Rejoice and Remember

Hey guys, it's good to worship with you.

I do apologize for the cancellation for the prayer.

I think it's been like nine years running almost

and we haven't canceled prayer,

so it's an unusual season we're in,

but we will resume the following week.

If you don't have a Bible, please raise your hand.

We'd love to get you a copy

and you can have that as your own

to take home with you.

Thanks guys.

And if you have your Bibles already,

please turn with me to Ecclesiastes chapter 11.

Ecclesiastes 11 · chapter mention

We're gonna go through all of 11

all the way to chapter 12, verse 8.

This is the second to last sermon

in the book of Ecclesiastes.

We've made our way through the entire book

and the author is starting to wrap up his main points here.

For those of you who don't know me,

my name is Sean.

I'm one of the pastors of Trinity Cambridge Church

and it is my great joy and privilege

to preach God's word to you this morning.

Let me pray now for the reading

and preaching of God's word.

Father, we ask that you

rejoice our hearts,

delight our hearts,

with revelation of who you are.

What a gracious,

generous,

merciful God you are.

So that our hearts well up with praise

and thanksgiving to you this morning.

And I ask also that you'll help us

to remember that you are our creator,

that we are your creatures.

That a deep humility

may be instilled within us

so that it affects

everything we do in life

and how we carry out our days.

Address us now from your holy word.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

If you are able,

please stand and join us

for the reading of God's word.

We stand to honor God

as we read his word to us.

Ecclesiastes 11, 1 to 12, 8.

Cast your bread upon the waters,

for you will find it after many days.

Give a portion to seven

or even to eight,

for you know not

what disaster may happen on earth.

If the clouds are full of rain,

they empty themselves on the earth.

And if a tree falls to the south

or to the north,

in the place where the tree falls,

there it will lie.

He who observes the wind

will not sow,

and he who regards the clouds

will not reap.

As you do not know the way

the spirit comes to the bones

in the womb of a woman

with a child,

so you do not know the work of God

who makes everything.

In the morning sow your seed,

and at evening withhold not your hand,

for you do not know

which will prosper.

This or that,

or whether both alike will be good.

Light is sweet,

and it is pleasant for the eyes

to see the sun.

So if a person lives many years,

let him rejoice in them all,

but let him remember

that the days of darkness

will be many.

All that comes is vanity.

Rejoice, O young man,

in your youth,

and let your heart cheer you

in the days of your youth.

Walk in the ways of your heart

and the sight of your eyes,

but know that for all these things

God will bring you into judgment.

Remove vexation from your heart

and put away pain from your body,

for youth and the dawn of life

are vanity.

Remember also your creator

in the days of your youth.

Before the evil days come

and the years draw near,

of which you will say,

I have no pleasure in them.

Before the sun and the light

and the moon and the stars

are darkened

and the clouds return

after the rain.

In the day when the keepers

of the house tremble

and the strong men are bent

and the grinders seize

because they are a few

and those who look

through the windows are dimmed.

And the doors on the street

are shut

when the sound of the grinding

is low

and one rises up

at the sound of a bird

and all the daughters of song

are brought low.

They are afraid also

of what is high

and terrors are in the way.

The almond tree blossoms,

the grasshopper drags itself along

and desire fails

because man is going

to his eternal home

and the mourners go

about the streets.

Before the silver cord is snapped

or the golden bowl is broken

or the pitcher is shattered

at the fountain

or the wheel broken

at the cistern

and the dust returns

to the earth as it was

and the spirit returns

to God who gave it.

A vanity of vanities,

says the preacher.

All is vanity.

This is God's holy

and authoritative word.

You may be seated.

In a 1931 interview,

Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw

is quoted as saying this,

Youth is the most beautiful thing

in the world

and what a pity

that it has to be wasted

on children.

That's most likely

the origin of the popular saying,

Youth is wasted on the young.

It gets at the idea

that youth lack the wisdom

and experience

to make the most

of their health and energy.

