1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,640 Welcome back to our study in Ecclesiastes. 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:04,720 You know, I actually hadn't initially 3 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:06,560 planned to preach this morning. 4 00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:09,520 It wasn't in our plan as elders. 5 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:10,520 We had a different one. 6 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:14,320 And after hearing Jeff Steele's encouragements last week 7 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:16,540 about running the race well, I was 8 00:00:16,540 --> 00:00:19,040 thinking about this next section in Ecclesiastes. 9 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:22,480 And I thought it would be helpful and practical for us. 10 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:26,240 Helpful in the way, though, that wisdom literature tends to be. 11 00:00:26,240 --> 00:00:29,280 There are the bumper lanes at the bowling alley, 12 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:31,360 keeping you from going off course, 13 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:33,660 keeping us from the extremes, helping 14 00:00:33,660 --> 00:00:37,600 us to run the right race, helping us not get turned around. 15 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:39,760 Now, a quick little commercial, as you remember in the 16 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:42,520 benediction from last week, Grant mentioned this. 17 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,440 If you're needing to catch up on sermons, 18 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,200 they're called Oak Hill Bible Church sermons now. 19 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:50,920 And you can look those up, Spotify, 20 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:52,200 anywhere that you've missed. 21 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:53,960 Now, the previous sermons in this series 22 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:56,280 established Solomon as the author. 23 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:58,960 We considered the motto or the repeated phrase, 24 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,640 vanity of vanities, all is vanity. 25 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:03,560 In the first couple of chapters, Solomon 26 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:06,400 gives us numerous examples from his experience 27 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:10,160 from the natural world to prove that our existence 28 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:13,240 under the sun and this side of glory is vapor, 29 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:16,880 or as Josh reminded us, soap bubbles. 30 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:21,200 Last time, Solomon forced us to look at the harshness of life, 31 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,840 to acknowledge that the world is full of difficulty, 32 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:26,360 full of strife. 33 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,200 But last time, we were also drawn to the throne of Christ, 34 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:31,880 remembering that for those who are in Christ, 35 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:35,640 death is actually an advantage. 36 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:37,120 Now, death for everyone. 37 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:39,760 It's the sharpest needle for all the soap bubbles 38 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:40,920 that we chase. 39 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:42,800 But the reality of death helps us 40 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:46,120 to cherish life appropriately. 41 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:50,320 Now, we've been following an outline during this time. 42 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:52,280 See it on the screen if my clicker works. 43 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:53,000 Nope. 44 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:55,840 Help me out, Wes. 45 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:57,200 Thank you. 46 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,480 The outline we've been following so far here, 47 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:02,440 we're in the section, the proof that all is vanity, 48 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:05,400 the second section of this book. 49 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:07,440 It'll be a little bit of time. 50 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:09,520 Jeff will give me a hard time for how long it takes me 51 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:11,000 to get through this series. 52 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,800 But we'll take a little while before we get to chapter 7, 53 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:14,680 the prescription. 54 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:16,960 But for now, we're going to unpack this argument 55 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:19,240 about the rat race. 56 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:21,400 Now, we keep seeing in Ecclesiastes, 57 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:23,600 there's nothing new under the sun. 58 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:25,840 Stories come and go, and they come again. 59 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:27,880 What is old becomes new. 60 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:29,520 New becomes old. 61 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,080 And it's that way with timeless truths. 62 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,600 People chase things that never truly satisfy. 63 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:38,400 And not because everything that we chase is bad, 64 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:41,000 but because we who do the chasing 65 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:45,040 do so with wrong motives or in wrong ways. 66 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,440 There are classic stories that reveal the same. 67 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:51,160 How many of you are familiar with the picture of Dorian Gray 68 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:52,520 by Oscar Wilde? 69 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:53,800 Any literary buffs in here? 70 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:55,600 A few of you, OK. 71 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:58,880 In it, the main character becomes enchanted 72 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:01,560 by a rich man's materialistic view 73 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:03,760 that beauty and personal fulfillment 74 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:07,360 are the only things worth pursuing in this life. 75 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:10,360 And as Dorian is having his portrait painted, 76 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,400 he realized that his beauty is going to fade away. 77 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:18,240 And he wishes that the portrait will age instead of himself. 78 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:23,760 And what follows is a despicable tale of vice and greed, 79 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:26,480 an insatiable appetite for more and more 80 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:31,320 that is never satisfied, an evil that grows and grows 81 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:37,200 as Dorian tries to evade the reality of his own wickedness. 82 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:41,320 Now, that portrait grows more unrecognizable 83 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:43,360 with every evil deed. 84 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:45,760 Because even though Dorian doesn't age, 85 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:49,080 his portrait not only ages, but it shows evidence 86 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:53,120 of every evil deed that he pursued. 87 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:58,160 Now, that story ends tragically and poetically. 88 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:00,520 Dorian seeks to destroy the painting that 89 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:02,880 showcases his wicked life. 90 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:04,640 And when he takes a knife to it, he 91 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,480 transforms to represent everything 92 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,840 the portrait contained. 93 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,520 And then the portrait returned to depict 94 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,640 his young and handsome form. 95 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,120 Now, Oscar Wilde came up with that story 96 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:19,840 when he had his portrait done. 97 00:04:19,840 --> 00:04:20,880 And he wondered aloud. 98 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:24,320 He said this, what a tragic thing it is. 99 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:26,960 This portrait will never grow older. 100 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:32,680 And yet I shall, if only it was the other way. 101 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:34,400 That's a tale as old as time. 102 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:37,080 The soap bubbles that we chase, they never fulfill. 