Ecclesiastes 11
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Open your Bibles to Ecclesiastes 11.
We are two sermons away from finishing Ecclesiastes! Do you know when we started Ecclesiastes? February 29th. 8 months! Thats all it took…but we did have about three or four weeks where we didn’t meet. So…7 months.
It’s hard trying to decide what book we are going to go through next because when you take your time and go through a book of the Bible verse by verse it takes some time. But, I was talking to Mason yesterday and I told him I think we are going to go through the book of John next. We were talking and I was like, “there are 21 chapters in John and there is absolutely NO WAY I can preach one chapter on a Sunday.” Im thinking it will take me 2-3 sermons to get through one chapter. So…I added that up. 21 chapters x 2.5 Sermons per chapter…that will be 52.5 Sundays which I have to round up to 53 because we aren’t going to do a half Sunday at POTR. So…53 Sundays to get through John, 12 Sundays a year brings us to 4.42 years to get through John. Add a few curve ball sermons in there and it will take around 4.5 - 5 years. That means Camp will be driving by the time we get done with John.
Bur for now…we have Ecclesiastes 11. And before we read this text and break it down I want us to get a bigger picture of what this book is about. So think about this with me:
What is this all about guys? What is the story in this book all about? I mean really? For so many, this book is about “how I get to Heaven when I die”. Do you see how man-centered that is? Does that sound like a book that is about the Glory of God or does that sound like a book that is about “the individual”. But this is most people’s understanding of what this book is about. For the last few decades this is what has been propagated from our churches. It is a man centered gospel. The main thing about this Bible is not about saving some people so they can get to Heaven someday. Its way bigger than that…it is much more AMAZING than that!
This is a revelation of who God is and what he has done and what he is doing in this world. This book is about a King and His Kingdom.
And it all started in a Garden. In that garden man had communion with God. God told him to work the garden, cultivate it, grow it, multiply…but guess what…Adam and Eve sinned against God. And at that moment…the creation fell and God put a curse on everything because of sin. Men would have to work by the sweat of their brow for food and shelter…women would have painful births and her desire will be her husband which will be too much of a load for him to carry. It will be crippling to both of them. The ground was cursed.
But from that day forward there was a promise of a coming Messiah, a King, that would come and restore this Kingdom. He would establish His Kingdom on this Earth and this King is Jesus, the Second and Final Adam...Christ came and proclaimed the Kingdom of God. Christ, the Second and Final Adam will accomplish what the first Adam could not. He will have dominion over all the earth…He will fulfill what the first Adam did not…his people will multiply over all the Earth. He proved His authority by his life, his death and his resurrection. His people will be from every tribe and every tongue and every nation. The King is on his throne and all authority, in Heaven and Earth has been given to Him. He is King and you must bow the knee to this King. And those who repent of their sins, forsake their own life and put their faith and trust in this Sovereign King will have eternal life.
So what is the problem? The problem is sin. The problem is sinful man does not want a God ruling over them. Fallen man want to be their own God. They do not want to bow the Knee to the Sovereign King of the Universe. Fallen man want to establish their own kingdoms. They do not trust the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They trust themselves more.
But for us…who have bowed the knee to the One True King…what are we to do…we are to tell people about this Sovereign King and His Kingdom…that it is here now…not fully but it is here now and it is growing. And the King of this Kingdom is Jesus Christ. We proclaim the good news of the Kingdom, that Christ the King is making all things new. What Adam failed to do Christ has, is, and will accomplish. He is the Messiah that was prophesied about.
We preach what Christ preached, what Paul and the apostles preached:
When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.
And for those who trust this King, those who put their faith in this King…His Father is your Father. Once you have bowed the knee to this Sovereign King you are brought from death to life, you are born again and only then can you see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3). True life. It is a life that can now be truly lived. The Father begins to teach you how to live in his Creation and how to grow his kingdom in this fallen world that is being redeemed by His Son. HE wants you to enjoy this life and he wants you to trust in Him. Trust that He is good…trust that His ways are perfect and that he has everything under control.
Now…lets look at Ecclesiastes 11 and think about how we should live this life in this Kingdom where God is our Father. When God is your Father you can live life BOLDLY!
Cast your bread upon the waters,
for you will find it after many days.
This is not a prosperity gospel church. Solomon is not saying if you give to charity, if you give to the church then you will look in your mailbox one day and find that you have 10x more than you gave.
This is talking about taking a bold risk in investments.
Put it out there…give it some time and see what happens.
Solomon is telling his readers throughout this whole book that everything is in the hand of God…so enjoy the adventure.
Invest some of what God has given you…and he is not telling you something he wasn’t willing to do. Sending ships out to sea was dangerous back then but the wisest man that ever lived risked some of what he had to see what God would do with it.
