Lessons From Proverbs
Ecclesiastes: Life in a Broken World • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewSermon 12 in a series through the Book of Ecclesiastes
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Psalm of the Day: Psalm 51
Psalm of the Day: Psalm 51
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:19-21
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:19-21
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Sermon:
Sermon:
Good Morning Church!
I was Glad when they said to me let us go and worship in the house of the Lord!
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Speaker 1
00:00
Well, good morning church. I was glad when they said to me, let us go and worship in the house of the Lord. Well to just dive into it this morning. The passage that we will be looking at today is the longest that we will look at in this entire series through Ecclesiastes.
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We are looking at Ecclesiastes chapter 5 verse 8. Through chapter 6, verse 12, which is actually the end of chapter six. So more than one and a half chapters of Ecclesiastes is on the docket for today. But why would I do this first? Answer crazy and a glutton for punishment.
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But the real answer is, when we look at this, what we will see is one unit that's designed to teach us one very important lesson. But what will be beautiful is how Solomon chooses to teach us, This lesson. And here we can sort of stop, and take a step back and think about where in Solomon's life, would he be when he's writing the book of Ecclesiastes.
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And it's towards the end of his life. It's after he spent all of his life building and gaining and making mistakes and learning new things. And so now it is as if why Solomon wisest to ever live. Sits down and he's going to give us. Bits of wisdom lessons that he's learned.
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But he does it in a very classic sort of Old guy sitting around type away. He doesn't just say here's your lesson. Instead he will give us Proverbs Wise sayings. Things that he's learned that he then gives to us in such a way or, you know, A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush sort of thoughts.
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He'll give it to us in Proverbs. But in this what we will see is the lessons that he's teaching us point to one important thing, which is ultimately How can we live? The way he told us to live last week, So just to remind us because it's been seven whole days since we heard our sermon from last week.
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Solomon was teaching us in the beginning of chapter five. How we are to worship that we should guard our steps. When we go near to the house of the Lord, that that we must be obedient that how we live. We must do what we say before God and ultimately the end lesson was we must fear God.
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Fear here in a sort of reverent, humble, awe, and wonder, as we bring our Praises before him. But what does that look like? In your life. How do you live that out and and what does a life lived in? Holy fear of God, end up looking like And here we'll have a lot of lessons.
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The way we're going to approach this large passage is a little different. But in order to do that, right? I'm going to break what's in one sense. The Cardinal rule of reading, scripture to start your sermon. You're not supposed to read passages this long, but I want us to get the whole picture before we pick it apart.
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So we're going to read the whole thing at once. If you have your Bible follow along, if you don't have a Bible, you can pull up an app. If you don't have an app, there's Bibles in the back. So you can follow along with this because it's a lot.
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I don't want you to get lost Ecclesiastes, chapter 5. Starting in verse eight. And we're gonna go all the way through chapter six, this morning. If you see in a province, the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice, and righteousness do not be amazed at the matter.
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For the high official is watched by a hire. And there are yet higher ones over them. But this is gained for a land in every way. A king committed to cultivated Fields. He who loves money will not be satisfied with money. Nor he who loves wealth with his income, this also is Vanity.
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When Goods increase, they increase who eat them. And what advantage is has their owner but to see them with his eyes. Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. There is a grievous evil that I have seen Under the Sun.
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Riches were kept by their owners to his hurt. And those riches were lost in a bad Venture and he is father of a son but he has nothing in his hand and he came from his mother's wound and he shall go again naked as he came and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand.
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This is also a grave, a grievous evil just as he came. So shall he go and what gain is there to him? Who toils for the wind moreover? All his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger. 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.
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The few days of his life that God has given him. For this is his law. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy him 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.
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There is an evil that I have seen Under the Sun and it lies, heavy on mankind. A man to whom God gives wealth possessions and honor so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires yet. God does not give him power to enjoy them but a stranger enjoys them.
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This is Vanity. It is a grievous evil. If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years so that the days of his years are many, But his soul is not satisfied with life Goods things and he also has no burial. I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.
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For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness and in darkness, its name is covered Moreover, it has not seen the Sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he Even though he should live a thousand years twice over yet, enjoy, no good. Do not all. Go to one place.
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All the toil of man is for his mouth yet. His appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage has the wise man over the fool. And what does the poor man have? Who knows how to conduct himself before the living? Better is the sight of eyes of the wandering or better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite.
