Four Marvelous Things We Have In The Lord

What we do not have in common is the way we go about pursuing the best this life has to offer.

For example, many believe their hope of enjoying the best life has to offer them can be found in:

- Sports. Their lives are consumed by the pursuit of sports.

- Wealth. Their lives are consumed by the pursuit of wealth. - Power. Their lives are consumed by the pursuit of power.

- Hobbies. Their lives are consumed by the pursuit of hobbies.

- Education. Their lives are consumed by the pursuit of education..

But, did you know that having all those things could not bring the inner joy and satisfaction that people so desperately desire.

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT?

Because God gives us the Book of Ecclesiastes.

In this book is proof of that. King Solomon of the Old Testament had everything a man could possibly desire.

Look at Eccl. 2:10. We read, “And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.” But, after Solomon had all these things, he says, verse 11, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.”

Listen, the best life we can have is NOT the result of having THINGS.

The BEST LIFE we can have IS FOUND IN CHRIST!

We who know Christ have things money can not buy! For example, we have a...

I. HEDGE AROUND US.

Many Christians do not know this, but God has build a HEDGE AROUND US. WHAT IS THAT HEDGE FOR? That hedge protects us from Satan.

Someone might be saying, “Preacher do you have any scripture to support the belief that GOD HAS A HEDGE AROUND US?”

Yes I do!

Look at Job 1:8. Job is an example of a saint’s having a hedge to protect him. We read, “And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.”

The word “hedge,” is translated from the Hebrew word, “suwk,” which means, “A fence.”

Illus: This is the same thing parents will do for their children. They will fence in the yard so their child(ren) can not get out and nothing can get in to hurt them.

Sometimes we mortals forget there is a battle that has been going since the beginning of time BETWEEN GOD, THE FATHER, AND SATAN.

Satan came before God, the Father, one day thousands of years ago. We do not have all the words of that conversation, but we do have some of it in the scriptures.

Look at Job 1:7. We read, “And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” Notice, God did not ask Satan why he was going “...to and fro in the earth...” Why? Because God knew why! God knew he was “...walking up and down... on the earth trying to get one of God’s children to sin against God. There is nothing that pleases Satan like getting one of God’s children to fall into sin so when he comes before God he can say, “See. You may have kicked me out of heaven because I do not love You, but the fact is, your own children do not love you.!”

In our example, God was quick to point out to Satan, verse 8, “And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job...”

Satan knew Job well, but could not get Job to fall into sin. He told God that the reason Job would not sin was because of God’s blessings and THE HEDGE GOD HAD PLACED AROUND HIM.

Look at verses 9-10. We read, “Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.”

In other words Satan said, probably with the most disgusting expression he could muster on his ugly face, “The only reason Job loves You is because You have blessed him and build a hedge around him.”