But by the time they gain

that wisdom and experience,

they become old

and they no longer

has that youthful energy.

energy.

Our church is young.

It has been less than 10 years

since we planted this church.

I'm a young pastor.

I'm just shy of 40.

I know that seems old

to some of you,

but according to 1 Timothy 5,

it's in the Bible, right?

This is according

to 1 Timothy 5,

the cutoff line

between older widows

and younger widows

is 60.

So I still have 20 years

of youngness left.

And by that definition,

only a handful of people

in our church

are actually old.

So most of us

don't get to wear

that I'm old

and wise badge yet.

And Ecclesiastes 11.1-12.8,

which specifically

addresses youth

multiple times,

offers us timely

and relevant advice.

And the main point

of the passage is this.

Knowing that life

is but a breath,

we should rejoice

in our youth

and remember our creator.

First, I'm going to talk

about accepting risk,

11.1-6,

and then we'll talk

about rejoicing,

the main command

of that section,

rejoice in your youth.

And then later

in chapter 12,

remember your creator.

11.1-6 is a reminder

that we cannot know

or control the future.

Over and over again,

we are told

what we do not know.

So look at the passage

with me, verse 2.

For you know not

what disaster may happen

on earth.

Again, verse 5.

And you do not know

the way the spirit

comes to the bones.

And again,

so you do not know

the work of God

who makes everything.

Verse 6.

For you do not know

which will prosper,

this or that.

So 11.1-6

is all about

the uncertainty of life

and risk

that characterize

that uncertain life,

the life of creatures.

Because we are not

the creator

who is sovereign

and in control

over all things,

but the creatures,

we live in that uncertainty

and we must accept

that risk.

The beginning of wisdom

is the fear of the Lord,

recognizing that God

is God

and that we are not God.

So then the truly wise

recognize the limitations

of their wisdom.

And that wisdom

is not meant

to make us masters

of our fate,

to be able to control

the outcomes of our lives,

but rather wisdom

is meant to make us servants

who are submitted

to the sovereign purposes

of God.

That's why the beginning

of wisdom

is the fear of the Lord

and humility.

And humbly acknowledging

that reality means

we accept

and account for risk

in all the choices

that we make.

Verse 1 says,

cast your bread

upon the waters,

for you will find it

after many days.

Bread here

doesn't refer to

a literal loaf of bread

but to our income

or our source of livelihood,

similar to how we use

the expression breadwinner

to refer to people

who are winning

the livelihood,

the main income

of the household.

And so this here,

probably we can think

of bread as money

or our resources

and the preacher

counsels us

to cast that

upon the waters,

for you will find it

after many days.

Those two main words,

cast and waters

occur together

in Isaiah 18,

Isaiah 18:2

verse 2,

which is a helpful

parallel for understanding this.

It speaks of nations

that cast ambassadors

by the sea

in vessels of papyrus

on the waters.

I think this is meant

to help us

understand this first.

I think this is a reference

to maritime trade.

When you cast your resources

out upon the waters

in hopes that it will

yield return

after many days.

Maritime trade

in those days especially

took a long time

and it required patience.

It was not for people

who desired

instant gratification.

A patient investor

who is willing

to make an investment

for the future

and wait for a long time,

that's the counsel

that the preacher

is giving here.

It's similar

to what famous investor

Warren Buffett

said one time.

He says,

someone's sitting

in the shade today

because someone planted

a tree a long time ago.

Verse 2 continues

that theme.

Give a portion

to 7 or even to 8

for you know not

what disaster

may happen on earth.

Here's another example

of graded numerical parallelism.

You guys remember that

from a few weeks ago?

Yeah, there you go.

The point isn't

that you should invest

in exactly 7 ventures

or exactly 8.

The point is that

you should diversify

your investments.

Don't put all your eggs

in one basket

for you know not

what disaster

may happen on earth.

Don't put all your money

into real estate

because a housing bubble

collapse might ruin

all of your investments.

Don't put all your money

in a single company stock.

