Solomon was a wise man, but even he struggled sometimes with what God was doing in this life.
I. Like a Shadow: Ecclesiastes 8:10-13
Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity. 11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.
A. The Wicked and the Righteous
Throughout scripture there is a basic division between those who serve God and those who do not. Whether the terms used are the wicked and the righteous, the foolish and the wise, or believer and unbeliever, it is understood that there are only two sides.
We want to be on the right side.
B. Delayed Sentence
The scripture tells us that the righteous will be rewarded and the wicked will be punished. Sometimes we see that in this life and sometimes we do not. Sometimes the wicked prosper while the righteous barely seem to get by. It may not seem fair, as if God is not keeping his promises.
C. The Day Will Come
We need to remember to keep an eternal perspective. This life will be over soon enough and eternity is a long time. If we have not received the fulfillment of promises in this life, we know that the best is yet to come. For the wicked, the day of judgement will be terrible. We should not envy their current prosperity, for their future is bleak.
II. Doesn’t Make Sense: Ecclesiastes 8:14
There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.
Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people. In this life, it doesn’t make sense, but we do not see the whole picture.
III. Enjoy! Ecclesiastes 8:15
So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.
A. The Wicked
The person who has chosen to reject God might as well enjoy this life. It is all they will have, their future is bleak.
B. The Righteous
The person who is serving God can also enjoy this life. Christ came that we might have the abundant life. (John 10:10) That life does not begin at death it begins when we are saved by the grace of God. As believers we can enjoy what blessings God gives to us in this life, knowing that the best is yet to come. Yet we do not simply hang on, waiting for heaven, but we enjoy the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Today is the day of salvation. Today we can experience the goodness of the Lord!
IV. The Work of God: Ecclesiastes 8:16-17
When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night, 17 then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.
Solomon was a wise man, yet he acknowledged that he could not comprehend the ways of God. We recognize that God’s ways are not our ways, that His thoughts are not our thoughts.
God knows what He is doing.
We do not.
We can, however, believe and trust Him. He is worthy of our trust. In the end, it will all work out for good for those who believe. (Romans 8:28)
V. What is His Name? Proverbs 30:4
Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know?
I have always found it interesting that this section of scripture is dropped into the book of Proverbs. Obviously, it is talking about God, but the revelation of the Son was to come in the fullness of time.
VI. His Name is Jesus: Acts 4: 10-12
let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
We cannot always understand, but we can always trust in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd of our souls.
These are the sermon notes from 9/26/16. Any advertisements that might appear are placed by WordPress. I have no control over them, nor do I receive any money from them.
Pure Religion
September 14, 2016These are verses that I distinctly remember puzzling over as a teenager. I had nothing to do with widows or orphans, yet I wanted to be what God wanted me to be.
James 1:26-27
I. Bridle Your Tongue
James says quite a bit about controlling our tongue.
A. James 3:8-10
We should be careful of what we speak. However, the secret to controlling our tongue is not in our mouth, but in our heart.
B. Luke 6:45
The best way to control our tongue is to fill our hearts with the love of God.
Our words can be powerful. We should seek to speak words of life, words of encouragement, words of hope and words of love.
II. Visit Orphans and Widows
A. The first century was not like today. There was no social security to provide for those in need. Women did not have a place in the workforce. A woman remained in her father’s home until she was married. If her husband died, she needed to return to her father’s home or if she had a son that was old enough, he could provide for her. If there was no one to provide for her, or for her young children, she was in trouble.
These are the people that James is talking about. People who are in trouble. People who are in desperate need.
For centuries the Christian church provided charity for those in need. Today, with government programs, the role of the church has changed, but we should still be concerned for those who are in need and be willing to help when possible. It is not just widows and orphans but any who are in desperate need.
B. Balance: II Thessalonians 3:10
There is a difference between being in need and being lazy. Since resources are limited we need godly wisdom to be able to be good stewards of what God has given us. We want to help those in need, we do not want to enable people to live unproductive lives.
C. Retirement
In biblical times when a person could no longer work it was the responsibility of children to provide and care for their aging parents. People would continue to contribute according to their abilities.
People in retirement today should continue to contribute in ways that they are able.
III. Unspotted
A. The Flesh: Galatians 5:19-21
These verses provide us with a good starting point of what it means to be unspotted. The idea of this list is not to point the finger at the problems that we see in the lives of other people, but to examine our own lives and ask God to help us turn away from these things.
Some spots take some time to get out.
B. The Spirit: Galatians 5:22-23
As we spend time in the Word of God, and prayer, God will mold us into the people that he wants us to be. The Word of God and the Spirit of God work together to build the people of God. They are spot removers.
C. Effort: Galatians 5:24-25
The flesh is stubborn. It continues to resurface for as long as we are in these mortal bodies. We need to exercise our will, and the self control that comes from God and chose to do what is right in the sight of God.
It is an ongoing process.
D. God is at work in us: Philippians 1:6
It is not in our own strength, but it does require our cooperation.
May God continue His work both in us, and through us.
These are the sermon notes from 8/28. Any advertisements that might appear are placed by WordPress. I have no control over them, nor do I receive any money from them. All quotes are from the New King James Version of the Bible.
Tags:Bible, Christianity, commentary, faith, Holy Spirit, Life, religion, Scripture, serving God
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