WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.740 And if you would now take your Bibles and open 00:00:02.740 --> 00:00:12.019 up to the Old Testament. Wisdom book. Of Ecclesiastes. 00:00:13.080 --> 00:00:18.480 Ecclesiastes chapter 7. As we continue in our 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.980 sermon series through this book, we're going 00:00:20.980 --> 00:00:24.179 to start in verse 15, simply picking up where 00:00:24.179 --> 00:00:28.280 we left off and taking it through the end of 00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:33.679 the chapter. And I would ask you to pay close 00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:38.619 attention because this is God's word, Ecclesiastes 00:00:38.619 --> 00:00:45.399 7 -15. In my vain life, I have seen everything. 00:00:46.500 --> 00:00:48.899 There is a righteous man who perishes in his 00:00:48.899 --> 00:00:52.600 righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs 00:00:52.600 --> 00:00:57.619 his life in his evil doing. Be not overly righteous 00:00:57.619 --> 00:01:01.700 and do not make yourself too wise. Why should 00:01:01.700 --> 00:01:05.680 you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither 00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:09.140 be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 00:01:10.019 --> 00:01:12.159 It is good that you should take hold of this, 00:01:12.579 --> 00:01:15.879 and from that withhold not your hand, for the 00:01:15.879 --> 00:01:19.079 one who fears God shall come out from both of 00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:22.680 them. Wisdom gives strength to the wise man, 00:01:23.180 --> 00:01:26.439 more than ten rulers who are in a city. Surely 00:01:26.439 --> 00:01:28.620 there is not a righteous man on earth who does 00:01:28.620 --> 00:01:31.599 good and never sins. Do not take to heart all 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:34.099 the things that people say lest you hear your 00:01:34.099 --> 00:01:37.280 servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:42.500 times you yourself have cursed others. All this 00:01:42.500 --> 00:01:45.500 I have tested by wisdom. I said I will be wise, 00:01:46.040 --> 00:01:49.579 but it was far from me. That which has been is 00:01:49.579 --> 00:01:52.180 far off and deep, very deep. Who can find it 00:01:52.180 --> 00:01:56.379 out? I turned my heart to know and to search 00:01:56.379 --> 00:01:59.719 out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things. 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:02.959 and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:06.200 that is madness, and I find something more bitter 00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:09.539 than death. The woman whose heart is snares and 00:02:09.539 --> 00:02:13.000 nets, and whose hands are fetters, he who pleases 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:16.319 God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 00:02:16.580 --> 00:02:19.099 Behold, this is what I found, says the preacher, 00:02:19.639 --> 00:02:21.860 while adding one thing to another to find the 00:02:21.860 --> 00:02:24.460 scheme of things, which my soul has sought repeatedly, 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:28.159 but I have not found. One man among a thousand 00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:32.530 I found. But a woman among all these I have not 00:02:32.530 --> 00:02:37.270 found See this alone I found that God made man 00:02:37.270 --> 00:02:41.129 upright But they have sought out many schemes 00:02:41.129 --> 00:02:48.069 Friends this is God's word. Let's pray Our Lord 00:02:48.069 --> 00:02:50.729 and our God and the father of the one who is 00:02:50.729 --> 00:02:55.169 called the word I Do ask that you would illumine 00:02:55.169 --> 00:02:58.770 our hearts and our minds that we would understand 00:02:59.210 --> 00:03:03.389 What is perhaps a perplexing text to us? Help 00:03:03.389 --> 00:03:06.349 us to see how this points to our Savior Jesus 00:03:06.349 --> 00:03:09.389 Christ Would you grant us the help of your spirit? 