The Journal of a Desperate Journey: Wise Advice from a Weary Preacher

[Music] [Applause] so [Music] um me [Music] so [Music] so [Laughter] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] it's been 15 months since we've seen and heard our stonebright orchestra they are on stage this morning let's welcome [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] you [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] hey stay standing and just greet one another we haven't done that in 15 months either so oh it's wonderful thank you boy this is this is fabulous that that music doesn't light your fire you got wet wood i'll tell you this is a great way to begin this service how wonderful and uh ben and anda morgas from romania stand up that's great wonderful to see you thank you there are voice in romania through insight for living and so happy to welcome all of you and you who are viewing our services on stream online we're glad to welcome all of you from all around the world thank you for being a part of our congregation today and for all of you if you're new with us thank you for being here we're always pleased to have you come let me remind each of you to take note of your phone or whatever you may have that has an alarm on it or some signal that tells everybody you're important turn it off why don't you that way it won't be a disturbance to anyone thank you you have in your hem rack this morning the plan for this summer you will see that bill butterworth and jonathan murphy and steve farrar will be preaching following next sunday i'll be here next sunday then i'm i'm gone for a while and they will take you through the early part of september all of them fine expositors and men you love and have heard before and we welcome them back thank you for always being a warm congregation to those who are our pulpit guests we have great music for you this morning and you'll be involved in much of it so be ready to participate and if you're at home sing out we welcome all of you to be a part of that we have uh announcements that are important let me say a word before she comes to let you know our plans for the immediate future this next sunday we will be celebrating our uh getting out of debt we're we're debt-free and we're going to celebrate that we're going to burn the mortgage right here next sunday morning isn't that good yeah we'll be careful not to burn up the building we just paid for so you come and be a part of it in the evening or afternoon we have a great pops and patriotic concert so everybody wear something red white or blue or all the above maybe you can't think of what it might be where anything well not anything but with discretion even if it's not that clean go ahead and wear it red white or blue we'd be glad to celebrate with you that's on the sunday afternoon next week five o'clock we'll enjoy it now here are the announcements for the week listen carefully hey stonefire family i'm aubrey bryant your middle school ministry leader summer has just begun and we've already had so many amazing opportunities to get closer to god and others here at stonebriar so let's take a look at the summer so far and celebrate how we've been able to connect it's not summer without some fun in the sun so we kicked off the season with a barbecue and carnival games at family experience and an island getaway at our luau date night we've enjoyed familiar favorites like our stonebriar grand prix and our middle and high school summer camps plus new ways to gather like our women's connection groups and all of this is on top of the wonderful time we get to spend together every single sunday of course none of this would be possible without our amazing volunteers including the students on our home team who have been helping with service projects like our weekly food drive and summer lunches program and speaking of summer lunches in just five weeks our church family has already provided more than 7 000 lunches for local kids in need there's plenty of summer fun still ahead and we'd love for everyone to jump in you can still take on our summer scripture challenge and we've got a few more big events you won't want to miss journey around the world through the eyes of our missionaries at our missions world tour on tuesday nights this july put the magic in your marriage at our marriage live date night on friday july 23rd save the date for our next family experience on wednesday august 4th and celebrate freedom next sunday july 4th as we give thanks for being debt free during our morning worship services and enjoy our pops and patriotic concert celebration in the evening it's our best summer at stonefryer yet and it's not complete without you so find details on these events and more at stonebriar.org summer our call to worship this morning is titled holy is he it focuses on the holiness of god you know the word holy appears in the old testament and the new testament has several different meanings one is that god is without sin or error another is that we are to worship him and reverence him because he is holy but there's a third one that i particularly like the word holy in the old testament means that he is set apart that is he is different from us and isn't that a wonderful thought he if he doesn't think like we do he is set apart now at the end of this anthem i'm going to stand uh turn around and ask you to stand to sing with us the the first stanza of holy holy holy [Music] is is [Music] [Applause] [Music] jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] so is [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] oh [Music] foreign [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] so [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] team [Music] right [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] foreign [Music] so uh you are my children [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] you are [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] my [Music] my [Music] my [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] ah [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] we have come through quite a journey as we have paid attention to what solomon