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What Time Is It?
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
June 6, 2021

In his letter to the Ephesians the apostle Paul wrote:
Ephesians 5:15-17 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Paul certainly said a mouthful there
In regard to understanding the proper use of our time.

• Paul knew that we live in an evil day.
• He also understood that there was kingdom work to be accomplished.
• And so Paul encouraged the Ephesians not to be foolish but to “make the most of your time.”

IT’S THE ISSUE OF PRODUCTIVITY.
(or as we have said, not wasting your life)

AND YOU UNDERSTAND THAT.
Especially in America we are tapped in to the concept of time.

• One of the things that many of us have found so refreshing about Africa is the “laid back” atmosphere.
• They don’t plan events according to the clock
• They don’t figure in how long something will take
• They sort of just live in the moment and things happen when they happen
• There is an African proverb which says, “Americans have all the watches, but Africans have all the time.”

If you go to Africa you will either find that mindset
To be refreshing or it will drive you absolutely insane.

We are definitely linked to time in America.
• We run on watches, day planners, schedules, and calendars.
• We plan mornings, afternoons, and evenings.
• We question how long an event lasts so that we can plan the event after that.
• And when something pushes us outside of our schedule it can breed instant panic, anxiety, and even anger and frustration.

TO AMERICANS TIME IS A UNIQUE CURRENCY.
(some value their time even more than their money…my dad did)

In many ways we think about time the same way we think about money.
• People try to save money, and they try to save time.
• People will spend money, and people will spend time (i.e. I’ve got time to help)
• People can waste money, and they can certainly waste time.

The main difference between the money and time is that
While it is possible to know exactly how much money you have,
No one knows how much time they have.

It is a currency in our culture, but it is an uncountable one.

TIME IS ALSO AN UNYIELDING OPPONENT.
Time always wins.

Think about sporting events.
• Think about football or basketball or hockey.
• There is the same winner for every single one of those games.
• The clock wins every single game.

While the competing teams play each other,
They are also playing the clock, but the clock always wins.

Baseball is of course the exception, having refused the constraint of the clock,
But even it is called “The American Pastime”
Reminding us that if you watch or participate you are letting time pass.

Time is an unyielding opponent – it will win.

TIME IS AN ELUSIVE ATTRACTION.
• We think of New Year’s Eve.
• Many celebrations and parties as people await a countdown of 3-2-1,
• And in a split second that anticipated moment becomes the past
• And it can never be visited again.

You anticipate it, and in a moment it is gone.
We like to say that “Time waits for no man”

WHAT YOU UNDERSTAND ABOUT TIME THEN IS THIS.
• It is sought but never owned.
• It is saved but never secure.
• It is spent but never sufficient.
• It is used but never mastered.

All we can do is manage the time we have.
Or as Paul said we “make the most of your time”.

And the overwhelming message of Scripture on the subject is that
How we manage time here has ripples that last for eternity.

Well, this is the next message that the preacher has for the young man.

• He has addressed those common temptations of wisdom and pleasure and legacy,
• And now he addresses another very important issue that the young man needs to understand.

He’s going to talk about how the young man views time.

And this is so important.
• You understand how important it is to have a biblical view of money.
• You understand how important it is to have a biblical view of relationships.
• IT IS ALSO SO IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE A BIBLICAL VIEW OF TIME.

And that is what the preacher is about to give us
Here in the 3rd chapter of Ecclesiastes.

We’re going to break our text down into 4 points this morning.
#1 THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Ecclesiastes 3:1

The preacher clearly SHIFTS GEARS here now in his sermon.
• He has momentarily moved on from wisdom and pleasure and the stuff of life
• And has now decided to talk about time.

And he opens with what is a very important truth about time.
“There is an appointed time for everything.”

This is a very important statement, if you will ponder it for a moment.

What is immediately clear is that as the preacher talks about time,
He is NOT so much talking about a cyclical view of time.

We often think of time in a cyclical way.
• There are 60 seconds to every minute
• There are 60 minutes to every hour
• There are 24 hours to every day
• There are 7 days to every week
• There are roughly 4 weeks to a month
• And it is a cycle that goes on and on and on and on

The preacher isn’t so much talking of time in that way,
So much as he is speaking more of
OPPORTUNITY or APPROPRIATENESS in our actions.

For example, as you will see in a moment he makes that famous group of statements, “A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted…”

• He is speaking of events, behaviors, actions, emotions.
• He is speaking of what is appropriate in any given moment.
• He is not talking about timing life, but rather your timing in life.
• He is speaking about living in time correctly or appropriately.

It is NOT a question of how long your life is,
But rather how did you use the time you have?
That is his perspective.

But there is also a very important clue
That must be understood right off the bat.

The preacher says, “There is an appointed time for everything.”

• He DOESN’T just say that “There is…[a] time for everything”
• But rather that there is an “appointed” time for everything.

In other words,
• There is someone who is pulling the strings.
• There is someone who is in control.
• There is someone who is sovereignly delegating out time.

And of course we know this is God.

Acts 17:26 “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,”

Psalms 139:16 “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”

While we do not have power over time there is One who does.
We merely live in time, but God reigns over it.

We think of miracles in the Old Testament
• Like when God caused the sun to stand still for Joshua
• Or when He caused the shadow to move backward 10 steps as a sign for Hezekiah.

We think of Jesus purposely waiting 4 days to raise Lazarus.
• It not only demonstrated His power over death.
• But also His power over time.

Time does not constrain God.
Time bows to Him.

• There is a sovereign over our time.
• There is a sovereign over our days.
• There is a sovereign over the events of our life.

YOU MUST GRASP THAT.
YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT.

You are not in control of your time at all.

Jesus would ask questions like:
Luke 12:25 “And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span?”

• Certainly it was a rebuke about worrying, but you might also ask, “What event can you perform to add a single hour to your life’s span?”

None of us has control like that.

David understood that, and he understood that God alone did have that power.
He said:
Psalms 39:4-5 “LORD, make me to know my end And what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am. “Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah.”

There is a sovereign who sits above time and who controls it.
We have no control, but He appoints it all.

The preacher goes on to say:
“And there is a time for every event under heaven”

That is to say that nothing that occurs here is by mistake.

There are certainly events that seem wrong or even untimely to us
But not to the One who sits sovereign over all things.

God appoints every event.
God is sovereign over them all.

And this is the first announcement of the preacher to the young man.
You had better first get this right in your mind.

• You are not in control over the span of your life.
• You are not in control over the events of life.
• BUT THERE IS ONE WHO IS.

There is a sovereign God who is at work,
“And there is a time for every event under heaven.”

The Announcement
#2 THE EXPLANATION
Ecclesiastes 3:2-8

Here is perhaps the most famous passage from the book of Ecclesiastes;
Namely because of the song sung by The Birds.

Here the preacher gives 14 examples of what he means when he says that “there is a time for every event under heaven.”

And the key word here to help you understand
Would be the word “appropriate”.

There are events orchestrated by the sovereign hand of God alone,
And there are appropriate and inappropriate responses to them.

The first is a great example of that.
(2a) “A time to give birth and a time to die.”

You don’t have any control over either of those things.
It is the universal biography of all men.

• When you go to a cemetery and you look at a headstone,
• There may be a statement there regarding the life of the person,
• But what they all have in common is a bracket of dates. 1923 – 1984 etc.
• They represent a person’s life span.
• And that person had no say in them.
• They were ordained by God while they were yet in their mother’s womb.

Paul and David both said that.

So there are some events here that orchestrated by the sovereign hand of God.

But the bulk of the list speaks more to
How we respond to the sovereign appointment of God.

Most of what the preacher discusses
Is not regarding what God sovereignly does,
(we often don’t know what that is)
But rather if we respond appropriately in life to what God does.

For example:
(2b) “A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.”

Farmers and gardeners understand this.
• There is a time to plant and a time to harvest.
• You don’t just get to plant whenever you want.
• You don’t just get to harvest whenever you want.

But God has sovereignly designed the seasons
Which dictate when you can do both of those things.

When will it be warm enough?
When will it be wet enough?
When will it be light long enough?

So the point is that you must respond appropriately
To the sovereign timeline of God.

HE CONTROLS THE SEASONS,
You simply respond at the right time to what God is doing.

And you can go on through the list
And see that this is what the preacher is talking about.

(3a) “A time to kill and a time to heal”

• It may sound harsh that the Bible says there is a time to kill,
• But if you encounter a rattlesnake when you get home this afternoon
• You’ll understand the appropriateness of “a time to kill”.

There is a time in the orchestrated events of God that killing is appropriate
Just as there are times when healing is the appropriate response.

(3b) “A time to tear down and a time to build up.”

You remember the prophet Jeremiah and how God told him:
Jeremiah 1:10 “See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant.”

Jeremiah was the prophet who announced the tearing down of Jerusalem.
• It was appropriate because God’s people had sinned against Him
• So discipline was appropriate in order to turn His people back to Him.

