WEBVTT 00:00:00.170 --> 00:00:03.029 And so, yes, would you take your Bibles and open 00:00:03.029 --> 00:00:16.449 them to Ecclesiastes chapter 8? Ecclesiastes 00:00:16.449 --> 00:00:20.609 chapter 8, and we will look to do, or at least 00:00:20.609 --> 00:00:24.350 to read through the whole chapter. If I can say 00:00:24.350 --> 00:00:27.929 something about chapter 8, it's notoriously difficult 00:00:27.929 --> 00:00:32.829 to translate. And so as we may be looking at 00:00:32.829 --> 00:00:37.310 different versions within our English Bibles, 00:00:37.390 --> 00:00:39.850 you may notice that yours sounds a little bit 00:00:39.850 --> 00:00:42.810 different than mine. Again, it's notoriously 00:00:42.810 --> 00:00:46.869 difficult to translate, but here is where prayer 00:00:46.869 --> 00:00:50.469 helps us. We ought to always pray as we read 00:00:50.469 --> 00:00:53.210 Scripture, and so I'm going to read this passage 00:00:53.210 --> 00:00:56.729 for us, and I'll pray asking for the Lord's help. 00:00:57.189 --> 00:01:00.479 Would you follow along? from Ecclesiastes 8. 00:01:02.759 --> 00:01:06.500 Who is like the wise and who knows the interpretation 00:01:06.500 --> 00:01:10.939 of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine 00:01:10.939 --> 00:01:15.359 and the hardness of his face is changed. I say 00:01:15.359 --> 00:01:18.920 keep the King's command because of God's oath 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:23.000 to him. Be not hasty to go from his presence. 00:01:23.700 --> 00:01:27.900 Do not take your stand in an evil way. For he 00:01:27.900 --> 00:01:30.439 does whatever he pleases. For the word of the 00:01:30.439 --> 00:01:33.459 Lord or the word of the King is supreme. And 00:01:33.459 --> 00:01:36.180 who may say to him, what are you doing? Whoever 00:01:36.180 --> 00:01:39.939 keeps a command will know no evil thing. And 00:01:39.939 --> 00:01:42.760 the wise heart will know the proper time and 00:01:42.760 --> 00:01:46.219 the just way. For there is a time and a way for 00:01:46.219 --> 00:01:48.540 everything. Although man's trouble lies heavy 00:01:48.540 --> 00:01:52.819 on him. For he does not know what is to be. For 00:01:52.819 --> 00:01:56.540 who can tell him how it will be? No man has power 00:01:56.540 --> 00:01:59.920 to retain the spirit or power over the day of 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:04.000 death. There is no discharge from war, nor will 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:06.500 wickedness deliver those who are given to it. 00:02:07.340 --> 00:02:10.460 All this I observed while applying my heart to 00:02:10.460 --> 00:02:13.960 all that is done under the sun when man had power 00:02:13.960 --> 00:02:17.560 over man to his hurt. Then I saw the wicked buried. 00:02:18.259 --> 00:02:20.360 They used to go in and out of the holy place 00:02:20.360 --> 00:02:22.650 and were praised in the city. where they had 00:02:22.650 --> 00:02:26.349 done such things, this also is vanity. Because 00:02:26.349 --> 00:02:29.310 the sentence against an evil deed is not executed 00:02:29.310 --> 00:02:32.810 speedily, the heart of the children of man is 00:02:32.810 --> 00:02:36.129 fully set to do evil. Though a sinner does evil 00:02:36.129 --> 00:02:38.770 a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I 00:02:38.770 --> 00:02:41.909 know that it will be well with those who fear 00:02:41.909 --> 00:02:46.189 God, because they fear before him. But it will 00:02:46.189 --> 00:02:48.840 not be well with the wicked. neither will he 00:02:48.840 --> 00:02:51.520 prolong his days like a shadow because he does 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:55.300 not fear before God. There is a vanity that takes 00:02:55.300 --> 00:02:58.360 place on earth that there are righteous people 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:00.719 to whom it happens according to the deeds of 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:04.039 the wicked and there are wicked people to whom 00:03:04.039 --> 00:03:06.439 it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. 00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:10.479 I said that this also is vanity and I commend 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:13.900 joy for man has nothing better under the sun 00:03:13.900 --> 00:03:16.759 but to eat and drink and be joyful. for this 00:03:16.759 --> 00:03:19.740 will go with him in his toil through the days 00:03:19.740 --> 00:03:22.800 of his life that God has given him under the 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:26.099 sun. When I applied my heart to know wisdom and 00:03:26.099 --> 00:03:28.759 to see the business that is done on earth, how 00:03:28.759 --> 00:03:32.460 neither day nor night do one's eyes see sleep. 