"Oppression"

Well, good morning, church. It's good to see you all this morning.

If this is your first time to Trinity, let me welcome you.

Today we have the joy and the privilege of celebrating baptism.

That's what this big tank is up here on the stage.

In a little bit, Josue and Zerion are going to share their stories of coming to faith in Christ,

and they're going to be baptized.

Now, baptism is an outward act

that symbolizes a believer's union with Jesus Christ through faith

and the brand new life that they have by God's grace.

And baptism is also a public act that says,

I've committed to live as a follower of the Lord Jesus

and as a member of His body, the church.

Now, if you're new to Christianity,

you might be wondering, what is this all about?

Maybe your previous experience with Christianity

has just seemed like a lot of restrictive rules

or maybe just a bunch of empty religious ceremonies.

But maybe it hasn't seemed like something

that would engage and command the devotion

and be the life-giving center of your entire life.

Well, this fall, we've actually been studying

the book of Ecclesiastes.

And Ecclesiastes is a book of ancient wisdom

that was written thousands of years ago.

But even though it is very old,

at the same time, it feels incredibly contemporary.

The writer of Ecclesiastes wrestles

with some of the most perennial questions

and problems of human existence.

He's asking the deep questions of life.

And a few weeks ago, we started working our way

sequentially through this book, passage by passage.

And today, we come to chapter 3, verse 16.

You can turn with me there in the Pew Bible.

That's page 519.

If you're new to the Bible,

the big number are the chapters

and the small numbers are the verses.

We're going to look at this passage together

on page 519 in the Pew Bible.

And there are two big questions

that Ecclesiastes confronts us with

in this section of his book.

This section that starts in chapter 3, verse 16

and runs to the end of chapter 4.

And his first question is this.

Where do we find real justice?

In a world full of injustice,

where can we find real justice?

And his second question is,

where do we find real comfort?

In a world full of oppression,

where can we find real and lasting comfort?

So let's look together

at what Ecclesiastes has to say

as he highlights these questions.

Let's look at the first problem

Ecclesiastes confronts.

Where can we find real justice?

Let me read chapter 3, verses 16 through 22.

It says this.

Moreover, I saw under the sun

that in the place of justice,

even there was wickedness.

And in the place of righteousness,

even there was wickedness.

I said in my heart,

God will judge the righteous and the wicked,

for there is a time for every matter

and for every work.

I said in my heart with regard

to the children of man

that God is testing them,

that they may see that they themselves

are but beasts.

For what happens to the children of man

and what happens to the beasts

is the same.

As one dies,

so dies the other.

They all have the same breath.

And man has no advantage over the beasts,

for all is vanity.

All go to one place.

All are from the dust,

dust,

and to dust all return.

Who knows whether the spirit of man

goes upward

and the spirit of the beast

goes down into the earth.

So I saw that there's nothing better

than that a man should rejoice in his work,

for this is his lot.

Who can bring him to see

what will be after him?

So in verse 16,

Ecclesiastes highlights the problem.

In the place of justice,

in the place of righteousness,

even there was wickedness.

You know, it's one thing to look

kind of at the broader world

and to see people not treating each other

as they ought to be treated,

to see evil and injustice and exploitation,

but it's another thing

to look specifically at the places

where justice and righteousness

are meant to be upheld

and to see that even there

there's wickedness.

To look at the law courts

or to look at the police stations

or to look at the halls of government,

to look at those places

where wrongs are supposed to be put right

and even there

to see the opposite,

to see the very same injustice

and wickedness at work,

to see prejudice

and favoritism and partiality,

to see bribery

and exploitation

and self-interest.

to see judges

wrongfully convict

innocent people,

to see crooked police officers

and politicians

working not for the good

of their communities

but for their own gain.

In the place of justice,

in the place of righteousness,

even there was wickedness.

And with the writer of Ecclesiastes,

don't our hearts

just cry out

against this?

Doesn't it just cause something

to stir up within us?

