Ecclesiastes Finalé - Christmas

Introduction:

Connection:

Bubbles eventually pop. Mist eventually fades. Vapor eventually dissipates. Vanity of Vanities, says the Preacher, all is vanity. Therefore … fill in the blank … The world would say eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die … But Solomon says eat, drink and be merry for this is the gift of God to man … We need to remember this truth in this vain vapor of life. We need to remember to fear God and keep his commandments—for this is the whole duty of man.

We began this sermon series by saying: In order to rejoicingly sing the song of the Gospel and Life—we must first sorrowfully mope through the song of the Curse and Death. Only if we prepare to die, in Christ, will we truly learn to live, under the sun. We must remember these truths.

Theme:

Remembering to Remember

Need:

We need to remember to live this life of vanity and vapor with an eye toward God, his law, his gospel, his gifts, and his sovereignty. We need to live in this life of vanity and vapor in light of death and judgment, in light of fear and joy, and only then will we learn to live for God’s glory alone. We need to remember to fear.

Purpose:

To exhort us to remember God before it is too late, to get right with God before death strikes, to not waste our breath in this life of vanity and vapor, to fear God our Creator, as we trust in the only Shepherd who saves us from the coming Judgment.

Recap:

This is our final sermon in Ecclesiastes, so let me summarize the book for us:

In chapters 1-2 we learned about the absolute vanity of the creation to satisfy and bring us lasting gain—in chapter 3 we were confronted with the absolute sovereignty of God as he makes all things beautiful, and how we ought to live in light of that in this broken world. In chapters 4-6 we saw the pain of evil under the sun, the need to fear and worship God, and the way to steward and enjoy God’s good but fleeting gifts. In chapters 7-11 we heard many proverbs about wise living in this life of vapor, about humble faith under God’s mysteries and our approaching death—about happy joy in the face of life, and the need to live for God’s glory with true wisdom and boldness during our portion under the sun.

And so four months later, in chapter 12 we see the final conclusion of the book, hearkening back to chapter 1 and the thesis: vanity of vanities, all is vanity; vapor of vapors, all is vapor—and therefore how we ought to live in light of these truths, which can be summarized as living in the fearful joy of the Lord. So then, let us hear Solomon’s final words of delight for us on this fine Sabbath morning, as we remember to remember:

Open your Bibles to:

Eccl. 12:1-14 ESV

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

(1) Remember your Creator in this Vain Vapor - v. 1-8

Ecclesiastes 12:1–8 ESV

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low— they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets— before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.

(1) Remember your Creator in this Vain Vapor - v. 1-8

Two Sundays ago Solomon told us to rejoice in our youth, to remove vexation from our heart—and here he tells us to remember our Creator.

During this mist of a life, we must remember the Lord of heaven and earth. During this vapor of an existence, we must remember the Maker of all things. But Solomon doesn’t just tell us to remember our Creator generally, but to specifically remember our Creator in the days of our youth. Why so? Because the general rule of thumb in Scripture is that unbelieving hearts get harder the longer they live in rebellion under the sun; the longer they suppress the truth in unrighteousness, and sear their consciences through sin. Before we remember our Creator with the eye of faith in His Son—we have wasted every breath that comes from our lungs. While every salvation of a sinner is a miracle wrought by the Holy Spirit—while God can save any man in any age—the general rule of thumb is that the older one gets, the less likely he or she is to come to know the Creator as their God in Christ. Seek the Lord while he may be found! In true repentance and faith. Oh Calvary—let us remember our Creator in the days of our youth, and for all of our days thereafter.

But Solomon gives another reason too, one that we naturally might think is less noble, but is no less true: he says to remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will saw, ‘I have no pleasure in them’. Why must we remember our Creator in the days of our youth? Because if we remember the Lord early on, then we will have the power to enjoy God’s good gifts with true joy, gratitude, and love—as a child of the King. If we live in the youthful passions of the flesh without salvation in Christ—all such things becomes vanities and fleeting snares to us, causing us to turn God’s gifts into poor idols, leaving us void of true spiritual pleasure in Christ. Oh Calvary—let us remember our Creator in the days of our youth, and for all our days thereafter.

Solomon then spends the next 6 verses in an allegory about the destruction of the body, and the decay of the flesh, in the process of aging, dying, and being unmade. It’s a difficult picture to understand, but the essence of it is this—our strength fails us as light turns to darkness, as our ability to do physical labor is lost, as our eyesight fails us, as our sleep is taken from us, as our fear of danger heightens, as our hair grows grey, as our mobility declines, as our desire fails, as our spine snaps, and as our skull is crushed—this is a grim picture of the process of aging, dying, and being unmade.

