Ecclesiastes Chapter Four cont... the criticality of our labors.

8 “ There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail”.

This verse speaks of the spirit of acquisition, how that even if man has no one to leave it to yet he is consumed with the need to amass; Solomon in truth feared all his labors coming to naught (in a covetous way). O' Christian let me plead with you, be careful what you pursue and invest your time and resources in; be careful of that which you put your heart and soul into. The attainments and acquisitions of this world are so vain. Our focus should be to fulfill the will of God for our lives; to increase His kingdom and to accomplish His plan for our lives. It should be for the furtherance of the gospel or to lift some soul out of the dust. One may be laboring for that which will perish or be squandered by others after they leave this world then what is the eternal reward? The saying “Penny wise and pound foolish” means that one puts all of their efforts in the wrong direction. O' to live life with the knowledge of what really matters! Do riches and the stock market matter? Do cars, houses and lands matter? Does climbing the corporate ladder matter? How one will answer this question reveals what place these things have in their heart but just remember "...neither is his eye satisfied with riches..."

9 “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour”.

This is a very important truth we would do well to remember; we need the help of others to accomplish the work of God. Two are better than one; no man working alone can accomplish as much as two side by side. This is important in all our labor but it is critically important as it relates to marriage, what great things for the kingdom can be accomplished if husband and wife are united for a purpose! As a laborer (of mens souls) learn to work with others; Jesus sent them out two by two to each city because they can be more effective that way. It is true that before two can walk together they must be agreed but in reality it can be a flaw in one’s character when they are not be able to work with others; we want to find others of the same vision to work with us.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Four cont.... One who allows sin slips away from the good path

6 “Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit”.

This verse is very Solomonic, "Better is" this is very reminiscent of some of his writing in Proverbs (Ref. Prov 15:16-17; Prov 16:19; Prov 17:1; Prov 19:1). Better is it to have less and to be filled with peace and joy then to have great wealth and be troubled in spirit. One understands that in the life of Solomon there is a great longing for the peace of God. Let us be clear it was not his wealth or wisdom that removed peace; Solomon lost the touch of God through "wine, women and song (parties)". He was also an idolater; careless in his lifestyle breaking the commandments that brought him to ruin (See 1 Kings 11:1-8, esp. V:2 "...Solomon clave unto these in love.") One cannot live a life of contradiction violating the scriptures and expect all will go well. Some foolishly believe that because God waits that He may be gracious that He does not care about their lifestyle. Nothing could be further from the truth; it is tragic when one mistakes the longsuffering of God for His indifference to sin.

7 “Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun”.

Solomon saw that nothing on the earth made any sense; how sad and for this man of wisdom, how foolish. In the cycle of life, which he calls vanity, is mans destiny and eternity determined. What he does with his life and character determines where and how he will spend his eternity. But he concludes only ill fates because he himself is not walking uprightly; he is wasting his wisdom and opportunities. The real problem with Solomon is he desires things God does not want him to participate in, certain indulgences such as wine women and song (parties and mirth). I have seen that when one (a believer) participates in sinful behavior how they lose hope and lose that sense of purpose in God and they easily slip away and begin to adapt a worldly attitude about things. The scriptures do not say in vain “Guard your heart with all diligence”

Ecclesiastes Chapter Four cont... Labor for the right things

4  “Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit”.

This is a golden nugget coming from Solomon, we could not agree with him more! Because one envies and covets what his neighbor has he works harder to have more "…this is vanity and vexation of spirit". As believers, the more we walk on in God the less we desire the spoils of Egypt, the less we desire the dainty morsels of the world. There is an appetite that increases and it is for souls and whatever the cost we feel compelled to pay it; however, more than that there is an ever increasing desire to see Jesus, to behold His pleasant face and to have His opinion of us to be a good one (by His grace!).

5 “The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh”.

What this is actually saying is that the fool sits doing nothing until he starves to death. It is the exact opposite of the previous verse (Eccl 4:4) where that group labored furiously out of envy and jealousy this poor soul is too lazy to do anything. The point Solomon is making is that at both extremes there is folly; one side works hard in vain and the other side does nothing to his destruction. Again, this is the perspective of a backslidden man. We want to on one hand labor hard but for the right reasons (to serve our Master, provide for our families and for the needs of others) and on the other be content with whatever God provides even in times of leanness.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Four cont... Remain on the vine or the result is despair.

