Ecclesiastes 11

This book is brutally honest about life. Be under no illusions. Under the sun, this life is littered with grievous evil, injustice, dissatisfaction.

! The preacher of Ecclesiastes, as he's taken us through on his world tour, pulls back the curtains, doesn't he, and confronts us with the reality of the reality of the world.

Well done for bearing with him and listening to him over these past few weeks because I want to encourage you that all of the difficult stuff that we've been taught in this book so far, all of the difficult stuff is for our good.

It is for true life because all of it interrupts the charade that we play in life. The charade that without God and without receiving life from God as a gift, that we can be totally satisfied.

But it's a charade of empty, vain joy. And yet he's got us to the point here near to the end of the book where he can speak more positively and resolutely.

He's a bit more strident in this passage. And you can sum up his message, I think, in two words this afternoon. Be bold. Be bold. Just look at some of the verbs that he uses, the doing words.

And verse 1, cast. Cast. Verse 2, give. Verse 6, sow. Cast, give, sow. Be bold with your life. Be bold with two areas in life.

First of all, he says, be bold with two areas in life. Be bold with two areas in life. Be bold with two areas in life.

Be bold with the uncertainties of life. It's been said before that fortune favours the bold before it favours the worthy.

And there is real truth in that, isn't there? When there's nothing ventured, there's nothing gained, he who dares wins.

But we can so easily live life with the motto, what if? What if? Uncertainties, uncertainty can stunt life.

And endless speculation over uncertainty can stunt life. Because we want control, don't we?

We live life in an imaginary control tower with one of those kind of radar screens in front of us.

And we try to keep track of all the aircraft. All the incomings and all the outgoings of life.

And our radar is spinning constantly. But control, he is about to tell us in everything, is an illusion.

Verse 2, you don't know what disaster may happen. Uncertainties.

And there are things in life that just happen. From our point of view, there's no rhyme or reason. There's no control.

The clouds, he says, are full of rain. Then they empty themselves on the earth.

And then a tree falls in the woods somewhere, either to the south or to the north.

There it goes. And there it lies.

No one planned it.

The tree didn't ask for our permission or guidance.

The clouds didn't consult us when to fill with rain and when to rain.

The clouds did not sync their calendars with ours.

They did not let us control them.

There is uncertainty all around us.

Falling trees in the woods couldn't care less about our plans, could they?

And life happens.

It happens to us.

And it happens around us.

It doesn't mean that nobody knows the rhyme or reason for things.

No. Verse 5.

God makes everything.

He works by his spirit secretly in hidden places.

In places that we can't see.

Like in a mother's womb.

But from our point of view, do you see the point he's making?

Our problem is that we try to treat the uncertainties out there as if they can be certain.

As if we could watch and control and analyse and plan so that everything in our lives runs well.

But life just happens.

Constant analysing, though, can be paralysing.

Just look at verse 4.

He who observes the wind will not sow.

And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

Now do you see what the man is doing there?

He's putting analysis ahead of action, isn't he?

Observing, regarding, but he's not doing anything.

He's hesitating.

He's waiting for ideal conditions.

And too much observing, too much trying to control the uncertainties of life can actually obstruct productivity and harvest.

Even with all of our analysis, plenty of things will still be hidden to us in our lives, won't they?

Even the Met Office gets it wrong.

Frequently.

Few great enterprises have waited, actually, for ideal conditions.

And if you spend all of your time waiting for them, you might never do anything.

Hardly anything is ideal, is it?

But we pretend that it can be and that we can do it.

I think we struggle with this today with Google.

We Google, don't we, all the data before we make any decisions.

And then once we've made the decision, we think, well, what if there's one more bit of data?

One more piece of information that I haven't found yet that will invalidate my current decision.

But he who keeps observing the wind won't ever sow.

Do you see what he does here with the uncertainties of life in verse 1 to 6?

He pairs them, doesn't he, with a particular response that he's telling us to make.

Instead of reservation and fear and constant analysis and to-ing and fro-ing,

the response is, go for it.

It's enterprise, isn't it?

There's a buoyancy.

Just go for it.

Cast your bread upon the waters, he says.

It's not about feeding the ducks, by the way.

What is he talking about there?

It could be sowing seed in the floodplains.

It could be about sending resources out onto ships for investment.

It's difficult to know precisely what he means.

It's difficult to know whether he's talking about business investment or just giving to others.

Like he says in verse 2, give a portion to 7 or even to 8.

It could be both, actually, couldn't it?

Either way, if you don't embark on something because of uncertainty, you know you definitely won't get a return.

But if you do cast your bread, you know there's a good chance you will.

Life is uncertain.

You could respond, couldn't you, by getting everything that is owed to you, all of your just desserts,

and eating them all really quickly because you don't know what's in the future.

Or, he says, you could give your desserts away.

Because one day everything you have might be taken from you.

You don't know how long it's going to last.

I used to cycle around Ealing a lot before I had both of my wheels stolen.

On the second bike that I bought, after the first one was stolen outside the council, during a lunchtime talk.

