Celebrate Life! (Part 2 of 2)

Do you live your life in a way that makes invisible God visible today on Truth for Life. Alistair Begg explains why as Christians we should be the best of genuinely enjoying life and experiencing happiness. Alister's teaching today from Ecclesiastes chapter 11 you want heading for the whole chapter 2 words for them! It is this celebrates life celebrates life verse one in the first of the three go for it. Verse two. Diversify verse one. Go for it. Verse two. Diversify and then stick with the qualifying line is this. Do not wait for ideal conditions do not wait for ideal conditions done a lot of inevitability to paralyze you.

Secondly, verse four don't allow uncertainty to paralyze you is nobody sitting whoever watches the wind will not plan to live our lives in the clouds will not reap the farmer who said saying and writing is tremendously windy if I throw the seed up this morning, the chances are none of it will go on the ground. I think it's all going to blow away if he continues to think in that way he will never have a harvest because he will never plan in the same way whoever looks at the clouds will not reap you making the most of every opportunity. Ephesians 516 making the most of every opportunity making sound like endeavor. The most sounds like extent opportunity sounds like things that come our way, making the most of every opportunity that is represented within the framework of this church here in all that is represented for the chances of evangelism and edification.

Learning about the Bible growing in Christ, and so on, or have you gone food saying again will you know I think it's not an ideal time for me to get in that class. I think perhaps after the first course of the year will be the time. It is not a good time for me to broach the subject with my boss, Eddie. I think after the first six months is whatever it is, and where are you you actually further behind the new wireless time last year. You're waiting for ideal conditions that are no ideal conditions done a lot of inevitability to paralyze you. Don't allow uncertainty to paralyze you. Few great enterprises and waited for ideal conditions only caught up in the maybes and the might of been tackle what is grab Watson reach is Roosevelt, Theodore, that is said do what you can where you are and what you have given them very much and if I wasn't here. If I was there. And of course you do nothing verse five in verse three is about inevitability in verse four is about uncertainty. Verse five is about mystery you don't know the path of the wind or how the parties formed in the mother's womb. You can understand the work of God, the maker of all things okay some things we will never fully comprehend, but we mustn't let them instead prevent us getting on with life.

Don't allow the unknown and the unknowable, to paralyze you. You know enough to proceed proceed as this is bad for some people's blood pressure. Chapter 11 you're setting your editing will be on your chair and on like this because it all seems so out there and you have billed your life in this structured little book that you keep with you, and you got all ticketed ticketing to complete the giving your drive and everybody knocks including yourself.

It's time to let it go. That's what he say life is passing by. This is not a dress rehearsal. This is this is a journey you know in a second go at this, so do not wait for ideal conditions to go. Of course the cartilage of statements you have them reverberating in your head and they need to be there but I love when I discovered that Catherine Bramwell Booth who was the wife of the fund or the Salvation Army when she was interviewed on her birthday are hundred and third birthday by the BBC. One of the interviewer said to her, you know Mrs. Booth is an avenue discovered in the course of your life that are a lot of things that you just don't understand, and you can't explain. She replied there are mysteries that we will never know the answer to, but even so you can enjoy life hundred and three years all while yes there are mysteries, but even so you can enjoy life not in Jew or life enjoy life to enjoy life. Tell your face about do you enjoy life. You see, I am not sure that the message is out there in any realistic way amongst our pagan friends and neighbors that remotely would convince them that believe in the living God and in Christ to me is send that belief in this Christ actually causes an individual to celebrate life and meet invisible God is made visible in the lives of his children.

Therefore kind of God is our society. See when we apparently are just managing to get through. Just trying to get by just endeavoring to get it over with. So all that's interested. I thought that Jesus had said something about I am come that you might have life and that you might have in all of his fullness way as he did, but we we haven't done that chapter yet were not were not there are doing on fabricating 31 here come three more verse eight.

Enjoy. Nine. I don't like it when people in the bring me my salad and they sprinted down in the state. Enjoy.

I'm not even sure that it is a right use of English, but I'm using it anyway. This to try and be nice.

Enjoy it really should be. Enjoy it. I think or enjoy yourself a notch. Unless you enjoy can stand by itself.

I should've found it out but enemy doesn't add some English teacher will sort mail before the day is done, enjoy their state verse seven look at it. Light is sweet and it pleases the eyes to see the sun light is sweet coarse and sweet you go to bed and is dark and begins to get dark at 5 o'clock 4:45. How do you feel now man you're already taking it off at the farm for the change in o'clock you wish your life away.

