Thank you to all who have attended Westlynn Sports Camp. See you next year!
There is Hope
True Rest, True Satisfaction.
“All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.” This revealing verse from the Bible (Ecc. 1:8) shows the inadequacy of material things to satisfy our deepest longings. How is it possible that depression rates are at an all time high, even though the world is more developed than ever? Netflix, boredom shopping, free quality healthcare; these things cannot satisfy the human soul. Because the human soul has been made for more than the temporal. So why is he looking for satisfaction in what cannot satisfy?
The only God, out of the abundance of his goodness and mercy, made man good, upright, in his own image. Our forefathers, Adam and Eve, lived in perfect harmony with God. Yet, they disobeyed Him, and through their disobedience brought a curse on themselves and their offspring. Has anyone ever told you that you look like your parents? It’s similar when it comes to our spiritual condition; we all inherit the same self-centered sinful heart. Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
This is a problem for mankind, because no sin (or sinner) can be in the presence of God. If the average citizen of a country can’t get an audience with the prime minister, how will sinful man approach the transcendent, holy God? Our sin causes us to be separated from the only source of joy and peace, and we deservedly incur the judgment of eternal death in hell.
In the midst of this dark prospect, we read this in the Bible (Rom. 6:23): “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is the good news of the gospel. God, out of the abundance of his love, made a way for sinful man to be saved from his sins. Jesus Christ came to earth about 2000 years ago, lived the sinless life you and me couldn’t live, and died the death that you and me deserved. As he was hung on the cross, the Son of God bore the wrath of God (Is. 53:5). He paid the debt. He reversed the curse. And after three days he was raised from the grave, proclaiming to the whole world that he is victorious over death.
There is Hope.
And now He is able to say this to anyone and everyone (Matt. 11:28): “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Are you restless? Are you tired of the disappointing and wearisome quest for pleasure in earthly things? The answer does not lie in another suscription, another ticket for a concert, or another relationship. Rather, Jesus says that the answer lies in coming to Him for rest.
What does this mean? It means to repent of your sins and believe in Christ. To understand that you are a condemned sinner. To understand that your good works cannot blot out your sins, but that by believing in Christ, his perfect righteousness is
given to you. To see Christ as your greatest treasure, for whom you are willing to lose it all (Matt. 16:24). And so here is the promise for you (Acts 10:43): “everyone who believes in him [Jesus] receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
It is only in this where the restlesness of mankind can be addressed (1. Pet. 3:18a): “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” Christ came to restore to mankind what they had lost in Adam and Eve: a right relationship with God. It is in this reconciliation, as our sins are blotted out as we believe in Christ, that true joy and peace can be found.
And so, it is appropriate for you to hear the question that was asked the disciples when they came to find Christ’s dead body (Luke 24:5b): “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” Things of earth cannot satisfy your eternal soul. It is as you see with your spiritual eyes the beauty of Christ, and as your hear about the love of God in sending Christ to redeem condemned man, that you will be truly satisfied. Come to Christ today and find true rest and true satisfaction for your soul!
