WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.259 Ecclesiastes 5, do turn there, page 555. 00:00:07.520 --> 00:00:13.540 What we discover is this point our preacher has covered a huge amount of ground for us. 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:19.059 ! He started with the unstoppable seasons, if you remember, and the cycles of life. He said, 00:00:19.059 --> 00:00:26.480 what has been will be, and what has been done is what will be done. He then looked into the life of wisdom 00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:33.700 as a pursuit. How do we live well? Pursue wisdom. And he followed that then with the pursuit of 00:00:33.700 --> 00:00:39.579 pleasure, a life that is given to pleasure. And then he followed that with a life devoted to hard 00:00:39.579 --> 00:00:47.480 work. And he has consistently told us that building our lives on these things, trying to gain profit, 00:00:47.480 --> 00:00:55.840 trying to gain in a life that is oriented towards these things is vanity. He says, all of them are 00:00:55.840 --> 00:01:03.740 vapor. He then made the point that God is the Lord of all history, and he has set the times for all of 00:01:03.740 --> 00:01:11.840 our lives. Even injustice is under God's good hand, and one day will be resolved according to his good 00:01:11.840 --> 00:01:18.159 and perfect plan. In the meantime, we should enjoy what he has given us, and we should share that joy 00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:28.819 with others. That's what the preacher has said. But are we listening? That is God's message to the world 00:01:28.819 --> 00:01:40.920 about how his world works, but do we believe it? It doesn't seem so. What are the bestsellers in every 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:47.579 bookshop? Alongside the cookbooks and the sport biographies, there is always multiple titles in a genre 00:01:47.579 --> 00:01:55.079 that we could call How to Gain. Podcasts the same, different shows with thousands and thousands 00:01:55.079 --> 00:02:05.079 of downloads, whether it's life or work or pleasure or wisdom. How to Gain. And despite the fact that 00:02:05.079 --> 00:02:11.759 we've all tasted something of the vapor of life in this fallen world, we pursued something in some way 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:18.899 that we thought would bring us contentment or joy or peace or fulfillment, and it didn't. But despite 00:02:18.899 --> 00:02:25.280 this bitter experience, the life advice bestsellers are bestsellers because we don't believe Solomon's 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:32.759 wisdom about life under the sun. And this evening in chapter 5, we come to a hinge in the book 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:38.620 where Solomon presses on us this point, and he tells us that we need to make a choice. The choice is 00:02:38.620 --> 00:02:45.500 there in verse 1. Can you see it? Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to 00:02:45.500 --> 00:02:55.020 listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools. Do you see the choice? The choice is, 00:02:55.640 --> 00:03:03.460 Solomon says, we can listen to God or we can take an alternative path. The path is the way of the fool. 00:03:03.460 --> 00:03:08.980 We can listen and trust God's Word and what it says. We can, verse 7, if you look, we can fear Him, 00:03:09.659 --> 00:03:16.480 or we can pursue life on our terms, thinking that there actually is gain out there. There actually 00:03:16.480 --> 00:03:24.420 is profit to be made out there, and we are the one who will find it. One of these ways is wise, 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:29.580 Solomon says, and the other is foolish. And Solomon describes here how the choice we make will be seen. 00:03:29.580 --> 00:03:35.860 It'll be seen in two ways. It'll be seen in how we speak to and how we live before God. 00:03:36.960 --> 00:03:43.140 That's what he's describing in chapter 5. These two ways of living, how we speak to and how we live 00:03:43.140 --> 00:03:49.300 before God. We've taken, of course, all of us have taken one of those two paths, the path of listening 00:03:49.300 --> 00:03:55.820 and living it out, or the path of folly and living that out. And it's seen in the way we speak to and 00:03:55.819 --> 00:04:02.500 the way we live before God. Now, Solomon describes how this plays out, mainly from the perspective of 00:04:02.500 --> 00:04:10.439 the fool. So, we will take that angle. So, first of all, what he describes is the fool at worship, 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:16.620 verses 1 to 7, the fool at worship. Guard your steps, verse 1, when you go to the house of God. 00:04:16.620 --> 00:04:22.060 To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that 00:04:22.060 --> 00:04:28.259 