Living with the End in Mind | Doug Sauder | Ecclesiastes 12

to reshape our character back toward what real life is all about, just like a good father. Now notice the word harvest. It says, when we are disciplined by God, it's not pleasant. Consequences come because of our sin. This is not God's rejection of us, it's his love drawing close to us. His discipline is painful, but it causes a harvest. A harvest means you plant something, but you don't get it for a while, which means it takes time for God, not just to bring forgiveness, but to reshape the way you think and the way you live your life. And that harvest over time produces two things, righteousness and peace for those who've been trained by it. So. Oh, good morning, common people, would you stand to your feet? Put your hands together. Teach you a new song, it goes like this. Lift up the banner, oh, lift up his name. Oh, Jesus, the savior is here in this place. For all of eternity, praise will raise out. I don't have to look, no, I'll sing it loud. He shall be praised, he shall be praised He shall be praised in heaven and earth the same He shall be praised, he shall be praised For all of the endless days The lion of Judah, the Lamb of God was slain

Forever and ever he reigns He shall be praised He shall be praised He shall be praised He shall be praised No trouble, no trial, my soul is my song My strength is in Jesus, the rock I stand on Through mountains and valleys, my joy will remain Cause I've got a hope, cause he's emptied the grave He shall be praised, he shall be praised In heaven and earth the same He shall be praised, he shall be praised For all of the endless days The lion of Judah, the Lamb of God was slain Forever and ever he reigns He shall be praised He shall be praised He shall be praised So everybody clap your hands, everybody move your feet Isn't he worthy, worthy of everything Give it all, don't hold back Praise him with all you have Isn't he worthy, worthy of everything Everybody clap your hands, everybody move your feet Isn't he worthy, worthy of everything Give it all, don't hold back Praise him with all you have Isn't he worthy, worthy of everything Everybody clap your hands, everybody move your feet Isn't he worthy, worthy of everything

Give it all, don't hold back Praise him with all you have Isn't he worthy, worthy of everything He shall be praised, he shall be praised In heaven and earth the same He shall be praised, he shall be praised His hope is for endless days The Lion of Judah, the Lamb that was slain Forever and ever he reigns He shall be praised, praised He shall be praised He shall be praised Over our family, over sickness and disease, over fear, we're gonna speak His name because there is authority and power in His name, amen? Yes. You're welcome here, Jesus. ♪ I pray into the atmosphere ♪ ♪ Spirit of God, you're here ♪ ♪ You have done all authority ♪ ♪ And I pray over my heart and mind ♪ ♪ I am healed by your stripes, your blood ♪ ♪ Declares that I am free in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ I pray, calling on the power of heaven ♪ ♪ I proclaim every weapon formed against me, come on ♪ ♪ Must break, sing it out, in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ And I draw a permanent boundary line ♪ ♪ The enemy has no rights to come near my family ♪ No, he doesn't. ♪ And no scheme can ever undo God's plan ♪

♪ No matter the circumstance ♪ ♪ The cross has sealed my destiny ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus, yes ♪ ♪ I pray, calling on the power of heaven ♪ ♪ I proclaim every weapon formed against me, come on ♪ ♪ Must break, it must break, in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus, oh I know ♪ ♪ All the power of fear and dark, come on declare this ♪ ♪ It must go, cause every key to every victory, I hope ♪ ♪ It's in the mighty name of Jesus, let's declare it ♪ ♪ I will not fear, I will not fear when the enemy comes near ♪ ♪ On the doorframe of my life is the blood of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ I will not fear, I will not fear ♪ ♪ There's an army of angels near, I'm protected on all sides ♪ What's it by? ♪ By the blood of Jesus Christ, I will not fear, I will not fear ♪ ♪ When the enemy comes near, on the doorframe of my life ♪ ♪ Is the blood of Jesus Christ, I will not fear, I will not fear ♪ ♪ I will not fear, I will not fear, I will not fear ♪ ♪ There's an army of angels near, I'm protected on all sides ♪ ♪ By the blood of Jesus Christ, in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ Sing it out. ♪ I pray, calling on the power of heaven ♪ ♪ Every weapon formed against me, it was great ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus, in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh I know, now the power of fear and darkness, yeah ♪ ♪ It was all, it's every key to every victory ♪ ♪ Oh I know, it's in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ It's in the mighty name of Jesus, oh it's in your name oh ♪ ♪ It's in the mighty name of Jesus, oh it's in your name oh ♪

♪ Yes it's in your name, oh yeah, yeah yeah ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ We bless your name Jesus, oh Lord my God, when I am gone ♪ ♪ In awesome wonder consider all the worlds ♪ ♪ Thy hands have made and I see the stars ♪ ♪ And I hear the rolling thunder thy power throughout ♪ ♪ The universe display then sings my soul to thee ♪ ♪ How great thou art, how great thou art ♪ ♪ How great thou art, how great thou art ♪ ♪ Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee ♪ ♪ How great thou art, how great thou art ♪ ♪ How great thou art, how great thou art ♪ ♪ And when I think that God his son not sparing ♪ Thank you God. ♪ I scarce can take it in, hallelujah ♪ ♪ That on the cross my burden gladly bearing ♪ ♪ He bled and died to take away my sin ♪ ♪ So then sings my soul, my savior God to thee ♪ ♪ How great thou art, how great thou art ♪ ♪ Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee ♪ ♪ How great thou art, how great thou art ♪ ♪ How great thou art, how great thou art ♪ ♪ How great thou art, how great thou art ♪ ♪ When Christ shall come with shout of high praise ♪ ♪ And proclamation, and take me home ♪ ♪ With joy shall fill my heart ♪ ♪ Then I shall bow in humble adoration ♪ ♪ And then proclaim, my God, how great thou art ♪ ♪ Thou art, oh ♪ ♪ Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee ♪

