We have been learning to look above the sun for the last several weeks, and we have been digging
! We have been digging through this series on the book of Ecclesiastes. Listen, before we go any further, I want to introduce, I'm sorry, dismiss the children, kindergarten through second grade.
There's a little bit of a ring back here, if you wouldn't mind turning me maybe down just a smidge, at least in these monitors up here.
Listen, so kids, kindergarten through second grade, you are dismissed to Children's Church. If you'd like to head to the back, you can do that now.
And before we go any further, can we stop and pray for our nation, for the nation of Israel, for the conflict happening in the Middle East, which, of course, our president just announced this weekend.
So, if you wouldn't mind going to Lord in prayer, I'm going to lead us in a special prayer. I appreciate Joe Bill Brock, our deacon, leading us in that earlier, and I'd like to dedicate one prayer to that this morning.
So, if you wouldn't mind bowing your heads with me at this time.
Father in heaven, conflict is a real part of our world. We look forward to the day when all strivings will cease.
We look forward to the day when we'll beat our swords and weapons into plowshares.
The Prince of Peace will rule.
But until that day, we live in a broken world full of conflict.
There's a historic conflict which began,
we read about it in the old, pages of the Old Testament,
between the Muslim people, the Jewish people.
We pray for peace to come to that region.
We pray for the peace of your people.
We pray for safety for those who are fighting on the other side of the world.
We pray for those who are making decisions that they would be guided by wisdom from on high.
We always pray for a peaceful resolution to conflict.
Sometimes history has shown us that war is necessary.
But we ask that you would reign over it, and in your timing,
you would cause a peaceful resolution to come.
We pray for protection for the men and women who are serving in that part of the world.
We ask your spirit to build a hedge of protection around them.
We ask that we would be faithful to lift them up in prayer,
to do whatever we can on the home front,
to support and pray for you to rule over that situation.
Thank you for the hope we have in you, God,
and that no matter what happens,
whether things seem under control or out of control,
we know that you're always in control.
It's in Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Have you ever carried on a conversation with someone
and you felt like they weren't really listening to you?
They were just waiting for you to take a breath
so they could have their turn to talk?
Or have you been the person who was waiting for your turn to talk
and not really listening?
Look, we probably all find ourselves on both sides of that coin,
but the reality is sometimes we're only half listening
and we're just waiting to get a word in edgewise.
You can always tell when somebody's not really dialed in to what you're saying.
They might be nodding along with you.
Maybe they're even smiling,
but their mind is thinking about what they're going to say next.
If we're honest with ourselves,
sometimes our prayers look a lot like that.
We do far more talking and not nearly enough listening.
What would it look like to have a one-sided conversation with God
where he's the one doing the talking?
Let's think through that as we study in Ecclesiastes chapter 5.
So if you would take the Word of God with you,
and if you don't have a copy, look on with somebody.
Some of the verses we'll have up on the screen,
but some of them I'd love for you to grab a copy of the Word of God in front of you
or look on with somebody.
Or if you want to pull up the Bible app on your device, that's fine too.
But we're in Ecclesiastes chapter 5
as we're making our way through this fascinating book
in our series called Catching Smoke, Living Life Under the Sun.
We read a lot of typology in Ecclesiastes as he says,
chasing after the wind or trying to catch smoke in your hand,
something that just seems like a fool's errand.
You're never really going to be able to achieve that.
Nobody can catch smoke in your hand.
Nobody can catch the wind.
So how do we live this life under the sun?
Sometimes it feels like that.
We're trying to do something that we really can't ever figure out a way to do.
So when we're in chapter 5,
the teacher, which we've identified as Solomon, the author of this book,
says that as we come before God,
how we come before Him matters almost just as much as that we come before Him,
the manner in which we approach Him.
So let's look in verse 1 of Ecclesiastes 5.
As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut.
Well, that sets a precedent right there.
If we could all just do that,
would we enter into the presence of God
and keep our ears open and our mouth shut?
Would we come together?
If we keep our ears open and our mouth shut,
we'd all be a whole lot better off.
That doesn't mean you can't say good morning to somebody.
That doesn't mean you can't engage in fellowship or lift up your voice in praise to God.