00:03:32.539 --> 00:03:36.919 Then I saw all the work of God that man cannot 00:03:36.919 --> 00:03:39.659 find out the work that is done under the sun. 00:03:40.460 --> 00:03:43.500 However much man may toil in seeking, he will 00:03:43.500 --> 00:03:46.840 not find it out. Even though a wise man claims 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:51.840 to know, he cannot find it out. Friends, this 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:57.599 is God's word. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, 00:03:57.620 --> 00:04:02.219 we come before you with your word open before 00:04:02.219 --> 00:04:07.740 us. And in what is perhaps a difficult chapter 00:04:07.740 --> 00:04:12.439 for us, we ask for your help. We know that it's 00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:15.530 your word. and we know that you are all -wise 00:04:15.530 --> 00:04:19.569 and all -powerful and all -righteous and that 00:04:19.569 --> 00:04:23.129 your word is indeed truth. Lord, would you help 00:04:23.129 --> 00:04:26.350 us to see it that way? Would you open up the 00:04:26.350 --> 00:04:30.750 eyes of our hearts to trust you as we study Ecclesiastes 00:04:30.750 --> 00:04:39.000 8? We pray in Christ's name. Amen. Do any of 00:04:39.000 --> 00:04:42.899 you own or have you owned a greatest hits album? 00:04:44.779 --> 00:04:47.160 You know what I'm talking about? Maybe your favorite 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:49.980 artist has been producing music for many years 00:04:49.980 --> 00:04:52.860 or even decades and they've had all their hits 00:04:52.860 --> 00:04:56.639 on the radio and So they come out with a new 00:04:56.639 --> 00:04:59.959 album. That's not really all that new It's just 00:04:59.959 --> 00:05:03.199 their best hits on the same album. You know what 00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:08.860 I'm talking about. I have some of those Ecclesiastes 00:05:08.860 --> 00:05:11.120 chapter 8 is kind of like Solomon's greatest 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:15.500 hits. As I have read this, maybe you're thinking, 00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:20.040 well, I've heard a lot of this before, right? 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:23.300 You've heard the classic hit, Eat Drink and Be 00:05:23.300 --> 00:05:26.879 Joyful. You've heard of that chart -topping single, 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:29.959 There's a Time for Everything. You certainly 00:05:29.959 --> 00:05:32.779 know of the song, Applying My Heart to Wisdom, 00:05:32.819 --> 00:05:35.279 and my personal favorite, The Fear of God. We 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:39.220 have heard these things before. Is there anything 00:05:39.220 --> 00:05:44.839 new for us in Ecclesiastes chapter eight? Yes, 00:05:44.860 --> 00:05:48.000 there is. There is something new here, but it's 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:50.740 mixed in with all of these phrases that we have 00:05:50.740 --> 00:05:54.899 heard before. And yet there is an overarching 00:05:54.899 --> 00:05:59.399 theme that is here. Ecclesiastes chapter eight 00:05:59.399 --> 00:06:03.079 is talking about the limits of mankind, that 00:06:03.079 --> 00:06:06.579 we are limited in all sorts of ways. And because 00:06:06.579 --> 00:06:11.600 we are limited, in maybe our wisdom, maybe our 00:06:11.600 --> 00:06:15.779 knowledge, or our power, we must look to the 00:06:15.779 --> 00:06:19.540 one and rely upon the one who is perfect in all 00:06:19.540 --> 00:06:23.860 of these ways. As we recognize our limitations 00:06:23.860 --> 00:06:27.579 from this text, let us look to the God who is 00:06:27.579 --> 00:06:32.180 all -powerful and who is all -wise. We see this 00:06:32.180 --> 00:06:35.220 right from the start in verse 1, this rhetorical 00:06:35.220 --> 00:06:38.759 question, who is like the wise? And who knows 00:06:38.759 --> 00:06:41.839 the interpretation of a thing? The implied answer 00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:45.720 is of course the wise do. The wise are the ones 00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:48.779 who know the interpretation. And so what Solomon 00:06:48.779 --> 00:06:52.139 is doing here is once again upholding wisdom 00:06:52.139 --> 00:06:57.100 to say it's a good thing. But yet also look at 00:06:57.100 --> 00:07:01.620 the very last verse of the chapter. Even though 00:07:01.620 --> 00:07:06.490 a wise man claims to know, He cannot find it 00:07:06.490 --> 00:07:09.750 out and so yes on one hand he upholds wisdom 00:07:09.750 --> 00:07:12.870 on the other hand He says we don't have all of 00:07:12.870 --> 00:07:16.649 the wisdom in the world Why because that certainly 00:07:16.649 --> 00:07:19.490 belongs to God now just because we don't have 00:07:19.490 --> 00:07:22.449 it all just because we are limited in these ways 00:07:22.449 --> 00:07:25.610 Do we do we throw the baby out with the bathwater? 