Apart from Jesus Christ no man, woman or child can ever be truly satisfied. Every thrill will only seek a greater thrill.
B. B. McKinney wrote a song called “Satisfied With Jesus” in 1926 that reveals the satisfaction that comes form our Lord.
SATISFIED WITH JESUS
1 I am satisfied with Jesus,
He has done so much for me:
He has suffered to redeem me,
He has died to set me free.
Chorus:
I am satisfied, I am satisfied,
I am satisfied with Jesus,
But the question comes to me,
As I think of Calvary,
Is my Master satisfied with me?
2 He is with me in my trials,
Best of friends of all is He;
I can always count on Jesus,
Can He always count on me? [Chorus]
3 I can hear the voice of Jesus,
Calling out so pleadingly,
“Go and win the lost and straying”;
Is He satisfied with me? [Chorus]
4 When my work on earth is ended,
And I cross the mystic sea,
Oh, that I could hear Him saying,
“I am satisfied with thee.” [Chorus]
Is it possible that a Christian could have dissatisfaction in their life? Oh yes, it is very possible. But that sounds impossible you say. It does, doesn’t it? However if a Christian is out of fellowship with God, he or she will not be at rest. They will not have satisfaction.
So what does it mean for a Christian to be out of fellowship with God? Let me explain it this way.
When we were children and disobeyed our parents, dissatisfaction set in. It could have been from guilt, fear of being caught, dread of punishment, shame or perhaps something else. Regardless, we had no satisfaction because we were out of fellowship with our parents. In other words, we were not at peace with ourselves. Our parents were still our parents, and we were still their child, but let us say, the line of communication was broken, and it could not be restored until the problem was rectified. Once everything was out in the open and the problem was resolved, satisfaction was restored.
This is why the Lord provided 1 John 1:9 for His children, which says,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Even Christians will try wrong paths to get to the place they need to be in order to have a restored satisfaction.
For example, they buy some new clothes, but when the newness fades, so does the thrill. They may buy a living room suite, but again, when the newness fades, so does the thrill. It may be a new car, or a vacation, or a ring, or a knife, or exercise equipment, or … Well, you know how it is. We keep going for something to give us a sense of happiness, but we can’t find happiness that lasts because it isn’t what we need. Happiness comes only from a close relationship with Jesus Christ, and then satisfaction is found, true satisfaction that lasts. Then we can sing the song “Satisfied With Jesus” with joy, because peace has been restored within our soul.
Those who are not true Christians of course will never be satisfied with their lives because they do not know Jesus Christ. Until they come to Him in faith and accept His gift of salvation, they will always be reaching for something, but never satisfied.
I want to make another point concerning satisfaction. There are also dark forces in this world that will never be satisfied with the havoc brought upon mankind. It always hungers for more, continuing to pull man on down to even darker areas of perversion. The principalities and powers Paul spoke of (Ephesians 6:12) are very real. The evil heart of man is also very real. When the two get together, satisfaction is never found. In this dark world, only something more evil than the last action will do, but then that too must be topped with something else even more outlandish.
When movies were first produced they were rather tame. However, as time passed, each had to show a little more skin or a little more blood. Each had to top the last act in order to satisfy the evil heart of man, but there’s a problem. The evil heart of man and the dark world of Satan are never satisfied. They must be continually fed with more and more and more. Now, anyone can obtain a movie or video depicting anything the mind can conceive, absolutely anything.
Ronald Reagan said, “I don’t believe in a government that protects us from ourselves.” This is the excuse provided by our government when regulating our lives, but regulations breed more regulations. Eventually, freedom is gone. Government is never satisfied.
When two people are dating, a kiss may seem so innocent, but if not kept in check, a simple kiss and human libido can result in a child out of wedlock. One thing led to another. Satisfaction could not be attained in the kiss, it had to have more, and it got more, more than bargained for.
How do you spoil a child? You give them everything they want, thinking with each provision, they will be satisfied, but they never are. They always want more, always.
Why do people steal? They are not satisfied with what they have. They want what you have too.
Why do people get in debt over their head? They want to “keep up with the Joneses.” They are never satisfied with what they have.
Why do cattle sometimes break a fence trying to get to the grass on the other side of the fence? The grass looks greener and tastier over there. They are not satisfied with their location.
It used to be safe to leave the television on, with your child in the room, while you went to the kitchen. You had better be very careful about that these days though, because even a commercial may provide “entertainment” you don’t want your child to see.
There once was a day when it was disgraceful to have a child out of wedlock, but today it is joyfully announced. There was a time when homosexuality was a perversion, but today it is an alternate lifestyle.
Once upon a time men showed respect toward women because they witnessed first hand the respect their dad showed their mother. Today that is laughable in some circles, and some women reject it, because they have no respect for themselves.
While growing up, I was never instructed to read anything in school that was considered trash. Today, it has gone beyond trash. It’s unspeakable what young children are required to read.
Are we getting the point? I could go on indefinitely, and so could you. This world is not getting better, because evil can never be satisfied to stay in one place. It must continue to grow and grow. It’s like a cancer. It will never go away on its own. It will only increase in its perverted activities.
I understand that some people actually believe that the Church is going to eventually usher in a perfect world and then Jesus will return. Others actually believe that we are now in the Millennium. Bless their little hearts. I don’t know what these dear folks are sniffing, but they need to wake up and smell the coffee.
Jesus made it abundantly clear that evil in the world would increase and eventually get to the point that He would have to come and put a stop to it, just as He did in Noah’s day and Lot’s day. Maybe He knew something about being satisfied. Maybe He knew that evil can never be satisfied. Maybe He knew that with each passing year evil would just get more and more shocking, and society (as the frog in the slowly heated water) would hardly notice.
One doesn’t have to go any further than Romans 1:18-32, or 2 Timothy 3:1-9 or 2 Peter chapters two and three or Jude to see a snapshot of our world today. You would think that Paul, Peter and Jude were given a birds-eye view of what we have become today. I could also mention Revelation chapters two and three. John must have been looking down on us too.
Folks are you satisfied with your life? If you don’t have Jesus in your life, you may think you’re satisfied, but you’re not. I’ll prove it. You think you’re satisfied now? Give it a little time and you will be yearning for something else.
Time is running out. From what I see in the Scriptures, we have just about reached God’s patience. Very soon, the Lord God is going to say, “It’s time.”
“5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” (Genesis 6:5-8)
Have you “found grace in the eyes of the LORD?” If so, you have found true satisfaction and you will not be disappointed. If you have not, don’t laugh it off as they did in Noah’s day. Those who laughed found no sanctuary in the Ark. They drowned while scratching on the sides of the Ark trying to get in. They could not get in though, because God shut the door (Genesis 7:16).
What will it be? Can you say with B. B. McKinny, “I am satisfied with thee?”