A Preachers Plea. The End of The Matter. The Freedom of Fearing God. How a Healthy Fear For Displeasing God Leads to A Life of Pleasure In God.
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Worship Music
Worship Music
Holy Holy Holy - 4Him
Trust & Obey - Discovery Singers
Nothing Compares - Third Day
When I Was Young - Brandon Heath
The Perfect Wisdom Of Our God - Getty
No Turning Back - Brandon Heath
Call To Worship Scripture
Call To Worship Scripture
32 Whoever ignores instruction despises himself,
but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
33 The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.
Sermon Scripture
Sermon Scripture
1 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”; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 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, 4 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— 5 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— 6 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, 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.
1 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”; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 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, 4 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— 5 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— 6 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, 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.
Ecclesiasties
Ecclesiasties
Intro:
Intro:
Listen to some of what you have each in unity declared this morning:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty
Early in the morning my song shall rise to thee
Holy. holy, holy
Merciful and mighty
God in three persons, blessed Trinity
But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.
I see all the people
Wasting all their time
Building up their riches
For a life that's fine
Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing You, Lord
As we go through the years
Somehow those little fears
Grow into something else
Our older wiser selves
So now I play it safe
Oh, me of little faith
Could learn a thing or two
From who I used to be
When I was young
As we go through the years
Somehow those little fears
Grow into something else
Our complicated selves
So now I play it safe
Oh, me of little faith
Could learn a thing or two
From who I used to be
When I was young
Each night I'd say my prayers
And He was there
I slept so well
When I was young
Ecclesiastes 12
Ecclesiastes 12
1 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”; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 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, 4 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— 5 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— 6 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, 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.
9 Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. 10 The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Ecclesiasties 12
As a smelling sauce is given and opens with the word:
REMEMBER: that is to call to mind your creator.
WHEN: Right now - the days of your youth - while you are living and specifically while you are sowing what you will reap.
This is a, “you reap what you sow” section of scripture.
It is a closing plea of the good preacher. As Matthew Henry states:
The royal preacher’s application of his sermon concerning the vanity of the world and every thing in it. "You that are young flatter yourselves with expectations of great things from it, but believe those that have tried it; it yields no solid satisfaction to a soul; therefore, that you may not be deceived by this vanity, nor too much disturbed by it, remember your Creator, and so guard yourselves against the mischiefs that arise from the vanity of the creature.’’ It is the royal physician’s antidote against the particular diseases of youth, the love of mirth, and the indulgence of sensual pleasures, the vanity which childhood and youth are subject to; to prevent and cure this, remember thy Creator.
We remember our creator. He has created us and not we ourselves. He has created wisdom since before time as the Psalms told us. God has fashioned us together in our mothers womb. God is the creator and all things operate at his command. Blessing is alone in him. The peace of right oppression and the path of life is with Him alone for he created it and owns it.
We must thus engage ourselves with Him. That wisdom which He created and possesses and used to bring about all creation by, we must seek that in Him that we might know how to rightly live.
Now let me drive home the final plea of Solomon from Ecclesiastes:
The words of wisdom are true and fixed forever and belong to one Shepherd.
Wisdom is Gods. Wisdom that is true, eternal, fixed. This is the only wisdom which everything truly operates by and/or meets it’s end by. As proverbs spells out:
Wisdom: the commands given by God for all of creation. Wisdom applied is mans seeking of God’s commands, hearing them and applying them.
Understanding - becomes the fruit of the man exercising wisdom.
Discretion - becomes the mans manner of walking.
Do not go outside of these words to seek wisdom
You are young. You have strength, energy, ability and options. You can choose anything, just dream and pursue. But friends this is what we are warned against. Remember God! Life is not about the many paths but the one true path. Life is not about the many preferences of man, but about the divine creator, the glories which rest with Him and the beauty of life that He has given.
Do not mix godliness and worldly wisdom. Do not say this is of the world but it works. We don’t have that insight and what appears to work today can be gone tomorrow. All judgments of man are on this side of the grave and fail to take eternity into account, but the wisdom of God is eternal in every step. In God’s wisdom every moment, past, present and future is deeply rooted in eternity and the glory of God. Just as wisdom was before time, so in this the Christian operates unbound by time but bound only to the commands of God. Don’t let the world put you in a 80 year rat race, know God today and run to win the true race.
Repent: with this comes all of the “yea, but, are you saying?” You know what it is, you have gone to college, you’ve read books, heard documentaries, “lived life” and you ask how I can say that wisdom is so narrow and confined?
It is because wisdom is not something that man gets to determine. Wisdom is something that by God’s grace man can come to know by the Word of God. It really is that simple. Everything else is vanity.
The end of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments.
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
3 yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.
Proverbs 7
Proverbs 3:
26 for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror
or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
1 My son, be attentive to my wisdom;
incline your ear to my understanding,
2 that you may keep discretion,
and your lips may guard knowledge.
11 and at the end of your life you groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, “How I hated discipline,
and my heart despised reproof!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
Proverbs
21 For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord,
and he ponders all his paths.
22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
23 He dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is led astray.
Proverbs 5:
16 There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
19 a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.
Proverbs
Proverbs 7
2 keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;
3 bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 to keep you from the forbidden woman,
from the adulteress with her smooth words.
Now notice that these all lead up to proverbs 8-9 which we covered last week. This ought to confirm to us that wisdom (by God’s grace) is calling unto us and security is in the house that she has built.
But let us travel into what really gives us battle. PROVISION. Who will provide for my dreams and needs?
God controls all wealth
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
Many counselors - fear of God - humility
Many counselors - fear of God - humility
* Many counselors - fear of God - humility
22 Without counsel plans fail,
but with many advisers they succeed.
Proverbs 15:22
32 Whoever ignores instruction despises himself,
but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
33 The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.
Proverbs 15:
Seek what is good and labor in it:
22 Do they not go astray who devise evil?
Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.
23 In all toil there is profit,
but mere talk tends only to poverty.
Riches are a blessing from God, and not of human obtainment:
22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich,
and he adds no sorrow with it.
-:22
Stand true in your humble position and trust not in riches:
1 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
but a just weight is his delight.
2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with the humble is wisdom.
28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
Proverbs 11:1-2
Only the righteous are truley established - Don’t be decieved, all sin shall reap it’s due
29 Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and whoever captures souls is wise.
31 If the righteous is repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner!
3 No one is established by wickedness,
but the root of the righteous will never be moved.
Don’t justify yourself or walk by your own counsel:
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice.
Wisdom is fixed in place. What you sow you reap - opperate by Godly wisdom or ignor it and you will reap what you sow:
13 Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself,
but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.