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Searching for
INNER PEACE, JOY &
CONTENTMENT
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
"My
colleagues say that I am a success. Many honors have come my way, but in
the Bible is a sentence which expresses the way I feel about life:
'We have toiled all night and taken nothing'." - Clarence
Darrow - famed atheist & criminal lawyer
Everyone
has a dream, a desire or goal in life and mankind thirsts for success,
achievement and fulfillment!
By
the standards of his peers, Darrow had reached the pinnacle, yet he was
totally unfulfilled, void of peace and joy. In order to give
expression to his dissatisfaction, he had to quote the Bible, which he
claimed to disbelieve.
Clarence
Darrow was the trial lawyer who defended the evolutionary theory against
the Christian patriot William Jennings Bryan, in the infamous 'Scopes
Trial' of the mid 1920's.
After
his great victory in gaining for the evolutionary 'foolosophy' theory the
right to become the official religion of Academe in US schools, he felt
compelled to quote the Bible to express his emptiness and utter despair
and his lack of contentment in his own efforts!
Here
is his summation of life: "We have toiled all night and taken
nothing"!
His
testimony could undoubtedly be repeated millions of times by people
across the world who have been influential and successful in their field
of endeavor but who have left God out of their lives. These people
are unhappy and unfulfilled because they are empty inside, lacking joy,
contentment & inner peace.
Yet,
over the past 40 years I have heard glowing testimonials of people who in
their time of sorrow, rejection, disillusionment and despair - called
out to God for mercy and received help. God does hear and answer prayer!
The
Bible declares, "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the
wells of salvation". (Isaiah 12:3) and, "For His anger is but
for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But
joy cometh in the morning". (Psalms. 30:5)
King
David declared, "I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me
from all my fears".
The
Bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life". (John 3:16)
The
Bible says, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and
he that believeth not on the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God
abideth on him". (1 John 3:36)
FOUR
BASIC DESIRES:
Mankind
thirsts after reality. The so-called "good times" of this
world are like soap bubbles that look so beautiful in the sunlight, until
they burst into nothing!
After the party, is the hangover. After the fling, the
unwanted pregnancy. And after the drug scene, AIDS!
Everyone longs to be useful. Rick Hansen, wheelchair
athlete and Canadian hero, is a prime example of someone seeing an
impossible dream come to pass, by "going the extra mile" to
help his fellowman.
John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church stated,
"Gain all you can, save all you can and give all you can."
Instead of cursing the darkness, we should 'light a candle' and instead
of pointing a finger to condemn, we ought to "hold out a helping
hand."
General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army - used as
his slogan the word 'OTHERS'. He was consumed with the prospects of
blessing his fellowman. HE stated, "Some men's ambition is
art...some fame...some gold....My ambition is the souls of men."
His wife Evangeline Booth stated, "Stoop as low as
you lawfully can to pick them up rather than let them become worse while
you stand on your dignity."
We all seek for fulfillment. Marilyn Munroe
stated, "If I can just be a movie star, I'll be the happiest person
in the world". Her acceptance as a sex idol and movie star far
eclipsed her fondest hopes, yet she became very unhappy and died from an
overdose of pills!
No one can attain to his or her highest potential without divine help
from Jesus Christ! To reinforce that truth allows me to quote Malcolm
Muggeridge - former Marxist, celebrated writer, broadcaster and actor -
who converted to Jesus Christ:
"CHRIST
IS THE ONLY ANSWER TO AN INSANE WORLD"
They
will not understand that the trouble with the western civilization is not
economics, but mere good and evil!
“They are thinking they can make things work by policies,
inventions, but man will never live on this planet without God!”
Blaise Pascal warned: “If they turn away from God, one of
two things can happen. They will think they are gods and go mad or turn
to carnality and become animals”.
MOST
PEOPLE HAVE A HUNGER FOR THE SUPERNATURAL
Everyone is created with a desire to worship God, and a vacuum in
their hearts that only He can fill.
Some seek to fill that vacuum through ESP, clairvoyance,
horoscopes or praying to Hindu gods during Transcendental
Meditation...BUT STILL THERE IS NO REAL PEACE!
George
Bernard Shaw stated, "I am ready to admit after contemplating
the world and human nature for sixty years, that I see no way out of the
world's miseries but by the way that would be found by Christ's
will".
Dr. Richard Eby, well known obstetrician, gynecologist and
surgeon, fell off a two story balcony in 1972, and was pronounced dead.
In his book Caught Up To Paradise, Eby tells
his supernatural experience. The former president of the Kansas City
College of Osteopathy & Surgery and the American College of
Osteopathic Obstetricians & Gynecologists, is alive today, and gives
God all the glory.
Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life, he
that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live".--Without
doubt, putting our trust in God is a lot surer and safer than
entertaining some weird "spirit guide", in an astro-travel
trip!
WHAT
IS THE BOTTOM LINE ?
What
is the bottom line? Where are we heading when life is over? What will be
the most important thing, then? When it's "all said and done",
the impending all consuming question still remains, "Where will I
spend eternity?"
The
Bible says, "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in
himself: he that believeth not God that made him a liar; because he
believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.
“And
this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life
is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life: and he that hath not the
Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that
believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have
eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of
God". (1 John 5:10-13)
Here
are two important truths:
No.
1 - If you believe God's Word concerning His Son Jesus Christ you
have life.
No. 2 - If you do not, you have death because you have
called God a liar and rejected His Son Jesus Christ, Who is Life!
YES
- Inner peace, complete joy and contentment is found only when you submit
yourself to God.
My
dear friend, Do the only proper and intelligent thing - Humble yourself
and ask God for mercy, confessing Jesus Christ as your Lord & Saviour!