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This also is Vanity and is striving after wind. Whatever has come has already been named and it is known what man is and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. The more words, the more vanity and what advantage, and what is the advantage to man for, who knows what is good for a man while he lives for the few days of his vain life was he?
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Which he passes like a shadow. For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun. These are the words of the Lord for us. This morning. Many words. But they are for us. Let's open with a word of prayer. Dear Lord. We thank you for today.
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And we thank you for the wisdom that you have given to us in your word. I pray that you would teach us, give us ears to hear and eyes to see. Help us to. Hear your word and be changed. May we live out the truth of all that you have said through the empowering work of your spirit because of the work of your son, Our Savior Jesus Christ.
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Our Lord, may you be pleased to me with us this morning. Speak through your word and speak through your servant. It's in Jesus name that we pray. Amen. And amen. Well, as I said, that's a lot. But what I wanted us to hear, is this sort of these just sound like, wise sayings.
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This is better, this is what I saw as vanity. You should do this. This is what this is like, it feels if you ever just sat down and read through the Book of Proverbs, this is a lot of what Proverbs often feels like, you know, some ways they feel connected.
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These also feel a little disconnected. Where are we going with all of this? And I would argue when we take a step back and see this whole passage in, Sort of big chunk, the structure begins to come through?
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There's a special type of structure that I'm going to draw out here. Those who have come on Sunday nights working through the Psalms may be familiar with this type of structure, The structure. It's beautiful. It's where I get these points, but I don't think it's super important. What's important is that we see the truth that Solomon is getting us to see.
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And so the first thing I want us to see is to understand. That this passage contains Proverbs on Justice. We just talked about fearing the Lord. And immediately Solomon's going to talk about Justice. God is the one you must. Fear is how we ended verse 7. But how did we start this morning?
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If you see in a province, the oppression of the poor and a violation of Justice, and righteousness. You should fear God. But then we get almost Whiplash whip switching over to but But, While you're fearing God, if you see oppression, if you see violations of justice, and righteousness, If you see things that aren't going the way that they should, Don't be amazed.
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Don't be surprised. You shouldn't be shocked when the poor are oppressed and people are wicked. That's the way the world works. Don't be amazed at this thing. Don't go around thinking, how is it possible that the poor are being oppressed? That's what happens. Do not be amazed, but then know this.
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The one who is oppressing. There's one above him, still But what if you might be thinking The one who's above him still is also oppressing. Right? We can think of it in our kind of local terms. What if my mayor is not doing a great job and the poor are being oppressed.
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Well, there's still the state legislature. But what if I live in the state that's ranked 49th or 50th in all the things that matter?
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Well, there's still a federal government. But what if the federal government is making mistakes? And what if the federal government is doing the same things that take advantage of the poor? And there is a violation of justice. And righteousness, there's still a higher authority God is the ultimate Authority.
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There's always someone higher. When Desiree and I first got married, we had some issues with a certain unnamed Hospital in town. We felt taken advantage of because we were taking advantage of by the billing department of this hospital. And I learned very quickly. This is a wonderful tool. You're talking to someone.
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They're giving you the runaround they refuse to help you say can I talk to your boss? Well, I don't, I want to talk to your boss. You can't help me. You won't help me. I need to speak with your boss. Get transferred to the boss, their boss won't help you.
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Well, let me talk to your box. Their box won't help you eventually in having these conversations over, multiple phone calls. The person said Well, my boss is the president of the hospital. My response was I didn't ask who they were. I said, I wanted to talk to them if you guys will not fix this problem.
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I'll take care of it and magically when you get that high up and you start threatening these things. People start to apologize and things kind of get taken care of. Someone always has a boss. And so, we get to this note verse 9. But this is game for Elaine in every way.
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A king committed to cultivated Fields. Here's the point of this verse, which verse 7 is, a very difficult verse to translate from the Hebrew. The ESV even has that if you look at the the footnote it says, the meaning of this Hebrew verse is uncertain. Here's the gist. I think maybe the exact wording is hard, but here's the point that Solomon's making in this verse
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Justice is important because everyone has a boss, God, the ultimate Authority. Therefore, Cultivate your Fields, take care of those less fortunate, be fruitful with what you have serve the Lord with all that you have. Because we can come to the end and see the same sorts of thoughts that when there's Justice and things aren't going, right?