♪ How great thou art, how great thou art ♪ ♪ Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee ♪ ♪ How great thou art, how great thou art ♪ ♪ Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee ♪ ♪ How great thou art, how great thou art ♪ ♪ How great thou art, then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee ♪ ♪ How great thou art, how great thou art ♪ ♪ How great thou art, how great thou art ♪ ♪ How great thou art, how great thou art ♪ Hallelujah. Would you just give Him praise today? We thank you, Jesus. God, you are great, and you are greatly to be praised. There is no one like you in all the earth, nor in heaven above. There is only one God. He is the name above every name. He is Jesus. And in Jesus alone there is the power to save, redeem, and heal. We have been rescued and bought. with a price and we thank you God, we thank you Lord Jesus. That it's because of you we have new life and there's something about making much of you, there's something about worshiping you and fixing our eyes on you that makes every other fear and every other thing in the back of our mind find its rightful place. It has to submit to the authority of Jesus. And so Lord, we thank you for your presence. We thank you for being great.

And we thank you that you invite us every single day to trust you, to see you, to hear from you. And so right now, Lord, I pray by the power of your spirit that you would give us eyes to see, ears to hear what you are saying through your word. Help us to see you rightly, help us to see you fully. To get the right perspective, to make you not just our savior, but the Lord of our life. Would you lead us? We love you. This morning is yours, this day is yours, our lives are yours. And it's in the precious name of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, Calvary Chapel, we said. Amen, amen. Amen. So I'll never forget the day it happened. I was 37 years old, I was playing basketball, a game that I love. And I'd just been through reconstructive surgery on my left knee because a year earlier I tore my ACL and meniscus and all the things, and went through all the surgery and recovery and rehab. And it took me a couple months, but I was back, playing with some 20-year-olds. And I was dribbling the ball at the top of the key and I saw the gap in the defense, a move I'd made a thousand times. Crossover, left hand, the big man approaches, do a spin move, left hand, layup.

In my mind, I saw it. And for the first time in my life, my body did not respond. And I was like, whoa, what just happened? And you know that disorienting feeling where your body does something over and over and then it doesn't work the same way anymore? And people told you, they said, Doug, it's gonna happen. You're 37, you're playing with 20-year-olds, it's gonna happen eventually. But in my mind, that sounded like a myth. It sounded like fantasy, like things old people say. And then it happened to me. And this is how Solomon closes the book of Ecclesiastes. He gives us this reality check that all of us are going to die, something we don't like to think about, but he's also gonna tell us, hey, not only are you gonna die, but you're gonna age as you approach death and all the things that we're working aren't gonna work in the same way. And he's gonna speak to young people. He's gonna say, young people, I want you to know this when you're young so that when you're older, you're not caught off guard, you're not surprised. You see, because older people, any older people we have in the house? Own it, come on, own it.

The older you are, the higher and longer your view of life is. When you're a teenager in your 20s, you're like on the first and second floor. You can see things, but by the time you get older, you're on like the 30th or 40th floor, you can see a lot more broadly. And so Solomon is an old man. He's learned a lot. He's been on this search for what is the meaning of life? What does it all mean? And he wants to impart this final word of wisdom. And that day at 37 years old, it reminded me of this proverb. When the student is ready, the teacher appears. And so let's read this. And if you get it, then you'll get it. Ecclesiastes chapter 12, verse one. Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, I find no pleasure in them. Before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark and the clouds return after the rain. When the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they're few, and those looking through the windows grow dim, when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of the grinding fades, when people rise up at the sound of the birds, but all their songs grow faint,

when people are afraid of heights and of dangers of the streets, when the almond trees blossom, the grasshopper drags itself along and desire no longer is stirred. Then people go to their eternal home and mourners go about to the streets. Remember him before the silver cord is severed and the golden bowl is broken, before the pitcher is shattered at the spring and the wheel broken at the well and the dust returns to the ground it came from and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Meaningless. Meaningless, says the teacher. Everything is meaningless. Solomon returns to his favorite phrase in the book of Ecclesiastes. Life is so hard to understand this word, Hevel. It's like life is a vapor. It's here, and then it's gone. It goes so fast, and to try to grasp it's like chasing the wind. To try to keep everything like you want it to be. It seems so elusive. How do I find meaning and purpose when things don't happen as I expect them to? And he says, life is like that. You're going to die, and as you die, you're going to age. And this is something you need to know when you're young. Twice, he says, while you're young, remember your creator. And he describes this process. The silver cord is severed. Death. The golden bowl is broken. The pitcher is shattered. You return to dust, because you came from dust, and the spirit that God gave you now returns to him. That's going to happen to all of us. That's what he's been describing. Death is the destiny of every person, and the why should take this to heart, because it will teach you how to live. But now he gets a little more detailed. He describes the process of aging. Verse one, remember your creator before the days of trouble come. And he describes this process of things that are bright growing dark. Your eyes that were so sharp, they were able to see things. Now as you get older, it's harder for you to see things. The light goes down. I don't know if anybody that's older remembers that day where their eyes didn't work so good. I remember