they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before 00:04:28.259 --> 00:04:36.000 God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth. Therefore, let your words be few. For a dream comes 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:43.639 with much busyness, and a fool's voice with many words. Now, at first, this doesn't seem to fit with 00:04:43.639 --> 00:04:48.660 the idea that the fool has chosen his own path rather than listening to God. He's in the house of God, 00:04:48.660 --> 00:04:56.680 we're told, after all. He's at church. He is a religious man, but listen to his speech. His speech 00:04:56.680 --> 00:05:04.040 makes clear that his heart still thinks way too highly of himself. Out of the overflow of the heart, 00:05:04.180 --> 00:05:10.800 the mouth speaks. So, here is a heart that has plenty to say to God about what he thinks and what 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:18.120 he wants God to do for him. Rash words, hastily spoken. A sacrifice of fools here is the opposite 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:26.300 of a sacrifice of praise to God from lips that honor his name. And they do this without even realizing 00:05:26.300 --> 00:05:33.079 that it's a problem. Solomon says, this is folly. When we come to worship, we should, first of all, 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:41.000 verse 1, lean in to listen. We are in the presence of the living God, the one who dwells in heaven in 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:47.779 unapproachable light. So, it is much more important that he speaks to us than that we speak to him. 00:05:48.600 --> 00:05:53.740 If we recognize that, then, verse 2, our words will be few. Literally, verse 2 says, 00:05:53.860 --> 00:06:00.420 do not let your heart rush to bring up a matter in God's presence. Our speech should be measured, 00:06:00.680 --> 00:06:09.100 and it should be brief. Now, this is an exhortation to organize your thoughts before you speak, 00:06:09.100 --> 00:06:16.860 and to keep those words succinct. Prayer should be understandable, and it should be clear, 00:06:17.840 --> 00:06:24.900 and it doesn't sanctify foolishness to simply add, in Jesus' name, at the end of our prayers. Nor does 00:06:24.900 --> 00:06:29.800 it help God to hear us if we use some version of his name like punctuation throughout. 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:37.579 Oh, God, please hear me, God, as I pray to you, God. Father God, please help come to my aid, 00:06:37.660 --> 00:06:43.860 Father God, right now, Father God, please, Father God. That's not a way of getting God's attention. 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:52.800 But our prayer should also be brief, Solomon says. Let your words be few. Now, Solomon made this point, 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:57.639 in a general sense, consistently through the Proverbs. You see, care about the use of the tongue 00:06:57.639 --> 00:07:03.960 consistently comes up as a theme in Proverbs. For example, Proverbs 21, 23, whoever keeps his mouth 00:07:03.960 --> 00:07:10.800 and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. And James 1, 19, let every person be quick to hear, 00:07:11.280 --> 00:07:21.160 slow to speak, slow to anger. An economy of words is one of the marks of a wise person, 00:07:21.160 --> 00:07:30.800 because they only speak after sufficient thought. And the fool is often marked by the opposite. 00:07:32.060 --> 00:07:36.320 Always lots to say. Now, I don't mean that it's necessarily sinful to be a talkative person, 00:07:37.220 --> 00:07:42.340 but that foolish people have plenty to say about people and about things that are nothing to do 00:07:42.340 --> 00:07:47.780 with them. It is interesting, isn't it, that when Jesus taught us to pray, he did so with a remarkably 00:07:47.779 --> 00:07:53.319 brief prayer. When we pray the Lord's Prayer each Lord's Day in the morning, normally here, 00:07:54.000 --> 00:08:01.139 just think about how brief that is. Six petitions, that's all. Now, of course, we do develop our 00:08:01.139 --> 00:08:09.599 prayers along the lines of the themes there, but it is remarkably brief. Let your words be few. 00:08:11.639 --> 00:08:15.599 Solomon then raises another kind of foolish verbal sacrifice, we could call it, 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:19.840 to be avoided as well. Verses 4 to 7. Look at verse 4. 