103 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:39,640 But our appetite grows more and more ravenous 104 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:42,000 as we chase the senses that thrill us, 105 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:45,200 but never cure what ails us. 106 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:46,760 And it's with these things in mind 107 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:49,400 that we return to Ecclesiastes chapter 4 108 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:53,080 to learn from Solomon about the rat race. 109 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:54,840 Now, as you turn there to chapter 4, 110 00:04:54,840 --> 00:04:57,520 consider that phrase, rat race. 111 00:04:57,520 --> 00:04:59,280 And if you saw our social media post, 112 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:00,720 you notice the title of the sermon, 113 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:03,320 we're going to contrast that idea of a rat race 114 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:05,320 versus this idea of the village. 115 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:08,960 But for now, think about rat race. 116 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:13,520 Some of you might think of that 1960s movie of the same title. 117 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:16,720 Maybe the silly early 2000s movie is a little more relevant 118 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:19,280 to our crowd of Mr. Bean. 119 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:22,160 Yeah, you don't have to raise your hand and say that you know it. 120 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:23,320 I heard the laughs. 121 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:26,240 Now, with that concept, some of you literary buffs, 122 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:28,700 those who knew Oscar Wilde, you might think of rat race 123 00:05:28,700 --> 00:05:32,160 with the great Gatsby. 124 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:34,140 Maybe you just think of that phrase, 125 00:05:34,140 --> 00:05:37,360 keeping up with the Joneses. 126 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,840 Most people have an idea about a rat race. 127 00:05:40,840 --> 00:05:44,280 It's a hamster wheel of never ending motion 128 00:05:44,280 --> 00:05:47,120 and never ending fulfillment. 129 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:51,720 Constant struggle, no enjoyment, no rest. 130 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:56,520 And while our American culture of work may depict this well, 131 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:58,720 the concept is not new. 132 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:01,440 It's not found just in our culture. 133 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:03,640 It's rooted in the heart of mankind. 134 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:07,240 And Solomon is going to show us where much of our vexation 135 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:07,840 comes from. 136 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:11,120 And he's going to show us a better way. 137 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:14,400 Now, we have essentially three sections to cover today. 138 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:15,920 And since we have the kids with us, 139 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:18,400 I figured it'd be a good exercise to see how we are 140 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:19,520 reverent to God's word. 141 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:21,440 Like Jeff had us stand for the reading. 142 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:23,560 And we'll stand every time we read. 143 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:25,720 It'll be a good opportunity to stretch as well. 144 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:27,480 I don't have as many object lessons 145 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:29,200 as Josh did today with bubbles. 146 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:31,080 So we'll do the standing instead. 147 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:33,500 So let's go ahead and stand for the reading of God's word, 148 00:06:33,500 --> 00:06:36,400 beginning in verse 4. 149 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:39,520 Solomon says this. 150 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:43,080 I've seen that every labor and every success of the work 151 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:46,480 is the result of jealousy between a man and his neighbor. 152 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:49,360 This, too, is vanity and striving after wind. 153 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,400 The fool folds his hands and embrace 154 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:53,320 and consumes his own flesh. 155 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:57,280 One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor 156 00:06:57,280 --> 00:06:59,200 and striving after wind. 157 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:01,760 Then I looked again at vanity under the sun. 158 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:04,000 There was a certain man without a second man, 159 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,160 having neither a son nor a brother. 160 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:08,520 Yet there was no end to all his labor. 161 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:11,240 Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches. 162 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:15,720 And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of good? 163 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:17,520 This, too, is vanity. 164 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:19,720 And it is a grievous endeavor. 165 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:20,720 You can be seated. 166 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:27,720 Now you remember, we talked about this on the front end, 167 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:31,240 that wisdom literature sometimes requires consideration. 168 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:34,320 And it often doesn't make sense at first glance. 169 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:37,560 So we need to consider each statement that is made here 170 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:38,680 in these several verses. 171 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:40,080 First, in verse four, 172 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:42,360 Solomon points out something very interesting. 173 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:45,760 He says that every labor and success or skill in work 174 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:48,600 comes from jealousy or envy. 175 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:49,920 Is he correct? 176 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,000 Think about work. 177 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,800 Do people often perform just for performance sake? 178 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:01,480 Or do they perform to outdo another coworker 179 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:04,360 for some personal gain? 180 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:06,560 How about professional athletics? 181 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,480 We have the Summer Olympics coming up, right? 182 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:13,440 Do people compete to be the best they can be? 183 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:17,880 Or do they compete to be better than everyone else? 184 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,880 I think Solomon brings us that faithful wound 185 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:25,120 that wisdom literature often provides. 186 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:27,360 He says the uncomfortable truth. 187 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:29,960 We struggle as humans to compete or work 188 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:32,120 simply for the sake of excellence. 189 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:34,200 And we are often more concerned with wanting 190 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:37,240 to do better than others. 191 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:39,280 That's the nature of that well-known statement, 192 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:40,960 keeping up with the Joneses. 193 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:43,720 That's the nature of the rat race. 194 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:45,960 And before you think too highly of anyone 195 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:50,960 that's very skilled, famous athlete or producer of art, 196 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:53,280 even if they're pursuing their passion strictly 197 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:54,760 for the art of the game, 198 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:57,080 I've heard that said before on numerous interviews, 199 00:08:57,080 --> 00:08:59,800 or the beauty of their art, consider this. 200 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:03,480 Do they truly not care if they're better than anyone else? 201 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:10,000 Isn't the very standard of their greatness 202 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:12,240 measured in comparison to others? 203 00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:17,360 Who is as talented as Michael Jordan? 204 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:20,920 We were talking about him earlier this morning. 205 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:24,080 Who is as hardworking as Kobe Bryant? 206 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:28,040 Who is as skilled as Michelangelo? 207 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:31,400 Who's as brilliant as Da Vinci? 208 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:37,160 See, even the way we think about success and greatness, 209 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:40,480 it belies that same truth that Solomon exposed. 