specifically, like, I think I was 40. My wife and I went on a date, and then we went to Walgreens to pick up a prescription. And while she's picking up her prescription, I look at this like, this like little row of like, they're called readers. And so I just, you know, these are for old people. I put them on, and I was like, whoa. Whoa, I can see what, what happened to my eyes. This slow, gradual process of doing this. And then your arm's not long enough, and you got to get glasses. That's going to happen. That's a part of life. While you're young, no, your eyes aren't going to always work as, as well as you think they are. And then he says, and the sounds of the men working and the birds singing, it grows dimmer. Your ears don't work as, as good as they used to. Verse three, the keepers of the house, they tremble. Now this is poetry. The keepers of the house, your hands. Your hands that are so steady, all of a sudden start to shake a little bit. You're like, oh, what's that? What's that about? And the back that is so strong begins to stoop. Like, why am I walking like this? You see pictures of yourself like, what, what's happening to me? It gets worse. He says, your grinders cease because they are few. Your grinders are your teeth. Oh man, I'm having problems with my eyes. I'm having problems with my ears. I'm having problems with my teeth. And then he says, and the sound of birds wake you up. But then when you try to hear them, you can't hear them, which means it's hard for you to sleep. You're easily awakened, but then you can't hear very well. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Like, oh, this is getting depressing. No, it gets way worse than that. Check it, check it out. And then he says, and even the grasshopper drags itself along. Now check this out. A grasshopper can jump 20 times its own height. So if I was a grasshopper and I jump right now, I could touch the ceiling. Would that be impressive? Solomon says, there comes a point in a grasshopper's life where he just drags his foot around. And so just, this is just a side note. That's why you shouldn't be depressed that LeBron didn't come to Miami, that he went to Philly. Because here's, LeBron's going to continue to decline, and he's going to go from jumping and dunking to shuffling. Because that's what everyone ends up doing in the end. Don't be depressed. We're going to be all right. Listen, it's not just that. It's desire is no longer stirred. Remember when you were young, you could go to that Brazilian steakhouse, and you could kill all the food. You go to buffet, you eat all this food, you're always hungry. And now you're like, I'm just going to have oatmeal. And listen, this is a shocking thing. Sexual desire that drove you when you were a teenager in your 20s and maybe your 30s. And now you're like, I think I need a pill for that.

Yeah, that's going to happen to everybody. Solomon has given us a reality check. You see, because this idea, this idea that this chiseled physique I have is going to last forever. Solomon said, that chiseled physique you have, You're going to experience what my dad said happens to you in your 40s, maybe your 50s. It's called furniture disease, where your chest falls into your drawers. That luxurious hair on your head? I still remember the first gray hair I found. I'm like, what's that? My perfect skin. Hevel, it's going to pass along. Solomon's preparing us for these moments where your body is going to fade. And so he's saying, I'm going to gently take you by the hand, and I want you to walk with me because God's given me some wisdom about how life works. I have a perspective because I'm on a higher floor than you when you're young. I want to show you how it's going to work so that you're prepared that way, because if your body is the best thing you have, then every day you grow older, you're going to be losing. You're going to fight the process of aging. Now, I'm not saying don't exercise and don't take care of your body. I exercise. I try to eat right. I want to be healthy because God's given us a body. He calls it a temple. We're called to take care of it. But there's a difference between taking care of your body and fighting aging, of living in denial like an ostrich putting his head in the ground. And we live in a culture that says your body is the most important thing about you, how you look and how you look to people and all the things you do. And if we listen to the words of the culture, well, we'll feel like we're losing every single day.

I don't know if you know this or not, but the wellness industry last year was the seven billion dollar industry. Seven billion dollars are spent on health and wellness, on vitamins and supplements and peptides and cosmetic creams and plastic surgery. In fact, Miami is called the plastic surgery capital of the world because per capita, there's more plastic surgeons in Miami than anywhere else in the country. And so it's a reminder of the fact that people are trying to cut this and nip that and tuck that, enhance this, reduce that, to do all these things to our body to make sure that people don't see that we're aging. Solomon says, be careful. No matter what you lift up, it will fall down. Come on, people. Let's just be honest. Just give it enough time and you'll see it's like chasing the wind. And so here's the first big idea about what it means to grow old. Solomon's like, whatever you do, don't chase youth. Don't chase staying young. Don't avoid the idea that you are going to age because every culture and every generation has tried this. I mean, we laugh at people like Ponce de Leon, an explorer who's going to travel the world looking for the fountain of youth. If I could just have one sip of that water, I won't age. I won't die. This is in the human psyche, desire not to grow old, to be immortal, to not die. In fact, you think about all of these entrepreneurs and business leaders, they're figuring out how to conquer technology and now populate space with satellites. And now maybe we can go to Mars and live there. The only thing they haven't conquered yet is aging and death. Here's the problem. You can't conquer aging and death because you're not God.

