Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 Fear God, and Keep His Commandments

Transcription

1 [Scripture Reading] Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 [Introduction] Good morning church! I hope our brief series in Ecclesiastes has piqued your interest in this unique book. There is much that we were not able to cover. So I hope you will take up and read on your own! Before we examine the final word of Ecclesiastes let me ask God, once again, to help us hear and apply his Word. [Prayer for Illumination] 1

2 [Anticipatory Set] Earlier this year, President Obama caused somewhat of a firestorm. While hosting the French president on a tour of Thomas Jefferson s plantation estate they were allowed to break the protocol and view the grounds from a private terrace. Regarding the exception to protocol granted for these two heads of state, President Obama quipped, That s the good thing as a president. I can do whatever I want. Clearly it was intended as a joke, but in the context of concern that President Obama regularly oversteps his authority many didn t think the joke funny. 1 I can do whatever I want is a popular refrain in our culture. We hear it from musicians, actors, sports figures, and even thirteen year-olds on Facebook. If we re honest, we are sometimes guilty of the same attitude. We tend to see ourselves as autonomous individuals answerable to no one but ourselves. Israel was no stranger to this temptation either. Throughout its history Israel was tempted to disobey God and worship other gods. The readers of Ecclesiastes were similarly tempted: Money, pleasure, and wisdom tempted them to forget God just as they tempt us today. In the final passage of Ecclesiastes an editor summarizes the Preacher s central message like this: Fear God and keep his commandments. Fear God and keep his commandments because 1. This is the Summation of Life 2. This is the Standard of Judgment 1 2

3 [Main Point 1] The Summation of Life Notice the use of the third person in verse 9, Besides being wise, the Preacher also Most commentators think these last verses were the addition of an editor. Given the use of third person narrative and the content it seems these verses the work of an editor. Our focus this morning is on verses 13 and 14 because that is the focus of the editor. How do we know that? Look at verses The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. The end of the matter; all has been heard. This is the editor s way of summing everything and distilling down to the most important point. In our vernacular we might say, here s the bottom line or when all is said and done or here s the take away. With that we come to the editor s final word. [Sub point 1] The Summation of the Preacher s Meditations The editor s central message is easy to discern: Fear God, and keep his commandments. But we might ask why? His first point is that we should fear God and keep his commandments because this is the Summation of Life. How is this the summation of life? It is a summation of life in that it is a summation of the Preacher s meditations about life. Recall that the Preacher has attempted to impart wisdom and knowledge to the people of God about life. He s observed, evaluated, and applied wisdom to all of life. 3

4 Specifically, he s noted the tragic reality of the fall; the vanity of life as observed from a merely human perspective ( under the sun ); sin and death; the joy and frustration of work; God s sovereign yet often perplexing control of the times; the limitations of human knowledge. But when the editor says The end of the matter; all has been heard he s saying that the summation of everything the Preacher said about human life is Fear God, and keep his commandments. How does he get that? The fear of God is a theme that appears throughout Ecclesiastes. Look at 3:14; 5:7; 7:18; and 8: So, the summary of life as the Preacher sees it is: Fear God and keep his commandments. Astonishing! Everything else is secondary. You now know what life is all about: Fear God and keep his commandments. What does it mean to fear God? One commentator says To fear God is not to be terrified of God but to stand in awe of him. God is the almighty Creator; we are mere creatures. God is eternal; we are a finite vapor. God is sovereign; we are dependent. God is holy; we are sinners. It is only fitting that we stand in awe of the eternal, almighty, creator God. To fear God is to take God seriously, to acknowledge him in our lives as the highest good, to revere him, to honor and worship him, to center our lives on him. 2 How can we apply that in real life? Consider that the fear of God is an attitude. And consider that attitudes are reflected in actions. So, how do we know we fear God? We know that we fear God by keeping his commandments. There is a link between these. If we really stand in awe of God we will seek to keep his commandments. Moses linked these two. Turn to Deuteronomy 10: Sidney Greidanus, Preaching Christ from Ecclesiastes, p

5 And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good? Fear God by keeping the commandments. Even I can apply that to real life. For example, a man relates the story of a friend who was a Christian worker and divorced his wife so that he could chase another woman. Obviously, he had to resign from his organization. When confronted with his sin, he said: I know it s wrong, but God will forgive me! Clearly, this man has no fear or respect for God. He was not afraid of God s discipline in his life. To fear God is to take him seriously. It means to take him at his word when he threatens consequences for disobedience. What s our attitude toward God? Do we tend to have the attitude I can do whatever I want and God will forgive me. Or, do we fear God knowing that he promises consequences for disobedience? Fear God and keep his commandments is the summation of life because it is, first, the summation of the Preacher s meditations on life. 5

