← ArchiveEcclesiastesEcclesiastes – Spiritual Déjà vu (Ecclesiastes 12:1-8)DateJuly 28, 2024SpeakerDr Josh BurnhamTextEcclesiastes 12:1–8Passages in this sermonEcclesiastes 124:19Ephesians 2:2010:05Exodus 1212:09Exodus 812:29Ecclesiastes 12:1224:11TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00The End The End0:30The End If you are sitting in the bleachers, we have seats near the front.1:00I warn you because I don't have a TV in front of me with a timer today. So just know this is your warning. If you sit on the bleachers and you are sore at the end of the service, you get what you get and you don't pitch a vets.1:26So there are seats. There's at least probably 20, 30 seats up here in the front. So I'm not, I don't, I ignore that. So today we conclude a series in the book of Ecclesiastes we've called Pursuing the Wind, Chasing the Wind. And Ecclesiastes reminds us all that if we put our hope in things that moth can destroy,1:53if we put our hope in things that rust can tear down, if we put our hope in things that floods can remove, then we live lives where we chase the wind and find nothing. If you've been tracking with us any length of time, today is going to feel like deja vu. You might know what that feels like. Maybe you've walked into a place before,2:22or you've talked to someone and you walk into that location, or you smell the smell and you think, I've been here before. This sounds familiar. You look familiar. Maybe you're like me and you just forget people. And you actually have had that conversation with them before. So deja vu is the French word that means to see again. And if you've been in Ecclesiastes with us, or if you've read the book, this will sound familiar in verse 8 of chapter 12. So we are at the end of Ecclesiastes.2:51Absolute futility. Says the teacher. Everything is futile. That is the summation of this book in the Old Testament. People have called this inclusio, which is a Hebrew construct for a literary device in the Old Testament. Inclusio is like an entrance and an exit to the same hallway.3:19This is the entrance and the exit to the book of Ecclesiastes. You entered with everything is futile, and we leave with everything is still futile. Some have called this the cover of a beautiful book that draws you in. You might say, well, this is not so beautiful to me. You're telling me nothing makes sense? No, I'm telling you that if you are longing for meaning on this earth without Jesus Christ,3:45you will never find what you're looking for. You can chase the wind, but you can never catch it. So today, the sermon is called Spiritual Déjà Vu. And may we ask the Lord again to help us see. In French, Déjà Vu means to see again. Help us see again, Your Majesty. Help us see again, Your glory. Help us pursue Jesus, not chase the wind.4:15Join me reading the book of Ecclesiastes 12, 1 through 8 today. Verse 1 reads, So remember your Creator in the days of your youth. Before the days of adversity come, and the years approach, when you say, I have no delight in them. Before the sun and the light are darkened, and the moon and the stars,4:45and the clouds return after the rain. On the day when the guardians of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, the women who grind grain cease because they are few. And the ones who watch through the windows see dimly. The doors at the street are shut while the sound of the mill fades. When one rises at the sound of a bird, and the daughters of song grow faint. Also, they are afraid of heights and dangers on the road.5:15Almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper loses its spring, and the caper berry has no effect. For the mere mortal is headed to his eternal home. And mourners will walk around in the street. Before the silver cord is snapped, and the gold bowl is broken, the jar is shattered at the spring, and the wheel is broken into the well. The dust returns to the earth as it once was,5:42and the Spirit returns to God who gave it. Absolute futility, says the teacher. Everything is futile. Let's pray. Father, we know that everything in your word is given for reproof, for instruction, and for correction, so that the sons and the daughters of men6:09should be perfect, lacking nothing. Father, Father, thank you that you have given us everything we need in Jesus for righteousness. Lord, for the one who does not know you, open the eyes of the blind. For the one who is burdened today, lift their heavy yoke. For the weary, give rest. For the sick, grant healing. And for the saint,6:39lift their head, and strengthen their hands. Father, today, give us spiritual deja vu. May we see again, and again, and again, your glory, your holiness. We pray in Jesus' precious name. Amen. And, Amen. Spiritual deja vu.7:07We're going to begin at verse 1. The Bible says, remember your creator in the days of your youth. Point 1, remember the Lord. Remember God in your youth. Or I would say it this way, before it's too late. Remember the Lord before it is too late. Now, often in Scripture, the Bible invites us to listen up and lean in. And over and over again in the Bible,7:35the Word of God uses heart language. Language that gets your attention. Things like, Jesus is the shepherd, and you are the sheep. How often do we hear, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. There are many spiritual metaphors of the shepherd in Scripture that cause us to sit up and listen. How often do we have food metaphors? Some of you are hungry. God gave manna from heaven to provide for His people. Jesus is the bread of life.8:04We're reminded that we find spiritual nourishment from Jesus Christ alone. And at least 200 times, 233 if you're counting, not including the times where God says, do not forget, but 233 times God uses the word remember in His Word so that we would remember. Jesus says, do this in remembrance of me.8:33Remember