The Bubble that Bursts

Sunday night is the big celebration of 20 years of doing these evangelistic events. By the way, Sunday night starts at 6:00 PM so mark it on your calendar were starting in our earlier Amberg and I have the Lewis is been with us from the beginning of the cantina and for the first time in a harvest essay, McGreggor why I think churches all around the world are singing his song and I'm sure you sing it in your church.

I know we do it are so many wonderful songs of these written the man himself going to be here, leading us and one big worship service on Sunday. I I'm in a give a message on the topic of heaven affect the title of my message will be down to earth. Talk about heaven. I've been thinking a lot about heaven the last year for obvious reason and I'm looking forward to going there and I want to take as many people as I can with me. So are already followed by a killer fireworks show, and when I watched forward so they always seem to go on too long this was going to be sword. It's going to be sweet and Chris Thomas going to be playing his praise music is a fireworks going off as we celebrate 20 years of what the Lord is done, you won't want to miss that. Also want to bring this a newspaper to your attention.

We gave one to everyone that came into view.

The one grab one before you leave. Sort of a souvenir edition telling you a little bit about what were all about here at harvest ministries will deny. I want to talk to you about things that matter some and ask you to listen and to not talk because there are people here tonight that are hearing these things for the first time so we want to be in prayer that they will hear God's voice speak to that because this could be and I believe will be on nine were people eternal destinies will change so let's pray together.

Father were no you, we know you're in this place. You said when two or more are gathered together in your name you're there in the midst of them. Lord, there's more than to hear you're here in Rochester crowd or individuals. That's how you see us look out anything that young man you see that girl who struggling with suicidal thought see that kid that is afraid of his future received the older gentleman that been thinking a lot about death. You see the person that is bound by the power of alcohol or drug you see so many people who are so many questions and we pray to not you will speak to them.

We pray tonight we will find the answers to the biggest questions in life, we commit this evening to you now in Jesus name we pray. Amen. I met tonight the title of my message is bubble that bursts I want to tell you a story about a guy who tried it all and anyone can ever say. Been there, done that brought the T-shirt. It was this guy he was like a hedonist on steroids impact. He was so radical in his lifestyle. He made a guy like you have her look like a lightweight. In comparison, this guy was mad for leisure. He was worth billions of dollars we drink booze like a fish and chased after women like there was no tomorrow.

He was an architectural genius masterminding the building of incredible structures. Donald Trump had nothing on it was a world-class intellectual yet he became like a complete full impact. He almost destroyed his life am I talking about some rock star or movie star. No, I'm talking about a guy hundreds of years ago to get a story. This current is today's newspaper's name was Solomon and he was the king of Israel. He wrote down all the stupid stuff he had done in a book we call Ecclesiastes that could be subtitled the mess up your lot. Would you buy a book with a title like that we don't have to. It's right here in the Bible, as recorded by Solomon. He wrote it down because effectively he wants to say to us. This is a stop should not do is an older guy now writing to younger people say listen, I've tried to stop. I've done this up and listen to me when I tell you it is not going to satisfy you.

It was Solomon them coined that phrase. There is nothing new under the sun in its true though hundreds of years have passed since his book was written what he is going to reveal the wise is so relevant and so in the moment with Malcolm Muggeridge, is that I quote all new news is old news happening to new people."

Right out of the back.

Solomon introduces the theme of what he has to say in Ecclesiastes chapter 1 is that these are the words of the preacher. Everything is meaningless, utterly meaningless out understand the reason he saying this is a soundless up my experience because he left God out of the wage and he was trying to live the life without God chasing after everything this world had to offer. Because himself. The preacher, but you could just as easily describe them as the searcher. You know I am a preacher.