But sometimes we're way too quick to close our ears and open our mouths,
and the teacher is teaching us,
let's try it a different way.
As you come into the house of God,
keep your ears open and your mouth shut.
Then he goes on to say,
it's evil to make mindless offerings to God.
What is he saying?
It's evil to make mindless offerings to God.
That means don't be so quick
to offer the sacrifice of praise to God
if your heart is not in it.
God despises when we praise him from our mouth,
from our lips,
and not our hearts.
It's not praise to him.
It's just noise.
It would be far better
to not sing the songs of praise
that the church is lifting up
if your heart is not in it.
I've talked to Jared about this,
and he hasn't done it yet
because it's going to weird some people out, okay?
But one of these times,
we might try a deal where we say,
listen, you don't have to stand.
Everybody doesn't have to stand and sing.
If you'd like to stand, you stand.
But if you're not really in the heart space
to stand and sing right now,
let's all remain seated.
And if at some point,
the Spirit moves you to stand up
and lift your praise from a standing position,
that's fine.
If you'd like to join in and sing,
that's fine.
If you'd like to just sit there,
and pray,
and reorient your heart
back to listening to the Holy Spirit,
maybe that's a good thing to do in this moment.
We might try that one of these times
and just see how that goes.
I've attended services like that before,
and it really moved me
because sometimes,
when we all just stand
and do something together,
it's like, man,
if your heart's right, great.
If it's not, tough luck,
because this is what we're all doing right now.
And it almost enables this false sacrifice of praise before God.
Solomon is teaching us,
it's evil to make mindless offerings to God.
Just do it just to do it.
Just because everybody else is doing it,
it feels like you should.
That's a mindless offering to God.
Then he goes on and says,
don't make rash promises,
and don't be hasty in bringing matters before God.
You sense a theme here?
Make rash and hasty promises?
Like, God, I swear,
if you just do this for me,
then I'll do this for you.
Now, these things should come from the heart,
not bargaining with God
or making a desperate, rash, or hasty promise.
He says, don't be hasty in bringing matters before God.
Be intentional.
Pray through it.
Get your heart right first,
and then pray through it.
Settle yourself.
Be quiet.
Sit before God.
He says, be still,
and remember and know that I am God.
After all, God is in heaven.
You are here on earth,
so let your words be few.
If you read through Solomon's other famous writings
in the Old Testament,
specifically the Proverbs,
how many times does he warn us
and give us advice that we should be quiet
and let our words be few?
But what do we do?
We mouth off.
We like to talk.
We love to get our opinion out there.
And now we can get our opinion out there
like never before
through the miracle of the internet.
Everybody can know what we're thinking.
Everybody can know what we have to say
about a certain thing.
I'm not sure the world is better off
with all of us having a voice
in that way.
You don't have to earn it anymore.
You don't have to earn the platform.
You can just go out there
and broadcast it to the world.
We don't always do that responsibly.
We don't always do that from a place of wisdom.
Solomon says,
let your words be few.
When God gives you something to say,
say it.
Otherwise, be quiet.
We all need to take that advice to heart,
especially in 2026.
Then verse three,
too much activity
gives you restless dreams.
Too many words
make you a fool.
So he's using a comparison here,
an illustration.
You go and you have a,
you live a crazy life
and you're out there
doing all kinds of things.
You're that
are maybe out of the ordinary.
Then your dreams
might be a little crazier.
You go and eat a bunch of Mexican food
at Hefe's the night before.
You might have some crazy dreams.
I don't know what it is,
but sometimes we find ourselves
with funny dreams
after we've done something
along those lines.
Then he says,
just like that,
too many words
make you a fool.
So he's using an illustration here.
When you talk too much,
the foolishness that's inside you
has a far better chance
of coming out.
Guess what?
We're all a fool.
We all have foolishness in us.
Not one of us is exempt
from foolishness.
I know we try to present ourselves
that we are wisdom, wisdom, wisdom
all the time,
but the reality is
foolishness is in there.
And it's only by God's Holy Spirit
that it doesn't come out.
So let the Spirit prompt you
when to talk,
not your flesh.
When your flesh does the prompting,
foolishness is the result.
So Solomon is giving us
the same warning
in different ways
in the first three verses.