00:07:26.930 --> 00:07:30.560 Of course not because he upholds wisdom, and 00:07:30.560 --> 00:07:32.439 yet there are other things in our lives where 00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:36.540 we recognize our own limitations, and yet they're 00:07:36.540 --> 00:07:39.779 still good things. Think about the human body 00:07:39.779 --> 00:07:43.480 for a minute. The human body is wonderfully made, 00:07:43.779 --> 00:07:46.600 right? Think about the athletic achievements 00:07:46.600 --> 00:07:51.800 of the human body. The sub four -minute mile, 00:07:51.939 --> 00:07:56.540 I find that incredible. Those weight lifters 00:07:56.540 --> 00:07:59.660 who can just lift so much weight or high jumpers 00:07:59.660 --> 00:08:01.779 that can get to new heights quite literally. 00:08:03.139 --> 00:08:06.480 Think about a rock climber, one of those solo 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:09.220 free climbers who are just clinging to the rock 00:08:09.220 --> 00:08:12.360 face with their fingertips. That's incredible. 00:08:13.699 --> 00:08:19.279 But what happens if that climber or that athlete 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:24.839 forgets the limitations of man? the results can 00:08:24.839 --> 00:08:29.439 be dangerous, they can be catastrophic. And the 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:34.299 same is true with wisdom. When we forget that 00:08:34.299 --> 00:08:38.879 we are limited in some ways in wisdom, we become 00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:41.559 wise in our own eyes and yes, the results of 00:08:41.559 --> 00:08:46.980 that are equally damaging. And so you see where 00:08:46.980 --> 00:08:49.960 this is going here. It's talking about the limits, 00:08:50.039 --> 00:08:52.740 but it's talking specifically about the limits 00:08:52.740 --> 00:08:58.740 of power. Look in verse two. I say keep the King's 00:08:58.740 --> 00:09:04.399 command because of God's oath to him. There is 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:08.879 a theological element to our earthly submission 00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:13.100 to authorities. Westminster Confession 23 says 00:09:13.100 --> 00:09:17.250 God the supreme lord and king of all the world 00:09:17.250 --> 00:09:21.669 has ordained civil magistrates to be under him 00:09:21.669 --> 00:09:26.029 over the people for his own glory and the public 00:09:26.029 --> 00:09:29.789 good. And so what God does is he is the supreme 00:09:29.789 --> 00:09:32.470 king, the ruler, the one with absolute power, 00:09:32.610 --> 00:09:37.000 but underneath him are rulers who were installed 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:40.220 in positions of power. And in verse four, the 00:09:40.220 --> 00:09:43.100 king that is mentioned here appears to wield 00:09:43.100 --> 00:09:47.139 near absolute power over his subjects. But friends, 00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:52.139 this king's power mentioned here is real, but 00:09:52.139 --> 00:09:55.620 it's not absolute. Why? Because look at verse 00:09:55.620 --> 00:10:01.600 eight. No man has power to retain the spirit 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:05.480 or power over the day of death. Notice that it 00:10:05.480 --> 00:10:07.879 says no man. It's not just talking about kings 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:10.080 here, but certainly that applies to kings as 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:14.539 well. Kings and other rulers, other people in 00:10:14.539 --> 00:10:18.820 positions of authority, they will die too. They 00:10:18.820 --> 00:10:24.860 do not have power over their own death. God installs 00:10:24.860 --> 00:10:29.129 people in positions of power. But he is the one 00:10:29.129 --> 00:10:34.870 with absolute power. This week, some of you went 00:10:34.870 --> 00:10:38.629 on a mission trip down to Mullins, South Carolina. 00:10:39.230 --> 00:10:41.990 And it was a mission trip of service. And no 00:10:41.990 --> 00:10:46.830 doubt, you, we worked with power tools. On my 00:10:46.830 --> 00:10:49.289 job site, doing the Sheds of Hope, there must 00:10:49.289 --> 00:10:52.009 have been about 12 DeWalt drill drivers that 00:10:52.009 --> 00:10:55.899 were there. But how good are those drills if 00:10:55.899 --> 00:10:59.080 they're not plugged in, if they're not charged, 00:10:59.220 --> 00:11:02.720 right? They have to be charged to be effective, 00:11:02.879 --> 00:11:05.919 to do anything whatsoever. Well, friends, when 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:09.100 it comes to authorities and rulers in this life, 00:11:09.779 --> 00:11:13.460 God's the one who puts them on the charger. God's 00:11:13.460 --> 00:11:17.639 the one that gives them the power, right? No 00:11:17.639 --> 00:11:21.820 single person has