Sunday, September 12, 2010

Are We Lost In Space? Or Maybe Lost On Earth?





When I was a kid, I used to LOVE watching the TV series “Lost In Space’, it is still one of my favorite TV shows of all time.  It’s all about the Robinson family of space explorers who are thrown off course and become lost in space (get it…. that’s where they get the name! yuk yuk)  Anyhow, the series is about this family traveling from one planet to the next always looking for a way back to earth.  

 YouTube has many clips of the show (here’s one example … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP-s3OqCGhA) Also, you can watch the entire series at http://www.fancast.com/tv/Lost-in-Space/)   I would heartily recommend this show for wholesome family viewing.

 The thing about the Robinson family was that they knew where they wanted to go, but they didn’t know how to get there.  I am afraid that this is the situation that many of us are experiencing in our lives today.  We desire peace, lasting joy, a sense of belonging, a sense of accomplishment, assurance of our destiny in the after life… the list goes on and on.  We know what we want but, sadly, many of us don’t know how to attain it.  We turn to many different worldly sources of advice to give us guidance in fulfilling our desires, but to no avail.  Nothing this side of heaven gives us the peace, joy and satisfaction and assurance that we so greatly desire. 

 If it were not for God’s grace, none of us would have the know-how or the ability to attain any of these goals.   But, thanks to Him, the realization of our goals becomes possible through His Word and His divine intervention in our lives.

 Let’s see what God’s Word says….

 THE SCRIPTURE:

 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (1Co 1:27-31)

 THE STUDY:

 Lets quickly notice in our first set of verses:

1. The Lord makes it plain we should not be surprised at the world’s inability to give satisfaction and peace to man.  (vs 27-29) 

 2. The result of the world’s inability to satisfy is described in the phrase “That no flesh should glory in his presence”. (vs 29)  In other words, no earthly human being can stand up and say “I can give you true peace, joy and satisfaction, come follow me and I will fulfill all your desires.”  No human can supply to us our life’s needs.    

 3. The source of true peace and satisfaction and our eternal security is found in the Lord Jesus Christ.  If we have a personal relationship with Christ, His Spirit indwells us.  The Spirit, in turn gives us an understanding of His Word and supplies guidance to us as we live our day to day life on earth.  It is through Christ, and His Spirit, that we can find true spiritual satisfaction and security.  (vs. 30-31)

 4.  The Godly basis of our life’s satisfaction and security is described by four terms: 

      A. wisdom –  Godly wisdom is the ability to take God’s Word and apply it to the decision we make in life.  This is the wisdom that enables us to make choices that honor God and lead a life that is honest,  and kind towards man.  Possessing this wisdom gives us confidence knowing that our life is pleasing to God and man.

     B. righteousness -  Godly righteousness is being “lawful” in the eyes of God and also man.  To be righteous means to have peace within knowing our Lord has forgiven us of our sins and that we have  His innocence placed on our account.  Possessing His righteousness also means that we are now living lives that are just and fair to others around us.

     C. sanctification – Godly sanctification results in us being “set-apart’ for God’s use.  It places us in His family of believers, and takes us out of the dominion of sin.  Sanctification also aids us as we submit to His will and resist temptation.

     D. redemption - Godly redemption results in us being “purchased” through the death of Christ on the cross.  His redemption placed on our account tells us we are loved by God, the price for our sins has been paid, and we are eternally secure in Him.

 By knowing the Lord has intervened in our lives in all 4 ways gives us the peace, joy and satisfaction we so greatly desire.



The above picture by Paul Cheng illustrates the stark difference between a life lived with Christ and a life lived without Him. 

Paul's description is a great summary of our need to be sure we have been saved...  "As you can see, only in the cross there is life but outside there is no life. It is symbolically a parallel universe where our spiritual destiny is determined by our choice to believe in Jesus or not today (John 3:16)." 

(You can see more of Paul's wonderful art at his website:  http://www.certaintyofdrawings.blogspot.com/  Take a look at Paul's work... it will be a great blessing to you.  Also my thanks to Paul for allowing me to use his work on this blog posting.  It is greatly appreciated.)

 THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

 For those who are saved, let's be sure to praise and honor the One who has made our life complete.  It is only through Christ and His work that we can truly lead fulfilled, contented lives.

 For those who are not saved, if you have begun to see the great void that exists in your life, look to the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in Him to intervene, save you from your sins, and fulfill your desires for peace, love and security.  It is only then that you will be able to live your life to it’s fullest. 

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If you have any questions concerning this blog, or if you have a subject you would like discussed, please feel free to email me at settledinheaven@gmail.com.    I will answer all emails via my blog, email, or both.

 Follow my Squidoo Instructional Lens “Presenting God’s Grace” “The Solemn Obligation To Present the Doctrines of Grace to the Lost and Saved Alike” http://www.squidoo.com/presenting-gods-grace

 May the Lord bless your study of His Word. Like God’s Word… may your soul’s salvation and your life’s faithfulness be “Settled in Heaven.”

2 comments:

  1. Many times in life I have thought about being lost in space, traveling on planet earth, spinning around the sun, 365 days a year. We don’t seem to be going anywhere and what was before has already been; there is morning and there is night since the beginning of time. I have asked what on earth are we doing here? Why must we be born and why must we die? We know where we came from but where are we going from here? The clock is ticking and we don’t have forever in a lifetime to figure it all out. People have already searched far and wide to find the meaning of life and nothing can satisfy. The answer is that we are not to be permanent residents on planet earth but citizens of heaven and Jesus has shown the way. Thanks brother Rob.

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  2. It is so sad to see people vainly seeking after peace and satisfaction among worldly pursuits... It is just as you say, "People have already searched far and wide to find the meaning of life and nothing can satisfy. The answer is that we are not to be permanent residents on planet earth but citizens of heaven and Jesus has shown the way."

    Great posting and picture... thanks again.

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