 Good evening, church. Hallelujah. Welcome to this evening program, the Midweek Prayer. Let us pray. Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, our Father, our Creator and our Redeemer. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we come before the throne of grace this evening to thank you for you have led us through this day and you have seen it fit for us to be here to worship you and to bring us applications unto you. We thank you for the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ through whom all Lord we have life in you, life now and life in eternity. We thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit whom we now ask, O Lord Father, that He may come and abide in our midst, O Lord. Father, we confess our sins of thought of action and in any way we have run short of their glory. We ask that He may forgive us, cleanse us and purify us because your word says that, O Lord, if we confess our sins, you're just and you're faithful. Forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now, my Father, may your Holy Spirit enter into every heart that is connected to this pulpit physically here and even on the online media. May your will be done, O Lord. We invite you into our presence as we worship you. May the meditations of our heart and the words of our mouths be acceptable unto you. Be enthroned, be exalted. For you as O Lord is the kingdom, the power and the glory now and forevermore. Amen. Good evening again. You're welcome to this program. I would like to invite you to come in. We thank the media team that is here. We want to thank the servants that the Lord has appointed to serve today and with us here, Diana Gunga is going to bring to us the scripture reading and our elder, Luca Meyer, is going to speak the word the Lord has sent him with, with the topic of failing desire. We welcome you. Enjoy worshiping with us and enjoy praying and be here and may the Lord bless you. Good evening, church. Now it's time for the scripture reading. Our scripture reading is from the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 12. I'll read from verse one to seven. I'm reading from the New King James Version and it says, Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come and the years draw near when you say, I have no pleasure in them. While the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are not darkened and the clouds do not return after the rain. In the day when the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men bow down, when the grinder sees because they are few and those that look through the windows grow dim, when the doors are shut in the streets and the sound of grinding is low, when one rises up at the sound of a bird and all the daughters of music are brought low. Also they are afraid of height and of terrors in the way. When the almond trees blossoms, the grasshopper is a burden and desire falls. For man goes to his eternal home and the mourners go about the streets. Remember your Creator before the silver coat is loose or the golden ball is broken or the pitcher shattered at the fountain or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was and the spirit will return to God who gave it. Dear people, that Lord you may speak to us clearly and grant us understanding that we need. It's my humble prayer in Jesus' name. Amen. Good evening viewers and members who have come. I want to take this opportunity to thank God for the privilege and for the opportunity that He has given me to stand before you this evening to speak from the word of God. Our sister has read for us a verse from the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 12 from verse 1 to 7 and I have entitled my presentation this evening, Failing Desire. Desire is defined as a strong wish to have or to do something. It is something that you really, really want to do or to have. And the writer of this book, the one who has written this book Ecclesiastes was a very wise man and he is talking to us at such a time like this through experience. The words that he's writing to us is not something that he is gazing or trying, but something that he himself has gone through. And that is why I just want to go through the few verses that he has written to us here in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 1 to 7. It starts by saying, remember now the creator in the days of the youth. Many a times it is a verse that we normally use when we are speaking to the youth, when we are speaking to the young people. But he's saying, remember now the creator in the days of the youth while the evil days come not. Nor the years draw nigh when those I'll say I have no pleasure in them. When Suleiman is speaking, he's reminding us of something. He's telling us to stop and consider God while still there is time, while we are still alive, that any moment you find yourself in this world when you are born and you find yourself in this world he's saying something that is coming out very clearly that you have started a journey. And this journey it may be a long journey or short, but it is a journey. This journey may end up somewhere and many a times it ends at the grave. So it's reminding us something that before you do something stop and consider God. Then he is going ahead by starting to explain some things which happen as we grow old. He's saying especially in verse three when he talks about grinders being few, which means dropping out of the teeth. Then he's saying something and windows be darkened, which means the deeming of the eyes as we grow old is explaining some things that are happening to us in our life. But there are many challenges that comes with old age. So he says the hair turning white when he talks about the almond tree shall flourish in verse five says as you grow old you will find that you don't look the same. Your life system begins to change. There are things that are changing in your life. You'll find that your teeth are now becoming few. Your hair is