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Home , Ecclesiastes 11, Everything Is Beautiful

Wisdom Guides Godly Contentment Kenwood Baptist Church Sermon Series: The Way of Wisdom Pastor Palmer October 27, 2019

TEXT: 3:1-15

Good morning, beloved. I say that, not just because I love you, but because I love to remind you that you are the beloved people of Almighty God. It's no small thing to open His Word and have our Heavenly Father speak to us, knowing that He loves us and that He sent His Son into the world to claim us as His very own. We need His Word. We need all of His Word both to know Him and to know ourselves and how He desires us to live. This fall we are looking at the wisdom books of the : Proverbs, , Ecclesiastes, and Job. We are trying to walk the way of wisdom together. This week we finish Ecclesiastes, the third of the wisdom books. Remember from last week that Ecclesiastes is so called from :1. The ESV renders it: “The words of the preacher,” which in Hebrew is Qohelet, the gatherer, the assembler, one who unites the community together. In the Greek translation of the Bible, 250 years before our Lord, this term is translated as the Ecclesiastes, the one who gathers the ecclesia. That's why we call this book Ecclesiastes. It is from the speaker who is addressing us. The thesis of Ecclesiastes, or the warning in Ecclesiastes 1:2 is: “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” This verse, as we said last Sunday, presents a great translation challenge. It’s the Latin translation that influences many others with this idea of vanity, but actually the Hebrew term used here doesn't suggest meaninglessness, or that it's vain, but that it's short, that it's transitory, that it’s the breath of breaths. The warning of Ecclesiastes is that all we can seek to build our life on other than Jesus Christ slips through our fingers. If you try to build your life on anything other than the Lord, you will end in frustration and find yourself risking your eternity

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on futility. Breath of breaths – it’s like striving after the wind. The preacher says in Ecclesiastes 1:14: “I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.” This is a warning that we need. It’s a warning that can be issued only from someone with rich life experience. A child can't look at you and say: “I've discovered that all is breath of breaths.” You need some mileage, and praise God that young and old voices are preserved in Scripture. Jesus says that to enter the Kingdom of God, you must take on the mentality of a child, and praise God for children, and even the children in the sanctuary now. Praise God also that God works in our lives, that we grow in wisdom over time, and so we need to be around people who are outside of our generation. We need to be in community with others who have lived long enough to know that the things of this world are like a breath of breaths. The voice of Ecclesiastes 1:16 is: “I said in my heart, ‘I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.’” He said he had tried everything. He was son of David, king in Israel, and was in a position to investigate these things and export pleasure and great accomplishments, great wealth, and yet he discovers, in , that despite all of the attraction of the things of this world they are in fact “breath of breaths.”

You and I are tempted to run hard after those things, to think our happiness is tied to the accumulation of wealth, status, prestige, or a relationship we desire. Worldly ambition surges us forward, and we think: “If I just have this, I will be happy.” Some of you have read that book, The Giving Tree by Shell Silverstein, about a young boy who grows and thinks all the time of what he must have. The wisdom in Ecclesiastes 2:24 is first announced: “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil.” We stressed last week that this idiom in the original text literally says: “There's nothing better than to eat or drink and to cause your soul to see the good in the work that God has given you.” This is so powerful. You have something to eat, something to drink, and say: “God, thank You for the work that You have given to me.” This is from the hand of God, he says, and the key to this, dear brothers and sisters, he says, is that apart from Him, apart from God, who can eat or enjoy anything?

You can be surrounded by good things, and if you are not enjoying them in the Lord, you aren’t really able to enjoy them. Our relationship with God, godly contentment, is the key to our happiness. He then flows out in a poetic utterance in , the text that we just heard

