Final Justice

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 55:1-16

Psalm 55:1–16 ESV

Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me. My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest.” Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it; ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace. For it is not an enemy who taunts me— then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me— then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng. Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart. But I call to God, and the Lord will save me.

Scripture Reading: Phil 2:5-8

Philippians 2:5–8 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Sermon:

Well, good morning church. I was glad when they said to me, let us go and Worship in the house of the Lord.

Well, this morning we'll be turning our attention to Ecclesiastes chapter 8 verses 10 through 15. And before we dive in, I want to start with a question: What things? What situations? In this world seek to steal your hope and joy? In many ways, this is the question at the heart of the book of Ecclesiastes… In Ecclesiastes, we've been wrestling through dealing with, how do we live in a broken world and one of the things that makes the broken world so hard to live in Is that there's oftentimes when we feel like we're cruising along and then something happens, something occurs. That takes us out of our joyous content Happy sort of Lane we've been driving in and throws everything askew. It takes a time when things are going right and then makes Everything wrong. What sort of things rob us of our hope and our joy.

I know many of us could probably list a whole lot of any particular things, right? From big things to small things… for me it seems that it is almost always driving. This is part of why I love living here about a mile from the church… it cuts down on the opportunities for people to cut me off and yet… it still happens all the time. Its when I’m driving down the street and some guy cuts me off… well that steals my joy a little bit. But instead of particular thoughts, lets take a step back and think: what sort of category of things Comes to the top of the list.

I would argue it's something we've already seen. We go back to Ecclesiastes. Chapter. 3:16 Solomon was lamenting, the Brokenness of the world. Uh, trying to understand our place. And he said, moreover, I saw Under the Sun that in the place of Justice. Even there was wickedness.

I would argue that one of the things that Steals our joy and our hope and our contentment, the most Is Injustice. Even as I think, okay, well what drives me insane, what steals my contentment, some guy cutting me off on the road. What it bothers me about that is the lack of Justice. Right, the first thought when someone does that and you think why are there no cops here to pull this man over every time I'm cut off. Why are there no cops around? Okay, as I get cut off someone's driving like a maniac and cut off the first thought. That pops into my mind is You know, maybe this will be a little bit of confession, what a jerk. I hope he gets what's coming to him, right? We want Justice. I think it's not right. This guy's driving like like a like a like a maroon. And Does he think his time is more valuable than mine? That doesn't seem just or fair. A lack of Justice is at the heart of why getting cut off annoys me.

We see things going wrong, we see trials, we see troubles. We see things brewing in the world, and at the fundamental bottom of this is the fact that there is no justice. So, how do we live? How can we live in a broken world? A world. Where there is never, it seems, Justice and when there is Justice, it's not enough. It's too weak. It's not quick enough. Or just as bad, its not justice its vengeance, it is a sort of unjust justice. In all of this, We have problems here. How do we live. In this broken world.

Well, before we read our passage, I want to remind us What Solomon is giving us for this whole section. I said last week Ecclesiastes chapter 8:1 is sort of the mission statement of this portion of Ecclesiastes, where Solomon asked:

Ecclesiastes 8:1 ESV

Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

So when we see Injustice, when we wrestle with Justice, when Injustice steals our joy, when a lack of Justice causes our heart to find turmoil steals our hope and our contentment and joy... What do we need?

Wisdom.

And that's what Solomon will give us this morning. Ecclesiastes chapter 8, verse 10.

Ecclesiastes 8:10–15 ESV

Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God. There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.

These are the words of the Lord for us this morning. Let's open With a word of prayer.

Dear Lord, Thank you for today. Thank you for your grace and your mercy. We thank you for the great love that you have given to us. We thank you. That we Trust in you — Judge of the universe, The Sovereign Lord, of Heaven and Earth. The one, who knows, the end from the beginning. Help us to see your work in your hand. Help us to know and understand who you are and what you have done. We pray that you speak through your word, speak, to our hearts, may we be found as, as rich soil. It's in Jesus name that we pray. Amen. And amen.