2 “Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive”.

Having the wrong perspective on life causes one to make queer statements. Here is one example; Solomon who is looking at things from a strictly humanistic perspective (which ignores Gods part in the whole equation) concludes that ones who are already dead are better off! A million times over NO!! Those who are dead have no more breath to labor, no more opportunity to lighten others loads, no more opportunity to have His holiness worked out in their life. This statement does not even consider where their eternal abode is. This statement is reckless and disparaging, it bespeaks of Solomon’s backslidden condition.

Solomon is the one who said: Proverbs 18:21 "Life and death are in the power of the tongue" and Proverbs 4:23 "Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life!” and yet he did not practice what he preached. Solomon did not make sure he walked in his own counsel. This causes shipwreck and makes one lose the victory through a cloud that overshadows their minds.

3    “Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun”.

He carries this erroneous statement farther by saying "Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been..." In other words: "better yet is he that was never born". This is the statement of one who has completely lost his perspective of the eternal bliss that awaits the righteous. Other men, who were godly, came to a place of discouragement (e.g. Job; Elijah; Jeremiah) albeit, they do not adopt Solomon’s gloomy assessment of all humanity, they simply say, in a momentary lapse of discouragement, it would have been better had they not been born. They recover from their discouragement and are restored to a more positive outlook whilst Solomon’s outlook never seems to change. One who no longer serves the Lord, one who has forfeited their access to the Lord will often adapt this attitude, once they know the Lord has departed. To keep a joyful and triumphant attitude on life we must remain on the True Vine and in communion with the Lord.

Ecclesiastes Four: Oppression, make the burdens lighter for mankind

Ecclesiastes 4:1 “So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter”.

Again, the key point one needs to make is to be careful of the opinion you formulate in a trial. This following statement "... and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter..." is not the statement of a righteous man but is the gloom observation of a sinner who has no hope. You would be wise to not agree with Solomon on this point because he negates what he already has been taught and knows about the scriptures. Even the Pentateuch itself contradicts this (Exodus 3:7; Exodus 6:5).

In actuality we could say here that Solomon is indicting himself, he was the oppressor! Compare this verse to Job 29 where Job, a man of great power and influence, said he used his power and influence to release the captive and break the bands of the oppressors. Solomon did not follow the same pattern he lacked restraint and was driven by lust and power; he ground to powder those under him. Look at this passage 1 Kings 12:4, Solomon had become a monster to those under him. He would have done well to take the advice of his father David when he said those ruling of men must be just (2 Samuel 23:2-3). I have learned over the years that God is very tuned in to how we treat others; this is especially for those in authority. Kindness, consideration and politeness to those around us (and especially those under our authority) are of great value in the eyes of the Lord. God expects us to know the burden we place upon others and where it is in our power to lighten their loads. This truth cannot be overstated, use your authority and influence to make peoples burdens lighter not heavier.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three cont... Man is worth much more than the beasts

19 “For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity”.

Once again we see the depressing conclusion of Solomon, that man is no better off than a beast because each will eventually die. This statement neglects the very purpose of man; that he is to fulfill the plan of God for his life. Of course we all know that everyone will die; the measurement is not that everything gets old and eventually dies, the measurement is how much of the plan and purposes of God are fulfilled in our lives before we die. We should live every single day with a core value that God has a purpose for us and we are worth much more than the beasts (Matt 10:29-31 “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows”) This is just one of the many distinctions between man and beast. Ask yourself this question: “Have I used my time wisely”; perhaps we need to re-evaluate and pray the prayer of Moses in Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”.  If we believe (and we should) that God has a plan for every life then we must be actively seeking to have it fulfilled in our lives. This is what distinguishes us from mere beasts!

20 “All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again”.

All go unto one place, however, it is not just to the dust, it is into eternity but it is not the same place in eternity for everyone. To one who fears God and has fulfilled His plan for their life it is eternal reward, peace and joy. To the wicked and unredeemed it is a place of punishment and torment; to the beast they simply die and return to the dust. However, this is not the only thing to be learned here; Solomon reveals what happens to someone who has backslidden participating in sinful behavior. Through sinful deeds a veil comes over one’s mind and they lose their vision for the eternal. Solomon, in his backslidden condition, retains his ability to understand concepts but all he can use it for is to see the futility of this life. We live, we die and turn to dust, says he, without purpose. And so he concludes that the best we can do is to enjoy this brief existence eating and drinking and making merry (Eccl 3:22). O' how much he missed because he lost hope in the life to come (1 Cor 15:17-19)!

