Week 15
8/12/2018
Ecclesiastes 9:1-10
Teacher: Lloyd Shadrach
One Fate For All
Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 “For I have taken all this to heart and explain it that righteous men, wise men and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether it will be love or hatred, anything awaits him.
It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked: for the good, for the clean and for the unclean: for the men who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the Good man is, so is the sinner, as the swearer is so is the one who is afraid to swear.
This is an evil that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.
For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion.
For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, not have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.
Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun
Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart: for god has already approved your works.
Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking in your head.
Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for their is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.”
NOT HOW DO WE CURE DEATH...How do we live in light of the reality of death.
One Hand v1
GODS IN CONTROL
The hand of God (he protects, provides and keeps us secure) God is sovereign. God is sovereign...Man doesn’t know if he gets Gods favor or wrath
One Fate vs2-6
DEATH IS INEVITABLE
The same for all. Fate-the inevitability of future events...death is inevitable.
We reason “good people get ___, evil people get ___” Solomon tells us we all get the same thing. Solomon says this is evil
vs 4-6 hope (4) not eternal hope...hope in life. Only 3x used.
Lion most noble of animals...in this culture, dog is detestable animal...for us live buzzard better than dead eagle. Beyond the grave (heaven) was not clear for Solomon.
One Life vs7-10
7 carpe diem passage.
Sheol, the place of death...not hell as we understand it. (Progressive revelation) place of nothing, a wasteland.
Enjoy life right now, enjoy the gifts God has given...
In ch 8 he commends you to enjoy life...in 9:7, he commands it!
v7 not justification or salvation ... LIFE IS GIFT NOT GAIN.
1-realize every meal is more than a meal. “Nouwen quote”
2-when it’s time to celebrate don’t hold back.
3-(9) if married, see your spouse anew every day. Familiarity breeds contempt...see them new. See your spouse anew
4-(10) whistle while you work. Work is a gift...not part of the curse
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Ecclesiastes Part 14
8/5/18 Bad Things Happen...To Good People
Ecclesiastes 8:10-18
Teacher: Rob Sweet
Ecclesiastes 8:10-18 CSB "In such circumstances, I saw the wicked buried. They came and went from the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they did those things. This too is futile. Because the sentence against an evil act is not carried out quickly, the heart of people is filled with the desire to commit evil. Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, I also know that it will go well with God-fearing people, for they are reverent before him. However, it will not go well with the wicked, and they will not lengthen their days like a shadow, for they are not reverent before God. There is a futility that is done on the earth: there are righteous people who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked people who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that his too is futile. So I commend the enjoyment because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat, drink, and enjoy himself, for this will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun. When I applied by mind to know wisdom and to observe the activity that is done on the earth (even though one's eyes do not close in sleep day or night), I observe all the work of God and conclude that a person is unable to discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though a person labors hard to explore it, he cannot find it; even if a wise person claims to know it, he is unable to discover it. "
Key verse 8:14
Theme: life just isn’t FAIR
Where does our instinct for fairness come from? We are made in the image of God...He is JUST. We were made to extend the glory and righteous rule of God.
In the fall our image became deformed...greed
We have to wrestle with the truth...NO life isn’t fair.
V11 because the sentence against an evil deed (consequence) is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the son of men among them are given fully to do evil.
*if we think we won’t get caught and it’s to our advantage we will...without the hilt spirit.
Solomon is posing ?? “Why doesn’t God shut down the evil in the world by punishing the evil doers?”
Answer: v12-13
You can’t count on justice in the world under the sun. Justice will win out and make things right...but ONLY to if there is something after death. He doesn’t know what’s after life (based on progressive revelation of God)
Solomon can’t see past death...but he thinks something must be on the other side “I know...it will be well, it will not be well”
Reckoning and restoration
Well-Hebrew “Tove” good, pleasant, orderly, right...gen 1 god saw that it was Tove. One day everything will be Tove...like pre-fall...restoration.
The reckoning and restoration of God all come together in the person of Jesus.
Cross was reckoning...resurrection was restoration. More unfair and unjust than anything we think is unfair. I (and all who believe) am the beneficiary of that unfairness
V16 “when I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the task which has been done on the earth (even though one should never sleep day or night).
V17 and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which had been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously he will not discover: and though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover.
why does god allow all of this? We cannot know!!!
How? How should we live in an environment where things are not how they should be.
Present: v15 at 1st glance...numb the pain. Truth-open your eyes to the gifts God has placed in your hands and enjoy them. Life has bitter and sweet...focus on sweet.Find joy in your gifts. Life is gift, not gain. An undeserved (therefore unfair) gift.
God not only do understands injustice...he bore it on his back and walked in it....for me.
When Christ returns...final reckoning and restoration. Evil one banished...broken creation made new, justice will be all there is.
If life is not fair...how do we live?
THE FEAR OF GOD:
A wholesome dress of displeasing God
A holy awe of God as he is revealed in scripture
A holy awareness that to hear God is to obey God
A Hope-filled faith in Jesus who died and rose, to make all things new.
(We cannot fear God apart from Christ)
Jesus:unfair but beautiful.
Ecclesiastes 8:10-18
Teacher: Rob Sweet
Ecclesiastes 8:10-18 CSB "In such circumstances, I saw the wicked buried. They came and went from the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they did those things. This too is futile. Because the sentence against an evil act is not carried out quickly, the heart of people is filled with the desire to commit evil. Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, I also know that it will go well with God-fearing people, for they are reverent before him. However, it will not go well with the wicked, and they will not lengthen their days like a shadow, for they are not reverent before God. There is a futility that is done on the earth: there are righteous people who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked people who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that his too is futile. So I commend the enjoyment because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat, drink, and enjoy himself, for this will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun. When I applied by mind to know wisdom and to observe the activity that is done on the earth (even though one's eyes do not close in sleep day or night), I observe all the work of God and conclude that a person is unable to discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though a person labors hard to explore it, he cannot find it; even if a wise person claims to know it, he is unable to discover it. "
Key verse 8:14
Theme: life just isn’t FAIR
Where does our instinct for fairness come from? We are made in the image of God...He is JUST. We were made to extend the glory and righteous rule of God.
In the fall our image became deformed...greed
We have to wrestle with the truth...NO life isn’t fair.
V11 because the sentence against an evil deed (consequence) is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the son of men among them are given fully to do evil.
*if we think we won’t get caught and it’s to our advantage we will...without the hilt spirit.
Solomon is posing ?? “Why doesn’t God shut down the evil in the world by punishing the evil doers?”
Answer: v12-13
You can’t count on justice in the world under the sun. Justice will win out and make things right...but ONLY to if there is something after death. He doesn’t know what’s after life (based on progressive revelation of God)
Solomon can’t see past death...but he thinks something must be on the other side “I know...it will be well, it will not be well”
Reckoning and restoration
Well-Hebrew “Tove” good, pleasant, orderly, right...gen 1 god saw that it was Tove. One day everything will be Tove...like pre-fall...restoration.
The reckoning and restoration of God all come together in the person of Jesus.
Cross was reckoning...resurrection was restoration. More unfair and unjust than anything we think is unfair. I (and all who believe) am the beneficiary of that unfairness
V16 “when I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the task which has been done on the earth (even though one should never sleep day or night).
V17 and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which had been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously he will not discover: and though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover.
why does god allow all of this? We cannot know!!!
How? How should we live in an environment where things are not how they should be.
Present: v15 at 1st glance...numb the pain. Truth-open your eyes to the gifts God has placed in your hands and enjoy them. Life has bitter and sweet...focus on sweet.Find joy in your gifts. Life is gift, not gain. An undeserved (therefore unfair) gift.
God not only do understands injustice...he bore it on his back and walked in it....for me.
When Christ returns...final reckoning and restoration. Evil one banished...broken creation made new, justice will be all there is.
If life is not fair...how do we live?
THE FEAR OF GOD:
A wholesome dress of displeasing God
A holy awe of God as he is revealed in scripture
A holy awareness that to hear God is to obey God
A Hope-filled faith in Jesus who died and rose, to make all things new.
(We cannot fear God apart from Christ)
Jesus:unfair but beautiful.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Ecclesiastes Part 13
Ecclesiastes 8:1-9
Teacher: Bill Wellons
Ecclesiastes 8:1-9 CSB "Who is like the wise person, and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A person's wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed. Keep the king's command because of your oath made before God. Do not be in a hurry; leave his presence, and don't persist in a bad cause, since he will do whatever he wants. For the king's word is authoritative, and who can say to him, 'What are you doing?' The one who keeps a command will not experience anything harmful, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure. For every activity there is a right time and procedure, even though a person's troubles are heavy on him. Yet no one knows what will happen because who can tell him what will happen? No one has authority over the wind to restrain it, and there is no authority over the day of death; no one is discharged during battle, and wickedness will not allow those who practice it to escape. All this I have seen, applying my mind to all the work that is done under the sun, at a time when one person has authority over another to his harm."
There are 2 kingdoms. The temporal kingdom and the eternal kingdom. 1. What is true about these kingdoms? 2. How do you live wisely in the kingdom?
TEMPORAL: The king's authority is absolute. In addition to absolute authority and because we live "under the sun" in a fallen world, His character is deeply flawed. This is a perfect example that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
While his authority is absolute, it is important to know that the temporal kingdom's king has an authority that is limited by death. His character is flawed and his rule is harsh.
The King's of Israel were appointed by God, but even with this appointment, the person of Jesus is the only 'man' to lead a perfect life. Because they are appointed by God, even though flawed, Solomon says it is wise to submit to the King's authority.
There is a time and a place for everything, a time to talk and a time to be silent. A wise person listens more than he speaks...submission to the king is not blind passivity.
The wise in the land know something is missing. They realize they live in a fallen world under a sinful, human king. They are dissatisfied, but they know more is to come...So they patiently wait. The wise also know what is coming. They know the current kingdom is temporal and the end is coming.
LIKE SOLOMON'S TIME. We all live under an authority, and it is flawed as well.
WE MUST
ETERNAL: The King's authority is absolute, it is not limited by death and extends to the heavens and beyond. The King's authority knows no bounds or limits.
The kingdom of God is already, and not yet. It already rules (or should) in our hearts, but it is not fully consummated on this earth, and won't be until Christ's return.
The character of God is perfect. Jesus was tempted in every way, yet lived without sin. In the temporal world, the ruler is flawed, in our eternal world God's character is perfect in every possible way. He is a loving and just God, therefore he is a loving and just ruler.
The wise trust God's perfect character, nothing is missing and there is complete satisfaction. The wise know what is coming, not death...but eternal life. We will be raised with Christ. Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God. The wise in the kingdom pursue a person named wisdom...Jesus Christ.
