Download Here:

The Wisdom of Civil Submission – Part 1
Ecclesiastes 8:1-17 (1-6)
September 12, 2021

We are now in the second half of the book of Ecclesiastes where the preacher is revealing to us what we have called “The Noble Pursuit”

After exposing the futile pursuits of the world and how empty they are, the preacher would now begin to push us down the path we are intended to walk.

If we were to simplify it even more we would say that
The preacher is pushing us to pursue wisdom.

Namely that which begins with the fear of the LORD.

It is a constant message throughout the second half of this book.
Fear God and obtain wisdom.
• Don’t live like the world…
• Don’t think like the world…
• Don’t pursue what the world pursues…
• Be different.

We’ve heard him talk about
The importance in life of things like mourning or rebuke or patience or faith.

They may not be things that we initially enjoy
But they do help produce the wisdom which we need
So such things should be valued over the foolish pursuits of the world.

Last time we heard the preacher talk about having a wise perspective when examining what is perceived to be injustice.

He talked about the reality that sometimes righteous men suffer
And they suffer worse than wicked men.

It is a confusing reality.
So the preacher carried us through a theological understanding behind such realities

And we learned that from God’s perspective
There is no man who does good…ever.

THEREFORE FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE
There is no such thing as a righteous man suffering that which he does not deserve or to a degree that he does not deserve.

God made all men straight but they sought out many devices.
Therefore all of our suffering is deserved,
It is the mercy we receive that we do not deserve.

And based upon that understanding the preacher gave us wise advice.

Ecclesiastes 7:16-18 “Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.”

To remind again:

“ruin” there doesn’t speak of physical ruin, but rather it is a Hebrew word that means “to be appalled” or “to be stunned”

The idea was that
• You should not assume that your righteous life will insulate you from hardship
or pain or suffering.
• If that is your assumption you are going to be shocked in life and likely
disillusioned.

So don’t assume that your pursuit of righteousness
Will insulate you from suffering, it won’t.

But at the same time, don’t get so discouraged with this reality that you just throw your hands up and say, “Well fine, then I’ll just be wicked!”

That is not wise either, for then you might incite God to kill you sooner.

Instead, the preacher reminded us of wisdom.
The preacher taught us what a God-fearing man does.

“It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.”

That is to say,
• The wise man does not embrace righteousness because he thinks it will
save him from suffering,
• And at the same time he does not abandon righteousness thinking it to
have no value.

The man who fears God pursues righteousness,
But is not surprised when suffering comes anyway.

That is wisdom, that is the fear of the LORD.

But as you will notice,
The preacher still isn’t quite ready to abandon the subject altogether.

In fact, in chapter 8, he addresses it again.

(14) “There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.”

There it is again.
• Even though he now knows that there are none righteous…
• Even though he knows that he should pursue righteousness anyway…
• Even though he knows that righteousness will not insulate him from hardship…

You can tell he still struggles with it.
In fact, last week we saw that, he told us that even though
He knew the proper response, he still struggled with understanding.

Ecclesiastes 7:23-24 “I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. What has been is remote and exceedingly mysterious. Who can discover it?”

Wisdom taught him to pursue righteousness even though it will not stop hardship, but he still admitted that he didn’t understand it all.

And I would point out that the obeying without understanding
Is the very essence of Godly wisdom and of genuine faith.

BUT THERE ARE THINGS HE STILL DOESN’T UNDERSTAND
And chapter 8 returns to it again.

It is still a bother to him that righteous men suffer as if they are wicked
And wicked men are rewarded as though they are righteous.

The DIFFERENCE between the discussion of chapter 7 and chapter 8
• Is that where chapter 7 was sort of a philosophical approach to understand this perceived injustice,
• Chapter 8 represents a practical approach regarding how to live in such a world.

In Ch. 8 the preacher identifies the problem
As to why righteous men suffer and why wicked men are rewarded
And the problem according to the preacher is corrupt leaders.

The problem is best revealed in verse 11
“Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.”

There is a failure amongst the civil government
To do a good job enforcing righteousness and punishing evil
And the result has been a corrupt society.

So the issue of chapter 8 is simply this.
• How do you live in a world where fear of God is lacking?
• How do you live under a king who encourages corruption?

And the answer is the same:
With faith and with the fear of the LORD.

This morning we learn about the wisdom of civil submission.

And it just so happens that we live in a day where
Just saying those words can put a foul taste in our mouths.

Listen, I have no interest in being political, but I also have no problem calling out corruption.

• When a leader encourages civil unrest and violence
• When a leader supports the death of the unborn
• When a leader deals hypocritically and dishonestly with his people
• When a leader abandons those he is sworn to protect
• When a leader deals in bribes and corruption

There is no sense pretending like they he is a good leader.

President Biden is not a godly man, he is not an honest man, he is not a moral man, and he is not a fit man to lead a nation. And this doesn’t even bring into account whether he is a mentally competent man or not.

He is NOT a good president.
BUT HE IS THE PRESIDENT.

And to make matters even more interesting,
There is substantial reason to question whether or not he is even legitimately the president since there is in fact widespread evidence of a rigged election.

BUT HE IS THE PRESIDENT.

One could argue that as president he does more for the encouragement of evil than he does for the encouragement of righteousness.

BUT HE IS THE PRESIDENT.

THE QUESTION IS how does a wise and God fearing man live in such a setting?

• What does wisdom look like when you live in a culture that is not wise?
• What does fearing God look like when you live in a culture that does not fear God?

• How is a man who pursues righteousness supposed to live in a world where those who pursue righteousness are treated as though they are wicked and those who pursue wickedness are treated as though they are righteous?

HOW DO YOU DO IT?

Well that is the issue that the preacher addresses here in chapter 8.
(And it is full of practical wisdom)

There are 5 points to the chapter but we’ll only get through part of them this morning.

#1 HIS WISDOM
Ecclesiastes 8:1

Here is sort of the OPENING THOUGHT of the chapter.

“Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter?”

That is another way of asking, “Who knows what we should do?”
Or “The wise man knows how to live in such times.”

And then the preacher says:
“A man’s wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam.”

That is a neat statement, and one that is helpful.

A “stern face” is a grim face or a frowning face or a frustrated face.
• It is a man who wears a glare.
• He is not happy with the way things are going.

I think that would accurately represent the way
The righteous often feel while living in such a corrupt world.

Every day I am hit with more information
That only seems to cause me more frustration.
(Isn’t that what the preacher said would happen in the last chapter if we had an expectation that our righteousness should insulate us from suffering?)

But none the less, what the preacher is trying to show is
How wisdom will help you turn from a “stern face” to a smiling face.

He is showing those who are frustrated with the corruption of life,
And particularly the corruption of the governing authorities,
How to move from frustration to contentment and satisfaction.

Well that is certainly interesting.
What do you suggest preacher?

#2 HIS ADVICE
Ecclesiastes 8:2-4

Well, that may not have been the advice you were expecting.

The wisdom of this world says
• If you aren’t happy then do something about it!
• Take control of the situation and force it into a situation that pleases you.

Our world can’t find a single situation
In which submission would be the fitting response.

But if you’ve read the Bible,
YOU KNOW THAT GOD CALLS FOR IT CONTINUOUSLY
And that is exactly what the preacher calls for here.

(2) “I say, “Keep the command of the king because of the oath before God.”

Now, I do think it is important to note
• That while the chapter DOES speak of corruption and a refusal to punish evil or
reward good and the effect of such corruption is a wicked society;
• The preacher DOES NOT indicate that the man of God is being commanded to
disobey God.

The book of Daniel as well as the apostles in the book of Acts give us ample examples of what biblical civil disobedience looks like when the child of God is being commanded to disobey the commands of God.

• We saw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego respectfully refusing to
participate in idolatry…
• We saw Daniel quietly refusing to stop praying to God…
• We saw the apostles respectfully announcing that they must obey God rather
than men…

THE PREACHER HERE DOES NOT ADDRESS THAT SCENARIO.

SO IT’S BEST TO UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE AT HAND
Is not a king commanding you to disobey God,
Rather it’s just a king who himself doesn’t fear God
And who does not lead the nation to do so either.

Perhaps the Christian would wonder if
It would not be better to rebel and overthrow such a ruler.

But the command of the preacher is clear.
“Keep the command of the king because of the oath before God.”

The implication here is that as the people of God
We have taken an oath of obedience to God as the One in authority.

This oath certainly trickles down to any whom God puts in authority.
And so the king is to be obeyed
Because he is endowed with the authority of God.

You know this well from the New Testament.
Romans 13:1-2 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.”

I’m not saying it is an easy pill to swallow,
But it is Biblical none the less.

“there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”

• We can spit and cry and dislike a president all we want…
• We can claim illegitimacy and corrupt elections…

But the fact remains that Joe Biden would not be president
If God had not determined it to be so.

• Think back throughout the Old Testament and all the kings who ascended to the thrown through assassinating their predecessor.

• Consider all the evil and corruption that took place in the Roman empire.

But the Bible reminds that God is the force behind it all.
He remains the ultimate sovereign.

The only way a man becomes a ruler is if God determines it.

This DOES NOT MEAN that every ruler He places in power is pleasing or godly or even saved, in fact most of the time that proves not to be the case.

BUT THEY ARE THERE BY GOD’S DESIGN NONE THE LESS.

And the preacher here builds on that same reality.
How can you claim to be in submission to God if you refuse to submit to the one He places in authority?

The preacher’s advice continues.
(3) “Do not be in a hurry to leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.”

• “Do not be in a hurry to leave him” – that is to rebel against him.
• “Do not join in an evil matter” – that is to join a revolution.

• “for he will do whatever he pleases” – because the king has power and authority from God that you do not have.

We remember all the stories of DAVID, especially as he fled from SAUL.
• God had already promised to remove Saul as king.
• Samuel had already anointed David as the rightful king.
• But Saul was on the throne and David was on the run.

TWICE David had the opportunity to kill Saul but David was convinced that he did not have the right to kill the LORD’S anointed.

And do you remember David’s response when the man arrived claiming to have killed Saul?
2 Samuel 1:11-16 “Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him. They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?” And he answered, “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.” Then David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy the LORD’S anointed?” And David called one of the young men and said, “Go, cut him down.” So he struck him and he died. David said to him, “Your blood is on your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD’S anointed.’”

AND THIS WAS A MAN WHO had tried to destroy David.
THIS WAS A MAN WHO had offended God with his disobedience.

But you see the respect there that David has, not for Saul as a man,
But for Saul as God’s anointed.

You don’t just rebel against the sovereign prerogative of God
And think it will all go well.

And the preacher continues.
(4) “Since the word of the king is authoritative, who will say to him, “What are you doing?”

In other words, Who are you to question him?

Now I know
• That flies in the face of our individualism here in America,
• Certainly it flies in the face of our social media and talk radio and notions that somehow complaining is patriotic,

But if we listen to the word of God we see a different notion.

The preacher here doesn’t call for REBELLION or REVOLUTION
Or even REBUKE of the king,
The preacher calls for obedience and submission to the king.

1 Peter 2:13-17 “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”

And I would remind you again that the king Peter was calling his followers to honor was none less than Nero who was perhaps the most ruthless Roman ruler the early church ever encountered.

And Peter, as the preacher here, said to “submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution.”

I’ll be the first to admit that
• Such commands are not easy…
• Such commands are not pleasant…
• I am not a great example for you here as I am called to be…

But the preacher is discussing wisdom and the fear or God
And the SIMPLE TRUTH thus far is that the wise man who fears God
Obeys the king simply because God has placed him there.

Romans 13:5-7 “Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.”

His Wisdom, His Advice
#3 HIS EXPLANATION
Ecclesiastes 8:5-8

The apostle Paul does not quote the preacher here verbatim,
But one must wonder if Paul did not have this passage in mind
When he wrote Romans 13, for their argument is the same.

