WEBVTT 00:00:00.440 --> 00:00:03.640 Today we're reading from Ecclesiastes chapter 3. 00:00:04.520 --> 00:00:06.480 Starting in verse 1, we read, 00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:12.880 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. 00:00:13.740 --> 00:00:16.719 A time to be born and a time to die. 00:00:17.480 --> 00:00:20.699 A time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted. 00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:24.320 A time to kill and a time to heal. 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:29.379 A time to break down and a time to build up. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.340 A time to weep and a time to laugh. 00:00:34.240 --> 00:00:36.780 A time to mourn and a time to dance. 00:00:37.560 --> 00:00:42.539 A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together. 00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:47.960 A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. 00:00:49.060 --> 00:00:52.200 A time to seek and a time to lose. 00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:56.299 A time to keep and a time to cast away. 00:00:56.299 --> 00:01:00.559 A time to tear and a time to sew. 00:01:01.559 --> 00:01:05.939 A time to keep silence and a time to speak. 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:10.299 A time to love and a time to hate. 00:01:11.239 --> 00:01:14.920 A time for war and a time for peace. 00:01:14.920 --> 00:01:19.519 What gain has the worker from his toil? 00:01:20.299 --> 00:01:24.879 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 00:01:26.019 --> 00:01:29.180 He has made everything beautiful in its time. 00:01:29.960 --> 00:01:32.700 Also, he has put eternity into man's heart. 00:01:33.260 --> 00:01:38.400 Yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:46.440 I perceive that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live. 00:01:47.020 --> 00:01:51.500 Also, that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil. 00:01:51.940 --> 00:01:53.640 This is God's gift to man. 00:01:55.240 --> 00:01:58.620 I perceive that whatever God does endures forever. 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:03.920 Nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:07.760 God has done it so that people fear before him. 00:02:08.580 --> 00:02:10.659 That which is already has been. 00:02:11.259 --> 00:02:13.640 That which is to be already has been. 00:02:14.300 --> 00:02:16.819 And God seeks what has been driven away. 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:25.759 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness. 00:02:26.199 --> 00:02:30.360 And in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:35.760 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked. 00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:39.880 For there is a time for every matter and for every work. 00:02:41.220 --> 00:02:46.220 I said in my heart, with regard to the children of man, that God is testing them. 00:02:46.660 --> 00:02:49.440 That they may see that they themselves are but beasts. 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:55.260 For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same. 00:02:56.120 --> 00:02:58.400 As one dies, so dies the other. 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:01.159 They all have the same breath. 00:03:01.760 --> 00:03:05.379 And man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. 00:03:06.099 --> 00:03:07.840 All go to one place. 00:03:08.599 --> 00:03:09.800 All are from the dust. 00:03:10.219 --> 00:03:11.659 And to dust all return. 00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:15.860 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward, 00:03:16.420 --> 00:03:19.140 and the spirit of the beasts goes down into the earth. 00:03:20.180 --> 00:03:26.020 So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, 00:03:26.379 --> 00:03:27.580 for that is his lot. 00:03:27.580 --> 00:03:32.480 Who can bring him to see what will be after him? 00:03:33.720 --> 00:03:35.040 This is the word of God. 00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:36.039 Great. 00:03:42.039 --> 00:03:42.859 Thank you, Karen. 00:03:43.659 --> 00:03:46.699 Let's pray together as we come and look at this passage. 00:03:46.899 --> 00:03:51.019 Heavenly Father, Sovereign God, Merciful Lord, 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:55.599 we come before your word this morning because, as we've said many times before, 00:03:55.680 --> 00:03:57.439 we want to hear you speak. 00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:02.099 That's why we gather to encounter you, the living God, through your word, 00:04:02.340 --> 00:04:05.620 to be encouraged by the gospel, to worship you this morning. 00:04:06.479 --> 00:04:09.579 God, I pray that you know where each one of our hearts are at. 00:04:09.659 --> 00:04:12.840 You know those of us that are encouraged and those of us that are discouraged. 00:04:12.840 --> 00:04:16.780 Those of us that are laughing, those of us that are mourning, 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:19.439 those of us that are rejoicing, those of us that are weeping. 00:04:20.139 --> 00:04:25.139 God, won't you come and meet with each one of us this morning and speak to us from your word. 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:29.840 Humble us, challenge us, but also encourage us. 00:04:29.839 --> 00:04:32.819 We pray these things in your wonderful name. 00:04:33.379 --> 00:04:33.719 Amen. 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:37.779 I want to encourage you, if you've got a Bible, 00:04:37.959 --> 00:04:41.500 to keep it open to Ecclesiastes 3 or otherwise grab the bulletin. 00:04:41.619 --> 00:04:45.219 We're going to be looking at this text a fair bit. 00:04:46.019 --> 00:04:51.279 But time, this passage is all about time and the seasons of our life. 00:04:52.059 --> 00:04:55.000 Time is the one resource that, my guess is, 00:04:55.079 --> 00:04:58.279 most of us feel like we don't have enough of it. 00:04:58.279 --> 00:05:01.759 When you are young, like the children that have run out, 00:05:02.219 --> 00:05:03.959 you feel like time is your friend. 00:05:04.119 --> 00:05:05.599 You've got all the time in the world. 00:05:06.199 --> 00:05:08.699 But age quickly dispels that. 00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:15.000 One person said that time is like a river that only runs in one direction. 00:05:15.259 --> 00:05:18.039 And there's coming a time when time will run out. 00:05:18.819 --> 00:05:21.759 Unlike money, you can save all the time in the world, 00:05:21.859 --> 00:05:24.179 but you can never leave it to your children. 00:05:24.180 --> 00:05:28.660 You can't bequeath it in your will and have a building named after you. 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:31.259 So-and-so left this amount of time to this foundation. 00:05:32.540 --> 00:05:34.780 No matter how much time you save, 00:05:34.900 --> 00:05:40.180 all of us will come to a point where the sand in the hourglass of our lives 00:05:40.180 --> 00:05:42.180 eventually runs out. 00:05:42.180 --> 00:05:47.079 But time is not only a limited and finite resource, 00:05:47.280 --> 00:05:49.699 it's also meant to be a source of wisdom. 00:05:50.740 --> 00:05:56.079 How we view time and how we steward our time and the seasons of our lives 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:58.399 shape our lives profoundly. 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:02.120 Now, we're looking at this book, Ecclesiastes, 00:06:02.439 --> 00:06:06.579 and Nielsen, the last two weeks, has opened that up looking at chapter one or two. 00:06:06.579 --> 00:06:09.219 And I wanted just to remind us of the framework, 00:06:09.379 --> 00:06:12.639 in case you weren't here the last few weeks or maybe you missed it. 00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:16.279 Ecclesiastes is actually written, there's two authors, 00:06:16.419 --> 00:06:18.560 there's two voices in the book. 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:24.259 Most of the book is the words of this guy called the teacher or the preacher. 00:06:24.500 --> 00:06:29.039 In Hebrew, the word is kohelet, which means one who gathers people together. 00:06:29.560 --> 00:06:33.839 And most of the book is the words of kohelet, the teacher or the preacher. 00:06:33.839 --> 00:06:40.439 But the book itself is actually written by another author, another wise man. 00:06:40.919 --> 00:06:44.519 And he employs the words or uses the words of kohelet 00:06:44.519 --> 00:06:51.559 to show us what life looks like if all you see is the world around you. 00:06:52.539 --> 00:06:54.639 Kohelet is aware of God. 00:06:54.879 --> 00:06:58.479 He knows God is there, but it's almost like God is in the distance. 