The only person who can conquer death is God himself. And he did that when he sent Jesus, his son, to come and die in our place and be raised from the dead. And so there's this human pursuit of chasing youth, of avoiding aging. Solomon says, don't do that. When you're young, remember, this will happen to you. And this call is both urgent and calm. Solomon through the book of Ecclesiastes, enjoy your life, live the best life you can live, live in wisdom, honor God, but also reflect calm. Think about your life. Think about how you're living. Think about what the end of your life will be like and live with the end in mind. Because if you fight aging, listen, if you fight aging, you will not age well. I'm going to say that again. If you fight aging, you will not age well. I remember all my great injury stories were like, I was playing basketball, I was doing this thing. I got out of bed. That's going to happen in life. And aging can make you the right kind of person, or it can make you the wrong kind of person. Anybody know that old person who's angry, bitter, grumpy, cynical, get off my lawn. Turn that music down. This generation, these kids, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Ain't nobody like that? If they're right next to you, don't look at them. Just. We all know people like that. How did they get that way? That's an important question. They weren't always that way.

Solomon says if you fight aging, you're losing control. If your body's what it's about, you're constantly losing. Every day, you're gonna be losing more and more and more. And that fight for control, you don't wanna decline. It's gonna come out in all these different ways. So don't be the person who fights aging and becomes that bitter, angry person. Don't be the person who just allows disappointment and anger to make you. That kind of person who doesn't look at anyone or anything and find a level of joy or trust or love. There is a way to age, Solomon's inviting us to think about. It will make us the right kind of person. What does it mean to grow old and to do it well? And so there's a verse in the Bible that for me is a vision for me and my wife of what we hope to be as we grow old. It's Psalm 92. Here's what it says. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree. They will grow like a cedar of Lebanon planted in the house of the Lord. They will flourish in the courts of our God. And they will still bear fruit in old age. They will stay fresh and green, proclaiming the Lord is upright. He is my rock. And there is no wickedness in him. Wow, what would it be like to grow old? And as you grow old, you don't get stale

and isolated and angry and bitter. You don't become that person who people are like, oh, that's pathetic. He's doing, or she's doing all these things to pretend like they're not growing old. Like no one else can see. We can all see. No, no, you're in person embraces. Okay, so I've lost my hair. I have wrinkles on my skin, but I'm becoming more generous. I'm becoming more other-centered, more loving, more fruitful. I'm still fresh and green. I wake up every day. Thank you, God, I'm alive today. I have a joy and expectation for what God might do in my life and through my life. And there's a light in my eyes. Listen, that's a vision that God has for his people. Do you have a vision for what it would be like for you to grow old? The psalmist says, when you're young, remember. Remember your creator when you're young and remember your end so you can live the life that I've given you as a gift. So I wanna give you a picture of what this looks like. There's a woman named Barbara and she's been a part of our church for years. And she was happily married and at 55,

her husband suddenly tragically died. And now she's 55 years old and she could be angry at God or disappointed at God, but she prays this prayer, God, I didn't ask for this, but I'm not in control. So help me to figure out what it means to live this adventure with you. God calls her to the mission field. She goes to Mexico and to Nicaragua and Peru and India and begins to spend months of time serving the poor and young people in those places. And then God brings her back here and she's like, well, now I'm back here and I'm all by myself. And she could have had the attitude, no, it feels like this church is all about the young people and all the young programs and I'm older and I feel left behind. I'm just a widow, I'm over here. And she decided, I'm not gonna do that. I'm not gonna be that kind of person. So she does something crazy. She goes and talks to one of our youth leaders and says, I wanna start volunteering with teenagers. And people are like, oh, Barbara, you're in your 70s. Like, I'm not sure that's gonna connect. No, I wanna try. So she becomes this sort of grandmother figure who shows up at youth group ministry moments and college ministry moments. And she showed up at YA a year ago and a whole bunch of kids gravitated toward her

and she prayed over them. Some of them rededicated their life to Jesus. And this year at Youth Encounter, they all looked for her and they brought their friends. And here's just a picture of what that looks like. Here's what it looks like to live fresh and green with a bunch of teenagers and say, listen, this is what ministry and life look like. Because there is, listen, for all those people who are older, if you're older, raise your hand. Just own it, just own it, it's okay. Man, some of you guys aren't owning it. A gray hair that's a crown of wisdom. Like that, there's a need and a desire for this generation to have those spiritual fathers and mothers and grandparents speaking to their life. There's a spiritual hunger there and we can be fresh and green. And so aging, you can age well or aging can make you the wrong kind of person. Now, I wanna say one more thing because Solomon was an achiever. Solomon lived under this illusion that if I work hard, I accomplish my goals, I marry the right people, in his case, have a lot of the right people. He had a thousand concubines and wives, I mean, crazy. If I get all the degrees, if I learn, I'll be happy. That is what he discovers is an illusion. Solomon writes from the sense of disillusionment,