writes in his journal you have been patient listeners as we have wrestled with solomon's comments about his doubts his questions really his cynicism on life he's left god out and had no place in his life for the lord that hadn't always been so but by the time he decided to record his journal i'm calling it this book of ecclesiastes he tells it all shamelessly openly deliberately until he comes to the end and at the end verses 8 through 14 of this final 12th chapter is as if he has mellowed it's perhaps like the prodigal who came to his senses and realized that everything he had been searching for he could find in his father so solomon brings it full circle as he introduces us to his concluding words in these final verses of chapter 12. i'll be reading this passage from the new living translation except i am using a word from the new american standard bible because i think it better states the role of solomon as the preacher rather than simply a searcher or a teacher i think in his heart he saw himself as a preacher ties in beautifully with the beginning of the journal which we will see in a few moments so turn please to ecclesiastes 12. i'll read these verses 8 through 14 for you may we stand together for the reading of god's word meaningless meaningless says the preacher everything is meaningless not only was the preacher wise but he also imparted knowledge to the people he pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs the preacher searched to find just the right words and what he wrote was upright and true the words of the wise are like goads they're collected sayings like firmly embedded nails given by one shepherd be warned my son of anything in addition to them of making many books there is no end and much study wearies the body now all has been heard here is the conclusion of the matter fear god and keep his commandments for this is the duty of all mankind for god will bring every deed into judgment including every hidden thing whether it is good or evil now with me as we pray it was the psalmist who wrote evening and morning and noon will i pray and cry aloud and you will hear my voice all through the day even into the evening hours this man cried out to you and so have we and so do many our hearts today go out to those in the state of florida along the coast as they wait breathlessly anguishing over whether their loved ones are dead or alive we pray for our fellow americans we ask lord that you will minister to them deeply significantly as they cry out to you evening and morning and noon we pray lord that you will by your grace bring hope reassurance and miraculously even some virtually back from the dead all things are in your hands our father even the mysteries of tragedies we don't question that but the pain of it is unbearable so have mercy show kindness give grace teach us our father as we from miles away enter into their anguish remind us through the day to remember them to stand alongside them to weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice remind us also our father in this event that life is but a vapor appearing for a little while and then vanishing away prepare us all for the unexpected remind us even on this day which for us is is a sunny overcast day where we find ourselves in safety for now but we don't know what a day will bring we live in a nation that has lost its way led by those who were confused making strange decisions how we pray for you to give guidance lord give wisdom to counselors give ears to hear words of advice that the direction might change that there might be a redirection a returning to you as you have said that if we will pray you will change hearts we pray we trust you to change hearts now father i ask that you would open our eyes to the truth from these verses of scripture in this unusual book may we understand better what we hardly understood at the beginning may we realize that your son has come back to you and guide us we pray as we apply this truth to those who stray in our own families among our own circle of friends in the midst of our own world remind us early in the morning that your mercies are new your compassions fail not each one of us commits ourselves to you now in the name of the lord jesus christ our savior we pray everyone said amen please be seated [Music] [Applause] [Music] um [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] when some people doubt nobody seems to care but when other people doubt there are shock waves that are heard far and wide take for example a tenured old professor who has been at the school three four decades uh let's say his subject is philosophy i mean he along with brilliant scientists just uh entertain doubts all the time and no one seems all that bothered scientists can't even agree with one another that can't even agree on when you can wear a mask or not wear a mask that everybody seems to say well it's part of being a scientist i guess when you're a prof you can get away with all kind of things especially if you're tenured nobody can fire you i have a medical friend in the medical field who who told me some time ago of an event that happened in the life of one of his colleagues who was in medical school and he was troubled because as he said in the classroom he kept hearing this crusty-o professor and must have taught that course oh who knows how many years saying things that he couldn't find would square with a textbook that he was studying so he finally got all he could take and he went to the desk of the prop and he said you know i've got some real struggles here and by now other students have gathered around to watch the event happened and the old prophet said what's the struggle he said well sir i listen carefully to your lectures and and uh they don't go along with in some places what the text says so the prophet says to him bring me your book somebody brought him his book and he said let me have that well where's the contradiction so he turned over he said well for example right here prophet said give it to me tore out the page wadded it up tossed in the way where else where's the other country uh well um right there like today let me see quick tore