Then he says,
verse 4,
when you make a promise to God,
don't delay
in following through,
for God takes no pleasure
in fools.
When you make a promise to God,
this goes back to,
don't be hasty
in bringing matters before God.
Don't make mindless offerings to God.
Be very intentional
and very sober
when you're dealing
with Almighty God,
the creator of the universe,
the creator of you,
the king of all kings,
the lord of all lords.
Respect him
in your dealings with him.
Now he's family.
He is the father.
If you're a child of God,
you've made him
your choice.
You've offered yourself
as a living sacrifice to God.
Then he is your father.
But he's your father.
And you don't just treat him
like somebody else
that you would approach casually
and not respect
the awesome power
that God has.
So you come to him
not with fear
of what he might do to you,
but out of respect
for who he is
and what he has done.
And then it says
when you make a promise to God,
follow through with it
and don't sit around and wait.
You know how many times
I've heard people say,
I'm going to get saved
saved.
And if you're not sure
about what that
church kind of language means,
it means placing your faith
in Jesus
to forgive your sins,
make you his child,
that he's the only way
to be right with God.
There's nothing you can do.
So we call that
getting saved.
Saved from the punishment
for our sins.
Saved from
a life without God.
Saved from all of this
apart from God.
And now you get to have
a relationship with God.
So becoming God's child.
So if you do this,
how many times
I've heard somebody say,
yeah,
I want to be God's child,
but I'm not sure
about getting baptized.
And they'll delay for years.
And if that's your story,
I'm not shaking a finger at you
or judging you
or painting you
in a negative light.
I thank God
because I've talked to people
who've been years
not being baptized.
Then they said,
you know what?
It's time.
Enough is enough.
I'm going to go get baptized.
And I'm thankful
for the work God did
in your heart
to bring you
to that place.
But if you're holding off,
then take that
into consideration.
Jesus set the example
for us
and he showed us
how important baptism is
in the life
of a Jesus follower.
He says,
if you're going to be
a follower of Jesus,
this is what you do.
We see that supported
with the Ethiopian eunuch
and Philip.
There was a man
who was steeped
in religious knowledge
and tradition
and he had a high role
in that
and he knew the scriptures
and he comes
to the evangelist,
Jesus follower Philip
and he says,
I want to follow Jesus.
What should I do?
And Philip said,
you got to get baptized, man.
This shows
that you're serious about it.
This shows
that this is the life
you're chosen.
You are following
the example of Jesus.
This is what you do.
This is one example
of making a promise
to God
that says,
I will follow you
but then delaying
actually following him.
It's not that
that's the only way
to follow Jesus.
There are many ways
that you would follow Jesus
in your life
but that is an important one
and that's what Jesus
did himself
and then said
for us to do
and it's part
of the mission
that he gave
to his followers
is go out,
make disciples,
baptize them,
teach them
what I've commanded you.
So this is one example
of making a promise
to God
and then delaying
in following it through.
So if that's you,
then don't delay
any longer.
sit with God,
get alone with God
and say,
God,
I've been delaying
too long.
Give me the courage,
give me the grace
to follow your example
in baptism.
That's one way.
What are other ways
that maybe you've made
a promise to God
and you've been delaying
in following through on it?
keep all the promises
you make to him.
Verse five,
it is better to say nothing
than to make a promise
and then not keep it.
Verse six,
don't let your mouth
make you sin
and don't defend yourself
by telling the temple messenger
that the promise you made
was a mistake.
Then you go back on it.
Well,
I wasn't really serious
about it.
I probably said that
before I thought it through.
Whatever the promise was,
then we start hedging
on it a little bit.
We start backing up.
We start backtracking.
I'm not sure I really
thought that one through.
Meanwhile,
God says,
oh yes,
you did.
That was the right promise
to make.
That was the right decision
that you made
and now fear
is getting in the way.
Now uncertainty
is getting in the way.
Now reliance on yourself
and not being sure
that yourself
can handle it.
Remember,
forgetting the fact
that God is there
to give you the strength.
God is there
to help you see this through
and by his power
and not yours,
this decision
will come
to fruition.
what you promised
God can make reality
but you can't start backtracking.
So this is a powerful lesson
that Solomon is teaching us.
