WEBVTT 00:00:04.307 --> 00:00:09.054 So today is the final message in our sermon series entitled Everything is Meaningless. 00:00:09.054 --> 00:00:12.746 I think that that is a tremendous title. 00:00:12.746 --> 00:00:14.730 To grow a church right. 00:00:14.730 --> 00:00:16.181 Come to our church. 00:00:16.181 --> 00:00:18.507 We're studying everything is meaningless. 00:00:18.507 --> 00:00:21.728 But this stuff is in the Bible. 00:00:21.728 --> 00:00:31.431 Each week we have discovered different elements of life in this world that people look to for meaning but really they don't hold much value or meaning at all. 00:00:31.431 --> 00:00:37.566 And at times it feels like that our efforts, as good as they are, they feel like we're chasing after the wind. 00:00:37.566 --> 00:00:41.951 If anybody ever experienced that, it's like you can't quite get your hands around it. 00:00:41.951 --> 00:00:47.993 But this book concludes not with something that's meaningless but something very meaningful. 00:00:47.993 --> 00:00:52.450 So this is this sermon is called a meaningful conclusion. 00:00:52.450 --> 00:00:55.167 Let's turn to Ecclesiastes, chapter 12. 00:00:55.167 --> 00:00:56.966 We're going to start in verse nine. 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:06.546 Besides being wise, the preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. 00:01:06.546 --> 00:01:13.512 The preacher sought to find words of delight and uprightly he wrote words of truth. 00:01:13.512 --> 00:01:17.887 The words of the wise are like goats and like nails. 00:01:17.887 --> 00:01:20.671 Firmly fixed are the collected sayings. 00:01:20.671 --> 00:01:25.120 They are given by one shepherd, my son. 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:27.808 Beware of anything beyond these. 00:01:28.730 --> 00:01:34.170 Of making many books there is no end and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 00:01:34.170 --> 00:01:36.262 The end of the matter. 00:01:36.262 --> 00:01:38.206 All has been heard. 00:01:38.206 --> 00:01:52.887 Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man, for God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. 00:01:52.887 --> 00:01:55.640 Let's pray, father. 00:01:55.640 --> 00:01:57.986 We thank you for your matchless words. 00:01:57.986 --> 00:02:08.347 Lord, it's so amazing to me every time that I open your book or every time I heard here at red, or sung or talked about. 00:02:08.347 --> 00:02:29.409 It brings life, it brings light, it changes us, and so, lord, would you do the work that only you can do today and take these words that you've given to me, cause them to be filled with life and power for change and transformation, and we give you glory for them in Jesus name, amen. 00:02:29.409 --> 00:02:30.902 So it's interesting. 00:02:30.943 --> 00:02:32.909 I did not know they were going to show that video today. 00:02:32.909 --> 00:02:34.585 It was a great surprise. 00:02:34.585 --> 00:02:42.650 But I'm starting out talking a little bit about what the video was about, but from the other side of things, from the pastor side. 00:02:42.650 --> 00:02:47.811 So every preacher that I know of kind of has a love hate relationship with sermon prep. 00:02:47.811 --> 00:02:53.372 So preparing a sermon the week of your sermon, it's like it's a serious thing. 00:02:53.372 --> 00:03:02.650 It takes days and hours to pull it together and there's all kinds of things that you're thinking about in preparation for giving a sermon. 00:03:02.759 --> 00:03:09.009 So here are a list of some of the questions that run through my mind as I'm preparing my messages. 00:03:09.009 --> 00:03:11.426 Number one what does the passage mean? 00:03:11.426 --> 00:03:12.883 That's important, right. 00:03:12.883 --> 00:03:18.581 We don't want to just say something that is totally out of line of what the passage actually means. 00:03:18.581 --> 00:03:21.246 What did it mean to the original hearers? 00:03:21.246 --> 00:03:25.328 How were the principles applicable to our day and time? 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:27.348 What should I say? 00:03:27.348 --> 00:03:29.223 How should I say it? 00:03:29.223 --> 00:03:34.181 How do I engage the people I'm speaking to so that they will listen to what I have to say? 00:03:34.181 --> 00:03:39.667 When should I try I'm focusing on try to try to be funny. 00:03:39.667 --> 00:03:43.574 Try to be funny, thank you. 00:03:43.574 --> 00:03:46.246 Or when should I be serious? 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:51.569 Am I going to make people too mad or too happy by what I'm going to say? 00:03:51.569 --> 00:03:54.728 What illustrations or stories should I tell? 00:03:54.728 --> 00:04:00.149 How do I say everything that needs to be said in the time allotted to me? 00:04:00.149 --> 00:04:02.762 That's a challenge. 00:04:02.762 --> 00:04:06.868 How do I make sure that I'm not misunderstood or misquoted? 00:04:06.868 --> 00:04:10.288 I can't really do anything about that. 00:04:10.288 --> 00:04:16.211 How can I make sure that the gospel is being spoken purposefully and powerfully? 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:21.110 The gospel is what brings about life and change in people's lives. 00:04:21.110 --> 00:04:37.632 Is God truly being glorified by what is being said, but there's one question that haunts me more than any other question, and that is is anybody's life actually going to change as a result of this sermon today? 00:04:37.632 --> 00:04:42.788 That's the one that I think about the most. 00:04:42.788 --> 00:04:57.050 The Lord kind of gave me an answer to that or a solution, and that is and you may not even realize this, but every week that any of us elders of your church pastors here at TCC prepare our message. 