absolute power. All authority 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:24.980 is derived from God and this is not just found 00:11:24.980 --> 00:11:27.100 in this text it's actually taught throughout 00:11:27.100 --> 00:11:30.740 the scriptures. Romans chapter 13 verse 1, let 00:11:30.740 --> 00:11:34.460 every person be subject to the governing authorities 00:11:34.460 --> 00:11:41.620 for there is no authority except from God. But 00:11:41.620 --> 00:11:46.080 that too is not the only place. First Peter chapter 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:48.559 2 is another go -to location for this. First 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:53.059 Peter 2 13 says be subject for the Lord's sake 00:11:53.059 --> 00:11:56.980 to every human institution, whether it be to 00:11:56.980 --> 00:12:00.559 the emperor as supreme or to governors as sent 00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:04.399 by him to punish those who do evil and to praise 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:09.980 those who do good, for this is the will of God." 00:12:09.980 --> 00:12:13.019 What these scriptures are showing us is what 00:12:13.019 --> 00:12:16.299 I've already said. God is the one with the power, 00:12:16.299 --> 00:12:22.539 but he does place kings, presidents, governors, 00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:27.379 mayors, people who were in positions of authority 00:12:27.379 --> 00:12:30.940 on the job, people in positions of authority 00:12:30.940 --> 00:12:34.740 in the church, God installs those people. Should 00:12:34.740 --> 00:12:37.879 we rebel against those people? Well, Peter has 00:12:37.879 --> 00:12:41.519 something else to say about this in 1 Peter 2, 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:45.940 17. He says, honor everyone, love the brotherhood, 00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:50.899 fear God, honor the emperor. Now how incredible 00:12:50.899 --> 00:12:54.559 is that that Peter says to honor the Emperor 00:12:54.559 --> 00:12:57.980 knowing what we know about the early church and 00:12:57.980 --> 00:13:00.620 the persecution that came upon the Christians 00:13:00.620 --> 00:13:04.720 and yet Peter's encouragement his exhortation 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:07.879 is not to rise up to take down the Emperor no 00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:12.019 it's to honor the Emperor and again it's not 00:13:12.019 --> 00:13:14.500 just Peter and it's not just Paul we actually 00:13:14.500 --> 00:13:16.940 see this in so many other places in the scriptures. 00:13:17.959 --> 00:13:22.000 Jeremiah writes to the exiles and says seek the 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:25.460 welfare of the city or perhaps you remember Joseph 00:13:25.460 --> 00:13:30.179 in Egypt or Daniel under Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon 00:13:30.179 --> 00:13:32.700 and especially those two are important because 00:13:32.700 --> 00:13:35.200 they show us not only submission to authority 00:13:35.200 --> 00:13:38.399 but they also show us wisdom. Because Joseph 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:41.000 and Daniel were the only ones able to interpret 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:44.279 the dreams in all of those empires such that 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:47.820 I think that verse 1 is very very true of people 00:13:47.820 --> 00:13:50.240 like Joseph and Daniel. Look at the second half 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:56.799 of verse 1. A man's wisdom makes his face shine 00:13:56.799 --> 00:14:03.240 and the hardness of his face is changed. The 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:07.549 very wisdom of God changes who we are. Philip 00:14:07.549 --> 00:14:12.690 Riken says here, it is strange, but true. Godly 00:14:12.690 --> 00:14:15.250 wisdom makes a difference in the way people look. 00:14:16.049 --> 00:14:18.570 People who live without God in the world often 00:14:18.570 --> 00:14:22.070 show the proud demeanor or stern expression that 00:14:22.070 --> 00:14:25.250 comes from a heart hardened by sin. What the 00:14:25.250 --> 00:14:28.450 preacher calls the hardness of face, but the 00:14:28.450 --> 00:14:33.250 wisdom of the gospel turns the frown of sin into 00:14:33.250 --> 00:14:38.679 the smile of grace. God's grace and his wisdom 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:42.740 changes everything about us. Even as we go through 00:14:42.740 --> 00:14:46.700 the miseries of this life, I have had so many 00:14:46.700 --> 00:14:49.899 conversations with so many of you as you go through 00:14:49.899 --> 00:14:52.240 hard times and what do you say time and time 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:54.279 again that gets you through? It's God's grace 00:14:54.279 --> 00:14:58.879 and what do you ask for? You ask for wisdom. 