00:06:59.059 --> 00:07:02.899 He's not aware of God involved in his life and breaking into his life 00:07:02.899 --> 00:07:04.519 and the mercy and the grace of God. 00:07:05.019 --> 00:07:09.799 He's aware that there is a God, but his life is consumed with what he can see. 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:12.719 I don't know if you actually see throughout this passage, 00:07:12.899 --> 00:07:14.439 look at how many times he says, 00:07:14.539 --> 00:07:16.919 I saw, I perceived, I see. 00:07:17.799 --> 00:07:21.579 He's describing the world as he sees it in front of him. 00:07:21.579 --> 00:07:25.819 And the author is using the words of this teacher to say, 00:07:26.180 --> 00:07:29.359 if you see life like that, all that's in front of you, 00:07:29.879 --> 00:07:32.120 it's going to end in a dead end. 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:35.579 What is the teacher's favorite phrase? 00:07:36.099 --> 00:07:37.759 His conclusion, his assessment? 00:07:38.819 --> 00:07:39.339 Meaningless. 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:40.639 Vanity. 00:07:41.479 --> 00:07:46.060 The Hebrew is the word hevel, which means a vapor or a mist. 00:07:46.060 --> 00:07:48.579 It's like trying to grab some smoke with your hand, 00:07:48.699 --> 00:07:51.280 and you open up and you see it's disappeared. 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:53.399 Meaningless vanity. 00:07:54.199 --> 00:07:59.480 And the point of Ecclesiastes is to help us lift our eyes off of just the here and now 00:07:59.480 --> 00:08:03.800 and to see there is more to life than what we can just see. 00:08:04.459 --> 00:08:09.019 And so the author is using the words of the teacher, Kohelet, to help us do that. 00:08:09.300 --> 00:08:12.259 That's important to understand when we read Ecclesiastes. 00:08:12.259 --> 00:08:19.360 And so far, the author or the teacher has explored the kind of circular nature of life. 00:08:19.899 --> 00:08:21.019 He says in chapter 1, 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:23.120 What has been will be again. 00:08:23.699 --> 00:08:25.959 And what has been will be done. 00:08:26.360 --> 00:08:28.180 Nothing is new under the sun. 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:32.840 In chapter 2, he explored pleasure and hedonism. 00:08:32.980 --> 00:08:34.379 Education and wisdom. 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:36.179 Toil and work. 00:08:36.279 --> 00:08:37.539 And what is his assessment? 00:08:38.340 --> 00:08:39.019 Vanity. 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:40.179 Hevel. 00:08:40.179 --> 00:08:40.620 Hevel. 00:08:40.839 --> 00:08:41.159 Hevel. 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:43.219 Striving after the wind. 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:46.339 Well, today we come to chapter 3. 00:08:46.739 --> 00:08:53.039 And the teacher, Kohelet, wants to explore the idea of time and the seasons of our lives. 00:08:53.459 --> 00:08:58.359 And what the author is going to say to us in this chapter is that in order to live well, 00:08:58.439 --> 00:09:00.500 we need to understand two things. 00:09:01.079 --> 00:09:06.939 Firstly, our lives are enclosed within time's bounds. 00:09:06.940 --> 00:09:11.620 Our lives are enclosed within time's bounds. 00:09:12.220 --> 00:09:14.400 But secondly, God is not. 00:09:15.180 --> 00:09:15.320 Okay? 00:09:15.440 --> 00:09:16.660 That's the big idea. 00:09:17.540 --> 00:09:19.700 And we're going to look at this in four sections. 00:09:19.880 --> 00:09:21.900 And so look at the first section with me. 00:09:22.420 --> 00:09:24.040 Verses 1 to 8. 00:09:24.180 --> 00:09:26.080 The tapestry of life. 00:09:26.600 --> 00:09:27.820 The tapestry of life. 00:09:27.820 --> 00:09:31.320 Let's read this famous poem again. 00:09:32.200 --> 00:09:33.220 The author writes, 00:09:33.300 --> 00:09:38.100 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. 00:09:38.720 --> 00:09:41.840 A time to be born, and a time to die. 00:09:42.400 --> 00:09:46.500 A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted. 00:09:47.260 --> 00:09:50.360 A time to kill, and a time to heal. 00:09:50.360 --> 00:09:54.919 A time to break down, and a time to build up. 00:09:55.500 --> 00:09:58.720 A time to weep, and a time to laugh. 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:02.639 A time to mourn, and a time to dance. 00:10:03.320 --> 00:10:07.620 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones. 00:10:08.300 --> 00:10:12.340 A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing. 00:10:12.340 --> 00:10:16.600 A time to seek, and a time to lose. 00:10:17.300 --> 00:10:20.740 A time to keep, and a time to cast away. 00:10:21.879 --> 00:10:25.120 A time to tear, and a time to sow. 00:10:25.879 --> 00:10:29.440 A time to keep silence, and a time to speak. 00:10:30.300 --> 00:10:32.800 A time for love, and a time for hate. 00:10:33.620 --> 00:10:37.340 A time for war, and a time for peace. 00:10:37.340 --> 00:10:45.940 This poem, the author beautifully explores that life is like a tapestry. 00:10:46.220 --> 00:10:47.399 Do you know what a tapestry is? 00:10:47.960 --> 00:10:51.899 Tapestry is one of those beautifully embroidered pictures 00:10:51.899 --> 00:10:56.240 that is made up of hundreds or even millions of strands of material. 00:10:56.800 --> 00:10:59.379 Sometimes silk, sometimes other material. 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:01.720 And the embroiderers will sew it together, 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:04.560 and make a beautiful picture out of it. 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:08.539 And the author is saying that life is like this. 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:12.419 It consists of hundreds, thousands of moments of times, 00:11:12.519 --> 00:11:16.879 and seasons of our lives that make up the tapestry of our lives. 00:11:17.259 --> 00:11:18.719 If you live long enough, 00:11:19.059 --> 00:11:21.619 your life will experience the full spectrum 00:11:21.619 --> 00:11:24.919 of the experiences of what it means to be human. 00:11:26.339 --> 00:11:29.419 Joys and challenges, delights and disappointments, 00:11:29.419 --> 00:11:31.679 sunny days and autumn nights. 00:11:32.219 --> 00:11:34.019 A time of sowing and reaping, 00:11:34.019 --> 00:11:36.340 of building up and breaking down. 00:11:37.159 --> 00:11:39.139 And the teacher is not arguing 00:11:39.139 --> 00:11:42.059 that this is how life ought to be. 00:11:42.199 --> 00:11:43.899 There's no moral injunction here. 00:11:43.980 --> 00:11:46.960 He's not saying there is a time where you should love your kids, 00:11:47.039 --> 00:11:48.759 and you should hate your kids, 00:11:48.899 --> 00:11:51.059 or love people, or hate people. 00:11:51.500 --> 00:11:52.860 This is not an ought to be. 00:11:53.340 --> 00:11:56.159 He's describing how life is as he sees it, 00:11:56.179 --> 00:11:57.279 as he perceives it. 00:11:57.279 --> 00:12:01.199 He is saying that life is not just sunny days, 00:12:01.299 --> 00:12:02.559 and drinking pina coladas, 00:12:02.939 --> 00:12:04.679 and filled with laughter and embracing. 00:12:05.299 --> 00:12:06.339 Life is complex. 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:07.240 It's messy. 00:12:07.620 --> 00:12:08.839 There's hard times. 00:12:08.959 --> 00:12:09.679 There's good times. 00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:11.100 There's in-between times. 00:12:11.980 --> 00:12:12.659 Someone said, 00:12:12.659 --> 00:12:15.159 In prosperity, prepare for suffering. 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:19.120 In suffering, know that it won't always be so. 00:12:19.819 --> 00:12:21.000 Life is complex. 00:12:21.139 --> 00:12:23.620 It's full of the vast spectrum. 00:12:23.779 --> 00:12:25.339 In everything, there is a season, 00:12:25.480 --> 00:12:27.600 a time for every matter under heaven. 00:12:28.600 --> 00:12:31.240 Life, says the teacher, is a tapestry, 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:34.899 and the wise person knows how to respond 00:12:34.899 --> 00:12:38.180 in the different seasons of life appropriately. 00:12:39.240 --> 00:12:41.680 There's this very confusing two verses 00:12:41.680 --> 00:12:43.659 in the book of Proverbs, in chapter 26. 00:12:43.879 --> 00:12:44.560 It says this, 00:12:45.080 --> 00:12:47.779 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, 00:12:48.340 --> 00:12:50.019 lest you be like him yourself. 