Running to the Grave

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read the words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem, vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. King Solomon was the author of the book of Ecclesiastes, and he was the richest man that ever lived. He was so rich he could stick Bill Gates and Warren Buffet in his shirt pocket like a couple of cigars.

He was a man who had tasted every pleasure in life and pursued every avenue life had to offer. His kingdom had such world renown that the Queen of Sheba had to come see it for herself, and when she saw the immense wealth of Solomon, she commented to him, I believed not the words until I came and my eyes had seen it, and behold, the half was not told me. King Solomon had it all, he had seen it all, and he had done it all.

What he learned was that this world is an empty bubble, and if you try to find contentment in the things of this world, you will be left holding an empty bag. He learned that although sin has its pleasure for a season, this world does not satisfy the deep longings of one's soul. That's why so many rich and famous people are so empty and so unhappy.

Solomon found out the hard way that the pursuit of the world ends up in vanity. His main observation is found in chapter 1 and verse 4. One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh, but the earth abideth forever. The tale of my message today, friends, is Running to the Grave.

There was a time in my life where I wanted as much of the world as I could get. I had bought into the philosophy that the one with the most toys in the end wins, so I went out to get as many toys as I could. I owned several homes.

I drove only fancy luxury cars. When I traveled, I only stayed at the best hotels in the world. You could find me at Claridge's in London, or the Beverly Hills Hotel in LA, or at the lodge at Pebble Beach.

I made a lot of money, and money was a means for me to enjoy the finer things in life. I wore a Rolex on my wrist, Italian loafers on my feet, and I wore Armani linen that I bought while I was on the Via Del Corso in Rome. I was always busy, either making money or busy spending it.

I was always running after something new. I had to have the newest set of golf clubs, the newest car, a newer experience, but I was only running to the grave. One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh, but the earth abideth forever.

One day, I saw the vanity of my own life, that although I owned much material goods of the world, my life was empty. It was all vanity, just like Solomon said. God in his mercy opened my eyes to my futile path in life, and by his grace, he flipped me upside down to where I was now, running to him.

I think it's sad that so many individuals miss out on knowing God and finding God's best for them. Most people work hard, live hard, and die hard. They spend their life on the wrong things until they fall into the grave.

Then their soul goes out into eternity, to a world they are quite unprepared for. Their lusts control them, the devil has them, and they die in their sins, then open their eyes in a smoking, burning hell. Jesus spoke frequently on hell, even though we preachers seldom mention it today, Jesus always was warning folks about hell.

He said hell was a place of outer darkness, a place where the worm dieth not, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There should be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Wailing speaks of great grief and loss, and gnashing of teeth signifies great anger and regret.

When my Italian grandfather died, I was eight years old, and my mother took me to the Italian wake for my grandfather. If you've never been to an old-fashioned Italian wake, then you don't have a clue what I'm talking about. All I know is that as my mother and I walked down the hallway of that funeral home to the room where my grandfather was lying in his open casket, all I could hear as we approached that room was screaming and hollering and loud wailing.

It sounded like a scene from hell. I was terrified by it all, but looking back on that experience, I see how horrible hell must really be, for it is a region of continual wailing and gnashing of teeth that is so loud and so disturbing that the very volume of the decibels of it will drive you insane. Everybody dies.

One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh, but the earth abideth forever. The sad reality is, friends, that most folks go to hell. It's been estimated that 85 people a minute die apart from Christ and go to hell.

That's 5,000 people an hour. Do the math, and that comes to 120,000 every day who die and are cast into hell. That adds up to over 800,000 a week dying and being crammed into that bottomless pit of a tormenting hell.

Every month that adds up to 3 million new arrivals populating hell. Throughout the course of a year that figure grows to 40 million lost tormented souls being shut up in the prison of hell. Let ten years go by, and that adds up to 400 million souls wailing and hollering in hell.

Hell is a very crowded place. The shock and terror of it, of waking up in hell, is described vividly by the prophet Isaiah. The sinners in Zion are afraid of fearfulness has surprised the hypocrites who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire, who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings.

I was in a hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland, and I just stepped into the shower when I flipped out on my head. The bathroom tub had just been waxed, and as soon as I stepped onto it, my feet began to slip, and they sped up until I was flipped upside down on my head. I landed on a concrete floor, and I broke my wrist.

It ended my trip early. I had to catch a plane back to London as soon as I could, and then fly back to the States to get my wrist looked at. I could have easily died in that fall by breaking my neck.

Most men are just a step away from hell. They walk on slippery ground, and they can fall at any moment. God's word declares, surely thou didst set them in slippery places.

Thou cast them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment they are utterly consumed with terrors? Listen to me, friend. Hear me now.

Your only hope is in Jesus Christ. You must get your sins washed in his blood. You must come to him for forgiveness of sin.

If you've not trusted in this blessed Savior, receive him now, before it's too late. Soon he will come in judgment on this world, when his anger shall burn as an oven, and then you shall meet him as your judge. You are quickly running to the grave.

You're closer than you realize. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Come to Christ, friend, and surrender to him, and believe on him, and own him as your Savior and Lord. Repent before it's too late.