“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (Eccles. 3:11 ESV)

Eternity: Forever and ever, infinite duration, time without end, endless, everlasting, perpetuity.

God of eternity from everlasting to everlasting

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:2 ESV)

God inhabits eternity

“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isa. 57:15 ESV)

Suffering and punishment of the unrighteous lasts for eternity

“They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” (2 Thess. 1:9 ESV)

“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt. 25:46 ESV)

God gives life to last for eternity

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17 ESV)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24 ESV)

Therefore...

“May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!” (Psalm. 72:17 esv)

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.” (Psalm 41:13 ESV)

 “You must not covet your neighbor's house. You must not covet your neighbor's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor." (Exo. 20:17 NLT)

Covet: yearn to possess or have something, to desire, crave, have one's heart set on, want, wish for, long for, hanker after/for, hunger after/for, thirst for, “even with all they have, they covet the wealth of others."

Coveting is the uncontrolled desire to acquire

To “desire” something isn’t a bad thing in itself because nothing can be accomplished unless you first desire to do it. You can desire good things such as to be more loving and to be more like Christ. It’s about having self control in what you desire. When a desire is uncontrolled, it becomes coveting. It’s such an important sin to avoid that it’s included in the Ten Commandments.

Coveting gives birth to sin

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15 ESV)

Coveting is evil and defiles a person

“And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:20-23 ESV)

The love of money is coveting and evil

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Tim. 6:10 ESV)

Sexual immorality begins with coveting and is evil

“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.” (Eph. 5:3 ESV)

Coveting hinders prayers

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3 ESV)

The answer to coveting is godliness with contentment

“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” (1 Tim. 6:6-8 ESV)

Therefore…

“I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:33-35 ESV)

 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matt. 11:15 ESV)

Pay attention to what you hear

“And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you.” (Mark 4:24 ESV)

Faith comes from hearing

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17 ESV)

Listen with faith

“Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?” (Gal. 3:2 ESV)

Hear the Word and hold it fast

“As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15 ESV)

“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness.” (Heb. 3:7-8 ESV)

Take care how you hear

“Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” (Luke 8:18 ESV)

Hear the Word, accept it and bear much fruit

“But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4:20 ESV)

 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Heb. 13:8 KJV)

Same: The one and the very same, identical, not different, equal, changeless, consistent, constant, invariable, unchanging, unfailing, invariable, invariant, regular, steady.

God does not change

“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” (Mal. 3:16 ESV)

There is no variation or shadow due to change

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17 ESV)

Now and for eternity

“To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.” (Jude 1:25 NIV)

God’s Word will stand forever

“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Num. 23:19 ESV)

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Is. 40:8 ESV)

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Acts 2:17-21 NIV)

In the above passage,  Peter was quoting from Joel 2:28:32, a list of things God said will happen in the last days. The list, shown as bullet points below, has prompted much discussion, debate and speculation among believers.

• Pour out His Spirit on all people.
• Sons and daughters will prophesy.
• Young men will see visions.
• Old men will dream dreams.
• God will show wonders in Heaven above.
• God will show signs on earth below.
• There will be blood and fire. 
• There will be billows of smoke.
• The sun will be turned to darkness.
• The moon will be tuned to blood.
• Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.

This list is a lot to think about. When Peter finished quoting the passage containing the list, people were cut to the heart and asked, “what shall we do?” He gave them an answer.

“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (Acts 3:37-39 ESV)

“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:1-5 NIV)

Seven Benefits listed in the above passage to remember and praise God for

1. He forgives all your sins (v3)

2. He heals all your diseases (v3)

3. He redeems your life from the pit (v4)

4. He crowns you with love (v4)

5. He crowns you with compassion (v4)

6. He  satisfies your desires with good things (v5)

7. He renews your youth like the eagle’s (v5)

Therefore

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.” (Psalm 68:19 KJV)

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7 ESV)

God searches the heart

“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (Jer. 17:10 ESV)

The pure in heart shall see God

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matt. 5:8 ESV)

God can create a new and heart within you

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10 ESV)

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ez. 26:36 ESV)

Keep your heart with all vigilance

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Prov. 4:23 ESV)

Use the Word of God to discern the hearts thoughts and intentions

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12 ESV)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Prov. 3:5-6 ESV)

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” (2 Cor. 1:3-4 NIV)

We can comfort others with God’s comfort

The above passage tells us that “we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”in other words, God not only comforts us when we need comfort, He gives us extra comfort to comfort others with.

Comfort: The easing or alleviation of a person's feelings of grief or distress. Solace, condolence, sympathy, commiseration; support, reassurance, cheer.

God’s rod and staff comforts

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4 NIV)

Comfort, comfort!

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.” (Isa. 40:1-2 ESV)

 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8 NIV)

Love never fails

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (1 Cor. 13:4-8 NIV)

Love covers all transgressions

“Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all transgressions.” (Prov. 10:12 NASB)

Foster love

“Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.” (Prov. 17:9 NIV)

Clothe yourself with love

“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” (Col. 3:14 NLT)