WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.839 Amen, and if you would take your Bibles now and 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:09.859 open up to the Old Testament wisdom book of Ecclesiastes 00:00:09.859 --> 00:00:15.699 Ecclesiastes Chapter 9 and while you're turning 00:00:15.699 --> 00:00:19.059 there and some are finding their seats Just a 00:00:19.059 --> 00:00:22.719 brief story for you this week. I had a bit of 00:00:22.719 --> 00:00:27.120 a garage door issue. I Hate having garage door 00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:31.469 issues And because those things are so dangerous, 00:00:31.649 --> 00:00:34.070 the spring was broken. I'm not touching that 00:00:34.070 --> 00:00:36.890 with a 10 -foot pole. And so I called somebody 00:00:36.890 --> 00:00:39.789 to come and look at the garage door and hopefully 00:00:39.789 --> 00:00:43.289 fix it. And as I gave him all of my money for 00:00:43.289 --> 00:00:45.770 fixing it, he handed me his phone and he said, 00:00:45.909 --> 00:00:49.329 put your information in and your credit card 00:00:49.329 --> 00:00:52.049 information. And as I did that, I noticed that 00:00:52.049 --> 00:00:54.770 there was Hebrew writing within his phone. There 00:00:54.770 --> 00:00:57.549 was English and... Hebrew and so I asked him 00:00:57.549 --> 00:01:00.990 where are you from? He said I'm from Israel and 00:01:00.990 --> 00:01:03.929 I said can I ask you a question? He said sure 00:01:03.929 --> 00:01:06.950 I said we're going through Ecclesiastes in my 00:01:06.950 --> 00:01:09.090 church preaching a sermon series through that 00:01:09.090 --> 00:01:12.430 book and we keep seeing the word Hevel that is 00:01:12.430 --> 00:01:16.310 there can you as somebody who really speaks Hebrew 00:01:16.310 --> 00:01:21.189 can you tell me what this is and as I had anticipated, 00:01:21.310 --> 00:01:23.790 he found that to be difficult. Not because he 00:01:23.790 --> 00:01:25.849 doesn't know his language, but translating the 00:01:25.849 --> 00:01:28.109 word into English is tough. He just kept saying, 00:01:28.230 --> 00:01:31.950 it's very difficult. Hevel, hevelim. Friends, 00:01:32.010 --> 00:01:34.510 we continue to look at hevel. We continue to 00:01:34.510 --> 00:01:37.170 look at the word that is translated in your text 00:01:37.170 --> 00:01:42.849 as vanity, right? A word that shows us the fleeting 00:01:42.849 --> 00:01:46.530 nature of things under the sun, that hevel is 00:01:46.530 --> 00:01:48.530 something that means something like a breath. 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:53.739 or a mist, a vapor, it is here and it is gone. 00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:57.739 And yes, we do see this again in Ecclesiastes 00:01:57.739 --> 00:02:02.359 chapter 9. And so would you look there and follow 00:02:02.359 --> 00:02:08.000 along with me, for this is God's word. Ecclesiastes 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:11.840 9, But all this I laid to heart, examining it 00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:14.639 all, how the righteous and the wise and their 00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:19.000 deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:23.860 or hate, man does not know. Both are before him. 00:02:24.300 --> 00:02:27.020 It is the same for all, since the same event 00:02:27.020 --> 00:02:29.639 happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the 00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:33.039 good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, 00:02:33.340 --> 00:02:37.639 to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. 00:02:38.199 --> 00:02:41.759 As the good one is, so is the sinner. And he 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:46.120 who swears is as he who shuns an oath. This is 00:02:46.120 --> 00:02:49.349 an evil. and all that is done under the sun that 00:02:49.349 --> 00:02:53.810 the same event happens to all. Also the hearts 00:02:53.810 --> 00:02:57.650 of the children of man are full of evil and madness 00:02:57.650 --> 00:03:00.229 is in their hearts while they live and after 00:03:00.229 --> 00:03:02.909 that they go to the dead but he who is joined 00:03:02.909 --> 00:03:06.449 with all the living has hope for a living dog 00:03:06.449 --> 00:03:09.889 is better than a dead lion for the living know 00:03:09.889 --> 00:03:12.389 that they will die but the dead know nothing. 