IF YOU WOULD TURN WITH ME TO THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES TODAY AND I WANT TO TAKE ONE VERSE OF SCRIPTURE FROM ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER 8, VERSE 14, AND WITH THIS ONE VERSE I WANT TO SHARE SOME THINGS PROBABLY BEYOND THIS WEEK, IT MAY TAKE US A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO SHARE ALL THAT I FEEL LIKE I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU BUT I WANT TO AT LEAST START WITH THIS VERSE TODAY IN ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER 8, VERSE 14. READING FROM THE KING JAMES VERSION IT SAYS, "THERE IS A VANITY WHICH IS DONE UPON THE EARTH; THAT THERE BE JUST MEN, UNTO WHOM IT HAPPENETH ACCORDING TO THE WORK OF THE WICKED; AGAIN, THERE BE WICKED MEN, TO WHOM IT HAPPENETH ACCORDING TO THE WORK OF THE RIGHTEOUS: I SAID THAT THIS ALSO IS VANITY." NOW READING IT LIKE THAT YOU MAY LISTEN TO THAT AND SAY, WELL, WHAT DID YOU REALLY MEAN WHEN HE WROTE THOSE WORDS. WHEN SOLOMON PENNED THOSE WORDS, WHAT WAS HE THINKING OF, WHAT WAS HE TRYING TO SAY? WELL, TO HELP US WITH THE UNDERSTANDING OF THAT I'VE JOTTED DOWN A COUPLE OF OTHER TRANSLATIONS THAT MAY KIND OF HELP US TO GET A LITTLE BETTER UNDERSTANDING. I LIKE THE WAY THAT IT SAYS IT. I LIKE THE KING JAMES VERSION BUT I ALSO LIKE HOW IT SAYS IN THE "NIV." LET ME READ IT TO YOU TODAY. IT SAYS THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE MEANINGLESS THAT OCCURS ON THE EARTH. RIGHTEOUS MEN WHO GET WHAT THE WICKED DESERVE AND WICKED MEN WHO GET WHAT THE RIGHTEOUS DESERVE. THIS TOO I SAY IS MEANINGLESS. DOES THAT CLEAR IT UP A LITTLE BIT BETTER FOR YOU AS TO WHAT SOLOMON WAS TRYING TO SAY? IT'S THE SAME WORDS JUST USING A LITTLE MORE MODERN ENGLISH AS WE READ THE WORD. BUT THEN THERE IS ONE OTHER VERSE OF SCRIPTURE THAT I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU. IT'S IN THE NEW CENTURY VERSION, AGAIN ECCLESIASTES 8:14 AND IT SAYS IT LIKE THIS. SOMETIMES SOMETHING USELESS HAPPENS ON EARTH. BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE AND GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO BAD PEOPLE. HAVE YOU NEVER NOTICED THAT? THAT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN IT SEEMS LIKE PEOPLE WHO LIVE SUCH GOOD LIVES, THEY'RE NOT OUT THERE BREAKING ANY LAWS, THEY'RE NOT IMMORAL, THEY'RE NOT UNPRINCIPLED, THEY'RE NOT UNETHICAL, THEY SEEM TO BE DOING EVERYTHING RIGHT, YET IT JUST SEEMS LIKE TRAGEDY AFTER TRAGEDY AFTER TRAGEDY BEFALLS THEM. AND THEN YOU COULD ALMOST LOOK ACROSS THE STREET FROM WHERE THEY LIVE AND SEE SOMEBODY WHO DOESN'T SEEM TO DO ANYTHING RIGHT. THEY'RE ALWAYS BREAKING THE LAW. THEY'RE ALWAYS DOING IMMORAL THINGS, UNETHICAL THINGS, UNPRINCIPLED THINGS AND IT SEEMS LIKE NOTHING BAD EVER HAPPENS TO THEM. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THOSE THINGS? I'M SURE YOU HAVE, I HAVE MANY TIMES. IT SEEMS LIKE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME VERY SAD SITUATIONS THAT I HAVE COME ACROSS IN MY MINISTRY EXPERIENCE WHERE I HAVE WONDERED WHY IS IT THAT IT SEEMS LIKE SOME FAMILIES, SOME PEOPLE JUST SEEM TO GO FROM TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCE TO TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCE AND THEN THERE ARE SOME WHO LIVE SUCH WICKED LIVES, THEY NEVER SEEM TO HAVE ANY PROBLEMS IN LIFE AT ALL. EVERYTHING SEEMS TO GO THEIR WAY. I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU. IN MY OWN SELF I STRUGGLE WITH THAT. IT JUST DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT. IT DOESN'T SEEM FAIR. AND I REALIZE I'M TALKING TO SOME PEOPLE TODAY, YOU MAY BE IN THAT CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO ENCOURAGE THE BAD THING THAT HAS OCCURRED IN YOUR LIFE TO HAPPEN, YET IT HAPPENED AND YOU ARE LEFT WITH HAVING TO DEAL WITH THAT SITUATION TODAY. THOSE THINGS THAT ARE IN EXPLICABLE, THOSE THINGS THAT THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE ANY EXPLANATION FOR, THEY ARE SOME OF THE HARDEST THINGS TO DEAL WITH. WE FIND OURSELVES ASKING THE QUESTION WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME OR WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO MY FAMILY? I REALIZE TODAY THAT AS I SHARE THIS MESSAGE I'M TALKING TO A BROAD SPECTRUM OF PEOPLE. THERE ARE A GREAT VARIETY OF BACKGROUNDS REPRESENTED IN THIS AUDIENCE TODAY. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE. THERE ARE FAR TOO MANY SITUATIONS TO MENTION THAT I COULD SPEND TIME TODAY DOING TO ENCOMPASS EVERYBODY THAT'S LISTENING TO THIS MESSAGE TODAY, BUT LET ME JUST SAY THIS, AS I SHARE THESE THOUGHTS WITH YOU THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND BUT WHAT I AM TALKING TO SOME PEOPLE SPECIFICALLY TODAY. LIFE HAS BROUGHT SOME HORRIBLE SITUATIONS TO YOU. LIFE SEEMINGLY HAS DELIVERED TO YOUR DOORSTEP SOME VERY TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCES. YOU DON'T HAVE AN EXPLANATION THAT MIGHT HELP YOU TO ACCEPT WHAT IS HAPPENING. YOU DON'T HAVE A REASON THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT AND SAY, "OH THAT HAPPENED BECAUSE OF THIS. SOMETHING HAS OCCURRED IN YOUR LIFE TODAY AND YOU ARE TRYING NOW TO RECOVER FROM WHAT YOU HAVE COME HAD COME TO YOUR LIFE. I BELIEVE AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS MESSAGE FOR TIME SUCH AS THIS, THE LORD IS OUR ANSWER. I DON'T KNOW OF ANY OTHER WAY AND I'M GETTING A LITTLE AHEAD OF MYSELF RIGHT HERE BUT I DON'T KNOW OF ANY OTHER WAY TO COPE WITH THOSE SITUATIONS IN LIFE, THE TRAGEDIES AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE EXCEPT TO LEAN UPON JESUS. WE SING THAT SONG, "LEARNING TO LEAN," THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT TODAY. THROUGH EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE OF LIFE WE ARE LEARNING TO LEAN ON THE LORD. WE ARE LEARNING TO PUT OUR FAITH AND OUR TRUST IN HIM THAT WHEN WE COME TO THOSE MOMENTS IN OUR LIFE WHEN WE JUST SEEMINGLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH WHAT LIFE HAS BROUGHT TO US WE LOOK TO THE LORD AND LEAN UPON HIM AND TRUST IN HIM TO SEE US THROUGH. AND THE