• There are times when brokenness is certainly appropriate.
• There are times when you break behaviors or attitudes in your children;
• There are times when you build them back up.

If you do either of those at the wrong time
Then you miss the sovereign work of God.

(4) “A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.”

Think funerals and weddings here.
• It is inappropriate to laugh at a funeral or to weep at a wedding.
• It is inappropriate to dance at a funeral or to mourn at a wedding.

It is to respond incorrectly to what God is doing in time.

Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”

(5a) “A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones”

• Sometimes you need a road and stones must be scattered,
• Sometimes you desire a field and stones must be removed.

It is simply the point of appropriate behavior to the time you encounter.

(5b) “A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing”

You’ve likely learned this in marriage.
• There is a time when it is appropriate to hug your wife.
• There is a time when you may be taking your life in your own hands to do so.

(6a) “A time to search and a time to give up as lost;”

• If you’ve ever played golf you understand this.

(6b) “A time to keep and a time to throw away.”

• This is the decision you make when you plan for a garage sale.

(7a) “a time to tear apart and a time to sew together.”

To a Jew you understand the sign of repentance which was to tear you garments.
• During moments of repentance that was very appropriate,
• But it’s not always appropriate to go around ripping your clothes.

Again, there are sovereign appointed times in which we live
And then there are appropriate responses to those times.

If you do the right thing at the wrong time it’s inappropriate.
If you do the wrong thing at the right time it’s still inappropriate.

(7b) “A time to be silent and a time to speak”

Someone once said, “Sometimes silence is golden, other times it’s just plain yellow.”

(8a) “A time to love and a time to hate;”

People again see trouble with this one.
Since it seems like we should never hate.

And yet we read:
Romans 12:9 “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.”

There are times certainly even in our culture where things should be hated.
• I learned a few days ago that June is being labeled “Pride Month”.
• I hate that.
• I don’t homosexuals for we once also were foolish ourselves.
• But I hate that our culture feels the desire to celebrate sinful behavior and even take pride in it.

There are appropriate and inappropriate response
To all events under heaven.

(8b) “A time for war and a time for peace.”

• When Jesus walked into the temple and saw the chief priests fleecing the flock, it was “a time for war”.

• And when He walked into that upper room after He rose from the dead it was peace which He offered.

Obviously we could spend a lot more time talking about when those various behaviors or responses are appropriate or inappropriate
BUT YOU GET THE IDEA OF WHAT THE PREACHER IS SAYING.

There is a sovereign God who sets sovereign over everything and every event.
• “There is an appointed time for everything” because God has appointed it.
• “And there is a time for every event under heaven” because God has
ordained it.
• And then there is the appropriate response of humanity to those events.

God is sovereignly ordaining the events of life
And you and I will either respond appropriately or inappropriately to them.

Does that make sense?

He’s already shaping the way now you are viewing time.

• You are NOT in control of the major events of time
• But you ARE in control of how you respond to what God is doing.

• You are NOT in control of the time you have
• But you ARE in control of how you use the time you have.

Do you see that?

Well let’s go one.
#3 THE QUESTION
Ecclesiastes 3:9-10

And there is that question he likes to ask so much.

Ecclesiastes 1:3 “What advantage does man have in all his work Which he does under the sun?”

Ecclesiastes 2:22 “For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun?”

Well here it is again.
“What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?”

Now keep that question IN CONTEXT.
The preacher is talking about time which you cannot control.

And he asks “What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?”

It is another way of asking that common question.
• Why am I here?
• What am I accomplishing?
• If God is sovereign over it all then what I am doing…really?

If I have no control over my days…
If I have no control over the events that take place under heaven…
Then what am I really accomplishing in all my labor in this life?

CAN YOU PONDER THAT FOR A SECOND?
Well the preacher strikes again doesn’t he?

He just made me feel totally insignificant and he made my life feel utterly pointless.
He has a way of totally crushing my ideas of self-importance.

That’s because if we’re living only for this life then it really is.
You have to see that.

You are trapped in time.
You have no control over it.

A QUARTERBACK on a football field can make all kinds of decisions,
And he can even manage the clock, but he cannot control it.

Neither can you in life.

And the preacher wants you to realize that.

Now that was the question.
“What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?”

And he goes on to explain the reason for the question a little better.

“I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.”

When the preacher mentions “the task”, he is talking about LIFE.

And notice how the preacher describes it.
“I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.”

• Have you ever had a job that was really important that you needed to get done, but your kids were all in the middle of everything?
• Did you ever give them something to do to keep them occupied?

Did you see what the preacher just said?

My sister and I have 4 cousins on my dad’s side of the family.
• One summer my grandpa decided to get all 6 of us together to pain his barn.
• But he was afraid my youngest cousin was too little.
• So while 5 of us got brown pain, my youngest cousin got a bucket full of water.
• It wasn’t long before my youngest cousin asked my grandpa if he could have
some brown in his water.

My grandpa let him feel like he was really doing something,
But the reality was he was only keeping him occupied.

And it wasn’t long before my young cousin asked,
“What profit is there to the worker for that in which he toils?”

Now do you grasp the difference between
What God is accomplishing in time and what we are accomplishing?

And the preacher feels like his life again is meaningless and pointless.
So he asks “What profit is there to the worker from that which he toils?”

What profit is there to painting with water?

SO THERE AGAIN THE PREACHER
HAS MANAGED TO PIN US UP AGAINST OUR OWN FUTILITY.

Well here is where we really start to learn.

The Announcement, The Explanation, The Question
#4 THE ANSWER
Ecclesiastes 3:11

Well let’s learn something here about God.

Remember the point of the preacher is that you don’t control time,
But you do control whether you respond appropriately to the events of this life.

Now let me ask you another question.
Who determines what is appropriate?

The preacher just said that there is “a time to plant and a time uproot”.
Who determines that time? God does.

The preacher said there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh”.
Who determines that time? God does.

Well listen to him here.
“He has made everything appropriate in its time.”

God has determined what the appropriate response in time is.
When God works, He has also determined how you should respond.

What the preacher is doing is:
Introducing to you the concept of a Sovereign Judge.
• There is One who is at work in time.
• That same One is giving you opportunity to respond to what He is doing.
• And He is watching to see if you respond appropriately or not.

He is watching to see if you weep when you should and laugh when you should,
If you mourn when you should and dance when you should, etc.

“He has made everything appropriate in its time.”
• He is the great Judge
• He is the great determiner of what is appropriate.

And then the preacher says:
“He has also set eternity in their heart”

When you read Romans 1 you read how God put the “knowledge of Him” in the human heart.
• Men instinctively know there is a God.
• Now they may seek to suppress that knowledge, but God put it in there.

Well here we learn that
God also put it instinctively in the heart of man to know eternity is real.
• Men just know that there is something beyond death.
• That certainly explains the rise of so many false religions.
• Men are trying to gain understanding to eternity because they instinctively know that eternity is real.
• Somehow man knows that there is more after this life.
• God did that.

Now, GOD DID NOT give man all the answers.

“yet so that man will not find out all the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.”

That is to say that God allows man to know eternity is real,
But God does not allow man to know everything.

A great verse here is:
Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.”

• There are a lot of things that God knows that He has not allowed us to know.
• God has revealed all that we need to know in order to know and obey Him.
• We don’t get it all, but we do get all we need to know.

NOW, LET ME PUT ALL THIS TOGETHER.

• We have a God who is sovereign over time and all the events under heaven.
• We have man who is merely responding appropriately or inappropriately to
all those events.
• We have God who determines whether or not that response is appropriate.
• And we have man who doesn’t know everything, but somehow does know that
after this life he will answer to the sovereign Judge about how he lived.

And with that in mind the preacher asked you a question.
(9) “What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?”
If God is in control what good does it do for me to work?

Well the answer is that the profit comes in eternity
When you give an account to God.

• GOD DID NOT put you on this earth to be sovereign over the events of earth.
• GOD DID NOT put you on this earth to be in control of all things.
• GOD PUT YOU on this earth to prepare you for eternity; which He instinctively taught you is real.

To quote R.C. Sproul here: “We live in time, but we live for eternity.”

The God who is sovereign over time.
The God who makes “an appointed time for everything”
The God who makes “a time for every event under heaven”

That God has set all things up for the purpose of eternity.

That means that if you are working for here,
You are in conflict with God because He is working for eternity.

So what is your profit in all your labor here?
• Nothing if you’re trying to get your payoff here.
• But there is great profit if you work for eternity.

My cousin was accomplishing nothing by painting with water,
Except that he was pleasing my grandfather
Who would pay him just like he paid the rest of us.

And this is the message of the preacher to the young man.

As you go out into this world and you face various situations and events
• Know that each of these events is meant to prepare you for eternity
• And your objective is to learn what God’s appropriate response is to all these things.