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:52.060 And then the next line says, 00:12:52.539 --> 00:12:54.740 Answer a fool according to his folly, 00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:58.259 lest he be wise in his own eyes. 00:12:58.799 --> 00:12:59.820 And think what's going on here. 00:12:59.820 --> 00:13:01.620 So I've got this fool in front of me. 00:13:01.680 --> 00:13:03.420 Do I speak to him or do I not speak to him? 00:13:03.460 --> 00:13:04.160 What do I do? 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:07.100 Well, different situations will require 00:13:07.100 --> 00:13:08.080 a different response. 00:13:08.300 --> 00:13:10.540 Sometimes the best thing to do is just to walk away. 00:13:10.860 --> 00:13:12.560 But sometimes you've got to engage 00:13:12.560 --> 00:13:14.060 and don't leave him in his folly. 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:18.040 The wise person knows that life is not linear. 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:19.080 It's not simplistic. 00:13:19.340 --> 00:13:21.500 It's not just simply axiomatic. 00:13:21.760 --> 00:13:23.280 You read a verse like this and you say, 00:13:23.379 --> 00:13:24.700 Okay, I know how life works. 00:13:25.140 --> 00:13:26.060 Life is complex. 00:13:26.220 --> 00:13:28.920 It's full of these complexities in life. 00:13:28.919 --> 00:13:33.879 It is a tapestry, a patchwork of joy and grief, 00:13:34.479 --> 00:13:35.799 rejoicing and mourning. 00:13:36.740 --> 00:13:39.959 Life is like a song that has major notes 00:13:39.959 --> 00:13:42.319 and minor notes as well. 00:13:42.819 --> 00:13:46.959 It is a tapestry that has reds and blues and greens, 00:13:47.240 --> 00:13:50.959 but it also has blacks and browns and grays. 00:13:51.799 --> 00:13:54.259 Life sometimes has beginner doctors 00:13:54.259 --> 00:13:56.319 that poke you in the wrong place. 00:13:57.220 --> 00:13:59.620 And sometimes it has experienced doctors 00:13:59.620 --> 00:14:01.439 that know exactly what you need. 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:03.779 Thank you, Alan, for that piece of insight. 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:08.659 Life consists of seasons of diapers and pacifiers, 00:14:09.819 --> 00:14:10.779 sleepless nights, 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:14.000 but also seasons of getting old 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:16.139 and false teeth and dentures 00:14:16.139 --> 00:14:17.399 and losing your memory. 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:20.519 Life is like a tapestry. 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:23.799 But notice how most of these things 00:14:23.799 --> 00:14:25.939 are beyond your control 00:14:25.939 --> 00:14:27.939 or your ability to influence. 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:31.319 Many of these things that are described in this poem 00:14:31.319 --> 00:14:34.500 sometimes come crashing into your life unannounced. 00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:36.899 But all of these things are really beyond 00:14:36.899 --> 00:14:38.639 our ability to control them. 00:14:39.319 --> 00:14:41.559 And actually one of the marks of foolishness 00:14:41.559 --> 00:14:44.199 is to think that we have complete control 00:14:44.199 --> 00:14:45.360 over our lives. 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:47.620 Anybody here plan your birth? 00:14:47.620 --> 00:14:51.399 Anybody know exactly how or when you will die? 00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:53.799 The author is telling us 00:14:53.799 --> 00:14:56.759 that life is sometimes beyond our control. 00:14:57.620 --> 00:14:59.379 The author, David Gibson, 00:14:59.500 --> 00:15:00.779 wrote a fascinating book called 00:15:00.779 --> 00:15:02.299 Living Life Backwards 00:15:02.299 --> 00:15:03.480 on the book of Ecclesiastes. 00:15:03.639 --> 00:15:04.620 I encourage you to read it 00:15:04.620 --> 00:15:06.000 if you can order it. 00:15:06.100 --> 00:15:07.100 And look at what he says. 00:15:07.539 --> 00:15:09.659 He says that while we may be tempted 00:15:09.659 --> 00:15:12.440 to look at this list in the poem 00:15:12.440 --> 00:15:14.340 like a food panda menu 00:15:14.340 --> 00:15:17.980 and think I will order three hours of joy today, 00:15:18.560 --> 00:15:20.040 four hours of rest, 00:15:20.220 --> 00:15:23.500 and 25 minutes of suffering next week, 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:25.879 and then I will have two and a half years 00:15:25.879 --> 00:15:27.379 of fulfilling wonderful work 00:15:27.379 --> 00:15:29.060 before I go on to the next season. 00:15:29.560 --> 00:15:32.220 Life doesn't always work out like that. 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:35.060 We may think we are the captains of our fate, 00:15:35.160 --> 00:15:36.440 the masters of our destiny, 00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:39.300 but really step back a little 00:15:39.300 --> 00:15:41.260 and you'll see the tapestry of your life 00:15:41.260 --> 00:15:43.020 is largely out of your hands, 00:15:43.400 --> 00:15:46.520 beyond your control to influence or ability. 00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:49.100 And so wisdom is not measured 00:15:49.100 --> 00:15:50.800 by the success of your life, 00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:53.600 but whether we know how to turn to God 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:56.240 in each and every season of life. 00:15:57.020 --> 00:15:58.340 For every season, 00:15:59.280 --> 00:16:01.000 for everything there is a season, 00:16:01.220 --> 00:16:02.580 a time under heaven, 00:16:03.200 --> 00:16:05.000 the tapestry of lives. 00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:07.460 But notice, secondly, 00:16:07.659 --> 00:16:09.299 the tyranny of our lives. 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:12.559 This poem in Ecclesiastes 3 00:16:12.559 --> 00:16:13.600 is very famous. 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:17.500 It's often read at weddings and funerals, 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:18.840 even funerals of those 00:16:18.840 --> 00:16:20.759 that are secular or humanistic. 00:16:21.559 --> 00:16:22.960 It's a very famous poem 00:16:22.960 --> 00:16:24.500 because it's written so beautifully. 00:16:25.080 --> 00:16:27.620 If you happen to be of a certain age 00:16:27.620 --> 00:16:29.740 and you happen to listen to pop music 00:16:29.740 --> 00:16:30.940 in the 1970s, 00:16:31.299 --> 00:16:33.299 there was a band called The Birds. 00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:34.940 Does anybody know what I'm referring to? 00:16:35.460 --> 00:16:36.240 Okay, Oscar. 00:16:36.399 --> 00:16:36.539 Wow. 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:37.559 Great. 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:38.679 Thank you for that confession. 00:16:39.240 --> 00:16:40.600 They wrote a very famous song. 00:16:41.100 --> 00:16:42.220 There is a season, 00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:42.879 turn, 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:43.720 turn, 00:16:43.980 --> 00:16:44.279 turn. 00:16:44.500 --> 00:16:45.220 Does anyone know that? 00:16:45.779 --> 00:16:46.720 Okay, Colin, 00:16:46.840 --> 00:16:47.820 I see that little nod. 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:49.460 This song, 00:16:50.259 --> 00:16:51.000 this poem, 00:16:51.500 --> 00:16:53.700 is beautiful. 00:16:53.879 --> 00:16:55.419 It captures the experience, 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:57.019 the spectrum of our lives. 00:16:57.259 --> 00:16:58.899 And the way that it's written, 00:16:59.139 --> 00:17:00.480 it kind of lilts, 00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:00.720 right? 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:01.320 It sings. 00:17:01.399 --> 00:17:02.879 It's got this melody to it. 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:04.120 For everything, 00:17:04.339 --> 00:17:05.100 there is a season. 00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:07.039 A season to plant, 00:17:07.500 --> 00:17:08.759 and a season to pluck up. 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:10.440 A season to gather, 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:12.380 and a season to cast away. 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:14.140 It's just written so beautifully, 00:17:14.299 --> 00:17:16.120 you can't help but want to sing it. 00:17:17.120 --> 00:17:19.940 But the author is not singing this 00:17:19.940 --> 00:17:22.360 because he's celebrating the tapestry of life. 00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:23.639 If anything, 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:25.500 the teacher is frustrated 00:17:25.500 --> 00:17:28.559 by the tapestry of life. 