It's just infuriating, isn't it?

Someone in our church, you know her well, most of you, had her wallet stolen on the bus.

Coming to ELT a couple of weeks ago, she'd lost, I think, £1,000 in 15 minutes.

As they'd gone and contactless payments everywhere.

It's almost worth catching the thief, isn't it?

Just to give them what for.

It's so infuriating.

But on reflection, as I think about my wheels,

the real frustration of losing things like that

is that I had the chance to give it away.

I'd have preferred, if I could go back in time,

the other option would have been better to just give it to them.

Or give it to somebody else.

I'd have preferred to give the money away.

That would have been better.

I'm no better off.

But someone else could have been.

I could have cast it on the water.

I could have used it in some other way for good.

Rather than keeping it to myself.

Rather than locking it away.

He's not advocating irresponsibility or bravado with our resources.

And it is your money.

It's your stuff.

It's your resources.

To do with it what you want and what you decide.

And that really is fine.

It really is.

But you never know what is going to happen.

And the time for casting and giving and sowing

might not last very long.

And the motto of our lives, if it is what if,

it could change to, I could have.

I could have given it away.

I could have been generous.

That would have been better.

I could have invested in something that lasts.

He's saying, isn't he, life is predictably unpredictable.

So be bold.

Go on, I dare you.

He says.

Give to a missionary.

Serve in the local church.

Use your gifts.

Invest in things.

Spend time with people.

Spend time with someone in need.

Give them your desserts.

Literally, if you like.

Cast your bread.

Because you don't know what's going to happen.

Don't keep making excuses.

Analyzing can be so paralyzing, can't it?

It's too early.

It's too late.

Too hot.

Too cold.

You can spend all of your life, though,

waiting for ideal conditions

and never do anything.

I could have.

So be bold with the uncertainties.

Secondly, he says, be bold with the certainties.

Be bold with the certainties.

Someone has said, commenting on this passage,

that we can treat the uncertainties of life

as if they were certain,

but we can also treat the certainties

as if they were uncertain.

We can pretend that the certain

might never happen.

There are some things that we can't predict.

That's true.

But there are other things that we know

will happen to us

without a doubt.

And so the flip side is,

let the certain things

of the future and of life

shape how you deal with the uncertain things.

And this is what he does in verse 9 to the end.

He speaks to a young person, doesn't he,

at the beginning of their life.

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth.

Verse 9.

Young person, young man,

pay attention to the certainties

that you are going to face,

that all of us will face at some point.

Did you hear the certainties

that he talks about?

He's quite frank about them, isn't he?

The frustration of an ageing body,

the certainty of pain,

and the certainty of judgment

before God.

Those things are going to happen

to all of us.

But just as with the uncertainties,

the response is still the same.

Be bold.

Be bold.

It's a different side to the same coin, really.

Because it's just as foolish

to do nothing

by pretending that the certainties

won't happen

as it is to think

that the uncertainties will.

So the young person

needs to be bold

in enjoying the opportunities

that youth gives.

Let your heart cheer you, he says.

Enjoy your youth.

Enjoy what remains of it.

And again,

he mixes the reality

of our certainties

with our response.

He mixes the certain boundaries

that we are going to face

with a call to enjoy bliss.

Enjoy the sun

while you've still got young eyes.

Enjoy the sweetness of light.

Let your heart cheer you.

Don't be miserable.

These things will certainly happen

to you one day.

So enjoy the bliss of youth now.

Those of us who are more mature

in years of life

really understand what he's saying here.

We feel like screaming

with the preacher.

Don't we?

And maybe the lessons you've learnt

getting older,

maybe you wish you'd learnt them earlier.

Maybe you wish you could

sort of go back in a time machine

and speak to your younger self

and shout at yourself

and shout at younger people

and say,

what you had then,

what you have now

is precious.

Some of you

are really feeling like

you're getting alongside

the preacher here.

The body maybe isn't quite

as cooperative as it once was.

Going to bed with aches

and pains

and confusion.

You know what he means,

don't you?

You know what he means

more than anybody else here.

that the saying is so often true

that youth

is wasted on the young.

Young person,

let the certainties of old age

determine how you live,

how you grab life

and cast your bread on the waters.

Don't waste your life.

Don't waste your youth.

Don't waste it on video games

and on triviality.

I think as well,

he does speak to anyone,

even if we're older in years,

anyone who enjoys

the faculties of youth

still

in older age.

You can be young at heart,

can't you?

While you still have

some of those faculties

that you used to have,

he says to you as well,

enjoy them.

Use them.

Enjoy the life

that God has given you.

Don't waste them even now.

Because one day

you will lose them,

and that's certain.

You will lose life altogether.

We all will.

It is quite striking

how he speaks of the certainty

of God's judgment

here

in verse 9.

He brings it in.

Let's read that.

Walk in the weight of your heart

and the sight of your eyes,

but know that for these things

God will bring you into judgment.

Now,

the context here

is really

unusual and interesting

because he speaks

of judgment

in the context

of enjoyment,

doesn't he?

