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The Good Life – Part 2
Ecclesiastes 6:10-12
August 8, 2021

This morning we come to what might be called “The Intermission”

I told you last week that the preacher
Was concluding his first major point of the book.

9 times in the first 6 chapters he uses the phrase “striving after wind”

One might sum up the first 6 chapters of this book
By calling it: THE FUTILE PURSUIT

There were actually 4 myths or pursuits that the preacher exposed.

THE FUTILITY OF KNOWLEDGE
• Knowledge can’t straighten what is crooked
• Knowledge can’t supply what is lacking
• All knowledge can do is expose your problem and thus increase your grief.

Knowledge is valuable because it drives us to Christ,
But knowledge as the source of fulfillment and satisfaction in life is a lie.

THE FUTILITY OF PLEASURE
• Certainly God created us with the capacity to experience pleasure and so pleasure in and of itself is also not wrong.
• However, pleasure as the source of fulfillment and satisfaction is also a lie.

If a man pursues pleasure and doesn’t get it, he ends up frustrated,
And if a man pursues pleasure and finds it, he ends up bored.

THE FUTILITY OF ACCOMPLISHMENT
• Men think if they can just work hard and accomplish great things then they will be satisfied, but the reality is that there is a prison there.

For one, once you enter that arena, there is no rest or someone else will overtake you.
And for another thing, the world has a tendency to quickly forget all your accomplishments as it is only interested in what you have done for me lately.

THE FUTILITY OF TREASURE
• Men think if they can just get all the stuff they want then they will be happy, but the preacher blew up that notion as well.

You can gather all your treasure, but:
• The corrupt will steal it
• Your friends will claim it
• Advertising will show it’s never enough
• Inflation will devalue it
• Worry will accompany it
• Death will cause you to leave it

Like the first 3 promises of the world,
treasure can’t bring lasting satisfaction or fulfilment either.

All of those things are “striving after wind”

Starting in chapter 7 we get the preacher’s second point.
We might call it: THE NOBLE PURSUIT

He is about to change his language considerably.
• We’re about to get commands and imperatives and even comparisons
where the preacher is about to start telling you where to walk and what to do.

BUT LODGED IN BETWEEN THOSE TWO THOUGHTS ARE 3 VERSES.

Ephesians 6:10-12 serves sort of a dual purpose.
• It CONCLUDES the warnings of listening to the world.
• It INTRODUCES the wisdom of listening to God.

And I don’t think you can overstate the significance of these 3 verses
As they relate to the book of Ecclesiastes.

They introduce for us the heart of the preachers’ message.

In fact, if someone wanted one small passage to sort of give them
The gist of what Ecclesiastes is all about, I would give them these 3 verses.

TO START us on our journey of studying them this morning, I’d simply ask you the same question that the preacher mentions here in the text.

“For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life?”

That’s a good question isn’t it.
Who knows what is good?

When we travel, my wife will routinely step out of her comfort zone in a way that never ceases to amaze me.
She’s obviously a very reserved person.
She’s not a big talker or a loud person.
She doesn’t like confrontation at all.
She doesn’t like to put people out; she’s very polite.

But when we travel and are in uncharted territory it is not uncommon for my wife to walk up to a complete stranger, so long as they are a local to the area, to ask them where is the best place to eat in town.

It amazes me every time she does it.
She’ll tell you it’s because she doesn’t want to pay for bad food. And I’m certainly ok with that!

But the point is when Carrie travels and she wants to eat good food, she asks herself the question: “Who knows what is good?”
And she has decided that the answer to that question is “One of the locals”.

Well that works for a restaurant, but what about life?

Who knows what is good?
• Who knows about the good life?
• Who knows what you should do with your life?
• Who knows what you should pursue?

If you are the young man that the preacher is obviously addressing
And you are about to go out on your own,
Who knows what you should pursue?

• Are you going to ask your high school counselor?
• Are you going to ask your parents?
• Are you going to ask your preacher?
• Are you going to ask social media?

THE WORLD is certainly ready to give you advice on the subject.

But as the preacher already showed us, much of THEIR ADVICE IS A LIE.

If they tell you to go out and pursue KNOWLEDGE,
• Then they aren’t telling you about the good life.
If they tell you to go out and pursue PLEASURE,
• Then they aren’t telling you about the good life.
If they tell you to go out and pursue ACCOMPLISHMENT,
• Then they aren’t telling you about the good life.
If they tell you to go out and pursue TREASURE,
• Then they aren’t telling you about the good life.

THE POINT is that the world has a plan (several of them to be exact)
For how to achieve the good life and they are all wrong.

But if you really want the good life then you must go to
The One who created life, He also has a plan.

AND IN THESE 3 VERSES
The preacher is going to lay out his compelling evidence
As to why you should seek God’s plan for your life
Over the world’s plan for your life.

The preacher will give you 3 compelling reasons
Why instead of seeking the world, you should seek the plan of God.

There are 3 points to be made here about God’s plan for life.
God’s plan is:
#1 A SOVEREIGN PLAN
Ecclesiastes 6:10a

The preacher begins with what may be
The most important reality regarding whose plan you should seek.

And that is that regardless of what the world advises,
Only one plan is actually sovereign.

“Whatever exists has already been named,”

Now this isn’t new information from the preacher.
We remember chapter 3.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven”

The preacher told us the same thing then.
Namely that there is a Sovereign who is in control over the course of life.

“Whatever exists has already been named”

That is to say that God has already foreordained life.

We remember reading
• Psalms 139 about how “all our days were ordained for us before any of them came into being”.
• Acts 17 about how God “appointed the length of our days and the boundary of our habitation”.

GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER LIFE.

Our world typically falls in one of two camps regarding God’s sovereignty
And it’s not uncommon for them to vacillate between the two.

Sometimes they like to acknowledge the sovereign prerogative of God but at the same time give glary critiques of what a terrible job He is doing.

• They see the evil in the world, they see the pain, they see the suffering,
• And then use those tragedies to sort of pass judgment on the job that God is
doing with humanity.
• They either accuse Him of not being good, or of not being powerful.

But the acknowledge His sovereignty just enough
For them to able to assign Him the blame.

Or the world wants to deny God’s sovereignty altogether and to buy into this notion of chance and chaos and human autonomy.

And this is really where they are more often prone to land.
(Sadly even many who claim Christianity land here)

• They paint God as this almighty creator who made everything and sort of spun
the globe
• And is now just sitting back waiting and watching to see how it all turns out.

They actually think man is sovereign and that man is in control.
It’s all up to you.
You are the master of your destiny.

And you can believe all that nonsense if you want,
But I’m just going to tell you that
The Bible whole-heartedly disagrees with it.

You see it everywhere in Scripture, and here we see it in Ecclesiastes.
“Whatever exists has already been named,”

That is yet another verse that speaks of
A sovereign God with a sovereign plan over mankind.

God is at work.
His plan is being fulfilled.

That means that the course of history
Is going to travel down the track that God has laid.

So LET ME ASK YOU as you consult advice on the good life.

Do you think it wise to consult one who is not in control of the future, or to consult One who is in control of the future?

You’d be much wiser to seek the One who ordains where life is headed.

Let’s use a sports analogy here.
Let’s take a football player, say a wide receiver.

And the wide receiver’s dad is in the stands and he keeps yelling at his son,
• “Go deep!”
• “Son, you’ve got to go deep!”
• “Don’t mess around with blocking that cornerback, get past him and go deep!”

FIRST OFF: Is that the kind of advice the boy should listen to?
• Well, going deep is how you catch a bomb.
• Going deep is how you score a touchdown.
• Going deep sure seems like a good a plan for glory.

So there is a scenario where that is great advice.

But there’s a problem with that advice.
The dad isn’t calling the plays.
The coach is.

SO IT IS IN LIFE. There’s all kinds of advice you can get
And it is possible to see how it might work out perfectly,
But only One is calling the plays; only One is sovereign.

It is foolish to listen to anyone else’s plan.

AND THAT’S NOT ALL.
Look at what else the preacher says about God’s plan.

Not only is God sovereign over the direction of the plan,
But look at what else God’s plan takes into account:

“and it is known what man is”

God is under no illusion about the heart or nature or will of man.

Genesis 6:5 “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.”

Even after the flood, and only Noah and his family survived, God still said:
Genesis 8:21 “The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.”

Even when Jesus came to this earth and men were hypocritically pretending to believe in Him, we read:
John 2:24-25 “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”

God knows man.
God created man.

Go read Romans 3
It’s the famous, “There is none good, not even one…There is no fear of God before their eyes” passage.

God knows that man has a propensity for wickedness.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL.
God also knows that man is incredibly weak.

That is to say that just because man wants something to happen,
That doesn’t mean man can make it happen.
(Just because the wide receiver went deep doesn’t mean he can catch the ball)

Jeremiah 13:23 “Can the Ethiopian change his skin Or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good Who are accustomed to doing evil.

I KNOW OUR WORLD CONTINUALLY PEDDLES THE NOTION THAT
If you apply yourself and work hard that you can accomplish anything.

And I suppose that’s true within reason.

• I mean, no amount of hard work is going to let you run a sub 2 minute mile.
• No amount of hard work is going to let you throw a 250mph fastball.

And certainly no amount of hard work is going to
Let you obtain the righteousness required to get into heaven.

These are the two major mistakes that man always factors into their plans

When the world gives you advice for how you should live your life
THEIR PLANS FAIL BECAUSE
• They are not in control of the future (God is)
• They way overestimate what man is capable of.

Man tends to think that man is good – Man tends to think that man is able.

And that simply isn’t true.

MAN IS NOT GOOD, he is corrupt
That means that he will never choose the best path on his own.

Ephesians 2:1-3 “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.”

Man just chooses badly.
That’s why temptation works so well.

AND even if man were to come to the realization that his choices are wrong and he needs a different path,

HE DOESN’T HAVE THE ABILITY ON HIS OWN TO CHANGE THAT PATH.
• The Ethiopian can’t change his skin
• The leopard can’t change his spots.

Romans 7:19 “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.”

• Man isn’t in control of the future.
• Even if man was he wouldn’t choose the right thing.
• Even if he would choose the right thing, he couldn’t do the right thing.

That is the problem with every plan of man.
Man isn’t sovereign and man isn’t able.

Because humanity thinks more highly of man than they ought,
They tend to put too much burden on the back of man
For obtaining the good life.

But if we learned anything from the Old Covenant VS the New Covenant
It is that plans that depend upon the effort of man for success
Are doomed to failure.

Those plans never succeed.
Man isn’t sovereign and man isn’t able.

GOD HOWEVER HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE.
And God is sovereign
And God is well aware of what you are and aren’t capable of.

Not only that, but God’s plan is also:
#2 A SOLIDIFIED PLAN
Ecclesiastes 6:10b-11

“for he cannot dispute with him who is stronger than he is. For there are many words which increase futility. What this is the advantage to a man?”

If the first argument didn’t cause you to seek God’s plan over the world’s
Then this one should definitely push you in the right direction.

IT IS SIMPLY THIS.
Since God’s plan is sovereign,
We’re using His plan whether you want to or not.

Go back to that wide receiver.
You can stiffen your neck and rebel and ignore the coach and listen to your dad and “go deep” every play if you want to.