The preacher here says:
“He who keeps a royal command experiences no trouble…”

And Paul says:
Romans 13:3-4 “For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”

That is Paul’s point precisely.
• “Do what is good and you will have praise…”
• “But if you do what is evil, be afraid…”

That is what the preacher said:
“He who keeps a royal command experiences no trouble…”

And again, we AREN’T talking about when a royal command
Transgresses the Law of God, we know that.

But there are many commands a king can enforce upon you
Which do not force us to transgress the Law of God,
And if you want to stay out of trouble, then you obey them.

And get this, it is so important:
“for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure.”

What does that mean?

It is again a reference to the common theme
That God is sovereign over all times and events.

The preacher leans heavily on that in this whole book.
That God appoints all things in their time. (chapter 3)

And the preacher here uses that now to his advantage.
• You may not like the royal command,
• And you may not like the king who gives it,
• BUT KEEP IT WITH THIS UNDERSTANDING;
• That there is a sovereign purpose behind this time and this procedure.

God is at work behind the scenes here.
• His timing is perfect…
• His plan is perfect…

This is a time which God has appointed.

We might also throw in there an understanding of hope which I think is also implied which would be to say, “THIS TOO SHALL PASS”

A wise heart knows who is really in control
And a wise heart understands that evil men and corruption
Won’t last forever.

He goes on:
(6) “For there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him.”

That is to say, even though it is hard, you’d do good to understand that God is sovereign over all things, including these times in which we live.

And we can easily bring that home HERE TODAY.
• We may not like the direction of our country…
• We may rightly deduce that we are on a godless trend…
• We may see corruption and injustice on the rise…

Are we to assume then that God has been dethroned and that Satan is now calling the shots?

Are we to assume that God has somehow gone on vacation and is not aware of all that is occurring?

Are we to assume that God is just an fan in the stands who is merely watching the “Free Will” decisions of man and waiting to see how it all plays out?

OF COURSE NOT!
God is sovereign and even over current trials and struggles.

We don’t have time certainly this morning,
But go and read the book of Daniel.

The book of Daniel has the overarching theme of the sovereignty of God.

The book of Daniel picks up the history of Israel at a time
• When a foreign army had invaded the Promised Land
• Destroyed Jerusalem
• Looted and burned God’s temple
• And deported Israel’s survivors to a foreign land.

If there was ever a time where outward circumstances made it appear
That God was not in control that would have been the time.

BUT READ THE BOOK.
• It starts with Babylon and then carries you into the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians.
• It even takes a prophetic look at the coming kingdom of Greece.

And do you know what you see throughout the book?
You see God in charge of it all.
• Read how God confronts and humbles Nebuchadnezzar…
• Read how God confronts and judges Belshazzar…
• Read how God confronts and corrects Darius the Mede…
• Read how God lays out the entire plan of the Greek rise to power…

It is obvious who is in charge over all of it.

And even though it was notably tough for God’s people,
That did not mean that God was not sovereignly orchestrating
All of this for His purposes.

Granted part of the purpose was the discipline and purification of His people who had fallen into idolatry, but God was still at work.

“For there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man’s trouble is heavy upon him.”

Just because it is unpleasant does not mean that God is not in control.

Could it be that God has appointed such a time in our nation for the discipline and purification of His church?

Could it be that we groan and languish now and God is using it to turn our dependence back to Him?

If that is the case, then can you see HOW FOOLISH IT WOULD BE
To try and rebel or form a revolution to overthrow a king
Who is merely accomplishing God’s purpose?

CONSIDER ISRAEL.
• God had told them that because of their idolatry He was going to send them into exile in a foreign land for 70 years.
• The agent of that punishment would be the godless and pagan king known as Nebuchadnezzar.

Jeremiah 27:1-8 “In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying— thus says the LORD to me—“Make for yourself bonds and yokes and put them on your neck, and send word to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the sons of Ammon, to the king of Tyre and to the king of Sidon by the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. “Command them to go to their masters, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, thus you shall say to your masters, “I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight. “Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him. “All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant. “It will be, that the nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine and with pestilence,” declares the LORD, “until I have destroyed it by his hand.”

That man was not a righteous man, (nor a wise man)
But he was God’s appointed and anointed ruler.

To rebel against him was futile.

In fact, listen to God’s command to Zedekiah.
Jeremiah 27:12-13 “I spoke words like all these to Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live! “Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, famine and pestilence, as the LORD has spoken to that nation which will not serve the king of Babylon?”

Then, to the people who had already been exiled to Babylon and who were desperately hoping for some sort of supernatural overthrow, Jeremiah wrote a letter.
Jeremiah 29:4-7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. ‘Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. ‘Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’”

Now you should know that Zedekiah ignored the counsel of Jeremiah and instead sent to Egypt for help in overthrowing Babylon.

TURN TO: EZEKIEL 17:11-24

Do you see that this was all part of the plan of God?
Even though it was hard that didn’t mean the plan was to revolt or rebel.

TURN TO: HABAKKUK
(Read chapter 1)
• You can see how Habakkuk is distressed by the godlessness of his nation.
• He asks God to do something about it.
• God says, “I am raising up the Chaldeans”
• Habakkuk balks because in his mind the Chaldeans are worse than Israel.

But God answers in chapter 2 that He is doing it
Not because the Chaldeans are acceptable but because
They are His chosen instrument of punishment on the sin of Israel.

And thus, to rebel would be useless.

In fact look at:
Habakkuk 2:2-3 “Then the LORD answered me and said, “Record the vision And inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run. “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.”

Rebellion is not prescribed, nor will it be effective.
This is God’s appointed time and God’s appointed plan.

All Habakkuk could then do was wait on such a disaster
And trust God in the middle of it.

Habakkuk 3:16-19 “I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.”

This same mentality is what the preacher is referring to here.
• So you live in a wicked and corrupt time.
• So the leader is less than stellar.
• So he produces more evil and more corruption.

What does a wise man do?
• The wise man looks beyond the actual ruler to the God who sits sovereignly behind him
• And understands that God has a sovereign purpose and plan even for the evil and troublesome day.

God is using it for His own sovereign purposes.

He has not asked you to seek to stop it,
But rather to submit yourself to it.

We don’t have time this morning, but as you will see NEXT TIME.

There is so much about what is going on here
That you and I do not know.

We don’t know God’s timing
And we don’t know the future.

But the preacher is confident that one thing we do know is that (8) “evil will not deliver those who practice it.”

In other words
• if you dislike your current circumstances…
• If you dislike the current administration…
• If you are frustrated with the current direction of the nation…

Well committing the evil of revolting against God’s sovereign authority
Is not the wise move.

No man ever brought deliverance to himself
By doing expressly that which God forbids.

NOW,
• We have only begun to understand the preacher’s point this morning,
• And indeed we have yet to see precisely how this is supposed to end up removing our frown and putting a smile on our face.

We’ll get to that next time.

THIS MORNING we are simply called to use wisdom and the fear of God
And to trust Him that He is in control and to do what He commands.

And we must be careful that we do not justify rebellion
Simply because our will is not being done.

There is more to say,
But it is only fitting to leave again with the ultimate example of

A confusing situation which was anointed by God which turned out to be better than we could have ever imagined.

Acts 2:22-24 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”

Our God knows what He is doing.

Download Here:

The Champion – Part 1
Psalms 118 (1-14)
September 5, 2021

Tonight we come to the literal central message of the Bible.

You’ve likely heard it before, and I’ve not counted but it is said by many that Psalms 118 is the absolute middle chapter of the Bible.
• Before it is the shortest chapter in the Bible.
• After it is the longest chapter in the Bible.
• And Psalms 118 rests as the center.

The middle verse of the entire Bible is Psalms 118:8

“It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man.”

Now, as I said, I didn’t count
So if you want to double-check that popular claim, have at it.

None the less tonight we come to the fabulous 118th.
It is the final Psalm in the 6 Psalm grouping known as “The Hallel”

• They are the grouping of hymns sung by Israel in commemoration of the Passover.
• By now you have no doubt noticed that they each effectively point to Christ,
• And perhaps none more obviously point to Him than the 118th.

Psalms 118 is at face value, “The Psalm of a Champion”

There is a champion who faces the battle of his life
And the outcome of his battle effects not only him,
But all who depend on his victory for life.

The champion enters the battle with nothing but his trust in the LORD,

And it is not long before it appears certain that the champion will lose.
• The odds are too great, the enemy is too strong
• And no one would lay odds on the survival of the champion.

However, the champion continues to trust God and God intervenes in a miraculous way,
• He grants victory to the champion
• And thus provides deliverance to all those who depended on him for victory.

Following the victory is a great parade which culminates at the temple of God
• Where the champion enters as the triumphant king
• And gives a sacrifice to God in gratitude for his great victory.

IT IS A GREAT STORY!

It is an event that Israel saw FORESHADOWED time and time again.

One could easily set the story of David and Goliath beside Psalms 118
And be convinced it is about his famous battle with the giant.
• You can see David facing overwhelming odds.
• You can see the surrounding Philistines and the taunting giant.
• You can see God deliver and the people saved as a result.
• You can watch David dancing during the victory parade as the people sing that “David has slain his ten-thousands”

The Psalm fits that story to a “T”

You could set the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den beside Psalms 118
And be convinced that it is actually about him.
• You see Daniel in turmoil, conspired against and commanded not to pray.
• You see him trusting God regardless.
• You see his enemies surround him and his survival is hopeless.
• But God intervenes and Daniel is victorious.
• His victory means death for his enemies and deliverance for his people.
• And you can see Daniel and his God praised and glorified as a result.

This Psalm also fits that story to a “T”

Certainly it was a Psalm sung in commemoration of the Passover.
• Perhaps as the people sang they followed the dangers and exploits of Egypt.
• Perhaps they recognized the need to trust in God.
• Perhaps they saw overwhelming odds against them.
• Perhaps they remembered God’s supernatural deliverance.
• Perhaps they remembered how God cut off their enemies.
• Perhaps they rejoiced now to enter the temple and sacrifice to God for His great deliverance.

No doubt at the Passover such correlations were made.

And yet, more than anything, the Psalm has a prophetic tone.
It is a Psalm that trained its readers
To look for the coming deliverance of God.

AND LITTLE DID ISRAEL KNOW
THAT THERE WAS A DAY COMING
When they would spontaneously and even unknowingly
Use Psalms 118 as a script and act it out in broad daylight
As Jesus entered Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey.

They would even sing verses 25 and 26 verbatim to Him!
(25-26) “O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.”

“do save, we beseech You”
Is a sort of compound word in the Hebrew.

You know it as “Hosanna!”

At the triumphal entry of Christ the people sang, “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD”

Without forethought and without definite intent,
And perhaps even without awareness,

As Jesus entered the city He was recognized by the masses
As the champion of Psalms 118.

It was such a startling event that it solidified in the minds
Of the Chief Priests that Jesus had to die.

In my mind, there’s really no sense nor any need
• For working through this Psalm in a some sort of secretive way
• And describing the Passover or David or Daniel
• When it is obvious that this Psalm has always been about Jesus.

The people of Israel may have sang it for years
And never known why,
But now we know better and so we’ll study it looking at Him.

It opens simply with BOLD INSTRUCTIONS.
(1-4) “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Oh let Israel say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Oh let the house of Aaron say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Oh let those who fear the LORD say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

In order to make sure that you don’t study this Psalm
With some sort of confusion regarding what your mood should be
The Psalmist spells it out.

The expected mood of the Psalm is: GRATITUDE.
“Give thanks to the LORD”

God has done something for you that you could not do for yourself.
He has stepped in and delivered you
From a foe that you could have never defeated.

