 Hey man, so keep your place there in Ecclesiastes chapter 9. That's the chapter that we're going to be looking at this morning. So Ecclesiastes chapter 9, first of all the entire book of Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite books of the Bible. Of course, many times my favorite book of the Bible changes by which one I've read the most recent because the Bible is just so great. But Ecclesiastes is a very powerful book in the Bible. It was of course written by Solomon through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Solomon being the wisest man that has ever lived on the earth, aside from Jesus Christ. So we really need to look at Ecclesiastes and many of the things in Ecclesiastes and especially Ecclesiastes chapter 9 as kind of life advice. As the Bible is telling us here, wisdom that we need to apply to our lives. It is my opinion that Ecclesiastes chapter 9 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible for the Christian today. And I'm going to explain that to you this morning. And if you read through Ecclesiastes chapter 9 as we just read the chapter and there are some things in there where you're just like, okay, what does that mean? What's this talking about? This is my goal for you this morning. Is to have you walk away from the sermon this morning understanding the one main theme that is in Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and understanding why it is so important to you as a Christian today. If I accomplish only one thing today and this morning in the sermon, that is the one thing that I want to accomplish. So look down at Ecclesiastes chapter 9. There's a lot of statements in this chapter, but let's just look at a first thought that could be a little bit of a confusing thought as we begin the chapter and then we'll go through to the main point that I want to get at. But I have to kind of preface this idea with some things that he talks about in verses number 4 and number 5. Look down at verse number 4 of Ecclesiastes chapter 9. The Bible says, for to him that is joined to all the living there is hope. For a living dog is better than a dead lion. All right, so you're like, what in the world is that talking about? So what he is saying here, what the preacher or King Solomon is saying is he saying that for him to this joined to all the living there is hope. What he is saying is someone who is alive still has hope. He is like someone that is still breathing, that still has life on this earth, you know has hope. It says for a living dog is better than a dead lion. Now what he is doing is he is taking a comparison of animals this evening and we are actually going to preach an entire sermon on why God gave us animals this evening. So join us tonight as well. But the Bible is saying here that a living dog, now I hate to break it to you, but if you are a dog person, you know the Bible is like not very positive about dogs. Like you will not find a single verse in the Bible that is positive about dogs. Dogs are compared to reprobates, perverts, you know just sick twisted people in this world that you know they are compared to dogs. In Proverbs 26 the Bible says you know as a dog returneth to his vomit. You know so a sinner returns to his own folly the Bible says. So the Bible is kind of taking this characteristic of dogs I mean because dogs will do that. Dogs are if you have ever owned a dog you know dogs are indiscriminate eaters meaning they will just like they will eat anything. You know I had a time where one of my dogs, my sheep dogs busted into a barn and ate a bunch of decon like rat poison and I had to take them to the vet and it was just this horrible situation I won't even let you know let you relive it with me. But the point is dogs will eat anything they are the only animal or one of the only animals that are like that. Cats won't do that. Dogs will eat vomit you know disgusting things you've all seen it. So maybe think about that next time you let your dog come up and lick your face. But the point I'm trying to get at is that dogs are thought of as bad in the Bible. Used as an analogy of very bad disgusting things and bad disgusting people in the Bible. So Solomon is saying here is that a living dog is better than a dead lion. A lion, a lion is compared to a king you know the lion of Judah is what you know Jesus was called. So a lion is this this proud this this this royal animal that is looked at as very strong you know compared to royalty compared to Jesus in many cases you know. So you got a dog and you got a lion and the Bible here is saying that a living dog is better than a dead lion because a dead lion is dead he can't do anything he can't do anything else in his life it's dead. So at least the dog this low creature is still alive is what it's saying. What he's trying to do is just trying to give an analogy about how important it is that you use the time that you have the life that you have you know because once it's gone once your life is gone you can do no more is what he's trying to get at here in the Bible look at verse number five he kind of backs this up he says for the living know that they shall die look we're all going to die we're all going to die and people think like oh I've got you know I've got I'm going to live to be 85 years old or 90 years old so I've got I can do the math on that and I can tell how much but here's the bottom line not one single person in here can say that they have more time than somebody else sitting next to them because we just don't know you could die tomorrow it's not something that is given to us to know look