There is really so much more that could be said here,
But we’ll have to wait until next time.

Let me just leave you with this thought for next seek.

“What time is it?”

And I don’t mean time on the clock
As to whether or not we should be getting out of church.

I’m talking about:
• What time is it in your life?
• What time is it in the life of your spouse?
• What time is it in the life of your child?

Are you responding appropriately in light of eternity?

When a football game starts drawing close to the end, the coach concerns himself with two things:
• The Score
• The Clock

• If he’s ahead in the score he runs the ball and hopes to run out the clock.
• If he’s behind he hopes to throw the ball and preserve the clock.

But all his decisions are made based on
Where he would be when the clock runs out.

Do you understand that?
• You were not put on this earth to live for today.
• You were put here to live for eternity.
• Are you ready when time runs out?

There is a sovereign God who has already ordained your beginning and your end. You have no control over that.

But how you respond to that God while you are in this life
Makes all the difference.

God hasn’t told you everything about what He is doing,
But He has told you that.

Now listen to the final sermon of Jesus.
Acts 1:6-8 “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

The disciples wanted to know about the time.
• Jesus said, that is outside of your paygrade.
• You need to rather learn to make the most of the time you have.

Ephesians 5:15-17 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Romans 13:11-14 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

• What time is it?
• What is your appropriate response to today that will profit you in eternity?

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A Reminder To The Redeemed
Psalms 107
May 30, 2021

Last week we read Psalms 106
And saw a tremendous testimony to God’s AMAZING GRACE.

• We saw people who had literally infuriated God.
• The Psalmist said that God “abhorred” them.
• And yet, He saved them.

It is a tremendous testimony that our God saves His enemies.
Certainly we marvel at such grace.

Psalms 107 seems to take the next logical step.
• While Psalms 106 focused on the degree of the rebellion which God forgave.
• Ps. 107 focuses on the magnificence of the redemption which God performed.

• Psalms 106 pushed us down into despair at the depth of our wickedness.
• Psalms 107 lifts our hands in praise at the magnitude of God’s deliverance.

We could easily title this Psalm “Amazing Loyalty”

6 times in the Psalms we come across that wonderful Hebrew word CHECED
Which speaks of “God’s loyal covenantal love”.

It is a Psalm that highlights for us
Just how good God has been to helpless humanity.

But it is also a Psalm that highlights God’s loyalty for a purpose.
And it drives home for us two main points.

1. The obligation of those who have been delivered.
2. The necessity of contemplating who God delivers

You actually read it in the last verse.
(43) “Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things, And consider the lovingkindnesses of the LORD.”

There is a call there
To understand God’s loyalty and who He shows it to.

This would call us then to BE THE TYPE OF PERSON
Who enters that type of a relationship with God.

This Psalm in its entirety
Is asking you to pay attention to the recipients of God’s redemption
So that you might be one who experiences it.

But first the Psalm opens with the obligation of those who have been redeemed and that is where we start as well.
#1 THE OBLIGATION OF REDEMPTION
Psalms 107:1-3

This is a great opening paragraph to the Psalm
And there is so much that is important here to grasp.

Let’s sort of take the truths revealed here in kind of a chronological order, rather than a verse by verse order.

1) THE ADVERSARY

(2) “Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary”

• We speak here of a people in bondage, and they are in bondage to a master.
• They are in bondage to an adversary.
• We know who this is, it is Satan.

2 Timothy 2:24-26 “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”

• Paul speaks there of those who are lost and even quarrelsome as those who are “held captive” by the devil.

• When John the Baptist spoke to the Pharisees at the Jordan river he called them “brook of vipers” (literally sons of snakes)

When Jesus addressed the Jews in John 8, He said:
John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

In the garden the adversary showed up and deceived the woman
And the entire human race fell into sin and into slavery to the evil one.
Men were held captive.

Some experience severe and terrible cruelties as a result of this captivity.

For example:
• In Luke 13 we meet a woman who had been bent over for 18 years due to a sickness caused by a spirit. Jesus healed her on the Sabbath.

Luke 13:16 “And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

Jesus said that Satan had bound her.

Certainly we read of the demon possessed who were terribly and physically afflicted.

But not everyone who is bound by Satan is physically afflicted.
• Some are actually quite healthy and even appear prosperous in life.
• Their captivity is found in their bondage to sin.

Those who are lost are in bondage and often don’t even know it.
The reason is because their fallen will aligns with their captivity.

They are in slavery to the sin which they love
So it often doesn’t feel like slavery.

But if they ever reach a point where they wish they could stop sinning, usually due to outward consequences; then the slavery reveals itself.

• That is when they learn that they can’t stop…
• That is when they learn that they are actually slaves.

This is the adversary,
And all men begin there by reason of Adam and their own sin.

But into this horrible scene we are introduced to:
THE REDEEMER

He is “the LORD”
• Redemption means “to buy back”
• It is to pay off the debt of the person in bondage.

One of the most beautiful pictures of this comes in the book of Hosea
• Where Gomer has been an unfaithful wife.
• Because of her unfaithfulness she is sent away.
• She falls into the arms of cruel captors.
• She incurs a debt of slavery.
• And then Hosea determines to take her back, but she comes with an enormous cost.

Hosea 3:1-2 “Then the LORD said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley.”

It’s really a remarkable story.
(I always imagine Hosea telling his friends all about his intentions)

God is such a redeemer.
He redeems the unfaithful and pays off the debts they have amassed
So that He might take them back again.

And that lets us talk then about
THE REDEMPTION

(1) “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

WHAT A GREAT REALITY!
God’s CHECED is “everlasting”

• That is why He redeems.
• That is why Hosea took Gomer back.
• God’s loyalty is “everlasting”

And because of that loyalty
God “has redeemed them from the hand of the adversary.”

That’s what His redemption is.
• Fueled by His great loyalty
• God pays off the debt of those
• Who are held captive by their enemy.

And so we would also then talk about:
THE REDEEMED

(2) “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so”

This is where the obligation come sin.
“Oh give thanks to the LORD”
• There is a required gratitude.
• There is a required testimony.

• Where you enslaved in sin?
• Did you have a debt you could not pay?
• Was there a cruel enemy who sat as your master?

• Did God come in and pay off your debt?
• Did God deliver you from his grasp?

THEN LET’S HEAR ABOUT IT!
Give thanks and talk about it.

It’s the beauty of the testimony.
I loved that the W.O.M. ladies spent this last year sharing their testimonies.
• For one it is great for unity and fellowship.
• But more importantly it is glorifying to God.

God has stepped in and redeemed us from our mistakes
And delivered us from our captor,
We should tell people about this.

It is the obligation of redemption.
Sharing your testimony is not optional, you are obliged to do this.

Well, that’s how the Psalm opens.

But then we get 4 pictures of what redemption looks like.
#2 THE DESCRIPTION OF REDEMPTION
Psalms 106:4-32

Obviously these break down into 4 stories of redemption.

What you must notice as you look at these 4 stories is
• What did they all have in common that caused God to redeem?
• And, what was their expected response to that redemption?

That is what the Psalmist is wanting you to grasp.

As I said, there are 4 stories here
1) GOD SATISFIES THE HUNGRY (4-9)

Here we find a story of a lost wanderer.
• They are in “a desert region”
• “They did not find a way”
• “They were hungry and thirsty”
• “Their soul fainted”

Certainly you understand a parable when you read it.

This could be a person literally lost in a desert without food or water,
But is a picture of one who has found no satisfaction in life.
This person is Ecclesiastes personified.

They have tried and searched for everything that could satisfy
And they have come up empty.

And I would also point out that this is their fault.

The preacher in Ecclesiastes made this very clear to us this morning.

Ecclesiastes 2:25 “For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?”

God has so ordained it that
There is no satisfaction if you are seeking it apart from Him.

And yet people do seek satisfaction apart from God.
Jeremiah even rebuked the children of Israel for this.

Jeremiah 2:13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.”

These are people who made the mistake
Of seeking satisfaction in the world
And they came up way empty.

(6-7) “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He delivered them from their distresses. He led them also by a straight way, to go to an inhabited city.”

They called upon the name of the LORD
And He immediately straightened their path.

He took them RIGHT TO THE SATISFACTION that had alluded them their entire life.
Psalms 23:1-2 “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.”

That is what He did here.
• He satisfied the hungry
• He satisfied the thirsty soul

And what then is their obligation?
(8-9) “Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.”

“give thanks”

Has God satisfied you?
Then tell Him thank you.

God, in His great loyalty satisfies the hungry soul.
And those who have been satisfied should be grateful.

2) GOD RESCUES PRISONERS (10-16)

Analogy number 2 comes to us as prisoners in a dungeon.

(10) “There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, Prisoners in misery and chains.”

These were locked away in a cold dark dungeon.

But let’s make sure and also recognize that
They were there because THEY DESERVED TO BE THERE.