the faithfulness of God. And this is the call for us to stand up and listen up once again. One scholar said about remembrance, he said, remembrance is consciously allowing the acts of God to shape our perspective in the present. So remembrance is, when the Bible says, remember your Creator, it's saying, remember what God did yesterday to shape what He is doing9:03in your life today. remember the acts of God in your life, in your youth, before it is too late. Now some of you are going to say, well, Pastor, I'm no longer a youth. This doesn't apply to me. Okay, let me start there then. Some of you are still young. Some of you are looking at me and saying, well, Pastor, you're still young. I appreciate that. So read literarily, this means if you are9:32a young person or a young-ish person, if you're young at heart or young in body, it says, remember your Creator while you are still young. But there's another spiritual metaphor here. Young in the Bible means that you set the foundations of your life before it's too late. So really what Ecclesiastes is calling us to do today is set the foundations of your life on the Creator every single day before it's too late.10:02Ephesians reminds us of the same in Ephesians 2.20. Build on the foundations of the apostles and the prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. Remember the acts of God before it is too late. Why would God call you and I to remember? Well, first, God would not call us to remember unless we are prone to forgetfulness. that song, right?10:31Prone to wonder as the old hymn says. You and I are forgetful people and that is a phenomenon of our world. You and I forget God's grace often because the world is vying for our attention. The Bible calls us to remember because Satan calls us to forget. Satan doesn't want you to remember God's work in your life because Satan wants when adversary comes and we'll see that in verse 1 and adversity comes11:00Satan wants you to forget what God has done. He wants you to forget that God is faithful. Remember the Lord before it is too late. And maybe you hear this and you say well pastor that would never happen to me. I will never forget God's grace. Really Peter you would never deny Jesus. And Peter could write this story where three times as Jesus11:29as Jesus had predicted he forgot. He denied. It's not just a scriptural metaphor alone. We have historical reminders that things which were once powerful and good and healthy are now in decline. You can go to castles in Europe for instance and see how something that was good and right is no longer good and right which we'll see shortly. You can go back through the scriptures and see how it was11:59too late for some people. You look at Pharaoh in Exodus the Bible says that God hardened his heart. And some would read that scripture in Exodus 12 and say well did Pharaoh have a chance? If God hardened Pharaoh's heart did Pharaoh not have an opportunity to come to saving faith? Did he not have an opportunity to respond rightly to the plagues? In Exodus 12 God hardened Pharaoh's heart we're seeing. But in Exodus12:298 prior to God hardening Pharaoh's heart the Bible says that Pharaoh when he saw God's mercy on the third plague hardened his own heart. And as a reminder that we are quickly and often in the same boat as Pharaoh. Sometimes many of us call out on God and we say God I need your help I don't necessarily follow Jesus Christ but God12:58but God I have a difficult issue and I need you to rescue me from this thing. And when God delivers us from the third plague we harden our heart and say okay God I appreciate it but I have it from here. And as I read Exodus I wonder at what point was it too late for Pharaoh? Was it the fourth plague? Was it the fifth plague? Was it the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth?13:28ninth? We know by the tenth plague that God hardened his heart and it was too late for him and as we read the reminder to remember your creator in the days of your youth to set your days in order remember God before it is too late think of Judas in the New Testament we know that he betrayed Jesus with a kiss for 30 pieces of silver and that is the most costly silver in the world we know13:57we know that after he betrayed the son of a man in the garden he felt remorse but instead of Judas going to Christ and offering finding forgiveness he runs to the temple and he throws the silver back at the leaders and says you have it and the Bible tells him he goes out and he hangs himself at what at what point was it too late for Judas a man who walked with Christ for at least three years saw14:27saw almost every miracle heard the teaching do not wait to follow Christ with your full heart until it is too late remember your creator in the days of your youth run to the mercy of the Lord today you say well pastor who is a young person God has given every single person here the day of opportunity you are here because God is calling14:56calling you in drawing you close remember your creator before it is too late and the next half of this verse says before it's too late and before the days of adversity come and the years approach so again there's this parallelism remember God when you're young set the foundations of every day upon the creator because the day of adversity will come and15:26and scholars would say that this metaphor is twofold firstly it's a reminder that you and I will get old one day some of you are sitting in uncomfortable chairs and your hips are reminding you the day of adversity is come but there's also a metaphor that runs throughout this entire chapter of a house or a home that is slowly deteriorating throughout time and15:56and ecclesiastes reminds us that we should remember the Lord before our best years pass us by you say well when is that well today is a better day than tomorrow serve him seek him