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:30.500 For the teacher, 00:17:31.259 --> 00:17:33.819 he's saying that life with all its dimensions 00:17:33.819 --> 00:17:34.859 is a mystery. 00:17:35.139 --> 00:17:35.879 It's an enigma. 00:17:36.579 --> 00:17:37.579 Sometimes there's joy, 00:17:37.719 --> 00:17:38.179 and dancing, 00:17:38.299 --> 00:17:38.740 and laughter, 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:40.679 but oftentimes there's pain, 00:17:40.839 --> 00:17:41.599 there's tears, 00:17:41.740 --> 00:17:42.439 there's mourning, 00:17:42.879 --> 00:17:43.859 there's heartache. 00:17:44.579 --> 00:17:45.740 As reciprocal, 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:47.779 and as melodic as the poem is, 00:17:48.099 --> 00:17:50.079 that's not how life always works. 00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:52.519 It's not simply this linear, 00:17:52.659 --> 00:17:53.399 this simplistic. 00:17:54.179 --> 00:17:56.059 Life is sometimes nonsensical. 00:17:56.599 --> 00:17:58.000 It's a tapestry, sure, 00:17:58.119 --> 00:17:58.720 but he's saying, 00:17:58.859 --> 00:18:01.699 all I can see is the back of the tapestry, 00:18:01.699 --> 00:18:04.099 and I can see just messy strands. 00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:05.579 There's a whole lot of material 00:18:05.579 --> 00:18:07.759 that just looks like it's all over the place. 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:11.339 Sometimes it seems like the tapestry of life 00:18:11.339 --> 00:18:13.500 is coming apart at the seams. 00:18:14.679 --> 00:18:16.379 Have you ever heard that phrase, 00:18:16.539 --> 00:18:18.039 whenever God closes a door, 00:18:18.159 --> 00:18:19.039 he opens a window? 00:18:20.079 --> 00:18:21.539 Sometimes he doesn't. 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:24.759 Sometimes he just smashes the door in your face 00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:26.199 and expects you to wait. 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:28.559 And waiting is good, 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:31.119 but waiting is hard, right? 00:18:32.279 --> 00:18:34.059 Look at verse 9 with me. 00:18:34.159 --> 00:18:35.220 Verse 9 to 15. 00:18:35.339 --> 00:18:36.259 Look at what he says. 00:18:36.759 --> 00:18:37.299 He says, 00:18:37.980 --> 00:18:39.519 he writes about this beautiful poem, 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:40.839 there's a time for love, 00:18:40.899 --> 00:18:41.619 and for peace, 00:18:41.699 --> 00:18:42.079 and hate, 00:18:42.159 --> 00:18:42.759 and war, etc. 00:18:42.919 --> 00:18:43.519 Verse 9, 00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:50.359 That's a familiar phrase in Ecclesiastes, right? 00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:52.879 What gain is there from all the seasons of life? 00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:55.019 Maybe you're in a season of toil, 00:18:55.319 --> 00:18:56.200 and you work, 00:18:56.359 --> 00:18:56.980 and you work, 00:18:57.039 --> 00:18:57.639 and you work, 00:18:57.640 --> 00:18:59.820 but it's a season of loss for you. 00:19:00.180 --> 00:19:01.220 It all comes to nothing. 00:19:02.020 --> 00:19:03.040 Maybe you work, 00:19:03.160 --> 00:19:03.640 and you work, 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:04.220 and you work, 00:19:04.280 --> 00:19:05.759 and you achieve something beautiful, 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:08.300 but who knows whether the season to follow 00:19:08.300 --> 00:19:09.480 is a season of loss, 00:19:09.480 --> 00:19:11.600 and it all just falls apart. 00:19:11.599 --> 00:19:17.219 Even the joys in this life are stamped with time, 00:19:17.379 --> 00:19:19.139 are bound by time, 00:19:19.219 --> 00:19:22.339 and will eventually vanish with time. 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:24.559 What's the point, he asks. 00:19:24.759 --> 00:19:25.639 Look at verse 10. 00:19:26.139 --> 00:19:26.480 He says, 00:19:26.539 --> 00:19:27.879 I have seen the business, 00:19:28.019 --> 00:19:29.759 that means the cares and the concerns, 00:19:29.959 --> 00:19:32.119 that God has given to the children of man 00:19:32.119 --> 00:19:33.359 to be busy with. 00:19:33.740 --> 00:19:36.899 He has made everything beautiful in its time. 00:19:37.459 --> 00:19:38.819 Okay, well that sounds positive. 00:19:39.379 --> 00:19:39.980 Verse 11, 00:19:39.980 --> 00:19:43.160 He has put eternity into man's heart. 00:19:43.539 --> 00:19:44.599 Well that sounds wonderful. 00:19:45.319 --> 00:19:49.180 But man cannot find out what God has done 00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:51.259 from the beginning to the end. 00:19:51.980 --> 00:19:53.220 The teacher is saying, 00:19:53.460 --> 00:19:55.680 these seasons are frustrating, 00:19:56.079 --> 00:19:58.480 because they are frustratingly mysterious. 00:19:59.160 --> 00:19:59.980 The teacher says, 00:20:00.059 --> 00:20:03.259 sometimes life is like a 10,000 piece puzzle, 00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:05.940 and God has hidden the box from you. 00:20:06.319 --> 00:20:08.200 And all you've got is your puzzle piece, 00:20:08.440 --> 00:20:09.960 and you don't know where it goes. 00:20:09.980 --> 00:20:11.920 And what comes next? 00:20:12.579 --> 00:20:14.819 Sure, from a perspective of eternity, 00:20:14.819 --> 00:20:16.799 the puzzle piece looks beautiful. 00:20:17.120 --> 00:20:19.480 God has made everything beautiful in its time. 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:20.740 But the problem is, 00:20:20.819 --> 00:20:21.539 I'm not God. 00:20:21.940 --> 00:20:24.599 I can't see from the perspective of eternity. 00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:27.000 Daniel Estes says, 00:20:27.120 --> 00:20:29.640 humans are bound by time, 00:20:29.640 --> 00:20:32.240 but we are wired for eternity. 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:32.259 But we are wired for eternity. 00:20:32.259 --> 00:20:35.960 We intuitively know there must be meaning somewhere. 00:20:36.500 --> 00:20:38.720 And we are made for more than vain toil. 00:20:39.420 --> 00:20:41.680 And this is the wrestle that the teacher, 00:20:41.840 --> 00:20:42.259 Kohelet, 00:20:42.420 --> 00:20:43.500 is wrestling with. 00:20:43.540 --> 00:20:43.820 He's saying, 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:45.920 I know there's something more than this. 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:48.400 I know that there's a God out there. 00:20:48.860 --> 00:20:51.560 Surely life is more than just the sum of my years, 00:20:51.600 --> 00:20:52.300 and then I die. 00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:54.899 There is a consciousness that He's put in my mind. 00:20:55.019 --> 00:20:56.399 There's a consciousness in my heart. 00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:58.159 I was made for more than this. 00:20:58.419 --> 00:20:59.720 But I can't figure it out. 00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:01.960 God has put a veil over my eyes, 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:03.180 and hidden from me, 00:21:03.659 --> 00:21:04.399 the seasons, 00:21:04.940 --> 00:21:06.440 and the times. 00:21:06.440 --> 00:21:13.340 Sometimes it seems like it's the season to mourn, 00:21:13.500 --> 00:21:15.160 followed by the season of weeping, 00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:17.600 followed by the season of breaking down, 00:21:17.820 --> 00:21:19.640 and the season of burying. 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:22.680 And unlike the four seasons of the weather, 00:21:22.840 --> 00:21:24.660 they are not always as predictable. 00:21:26.019 --> 00:21:27.960 And so what does Kohelet, the teacher, 00:21:28.140 --> 00:21:28.799 tell us to do? 00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:31.380 Well, look at verse 12. 00:21:31.799 --> 00:21:34.559 He comes back to his Carpe Diem passage. 00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:35.240 He says, 00:21:35.240 --> 00:21:36.500 I perceive, 00:21:36.839 --> 00:21:37.759 now look around me, 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:40.220 I perceive there's nothing better 00:21:40.220 --> 00:21:42.779 than for mankind to be joyful 00:21:42.779 --> 00:21:45.140 and to do good as long as he lives. 00:21:45.819 --> 00:21:48.099 Also, that everyone should eat and drink 00:21:48.099 --> 00:21:49.839 and take pleasure in his toil. 00:21:50.500 --> 00:21:52.339 This is God's gift to man. 00:21:53.400 --> 00:21:53.640 He's saying, 00:21:53.680 --> 00:21:55.440 when you can't see what's going on, 00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:57.400 the best thing you can do is work hard, 00:21:57.519 --> 00:21:58.319 enjoy life, 00:21:58.799 --> 00:22:01.180 do as much good as you can to those around you. 00:22:01.380 --> 00:22:02.440 Don't waste your life. 00:22:02.440 --> 00:22:05.279 But enjoy what you've got now. 00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:08.440 That's where he lands. 