We must reflect on what aspects of our life need to be submitted to the eternal kingdom, and move them out of the temporal kingdom. What is there to worry less about today, and simply long more for His kingdom that is coming?
Teacher: Bill Wellons
Ecclesiastes 8:1-9 CSB "Who is like the wise person, and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A person's wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed. Keep the king's command because of your oath made before God. Do not be in a hurry; leave his presence, and don't persist in a bad cause, since he will do whatever he wants. For the king's word is authoritative, and who can say to him, 'What are you doing?' The one who keeps a command will not experience anything harmful, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure. For every activity there is a right time and procedure, even though a person's troubles are heavy on him. Yet no one knows what will happen because who can tell him what will happen? No one has authority over the wind to restrain it, and there is no authority over the day of death; no one is discharged during battle, and wickedness will not allow those who practice it to escape. All this I have seen, applying my mind to all the work that is done under the sun, at a time when one person has authority over another to his harm."
There are 2 kingdoms. The temporal kingdom and the eternal kingdom. 1. What is true about these kingdoms? 2. How do you live wisely in the kingdom?
TEMPORAL: The king's authority is absolute. In addition to absolute authority and because we live "under the sun" in a fallen world, His character is deeply flawed. This is a perfect example that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
While his authority is absolute, it is important to know that the temporal kingdom's king has an authority that is limited by death. His character is flawed and his rule is harsh.
The King's of Israel were appointed by God, but even with this appointment, the person of Jesus is the only 'man' to lead a perfect life. Because they are appointed by God, even though flawed, Solomon says it is wise to submit to the King's authority.
There is a time and a place for everything, a time to talk and a time to be silent. A wise person listens more than he speaks...submission to the king is not blind passivity.
The wise in the land know something is missing. They realize they live in a fallen world under a sinful, human king. They are dissatisfied, but they know more is to come...So they patiently wait. The wise also know what is coming. They know the current kingdom is temporal and the end is coming.
LIKE SOLOMON'S TIME. We all live under an authority, and it is flawed as well.
WE MUST
- Submit to authority (Pray for our leaders)
- Remain patient
- Know what's coming. The current leadership group will end, the world will end, a new kingdom is coming.
ETERNAL: The King's authority is absolute, it is not limited by death and extends to the heavens and beyond. The King's authority knows no bounds or limits.
The kingdom of God is already, and not yet. It already rules (or should) in our hearts, but it is not fully consummated on this earth, and won't be until Christ's return.
The character of God is perfect. Jesus was tempted in every way, yet lived without sin. In the temporal world, the ruler is flawed, in our eternal world God's character is perfect in every possible way. He is a loving and just God, therefore he is a loving and just ruler.
The wise trust God's perfect character, nothing is missing and there is complete satisfaction. The wise know what is coming, not death...but eternal life. We will be raised with Christ. Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God. The wise in the kingdom pursue a person named wisdom...Jesus Christ.
We must reflect on what aspects of our life need to be submitted to the eternal kingdom, and move them out of the temporal kingdom. What is there to worry less about today, and simply long more for His kingdom that is coming?
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Ecclesiastes Part 12
Ecclesiastes 7:15-29
Limitations of Life
Teacher: Lloyd Shadrach
Ecclesiastes 7:15-29 CSB "In my futile life I have seen everything: someone righteous perishes in spite of his righteousness, and someone wicked lives long in spite of his evil. Don't be excessively righteous, and don't be overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Don't be excessively wicked, and don't be foolish. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you grasp the one nad do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them. Wisdom makes the wise person stronger than ten rulers of a city. There is certainly no one righteous on the earth who does good and never sins. Don't pay attention to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you, for in your heart you know that many times you yourself have cursed others. I have tested all this wisdom. I resolved, 'I will be wise,' but it was beyond me. What exists is beyond reach and very deep. Who can discover it? I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and examine wisdom and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness. And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a trap: her heart a net and her hands chains. The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her. 'Look,' says the teacher, 'I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation, which my soul continually searches for but does not find: I found one person in a thousand, but none of those was a woman. Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes.'"
v. 15 asserts that the righteous die young, and the wicked live long lives. This is not a declaration of a complete truth. Rather it is a generalization Solomon is noticing. We can probably all thing of 'good' people who have died young. Many come to my mind, even children, whose lives seemed to be good and kind, perished at a young age...However we can all think of men and women who do not deserve life, as though any of us really deserve life, yet live it freely and healthily. None of us our rewarded or punished based on our works.
Going back to verse 14: Ecclesiastes 7:14 "In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that no one can discover anything that will come after him." Solomon wants us to face reality, God is behind all things...ALL includes good people dying, evil people living....and even what is on my heart right now, a sweet friend, on of the most Godly women I know, who just delivered a son with a congenital heart defect. He awaits surgery and she stays beside Him, praising the Lord all the while. God does not give us life, ease, etc. based on our works. Solomon's statement is also a warning that self righteousness is no guarantee of blessings in this life.
Everything we do in this life is about our motive. Wisdom is good, but should not be sought for profit. Everything we do must be compatible with the fear of God.
In V 19-22 Solomon asserts that wisdom is powerful, and sin is universal. This is paralleled in the New Testament when it says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." - Romans 3
We all sin. The more award of our sin we become, the least likely we are to seek revenge when we have been wronged.
In V26 Solomon personifies wisdom and foolishness as a woman. Not too much can be read from this passage as you can see that Wisdom is a woman in Proverbs 1:20 and Foolishness is a woman in Proverbs 2:18-19 and 7:13
V27-29 Only a small fraction of people live in wisdom Solomon only found a miniscule amount of people living well. V29 tells us that God created humanity upright and righteous BUT...man and woman sought out many devices, the first being the tree in the Garden.
Solomon says he can't figure out the ways of God with man. We can't always answer "Why did God____?" Sometimes we can just know He did.
We must trust God in our misunderstanding.
We CAN and should trust the actions of God because we know the character of God.
Limitations of Life
Teacher: Lloyd Shadrach
Ecclesiastes 7:15-29 CSB "In my futile life I have seen everything: someone righteous perishes in spite of his righteousness, and someone wicked lives long in spite of his evil. Don't be excessively righteous, and don't be overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Don't be excessively wicked, and don't be foolish. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you grasp the one nad do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them. Wisdom makes the wise person stronger than ten rulers of a city. There is certainly no one righteous on the earth who does good and never sins. Don't pay attention to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you, for in your heart you know that many times you yourself have cursed others. I have tested all this wisdom. I resolved, 'I will be wise,' but it was beyond me. What exists is beyond reach and very deep. Who can discover it? I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and examine wisdom and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness. And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a trap: her heart a net and her hands chains. The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her. 'Look,' says the teacher, 'I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation, which my soul continually searches for but does not find: I found one person in a thousand, but none of those was a woman. Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes.'"
v. 15 asserts that the righteous die young, and the wicked live long lives. This is not a declaration of a complete truth. Rather it is a generalization Solomon is noticing. We can probably all thing of 'good' people who have died young. Many come to my mind, even children, whose lives seemed to be good and kind, perished at a young age...However we can all think of men and women who do not deserve life, as though any of us really deserve life, yet live it freely and healthily. None of us our rewarded or punished based on our works.
Going back to verse 14: Ecclesiastes 7:14 "In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that no one can discover anything that will come after him." Solomon wants us to face reality, God is behind all things...ALL includes good people dying, evil people living....and even what is on my heart right now, a sweet friend, on of the most Godly women I know, who just delivered a son with a congenital heart defect. He awaits surgery and she stays beside Him, praising the Lord all the while. God does not give us life, ease, etc. based on our works. Solomon's statement is also a warning that self righteousness is no guarantee of blessings in this life.
Everything we do in this life is about our motive. Wisdom is good, but should not be sought for profit. Everything we do must be compatible with the fear of God.
In V 19-22 Solomon asserts that wisdom is powerful, and sin is universal. This is paralleled in the New Testament when it says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." - Romans 3
We all sin. The more award of our sin we become, the least likely we are to seek revenge when we have been wronged.
In V26 Solomon personifies wisdom and foolishness as a woman. Not too much can be read from this passage as you can see that Wisdom is a woman in Proverbs 1:20 and Foolishness is a woman in Proverbs 2:18-19 and 7:13
V27-29 Only a small fraction of people live in wisdom Solomon only found a miniscule amount of people living well. V29 tells us that God created humanity upright and righteous BUT...man and woman sought out many devices, the first being the tree in the Garden.
Solomon says he can't figure out the ways of God with man. We can't always answer "Why did God____?" Sometimes we can just know He did.
We must trust God in our misunderstanding.
We CAN and should trust the actions of God because we know the character of God.
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Ecclesiastes Part 11
Ecclesiastes 7:1-14
Teacher: Rob Sweet
Upside Down Wisdom
Ecclesiastes 7:1-14: "A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to a house of mouring than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart. Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad. The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure. It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person than of listen to the song of fools, for like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile. Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the mind. The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit. Don't let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools. Don't say, 'Why were the former days better than these?' since it is not wise of you to ask this. Wisdom is as good as an inheritance and an advantage of knowledge is that preserves the life of its owner. Consider the work of God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that no one can discover anything that will come after him."
We live in an upside down world. EVERYTHING IS DYING as opposed to EVERYTHING COMING TO LIFE.
v1 talks about a name. In Hebrew a name is more than just a label...It is a representation of one's character and reputation...An ointment at the time was an expensive luxury item. Solomon is telling us that character and reputation is worth much more than wealth...even great wealth.
Solomon also mentions that death is better than birth. In Hebrew, "better" is not necessarily more enjoyable, rather more valuable of significant.
v2 points out that we should live with the end in mind. In my old life, teaching, we always planned based on what we wanted our students to know in the end...Planning with the end in mind. Likewise, when we live life, we must anticipate the end; as Christians the end is an eternity with our savior reveling in the magnificence of His glory, righteousness and majesty. Tombstones always contain the year of birth - year of death. The important question in life is NOT the day we are born or the day we die, rather, how we spend our hyphen.
v3 "return mankind to the dust" Our wounds never heal by faking happy. We must be real and feel. We should not miss the hard stuff, but live them to the fullest extent. There is healing in facing our own wounds.
v4 mind is also the word used for heart. True life cannot be found from distracting ourselves from what is true about life. Movies, games, mindless activity certainly has a place, but it should NOT distract us from actually living our life.
The wisdom of the world will not save our souls, this is why we must make counterintuitive choices. Conventional wisdom does not work.
