The Plowman

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 8:1-17. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, September 19, 2010.

Introduction
Do you find balance difficult?  I don’t mean physical balance.  I’m not talking about if you have some inner ear problem that throws your equilibrium off or some other malady that affects your motor skills, I mean a balanced perspective.  I’m talking about the way you view the world or the way you interpret data.  It seems to me that balance is lacking most everywhere.  One news channel claims to be “fair and balanced” which is good marketing.  It certainly sounds better than “mostly fair and hardly ever unbalanced!”  Yet it seems to me we mostly choose up sides and take pot shots at each other.  In terms of our faith we are more interested in winning arguments than we are in seeking truth.  It even affects the way we understand and define our doctrine.  For instance, to say I believe in the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty is not to say my favorite song is “Que Sera, Sera.  Whatever Will Be, Will Be.”  Such a frivolous attitude is no substitute for the biblical doctrine.  To believe in God’s sovereignty is to believe that God rules over all things.  It means that I see the hand of God in everything.  That doesn’t mean I like everything that goes on.  It doesn’t mean that I happily embrace every experience but rather that I have confidence that the will of God is going to be accomplished on the earth.  Such a belief does not require me to ignore or deny what is happening around me.  I do not wear blinders, nor do I wear rose-colored glasses.  A biblical faith demands that I honestly assess the world around me in the light of Word of God.  That balance is crucial for understanding the message of the Preacher in the book of Ecclesiastes.

Qoheleth, the preacher, is taking an honest look at his life.  He is taking stock of what he has experienced and what that experience has taught him but he is doing so – not from his own, limited understanding – but in light of what God has revealed.  Careful observation and biblical revelation bring him to this understanding.  His understanding is life under the sun (that is life apart from God) is an ugly business.  It is a vain, empty pursuit.  It is existence it is not living.  So this book is about joy and where you can find it.  It is about God giving us good things and the ability to enjoy them.  Our text this morning is found in the 8th chapter of Ecclesiastes.

Text: Ecclesiastes 8:1-17

The Preacher deals with some difficult subjects in our text.

• He deals with the power of unjust rulers.
• He deals with rampant injustice as the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer.
• He deals with our inability to comprehend or make sense of it all.
• He is not singing, “Que Sera, Sera.”
• He’s not jumping off a bridge either.
• He is facing reality in confidence and faith.

As we make our way through this chapter we are reminded that…

Thesis
Joy demands an honest assessment of life as we know it and an unshakable confidence in God’s good and sovereign rule.

There are three things I want to point out in our text.

1. The joyful seek to use discretion when responding to injustice and recognize the limits of governmental authority.  (8:1-9)
2. The joyful know that ultimately justice prevails and that unrighteousness faces sure and certain doom.  (8:10-13)
3. The joyful accept their limitations and leave the end of all things in the hands of a good and sovereign God.  (8:14-17)

Conclusion
We live in a fallen world.  This is not the world God made.  This is the distorted corruption of His good creation.  In this world evil, wicked things happen.  What are we to do?  How are we to know joy?  Joy is God’s gift to His people and…

Joy demands an honest assessment of life as we know it and an unshakable confidence in God’s good and sovereign rule.

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 7:1-29. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on September 12, 2010.

Introduction
I don’t know if you’ve noticed this but life stinks.  Life is hard.  It’s frustrating and irritating.  Life is confusing and unsettling and just when you think you have a few answers “they” change the questions!  The preacher’s not going to get any argument from me, in fact he’s going to get a hearty, “Amen!” for his insights.  Life under the sun is a vain, meaningless, monotonous existence.  Oh it has its moments.  There are those times, however fleeting, of joy and excitement it’s just that they do not last and when the good time is over I’m worse off then when the party began.  Life, apart from God, is an ugly business.  If you begin with the understanding that there is no God, there is no reality beyond this life, that life is whatever you can make of it here and now – then there is no meaning ultimately.  King Solomon looked back over a lifetime and said, “Vanity of Vanity!  All is vanity!”  Pointless.  Hopeless.  It all amounts to “striving after the wind.”  Even if you catch it – what do you have to show for it?  Nothing.  Now, before you conclude that Solomon was some burned-out, depressed, failed monarch with a gun to his head – you need to know this was not the end of the matter for the preacher.  The book of Ecclesiastes is not a suicide note.  It is a book about real, lasting, profound joy and where you can find it.

Joy is God’s gift to His people.  Joy is the fruit of trusting wholly in God’s character and work.  It is resting in his providence to the extent that you find joy even in life’s darkest, most difficult hour because you know God is in control of all things.  I’m not talking about a sentimental, surface level happiness with a pasted on smile but a deep, rich, abiding joy anchored in the presence of a good and sovereign God.   In chapter 6 Solomon makes it clear that prosperity is not necessarily a blessing and in chapter 7 he is going to show that adversity is not necessarily a curse.  Our text this morning is the 7th chapter of Ecclesiastes.

