WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.520 Thank you. Thank you, folks, for having me here tonight. If you could get your Bibles 00:00:06.520 --> 00:00:12.519 open to that passage that Corrie read to us, Ecclesiastes chapter 11, looking at verse 00:00:12.519 --> 00:00:17.600 one all the way through to chapter 12 verse 8. Let me just give you a bit of context. 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:21.960 You might be new to church, you might never have read the book of Ecclesiastes before, 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:27.679 and that might seem like quite an odd reading as we looked at it. This is what's known 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:34.960 as a wisdom book in the Bible. That means that it is written to teach God's people 00:00:34.960 --> 00:00:42.519 how to live wisely. And it's written by a guy with the slightly cool and enigmatic name 00:00:42.519 --> 00:00:54.280 of the preacher. And the preacher in Ecclesiastes wants us to get wise by learning to get real. 00:00:54.280 --> 00:01:00.120 He wants us to get real about the difficulties that we will face in life. He wants us to get 00:01:00.120 --> 00:01:07.719 real about the fact that everything you are working for now will fade out. He wants us 00:01:07.719 --> 00:01:14.840 to get real about the fact that every single one of us is going to die. At the beginning 00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:21.000 of the book and right at the end, he has his catchphrase, you can see it there, in verse 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:30.799 8, vanity of vanities says the preacher, all is vanity. Now that might sound like a bit 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:35.159 of a downer. I'm glad that we sang that Psalm there actually because that word vanity in 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:40.760 the original Hebrew language is maybe not the best translation. Vanity means something 00:01:40.760 --> 00:01:48.840 more like breath, like we sang in Psalm 39. So he ends by, he begins and he ends his wisdom 00:01:48.840 --> 00:01:59.760 by saying a breath, a breath, everything is just a breath. If you were to step outside 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:04.879 and it's freezing cold, you know those moments where you just see your breath in the icy 00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:12.400 air just for a brief moment. Well, the preacher in Ecclesiastes would say that's your life, 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:18.480 that's your achievements, that's everything that you've been working for. All of it is 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:26.719 just a breath. Now he tells us that not so that we will get down or depressed, but so 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:35.120 that we will realize something key about our lives. And that key truth is that we are not 00:02:35.120 --> 00:02:41.879 in charge. We are not the boss. We need to see how small we are to realize how much of 00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:49.079 a breath life is so that we can learn something so important for making the most of life. So 00:02:49.079 --> 00:02:56.359 that we can learn to put all our hope, all our trust on the majestic, infinite, great 00:02:56.359 --> 00:03:03.840 and good God who does control our lives. See, if we think about times where we have been 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:14.960 foolish, often folly is done when we blow ourselves up and shrink God down. And so the 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:21.759 preacher in Ecclesiastes wants to do the opposite. He wants to shrink us down, show 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:29.439 us who we really are, and in doing so, magnify who God is. 00:03:29.439 --> 00:03:35.280 Von Roberts, a minister from down south, he sums up the message of Ecclesiastes well, 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:42.719 sums it up with five words, face facts and fear God. That's what this whole book is 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:49.960 about, face facts, get real about what life is like in this broken world, but don't use 00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:57.280 that to despair, use it to fear God, to trust God, to hold him in reverence and in awe. 00:03:57.280 --> 00:04:02.840 Now, in those chapters that we just read that Corey read to us, these are the closing words 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:10.159 of the preacher. And I want us to think about these words, to picture them as the words 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:19.639 of an old man on his deathbed trying to depart wisdom to a younger man and encouraging him, 00:04:19.639 --> 00:04:27.399 make the most of your life, this mere breath of existence, make the most of it. This is 00:04:27.399 --> 00:04:33.360 what we need to think about if we are to make the most of the time that we have. So these 00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:39.120 are the wise words of a wise teacher, but before we look at them, I want to begin by 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:44.399 