00:03:09.449 --> 00:03:17.909 We pray for Christ's sake amen If you can remember 00:03:17.909 --> 00:03:22.050 What did you think of the Christian faith before 00:03:22.050 --> 00:03:26.389 you were a Christian? Did you understand and 00:03:26.389 --> 00:03:28.490 maybe you're still figuring this out now Did 00:03:28.490 --> 00:03:32.330 you understand that the Christian faith is one 00:03:32.330 --> 00:03:38.430 of at times suffering of? Trouble of challenge 00:03:38.430 --> 00:03:43.550 of difficulty of sadness We know that Jesus said 00:03:43.550 --> 00:03:46.389 there would be times of trouble and we know that 00:03:46.389 --> 00:03:49.050 Jesus said take up your cross and follow me But 00:03:49.050 --> 00:03:54.020 do we really get it? What are our thoughts about 00:03:54.020 --> 00:03:57.139 the Christian faith? When we're going through 00:03:57.139 --> 00:04:00.900 something terribly difficult Do we expect that 00:04:00.900 --> 00:04:05.419 all things will go well? Because we're Christians 00:04:05.419 --> 00:04:12.020 Well friends Maybe we think it'll go well for 00:04:12.020 --> 00:04:17.660 a time or a season But trouble is coming we will 00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:22.019 all experience it no doubt you've felt it before. 00:04:22.379 --> 00:04:26.540 You've seen it before. A young pastor recently 00:04:26.540 --> 00:04:30.139 ordained loses his son to death in the night. 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:34.000 The doctors don't know why. A missionary is killed 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:38.079 by the very people he sought to convert. A woman 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:40.300 comes down with terminal cancer who's doing a 00:04:40.300 --> 00:04:43.199 phenomenal job loving her husband and her children. 00:04:43.259 --> 00:04:48.519 Why do these things happen? It's the classic 00:04:48.519 --> 00:04:52.629 question. Why do bad things happen to good people? 00:04:53.689 --> 00:04:57.850 Have you ever been asked that? Have you ever 00:04:57.850 --> 00:05:02.430 yourself asked that question? Why do bad things 00:05:02.430 --> 00:05:05.209 happen to good people? I was asked this question. 00:05:05.350 --> 00:05:07.069 I think I've shared this before. I was inside 00:05:07.069 --> 00:05:10.910 of a women's prison doing prison ministry and 00:05:10.910 --> 00:05:13.449 a young woman incarcerated for a long time asked 00:05:13.449 --> 00:05:15.689 me that question. Why do bad things happen to 00:05:15.689 --> 00:05:20.000 good people? Why am I here? To be honest with 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:24.139 you, I didn't know the answer. R .C. Sproul gave 00:05:24.139 --> 00:05:26.740 perhaps the finest answer I have ever heard. 00:05:26.839 --> 00:05:29.060 Why do bad things happen to good people? He said, 00:05:29.680 --> 00:05:32.279 that's only happened once. And he volunteered. 00:05:33.300 --> 00:05:37.319 Jesus is the one who does good all of the time. 00:05:38.620 --> 00:05:42.100 But when bad things happen, people tend to respond 00:05:42.100 --> 00:05:46.480 in very unhealthy, ungodly ways. When things 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:49.379 aren't going our way, do we just think, well, 00:05:49.459 --> 00:05:52.339 I must not be living up to God's standard. I 00:05:52.339 --> 00:05:55.420 must not be righteous enough. I just need to 00:05:55.420 --> 00:05:59.620 try harder. Or you have those who say, well, 00:05:59.620 --> 00:06:04.339 I'll just give up. What's the point? You know 00:06:04.339 --> 00:06:09.579 what we probably would not say? Verses 16 and 00:06:09.579 --> 00:06:16.180 17. Be not overly righteous. Don't be too wise, 00:06:16.680 --> 00:06:20.920 don't be too wicked, just don't. Amen, let's 00:06:20.920 --> 00:06:25.620 pray, right? No, this is a perplexing statement. 