00:04:57.050 --> 00:05:06.422 Our first prayer, our first thought is not what we can do, what we can say to you, but our first thought is God, would you change us? 00:05:06.422 --> 00:05:20.781 The word of God that we preach to you has first been implemented in our own heart and in our own soul to bring about the change that we hope and desire that will happen in your lives. 00:05:20.781 --> 00:05:36.550 And so I can stand before you today with all in all honesty and transparency and openness and say I'm not where I need to be, but the change that needs to occur in my life from this passage of scripture is beginning to occur, and I thank God for that. 00:05:36.550 --> 00:05:47.819 And my prayer is that that same change will transfer to you, that you will see God work in you and through you as a result of today's message. 00:05:49.093 --> 00:05:57.541 So Solomon, as he concludes this book of sermons, he kind of thinks about or talks about the intent of the preacher, right? 00:05:57.541 --> 00:05:59.529 So let me give you a few points. 00:05:59.529 --> 00:06:03.550 Number one the preacher has first understood wisdom in his own life. 00:06:03.550 --> 00:06:04.473 It says. 00:06:04.473 --> 00:06:12.550 Besides being wise, how many of you realize, solomon was a wise man, in fact one of the wisest men who ever lived on the face of the earth. 00:06:12.550 --> 00:06:14.529 Obviously, we know there's one that outdid him. 00:06:14.529 --> 00:06:16.757 His name is Jesus. 00:06:16.757 --> 00:06:29.550 Right, but Solomon was a wise man, he had a lot of wisdom and he shared a lot of his wisdom here also in the book of Proverbs, in a song of Solomon, and then in the book of Psalms. 00:06:29.550 --> 00:06:32.238 Solomon actually wrote some of the Psalms as well. 00:06:32.238 --> 00:06:36.550 So we see this wisdom literature that came from Solomon. 00:06:36.550 --> 00:06:44.358 He understood wisdom in his own life and the question I have for you is are we content with having wisdom for ourselves? 00:06:44.358 --> 00:06:57.295 It would have been one thing for Solomon to have all this wisdom and have a war room where he draws all his plans up and has all of these projects and things and schemes, but he never shared it with anybody else because it was his wisdom. 00:06:57.295 --> 00:07:06.697 That would have been horrible, right, the wisdom that we are given by God is meant to be shared with other people. 00:07:06.697 --> 00:07:10.529 We are called to be wisdom preachers. 00:07:11.413 --> 00:07:16.509 The preacher thoughtfully shared with others the truths he had learned and you can see that here in the text. 00:07:16.509 --> 00:07:22.550 The preacher also taught that people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many Proverbs with great care. 00:07:22.550 --> 00:07:27.358 The preacher sought to find words of delight and, uprightly, he wrote words of truth. 00:07:27.358 --> 00:07:39.697 Now, reading through the book of Ecclesiastes, you may be confused about this, because it sounds in some places like the ramblings of an elderly gentleman, if I'm being honest, if we're being real. 00:07:39.697 --> 00:07:49.529 But what he's saying here is that all of these sayings, all of these wisdom thoughts, have been placed in an orderly manner, on purpose, intentionally. 00:07:49.529 --> 00:07:57.259 The way that they were written, with the emphasis that they were written with all of that was done on purpose by the preacher. 00:07:57.259 --> 00:08:05.550 It's important to know also that speaking the truth in love is a theme that we see used throughout all of the Scriptures. 00:08:05.550 --> 00:08:15.694 You see that the preacher sought to find words of delight, but he also, uprightly, he wrote words of truth, speaking the truth in love. 00:08:15.694 --> 00:08:19.855 Love and truth are friends, not enemies of each other. 00:08:19.855 --> 00:08:25.095 So remember that as we go into our next series, but not only that. 00:08:25.134 --> 00:08:31.156 The preacher also acknowledged that the only words that have power for change are the ones given by the good shepherd. 00:08:31.156 --> 00:08:44.139 It would have been one thing if he stopped his commending to the people the reading of this book at the point that I wrote down some great sayings that are filled with all kinds of wisdom and insight and understanding and knowledge. 00:08:44.139 --> 00:08:47.018 That would have been something that may have been interesting to us. 00:08:47.018 --> 00:08:48.875 But what does he say? 00:08:48.875 --> 00:08:58.919 The preacher acknowledged that the only words that have power for change are the ones from the good shepherd, and the words that he wrote, the words of the wise, are like goats. 00:08:58.919 --> 00:09:00.592 What's a goat? 00:09:00.592 --> 00:09:01.636 Anybody know what a goat is. 00:09:01.636 --> 00:09:14.480 It's like a stick with a point on it, and the purpose of the stick with a point is to keep the flock together, to keep them away from danger, to keep them in a place of safety. 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:23.441 It may hurt a little bit to be prodded or to be poked by a goat, but it's always for good, for the right intent, for the best intent. 00:09:23.441 --> 00:09:32.514 And it says that these sayings were nailed, firmly, fixed, by one shepherd, capital S shepherd. 00:09:33.549 --> 00:09:39.934 Ultimately, the preacher warns us also not to stray far away from wisdom that is rooted in the Word of God. 00:09:39.934 --> 00:09:47.419 This book, the book of Ecclesiastes, is not just the words of Solomon, it is the Word of God. 00:09:47.419 --> 00:09:55.303 And how easy it is for us to stray away from what God says is true and right. 