Sermon Nuggets Mon April 20
Theme- Unpredictability of Life
Verses- Eccl 9:1 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him.
The Unpredictability of Life
Last week we reflected on the predictability of death. Because we all die it makes a difference how we should live. But this week is another side of the argument. Life on this earth has no guarantees. There are principles to live by but as far as this world is concerned those principles do not always produce predictable results. We are constantly surprised as to what happens in our world.
The works that we accomplish in this life is the basis of our rewards in the next. We cannot earn our rewards after the grave.
There are some ditties- "Now I get me up to work, I pray the Lord I may not shirk. If I should die before tonight, I pray the Lord my works' all right." Another said, “When my life on earth is past only the work for Christ will last.” What are you doing for Him?
We do not know how long our life will be on this earth. We do not know what will happen tomorrow. We have no guarantees of health or wealth, or poverty or illness.
The hedonist philosophy of old says, "Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow you die." Live it up while you can for this is as good as it gets. Friends let me say something I hope you do not miss. If you are outside of faith in Jesus Christ this life is as good as it gets. It will not get any better than this. You might as well make life as fun as you want fulfilling any and all desires, for after this life is over there is the judgment and eternal hell. But likewise, for those who have faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and seek to live for him this life on earth is as worse as it will every get. All the problem and troubles of this earth is the worse hell you will ever experience, for He has prepared a place for eternity that in his presence will be joy everlasting. Are you prepared? Either this life is the best heaven you will enjoy or the worse hell you will enjoy. And when this life is ended it will be too late to repent. There will be no other chance.
Making our choices of preparing for the predictable and living in a world of unpredictability must rely on faith. Faith is trusting in Gods’ work and His promises that He will carry out what He has promised.
When Solomon sought to experience all he could on life he passed on all that he observed. The first verse was the theme of the rest of the chapter. As we look more closely at verese 11-18 this week the emphasis I want us to think about is how to live in an unpredictable world. There is one thing we experience since Jesus Christ that no one else experienced up to 33 AD. We who have believed in Christ and sought to make Him Lord over our lives have the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to be our guide and our comfort in the unpredictable world. For that give praise this day.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues April 21
Verses-Eccl 9: 11 I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.
Unpredictability Attacks Self Confidence.
Solomon started this chapter reminding us that even the wise and the righteous do not know whether love or hate awaits him. Now in this verse his observations lead to humbly say all man's plans and dreams are unpredictable. We try so hard to prepare for the future and to make sense of life by applying certain principles to get blessings but somehow it just doesn't always work. We can do every thing right and have things turn out wrong. And some can do everything wrong and have things turn out right as far as this world is concerned. Life is more complex than 10 easy principles of this or 7 easy lessons of that. I realize that I too can be guilty of oversimplifying the principles presented.
I went to a seminar on how to understand you wife. Guess what? I applied every principle the teacher gave me and it didn't work. Wives are more complex than a 3 hour seminar. We cannot be self confident in our achievements. Whatever we have experienced for good is a gift from God. We too often take credit for our works instead of His grace. Difficulties and circumstances keep us dependent on Him.
Injustice has always been a problem for believers. Why do folks who seek to be faithful, suffer? Why do those who seem to have no regard for God or His ways seems to have an easy and rich life? Why do the evil prosper? Why do the faithful fall?
Friends in life, even in the Christian life, there are no pat answers. We need the continual reminder that faith in God is believing and knowing He is in control and He knows best. God has said He will never leave us nor forsake us. Just because you cannot understand all the answers doesn't mean we give up on the one who does know all the answers.
If there is one constant complaint against church people by outsiders it is “self righteousness.” Instead of witnessing compassion and humility there is a perception of people who are holier and more judgmental toward others. There are people who think they have God all figured out. If they say a prayer a certain way, or follow a particular path then their wanted results always follow. Solomon says that just isn't so in this life. I feel so small and ignorant when complexities come. I ask "Why Lord, I do not understand.” I find that real Christian maturity isn't being able to answer the questions; it is to trust even in the midst of questions. Sometimes a satisfying answer never comes. As we humbly walk with trust in the Lord we accept by faith that some things are not for us to understand and are beyond our ability humanly to understand. But we will understand it by and by.