00:08:20.080 --> 00:08:28.680 When you vow a vow to God, do not delay in paying it, for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:34.779 vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Let not your mouth lead 00:08:34.779 --> 00:08:41.379 you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. What he's talking about here 00:08:41.379 --> 00:08:48.360 is a vow that is made to God, but that is not fulfilled. Now, the making of these kinds of 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:54.220 vows in a spontaneous way is not really that common in our kinds of churches. I vow to you, 00:08:54.419 --> 00:09:02.360 O God, that I will do this thing. We don't often talk like that. But a vow is a solemn promise that we 00:09:02.360 --> 00:09:12.500 make to God. And we do do that in several very important ways. The first quite obvious way is 00:09:12.500 --> 00:09:17.539 becoming a church member. We saw it this evening with the children. They affirmed their faith in God. 00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:21.879 They testified that they've been baptized and trust in Christ alone for their salvation, 00:09:21.879 --> 00:09:26.019 and they vowed to support this church and submit to this church's leaders. 00:09:26.019 --> 00:09:31.500 Now, if you're an adult and you come into membership in this church, you say even more. 00:09:31.720 --> 00:09:37.379 If you are a member of this church, this is what you've affirmed. Do you recognize the authority 00:09:37.379 --> 00:09:41.980 of the elders and assent to the governance and oversight of the International Presbyterian Church? 00:09:42.340 --> 00:09:48.299 And do you agree to accept their discipline, if that should ever be necessary? And you said, 00:09:48.299 --> 00:09:54.360 I do. That was a vow that you made. Do you promise to support the church by prayer, 00:09:54.360 --> 00:10:00.399 giving money and time, and caring practically for individuals? Do you commit yourself to building 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:04.960 and maintaining healthy relationships within this church, treating your fellow believers as your 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:10.600 brothers and sisters in Christ? If you're a member of this church, you vowed to do those things. 00:10:10.860 --> 00:10:17.500 These are witty things to vow. We shouldn't rush into making them. And as far as it depends on us, 00:10:17.500 --> 00:10:24.879 we should come through on them. The second kind of vow we make to God is when someone becomes an 00:10:24.879 --> 00:10:31.659 officer of this church, an elder or a deacon. Among the vows that elders of this church take, 00:10:31.740 --> 00:10:36.940 we promise this, to be faithful and diligent in the exercise of all private and personal duties, 00:10:37.159 --> 00:10:41.799 which are necessary for us as a Christian and as an elder in Christ's church, 00:10:41.799 --> 00:10:48.120 to devote ourselves to prayer and the study of God's Word and to seek to live our life as an 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:55.639 example of Christian discipleship to the flock. If you are a member of this church, you are under 00:10:55.639 --> 00:11:00.819 the care of elders who have made that vow. They've made it to you and they've made it to God. 00:11:03.219 --> 00:11:08.019 Solomon says that if we're not going to deliver on those words, we'd be better off not making the vow 00:11:08.019 --> 00:11:15.919 in the first place. Church membership and officer of the church. The third category is obviously 00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:22.720 marriage. The old Anglican marriage ceremony begins by reminding everyone that we are, dearly beloved, 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:30.079 we are gathered here in the sight of God. God is present when marriage is conducted and a couple 00:11:30.079 --> 00:11:37.960 make their vows in his presence. Solomon is saying that the making of a vow should bind you to keep 00:11:37.960 --> 00:11:45.160 it. The making of the vow should bind you to keep it. The making of the vow is the reason that you 00:11:45.160 --> 00:11:53.980 don't go back on it. The thought of going back on the vow, you think to yourself, well, no, I can't do 00:11:53.980 --> 00:12:02.000 that. Why not? Because I made a vow. The vow itself is the reason that you don't break it. Our culture 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:09.360 doesn't much care for the binding nature of vows anymore, does it? As you think about the direction 00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:15.220 of your life, does the vow that you made in becoming a church member influence the decision 00:12:15.220 --> 00:12:21.000 about where you go and what you do? It should, because it's a vow. 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:26.940 Now, I'm not saying there aren't reasonable reasons to move church. There are. Relocation, 00:12:27.639 --> 00:12:32.980 change in theology. But I am saying that the consumer mindset that our culture 00:12:32.980 --> 00:12:40.200 pursues shouldn't make you go back on your word. Not when it comes to church membership, 00:12:40.419 --> 00:12:46.000 not when it comes to church leadership, and not when it comes to marriage. You can get divorced 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:54.539 very easily today. When things get hard, you can go back on your word. You can. The law allows you 00:12:54.539 --> 00:13:02.279 to do it as easily as can be. Solomon says, however, that's what a fool does. And then look at verse 6. 