00:09:55.303 --> 00:10:04.402 He says my son, beware of anything beyond these, of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 00:10:04.402 --> 00:10:16.914 I'm here to tell you, guys, we live in an era where everybody wants to get their information from other people that have compiled it for them In every aspect of life. 00:10:16.914 --> 00:10:18.399 We want other people to. 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:33.721 Now we want the computer to do it for us and to compile it and to tell us what is what and what is true and what is wrong and what is all of these different things, my friends, let's please keep the Bible at the very core and center of our study. 00:10:35.398 --> 00:10:36.529 I'm glad to have books. 00:10:36.529 --> 00:10:45.500 I read books a lot, I listen to podcasts, I listen to sermons from other preachers, I listen to music that is uplifting and encouraging. 00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:53.903 But I must find my wisdom, the greatest part of my wisdom, must come from the Word of God. 00:10:53.903 --> 00:10:59.549 Let's read it, let's meditate on it, let's focus on it, let's rely on it. 00:10:59.549 --> 00:11:01.235 It's trustworthy. 00:11:03.010 --> 00:11:05.999 And then, finally, the preacher gives a meaningful conclusion. 00:11:05.999 --> 00:11:08.292 Let's read this the end of the matter. 00:11:08.292 --> 00:11:15.899 All has been heard fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 00:11:15.899 --> 00:11:23.549 So what is the first implorative, what is the first thing that Solomon says must be done, as he's viewed all of life? 00:11:23.549 --> 00:11:40.678 Remember, this is a man who has experienced the highs and lows, but he's experienced a lot of highs the wealthiest man in history, the man who did more and was understood more by people who would come from other nations just to observe the types of things that Solomon had done. 00:11:40.678 --> 00:11:50.541 This was a man who was respected and revered and honored in great ways, and yet, when it comes down to it all it's not about his accolades. 00:11:50.541 --> 00:11:51.995 In fact, all of that is meaningless. 00:11:51.995 --> 00:11:59.835 It's all meaningless, but here's what means something Fear God, fear God. 00:11:59.835 --> 00:12:02.716 What does it mean to fear God? 00:12:02.716 --> 00:12:08.816 Does fearing God look like this or does it look like this? 00:12:08.816 --> 00:12:14.921 It can look like both, depending on where your relationship is with Christ. 00:12:14.921 --> 00:12:30.167 If you don't know Christ, it may look like this, but once we know Christ, the fear of God is ah, it's worship, it's honor, it's glory, everything belongs to him. 00:12:30.167 --> 00:12:39.830 It's an attitude of reverence and awe that God's people show to him because they love him and they wholly respect his power and his greatness. 00:12:39.830 --> 00:12:43.940 This is the very foundation of true religion. 00:12:43.940 --> 00:12:47.378 Fear God, my friends. 00:12:47.418 --> 00:13:03.533 We live in an age where the fear of God has left many churches and many people's lives, and we know that the fear of God is absent from this world because this world continues to denigrate and to go into further and further depravity levels of depravity. 00:13:03.533 --> 00:13:13.298 The fear of God, solomon says in a later writing in Proverbs, chapter one, verse seven the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. 00:13:13.298 --> 00:13:16.437 Fools despise wisdom and instruction. 00:13:16.437 --> 00:13:21.374 It's the beginning of knowledge, it's the basis, it's the foundation. 00:13:21.374 --> 00:13:26.698 In Psalms 111, 10, it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 00:13:26.698 --> 00:13:29.658 All those who practice it have a good understanding. 00:13:29.658 --> 00:13:32.999 His praise endures forever. 00:13:32.999 --> 00:13:41.019 The fear of the Lord is healthy and good and we should embrace it and not run from it. 00:13:41.019 --> 00:13:43.616 God isn't looking for us to run from him. 00:13:43.616 --> 00:13:50.799 He's looking for us to run to him and to understand that he is greater than we are. 00:13:50.799 --> 00:14:13.600 We need to hear that there is something in this universe that is greater than we are and he is God and he is worthy for us to fear him and honor him for what he's, for who he is, just for who he is, even if he didn't do one more thing, just for who he is. 00:14:16.230 --> 00:14:18.719 The fear of the Lord, though, by itself is not enough. 00:14:18.719 --> 00:14:21.278 It requires obedient living. 00:14:21.278 --> 00:14:28.717 The result of fear, the result of true fear of the Lord, is that we will live obedient lives. 00:14:28.717 --> 00:14:32.719 Otherwise, fear that we express is only a sham. 00:14:32.719 --> 00:14:36.572 It's fake, it's not real. 00:14:36.572 --> 00:14:37.475 It's pretend. 00:14:37.475 --> 00:14:47.958 To honor God with our lips but our hearts be far from him is the way that a lot of Christians, people that call themselves Christians, live their lives. 00:14:47.958 --> 00:14:50.455 Let it not be said of us. 00:14:50.455 --> 00:15:00.099 We have a chance, even today, to turn our hearts toward God, to fear him and to obey his commands. 00:15:00.099 --> 00:15:02.494 Keep his commandments. 00:15:02.494 --> 00:15:08.636 The person who truly fears God will pay attention to his word and obey it. 00:15:12.250 --> 00:15:17.936 Now, when we think about that, we think about I'm not under the law, I don't have to do those things. 