He says,
that would make God
backtracking,
going back and saying
the promise I made
was a mistake.
He said,
that would make God angry
and he might wipe out
everything you have achieved.
There are consequences
consequences
when we go back
on our word
with God.
Does that mean
God expects perfection
from us every time?
Of course not.
He knows we're weak
and he shows us grace.
And remember,
Solomon
was living in this time
before Jesus came,
before he gave his life
as the sacrifice
for our sins.
But there is a lesson here
that you and I
as the followers of Jesus,
and I'm taking most of you
at your word
that you have chosen
to be a follower of Jesus.
Some of you may not be
in that boat right now
and that's okay.
We're just glad you're here.
We'd love to talk to you
about what it means
and how to become
a follower of Jesus.
So you come talk to me
after the service,
grab Jared,
grab any of our deacons,
just about anybody here
and say,
I would love to become
a follower of Jesus
and we'll get you
on the right path.
We'll take you to the scriptures
and show you how to do that.
But as the followers of Jesus,
this is a powerful lesson
that we need to learn.
We need to take our promises
to God seriously.
We need to take the decisions
we make before God seriously.
Don't rush into them.
Don't be hasty.
Say, man,
I'm in financial trouble
so I need God
to pour out the windows of,
you know,
the blessings
from the windows of heaven
and enrich my life
because I'm hurting right now.
So God,
whatever you want from me,
I'll do it, okay?
Just hook me up
with $100,000.
We'll be okay.
Now that is a hasty,
irresponsible promise
to make before God.
It would be far better
to not make that kind of promise
and just say,
God,
my heart is open to you.
You know the needs that I have.
You know the situation I'm in
that humanly speaking
looks difficult
or maybe even impossible.
God,
please work
and show me
what I need to do.
This is what decisions
or promises
from the heart
looks like.
So there's a couple
of truths here
I want to share with you.
First off,
God is not impressed
by performance,
but he is honored
by our listening.
So taking our cue
from what Solomon
is teaching us
in these first seven verses,
God is not impressed
by performance,
but he is honored
by our listening.
So listen.
Listen to God.
Listen to God's voice.
God's voice can come to us
in surprising ways sometimes.
Most often it comes
from the Holy Spirit of God.
It comes from Scripture,
from this book right here.
We live in an age
where we can carry this book
around with us everywhere.
If you've got this phone with you,
then you can have the Bible
with you everywhere you go.
But I encourage you
to have one of these two.
It's important.
I like this one
because it's got wide margins
and you can write in it.
But whatever works for you,
get God's word
and get in it.
And then let the Holy Spirit
enlighten you
to what you're reading.
It's called illumination,
shining a light
on what you're reading.
Because anybody
can pick up this book
and they can come up
with all the wrong ideas
about what it's saying.
And a lot of people do that.
That's why you'll go on YouTube.
Little rabbit trail here.
If you get your theology
from YouTube,
it's a very dangerous place
to get it.
Not everyone who's on YouTube
is doing it wrong,
but a whole lot of them are.
So get your theology
first and foremost
from the Holy Spirit of God,
but then secondly,
from the tried and true doctrine
that's been passed down
from faith to faith,
from generation to generation,
from true Jesus followers
whose fruit backs up
what they're saying.
I don't care.
Talk is cheap.
Hey, verse 7.
Look with me.
Ecclesiastes 5, 7.
Talk is cheap
like daydreams
and other useless activities
like scrolling YouTube
to figure out what you believe.
Fear God instead.
Solomon was before his time, man.
No, I think human nature
just hasn't changed that much.
If they didn't have YouTube,
then they had something else.
Talk is cheap,
but I want to see
what kind of fruit
your life bears out
with all the talk that you do.
Some of these people
that will get on there
and come up with these wild ideas
that are so different
than anything you've heard before
about God or anything else,
oftentimes,
usually,
the fruit of their life
does not back up
what they're saying.
Say,
that's interesting
what you're talking about.
All the conspiracy theories
or, you know,
whatever,
new illumination,
new truth.
Say, you know,
I'm not really going to give you
the time of day
because I don't see
the fruit of the Holy Spirit
in your life.
That's often
the first litmus test
that we can put
against things
that we see online.