Here's Solomon. It's just gonna be honest... as he has been. This is what has been most refreshing to me in the book of Ecclesiastes. All of Scripture is true, but Solomon is like that friend who is sometimes TOOO honest. Solomon is just going to be brutally honest. He starts in verse 10: “I saw the wicked buried.” And we want to Rejoice the wicked are gone! But he looks at it and thinks: They used to go in and out of the holy place and they were praised in the city. This also is Vanity

What's Solomon talking about here? will simply put He's asking, will we open this with: Exactly, where's the Justice?

JUSTICE?

The wicked are buried. But yet what's happening? This wicked person at his funeral. Everyone is praising him. This was such a wonderful great, man.

We don't want to just besmirch the name of the deceased, but do we have to go this far? They used to go in and out of the holy place. This this wicked man would just trounce around the temple, no respect for God and his name and his temple… it was self serving at best for this wicked man… And yet he is praised in this city where he has done such Wicked evil things. This Solomon says, here's his word that we've been dealing with it in Ecclesiastes, a lot. This is Vanity.

It is Meaningless, pointless fruitless. Nothing. Where's the Justice in this? Where's the Justice verse 11? When the evil deed is not executed the sentence against the evil. Deed is not execute it. Speedily, So now, The children of man, they see that you can get away with all sorts of evil things. Their heart is now more fully said to evil. So this man is buried. And we praise him, even though we all know, he was a scoundrel and the wicked things that are being done are not being punished. So now, even the children of men and our descendants more particularly our kids and all everyone around us is, their heart is set to evil. Where is the Justice here?

As a pastor, I have to wrestle through this passage. Desiree and I talk right about doing funerals and my job and life and things like that… And I have a phrase I use… I say, “I refuse to baptize the dead.” And this is what I mean by that:

literally I wouldn't baptize a dead person. That's not what I'm talking about here. It's the phenomenon that Solomon's talking about here. It doesn't feel right when you go to a funeral to someone who is a wretched evil scoundrel. And just say, oh he was great. Everyone loved him. No, he wasn't. Not everyone loved him and he wasn't a great person. The challenge becomes walking the line because you don't want to just sort of say bad things about the dead, you want to bring hope and comfort to the family but I won't lie. That's where I've landed.

So how can we do this? Well, Point one, and what makes ALL funerals my favorite is the same thing is needed at EVERY funeral, regardless of the person being eulogized, you preach the gospel! but then, in the details, well you have to say phrases like “This man, this person. Though, he was rough around the edges. Was still loved. And you, his family loved him. and he will be missed by those who cared for him.” We can say things like, “No one's perfect. That's what Grace is for.” Ultimately we can say that God can save ANYONE and so we can have hope that this person would had come to Know Jesus… You have to be more careful and walk closely with your words because I don't want to contribute to this lack of Justice as Solomon seeing here.

Because as we do that it leads into the next problem. If we just let people live, Wicked lives, die, and get away with it. Well, now more and more people their heart is set to evil. And where's the Justice in that? This Solomon says, is seeking to steal our contentment. This is seeking to steal Our Hope and our joy. Right, we look at the broken world. And the things that we even know are broken, the things that we even know shouldn't be right. The things that we know shouldn't be this way, they're still going on this way, there's no justice.

What's the what's the solution? Use wisdom. And see Justice.

JUSTICE !

Though, verse 12, a sinner does evil. A hundred times and prolongs his life. That's all I'm saying. I know, I know. Even though I know that there's a sinner who does evil and prolongs his life, Right? This person who does some evil deed, and yet does not seem to face the consequences. Right. You know, it's it's the example of we. We see things like this happen in our lives all the time. Right, you see some person? Who. Spends their entire lives addicted, to some hardcore drug. Because they don't seem to face the consequences. And then you read some story about some kid, who tries something for the first time overdoses and dies. That doesn't seem just.

So I'm saying though, a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life. I know that's the case yet... I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him.

