Ecclesiastes 11:7-10      Grab the Gusto

Rev. David Holwick   ZB

First Baptist Church

Ledgewood, New Jersey

August 13, 2017

                                                   Ecclesiastes 11:7-10


                    GRAB THE GUSTO



  I. No one wants a boring life.

      A. In our culture, one product brings excitement: beer.

          1) 1970s Schlitz commercial - "Grab all the gusto you can get!"


             Unfortunately, Schlitz soon lost its own gusto.

             They changed the recipe for the beer, using cheap corn syrup

                to replace some of the malted barley and adding a silica

                   gel to prevent the product from forming a haze,

             The new formula resulted in a beer that lost much of its

                flavor and also spoiled more quickly,

             The company was soon bought out.                         [1]


          2) We all want excitement and fulfillment.

              a) No one wants a boring life.  We want to be happy.

              b) And that's not a bad thing.  But how do we get it?


      B. There is another dimension in life to consider - God.

          1) God wants you to have abundant joy - within boundaries.

          2) He designed us and knows what makes us tick.

          3) If you know him, you will discover your purpose in life.


II. Life is to be enjoyed.

      A. Enjoy your days under the sun.

          1) There is pleasure in feeling the sun on your face.

              a) Friday night, I was wondering if our Peach Festival

                    would have any sun at all... rain and outdoor

                       festivals don't mix.

              b) But we can always find a way to enjoy ourselves.

          2) The ancient Romans called it "Carpe diem" - seize the day.

          3) We should praise God for the goodness of life.


                 A Jewish teacher in the third century commented,

                 "Man will have to give account for all that he saw

                     and did not enjoy."                              [2]


      B. Enjoy all your days, even when you have had a lot of them.

          1) Verse 8 is thinking of an old person who has had many

                experiences.

              a) Every day has the potential to give us joy.

              b) Don't take any of them for granted.

          2) There will also be plenty of dark days.

              a) As we age, those are the days that become our focus.

                  1> Getting old is tough.

              b) Do good days and bad days just cancel each other out?

                  1> If life is just a big wash, a step back for every

                        step forward, what would be the purpose of it?

                  2> As Solomon says, that would be meaningless.

                  3> But this is true only when you leave God out of

                        the picture.

          3) Get the most out of life while you can.

              a) It takes drive and effort.


                 I have been jogging this summer to get in shape for

                    a backpacking trip after we see the eclipse.

                 I have my eyes set on a 3-day, 35-mile hike over a

                    mountain range called the Cirque of the Towers.

                 Celeste just rolls her eyes at me.


                 I have to do it while I can - how much longer will

                    my body hold out?

                 I am long past my prime, but it won't get any easier.

              b) I have things I want to do, places I want to see.

                  1> All of us need these goals.


      C. Enjoy life when you are young.

          1) Young people have fewer responsibilities and cares.

              a) Their future is full of possibilities.

              b) They can dream of making a difference.

              c) But they can also feel a lot of pressure and anxiety

                    at what is expected of them.

              d) Many troubles are out there, but put your focus on joy.


              2) Our culture worships youth.

              a) (How many times have you heard the saying, "Youth is

                    wasted on the young"?)

              b) Even those who aren't young have a mental image of

                    themselves that way.

              c) How should a young person approach life?


III. Follow your heart.

      A. Your perception and feelings matter.

          1) Our heart and eyes are not infallible, but they are what

                we have to go on.

          2) God usually speaks to us through our feelings and insights.

              a) This is much more common than voices or thunderbolts.

              b) Your dreams about life might be sent from God himself.


      B. Imagine big things, do big things.

          1) It is good to dream about what life can be.

              a) This weekend I met with a young couple who are getting

                    married next summer.

              b) They are excited about it, and know it will bring

                    many challenges to them.

              c) They want a successful marriage and to make a mark

                    on the world.

          2) With God, all things are possible.

              a) Don't limit yourself.


IV. Our hearts and eyes can be deceived.

      A. Not everything we desire is good for us.

          1) John warns of the lust of the eyes, and how we desire

                the things we see, even if it is harmful.


             1 John 2:16 says,

             "For everything in the world -- the lust of the flesh, the

                lust of the eyes, and the pride of life -- comes not

                   from the Father but from the world."


              a) Think about some of the people you once dated, or

                    financial decisions you made.

              b) It seemed good at the time, but it blew up in your face.

              c) What we think is good for us is often warped by our

                    greed and lust and selfishness.

          2) This is why the Bible warns young people in 2 Timothy 2:22:


             "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness,

                 faith, love and peace."


      B. Our choices matter.

          1) We can do whatever we want, but in the end we will answer

                to God.

          2) You have to rejoice responsibly.


             In 2010, Ted Williams was a homeless man living on the

                streets of Columbus, Ohio.

             But one chance encounter and a YouTube video gone viral

                launched Williams into overnight superstardom.

             He had an emotional reunion with his mother and even

                found work doing a voice-over gig for a Kraft

                   commercial.