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Ultimately, what we need to do is look to God. Chapter 6, verse 10, whatever has come to be, has already been named? What is known? And it is known what man is and he's not able to dispute with one stronger than he. Here's the point. You have a place?
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And sometimes the place you have there are people above you stronger than you to go back to my hospital example. Sometimes you've been there and that's the position you're stuck in is paying this bill. And the hospital has much more weight and power than I do especially back then.
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And you can't dispute at some point. You just have to take your lumps. It doesn't feel just. But with more words, the more vanity and what advantages to man for, who knows we have this question Solomon asked us who knows question For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which passes in vain or when she passes like a shadow?
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Again, the answer is hidden, God knows. So when you see Injustice, don't be amazed. Try to live a just life. Try to cultivate the fields if you're the king, your best bet is to take care of everyone under your control. But you know, you can't fight with people stronger than you.
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And everyone has someone above them. And the more words the more vanity so be content because who knows God knows. And so ultimately, this is the lesson Proverbs on Justice. The goal here isn't to teach us. To be just and do stuff. That's maybe a side goal, the real goal is to teach us.
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Contentment Everyone has a boss. God will take care of it. The king should cultivate his Fields, God will take care of his people. There's someone stronger than you and you can't fight against them but ultimately God is stronger than all. Who knows? God knows. So, be content. The lesson here is that though.
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We see Injustice though, we see these pains. We can still be content knowing that. God is God because we going back to verse 7 of chapter 5 fear, God. Humble. Awe, and reverence. Worship to God. Help. Teach us content. So then we move to work. Verse 10, he who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income.
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This also is Vanity. When Goods increase, they increase who eat them and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes. Sweets is the sleep of a laborer. Whether he's little or much, but the full stomach of the rich man will not let him. Sleep. If you love money.
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Money will never fill the hole in your life and you will never be satisfied. If you love wealth, your income will never be big enough so that you have everything that you want, this is Vanity. Because the more you work to have, the more you have to work to keep it, this is the idea of verse 11.
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This is how we get to this idea of work. When Goods increase, they increase who eat them. The more money, your business makes the more employees, you have to hire the more trouble, you're going to have the more money you have to make to pay the more employees that you have and it keeps going and going and going.
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And all you can do is look at this as your money comes in and goes out. So, instead work. And be content. Spoiler alerts. This is going to be the lesson again. Sweet. Is the sleep of a laborer. Whether he eats little or much. But the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.
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It's better to just work hard. And even if you go to bed hungry, if you worked hard, you'll still fall asleep. But if you're rich, you just eat and eat and eat. You go to bed with a tummy? Ache. You got to get up and use the restroom 13 times.
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Over the course of the night, your full stomach will not let you sleep. It's better to work. And be content with what you have. Don't keep trying to grasp and gain because the more you grasp and gain the more problems, Verse 7 of chapter 6. All the toil of man is for his mouth yet.
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His appetite is not satisfied. All the work you do to, to fill your mouth to fill your stomach. You will eventually be hungry again. Your appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage has the wise men over the fool. And what does the poor man have? Who knows how to conduct himself before the living?
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Here's the thought of contentment. Verse 9. Better is the site of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite. Be content with what you have. And what you see? With what you can get. Your appetite wandering to seek to get more will always leave you in these problems where you wish you had more and you want to get more and you think you can get more and you think you deserve more and you ultimately won't have Anymore.
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To not be content. Verse 9 of chapter 6 says is striving. After wind is vanity. So fear the Lord. What he gives you. Move work. We're starting to stumble upon. What does it mean to be content? Contentment is living in the fear of the Lord and understanding what you have comes from his hand.
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And so as we work, as we toil as we struggle as we go through this life, Be content. But what if I get reward? Well. It turns out the Proverbs on reward teach us that these rewards may be a bit of a mixed bag. Verse 13 of chapter 5, This or there is a Grievous evil that I have seen Under the Sun.
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Wait David, you said reward? Yes, I know. There is a grievous evil that I have seen Under the Sun riches were kept by their owner to his hurt. And those riches were lost in a bad Venture. We'll go through and he'll explain, there's this guy. He he had a son But because he lost his money, he has nothing in his hand and nothing to give his son.
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Naked. He came into the world naked. He will leave it. This is evil. And here's the point, the rewards that we get, if we are not careful, can end up destroying us. Also working just for the reward. Won't get you much. This also verse 16 is a grievous evil.