True life is found in places we do NOT expect.
v7 extortion and bribery makes one foolish. Power and greed must be kept in check, or we become foolish.
v9 It is wise to be patient. Often we feel pressure and our rushed into making decisions. The wise person is patient and makes choices when necessary, not when under pressure.
v10 Nostalgia is a powerful emotion. Solomon reminds us, that there is nothing new under the sun...We should not desire the past, but should live for the day we have been given. Every day is a gift from God.
v.12 Solomon speaks of money and wisdom...Both are good however money does not preserve life, knowledge and wisdom does. Both are good, only one saves.
v 14 good and bad things happen in life...we cannot control or predict this...God stands in control over it all...
I'm constantly amazed that the God of the universe, who controls it all, as indicated in v14, pursues me and draws me to Him. He wants a relationship with me and pursues it.
We are all in s sailboat, not a motor boat, to coast through life. We are riding the winds of God, not pushing through with a motor of our own making. We should praise God for the good winds, and trust him in the storm. The Lord brings them both, according to His purposes.
v13 Solomon has left no stone unturned and he has discovered that everything is broken. How do your explain brokenness of creation apart from God's authority. Only 1 person can straighten out the brokenness. Solomon cannot answer the question of who can straighten it, but his question is an arrow that points us to the New Testament. Christ tells us He is coming to make all things new.
God said creation must be broken and fallen, because we/Adam chose sin. Only Jesus Christ can make things new.
Looking ahead we see that Solomon is not the only person with upside down wisdom. Jesus also taught us through upside down wisdom. The Sermon on the Mount, specifically the beatitudes are also upside down.
While Solomon could not see the future, Jesus could. Jesus picks up where Solomon left off, AND He sees beyond death.
All of the upside down wisdom expires when Jesus returns and makes straight all things broken
We should all live as citizens of a new world (heaven) while living in a broken world. We need to anticipate life after death, with the hope of faith.
Teacher: Rob Sweet
Upside Down Wisdom
Ecclesiastes 7:1-14: "A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to a house of mouring than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart. Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad. The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure. It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person than of listen to the song of fools, for like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile. Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the mind. The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit. Don't let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools. Don't say, 'Why were the former days better than these?' since it is not wise of you to ask this. Wisdom is as good as an inheritance and an advantage of knowledge is that preserves the life of its owner. Consider the work of God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that no one can discover anything that will come after him."
We live in an upside down world. EVERYTHING IS DYING as opposed to EVERYTHING COMING TO LIFE.
v1 talks about a name. In Hebrew a name is more than just a label...It is a representation of one's character and reputation...An ointment at the time was an expensive luxury item. Solomon is telling us that character and reputation is worth much more than wealth...even great wealth.
Solomon also mentions that death is better than birth. In Hebrew, "better" is not necessarily more enjoyable, rather more valuable of significant.
v2 points out that we should live with the end in mind. In my old life, teaching, we always planned based on what we wanted our students to know in the end...Planning with the end in mind. Likewise, when we live life, we must anticipate the end; as Christians the end is an eternity with our savior reveling in the magnificence of His glory, righteousness and majesty. Tombstones always contain the year of birth - year of death. The important question in life is NOT the day we are born or the day we die, rather, how we spend our hyphen.
v3 "return mankind to the dust" Our wounds never heal by faking happy. We must be real and feel. We should not miss the hard stuff, but live them to the fullest extent. There is healing in facing our own wounds.
v4 mind is also the word used for heart. True life cannot be found from distracting ourselves from what is true about life. Movies, games, mindless activity certainly has a place, but it should NOT distract us from actually living our life.
The wisdom of the world will not save our souls, this is why we must make counterintuitive choices. Conventional wisdom does not work.
True life is found in places we do NOT expect.
v7 extortion and bribery makes one foolish. Power and greed must be kept in check, or we become foolish.
v9 It is wise to be patient. Often we feel pressure and our rushed into making decisions. The wise person is patient and makes choices when necessary, not when under pressure.
v10 Nostalgia is a powerful emotion. Solomon reminds us, that there is nothing new under the sun...We should not desire the past, but should live for the day we have been given. Every day is a gift from God.
v.12 Solomon speaks of money and wisdom...Both are good however money does not preserve life, knowledge and wisdom does. Both are good, only one saves.
v 14 good and bad things happen in life...we cannot control or predict this...God stands in control over it all...
I'm constantly amazed that the God of the universe, who controls it all, as indicated in v14, pursues me and draws me to Him. He wants a relationship with me and pursues it.
We are all in s sailboat, not a motor boat, to coast through life. We are riding the winds of God, not pushing through with a motor of our own making. We should praise God for the good winds, and trust him in the storm. The Lord brings them both, according to His purposes.
v13 Solomon has left no stone unturned and he has discovered that everything is broken. How do your explain brokenness of creation apart from God's authority. Only 1 person can straighten out the brokenness. Solomon cannot answer the question of who can straighten it, but his question is an arrow that points us to the New Testament. Christ tells us He is coming to make all things new.
God said creation must be broken and fallen, because we/Adam chose sin. Only Jesus Christ can make things new.
Looking ahead we see that Solomon is not the only person with upside down wisdom. Jesus also taught us through upside down wisdom. The Sermon on the Mount, specifically the beatitudes are also upside down.
While Solomon could not see the future, Jesus could. Jesus picks up where Solomon left off, AND He sees beyond death.
All of the upside down wisdom expires when Jesus returns and makes straight all things broken
We should all live as citizens of a new world (heaven) while living in a broken world. We need to anticipate life after death, with the hope of faith.
Sunday, July 1, 2018
Ecclesiastes Part 9
7/1/2018
Ecclesiastes 5:8-20 The Curse of More
Teaching Pastor: Rob Sweet
Accumulating more is not always a good thing.
There are two "Seas" in Israel: The Dead Sea and The Sea of Galilee
The Jordan River feeds both Seas, but the Seas could not be more different. The Dead Sea does not sustain life, and The Sea of Galilee is a lushes green full of the vibrant colors of life.
Why the difference? The Dead Sea accumulates, The Sea of Galilee gives.
The Dead Sea has no outlet, so as the water evaporates the salt builds up and has created a space where life is not sustained. The Dead Sea has gained "more and more" salt, not giving, creating an environment of death.
The same river, The Jordan feeds The Sea of Galilee, however The Sea of Galilee has an outlet, it gives of itself so that there is no accumulation.
Like the seas in Israel, Giving your life over to accumulation will not give life. There is not life in "more."
THE CURSE OF MORE v. 8-12
vs. 8-9 "If you see oppression of the poor and perversion of justice and righteousness in the province, don't be astonished at the situation, because on official protects another official, and higher officials protect them. The profit from the land is taken by all; the king is served by the field."
Society has a tendency to develop tiers based on what we have. We should not be surprised when those on a higher tier take advantage of us, this is true of life in a fallen world. In vs.9 the NIV translates that the king profits from the field. We all step on those below us on our way to the top. As Christians, God has called us to help those with less. Much like he did with us. He came to serve, not to be served.
PROBLEMS WITH MORE:
You never achieve enough...The more is never satisfied, the love of more creates a desire that cannot be met.
2. MORE COLLECTION CREATES MORE CONSUMPTION
vs. 11 "When good things increase, the ones who consume them multiply; what, then, is the profit to the owner, except to gaze at them with his eyes?"
The more we have it seems the more we need.
3.THE MORE YOU HAVE THE LESS YOU REST
vs. 12 "The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits him no sleep."
Right now in the US as the standard of living has increased, our sleep has decreased. The CDC reports that sleep issues are on the rise.
When you go after "more" you never get what you want.
vs. 13-17 tell us of the tragedy of a wasted life. In this story of a man who gives his life to accumulating riches, we learn that in the end, regardless of what we have collected, we die and lose it all.
THE SOLUTION TO MORE
vs. 18-20 "Here is what I have seen to be good: It is appropriate to eat, drink and experience good in all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of his life God has given him, because that is his reward. Furthermore, everyone to whom God has given riches and wealth, he has also allowed him to enjoy them, take his reward, and rejoice in his labor. This is a gift of God, for he does not often consider the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart."
The solution is to eat drink and be merry. We are to receive the life we have as a gift from God. The 1st solution is that life is gift, not gain. We are to open our eyes and see gifts from God and enjoy them. We must stop looking at what has not been given to us, and be thankful and enjoy the abundant gifts in our life. Even if that is only the gift of salvation. The second solution "more" is to give not grasp at our blessings. Even Jesus, our example, came to serve, not to be served.
We are to be conduits, not containers.
The blessings of God are given to flow through us to bless others. Not to be hoarded.
Ecclesiastes 5:8-20 The Curse of More
Teaching Pastor: Rob Sweet
Accumulating more is not always a good thing.
There are two "Seas" in Israel: The Dead Sea and The Sea of Galilee
The Jordan River feeds both Seas, but the Seas could not be more different. The Dead Sea does not sustain life, and The Sea of Galilee is a lushes green full of the vibrant colors of life.
Why the difference? The Dead Sea accumulates, The Sea of Galilee gives.
The Dead Sea has no outlet, so as the water evaporates the salt builds up and has created a space where life is not sustained. The Dead Sea has gained "more and more" salt, not giving, creating an environment of death.
The same river, The Jordan feeds The Sea of Galilee, however The Sea of Galilee has an outlet, it gives of itself so that there is no accumulation.
Like the seas in Israel, Giving your life over to accumulation will not give life. There is not life in "more."
THE CURSE OF MORE v. 8-12
vs. 8-9 "If you see oppression of the poor and perversion of justice and righteousness in the province, don't be astonished at the situation, because on official protects another official, and higher officials protect them. The profit from the land is taken by all; the king is served by the field."
Society has a tendency to develop tiers based on what we have. We should not be surprised when those on a higher tier take advantage of us, this is true of life in a fallen world. In vs.9 the NIV translates that the king profits from the field. We all step on those below us on our way to the top. As Christians, God has called us to help those with less. Much like he did with us. He came to serve, not to be served.
PROBLEMS WITH MORE:
- MORE IS NEVER SATISFIED
You never achieve enough...The more is never satisfied, the love of more creates a desire that cannot be met.
2. MORE COLLECTION CREATES MORE CONSUMPTION
vs. 11 "When good things increase, the ones who consume them multiply; what, then, is the profit to the owner, except to gaze at them with his eyes?"
The more we have it seems the more we need.
3.THE MORE YOU HAVE THE LESS YOU REST
vs. 12 "The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits him no sleep."
Right now in the US as the standard of living has increased, our sleep has decreased. The CDC reports that sleep issues are on the rise.
When you go after "more" you never get what you want.
vs. 13-17 tell us of the tragedy of a wasted life. In this story of a man who gives his life to accumulating riches, we learn that in the end, regardless of what we have collected, we die and lose it all.
THE SOLUTION TO MORE
vs. 18-20 "Here is what I have seen to be good: It is appropriate to eat, drink and experience good in all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of his life God has given him, because that is his reward. Furthermore, everyone to whom God has given riches and wealth, he has also allowed him to enjoy them, take his reward, and rejoice in his labor. This is a gift of God, for he does not often consider the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart."