00:06:27.420 --> 00:06:29.779 Professor Benjamin Shaw says these verses are 00:06:29.779 --> 00:06:32.920 a commentator's nightmare. He probably wrote 00:06:32.920 --> 00:06:34.819 that from the comfort of his own home or office 00:06:34.819 --> 00:06:38.060 rather than preaching in front of people. So 00:06:38.060 --> 00:06:41.860 let's ask ourselves, how is this passage to quote 00:06:41.860 --> 00:06:44.189 from Second Timothy, profitable for teaching, 00:06:44.449 --> 00:06:46.069 for reproof, for correction, and for training 00:06:46.069 --> 00:06:49.050 in righteousness. How is this passage useful 00:06:49.050 --> 00:06:54.490 to us? Well, let's remember what Solomon is doing 00:06:54.490 --> 00:06:58.379 here. Solomon is putting on his detective's hat. 00:06:58.540 --> 00:07:01.319 He's going after some of the mysteries, some 00:07:01.319 --> 00:07:04.480 of the things that he sees in life that he doesn't 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:07.279 understand. It's like he's on unsolved mysteries. 00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:10.779 He's trying to unlock life's most baffling whodunits. 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:14.079 And this one relates to righteousness and to 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:20.720 wisdom. And so, look at verse 15. In my vain 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:27.170 life, I have seen everything. everything he says. 00:07:27.589 --> 00:07:30.209 Now this is hyperbole, this is exaggeration. 00:07:30.389 --> 00:07:32.850 It's seen everything, but what's really perplexing 00:07:32.850 --> 00:07:35.990 to him is what continues. There is a righteous 00:07:35.990 --> 00:07:39.370 man who perishes in his righteousness and there 00:07:39.370 --> 00:07:42.470 is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his 00:07:42.470 --> 00:07:47.129 evil doing. Meaning the righteous sometimes die 00:07:47.129 --> 00:07:53.009 and suffer while the wicked prosper. And so as 00:07:53.009 --> 00:07:56.060 he sees this in his life, It is perplexing. He 00:07:56.060 --> 00:07:59.480 doesn't understand. It's tough for him, and it's 00:07:59.480 --> 00:08:03.399 probably tough for us as well. Why do the wicked 00:08:03.399 --> 00:08:07.660 prosper while the faithful suffer? The crook 00:08:07.660 --> 00:08:10.899 should not get rich, and the liar should not 00:08:10.899 --> 00:08:13.360 get his way, and the murderer should be the one 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:15.339 who loses his life, but sometimes it doesn't 00:08:15.339 --> 00:08:24.480 seem to happen that way. But friends, long life. 00:08:24.779 --> 00:08:27.540 Maybe this makes it more perplexing long life 00:08:27.540 --> 00:08:29.720 and the scriptures are often seen as a blessing 00:08:29.720 --> 00:08:33.440 from God, right? And so that makes it even more 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:37.139 challenging, right? It seems like life is maybe 00:08:37.139 --> 00:08:41.139 unfair You think of the fifth commandment to 00:08:41.139 --> 00:08:44.460 honor your father and your mother and your days 00:08:44.460 --> 00:08:47.200 will be long in the land that God gives to you 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:49.960 How do we understand that kind of a commandment 00:08:49.960 --> 00:08:52.399 that kind of a even a promise? Well friends, 00:08:52.759 --> 00:08:55.789 this is not a blanket statement We have plenty 00:08:55.789 --> 00:08:59.850 of examples in the scriptures of those who love 00:08:59.850 --> 00:09:04.490 God suffering for it, right? We've already mentioned 00:09:04.490 --> 00:09:08.429 many times Cain and Abel. What about