all right<\/p>\n
let's start so over the past few weeks<\/p>\n
we've been<\/p>\n
looking at the Book of Ecclesiastes I<\/p>\n
don't know about you but hearing about<\/p>\n
the nuances of life and about however<\/p>\n
how everything is ultimately meaningless<\/p>\n
hearing about that week in and week out<\/p>\n
for me is really depressing<\/p>\n
it almost makes you wonder is preaching<\/p>\n
the sermon also meaningless is coming to<\/p>\n
church meaningless<\/p>\n
no it's not and we'll see why<\/p>\n
today we come to the 12th and final<\/p>\n
chapter of Ecclesiastes<\/p>\n
and you can find the text on the screen<\/p>\n
all right I'll read this in English and<\/p>\n
feel free to follow in Thai Ecclesiastes<\/p>\n
verse one remember your creator in the<\/p>\n
days of your youth before the days of<\/p>\n
trouble come and the years approach<\/p>\n
where you will say I find no pleasure in<\/p>\n
them before the sun and the light in the<\/p>\n
moon and the stars grow dark and the<\/p>\n
clouds return after the rain when the<\/p>\n
keepers of the house tremble and the<\/p>\n
strongman stoop when the grinder cease<\/p>\n
because there are few and those Looking<\/p>\n
Through the Windows grow dim<\/p>\n
when the doors to the street are closed<\/p>\n
and the sound of grinding Fades when<\/p>\n
people rise up at the sound of birds but<\/p>\n
all their songs grow faint<\/p>\n
when people are afraid of heights and of<\/p>\n
dangers in the streets when the almond<\/p>\n
tree blossoms in the Grasshopper And<\/p>\n
grasshopper drags itself along and<\/p>\n
desire no longer is stirred then people<\/p>\n
go to their Eternal home and mourners go<\/p>\n
about the streets remember him before<\/p>\n
the silver core is severed and the<\/p>\n
Golden Bowl is broken before the pitcher<\/p>\n
is shattered at this at the spring and<\/p>\n
the wheel broken at the well and the<\/p>\n
dust returns to the ground it came came<\/p>\n
from and the spirit returns to God who<\/p>\n
gave it meaningless meaningless says the<\/p>\n
teacher everything is meaningless<\/p>\n
Not only was the teacher wise but he<\/p>\n
also imparted knowledge to the people he<\/p>\n
pondered and searched out and set in<\/p>\n
order many Proverbs the teacher searched<\/p>\n
to find just the right words and what he<\/p>\n
wrote was upright and true the words of<\/p>\n
the wise are like goads they're<\/p>\n
collected sayings like firmly embedded<\/p>\n
Nails given one by given by one Shepherd<\/p>\n
be warned my son of anything in addition<\/p>\n
to them of making many books there is no<\/p>\n
end and much study whereas the body<\/p>\n
now all has been heard here is the<\/p>\n
conclusion of the matter fear God and<\/p>\n
keep his Commandments for this is the<\/p>\n
duty of all mankind for God will bring<\/p>\n
every deed into judgment including every<\/p>\n
hidden thing whether it is good or evil<\/p>\n
this is the word of God<\/p>\n
so<\/p>\n
the final chapter of Ecclesiastes is a<\/p>\n
summary of the whole book<\/p>\n
and if you found the whole book<\/p>\n
depressing no surprise surprise this<\/p>\n
chapter fits right in<\/p>\n
but this brings up the question why is<\/p>\n
the idea of meaningless so depressing<\/p>\n
Victor Frankel an Austrian psychiatrist<\/p>\n
he says that the primary motivation of<\/p>\n
human beings is the search for meaning<\/p>\n
what that means is<\/p>\n
meaning is what gives us fulfillment in<\/p>\n
both the small things and the big things<\/p>\n
for example if I told you to meet me at<\/p>\n
terminal 21 tomorrow you would ask why<\/p>\n
and then I would say oh don't worry<\/p>\n
about it just meet me<\/p>\n
but why<\/p>\n
see you would want a reason you may say<\/p>\n
if I'm going to spend my time traveling<\/p>\n
to see you seeing you and getting back<\/p>\n