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read. He says that in the Lord, human life in its totality is beautiful. In Christ, all facets of our human experience become meaningful. The poetry of Ecclesiastes 3 calls us to see the edges of our experience, that everything is beautiful and can be enjoyed in Christ. You can be present in Christ for all of these things, all of them can be meaningful in the Lord. There is a time for this. He says in Ecclesiastes 3:1-2: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: A season a right time for everything a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;” Can you remember the joy you felt over the birth of a child, your first child or your first grandchild? Some of you are smiling. Some of you are anticipating this, but there is also, in the Lord, a time to die, a time to gather around a loved one and sing to them as they step over into eternity. That is in the Lord. There is a time to plant, and planting is exciting. Pressing seeds into the ground in anticipation and joy. Sometimes the things that you plant grow super abundantly, and Genesis 1 and 2 are fulfilled in your eyes. All of a sudden you realize that burning bush is taking over the whole south side of the house; that ornamental tree that seems so appropriate now is cracking the foundation. It’s time to dig it out and move it. There's a time to plant, and there's a time to pluck up what is planted. Ecclesiastes 3:3: “[There is] a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;” There is never a time to murder, but there is a time to kill and to put down. I remember a sad moment in my childhood when it was time for the golden retriever that we had loved for many years. She couldn't walk; we had to put her down. It was the time to do that. There's a time to heal, to expend all of your resources, your energy of prayer to bind up. There's a time to break down. Sometimes to grow in Christ we need demolition, to clear out space in our souls and we have to tear something down. Sometimes that fence in the backyard that we've put off for too long has become a safety hazard, and we have to tear it down. But there is a time to build up. Then we read in Ecclesiastes 3:4: “[There is] a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;” Sometimes in the Christian life these moments can be right next to each other, and, in Jesus Christ, they both are meaningful and beautiful. There are so many things about being a pastor that I love and are meaningful. One of the facets of being a pastor is that you get to enter into intense times for people, and sometimes they are of very different types right next to each other. Last week, I had the privilege of having many opportunities to be with members of the flock in casual gatherings. Sometimes when we have big gathering times, I love to talk with you and hear what’s going on in your life. I can have a conversation with someone and they say, “You know, my marriage is really in trouble.” You enter in and you put your hand on the shoulder and say, “Let's go to the Lord right now.” You turn around and you talk to someone else who says. “We just got engaged. Can we sign up for premarital counseling?” That can

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happen within seconds. Once I was going to the hospital because a member of our church had lost sight of the Lord and the weight of this world and the unending responsibilities were just cascading over, and it was like the sky was dark for so long that it seemed like the only way out of this life was to expedite the path to eternity. It’s deep water to walk into a hospital room and minister to someone who's just tried to take their life, to come in and put your arms around them, and say, “There's a time for everything. Cause your soul to see the good in what God has given you in this portion.” Despair is not a fruit of the Spirit. It doesn't come from the Lord, but the full range of our experience does, and we can minister and stand alongside someone like that. I remember praying hope in that hospital room, and after a time of prayer, seeing some light come into that room. I walked out of the hospital room, and I went straight to a wedding and a wedding reception. If I was not a Christian, I might feel schizophrenic; I might have felt knocked off balance, but in Jesus Christ, you can weep with those who are weeping, and you can rejoice with those who are rejoicing.

In Ecclesiastes 3:5, we read: “[There is] a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;” I thank all of you who prayed for me over the last two days. I was in Maine teaching 150 pastors Casket Empty. It was a rich time. God was present among us, and one of the things I love about New England is all the evidence that it's time to cast away stones. The ground is so rocky there, and as you clear out your backyard or field to get the stones out, you have to basically build a wall, so there are all these low walls. There are times to clear out the stones so that God can work in that field. There's also a time to gather stones together and prepare to build. There is a time to embrace. I’m a hugger. I grew up in the family of huggers, and I'm grateful for that. But there is also a time in the Lord when there is conflict or temporary estrangement and you refrain. There are times when a child is longing for your affections, and yet they've disobeyed you and you have to refrain from embracing.

The passage continues in Ecclesiastes 3:6-7: “[There is] 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; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.” There is a time to keep track of those memorabilia items, but there is a time to purge so that your living space doesn't get overloaded. There is a time to tear, but also a time to sew; a time to keep silent. Aren’t there times like that when godliness is just staying quiet? But, there are other times when godliness is speaking up, saying: “There is injustice here and I must speak.” Ecclesiastes 3:8 says: “[There is] a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”