And you know,

that heart cry

is something

that we should all listen to.

We should listen to that heart cry

against the injustice

in those places

of righteousness.

Because when we listen,

we start to hear

in that moment

two very important things.

We are realizing

in that heart cry

two very important things.

First,

first thing we realize

is that there is

such a thing

as justice

and righteousness.

There is such a thing

as right and wrong.

There is a moral reality

that is bigger

and more permanent

than my own wants

and desires.

Some things really are wrong.

Some things really are right

no matter who does

or who doesn't do them.

There is an objective

moral reality

that we just can't shake

as human beings

no matter how hard

we try to tell ourselves

that everything is relative

or that your truth

is your truth

and mine is mine.

There is a very definite sense

that there is

an objective moral reality

in the world.

And the reason why that is

is because the world

and everything in it

was created by a good

and righteous God.

the one true God

who made all things

to flourish

and to rejoice

and to share

in this goodness.

And God made human beings

in His own image

to worship Him

and to rule over creation,

to steward creation

justly to His glory.

As humans,

we have this indelible,

undeniable sense

that there is

an objective moral reality

because the world

is not an accident

but because the world

is the creation

of an objectively good

and righteous God.

In other words,

there is a moral law

because there is

a moral law giver

who made all things

to relate rightly to Him

and then to flourish

as a result.

But you know,

when our heart cries out

against injustice,

we don't just see evidence

that there is a good God

who upholds our sense

of moral reality.

We also see

that the world

is not the way

it's supposed to be.

God made the world good.

God created humans

to love and to worship Him.

God made us to be

just stewards of creation

that we might flourish

before Him.

But that's not

what we see now,

is it?

The world's not

a place of flourishing

but a place of suffering

and evil

and injustice.

Things are not the way

they're supposed to be.

You see,

we might take

verse 16

and we might apply it

to the whole

created order.

In the place of justice,

in the place

of righteousness,

the justice

that was supposed to be,

the created righteousness

that God intended,

there's wickedness.

What went wrong?

What went wrong

is that humans

sinned against God.

Rather than worship

and serve God,

we decided to put ourselves

in the place of God

and to ignore God

in the world

that God has made.

we rejected God's

good ways and laws

and we became

a law unto ourselves.

And although God

created humans

to live before Him,

now because of this sin,

because of this rupture

in our relationship

with God,

death has entered

the world.

And in verses 18

through 20

of Ecclesiastes,

we find the writer

making this

sober observation

that now humans

die just like

the beasts

in the field.

All are from dust

and to dust

all return.

This

is the curse

of sin

upon human life.

Death.

And you know,

for a moment,

Ecclesiastes

is unsure

whether there's

any difference now

between humans

and beasts.

He says

somewhat agnostically

in verse 21,

who knows

whether the spirit

of man goes upward

and the spirit

of the beast

goes down

into the earth.

Now keep in mind

that Ecclesiastes

is reflecting

on human injustice

here.

And seeing

the pervasive

ravages of human

evil and injustice,

he begins to question

whether human sin

has allowed

any humanity

to remain with us.

Verse 18,

maybe God's just

showing us

and proving to us

that now,

because of all

this injustice,

we're no better

off than the animals.

Perhaps sin

has dehumanized

us to such

a degree

that we are now

no different

from the beasts

who die

and return to dust.

Ecclesiastes

is grappling

with this

despairing thought

that maybe

we've fallen

so far

that we've

utterly lost

the image of God

in which we were

created.

Are we any

better than

the beasts?

Ecclesiastes

asks.

Well,

our passage

seems to offer

two alternative

ways forward.

And you know,

this is the style

of this kind of

strange and mysterious

book of Ecclesiastes

in the Old Testament.

Ecclesiastes

will often

juxtapose

seemingly

contradictory

approaches to life

and challenge

us then

to think it

through for

ourselves.

And in

challenging us

in this way,

the book is

forcing us

to grow

in real wisdom.