21 “Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth”?

One of the pitfalls of a backslidder is skepticism; this is because they have lost faith, “…the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). Solomon is filled with self doubt and fears; as a result of this state he falls into depression. The basic understanding of Solomon would have been given to him from his father David who most certainly would have taught Solomon about the eternal resting place of the righteous and the wicked. Solomon, however, through his careless living had fallen into doubt. This is actually a warning sign for a believer who is turning backslider; they begin to lose a grasp on the things they once held dear and the formulate opinions that are very negative, they become propagators of the “Gospel of Doubt”.

What to do When God Is Silent!

I want to speak on the subject of “The God of Silence”. In a normal relationship with Christ, you would expect He would speak to us. It is right for us to expect this, just consider the verse that says “My sheep hear My voice” (John 10:27). Also, consider John 16:13-14 – “He shall reveal me to you”. That being said I suspect not all believers are really hearing from Him. They may feel an impression here and there or a verse that stands out once in a while but are they really listening and hearing His voice. As believers we should expect our hearing would eventually rise above the level of just once in a while and we are right to ask Him to speak clearly to us. This is not said to bring anyone under condemnation it is only meant to establish this is something we should expect in our relationship with Him. I recall recently my daughter and I were praying in our home and she revealed to me she knew He was standing at the end of my bed. At that same time He was revealing to me that we were being discussed in heaven at that moment. We should expect Him to reveal Himself to us. Now, that we have established this should become the norm in our life we will also affirm there are times of trial when the Lord is silent and the question is what do you do when God is silent? Let’s begin with establishing some reasons why God might be silent: 

• Our Adversary – First of all let’s consider our adversary as one the reasons. We know that God can speak from heaven and yet the enemy can, for a time, with-hold the answer. Recall the words of Daniel in Daniel 10:11-13, the answer to Daniels prayer has been sounded out of heaven and yet it was hindered from reaching Daniel for some time (21 days). And so the enemy can be one reason why, even after we seek the Lord, the answer is not coming and it seems God is silent.

• Unrepentant Sin – Another reason He could be silent may be sin in one’s life; one who has unrepentant sin in their life certainly cannot expect the Lord to be induced to speak to them. David said it best in Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.” I do want to add one cautionary remark; we must be careful here, we must not to quickly conclude that God is mad at our sin and therefore He is silent. I have seen God speak profound things to people in periods of great failure in their lives (to encourage them to stay in the fight and not give up; He is so very desirous that we should make good). However, we also must be careful to deal with sin in our lives and take it very seriously; God does not bless irresponsibility with our walk.

• Trials – Another reason (probably number one reason) is trials. In fact many times what makes the trial hard to bear is the fact that God is not speaking. We can generally bear just about anything when we are hearing from God but remove the sound of His voice and we can feel quite alone. Job said this in the midst of His trial:  Job 9:11 “Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not”. Also, he said Job 23:8 “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him”. This can very painful and hard to bear.

And so now that we have established that God generally wants to speak to His people; we have also concluded what all of us already knows, that there are periods when God wishes to be silent. The scripture gives us advice as to what to do when we find ourselves in this condition. If God is being silent because of sin, we must repent and put things right with the Lord in order for us to expect Him to start speaking with us. Let me give you some general other guidelines if you find yourself in either under resistance from the adversary or you find yourself in a nasty trial.

We will start off with the advice of continuing to seek Him, learn to look past the present resistance and employ Heb 11:6 – “He that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is rewarder of them who diligently seek Him” The best advice ever is found in Isa 50:10 “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow”. Also, Habakkuk had good advice when He was waiting on an answer from God; Habakkuk 2:1 “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved”. In short, when God is silent continue to walk in all you know to do, all you know pleases Him and continue to seek Him as one who rewards (always) the diligent seeker. I have had occasion over the last 30 years to employ these methods and I have found that God is impressed with those who continue to seek Him in the darkness and eventually He brings them forth to the light. And so in conclusion; “Let him stay upon His God”. Do not lose heart, hold steady, hold fast to that which you know is true about God; He rewards the diligent and the faithful!

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three cont... The hidden nature that needs exposed.

18 “I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts”.

