The Danger of Dissatisfaction With
One’s Lot in Life - Part XIII
Psalm 89:19-29’ Isaiah 55:3-7
Ezekiel 16:18-63; Proverbs 5:15-23;
et. al.
September 1, 2024
What I am going to read to you first this morning is a
couple of meaningful
paragraphs from:
For Whom Did Christ Die?
Metropolitan Tabernacle,
"Christ died for the ungodly."—Romans 5:6.
As an adjective:
ungodly - ἀσεβῶν - asebon - be impious (godless; irreligious; immoral); irreverent;
swell with pride;
presumptuous; arrogant; bold; without fear; without reverance;
without shame, without honor -
First, here is THE FACT — “Christ died for the ungodly.” Never did the
human ear listen to a more astounding and yet
cheering truth. Angels desire
to look into it, and if men were wise they would ponder
it night and day.
Jesus, the
Son of God, Himself God over all, the infinitely glorious One,
Creator of
heaven and earth, out of love to men stooped to become a man
and die. Christ, the
thrice holy God, the
pure-hearted man, in whom there
was no sin and could be none, espoused the cause of the wicked. Jesus,
whose doctrine makes deadly war on sin, whose Spirit
is the destroyer of
evil, whose whole self abhors iniquity, whose second advent will prove His
indignation against transgression, yet undertook the cause
of the impious,
and even unto death pursued their salvation. The Christ
of God, though He
had no part or lot in the fall and the sin which has arisen out
of it, has died
to redeem us from its penalty, and, like the psalmist, He can
cry, “Then I
restored that which I took not away.”
The Lord
Jesus came to restore what He did not take away.
Aside He
threw His most divine array,
And veiled
His Godhead in a robe of clay,
And in that
garb did wondrous love display,
Restoring what
He never took away.
(Bible Portal)
Let all holy beings judge whether this is not
the miracle of miracles!
Christ, the name
given to our Lord, is an expressive word; it means
“Anointed One,” and indicates
that He was sent upon a divine errand,
commissioned by supreme authority. The Lord Jehovah said of old, “I have
laid help upon one that is mighty, I
have exalted one chosen out of the
people;” and again, “I have given Him as a covenant
to the people, a leader
and commander to the people.”
First in
Psalm 89:19-29
19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one,
and saidst, I have laid
help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted
one chosen out of the
people.
20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed
him:
21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall
strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor
the son of wickedness
afflict him.
23 And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that
hate him.
24 But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my
name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his
right hand in the rivers.
26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of
my salvation.
27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than
the kings of the
earth.
28 My mercy will I keep for Him for evermore,
and my covenant shall
stand fast with Him.
29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and His throne as the
days of heaven.
Second
in Isaiah 55:3-7
3 Incline your
ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live;
and I will make an everlasting covenant with
you, even the sure
mercies of David.
4
Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and
commander to the people.
5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations
that knew not thee shall run unto thee because
of the LORD thy
God, and for the Holy One
of
6 Seek
ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while
He is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his
thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He
will have
mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will
abundantly pardon.
Jesus was
both set apart to this work, and qualified for it by the anointing of the
Holy Ghost. He is no unauthorized saviour, no
amateur deliverer, but an
ambassador clothed with unbounded power from the great King, a
Redeemer with full credentials from the Father. It is this ordained and
appointed Savior who has “died for the ungodly.” Remember
this, ye
ungodly! Consider
well who it was that came to lay down
His life for
such as you are.
If you are dissatisfied with God’s creation
here in this world, not accepting who
you are why you are; or what your role in life - (remember
Father Knows Best -
in the early days of television) - well God
is light years ahead of Robert Young in
knowing how to do what is best for mankind - then what would your
reaction be, if on entering heaven, you find the truth of Christ’s
words
in Matthew 22:30 - “....they neither marry
nor are given in marriage,
but are as the angels of God in heaven.”