that whole journey of how do I find meaning? And here's the thing, we see disillusionment as a bad thing, but disillusionment means to dispel an illusion. And so all of Ecclesiastes is about dispelling an illusion, that you can find happiness in temporary things, that things that you have, you'll keep, that you'll always be in control, that if you work hard enough, you'll be able to make sure the outcome happens as you wish, and you realize that's all an illusion. And all that frustration led him on this journey. And so one of the ways that we will remember our creator well is maybe to forget some things that we learned along the way, like a two-word phrase, I can. When you're young, I can work out and get in shape, I can get that degree, I can start that business, I can achieve this goal. You set the bar high, I'll hit it. And a lot of us, we learn this because, well, when we were little kids, our parents read us this story, like the little engine that could, you remember the little engine that was like trying to find his way up? Like, I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. And that mentality, it works for a while, and then it stops working. I can feels empowering until it doesn't,

when all of these things stop working the way they thought. So maybe a more empowering way to think about your life as you age is, I can't. Think with me. I can't control aging. I can't stop growing old. I can't avoid death or sickness. I can't control my spouse or my kids or my grandkids or my friends. I can't control the people I work with. Some days I can't even control myself. I'm not sure I can manage my finances or my anxiety. I'm not sure there's a lot of things that I can do, so I'm just gonna say, I can't. And what turns out, or what sounds to be like so defeating is actually empowering because then Solomon says, because you can't, now you look to the one who can. He is your creator. Think with me. What can God do that you can't do? He can make the sun rise. He can give you breath. He can feed sparrows. He can clothe lilies. He can answer prayer. He can move mountains. He can calm storms. He can part seas.

He can provide wisdom. He can offer hope. He can restore sanity. He can guide the confused. He can comfort the lonely. He can liberate the oppressed. He can bless the humble. He can bring justice. He can topple rulers. He can raise new leaders up. He can forgive guilt and sin. He can redeem your life. He can secure your future. He can because he is God and you are not, and that's what we want to remember as his people. Solomon says to all the young people, remember your creator while you are young. And then verse nine, not only was the teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many Proverbs. The teacher searched to find just the right words and what he wrote was upright and true. And the words of the wise are like goads. They are collected sayings like firmly embedded nails given by one shepherd. Be warned my son of anything in addition to them of making many books there is no end and much study wearies the body. Solomon speaking of himself in the third person.

I was the teacher and I went on this search to gain knowledge and all that I gained, I want to impart to you the next generation so that you can live a life that is wise. Now he says earlier in his letter that wisdom does not give you control of life just because you're wise doesn't mean you're in control, but it means you can live a sort of abundant life that people who live foolishly can't experience. Now, how many Proverbs did Solomon write? It says here many, but if you look at 2 Kings chapter four, you get some specifics. Look what 2 Kings says about Solomon's wisdom. God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand of the seashore. Look at that description, great insight, a breadth of understanding measureless as the sand of the seashore. And then it says he spoke 3000 Proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. Solomon saying to himself, I spent my whole life gathering wisdom and figuring out what the right way is to say this. And much of the wisdom literature in the Bible, the book of Proverbs. The book of Ecclesiastes, the book of Song of Solomon are all part of this wisdom that's being passed on to the next generation. Again, a gift from God, from someone who lives

at a higher floor, looking down, helping the next generation know how to live. And he says something interesting in verse 11 that all of these wise words, this collection, they're like goads, like firmly embedded nails. Nails, huh. Now typically when we think of wisdom, we don't think of wisdom as something that hurts. Now we think of wisdom more like Psalm 19. So I asked you to look at Psalm 19. I'm just gonna read. When we think of wisdom in the Bible, here's sort of how we think about wisdom. David writes this about wisdom in verse seven of Psalm 19. The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. Wisdom revives you, it refreshes you, like oh, that was such a good word. It's gonna help me live and make the right choices. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. People who don't think about all the implications of their decision, wisdom gives them a broader perspective to make better choices. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The wisdom of God brings joy, because when you do the right thing in the right way, there's a blessing, and that's the invitation. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. When you experience and live in the wisdom of God,

there's a light in your eyes that you don't have in any other way. And then David goes on and says, the wisdom of God is precious like gold. It's sweeter than honey. And if you follow the wisdom of God, there is great reward. And so there's a part of the wisdom of God that's this sweetness. But Solomon talks about another side of God's wisdom, that God's wisdom, well, it can make you wince. What is a goad? A goad is this, it's like a cattle prod. It's what a shepherd or farmer would do to get the sheep to walk, or the cow to walk in a certain direction. So if the cow or the sheep went right, the farmer would prod them with that sharp, oh, I better go this way. If they go left, oh, I'm gonna go this way. If they try to back up, oh. And the shepherd is inflicting pain on these animals, so they go in the right direction. So they don't walk off a cliff or isolate themselves so a predator could kill them. And so the farmer, the shepherd is helping to protect the sheep and guide the sheep by herding them. And Solomon says the wisdom, all of this collected wisdom, it's like a goad, like a firmly embedded nail given by a shepherd. And that makes us think about wisdom

in a slightly different way. You can write it down this way. Wisdom often hurts before it helps. Wisdom is an invitation, and it's also a warning. It makes you smile, and it makes you wince. Remember the well-known story in the Bible of a man named Saul of Tarsus? He's on a horse, he's with an army, he's going to Damascus to arrest and kill Christians. He is sure in his young 20s and 30s that he is the right guy for the job. I can, I'm zealous, I'm right, they're wrong. We're gonna show them, I can do it. And Jesus knocks Saul off his high horse onto the ground and blinds him and asks him this question. Saul, why are you kicking against the goads? Why are you going this direction? You're gonna inflict pain on yourself and other people. Stop kicking against the goads. And now Saul is blind and needs to be led, and he's brought to a house and he's completely helpless, and that's where Jesus opens his eyes and gives him a vision for his life. Jesus has to hurt Saul to help him. And that's something we should be curious about. How might God be hurting me to help me? How might he be giving me wisdom to help me go in the right direction? And this is the invitation that God's always given to people.

