THE OUTER LIMITS: ECCLESIASTES-Living Less Consistent

Living Less Consistent

Ecclesiastes 8:1-9

1. What Is My Message About:

Living in a world that’s not Godly, while taking on God’s wisdom and living differently.

2. Why Is It Important:

How will they know without a preacher?

3. What Do I Want Them To Do:

Live as obedient people, subjected to the will of God, and leave a mark for God - that others question.

4. What Is The Single Most Persuasive Idea:

“What if we lived less consistent with our humanity, would people notice”

Have you ever read the book of judges? It’s crazy!

There was no king, and people did what was right in their own eyes. They didn’t have to be trained to go buck-wild; it was their natural inclination. We do it still today - looting and rioting happens when there are even brief lapses in the established order and I was thinking through this before the inauguration, then Friday came.

We went off a little bit America, broke windows in stores, burned cars and trashcans, ran amuck. To rebel and move away from authority is consistent with humanity.

Imagine if this was our constant mode of operation - we’d have nothing, no ability to coordinate to build roads, or really anything. We couldn’t have day-to-day lives, and so God has given us a framework for order, we don’t fall into order, we fall into line.

We know chaos, discord, and looting isn’t wise, but we’re looking for our #1 and so we’re compelled towards it; it’s natural.

The other day, Dave Demmy plugged in a fan, and in doing so dropped the entire grid around our building - almost immediately you could hear cars honking - because without order things don't run well; it’s just part of being a fallen human in a fallen world, but we still naturally work away from order. If we didn’t work away from order we wouldn’t need police, but we do - desperately badly.

We’re a people ready to revolt and rebel in a moment. In fact we’re a country born of rebellion.

Right here in our own area we birthed the “whisky rebellion” that demanded federal military action to stop.

When taxed by England a group of Massachusetts’s colonists dressed as Mohawk Indians took British tea ships and dumped nearly 350 chests of tea and dumped them into the water.

Possibly you’ve heard me talk about the car I saw downtown with the anarchy symbol painted on it - I watched it excitedly and expectantly as it drove up to a red light - and came to a complete stop, then when the light turned green, full of faith in order and expectations of safety that stem from the same, drove forward on green…

Maybe the church is free of this rebellion, but no, do you know how many churches likely exist because of some rebellion that started over music style? God uses our messes often, but how much more if we lived wisely.

I want to pose something that I believe we’re seeing in Solomon’s words today as he’s rounded the corner from building his case that Life under the sun is both far from God and far from God’s purpose for all of life/existence here it is:

“What if we lived less consistent with our humanity, would people notice”

Today, as Solomon takes this turn into showing us wise living, and looks at us a rebellions people; he’s going to show us how to live among experts of human behavior to live a way that will leave a mark that points people to God.

This chapter v.1 opens up celebrating wisdom’s virtues. Last week we said that wisdom is like the guide rail, they give balance and strength to live in a broken world. Today we’ll see that following the guide rails of wisdom and wise living allows us to be about imitating the character of God.

And so, Solomon will continue giving guide rails for wise living, but not for no purpose, rather - for the purpose of glorifying God so, “what if we lived less consistent with our humanity, would people notice”

Ecclesiastes 8:1–2

Keep the King’s Command

1 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.

2 I say: Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him.

Some translations read, because of your oath to God, either way, though this is difficult for translators to land and agree on specifically, the idea is that our obedience is to the authority of the king or to government - because of the relationship between God and government.

Anarchy doesn't work, though it’s our natural inclination and so “what if we lived less consistent with our humanity, would people notice”; are you angered and maddened that government isn’t representing you - guess what it cannot, and if it fully did; it’d STILL be less than perfect, so lets settle in and rather than rage - lets participate.

For some of us, go into politics, to be informed and educated on the issues and participate. For some of us be citizens who are active and informed - don’t simply rage, engage while we respect the relationship between government and God.

WE see it repeated in

Romans 13:1–7 (ESV)

Submission to the Authorities

1. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
2. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
3. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
4. for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
5. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.
6. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.
7. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Isn’t it interesting how much time is spent saying, be Godly and listen to your government. It’s because government is part of a sinful system, run by sinful people and necessarily pumps out - sinful stuff.

