Please turn back in your Bibles to Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and 4, page 554-55555 in the Black Church.
Let me pray one more time as we come to God's Word.
Our Father, we ask that you would speak and that we would listen because we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
Well, Mohammed Al-Fayed was back in the news this week. You'll have seen that.
The one-time owner of Harrods. He died last year, but he was back in the news this week
because dozens of women, former staff, have come forward to say that he assaulted them.
It's the age-old story. The rich and the powerful do what they like, and then they die and get away with it.
Jeffrey Epstein, New York financier, jailed for trafficking minors for his and his wealthy friend's pleasure.
Then he dies in very dubious circumstances in prison, and he takes a lot of secrets, his and others, to the grave.
Jimmy Savile, the same.
The rich and the powerful do what they like, and then they die and get away with some terrible things.
Where's the justice?
And it isn't just them, is it?
People seem to get away with all kinds of wickedness all the time.
We don't need to look too far to see that.
There's plenty of crime that goes on around us day by day that the police don't even bother to deal with.
They don't have the resources, and so it just goes unchecked.
The security guard can do very little when the people help themselves in Tesco.
He might be able to get his body cam kind of in the way to get a photograph of them,
but that's about as far as it goes.
And they get away with it.
And yet we heard last week, if you were here, in Ecclesiastes 3, about God's complete, total sovereignty.
He has total control over everything under the sun.
So what's going on with the injustice?
The obvious question that was left hanging last week was,
well, if God has made everything fitting in its time as He says He has,
what does this mean for all the injustice and all the oppression that we see around us?
Solomon isn't blind to that question.
In fact, he addresses it straight on.
Chapter 3, verse 16.
Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness.
And in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.
He looks to the places where justice and righteousness should be upheld,
where they should be promoted, and he only finds wickedness.
It's very familiar.
The place of justice, the law courts, where the weakest in society, the unborn, are unprotected.
The place of righteousness, the church, where in many cases concerning doctrine and morality,
good is called evil and evil good.
Just this week, another story broke of a pastor defiling the pastoral office through adultery.
Justice, where is it?
Righteousness, where is it?
So how do we reconcile this injustice, 3, 16 and 4, 1?
Have a look.
Chapter 4, verse 1.
Oppression.
How do we reconcile injustice and oppression with this great claim in chapter 3 to God's sovereignty?
If God is in control of the whole world and His plan is fitting, it is beautiful, as He says,
if He is both all-powerful and all-good, what do we do with the problem of all this wickedness?
Well, Solomon, it won't surprise you to know, has reflected on the question,
and he tells us we need a three-pronged approach.
If we're going to be able to handle this, this reality that is in the world that we live in,
we need a three-pronged approach.
And the first is this, we need faith.
Faith.
It said in my heart, verse 17,
God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.
In the same way that he declared last week God's sovereign plan for the world to be fitting,
chapter 3, verse 11, so also when it comes to justice, Solomon makes this confession of faith.
You remember last time I said, when you look at the world, it doesn't seem like God's plan fits together perfectly.
And Solomon's no different to us.
He looks on the circumstances of his life and of the lives of others,
and he has to declare it in faith that God has a good plan that is fitting, that is beautiful.
And it's the same here.
He has to make this confession by faith, because this isn't what his experience tells him.
This isn't the way of the world.
Everywhere he looks, he's just told us, he sees wickedness.
So the fact that God will judge the righteous and the wicked is something that he must take on faith.
There is a time for every matter and for every work.
That means there is a time for injustice and a time for justice.
And God can be trusted with it all.
One day, God will bring every deed into light, and perfect justice will be done.
Now that's a great comfort for you if you have experienced injustice of any kind.
Boys and girls, if someone has lied about you or has called you names, God will one day sort that out.
And for the rest of us, if you have been betrayed, if you have been cheated on,
if you have been slandered, been ripped off, scammed, assaulted, abused, injured by a drunk driver,
suffered because of medical negligence,
if you have experienced a time of unrighteousness,
in any way, a time of putting things right is coming.
And God will do it.
Every wrong will be put right.
Every single unborn child that was killed will get justice from the judge of all the earth.
That's what Solomon is saying.
But because we don't see this now, we need to do what Solomon does here.
We need to take that on faith.
We need to believe that that is the case.
But here's the thing for us.