this from 00:09:08.429 --> 00:09:12.850 Psalm 73? The observation from the psalmist who 00:09:12.850 --> 00:09:16.909 says, such are the wicked, always at ease, the 00:09:16.909 --> 00:09:20.909 increase in riches, all in vain. I have kept 00:09:20.909 --> 00:09:23.450 my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence 00:09:23.450 --> 00:09:27.330 for all day long I have been plagued and am punished 00:09:27.330 --> 00:09:31.250 every morning. Sometimes friends the faithful 00:09:31.250 --> 00:09:34.889 just don't live to a ripe old age while the wicked 00:09:34.889 --> 00:09:38.809 prosper. How perplexed you think must Solomon 00:09:38.809 --> 00:09:41.769 would Solomon have been to see all of Jesus's 00:09:41.769 --> 00:09:46.450 disciples suffering as they did. Solomon though 00:09:46.450 --> 00:09:48.850 knows the answer to why things are this way. 00:09:49.320 --> 00:09:52.960 He's already shown us many times the bigger question 00:09:52.960 --> 00:09:57.960 to why these things happen is How shall we live 00:09:57.960 --> 00:10:02.899 in such paradox? how shall we live in such a 00:10:02.899 --> 00:10:06.960 world where the righteous die and the wicked 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:11.899 prosper Well, here's to get back to it a little 00:10:11.899 --> 00:10:16.179 bit the two dangers the two unhealthy ungodly 00:10:16.179 --> 00:10:19.000 ways that people approach trouble and suffering 00:10:19.320 --> 00:10:22.980 people who say on this hand things aren't going 00:10:22.980 --> 00:10:26.820 well, I just got to do better. I got to lace 00:10:26.820 --> 00:10:29.159 up my sneakers a little bit tighter. I got to 00:10:29.159 --> 00:10:31.679 get my hands dirty. I got a knuckle down. I'm 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:36.340 just not righteous enough. These are those that 00:10:36.340 --> 00:10:42.820 Brian Chappell calls sola bootstrappa. I like 00:10:42.820 --> 00:10:47.399 it too, right? Pulling oneself by one's own bootstraps, 00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:51.580 but the other On the other hand, those who say 00:10:51.580 --> 00:10:54.059 if the same end befits us all and the wicked 00:10:54.059 --> 00:10:59.580 prosper, why not just sin more? Let's put God's 00:10:59.580 --> 00:11:02.799 grace to work. So these are the two dangers. 00:11:02.860 --> 00:11:08.120 And if I can use more technical terms, legalism 00:11:08.120 --> 00:11:13.480 and antinomianism, right? Legalism that says, 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:16.879 yes, I can do those things, God, but I can do 00:11:16.879 --> 00:11:20.970 them better. The antinomian, which quite literally 00:11:20.970 --> 00:11:24.389 means against the law, those who perhaps say, 00:11:24.409 --> 00:11:28.090 oh, I've been baptized, I profess faith in Jesus 00:11:28.090 --> 00:11:31.049 Christ, and therefore I'm good to go, I can live 00:11:31.049 --> 00:11:34.990 however I want. Friends, hear this quote from 00:11:34.990 --> 00:11:38.870 Thornwell who said, the gospel, like its blessed 00:11:38.870 --> 00:11:42.929 master, is always crucified between two thieves. 00:11:44.040 --> 00:11:48.100 Legalism of all sorts on the one hand and antinomians 00:11:48.100 --> 00:11:51.559 on the other. The former robbing the Savior of 00:11:51.559 --> 00:11:55.440 the glory of his work for us and the other robbing 00:11:55.440 --> 00:12:02.039 him of the glory of his work within us. Friends, 00:12:03.059 --> 00:12:05.659 as we look at these two dangers, I want us to 00:12:05.659 --> 00:12:09.100 see that there is a better way. There is a better 00:12:09.100 --> 00:12:13.159 path forward and His name is Jesus. But please, 00:12:13.159 --> 00:12:16.820 as you see this perplexing statement here, don't 00:12:16.820 --> 00:12:21.000 be too righteous. Please understand this. Solomon 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:24.860 is not