Happiness Is the Lord

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Happiness Is the Lord

• Ecclesiasts 112-211

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Ecclesiastes 112-211

• I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in
  Jerusalem. 13 And I set my mind to seek and
  explore by wisdom concerning all that has been
  done under heaven. It is a grievous task which
  God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted
  with. 14 I have seen all the works which have
  been done under the sun, and behold, all is
  vanity and striving after wind.

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Ecclesiastes 112-211

• 15 What is crooked cannot be straightened
  and what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I
  said to myself, "Behold, I have magnified and
  increased wisdom more than all who were over
  Jerusalem before me and my mind has observed a
  wealth of wisdom and knowledge." 17 And I set
  my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and
  folly I realized that this also is striving
  after wind.

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Ecclesiastes 112-211

• 18 Because in much wisdom there is much
  grief, and increasing knowledge results in
  increasing pain. 21 I said to myself, "Come
  now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy
  yourself." And behold, it too was futility. 2
  I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of
  pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"

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Ecclesiastes 112-211

• 3 I explored with my mind how to stimulate
  my body with wine while my mind was guiding me
  wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I
  could see what good there is for the sons of men
  to do under heaven the few years of their lives.
  4 I enlarged my works I built houses for
  myself, I planted vineyards for myself

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Ecclesiastes 112-211

• 5 I made gardens and parks for myself and I
  planted in them all kinds of fruit trees 6 I
  made ponds of water for myself from which to
  irrigate a forest of growing trees. 7 I bought
  male and female slaves and I had homeborn slaves.
  Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all
  who preceded me in Jerusalem.

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Ecclesiastes 112-211

• 8 Also, I collected for myself silver and
  gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I
  provided for myself male and female singers and
  the pleasures of menmany concubines. 9 Then I
  became great and increased more than all who
  preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by
  me.

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Ecclesiastes 112-211

• 10 All that my eyes desired I did not
  refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any
  pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all
  my labor and this was my reward for all my labor.
  11 Thus I considered all my activities which
  my hands had done and the labor which I had
  exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving
  after wind and there was no profit under the sun.

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Ecclesiastes 1213-14

• The conclusion, when all has been heard, is
  fear God and keep His commandments, because this
  applies to every person. 14 For God will bring
  every act to judgment, everything which is
  hidden, whether it is good or evil.

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Happiness is to know the Savior

• Knowing Jesus
• Knowing His life
• Knowing His sacrifice
• Will make our lives truly joyful
• 2 Timothy 112

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2 Timothy 112

• For this reason I also suffer these things, but
  I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed
  and I am convinced that He is able to guard what
  I have entrusted to Him until that day.

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... Living a life within His favor,

• Solomon spoke of having fear of the Lord.
• Being outside of His doctrine is a fearful thing.
• Living within His favor brings joy to our lives.

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... Living a life within His favor,

• How can we live within His favor?
• We can begin by studying His word
• Psalm 119104a
• From Your precepts I get understanding

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... Living a life within His favor,

• How can we live within His favor?
• We can begin by studying His word
• Psalm 119105
• Your word is a lamp to my feet
• And a light to my path.

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... Living a life within His favor,

• How can we live within His favor?
• We can begin by studying His word
• Matthew 56
• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
  righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

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... Living a life within His favor,

• How can we live within His favor?
• We can begin by studying His word
• Romans 1017
• So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by
  the word of Christ.

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Romans 1013-15a

• for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD
  WILL BE SAVED." 14 How then will they call on
  Him in whom they have not believed? How will they
  believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how
  will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will
  they preach unless they are sent?

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1 John 322-24a

• and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because
  we keep His commandments and do the things that
  are pleasing in His sight. 23 This is His
  commandment, that we believe in the name of His
  Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as
  He commanded us. 24 The one who keeps His
  commandments abides in Him, and He in him.

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Jeremiah 1516

• Your words were found and I ate them, And Your
  words became for me a joy and the delight of my
  heart For I have been called by Your name, O
  LORD God of hosts.

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Having a Change in my behavior

• Many in the church today do not have a proper
  understanding of Repentance.
• Many think repentance is coming forward and
  confessing sin in their lives, thats it.

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Having a Change in my behavior

• True Repentance means turning away from the
  sinful life
• Matthew 1037
• He who loves father or mother more than Me is
  not worthy of Me and he who loves son or
  daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

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Having a Change in my behavior

• True Repentance means turning away from the
  sinful life
• Matthew 1929
• And everyone who has left houses or brothers or
  sisters or father or mother or children or farms
  for My name's sake, will receive many times as
  much, and will inherit eternal life.

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Happiness is a new creation

• Solomon spoke of our lives on earth as a useless
  meaningless experience when we cater to the
  desires of our flesh.
• But what happens at the point of Belief,
  Repentance, Confession and Baptism?

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Happiness is a new creation

• We become a new creature
• Romans 64-5

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Romans 64-5

• Therefore we have been buried with Him through
  baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised
  from the dead through the glory of the Father, so
  we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if
  we have become united with Him in the likeness
  of His death, certainly we shall also be in the
  likeness of His resurrection,

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Colossians 39-10

• Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside
  the old self with its evil practices, 10 and
  have put on the new self who is being renewed to
  a true knowledge according to the image of the
  One who created him

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Happiness is a new creation

• We become a new creature
• We now walk in newness of life (Romans 64) and
  have a great hope laid before us in heaven
  (Colossians 15).

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Jesus and me in close relation.

• True joy is having a close relationship with
  Jesus.
• We must speak with Him through prayer
• 1 Thessalonians 517
• Pray without ceasing.

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Jesus and me in close relation.

• True joy is having a close relationship with
  Jesus.
• We must speak with Him through prayer
• Allow Him to speak to us through His word
• Hebrews 11,2

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Hebrews 11,2

• God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in
  the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
  2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son,
  whom He appointed heir of all things, through
  whom also He made the world.

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John 1426

• But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
  will send in My name, He will teach you all
  things, and bring to your remembrance all that I
  said to you.

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Having a part in His salvation

• We must take part in His salvation.
• What is His salvation?
• It is found in belief in Him
• Repentance of our sins
• Confession of our belief in Jesus as the Son of
  God
• Baptism into His body

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• Real joy is mine, no matter if tear-drops start,
  Ive found the secret its Jesus in my heart
• The secret to real joy is having Jesus in our
  heart, having Jesus be first and foremost in our
  lives.

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Happiness is to be forgiven

• What a sad state many in the world are in when
  they deny themselves the cleansing power of the
  blood of Christ by not obeying the gospel.
• There is no better feeling in this world than to
  arise from the waters of baptism and realize that
  all of the sins you have committed have been
  washed away.

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Living a life thats worth the livin

• By living a life that looks to Jesus for
  salvation, knowing that
• there is laid up for me the crown of
  righteousness
• 2 Timothy 46-8

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2 Timothy 46-8

• For I am already being poured out as a drink
  offering, and the time of my departure has come.
  7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished
  the course, I have kept the faith 8 in the
  future there is laid up for me the crown of
  righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
  Judge, will award to me on that day and not only
  to me, but also to all who have loved His
  appearing.

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Taking a trip that leads to heaven

• What is your final destination?
• Every day Im camping ... toward the land of
  Canaan ...
• We must live every day as if we are making our
  final journey toward heaven.

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Are you happy??

• Are you putting the Lords will first and
  foremost in everything you do?
• Vanity ... all is vanity and grasping of the
  wind
• Do you want to be TRULY happy?
• Obey the Lord
• Do not delay

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