210 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:43,800 Every labor, every success is the work of jealousy. 211 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:46,400 It's vanity and striving after the wind. 212 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:48,680 It doesn't last. 213 00:09:48,680 --> 00:09:49,520 It fades. 214 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:51,160 Sure, some of the greats in any field, 215 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:53,280 they obtained riches or they lost money. 216 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:55,200 They obtained riches or they obtained fame, 217 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:57,520 but what's gonna happen to them? 218 00:09:57,520 --> 00:09:58,480 They're gonna die. 219 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:02,120 They can't escape that sharp needle of death, 220 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:05,480 and it will prove their efforts are in vain. 221 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:08,560 So you might say, okay, there's no point in trying then, 222 00:10:08,560 --> 00:10:10,000 so I'll just give up. 223 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:11,840 Well, Solomon points that out too. 224 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:14,160 He points out the futility of striving 225 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:16,280 after vainglory and just quitting. 226 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:19,560 Verse five says, just fold the hands. 227 00:10:19,560 --> 00:10:21,080 Just fold the hands. 228 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:22,080 And look at the wording there. 229 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:22,920 It's very interesting. 230 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:24,760 It says, consume one's flesh. 231 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:27,440 That's another way of saying that that lazy person, 232 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:30,200 that idle person, they self-destruct. 233 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:32,160 They eat themselves from the inside out. 234 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:34,360 Hunger and ruin come upon them. 235 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:37,600 So where's the gain? 236 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:40,920 What do you do if striving so hard is just jealousy 237 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:44,840 and you just give up and you die, what do you do? 238 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:47,320 Well, he says you can't just hate the rat race 239 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:48,720 and respond in idleness 240 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:51,400 because that's only gonna bring an inner rot. 241 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:53,200 That's not the answer. 242 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:54,880 We have to guard ourselves from thinking 243 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:58,240 that the noble thing to do is to pray for poverty. 244 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:00,120 The scripture never presents poverty 245 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:03,800 as the goal or a good place to be. 246 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:05,640 There's a passage here in Proverbs six 247 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:06,480 that I'll read to you. 248 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:08,000 It says, go to the ant, O sluggard, 249 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:09,920 observe her ways and be wise, 250 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:12,280 which having no chief officer or ruler, 251 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:13,920 prepares her food in the summer 252 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:16,080 and gathers her provision in the harvest. 253 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:18,760 How long will you lie down, O sluggard? 254 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:20,240 When will you rise from your sleep? 255 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:22,320 A little sleep, a little slumber, 256 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:25,520 and notice the next line here, 257 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:28,760 a little folding of the hands to rest. 258 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:30,680 Your poverty will come in like a vagabond 259 00:11:30,680 --> 00:11:33,440 and you want like an armed man. 260 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:36,280 Now there are several good principles here in this passage, 261 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:37,760 but consider that similar language, 262 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:41,800 folding of the hands to rest in Ecclesiastes four verse five. 263 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:44,280 Here you can see that scripture presents poverty 264 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:46,960 as something destructive, something bad. 265 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:49,800 Truly poverty is a result of the fall. 266 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:52,080 It is not something to be desired. 267 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:53,760 Yet this passage also clarifies 268 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:55,440 that there's a righteous response 269 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:57,960 for those seeking to avoid poverty, 270 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:00,320 or even if they're poor to be in it, 271 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:02,360 you're to work diligently. 272 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:06,520 That's what the ant does, work diligently, 273 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:10,080 not for riches, but for provision. 274 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:11,840 And scripture presents a better way 275 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:13,920 to think about finances, this side of glory. 276 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:15,720 This is one of my favorite passages 277 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,280 out of Proverbs chapter 30 verses eight and nine. 278 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:20,720 Keep worthlessness in every false word from me. 279 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:23,920 Give me neither poverty nor riches. 280 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:26,000 Feed me with the food that is my portion, 281 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:30,400 lest I be full and deny you and say, who is Yahweh? 282 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:33,040 Or lest I be impoverished and steal 283 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:35,000 and profane the name of my God. 284 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:37,760 Now I love this passage because it reminds me 285 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:40,680 of two key principles for the Christian life. 286 00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:45,680 One, wealth has the potential to reduce dependency on God. 287 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:47,960 And two, poverty has the potential 288 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,080 to reduce willingness to work. 289 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:53,440 Now personally, these are things that I see all too often 290 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:55,800 in my work with Children's Hunger Fund. 291 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:57,800 With regard to number one, when I travel, 292 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,120 sometimes I meet wealthy people on the plane 293 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,360 or out to dinner, and they'll see my work shirt 294 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:04,880 with my company logo and blazon on the front, 295 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:07,800 and they'll wonder what I'm doing in such a place. 296 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:09,960 Really they're asking why a white man, 297 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:12,440 a Mizungu is in Africa. 298 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:14,000 I must be doing some kind of business 299 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:16,000 and gaining some kind of wealth. 300 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:18,200 And when I share that the business I come for 301 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:21,560 is to see local churches faithfully loving their community, 302 00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:23,240 faithfully loving their neighbors, 303 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:25,360 they look at me with bewilderment. 304 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:30,840 Often they acknowledge that it's good to help others, 305 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:33,440 but they ask how can such work be done 306 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:34,960 when the needs are so great? 307 00:13:36,680 --> 00:13:39,880 See these wealthy people, they don't depend on God. 308 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:43,040 That's why it's more difficult for a camel 309 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:44,640 to go through the eye of a needle 310 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:48,920 than for a wealthy person to enter the kingdom of God. 311 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:51,440 In contrast, I also spend time with some of the poorest 312 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:52,920 people on the planet. 