But why won’t that work?
Because the quarterback is handing the ball to the running back
And they are never going to throw it.

While it may feel like
You are blazing your own trail and following your own dreams,
It’s only going to end in failure
Because you aren’t calling the shots, God is.

AND THAT IS THE POINT BEING MADE HERE.

Now, there are several layers at play here.

ONE is the reality that MAN NEVER TRULY GRASPS the full plan of God.

• Have you ever heard the statement, “The Lord works in mysterious ways”?
• We don’t always understand why He does what He does.
• In fact we rarely understand.

• Why did God spare this person and not spare that person?
• Why did God allow this tragedy?
• Why didn’t God stop this from happening?

WE DON’T UNDERSTAND DO WE?
(that’s why our flesh doesn’t want to follow God’s plan)
It always requires faith.

And true wisdom, by the way,
• Is not that you understand why God does what He does.
• True wisdom is that you obey God even though you don’t understand.

The wise wide receiver may not understand why the coach doesn’t send him deep, but will continue to do the job the coach tells him to do because he trusts that the coach has the plan.

The foolish wide receiver is either going to break rank and go deep or he’s going to go to the sidelines and complain and argue with the coach.

And man tries to do that with God all the time.
• They argue with God.
• They complain to God.
• Or they even give God advice regarding what He should have done.

But the preacher already warned us about that too, didn’t he?

We saw that back in chapter 5 where the preacher told us:
Ecclesiastes 5:2 “Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.”

• You aren’t God.
• You don’t know what God knows.
• So keep your mouth shut.

There is this continual desire in man to understand
And then have input into the sovereign working of God.

But the preacher says, you “cannot dispute with him who is stronger”.
• All your words (arguments) will only end in futility.
• You aren’t going to change God’s eternal plan.

Romans 9:20 “On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?”
• Who ever heard of such a thing?
• Who ever heard of a pot arguing with the potter?

Or remember when Job took issue with God:
Job 38:1-2 “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?”

It is the epitome of foolishness
To ignore or argue with the sovereign God of the universe.

(11) “For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to man?”

That is another way of saying that “Arguing with God won’t do any good.”

• You can bring your plan to God every day if you want.
• That wide receiver can draw plays and show them to his coach over and over.
• But it’s never going to change the fact that God is God and you are not.

AND I REALIZE THIS HITS PEOPLE SIDEWAYS TODAY,
But I can’t think of a more important point
To drive into a person’s brain in this backward world in which we live.

The sooner you figure out that God is God and you are not, the better off you’re going to be.

The sooner you figure out that God created you and you didn’t create God, the better off you’re going to be.

The sooner you figure out that one day you will answer to God but God will never answer to you, the better off you’re going to be.

God’s plan is not only sovereign, but it is solidified.
His plan is the plan that the world is going with.
END OF STORY.

So again, why would you choose any other plan?
Why would you seek any other advice?

God’s plan is a sovereign plan God’s plan is a solidified plan
God’s plan is a:
#3 A SUPERIOR PLAN
Ecclesiastes 6:12

And this is the good news.
GOD’S PLAN IS FOR YOUR GOOD.

Now, from a choice standpoint, this is actually insignificant.

• It wouldn’t matter if God’s plan was for your harm…
• It wouldn’t matter if God’s plan was for your demise…
• It wouldn’t matter if God’s plan was the worst plan ever…
(now none of those things are true, but if they were, it wouldn’t matter)

Why?
Because He is still God.
His plan is still sovereign
His plan is still solidified

So even if it was a bad plan, you still better follow it because He is God.
You have to get that through your head.

But the question of the sermon was this:
“For who know what is good for a man..?”

• We DIDN’T start by asking who is in charge.
• We DIDN’T start by asking who will win.

We asked who had the best plan for your life?
Who had the good plan for your life?
Was it the world, or was it God?

And the answer we find here is that it is only God and not the world.

First because His is is sovereign – Second because His is solidified
But also because His plan is superior, and let me show you why.
“For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life? He will spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?”

Now here is where we come to the main point.
Here is the crowning thought.

“For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life?”

Care to answer that?
When you start contemplating the course of your life, who knows what is good?

And make sure you see again that your life is short.
• The preacher again mentions “the few years of his futile life”
• In fact, he expounds on that by saying, “He will spend them like a shadow”,
which is to say his life is short.

So with this very short life that you get here on earth,
“who knows what is good for a man..?”

YOUNG MAN, when you begin to approach your future and advice comes from every angle, who knows what the good life is?
• The media?
• The college recruiter?
• The military recruiter?
• Your parents?
• Your friends?
• Social media?

Who knows where to find the good life?
Who knows the path you should walk?

And I hope you understand the implication of the preacher: ONLY GOD.
BUT WHY?

Because God’s plan is about eternity not just this life.
“For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?”

Can anyone answer that for you?
• Can the media tell you what tomorrow holds?
• Can your parents?
• Can your friends?
• Can you teachers?

And that doesn’t mean they don’t have good intentions, but are they privy to your future?
• Do your parents know what tomorrow holds?
• Does your counselor know the state of America in 4 years?
• Does social media know if you are going to endure a life crisis later?

NO, only God.

There is only One who has a plan for your life
Who at the same time can see the entirety of your life.

That means that there is only One
Who could possibly lead you to the good life.

Others can try, but their insight is so limited.

And you can follow the advice of the world and make all sorts of plans,
BUT KNOW THIS.
• Those plans aren’t sovereign.
• Those plans aren’t solidified.
• Those plans can’t see the future.

The good life you seek cannot exist apart from
The plan of the sovereign God who created you
And who has mapped out the course of your life.

Listen again to that wonderful sermon Paul preached in Athens.
Acts 17:24-31 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ “Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. “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 a God who created you.
• He appointed your times and the boundaries of your habitation.
• And He ordained the purpose of your life which was for you to seek Him.

That is the culminating point of the preacher after the first 6 chapters.

Why would you follow the advice of the world?
That is all “striving after wind”

You’d be better off to seek the will of the sovereign God
Whose plan cannot be changed
And who alone truly knows what is good for you.

NOW LET ME RETURN TO THE QUESTION.

“For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life?”

There is the ultimate and good plan of God for your life,
Namely that you believe in Jesus Christ.

John 6:28-29 “Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

The ultimate plan is for you to forsake the world and believe in Christ.

But here is what I want you to understand.
You cannot walk both plans at the same time.

• You cannot follow the plan of this world and the plan of God at the same time.
• You either seek Christ or you seek this world.
• And only one of those plans is actually for your good.

And I want to show you that again:
Matthew 19:16-22 “And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.”

Did you hear him?
• He is looking for good.
• He wants the plan that will ultimately land him with eternal life.

Afterall we can hardly call any plan that ends in hell a good plan.

So this man comes to Jesus for the plan.

And what did Jesus tell him?
Forsake all the plans the world has given you and follow Me.

• Were you pursuing knowledge, let it go and pursue Me.
• Were you pursuing pleasure, let it go and pursue Me.
• Were you pursuing accomplishment, let it go and pursue Me.
• Were you pursuing treasure, let it go and pursue Me.

Isn’t that exactly what the preacher has been saying in Ecclesiastes?
It’s the same sermon!

We have just concluded half of the book of Ecclesiastes.
It has been one main point.

• This world cannot satisfy you; God won’t let it – QUIT SEEKING IT
• Instead seek God who has a sovereign plan for your good and for eternity.
• To be consumed with this world and to forsake Christ is the ultimate foolishness.

It is the tragedy of that Rich Young Ruler
Who chose the promises of the world over the promises of Christ.

How fitting that the Scripture says that “he went away grieving”.

Shouldn’t he have been happy that he got to keep all his stuff?
I thought treasure equaled happiness.

THERE IS NO SATISFACTION THERE.

Friend…
Young man…
THIS WORLD IS LYING TO YOU!

• It bombards you with “The American Dream”
• It bombards you with advertising meant to cause your flesh to crave.
• It bombards you with false hopes and promises.

Forsake this world!
Run to Christ!
In Him is life!

Only God’s plan for you is A Sovereign Plan.
Only God’s plan for you is A Solidified Plan.
Only God’s plan for you is A Saving Plan.

All other plans end up in hell.

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

That is Ecclesiastes too!
• Quit walking that wide road just because everyone else does!
• Seek Christ.

Every other way ends up as “striving after wind”

1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

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Who Is Like The LORD?
Psalms 113
August 1, 2021

Tonight we return to our study of the Psalms.
And we do so at the beginning of a very special segment of Psalms.

Psalms 113–118 represent a group of Psalms known as “The Hallel”
It means “praise” (as in hallelujah)

They were a group of Psalms sung by Israel during the Passover.

Shortly after Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper in the upper room on the night before He was crucified, we read:
Mark 14:26 “After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

It is highly likely that this was the song they sang,
Followed by the remainder of the Psalms in this group.

They were songs that rejoiced in the God
Who would deliver His helpless people from the iron furnace.

BUT AS WE STUDY THEM,
It is impossible for us not to look at the more perfect Passover
And see the deliverance which transpired at the cross.

They are Psalms that force us to get our thinking right about such events.

I don’t know of any contemporary trend that bothers me more
Than the current trend in Christianity which is
TO SEEM TO MAKE THE FOCUS OF REDEMPTION ALL ABOUT US.

It hit me hardest in the face several years ago when a group from Lubbock wanted to host a youth revival here in Spur.

• I remember when we had the meeting and the theme was announced.
• Basically the theme all revolved around a new contemporary Christian song that was gaining extreme popularity.
• The song was recorded by a band named “Mikeschair”
• And the song was called “Someone Worth Dying For”

The Chorus says:
“Am I more than flesh and bone?
Am I really something beautiful?
Yeah, I want to believe,
I want to believe that
I’m not just some wandering soul
That you don’t see and you don’t know
Yeah, I want to believe,
Jesus help me believe
That I am someone worth dying for”

Now, I certainly understand the gist of the song.
• They wanted to portray to the downcast that God loves even them.
• They wanted to show the truth we love which is that God saves sinners.

But the song goes about it all wrong.
And the theology is terrible.

But they aren’t alone.
MercyMe has an album called “Welcome To The New” (and I listen to it)

The title song which is meant to celebrate the new life you have in Christ
Even descends to this distorted point.

They sing:
“Look at you Shiny and new
Look at you You got the proof of purchase
You were purchased ‘Cause you’re worth it
Look at you Finding your groove
Don’t you dare think That you’re not worth it.
‘Cause you’re worth it Yeah you’re worth it”

And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg here, but we’ve got more important things to do than quote bad contemporary Christian lyrics.

What I want you to understand is that
Even though these statements sound good,
They are terribly wrong and even idolatrous.

The whole point of the gospel message is strikingly opposite.
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.”

The whole point is that we were NOT worth dying for.
The whole point is that we didn’t deserve it.

But the glory of the gospel is that God saves the unworthy.
The glory of the gospel is that Christ died for sinners.

It may seem like splitting hairs
But the difference is monumentally important.

We should never sing a song,
Especially one that claims to be Christian,
And come away thinking how worthy I am.
That is blasphemous!

The true songs come away reminding us that
While I am just as wicked as one can imagine,
Christ is so glorious that He would save even me.

Listen to Paul:
1 Timothy 1:12-15 “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 is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”

You see the difference don’t you.