The solution is to eat drink and be merry. We are to receive the life we have as a gift from God. The 1st solution is that life is gift, not gain. We are to open our eyes and see gifts from God and enjoy them. We must stop looking at what has not been given to us, and be thankful and enjoy the abundant gifts in our life. Even if that is only the gift of salvation. The second solution "more" is to give not grasp at our blessings. Even Jesus, our example, came to serve, not to be served.
We are to be conduits, not containers.
The blessings of God are given to flow through us to bless others. Not to be hoarded.
Ecclesiastes Part 8
This message was spoken on June 24, 2018.
Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 Watch Your Words
Teaching Pastor: Lloyd Shadrach
How do we live and enjoy life with or without God on a fallen planet. For all to be good we need to live in the absence of judgment, the absence of oppression and the absence of death).
We cannot separate life with God from life with each other.
We are all called to walk this life in community. We are all ONE body in Christ. Everyone is essential and serves a purpose.
Listening is the key to living life on this planet.
vs. 1"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Better to approach in obedience than to offer the sacrifice as fools do, for they ignorantly do wrong."
In speaking of the House of God, Solomon is referring tot he church. In his time, perhaps the temple, but regardless, the House of God. Guard your step is a caution. He is caution us to come to listen to God. The word for listen is Shamah. our priority in coming to church should be to Shamah or listen to God. All to often I can find a million other reasons to go to church. While none of my reasons are bad, Solomon cautions that I should go to listen to God.
Interestingly enough, the word Shamah translates to listen, but also to obey. In Hebrew culture, listening implied obedience.
Solomon cautions because once heard, the word of the Lord must be obeyed. There is NO separate Hebrew word for obey. Listening and Obeying are one and the same in the original text.
To listen and NOT obey is evil. The two cannot be separated.
"Sacrifice of fools" - When Solomon refers to offering the sacrifice of fools, he is referencing careless observance of religion. "Acting Christian." As someone who grew up in the deep south, this is very prevalent. It is socially acceptable and often socially demanded that we look the part of a Christian. Solomon is calling us to be Christian in our hearts and souls...Not just for the appearance of men.
vs. 2-3 "Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be impulsive to make a speech before God.. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. Just as dreams accompany much labor, so a fool's voice comes with many words."
We should let our words be few because God is God and we are not. We are to freely come before the God of all, but we need to come with deep reverence and awe of what he has done and will do. But honestly, just because of what he has done...That is enough, even if it is al he does do.
vs. 4-6 "When you make a vow to God, don't delay fulfilling it, because he does not delight in fools. Fulfill what you vow. Better that you do not vow than that you vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth bring guilt on you, and do not say in the presence of the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands?"
Vows: We must keep our vows. If we make them, they are to be kept, regardless of the cost. Hannah, Samuel's mother, kept her vow despite it costing her dearly. God takes our promises as seriously as He takes His own. He's never made a promise he hasn't kept.
To hear God is to Obey God
3 PRINCIPLES
1. To listen is to obey
2. To listen is to say less
3. To listen is to keep my promises
Therefore to obey is to keep promises
My prayer is to let my words be few, so that every word has a purpose and matters.
Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 Watch Your Words
Teaching Pastor: Lloyd Shadrach
How do we live and enjoy life with or without God on a fallen planet. For all to be good we need to live in the absence of judgment, the absence of oppression and the absence of death).
We cannot separate life with God from life with each other.
We are all called to walk this life in community. We are all ONE body in Christ. Everyone is essential and serves a purpose.
Listening is the key to living life on this planet.
vs. 1"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Better to approach in obedience than to offer the sacrifice as fools do, for they ignorantly do wrong."
In speaking of the House of God, Solomon is referring tot he church. In his time, perhaps the temple, but regardless, the House of God. Guard your step is a caution. He is caution us to come to listen to God. The word for listen is Shamah. our priority in coming to church should be to Shamah or listen to God. All to often I can find a million other reasons to go to church. While none of my reasons are bad, Solomon cautions that I should go to listen to God.
Interestingly enough, the word Shamah translates to listen, but also to obey. In Hebrew culture, listening implied obedience.
Solomon cautions because once heard, the word of the Lord must be obeyed. There is NO separate Hebrew word for obey. Listening and Obeying are one and the same in the original text.
To listen and NOT obey is evil. The two cannot be separated.
"Sacrifice of fools" - When Solomon refers to offering the sacrifice of fools, he is referencing careless observance of religion. "Acting Christian." As someone who grew up in the deep south, this is very prevalent. It is socially acceptable and often socially demanded that we look the part of a Christian. Solomon is calling us to be Christian in our hearts and souls...Not just for the appearance of men.
vs. 2-3 "Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be impulsive to make a speech before God.. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. Just as dreams accompany much labor, so a fool's voice comes with many words."
We should let our words be few because God is God and we are not. We are to freely come before the God of all, but we need to come with deep reverence and awe of what he has done and will do. But honestly, just because of what he has done...That is enough, even if it is al he does do.
vs. 4-6 "When you make a vow to God, don't delay fulfilling it, because he does not delight in fools. Fulfill what you vow. Better that you do not vow than that you vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth bring guilt on you, and do not say in the presence of the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands?"
Vows: We must keep our vows. If we make them, they are to be kept, regardless of the cost. Hannah, Samuel's mother, kept her vow despite it costing her dearly. God takes our promises as seriously as He takes His own. He's never made a promise he hasn't kept.
To hear God is to Obey God
3 PRINCIPLES
1. To listen is to obey
2. To listen is to say less
3. To listen is to keep my promises
Therefore to obey is to keep promises
My prayer is to let my words be few, so that every word has a purpose and matters.
Monday, June 18, 2018
Ecclesiastes Part 7
Ecclesiastes 4:1-16 Life TogetherI
Teaching Pastor: Rob Sweet
*Part 6 is coming* We were out of town visiting family last weekend/traveling on Sunday. While I have listed to the 6th message on Ecclesiastes, I listened to it while running, so very little retention happened. I have every intention to get still, during naptime, to listen and take notes in a meaningful way, SO...Part 6 is coming.
This week:
Studies have been done, from 1975-2000 that show we as a society have lost community. This is a huge loss of our capital as a society. We have friends over for dinner less, do not get to know one another and live highly isolated, individualistic lives. This can be attributed to many technological advances, but it can also be a sign that we live in a fallen world.
At the end of the book, Solomon leaves us here :
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
We are to walk in hope even though we live in a fallen world. THIS IS FOR ALL HUMANITY. We are to follow his commands.
There are two ways we can live our lives, inward or outward. We can live for "we" or "me"; live for others or ourselves.
4:1 We are called not only to "not oppress others," but to be on the side of the oppressed. This brings up so many feelings in my heart regarding current news on immigration, etc...but I won't go there here, instead I will strive to be on the side of the oppressed.
4:2-3 Solomon says it is better to have never existed than to live, or even to live and have died. Our world is so full of evil and atrocity. I must remind myself that things are not necessarily worse than they were in times past, but we have unbelievable access to headlines on the internet and social media. The news articles about atrocities committed by parents, leaders, those in authority etc. that show up on my Facebook newsfeed makes me want to live in a time when I did not see the most sensationalized headlines on my phone screen on a regular basis. We live in a black hole of terrible. There is more evil than good in the world and more oppression than comfort. The ledger does not balance out. Solomon's conclusion is that it is better to not exist.
4:4 I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to one person's jealousy of another. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
Comparison kills our joy and steals our contentment with what we have. Sometimes this can lead us to work harder, etc. but someone will always have more. In the game of keeping up with the Jones', we will always find more Jones'. Working hard is not a bad thing...It can lead to abounding blessings. Working hard to keep up with neighbors is a complete waste of time.
4:5 The fool folds his arms and consumes his own flesh. Going passive and ceasing to work is not the answer, we must still work hard...
4:6 Better one handful with rest than two handfuls with effort and a pursuit of the wind.
We must strive for balance. We are to hold our rest in one hand and our work in another. Both are gifts from God, neither to be hoarded or held with a clenched fist. Sabbath is for rest, it was made for man.
Work is a gift.
Rest is a gift.
You only benefit if you can hold both.
4:7-8 Again, I saw futility under the sun: There is a person without a companion, without even a son or brother, and though there is no end to all his struggles, his eyes are still not content with riches. 'Who am I struggling for,' he asks, 'and depriving myself of good things?' This too is futile and a miserable task.
One without a dependent, companion, friend or family. This person is a work-a-holic and has no meaningful community. No one to share the fruits of his labor with. Without meaningful community there is no value in accumulation or accomplishment. Life is about more than our material gains.
Community is key to our existence.
How much is enough?
Often the very thing that allows us to be successful (work), is often the thing eroding our relationships, making the fruit of our labor worthless.
4:9-12 Solomon spells out all of the ways humans are better together..
9 - good reward for efforts
10 - companion can lift the fallen friend
11 - warmth when lying down
12 - a cord of 3 strands not easily broken
Community is a common grace God gives to everyone, but we must accept the gift.
With no community surrounding us, we may reach the pinnacle and find ourselves stranded.
God sees our needs so beautifully. My hearts desire is that we would all grasp the gifts that are freely and generously given to us.
Teaching Pastor: Rob Sweet
*Part 6 is coming* We were out of town visiting family last weekend/traveling on Sunday. While I have listed to the 6th message on Ecclesiastes, I listened to it while running, so very little retention happened. I have every intention to get still, during naptime, to listen and take notes in a meaningful way, SO...Part 6 is coming.
This week:
Studies have been done, from 1975-2000 that show we as a society have lost community. This is a huge loss of our capital as a society. We have friends over for dinner less, do not get to know one another and live highly isolated, individualistic lives. This can be attributed to many technological advances, but it can also be a sign that we live in a fallen world.
At the end of the book, Solomon leaves us here :
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
We are to walk in hope even though we live in a fallen world. THIS IS FOR ALL HUMANITY. We are to follow his commands.
There are two ways we can live our lives, inward or outward. We can live for "we" or "me"; live for others or ourselves.
4:1 We are called not only to "not oppress others," but to be on the side of the oppressed. This brings up so many feelings in my heart regarding current news on immigration, etc...but I won't go there here, instead I will strive to be on the side of the oppressed.
4:2-3 Solomon says it is better to have never existed than to live, or even to live and have died. Our world is so full of evil and atrocity. I must remind myself that things are not necessarily worse than they were in times past, but we have unbelievable access to headlines on the internet and social media. The news articles about atrocities committed by parents, leaders, those in authority etc. that show up on my Facebook newsfeed makes me want to live in a time when I did not see the most sensationalized headlines on my phone screen on a regular basis. We live in a black hole of terrible. There is more evil than good in the world and more oppression than comfort. The ledger does not balance out. Solomon's conclusion is that it is better to not exist.