Imagine if you lived in Alaska with her. Something about the light that is sweet it pleases the eyes to see the sun.

You see the writer for himself a coffee and singing along. I see skies of blue red roses to see them bloom for me and you are not things to myself what a wonderful moral. The colors of the rainbow. So in the sky I see friends greeting friends say how do you do there really saying I love you and I think to myself.

Wonderful moral the right to receive this is wonderful.

Enjoy.

But enjoy it in such a way that you understand that your enjoyment is not superficial. It's realistic. Notice it is not an unending enjoyment that will be heaven because our days on the earth are limited. That's the significance of the opening phrase in verse eight. However, many years a man may live by themselves temporal things can never satisfy is fully because God is set eternity in our hearts we need to be honest enough to admit as verse 8B pronounces that days of darkness still come orders and sorrows paths. We offer mates read that in the words of the hymn writer, I find the two that all my joy is touched with pain. When my favorite verses out of my head. I find the two that all my joy is touched with pain that shadows fall on brightest hours and thorns remain so that Harris Bliss. There is a Bliss and Eric so that Harris Bliss may be my guide and not my chain do not change here. Our citizenship is somewhere else. The anticipation of all of that shines is aware down onto our earthly pilgrimage.

Therefore, enjoy verse nine. Be happy. Be happy who young man when while you're young man. What should I do let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart.

Whatever your I see what is the offering here lilies offering a dimension of freedom. That is a goal worth reaching a freedom that is a well done and for which to strive for freedom that finds fulfillment within the framework of God's parameters. Absent that this kind of approach is swallowed up by triviality or worse by vice and again you have to read into chapter 12 to said in context and expectation such as this.

Be happy young man while you're young, we say that your sons your grandsons so I want you to be happy that I sent by Norman Vincent Peale is an enzyme in the Bible what you mean be happy. Don't worry, this is the Bible be happy generally used to say in the 70s happiness is to know the Savior living a life is in his favor. Happiness is or whatever it is. Happiness is the Lord be happy of all people on the face of the air. The believer ought to lead the world in the enjoyment of life and in the experience of happiness. The believer ought to enjoy are more than any other individual the believer onto enjoy a sunset better than anybody ought to be able to enjoy a trip to the Cleveland Orchestra at a level that is distinct from nothing anyone else can know because they have discovered in the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom that there is the good the bad the new, the perfect and here in this continuum of life they are acknowledging the wonder of what God has provided. I get in the hymn writer heaven above us softer blue and they are surrounded sweeter green. And there's something lives in every view of the Christ, the size of never seen an words with bladder songs or flow aircraft with deeper beauty shine. Since I know is now I know that I am is and he is mine so different is not from Hamlet who stands and says you know what a steel flat promontory is this you know what use to me at this life. What's the point. He says the believer says oh well, there's every point is most enjoy sports to be happy. Verse 10 relax relax banish anxiety from your heart literally advice is given to two young people is a hello in a minute.

We don't need this when are you going to tell my teenagers to relax. They have got it right. He did a PhD in relaxing.

We don't need to give them anymore.

Relax, we need to give something else, please, let's change change your last point, it was pretty good. Up to now, but you really lost it here not as interesting as it used to be that casual when you were young, casual men's wallets take my jacket off on to my tiles and roll my sleeves up but casual. Now I think your daughter not have to get casual just a dog for a very long time to get casual casual as his own. Don't know that that's not casual that's like that is like retro casual but casual is a honey relax with you. Just relax, talk with teens there stressed relationships. The devil them. Family life forsakes them. Rootlessness consumes them. Suicide attracts them.

The Bible calls out to them. Listen, I don't want you to be careless but I want you to be carefree. I'm not calling you to indifference or not calling you to irresponsibility, but I my shun issuing a call when you're young you won't always be on. So, don't idolize being young don't dread not being young, just enjoyed being young. If you dread its loss. It will spoil the experience and if you try and perpetuate its experience. You will look like a clown. Therefore, leave your clown clothes at home, get rid of the black leather vest, you look weird and it enjoy be happy.

Relax the final line. Don't forget you have finals. Don't forget you have finals is not always in our children. I know you're going out and I hope you have a wonderful time.

