What we do not have in common is the way we go about pursuing the best this life has to offer.
For example, many believe their hope of enjoying the best life has to offer them can be found in:
- Sports. Their lives are consumed by the pursuit of sports.
- Wealth. Their lives are consumed by the pursuit of wealth. - Power. Their lives are consumed by the pursuit of power.
- Hobbies. Their lives are consumed by the pursuit of hobbies.
- Education. Their lives are consumed by the pursuit of education..
But, did you know that having all those things could not bring the inner joy and satisfaction that people so desperately desire.
HOW DO WE KNOW THAT?
Because God gives us the Book of Ecclesiastes.
In this book is proof of that. King Solomon of the Old Testament had everything a man could possibly desire.
Look at Eccl. 2:10. We read, “And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.” But, after Solomon had all these things, he says, verse 11, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.”
Listen, the best life we can have is NOT the result of having THINGS.
The BEST LIFE we can have IS FOUND IN CHRIST!
We who know Christ have things money can not buy! For example, we have a...
I. HEDGE AROUND US.
Many Christians do not know this, but God has build a HEDGE AROUND US. WHAT IS THAT HEDGE FOR? That hedge protects us from Satan.
Someone might be saying, “Preacher do you have any scripture to support the belief that GOD HAS A HEDGE AROUND US?”
Yes I do!
Look at Job 1:8. Job is an example of a saint’s having a hedge to protect him. We read, “And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.”
The word “hedge,” is translated from the Hebrew word, “suwk,” which means, “A fence.”
Illus: This is the same thing parents will do for their children. They will fence in the yard so their child(ren) can not get out and nothing can get in to hurt them.
Sometimes we mortals forget there is a battle that has been going since the beginning of time BETWEEN GOD, THE FATHER, AND SATAN.
Satan came before God, the Father, one day thousands of years ago. We do not have all the words of that conversation, but we do have some of it in the scriptures.
Look at Job 1:7. We read, “And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” Notice, God did not ask Satan why he was going “...to and fro in the earth...” Why? Because God knew why! God knew he was “...walking up and down... on the earth trying to get one of God’s children to sin against God. There is nothing that pleases Satan like getting one of God’s children to fall into sin so when he comes before God he can say, “See. You may have kicked me out of heaven because I do not love You, but the fact is, your own children do not love you.!”
In our example, God was quick to point out to Satan, verse 8, “And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job...”
Satan knew Job well, but could not get Job to fall into sin. He told God that the reason Job would not sin was because of God’s blessings and THE HEDGE GOD HAD PLACED AROUND HIM.
Look at verses 9-10. We read, “Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.”
In other words Satan said, probably with the most disgusting expression he could muster on his ugly face, “The only reason Job loves You is because You have blessed him and build a hedge around him.”
Then Satan went on to say, verse 11, “But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.”
God knew better. God knew Job was not serving Him because He had blessed him. God knew Job served Him because Job loved Him.
Then we read in verse 12 that God took down the hedge and allowed Satan to remove the blessings from his life. Satan began a brutal attack on Job.
- In verses 14-15 he lost all his oxen.
- In verse 16 he lost all his sheep and his servants were burnt alive.
- In verse 17 he lost his camels and servants.
- In Job 2:5-8 we read where Satan attacked Job physically with sore boils from the sole of his feet to the crown of his head.
- In Job 2:9 his wife said to him, “...Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die...”
In Job 2:11 his best friends came to him and told him he was suffering because he had sin in his life.
When God removed the hedge from around Job, Satan made one vicious attack after another. EVERYTHING THAT COULD GO WRONG FOR JOB, WENT WRONG!
But look at Job 2:10. We read, “...In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”
The point I want to make is this. God built a HEDGE AROUND JOB and SATAN COULD NOT LAY A FINGER ON HIM UNTIL GOD ALLOWED IT.
Illus: Sometimes we feel like the boxer in the ring who was getting the stuffing beat out of him but every time he went back to his corner his manager would say, “Go out there and get him champ; he didn’t lay a glove on you.” After he told him this at the end of the first three rounds the boxer finally turned to his manager and said, “Keep an eye on that referee because if my opponent didn’t lay a glove on me somebody else is beating the devil out of me!”
The fact is, Satan can not lay a finger on us unless God allows it! God has built a HEDGE AROUND US to protect us from Satan. We have A HEDGE AROUND US. Also, we have His...
II. HANDS AROUND US.
Illus: There used to be an advertisement for Allstate Insurance that pictured a family standing in a pair of very large hands. The caption was, “You are in good hands with Allstate.”
Listen, the best hands you and I can be in are the HANDS OF THE LORD JESUS.
The Bible says of those who are in His hands, “...no man is able to pluck them out...”
Look at John 10:28. We read, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, NEITHER SHALL ANY MAN PLUCK THEM OUT OF MY HAND. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.”
Do you hear what God’s Word says? God said, “I have my children in My hands and NO MAN SHALL PLUCK THEM OUT!” (Our paraphrase).
Some say, “I agree with that, no man shall pluck us out of His hands, BUT WE CAN PLUCK OURSELVES OUT!”
If you think you can pluck yourself out of the hands of the Lord Jesus, YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND JUST HOW BIG HIS HANDS ARE!
Look at Isaiah 40:12. We read, “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?”
Look at several things in this verse. Notice, “Who hath...meted out heaven with the span...”
The span of a hand is across from the thumb to the end of the little finger when our hand is stretched out flat. God laid out, or measured out, the heavens with the span of His hand.
Illus: Listen, the heavens are so vast we could travel at the speed of light and it would take us thousands of years to get to some of the places in space that He has created.
That is how big his hands are. If you think you can just crawl out of those hands, go ahead and try it!