YOU OWE HIM GRATITUDE.
But it’s not just for the deliverance He won.
But simply for who He is.

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good”

There’s that word again; “good”

It is a word that is far too often used to describe humanity
When humanity absolutely DOES NOT FIT the description.

Even Jesus said it to the Rich Young Ruler:
Matthew 19:17 “And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good…”

• Only of God can we say that He lacks nothing…
• Only of God can we say that perfection dwells there…
• Only of God can we see such completion and perfection that nothing could be added or renovated in any way…

Only God is truly “good”

And this Psalm sings a song to celebrate the goodness of God.
God’s goodness which manifests itself in His loyal covenantal love.

What do you mean that God is “good”?

I mean He is not only good, but is good to us.

“For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

His CHECED never fails.
• His loyal covenantal love lasts for all eternity.
• He never forsakes…
• He never forgets…
• He never ignores…
• He is supremely loyal to those He has chosen…

And so the expected mood of the Psalm is that everyone would stop and “Give thanks to the LORD”

That includes THE CHOSEN
“Oh let Israel say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

That includes THE CONSECRATED
“O let the house of Aaron say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

That includes THE CONVICTED
“O let those who fear the LORD say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

And we might even add today that this mandate includes THE CHURCH
Who should also sing, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

What God has done for us through this Champion
Deserves our gratitude and praise for the rest of eternity.

Well, let’s take a look at this Champion tonight.

We’re going to break the Psalm down into 2 main points but each one will have to be broken down further.

#1 THE STORY OF THE REDEEMER
Psalms 118:5-21

These 17 verses tell for us “The story of the Champion”.

They take us not only into the battle
But into the heart of the Champion as He faced the danger.

We will break His tory down into 5 points.
1) HIS TURMOIL (5-7)

“From my distress I called upon the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place. The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.”

First we read about the Champion’s “distress”

We might think of Daniel here
• Receiving word that he could not legally pray to God in Babylon…
We might think of David here
• First hearing the bone-chilling taunt of the giant while visiting his brothers…
We might think of the Israelites
• Trampling straw into the mud pits in their slavery…

But in reality all of THOSE ARE FAR LESS
Than the stress of the true champion.

Hopefully you remember it from our recent study of Luke,
But the Scripture gives us great insight into the distress of our Champion.

Luke 22:41-44 “And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.”

If you write in your Bible,
Beside verses 5-7 you can write the word: GETHSEMANE

For it was in this garden that our Lord was in the distress of His life.
• It was in this garden that our Champion was in such distress that He fell into a medical condition caused by His stress.
• It is a condition where under duress and pressure a person exudes such strain that blood vessels are burst and blood flows out of the sweat glands.

This was our Lord’s distress.

The writer of Hebrews gives added insight here.
Hebrews 5:7-8 “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.”

The writer of Hebrews there describes the behavior of our Lord as
“loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death”

What was happening in the garden?
Jesus was identifying with sinners.
• He was already beginning to sense condemnation.
• He was already beginning to be gripped with the fear of the judgment of God.

Many, in their lostness, have felt some degree of this
As they were made aware of their sin and the judgment of God upon it.

Many a man in that moment of horror cried out for mercy
From the God of the universe that they might be spared such agony.

That is where Christ was in the garden.
• Certainly there would be nothing fun about being arrested…
• Certainly there would be no joy in the series of mock trials and accusations…
• Certainly there would be great physical pain in the torment of the cross…

But those are not the things that caused grief to the Lord.

He was faced with the reality of the judgment of Holy God
For the sin that He now took upon Himself.

And like many a sinner in the world,
• He responded with “loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death”
• He “was praying fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling upon the ground.”

He was about to face the wrath of God mixed to full strength.
He will bear the punishment for all the sin of all the elect for all time.

It was His “distress”
And in that distress He says, “I called upon the LORD”

Indeed the writer of Hebrews says that
“He was heard because of His piety.”

That is to say that because He was holy and righteous God most certainly would have granted His request and saved Him from death, yet deliverance was not His only prayer.

We also read that in that garden He said,
“Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me;
yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

And we further read, “Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.”

And thus we understand exactly what the Psalmist spoke of.

“From my distress I called upon the LORD; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.”

God reassured our Champion as He faced the distress of the coming battle.

And the CONFIDENCE of our Champion is overwhelming.
(6-7) “The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.”

At once we see our Champion arise from prayer
And face the legion of soldiers who came to arrest Him.

It is the most gripping scenes of MEEKNESS the world has ever seen.

Here came a Roman cohort
• A Roman cohort at full strength was 1,000 men strong.
• It consisted of 760 infantry and 240 cavalry,
• And one was always in Jerusalem to control the peace.
• Commonly a cohort was simply 600 men
• And the smallest record of any Roman cohort was 200 men.

It was powerful scene as the traitor
Led the temple police and a Roman cohort to come and arrest Jesus.

John 18:3-11“Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.” Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

One reads such a scene and is forced to ask the question:
“Who is really in charge here?”

The numbers must point to Judas, but the event clearly points to Jesus.
• For the soldiers first kneel to Him…
• Then Jesus gives the orders regarding who they can arrest…
• Then Jesus stops a would-be rebellion…
• And finally Jesus agrees to go stand before His enemies…

He is a man of infinite POWER and infinite CONVICTION.

He might as well be wearing a T-shirt which says,
“The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? The LORD is for me among those who help me; Therefore I will look with satisfaction those who hate me.”

He started in turmoil and distress for His mission was terrifying,
And yet He was strengthened by God to go and face His foe.

HE IS OUR CHAMPION!

His Turmoil
2) HIS TRUST (8-9)

His trust was proclaimed in verses 6-7,
But it is CONFIRMED yet again here.

“It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes.”

One might try to see David here
• Refusing the armor of Saul before he faces the giant…
One might try to see Daniel here
• Refusing to appeal to Darius for some sort of deliverance from the lion’s den….
One might try to see the Israelites
• Patiently waiting for God to intervene with plagues to break the back of Egypt…

BUT THEIR TRUST PALES IN COMPARISON TO CHRIST.

Beside verses 8&9 in your Bible you can write the word: GABBATHA

John 19:9-13 “and he entered into the Praetorium again and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.”

One of my favorite scenes in the entire Bible is this event
Which really became “The Trial of Pilate”

At this point Jesus had already BEEN THROUGH 5 TRIALS.

When He was arrested He was immediately taken
In the middle of the night to the house of Caiaphas for TRIAL #1.

Before He made into the house of Caiaphas, Annas intercepted Him in the courtyard and interrogated Jesus in an informal trial outside.
• It was there that Jesus was “struck” for failing to cow down to Annas.

From there Jesus was led to TRIAL #2
Which was in the house of Caiaphas
• Where false witnesses were produced and in the middle of the night Jesus was condemned.
• Again they begin to spit on Him and beat Him and to tell Him to “prophesy to us who hit You”

However, because the first two trials were illegal by Jewish Law for many reasons,
But perhaps primarily because it could not be held at night;

Friday morning after sunrise Jesus was led to TRIAL #3
This trial took place before the Sanhedrin at the council chamber
• Where they only objective was to get Jesus to admit publicly now what He had already stated earlier in the night
• Which was that He is “the Son of Man”
• And He “will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”

Jesus proclaimed it again, and also claimed to be the Son of God
And for the third time in a few hours He was condemned.

Following this formal conviction came TRIAL #4
Jesus was taken to Pilate
• But because Pilate could care less about Jesus’ claims to be the Son of God,
• Before Pilate Jesus was accused of insurrection by supposedly telling people not to pay taxes to Rome.

Pilate questioned Jesus and for the first time
Jesus received a verdict of “Not Guilty”.
Pilate found no guilt, but the Jews wouldn’t have it.

But the Jews wouldn’t have it so in desperation Pilate then determined
To send Jesus to Herod for trial who happened to be in Jerusalem.

Because Pilate was stuck He sent Jesus to TRIAL #5
Jesus was taken before Herod
• However, even as Herod mocked and ridiculed Jesus,
• Jesus said nothing to Herod
• So Herod deferred to Pilate that he didn’t see anything deserving of death in Jesus either.

And by the time we get to the text we read in John 19
Jesus has now been tried 5 times and is now finally standing again
Before the ONLY MAN who thought He was INNOCENT.

Having been condemned in 3 previous trials,
Beaten in at least two of them,
And certainly mocked in another.

IT WOULD APPEAR AT THE MOMENT
That Jesus’ best chance of getting out of this mess would be by appealing to Pilate.
• He was the only One who didn’t seem to have some ulterior motive for wanting Jesus dead.

But when Jesus stood before Pilate He refused to ask for help.

I’ll read it again:
John 19:10-11 “So Pilate said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

And with that passage we look again at the Psalm of our champion
And read: (8-9) “It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD Than to trust in princes.”

Our champion did not waiver.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 “Thus says the LORD, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD. “For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.”

Our Champion had that kind of trust.
• He was convinced that “The LORD is for me”
• He had already asked “What can man do to me?”
• He knew that with the help of the LORD, “I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.”

AND SO
• There was no need to appeal to Pilate.
• There was no need to put all His hope in Pilate’s abilities.
• There was no need to appeal to Pilate’s mercy.

Our Champion rested in the hands of God.

And even though Pilate would still try to release Him,
Pilate was unwilling to face hostility for the sake of Jesus.

So we read:
John 19:13 “Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.”

It is the most remarkable demonstration of faith in God
That the world has ever seen.

OUR CHAMPION IS UNFLAPPABLE.

His Turmoil, His Trust
3) HIS TRIAL (10-14)

“All nations surrounded me; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. They surrounded me like bees; They were extinguished as a fire of thorns; In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off. You pushed me violently so that I was falling, But the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.”

Again, one might be tempted to see David here
• Facing the giant with the Philistines littering the hillside beyond…
Or one might wish to see Daniel
• With the entire weight of the Persian government against him…
Or one might wish to see Israel,
• Hated by Egypt but also being led to a land of Promise which was already inhabited by her soon to be enemies…

But none of those stories fit as accurately as that of Christ Jesus.

4 times in these 5 verses we read that our Champion was “surrounded”

The fury of His enemies is likened to “bees” and to “a fire of thorns”

It is a relentless pursuit of attack from every side.
EVERYONE IS AGAINST HIM.

Luke 23:35-39 “And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”

It was Jesus against the world.
• Romans were gambling for His clothes…
• The crowd was indifferent to His suffering…
• The chief priests were mocking Him…
• Even the criminals next to Him were mocking Him…

He was surrounded and they jabbed Him from every side.

And yet, because of the LORD
Our Champion was confident that
“In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.”
And He says that 3 times.

Despite the anger and resentment and rage that was thrown at Him,
Our Champion had no fear of those around Him.
• He knew they would one day bow.
• He knew they would not be given the final word.
• He knew that God had already promised Him to reign over them.
• He knew that one day He would break their knees and crush them like earthen ware.

In fact He was so confident of His future victory over them that He could do the unthinkable at the cross and actually offer terms of peace.

• He would pray for their forgiveness and plead for their mercy.
• He would even save one of the thieves hanging next to Him.

Our Champion was surrounded and attacked
But still there was NO FEAR THAT HE MIGHT LOSE.

AND THEN THE REAL BATTLE STARTED.
Then He faced the foe He had dreaded back in the garden.

(13a) “You pushed me violently so that I was falling…”

Literally there in the Hebrew He says, “I fell…”

• Our Champion stood before the giant as a representative on our behalf.
• And even though the Philistines taunted from the hillside…
• And even though his own brothers scorned him from his own camp…

THE REAL FIGHT WAS NOW UPON HIM.

He faced sin and He faced death.
And He faced the fierce wrath of a Holy God.