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:03.860 We rely upon God who is bigger than our problems 00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:07.740 Mighty enough to handle them and friends should 00:15:07.740 --> 00:15:10.580 you find yourselves lacking in these things lacking 00:15:10.580 --> 00:15:15.860 in wisdom? Remember the book of James James says 00:15:15.860 --> 00:15:20.139 to ask God for wisdom and he will certainly supply 00:15:20.139 --> 00:15:22.779 but that's that's not all that's going on in 00:15:22.779 --> 00:15:26.659 this text because actually as Kohelet Solomon 00:15:26.659 --> 00:15:30.460 here the teacher speaks about power in the king. 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:34.200 He seems like he is addressing, yes, a familiar 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:39.080 topic, oppression and injustice. He raises it 00:15:39.080 --> 00:15:42.320 again here in order to encourage, because verses 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:45.019 two through five seem like they're written to 00:15:45.019 --> 00:15:49.320 a servant in the king's court. And what does 00:15:49.320 --> 00:15:52.580 he tell this servant? He says to go about his 00:15:52.580 --> 00:15:56.629 work quietly. without causing a scene. He's essentially 00:15:56.629 --> 00:15:59.509 saying in these verses, don't stand up for yourself 00:15:59.509 --> 00:16:02.710 just because you're not getting your way. It 00:16:02.710 --> 00:16:05.710 is wisdom to know it will not go well with you 00:16:05.710 --> 00:16:08.990 in such a scenario. Look at verses five and six. 00:16:09.409 --> 00:16:12.690 Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing 00:16:12.690 --> 00:16:15.850 and the wise heart will know the proper time 00:16:15.850 --> 00:16:19.830 and the just way. For there is a time and a way 00:16:19.830 --> 00:16:23.509 for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy. 00:16:23.820 --> 00:16:28.460 on him. You see, the wise man knows the right 00:16:28.460 --> 00:16:31.779 thing to do and the right time to do the right 00:16:31.779 --> 00:16:35.240 thing. The wise man knows the right thing to 00:16:35.240 --> 00:16:37.960 do and the right time to do the right thing. 00:16:39.460 --> 00:16:41.539 Let me illustrate this, and I'm going to illustrate 00:16:41.539 --> 00:16:45.419 it with perhaps, in light of this text, a silly 00:16:45.419 --> 00:16:48.139 illustration. Certainly nothing on the level 00:16:48.139 --> 00:16:50.519 with what's being described here, but I want 00:16:50.519 --> 00:16:52.679 you to get the point of submission to authority. 00:16:52.840 --> 00:16:56.139 and using wisdom. When I was in the 10th grade, 00:16:56.559 --> 00:16:59.940 I played baseball. Not very well, but I played. 00:17:01.240 --> 00:17:04.640 And that year, the head coach of the varsity, 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:08.480 who is also in charge of putting players where 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:12.859 they ought to be on the field for the JV, told 00:17:12.859 --> 00:17:14.720 me right before the season started, you're going 00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:17.220 to be our starting second baseman. I said, yes. 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:21.940 But a couple days later, that head coach quit. 00:17:22.299 --> 00:17:26.500 He just up and quit baseball altogether. And 00:17:26.500 --> 00:17:30.119 the JV coach now was the varsity coach, and he 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:33.160 got to make all of the decisions about who would 00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:37.920 start. And right before a preseason game, I was 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:40.099 in the on -deck circle, getting ready to no doubt 00:17:40.099 --> 00:17:43.640 hit a home run or maybe just ground out. But 00:17:43.640 --> 00:17:47.119 he comes over to me and he says, hey, Kenny, 00:17:47.160 --> 00:17:49.680 I've been thinking a lot about it. And you're 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:52.470 not going to start at second base. Joe's gonna 00:17:52.470 --> 00:17:56.450 start in front of you. And I thought, what? Joe's 00:17:56.450 --> 00:18:00.210 in the ninth grade. I'm in the tenth. Pride, 00:18:00.690 --> 00:18:03.329 right? And so I stepped into the batter's box 00:18:03.329 --> 00:18:07.049 and I drew a walk. Nothing exciting, just a walk. 00:18:07.170 --> 00:18:09.710 But then I stole second. And then I moved to 00:18:09.710 --> 00:18:13.250 third base. And when I got to third base, that 00:18:13.250 --> 00:18:15.250 coach was standing there as also the third base 00:18:15.250 --> 00:18:17.490 coach. And I said to him, coach, I've been thinking 00:18:17.490 --> 00:18:20.069 a lot about what you said. And I tell you what 00:18:20.069 --> 00:18:23.640 I'm gonna do. I'm going to score. I'm going to 00:18:23.640 --> 00:18:25.359 touch home plate, and then I'll come back to 00:18:25.359 --> 00:18:27.079 you. I'm going to hand you my jersey. I'm going 00:18:27.079 --> 00:18:29.019 to get my stuff, and I'm going to leave. And 00:18:29.019 --> 00:18:33.039 I quit. And that's exactly what I did. When I 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:35.599 got home, I was absolutely crushed. I'd quit 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:38.259 the baseball team, all I'd ever wanted to do. 00:18:39.240 --> 00:18:41.519 Now, that coach is in a position of authority. 