Far often,
instead of talking so much,
we need to stop
and listen
to what God
might be teaching us.
So,
content creators
or whatever other kind
of performers
are out there,
I want to see
how much you're listening
to God
and what He's doing
through you that way,
not by what you perform.
But let's bring it home
to Henrietta
and First Baptist Church.
God is not impressed
by how many weeks
in a row
you've been sitting
in the pew
on Sunday.
I am.
I think it's great
when you're here.
I hate it
when you're not,
even though sometimes,
you know,
I get four Sundays a year.
I've never taken
all four Sundays a year
that I'm not here.
But we all have times
when we're out of town
or we're sick
or something like that.
Somebody got baptized
in another church recently
and some of our people
were up there.
I think that was
really, really cool.
So, I understand
why you can't be here
sometimes.
But it impresses me
when you're here.
That's great.
I love it.
You know why that is?
Because man looks
on the outward appearance
but God looks
on the what?
Yeah, y'all know.
God looks on the heart.
So, he's honored
when we listen to him
from our hearts
far more
than when we perform
for him.
So, you might have been
teaching your Sunday school
class for a long time
and I'm so thankful
you're doing that.
And there's a lot of kids
who are thankful
you're doing that
and parents probably
who are even more thankful
that you're doing that.
But far more
than your performance
for God,
he's impressed
by how much
you're listening to him
as you prepare
to teach that class.
As you prepare
to handle those children.
Same thing
in the school teachers.
Same thing
with our administration.
Same thing
with you
and your workplace.
God's not so impressed
with how you perform
as to the heart
motivations behind it.
The heart motivations
only change
by listening
to the Holy Spirit
of God.
You and I
are not wired
to do things
for God
from the heart.
We're wired
to perform.
So, we have to let
the Holy Spirit
change our wiring.
Change our internal
whatever you call it.
Dits and dashes
and zeros
and numbers.
DNA.
There you go.
That was a terrible
explanation of DNA.
We got there eventually.
God literally
has to change
our DNA.
You know what it's called?
It's called regeneration.
He changes the way
we're made up.
Say,
well, that's just
who I am.
God made me this way.
God wants to make you new.
God wants to remake you.
We have to listen
to His Holy Spirit.
Listening is better
than offering
the sacrifice of fools.
The teacher's not
anti-worship.
He's not even
anti-performance
if the performance
comes
from a place
of the heart.
I saw teenagers
up here
practicing this morning
and then they got up here
and sang.
They performed
and they performed
beautifully.
And I know
that many of them
and I hope all of them
were singing
from their heart.
I've seen Jessica
in the way she
pours herself
into these
performances.
I know she's doing it
from the heart
because otherwise
she would have quit
a long time ago.
And I'm so grateful
when our hearts
then produce
a performance
on God's behalf.
When you go out
and perform
a good work
for someone,
let it come
from a time
of listening
to God
and His Spirit.
Not from this
need to perform
or need to impress
or need to scratch
your itch
or make you feel
better about yourself.
The motivation
from the heart
is the key.
Habakkuk.
We don't go to Habakkuk
very often, do we?
Well, here's one.
The Lord is in His
holy temple.
Let all the earth
be,
what's that?
Silent
before Him.
This is a consistent
theme throughout Scripture.
Let's be silent
before God.
Let's let Him
speak to us
before we hurry up
and get busy
and get loud
before Him.
Then in Isaiah
chapter 30,
that's supposed
to say 30,
not 3.
In quietness
and confidence
is your strength.
In quietness
and confidence
is your strength.
Not in loudness,
confidence
in who?
One person
said God.
Confidence
in who,
church?
God.
Confidence
in God,
not yourself.
Paul understood
this.
He said,
I don't have
any confidence
in my own flesh.
I could,
and he even
made the point,
if anybody
could have
confidence
in themselves
and what they
could achieve
on their own,
it would be me.
Trust me.
It's not,
Paul was teaching
us,
he said,
it's not that
I couldn't achieve
anything on my own.
He said,
don't get this idea
that I chose ministry
because I wasn't
good at anything else.
He said,
that's not what it was.
I chose to follow Jesus
and give my life
to him
because God
changed me,
not because it was
my best option
in life
as a career.