I'm not embarrassed to say that but usually I don't say that to a person when I meet them. I'll be talking a little bit about my faith in Christ and will say well what you do for a living healthy will. I'm a preacher I and then there's like this big wall that goes up as soon as I find out I'm a preacher and then if they caused by accidental site. All pardon my French, Rev. someone that was French well different than the way heard before. Listen as a preacher I'm not better than anybody here. I'm just one dying man speaking to other dying men and women. I'm just one beggar telling another beggar where to find food. That's all I have and so I like the way that you clap later they started you clap later. This is the more perceptive side of the stadium, saw I just alienated 10,000 people. That was not good. All students and teachers at you later okay there easy to please our thing, listen, I wanted to talk about things that matter. Things that are important made you come here tonight searching you been asking the big questions of life line. Why am I here one way exists, what is the meaning of my life in the big question that everyone ought to be asking what's gonna happen to me when I die. So here's the weird thing about Solomon. He was raised in what we might describe as a godly home. His dad was king David and his mom was – even of course we all know David messed up big time with Bathsheba, but we also know God forgave and we also know that the Bible describes David as a matter for God's own heart. And we know that David passed on the truth of God's word to his son Solomon, but Solomon rebelled against it.

Maybe thoughts and hypocrisy in the home. Maybe you run away from your Christian upbringing. Maybe you were raised going to church and hearing Bible stories you know all about veggie tales Bob the tomato Larry the cucumber. But the point is is you turned away from it 239. I'm tired of that. I don't want to live that way. I want to live the way that I want to lead and that's what Solomon did and I don't know if your excuses hypocrisy is a will you know what if I can find a hypocrite. The church I joined it. Listen if you find a church that does.

Never the hypocrite. Please don't join it because you'll ruin it. Sorry we as Christians fall short. I'm not perfect you're not perfect were to be inconsistent at times we Christians radiata have assigned other minor neck that says, under construction, you know we've a long ways to go okay but having said that Jesus did not say follow my people, he said, follow me and Jesus Christ will never be a hypocrite follow Christ. Solomon not unlike this prodigal son in the New Testament that Jesus talked about ran away from is spiritual upbringing. He ran away from his biblical roots. He ran away from the God he was taught about them. I didn't say the godly seem to have a relationship with.

When he was a younger boy and he went crazy chasing after bullets out there seem be in the king get unlimited resources had more money than you can imagine, so he could do anything that he wanted he could buy anything that he wanted to get experience anything he wanted to experience that's pretty much what he did. You want to know what his conclusion was that it was empty and the word that he uses for empty many times in the book of Ecclesiastes can be translated futile, meaningless with the vapor a hollow empty ring nothingness or the title of my message bubble that bursts the searcher. Solomon is telling us there is nothing world offers that will satisfy a person who's created to know God certainly getting on one of those stationary bikes you know you pedal a family never get anywhere know they are really high-tech ones a little video screen at two pedal along and you're looking at scenery in but you never leave the gym. You see or even worse, there like a kid at home.

You know your you're doing crazy riffs on guitar here on your Xbox and the girls are screaming.

The problem is you never left her bedroom. That's all a lot of people are like they're not going anywhere. They're just wasting their life. It's like you're just going around in circles. That's what Solomon was safe. So here's what he writes now about what he had discovered after chasing after the pleasures of this life. He said everything is meaningless. Totally meaningless. No matter how much we see were never satisfied no matter how much we care were never content what was will be again. What happen will happen again. There's nothing new under the sun hereafter here at the same old thing someone says they this is new. Don't get excited.

It's a saying old story meant is that not true. I love the way that he says everything is empty, and he says no matter how much we see were never satisfied no matter how much we care. Whatever content have you ever got out and bought a new sound system you know your you're checking it out. Get more more expensive and helicopter and I knew you're all listening to Osama's will acknowledge it itself you know will collectively of ADD in Southern California right I think that's so you know you got any pictures, sound system and your you're set it up. It is Expensive and the guises Alyssa meant you want to take this thing to the next level that a little bit more money you need to get some woofers and need to get some tweeters in this thing will blow you away.