00:03:12.860 --> 00:03:16.099 and they have no more reward for the memory of 00:03:16.099 --> 00:03:18.659 them is forgotten. Their love and their hate 00:03:18.659 --> 00:03:21.719 and their envy have already perished and forever 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:26.280 and they have no more share in all that is done 00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:31.439 under the sun. Go eat your bread with joy and 00:03:31.439 --> 00:03:35.080 drink your wine with a merry heart for God has 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:38.520 already approved what you do. Let your garments 00:03:38.520 --> 00:03:42.289 be always white Let not oil be lacking on your 00:03:42.289 --> 00:03:45.469 head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love 00:03:45.469 --> 00:03:48.830 all the days of your vain life that he has given 00:03:48.830 --> 00:03:51.449 you under the sun. Because that is your portion 00:03:51.449 --> 00:03:54.590 in life and in your toil at which you toil under 00:03:54.590 --> 00:03:57.569 the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it 00:03:57.569 --> 00:04:00.689 with your might. For there is no work or thought 00:04:00.689 --> 00:04:04.310 or knowledge or wisdom and sheol to which you 00:04:04.310 --> 00:04:07.849 are going. Again I saw that under the sun the 00:04:07.849 --> 00:04:11.610 race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the 00:04:11.610 --> 00:04:15.069 strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to 00:04:15.069 --> 00:04:17.610 the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, 00:04:18.110 --> 00:04:21.389 but time and chance happen to them all, for man 00:04:21.389 --> 00:04:25.350 does not know his time. Like fish that are taken 00:04:25.350 --> 00:04:28.310 in an evil net, and like birds that are caught 00:04:28.310 --> 00:04:31.410 in a snare, so the children of man are snared 00:04:31.410 --> 00:04:34.490 at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon 00:04:34.490 --> 00:04:38.199 them. I've also seen this example of wisdom under 00:04:38.199 --> 00:04:41.740 the sun, and it seemed great to me. There was 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:45.120 a little city with few men in it, and a great 00:04:45.120 --> 00:04:48.500 king came against it and besieged it, building 00:04:48.500 --> 00:04:51.500 great siege works against it. But there was found 00:04:51.500 --> 00:04:56.980 in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered 00:04:56.980 --> 00:05:00.899 the city, yet no one remembered that poor man. 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:04.519 But I say the wisdom is better than might. Though 00:05:04.519 --> 00:05:07.839 the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words 00:05:07.839 --> 00:05:11.319 are not heard, the words of the wise heard and 00:05:11.319 --> 00:05:14.040 quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler 00:05:14.040 --> 00:05:17.819 among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of 00:05:17.819 --> 00:05:23.579 war, but one sinner destroys much good. This 00:05:23.579 --> 00:05:27.959 is God's word. Let's pray. Father in heaven, 00:05:28.740 --> 00:05:31.550 we thank you for your word which is truth, and 00:05:31.550 --> 00:05:34.470 for Christ who has called the word and his faith 00:05:34.470 --> 00:05:37.470 comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ, 00:05:37.490 --> 00:05:40.930 we ask you to open up our hearts and our minds 00:05:40.930 --> 00:05:43.529 to the glories of your word. And would you use 00:05:43.529 --> 00:05:46.910 it to bolster our faith, convict us of sin and 00:05:46.910 --> 00:05:49.870 encourage us to pursue Christ who has pursued 00:05:49.870 --> 00:05:53.769 us all the way to the cross. We pray it all in 00:05:53.769 --> 00:06:00.709 his name. Amen. Perhaps you remember this story 00:06:00.709 --> 00:06:06.689 from second Kings chapter 7 There were once four 00:06:06.689 --> 00:06:11.629 lepers who sat at the gate of Samaria for a time 00:06:11.629 --> 00:06:15.350 Samaria was Israel's capital capital and there 00:06:15.350 --> 00:06:18.029 were these four lepers who sat beside the gate 00:06:18.029 --> 00:06:22.529 and it was during an awful famine and These lepers 00:06:22.529 --> 00:06:27.029 were very hungry. It had nothing to eat But also 00:06:27.029 --> 00:06:30.180 they knew that the famine was happening obviously 00:06:30.180 --> 00:06:32.939 inside the city gates and so they looked at themselves 00:06:32.939 --> 00:06:36.120 and they said what are we to do if we stay here 00:06:36.120 --> 00:06:41.060 we will surely die but if we go into the city 00:06:41.060 --> 00:06:45.540 there again we will surely die what are we to 00:06:45.540 --> 00:06:48.759 do well these four lepers again according to 00:06:48.759 --> 00:06:52.620 second kings chapter 7 knew that the syrian camp 00:06:52.620 --> 00:06:56.040 was not all that far away the syrians were enemies 00:06:56.040 --> 00:06:58.779 of the israelites But they said, what are we 00:06:58.779 --> 00:07:01.759 to do? What choice do we have? And so they set 00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:05.339 out in search of the enemy camp. They went looking 00:07:05.339 --> 00:07:10.019 for the Syrians. And they found the camp. And 00:07:10.019 --> 00:07:13.899 when they stumbled into it, hoping for mercy, 00:07:14.939 --> 00:07:17.399 what they found was something of a ghost town. 00:07:18.180 --> 00:07:21.360 The Syrians were not there. But all of their 00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:24.759 stuff was. All of their food and their drink 00:07:24.759 --> 00:07:28.160 and their gold. and all of their stuff and so 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:31.240 they these four hungry men began to eat and they 00:07:31.240 --> 00:07:33.980 began to drink but then they came to their senses 00:07:33.980 --> 00:07:38.279 and said what are we doing our brothers our sisters 00:07:38.279 --> 00:07:43.819 our people are back in samaria and they're starving 00:07:43.819 --> 00:07:47.740 let us go to them and tell them what we have 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:52.360 found and so they went back to the city They 00:07:52.360 --> 00:07:54.319 went and they told the king in his household 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:56.959 what they had found and the king sent men To 00:07:56.959 --> 00:07:59.279 go and look for the Syrians because the Syrians 00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:02.120 no doubt had come upon them in order to do battle 00:08:02.120 --> 00:08:04.019 So they went looking for the Syrians, but he 00:08:04.019 --> 00:08:08.939 also sent others to that camp To plunder it and 00:08:08.939 --> 00:08:12.579 take back the food so that the people of the 00:08:12.579 --> 00:08:17.500 city were saved They were saved from battle They 00:08:17.500 --> 00:08:23.129 were saved from starvation yet there's a sadness 00:08:23.129 --> 00:08:28.870 about this story and the sadness is this you 00:08:28.870 --> 00:08:32.509 don't hear any more about those lepers you don't 00:08:32.509 --> 00:08:37.710 hear any more about these unnamed forgotten heroes 00:08:37.710 --> 00:08:41.509 and something similar is also going on within 00:08:41.509 --> 00:08:47.629 our text for you see it in verses 14 and 15 there 00:08:47.629 --> 00:08:52.100 this story of this little city with a few men 00:08:52.100 --> 00:08:54.740 in it and a great king coming upon it and this 00:08:54.740 --> 00:08:59.259 wise but poor man delivering the city. But yet 00:08:59.259 --> 00:09:02.500 you don't see anything else about him. He's not 00:09:02.500 --> 00:09:06.460 named. And as the text says, he is forgotten. 00:09:07.320 --> 00:09:12.580 Friends, the wise do not always receive the reward 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:15.259 or the recognition that they deserve in this 00:09:15.259 --> 00:09:19.120 life before death comes. This chapter is about 00:09:19.120 --> 00:09:23.620 how to live in light of pending death, but to 00:09:23.620 --> 00:09:28.080 do so with joy and with wisdom. Let me set the 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:31.059 stage for it by looking in the first two verses. 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:35.700 All this I laid to heart examining it all, how 00:09:35.700 --> 00:09:37.620 the righteous and the wise and their deeds are 00:09:37.620 --> 00:09:40.659 in the hand of God. And that sounds good, right? 00:09:40.789 --> 00:09:43.289 We like to think that we are in the hands of 00:09:43.289 --> 00:09:48.370 God, but what comes next maybe isn't so encouraging. 00:09:49.330 --> 00:09:51.509 It says, whether it's love or hate, man does 00:09:51.509 --> 00:09:54.330 not know both are before him. What he's getting 00:09:54.330 --> 00:09:57.950 at here is showing us that, yes, we are in the 00:09:57.950 --> 00:10:02.549 hand of God, but we do not always know what's 00:10:02.549 --> 00:10:06.350 going to come next, do we? The unexpected. This 00:10:06.350 --> 00:10:09.169 is also communicated in verse 11, if you look 00:10:09.169 --> 00:10:17.580 there. Time and chance happen to them all. Now, 00:10:17.720 --> 00:10:20.179 we should understand that as this says this word 00:10:20.179 --> 00:10:24.320 chance, chance is nothing. Chance has no status. 