(11-12) “Because they had rebelled against the words of God And spurned the counsel of the Most High. Therefore He humbled their heart with labor; They stumbled and there was none to help.”

They didn’t listen.
• God told them not to go and they went.
• God told them not to do and they did.
• God told them not to touch that tree or eat from it and they did.

And in their rebellion they received far more than they bargained for.
They became slaves.
They were arrested, they were tried, they were convicted,
They were sentenced, and they were incarcerated.

And now they live as prisoners of their cruel master.

And of course we are NOT just talking about actual prisoners here.

We know of addiction and the horrors it can bring.
Alcohol, drugs, pornography, sex, gambling

But also every other sin which will enslave
Gossip, greed, ambition, anger, etc.

People who are ensnared by sin and can’t escape.
And they just rack up more and more debt they can never repay.

It is people who willfully did what God told them not to do
And it landed them in the pit of their consequences.

(13-14) “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death And broke their bands apart.”

They called on the LORD and “He saved them”
• He tore apart their chains
• He ripped away their cell door
• He set them free

No longer did they have to commit the sin they once were enslaved to.
They were now a new creation.

And what is their obligation for such a great deliverance?

(15-16) “Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! For He has shattered gates of bronze And cut bars of iron asunder.”

They also must “give thanks”

Has God delivered you?
Has God set you free from your sin?
THEN TELL HIM THANK YOU.

God in His loyalty rescues prisoners.
And those who have been delivered should be grateful.

3) GOD SAVES FOOLS (17-22)

Here we come across “fools”
People who just do stupid things and foolish things.

WHY?
(17-18) “Fools, because of their rebellious way, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all kinds of food, And they drew near to the gates of death.”

They were again people who rebelled against God
And did dumb things that nearly got them killed.

Teenagers seem to particularly identify here.
• We think of all the dumb stuff we did when we were younger that could have gotten us seriously hurt.

But even more than just innocent foolishness,
Here it is rebellious foolishness.

When we actually defied the commands of God
To do what was dangerous because we thought it would be fun.

And in our rebellion we “were afflicted”

We brought horrific consequences on ourselves.
• Not the least of which was the displeasure of God and the promise of hell and judgment.

These people were fools.

(19-20) “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.”

But in the middle of their stupidity
They called on the LORD and “He saved them”

“He sent His word and healed them”
• Indicating that He gave them instruction on how to escape their perilous
situation.
• When they listened and obeyed, they found themselves delivered.

They had been redeemed from their foolishness.

How should they respond?
(21-22) “Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, And tell of His works with joyful singing.”

Here we see gratitude again.

And we see an “also” thrown in.
“and tell of His works with joyful singing”

They should declare it at the top of their lungs
With magnificent songs of praise to God!

God in His loyalty saves fools.
And the fools He saves should respond with gratitude and praise.

4) GOD DELIVERS THE HOPELESS (23-32)

These were people who weren’t necessarily
Doing something foolish or even rebellious,
But they were caught simply in the realities of the curse.

This life is hard and this world is dangerous and they were caught in it.
And it didn’t matter how hard they worked they couldn’t get out.

(23-27) “Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea. They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery. They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, And were at their wits’ end.”

It doesn’t mention rebellion.
• I suppose you could sort of read between the lines and accuse them of greed since they were doing business, but that is hardly a sin.

In reality it was just people caught in the storms of life.
Sometimes that happens even without adamant rebellion or foolishness.

The problem is that even though they didn’t necessarily cause it,
They still had no answers for it.

They “were at their wits’ end.”
• There was no hope.
• The situation had defeated them.

(28-30) “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He guided them to their desired haven.”

In their trouble they called on the LORD and “He brought them out”.
And “He guided them to their desired haven.”

HE DELIVERED THEM IN HIS LOYALTY.

How should they respond?
(31-32) “Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! Let them extol Him also in the congregation of the people, And praise Him at the seat of the elders.”

You see it again.
• “give thanks”
• “Let them extol Him also in the congregation”
• “and praise Him at the seat of the elders”

Give God gratitude and glory!

God in His loyalty delivers the hopeless.
And those He delivers should thank and praise Him.

Now those are the descriptions of God’s redemption for humanity.

And certainly as we read
You saw the fingerprints of Jesus all over this Psalm.

JESUS SATISFIES THE HUNGRY.

• We could easily read about Him feeding the 5,000
• We could easily read about the woman at the well and Him offering her living water.

John 6:32-35 “Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”

Jesus alone is satisfaction.
Jesus alone gives life and life abundant.
Certainly that story is about Him.

JESUS RESCUES PRISONERS

He said it Himself:
Luke 4:17-21 “And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

• We think about that man born blind who was consigned to darkness.
• We think about that cripple at the Bethesda pool whom Jesus healed and told him to sin no more.
• We think about that paralytic lowered through the roof and the first thing Jesus did was forgive His sin, and then healed him.

Matthew certainly understood that
Those “who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death” needed Jesus.

He saw Jesus and wrote:
Matthew 4:12-16 “Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES — “THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT, AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH, UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED.”

And Jesus said of Himself to those in darkness.
John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

Those who fell into sin and addiction and slavery to sin,
Jesus alone has the ability to give them back their life.

He alone can pay off their debts and release the prisoners.
Certainly that story is about Him.

JESUS SAVES FOOLS

Matthew 17:14-18 “When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. “I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.”

• Jesus is there seen saving that lunatic.
• Or go to the Gadarene demoniac who is living among the tombs and see Jesus deliver him from a legion of demons.

Jesus saves fools who do stupid things.

Titus 3:3-7 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Certainly that story is about Jesus.

JESUS DELIVERS THE HOPELESS

That story is almost verbatim to the story in the New Testament
When Jesus calms the sea.

• Men in danger of the sea and Jesus rebukes the waves and the sea becomes calm.
• It was a picture of how Jesus can deliver us from what we have no power to deliver ourselves from.
• Many of those disciples were fishermen and they knew a thing or two about a storm, but on that night their strength was not enough.

We find that in life.

And to those people Jesus says:
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.”

Those who have no hope of saving themselves.
He delivers them.

We read how “He guided them to their desired haven.”
• I can’t help but think about God brought to Carrie and I the great deliverance
from her depression when we had all but given up.
• We have often called it our “Island of Malta” because God delivered us from
that storm to an island we didn’t even know existed.

He does those things in His loyalty.

Have you experienced any or all of them?
• Have you ever been empty?
• Have you ever been enslaved?
• Have you ever been foolish?
• Have you ever been hopeless?

Did Jesus redeem you?

Then “give thanks”
“Let the redeemed of the LORD say so!”

Well, there is one more point tonight.
#3 THE LESSON OF REDEMPTION
Psalms 107:33-43

When you read verses 33-38
What you see is the sovereign prerogative of God.

You notice that God has the ability to make life hard any time He wants.
• He can send a drought
• He can make life hard

And you notice that He can make life easy.
• He can send rain and grow crops and do all sorts of things like that.

By His sovereign prerogative
He has the ability to do whatever He desires with life.

But when you get to verse 39
You begin to see that BOTH OF THOSE HE DOES FOR A PURPOSE.

• If He makes life hard and squeezes a person it is for a reason.
• And if He makes life easy and blesses a person it is for a reason.

And that reason is what you SHOULD HAVE NOTICED
During the first 32 verses of the Psalm.

God brings calamity so that men might do what?
• What is it that all 4 of those stories had in common?

(6,13,19,28) “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble”

God wants faith and submission and for you to call on His name.
That is the Psalmist explanation for your affliction.

And then when God delivers and redeems and turns struggle into blessing, why is it that God does that?

(8,15,21,31) “Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness”

So God places men in difficulty.
• (12) “He humbled their heart with labor”
• (25) “He spoke and raised up a stormy wind”

So that they will call on Him.
And then credit Him for their redemption and praise Him for it.

WHAT DO YOU LEARN FROM THAT?

Bound up all throughout this Psalm is the one foundational truth
That everyone should know now by heart.

James 4:6 “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”

(39-43) “When they are diminished and bowed down Through oppression, misery and sorrow, He pours contempt upon princes And makes them wander in a pathless waste. But He sets the needy securely on high away from affliction, And makes his families like a flock. The upright see it and are glad; But all unrighteousness shuts its mouth. Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things, And consider the lovingkindnesses of the LORD.”

God can squeeze anyone He wants to squeeze
And God can exalt anyone He desires to exalt.

And it is always the same criteria.
That man will humble themselves and call on His name.

• If idolatry landed them in their distress then certainly they must confess that idolatry when they call.

• If rebellion landed them in their distress then certainly they must confess that rebellion when they call.

• If foolishness landed them in their distress then certainly they must confess that foolishness when they call.

• If weakness landed them in their distress then certainly they must acknowledge that weakness when they call.

But when they humbled themselves and call on His name,
He redeems!
That is the point!