When we ponder the glories of salvation
We should never walk away with our heads held high
That we were worth so much.

When we ponder salvation
We should walk away asking “Who is like the LORD our God?”

Well that is what Psalms 113 will do for us tonight.
• It will set our barometer back straight.
• It puts the majesty and the glory and the worth and the praise back where it belongs…on God.

Well, let’s look at this great Psalm of praise tonight.
We easily divide it into 2 points.

#1 A CALL TO PRAISE
Psalms 113:1-4

He opens the Psalm with the statement, “Praise the LORD!”
• Give God the glory!
• Give God the accolade!
• Put the focus on Him, not on you!

Since we spend so much of our time focusing on ourselves in this life,
Let us take an hour tonight stop the nonsense.

Let us take an hour and break from our egocentric inward focus
And look to the God who is to be praised.

And what we love here is that David is very thorough
In describing to us the scope of the praise that is to occur.

He answers for us 5 questions in these first 4 verses about praising God.

WHO SHOULD PRAISE GOD?
(1b) “Praise, O servants of the LORD”

There are certainly times when
THE WHOLE WORLD is called to fall on their face in praise of God.

• We certainly look to the end when “every knee will bow and ever tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”
• We even read of the trees and the rocks crying out in praise to God.

The book of Psalms actually ends in:
Psalms 150:6 “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!”

There is certainly a time for that.

But the command here is more specific.
Here the command is directed at the “servants of the LORD”

• This is for those who belong to the LORD.
• This is for those who have surrendered to Him.
• This is for those who claim allegiance to Him.

It is their duty.

While we were driving on vacation we listened to a couple of books on tape.
One was called “The Advocate” which sort of blends fiction and non-fiction.

The fictional character was Theophilus and the non-fiction was the historical events of Rome in the time of Christ and the early church.

But the book walked through the reign of Nero over Rome.
Nero was an incredibly egotistical man who actually loved to participate in the theatre and in concerts.

And Nero actually hired men whose sole job was to explode in grandiose applause and praise at the conclusion of every one of his songs or performances.

Those men had no choice.
It was their job.
It was their duty.

Now certainly Christ is worthy of praise, whereas Nero was not,
BUT THE POINT IS THE SAME.

We are those who are commanded and expected to be a voice of praise.
We expect the world to be self-centered,
How shameful it is when servants of Christ fall into that sin.

We are called to Praise the Lord.

WHAT SHOULD WE PRAISE?
(1c) “Praise the name of the LORD.”

Certainly you understand now that when we speak of “the name of the LORD” we are talking about the culmination of all His attributes.

We see this most easily in those covenantal names of God.
They are not just His titles, they are who He is.

Jehovah Jireh – “The Lord Provides”
Jehovah Rohi – “The Lord is my shepherd”
Jehovah Mekadesh – “The Lord who sanctifies you”
Jehovah Tsidkenu – “The Lord is our righteousness”
Jehovah Shalom – “The Lord is our peace”
Jehovah Shamah – “The Lord is there”
Jehovah Rophe – “The Lord heals”
Jehovah Nissi – “The Lord is our banner”

When you praise His name it’s a praise of who He is.
And the reminder here is that when we praise God
We praise Him IN HIS ENTIRETY.

We praise Him for all that He is.
Loving, Gracious, and Merciful but also Holy and just and powerful

We praise Him for all that He does.
Salvation, redemption, deliverance but also judgment and discipline and wrath

Very simply we are called as the servants of God
To praise and exalt God for all that He is and all that He does.

• We cannot be selective.
• We cannot be lopsided.
• We praise “the name of the LORD”

WHEN SHOULD WE PRAISE?
(2) “Blessed be the name of the LORD From this time forth and forever.”

The answer is:
Start now and never stop.

Revelation 4:8 “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.”

• We don’t just praise God at church, we praise Him all week.
• We don’t just praise God when things are good, we praise Him when things are hard.
• We don’t just praise Him when it is convenient but at all times His praise is a priority.

We should learn from the model prayer of the Lord
Which reminded us that every prayer begins with
“Hallowed be Your name”

WHERE SHOULD WE PRAISE HIM?
(3) “From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the LORD is to be praised.”

There again is our favorite analogy of the east and the west.
The east and the west have no end. (unlike north and south)

So the simple answer is EVERYWHERE.

Can it really be true that there are places where it is inappropriate to praise the LORD?
• Are there locations or places where our Christianity and service to Christ don’t belong?

IT HAS BEEN A SUBTLE LIE
That Christians are swallowing hook-line-and sinker.

It started with things like “Separation of Church and State”
(which incidentally is stupid since all authority originates from God,
And all the state’s laws are based upon God’s moral judgments)

But the thinking creeps into things like.
• The school is no place to worship God or share the gospel.
• The workplace is no place to worship God or share the gospel.

Let me ask you: WHY?

Because some carnal pagan doesn’t want you to?

Ask yourself some simple questions:
• Does God deserve praise?
• Does God demand praise?
• Does man have the right to negate any of those first two answers?

And by the way, I’m not putting the burden on the administration or your boss to make it legal or not.

I’m asking the servants of God whether there is anything that can cause them to stop praising the Lord?

We are called to praise God everywhere regardless.

WHY SHOULD WE PRAISE?
(4) “The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.”

The simple answer is the transcendence of God.
We praise Him because He deserves praise.

Jeremiah 10:7 “Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.”

“it is Your due!” Jeremiah said.
He is “high above all nations”

Which begs the question,
Which governor or king has the right to forbid your worship?

• We praise kids when they behave properly.
• We praise athletes when they excel at their sport.
• We praise someone who does a good job at their occupation.
• We praise leaders who lead well.
• We praise servants who serve well.
• We praise cooks who cook well.

We praise all the time, as we should.

BUT IN THAT
We should never omit the One who deserves praise more than any other.

• There is One who is higher than all.
• There is One who is more exalted and more lofty and more perfect and more deserving than any of them.

If no one received praise for anything, God still should.
He deserves it.

And so that is David’s call to praise.
• But we admit, it is sort of a generic one.
• And that is actually fine.
• If Psalms 113 ended right there we would have no argument.

But David does us a great service in that
He carries the “why” out a little further.

Psalms 113:5-9 has a specific reason as to why we should praise God,
And that is what we want to see next.

#2 A CALL TO PONDER
Psalms 113:5-9

That is really the point of the Psalm.
Ponder this:
“Who is like the LORD our God?”

It’s actually the Hebrew word MICHAEL which means “Who is like God?”
We also see MICAH which means “Who is like the LORD?”

Here they are intertwined.

And it is a question meant to cause us to stop and ponder.

What do you mean David?
David is asking, have you ever heard of anyone or any god who ever did anything like what our God did?

(5-6) “Who is like the LORD our God, Who is enthroned on high, Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in heaven and in the earth?”

Listen to what David is focusing on.

Here we have our God “who is enthroned on high”

We just saw that in verse 4.
“The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.”

We have this God who is higher and more glorious
Than anything or anyone in all the earth and in all the heavens.

And yet He “humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth”

I want you to consider this a minute.

Here David says that God “humbles Himself”
That is to say that God makes Himself low.

We might say that God does what is beneath Him.
God does what He ought not have to do.

Like what?
Well first He “humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven”

This is something that you likely haven’t contemplated before.
• Even heaven is created by God.
• And even that is not worthy of Him.

Heaven may be the most glorious location you can imagine
What with its streets of gold and crystal sea and absence of any sin at all,
And yet even heaven does not deserve the glory of God.

In order for God to even behold the things in heaven
He must do what is beneath Him.

And of course you know that this is just a setup for what is coming next.
“and in the earth”

If it is a humiliating thing for God to darken the doors of heaven
Then we can’t even comprehend how humiliating it is
For Him to approach earth.

He ought not have to behold anything here.
He ought not have to look at anything here.

It reminds of the tower of Babel incident.
Genesis 11:4-5 “They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.”

Notice that “LORD came down” part.

THAT WAS AN INSULT TO HIM
To even have to behold the workings of men on this place.

It was humiliating to Him
To have to interject Himself into the lowly affairs of humans.

David certainly understood this.
We remember:
Psalms 8:3-4 “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?”

David just couldn’t fathom why the God of the universe
Would humble Himself to such an extent
As to care for something as insignificant as humans.

Of course you are already seeing the gospel here.
Paul spells it out for us.

Philippians 2:5-8 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Christ didn’t just behold the sons of men.
He took on flesh and dwelled with them.

There were some who saw the absurdity of this.

Remember this guy?
Matthew 8:5-8 “And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

The centurion knew that Jesus had lowered Himself enough just by being here,
But He certainly had no business in his house.

Remember Peter as Jesus washed their feet.
“You shall never wash my feet…”

• It’s wrong Lord!
• It’s beneath you!

Well listen any and all interaction that God has with humanity
IS ALL BENEATH HIM.

Just to dwell with you in heaven He has to humble Himself.
• How much more to behold you on earth?
• And how much more to dwell with you on earth?

So do you see David’s point?

“Who is like the LORD our God, who is enthroned on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth?”

Who does that?
What kind of a God is He?

And David isn’t finished.
(7-8) “He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make the sit with princes, With the princes of His people.”

So now it’s not just that God associates with people on earth,
But He even associates with THE LOWEST PEOPLE on earth.

This was perhaps the most mind-blowing reality of all regarding Christ.

When God did take on human flesh and come to dwell among men
He basically bypassed all the important people
And went straight to the lowly.

He selected fishermen, a tax collector, a traitor.
He associated with harlots and drunkards and the demon-possessed.

If you travel to another city and someone tells you, “Don’t go down to that part of town, that’s the hood, that’s the dangerous part.”

We typically would avoid such areas, but that’s exactly where Jesus went.

He went to the least and promised to make them the greatest.

Remember the beatitudes?
Luke 6:20-22 “And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.”

Jesus took the lowly, the base, the weak, the unimpressive
And by His grace He caused them to become heirs of God.

Think of all those promises in Ephesians about being “in Him”
• Not only do we have redemption and forgiveness
• But Paul also says we have an inheritance
• And that we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places.
• In fact Paul says that in Christ we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.

He takes the lowest and makes them the highest.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.”

AND THAT’S STILL NOT ALL.

David continues still more.
(9) “He makes the barren woman abide in the house As a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!”

There was scorn and dishonor
Associated with a woman not being able to bear children.

But think through your Old Testament history to the promises of God.
Think of those patriarchs.
• Sarah – barren (Isaac)
• Rebekah – barren (Jacob)
• Rachel – barren (Joseph)
• Hannah – barren (Samuel)
• Elizabeth – barren (John the Baptist)

God did this all the time.
And ultimately we are taught that it was always A SPIRITUAL PICTURE.

Paul filled in the blanks in his letter to the Galatians.
Galatians 4:26-28 “But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. For it is written, “REJOICE, BARREN WOMAN WHO DOES NOT BEAR; BREAK FORTH AND SHOUT, YOU WHO ARE NOT IN LABOR; FOR MORE NUMEROUS ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE DESOLATE THAN OF THE ONE WHO HAS A HUSBAND.” And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.”

THE POINT WAS THAT
As children of God we are not children of the flesh (works)
But rather we are children of the promise (grace).