And it climaxes with this: “the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (v. 7). Death is the tyrannical enemy that shows no mercy—it is slowing eating away at all of us, until that day when our bodies rot in the ground, and our spirit returns to God either for judgment, or mercy; either for wrath or grace; either for hell or heaven. Solomon wants us to be warned about the pain of aging and the finality of death. And after all he has said in Ecclesiastes—one of his final exhortations is to remember your Creator in the days of your youth, come to know him as your Redeemer and Friend while you can still enjoy the good pleasures of God’s creation, for old age and death steal such pleasures away from us—but old age can’t steal away from us the pleasure of eternity—such delights are coming for all who are in Christ, joy unspeakable and full of glory. Don’t let old age cause you to forget the hope of the resurrection, let is drive you to hope in it all the more! Longing to be clothed in eternal life, longing for death to be swallowed up and banished forever. Oh Calvary—let us remember our Creator in the days of our youth, and for all our days thereafter.

Gibson: ““Remembering your Creator means remembering that God made a good world, not an evil one, and that we are the ones responsible for spoiling it, not he … [And because of such sin, death is the consequence] … One day you will come undone. God’s curse of creation in response to the fall means that time will see you unmade. Maybe it will happen without the help of old age. It could come sooner rather than later. Or it may not begin to show for another thirty years. But the Preacher of Ecclesiastes is taking you by the hand and gently asking: before that day comes, how then will you live?”

Before our crippled bodies come, and before the grave swallows us whole—how then shall we live? Shall we live in remembrance of our Creator, and in the joy of his good gifts, as we seek first His Kingdom and Righteousness? Or shall we waste our days living for the vanities of this age—which will sap us from any and all true pleasure in God and his beautiful world; though it is a mist and a vapor due to the fall.

As old age comes, and when our bodies fail us—will we have the spiritual maturity to love the giver of the Gifts more than the enjoyment of the gifts themselves? Oh Calvary—let us remember our Creator in the days of our youth, and for all our days thereafter.

(1) Remember your Creator in this Vain Vapor - v. 1-8

But this isn’t the only thing Solomon wants us to remember as he finishes off Ecclesiastes:

(2) Remember to Delight in this Vain Vapor - v. 9-10

Ecclesiastes 12:9–10 ESV

Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

(2) Remember to Delight in this Vain Vapor - v. 9-10

This is part Solomons summary, speaking in the third person, about the entire book of Ecclesiastes. How does he summarize it? Not primarily about darkness, sadness, and grumpiness—but about knowledge, delight, and truth. Has Solomon shown us much darkness? Absolutely. Has Solomon invoked sadness in our hearts? Absolutely. Has Solomon possibly made us grumpy in his rebukes of our hearts and actions? Maybe. But why? Why has he done this? He has done this in order to give us knowledge in the style of proverbs, in the form of delight, as he speaks truth into our souls.

Solomon’s sum purpose of his writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has actually been positive—to bring you true delight in God, in his Word, in his world, and in his good gifts. In order to rejoicingly sing the song of the Gospel and Life—we must first sorrowfully mope through the song of the Curse and Death. Such has been the case. Solomon has weaned us from the vanities of this world, has sought to satisfy our hearts in God and Christ, and has then fueled us to enjoy the fleeting vapors of his good and beautiful gifts. And he didn’t do it in lecture form, but sermon form. He didn’t do it in teacher form, but preacher form. He spoke beautifully about the words of delight—communicating these hard truths in glorious ways. This is wisdom literature, this is divine poetry, breathed out by the living God—all for the purpose of inducing spiritual delight in the people of God, as they enjoy their feast upon the word of God, so that they might also rejoice in the world of God. Solomon, inspired by the Spirit, is a skillful Preacher, who wrote words of delight—to bring true delight to your soul.

If you are merely depressed after reading Ecclesiastes, either I failed you as a preacher, or you didn’t understand the book; or both.