So you spent all this money all the sound system then the guises will you know you need to get the killer yellow flat-panel.hang on the wall and the newest one that just came out is 40 feet high. Yeah, you gotta get that one just to sit a mile away to watch it but still great event to bed so you have the killer sound system of the massive flat-panel on your wall and then just a few bonnets on social did you get that thing in the D 60 high definition you can get it in HD know so you gotta my mother would send more money then someone says awake did you get it in eight the 3D audit review know God's latest thing in finale of HD 3D abductor woofers gutter cleaners. It got chicken to have bloom ready of Green Beret every radar as I have got your Xbox and PlayStation hooked up to it in a thousand satellite channels to choose from and measure sitting in front of this thing to say I'm bored, philosopher and author Peter creeped out this question.

Why is it were more. Why this distinctly modern phenomena.

The very word boredom did not exist in free modern language. How is it that we ask Lane that for the first time in history we have conquered nature by technology that turned the world into a giant fun and games factory the rich kids playroom at the very society which has the least reason to be bored is the most for question were not just bored or depressed. Did you know that the sale of antidepressants by American has doubled from 1996 to 2005. We've gone from 13 million to 27 million Americans using antidepressant because were down or board or depressed. Does that describe you right now some of you will perhaps even contemplated suicide. You've never told that to anyone, but the fact of the matter is you thought about it because your life seems so pointless. Maybe you have everything that everyone dreams about what you've seen the emptiness of it all. Solomon says I tried everything that was out there and nothing seemed to satisfy me.

One of the things he chased after was knowledge and wisdom of that's a lofty goal. That's a good thing to pursue. He said in Ecclesiastes 1 I sent all of greater wisdom and knowledge and anyone else ever low performing, and indeed Solomon was regarded as the wisest man of the days of the earth. People came from the ends of the earth to sit at his feet and shrink in his great wisdom about the Queen of Sheba said that half of it as a mental health acrolein. Why this man is Solomon concluded after all of my study. After all of my research.

After the accumulation of all of this knowledge. It was all empty. Gen. Omar Bradley in an armistice speech in 1948 said and I quote, we have grasped the mystery of the atom that we have rejected the sermon on the Mount, we've achieved brilliance without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. How true that is. You may be the smartest kid on the block, but if you leave God out of the equation. You'll just be a well educated fool know the answer was not found in the pursuit of knowledge under the user harvest Crusade shirt to mop my brow.

Sorry that I picked the brightest one we had, by the way, this is a pretty neat design.

You might want to check this out. So then Solomon said you know what I'm in a chase after pleasure on the live for pleasure and that's what some people afforded it, he said, let's give pleasure a try to start their own party and see what comes of it. Maybe that's what some of you live for you to slip for the weekend deliver the party below for the bars deliver the experience of the promise that is you spent a lot of time waiting to like going to an amusement park and it seems like most of the time you're in a line of the Rhine. The ride last like eight seconds and you wait in the line for like two hours now the of these little signs and amusement park whines and say if you're standing here, you'll be on the ride in one month.

You know that helpful. We spent a lot of time waiting that we have that experience was it really worth it. The Bible says, she that lives for pleasure is dead while she still is living. Maybe you felt that your at a party drink in one hand cigarette in the other, laughing your face off, thinking yourself this socks I'm empty I'm unhappy.

I don't know anybody in this room really cares about me. I don't know if I really care about them. Why is my life so tragic and sad because you love God out of the equation. That's life. That's what Solomon did. He said it's stupid to be laughing all the time you know there are people today that try to escape their troubles, or just laughing know, have a few drinks and laugh and offered her the story of a distraught miserable man went to visit a psychologist looking at his miserable condition. The shrink said to him you know what we do lighten up a little bit forget those things that there is a comedian done of the local comedy club performing right out.

That is, everybody in stitches go down there and listen to that guy still take your mind off your trouble man grown from home and said I am a comedian. One of the most successful comedians of all time is Jim Carrey in an interview he talked about his bouts with depression and self-loathing. Then he said and I quote I have to go through. Where I cry and I saw a nice green eyed one little personal locations will go away by myself considered curse at the television for the whole weekend." They were having some fun now.

