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good evening everyone and welcome to the evening service at free Grace Reformed Baptist Church we're so happy you could join us this evening we're going to start things off with a call to worship so I'd ask that you turn in your Bibles to Psalm number 113. that's psalm 113. praise the Lord Praise o Servants of the Lord praise the name of the Lord blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore from the rising of the sun to its going down the lord's name is to be praised the Lord is high above all nations his glory above the heavens who is like the Lord Our God who dwells on high who humbles himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the Earth he raises the poor Out of the Dust and he lifts the needy out of the ash Heap that he may seat him with princes with the princes of his people he grants the barren woman a home like a joyful mother of children praise the Lord amen for our first hymn this evening we will be singing hymn number 224. him 224 [Music] on us [Music] foreign [Music] foreign our heavenly father we come before you this evening humbly and yet boldly Before the Throne of your grace I thank you Lord for the gift of Salvation through Christ Our Lord which you have declared to us in your holy scriptures a promise given from a God who cannot lie for its you state whoever comes to me I will surely not cast out and we thank you for this most marvelous and amazing truth I thank you Lord for this Lord's day thank you that we the Saints can gather freely together to worship and to praise you and to hurt hear your word preach to us thank you for all the saints gather here this evening you know each of us more intimately than we know ourselves you know our troubles our worries and our needs and I pray that you would bring comfort and peace to each of us I pray that you would give us an abundance of Grace and that you would increase our faith and that you would generously give us wisdom and I pray Lord that you would give us correction where we need it in our life and that you would reorient the desires of our heart to fit your will thank you for our church plants we thank you for the church in Surrey the church in Dryden and Armstrong and Honduras I pray that Lord that you would be gracious to these churches that you would bring many Sinners to Christ through them and I pray that you would give the men leading them sharpness in your word and that they would boldly and Faithfully preach the gospel to their congregations Lord we thank you for all the children here and the mothers with child I pray that you would protect these children Lord from the enemy who set so many snares to catch them and I pray Lord that you would give them all the gift of the holy spirit that they would be destined to be citizens in your Holy Kingdom and Lord we want to bring Don neufeld to this evening we know that you are a God who can and does heal and so we pray for healing for this brother we pray Lord that you would give him comfort and peace and understanding it to him and his whole family in the meantime and we also want to bring our brother John Curry to you this evening and his wife Malena as they depart this week for Honduras I pray that you would bless their travels bless their work and their time there and bless each of these precious individuals Lord and I pray Lord that you would um give us a blessed time with each other this evening and above all that we would bring glory and honor to your name and I pray this in Jesus holy name amen for our next hymn this evening we will be singing 470. it's in 470. reasons remember before [Music] foreign foreign foreign scripture reading we will be reading Numbers Chapter 18. that is the book of numbers and chapter 18 we'll be reading the entirety of the chapter then the Lord said to Aaron you and your sons and your father's hosts with you shall bear the iniquity related to the sanctuary and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity associated with your priesthood also bring with you your brethren of the tribe of Levi the tribe of your father that they may be joined with you and serve you while you and your sons are with you before the Tabernacle of witness they shall attend to your needs and all the needs of the Tabernacle but they shall not come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar lest they die they and you also they shall be joined with you and attend to the needs of the Tabernacle of meeting for all the work of the Tabernacle but an outsider shall not come near you and you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar that there may be more wrath on the children of Israel behold I myself have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel they are a gift to you given by the Lord to do the work of the Tabernacle of meeting therefore you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil and you shall serve I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death and the Lord spoke to Aaron here I myself have also given you charge of my heave offerings all the holy gifts of the children of Israel I have given them as a portion to you and your sons as an ordinance forever this shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire every offering of theirs every grain offering and every sin offering and every trespass offering which they render to me shall be most holy for you and your sons in a Most Holy place you shall eat it every male shall eat it it shall be holy to you this also is yours the heave offering of their gift with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel I have given them to you and your sons and your daughters with you as an ordinance forever everyone who is clean in your house may eat it all the best of the oil all the best of the new wine and the grain their first fruits which they offer to the Lord I have given them to you whatever first ripe fruit is in their land which they bring to the Lord shall be yours everyone who is clean in your house may eat it every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours everything that first opens the womb of All Flesh which they bring to the Lord whether