Time that has value

What do we spend our time on?

Let Us take a moment of Silence for those affected by the horrific shooting on the Michigan State campus. Then I will finish with a Prayer

O lord our God, We come to you this morning asking that you Guard our hearts that are heavy and broken with pain at the senseless deaths caused by gun violence. Families mourn, children live in fear, and some in our nation respond by arming themselves with more guns with greater capacity to end life. Our disconnection and alienation have caused some to turn to guns for protection and safety. We ask that you touch our hearts with your love, heal our brokenness, and turn us away from violence toward peace. Help us to transform our own hearts and to seek peaceful ways of resolving our differences. Let our hands reach out and connect with those who feel alone, those who live in fear, and those suffering from mental illness. Let our voices be raised asking our legislators to enact gun laws to protect all in our society, especially those most vulnerable. Let our pens write messages demanding change while also scripting words of hope and transformation. We ask this in the name of the God who desires that we live together in peace.  Amen

intro: the book of ecclesiastics is one of the most misunderstood books in the Bible. Christians have tended either to ignore the message of the book or to regard it as a testimony of a man living apart from God. This is unfortunate for the book, because it asks relevant, searching questions about the meaning of life, and he declares the other fertility of existence without God. Like all scripture, the book of ecclesiastics benefits and edifies God’s people. Negative descriptions, such as cynical, fatalistic, or existential '' do not do the book of ecclesiastics justice. There’s too much evidence of robust cheerfulness throughout its pages so I commend enjoyment (8:15) is a reoccurring theme that provides the book. In fact, the Hebrew words for gladness and being glad appear 17 times in ecclesiastics. The underlining mood of the book is joy, finding pleasure in life, despite the troubles that often plague it. Those who fear and worship, God should experience this joy they should rejoice in the gift God has given him. But be careful to not allow the things under the sun to consume or pull you away from the eternal gifts we desire.

Solomon probably wrote this book towards the end of his life, after he had repented of adultery and his pursuit of foreign wives. Thus the book of Ecclesiastes is both a monument to Solomon’s real commitment to the living God, and to guide others through the pitfalls and perils of life. In fact, Solomon might have written this wisdom book as a tract for other nations. That would explain why he did not write about the law, and why he use the divine title, Elohim, meaning, exalted God, instead of the covenantal name, Yahweh in the book ( Ex. 3:14, 15). Solomon entertained many dignitaries from other nations, including the queen of Sheba. The queen's questions concerning the basic meaning of life might have prompted him to write ecclesiastics to teach the Gentiles about the living God, and their need to worship only him. Centuries before, Moses, had called for this type of treaty to the pagan nations Deuteronomy 4:6–8 But you who held fast to the Lord your God are all alive today. 5 See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, “ Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.

The nations that had heard of Israel's success needed to know about the living and exalted God, who blessed Israel with wealth and wisdom.

Sometimes it is better to read the end of the book to understand better the direction in which the book is headed. This is certainly true of ecclesiastics. The theme of the that we begin with is not the theme that we will end ups with. The book should be interpreted in light of his conclusion, fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is man’s all (12:13) to fear God means to revere, worship, and serve God to turn from evil and turn to the awesomeness of the living God.

so this morning we are turning our attention to the desires of our heart

read Eccl. 3:1-8

Intro: If someone asked you what stage of your life you are in, what would you say?

Many of us think of the stages of life as simply childhood and adulthood. But can our lives really be summed up into two basic categories? Throughout our lifetimes, we experience drastic changes and big milestones. From the day we are born, we are constantly learning, growing, and developing. As complex beings, it is difficult to summarize human development into clear-cut stages. But many practitioners in developmental psychology have created theories to help understand our intellectual and cognitive development better. When we talk about the concept of life stages, three distinct phases come to mind: childhood, adulthood, and old age. However, there is a greater degree of nuance to the life cycle of a human. We are all unique individuals that feel, think, and experience different things as we grow in years of age.

A dramatic lifestyle change often characterizes the transition to a different stage of life. People often say that someone is entering a new stage of life when they move out of their home, graduate, retire, or have children. But how many stages of life are there?

just reading Solomon’s poem in chapter 3 1-8 I counted 28 occasions in which we will expereience. and many of them we will experience on several occasions. So does that mean we should see change at each occasion. I say Yes.

While there are many theories, the important thing to remember is that we are all individual humans with unique experiences. The stages of life framework are simply meant to be a lens through which to see our lives. In Ecclesiastical Solomon asked God for wisdom to understand What is he wanting to understand? Verse 3 in Chapter 1 gives us his question and answer

Eccl. 1:3 “What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” What is gained under the sun? Solomon repeats that phrase throughout the book. Solomon is not speaking about heaven or hell. It’s about life.

Solomon is asking the question is this as good as it gets?

Ecclesiastics does not give us a complete explanation of life. We need the rest of the Bible to get the complete story. But this is the what-if question ecclesiastics deliver a sobering reality about life here on earth. Solomon is a prime example of a man who lost sight of God and got his eyes fixed on this side of eternity. Make no heed. There is no man foolish as the one who has wisdom but fails to live by it. Solomon knew God, but he allowed wine and women, pleasure and power to distract him. He didn’t walk away from God. He just drifted by getting, caught up in earthly things and allowed them to take over his heart.

have you ever allowed an occasion to take you so far away that it was hard to get back?

Have you ever spoken to someone who knew scripture, but it seem like something was missing? Solomon knew God, but it was not personal. Not once does he mention God, or called him father in the Book “Song of Solomon” Solomon is stuck under the sun. Sometimes we can find ourselves drifting that way. Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt

And this is where we get in trouble because the occasion is going to happen.

The occasion will happen in your home, on your job, in children, in your bodies, and even in your church.

What do we do when this happens?

Misfortune is an occasion to demonstrate character.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Before we can answer that question, we need to Stop to reflect, trying to clean out an old closet and get stuck. Looking at old photos? Life can move so fast and yet so slow. How does it all fit together? Solomon is looking at all the times in our lives. Times mean more than days and hours but how God designates certain events or occasions to occur. I would like to call them defining moments.

Verse four is an example of the contrast between life

Eccl 3:4 “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;”

Everything has its time sometimes life feels like a puzzle without the box top. At times some pieces go together perfectly, but others act as though don’t even belong in the box.

Verse 9, when we have done all this what have we gained? Looking through the box of memories. There is beauty to every stage. In hard times there is a wonder in life. God made a beautiful in its time.

We look at the pictures longing to keep that memory alive. The heart longs for something to last. Why can’t my stubborn heart be satisfied with the now? Verse 11 God said eternity in our hearts, and nothing on earth can feel it. Everything God has helps us endure forever.

I timothy 4:10 “For to this end, we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”

Hebrews 6:4-6

Entertainment has become our new idolatry. God is not asking us to spend all day in the scriptures and in ministry, but we do need to make time that begins and ends with God.

How do you value your time? Where does your heart spend time?

Make sure your time has value and spiritual growth