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:27.000 It's not a real thing. What's actually being 00:10:27.000 --> 00:10:30.879 communicated here is that things happen, we don't 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:35.039 always know why, but God does. But the one thing 00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:37.980 that is communicated that we know will definitely 00:10:37.980 --> 00:10:42.909 happen if the Lord continues to tarry. Is that 00:10:42.909 --> 00:10:46.850 friends, we will all die. We will all die. That's 00:10:46.850 --> 00:10:50.070 the event that this text is talking about that 00:10:50.070 --> 00:10:54.350 happens to every single person. But we already 00:10:54.350 --> 00:10:56.730 know this from studying the book of Ecclesiastes 00:10:56.730 --> 00:11:00.289 that it all happens in God's time. And so yes, 00:11:00.490 --> 00:11:05.370 you're in God's hands. You're in his time. Even 00:11:05.370 --> 00:11:08.929 if you don't know exactly what tomorrow will 00:11:08.929 --> 00:11:12.570 hold. Now the way that this text speaks about 00:11:12.570 --> 00:11:16.529 death, I think is very interesting Look back 00:11:16.529 --> 00:11:20.470 in verse 2 This event that happens to the righteous 00:11:20.470 --> 00:11:23.169 and the wicked to the good and the evil to the 00:11:23.169 --> 00:11:26.389 clean and the unclean to him who Sacrifices and 00:11:26.389 --> 00:11:29.649 him who does not and then on and on it goes and 00:11:29.649 --> 00:11:35.830 then it says that death is an evil Do we really 00:11:35.830 --> 00:11:38.600 think of death as being evil Quite literally, 00:11:38.820 --> 00:11:41.960 the word that is used here is bad. Friends, death 00:11:41.960 --> 00:11:50.299 is bad. Death is wrong. Death is unnatural. And 00:11:50.299 --> 00:11:52.879 death hurts. And we know this from the Scriptures 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:56.980 that the wages of sin is what? It is death. And 00:11:56.980 --> 00:12:00.299 so children, you remember what you heard this 00:12:00.299 --> 00:12:03.519 week. You remember how when God created Adam 00:12:03.519 --> 00:12:08.029 and Eve, He created them happy and holy. things 00:12:08.029 --> 00:12:11.769 were right with the world until they weren't. 00:12:11.909 --> 00:12:15.629 Because of what? Because of sin. Children, you 00:12:15.629 --> 00:12:18.289 remember what the serpent did. He came to Eve 00:12:18.289 --> 00:12:23.669 and he said, you will not surely die. He tricked 00:12:23.669 --> 00:12:26.870 them. He lied to them. That's what Satan does. 00:12:26.889 --> 00:12:30.570 That's what the devil does. He is a liar. And 00:12:30.570 --> 00:12:34.090 they listen to the lie and their disobedience 00:12:34.090 --> 00:12:39.169 cost mankind life. But here's the thing. Here's 00:12:39.169 --> 00:12:42.549 why the scriptures are so good. Because they 00:12:42.549 --> 00:12:45.730 communicate truth and they communicate hope. 00:12:46.230 --> 00:12:49.909 Right? God does not leave us hopeless. No, not 00:12:49.909 --> 00:12:53.029 at all. Instead, what the scriptures show us 00:12:53.029 --> 00:12:56.850 is that Jesus came to live and to die in order 00:12:56.850 --> 00:13:01.570 to give life back to us. So that even as death 00:13:01.570 --> 00:13:05.210 hurts, and death is bad according to Solomon 00:13:05.210 --> 00:13:10.820 here, What Jesus does is to remove the sting 00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:14.019 of death. It's such that the Apostle Paul is 00:13:14.019 --> 00:13:17.840 able to say to live is Christ and to die is gain. 00:13:18.139 --> 00:13:22.360 Dying can only be gain if you are in the Lord 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:28.720 Jesus Christ. Jesus provides for us eternal life, 00:13:28.940 --> 00:13:32.899 never to be interrupted by death again. And yet 00:13:32.899 --> 00:13:37.200 it costs nothing less than the very blood Jesus 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:40.340 Himself. For you may remember these words from 00:13:40.340 --> 00:13:43.059 Hebrews chapter 9 that says without the shedding 00:13:43.059 --> 00:13:47.440 of blood there is no forgiveness and then it 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:51.240 says Christ was offered once to bear the sins 00:13:51.240 --> 00:13:59.279 of many. It happens by His blood. There's a Christian 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:03.240 