He said,
I have the ability
to be confident
in myself,
but I've learned
that that's not
going to get me
anywhere.
Meaningful.
So I've learned
that when I'm weak,
then God
is strong in me,
through me.
So,
in quietness
and confidence
in the Lord,
that's where you
find your strength.
So if you're not
always feeling strong,
if you're not always
on top of your game,
by the way,
when you are
feeling strong,
often that's an illusion.
When you do think
you're on top
of your game,
just wait
until you turn
the corner
and life hits you again.
So regardless
of whether you're up
or whether you're down,
in quietness
and confidence
in Christ,
that's where
your strength
is found.
So here's our takeaway.
Attention
honors God
more than activity.
Attention
to God
honors God
more than activity.
How many of you
your kids
like your attention?
Anybody?
Slip your hand up
if your kids
like your attention.
I'm noticing
a theme.
It's the younger kids.
Once they hit
teenage years,
they don't want
your attention anymore,
right?
That's how it is.
So think of us
as little kids.
We want God's attention,
right?
You know what
the crazy thing is?
You know what
God wants from us?
Our attention.
How many of you
parents want
your kids' attention?
Anybody?
How many of you
would love
for your teenagers
to give you
attention again?
Yeah.
God craves
our attention
more than anything
because if our minds
are fixed on him,
he can teach us.
He can help us.
He can guide us.
He can change us.
We've got to give him
our attention
far more
than our activity.
Sometimes we're so busy
working for God,
we forget to actually
talk to him.
We forget to actually
listen to him.
Number two,
peace comes.
This thing's bouncing
all over the place.
Here we go.
Peace comes from
trusting God,
not managing him.
How many of you
are guilty?
Don't raise your hand
right now.
How many of you
are guilty
of managing God?
I'll raise mine
because I have done that.
I have tried
to manage God.
as long as I do
this and this
and this,
God will be satisfied
and I can go
about my life.
We're managing him
like he's a difficult
parent
or a difficult client.
We're managing him.
Got to keep God satisfied.
Got to keep God okay
so he doesn't
complicate my life.
Peace comes
from trusting God.
Not managing him.
Turning over the keys.
This is a theme
that Solomon
is teaching us
in Ecclesiastes 5.
It moves from
our words
to our posture.
Our heart posture.
It says,
when you make a promise
to God,
don't delay.
You fear God.
The issue
is not commitment
on our part.
It's giving up control.
We don't make vows
to God
because God
needs reassurance.
He doesn't need
to be managed
by us.
That's not the purpose
behind making promises
to God
or decisions
before God.
It's not that God
needs to be reassured
that we love him
and it's all going
to be okay.
It's the opposite.
We need to be reminded
that he loves us
and he's going to
help it be okay
if we stay in tune
with him.
We make these vows
and promises
often,
unfortunately,
because we want leverage.
we bargain,
we negotiate,
we promise
future obedience
in exchange
for present blessings
or relief.
How silly is that?
How pointless is that?
So Ecclesiastes,
Solomon,
the teacher,
invites us
into something better,
a faith
that rests
instead of manages.
A reverence
before God
that releases
the illusion
of needing
to be in control
and a humility
that lets God
be God.
Jesus
tells a story
about this.
Would you turn
to Luke chapter 18?
Luke chapter 18.
We'll be done
in just a moment
but before we're done
I want to share
this with you.
Now keep a finger
in Luke 18
because we're
going to go there
and then go back
to Micah
chapter 6.
Go back
a few pages,
Mark,
Matthew
and then keep
going back.
You see Malachi,
you see some
of these minor prophets,
Zechariah,
Haggai,
then go back
to Micah.
Micah chapter 6
verse 6.
Keep a finger
in Luke 18,
we're going to be
there in just a second.
Micah 6
verse 6.
What can we bring
to the Lord?
Should we bring
him burnt offerings?
Should we bow
before God
the Most High
with offerings
of yearling calves?
Should we offer
him thousands
of rams
and tens
of thousands
of rivers
of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice
our firstborn children
to pay for our sins?
What does he want?
What does he want
from us?
Does he want
all our money?
Does he want
our bank accounts?
Does he want
our times?
