All right, I'd like everyone
to take their Bibles and turn with me to the book of Proverbs
chapter 27, Proverbs chapter 27. And I'd like to consider
one verse of scripture, verse 20, a scripture that the Spirit
of God has been pleased to reveal, that which he said is never full,
not full. While time continues in this
world, the scriptures declare that hell and destruction are
never full. Now, concerning hell, Sheol is
the Hebrew word. It means the underworld, the
world of the dead. It means the grave. It means
pit. But this word, as for an exact
definition, it means to lie awake. It's just, it's referring to
a desolate region where no physical life, life as we know it, exists. A place hidden from man's exact
understanding, but a place known, truly reached. by the presence,
the power of Almighty God. David said under the inspiration
of God's spirit in Psalm chapter 139 verses 7 to 8, he said, whether
shall I go from thy spirit, or whether shall I flee from thy
presence, if I ascend up into heaven, thou art there, or if
I make my bed in hell, that is, Sheol, the underworld, the grave,
the pit, Place of no return. Behold, thou art there. Now,
this place, hell, the underworld, the abode of the dead, that is
never full. This is the same place, same
words spoken of concerning our Lord after his crucifixion. Psalm 16 verse 10 says, For thou
wilt not leave my soul in hell. But a word concerning him that
was graciously expressed and defined for us in Psalm chapter
30 in verse 3, it says, O Lord, Jehovah, thou hast brought up
my soul from the grave. Neither wilt thou suffer thine
Holy One to seek corruption. So this we know. Hell, Sheol,
the underworld, the pit, the grave is never full. And also destruction or death. Death, the destroying power is
also said to be not full, never full. Now, from the first opening
of Sheol to receive the body, the first body for the grave,
that place, hell, along with destruction, death, the destroyer,
it's ever ready to receive. So, while in this present life,
In this dispensation, as time continues, never, according to
the Holy Spirit, never shall hell and destruction cease to
claim their victims. Never. On this side of eternity
shall either say, I've had enough. I need no more. I'm fully satisfied. And why? Why? Well, because of sin, sin, the
wages, the pay of sin is death, death. So while men continue
in this world, while there's physical life, as we know it,
the place of Sheol, hell, and that which is found as the reason
for them being there. Death, destruction, because of
sin will never cease. It'll never be full. It's appointed
unto man once to die and then the judgment. Sin has its consequences. Death. And death, now listen,
death that is never full, death that never ceases. is found to
continually, continually, continue to be while they're in shield. They're dying. Dying. They're going to die. They're going to die. Luke chapter
16. Turn with me to Luke 16. Here's
a passage of scripture very revealing concerning The continuing, continuing,
never full, never full, never full of death in that place of
the underworld. All that's there under the judgment
of God. They're dying. Dying. Dying. Luke chapter 16. verse 19 through 24 it says there
was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine
linen and fared sumptuously every day and there was a certain beggar
named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores and
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's
table moreover the dogs came and licked his sores and it came
to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels
into Abraham's bosom, into heaven. The rich man also died and was
buried. And in hell he lifted up his
eyes, being in torments. Now he's in hell. That's what
the scripture, he's in hell, he lift up his eyes, being in
torments, And seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Now here's an insight into those
that leave this world without Christ. This man lifted up his
eyes out of hell. And he could see, he could see
Abraham, Father Abraham. And he could see Lazarus. He
could behold him and he cried and said Father Abraham have
mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his
finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame. How long had he been there? I
don't know. But as long as he had been there
he was tormented tormented in the flame, so hell, shield, and
destruction, death, they're never satisfied, never cease. Those without Christ leave this
world. How long will they die? They
will forever die and die in that place where the worm dies not. The flames are not quenched. But also, back in our passage,
Proverbs 27, verse 20, it says, Not only is hell and destruction
never full, so, or even so, the eyes of man are never satisfied. The eyes of man. Now, the Spirit
of God was pleased to teach us something. of the non-satisfaction. And all men born in Adam possess
non-satisfaction. The eyes of man are never satisfied. Turn to Ecclesiastes Chapter
1. Ecclesiastes Chapter 1. This
is penned by a man named Solomon. Ecclesiastes Chapter 1. And this
man, blessed of God, given wisdom All men born in Adam, there was
none wise as Solomon. And the Spirit of God gave this
man wisdom to teach us something. We learned something here of
the non-satisfaction, unsatisfied in this life. Ecclesiastes 1,
now listen to this. Listen to what this man had to
say. Ecclesiastes 1, 13, 14. I gave my heart to seek and search
out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven.
This sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised
therewith. I have seen all the works that
are done under the sun and behold all is vanity and vexation of
spirit. He said everything that I wanted,
saw, I saw it all. And all of it was empty while
it promised fulfillment. It just left my soul in a state
of absolute discontent. He says in chapter 2, verse 3
to 11, He said, I sought in my heart to give myself unto wine,
yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom and to lay hold on folly
till I might see what was the good for the sons of men which
they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I
made me great works. I builded me houses. I planted
me vineyards. I made me gardens and orchards. I planted trees in them, all
kinds of fruits. I made me pools of water to water
therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees. I got me servants
and maidens and servants born in my house. Also I had great
possessions of great small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem
before me. I gathered me also silver and
gold and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces. I got me men singers and women
singers and delights of the sons of men as musical instruments
that of all sorts and I was great and increased more than all that
were before me in Jerusalem also my wisdom remained with me and
whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them I withheld
not my heart from any joy for my heart rejoiced in all my labor
and this was my portion in all my labor then I looked on all
the works that my hands had wrought And on the labor that I had labored
to do, and behold, all was vanity. All was empty. And vexation of
spirit, I said a moment ago, it promised everything. And it
left my soul not content. And there was no prophet, he
said, under the sun. Everything that I had, everything
that I thought I wanted, was nothing. But friend, while this earth
promises no fulfillment, for those who by the grace of God
have been called and delivered by the power of Almighty God,
rescued from the bondage of sin and unbelief. Those that have
been given a new heart, that heart made willing in the day
of God's power to call upon the Lord Jesus Christ. There is fullness. There's fullness that this world
knows nothing about. Now I want you to hear the words
of the Apostle Paul as he was directed by God's Spirit to declare
the fullness. I want you to turn with me to
Philippians chapter 4. Philippians 4. I want you to
listen to what God Almighty moved upon this man to say. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God and is profitable for correction, for reproof, for
instruction and righteousness. that the man of God might be
thoroughly furnished. Now listen to Philippians 4.
Listen to what Paul has to say. Philippians 4 verse 15 to 18. Now ye Philippians know also
that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia
no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving
but ye only. For even in Thessalonica you
sent once and again unto my necessity not because I desire a gift but
I desire fruit that may abound to your account but now listen
to what the Apostle Paul says next in this 18th verse but I
have all and abound I am full having received of Epaphroditus
the things which were sent from you an odor of a sweet smell,
a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. Now, there's something
I want to consider just for these closing moments. In that 18th
verse that the Spirit of God moved upon Paul to say, he said
concerning himself, he said, but I have all, I have all and
abound and am full. Oh, the richness of being found
in the Lord Jesus Christ. While the eyes of man, according
to our scripture, is never satisfied with the things of this world.
While all that are born in Adam covet, laboring, to add heap
unto their heap, to add gold to their gold, to add the cares
of this world to the cares of this world, and then die, having never had that slaking
thirst for temporal satisfaction brought to be satisfaction. They just never had. All the
idols that they sought, and that's all they are. Things that we
seek after and long after and search for to find peace and
comfort. It's idols. All of these idols
sought after in this life and never have any satisfaction. Solomon said, I tried it all. There was nothing under the sun
that I've withheld. If I could think it, I did it.
I made it. I bought it. Oh, but to be full
in Christ. Now, as I was thinking on that,
all the fullness of being found in Christ. The scripture declares
that believers possess the unsearchable riches of Christ. Now these unsearchable
riches, what does that mean? Now you think, think about that.
