Posted on 10/07/2020 8:07:41 AM PDT by The Ignorant Fisherman
Dear friends, the death of Eddie Van Halen has absolutely rocked the music world and has hit millions upon millions of fans of all ages with sorrow, grief, and tears. To those of you who are not aquatinted with Eddie Van Halen because you lived in a Christian upbringing, I cannot even begin to express to you what the music world and its millions of fans are feeling right now! Eddie Van Halen was an Arch Icon and a Mega hard rock guitarist vanguard on so many fronts of the music world since the mid-seventies! His name alone - when spoken of - meant superiority in all that is guitar and music! His playing, trendsetting ways, party lifestyle, and EXPONENTIAL influence in music, culture, society, and the music world was beyond massive and may I say... totally EXPONENTIAL!
In the Christian world, Eddie Van Halen might be totally insignificant except for his manner of life outlived (Eph.2:1-2, 1 John 2:15-17); however, for someone like myself who was not raised in a bible believing home; but who was raised in the world who ate, drank, and lived this life till my ETERNAL salvation at 23, I am very very familiar with Eddie Van Halen, the music culture, its trendsetting ways in society and it's total rebellion against ALL that is Almighty God in RIGHTEOUSNESS (Rom. 1:18-32, Eph. 2:1-2)!
The Lord Jesus PERFECTLY stated in light of ETERNITY and in light of Almighty God's ETERNAL RIGHTEOUSNESS;
"What shall it profit a man (gain) if he should gain the whole world and ETERNALLY lose his soul" Mark 8:36
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matt. 6:19-21
My dear friends, if anyone ever came close to gaining the whole world in our day it would have been Eddie Van Halen! The fame, fortune, genius, luxury, industry respect, women, excess upon excess upon excesses; all in the end was ETERNAL vanity without an ETERNAL saving relationship to our ETERNAL RIGHTEOUS Creator! As far as we can see by words and actions; Eddie Van Halen publically demonstrated to all that he had absolutely no fear of Almighty God, nor an ETERNAL saving relationship to his ETERNAL RIGHTEOUS Creator in RIGHTNESS (John 3:16-17; 36)! I have absolutely no pleasure in saying such things and I know that this biblical assessment of Eddie Van Halen will anger many; but Eddie's life truly is a warning to all that we are just dust and vanity as we walk this world and all that is light and life is to be found in our ETERNAL RIGHTEOUS Creator alone (John 1:1-14; 11:25-26; 17:3)!
The Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes is the tragic biography of Adam’s fallen race (i.e., humanity) told by the wisest of all men, King Solomon. King Solomon possessed it all: wisdom, brilliance, discernment, authority, prestige, riches/ wealth, property/ possessions, power, fame, women, and glory. Amazingly, as he was reflecting on his life in his last days, he made this very sobering and tragic statement: “Vanity of vanities…all is vanity” (Eccl. 1:1-15, 12:7-8).
In possessing all of this stature and achievement, it never satisfied the ETERNAL void of his heart. All of it did not - and could not - yield peace and contentment. In the end, all of Solomon's great achievements and pomp could never deliver him in the hour of his death. To Solomon, all indeed was truly dust in the wind...
Dust in the Wind, the title of a song released by the group Kansas in the late 1970s, is a melancholy piece regarding the terrible uncertainties and brevity of earthly existence. There is no certainty, no hope, no expectation, no solution, and no deliverance. The song is painted with pessimistic colors and presents a bleak and tragic picture with absolute abandonment and no salvation to be found. All we are is dust in the wind….
"All we are is dust in the wind..."
What the majority of humanity (and the song) greatly misses is that without Almighty God, our Creator and Sustainer and His righteousness, all is indeed an absolute tragedy, vanity and dust in the wind (Psalm 39:5). My friend, that was never God’s plan and purpose for His creation (Rom. 5:12-21). It is Almighty God’s sincerest desire that all would come to the saving knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ and have ETERNAL LIFE. The Bible states:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:16-17)
"Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die…?" (Ezekiel 33:11)
"For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost" (Matt 18:11)
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt 11:28-30)
Jesus said, "The thief (Satan) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10)
Your existence here in time does not have to end in vanity. Almighty God has a great future plan and purpose for your life.
But as it is written, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him"(1 Cor. 2:9)
"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25)
"And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 22:5)
Without Almighty God’s remedy for our sinful condition which is found only in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ, indeed all is truly vanity and dust in the wind.
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? " (Matt 16:26)
"Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah" (Psalm 39:5).
"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev 20:11-15)
In the end, Solomon fully comprehended that Almighty God was absolutely essential for the existence of man. To know Him is life ETERNAL with great expectation and purpose!
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Eccl. 12:13,14)
Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? To know Him is to have ETERNAL LIFE and possess ETERNAL HOPE. May it be your sincere desire to know the One that made it all possible for you to have all of God’s highest and best for your life - both here in time and also for ETERNITY.
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!
Oh yeah back in the Bible days they were seeing Eddie Van Halen.....
You are not winning or influencing people with this garbage.
This is stupid!
glad you read it now... again your offend at God’s gift of ETERNAL Salvation because you are not a believer.
What didn’t you disagree with?
lol... what???
Read John 3:16-17, and find where you are there.
Just pointing out the biblical message of salvation for all, why is this so offensive to you? John 3:19-21
” To those of you who are not aquatinted with Eddie Van Halen because you lived in a Christian upbringing,..”
What is THAT supposed to mean?
I stopped reading.
Nice sermon. Somehow I missed “Judge not lest ye be judged” but I’m confident it must be in there....somewhere.
first of all I was pointing out that many did... no offense...
Secondly, you’re no different in what you just said about RBG... lol
No one but God knows whether or not a person goes to Heaven or Hell. I never presume that a person went to Hell, because a person can change and believe in a nanosecond, and I believe the LORD draws us unto him til the last possible moment. I’m guessing there are many people saved this way. Especially those who never knew anything about him.
Of course, I wouldn’t want to risk living like the devil, though. I’m sure there are plenty who refuse to bend the knee, anyway.
“Ignorant”, indeed.
Let’s see your article stating he is an unbeliever. You’re the one holding him up as the non-believer. Prove it.
Dancing on another’s grave is in very bad taste. I suspect the writer did not know Eddie Van Halen and simply reacted to a media created myth. As an amateur musician, I can tell you for certain what Eddie did with most of his time. Practice.
The comfort is that there is hope in Jesus.. and life apart from Him is ETERNALLY vain. Are you that disconnected?
You are the self righteous one my friend.. look in the mirror, Rom. 3:23, 10:2-4
I assume you are talking of Protestantism and Catholicism as organized religion.
How about Buddhism, Islam, Scientology, etc., even Satanism? They are pretty organized. Atheism, even, per the Supreme Court.
I might stretch things to posit that Evolution, “Science”, Liberalism, Conservatism, etc., are religion to some.
It seems that many are not turning their backs on some of these religions, but are joining them.
Now to get “Judgemental”: The Good News is that Jesus Christ died for our sins. Believing and accepting and living in Jesus, alone, puts us into The Loving God’s Eternal Kingdom.
And spreading that Good News is the job of a Christian.
his own words his own life tell the story, what does our own words and life tell?
Gal. 2:20
A belief in God does not require a dogma, and process, a procedure, or someone else telling a person what to think, how to practice, or what to believe, or how to act.
God doesn’t care about your feeble opinions.
There’s ETERNAL hope in Jesus, that is the message... EVH own words and life expressed....
You need to rethink how you use that verse, you have taken it totally out of context... you sound pious though...
eyeroll.
God doesn’t care about your feeble opinions.
= = =
But He does care about you.
Again, his own words his own life expessed... look it up...
The bottom line in the end for any.. Eccl. 12:13-14, can you digg it?
Judge not...
It's faith.
We can know that we are saved when we are born again. The change that happens in the person's life is evidence of that.
Plus God promises and assures us of it.
John 3:14-18 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
We are judged righteous in Christ, not on the basis of what we've done but on the basis of what JESUS has done for us.
We are saved NOW, not just as a future event that we have to wait to find out if we made it.
When you have the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ credited to your account (life), then God sees you as perfect and righteous as Jesus. Your sin is no longer counted against you because Jesus took the punishment for it so that you don't have to.
If God, then still held us accountable for our sin, then He would be unjust demanding payment for sin that was already paid for.
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