John taught us this:
John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

And so what you have taking place routinely with God is that
God is selecting the least worthy and the most unlikely
And making them His children.

He elevates them to the status of prince
And bestows on them the joy and honor of a mother.

And the reality is really mind blowing when you think about it.
• It was humiliating to God to even concern Himself with the affairs of heaven much less the affairs of earth.
• It is unfathomable that God Himself would descend to earth to dwell there.
• And even more unthinkable that when He came He would associate with the lowly.
• And then that He would elevate the lowly to His status.

And look, the BIBLE IS FILLED WITH STORIES
That point to this mind-blowing reality.

Ever read Ezekiel 16?
• It’s about a discarded baby that no one wanted that it thrown into the field to die.
• And God comes along and not only rescues that discarded child, but raises and ultimately marries and beautifies her.

It is just another picture of God lowering Himself
To a standard that would have been humiliating to Him
In order to save those who did not deserve it.

Go read Luke 15 again.
• Watch the father humiliate himself by running to that prodigal son and then clothing him and throwing a banquet for him.
• What father would subject himself to the shame of the entire community to love a son who did not deserve it?

Go read 2 Samuel 9.
• It’s about the last remaining person in the line of Saul.
• His name is Mephibosheth and he’s the crippled son of Jonathon.
• By all accounts, cultural procedure says that he’d be killed so as not to be a threat to the house of David.
• But David brings this cripple in and honors him and lets him dine at his table daily.

It is just picture after picture after picture of this same reality
That our God saves those who don’t deserve to be saved.

HE EVEN HUMILIATES HIMSELF TO DO SO.

Certainly there is no greater picture of this than the cross
Where Christ humiliated Himself in order that He might save us.

And somehow we want to assume
That salvation was all about how worthy we are?
NO!

God did not save you because you deserved it.
God did not save you because you were worth it.

In fact, and even though this may be painful, I think it’s vitally important that you have your doctrine on man accurate.

(It is my estimation that most people’s doctrine is filled with error
Because they have an incorrect doctrine of man.)

Are you aware of what the Bible says about man?

You should first remember his origin.
Genesis 2:7 “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

And yet God loves us anyway.
Psalms 103:14 “For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”

You should remember man’s ambition.
Genesis 6:5 “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.”

And of course in response God flooded the earth,
But even after the flood it’s not like men were better.

Genesis 8:21 “The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.”

And yet God still chose to have compassion on us.

Man is deceptive.
Psalms 78:34-37 “When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God; And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.”

But still God is merciful.

Man is dead in sin and craves iniquity
Ephesians 2:1-3 “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.”

And yet God is gracious.
Ephesians 2:4-9 “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.”

Man is disloyal and phony and hypocritical.
We could read again that long passage of Paul
Where he reminds us that “there is none good, not even one”.

AND GOD KNOWS ALL THIS.
John 2:24-25 “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”

But He saves us anyway.
It is not because we are worthy, it is because He is gracious.

And we come back to that statement which David would have us ponder:
“Who is like the LORD?”

If you take the time to examine salvation
And you come away with the thought that you must have been so worthy
For God to have paid such a high price for you
Then you are narcissistic to an unbelievable level.

• We were not saved because we were worthy.
• We were not saved because we deserved it.
• We were not saved because of our value.

God ascribed value to us when He saved us.
God ascribed worth to us when He saved us.

It is not worth because of who we are,
It is worth because of whose we are.

Salvation is all about this God
Who humbled Himself to come down and save
Filthy, trouble-making, deceptive, disloyal humans.

All the glory goes to Him!

And with that we could RETURN TO THE TOP of the Psalm and read:
“Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD, Praise the name of the LORD. Blessed be the name of the LORD From this time forth and forever. From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the LORD is to be praised. The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.”

Don’t praise yourself, praise the LORD!
• And praise His name.
• Praise Him at all times.
• Praise Him in all places.

And just when you think that praising God
Is someone how too humiliating or too embarrassing or too dangerous

Then stop and think of the humiliation
That God put Himself through to save you.

He is an extraordinary God and He deserves extraordinary praise!

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The Good Life?
Ecclesiastes 6:1-9
August 1, 2021

Well I know after reading that chapter one may wonder
Where in the world that the title “The Good Life” comes from.

Chapter 6, like Ch. 5 before it, doesn’t exactly sound like anything good.
In fact, it’s rather DEPRESSING to read it.

AND AGAIN I WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT THIS IS THE POINT.

• We live in a fallen world.
• We are flooded with deceptions and temptations.
• We are continually led and pushed down paths that will not offer the fulfillment that is promised.

In short, we are all victims of the great advertiser.
That deceiver who is trying to sell you the used car with all the problems
But is describing it like the greatest vehicle you’ve ever seen.

And we’d be absolutely helpless to see through his deceptions
If it wasn’t for men like THE CRITIC.

That’s what the preacher is.

Many think he is just a bitter old negative soul who doesn’t like life.
But that’s not him at all. He is not critiquing life,
He is critiquing the lifestyle that the world promotes.

Make no mistake there is a good life to be had.
• There is in fact the good life out there,
• But you won’t find it by listening to the world that lies in the power of the evil one.

We are THANKFUL for the preacher here in Ecclesiastes
Who is helping us understand the truth about the faulty promises
That are so often given to us by the world.

I’m finding the study to be so beneficial and important IN MY LIFE
• To help me see the things of the world for what they really are
• And to help me “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”.

THIS STUDY IS SO IMPORTANT.

NOW THIS MORNING
We come to to THE END of the preacher’s FIRST MAIN POINT.

9 times in the book we read the phrase “striving after wind.”

The final time is here at the end of verse 9.

It is a statement which speaks of a man
Pursuing that which he can never catch and never hold.

• It is a fantasy which can never be realized.
• It is a treasure which can never be held.
• It is a dream which can never be reality.

Ultimately the thing the preacher was striving for was
Fulfillment or Satisfaction or “The Good Life”.

• And as he searched he listened to the world’s advice
• Regarding how to obtain that good life, but it didn’t work.
• In this book he is outlining for you that what the world offered was bad advice.

And while the preacher has used the phrase “striving after wind”
9 times it actually refers to 4 empty promises.

Let me shrink the book a little for you here for a minute
And help you SEE THE MAIN POINT he has made for the first 6 chapters.

The first two times the writer used that phrase was in 1:14 and 1:17
It is when the preacher was talking about:
THE FUTILITY OF WISDOM

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 “I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with. I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind. What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted. I said to myself, “Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.” And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind. Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.”

If you remember the preacher was talking about how he was promised that if he would simply get wisdom (or knowledge) then he’d have the secret to prosperity and fulfilment and satisfaction in life.

But it didn’t work.
He obtained knowledge and it didn’t fix anything.
(1:15) “What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted.”

In other words all the knowledge in the world
Couldn’t fix his DEPRAVITY and it couldn’t satisfy his DEFICIENCY.

Knowledge never makes a man perfect.
• We spoke of the apostle Paul and how the more he learned the Law all it did was show how much of a sinner he was.
• Even Bible knowledge won’t make you a better person (only the Holy Spirit does that) Bible knowledge will simply show you what a bad person you are.

The Law condemns, the Spirit gives life.

And the preacher learned that.
“in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.”

That was his first main point.
To pursue knowledge as a means to satisfaction is “striving after wind”
• It is an unrealizable dream.
• It is an unobtainable promise.

Then the preacher moved on to the next major myth. He spoke of
THE FUTILITY OF PLEASURE

The next 3 times he uses the phrase “striving after wind” is in chapter 2 (11,17,26)

Ecclesiastes 2:9-11 “Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.”

Remember he tried pleasure.
• He tried wine
• He tried works
• He tried wealth
• He tried women

He gave himself to the sensual pleasures of men
And yet there was no satisfaction there.
There was only frustration and boredom.

Ecclesiastes 2:17 “So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.”

And that was his main point in chapter 2.
Pursuing pleasure as a means of obtaining satisfaction is a myth.
• It is an unrealizable dream
• It is an unobtainable promise.

Now at this point in the book the preacher did PAUSE FOR A WARNING.
After the first two reviews the preacher stopped to make a point.

• He saw the young man pursuing knowledge…
• He saw the young man pursuing pleasure…

And he stopped in his discourse momentarily
TO TELL THE YOUNG MAN NOT TO WASTE HIS LIFE.

This was the famous chapter on TIME; chapter 3.
• Where he paused in his review long enough to remind us that there is an appropriate response to everything God ordains.

Don’t respond inappropriately in this life
Because death is coming and judgment will follow.

YOU HAVE A SMALL ALLOTTED TIME ON EARTH.
USE IT APPROPRIATELY.

And then after that warning the preacher RETURNED to his myth-busting.
He started speaking of his third myth that is so often advertised.

THE FUTILITY OF ACCOMPLISHMENT
And this was found in chapter 4.

3 times in this chapter he used the phrase “striving after wind” (4,6,16)

The chapter showed us a man who worked his whole life
To accomplish something and in the end it wasn’t worth it.

Ecclesiastes 4:4-6 “I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind. The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.”

Remember how he spoke of
• How even though rest is to be desired a man can’t afford to do it
• Because if he does his competitor will put him out of business.
• And so men literally push one another to exhaustion in this rat race of for accomplishment.

And yet, despite their efforts
Men still end up getting kicked to the curb, replaced and forgotten.

He told the story of that king
• Who was corrupt and so the people cried for his replacement.
• They chose a young poor lad and bestowed on him the honor kingship.
• Yet it wasn’t long before they got tired of him and wanted him replaced too.

Ecclesiastes 4:16 “There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is vanity and striving after wind.”

We spoke of professional athletes
• Who are drafted and loved and people buy their jerseys and they endure injury and work hard to succeed
• But in just a few short years people will be calling for their replacement too.

The preacher says you are often promised that
If you work hard and accomplish things
Then you’ll find satisfaction but it just isn’t true.

THE WORLD DOESN’T CARE about your accomplishments.
Give them enough time and they’ll tear down your statues too.

Now those where the first 3 myths he busted.
The final myth is listed here in chapter 6.

Now, we already started studying it,
Because the preacher started discussing it in chapter 5.

THE FUTILITY OF ACQUIRING TREASURE

Remember how in chapter 5 the preacher started talking about all the threats you face if you obtain money?

(This was actually our last sermon three weeks ago)

He WASN’T talking about a man who wanted money.
He WAS talking about a man who had it.
And he was talking about all the problems that come with it.

CORRUPTION
Ecclesiastes 5:8 “If you see oppression of the poor and denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at the sight; for one official watches over another official, and there are higher officials over them.”

DISSATISFACTION
Ecclesiastes 5:10 “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.”

FRUSTRATION
Ecclesiastes 5:11 “When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look on?”

WORRY
Ecclesiastes 5:12 “The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep.”

UNCERTAINTY
Ecclesiastes 5:13-14 “There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt. When those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him.”

LOSS
Ecclesiastes 5:15 “As he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand.”

All of those spoke of the fact that obtaining treasure
Does not bring satisfaction,
Instead it brings a whole list of other problems.

If you think storing treasure will give you fulfillment then think again.

WELL THIS MORNING the preacher concludes that thought.
In fact, he sort of sums them all up to talk about this FINAL MYTH.