00:13:03.019 --> 00:13:08.279 When you say, but you made a vow, they say, verse 6, oh, I didn't mean it. I wasn't serious. 00:13:08.919 --> 00:13:14.899 Oh, my feelings changed. Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger 00:13:14.899 --> 00:13:27.379 that it was a mistake. Here's why. The temptation to say, oh, I was joking. I didn't mean it. 00:13:27.740 --> 00:13:35.240 Oh, my feelings changed. Things are different now. Look at verse 6. God is not mocked. If we don't 00:13:35.240 --> 00:13:41.100 keep our word, it's not just, oh, well, that's a bit unfortunate. It actually invokes God's anger. 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:50.200 Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:56.180 Wise men and women watch what they say in God's house. 00:13:58.860 --> 00:14:06.600 Well, that's the fool at worship. The church service ends, and it probably doesn't surprise 00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:11.580 you that the one who is foolish at worship doesn't leave his folly there. Solomon shows how it comes 00:14:11.580 --> 00:14:16.899 with him into the world. So here's our second point, the fool in the world. That's what's going on in 00:14:16.899 --> 00:14:23.600 verses 8 to 20. The fool at worship, the fool in the world. The first problem is, verse 8, that he is 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:29.600 naive. If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, 00:14:30.100 --> 00:14:33.879 do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, 00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:38.120 higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. But this is gain for a land in every way, 00:14:38.539 --> 00:14:40.720 a king committed to cultivated fields. 00:14:43.419 --> 00:14:48.559 Solomon is pointing to the very fact, the existence of injustice and corruption in the world, 00:14:48.679 --> 00:14:57.000 and he's pointing to the person who sees this and says, wow, my, oh, my, oh, my, I had no idea. 00:14:57.000 --> 00:15:01.120 I had no idea. I had no idea that powerful people exploited the poor, 00:15:01.500 --> 00:15:06.879 and then their mates all covered for each other. I had no idea. That's what's going on there. Do not 00:15:06.879 --> 00:15:11.679 be amazed at the matter. The high official is watched by a higher. The word watched there is 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:17.519 better covered for or protected, and there are higher ones who do that. When you're in the system, 00:15:17.899 --> 00:15:21.860 they all look after each other, he's saying. Don't be surprised that it goes on. 00:15:21.860 --> 00:15:27.700 It is a foolish way to think. If we think that we can game the world in some way, remember, 00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:33.820 that is what the person that Solomon has in view in the book of Ecclesiastes, somebody who thinks, 00:15:34.180 --> 00:15:41.300 I can game the world in the way it operates in order to gain for myself. I've tasted some of the 00:15:41.300 --> 00:15:45.620 vapor. I know that I've grasped for things, and there's just not been anything there. I know that, 00:15:45.920 --> 00:15:50.480 but I'm going to keep trying. I'll keep trying something, because there is gain to be had. 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:55.220 And so he's saying, look, if you're the sort of person that thinks that there can be some gain, 00:15:55.580 --> 00:16:02.159 if you are able to game the world in some way in order to bring in utopia, it's naive. 00:16:03.340 --> 00:16:08.700 It's naive to think that those who have the power in a country won't use that for their own ends. 00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:18.120 Surely, if any of us are thinking that that is possible, the whole COVID-19 nonsense was 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:26.159 exhibit A of how this is true. The COVID lockdowns, the parties in Whitehall, the companies that got 00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:31.320 contracts to produce things that they had no expertise in producing, and all the hand-wringing 00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:36.799 since then, that should come as absolutely no surprise to us. People walking around going, 00:16:36.899 --> 00:16:41.940 my, oh, my, I had no idea that this kind of thing happened. Don't be amazed. 00:16:41.940 --> 00:16:48.060 The only one in the world who is immune from these corruptions is God himself. 