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Ecclesiastes Session Two 6.19.19 · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  Ecclesiastes is one of the five scrolls along with Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, and Esther that are read aloud on specific holidays in the Jewish faith. We consider it part of the wisdom literature of the Bible, to which Proverbs, Job, some of the Psalms, and maybe even Song of Songs belong. According to the Bible Project, these books
• 0:26
  reveal the collected wisdom of generations of godly people, and invite us to consider the complexity and simplicity of living wisely. Does this seem a little loud, or is it just from where I'm at? No, it's fine. Okay, just checking. For those of you who, like me, like nice outlines with three points and...
• 0:57
  Three principles with their applications. I'm sorry to tell you tonight is not the night. But stick with me and let's glean what we can from these words that have been included as part of God's true word. We will be in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and 4. So if you haven't yet, please turn in your Bible to that. Or you can open your app and let's read the text.
• 1:25
  As you are able, I'd invite you to stand as we read God's word. May we follow with our eyes, listen with our ears, pay attention with our minds, and respond with our hearts. For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal.
• 1:58
  A time to break down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together. A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to seek and a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to cast away. A time to tear and a time to sew.
• 2:27
  A time to keep silence and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the busyness that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart.
• 2:53
  yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceive that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live. Also, that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil. This is God's gift to man. I perceive that whatever God does endures. Nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it so that people fear before him.
• 3:23
  That which is already has been, that which is to be already has been, and God seeks what has been driven away. Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.
• 3:49
  I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them, that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same. As one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place, all are from the dust, and to dust all return.
• 4:19
  Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better than that the man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be done after him? Again, I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed. They had no one to comfort them. On the side of their oppressors there was power.
• 4:48
  And there was no one to comfort them. And I thought, the dead are already dead, more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun. Then I saw all toil and all skill in the work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after the wind. The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh.
• 5:18
  Better is a handful of quietness than two handfuls of toil and a striving after wind. Again, I saw vanity under the sun. One person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, for whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure? This also is vanity and an unhappy business. Two are better than one.
• 5:48
  because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, and has not another to lift him up. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. Better was a poor and wise youth.
• 6:19
  than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. For he went from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been but born poor. I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that youth who was to stand in the king's place. There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led, yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity.
• 6:48
  and a striving after the wind. Let's pray. Oh Lord, as we open this challenging passage tonight, I just pray that the words that I speak would be the words that you would have for me to say, and that you would allow the preacher's lessons learned, help us to learn lessons that we can to apply to our lives today. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, tonight we are going to see that during each season of life,
• 7:25
  God desires for us to enjoy his gift of work, live in the present moment, and live in relationship with others, thereby bringing glory to him. In these first eight verses of chapter 3, we see a list of life's seasons. This is a poem of opposite. There appears to be no rhyme or reason to the order. There are 28 individual emotions or actions.
• 7:55
  put together in 14 pairs, which is a multiple of 7, and 7 is the number of perfection in the Bible, so I'm sure he did not do this by accident. This is a complete summary of human life. Alistair Begg points out that 14 pluses in the list and 14 minuses in the list add up to nothing. We are left with a sense that life is a vapor.
• 8:24
  Like the bubbles you blew last week, life is temporary. The seasons of life come and go. There is no mention of God in these eight verses, but we know that without God, all that we have and do is pointless and worthless in the scope of eternity. The first pair in the poem, a time to be born and a time to die, are the bookends to every other pair of opposites in this list.
• 8:55
  We have no control over when we are born. It's either God's initiation of the birthing process, or the doctor has said, it's time. On the other end of life, we also have no control over when or where we die. We do know that we will die someday, but only God knows our beginning and our end. If we stop at verse 8, we may be left with a sense of, what now?
• 9:24
  The preacher asks, what gain has the worker from his toil? These seasons of life apply to all humanity. Just because we follow God doesn't mean that we will always be winners in the game of life, nor do we get out of jail free cards during seasons of life that include weeping, mourning, losing, casting away, or tearing.
• 9:55
  We don't have control. But as believers, we can recognize that God is sovereign, that he is in control. He is with us and he will work all things for his glory and for our good. And as it says in verse 11, he makes everything beautiful in his time. God knows the beginning and the end and is at work in every season of our lives.