And when they are redeemed they are obliged to give thanks and say so!

“Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things, And consider the lovingkindnesses of the LORD.”

We could easily go on for many hours tonight on this topic,
But the point I hope is clear.

This week,
• If you are in peril humble yourself and call on the LORD.
• If you have been redeemed then give thanks and tell someone about it.

Download Here:

Contemplating Your Legacy – Part 2
Ecclesiastes 2:12-26 (17-26)
May 30, 2021

This morning we come back to our study of Ecclesiastes.
The preacher, also known as the critic, is giving his review
Of everything that is done “under the sun”.

And his objective is to help the young man know the truth about life.

He began by addressing those two chief temptations that all men face.
• One is the MOST ESTEEMED – Knowledge
• The other is the MOST EMBRACED – Pleasure

But both are nothing more than a mirage.
Neither can provide true satisfaction or happiness in life.

• While knowledge is certainly to be preferred over pleasure knowledge lacks the ability to straighten what is crooked or to supply what is lacking.

• And pleasure, thought it can be quite enjoyable for a season, ultimately leaves you either frustrated or bored.

And, having given his life to searching out both of them,
The preacher has now left his review that
Neither knowledge nor pleasure are to be the sole pursuit of life.

LAST TIME WE MOVED ON as the preacher began to examine something else that eventually becomes important to men and that was his LEGACY.

We started working our way through this text.
#1 HIS EPIPHANY
Ecclesiastes 2:12-14

Very simply the preacher, with his legacy in mind,
Determined to compare wisdom with pleasure to see which was better.

And hands down he came to his answer.
(13) “And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.”

And we have no argument there.
• No one sees foolishness as a virtue.
• An education is a good thing.
• Certainly we prefer wisdom over pleasure.

But that WASN’T his epiphany, in fact everyone knows that.

His actual epiphany was much more disturbing.
(14) “The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both.”

He was blindsided by the reality that in this world (under the sun)
The finish line for the wise man is the same as the finish line for the fool.

I’ve preached a lot of funerals
• I’ve preached the funeral of wise men and the funeral of fools.
• I’ve preached the funeral of rich men and the funeral of poor men.
• I’ve preached the funeral of the educated and the funeral of the uneducated.

AND IT IS AMAZING HOW SIMILAR THEY ALL ARE.

AND THE POINT IS THAT ALL MEN DIE.

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”

And even though knowledge is better than folly, no amount of wisdom or education can stop death.

Genesis 3:19 “By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

The epiphany of the preacher was that
It didn’t matter how hard he pursued wisdom,
In the end he would die and be buried just like the fool.

That was his epiphany.

#2 HIS ENIGMA
Ecclesiastes 2:15-16

And we saw the mystery that baffled him.

(15) “Then I said to myself, “As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. WHY THEN HAVE I BEEN EXTREMELY WISE?” So I said to myself, “This too is vanity.”

Today we say, “Eat right, exercise daily, die anyway.”

Since both the wise man and the foolish man still end up at the grave
HE COULDN’T HELP BUT ASK HIMSELF:

“Why then have I been extremely wise?”

Was all my quest really accomplishing anything?

And that was bad enough,
But there was STILL ANOTHER THING that greatly grieved him.

(16) “For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as the wise man and the fool alike die!”

There is even no benefit to your legacy.
There is no guarantee you’ll even be remembered.

• And I read you a list of several US Presidents that not many people in here even knew.
• I gave you name Martin Cooper who invented the cell phone and no one in here knew who he was.

And we see that LEGACY IS A TRICKY and unpredictable thing.

For example:
The first idea of a flushing toilet was made by Sir John Harington of England which is why people speak of going to “Use the John”

In the late 19th century another inventor took the idea and ran with it creating a line of flushing toilets. His name was Thomas Crapper.

When American soldiers in England saw his name stamped on the toilets the name became slang for the toilet and even for using the restroom.

History of the Flush Toilet

Legacy is tricky.

Well, the preacher has just figured that out.

Wisdom couldn’t keep him from dying
And wisdom couldn’t cause him to be remembered or remembered well.

The simple fact is “all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die!”

It is a sad and dark reality.

And that led us to the 3rd point which we just barely started examining.
#3 HIS EMOTION
Ecclesiastes 2:17-21

You see again there his 3 statements.
• (17) “So I hated life…”
• (18) “Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor…”
• (20) “Therefore I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor…”

When he realized that all his efforts to obtain wisdom
• Could not make him righteous,
• Could not supply satisfaction,
• Could not keep him from death,
• And could not protect his legacy,

HE WAS CRUSHED.

He had undoubtedly figured himself
To be a little better than the average man by means of his wisdom
And on this day he learned that they were mere equals.

That type of humility is a hard pill to swallow.
And it crushed this preacher.

But let’s look a little deeper as to exactly WHY he was so bothered.

Here in verses 17-21 he actually shows us 3 reasons why he was so bothered.

1) WASTED LABOR (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.”

Imagine pursuing wisdom
With the expectation that it will make you better off than everyone else,
Only to find that it didn’t.

There is a real sense of injustice there that is hard to swallow.

I remember a recent undercover journalistic experiment where a journalist started interviewing college students on campus regarding socialism. When a particular student said they thought socialism was a good thing, the journalist then told them of the new university policy to use a socialistic grade averaging standard. The students were instantly infuriated.

That was a spoof, but life is eerily similar.

We think that if you study hard and work hard and if you push through the difficulties that life owes you success.

We actually get frustrated with people
Who seem to land in success without having to do the work.

But it is generally assumed that
• If you will go to college,
• And study hard,
• And make good grades
• Then you will get a good job and have a successful life.

BUT THERE IS NO SUCH PROMISE.
SOME PEOPLE STUDY HARD AND STILL FAIL.

AND even those who do manage to become successful in this life
Still face death and so ultimately there is no winning.

AND THE PREACHER WAS BOTHERED.
His work he says “was grievous to me”

Ever had work like that?
Ever had a job that was really, really hard?

You’re only means of justifying such hard work
Is that the payoff will be worth it.

But when you learn that the payoff isn’t worth it,
It just makes the work that much more bitter.

So now the preacher actually hated all the work he did.
• He saw it as a waste.
• He saw it as unnecessary struggle.
• He hated it.

That’s not the only reason he despaired.

2) ABANDONED ACCOMPLISHMENT (18)

“Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me.”

When I was about a year old my parents bought the 50 acres
Where my mom now lives.

• It was a ½ mile off the highway so accessing it meant often times walking through the mud.
• Many nights around 2 in the morning my dad would come in from a horse sale and lead horses in the dark, through the mud to his land.
• Terrible Tuesday in Wichita Falls (a massive tornado) gave my dad and grandpa the opportunity to go and gather up debris from which they built a barn and pens.
• Over time he would salvage and gather to build fence, get farm equipment just to be able to turn that 50 acres into something he could use.
• He loved that barn, he loved that land.

Before he died, he was sitting in his back room looking out the window and he said,
“I’m just sitting here wondering who will own this land after I’m gone.”

Now he wasn’t in despair, he had long since determined he wanted a heavenly inheritance, but there is a certain sadness in a statement like that.

All that work, All that labor
And you leave and have no say over what happens next.

TO FURTHER PROVE THE POINT,
2 months after my dad died my mom painted that barn turquoise.

THE POINT IS someday you leave it all.
• Land, houses, barns, equipment, degrees, certificates.
• You take none of it with you.

Luke 12:13-20 “Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”‘ “But God said to him, ‘ You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’”

It’s an important question.
“Now who will own what you have prepared?”

Psalms 49:10-12 “For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish And leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names. But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.”

Psalms 49:17 “For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him.”

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

That is what grieved the preacher; “for I must leave it”.

And that still isn’t the only thing that bothered him.

3) UNCERTAIN MANAGEMENT (19-21)

“And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity. Therefore I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun. When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge and skill, then he gives his legacy to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil.”

• Perhaps if you knew that you were leaving your land to a son who could run the farm…
• Perhaps if you knew that you were leaving your business to a man who would care for your legacy…

BUT THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES.

The preacher was leaving all that he had accomplished
To the man who would come after him
“And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?”

And the ironic thing for Solomon was that his son was a fool.

The kingdom of Israel was never bigger and never more prosperous
Than when Solomon reigned as king.

• His son and heir to the throne was Rehoboam.
• When Rehoboam became king the northern 10 tribes approached him asking for relief from the hard service that Solomon had placed upon them.
• Rehoboam’s counselors advised him to listen to them and make the nation stronger.
• Rehoboam listened to his friends instead who encouraged him to show them his strength.

His answer:
1 Kings 12:11 “Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'”

What was the response of the northern 10 tribes?
1 Kings 12:16-19 “When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; To your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!” So Israel departed to their tents. But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.”