Here's the invitation he gave through Moses to the children of Israel. This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you. I have set before you life and death, blessing and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live. God gives you a choice. He always gives you a choice. And his desire is that you choose the right way and he'll even use pain to sort of prod you in the right way, but he's not gonna control your decision. He's gonna always give you a choice. And did you notice that God's wisdom always goes against the flow of culture's wisdom? The flow of the wisdom of our age says, avoid aging, don't think about death. The wisdom of God said, no, if you think about your last day and live with the end in mind, you'll actually have a full life. of the world's wisdom says, it's all about you. It's your life, it's your body, it's your truth, it's your money, do what's best, follow your heart. The wisdom of God says, there's a way that seems right to you, but it'll lead to death. So, fear God and keep his commandments, and you will find life. Here's the problem, this is the problem we don't talk about in church a lot, that every time you make a selfish decision

or a foolish decision or a decision that the world says is good, things actually get better in your life for a period of time. For example, you're in a college class, and this is an important test, and you don't know the answer, and the smartest kid is next to you. And if you look and get the right answer and filled in it and no one catches you, you pass the class, and you're better off. You do something bad and something good happens right away. You're stressed out, and you're like, if I just took a drink or took some pills, I would calm my anxiety, and you do, and it does. You feel sexual tension, and you're like, if I just act out on this tension with this one person or click on this one button, I'll feel good and gratified, and you will, and that's the problem with sin. It tempts, it feels so good for a little while. But then follow that along, and what happens to the character of a person? Your character gets wrecked over the long term. You become a certain type of person that's all about you or compromises your values or integrity for a moment of pleasure, and then you find yourself, what you thought was freedom becomes bondage, what you thought was fulfillment becomes emptiness, and you find, I feel empty and lonely and aimless. How did I get here?

And that's what happens when you go with the flow of cultural wisdom. And Solomon's like, when you're young, remember your creator, and these words are goads. They help move you in the right direction if you allow them to have their effect in your life. And so the world will constantly offer us these shortcuts. You undermine that person at work, you get the credit, you get the raise, they don't, it worked for a while. If I write something crazy online, people will like it for a while, but you gain the world and lose your soul. So what happens as Christians when we do this? I mean, we know in Christ we're forgiven, but what about when we make foolish decisions as a Christian? Well, God loves us enough not just to go, well, you do you, doesn't matter to me. Now, he does what a good father does when a father sees a child doing something foolish. He disciplines that child for their good. The book of Hebrews describes what God will do to us like a shepherd to a sheep with a goad. He disciplines us. Here's what the book of Hebrews says. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. And again, this is a powerful verse in the way that God works in and through his people when they're failing, when they make the wrong decision. God doesn't go, fine, forget it.

Now he introduces pain into our life to reshape our character back toward what real life is all about, just like a good father. Now notice the word harvest. It says when we are disciplined by God, it's not pleasant. Consequences come because of our sin. This is not God's rejection of us. It's his love drawing close to us. His discipline is painful, but it causes a harvest. A harvest means you plant something, but you don't get it for a while, which means it takes time for God not just to bring forgiveness, but to reshape the way you think and the way you live your life. And that harvest over time produces two things, righteousness and peace for those who've been trained by it. So when you sin, as a Christian, embrace the discipline of God as the love of God, knowing he's drawing near to you to help reshape your heart, your actions, your thoughts to be more like his so ultimately you can experience peace and righteousness. This is the gift of God. Have you ever experienced the discipline of God? Think with me. A time in your life you're like, I know I shouldn't do this, but I did it. These consequences come.

Sometimes we can interpret that as God is punishing me, but the Bible says, no, he's disciplined you, he's trained you, and there's a big difference between those two things. And so Solomon reminds us. God's word can make us smile, sweet as honey, delight, and it can make us wince. So let's talk about how that works in our life. How many of you know that you're made in the very image and likeness of God? Smile. You're made in the image and likeness of God. But the Bible also says you are a sinner and your sin separates you from God. These things are both true. God gives you free will to make decisions on your own. And he's so generous. But I am not in control and never will be, but I want to be. God has made you for a purpose. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Your gifts, your experiences, your calling have created you to do something great in the world, but it's not about you. You start thinking about all these beautiful promises of God that make you smile and the ones that make you go, oh yeah, that great's on my own desire to do my own thing. And these things are both true about the wisdom of God. And then Solomon closes his book with these two verses.

