PROMISE FULFILLED: WHEN CHRIST SHALL COME . . . WHAT JOY SHALL FILL OUR HEARTS!
In The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven children’s books by British theologian C. S. Lewis, the hero is a Lion named King Aslan who represents Jesus Christ. Quite naturally, the children are drawn to the Lion but, at the same time, they’re afraid of him. After all, he is a lion . . . Early in the story, one of the children asks, “Is he safe?” and receives this reply: “Oh no, he’s not safe, but He’s good.”
In a sense, God is like a Lion - fearfully awesome, majestic, King of kings - but He is good! Declares Solomon, “Fear God (revere His majesty, respect His sovereignty) and keep His commands.” (E12:13) God is a good “Lion” - not seeking whom he may devour as does Satan, but - desiring the best life possible for His children.
“Uppermost in the Minds of Mature Children of God Is What Matters Most” – the thesis with which we began our study of the Book of Ecclesiastes; and now that we have wrestled with Solomon’s role as a “Devil’s Advocate”, after having suffered ups and downs in his life, trying to make sense of what life is all about, we come to his conclusion of the matter: God is awesome and to be feared, but God is awfully good to those who keep His commands!
To reverence and respect the Lord our God – who is above all, yet in “all that is good”, working for the good of all who trust Him - is to love Him and serve Him – inasmuch as we, like Solomon, have learned a lesson: Apart from God, we fall short of discovering life’s real meaning. For a season, yes, we may feel satisfied, but for eternity?
Not without a personal relationship with God’s victorious Lion of Judah Christ the Lord.
Thus, our search has brought us to the entrance into the fullness of that joy that has occupied our hearts since Jesus came into our hearts – “when Christ our Lord shall present us before our Father’s glorious visible presence with Great Joy”! (Jude 24)
In a world seemingly discontent with just about everything and everybody, true contentment is yours and mine because of our personal relationship with the Lion of Judah – the Messiah - God’s Son - our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Folks, in old age, contentment is a virtue for which to be truly thankful!
Most of us have been through a lot (“through many dangers, toils and snares we have already come”) but we have matured to the point at which we realize that God may not be through with us yet. On the other hand, we realize that our time may be imminent - but that too is in God’s hands.
In the meantime, my impression is that most of us have learned, as did Paul, in whatsoever state (condition, situation) we find ourselves, therein to be content.
Now, as we move toward full contentment when Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, to take us Home, what Joy shall fill our hearts - let us rejoice in our longevity as did Solomon - Ecclesiastes 11:7-10 . . .
As a youngster, Solomon was taught God’s requirement of obedience, but he thought he knew better - so he tried any and everything “under the sun”.
However, soon and very soon he discovered that “the grass may indeed look greener on the other side of the fence”, but it is poisonous. Finally, it dawned on him that God put the fence there in order to protect His children!
His parents and his priests knew what they were talking about when they taught him that God’s way is the best way to find fulfillment.
By the time Solomon came to the “home stretch” of his journey, he realized life is fragile . . . does not last forever . . . can be broken at any moment.
So, as we continue through daily routines . . . participate as best we can . . . wake up mornings, pleased to see the sun and, on cloudy days, pleased that “back of the clouds the sun is always shining” – remember your Creator.
As he wrote, Solomon was well aware how the human body deteriorates as we get older . . . Yet, in and through it all, remember your Creator.
Wonderfully you were made and wonderfully you will be remade! When you get down on yourself . . . with all your aches and pains . . . you might want to look up and say to God: “I’m sorry, I forgot You made me.”
Folks: With God on your side, how can you lose? With God, there is no such thing as “unfinished business”. Jesus our Lord: “Behold, I make all things new!”
Remember Moses – spent all those years serving God through thick and thin, tribulations and trials, waters deep, forty years in the wilderness – then, at long last, arrived at the river beyond which lay the Promised Land – but was not permitted to cross over into that land of milk and honey.
Seems unfair, doesn’t it? However, fast forward to the scene that unfolded before the eyes of Peter, James and John as they witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus (visible glorification of Jesus) . . . There appeared with Jesus two Old Testament figures representing the Law and the Prophets – Elijah AND Moses!
Left to the “wisdom of men” and the “wiles of the devil” (human nature), life ventures have no lasting value and therefore must be considered futile in and of themselves – without hope . . . with no promise . . . incomplete. Put Creator God, Father God, Redeemer God into the equation, and there is revealed to us a purpose . . . privilege . . . promise of great joy when we see Jesus. Until then, what is Solomon’s wise counsel - free of charge? – Ecclesiastes 12:12-14 . . .
The wisest person who ever lived is not pooh-poohing intellectual pursuits and the knowledge gained thereof . . . Consistent with the theme of his search for meaning in life, he points out – once again – that man’s most insightful ideas and sought-after wisdom are not the final authority in life. The Word of the Lord is! Echoing throughout God’s revelation of Himself to mankind is this advisory: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
Running parallel to that refrain is another advisory followed by a command. The advisory: “The Lord our God is one God. The command: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, and with all thy soul” - to which Jesus tacked on a follow-through command: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
Now hear this: To love God is to reverence and respect His sovereignty and thereby keep his commands. To love thy neighbor is to tell thy neighbor the truth about God’s commands, and the consequences of disobeying God’s commands --- no soft-soaping, no watering-down, no sugar-coating, no rewriting, no redefining!
Therein lies a big challenge faced by Christians today (ministers in particular) in a society of atheism, agnosticism, and hyper-hedonism - “If certain groups do not like this or that command of God, tweak it . . . delete it . . . revise it . . . redefine it” - “make it” conform to an agenda of whoever or whatever “pressure groupies” represent. In my limited view - in most cases from a distance - yet with my ears and eyes attuned to what is being said or written, too many ministers are failing to do their job . . . by cozying up to deniers of God’s commands to “go along to get along” . . . to merit grants from the federal government . . . to receive invitations to rich and famous functions . . . get praise from an elitist society gone crazy! God help us!
Our lesson writers always wind up a series by asking us to assess ourselves in terms of truths we learned . . . to renew our commitment to trust and obey . . . to pray about our own situation. That’s okay, and so should we take stock of where we are in our walk with the Lord in the light of His Word.
But my concern today is not with any of you - as to your “love of God” or your “fear of God” or your commitment to “keep His commands.” Yes, concerned always for your well-being . . . but not concerned about your salvation! Maybe I should be . . . You know yourselves better than anyone else . . . take your concerns to the Lord in prayer . . . leave judgment in the hands of Almighty God.
My hope is that we concern ourselves not only with ourselves but also with those in our society who take God’s Word lightly - as evidenced by no fear of God and no regard for God’s commands.
In times like these, therefore, let us pray as never before - as earnestly as we know how, and as often as we can - for a great awakening followed by a great revival that leads to great joy. Do the best you can, then leave the outcome to the Lord our God!
As for the outcome of all we who love the Lord, a Puritan named John Owen nailed it:
On his deathbed, Owen asked his secretary to write a letter to a friend as if he himself were writing the letter. The secretary wrote the letter and read it to Owen. The letter began, “My Dear Friend, I am still in the land of the living.” Interrupting him, Owen said, “Stop. Change that and say, ‘I am yet in the land of the dying, but I hope soon to be in the land of the living!” Amen!
