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Many have wondered about what makes the Christian so filled with joy in a world that is filled with depression and sin? There are psychiatrists offices filled with people who are depressed. Many people see the sin of the world and wonder where it will all end. They see murder, deception, lies, adultery, fornication, and every other sin imaginable to man and are depressed about the state of the world. All they can see is that the wickedness in these last days is escalating at an ex-ordinate rate. The reason for their depression is that they have no hope! They have no vision of the world becoming a better place. They don't have a savior who will elevate them to a higher plane. If you don't know Jesus, all you have is the world and it is going downhill. But those who know the Lord Jesus have a hope that the world does not know. They have a vision that the world cannot see. They have a view of better things to come, for they know the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah 18:12
12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices,
and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.
The people of the world are saying the same thing that the ancients have said. They are saying, ``We will walk after our own devices.'' The world is seeking an answer to all of its problems, while walking after their own devices. They don't have the Lord Jesus to look upon. They don't have anyone but themselves to lean upon. Thus when their devices fail and fall apart, they lose all hope.
Proverbs 3:5
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding.
Those who fail to trust in the Lord are bound to fail. Those who refuse to trust in Jesus will end up depressed. Those who trust in their own abilities will find that they have come up short. Those who trust in their own devices are leaning on a ``broken reed''.
Isaiah 36:6
6 Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a
man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt
to all that trust in him.
And when that ``broken reed'' breaks, they will fall and get hurt. That is why the world is in such a depressed state, for they have trusted in their own devices that have continuously failed. They have not sought the Lord Jesus for a solution to all of their problems, but have continually sought plans and solutions that are bound to fail. They talk about a ``bankrupt'' Social Security, ``broken safety net,'' and other failings of modern society. In none of these ``solutions'' was the Lord Jesus ever considered, thus they are all bound for failure.
While all of the world's systems are breaking and are in disarray, the Christian has a hope that the world cannot see. The Christian has a solution that the world cannot imagine. The Christian has a ability to perceive that the rest of the world has been blinded to. And that solution is Jesus Christ. For without Jesus as the solution to the problems, you have no solution, but just a short temporary fix.
Isaiah 51:11
11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing
unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain
gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
Isaiah 35:3-10
3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your
God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save
you.
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall
be unstopped.
6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing:
for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of
water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds
and rushes.
8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of
holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the
wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it
shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and
everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and
sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
The Christian has joy, for he knows the solution. The Christian can see the solution when there is no solution. The Christian knows that though the world is a mess today, they have a solution, they know the solution, and that solution is Jesus Christ the Lord. When you have Jesus as your solution, there is no unsurmountable problem. When you have Jesus as your solution, all of the worlds problems shrink to a workable size. Jesus is the solution that the world cannot see. That is the reason that the Christian has a smile while the world is depressed.
3014 E Street Philadelphia, PA 19134 Church Office Phone: (215) 634-3637 Published by: Rev. LeRoy D. Cressy (215) 535-4037
Services:
Sunday School . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10:30 AM
Sunday Morning Worship . . . . . . . . . . 12 NOON
Sunday Evening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:30 PM
Wednesday Evening . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:30 PM