REALITIES OF LIFE

#5  - "Life's Not Fair! (But God Is)"

Ecclesiastes 3:16 - 4:3

   John Train in his book Remarkable Occurrences, tells the true story of  Vera Czermak of Prague, then Czech, who upon learning that her husband has been unfaithful to her jumped from her third story apartment window. Her husband happened to be walking on the sidewalk directly below that window. Vera landed on him, he was killed and she received only minor injuries. Friends, that is what many of us might call poetic justice. There are a few folks who believe that is how life almost always works. People end up getting what they deserve. We reap what we sow. Yet, most of us would say, "No, it doesn't always work that way." Often life is not fair. The nice guys, the good people, often seem to finish last. Those who are selfish, dishonest and cruel frequently appear to get whatever they want. Life's not fair!

   Feeling that life is hardly just and fair is not a new 21st century phenomenon, 3000 years ago, Solomon reached the same conclusion. As we continue our journey through the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, we come to a passage where Solomon shares his pessimism about life in general and justice in particular. Our text is Ecc. 3:16 - 4:3. As we look at these versus, I pray that God would enable us to move beyond pessimism and despair, to become people of great hope, because our confidence is not in life (which is often unfair), but in the Lord who is always fair.

   Ecc. 3:16 And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment –wickedness was there, in the place of justice – wickedness was there. Life is not fair! But, Solomon wonders, is that really the case? 3:17 I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed." Ultimately life is fair because God in His time will make it fair. But as Solomon continued this debate within his own mind, he decided that is not how it works. 3:18 – 20 I also thought, "As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return."

   At this point Solomon sounds like a modern skeptic. We live and die just like any other animal. When we breath our last breath that is all there is. When our body is buried in the ground we are really are no different than a dog who has died. Yes, Solomon knows the Bible says that is not the case, but 3:21 "Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?" So he concludes in verse 3:22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him? In other words, we will never know what happens to us after we die, so we may as well learn to be happy with what we have got here. "We only go around once in life, so grab for all the gusto you can right now."

   Solomon's skepticism then turns to despair 4:1 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed – and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors – and they have no comforter. Life is very unfair. 4:2 And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. Remember these are the words of a man who was king of Israel, who had incredible wealth, who was smarter that anyone around him, who had 1000 beautiful women in his harem and had sampled almost every physical pleasure known. Yet he finds the unfairness and injustice of life so appalling, that he concludes it is better to be dead than alive, because then one does not have to feel the pain of life any more. Then he has an even better idea. 4:3 But better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun. In other words, best of all is to never have been born, to never be, or perhaps to die at birth or before birth, because then one will never experience the cruelty which life brings.

   Ok, that's our text. This has been rather depressing sermon so far. Imagine if you read this passage for your quiet time. Someone asks, " What did you learn when you read your Bible this morning?" "Oh, I learned I would have been better off if I had never been born." Not exactly great words of encouragement. Yet, this passage needs to be studied in the context of the whole book of Ecclesiastes, where Solomon will eventually conclude that some of his thinking was pretty goofed up. I am convinced, however, that the Lord has something to say to us from this text. Let me start by pointing to a couple of important truths that we find in Solomon's words.

   #1 Solomon is right, life often is not fair. Pretty cruddy things sometimes happen. When we read a newspaper, it seems obvious that injustices often occur in our society, even in our courtrooms. Many agree with Robert Frost when he said, "A jury consists of 12 people chosen to decide who has a better lawyer."

   But the injustice that troubles us most, is not what we see on the news, but what happens in our own lives, and in the lives of our family and friends. Life doesn't seem fair! Last week I read Steve Rowe, a Baptist missionary in Brazil, tell about the death of his 8-year-old son from Leukemia. Here is a man who with his family is serving the Lord as a missionary and then his little boy dies. That doesn't seem fair! Whenever I walk onto the cancer ward of any hospital something inside of me says, life is not fair! Disease and death strike in terrible ways. Parents with small children, children, people who have worked hard for 45 years and have been retired for one month …..  all get sick and die.

   But it is not just disease and death which make us aware of how cruel life can be. Some people know the pain of having a spouse abuse you emotionally or physically. Some know the pain of being sexually abused. Some have been betrayed by your spouse and have experienced the agony of divorce. Others have been deeply hurt by a family member or a close friend. Some have been treated unfairly at work. Maybe you have been skipped over for a promotion you deserve. Even at school, a lot of unfair things happen. Solomon was right, whether we are in Israel in 2000 BC or in North Sydney NS today, life is just not fair!

   #2 Solomon is right, that if this life is all there is it would probably be better to never be born. If we believe that we die just like an animal, there is no basis for anything but despair. It really doesn't matter what happens to us, because in the long run we will all be dead. Even if there were a cure for cancer, the average life expectancy would increase by just four or five more years. Our mortality imprisons us. We are stuck with injustice. Life lacks meaning and purpose. As someone said, we are all on a sinking ship, none of can escape, we might as well go below deck and play cards. And, some would add, since bad people seem to do at least as well as, if not better than good people, there is no reason to be good. Adolph Hitler probably enjoyed far more physical pleasure in his life than Mother Theresa. So let's eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we shall die. This is not a perspective with which I agree, but if Solomon is right, if this life is all there is, it is a perspective which makes sense.

   In our text, Solomon grasps some truth, but he misses an even more important truth. These are things he eventually realizes, but it's truth we need to understand today. #1 Even though life is not fair, God is. At the end of the book Solomon concludes 12:14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Abraham once asked, "Will not the judge of the earth do what is right?" The Bible answer is "Yes He will!" As Solomon said earlier 3:11, "God is the one who makes everything beautiful in His time." Despite the adversity and tragedy we see around us, despite the pain and panic we experience in our own lives, God is going to make sure that justice is done. Everything will work out. Paul says in Eph. 1:11 That God is the one "Who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will." As Professor Charles Hodge said, "We can rejoice that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, that neither necessity, nor chance, nor the folly of man, nor the malice of Satan controls the sequence of events and all their results." Friends, God will accomplish His purposes, which always includes His glory and our good. Rom. 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love

him, who have been called according to His purpose.