quoting to you from another wise teacher, probably one of the wisest teachers outside 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:51.839 of the Bible, Gandalf the Grey. In the Lord of the Rings films, Frodo is speaking to Gandalf 00:04:51.839 --> 00:04:58.120 about how he wished he never had this task of having to destroy this evil ring, and Gandalf 00:04:58.120 --> 00:05:04.759 responds by saying to him, so do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them 00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:11.719 to decide. All we have to decide is what we are going to do with the time that has been 00:05:11.720 --> 00:05:21.200 given to us. What are you going to do with the time that has been given to you? We don't 00:05:21.200 --> 00:05:28.400 know how long that time will be, but what are we going to do with our lives? That is 00:05:28.400 --> 00:05:35.560 what the preacher is wanting to ask this young man, what he's wanting to ask all of us in 00:05:35.560 --> 00:05:42.399 Ecclesiastes 11 and 12, what will you do with the time God has given to you? And if we really 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:49.160 are to use that time to its fullest, the preacher would say that we must, we must know, we must 00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:56.600 remember who God is. And so in this chapter, he tells us three truths about life and how 00:05:56.600 --> 00:06:03.480 knowing God rightly should affect our approach to them. So here's what they are, three points. 00:06:03.480 --> 00:06:12.160 This is this, life is unpredictable, so take risks remembering God's in control. Secondly, 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:22.319 life is good, so enjoy it when you can remembering God is your judge. And thirdly, life is brief, 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:29.400 so accept your mortality, remembering God is your creator. Let's work through those three 00:06:29.399 --> 00:06:37.359 points. Firstly, life is unpredictable, so take risks remembering God is in control. 00:06:37.359 --> 00:06:41.599 Look at how he begins verse one. Speaking to this young man, he says, cast your bread 00:06:41.599 --> 00:06:49.039 upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. It's confusing, isn't it? But even 00:06:49.039 --> 00:06:53.279 if you can't understand the details of what he is saying there, it sounds to me like he's 00:06:53.279 --> 00:06:57.719 talking about feeding some ducks, but even if you can't understand the details, you 00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:04.520 could probably get the gist of it. What he is saying is make sure in life you make risky 00:07:04.520 --> 00:07:12.200 investments. Cast your bread out on the waters. Probably that is a reference to sea trading 00:07:12.200 --> 00:07:19.520 at this time. So you send out all your produce on a ship, a very risky thing to do back then. 00:07:19.520 --> 00:07:24.840 Preacher says do it. In fact, don't just give a portion to one risky venture, he says give 00:07:24.839 --> 00:07:30.519 to seven or eight. Verse two is probably similar to a proverb we have in English. Don't put 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:37.759 all your eggs in one basket. Don't make one investment, make loads. Who knows? Who knows 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:44.120 what disasters are on the horizon? Why should you do this? Because you've got no control 00:07:44.120 --> 00:07:50.879 over your life. You have no control over life, just like you have no control over nature. 00:07:50.879 --> 00:07:54.439 Verse three, if the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if 00:07:54.439 --> 00:07:59.120 a tree falls to the south or to the north in the place where the tree falls, there it 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:06.439 will lie. These are things that happen that you cannot predict or control. So don't be 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:14.360 the kind of person who is so overly cautious in life, always waiting for the right time 00:08:14.360 --> 00:08:21.079 to do something that you don't actually do anything. That's his point. Verse four, I 00:08:21.079 --> 00:08:28.560 love these verses. Really behind these verses, verse 46, are behind a lot of what we, why 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:32.319 we wanted to do a church plan in Charleston. 00:08:32.319 --> 00:08:37.000 Ecclesiastes 11, verse four, he who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:42.240 the cloud will not reap. As you do not know the way the Spirit comes to the bones in the 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:48.439 womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything 00:08:48.440 --> 00:08:54.560 in the morning. Sow your seed and in evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know 00:08:54.560 --> 00:09:01.920 which will prosper this or that or whether both alike will be good. Here's what good 00:09:01.920 --> 00:09:06.680 farmers are going to do. They are not just going to spend all their time waiting for 00:09:06.680 --> 00:09:14.800 just the right climate to sow their seed. Good farmers just going to get on and do it, 00:09:14.799 --> 00:09:19.839 and the fact that he has no control over the weather. 