CARE, NOT INDIFFERENCE
The Book of Ecclesiastes #3
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Sunday, February 2, 2025
(Ecclesiastes 4:1–6, NLT) “I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them.”
(Ecclesiastes 4:9–12, NLT) “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
Remember, if there is no life above the sun, life is meaningless.
- The Monistic view……….. Deny it.
- The Stoic view…………….. Endure it.
- The Dualistic view……….. Forgive God for it.
- The Existentialist view…. Defy it.
- The Hedonistic view…….. Avoid it.
- The Romanticist view…… Confess it.
- The Political view………… Blame it.
- The Masochistic view…… Welcome it.
In our fallen world, life can be terribly unjust.
1. Criminals go unpunished.
(Ecclesiastes 8:11, NLT) “When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong.”
2. The oppressed are not helped.
(Deuteronomy 24:14, NLT) “Never take advantage of poor and destitute laborers, whether they are fellow Israelites or foreigners living in your towns.”
3. Politicians are unethical.
(Ecclesiastes 5:8, NLT) “Don’t be surprised … if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy.”
4. Good people are unrewarded.
(Ecclesiastes 8:14, NLT) “Good people are often treated as though they were wicked, and wicked people are often treated as though they were good.”
5. Capable people are unsuccessful.
(Ecclesiastes 9:11, GN) “In this world fast runners do not always win the race … The wise do not always earn a living, intelligent people do not always get rich, and capable people do not always rise to high positions.”
What the Bible says.
1. God gives us the freedom to choose.
(Deuteronomy 11:26, NLT) “Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse!”
2. God has appointed a day of judgment.
(Ecclesiastes 3:17, GN) “God is going to judge the righteous and the evil alike, because everything, every action, will happen at its own set time.”
(Matthew 8:29, NLT) “They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?”
3. We need a Savior.
(Ecclesiastes 7:20, NLT) “Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.”
(Romans 3:23–24, NLT) “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.”
4. We need one another.
(Ecclesiastes 4:12, NLT) “A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
(Romans 5:3–5, NIV) “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
GROWTHWORK
1. Life is not fair, but God is good!
(1 Peter 2:20–21, NLT) “If you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.”
2. Never get tired of doing good.
(2 Thessalonians 3:13, NLT) “Never get tired of doing good.”
3. God will reward you.
(2 Corinthians 4:17, Phillips) “These little troubles (which are really so transitory) are winning for us a permanent, glorious and solid reward out of all proportion to our pain.”