honor him glorify God let's walk through this and see what happens as adversity comes in our life verse two before the sun and light16:25light are darkened the older we get the more difficult it is for us to see physically when days grow long it is more difficult to see because the dimness of the world takes away the light remember your creator before all light is gone verse three on the day when guardians of the house tremble when the16:55the strong men stoop when women grind grain cease because they are few some scholars would say about this verse that literally it was people who grind grain they would make bread this was the bread house of the ancient world and if you couldn't go to the bread store you could not survive run to God remember him until society is no more some scholars say well no no this is a physical metaphor for teeth literally17:25literally they say remember the Lord before your teeth fall out and you can't grind bread or wheat I prefer the first interpretation but it's a reminder that day by day we are descending back into dust remember God before your best days pass you by and today is a great day to glorify the Lord verse 4 the doors of the street are shut the sound of the mill17:55mill fades when one rises at the sound of a bird the daughters of song grow faint remember the Lord before the music goes away verse 5 they're afraid of heights dangers on the road the almond tree blossoms in the spring grasshopper loses its spring in the spring and the caper berry has no effect these are three objects in Israel that find new birth every spring the grasshopper wakes up the almond was18:25was the first to bloom the caper berry also finds revival in the spring but not so man it says listen if you are waiting tomorrow to find new life tomorrow will not bring what you're looking for spring will not bring what you're looking for you need refreshment that comes from Jesus Christ remember your creator before it is too late and again we18:55we see this often in our world there are castles that many of you have been for instance in Ireland and England beautiful castles like the Dunluz castle Northern Ireland was a stronghold for the Macdonald clan now portions of it has actually fallen into the ocean because time has deteriorated what was once healthy and powerful not just buildings alone some of you19:24of you remember the great company Nokia that was built on the game snake and interchangeable face plates I know some of you don't remember this so let me give you a history lesson there were companies in the mall a mall is a large building that you would walk into and there were stores inside you would walk inside a large building and inside the large building there were smaller buildings and inside the large corridor19:54corridor there were kiosks and there were kiosks that their entire business was to sell face plates to your cell phone I know it doesn't you're going to think I'm crazy but you could take off this face plate and buy a different one and what was on the face plate of your phone kind of showed how cool you were you remember that right you could get one for your sports team or you could bedazzle it or whatever it might be some of20:24some of you have no you don't understand the struggle was real but that company that portion of Nokia no longer exists it was bought out by Microsoft in 2014 that great business model had taken its place some of you remember a company called Blockbuster and again let me take you through the annals of my childhood there was a store that20:53that you used to have to go to a store to rent movies I know you're not going to believe this and you would you would go and you would have to make sure the movie was on the shelf because if someone took the movie that you wanted you couldn't rent the movie you wanted and you would go and you would if it was a really expensive movie you would go you would have a card you have to go to the desk and they would take your card and they would give you the movie and then21:23and then you had to take the movie home and you would watch it and then you had to rewind the movie because if you didn't rewind the movie you would be fined a company called Blockbuster that company that company that company no longer exists file bankruptcy because there was a better model that came along and I think that Blockbuster most likely declared bankruptcy because some of you still have your VHS tapes at home that you never return and some21:52and some of you still have unpaid fines but it's a reminder that sometimes the most healthiest companies the greatest institutions in our life can pass by and Ecclesiastes reminds us if you say well this could never happen to me the teacher at the end of his life is saying no no no it can and he said listen remember your22:21remember your creator in the days of your youth before the days of adversity the days of calamity the days of difficulty come remember God before it is too late it can happen to us but by God's grace and his mercy may it never happen to us and in this deja vu where the teacher says futility everything is futile anything22:51anything in this world is just chasing the wind we have this breakthrough in verse 9 is as if this lamentation and this struggle for 12 chapters the spirit of God washes over Kohelet washes over this teacher and something changes in his eternal perspective verse 9 in in addition to the teacher being a wise man he constantly taught the people knowledge he weighed explored arranged23:21arranged many proverbs the teacher sought to find delightful sayings and write words of truth accordingly the sayings of the wise are like cattle prods and those from masters of collections are like firmly embedded nails the sayings are given by one shepherd reminding that these are God's sayings but beyond these my son be warned and this is this is a verse I want