And
He has promised to hear and answer your prayer, bringing peace, joy &
eternal life to you!
We must live with
ETERNITY IN MIND
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
"For
unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given....of the increase of His
government and peace there shall be no end...with justice from henceforth
even for ever." (Isaiah 9:6)
What
does Eternal life mean?
In
Christianity, the
term eternal
life traditionally refers to continued life after death, as outlined
in Christian
eschatology.
WE
MUST LIVE WITH ETERNITY ON OUR MIND
Matthew
7:13
- (kjv) - Enter
ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way,
that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it.
God
is eternal and infinite. He does not think with a finite mind as we
do! His thoughts and actions reflect His omnipotence, omniscience,
omnipresence and eternalness!
God's
plans and purposes for this universe and all of us, were formulated in
His mind before He created the foundations of the world.
Eternity in heaven or hell has already been determined.
God
cannot make a mistake, lie or be wrong in His intentions of deeds, for
God is totally righteous, all knowing and all wise.
EVERYTHING
GOD DOES IS FOR ETERNITY
God
knows the future and sees the pitfalls and snares that await our
stumbling feet. And God helps us, protects us from the devil,
protects us from the world and from ourselves.
WHY
ARE WE SO IMPORTANT TO GOD? Firstly,
we were made in God's image. Secondly, Jesus personally died for
our sins and finally, through the new birth, we are a part of Him - his
body.
What
does the word eternity mean? Eternity
means forever and ever, without end. The words, "there shall
be no end" and "forever", show the eternal purposes of God
in the birth of Christ. THE INCARNATION WAS SERIOUS STUFF. Eternity
is serious stuff.
The
moment, of God the Son - wrapping Himself in human flesh - coming down to
earth to save us. All this was deliberately and perfectly timed and
executed.
"But
when the fullness of time was come, God sent His Son, made of a woman,
made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons." (Galatians 4:4-5)
Jesus
coming to earth to die for our sins wasn't an after thought or a fill-in.
The decision to send King Messiah to this earth, was communicated to
Satan - the adversary - immediately after Adam and Eve's tragic fall.
"And
I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and
her seed; it shall bruise thy head and thou shall bruise His heel."
(Genesis 3:15)
Here,
God promises a "virgin born" savior (her seed), Who would
conquer Satan through His substitutionary death. In the process,
the Savior would suffer a minor wound (bruise His heel), and Satan would
be totally defeated (bruise his head).
JESUS
DIED ON THE CROSS - With Eternity in Mind
Although
Jesus suffered more than any man, was wounded and marred for our total
salvation, it was minor because He laid down His life of His own free
will. (John 10:15-18)
SATAN
HAD NO POWER OVER JESUS
Satan
could not take it from Him! And Jesus arose again on the third day,
destroying Satan and his power over us.
"Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself
likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him
that had the power of death, that is, the devil;" (Hebrews 2:14)
FROM
THE INCARNATION TO THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST, AND THROUGHOUT THE
'GOSPEL AGE', GOD HAS CONTINUED THE EXECUTION OF HIS ETERNAL WILL,
THROUGH HIS CHURCH, THE CALLED-OUT-ONES)
This
is why it is so important that we live with "eternity in mind".
All our plans and goals should reflect this mind set, in our
relationships to God, the Church - His body - and the world! We
must think of the future, of eternity and prepare ourselves for eternity,
and eternal life with Jesus Christ.
Let
us study the Word of God, pray, witness and give joyfully, to help build
His eternal Kingdom.
Jesus
said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." (John
3:3,7)
The
Bible makes it clear that, "He who hath the Son hath everlasting
life: and he who believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath
of God abideth on him." (John 3:36)
That
means that all those who do not personally know Jesus Christ, must
receive Him as Savior and Lord in order to be saved and to be in Heaven
with Christ for eternity.
THERE
IS A REAL HEAVEN & A REAL HELL
St.
John emphasized: "If we receive the witness of men, the
witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath
testified of His Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the
witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar;
because he believeth not the record that God gave His Son.
And
this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life
is in His son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not
the Son of God, hath not life. These things have I written unto you
that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have
eternal life, and that ye may believe in the name of the Son of
God." (I John 5:9-13)
HERE
IS THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH - All who reject Jesus Christ and refuse to
receive Him as Lord & Savior are calling Almighty God a LIAR,
"because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son."
(verse 10)
Do
you think for one moment that anyone will escape the judgment of God when
they reject Jesus Christ - His gift to the world - and call Him a liar?
That's
serious stuff, since He is the judge of the entire world! How do
you think an earthly judge would react if someone in his courtroom called
him "a liar"? He would immediately be guilty of 'contempt
of court' of worse.
St.
Paul puts it all in perspective when he says, "For if the word
spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience
received a just recompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect
so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord,
and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him." (Hebrews 2:2-3)
ETERNITY
IS REAL - ETERNITY IS FOREVER
In
the Apocalypse, St. John warns: "And the DEVIL that deceived
them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the BEAST and
the FALSE PROPHET are, and SHALL BE TORMENTED DAY AND NIGHT FOR EVER AND
EVER. And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from
Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no
place for them.
"And
I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were
opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the
dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works."
"And
the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered
up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according
to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in
the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:10-15)
HERE
IS THE GOOD NEWS!
Jesus invites, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28)
"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." (John 3:16)
MAY
THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE LOVE OF GOD THE FATHER AND THE
FELLOWSHIP AND COMMUNION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT BE WITH US ALL, BOTH NOW AND
FOREVERMORE.
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