00:09:19.839 --> 00:09:24.159 And this is the preacher's point with how we view life. There are things that we can't 00:09:24.159 --> 00:09:30.679 control about life, things that we can't even understand. And he uses the example here of 00:09:30.679 --> 00:09:37.240 how a baby is formed in the womb and given life this amazing, miraculous event. Even 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:43.679 with all our technology today, we can't help but see it and think, wow, what a miracle. 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:51.039 He says, look, it's not our doing, but we do have a part in it. But it's God who forms 00:09:51.039 --> 00:09:58.679 that child, the maker. He is the one who dictates when the rain will pour, when the trees will 00:09:58.679 --> 00:10:08.319 fall, and how we will be formed. He is in control of life, not us. So being wise with 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:17.800 the time that we have means learning to let go and to take risks that trust in God. Stop 00:10:17.800 --> 00:10:24.480 standing, staring at the clouds, and start living. Now, that doesn't mean start living 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:31.400 for yourself. It means letting go of thinking that you can control it all, and you can have 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:40.720 it all, and you can be it all. Let go of trying to be God and let God be God. It's so important, 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:48.840 so wise to plan in life. Don't mishear this. We've got to plan. Proverbs has much to say 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:54.679 about this, but Proverbs 19 verse 22 also says this, many are the plans and the mind 00:10:54.679 --> 00:11:03.359 of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. He's in charge, and often 00:11:03.359 --> 00:11:08.759 his plans don't match what our plans will be. And so sometimes we just have to take 00:11:08.759 --> 00:11:14.839 risks. Now, don't mishear this. Not stupid risks. It's not like getting all your money 00:11:14.839 --> 00:11:21.079 and going down to the bookies and putting it on a horse, but wise risks. That means 00:11:21.080 --> 00:11:26.840 risks that honor God and trust Him with our choices. And part of that has to be seen in 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:32.400 how generous we are, and being willing to give stuff away, being willing to give our time 00:11:32.400 --> 00:11:38.920 away, being willing to give our time for people. Don't hold on too tightly to the things of 00:11:38.920 --> 00:11:45.800 this world. We are just passing through it. Everything's just a breath. For some of us, 00:11:45.799 --> 00:11:52.039 there may be many decisions, and we are just being way too cautious about them. And the 00:11:52.039 --> 00:11:56.599 reason we are being cautious is not because we are being wise, it's because we're trying 00:11:56.599 --> 00:12:03.799 to control the outcome rather than give it to God. Maybe, I don't know, many of you here 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:11.919 tonight, maybe for some of you, the most important risk you need to take tonight is to follow 00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:18.879 Jesus, to surrender the control of your life over to Him and say, Jesus, I trust you no 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:26.959 matter what. Let me say that is a very risky thing to do, and you could lose a lot doing 00:12:26.959 --> 00:12:36.039 that. But it's so worth it. Here's the big way, though, I think we should apply this 00:12:36.039 --> 00:12:45.039 wisdom, not just with the choices that we make in life, but we should think about this in 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:51.120 terms of the work that we do for Jesus and His kingdom. See, the greatest gift we have 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:57.679 is Jesus, and it's the labor that we do for Him that matters the most. And by the way, 00:12:57.679 --> 00:13:00.679 it's really interesting, you know, when Jesus talks about kingdom work, this is what He 00:13:00.679 --> 00:13:18.879 says in Matthew 4, verse 26. He says, That's quite similar to Ecclesiastes 11, 4 and 6. 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:23.399 And it's the same principle, right, when we tell others about Jesus, it works, even if 00:13:23.399 --> 00:13:30.639 we don't know how. Sometimes it produces harvest, sometimes it does nothing. Sometimes it produces 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:35.759 a wonderful response, sometimes it produces hostility. But at the end of the day, it's 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:41.720 not down to us, it's down to God's sovereignty. So whilst we need to be wise in engaging with 00:13:41.720 --> 00:13:47.439 others, we need to recognize that there's a danger we can spend so much time waiting 00:13:47.439 --> 00:13:53.439 for the right moment to share Jesus that we never actually share Jesus. Sometimes we just 00:13:53.439 --> 00:14:00.319 need to get out and sow the gospel seed. That's all Jesus calls us to do. We're the soars, 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:06.680 we're not the growers. And so let me