Solomon has proven his point: everything under the sun is a vain vapor—and there is absolutely no lasting gain to be found on earth; none of God’s creation can satisfy our hearts, and much of it can lead us into sinful snares—however—this is to bring us to repentance of our abuse of God’s world, to direct our faith toward Christ, to then be filled with the joy of the Spirit—satisfied in our triune God—which frees us and enables us to then enjoy the true, good, and beautiful gifts of our Father as we journey through this life of vapor. Solomon’s purpose has been to bring you words of delight in the knowledge of God in Scripture. If you have rightly received the word of the Lord from Ecclesiastes—you should be more happy, more joyful, and more delightful as person; because you are no longer trying to find your ultimate happiness, joy, and delight in the gifts, but in the Giver, which then brings true joy in the gifts as well:

O’Donnel says: Solomon has shown us that we are able to “drink wine (9:7), enjoy food (2:25), be sensual (9:9), seek the sun (11:7), enjoy a rest (4:6), clean up (9:8), pursue dancing, embracing, peace, laughter and love (3:4–5, 8), appreciate money (7:11–12), [and] take pleasure in gardens and music (2:5, 8) [as gifts to be enjoyed from our good Father who is in heaven]. Put differently, because we are marching toward God, we can rejoice responsibly. Holiness leads to happiness. Aimless indulgence leads to endless misery. “Walk in the ways of your heart” (Eccl. 11:9) is not Romanticism but Biblicism. To neglect God is to neglect joy. God has designed us for pleasure, to enjoy all the pleasures that come from being faithful to him and his rules. Remember him. Fear him. And watch the freedom and fun follow.

Remember your Creator—but also, remember to rejoice in God’s word and God’s world—in the words of delight, that will bring us true joy in God’s gifts.

(2) Remember to Delight in this Vain Vapor - v. 9-10

But don’t just seek to find true delight, but make sure that you trust in the Good Shepherd:

(3) Remember your Shepherd in this Vain Vapor - v. 11-12

Ecclesiastes 12:11–12 ESV

The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

(3) Remember your Shepherd in this Vain Vapor - v. 11-12

Remember your Creator, remember to delight, and remember to trust in the Great Shepherd of the Sheep, Jesus Christ—as he speaks to us through the words of Holy Scripture.

How many of you would sell all that you have if you could meet with the Lord Jesus Christ, face to face, for a 5 minute conversation, right now, on this earth? Probably many of us, if not all of us.

But … we can do that, every single moment, of every single day of our lives. Solomon in these verses is telling us that his words have also been God’s words—in fact, he says they’ve all come from the one Shepherd—and who is the Good Shepherd other than Jesus Christ? The Scripture is living and active, breathed out from God the Father, as the Word of Christ, and by the Holy Spirit. We need to stop trying to find God’s voice through impressions or signs or wonders or feelings or false avenues of spirituality—and we need to remember that Jesus told us that his sheep will hear his voice—and Solomon says—Scripture is the voice of the one Shepherd, Jesus Christ. So let us remember our Shepherd, let us cherish his Word, let us meditate on Scripture, let us bleed the Bible, let us be filled with the Spirit, and let us heed the voice of Great Shepherd of the Sheep in his living and active Word. Then they shall become words of delight to us!

But Solomon doesn’t just tell us that the words of the Shepherd are pleasant to us—but he says they are like goads, like sharp nails, like firmly fixed truths.

According to scholars wiser than I, in the ancient Hebrew world, a goad was a pointed instrument used to prod something into a state of motion—and it typically has a nail on it, a sharp prick on its tip, in order to prod animals to where they should go, as they tried to seek out their own ways, wandering from the Shepherd.

According to Scripture, Christ is our Shepherd, we are the sheep of his pasture, and like sheep we have all gone astray. And so what does the Lord Jesus Christ do for us? He loves us enough to prod us on with the painful truths of his Word, without which, we will wander head on into myths, heresy, false religion, hypocrisy, sinful indulgence, and snares of the evil one. But our Lord, our Good Shepherd, he loves us with an everlasting love, with steadfast love! And he not only loved us enough to live, die, and rise again for us—but to speak to us in Scripture painful truths that we naturally resist and don’t want to hear. Truths that humble our proud flesh and autonomous minds.

Jesus gave us Scripture—and as our Shepherd he means to use it to not only give us joyful delight in Him and his gifts—but to also sharply rebuke us in our faulty doctrines, and in our sinful actions. Good shepherd don’t just gently guide their sheep—they also painfully discipline their sheep to teach them how to follow their lead. You see, Jesus loves us enough to cause us spiritual pain in order to restore our souls, when on our own we would leave the fold and get destroyed by ravenous wolves of doctrine or sinful practice. Oh praise the Lord for the Good Shepherd, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Truly he is the Good Shepherd who lays his life down for the sheep, and who rebukes us to keep us on the way.

