Cornerstone



Good morning and please open up your Bibles to Ecclesiastes 12 as we are getting close to a wrapping up this incredible book today. The title of my sermon today is A Guide Through the Darkness. Have you ever been in a dark place and have had difficulty finding your way out? Several times we have taken the back room of our Ministry Center and transformed it into a box maze for the kids of our church… but also for the adventurous adults who wanted to have some fun. I have found it so entertaining to crawl into that closed in space with minimal lighting or none at all and try to navigate your way through there. As you could imagine, my 6’3” frame didn’t fit through there very well, but in spite of that, I could still army crawl my way through and had to back myself in cramped corridors whenever I came to a dead end. But what made it easier to get through was when I would pull my phone out of my pocket, turn the flashlight on, and then navigate around being capable to see where to turn and not to turn. That light acted as a helpful guide through the darkness. And that is the role that the Preacher of Ecclesiastes has played throughout this book that has been recorded for us. He has sought to be a guide through the darkness of this world. Without guidance we stumble through this life; left to ourselves we make foolish choices, are attracted by shallow pleasures, chase after empty dreams and continually come up short in feeling satisfied. Without guidance from wisdom we are regularly finding ourselves at the end of a dark, dead end tunnel, and then have to awkwardly look for a way to turn around. And if we don’t have God-given wisdom to guide us along the way, we inevitably experience the dilemma of another dead end. Sadly, there are plenty of people who never take wisdoms counsel. And the fool journeys to the end his/her life and it’s only then that they turn around to measure it’s worth. And they can’t help but wonder, “What was the point of it all?” “Why didn’t I make better choices?” “Why didn’t I seek out the counsel of the wise?” “Why did I so foolishly think I knew a better way?” And if that’s you, you’re finding yourself repeatedly stumbling through life (and that’s all of us from time-to-time), but, let me encourage you, it’s not too late. If you still have breath in your lungs and the capability to hear the words of the wise, wisdom that comes from above, from God Himself, it’s not too late to be guided through the darkness. You can’t change the past (don’t play those “What if…” scenarios), but you can live differently in the present, which will impact the future. And that has been the goal of the Preacher of Ecclesiastes all along. He knows that is inevitable that you are heading towards your death, but you don’t have to head there as a fool. So, he has sought to be a meticulous and detailed observer of life, where he does not just sit up in an ivory tower studying books in attempt to become a dreary old professor. Rather, he has poured years of his life into studying people and situations and events in all their regular patterns, as well as their random routines; he has also been vulnerable with his own life as he has expressed his feelings and thoughts, and then, with all of this research and observation, he has written it down into this twelve chapter book to point the reader in the right direction. These last few verses serve as a summary to the entire book where the Preacher explains that he has written all of this in order to bring us four things (It will take two weeks to get through all four); 1Pleasure, 2Pain, 3Perspective, and to ensure that we 4Prepared. Let’s go ahead and read Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 as the Preacher of this book Guides us Through the Darkness. Read Ecclesiastes 12:9-14As I’ve said already, these verses that we’ve just read, they serve as a summary to the entire book where the Preacher explains that he has written all of this in order to bring us four things. And the first explanation that he gives for writing this book is found there in verse 10. Read Ecclesiastes 12:10The Preacher is telling us that he wrote this book to bring us Pleasure. Is that what you think of when you think of the book of Ecclesiastes? A book that gives insight into how you obtain satisfaction and delight in this life that we have been given to us? Often times, many people don’t see it that way. It is a sad irony that many people look at this book as if it were written by Eeyore, the pessimistic, gloomy, and depressed friend of Winnie-the-Pooh. But as our text tells us, he has searched “to find words of delight.” He desired to find words that would bring joy to the reader or hearer of this book. The Preacher, who is more than likely Solomon, wrote in this book his own pursuits of how he sought to find meaning and joy and delight in so many different places – but