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In Jesus Christ there is nothing within our human experience that we cannot walk through with godly contentment. This is immense wisdom. This is wisdom you cannot pick up until later in life, and you need the mature voice of Ecclesiastes 3:11 to tell us: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man's heart,” God set eternity in our hearts because this eternity echoes in our hearts whenever we feel that mourning or that loss of something—that desire that “Oh, I wish this season would extended a little bit longer.” Do you know that feeling? I'm experiencing that right now in an intense way as our children are our heading off to college, and I'm thinking: “Can't we just have a couple more of those family vacations? Can’t we do that again?” Some of you know these seasons of loss or longing, and some of you younger ones, as you leave one grade you think: “Can't I just redo sixth-grade?” Most of the time we’re in such a rush to transition into seventh grade, going to a new school, opportunity lies ahead, big things are coming. But, as you get older, you’ll look back at sixth grade and think: “I'd love to have sixth grade again.” That longing is an echo of what God has put in our hearts of eternity. There's a sense of eternity in us that is a right longing for life to endure. The good news of the gospel is that in Christ it will. With godly contentment as our key to happiness in this life, Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 tells us: “I perceived 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.” There is nothing better than to be joyful. This is surprising for many readers of Ecclesiastes. Many readers of Ecclesiastes seem at first to suggest that the writer is an old, cranky curmudgeon who is discouraged, frustrated, and irritated with people. Dear brothers and sisters, that’s a profound misreading of this book. Ecclesiastes, if you look for it, is saturated with joy. Look again at verse 12: “There's nothing better than to be joyful.” Do good as long as you live. As long as you have life, take pleasure in the work that you have. Cause the eyes, your soul, to see the good. This is God's gift. God’s gift to you is life. Enjoy the life that God is given you. If you try to enjoy life apart from God, that's where you'll find despair. If you try to link your happiness with worldly ambition apart from God, that's where you'll find discouragement and depression. Ecclesiastes 3:22 tells us: “So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?” There’s nothing better than to rejoice in your work, what God has given you today—whether that's your work in the office, whether that's your work at school, whether that's your work in the neighborhood, whether you’re in leadership of the PTO organization in your community, whether you’re a civic leader, whether your work is to help other people manage their funds, whether your work is to be a counselor or psychologist, whether your work is to analyze numbers and help people grow, whether your work is city planning—whatever your work is,

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whether your work is to stay at home and help children in your household know that you are there for them, whether your work is changing diapers or caring for aging parents. Whatever God has given you, rejoice: “God, thank You. Thank You that I get to do this today!”

Dear friends, this is so powerful. If you take this, and I know it's a risk—it’s always a risk to God's Word in—but if you take the risk of taking God's Word in, it changes you. So, if you're happy with the way things are, then put up the barricades. But, if you take the risk of taking God at His Word and let the truth of Ecclesiastes come into your soul, that godly contentment is the key to happiness, then the cascading joy of Ecclesiastes will wash over you. :18 has another refrain of joy: “Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.” :15: “And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.” It would be worth taking one of the pew home and reading through Ecclesiastes and marking all the joy passages. There are so many more than you would think. “I command joy; there is nothing better than to eat, drink, and be joyful.” This is not, as I mentioned last week, the Epicurean philosophy: “Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” Take all the pleasure in this world and then, when you're dead, you’re dead. That's not this at all. This is saying that as long as I have life, God has made everything beautiful in its time. :7 says: “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.” God has taken pleasure, literally, in what you do. Do you know that God takes pleasure in our work when we do our work as unto the Lord. When you paint, when you draw, when you coach, when you counsel, when you treat a patient with compassion whose come in terror to your office, God takes pleasure in your work, and you are to enjoy the fruit of your labor. Enjoy it. In Ecclesiastes 9:8, he says: “Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head.” I'm enjoying the life that God is given you and me. Put oil on your head, scented perfume. In Ecclesiastes 9:9: “Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the Page 6 of 9

sun.” I have a great wife. I don't have time in this sermon, and that is not what this sermon is about, to laud all the great things about my wife, but there are many, and I really enjoy her. I enjoy her company, her conversation, I enjoy how she looks out for me, I enjoy how she reminds me there's no way we can do all of that. I love her, but I also really enjoy her, and God's Word in Ecclesiastes says: “Enjoy your life; enjoy your husband; enjoy your wife in all the days.” Do you see how much joy is in this book?