GOOD NEWS TODAY FRIEND IS THAT GOD WILL BRING US THROUGH. THAT THING THAT YOU THINK YOU CAN'T BEAR TODAY, THAT THING THAT HAS CAUSED YOU TO PAUSE AND SAY, "I DON'T THINK I CAN LIVE ANOTHER DAY. I DON'T THINK I CAN TAKE ANOTHER STEP, ALL OF A SUDDEN WHEN YOU LEAN UPON THE LORD AND YOU'RE PUTTING YOUR FAITH AND TRUST IN HIM, YOU FIND NOT ONLY CAN YOU TAKE ANOTHER STEP AND NOT ONLY CAN YOU GO ANOTHER DAY BUT YOU CAN CLIMB ANOTHER MOUNTAIN. YOU CAN GO THROUGH ANOTHER SEASON. YOU CAN GO ON A GREAT DEAL FURTHER THAN YOU ARE TODAY NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT IS WITHIN YOU BUT BECAUSE OF WHAT IS WITHIN GOD THAT IS WITHIN YOU. YOU SEE, WITHOUT GOD WE TRULY ARE WITHOUT HOPE BUT WITH GOD WE HAVE A REASON TO GO ON. WE CAN PICK UP THE SHATTERED PIECES OF OUR LIVES AND REALIZE THAT GOD KNOWS HOW TO MEND BROKEN VESSELS AND GOD DOES SUCH A GREAT JOB AT MENDING THOSE BROKEN VESSELS THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN TELL THEY'VE BEEN BROKEN. GOD MENDS THEM TOGETHER FLAWLESSLY. SO TODAY LIFE'S DISASTERS WILL COME BUT BE ASSURED WHEN THEY COME THERE IS JESUS TO MEET THEM WITH YOU. LET ME SHARE SOME THINGS WITH YOU. I KNOW TRAGEDY OCCURS AND WHEN TRAGEDY OCCURS, WE SOMETIMES RECOVER PHYSICALLY MUCH QUICKER THAN WE DO EMOTIONALLY. IT SEEMS LIKE THE PHYSICAL RECOVERY COMES QUICK BUT EMOTIONAL RECOVERY FROM LIFE'S DISASTERS CAN SOMETIMES TAKE MANY, MANY YEARS. IN FACT I'VE BEEN AWARE OF SOME PEOPLE THAT I HAVE MINISTERED TO IN MY EXPERIENCE THAT SEEMINGLY HAVE BEEN A LIFETIME TRYING TO RECOVER FROM THINGS THAT HAPPENED EARLY IN THEIR LIFE. OH THEY DON'T HAVE ANY PHYSICAL SCARS TO SHOW THAT A CRISIS HAS OCCURRED OR A TRAGEDY HAS TAKEN PLACE. BUT EMOTIONALLY THERE ARE THOSE THINGS THAT TRIGGER MEMORIES AND WITH EVERY MEMORY THAT IS TRIGGERED SADNESS RETURNS AND SORROW RETURNS AND BURDENS RETURNS AND IT WEIGHS THEM DOWN AND THEY BEGIN TO FEEL LIKE THAT IT HAS JUST HAPPENED ALL OVER AGAIN. THERE MAY BE SOME FOLK TODAY, YOU'RE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR TRAGEDY. OH YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH MANY DIFFICULT THINGS BEFORE. THE THING THAT YOU'RE FACING TODAY IS THE FACT THAT THIS IS NOW ONE MORE ONE MORE THING ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE THAT YOU'VE ALREADY HAD TO EXPERIENCE AND YOU FIND YOURSELF SITTING HERE TODAY LISTENING TO ME AND TELLING YOU THAT THERE'S HOPE AND THERE'S A REASON TO GO ON AND YET IN YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE YOU'RE THINKING I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE. SEE, PHYSICALLY THERE IS NO SIGNS OF A TRAGEDY BUT EMOTIONALLY THE SYMPTOMS ARE THERE AND IT'S THOSE SYMPTOMS TODAY THAT HAVE YOU IN DISCOURAGEMENT AND DESPAIR AND FEELING SO WEAK TO DEAL WITH THE THINGS THAT HAVE OCCURRED. EMOTIONAL RECOVERY TAKES TIME BUT EVEN MORE THAN THAT EMOTIONAL RECOVERY TAKES JESUS. ONLY JESUS CAN REACH INTO THAT PART OF OUR LIFE WHERE HE CAN HEAL THE PART THAT NO MAN CAN TOUCH. OH, I KNOW THERE ARE PHYSICIANS THAT THAT CLAIM THAT