Worthy is the Lamb That Was Slain

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by his

blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour,

and glory, and blessing. Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto

Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever.

(Revelation 5:12-14)

Amen.

Pleasures forevermore!

("Solitude Sweetened" by James Meikle, 1730-1799)

Alas! with what desperate madness are those chargeable--who are taken up with transitory trifles, and neglect the realities of the everlasting world? When I consider the vanity of all earthly greatness, I cannot help concluding, that such as pursue after it are intoxicated with poison. But even if the pleasures of this world were real and solid, yet they are so transient--that they are not worthy our pursuit!

O how wise they are for earthly trifles--but how foolish for eternal realities!

Once a great king made a vast feast for his nobles for a hundred and eighty days; nothing less than a royal treasury could support the expense of such an entertainment.

But the King of kings shall feast and satiate all His mighty angels, and all His chosen people on His own undiminished fullness through eternity itself! Here is . . .
bliss without ceasing,
abundance beyond all bounds,
and possession without end!

"In Your presence is fullness of joy! In Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore!" (Psalm 16:11)

Addition Dr. Morris:

We live in a world of absolute lunacy, lunatics making the decisions, very low people ruling in very high places. 

Is there any child who would celebrate parents of the same sex... regardless of what they call themselves. Over the years, I have employed many young people to work for me... many businesses, MY many opportunities to have some effect on young lives. Perhaps the most mixed up-messed up young man I ever knew was raised by two lesbians who claimed to be married. He despised both of them... what they had done to his life. There is an old song, be it ever so humble, there's no place like home AND, what made it home was a father and mother, and the children remembering the struggles of their parents. 

This writer was raised on the land, in the community where his parents, grandparents, great-grandparents etc., had farmed and lived for many generations. They were land owners but just hard working people. Their homes-houses had survived the Civil War. They never owned slaves... never owned any human beings, just farm livestock. And, their livestock was treated well. I still remember that my father always put the hard-working mule teams into the pasture so they could graze on Sunday, the day the family was in church and resting. I don't know how many times I used the psalm above in public speaking and public prayers. If I could only get that message across, "in thy presence is fullness of joy, in thy right hand, pleasures evermore."

Most church members I have known want a checklist Christianity, a bomb shelter faith, a bellhop God. We want to live very much like the rest of the world except when we need our religion. If we do not get a thrill from hearing someone sing that wonderful hymn, "Worthy Is The Lamb", if you do not get a thrill from hearing God's word anywhere at anytime, if you do not get joy from the security of your faith, then something is wrong. Family members-cousins etc., who returned to our old family homes, to our old family church, were always choked up with emotions... often would weep openly at the church because they knew that it was the struggles-faith-grace-power-mercy, not anything they could gain by working-buying-acquiring that made the joy of their home and church possible.

If a person could actually earn points, in some way buy, study for degrees of attainment in order to gain Heaven, most would be busy doing so. Perhaps some of the degree work secretive-fraternal groups have attempted this (You know I speak of the Masons and to some extent, civic groups) always, without fail, the nearer I got to the top of any ladder I was climbing, in any organization, spiritual, political, military, civic, the more I realized the compromises necessary to get there. It is in the salvation provided all of us chosen-drawn-called by God that we find attainment simply because of His mercy. There is nothing we can do, it is a free gift. One man told me that if he could keep his family and friends out of Hell, he would crawl on his hands and knees across the continent. Once in Tibet, once in Canada, this world traveler saw pilgrims crawling up mountainsides in an effort to please their God.