00:22:09.420 --> 00:22:10.460 The tyranny, 00:22:10.620 --> 00:22:13.120 the frustration of this life. 00:22:14.220 --> 00:22:16.559 But the teacher isn't finished there. 00:22:16.660 --> 00:22:18.420 There's actually another element 00:22:18.420 --> 00:22:19.920 that is frustrating to him. 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:23.860 Because this frustration is compounded further 00:22:23.860 --> 00:22:27.039 when he experiences the injustice of life. 00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:30.639 There is a season for everything under the sun, 00:22:30.779 --> 00:22:31.480 says the teacher. 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:34.099 But he's struggling because it seems to him 00:22:34.099 --> 00:22:35.420 that more often than not, 00:22:35.519 --> 00:22:38.940 it's the season for injustice rather than justice. 00:22:39.639 --> 00:22:42.819 Life is like a set of scales, he says. 00:22:42.879 --> 00:22:46.339 And it seems like somebody is pressing down 00:22:46.339 --> 00:22:48.079 on the scale of injustice. 00:22:48.619 --> 00:22:50.879 Look at verse 16 to 22. 00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:52.300 He says, 00:22:52.420 --> 00:22:54.140 I saw under the sun 00:22:54.140 --> 00:22:56.520 that in the place of justice, 00:22:56.660 --> 00:22:58.640 even there was wickedness. 00:22:58.740 --> 00:23:00.160 And in the place of righteousness, 00:23:00.460 --> 00:23:01.820 even there was wickedness. 00:23:02.260 --> 00:23:03.300 Now he doesn't say it, 00:23:03.320 --> 00:23:04.980 but he's talking about the law courts. 00:23:05.180 --> 00:23:08.600 This is not a commentary on contemporary times. 00:23:08.700 --> 00:23:09.700 He's saying in ancient Israel. 00:23:10.460 --> 00:23:12.060 The one place in ancient Israel 00:23:12.060 --> 00:23:14.420 you expected there to be justice and righteousness 00:23:14.420 --> 00:23:15.940 was to go to the courts. 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:17.880 At least there they would uphold things. 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:20.560 But even there I saw injustice. 00:23:21.600 --> 00:23:22.160 Verse 17. 00:23:22.600 --> 00:23:23.840 In my heart I said, 00:23:24.220 --> 00:23:25.920 God will judge the righteous and the wicked, 00:23:26.380 --> 00:23:28.300 for there is a time for every matter 00:23:28.300 --> 00:23:29.420 and for every work. 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:30.520 He's saying, 00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:34.020 surely if life works out the way it's meant to be, 00:23:34.140 --> 00:23:35.700 God will put all things in order. 00:23:36.780 --> 00:23:39.180 But I perceived that that was not the case. 00:23:39.220 --> 00:23:40.320 As he looks around, 00:23:40.860 --> 00:23:43.160 all he can see is the brokenness 00:23:43.160 --> 00:23:44.620 and the injustice of the world. 00:23:45.240 --> 00:23:45.820 He's saying, 00:23:45.820 --> 00:23:47.300 where is the time for justice? 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:48.920 I know there's a time for everything, 00:23:49.100 --> 00:23:50.260 but I can't see it. 00:23:50.900 --> 00:23:53.400 God, we've had this season of injustice long enough. 00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:56.059 When will the right time come? 00:23:57.099 --> 00:23:58.619 Friends, maybe you feel like that. 00:23:59.379 --> 00:24:00.359 You read the news. 00:24:00.460 --> 00:24:01.759 You read what's happening in Ukraine. 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:03.779 You read other bits of news. 00:24:03.900 --> 00:24:07.539 You see politicians just using and abusing 00:24:07.539 --> 00:24:08.799 their citizens for themselves. 00:24:09.619 --> 00:24:11.440 Nations languishing in poverty 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:14.420 while the kings and royalty and politicians 00:24:14.420 --> 00:24:15.480 get richer and richer. 00:24:15.480 --> 00:24:17.360 Maybe you read the news 00:24:17.360 --> 00:24:18.460 and your heart stirs 00:24:18.460 --> 00:24:19.220 and you get angry. 00:24:19.319 --> 00:24:19.539 You think, 00:24:19.660 --> 00:24:20.960 God, where is the justice? 00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:22.799 When is anything going to get put right? 00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:25.579 Where is the season for justice? 00:24:27.279 --> 00:24:28.380 Look at verse 18. 00:24:28.539 --> 00:24:28.880 He says, 00:24:28.880 --> 00:24:58.020 He's talking about jungle justice. 00:24:58.019 --> 00:24:59.160 Do you know that phrase? 00:24:59.319 --> 00:25:00.660 I don't know if that is a familiar phrase. 00:25:00.759 --> 00:25:01.440 Jungle justice? 00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:04.960 How is justice in the jungle lived out? 00:25:05.160 --> 00:25:06.720 How do things operate in the jungle? 00:25:07.599 --> 00:25:08.920 The strong eat the weak. 00:25:09.420 --> 00:25:11.460 The powerful trample the feeble. 00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:11.720 Right? 00:25:12.180 --> 00:25:13.539 Eat or be eaten. 00:25:13.660 --> 00:25:15.220 That's the way it works in the jungle. 00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:16.639 And he's saying, 00:25:16.799 --> 00:25:19.059 God, it seems like jungle justice 00:25:19.059 --> 00:25:20.400 is at work in Israel. 00:25:20.759 --> 00:25:23.319 The powerful just eat the feeble. 00:25:23.319 --> 00:25:25.919 The strong are consuming the weak. 00:25:27.240 --> 00:25:27.639 He's saying, 00:25:27.720 --> 00:25:28.899 God, where is it? 00:25:29.220 --> 00:25:30.539 It seems like there's no difference 00:25:30.539 --> 00:25:31.740 between us and the animals. 00:25:32.079 --> 00:25:33.839 God has put eternity in our hearts. 00:25:34.179 --> 00:25:35.460 There's a longing for more. 00:25:35.819 --> 00:25:38.179 We know this isn't how the world should be. 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:42.240 But unless God somehow reveals himself to us, 00:25:42.619 --> 00:25:44.799 unless God comes and shows us 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:46.059 that there's another way, 00:25:46.599 --> 00:25:49.159 unless God comes and removes the veil 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:52.380 from our hearts and reveals to us eternity, 00:25:53.080 --> 00:25:56.300 unless God gives us a glimpse of eternity, 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:59.980 all we're going to have is left to ourselves. 00:26:00.120 --> 00:26:01.200 And left to ourselves, 00:26:01.620 --> 00:26:04.060 are we any better than the beasts? 00:26:05.040 --> 00:26:06.900 All we have is a striving. 00:26:07.060 --> 00:26:08.400 There's a longing for more, 00:26:08.800 --> 00:26:11.120 but all that ends in vanity. 00:26:12.680 --> 00:26:15.200 Maybe we're no better than the beasts, he says. 00:26:15.200 --> 00:26:17.779 God, unless you come and show us 00:26:17.779 --> 00:26:19.240 there must be more, 00:26:19.779 --> 00:26:21.980 what's the difference between us and the animals? 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:26.580 All are from dust and to dust return. 00:26:27.460 --> 00:26:28.600 Who knows, he says, 00:26:28.660 --> 00:26:30.240 whether the spirit of man goes up 00:26:30.240 --> 00:26:31.900 and the spirit of beasts goes down. 00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:34.279 I saw that there's nothing better 00:26:34.279 --> 00:26:36.360 than a man should rejoice in his work, 00:26:36.460 --> 00:26:37.519 for this is his lot. 00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:40.080 Who can bring him to see 00:26:40.080 --> 00:26:41.799 what will be after him? 00:26:41.799 --> 00:26:46.859 The teacher is grappling with, 00:26:47.099 --> 00:26:49.159 as he looks at the world around him, 00:26:49.839 --> 00:26:51.240 a life is a tapestry. 00:26:51.460 --> 00:26:52.720 It's full of lots of seasons. 00:26:53.220 --> 00:26:55.599 But the seasons don't always make sense. 00:26:56.379 --> 00:26:57.639 Sometimes it seems like 00:26:57.639 --> 00:26:59.379 there's more the season of brokenness 00:26:59.379 --> 00:27:00.539 than the season of healing. 00:27:01.180 --> 00:27:02.759 The season of destroying 00:27:02.759 --> 00:27:04.200 than the season of wholeness. 00:27:04.940 --> 00:27:06.440 And so really, this is the question. 