at verse number five but what we do know is this we do know we are going to die we know it's inevitable for the living know that they shall die but the dead know not anything neither have they any more reward for the memory of them is forgotten is saying look everything that you're going to do in your life look you're not saved by your works but you're going to be rewarded for your works as a Christian in heaven so it's saying you can only do those works and get those rewards in heaven while you're alive it's like once you're dead and you're in heaven you know that's it you're done I mean your rewards are set at that point what you've done in your life is set in stone once you physically die is what the what Solomon is saying here just for the memory of them it's forgotten it's kind of a he's kind of a depressing he's got kind of a depressing tone to Ecclesiastes in general he's saying like like look once you're dead no one's even going to really remember you which I mean is largely true all right we all want to think in our minds that oh I'm going to be remembered forever but here's the thing when we're dead and gone you know people aren't going to think much about us they're just going to you know maybe the things that you've done will be visible to people but you in general is like your memory is going to be forgotten so the point that he's trying to make in verse number four in verse number five is a simple one he says your only chance at doing anything great in your physical life is while you are living is what Solomon is saying he said that's a pretty obvious point it is an obvious point but it's one that we need to start with before we go into the next couple of verses the only time to earn rewards in your Christian life is while you were alive on this earth okay now go down to verse number nine good at verse number nine Ecclesiastes chapter nine and verse number nine the Bible says live joyfully with the wife whom now lovest all the days of the life days of thy life of thy vanity which he had given thee under the sun all the days of thy vanity for that is thy portion in this life in in thy labor which is thou has taken under the sun so what he is saying here is that you know live joyfully with your wife with the things that God has given you so Solomon is saying that you know even in your labor you're gonna have look if you go out and you work hard look this is especially true in America no matter how messed up you think our country is if you go out and work hard every day like the Bible says you're supposed to you are going to end up with some blessings and some things that you can enjoy in this life is what he's saying okay and the look there's nothing wrong with that there's nothing wrong with working hard and you know having a house and enjoying the blessings of your labor look at verse number ten and then he says you know he kind of gives you advice in verse number ten like how to go about this he says whatsoever thy hand find it to do do it with thy might for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave where the thou go us again here we go he says it is important that if you are going to work hard if you are going to gain wisdom if you are going to gain knowledge if you are going to learn things in this life it's important that you do it while you're living like because once you're dead that's it like there's no more chance to do that so what do you what is he saying here he's saying he's saying he literally says enjoy your wife like enjoy your wife enjoy the fruits of your labor he's saying I mean look I mean you could say life is too short to be miserable life is too short to be lazy is kind of what he's saying you know don't be lazy he's like if you find work to do in your life he's like go hard at it go hard at it do it with thy might that means all your might meaning what you find to do do it as hard as you can do it so this is what he's saying he's saying because look you can only do it while you're alive once you're dead it that's it all right so you say like you say you're sitting here this morning and you're like you know what I have no wife I don't have a job I'm not successful you know are you trying to just depress me this morning but here's the thing now go to verse number 11 now go to verse number 11 this is a full like a life coach situation in Ecclesiastes chapter 9 because a lot of people think that if they look at these blessings that Solomon says that they're supposed to enjoy and they say I don't have I mean you pick and choose whichever one he talks about here you say I don't have you know those particular blessings but then he tells you you know how to get those blessings in verse number 11 look what he says he says I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong neither yet bred to the wise nor riches to men of understanding nor yet favor to men of skill and here's the title of the sermon right here time and chance happeneth to them all so look at this look at this this morning from the wisest man who ever lived look all pro all scripture is is in all all scriptures inspired by God is profitable for doctrine the Bible says in 2 Timothy 3 16 but really you got to look at this is life advice right here because what he is saying what Solomon is saying is that a lot of people will look at people that have a wife have success have and we'll talk about all different kinds of success we'll talk about the most important success in your life this morning but the point is that a lot of people will look at people that have that success and they'll say yeah but you know what