So now all has been heard. Here is the conclusion of the matter. After all this writing, here we go. Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Solomon just steps back in a very calm but urgent way and said, I've done all this studying, I've done all this research, I've done this in my life experience through failure and success, and I've concluded this, that you want to live with the end in mind. That there is a fear of God that is healthy, that is holy, that will help you in your life. And maybe we can phrase it this way because the idea of fear of God is something hard for us to understand, but I want you to think about it this way. Live in awe of God. The word fear, the word reverence, the word awe have very similar connotations to them. I don't live my life afraid that every time I say or do something that God's gonna smite me, but I do live in a sense of awe that every word I say, he hears, every thought I think he can perceive, and he's gone before me, and every breath that I breathe is a gift of his,

and ultimately all of my actions will be weighed. And that gives me a soberness about how I live. Not a presumption, but a soberness of the reality of who God is and who I am. He is in heaven and I am not. He is wise and I think I am. But he's the one who's in control. And so how do we live in awe of God? I was reading something this week and two questions were posed, and I think they were really good questions about living in the awe of God. And so here's the first one. Psalm says, fear God, live in awe, and keep his commandments is the whole duty of mankind. So here's the first question. Do you live in awe of God? When was the last time that you read the Bible and you were amazed? When was the last time you approached the Bible with an expectation, God's gonna speak to me? Not how often do you read the Bible, but how do you approach the Bible? That is like a history book or book of poetry or book of prophecy, but like a love letter from God to you that it's a living and active word, and he has a word for you because that's a posture of childlikeness. It's a posture of a child looking to a father for good things.

It's a posture of relationship, and that's what it means to live in the awe of God. So if maybe you've not experienced that sense of awe, and maybe you don't read the Bible much, maybe go home and before you go to bed tonight, pray, God, give me a sense of awe. Show me something. Reveal something to me about you and myself as I read and just open the Bible and watch God speak. Second thing, when was the last time you read something in the Bible and you submitted to what it said even though it hurt, even though it required you to change? That's a pretty good test of what it means to live in the awe of God. So like, there's this person who really hurt me, and I just, I can't forgive him because you don't understand, like, it's all these things, and then you read, forgive as Christ forgave you, and now you have a choice. You let your thoughts and feelings about a situation, and you weigh them next to what God says, and you have a choice. If I live in awe of God, I submit to his way, trusting he knows best, or I keep living my own life and doing it my own way, and we can do this in 1,000. in ways, in the way we express our sexuality, in the way we deal with our money, in the way we deal with conflict,

in the way we deal with fame or trouble, allowing God's word to be of greater weight than our own opinion. And this is one way to live in the awe of God. Solomon's like, I can conclude everything I've ever learned and written the 3,000 Proverbs by this, just if you fear God and you keep his commandments, this is the whole duty of man. And then he says this, because there is a day coming we're gonna stand before God in judgment. Now, I don't know if you ever have experienced a recurring nightmare, but preachers have a recurring nightmare. I just had it two nights ago. You know what the preacher's recurring nightmare is? I'm standing up in front of all these people, you're all looking at me, and I have no idea what I'm gonna say. A preacher's biggest nightmare is, I'm unprepared for the moment. And Solomon is saying, one of the worst things that could happen in your life is for you to be unprepared for the most important event or moment in your life, and it's not a dream you can wake up from. You'd breathe your last breath, you're standing before God, and now you're gonna be judged. And what does he say?

Every deed will be brought into judgment, including everything that's hidden whether it's good or evil. Solomon says, most people spend most of their life not thinking about that most important day when their entire life is evaluated. And he's encouraging us, live with that moment in mind. It won't be a dream, you won't be able to wake up from it, it's gonna be real. Now, what does it mean to stand before God? I mean, just imagine that moment with me. You're gonna breathe your last breath, and you're gonna stand before God, and your mom's not gonna be with you, your dad's not gonna be with you, your pastor's not gonna be with you, your strong Christian friend's not gonna be with you. Like, hey, what's the answer? You can be like there. And the Bible describes this moment in very vivid detail in the book of Hebrews. Here's what it says. Hebrews chapter four, verse 13. Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. And the author of Hebrews says, that's why we wanna worship God with reverence and fear and awe, because our God is a consuming fire.

We get a description of this in the New Testament where Jesus is guiding John along and showing him this moment of final judgment that every human being will stand before God. And here's how the Bible describes it in Revelation 20. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. And the earth and the heavens fled from him, and the earth and the heavens fled from his presence and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And the books were opened and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. And then verse 15, John says, anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. Again, this is a sober moment. Solomon says it, Jesus says it, John witnesses it. There's a moment where we're all gonna stand before God and we're gonna be, our life is gonna be evaluated. And that's not something that you can put off or avoid because it's not a dream you can wake up from. And this is again where we struggle. We like to think about, well, Jesus offers us heaven, but Jesus also talks about hell. And in fact, Jesus makes one of the most dramatic and memorable statements about hell.