00:27:06.599 --> 00:27:08.159 Who can bring to mankind 00:27:08.159 --> 00:27:10.940 to see what will be after this life? 00:27:11.799 --> 00:27:14.059 The teacher says that for many of us, 00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:16.339 sometimes the story of life is, 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:19.519 life is hard and then you die. 00:27:21.399 --> 00:27:23.240 Okay, that's God's words. 00:27:23.460 --> 00:27:24.440 We'll see you next week. 00:27:27.220 --> 00:27:29.599 Well, is there any hope? 00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:33.000 Does Ecclesiastes offer us any hope? 00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:36.640 If life is a 10,000 piece puzzle, 00:27:37.299 --> 00:27:38.960 sometimes it seems like God 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:39.839 has hidden the picture. 00:27:40.640 --> 00:27:42.119 If life is a tapestry, 00:27:42.299 --> 00:27:43.440 sometimes it seems like 00:27:43.440 --> 00:27:44.880 the threads are coming apart. 00:27:45.420 --> 00:27:47.559 If life is like a set of scales, 00:27:47.799 --> 00:27:48.940 sometimes it seems 00:27:48.940 --> 00:27:51.200 the scales are stacked against us. 00:27:51.880 --> 00:27:53.420 So is there any hope? 00:27:54.779 --> 00:27:55.759 Well, remember, 00:27:55.940 --> 00:27:56.980 the book of Ecclesiastes 00:27:56.980 --> 00:27:58.500 has these two authors, 00:27:58.680 --> 00:28:00.319 the voice of Koheleth 00:28:00.319 --> 00:28:01.919 and the voice of the author. 00:28:02.039 --> 00:28:03.579 And if you go to the very end 00:28:03.579 --> 00:28:05.339 of Ecclesiastes chapter 12, 00:28:05.879 --> 00:28:08.359 the author steps back onto the scene 00:28:08.359 --> 00:28:09.439 and he says, 00:28:09.539 --> 00:28:11.980 you've heard the words of Koheleth. 00:28:12.220 --> 00:28:13.839 And he says this in verse 11, 00:28:13.980 --> 00:28:15.659 the words of the wise man 00:28:15.659 --> 00:28:17.019 are like goads. 00:28:17.179 --> 00:28:18.039 Do you know what a goad is? 00:28:18.500 --> 00:28:20.700 A goad is a short stick 00:28:20.700 --> 00:28:22.679 that a farmer or a shepherd uses. 00:28:22.799 --> 00:28:23.960 It's got a point on the end 00:28:23.960 --> 00:28:25.840 and he uses it to coroll 00:28:25.840 --> 00:28:27.319 or to provoke the animals 00:28:27.319 --> 00:28:28.960 to go where he wants them to go. 00:28:29.559 --> 00:28:31.460 He says the words of the wise man 00:28:31.460 --> 00:28:33.519 or the teacher are like goads. 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:35.220 He's using them to provoke us, 00:28:35.259 --> 00:28:36.200 to get us to think. 00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:37.779 And what is the author 00:28:37.779 --> 00:28:38.920 wanting us to see? 00:28:39.680 --> 00:28:41.600 What's his provocation to us? 00:28:43.059 --> 00:28:45.220 Well, the author of Ecclesiastes 00:28:45.220 --> 00:28:46.360 wants us to see 00:28:46.360 --> 00:28:48.920 that God has put eternity in our hearts. 00:28:49.240 --> 00:28:50.980 He's put a longing in our hearts 00:28:50.980 --> 00:28:52.700 for more than just this world. 00:28:52.700 --> 00:28:54.220 For a world 00:28:54.220 --> 00:28:55.980 where there will be justice. 00:28:56.299 --> 00:28:57.519 A world where there will be 00:28:57.519 --> 00:28:58.319 no more tears, 00:28:58.480 --> 00:28:59.240 no more death, 00:28:59.360 --> 00:29:00.059 no more war, 00:29:00.380 --> 00:29:01.340 no more agony. 00:29:01.880 --> 00:29:03.240 But unlike the beasts, 00:29:03.460 --> 00:29:05.640 he hasn't left us to ourselves 00:29:05.640 --> 00:29:07.360 to figure it out. 00:29:07.980 --> 00:29:10.539 Because God has revealed himself. 00:29:11.259 --> 00:29:12.840 God has come and shown us 00:29:12.840 --> 00:29:14.039 that there's a different way. 00:29:14.700 --> 00:29:16.400 God hasn't left us to ourselves 00:29:16.400 --> 00:29:18.279 but has come to remove the veil 00:29:18.279 --> 00:29:19.279 from our hearts 00:29:19.279 --> 00:29:21.840 to give us a glimpse of eternity. 00:29:22.700 --> 00:29:24.380 How has God done this? 00:29:24.860 --> 00:29:27.740 By sending the eternal one, 00:29:28.180 --> 00:29:30.759 the one who is not bound by time, 00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:33.440 who is not limited by time, 00:29:33.620 --> 00:29:36.920 who has stepped into our time-bound world, 00:29:37.299 --> 00:29:39.120 and our world frustrated 00:29:39.120 --> 00:29:41.279 by the brokenness of this world, 00:29:41.640 --> 00:29:43.440 he has come to us. 00:29:43.440 --> 00:29:48.480 Do you remember one of the teacher's favorite phrases 00:29:48.480 --> 00:29:50.559 to describe the world around us? 00:29:50.600 --> 00:29:51.000 He says, 00:29:51.440 --> 00:29:52.500 life under the sun, 00:29:52.640 --> 00:29:53.900 or life under heaven. 00:29:54.039 --> 00:29:55.600 We said in verse 16, 00:29:56.019 --> 00:29:56.360 he says, 00:29:56.420 --> 00:29:59.000 I saw that life under the sun. 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:00.480 But friends, 00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:02.559 what happens if somebody comes to us 00:30:02.559 --> 00:30:04.360 from beyond the sun 00:30:04.360 --> 00:30:06.940 and steps into our broken world? 00:30:06.940 --> 00:30:10.420 One who will bring us life, 00:30:10.519 --> 00:30:12.180 one who is not bound by time, 00:30:12.320 --> 00:30:13.320 stamped by time, 00:30:13.480 --> 00:30:14.720 corroded by time, 00:30:14.799 --> 00:30:16.140 or vanished by time. 00:30:16.640 --> 00:30:18.259 What happens if one will come to us 00:30:18.259 --> 00:30:19.600 from beyond the sun, 00:30:20.120 --> 00:30:21.100 who will help us, 00:30:21.220 --> 00:30:22.759 one who sees the tapestry 00:30:22.759 --> 00:30:23.720 and will give wisdom 00:30:23.720 --> 00:30:25.299 because he sees the bigger picture 00:30:25.299 --> 00:30:26.480 and he knows the beginning 00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:27.640 from the end. 00:30:28.200 --> 00:30:30.000 What happens if one steps to us, 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:31.980 comes to us from beyond the sun, 00:30:32.279 --> 00:30:34.740 one who will weep with those who weep, 00:30:34.740 --> 00:30:36.339 and mourn with those who mourn, 00:30:36.400 --> 00:30:38.299 and rejoice with those who rejoice, 00:30:38.720 --> 00:30:41.059 one who promises resurrection life 00:30:41.059 --> 00:30:43.099 to those who weep and mourn in this life? 00:30:43.940 --> 00:30:44.400 Friends, 00:30:44.460 --> 00:30:45.940 what happens if one comes to us 00:30:45.940 --> 00:30:47.099 from beyond the sun 00:30:47.099 --> 00:30:49.120 and steps into our time-bound, 00:30:49.279 --> 00:30:50.259 frustrated world, 00:30:50.460 --> 00:30:52.519 and who will rule with justice 00:30:52.519 --> 00:30:53.420 and righteousness 00:30:53.420 --> 00:30:54.539 and bring peace 00:30:54.539 --> 00:30:56.960 to our frustrated world? 00:30:57.960 --> 00:30:58.200 See, 00:30:58.400 --> 00:31:00.200 look at the very last sentence 00:31:00.200 --> 00:31:01.140 of chapter 3. 00:31:01.259 --> 00:31:02.319 I don't know if you picked it up. 00:31:02.400 --> 00:31:02.839 He says, 00:31:02.839 --> 00:31:05.339 who can bring to him 00:31:05.339 --> 00:31:08.000 to see what will be 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:09.179 after this life? 00:31:10.279 --> 00:31:11.500 That's a great question. 00:31:12.079 --> 00:31:12.899 Who can tell us 00:31:12.899 --> 00:31:13.539 what will happen 00:31:13.539 --> 00:31:14.500 beyond the grave? 00:31:15.019 --> 00:31:15.980 The teacher says, 00:31:16.399 --> 00:31:18.139 maybe life is hard 00:31:18.139 --> 00:31:19.480 and then you die. 00:31:21.019 --> 00:31:22.279 That's probably not the case 00:31:22.279 --> 00:31:23.079 for many of us. 00:31:23.699 --> 00:31:24.319 Most of us here 00:31:24.319 --> 00:31:25.659 live very privileged lives. 00:31:26.059 --> 00:31:27.339 But for most of the world, 00:31:27.779 --> 00:31:28.639 that's life. 00:31:29.339 --> 00:31:30.220 Life sucks 00:31:30.220 --> 00:31:31.639 and then you die. 00:31:32.839 --> 00:31:34.599 who can bring to man 00:31:34.599 --> 00:31:35.279 to see 00:31:35.279 --> 00:31:36.480 what will be 00:31:36.480 --> 00:31:37.279 after him? 00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:38.899 Where will we find 00:31:38.899 --> 00:31:39.879 one who perfectly 00:31:39.879 --> 00:31:41.500 knows all things 00:31:41.500 --> 00:31:42.399 and is wise enough 00:31:42.399 --> 00:31:43.579 to see the bigger picture 00:31:43.579 --> 00:31:45.000 and to know how it ends? 00:31:45.379 --> 00:31:46.319 Where will we find 00:31:46.319 --> 00:31:47.699 one who is wise enough 00:31:47.699 --> 00:31:49.019 and yet gentle enough 00:31:49.019 --> 00:31:49.899 and humble enough 00:31:49.899 --> 00:31:51.279 to weep with those who weep 00:31:51.279 --> 00:31:52.679 and mourn with those who mourn? 