Solomon already revealed that the king benefits from the oppression of the poor - however, now - is this difficult, I’m gong to assume/bet it is. I KNOW it is for me, but let this question help you settle down.

Are you a Christian?

If you’re not, I cannot help you settle this, except to say being forgiven of sin, and reconciled to God allows you to begin applying this wisdom to your life and have a view that can find balance in a broken world under the sun (that’s been Solomon’s trajectory angry and trying to find balance in a world that doesn’t know God and know accepting God and applying His wisdom to life) - in fact it doesn't settle, but for the Christian the message of 1 Peter falls in line with this section of Ecclesiastes:

1 Peter 2:11–17 (ESV)

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,

14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people (not by arguing or fighting or by having a logic battle on Facebook - but, by doing good (actions speaker louder than words)).

16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Solomon is calling us to this emperor-honor, king following, government recognizing. Why, why do we have to be called to that? Because it’s doesn’t come naturally - tea parties and riot resonate more with our heart(s) than obedience, but God has a plan.

And maybe you’re saying, “but that’s hard” - I come back to our question what if we lived less consistently with our nature?

I get it - I agree. 1 Peter was written to the “elect” pilgrims strangers in the world, Jews of dispersia, Christians in the Roman empire - people who’d be beaten for their faith, mocked, stoned and why - because it’s the will of God, to silence foolish people in this way - to live as freed people, who serve God, through their obedience.

Ecclesiastes 8:3–7

3 Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases.

4 For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, “What are you doing?”

5 Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way.

6 For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him.

7 For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be?

God is going to deal with all of this, leaders who maintained bad governments, or who governed poorly.

Be encouraged that the woes and trials and difficulties in this life, are bound to this life. And God has power over them. In Matthew 17, Jesus himself tells Peter - hey, pay the tax, but he doesn’t just pull out his wallet and give him the money, rather he asks a question, ripe with meaning: who pays tax sons or citizens… peter says citizens, Jesus says even so, specifically to avoid being an offense - the tax would be paid, though he was not a citizen of this world, what about us?

Jesus submitted to the “ruler in this earth to submit and so show someone his love and bring God to glory! How much more do we want to be able to do that?

Ecclesiastes 8:8–9

1. No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it.
2. All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt.

Wisdom imitates God and so stands out in a world that is opposed to God. Through our submission we’ll stand out, just like Jesus did in Matthew 17, just like Peter called the elect to in 1 Peter 2, just like Solomon said was wise - because people will see that as different so again, I ask and I think Ecclesiastes challenges: what if we lived less consistently with our nature?

Does this mean; we are a doormat for bad government? No, read scripture you’ll see civil disobedience, in Exodus the midwives who would not turn in the male children for infanticide were rewarded by God with children.

However, we should participate in government to make it good. At the same time, we’re to live as obedient people, to the rules over us. That will be living differently - and people WILL take notice as you live in subjection, work to make things better - and do the good works you’re called to: Ephesians 2:10

Imagine a world with no speed limits, no traffic lights, no laws against stealing - it would be anarchy and while it may sound good, it wouldn’t be. Even bad government is better than no government - and those who govern negatively will be dealt with in time.

So I come back to the first question, are you a Christian? If you are, you’ll see Jesus’ example it’s the tax, the encouragement in 1 Peter 2 to live as servants of God, obedient people - and those who are free.

In my cousin Vinny the robber was known because of the skid patters in the ground were not consistent with a 64 Buick skylark doesn't have posi-traction. Also, the 64 skylark had a solid rear axes, the right tire would ride along the edge when the left tire was on the curb - in the 60s two cars with the limited slip differential meaning it had to be the 63 Pontiac tempest (easily confused with the skylark) - we know this because Mrs. Vito was an expert on cars - Vinny was thankful.

In the same way, people are experts on human behavior - want to leave a mark and be salt and light, demonstrate Godly behavior. In the same way that Mrs. Vito could look at tire marks and know that’s inconsistent with the car she knew so well, people will see that your way of living is inconsistent with human lifestyle.

You’re way of living is Holy Spirit injected, God enabled, Christ emboldened

Church lets mindset shift and live as servants desiring wise living, and lets leave a mark.