Pleasures Forevermore

"You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Psalm 16:11

Jesus Christ revealed Himself to be the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Before His crucifixion Jesus told His disciples they knew where He was going, and they also knew the way because He is the Way.  Though under the Mosaic covenant, the psalmist David had a sure expectation of eternal life in the presence of God where there is fullness of joy and pleasures forever.

John 15:9-11 taught His disciples fullness of joy was not only enjoyed in the eternal state but presently in light of His love:  "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."  Having fullness of joy granted us by God's grace is a wondrous thing, and the pleasures provided by God transcend our physical senses.  The word "pleasure" these days has been reduced to primarily refer to sexual enjoyment, but that is a dumbed-down view of the present and ultimate reality.  The Bible teaches there will be no marriage or giving in marriage in heaven, and thus there will be no sexual activity or procreation.  Our pleasure will not be enjoyed by indulging fleshly appetites but in spiritual union with God who is pleased in us.

Webster defined "pleasure" this way:  "The gratification of the senses or of the mind; agreeable sensations or emotions; the excitement, relish or happiness produced by enjoyment or the expectation of good; opposed to pain."  Notice at God's right hand there are pleasures (plural) forevermore, wholesome delights enjoyed by God's grace.  It is important to point out what gives God pleasure is often different that what pleases mankind.  Psalm 147:10-11 says of God, "He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. ¹¹ The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy."  We are pleased and impressed by the speed of horses or the large muscles of athletes who perform amazing feats of strength, yet God takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.  God takes pleasure in the weak, slow and uncoordinated people who trust in Him and rest in His loyal love in the midst of a fiery trial.

God spoke from the heavens to identify Jesus as His only begotten Son in whom He was well pleased.  In Christ we are enabled to do what pleases God as it is written in Hebrews 13:15-16:  "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. ¹⁶ But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."  Colossians 3:20 also says, "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord."  There is nothing more pleasurable to the child of God than to be pleasing in His sight, and it is good for us to maintain this perspective--especially when the passing pleasures of sin seductively beckon us during this earthly pilgrimage.  The fleeting pleasures of this life quickly fade in light of the fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore in God's presence.

Reasonable Faith

After governor Festus was swept up in the squabble left unsettled by Felix between the Jewish religious rulers and the apostle Paul, he decided it would be beneficial to interview Paul before King Agrippa and Bernice in Caesarea.  The scribes and Pharisees called for Paul to be executed and he appealed to Caesar, yet Festus could find no evidence of guilt--certainly nothing that even hinted a sentence of death was appropriate.  Festus confided in Agrippa of his predicament in sending Paul to Rome without a charge in Acts 25:27:  "For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him."

It seems more than unreasonable, even unjust to imprison someone without specifying charges against them.  In many countries today those legally empowered to arrest people must notify the suspect they are under arrest and why they are being arrested.  In Jerusalem Paul had not been arrested for a crime but was taken into custody for his own protection because an angry mob attacked him.  He was then transferred to Caesarea because enemies plotted to kill him, and so as a Roman citizen he would receive a fair trial.  Festus was correct anyone accused of a crime and arrested ought to have charges formally laid against them. It was his role as governor to decide if the accusations leveled had any merit.

When it comes to the justice of God, I have observed people who assume the position of Festus and make censorious judgments Him.  They feel it is unreasonable anyone should be beholden to God or His righteous judgment.  Unlike Felix who kept Paul bound as a political favour, God has revealed in His word we are all bound by our own sin, and He specified them one after another.  The 10 Commandments is a good starting point that clearly shows we are bound by sin and under the sentence of death in hell forever due to our guilt, having broken God's law.  Paul wrote in Romans 3:19-20, "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. ²⁰ Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin."  One purpose of the Law of Moses is to silence all sinners from attempts to justify ourselves, for our conscience agrees we are guilty of breaking it.

It is reasonable for God to condemn those who are guilty of sinning even as a judge gives sentence of a man declared guilty of murder by a jury.  It is entirely reasonable for the Judge of all the earth to do right and uphold what is right.  What is more unreasonable is when men choose to reject God's offer of eternal life purchased at the price of His beloved Jesus Christ who died for the sins of the world.  God said to sinners in Isaiah 1:18:  "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."  We have all sinned and the soul that sins will surely die.  Praise the LORD for the truth of  Romans 6:23:  "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  By faith in Jesus we who were guilty as sin and worthy of death can be forgiven and receive eternal life!  God's love and grace towards sinful humanity is beyond reason, yet it is reasonable considering how good God is.

Hate the Light?

I have learned after moving into a house blemishes that escaped notice at first later come to light--literally.  We had probably lived in our current house a week before I noticed a sizeable crack in the gyprock near the front door that could only be seen when the door was open and daylight streamed in.  It might as well have been colourful neon lighting with the attention the light brought to the crack in the wall.  This revelation led to closer inspection of other areas and resulted in gyprock and paint repairs in a large scale.  At one stage nearly the entire ceiling of one room required attention because the light shining across it made the irregularities an eyesore.