along the way it was his intent to underline where joy is actually found. Now, the Preacher did come up empty from time to time in search of satisfaction, and he’s honest about that. But what he discovered was that he was looking in the wrong place. Similar to if I asked how was dinner last night? And you tell me it was horrible! Oh really? Where did you go? I went to the local garbage dump. Obviously, you’re not going to be satisfied if all you ate were the left over scraps that were thrown in with the rest of the trash! That would be disgusting!!!Likewise, the Preacher acknowledged where he came up short in search for pleasure, but he also drew our attention to the fact that God is not a killjoy in the way that He made the world. God is not a grumpy old man who is out to ruin our fun and enjoyment of this life. Quite the contrary!! The Preacher speaks to that reality throughout this book as he tells us of the many good gifts that God has given. And has told us to find enjoyment…In our workIn God HimselfIn the delicious food and drinks that God has graciously providedIn the relationship we are brought intoFriendsSpouseKidsA good night’s sleepVarious gifts wealth and possessionsBut whatever the enjoyment is on this earth, we must realize that the enjoyment of everything on this earth cannot be separated from God Himself. The good gifts of this physical world must not become the primary pursuit! The Preacher realized the foolishness of that, so he put his pen to paper seeking to tell us the truth! He “uprightly”, as the second half of verse 10 says, “wrote words of truth.”Those who think that God is out to rob of us our joy, of our fun, and happiness in this world, they don’t know God. For pleasure, deep enjoyment, lasting happiness cannot be found apart from God. And what God brings us in the Bible, in Ecclesiastes and throughout its entirety, are words of delight that lead us to where true joy is actually found. That is why I would encourage you to daily be in the Scriptures. Allow the words that the Preacher says here to compel you to take in the wise words throughout all of your Bible. We ought to be a church that is so convinced that Word of God brings pleasure that we devour the Word! Meditate on the Word! Talk about the word. Parents have conversations about the Word with your kids. Husbands talk about the Word on date nights with your wife. Get together with your friends and tell them how God is shaping you by His Word. It may be funnier to share the latest meme, or easier to talk about the latest movie… but NOTHING, I repeat, NOTHING BRINGS GENUINE PLEASURE AND LASTING SATISFACTION LIKE LIVING IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD… and that starts by going to His word.And as you come to enjoy God Himself, that reshapes how you look and experience everything else.But, as we talk about pleasure and the enjoyment of God and this life that we are living, does that then mean that everything will become easy? That if you delight yourself in God and seek to be transformed by His Word, that your life will become one steady stream of pleasure? Not necessarily. Because although listening to the right things is often times sweet and desirable and true, sometimes the truth hurts. Occasionally, the truth brings Pain. The Preacher of Ecclesiastes told us in verse 10 that he wrote this book to give pleasure, but then he tells us in verse 11, that he also wrote this book to bring Pain. Read Ecclesiastes 12:11He starts verse 11 by giving an analogy of a goad. [Show Picture] Look at the picture. Imagine placing that tool in the hands of a young boy… probably wouldn’t take too long for him to accidently harm a sibling. But goad is a pointed rod, sometimes it’s tipped with metal, and it’s used for driving or guiding cattle in a particular direction. It was used most often by farmers to help their oxen plow a straight path. As an oxen would drift to one side or another, the farmer would poke and prod the animal back on course. If they went the left, there would be some pain; if they went to the right, there would be pain waiting there too. If they were stubborn and refused to move, pain would great them from behind! I think you get the point. The only way the animal could avoid the pain was to go the way the Shepherd wanted them to go. And then he goes on to talk about nails. Nails are something that hold things in place. They are sharp and are driven in deep to hold things together. And what the Preacher is saying in these analogies is that a person is spurred on by the wise in the same way as the cattle are spurred on by goads. And these wise words hold them in the proper place. And it’s not always comfortable, and sometimes the words of the wise hurt!Now, the interesting part of this verse is at the end where he says, “They are given by one Shepherd.” Many translations of the Bible capitalize, “Shepherd.” Why? Because