Here's the thing for us here this evening.
We, gathered here as we are, are better equipped to do this than Solomon was.
Because we have the benefit of living this side of the cross and resurrection of Jesus.
We can trust that justice will one day be done because we have already seen God enter the world.
He has come in the person of Jesus to go to the cross, to bear the curse of sin and death in himself.
And then in his resurrection, he showed himself as Savior and Lord of all.
Now what that means is three things.
First of all, it means that for all who have put their faith in him,
the judgment that we deserve has fallen on him.
And so we go free.
If God is going to judge the wicked, let's be honest.
We know that we're implicated in that.
We know that we haven't lived in a way that has pleased God perfectly in his world.
We know that we're implicated among the wicked.
So we need that issue to be resolved.
And he broke into the world all those years ago in order to do that at the cross.
Secondly, any injustice, therefore, that we experience now, we experience in union with Christ.
So it is a sharing, Paul says in Philippians 3, a sharing in the sufferings of Christ becoming like him in his death.
What that means is any suffering that we experience now, we experience it in union with Christ.
And God is using those things to make us more Christ-like.
Then thirdly, Christ's resurrection is the guarantee of his future judgment.
That's what the Apostle Paul preached in Athens in Acts 17.
He said,
God has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed.
And of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.
We look back to the empty tomb and the empty tomb is proof to us that God will one day judge.
All unrighteousness, all injustice, all wrongs of every flavor and every kind will be put right on that day.
It's interesting that the Apostle gave this as a reason why people should repent of their sin and put their faith in Christ.
I want to say if you're here this evening and you need to do that, I want to encourage you to do it.
To have the judgment that you deserve because you have lived in God's world according to your rules.
Because you have actually sided with the wicked.
Put your faith in Jesus Christ and have the judgment that you deserve credited to him.
It's taken away then and you're free.
But notice it is also the reason, the resurrection is also the reason why we can trust that the Lord one day will put your injustice right.
On that day, that injustice will be overturned and Al-Fayed and Epstein and Saville and whoever tells us that they didn't get away with their evil.
They will one day give an account before the bar of God's justice which is a far higher court than any human court.
And on that day, perfect justice will be done.
When we look around in our world, this is a great comfort.
And we take it on faith because the tomb is empty.
Well, what someone might say, well, is that not a bit of a cop-out?
Actually, it's just hoping for the best.
It's a power of positive thinking trick that you're employing there to make a corrupt world bearable.
If God really cared about justice, in fact, he'd do something now.
Well, here Solomon takes us to our second point.
If the first point is that we have to live by faith that God is going to deal with injustice,
the second point is that he reminds us of our finitude.
Our finitude.
Verse 18,
To the person who won't trust God with his plans for the world,
to the person who won't trust God with his promise to put everything right one day,
Solomon reminds them of their finitude.
By making us wait, God is testing us to see if we will accept that he is God and we are not.
To see if we will accept that he is the creator and we are his creatures.
To see, to test us to see if we will live by faith according to God's word in God's world.
And the way that Solomon does this is by reminding us of our death.
Do you see that?
Of our death.
He says in that regard we're no different to the animals.
It's not that animals and humans are of equal value.
He's saying no, that we are the same in that we both die and we both decompose.
Verse 20,
All go to one place.
All are from the dust and to dust all return.
Since our first parents, since they sinned in the garden,
death has been a messenger to remind us over and over again,
funeral after funeral,
graveside after graveside,
that we are finite,
that we're not in control,
that we're vapor,
here for a season and then gone.
We find it so hard to accept and yet it is impossible for us to ignore.
Death is the ultimate case study that proves that we're not in control of our lives.
You can train as diligently as you want.
You can eat as clean as you want.
You can get as much sleep as you feel you need,
but you do not control your destiny.
You don't.
None of us do.
And Solomon adds to this,
You have no idea what happens after you die.
Look at verse 21.
Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward
and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?
We talk about people when they die going to a better place
or we say that they'll be looking down on us
from whatever vantage point they now occupy.
But who actually knows this?
No one.
Nobody has first-hand empirical evidence
of what happens to the human spirit after they die.
Does the spirit go upward to God
or does it go into the ground and that's the end?
When you go to a funeral,
where is the person that you once knew?
Where are they?
And do you have any first-hand evidence of that?
None of us can provide that evidence.