contemporary artist named Matt Redman who sings 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:06.879 a song called Your Blood Speaks. He sings, Your 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:09.799 blood speaks a better word than all the empty 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:13.320 claims I've heard upon this earth, speaks righteousness 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:18.679 to me, stands in my defense. Jesus, it's your 00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:21.820 blood. Or perhaps you're more of a traditionalist 00:14:21.820 --> 00:14:25.139 and you like this one, What can wash away my 00:14:25.139 --> 00:14:28.940 sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can 00:14:28.940 --> 00:14:32.220 make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of 00:14:32.220 --> 00:14:35.659 Jesus. Oh, how precious is the flow that makes 00:14:35.659 --> 00:14:40.259 me white as snow. No other fount I know. It's 00:14:40.259 --> 00:14:45.360 nothing but the blood of Jesus. Friends, this 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:48.519 is the good news that Jesus gave himself up on 00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:52.070 the cross so that you would have life. And what 00:14:52.070 --> 00:14:55.210 Jesus does is he reverses the curse and gives 00:14:55.210 --> 00:15:00.889 eternal life to all who would trust in him. And 00:15:00.889 --> 00:15:04.049 my second point this morning shows why this was 00:15:04.049 --> 00:15:07.809 necessary because it's not just that death is 00:15:07.809 --> 00:15:12.070 a bad thing. There are tremendously bad things 00:15:12.070 --> 00:15:16.450 in our hearts. Look at verses, say three through 00:15:16.450 --> 00:15:22.000 six. This is an evil under the Sun the same event 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:25.519 happens to all also the hearts of the children 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:30.340 of man are full of evil. I think here that actually 00:15:30.340 --> 00:15:33.399 what's going on is Solomon is reflecting upon 00:15:33.399 --> 00:15:36.840 the book of Genesis once again because Genesis 00:15:36.840 --> 00:15:42.240 chapter 6 verse 5 says the law the Lord saw the 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:45.970 wickedness of man was great in the earth And 00:15:45.970 --> 00:15:48.330 that every intention of the thoughts of his heart 00:15:48.330 --> 00:15:55.330 was only evil continually. Friends, until the 00:15:55.330 --> 00:15:59.230 Holy Spirit gives us that new heart, we carry 00:15:59.230 --> 00:16:04.570 a heart that is just full of sickness and violence, 00:16:05.330 --> 00:16:11.309 malice, evil. And this is why we need to be careful 00:16:11.309 --> 00:16:13.570 with some of the phrases that people say. Have 00:16:13.570 --> 00:16:15.769 you ever heard someone say, Just follow your 00:16:15.769 --> 00:16:21.529 heart. Have you heard that? Yeah. Well, what 00:16:21.529 --> 00:16:25.149 about when your heart is full of evil? We need 00:16:25.149 --> 00:16:27.789 our hearts cleansed. What we need to do is not 00:16:27.789 --> 00:16:31.309 to follow our hearts, but to follow Christ. Christ 00:16:31.309 --> 00:16:34.649 is our only hope. And hope is also communicated 00:16:34.649 --> 00:16:38.649 within this text. Look at verse four. But he 00:16:38.649 --> 00:16:41.659 who is joined with all the living has hope. For 00:16:41.659 --> 00:16:45.899 a living dog is better than a dead lion. Now 00:16:45.899 --> 00:16:48.740 we read that and we think, what's that about? 00:16:49.100 --> 00:16:51.759 Especially dog lovers might say, what's that 00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:55.740 about? What's being communicated here is that 00:16:55.740 --> 00:17:02.320 while you have life, you have hope. Have any 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:04.460 of you paid attention to your license plates 00:17:04.460 --> 00:17:09.799 recently? I see some smiles. While I breathe, 00:17:10.660 --> 00:17:15.279 I Hope, South Carolina license plate. People 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:17.460 seem to attribute this to ancient philosophers, 00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:19.859 maybe ancient Roman philosophers, maybe ancient 00:17:19.859 --> 00:17:22.799 Greek philosophers, but maybe it needs to be 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:29.660 attributed to Solomon. While I have life, I have 00:17:29.660 --> 00:17:33.920 hope. And friends, as people