if I'm going to invest my time there has<\/p>\n
to be a reason for why I'm spending my<\/p>\n
time or else I won't do it<\/p>\n
that's understandable we want a reason<\/p>\n
but if I ask most of us what is your<\/p>\n
reason for your whole life<\/p>\n
what is the reason you're doing your job<\/p>\n
what is the reason you are getting<\/p>\n
married<\/p>\n
when your life is all over<\/p>\n
what will you really have accomplished<\/p>\n
many of us will not be able to give an<\/p>\n
answer to these questions because we're<\/p>\n
too busy running around to think about<\/p>\n
it<\/p>\n
we don't know the meaning of our own<\/p>\n
life<\/p>\n
but to be told that life is meaningless<\/p>\n
is depressing<\/p>\n
this is an incredibly realistic chapter<\/p>\n
and it teaches us four things about life<\/p>\n
one the fleetiness of Life two of the<\/p>\n
reality of death three the certainty of<\/p>\n
judgment<\/p>\n
doesn't that sound depressing and for<\/p>\n
the Assurance of Hope<\/p>\n
so in verse 1 the author says remember<\/p>\n
your creator in the days of your youth<\/p>\n
before the days of trouble come<\/p>\n
he doesn't say if the days of trouble<\/p>\n
come<\/p>\n
he says before<\/p>\n
which means that the days of trouble are<\/p>\n
coming<\/p>\n
what's he doing he's saying that life is<\/p>\n
short<\/p>\n
and as we look through the first few<\/p>\n
verses we see that the author is<\/p>\n
painting a picture of the Journey of<\/p>\n
we start off in our youth<\/p>\n
and as we grow old things start to<\/p>\n
happen<\/p>\n
our physical abilities start to fade<\/p>\n
we're not as fast or as strong as we<\/p>\n
once were our mental Powers fade we<\/p>\n
start forgetting things more easily our<\/p>\n
loved ones start to pass away<\/p>\n
our Ambitions and our dreams<\/p>\n
that were once dreams are no longer<\/p>\n
realized<\/p>\n
the longer we live life<\/p>\n
the less chance there is that we will<\/p>\n
fulfill our dreams<\/p>\n
as a teenager some of us may dream of<\/p>\n
playing football for Liverpool only<\/p>\n
Liverpool<\/p>\n
when we get to a certain point and we<\/p>\n
realize it's too late<\/p>\n
how many times have we heard someone say<\/p>\n
if only I did this when I was younger<\/p>\n
the description in verses three to five<\/p>\n
are poetry<\/p>\n
and it's a metaphor for the aging<\/p>\n
process and death<\/p>\n
the keepers of the house trembling in<\/p>\n
verse three<\/p>\n
refers to the arms and hands which are<\/p>\n
strong When We Are Young<\/p>\n
but with age<\/p>\n
they're just not as strong as they once<\/p>\n
were and so they Shake<\/p>\n
we see it says strong men stooping which<\/p>\n
symbolizes the legs<\/p>\n
legs that were once upright now begin to<\/p>\n
stoop in old age<\/p>\n
some of us I'm sure here have started<\/p>\n
feeling the onset of knee pain and back<\/p>\n
pain<\/p>\n
the grinder ceasing here refers to the<\/p>\n
teeth which can no longer chew<\/p>\n
there's no longer enough teeth to chew<\/p>\n
solid food and so before while we may<\/p>\n
have chosen to eat fried chicken<\/p>\n
our meal of choice now becomes soup<\/p>\n
because it's no longer possible to grind<\/p>\n
up food like we once could<\/p>\n
the windows grow dim<\/p>\n
and this refers to the eyes all of a<\/p>\n
sudden we're not seeing as clearly as we<\/p>\n
once did<\/p>\n
we need more light when we read we need<\/p>\n
glasses some of us even need two pairs<\/p>\n
not only that the author continues the<\/p>\n
sound of grinding Fades because we are<\/p>\n
growing deaf<\/p>\n
we once used to hear the grinding of the<\/p>\n
mill but now it grows faint we once<\/p>\n
could sleep in and get up as late as we<\/p>\n
wanted but now we rise up at the sound<\/p>\n
of birds<\/p>\n
old age has given us insomnia<\/p>\n