There are countless

cautionary tales

of people who have lost

all their money that way.

As recently as 2022,

the cryptocurrency exchange

FTX collapsed

due to embezzlement.

Their customers lost

8 billion in assets

and their investors

lost 1.7 billion.

And who could have

seen that coming?

At the height of FTX,

the CEO,

Sam Bankman-Fried's

net worth was

above 15 million.

He was compared

to finance titans

like J.P. Morgan

and Warren Buffett.

He was sitting

on conference panels

along with people

like Bill Clinton

and Tony Blair.

But now he's in jail.

Who could have

seen that coming?

No one can look

five or ten years

into the future

and say this stock

will do well

and that this company,

this industry will boom.

Diversification

is one of the first

important principles

of investing

that you learn.

By spreading out

your investments

across different assets,

you reduce your chance

of having all of it

wiped out

on a single bad day.

This interpretation

of verses 1-2

as referring to

financial investment

and trade

is confirmed

by the fact

that it was just

preceded by 10-19.

Bread is made

for laughter

and wine

and gladden's life

and money answers

everything.

Given the effectiveness

of money

and the usefulness

of money in this world,

it's teaching us now

to be a good steward

of that.

This interpretation

is also confirmed

by the following verses,

verses 3-6,

which talk about

financial investment

this time

with the metaphor

of sowing seeds.

Verse 3 says,

If the clouds

are full of rain,

they empty themselves

on the earth,

and if a tree falls

to the south

or to the north,

in the place

where the tree falls

there it will lie.

Again, the point here

is we can't control

these things.

We can't control

when the rain falls.

The rain falls

when the clouds

are full,

and there's not much

we can do

to change that.

Even to this day,

the best we can do

is forecast the weather,

and even that

is hit or miss

because the rain falls

when it's ready,

when the clouds are full

and we have no control

over it.

When rain doesn't fall,

we have drought,

and when rain falls

too much,

we have flooding

and we can't control it.

Similarly,

we can't control

whether a tree falls

to the south

or to the north.

That depends

on the natural lean

of the tree

or the direction

of the wind

that brought

the tree down,

and we can't control it.

And unless you have

heavy modern equipment,

you also can't move

a large tree

when it falls

to the ground.

It's going to sit there,

whether it fell

to the north

or to the south,

and we have

no control over it.

These are things,

and these are examples

of things

that are outside

of our control

in life,

and if we

preoccupy ourselves

too much

with things

that we cannot control,

it makes us

indecisive

and inactive.

Verse 4 says this,

He who observes

the wind

will not sow,

and he who regards

the clouds

will not reap.

If we're spending

all day observing

the direction

of the wind,

trying to find

the very best time

to scatter the seeds,

then you will always

be watching the wind.

Likewise,

if you spend

your day

watching the clouds

to make sure

there is no hint

of rain

or trying to figure

out the very best time,

the perfect time

for you to start

reaping the harvest,

then you're going

to be looking on

for too long,

and the harvest

will be gone.

We need to learn,

the preacher

is telling us,

we need to learn

to relinquish control

over that which

never had control

in the first place.

we need to be okay

with acting

at times that

are not what we

deem to be the best

or the perfect time

sometimes,

because the opportune

moment might not come.

Verse 5 continues

this theme of ignorance.

As you do not know

the way,

the spirit comes

to the bones

in the womb

of a woman with child,

so you do not know

the work of God

who makes everything.

The spirit,

the breath of life,

comes from God

and animates

the conceived baby

in the womb,

but we can't tell

which way

the spirit comes.

We do not know

the work of God

who makes everything.

Just as we do not know

from where

that spirit comes

to the baby

in the womb,

we do not know

exactly which direction

the wind will blow

or when the rain

will fall,

and it is our

humble lot

as creatures

to acknowledge that

and live in accordance

with that ignorance.

is there something

that you've always

wanted to try

but you haven't

acted on it

because you're waiting

for the perfect time?