00:18:41.940 --> 00:18:43.759 Maybe it's a small position of authority, but 00:18:43.759 --> 00:18:46.359 still a position of authority. And what I did 00:18:46.359 --> 00:18:49.180 was not submitting to authority. It was seeking 00:18:49.180 --> 00:18:53.349 to show up the coach, right? To somehow prove 00:18:53.349 --> 00:18:56.289 that I was better than what he thought. Friends, 00:18:56.289 --> 00:18:59.069 that's not how Christians are to be. That's not 00:18:59.069 --> 00:19:02.750 the encouragement from this text. No, it says 00:19:02.750 --> 00:19:06.130 keep the King's command. We are to be in submission 00:19:06.130 --> 00:19:11.289 to the King. Really what this is all getting 00:19:11.289 --> 00:19:15.509 at in a way is the fifth commandment. The fifth 00:19:15.509 --> 00:19:17.829 commandment to honor your father and your mother, 00:19:18.170 --> 00:19:21.900 right? But by extension of that as Jesus teaches 00:19:21.900 --> 00:19:24.859 on it we recognize that we are yes we are supposed 00:19:24.859 --> 00:19:28.900 to honor other people too or in positions of 00:19:28.900 --> 00:19:32.859 authority Now keeping the fifth commandments 00:19:32.859 --> 00:19:36.160 pretty easy When you like everything that that 00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:38.779 person does when you've got that great boss or 00:19:38.779 --> 00:19:42.420 that great coach or that great mayor or president 00:19:42.420 --> 00:19:47.039 or whoever it may be But how are we to be? When 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:49.220 we don't like those people And we don't think 00:19:49.220 --> 00:19:52.539 they're doing a good job. Well friends, let's 00:19:52.539 --> 00:19:56.880 think about this as well. God is the supreme 00:19:56.880 --> 00:20:01.359 ruler, the supreme. He is the king of kings, 00:20:01.539 --> 00:20:05.740 right? He is generous and he is kind and he is 00:20:05.740 --> 00:20:09.400 loving and do we keep his commands? Do we always 00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:15.799 honor God? No, we don't. And so how much more 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:19.170 do we need God's grace? with those who are oppressive 00:20:19.170 --> 00:20:23.710 or who are perhaps bad rulers. Now, I know what 00:20:23.710 --> 00:20:26.990 you may be thinking. Is there a time to take 00:20:26.990 --> 00:20:31.269 a stand? Is there a time to say no to those wicked 00:20:31.269 --> 00:20:34.930 rulers? Yes, of course. When wickedness arises, 00:20:35.029 --> 00:20:38.089 we are to take a stand, but not just for self 00:20:38.089 --> 00:20:41.150 -interest, but to take a stand against evil. 00:20:41.650 --> 00:20:44.630 There is a time to stand up, and it's against 00:20:44.630 --> 00:20:48.210 sin. Benjamin Shaw says here, to follow the command 00:20:48.210 --> 00:20:52.710 of God is always a wise path. As Paul observes 00:20:52.710 --> 00:20:57.549 against such, there is no law. But friends, we 00:20:57.549 --> 00:21:00.210 do not combat wickedness with more wickedness. 00:21:00.470 --> 00:21:04.069 We do not seek retaliation. That's not the instruction 00:21:04.069 --> 00:21:06.750 that the text offers to us, and neither does 00:21:06.750 --> 00:21:10.970 Jesus. Jesus, like Solomon, called his disciples 00:21:10.970 --> 00:21:15.349 to exercise wisdom. in such situations. Jesus 00:21:15.349 --> 00:21:20.529 said in Matthew 10 -16, be wise as serpents and 00:21:20.529 --> 00:21:25.970 innocent as doves. This is who we are to be, 00:21:26.289 --> 00:21:29.349 asking God for his help, asking for him to supply 00:21:29.349 --> 00:21:33.970 us with wisdom when we find ourselves under difficult 00:21:33.970 --> 00:21:36.910 authorities. But we should also take the long 00:21:36.910 --> 00:21:40.829 view in these things. Look at verses 11 and 12. 