out the page there and a couple more times that it and and the student goes well uh um yep that's it good he said now the book agrees with me everything's fine you know what's interesting i doubt that anyone in the class failed to show up the next day to listen to the prof as he went on with his lectures because when some people doubt well nobody seems to care not even students that have paid hard-earned money to take the course but that's not true for preachers when a preacher doubts and the word gets out that he's a doubter there's a scandal in the parsonage there's real uneasiness especially if those doubts begin to pour over the pulpit tongues wag churches split sometimes they empty is it long before he joins the ranks of the unemployed maybe you've never heard the unwritten law regarding ministers who admit to struggling with doubts it says thou shalt not doubt if thou dost doubt thou art dust that's it baby for that reason most ministers keep their doubts to themselves it's an occupational hazard for a man of the cloth openly and unashamedly announce his doubts unless of course he's a king and his name is solomon i mean talk about a resume his daddy is david to this day revered among the people of israel as the king par excellence they have the city of david they have the flag of david the star of david this is a son filled with doubts and if that isn't enough he decides one wife's not sufficient i could have helped him with his rest of his decision there but he goes on to marry 700 wives and 300 concubines first kings 11 3 says they turned his heart away from the lord and none of that's a secret the people of israel knew it and if that were not enough he decides to write a journal that records his doubts that announces his cynicism meaningless meaningless it's all hogwash this stuff i used to believe and they didn't burn down the palace they didn't march on the king so he kept writing and he wrote and he wrote and it made its way of all things into the canon of scripture it's one of the 66 books of the bible oh critics have a field day with ecclesiastes look at that listen to one of your own even solomon until he comes to the end and then like the prodigal standing knee deep in the pig pen he comes to his senses and he finally brings it full circle he's not nearly as full of himself in these last seven eight verses as he has been all through the journal and you and i have patiently waited through it given him room to struggle he's left god out of his life blame it on wives blame it on concubines blame it on too much leisure blame it on too much money whatever the reason to blame he's gone full bore with his doubts until he comes toward the end you know what i believe i believe he's older there's just something about the gathering of years to make you rethink the stuff you used to say and believe and things you used to embrace and the lord gave him all that rope to hang himself all that cynicism that pours out when he gets toward the end of his journal he says in effect i i've got another take on all this i i left god out of my life this is a good place for me to add this a book of the bible like ecclesiastes is an inspired book of the bible if it were not it would not be in the canon of scripture but that doesn't mean every statement within the book is something you can stake your life on it means that what solomon wrote he wrote exactly as he should have written at that time in his life doubts and all and it's the truth of where he was at that time but it is a truth for you and me to live by he's left god out you know what it provides it provides us with a journal of what life is like when you ask god to exit your life you'll make it on your own thank you like the prodigal says as much as says to his father i'm on my own give me what i got coming i'm out of here and who knows how long he wandered are all the things he did and the stupid decisions he made and spent all of that inheritance came to his senses and said i will go back to my father a solomon here at the end of the book the end of the journal he comes back to his god let me tell you how i came into seeing that you may be surprised it came from the repetition of a verse of scripture show you chapter 12 verse 8 look again once you locate it go back to chapter 1 verse 2. chapter 8 uh chapter 12 verse 8 look at it everything is meaningless says the preacher completely meaningless look at chapter 1 verse 2. everything is meaningless says the preacher completely meaningless identical words not only in english but check it if you wish in the hebrew identical words even the order of the words even the stem of the verbs identical scholar walt kaiser noting the repetition writes by repeating the second verse of the first chapter here in 12 8 solomon indicates he has concluded his treatise and is now ready to summarize everything it's like the prodigal i repeat who goes what was i thinking when i said to my father i'm out of here to hell with all this stuff you've been trying to teach me solomon goes back to where he started meaningless meaningless everything completely meaningless wait wait let me tap the brakes let me pause here you know there there is something if if i may uh just add a little sidebar there's something about getting older that really is helpful not a lot but there are some things about it that are really helpful no honestly i wouldn't be another age if i had my choice this is a great age for me i've come far enough along to go back and rehearse the stupidity of earlier years where i made bad decisions where i said things that i should never have said where i thought things i should never have thought and i it's as if i've rehearsed them and that's what he does in chapter 12 verse 8. i wrote this solomon i i said everything was meaningless and completely meaningless and you know at that time in my life it was but i want to summarize things now that i've gotten older i've had time to reconsider i've had second thoughts age and some weariness has mellowed the man and so he he looks at life like an aging preacher and with a sigh he writes these words he gives advice to the younger he acknowledges that only