Can There be True Satisfaction in Sin?

Perhaps the greatest victory that Satan has ever won is how he has convinced mankind that sin is enjoyable and pleasurable. Human beings freely engage in all kinds of activities that will lead them nowhere, at least in spiritual terms-- the quest for money, the quest for satisfaction of the desires of the flesh, and other such things, and yet how many have really thought about where all these really lead? Let us ask: can there be true satisfaction in these endeavors?

Money

While America may not have an "official" religion, the worship of the "Almighty Dollar" is offered throughout our land at all times. While having a job and supporting yourself financially is perfectly acceptable and in fact commanded (2 Thessalonians 3:7-12), we are to see money as a means to an end, not the end itself. Yet how many people do we know that are entirely consumed by the desire for more money and more things? Paul rightly speaks of the love of money as the root of all kinds of evil, and how those who desire money pierce themselves with great suffering (1 Timothy 6:10). After all, what happens if you have a dream to have so much money and then reach it? What happens next? More money is desired. You can never have enough-- the more you get, the more you want.

Many people who would read this would think to themselves how that is not true of them: if they had just a little bit more, they'd be satisfied. Well, we can see the example of many people who have won the lottery and yet go bankrupt after a few years. Why? Because they were consumed with the love of the money they had. They went out and bought all the things they had always wanted, and it was not enough. It was never enough. Satisfaction will never truly be found in money.

Sex

Many people believe that the physical satisfaction they receive from sex will make them happy. Many people will engage in sexual relationships to try to make them feel better about themselves, to feel more whole, or to feel strong and attractive. Yet, just as with money, the satisfaction of the sexual desire leads to a need to continually gain satisfaction through sex, and suddenly it is no longer about feeling whole but about feeding a desire.

God designed man to have sexual desires and provided the proper place and purpose for the sexual desire: to cement the bond between a man and his wife (Genesis 2:24). Trying to use sex to make one feel better or more whole is to mistake the purpose of sex and leads, tragically, to despair.

Drugs and alcohol

Drugs and alcohol, to some people, are the types of things you do in order to "have a good time" with other people. Drugs and alcohol, however, often become a means of escape for people who do not want to face the life they are currently living. They feel better about themselves when they are high or drunk, and feel as if they are more liked when high or drunk.

When drugs and alcohol are not about escaping, they are about addiction. People get on drugs and alcohol and continue to use them while aware of the death that looms as the result-- why? It makes no good sense. They continue to use them because they are addicted, feel hopeless, or enjoy the escape.

Reviewing the Problem

Do these things really satisfy? By no means. Money, sex, drugs, and alcohol all may seem rather innocent, and perhaps many can dabble in them a little bit without being burned, yet all of them lead to despair and frustration in some way or another.

We will never find true satisfaction in these physical desires because they do not address our soul. They do not make us feel "whole". We can only feel whole when we cast off the burden of our sin and walk in love according to the will of God. Let us no longer be deceived by sin (Hebrews 3:13)!

Jesus said, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst," (John 6:35).

Ethan R. Longhenry
evangelist@norwalkchurch.org

True Treasure

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," (Matthew 6:19-21 ESV).

Where have you put your trust? Have you put trust in money, or fame, or social standing? All these things can be lost just as quickly as they are gained. It is lamentable that our society places such a great importance on these fleeting values. We would encourage you to put your trust in what truly matters: Heaven. Please come and assemble with us if you have the opportunity-- let us all help one another get to Heaven!

Ethan R. Longhenry
evangelist@norwalkchurch.org

The church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio

Thank you for reading the electronic version of our bulletin, Good News for Norwalk. If you live in Norwalk or happen to be traveling in the Norwalk area, we would certainly love to have you visit one of our assemblies!

Our location:

386 North Edgewood Drive (just off US 250 just north of Norwalk's city limits)
Norwalk, Ohio 44857

Our assemblies:

Sunday morning assembly: 10:30am
Sunday evening assembly: 6:00pm

Our Bible studies:

Sunday morning Bible study: 9:30am
Wednesday evening Bible study: 7:00pm

For More Information

If you have any questions or comments about anything you have read here, or desire more information, please contact our evangelist, Ethan Longhenry, at evangelist@norwalkchurch.org.

Please click here to return to the 2006 archive of Good News for Norwalk, or click here to return to the main page of Good News for Norwalk. Thanks!