313 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:57,160 There are faithful Christians from impoverished churches 314 00:13:57,160 --> 00:13:59,640 that take me to visit homes where the family, 315 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:02,160 often a single mother and her children, 316 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:04,920 barely even have their basic provisions met. 317 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:08,280 They don't have running water, no stable food source, 318 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:11,320 clothes are in tatters, their shelter barely standing up, 319 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:13,720 a life that we cannot imagine but in movies. 320 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:18,120 And yet for those who come to know God, 321 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:20,720 they say this, it is enough. 322 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:26,800 God sees us, God cares for us, it is enough. 323 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:30,480 And in their poverty, they can still depend on God. 324 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:33,080 So you see that wealth has that potential 325 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:36,440 to reduce dependency on God. 326 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:37,680 But with regard to number two, 327 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:40,360 I've been witness to the tragic circumstances 328 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:43,240 where an impoverished person is so distraught 329 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:46,400 that they become unwilling, not unable, 330 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:48,960 but unwilling to work. 331 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:52,240 And they live out Ecclesiastes four or five. 332 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:54,440 And it is painful to see. 333 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,880 As such discouragement leaves a person in a terrible state, 334 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:00,200 they're unwilling to be faithful in their work 335 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:02,000 like Proverbs six encourages. 336 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:04,440 And I've seen the other side, 337 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:07,360 I've seen those who just want an opportunity. 338 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:09,080 They're eager to put their hands to work 339 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:12,200 and to labor towards provision, but the truth remains, 340 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:17,200 poverty has the potential to reduce a willingness to work. 341 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:20,360 So what is the answer? 342 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:24,000 If wealth and poverty are so dangerous, 343 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,680 well, look at Ecclesiastes four, verse six. 344 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:29,160 There is some balance to be had. 345 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:31,640 You must work, that is part of life. 346 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:33,560 But don't do so excessively. 347 00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:35,960 If you keep both hands full of attempts 348 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:37,320 to multiply your wealth, 349 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:39,640 you're gonna miss the quietness and the rest 350 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:40,840 that God has for you. 351 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:44,760 The enjoyment that can come even in small amounts, 352 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:45,680 this side of glory. 353 00:15:45,680 --> 00:15:48,880 Solomon says, even a little rest, he says a handful. 354 00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:50,600 You can put out your hand if you want to imagine 355 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:52,640 just a handful of rest, it's not a lot. 356 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:56,400 Not as much as how many of you want, I imagine. 357 00:15:57,320 --> 00:15:59,160 People ask me, hey, Adam, are you tired? 358 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:00,000 Your schedule's full. 359 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:02,360 I said, I'm like the Hulk, I'm always tired. 360 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:04,320 He's always angry, I'm always tired. 361 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:06,560 A little rest, a little handful 362 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:09,600 is better than two fistfuls. 363 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:12,840 You think about how much you can gather in two fistfuls. 364 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:16,400 It's quite a bit more than what you can get in one hand, 365 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:19,480 but a little rest is better than two fistfuls 366 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,040 of toil and vexation. 367 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:24,480 But to understand that, we need that final verse. 368 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:26,360 And take a look at verse eight. 369 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:30,240 In this section, you have a lonely person. 370 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:33,320 No family, no next generation, no sibling, 371 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:36,080 toiling towards riches, and he asks himself, 372 00:16:36,080 --> 00:16:38,000 why am I doing this? 373 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:40,200 For whom am I doing this? 374 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:43,960 And this is the ultimate lesson regarding the rat race. 375 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:46,600 It's been said that a person can know the price 376 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:50,720 of everything and yet know the value of nothing. 377 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:54,880 A pastor once recounted that he never had a young woman 378 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:57,960 come to him in tears and tell him that she hates her dad 379 00:16:57,960 --> 00:16:59,720 because he used to drop her off at school 380 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:01,640 in an old beat up car. 381 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:04,720 He never had a young woman tell him that she hates her dad 382 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:07,320 because he didn't buy her a pony or couldn't afford 383 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:10,080 to send her to the school missions or vacations trip. 384 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:14,480 But that he's had too many young women with dads, 385 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,640 with fancy cars and enough wealth to send every classmate 386 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:22,040 on that trip who don't know the love of a father. 387 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:26,280 I can tell you the same can be true for those 388 00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:29,760 who grow up in poverty, where the father doesn't rightly 389 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:32,360 value the lives of his children. 390 00:17:32,360 --> 00:17:35,480 See wealth doesn't make men monsters any more 391 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:36,600 than poverty does. 392 00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:41,840 But those two fistfuls of toil can overflow 393 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:45,560 and bring pain to everyone that's near. 394 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:47,680 Chasing soap bubbles doesn't just bring heartache 395 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:51,160 for the one chasing, but also for those who are near them. 396 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:55,080 The desire for overindulgence resides in all of us. 397 00:17:56,240 --> 00:17:58,360 Kids are in the back, parents, 398 00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:00,760 does your kid always have room for dessert? 399 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:09,000 And to the wealthy person, do they always have time 400 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,240 and attention for a new business venture? 401 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:15,440 What we need to guard against is pursuing life 402 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:17,000 with selfish motives. 403 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:20,080 Selfishness leads to loneliness. 404 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:23,040 That is the person in verse eight, they're alone. 405 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:24,200 They've toiled for wealth, 406 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:26,200 but they have no one to share it with. 407 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:29,840 Think of an aged man who spends his whole life 408 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,480 trying to set up an inheritance for his children 409 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:36,120 only to realize in his later years he ignored them 410 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:39,840 and now they want nothing to do with him. 411 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:42,560 Vanity of vanities. 412 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:46,520 A saint who's gone by to be with the Lord said this, 413 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:49,280 there are two ways to get enough. 414 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:51,680 One is to accumulate more and more. 415 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:54,320 See, there's never any end. 416 00:18:54,320 --> 00:18:58,040 The other is to desire less. 417 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:01,000 Think about that for a moment. 