who are full of 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:38.339 hope, this text also tells us how to live. We 00:17:38.339 --> 00:17:41.880 are able to live with hope and enjoy the good 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:46.519 things of God. Look at verses 7 through 10. Go 00:17:46.519 --> 00:17:49.539 eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with 00:17:49.539 --> 00:17:52.400 a merry heart for God has already approved what 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:56.099 you do. This is written as an imperative, meaning 00:17:56.099 --> 00:17:58.599 it's written as a command. How interesting is 00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:01.160 it that we have to be commanded to enjoy things? 00:18:02.839 --> 00:18:05.599 We're being told here, God has approved what 00:18:05.599 --> 00:18:08.519 you do, meaning God has given you good gifts 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:14.420 to be enjoyed. The next verse kind of illustrates 00:18:14.420 --> 00:18:17.019 this. It's got white garments and oil on the 00:18:17.019 --> 00:18:20.319 head communicating festivity and celebration, 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:23.799 perhaps cleanliness. What is not being communicated 00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:27.819 here is to wallow in our sorrow. Now, certainly 00:18:27.819 --> 00:18:30.980 Solomon here has spoken of our sorrow and he 00:18:30.980 --> 00:18:34.680 acknowledges there are times to be sorrowful. 00:18:35.420 --> 00:18:38.839 But friends, there is also a time to enjoy what 00:18:38.839 --> 00:18:44.769 he Gives to us and you can see this as well in 00:18:44.769 --> 00:18:49.230 verse 9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love 00:18:49.230 --> 00:18:53.009 all the days of your vain life Quite literally. 00:18:53.009 --> 00:18:56.670 This is something like see or experience life 00:18:56.670 --> 00:19:00.049 with the wife whom you love We are reminded here 00:19:00.049 --> 00:19:04.849 that marriage is a pre fall gift before Adam 00:19:04.849 --> 00:19:09.759 and Eve ever disobeyed God they were Married. 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:12.640 Married is a great thing. I did a wedding just 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:15.880 this week and was reminded of the goodness of 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:20.779 marriage. I recognize today is Father's Day, 00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:24.160 but if I can speak to husbands for a minute, 00:19:25.519 --> 00:19:30.849 enjoy your wives. Date your wives. Cherish your 00:19:30.849 --> 00:19:34.609 wives. Compliment your wives. Do fun things together. 00:19:34.809 --> 00:19:37.769 Do not take your marriages for granted. Love 00:19:37.769 --> 00:19:41.509 your wives, men, as Christ loved the church and 00:19:41.509 --> 00:19:45.950 gave himself up for her. Additionally, wives, 00:19:46.230 --> 00:19:50.119 remember you are to submit. You are to respect. 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:53.079 You are to pray for your husbands as they seek 00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:56.240 to lead you. Remember that as husbands are to 00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:58.059 love their wives, as Christ loved the church, 00:19:58.180 --> 00:20:00.980 that you in that analogy are like the church. 00:20:01.619 --> 00:20:08.960 You are to receive that kind of love. And we 00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:13.859 need to do it now. We need to love our wives 00:20:13.859 --> 00:20:17.269 now. Wives, you need to love your husbands right 00:20:17.269 --> 00:20:22.029 now because look at verse 10. Whatever your hand 00:20:22.029 --> 00:20:26.029 finds to do, do with your might. Do it now. For 00:20:26.029 --> 00:20:28.450 there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom 00:20:28.450 --> 00:20:31.849 and shield to which you are going. This is telling 00:20:31.849 --> 00:20:37.349 us to enjoy what God gives to us right now because 00:20:37.349 --> 00:20:40.769 death comes. And I know that there are those 00:20:40.769 --> 00:20:42.690 of you sitting in the pew right now who have 00:20:42.690 --> 00:20:45.710 lost your spouses. And so perhaps a text like 00:20:45.710 --> 00:20:50.829 this is hard to hear. It brings back that sorrow. 