In 1953, undersea divers working with Jacques Cousteau from his ship, the Calypso, dove down into the depths of the Mediterranean, off the coast of France and discovered the wreck of an ancient Greek trading ship. Most of the ship had rotted away, but amazingly much of the cargo remained on the ocean floor.
In the wreckage they found thousands of clay jars called amphoras. These amphoras were used to store trading goods such as wheat, oil and wine. Many of these amphoras were brought up by divers to the deck of the ship Calypso.
To their surprise, they discovered some of the amphoras still contained wine. An archaeologist on board determined the amphoras were about 2000 years old. The divers were curious about what the two-millennia-old wine might taste like. They poured some into a glass and took a sip. The wine tasted awful and they spit it out.
Permanent Joy
In the Bible wine is often associated with joy. “Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased” (Psalm 4:77Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. (Psalm 4:7)). Wine may grow old over thousands of years and lose its taste, but there is a joy described in the Bible that will never grow old.
The joy referred to is nearly 2000 years old, and it is as fresh today as it ever was. It is the joy of walking close to the Lord Jesus Christ and knowing His love. Nearly 2000 years ago, the Lord Jesus gave His life on the cross so that sinners could know God’s love.
By God’s grace, those who were once sinners may come to love the Lord Jesus. When they pass out of this world, the joys of heaven will be so great that mere earthly bodies would never be able to contain it. This is one reason why believers will receive resurrection bodies. These resurrection bodies will be well suited to the joys of heaven. The amphoras were clay jars that held wine. The transformed and glorified bodies of believers in Christ will be like amphoras that hold the unspeakable joys of heaven.
How about you? Do you want to know the joys of walking with the Savior? Do you want to know the joys of heaven? Of spending eternity in the presence of the Lord Jesus? Of seeing God face to face? Then in your heart you need to look to the Savior who died on the cross and arose from the grave. “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:2222Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:22)).
Ever since He died nearly 2000 years ago, this world has been going on much like it always has. But the day is coming when the Lord Jesus Christ will come back to Earth to set all things right. This means that everybody living on Earth — and everybody who has ever lived on Earth and passed away — will come and stand before the judgment seat of Christ. The Lord Jesus, who was rejected and crucified, will become the judge of the whole earth.
He will send out of His presence all who haven’t had their sins washed away: the wicked, the godless, the cruel, the deceitful. Those who reject Christ and His message of grace will be sent out of His presence forever into the darkness of a lost eternity. Never again will they hear an entreaty for them to get right with God and leave their sin behind. Never again will God’s Holy Spirit strive with them to turn from their evil ways. After appearing at the judgment seat of Christ, they will be cast out of His presence forever and experience the everlasting sorrows of hell. What a loss!
On the other hand, those who repent and turn to the Lord in faith will be welcomed into God’s everlasting kingdom. They will hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matthew 25:2121His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matthew 25:21)). I want to hear the Lord say to me, “Enter thou into the joy of the Lord,” and I hope you do too.
A Christian writer once wrote, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” God wants everyone to experience that joy. He wants no one to miss out. But that joy is contingent on a soul believing in the crucified Savior who tasted death for all men. Will you place your faith in Jesus Christ so the joy of knowing the Savior can be yours? The joy of knowing Christ will never grow old. It has the power to stay fresh for all eternity. “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:1717For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14:17)).
Jacques Cousteau and his divers discovered the 2000-year-old wine at the bottom of the Mediterranean. It didn’t taste good. Two thousand years ago Christ died on the cross for sinners. His death, by which sins are put away, and His resurrection, which is proof that God accepts His sacrifice, have the power to bring joy to the hearts of every man and woman. Won’t you consider what He has done on your behalf and then in the words of King David, “O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:88O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Psalm 34:8))? The joy of knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior surpasses every other joy and will never grow old!
We really don’t have time to waste if we are to benefit from God’s goodness, as Tent Stakes makes clear.