they're really fast yeah you know what they're really strong though yeah well but yeah that guy was just super smart no so I'm gonna say no you're wrong what he's saying is that time and chance happen to them all everyone has time and chance so look I mean it's true that some people live longer than others that's true but if you're hearing the sound of my voice this morning if you are hearing the words from the Bible this morning guess what you have time you have time right now you can't argue that everyone who is alive to hear this message has time and so I'm gonna say time and chance happen to them all so times an easy one to explain that you have you don't know how much people estimate and this is a mistake people estimate this is why we will go out soul winning and we will meet some 22 year old kid and and and we'll be like hey you know do you know if you're going to heaven and he's like no I don't know but you know what he doesn't care that much why because he's 22 he's 22 like what do I care I'm 22 I'm gonna live another 90 or you know I'm gonna live another 70 years in his own mind and then he dies tomorrow because you don't know it's a mistake to estimate how much time you have left because that will allow you to you know what that's why people waste time that's why people take the time that they have and they wasted but we all have time so Solomon I mean this is an easy one to prove correct he's right there what about chance what about chance what does this mean turn to Esther turn to Esther chapter 4 what does this mean that we all have chance he says time and chance happen to them all so we all have time hey some people have more time than other people and and that's just the way it is and that's up to God but just you know don't waste your time don't say I'm 22 or I'm 33 or I'm 28 and I got all the time in the world because you have no idea you know the the person that's 85 years old could have more time than you as a 19 year old you just don't know and I and I believe that is why God doesn't allow us to know that's only something that God knows right look God can extend your time to God could change his mind about that there's another thing you could live you know you could live and you know it could be appointed for you to die at 35 or at the age of 35 you just become this super profitable person to the Lord and God could change his mind how long you live that's happened in the Bible that's happened to people in the Bible so we all have time look at Esther chapter 4 look at verse number 7 what doesn't mean that we all have chance says that the battle is not to the strong the race is not to the swift you're like what in the world obviously the most swift person is going to win a race like if you know brother Victor is more swift than me you know he's going to win a race if we race so like what is the Bible talking about here here's what it's talking about let's use an example a perfect example of this is Esther in the Bible look at verse number 7 Esther is the queen she is the queen to as a Harris he was like King Xerxes is who this man is and she's the queen to him and you know it's found out by Mordecai that there's this plot to kill all the all of her people to kill all the Jews and he finds out about it and he goes to Esther because she's the queen it's like she has power to help you know stop this evil plan look at verse number 7 and Mordecai told him of all that happened under him and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasury for the Jews to destroy them so this wicked man Haman has devised this secret plot to destroy the Jews also he gave him a copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them to show it unto Esther so Mordecai is trying to get this information to the queen Esther is a Jew remember he's trying to get it to her so she can help and declare it under her and to charge her that she should go in unto the king to make supplication unto him and to make requests before him for her people Mordecai knows of this plan he's trying to get the plan to Esther so she can go and change the king's mind she can go into King as a Harris and she can change his mind and Hattach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai again Esther spake unto Hattach and gave him commandment unto Mordecai notice right here in verse number 11 was Esther you know he said he said Mordecai sends a message to Esther that says this it says this wicked Haman is going to murder all the people and Esther says look what she says in verse 11 does she say right away I'll go fix it look what she says in verse 11 and Esther spake again unto Hattach this is what she says to tell there's this man running messages between Mordecai and Esther and gave him commandment under Mordecai all the king's servant and the people the king provinces do know this is Esther's message that whosoever met whether man or woman shall come unto the king in the inner court who is not called there is one law of his to put him to death except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter that he may live but have not been called to come into the king these 30 days here's what she says to the here's what she says to Hattach to tell Mordecai Mordecai is like you got to go tell the king you got to stop him you got to stop this evil man and she says I can't go in there he's like he'll kill me that's basically what she says she's like anybody that goes in who's not called look you got to be invited to go in there if you go in there uninvited you're dead unless she says unless and and it sounds like it's a pretty small