You Ask A Hard Thing?

YOU ASK A HARD THING! THE MANTLE!

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (2 Part lesson)

Mantle: a covering, a loose piece of clothing without sleeves, worn over clothes, cloak, the earth’s covering…

Never forget 2 times 0= 0.

At least 6 times in the Bible the refers to the DOUBLE PORTION… WHY WOULD WE ACCEPT ANY LESS THAN THE BEST GOD HAS FOR US?

Isaiah 61:7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

INVESTING WISELY? CAST AWAY?

DIAMONDS ARE FOUNDED IN THE MANTLE, THE EARTH’S MANTLE…PERHAPS WE CAN FIND GOD’S VALUE IN THE MANTLE.

I once read a story of wealthy man. He loved his wife, but she had passed away. He decided he would sell everything and invest in DIAMONDS. So he sold the farms and land he had accumulated through the years.

He had a fortune invested in farm equipment, he sold everything. He went to the bank and withdrew many hundreds of thousands of dollars. He studied the DIAMOND GRADES and how the grades affected a diamond’s value. THE 4 C’s: CARAT WEIGHT, CUT, COLOR and CLARITY. He learned every diamond is unique. He studied several years in preparation to buy many fancy diamonds.

The old farmer studied HOW ARE DIAMONDS FORMED? Diamonds are CARBON, from the same thing that coal is made. THE CARBON IS EXPOSED TO GREAT HEAT, GREAT PRESSURE, OVER A GREAT TIME. THE GEOLOGIST BELIEVE THAT DIAMONDS WERE DEPOSITED AND FORMED IN “THE MANTLE OF THE EARTH, THEN VIOLENT DEEP VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS FORCED THE BEAUTIFUL DIAMONDS BENEATH THE GROUND…

He found good diamonds are found in 35 countries. They are found in India, Russia, Siberia, Brazil, China, Canada, and the USA. BUT THE WORLD’S MOST PERFECT DIAMONDS ARE FOUND IN SOUTH AFRICA. So now the man packed all his things and money and booked a ship for SOUTH AFRICA. The captain of the ship locked all his money in a safe. When the man got to Africa he withdrew all the money and hired to strong men to be his body guards. The man traveled days buying diamonds as an investment. He only purchased only the best diamonds. One day the old man FOUND THE DIAMOND OF EVERY MAN’S DREAM. It was huge. The 4 C’s were all there, it was one of the best diamonds ever recorded. The Carat weight was great, the color, the cut and the clarity was beyond superb. He was so proud of that brilliant diamond, the FIND OF A LIFE TIME!

So the farmer said good bye to his personal body guards and purchased his return ticket to the USA. He locked all his smaller diamonds in the ships safe. BUT HE KEPT THE HUGE SHINY DIAMOND IN A PURPLE CRUSHED VELVET BAG in his vest pocket.

So day after day the farmer would rub that rare diamond and admire its rare beauty. When the sun light would shine the prism color was amazing. He started throwing the diamond in the air and thank God how blessed he was to own this HUGE DIAMOND. Day after day the man could be seen throwing the diamond in the air and exposing its beauty. One day he threw the DIAMOND high to see the color and clarity. The wind blew hard and tossed the ship. The hopes and dreams of the old farmer was forever dashed as his priceless diamond went overboard. The man ran over to the rail and watch the BIG DIAMOND SLOW SANK. Finally the DIAMOND WAS OUT OF SIGHT. The farmer demand the captain of the ship to stop the ship. The captain started the ship and found the water was several hundred feet deep. There was NO HOPE! None!

The farmer invested his all in TEMPORAL things, tears could never bring back … CAST AWAY?

Luke 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

Luke 9:25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

DO WE VALUE ETERNAL THINGS? IN WHAT ARE WE INVESTING? (TIME, TALENT, ENERGY)

THE OLD PREACHER LAYS HIS MANTLE OVER HIS SHOULDERS ONE DAY AND HISTORY WILL CHANGE… THE PREACHER WAS TIRED, HE WAS BROKEN AND SPILLED OUT. ELIJAH HAD SEVERAL BATTLES WITH DEEP DARK DEPRESSION AND EXCESSIVE MISERY… TO ADD TO THIS BATTLE, ELIJAH WAS GETTING OLD AND HE FELT LIKE HE WAS THE ONLY ONE SERVING GOD…