saying disregard practical means of growth 00:12:24.860 --> 00:12:27.639 and holiness. He's not saying that. Actually, 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:30.799 he upholds wisdom and righteousness in verse 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:38.289 19. But look at verse 20. This is where it all 00:12:38.289 --> 00:12:43.549 hinges. Surely there is not a righteous man on 00:12:43.549 --> 00:12:49.070 earth who does good and never sins. There's not. 00:12:50.250 --> 00:12:54.870 That was true in Solomon's day, and that is true 00:12:54.870 --> 00:12:59.990 in our day. All of our strivings will not make 00:12:59.990 --> 00:13:03.490 us righteous before God, and yet this is how 00:13:03.490 --> 00:13:09.379 many people think. I heard a song just yesterday 00:13:09.379 --> 00:13:12.000 and I wanted to share the lyrics because I think 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:15.679 it captures this perfectly. It's by a Christian 00:13:15.679 --> 00:13:18.659 contemporary artist named Matthew West. He said, 00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:22.279 I used to think grace was a ladder. Every sinner 00:13:22.279 --> 00:13:26.019 had to climb. If only I could do better, I could 00:13:26.019 --> 00:13:29.120 earn it over time. Tried to work my way to good, 00:13:29.259 --> 00:13:32.740 trouble is I never could. But then you showed 00:13:32.740 --> 00:13:37.019 me just exactly how grace works. I'm not loved 00:13:37.019 --> 00:13:40.720 because I'm worthy. I'm loved because you're 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:47.200 good. Period. I'm loved because you're good. 00:13:47.559 --> 00:13:50.600 Looking to ourselves for righteousness, being 00:13:50.600 --> 00:13:54.179 wise in our own eyes, pursuing wickedness, the 00:13:54.179 --> 00:13:57.480 results of this kind of behavior will be utterly 00:13:57.480 --> 00:14:00.980 devastating upon us. You need the righteousness 00:14:00.980 --> 00:14:07.110 of another. And for you who have it, keep looking 00:14:07.110 --> 00:14:10.389 to Him and trusting in Him for His righteousness 00:14:10.389 --> 00:14:14.129 because you see what the problem is. Look at 00:14:14.129 --> 00:14:21.190 verse 29. This alone I found that God made man 00:14:21.190 --> 00:14:24.830 upright, but they have sought out many schemes. 00:14:24.830 --> 00:14:29.129 We are to think here of what happened after creation. 00:14:29.129 --> 00:14:32.409 We are to think of the fall into sin. With Adam 00:14:32.409 --> 00:14:35.309 and Eve, they were walking in perfect relationship 00:14:35.309 --> 00:14:40.750 with God. All was right in the world until it 00:14:40.750 --> 00:14:44.049 wasn't. God gave them freedom to sin and freedom 00:14:44.049 --> 00:14:46.909 not to sin. Thinking that they would acquire 00:14:46.909 --> 00:14:51.049 wisdom, Adam plunged the whole world into sin. 00:14:51.470 --> 00:14:54.809 And Solomon's statement has been correct ever 00:14:54.809 --> 00:14:58.460 since. And so what is Solomon doing here? He's 00:14:58.460 --> 00:15:01.539 looking around. He's looking near and he's looking 00:15:01.539 --> 00:15:03.919 far. He's looking high and he's looking low, 00:15:03.940 --> 00:15:07.159 trying to find is there anybody on the face of 00:15:07.159 --> 00:15:09.379 this earth who does good all the time and never 00:15:09.379 --> 00:15:18.960 sins? And does he find it? No. No. A similar 00:15:18.960 --> 00:15:22.679 episode happens with Abraham. Do you remember 00:15:22.679 --> 00:15:27.730 Abraham haggling with God? over mercy towards 00:15:27.730 --> 00:15:33.230 Sodom? What a statement that is. Abraham in prayer 00:15:33.230 --> 00:15:36.210 says, God, will you destroy this place if there 00:15:36.210 --> 00:15:40.289 are 50 righteous people in it? And God says no. 00:15:40.789 --> 00:15:44.230 And he talks him down from 50 to 45 to 40 to 00:15:44.230 --> 00:15:47.389 