(ASV) "...that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are but as beasts". That God may prove (test) them, Job tells us that "God tries man every moment of the day" (Job 7:18). Through the injustices of life, through the pressures God exposes hidden flaws in mans character. Through this testing He reveals "That they themselves are beasts". So, why does God need to do this work in each of us? Why is it that He needs to try us and put into difficult circumstances? The truth of the matter is this that we would most likely never seek to be rid of our burdens if we did not see them.

God dealt with righteous Job because He needed him to see a certain flaw in his character (self righteousness) that was hindering a deeper walk with the Lord. The Lord needed Job to see it in the same light He Himself saw it, He needed him to despise it and seek the Lord for cleansing. There were many attributes in the life of Job that were outstanding and very good; the only way to expose this hidden nature was to remove his goodness and expose this one hidden flaw. Many times man will excuse flaws in their character because of a weight of evidence that shows they do very well in other areas.

The rich young ruler is an example of this truth; he could not appreciate what Jesus was saying to him, the flaw He was addressing when He said (out of compassion) “One thing thou lackest” (Mark 10:17-22). This ruler placed all of his good works on the scale in his mind and let them override the one flaw. During Job’s trial he did not see the flaw; in fact at one point he said “I wish knew where to find Him; I would fill my mouth with arguments and He would listen to me” (Job 23:3-6). However, once the trial was over and Job understood clearly what God was after then he said: “I have heard of you with the hearing of the ear but now my eye seeth thee wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6).

There are things God cannot just explain to us, He must almost prove them to us. Did God only want to put Job down and make him acknowledge his flaw? Certainly not! God’s ways are just and His design for Job was that He would put him into a posture whereby He could pour upon him the double portion! His design was to reveal and removed a deep flaw from his character so He would have no reason to with hold this blessing.

What is God doing in your life today; please do not misjudge the Lord or misinterpret what He is doing. “For I know the thoughts I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (Jer 29:29).  Let us not think harshly of the Lord and His methods just because He is revealing deep flaws in our nature; He is a good God and actually He is qualifying us for a greater understanding of Him, of His ways and making us worthy of deeper communion with Him.

Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God and what they mean to us...

I have often said, “One will not pay more for Jesus Christ and His Kingdom than they're value of them”. Man has a built in value structure, we see something and we invest in it what we feel it is worth; I have found this to be true with Jesus and the Kingdom of God also. How much are we willing to surrender for the Lord Jesus and His Kingdom? What do we know about His Kingdom? We are told that The Kingdom of Heaven does not come by observation. This is what Jesus said (Luke 17:20-21) and we know it to be true because men and women all around us live their lives everyday oblivious to its reality. Jesus again said that the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure “Hid” in a field: Mat 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field”. We should point out several things about this treasure, this treasure was stumbled upon quite by accident, this person was not looking for it; but once stumbling upon it he immediately sees its immense value and only because he sees its value is he is willing to sell all to obtain it! Many go through this life in selfish pursuits and seemingly without purpose (even in Christianity), will they recognize the true value of Christ when they see Him? He and His Kingdom are the treasure hid in the field.

We have another analogy of the Kingdom of Heaven in Mat 13:45-46 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it”. In this instance the person is seeking for the hidden pearl. He is one who recognizes his need and he is convinced that there is a single pearl of great price that if sought for can be found and can be obtained by selling all. This man when he finds this one pearl he immediately realizes its value. I remember a story told by a dear saint from years ago by the name of Walter Buetler. God had sent him to an airport in Amsterdam and while sitting in this airport he began to wait on the Lord; and so quietly in a corner he sat with his eyes closed and had a meeting with the Lord right in this busy airport. While sitting there minding his own business a man walks up to him and says “Sir, I have been sitting over there watching you for hours and there has been a light on your face. I have been all over the world seeking for the peace that I see in your face; won’t you please tell me your secret?” This man was a seeker who found the Pearl of Great Price and right there in this airport in Amsterdam Bro. Buetler led him to Christ. Many today are seeking pearls of different sorts that can only provide false satisfaction for a short time but there is only one Pearl of Great price!

In both instances the finders understood the value of what they found and were willing to sell all they had to obtain the very valuable contents. But what does selling all mean to us? Consider a sales transaction for a moment… One advertises, one comes to purchase what is advertised, the item is then surrendered to the one who pays the price. Selling all simply means you must surrender something you posses. Selling all for Christ means you surrender all, everything! In both cases the only way to obtain the treasure is to surrender all. Matt 10:37-39 perhaps in a weak moment one thinks “Selling all? This is a lot to ask”, but just consider for a moment a few of the things Christ willingly surrendered for us.