Next to verses 10-14 you can write the word: GOLGOTHA

Matthew 27:32-46 “As they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink. And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. “HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”

Here at Golgotha our Lord faced the wrath of God.
• Darkness fell which pictured “The Day of the LORD”
• Which was a day of God’s judgment on His enemies.
• It was a day of “deep darkness”.

• And as God’s wrath fell it was not the Romans who begged for mercy…
• And as God’s wrath fell it was not the Jews who expressed torment…

As God’s wrath fell it was Christ who cried
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”

There may have been many enemies and many foes
That our Champion faced in battle,
BUT THE GREATEST WAS GOD HIMSELF.

God was pleased to crush Him on the cross.
God poured out His wrath in full measure on Christ.

It was a trial against impossible odds.
It was a battle that none could win.

• If you suppose David was an underdog against the giant…
• If you suppose Daniel was an underdog against a den of lions…
• If you suppose Israel was an underdog against the army of Egypt…

THEN LOOK AGAIN AT THE CROSS.

Here was Jesus bearing all the sin for all the elect for all time
And He was suffering God’s wrath on all of it.
NONE COULD SURVIVE.

“You pushed me violently so that I was falling,”
• On the cross He had completed His mission and said “It is finished!”
• And He died.

And yet, in a marvelous display of God’s sovereign grace.
As God crushed His Son, God also strengthened His Son.

“But the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.”
• David saw the stone sink into the forehead of the giant…
• Daniel saw the lions fall asleep…
• Israel saw the Red Sea split in two…

But what is about to happen for our Champion
Is a comeback of epic proportion.

Because it was late in the day
• His body was somewhat hastily thrown in the nearby tomb of a rich man…
• The woman had no time to adorn His body…
• He was placed in the tomb and a stone was rolled over the entrance…

Steps were then taken to make sure this Champion stayed dead.

Matthew 27:62-66 “Now on the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate, and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ “Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone.”

And for 3 days the defeat of the Champion seemed certain.

• The woman wept and torturously waited for the Sabbath to end so that they might go anoint His body.

• His followers frantically returned to the upper room and locked the door for they feared for their own lives.

• No doubt the chief priests had a celebratory Passover meal like none they had ever enjoyed before.

THE CHAMPION WAS DEAD…

But as the old preacher said,
“It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming!”

The scene begins to reveal itself
Early Sunday morning when the women go to anoint His body…

Matthew 28:1-5 “Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.”

And that is what we call a cliffhanger…
We’ll follow the story of our Champion next Sunday night.

In the meantime we “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

Download Here:

The Mystery of Perceived Injustice
Ecclesiastes 7:15-29
September 5, 2021

This morning we approach a topic that many have struggled with
And it is the mystery of perceived injustice.

(15) “I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.”

Have you ever been perplexed or bothered by such things?
Our preacher was, and he’s not beyond addressing those hard questions.

In fact, this isn’t the only time he brings it up.
Ecclesiastes 8:14 “There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.”

Maybe you’ve wondered that in your life.
• Certainly antagonistic men like to sit in judgment of God over such issues.
• Or maybe you’ve been caught seeking to defend God in the face of such
perceived injustice.

My dad was 60 years old, a Sunday school teacher, a faithful husband and a good father. He continually shared the gospel, he was faithful to provide for the poor, he helped the down and out, he honored his parents, but he died young.

And that can be hard enough to swallow,
But especially difficult when you see a supposed godless man
Live into his 80’s or 90’s.

It is a perceived injustice and it confuses us.

WELL THAT IS WHERE THE PREACHER IS THIS MORNING.
• He’s now in his new segment of the book which we have called “The Noble Pursuit”
• That is, after having exposed the false allurements of the world, the preacher is now telling the young man what he should pursue in life.

AND THIS MORNING, we might say his main objective is
To teach THE NECESSITY OF ENDURANCE

Even more specifically it would be to teach the young man to fear God and hold fast to Him even in the midst of confusing circumstances.
(18) “It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.”

That is his main point.

We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s start looking at it.
#1 THE SERMON
Ecclesiastes 7:15-18

To help you understand where we’re going,
Let me give you the outline a little early.

What we have here in these first 4 verses is the preacher’s entire sermon.
• This is the point he wants to make to the young man.

However, it is a hard point, and he realizes that
We may be found wanting for some explanation.

So after giving the sermon, he then turns around and takes us through his thought process and search for how he arrived at it. (vs. 19-29)

• So we’re calling verses 15-18 – THE SERMON
• And we’ll call verses 19-29 – THE STUDY

I think that will help us understand a little better what is happening in the text.

But here is THE SERMON
• We start with the obvious problem.
• It is the perceived in justice.

(15) “I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.”

THIS IS THE DILEMMA.

Certainly on one hand there is the ISSUE OF RIGHTEOUS SUFFERING.

That is one dilemma that is seemingly hard to swallow for some.
• That was the entire issue with the book of Job.
• That sort of mentality has tried to resurface in past years with the prosperity gospel.

It is the failure to understand why someone who does what is right
Would then seemingly be punished for it.

But that is only half of the dilemma here.

On the other hand it is the ISSUE OF THE WICKED PROSPERING.

In our minds people who do good should have good lives
And people who do bad should have bad lives.

It is actually the pagan belief known as “KARMA”.
That good deeds get rewarded with good
And bad deeds get rewarded with bad.

And when that doesn’t happen we are confused.

Yet the preachers says “I have seen [it] during my lifetime of futility.”

This confusing reality was the very issue to Psalms 73.
• You’ll remember Asaph’s confusion as to why he could follow God and suffer
while the rich mocked God and enjoyed prosperity.
• The confusion led him to a temporary rant against this perceived injustice.

Psalms 73:12-14 “Behold, these are the wicked; And always at ease, they have increased in wealth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning.”

Surely you have seen it in the world.

Well, immediately the preacher tells you how to deal with it.

(16-17) “Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?”

OK, well that seems strange.
In fact it sounds totally unbiblical.

• “Do not be excessively righteous..?”
• “do not be overly wise..?”

• I thought the chief command of God was “be holy as I am holy”.
• Jesus said, “You are to be perfect as Your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Well let’s take a little crash course on Biblical hermeneutics this morning.
Hermeneutics is “the study of the general principles of Biblical interpretation.”

Hermeneutics deals with how we interpret Scripture.

There are many principles of hermeneutics that help in understanding Scripture, such as:
• Every passage has 1 meaning.
• The simplest and most obvious explanation is usually the meaning.
• Context is king

But one I want you to see this morning is this (and it is vitally important)
SCRIPTURE INTERPRETS SCRIPTURE

“Scripture never contradicts itself”

So when we read a verse like “Do not be excessively righteous”

We may not know immediately what it means,
But we do know immediately what it does not mean.

It DOES NOT mean that righteousness is not important.
NOR does it mean that there are instances where a person should be lukewarm.
Scripture clearly indicates the contrary.

OUR JOB THEN is to look at the text as a part of the Bible as a whole
And determine what the preacher means.

Well in this case A SIMPLE WORD STUDY sheds light on the issue.
“Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?”

The key is found in the word “ruin”.
SAMEM (shaw-mame)
It means “to be appalled” or “to be stunned”

And so “ruined” here does not refer to moral ruin or spiritual ruin,
But rather to emotional ruin or disheartenment.

And the understanding is this.
• If you think that righteous perfection in life will insulate you from hardship or suffering then you are going to be shocked and appalled in life.

And the command then
• Is not to seek out righteousness with the expectation that it will secure you from hardship.

That also helps us understand the next statement.
“Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?”

This references the sort of knee-jerk reaction of the man
Who is shocked that his morality didn’t spare him.

That man might see the wicked prospering while the righteous suffer
And come to the wrong conclusion that being wicked is no big deal.

Remember, that was the conclusion Asaph nearly came to in Psalms 73.
Psalms 73:13-14 “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning.”

But the preacher reminds that this is a faulty mindset as well.

For if you live in wickedness
All you are doing is provoking God to anger
And you might bring on yourself a severe punishment for your sin.

SO THE COMMAND IS
Not to expect that your righteousness will spare you from suffering
And not to assume that wickedness will go unpunished.

And then comes THE APPLICATION / EXPLANATION.
(18) “It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.”

The preacher warns against choosing one side over and above the other.

• Don’t be the man who forsakes wickedness only because he thinks it will keep
him from suffering and who ultimately ends up shocked in adversity.

• Don’t be the man who embraces wickedness thinking he can escape
unpunished.

You need to hold on to two understandings.
1) Hold on to your awareness that the righteous can and do suffer.
2) Hold on to your understanding that wickedness is very dangerous.

DON’T LET EITHER OF THOSE GO.
(even if circumstances confuse you)

BUT SADLY, THAT’S WHAT PEOPLE DO.

They see a perceived injustice and immediately want to doubt God and get angry and fall into foolishness.

But “the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.”
• The one who fears God trusts Him even when the righteous suffer.
• The one who fears God trusts Him even when the wicked prosper.

The man who fears God doesn’t let confusing circumstances
Shake him from his steadfastness.

NOW, THAT IS THE SERMON.
But, as we said, there isn’t much explanation there.
• That is more of a, “Trust me and get over it type sermon”

So, the preacher does a favor.
After the sermon, he then backtracks
To tell you how he came to that conclusion.

So, after the sermon, let’s look at the second point.
#2 THE STUDY
Ecclesiastes 7:19-29

Here is going to explain how he got to the conclusion
• That even though there is confusing injustice in the world,
• You should maintain your fear of God
• You should not be shocked at suffering and still abstain from wickedness.

Here’s why he says that.

Let’s break his study down into 3 points.
1) WHERE HE STARTED (19-22)

These 4 verses represent his initial understanding of the issue.
(19-20) “Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. Indeed [For], there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.”

It will help you understand this better if you change the word “Indeed” in verse 20
To “For” which is a perfectly allowable translation.

The preacher says men should pursue wisdom
Because none of them are perfectly righteous.

IN OTHER WORDS: Since no man is righteous enough to be able to expect that his righteousness can spare him from trouble, all men should pursue the wisdom to cope with such circumstances.

AND THIS IS IMPORTANT.
Sometimes when we talk about the perception of unjust suffering
It is because man thinks that he does not deserve suffering.

You see those sort of arguments…
• “I go to church…”
• “I give to the poor…”

Like I mentioned with my dad earlier, we could say, “I teach Sunday school, I share the gospel, I’m a faithful husband…”

And because of the good we do we think that we should escape suffering.

But notice the preacher DOES NOT think that.
That was not his belief even when he started this journey.

He is well aware of the fact that “there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.”

• He knows that.
• He understands that even the best of us commit sin that is worthy of discipline.

And he even gives a little illustration of that.
Verses 21-22 are sort of like a “For instance…”

(21-22) “Also, do not take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you. For you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others.”

To prove that even you have done things to deserve punishment,
The preacher appeals to the tongue.

It starts with a premise.
Do you get angry when you find out someone was talking bad about you?
(of course you do)

The implied question is, “Do you think you have the right to get angry about such things?” (And again we’d say, “Of course I do”)

Then the preacher reminds, “you also…have many times cursed others.”

Who here can deny that?
• Who here can say that never once in their life have they ever talked bad about
another human being?

Well then, “there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.”

YOU SEE HIS POINT.
• No one can claim that they are righteous enough that they shouldn’t suffer.
• Every man should seek the wisdom to cope with that.

So, HIS ISSUE IS NOT that he thinks that there is some righteous man
Who does not deserve punishment or even death.

THAT IS NOT HIS PROBLEM.

His problem IS that justice seems to be handed out disproportionately.

It’s not that the righteous suffer it’s that at times they suffer worse than the wicked, and that doesn’t make sense to him.

IN HIS MIND,
• If the righteous die at age 70, then the wicked should die at age 40.
• But when the opposite happens, he doesn’t understand that.