30 to 20 to 10 and says, God, if there are 10 00:15:47.389 --> 00:15:49.870 righteous people in this place, will you destroy 00:15:49.870 --> 00:15:52.429 it? And God says no to these things. But then 00:15:52.429 --> 00:15:57.799 Abraham stops. and he doesn't continue haggling 00:15:57.799 --> 00:16:04.860 with God, why? The text doesn't tell us, but 00:16:04.860 --> 00:16:07.720 I think we can understand two things about it. 00:16:07.860 --> 00:16:11.139 One, he stops because he understands the mercy 00:16:11.139 --> 00:16:14.759 of God. If any one will be saved, it'll be because 00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:19.360 God shows him mercy, the righteous for the unrighteous. 00:16:20.360 --> 00:16:24.279 And two, Abraham stops because there is no unrighteous. 00:16:24.750 --> 00:16:30.070 He gets to the end of the line. Here's the good 00:16:30.070 --> 00:16:37.730 news, though. Abraham stops. God does not. Abraham 00:16:37.730 --> 00:16:41.149 stops. God does not. He spares Lot and his daughters. 00:16:41.710 --> 00:16:44.049 And yet with Solomon here, he's looking around. 00:16:44.190 --> 00:16:47.009 He doesn't haggle at all. He just looks and sees 00:16:47.009 --> 00:16:53.669 there is none. There are none righteous. Why? 00:16:54.889 --> 00:16:59.769 Because we are urged to look for righteousness 00:16:59.769 --> 00:17:05.650 elsewhere He also understands that in our unrighteousness 00:17:05.650 --> 00:17:10.450 oftentimes we give in to temptation that sometimes 00:17:10.450 --> 00:17:15.990 we play with the fire of temptation look in verses 00:17:15.990 --> 00:17:22.029 26 and 27 This kind of temptation Solomon knows 00:17:22.029 --> 00:17:25.829 a thing or two about that He's been burned by 00:17:25.829 --> 00:17:29.869 it, and he's done the burning. What Solomon's 00:17:29.869 --> 00:17:32.670 doing here is he's describing a particular kind 00:17:32.670 --> 00:17:37.869 of woman. Do you remember the sort of women that 00:17:37.869 --> 00:17:43.490 Solomon pursued? Let me give an innocent plug 00:17:43.490 --> 00:17:48.130 for Sunday school, particularly the fellowship 00:17:48.130 --> 00:17:50.609 Sunday school class in which we have been reading 00:17:50.609 --> 00:17:56.589 about this. First King's Chapter 11, verses 1 00:17:56.589 --> 00:18:03.130 through 4, reads like this. Now King Solomon 00:18:03.130 --> 00:18:07.210 loved many foreign women, along with the daughter 00:18:07.210 --> 00:18:12.430 of Pharaoh, Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, 00:18:12.690 --> 00:18:16.029 and Hittite women. From the nations concerning 00:18:16.029 --> 00:18:17.910 which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, 00:18:18.009 --> 00:18:21.440 you shall not Enter into covenant into marriage 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:25.519 with them neither shall they with you for surely 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:29.619 they will turn away your heart after their gods 00:18:29.619 --> 00:18:34.319 Solomon clung to these in love he had 700 wives 00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:38.619 who were princesses and 300 concubines and his 00:18:38.619 --> 00:18:46.539 wives turned away his hearts and so as you see 00:18:46.539 --> 00:18:49.869 Solomon here the teacher, the preacher, the one 00:18:49.869 --> 00:18:53.950 called Kohelet. As you see him making these statements 00:18:53.950 --> 00:18:58.210 about women and temptation that is here, we must 00:18:58.210 --> 00:19:01.410 understand that this is not a condemnation of 00:19:01.410 --> 00:19:07.410 women. This is not a gender issue. What he is 00:19:07.410 --> 00:19:13.049 getting at is the real problem. Our fallenness, 00:19:13.690 --> 00:19:18.170 the temptation to sin, those who toy with our 00:19:18.170 --> 00:19:22.470 sin instead of fleeing from it. You all know 00:19:22.470 --> 00:19:26.849 John Owen who famously said be killing sin or 00:19:26.849 --> 00:19:29.890 it be killing you. And so what he's showing us 00:19:29.890 --> 00:19:32.490 here is is that when we give into these things 00:19:32.490 --> 00:19:36.890 they are terribly destructive. And I find something 00:19:36.890 --> 00:19:40.109 more bitter than death. The woman whose heart 00:19:40.109 --> 00:19:42.869 is snares and nets and whose hands are fetters. 