What's with that.

A lot of times comedians are some of the saddest people out there. The emptiness of it all.

Solomon says so I thought I'd give alcoholic try scissor the help of a bottle wine at all the wisdom I can muster. I tried my best to penetrate the absurdity of life. You know, just drink your troubles away.

Don't think about this and I've been up close and personal with alcohol. My mom was an alcoholic. She was married and divorced seven times I went through all of that with her that ironically when I got in a high school I started drinking to I was a really a social drinker I drink to get drunk and I remember how much I hated it. I remember what a hangover felt like I member that numbness I member the burden of alcohol might grow actually was pretty easy for me to give that up. Frankly, after I became a Christian because I found out I don't need that anymore.

I don't need to go get the spirit. I need to be filled with the Holy Spirit instead center cracks me up the walkway aporia CSI around 5 o'clock happy hour. Those people look happy to you. So Solomon shifts gears okay to pursue knowledge is not there. Okay I missed it. I have pleasure it's not there cabinets try out laughing all the time. Okay, it's not there drinking not there. I know I'm just can build a bunch of stuff. Solomon says I built houses I planted vineyards I design garden and parts I acquired huge herds and flocks.

I had silver and gold. I allude from kings and kingdom hired singers to entertain me with song and I had women for my bed had it all but he was still empty. I read an interview just the other day that was done was Simon Cal from American Idol Simon Cal just signed a deal with American Idol BBP $45 million a year to offer his evaluations on the singers. I happen to agree with Simon. Most of the time but anyway, that's another story for this article was done where he was interviewed in his home is that the article said Simon's new Beverly Hills home is actually very very clean and very black-and-white so much that even the imposing gains that shield us $24 million mansion are black and so highly polished.

You can see your face in them. Simon loves to laugh. He loves to be entertained. He hates to be bored is a TV in his bathroom where he watches old cartoons. He said they put them in a good mood and make them laugh out loud. The staff that he has there take care of him that he has his guests office Bob cool home theater and a garage analysis is regarding Rolls-Royce, Bentley is door and Ferrari.

Yes, all the plan shipped in from Palm Springs and sculptures and water features and so forth. Then it sounds like Solomon so here's the question Simon Cal. This wealthy powerful success man happy man in the interview he says and I quote I get a very dark moods for no reason. Nothing in particular brings in on you be having the best time of your life and all of a sudden your utterly and totally miserable. He says I'm a wondering asteroid without a home. I get the point right think I'm never going to be happy.

Someone said to me recently. You're like a human buffet table.

Everyone comes and takes something from you that the end there's nothing left. While nothing new under the sun is same old same old hundreds of years ago. Solomon said it in yesterday's newspaper, Hollywood celebrities says it without knowing Madonna was recently quoted making this statement I have traveled the world many times over high-performance soccer stadiums appeared in film dying with state leaders collaborated with great artists and achieve what most people would view as a high level of six. But I felt something was missing in my life."

As your bubble burst here in Southern California here in Orange County it sometime referred to as the Bible for many people, that bubble is first the housing market is not doing well like it once was.

Fortunes have been made and lost a lot of people saving have been disappearing.

Maybe your bubble is burst your marriage is falling apart. Your life is coming unraveled something else is going wrong. That's all. Solomon was describing life without God.

So what you do.

What's the answer. The answer is not found in the things of this life. The answer is found in a relationship with the God who created you because Liz and Fred. You were created to know God. From the moment you were born you been on a quest you been on a search knowing that there's something more something to live for something that really matter.

The Bible says God has placed eternity in our hearts and so Solomon says all right, here's what I've learned. Here's the bottom line here is the sum of the matter at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes. He writes this. Here's the final word. Dear God do what he tells you to do and that's it. Eventually God will bring everything we do out into the open and the judge it and judge it according to its hidden intent. Whether it's good or bad.