turning white and there are things that are happening that you will be afraid of climbing some high places because as you grow old your body system is becoming weak and weak. Then I think this is the reason why he is saying that we need to consider God when we still have some strength in us. I think he's trying to figure out what will we have to offer God then when we have reached a situation whereby we are weak, we are old and there's nothing that we have that we can say that we can offer God. And that's why I say when Solomon is speaking through experience because this man was rich by all means. He had all the things that he may need in this world but he came to realize that all these things that he had could not satisfy him. So he says here that we need to stop and consider God when we still have time. If you pause and think about a time that we are living in, I want to tell you that we are living at a time of moral madness, a time that we don't want to dainy ourselves anything we want. Anything that we want to have we don't want to dainy ourselves no matter which way we want to get it. So we are living at a time when the word of God has become detestable to many of the people. And the man of God is wandering. There's a book I read in the Bible, 2 Timothy chapter 5, 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 1 to 5. That book is talking about Perilla's times, dangerous time, how people will behave at the end of time. People will do things that you will pose to wonder why they are doing them. And if you read that book you will find how they are stated in the book of 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 1 to 5 which we are not going to read now because of time. But my topic today, the thing that I want us to get is that time comes, that desires fail. Time comes my brothers, that desires do fail. I'm reminded of a story that is a true story of something that happened not long ago of a lady. This lady was diagnosed by having the deadly disease that we call AIDS and she was a church member. She used to attend church until when now she was not able to come to church anymore. And there are ladies who would go to visit her. After church service members, the witnesses would go and visit this lady and pray with her. But this lady was doing something which is quite strange, that the lady decided to remove some of her blood and any time that this church members would go visit with her she would make sure that she prepared something for them to eat or to drink but she would mix with the blood that she had removed from her body. So she did this for quite some time until now when she was on her deathbed and the ladies went to see her and to pray with her she kind of got touched and she confessed to these ladies that I'm sorry for what I did to you. Then now these ladies were just wondering what is it that could have happened. Then she opened up and told them that you know any time that you came to visit with me if there's anything if there's something that you tasted in my house I had made sure that I mixed that thing with my own blood. My dear friends in this world that we are living in you know time comes in a critical condition. Time comes that desires fail. You know there are times you may want to omit what you have eaten. There are times you may pose to wonder. The Bible says that remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth when things are still good when you are still strong when your mind is still clear when you can still read without using these glasses. When you are not taken to the world because that time will come anyway. Then he goes ahead by saying in verse five also when they shall be afraid of that which is high and fear shall be in the in the way and the almond tree shall flourish and the grasshopper shall be of burden and desire shall fail. That is where I've gotten the topic of my presentation this evening because man goeth to his long home and the mourners go about the streets. So as we walk around along the corridors of this world we are being reminded that we will not be here forever. A time is coming for you and for me and you may not even know it you may not even know when but it is coming anyway. So you need to stop and consider God now when still this time. I remember when my mother got sick and I took her to the hospital then after having gone through many doctors and many a lot of treatment I brought her here in Nairobi and she was diagnosed with cancer of the liver. I'm the one who brought her to the hospital. Then the doctors now decided to discharge her because they told me there was no need of her staying in the hospital for long. I will incur a lot of money for nothing. So they would rather give me, would rather discharge her so that I can take her home. You know that's my mother. So my mother was waiting after they had finished with her and she was discharged, she was waiting somewhere on the waiting room and I was called by the doctor inside. So they actually told me, Mr. Mayo, you said that is your mom, said yes. Then he told me okay I want to just help you. There's no need of keeping her here for long. You will spend a lot of money that is going to die anyway. So what we'll do, we'll give you some medication, just some painkillers you can be using for a while as he waits. My friend, when I walk out from the doctor, my mother looked at me. She looked at me at my very face directly and then she asked me, my son, just tell me what did the doctor say? If I look at you and see you are weak, just tell me what the doctor said. You know, this is my mother and the doctor has told me that he's not going to leave. My desires fail. The moment I walked out of the consultation room and when I saw my mom knowing that she is no longer going to leave, and here he is asking me, what did the doctor say? You may not know what I felt, but I want to tell you, my dear friends, that time comes in this world that desires fail no matter who you are. Desires do