00:15:17.936 --> 00:15:22.515 How many of you know that the 10 commandments are still a good idea? 00:15:22.515 --> 00:15:31.798 There would be nothing wrong with following and obeying the 10 commandments, and in fact, that's what God intends for us to do. 00:15:31.798 --> 00:15:39.539 Man took the 10 commandments and made 613 rules or regulations or laws, because people do that. 00:15:39.539 --> 00:15:43.595 They take God's stuff that he says is enough, and they say it's not enough. 00:15:43.595 --> 00:15:45.735 So they add to it and they pile on. 00:15:45.735 --> 00:15:53.914 But there's 10 commandments, and then, even further than that, a further delineation of that we know is found, and we'll talk about that in just a minute. 00:15:54.437 --> 00:15:56.754 With Jesus, actually, let's look there real quick. 00:15:56.754 --> 00:16:02.639 Matthew, chapter 22, verses 34 through 40. 00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:13.438 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, jesus here, they gathered together and one of them, a lawyer, asked a question to test him. 00:16:13.438 --> 00:16:21.309 Now we don't know for sure what kind of testing this was, but it probably wasn't like I'm checking you out to see if I wanna follow you or not. 00:16:21.309 --> 00:16:29.177 There's probably more tests, like let's see if we can make this man say something wrong or make a misstep so that we can arrest him. 00:16:30.672 --> 00:16:34.182 He says, teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law? 00:16:34.182 --> 00:16:42.789 And Jesus said to him you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 00:16:42.789 --> 00:16:46.201 This is the great and first commandment. 00:16:46.201 --> 00:16:52.038 And a second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself. 00:16:52.038 --> 00:16:57.875 That's simple Two commandments. 00:16:57.875 --> 00:16:59.120 Can we do that? 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:06.630 Can we be honest, because I want to say on these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets. 00:17:06.630 --> 00:17:11.230 Everything depends on loving God and loving people. 00:17:11.230 --> 00:17:19.056 Loving God and loving people, those are the commandments that we are called by God to fulfill. 00:17:19.056 --> 00:17:21.730 That's where our obedience is to be found. 00:17:21.730 --> 00:17:31.863 In those two places Jesus made it extremely clear for his followers to keep his commandments is to love God and love people. 00:17:31.863 --> 00:17:33.695 That's what it is. 00:17:34.816 --> 00:17:36.450 This is the final counsel of Solomon. 00:17:36.450 --> 00:17:45.000 As he gives this great wisdom and, combined with what we just read about Jesus and what Jesus said, we understand that this is true. 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:51.690 Now we're gonna get into the fact that we can't obey the commandments of God without some help. 00:17:51.690 --> 00:17:52.775 Is that right? 00:17:52.775 --> 00:17:58.099 Because many people better than you and I have attempted and failed, right? 00:17:58.099 --> 00:18:02.560 The next thing is that God will judge the entire world. 00:18:04.633 --> 00:18:10.116 Solomon then begins to get very serious here at the end of the book. 00:18:10.116 --> 00:18:12.170 He's had some fun through the book. 00:18:12.170 --> 00:18:31.982 He's given some wisdom that was kind of tongue in cheek and some that was very somber, and now he hits the most serious of all God will judge the entire world, for God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. 00:18:31.982 --> 00:18:36.969 Now we can look at that and thank God. 00:18:36.969 --> 00:18:40.935 Thank God, we're on this side of the cross, we're on this side of Calvary, and that is true. 00:18:40.935 --> 00:18:42.332 That is true. 00:18:42.432 --> 00:18:47.239 But I want you to also read out of Revelation, chapter 20, verses 11 through 15. 00:18:47.239 --> 00:18:51.718 Because we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 00:18:51.718 --> 00:18:57.121 Each one of us will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 00:18:57.121 --> 00:19:01.015 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. 00:19:01.015 --> 00:19:06.316 From his presence, earth and sky fled away and no place was found for them. 00:19:06.316 --> 00:19:12.638 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne and books were opened. 00:19:12.638 --> 00:19:21.694 Then another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 00:19:21.694 --> 00:19:24.076 Is your name in the book of life? 00:19:24.076 --> 00:19:29.299 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it. 00:19:29.299 --> 00:19:35.755 Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 00:19:35.755 --> 00:19:39.378 And then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. 00:19:39.378 --> 00:19:49.821 This is the second death, the lake of fire, and if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. 00:19:52.150 --> 00:19:58.239 This is New Testament, this is Revelation, this is something that we have, that's coming still. 00:19:58.239 --> 00:20:04.875 The day of the Lord, the day of judgment, the day when we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 00:20:04.875 --> 00:20:14.454 Now we could say here today, if we're all honest, we probably could think of three people right now that needed to be on the judgment list. 00:20:14.454 --> 00:20:19.178 We can laugh or cry, it's true. 00:20:19.178 --> 00:20:29.342 Maybe not three names of people, but three categories of people Abusers, criminals, whatever you wanna list. 00:20:29.342 --> 00:20:32.231 But how many of you know? 00:20:32.291 --> 00:20:38.359 If we're to be honest about this, we have to say we're the ones who deserve the judgment. 00:20:38.359 --> 00:20:43.940 All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. 