It is found here in the first 9 verses of chapter 6

Where now,
Because of all the threats to his treasure that the rich man faces
The preacher now clearly lists the problem.

Let’s look at our text now and read those first 2 verses.
(1-2) “There is an evil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent among men— a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner enjoys them. This is vanity and a severe affliction.”

• What is the evil?
• What is the threat?

It is that here we have a man whom “God has given riches”
He was able to acquire the treasure he pursued.

He obtained “riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires;”

HE MADE IT!
• He got that salary he always pursued…
• He was able to build the house he always wanted…
• He is driving the car he always desired…
• He’s got the best recliner money can buy…
• And his retirement is set…

HE MADE IT!

But now he’ll face all those problems that the preacher listed in chapter 5
• The government is going to try to take it
• Advertising will show him there is still more he needs (there is a newer, better recliner out there)
• Friends are going to try to borrow it
• Inflation is going to devalue it and he’s going to worry about that
• Tragedy and disaster may very well claim it
• Eventually he’ll die and have to leave it all

AND SO EVEN THOUGH HE FINALLY GOT ALL THAT HE DESIRED
HE FOUND OUT THE COLD HARD TRUTH.
There is no satisfaction.

“God has given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner enjoys them. This is vanity and a severe affliction.”

It is the tragedy of UNENJOYED TREASURES.

Here is a guy who finally got everything he wanted
And for some reason he did not get to enjoy it.

• Either the government took it
• Or advertising convinced him it wasn’t enough
• Or his friends continually borrowed it
• Or worry robbed him of enjoyment
• Or inflation made it decrease in value
• Or somehow he lost it
• Or he died before he got to use it

Whatever the reason he obtained it and never got to enjoy it.

And the preacher says this is “prevalent among men”
And “this is vanity and a severe affliction”

It is a grievous evil in this world.
Men who scratch and claw and work their whole life for something
And even when they obtain it they find no satisfaction there.

And the preacher has A Sobering Comparison
For just how awful such a thing is.

(3) “If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they may be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper burial, then I say, “Better the miscarriage than he,”

Listen to that.
• It’s a man who gets what he wanted.
• It’s a man who obtains his goals.
• But he finds that there is still not satisfaction in life.

It’s misery!

And the preacher says, “Better the miscarriage than he”

That’s a harsh analogy.
Why would he say that?

Let him explain.
(4-5) “for it comes in futility and goes into obscurity; and its name is covered in obscurity. “It never sees the sun and it never knows anything; it is better off than he.”

What is his point?
• Namely that the child that dies before birth
• Has advantage over the man who obtains the world but finds no satisfaction.

Why?
Because at least that child doesn’t know
The pain and struggle of such disappointment.

According to the preacher there is a GREATER SUFFERING to be found
In the realization that all your labor and striving wasn’t worth it.

The suffering is so bad that
You’d be better off to have never even known what it was like to have it.

Anyone remember playing Chinese Christmas with the kids that year?
It was one thing for a kid to never get a gift.
But to get a gift and then have it stolen was misery!

“Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.’”
The man looked at him and said, “Try it!”

There is pain there.
And that is what the preacher is saying.

This life has an intense hardship of letting you get what you want
But still not let you have satisfaction.

THE PREACHER GOES ON.
(6) “Even if the other man lives a thousand years twice and does not enjoy good things – do not all go to one place?”

In other words,
• Even if he gets a really long life
• As compared to the miscarriage who never sees the sun,
• Don’t they still end up at the same place.

The difference is that the miscarriage has no disappointment.
• That baby went straight to the presence of God and never knows the grief of the living.
• But the rich man suffered the realization that there is no satisfaction in all that he has acquired.

And the preacher continues.
(7) “All a man’s labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite is not satisfied.”

That is his summation of this life.
• We work, we toil, we strive, we push, we exert energy.
• And we do it for that which cannot be satisfied.

And so you are hearing the point of the preacher.
HE HAS BEEN CONSISTENT.

There IS temporary joy to be gained from the good things of this life,
But if you are expecting satisfaction for the soul from this world, forget it.

Wisdom won’t bring it
Pleasure won’t bring it
Achievement won’t bring it
Acquiring Treasure won’t bring it

THOSE ARE MYTHS.

And so here comes his FINAL “striving after wind” statement of the book.
It concludes the first major point.

(8-9) “For what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living? What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires. This too is futility and a striving after wind.”

He compares the WISE man to the fool.
• If both end up in death and neither find satisfaction through this life is there any temporal advantage found to wisdom?

He compares the PRUDENT (who knows how to live) man to the fool.
• But again, if both end up in death and neither find satisfaction through this life is there any temporal advantage found there?

And his answer is NONE.
It’s all just men striving for that which they cannot obtain.

And he says, “What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires.”

Ever hear the statement, “A bird I hand is worth two in the bush”?
It means something concrete and real is better than
Something that is only a potential hope.

And that is all the promises of this world represent.
This life is like two birds in the bush.
• It looks like an opportunity.
• Advertisements and advice and temptations tell you it’s out there.
• Satan is constantly dangling carrots of fulfillment before you.

But you’ll never hold it.
“This too is futility and a striving after wind.”

SO HE HAS NOW CAPPED OFF HIS FIRST POINT TO THE BOOK.
The first six chapters has been an eye-opening critique
Of the promises of the world.

The world says get knowledge it will bring fulfilment.
The world says experience pleasure it will bring fulfilment.
The world says accomplish great things you’ll be fulfilled.
The world says acquire treasure and you’ll have fulfilment.

And they preacher says – WRONG!
All of those things are striving after the wind.
They are to seek the unobtainable goal.

NONE OF THOSE THINGS BRING “THE GOOD LIFE”

BUT LISTEN – and this is so important.
THERE’S A REASON THIS WORLD DOESN’T SATISFY

It’s NOT simply because Satan is a liar.

• On one hand those things never pan out because Satan lies to us and what he offers isn’t true.

But there is another reason why those things will never satisfy
And it’s a critical point to understand.

GOD WON’T LET THEM SATISFY.

Look back at verse 2.
“a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them…”

It is God who refuses to allow these things to satisfy.

Remember all the way back in chapter 2 the preacher talked about this.
Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 “There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him? For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is vanity and striving after wind.”

Satisfaction is only found in God (ultimately His Son)
And He will not allow the things of this world to satisfy.

BUT THE WORLD WOULD ASK:
Why would God be so cruel?
Why would God be so stingy?
(I’m speaking like the world)

Why would God refuse to let those things satisfy?

Because if you could find ultimate satisfaction
In the things of this world
Then you’d never have a desire to pursue God.

The objective is to drive men to God.
• Every frustration, every grief, every sorrow, every pain…
• It was all for one purpose and that is to get you to forsake this world and run to
God!

Because God alone has the plan that is for your good.

Have we not read this time and time again?
• Even on the day when God was bringing Babylon to destroy Jerusalem.
• Even on the day when all the desires and pursuits of Israel were coming crashing down.
• Even on the day when they were losing the land they had obtained.

On that day God reminded them
Of the point that the preacher makes here.

That the good life is not about what you know
Or what you experience or accomplish or what you obtain.
The good life is found only in knowing God.

AND IN THAT DARK HOUR
Here was the message God had for a people in the midst of destruction.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’”

THAT IS THE POINT!

Israel had only been out to obtain the world.
• They wanted their own land.
• Like the other nations they wanted their own king.
• Like the other nations they wanted their high places.

They were buying the lie!

And just like the preacher said here, God let them have it.
But God never let them enjoy it.

They had the land but they never had REST!
That was the great allusion wasn’t it!

God had promised them
• A land that flows with milk and honey;
• A land where they would find rest from their enemies.

They got the land, but they never had rest.

Rest and satisfaction were always the goal.

Remember in the very beginning?
• God cursed the ground and told Adam that only by the sweat of his brow would he bring forth food.
• And it’s not long after that Adam’s descendants are lamenting that there is no rest in this land.

In fact, listen to Noah’s daddy, right after Noah was born:
Genesis 5:28-29 “Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son. Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the LORD has cursed.”

So how refreshing it was when Moses comes along and promises rest.
How exciting it was when Joshua took them into the land.

But still NO REST.
In fact about 300 years after Joshua took them into the land David is still talking about obtaining the rest that had alluded Israel.

Psalms 95:7b-11 “Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work. “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. “Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.”

Israel kept missing the point.
They kept pursuing satisfaction and fulfillment
In the things of the world instead of in the things of God,
And thus they never found satisfaction.

God would temporarily allow them to taste it.
God let them live in the land for a while.
But ultimately there was no satisfaction.

And on the day that God drove them out of the land He reminded them that I alone know what is good, and I alone have a good plan for your life.

This plan of God ultimately revealed itself
About 600 years after God made that promise through Jeremiah.

The world saw a light that appeared in the darkness.

Jesus approached these people
Who had been allowed to get a good taste of the bitterness of this life.

And to those people He said:
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

And there you have it.
• There is a good life, but the world doesn’t offer it.
• There is satisfaction, but the world doesn’t know it.

Only in Christ can we find the fulfillment that God has for us.
And all the frustrations of this life
Are merely the tool of God to drive you to Him.

Now there was much more I had hoped to get to this morning, but we’ll have to save it until next time.
ARE YOU SEEKING CHRIST?

Download Here:

The Man Who Fears God
Psalms 112
July 11, 2021

Last Sunday night we looked at Psalms 111
Which is the other half of this matched set.

These two Psalms work together.
They are yoked together like two oxen pulling the same load.
• Psalms 111 focused on the God who is to be feared.
• Psalms 112 focuses on the man who fears God.

If you set the two Psalms side by side (which we will do some tonight)
You will notice the striking similarity between the two.

THEY ARE BOTH ACROSTICS.
• They both follow the Hebrew alphabet which was a tool used for easier
memorization.

BUT WHAT ALSO BECOMES CLEAR when you set the two side by side
Is that Psalms 112 is an obvious reflection of Psalms 111.

Spurgeon put it like this.
“The subject of the poem before us is – the blessedness of the righteous man, and so it bears the same relation to the preceding which the moon does to the sun; for, while the first declares the glory of God, the second speaks of the reflection of the divine brightness in men born from above.”
(Spurgeon, C.H. [The Treasury of David, Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA] pg. 15)

That is to say that just as the moon reflects the glory of the sun,
So the man who fears God reflects the glory of God
And so Psalms 112 reflects the glory of Psalms 111.

The two Psalms have such similar terminology
That it becomes evident that the man who fears God
Is being conformed into the image of the God he fears.

Romans 8:29 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;”

You clearly see that taking place here.
God is at work to mold this man into Himself.

And yet you also see in this Psalm that this is also a man who is striving to be like the God he fears.

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

And that is also evident.

We could take both of those realities and tie them up in what Paul wrote to the Philippians:
Philippians 2:12-13 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

You see that here.

Of the utmost importance in studying this Psalm, is the first 3 words.
“Praise the LORD”

If you skip those 3 words or read over them lightly
Then you will miss the entire point of the Psalm.

You might be tempted to read this Psalm about the man who fears God
And then pat him on the back for all that he has done.

But if you walk away bragging on the man
Then you miss the whole point which David makes clear from the outset.

Man is not to be praised, God is to be praised.

• God is the catalyst here.
• God is the cause.
• Everything that takes place here is God’s doing, and He is being praised.