00:20:51.190 --> 00:20:53.730 But maybe your hearts can be encouraged by this, 00:20:53.809 --> 00:20:57.390 that those who die in the Lord are with the Lord, 00:20:58.109 --> 00:21:04.349 and they are okay. God is near to the broken 00:21:04.349 --> 00:21:08.910 -hearted. And so please, would you take that 00:21:08.910 --> 00:21:12.759 to heart? But also take this next portion of 00:21:12.759 --> 00:21:16.880 text to heart look in verses 11 and on this is 00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:21.299 getting back especially in verses 14 15 and 16 00:21:21.299 --> 00:21:26.059 to that opening illustration right with the four 00:21:26.059 --> 00:21:29.119 lepers And so I compared that to what's happening 00:21:29.119 --> 00:21:32.319 here. You've got this poor but wise man. He is 00:21:32.319 --> 00:21:35.349 unnamed here in this text, but isn't it interesting 00:21:35.349 --> 00:21:39.150 what it says? This is a small city in verse 14, 00:21:39.589 --> 00:21:42.650 a very small city with few men in it and yet 00:21:42.650 --> 00:21:45.549 a great king comes against it and besieges it. 00:21:46.549 --> 00:21:50.529 This is showing us incredible power coming against 00:21:50.529 --> 00:21:55.329 a very insignificant city with an insignificant 00:21:55.329 --> 00:21:59.710 man in it and yet what does this man do by his 00:21:59.710 --> 00:22:06.980 wisdom? He delivers the city, doesn't he? This 00:22:06.980 --> 00:22:12.759 man is a forgotten legend, a hero, right? Who 00:22:12.759 --> 00:22:18.680 delivers the city by his wisdom. Friends, sometimes 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:22.400 wisdom goes unnoticed, sometimes wisdom is ignored, 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:26.180 and sometimes the shouting of the fool is much 00:22:26.180 --> 00:22:30.079 louder than the words of the wise. But friends, 00:22:30.359 --> 00:22:36.259 even As you continue to pursue wisdom, you know 00:22:36.259 --> 00:22:40.180 that God knows what you pursue. Even if people 00:22:40.180 --> 00:22:42.660 ignore you, you are not seeking the approval 00:22:42.660 --> 00:22:46.539 of men. Wisdom's reward is the good that it brings, 00:22:46.660 --> 00:22:49.900 not a pat on the back. And so yes, Solomon is 00:22:49.900 --> 00:22:52.480 very correct here. The wise are often forgotten 00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:56.619 or despised. But Solomon also says this in Proverbs, 00:22:56.859 --> 00:23:00.289 that fools despise wisdom and instruction. And 00:23:00.289 --> 00:23:03.930 so if people will not listen to you, know that 00:23:03.930 --> 00:23:08.670 it is fools who despise these things. And so 00:23:08.670 --> 00:23:13.630 press on sharing the wisdom of the gospel. And 00:23:13.630 --> 00:23:16.690 if I can illustrate how this is so incredibly 00:23:16.690 --> 00:23:19.509 true, that story of the lepers that I shared, 00:23:20.230 --> 00:23:23.309 I didn't share the entire story. Because actually 00:23:23.309 --> 00:23:26.809 what happens before those lepers ever go and 00:23:26.809 --> 00:23:29.809 find the Syrian camp, before they ever find the 00:23:29.809 --> 00:23:33.869 food that will save them, the prophet Elisha 00:23:33.869 --> 00:23:38.319 predicted the victory. The apostle or the prophet 00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:41.559 Elisha predicted the end of starvation for Israel 00:23:41.559 --> 00:23:45.220 and yet the captain of the king mocked him. The 00:23:45.220 --> 00:23:48.019 captain of the king did not believe him and so 00:23:48.019 --> 00:23:51.400 Elisha said to him, you will in fact see it with 00:23:51.400 --> 00:23:57.660 your own eyes, but you won't eat any of it. Friends, 00:23:58.019 --> 00:24:03.980 ignoring God's wisdom is a heinous sin. Do you 00:24:03.980 --> 00:24:07.339 ever feel the burden of needing to share the 00:24:07.339 --> 00:24:10.680 gospel with somebody who just won't listen to 00:24:10.680 --> 00:24:13.799 you. Do you know people? Maybe it's a brother 00:24:13.799 --> 00:24:16.759 or a sister or a neighbor or a co -worker and 00:24:16.759 --> 00:24:19.099 they need to believe in Jesus, but they will 00:24:19.099 --> 00:24:23.980 not listen to you. Friends, do not be discouraged 00:24:23.980 --> 00:24:28.319 about this. Because if that person is going to 00:24:28.319 --> 00:24:31.619 come to faith in Jesus Christ, it is all the 00:24:31.619 --> 00:24:36.440 grace of God, isn't it? And so be obedient. Do 00:24:36.440 --> 00:24:39.279 not be discouraged. Continue to press on sharing 00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:44.099 the gospel, even as people ignore what you have 00:24:44.099 --> 00:24:48.599 to say. Because actually, if I can give you one 