• 10:28
  What season of life are you in right now? Will you ask him to give you joy and satisfaction to walk this season and to remember his faithfulness? If you're in a hard season, will you cry out to him and ask for his rest while you live each day one moment at a time? We're going to continue on in verse 11 where we are reminded that we are finite.
• 10:58
  but God is infinite. God has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. We can only see the now, but we sense that there is more to the now that we cannot see. Sin has ruined our focus. The now is me. We're going to focus on myself instead of on God.
• 11:29
  The preacher's life was out of focus. He had turned to himself, pursuing everything possible under the sun, and found no satisfaction. God had given him wisdom and riches and fame, but he realized this and reiterates again, as he has previously, there is nothing better than for them to be joyful and to do good as long as they live.
• 11:55
  so that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil. This is God's gift to man. Question 1 of the Westminster Catechism asks, What is the chief end of man? The answer, man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. We glorify God by taking pleasure in the toil he has given us in this moment. We glorify God by taking pleasure in the toil.
• 12:26
  he has given us in this moment. Have you ever been caught up in accomplishing something, looking forward to what the benefits might be as a result of all your hard work, only to complete it and be left with a sense of, why was that important to me, and now what? I distinctly remember the first time this occurred to me. In high school, I'd been involved in sports, music, and academics. I'd graduated as one of the valedictorians.
• 12:57
  And while standing in the dining room after graduation, I had this sense of, now what? What was the big deal of all that work? And why did I think it was so important? Now, as an adult, I look back at different seasons of my life and see that when I was focused on enjoying the toil and the gifts of God, I was satisfied. I'm not saying that I have arrived now that I'm 40. There are plenty of seasons that I cannot say that about.
• 13:25
  But God has been challenging my heart through this study to be more present in the moment and to enjoy it, challenges and all, not focusing on what may be next. This life and these seasons are a vapor. They are temporary and not repeatable. John MacArthur states, the only fulfilled life is one lived in proper recognition of God and service to him. Any other kind of life is frustrating.
• 14:12
  In the New Testament, Paul writes to the church at Corinth. First the context, and then the point that I want to make.
• 14:22
  Paul is giving guidance to the church regarding their eating or not eating the food that's been sacrificed to idols within the Corinthian culture. He's reminding the people that their choices affect those around them, the believers and the non-believers. In chapter 10, he says, all things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up. Here's the principle we can apply from verse 31.
• 14:50
  So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. There are so many good things in this world God has given us to enjoy and to toil over. But we must not attempt to enjoy these things without acknowledging and thanking the giver of those things. And the world around us will notice when we acknowledge God. Verse 16 through 21.
• 15:22
  Remind us that we're all going to die. The righteous, the wicked, and the beast. It's easy to push that reality out of our minds unless we are faced with the death of a loved one or someone we know. Three months ago, a woman David and I had contact with in college and during our young married years died after a 12-year battle with brain cancer. She left behind a husband and two young children. Life is short.
• 15:51
  None of us knows how long we will live. David Gibson has written a book called Living Life Backward. In it, he uses the book of Ecclesiastes to show us that only a proper perspective on death provides a true perspective on life. Living in light of your death will help you live wisely and freely and generously. It will give you a big heart and open hands.
• 16:21
  and enable you to relish all the small things of life in deeply profound ways. Pondering our guaranteed death is a wake-up call to begin enjoying the life God has given us. How do you and I respond to the reality of death? Will we let it change how we live today?
• 16:55
  On to chapter 4, because the preacher has summarized for us in verse 22, there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Then we get to chapter 4, and it begins rather bleakly, seeing oppression in the world. Again, I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and behold, the tears of the oppressed.
• 17:31
  They had no one to comfort them. On the side of their oppressors was power, and there was no one to comfort them. That's quite the downer. The preacher's response to this is found in verses 2 and 3. And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been born and has not seen the evil deeds done under the sun.
• 17:59
  We don't get a nice, tidy answer. But this is his response. As believers, we know that this world is not as God created it to be. Sin has messed up everything. We cannot close our eyes and plug our ears, pretending the terrible things don't happen to other humans. Nor should we dwell on it and become depressed about the evil done towards others. We cannot grow hard-hearted and shrug our shoulders because, well, that's just the way it is.
• 18:31
  They must be getting what they deserve. All humans, even those living apart from God, have been made in God's image and are worthy to be treated with respect. As followers of Christ, we need to ask God what he would have us do about the situations presented to us and follow through as he leads in a way that will glorify him. The last season of life mentioned in this section is probably the longest one for most of us.