ask you, as I ask myself, as we think about taking risks, 00:14:06.680 --> 00:14:19.600 what wise risks are you taking for Jesus? I think with my generation, this may be a 00:14:19.600 --> 00:14:25.960 generalization, but I think one of the big worries might be in terms of the church is 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:34.480 that many of us make choices based on how comfortable we can make our life, rather than 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:41.400 on what benefits Christ and His kingdom. I want to live in this place, I want this size 00:14:41.400 --> 00:14:48.879 house, I want this school, and that's what matters. And the kingdom expansion of Christ 00:14:48.879 --> 00:14:59.600 is something we want to applaud, but from a distance. Our life is not about being comfortable. 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:03.919 And woe to us if we do that at the expense of others coming to know the eternal salvation 00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:12.080 of Jesus. We want to be careful, but our time is too short to spend it staring at the clouds. 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:18.440 And so the preacher says to this young man, make sure you take wise risks, risks that 00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:26.720 acknowledge God is in control. Life is unpredictable, so take risks remembering God is in control. 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:32.920 Here's the second thing he says, life is good, so enjoy it when you can, remembering God 00:15:32.920 --> 00:15:40.560 is your judge. Have a look at verse 7. Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes 00:15:40.560 --> 00:15:46.960 to see the sun. So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all, but let 00:15:46.960 --> 00:15:53.200 him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is just a breath. 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:58.240 And so what's life like for the preacher? He says it is like a warm, basking in the 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:03.000 sun. It's great yesterday at the wedding just to have the sun beating down on us. It feels 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:09.840 good, especially when you're from Scotland. It's a gift from God. Enjoy that then, enjoy 00:16:09.840 --> 00:16:16.400 life as a gift. When the times are good, enjoy them. But look, the preacher's not naive, 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:21.759 he's lived life to the full. He knows that this world is broken and that life won't always 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:28.120 be good. There will be many days of darkness amidst the light. Some of you might feel that 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:35.480 that is a day you are in. Remember the maker and judge of all things. Nothing is pointless 00:16:35.480 --> 00:16:40.480 with him. When times are dark, the preacher would say in something like Ecclesiastes 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:48.560 3, look to the one who has time in his hands. But when times are good, make sure you enjoy 00:16:48.560 --> 00:16:56.920 it. Verse 9, rejoice, oh young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the 00:16:56.920 --> 00:17:02.000 days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:08.599 that for all these things, God will bring you into judgment. When life is good, enjoy 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:14.599 it, make the most of it. And if you have a good understanding of who God is, then you 00:17:14.599 --> 00:17:20.599 should be able to enjoy the good that God gives. And everything good is a gift from 00:17:20.599 --> 00:17:28.519 Him, is it not? See if you follow Jesus, you should be able to enjoy the things of this 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:36.599 world more, not less. Because the problem we have often is that we take the things of 00:17:36.599 --> 00:17:40.879 this world according to Paul and Romans 1, we take them, the created things, and we put 00:17:40.879 --> 00:17:48.759 them in the place of the Creator. We worship them. But if we worship God, we're not worshiping 00:17:48.759 --> 00:17:54.199 the gifts, we're worshiping the giver of the gifts. And therefore we can enjoy the gifts 00:17:54.199 --> 00:18:01.719 more. See, you don't make too much of this world and you don't make too little of it. 00:18:01.719 --> 00:18:06.079 You realize that it's all passing away, but it's not your reason for living. And if you 00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:12.319 have Christ, you have everything. That's why the apostle Peter says this about what it's 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:17.679 like to follow Jesus. In 1 Peter 1 verse 8, he says, though you have not seen Jesus, 00:18:17.679 --> 00:18:23.399 you love Him, though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with a joy that 00:18:23.399 --> 00:18:32.119 is inexpressible. He's the source of joy. And when He's number one, you can enjoy His 00:18:32.119 --> 00:18:44.719 creation. And so it's so good to climb Arthur's seat and enjoy it, to enjoy the sunshine or 00:18:44.719 --> 00:18:51.079 the rain, to enjoy the hills