We're almost there

Intro: What if I told you that tonight once I finish and pray, you were going to LAX and flying to Benin.

No option, against your will, youre headed to the country of Benin.

You would probably have questions like

What the heck is Benin?

Where is this place?

How long is the flight?

What should I pack?

What is the weather like?

How long will I be gone?

What do they eat there?

What language do they speak?

Where will I get the money to buy food?

Is it safe?

Is it dangerous?

WHY am i going there?

We all want to know where were going and be prepared for it

Tonight I want to prepare you for a trip, a trip that you are taking today or tomorrow or in 1 year 2 years 3 years 50 years, IDK when your flight leaves but I know it is leaving, you are going and you have no choice/

Of course Im speaking of the most certain thing in your life, your death

Think about that for a moment - the only thing you can be sure of is your death

You may never graduate HS

You may never get a GF or BF

You may never get married

You may never have kids’

You may never get a good job

You may never get a degree

You may never travel the world

You may never do the VERY thing you are planning, preparing and training to do

But you will die - everybody does - its the safest bet you can ever make

So why spend our lives preparing for things that are not promised, things that may not happen, things that may be cancelled? You need to prepare to die

Over the next 4 weeks I want to help you prepare to die.

Just like you would want to know what happens when you step of the plane to Benin - I want to show you bivlically what happens when you close your eyes for the last time on earth and open them for the first time in Eternity

Death is a transportation device - that has 2 stops… Heaven & Hell. Over the next 4 weeks were going to get the Bibles travel guide through heaven, through Hell and how to know where you will go.

But before we talk about your eternal home we must talk about your temporary one. This life on Earth.

I want to show you the Word of God through Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes

Who is Solomon?

The King of Jurusalem.

Wisest man to ever live save Jesus himself

Richest man (Bezos = 1.4 Bil & Elon 221.5 Bil) Solomon had 2.2 Trillion dollars

700 wives & 300 concubines - so many women at his beckon call

He oversaw the most prosperous Israel ever

He had a strong military

He literally had or could have whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted ,however he wanted it. And what does he say at the end of His life in this book? What is the secret to success? What is the thing that he learned?

2 realities about life that change how we LIVE

1. Life is short

Ecc 1:2 ““Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.””

Vanity = Hevel (Onomatopoeia) Like sizzle or cuckoo

its like a warm breath on cold morning where you see the mist vanish in a moment

It refers to emptiness, vapour, futility

That is his word to us - All of life amounts to nothing & I’d even say he speaks to how short life is, its here one moment and gone the rest, Time flies

You remember when you were 10 and you wanted to drive SO BAD and your parents said you can’t until your 16 and you basically gave up all hope of driving? Because 16 was 6 years away and that might as well be an eternity and now all of sudden you’re getting your permit or license or you've been driving for a year.

You’re like how did I get here? Thats all of life “I’ll never be 16, Now I’ve been driving for 6 years” “I’ll never be married, now going on 1st anniversary” “I’ll never have kids, now Im a grandparent” “I’ll never be 80, now you're dead”

Time is flying, what are you doing with it? How are you using your 1 life? Does your life provide any meaning, any lasting contribution? Or is your life all about you?

Life is short, you’re dying as we speak - time gives no refunds BUT LIFE ISN’t just short, its empty

2. Life is empty

v. 3 - Work won’t satisfy

Our culture is defined by work. Go up to any adult and say tell me about yourself

v. 4 - No one will remember you

Whats your dads name? You dads dads name? Add 3 dads what is his name? in 80 years you will be dead and in 100 forgotten

v.5-7 - The world is cyclical and just keeps moving with our without you

Sun goes down and comes up every 24 hours

Wind blows in circles

rivers flow into oceans and the oceans are never filled

So is life;

You wake up

check your phone

go to school

sit through class

go to break

have the same conversation with the same friends in the same spot as yesterday

go back to class

go to lunch - eat the same thing as always and sit in the same place as always

Go home

Eat food

watch youtube

do homework

eat dinner

scroll on your phone

shower

go to bed and do it all again

Life is cyclical and predictable and we find our rhythm and never leave it - BUT Solomons words keep begging us to aks the question, “Is their more to this life?”

v. 8 - Life on Earth has a HUGE appetite and is never satisfied

You never listen to a song and delete it from your playlist, you want to hear it again

You don’t watch one tiktok, and close the app but you sit down intending a 5 min break and come out of a trance 30 min later - unsatisfied

We have an entertainment tape worm - the more we feed it the bigger it grows and hungrier it gets

v. 9 - 11 - You will make no lasting impact

You say “Yeah Jesse I’m different, I’m going to make my life count. I’m gonna be somebody and break a record, make a new invention and change the world forever”

You ever heard of stephen farfler - invented the wheel chair

Hicham El Guerrouj - fastest mile ever

Daryl Chapin - solar panels

People who changed the world and done the unthinkable are people you have never heard of

So where does this leave us? Life is short and empty - you say well that really isn’t life at all

If our life is empty, insignificant, brief and boring than it really isn’t life we might as well be dead

But thats exactly the point - because of our disobedience to God, because we chose to go our own way, to lust, lie, cuss, and live selfishly - we CUT ourselves off from the only source of TRUE life - God Himself

We were created to KNOW GOD & to live for Him but when we don’t we are already dead. Physical heart beating but spiritual heart still.

Thats why Ephesians 2 says that WE WERE DEAD in our sins. We are lifeless. Our life apart from Christ is worthless.

But We aren’t left here hopeless, living meaningless lives waiting for our death bus to Hell where all who have sinned deserve to go.

Jesus says John 10:10 ““I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

And here is how you can have the life Jesus offers, here is how you can be raised from dead in sin to alive in Christ

1 Pet 3:18 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;”

Jesus Christ (completley God and completley man) lived perfect life - had no sin - but died and took the penalty for your sin. So that you can be saved, saved from a life of sin now and torment later.

Believe if the gospel tonight, turn from your sins, surrender your life to Jesus and LIVE for Him and be saved!

Conclusion:

There was a young man named Jonathan who did believe in Jesus and at 17 he wrote down resolutions for his life that he would read once a week and live by.

17. Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

Jonathan Edwards understood the truth of Ecclesiastes - his death was coming and Christ gave Him new life not to be wasted.

My greatest fear is to be old, look back on life and say “I did nothing that matters” I did nothing for Christ...

So if you do know Jesus than listen to his words in John

John 9:4 ““We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.”

If we had no purpose on Earth we would be saved and immediatley brought to heaven, but we are not, we are left here to do the work of God Eph 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

You aren’t dead yet, your mission isn’t complete - before you go to heaven DRAG as many people there as possible

Serve Christ, follow his way BECAUSE it is best, He is KING

For those who don’t know Christ or pretend to - clock is ticking, plane is leaving and you won’t miss it. Your eternity is hanging in the balance - Jesus loves you enough to die for you while he knew you would sin agaisnt him. Jesus has done it all and will you come to Him tonight in repentance and faith before it is too late, so that you can enjoy HEAVEN forever.

We will pick it up next week with a travel guide to heaven.