And this is where he started out in his journey.
This was the launch pad of his understanding.

Where He Started
2) WHAT HE SEARCHED (23-26)

He says, “I tested all this with wisdom”

• “all this” is the confusing realities of the perceived injustice.

He went looking for an explanation as to
Why the righteous at times suffer worse than the wicked.

(25) “I directed my mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness.”

I wanted to know why folly is so evil and madness is so foolish
Since often times those people suffer less than the righteous.

That’s a fair search.

You say wickedness is wrong, but I see the righteous suffer worse,
SO TELL ME WHY WICKEDNESS IS SO WRONG.

That is his search.

But here is the astounding part. HE NEVER GOT HIS ANSWER.
(23-24) “I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. What has been is remote and exceedingly mysterious. Who can discover it?”

He went searching for an explanation to the mystery
Of why the righteous suffer more than the wicked and he said,
“I couldn’t find it.”

He could not make sense of those seemingly senseless situations.

He would in essence say to me, “Rory I wanted to find out why your dad died at 60 but wicked men kept on living.”
But he returns and says, “I searched, but I couldn’t find the answer.”

ALL I SAW WAS THIS:
(26) “And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.”

Let me help you a little here as well.

Solomon is NOT saying, “I couldn’t figure out why the righteous sometimes suffer more than the wicked but I did learn that you should stay away from women.”

That is not the point.
You have to know Solomon to fully grasp this.

If you’ve read Proverbs you know that throughout that book
Solomon speaks of wisdom and folly as two contrasting women.
• You have the adulterous woman and you have virtuous woman
• You have the wise mother and you have the contentious wife

Proverbs 9:1-6 “Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars; She has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine; She has also set her table; She has sent out her maidens, she calls From the tops of the heights of the city: “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks understanding she says, “Come, eat of my food And drink of the wine I have mixed. “Forsake your folly and live, And proceed in the way of understanding.”

Proverbs 9:13-18 “The woman of folly is boisterous, She is naive and knows nothing. She sits at the doorway of her house, On a seat by the high places of the city, Calling to those who pass by, Who are making their paths straight: “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,” And to him who lacks understanding she says, “Stolen water is sweet; And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.”

Wisdom is compared to a wise woman
Who provides for her guests and grants them understanding in life.

Folly is compared to a boisterous and even adulterous woman
Who entices the naïve and leads him to death.

That same poetic understanding is at work in Solomon again here.
(he’s talking about “folly” analogized by the adulterous woman)

(26) “And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.”

This is his point.
I can’t explain why the righteous suffer and why the at times
They suffer more than the wicked, but I did learn this.

You still don’t want to go down the path of wickedness.
There is nothing but snares and nets and chains down that path.

Instead you should seek to please God so that you can avoid that house altogether because it will capture you.

So he didn’t get a full explanation but he was reminded that
Even though you may not understand
You should still stay away from evil.

Where He Started What He Searched
3) WHAT HE SAW (27-29)

HERE COMES HIS FINAL REPORT.
He didn’t find all the answer he wanted,
But he did find the answers God wanted him to have.

(27) “Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher,
Here is my report.

He goes on to say, “adding one thing to another to find an explanation, which I am still seeking but have not found.”

So I started putting two and two together to gain understanding,
But again he reminds that he doesn’t have all the answers.

He still can’t tell me why my dad died young but a wicked man lives on.
He still says, “I don’t know”

But he can say this:
(28b) “I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these.”

So he says, “Righteous men are hard to find and righteous women are even harder to find”? REALLY?

Now look, I can’t speak for the intent or the heart of the preacher here.
I can’t fully tell you what is in his mind in regard to every aspect of that statement.

And no, I can’t rule out the fact that perhaps he has a low view of women.

Go read 1 Kings 11:1-13 and you’ll find that Solomon’s love for women
Was his chief downfall.

Maybe Solomon was a little prejudiced, I don’t know.

I KNOW THAT GOD IS NOT.
• God makes no such distinction.
• God doesn’t trust men more then women or love men more than women

God gave men and women different roles and responsibilities to be sure,
But He is no chauvinist.
God paid the same price to redeem women that He paid to redeem men. He gave His only begotten Son.

But, here we are talking about Solomon’s search
And he makes this bizarre statement.

“I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these.”

Here is what you need to understand.
There is a literary tool at play here, and one we find often in Scripture.

IT’S CALLED PARALLELISM.
It is a literary tool to make a clear and memorable point.

I can give you a secular one you’ll all know.
“Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach him how to fish, feed him for a lifetime.”

What is the point of that statement? (It’s not about fishing)
• It’s about knowledge.
• Knowledge is important.

If you get stuck on the fishing reference you might miss the whole point.

Well Solomon here uses parallelism to make a point.
“I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these.”

What does he mean?
He went searching for a good man.
• He went searching for one who lives upright and who pleases God and who escapes from the snare of the woman of folly.

And what did his search yield?
NONE

He says,
• “You’re asking me how many good people there are out there. Maybe 1 man in 1,000 is good, and no women.”

• “You’re asking me how many people truly seek to please God and thus escape from folly? Maybe 1 in 1,000.”

What’s his point?
• I went looking for sinners to find out why they at times are treated so good.
• I found plenty of sinners, what I couldn’t find are any who are good.

Now perhaps that shocks you, but I have to tell you first of all
Scripture whole-heartedly affirms his findings.

Romans 3:10-12 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

Man is never good.
Man is devious and sinful and perverse and wicked.

So listen to the preacher here.

I set out to understand
• What is the deal with folly and wickedness?
• And why it was so bad since it appeared to me that at times the wicked were treated better than the righteous?

He says, I never found that answer.

But what I did find is that there are none righteous.
• I found out that the sin problem was worse than I thought.

I knew there was (20) “not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and never sins.” I knew that.

What I didn’t realize is that there was no man who ever does good at all.
“there is none who does good, there is not even one.”

I knew everyone is at one time or another bad,
I didn’t realize that no one was at any time good.

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT
Solomon wanted to know why God sometimes treated good men worse than bad men,

What Solomon ultimately learned was that:
From God’s perspective there are no good men.

Therefore there is no injustice in the way God treats any man.

I may think my dad deserved to live longer than some wicked man,
But from God’s perspective
My dad wasn’t better than that wicked man.

SO LOOK AT SOLOMON’S FINAL ANALYSIS.
(29) “Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.”

“upright” is YASAR (ya-shar)
It is a word that can mean “straight” or “level”

God made men correctly.
Adam was part of the good of God’s creation.
“but they sought out many devices”

Man corrupted himself.
Adam certainly did, and thus we have the fall.

And only 6 chapters into the Bible do we read God’s first assessment of humanity.
Genesis 6:5-7 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

God started man out right.
• He created a perfect man, with a perfect woman, in a perfect garden.

And Adam blew it.
• Nothing about the fall was God’s fault. It was all Adam’s.

And when Adam was forced to leave the garden…
And when Adam had to plow his first field…
And when Adam had to bury his son…

One thing Adam could not say was: “I don’t understand why God is treating me so unfairly.”

Adam knew better.
Humanity forgets that.
The preacher forgot that.

But when he went on a search to find out the answers,
HERE IS WHAT HE LEARNED.

There is no such thing as a reality
Where bad things happen to good people.
Because there are no good people.

YOU CAN’T SAY that righteous men are unfairly suffering worse than wicked men IF from God’s perspective there are no righteous men.

No one can suffer and accuse God of being unjust.

But remember now that sermon up in verses 15-18.
The man who fears God will realize that
Adversity is going to happen even when you try to do what is right,
But even still wickedness should be avoided.

So listen to me this morning friends.
• Do not be shocked when you face adversity.
• Do not be shocked when bad things happen.
• And certainly don’t let adversity cause you to turn away from God.
• If anything you should be shocked by your prosperity.

Adam SHOULDN’T have been shocked that he had to leave the garden,
He SHOULD’VE been shocked that
God didn’t immediately kill him like He said He would.

AND THAT IS THE POINT THIS MORNING.
Don’t be shocked when bad things happen to you.
And don’t let it cause you to think wickedness is ok.
Fear God and hold fast even in your confusion.

BUT LET ME SAY THIS:
If you want to be shocked at something, be shocked at the gospel!

Romans 5:6-8 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

• That is shocking!

That God would whom every single human has offended,
Would still be willing to sacrifice His perfect Son to redeem sinners.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

• That is shocking!

That God would treat the sinless Christ as though He lived my sinful life,
And would then in turn treat me as though I lived His life.

As R.C. Sproul once put it.
“Why do bad things happen to good people? In the history of the world that only ever happened once; and He volunteered.”

Do not go through this life with some inflated bitterness
As though God has treated you somehow worse than you deserve.

That is a pride and an arrogance and an ingratitude
That you must abandon immediately!

God has done unspeakably more for you than you can ever imagine,
And all of it is more than you deserve.

Leave your complaint, leave your arrogant notions of injustice,
And run to God in gratitude that He gave His Son on your behalf.

If you really want to read verse 15 accurately.
(15) “I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.”

The only way to read that accurately is if
The righteous man is Christ and the wicked man is everyone else.

The only human who ever had a right to complain
About the injustice done to Him was Christ,

And the Bible says that “Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7b)

Christ bore injustice that you we might receive mercy.

It is an evil man who more consumed with perceived injustice
Than with unspeakable mercy.

We should be less shocked at the suffering we receive
And more amazed at God’s offer of mercy,
For suffering is deserved, mercy is not.

THIS MORNING I would invite you to stop sitting in judgment of God and start submitting to Him.

• Repent of your rebellion and ingratitude and arrogant judgments,
• And come to Him in humility and gratefulness for His willingness to save you.
• Place your faith in the perfect life and atoning death of Jesus Christ, and
publicly confess Him as your Lord.

Romans 10:13 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

Download Here:

Every Tribe and Tongue
Psalms 117
August 29, 2021

Tonight we come to the 5th Psalm in this grouping known as the Hallel.
This important segment of Psalms especially dedicated to the feast of the Passover and the worship of Israel for God’s salvation.

We certainly more accurately see them pointing to Christ
Who is in fact our Passover Lamb.

It is so fitting that our Lord would have sung this group of hymns
On the night before He was crucified.

AND TONIGHT WE STUDY
Perhaps the MOST REMARKABLE aspect of all that He accomplished.

Tonight we are reminded that the salvation of our Lord is for all peoples.

Psalms 117 is the SHORTEST chapter in the entire Bible,
But what a POWERFUL punch it throws.
• It is a bold command to all nations that the God of Israel must be praised.
• It is squashes any notion that different peoples have a right to different faith.
• It crushes pluralism and idolatry.

It gives a call that “all nations” and “all peoples”
Are commanded to present themselves in holy surrender
Before the God of Israel.

“Praise the LORD, all nations;” says the Psalmist.
“Laud Him, all peoples!”

“peoples” there is literally “tribes”

Revelation 7:9-10 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

The requirement of praise…
• Is not limited to a small group of people in the middle east.
• It is not just for those who are considered in the flesh to be Abraham’s descendants.

But we are reminded here that Israel’s God and His Messiah Jesus
ARE TO BE WORSHIPED BY ALL.

Perhaps Isaiah gave the most fitting explanation:
Isaiah 49:6 “He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

God’s intention was never just that He would be the God of Israel.
His intention is that all the earth would worship Him.

When God did save these people from Egypt and entered a covenant with them at Sinai, God specifically said:
Exodus 19:6 “and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

Remember when Solomon built His temple?
In his great prayer of dedication, Solomon said:
1 Kings 8:41-43 “Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Your name’s sake (for they will hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house, hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.”

It was always intended that all peoples would worship Israel’s God.