• The northern 10 tribes seceded from the union and the kingdom was split.
• The kingdom Solomon built was split.
• The temple Solomon built was used only by 1 tribe (Judah in the south)

It is what Solomon feared
(19) “And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity.”

How can that be fair?

But it is real and it led the preacher to despair.
(20-21) “Therefore I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun. When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge and skill, then he gives his legacy to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil.”

Can you wrap your mind around this?
It is important that you do.

We are talking about what is done “under the sun”.
We are talking about all you accomplish “under heaven”.

AND YOU DON’T GET TO KEEP ANY OF IT.
AND YOU DON’T GET ANY SAY OVER IT AFTER YOU’RE GONE.

It really forces a man to begin to ponder
Just what he is building or accomplishing.

Well the preacher did and it led him to despair.
And if this world is your treasure it will do the same to you.

His Epiphany, His Enigma, His Emotion
#4 HIS EVALUATION
Ecclesiastes 2:22-23

Here again we come to THE ACTUAL REVIEW.

“For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun?”

Now he’ll actually answer that in a minute, but first you need to ponder it.

WHAT DO YOU GET FROM IT ALL?

And this has been a major point of the sermon of the preacher.
Ecclesiastes 1:3 “What advantage does man have in all his work Which he does under the sun?”

That is the same thing he’s asking here again.
“For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun?”

• What is the profit?
• What is the benefit?

And he asks that “BECAUSE all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity.”

• Look at the man killing himself to obtain this world…
• Look at the man worrying endlessly about his stuff…
He is consumed by it.

We think of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 6:27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?”

There is just so much that is totally out of your control.

But you see the man who is killing himself
To obtain that which he can never keep,
And that which he will leave to someone else
Who may in fact ruin it all.

“For what does a man get..?”

What if you spend your life and you make your fortune and you store up a 401K and you have all your stuff.

• What happens when the government starts printing money and writing checks it can’t cash and inflation takes over and your dollar is no longer worth anything?

• Of even if your retirement doesn’t run out and you amass a fortune that is still in tact when you die, but your heir determines to invest it all in Bitcoin or something else and it all poofs away?

When Corenelius Vanderbuilt (the shipping and railroad mogul) died he was worth an estimated 95 million dollars (roughly 3 billion in today’s terms).
By the 4th generation it was all gone.

What did he get for all his work and all his worry?

And you know the answer.
NOTHING

So do you see the preacher’s evaluation?
Do you see the critic’s review?
“This too is vanity.”

• It’s a mirage
• It’s a mist
• It’s smoke

Men work hard and worry hard and push themselves to win at life, But in the end they leave it all.
And their legacy vanishes like smoke.

• Are you really going to spend your life trying to build something that lasts only on earth?
• Are you really going to spend your life trying to store up something that must stay on earth when you leave?
• Are you really going to be a man who has many possessions but is not rich toward God?

THAT IS THE QUESTION.

How foolish to be a billionaire on earth and a pauper for eternity.

The preacher saw his life’s work and saw that it was a vapor.
• It vanished
• It poofed away
• Like a morning cloud it was quickly gone.

You need to learn that in your pursuits of life.

Now, there is one more point that the preacher makes here.
#5 HIS EXHORTATION
Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

Now, in verse 22 he asked, “What does a man get in all his labor..?”

Well here in verse 24 he actually answers that question.

(24) “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.”

So what is the answer to the question?
“What does a man get in all his labor?”

AND THE ANSWER IS: he gets the momentary satisfaction of that labor.

DID YOU PLOW THE FIELD? Well you get the momentary satisfaction of looking at that plowed field.
DID YOU PAINT THE HOUSE? Well you get the momentary satisfaction of looking at the painted house.
DID YOU MOP THE KITCHEN FLOOR? Well you get the momentary satisfaction of a clean kitchen floor.

And I don’t know how that hits you, but it’s true.

There IS satisfaction in your labor in this life.
And you SHOULD enjoy those things.

IN FACT, there is even evidence that in some ways
God even shows favor and blessing in this way to those who love Him.

Verse 26 is sort of a proverb.
• I remind you it’s a proverb and not a prophecy because if you turn a proverb
into a prophecy you will wreck your faith.
• A prophecy is always true all the time.
• A proverb is generally true much of the time but there are always exceptions.

(26) “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.”

Solomon has noticed this before.
Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.”

What is the preacher’s point?
• That there is a benefit to all your labor and striving.
• There is a reward.
• There is even a reward from God in this life.

That is NOT TO SAY every good man gets rich and ever bad man loses his fortune, we understand the flaws in the prosperity gospel.

The preacher is just merely pointing out that
There IS a reward for your labor on earth, and it is a reward FROM GOD.

• If you plow your field and are able to enjoy it, that is a gift from God.
• If you are able to paint your house and you like it, that is a gift from God.
• If you mop your floor and enjoy how it looks, that is a gift from God.

There IS satisfaction there.
Just know that it is a temporary and fleeting satisfaction.

IT IS DESIGNED THAT
• You can get NO eternal satisfaction from plowing a field.
• You can get NO eternal satisfaction from painting a house.
• You can get NO eternal satisfaction from mopping a floor.

WHY?

(24) “There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good.

And incidentally, DON’T read that statement like one of infinite bliss,
• Like when you sit on your porch in a cool summer evening and say, “It just
don’t get not better than this.”

That’s NOT what he’s saying.

He is saying, “I’m glad you enjoy this, because there is “nothing better” coming.”
• This is the treasure.
• This is the reward.

It’s sort of like when Jesus told the Pharisee
Who loved men’s applause for praying or giving or fasting.
Jesus said, “You have your reward in full.”

That’s what the preacher is saying.
There is “nothing” more than the momentary pleasure you feel right now.

WHY?
“This also i have seen that it is from the hand of God.”

Because God designed it that way.

All of the actions and labors on earth.
• God has permitted there to be temporary pleasure and satisfaction in those things.

But God has also designed it that
There can be no eternal pleasure or satisfaction in those things.

WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?

(25) “For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?”

Do you know why God will not allow the labors of this life to satisfy you eternally?

Because God demands that only He be the source of eternal satisfaction.

We go back to that great Psalm 73 where Asaph learned how fleeting the wealth of the world is, and we listen again to his statement.

Psalms 73:25-28 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”

Do you hear him?
Nothing in this life satisfies for eternity.

“Whom have I in heaven but You?”

We might also ask, “WHAT have I in heaven but You?”

And the answer is: NOTHING

I so wish that I could get this through the head of our culture.
People who think heaven is about all the great stuff they’re going to enjoy.

There is ONE ATTRACTION in heaven…ONE
It is Jesus Christ.

He is an attraction of such greatness that the inhabitants of heaven
• Never tire of His presence,
• Never grow weary in His worship,
• And never desire even for a second to go and do anything else.

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.”

HE IS THE ATTRACTION!

God has ordained it that way.
All glory is His for all eternity.

God will permit you
To have momentary enjoyment in what you accomplish on this earth;
That is actually a gift from God.

But if you try to squeeze any more enjoyment out of it than that,
You will be disappointed for God has ordained
That He and He alone will be the source of eternal satisfaction.

And this of course is where we hear the preaching of Jesus ringing loud and clear.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

• Do you hear Him talking about how it is all fleeting?
• Do you hear Him telling you that it won’t last?

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.”

Listen young man; listen old man.
STOP PURSUING THAT WHICH YOU CANNOT KEEP
AND START PURSUING THAT WHICH IS THE TRUE RICHES INDEED.

Let me give you another story from Jesus to close.

TURN TO: LUKE 14:15-24

Did you hear that?
• “I need to go out and look at” my land.
• “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out”
• “I have married a wife”

Now, let’s be clear.
Those ARE all enjoyable things.

• Who ever bought land and didn’t enjoy looking at it?
• Who ever got a new car and didn’t enjoy driving it?
• Who ever got married and didn’t want a honeymoon?

All those things are designed as a temporary gift from God in this life.

But to make the acquisition of those things
More important than the one true treasure which is Christ
Is the epitome of foolishness!

You must understand that there is only One who is truly worthy of pursuit
There is only One true treasure.

Every other treasure and pursuit will leave you empty.
• Wisdom
• Pleasure
• Even a legacy

None of them can satisfy.
Only Christ – LISTEN TO THE PREACHER YOUNG MAN.

EVERY YOUTH GOING TO CAMP MUST WORK 4 SHIFTS

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WE HAVE 17 ADULT SHIFTS TO BE FILLED BY PARENTS OF THE YOUTH GOING TO CAMP. (After all, this concession stand is saving you about $400 per kid!)

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Amazing Grace
Psalms 106
May 23, 2021

In the 9th, 10th, and 11th chapter of Romans
We have some of the most remarkable truths in all of Scripture.

• We learn of God’s sovereignty
• We learn of God’s salvation
• And we learn of God’s faithfulness

Primarily it is a section of Scripture that deals with the salvation of Israel.
• We learn that they are lost having stumbled over the stumbling stone.
• We learn that they can be saved if they will call on the name of the Lord.
• We learn that their rejection served a greater purpose; namely the salvation of the Gentiles.

