lord. God had sent prophets to warn them from the time of Samuel. They could not say that they had not been warned. Now, in Ezekiel's time, judgment was about to fall. The Lord inspired Ezekiel to write that when judgment fell, then they would know that He is the Lord - the Sovereign Lord. What a pity that it took that to wake God's people up and remind them of His sovereignty. That brings me to the title of this article: "When will You Accept God's Sovereignty?" This text is not ancient history. The same principle applies today. The Lord still wants us to know that He is the Lord and that we are to take Him and His way seriously. We cannot escape God's sovereignty. That is a good thing!! I am glad to know to that someone is in charge of this vast universe. But the question still remains: When will you accept his sovereignty? O.K. I will tell you when you will accept His sovereignty. You will accept it when you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, receive the Holy Spirit and begin to take His word, the Bible, seriously. God sent His Son into the world to save us from sin and to save us from the consequences of sin. Jesus came as our deliverer and until we know Him in an intimate and personal way, we will not be delivered from sin or from its consequences. I know what some think about a claim like this. They will think that I am "looking down my nose" at them. That is not true. As the song says, "I'm just an old sinner saved by grace." But that doesn't mean that I don't owe it to you to tell you about Jesus. It also gives me the responsibility to tell you that there are consequences for ignoring God's sovereignty and refusing to believe in His Son. As the hammer fell on Judah, it is going to fall on the world - then everyone will know that God is "the Sovereign Lord." Why wait until then to know it when you can know it right now - today? If you haven't trusted Jesus as your Savior do it now. If you have, pray that those who do not know Him will come to know Him today. Bro. Joe “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12. I know how to be abased (have little), and I know how to abound (have a lot): everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both abound and to suffer need. 13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheth me.”
The Philippian Church sent Paul a monetary gift to help with his expenses. In the passage from which the text is taken, Paul thanks them profusely for their generosity, but he wants them to know that he is not needy. Paul had learned to live in all kinds of circumstances. There were times that he had plenty, and he was content. There were times that he had very little, and he was content. The point was that Paul was never “under the circumstances,” i.e., circumstances, good or bad, did not control Paul’s life. This required great faith in the Lord, for Paul faced all kinds of difficult circumstances. For example: After he was saved on the Damascus Road and began to preach the gospel, there were people who swore to kill him. They declared that they would not eat until Paul was dead. (They must have been awfully hungry thirty years later.) I don’t think that it would be a comfortable thought that somebody out there wants to kill me. It would take great faith on Paul’s part to go on living and witnessing in spite of the fact that someone wanted to kill him. (Put yourself in that position.) Paul faced all kinds of trials as he traveled about witnessing and ministering for Jesus. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9. Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” Now look at a list of circumstances that Paul encountered in his ministry: “Of the Jews five times I received forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeying often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren….” (2 Corinthians 11:24-26) Paul was not a super-human hero who could not be harmed by the contingencies of life. He was a flesh and blood man, who had learned to not be controlled by the circumstances of his life. You and I do not have to live “under the circumstances,” because we have the same resources at our disposal that Paul had. Philippians 4:13 gives the secret: “I can do all through Christ (Who) strengthens me.” In everything that he did, Paul knew that Jesus was with him. It can be the same with you and me. Bro. Joe “But the word is near you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.”
Does God speak to us? Yes. He speaks through scripture, but He also speaks to us personally. How do we know that it is God speaking? You will just know because it is God’s word – the word of faith. We need to hear the word. We need to listen carefully to God’s word when it comes to us. Acts 10:44: “While Peter yet spoke these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them which heard the word.” While Peter was preaching to Cornelius and his household, there were those who actually heard God’s word. They were not just listening to words, but they recognized that it was God’s Spirit speaking to them. Some people just hear words, but those who are listening in faith hear God’s word for them. When I have heard the word of God, it has changed my life and led me in the right direction. God is speaking to you through scripture, but He is also speaking to your heart and you will recognize His voice when you are listening. We need to heed God’s word. There is certainly a difference in hearing and heeding. To heed is to pay careful attention to the word and internalize it, i.e., make it a part of our lives. When the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts, what He says will make a difference in how we live. I can personally vouch for this. How did I know that God’s was speaking to my heart about entering the preaching ministry? It was a persistent voice from when I was about twelve years old until I finally surrendered to it at twenty years of age. Because of God’s word, my life took a different direction. I have not followed this direction perfectly, by any means, but it has certainly been a different direction. When God speaks to your heart, heed what He says, internalize it, and obey it. James 1:22 tells us not to just be “doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” We need to hope in God’s word. Peter advises us in 1 Peter 2:2: “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” We hear God’s word when we sincerely want to hear it, when we desire to hear it. We hear what we desire to hear, and when we are listening for God’s word we will recognize it. When we hope in God’s word, it makes a difference in the decisions that we make in our lives. I can look back over my life and wish that I had been hoping in God’s word instead of doing what my flesh wanted. (Come on, Christian, you know what I mean!) Are you hearing God’s word, heeding it and hoping in it? Only you can answer that question. Bro. Joe “Then said Jesus, Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
