Confessions of a Church: Good News
The Psalm writer wrote: Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law. As we come before a Holy God and hear his word, may we have eyes open to the wonderful and fearful things from his law. May it move us to repent and seek forgiveness, fear disobedience, and live in light of the grace we have received. This is the word of God. It is eternally true and applicable for all of life.
Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”; before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through windows grow dim; and the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters of song will sing softly. Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street. Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”
In case you haven't been paying attention, the writer of Ecclesiastes has been consistently beating the drum of "make the best use of your time for the days are evil".
Over and over again, in a variety of ways we have been warned of living a life which attempts to rest upon the vain, futile, passing away things of the world. "Vanity of vanities. All is vanity!"
We've been reminded that life is vaporous, fleeting, and brief.
We've been admonished to be prepared for the dark days, of which there will be many.
Our shared fate, death, is dangled before our eyes to behold.
As we begin the opening verses of this last Chapter of Ecclesiastes, it seems that the author is building towards a crescendo.
Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the preacher has thus far sought to remind us of the dawn, midday, and sunset which mark our lives. How, when we are born, the future is bright, and new, full of potential and possibilities.
Just as the sun begins rising along its course, so too our lives begin their trajectory, with us growing, maturing, plotting and planning for the future, all the while God is directing our steps with craftsman-like precision. The beginning of one's life is akin to those first beams of light from the morning sun bursting out of the Eastern sky signaling the start of a new day. A new life, like a morning sunrise, reminds us that God's mercies are new every day (Lamentations 3:22,23).
Around noon the sun reaches its climax. At its peak, it is the brightest, hottest, and most glorious it can be. Directly overhead for all to see, this blazing ball of gas which provides the earth with life sustaining light and heat is busy working, fulfilling its God given design perfectly. Oftentimes the heat is abated by the clouds, proving once again that God sends the rain upon the good, and evil. Likewise, there is nothing more encouraging than to see a man or woman in their prime, hitting grand slams with the talent and skills God has blessed them with, living a life of faith, joy, peace, and contentedness. When calamity strikes those who are trusting in the Lord during the apex of life, with blessed assurance they can say like Job “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21). Conversely, imagine a man, woman, boy or girl in the prime time of their life, squandering their time and talent, wasting all their giftedness, with all the luster of a cloudy, chill, bitter winter afternoon with the sun blocked out and all is drab, dull, and lifeless. Rather than a heart of thankfulness and gratitude towards God, there is bitterness, resentment, and despair.
Then comes the evening, twilight, when the sun is on its downward flight. Long, dark, ominous shadows are cast. The hustle and bustle of the day is beginning to slow. Once vibrant, lofty, and with rays of heat which penetrated everything within its reach, the sun begins dipping below the horizon. It's light is fading. It's heat has diminished. It's sinking below the edge of the earth is unstoppable. Surprisingly, though it seemed just moments earlier that the sun would simply fade off into obscurity with a whimper, it winds up looking as glorious, beautiful, and spectacular as when it first popped up over the other side of this spinning rock. Red, orange, purple, yellow, and blue colors collide where sun and skyline meet, giving us a glimpse of what to expect in the morning.
As we get older, and our faith in Christ grows and matures, this is what we can expect. There will be dark days, there will be days of gloom, there will be days when it is difficult to see the light of Christ, yet, God has made promises to us His people.
The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree,
He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Planted in the house of the Lord,
They will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still yield fruit in old age;
They shall be full of sap and very green,
To declare that the Lord is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
— Psalm 92:12-15
“For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.
— Jeremiah 17:8
Even to your old age I will be the same,
And even to your graying years I will bear you!
I have done it, and I will carry you;
And I will bear you and I will deliver you.
— Isaiah 46:4
Brothers and sisters this is good news. For all the gloom and doom, all the rain clouds, all the storms, all the calamities, all the vanities, we have a Savior Who has promised that those of faith, His people, will bear good fruit all the way to the end.
When job turmoil strikes, illness falls upon you, magistrates oppress, your whole world is shaken by some event, you have a Redeemer in Jesus Who works all of those things together for your good (Romans 8:28).
Each of you here are in different seasons of life. Some have little ones, others have little ones on the way, or both. Many of you here have older children, decades of marriage, established careers. Some of you are just starting out, others are attempting to recover lost time. Whatever season you are in, remember two things: 1) God gives good fruit in due season, and 2) it is He who changes the times and the seasons. So, fear not.
If you are able, at this time, please kneel as we confess our sins to God, particularly for our lack of faith.
FATHER OF MERCIES,
Hear us for Jesus’ sake.
We are sinful even in our closest walk
with thee;
it is of thy mercy that we died not long ago;
Thy grace has given us faith in the cross
by which thou hast reconciled thyself to us
and us to thee,
drawing us by thy great love,
reckoning us as innocent in Christ though
guilty in ourselves.
Giver of all graces,
We look to thee for strength to maintain them in us,
for it is hard to practise what we believe.
Strengthen us against temptations.
Our hearts are unexhausted fountains of sin,
a river of corruption since childhood days,
flowing on in every pattern of behaviour;
Thou hast disarmed us of the means
in which we trusted,
and we have no strength but in thee.
Thou alone canst hold back our evil ways,
but without thy grace to sustain us we fall.
Satan’s darts quickly inflame us,
and the shield that should quench them
easily drops from our hands:
Empower us against his wiles and assaults.
Keep us sensible of our weaknesses,
and of our dependence upon thy strength.
Let every trial teach us more of thy peace,
more of thy love.
Thy Holy Spirit is given to increase thy graces,
and we cannot preserve or improve them
unless he works continually in us.
May he confirm our trust in thy promised help,
and let us walk humbly in dependence
upon thee,
for Jesus’ sake.
Father, we are oftentimes those to whom Jesus referred to as "ye of little faith".
Please help our unbelief.
In Jesus's name we pray, amen.
(Prayer adapted from a Valley of Vision Prayer titled "Grace in trials")
Please stand and listen to the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the gospel to his church:
Romans 8:1-4 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
To all those who thus repent and seek Jesus Christ for their salvation, your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lift up your hearts!