we're up late at night we get up early<\/p>\n
in the morning sleeping less and less<\/p>\n
the doors to the street are now closed<\/p>\n
where there was once activity and bustle<\/p>\n
where there was once markets and life<\/p>\n
all that's left now are empty silent<\/p>\n
streets<\/p>\n
now some of us may be sitting there and<\/p>\n
thinking yes that's me and we may only<\/p>\n
be 25 years old<\/p>\n
in which case we have ourselves a major<\/p>\n
problem and what we need is to exercise<\/p>\n
and adopt better lifestyle habits<\/p>\n
but the section here ends with desire is<\/p>\n
no longer stirred<\/p>\n
which refers to the desire for things<\/p>\n
that fill our lives when we're younger<\/p>\n
marriage money power achievement<\/p>\n
one day the author tells us this the<\/p>\n
desire for these things will disappear<\/p>\n
this is depressing isn't it<\/p>\n
it's sad it's the same feeling we get<\/p>\n
when we walk around a familiar place<\/p>\n
maybe the place that we grew up<\/p>\n
and we return to find that it's<\/p>\n
completely changed<\/p>\n
life is fleeting the author is telling<\/p>\n
us it goes by so fast<\/p>\n
suddenly we wake up one day we're 40<\/p>\n
years old<\/p>\n
suddenly we wake up one day<\/p>\n
and our kids are in college or almost<\/p>\n
there<\/p>\n
suddenly we wake up one day and we look<\/p>\n
in the mirror and we notice a Mark or<\/p>\n
wrinkles that weren't there before<\/p>\n
there is a real sense of loss<\/p>\n
let's take a moment to think about your<\/p>\n
own life and about how much things have<\/p>\n
changed over the past 10 even five years<\/p>\n
the author here is pointing us to the<\/p>\n
inevitable passing of time<\/p>\n
which brings us to our second point the<\/p>\n
reality of death<\/p>\n
it's just going to get worse and worse<\/p>\n
so in verses six and seven we see a few<\/p>\n
pictures<\/p>\n
beautiful Golden Bowl is hanging<\/p>\n
suspended by a silver chain<\/p>\n
one day the cord snaps and the bowl is<\/p>\n
shattered it's gone forever<\/p>\n
the picture that was once used for<\/p>\n
drawing water is now broken<\/p>\n
the millstone that could once provide<\/p>\n
life is now shattered<\/p>\n
it's now useless<\/p>\n
the dust returns to the ground it came<\/p>\n
gave it<\/p>\n
these are all images to describe the one<\/p>\n
thing that is coming to us all death<\/p>\n
everything in this life is going to be<\/p>\n
taken away from us<\/p>\n
our relationships our material<\/p>\n
possessions<\/p>\n
our status and achievement<\/p>\n
death is coming for us all<\/p>\n
now we're a relatively young church but<\/p>\n
it's safe to say that<\/p>\n
there is a lot of death in our futures<\/p>\n
how's that<\/p>\n
we're getting older<\/p>\n
and if you look around<\/p>\n
at your loved ones your family your<\/p>\n
friends<\/p>\n
either you and me will face death<\/p>\n
ourselves because we will die younger<\/p>\n
than we would like or we will live a<\/p>\n
very long time and be facing the deaths<\/p>\n
of everyone else around us<\/p>\n
now our culture has not prepared us very<\/p>\n
well for death our culture tells us us<\/p>\n
that death is normal<\/p>\n
It's The End<\/p>\n
that's it<\/p>\n
and so we shouldn't grieve because it<\/p>\n
doesn't make a difference<\/p>\n
what's the use of crying it doesn't<\/p>\n
matter get over it it won't change its<\/p>\n
thing that's just how life Works death<\/p>\n
is a natural part of life that's what<\/p>\n
our culture tells us<\/p>\n
and modern medicine makes us feel<\/p>\n
invincible<\/p>\n
it prolongs and delays death<\/p>\n
and so it leaves people many people<\/p>\n
paralyzed with anxiety and fear<\/p>\n
when confronted with death<\/p>\n
and because we have not been prepared<\/p>\n
very well for death<\/p>\n
we don't like to confront it we choose<\/p>\n