00:24:48.599 --> 00:24:51.200 final encouragement on this, Jesus told a story 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:55.200 about this once. Jesus told the parable of the 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:59.099 wedding feast in Matthew chapter 22. Within that 00:24:59.099 --> 00:25:01.539 story there was a king who was giving a wedding 00:25:01.539 --> 00:25:04.480 feast for his son and he sent out invitations 00:25:04.480 --> 00:25:08.960 to all kinds of people he said come to this feast 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:13.680 and the people wouldn't do it and You know when 00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:15.900 a king tells you to come to a feast you come 00:25:15.900 --> 00:25:18.380 to the feast But they wouldn't do it according 00:25:18.380 --> 00:25:23.579 to Jesus. They gave flimsy excuses They the people 00:25:23.579 --> 00:25:29.579 mistreated the servants of the king even killing 00:25:29.579 --> 00:25:34.099 them. So not only did they ignore wisdom, but 00:25:34.099 --> 00:25:36.700 they rebelled against it. And rightfully so, 00:25:36.799 --> 00:25:39.500 the King in Jesus' parable is enraged. He is 00:25:39.500 --> 00:25:42.559 mad and he punishes the wicked. And then he does 00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:45.079 something incredible. The King sends out the 00:25:45.079 --> 00:25:49.589 invitation to the people in the streets. He sends 00:25:49.589 --> 00:25:52.190 his messengers to the streets and and tells them 00:25:52.190 --> 00:25:55.069 to get all kinds of people from all kinds of 00:25:55.069 --> 00:25:58.390 places all kinds of the the walks of life to 00:25:58.390 --> 00:26:01.089 come and be a part of this wedding celebration 00:26:01.089 --> 00:26:07.549 and they come But one man comes and he's not 00:26:07.549 --> 00:26:11.410 dressed right he's not wearing wedding clothes 00:26:11.410 --> 00:26:15.670 and the king identifies him and Says get him 00:26:15.670 --> 00:26:19.160 out of here And that man is cast into outer darkness 00:26:19.160 --> 00:26:22.200 where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. 00:26:22.980 --> 00:26:25.200 Friends, the story that Jesus tells there is 00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:30.680 relaying Israel's history. God's prophets called 00:26:30.680 --> 00:26:35.539 the people to repentance and the people mistreated 00:26:35.539 --> 00:26:41.299 them. They disrespected them. They ignored them. 00:26:41.559 --> 00:26:44.640 And they even killed some of the prophets. Just 00:26:44.640 --> 00:26:49.279 those men. proclaiming the Messiah to come but 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:51.599 also within that story you have the man without 00:26:51.599 --> 00:26:54.779 the wedding clothes that man came into the wedding 00:26:54.779 --> 00:26:58.859 celebration the feast he came not to honor the 00:26:58.859 --> 00:27:03.059 king or his son he came to insult the king and 00:27:03.059 --> 00:27:07.680 he came as one unprepared he came as one without 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:11.859 the righteousness of Christ friends we've already 00:27:11.859 --> 00:27:14.400 seen this especially from Ecclesiastes chapter 00:27:14.400 --> 00:27:19.529 7 Your self -righteousness will not save you. 00:27:19.829 --> 00:27:24.509 It is only the righteousness of Christ. And so 00:27:24.509 --> 00:27:29.109 today, do not ignore the wisdom of the gospel. 00:27:29.990 --> 00:27:33.730 For perhaps someone in this sanctuary today is 00:27:33.730 --> 00:27:36.210 the day of salvation. And so let me ask you, 00:27:36.809 --> 00:27:41.509 are you prepared? Are you clothed with the righteousness 00:27:41.509 --> 00:27:46.059 of Christ? Because you don't know when your days 00:27:46.059 --> 00:27:48.359 will be up. You're told to number your days according 00:27:48.359 --> 00:27:50.200 to the Scriptures. You do not know when your 00:27:50.200 --> 00:27:53.559 days will be up, but if you are in Christ, you 00:27:53.559 --> 00:27:57.119 know where you will be. That you're in God's 00:27:57.119 --> 00:28:01.539 hands. You have a place at the banquet. You have 00:28:01.539 --> 00:28:05.339 a place to use revelation at the marriage supper 00:28:05.339 --> 00:28:10.039 of the Lamb. You see what Jesus has done for 00:28:10.039 --> 00:28:15.000 the believer by His wisdom. He has turned the 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:20.380 vanity of life into everlasting life in Him and 00:28:20.380 --> 00:28:24.200 Him alone. Amen. Let's pray.