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GOD’S OF FORTUNE & DESTINY

ISAIAH 65:11-12

Mark Twain, towards the end of his life, became fretful and weary of life. Shortly before his death he wrote, "A myriad of men are born; they labor and sweat and struggle;...they squabble and scold and fight; they scramble for little mean advantages over each other; age creeps upon them; infirmities follow;...those they love are taken from them, and the joy of life is turned to aching grief. It (the release) comes at last - - the only un-poisoned gift earth ever had for them - - and they vanish from a world where they were of no consequence,...a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever."

At this point in Mark Twain’s life you wouldn’t want to go to him for encouragement, for comfort, would you? Of course not! And yet, as pessimistic as Mark Twain was, that is the reality of life. You are born, you grow up, you work hard to make a go of things and then you retire hoping to spend the remaining years of life being productive and that is not always the case. The nest egg of money you stored for those golden years are gone and the golden years aren’t so golden. Friends, family are dying before you and before long its your turn, here today and gone tomorrow and quickly forgotten.

In Isaiah chapter 65 God speaks of the faithful remnant who love Him and how He will protect them, bless them, bring them into a land that is rich and fertile. And then, beginning in verse 11 he speaks of those who were unfaithful to the Lord, those who turned their back on God and sought to live their lives as they wanted. This is what God says of the wicked in Isaiah chapter 65, beginning in verse 11.

ISAIAH 65:11-12

Instead of worshiping the true and living God, they turned to the gods of the gentiles and began to worship them. They forgot about the temple of God where the presence of God dwelt above the ark of the covenant, upon the mercy seat. Instead they went after the Phoenician god Gad, not one of the tribes of Israel. And this god was the god of "fortune" or "good fortune". And they also went after the lesser god Meni or "destiny".

Because of their rebellion against God and their refusal to repent of their sins, God is going to bring judgment upon them. Now don’t get the idea that God is some kind of quick-tempered, hot-headed God that is ready to strike anyone that gets out of line. That is the farthest thing from the truth.

God tells them that He tried to call them, He tried to get their attention, but they never returned His calls. He spoke to them, but they could not hear Him with all the noise of the world competing for their attention.

In verse 2 of Isaiah chapter 65 we have the same thought of a loving, compassionate God reaching out to His people, but they refused to grab his hand, to take hold of Him. Isaiah 65:2-5, "I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts; A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face; who sacrifice in gardens, and burn incense on altars of brick; Who sit among the graves, and spend the night in the tombs; who eat swine's flesh, and the broth of abominable things is in their vessels; Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’ These are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all the day."

Not only had they turned from God, but they remained very religious, and very self-righteous even though they were committing the same sins as the gentiles, which was irritating before God just as smoke is irritating to your nostrils. They saw themselves better, having a holier than thou attitude, and because of their evil He will bring judgment upon them.

Now, like the Southern Kingdom of Judah, this nation is not much different. We think of ourselves as a very religious people, around 82% of Americans call themselves Christians, if you can believe that! And the majority of people are just plain religious, of one sort or another. And yet their hearts are far from God and because of that void, and because they refuse to repent and get right with God who alone can satisfy their hearts desire and fill that void, they look to the world to try and satisfy their hearts.

Many go after good fortune and set their sights on creating their own destiny, which become their gods. In his book Living Above The Level Of Mediocrity, Charles Swindoll said the following:

"The world system is committed to at least four major objectives, which I can summarize in four words: fortune, fame, power, pleasure. First and foremost: Fortune, money. The world system is driven by money; it feeds on materialism. Second: Fame. That is another word for popularity. Fame is longing to be known, to be somebody in someone else’s eyes. Third: Power. This is having influence, maintaining control over individuals or groups or companies or whatever. It is the desire to manipulate and maneuver others to do something for one’s own benefit. Fourth: Pleasure. At its basic level, pleasure has to do with fulfilling one’s sensual desires. It’s the same mind set that’s behind the slogan: ‘If it feels good, do it.’"

With the remainder of our time this morning we are going to look at those four basic objectives of man, and then look at what God says about them so that we may grow closer to Him. You see, if all we have to look forward to in this life is fortune, fame, power, and pleasure, at the end of our life, if not sooner, we will have the same pessimistic outlook on life as Mark Twain did. And the Lord does not want that for us, He wants our joy to be full!

1. FORTUNE

Now money itself is not evil, for it is only paper or metal or plastic. It is the love of money that has destroyed many lives and will destroy many more! The greed that is in peoples hearts is never satisfied. You make money, and you want more. And once you get there, it still isn’t enough. You can’t satisfy this monster.

