Sermon(Eccles 9:11-12): Overcoming the future uncertainty

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025252396

 

 

 

>> 11 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the men of skill; but time and change happen to them all. 12 For man does not know his time. Like fish which are taken in an evil net, and like birds which are caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them. (Eccls 9:11-12) <<

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To sum up above words, you do not necessarily make a successful life just because you have power and intelligence. Let's think about marathon. A man who has a world record in the 100 m run can't easily have a world record in the marathon also. Considering this, he who can run fast in a flash is not always the first to cross the finish line of ribbon. There are various kinds of finish line. People say life is a marathon. Sprinters just run fast thoughtlessly for about 10 seconds to win the race, but marathoners need patience and strong mentality. They also have to keep diet and train for a long time in order that they can have a marathon-physique. Many people agree to the lesson of the story of >a hare and a turtle<. (The fast hare looked down on the slow turtle and slept for about half an hour in the running race, so it lost the race with the turtle.) Actually, there are a lot of such examples in our life. If one's character and temperament don't support his ability, he can't succeed. And if the rule that has determined the winner is changed, the former winner by the former rule can no more be a new winner now. Doesn't even the standard of being competent change with the times?

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In the ancient times of China, Sui(隋) and Tang(唐) sent large armies to Koguryo(高句麗, a dynasty of ancient Korea which was a relatively weaker kingdom). But the two large armies were almost completely defeated, and returned to their countries weeping. In the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592, hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops had to die in tears or some of them had to humbly return to their country without result thanks to Korean admiral Sun-shin Yi. Sometimes you can't use your strength successfully however great it may be. The game of life is not a hand wrestling. A man with big muscles of arm, of course, can win the hand wrestling. But man tends to be careless. So he shows too many weak points. The strong have countless weak points like Achilles tendon. Therefore you can't win a war just by being strong. Because all, whether men or armies, have some weakness, regardless of their strength.

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Do you have a lot of food without working because you have a lot of wisdom? No! The problem is that usually you get food by working, that you sometimes get food when others give it to you, that, above all, you can easily get food when you have a good job, however, any common man can be equal to most good jobs even if he is not a genius. Getting food doesn't need an extraordinary head. That's the reality. That's why you can't live in abundance of food just because you're smart. Above all, if you're smart and have a dirty personality, who would give you a good job? Am I wrong? And you will have to be a beggar if you are 300 IQ but lazy to work. Even if you entered and graduated from a top university as the top student, and passed a major-company entrance exam as the top, you'll have to live jobless if you have a dirty personality so that you are fired two months after joining the company.

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Does a wise man gain riches? It is likely, but not always necessarily. It's the way of the world that money gives birth to money. No matter how smart you are, you have to live as an ordinary employee or a day-laborer if you don't have money to start a business. And no matter how smart you are, how good your personality is, how earnestly you try to win others' favor; the number of good jobs giving much money is limited, and frankly speaking, such good jobs are given to close persons, not to the clever sons or daughters of other people. And having good skills doesn't always mean others' acknowledgement, a good job, a lot of money and food. Do all the secret methods, technology and skills show great difference one from another? And aren't the world changing? Today, do you need the skill to make straw shoes? And these days, there are so many good technical experts, therefore to have an excellent skill doesn't always mean a good opportunity to get money.

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The reason why I'm saying this is to say that God has given us common people the ability to get a good job and live a good life, except for extremely exceptional cases. Of course, you need an exceptional head to be a prosecutor, a judge, a university professor, or a big company employee. However there are a lot of jobs in the world by which you can make no less money than they and live as happily as they. Therefore you must not be idle, negligent and arrogant just because you're competent, talented and smart, for there are so many people in the world who are as competent as you. And you should not underestimate your talent and give up your life too early. The chance of success is always open to those who work diligently and faithfully, and show good personality, and try hard to achieve something good. But we must know that we can fail even if we prepare for the future well like that.

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But there's another problem. Above all, today the Bible says that there are evil times and chances, that is, uncertain circumstances of tomorrow that you can't overcome even if you are very wise, clever, and skillful. Accidents, natural disasters, and diseases are what can come upon all of you regardless of your brilliance, talent, or power. These variable factors do not discriminate between Christians and non-Christians. Isn't the average span of life of Christians the same as that of non-Christians? Therefore we humans should be more humble. Who can guarantee his tomorrow! So people foolishly go to the fortunetellers and pay them precious money to hear some good words concerning their uncertain future. Stupid people! Rather, you are wiser if you are insured and save money for the uncertain future.