That perfect time

may never come,

and no amount

of scheming

or planning

on your part

will give you

control

or guarantee you

success.

So why not act

on it?

Why not try it?

In fact,

why not try

several things

because you don't know

which one will succeed.

Don't let

idolatry of success

prevent you

from enjoying

the life you currently have,

but also

don't let fear

of failure

paralyze you

from making bold decisions

and taking risks.

It says in verse 6,

In the morning

sow your seed

and at evening

withhold not your hand

for you do not know

which will prosper

this or that

or whether both alike

will be good.

You don't know

which seed will perform better,

one that you sowed

in the morning

or the one that you sowed

in the evening,

and so do both.

That's the preacher's counsel.

Acknowledge your ignorance,

diversify your investments

as a function

and outworking

of your humility

before God.

Verses 1 to 6

are all getting

to the same idea

from different angles.

There's one more application

I want to bring out

from this.

You might think

this is a bit of a stretch,

but I think

there is a helpful

application for this

for evangelism

in our lives.

In the parable

of the talents

in Matthew 25,

the master entrusts

his wealth,

his property

to three different servants.

Two of them

invest their money wisely

and they make

some dividends

and they are commended

by the master,

but one of them,

instead of doing anything

with the money,

decides that he's just

going to bury the money

in the ground

so that he could have it safe

for when the master returns.

And this is his excuse

when the master

brings him to account.

Master,

I knew you to be

a hard man,

reaping where you did not sow

and gathering

where you scattered

no seed,

so I was afraid

and I went and hid

your talent in the ground.

Here,

you have what is yours.

The master is

understandably upset

with him

because this lazy servant

didn't do anything

with the money

that he asked him

to manage.

At the very least,

he could have just

put it in the bank

and it would have

accrued some interest,

but instead he decided

to bury it in the ground

to keep it safe

because he feared

the master,

because he had

an erroneous perception

of the master

as a hard man

and a stingy man.

He feared something

might happen to the money,

so he hid it

and didn't do anything

with it.

He didn't take any risks.

But the point of the parable

is that God,

our master,

is not a hard master.

He is a gracious

and kind master

and he has given us

his grace.

He has entrusted to us

the good news

of Jesus Christ

so that we might

sow it widely

and liberally

and give it out

and share it with others.

He wants his people

to take gospel risks

and to sow

our gospel seeds

widely.

Knowing that we cannot

control the outcome

of our evangelism,

God knows that

better than we do.

He's the one

who gives the growth.

Some of us

never share

the gospel

with our unbelieving

friends

and our neighbors

because we're always

waiting for that

perfect opportunity.

We're observing

the winds

and watching

the clouds,

waiting for that

perfect opportunity

to come.

Waiting for that moment

when no one

will be offended.

Waiting for that moment

when you will not

be embarrassed.

Waiting for that moment

when you have

all the theological

answers.

Brothers and sisters,

that day might never

come.

And all the opportunities

might pass you by

while you're observing

the wind

and watching the clouds.

So listen to the

exhortation of verse 6.

In the morning

sow your seed

and at evening

withhold not your hand

for you do not know

which will prosper,

this or that

or whether both alike

will be good.

This is a

not so well

hidden secret

that the best evangelists

among us

do not usually have

a higher percentage

of success rate

in terms of

people converting

than the rest of us.

You guys know that?

They don't have

a very high

success rate

on their own.

The only difference

between them

and some of us

is that

they sow

a lot more.

They spread

a lot more seeds.

D.L. Moody

was one such

prolific evangelist

in the 19th century.

He was actually

converted to Christianity

right here in Boston

and there's a little

forgotten plaque

that nobody ever visits

that commemorates

where he was converted.

I'll be happy

to take you guys

there one day

if you want to see it.

And after one of

the evangelistic meetings

of D.L. Moody

there was a woman

that approached him

and confronted him

saying,

Mr. Moody

I don't like

the way you do evangelism

and he replied

ma'am

how do you do it?

