Sunday, January 3, 2016
2CO 5:17 says If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Being a new creature gives us the confidence that we all desire as we are delivered from the old sin nature and our position in Adam.
1CO 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also [because of our new position in Christ] all shall be made alive.
GAL 6:15 For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
The unity of the Jews with the Gentiles being made into one new spiritual entity or the ONE man in EPH 2:15 that in Himself He might make the two [Jews and Gentiles] into one new man, thus establishing peace.
The blessing of being able to live in that new man in passages like EPH 4:24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
It is a new nature that is renewed by means of metabolizing Bible doctrine in COL 3:10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.
Paul tells us about walking in this newness in ROM 6:4 in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
This newness is also related to living the spiritual life for the new Testament believer, ROM 7:6 But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
Solomon tried every field of endeavor and pleasure that was known to man and he even also invented a few, and his conclusion was that all is vanity and emptiness.
There is nothing new under the sun but there sure is something new "above" or "beyond the sun".......and those are the things of God.
COL 3:1-2, "If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth."
Solomon found out that what he was searching for God had placed inside of him which was a desire to know God.
God showed Job, a righteous man, that he was a sinner in God's sight. God showed Solomon he was a fool!
ECC 3:11 He has made everything appropriate or literally beautiful in its time.
Appropriate is the Hebrew verb japheh which means meaningful or beautiful.
Our problem is not so much what happens, our problem is our perspective of what happens after it happens.
When something occurs that we don't like and is not a happy conclusion, we begin to question the giver of that particular thing.
When we push it all the way we go back to God and think "What kind of God is it that would allow this to happen resulting in this tragic set of affairs?"
If you look at life as it is laid out before you and dealt out to you and do not see it through the eyes of faith or the hand of God, you will not understand why certain things happen.
When you see things through God's eyes or perspective and recognize divine timing and the fact that in His time, He makes all things beautiful and meaningful, then you give Him praise.
The new year was actually just like eternity to us a couple of days ago because the new year was future.
It was future a few days ago but now the future has become the present, the reality.
You believed or had faith that you were going to be here when the new year was the future to you but now it has become a reality.
The same thing is true about eternity-----most of us have faith that we are going to be around in eternity.
In we were to be totally honest and accurate we are actually living in eternity right now because time is a part of eternity whether it is the past or future.
This is why the day that believed in TLJC the reality of living in eternity began which is why you were given eternal life for eternal life is needed to live in eternity.
JOH 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
MIC 5:2 "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity."
He existed in eternity past and to God the past and the future are alike.
He assures us that if we believe in TLJC we possess eternal life or the life we need to live in the future at this time.
Eternal life is something we possess right now.
Our Lord says it will even have an emotional affect on us at times called a "well of water springing up within us"; JOH 4:14.
He also tells us that this experience of having eternal life comes from knowing Him; in JOH 17:3.
Paul tells us that we can take hold of eternal life right now, in this life; 1TI 6:12.
1TI 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
The apostle John goes on to say that we can live in this eternal life right now in our lifetime; 1JO 3:15.
He tells us that this eternal life comes from abiding in our Lord in 1JO 5:11.
It is through doctrine that we can know we have and are living in this eternal life; 1JO 5:13.
Let's look at eternity from the viewpoint of curiosity about our future!
God has not only put things in perspective by having a time table in which events run their course but He also has put within every human being's heart a curiosity about tomorrow....and about life.......and about life beyond!
Even more than that God has not placed eternity in their hearts.
Since that is true and since we will not find out about tomorrow or the beginning from the end without God, our pursuit must be toward Him.
You are not really ready to handle life until you are ready to handle death and eternity!
a. Anthropocentric Academic Speculation or regarding humans as the central element of the universe, Ecc 1.
b. He went on the experiment of seeking happiness in pleasure, ECC 2:1-11 or eat, drink and be merry.
c. The All in the Family experiment, I'm going to have children and keep it all in the family, Ecc 2.
d. The Philosophy of Time Orientation, Ecc 3.
e. He looked for happiness from money, wealth and prosperity, Ecc 5.
f. I am going to build a reputation, Ecc 7.
g. Sex and intimate relationships, Ecc 7.
h. Looking for happiness in the hero image, Ecc 9.
Solomon will tell us in the end that the key to the enjoyment of time and the enjoyment of the New year is Bible doctrine saturating the soul.
Solomon tried a few other things but he finally came to the conclusion that while there are a lot of wonderful things that God allots to us in time, they're no good without Bible doctrine in the soul!
Without Bible doctrine in the soul, the believer with the best of everything is the most miserable of all.
The believer was designed in time to have his capacity for these allotments through Bible doctrine in the soul!
Solomon tells us that the key to the enjoyment of time and the enjoyment of the New year is Bible doctrine saturating the soul.
While you have energy and youth you should spend that energy and youth on strengthening your relationship with God.
"while the sun or the light or the moon or the stars be not darkened" is a reference to the fact that it is inevitable that prosperity at some time in your life will be taken away.
"clouds return after the rain" refers to depression, regrets and the guilt that comes after a life of negative volition toward doctrine.
The house refers to the human body and the watchmen refers to the hands.
The word tremble here is the Hebrew word "zuwa" referring to trembling not from loss of body energy but energy in the nervous system.
PRO 3:8 It will be healing to your shor [the Hebrew word shor speaks of the nervous system] nervous system and refreshment to your bones.
Old age isn't necessarily an elapse of years but a loss of energy.
The "street" refers to social life, friends, contact with others, etc.
1TI 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.
Don't be so busy with the details of life that you can't spend time with those who brought you up.
PRO 17:22 A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
The "grinding mill" is "tachanah" used for grinding of flour or meal and it speaks of the digestive system not working, i.e. indigestion.
"arise" is the Hebrew word quwm which means to jump up.
The word "sound" is the Hebrew word "qowl" which means to chirp.
What is insomnia? It is the inability to obtain adequate sleep.
"terrors" is the noun chath-chath which refers to fears and phobias.
The word road is derek which refers to the course of life.
The almond tree in the Bible has 2 meanings: 1. It represents white hair. 2. It represents capacity to taste the finer things in life.
"blossoms" is the Hebrew word naats which means to be despised.
The almond tree refers to capacity for life and enjoyment of life in old age.
There are three sins that are very self destructive in old age, jealousy bitterness, and implacability, not capable of being satisfied.
The "grasshopper" speaks of our weakness and our loss of physical strength, our loss of skill, and loss of physical ability.
The word caperberry is the Hebrew word, 'a-bi-jow-nah referring to both appetite and sexual desire.
The word "ineffective" parar means frustrated, sexual desire is frustrated.
halak is used to walk one step at a time, every step you take is closer step to death.
"eternal home" is the Hebrew phrase "`owlam bayith" which has two meanings, a palace or a prison.
MAT 22:42 "What do you think about the Christ?"
The verb to go is also very interesting in this passage, cabab means to go about without direction, around and around.
The word broken is rachaq and it means to be snapped.
The "golden bowl" is the Hebrew noun gullah which is a container that holds oil.
The picture is that the silver cord is a wick dipped into oil from the bowl which produces a flame.
The flame represents the spark of life.
And when the golden bowl is broken, it is a reference to it being smashed or cracked and the oil or the energy of life leaks out slowly.
"the picture shattered by the well" is a reference to the fact that in the ancient world they would have clay jugs which they would put on a wheel to fetch the water.
1. When blood vessels don't function and circulation is destroyed equivalent to the shattering of the jug or the circulatory cardiovascular death.
2. When the heart itself stops pumping known as a cardiac arrest. So a very common death known as a heart attack is described in Bible