This is big subject that I have chosen, but I think that I can show you what you need to know about what Jesus did for you on the cross. First, by going to the cross voluntarily, Jesus revealed to us how much God loves us. That is the meaning of John 3:16-17: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17. For God sent not His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through might be saved.” Here is the message that you need here: Jesus died on the cross because He loves you! Until we see that, we will miss the message of the cross. Second, according to our printed text above, Jesus went to the cross to forgive us for our sins. This is mercy, for we are all sinners and stand in the need of God’s forgiveness. Until we see that we will not grasp the reality of the cross. Standing in the light of the glory of God shining from the cross, we see our own sins and confess them and repent of them. Standing there under the cross, the Roman centurion saw it: “Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.” Perhaps you think that you have no need to be forgiven for your sins. The Bible says that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Perhaps you think that your sins are so great that they cannot be forgiven. Look at Romans 23:24: “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” In His grace, Jesus can and will forgive your sins. Third, Jesus received the wrath of God that should have been ours, and delivered us from the wrath of God. This is why Jesus cried in Gethsemane, “Let this cup pass from me…” Jesus had never sinned and He knew that on the cross He would feel the sting of your sin and mine. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness…” (Romans 1:18) But the good news is that we can escape His wrath through faith in Jesus Christ. Here is the good news from Romans 5:1: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus died on the cross to save you from God’s wrath. Jesus went to the cross because He loves you. When He died on the cross, Jesus secured His forgiveness for your sins. He took the wrath that should be yours and mine upon Himself. That is the gospel, either you have been forgiven for your sins through faith in Him or you have not. Confess your sins, repent of your sins and invite Jesus into your heart and life. Bro. Joe “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; fear before Him all the earth.”
In this verse the psalmist called us to worship the Lord. I don’t think we fully realize the importance of worship in our lives. We need to take the time and the effort to consciously worship the Lord. Understand that He does not need our worship, for He is God, but we need to worship Him. It is a call to worship for “all the earth.” In other words, everyone needs to worship God. Everyone will not worship Him, but this does not mean that they do not need to worship Him. God’s presence is spread throughout the whole earth, indeed, throughout the whole universe. We need to worship God, as we know Him in Jesus Christ, because He is holy. We are to worship God in the “beauty of His holiness.” The Bible teaches us that none of us are holy within ourselves. We need to seek the holiness that belongs to God and can be applied to our lives. When we worship God, we are celebrating His holiness. This is what we do when we worship together in church on Sunday. This is why we have times of prayer, sing hymns that celebrate Him, give our tithes and offerings, hear a sermon of God’s word preached and respond to all that has happened on a given Sunday. We are gathered together celebrating God’s holy presence. We need to worship God because of His power. Whether we physically kneel in worship or not, in our hearts we should be aware that we are kneeling before the almighty, powerful God. We worship that which we know to be superior to us. This is why in the Bible, for example, angels would not allow men to worship them. Angels are messengers of the power of God... Angels minister to us. In fact, they are called “ministering spirits,” but they are not Gods. There is no other being, or thing, that is worthy of worship besides our Almighty God. This is why the first commandment of the Ten Commandments is that we are to have no other god before Him. We need to worship God as a reminder of our daily need for Him. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” We need to remember that everything we have is in essence a gift from God. This is why Christians pause before meals and say a prayer of thanksgiving for the meal. It is a simple acknowledgement that we are dependent on God for our “daily bread.” But we need to be thankful for all of the good things that God has allowed us to have. He does not just provide our “daily bread,” but He provides everything else that is good in our lives. We need to worship God daily because of the great provisions that He has made for us. I don’t think that we affluent Americans fully realize our dependence on God for His provision in our lives. We forget that, “The earth is the Lord’s and fullness therof…” (Psalm 24:1) Pause now and “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” Bro. Joe "And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18. And He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven."
