Sermon Tone Analysis

Call To Worship Scripture

Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes

Sermon Scripture

Matthew

ECCLESIASTES

Labor, rest (peace), loss, sickness, anger, joy, occupation, death, birthright, inheritance.

In each of these things we try to find life’s meaning and it ends up shaping our lives and our pursuits.

But in a frank statement of reality comes a revealing question with a truth that must be recieved.

Ecclesiasties

Ecclesiastes

Labor, rest (peace), loss, sickness, anger, joy, occupation, death, birthright, inheritance

Questions to be answered:

This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind?

The theme of Ecclesiastes is that life only has meaning in God.

Only in God does live have any true pleasure, peace or rest.

Without God satisfaction can be found in nothing.

True pleasure, true joy, comes only when we acknowledge and revere God.

Only when we trust and thus make obedience our joy and purpose.

This truth is unpacked even more and in deeper ways throughout scripture.

Scripture will help us see how greivious an evil the pursuit of vanity is.

It is far more than just an emptiness and naked death.

It is the birth of pride, envy, hate, wars, theft, murder and the dividing of nations.

Let us then look to God’s word to recognize the havic of chasing the wind and learn how to cultivate what is true.

GENESIS

gives the account of Abrahams death, we read:

Genesis 25:

Now after the death of Abraham we are introduced to the generations of his sons:

Genesis 25:12

Now it is upon the son’s of Isaac (Abraham’s grandsons) that will focus in on.

This begins first by what we just read: Isaac prayed for his wife to concieve and God answered His prayer.

I highlight that because to often today we think humanity and scientific advancment as having the power to give life.

Life my friends is given by God alone, nothing exist, nothing breaths it first or last, unless God permits it.

Having said that, notice what is spoken of next:

Genesis 25:

There is life within the womb.

So much so that a battle is taking place within her, a battle for strength, for greatness as described by the LORD:

Genesis 25:23

The brothers are each representing two different nations, two divided peoples.

There will be a battle, a battle of deceit, contempt and hate.

It will be a battle to want what the other has and to seek to gain it by all means necessary even murder.

The battle will be for placement, for stature, for birthright, for blessing and inheritance.

The account is as follows:

Genesis 25:19-34

Genesis 25:

Now this is our heart on display, each man looking out for himself, with hatred growing strong.

This division will grow and continue.

Even at the time of Christ and even today.

Israel will be the line of Jacob.

This takes place in where Jacob wrestles with God was named Israel.

Here however is our observation, the strife and division is representative of two nations, those who operate in such a divisive way cannot be of the same nation.

The one who seeks to be greater than his brother or the brothers who seek to be greater than one another, display that they are not of the same kingdom but are divided nations.

Not only this, but all such nations of this world come and go, they know only seasons of peace but are overwhelmed with toil, striving, fear and death.

So where is the Kingdom of life and peace?

That Kingdom, such as what was promised to Abraham, does not come by the conniving of this world or obtaining of this world or birthrights: it cannot (Jacob and Esau) display that.

It is a Kingdom not of this world that is entered by faith, just as the faith of Abraham which was counted unto him as righteousness.

In other words, one is not saved by being of the line of Abraham or Jacob, but rather though salvation comes through that line - salvation is obtained by faith (even the faith of Abraham).

There is a different structure that is introduced that will change how we labor, strive and live.

Now when we turn to Matthew to get clarity.

The disciples are ready to go at the Kingdom of Heaven just like Jacob and Esau went at the birthright of Abraham, but listen:

MATTHEW

Matthew 18:

takes place after the transfiguration and after Jesus’s foretelling of His coming death and resurrection.

The disciples had gotten the “mental concept” of a Heavenly Kingdom, a new coming order with Jesus as King, but they were still far from grasping the heart of what the occupants of this new kingdom will be.

Jesus makes it clear hear that this heart is something grasped here and that is then taken with you in entrance to the kingdom of heaven.

His directive to the disciples is to turn (repent).

The rest of this teaching will be on the repentance that cultivates a heart that enters the kingdom of heaven.

Think of this as a teaching of becoming Abraham instead of Lot, a teaching of trusting God which changes even how we interact with our brother (such as Jacob and Esau) because our trust and aim is not in our own gain or in things of this world.

Turn (repent) - By our very nature we see things just as the disciples were.

This is a mental shift.

Stop looking out for number one.

The disciples thought of Heaven with a mind of the world.

“How can I be number one?” It’s not that they disliked each other, they just wanted to know how to be the best.

This life and certainly not the next is about being “the best” or “the greatest”.

That is a worldly and fleshly driven approach.

It breads a lack of peace, a rivalry (even sibling), contempt, jelousy and hate.

We often don’t even recognize this drive within us.

We think of it as just wanting attention or credit or nice things (and for others to notice them).

But if we are not to aim or worry of who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven then how ought we be?

Like Children: Trust & Unpretentious

Like Children: Trust & Unpretentious

The little in little child is key here.

In the first the greek refers to an infant, a newborn - full dependance.

In verse six the greek changes from paidion to mikro.

From specifically a little/newborn child to one who is little or least.

The world sees a fully dependent child as week and so it will look upon the fully dependent child of God and see the same.

But this week one, this least of ones in the world, to them belongs the Kingdom of Heaven.

Trust - From our own accomplishments and accumulations being our future good, to God being our future good.

Unpretentious -not attempting to impress others with an appearance of greater importance, talent, or culture than is actually possessed.

What does a child possess?

A child is but the possession of their parents and in being that has their care fulfilled.

As a practical mater of fact that every parent can relate to, one of the earliest struggles you may have with a child, esspessialy when siblings enter the picture is when they go from complete dependence to trying to accumulate things for themselves.

Then what does the parent have to do in training as the cries escalate but try to teach sharing.

You have heard it all before: “that’s mine” The principle here is: no it’s not.

Naked you came and naked you go, so why don’t we learn how to truly be clothed in righteousness rather than possession.

Warning: We now have two options as we are faced with such trusting and unpretentious children.

We can train them to accumulate, to want and to get or to trust in God.

When someone is trusting in the provision of the Lord and needing not the things of this world, we can encourage that trust or tempt another pursuit.

Parents - Let me say this, we really need to re-think education from elementry through college.

I am afraid that the road paved before us makes it far to easy to encourage our children while fastening millstone around our neck.