I want you to live within all the parameters regarded set I want you to enjoy your friendships. I want to enjoy your leisure time. I want you to experience all of the opportunities that are unique to this period of life. This period of life will never come around again in this exact way you will never have this freedom, the companionship of peers. In this way, it all changes. It does nicely get worse but it definitely changes you can no longer go out with the boys in the same way you can never go out with a crowd of girls in the same way.

Eventually everything takes on a different complexion. Therefore, I want you to go out and I want you to have a fantastic time. Don't forget you got finals finals. There are's nine God will bring you to judgment judgment that is absolutely factual, absolutely fair, absolutely final so cast off the troubles of your body. Verse 10 cast off the troubles of your body.

The authorized version translates it put away evil from your flesh, put away evil from your flesh.

Sin is foolishness is disobedience to rebellion against the one who has made us who loves us and sustains us and who will finally assess us no notice. In conclusion that this positive approach to life is resting on something far more substantial than cheerfulness or courage or even sound morality would either wait till our final study to get to the conclusion of the matter, fear God and keep his commandments, but I tried to keep his commandments.

I tried to fulfill my duty and I realize that I have broken his commandments.

Therefore, I have a predicament. How, then, am I to meet God on that final day of assessment will be answered is that God has come and is met with eyes in the person of Christ and that he has kept the law perfectly, and he has borne the punishment.

Finally, so that we then may find in him the life that is really life so much of this is addressed to youth in the bridges or drapes to youth we have in the last decade lost young people from our church. One of them. Some of you will remember from his journal as a young man just in his late teens he had written. I would rather die living than to live dying. As you know, of course, he fell to his death in an amusement park owned by members of his family, his girlfriend surviving with his friends at Hudson high decided to take a phrase that would summarize his life.

They took it from the Dave Matthews band and they are phrase for Ryan was life is short but sweet for certain for Ryan life was short, real short real sweet by because actually he took hold of the expectations are you enjoying yourself this anybody that knows you and cares about you think for a nanosecond that there on an adventure with you this the watching world have any interest in finding out what makes me tick because of the vibrancy of life and reality and enjoyment and initiative and enterprise that pervades my exist to.

I qualified to be a lie or is the limit of my senses. So is only two survive. Hey celebrate life trying muzzle talk salons, your Bible is true. We live in a broken imperfect world, but we can still enjoy life now while we look forward to heaven Telstra big with the conclusion of a message titled celebrate life listening to Truth for Life and Alastair will be back shortly to close today's program every day here on Truth for Life.

We study the Bible, having access to solid biblical teaching is important, particularly as Christian beliefs are increasingly considered countercultural and intolerant. So how should we respond to those accusations. Do we lash out defensively of others. We retreat and hide in the safety of fellow believers.

Do we bend a bit and compromise our beliefs in order to blend in.

There's a book called being the bad guys that addresses this.

The subtitle is how to live for Jesus in a world that says you shouldn't that looks at the current state of our world and gives us a roadmap for how we can respond. This is the last week were offering the book being the bad guys so you can request your copy when you give a donation today. Visit us online at truthforlife.org/donate or you can mail your donation along with your request for the book right to Truth for Life at PO Box 39, 8000, Cleveland, OH 44139 and if you'd like to purchase extra copies of the book being the bad guys to share with others.

You'll find them, along with other books and resources in our online store there available for purchase at our cost, while supplies last. See what's currently available in the online store visit Truth for Life.org/store now hears Alastair to close with prayer father forgive us that we are such miserable representatives of the vitality that we proclaim in the Lord Jesus Christ our faces all buttoned up our life so sequestered away all of our investments strangling us reading the columns in the paper, worried that it won't be there challenged left right and center unwilling to launch out into the deep as a church stereo typical structured controlled everything understandable and here this great cry from your word come on, go for diversify. Stick with it. Enjoy be happy. Relax don't allow inevitability to paralyze you uncertainty to defeat you mystery to preclude your involvement in your advance. Steroids are poor Lord, we pray that we may lay hold upon life a life that is really life in the Lord Jesus Christ and may his grace and mercy and peace shine upon our hearts and fill our homes and steroids. Lord, we pray to the great adventure that you have set before us all the days of our life than to see you in heaven to enjoy you for we bless you and we praise you in Christ name, then Bob Lapine.

We learned today how to celebrate life, but there's something we need to keep in the forefront of our minds as we enjoy the here and now sure to join us tomorrow to find out what that is Bible teaching of Alastair Bragg is furnished by Truth for Life. The Learning is for Living