He says to people, don't fear the person who can kill your body. Fear the person who after your body is killed can take your body and throw your body into hell. That's the person you should fear. Who is Jesus talking about? He's not talking about the devil. He's talking about his father. And so that gives us a soberness like, whoa, eternity, it does matter. The way I decide, it does matter. Now, if you're a Christian, I want you to know that on that last day, when you stand before God, you don't have to have a fearful, dreadful feeling before God because, well, I wanna tell you about this moment for me. I know I'm gonna die and I'm gonna stand before God. And I know that my life will be evaluated. And you know what? I'm looking forward to the day with confident expectation because here's what God's not gonna say. Doug, you get in because you did more good than bad. You helped some poor people, some kids in foster care, or you were the pastor of the church, or you're a good husband or a good father, and you told more truth than lies. and sang more praise songs than profanity, so you're in. That's not gonna happen. You know how I'm getting into heaven? Because when God looks at me

and judges every deed and every thought, he's gonna see the perfect righteousness of Jesus because Jesus took my place in the great exchange on the cross. When he died for every one of my sins and all the guilt and shame of my sins, I'm not going to heaven because I'm a good person. I'm going to heaven because I'm a forgiven person, bought by the precious blood of Jesus. And so, church, I want you to know on that judgment day, the Bible says we shouldn't live in dread and fear, that perfect love casts out fear because fear has to do with judgment. But we know we've been bought with a price and we know we've repented of our sins and trust in Christ. And that's why when we take communion today, it's a beautiful celebration. But for those of you who haven't made a decision like this, this is a serious and sober moment. And so I want to give you one last invitation. Here's what God says to his people about the condition where they are and the invitation to make a different decision. "'Come now,' God says, "'let us reason together. "'Though your sins are like scarlet, "'they shall be made white as snow. "'Though they're red as crimson, "'they'll be like wool.

"'If you are willing and obedient, "'you will eat from the best of the land, "'but if you resist and rebel, "'you will be devoured by the sword. "'For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.'" If you haven't lived well, if you've lived apart from God, if maybe even today is coming to go, like, maybe I'll just do my checkbox with God. We're good, right? That's not a relationship. That's you trying to manipulate God to live your life and be okay and have him approve it. That's a whole different thing. God's not mocked. God's not fooled. God knows your thought process. He knows your motives. And he offers you. So let's reason together. Think about this with me. I have offered you heaven for free. I gave my one and only son. I love you so much. I would watch my son suffer and die so you could be forgiven, so we could be together. But I'm not gonna make you. If you choose to go this way and stand in judgment with your own deeds, you will be judged and hell will be your destiny.

But I hope that you can reason just for a moment to know my great love has pursued you. And I wanna forgive you. And if you're here today, we're not gonna have a moment where you come forward, but I'm just, in the quietness of your seat, I'm just gonna invite you. If you know you need forgiveness, if you know you need to be right, if you wanna stand before God without fear on that day and have your name be written in the book of life, you can just simply pray a prayer. Father, forgive my sin. I want to live for you. So take my guilt and shame and wash it away. Fill me with your spirit. I trust, Jesus, that you came for me. You died in my place. And I receive your forgiveness and your adoption into your family. And I pray this in Jesus' name. If you prayed that prayer, I'm gonna invite you to join us in communion. I'm gonna invite you to take out your communion elements right now. Communion is a time, as Christians, where we think about the love of God and the wisdom of God. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son to whoever believes and puts their faith and trust in him

that we don't have to perish, but we can have everlasting life. So this is not for people who aren't Christians. It's for people who say, by taking this bread and taking this cup, I acknowledge this is personal for me. And so we're gonna give you a moment to examine your heart. And I want you to examine your heart in light of the fact that you'll stand before God and nothing will be hidden from him. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 11, that we should judge ourselves as we sit at the communion table. Evaluate ourselves so that we're not judged in the future. In other words, if there's any secret sin in your life, you have a chance to repent. There's any thought process that's rebelling against God's authority in your life that you can say, God, forgive me. Help me to live for you. Maybe today you need his comfort because you've been living it rightly, but it's been difficult. I'll just invite him to be your comfort and peace. But let's just spend a moment in reflection and evaluation before our Savior. Then we're gonna come back and take the bread and the cup, and then we're gonna respond in worship and in prayer to God's good gifts. Let's take that moment to evaluate together.

Let's take that moment to evaluate together. Let's take that moment to evaluate together. You You Thank you for cross Thank you for price you Bury all my sin and shame in love you came gave Thank you for They'll Wash me in your cleansing flow Now all I know It's your forgiveness and embrace Word this See me door The throne We crown you now with many crowds You reign victorious Hi Jesus of God The darling of heaven crucified Worthy is the Worthy is the Worthy is the Worthy is the Paul says that

The treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden Christ That all the things you'd ever want to know About how to live the life That you've always wanted the life that God has for you It's hidden in the treasure of Jesus the one who made you the one who loved you if you ever wonder how much God loves you just Look at these elements. Look at the cross of Christ God loved you so much He watched his son suffer and die in your place in my place so that we could be together That he could purchase our redemption. He could pay our ransom And so we take communion today as grateful people On the night that Jesus was arrested he took this bread and he broke it. He said this is my body It's given for you every time you eat it eat it in remembrance of me. Let's remember Jesus together On That same night he took the cup and he said this cup is the new covenant in my blood it's given for you Every time you drink it remember me Let's remember Jesus together Now we have a chance to respond and so we're gonna take a few moments to respond in worship and in prayer and reflection and So welcome Jamie as he comes to lead us