Sermon Tone Analysis

The musical group “Chicago” has a whole list of songs dealing with time.

Saturday in the Park, Does Anybody Really Know What Time It is?, 25 or 6 to 4, referencing the fact that they were writing a song and the time was 25 or 26 minutes before 4 AM.

The Carpenters had a famous song, Rainy Days and Mondays.

Harry Chapin wrote a haunting song: Cat’s In the Cradle, showing the brevity and speed of life and what can so easily be missed.

Time In A Bottle was written by Jim Croce about his own son who was yet to be born and his desire to spend as much time as possible with him.

Unfortunately, 3 years later, he was killed in a plane crash.

“Time In A Bottle” by Jim Croce

One author spoke of our need to accept that we are mortal and governed by time.

Today, we talk about how we wish there were more hours in the day.

We recognize that when we’re children, time took forever to grow up.

Then we have children and suddenly they’re adults.

Or how the same 3 1/2 hours is so different when you’re driving to Boston compared to watching a Boston Patriots football game.

Or consider the difference between a 2-minute TV commercial break where you scurry off to the bathroom verses sitting at a stop light for 2 minutes.

Time drags on slowly for some; time flies by for others.

Someone who lives to be 100 is said to have had a very long life.

Yet we recognize that our life is just a blip on the radar of eternity.

For Solomon, it has appeared that he thought life must be boring and without meaning.

Here, in chapter 3, Solomon challenges those listening to reevaluate and consider several factors which might change his mind.

For us today, it comes down to this:

If God is involved in your life, then life will have meaning and purpose.

God Is In Charge of Today - 3:1-8

All of these observations are in the context of under heaven.

As we look around and experience life, we understand the Spring comes before Summer which comes before Fall which comes before Winter, and the cycle continues with Spring again.

Growing up, it was almost a given that if the sun were setting on a Friday evening while a cloud bank was rising in the west that we would have moisture by Monday.

Another truism was that rarely did our winds come from the east, but when they did, there was the hope of moisture in the next day or so.

As the time cycle when into the fall, we knew that when webs would go floating in the air, we knew that it was nearly planting time for the wheat.

That’s just our natural world.

It’s even more obvious in our personal lives.

God controls the outcome of everything according to His perfect will.

We may not understand the temporary outcome, but God knows the final result.

God has a divine purpose for us and will accomplish it for his glory.

In fact, Solomon points out 14 specific contrasting events that are God’s doing and since He’s in charge, we can trust that the timing is good and perfect.

Even those times, in which we have huge questions and confusion, we can trust that God has meaning and purpose in it.

Scholars state that in the majority of Hebrew manuscripts, verses 2-8 are written in side-by-side columns to enable the reader to see the contrast.

Let’s look at birth and death.

Humanity may try to speed up death through ungodly choices, but if we are living for God, then when it is the time He has chosen for our death, it will happen.

It seems that we have forgotten God’s divine appointments.

Humanity has tried to take over and think we have control.

God is in charge.

Remember how I shared my love for planting and harvesting, along with plowing.

Remember also how I stated that if God didn’t provide the right conditions and cause the grain to grow, we’d have nothing.

We worked hard, while trusting God and working in cooperation with the weather and soil conditions, etc.

The same is true spiritually; we are to work with God, knowing that there are biblical principles which must continually be applied.

We don’t understand why God chooses to bring healing to some and allows others to die.

But it is a part of life.

Even in some buildings, there comes a time that a structure must be taken down and a new one built.

Stones seemed to have multiple purposes in biblical times as well as now.

We’ve seen in the Old Testament that when you wanted to mess with the enemy, you would fill his field with stones.

With a field full of stones, there can’t be a lot of plowing and planting.

We also have seen that stones were used to kill someone.

Yet, stones were also used as fences and borders, along with building structures.

There is a time to say hello and welcome, as well as a time to say goodby.

This can be seen in personal relationships as well as business dealings.

It’s a wise person who knows when not to keep putting time, money, and resources into something which is a money pit.

I get a kick out of verse 6b: it sounds like a Scriptural proof text for yard sales and decluttering.

Verse 7 seems to be speaking of the Jewish practice of tearing your clothes when going through sadness or repentance.

But the encouragement is given that one must go on with life and begin to put things back together again.

There is also great wisdom in knowing when to talk and when to be quiet.

The Bible is full of discussion on the blessing and curse of the tongue.

As we look back at this list, you can see that a focus on any one thing is not healthy.

However, when dealt with in balance, understanding that God is in charge and sees the bigger picture, they can be good and provide meaning and purpose.

Now we get ready to see that Solomon is not looking at life only under the sun.

God Is In Charge of Eternity - 3:9-14

Here, it becomes obvious that God has definitely become part of the picture.

There is no way Solomon could have penned these verses unless God were a part of his life.

In verse 10, it becomes evident that he understands that everything humanity has in this life is a gift from God.

We may not understand the good in it sometimes, but it is a gift from God.

It reminds me of the story of the little girl who was celebrating her birthday and she stepped into some horse manure in their yard.

Instead of being disgusted and upset, she became all excited.

She was convinced that this was proof that there was a new pony somewhere to be found.

That is probably more of the approach we should have when it feels as though we’ve just stepped in something that is less than pleasant.

Accept it as a gift from God and we’ll more readily see the blessing that is there for us.

Looking at the totality of the Bible, we understand that we must work hard and diligently to accomplish what needs to be done.

Yet, we must remember that were it not for God’s providential blessings our efforts would be meaningless.

When I feel like I’m spinning my wheels, rather than get frustrated and discouraged, I must go to the Lord in prayer and ask for his enabling power and blessing upon the work for which He has called me.

Verse 11 makes a profound statement: He has also set eternity in their heart . . .

You see, humanity is totally different and unique from all creation.

We are in charge of all creation in that we are to have dominion over it.

We’ve been made in God’s image.

Humanity is why Jesus came to this earth and the ones for whom He died to provide salvation.

Yet we’ll never understand or be able to explain everything that puzzles us.

However, we can trust God to complete His purposes.

In this we can also see the more eternal picture of what we are doing rather than just the temporary.

Then in verses 12-14, it is as if Solomon is saying that we have permission to enjoy our lives while living here on this planet.

Really?

You bet!

It is the gift of God.

Solomon is not telling us to go crazy and go after pleasure for pleasure’s sake.

Instead, why not enjoy the benefits of hard work and the pleasant things of life since God made it possible?!

Even though our lives are merely a footnote in the overall story, if God is in it, I’m convinced there are eternal ramifications.

In other words, I can trust God and make the best of life, doing all I can for His glory.

Again, we’re not to worry about the future.

When the well-known British Methodist preacher William Sangster learned that he had progressive muscular atrophy and could not get well, he made four resolutions and kept them to the end: (1) I will never complain; (2) I will keep the home bright; (3) I will count my blessings; (4) I will try to turn it to gain.

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The story is told of the British Methodist preacher, William Sangster who made four resolutions when he discovered that he had terminal progressive muscular atrophy. 1) I will never complain; 2) I will keep the home bright; 3) I will count my blessings; 4) I will try to turn it to gain.

I believe Solomon would have given a hearty amen.

This outlook that Solomon is recommending is because of faith in God.

God is in control.

We cannot adjust a situation or change it by worry or concern or working harder.

We are full of hope and confident in God’s plan and provisions.