4:4 I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to one person's jealousy of another. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
Comparison kills our joy and steals our contentment with what we have. Sometimes this can lead us to work harder, etc. but someone will always have more. In the game of keeping up with the Jones', we will always find more Jones'. Working hard is not a bad thing...It can lead to abounding blessings. Working hard to keep up with neighbors is a complete waste of time.
4:5 The fool folds his arms and consumes his own flesh. Going passive and ceasing to work is not the answer, we must still work hard...
4:6 Better one handful with rest than two handfuls with effort and a pursuit of the wind.
We must strive for balance. We are to hold our rest in one hand and our work in another. Both are gifts from God, neither to be hoarded or held with a clenched fist. Sabbath is for rest, it was made for man.
Work is a gift.
Rest is a gift.
You only benefit if you can hold both.
4:7-8 Again, I saw futility under the sun: There is a person without a companion, without even a son or brother, and though there is no end to all his struggles, his eyes are still not content with riches. 'Who am I struggling for,' he asks, 'and depriving myself of good things?' This too is futile and a miserable task.
One without a dependent, companion, friend or family. This person is a work-a-holic and has no meaningful community. No one to share the fruits of his labor with. Without meaningful community there is no value in accumulation or accomplishment. Life is about more than our material gains.
Community is key to our existence.
How much is enough?
Often the very thing that allows us to be successful (work), is often the thing eroding our relationships, making the fruit of our labor worthless.
4:9-12 Solomon spells out all of the ways humans are better together..
9 - good reward for efforts
10 - companion can lift the fallen friend
11 - warmth when lying down
12 - a cord of 3 strands not easily broken
Community is a common grace God gives to everyone, but we must accept the gift.
With no community surrounding us, we may reach the pinnacle and find ourselves stranded.
God sees our needs so beautifully. My hearts desire is that we would all grasp the gifts that are freely and generously given to us.
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Ecclesiastes Part 5
A Time for Everything
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
Teaching Pastor: Rob Sweet
3:11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end.
God has put eternity in the hearts of all of man. We were created for an eternal world, and while we are all confined to time, we were made for eternity. God created time. He created the now, the days, nights, and the ways they all work together. It is mind blowing to think of limitless time because we all live, in our earthly bodies, in a world confined by time. 100% of us will die an earthly death. We all believe that. Atheist, Christian, Agnostic; we cannot agree on much, but we all now death is what befalls us.
Solomon pushes boundaries, seeking what we can and cannot control, and he learns that there is no long term meaning in substance.
In verses 1-8 the word time is mentioned 30 times. Time is not necessarily referring to what we see on the clock (i.e. 1 o'clock) but rather an ordained season or moment in time.
Verse 1 is the theme::
Ecclesiastes 3:1 "There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven:"
Verses 2-8 is a poem:
Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 "a time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing; a time to search and a time to count as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away; a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and at time for peace."
Reading through the poem and thinking of life, there is beauty in the rhythm of life.
God invented time, man has just learned to manage it. God gave us days, life, time etc...we assigned names (hours, times, days, weeks etc.) and learned to delegate and manage that time.
God's rhythms shape our lives.
As beautiful as the rhythms of life are, there is also much pain and heartache in the ebb and flow. reading the poem it is easy to see the pain: death, weeping, tearing down, silence, hatred, war, etc. ALL of these things are a result of the fall. Thankfully I/we live in the world post-resurrection. So unlike Solomon, I know there is a promise of an eternity that is rid of the pain, where all is restored and made right.
One important lesson for all of us, that I have learned/am still learning, is that NO SEASON of life is in my control. I had my life all planned out, things were going well, and tragedy struck. The tragedy looked horrifying and seemed to promise to mess up my life. But in addition to not being in control of the seasons of life, I also cannot anticipate how the Lord will use them to bring good. God promises good for those who love him and are called according to his purposes. It was hard to see how God was going to make good after a life altering car accident in 2014, but it has turned into the biggest blessing. I now know the Lord more fully and am in a place where I find myself with an abundance of time and an overwhelming desire to study the Word, and sit in the presence of the Lord more often. Perfection is unattainable, but I am thankful to live in His grace.
I am excited to learn and grow through the knowledge that I am apart of God's creation, I am not dictating the narrative, but I am living it and am a part of it. There is freedom in living, but not dictation the narrative.
The poem notes our connectedness as human beings. We live in a world where we are all connected. We thrive on and in community. Relationships are where we experience the beautiful and bitter in life. Our relationships define many of the seasons in which we walk.
3:9 What does the worker gain from his struggles?
Toe poem in 3:2-8 lists 28 statements. 14 are positives and 14 are negative...they all add up to nothing at all. Our earthly life is only a striving to reach eternity, life on earth adds up to nothing.
in 3:11 we see that God has made everything appropriate in its time, and has set eternity in our hearts.
Making everything appropriate in its time, is just a restatement of the thesis from 3:1"there is a occasion for everything"
God set eternity in our hearts. The heart is the center of life. the core or our person. Eternity is life with no regard for time. A life where God lives. We all have an instinctive desire to transcend time.
We all have a fear, on some level, of dying. Jeff Besos recently created a 10,000 year clock. We instinctually assume life will be going on in 10,000 years. The truth is, we have no idea.
3:11 "...but no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end."
With eternity in our hearts, the desire to live in light of eternity is there, Solomon could not see past death. As far as he was concerned there was no way out of the cycle. Solomon did not know the resurrection. He knew there was one God over everything and he knew God was sovereign. Life after death was only a vague notion and did not include the resurrection. Solomon was perplexed by the riddle of death, because he, like us, was confined by time, but unlike us, he did not know the truth of the resurrection.
God is good, He created all things, He is Sovereign.
The above statement is as far as religion can go without Jesus.
As wise as Solomon was, he could not see past his own place in history, and he lived BEFORE Jesus.
PAUL lived on the other side of the resurrection. In Galatians 4:3he speaks of the bondage of elemental things, this was the bondage Solomon lived under.
In 4:4-6 he discusses the longing we all have for eternity, but he tells how it is to be filled by faith in the Son.
Jesus is the only one who can fill the void for eternity. Only one outside of time can fill it, and He is outside of time.
God gave us a longing for eternity so He could fill it. Because of Jesus, I know the end. I see the ebb and flow of life, but I know that what comes in the end is permanently satisfying.
Because of the gift of God's word, I can see the beginning and the end, but I live in the middle.
Believing the gospel and trusting God with eternity, assures that I can trust him when the pendulum of my life swings. God controls it all, by faith, the God who has secured my eternity, can and does secure me now.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
Teaching Pastor: Rob Sweet
3:11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end.
God has put eternity in the hearts of all of man. We were created for an eternal world, and while we are all confined to time, we were made for eternity. God created time. He created the now, the days, nights, and the ways they all work together. It is mind blowing to think of limitless time because we all live, in our earthly bodies, in a world confined by time. 100% of us will die an earthly death. We all believe that. Atheist, Christian, Agnostic; we cannot agree on much, but we all now death is what befalls us.
Solomon pushes boundaries, seeking what we can and cannot control, and he learns that there is no long term meaning in substance.
In verses 1-8 the word time is mentioned 30 times. Time is not necessarily referring to what we see on the clock (i.e. 1 o'clock) but rather an ordained season or moment in time.
Verse 1 is the theme::
Ecclesiastes 3:1 "There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven:"
Verses 2-8 is a poem:
Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 "a time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing; a time to search and a time to count as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away; a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and at time for peace."
Reading through the poem and thinking of life, there is beauty in the rhythm of life.
God invented time, man has just learned to manage it. God gave us days, life, time etc...we assigned names (hours, times, days, weeks etc.) and learned to delegate and manage that time.
God's rhythms shape our lives.
As beautiful as the rhythms of life are, there is also much pain and heartache in the ebb and flow. reading the poem it is easy to see the pain: death, weeping, tearing down, silence, hatred, war, etc. ALL of these things are a result of the fall. Thankfully I/we live in the world post-resurrection. So unlike Solomon, I know there is a promise of an eternity that is rid of the pain, where all is restored and made right.
One important lesson for all of us, that I have learned/am still learning, is that NO SEASON of life is in my control. I had my life all planned out, things were going well, and tragedy struck. The tragedy looked horrifying and seemed to promise to mess up my life. But in addition to not being in control of the seasons of life, I also cannot anticipate how the Lord will use them to bring good. God promises good for those who love him and are called according to his purposes. It was hard to see how God was going to make good after a life altering car accident in 2014, but it has turned into the biggest blessing. I now know the Lord more fully and am in a place where I find myself with an abundance of time and an overwhelming desire to study the Word, and sit in the presence of the Lord more often. Perfection is unattainable, but I am thankful to live in His grace.
I am excited to learn and grow through the knowledge that I am apart of God's creation, I am not dictating the narrative, but I am living it and am a part of it. There is freedom in living, but not dictation the narrative.
The poem notes our connectedness as human beings. We live in a world where we are all connected. We thrive on and in community. Relationships are where we experience the beautiful and bitter in life. Our relationships define many of the seasons in which we walk.
3:9 What does the worker gain from his struggles?
Toe poem in 3:2-8 lists 28 statements. 14 are positives and 14 are negative...they all add up to nothing at all. Our earthly life is only a striving to reach eternity, life on earth adds up to nothing.
in 3:11 we see that God has made everything appropriate in its time, and has set eternity in our hearts.
Making everything appropriate in its time, is just a restatement of the thesis from 3:1"there is a occasion for everything"
God set eternity in our hearts. The heart is the center of life. the core or our person. Eternity is life with no regard for time. A life where God lives. We all have an instinctive desire to transcend time.
We all have a fear, on some level, of dying. Jeff Besos recently created a 10,000 year clock. We instinctually assume life will be going on in 10,000 years. The truth is, we have no idea.
3:11 "...but no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end."
With eternity in our hearts, the desire to live in light of eternity is there, Solomon could not see past death. As far as he was concerned there was no way out of the cycle. Solomon did not know the resurrection. He knew there was one God over everything and he knew God was sovereign. Life after death was only a vague notion and did not include the resurrection. Solomon was perplexed by the riddle of death, because he, like us, was confined by time, but unlike us, he did not know the truth of the resurrection.
God is good, He created all things, He is Sovereign.
The above statement is as far as religion can go without Jesus.
As wise as Solomon was, he could not see past his own place in history, and he lived BEFORE Jesus.
PAUL lived on the other side of the resurrection. In Galatians 4:3he speaks of the bondage of elemental things, this was the bondage Solomon lived under.
In 4:4-6 he discusses the longing we all have for eternity, but he tells how it is to be filled by faith in the Son.