Probably generally

wanting to learn

and see what she has

to say

and then she responded

I don't.

And then D.L. Moody

responded

I like my way

of doing evangelism

better than

your way

of not doing it.

Brothers and sisters

stop observing

the wind

and regarding

the clouds

let us sow

in the morning

let us sow

in the evening

because we don't know

which one

will bear fruit.

Moving ahead

verses 7 to 10

teach us to rejoice

in our youth.

Note the repetition

of the word rejoice

in verse 8

verse 9

so if a person

lives many years

let him rejoice

in them all.

Rejoice

oh young man

in your youth

and let your heart

cheer you

in the days

of your youth.

The verb rejoice

and the noun form

of that

joy

are key words

that we have seen

repeatedly

throughout Ecclesiastes

and especially

in those

carpe diem

or the seize the day

passages

that are key

for understanding

this book

that we've seen

so far.

And those passages

have taught us

to enjoy life.

to relish

the simple pleasures

of life

because these pleasures

of life

enjoyed within

their proper boundaries

given to us

by God

are meant

to comfort us

in the midst

of the painful

realities of life

in this broken

and fallen world.

They are gifts

from God

in order to

punctuate

the pains

in our lives

with joy

like flowers

or ice cream

that we bring

over to

an ailing friend

at the hospital.

Comfort

in the midst

of the pain

in the midst

of the suffering.

So light is sweet

it says

verse 7

and it is pleasant

for the eyes

to see the sun.

I don't think

I'm alone

in saying

that I enjoy

the sun.

You guys all enjoy

the sun.

We enjoyed

some unexpected

summer days

here in New England

fall this past week.

I think Friday

November 1st

we hit a high

of 79 degrees

which surpassed

the 1974 record

of 77 degrees.

Like sweetness

that delights

our taste buds.

The warmth

of light

on our skin

delights

our senses

does it not?

And we don't have

to enjoy

sunny days only.

There are days

to enjoy

in the winter too.

Some of us

enjoy the chill

of winter

when we step

outside

and feel

that cool

refreshing sensation

from head to toe.

Who knows

what I'm talking about?

You guys enjoy that?

Yeah?

I know Josh

enjoys walks out

in the cold

winter days.

Yeah,

I'm sure he's not alone.

And that

walk

in the fresh

fallen snow

and that

squeak

in the snow

that you hear

walk on ground

and nobody else

has stepped on.

How beautiful

is that?

Remember,

under the sun

is a phrase

that the preacher

of Achilles

Yastis has used

repeatedly

many times

to describe

our sinful

world

and our life

in this broken

and sinful world.

But if you're

seeing the sun,

then you're

at least alive.

And he's saying

enjoy life.

Enjoy the gifts

that come to you

wherever you find them.

It says in verse 8,

so if a person

lives many years,

let him rejoice

in them all.

But let him remember

that the days

of darkness

will be many.

All that comes

is vanity.

Remember

is another key word

and it will occur

again in chapter 12

and reminds us here

of the two commands,

main commands

of Ecclesiastes.

Rejoice

or enjoy life

and remember.

Remember

the reality

of death

and reality

of our

creatureliness.

The joys of life

are not meant

to function

like opioids

that block

the pain signals

between the body

and the brain.

We have an opioid crisis

in the country.

130 people die

per day

because of opioid overdose.

People get addicted

to these

painkillers,

these opioids,

because it gives them

this sense

of well-being

and euphoria

and it helps them

to escape

to this alternate reality

and to run away

from the pains

of life.

But that's not

the counsel

of Ecclesiastes.

It doesn't tell us

to seek to escape

the realities of life.

No,

it faces us

front and center

with the reality

of life

and reality of death

and the reality

of suffering

and evil

in this world

and then tells us

in the midst

of that

to enjoy life.

to have the humility

and the fear

of God

to have the freedom

of insignificance

to be able

to enjoy

the simple gifts

and the pleasures

of life.