Does he want
our volunteering
in the church?
Does he want
us to sit up
there on the deck
and struggle
with that system
up there
trying to make
everything sound
good and the slides
and all that stuff?
Does he want
us to get up
and sing in front
of the choir
even though we
don't like being
in front of people?
What does he want
from us?
It's kind of the point.
Ooh, I like it.
Good job, Bo.
Bo jumped in there
and said our heart.
That's good.
Okay, let's see
what he says.
Verse 8.
To do what is right,
to love mercy,
to walk humbly
with your God.
Fear the Lord
if you are wise.
To do what is right,
to walk humbly,
to love mercy,
to walk humbly
with your God.
That is a heart posture.
You cannot accomplish
those things.
Without giving him
your heart.
So what he wants
from you
is your heart.
It's your desires.
It's your motivations.
It's the why.
He wants the why.
Now go to Luke 18.
Hopefully you've
got a finger there.
If not,
you've got to hurry
and turn there
because we're already there.
Luke 18, verse 9.
Here we go.
Then Jesus told
this story to some
who had great confidence
in their own righteousness.
There's nobody
in this room
that has great confidence
in your own righteousness.
Right?
Again,
don't raise your hand.
Just look in your own heart.
These were the Pharisees.
They scorned everyone else.
So he teaches them
something through this story.
He says,
two men went into
the temple to pray.
One was a Pharisee.
The other was
a despised tax collector.
Boy,
you couldn't get
more despised
or lower
in that society
than tax collector.
Everybody hated that guy.
He was working on behalf
of the Romans.
He was the scourge
of their existence.
He was the one
who was the physical
manifestation
of everything
they hated about Rome,
collecting taxes
that they thought
were unfair
and shouldn't have
to be paid.
So this guy
is the despised
tax collector.
The other is at the
opposite end
of the social spectrum.
You couldn't get
more respected
and revered
than a Pharisee.
She got two guys
going into the temple
to pray.
The Pharisee stood
by himself
and prayed this prayer.
I thank you, God.
That's my fancy voice.
That I am not
like these other people.
And I imagine
he's kind of
cocking his head
over that way
like this tax collector
guy over here.
Cheaters,
sinners,
adulterers.
I'm certainly
not like that
tax collector.
He literally
calls the guy out
during his prayer.
He thought
that one
was getting
through to God.
I think that was
bouncing on the roof.
It wasn't going
up to heaven.
I fast twice a week.
I give you,
oh God,
a tenth of my income.
And I imagine
he went on and on
and Jesus had the mercy
to not give us
the whole prayer here.
But the tax collector
stood at a distance.
He dared not even
lift his eyes
to heaven.
He didn't feel worthy.
To lift his eyes
up to heaven
as he prayed.
Instead,
he beat his chest
in sorrow.
Now,
I don't think
he's doing
like gorilla style.
Okay?
Back then,
different culture,
right?
But what we can
take away from this
is he was sorrowful.
He felt terrible.
He felt unworthy.
Felt like he was wrong
and he was a sinner.
And he says,
oh God,
be merciful to me,
a sinner.
That was it.
It's the extent
of his prayer.
God,
please just show me mercy.
I'm a sinner.
I've done terrible things.
Please show me mercy.
Jesus says,
I tell you,
this sinner,
not the Pharisee,
returned home
justified before God.
What does he mean
by justified?
Made right.
He was made right
before God.
The guy who was
the sinner,
not the quote,
quote,
righteous man.
For those who
exalt themselves
will be humbled.
And those who
humble themselves
will be exalted.
Can I repeat that
to you, church?
If you exalt yourself,
God will humble you.
If you humble yourself,
then God can exalt you.
If I exalt myself,
God has humbled me.
When I've humbled myself,
God's often chosen
to exalt me.
He does that for all of us.
I know that's the testimony
that many of you share.
You know the greatest example
of this?
Jesus humbled himself.
Took on the form
of a servant.
Was made in the likeness
of men.
Common,
lowly,
sinful men.
And at the right time,
God
lifted him up
and set him
on the right hand
of the throne of God.
And he says,
someday,
every knee
of all those sinful men
and women,
every knee will bow
and every tongue
will confess
that Jesus,
the one who humbled himself,
he is Lord over all.
