The other day I was thinking about how blessed churches are that have nice buildings.  This is not a prerequisite to worship—that is a matter of the heart (John 4:24). Nor should churches be evaluated on the basis of their facilities.  We have all been to ecclesiastical grave yards with beautiful walnut pews.  My point is simply that those churches that are blessed to have buildings should not take them and the many blessings they can bring for granted.  When we dedicated our building more than seven years ago, I said the following.  These words are still an encouragement to me and I hope, to you as well. 

A Cause to Hope

We conclude our series of blogs on the book of Ecclesiates.  If you would like to listen to the messages or read the manuscripts that are preached on this book, please feel free to access them on our website www.mountofolives.net  under “Media/Resources.”  When you land on that page, simply click “Launch Media Player” and choose from the list of messages.  We want to close by providing the most important reason to study this Old Testament Wisdom book.  That is: studying the book of Ecclesiastes causes us to hope in the supremacy and perfections of Christ.

Finding Empathy for the Lost

A second reason to study the book of Ecclesiastes today is: it helps us empathize with the lost people around us.  Jesus says the lost are “like sheep without a shepherd, harassed and helpless.”  Their lives are meaningless and vulnerable to destruction, but it’s hard for us to keep that truth in our head when many of them seem to be doing better than we are.  When the truths in Ecclesiastes become part of us—they equip us to look at someone like Donald Trump and be genuinely heartbroken for him.

Finding Value in Ecclesiastes

As we continue to introduce the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, we want to discuss some reasons why this book—with its uniquely negative tone, is so valuable to explore and internalize today.  The first specific reason it’s good to dig into this book is because—it helps us persevere in trials.  Some might think, “We all know that life is hard—we don’t need a weekly reminder of it from the pulpit.”  We DO all mentally apprehend that life is hard, but I’ve met very few believers who have internalized that truth in a way that encourages them when they are experiencing the trials of life.

On a Human Level, it is Futile

Last time, we began a short series of blogs on a book that is too frequently (and tragically) overlooked in 21^st Century North America.  We continue that line of thinking here. The implicit theological truth that underscores this very negative view of life is that this planet and all life on it, human and otherwise, is not as God originally designed.  It is fallen, warped, twisted, shattered, broken, darkened, embattled.  On a human level, it is futile. 

Into Ecclesiastes...

For the next few months before Christmas, I will be preaching through the book of Ecclesiastes.  The next few blogs will be given to discussing the enigmatic but very relevant book of the Bible. This book is part of what is called the ‘wisdom literature’ of the Bible that also includes Psalms, Proverbs and Job.  The broad purpose of wisdom literature is to help a person live life well.  Part of living life well is believing that without God, this world and everything in it is ultimately without meaning—it is vanity. 

A few more thoughts on repentance…

A few more thoughts on repentance…The Greek word for repentance is “metanoia” which simply means a “change of mind.”  Repenting means to change your mind or your attitude about a particular sin.  As we was in my last blog, if we equate repentance with a change in behavior, that can result in some serious errors. 

Elements of Repentance

Thomas Watson, a Puritan preacher and author wrote a book on repentance that is very helpful in understanding this often-misunderstood doctrine.   Watson says repentance involves six things.  First is seeing your sin.  Sometimes I don’t see own my sin without help—my wife or someone else sometimes must point it out to me.  You can’t repent of sin you don’t acknowledge.  Second, repentance involves sorrowing over your sin.