• From absolute control and power to submission to abuse and ultimate death.
• From unbroken communion with the Father to the cry “Why hast thou forsaken Me?”
• From absolute reverence and honor to being despised and rejected.
• From perfect peace to oppression so intense he sweat drops of blood.
• From perfect joy to becoming a man of sorrows.
• From heavenly adoration to being despised and rejected of men.

When we consider what He has willingly surrendered for us perhaps we will quickly agree He is more than worthy to have all of us… What will you surrender for Christ? Can He ask of you anything or is there a point where you would say… “Not that Lord…” Remember to obtain the treasure to obtain the pearl we must surrender all.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three cont... The places of Judgment.

16 “And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there”.

The inconsistent measurement of man; in judgment, where one would expect a place of balanced scales of justice, there may be great iniquity. Also, in the halls of the righteous (places where one would expect righteous judgment) there may wickedness. Solomon is, of course, guilty himself of these crimes upon the people and so he may be referring to himself. For instance, he himself the son of a righteous king became a terrible oppressor of his people. The plea of the people to Rehoboam (Solomon's son) at the onset of his reign "Your father made our yoke grievous..." (1 Kings 12:3-4)

Do not allow yourself to be surprised or offended when it becomes apparent that judgment is being denied. After the principle of Matt 18:7 we should realize that injustices must come (and they can be used to polish the righteous) but woe unto them by whom they come! The unrighteousness of others can try us and reveal who we really are, our own fallen nature that must be overcome. This is basically what Solomon says in Eccl 3:18 [RV] "I said in mine heart, It is because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are but as beasts."

17 “I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work”.

This is true; everything is manifest of what sort it is through judgment. God does judge the righteous and the wicked and this is even supported in the New Testament (1 Peter 4:17-18).  One must remember, however, that God does not judge the righteous with the wicked. He causes His judgment to begin in the house of the Lord; He cleans it up by His judgment and it is unto life. However, once the house of God is in order then comes judgment on the wicked and the sinner (some of which rejoiced to see God judge the righteous as was the case in the life of David) and God clearly makes the distinction between the righteous and the wicked then. His judgment on the wicked and sinful is severe and final but the righteous are brought forth to the light and are blessed in the end. Proverbs 11:31 – “Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner”.

The Two "Great Commissions"

I was in a certain city in 2010 on a business trip with my eldest daughter and as is our custom, while away from our home church on Sunday morning, we asked the Lord to direct us to the church of His choosing. The Lord sent us to a small friendly church of about 50 saints Sunday morning; while on the way there I felt the unction of the Holy Spirit come upon me. I asked my daughter to record down what the Lord was saying. He began to speak to me about vision and about, as He put is, “The Second Great Commission”. He began to speak to me (I feel in preparation for the great revival of the Last Days) to not forget the responsibility of leadership is to set a vision before the people and to teach the people making them ready for the day they shall stand before the Lord. In brief here is what He spoke to me:

1)      The First Great Commission, Mark 16 – go and tell the world about Jesus

2)      The Second Great Commission, Luke 1:17b – make a people prepared for the Lord

When we arrived at this little church we soon discovered the entire vision on this church was for healing; healing is a wonderful gift but it is not a vision. In this church the only vision they had was that Jesus wants to heal you; they turned every truth around to point to healing. Their website was about healing; the message was about healing and even the license plate of the Pastors car said “Healing”. We are at a time in our history when we could definitely use much more healing and deliverance than we are seeing; however, we could feel in the Spirit that there was a distinct deficiency in this place. They were not getting washed by the water of the word, they were not being given a vision for something greater than the blessing of healing. Healing is not a vision that you lead people into but rather a blessed experience you go through along your journey. Arriving at Zion, that is a vision; that is a place you can lead people to and on that journey healing is part of it but not the ultimate goal.

Many years ago, as a senior Pastor, I taught the book of Acts. During this time God dealt with me using Peter. It was during the event of the healing of the man at the gate beautiful. There the power of God was wonderfully manifested in the healing of this poor man. But as I was teaching this the Lord began to speak to me and said: “Watch Peter because in the years to come you are going to see the power of God manifested but I do not want you to just focus on the act of the miracle but I want you to follow the example of Peter”. I want to now turn our attention to Acts 3.