The biblical explanation of male/female for
me is best understood
from
I Peter 3:7 “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according
to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto
the weaker vessel,
and as being heirs together of the of
the grace of life, that your prayers
be not hindered.” (I wonder how much damage has been done in society
because of lack of prayer over the issue, not only for the cause of
egalitarianism but for the ruin of the soul of the individual involved.
CY - 2024)
In doing some research, I learned a new word - egalitarian - which is believing
in principles
where all are considered equal, regardless of gender, race,
9 Know ye not that the
unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of
God? Be not
deceived: neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with
mankind.
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards,
nor revilers, nor
extortioners, shall inherit the
11 And such were some of you: but
ye are washed, but ye are
sanctified, but ye are justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus, and by
the Spirit of our God.
Revelation 22:10-15
10 And he saith unto
me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this
book: for the time is at hand.
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust
still: and he which is filthy, let
him be filthy still: and he that is righteous,
let him be righteous still:
and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward
is with me, to give
every man according as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end, the first and the last.
14 Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have
right to the tree of life, and may enter in
through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs (κύνες
- kunes - dogs
- used here metaphorically
of those whose moral impurity will exclude
them from the New Jerusalem)
and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and
murderers, and idolaters, and
whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God, in
the
image of God
created He him; male and female created He them.”
(Genesis
1:27)
“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith,
quit you like men, be strong.”
(I
Corinthians 16:13)
ἀνδρίζεσθε - andrizesthe - to behave like a man
from ἀνδρίζω - andrizo - to make a man, to play a man = quit
you like men.
Play the Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be
This is a Mark Batterson
book that offers encouragement and advice
for what it
is and takes to be a man of God based on
the word of God.
Watch! Stand firm in the faith! Be tough[a]! Make
yourself strong!
Be you watching, be you standing-resolute in the trust,
be you
manning-up, be you enstaunced. (loyal and committed
in attitude
The idea of a
macho-man who is in reality, spiritually impotent.
This seems to me to be
a paradox (a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory
statement or proposition that
when investigated or explained may prove to
be well founded or true.) So strong physically, yet
so weak spiritually.
We have a body, a soul, and a spirit.
Jeremiah 5:3 “......they
have refused to return.”
“O Lord, are not thine
eyes upon the truth? Thou has stricken them, but they
have not grieveed;
thou hast consumed them but they have refused to receive
correction: they
have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused
to return.”
I want to read to you the introduction to Spurgeon’s sermon Decided Ungodliness
delivered August 20, 1882 (142 years ago - He being dead, yet speaketh)
THERE is,
in the heart of every one of us, the primary evil of sin; we have
all transgressed against the Lord. So far, so bad; but that natural sin of ours
may be greatly increased by a refusal to turn from
it. It is bad enough to
have violated God’s righteous law, but to refuse to repent, and to continue
presumptuously in our iniquity, must greatly increase
our guilt in the sight
of God. This guilt may also be still further increased
if we refuse to return
unto the Lord when we are earnestly and
affectionately invited to yield
submission to Him. If gracious terms of peace are
presented to us, and
matchless promises of blessing are made to us on condition that
we do
return,— and if we are often warned, and often
entreated, and often
threatened, and yet we still refuse to return, then we continue to pile sin
upon sin, till we make our first transgression to be incredibly great.
(Some of
you are no doubt financially savvy and understand what compound interest *is in
money (*
Compound interest is interest calculated on both the initial principal
and all
of the previously accumulated interest. Generating
"interest on interest" is known
as the power of compound interest. Interest can be compounded
on a variety of
frequencies, such as daily, monthly, quarterly, or annually
- Google),
but are
unaware of the compound interest of sin. CY - 2024) If I were now to preach to
men as simply sinners, it would be a weighty message for me to
have to tell them
that “all have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God;” but, alas! I have to
preach to impenitent sinners, to those who, as our text puts it, “have refused
to return,” ay, and to
some who have given that refusal with great deliberation,
after having been long entreated and persuaded. to turn from the error of
their ways. Some have
been addressed in such tender, pleading language as this,
“Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of
or this: “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is
near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and
let him return unto
the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our
God, for He will abundantly
pardon.” If we have
heard such language as
that, and yet have persisted in refusing to return, we
have heaped guilt
upon guilt, and the wrath of God will be in proportion
to our sin.