Jesus is the only one who can fill the void for eternity. Only one outside of time can fill it, and He is outside of time.
God gave us a longing for eternity so He could fill it. Because of Jesus, I know the end. I see the ebb and flow of life, but I know that what comes in the end is permanently satisfying.
Because of the gift of God's word, I can see the beginning and the end, but I live in the middle.
Believing the gospel and trusting God with eternity, assures that I can trust him when the pendulum of my life swings. God controls it all, by faith, the God who has secured my eternity, can and does secure me now.
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Ecclesiastes Part 4
Ecclesiastes 2:12-26
Teaching Pastor: Lloyd Shadrach
We have been gas-lighted (manipulated (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity.) by the world of flesh and the enemy of our souls.
Adam and Eve lived in paradise and communed with our God, but the enemy caused her to question his goodness, leading to the fall. Instead of questioning the enemies validity, she began to question a perfect God and what she had been commanded.
Previously in the book of Ecclesiastes it was made clear that pleasure will not fill the void of our soul. Now Solomon looks at the ability of Wisdom and Work to fill that void.
In 2:12-17 we see that death is the great equalizer. We may all argue or disagree on what we come face-to-face with in the afterlife, or if there is an after life, but none of us can or do question death. We all die. In v. 16 Solomon proclaims that there is no lasting remembrance of the wise. None of us will be remembered, not in any meaningful way. Memorial day just passed us by, and many thought back to "remember" friends, loved ones, and fallen strangers. Many people are memorialized, and sure, we all "remember" Hitler and his terrible deeds, or the acts of love and mercy performed by Mother Teresa.
Will any person or act, good or bad, or WISE, be remembered 5,000 years from now? Personally, as much as times have changed in the 32 years I've been alive, I cannot even begin to comprehend the world my son will be an adult in, much less a world in 5,000 years. While I can't imagine that world, it likewise will not know or remember me and my generation, even the most memorable of my generation. Wisdom will not bring us remembrance, we are all forgotten and end life in death.
Solomon laments in v 18-23 that like wisdom, work also does not fill the void. He laments that what he works for he must leave to whomever comes behind him. While Solomon worked hard, and gained much, he had no control over his sons acts with what was left to him. When we are gone we lose all control of that we have worked for.
v. 24 "There is nothing better for a person than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work. I have seen that even this is from God's hand."
The above verse is a carpe diem passage. We are to enjoy the everyday things of life both literally and figuratively. All that encompasses life should be enjoyed.
As mentioned previously, even work was a gift from God. Work became distorted after the fall, but we were made and designed to work and find joy and fulfillment. The fall distorted work, but we all still have a longing and desire for work.
Any work we do, should be done as though it were a gift from the Lord, because it is.
We are made for more than this world offers, yet we can still eat drink and say know all we have is from the hand of God.
No one can experience goodness apart from God.
My heart breaks as I grow and realize the goodness and pleasure that comes from knowing God. I live in the deep south so everyone proclaims to be a "Christian," but my desire is to see everyone truly rest in the peace and pleasure that comes from knowing the Lord and living in relationship with Him.
Life in God's world is a gift, not a gain. It is not something we work for and gain or earn, rather it is a gift and gifts are only enjoyed when they are received.
Receiving our work as a gift will make it joyful.
Finally death = separation. For me and all Christians, physical death is separation from the body, but it is really only the beginning. I will be reunited with God, a fate much more pleasing than the pleasures offered up, from God, in this physical world.
Without salvation we cannot eat, drink and enjoy life, with it...even work is pleasure.
In the world we live in today, someone dies every 1.8 seconds. My prayer today is that they knew and experienced life's pleasure, through God, so that someone is reunited with the Lord in ultimate pleasure every 1.8 seconds. What a blessed world that would be.
Teaching Pastor: Lloyd Shadrach
We have been gas-lighted (manipulated (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity.) by the world of flesh and the enemy of our souls.
Adam and Eve lived in paradise and communed with our God, but the enemy caused her to question his goodness, leading to the fall. Instead of questioning the enemies validity, she began to question a perfect God and what she had been commanded.
Previously in the book of Ecclesiastes it was made clear that pleasure will not fill the void of our soul. Now Solomon looks at the ability of Wisdom and Work to fill that void.
In 2:12-17 we see that death is the great equalizer. We may all argue or disagree on what we come face-to-face with in the afterlife, or if there is an after life, but none of us can or do question death. We all die. In v. 16 Solomon proclaims that there is no lasting remembrance of the wise. None of us will be remembered, not in any meaningful way. Memorial day just passed us by, and many thought back to "remember" friends, loved ones, and fallen strangers. Many people are memorialized, and sure, we all "remember" Hitler and his terrible deeds, or the acts of love and mercy performed by Mother Teresa.
Will any person or act, good or bad, or WISE, be remembered 5,000 years from now? Personally, as much as times have changed in the 32 years I've been alive, I cannot even begin to comprehend the world my son will be an adult in, much less a world in 5,000 years. While I can't imagine that world, it likewise will not know or remember me and my generation, even the most memorable of my generation. Wisdom will not bring us remembrance, we are all forgotten and end life in death.
Solomon laments in v 18-23 that like wisdom, work also does not fill the void. He laments that what he works for he must leave to whomever comes behind him. While Solomon worked hard, and gained much, he had no control over his sons acts with what was left to him. When we are gone we lose all control of that we have worked for.
v. 24 "There is nothing better for a person than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work. I have seen that even this is from God's hand."
The above verse is a carpe diem passage. We are to enjoy the everyday things of life both literally and figuratively. All that encompasses life should be enjoyed.
As mentioned previously, even work was a gift from God. Work became distorted after the fall, but we were made and designed to work and find joy and fulfillment. The fall distorted work, but we all still have a longing and desire for work.
Any work we do, should be done as though it were a gift from the Lord, because it is.
We are made for more than this world offers, yet we can still eat drink and say know all we have is from the hand of God.
No one can experience goodness apart from God.
My heart breaks as I grow and realize the goodness and pleasure that comes from knowing God. I live in the deep south so everyone proclaims to be a "Christian," but my desire is to see everyone truly rest in the peace and pleasure that comes from knowing the Lord and living in relationship with Him.
Life in God's world is a gift, not a gain. It is not something we work for and gain or earn, rather it is a gift and gifts are only enjoyed when they are received.
Receiving our work as a gift will make it joyful.
Finally death = separation. For me and all Christians, physical death is separation from the body, but it is really only the beginning. I will be reunited with God, a fate much more pleasing than the pleasures offered up, from God, in this physical world.
Without salvation we cannot eat, drink and enjoy life, with it...even work is pleasure.
In the world we live in today, someone dies every 1.8 seconds. My prayer today is that they knew and experienced life's pleasure, through God, so that someone is reunited with the Lord in ultimate pleasure every 1.8 seconds. What a blessed world that would be.
Ecclesiastes Part 3
Ecclesiases 2:1-11
Teaching Pastor: Rob Sweet
Life under the sun is the fallen world. The phrase is repeated many times in the book of Ecclesiastes and exemplifies the fallen world we live in. This makes sense to me, because the phrase, maybe because of it's repetition, sounds tired to me...It makes me feel exhausted, as does/should life after the fall.
All of us living in the 21st century have a huge access to pleasing things or pleasure in this life. We have access to more pleasures than any other group of people in any other time or place. My day for example:
I woke up in a King sized bed, in a house cooled by AC, turned on electricity, laced up my running shoes and headed out for a run. Upon my return I fed my dogs and my baby, then loaded my child up to go to swimming lessons in heated pool so he can safely enjoy the water. I returned home, had a cup of coffee, looked up my daily Bible reading passage from a group of women reading through the Bible on facebook. My husband is now grilling hamburgers as my child naps and I record these notes on Ecclesiastes. Later we will enjoy said hamburgers, bratwursts, and coleslaw, potentially followed by swimming with our son.
Talk about blessed and inundated with pleasure. Even those of us most destitute have many more pleasures than most people in the grand scheme of people groups in all time in the world.
All that to say, Solomon does a great job pointing out that while we have huge access to pleasure, we take them for granted and they do NOT bring us true fulfillment. Temporary happiness, perhaps, True Joy and Fulfillment...NO.
Ecclesiastes 2:2 What does pleasure accomplish? Is there meaning to pleasure? We live in a frivolous society and pleasure can be associated with laughter, also with addictive behaviors What is there to be gained "under the sun?"
Ecclesiastes 2:4-7 speak of work...Solomon increased his achievements, made parks, gardens, reservoirs and vineyards for himself.
Like us, he desired to create his own Garden of Eden. We all, deep down, long for utopia, that which is missing in the fallen world.
Under the Sun, in a fallen world, our instinct is to insulate ourselves from outer pain and live in a cocoon.
There is much to say of our pleasure, as well as Solomon's.
in v. 8 it is clear that wealth is attractive for what it can buy as well as security and status. Solomon lived in the world before recorded music, but he has singers. If I want to enjoy music I turn on the radio, play from a variety of apps on my iPhone or television...Solomon had to, and did, keep singers to provide music for him. He also had an abundance of concubines. 700 wives and 300 concubines. The wives and concubines were status symbols that likely meant little more to him than his money.
Our strategies to gain our own pleasures often robs life from others. What must have it felt like to be in Solomon's concubine?
As always, in v.11 The end result is always vanity...a striving after the wind.
We were meant to enjoy life's pleasures and recognize them as gifts from God. We must think of pleasure in light of all 66 books of the Bible.
THEOLOGY OF PLEASURE
The world often leads us to believe that pleasure is wrong and to equate it with sin. This is false. Pleasure is not sinful. It is created by God. Often we indulge in pleasures in a sinful manner (ex. addiction, substance abuse, pornography, etc.) but the pleasure itself is not sinful. It is the way we wrongfully engage in such pleasures that lead us to sin.
In Genesis 1, before sin entered the world, everything mankind experienced was pleasure. Even work was pleasure. We were designed to co-run this world with the Lord. The deep yearning we have to work is because, pre-fall, that too was pleasure.
In a fallen world pleasures are deadened and we have been separated from God.
God did not intend for us to use pleasures for selfish gain. The only way life's pleasures can be redeemed is if something is done about our selfishness and sin problem. Thankfully we have JESUS. Something has been done, on our behalf, to atone for our selfishness and sin.
Jesus engaged the pleasures of life and redeemed pleasure for us all.
In Revelation 21 and 22 The Garden of Eden is restored and paradise is regained. None of this is at all possible without the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord.
The good things in life, when rightly enjoyed, are the truest things in life.
We instinctively try to create paradise and when we do it with the blessing and presence of our creator, it points to paradise.
We must walk cautiously in the Lord's grace and redemption. Even as a redeemed people, it is so easy to abuse the pleasures of life.
