{"id":30,"date":"2004-04-01T19:46:00","date_gmt":"2004-04-02T01:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/?p=30"},"modified":"2007-03-28T07:18:28","modified_gmt":"2007-03-28T13:18:28","slug":"the-last-and-final-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/the-last-and-final-word\/","title":{"rendered":"The Last and Final Word"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been said before that all pastors and evangelists really only have two or three sermons that they constantly recycle in numerous ways each Sunday.
\nI wonder if the same can be said of columnists and writers. Sometimes I feel like I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve said everything in my column at least once before in some form or fashion.
\nMaybe it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something in our subliminal psyche that causes us to dwell on certain things until there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nothing left to recycle. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s kind of like David Tuma<\/strong> and Belton Tiger Football. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll dwell on it and recap it and tell the great stories over and over until there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just no one listening. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever seen a bigger fan of the boys in red or any color for that matter.
\nSo subliminal psyche or not, for the past six months or so I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been dwelling on the book of Ecclesiastes. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still such an amazing gem in my mind.
\nAnd as I mentioned earlier in the year, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also been the topic of discussion for the Single\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s class I teach at church.
\nI really don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve enjoyed the study like I have, but as we wrapped up our 3 month study of the book, it was sometimes hard to contain my excitement as I shared the nuggets of wisdom King Solomon<\/strong> concluded his masterpiece with.
\nThey may have all been glad to get rid of the book once and for all. After all, sometimes it feels like Solomon only has one or two messages that are recycled with new points and illustrations throughout the book.
\nSo in case any members of my class missed it, or in case you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re interested, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to recap our 3 month study in the next 1,500 words or so.
\nPoint one: When bad things happen, they are still under the complete control of God.
\nThat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a tough nugget to swallow. After all, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t God love everyone? And isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t God good? If that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all true then how can God be in control?
\nIn 1947 Simon Wisenthal<\/strong> formed an organization to find and prosecute Nazi war criminals. He and his organization tracked down more than 1,000 war criminals in a 40-year period. He was passionate about his calling. During the last three years of World War II, the Nazis killed 89 members of Wisenthal\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s family.
\nBut even more astonishing was the evil Wisenthal saw in the concentration camps. One day two Nazi officers drove into a camp and grabbed two Jewish men and stood them back to back. Then the officer pulled out his gun and shot through one man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s head and into the other.
\nThe officer told his fellow Nazi, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153See, I told you we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been wasting 50-percent of our bullets.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Wisenthal later said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153God is on leave.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nThroughout Ecclesiastes Solomon stresses that he has seen the insanity of life and in all of the insanity, God has rigged life so that we must trust Him even though life doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make sense.
\nIf we look further along in scripture, into the New Testament, we see the ultimate atrocity.
\nGod sent his Son to earth so that God could be revealed to man in a personal way.
\nHis Son, Jesus Christ, lived the perfect life.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nYet even though Christ lived the perfect life, He was led to sacrifice His body in the worst possible way, crucifixion.
\nDoesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem to fair to me.
\nChrist, the only man without sin, bore the full wrath of God against sin.
\nYet God was in control. In the midst of His suffering, Christ calls out, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nChrist knew who was in control. Moments later, Christ raises His voice again and says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Father, into Thy hands I commit my spirit.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nWhen the bad times come, we must realize God is still in full control.
\nPoint two: When bad things happen, you better check your attitude towards God.
\nThis is another hard one for me. When bad things happen to me, I want to find someone to blame. And who better to blame than the guy in charge? After all, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it His fault these things are happening?
\nYet if we look at Christ, we see that He knew His place. He never grumbled about His suffering. He accepted it as God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s will.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Jesus<\/strong> pled in the Garden of Gethsemane. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yet not as I will, but as Thou will.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nPowerful words.
\nPaul<\/strong> reminds us in Romans that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nThat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s good advice, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve always found that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s much easier to teach than believe.
\nI can tell a friend 20-million times that, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153All things work together for the good,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d but the moment the bad stuff happens to me, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not so easy to accept. So we must check our attitude.
\nPoint three: Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wait for God to reveal your future. Obey God and follow your heart.
\nHave you ever played Ouiga Bible? Ask a question, pick up your Bible and point to a random verse to find your destiny.
\nIt might be a fun game to play at parties. But God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not normally going to give you a mystic sign or tell you your fortune with scripture. He doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expect us to sit in the lotus position and make decisions based on a mystical feeling.
\nIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been debated as to the exact extent of Jesus\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 knowledge while He was on earth. But it is clear that he limited His knowledge to some extent (Mark 11). And yet he walked forward confidently into the future. He was absolutely certain of His Father\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s love and control in His life.
\nHe followed God and His desires and let the chips fall where they may. Paul did the same thing. His passion was to visit Rome. It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t until he was arrested, shipwrecked and bitten by a snake in Malta that he finally made it to Rome. He finally fulfilled his dream but it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the way he wanted to go about it.
\nGod will get you to His destination. Along the way you may have to go through some rough times that force you to trust Him, but He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll walk alongside you and guide you the whole way.
\nSo live boldly. Let the chips fall where they may and let God be the God of grace. (I wish I could continue on with this point, but my editor only gives me a limited amount of space.)
\nPoint four: Bad things happen to everyone, not just those who don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have enough faith.
\nJesus had more faith than anyone, yet Jesus had bad things happen to Him. As I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve written before, Johnny Christian<\/strong> doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always score the touchdown and Paul Pagan<\/strong> doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always fumble the ball. Bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people.
\nTrusting God does not mean we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re exempt from trouble, it simply means we should realize there is an ultimate purpose to our suffering.
\nPoint five: Christians should have the most fun.
\nDuring Christ\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s three years of public ministry we only have a brief glimpse of his day to day life. Yet six times he was accused of eating and drinking with outcasts or simply having too much fun.
\nOne of my favorite representations of Christ in film is in the Matthew Series produced by The Visual Bible.
\nChrist is seen over and over again laughing with His disciples. He is seen cutting up and pouring water over someone sleeping during His Sermon on the Mount. He had joy.
\nChrist knew that life was a blessing and that He should enjoy every moment of it. His life was focused on three main points, building relationships, loving people and bringing people back to God.
\nMatthew 9 tells of Jesus being accused of not holding to the strict standards of John the Baptist<\/strong> and the Pharisees. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Then John’s disciples came and asked him, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHow is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Jesus answered, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHow can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nWhy pout and be a downer. Christ is here. The Messiah has come. Have joy.
\nHoward Hendrix<\/strong> said the face of many Christians belong on the cover of the book of Lamentations. Why be downcast?
\nJesus had fun and joy because His life and heart overflowed from the relationship He had with His Father. Find something you enjoy, something fun, and give yourself over to it with your whole heart. Know that life and laughter is a gift from God.
\nPoint six: Do the right thing and let the chips fall where they may.
\nJesus was loyal to His Father no matter what pain it brought. Realize that God will determine the outcome. We can do nothing to change that. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s our job to walk faithfully with Him along the way.\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Into Thy hands I commit my spirit.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nFinally. The last word.
\nPoint seven: The Bible is our ONLY reliable source for knowing God.
\nThe entire Bible was written to bring us to one point. The purpose of the Old Testament is to show the need for a Messiah. The purpose of the Gospels is to reveal who the Messiah is. The purpose of Acts is to show the power of His message. The Epistles (Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Phillipians and all the way through Jude) show us exactly what He did and how we should live.
\nFinally Revelation tells us He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s coming back.
\nSolomon concludes the book of Ecclesiastes in the best possible way. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you. And that’s it. Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to its hidden intent, whether it’s good or evil.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
\nTo fear God is to know God.
\nAnd the only way to do that is to know His word. The Bible is God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s written Word to us.
\nIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s our instruction manual. So to know scripture, is to know Him. Apply scripture to your life daily.
\nJesus used scripture to overcome temptation and to defeat Satan. He used it to comfort. He used it to answer those in authority. He knew the Word of God was a reliable source of truth in which we can entrust our entire life.
\nIf we devote ourselves to scripture we will become more like Christ.
\nWe will stand strong when the bad days come and when the suffering comes.
\nAnd we will laugh and find joy in the life God gives us day to day.
\nSo there you have it. Three months rolled into under 2,000 words. If you really want to get into Ecclesiastes I recommend the book a majority of my studies were based on, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Problem of Life With God,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by Tommy Nelson<\/strong> and published by Tommy Nelson Publishers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been said before that all pastors and evangelists really only have two or three sermons that they constantly recycle in numerous ways each Sunday. I wonder if the same can be said of columnists and writers. Sometimes I feel like I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve said everything in my column at least once before in some form or … Continue reading The Last and Final Word<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reflections"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pEnSo-u","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/casadeblundell.com\/jonathan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}