The coming of Christ to a soul, to a community,
is a moral probation (subjection
of an individual to a period of testing and trial to ascertain
fitness, as for a job or
school) ,
involving the most serious responsibility.
TO REJECT
JESUS CHRIST AND THE WITNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT is the
only UNFORGIVABLE SIN.
The first stages of Christian life in the individual and in the
historic Church
are marked by low ideas of the person and work of Christ, producing
estrangement from Him, fear, and weakness.
In Christ we are all the same — we are equal with one another.
A couple of months back, at a Bible Study,
our teacher, Bro. David Smith, mentioned
coincidently, about those with dissatisfaction in life, always seeking
for something,
but
basically not knowing what they want, never finding it.
I add until fortunately, meeting Jesus
Christ.
Have I not mentioned U2 - I Still Haven’t
Found What I’m Looking?
In Psalm 16:8-11 is a remedy, as the Bible, in many other
passages offers:
8 I have set the LORD always before me: because He is at my
right
hand, I shall not
be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also
shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou
suffer
thine
Holy One to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of
joy; at thy right
hand there are pleasures for evermore.
But there is another side: There is a clear explanation of the problem in v. 4.
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another
God:
“The Lord is known by the judgment which He executeth:
the wicked is snared in the work of his own
hands. Higgaion.* Selah.**
The
wicked shall be turned into hell, and all nations
that forget God.
(Psalm 9:16-17)
* A technical term of musical direction - The word may
signify either a solemn,
deep-toned harp interlude or a
solemn pause conducive to meditation.
How much thought have you put into your situation?
** A transliterated Hebrew expression found frequently
in the Psalms and also
appearing in Habakkuk chapter 3. Selah indicates a pause in the text.
Selah is a synonym of Hebrew words that mean “forever.”
eternal
implications?? CY (Wow!)
The Scripture reveals that “Blessed is the nation whose God is
the Lord.”
(Psalm 33:12) At first I put happy in my browser,
the word
being hid in my heart, but not knowing where to find it. -
Bro. Christian always said that “blessed” - means happy.
Oh the blessings of the man, the family, the city, the
country side,
the nation
- that has realized the truth of vs. 5-7 of Psalm 16
5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup:
thou
maintainest
my lot.
6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I
have a
goodly heritage.
“Thus
saith the Lord; I remember thee, the kindness of thy
youth,
the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest
after me in the wilderness,
in a land that was not
sown. Israel was holiness unto the LORD,
and
the firstfruits
of his increase: all that devour him shall offend;
evil shall come upon
them, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah
2:2-3)
7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins* also
instruct me in the
night seasons.
νεφρός - nephros - kidney
νεφροί
* mind,
heart, kidneys - metamorphically of the will and the affections which
were regarded as
having their seat in the “kidneys.”
instruct - they-CHASTEN/CORRECT/TRAIN
- discipline/teach/educate
Job 19:25-27
25 For I know that my redeemer liveth,
and that He shall stand at the
latter day upon the earth:
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my
flesh
shall I see God:
27 Whom I shall see for myself,
and mine eyes shall behold, and not
another; though my reins be consumed within me.
Revelation
2:20-23
20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because
thou
sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth
herself a prophetess, to
teach and to seduce my servants
to commit fornication, and to eat
things sacrificed unto idols.
21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she
repented
not. (Do you think that God
would give that wicked woman, Jezebel space
to repent
and not you!!??? How much space have you used up or abused? -
CY - 2024)
22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit
adultery
with her into great tribulation, except they repent of
their deeds.