Every time I saw a bad patch on the ceiling or wall that needed repair, it marked the beginning of a multi-step process:  cut out the old patch, add sufficient backing, fitting the new patch securely, spread several coats of joint compound (mud), sponging or sanding, priming and a couple coats of finish paint to complete.  The process of repairs stretched over several days because time is required for the various materials to sufficiently dry.  There were at least 3 or 4 times I thought I was completely done with all patchwork repairs only to discover there were additional areas that required attention.  As a result, the laundry was littered for a couple months with joint compound, buckets, tools and paint.

Last night I had a repeat of an familiar experience:  light from a lamp illuminated a mark on the wall that I had not previously noticed.  Upon closer inspection, I found a crack had been papered over and it seemed only paint was holding the joint together.  With a grin I expressed my displeasure--not with poor craftsmanship or the condition of the wall--but with the light that exposed it and the prospects of fixing it meant a lot of work for me.  Was the light the problem?  No!  The light merely exposed a blemish on a wall which revealed a problem in my own heart that would prefer there would never be a problem I need to address.  My annoyance with the light showing another bad patch that needs work is something Jesus spoke about in a spiritual sense.  Naturally people would rather stay out of the light than be exposed as flawed should it shine upon us.  We do not frame holes punched in walls:  we prefer to cover holes in a wall with a picture than admit they exist because they present an unflattering picture of us.

Jesus taught in John 3:18-21:  "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. ²¹ But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  Jesus is the Light of the World, and many people were loathe to be exposed as sinners needing spiritual sight, repentance, forgiveness and salvation.  People are condemned because light has come into the world and men loved darkness more than light.  We are unable to rectify our faults or wash ourselves of sin:  when we come into the light with humility and transparency, it is Jesus Christ who cleanses us and changes us for good.  He does all the work of illuminating and saving, and our part is to come into the light, repent of our sin, and submit to God.

Don't hate the light of God's word, the conscience God has given you, or the various means God uses to make our sinfulness, selfishness and folly apparent to us.  We ought to hate sin and take prompt action to repent of it, cease practicing it and walk in obedience to God.  God is good to shine His light upon our hearts to save us from sin and ourselves.  Galatians 6:9 is an appropriate exhortation concerning repairing walls and repenting of sin:  "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."  We ought to treasure and love the light God shines upon us so we might be prompted to address our own sins so the work Jesus has begun and is faithful to complete continues to advance.

Discerning Good and Evil

People can be funny when it comes to food.  Everyone develops their own preferences about kind of food they like best, their favourite flavours, texture, spices, ingredients used or avoided.  Sometimes we eat out of necessity because we are hungry, and other times we can be more picky.  As people grow older they can also develop an ideology around the best kind of ingredients to use and urge others to avoid foods that are believed to be harmful.  How we prepare and eat food is very personal, yet the common ground all people share is our God-given need of adequate nutrition for our bodies.

Observing children learning to eat is quite an experience.  Babies are born with bodies sustained by milk from mum, and over time they are weaned from milk to eat solid foods.  At first, "baby" food is not very solid or flavourful at all!  When our boys were babies I remember feeding them Gerber mashed peas or carrots--and I recall some pureed meat that I never worked up the courage to taste based on the foul smell.  Finally the day came when the boys happily fed themselves and managed to work some of the food into their mouths after smearing it all over their faces, clothes and high chair.  The next task was to teach them polite manners and proper etiquette when they joined us at the family table.

The writer of Hebrews made an important point concerning the spiritual development of his believing readers who had become dull in Hebrews 5:12-14:  "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."  The author of Hebrews addressed readers who were "unskilled in the word of righteousness."  They were like a child with a full set of teeth and the manual dexterity to use a knife, fork or chopsticks, but were still dependent on milk from their mother's breast.  They were content to rely on their very basic and general knowledge of God and His word (and needed a refresher course!) because they were poorly versed in Scripture.

I heard someone say recently they have observed Christians who "decide what Jesus is like" rather than learning of God from His word.  Full of their own ideas and preferences, they run the risk of creating a fictitious god after their own image because they have not "by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" by the study of God's word.  Think of the many faces and reactions babies have to new flavours--and they aren't always good!  In time children learn to enjoy foods they refused as babies, and their tastes continue to develop even in adulthood.  I have observed people who have been exposed to the expositional preaching of God's word learn to enjoy the flavour of sharp rebuke as well as the sweet promises of peace and rest in Christ.  God designed milk from mum to support the growth and development of their little infants, and God's word is milk to sustain a new believer.  At the same time God's word is meat for those of "full age," for those who, by exposure and practice of God's word, are able to discern good and evil.

The prophet compared God's word to delectable food in Jeremiah 15:16:  "Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts."  Even as food is chewed, swallowed and absorbed into our bodies, God's word supplies the spiritual nutrition we need to grow and mature as Christians.  It is telling Jesus commanded His disciples to remember Him and proclaim His death until He returned by eating broken bread and drinking of the cup.  God had done a spiritual work within them by Christ whose body would be broken and His blood shed, and Jesus Himself would spiritually fortify and strengthen them because they received Him by faith.  God's has provided His word so we would feed upon it--to read, heed it and be edified and changed by submission to it.  Let us not be as the Hebrews who were unskilled in the word of righteousness, but by reason of use may we have our senses exercised to discern both good and evil.