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:56.200 Don't be naive. It's foolish to be naive. The second problem with the fool in the world 00:16:56.200 --> 00:17:01.100 is that he has covetous. Verse 10. Look at verse 10. 00:17:01.100 --> 00:17:16.700 It is the height of folly, Solomon is saying, to set your heart on money, 00:17:16.839 --> 00:17:26.839 because the pursuit of wealth never, ever, ever satisfies. Solomon could not be clearer. An increase 00:17:26.839 --> 00:17:33.939 in goods, verse 11, brings with it an increase in accountants and lawyers and staff and managers 00:17:33.939 --> 00:17:39.839 and all the kinds of people who send their bill at the end of the month. Look at verse 11. 00:17:40.539 --> 00:17:45.699 When goods increase, they increase who eat them. And what advantage has their owner but to see them 00:17:45.699 --> 00:17:55.619 with his eyes? The man who lives hand to mouth, verse 12, he sleeps well at night. Why is that? Well, 00:17:55.619 --> 00:18:00.659 because he doesn't have any money to worry about. His boss, on the other hand, he lies awake because 00:18:00.659 --> 00:18:06.000 he knows that he has to keep making the money. He has to keep doing that in order to pay the school 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:10.639 fees and pay his staff and keep up appearances with the other wealthy folk that he mixes with. 00:18:11.779 --> 00:18:20.119 Plus, he knows that just one misstep, verse 14, verse 14, one misstep in an email or one oversight 00:18:20.119 --> 00:18:26.759 on a spreadsheet and he could lose it all. And those riches were lost in a bad venture. 00:18:30.279 --> 00:18:31.979 One theologian says this, quote, 00:18:31.980 --> 00:18:38.440 men who build empires frequently find themselves holding a grizzly bear by the ears. The more they 00:18:38.440 --> 00:18:43.980 do, the less they're able to do. The more control they amass, the less control they have. The more 00:18:43.980 --> 00:18:49.059 power they acquire, the more powerless they feel. This is because the vanity of increase, 00:18:49.559 --> 00:18:56.559 the futility of silver and gold has a life of its own. A man may work hard to acquire money only to 00:18:56.559 --> 00:19:02.659 discover at the end of the day that the money actually acquired him. End quote. 00:19:06.940 --> 00:19:12.179 And Solomon says, if the fact that the love of money turns you into a slave, if the fact of that 00:19:12.179 --> 00:19:18.980 isn't bad enough, Solomon has already made that clear in chapter 2, the old cliche is a cliche because 00:19:18.980 --> 00:19:22.839 it's true. When it comes to money, you can't take it with you, verse 15. 00:19:22.839 --> 00:19:29.699 As he came from his mother's womb, he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing 00:19:29.699 --> 00:19:35.859 for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. The covetous man comes into the world naked, 00:19:36.259 --> 00:19:41.079 he leaves the world the same way, and the bit in the middle where he had all his stuff, 00:19:41.500 --> 00:19:49.619 he was a stressed out slave. Verse 17, the Couch described vexation, sickness, and anger. 00:19:49.619 --> 00:19:58.679 Look around in our culture today. What do you see? An absolute shed load of vexation, sickness, 00:19:59.219 --> 00:20:05.799 and anger. People that have set their heart on gain through money, and that's where it leads. 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:14.719 Why, oh why, oh why do we not believe this? We still think that we're the one person who could 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:20.920 handle wealth properly. We look around, we see the fact that all these people, vexed, sick, and angry, 00:20:21.240 --> 00:20:24.839 because they've set their hearts on money. It hasn't delivered the contentment, the joy, 00:20:24.920 --> 00:20:29.100 the peace that they'd hoped. It hasn't delivered the status that they thought would bring them 00:20:29.100 --> 00:20:35.059 the happiness and joy that they desperately wanted. And we think, if I had it, I'd be able to do it. 00:20:35.059 --> 00:20:41.579 We covet what other people have, and we think that if we had that, it wouldn't change us. 00:20:41.779 --> 00:20:47.079 We'd still be the same person. In fact, maybe even if I had that, I could give more to the Lord. 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:55.139 Actually, it's not that I want that much. I just want enough to be able to, whatever your thing is. 00:20:55.140 --> 00:21:03.940 That's how we think. But that's not how it works. Money always adds complexity and stress to your life. Always. 