Sermon on Ecclesiastes 7:29 "The Life You Never Knew" Pastor Colin Smith

http://www.unlockingthebible.org/the-life-you-never-knew/ Pastor Colin Smith preached this sermon on Ecclesiastes 7:29 at The Orchard Evangelical Free Church, in Barrington, IL. http://theorchardefc.org/ To download the series or order these sermons on CD, see the link at the top of the description. The Life You Never Knew #1/5: The Inside Story of Human Life Ecclesiastes 7:29 September 3rd / 4th 2011 by Pastor Colin S. Smith "God made man upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes." Ecclesiastes 7:29 Last weekend was the Chicago Triathlon, an extraordinary race with about 4,000 participants. The triathlon is one event, but it has three stages that look and feel very different—the run, the bike and the swim. This series is like a triathlon—one series with three very different parts. We begin by looking at "The Inside Story of Human Life." Why is the world as it is? Then in stage 2 we look at "The Inside Story of the Christian Life." What does it mean to be a Christian? What should I expect, and how can I do this well? That will take us up to Thanksgiving and then, God willing, after a break for the Christmas season, we will take up stage three which is "The Inside Story of Your Future Life." The Bible makes it clear that your life will not always be as it is right now. Ahead of you there is a future, either of eternal misery or of eternal joy. In stage one of our triathlon we look at the inside story of human life. Why is the world as it is today? We see images of people in Somalia who are starving. The food is there, but it's been commandeered by brutal terrorists. We cannot get food to the people who need it. How can this be? Why have we seen this so many times before where there is famine? Next week marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Before that day, if someone out of Hollywood had made a film about the events that took place, few would have taken it seriously. It would have been a night at the movies and we would have said, "Great film! Amazing special effects! But, of course, that could never happen in real life." What is your explanation of evil? Do you think that it is social, educational or economic? Acts of great evil are committed by the rich as well as the poor. Evil is as prevalent under capitalism as it is under communism. Some of the most wicked acts in all of human history have been conceived by the most brilliant minds. To bring the question down to a more personal level: Why do families break up? How do people whose love brought them to pledge their lives to each other forever, end up hating each other and feeling that they can no longer live under the same roof? Why is the world as it is today? "God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes." Ecclesiastes 7:29