             It was a very exciting time for him.  Life was good again.


             But going from homeless to Hollywood is no easy transition.

             After a fiery altercation with his daughter, Williams

                admitted he had started drinking again.

             TV personality Dr. Phil encouraged Ted to check into

                rehab after only one week of fame.


             But less than two weeks after beginning treatment for

                drug and alcohol dependency, Williams left the center.

             A short time later, he went back in.

             A job with a basketball team and the offer of a free

                house were rescinded.


             Radio host Mel Robbins commented, "Ted Williams may have

                a golden voice, but he's also got a rap sheet, a

                   drug addiction, nine children he abandoned and a

                      mother he has been estranged from for 20 years.

                Does everyone deserve a second chance, sure.

                But don't kid yourself -- you can't overcome a lifetime

                   of bad decisions and mental health issues with a few

                      morning show appearances."

                                                                   #63003


          3) This advice is good for non-viral folks like us.

                Wise lifestyle choices matter a lot.

             The positive approach to life must rest on more than

                cheerfulness, or courage, or even morality.

             We must remember our Creator, as Ecclesiastes 12:1 says.


      C. Always assess your desires with what God has revealed to us.

          1) The Bible gives us much guidance on how we should live.

          2) It is also a good idea to get confirmation from believers

                you respect.


  V. Focus on your God.

      A. Positive attitude requires negative pruning.

          1) Verse 10 tells us to banish anxiety.

              a) In other words, don't worry about stuff.


              Nando Parrado was a passenger on a plane that crashed in

                 the Andes mountains.

              It was an infamous episode of survival as they waited

                 72 days to be rescued.

              Over and over again Nando would tell himself, "I am

                 already dead,  I am already dead."

              That mantra allowed him to vanquish the fear that gripped

                 him.

              It perhaps also explains why, when given a miraculous

                 second chance at life, he has lived ever since with

                    gusto.


              Mr. Parrado, is one of the 16 survivors of the crash of an

                 Uruguayan plane in the Andes Mountains in October 1972.

              It was portrayed in the movie "Alive."

              His mother and younger sister were among those who died

                 there in the Andes.

              His sister succumbed to injuries and cold as he held her

                 in his arms.


              It was Nando who, with a single companion, trekked through

                 the harsh mountains with virtually no supplies or

                     protection.

              But finally they were able to guide rescuers back to the

                 crash site to save his friends and teammates.


              Since that deliverance, Mr. Parrado has been a race car

                 driver, television host, motivational speaker, business

                    entrepreneur and author.

              But no matter what he does, he says, his actions are guided

                 by the lessons he learned and the conversations about

                    life, death, God and faith that took place during

                       his struggle to survive.


              "We were lucky, extremely lucky," he said.

              "We didn't have any food, clothes or water, and they

                  weren't searching for us.


               So how could we survive?

               I lost everything, my family, friends and future, but

                  I was resurrected.

               I came back to life from the grave."


              After the ordeal, Parrado became a successful businessman,

                 but a financial crisis hit Uruguay and Argentina in 2001.

              Many businesses failed.

              Mr. Parrado's friends and partners were frantic, losing

                 sleep over their finances.

              But he was completely calm.


              He said, "Those endless nights in the Andes were terribly,

                 terribly, terribly cold, and so we burned all the money

                    we had.

              I can tell you that a $1 bill burns in the same amount of

                 time as a $100 bill."

                                                                   #33261


              b) If you have troubles - and we all do - the Bible tells

                    us to cast them on God, because he cares for us.

          2) Verse 10 also tells us to cast off the troubles of our body.

              a) Eliminate things that damage you physically.

                  1> Do you smoke?  You should quit.

                  2> Do you drink too much?  Some Christians do, and

                        pay for it.

                  3> Maybe you eat to bring a sense of comfort.

                      A> You should find your contentment elsewhere.

              b) But no matter how well you treat yourself, you will

                    eventually fall apart.

                  1> If you are like Charles Brady, there might be

                        procedures they can do to you to put you back

                           together, at least for a time.

                  2> Our bodies wear down, our enthusiasm wanes.

                  3> But God is still God, and he will always love us.


      B. What is motivating you right now?

          1) Youth and vitality are not enough.  You need God.



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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:


1. Wikipedia: Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company, <link>.


2. The Expositors Bible Commentary, Ecclesiastes (vol. 5) by J. Stafford

     Wright (Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 1991), p. 1191.


#33261  He Was Already Dead, So He Lives With Gusto, by Larry Rohter,

           America Online News, September 30, 2006.


#63003  You Don't Overcome Addiction Easily, by David Holwick, adapted

           from "'Golden Voice' Ted Williams Ditches Rehab," by Rebecca

           Macatee on America Online, Jan. 24, 2011; and "Cavs Take Back

           Job Offer from Ted Williams, Homeless Superstar Turned Fameball

           Flameout," by Vince Grzegorek at www.clevescene.com, May 9,

           2011.  Other sources were also used.


These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be

downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html

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