4/3/16 – The Problem With God

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 ESV
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die;a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate;a time for war, and a time for peace. 9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man. 14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. 15 That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.

I.NEVER PROMISED A BED OF ROSES
A.Jesus does not make all your earthly problems go away. (Luke 14:25-33)
B.Jesus makes all your eternal problems disappear.

II.TURN, TURN, TURN (1)
A.That there is a time for everything makes God hard to understand.
B.That there is a time for everything also means God understands all things.

III.JOY & PAIN, SUNSHINE & RAIN (2-11)
A.Life is not all good and it is not all bad. It is both and God uses it all in His sovereignty.
B.Life is both and good and we are too small to do anything about it.
C.God is not too small but He also doesn’t always do what we want.

IV.WHAT TO DO IN THE BAD AND GOOD (11)
A.Trust that because God is good, He will cause good to come from all things.
B.Learn to be ok that you don’t have to know the future because God does and He is good.
C.Don’t let what you don’t know about tomorrow ruin what you can enjoy today.
D.Embrace that you can rest because God is at work.

NEXT STEPS:
1.Life does not have to be good… because Jesus is.
2.God does not provide the answers to life because He is the answer to life.