they see this as a reference to God as THE SHEPHERD. And I think they’re right. What Solomon is alluding to is that the words that he has written down, these wise words of Ecclesiastes, they are not simply his public journal, but is from God Himself. These words have come directly from God, the one Shepherd. And sometimes His words hurt. It may be hard for some to accept this, but if you want to know and love and walk with God all your days, then what will need is some pain. Some words to make you sit up and take notice. Words to stop you in your tracks and turn you around and get you going in the right direction. And that may be hard to accept, because most often when we experience pain, we so detest that feeling that we never want to experience it again. For instance, when it comes to physical pain, I can remember the time that I needed to get stitches in my forehead. I was on a swim team in high school and at the conclusion of one particular practice I finished my last lap and came to rest by the side of the pool. As I was catching my breath, I could feel water stuck in my ear, so naturally I went to shake it out. However, I was still in the pool and my head was too close to the pool deck, which led to me banging my head on the tile floor. Lesson learned. That hurt and I never want to slam my head on a tile floor again! And that makes sense, we should learn from our foolishness and from previous mistakes. However, at times, pain is unavoidable because we think we’re right, or we think that our feelings are the greatest guide through the darkness, or we think we’ve learned/discovered the right way but have actually turned down a dead end road. As Proverbs 16:25 says,There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.And sometimes, the only way to redirect our attention is through pain. Not always physical pain (sometimes, yes) – but not always a pain that will require stitches or an appointment with the doctor, but a pain that may make you wince as you readjust the orientation of your heart and the thinking within your mind. Repeat this after me: I don’t know everything. Go ahead and say that out loud, I don’t know everything. And as you make your way through the Word of God, and as you’ve read through the book of Ecclesiastes, every now and then you’ll come across statements that will cause you to stop in your tracks and go, “Really?! That’s the truth? Ouch, that really hurts!” If you never have moments like that as you read the Word of God, you’re not paying attention. As J.D. Greear once said, “A god who conforms to your mind is usually a projection of your mind.”God who is eternal, all-knowing, ever-present, all-wise, all-powerful, is going to think far above the ability of our puny, little minds. And sometimes the Words that He declares make us flinch just a little bit. I mean, think about some of the themes that we’ve talked about within this book; 1a couple of generations from now, people will struggle to remember your name, 2day-by-day, you’re getting older, and 3sooner or later, you’re going to die. Those aren’t words you’d find on a Hallmark Greeting card. However, these are painful words from a loving Shepherd. Our Good Shepherd is not simply throwing jabs to wound us, but to lead us. We are sheep who have gone astray and are in need of all the help we can get to keep us going in a straight line. We can so easily wander even in the best of circumstances; Adam and Eve sure did! God gave Adam and Eve the path of life, a straight line to walk in, but what did they do? They got distracted and veered off to the side for a bite to eat. And in our own life, God shows us the path to life in his Word, it’s a narrow path to walk with Christ as our King—but sadly we too shift our focus onto things of lesser value. We foolishly think, “I’m young, I have plenty of time to get my life in order –or everything is fine, other people experience some disastrous end, but not me –or God just doesn’t understand my life, I just need to go my own way for now.” But don’t be a fool. Every direction that you head that doesn’t have God, the Good Shepherd, leading the way, has a disastrous end. I urge you to remember your Creator by letting His Word chase away your confusion and confront your foolish thinking… even if it hurts! It may hurt a lot!!! But left to your own devices, you will not choose what is right. Left to wander alone through the darkness of this world, you will end up going in the opposite direction to where you should be. There is no GPS for our souls other than the Words from our One Shepherd! The Word ought to reign supreme in your heart and mind. The Word is what the Holy Spirit uses to teach you what is true, correct the mistakes that you have believed in. It is what the Spirit uses to make our lives whole again and how He trains us to do what is right. Being shaped by Scripture, the servant