We must strive to worship God as we experience all life has to offer, even and perhaps especially, life's pleasure.
We should invite God into the experience with us, praise him for his good creation and anticipate the fulfillment that is yet to come.
Monday, May 14, 2018
Ecclesiastes Part 2
So this is the second part of the Ecclesiastes sermon series I am loving. Such a good way to think about life, and I feel like it will only continue to be a rich book, worthy of my time and attention.
I am currently reading The Road Back to You and reading through the Bible chronologically with a group of ladies on facebook. There have been passages in both this week's Bible reading and The Road Back to You that echo the truths spoken in Ecclesiastes.
This week we look at Ecclesiastes 1:12-18
I am currently reading The Road Back to You and reading through the Bible chronologically with a group of ladies on facebook. There have been passages in both this week's Bible reading and The Road Back to You that echo the truths spoken in Ecclesiastes.
This week we look at Ecclesiastes 1:12-18
I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
I applied my mind to examine and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied.
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.
I said to myself, "See, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge.
I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly; I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind.
For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases.
As was alluded to in 1:11, life is transient. No one who came before is remembered. Our life is but a vapor.
An interesting thought. We are here today, gone tomorrow. While we may pass on knowledge, information or some "discovery," Nothing is new, and we will not be remembered.
This can seem like a sad, disheartening thought, but I think there is hope and truth here. We can gain nothing in this life and on this earth. We have nothing to offer this world. The world is in constant motion, but all is the same. Trivialities may change/grow/develop, but life functions in a cosmic rhythm of circularity.
In Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 we learn that Knowledge is Painful. I love the illustration that my teaching pastor Lloyd Shadrach gave on Sunday. When you go to a funeral, children are the people who can still smile, play, laugh and sing. They do not have a capacity to understand grief or pain. They do not realize or fully understand (even when it's been explained) that the person in the casket is not coming back. I feel grief over these hypothetical children's lack of knowledge that Dad's not coming home, just typing that sentence. This is because as we get older and experience more our capacity for grief and pain grows.
There are 3 truth's in life that we all find it hard to swallow.
1. There is something wrong with EVERYTHING.
Every happy high point in life is marked by grief or tragedy. I think of my life now...I have
the incredible opportunity to stay at home with my son, and it has given me immense
opportunity to grow closer to the Lord. The opportunity came about because a terrible
car accident rocked my world and changed my life circumstances. IMMENSE JOY
along side grief.
2. There is always something missing
Nothing in life is person, and in all situation we will find something missing.
3. I cannot do anything to fix it.
When we can embrace these truths we will be able to rise above them. We must live them and realize the truth they possess in this world but know that Christ has the final say and has brought judgment to all things.
Monday, May 7, 2018
Ecclesiastes Part 1
I need to be better about taking notes during sermons, bible reading and truly studying. Ever since my car accident and the blessing of being a stay at home mom, I've been so fortunate for the opportunity to read and study the Word more than ever before in my life. In 2017 my husband and I set a goal to read through the entire Bible. We used a great app that allowed me to "check a box" when I completed a daily bible reading. This tool allowed me to be able to say I've read the whole Bible. This year I am doing a read through the bible with a Facebook group. Grace & Truth Living is a Facebook group created by author Joanne Kraft, to bring like minded women together to read through the Bible. Her motto is don't catch up, jump in. I did not start with the group until February, so knowing I could jump in, read and learn, was huge.
Through all of this reading, I need to write, journal, take notes and process more.
This brings me to Ecclesiastes.
My church Fellowship Bible Church just began a new study on the book of Ecclesiastes. The study will last through the Summer and I felt called to take good notes and internalize the Book as much as possible. Fellowship does of a lot of expository Bible teaching. So, my desire is to learn more.
This week the passage was Ecclesiastes 1:1-2; 12:13-14
The very beginning and end of this interesting book.
Ecclesiastes 1:1 sets up the author of the text as Solomon. The verse sets the author as a preacher (leader, assembler or spokesperson), a son of David (anyone in David's line), and King of Jerusalem. Perhaps Solomon penned the book, or perhaps it is a compilation of his thoughts and wisdom, there is much debate. The voice IS King Solomon's.
There is much to know about Solomon, and much more I'm sure I'll learn....in 1 week:
Solomon was the most humanly successful Hebrew.
Solomon had much wealth and wisdom.
Solomon represents the pinnacle of human success.
Solomon is most renown for his wisdom.
Ecclesiastes 1:2 sets the message of the book.
"'Absolute futility,' says the Teacher. 'Absolute futility. Everything is futile.'" CSB
SHOCK VALUE. Futility is also translated Vanity or meaningless. A vapor. Everything is meaningless, nothing more than a vapor. THERE IS A TENSION HERE. This book and these words come from a man of God with great wisdom. Whatever he has to say must surely grip my soul as I read His words.
The teaching pastor at my church pointed out that these words should be seen through 2 lenses.
LENS 1: We are a fallen creation. Life under the sun, a phrase mentioned repetitively in Ecclesiastes, refers to a fallen creation. In this creation that is fallen, death is the major player not life. *In 2018 we are on the opposite side of the cross from Solomon, Solomon was pre-Jesus. In his understanding as his wisdom crafted this book, death WAS the major player. This brings me to ...
LENS 2: Progressive revelation. Because of the time God chose to create me and give me life on this planet, I know what Solomon did not yet know. What had not been fully realized. I live on the side of the cross where death has no sting, because Jesus conquered that death through the cross.
A few thoughts...
Solomon is mourning the hopeless state of affairs for all Christians, and even living on this side of the cross I should feel righteous desperation and angst for all things to be made right and restored through Christ.
The very end of the book of Ecclesiastes gives us a conclusion or meaning:
12:13-14
"When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment including every hidden thing, whether good or evil." CSB
Fearing God - we should be relating to God as we were designed to. He should be a place of comfort, and a Deity we reverently and respectfully obey.
It is important to know that every act comes to judgment. Good and Evil.
The job of a judge is not just to dole out punishments for crimes committed, but to restore justice. In Ecclesiastes it is clear that the restoration of judgment applies to all things.
In light of the fall all things are meaningless or futile...In light of the restoration that is to come, NOTHING is meaningless or futile. EVERYTHING has meaning.
Ecclesiastes makes a full circle...
In Ecclesiastes 1:2 everything is MEANINGLESS
In Ecclesiastes 12:14 everything is restored, therefore, everything is MEANINGFUL
There is much to study in between 1:1 and 12:14....
Through all of this reading, I need to write, journal, take notes and process more.
This brings me to Ecclesiastes.
My church Fellowship Bible Church just began a new study on the book of Ecclesiastes. The study will last through the Summer and I felt called to take good notes and internalize the Book as much as possible. Fellowship does of a lot of expository Bible teaching. So, my desire is to learn more.
This week the passage was Ecclesiastes 1:1-2; 12:13-14
The very beginning and end of this interesting book.
Ecclesiastes 1:1 sets up the author of the text as Solomon. The verse sets the author as a preacher (leader, assembler or spokesperson), a son of David (anyone in David's line), and King of Jerusalem. Perhaps Solomon penned the book, or perhaps it is a compilation of his thoughts and wisdom, there is much debate. The voice IS King Solomon's.
There is much to know about Solomon, and much more I'm sure I'll learn....in 1 week:
Solomon was the most humanly successful Hebrew.
Solomon had much wealth and wisdom.
Solomon represents the pinnacle of human success.
Solomon is most renown for his wisdom.
Ecclesiastes 1:2 sets the message of the book.
"'Absolute futility,' says the Teacher. 'Absolute futility. Everything is futile.'" CSB
SHOCK VALUE. Futility is also translated Vanity or meaningless. A vapor. Everything is meaningless, nothing more than a vapor. THERE IS A TENSION HERE. This book and these words come from a man of God with great wisdom. Whatever he has to say must surely grip my soul as I read His words.
The teaching pastor at my church pointed out that these words should be seen through 2 lenses.
LENS 1: We are a fallen creation. Life under the sun, a phrase mentioned repetitively in Ecclesiastes, refers to a fallen creation. In this creation that is fallen, death is the major player not life. *In 2018 we are on the opposite side of the cross from Solomon, Solomon was pre-Jesus. In his understanding as his wisdom crafted this book, death WAS the major player. This brings me to ...
LENS 2: Progressive revelation. Because of the time God chose to create me and give me life on this planet, I know what Solomon did not yet know. What had not been fully realized. I live on the side of the cross where death has no sting, because Jesus conquered that death through the cross.
A few thoughts...
Solomon is mourning the hopeless state of affairs for all Christians, and even living on this side of the cross I should feel righteous desperation and angst for all things to be made right and restored through Christ.
The very end of the book of Ecclesiastes gives us a conclusion or meaning:
12:13-14
"When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment including every hidden thing, whether good or evil." CSB
Fearing God - we should be relating to God as we were designed to. He should be a place of comfort, and a Deity we reverently and respectfully obey.
It is important to know that every act comes to judgment. Good and Evil.
The job of a judge is not just to dole out punishments for crimes committed, but to restore justice. In Ecclesiastes it is clear that the restoration of judgment applies to all things.
In light of the fall all things are meaningless or futile...In light of the restoration that is to come, NOTHING is meaningless or futile. EVERYTHING has meaning.
Ecclesiastes makes a full circle...
In Ecclesiastes 1:2 everything is MEANINGLESS
In Ecclesiastes 12:14 everything is restored, therefore, everything is MEANINGFUL
There is much to study in between 1:1 and 12:14....
Thursday, April 5, 2018
Loving My Life
I love to read, and I am currently reading a book I've had for a while. I was given a copy of Rachel Cruze's Love Your Life, Not Theirs. I LOVE it. Ever since right before marriage I've been a big Dave Ramsey fan (thanks to an accountant husband who listens to Dave). I'm not far into her book yet, but I'm really really loving it. Rachel has not even begun to speak of financial principles yet, but is delving into a huge problem in the world today. The problem of comparison.
This is such an easy trap to fall into. We see everyone's highlight real on facebook and instagram. Pinterest is a social media platform I would not have said opens the door for comparison. I use pinterest mainly to gather new recipe ideas depending on how my husband and I are choosing to eat at any given moment. However, I do occasionally pin décor ideas and "pretty" things and food. While it does not always lead me down a road of comparison, it definitely can leave me a little unsettled. I'll pin DIY ideas that I never DIY. Later, the thought of what I left undone makes me feel like a failure.
Why do we compare ourselves to each other? To our friends, or the professional blogger just a click away?
I am learning much about the Lord through time spent in his word, and the theme of today's lesson in Discerning the Voice of God is that God is truth. Everything he says is true because that is his nature. Priscilla makes the point that Ice is Water. Ice cannot exist apart from water. God is truth, he cannot exist apart from truth. Therefore, what God says about me must be true.
