When Your Then Meets Your Now

When your Then Meets Your Now (this preached a lot better than it is written) Ecclesiastes 9:2-3 / 12:7-8 All 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. 3 This 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. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. These verses were the topic of our conversation in Man Church last night, of which, as is our norm, we took in several different direction. One aspect, the aspect I seek to cover tonight, we did not fully cover, that being, what if our “then” were now? The Bible says, “and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7b. Now here is an interesting fact! We all (to the best of my knowledge) acknowledge that we have a soul and a spirit (though some confuse the two to be one), but not all concede that said spirit comes from God. According to the Word of God our spirit is from God who, again according to the Word of God, “is a spirit” (John 4:24). Has God placed within each of us a small portion of Himself? Could that be why He loves us so? Could that be why He desires to dwell amongst us? Could that be why He hears our voice and sees our tears? Could that be why He longs to have a personal and intimate relationship with you? In John we find Jesus making intercessory prayer for us. John 17:20-23 Is this part of that, that God gave us each a piece of Himself all out of love? Even as each of us has bit of our parents in us, and us in our children so God has placed a bit of Himself in each of us. HE is the Father. The Bible says, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7. We will all experience a “then” one day; “there is one event unto all.” That “then”, that event, is DEATH. What if your “then” were today? Are you satisfied that you have done all the God has created and called you to do? Are you satisfied that God is satisfied with the life you have lived? Are you satisfied you will hear those most desired word, “well done thy good and faithful servant? (Matthew 25:21). [Added during the service] Perhaps you are not satisfied w/ you but God is disappointed. God is love and while we were yet sinners, God died for us. Don’t believe the lies of the Devil when he tells you that you are______________, and other negative junk. You are to declare unto him that you are a Child of God. Nothing you have done or are doing catches God by surprise. His love for you out weights any chance of His being disappointed in you.

(Did not use this part) The Bible says, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38.

To be persuaded is to be fully convinced. Are you?

You see, once we are “persuaded” of God love we begin to live a life of peace and joy, a life fully committed to serving Him. The love of God exceeds any good and beautiful thing we can think of or imagine. His love is what sustains the Christian, and it is not conditioned upon our behavior or acceptance of God. God is love.