Acts 3:1-2 Peter and John approach the temple as was their custom. Acts 3:3-5 The lame man fixed his eyes on them and began to beg. Acts 3:6-9 Peter, through faith and the power of God raised up the beggar! Acts 3:10-11 Take note of this verse… they that looked on starred in wonder and amazement! This is where the Lord began to speak to me, what did Peter do next? When he realized that the crowd was spellbound by this manifestation of the power of God he did not stir the people up into a healing frenzy but rather he took advantage of their wide open spirits and he preached a sermon (Acts 3:12-26). He took out his sword and he drove it straight into their hearts, they practically had no choice but to believe since none could deny this was of God.

In Gods timetable we are coming very quickly into a period of the power of God; we are most likely going to see unparalleled healing and deliverance. The burden I have, however, is that we always remember it is wonderful to be healed, it is an amazing blessing but healing will not fulfill the “Second Great Commission” to make ready a people prepared for the Lord, let us seek the Lord as never before for the release of His power to heal and when He is healing the people let us take every advantage of hearts wide open and preach and teach the word of God!

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three...cont What God does lasts forever

14 “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him”.

Here is one of the uncharacteristic remarks of Solomon in Ecclesiastes; he has gotten it completely right. In fact, this verse could have easily fit in Proverbs. "...Whatsoever God doeth it shall be forever..."; we want to be the workmanship of God because what He does lasts forever (Eph 2:10). In order for us to be His workmanship we need to respond to His workings as He deals with us, when He draws us close to touch some are in us. One who is resistant and rebellious to His workings is not in the end going to be called "His Workmanship". They will not partake of the blessing of having this enduring (eternal) work done in them. O' that we would seek the Lord to entirely deal with our crooked and rebellious nature because it is that nature buried deep in the heart of man that instead of making us His sons and daughters actually makes us distant, distant relatives. Remember that whatever God does lasts forever; the dealings have an end but the work lasts forever.

15 “That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past”.

That which hath been is now... Or, we are living today that which has already taken place historically, it is happening now and that which is to be hath already been... Or that which will happen in the future has already happened in the past. This reminds us of exactly what Solomon has already said: (Eccl 1:9). Then there is a new nuance added here: "...and God requireth [searches out] that which is past". In other words, God makes diligent search into the past, just as an auditor comes in to examine historical records to determine compliance. We want to be very careful what we do today because the events of tomorrow will not erase the activities of yesterday; there will be accountability for the past. This is why one must come under the canopy of the blood of Jesus so during His review of our lives He will "Passover" our sins!

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three cont... rejoice and do good all your life!

12 “I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life”.

Solomon is saying that there is nothing better for man to do than to rejoice and to do good as long as he lives. Pity he did not take his own advice. Everything worth doing in this world is accomplished by the hand of God and we don't know or understand the entirety of His purposes. We should try to live uncomplicated lives unencumbered with fears of today and worries of tomorrow because in the end God completes everything according to His own timetable. Our best efforts are to concentrate on our own personal character and to walk out the plans of God for our lives in loving obedience. You see many today running around trying to make great name for themselves yet in the end God accomplish His will in spite of man. Although God wants us to enter into rest in this area; the plans of God for us are immersed in activities. Jesus was a very busy man and yet He confessed “…the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works" (John 14:10) He walked out the plan of the Father, the good works foreordained that He should walk in (Eph 2:10).

13 “And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God”.

Solomon obviously did not have this gift, he was a vexed man. Satisfaction is the gift of God for those who fear and obey Him. The world, which is in rebellion and running after satisfaction in all the wrong ways will never attain unto the peace and the joy that a child of God has as the Lord blesses them in the everyday things of life. "...It is the gift of God." So then, who does God give this gift to? To the man or woman who is good in His sight (Eccl 2:26).

In man dwells no good thing, however, to the man or woman of God who are good in His sight they share His loves and appreciate the things that are meaningful to Him, this is the gift of God to them. They eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Contra wise, those who pursue worldly things and delight in things God despises will lack the ability to enjoy the fruits of their labor because God does not give to them the power to enjoy it. You see it time and time again; one pursues the things of this world clinging hardily unto them and yet in the end that one is left vexed and unfulfilled. When you speak to such a one you will feel his despising of your faith and values but know this God will not allow that man or woman to know your joy!