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Just as he came. So, shall he go? And what gain is there to him who toils for the wind moreover, all his days? He eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger. He works hard. He makes a lot. You can't take it with him. One of the working titles for this sermon when I was getting ready for this series was The richest man in the cemetery.
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Still has nothing. You're in a box. In the ground. You know, the famous Pastor joke, I've never seen a Hertz carrying a U-Haul. Or a towing, a U-Haul. The idea of reward here is, if we hold on too tight, the tragedy here, is he keeps his riches, that's what ends up hurting him and then what he does, keep, he loses it all in a bad Venture.
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Some foolish financial decision.
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Verse 6 or chapter 6:1 rather. Gives us the flip side of this as well. There is an evil that I have seen under the sun and it lies, heavy on mankind. A man to whom God gives wealth possessions and honor I would call that a reward. So that he lacks nothing of all that he desires.
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That's a big reward. Yet. God does not give him the power to enjoy them but a stranger enjoys them. This is Vanity. The lesson here on rewards in some sense, is that You got to be careful because every reward is not what it seems and just because you think you're working for some reward It might not be as good as you think.
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Verse three, if a man fathers a hundred children lives many years, So the days of his years are many but his soul is not satisfied with life's good things and he has no burial. I say that a stillborn child. Is better off than he. This is brutal. What Solomon is saying here?
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We often think, and especially when Solomon's writing in the times of the Old Testament, the thought was blessed is the one who has tons of kids whose quiver is full of arrows. But here's a man who has a hundred arrows, a hundred kids, but if he is not satisfied with what he has, it would be better if he had never lived a day in his life.
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It's rough.
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Because the one who the stillborn child spoken of here. Comes in Vandy goes in darkness. It has not seen the Sun or known anything yet. They find rest. And this man with a hundred kids, For obvious reasons has no rest but even spiritually speaking. Emotionally speaking. He has no rest.
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Even if he should live a thousand years twice, over this man lives 2, 000 years. If you can't enjoy his reward.
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What point does he have? He's still dead. What does this teach us? Contentment.
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Be happy with the reward. You have. Whatever it is. Whatever it is that you have. Don't hold it. So tightly that it ends up hurting you, that was chapter 5 verse 13. Don't risk it all in some bad Venture. Enjoy it. So you enjoy it with your kids. He's the father of somebody has nothing in his hand instead as a father share with your child, as a parent share with your child, what reward you have been given Enjoy the children, you have, if you have one or a hundred enjoy them, Whatever you have whatever God has given you.
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Be satisfied, be content. This is the message of Solomon. We begin to see what he's been trying to teach us this whole book. Just trying to grasp it for more wisdom and live, a more wise life. If you're never content, you won't get there. Hard work. Is not the meaning of life that's vanity.
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Because if you're not content, you won't get there. All of these things. He's talked about, contentment lies at the middle of it and what are we content with? It's knowing that God is God. Here's the point. Here's what he wants us to see. He's going to help us answer a question.
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How can I be content? Okay. There's Injustice, I need to be content. How can I be content? I need to work, but but work can lead to more problems. I just I need to work and be content. How do I be content? God will give reward. I will have reward.
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There will be some reward for my labor something. How do I be content? Ecclesiastes chapter 5, Verse 18 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.
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This is his lot. How do I be content, whatever. Work God has placed in front of you, do it. Find enjoyment in it. Enjoy where you are at. It is good and fitting to where you are. Where God has placed you find your contentment there. Even if it's toil for a few short days and that's what you have.
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That's what God gave you be content. Verse 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 a gift of God.
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Whether you're rich. Whether you're poor. Realize the gifts that God has given you. All of this comes from the hand of God. For he will not much remember verse 20, the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. God gives to us joy.
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How do I be content? This is how I would say these are not my words. I am not clever enough to think this up.
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What Solomon says is. Basically. If you're poor. Fine, enjoyment in your toil. And if you're rich find enjoyment in your toil, this comes from the hand of God. How can I be content?
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Philippians chapter 4, verse 11, not that I am. Speaking of being in need For, I have learned in whatever situation I am in. To be content. I know how to be brought low. And I know how to abound In any and every circumstance. I have learned the secret of facing plenty.
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And hunger. Abundance. And, I can do all things. Through him. Who strengthens me?
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How you find, contentment. You live in light of who Christ is and what he's done. That's what these lessons from the Proverbs all. Teach us. Let's pray.