There's the Justice. Fear the lord. It will go well.

Ecclesiastes 8:13 ESV

But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

That's the Justice.

We may not see it Exactly how we want to see it. We may go to the funeral of the wicked and be annoyed by the fact that he is just praised from his comings and going in the city even though he was a wicked man. We may be annoyed because we see Wicked, it's not punished and we see that heart spread out throughout all the people around us. But yet even though there may be some sinner that does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life. This is what I know: This is True Justice, those who fear the lord will be cared for and those who do not will not have their days prolonged because God is just.

That's wisdom. Wisdom is knowing who God is in the face of what our eyes may see. We don't have access, right? This has been Ecclesiastes through all of Ecclesiastes. We don't have access to knowing all the times and all the scenes into knowing exactly how all of the things God's working out is going to work But he is just.

And so we here's been our rallying Cry of application for this last section of Ecclesiastes: Trust the Lord.

Though a sinner does evil 100 times and prolongs his life. This is what I know, those who fear the lord, it will be well with them. Trust in him. There will be Justice, either this side of Heaven Under the Sun or one day. When we all stand before God there will be Justice. Trust in him.

It will go well for those who fear the lord, and it will not go Well for those who do not fear the lord, that's the wisdom that we have to live in.

Okay, Solomon. But where's the Justice? When that's not what happens!

JUSTICE ?

There is a vanity that takes place on Earth, verse 14 says

Ecclesiastes 8:14 ESV

There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

Here's the question, here's the trouble, here's the pain. Here's the rub of all of this:

Why do bad things happen to good people and why do good things happen to bad people?

That's what he's asking. The question that we all ask. The question that weighs on all of our hearts. The question that bothers us when we lay in bed at night, that keeps us awake. That steals our joy. This is the fundamental question of all mankind and it deals with Justice. Where's the Justice in this: bad things happen to good people? That there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the Deeds of the wicked,

We have a phrase, right? We use it in English: No good deed goes unpunished. That's what he's saying here. Why is it that when people live righteous lives? We look at them. This is a righteous man. Why is his life awful?

This question is the entire Book of Job. And his friends couldn't get to the answer But we're going to try.

Right. What is job? I will try and summarize: The very beginning of job Satan walks into God's throne room. He's like, hey, no one loves you, no one serves you. “have you thought about Job” God says. And the devil, he's like, yeah. Job only loves you because you've blessed him. “fine.” God says “Go for it. You just can't touch job himself.”

And job is then put through the ringer… Your worst day would feel like paradise to Job… It is, What feels to him, like punishment, and consequence, and difficulty, And his friends come up. Like what sin did you do? What did you do that God would treat you this way? Job is Like I didn't sin. No --You definitely sinned. And if you didn't, you just might as well go ahead and curse God and die Job because your life you are being treated, like you did some Wicked evil thing.

Yet job was righteous… and then we wrestle with a serious question: Why does that happen? Read job to get the answer there… but Here in Ecclesiastes it is worse: Why does it happen that there are wicked people who seem to get the reward? That those who do good deeds should get. Why is it that this scoundrel that we just praised his funeral during his life was so rich and successful and people wanted to be around him. And everyone knew he was awful. But yet some reason he was just a “nice guy” and we shrugged out shoulders at his sin and people judge me just for looking at them crooked?

What's going on here? How come these people lie, cheat and steal and do better? Just a small example. Right. Desiree. And I when we were living up in Socorro, New Mexico. We went and applied for Medicaid because we weren't making no money whatsoever. And they did all this stuff and we made ten dollars too much. We didn't qualify for Medicaid. You gotta be kidding me. Because we were completely open and honest, we could have lied. We could have fudged on a couple numbers and gotten lower than that, ten dollars. But because we decided to be honest, we don't get it. And yet, there are those people that I know for a fact that they lied and they got five people live in the house Making an income, right?All these people getting paid and they only claim one job.... All these other things going on that I know for a fact are happening… Getting paid under the table, saying they have kids living there who really live with someone else.... Why do they get Medicaid? And yet, because we were honest, we get punished? Well really Solomon might say: that's life.