to avoid it it makes us feel unpleasant<\/p>\n
and so we try to put it away<\/p>\n
but the author of Ecclesiastes is<\/p>\n
telling us especially in verses one and<\/p>\n
two that there will come a time where we<\/p>\n
can no longer put away the<\/p>\n
unpleasantness<\/p>\n
we will one day have to confront death<\/p>\n
but we try to distract ourselves and not<\/p>\n
think about death we try to get rid of<\/p>\n
the feeling and escape from it<\/p>\n
especially especially when we are young<\/p>\n
enough to do so<\/p>\n
how do we do that<\/p>\n
says that God will bring every deed into<\/p>\n
judgment including every hidden thing<\/p>\n
whether it is good or evil<\/p>\n
so he's saying there's going to be a day<\/p>\n
where there is judgment and so because<\/p>\n
there will be a day of judgment what we<\/p>\n
should do is we should live our lives<\/p>\n
knowing that there's going to be a day<\/p>\n
of judgment this is how we should<\/p>\n
approach Our Lives<\/p>\n
but because we don't like thinking about<\/p>\n
death how many of us actually live live<\/p>\n
by this approach knowing that a day of<\/p>\n
judgment is coming<\/p>\n
throughout the Book of Ecclesiastes the<\/p>\n
author has shown us three main<\/p>\n
approaches to life that Humanity tries<\/p>\n
to use<\/p>\n
to distract ourselves<\/p>\n
from thinking about death<\/p>\n
so first in chapter one<\/p>\n
he tries wisdom<\/p>\n
he says if only I could gain wisdom then<\/p>\n
I'll be satisfied<\/p>\n
but he tries<\/p>\n
and then he writes I came to realize<\/p>\n
that the same fate overtakes them both<\/p>\n
like the fool the wise two must die<\/p>\n
so here's two people one is thinking<\/p>\n
through everything thinking through the<\/p>\n
right way to live<\/p>\n
thinking about what is right or wrong<\/p>\n
how do how they should use their<\/p>\n
resources they're devoted to making<\/p>\n
their country<\/p>\n
their world a better place person number<\/p>\n
one here's another person who doesn't<\/p>\n
even think twice about life doesn't care<\/p>\n
about others<\/p>\n
they only care about themselves<\/p>\n
and what Ecclesiastes tells us is the<\/p>\n
same fate overtakes them both<\/p>\n
the fool and the wise will be forgotten<\/p>\n
both will die<\/p>\n
so the author shows us wisdom doesn't<\/p>\n
work because death comes for both the<\/p>\n
wise and the foolish<\/p>\n
he then goes and says okay well if that<\/p>\n
doesn't work let's pursue pleasure so he<\/p>\n
builds houses chapter two builds houses<\/p>\n
planted Vineyards made Gardens Parks<\/p>\n
planted all kinds of fruit trees he has<\/p>\n
an endless supply of wine all the sexual<\/p>\n
pleasure anyone could ever want all food<\/p>\n
all the servants he builds for himself<\/p>\n
essentially Paradise on Earth<\/p>\n
and then what happens<\/p>\n
in verse 2 chapter 2 verse 11 he says<\/p>\n
yet when I surveyed all that my hands<\/p>\n
had done<\/p>\n
and what I had toiled to achieve<\/p>\n
everything was meaningless at chasing<\/p>\n
after the win nothing was gained under<\/p>\n
the sun<\/p>\n
he says it's chasing after the wind<\/p>\n
remember last week when Ty was preaching<\/p>\n
and he lit a candle and showed us what<\/p>\n
chasing after the wind is like<\/p>\n
what happens when you close your fist<\/p>\n
and try to grab wind<\/p>\n
you get nothing<\/p>\n
so he's saying that's what happens when<\/p>\n
we pursue pursue pleasure it doesn't<\/p>\n
work<\/p>\n
okay so he says okay let's now try work<\/p>\n
let's live for achievement let's live<\/p>\n
for work and in verse 17 of chapter 2 we<\/p>\n
read so I hated life because work done<\/p>\n
under the sun was Grievous to me<\/p>\n
so he devoted himself to working and he<\/p>\n
ends up with depression how many of you<\/p>\n
feel that<\/p>\n