It's only,

in fact,

it's only when

we are staring

death in the face

that we learn

humility

and the freedom

of insignificance

so that we are

released from

the shackles

of illusions

of godness

and the shackles

of profit

and performance

in life

so that we can

actually enjoy life.

Ecclesiastes

has taught us

to number our days

and to remember

our impending death

over and over again

but have you

really reckoned

with your own mortality?

19th century

English writer

William Hazlitt

wrote an essay

that captures

what it's like

to be young

versus what it's like

to be old

and this is

what he has to say

about death

and old age

to the young.

He says

that to the young

words like death

and old age

are words

without meaning.

They are merely

a dream

of fiction

and life

is a delightful

journey

with no end

in sight

to prospect

after prospect.

To be young

he writes

is to be

as one

of the immortals.

I think

John Calvin

will concur

with this

assessment

because he writes

in the Institutes

of Christian Religion

that human life

is like smoke

or shadow

that human life

is like smoke

or shadow

is not only obvious

to the learned

but even ordinary

folk have

no proverb

more commonplace

than this.

But there is

almost nothing

that we regard

more negligently

or remember less

for we undertake

all things

as if we were

establishing

immortality

for ourselves

on earth.

If some corpse

is being buried

or we walk

among graves

because the likeness

of death

then meets our eyes

we I confess

philosophize

brilliantly

concerning the vanity

of this life.

Yet even this

we do not do

consistently

for often

all these things

affect us

not one bit.

But when it happens

our philosophy

is for the moment

it vanishes

as soon as we

turn our backs

and leaves not

a trace

of remembrance

behind it.

In the end

like applause

in the theater

for some pleasing

spectacle

it evaporates.

Forgetful not only

of death

but also of mortality

itself

as if no inkling

of it had ever

reached us

we return to our

thoughtless assurance

of earthly immortality.

The thought

of perpetuity

nonetheless

remains fixed

in our minds.

I only have

two weeks left

this Sunday

and next Sunday

in Ecclesiastes

to really get

through to you

about this.

Don't be reminded

of death

during Sunday worship

only to let it

affect your life

not one bit.

If we can gain

this wisdom now

while we're still young

then we can

truly enjoy life

and rejoice

in our youth

as gifts

from God.

Verse 9

continues this thought

rejoice

oh young man

in your youth

and let your heart

cheer you

in the days

of your youth

walk in the ways

of your heart

and the side

of your eyes

but know that

for all these things

God will bring you

into judgment.

Walking in the ways

of your heart

and the side

of your eyes

are different ways

to speak of

enjoying life.

Sometimes in Ecclesiastes

the side of the eyes

is a symbol

for wisdom

for example

Ecclesiastes 2.14

and 6.9

but in other places

eye represents

the seed

of human desire.

So for example

Ecclesiastes 2.10

says whatever

my eyes desired

I did not keep

from them

or Ecclesiastes 4.8

his eyes

are never satisfied

with riches.

Earlier verse 7

spoke of how

it is pleasant

for the eyes

to see the sun

so similarly

eyes here

represents the seed

of desire.

Heart is similar

it's representing

the human capacity

to rejoice

and to enjoy

the things in life.

So Ecclesiastes 5.20

says if a man

enjoys the gifts

of God in life

God keeps him

occupied with joy

in his heart.

So the preacher

is telling us

in verse 9

to enjoy life

to rejoice

in the simple pleasures

that God gives.

Let them cheer

your heart

and let them

delight your eyes

and satisfy your eyes.

And of course

this doesn't mean

that we should indulge

in sinful pleasures

which is why

there's an important

caveat here

but know

that for all

these things

God will bring you

into judgment.

We will be judged

for our indulgence

in sinful pleasures

as well as

for our prideful refusal

to enjoy

the gifts of God

in life.

Verse 10

says remove

vexation

from your heart

and put away

pain from your body

for youth

and the dawn

of life

are vanity.

This verse

brings into relief

this fascinating nuance

and layers of depth

in this book

of Ecclesiastes.