And that's the Injustice Solomon is wrestling with here. Is Injustice that we all see.

There are answers to this. We'll talk about some of them on Thursday, at Grace group. But here we just need to sit in the Injustice for a little bit. So let me give you a highly unsatisfactory but still ultimately true answer: Why do bad things happen to good people? I don't know!

Why do good things happen to bad people? I don't know.

Life's tough. Then you die.

What do we do? In the face of this Injustice, how do we live? In the face of these things. What do we do? Well, Solomon's gonna go one more place. And those of you that try to guess the blanks I tried to trick you... It's not what you might think. What do we do?

He's dealt with this. Here's this Injustice. The wicked being buried. All this other thing. So what do we do? We look to God's justice. But wait, we still look at the world and it doesn't feel just what do we do?

JOY !

Have joy. Don't let this steal your joy. Don't be happy. I'm not talking happiness here. Have joy. Verse 14 after saying. Here's some vanity... Here's some nonsense. Here's some Brokenness of the world for you. Good things happen to bad people. Bad things. Happen to good people. The world is broken. This is Vanity. And I commend joy.

Ecclesiastes 8:15 ESV

And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.

What is Solomon saying here? The world is broken. And a lack of Justice Will seek to steal your joy — Don't let it.

Don't let it.

When you see Injustice, that's fine. We can say that we look at this. The world is vain. It's not gonna steal my joy. The world is broken. It's not gonna steal my joy. Life is tough. It's not going to steal my joy.

I commend Joy.

Be joyous how in the world. Do we do this? In this passage. Solomon doesn't necessarily give us an answer, but I would like to help you out: How do we have joy?

Ultimately there are A few answers. Here's just one. Philippians. Chapter two Starting in verse 1.

How can we have joy in the midst of Injustice in the midst of Trials, in the midst of difficulty, in the midst of Injustice, that seeks to steal my joy and contentment? How can I find Joy? Solomon's commending it to us Find joy... In your toil and your work in the days. God has given you on this Earth.

Philippians 2:1–7 (ESV)

So if there is any encouragement in Christ,

SPOILER ALERT — this is going to be ultimately the answer… it is in Christ… but let us press on

any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

How do we have joy? Paul will continue on. I'm not going to read all of Philippians chapter 2. Paul will keep continuing… Let us just answer the question before us today: How do we have joy?

Be like Christ. This is your mind. You have it... for all who trust in Christ. He has saved. For those of us who believe in his name, he has already saved us and changed us. How do we have joy? Lean into that.

but there's no justice! Yeah, there wasn't for him either. How unjust was it? We started reading. He was in the form of God, but not did not count. Equality of God. A thing to be grasped, right? So Jesus God himself. The second person of the Trinity. Could have come down ruled and reigned and trampled all Injustice… And he will come. We look forward to the day when he will come and Rule and Reign and trample all Injustice.

But, He humbled himself.

How do we have joy? Be humble? This is one of my tricks. This is how I think through these things.

Usually this “why do bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad People is more like, why don't I get what I deserve and everyone else gets what they don't deserve.”

Be humble. Think of how good God has been to you. He's dealt bountifully with me. I don't get... I am wicked and I don't get what I deserve. Praise the Lord that sometimes the wicked get treated like the righteous because I know I was a wretch. And I'm viewed with the righteousness of Christ.

We look at Ecclesiastes chapter 8:14 and this is a, this is what's broken and wrong with the world. The gospel says that the fact that this can work this way is the only hope you have

So, have joy. Rest in Christ. Be humble. And then, Jesus. Hebrews says it this way: “For the joy, that was set before him.” Endured the cross. Endured Injustice. So that we might be made whole.

That's how we find joy.

Solomon commends, Joy. I agree. Find your joy in Jesus Christ. That is your only hope that's how we stand against Injustice. That's how we live in a broken world. We have joy in the midst of it.

Let's pray.