chance like it doesn't happen very often is the way she's making it sound unless he hands out the golden scepter like you came in uninvited he hands out the golden scepter it says but I'm not going to kill you I'm going to listen to you anyway so disaster want to go disaster tell Mordecai right away like yeah I'm going no she says I'm going to die if I go in there look at verse number 12 and they told Mordecai Esther's words then Mordecai commanded so Esther had a chance to save her people did she take it no not at first she didn't take it look at verse 12 and they told the Mordecai Esther's words then Mordecai said oh man we're done we're dead look what he does no look what he does then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther think not with thyself that thou shall escape in the king's house more than all the Jews for if thou all together hold this eyepiece at this time then there shall be enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this very famous Bible verse people probably don't understand it you know what Mordecai just said to her Mordecai just said to her he's like God's going to deliver the his people and he'll deliver them some other way he says then he's going to destroy you Mordecai like sharply rebukes Esther for not wanting to just just go straight in to the king I mean he says he says this is probably the entire point of your life is what he says to her now this is hope for a preacher right here this this story of Esther is hope for a pastor right here because listen what look what Esther did he sharply rebukes her it says you're not doing the right thing it's like this was probably the entire point of your life was to intervene for your people at this time she has time doesn't she she has time and she has a chance she doesn't want to take the chance though and he's telling her your whole life was supposed to take this chance that was the point of your life look at verse 15 and this is the real hope for the preacher of the word of God right here then Esther Bade then returned Mordecai this answer go rather she's like I've changed my mind she says go gather together all night go rather go gather together all the Jews that are president Shushan and fast you for me neither eat nor drink three days night or day I also and my maidens will fast likewise and I shall go into the king it go in unto the king which is not according to the law and if I perish I perish look the man of God changed her mind here the man of God rebuked her and says look this is the point of your life he's like you must take this chance and you know what Esther does she takes the chance and it works and she saves her people and she saves the kingdom I mean who knows whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time is this that is such a great phrase but that is literally a preacher just you know just bending the ear of of God's people and just begging them to take the chance that God has laid before them he says you're gonna die too you're gonna die anyways the whole point of your life is to do this she then acted upon her chance after that so the point is this when the time came through help she did not on her own but through help of some some man encouraging her and rebuking her you know she embraced the chance she embraced the chance but here's the thing folks she could have done nothing she could have chosen as the man of God said you must take this chance she could have said she could have said I just can't I just it's too big of a risk you know what then you know we would be saying today we would be saying Esther who we wouldn't even know who she is this is the point of Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and verse number 11 don't you go and look at people there is no he had a head start you see this you should I'm saying there is no you know he's smarter than me there is no you know she is stronger than me she is faster than me he is smarter than me he there's only missed opportunity and embraced opportunity that's all there is because time and chance will happen to us all you think about just the people that you know in life you know think about people that you know in your life think about great men of God great pastors people that you look up to in your life and you say oh man look at all that they've done for the kingdom of God guess what time and chance happened to us all you know the thing that we don't realize look at all these people throughout history turn to clean couldn't turn back to Ecclesiastes chapter 9 of verse number 11 the thing that we don't realize is the people that we look at as successful and whatever you're thinking about when you think about a successful person I mean you think about this the first verse the first part of the verse here the race is not to the swift when I when I read that that verse I was thinking about a race I was thinking about Louis Zamperini who's ever heard of him that the man who's the the book unbroken that came out several years ago it was about a Olympic runner ended up going into World War two he was an Olympic runner and he was a super fast distance runner in the Olympics in the in the late 30s and early 40s then he went into World War two and he is plain got shot down he got captured by the Japanese it became a whole story it's just it's a great book you mean it's a it's a book that pretty much reads itself if you know that kind of book that I'm talking about it's kind of book where you start reading it you just can't put it down till you're finished with it but the point is this don't go see the movie read the book all right the