• 19:00
  The working years, after high school or college, through retirement or death, whichever one comes first. Verses 4 through 6. Then I saw that all toil and all skill and work came from a man's envy of his neighbor. This is also vanity and the striving after the wind. The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh.
• 19:25
  Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after the wind. Back in Genesis 2, we are told the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to keep it. But of course, sin has tainted God's original design on work. In Genesis 3, verse 17, it says, Cursed is the ground because of you. In pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life.
• 19:55
  Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground. For out of it you were taken, for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Work is hard. It's labor intensive. But the preacher is challenging us to consider our heart attitudes towards work. There are two extremes put before us. First, the workaholic.
• 20:25
  Do we work hard to keep up with the Joneses, not Bob and Dina? Just the Joneses in general, the Smiths, the Williamses, whatever. Are we only working hard because we want what our neighbor has? Are we working for the next big thing? The preacher's theme statement reminds us this is vanity. It's a striving after the wind. Opposite of the workaholic is the lazy fool.
• 20:56
  Have you ever had those days you wish you could wave a wand and complete the overwhelming tasks before you? Or have you felt so overwhelmed with what needs to be accomplished that you don't know where to start, so you just don't? I was very convicted. I have been both a workaholic and I have been lazy. The preacher calls the lazy person a fool, and I sure don't want to be considered a fool.
• 21:25
  Thankfully, verse 6 gives us a middle ground to walk, an attitude toward work that is pleasing to God, a handful of quietness. We are to live in the present moment and work with joy, but not too hard. We are to enjoy the present moment, but don't overindulge. The preacher challenges us to not be living for the next big thing, the next stage of life, the next adventure.
• 21:54
  You fill in the blank. Live in the present moment. Gibson says, live the life you have now instead of longing for the life you think you will have but which you actually cannot control at all. He also says, the gift of God makes this vanity, this toil, enjoyable. We can live in the moment with joy because we know that work is from God. It is his gift to us.
• 22:29
  This last section we're going to look at applies to any season of life. My original illustration for this section was referencing living as a lone ranger. David told me that might not speak to the younger generation. I'm going to use it. I have always heard the term lone ranger used in reference to someone who doesn't appear to have friends and is okay with it.
• 22:57
  or someone taking a path with no one following behind. I looked up the storyline from the 1950 TV series, only to discover that the main character was called the Lone Ranger because he was the sole survivor of his original ranger group. But Tonto came along and nursed him back to health, and then became his best friend and helper in taking down all the bad guys. So, let's just look at the name Lone Ranger and not consider the TV series.
• 23:26
  The preacher tells us it is an unhappy business to toil and work if there is no one to share it with. Verse 7. Again I saw vanity under the sun. One person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so he never asks, for whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure? This also is vanity and an unhappy business.
• 23:55
  The second part of this passage, about two becoming better, two are better than one, there's a good reward, they can lift each other up, they keep warm, and they will not be prevailed against by the enemy, is often used in reference to the marriage relationship, the equally yoked partnership God intended when he created Adam and Eve. But what if God has not called you to be married, or you are widowed?
• 24:25
  Do you have at least one friend with whom you share life? You aren't meant to be a lone ranger just because you don't have a husband. I remember the video a couple months ago of the young adult women who share life together. What a joy it was to watch them give testimony to how God is working in their lives, lifting each other up as they walk this season of life together. We are not meant to live any season of life alone. We are meant to live in relationship with others.
• 24:56
  When in relationship, we have the joy only God gives while sharing the highs and lows of our seasons of life. So, to summarize, we have seen how the seasons of our life are a vapor. They are temporary and they change, but God is eternal and unchanging. In every season of life, God desires for us to enjoy the work he has given us to do. Since we know that one day we will die.
• 25:29
  We ought to live in the present moment, not with our minds focused on the next season. And finally, we are not to live as lone rangers, but to live in relationship with others. Sisters, what is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever in whatever season of life you are in. Let's pray. Father God, I pray that whatever I have spoken that does not need to be spoken would be forgotten.
• 26:02
  and that your truth would speak to each lady as she needs to hear it. May our conversations with each other these last few minutes be pleasing to you as we encourage and lift each other up. In Jesus' name, amen.