To not just

take what we've

been spoon-fed,

but to wrestle

it out

for ourselves

anew.

So what are

the alternatives?

Well,

on the one

hand,

perhaps there

is no hope

for real

justice.

Perhaps we

aren't any

better than

the beasts.

And perhaps

the best

that we can

do in this

life is what

verse 22

says.

So I saw

there's nothing

better than

that a man

should rejoice

in his work,

for that's

his lot.

Who can

bring him

to see

what will

be after

him?

Feels a bit

like resignation,

doesn't it?

Maybe we

can't do

anything about

injustice,

and maybe we

just have to

get whatever

enjoyment we

can out of

this life and

realize that our

futures are

unknown.

There are

many of

us who

live that

way today,

aren't there?

But that's

not the only

alternative.

Earlier in

the passage,

we read this,

I said in

my heart,

God will

judge the

righteous and

the wicked,

for there

is a time

for every

matter and

for every

work.

Ecclesiastes

sees that

if there

is hope

for the

world,

if there

is a

prospect for

real lasting

justice,

it has to

come from

outside of

the world.

In other

words,

human effort

alone will

not produce

it.

In fact,

we are very

much part of

the problem.

The injustice

and evil in

the world

runs right

through our

own hearts.

You see,

verse 16

applies not

just to the

world as a

whole,

but it

applies to

each and

every one

of us.

In the

place of

righteousness,

even there,

in my own

heart,

there was

wickedness.

You see,

in our own

hearts,

we know we

should strive

for justice

and righteousness,

but even

there,

we see that

our desires

are not pure

and our

actions are

not impartial,

that we

don't love

righteousness,

that we

too are

part of

the problem.

And so,

rescue must

come not

from us.

If there's

any hope

for the

world,

God must

be the

one to

judge and

to put

things right.

You see,

as the

creator,

God doesn't

just have

the right

to judge.

He alone

has the

ability

to judge.

In fact,

God is

the judge

that we

long for.

God

alone

is good

and impartial

and righteous.

God

alone

can judge

with

perfect

equity

and perfect

knowledge.

That's

why the

Psalms

repeatedly

say

that when

God,

their

creator,

finally

acts

to put

the world

to rights,

when God

finally steps

into his

broken creation

to put an

end to

evil and

injustice,

when God

finally makes

the world

new through

his act of

redeeming judgment,

the psalmists

say,

the trees

will clap

their hands

and the

rivers will

sing for

joy.

Creation

will rejoice

when this

perfectly good

God comes

to judge

because it

will mean

the end

of evil

and injustice

and suffering

once and

for all.

hope.

That

is the

world's

only

lasting

hope.

But here's

the troubling

thing.

When God's

perfect judgment

comes to

judge perfectly

and to make

all things

new,

before the

bar of this

utterly

impartial

goodness

and justice,

where will

you and I

stand?

as sinners,

we will

stand

condemned.

And so

the question

is,

is there

any hope

for us

sinners

before the

good

judgment

of God?

You see,

the only

hope that

we have

hope isn't

in our

own

righteousness,

for we

have none

that will

avail before

the judgment

seat of

God.

Our only

hope isn't

in our

own

righteousness,

but in

the righteousness

of another.

The good

news of the

Bible is

this,

that God

will judge

the world

and put

things right,

but he's

also made

a way

for sinners

to be safe

in that

judgment.

Imagine you're

walking home

from work

or you're

walking home

from class

and unexpectedly

a great

rainstorm

appears.

I was on

campus on

Thursday

and it

was raining

and there

were a lot

of wet

people

walking

around.

Unexpectedly

this great

rainstorm

crops up,

the heavy

rain begins

to fall.

What do

you do?

You

immediately

run for

shelter,

right?

You find

a doorway,

you find

an awning,

you find

an alcove,

you find

some kind

of shelter,

shelter to

keep you

safe while

the storm

passes by.