So when we talk about this man who fears God, we do well to begin by asking the question: WHY DOES THIS MAN FEAR GOD?

You could say, “Well he’s read Psalms 111 about all the great works of God and it led him to fear.”
• Well certainly that should be the result of reading Psalms 111,
• And yet we have seen far too often sinful man suppress the truth of God’s creation just as Romans 1 says.

I mean we’ve all read:
Romans 3:18 “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

And that isn’t just a few people, that’s all people.

Ephesians 2:1-3 “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.”

It is a universal problem of every man born in Adam
• That we are born at enmity with God
• And we are enemies of God
• And there is no fear of God before our eyes.
• And man is prone to suppress the truth of His creator and give glory to the creature instead.

But here we have a man who “fears the LORD”

WHY?
It is only because God has so worked as to cause this man to fear him.

Don’t we sing it?
“Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved.”

God taught this man to fear Him.
God instilled this fear in Him.

It’s called REGENERATION
• It’s the process by which God, through His grace, awakens a man to the truth about himself and to the truth about God.
• And it is through this process that God also grants to this sinful man, not only the discernment to begin to fear God but also the faith to trust God.

THAT IS THE WORK OF GOD.
And that can never be overlooked.

And that is why when we read a Psalm about a God-fearing man
We still say: “Praise the LORD!”

Psalms 112 is not so that we can applaud the men who fear God.
Psalms 112 is so that we can applaud the God
Who took sinful rebels and turned them into God fearers.

WE SHOULD ALSO POINT OUT
That this Psalm also gives us added insight into WHAT IT MEANS by “fears the LORD”.

We actually read one last week.
Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.”

Here we find another attribute of what it means to fear the LORD.
“How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments.”

On one hand a man who fears the LORD hates evil,
And on the other hand he “greatly delights in His commandments.”

You see THE LINK there to Psalms 111.
Psalms 111:2 “Great are the works of the LORD; They are studied by all who delight in them.”
• Men who fear God study His works.
• Men who fear God delight in His commandments.

Paul said:
Romans 12:9 “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.”

And so you see opposite sides of the same coin.
• You cannot claim to fear God if you love what is evil.
• You cannot claim to fear God if you hate His commandments.

A man who fears God
Hates what is evil and loves God’s righteous commands.

And he only does that because God has done a regenerating work in his heart to cause him to do that.

So we say, “Praise the LORD!”
And that is one reason why we call this man “blessed” and not “worthy”

AND IF THAT WAS NOT ENOUGH,
We praise God even more for after He transforms rebels into God-fearers He THEN POURS BLESSING into their life because they feared Him.

For David makes a statement, “How blessed is the man who fears the LORD,”

We would do well to repeat it in the form of a question
And ask: “How blessed is the man who fears the LORD?”

And that is what this Psalm reveals.

As we saw with the previous Psalms
• These Psalms are an acrostic so seeking some form of outline is a bit foolish.
• These are individual statements which work to show an overall theme and it’s best to look at them like that.
• And we actually see 9 statements here.

God has greatly blessed the man who fears Him
And THIS IS HOW GOD HAS BLESSED HIM.

#1 WITH MIGHTY DESCENDANTS
Psalms 112:2

“His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed.”

It harkens back to the promise of God to Moses:
Exodus 20:5 “…I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,”

It was spoken by David earlier in the Psalms.
Psalms 103:17 “But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,”

And this is still the same point here.
That when a man fears God it is fear that trickles down.

Men who fear God teach their children to fear God.

And God makes his “descendants” “mighty”.

“mighty” translates GIBORE

It was a word used to describe the Nephilim which were giants on the earth.
Genesis 6:4 “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”

It was a word used to describe Nimrod
Genesis 10:9 “He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.”

It could almost be used to say “notorious”.

Not every descendant of the man who fears God will be famous,
But they will be those who leave their mark
And whose influence long outlasts them.

• They will be men who make a difference.
• They will be men who matter.

It is one of the blessings that rests upon the man who fears God.
He’ll raise mighty children.

#2 WITH ABUNDANT PROVIDENCE
Psalms 112:3a

“Wealth and riches are in his house…”

This sounds like the type of a verse that
THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL people would absolutely love.

If you just fear God then you are promised “wealth and riches”.

• Now certainly we read this through the lens of the New Testament where we even see that in a monetary since Jesus was poor.
• We certainly could apply this to spiritual riches and note that in a spiritual sense it is true since in Christ we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.

But even those sound a little like COPOUTS.

Where the prosperity folks actually miss this verse
Is in the fact that they fail to understand the word “house”.

We have a tendency to be very individualistic in our interpretation of Scripture, whereas the writers of the Old Testament in Israel were not.

“house” there DOES NOT necessarily mean that every single man who fears God will be a wealthy man in worldly wealth.

It does mean that his “house” or “his lineage” or “his family line”
Will be one which is blessed with “wealth”.

There will be abundant provision for the family of the man who fears God.

And there is a reason for this.

Throughout this Psalm we also notice a definite correlation to this man’s fear and his generosity.
• In verse 4 we read “He is gracious and compassionate and righteous”
• In verse 5 we read He is “the man who is gracious and lends”
• In verse 9 we read “He has given freely to the poor”

And even the New Testament
Speaks of the monetary blessing of God on a man like that.

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

Philippians 4:15-20 “You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

2 Corinthians 9:8-12 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, “HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER.” Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God.”

That is actually a quote of Psalms 112:9 there.

But the point is that men who fear God
And as a result are generous and meet the needs of the saints,
Can in fact expect that God will continue to provide seed
So that they can continue to sow.

God blesses the man who fears Him with mighty descendants
God blesses the man who fears Him with abundant providence
#3 WITH ENDURING RIGHTEOUSNESS
Psalms 112:3b

Here we get a direct parallel to Psalms 111
Psalms 111:3 “Splendid and majestic is His work, And His righteousness endures forever.”

God’s righteousness endures forever
And now we find that the man who fears Him shares that same attribute.

It is nothing less than God conforming this man into His own image.

And so he is blessed with enduring righteousness.
“And his righteousness endures forever.”

This speaks of his commitment.
• He never wains.
• He never leaves.

Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

The man who fears God endures; he perseveres.
Even if he gains the wealth God speaks of in verse 2
It does not turn his heart toward corrupt things.

When the man who fears God obtains wealth
He uses it for the kingdom, not for sin.

He is no apostate, he is no weedy soil.
He stands and he remains.

Men who truly fear God always fear God.
God has blessed them with such endurance.

He has also blessed them…
#4 WITH COMPASSIONATE CHARACTER
Psalms 112:4

Again we notice that this is first an attribute of God,
And God is now reproducing it in the life of the man who fears Him.

We saw it in also in
Psalms 111:4 “He has made His wonders to be remembered; The LORD is gracious and compassionate.”

And here we read:
“Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.”

That is granted a bit of a misleading translation.
• It still makes it sound as though the focus is on God being the gracious and compassionate one,
• When the focus of the Psalm is clearly that the man who fears God is the one who is in view.

Darek Kidner translated the verse as follows:
“He rises in the darkness, a light to the upright; he is gracious and merciful and righteous.”
(Kidner, Derek [Kidner Classic Commentaries; Psalms 73-150; IVP Academic, Downers Grove IL, 2008] pg. 4340

And that certainly fits the context of the Psalm.
Here is a man who is being conformed into the image of the God he fears.
• “God is light and in Him there is no darkness” at all.
• Conversely the child of God is also called “the light of the world”

God is gracious and compassionate and righteous
And so the man who fears God is transformed into a man
Who is also “gracious and compassionate and righteous.”

The point is that God blesses the man who fears Him
By giving that man His character.

This was the point of Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

We are commanded to shine light like God does.
We are commanded to love like God does.
And yet we are aware that as far as man is concerned this is impossible.

BUT WHEN A MAN FEARS GOD,
God blesses him with the very compassionate character He demands.

That is to say that God gives the man who fears Him
The very attributes that He demands from that man.

That is truly a blessing.
And that directly corelates to the next thing God blesses the man who fears Him with.
#5 WITH CONFIDENCE IN JUDGMENT
Psalms 112:5

Again we see a link to the previous Psalm.
Psalms 111:5 “He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever.”

And here we read:
(5) “It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; He will maintain his cause in judgment.”

• God is generous and the man who fears Him is generous.
• God keeps his covenant of salvation and so the man who fears Him is confident in judgment.

The simple point is that God has done a righteous work in this man.
• God demanded generosity and compassion or else God promises judgment.
• And yet here we find a man whom God has caused to be gracious so that he will skip judgment.

It is again God graciously granting
The very attributes and attitudes that He demands.
AND SO THE MAN WHO FEARS IS GRANTED CONFIDENCE
THAT GOD HAS SUPPLIED ALL THAT HE HAS DEMANDED.
This is the blessing on those who fear Him.

And it is a blessing that is reiterated in the New Testament.
Listen to John.

1 John 3:16-20 “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.”

Did you catch John there?
• We may have moments where our own heart will condemn us. (You’ve probably had that)
• But John says the evidence that we look to in that moment to assure our heart that we are in fact redeemed is the love of the brethren.

That grace and compassion that we show
Is NOT there of our own accord.

I can easily remind you again of humanity.
Romans 3:12-17 “ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”; “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”; “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.”

Genuine love of the brethren is not natural to the human heart.
And yet it is required by God or else God promises judgment.

But when a man fears God,
God regenerates his heart and places in him
The same love and compassion that He has
And thus man is assured that he has been saved from judgment.

And that is a blessing.

#6 WITH REMEMBERED RIGHTEOUSNESS
Psalms 1112:6

“For he will never be shaken; The righteous will be remembered forever.”

Earlier we spoke of the man’s enduring righteousness, indicating that he will not defect from God.

But here we are talking about this man’s imputed righteousness.
This is the alien righteousness that is not his own
That has been credited to him.

Here we are NOT talking about the work that he has done,
But rather the work that God has done for them.

See again the companion passage in Psalms 111.
Psalms 111:6 “He has made known to His people the power of His works, In giving them the heritage of the nations.”

It is the power of God’s works that brought them safely home,
Not their own works.

And so it is in the gospel.
It is not our works which God accepts,
But rather it is the works of Christ that God accepts.

We are like that rabble army going up against giants in the Promised Land.

It is Christ who demonstrated His mighty power by conquering our foe and giving us the land.
• His works dispossessed the nations.
• His works slayed the giants.
• His works fulfilled the Law.
• His works satisfied the wrath of God.

He is the righteous who is “remembered forever” before God.

And because the man who fears God is wrapped in those works,
“he will never be shaken”

God will remember and justify that man.

#7 WITH STEADFASTNESS IN EVIL
Psalms 112:7

It is not just the fear of eternal judgment where this man is safe,
But also even in the midst of the temporal evil that rages.

“He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.”

Psalms 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

God protects during evil.

Jude reminded:
Jude 24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,”

Paul said:
2 Timothy 4:18 “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

And this is the promise for the man who fears God.
No evil will overtake him.

That DOES NOT MEAN he will never suffer or be persecuted or have hardship as you well know.
• But no evil will conquer him.
• No evil will turn him away.
• No evil will cause him to defect.

Paul also wrote:
Romans 8:35-39 “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The man who fears God need not fear anything else.
That is a blessing on the man who fears God.