he hated life how many of us resonate<\/p>\n
with that we're overworked working long<\/p>\n
hard hours late hours early into the<\/p>\n
morning spending nights at the office<\/p>\n
how many of us resonate with that so I<\/p>\n
hated life<\/p>\n
but why why does he hate life he<\/p>\n
continues in verse 18. I hated all the<\/p>\n
things I had toiled for under the sun<\/p>\n
because I must leave them to the one who<\/p>\n
comes after me<\/p>\n
what's he saying<\/p>\n
he's saying it's meaningless because he<\/p>\n
cannot take with all the things he's<\/p>\n
worked for with him when he dies<\/p>\n
he has to leave it for the person who<\/p>\n
comes next and who knows in chapter two<\/p>\n
it says who knows whether that person<\/p>\n
who comes after him is wise or foolish<\/p>\n
ultimately<\/p>\n
he's going to die<\/p>\n
and so he shows us that living for<\/p>\n
wealth living for pleasure<\/p>\n
living for work living for achievement<\/p>\n
living to be wise or to be good<\/p>\n
all of this is meaningless<\/p>\n
question is why what what makes it<\/p>\n
meaningless<\/p>\n
it's all the same death death is what<\/p>\n
makes it meaningless it's just like he<\/p>\n
says here and the dust returns to the<\/p>\n
ground it came from and the spirit<\/p>\n
returns to God who gave it meaningless<\/p>\n
meaningless says the teacher everything<\/p>\n
is meaningless<\/p>\n
the main things that we live for today<\/p>\n
that we make our purpose and our meaning<\/p>\n
in life work success morality wisdom<\/p>\n
money<\/p>\n
pleasure<\/p>\n
because we will one day die<\/p>\n
it's all meaningless<\/p>\n
but these are the things that we use to<\/p>\n
distract ourselves<\/p>\n
from the fact that we will die one day<\/p>\n
a certain person puts it this way<\/p>\n
if we're on a sinking ship<\/p>\n
does it really make a difference if we<\/p>\n
go down hugging<\/p>\n
or mugging<\/p>\n
if we're on a sinking ship and someone<\/p>\n
tries to mug you someone says give you<\/p>\n
your wallet what are you gonna say are<\/p>\n
you gonna say no don't it's my life<\/p>\n
savings no you'd say go ahead and take<\/p>\n
it why because facing death forces us to<\/p>\n
prioritize what is really important take<\/p>\n
it anyway take my wallet we're all gonna<\/p>\n
die in five minutes<\/p>\n
and the fact of the matter is<\/p>\n
we are all going to die in five minutes<\/p>\n
in a sense life is so short<\/p>\n
life is fleeting Buddha was right when<\/p>\n
he said that life is birth old age<\/p>\n
sickness and death<\/p>\n
life Under the Sun is suffering life<\/p>\n
without God<\/p>\n
is like this<\/p>\n
it's just like the author says<\/p>\n
everything is meaningless<\/p>\n
why because everything is touched by<\/p>\n
Death<\/p>\n
but you know when when we say and when<\/p>\n
our culture says oh death is just<\/p>\n
natural<\/p>\n
all that does is Harden us<\/p>\n
it kills a part of us that makes us<\/p>\n
human<\/p>\n
what is the deepest desire of your heart<\/p>\n
what is it that makes your life<\/p>\n
meaningful<\/p>\n
is it success<\/p>\n
sure partly<\/p>\n
is it health<\/p>\n
is it money<\/p>\n
sure partly but what if you had all<\/p>\n
these things you had money you had good<\/p>\n
health you had success but you had<\/p>\n
nobody in your life to love you<\/p>\n
nobody in your life for you to love<\/p>\n
it would all be meaningless wouldn't it<\/p>\n
the deepest desire of our hearts is for<\/p>\n
love that lasts<\/p>\n
what makes our lives meaningful are the<\/p>\n
people we love and the people who love<\/p>\n
us<\/p>\n
and to say it's okay death is a part of<\/p>\n
life it's killing something inside of us<\/p>\n
the Bible tells us that death is not the<\/p>\n
way things should be<\/p>\n
death is not not a friend death is not<\/p>\n