The unsearchable riches of Christ. Wealth that is past finding out. No scripture in my mind declares
more clearly the fullness of a believer in Ephesians chapter
1. There's a passage of scripture
we've read many, many times. Those of you that know the Lord,
you know this passage, but I want us to just read it. Ephesians
chapter 1. Now listen, Paul said, I have
all. I abound in all the things of
this world that will never Give satisfaction. The eyes of man
are never, never satisfied, never satisfied. But let me tell you what satisfies,
what settles a believer. And for a believer, they want
to go no farther than right here. This is as far as they want to
go. Listen to this, Ephesians chapter 1, 3 to 12. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Okay, Paul, those
spiritual blessings, all those spiritual blessings in Christ,
what are they? And then the Spirit of God moved
Paul to write them down. According as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world. If you consider
that God would set his affection upon a needy helpless sinner
before the foundation of the world and choose to show that
sinner mercy in Christ that we should be holy and without blame
before him in love that we should be holy and without blame before
God in love in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ Having
predestinated us, determined the destination beforehand unto
the adoption of children, that God would be pleased to adopt
us in Christ, by Christ Jesus, to Himself. And listen to this,
according to the good pleasure of His will. It wasn't that He
looked down and saw any good, there was none good, no not one
good. None sought Him. And he did this to the praise
of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the
beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
of sins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein he hath
abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, and having made
known unto us the mystery of his will. according to his good
pleasure which he purposed in himself that in the dispensation
of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things
in Christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in
him in whom also we've obtained an inheritance being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will that we should be to the praise of
his glory who first trusted in Christ, God who trusted in Christ
first, gave us these unsearchable riches. Oh, unto you that believe. While this world thinks to find
joy, fullness, satisfaction, completeness in these perishing
things, and while they weary themselves as the day of their
departure hastens, you not find yourself longing
to be more thankful? Oh, for the greatest treasure,
to know Him. This is life eternal. This is life eternal, that they
might know thee, the only true God in Jesus Christ. you sent. Yes, we struggle in
this flesh. In the midst of our troubles,
struggles, we do rejoice in Christ Jesus. Our debt to the law of God because
of our sin has been paid in full by the blood of Christ. One of
these days, by the grace of God, we're going to know, we're going
to know something about that. We know it but we want to know it. We see it by faith, but we want
to see it. We believe, Lord help our unbelief. There's no condemnation to them
which be in Christ Jesus. We who believe are robed in his
righteousness, accepted in the beloved heirs of God, joint heirs
with Christ, and the Lord has promised that he will withhold
no good thing from his people, from his sheep. And what we say
with the Apostle Paul, I have all. I abound, I'm full. Where do you go from there? Nowhere. When the Lord asked his apostles,
would you go away also? Remember when the disciples heard
him say some things that were hard to say? And they left, followed
him no more. The Lord asked his disciples,
will you go away? Peter said, Lord, where are we
gonna go? You that believe, where are you gonna go? We're full,
we're bound, we have all. Jacob, in closing, after many
years of separation from his brother Esau because of the birthright
being given unto Jacob, by his father, Isaac. Jacob is coming
to meet his brother. Years later, there's been a lot
of animosity. One of these boys was loved of
God. Jacob have I loved. Esau have I hated. And Jacob and Esau, two brothers
born moments apart, are getting ready see each other after many
years, and Jacob, he's reluctant. He's reluctant. He knows his
brother's been mad at him. Genesis chapter 33. Three to
11 gives us, in one conversation, the difference
between the hope of a carnal man false hope of a carnal man
and the true hope of a believer. Listen as we read this last passage
and he that is Jacob passed over before them bowed himself to
the ground seven times till he came to his brother and Esau
ran to meet him and embraced him fell on his neck and kissed
him they wept and he lifted up his eyes and that is Esau he
saw the women the children and said unto his brother Jacob,
who are those with thee? And he said, the children which
God hath graciously given thy servant. Then thy handmaidens
came near, or I'm sorry, then thee handmaidens came near, and
they and their children, they bowed themselves. Leah also with
her children came near and bowed themselves. After came Joseph,
and Rachel, they bowed themselves. And he said, What meanest thou
by all this drove, which I met? And he said, These are to find
grace in the sight of my Lord. Esau asked him, he said, What
are all these animals? What is all this? And Jacob told
him, he said, I'm bringing these for you. I'm bringing these that
I might find grace in your eyes. And Esau said, I have enough,
my brother. I've got increase. I've got abundance. And he said, Keep that thou hast
for thyself. Jacob said, Nay, no, I pray thee,
if now I've found grace and thy sight, then receive my present
at my hand, for therefore I've seen thy face as though I'd seen
the face of God. Thou was pleased with me. Take, I pray thee, my blessing.
that is brought to thee, because God hath dealt graciously with
me, and because I have enough. I use, in the English, the word
is same, it's enough, but where Esau said, I have abundant, I've
got increase, I've got... Jacob, when he said, I have enough,
that's a different word, really, in the Hebrew, it is a different
word. Jacob said, I've got all. I've got the complete. Take,
take this in. I've got it all. In, in Christ,
in Christ, a believer is full. He's full. He abounds. He has, he has all. In this life,
friend, you know this, you that know him, know something about
this. We all know something about this. There's nothing in this
life that is going to satisfy. Oh, but Christ, who is the fullness
of the Godhead. In Him we have all. May the Lord
bless these words to our heart. For Christ's sake.