00:31:53.039 --> 00:31:54.259 And yet at the same time, 00:31:54.519 --> 00:31:55.519 is sovereign enough 00:31:55.519 --> 00:31:56.619 and powerful enough 00:31:56.619 --> 00:31:57.819 and glorious enough 00:31:57.819 --> 00:31:59.179 to overturn 00:31:59.179 --> 00:32:00.179 the brokenness 00:32:00.179 --> 00:32:00.720 of this world 00:32:00.720 --> 00:32:01.640 and bring righteousness 00:32:01.640 --> 00:32:02.400 and justice 00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:03.880 into our hearts 00:32:03.880 --> 00:32:05.299 and into this world 00:32:05.299 --> 00:32:06.799 and hope for all eternity? 00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:07.839 Where will we find 00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:08.579 one like that? 00:32:10.519 --> 00:32:11.380 Well, if you've been 00:32:11.380 --> 00:32:12.220 coming to this church 00:32:12.220 --> 00:32:13.380 for any length of time, 00:32:14.059 --> 00:32:14.660 you'll know 00:32:14.660 --> 00:32:16.980 his name is Jesus. 00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:19.100 Jesus Christ 00:32:19.100 --> 00:32:19.700 who existed 00:32:19.700 --> 00:32:21.980 for all eternity past 00:32:21.980 --> 00:32:23.960 and who spoke time 00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:25.519 and space 00:32:25.519 --> 00:32:26.839 and matter 00:32:26.839 --> 00:32:28.160 into existence, 00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:30.140 climbed into our 00:32:30.140 --> 00:32:31.680 time-bound world, 00:32:32.200 --> 00:32:33.700 inhabited the brokenness 00:32:33.700 --> 00:32:34.539 of this world, 00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:36.539 frustrated by the injustice 00:32:36.539 --> 00:32:37.940 and the sin of this world, 00:32:38.099 --> 00:32:40.160 in order to liberate us 00:32:40.160 --> 00:32:41.440 from the tyranny 00:32:41.440 --> 00:32:42.900 of this time-bound world 00:32:42.900 --> 00:32:44.099 and bring us 00:32:44.099 --> 00:32:45.420 into an eternal world, 00:32:45.480 --> 00:32:46.299 a world that is not 00:32:46.299 --> 00:32:47.220 bound by time 00:32:47.220 --> 00:32:48.680 or frustrated by time 00:32:48.680 --> 00:32:50.080 or wrecked 00:32:50.080 --> 00:32:50.940 by the ravages 00:32:50.940 --> 00:32:51.560 of time 00:32:51.560 --> 00:32:52.759 into a world 00:32:52.759 --> 00:32:53.320 that will never 00:32:53.320 --> 00:32:53.920 perish 00:32:53.920 --> 00:32:55.279 or spoil 00:32:55.279 --> 00:32:56.680 or fade. 00:32:57.880 --> 00:32:58.799 That phrase 00:32:58.799 --> 00:32:59.799 comes from 1 Peter 00:32:59.799 --> 00:33:00.560 chapter 1 00:33:00.560 --> 00:33:01.299 where he says, 00:33:01.860 --> 00:33:03.259 We have been born again 00:33:03.259 --> 00:33:04.740 into a living hope. 00:33:05.380 --> 00:33:06.720 We have been promised 00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:07.360 an inheritance 00:33:07.360 --> 00:33:08.380 that will never 00:33:08.380 --> 00:33:09.060 perish 00:33:09.060 --> 00:33:10.500 or spoil 00:33:10.500 --> 00:33:11.779 or fade. 00:33:12.840 --> 00:33:13.440 Friends, 00:33:13.500 --> 00:33:14.640 even the very best things 00:33:14.640 --> 00:33:15.360 in this life 00:33:15.360 --> 00:33:16.100 are subject 00:33:16.099 --> 00:33:17.839 to decay 00:33:17.839 --> 00:33:19.500 and to vanish 00:33:19.500 --> 00:33:20.119 with time. 00:33:21.199 --> 00:33:22.639 But Jesus promises us 00:33:22.639 --> 00:33:23.259 a hope, 00:33:23.899 --> 00:33:24.519 a treasure, 00:33:25.299 --> 00:33:25.899 an inheritance 00:33:25.899 --> 00:33:27.859 that is beyond 00:33:27.859 --> 00:33:28.599 the corrosion 00:33:28.599 --> 00:33:29.279 of time, 00:33:29.480 --> 00:33:30.059 that will never 00:33:30.059 --> 00:33:30.899 vanish with time, 00:33:31.000 --> 00:33:32.000 that cannot perish, 00:33:32.679 --> 00:33:33.879 spoil or fade. 00:33:34.379 --> 00:33:34.779 Friends, 00:33:34.839 --> 00:33:35.500 if all you have 00:33:35.500 --> 00:33:36.639 is reincarnation, 00:33:36.759 --> 00:33:37.399 then you're stuck 00:33:37.399 --> 00:33:38.699 in the cycle 00:33:38.699 --> 00:33:39.359 of life, 00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:40.599 the cycle 00:33:40.599 --> 00:33:41.399 of futility, 00:33:42.059 --> 00:33:42.699 the cycle 00:33:42.699 --> 00:33:43.599 of meaninglessness. 00:33:44.659 --> 00:33:45.639 For the teacher, 00:33:45.640 --> 00:33:46.860 all he has 00:33:46.860 --> 00:33:47.740 is verse 2. 00:33:48.340 --> 00:33:49.200 There is a time 00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:49.880 to be born 00:33:49.880 --> 00:33:51.000 and a time 00:33:51.000 --> 00:33:51.580 to die. 00:33:52.400 --> 00:33:53.560 But Jesus Christ 00:33:53.560 --> 00:33:54.400 comes and promises 00:33:54.400 --> 00:33:56.000 that if you know him, 00:33:56.080 --> 00:33:57.100 if you are found 00:33:57.100 --> 00:33:57.560 in him, 00:33:57.960 --> 00:33:59.040 if you will come 00:33:59.040 --> 00:33:59.560 to him 00:33:59.560 --> 00:34:00.780 and have your life 00:34:00.780 --> 00:34:01.440 found in him, 00:34:02.040 --> 00:34:02.920 there is a time 00:34:02.920 --> 00:34:03.540 to be born 00:34:03.540 --> 00:34:04.380 and there is a time 00:34:04.380 --> 00:34:04.980 to die, 00:34:05.440 --> 00:34:06.440 but there is also 00:34:06.440 --> 00:34:07.720 a time to rise 00:34:07.720 --> 00:34:09.000 again in glory 00:34:09.000 --> 00:34:10.860 and to never die. 00:34:12.360 --> 00:34:12.840 Friends, 00:34:12.940 --> 00:34:13.579 Jesus Christ 00:34:13.579 --> 00:34:14.700 solves time's riddle. 00:34:14.699 --> 00:34:16.039 He dismantles 00:34:16.039 --> 00:34:17.059 time's limitations. 00:34:17.899 --> 00:34:18.399 He enters 00:34:18.399 --> 00:34:19.199 into the frustration 00:34:19.199 --> 00:34:20.539 of this time-bound world 00:34:20.539 --> 00:34:21.399 and he achieves 00:34:21.399 --> 00:34:22.739 a salvation for us 00:34:22.739 --> 00:34:23.899 that will last 00:34:23.899 --> 00:34:24.899 long beyond 00:34:24.899 --> 00:34:25.859 the ravages 00:34:25.859 --> 00:34:26.599 of time. 00:34:27.480 --> 00:34:28.480 But how did 00:34:28.480 --> 00:34:29.319 Jesus do that? 00:34:30.419 --> 00:34:31.219 Well, look again 00:34:31.219 --> 00:34:31.919 at our poem 00:34:31.919 --> 00:34:33.939 in verses 1 to 8. 00:34:34.799 --> 00:34:36.359 Jesus took upon himself 00:34:36.359 --> 00:34:37.779 the very worst parts 00:34:37.779 --> 00:34:39.079 of this broken world, 00:34:39.299 --> 00:34:40.379 the very worst parts 00:34:40.379 --> 00:34:41.199 of human nature, 00:34:41.199 --> 00:34:43.039 in order to secure 00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:43.599 for us 00:34:43.599 --> 00:34:44.719 a perfect world 00:34:44.719 --> 00:34:45.199 to come. 00:34:46.279 --> 00:34:47.739 Jesus Christ died 00:34:47.739 --> 00:34:49.359 so that we can live. 00:34:50.460 --> 00:34:50.759 Friends, 00:34:50.839 --> 00:34:52.019 Jesus Christ wept 00:34:52.019 --> 00:34:53.399 so that one day 00:34:53.399 --> 00:34:54.119 our tears 00:34:54.119 --> 00:34:55.119 will be wiped away. 00:34:56.480 --> 00:34:57.239 Jesus Christ 00:34:57.239 --> 00:34:58.259 was shunned 00:34:58.259 --> 00:34:59.439 so that we 00:34:59.439 --> 00:35:00.339 can be embraced. 00:35:01.659 --> 00:35:02.460 Jesus Christ 00:35:02.460 --> 00:35:03.359 lost all 00:35:03.359 --> 00:35:04.659 so that we 00:35:04.659 --> 00:35:05.579 can gain all. 00:35:05.579 --> 00:35:08.079 Jesus was forsaken 00:35:08.079 --> 00:35:09.400 so that we 00:35:09.400 --> 00:35:10.119 can be chosen. 00:35:11.279 --> 00:35:12.460 Jesus was hated 00:35:12.460 --> 00:35:13.739 so that we 00:35:13.739 --> 00:35:14.400 can be loved. 00:35:15.860 --> 00:35:17.000 Jesus was judged 00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:18.259 so that we 00:35:18.259 --> 00:35:19.299 can be vindicated. 00:35:20.480 --> 00:35:20.860 Friends, 00:35:20.980 --> 00:35:21.779 at his trial 00:35:21.779 --> 00:35:22.579 Jesus Christ 00:35:22.579 --> 00:35:23.440 kept silent 00:35:23.440 --> 00:35:24.679 so that we 00:35:24.679 --> 00:35:25.340 can rejoice 00:35:25.340 --> 00:35:25.880 and sing. 00:35:26.980 --> 00:35:28.159 Jesus was killed 00:35:28.159 --> 00:35:28.980 on Calvary 00:35:28.980 --> 00:35:29.799 on that cross 00:35:29.799 --> 00:35:31.059 so that we 00:35:31.059 --> 00:35:31.739 can have peace 00:35:31.739 --> 00:35:32.199 with God 00:35:32.199 --> 00:35:33.119 in this life 00:35:33.119 --> 00:35:34.380 and for all 00:35:34.380 --> 00:35:34.920 eternity. 00:35:35.940 --> 00:35:36.920 Jesus Christ 00:35:36.920 --> 00:35:37.579 rose again 00:35:37.579 --> 00:35:38.880 so that those 00:35:38.880 --> 00:35:39.739 who are in Christ 00:35:39.739 --> 00:35:40.840 can rise with him 00:35:40.840 --> 00:35:41.599 and be seated 00:35:41.599 --> 00:35:42.099 with him 00:35:42.099 --> 00:35:43.319 in glory 00:35:43.319 --> 00:35:44.299 for all eternity. 