right it's not natural in John 11.<\/p>\n
when Lazarus dies<\/p>\n
lazarus's sisters Mary and Martha come<\/p>\n
out to meet Jesus<\/p>\n
and what does he do<\/p>\n
he doesn't tell his sisters lazarus's<\/p>\n
sisters don't worry he's in a better<\/p>\n
place now<\/p>\n
he doesn't say it's okay be strong don't<\/p>\n
cry<\/p>\n
do you know what he does<\/p>\n
he weeps he doesn't say anything he just<\/p>\n
Weeps<\/p>\n
and when he gets to lazarus's tomb in<\/p>\n
the Greek it says Jesus was quaking with<\/p>\n
rage the English doesn't say this you<\/p>\n
have to look at the Greek he was quaking<\/p>\n
rage he knew he was going to raise<\/p>\n
Lazarus from the dead in a minute but<\/p>\n
he's weeping he's angry he's mad<\/p>\n
question is how could the lord of the<\/p>\n
world be angry at something in this<\/p>\n
world<\/p>\n
the answer is Jesus could only be angry<\/p>\n
at something if it was an intruder if it<\/p>\n
was not part of his original design<\/p>\n
we were not meant to die<\/p>\n
we were meant to last<\/p>\n
it's not part of God's original design<\/p>\n
Jesus's anger Jesus's tears show us that<\/p>\n
death is not normal it's a monstrosity<\/p>\n
so cry be angry weep grieve that it's<\/p>\n
this way it shouldn't be<\/p>\n
so why is it<\/p>\n
verse 13 and 14 says now all has been<\/p>\n
heard here is the conclusion of the<\/p>\n
matter fear God and keep his<\/p>\n
Commandments for this is the duty of all<\/p>\n
mankind for God will bring every deed<\/p>\n
into judgment including every hidden<\/p>\n
thing whether it is good or evil<\/p>\n
so in light of the fact that we will die<\/p>\n
and that everything will be brought into<\/p>\n
judgment one day the only possible way<\/p>\n
according to Ecclesiastes the only<\/p>\n
possible way to live a life of meaning<\/p>\n
is to fear God and keep his Commandments<\/p>\n
now fearing God does not mean to be<\/p>\n
terrified of God or being scared of God<\/p>\n
rather fear God means and the Bible<\/p>\n
means to be overwhelmed with Wonder<\/p>\n
before the greatness of God and his love<\/p>\n
and it means that we find God fearfully<\/p>\n
beautiful<\/p>\n
it means bowing before God in amazement<\/p>\n
at his glory and beauty<\/p>\n
but what most modern people including<\/p>\n
Christians what most of us fear<\/p>\n
the fear is if I obey God I will not be<\/p>\n
happy<\/p>\n
if I keep God's Commandments<\/p>\n
I won't be happy<\/p>\n
and this is the same lie that Satan told<\/p>\n
Adam and Eve in the garden<\/p>\n
we were created for God<\/p>\n
Humanity turned away from God we believe<\/p>\n
the lie of the serpent in the garden who<\/p>\n
said don't fear God don't keep his<\/p>\n
Commandments God does not really care<\/p>\n
for you<\/p>\n
if you really obey God if you really<\/p>\n
trusted God you'll be miserable<\/p>\n
we believe that and when we did that<\/p>\n
when we turned our backs on God it<\/p>\n
messed everything up<\/p>\n
that's when death came into the world<\/p>\n
that's When sin came into the world<\/p>\n
that's why everything is touched by<\/p>\n
death it's not natural it's not how the<\/p>\n
world is meant to be<\/p>\n
see the Dilemma on the one hand we long<\/p>\n
for a love that lasts but death takes<\/p>\n
away everything<\/p>\n
there's a problem here<\/p>\n
and the way that we try to solve it<\/p>\n
is instead of living for God instead of<\/p>\n
fearing God and keeping his Commandments<\/p>\n
we live for other things like money<\/p>\n
Romance<\/p>\n
success<\/p>\n
pleasure which because we will be judged<\/p>\n
and because we will die<\/p>\n
all these things are meaningless<\/p>\n
so fearing God how do we do that<\/p>\n
that's the question isn't it how do we<\/p>\n
fear God and keep his Commandments and<\/p>\n
Ecclesiastes tells us<\/p>\n
that it begins with<\/p>\n