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three cont... What is God doing in your life?

10 “I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it”.

Solomon understood the travail, the burden God put upon man to humble them. He understood it plainly in his own life in that he himself was a backslider and God was trying to humble and break him. But Solomon would not be humbled; he would not bow down to the Lord and be delivered. At times it is a good idea to take an honest look at your life and consider the state you are in. There may be some areas which are quite blessed yet there may be others where there is no blessing at all. That may not necessarily mean you are doing anything wrong but it certainly would be an area to inquire of the Lord as to what He is doing in you life.

11 “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end”.

He makes everything beautiful in His time. This verse speaks to us of the masterful timing of God, it speaks to us of a process of being made what we are to eventually become and yet we know from experience how dark things can be at times. The question we have many times is “Is this really the will of God for me or have I stepped off the path” Well, it is true that some step off the path but just because it is dark where you are at does not mean it is so for you. Recall to mind the advice of Isaiah 50:10 where we see a man of woman who has walked obediently to their God and yet is in darkness! One of the things we learn as we mature is that God makes things happen according to His own time tables. Not only does God make all things happen according to His own time table but He determines the outcome (Isaiah 46:11 “I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass...”) How dependent on God we all are! When we seek the Lord how important it is to ask,Him, regardless of how we feel, to bring us into line with His plans. One thing we know for sure is that His thoughts toward His people are good and not evil (See Jeremiah 29:11)

Sometimes we get into trouble, in prayer, because we think too highly of our own plans. When we are seeking the Lord it should be to ask Him to bring His will to pass in our lives. At times we come to prayer thinking "after all God would want me to be happy" and therefore, we hold God to our own expectations. Would we not be more deeply satisfied knowing we pleased our loving Father and are fulfilling His perfect will for our lives?

If we follow after Him with patient continuance and we continue to seek Him He will certainly make something beautiful in our lives in His time! We seek the Lord with great frustration at times because it seems He has not done what we asked but before we get frustrated lets try and come into the place where His will is supreme. Isaiah 49:8 says, basically, I have heard you and helped you when it was in my time to do so. For those who can wait for Him and trust in Him He builds a thing of beauty...

The latter part of the verse is poorly translated in KJV; in the LITV it reads like this: “…Also, He has set eternity in their heart, without which man cannot find out the work that God makes from the beginning even to the end”. We must live with an eternal mind otherwise we cannot find out the plans of God, sometimes they urk us and if our thoughts are on this life only then it impossible to understand what God is doing bit for those who are eternal minded and trust God to fulfill His own plan for our lives, they are the ones who see something beautiful made for them.

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three cont... what in heavens name are you laboring for?

9    What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

This is said with certain skepticism as is typical of Solomon; however, we can clearly speak to that issue using the Word of God. What is gained by all of our labors and hard work? The answer depends on what we have labored for. If we, like Paul labor for the sake of the gospel then we shall have an abundant reward (Rom 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us”.); however, for someone like Solomon who labored to make a name for himself and pursued personal pleasure more than God it would most certainly be bleak which obviously was the case. Consider Luke 12:16-21 “And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 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?”. There is ample support in the Word of God confirming that we ought to labor fervently in this life and we will receive a great reward!

• Mat 16:27 “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works”.

• 1Corinthians 3:8 “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour”.

• Rev 22:12 “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be”.

There is a point here that I am sure is obvious; however, it must be highlight it to make sure we are all aware of it. That is this; we must take heed to how we labor fervently. Sadly, we have seen the saints of God, like Solomon, waste their time and squander their calling for years while caught up in vain, worldly pursuits. There are works that will profit (our service to the Lord and to His kingdom) and there are works that are in vain (for houses, lands, wealth, self, a name, pleasure and the list goes on). There are governing principles that affect our reward and it boils down to the motivation. One can even appear to be a servant and yet do it for very selfish reasons; our example comes from 1 Corinthians 13:3 “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing”. The question that will be asked before the Throne of God is this: “What was the motivation behind it all”? We will give Matthew 6:1-4 to support this:

Matt 6:1-4 “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly”. For “profit for our labors” before the Father we need to be fervent and always conscious of what was the motivation behind it all?