In Ecclesiastes 11:8, it says: “So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity.” Rejoice in the years that God has given you. There will be dark days, because everything is breath of breaths; it’s short. Ecclesiastes 11:9: “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.” Whatever stage or station in life you are in remember the Lord and live this life with godly contentment. This is so powerful! :1 reaches the climax of this book: “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’” Remember your Creator in the days of your youth before it's too late. Link your life to God early rather than late. At the end of Ecclesiastes 12, the preacher sought to find words of delight and write words of truth. He says in Ecclesiastes 12:11: “The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd.” We need goads. Goads are those sharp pointers behind the ox. They are like the ancient equivalent of the spikes at the car rental return. We return the car, and we think: “Wow, I like that car was so much better than my car,” and it flashes in our heart: “If I just had this car, I would be happy! Right? I mean, if I had 15 cameras around in my car, if only I had all these features!” You know they rent those cars to goad you to buy those cars, and you're tempted when you return it to just back up right then and there and drive it out of there. That’s why they put those spikes up, to deter you. The words of the wise are like that: “Keep moving forward, brothers and sisters. Keep moving forward.” They are like goads moving you forward. They are like nails, firmly fixed, drywall anchors on which you can hold beautiful art, but they’re given by one Shepherd, that's the Lord. All the wisdom books come from the Lord. He says in Ecclesiastes 12:13: Page 7 of 9

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” That was lesson number one of wisdom: Fear God; keep His commandments. This is for everyone.

We need mature voices to guide us in truth. When I was a university student ,wrestling with my future and what would I do and become, one of my mentors, Steve Garber, introduced me to Jacques Ellul, a French philosopher, a Christian philosopher who lived in the 20th century. Ellul was really concerned about how media was shaping our attitude, and he wrote a book called Propaganda that was pointing out how we are taught what to think and feel, and he was concerned about it. He wrote another book called The Technological System, and he said that technology was bringing in a new social order where efficiency was imposed upon us as an absolute necessity. He was concerned about the effect of technology on the soul. The favorite book of his that I've read, and Steve Garber introduced me to, was his meditation on Ecclesiastes. Jacques Ellul wrote a profound short book called The Reason for Being. In his reflections on Ecclesiastes, he says: “Remember your Creator during your youth: when all possibilities lie open before you and you can offer all your strength intact for his service. The time to remember is not after you become senile and paralyzed! Then it is not too late for your salvation, but too late for you to serve as the presence of God in the midst of the world and the creation. You must take sides earlier—when you can actually make choices, when you have many paths opening at your feet, before the weight of necessity overwhelms you.”

Dear brothers and sisters, Ecclesiastes summons us to the center of godly contentment. We want to end this morning with the opportunity for everyone to respond. Some of us this morning have lost our joy, and we need a recovery and renewal of that. Some of us have gotten distracted from the Lord, and we’re racing and we don't exactly know why. Some of us are thinking: “Oh, it's too late for me to be the presence of God in this life,” and we just need an opportunity to trust the Lord afresh. We want to end this morning with an opportunity to pray. Our elders are going to be up in front. One of the very special things happening at Kenwood recently is in the lives of our students. Our students have been given a desire to pray. Have you been prayed for by student? God's doing a special work. If you've lost your joy this morning, our students, our elders are here, and we’re going to enter into a time of reflective singing

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that says: “All I need is You, Lord.” That's the chorus. If you have gotten distracted in some way, if you’ve just thought that what I really need is this relationship, when what I really needed is this promotion; what I really need is this house, when what I really need is something else, and you just want to say, “Lord, what I need is You.” I want invite you to come to a student or one of our elders. If you need something specific, then just ask for prayer. Maybe you need healing. Maybe you have a relationship that needs to be mended. Whatever the need, whatever the situation, just say: “Lord, I just want to come and I want You to see me here. I want to ask You to renew godly contentment in my heart.” Can we enter that season prayer? I’m going to invite you to stand, and I’m going to lead us in prayer. As we stand and the music goes on, this time is just open and it's available, and I want to invite you to move out from where you are, as an individual, as a couple, a family, and receive prayer and godly contentment.

Lord Jesus, we love You and praise You. Lord, we know from Your Word that all we really need is You, and so I ask, Lord, that You would help us to come and to take our place before an elder or a student to say, “Lord, I need You” in whatever specific way that is. Lord Jesus, we love You, we praise You and we honor You. We give You this time. Come, Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit, fill this place.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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