And friends,

you see,

God has

done just

that when

he became

incarnate in

the person

of Jesus

Christ.

Jesus lived

the life you

and I ought

to have

lived in

perfect

righteousness

before God

the Father.

And Jesus

Christ died

the death

that you

and I

deserve to

die.

On the

cross,

he bore

the full

curse of

God's

judgment

against

human

sin.

And on

the third

day,

Jesus

Christ rose

from the

grave,

demonstrating

that he

was the

Son of

God,

and that

he would

now be

the shelter

for all

who take

refuge in

him.

You and

I can

flee to

him,

and his

perfect

righteousness

and his

sin-bearing

death

will cover

you,

you see.

He already

endured

the storm

so that

you and

I don't

have to.

Jesus

Christ

willingly

stood

in the

winds

and the

rain of

judgment.

He

willingly

allowed

that storm

to fall

hard on

himself

so that

you could

be safe

beneath

him.

You see,

the only

place,

the only

place

where real

justice

can be

found

in an

unjust

world

is at

the cross

of Jesus

Christ.

At the

cross,

God judged

human sin.

The storms

of his

wrath fell

fully upon

human

injustice

and evil

as Jesus

Christ

became

sin for

us.

And at

the cross,

God freely

offers his

righteousness

to all

who believe.

Paul says

he was

delivered up

for our

trespasses

and he

was raised

for our

justification.

So you

see,

at the

cross,

justice

and love

meet

perfectly.

Justice

because God

maintains

his righteous

opposition to

sin and

evil,

and love

because God

forgives

and receives

unjust

sinners who

repent and

trust in

his son.

Because

Jesus

willingly

stood in

your place,

God is

both just

and the

justifier

of those

who believe

in him.

And for

those who

know

God's

justifying

grace

in this

way,

something

happens.

For those

who take

shelter under

the love

and righteousness

of Jesus

their Lord,

a change

begins.

righteousness,

we start

to become

people who

love

righteousness

more and

more,

and who

work for

justice

more and

more.

Jesus

says that

his followers

are those

who hunger

and thirst

for righteousness.

When you

genuinely

receive this

gift of

righteousness,

you will

become passionate

about extending

that gift to

others.

Having been

freely put

right with

God through

the cross

of Christ,

Christians now

seek to go

out in the

power of the

Spirit to

restore and put

all things

right in the

name of

Christ.

Christ.

We hunger

and thirst

for righteousness

in every

area of

God's

world.

Where

injustice

and wickedness

dwell,

there is a

place for

God's grace

and God's

kingdom work

to begin.

Just as it

has begun

in our own

hearts when

Christ forgave

and reconciled

us, so we

must see that

righteousness made

visible all

around us.

And this

means that the

Christian's

pursuit of

justice won't

grow dim or

wear out or

get cynical when

things get

difficult.

This is a

great problem,

isn't it?

It's easy to be

passionate for

putting things

right only within

months or years

to just grow

deeply discouraged

and embittered.

But not so for

those who have

come to know the

righteousness of

Christ because

our hungering and

thirsting for

righteousness is

rooted in an

already finished

work and in an

ultimate hope of

His kingdom.

And at the same

time, the

Christian pursuit of

justice doesn't grow

proud or self-

congratulatory when

things go well.

Maybe you've been

around people like

that.

They're so in tune

with righteousness

that they're just

completely unbearable

to be around,

right?

They're just

immensely proud and

condemning of

everyone around

them.

But for the

Christian, that can

never be the case.

Why?

Because we know

that no matter how

hard we hunger and

thirst for

righteousness, we

are always just

sinners saved by

sheer grace.

Any advance of

God's kingdom and

His righteousness is

ultimately His work

and not ours.

So this is

Ecclesiastes' first

question.

Where can we find

real justice?

Friends, the answer

is only found in

God and supremely in

the cross of Jesus

Christ where God

justifies sinners by

His grace, renews

them, and sends them

out to be agents of

His grace in the

world.