418 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:02,920 What are you wanting? 419 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:06,560 Do you really need it? 420 00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:14,960 What will pursuing that want demand out of you? 421 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:20,200 There are some questions that you can ask yourself here. 422 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:23,320 If you're trying to gauge whether you're on that side of the 423 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:26,160 whether you're on that side of restlessly striving 424 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:27,880 or lazily listing. 425 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:32,000 If you're on the lazy side, who are you feeding off of? 426 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:34,240 Who is doing the work so you don't have to? 427 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:37,480 And how can you give back to them? 428 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:40,480 If you often focus on yourself, can you devote a day 429 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:42,160 every week to serving others? 430 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:45,920 If you're that person chasing the wind, 431 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:47,840 who are you really striving for? 432 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:50,680 Are you pretending to strive for others 433 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,800 while really striving for yourself? 434 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:56,480 What tasks and responsibilities can you get rid of 435 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:58,600 so that your relationships can flourish? 436 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,280 See, it's not just an American problem. 437 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:04,440 The constant quest for personal advancement 438 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:08,800 plagues every culture because it plagues the human heart. 439 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:11,600 And that's at the heart of the tragic story of Dorian Gray. 440 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:13,960 You could also consider Ebeneezer Scrooge. 441 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:15,840 Some of you are more familiar with him, 442 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:17,080 but it's our story too. 443 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:20,000 We can make ourselves so busy toiling 444 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:23,040 for what we think is best that we miss God's best 445 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:24,400 right in front of us. 446 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:28,560 The toiling person can alienate all friends and family. 447 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:31,720 Or the toiling person can have a family. 448 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:34,280 They can have children, but they allow their heart 449 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:36,480 to reside elsewhere. 450 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:39,480 And they become the most tragic of loners, 451 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:43,680 surrounded by everyone and yet loved by no one. 452 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:48,680 Thankfully, Solomon doesn't leave us without an alternative. 453 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:50,680 And he provides practical wisdom in these next few verses. 454 00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:52,960 Let's go ahead and stand for the reading of these verses 455 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:55,800 in Ecclesiastes four, verses nine through 12. 456 00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:59,920 And we're gonna see an antithesis to the rat race. 457 00:20:59,920 --> 00:21:02,840 Solomon says this, two are better than one 458 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:05,400 because they have good wages for their labor. 459 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:07,000 For if either of them fails, 460 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:08,880 the one will lift up his companion. 461 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:11,880 But woe to the one who falls when there is no one. 462 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:15,000 But woe to the one who falls when there is not a second one 463 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:16,240 to lift him up. 464 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:19,160 Furthermore, if two lie down together, they keep warm. 465 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:21,440 But how can one be warm alone? 466 00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:25,360 And if one can overpower him who is alone, 467 00:21:25,360 --> 00:21:27,720 two can stand against him. 468 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:31,880 A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. 469 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:32,920 You can be seated. 470 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:38,440 The grace here is that Solomon says 471 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:41,440 there's something better than striving after win. 472 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:45,480 There's something better than pursuing selfish pursuits. 473 00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:47,600 Now, if I were to summarize this response 474 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:50,920 to that selfish loner pursuing the rat race, 475 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:53,760 I would say this, it's better to pursue partnership. 476 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:55,280 It's better to pursue fellowship. 477 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:59,240 It's better to build the village than to pursue yourself. 478 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:02,400 Now, it's often said that it takes a village. 479 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:04,080 We say that with all kinds of things. 480 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:06,800 To raise the next generation, it takes a village. 481 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:09,400 To provide safety and protection, it takes a village. 482 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:14,400 To build a stable civilization, it takes a village. 483 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:18,680 The antithesis of selfishness is selflessness. 484 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:21,760 Being others focused, seeking the good of other people. 485 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:23,880 And Christians know this principle. 486 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:26,200 You know this principle because it was read to you 487 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:28,360 this morning in our call to worship. 488 00:22:28,360 --> 00:22:32,280 In Romans 12, the believer is to love others, 489 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,120 to show honor, to help needy saints, 490 00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:38,040 to associate with the lowly, and so on and so on. 491 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:42,040 And all of that presumes an idea of community. 492 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:44,720 It presumes a village. 493 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:46,660 Now, specifically in this passage, 494 00:22:46,660 --> 00:22:49,320 there are a few key encouragements 495 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:50,920 that I wanna point out. 496 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:53,320 In verse nine, there's a good reward 497 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:56,460 when work is done together rather than alone. 498 00:22:56,460 --> 00:22:59,900 Now, that could allude to better profits for more work, 499 00:22:59,900 --> 00:23:01,420 or you may work less. 500 00:23:01,420 --> 00:23:04,880 You have less toil because many hands make light work. 501 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:07,100 Or even it could be the blessing of company 502 00:23:07,100 --> 00:23:09,040 while working, whistling while you work 503 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:10,840 to follow the dwarves. 504 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:14,320 Some of you enjoy that, right? 505 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:16,400 Not everyone hates group projects. 506 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:17,260 Some do. 507 00:23:18,380 --> 00:23:20,120 The point is that working with someone 508 00:23:20,120 --> 00:23:21,500 is better than going it alone. 509 00:23:21,500 --> 00:23:23,480 Now, I know some are going to object to that. 510 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:24,640 The pain point, group projects. 511 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:26,600 I didn't enjoy those growing up. 512 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:27,600 You don't have to raise your hand 513 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:29,720 and out yourself on that one. 514 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:32,160 But think about the alternative. 515 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:34,720 If the alternative to living in a group is living alone, 516 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:37,140 is that really better? 517 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:41,360 Now, there is a price to partnership. 518 00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:43,300 You give up your independence. 519 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:46,540 And husbands and wives in here say amen. 520 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,160 You need to think about another's interest. 