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Persecuted Church Sunday: Sometimes It Doesn't Make Sense

After 30 Years

Nov 11, 2012


by: Jack Lash Series: After 30 Years | Category: Things I've Learned | Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:12–1:18

I. Introduction

A. Day of Prayer for Persecuted Church — Rev. Eric Foley, CEO of Seoul USA says he was surprised when he first asked members of the North Korean underground church how Americans could pray for them. "They answered, 'You pray for us? We pray for you!' When I asked why, they responded, 'Because Western Christians often put so much faith in their prosperity and political freedoms that they don't know what it's like to have to depend completely on God. And because of that, they often do not get to know him in all the ways he invites us to.'"
B. Series on things I’ve learned since coming here to Gainesville 30 yrs ago. Today is the penultimate sermon (2nd to last).
C. Next week: Mary Ann and I will be attending a marriage conference together, something we haven’t been able to do for a long time. You will have the privilege of hearing Scott Rice preach.
II. A world broken and unfixable
A. My story of bewilderment
1. I have always put a high premium on things making sense. I have a very strong drive to figure things out.
2. It took me a long time to figure out that not everything can be figured out.
3. People killed at the wrong time
a. Churches snuffed out
b. Persecuted believers who aren’t ready to be killed for Jesus
c. Everything turned out just wrong!
d. We know that there is a great plan for everything to turn out right, but sometimes it seems like there’s a great plan for everything to turn out wrong.
4. Sin in the church
a. Centuries of non-Christian Christianity
b. So much shame brought on the name of Christ
5. Suffering, meaninglessness in the world
a. So many generations live and die without even
b. Sex slavery, street children, brutal oppression
6. There are theological dilemmas I can’t figure out. “All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full.” (Ecclesiastes 1:7)
B. Things don’t happen in the right way.
1. There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil. (Ecclesiastes 6:1-2)
2. 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 those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11)
3. The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 2:14-15)
4. I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19)
III. Explanation of Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 “I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. 15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I said in my heart, ‘I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.’ 17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. 18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”
A. 13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.
1. Suffering in the world which goes way beyond my ability to understand
B. 15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
1. Not only are things crooked, but they can’t be fixed.
2. I’m a problem-solver by nature. In the past I enjoyed walking into a problem situation: What needs to be done here? How can we make this right? “What is lacking cannot be counted.”
3. I could grasp not knowing why for a short time.
C. 18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
1. With more knowledge has come more confusion, and sorrow. More vexation.
2. Seeing needy people in Honduras, Kenya, Mauritania, and realizing that there’s a whole world of need out there that I can meet. And yes, it’s better to hold a candle than curse the darkness, but just knowing the darkness and that all you can do is hold a candle (at best) is hard.
IV. Over time I’ve learned is that we live confusing lives in a confusing world.
A. Like a doctor: some things are so successful, some so bewildering.
B. Your face gets rubbed in the chaos.
C. The difference between Disney and history (history = His story)
1. I grew up on Disney. I don’t remember a lot of details about my childhood, but I remember squeezing into the family room of my granduncles house, the only one in the family to have a color TV, and watch the Wild World of Disney on Sunday evenings at 7pm.
2. One thing you could always count on with a Disney show was that it would have a happy ending.
3. But the fact is, that’s not the way it works out in history. There are many, many stories with very unhappy endings.
4. Movie with a sad ending: either it’s a true story or it’s a new movie.
5. In Disney every story has a happy ending. In history, THE story, that is, the whole story, has a very happy ending.
6. The Disney generation wrings its hands over the depressing outlook of the postmodern generation. But the fact is that they have both grasped a slice of reality and both missed the rest.
a. The Disney generation grasps the fact that in the end the story turns out happy, and the main characters live happily ever after. But they miss the profundity of the struggle and the agony of the suffering and the absurdity of this life.
b. The postmodern generation grasps the absurdity and the suffering and the chaos and the unfixability of the brokenness. But they are missing the ultimate order of it all and the invisible hope behind the misery and the sweetness of our destiny for those who hope in Christ.
V. How can we make sense of this confusion?
A. He is God, we are not.
1. He owes us no explanations. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God...” (Deut.29:29)
2. “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33)
3. This was the lesson of Job.
B. Not understanding is an important part of His good will for us.
1. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
2. In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. (Ecclesiastes 7:14)
C. The confusion is not ultimately permanent.
1. The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption & obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (Rm.8:20-21)
D. Jesus entered into our struggle. He even entered into our confusion, into our bewilderment.
1. “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?”
2. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:17-18)
3. What a difference to know that we have a sympathetic Savior!
4. When you are exhausted from carrying heavy burdens, we can remember that He was so exhausted that He fell on His face in the street, without the strength to carry His burden.
5. When you are in intense physical pain, we can remember His pain.
6. When you feel betrayed by a friend, we can remember His betrayal.
7. When you are ridiculed and scorned, we can remember what they did to Jesus.
8. When everyone abandons you and you are left all alone, we can remember Jesus.
9. One of the most amazing and powerful verses in the Bible is: “Jesus wept.” He gets our pain.
10. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need... 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.” (Hebrews 4:15-5:2)
E. God never promised us answers, only Himself.
VI. What are we going to do with this? Give up? Live it up? Throw up? Look up!
A. God gives us permission to be unhappy. But He also tells us where to go with our unhappiness. “Abba, Father!”
B. Come to Me with your pain, come to Me with your bewilderment, come to Me with your burdens.
1. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Other passages in the Bible where desperate people are given guidance of how to pray: Psalms 6, 42, 44 and 88