And certainly regarding Christ we are familiar with the promise Paul revealed to the Philippians.
Philippians 2:9-11 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

We know this and Psalms 117 reminds of it.
That the God of Israel is in all actuality the God of the world.
And He is to be praised by the world.

Every nation is to bow to Him.
Every tribe is to worship Him.

As Paul told the men of Athens:
Acts 17:30-31 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

There is no room for any other religion…
There is no room for any other god…

“all nations” and “all peoples” are summoned to “Praise the LORD!”

When Jesus commissioned the disciples He reminded:
Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

We take the gospel everywhere.
He is the Lord of all the earth.

That much is abundantly clear here in the Psalm.

And honestly, that alone is enough to sing about.
That alone is fitting information for a great song of praise.

But the Psalmist here gets more specific and gives
THE ACTUAL REASON why God is to be praised by all peoples.

(2) “For His lovingkindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD is everlasting.”

That is actually a mouthful of a doctrinal statement.

“For His lovingkindness is great toward us”

Well there is that favorite word again, that CHECED of God.
That loyal covenantal love of God.

• It is the reminder that God loves because He has purposed to love.
• It is the reminder that God is loyal because He chooses to be loyal.

But there is MORE EVEN IN THAT STATEMENT
Than just the declaration of God’s loyalty.

The Psalmist said that “His lovingkindness IS GREAT toward us”

“great” there is GABAR (ga-var)
It literally means “prevails”

Genesis 7:18-20 “The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. The water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered. The water prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered.”

Exodus 17:11 “So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.”

The Psalmist here makes the awesome statement that
“His CHECED prevails over us.”

Think about that for a moment.
It is all the glorious realities of what you and I commonly refer to as GOD’S EFFECTUAL CALL.

Namely that God saves those whom He chooses to save.

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

Or what we read in Romans 8
Romans 8:30 “and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

Now we would DISTINGUISH HERE for the purpose of understanding.

There is what we might call: GOD’S UNIVERSAL CALL
That is the call which God gives for all the world to come and be saved.
• It is open to all.
• It is available to all.
• Anyone who wants it can have it.
• Whosoever will may come.

There is an open invitation for any and all to come and be saved.
Romans 10:13 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

Revelation 22:17 “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”

And there are many many other passages…

In fact the Psalms tell us that CREATION ITSELF
Is calling man to see the glorious God and to call upon Him.

THERE IS A UNIVERSAL CALL TO ALL MEN TO COME AND BE SAVED.

But there is a problem with this call.
NO ONE HAS EVER ANSWERED IT.
(not one single person of his own volition decided to answer this call)

We see it in the Parable Of The Wedding Banquet
• The call went out for men to come and attend the banquet
• But no one would come.
• They were all too busy, they were not interested in the free invitation of the father of the groom.
• So the father sent out the servants into the highways and hedges to implore them to come, and finally some came.

And when the king finally came to look over the dinner guests
One short explanation was given.

Matthew 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

What does that mean?
Men rejected the universal call,
It was only those who received the effectual call who came.
• Man is sinful and uninterested in the worship of the Holy God of the universe.
• Man does not do good.
• Man does not seek for God.
• There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Man is at enmity with God and without exception
Sinful man rejects the universal call of God.

Isaiah 50:2 “Why was there no man when I came? When I called, why was there none to answer? Is My hand so short that it cannot ransom? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, I dry up the sea with My rebuke, I make the rivers a wilderness; Their fish stink for lack of water And die of thirst.”

Well if all men without exception reject that universal call of God which has gone out to all the earth…
Then how do you explain that some are now saved?

Because they received GOD’S EFFECTUAL CALL.
The grace of God prevailed upon them.

It began with what we call REGENERATION.
• God awakened the dead soul…
• God gave life to a dead heart…
• God opened the eyes and unstopped ears…
• And God extended then an effectual call that is not refused.

That DOESN’T MEAN that some people God saves by dragging them kicking and screaming into the kingdom. NO.

In fact, He has never dragged anyone into the kingdom.

What it does mean is that God regenerates
And changes the disposition of a man
To compel Him to respond to the call of God upon His life.

That is why Jesus knew “all the Father has given Me will come to Me.”

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 5:10 “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

WHAT WE MEAN THEN IS THIS.
• We are a world of sinful men and women totally indifferent to the universal call of salvation of the God who created us.
• But in tremendous grace, instead of dooming all to hell, God intervened by an act of sovereign grace and effectively called some to salvation.

“His lovingkindness prevailed toward us”

We think of the apostle Paul as a great example.
• A seasoned Pharisee
• A hater of Christianity
• On a mission to see it eradicated from the earth

But God’s lovingkindness prevailed over him.
• After Jesus blinded him, God sent Ananias to him.

When Ananias was hesitant to go, God said:
Acts 9:15 “But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;”

It wasn’t Paul who went looking for God,
It was God who effectively called Paul.

Paul recounted this of his own life:
1 Timothy 1:12-14 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.”

• It was Christ who “strengthened” Paul.
• It was Christ who “considered” Paul.
• It was Christ who “put” Paul into service.

And Paul says that His grace “was more than abundant”
IT PREVAILED!

And the way God saved Paul
Is the way God saved every man who is saved.
(Granted your testimony might not be that dramatic)

But each of us was in rebellion and dead in sin
When His grace prevailed upon us.

Ephesians 2:1-9 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

And that is the remarkable truth the Psalmist gives first.
“For His lovingkindness is great toward us”

“His loyal covenantal love prevailed upon us.”

“AND”

“And the truth of the LORD is everlasting.”

We are talking here about GOD’S FAITHFULNESS.
His faithfulness is eternal…It never stops.

• That is to say that the God “who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it.”
• That is to say that “those whom God called He also justified and those whom He justified He also glorified.”

It takes the logical next step of what Jesus said:
John 6:37-39 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”

He doesn’t lose those whom He has determined to save.

We think so easily of Abraham here.
Abraham is called the father of faith, but he was by no means continually faithful.

• God called him from Ur and promised him the land.
• Abraham jumped at the opportunity
• But the second famine hit, he bolted for Egypt
• And told Pharaoh that his wife was his sister.

Genesis 12:17-20 “But the LORD struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? “Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go.” Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they escorted him away, with his wife and all that belonged to him.”

That wasn’t Abram being faithful to God
That was God being faithful to Abram.

And that was just the tip of the ice burg.
• Abram was also supposed to leave his family, but he took Lot and God had
to separate them.
• Abram was supposed to trust God for a child, but instead he took Hagar and
God had to send him away too.

But the number of blunders didn’t seem to matter.
God wouldn’t let Abram go.

I think of Peter.
• Peter did the unthinkable, he denied Jesus 3 times.
• And even after the resurrection from the dead Peter decided he was done and he was going back to fishing.

But you remember John 21.
• Jesus again refused to let them catch fish, but told them again to cast their nets on the other side of the boat.
• Then Jesus reinstated Peter.

John 21:17 “He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.”

It wasn’t Peter being faithful to Jesus, it was Jesus being faithful to Peter.

And this is also TRUE IN OUR LIVES.
The God who calls us is also the God who secures us.

It was His grace which prevailed upon us to come to Him
And it is His grace which securely holds us to Him.

I love the new (old) hymn we have started to sing.
“When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast;
When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast.
I could never keep my hold through life’s fearful path;
For my love is often cold; He must hold me fast.
He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast;
For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast.
Those He saves are His delight, Christ will hold me fast;
Precious in his holy sight, He will hold me fast.
He’ll not let my soul be lost; His promises shall last;
Bought by Him at such a cost, He will hold me fast.
He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast;
For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast.
For my life He bled and died, Christ will hold me fast;
Justice has been satisfied; He will hold me fast.
Raised with Him to endless life, He will hold me fast
‘Till our faith is turned to sight, When He comes at last!
He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast;
For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast.”

Or perhaps the hymn that you are more familiar with:
“O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above”

THAT IS WHAT THE PSALMIST REFERS TO HERE.
1. God’s faithfulness is eternal, He will never let us go.
2. Those He chose to save, He saves forever.

And as we have said before, this is a good thing,
• For there is never a time even in eternity when we might deem ourselves safe where it not for God’s faithfulness.
• And even if you think you’d be safe once you got to heaven you have to remind yourself that Satan and 1/3 of the angels fell from heaven.
• You are safe now and you will be safe then because of the faithfulness of God.

Now those are the two theological realities
That the Psalmist says that God deserve praise for.

Yet there is something remarkable here that must not be overlooked.

It is all really revealed in the use of the word “us”

Upon whom has God’s grace prevailed? “us”
Who enjoys the everlasting faithfulness of God? “us”

That is the church, God’s people.

But the Psalm DOESN’T SAY, “Praise the LORD, O church; Laud Him, people of salvation!”

The Psalm commands the world to praise God.
The Psalm calls the nations and every tribe to praise God.

And then tells them to praise God
Because of His loyalty and faithfulness; not to them, but to us.

Does that seem strange to anyone else?
Shouldn’t it say “them”?

• NO, because they aren’t currently recipients of His prevailing grace or eternal faithfulness.

So why is the world supposed to praise God for the salvation of believers?

Well, there are a few of reasons.

1) THE FACT THAT GOD SAVES ANY SINNER IS CAUSE FOR ALL SINNERS TO WORSHIP.

It is a testimony of hope.

Imagine and entire world held hostage by an evil dictator.
Imagine all freedom and liberty gone and all the world suffers under his reign.

And then imagine that you receive word that a group of people in Belgium
Found deliverance and escaped his oppressive reign.

Would you rejoice at that?

Yes, you’d rejoice that anyone found deliverance,
For it is proof that deliverance exists.

For that reason alone all the world should worship God.
He is the only God who has ever saved anyone.
• There are hosts of false gods who never saved a single person.
• They claimed they could, but they never did.
• They were all false hopes.

But our God genuinely and truly saves those He set out to save.
There should be a rejoicing in the fact that God saved any sinner.

But it is even deeper than that.
Here God told “all nations” to “Praise”

That would indicate that the salvation which God alone possesses
IS AVAILABLE TO EVEN YOU.

Imagine after hearing of the liberation of Belgium
• That you then received a letter in the mail instructing you to cry out to the
same deliverer that just saved Belgium.

Would you do it?
You should.

Well, turn to Romans 15

Read verse 7.
“Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.”

If you are familiar with Romans
• You know that starting in chapter 14 Paul began to address the issue of Christian unity.
• He wanted us to be one.
• Romans 15:7 is the final application of that entire segment.

Since Christ accepted us you should accept each other.

What do you mean Christ accepted us?

Read 8-12
• Paul said that Christ saved Jews to “confirm the promises given to the father”
• But Paul said Christ also saved Gentiles “to glorify God for His mercy”
• And then Paul quoted 4 Old Testament passages to affirm that.
• And pay special attention to verse 11 for there Paul quoted Psalms 117:2

Paul wanted us to accept one another
Based on the fact that Christ has accepted us.

And to support his position that Christ has accepted us
Paul quoted Psalms 117:2 which reveals that
God will even save Gentiles who call upon Him.

• God wouldn’t command the nations to praise if God were not willing to save the nations.
• God wouldn’t command the tribes to laud Him if He were not willing to save the tribes.

And now all the world can rest in the fact that God has done it before.

What was Israel before God saved him?
Who was Abraham?

Abraham was a pagan.
Joshua 24:2 “Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods.”

But God’s grace prevailed upon Abraham
And God’s faithfulness protected Abraham.

He was a pagan sinner whom God saved.
And if God would save one pagan sinner, perhaps he would save me.

So all the nations are commanded to praise
Simply because our God is a God who saves pagan sinners!

But that’s not the only reason the nations should rejoice that God saved us.

2) GOD’S CALL TO SAVE THEM EXTENDS THROUGH US.

What was the promise God made to Abraham?
Genesis 12:2-3 “And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Galatians 3:8 “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.”