521 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:52,480 You think about their comfort. 522 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:53,760 You listen to their reasoning. 523 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:56,840 You adjoice, adjust to their pace and their style. 524 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:58,360 You build trust together. 525 00:23:58,360 --> 00:24:01,020 And that's true not just for building marriages. 526 00:24:01,020 --> 00:24:02,680 That's true for building any kind 527 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:04,840 of relationship or friendship. 528 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:07,520 And if you do it faithfully, the rewards are joint. 529 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:08,780 They're together. 530 00:24:08,780 --> 00:24:10,780 Neither person is exploiting the other. 531 00:24:12,060 --> 00:24:14,640 Verse 10 points out a blessing in togetherness. 532 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:16,780 Help when one falls. 533 00:24:16,780 --> 00:24:18,840 The loner has no help. 534 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:21,760 They fall down and they're just down. 535 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:24,200 Who among us has never fallen? 536 00:24:25,360 --> 00:24:27,020 Who among us has never messed up? 537 00:24:27,020 --> 00:24:29,500 Raise your hand, cast the first stone. 538 00:24:29,500 --> 00:24:31,500 Who among us never needs help? 539 00:24:33,140 --> 00:24:38,140 Even the most stable and dependable people need help. 540 00:24:38,140 --> 00:24:40,420 And it's a grace because otherwise 541 00:24:40,420 --> 00:24:41,900 they would become puffed up 542 00:24:41,900 --> 00:24:43,060 and think that they don't need God 543 00:24:43,060 --> 00:24:44,540 like Proverbs 30 warns. 544 00:24:45,900 --> 00:24:49,140 Community can bring help when it's needed. 545 00:24:49,140 --> 00:24:50,500 It's better to live in a village 546 00:24:50,500 --> 00:24:51,940 than to chase after soap bubbles 547 00:24:51,940 --> 00:24:54,780 because when you need help, it'll be there. 548 00:24:55,740 --> 00:24:56,980 And I'm so thankful. 549 00:24:56,980 --> 00:24:58,860 Don't we see this with our church family? 550 00:24:58,860 --> 00:25:01,500 How often is a need posted 551 00:25:01,500 --> 00:25:05,820 and within hours, sometimes minutes it's met? 552 00:25:05,820 --> 00:25:08,540 What a grace community is. 553 00:25:10,100 --> 00:25:11,100 Fellowship is important 554 00:25:11,100 --> 00:25:13,340 when we encounter difficulties in life. 555 00:25:14,900 --> 00:25:18,140 Now not only does the village bring a good reward 556 00:25:18,140 --> 00:25:20,780 and help when needed, but as verse 11 points out, 557 00:25:20,780 --> 00:25:22,980 in community we can have warmth and comfort 558 00:25:22,980 --> 00:25:23,820 from the elements. 559 00:25:23,820 --> 00:25:26,620 Now some commentators take it to mean marriage, 560 00:25:26,620 --> 00:25:28,580 but the language doesn't point out a meaning. 561 00:25:28,580 --> 00:25:30,260 It doesn't point out a marriage relationship. 562 00:25:30,260 --> 00:25:33,540 The language here is very basic. 563 00:25:33,540 --> 00:25:36,340 It's just saying in general, when it's cold at night 564 00:25:36,340 --> 00:25:40,460 and people sleep, they sleep near one another to keep warm. 565 00:25:40,460 --> 00:25:42,700 Sharing body heat during a cold night 566 00:25:42,700 --> 00:25:44,420 isn't something maybe that we experience 567 00:25:44,420 --> 00:25:46,500 especially when it's a hundred degrees outside, 568 00:25:46,500 --> 00:25:50,900 but those who love camping, you've experienced it. 569 00:25:50,900 --> 00:25:53,100 It's a basic principle of wisdom. 570 00:25:53,100 --> 00:25:56,180 Being together brings warmth and comfort. 571 00:25:56,180 --> 00:25:57,500 They don't even have to do anything. 572 00:25:57,500 --> 00:25:58,700 They're just near you. 573 00:25:59,820 --> 00:26:02,820 That's a grace that community brings. 574 00:26:02,820 --> 00:26:04,700 Now final blessing of companionship 575 00:26:04,700 --> 00:26:06,700 or not being alone is in verse 12. 576 00:26:07,540 --> 00:26:09,740 I know it's a weird thing to think about for us. 577 00:26:09,740 --> 00:26:12,020 Our roads in the US are not nearly as dangerous 578 00:26:12,020 --> 00:26:13,460 as those around the world 579 00:26:13,460 --> 00:26:14,900 or what was in the ancient Near East 580 00:26:14,900 --> 00:26:17,340 when Solomon penned this work, but imagine for a moment, 581 00:26:17,340 --> 00:26:21,020 you remember the story that Jesus shared in Luke chapter 10 582 00:26:21,020 --> 00:26:23,780 about the man who was accosted by robbers? 583 00:26:25,020 --> 00:26:26,620 The roads were dangerous. 584 00:26:26,620 --> 00:26:28,380 Peril could come at any moment. 585 00:26:28,380 --> 00:26:31,940 So two people traveling together provide some kind of aid, 586 00:26:31,940 --> 00:26:35,020 some kind of resistance against those hazards. 587 00:26:35,020 --> 00:26:38,020 Now it's not a promise of protection. 588 00:26:38,020 --> 00:26:41,020 It's just a principle for living wisely. 589 00:26:42,780 --> 00:26:44,500 Now with the threefold strand, 590 00:26:44,500 --> 00:26:48,140 some people take that to be an illusion to the Trinity 591 00:26:48,140 --> 00:26:51,660 or an invisible helper, i.e. there's two people 592 00:26:51,660 --> 00:26:53,700 and then God is that third strand. 593 00:26:53,700 --> 00:26:54,900 It doesn't say that. 594 00:26:54,900 --> 00:26:57,300 I'm gonna caution you from taking that interpretation 595 00:26:57,300 --> 00:26:59,420 because it's highly mystical. 596 00:26:59,420 --> 00:27:01,660 A plain reading provides the encouragement. 597 00:27:01,660 --> 00:27:05,060 If one is bad, being on your own is bad, 598 00:27:05,060 --> 00:27:09,180 two are better, isn't three better than two? 599 00:27:09,180 --> 00:27:11,460 And isn't four better than and five better? 600 00:27:11,460 --> 00:27:13,580 And you get the context here. 601 00:27:14,540 --> 00:27:19,540 Solomon says being alone is bad, being in community is good. 602 00:27:20,580 --> 00:27:23,540 The village is a grace. 603 00:27:23,540 --> 00:27:26,180 Now there's actually an ancient Near East Sumerian proverb 604 00:27:26,180 --> 00:27:29,340 that he's quoting about friendship here. 605 00:27:29,340 --> 00:27:32,580 And preachers today, we use current events and stories 606 00:27:32,580 --> 00:27:34,820 to drive home a point and that's what Solomon was doing there, 607 00:27:34,820 --> 00:27:36,220 that three-cord strand. 608 00:27:36,220 --> 00:27:37,860 Most of us were like, where did that come from? 609 00:27:37,860 --> 00:27:40,140 It was a proverb of the day. 610 00:27:40,140 --> 00:27:41,940 Now to be clear, Solomon isn't pointing out 611 00:27:41,940 --> 00:27:44,740 that companionship is an eternal reward. 612 00:27:44,740 --> 00:27:46,100 He's not saying that. 613 00:27:46,100 --> 00:27:48,220 But he says under the sun, in this life, 614 00:27:48,220 --> 00:27:50,500 living in fellowship is better 615 00:27:50,500 --> 00:27:53,580 than living as a lonely miser. 616 00:27:55,100 --> 00:27:57,820 He's also not saying that these are the only benefits 617 00:27:57,820 --> 00:27:59,940 of companionship, there are more. 618 00:27:59,940 --> 00:28:01,660 These are just the basic blessings 619 00:28:01,660 --> 00:28:04,180 that companionship may bring and they show the reader 620 00:28:04,180 --> 00:28:06,540 why building a village is so much better 621 00:28:06,540 --> 00:28:08,900 than pursuing the rat race. 622 00:28:08,900 --> 00:28:11,580 Selfish pursuits never satisfy us 623 00:28:11,580 --> 00:28:13,820 because they leave us with no room 624 00:28:13,820 --> 00:28:16,580 to enjoy life with others. 625 00:28:16,580 --> 00:28:19,220 We become so obsessed with our own enjoyment 626 00:28:19,220 --> 00:28:21,700 that we miss the blessing of giving. 627 00:28:22,580 --> 00:28:27,140 We become blind to the joy of watching others enjoy life. 628 00:28:27,140 --> 00:28:30,420 Did you not enjoy seeing the children laugh 629 00:28:30,420 --> 00:28:32,700 and enjoy the idea of bubbles? 630 00:28:32,700 --> 00:28:34,740 They haven't even opened them yet. 631 00:28:34,740 --> 00:28:37,620 How much more fun will it be when they open them? 632 00:28:37,620 --> 00:28:39,620 And those bubbles are there for an instant 633 00:28:39,620 --> 00:28:41,100 and then they're gone, 634 00:28:41,100 --> 00:28:43,180 but won't it be enjoyable to watch them? 635 00:28:44,980 --> 00:28:46,740 If Solomon were here today, 636 00:28:46,740 --> 00:28:49,940 he would caution us against devoting ourselves to projects 637 00:28:49,940 --> 00:28:52,660 because he knows that projects tend to rule over us 638 00:28:52,660 --> 00:28:54,740 rather than us over them. 639 00:28:54,740 --> 00:28:57,220 He would tell us to be motivated in our work 640 00:28:57,220 --> 00:28:59,260 towards being a benefit to others, 641 00:28:59,260 --> 00:29:01,620 to be a blessing in our community. 642 00:29:01,620 --> 00:29:04,620 He would admonish selfish labors undertaken 643 00:29:04,620 --> 00:29:06,500 for one's own benefit. 644 00:29:06,500 --> 00:29:08,780 I imagine that Solomon, having written this, 645 00:29:08,780 --> 00:29:11,900 with all of his wives and concubines and staff, 646 00:29:11,900 --> 00:29:14,180 he was a man surrounded by people 647 00:29:14,180 --> 00:29:16,700 and yet constantly lonely. 648 00:29:19,660 --> 00:29:22,740 If for us believers, we live in such a different life 649 00:29:22,740 --> 00:29:25,700 than those who are guided by personal pleasures. 650 00:29:25,700 --> 00:29:29,580 We live differently from Dorian Gray and Ebenezer Scrooge 651 00:29:29,580 --> 00:29:31,220 and even Solomon before his repentance. 652 00:29:31,220 --> 00:29:33,700 As believers, we don't live like Darwin noted. 653 00:29:33,700 --> 00:29:35,180 Some of you learned this in school, 654 00:29:35,180 --> 00:29:38,260 this horrible heresy, the strongest survive. 655 00:29:38,260 --> 00:29:39,900 In fact, in scripture it says, 656 00:29:39,900 --> 00:29:42,740 we seek the survival of the weakest, 657 00:29:42,740 --> 00:29:44,660 of the most vulnerable. 658 00:29:46,540 --> 00:29:48,100 The same principles were promoted 659 00:29:48,100 --> 00:29:50,460 by Solomon thousands of years ago. 660 00:29:50,460 --> 00:29:52,900 We help the one who fell down. 661 00:29:52,900 --> 00:29:54,340 We help the one who's freezing. 