man or beast shall be yours nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem and those were deemed of the devoted things you shall redeem when one month old according to your valuation for five shekels of silver according to the shekel of the sanctuary which is 20 guerras but the firstborn of a cow the firstborn of a sheep or the firstborn of a goat you shall not redeem they are holy you shall sprinkle their blood on the Altar and burn their fat as an offering made by fire for a sweet Aroma to the Lord and their flesh shall be yours just as the wave breast and the right thigh are yours all the heave offerings of the Holy things which the children of Israel offer to the Lord I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you then the Lord said to Aaron you shall have no inheritance in their land you shall nor shall you have any portion among them I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel behold I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform the work of the Tabernacle of meeting Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the Tabernacle of meeting lest they bear sin and die but the Levites shall perform the work of the Tabernacle of meeting and they shall bear their iniquity it shall be a statute forever throughout your Generations that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance for the ties of the children of Israel which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord I have given to the Levites as an inheritance therefore I have said to them among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance then the Lord spoke to Moses saying speak thus to the Levites and say to them when you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord a tenth of the tithes and your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor and as the fullness of the wine press thus you shall also offer heave offering to the Lord from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel and you shall give the Lord's heave offering from it to Aaron the priest of all your gifts you shall offer up every heave offering do to the Lord from all the best of them the consecrated part of them therefore you shall say to them when you have lifted up the best of it then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the wine press you may eat pardon me you may eat it in any place you and your household for it is your reward for your work in the Tabernacle of meeting and you shall bear no sin because of it when you have lifted up the best of it but you shall not profane the holy gifts of the children of Israel lest you die may the Lord add his Blessing to his word let's go to our Lord in prayer Heavenly Father we thank you for your Holy Scripture that's come down to us this god-breathes scripture and we pray Lord that as Pastor Kirkpatrick comes forward that you would give us eyes to see and ears to hear and that you would use him as an instrument to unveil the glories found in your word and we pray this all in Jesus holy name amen for our final hymn before the preaching I'll ask you to turn or yeah the final hymn is 455. Tim number 455. [Music] before foreign foreign yes [Music] please foreign it's good to be with you again this evening you can turn with me in your Bibles to the Book of Ecclesiastes chapter 8. I call it that most depressing book but it's very uplifting in a depressing sort of way I think I said that last time hopefully you'll see that this evening we went through that in our Surrey evening service and it was a blessing to my soul as we went through it so we're going to look at when God delays in verses 10 through 17 but I will begin reading at verse 2 to chapter 9 verse 1 to set the context it's after Proverbs if you didn't know that so Ecclesiastes chapter 8 we'll begin reading at verse 2. I say keep the king's commandment for the sake of your oath to God do not be Hasty to go from his presence do not take your stand for an evil thing for he does whatever pleases him where the word of a king is there is power and who may say to him what are you doing he who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful and a wise man's heart discerns both time and judgment because for every matter there is a time and judgment though the misery of man increases greatly for he does not know what will happen so who can tell him when it will occur no one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit and no one has power in the day of death there is no release from that war and wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it all this I have seen and applied my heart to every work that is under the sun there's a time in which one man rules over over another to his own hurt then I saw the wicked buried who had come and gone from the place of Holiness and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done this also is Vanity because descendants against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his days are prolonged yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God who fear before him but it will not be well with the wicked nor will he prolong his days which are as a shadow because he does not fear before God there is a vanity which occurs on Earth that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked again there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous I said that this also is Vanity so I commended enjoyment because a man has nothing better Under the Sun than to eat and drink and be merry for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him Unto the Sun when I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on Earth even though no one see even though one sees No Sleep day or night then I saw all the work of God that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun for though a man labors Discover it that he will not find it moreover though A wise man attempts to know it he will not be able to find it for I considered all this in my heart so that I could declare it all that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God Amen will let us pray oh God we are thankful that you are the potentate of time you are the ruler of this world and that we can