the truth can satisfy and he had been exposed to the truth but he just walked right past it reminds me of the words of winston churchill who once wrote man will occasionally stumble over the truth but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on we do that you've done that in your life you've heard the truth you've been exposed to the truth and you picked yourself up and walked right on your own way ignoring the truth solomon's tired of ignoring he's bringing god back into full certain into full focus he's finished with his search and he wants to set the record straight you cannot find contentment or happiness without the lord god at the core of your life now what makes this passage interesting is that he uh sort of analyzes the craft of the preacher may surprise you to hear this but i've often used this passage when describing my pulpit style or some of the basic truths i find in the scriptures that give me the reason to do what i do when i preach they're found right here in ecclesiastes 12. look for yourself early on he says keep this in mind the preacher is considered wise and he taught the people everything he knew he listened carefully to many proverbs studying and classifying them let's start there that's what a preacher does not so much proverbs as words themselves we are students of words the key understanding to most passages is an understanding of the words within the passage taken in their context and in fact each of these verbs is in the pale stem which is a stem that intensifies the verb he it it's like we underscore each word or to emphasize we would say the preacher ponders diligently the preacher searches extensively the preacher arranges his material carefully it's intensified you get the picture the adverbs make that happen and and if he's going to communicate well he must first ponder he must ponder the word means to sift s-i-f-t to sift and he he sifts through the meaning and the implications of the words he works over words you've seen me do that i'm like a word vulture at times and before i let you run on into the verse i'll say wait wait look at that look at that word look at the location of it look at the placement of it in the text all of that is inspired placement right where god wanted it placed sometime in the original out of order for the purpose of emphasis and on and on i could go i didn't mention this but i should have mentioned earlier everything starts with who the preacher is you you don't want to listen very long to someone you don't trust if you find out that the preacher is a deceiver you're no longer going to that church nor should you the character of the one who does the preaching is vital to the preaching itself he must be an individual that is marked by trustworthiness and integrity and when he says it means this particular meaning this definition he shouldn't be twisting it to make it fit what he wants it to say if he's trustworthy he allows it to say what it says he ponders he sifts those words this is part of the job of the expositor it's hard work it's worrisome he says a little later all of this study makes you weary it's exhausting as well as exacting which reminds me of one of the uh english essayists reading makes a broad man uh speaking a ready man writing an exact man that's hard work when you write it it's got to be exact subjects and predicates have to work together verbs have to fit adverbs have to clarify or intensify or whatever their purpose adjectives must give color and breadth to words words words because it is in the words of the scriptures we come to know the truth of the scriptures so there are the words that are here there is the studying and the arranging or as he reads in the new living as the classifying of those words look at this the preacher sought to find just the right words just the right words i don't just throw the verse the message together i work on the right way to say them in the right order so that the introduction sets up the text of the scripture and grabs the attention as i'm blending thinking with the words of scripture and in fact they expressed the truth clearly you found yourself looking at a passage of scripture no doubt thinking what on earth does this mean what is he going to say about this and when we're through you go oh now it's clear that didn't just happen it was a carefully planned exposition now let me speak candidly not every preacher embraces this discipline it's too hard work it's easier to entertain to tell you what you want to hear to pick up some current event and make a sermon out of it nothing wrong with current events as long as they're just illustrations but the purpose of the preaching of the scriptures is to teach the scriptures and you become i mean it's insulting i think to stand before a congregation and simply entertain them you're thinkers you make decisions based on thought and as a matter of fact please observe in verse 11 the words of the wise are like cattle prods isn't that good i love words like that like the cattle pride you say well it doesn't seem to be a bad thing it's because you're not a cow if you were a steer out there being prodded you'd know better what that means but being a believer you've been convicted some word speaks and you go man how did he know i've had people when when i was able to stand here and visit with folks after the service i had a man walk up to me and he he's waiting everybody left and he goes oh my wife talked to you huh i go no no no level with me tell me street you didn't plan that messy just out of the blue she talked to you right no you know what happened cattle prod they're like cattle prods painful but helpful they're collected sayings look at this are like nail studded stick with which shepherds dry the sheep i think of him as an embedded nail the finished carpenter isn't through until he has set that nail set that nail set that nail and you can you don't even realize it's nailed the work is polished and when it is delivered with passion and persuasion you you can't stay away from it it draws you like a magnet the skeptic david hume was seen walking long before daybreak in the snow toward a chapel a skeptic and