662 00:29:54,340 --> 00:29:56,780 We help the one who's in danger. 663 00:29:58,500 --> 00:30:01,100 That's why we benefit from clear instructions, 664 00:30:01,100 --> 00:30:02,180 imperative commands. 665 00:30:02,180 --> 00:30:04,020 The New Testament is so helpful. 666 00:30:04,020 --> 00:30:06,940 If you wanna learn those, go to a passage like Romans 12. 667 00:30:06,940 --> 00:30:09,540 So many other New Testament passages as well 668 00:30:09,540 --> 00:30:11,780 teach us about life together. 669 00:30:11,780 --> 00:30:14,220 And you'll be blessed in that study. 670 00:30:14,220 --> 00:30:16,380 Now our final section here for the day, 671 00:30:16,380 --> 00:30:19,060 you might think is completely separate from everything 672 00:30:19,060 --> 00:30:20,500 that we've seen so far this morning, 673 00:30:20,500 --> 00:30:22,980 but I think there's a continuity of principles 674 00:30:22,980 --> 00:30:23,820 that are displayed. 675 00:30:23,820 --> 00:30:25,820 So for the final time, stretch your legs. 676 00:30:25,820 --> 00:30:27,900 Let's stand for the reading of God's word 677 00:30:27,900 --> 00:30:31,500 in Ecclesiastes four, verses 13 through 16. 678 00:30:33,380 --> 00:30:37,500 A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king 679 00:30:37,500 --> 00:30:40,500 who no longer knows how to receive warning. 680 00:30:40,500 --> 00:30:42,580 For he's come out of prison to become king 681 00:30:42,580 --> 00:30:45,900 even though he was born poor in his kingdom. 682 00:30:45,900 --> 00:30:48,740 I have seen all the living who walk about under the sun 683 00:30:48,740 --> 00:30:52,500 go along with the second lad who stands in place of him. 684 00:30:52,500 --> 00:30:54,780 There is no end to all the people, 685 00:30:54,780 --> 00:30:56,180 to all who were before them, 686 00:30:56,180 --> 00:30:58,540 and even to the ones who will come later, 687 00:30:58,540 --> 00:31:00,940 they will not be glad with him. 688 00:31:00,940 --> 00:31:05,940 For this too is vanity and striving after wind. 689 00:31:05,940 --> 00:31:10,940 You can be seeded. 690 00:31:12,060 --> 00:31:16,460 Now a brief context here is you look at that old foolish king 691 00:31:16,460 --> 00:31:20,540 versus the poor, wise lad or youth that your Bible may say. 692 00:31:20,540 --> 00:31:23,140 In the ancient Near East and generally in cultures, 693 00:31:23,140 --> 00:31:26,940 old age is associated with wisdom. 694 00:31:26,940 --> 00:31:28,300 Wisdom goes with old age. 695 00:31:28,300 --> 00:31:30,540 Wisdom doesn't tend to go with youth. 696 00:31:30,540 --> 00:31:33,860 So that's a bit shocking here that this young man is wise. 697 00:31:33,860 --> 00:31:36,060 Second, in the ancient Near East 698 00:31:36,060 --> 00:31:38,260 and in cultures around the world today, 699 00:31:38,260 --> 00:31:39,860 when you think about being poor, 700 00:31:39,860 --> 00:31:43,260 being poor means you don't have any access to education 701 00:31:43,260 --> 00:31:45,860 where you would grow to become wise. 702 00:31:45,860 --> 00:31:47,660 So you have an interesting conundrum. 703 00:31:47,660 --> 00:31:52,660 This young and poor person, how could they have wisdom? 704 00:31:53,180 --> 00:31:54,540 Yet they do. 705 00:31:54,540 --> 00:31:58,820 Here is such a man and he's contrasted as better 706 00:31:58,820 --> 00:32:00,660 than the old man. 707 00:32:00,660 --> 00:32:03,140 The old and foolish king. 708 00:32:03,140 --> 00:32:04,140 So we have to say, why? 709 00:32:04,140 --> 00:32:06,740 Why is he regarded as better? 710 00:32:06,740 --> 00:32:09,540 And the text says, because the king no longer knows 711 00:32:09,540 --> 00:32:12,540 how to receive counsel. 712 00:32:12,540 --> 00:32:15,940 The king is not living well in his community. 713 00:32:17,140 --> 00:32:20,140 The king has grown arrogant in his time of leadership. 714 00:32:20,140 --> 00:32:24,540 He thinks everything he does is right, is great. 715 00:32:24,540 --> 00:32:26,060 He doesn't listen to others. 716 00:32:26,060 --> 00:32:27,940 And so he's a fool. 717 00:32:27,940 --> 00:32:30,740 Note that Solomon says he no longer knows 718 00:32:30,740 --> 00:32:31,660 how to receive warning. 719 00:32:31,660 --> 00:32:33,740 He no longer knows how to take advice. 720 00:32:33,740 --> 00:32:36,740 That means at some point earlier, he did. 721 00:32:36,740 --> 00:32:39,260 At some point earlier, he received advice. 722 00:32:39,260 --> 00:32:42,340 At some point earlier, he was good at living 723 00:32:42,340 --> 00:32:44,340 in his community and listening to others. 724 00:32:45,340 --> 00:32:48,340 The king wasn't always foolish, but he became so 725 00:32:48,340 --> 00:32:51,140 in his pride and in his arrogance. 726 00:32:52,140 --> 00:32:57,140 That's contrasted with this poor and wise young youth. 727 00:32:57,140 --> 00:33:00,140 It says he came from prison to become king. 728 00:33:00,140 --> 00:33:03,140 Some people think it's a reference to Joseph rising up. 729 00:33:03,140 --> 00:33:05,740 Maybe, but the context is not clear. 730 00:33:05,740 --> 00:33:07,140 So that's not the emphasis. 731 00:33:07,140 --> 00:33:08,940 The Hebrew grammar is very difficult. 732 00:33:08,940 --> 00:33:11,340 Scholars have debated a few different views, 733 00:33:11,340 --> 00:33:14,540 but I think the plain reading gives us a clear emphasis. 734 00:33:14,540 --> 00:33:19,540 Age and position do not hold any legitimate significance 735 00:33:20,340 --> 00:33:22,540 nor does overcoming poverty. 736 00:33:24,340 --> 00:33:25,940 Harkening back to the past, 737 00:33:25,940 --> 00:33:28,540 harkening back to the passage we looked at briefly 738 00:33:28,540 --> 00:33:31,020 like Proverbs six and Proverbs 30 739 00:33:31,020 --> 00:33:33,060 and earlier in Ecclesiastes four 740 00:33:33,060 --> 00:33:35,180 about thinking about the rat race, 741 00:33:35,180 --> 00:33:37,940 I think it is reasonable to consider this 742 00:33:37,940 --> 00:33:41,660 that the poor and wise youth, he lived well in his community. 743 00:33:41,660 --> 00:33:45,540 He was practicing being one another person. 744 00:33:45,540 --> 00:33:49,620 He listened, he provided help and strength and comfort 745 00:33:49,620 --> 00:33:51,140 that we ought to provide to others. 746 00:33:51,140 --> 00:33:53,700 It seems like that young man didn't live for himself 747 00:33:53,700 --> 00:33:56,020 and he valued others because that's the opposite 748 00:33:56,020 --> 00:33:57,660 of what is said of the king. 749 00:33:59,340 --> 00:34:01,420 And people followed the first king, 750 00:34:01,420 --> 00:34:04,500 foolish and old as he was. 751 00:34:04,500 --> 00:34:06,700 I am not going to make connections 752 00:34:06,700 --> 00:34:08,420 to our political situation today 753 00:34:08,420 --> 00:34:11,140 because it is too on the nose. 754 00:34:15,660 --> 00:34:18,740 And after following that old and foolish king, 755 00:34:18,740 --> 00:34:21,820 the people follow the young and wise king 756 00:34:21,820 --> 00:34:24,260 who was once poor. 757 00:34:24,260 --> 00:34:26,340 It's a neat story for a time, 758 00:34:26,340 --> 00:34:28,260 but they're gonna forget him too. 759 00:34:29,380 --> 00:34:30,860 They'll forget the old foolish king, 760 00:34:30,860 --> 00:34:34,860 they'll forget the young wise once poor now rich king 761 00:34:34,860 --> 00:34:36,980 and they're gonna go on to the next 762 00:34:36,980 --> 00:34:38,420 and to the next and to the next. 763 00:34:38,420 --> 00:34:40,140 And that's what verse 15 says, 764 00:34:40,140 --> 00:34:43,180 it references a second lad or a second youth 765 00:34:43,180 --> 00:34:45,900 and the pronouns are what play a trick on us here. 766 00:34:45,900 --> 00:34:47,900 So I'm just gonna make it very simple. 767 00:34:47,900 --> 00:34:52,340 The him in verse 15 is the he of verse 14, 768 00:34:52,340 --> 00:34:55,620 which is the poor yet wise youth in verse 13. 769 00:34:55,620 --> 00:34:58,460 So there are three characters here. 770 00:34:58,460 --> 00:35:00,340 You have the old foolish king 771 00:35:00,340 --> 00:35:03,420 who's supplanted by the poor and wise youth. 772 00:35:03,420 --> 00:35:05,940 Then you have that poor and wise youth 773 00:35:05,940 --> 00:35:08,380 replaced by another youthful king. 774 00:35:08,380 --> 00:35:12,500 And every time the people just move on to the next one, 775 00:35:13,500 --> 00:35:16,300 they don't care about the rags to riches story. 776 00:35:16,300 --> 00:35:19,380 In the end, they just move on to the next ruler. 777 00:35:19,380 --> 00:35:22,540 So what's the advantage to the king who wants to rule? 778 00:35:23,980 --> 00:35:26,860 Verse 16 highlights that vast influence of the ruler. 779 00:35:26,860 --> 00:35:28,700 So many people are under his authority. 780 00:35:28,700 --> 00:35:32,540 So many yet will be glad when he is replaced. 781 00:35:32,540 --> 00:35:33,380 Oof. 782 00:35:34,620 --> 00:35:36,220 Now I think there are some clear connections 783 00:35:36,220 --> 00:35:38,660 with the previous section on companionship 784 00:35:38,660 --> 00:35:40,460 and community on the village. 785 00:35:40,460 --> 00:35:43,180 And there are principles for leadership here as well. 786 00:35:43,180 --> 00:35:46,740 Political gain or leading the village that you help create 787 00:35:46,740 --> 00:35:48,780 is not what you may expect. 788 00:35:48,780 --> 00:35:49,980 Once you have community, 789 00:35:49,980 --> 00:35:53,180 be careful about your aspirations for leadership. 790 00:35:53,180 --> 00:35:54,300 You may have good ideas. 791 00:35:54,300 --> 00:35:56,700 You may even have great ideas, 792 00:35:56,700 --> 00:35:58,540 but you may also find yourself in the position 793 00:35:58,540 --> 00:36:03,380 of the old foolish king not listening to others. 794 00:36:03,380 --> 00:36:06,020 So when you think about the sad state of forgotten kings, 795 00:36:06,020 --> 00:36:09,740 consider that the nature of this village 796 00:36:09,740 --> 00:36:11,660 is not for personal gain. 797 00:36:11,660 --> 00:36:13,580 It's not for authority. 798 00:36:13,580 --> 00:36:16,620 You can't be pursuing those things. 799 00:36:16,620 --> 00:36:19,420 You have to pursue the good of the community, 800 00:36:19,420 --> 00:36:21,780 the good of others. 801 00:36:21,780 --> 00:36:24,540 And a good leader knows that he doesn't know everything. 802 00:36:25,660 --> 00:36:27,620 He knows that he needs counsel. 803 00:36:27,620 --> 00:36:29,580 A good leader looks out for others 804 00:36:29,580 --> 00:36:31,340 and seeks to help them when they fall, 805 00:36:31,340 --> 00:36:34,700 seeks to keep everyone safe and protected. 