Ecclesiastes' second

question comes in

chapter 4.

And this time,

having reflected on

justice, he kind of

turns a little bit to

a related topic and

he asks, where can

real comfort be found

in the midst of

oppression?

Let me read chapter 4

for us.

Ecclesiastes says,

again, I saw all the

oppressions that are

done under the sun,

and behold, the tears

of the oppressed, and

they had no one to

comfort them.

On the side of their

oppressors there was

power, and there was

no one to comfort

them.

And I thought the

dead who are already

dead more fortunate

than the living who

are still alive.

But better than both

is he who has not yet

been and has not seen

the evil deeds that

are done under the sun.

Then I saw all the

toil and all skill and

work come from a man's

envy of his neighbor.

This also is vanity

and is striving after

wind.

The fool folds his

hands and eats his

own flesh, betters a

handful of quietness

than two hands full

of toil and a

striving after wind.

Again, I saw vanity

under the sun.

One person who has

no one, either son or

brother, and yet there's

no end.

All his toil and his

eyes are never satisfied

with riches, so that he

never asks, for whom am I

toiling and depriving

myself of pleasure?

This also is vanity and

an unhappy business.

Two are better than one

because they have a good

reward for their toil.

For if they fall, one will

lift up his fellow.

But woe to him who is

alone when he falls and

has not another to lift

him up.

If two lie together, they

keep warm, but how can

one keep warm alone?

And though a man might

prevail against one who

is alone, two will

withstand him.

A threefold cord is not

quickly broken.

Better was a poor and

wise youth than an old

and foolish king who no

longer knew how to take

advice, for he went from

prison to the throne,

though in his own

kingdom he had been

poor.

I saw all the living who

move about under the sun

along with that youth who

was to stand in the king's

place.

There was no end of all the

people, all of whom he

led.

Yet those who come later

will not rejoice in him.

Surely this also is vanity

and a striving after wind.

Okay, now we don't have

time to explore all the

details of this chapter.

And in fact, we're

actually going to return

to many of the themes

that begin in this chapter

in the coming weeks.

As Ecclesiastes proceeds,

it's often going to revisit

the same ideas as the

book goes on.

It kind of moves elliptically

through the same themes as

it progresses.

But today, I just want to

notice again these opening

verses where he says,

Behold the tears of the

oppressed, and they had no

one to comfort them.

On the side of their

oppressors there was power,

and there was no one to

comfort them.

Who will comfort the

oppressed in this life?

Ecclesiastes asks.

But do you see, do you see

how the gospel of Jesus

Christ opens up a new

horizon that Ecclesiastes

could not yet see?

For what does the gospel

tell us?

It tells us that God

himself stood in the place

of the oppressed.

Jesus Christ entered into

the life of the poor, the

downtrodden, the broken

hearted.

There is no tier of human

experience that he himself

has not personally

understood.

He's joined himself to all

of our sufferings, all of

our sorrows.

So, friend, if you are

weary, or you are weeping,

or you are oppressed today,

you are not alone.

Even if you feel that

everyone has abandoned you,

the Lord Jesus has not.

He is with you in every

sorrow and in every tear.

And he is there not merely

to sympathize with you,

but to really comfort you.

Because of what God has

done in Jesus Christ, you

see, power is no longer

ultimately on the side of

the oppressors.

Why?

Because God is the only

true source of power.

God is almighty and

sovereign, and the almighty

God took on flesh and

lived among us.

And when he lived among us

in the flesh, with whom

did he fellowship?

With whom did he live and

work?

With whom did he unite

himself in his cause?

His power was not joined

to the oppressors of this

world, those who worked

and toiled just out of

envy for their neighbor to

get ahead.

No.

When the almighty and

sovereign God took on

flesh and walked among us,

he was with the weak and

the lowly and the outcast.

God placed himself in his

almighty power on behalf

of the poor and on behalf

of the sorrowful and on

behalf of those who mourn.