movies are always worse the movies only if you ever read a book and then see the movie you shouldn't go see movies anyway but if you ever read a book and see the movie you're just like that's ridiculous that was crazy they didn't capture any of it but the point is Louis Zamperini was this before he even got captured and became a hero and a war prisoner of war and all this he was a he was a Olympic level distance runner you know what he lost the first race he ever he ever ran he lost horribly he came in last place so you can't really say oh you know this guy just he was just like he was just born super fast no he was the worst time and chance happened to us all but he see he embraced the opportunities to be great in his life he trained harder he worked harder than everybody else and look you know he became successful in that in that sense you know you just look at these people you know but the thing is that we look at successful people and we see them once they are strong we see them once they are fast you know we see them once they've won the Olympics we see them once they've become a war hero we see them already but the point is I mean we see them once they're wealthy you know you think about the most wealthy person you can think of you know I always think of John D Rockefeller when it comes to like the most wealthy person you know that you could possibly think of just pops into your head like that he started from nothing his dad was a horrible human being they lived in a tiny little house and you know by the way he was an independent Baptist just a little extra for you this morning but the point is it's not that our point it's not that it's not that wealth is the point it's not that winning a race is the point but my point I'm trying to get at is the difference between somebody who's successful and somebody who's not is they embrace their chances and they didn't waste them is what I'm trying to get you to understand that's what Solomon is saying he says time and chance happen to them all so when you look at somebody you know spiritually who's just this great man of God who's done great things for the Kingdom of God you're just like oh man I can never do that well it's because they embrace their chances and you are not is what I'm trying to get you to understand because time and chance happen to them all it's only missed opportunity and it's only embraced opportunity that is what Solomon is saying look this is good news for you this morning this is good news for you this morning because time and chance happen to us all that means you that means you that means time you obviously have time if you're hearing this chance is happening to you you know what it's happening again and again and again and again in your life are you embracing it are you watching it go by every single one of us has had time and chance to do great things for the Kingdom of God you think about just like I think about when I was I was studying this this this chapter I thought about just the topic of homeschooling you know we're a big advocate for homeschooling this church you know the the world and the wicked public school system and what they're teaching today there's just no success there for the Christian child there's no success there you know there's too much danger there but I was looking at homeschooling and all the different homeschooling mothers that I've met over the last 15 20 years of my life and I look at just like it's such a great example that there's such a broad spectrum of the homeschooling mother because here's the thing if you sit near and you say I'm in a homeschool my children as a Christian mother you have the chance to raise children with the biblical worldview did you know that if you decide I'm going to homeschool my children I'm gonna do I'm gonna be a Deuteronomy 6 family I'm gonna talk to my children about the Bible every subject that we study is gonna be through the lens of the Bible you have the chance to raise kids with a biblical worldview it doesn't matter how bad the world gets you still have that chance to do that you have the chance to raise children with a world-class education not only is public school a sick twisted education it's a bad one see the stats of kids coming to high school can't even read it's crazy you're okay if I'm just if I don't even care if they turn out to be a pervert or a weirdo can they at least read probably not but you have the chance as a homeschooling mother as a homeschooling father leading your home to raise kids with a biblical worldview and a world-class education if you embrace the chances yeah you could be a lazy homeschooling mother does nothing but sit home and just you know throw throw some book at your kids and spend your time on Facebook or whatever you could look total freedom means total responsibility there's chances every single day look you could raise children today no matter how bad this world gets you ever think about that you ever look back five years ago look back ten years ago like man I can think look at how it was then and how it is today it's like what's it gonna be like when my kids grow up you ever thought about that but you can raise kids today with this biblical worldview with a world-class education that will not be derailed no matter how bad the world gets you have the chance to do that all you have to do is embrace that chance is just embrace that opportunity meant to be spiritual leaders in your family it's the same thing you have the chance to to work hard support your family encourage your wife to home school get in a good church lead your family raise kids