put our faith and trust in you as your word says it is better to fear you even in a world full of sadness sorrow and sin and inconsistency help us o God to recognize that you're the one who governs all things who brings about all things according to your decrees and may we submit our ways unto you may we appreciate your providential providing and may we appreciate that you're the Creator who made this world in the space of six days and called it very good and have given us many good blessings temporal blessings in this world that we ought to enjoy so help us to put our faith in you help us to put our trust in you help us to submit to you and help us to appreciate those good gifts that you give to us day by day and we're thankful even more for your delayed judgment as it has led to the Salvation of many here we long for Christ to come again to judge the living and the dead but we are thankful for the promise that as you tarry it is for the South elevation of your elect so may we put our faith in you as you weigh as we wait for you may we put our trust in you that you know what's best we confess so often we think our ways are better than your ways we think our plans for our life are better than yours but help us to submit Come What May and help us to do what is right regardless of what may come may we fear you may we keep your Commandments for this is our end and may we honor you because we've been redeemed in Christ the lord and Christ the King so we ask that you give us illumination once again from unhide to better understand what your word says here and thank you for the whole counsel of God that teaches us so many things about who you are and what you've done so be with us now by your spirit we pray in the Name of Christ amen well perhaps tyrants and dictators have been on our mind perhaps over the past two years but in reality they have ruled over many centuries let's be honest in most of History most rulers are actually tyrants most rulers only care about themselves and most rulers are willing to hurt their fellow man for their own gain sometimes people live under tyrants for many years and perhaps as those people live under those tyrants they long for those tyrants to receive their due they long for those tyrants to see receive their comeuppance but for all the pain and misery that they have inflicted but unfortunately humanly speaking sometimes those tyrants get off Scot free I think this is where the preacher at is in his observations in the enigmas of life that we see Under the Sun I do believe the preacher is Solomon he's engaging in this quest to determine what is the meaning of life but he comes across vanity of vanities all his vanity or perhaps Enigma of enigmas they're just things in this world that do not make a whole lot of sense I know there are a lot of different views about the Book of Ecclesiastes but I do think the main focus and thrust of it is to teach us how we ought to wrestle with the inconsistencies in this Fallen World we have to read it with Proverbs there is this retribution aspect a man does right he receives good things Amanda's Wicked he receives bad things well Proverbs Ecclesiastes gives us that proper Nuance job gives us a proper Nuance Nuance but Ecclesiastes also gives us that proper Nuance a Nuance Vania vanities all his value what profit is there in this vain miserable sinful World in which we live in and the section seems to focus on what we do when wicked men do not receive their due and I think the problem that emerges here is the problem of death now death is a key problem throughout the book but perhaps not in the way you think you see here Death Becomes a problem because sometimes we don't think death is enough for tyrants right perhaps we think we'd rather they bleed for all the bleeding that they cause we rather they receive suffering for all the pain and sorrow that they inflicted death sometimes does not seem to be enough for their Reigns of Terror there is a delayed judgment on the part of God for the wicked and so in verses 10 through 17 the preacher observes this reality of delayed judgment but he gives us some valuable Insight in how we ought to deal with this reality of delayed judgment and we'll seek to look at those valuable insights under two headings this evening first of all we'll see it's better to fear God in verses 10 through 13 and then secondly it's better to enjoy what God gives in verses 14 through 17. God is delaying in his judgment but as we await for him well wait his return it's better to fear Him and better to take what he gives us and to enjoy what he provides so let's first look at better to fear God in verses 10 through 13. and notice we see the Injustice of the wicked unpunished in verses 10 and 11. we see the specific scenario in verse 10 then I saw the wicked buried who had come and gone from the place of Holiness in verses 2 through 9 he's talking about Kings and tyrants the power of a king but also the impotence of a king a king cannot cheat death a King still will die but there is this sad reality there is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt and so the wicked one in view in verse 10 is perhaps the funeral procession of a wicked Tyrant and we've we saw last or last time I was here we looked at Ecclesiastes seven it's better to go to the house of mourning and the reason it's better to go to the house of mourning is because at the house of mourning we stop and Ponder life well the preacher loves to flip things on its head he loves to crush all our dreams and he says well maybe it's not always great to go to the house of mourning because perhaps as we go to the house of mourning of a tyrant we are brooding rather than thinking and we are concerned with what goes on at that house it causes perplexity it causes Enigma it causes a conundrum to emerge in our hearts and our minds I saw the wicked buried and notice the first thing about the vanity of Life who had come and gone from the place of Holiness not every tyrant in history is an atheist right A lot of them go to worship and then on Monday they kill somebody right I mean that's what they do they think perhaps they're going to be able to you know