23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the
churches shall
know that I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will
give unto every one of you
according to your works.
There seems to be something in the word bed - do you
remember last
week me
mentioning “nor abusers of themselves with mankind
ἀρσενοκοῖται - arsenokoitai - malebedders; from αρσενος - apsoenos -
male and κοιτην - koitaen - bed. It has
a sexual connotation, but with
whom the male is bedding is
not specified.
Thinking about sexual matters now is a good place to go back
to
Ezekiel 16 where I began and left off on May 26, ten weeks
ago, at v.18.
Ezekiel
16
This still
from the NIV
The use of Ezekiel 16 from the NIV
to get ideas across of what I am trying to
illustrate today. The first
seventeen verses I discussed on an earlier occasion
and if interested, see May 26, 2024 lesson.
18 And you took your embroidered
clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil
and incense before them.
19 Also the food I provided for
you—the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you
to eat—you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is
what happened,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
20 “‘And you took your sons and
daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed
them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough?
21 You slaughtered my children and sacrificed
them to the idols.
22 In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not
remember
the days of your youth, when you were naked and
bare, kicking about in
your blood.
23 “‘Woe! Woe to you, declares the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other
wickedness,
24 You built a mound for yourself
and made a lofty shrine in every public square.
25 At every street corner you built your lofty shrines and degraded
your beauty,
spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone
who passed by.
26 You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your
neighbors with
large genitals, and aroused my anger with your
increasing promiscuity.
For modesty’s sake, I will substitute
“sexual prowess” for the term used. What
was really said
can be found in the NIV’s rendition of Ezekiel 16:26
- CY - 2024)
27 So I stretched out my
hand against you and reduced your territory;
I gave you over to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines,
who were shocked by your lewd conduct.
28 You engaged in prostitution
with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable;
and even after that, you still
were not satisfied. (I am
going to take the liberty
to add, what I
perceive as a bedfellow of insatiability, incorrigiblity. Often a person
who is
insatiable, ends up incorrigible.
Insatiable = unquenchable,
unappeasable, uncontrollable, voracious, prodigious (huge).
unsatiable
- impossible to satisfy; incapable of being satisfied
Incorrigible = incapable of being corrected, amended, or
reformed, not manageable :
Incorrigibility = bad
and impossible to change or improve
Elementary
school - heard of Reform School
High School -
heard of marijuana in locker at a high school in the county -
I knew the person
accused -
Rarity of this in my upbringing.
29 Then you increased your
promiscuity to include
but even with this you were not satisfied. (Somewhere along the line in my
life
I ran across the idea that “Man wants what he can’t get but if he ever gets it,
that is not what
he wanted after all! - a non -sexual reference but holds
true in
physical escapades also - I cite the teaching of Proverbs
5:15-23 * below -CY - 2024)
Proverbs 15
*15 Drink waters out of thine
own cistern, and running waters out of thine own
well.
16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and
rivers of waters in the streets.
17 Let them be only thine
own, and not strangers’ with thee.
18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice
with the wife of thy youth.
19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant
roe; let her breasts
satisfy thee at
all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.
20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished
with a strange woman, and
embrace the
bosom of a stranger?
21 For the ways of
man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He
pondereth all his goings.
22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked
himself, and he shall be
holden with the cords of his sins.
23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly
he
shall go astray. (Proverbs 5:15-23)
Also:
“Marriage
is honorable in all and the bed undefiled; but whoremongers
and adulterers, God will judge.” (Hebrews 13:5)
While I am at it - “....whosoever committeth adultery with a woman lacketh
understanding:
he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
A wound and
dishonor shall he get, and his reproach shall
not be wiped away.” (Proverbs 6:32-33)
Compare the case of the woman taken in
adultery (John 8:3-11)
The words of Jesus are: “....all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be
forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost
shall not be
forgiven unto men......neither in this world , neither
in the world to come.”