00:20:43.940 --> 00:20:48.000 All of us are deserving of the wrath of God. 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:55.035 All of us, if we were to get what we deserve, should be separated from God forever and sent to hell. 00:20:55.035 --> 00:20:58.916 That is not just something preachers say. 00:20:58.916 --> 00:21:00.734 That is the absolute truth. 00:21:00.734 --> 00:21:04.577 It's found throughout scripture, from the front to the back. 00:21:04.577 --> 00:21:08.940 These things are absolutely true. 00:21:12.670 --> 00:21:33.009 Thank God that God, in His grace and mercy and love, sent His only Son to live the life that none of us could ever live, because none of us have a desire even to follow after God before he saves us and changes our hearts. 00:21:33.009 --> 00:21:40.102 We're born dead in sin and trespasses, but Jesus came. 00:21:40.102 --> 00:21:40.847 He lived a perfect life. 00:21:40.847 --> 00:21:52.849 He took all of the suffering that he took in His body and I don't believe, when he prayed in the garden, that he was praying about the stripes on His back or the crown of thorns on His head or the nails in His hands and His feet. 00:21:52.849 --> 00:21:59.849 When he cried out my God, my God, is there any other way that we could do this? 00:21:59.849 --> 00:22:16.890 I think he was talking about when the sin of the world came upon His shoulders and the wrath of God was poured out upon Him so that, for the first time and the last time in all of eternity, god the Father and God the Son were no longer together. 00:22:16.890 --> 00:22:20.765 They were separate from each other. 00:22:23.494 --> 00:22:52.587 That's what Jesus endured for us, so that we, by grace, through faith, can put our trust and hope in a living God who did what he said he was going to do, so that we could be changed and we could be made followers of Jesus Christ who are not righteous by our own deeds, but who do deeds that are in line with righteousness, because we have been saved and we have been changed. 00:22:52.587 --> 00:22:54.202 This is the gospel. 00:22:54.202 --> 00:22:56.420 This is the good news. 00:22:56.420 --> 00:23:02.040 We need to remind ourselves of this all the time, all the time. 00:23:02.040 --> 00:23:08.829 So this great gift of salvation that we've been given the technical term for that is justification. 00:23:08.829 --> 00:23:11.667 It's the grace of God that's been given to us. 00:23:11.667 --> 00:23:12.894 It's grace that we don't deserve. 00:23:12.894 --> 00:23:23.829 We've been made just as if we never sinned, just as if we never made a mistake, just as if we were made right with God. 00:23:23.829 --> 00:23:26.890 And we have been made right with God as believers. 00:23:26.890 --> 00:23:29.528 We have been made right with God as believers. 00:23:29.528 --> 00:23:32.869 We have been made right with God as believers. 00:23:34.759 --> 00:23:36.890 But a lot of people think that that's the end of our story. 00:23:36.890 --> 00:23:39.788 I'm just holding on until Jesus returns. 00:23:39.788 --> 00:23:49.817 My friends, if we think that accepting Jesus Christ is all that there is to a relationship with God, we are sadly mistaken. 00:23:49.817 --> 00:23:56.869 There is so much more to this life than just that particular experience, as important as it is. 00:23:56.869 --> 00:24:08.538 According to Scripture, followers of Jesus will continually be increasing in their desire to obey God and to do the things that he wants us to do. 00:24:08.538 --> 00:24:11.849 That should be something that continually grows in us. 00:24:11.849 --> 00:24:15.480 I want to live a life that's pleasing to God. 00:24:15.480 --> 00:24:18.538 Now, it doesn't grow in this kind of a trajectory. 00:24:18.538 --> 00:24:28.598 It grows like this, but we should ever be increasing in our love for God and our desire to obey his commandments. 00:24:28.598 --> 00:24:40.916 And secondly, we should be ever decreasing in our desire to disobey God's commandments and to do the things that this world tells us is what's best for us. 00:24:40.916 --> 00:24:49.136 Those desires, those wants should be decreasing, continuously decreasing. 00:24:51.957 --> 00:24:53.849 That process is called sanctification. 00:24:53.849 --> 00:25:01.003 It's the work of the Holy Spirit, bringing to our attention something that needs to change and him saying let's go together. 00:25:01.003 --> 00:25:01.869 We can do this together. 00:25:01.869 --> 00:25:10.779 Put your hope and faith and trust in a risen Savior and I will give you the grace which is the ability to do what you can't do in your own strength. 00:25:10.779 --> 00:25:16.898 Let's change, not just for change's sake, but let's change to the glory of God. 00:25:16.898 --> 00:25:19.874 To the glory of God. 00:25:19.874 --> 00:25:28.890 I'm going to make a statement that is really the central part of this whole message. 00:25:28.890 --> 00:25:32.199 If you don't get anything else, please pay attention to this. 00:25:32.199 --> 00:25:40.821 Jesus didn't obey all of his Father's commandments so that we wouldn't have to Hear me. 00:25:40.821 --> 00:25:51.869 He didn't obey all of Father's commandments so that we wouldn't have to, but so he could empower us by the Holy Spirit to do what we can't do in our own strength. 00:25:51.869 --> 00:25:57.598 We are called to walk like Jesus walked. 00:26:03.750 --> 00:26:12.015 Let me ask you this if there were only one question asked of us at the judgment seat of Christ, if God looked at us and said what did you do with the gift of love? 00:26:12.015 --> 00:26:16.653 What would we answer? 00:26:16.653 --> 00:26:21.414 You understand that the gift of love has to be received before it can be given. 