00:21:43.589 --> 00:21:47.269 Let me read 11 again. Because the sentence against 00:21:47.269 --> 00:21:50.589 an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart 00:21:50.589 --> 00:21:54.410 of the children of man is fully set to do evil. 00:21:55.029 --> 00:21:58.490 Sometimes those who perform acts of wickedness 00:21:58.490 --> 00:22:00.769 seem like they're getting away with it, so they 00:22:00.769 --> 00:22:03.670 keep doing it. And sometimes we who observe this 00:22:03.670 --> 00:22:06.730 think they're getting away with it, and we lose 00:22:06.730 --> 00:22:14.329 heart. But also, look at 12 and 13 here. Though 00:22:14.329 --> 00:22:16.809 a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs 00:22:16.809 --> 00:22:19.490 his life, yet I know that it will be well with 00:22:19.490 --> 00:22:22.230 those who fear God because they fear before him, 00:22:22.410 --> 00:22:25.289 but it will not be well with the wicked. Neither 00:22:25.289 --> 00:22:27.829 will he prolong his days like a shadow." What 00:22:27.829 --> 00:22:31.930 you see in here is this sentence that says that 00:22:31.930 --> 00:22:34.730 the sinner will prolong his life in verse 12, 00:22:34.890 --> 00:22:37.769 but in verse 13 it says he will not prolong his 00:22:37.769 --> 00:22:39.890 life. And so the question we have naturally is, 00:22:39.890 --> 00:22:44.920 is this contradiction? Which is it? Does he prolong 00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:48.680 his days? Or does he not? Well, don't forget 00:22:48.680 --> 00:22:52.000 about the important little word in verse 13 of 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:57.359 shadow. The key word there is shadow. Any prospering 00:22:57.359 --> 00:23:00.619 of the wicked is only a shadow. The wicked may 00:23:00.619 --> 00:23:03.619 seem to prolong their days. The wicked may even 00:23:03.619 --> 00:23:06.740 seem to prosper, but do not be discouraged. The 00:23:06.740 --> 00:23:11.940 prospering of the wicked will not last. It will 00:23:11.940 --> 00:23:15.140 not be well with them. A shadow only exists while 00:23:15.140 --> 00:23:17.839 the sun shines upon something, but when there 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:21.640 is no sun, there is no more shadow, just darkness, 00:23:21.799 --> 00:23:26.240 and the sun will set on the wicked because they 00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:31.380 do not fear God. And as I begin to wrap up here, 00:23:31.400 --> 00:23:35.039 I just want to spend a few minutes on this idea. 00:23:35.400 --> 00:23:39.039 The fear of God, the fear of the Lord. Solomon 00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:42.440 has touched upon this previously and he's gonna 00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:46.460 touch upon it again in chapter 12. So consider 00:23:46.460 --> 00:23:49.759 this the fear of the Lord part one. Just three 00:23:49.759 --> 00:23:54.599 quick ideas about the fear of God. To fear God 00:23:54.599 --> 00:24:00.259 is to forsake sin. To fear God is to have a proper 00:24:00.259 --> 00:24:04.599 object of fear. And to fear God is to believe. 00:24:06.700 --> 00:24:09.500 You see, within the text in verse 12, the sinner 00:24:09.500 --> 00:24:12.460 just goes on sinning. His ways are called wicked. 00:24:13.400 --> 00:24:16.599 Unrepentant sin and the fear of God do not go 00:24:16.599 --> 00:24:22.539 together. They are incompatible. You cannot fear 00:24:22.539 --> 00:24:25.779 God and enjoy your sin at the same time. You 00:24:25.779 --> 00:24:28.619 can't. Paul addresses this in Romans chapter 00:24:28.619 --> 00:24:32.299 3 when he says, there is no fear before their 00:24:32.299 --> 00:24:35.000 eyes. He's talking about universal sin. He's 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:37.420 talking about unrepentant sin. He's saying there 00:24:37.420 --> 00:24:41.740 is no fear before their eyes. Matthew Henry says, 00:24:42.140 --> 00:24:46.099 where no fear of God is, no good is to be expected. 00:24:46.880 --> 00:24:49.859 And so that's quickly point one. Point two, to 00:24:49.859 --> 00:24:52.420 fear of God is to have a proper object of fear. 00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:56.160 We have many misguided fears in this life, and 00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:58.079 I'm going to elaborate more on this, Lord willing, 00:24:58.140 --> 00:25:01.240 in chapter 12. Many misguided fears, and there 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:04.740 are many fears that we may have, that we see 00:25:04.740 --> 00:25:07.559 within Ecclesiastes, the fear of the oppressive 00:25:07.559 --> 00:25:11.599 ruler, the fear of the unknown, the fear of losing 00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:14.700 wealth, the fear of suffering and the fear of 00:25:14.700 --> 00:25:21.279 death. Christian, what do you fear? These things 00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:24.549 are not to be feared. These are things that if 00:25:24.549 --> 00:25:27.089 you do fear them, to take them to the Lord, ask 00:25:27.089 --> 00:25:30.930 for repentance, ask for forgiveness, and fear 00:25:30.930 --> 00:25:35.769 God alone. Thirdly, to fear God is to believe, 00:25:36.170 --> 00:25:40.049 to