you know be forgiven and atone and certainly there is forgiveness in Christ but they think they're being in that place perhaps is a way to atone for all that they have done but in history there's wickedness in history there are tyrants that come from a religious background I mean look at all the kings in Israel the northern kingdom especially they were all Wicked tyrants there was no good king in Israel there are many examples certainly in history but Wars of religion during the time of reformation comes up we William laude persecuted many of our forefathers he wanted to remove anything that wasn't High church anglicanism he went and preached on Sunday and perhaps wanted to kill a presbyterian on Monday because that's the way he Opera rated sadly tyrants and wicked people go to the place of Holiness and we know that perhaps this person or a tyrant does not consider the sacredness of the house of the Lord that comes up in Ecclesiastes five not to be rash with our mouth as we enter the house of God we ought not to engage in frivolous vows as we enter into the house of God we enter with reverence and certainly rejoicing but rejoicing with trembling so there is that conundrum he went to the place of Holiness he went to the house of the Lord but he was a tyrant and wicked I saw the wicked buried who had come and gone from the place of Holiness this is where it really gets frustrating and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done not that he that he has forgotten all together although yes when someone dies they're forgotten for the most part all together but perhaps it is the case that at the funeral the people forget all the wicked things that he did if you're like me sometimes when time passes we forget the darker side of people right I used to live in America for three years I love Americans for the most part but I missed Canada because Americans were loud and obnoxious I'll give you an example usually on a Sunday school time period Whenever there was a time for question answer American just gave their opinion right but in Canada when there's a question answer period Canadians ask a question I thought I liked that a little bit more I love Americans by the way but I was very grumpy when I lived there now I look back on it with fondness yeah I love Americans they're free it's great we love them wish I could be there well you do the same I'm sure with certain things in life things seem not so dark Mark the more you're away from that dark period and perhaps unfortunately sometimes people begin to praise tyrants and become blinded by their atrocities at their funeral kidner says the dictator or the corrupt Tycoon may have bent the rules it will be said but after all they got things done they had Flair they lived in style this also is Vanity and Enigma because they did not receive their judgments they did not receive their due death wasn't enough so then how ought to we apply this if it's the case that a wicked Tyrant gets off humanly speaking scot-free well when the judgment is delayed it promotes wickedness notice verse 11. because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the sons of man is fully set in them to do evil and certainly delayed judgment can have a human aspect they don't receive their comeuppance in court or other such sort of situations but also the Divine judgment and view what is God doing why didn't they receive it why are they just seemingly getting off for what they have done and let's be honest in modern times we all struggle with immediate uh satisfaction we want things satisfied immediately even with things of Justice with things of Justice take time we have to wait we have to be patient we have to trust God in his Providence that he is doing things for a specific purpose so we all struggle with that we want people to receive their due but unfortunately it doesn't always happen in the timing that we would like and so perhaps if the Tyrant can get away with it the rest of people might start to think well why don't I just live wickedly because nothing seems to be happening I can do wickedness but lightning doesn't strike I can engage in debauchery and commit a crime but no one seems to be punishing me this is what the preacher observes they set their hearts to do evil because that judgment was not executed speedily man seeks out his own devices and gratifies his own flesh and that delayed judgment seems to exp bring about uh bring that and exacerbate that as well because it was not executed speedily they set their heart to do evil so there's this conundrum there's this situation but thankfully the preacher tells us something better even in the face of delayed judgment it is always better to fear God there is always goodness in fearing God and not engaging in wickedness this is verses 12 and 13. and again there's that tension it's the focus of God's people the the the that we wrestle with this tension there is sin there is hardship there's Enigma and what are we to do fear God doesn't always take away that tension and sin and Enigma and the difficulties of a fallen world but what are we to do fear God that's it fear God and keep his Commandments is the main point of the whole book not to solve all the world's problems but to be faithful to what God has for us and so we ought to fear Him He says though a sinner does evil a hundred times and as days are prolonged yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God who fear before him that's the end of the matter that comes up in chapter five or seven we ought to fear God that is put our faith and trust in him trust in his ways rather than man's ways the preacher in his quest isn't just bare observation but he has the Covenant God in view he is Solomon the king of Israel he has the old Covenant he is observing all the ways of the world certainly as he observes how the world works but also has Covenant eyes he puts his faith in trust in God it is still better even in a fallen world put our trust in God and Israel again had its fair share of wicked Kings what's he saying put your trust in God and perhaps a good application for the Book of Ecclesiastes would have been when Israel was in Exile under you know Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus and Darius and all those Wicked tyrants what's the best thing to do fear God and keep his Commandments that is what we are called to do not to change the world not even sure certainly it's okay to write to our mlas I'm not against that certainly voting is good but if there's a tyrant yes we obey God rather than man but for the most part there's going to be a tyrant so what do we do fear God keep his Commandments it will still be better for those who fear Him Now thankfully God is going to bring his Justice verse 13 but it will not be well with the wicked nor will you prolong his days which are as a shadow life goes just like that right life is but a shadow and he even the wicked's Life Will Go quickly because he does not fear before God it is better for those who fear God Matthew Henry says it is the happiness of all that fear God that in the worst of times it shall be well with them their happiness in God's favor cannot be prejudiced nor their communion with God interrupted by their troubles they are in a good case for they are kept in a good frame under their troubles and in the end they shall have a blessed deliverance from and an abundant recompense for their troubles they shall be saved they shall be redeemed and their enemies shall receive their just comeuppance they shall receive their due it shall come to pass but it is delayed the preacher also says this in 317 and the police says in 316 there's this Injustice in the world in the place of judgment there was wickedness but verse 17 God shall judge the righteous and the wicked for there is a time for every purpose and for every work so brethren we must always fear God it is always better to fear God in a difficult Fallen World even when God delays it is a filial loving fear a recognition of who God is and what he has done and certainly will impact some of that with respect to what he gives us in the next few verses but this really is a valuable important command that God gives a valuable word that God gives in such a difficult world isn't the world difficult does it bring pain and sorrow and suffering when you see everything happening and you deal with all the things that you're dealing with in your own life what are we to do well fear God faithfulness is what he's called us to again we can't solve all the world's problems but God has called us to be faithful faithful Christians they thought spouses faithful parents faithful workers in our occupation that's the life God has called us to live faithfulness in the mundane in fact in Ecclesiastes 11 he talks about the value of diligence but it's Soul crushing he says we don't know the works of God who makes everything so here's what you do in the morning sow your seed in the evening do not withhold your hand for you do not know which which will prosper either this or that or whether both or like will be good we really don't know what tomorrow is going to bring so we work hard today that's what he is saying isn't he we are not going to know what happens tomorrow and I'll unpack that more as we go through but the reality is this is how much we know about what tomorrow is going to bring nothing we have plans we have certain things but God is the one who brings about those plans we have this much control about what's going to happen tomorrow so we just ask God to help us today I mean Jesus says that don't worry about tomorrow for today has its troubles and what are we to do fear God it is better to fear God when his judgment is delayed so that's better to fear God but also better to enjoy what God gives in verses 14 through 17. enigmas continue to abound and verse 14 certainly clashes with Proverbs sometimes Proverbs in Ecclesiastes are in sync sometimes they Clash not as though that they're against one another but it gives us a nuanced understanding of life in proverbs 10 verse 7. the preacher I guess Solomon same guy says the memory of the righteous is blessed but the name of the wicked will rot well that's perplexing because he says that all the bad things of the wicked one in Ecclesiastes 8 are forgotten well this same sort of line of reasoning or or the clash with Proverbs comes in verse 14. there's a vanity which occurs on Earth that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked and again there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous I said that this also is Vanity just men die and sometimes just men die too young humanly speaking the fear of God doesn't change that God has appointed a day wherein we all shall die and it may be the case that one may die young we might do everything right but we might perceive a wicked or a Unbecoming sort of death the wicked men Prosper while the righteous seem to suffer the wicked men don't seem to receive their comeuppance as long as they lives but they will receive theirs this also is Vanity perplexity enigmas sorrow see I told you this book is very depressing but also very comforting and so it's certainly it's better to fear God but in a world of Sadness and Sorrow and suffering what's good for man verse 15. so I commended enjoyment because a man has nothing better Under the Sun than to eat and drink and be merry for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the Sun what ought then we to do in this Fallen World enjoy some of the good things that God gives to us again the preachers putting things side by side he's not solving all the tension but he's saying life is hard life is full of conundrums and vanity so it's okay to enjoy a little bit that is what I think he is saying mirth is good and he said it throughout the book in Chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 5 chapter 7 chapter 8 chapter 9 chapter 11 God has given us good things and good gifts in this Fallen present age even temporal gifts that are a blessing from him Henry again says then I commended Joy a holy security and serenity of Mind arising from a confidence in God and his power Providence and promise because a man has no better thing under the sun though a good man has much better things above the Sun than to eat and drink that is soberly and thankfully to make use of the things