and the mountains, go out and have a nice meal, have a burger, 00:18:51.079 --> 00:18:56.359 cook for somebody, read some good books, listen to great pieces of music like Beethoven or 00:18:56.359 --> 00:19:04.839 Iron Maiden. Enjoy football, enjoy sport, enjoy travel, celebrate birthdays, sing and 00:19:04.839 --> 00:19:13.240 write songs, eat toffee fudgy, wudgy ice cream. Enjoy a bacon roll and praise God that we 00:19:13.240 --> 00:19:20.159 live in the new covenant because so many good food comes from pigs. As long as we're not 00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:28.680 indulging these things over God, a monk who locks himself away in a room, away from the 00:19:28.680 --> 00:19:41.800 world, is not being spiritual. But unbiblical might even say ungrateful. Give God the glory 00:19:41.800 --> 00:19:47.680 and the thanks for all the good you have. Enjoying the world that God has made shows 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:53.560 that we really grasp the goodness of the God that we say we love. He is a very generous 00:19:53.560 --> 00:20:00.360 Father. Let me tell you something. When I get my boys a gift for Christmas time and my 00:20:00.360 --> 00:20:05.400 girl as well, she's only two, so she's quite happy just with getting wrapping paper. But 00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:11.640 when I give the boys a gift, here's what I want to see them do with that gift. I want 00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:18.360 to see them enjoy it. Here's what I don't want to see them do, throw it away. Nor do 00:20:18.360 --> 00:20:23.480 I want to see them love the gift more than they would love me. But give them the gift 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:32.560 so they can enjoy it. God's a far better Father, infinitely better than us. What good things 00:20:32.560 --> 00:20:38.480 do you have that you can give thanks to Him for now? And how can you enjoy them more? 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:44.279 You must remember that joy is not the devil's realm. This is God's. Maybe you feel that 00:20:44.279 --> 00:20:49.079 there isn't much in your life. Maybe family have gone. Maybe you're isolated and you're 00:20:49.079 --> 00:20:52.400 just struggling. Maybe you're one of these people who's in the days of darkness that 00:20:52.400 --> 00:21:00.640 the preacher speaks of. Please note that God is still a good Father. He has not been less 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:08.600 generous because what is the greatest gift that the God of the universe could give to 00:21:08.600 --> 00:21:18.000 you? Was it not His own Son? And if we have Him, we do have everything. Think on who He 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:26.240 is. Enjoy these smaller things. But do so, the preacher says, mindful that God is going 00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:31.120 to bring everything into judgment. That's what he says at the end of verse 9. Now, that 00:21:31.120 --> 00:21:35.880 sounds like he's kind of putting a bit of a downer on our joy there. I don't think so. 00:21:35.880 --> 00:21:40.519 That's not what he's doing at all. He's commending joy. The truth about God being our judge is 00:21:40.519 --> 00:21:47.799 not there to ruin our joy but to direct our joy because God knows how to best live in 00:21:47.799 --> 00:21:59.119 His world. And so when we listen to Him, when we obey Him, that's a path of joy. Share His 00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:05.279 joy. You know, what is it that thrilled Jesus the most? What thrilled Jesus the most in the 00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:12.119 Gospels? The few times that it talks about Him being, in some cases, overwhelmed with 00:22:12.119 --> 00:22:23.239 joy were the moments when lost sinners returned to God, to be found and to be forgiven. That 00:22:23.239 --> 00:22:30.799 gave Him such joy. And so for us, enjoy in life. Again, it involves sharing this gospel. 00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:36.439 Give everything to Him. Remove vexation from your heart, says the preacher in verse 10. 00:22:36.439 --> 00:22:40.479 Jesus said something similar. He said, don't worry about tomorrow, what you eat or what 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:46.160 you drink, but seek first the kingdom of God and these things will be sorted. Don't spend 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:51.680 your life constantly worrying so that you're missing the good that has already been placed 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:56.440 in front of you. Do you know what I think the preacher is trying to do here with this 00:22:56.440 --> 00:23:04.440 wisdom? Is encourage this young man, encourage us to have a spirit of thankfulness. Often 00:23:04.440 --> 00:23:14.440 thankfulness is the remedy to so much of our anxiety. What has God given me? Don't miss 00:23:14.440 --> 00:23:21.400 it. Enjoy it. Life is unpredictable, so take risks remembering God is in control. Life 00:23:21.400 --> 00:23:28.279 is good, so enjoy it when you can. Remembering God is your judge. Thirdly, finally, life 00:23:28.279 --> 00:23:38.799 is brief, so accept your mortality. Remembering God