wholeheartedly trust in Him. An unbeliever 00:25:40.049 --> 00:25:42.990 can tremble before God and they will if they 00:25:42.990 --> 00:25:46.150 remain in their unbelief, but the believer fears 00:25:46.150 --> 00:25:50.450 God in faith, a trembling belief and reverence 00:25:50.450 --> 00:25:55.730 in awe of who God is. and the fear of God produces 00:25:55.730 --> 00:25:59.250 in us a desire for righteousness that is not 00:25:59.250 --> 00:26:03.910 present in the unbeliever. Psalm 112 verse one 00:26:03.910 --> 00:26:06.690 says, blessed is the man who fears the Lord, 00:26:07.289 --> 00:26:10.789 who greatly delights in his commandments. But 00:26:10.789 --> 00:26:13.049 maybe there's somebody in this sanctuary today 00:26:13.049 --> 00:26:19.630 and you're asking, how can I fear the Lord? How 00:26:19.630 --> 00:26:23.099 can I have this belief? Friends remember what 00:26:23.099 --> 00:26:25.599 I've been talking about talking about limits 00:26:25.599 --> 00:26:31.279 here You are limited by your sin You cannot produce 00:26:31.279 --> 00:26:35.559 belief or the fear of God in yourself You're 00:26:35.559 --> 00:26:37.920 dead in your trespasses and therefore you who 00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:41.779 are not in Christ. You need God to move You need 00:26:41.779 --> 00:26:47.680 a new heart planted in yourself Because Christ 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:53.650 has done what we could not do again from first 00:26:53.650 --> 00:26:57.089 Peter, which begins, according to his great mercy, 00:26:57.130 --> 00:27:01.490 he has caused us, he does the work, to be born 00:27:01.490 --> 00:27:04.430 again to a living hope through the resurrection 00:27:04.430 --> 00:27:08.390 of Jesus Christ, to an inheritance that is imperishable, 00:27:08.769 --> 00:27:12.990 undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. 00:27:14.069 --> 00:27:19.069 Jesus does this. Now you talk to all kinds of 00:27:19.069 --> 00:27:24.509 Christians, About what God can do and just about 00:27:24.509 --> 00:27:26.910 every Christian will say God is sovereign. Yeah, 00:27:26.910 --> 00:27:31.569 I believe that But then when it comes to salvation 00:27:31.569 --> 00:27:35.349 People want to insert themselves into the equation 00:27:35.349 --> 00:27:38.289 as if they have something to do with their salvation, 00:27:38.309 --> 00:27:42.970 but no friends It is all God's grace God is not 00:27:42.970 --> 00:27:46.829 limited where we are. He has done what he does 00:27:46.829 --> 00:27:49.690 within us and it's something we just could not 00:27:49.690 --> 00:27:52.990 do. And knowing this, knowing what God has done 00:27:52.990 --> 00:27:57.470 in Christ Jesus for us, this should produce incredible 00:27:57.470 --> 00:28:01.410 amounts of joy in our lives. And so final thing 00:28:01.410 --> 00:28:06.670 here, there is a link between the fear of the 00:28:06.670 --> 00:28:12.440 Lord and the joy of the Lord. Psalm 47, clap 00:28:12.440 --> 00:28:15.799 your hands all peoples, shout to God with loud 00:28:15.799 --> 00:28:19.400 songs of joy, for the Lord the most high is to 00:28:19.400 --> 00:28:22.920 be feared, the great King over all the earth. 00:28:23.519 --> 00:28:26.940 Solomon in verse 15 commends joy immediately 00:28:26.940 --> 00:28:30.980 after this section on the fear of God. You see 00:28:30.980 --> 00:28:33.619 friends, when you are regenerated, when you are 00:28:33.619 --> 00:28:36.460 born again, when you come to faith in Jesus Christ, 00:28:36.599 --> 00:28:39.619 you do not come to God kicking and screaming. 00:28:40.589 --> 00:28:47.029 Because God changes our affections. We love Him 00:28:47.029 --> 00:28:51.150 because He first loved us and sent Christ to 00:28:51.150 --> 00:28:56.410 die for us such that what we find at the end 00:28:56.410 --> 00:29:01.329 of this section is truly true. We can now in 00:29:01.329 --> 00:29:05.029 Christ Jesus enjoy God and we can enjoy what 00:29:05.029 --> 00:29:08.109 God gives to us such that I would say Westminster 00:29:08.109 --> 00:29:10.900 short of catechism number one. is very, very 00:29:10.900 --> 00:29:15.299 correct when it says, man's chief end is to glorify 00:29:15.299 --> 00:29:20.640 God and to enjoy him forever. It's written, this 00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:22.859 is written in such a way that only the believer 00:29:22.859 --> 00:29:30.940 can truly understand. Fear of the Lord is the 00:29:30.940 --> 00:29:36.240 joy of the Lord. Friends, let us recognize our 00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:39.789 limits. Let us trust in Jesus, the one who is 00:29:39.789 --> 00:29:43.109 unlimited in all that he can do, and let us live 00:29:43.109 --> 00:29:47.769 wisely and joyfully giving thanks always for 00:29:47.769 --> 00:29:52.549 what Christ has done for us. Indeed, thanks be 00:29:52.549 --> 00:29:53.990 to God. Let's pray.