IF YOU'LL SIT AND COUNSEL WITH THEM THAT THEY CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR HURTS AND I HOPE THAT THEY CAN, BUT SO OFTEN IS THE CASE THAT IN THE COUNSELING THINGS ARE BROUGHT UP THAT REMIND THEM OF THINGS THEY HAVE FORGOTTEN AND THEY WALK AWAY WITH A GREATER BURDEN THAN THEY HAD WHEN THEY WENT TO SEEK FOR THE HELP. OH I DON'T WANT TO DENY ANYBODY THE HELP THAT IS AVAILABLE TO THEM BUT AT THE SAME TIME I REALIZE THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE JUST BEYOND THE ABILITY OF MAN TO REASON WITH, TO TALK THROUGH, TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT SO WE LEAN UPON JESUS. LIFE'S DISASTERS OCCUR. SOME OF THE TRAGEDIES IN OUR LIVES CAN OVERWHELM US UNTIL WE ARE CONVINCED THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER TO NOT LIVE THAN TO FACE ANOTHER DAY OF INCREDIBLE EMOTIONAL PAIN AND SORROW, BUT YOU SEE TO CONTEMPLATE ENDING ONES LIFE IS A TERRIBLE PERMANENT SOLUTION TO A TEMPORARY PROBLEM. YES, I SAID A TEMPORARY PROBLEM. THOUGH THAT THING IS SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH FOR YEARS, THOUGHTS OF ENDING YOUR LIFE IS NEVER THE SOLUTION. THE PROBLEM YOU'RE DEALING WITH, THE TRAGEDY, THE RESULTS OF THAT TRAGEDY, THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT TRAGEDY, YES, THEY ARE TEMPORARY. AGAIN I REMIND YOU, I'M TALKING ABOUT FINDING YOUR HOPE IN JESUS. WITH JESUS IT IS A TEMPORARY SITUATION. WITHOUT JESUS IT BECOMES PERMANENT, YES. BUT THERE IS NO REASON FOR ANY OF US TODAY TO DEAL WITH A PERMANENT SITUATION BECAUSE WE ALWAYS HAVE THE OPTION. I DON'T LIKE THE WAY THAT I JUST SAID THAT. IT REALLY TO ME IT IS MORE THAN AN OPTION AND IT SHOULDN'T BE SAID THAT WAY BUT WE ALWAYS CAN TURN TO JESUS WITH THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH IN LIFE. CAN I REMIND YOU TODAY THAT JESUS WENT TO THE CROSS OF CALVARY EXPERIENCED ALL OF THE THINGS THAT MANKIND WILL EXPERIENCE, SO THAT HE COULD FEEL THE PAIN, THAT HE COULD FEEL OUR SORROW THAT HE WOULD KNOW THE WEIGHT OF OUR GRIEF THAT HE WOULD KNOW THE TROUBLEDNESS OF OUR MIND, BECAUSE of SOME SITUATION THAT HAS OCCURRED. ALL OF THOSE THINGS WE SAW IN JESUS' LIFE AS HE WALKED ON THIS EARTH, HE DID SO, SO THAT WE COULD HAVE A HIGH PRIEST WHO IS TOUCHED BY OUR INFIRMITIES. SO WHEN I TELL YOU THAT JESUS IS THE ANSWER, I SAY THAT WITH NO QUESTION IN MY MIND. IT IS A CERTAINTY THAT THE LORD UNDERSTANDS TODAY WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH, THEREFORE, HE KNOWS HOW TO HELP YOU WITH WHAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH. SO DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO COME TO A PLACE WHERE THE ENEMY THAT WOULD DESTROY YOU WILL CONVINCE YOU IT'S A HOPELESS THING, I'M BETTER OFF DEAD THAN TO HAVE TO LIVE WITH THIS ANOTHER DAY. NO, MY FRIEND THAT IS NEVER THE SOLUTION AND I REALIZE TODAY THAT IN THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT WE ARE TALKING TO THAT THERE IS MORE THAN ONE LIKELY THAT'S CONSIDERED THIS. I'VE READ THE MAIL THAT COMES IN AND MANY TIMES