00:26:21.414 --> 00:26:26.236 The gift of love is something that the Father expressed toward us in sending His Son. 00:26:26.236 --> 00:26:30.414 But once we have received that gift of love, it has no choice. 00:26:30.414 --> 00:26:36.698 It can't be contained within our souls, within our physical bodies, even within our spirit. 00:26:36.698 --> 00:26:40.275 The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. 00:26:40.275 --> 00:26:50.699 It is looking for ways to get out, to be expressed heavenward and towards people here on this planet. 00:26:50.699 --> 00:26:58.305 That is our purpose Now. 00:26:58.305 --> 00:27:16.153 Don't forsake love for agreement, because some people believe that if I agree with somebody else or if I applaud them, even though they're not agreeing with Scripture, if I try to build them up or help them, it has to be within God's. 00:27:16.153 --> 00:27:19.598 What God says is right, correct. 00:27:19.598 --> 00:27:21.609 That's not true love. 00:27:22.144 --> 00:27:26.836 It's like we have grandchildren now and our granddaughter I'm not going to name. 00:27:26.836 --> 00:27:30.834 We've got two granddaughters, so I'm not going to name them, but one of them was over at the house recently. 00:27:30.834 --> 00:27:39.074 I can't wait until the day where they come up to me and say Pops, I'd really appreciate that you don't use our examples in your sermons. 00:27:39.074 --> 00:27:45.434 So maybe I'll just say this could have happened in somebody's house recently. 00:27:45.434 --> 00:27:49.711 So maybe a grandchild is playing and everything's going great. 00:27:49.711 --> 00:27:57.257 And our house is the snack house, so they all know where the snack cabinet is and they all head for the snacks. 00:27:57.257 --> 00:27:59.810 But sometimes it's like they get real quiet. 00:27:59.810 --> 00:28:01.375 And whenever they get quiet, what do you know? 00:28:01.375 --> 00:28:03.509 Something's going wrong. 00:28:03.509 --> 00:28:10.593 There's the potential for really something bad to happen, and so one recently one of our grandchildren went over. 00:28:10.973 --> 00:28:28.490 My wife is reading her books and doing all of the sweet she's such a sweet lady, she really is and tea parties and she's buying dolls for the baby oh, don't tell her, for her birthday she's getting a baby doll, anyway spilling beans everywhere. 00:28:28.490 --> 00:28:34.611 But all of a sudden her voice changed no danger. 00:28:34.611 --> 00:28:45.355 And I look over and our granddaughter, our sweet granddaughter, has her hand on the knobs of our gas stove and she's trying to turn the knobs to be a gas stove. 00:28:45.355 --> 00:28:54.156 Now it would be cruel for us to not say no danger, wouldn't it? 00:28:54.156 --> 00:28:57.910 Because that's true, it's what she needs. 00:28:57.910 --> 00:29:02.755 It's not always what I want for her to have, but it's what she needs. 00:29:02.755 --> 00:29:07.013 And it's the same way with the love that we show toward others. 00:29:07.013 --> 00:29:22.705 It was just as loving for my wife to read her books or to give her snacks or to do a dance party or whatever it is that she was going to do, but it's just as much love when she said don't no danger, right. 00:29:24.766 --> 00:29:35.713 So we have to redefine and we're going to be talking about this in the weeks to come what we think love is, because love and truth, again, are friends, not enemies. 00:29:35.713 --> 00:29:41.074 So true believers will produce fruit that proves that there are new creatures in Christ. 00:29:41.074 --> 00:29:44.390 Are we living in that life? 00:29:44.390 --> 00:29:46.750 What does our tree look like? 00:29:46.750 --> 00:29:52.585 It should be that over time, each year that we have a better, there's a better product. 00:29:52.585 --> 00:30:05.492 There's our fruit shinier, or it's healthier, or it's growing or whatever the case might be, and it's feeding more, it's helping others, it's used for blessing the nations. 00:30:08.365 --> 00:30:12.153 Unfortunately, pretenders will act the part, but nothing will have truly changed. 00:30:12.153 --> 00:30:16.671 Matthew 7, 21 through 23,. 00:30:16.671 --> 00:30:25.553 Jesus says Not everyone who says to me, lord, lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father, who is in heaven. 00:30:25.553 --> 00:30:36.195 On that day, many will say to me Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name? 00:30:36.195 --> 00:30:39.854 And then I will declare to them I never knew you. 00:30:39.854 --> 00:30:44.074 Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. 00:30:44.074 --> 00:30:46.792 I never knew you. 00:30:49.346 --> 00:30:52.025 Now, when I'm witnessing to people, I usually ask a couple of questions. 00:30:52.025 --> 00:30:54.733 One question I ask is do you know Jesus? 00:30:54.733 --> 00:31:01.906 And most people will say, oh, I've been to church or I've heard about the Bible, or. 00:31:01.906 --> 00:31:04.345 But the next question is does he know you? 00:31:04.345 --> 00:31:16.253 To be known by God, to be chosen by God to be my name, to be written in a book of life, is different than just knowing about somebody. 00:31:16.253 --> 00:31:27.144 Right, everyone will exist eternally, either with God or apart from God. 00:31:27.144 --> 00:31:38.780 A person's eternal destiny is determined by whether they believe and put their trust in Christ alone to save them. 00:31:38.780 --> 00:31:43.756 There is, no, there is nothing else outside of that that will save you. 00:31:43.756 --> 00:31:50.105 But if you are saved, you will begin to live like you are a Christian. 00:31:50.105 --> 00:31:55.525 In other words, you will begin, in a progressive manner, to obey the commandments of God. 00:31:55.525 --> 00:31:56.998 It takes choice too. 00:31:56.998 --> 00:31:57.684 That's sanctification. 