Oswald Chambers, said, "God disciplines us by disappointments. Life may have been going on like a torrent, then suddenly down comes a barrier of disappointment, until slowly we learn that the disappointment was His appointment. God hides His treasures in darkness, and many a radiant star that was not seen before comes out. In some lives you can see the treasure. There is sweetness and beauty about them, the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit and you wonder where the wisdom power of God came from. It came from the dark places where God revealed His sovereign will in unexpected issues. ‘Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.’ the psalmist says. Isn't it in those dark days that we lean most on God?”
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds April 22, 2009
Verse- Eccl 9: 12 Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.
Unpredictability Results in False Confidence
It's not the fastest that wins the race, nor the strongest than wins battle, nor the wisest farmer that necessarily gets the best crop, nor the brilliant that gets the most money. And still no one knows when death will occur.
Eric Clapton, a noted rock star, wrote a ballad called tears in heaven, "Would you know my name, if I saw you in heaven? Would it be the same, if I saw you in heaven? I must be strong and carry on. 'Cause I know I don't belong, here in heaven."
During his career Clapton had faced heroin addiction and the pain of shattered relationships with wives and women. Finally he seemed to have found peace and maturity as a parent. But he wrote ‘Tears in Heaven’ after the accidental death of his 4 year old son who fell from a 53rd floor NYC apartment in 1991. His song was named record of the year and song of the year at 35th annual Grammy Awards. He sang, "Time can bring you down. Time can bend your knees. Time can break your heart, have you beggin' please. Beyond the door there's peace, I'm sure. And I know, there'll be no more tears in heaven."
Pop-culture expect Bob DeMoss said, "Clapton knows that there's peace on the other side, if only he could bring himself to ask for forgiveness..It's evident that he's so close, yet so far."
There are times when people say, I do not understand this world. I cannot make sense out of my life. Things don't always turn out they way we think they should.
We live in a world where too often dreams are shattered, but that doesn’t mean we can’t dream. We live in a world where people we love disappoint us, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love. We live in a world where our jobs may not be secure, but that doesn’t mean we don’t do our best in our work. We live in an unsecure world but that does not mean we quit or give up.
I applaud those whose homes have been devastated by tornados or floods and in tears say, I have lost everything, but will build again. We have not lost lives and things can be replaced.
There are both warnings in the Bible to not put too much stock in things over which we have no control. Yet it also teaches we make wiser decisions as we assess as carefully as we can our present plans to make decisions that affect our future. The wise man who built bigger barns was anticipating living a long life. Retirement is not a bad thing to plan. But all his riches were placed in those dreams to the neglect of his eternal and spiritual life. The man who was going to build a house was wise if he first considered all he needed before the house was build and the type of foundation needed to withstand future storms.
It is wise to plan for the future, but not put all our trust in things that pass away. If your whole life and love is devoted to anything of this world we will lose it some day and then what will you do?
Pastor Dale.
Sermon Nuggets Thur April 23, 2009
Verses- Eccl 9: 13-15 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it.
Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.
Unpredictability Produces Surprises.
Underdogs win sometimes. It is frustrating in sports when millions of dollars are paid to the best players making the lower paid teams and coaches’ automatic losers. We live in a world where prejudice abounds against those less talented, less rich, less popular.
If you haven’t been one of the 30 plus million who saw a replay of Susan Boyle’s performance in Britain’s Got Talent contest you should see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luRmM1J1sfg (copy and paste in your address line).
What makes her one of the overnight successes is that she was such a surprise to Simon Cowell and the rest of the judges and audience when this timid church volunteer at 47 years of age brought the house down with the beauty of her voice. The cheers were not just for her talent, but for the surprise of someone who did not impress others with her looks, dress, or personality shocked the world with her talent.
We see played over and again the autistic but enthusiastic basket ball manager, 17-year-old Jason McElwain from Greece Athena High School. Just to honor him in his senior year they coach let him play in the last home game. He delighted the home crowd by shooting a surprising 3 point long shot. But it didn’t stop there- he did it again, and again and again and again and again. In a few minutes he gained for his team 20 points. They carried him off the court on the shoulders of his teammates.
These stories are surprising in a couple of ways. The underdog wins. The least popular surpasses the favorites. The forgotten outshine the heroes. There is something within us that touches the heart of our own feelings of feeling unworthy. For once the weakest link becomes the strongest. Those expected to lose win in the last seconds. We feel good about that and say talent deserves to be honored above those who flaunt it.