I have become the righteousness of God in Christ:
God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places:
Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
I could go on, but I'll stop there. Because it MUST be true that I have become the righteousness of Christ and have received spiritual blessings, there is NO room for comparing myself with others.
Striving to do my best and live as a good steward of my resources is valuable. Comparing myself with others is not.
I find myself falling into that trap as a mom. However, I am learning to rest in the truth found in God's word.
This is such an easy trap to fall into. We see everyone's highlight real on facebook and instagram. Pinterest is a social media platform I would not have said opens the door for comparison. I use pinterest mainly to gather new recipe ideas depending on how my husband and I are choosing to eat at any given moment. However, I do occasionally pin décor ideas and "pretty" things and food. While it does not always lead me down a road of comparison, it definitely can leave me a little unsettled. I'll pin DIY ideas that I never DIY. Later, the thought of what I left undone makes me feel like a failure.
Why do we compare ourselves to each other? To our friends, or the professional blogger just a click away?
I am learning much about the Lord through time spent in his word, and the theme of today's lesson in Discerning the Voice of God is that God is truth. Everything he says is true because that is his nature. Priscilla makes the point that Ice is Water. Ice cannot exist apart from water. God is truth, he cannot exist apart from truth. Therefore, what God says about me must be true.
I have become the righteousness of God in Christ:
God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places:
Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
I could go on, but I'll stop there. Because it MUST be true that I have become the righteousness of Christ and have received spiritual blessings, there is NO room for comparing myself with others.
Striving to do my best and live as a good steward of my resources is valuable. Comparing myself with others is not.
I find myself falling into that trap as a mom. However, I am learning to rest in the truth found in God's word.
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Blessings in Disguise
A few years ago I was in a terrible car accident and sustained a severe traumatic brain injury TBI. I did not know what a TBI was before that fateful day, and there is still much to know about brain injuries. What I did learn is what a complex and amazing organ the brain is. There must be a God and he must have created us. You could not convince me otherwise now that I have learned how amazing the organ in my head I had always taken for granted really is.
Without going into too much detail about the car accident, it left me out of work for an extended period of time, with no promise of when I could return to work, or normal life.
In the interim time period between the accident and waiting to see what our new normal looked like, my husband and I learned to live on his income. As I was beginning to step back into work, we learned I was pregnant! As the accident occurred right as we were hoping and planning for kids, this was welcome news. Because we were already living on 1 income, and I had not yet returned to full time work, we decided I would stay at home with our kiddos.
Being a stay-at-home-mom was never something I aspired too. I LOVE kids and have been desiring children for as long as I can remember. However, I learned that I receive much of my worth and validation from being successful in the work place. Being a successful, working mom has always been my plan. If anything I'd given thought to working only part-time if finances allowed. Being home full time was NOT my plan.
It was God's plan.
Through it all I have LOVED and cherished all the time I have with my son and all the ways we can bond as I care for him on a day-to-day basis. Staying at home with him is something I will never take for granted. I may not have chosen this role, but it is better than any "career" plan I would have chosen for myself.
Another HUGE blessing of the accident/staying home etc. is my relationship with the Lord.
I'll never forget the day I asked Jesus into my heart and truly believed in him as my savior, but I've never devoted true time to learning about God's character. I've devoted lots of time to learning "things" or leaning about biblical history or stories, going on mission trips, etc., but not time basking in his presence. Staying home with my son has opened up doors I would not have imagined. I'm currently in a bible study with some other amazing stay-at-home mom's. We are walking through Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God. Yesterday's lesson was eye opening for me. Priscilla is talking about hearing from God and I love this piece of wisdom:
"When God chooses to speak to us, His Word will always in some way be designed to point us to Him and open up our understanding so that we can experience Him more fully.Without knowledge of the nature of God, obedience to Him becomes more difficult, if not impossible. The more you know and believe to be true about who God is and what He can do, the more willing you become to obey what He commands."
She continues talk about how it is more important to seek God, in order to know him more fully, as opposed to just seeking the answer to our problem.
This season of life has allowed me the opportunity to read through the Bible. While I have often felt it was futile as I was not really studying as I was reading, I am learning, through Priscilla's teaching, that just sitting in God's presence is helping me to grow in relationship with Him.
There is ALWAYS a silver lining.
Without going into too much detail about the car accident, it left me out of work for an extended period of time, with no promise of when I could return to work, or normal life.
In the interim time period between the accident and waiting to see what our new normal looked like, my husband and I learned to live on his income. As I was beginning to step back into work, we learned I was pregnant! As the accident occurred right as we were hoping and planning for kids, this was welcome news. Because we were already living on 1 income, and I had not yet returned to full time work, we decided I would stay at home with our kiddos.
Being a stay-at-home-mom was never something I aspired too. I LOVE kids and have been desiring children for as long as I can remember. However, I learned that I receive much of my worth and validation from being successful in the work place. Being a successful, working mom has always been my plan. If anything I'd given thought to working only part-time if finances allowed. Being home full time was NOT my plan.
It was God's plan.
Through it all I have LOVED and cherished all the time I have with my son and all the ways we can bond as I care for him on a day-to-day basis. Staying at home with him is something I will never take for granted. I may not have chosen this role, but it is better than any "career" plan I would have chosen for myself.
Another HUGE blessing of the accident/staying home etc. is my relationship with the Lord.
I'll never forget the day I asked Jesus into my heart and truly believed in him as my savior, but I've never devoted true time to learning about God's character. I've devoted lots of time to learning "things" or leaning about biblical history or stories, going on mission trips, etc., but not time basking in his presence. Staying home with my son has opened up doors I would not have imagined. I'm currently in a bible study with some other amazing stay-at-home mom's. We are walking through Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God. Yesterday's lesson was eye opening for me. Priscilla is talking about hearing from God and I love this piece of wisdom:
"When God chooses to speak to us, His Word will always in some way be designed to point us to Him and open up our understanding so that we can experience Him more fully.Without knowledge of the nature of God, obedience to Him becomes more difficult, if not impossible. The more you know and believe to be true about who God is and what He can do, the more willing you become to obey what He commands."
She continues talk about how it is more important to seek God, in order to know him more fully, as opposed to just seeking the answer to our problem.
This season of life has allowed me the opportunity to read through the Bible. While I have often felt it was futile as I was not really studying as I was reading, I am learning, through Priscilla's teaching, that just sitting in God's presence is helping me to grow in relationship with Him.
There is ALWAYS a silver lining.
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Let's Begin
This blog/post/writing is a LONG time coming.
I am currently going through Priscilla Shirer's bible study Discerning the Voice of God with some new friends. In Shirer's book she discusses the Holy Spirit, and through this resources as well as another bible study I am currently doing on the Kingdom of God, I am learning that God's voice does not always come in an "audible, fancy sign, lightning bolts" kind of way. Sometimes discerning God's voice means living where we are currently and walking through the stage of life in which we have been placed.
I'll share how I reached my current place in life for another post, but for now, know, I NEVER intended to be a stay at home mom. While it is the BIGGEST blessing I can imagine, it has required me to release previous ambitions I once held. I have had an urge to write since I began the aforementioned bible studies. I knew I had once began a blog...so when I sat down to start a blog today, I logged into blogger and found TWO previous blogs I began. The first, I believe I started after college while I was teaching in Nashville, TN. At the time I LOVED reading blogs, my favorites then, and now, included The Pioneer Woman and My Life in Transition. Today I read several additional blogs. My feedly shows I am subscribed to eight blogs currently, but there are several others I hop onto from time to time.
I have felt compelled to write many times in my life, why I do not know...you will soon see it is not necessarily my strength.
I keep feeling an urge to write during my time in Discerning the Voice of God. Perhaps the Holy Spirit is trying to lead me into a new stage in life/hobby/professional world/state of peace and happiness. I do not pretend to know the Spirit's intentions, but I could no longer quiet the urge, so I came over to blogger.com. Once I arrived and logged in, I realized that I had started blogs twice before. Once, not long after I moved to Nashville to teach, and on blogged while I was pregnant with my son. Neither blog lasted very long or are what I (or anyone else) would consider "quality," so today I am starting anew.
There are several categories I often feel compelled to write about. I often feel compelled to write about: life after an injury (this will tie in after I tell my story), how my relationship with God ties into my life (particularly marriage and parenting), and any other thoughts that come I feel a desire to share.
I feel as thought to write consistently I should set a goal. For now my goal is 2 posts per week. I hope to see this increase as writing becomes easier and more natural for me in the days to come.
Next up...
How I arrived to my role as a stay at home mom and what injury am I referencing above.
I am currently going through Priscilla Shirer's bible study Discerning the Voice of God with some new friends. In Shirer's book she discusses the Holy Spirit, and through this resources as well as another bible study I am currently doing on the Kingdom of God, I am learning that God's voice does not always come in an "audible, fancy sign, lightning bolts" kind of way. Sometimes discerning God's voice means living where we are currently and walking through the stage of life in which we have been placed.
I'll share how I reached my current place in life for another post, but for now, know, I NEVER intended to be a stay at home mom. While it is the BIGGEST blessing I can imagine, it has required me to release previous ambitions I once held. I have had an urge to write since I began the aforementioned bible studies. I knew I had once began a blog...so when I sat down to start a blog today, I logged into blogger and found TWO previous blogs I began. The first, I believe I started after college while I was teaching in Nashville, TN. At the time I LOVED reading blogs, my favorites then, and now, included The Pioneer Woman and My Life in Transition. Today I read several additional blogs. My feedly shows I am subscribed to eight blogs currently, but there are several others I hop onto from time to time.
I have felt compelled to write many times in my life, why I do not know...you will soon see it is not necessarily my strength.
I keep feeling an urge to write during my time in Discerning the Voice of God. Perhaps the Holy Spirit is trying to lead me into a new stage in life/hobby/professional world/state of peace and happiness. I do not pretend to know the Spirit's intentions, but I could no longer quiet the urge, so I came over to blogger.com. Once I arrived and logged in, I realized that I had started blogs twice before. Once, not long after I moved to Nashville to teach, and on blogged while I was pregnant with my son. Neither blog lasted very long or are what I (or anyone else) would consider "quality," so today I am starting anew.
There are several categories I often feel compelled to write about. I often feel compelled to write about: life after an injury (this will tie in after I tell my story), how my relationship with God ties into my life (particularly marriage and parenting), and any other thoughts that come I feel a desire to share.
I feel as thought to write consistently I should set a goal. For now my goal is 2 posts per week. I hope to see this increase as writing becomes easier and more natural for me in the days to come.
Next up...
How I arrived to my role as a stay at home mom and what injury am I referencing above.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)