And the section concludes with us learning about
The return of Israel to Christ and their future salvation.

Romans 11:25-29 “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

God has promised that Israel will be saved.

And this is a very important text even for the Gentile church.

WHY?

Because it is the faithfulness of God that is on the line.
• God promised the salvation of Israel.
• God promised that one day they would “look on Him who they have pierced”
• God promised that they were His elect, chosen for salvation.

Now, we also know that Israel most certainly does not deserve it.
Just in reading Psalms 106 tonight you are aware of that.

• There has never been a more stubborn or obstinate people on the face of the planet than the Jewish people.

• Beyond that, these people rejected and ultimately murdered their King, the Messiah, the Son of God, their only hope for salvation.

• If ever there was a people who should just be cast aside it is those people.

BUT…
• God promised them salvation.
• Romans 11 tells us that God will fulfill that promise.

And that is important to us because it reassures our heart
That God is a faithful God who saves those whom He has chosen
Even if they don’t deserve it.

Isn’t that good news?
• I mean, if God all of a sudden decided to back out on His promises to
Israel…
• What hope do you have that you won’t offend Him in the same way and
He might back out on the promises He made to you?

Instead, God proves His faithfulness time and time again
Because the promises He made, He keeps.

And now we have confidence that God will be faithful to us
Because He has never failed to be faithful to them.

Well, that is a fitting backdrop to Psalms 106.

• We don’t know who wrote the Psalm,
• But it was clearly written by someone in affliction.
• It was written by someone who was under the punishment of God
• And who had been dispersed among the nations.

But the Psalmist here now wants mercy.

But the question is: ON WHAT GROUNDS DOES HE COME THINKING THAT GOD WOULD GIVE IT?

And the answer is that same faithfulness of God.
God’s proven Amazing Grace

Tonight we walk through what might be called “Israel’s Sin Hall of Fame”
• It is a quick read of some of the most arrogant blunders in their history,
• But even more than that, it is a testimony of God’s unmerited favor; His Amazing Grace.

3 main points
#1 HIS DISCERNMENT
Psalms 106:1-5

This is an important way to open this Psalm because it helps us realize
That the Psalmist is not coming in ignorance.

• Many people in our day lives in sin and genuinely think that God is cool with it.
• Many a person demand grace as though they are deserving of it and God is obligated to give it.
• But that is NOT at all the mindset of the Psalmist.

Let me show you 3 things he knows here.
THE GREATNESS OF GOD

(1-2) “Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the LORD, Or can show forth all His praise?”

• You certainly see the themes of praise and gratitude.
• You certainly agree with the statement that “He is good”
• We have seen many times that “His lovingkindness is everlasting”

I really like that last question:
“Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the LORD, Or can show forth all His praise?”

That’s a great question and the answer is obviously “no one”

We can’t even begin to fathom all that God deserves.
• All we know of Him is what He has chosen to allow us to know
• And that is far short of His full glory.

The Psalmist is certainly aware that God is deserving
Of much more honor than He ever receives.

He knows about the greatness of God.

THE VALUE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

“How blessed are those who keep justice, Who practice righteousness at all times!”

Well that is certainly a true statement.

Even based on a limited knowledge of God
We are certainly able to discern the simple truth
That God is Holy and that God demands Holiness.

The Mosaic Law has made it abundantly clear that
There is a tremendous blessing from God poured out upon those who are righteous.

Those who “keep justice” and who “practice righteousness at all times”
Can certainly expect a life full of wonderful blessing.

All you have to do is live perfectly
And God will most certainly be pleased with you and bless you.

Righteousness is that valuable.
It causes a man to be totally pleasing to God
And to obtain all of God’s blessings.

The Psalmist also discerns
THE BLESSING OF SALVATION

(4-5) “Remember me, O LORD, in Your favor toward Your people; Visit me with Your salvation, That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance.”

This would be the blessing of being one who is in God’s good favor.
This would be one who God has delivered.

And you see the benefits of such a salvation.
• PROSPERITY – “That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones”
• JOY – “That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation”
• SATISFACTION – “That I may glory with Your in inheritance”

Those are the blessings that are upon the man
Who has obtained God’s favor.
Those are the blessings that are upon the man
Who practices righteousness at all times.

• God will deliver that man
• God will prosper that man
• God will cause that man to rejoice
• God will satisfy that man

The Psalmist knows that.
God is more than good to the righteous.

And that is actually even found in the preaching of Jesus.

Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler that if he would simply “keep the commandments” then he would have treasure in heaven.

In John 5 Jesus preached to the Pharisees:
John 5:28-29 “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.”

Paul reminded us of the same thing:
Romans 2:9-11 “There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”

That is fact.
• If you “keep justice”
• If you “practice righteousness at all times”

Then you also can expect from God to see prosperity,
To rejoice in gladness and to glory in His inheritance.

That is absolutely true.
And the Psalmist knows that.

But there is a problem.
#2 HIS DILEMMA
Psalms 106:6-46

(6) “We have sinned”

Well that just throws the whole offer into the trash then.
• That blessing and prosperity and rejoicing and satisfaction all hinged upon you keeping justice and practicing righteousness at all times.

But what about when you blow your end of the deal?
(And you already know you have.)

Well then you are at the mercy of God.
Then you’re only hope of salvation
Rests upon God being merciful and gracious.

Obtaining salvation is now totally out of your hands.
You will merely have to accept the ruling that comes down from on high.

And that is where the Psalmist finds himself.

Well, why would this Psalmist think that God
Would be willing to save and bless a man
Who has not upheld his end of the deal?

And the answer is because of who God is.

Now the Psalmist is about to go on a long journey through history.
And his journey actually builds for us the backdrop
Through which we better see the grace of God.

The Psalmist says:
“We have sinned like our fathers, We have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly.”

• Well what do you mean?
• What kind of sin did your fathers commit?

He lists 8 of them here.
It is quite an embarrassing journey of failure and rebellion.

I DON’T THINK it’s the intent of the Psalmist TO DIVE DEEPLY into every one of these stories, rather it is more important to hit them all back to back in sort of rapid fire pace in order to feel the legacy of their sin.

So that’s how we’ll hit them.
THE SIN OF DISREGARD (7-12)

I would point out to you an obvious problem,
Especially based upon the last three Psalms we’ve studied.

In Psalms 103-105 we found out
The importance of remembering God’s benefits and goodness.

Well clearly one of the problems of Israel is that they did not.
• (7) “They did not remember…”
• (13) “They quickly forgot…”
• (21) “They forgot God…”

That again is a strong incentive not to forget the goodness of God in your life.

Well here we read:
(7) “Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.”

The “abundant kindnesses” here would be a reference to
God’s plagues and His great deliverance of Israel from Egypt.

• Do we not remember how the plundered the Egyptians?
• Do we not remember how God carried them out with a mighty hand?

Sure, but it didn’t take long for them to turn on God.
They left Egypt, went straight for the Red Sea
And immediately turned on God.

Exodus 14:11-12 “Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? “Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

• They totally disregarded the power of God to save.
• At the first sign of trouble they turned on God and opted to go back to their slavery.

And yet, God saved those fickle people.
(8-11) “Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name, That He might make His power known. Thus He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up, And He led them through the deeps, as through the wilderness. So He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. The waters covered their adversaries; Not one of them was left.”

• Certainly you remember the story of how God parted the Red Sea
• And how the Israelites crossed on dry ground
• And how God drowned the Egyptians in that same sea.

God saved them anyway.

Now, their response to this newest salvation was certainly great.
(12) “Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.”

All of a sudden they were believers and singers.
All of a sudden they were filled with praise.

Exodus 14:31 “When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses.”

• And if you read Exodus 15:1-21 (we won’t) then you’ll find what is called “The Song of Moses” which is a great song of praise to God for His deliverance.

Yep Israel was sold on their great God.

But then came the next sin.
THE SIN OF DISCONTENTMENT (13-15)

(13-15) “They quickly forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, But craved intensely in the wilderness, And tempted God in the desert. So He gave them their request, But sent a wasting disease among them.”

The Psalmist says “They quickly forgot”

How quickly?
TURN TO: EXODUS 15.

• You see there in the first 21 verses that song of praise for deliverance that I just told you about.

Now look at verses 22-24.
“Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”

THREE DAYS!
• It only took 3 days for the children of Israel to completely forget about the great miracle of God to part the Red Sea.
• It only took 3 days to turn on God.
• It only took 3 days to turn on Moses.

The Bible says the problem was “They did not wait for His counsel”

That is to say, God was at work in their lives
But they wouldn’t wait on Him.

Remember what Moses would tell them later:
Deuteronomy 8:1-5 “All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your forefathers. “You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. “He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD. “Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. “Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.”