(Matthew 12:31-32)
30 “‘I am filled with fury against you, declares the
Sovereign Lord, when you do
all these things, acting like a brazen
prostitute!
31 When you built your mounds at every
street corner and made your lofty
shrines in every public square, you were unlike a
prostitute, because you
scorned payment.
32 “You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband!
33 All prostitutes receive
gifts, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing
them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit
favors.
34 So in your prostitution you are
the opposite of others; no one runs after you
for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give
payment and none is
given to you.
35 “‘Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord!
36 This is what the
Sovereign Lord says: Because you poured out your
lust
and exposed your naked body in your promiscuity with your lovers, and
because of all
your detestable idols, and because you gave them your
children’s blood,
37 Therefore I am going to gather
all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure,
those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them
against you
from all around and will strip you in front of them,
and they will see
you stark
naked.
38 I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery
and who shed blood; I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath
and jealous
anger.
39 Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they
will tear
down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you
of your clothes
and take your fine jewelry and leave you stark naked.
40 They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to
pieces with their swords.
41They will burn down your houses and inflict punishment on you in
the
sight of many women. I will put a stop to your
prostitution, and you will
no longer pay your lovers.
42Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn
away
from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.
43 “‘Because you did not remember the days
of your youth but enraged me with
all these things, I will surely bring down on your head
what you have done,
declares the
Sovereign Lord. Did you not add lewdness to
all your other
detestable practices?
44 “‘Everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb
about you:
“Like mother, like daughter.”
45 You are a true daughter of your
mother, who despised her husband and her
children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who
despised their husbands
and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your
father an Amorite.
46 Your older sister was
daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south
of you with her
daughters, was
47 You not only followed their
ways and copied their detestable practices,
but in all your ways you soon became more depraved
than they.
48 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, your sister
her daughters never did what you and your daughters have
done.
49 “‘Now
this was the sin of your sister
arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not
help the poor and needy.
50They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away
with them as you have seen. (Although not here, sixty-tw0 [62] times in
Ezekiel, it is said, “and they shall know that I am the Lord” I would say
that this statement is its equivalent, stated in other words - see
# 223.
Ezekiel – Study of God’s Use of the
Word Know
51
Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You
have done more
detestable things than they, and have made
your sisters seem righteous
by all these things you have done.
52 Bear your disgrace (KJV - Bear thine own shame) Take it like a man
for you have furnished some justification
for your sisters. Because your
sins were more vile than theirs, they
appear more righteous than you.
So then, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, for you have made your
53 However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her
daughters and of
Samaria and her daughters, and your
fortunes along with them,
54 So that you
may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in
55
And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and
Samaria with her daughters,
will return to what they were before; and
you and your daughters will return to
56 You would not
even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride,
57 Before your
wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned by
the daughters of Edom and all her
neighbors and the daughters of the
Philistines —all those around you who despise you.
58 You will bear
the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable
59 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as
you deserve,
because you have despised my oath by
breaking the covenant.
60
Yet I will remember the covenant I made with
you in the days of your
youth, and I will establish an
everlasting covenant with you.
61 Then you will
remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your
sisters, both those who are older than you
and those who are younger. I will
give them to you as daughters, but
not on the basis of my covenant with you.
62 So I will establish my covenant with you, and you
will know that I am the Lord.
63 Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have
done, you will
remember and be ashamed and never
again open your mouth because of
your humiliation, declares the
Sovereign Lord.’”
24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the
flattery of the tongue
25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither
let her take thee
26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought
to a piece of
bread:
and the adultress will hunt for the precious life.
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes
not be burned?
28Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be
burned?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbor’s wife;
whosoever toucheth her
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy
his soul when he is
31But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he
shall give all the
32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh
understanding:
he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
33 A wound and dishonor shall he get; and his reproach
shall not be
34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he
will not spare in the
35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest
content, though