Text
Ecclesiastes 7:1-29

The preacher says some things in this chapter that seem extraordinary.  There are a couple of places you may have to reread to make sure he said what you thought he said.  The first 13 verses read like a lost chapter of Proverbs.  At first glance they may seem like Bizarro Proverbs, “Surely he can’t mean that.”  He does mean it and it is very helpful for godly living.

As we explore this chapter we discover that…

Thesis
The godly embrace wisdom and find perspective, clarity and strength to face life’s great challenges.

I want to point out three things from our text.

1. Wisdom brings perspective.  (7:1-10)
   Sorrow is better than laughter – (1-4)
   Rebuke is better than praise – (5-6)
   The long haul is better than the short cut – (7-9)
   Today is better than yesterday – (10)
2. Wisdom brings clarity.  (7:11-18)
   In 7:11-12 the preacher informs us that wisdom is better than a generous inheritance.
   7:13-15 remind us we are to see God’s hand in all things.
   7:16-18 – – we are to fear God.
3. Wisdom gives strength to face life’s harsh realities.  (7:19-29)
   The universal ruin of sin – (20, 26-29)
   To see my own wickedness – 7:21-22
   To admit my inability to grasp the meaning of all that God is doing in the world – 7:23-25

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 6:1-12. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, September 5, 2010.

Introduction
It is as old as the Garden.  It is what tripped up our original parents – the sense that I’m missing out on something.  That there is more out there.  There is something that if I could just get my hands on it I would be genuinely happy.  Even when I have all my needs met, I’m satisfied, my life is in a good place, I can easily be conned into believing real life is just over there.  When I learn that someone has something I don’t have…I want it.  I don’t even know what it is but I got to have it.  While most of us would never admit it, we think that wealth brings fulfillment.  That’s why we read People magazine and want to peer into the lives of the “rich and famous.”  “Wow, it must be nice to have that kind of cash.”  “He’s guaranteed how many million whether he plays or not?”  “I don’t know what he’s complaining about I’d gladly trade places with him.”  We end up envying the most miserable people on the face of the earth!  It would be foolish of me to stand up here and say that the rich and powerful have no joy.  It would be foolish because you know I’d be lying.  Of course they have joy.  Of course they enjoy themselves and their wealth provide them opportunities and pleasure most of us will never know but that does not ensure satisfaction in life.  That does not guarantee lasting joy or fulfillment.  To be sure wealth in and of itself is not the problem.  Godly people through the ages have been wealthy and greatly blessed of God.  Wealth, power and influence are not inherently evil at the same time we must acknowledge that they do not inherently prove satisfactory.

Our problem is our scales are off.  As we weigh the evidence the results are skewed because the scales have not been zeroed out.  They are weighted it favor of wealth.  That’s because we view everything from our limited, finite perspective.  We live and think in the immediate rather than the eternal.  The preacher is trying to bring some perspective.  He hammers his message home again and again and again and again until we want to shout, “Enough already!”  The reason he is so persistent in his message is because he knows we really don’t believe it.  He knows that because he didn’t believe it.  Solomon is near the end of his life.  After careful analysis he is saying, “This is what I’ve learned.”  Solomon is like most of us he is thinking, “I wish someone had told me this when I was younger.”  The truth is someone was telling him this he just wasn’t listening.  We don’t listen because we don’t want to hear it – but hear it we must.  Our text this morning is found in Ecclesiastes chapter 6.

Text: Ecclesiastes 6:1-12

Keep in mind the book is about joy – real, lasting, robust, resilient joy – and where to find it.
It is not found in intellectual pursuits.
It is not found in abandonment to pleasure.
It cannot be had through personal achievement, the acquisition of power or the accumulation of stuff.

It is the gift of God to His people.

Chapter six is a discouraging chapter.  It is down right depressing.  If you pull chapter six from its context and read it outside of the preacher’s whole message you would have to conclude life is a dead end street.  Life is hard and then you die – have a good day!

You must read it in the context of the preacher’s whole message.  When you do so you understand that…

Thesis
The persistent warning of the preacher underscores the necessity of faith in Christ.

The whole of the book comes down to this – life apart from God is a vain thing.  Therefore fear God and keep His commandments.

In our text the preacher sounds three warnings.

• The preacher warns of the devastation of a full yet empty life.  (6:1-6)
• The preacher warns of the disastrous effects of discontentment.  (6:8-9)
• The preacher warns of the utter despair of a godless life.  (6:10-12)

Conclusion
Life is a dead end street.  There is no meaning.  There is no ultimate purpose.  Life is whatever you can make it here and now.  Life apart from God is a vain, worthless existence.  The Gospel is  the good news that there is life eternal and abundant.  It is a life that transforms from glory unto glory and it is yours by the grace of God.

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 5:1-20. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, August 29, 2010.