of this life according as his rank is and be cheerful whatever happens for that shall abide with him of his labor you live a vain miserable life and so when God gives you a good thing it's okay to enjoy it you don't have to feel guilty if someone makes you a nice steak you don't have to feel guilty if you have a little bit of cake on your birthday certainly the point is don't have five cakes on your birthday but a little bit of cake is perfectly fine you see it's based on a robust doctrine of creation God made this world and he made it good what does he say to Adam here's Delicious Fruit eat what does he say to Noah here's some meat you can enjoy eat and so Brethren it is perfectly fine to enjoy things that God gives to us as long as it isn't prohibited or illegal and as long as it doesn't cause you to sin if it cause you to sin don't do it but the hope is we grow in maturity to recognize the good gifts God gives now there is certainly a new testament a section that deals in a similar way in first Timothy chapter four as Paul is dealing with Heretics in every every letter but these Heretics were saying were abstaining from marriage and saying you couldn't eat certain foods that God gives but he says in verse 3 of First Timothy 4 . they're saying to these ones that the Heretics are saying to abstain from foods which God created to be received with Thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth for every creature of God is good and nothing is to be refused if it is received with Thanksgiving for it is Sanctified by the word of God In Prayer well that's saying pray before you eat something and thank God for that gift that God has given you and enjoy it don't feel bad about it because tomorrow might be a bad day so enjoy the things that God has given to you today in fact in Chapter 70 says in the day of prosperity be joyful but in the day of adversity consider actually God has appointed the one as well as the other and then in chapter 9 2 he says we're all going to die and then in chapter nine he goes on to say live joyfully with the wife of your youth all the vain life in which you live eat your bread and enjoy for God has accepted it and it's based on that robust doctrine of creation doctrine of creation isn't just for apologetics in fact that should be the last thing that it's used for it teaches us who God is Creator he's what we are the creature and tells us what he made in this world and called good even in a fallen World God has still gives temporal blessings brain fruitful Seasons gladness acts that's Acts chapter 14. Our Father who gives has the rain fall upon the just and the unjust God gives temporal blessings that we can enjoy because the world we live in sucks that is what the preacher is saying I mean he gives us again he crushes us but uplifts us all at the same time there's going to be enemies there's going to be sadness in joy in fact I love what Psalm 23 says in others those passages you read all the time and then someone points out something to you like oh yeah that's exactly what it's been saying the whole time but I didn't realize that for 10 years well in Psalm 23 I can't remember the specific verse but he says you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies Davis pointed what it means what he pointed out to me what it means and notice prepare a table in the presence of my enemies you think if enemies were surrounding it's a snack or a grab and go I gotta hurry but the table is prepared and you can have a four course meal as your enemies are all around that's what God does for us in a world of sadness sorrow and enemy is God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies we ought to not scoff at the good things he gives when we live in a world filled with pain and misery and suffering he gives us good things all are from him so enjoy eat and drink for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun but we must also submit to the work of God which he does Under the Sun verses 16 and 17. well wickedness is still troubling even if we enjoy a good meal verse 16 when I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on Earth even though one sees No Sleep day or night you might have a good meal but you're not going to sleep tonight that's what he's saying because there's so much sadness in fact in chapter one of Ecclesiastes as he's engaging in his quest he's like I sought wisdom but I only found grief and the reason he's found grief is because you seek to find out the meaning of life and to know what is right and how to live you're going to inevitably see wickedness and Sadness and Sorrow and that's what he found it only led to grief not wisdom but Folly as well and so it might leave one Sleepless Bartholomew says like us the preacher confesses that God's judgment will set matters right but there is still the question of how to live the present that remains unsolved sometimes yes better to fear God yes better to enjoy but we still struggle with God's Providence we're Calvinists we believe that God is Sovereign we believe in his Providence yet we freak out when anything happens we did not expect right we're not very good practical Calvinists we're not also very good practical total depravity Believers either I mean people sin still right people do Terrible Things We ought to remember that aspect of the doctrine as well but we're all good in theory but we're really bad in practice with those very things there's trouble there's trouble there's wickedness there's sadness and so what I'll wait to do submit to the wise God verse 17. then I saw all the work of the god that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun we don't know what God is doing providentially yes we know he's saving Sinners yes we know he's working all things for his glory but in the day-to-day and what tomorrow brings or the next hour brings we have no idea God is in control God is the one who is the potentate of time and he is the one who makes everything beautiful in its time and that comes from Ecclesiastes 3 where perhaps you know that that those verses there there's a time to everything there is a season a time for every purpose under Heaven he talks about