Jesus sent out seventy of His followers to do His works and to spread His word. When they returned from the journey, it seems that they were pretty impressed with themselves. They marveled that, "even the devils are subject unto us through thy name." Jesus agreed that He had seen Satan's work crushed for that time, and agreed that He had given them unusual protection, but He reminded them of what is of real importance in His work: to never forget where we came from. Jesus said that our source of rejoicing, like the seventy He sent out, is not that He has empowered us for service, but that He has saved us in the first place. We must never forget that salvation is a gift of the grace and love of God. We must never forget that we are sinners saved by grace. If we are not careful, we can become real proud of our service in the kingdom, and start to think that we are something because God is using us. If the "spirits" are subject unto us, it is because we are saved by, and serve One who is greater than the "spirits." If we take the credit for ourselves, the devil will win after all. I can approach this subject from personal experience. It is a great temptation after God has used us in a mighty way to think that "we really shined today." There is that flesh part of us that wants to think that we surely had a little to do with the great things that God brought about. God did use the gifts and talents that He gave us, but the credit for success, is His. When we rejoice in a job well done, we are to be thankful above all that our "names are written in heaven." In that way, we will never cease to be amazed that Jesus can use us in a mighty way to serve Him and to serve others. Jesus did not belittle what the seventy did; He actually told them that it was a job well done. He just wanted them to remember, as He wants us to remember, that it is a great thing that God has "written our names in heaven." It is also great that we can be saved and be empowered to serve Him. Let's rejoice today that we belong to God in a saving relationship with Jesus, and that He will use us to do His work. Bro. Joe “(Jesus) was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification. 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2. By whom we have access by faith into His grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
The verses preceding the text tell about Abraham’s faith, that it was “imputed to him for righteousness.”Because of Jesus, who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised for our justification,” His righteousness is imputed to us when we put our faith in Him. When Jesus arose from the grave, He opened up great possibilities for those who would put their faith in Him. What are some of these possibilities? Through faith in Christ we can be justified, i.e., we can be forgiven and reconciled to God. This is basically what justification means. We have no righteousness of our own: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) It is only by faith in Jesus Christ that we can be justified before a holy God. There is no righteous act we can do, and no righteous word that we can say, that will justify us. Nothing can improve on, or take the place of, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the reason that we can be justified: it is only by His shed blood that we can be saved. This is not popular today, but it is what is in the Bible. . Through faith in Christ we can have peace: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The only way to have peace with God is through justification by faith. We have peace with God through our salvation. Peace with God means that we have peace in our hearts. No matter what we go through in this life, we have the peace that only Christ, through the Holy Spirit, can give. Hundreds of books have been written to give people the secret of inner peace. Whatever peace these books give, if it is not peace with God through faith in Christ, it will not be the peace that is written about here. In John 14:27 Jesus promised His disciples: “Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid. In John 16:33 Jesus said: “These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation (trouble): but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Both of these promises are to all who will put their faith in Jesus Christ. Peace is an elusive prize in this troubled age, but in Jesus we can have heart peace. This doesn’t mean that all of our problems will be solved, but that we will have peace in spite of the problems that we encounter. Through faith in Christ, we have access: “by whom we also have access…” There are many things closed to us in this world. For example, no matter who the president is, you can’t go to Washington and demand access to the White House – unless you want to be arrested. It is even difficult today to have access to your family doctor. But through faith in Christ, we have access to the creator of the universe. Through faith in Christ, we have access to the throne room in heaven. When Jesus died on the cross, the “veil of the temple” was torn in two. This was the veil that separated the “holy of holies” where God was present from the rest of the temple. This is a beautiful picture of Jesus opening up heaven to us. Hebrews 4:16 gives a great invitation to the throne of God: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We are invited into a dynamic and life-changing relationship with Christ through our faith in Him. You either have all of the above in Christ, or you can have it by submitting your life to Him by faith. Bro. Joe “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.”
It would be impossible to enumerate the reasons that we know God is good. The main reason that we know this is that He sent Jesus to be our Savior. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, God revealed His word to the writers of the Bible. He has given us the privilege of prayer. These three facts should suffice to convince even the hardest of hearts to see God’s goodness. Psalm 34:8 shows us how to personally experience God’s goodness. The psalmist wrote, “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” The first thing that we might ask is what does “taste” mean in this context? One example is that we do not know the taste of food until we try it for ourselves. We cannot experience the goodness of Lord if we do not give Him a chance to show His goodness to us personally. The first step is to receive the gift of His Son into our hearts and lives. We cannot know what it is like to be a child of God until we become His child. Have you tasted the goodness of the Lord through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? You will not taste His goodness until you do know Him through a faith relationship with Jesus Christ. You will taste that goodness when, by God’s grace, you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and come to know Him personally. The psalmist wrote: “Blessed is the man (person) that trusteth in Him.” Trust, or faith, is the key that opens the door to tasting that the Lord is good. In Ephesians 2:8, Paul wrote: “For by grace through faith are you saved…” It is trust in Jesus that opens the door into His kingdom. “Blessed” is another word for “happy” in the Bible. The person who trusts in Jesus is happy. This does not mean that every circumstance of the Christian’s life is happy. Christians have unhappy moments just like everyone else. In John 15:11 Jesus said: “My joy I give you that your joy may be full.” The blessedness that we have in Jesus is not the temporary happiness that the things of the world bring, but it is a gift of joy from the Savior Himself. It is joy borne of a relationship with Jesus and prayer in His name. Psalm 37:5: “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” We will never realize the great things that can come to pass in the Lord until we trust in Him. “O taste and see that the Lord is good…” That is good advice. Have you taken that advice? “Blessed is the (person) that trusteth in Him.” Have you experienced that joy and happiness that only Jesus can give? If you have, are you sharing it with other people who have not tasted that He is good? Bro. Joe |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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