Israel wasn’t intended to be a hermit group of saints,
They were commissioned to be a kingdom of priests.

Having been saved they were commissioned to show the rest of the world.
• They were to be a light in darkness.
• They were to be a city on a hill.
• They were to take the message of hope to the rest of the world.

They routinely failed, but it was their calling none the less.

Now it is the calling of the church.

If we go back to our illustration of the evil world dictator
• We would now find that not only did Belgium find salvation,
• But having been saved their Savior has commissioned to the world
• To show other nations how they can also be saved from the evil tyrant.

The world should praise God for that.
They should exalt him for that.

And there is still another reason.
3) GOD’S FAITHFULNESS TO US PRODUCES GOD’S PATIENCE FOR THEM.

That is to say God’s commitment to save His elect
Is greater than His urgency to destroy the wicked.

They actually, even in rebellion, enjoy God’s grace toward His own.

Let me explain.
Matthew 13:24-30 “Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. “But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Why are the tares not immediately gathered up and burned?
• Because God is unwilling to risk the safety of the wheat to do so.

Think about marriage.
Paul spoke about the reality that there are times when you may have a believer married to a non-believer.

When asked if the believer should leave, Paul said “No”.
1 Corinthians 7:12-14 “But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.”

That unbelieving spouse
Actually lives under God’s protection and blessing
Even in their rebellion solely because God is so faithful to His own.

Remember Lot living in Sodom?
When the angel of the Lord went to destroy Sodom he first sent Lot out saying:
Genesis 19:22 “Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar.”

And this is most certainly what Peter had in mind
With his oft-misunderstood statement about the delay in Christ’s return.
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

People like to interpret that verse as though
God just can’t bring Himself to judge sinners.

Read the Bible,
• God judges sinners.
• He’s done it often.

That verse reveals that
• The end of the world has yet to come because all of the elect are not in yet.
• God isn’t patient toward the world, He is patient toward “you” the elect.

Have you ever watched a thriller movie
Where a criminal and wanted man takes a hostage?

Why do they take a hostage?
• Because the presence of the hostage keeps judgment at bay for fear that the
hostage might be harmed.

This world hates God and hates God’s people,
But if this world understood that truth they would praise God
That He has saved people and left them here.

If the world succeeded in eradicating the church
It would be the biggest mistake they ever made.

And this is also implied in Psalms 117
• God is the only savior the world has ever known.
• And God saves pagan sinners, even those who don’t want Him.
• He prevails upon them by His grace.
• He then secures them in His faithfulness.
• Then He commissions them to proclaim this salvation to other pagan sinners.
• And all the while other sinners enjoy the benefits of God’s patience on their behalf.

HE DESERVES PRAISE.

“Praise the LORD, all nations; Laud Him, all peoples!”

And since the nations are commanded to praise God,
It is understood that God’s people must relay the message.

We are obligated
• To make sure the world is aware of their command to praise the God who created them.
• To make sure the world knows that God saves pagan sinners.

“Praise the LORD!”

Download Here:

Finding Perspective – Part 2
Ecclesiastes 7:1-14 (7-14)
August 29, 2021

Last Sunday we began working through this text from the preacher.

We are now in a new segment in the book.
• Having spent 6 chapters outlining for us THE FUTILE PURSUIT of the world,
• The preacher is now showing us THE NOBLE PURSUIT.

And to get to the point, the preacher is telling us TO PURSUE WISDOM.

(11-12) “Wisdom along with an inheritance is good And an advantage to those who see the sun. For wisdom is protection just as money is protection, But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.”

Instead of going through life like a fool “striving after wind”
The preacher would have the young man pursue wisdom.

Only it’s NOT just any wisdom that the preacher is referring to;
He is referring to God’s wisdom over and above the world’s wisdom.

It is beneficial to read again the statement from James.
James 3:13-18 “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

There is a certain wisdom which the world operates by.
• It is an “earthly” wisdom meaning it’s the normal mindset of the world.
• It is a “natural” wisdom indicating is the normal inclination of the fallen heart.
• It can even be a “demonic” wisdom because it is the same wisdom which
Satan possesses.

It is a wisdom that convinces man
To pursue the world by any and all means necessary.

The fruit of this type of wisdom is “jealousy and selfish ambition” and “disorder and every evil thing.”

That is a perfect description of the world’s wisdom.

Paul lamented it as well saying:
1 Corinthians 1:20-21a “Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God…”

Worldly wisdom is a tragedy, for it teaches you
To pursue everything but the main thing.

It tells you to find satisfaction and fulfilment through philosophy, pleasure, accomplishment, and possessions, and none of those things satisfy.

And even more tragic is that
It will not lead you to the only One who truly does satisfy and that is Christ, for “the world through its wisdom did not come to know God”

That is not the wisdom that the preacher recommends.

Rather, the wisdom the preacher in Ecclesiastes would endorse
Is the WISDOM THAT COMES FROM GOD.

That wisdom (James said) “is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, [and] without hypocrisy.”

And ultimately that wisdom produces righteousness
Which is necessary for peace with God.

That is the wisdom we are after.

The WORLD DOES NOT understand that wisdom.
1 Corinthians 2:7-8 “but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;”

The world doesn’t grasp that wisdom, they promote a satanic one.

But the hope of the preacher is get you
To abandon the world’s wisdom and pursue the wisdom of God.

God’s wisdom is that which “preserves the lives of its possessors.”

And that is the one we want.

The problem is that
God’s wisdom is not the one you have been most accustomed to hearing about.

Because we live here, where Satan is the god of this world
We all have likely been indoctrinated by the wrong kind of wisdom.

It is not the wisdom of God that is routinely promoted as right,
But rather the wisdom of the world that is endorsed to us.

So the preacher is on a mission to shift your thinking;
He is on a mission to change your perspective.

And that is what is occurring here in chapter 7.
We noted that 8 times he uses the word “better”.

It is a passage of comparisons.
• He is trying to show you how even though you may have been taught that one thing is good,
• There is actually a way that is better though it may not initially seem like it.

Last time we looked at the preacher’s first two perspectives or mindsets.
He gave us two scenarios and told us that one was clearly better than the other and if we are honest, we probably didn’t initially agree with either.

I’ll remind you of them quickly this morning.
#1 MOURNING IS BETTER THAN PLEASURE
Ecclesiastes 7:1-4

It was a peculiar notion.

Statements like:
(1) “the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.”
(2) “it is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting”
(3) “sorrow is better than laughter”
(4) “the mind of the wise is in the house of mourning”

All of those seem so wrong at face value.
• A funeral is better than a birthday party?
• A funeral is better than a feast?
• A funeral is better than a celebration?

What in the world is he talking about?

Namely that when a person attends a funeral
Or is forced into a house of mourning
They are much more likely to contemplate God’s wisdom
Over the world’s wisdom.

At a birthday party you rarely consider the importance of character, but you will at a funeral.
At a feast you rarely consider your own mortality, but you will at a funeral.
At a celebration you don’t get an accurate picture of true abiding hope, but you will at a funeral.

So if you want God’s wisdom more than the world’s wisdom
Then you’ll see why times of mourning
Are far more profitable for you than times of pleasure.

#2 REBUKE IS BETTER THAN TRIBUTE
Ecclesiastes 7:5-6

Again his statements fly right in the face of our natural desires.

“It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise man Than for one to listen to the song of fools.”

That is to say it is more beneficial for you to get rebuked for doing something wrong than to get praised for doing something right.

While tributes are fun and songs of praise put a smile on the face
They very rarely lead you to the necessary attributes of salvation.

Jesus taught us what the attitudes of salvation are.
“poor in spirit – mourning – meekness – hunger for righteousness – mercy – purity in heart”

But those aren’t attitudes you acquire by being praised all the time.
• Praise doesn’t produce humility it produces pride.
• Praise doesn’t produce mourning it produces rejoicing.
• Praise doesn’t produce submission it produces stubbornness
• Praise doesn’t produce a hunger for righteousness it produces self-satisfaction
• Praise doesn’t produce mercy it produces arrogant judgment
• Praise doesn’t produce purity it produces complacency

The attitudes that Jesus said were necessary
Are the attitudes which are more often produced
By the timely rebuke of wisdom.

So if you want the wisdom which leads to righteousness
• You’ll learn to surround yourself with those who will tell you the truth,
• Not with those who tell you what you want to hear.

Those are two perspective shifts that are necessary
If you want God’s wisdom which leads to righteousness.

This morning we move on to the 3rd perspective we should adopt.
#3 PATIENCE IS BETTER THAN INSTANT GRATIFICATION
Ecclesiastes 7:7-10

Well there is another announcement that we didn’t want to hear.

We live in a society of instant gratification, and we love it.
• Our streets are covered with restaurants we call “Fast Food”
• We have been romanced by Amazon and their “Free 2-day shipping” (which they took from us!)
• We like “tracking numbers” so we can monitor how speedily our package will arrive.

Our flesh wants what we want and we want it now.
Having to wait for something is just far too frustrating.

But leave it to the preacher here to address that issue as well.

Instead of instant gratification the preacher says
It is actually better if you have to wait for something.

(8) “The end of a matter is better than its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.”

None of us really like that.
• We don’t like it when someone tells us to “be patient”
• We don’t like it when the receptionist as the doctor’s office says “It’s going to be a while”

We like things to happen quickly
And there are times when if it doesn’t,
WE EVEN SEEK TO MANIPULATE OR FORCE THE SITUATION.

And that is what the preacher is referencing here.

He starts by saying:
(7) “For oppression makes a wise man mad, And a bribe corrupts the heart.”

“oppression” there is OSHEK
It literally means “extortion”

Jeremiah 22:17 “But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, And on shedding innocent blood And on practicing oppression and extortion.”

It is “unjust gain or a thing deceitfully gotten.”

And the preacher says that such extortion “makes a wise man mad”

“mad” there is a word that speaks of “a loud and boisterous fool.”
1 Samuel 21:13 “So he disguised his sanity before them, and acted insanely in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down into his beard.”

That was when David pretended madness in the land of the Philistines.

The preacher’s point is that
When a man resorts to extortion to get what he wants,
He is displaying the same character traits as a madman.

He says that “a bribe corrupts the heart.”

What you see the preacher talking about is a man
Who wants what he wants and he’s willing to bend the rules to get it.

• If he needs to bribe someone to make it happen, so be it.
• If he needs to strong arm someone through extortion, so be it.

But this man is seeking to push through his agenda.

And sadly the world knows a great deal about this.
One might even say that the entire American political system runs on such wisdom.
• We all know of lobbyists and their bribes…
• We know of blackmail and extortion for those who wish to keep their evil deeds secret…

THE PREACHER SAYS
Such tactics are actually the tactics of corrupt madmen.

TO WHICH HE MAKES THE POINT.
“The end of a matter is better than its beginning;

That phrase is a little cryptic,
But perhaps an examination of the words used there will help us.

The word for “end” there literally means “latter days”
And that is routinely a term of hope.

The word for “beginning” literally means “former days”

AND SO THE SIMPLE POINT INITIALLY IS THAT
“Better days are coming. You may not like the past or the present,
But you need to look to the future and a better day.”

It is simply the optimistic hope that things won’t always be this way.

And so the preacher also says
“Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.”

The word for “patience” there means “long suffering” or “slow to anger”
“haughtiness” is a word that means “high” and speaks of pride and arrogance.

So the point of the preacher is that since better days are coming,
You’d be better off to wait patiently for it
And not seek to arrogantly force it yourself.

You may not like the current day, but
• Be patient.
• Don’t use a bribe
• Don’t use oppression to change the situation to your liking.

AND don’t use MANIPULATION either.
(9) “Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, For anger resides in the bosom of fools.”