IN THAT MAIL I HEAR THE WRITER OF THE LETTERS SAYING, I DON'T THINK I CAN GO ON ANOTHER DAY AND MY HEART GOES OUT TO THEM BECAUSE, YOU SEE TODAY THERE IS A REASON TO GO ON ANOTHER DAY. AND I DON'T MEAN TO BELABOR THIS BUT I REALLY FEEL COMPELLED IN MY HEART TODAY, THAT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT THEY ARE THINKING OF PERMANENT SOLUTION TO A TEMPORARY SITUATION AND I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU, TO TELL YOU ONE MORE TIME JESUS LOVES YOU AND BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU, HE CARES FOR YOU. AND BECAUSE HE CARES FOR YOU IF YOU'LL REACH OUT TO HIM TODAY HE WILL COME AND HE WILL MINISTER AND HE WILL SEE YOU THROUGH BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU TOO MUCH TO LET YOU DESTROY YOURSELF. OH FRIEND, THE BIBLE TEACHES US THAT WE ARE NOT LIVING IN A PERFECT WORLD. THIS IS AN IMPERFECT WORLD. I DON'T WANT TO BELABOR THIS PART BUT YET I DO WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT BECAUSE OF SIN AND THE PRESENCE OF SIN, THERE IS DESTRUCTIVE WORK ALL AROUND US. AND BECAUSE SIN IS PRESENT IN THIS WORLD, YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE COMMITTED SIN TO SUFFER THE RESULT OF SIN. YOU SEE TODAY THEY TELL US THERE WILL BE MANY MORE PEOPLE THAT WILL DIE FROM AIDS WHO NEVER COMMITTED A HOMOSEXUAL ACT BUT YET THEY HAD CONTAMINATED BLOOD OR CAME IN CONTACT WITH SOMETHING THAT BROUGHT THE DISEASE INTO THEIR LIFE. THEY DIDN'T ASK FOR IT, THEY DIDN'T LIVE A LIFESTYLE THAT WOULD BRING IT. YET TODAY THEY ARE SUFFERING THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN'S PRESENCE. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE TODAY THAT WILL DIE ON THE HIGHWAY. THEY NEVER TOOK A DROP OF LIQUOR IN THEIR LIFE. BUT BECAUSE OF SIN THERE WILL BE SOMEBODY WHO WILL BE DRUNK BEHIND THE WHEEL AND UNFORTUNATELY AN ACCIDENT WILL OCCUR. THE DRUNK'S LIFE MAY BE SPARED. BUT THAT PERSON WHO INNOCENTLY WAS TRAVELING ALONG THE HIGHWAY WHO HAD NEVER DONE ANYTHING TO ENCOURAGE IT, THEIR LIFE WILL BE TAKEN. I'M THINKING OF A PREACHER'S SON TODAY THAT I KNOW OF, A VERY GOOD FRIEND OF OURS. WHO LOST HIS SON AT A VERY EARLY AGE FOR THAT VERY REASON. THE SON WAS ON HIS WAY HOME FROM A CHURCH SERVICE AND A DRUNK CROSSED THE LINE, HEAD-ON COLLISION AND KILLED HIM. THAT YOUNG MAN WAS TAKEN OUT INTO ETERNITY, A PROMISING FUTURE. HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO ASK FOR THE TRAGEDY TO OCCUR BUT IT OCCURRED. YOU SEE WE LIVE IN AN IMPERFECT WORLD AND FOR THAT REASON AND THAT REASON ALONE, WE CAN EXPECT TRAGEDIES TO OCCUR. GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO BAD PEOPLE, BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE AND TODAY YOU MAY BE ONE OF THOSE GOOD PEOPLE. YOU DIDN'T ASK FOR IT, BUT IT HAS COME AND NOW YOU'RE HAVING TO DEAL WITH IT. YOU SEE THERE ARE TWO MISTAKES THAT WE CAN MAKE REGARDING DISASTER AND I'M GOING TO HURRY THROUGH THIS BECAUSE I'M RUNNING QUICKLY OUT OF TIME. THE FIRST MISTAKE WE CAN MAKE IS TO THINK THAT ALL THE GOOD