fail and it will come to fail whether you like it or not. That's why the writer of this book is telling us to stop and consider God. Before we get any older, because there are challenges that come with old age and some of us may not even get old. So you need to stop and think again. That time came. You know, it came to Adam and Eve before I even got there. Verse 7 says, then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Solomon is talking about death here. He has given us admonition. He has advised us on what to do. And as I told you, he is talking from experience. This is an old man who had everything, name it. He tested life. He called it food. He had more than enough. He had more than enough. He had many. Women, he had so many of them. So he is talking from experience. None of you have or have the things that Solomon used to have. You don't, you had everything. But he reached a point whereby he is saying vanity of vanities. In fact, if you read this chapter that I'm reading, verse 13 and 14, he is saying conclusion of the matter. He is saying this is now the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and keep his commandment because that is why you and me were made. Nothing else. He speaks from experience. That time came to Adam and Eve, the book of Genesis. I read it and I was amazed that time came to Adam and Eve. Those who were created in the image of God in Genesis chapter 3, verse 7 and 10, where it says Genesis chapter 3, verse 7 and 10, where it says, and the eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked. Yes. And they and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves abhorrence. These were first, our first parents made in the image of God and God gave them instructions and they knew. They have found themselves now looking for the fig leaves because they have sinned. They have realized that they are naked because sin will uncover you. Doesn't matter who you are. And then they have made themselves abhorrence of fig leaves and they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called out unto Adam and said unto him, where art thou? What a wonderful God. What a mercy for God that we serve. One who still comes even when we have disappointed him. One who still looks for us. I thank God for his mercy. I thank God for his mercy. I thank God for his mercy. I thank God for his mercy. The one who still looks for us. I thank God for his mercy. I thank God for his love that even when I have messed myself, God still looks for me. He came in the cool of the day looking for his creatures. The Bible says very well that they heard of him coming. Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him, where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. People are playing around with sin. Time is coming. Sin will uncover you. They found themselves naked and they could not face God. But my God who is such a loving God was still coming to look for them. I wonder the song writer sang a song wondering, saying, amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Marvelous grace of my loving God. God who loves me. Yes, I may disappoint him, but he still loves me. He still comes. Adam and he found themselves in such a situation. Time is coming, my brothers, that you and me, you will give an account of what you did with Jesus Christ while on earth. That time is coming. Whether you like it or not, it is coming. Yes, it came to Judas in the book of Matthew, Matthew chapter seven, verse three and five. It came to Judas. He says, then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying in verse four, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, what is that to us? See thou that. You know, when he was betraying our Lord Jesus Christ, he focused his eyes on the money. He was given thirty pieces of silver. Oh yes, he thought he will enjoy the money. A time came that those thirty pieces of silver became so hot in his pocket that he had to return the money. Nobody was willing to take that money. We call it the blood money. So, verse five says, and he cast down, he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed and went and hanged himself. There's nothing to do with the money. It is money, wealth, sex, what? A time is coming. Of course, you wonder. I know that you have cherished all these years. I remember, sometimes back, my mom was still alive. So, do some work at the samba. Our samba was just near the road. And some five men, they were old men. They were passing by. So, my mother was trying to greet them. Telling them, how are you? They were just quiet. What's wrong? I'm trying to greet you and you are not answering me. You are just quiet. Then one of them, they opened up and he told my mom, my mother, that, let me tell you, what we have seen today, we have never seen it before. My mother wanted to hear more. This was says, this gentleman, they were not Christian. They used to enjoy the brew. There's a kind of brew that is being made by maize, maize flour and they mixed it. So, at home, there was a home, near, not far from our home. This gentleman would go and enjoy themself. This, that kind of brew is called busa. So, they normally use this. There are some sticks. Those sticks, they have some kind of, how do I put this? But they have a hole inside. So, every morning, these five men would go and enjoy the brew. Now, they sit around. That thing is put inside a pot or a drum. They sit around. When they are now drinking it, each pot, you put your pot, your, your, your, your drinking sack on that pot. You have, you put, you, you sit somewhere and then you put that thing into that pot. And now you begin to drink. And when they are drinking, they talk nicely. And they are praising themselves how the thing is nice. And they talk a lot. So, as they were doing that, they, they surrounded, they, they were surrounding the pot. And each, each and every one of them with this sacking stick, one of the, the muses noticed that he, the thing was not coming out