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I've been saying so far in the eyes of humans about the world. There are many talented people, too much competition, and few opportunities to succeed, in the world. How are we Christians to live in this grim reality?

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1. Meet God.

The theme of today's words of Bible is "You can't live a successful life by yourself." My brethren, God is the fountain of all blessings. The book of Ecclesiastes teaches us that the future is uncertain. Therefore it tells us that we should meet God when we are young, in order that we may live as happy men without fear of the future. >Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when you will say, "I have no pleasure in them." (Eccles 12:1)< The word of God, as in Ecclesiastes, tells us that even children of God can suffer the same evil things as the people in the world meet. But those accidents which look like misfortune to the secular people can never be misfortune to us Christians. Christians, if God allows, can overcome such misfortune and rise again. “A righteous man falls seven times, and rises again. (Prov 24:16)” And the death of the righteous is an early entrance into the eternal world. The happenings that looked accidental to Christians were in fact works graciously done under God's plan. Therefore we Christians must not complain that we have suffered the misfortunes the worldly people suffered. If we suffer misfortune, we should confess like Job: "Shall we receive good at te hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? (Job 2:10)" The book of Ecclesiastes is just telling Christians the reason why we should rely on only God the more.

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The Bible is both-sided. Unlike Ecclesiastes, Psalms has many passages that guarantee a certain future rather than an uncertain future. (And you must know that the two books are not at contradiction.)

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. (Prov 3:5-10)”

“Do not be afraid of sudden panic, or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes; for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. (Prov 3:25, 26)”

“The wage of the righteous leads to life, the gain of the wicked to sin. (Prov 10:16)”

“What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. (Prov 10:24)”

“The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want. (Prov 13:25)”

“The plans of the mind belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. (Prov 16:1)”

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. (Prov 16:3)”

“The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly from the Lord. (Prov 16:33)”

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established. (Prov 19:21)”

“No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel, can avail against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord. (Prov 21: 30, 31)”

“Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. (Prov 23: 17, 18)”

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Yes, my brethren! The book of Proverbs obviously tells us that we should not worry about the uncertainty of the future at all. And it exhorts us that we should live righteously and fear the Lord. The book promises us that then God will give us much food, great success, and victory of the war, and will not let us suffer any sudden misfortune. My beloved brethren, take these words of promise as your blessing right now. Who would help you? Sometimes your brothers are reluctant to help you. And your parents are not able to give you real help. People are busy taking care of their own families; who will take care of you? My brethren, hold on to the God who loves you. Believe and trust his promise of help. Commit entirely your life to him. And you will surely have hope for the future. "The Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. The righteous shall be preserved for ever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. (Ps 37:28)" My brethren, cast your anchor of hope into Jesus. Cast away the uncertainty of the future. God cares about even the life of a sparrow. God knows even the number of your hair.

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2. Have a dream in God.

You are the precious children of God, so have a great dream in God. If you love and fear God, he will bring hopes into your heart. And he encourages you to pray continually to him for those hopes, and at last lets the hopes be fulfilled. Who does not have a dream? However the dreams of the wicked are vain, but your dreams are worthy even to the God. When you are praying to God, with precious dreams in your heart, God says, "My heart is your heart." Our task is not to give up the dreams God has given us, and to fulfill them patiently with God.

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3. Receive power coming from God.

Whenever you feel you are lacking in wisdom, ask it from the generous God who never rebukes. If the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you'll become strong like Samson. By the name of Jesus, Devil will get away from you. In the name of Jesus, your disease will be healed. The God of Trinity is the fountain of your strength and power. Pray like Jesus, and you can move mountains. Praise God and pray to him like Paul, and the gate of the jail shutting you up will be opened. Use the staff of faith to cause water to spring from the rock and to divide the sea that blocks your way. It will be done to you as you believe. He who longs for Jehovah will gain new strength. Amen!

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4. Serve others.

First, be a servant of God, then be a servant of men. Who can stop you when you decided to live for God and men? Your enemies will be defeated by God, and many obstacles will be removed from you by him, and he will help you with everything if you are weak. Serving can be done only now not in the future. If you are faithful to little things today, very great things will be entrusted to you tomorrow. My brethren, please be successful in serving and helping others while living in this world. Reveal God's glory to the whole world by your good fruits. My brethren, be exalted high like David, and recount God's grace shown to you before many people. My brethren, be sure to succeed in such things.

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May your faith eliminate all future uncertainties so that you have peace. May all your precious dreams be fulfilled in God. Amen!

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Chong Tack Kim

                                 - Dongtoma Sunshine Church -

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