• Part of letting Israel get hungry and thirsty was so that God could teach them about His provision.
• But they wouldn’t even give Him time to complete the lesson before they turned on Him.

They “craved intensely in the wilderness”

Numbers 11:4 “The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?”

• Remember God gave them quale until it came out their nose.

(15) “So He gave them their request, But sent a wasting disease among them.”

These were sinful people who just offended God every chance they got.

Their Disregard, Their Discontentment
THE SIN OF DEFIANCE (16-18)

(16-18) “When they became envious of Moses in the camp, And of Aaron, the holy one of the LORD, The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, And engulfed the company of Abiram. And a fire blazed up in their company; The flame consumed the wicked.”

Here they simply rebelled against Moses,
Which was a rebellion against God.

• God had appointed Moses.
• All authority comes from Him.
• So to reject God’s leader is to reject God.

You remember the attack:
Numbers 16:1-3 “Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took action, and they rose up before Moses, together with some of the sons of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, chosen in the assembly, men of renown. They assembled together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone far enough, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is in their midst; so why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”

They challenged God and Moses and ultimately “The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, And engulfed the company of Abiram.”

They dropped alive into hell.
Ouch!

Disregard, Discontentment, Defiance
THE SIN OF DEFAMATION (19-23)

(19-23) “They made a calf in Horeb And worshiped a molten image. Thus they exchanged their glory For the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt, Wonders in the land of Ham And awesome things by the Red Sea. Therefore He said that He would destroy them, Had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, To turn away His wrath from destroying them.”

This was the glorious event when they made the golden calf and said:
Exodus 32:4 “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”

• It was idolatry.
• It was a graven image.
• It is an extreme insult to God.

It was Isaiah who asked,
“To whom would you liken Me, declares the LORD”

Any representation of God
Is an insult to His nature and to defame His character.

But the children of Israel did it and then they worshiped it.

And God would have destroyed them if Moses hadn’t interceded on their behalf.

But that’s still not all.
THE SIN OF DERISION (24-27)

(24-27) “Then they despised the pleasant land; They did not believe in His word, But grumbled in their tents; They did not listen to the voice of the LORD. Therefore He swore to them That He would cast them down in the wilderness, And that He would cast their seed among the nations And scatter them in the lands.”

Then we find that glorious event
When God took them to the border of the land of promise
And they refused to go in.

Remember the spies brought back a negative report:
Numbers 14:1-2 “Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!”

• They hated the land that God had chosen to give them.
• The Psalmist says “they despised” it.
• The same language that is used regarding Esau and how he despised his birthright.

Esau chose a bowl of pea soup over his birthright.
The children of Israel preferred slavery in Egypt over the land of God.
WHAT A SIN.

Disregard, Discontentment, Defiance, Defamation,
THE SIN OF DEFECTION (28-31)

(28-31) “They joined themselves also to Baal-peor, And ate sacrifices offered to the dead. Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds, And the plague broke out among them. Then Phinehas stood up and interposed, And so the plague was stayed. And it was reckoned to him for righteousness, To all generations forever.”

Remember when they abandoned God altogether
To go and marry those Moabite women?

• Even after God’s anger broke out against the Israelites one man was so bold so as to bring a Moabite woman right into camp; into his tent to marry her.
• That is when “Phinehas” went in and stabbed them both through to the ground.
• And God was so pleased that He “reckoned to him for righteousness”

Amazing that these totally dependent people
Would so quickly abandon God for false gods.

Disregard, Discontentment, Defiance, Defamation, Defection
THE SIN OF DISSENSION (32-33)

(32-33) “They also provoked Him to wrath at the waters of Meribah, So that it went hard with Moses on their account; Because they were rebellious against His Spirit, He spoke rashly with his lips.”

Here they were rebellious again.
Again they grumbled about water.

Only this time
• Instead of defending the LORD, Moses sought to defend himself.
• Instead of speaking to the rock, Moses struck the rock and “it went hard with Moses on their account”
• Moses didn’t get to enter the Promised Land.

But again we see people rebelling against God.

THE SIN OF DEPRAVITY (34-39)

(34-39) “They did not destroy the peoples, As the LORD commanded them, But they mingled with the nations And learned their practices, And served their idols, Which became a snare to them. They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons, And shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and their daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with the blood. Thus they became unclean in their practices, And played the harlot in their deeds.”

It was just more unthinkable rebellion against God.
• Every time He said to go right they went left.
• Every time He said to go left they went right.

• He told them to clear out the Promised Land
• Instead they assimilated with them.
• He told them not to conform to the sinful practices of the world
• Instead they copied them.

They fell right into the same sin of the people
They were supposed to destroy.

“they mingled with the nations”

Judges 3:5-6 “The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.”

And those people “became a snare to them”

Deuteronomy 7:16 “You shall consume all the peoples whom the LORD your God will deliver to you; your eye shall not pity them, nor shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.”

Numbers 33:55-56 “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live. ‘And as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you.'”

It brings to mind Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” statement

But these people simply rebelled against God repeatedly.
• They weren’t grateful for God’s deliverance
• They weren’t patient for God’s provision
• They weren’t submissive to God’s leaders
• They weren’t satisfied with God’s Promised Land
• They weren’t loyal to God alone
• They weren’t committed to being separate from the nations

It’s just one thing after another.
Sin after sin after sin after sin

And God was rightly angry.
(40-43) “Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against His people And He abhorred His inheritance. Then He gave them into the hand of the nations, And those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies also oppressed them, And they were subdued under their power. Many times He would deliver them; They, however, were rebellious in their counsel, And so sank down in their iniquity.”

And certainly you’ve read the book of Judges.
It is a painful cycle.
• Sin, punishment, crying out, deliverance, prosperity, sin, punishment, crying out, deliverance prosperity, sin, punishment…
• It’s over and over and over.
• The reason is because they fell short of the glory of God.

God demanded righteousness and justice
And they didn’t uphold their end of the deal.

And that’s exactly the dilemma the Psalmist is in.

• He said right off the bat that he was well-aware that the path to blessing is
found in justice and righteousness.
• The man that does those things can expect good from the LORD.

But his problem, if you will remember:
(6) “We have sinned like our fathers, We have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly.”

• We are just like our fathers.
• We are chip right off the old block.
• We sinned like they sinned.

And so we don’t deserve the blessing we desire.
We have not earned it.

HOWEVER, that has not stopped this Psalmist from coming to God.
• Even though he knows about God’s holiness
• Even though he knows about his own sin
• Even though he knows God’s propensity and right to punish sinners

HE STILL COMES TO GOD.
WHY?
Because he also knows that God’s grace is amazing.

(44-46) “Nevertheless He looked upon their distress When He heard their cry; And He remembered His covenant for their sake, And relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness. He also made them objects of compassion In the presence of all their captors.”

That is the Ephesians 2:4 of the Old Testament.

Ephesians 2:1-4 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God…”

That is what you read here.
“Nevertheless…”
• “He looked”
• “He heard”
• “He remembered”
• “He relented”
• “He made them objects of compassion”

They did not deserve it, but God did it.
Over and over and over.

That is the Amazing Grace of God!
He gave those people what they did not deserve
And He did it over and over again.

Now, that fact is the driving fact behind this Psalm.

Because here we have a Psalmist who has offended God
Just as badly as they offended God.

Here we have a Psalmist who also DESERVES God’s wrath.
But here we have a Psalmist who WANTS God’s mercy.

And based upon what he knows about God, He is now going to cry out for it.
#3 HIS DESIRE
Psalms 106:47-48

Isn’t that great!
“Save us”

Do we deserve it? No
But You are the God who saves people who don’t deserve it.

“Save us, O LORD our God, And gather us from among the nations, To give thanks to Your holy name And glory in Your praise.”

Save us like You saved them.
• Not because we deserve it, but because you are gracious.

• Save us and we will give thanks
• Save us and we will glory in Your praise
• Save us so that we can be yet another chapter in the book of Your great grace.

Have you considered your life as a chapter in that book?
“The book of God’s amazing grace.”

We sped through 8 chapters of it this evening,
But if we read far enough
We would get to the chapter with your name.

It could talk about your sin and failures and how you offended God.

• Mine would be about teenage years of terrible hypocrisy,
• Pretending to be a Christian but with a heart filled with adultery and cruelty.
And yet God saved me.

But even after being saved, I still have entries in that book
• Because I have often failed to keep promises
• And often done that which He commanded me not to do,
• And often fallen short.

And my life just becomes another chapter
In the book of God’s Amazing Grace.
YOURS DOES TOO.

Now, it is not my desire to keep making entries into that book.
• I certainly do not wish to sin so that grace may increase.
• But, I will join the Psalmist in praising God for His unmerited favor.
• I will join in praising God for His Amazing Grace.
• And I will continue to trust in it even when I fail.

“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. And let all the people say, “Amen.” Praise the LORD!”