You Cannot Discover

Stephen P. Ammons

Ecclesiastes: Follow God's Commands • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

Ecclesiastes 8:14–17

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though in dispair, God calls us to have joy, because Joy comes in the morning

Notes

Transcript

Intro

(read from Max Lucado)

In our darkest moments when we don’t understand the world around us, God is still in control and He has plans that we may never know, but putting our faith and trust in Him, we will come through, we will still have joy, because this crazy, mixed up world is not our final home.

Backwards Justice and Divine Joy (14-15)

Last Week

Justice seems to linger

though the wicked seem to prosper

wisdom knows it is proper to fear God

true justice is coming

Backward Justice

the wicked get what the righteous deserve

the righteous get what the wicked deserve

where is the end of it?

we loose sleep over it, worry about it

yet Solomon’s response is “this to is futility”

we worry and stress over a problem that is out of our control

we worry and stress over a problem that will never go away

can be seen in Scripture and through centuries and still today

Joseph and his brothers

horrible that it goes on, its terrible

should never be

what can we do?

Solomon says, he turned to pleasure

4th time saying this

our joy, even in times of despair, comes from God

Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Eat, drink, be merry

enjoy the fruit of your work

or it will become a burden

God has let us rest, to have joy

in despair, our joy is in knowing God is in control

so in those moments follow the advice of Paul

Romans 12:12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,

James 1:2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

consider it joy

not in another’s pain, but knowing God will make you stronger through it

Seeing all the backward justice

this world, this justice system is not our final place, not the ultimate justice system

Wisdom and God’s Work (16-17)

Solomon sought to answer the question why

why is God allowing this?

why is this still going on?

There is no solution to the problem, but the Preacher does not leave us in despair. He reminds us that all these things are the work of God. The answer to man’s frustration is divine revelation.

God’s wisdom is greater than ours

His finite nature is too much for us to understand

we never will

we leave it to Him and sort it all out, we leave it to him when things of this world make no sense

to some, he calls to fight the injustice, to stand for the weak

Abby Johnson

To others, we support, we help, we fight along side with them

but take joy in knowing that God is the one in control and eh will set things straight

So don’t loose joy, don’t loose hope

a lesson I had to learn this week

it is not for our own selves that we push on

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

He will cause good to come out of even the darkest valley

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Conclusion

As stated so many times before

the world is in chaos

but yet, it always has been

Sin causes chaos and confusion

it breaks our hearts, it causes us to weep

Yet we can have joy still as Christians

joy that God is still in on His throne

still in control

joy that this crazy world, is not our home

this is not the last step

Psalm 37 A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct. Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken. Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But the LORD sustains the righteous. The LORD knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will be forever. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have abundance. But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the pastures, They vanish—like smoke they vanish away. The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives. For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed by Him will be cut off. The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread. All day long he is gracious and lends, And his descendants are a blessing. Depart from evil and do good, So you will abide forever. For the LORD loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever. The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, And his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip. The wicked spies upon the righteous And seeks to kill him. The LORD will not leave him in his hand Or let him be condemned when he is judged. Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it. I have seen a wicked, violent man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found. Mark the blameless man, and behold the upright; For the man of peace will have a posterity. But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him.