But what is equally surprising is that Susan Boyle was ever allowed to sing in the first place, or Jason McElwain was allowed to play, or people would be given the chance of participating. Prejudice of all sorts stops people off at the pass.
In this short illustration Solomon acknowledges a poor man who stands up with his wisdom against the advances of a king and his army and is able to save the city. The results are the city is spared. Wisdom wins over might. What isn’t surprising is that no one could come up with his name and there was no banquet given in his honor. He remained in the shadows and forgotten. It might be likely the mayor of the city got the honors. It might be true the notoriety goes to the boss instead of the secretary who prepared his presentation. It seems typical the bonus payments go to those in supervisory positions while the employee who originally presented the winning idea is transferred to another department or laid off.
Man's plans do not always work. It was Goliath who had strength; it was David that had faith. It was Ahab that had power; it was Elijah that had God. It was the wise men of Egypt that had education; it was Namaan's servant girl that was the tool for cleansing. Friends, God keeps intervening man's plans to prove our life is humanly unpredictable.
Wisdom was better than strength. Brains beat brawn. But this poor man didn't get the prize, or reward- that seemed so unfair. He didn't get the credit for his wisdom or work.
But God knows. Many forgotten people who did right are known by God and that's enough. More than that, God often chooses to work through clay vessels so that He might receive the glory. He is the giver of talent, wisdom, strength, voice, and life. Jesus chose to come among the poor and be ridiculed, ignored, and rejected. He understands our world. He knows our hearts. He keeps the final score in the end.
So keep singing, keep shooting, keep sharing, keep giving and do it for Him knowing He is delighted even if no one else notices.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri April 24, 2009
Verses- Eccl 9:16-18 So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
Unpredictability Needs Stability
We can try to prepare for the unexpected. As Solomon stated so well that is not always possible. We do not know the future. Some people live paranoid lives thinking bad things will happen to them and their worries overwhelm them. They do not have peace. There are so many things in life over which we have no control. However, there are wise ways to live. To ignore good advice is to risk greater peril. God gives wisdom sometimes through people we least expect. Those who shout the loudest are not always the wisest. One sinner can destroy much good.
Giving good advice and applying wisdom was the purpose of Solomon’s other book- the book of Proverbs. Wisdom will guide us in making better decisions that in the long run protects us from major disappointments and allows for greater security.
A person can save for a rainy day and find that savings destroyed. But it is still wiser to have some savings. A person can prevent lots of health problems by eating properly, and exercising. But so far the mortality rate is 100%. Even healthy people die young.
I read a parable of a man who was going on a journey. He traveled light. Along the way he met various people who warned him of things he could experience. Each concern resulted in carrying more things he might need to prepare him for the unexpected, until he was burdened down with much weight. As he walked across a bridge over the river all his extra weight caused the bridge to break and he fell into the water and drowned.
There is one thing for sure- we do not know what the future can hold as far as this world is concerned. Only what God's word reveals will happen. Do you know it predicts our world will be destroyed? There will be a new heaven and a new earth. Do you know it predicts a world-wide economic crisis? There are treasures in heaven than cannot be taken away. Do you know Jesus is coming again? Some will be taken and others will be left behind. We know how to prepare for that.
I do not know why Peter was miraculously released from prison and Stephen was stoned to death as a martyr. I don't know why some person can be spared death from an accident but another is killed in one. I do not know what God answers the prayer of family member in his 70s to come out of a coma and a young couple has a still born child. I do not know why some missionaries are slaughtered and others miraculously released. I do not know why evil people are sometimes rewarded in their dishonesty and honest people suffer because of their commitment to Godly morals. But in spite of what this world calls success, if you are out of God's will there is no true success and happiness, and if you are in the center of God will there is no true failure. Can you walk by faith and not by sight and ask "though, I do not understand, yet will I trust in the one who died for me?"
Solomon raises very significant questions and observations. There is a predictability of death. It will come to you and to me. When it does all our decisions and work on this life is over. Until then there is the unpredictability of our days and the future. But there came one, Jesus Christ, who gave us hope. He said, “in this world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Can you believe that even when the days are dark? Do you know that Christ is your hope in our uncertain world and in our certain death? Faith in Him will lead us down paths we have not traveled before but there are no surprises to Him. Let Him be your stability in these unpredictable days.
Pastor Dale