Donald Trump, a one time billionaire who went broke and once again has made billions of dollars, said that money doesn’t satisfy him, it is attaining or the going after the money that does. What a sad life.

Paul, in His letter to Timothy, put it very simply. It truly is not a very complicated concept, but one we make into a complicated issue. Beginning in verse 6 of I Timothy chapter 6 we read "Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." I Timothy 6:6-10.

Paul is telling Timothy, and us, to be content with what God has given to us. If you strive to make millions or billions or even hundreds of thousands, you will find yourself being tempted towards foolish and destructive paths. Once you start feeding this monster called greed, it keeps growing, wanting more and more until it consumes your life and gets your eyes off the Lord.

Bishop J. C. Ryle summarizes this thought very well. He said: "Money, in truth, is one of the most unsatisfying of possessions. It takes away some cares, no doubt; but it brings with it quite as many cares as it takes away. There is trouble in the getting of it. There is anxiety in the keeping of it. There are temptations in the use of it. There is guilt in the abuse of it. There is sorrow in the losing of it. There is perplexity in the disposing of it. Two-thirds of all the strifes, quarrels, and lawsuits in the world arise from one simple cause – money!"

Howard Hughes, at one time the richest man in the world, owned oil wells, refineries, tankers, pipelines; also hotels, a life insurance company, a finance company, and aircraft companies. In his beautiful 700-acre estate he was surrounded by bodyguards, vicious dogs, steel bars, searchlights, bells, and sirens. Not only that, Howard Hughes was afraid of planes, ships and crackpots, he feared disease, old age, helplessness, and death. With all the money he had he still lived a lonely and gloomy life and he, this man who was once the richest man in the world, said that money could not buy happiness! And yet, look at all the people that are striving to attain money, riches. The Lottery is one of the biggest money makers, and it doesn’t make too many people millionaires! And yet they are still willing to waste their money on it.

Remember the parable of the rich fool in Luke chapter 12. His crops were in abundance that year and he decided to tear down the old barns and make new ones for himself, bigger ones and better ones. In so doing he was setting himself up for life, or so he thought. He was more concerned with the temporary things of this world, money, instead of the eternal matter of his soul. We read in Luke 12:20-31, "But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Then He said to His disciples, ‘Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.’"

How important of a lesson that is for us to learn. Jesus said in Luke 12:15, "...‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.’" No, God is not going to accept you into heaven based upon how much money or possessions you have made in this life, but upon accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, having a relationship with Him!

Now having money, being rich doesn’t make you a bad person or unsaved. Paul said to be content with whatever God has given you. But Paul does warn those that do have money to be wise, and I think that applies to most if not all of us here this morning. In I Timothy 6:17-19 Paul said "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."

Again, don’t trust in it, but what you do have use it for the glory of God. John Wesley’s rule of life was this: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."

What a great and proper perspective of things. May we not lose our focus and get caught up in the greed, the "keeping up with the Jones’s" mentality. If you do, you will never be truly satisfied, and you will keep grabbing for more and more as you try to feed that monster called greed, which has a bottomless pit! As Hebrews 13:5 admonishes us "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’"

2. FAME

Lets face it, we all want to be popular, we all want people to like us. So we dress a certain way, buy certain cars, work our way up the corporate ladder and do things so that people will like us and acknowledge what we have done in life. But that truly is an empty fame for it is based on outward circumstances that can change, and so too can your popularity, and very quickly. And even if you were popular all your life, achieved much, in death, what do you have to show for yourself? Nothing and soon you are forgotten!

There is a fame, there is a beauty that is lasting, and it comes from God! In Ezekiel chapter 16 God speaks of how before they were His people they were not beautiful to look upon, were left to themselves and they hated their life. And God stepped in and made them His people. He cleaned them, made them beautiful, made them prosper and brought fame into their lives, they were recognized by other nations and people now.

In Ezekiel 16:14 we read "‘Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,’ says the Lord GOD." The word "fame" speaks of a "mark or memorial of individuality, by implication honor, authority, character". This beauty, of course, was not of themselves, but something that God had bestowed upon them or given to them. That is what God wants to do in our lives, not to bring glory to us, but to Him as people look at what God has done in us.

If you don’t think God can or wants to do that in your life, think again. Read the book Harvest which speaks of some of the Calvary Chapel pastors and what they were into before they got saved and how God transformed their lives and made them into a thing of beauty before Him.

Raul Ries was waiting at home, planing on killing his wife and his children when they returned home from an evening church service. You see, Raul’s wife was planning on leaving him because of his abuse, and her bags were already packed. Raul felt that if he couldn’t have her then no one could! Raul was hard core, from his childhood till his stay in the military and then back home again. And now he waited for them to return home, sitting in a chair with a loaded rifle in his hands, waiting for the door to open and as it did he would kill them, and then turn the gun on himself and kill himself.

