Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

6-5-2016

Gospel- we are in need of a savior

Reading in Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Hebrew world view-there is a God, the Bible is true, got to go about living.

Greek world view must find origin of things, Bible not relevant.

As time limited beings we can take God's word for the past, OR that of other humans- records left. There maybe errors. People like to say the Bible is in error based on human record, but couldn't the reverse be just as true? The human record could be in error based on the Bible. What is the motive of the author of the biblical record?, the human record?

Don't think too long- its a distraction. You can't prove existence or non-exixstence of God beyond a shadow of a doubt. The Bible says this and even leading Scientists have to admit they don't know everything. You can't know for certain what happened before you existed just like you can't know what will happen after you die. The history of your family was told to you by someone you trust, you weren't there.

Five books of the Bible for how to live life.

Job - how to suffer

Psalms - how to pray

Proverbs - how to act

Ecclesiastes - how to enjoy

Song of Solomon - how to love

Greeks - things should be perfect, we all seek a Utopian world, but the reality is they aren't. The question becomes why? Then how to fix it?

We are not to serve God for gain, (Job lost everything) but to live in personal relationship to Christ. In each and every moment. If we are children then we need our Father readily near us to ask and to set us in the proper direction. What happens when children sneak off (try to hide from God's presence) ? Tries to figure something out without help?

God's order and His permissive will.

His Order - kingdom of heaven the Utopia we all seek,

His permissive will - the things as we have to deal with in this life. From dealing with what He permits we develop relationship to Him praying along the lines of His order and being changed from the inside out. We wouldn't seek relationship unless there was the things He allows in His permissive will. Life is ultimately a tradgedy.

The only thing that lasts is personal relationship through Jesus Christ. As we see our personal shortcomings in the day to day activities of life, will our desire to serve Him steer us in the right path?

Mature relationship to God sees hope- Hope in the God of the relationship, not in a creed or a word, but the person. We seek that relationship just like He seeks relationship with us.

We have the power to choose, what we do.

we don't have the power to avoid consequences of those choices.

we don't have the power to choose when we were born

we don't have the power to choose our sex

we don't have the power to choose our race

To discriminate against people based on age, sex, or race is a sign of just how fallen we are - apart from Christ. We can only choose within the confines we were placed. Our choices dictate our disposition.

A time for everything, what if we rush it? Consequences of choices. Some may not be so good. Awaiting for the proper time as led through your relationship with God, just enjoying that relationship until then. What happens when young kids get car keys? At some point however its the right time.

A time to get a time to lose. Be ever so careful not to be wrapped up in possessions. Absolutely they are of benefit, but its easy to value a possession more than the one who will inherit it - if you go to the Lord. Too much value on earthly possessions, can lead to you putting more emphasis on man's creations than God's (people). Lay up your treasure in heaven. Realistically what will happen to your things when you are gone?

If you lost everything you'd still have the relationship to God, because that can't be lost. And our thinking should be along the lines of "that relationship is enough".

A time to speak, control of the tongue. Jesus only spoke those things of His father, He never spoke to vindicate self. Don't we at times feel its necessary to vindicate ourselves? Don't, we are wretched sinners deserving death, speak the things God shows you through relationship to Him.

We don't serve God to gain heaven, its not fire insurance to keep us out of hell. We serve Him out of relationship to Him, service develops relationship and gains the satisfaction of having Him as our friend.

Unrequited love- the one sided type. Its the one tha hurts the most and Christ knows all about it. Its the way we treat Him prior to starting an relationship with Him. We usually don't consider relationship with Him until we have exhausted all of our self .

Our disposition should relate to our relationship to God, and unless we relate our disposition to Him between birth and death, we will reap distress, and those after us will also. If our dispostion is out of relationship to Him then we 'll experience the joy of life.

Jesus never terrorized anyone into believing, that is an invetion of man to try and control and manipulate people. Jesus is there for us all, and unless we're rightly related to Him everything we try on our own will fall in despair. Have despair in your life? - its in the area where you need to grow your relationship to Him, give up right to self, let Him re-new you. If our fundamental relationship to Him is flawed our other relationships will be also. Focus on your relationship to Him, be carefully careless of other relationships.

Live for present, not past, not future and as God rebuilds everypart of you back into oneness with Himself, enjoy it. Feel God's guidance, His bit in your mouth. The alternative one is sin. He will lead us in His path the right path. We may be tempted by shortcut, but its not His way its sin.

All men seek a utopian world, with fairness, perfect equity of people, perfect harmony. Only God's path has a hope of getting there. We have to let ourselves be transformed from within through redemption in Christ. We can't control others. The other paths we see to utopia want the things of Christ without the giving up of self, so it becomes apparent they want people (usually other people) to exhibit the spirit of Christ without acknowledging Him. Without acknowledging the Creator any world, system, etc. not of His way will fail.