For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
But hey, you never know what will happen do you...
remember Ecc. 7:14?
In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.
So…BE BOLD…BUT WE WISE too...
Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,
for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
Invest but diversify. Don’t put all of your eggs into one basket, right?
We have no idea what might happen tomorrow…we have no idea what might happen today!
We do not know what God is going to do...
But, there are some things we do know just by the natural law and observations that we make:
If the clouds are full of rain,
they empty themselves on the earth,
and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
I promise you…this is one of those “deep thoughts” my father-in-law would say.
But when it talks about “the clouds are full of rain they empty themselves on the earth”...
sometimes we just “see it coming”.
sometimes things that happen in life are just unavoidable.
And the tree falls…”in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie”.
this is just saying “look, whatever is going to happen is going to happen”...
He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
BE BOLD…just be wise about it!
DON’T LET the Uncertainty of life keep you from being BOLD.
Don’t be paralyzed and fearful. Make a move!
The possibility of something going wrong is no excuse for not inactivity.
This is talking about a farmer and sowing seed. Of course the best time to plant is when its nice and sunny outside…maybe with a nice breeze would even be better.
You don’t want it to be too windy either so when you sow your seed they don’t fly off and they go exactly where you want them to go.
But if you are waiting on the perfect conditions to sow…you might never get to farming!
Just face it…something MAY go wrong…but you can’t let that stop you from getting to work!
As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
Here is what you need to know from this verse: 2 times he says YOU DON’T KNOW!
But one thing you DO know from this verse is:
it is “the work of God who makes everything”
We do not know the plans of the Sovereign God but because we don’t know His plans that doesn’t keep us from sowing does it?
We DO NOT KNOW what is going to happen when we put our bread out in the water…we do not know if what we invest in is going to work out or not...
So...
In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
Be bold…and be wise! We do not know what is going to fail or what is going to prosper so what do we do?
Work boldly
plant seeds in the morning AND in the evening!
Why?
AGAIN…because it says YOU DO NOT KNOW which will prosper.
REMEMBER…Ecclesiastes is mostly about what life on the ground looks like. IT is all vanity. A life without God is meaninglessness.
So how can we look at these 6 verses from 30,000’ up in the air?
How can we have a KINGDOM perspective…how can we see this text in light of Christ?
So many people fear telling others of Christ don’t they? They fear that if they “cast their bread upon the waters they WILL NEVER find it…much less after many days. (THATS VERSE 1)
They think…I’ll tell them about the Kingdom of God another day, I’ll tell them about our King another day but then disaster hits and they never have the chance to tell them again (THATS VERSE 2)
So many people see the rain clouds and they know it is not going to be recieved well....(THATS VERSE 3)
They just stand there with their seed, the seed of the gospel, and they just hold it tight to the vest observing the wind and the clouds…just waiting for the right time to plant but they look up and they spent their whole life paralyzed because they were fearful of the unknown…of what people might say or think about them. (THATS verse 4)
BUT you have to know that God is SOVEREIGN over EVERYTHING and YOU HAVE NO IDEA what GOD WILL DO....(THATS VERSE 5)
So go....sow the seed…plant…in the MORNING (when your young) and in the EVENING (when your old) BECAUSE you do not know where the seed of the gospel will take root. (THATS VERSE 6).
LOOK AT Matthew 13:1-9
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”
This sower knew a few things and we should know a few things too:
The sower…he had to walk over to that field where the good soil was. He know along the way that he would drop some of his seed where there wasn’t good soil. But that didn’t stop him…that didn’t paralyze him. He knew if he kept going planting, some would fall on good soil and produce.
So let me finish this text by talking to the younger ones in here…listen up guys because verses 7-10 are for you:
Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.
Life is good. that is a life in the Kingdom of God where Christ not only saves from your sins but also saves you from sin. Live a life for Christ…live with an enthusiasm that no man has never known.
So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity.
this life is short…live it for the Kingdom of God…advance his Kingdom in our culture…tell this culture that there is a Kingdom that has invaded this Earth and this KING is taking over.
Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Walk in the ways of year Heart does not mean to do whatever you please. The exhortation is to not forget that God will bring you into judgment.
Don’t let “vexation” (anxiety of what may happen to you) weigh you down where you can’t enjoy your life.
Put away “Pain” (evil) away from you because your youth will pass faster than you will ever know.
Spend your young life learning more about your King…spend your young life Advancing His Kingdom in your school, in your community.
Wake up every day, put your feet on the ground…reach over and grab a handful of seed and with your other hand grab a bucket of water…walk out the door and get to work!
Don’t be afraid of what may happen...
Don’t be paralyzed and fearful of what people will say...
Go make disciples!
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
God makes EVERYTHING! He ASSIGNS the servants through whom people will believe and he GIVES the growth...
Trust your Father, Trust the King!
