Download... December 6, 2009. Sunday Morning Service. Bro. Dave Goble.
TEXT: Ecclesiastes. 2:1-11, 13-26
1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
2 I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?
3 I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.
4 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:
5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:
7 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:
8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
What contrast between verses 10 and 17!! 17: Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.What is "all",... great or vanity?? How quickly all our labor is turned to vanity, however great,.. if going for the longings for the heart,.. it is.
The satisfying of the longing of the soul and heart,..unless it is that, ..it is vanity. Today, as in that bible time of this scripture, people are chasing for satisfaction. Running after satisfaction as on the job,and in their free time. Chasing for satisfaction they "catch" it, then it escapes and and runs ahead. When we catch it, it feels good, then it escapes with emptiness left for us behind. Life is this present of satisfaction, ..chasing,.. only to lose it again. If you were here still seeking, you can relate to this message. It takes time to learn about satisfaction. Verse 17 points out that people can find find they hate life,,,if not having found their all in God. Discouragement comes,.. feelings are not necessarily their motive. Even Christians "sometimes" feel this way, all of us are different. Children,..along with some "others even Jesus, probably felt these emotions of the vanity, sorrows, of the hatred of life. We must seek out, "what would Jesus do? I am not God in the flesh, so,...What would God have Me to do? I am not Jesus, the emotions that might sometimes weigh on me,..The Failure of Power ! Those "entities" that "would" offer it, Riches, Authority, recognition,..arre all vanity of the spirit. After all, again in (verse 17) He "hated" life-or vanity. Society teaches religion to rely on self, prosperity,.victory to victory. That, is that which was presented to Pastor Goble,.. who happened to "see" the vanity of that prosperity message, so customary in the religious world today.
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If God chooses to bless you, "Thank God,"...if He chooses to take it away,..also,Thank God. There are people who are having it much harder than you. In other parts of the world, there those who must live in a "warehouse" box, until it is swept away by a travesty of the weather, etc. There are those who only have rice to eat. Chase not after temporal things. Thank God for the Salvation in your heart, but not the vain things surrounding you. Then you won't truly be "driven" to hate life. Feeling down? Maybe yes. There are discouraging "components" all around. Yet,..God is Still fulfilling hearts all around. The same God is Still on His throne. Br Goble recounted how he while conversing with those in Cuba, he exhorted them not to envy our physical prosperity. We in this country have our problems, circumstances also, of a different level accordingly. Contrary to our leaders actions, there is no need to apologize for our prosperity of the society wherein we were born,.. or by chance,..live in. A Christian is a Christian,..a Gentile,..a Gentile. We as Christians must not be chasing after vanity. The Failure of Power, leads to the Giver of life. If I won't give up my power, it will take me to,.. more failure in my life. It ultimately means that I would, in that case be too proud to give up on my own failures. The failure of power,.. results. A deception comes from, not letting go of the power that leads to failure.
God gives each of us a "ball and chain" or,.. our "lot" in life. It is our responsibility to access Christ's grace for our circumstances in life. We must be able to get to the place that we say" I refuse to wear this ball and chain" any longer! Then my attitude can change when those oppositions present themselves. Those problems will not necessarily go away. God gives us The Power of Failure in our lives,..IF we let go of "our" power which brings the failures. God discerns that we "need" our "ball and chain" of life (which is actually a "gift" in the big picture.) For only in our acknowledgment of failure (or helplessness) can we have His Power. God gives us our Liberty through our understanding of our personal failure, and our understanding that All real power belongs to Him. God gives us our liberty through the Holy Spirit, to reveal our deliverance from our "lot in life," or in other words to cut that "ball and chain." Failure of Power, is Our failure to "cut" that ball and chain! Jesus told us "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11: 29-30 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Yet people often will not let go. They choose to live by their own "judgments and standards or righteousness."
II Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. All of us must recognize What this weakness is. We must recognize the need to let go of Our own power. So,..His strength can be found in My life! Otherwise if Not letting go of Our own power or will, and letting His take over,..we are in danger of losing our souls. Be who you are.
Job 4:1-6
1: Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
2: I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.
3: Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.
4: Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
5: I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
6: Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
verse 3 ....Have you uttered what you did not know? Realistically, ..all have! Despair comes based on lack of true sight. The heart must be Broken to really see! Job lost it All. God got angry at Job, because Job held on to his Own righteousness. God wanted Job to let go of his own righteousness and his own faithfulness as his own righteousness,..for all that is vanity,..or of your own power. The act of not letting go of faith in of itself is not righteousness. It belongs to God,..not you. He only is God and of real righteousness. We must worship God, ..because He Is God. Nothing is righteous in our life is because of us, ..but God only. And now in verse 6 we see the need to abhor our self,.. as Job. The Power of Failure, ..to recognize your failure, ..will reveal God, and no strength of your own. Only God is righteousness. The Failure of Power? Or,..The Power of Failure?
So,..to be self-sufficient, is to be a Failure. For all power is Not yours. It is deceitful to think otherwise. I may never be rid of the "failure" or weakness, that afflicts me,..but let me recognize that my strength is vanity and vexation of the spirit.
Like a handshake, God extends His hand,..but we do not keep it. It is His. Sometimes we "think" we can keep it,.. but No. ...When I am weak,(in me)..then am I strong,
II Corinthians 12:7-9 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8: For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
My lack in trials,.. will reveal my need. Sometimes we must live with our own "thorns" (limitations), in life so we can remember our need to lean on Him and know that we are weak (failure) to have His strength (Power). Paul asked Three times,..God answered I am not taking it away,.. so He can give us His Power. For through our failures,..God Righteousness can be revealed. The failure of power,.. or the Power of Failure!
Again, Job 42:3,7 3: Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.7: And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. Job got it, when he admitted his failures and that they have nothing (power) without God's, and he repented to Him for that. There is a power not just from,.. but in recognition and release of that failure. So if failure does not go,.. "I" (self) has to go. The Power is in recognizing my failure. Then His release in Power comes only then. Self must not be in the way, it must be crossed out. Otherwise only deception. The Failure of Power, or,...The Power of Failure! Where are you found in this equasion?