00:31:57.684 --> 00:32:01.759 You have to choose, but God gives you the power. 00:32:03.430 --> 00:32:10.505 Let me talk to you about hell, and this isn't going to be preached in a lot of churches today, but it's the truth and it's found in the Bible. 00:32:10.505 --> 00:32:15.045 I've given you references for the things that I'm going to say about hell. 00:32:15.045 --> 00:32:18.444 Hell was a place originally designed for Satan and his demons. 00:32:18.444 --> 00:32:21.557 It's a place of punishment. 00:32:21.557 --> 00:32:25.464 Hell will also punish the sins of the people who have been to heaven. 00:32:25.464 --> 00:32:27.652 It's a place of punishment for the sins of those who reject Christ. 00:32:27.652 --> 00:32:36.939 By the way, that is the only sin that will send somebody to hell is rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. 00:32:36.939 --> 00:33:03.298 So if the devil has lied to you throughout your life and tried to convince you that you've committed an unpardonable sin, or whatever the case is, if you have put your faith, hope and trust in a living God and Savior, jesus Christ, my friends, that is what gains us access and entrance into the kingdom of God, and it's also the refusal to do that that, unfortunately, will cause people to go to hell. 00:33:06.008 --> 00:33:07.994 Hell is a place of conscious torment. 00:33:07.994 --> 00:33:12.424 There will be fire that is unquenchable. 00:33:12.424 --> 00:33:14.765 There will be weeping that will never cease. 00:33:14.765 --> 00:33:16.290 There will be the gnashing of teeth. 00:33:16.290 --> 00:33:18.712 There will be worms that don't die. 00:33:18.712 --> 00:33:23.936 Hell is not the party that many rock musicians have attempted to make it. 00:33:23.936 --> 00:33:30.336 Hell is a place of utter despair, forever. 00:33:30.336 --> 00:33:37.214 The worst part about hell is not any of these things, though. 00:33:37.214 --> 00:33:40.345 It's the fact that God is not there. 00:33:43.030 --> 00:33:49.365 Can you imagine for one moment in time if God would were to remove himself from this planet just for a second? 00:33:49.365 --> 00:33:51.805 What do you think the effects would be? 00:33:51.805 --> 00:33:55.724 Talk about global warming or climate change, or whatever you want to call it. 00:33:55.724 --> 00:33:59.724 This world would implode. 00:33:59.724 --> 00:34:12.759 It would change in an instant, because God is the one who set things in place and who keeps things in order, and he's the one that will determine the expiration date of our current earth. 00:34:12.759 --> 00:34:19.416 There will be a new heavens and a new earth, but man will not be able to decide that. 00:34:19.416 --> 00:34:25.139 About how many cars he drives or planes he flies, god will decide it. 00:34:25.139 --> 00:34:32.581 Hell is forever and irreversible. 00:34:32.581 --> 00:34:34.224 Hell is forever. 00:34:34.224 --> 00:34:38.690 Hell is forever and irreversible. 00:34:43.498 --> 00:34:46.965 Now let's flip the coin and let's talk about the good stuff. 00:34:46.965 --> 00:34:52.623 Heaven, on the other hand, is a place of no mores. 00:34:52.623 --> 00:35:02.702 Heaven is a place where there's no more tears, there's no more pain, there's no more sorrow, there's no more separation from God. 00:35:02.702 --> 00:35:11.585 Heaven is a wonderful place, but, you know, the best thing about heaven is not any of those things. 00:35:11.585 --> 00:35:15.742 It's the presence of our Lord and Savior, jesus Christ. 00:35:15.742 --> 00:35:36.364 We will be with Him, we will look Him face to face and we will spend eternity thanking Him and praising Him for the sacrifice that he made so that we could enjoy His presence forever. 00:35:41.394 --> 00:36:08.639 Now, for the sake of making a statement, I just want to say to the daughter's family that, as difficult as things are and I can't even imagine the hope that we have as believers in Jesus Christ is that there is a place where there is complete and total healing and rest and restoration, and we believe that Scott is. 00:36:08.639 --> 00:36:14.282 That's where he's at today and he would want us to be saying that. 00:36:14.282 --> 00:36:16.780 He would want people to know that. 00:36:16.780 --> 00:36:26.740 Charlotte Stanton also, who passed away a couple of weeks ago You'll be celebrating her life tonight. 00:36:26.740 --> 00:36:28.204 At six o'clock. 00:36:28.204 --> 00:36:32.746 There's a receiving of friends from four to six and then at six there'll be a service tonight. 00:36:32.746 --> 00:36:34.900 So if you can make it, we'd love to have you come out. 00:36:36.014 --> 00:36:47.782 These are the things that we hold on to from a hope standpoint, because this isn't the end of the journey, it's not the end of the story and for those of us who are in Christ, these loved ones of ours. 00:36:47.782 --> 00:36:51.438 We will see them again, not like they were. 00:36:51.438 --> 00:36:56.344 Erase from your memory any kind of negativity that you could ever consider. 00:36:56.344 --> 00:37:10.981 Think of them on their best day and then multiply it toward times a zillion and you may be getting close to what they're going to be like and what we're going to be like when we are with him. 00:37:10.981 --> 00:37:25.996 The book of Ecclesiastes pleads for a savior to bear away our sins, to forgive us, to cleanse us from all of our selfish disobedience and to give us peace and purpose in an empty world. 00:37:25.996 --> 00:37:33.067 Solomon was here, and he understood more clearly who Jesus is. 00:37:33.067 --> 00:37:37.264 He would say to you put your trust in Jesus today. 