that understand the Bible raise kids that understand that it's our duty to go out and get people saved raise a family that has the focus on the right things and lead your family in that direction you have the chance to do that are you embracing that chance are you letting that chance go this is this is the dad that knows like we need to be in a good church but like he doesn't live in the town or he doesn't live in the state or he you know it's like look you got it you got a lead and you got to take that chance and and then look and then you know great spiritual things will happen but it's just not gonna you know it's just we have this like just pray and do nothing attitude in the Christian life today and that's not how the Lord works it's the Lord working with us it's the Lord working with us we have to I mean just think of the Lord he's up there he's just placing these chances in front of us over and over again and we're just like nope nope busy at work busy it with my own plan busy with all this other stuff this is the problem this is what Solomon is telling us is like time and chance happened to us all it's some people embrace the chance and some people just brush them aside this is the difference between the great the woman who does great things in her life for the Kingdom of God and the woman who does not same thing with the men it's all about missed opportunity several years I don't know if I've ever told the story before but it also brought up something that that we went through when I first got saved several years we moved to California this is you all know this we moved to California in 2016 we decided you know I decided look I need to take this chance I need to get into a good church I need to get my kids into a good church I need to get my kids on the right path in 2016 we moved to Verity Baptist Church we moved to California but guess what several years before that I thought after I got saved several years before that I thought about moving because I knew at that point I said you know we need to be somewhere else because there's no good church here there's no future for my children here I thought about moving I actually sent out some applications to some really high you know great jobs like hey if I if God gives me that great job I'll move them you know those jobs never came through so I was like yeah we just so we you know what we ended up doing you know what wasted chances end up being wasted time thank God that God keeps putting chances in front of us and eventually you know we obviously we embrace that chance but here's the thing the more wasted chances that you have in your life the more waste the less time you have that's the problem that we're up against in this life that we're living this is the guy in Matthew that we were talking about in Matthew 25 we were talking about the parable of the talents on Wednesday night you know this is the guy who's the the one talent guy you know the one talent guy he wasted his chance he had a chance the guy that was given one talent did he not have a chance he wasted it that one talent guy could have become the two talent guy that two talent guy you know then became the five talent guy or the four talent guy I guess but the point is is that you know the same look the same goes for a church by the way the same goes for a church is the more people that we have that are embracing their chances in the spiritual life and say you know what I'm gonna grab every chance I can get you know what the stronger a ministry will be if we have people they're like you know what I want to I want to do great things I'm gonna grab every single chance that I can get every single thing I read from the Bible every single thing that I see that I need to change in my life I'm grabbing those chances and I'm gonna do something about it because guess what the only difference between Esther and Jane Doe is the fact or between you or and someone who you mid buyer who is a great spiritual leader the only difference is embraced chances that's it isn't I mean hopefully this is good news for you this morning that you're like you know what I have a chance to like I have a chance to do this someone I mean you look at someone who's raised God fearing children in a wicked world who's done great things for the kingdom of God you look I mean look there there should be people that you know that are like that who's won many souls to Christ you know enter a number here on how many souls to Christ that they want look every single one of those people you know why they were so successful is because they just they saw the chances and they just took every single one along the way that that's the only difference there's somebody who just does nothing in their Christian life is because the chances come and they're just like I'm busy I'm cooking ramen noodles or whatever other thing that they're they're involved in right that's it it's not speed it's not strength you know it's not brains it's not skill it's just they embraced the chance go back to Ecclesiastes go back to Ecclesiastes look at verse number 10 time and chance happened to us all some people use theirs and some people time and chance some people time and chance they both pass them by go back to verse number 10 go back to verse number 10 I think about this in like two steps look at verse number 10 the Bible says so I mean here's the thing what can I say you know and this is another thing as a pastor you see this it's not me it's not me it's just a perspective of the role that I'm in you see this in people you see potential in people and you know I don't want