   #2 Though this life is not fair, the next life is. The Bible assures us that we are not just like an animal when we die. The soul and or spirit of man continues to live after the body dies. That is implied and affirmed throughout the Bible. It is most clearly taught in 1 Cor. 15 where Paul says, verse 19, "Yes, if this life is all there is Christians are to be pitied." It is foolish to follow Jesus Christ if we simply rot in the ground after death. But, Paul says, we know that doesn't happen. Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, because of the fact that three days after He was killed, He came back to life, we know that we too will one day be raised from the dead. It is in this next life that justice will be done and everything will be fair. It is then that the wicked will be punished and the righteous will be rewarded.

  A few years ago I watched a video entitled "Wrestling with Angles." The film powerfully pointed out the reality of pain, adversity and tragedy in life. But I was disappointed that the only encouragement that seemed to be offered was that God would always be there to comfort us. The message was that God feels our pain. Now, without a doubt that is a reason to be encouraged and God does feel our pain far better than any politician or any other human being ever will. Yet, to me that is a poor summary of how the Bible responds to the pain and unfairness of life. The video neglected to explain how God will indeed make everything right in the next life. It failed to mention that those who trust in Jesus Christ will be in heaven where Rev. 21:4 says "God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

   All of us want a Christianity that is relevant and practical for our every day lives. We may even ridicule anything that smacks of a "Pie in the sky, by and by" religion. But friends, we need to remember that there is no promise for true justice and fairness outside of heaven. It is only there that we can be certain justice will be done. It is in heaven where God will permanently wipe away the tears from the eyes of those who have been abused, will permanently bring joy to those who mourn the loss of a spouse or child, and will bring total, permanent healing to all who are in pain.

    Oh, we will have to wait, we'll have to wait probably much longer than we would like, but God will make everything right. "The wheel of God's justice grinds slowly, but it grinds oh so fine." In heaven the scales of justice will be perfectly balanced. That is God's promise. Yet, He never promised justice before that time. That is why heaven is an absolutely essential part of Biblical Christianity. If we allow a preoccupation with the here and now to obscure our hope of eternal life we gut our faith of its power.

   Friends, life is not fair, but God is! What does this really mean for us in our daily lives?

  #1 Each of us needs to seek God's mercy through Jesus Christ. We have spent our time this evening talking about God's justice and how we can count on the fact that He will always treat us fairly. That sounds great. But there is a problem. None of us in this room really want to be treated by God the way we deserve to be treated. When someone asks me how I am doing, the best and truest answer I can give is simply, "Better than I deserve." If I was being treated as I deserved, I would be in bad shape. You see friends, when it comes right down to it, each one of us, as Chuck Colson says, its more like Adolph Hitler then we are like Jesus Christ. If God were merely to be just and fair and treat us as we deserve, we would all be punished because of our sin. We need to realize that we are sinners not because we have robbed a bank or even because we drive 10 MPH over the speed limit. Rather we are sinners because our lives tend to be focused on serving ourselves rather than serving the God who made us and who deserves our total obedience. We don't treat God as He should be treated. No human being on this planet perfectly obeys the Lord. So rather than need His justice, what we really need is God's mercy.

   Friends, the good news is that He offers it to us freely in Jesus Christ. When Jesus died on the cross, almost 2000 years ago, He paid the penalty for the sin of all who would put their trust in Him. So yes, even though life is not fair, we rejoice in the fact that God is not only fair, but even better, He is also merciful. Friend, if you have not received His mercy in Jesus, now is the time to turn to Him. If you are not sure what that means, please talk to me. If you have experienced His grace and mercy in your life, that is a reason to rejoice and express your gratitude to the Lord, no matter what else might be happening in your life. Because no matter what is happening, you as believer in Jesus look forward to eternal life in heaven, and that friend is far better than you or I deserve.

   #2 We can be patient when injustice strikes us. When I am treated unfairly by someone, I want immediate justice. Part of me wants to get back at the person who has wronged me. But God says no. When others wrong us Rom. 12:19 says Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "it is mine to avenge, I will repay," says the Lord. Now, this doesn't mean we are to be doormats who let others walk all over us. But it does mean that we should focus on living in a way that pleases God by obeying the commands He has given us in the Bible. Then, if we suffer injustice as we do this, that's ok. God will take care of that. Sometimes it is not a particular person, but life itself which seems to treat us unfairly. Often a serious illness, a car accident, or huge bills you didn't expect just don't seem fair. When these types of things occur it is easy to start grumbling and complaining. Sometimes we might even get mad at God for allowing things to happen to us. Yet, the Bible makes it very clear that the Lord is not going to let us down. He has not forgotten us. We need to be willing to trust Him and believe He will make all things beautiful in His time. Folks, do you ever wonder whether it really is worth it to follow Jesus Christ? Maybe the ridicule you get from people at school or work, and the tensions it causes in relationships with family or friends, just don't seem to be worth it. Sometimes even people at church can treat us very poorly. At times it would be so much easier to just go with the flow and not worry about seeking to honor the Lord. But we must not do that. We must be patient and persevere. As Paul says in 1 Cor. 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, but you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Or as a hymn says, "It will be worth it all when we see Jesus, It will be worth it all when we see Jesus, One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase, so gladly run the race till we see Christ." We need to allow that truth to keep us from grumbling or seeking revenge this week, even while life is not fair.