Introduction:
The light switch in the main bathroom in our house has been sketchy and in need of replacement for some time. Last Friday night it finally gave up the ghost. Do you think it broke in the “on” position or the “off” position? Of course it broke in the off position. If you drop buttered bread it will invariably land facedown, even though there is a 50/50 chance of it landing face up, Murphy’s Law takes over (Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong).
So here I am with three problems:
? The light is out in the bathroom.
? The switch is broken in the bathroom.
? No electrician lives at my house.
Now if you have known me very long, you know that I like getting shocked by electricity almost as much as I love snakes. But since no electrician lives at my house, I boldly drove to Wal-Mart, bought the necessary supplies and drove back home to face the dreaded switch.
Good news! Turns out there were only two wires that need to be disconnected and reconnected to make the switch work again and I did it live! I almost gave my light bearer a heart attack when the wires arced a little, but no one was shocked and the power was restored.
That little switch held the power to light up a room, light up a person or even potentially kill a person if improperly handled!
The power that Solomon is speaking of is the power of life and death.
Thesis: God has the power to save us from the guttermost to the uttermost!
I. The Mystery of Time 6
A. The Mystery of Time 6a
1. We have already seen that there is a time for everything:
2. There is a time to be born, die, plant, harvest, kill, heal, build, destroy, weep, laugh, mourn, dance, throw or gather stones, embrace, or not.
3. A time to gain or lose, keep or waste, tear or sew, speak or be silent, love or hate or war or peace.
4. So what is the big mystery about time?
a. How many seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years do I have left?
b. More importantly, what will I do with the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years do I have left?
B. The Misery of Time 6b
1. Time can be miserable.
a. Ever work outside when it is 20 below or 110 in the shade?
b. Ever got called to the boss’s office and you don’t know why?
c. Every spent long hours, days, weeks, or months by a hospital bed?
2. Time can be miserable in another way.
a. Time can be miserable when your get up and go has got up and went.
b. Time can be miserable when you can no longer fill the positions you once did.
3. But this doesn’t have to be the end.
a. Who’s to say that what we are dealing with today is not readying us for tomorrow?
b. Has God lost control just because we get a little older?
II. The Mystery Occurrences 7
A. The Mysteries of the Past 7a
1. Can you explain the Egyptian pyramids to me?
a. People have been studying them for thousands of years.
b. How the Egyptians managed the complex organization of labor and the physical movement of large stone blocks (50-60 tons) is still a matter for debate.
c. Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian, tried to explain how the pyramids were built in his book, The Histories (circa 430-424BC)
2. And there are others
a. The Aztec Temple in Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), Mexico
b. The Great Wall of China (the only man-made edifice visible from space)
c. The Inca City of Machu Picchu, Peru
d. The Mayan Temples of Tikal in Northern Guatemala
e. Stonehenge in England
f. The Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque, Mexico
g. And a thousand other mysteries of the past.
B. The Mystery of the Future 7b
1. Futurists have great plans for Planet Earth.
2. I hope they are planning on the greatest event in human history—The Second Coming
a. True Attitude Concerning the Second Coming
(1) We should be ready
"Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
—Matthew 24:44
(2) We should be good stewards
"So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’
—Luke 19:13
(3) We should be patiently waiting
so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ
—1Corinthians 1:7
(4) We should be charitable
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.
—1Corinthians 4:5
(5) We should be living blamelessly
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
—1Thessalonians 5:23
(6) We should be perfectly obedience
that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing,
—1Timothy 6:14
(7) We should be joyfully expectant
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
—Titus 2:13
(8) We should be constantly abiding
And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
—1John 2:28
b. ARE YOU READY???????????????????????????????????
III. The Mystery of Power 8
A. The Power of Death 8a
1. It’s going to get worse before it gets better
So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
—Revelation 6:8
2. The Destroyer must be destroyed
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil
—Hebrews 2:14
B. The Power of Life 8b
1. The Power of Life is the Power of the Resurrection
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
—Philippians 3:10
2. The Resurrection Brings Power over the second death
Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
—Revelation 20:6
IV. Conclusion