Anger is a manipulative tool.
• If extortion doesn’t work…
• If a bribe doesn’t work…

Then a good old fashion fit of rage and a threat may do the trick…

The preacher says not to use that tactic either
For all that will do is make you a fool.

• A mad man uses extortion…
• A corrupt man uses a bribe…
• A fool uses his anger…

Instead of trying to strong arm the situation into something you want,
Be patient in hope that better days are coming.

AND, don’t walk in FRUSTRATION.
(10) “Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these? For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.”

That is what we call a frustrated man.
• He’s just angry or frustrated at his current situation.
• He is reminiscing about the “good ole days”
• Or perhaps he even looks back into history to former times that were better than now.

And the whole point here is that we have people
Who do not like their current circumstances.

They want something to change.

And in that they have two options.
• They can either seek to manipulate the change themselves through extortion, bribes, and threats.
• Or they can patiently wait for God to accomplish a better way.

And the preacher is clear that
Patiently waiting on God is the path of wisdom.

• Any fool can lose his temper and force his way…
• Any fool can use extortion or a bribe…
• But a wise man will patiently wait for God to accomplish that which He has promised.

When reading this I am reminded of the story of Elijah.
Perhaps the most famous of all Old Testament prophets.

TURN TO: 1 KINGS 19

• Elijah ministered during a very dark and dangerous time in Israel.
• Ahab was king in Israel and his wife Jezebel was the single most evil influence that the nation of Israel has ever known.
• She introduced Baal worship and began to slaughter the prophets of God.
• Because of this God commanded Elijah to pray for drought, which he did, and God hid Elijah through the drought in the house of a widow whose oil and meal never ran out as long as he was there.
• Now after 6 years of such horrible conditions Elijah comes out of hiding and challenges the prophets of Baal showdown.
• You know the story about how they both built an altar and whichever god answers by fire, he is God.
• Obviously God answered and Elijah won.
• He then commanded the slaughter of the prophets of Baal.
• And then Elijah saw a small cloud in the sky and new the drought was about to end.

Elijah expected revival was coming.
He outran Ahab back to Jezreel, but when he got there
All he found was a death threat from Jezebel.

• So Elijah ran from the northern tip of Israel to the southern tip of Judah and
• Then another days journey into the wilderness where he sat down under a juniper tree and wanted to die.

God had not responded as Elijah had hoped.
The revival Elijah had expected did not happen.
And Elijah was pouting.

• But God sustained Elijah and eventually Elijah decided to get up and run to Mt. Sinai where he was going to confront God.

READ: 1 Kings 19:9-18

• Elijah was frustrated, Elijah was angry, Elijah was pouty.
• It was manipulation and frustration
• And Elijah even sought to argue with God and sort of manipulate the response he wanted.

But I like how in the story
• When God arrived He wasn’t in the great wind.
• And when God arrived He was not in the earthquake.
• And when God arrived He was not in the fire.

God was in the gentle blowing.

WHAT WAS THE POINT?
God was at work.
• It wasn’t a fire fall
• It wasn’t a powerful display
• It wasn’t a hurricane or a tsunami
(all of those things were what Elijah wanted)

God was a gentle blowing.
Slow, steady, resilient, effective

Elijah needed patience not frustration.
God was accomplishing His purpose.

That story has often convicted me of my own impatience
I at times want to see the firefall
Or the mighty earthquake just usher in a massive shift.

And the danger of such impatience is that
It often times causes men to resort to manipulation or bribery or corruption or pouting or anger to accomplish the goal they want.

The wise man however trusts God
And patiently waits for God to accomplish His purposes.

And that is yet another perspective.
BE PATIENT

A wise man embraces the day of tragedy and mourning
• Because he knows he is learning wisdom.
A wise man values a rebuke more than flattery
• Because he knows it is producing wisdom.
A wise man is patient instead of manipulative
• Because he knows that God is at work and also is wisdom.

SO
• Don’t run from periods of mourning…value them.
• Don’t reject a rebuke…learn from it.
• Don’t try to force the issue…be patient and wait on God.

Those are new perspectives that the preacher gives us
In order to help us obtain true wisdom; godly wisdom.

And then comes THE SUMMARY
(11-12) “Wisdom along with an inheritance is good And an advantage to those who see the sun. For wisdom is protection just as money is protection, But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.”

Don’t let his statement about money being protection derail you
As though all of a sudden the preacher is promoting that you seek wealth.

The preacher is merely
Comparing a common mindset to a proper mindset.

A common mindset in the world is that “money is protection”.
• People think that if they have enough saved up then they are insulated and safe from life’s pitfalls.

Jesus warned us that there are 3 great threats to money and wealth.
• Rust will ruin it…
• Moths will eat it…
• Thieves will steal it…

The preacher certainly is not contradicting Jesus.
In fact, even the preacher already greatly discussed
The added griefs of treasure and wealth.

What he is doing is pointing out that
While the world routinely thinks money to be the great protection,
There is a better one than money.

What is a better protection for you than money? “wisdom”

WHY?
“the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.”

Can money do that?
How much money can you pay to save your life?

Money gives the allusion of protection, wisdom gives the reality of it.
And that is the preacher’s point.

Wisdom is BETTER than the things of this world.
So you should get wisdom.

• And that means embracing mourning…
• And that means embracing criticism…
• And that means embracing patience…

You see his point.

Well following that summary
The preacher now moves to his final perspective shift,
And this is actually the BIGGEST ONE.

He DOESN’T use the word “better” here,
But the contrast is clear and obvious.

Mourning is better than pleasure
Rebuke is better than tribute
Patience is better than instant gratification
#4 FAITH IS BETTER THAN SIGHT
Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

Now the preacher is going to ROLL ALL those scenarios up INTO ONE.
• Tragedy that produces mourning…
• Criticism that produces righteousness…
• Frustrating circumstances that demand patience…

The preacher takes all of those hardships and lumps them together here.

He puts all of those seemingly negative things into the same category.
We’ll just call it the category of “adversity”

Hard things – Hard words – Hard circumstances – Hard days

All of those previous scenarios fit inside that.

And here is his advice if you want wisdom.

“Consider the work of God, For who is able to straighten what He has bent?”

Now that’s a fair and obvious question.
• The answer of course is “no one”.

If God wants it straight it will be straight.
If God wants it crooked it will be crooked.

And initially we understand then that
Pouting and fighting and kicking and screaming and bribing and manipulating won’t help will it?

• Did it help Elijah? No
• Did it help Job? No

Again the preacher has retreated
To the bedrock of the sovereign prerogative of God.

We learned in chapter 3
Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven”

• God appointed all times.
• God appointed times for birth and times for death.
• God appointed times for weeping and times for laughing.
• God appointed times for mourning and times for dancing.
• Etc.

And the preacher is now back at that concrete point.

In this life that so often presents adversity
You must come to grips with the fact that
GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL OF IT.

And then he says:
(14) “In the day of prosperity be happy, But in the day of adversity consider – God has made the one as well as the other So that man will not discover anything that will be after Him.”

I think his point is obvious.

• Sometimes we go through events that make us mourn and our chief goal is to run from times of mourning and pursue times of celebration as fast as we can.

• Sometimes we go through times of criticism and our chief goal is to run from that and pursue words of praise as fast as we can.

• Sometimes we go through periods of frustration and hardship and our chief goal is to run from those times and impatiently run to more fulfilling circumstances as fast as we can.

But what is the preacher’s point?

• What if God created that event that caused mourning?
• What if God ordained those words of criticism?
• What if God caused that period of frustration?

And if God caused it can you change it?
No, “For who is able to straighten what He has bent?”

But if you can’t change it then what should you do?
What is the preacher’s point?

EMBRACE IT
• Embrace the period of mourning as a time God has ordained to teach you about character and mortality and hope.
• Embrace the words of rebuke as words God has ordained to lead you to repentance and righteousness.
• Embrace times of frustration as times God has ordained to teach you patience.

There is nothing wrong with rejoicing in the good and easy times.
Absolutely when it is time to laugh and dance then laugh and dance.

But the problem with our world is that
They don’t want to consider the value of the other times.

Our world has bought the lie
• Of the prosperity gospel
• Or perhaps it’s even called “The American Dream” where we say that man is
entitled to “the pursuit of happiness”

Well in a way that’s true, we like happiness.

But if your whole life is the pursuit of happiness
And never the acceptance of adversity
Then you are never going to obtain wisdom.

God created that day of adversity and he did it for your good.

Listen again to James.
James 1:9-11 “But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.”

That passage is very Ecclesiastes-like from James.

If you are poor and are in “humble circumstances”
Then you should “glory” about your “high position”

Because God has used that to teach you a valuable lesson.

At the same time on those occasions when a rich man is humiliated and loses money and tastes hardship he should also “glory”.

“because like flowering grass he will pass away.”

In times of prosperity a man is likely to forget how badly he needs God.

So in an act of sovereign grace,
There are times when God will ordain a day of adversity.
• It may be a time of mourning…
• It may be a time of rebuke…
• It may be a time of frustration…

Why does God do it?
“So that man will not discover anything that will be after him.”

“What does that mean?”

Well honestly there are two options.
If “him” is a little “h” and is referring to man
• Then the point is that God grants adversity so that this man will realize that he doesn’t have it all figured out and will thus be forced to rely on God.

If “Him” is a capital “H” and is referring to God
• Then the point is that God grants adversity so that man will realize this life offers nothing other than God.

I’m not sure which is accurate, but both fit.
And I think the main point is the same.

God ordains adversity ultimately to shake you
Out of your own complacency and self-sufficiency
And to drive you to Him.

AND HERE IS THE POINT.
A WISE MAN EMBRACES THAT BY FAITH
INSTEAD OF REJECTING IT OUT OF CONFUSION.

FAITH IS BETTER THAN SIGHT.

ALL THROUGHOUT OUR WORLD MEN EXHIBIT FOOLISHNESS
When they reject God because they don’t understand
Why He would allow such bad things to happen.

I don’t understand everything God does either, but I’m not required to.
• The wise man is not the man who understands everything God does.
• The wise man is the man who trusts God and embraces Him anyway.

He says, “I may not understand this tragedy, but I know that there is much wisdom to be gained through this time of mourning.”

He says, “I may not enjoy these words of criticism, but I know that there is much wisdom to be gained through this rebuke.”

He says, “I may not enjoy this frustrating season, but I know that there is much wisdom to be gained through patience.”

He says, “I may not like these days of adversity, but I know that God has ordained it and I will trust Him through it.”

That is the noble pursuit and the path to acquiring the wisdom of God.

Well THIS MORNING you notice that we are also
Going to partake in THE LORD’S SUPPER.

NOT because this text pointed so clearly to the atonement of Jesus
(as we typically follow).

BUT, IT IS STILL CERTAINLY FITTING.
There is no better reminder to us that God knows what He is doing during days of adversity than the cross.

• The cross was an event of mourning and death but it resulted in giving life.
• The cross was an event of painful rejection but it has become the ultimate joy.
• The cross was an event of frustration but it has become our greatest hope.
• The cross was a confusing event but it has become the clarity of our salvation.

Even in that dark day, it is clear that God knew exactly what He was doing

Through the cross,
• God atoned for sinners.
• God truly causes all things to work together for good to them who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

This morning as we partake we remember
The good and glorious purpose of God in the cross.

We partake of the bread and we remember the body of our Lord.
• The body who embraced as He took on flesh and dwelled among us.
• The body in which He perfectly fulfilled the Law and become our righteousness.

We partake of the juice and we remember the blood of our Lord.
• His blood was shed as our sin was imputed to Him.
• He died and thus bore the full wrath of God for our sin.

We partake of this in worship remembering the good that God accomplished for us through that dark day, mournful, and frustrating day.

As always we will have a time of preparation
And then we will partake of the table of the Lord.