00:21:06.040 --> 00:21:11.540 The Lord Jesus makes this point over and over. Two brothers fighting over their inheritance. What does 00:21:11.540 --> 00:21:19.720 he say? Watch out. Be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the 00:21:19.720 --> 00:21:27.799 abundance of possessions. Matthew 6, don't lay up for yourselves treasure on earth. Why should you not 00:21:27.799 --> 00:21:36.920 lay up treasure on earth? Moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal. We don't believe this. 00:21:37.940 --> 00:21:43.160 We don't believe this because the air that we breathe tells us that the opposite is true. Life is found in 00:21:43.160 --> 00:21:48.259 the abundance of possessions. It is. Store up for yourself treasure on earth because the man with the 00:21:48.259 --> 00:21:55.879 most toys wins. You say you're not satisfied odds because you don't have enough yet. Keep going. 00:21:56.579 --> 00:22:00.480 You have no peace or joy. Well, you just haven't worked out yet how to play the game. 00:22:01.779 --> 00:22:08.039 Jesus says that you can gain the whole world and still forfeit your soul. And the reason that that 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:16.140 happens is because we don't listen to Solomon's message here. We are fools when it comes to money 00:22:16.140 --> 00:22:22.980 because we pursue it at the expense of life in Christ. What does Jesus say? You cannot serve God 00:22:22.980 --> 00:22:33.400 and money. You can't. That was exactly the very thing that Jesus called the rich man who wasn't 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:39.140 prepared to give up his wealth in order to follow him. He said, you're a fool. You have made a bad trade. 00:22:39.140 --> 00:22:49.220 You're a fool. It is the worst trade you can make. Do not gain the whole world from the praise of others 00:22:49.220 --> 00:22:56.560 to more money than you'd ever be able to spend. Don't pursue that at the expense of your soul. To do so 00:22:56.560 --> 00:23:03.680 is folly. That's what Jesus says. And Solomon tells us actually there is a much better way. 00:23:04.660 --> 00:23:08.300 Now, it's becoming, if you've been with us in this series, it's becoming Solomon's theme tune. 00:23:08.299 --> 00:23:09.240 Look at verse 18. 00:23:13.379 --> 00:23:20.379 They hold what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the 00:23:20.379 --> 00:23:25.899 toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his 00:23:25.899 --> 00:23:32.839 lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them and to accept 00:23:32.839 --> 00:23:40.199 his lot and rejoice in his toil. This is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life 00:23:40.199 --> 00:23:43.899 because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. 00:23:43.900 --> 00:24:02.940 Joy. Joy. Joy is mentioned four times there. It is possible to live in this world, the vapor world, 00:24:02.940 --> 00:24:07.660 the world where we're told a million times that the one thing you need is more money. 00:24:08.660 --> 00:24:14.880 It is possible to live wisely in this world and to enjoy it. How do we do it? Verse 19. 00:24:15.880 --> 00:24:21.140 Verse 19. Drill this into your heart, the gift of God. 00:24:21.140 --> 00:24:32.640 That is what Solomon has seen in this world under the sun. If we listen to him, we can learn the secret 00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:43.180 of joy. What is it? It is to receive our lot in life as gift from his hand and to do so with a thankful 00:24:43.180 --> 00:24:50.820 heart. And when we receive everything as a gift, what do you do with a gift? You say thank you. 00:24:50.819 --> 00:24:57.439 When we receive it as gift and we say thank you, God then also gives us the ability to enjoy what we 00:24:57.439 --> 00:25:04.059 have. If we think that what we have is ours by right, if we have a mentality of entitlement, 00:25:04.599 --> 00:25:10.299 and if we take what we have for granted, we say, well, I should have these things. I have a right to 00:25:10.299 --> 00:25:18.460 these things. Then we can have these things times a hundred, times a thousand, and they'll just make us 00:25:18.460 --> 00:25:26.420 miserable and anxious. But if we know that everything is gift, all of it, and our hearts 00:25:26.420 --> 00:25:34.440 are full of praise for what we have and not envy for what we do, then we won't worry much about finding 00:25:34.440 --> 00:25:42.460 answers to our troubles. Verse 20. We'll not much remember the days of his life because God keeps 00:25:42.460 --> 00:25:50.799 him occupied with joy in his heart. If it's all gift, if our hearts are full of praise, if our hearts are 00:25:50.799 --> 00:26:04.819 absent of envy, then we can look at the vapor. We can recognize that it's meaningless. We can get on 00:26:04.819 --> 00:26:12.359 with life and not worry about it because we'll be so taken up with joy. The Apostle Paul was obviously 00:26:12.359 --> 00:26:18.460 listening intently to Solomon because he could write to Timothy saying, godliness with contentment 00:26:18.460 --> 00:26:28.079 is great gain. The question for us is, will we listen to him as well? Let's pray together. 00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:28.159 Amen.