every student in here to highlight this verse as23:50as school ramps up there is no end to the making of many books and much study wearies the body so just write that on a note card and give it to your teacher on the first day of school this the Lord laid this verse on Ecclesiastes 12 12 when all this was heard the conclusion of the matter is this fear24:19fear God and keep his commands because this is for all humanity for God will bring every act of judgment including every hidden thing whether good or evil conclusions in life are an important way to leave lasting impressions and I know some of you have24:49have grown weary in Ecclesiastes thinking how much worse can it get and we had this beautiful conclusion offered by the word of God it says before you leave don't forget this the conclusion is this fear God and keep his commands to fear the Lord it's not a it's not a human fear where you run and you cower25:19cower the fear of God is to stand and wonder at his immeasurable greatness to fear God is to see his goodness and his infinite wisdom is to acknowledge that God alone is the source of all things right that God is holy he is holy he is holy the thrice holy God is a deep desire to align ourselves with his way the fear of God really is to say God if all25:49if all I have is you you are enough you are worthy to be praised you alone are worthy to be worshipped Lord I know your word that one day every knee will bow one day every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and if you remember nothing of Ecclesiastes would you remember that conclusion the end is26:18is this fear the Lord because Jesus Christ alone is worthy Jesus Christ alone is worthy not only should we fear God we should walk according to his way that means we walk in reverence to who God is and what he's done so the fear of the Lord is orthodoxy it's right belief it's to say God because I believe in you I want26:47want to know about the Lord what is right what is good what is scriptural but knowing God mentally and intellectually is not enough James reminds us be not only hearers of the word but doers because if you only know about God and you don't do for God then we have swollen heads so serving the Lord is a way to relieve the pressure in27:17in our spiritual orthodoxy so orthodoxy leads to orthopraxy right deeds and the teacher reminds us Christ alone is worthy and we should live a life that demonstrates what we believe because he alone is worthy I love what William Lod said about this really he wrote27:47wrote a prayer in response to ecclesiastes and he said grant Lord that we may live in thy fear die in thy favor rest in thy peace rise in thy power reign in thy glory for thine own beloved son sake Jesus Christ our Lord the conclusion of the matter is this28:17this to fear God and keep his commands that we may live in thy fear die in thy favor rest in thy peace and as I call us to remember again Ecclesiastes calls us to remember there are some in this room today where you hear about the gospel that you are a sinner and that the wages of sin is death and28:46and the Bible reminds us that this command is not for certain people right verse 13 and 14 this is for who all humanity all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and because of our sin the wages of our sin is death spiritual death physical death and eternal separation from God that if we die in our sin without receiving the remedy for our die29:16die and go to hell away from the presence of a loving holy God some of you are in that boat today you say well I don't have a remembrance of God and the invitation of the Lord today for you is that for the first time today you would come to saving faith that your first memory God29:43God God I don't fear but I want to God I don't fear you but I need to God I don't fear you and I don't even know how and when you pray that prayer of authenticity say God I am a rebel I lay down my arms God help me fear you that's when the Lord speaks and says I sent my son Jesus for that30:13that problem for you come to faith confess your sins run to the cross and find that Jesus is ready and willing to forgive I invite you to come to Jesus today that you would leave here and say I will walk every day remembering my creator because I remembered him for the first time run to the living water run to Jesus Christ some30:41some here today have given their life to Jesus and I am going to call you to do what Ephesians and Ecclesiastes to remember to remember to remember to remember before it's too late and before our best days pass us by and I believe God has given us this day to remember this is what I'm asking you to do we're going to sing a song in a moment31:11moment a song of repentance a song of confession and a song of worship pastor Jared if it's okay with you I'm going to ask us not to sing I'm going to ask you to pray and to speak I'm going to ask you just as we sing if you would simply say to God over and over again God I remember dot dot dot maybe for you is to say God I remember when you saved me I remember when the storms rolled in and you were there I31:41I remember when I was sick and you lifted me up but would we spend this day our best day saying as a collective church God I remember God I remember and may heaven hear our praise once again so as we sing I'm going to ask you to say out loud God I remember and maybe your memory would prompt the memory32:11memory of your neighbor and that we would have a holy chorus that say we fear the Lord we will walk according to his way if you have never come to Christ would you do so I'll be down front you don't know how I would love to introduce you to Jesus Christ who will save you he has the power to save and he will would you remember today Father we thank you← Previous in EcclesiastesEcclesiastes – Wise sayings (Ecclesiastes 7:1-14)More sermons on Ecclesiastes →