as it used to come. It was like it had an airlock. So, he is trying to suck. The thing is not coming out. So, he asked his, his neighbors, his, his, his colleagues that, man, what is happening? How come I'm trying to suck, but I'm not getting the brew. How do you find it? And then the gentlemen were saying, no, me, I'm getting it. Can you come and try where I'm seated? Then another one came. He tried, ah, it's not coming. Then they said, maybe there's something wrong here. So, they called the lady. They called the lady who is the owner of the house, the one who normally makes this. But, what is happening? You see where I'm saying, Zevlani, you seated, Zevlani, you seated. If you try, you wasn't there. The thing is not coming out. So, every one of them tried at that place. Nothing was coming. So, they already came and washed her hands nicely and she dipped her hand inside the pot and realized that there was a dead cat that had drank the brew last night and now the cat was kind of, it was swollen. So, when these guys were trying to put their sucking thing, it was going directly on top of the dead cat. The thing is not coming. So, when this lady brought the cat out, the men left the place and they could not talk anymore. Their desires failed. No wonder my mother was greeting them and they were not talking. So, one of them told my mom, are they what we have seen today? We have never seen it before. We were enjoying the brew, but we came to realize that it wasn't the brew at all. We were enjoying the dead cat. My friends, time comes in life that desires fail. Yes. So, when you still have time, you need to stop and consider God. That's why it is true. You will have to face God someday, soon and very soon. Our Lord is coming back. You will have to give an account of what you did with Christ while or not. No wonder, in the book of Revelation, Revelation chapter 6, Revelation chapter 6, verse 15 says something. It says, let me just read them, Revelation chapter 6, verse 15, it says, And the kings of the earth, the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captain, and the mighty men of every bond man, and every free man, hid themself in the dense, and in the rocks of the mountains. Then verse 16 says, and stayed to the mountains, and the rocks fallen us, and hid us from the face of him that seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. The great day of Israel is coming, and who shall be able to stand? My dear friends, time is coming, the captain, the rich men, men who have enjoyed the pleasures of this world. At time is coming, they will try to speak to the mountains and to the rocks to fall on them, because who shall be able to stand? No wonder Solomon is telling us this evening to stop and consider God, while we are still strong, while we can still think properly, while our system is still working, stop and consider God. We may have missed ourselves, but thank God for his mass, thank God for his love. Isaiah, as I finish the book of Isaiah, Isaiah tells us something in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 1 says something in verse 18 and verse 19 and 20. Isaiah says, come now and let us reason together, say the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, crimson, they shall be as wool. Then he says in verse 19, he be willing and obedient, he shall eat the good of the land. Then verse 20, but if he refuse, if he refuse, my friends, if we are big-headed, if we rebel, he says, if he refuse and rebel, he shall be diverted with a sword, the mouth of the Lord has spoken it. What a wonderful God has not left us in darkness, but has revealed everything to us in the Bible. He's calling us this evening, he's telling you and me to come. He is willing to reason up with us, even though we have gone astray, even though we have messed ourselves, God is calling us this evening, if we are willing and obedient, to listen, willing and obedient, to be able to eat, to refuse. The Lord has no any other way of saving us, if we have refused to listen to His Word. So this evening is my prayer that you and me accept to worship Him, to consider Him now when still this time, before the evil days come. May God bless us and keep us, and prepare us for His soon return as I pray. My kind and loving Father in heaven, what a mighty and powerful God that we serve, the Lord that loved us, the Lord that has instructed us to listen to His Word, wonderful words of life. As we walk along the corridors of this world, we need to stop and consider You. Oh Lord, may You help us. Even though we have gone astray, we thank You for Your call. We thank You for reminding us that You are willing to save us. We are only but obedient. So this evening, my dear Lord of glory, take charge and care and prepare us for Your kingdom. Remember Your people all over the world, those who are suffering in various ways, men and women who are sick, those who are in the hostels, all that they may listen to Your Word. Your Word may give them encouragement. Men and women who have lost loved ones, that's how you may be able to encourage them. Bring us more closer to You and keep us safe as we wait for Your second coming. It's my humble prayer. We thank our elder for the message and we thank our God for bringing us here. And having those who have joined to be together in fellowship this evening. It is our prayer and belief that we have been blessed by the message, feeling desire. And now this is the end of our meeting this evening. We would like to welcome you next Wednesday. God willing that you also come again so that we may share and enjoy the messages that come every Wednesday evening. So for those who are inside, may God be with you even as you leave. And those who have joined online, we also want to pray that the Lord will keep you safely until we meet again the next Wednesday. So may I request that we rise and say the grace as we live. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forevermore. Amen. God bless you.