Here's what Solomon is saying listen I'm a seasoned pro I know what I'm talking about.

If you leave God out of the picture. Your life will be empty and meaningless in little you want to live a life with purpose for God. Now once… Your God doesn't mean be afraid of God no means respectful reverence God honor God means this come to the conclusion that God knows what he's talking about enemy tells you to not do something for your own good. If he tells you to do something it's for your own good. Realize that God is wiser than you more powerful than you and that he loves you and is a plan and a purpose for your life. Why should I fear God.

Solomon says because one day it's all going to come out in the open. Listen, friend. There's coming a final judgment. The Bible says one day working the stand before God ever get to be held accountable for how we live. There's a final Court of arbitration.

But here's the bottom line that final day. You're lucky to be judged on how good of a life you live or how bad of a life you live because a lot of us think well I believe as long as my good deeds outweigh my bad deed God will let me and they have more personal enter we came up with that. It's certainly not in the Bible. Let's just play it out for a moment, let's just say for the sake of the point. That's true you really think your good deeds have already weighed your bad deeds. I don't think they have okay will. Maybe they haven't, but maybe God will be in a really good mood or something I'm not sure heaven is a place for good people and I try to be a good person. Listen to this heaven is not a place for good people.

Heaven is a place were forgiven. People are you forgiven.

I'm not good enough to go to heaven you're not good enough to go to heaven. No one is good enough to go to heaven because the Bible says all of us and said fallen short of the glory of God is a well know I'm a good person. I live by the 10 Commandments I level when people say that because my follow-up question is always you live by the 10 Commandments. Yes, I do really, would you just name them for me now thou shalt recycling not sure so you don't know the 10 Commandments which you live by them.

Check this out. If you've offended a broken one commandment. The Bible says are guilty of all of nobody lives by the 10 Commandments nobody's good enough. That's where Jesus comes in we are sinful people in need of a Savior.

Jesus died on the cross and shed his blood so we can be forgiven of everything we have ever committed so that final day. It's not to be so much of a question is much as it's going to be us on SO in question. In other words, here's the question God will ask you what did you do with Jesus Christ's civil I never heard about Jesus Christ will actually you did. I mean we've all got you know video cameras these days. We even have them on our phone for Pete date and with all of our recording technology and cameras upon traffic lights now and everywhere else. Surely God has some sophisticated recording equipment. The Bible says everything that's said or done as recorded joined to the guard to say you never heard the gospel. How about Friday night at the 20th anniversary of the harvest Crusade here you are sitting out there listening and you're thinking to yourself, you know, I really dug the music that I wish his blog, I would just shut up actually thinking I could. That's what I was just think, which is gonna set design the ball got but know the truth is, you will be able to plead ignorance. The truth is, God will want to know what you did with Jesus eat because God loves you so much he gave his son. He sent his son to die on the cross for you. There's nothing that could be harder for a father to do than to sacrifice nothing hard and yet God sent his own son to come to this earth to be born as a little baby in the manger about the gap then to live a perfect life and in the voluntarily go to lacrosse.

The cross was not a mistake. The cross was not an interruption of the ministry of Jesus. The cross was his goal from the beginning because he knew that there had to be a price paid for our sin.

Jesus came to pay a debt he did not know because we owed a debt we could not pay. It was a nail that held Jesus to the cross. 2000 years ago. It was love you and for me, Jesus said for God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have ever lasting life. He loves you sold Solomon coming back to him.

He said them. Listen, I've I found this out the hard way life is empty without God doing God tells you to do. Solomon came back to his roots again. Maybe some of you need to do that. I mentioned a few moments ago. The story of the prodigal son memo that story amended two sons, the younger of the two said that was paraphrase, I'm sticking your rules and regulations.

I want to go live the way that I want to live.

I want my portion of the inheritance.

Now I'm tired of waiting for you to die, so the father divided his inheritance up David to him. The boy left with a spring in this step in money in his pocket MM when he hit town of Eddie was one popular guy to send us the money ran out as friends right out with it. It was left all alone in one day he came to his senses and he said you know what, I had a better knuckle of my father.