THINGS THAT HAPPEN, PROVE WE'RE GOOD AND ALL THE BAD THINGS THAT HAPPEN PROVE WE'RE BAD. IF YOU TAKE TIME AT THE CLOSE OF THIS PROGRAM TO READ LUKE CHAPTER 13 YOU'LL FIND JESUS IS TALKING ABOUT THIS VERY ISSUE. THERE WERE SOME GALILEAN'S THAT LOST THEIR LIVES AT THE HANDS OF PILOT. THERE WAS ANOTHER GROUP OF 18 PEOPLE, THE TOWER OF SILOM COLLAPSED AND IT TOOK OUT THEIR LIFE AND JESUS IS ASKING THE QUESTION, DID THEY SIN AND THIS IS THE REASON WHY THESE THINGS OCCURRED AND HE EMPHATICALLY TELLS US AS HE ANSWERS THAT QUESTION. NO, THAT'S NOT THE REASON. WE'VE HEARD IT SAID, THAT IT RAINS ON THE JUST AND THE UNJUST. AND TODAY FRIEND, WE ALL HAVE EXPERIENCED ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT THAT'S THE WAY IT IS. DON'T THINK JUST BECAUSE GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING THAT THAT VALIDATES YOUR BAD LIVING. DON'T THINK THAT BECAUSE BAD THINGS HAVE OCCURRED THAT IT INVALIDATES YOUR GOOD LIVING. NO, DON'T MAKE THAT TRAGIC MISTAKE. WE'VE GOT TO BE CAREFUL NOW WE DON'T NEGATE CAUSE AND EFFECT. YES, IF YOU LIVE A SINFUL LIFE, A RIOTOUS LIFE AS THE BIBLE DESCRIBES IT, THEN YOU MAY SUFFER SOME AWFUL CONSEQUENCES AS A RESULT OF YOUR SINFUL LIVING. WE DO REAP WHAT WE SOW. BUT DON'T THINK JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING BAD HAS OCCURRED, THAT THAT MEANS YOU HAVE DONE SOMETHING BAD. READ THE STORY OF JOB AND YOU'LL BE BETTER ACQUAINTED WITH ALL OF THIS. AND LET ME HURRY TO SAY THIS, THE SECOND MISTAKE IS TO THINK THAT EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IS GOD'S WILL. I MAY HAVE TO COME BACK AND DEAL WITH THIS PART BECAUSE THIS WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO EXPLAIN BUT DON'T THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING HAS OCCURRED, THAT WAS GOD'S WILL. WHEN THAT VERY WELL MAY NOT BE THE REAL SITUATION. IT MAY BE THAT GOD HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT OCCURRED IN YOUR LIFE. YOU SEE WE DO HAVE AN ENEMY TODAY. THE BIBLE SAYS HE GOETH ABOUT LIKE A ROARING LION SEEKING WHOM HE MAY DEVOUR. YOU SEE JUST AS THERE AS GOOD THERE IS EVIL. GOD BRINGS GOOD. SATAN, OUR ENEMY BRINGS EVIL. TODAY, HE'S NOT OUT JUST TO DESTROY YOUR LOVED ONE, HE'S OUT TO DESTROY YOU AS WELL AND SO HE MANY TIMES WOULD LIKE TO ARRANGE THINGS IN OUR LIFE THAT TRAGEDY WILL COME AND AS A RESULT OF THE TRAGEDY NOT ONLY WOULD IT RUIN ONE BUT IT WOULD RUIN MANY. SO TODAY IN CLOSING I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU WITH WHERE YOU ARE AT RIGHT NOW, TURN TO JESUS. PUT IT IN JESUS' HAND AND YOU'LL FIND JESUS WILL KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH YOUR TRAGEDY, YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE. LET ME CLOSE IN A WORD OF PRAYER. HEAVENLY FATHER, LORD I PUT THIS AUDIENCE IN YOUR HANDS TODAY ASKING YOU TO FIRST OF ALL, SEE THEIR NEED, SECONDLY, I ASK LORD THAT YOU WOULD RESPOND TO THAT NEED AS ONLY YOU CAN DO. HELP THOSE THAT ARE REACHING OUT TO YOU RIGHT NOW IN THE MIDST OF THEIR LIFE'S TRAGEDIES. IN JESUS' NAME I ASK IT. AMEN.