Ecclesiastes Chapter Three cont... There is a time for love, hate, war, peace

8    A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

We can find examples in the scriptures where each of these activities took place in the lives of the righteous:

A Time To Love - Christ, His very doctrine promotes love, we learn from the scriptures that love is the bond of perfection Col 3:14 “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness”. And those who love are like God because God is love 1 Jn 4:8-16 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him”.

A Time To Hate – Yes, there is even a time to hate. David said he hated those who hated God; Ps. 139:21-22 “Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies”. Today we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers; our fight is with the unseen enemy, our hatred is directed at him. David hated the enemy with a perfect hatred. One of the true measures of sanctification is to love that which is righteous and to hate that which is evil. There is also a hating of the works of the flesh Jude 1:23 “And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh”. In fact there is a problem in the life of the believer when there is not a hatred for sin; one of the most righteous men who ever lived was Job and Gods testimony of this man was the he feared God and eschewed (hated, recoiled at the very sight of it) evil.

A Time Of War - David fought the battles of the Lord against the enemies of God. The enemies of the Lord are found in Deut 7:1-2 (natural enemies) “When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them” and Prov 6:16-18 (spiritual counterparts) “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren”. We must be engaged in the battles of the Lord, not necessarily external battles but a battle against the enemy within, even the Adamic nature. These seven things the Lord hates are not just in the enemies but they are in the church. Pride, lying, character assignation, wicked imaginations, mischief seekers, false witnesses, discord sowers. As a pastor I have seen everyone’s of these sins manifested in the church and we need to do battle with them.

A Time Of Peace - 1 Chron 22:9 “Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days”. Solomon enjoyed peace during his reign because David dealt with the enemies. This a type of the millennial reign of Christ when the lion shall graze in the field with the calf (Isa 11:6-9) and Satan will be bound one thousand years (Rev 20:1-3).

The Great Depth of His Sacrifice for Us

Isa 53:5 " But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed". This, of course, is talking prophetically about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In order to fully appreciate the contents of this verse it helps tremendously to break this verse down by including the definitions to key words here in order for us to appreciate the position our Savior is in:

"But he was wounded for our transgressions"

·         Wounded - "to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate". He allowed His holy position to be ripped from Him on our behalf. This was not just a physical wounding, He became profane for us (this is why His own Father at one point while He hung on the cross had to look away from Him; "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me?" Ps. 22:1). For our - "from, out of, on account of..."  Transgressions - "a revolt (national, moral or religious): - rebellion, sin, transgression, trespassive". Using these definitions we might just as well translate this verse this way: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Cor 5:21

"He was bruised for our iniquities"

·         Bruised here is defined as: "to crush, be crushed, be contrite, be broken” and it further speaks to the depth of the sufferings of Christ for our iniquities. The word. Iniquities – here is defined as: perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity. In short He was crushed under the weight of our sin in order to take the depraved old nature to the cross. This work is so deep and magnificent that it puts a prayer in my heart; "Lord, if you bore the weight of my depraved nature on the cross then let me bare it no more but rather heap it upon your altar and thus be rid of it for why should we both carry such a load!"

"The chastisement of our peace was upon him”

·         Chastisement – is defined this way: "reproof, warning or instruction" The rebuke that was necessary before an angry God (whose holiness had been insulted) before any peace could be administered came upon Jesus; He took the rebuke. Peace – there are many words to describe this peace, here are just a few that help to define this state: "completeness, soundness, welfare, prosperity, tranquility, contentment, friendship"

"And with his stripes we are healed"

·         Stripes – this word actually means “raised welts and bruises”. Healed – this word healed means: "to mend, to cure, to thoroughly, make whole". In other words it goes far beyond the physical need for healing and reaches to the sin sick soul "To thoroughly make whole"; from the woman with the issue of blood to the demoniac cutting himself among the tombs to Saul kicking against the pricks of conscience Jesus healed them all and made them perfectly whole and He wants to do the same for us. What is your sickness, what is your vexation today? Do you know God bore welts and bruises upon His back that you might be made every wit whole? Reach out to Him right now and say "Lord, please touch me now; I want everything you purchased for me, every stripe you bore was to make me whole, now O' Lord let me enter in..."

And so we see the Savor was brutalized for our shameful sins in order to satisfy the wrath of holiness. But let us never forget John 3:16 that it was actually the love of the Father towards His fallen creation that caused Him to ask His Son to pay such a price. It was the holiness of God that made Him angry at sin but it was the love of God that found for us a way to escape the punishment worthy of our crimes.