Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 Turn, Turn, Turn Sermon Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 Turn, Turn, Turn

There is an appointed time for everything There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven- 2 A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. 3 A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear 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 throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. 6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.

7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent 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 profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? 

10 I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. 11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime;   13 moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor-it is the gift of God.  14 I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. 

 15 That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by. 16 Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.  17 I said to myself, "God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man," for a time for every matter and for every deed is there

18 I said to myself concerning the sons of men, "God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts."  19 For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity.  20 All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust. 

21 Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?  22 I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?

Chapter 1 points out that life marches on, seemingly routine and mundane, and our aspirations for greatness are met with death. The “preacher” of the book refers to all of this as “hebel” – smoke, mist, transitory, vanity, and enigma. Life goes off script and we don’t know why, and we wonder “What’s the point”?

Chapter 2 – the preacher explains that our pursuits and pleasures don’t solve the enigma and they too slip out of our hands. Yet in the midst of this there is comfort in knowing that God is there, He is not silent, and He is still in control.

Ecclesiastes also shows that God is the one who puts that factor of consistency in the world. While there is “hebel” and confusion, we can take comfort in knowing that there is also stability.

God is the FIXED POINT that gives meaning to everything else – Tozer

The first lesson is that Wisdom rests in the fact that God is in control.

It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.

Wisdom takes comfort in knowing that God knows even when we don’t. He has set eternity in our hearts, but He controls it. We don’t.

Joseph- Gen 45:8; 50:20. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God;… As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.

A THIRD lesson is that Seasons come that need to be rectified, and God will do that one day.

God will retrieve every single injustice, and every single time, and every single activity. Every single deed that has ever broken his holy law and tarnished his beautiful world and damaged his image bearers—every one of those moments will be answerable to God. – David Gibson

There is a season for death, which God has appointed, but we don’t know when it will be. Are you ready?

20 But God said to him, 'You fool  20 But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'

Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

The ABC’s of coming to faith – A - Admit that you can’t control life and you need help – That means there is GOOD NEWS FOR YOU   B- Believe that Jesus is the only Wisdom and Savior who can heal your heart. C- confess to God that you want to trust Jesus as your savior and Lord.  

FIRST COMMANDMENT AND ROOTS, BRANCHES, FRUIT