#8 WITH PROMISED VICTORY
Psalms 112:8

“His heart is upheld, he will not fear, until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.”

And it reminds us again of Psalms 111.
Psalms 111:8 “They are upheld forever and ever; They are performed in truth and uprightness.”

• God upholds His works (as we saw last week)
• God upholds His words

And here we find that He also upholds those who fear Him.
“His heart is upheld”

And the promise is that
He “looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.”
The victory is his.

Paul said it earlier in the passage we read: “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer…”

David said:
Psalms 23:5-6 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

The man who fears God can be certain
That victory is coming for him over his foes.

Vengeance belongs to God and one day God will have it.
• One day Satan will be crushed.
• One day sin will be gone.
• One day we will stand in total victory.

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 “But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This is for the man who fears God.

And finally:
#9 WITH AN HONORABLE LIFE
Psalms 112:9

“He has given freely to the poor, His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted in honor.”

Now the promise of remembered righteousness
Pertains to his legacy and his memory.

Most of the time men who fear God feel as though they are TOTALLY OVERLOOKED AND DISREGARDED in this evil world.

• We see them arrested, murdered, abused.
• Paul earlier said they were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
• Very few reach any level of fame or worldly importance.
• They are those who have forsaken the frills of this world that they might obtain the kingdom of heaven.

But God has promised that when they are gone
Their absence will suck a vacuum into this world
And they will be honored and remembered well.

• Peggy and I still do it from time to time drinking coffee.
• Names like: Eldon Buchannon, Ruth Caplinger, Betty Marquis,
• Or even recently Gloria Lee or Mac Driggers will come up.

Certainly not famous in life,
But honored in death with the promise of a lasting legacy.

God does this for those who fear Him.

These are simply the blessings on the man who fears God.
• Mighty Descendants
• Abundant Providence
• Enduring Righteousness
• Compassionate Character
• Confidence in Judgment
• Remembered Righteousness
• Steadfastness in Evil
• Promised Victory
• Honorable Life

And all of those blessings are because
God takes the man who fears Him and conforms him into His own image.

God makes that man like Him
And then blesses that man because of it.

And it drives home the point of the importance of fearing God.
“How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments.”

How blessed?
Very blessed.

And if that is not enough, all you have to do is look at the alternative.

(10) “The wicked will see it and be vexed, He will gnash his teeth and melt away; The desire of the wicked will perish.”

That is to say that
Those who chose not to fear God and live for themselves
• Will be TOTALLY FRUSTRATED when they see all of those BLESSINGS on
the man who fears God when they were unable to obtain any of them.

Those who do not fear God CANNOT get:
• Mighty descendants or abundant providence or enduring righteousness or
compassionate character or confidence in judgment or imputed
righteousness or steadfastness in evil or promised victory or honor in life.

Those things allude them and “the wicked will see it and be vexed.”

Furthermore “He will gnash his teeth and melt away”
• Over and over God speaks of the man who fears Him as enduring, but not the wicked.
• They will suffer where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth and then be taken away into judgment.

Ultimately “the desire of the wicked will perish.”
• Their life will end in disarray, frustration, judgment, and no satisfaction.

WHY?
Because he did not fear God
So God did not perform such a work in his heart.

So tonight we learn two great truths.
1) The absolute benefit of fearing God
2) That God deserves all glory for causing us to fear Him.

• God deserves to be feared (Psalms 111)
• And God both causes men to fear and blesses them for it (Psalms 112)

So: DO YOU FEAR GOD?
• IF YOU DO, thank Him.
• IF YOU DO NOT, ask Him to impart that fear to you.

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The Truth About Money
Ecclesiastes 5:8-20
July 11, 2021

This morning we approach another subject the Bible loves to talk about.

Last week we saw the TONGUE, which is certainly popular
And this morning we talk about MONEY.

The Bible talks about money a lot!
And for good reason:
Matthew 6:21 “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Jesus was clear there.
Your treasure doesn’t follow your heart, your heart follows your treasure.

So it stands to reason that if God can get control of your treasure
Then He can get control of your heart.

And while money may not be our only treasure,
It’s safe to say that for most people it likely ranks in the top 2 or 3.

And so Scripture talks a lot about money.

And we are thankful that it does.

The simple fact is that money is a necessary part of the world.
• We live in a physical world
• We live in physical bodies
• And those bodies need physical things to live.
• The system requires the purchase of the things we need to survive.

MONEY IS NECESSARY.

But certainly you are also aware that
Money has proven to be a terrible temptation,
Even an idol for so many people.

And thus we are grateful when the Bible speaks to us
The truth about something like this.

Well that is where we are now here in Ecclesiastes.
The Preacher is going to talk to us a little about money.

Probably more specifically he is going to talk about
THE PURSUIT OF MONEY.

You may remember that he knows a thing or two about pursuing money.
Ecclesiastes 2:8 “Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men—many concubines.”

One of the MISTAKES the preacher made as a younger man
Was that he went in an all out pursuit of money
And the things money could buy.

He’s certainly not alone.

WE HAVE TALKED OFTEN ABOUT THE ADVICE
That is routinely given to the young man by the world
As he is about to go out and make his mark.

Typically speaking, in one way or another,
Most of that advice centers around making money.

Go to college – get wisdom
Get a good job – make money

Because money is supposed to RELIEVE US OF WORRY.
• After all a man with plenty of money isn’t supposed to have to worry about
simple things like the car payment or the light bill.

Money is supposed to provide the OPPORTUNITY FOR PLEASURE.
• Everything fun costs money and so if you’re going to have fun in this life you’ll
need money.

Money is supposed to provide a SENSE OF SECURITY.
• If you make enough money and save enough money then when you get old
you’ll have something to live one and won’t be a burden to others.

So from the world’s perspective:
• If you want to relieve stress…
• If you want enjoyment or pleasure…
• If you want security…
THEN YOU NEED MONEY

That’s true isn’t it?
That’s the message of the world.

Well, it will come as no surprise to you that
The Bible disagrees with all 3 of those beliefs.

In fact the Bible declares those statements to be IDOLATROUS.

WHY?
• Because money is not what eliminates worry, God is.
• And money is not the means to enjoyment, God is.
• And money is not the reason for our security, God is.

But when you live in a material world like we do it is so easy to forget that

Well, in steps the preacher.
In his candid and almost painful way
HE NOW LAYS OUT THE TRUTH ABOUT MONEY.

This is good for the young man, but this is good for the old man too.

It shows us the truth about money
And helps us to redirect our focus and our ambitions
To make sure that we pursue the right things.

And NOT JUST so that we DON’T WASTE OUR LIFE,
BUT ALSO SO THAT WE DON’T RUIN IT.

Paul spelled it out
1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Money is not evil, but “the love of money” is.
And when you long for it or pursue
It has two very dangerous and detrimental consequences.

• One is that it causes men to wander “away from the faith.”
• The other is that it causes men to pierce “themselves with many griefs”

We think of men like Gehazi who was the servant of Elisha.
• Elisha healed Naaman the leper by having him dip in the Jordan river 7 times,
• Naaman tried to pay him but Elisha refused.
• Gehazi however saw an opportunity.

2 Kings 5:20 “But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, by not receiving from his hands what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him.”

• So Gehazi chased him down and took from him two talents of silver and two
changes of clothes and he hid it.

• Elisha however knew what happened and he said:
2 Kings 5:26-27 “Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? “Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.”

It was the love of money that led Gehazi
To at least momentarily deny the faith
And to certainly pierce himself with many griefs.

Everyone’s experience may not be as extreme as that of Gehazi
But rest assured the promise of money
Never pays off like it promises.

And the preacher here desires to make sure you know that.

I WANT TO START THIS MORNING with another statement of Solomon.
Proverbs 15:16 “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and turmoil with it.”
That is a great opening verse for this entire passage.
This morning I hope you see the difference.

So let’s look at our text this morning and learn the truth about money.
#1 WHEN WEALTH IS PURSUED.
Ecclesiastes 5:8-17

Now what you get here from the preacher are
6 GRIEFS OR EVILS that accompany a life that loves money.

• If you love money…
• If you pursue money…
• Even if you obtain money…

These are the inevitable evils or griefs that come with it.

And incidentally, there’s NOT ANYTHING OBSCURE here.
As he lists them you’ll see them easily and obviously.

These are the griefs of pursuing wealth.

1) CORRUPTION (8-9)

The preacher starts off here with
What is an all too familiar sight in our world, and that is again “oppression of the poor and denial of justice and righteousness in the province”

No one is surprised by this.
It is all over our world.

Much of the local HEADLINES even in our day
• Have to do with social injustice
• Or racial injustice
• Or some other form of injustice both real and perceived.

We are well-aware that life is not fair.
And the preacher knows it too.

But here he tells you “do not be shocked at the sight;”

When you see injustice and oppression you shouldn’t be surprised at it.

The question implied here is: WHY?
“for one official watches over another official, and there are higher officials over them.”

WHAT DOES HE MEAN?

Well clearly he is talking about “officials”
• Which would be those who are in charge in some form or fashion.

AND he reminds that there is an evident CHAIN OF COMMAND where “one official watches over another”

BUT, THEY ARE ALL OFFICIALS.

It’s NOT LIKE the officials answer to the poor people
Which would balance out responsibility.

No, instead the officials have insulated themselves
By making sure that the only people they ever answer to
Is each other.

We call it CORRUPTION.

I certainly don’t want to get into some sort of political rant here
But even a sweeping view of the way governments work will tell you about this.
• Very rarely do politicians ever answer to the people.
• They are actually known for their ability to NOT ANSWER any questions.
• We don’t VOTE ON THEIR RAISES, they vote on their raises.
• We DON’T GET TO QUESTION THEM AT THEIR HEARINGS they question each other at their hearings.

And the point here is that it leads to corruption.
When they seemingly answer to no one but themselves
It opens the door for wicked men to freely do wickedness.

And then the preacher says:
(9) “After all, a king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land.”

I’m not going to lie, that statement makes NO SENSE TO ME.
I prefer rather to go with the KJV or the NIV translation.

• The KJV says, “Moreover, the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself
is served by the field.”

• The NIV says, “The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself
profits from the fields.”

I think both of those statements lend a better explanation of what is being said.

Kings don’t work the fields…
Politicians don’t help you at your job…
But both are there to make sure and take a cut of your pay.

The king profits from fields he does not work.
All the officials profit from jobs they did not do.

Now the Bible DOESN’T FORBID governments from requiring taxes,
In fact Paul says that taxes are their due.

So this ISN’T some anti-taxation point.

Rather, the preacher is simply making the point that
One of the problems with money is that the rich and powerful
Who are in control always seem to have a way of taking some of it.

It’s true isn’t it?
• The more money you earn, the more they will take.
• And we are well-aware that much of the time what they do with it is corrupt to the core.

Well that is one of the evils or griefs that comes with pursuing money.

My guess is that you have felt that sting before.
• I still remember the first time I ever received a paycheck for a job
• It was for about a dollar an hour less than what I thought I was getting paid.
• And then my employer talked to me about taxes.

It is one of the griefs of pursuing money.
There will always be the corrupt who will take it.

We remember the story of Joseph and Pharaoh.
• Pharaoh had the dream about the 7 year famine.
• Pharaoh used it to literally buy the land and the people.