to say that you have to get used to people you know not taking their chances but you know it can't drive me insane okay or I'd have been crazy years ago right so you see people and the chances that are put in front of them and here's the thing you have to get past step one which in my opinion is do you even want to do great things in your Christian life I mean isn't that the first thing that you need to decide as a Christian isn't that the first thing that as a saved believer that you need to decide you decide what do I what do I want to do with this Christian life don't you have to make that decision they have to decide like what you want to do that's what verse 10 is talking about look down at verse 10 it says whatsoever the hand find it to do let's just stop right there you kind of have to make that decision right there because you know if all you want to do is just hang out on Facebook well that's it I'm on Facebook this morning but the point is if all you want to do is waste your time there is no chance because you have to make the decision to want to do something great spiritually with your life you have to make the decision that you know what no matter what it takes think about this for a second no matter what it takes no matter how wicked this world gets no matter how many people are against me how many people are mad at me I am going to raise my children differently I am going to raise my children differently I am going to do it the way the Bible says no matter what there are how many people are against me that's what I want to do with my Christian life I mean that that's one example just that I am going to raise godly children in a wicked world that's a that's a decision right there guess what now that you've made that decision do it with I might you see now now I mean that's step one step one is just defining what you want out of your Christian life you know I want to raise great children you know I want to win I want to win people to the Lord I want to win I have however God however many years I have left in my life whether it be one year whether it be point five years whether it be 60 years Lord I want to win as many people possible in that time frame to the Lord that's a pretty good one right there I'm just giving you some examples here okay and then guess what now that I know that's what I want on my Christian life do it with I might that's what Solomon saying and guess what if you make the right decisions and you say you know you make some awesome spiritual goals like the two I just gave you God's going to just put chance after chance after chance in front of you and guess what if you're reading the Bible and you're gaining what what does the Bible say that we will gain wisdom if we're gaining wisdom while we are alive we will recognize those chances and we've already made the decision that hey here's a decision in my life right here I can I can my goals my Christian goals or I want to raise godly children and I want to win people to the Lord that those are my Christian goals right there those are two good ones all right you can steal those if you want this morning you say those are my two goals and then the decision comes in front of you it's like I'm in a good church here we are we're just you were just killing it for the Lord in this church we're just killing it for the Lord right now and then you know something comes up that's going to just take that away from you where you know you can no longer hold school your kids you can no longer you know have your kids in a good church all this kind of stuff you're like oh yeah that's not a chance that's that's that's bad I don't want to do that because that I mean you see how every single thing that comes in front of you will be easy to see if it's a chance or not in your life you have to first get past that first that first step of just making some goals you know what do you want to do with the spiritual life that you've been given what do you want to do at the time that you've been given or there be a month or 40 years and then the last thing that you have to do and that's what someone is talking about is just don't squander don't squander time and chances that's it that's it it's such a great chapter in the Bible for Christians that they can just understand that they're you know another thing it is is like there's no excuse there's no excuse for the Christian today why it's time and chance happens to us all it's like oh yeah but you know that guy was just really good at it at all that and you know that guy was just smarter and that guy was really fast and that guy is really like you know brave and no time and chance happened to us all that's what the Bible says there's no excuse there's no excuse you set good spiritual goals in your life you understand that time and chance happened to us all and then you just do with all your might you grab every single chance that comes along the way that's such a it's a great encouraging chapter for the Christian I mean every single Christian within the sound of this sermon should understand that they have the ability and the time and the chances and guess what you start grabbing chances like crazy I bet God wants to keep you around longer I bet God wants to give you as much time as possible what do we learn about in Acts chapter 9 this woman that was just super profitable she was super profitable and they're like this woman is super profitable God literally raised her from the dead I was like okay we we we can use her you know use your time and chances and maybe God gives you more time let's bow our heads and have a word