I'm in a go home heaven. As a father, I am no longer worthy to be called your son to take me on as a hired hand. But Jesus who told the story said while the boy was still a great way thought, his father saw him and he was moved with love and compassion and started to run towards his son.

You know that back in this culture was considered undignified for an older man to run older men just didn't run. They walked not to mention the fact of course it's harder for an older man to run. I know this from experience. I tried running and it just hurts I've had friends a run for Greg Heaney to hang in there and keep running away for the release of the endorphin. I have never had a single endorphin release to my life runners high never experienced it. But the father ran the father willing to lose his dignity if you will read to get to his son and he threw his arms around him and kissed him over and over again, so you might wonder if I realize I need God. And I say Lord I want to know you tonight. I want to believe in you. I will God react.

I'll tell you how he will react he will run to you, to throw his arms around you and kiss you and I'll say welcome home son, welcome home daughter no matter what you've done. No matter what you've done is that all God wouldn't say that to me.

Yes he went. God says their sins and iniquities will I will remember I will remember no more. Listen, our God has a bigger racer let him use it in your life right now and come to him. You might say will clean my life up and come to God no, come to God and feel clean your life up, you come to him as you are you coming in with your problems to come to him with your sin become begin with your struggles become begin with your questions.

You come Jesus has come on the me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Listen to me.

God has what you're looking for you're looking to find it in relationships talking to find it in possession you're looking to find it in achievement in identifying the insects you're not gonna find it and shrugged you're not gonna find it in parties are drinking you're gonna find it in a relationship with the God who loves you and will forgive you of your sin. So in conclusion some of your same. Finally, in conclusion, if you want to get right with God tonight is what you need to do need to realize are a sinner Bible says is already pointed out all of sin and fallen short of the glory of God. Every one of us have broken God's dilemma. Secondly, recognizing Jesus Christ the son of God died on the cross for your sin. He was there voluntarily and died in your place. Thirdly, you must be willing to repent of your sin. The Bible says God is commanded people everywhere to repent. To repent means to change your direction unlike you might think all I haven't even hinted get out a way repent no means an angle you turn in the road of life you been going away from God. Now it's time to go to God and then you must receive Christ in your life.

Being a Christian is not just believing a creed. It's not just going to a church it's having Jesus Christ, the son of God, living sided Jesus says behold I stand at the door not many men will hear my voice, and open the door, I will come again. You need to ask Christ to come into your life. You can view that sometimes the Bible says, for as many as received him give them the power to become sons of God, and then you must do it publicly. That is when a mobile regular pray and I'm going to invite you to make a public stand for Christ is over to hundred thousand people have done over the last 20 years care in Southern California. At this Jesus said if you will confess or acknowledge me before people, I will confess and acknowledge you before my father and the angels in heaven, but he added. If you deny me before people all deniable for the father in the angels that slime that I call you publicly to the field behind the stage tonight and just a moment, and as you come down you'll be saying, Lord, I want your forgiveness Lord, I want to follow you and then finally you must do it now listen friend.

Now is the time. The Bible says today is a day of salvation tonight is your night. Don't put this off. You might say, well I'll come tomorrow night to or Sunday night while you may but nobody has a guarantee they'll be here tomorrow. The Bible says don't boast about tomorrow. You don't know what a day will bring. The Bible says prepare to meet your God, listen tonight is your night. You have an appointment with God. I urge you to keep it income to Jesus Christ and I'll forgive you and you'll never regret it. You think about what you're going to do you think about what you're gonna do, as we have a prayer that I'm going will invite you to come to Christ or come back to hear if you're a prodigal son or daughter. Let's pray now father, thank you for your word. Thank you for your truth and thank you for the promise of Scripture and now I pray for every person listening to this message.

Help them to see their need for you help them to come to you and help them find the forgiveness that only you can give. We pray now Jesus name, amen