00:37:37.264 --> 00:37:46.780 I told you at the beginning of this message that the Lord uses these words to change us before we ever deliver them to you. 00:37:47.815 --> 00:37:57.668 And this happened to me this very week yesterday actually, I went to get my haircut, and I go to one of the places where it's kind of like rolling the dice. 00:37:57.668 --> 00:38:04.762 It's like whoever's available next, and so this is seriously what I do. 00:38:04.762 --> 00:38:06.418 I'll pray before I go in. 00:38:06.418 --> 00:38:10.398 Lord, I'd like to have a good haircut. 00:38:10.398 --> 00:38:18.059 I can't pay for the one that ensures a good haircut, or I choose not to. 00:38:18.059 --> 00:38:21.076 But also. 00:38:21.076 --> 00:38:22.340 You know what he says to me usually. 00:38:22.340 --> 00:38:28.121 Just pay attention, I might want to do something. 00:38:28.121 --> 00:38:29.914 What? 00:38:29.914 --> 00:38:31.440 In a haircut place? 00:38:31.440 --> 00:38:42.059 Yeah, so I walked in yesterday and you always kind of scan the room to see who's busy cutting hair and the one person that's sitting down, and you realize you're the only one there. 00:38:42.059 --> 00:38:43.922 So they're going to be cutting your hair. 00:38:43.922 --> 00:38:48.601 And I'm going to get serious for a minute and be real with you. 00:38:48.601 --> 00:39:02.681 The gentleman that was sitting there was very effeminate and it seemed obvious to me that he was struggling with homosexuality, and so I'm going to be real with you. 00:39:02.795 --> 00:39:05.661 My first thought was don't eat a haircut today. 00:39:05.661 --> 00:39:15.306 I thought about leaving, but then I looked down and I saw his name Hayden. 00:39:15.306 --> 00:39:17.378 I wasn't Hayden. 00:39:17.378 --> 00:39:19.023 I'm sorry, zaden. 00:39:19.023 --> 00:39:22.820 Zaden, I'm going to ask you to pray for Zaden. 00:39:24.715 --> 00:39:36.822 I remembered my mind went back three years ago when I sat in a chair, got my haircut at a different location and Zaden was the one that cut my hair that day and we had to talk about our families. 00:39:36.822 --> 00:39:50.538 He talked to me about how difficult his relationship was with his dad growing up and how he and his mom were kind of at odds and there was a lot being expected of him as an adult child and he didn't know how to handle all of it. 00:39:50.538 --> 00:39:54.402 And so all of a sudden, my attitude changed. 00:39:54.402 --> 00:39:55.264 Just like that. 00:39:55.264 --> 00:40:03.583 I said, lord, you're going to give me another chance to share, because I told him before I'm going to be praying for you. 00:40:03.583 --> 00:40:10.327 And so I looked at Zaden and I said, zaden, I've been praying for you for a few years. 00:40:10.327 --> 00:40:13.443 I'm so glad that you're going to cut my hair today. 00:40:13.443 --> 00:40:19.445 And we had a conversation about family and about remodeling and about life. 00:40:21.155 --> 00:40:23.126 And it's not that the end of the story is he. 00:40:23.126 --> 00:40:23.969 I wish it was. 00:40:23.969 --> 00:40:27.824 The end of the story was that he got saved yesterday as my hair was getting cut. 00:40:27.824 --> 00:40:31.445 That would be a great way to end it. 00:40:31.445 --> 00:40:50.186 I don't know the end of his story, but I'm trusting God that my piece of it that I almost missed out on because of my prejudice that my piece of it that God would use that see fit to use that to reach this young man who's desperately seeking for hope. 00:40:50.186 --> 00:40:53.318 So all he wants is hope. 00:40:53.318 --> 00:41:06.338 Let's pray Another in Jesus name. 00:41:06.378 --> 00:41:07.884 I thank you for this message today. 00:41:07.884 --> 00:41:23.322 I thank you, lord, for your word is faithful and true, and I pray now for those that are in this room or that are watching this online or listening in a podcast, lord, that have never accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, they've never put their trust in him. 00:41:23.322 --> 00:41:40.684 I pray that this would be the day, this would be the day of salvation that they would choose, instead of being afraid of God in the wrong way, that they would choose to put their faith and hope and trust in him and to fear him from an awe and reverence and respect way. 00:41:40.684 --> 00:41:58.478 Change their hearts and minds that they would be able to follow after Christ and obey the commandments of the Lord and know that when they stand before before you, god, that the end of the sentence will be enter into my rest. 00:41:58.478 --> 00:42:00.094 Follow me. 00:42:00.094 --> 00:42:01.699 Long to hear those words from you. 00:42:01.699 --> 00:42:05.818 Well done, my good and faithful servant. 00:42:05.818 --> 00:42:06.981 Enter into my rest. 00:42:10.855 --> 00:42:13.730 So, if that's you now, I just encourage you to just call out to God. 00:42:13.730 --> 00:42:15.378 Just you, between you and him. 00:42:15.378 --> 00:42:19.621 You don't have to pray fancy, you don't have to have the exact right words. 00:42:19.621 --> 00:42:30.204 Just talk to him, tell him that you need a savior, that you've tried everything on your own and you can't fix it, and ask him to come in and change your life. 00:42:30.204 --> 00:42:38.936 Ask him to forgive you of your sins and to put you on the pathway that you need to be on. 00:42:41.175 --> 00:42:56.059 And maybe there's another group here that, like me, you find yourself missing out on opportunities because you really just don't want to be bothered by somebody who's obviously dealing with something that you don't agree with. 00:42:56.059 --> 00:43:02.407 Father, would you give us wisdom that wants to impart wisdom to others? 00:43:02.407 --> 00:43:04.702 Would you give us your heart of love? 00:43:04.702 --> 00:43:16.164