806 00:36:34,700 --> 00:36:36,700 But even in doing so, a good leader, 807 00:36:36,700 --> 00:36:39,260 they lead not to be remembered, 808 00:36:39,260 --> 00:36:43,100 but simply for the intrinsic goodness of caring for others. 809 00:36:43,100 --> 00:36:45,660 And one day, hopefully they'll care for him. 810 00:36:47,500 --> 00:36:51,020 Now Solomon missed that aspect of building the village. 811 00:36:51,020 --> 00:36:53,420 He got so caught up in the rat race, 812 00:36:53,420 --> 00:36:56,220 so consumed with his own potential 813 00:36:56,220 --> 00:36:57,820 that he missed the simple pleasures 814 00:36:57,820 --> 00:37:00,140 of being a blessing to others. 815 00:37:00,140 --> 00:37:01,580 His family shows it. 816 00:37:02,860 --> 00:37:05,580 You wanna know one way to combat the love of money, 817 00:37:05,580 --> 00:37:09,020 one way to fight against the love of materialism 818 00:37:09,020 --> 00:37:11,340 and materialistic success? 819 00:37:11,340 --> 00:37:14,460 It's this, to help sever the love of money, 820 00:37:14,460 --> 00:37:16,220 spend your money on others. 821 00:37:17,740 --> 00:37:19,500 Give it away. 822 00:37:19,500 --> 00:37:23,500 Do it regularly, gladly, generously. 823 00:37:23,500 --> 00:37:25,980 That's how we encourage giving here at Oak Hill. 824 00:37:25,980 --> 00:37:29,260 Give regularly, gladly, and generously. 825 00:37:29,260 --> 00:37:32,540 But don't stop at that pattern with the Lord. 826 00:37:32,540 --> 00:37:35,500 Continue that same pattern with others. 827 00:37:35,500 --> 00:37:37,420 And don't restrict such generosity 828 00:37:37,420 --> 00:37:39,420 towards your finances. 829 00:37:39,420 --> 00:37:41,180 Give your time. 830 00:37:41,180 --> 00:37:42,980 Give your thoughts. 831 00:37:42,980 --> 00:37:44,380 Give your effort. 832 00:37:46,540 --> 00:37:49,180 Last Sunday, you saw the well of emotion come up 833 00:37:49,180 --> 00:37:52,040 when Jeff Steele began speaking about his family, 834 00:37:52,940 --> 00:37:54,820 specifically about his grandchildren, 835 00:37:54,820 --> 00:37:57,220 learning and growing and praying. 836 00:37:57,220 --> 00:37:59,900 And we've heard our little ones this morning say amen 837 00:37:59,900 --> 00:38:02,140 and stand with us and sing with us. 838 00:38:03,220 --> 00:38:06,260 I'm thankful to learn from men like Jeff Steele, 839 00:38:06,260 --> 00:38:08,940 other men in this church, and men like Solomon. 840 00:38:10,140 --> 00:38:14,540 The value in this life is not in what you earn, 841 00:38:14,540 --> 00:38:16,820 but in whom you have around you, 842 00:38:17,900 --> 00:38:22,900 your community, your family, your village. 843 00:38:25,060 --> 00:38:27,420 If you want a simple takeaway from the passage today, 844 00:38:27,420 --> 00:38:31,440 change your thinking from me to we. 845 00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:34,880 When you pray, don't ask God for you. 846 00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:37,240 Ask God for us. 847 00:38:37,240 --> 00:38:39,240 When you think about your plans, 848 00:38:39,240 --> 00:38:42,280 don't focus on what brings you satisfaction. 849 00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:43,880 Think about others. 850 00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:46,160 When you're prone to despair, reach out to a brother 851 00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:50,200 or sister who you know will pick you up when you've fallen, 852 00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:53,160 who will comfort you when the cold sets in. 853 00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:55,600 And if you don't know who those people are, 854 00:38:55,600 --> 00:38:57,760 you say, I don't have such a person, 855 00:38:57,760 --> 00:39:00,560 then become such a person for someone else. 856 00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:02,960 Be someone's helper. 857 00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:05,320 Be someone's protector. 858 00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:06,520 Be someone's friend. 859 00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:11,840 In response to Ecclesiastes 4 verses 4 through 16, 860 00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:15,080 you can honor God by striving not for yourself, 861 00:39:15,080 --> 00:39:16,680 but for others. 862 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:18,720 Be the one who provides help 863 00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:23,000 so you can receive it when the time comes. 864 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:26,800 Be the one who brings strength and protection 865 00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:30,200 so you can receive it when the time comes. 866 00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:33,520 Be the one who brings warmth and comfort 867 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:38,040 so you can receive it when the time comes. 868 00:39:39,120 --> 00:39:40,680 Now, as you consider these principles, 869 00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:43,280 I pray that you see the foreshadowing 870 00:39:43,280 --> 00:39:46,800 of the ultimate help and strength and comfort 871 00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:50,800 that comes from the perfect one, our Savior, Jesus Christ. 872 00:39:51,600 --> 00:39:54,880 He is and he has been all of these things for us, 873 00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:57,200 but he calls us to be like him as well. 874 00:39:57,200 --> 00:40:01,360 So our call is to pursue faithfully following his example, 875 00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:05,360 to pursue the good of our village. 876 00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:06,560 Let's pray together. 877 00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:09,720 God, we need help. 878 00:40:10,800 --> 00:40:12,640 We need help to avoid the rat race 879 00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:15,840 that we find ourselves in, big or small. 880 00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:18,360 We need help to build the village that's around us. 881 00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:22,040 We need help to consider our own motivations. 882 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:25,040 We need help to recognize the ways that we get caught up 883 00:40:25,040 --> 00:40:26,720 doing things for ourselves. 884 00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:33,000 God, please help to convict us of wrong thinking. 885 00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:36,160 Help us to see when we're envious of others. 886 00:40:37,160 --> 00:40:41,760 Help us to repent when we're envious and slothful and lazy. 887 00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:46,000 God, we ask that you would encourage our hearts 888 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:49,000 about what we do and what we do for others. 889 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:52,200 God, we ask that you would encourage our hearts about this 890 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:53,840 life that you've given. 891 00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:55,440 Remind us of the good blessings. 892 00:40:55,440 --> 00:40:59,200 Remind us of the joys that can come with fellowship, 893 00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:01,920 with companionship, with one another. 894 00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:08,200 God, we ask you to help us to be thankful 895 00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:10,280 when we're cared for by others. 896 00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:14,760 May we return praise to you because you provide us care 897 00:41:14,760 --> 00:41:19,760 through other people. God, we also ask that you would 898 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:24,800 guard us from bitterness when we feel left out of the village. 899 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:27,640 Help us to see that we often get in our own way 900 00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:28,800 of being included. 901 00:41:30,600 --> 00:41:33,840 And God, give us grace to be better friends, 902 00:41:33,840 --> 00:41:35,880 to be better companions. 903 00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:38,000 Equip us to be the kind of friend to others 904 00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:40,240 that we want for ourselves. 905 00:41:40,240 --> 00:41:43,080 God, we ask that you help us to enjoy and appreciate 906 00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:44,920 the village that you've given to us. 907 00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:47,920 May we seek to give more than we receive, 908 00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:50,280 and may we ultimately find peace and comfort 909 00:41:50,280 --> 00:41:53,400 in the true friend, the best companion, 910 00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:56,800 our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ. 911 00:41:58,160 --> 00:42:03,160 Help us to run the right race, not the rat race. 912 00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:06,640 Help us to rightly value our village. 913 00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:08,640 And help us to look forward to that purpose 914 00:42:08,640 --> 00:42:11,280 and help us to look forward to that perfect eternity. 915 00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:13,920 We see the shadows and glimpses here and now 916 00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:17,720 of good things to come, but help us long for that day 917 00:42:17,720 --> 00:42:19,920 when all is made right. 918 00:42:20,800 --> 00:42:23,000 Orient our hearts more towards you this morning 919 00:42:23,000 --> 00:42:26,280 as we continue in our worship through song. 920 00:42:26,280 --> 00:42:29,440 May we praise your son, Jesus, and may we recognize 921 00:42:29,440 --> 00:42:33,040 our hearts that stray and trust in you more, 922 00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:35,280 seeing that there is still good things that you have 923 00:42:35,280 --> 00:42:38,000 for us under this sun. 924 00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:40,600 We pray this in Christ's name, amen.