is your creator. Here's his final words 00:23:38.799 --> 00:23:48.359 to the young man that he is speaking to. Remember your creator. He's saying, don't 00:23:48.359 --> 00:23:55.200 be deluded young man, that you are somehow going to live forever. Don't be a fool, you 00:23:55.200 --> 00:24:01.840 are not the king of this world. And the preacher's emphasis here on God being the creator, which 00:24:01.840 --> 00:24:09.519 is an emphasis he has all throughout Ecclesiastes, is to remind us that we are creatures. He 00:24:09.519 --> 00:24:15.080 is the one we answer to. There's a great book in Ecclesiastes by a minister called 00:24:15.080 --> 00:24:20.960 David Gibson. He says in that book that we need to realize that when it comes to the 00:24:20.960 --> 00:24:31.319 story of our lives, we are not the main author. Remember your creator. Remember your creator 00:24:31.319 --> 00:24:38.039 before it's too late. Remember who he is and who you are in relation to him. This is a 00:24:38.039 --> 00:24:46.960 message to everyone, but this is especially a message to the young here. I think there's 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:52.440 a tendency when you're young, and I'll let you guys define what young is. There's a tendency 00:24:52.440 --> 00:24:57.279 when you're young to think you're invincible, that you've got your whole life ahead of 00:24:57.279 --> 00:25:09.480 you to do what you want. But remember, you have been made by God for God. You must remember 00:25:09.480 --> 00:25:22.160 it now because days will come. Days of darkness, days of trouble, and when you remember it 00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:32.720 now, that will equip you for those days. There may come a time where it seems too late. 00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:37.240 In Charleston, I have honestly found that some of the hardest people to share the gospel 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:43.519 with are some of the elderly people in our community. You'd think that if you were old, 00:25:43.519 --> 00:25:47.160 you were on death's door, you'd be open to having discussions about where we're going 00:25:47.160 --> 00:25:53.559 to spend eternity. It's not the case. I had a 93-year-old man wanting to have a square 00:25:53.559 --> 00:26:00.920 go with me because he didn't like Jesus or Christians. He's just so set in his ways, 00:26:00.920 --> 00:26:04.720 but he wanted us to run a youth club because he didn't like the kids in the area either. 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:10.759 Now, it's not always the case. It's what's amazing about God's grace. It's so great 00:26:10.759 --> 00:26:15.839 that even the hardest heart can be transformed by it, the first person to become a Christian. 00:26:15.839 --> 00:26:20.960 The church plant that we were doing was an elderly woman, and she's amazing. Maybe some 00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:25.519 of you here became a Christian later on in life. Those of you that do follow Jesus, guarantee 00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:34.400 though, if that is the case, you wish that in your youth you had remembered your Creator. 00:26:34.400 --> 00:26:39.840 What the preacher does in verse 2 to 6 is he closes his words with a beautiful poem 00:26:39.840 --> 00:26:47.440 to remind us of what is coming. Remember Jesus now because before you know it, your body 00:26:47.440 --> 00:26:54.000 will one day deteriorate and you will die. Now, just look at this poem. It's a poem about, 00:26:54.000 --> 00:27:01.680 it's kind of like a house getting slowly more and more run down, but it's also a metaphor 00:27:01.680 --> 00:27:10.480 to describe the aging process. Have a look. A lot of fun. Verse 3. Verse 2, sorry, before 00:27:10.480 --> 00:27:14.360 the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return 00:27:14.360 --> 00:27:21.200 after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men are 00:27:21.200 --> 00:27:30.920 bent. That's what happens. Your legs go. You start to stoop over. Your knees give way. 00:27:30.920 --> 00:27:37.360 The grinder cease because they are few. You know what that's a reference to? It's your 00:27:37.360 --> 00:27:46.320 teeth going. Those who look through the windows are dimmed. Your eyesight starts to go. The 00:27:46.320 --> 00:27:54.440 doors on the street are shut when the sound of grinding is low. Going deaf. You get up 00:27:54.440 --> 00:28:01.799 early. Your voice starts to go. Verse 5, you become more afraid, especially the fraylor 00:28:01.799 --> 00:28:11.160 you get. The almond tree blossoms. You know what that is? Yes. Those of you that are fortunate 00:28:11.160 --> 00:28:17.279 enough to have here at elderly, at an older age, it's going to go gray. The almond tree 00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:27.920 blossoms and then you drag yourself along. The desires go and then you go in the verse 00:28:27.920 --> 00:28:36.960 5 to your eternal home and they line the streets for your funeral. That is what is going to 00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:48.200 happen. Young person, that's what's going to happen if you are fortunate enough to live 00:28:48.200 --> 00:28:52.880 that long. The folly of our culture is that we try and