The question for us is this: do we submit to His Word? do we change our mind according to His Word? do we change our actions in light of His Word? If we know the truth of Scripture, but fail to conform to it—we aren’t just sinning generally—we are despising the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd of the Sheep. Friends, the sign of true salvation, of being a genuine sheep, is that we hear his voice, submit to it, and follow Him despite what every other voice around us is saying.

Gibson: You know your Creator when you realize that the words he speaks are meant to make you smile. But another way to know that you know God is when what he says also makes you wince. The Preacher’s words are like nails, they wound. Some of them may have come to you with a very sharp tip indeed. But they have come to your directly from God, from the one Shepherd … These are sharp words from a loving Shepherd. … [We need to realize] that because we are sheep we will always, naturally, seek to develop our own goads to poke and prod the Bible instead of letting it painfully poke and prod us. You will know that you know God when sometimes what he says makes you weep as he humbles your pride; Reverses your expectations; Upsets your priorities; Offends your behavior; and challenges your thinking.

And so what will it be? Will we take every thought captive to obey Christ? Will we let Scripture rebuke and correct us, as well as teach and train us? Will we follow Jesus with all our hearts? Then we must begin, and continue on, in these streams of living water—it is here that Jesus meets with us, it is here that Jesus changes us, and it is here that Jesus blesses us by his Word and Spirit.

And incase we missed the point, Solomon also adds: beware of anything beyond these. Stop trying to make more books to find the truth, stop trying to read more authors to find the truth, stop trying to hear the voice of your Shepherd outside of Scripture! The Scripture is sufficient, living, and authoritative—we don’t need to keep searching for the truth outside of Scripture, we need to keep digging deeper into the truth inside of Scripture. Scripture is sufficient for faith and obedience—it cannot be broken—and its treasures are unending in themselves. Let us put out hand to the plow, to be built up in true doctrine that accords with godliness. As Paul says elsewhere, do not go beyond what is written. May it be so.

Let us remember that the Lord is our Shepherd—and so when his rod and staff comes to rebuke us in Scripture, we must receive it, so that his peaceful presence and comfort will lead us by still waters. Oh how we need to remember Jesus Christ—our only comfort in life and in death—and oh how we need to persevere in true faith, repentance, feeding upon the words from our One Shepherd who loved us, and gave himself for us. Do you know this One Shepherd? Is he your Shepherd by grace through faith? Then rejoice, for this Christmas season is a reminder to us that Christ the Lord was Born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth, born to free them from hebel, born to save them from the fall.

(3) Remember your Shepherd in this Vain Vapor - v. 11-12

And this brings us to our last point before our conclusion—not only must we remember our Creator, remember to delight, remember our Shepherd, but we must remember to fear:

(4) Remember to Fear in this Vain Vapor - v. 13-14

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 ESV

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

(4) Remember to Fear in this Vain Vapor - v. 13-14

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Prov. 1:7; 9:10)—but it is also the whole duty of man. We never go beyond the fear of God in the school of Christ. This is the end of the matter, the final conclusion, the summary application, the closing point—to Fear God and keep his commandments. After everything Solomon has told us, from the vanity of creation, to the sovereignty of God, to the smallness of man, to the enjoyment of God’s gifts, to the life of wisdom and holiness, to the impending reality of death and judgment—what is the last thing he wants to be marinating in your minds? The fear of the Lord.

What is it to Fear God? It is to be filled with a sense of reverence and awe in his glory and awesomeness. It is to be emptied of a sense of pride and self-sufficiency in our dust and vapor. It is to fall on our knees toward him, with simple faith, genuine hope, and sincere love. It is to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. It is to hate sin, turn from it, forsake it, and battle against it for all our days. It is to delight in the Lord, and to detest all that he hates. It is to worship Him in Spirit and in truth—and to serve our neighbors in love and mercy. It is to remember that creatures are gifts not gods, that they give no gain, but can bring joy from His hand. It is to stare death straight in the eyes, freed from the fear of condemnation, forgiven of all our sins and trespasses, in order to seek first His kingdom and his righteousness. It is to rest in His Gospel—and to obey His Law. It is to love the Lord our God with all our heart soul mind and strength. In sum—it is the essence of true godliness, the completion of Christian duty, the core of genuine holiness, and the secret to spiritual happiness.

What is it to Fear God? It is to dreadfully delight in his goodness and greatness—and to have a trembling trust in his majesty and mercy. It is to trust and obey.

1 Samuel 12:24 ESV

Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.