all these contrasts born die plan pluck kill heal bail a breakdown build up we laugh more and dance Cast Away gather Embrace refrain gain lose keep throw away tear so keep silent speak love hate War peace and he says something that bothers us verse 11. he has made everything beautiful in its time God makes everything beautiful in its time and that's certainly all those things we see in verses one through eight are in View and also he's put eternity in their hearts except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end and look what he says well I know that nothing is better for them than to Rejoice do good in their lives so that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor for this is the gift of God we must submit to God's providences submit to his unfolding work we don't always like how things unfold at least to us but we must trust in him whether we labor for it or ponder it we're never going to find out what tomorrow brings he says for though a man verse 17 of chapter 8 labors to discover it yet he will not find it over though A wise man attempts to know it he will not be able to find it we might try but we shall fail and so it's best to submit God to God's Providence for his Providence is the pillow in which we rest our heads so it's always better to submit to his will with Thanksgiving it is better to enjoy what he gives providentially but also better to submit to him providentially as well and let's be honest everything we have is a gift from God everything we have is a gift from God temporal Eternal everything we have is a gift from God and so we ought to praise him and honor him and give him Thanksgiving and recognize where everything comes from it's always better to submit to his will with Thanksgiving there is a time for everything under Heaven We ought to know better as the Covenant people of God sometimes we still freak out but we can be reminded that God is providentially guiding all things for his purposes we must fear Him and submit to his wise judgments even when he delays now there is some good news about God's delay when it comes to his judgment it's not all doom and gloom all the time but certainly there is the hope that God will come again to judge the living and the dead and the enemies of God's people will receive their comeuppance that is certainly true but the thing I want to focus in on here is God's grace in his delayed judgment here's why his delay is a good thing without God's delay there is no gospel is there God did not just strike Adam down as soon as he ate from that fruit what happened Genesis 3 15. the seed of the woman will crush the head of the seed of the serpent God is patient and long-suffering in his delay for the Salvation of wretched Sinners if God struck us down the first sin we committed we'd be one second old that's the first thing but then we would have died in our sins Paul would have died as a murderer Peter a denier you a whatever but God's delay in his judgment has led to the Salvation of his elect Bridges says the ordinary course is to give the sinner time and space for repentance to open to him a day of Grace and this is exactly what Peter says in second Peter 3 8 we're looking for a new heavens and new earth the day of the Lord shall come like a thief in the night but he says in verses 8 and 9. but beloved do not forget this one thing that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is one day the Lord is not slapped concerning his promise as some count slackness but his long-suffering toward us not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance this is what God is doing as his judgment is delayed it leads the salvation of wretched Sinners through faith in Christ Jesus as God's appointed day continues to be uh we wait for that day to come God's delay can lead us to perplexity but thankfully God's delay leads to the Salvation of Sinners well let's pray O Lord our god there are so many hardships and things that give us trouble and perplexity in this Fallen World in which we live so often it seems as though your enemies the enemies of your people are getting off without just do it seems as though the ones who persecute your people are getting off without receiving what they deserve yet we know oh God you can even bring Salvation to these ones and we certainly pray for those who persecute your people that they would be saved but if not we pray that you would give them according to their due we're thankful that you shall avenge your elect to cry out to you day and night though you bear with us long thank you for these promises that shall happen for your people we're also thankful Our God for your delay that's led to the Salvation of many here that you've brought about salvation through the preaching of your good news for every sin we have committed for one sin we have committed we are deserving of everlasting judgment yet we are thankful and we pray you that you have delayed that one day you shall come again to judge the living and the dead but we are thankful that that day has not come just yet for it has led to the Salvation of many and we pray that we continue to lead the salvation of your elect thank you for your promise that all those who are yours shall not be snatched from your hands and we certainly long for you to come quickly but we pray that as you tarry that it would lead to the Salvation of your people help us to fear you help us to trust you help us to submit to your will in all things in this Fallen difficult World in which we live but we certainly long for the new heavens and new earth help us to appreciate the temporal blessings that you give to us thank you that they are our types and our examples of the far greater spiritual blessings that we have in Christ you give good things in this world you give good things according to the world to come you are a God who Delights to do good things for your people so may we praise you may we trust you may we appreciate all the things you've done for us everything is a gift and we pray that you be honored and glorified this night we pray these things in the Name of Christ amen but we'll close the brief time meditation the pianos finished you are dismissed