undoing the lie that has made its way<\/p>\n
down into our hearts and the key to<\/p>\n
doing this the key to undoing this lie<\/p>\n
is in verse one<\/p>\n
it says remember your creator<\/p>\n
remembering God<\/p>\n
remember your creator<\/p>\n
that means to concentrate on<\/p>\n
it's a completely intentional Act<\/p>\n
where we abandon our self-sufficiency<\/p>\n
remembering who God is and Who We Are<\/p>\n
so to remember God one thing that was<\/p>\n
what that means is remembering that we<\/p>\n
were designed<\/p>\n
by God<\/p>\n
which means we have ultimate worth and<\/p>\n
value<\/p>\n
and that were made in His image<\/p>\n
it means to remember that we can depend<\/p>\n
on God that God is trustworthy that God<\/p>\n
is good that keeping God's Commandments<\/p>\n
won't make us miserable but rather is<\/p>\n
the only thing that gives us lasting<\/p>\n
peace and satisfaction and meaning<\/p>\n
and as we remember our creator<\/p>\n
we have even greater resources to undo<\/p>\n
the lie that has made its way into our<\/p>\n
hearts<\/p>\n
the lie that says if I obey God I am<\/p>\n
missing out<\/p>\n
God does not really care for me<\/p>\n
question how can you be utterly utterly<\/p>\n
sure that God cares for you how can you<\/p>\n
have complete confidence that trusting<\/p>\n
God and being obedient to God will bring<\/p>\n
you last this lasting satisfaction and<\/p>\n
peace how can we say that how can we<\/p>\n
have hope<\/p>\n
how can we look at death and say do your<\/p>\n
worst it won't hurt me<\/p>\n
remember Jesus Christ<\/p>\n
Jesus face death head on<\/p>\n
in the garden Matthew 26<\/p>\n
he realizes what he's about to face he<\/p>\n
says my soul is overwhelmed to the point<\/p>\n
of death<\/p>\n
because that night<\/p>\n
Jesus face and deaths on the cross he<\/p>\n
could have turned around and said no I<\/p>\n
don't want to do it<\/p>\n
but he did<\/p>\n
and when he did he was looking towards<\/p>\n
two things<\/p>\n
the joy of pleasing his father<\/p>\n
the joy of redeeming his friends this is<\/p>\n
how you can be sure<\/p>\n
that Jesus Christ cares for you that God<\/p>\n
cares for you this is proof<\/p>\n
that God cares about us the proof is<\/p>\n
that he himself is willing to suffer he<\/p>\n
got involved he took what we deserve<\/p>\n
this is how every one of us in this room<\/p>\n
can be utterly sure that God cares for<\/p>\n
us we look to the cross<\/p>\n
but do you know what's even greater than<\/p>\n
that<\/p>\n
the resurrection<\/p>\n
because three days later Jesus rose from<\/p>\n
the grave when he did that he defeated<\/p>\n
death<\/p>\n
he conquered it and do you know what<\/p>\n
that means<\/p>\n
that means we have incredible hope for<\/p>\n
the future<\/p>\n
Jesus Christ reversed death death no<\/p>\n
longer has the final say<\/p>\n
one day we will be raised and everything<\/p>\n
in this world will be put right<\/p>\n
there isn't going to be any suffering or<\/p>\n
death anymore<\/p>\n
this is the Christian hope<\/p>\n
Jesus has conquered death<\/p>\n
he has passed through death and he's put<\/p>\n
an end to it<\/p>\n
and this is why Paul can say in First<\/p>\n
Corinthians 15 death has been swallowed<\/p>\n
up in Victory where oh death is your<\/p>\n
Victory where or death is your sting<\/p>\n
The Sting of death is sin and the power<\/p>\n
of sin is the law but thanks be to God<\/p>\n
he gives us Victory through our Lord<\/p>\n
Jesus Christ this is what Jesus offers<\/p>\n
to us all<\/p>\n
when you become a Christian Jesus does<\/p>\n
not say if you trust in me someday I<\/p>\n
will take you away from all this he<\/p>\n
doesn't say someday I will take you to a<\/p>\n
wonderful Paradise where your soul will<\/p>\n
have nothing to do with this world<\/p>\n
Jesus Christ gives us Resurrection<\/p>\n