of God can be completely prepared to do every good thing.Conclusion: I want to help you think that through as to whether or not the Word of God has its proper place in your life. What we’ve seen the Preacher of Ecclesiastes doing in this passage, as well as throughout the entire book, is highlight how the Word of God brings both pleasure and pain. And I want to suggest two ways to help you evaluate yourself in relationship to these two areas; the pleasure of the Bible and the pain of the Bible. These two evaluations are attitude testers and are a way to take your spiritual temperature. First, and this has to do with taking pleasure and delight in the Word of God. Ask yourself the question: Do you expect to be surprised by the Word of God?You can measure whether you find the Bible delightful, not by how often you read it or by how much of it you have read, and not by whether you find it easy or difficult to read, but by whether you approach the Bible expecting to be surprised. Here’s what I mean by that. You can approach the Word with an attitude of, “I know all of this already. Nothing new. Nothing different. I’ve read this book before and I’ve got it all figured out.” But this is the living Word of God! You can read it cover to cover every single year of your life and still have not mined the depths of it. Taking pleasure in the Word of God is formed when you expect it to teach you something you did not know already. The more childlike you are towards the Bible, approaching it with wonder and curiosity, an eagerness to believe what it has to say, the more likely you are to find it having just the right words for you. That was the approach of King David as he wrote Psalm 19. Listen to what he had to say: 7 The law of the?Lord?is perfect, ????reviving the soul;the testimony of the?Lord?is?sure,????making wise?the simple;8?the precepts of the?Lord?are right,????rejoicing the heart;the commandment of the?Lord?is?pure,????enlightening the eyes;9?the fear of the?Lord?is clean,????enduring forever;the rules?of the?Lord?are?true,????and righteous altogether.10?More to be desired are they than?gold,????even much?fine gold;sweeter also than honey????and drippings of?the honeycombTo speak like this requires a certain view of yourself. I am poor, so the Bible is precious. I am hungry, so the Bible is the sweetest food that there is. I am unsure, disoriented, and floundering, so the Bible, the living Word of God is sure and trustworthy. I run to it because I take such pleasure in what it has to say. What it has to say about God. What it has to say about me. What it has to say about all of life.Now, every single day of getting into the Word is not going to be this enormous and thrilling experience of surprise and inspiration. There will be some days like that. But as you develop a rhythm of reading and rereading the Word with a heart that is set on absorbing what it has to say with delight, over the course of your lifetime, you discover that it shapes the disposition of your soul. Seek to be surprised by the Word of God. Second, Do you tone down areas of the Word that make you uncomfortable? There’s a famous story of Thomas Jefferson taking a knife and going through the four gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. He would read it, and as he came across a section that he didn’t like, he simply cut it out. He didn’t feel comfortable with the supernatural, so he took out pretty much all of the miraculous events recorded in the Gospels. Anything that hinted towards the deity of Jesus, that Jesus is God in the flesh, he took that out too. He even eliminated the resurrection of Jesus from his “Bible.” Thomas Jefferson took it upon himself to “uncomplicate” the life of Jesus, by removing what he thought wasn’t needed. What a mistake! What a disaster! Now, most people today aren’t literally taking a knife to their Bibles, but there are plenty of people are seeking to round the corners off to make it more acceptable and comfortable. Do not do that!Live in God’s world – and 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. But, 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 I encourage you to let Him do so. Don’t attempt to soften His blow but allow His Word to transform you, as painful as that may be sometimes. And as you come to listen to His wise words (in Ecclesiastes and throughout the rest), you realize that they are actually for your good as well. They are Words that bring greater pleasure. You need His guidance through the darkness of this world. The Preacher has pointed that out within the first half of this passage as he tells us of pleasure and pain, and we’ll continue to talk about that next week as we close this off by looking at the second half of the passage. [1Pleasure, 2Pain, 3Perspective, and to ensure that we 4Prepared.] ................
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