6 [Sub point 2] The Summation of What it Means to Be Human The central message to Fear God is also the summation of life in the sense that it s the summation of what it means to be human. Look at verse 13 again. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Notice the end of verse 13, for this is the whole duty of man. Interestingly in the Hebrew it reads, for this is the whole of man. The word duty does not appear in the original. It s not just our duty, writes one commentator, it s our essence. He goes on God created us to stand in awe of him and keep his commandments. That s God s design for us. We ought to fear God and keep his commandments because that s the way to fulfill God s plan for us. That s the very best and fullest way of being human. 3 When we fear God and keep his commandments God is big and we are small the way it is supposed to be. When God is big and we are small it makes for a most healthy and happy life. When God is big we don t fear other people or circumstances as much. When God is big we re more concerned about his approval and less about the approval of others. When God is big all humans tend to the same size: I don t think I m better than others, nor do I think I m worse than others. Being the right size is key to being a healthy human. God is big and we are small. 3 Greidanus, p

7 But for most of us, we struggle in various ways because other people are big in our eyes and God is small. We are more concerned with what other people think about us than what God thinks about us. We hear the good news that in Jesus Christ God loves us and completely accepts us but it doesn t make a practical difference in our lives because God is small in our eyes. We re rocked by the criticism of others because they are big in our eyes; we are anxious to gain the approval of others because they are big in our eyes. But when God is big in our eyes is when we are most human. [Main Point 2] The Standard of Judgment So, the editor s message is that we should fear God and keep his commandments because, first, it is the summation of life. It is the summation of the Preacher s meditations and it is the summation of what it means to be human. [Sub Point 1] The Standard of Judgment Second, the editor says that we should fear God and keep his commandments because it is the standard of judgment. How is it the standard of judgment? First, it is the standard of judgment in the sense that it defines good and evil. Look at verses again The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. 7

8 God will bring every deed into judgment including every secret thing. There will be a full and complete reckoning for every one of us. And the standard by which we will be measured is good and evil as defined by God. It should be clear how good is defined. What is good is to fear God and keep his commandments. Or, as I mentioned earlier, fear God by keeping his commandments. So we will be judged according to whether we kept the commandments of God. This, in turn, demonstrates the degree to which we fear God. So that is the standard of judgment. But also note the reality of judgment: God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing The Bible repeatedly speaks of a day of reckoning for every one of us where every thought, word, and deed is evaluated according to the standard of God s commandments. Jesus says, I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:36-37) Our words and actions reveal the attitude of our heart. We may think, we can do whatever we want and there is some truth to that. God has given us freedom to think and act. But our thoughts, words, and actions will be judged if not now then later. Are you ready for judgment this morning? Am I? Are you ready for every thought, word, and deed even every secret thing to be judged? We may not have a tonight, tomorrow, or next week. Are you and I ready for judgment today? So, the editor says, fear God and keep his commandments because it is the standard of judgment. How is it the standard of judgment? It is the standard of judgment in the sense that it provides the standard of good and evil. 8

9 [Sub Point 2] Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 Judgment is Necessary for Meaning It is also the standard of judgment in the sense that judgment is necessary for meaning. A major thread running through Ecclesiastes is the theme apart from God all is vanity. The Preacher tries to help us look at all of life. We tend to look only at small portions of life. So, I try to find significance and meaning in a job, or in money, or pleasure. But these are very temporary things. The Preacher says think about these things when you are sick and dying, how much significance and meaning will they have for you then? Little or none. And when you are dead and gone these will mean nothing. When you consider all of life, apart from God all is vanity. In a similar way, apart from God all is vanity in the sense that some kind of judgment is required for any objective meaning. In other words, if there is no ultimate judgment then life becomes meaningless. Nothing really matters. If there is no ultimate judgment then, in the end, the life of Adolph Hitler is as meaningless as Mother Teresa s. We might assign a judgment that one life was good while the other was evil but our judgment doesn t really matter. So, when we consider all of life if there is no ultimate judgment then nothing really matters. The fictional character Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad knows that judgment is necessary for life to be meaningful. This is not an endorsement for the show Breaking Bad. This particular scene, however, powerfully speaks to need for judgment in order to ascribe meaning. Jesse Pinkman is a drug dealer and user. A few weeks before he has murdered a man in order to protect himself and his partner. Jesse is overwhelmed with guilt. He attends a support group not because he wants help but because he wants to sell people in the group drugs. 9

10 At one particular session he tries to confess his sin by telling the group that he recently killed a dog. Initially, others in the group try to console Jesse because they think it was a mercy killing. But Jesse says no it wasn t because the dog was sick or anything he just killed it. To which one of the group says, What kind of a person kills a dog for no reason? The group leader (GL) responds GL: We re not here to sit in judgment. Jesse: "Why not, maybe I should have done something different. The thing is, if you just do stuff and nothing happens, what s it all mean - what s the point? Oh right, this whole thing is about selfacceptance. GL: "Kicking yourself doesn t give meaning to anything. Jesse: So I should stop judging and accept. GL: It s a start. Jesse: "So no matter what I do, hooray for me because I m a great guy. It s all good. No matter how many dogs I kill I just do an inventory and accept you know why I m here in the first place is to sell you meth - you re nothing to me but customers. You OK with that? GL: No. Jesse: About time. If you just do stuff and nothing happens, what s it all mean what s the point? Exactly! If there is no judgment everything is meaningless. But because God will bring everything into judgment even secret things - everything matters. Every thought, word, and deed is meaningful. So judgment is necessary for meaning. And because God will bring everything into judgment everything matters. 10