what Jesus says is I have not come to<\/p>\n
take you out of the earth to heaven but<\/p>\n
I've come to bring the power of Heaven<\/p>\n
down to earth<\/p>\n
to make a new Heaven and the new Earth<\/p>\n
and to make everything new<\/p>\n
I am going to restore everything that<\/p>\n
was lost and it will be a million times<\/p>\n
better than you can imagine<\/p>\n
this is the power of my future the power<\/p>\n
of the new Heaven and Earth joy and<\/p>\n
wholeness will come tears suffering and<\/p>\n
death will be wiped out everything will<\/p>\n
be made right again the resurrection<\/p>\n
means that everything said is coming<\/p>\n
untrue do you want this come to Jesus<\/p>\n
that's all it takes put your trust in<\/p>\n
him<\/p>\n
Jesus Christ the son of God Who Came<\/p>\n
From Heaven died on the cross so that we<\/p>\n
could be forgiven so God could one day<\/p>\n
destroy evil and suffering without<\/p>\n
destroying us do you believe the gospel<\/p>\n
there are a lot of people here a lot of<\/p>\n
us here who do believe the gospel but we<\/p>\n
really have not activated it this week<\/p>\n
we haven't thought about it our hearts<\/p>\n
have not leapt<\/p>\n
we haven't wept when we've thought about<\/p>\n
this let today be that day<\/p>\n
Jesus Christ the one who came face death<\/p>\n
head on to resurrect the whole world do<\/p>\n
you believe this there is so much hope<\/p>\n
in the resurrection<\/p>\n
this melts the LIE this allows us to<\/p>\n
fear God and keep his Commandments this<\/p>\n
is the only thing that makes all other<\/p>\n
things meaningful<\/p>\n
and this allows us to face death with<\/p>\n
hope<\/p>\n
many of us here today have experienced<\/p>\n
the death of a loved one it's horrible<\/p>\n
it's not how the world should be the<\/p>\n
Bible tells us to be angry to cry to<\/p>\n
weep<\/p>\n
yesterday<\/p>\n
a lot of us may know Tim Keller passed<\/p>\n
away<\/p>\n
he fought pancreatic cancer for three<\/p>\n
years and some of his final words were<\/p>\n
I'm thankful for the time God has given<\/p>\n
me but I'm ready to see Jesus I can't<\/p>\n
wait to see Jesus send me home there is<\/p>\n
no downside for me leaving not in the<\/p>\n
slightest<\/p>\n
Tim Keller once said<\/p>\n
that everything in this life will be<\/p>\n
taken away from us except one thing<\/p>\n
God's love<\/p>\n
which can go into death and take us<\/p>\n
through it and into his arms<\/p>\n
we are to grieve death yes<\/p>\n
but grieve with hope<\/p>\n
the resurrection means<\/p>\n
we can wake up and be at peace laugh in<\/p>\n
the face of death and sing for Joy at<\/p>\n
what's coming<\/p>\n
if Jesus Christ has Us by the hand we<\/p>\n
can sing<\/p>\n
let's remember that let's remember our<\/p>\n
creator let's remember Jesus Christ<\/p>\n
let's pray<\/p>\n
father we thank you for the ultimate<\/p>\n
hope that we have in you<\/p>\n
Lord we thank you that this light<\/p>\n
is the light that can never be put out<\/p>\n
by the darkness no matter how bad our<\/p>\n
circumstances may be<\/p>\n
Lord we pray that through your Holy<\/p>\n
Spirit you would make this hope real and<\/p>\n
meaningful to us even today<\/p>\n
we pray that<\/p>\n
or that you would bring people to you so<\/p>\n
why would you renew us and help us to<\/p>\n
trust in you in Jesus name we pray amen<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","original_publish_date":"20230609","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=oqlbPL0yJJg","video_id":"oqlbPL0yJJg","video_duration":"29:54","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=637"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":638,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637\/revisions\/638"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}