And it sheds a different light

on God's judgment.

When we hear that word,

judgment,

I don't know what you think.

I think we naturally think

God is a killjoy,

that he will judge

all of our evil acts,

and gladly God does judge evil,

doesn't he?

But he also judges

our enjoyment

here.

He will not only judge

our evil acts,

but he will judge

what we've done

with good things

that he's given us

in life.

He says,

young person,

grab life

and enjoy your youth

because God will judge

how you enjoy it.

So strange,

isn't it?

Because

this life

is a gift

from God,

as he said

time and time

and again.

And any gift

that we give

to somebody,

it's an offence

if it's not opened

and enjoyed,

isn't it?

It's awful.

I know I've done this

when I've given a gift

and I've given a gift

to a person

and I've gone to visit them

some days later

and that gift isn't there

and then I've seen it

in someone else's house.

So they've re-gifted it

and it's still unopened

in their house as well.

That's quite hurtful.

They haven't enjoyed it,

they haven't opened it.

And God is not delighted

when we get life

from him

and we leave it

unopened

and we sort of

stash it in the attic.

I think it's been

a mistake

of Christians

in the past

of living

a harsh life

brought upon themselves.

It's called asceticism

of wearing

sort of

Hessian cloaks

and hitting themselves

with nettles

and stuff.

It's kind of

sadomasochistic life.

And there is

a false pride

in that

because enjoyment

here is not just

permitted

for some crazy

Christians,

it's commanded

for all.

And not enjoying

life

and not opening

life up

is an offence

to the giver

of it.

I want to say

being miserable

is a sin

because it shows you

that you don't

actually think that

much of the giver

of life.

And you won't

count your blessings,

you'd rather just

list all of your

complaints to him.

President Roosevelt

gave a famous

speech called

The Strenuous Life

in 1899.

And he was

speaking to

high flyers

in society

at the Hamilton

Club in Chicago.

And he said this,

Far better it is

to dare

mighty things

to win

glorious triumphs

even though

chequered by

failure

than it is

to take rank

with those

poor spirits

who neither

enjoy much

nor suffer much

because they

live in the

grey twilight

that knows

neither victory

nor defeat.

Sometimes you

don't know

what's going to

happen.

Uncertainties.

And with

many things

we do know

things are

going to happen.

Judgment

and the end

of life.

Either way

be bold

the preacher

says.

Get out

of the

twilight

of indecision

and of

procrastination

of putting

things off.

Just as we

close it

strikes us

in this passage

that much of

what the preacher

is saying here

is about our

mentality towards

life isn't it?

It is not

about having a

kind of sucking

everything in

as gain

mentality

but a giving

out mentality

casting

giving and

sowing.

And it's the

whole concept

isn't it

that giving

away

that throwing

out

that sending

out our

life and our

resources

is better than

hoarding and

keeping and

holding.

Giving is better

than receiving.

He takes

language from

business and

agriculture of

sowing and

so on.

And in those

situations God

has set the

world up in

such a way as

to teach us a

lesson.

That growth

happens when we

give away.

Think about it.

Unless you

throw seeds

out, that

little bit of

food in your

hand, if you

get rid of it

it comes back

to you,

doesn't it?

Unless you

throw it out

there's no

growth.

And you've

got to take

the risk of

losing something,

of losing

seeds to get

bread back.

You've

actually got to

bury seeds,

haven't you?

You've got to

watch them die

in the ground

before it comes

back to life

and gives you

food.

And that

whole experience

in other areas

of life can be

so hard.

It can feel

so risky,

can't it?

Just stepping

out.

because we

want control

and we want

things fenced

in.

But life

comes when

we die,

he's saying

here,

when we die

to self.

And that

is a great

summary really

of the

Christian life.

You see on

your sheets

the second

reading there

from John's

Gospel.

Jesus speaks

about his

own death

and he

says the

hour has

come for

the Son

of Man

to be

glorified

and he

picks up

the idea

of seeds.

Very

truly I

tell you

unless a

kernel of

wheat falls

to the

ground

and dies

it remains

only a

single seed

so I've got

a different

version.

But if it

dies it bears

much fruit.

Whoever

loves his

life loses

it and

whoever hates

his life in

this world

will keep

it for

eternal life.

Now of

course Jesus

is speaking

there about

general

principles but

he's speaking

specifically

about himself

and he is

the one who

has lived

out Ecclesiastes

11 to the

nth degree.

He's the one

who's willingly

cast not

just his

money and

his stuff but

his whole

life, his

whole existence

out upon

the waters.

He's cast

and give

and sown.

He speaks

of his own

death and

yet paradoxically

he calls it

the moment

of his

glory.

Jesus was

not ruled

by what

ifs and

he now

never can

say I

could have

could he?

And now

look at him

enthroned in

glory.

So don't

hoard life,

unwrap it,

enjoy life

where you

can and how

you can

saying thank

you to the

giver and

be bold.

Go on,

I dare you,

says the

preacher.

Let's pray.

Let's pray.

Thank you.