Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote a book titled, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, in which he told the tragic story of his young son's death from a debilitating disease. As a religious person, he wrestled with why God allowed such a thing to happen. He concluded one of two things must be true: Either God is all-loving, but not all-powerful (He wants to prevent disease but can't) or God is all-powerful, but not all-loving ( He is able to prevent disease but won't).
The conclusion the rabbi came to was the first of the two options: God is loving but not omnipotent. God cares about us, but has decided to let the world run on its own without intervention from Him. God is not sovereign or all powerful; He keeps his distance from the everyday affairs of this world. Solomon would not agree with Rabbi Kushner's conclusions. He believed that God was sovereign over all of time and history and that nothing happens outside of his purpose including suffering. This week at the Church at Chelsea-Westover, we will look at what Solomon says about life. Solomon offers impressions about life, insights about God, and instructions about living which touch the issues of pain and suffering in this life. We will see how we can live a victorious life in the midst of the pain and suffering we sometimes experience. We must remember the words of Paul. We know all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose (Rom.8:28)
A Time & Purpose for everything
January 19, 2014 • Pastor Danny Lovett
The Conclusion to the Whole Matter
March 30, 2014 • Pastor Danny Lovett
"Is life worth living?" That was the question the Preacher raised when he began the discourse that we call Ecclesiastes. After experimenting and investigating "life under the sun," which means living life without God, he concluded "Life without God is not worth living!" He realized that life was not monotonous but filled with challenging situations from God, each in its own time and each for its own purpose. He also learned that wealth could be enjoyed and used for the glory of God. Though man's wisdom couldn't explain everything, Solomon concluded that it was better to follow God's wisdom than to practice man's folly. As for death, there is no way to escape it; and this should motivate us to enjoy life now by living like we are dying and by making the most of the opportunities God gives us. Paul said,"whether we eat or drink or whatever we do we do it for God's glory" (I Corinthians15:31). This Sunday we will finish our study on Ecclesiastes by looking at Solomon's Conclusion of the Whole Matter. Solomon ends his research by giving us four pictures of life and how each picture gives us a practical application to heed.
What kind of fool are you
March 23, 2014 • Pastor Danny Lovett
Solomon is the author of a large part of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament: Song of Solomon, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. In chapter ten of Ecclesiastes, he returns to the theme of wisdom verses foolishness. This section reads like a cross- section of the book of Proverbs. The Teacher-King dispenses one wise saying, after another. Solomon once again wants to remind his congregation of the importance of wisdom and the danger of folly and foolishness. The word folly is used nine times in this chapter. He lays down the basic principle that folly and foolishness creates problems. Solomon had already compared a good name to a fragrant perfume ( Ecclesiastes 7:1), so he used the image again. What dead flies are to perfume, folly and foolishness are to the reputation of a wise person. The conclusion is simple: wise people will stay away from foolishness and folly. Why is one person foolish and another wise? It all depends on the inclinations of the heart (Ecclesiastes 10:2). Solomon is going to warn us about four different areas of our lives where we can be foolish.
Live Like You're Dying
March 16, 2014 • Pastor Danny Lovett
Why is everyone so afraid to face the reality of death? The comedian Woody Allen once said, "I'm not afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens." Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes, is not afraid to talk about death. He has said throughout the book that if you try to live your life without God, it will be a meaningless life, and therefore a meaningless death. To get to the end of a life of emptiness and despair and face the reality of who-knows-what after death could make anyone afraid to confront the reality of dying. After all, the only way to be prepared to live is to be prepared to die. Death is a fact of life. The last time I checked, the statistics on people dying were exactly 100 percent. All of us are going to die. Solomon examined many facets of life so that he might understand God's pattern for satisfied living. Robert E. Lee's last words were, "Let the tent be struck!", meaning that he was was ready for the earthly tent of his body to be taken down. Unless Jesus Christ returns and takes us to heaven, we will all one day "strike our tent" (1Corinthians 5:1-8) and leave the battlefield for a better land. Paul said,"for me to live is Christ but to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). We must be ready.