And that means there is

coming a day when

oppression will cease and

oppressors will be called

to account.

God will have the last

word, and God will stand

with his people, and God

will see that every tear is

wiped from their eyes.

And all sorrows, even death

itself, will be swallowed up

in God's victory on behalf

of the oppressed.

And you see, God has not just

promised that one day all

oppression will cease.

He's also promised that even

the afflictions of this life

cannot stop his current

redemptive work from going

forth.

What the world means for evil,

God will intend for good.

In fact, because of who God is

in his power and in his

goodness, he has promised that

all things work together for

good, for those who love him

and who are called according

to his purpose.

You see, friends, lasting

comfort is found in the same

place where lasting justice is

found.

For the sinner, lasting justice

can only be found in the cross

and resurrection of the Lord

Jesus.

For the sufferer, lasting

comfort, too, can only be found

in the cross and resurrection of

the Lord Jesus.

You see, his scars are both

your justification and your

redemption.

They are your righteousness and

your freedom.

They speak over you his word of

forgiveness and his word of

protecting love.

You are mine and no one will

take you out of my hands.

And in the embrace of his

scarred hands in the cross and

resurrection of Jesus Christ,

a new community is forged.

Ecclesiastes 4, 9 through 12

lifts up the power and comfort

of relationship, of community.

How many people have been to a

wedding and you've heard this

passage read, right?

You're like, oh, this is the one

passage in this crazy text I've

actually heard before, right?

Because I was at a wedding and

they read it.

But what's Ecclesiastes really

getting on about here, right?

He's talking about the power of

community, of living not for

yourself but with and for others.

And this is exactly what the

church of Jesus Christ is.

It is the fulfillment of verses

9 through 12.

All who believe in Jesus Christ

become a part of this community,

of the church.

We no longer work alone.

We no longer rise or fall alone.

We no longer face battles or

defeats alone.

We're woven together in Christ by

the Holy Spirit like a threefold

cord that can't be broken.

And this is why baptism isn't just

a sign of being united to Jesus in

his death and in his resurrection,

but being united to all those who

have been united to Jesus in his

death and resurrection, of being

united to the visible church.

And this is why becoming a member

of a local church is so important.

Because we aren't made to live

alone.

God rescues us to become a people.

A people who hunger and thirst for

righteousness together.

A people who together comfort one

another in all our afflictions.

And that's what this baptism today

is all about.

It's about the work of God saving

grace, saving us through the death

and resurrection of his son,

making us new creations in him,

and at the same time grafting us

into a new family, making us a new

people who love and serve not just

one another, but who seek to love

our neighbors as ourselves.

And God holds this out to all of us

today.

Friend, you can find his justice

and his comfort.

You can know that your sins are

forgiven.

You can find your place in his people

and be known.

Turn from your sins.

Trust in Jesus Christ who died and

rose again for you.

And you too will find real justice

and real comfort.

Let's pray together.

Amen.

Lord, we pray

that you would be with us now

as we consider these words from

Ecclesiastes and as we look at these

waters of baptism.

Lord, we see represented here,

Father, how you, through your son,

bore the weight of human sin and death

and rose again so that we might live

anew unto you.

God, I ask that this message of

saving grace would work in all of our

hearts this morning.

Lord, for those who are new to

spiritual things, would you be opening

their eyes to the rich, deep, and good

realities of who you are and all that

you've done in Christ?

Lord, for those who have been wrestling

with you for some time, God, by your

spirit, would you break down their

defenses?

Would you call them by your love?

Would you liberate them by your spirit

that they might believe in Jesus Christ

and be saved?

And God, for those of us who profess

faith in you, along with Hoshua

and along with Zeran, would we together

be the kind of people that you've called

and redeemed us to be, a people

of righteousness, a people of comfort,

a people who hold high the name of Jesus,

our righteousness, and our King.

We pray this in his mighty name.

Amen.