Awakening To Longing

Awakening To Longing (There’s Got To Be More)

 Pastor Chuck Bernal  - April 23, 2017

 THE CRY OF EVERY HUMAN BEING:  “THERE’S GOT TO BE MORE TO LIFE THAN THIS”

 These are the words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. “It is of no use,” says the Preacher. “It is of no use! All is for nothing.” What does a man get for all his work which he does under the sun? People die and people are born, but the earth stays forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and travels in a hurry to the place where it rises . . .  All things are tiring. Man is not able to tell about them. The eye never has enough to see, and the ear is never filled with what it hears. What has been is what will be. And what has been done is what will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, “See, this is new”? It has already been there since long before us. No one remembers the things that happened before. And no one will remember the things that will happen in the future among those who will come later. (Ecclesiastes 1:1-5, 8-11 – NLV)

 Our problem is our ________________________________ - we view life horizontally

 I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.  (Ecclesiastes 1:14 – NLT)

 But when I surveyed all that my hands had done, and what I had worked so hard to achieve, I realized that it was pointless—a chasing after wind. Nothing is to be gained under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2:11 – CEB)

 I saw something else under the sun: in the place of justice, there was wickedness; and in the place of what was right, there was wickedness again! (Ecclesiastes 3:16– CEB)

 Living life horizontally with a “LHP” (limited human perspective) creates 3 huge problems:

 ______________________   _____________________  ______________________

THE PREACHER’S QUEST FOR SOMETHING MORE  (ECCLESIASTES)

 In my opinion, nothing is worthwhile; everything is futile . . . everything is unutterably weary and tiresome. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied; no matter how much we hear, we are not content. (Ecclesiastes 1:2, 8 – LB)

 ______________________   _____________________  ______________________

 But as I looked at everything I had tried, it was all so useless, a chasing of the wind, and there was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. (Ecclesiastes 2:11 – LB)

 He who loves money shall never have enough. The foolishness of thinking that wealth brings happiness! (Ecclesiastes 5:10 – LB)

So I came to hate life because everything done under the sun seemed wrong to me. Everything was pointless. It was like trying to catch the wind. (Ecclesiastes 2:17 – GWT)

In my opinion, nothing is worthwhile; everything is futile . . . everything is unutterably weary and tiresome. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied; no matter how much we hear, we are not content. (Ecclesiastes 1:2, 8 – LB)

 THE PRODIGAL’S QUEST FOR SOMETHING MORE  (LUKE 15)

 A man had two sons. When the younger told his father, “I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die!” His father agreed to divide his wealth. A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there wasted all his money on parties and prostitutes. (Luke 15:11-13– LB)

 ______________________   _____________________  ______________________

 About the time his money was gone a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.  He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs.  The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the swine looked good to him. And no one gave him anything. (Luke 15:14-16– LB)

 WHERE THE QUEST LEADS - THERE IS A “GOD-SHAPED” HOLE IN EACH OF US

 What else does this craving and this helplessness proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace. This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words, by God himself.  (Blaise Pascal, French Mathematician & Philosopher)

 Lord, you have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you. (Augustine)

 If the meaning to life cannot be found “under the sun”, then I must look above it!

 The preacher’s quest led him back to the _____________________________

 When all has been heard, the end of the matter is: fear God [worship Him with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is almighty God] and keep His commandments, for this applies to every person.  (Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Amp)

 The prodigal’s quest led him back to the _____________________________

 He got right up and went home to his father. When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. (Luke 15:20 – Msg)

 AWAKENING PRINICPLE 1:  I was created to have a ______________________

 with God and until I do, my life will have no real ________________________,

_________________________________ or _____________________

 His purpose in all this was that people of every culture and religion would search for this ultimate God, grope for Him in the darkness, as it were, hoping to find Him. Yet, in truth, God is not far from any of us. (Acts 17:27 – Voice)

God, if you are real, make Yourself real to me. Awaken in me the ability to see that You are what’s missing from my life.