Notice something else about His hands in Isaiah 40:12. We read, “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand...”
That is, God has taken all the oceans, lakes, ponds and creeks, and put them in the hollow of His hand. This is how large the hollow of his hand is.
Notice that “hand” is singular. God does not even have to use both hands-just one!
God has placed us in His hand and has vowed, “NO MAN SHALL PLUCK THEM OUT OF MY HAND.”
And if you think you are so big that you can crawl out yourself, start crawling!
But, I am here to tell you there is a HEDGE AROUND US and there is a HAND AROUND US. Also, there is a...
III. HELPER ABOUT US.
When the Lord was here on earth, the disciples did not want to see him go.
Illus: Johnny Mathis and Denise Williams sing a song together called, “What Will My Mary Say.” It is about two people in love with each other. When he has to leave, Denise Williams sings in a very pitiful voice, “Don’t go! Don’t go!”
You would have to hear Denise Williams to be able to know how pitiful she sounds as she sings, “Don’t Go!”
What a sad day indeed when the Lord told the disciples that He was going back to heaven, from which He came.
Can you imagine how those disciples must have felt? The Lord always knows what we need. He said this to comfort them.
Look at John 14:16-18. We read, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”
The Lord realized His presence with them was a COMFORT.
Notice He said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another COMFORTER...”
What a comfort it is to know that we have the Lord with us each day to TEACH US and to WATCH OVER US!
The Holy Spirit is our HELP ABOUT US each day.
The New Testament church was much more conscious of that than we are today. Let me give you three Biblical examples:
A. Look at Acts 13:2. We read of this early church, “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”
People of the early church then laid hands on them and sent them forth to do the things God had called them to do. God, the Holy Spirit today, was their HELP. He was their partner in the ministry.
B. Look at Acts 15:28. We read, “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; Notice, the scripture brings out: “...For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost...” and when it seemed good to Him the Bible says...”...and to us...”
The early church recognized more than we do today that the church had a HELPER.
C. Look at Acts 16:5-7. We read, “And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily. Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: BUT THE SPIRIT SUFFERED THEM NOT.” The Holy Spirit watched over them!
Only when we get to heaven will we find out how often God the Holy Spirit had OPENED and SHUT DOORS because He knew what was best for us.
Illus: A pastor and his wife got home from a Christmas banquet. It was cold that night. The weather man had predicted it would freeze. As the pastor and his wife and their two boys were getting ready for bed the pastor said to his wife, “I think I am going to light the kerosene heater in the hallway so the heat can go into all the bedrooms.” The tank was about two-thirds full so he filled it up. They went to bed that night not knowing the man who sold them the fuel had sold them gas instead of kerosene. Around two or three o’clock in the morning the kerosene had burned out and gas was feeding the heater.
(1) The first miracle was that there should have been an explosion, but there wasn’t. The heater just quietly caught on fire.
(2) Soon the hallway was on fire and the bedrooms were filling up with black smoke. The pastor’s wife woke up. About two feet above the bed there was a black line drawn. Smoke was so thick above it that you could not see through it. The pastor jumped up and began to fight the fire, still not knowing it was gas and the fuel can was only a few feet away with flames licking across the floor around it. He threw covers, which melted immediately from the intense heat, on the heater. His wife was able, miraculously, to jump through the flames and down the stairs. She grabbed a hose and turned on the water. It should have been frozen, but miraculously it was not. She pulled it upstairs and put the fire out just as the fire truck drove up.
Now you can think what you want, but God, the Holy Spirit tapped her on the shoulder and said, “Wake up. Your family is in danger!”
Listen, we have a HELPER ABOUT US!
Illus: A Christian man was at a four-way stop light. He was waiting for the light to change and just felt the urge to look into his rear-view mirror. He saw an eighteen-wheeler bearing down on him about 100 yards back. He did not think much about it, but as he felt the urge to look again, the truck was about 50 yards behind him and was not slowing down. As he kept his eyes on that huge truck, he realized the driver was not going to stop. He quickly pulled over into the ditch to make room - just in time to see that eighteen-wheeler roll through that red light. As far as he knew, the driver never put his foot on the brakes the first time. Evidently the driver was almost asleep. Had that Christian man not looked into the mirror, he would never have known what hit him.
You can think what you want to think; but I believe the Holy Spirit of God whispered to him, “Look into the rear-view mirror!”
We have a HEDGE AROUND US, a HAND AROUND US, and a HELPER ABOUT US! Also, we have a
IV. HOPE ABOVE US.
If I told you that any now I was going to inherit enough wealth that would enable me to live a life of luxury and joy like no man on earth has ever enjoyed EVER!
You might say, “Preacher, that is wishful thinking!”
I can assure you that it is not “wishful thinking,” it is the HOPE that every child of God has.
2 Timothy 4:8, the apostle Paul said before he died, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, BUT UNTO ALL THEM ALSO THAT LOVE HIS APPEARING.”
Lost mankind does not have a thing to look forward to. He knows he is only one heartbeat away from eternal damnation.
It is such a horrifying thought to some lost people that they do not want to think about it or even want to talk about it.
Illus: This is why some lost people prefer to go to a liberal church that does not remind them of this horrible fact. However, one day they will have to deal with it.
One day they will have to deal with the fact they are going to spend eternity in a burning hell.
But we who know the Lord Jesus has a HOPE ABOVE US! We know that when God is through with us in this life, He will take the hedge down and Satan will destroy our flesh, but nothing can ever destroy our salvation.
Conclusion/Summary:
As we serve Christians we have:
I. A HEDGE AROUND US.
II. HANDS AROUND US.
III. A HELPER ABOUT US.
IV. HOPE ABOVE US.