00:19:42.990 --> 00:19:45.569 He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner 00:19:45.569 --> 00:19:50.690 is taken by her. Who else could write that? But 00:19:50.690 --> 00:19:54.750 Solomon. And so his experience is playing into 00:19:54.750 --> 00:19:58.950 this. But please also see this. Men are not faring 00:19:58.950 --> 00:20:02.750 any better. The playing field is level, according 00:20:02.750 --> 00:20:06.130 to verse 20 and 29. And even if you crunch the 00:20:06.130 --> 00:20:10.099 numbers of 28 men, come out only one -tenth of 00:20:10.099 --> 00:20:13.099 a percentage point better than women in Solomon's 00:20:13.099 --> 00:20:17.759 experience. And this is not dogma. This is his 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:22.519 experience. That we all fall short of the glory 00:20:22.519 --> 00:20:26.400 of God. Look at verses 21 and 22, because this 00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:29.579 illustrates this. Do not take to heart all the 00:20:29.579 --> 00:20:32.640 things that people say, lest you hear your servant 00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:37.750 cursing you. Your heart. Knows that many times 00:20:37.750 --> 00:20:43.089 you yourself have cursed others What is he doing 00:20:43.089 --> 00:20:48.250 but illustrating this point? That we all struggle 00:20:48.250 --> 00:20:53.329 with sin We all struggle with temptation But 00:20:53.329 --> 00:20:57.930 because we all do Shouldn't we be much more quick 00:20:57.930 --> 00:21:02.609 to forgive? Do we really need to be hung up? 00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:05.720 on every single little problem that we have with 00:21:05.720 --> 00:21:09.039 one another, knowing how sinful we are as well, 00:21:09.640 --> 00:21:14.019 that's what he wants you to see, right? And he 00:21:14.019 --> 00:21:18.779 wants us to see that men and women left to their 00:21:18.779 --> 00:21:23.599 own devices are hopelessly unrighteous, foolish, 00:21:24.579 --> 00:21:27.460 and wicked. Have you ever heard of the name G 00:21:27.460 --> 00:21:32.130 .K. Chesterton? In 1908, the Times newspaper 00:21:32.130 --> 00:21:35.150 reached out to a number of famous writers and 00:21:35.150 --> 00:21:38.309 said, would you please respond to this question? 00:21:38.549 --> 00:21:41.250 And the question was this, what is wrong with 00:21:41.250 --> 00:21:45.210 the world? Chesterton wrote back, dear sirs, 00:21:45.329 --> 00:21:51.910 I am. Sincerely, GK Chesterton. Friends, since 00:21:51.910 --> 00:21:54.750 we have all fallen short, what are we to do? 00:21:56.170 --> 00:21:58.950 We must recognize that God provides the way of 00:21:58.950 --> 00:22:04.009 escape, and he provides the righteousness. Look 00:22:04.009 --> 00:22:08.549 at verse 26. I've already read this a couple 00:22:08.549 --> 00:22:10.569 of times, but he says there's something worse 00:22:10.569 --> 00:22:13.589 than death. People sought out many schemes. What 00:22:13.589 --> 00:22:16.690 they do and what we do sometimes is to twist 00:22:16.690 --> 00:22:19.329 what is good into something that which is wicked, 00:22:19.910 --> 00:22:24.730 right? But God's word is clear on this. Hebrews 00:22:24.730 --> 00:22:29.279 12 one. let us lay aside every weight and sin 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:34.759 which clings so closely. Jesus says it too, right? 