Interestingly enough

the word vexation

here is the same word

that was used

in Ecclesiastes 1.18

where it says

in much wisdom

is much vexation

and he who increases

knowledge

increases sorrow

and in Ecclesiastes 7.3

it says

sorrow is better

than laughter

for by sadness

of faith

the heart

is made glad

and there

that word

translated sorrow

is the same Hebrew word

translated vexation

here.

So on the one hand

wisdom

brings vexation

and we're supposed

to grow in wisdom

by becoming

acquainted with

sorrows

and vexation

and death

by remembering

our finitude

by remembering

that the days

of darkness

in life

will be many

in this fallen world

but on the other hand

we are supposed

to remove vexation

from our hearts

and put away

pain from our bodies

for youth

and the dawn

of life

are vanity

because life

is short

and youth

is but a breath

so these two truths

are held in tension

all throughout

the book of Ecclesiastes

we are to be wise

and acquainted

with sorrow

and to number

our days

but we also

are not supposed

to become gloomy

or sullen

or depressed

always preoccupied

with the brokenness

of the world

instead we are

to rejoice

in the gifts

of life

rejoice in our youth

and remember

our creator

and our creatureliness

are you rejoicing

in your youth

now this doesn't mean

that if you're old

you can't enjoy life

it said in verse 8

so if a person

lives many years

let him rejoice

in them all

so yes

even when you're old

there are days

you should enjoy

gifts from God

that you should enjoy

however

there are particular joys

that you get to enjoy

while you're still

in your youth

enjoy the health

and strength

of your body

while you still can

go out for a run

go play some basketball

go throw some frisbee around

while your joints

can still handle

all the jumping

and cutting

across the field

enjoy the beauty

of youth

the tight skin

that is not yet

wrinkled and sagging

and thank God

for it

if you're young

and married

have kids

while you still can

and enjoy

watching them grow up

because soon

you won't be able

to have them anymore

in Deuteronomy 28

45-47

Moses says this

to the Israelites

all these curses

shall come upon you

and pursue you

and overtake you

till you are destroyed

because you did not

obey the voice

of the Lord your God

to keep his commandments

and his statutes

that he commanded you

because you did not

serve the Lord your God

with joyfulness

and gladness of heart

because of the abundance

of all things

what led the Israelites

into their unfaithfulness

to God

and into their disobedience

to the Lord's commands

what caused that

what was at the root

of that

a lack of joyfulness

and gladness of heart

because of the abundance

of all things

because joy

and gladness

and the abundance

of all things

that God has given us

this joy

and gratitude

they fortify our hearts

from the temptation

to think

that we'd be better off

apart from God

that we can find things

that are better for us

than what God

is offering

that we can find

more joys

in the forbidden things

than in the things

that God

has graciously given

that's how all

broken relationships

with God begin

how did the serpent

tempt Eve

in Genesis 3

did God

actually say

you shall not eat

of any tree

in the garden

in reality

God said to Adam

in Genesis 2

16 and 17

you may surely eat

of every tree

in the garden

but of the tree

of the knowledge

of good and evil

you shall not eat

for in the day

that you eat of it

you shall surely die

Satan twists

that generous gift

from God

and while tempting Eve

to eat of the one tree

that God has forgiven

he asks her

did God actually say

you cannot eat

of any tree

in the garden

he's warping

Adam and Eve's

perception of God

oh he is

withholding something

good from you

he's stingy

he's not generous

he's not good

he doesn't really love you

if you find yourself

full of grumbling

toward God

rather than gratitude

toward God

if you feel that God

is withholding

good things from you

then you're in

greater danger

than you realize

greater spiritual danger

than you realize

this is why

it's so important

that we rejoice

in our youth

and enjoy

the simple pleasures

of life

as gifts

from our generous God

Pastor Corey Whitmer

was a study assistant

to his uncle

John Stott

John Stott

if you don't know

about him

was a very influential

20th century

Christian leader

pastor and theologian

and in a book

Whitmer