00:35:46.019 --> 00:35:46.579 Friends, 00:35:46.699 --> 00:35:47.639 life is made up 00:35:47.639 --> 00:35:48.360 of seasons 00:35:48.360 --> 00:35:49.639 diverse 00:35:49.639 --> 00:35:50.420 and unpredictable 00:35:50.420 --> 00:35:52.019 some of them 00:35:52.019 --> 00:35:52.539 wonderful 00:35:52.539 --> 00:35:53.480 many of them 00:35:53.480 --> 00:35:54.059 bewildering 00:35:54.059 --> 00:35:54.759 and frustrating. 00:35:55.480 --> 00:35:56.579 So how will we 00:35:56.579 --> 00:35:57.059 respond? 00:35:58.219 --> 00:35:59.360 Christ came to us 00:35:59.360 --> 00:36:00.860 from outside of time 00:36:00.860 --> 00:36:02.119 and into our world 00:36:02.119 --> 00:36:03.519 and invites us 00:36:03.519 --> 00:36:04.699 now to invite him 00:36:04.699 --> 00:36:05.599 into our lives 00:36:05.599 --> 00:36:06.460 and to respond. 00:36:07.319 --> 00:36:08.379 Only in Christ 00:36:08.379 --> 00:36:08.819 can we have 00:36:08.819 --> 00:36:10.219 the consistent hope 00:36:10.219 --> 00:36:11.199 that is not bound 00:36:11.199 --> 00:36:12.159 by this world 00:36:12.159 --> 00:36:13.919 that will free us 00:36:13.919 --> 00:36:14.779 in this lifetime 00:36:14.779 --> 00:36:15.579 and will last 00:36:15.579 --> 00:36:16.599 for all eternity. 00:36:17.199 --> 00:36:18.359 A hope which promises 00:36:18.359 --> 00:36:19.359 us life 00:36:19.359 --> 00:36:20.359 in this world 00:36:20.359 --> 00:36:21.480 and forever. 00:36:22.359 --> 00:36:22.659 Friends, 00:36:22.759 --> 00:36:23.199 this week 00:36:23.199 --> 00:36:24.480 as you go to work, 00:36:24.960 --> 00:36:26.319 as you go to university, 00:36:26.539 --> 00:36:27.759 as you go to high school, 00:36:27.859 --> 00:36:28.779 as you look after 00:36:28.779 --> 00:36:29.460 your children, 00:36:29.939 --> 00:36:31.299 as you do your taxes 00:36:31.300 --> 00:36:32.740 and as you look 00:36:32.740 --> 00:36:33.760 after your parents, 00:36:34.340 --> 00:36:35.519 don't set your hope 00:36:35.519 --> 00:36:37.300 on a perfectly ordered world. 00:36:38.000 --> 00:36:38.680 In this life 00:36:38.680 --> 00:36:39.500 it may not come. 00:36:40.460 --> 00:36:41.260 Set your hope 00:36:41.260 --> 00:36:41.760 on Jesus 00:36:41.760 --> 00:36:43.240 who will perfectly 00:36:43.240 --> 00:36:43.960 guide you 00:36:43.960 --> 00:36:44.960 through the complexities 00:36:44.960 --> 00:36:46.000 of this life 00:36:46.000 --> 00:36:47.380 and will ultimately 00:36:47.380 --> 00:36:48.680 lead you home. 00:36:49.420 --> 00:36:50.500 Let's pray together. 00:36:52.080 --> 00:36:53.220 Lord Jesus Christ, 00:36:53.380 --> 00:36:53.519 this, 00:36:54.200 --> 00:36:55.260 your word is 00:36:55.260 --> 00:36:57.080 a rich treasure 00:36:57.079 --> 00:36:59.159 and you remind us 00:36:59.159 --> 00:36:59.860 God this morning 00:36:59.860 --> 00:37:01.059 that life is complex, 00:37:01.239 --> 00:37:02.039 it's diverse, 00:37:02.679 --> 00:37:04.559 it's wonderful, 00:37:04.840 --> 00:37:06.019 it's sometimes frustrating. 00:37:07.259 --> 00:37:07.719 But God, 00:37:07.759 --> 00:37:08.460 only in you 00:37:08.460 --> 00:37:09.099 can we find 00:37:09.099 --> 00:37:10.360 the consistent hope 00:37:10.360 --> 00:37:11.579 that is not bound 00:37:11.579 --> 00:37:12.579 by the fallenness 00:37:12.579 --> 00:37:13.279 of this world. 00:37:14.360 --> 00:37:15.319 A hope that 00:37:15.319 --> 00:37:16.619 will enter into our lives 00:37:16.619 --> 00:37:17.360 now and last 00:37:17.360 --> 00:37:18.119 for all eternity. 00:37:19.179 --> 00:37:19.619 Jesus, 00:37:19.719 --> 00:37:20.039 I pray, 00:37:20.119 --> 00:37:20.739 won't you help 00:37:20.739 --> 00:37:21.500 all of us here 00:37:21.500 --> 00:37:22.119 this morning 00:37:22.119 --> 00:37:23.299 to set our hope 00:37:23.299 --> 00:37:23.719 on you. 00:37:24.259 --> 00:37:25.039 For those of us 00:37:25.039 --> 00:37:25.960 that are not Christians, 00:37:25.960 --> 00:37:27.019 God, 00:37:27.099 --> 00:37:27.539 won't you 00:37:27.539 --> 00:37:29.420 remove the veil 00:37:29.420 --> 00:37:30.179 from our eyes. 00:37:30.300 --> 00:37:31.400 May we see you 00:37:31.400 --> 00:37:32.119 and freshly 00:37:32.119 --> 00:37:32.820 find our hope 00:37:32.820 --> 00:37:33.119 in you. 00:37:33.619 --> 00:37:34.460 For those of us 00:37:34.460 --> 00:37:35.579 Christ that are Christians, 00:37:35.740 --> 00:37:36.699 we pray that you 00:37:36.699 --> 00:37:37.380 will help us 00:37:37.380 --> 00:37:38.000 this week, 00:37:38.539 --> 00:37:38.940 tomorrow, 00:37:39.780 --> 00:37:40.380 and Wednesday, 00:37:40.639 --> 00:37:41.119 and Thursday, 00:37:41.280 --> 00:37:41.659 and Friday, 00:37:41.780 --> 00:37:42.460 this week God, 00:37:42.519 --> 00:37:43.300 that we will set 00:37:43.300 --> 00:37:44.139 our hope on you. 00:37:44.559 --> 00:37:46.240 That in the seasons 00:37:46.240 --> 00:37:47.240 that are bewildering 00:37:47.240 --> 00:37:47.980 and frustrating, 00:37:48.840 --> 00:37:49.900 when life seems 00:37:49.900 --> 00:37:50.619 like you've hidden 00:37:50.619 --> 00:37:51.679 the box from us, 00:37:52.460 --> 00:37:52.840 God, 00:37:52.920 --> 00:37:53.880 may we set our hope 00:37:53.880 --> 00:37:54.320 on you. 00:37:54.320 --> 00:37:55.480 Jesus, 00:37:55.600 --> 00:37:56.059 we pray, 00:37:56.180 --> 00:37:57.039 come and help us 00:37:57.039 --> 00:37:58.059 by your spirit 00:37:58.059 --> 00:37:59.500 and by your grace. 00:38:02.059 --> 00:38:02.460 Friends, 00:38:02.539 --> 00:38:03.300 maybe you, 00:38:04.539 --> 00:38:05.360 I want to give you 00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:05.980 just a chance 00:38:05.980 --> 00:38:06.740 to respond. 00:38:08.600 --> 00:38:09.500 I want to ask you, 00:38:09.559 --> 00:38:09.960 why don't you 00:38:09.960 --> 00:38:10.660 take a time 00:38:10.660 --> 00:38:11.640 just to freshly 00:38:11.640 --> 00:38:12.840 invite Christ 00:38:12.840 --> 00:38:14.320 to come and be 00:38:14.320 --> 00:38:15.480 the center of your life? 00:38:16.360 --> 00:38:17.240 If you're a Christian, 00:38:17.380 --> 00:38:18.340 you've done this 00:38:18.340 --> 00:38:19.620 many times in your life, 00:38:19.700 --> 00:38:20.059 why don't you 00:38:20.059 --> 00:38:20.940 freshly today 00:38:20.940 --> 00:38:22.639 come and invite 00:38:22.639 --> 00:38:23.320 Christ to be 00:38:23.320 --> 00:38:24.420 the center of your life 00:38:24.420 --> 00:38:25.679 and to lead you 00:38:25.679 --> 00:38:26.559 through the complexities 00:38:26.559 --> 00:38:27.480 and the challenges 00:38:27.480 --> 00:38:28.760 and the seasons of life? 00:38:30.940 --> 00:38:31.599 Maybe you're here 00:38:31.599 --> 00:38:32.059 this morning 00:38:32.059 --> 00:38:32.599 and you're not 00:38:32.599 --> 00:38:33.119 a Christian. 00:38:34.940 --> 00:38:36.099 Jesus doesn't promise 00:38:36.099 --> 00:38:37.200 to solve everything 00:38:37.200 --> 00:38:37.720 in life. 00:38:38.559 --> 00:38:39.480 He doesn't take away 00:38:39.480 --> 00:38:40.400 all the difficulties, 00:38:41.679 --> 00:38:43.000 but He does promise 00:38:43.000 --> 00:38:44.000 to come and enter 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:44.800 into your life 00:38:44.800 --> 00:38:46.380 and to be 00:38:46.380 --> 00:38:47.700 that consistent hope. 00:38:47.699 --> 00:38:49.460 Why don't you 00:38:49.460 --> 00:38:49.939 this morning 00:38:49.939 --> 00:38:50.519 invite Him 00:38:50.519 --> 00:38:51.059 to come and be 00:38:51.059 --> 00:38:51.519 your Lord 00:38:51.519 --> 00:38:52.099 and your King 00:38:52.099 --> 00:38:52.819 and your Master? 00:38:54.079 --> 00:38:54.539 Why don't you 00:38:54.539 --> 00:38:55.359 freshly hand over 00:38:55.359 --> 00:38:56.119 your life to Him 00:38:56.119 --> 00:38:56.480 as well? 00:39:01.919 --> 00:39:02.239 Christ, 00:39:02.339 --> 00:39:02.759 come and have 00:39:02.759 --> 00:39:03.059 your way 00:39:03.059 --> 00:39:03.579 in our lives, 00:39:03.659 --> 00:39:04.059 we pray. 00:39:07.199 --> 00:39:08.079 In our joys 00:39:08.079 --> 00:39:09.019 and in our struggles, 00:39:10.019 --> 00:39:11.359 in our fears 00:39:11.359 --> 00:39:12.480 and our anxieties, 00:39:13.079 --> 00:39:16.399 in our celebrations, 00:39:16.400 --> 00:39:17.599 in our laughter 00:39:17.599 --> 00:39:18.200 and our mourning, 00:39:18.440 --> 00:39:18.760 Christ, 00:39:18.860 --> 00:39:19.740 come and be central. 00:39:21.860 --> 00:39:23.039 Come and be our Lord. 00:39:23.460 --> 00:39:24.400 Come and be our King. 00:39:25.400 --> 00:39:26.539 Come and be our Master. 00:39:28.280 --> 00:39:29.119 Come and help us 00:39:29.119 --> 00:39:29.840 to follow You 00:39:29.840 --> 00:39:30.519 and trust You, 00:39:30.559 --> 00:39:30.980 we pray. 00:39:37.980 --> 00:39:38.300 Amen. 00:39:38.300 --> 00:39:38.460 Amen.