Which means we all take what we believe about the afterlife on faith.
All of us.
The question is,
does the ground beneath that faith actually hold?
You see what I'm saying?
See what Solomon is saying?
None of us know actually empirically what happens after death.
So all of us believe what we do about the afterlife on faith.
The question is,
does the ground beneath that faith actually hold us?
For the Christian,
our faith is in the one who has dealt with the problem of death
by dying in our place.
He died in our place and then three days
in the tomb he walked out again,
alive.
We have someone who went into death
and came out the other side glorified.
So we have one who has shown us
actually what happens to a human soul
such that now we,
quote,
await a Savior from heaven
who will transform our lowly body
to be like his glorious body
by the power of his resurrection.
We are finite.
And the curse of sin drags us into the dust.
But if our faith is in the Lord Jesus
who went into the dust
and came out the other side,
then we have confidence that our future is sure
and that his promise to put things right
will come to pass.
We must live by faith
recognizing our finitude.
What's interesting is
living in a world that is full of wickedness.
It's one thing to say,
live by faith
and if you're tempted to question God
and what he's doing,
remember your finitude,
remember how limited you are,
remember how finite you are.
But then what?
How do we get through?
What do we do?
Well, Solomon here then moves
to push us towards a very practical help.
The first thing we need is faith.
The second thing is
an awareness of our finitude.
The third thing he's saying
we need are friends.
Friends.
Point number three is friends.
For one, again I saw all the oppressions
that are done under the sun
and behold the tears of the oppressed
and they had no one to comfort them.
On the side of their oppressors
there was power
and there was no one to comfort them.
Solomon seems to accept
injustice and oppression
as a fact of life in a fallen world
but what really grieves him
is when those who suffer
do so alone.
There was no one to comfort them.
Indeed he goes so far
as to say that it is better
to be dead
than to face injustice alone.
And best of all,
verse three do you see
they have never been born
in the first place.
Better than both
is he who has not yet been
and has not seen the evil deeds
that are done under the sun.
Companionship,
community,
having your people
in the tough reality of life
is one of the ways
that your faith endures
and you can find joy
in the midst of it.
See in a sense here
Solomon is giving further shape
to the life
that he's calling us to
in the book as a whole.
So when he says in 3.22
can you see
he saw that there is nothing better
than that a man should rejoice
in his work for that is his lot.
This echoes,
you remember what he said
back in 2.24.
There is nothing better
for a person
than that he should eat and drink
and find enjoyment in his toil.
And the point now is
that these things
should be pursued
in relationship with others.
Eat and drink with friends.
Work as part of a community.
Especially the community
of the faithful.
This would have been the case
for the festival meals
that Solomon would have enjoyed
within the life of God's people.
This was where those
who were oppressed
strengthened their bonds
in the face of opposition
and injustice.
This is one of the reasons
why hospitality
is such an important element
in the Christian life.
And why we encourage it here
as part of our regular
Lord's Day routines.
Eating and drinking together
is central to building
good relationships with others.
And those relationships
are what we need
as we seek to live faithfully
in a culture that is awash
with injustice and oppression.
We need friends.
But you see as well
in light of that
it isn't just the threat
of the oppressors
that Solomon identifies.
He can identify
he also identifies
how we damage ourselves
in all of this.
Look at verse 4.
Then I saw
that all toil
and all skill and work
come from a man's
envy of his neighbor.
This also is vanity
and a striving after wind.
Solomon is nothing
if not honest.
I hope we've seen that by now.
And here
he presses the
uncomfortable point
that so much
the point is this
that so much
that we accomplish
in life
is motivated
by our envy of others.
Who they are
and what they have.
Lance Armstrong
the disgraced
American cyclist
fascinating individual
he writes
and speaks about
how the German cyclist
Jan Ulrich
was the single
biggest reason
for Armstrong's success.
He said he couldn't
stop thinking about him.
What he was doing
what he was eating
what he was training
all that kind of stuff.
That was what drove him.
Now that can be
okay in sport
actually.
That can be
a great motivator
to try and win
in sport
but when we bring it
into everyday life
let's be honest
it is a really
destructive way
to live.
when we view
others
as rivals
it is
yes
a powerful
motivator
for productivity
but it destroys
relationships
and in the end
it's going to leave us
isolated
and it is the
antithesis
of what we need
in the context
of oppression
and injustice.