recounts

an interaction

that he had

with Stott

that was particularly

impactful for him

he said

every morning

at 11 a.m. sharp

I would bring him

a cup of coffee

I would find him

hunched over

some letter

or manuscript

at his desk

consumed with the work

before him

putting his unparalleled

powers of concentration

to whatever task

was at hand

not wanting to disturb him

I would quietly

set the cup

and saucer

adjacent to his right hand

and often times

he would mumble

a barely audible

word of thanks

I'm not worthy

initially

I thought this comment

was amusing

but after a few months

I began to find

it slightly bothersome

how could someone

pronounce himself

unworthy

of an acidic cup

of instant coffee

one morning

I was feeling

a little cheeky

and when Uncle John

mumbled his usual expression

I'm not worthy

I quipped back

oh sure you are

Uncle John stopped

and I saw the powerful

magnetic look

of his concentration

ease from the papers

before him

he slowly raised

his gaze

and with a look

of immense seriousness

yet boyish playfulness

he responded

you haven't got

your theology

of grace right

I laughed

I grinned awkwardly

and then said

it's only a cup

of coffee Uncle John

and as I turned around

and headed back

into the kitchen

I heard him mutter

it's just the thin

end of the wedge

what does it mean

by that

a wedge

is a tool

made of wood

and iron

it tapers off

into a very thin edge

right

and that thin edge

is what you

put inside

a crevice

a small gap

and then once

that thin edge

is in

you can hammer

that wedge in

and that the larger

bigger part

goes in

along with that thin edge

that's already been wedged in

and it breaks apart

logs

and even rocks

what he's saying is

if I don't appreciate

the small things

God has given me

and I'm not grateful

and thankful

to God for them

that's the thin end

of the wedge

and soon

larger doubts

larger grumbling

and larger

problems

in your perception

of God

will be driven in

so I want to challenge you

with the simple pleasures

of life

maybe sit

sit with it this week

say

I'm not worthy

thank you God

thank you God

thank you God

that I

get to hug my kids

thank you God

that you have given me

food to eat

thank you God

that I can walk around

on two limbs

I'm not worthy

knowing that life

is but a breath

we should rejoice

in our youth

rejoicing in our youth

is particularly important

because death

is quick on our heels

and we won't be able

to rejoice in our youth

anymore when we're older

that brings me

to my final point

chapter 12

verses 1 to 8

remember your creator

remembering our creator

means remembering

that God is the creator

and that we are creatures

as I've been saying

that God is infinite

and that we are finite

it says in chapter 12

verse 1

remember also your creator

in the days of your youth

before the evil days come

and the years draw near

of which you will say

I have no pleasure in them

if we get to live

until we are old

then there will come days

when pleasure

will be hard to come by

there are three clauses

in this paragraph

that all begin

with the word before

verse 1

before the evil days come

verse 2

before the sun

and the light

and the moon

and the stars

are darkened

verse 6

before the silver cord

is snapped

or the golden bowl

is broken

because of this

parallel structure

I think all of the

vivid images

of this section

are meant to be

a picture of aging

and approaching death

and it's warning us

before that time comes

learn to enjoy life

and remember your creator

the first image

is in verse 2

before the sun

and the light

and the moon

and the stars

are darkened

and the clouds

return after the rain

it's a moving image

we always count

don't we

on the light

the sun

and the moon

and the stars

we always expect

it to be there

when we need them

but imagine one day

when that light fails

how tragic that would be

what a gaping hole

that would leave

in your daily experience

that's what old age is like

things that you used to count

are not there anymore

your mind is not as sharp

as it used to be

your eyes are dimmer

than they used to be

you can't move around

like you used to

everything seems darker

and picture this

the clouds return

after the rain

normally we expect clouds

to part after rain

to give way to a clear

sunny day

but it says here

the clouds return

after the rain

even after the rain

there are more rain clouds

looming above

think about it this way