Introduction
Don’t you find the news depressing?  Whether you are talking about television, radio or the paper it just seems there is so much “bad” news.  Shootings, stabbings, abuse, war, financial crisis, terrorism and that’s just the school news!  Don’t eat eggs, don’t drink the water, 100 degree temperatures returning…enough already.  You reach a point where you just don’t want to hear it anymore.  “I’m tired of the bad news – give me some good news for a change.”  So you come to church and your pastor is preaching through Ecclesiastes.  You just can’t catch a break.  But you see Ecclesiastes is good news.  It is the good news that there is real joy and lasting satisfaction and it can be had here and now in this sin-sick, twisted world.  It is God’s gift to His people.  Don’t take my word for it, listen to Solomon:
Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

Did you catch it?  God gifts His people with the ability to enjoy life.  Now, we are talking about joy not happiness.  There is a difference.  Happiness is a feeling of elation when everything is as it should be.  Happiness is that which happens to happen with things happen to happen happily.  But if things happen to happen unhappily – you ain’t happy!  Joy is a deep, abiding sense of satisfaction regardless of the circumstance.  We are not assured of happiness in this world.  In fact we are told to expect heartache and tribulation but we can know joy because it is rooted in the person of the Lord Jesus who is an ever-present help in time of need.  Oh, the book of Ecclesiastes is a book of real, robust and resilient joy.  Our text this morning is found in the fifth chapter.

Text: Ecclesiastes 5:1-20
Solomon is thinking out loud.
He is looking back over a lifetime and seeing what lessons he has learned.
Where does one find real joy?
Is it through knowledge or intellectual pursuit?
Is pleasure the path to satisfaction?
How about wealth, power, influence or achievement?

No, all that amounts to “striving after wind.”
They are vain pursuits – hollow, empty, meaningless.

• Chapter 3 = trust God.
• Chapter 4 = the vanity of life apart from God.
• Chapter 5…

Thesis: Only a clear vision of God and a corresponding response of faith can produce lasting joy.

I want to point out three things as we make our way through this text.

1. Foolish worship distorts your vision of God and disrupts genuine joy.  (5:1-7)
2. Frustration over corruption and a preoccupation with wealth distorts your values and destroys any chance for lasting joy.  (5:8-17)
3. Trust in a good and sovereign God enables a rich, robust and resilient joy.  (5:18-20)

You were made to be in relationship with God.
You will be restless until you find your rest in Him.
Only a clear vision of God and a corresponding response of faith can produce lasting joy.

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 4:1-16. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, August 22, 2010.

Intro:

Well he was no Joel Olsteen that’s for sure!  In fact I’m certain he wouldn’t have a large church today.  His message is a little hard to listen to.  He just seems so negative.  He seems to be soured on life.  How are you going to build a crowd when your whole message seems to be summed up with, “Life stinks?”  Who would drag themselves out of bed on a Sunday morning to come hear a preacher say, “Life is hollow, meaningless and empty?”  There are sections of his book, when reading it, you have to keep reminding yourself, “All Scripture is breathed of God and is profitable.”  The truth is, Solomon is not as negative as it may seem.  Keep in mind the book of Ecclesiastes was written late in his life.  He is looking back over a lifetime and evaluating the life he has lived.  He is seeking to “make sense” of it all.  He desires to pass on some insight for living.  Where is it a man finds real, lasting joy and satisfaction?  It is not to be found in intellectual pursuit.  It is cannot be had by indulging one’s appetite for pleasure.  Nor is it to be found in career advancement, the acquisition of power or the accumulation of wealth.  Real joy and lasting satisfaction is the gift of God’s grace to His people.

Apart from Him life is meaningless.  Apart from Him there is no real joy, no lasting satisfaction.  There is only temporary pleasure and momentary relief.  Life under the sun is a vain existence.  If you take God out of the equation and then set out on a quest for joy you are on a fool’s errand.  Our text this morning is found in Ecclesiastes the fourth chapter.

Text: Ecclesiastes 4:1-16
In chapter 3 we discovered that joy and satisfaction are the fruit of trusting wholly in God’s person and work.  It is to acknowledge His sovereign rule over all things.  It is to rest in His providential working.  It is to trust in His righteous handling of all things.  That’s good.  If you can do that you are well on your way to a life of joy and real, lasting satisfaction.  In chapter 4 Solomon seems to take a step backwards.

Chapter 4 is a miserable chapter!
Chapter 4 reads like the confession of a soured, jaded, hardened skeptic.
He points out problem after problem but offers no solution.
“It’s striving after the wind.”
“This also is vanity and an unhappy business.”
Until he concludes the chapter with, “…this also is vanity and a striving after wind.”
What happened?
Did he forget what he just said?
You have to read the whole book.

What is the book about?
It is about joy – real, lasting, robust, resilient joy and where to find it.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20: Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.
19 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God.
20 For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

What is chapter 4 about?

Thesis: The disturbing words of the preacher serve to underscore the futility of life apart from God.

There are 4 things I would like to point out from our text.

1. The cares and troubles of this life are often so overwhelming that death or better yet nonexistence seems preferable.  (4:1-3)
2. Driving ambition and endless pursuit of success and prosperity can lead to a crushing loneliness.  (4:4-8)
3. Selfish ambition and rugged individualism leaves you alone and vulnerable.  (4:9-12)
4. The adoration of the crowd and the popularity of success are sorry substitutes for a genuine friend.  (4:13-16)

Joy, peace and lasting satisfaction are to be found in Christ and in Him alone.