ignore that. We cannot accept our 00:28:52.880 --> 00:28:59.279 mortality. We do not know how to deal with death. That's why we have anti-aging cream, 00:28:59.279 --> 00:29:07.160 botox and just for men. Trying to undo this inevitable process. You can't stop the house 00:29:07.160 --> 00:29:13.960 getting run down just by putting new curtains up. Every day we breathe, therefore, is a 00:29:13.960 --> 00:29:20.119 gift given to us from God. Life is precious. That's why in verse 6, the preacher uses 00:29:20.119 --> 00:29:25.119 it as a metaphor of being like a silver cord or a golden ball, a precious thing that is 00:29:25.119 --> 00:29:32.959 so fragile and yet so easily broken. It's a gift that God gives to us. It's a key message 00:29:32.959 --> 00:29:39.719 of Ecclesiastes. Life in his world is not about gain. It's a gift. And death, well according 00:29:39.719 --> 00:29:50.119 to verse 7, death is when God takes that gift back. When he takes us back to himself. A 00:29:50.119 --> 00:30:01.359 breath, a breath says the preacher. Everything is just a breath. If we are to truly live 00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:10.759 now, it begins not with us but with the God who made us. You're just a breath. And so 00:30:10.759 --> 00:30:16.799 where is the infinite God in your life? You know, you could have the perfect lifestyle. 00:30:16.799 --> 00:30:21.200 You can get the kids. You can get the best job. You can get the perfect family. You can 00:30:21.200 --> 00:30:25.480 grow old. You can retire. You can get everything on the bucket list achieved. But if you've 00:30:25.480 --> 00:30:34.159 not got Jesus, what was it for? All that you have achieved will be wiped out like a sand 00:30:34.159 --> 00:30:39.359 castle in the tide and then you will die and then you will stand before the throne of God, 00:30:39.359 --> 00:30:46.759 your judge, and be cast away from him. Jesus says, what good is it to gain the whole world 00:30:46.759 --> 00:30:56.640 and yet forfeit your soul? But come to him because in him there is forgiveness. In Jesus 00:30:56.640 --> 00:31:03.200 there is life. There is light both now and forever. He is the only one who can die for 00:31:03.200 --> 00:31:09.759 our sins. He is the only one who can bring us back to our Creator as His children. He 00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:17.119 is everything. And when you have Him, it's like you have what you were made for. And 00:31:17.119 --> 00:31:26.400 so to trust in Christ is a good life regardless of what happens. And for all who follow Jesus, 00:31:26.400 --> 00:31:31.759 one day when we have passed through this life with its days of darkness, the promise is we 00:31:31.759 --> 00:31:41.680 will be with Him. And when we get there, then we are home. We're just travelers. This world 00:31:41.680 --> 00:31:48.940 is not our home. The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us of that. We're pilgrims. When we 00:31:48.940 --> 00:31:56.559 get there, then we will be home. When we see Him, Jesus tells us in Matthew 25, it's like 00:31:56.559 --> 00:32:03.159 we give our life back to Him. And regardless of what you have done in your life, if you 00:32:03.159 --> 00:32:10.799 have come to Christ, He will say to you, well done, good and faithful servant, you have 00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:17.839 been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come now and 00:32:17.839 --> 00:32:32.039 share your master's joy. Let me pray. Father, all that we have our entire life, it's just 00:32:32.039 --> 00:32:43.039 a breath. Help us get real about that. Help us not make this world our home. But remember, 00:32:43.039 --> 00:32:50.200 we are pilgrims passing through. That home is with you. That true joy and satisfaction 00:32:50.200 --> 00:32:58.480 will be found ultimately in you. Father, may we have that trust in you so that we can make 00:32:58.480 --> 00:33:07.000 the most of the time that we have here. Not making too much nor too little of this life 00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:14.359 and of this creation. Help us to not try to be controlling over every aspect of our life, 00:33:14.359 --> 00:33:21.720 but to learn to take wise risks that trust you. Help us, Father, to enjoy life when it 00:33:21.720 --> 00:33:26.279 is good, to be thankful for the many good things that we have. They're a gift of your 00:33:26.279 --> 00:33:34.799 grace, not least of which your Son Jesus, who is with us always. Help us rejoice in 00:33:34.799 --> 00:33:42.639 the goodness that we see in front of us. That is a gift of your kindness to us. Help us 00:33:42.639 --> 00:33:54.720 remember that we are fading out. Help us accept that and remember you as we do, knowing that 00:33:54.720 --> 00:34:01.119 because we have Jesus, although we might, these bodies might be failing, this is not 00:34:01.119 --> 00:34:10.279 the end. We have a glorious, eternal future waiting us. A future that is guaranteed because 00:34:10.279 --> 00:34:18.199 Jesus has died and risen from the grave to feet in death, and we will follow in His wake. 00:34:18.199 --> 00:34:24.839 So may we live a life now that focuses on the Master and the home that we are going to. 00:34:24.840 --> 00:34:31.840 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.