Psalm 2:11 ESV

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Isaiah 8:13 ESV

But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

Matthew 10:28 ESV

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

And yet for the believer—he both fears God in Christ—and is freed from fear in Christ—for right after Jesus says to fear God, he says to his sheep:

Matthew 10:31 ESV

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

For the same God who is holy, holy, holy—who could have justly condemned us, poured out his wrath upon us, in the unceasing fires of the pains of hell, in the agony of everlasting darkness—is the same God who is abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness to those who fear him—for he poured out that wrath in full upon the great Shepherd of the Sheep, Jesus Christ, who came to free us from the fear of sin, death, and hell—who came to bring us into God’s everlasting mercy, grace, goodness, kindness, and love—who came to teach us what it really means to Fear God and keep his commandments, not for salvation, but from salvation—to show us what it means to rest in the unshakeable promises of the Gospel—and to then fear the unshakeable glory of our triune God.

Exodus 20:20 ESV

Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”

So Calvary, heed these final words, and let them be constantly on your hearts and minds, overflowing into your lives and actions—Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

This holy and happy fear of the Lord—causes us to remember one last thing: the day of judgment, where every single action will be exposed in the beaming light of God’s everlasting holiness and purity—and on that day, the righteous will enter into eternal life, and the wicked will be thrown into eternal death.

Gibson: Ecclesiastes says that a day is coming when some people will discover that they are not ready for the most important event in the world. And it won’t be a dream. Their life has been one long exercise in avoiding reality and ignoring what is coming toward them—death and judgment are coming. But for the believer, death is not to be feared! While Ecclesiastes tells us that there is no gain to be had under the sun, the apostle Paul says there is in fact one thing to gain: dying. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Paul knew that in Christ, living and dying mean win-win. We can labor for Christ while we live, and we can live with Christ when we die. Your death and the judgment to follow—the great fixed points of your life—are the very things that can reach back from the future into today and transform the life God has given you to live”

Have you learned to fear the Lord, to trust in Christ? Are you born of the Spirit? Then you are free from the condemnation of that great day—can live in godly fear and obedience as you persevere to please God on that great day—and can hope in the blessed appearing of our Shepherd to save us from that wrath of that great day. But he doesn’t save us from the examination of that great day—we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade you, be reconciled to God—for Christ has died, that we might live—he became sin for us, so that is Him we might become the righteousness of God—with the hope of eternal glory in His presence, and with his people. In Christ we have redemption and living hope, freed from the shackles of hebel, of vanity, and of vapor. So, fear God, in order to fear not. We must:

(4) Remember to Fear in this Vain Vapor - v. 13-14

And so we come to our conclusion for this morning, and for the conclusion of the entire book of Ecclesiastes:

(C) Remember to Joyfully Fear God, to Heartily Trust Christ, to Painfully Hate Sin, and to Happily Enjoy this Vain Vapor of Life.

Oh Calvary—let us remember to walk in the fearful joy of the Lord, for all of our days—until our King returns—when vanity and vapor will turn into purity and perfection.

1 The fear of the Lord our days will prolong, In trouble afford a confidence strong, Will keep us from sinning, will prosper our ways, And is the beginning of wisdom and grace.

2 The fear of the Lord preserves us from death, Enforces his word, enlivens our faith, It regulates passion, and helps us to quell The dread of damnation and terrors of hell.

3 The fear of the Lord is soundness and health; A treasure well stored with heavenly wealth; A fence against evil, by which we resist World, flesh, and the devil, and imitate Christ.

8 The fear of the Lord forbids us to yield; It sharpens our sword and strengthens our shield. Then cry we to heaven, with one loud accord, That to us be given the fear of the Lord.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 ESV

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

(C) Remember to Joyfully Fear God, to Heartily Trust Christ, to Painfully Hate Sin, and to Happily Enjoy this Vain Vapor of Life.

Amen, let’s pray.

Discussion Questions:

(1) Can you honestly say with Solomon: vanity of vanities, all is vanity—vapor of vapors, all is vapor?

(2) Why must we remember to both fear our Creator, and remember to delight in our Shepherd?

(3) When was the last time you submitted to what the Bible says even when you didn’t find it easy to swallow? And why is this necessary if Scripture will be true words of delight to us?

(4) What has been the biggest takeaway from Ecclesiastes that has changed your life as you follow Jesus our Shepherd?

(5) How would you summarize the book of Ecclesiastes? And how you are going to remember to apply it during your days under the Sun?