We read about how Pharisees foreclosed on widow’s houses.

It’s just corruption and it will add grief to your wealth.

2) DISSATISFACTION (10)

“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.”

It’s very rare that you find a man who says that
He finally has enough money.

Instead, those who have money
Are almost always looking for ways to make more of it.

The Bible says it’s because money does not satisfy,
It only causes you to want more money.

And we remember
• The farmer who had more grain than he knew what to do with so he decided to tear down his barns and build bigger barns.

You can chase money your whole life and never have enough.

3) FRUSTRATION (11)

“When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to look on?”

Perhaps you have experienced this one in your life.
But you start making more money
And you can bet someone will show up who needs it.

• It is always the joke about WINNING THE LOTTERY and how quickly your list of friends will grow.

People who never asked you for money before will now be beating down your door.
• Can you help with this foundation?
• Can you give to this charity?
• Would you fund this business venture?

Proverbs 19:4 “Wealth adds many friends, But a poor man is separated from his friend.”

Such is one of the realities of wealth.
When people know you have it, they will approach you for it.

Corruption, Dissatisfaction, Frustration
4) WORRY (12)

“The sleep of the working man is pleasant, whether he eats a little or much; but the full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep.”

The point here is NOT ABOUT how much a person gets to eat,
• For the preacher mentions that the working man be eat “a little or much”.

Rather the point is that
Even when a rich man’s money suffices to meet his every need,
Even then he still cannot rest.

• He has finished the day…
• He has eaten a good meal…
• But still he can’t sleep at night.

WHY?
Because money brings with it worry.
It has a way of consuming the mind.

In Matthew 6 Jesus warned us against worrying about what we will eat or what we will wear.

For, He said, that such worry made us like the world.
Matthew 6:32 “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

It is just one of the griefs or evils regarding money
That even when you have had enough to get you through the day
You are prone still to worry about tomorrow.

THIS IS NOT HOW GOD WOULD HAVE YOU LIVE.
• Remember when the children of Israel were in the wilderness and God gave them manna to eat. He specifically warned them not to save enough for tomorrow, but to trust God.
• In the model prayer Jesus taught us to pray “give us this day our daily bread”.

There was a mandate to only concern yourself with today,
But pursuing money has a way of stealing such peace.
IT BRINGS WITH IT WORRY.

5) UNCERTAINTY (13-14)

“This is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt. When those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had fathered a son, there was nothing to support him.”

There are actually a couple of evils mentioned here.

The first is the temptation to hoard riches even to your own hurt.
• It speaks of a person with an inability to see the true value of money.
• He obviously puts a higher premium on wealth than he should.
• He thinks it is worth more than it actually is.
• We see men like the Rich Young Ruler here who had a choice between Jesus and money and he chose money.
• It is like a man who failed to understand Jesus’ question, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”

The first reality here is a man who values money too much.
He hoards it even “to his hurt”.

There is no telling what sacrifices he made to obtain wealth.
• Friends he potentially lost
• Perhaps even salvation he lost
• All because he valued money.

And that is sad to say the least.

BUT EVEN WORSE
Is that this man (who put such a premium on wealth) “lost” it all “through a bad investment”

IT WAS SO VALUABLE AND YET IT WAS STILL SO UNCERTAIN.

AND TO MAKE MATTERS EVEN WORSE
The preacher mentions that “he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him.”

Even this man, whose one objective was to secure wealth,
Was incapable of protecting it.

AND YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT ABOUT MONEY.
IT IS NOT SECURE.

I’ll never forget in 2005 flying back from Zimbabwe,
• I sat on an airplane next to a Zimbabwean woman who was totally distraught.
• Through hyper-inflation her money was gone.
• She said, “we are the poorest millionaires in the world.”
• In that case her money was lost through a bad investment and it wasn’t even her investment.
• The government made a series of bad decisions until it caused her dollar to be worth nothing.

IT’S JUST NOT CERTAIN.

When Paul spoke of riches he said:
1 Timothy 6:17a “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches…”

One more grief or evil regarding the wealth of the world.
6) LOSS (15-17)

“As he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. This also is a grievous evil – exactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So what advantage to him who toils for the wind?”

And there it is again.
The ultimate grief that he has already addressed a couple of times.

THAT EVEN IF
• You are somehow able to secure wealth and keep it away from the greedy politicians…
• And you get enough money that you are at least close to being satisfied…
• And you are able to avoid the friends who always want what you’ve earned…
• And you manage to live with a limited amount of worry…
• And you live this whole life without ever losing your fortune…

Even if you achieve all of those goals
And escape all of those grievous evils,
No man escapes the last one.

• Some day you will lose every penny you have on this earth.
• Some day you will lose every toy you have bought.
• Some day you will lose every investment you have made.

1 Timothy 6:7 “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.”

This is the ultimate truth about pursuing the wealth of this world.
EVERY MAN LOSES.

Someone once noted that you never see a hurst pulling a U-haul trailer.
One way or another it always fails.

Remember the sermon of Jesus on being a good steward of earthly wealth?

Luke 16:9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”

Regarding wealth, it’s not if it fails, but when it fails.
You can’t keep it.

We remember the story of that rich man an Lazarus.
The rich man dining in splendor, Lazarus begging in squaller.

Luke 16:22-23 “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.”

IT’S JUST SO OBVIOUS.

These are the evils or frustrations of pursuing worldly wealth.
You must learn this young man before you go out into the world.

A life devoted to worldly wealth is a life devoted to frustration.
• You are going to deal with corrupt politicians who want to take it.
• You are going to deal with the nagging reality that you never have enough.
• You are going to deal with the frustration of people who constantly want you to give it to them.
• You are going to deal with the worry that even though today is fine, tomorrow might not be.
• You are going to deal with the uncertainty that a bad investment might cause you to lose it all.
• You are going to deal with the fact that some day you will die and leave it all.

That is the truth about a life spent pursuing worldly wealth.

And even if you don’t believe me young man,
Before you leave today go ask one of the old men here
If the preacher in Ecclesiastes is telling the truth or not.

The world will tell you that
The acquisition of money will bring peace, happiness, and security,
BUT THE PREACHER SAYS, “WRONG!”

All money brings is grief, dissatisfaction, frustration,
Anxiety, risk, and loss.

If those are the types of things you want in your life
Then just devote yourself to pursuing the wealth of the world.

HOWEVER, THERE IS ANOTHER OPTION.

The first 10 verses talk about the grief of pursuing worldly wealth.
But what if you devote yourself to pursuing something else?

#2 WHEN GOD IS PURSUED
Ecclesiastes 5:18-19

Now the preacher gives you a different option, a better option.
INSTEAD OF PURSUING WEALTH, PURSUE GOD.

And he bases this on an important premise and it is this:
GOD IS GENEROUS

Proverbs 10:22 “It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.”

Psalms 84:11 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

Psalms 37:25 “I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread.”

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

1 Timothy 6:17-18 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share”

LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION.

As we said at the beginning.
• We live in physical bodies, in a physical world, that requires physical things in order to survive.
• We understand that money is a necessity.

BUT HERE’S THE QUESTION:
What if God promised to take care of all your physical needs?

• Wouldn’t that be great!
• Wouldn’t it be awesome if God said, “You don’t have to worry about money anymore”?
• What if the God of the universe, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, actually said to His children, “I tell you what, I’ll take care of your physical needs from here on out”?

Would that change your perspective on life?
Would that change your ambition for tomorrow?

What if Jesus actually said:
Matthew 6:31-34 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

That would be a great promise wouldn’t it?

WELL HE DID PROMISE THAT,
And this is what the preacher is talking about as well.

Don’t pursue wealth, it leads only to grief.
However, if you pursue God, He will take care of your needs.

And let me show you the REPERCUSSIONS of the life
When God gets to manage your checkbook.

There’s 3
1) ENJOYMENT (18)

“Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward.”

When God is in control of supplying your needs
We find a man who works for an entirely different reason.

• YES work is still important.
• YES a man is still required to do it.
• WORK was instituted before the fall; it has always been part of the plan.

But here a man gets to work and simply enjoy himself in all his labor.

When seeking God is your goal,
And when God is the One who is charged with meeting your needs
THEN YOUR LABOR CAN TAKE ON AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FEEL.

No longer are you a slave to your job,
But rather you can learn to enjoy what you get to do every day.

• Your job can actually become about “seeking first the kingdom of heaven”
• Your job can actually become a mission field.
• Your job can become the place where you serve and worship God and seek to honor Him in the world.
• Your job can actually become a mission trip!
• Your job can be viewed as a hobby.

When God is sought, and God is trusted to meet your needs,
Then the job is not about the money, it is about enjoyment.

YOUNG MAN,
• Would you rather be a slave to money so that the rest of your life you have to pursue a job you hate in order to get money?
• Or would you rather let God handle the money and you do a job that you love?

This life is short, seek God and find enjoyment in life, not grief.

2) REJOICING (19)

“Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.”

Somewhere in OUR TERMINOLOGY
The world has crept in and done a doozy on our thinking.

Today we constantly hear men make the phrase about work,
“Just trying to earn a living.”

Think on that statement for a moment.
• Who gives life? God
• Who sustains life? God
• Have you ever been able to work hard enough to coerce God to give you anything? No

So how do you “Earn a living”?
YOU DON’T.

Your living, regardless of your labor,
Has always been and will always be
Nothing more or nothing less than the grace of God.

You may have deluded yourself into thinking
That you are alive and have things because you worked so hard,
But it is only by the grace of God.

God is generous; God is giving; God is not stingy.
• He even sends rain on unjust men who hate Him.
• He even maintains the heartbeat of the atheist who blasphemes Him.

God is good and He more than cares for us.

And when you know that,
Your paycheck becomes more than something you earned,
It becomes a reason you rejoice and even worship.

When you seek God and trust Him with your wealth or livelihood
Then every day is a gift from God; and every day is a celebration.

SO YOUNG MAN
• Would you rather spend your life frustrated and worried about your wealth and who will take it?
• Or would you rather spend your life rejoicing in all that God has allowed you to have?

One more consequence that comes with seeking God over wealth
3) PEACE (20)

“For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart.”

Now that sounds like a good way to live doesn’t it?
• Not always worried about tomorrow…
• Not always feeling the need to watch a 401k to see if there’s enough…
• Not always consumed with the toil of labor…

The man who pursues God and trusts God with his provision
Is a man who trades anxiety for peace.

• It is a man who trades fear with assurance.
• It is a man who trades frustration with enjoyment.
• It is a man who trades toil with rejoicing.

Listen again to the promise of Jesus.
Matthew 6:31-33 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

You seek God; you seek God’s kingdom.
And God has promised to take care of the rest.

Trade in your grief, dissatisfaction, frustration, anxiety, risk, and loss
In exchange for enjoyment, rejoicing, and peace.

And you don’t have to take it from me, this is what the Bible says.
• Don’t buy what the world is selling.
• Don’t let them cause you to fear tomorrow.
• Don’t play their game of worry and anxiety.

You seek God and God will take care of everything else.

And of course by now you know that
This isn’t just a message for the young man, it’s for the old man too.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”

Life indeed…
That sounds pretty good doesn’t it?

Proverbs 15:16 “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and turmoil with it.”