11 [Main Point 3] The Song of the Gospel So fear God and keep his commandments because first, this is the summation of life, and second, this is the standard of judgment. That s where the editor of Ecclesiastes leaves us. Sometimes I ll be out jogging and suddenly I ll be flooded by the memory of something I said or did years ago that was evil. I m filled with painful regret if only I could take it all back. If the final word of Ecclesiastes were the final word of Scripture I would have little hope because I have not feared God. But the final word of Scripture is not Ecclesiastes but Jesus! In the person and work of Jesus Christ we have the Song of the Gospel. The gospel is a song because it is good news! It is the good news that Jesus has lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died. In his life on earth, Jesus perfectly feared God for us. And in his death by crucifixion on a Roman cross he took the judgment we deserve. So, his record of fearing God is transferred to us; our record of not fearing God is transferred to Jesus on the cross. The good news, or the gospel, is that for those who receive Jesus there is no longer any judgment; only God s approval and acceptance. Jesus put it this way Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. (John 5:24) The question is will you trust him today? We will either die trusting Jesus or not. If we die trusting Jesus there is no judgment for us only life with God forever. If we die apart from Jesus, we die in our sins and face God s judgment on our own. God will judge every careless word against his standard: fear God and keep his commandments. None of us will pass this judgment on our own. 11

12 The Bible describes the sentence of the judged as an eternal lake of fire. No grace, no goodness, and no hope forever. Judgment is certain. None of us is promised a tonight, tomorrow, or the next day. If you have not trusted Jesus Christ I urge you to do so right now. So, the Song of the Gospel is that because of Jesus our sin has already been judged and God approves and accepts us. The Song of the Gospel is also the song of a new motivation. In Ecclesiastes we were told to fear God and keep his commandments because we dread his judgment. In the Song of the Gospel we are given a new motivation to fear God and keep his commandments: gratitude for God s grace in Jesus for saving us from his judgment. Here s how Paul describes the song of gratitude in Ephesians 5. Sing and make melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:19b, 20). Christian, is the song of the gospel in your heart this morning? Just think of it all our sin forgiven. Gratitude should be the primary motivation for keeping God s commands. God in Christ has forgiven all our sin. And yet we still fail to fear God as we ought. When we fail we need to remember the song of the gospel. Think of your sin this week or this morning. For me, I think of my angry yelling at one of my sons this week. Oh, how I wish I could take it all back! I didn t fear God and so I freely sinned against another of his creatures - most sadly my own son. But let the gospel remind us of the forgiveness we have in Jesus. Paul reminds us, And you who were dead in your trespasses God made alive together with Jesus, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14). 12

13 What would you like to take back this week, this month, this year? Confess your sin to God and affirm that in Jesus you have complete forgiveness now. He has cancelled the record of debt against God that stood against you. And then, if possible, confess your sin to the person you sinned against. So the song of a new motivation is gratitude for all that God has done for us in Jesus. This is the primary motivation for every Christian. There are, however, other motivations in the Christian life. Let me mention just one. As Christians, we should also be motivated to keep God s commands because we have a healthy respect for his discipline. In the gospel, we no longer fear judgment and condemnation. However, God does promise to discipline his disobedient children. So, rather than think, I ll disobey and it will be fine because God will forgive me we should cultivate a healthy respect for his discipline. In the letter to the Hebrews the author warns Christians And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? 'My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. (Hebrews 12:5-6) So, while gratitude is the primary motivation for the Christian to keep God s commandments, yet a secondary motivation is a healthy respect for his discipline. Both are part of the Song of the Gospel. Thankfully, Ecclesiastes is not the final word to us from God Jesus is! In Jesus Christ we are invited into the Song of the Gospel. 13

14 [Conclusion] Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 Frank Sinatra famously sang, I did it my way. But God says to Frank Sinatra and every one of us, You will be judged according to my way. We may think we can do whatever we want but it is God that gets the final word. The editor of Ecclesiastes gives us the final word of Ecclesiastes. He says, Fear God and keep his commandments because this is the Summation of Life and the Standard of Judgment. If this were the final word of Scripture it would be appropriate for us to file out of this auditorium quietly and soberly. But the good news is that Ecclesiastes is not the final word, Jesus is. In Jesus we have the Song of the Gospel. Jesus has brought us from judgment into life with the living God. That s good news worth singing about. 14