He set the example
and he says,
this is the rule
in my kingdom.
You humble yourself
and then I can exalt you.
So,
this is where we're finishing.
Peace begins
where self-importance ends.
Peace begins
where self-importance ends.
You can't keep up
appearances enough.
You're not good enough
to be flawless.
And if you want people
to be drawn to you
because of how important you are
or how righteous you are
or how good you are,
you're not good enough.
You are flawed.
You'll never keep up
the illusion long enough.
You can't.
God says,
I can make you
truly righteous.
I can make it
not an illusion.
I can make it real.
But you gotta humble yourself.
You gotta turn to me
from your heart.
You gotta listen
to my voice
and my spirit
and let me change you
from the inside.
I wanna share a quote
with you
by Blaise Pascal.
He said,
all of humanity's problems,
this was back
in the 1600s,
by the way.
There was another guy
who was before his time.
He said,
all of humanity's problems
stem from man's inability
to sit quietly
in a room alone.
Now,
I don't know about
all of humanity's problems,
but I think he understood
that this was a problem
even back then.
We have a hard time
sitting quietly
in a room alone.
And I think
our modern day adaptation
of that
is alone
without the outside world
available
at our fingertips.
Alone without this.
How many times
do I find myself
with a moment's
peace and quiet
and what do I do?
I pull this out immediately.
Gotta check what's going on.
Gotta check my emails.
Check the social medias.
Check whatever's going on.
Gotta be informed.
Gotta stay up on everything.
And this can be a blessing.
It can be a blessing
to be informed,
to know what's going on.
But we've lost the ability
to sit quietly alone.
You know what happens
to the follower of Christ
when you sit quietly alone?
God has space
to speak to you.
He's got your attention now.
He can cut through
because there's nothing else
competing for his voice.
So how do we become
a listening church?
First, we gotta slow down.
Then we gotta quiet down.
Then we've gotta open up.
What do we mean by this?
We gotta slow our bodies.
Physically,
you might need to slow down.
You might be doing too much.
Your schedule might be too full.
If you never have any time
to sit quietly,
you're too busy.
So you may need
to physically slow down.
Two,
you need to quiet your mind.
That's a discipline.
It takes practice.
It takes years.
Truly,
I'm in the middle
of practicing that.
I'll let you know
when I've finally gotten there.
But I'm working on it
and you need to work on it with me.
We all need to work
on quieting our minds.
And then thirdly,
we need to open our hearts.
Open our hearts.
Open our minds.
God might be ready
to change our mind
on something.
Romans 12,
we say it like every other Sunday.
God is changing
the way we think.
So slow the body.
Quiet the mind.
Open the heart.
Peace begins
where self-importance ends.
That progression
is exactly right.
It's got to start
with our body.
Then it goes to our mind.
And then our hearts
become open.
And the Holy Spirit
can speak to us.
This is how we live
under the sun.
What makes us different
from anybody else?
The same sun shines down
on all of us.
So how can our lives
be different?
How can they be
more peaceful?
More full of joy?
More full of hope?
More able to bless others?
How can we
as the people of God
be any different?
It's by slowing the body,
quieting the mind,
open the heart.
Lift our eyes
toward heaven
above the sun.
And that's how we do it.
That's what we've been
saying every week.
Let's say it again, church.
Ready?
How do we live
under the sun?
We look above the sun.
Let's pray.
God, that's what we want
you to do right now
as we lift our eyes
to you.
We can't be distracted
by anything else
under this sun
and everything is competing
to distract us.
So I pray that we would
quiet our minds,
that we would slow down,
that we would sit still,
that we would learn
how to sit quietly
and listen to you
instead of just
constantly running
or constantly doing
or constantly performing
or constantly talking,
that we would learn
to sit quietly
and listen.
Make us a listening church,
listening families.
Relationships are saved
or restored
because often
listening comes back.
Communications is important,
but listening is even
more important.
As the music begins to play,
would you listen right now?
God, we open our hearts to you.
We open our ears to you.
You speak to us right now, Lord.
In our words,
in our worship,
we want to honor you.
In our hearts,
we turn to you.
We lift our eyes above the sun
to the sun of God.
Amen.