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:37.420 He talks about our hand causing us to sin or 00:22:37.420 --> 00:22:42.920 our eye, right? To take that out, right? And 00:22:42.920 --> 00:22:45.519 so maybe we can apply that into our own lives. 00:22:45.700 --> 00:22:49.299 I don't have a phone up here with me, but if 00:22:49.299 --> 00:22:53.079 your cell phone causes you, tempts you to sin, 00:22:53.980 --> 00:22:59.609 throw it in the trash can. If your job over and 00:22:59.609 --> 00:23:02.150 over again tempts you to sin, then maybe you 00:23:02.150 --> 00:23:08.750 need to consider a new job. If your friends over 00:23:08.750 --> 00:23:11.970 and over again tempt you to sin, maybe you need 00:23:11.970 --> 00:23:16.430 some new friends. You see it from our text, the 00:23:16.430 --> 00:23:19.349 one who does good before God is the one who escapes 00:23:19.349 --> 00:23:23.210 his sin. Perhaps there's no better spot to see 00:23:23.210 --> 00:23:27.779 this than in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. Verse 00:23:27.779 --> 00:23:31.039 13, some of you I believe have this memorized. 00:23:31.940 --> 00:23:35.779 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common 00:23:35.779 --> 00:23:39.440 to man and God is faithful and he will not let 00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:42.319 you be tempted beyond your ability. But with 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:45.019 the temptation, he will also provide the way 00:23:45.019 --> 00:23:48.660 of escape that you may be able to endure it. 00:23:48.660 --> 00:23:52.779 Friends, it is true. God provides the way of 00:23:52.779 --> 00:24:01.920 escape. But let's say that your sin has you so 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:06.019 wrapped up in it. You're so entangled by it that 00:24:06.019 --> 00:24:09.799 you cannot get out of it on your own. What then? 00:24:11.160 --> 00:24:13.339 Well, friends, that's kind of the point, isn't 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:16.680 it? That's kind of the point. You need God's 00:24:16.680 --> 00:24:21.140 help. You need His rescue. You cannot do it on 00:24:21.140 --> 00:24:24.450 your own. Ancient Church Father John Chrysostom 00:24:24.450 --> 00:24:27.150 said, Paul implies, reflecting on 1 Corinthians 00:24:27.150 --> 00:24:31.630 10 .13, Paul implies that there are temptations 00:24:31.630 --> 00:24:38.049 that we cannot bear. What are they? All of them, 00:24:38.069 --> 00:24:42.049 in effect. The ability to bear them comes only 00:24:42.049 --> 00:24:46.789 from God's grace. And that is a very, very true 00:24:46.789 --> 00:24:51.210 statement. Just like Solomon's observation, Surely 00:24:51.210 --> 00:24:57.109 there is not a righteous man on earth. Well friends 00:24:57.109 --> 00:25:03.250 Surely there is Surely there is and this is Christ 00:25:03.250 --> 00:25:06.150 For second Corinthians 521 says for our sake 00:25:06.150 --> 00:25:09.829 he made him who knew no sin to be sin So that 00:25:09.829 --> 00:25:13.109 in him we might become the righteousness of God 00:25:13.109 --> 00:25:17.690 Jesus is our righteousness and Jesus is our wisdom 00:25:17.690 --> 00:25:20.650 and so Christian Whether you're battling sin, 00:25:21.730 --> 00:25:24.589 whether you're enduring temptation, whether you're 00:25:24.589 --> 00:25:26.890 suffering through the miseries of this life, 00:25:27.170 --> 00:25:31.269 you need one thing. You need the righteousness 00:25:31.269 --> 00:25:36.109 of Christ. You see, Christ fulfills verse 20 00:25:36.109 --> 00:25:41.329 that I've said many times over. Christ also fulfills 00:25:41.329 --> 00:25:45.930 verse 15. Let me read it again. In my vain life, 00:25:45.930 --> 00:25:49.109 I've seen everything. There is a righteous man 00:25:49.109 --> 00:25:54.190 who perishes in his righteousness. Jesus perished 00:25:54.190 --> 00:26:00.210 in his righteousness so you could have it. The 00:26:00.210 --> 00:26:04.410 righteous for the unrighteous. Let's pray.