As he sat there, bored and watching television to pass the time, he flipped the channels until he came to a live evening church service put on by Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, and pastor Chuck Smith’s message pierced Raul’s heart. And as Chuck gave a invitation to pray and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Raul fell to his knees, with tears in his eyes, and accepted the Lord into his life!

But it doesn’t end there. Raul decided to drive as fast as he could to this church service and make a public confession. As he got there he ran forward to the place where others who had asked the Lord into their life had gathered. As Raul stood there, in that same church sat his wife and his children!

Now He is Pastor of a large Calvary Chapel in California. God took someone who was ugly, ready to do away with himself and his family, and made him into a thing of beauty, giving glory to God and hope to the lost. That is just one story of what God can and has done. But look at your own life, He has done the same with you!

There is a warning though. Don’t trust in your own beauty, you own fame, because the Lord will remove His beauty from you, and you will once again be standing in nothing!

3. POWER

Power is a very ugly word, even in the church today. We see people that have to be in control, have to be in charge, and you can understand this in the world, but it is very difficult when you see this in the church. Everyone wants to lead, no one wants to follow or be directed, and thus you have a body that moves very spastically, not knowing which way to go.

We can move ahead in the strength of our own power, but what is left behind is usually destruction and devastation. We are to be servants, and yes, God has placed people in authority over us, and we are to honor those in that position, respect them. But the reality is, when we walk in the spirit, we won’t lord over people, but serve them. It is as Zechariah 4:6 says, "...‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts."

But too often we are moving without the Spirit of God flowing through us. For example, in a seminary missions class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push.

After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years.

Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this lose cable." He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life.

For two years needles trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting the power to work!

We need to make a firm connection with God, so that His life, His power can flow through our lives. Paul put it this way in Ephesians chapter 1, beginning in verse 19. We read "...what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." Ephesians 1:19-23. Power that is from above is under control and will work in us great things, flowing from us to touch the lives of others. Instead of leaving destruction behind wherever we go, we can leave the blessings of God!

4. PLEASURE

We have developed a mentality, not only in this country, but throughout the world, that "if it feels good, do it!" There is no concern for what is right or what is wrong. There is no concern if it is good or bad. The only thing we are concerned with is self, if it makes us feel good, then it is okay. We are living in the days that Paul warned Timothy about, more so than at any time in history so far, and it will only get worse. Paul said "For men will be lovers of themselves...lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God."

It is amazing to what depth a person will go, what he will give up, to enjoy a few passing moments of pleasure. Look at drug addicts, alcoholics, adulterers, those that steal, those that lie, and so on. There is a certain tribe in Africa that elects a new king every seven years but it invariably kills its old king. For seven years the member of the tribe enjoying this high honor is provided with every luxury known to savage life. During those years his authority is absolute, even to the power of life and death. For seven years he rules, is honored and bathed in possessions, but at the end he dies!

Every member of the tribe is aware of this, for it is a custom of long standing; but, if you can believe this, there is never a lacking of applicants for the post. For seven years of luxury and power men are willing to sacrifice the remainder of life’s expectation.

Think about the scores of hundreds, thousands, and millions of people who are willing to be bankrupt through eternity if they may only enjoy the pleasures of this world for a short time. They are trying to find happiness in the things of this world, but it is all passing away.

Notice what the Scriptures say regarding the focus of our life. In Matthew 16:24-26 we read "Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?’"

True joy is found in the Lord. True satisfaction, true pleasure is found in Him. As David said in Psalm 16:11, "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." May we truly believe that and apply that to our life. What the world has to offer is only temporary, and does not usually build us up, but tear us down. What God has to offer us is everlasting, life-changing. He shows us the path to eternal life, and on that path we find fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. Don’t be cheated in what the world has for you, draw close to God, for He alone has the words of eternal life!

Also, the pleasures of this world have chocked out, many times, the work that God wants to do in us. If you are doing that right now, repent, get right with God, so that you too may enjoy the fullness of joy that He has for you. May you enjoy that everlasting pleasure He has for you.

As I wrap things up this morning, don’t’ forsake the Lord and go searching for fortune, planning your own destiny, because God says He will bring you down, because your actions are evil before Him. May we not see life as Mark Twain did, but through the eyes of God with eternity as a back drop. As the Psalmist said in Psalm 149:1-5, "Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, and His praise in the assembly of saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise His name with the dance; let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; he will beautify the humble with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds."