The Heart Matter Part - 3 Subtitle "365 Days Of Possibilities"

Scripture

Ecclesiastes 9:1–12

1For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.

2All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

3This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

4For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

6Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

7Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

8Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.

9Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.

10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

11I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

12For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

Introduction

Ecclesiastes is Wisdom literature, meaning that it is in the part of the Bible that is especially concerned with helping readers cope with the practical and philosophical issues of life. It has roots in the wisdom literature of Egypt and Babylon. Proverbs is basic wisdom, giving the reader fundamental principles to live by. Ecclesiastes, by contrast, is for a more mature reader. It engages the question of whether death nullifies all purpose and meaning in life.

Ecclesiastes recommends that we do two things in light of brevity of our days.

Enjoy life. This is not a philosophy of hedonism, nor does it involve neglect of other duties because there is a time for everything under the sun. But a life without enjoyment is not life at all.

Fear God. This is an honest humility before God arising from an awareness of our weakness and sin. It includes recognition of our dependence of Him and acknowledgment of the fact that He is our Judge.

Questions to Ponder

1 Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are dead?

2 Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough?

3 Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

4 Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

5 Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

6 Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?

7 What is the speed of darkness?

8 If the temperature is zero outside today and it's going to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold will it be?

9 Do married people live longer than single ones or does it only seem longer?

10 If someone with a split personality threatens to commit suicide, is it a hostage situation?

11 If money doesn't grow on trees then why do banks have branches?

12 Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

13 Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up, like, every two hours?

14 If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

15 If someone's crying, why do we ask if they're OK?

There is more to success than just talent and skill. The fastest car doesn’t always win the race… most talented team doesn’t always win the game… strongest army doesn’t always win the battle… the most gifted doesn’t always win the prize.

Sermon Points

Every day we have is a blessing from God. In fact the Bible says we have no assurance of tomorrow, so this is all we have – this moment, this time, so we ought to make the most of every day, every possibility.

If you have the ability to suck in air every day, then you have hope. Basically what Solomon is saying is that, if you are alive you’ve got a chance to do something special with your life.

After you’re dead, your chances are over. If you are going to make a difference before they pat your face with a shovel, then you better make it happen while you can. I like what it says in verse 10, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”

People who are alive have hope. We can dream, we can plan, we can have a fresh start. You might be thinking that life has passed you by, but if you’re still breathing, you’ve got a shot! You can make a fresh start today! Right now! God has given you that chance.

Some folks are always looking to the past. Some only look to the future. Too often we miss the moment that is now! We miss the possibilities in front of our face because we’re not looking at what’s right in front of us.

1. Be engaged

2. Be positive

3. Be enthusiastic

4. Be a servant

5. Be all you can be

6. Be a difference maker

7. Be generous (with gifts, praise, time)

8. Be thankful

Closing

Let me close with this. If you’ve seen the movie “Forrest Gump”, then you know Forrest had more than one challenge in his life. He was born with crippled legs. He was born with a marginal amount of intelligence. His mother was raising him as a single mom. Other kids made fun of him. He was shot in the “buttocks” while in Viet Nam. Yet with all of these hurdles and challenges, he always seemed to find wonderful possibilities and make the most of them. Every day was an opportunity, not a disaster.

As they say, “tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life.” What exciting possibilities are ahead of you? Why not make a fresh start, beginning tomorrow – embrace the possibilities that God puts on your path.

You must press, you can’t stop, you have to reach your goal, Christ is waiting for you at the finish line. Don’t you see him standing in your corner, routing you on, he has his arms stretched forth waiting for you, he’s saying don’t stop now, keep pressing for the prize.

In other words, it’s too late to give up, God has brought you too far for you to give up now. Yes, you’ve been through hard times, yes you’ve had to struggle, you’ve been stuck between a rock and a hard place, your back has been against the wall, there has been numerous occasions when you felt like the weight of it all was going to knock you over the edge—but I’ve come here to let you know it’s too late to give up, it’s too late to quit, God’s got your back!

Yes, you’ve come a long way baby, and the journey’s just beginning…you’ve been stepped on, picked on, knocked up, and knocked out, but because of your faithfulness, God is giving you double for your trouble, he’s taking you to a higher place, a higher anointing. Yes, you’ve experienced another devil, because God is taking you to a higher level and you’re just at the threshold of your breakthrough, your change, your change, yes, it’s gonna come because you won’t give up, you won’t quit, you’re determined to press…tell somebody I won’t give up, tell somebody, I won’t give up, say I’m going to press, I’m going to press with everything in me, I’m going to press…now give God some praise for the press.