When You've Lost It All

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>When You've Lost It All</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id225.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Searching For Meaning"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id227.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Perspective That Makes the Differenc"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, September 16, 2001am, “When You’ve Got it All – When You’ve Lost it All,” Ecclesiastes 2:1-26</B></div> <bR> <div>      In the wake of the World Trade Center and Pentagon disasters, we experienced shock, disbelief, sadness, fear, anger, tears, and prayers. There are 3 lessons for us as individuals, as a nation.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. Vss. 1-11: We cannot trust in our wealth and power.</B></div> <div>      Solomon includes pleasure (vss. 1-3, 8b), possessions (vs. 7-8a), and projects (vss. 4-6) in a list of things that are not trustworthy and fail to satisfy. (Summary, vss. 9-11.)</div> <div>      Mark McGwire said this week, “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that sporting events are meaningless compared to what is going on in Washington and New York.”</div> <div>      Proverbs 18:10-11 says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe. The rich man's wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall in his own imagination.” Our dollar bills say “In God We Trust,” but we usually trust in our dollar bills more than in God. Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. Vss. 12-23: We cannot trust in a certainty of life.</B></div> <div>      This is true in spite of wisdom (vss. 12-16) and in spite of hard work (vss. 17-23). Family members searching for a lost loved one said, “Take advantage of the time you have with family, say goodbye with love, hold them close, because you never know if you will see each other again.” A woman who lost her husband and brother said, “They are not numbers, they are people, human beings.” Life is precious, but we have no guarantees of tomorrow.</div> <bR> <div> <B>III. Vss. 24-26: We can find satisfaction and hope in God.</B></div> <div>      This requires an investment of our lives in God’s activities for us:<B> </B>Trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. Be prepared for eternity. Live in obedience to God. Love people, especially your family. Take time to listen to God through his Word.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2001, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>