Go

Dakota Community Church

October 3, 2010

Go

Let’s begin by standing for the reading of God’s Word!

Ecclesiastes 9:7-12

7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

11 I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.

12 Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come:

As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.

There are some startling insights from the man who was known the world over for his wisdom.

In the thief on the cross we see that no further work is needed to make us acceptable in paradise.

God could take us home immediately upon conversion if He so desired.

He could just leave a few appointed ambassadors to share the gospel and take everyone else who believes home immediately upon re-birth.

I wonder if that would make evangelism easier or more difficult than things as they are.

Our sanctification is a long process that is incomplete until we stand face to face with our savior, however many die at varying stages in that process so we know that God does not require a long time here on earth to prepare us for heaven.

God could easily instantly destroy every aspect of our corrupted nature and take us to Himself immediately upon conversion – so why doesn’t He?

Why are we, the redeemed, still here?

Would God keep us out of paradise for a single moment more than is necessary?

Why does the army of the Lord remain on the battle field when the safety of home is available to us now?

Why would God leave us to suffer in many cases persecution, rejection, pain and sorrow?

It must be a serious cause that would require our presence here rather than in the sweet embrace of our eternal Rock of safety.

We know that for our own sakes it is not necessary for us to stay here, so we must be here for the sake of someone other than ourselves.

Matthew 5:13-14

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

We are here to glorify God and bring others to know Him.

1. What can we do?

Ecclesiastes 9:9

9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.

It took me a long time to figure this out; so much of modern evangelical preaching focuses on us. God has a big dream for my life, I am unique and special and anything but typical.

It’s not about me – OR YOU!

Too many pastors like myself belittle the experience of the vast majority of Christians; we put down the “same old, same old” routine of life that most of us are called to.

Are we inciting our people to sin?

Are we encouraging the working father who spends his days happily providing for his family to be discontent with that God given vocation?

Are we belittling the stay at home mom for being “just” a housewife? How dare we!

Think of the children of Israel in the desert when they became discontent with the same old same old manna from heaven – was God pleased?

In the culture where greed is a virtue there will be much talk of “Godly discontent”; but the truth is that it is our sinful nature which is never satisfied.

John 10:10 tells us that Jesus came to give us the abundant life, but I think we have given that term a meaning other than what Jesus was speaking of.