Plus
if Solomon
has said
that well
motivated labor
is vapor
then what must
this sort of envy
driven labor be
vapor of vapors
and here's why
look at verse 8
one person
who has no other
an isolated individual
either son or brother
yet there is no end
to all his toil
and his eyes
are never satisfied
with riches
so that he never asks
for whom am I toiling
and depriving myself
of pleasure
this also is vanity
and an unhappy business
the solitary worker
laboring for himself
in his own ends
is never satisfied
either with the work
verse 8
or the reward
that he gets
for the work
or what purpose
or person
his work
is serving
and all of this
is because our work
is designed
to be done
alongside others
indeed verse 9
can you see
verse 9
is very important
it is the first place
in the book
where we see something
that actually returns
a reward
something that isn't
vapor
verse 9
two are better
than one
because they have
a good reward
for their toil
for if they fall
one will lift up
his fellow
but woe to him
who is alone
when he falls
and has not another
to lift him up
again if two lie together
they keep warm
but how can one
keep warm alone
and though a man
might prevail
against one
who is alone
two will withstand him
a threefold cord
is not quickly broken
here are the benefits
of companionship
someone to lift us up
when we fall
someone to keep us warm
someone to help us
against attack
and if two
is better than one
verse 12
three
is better again
threefold cord
is not quickly broken
unfortunately
this text
has been used
at a million weddings
to describe the relationship
between husband
and wife
and God
that's the threefold cord
who's heard a sermon
like that
who's given a sermon
like that
it's not about that
you know
if it's just the two of you
you're vulnerable
but if you have God
in your marriage
well then you'll be strong
a threefold cord
is not quickly broken
yeah fine okay
but that's not what
he's talking about
he's referring to
human companionship
and to the strength
that there is
in numbers
we live in a broken world
a world that is marked
by injustice
and oppression
by rivalry
by falling down
by getting cold
and being knocked down
and God will one day
sort that all out
but while we wait
it is far better
to face this life
with friends
than to do so alone
and don't confuse
real companionship
by the way
with popularity
or recognition
that's the point
of 13 to 16
at the end there
he's talking about leaders
and how leaders
need trusted friends
to tell them the truth
verse 16
they can be surrounded
by people
but without someone
to give wise counsel
their leadership
is also vapor
it's all about
having companions
having friends
in the context
of injustice
and opposition
here's the point
we need one another
and we have been
given one another
that's what the church is
a key part of salvation
is the creation
of a community
as we are reconciled
to God
we are also reconciled
to one another
we are incorporated
into a new humanity
the body of Christ
the church
and so what is true
of us theologically
should be expressed
practically
as we pursue friendship
that is genuine
to help us endure
in the context
of injustice
and oppression
we need to pursue friendship
and if this is the case
if that is
how we are supposed to be
we should be aware
of those in our midst
who are particularly
susceptible to isolation
those who live alone
singles
divorcees
widows
internationals
who just arrived
in the country
and don't know
their way around
now of course
those sort of relationships
and starting that
it's not easy
but it's what God requires
and it's what God will bless
we all wish
that injustice
didn't exist
whether it's Al-Fayed
or Epstein
or Savile
or your own experience
we wish that that
wasn't the case
but it is
it does exist
and it will
until the Lord returns
it's one of the things
that we bear
in a fallen world
but we trust
that he will return
he will come back
to put it right
on a day
that he has set
the Lord Jesus
will bring
every injustice
to account
the whys
and the wherefores
and the timings
those are beyond
our finite grasp
of things
but because of the resurrection
we can be confident
that God will bring
this justice to pass
and so we live
by faith
and while we wait
we should forge
bonds with others
that will enable us
to endure
until that day
friends who will
keep us going
friends who will
stand with us
friends who will
help us
by not neglecting
to meet together
as is the habit
of some
but encouraging
one another
all the more
as you see
the day
draw near
that's what the writer
of the Hebrews says
we come together
Lord's day
by Lord's day
we build relationships
in the context
of the church family
because we need each other
if we're going to keep going
Martin Luther speaking
on this passage
said this
and I'll close with this
it is better
to be in association
with others
and to enjoy
things in common
in society
meaning in relation
with others
there is mutual help
common work
and common solace
let's pray together
Thank you.