there were other people as well in this group and one of them noticed that it was david hume and he said mr hume they were on their way to the chapel where george whitefield was preaching and he said to him oh i didn't know you believed this message him said i don't but he does and i can't stay away he grabs you it grips you because the one delivering it is gripped by it and you think man that's for me and it must be interesting it must be presented in a way that not only captures your attention but holds your attention george buttrick said if only the preacher would remember that dullness is failure there are not many worse sins to commit in public than being boring and and to have a bible in front of you and to be boring is insulting this is the most magnetic most significant most exciting body of truth on earth and to think someone can bore people with what it's saying it takes practice unless you care you see if you don't care you keep on boring people but the preacher is the one who gets his message from the one shepherd and of course that would be the lord god himself and it doesn't come in sky writing it doesn't come in audible terms alone in my study it doesn't come from from writing on the windows of my study it doesn't come like that it comes in the hard work of probing sifting arranging searching until you go that's it the time i have that's as good as i can do and you deliver your soul as you deliver this message how marvelous it is when god uses his word in the lives of individuals your testimonies of that so many of you i've been kind enough to write notes and express your words of appreciation to god get who gets all the glory i i just simply say thank you but please know if any truth is ever declared from this pulpit that has made a difference in your life give god the praise it's his word i'm just a messenger and as he puts it my child let me give you further advice be careful this is in verse 12 for the writing of books is endless and much study wears you out i laughed when i first read that it tires you out that's why i'm calling this message wise words from a weary preacher not me but any preacher who works hard in his study that's when you earn the right to be heard when nobody's around and you faithfully stay at the task and you don't give up because it is rarely done these days you stay at it because you are responsible for delivering the truth of the word of god to saint and sinner alike skeptic as well as those who walk closely with god solomon as he comes to the conclusion tells us what we're to do and why we're to do it look for yourself verse 13. that's the whole story this is how you wrap up a book isn't it he's finishing his journal that's it that's the whole story here is my final conclusion when i read that i pause i pray i ask god to drill home to me what the man is going to write because this is his conclusion after that long wandering in the field of cynicism finally gets it together and says i got it i nailed it down here it is it's very brief fear god fear him i've said to you off and on for several years reserve the word awesome for god don't overuse it you cheapen it nothing else is awesome only god he is all inspiring we are to respect him fall before him let your heart be broken by him adapt your life to him accept the consequences of life that come from him don't fight him fear him teach your children to fear him by modeling it they will gather that truth a lot more easily let them see you fear him this is why mom and dad don't do these things we fear god we're not afraid of him we just respect him we hold him in highest regard something happens when you have that kind of respect you you don't take advantage of grace you you don't let it go beyond its proper boundaries that's license you don't rationalize around it let me give you a simple illustration i learned to drive in houston when i was 16. that is that's when i got my license i just had to pause and think about that and my dad said to me okay son there are the keys see you in an hour i thought all right i got the keys to a 1947 four-door chevy white wall tires i'd get on gulf freeway i can set a new record for getting to galveston but i didn't do that and i'm no great model of a fine 16 year old teenager i just feared my father by that i mean he meant too much to me for me to first time on my own get a ticket and bring him shame so i thanked him i backed out of the driveway trust me i drove down quint street took a left made a right got on the freeway and stayed on it for maybe 10 minutes i thought man i got to get back for it's too late i was only gone about 35 40 minutes and i drove back in the driveway i said you know the key's dead why'd i do that i respect my father he trusted me fear god live like you mean it don't just mouth off a lot of jesus stuff to people you have a job do it diligently you're up against it face the fact that you may have gotten yourself in that fix pay your bills don't take advantage of other people don't fake it you make it hard for all the other christians when you don't take god seriously he says fear god this is the whole story fear god and obey his word this isn't a multiple choice book this is a it's a book to live by god says it do it okay you'll never regret it uh you a lot of people criticize you for it you you let people say hey are you kidding this is the 21st century give me a break actually uh i read that i'm to obey what god says and when i disobey i come before him in utter and abject sorrow and i confess it and i call it what it is i'm not that great in all these things so when i blow it i say lord please forgive me i spoke too quickly to cynthia about something i said that the wrong way and i said it in the wrong spirit forgive me lord and i make it right with her because that's what the scripture teaches someone hurts me i do my very best not to carry a judge a a grudge or to be the person's judge i'm not the judge as a matter of fact speaking of that here's why we do those things because god will judge us for everything we do including every secret thing good or evil period now you hear that you may say i don't think i believe that well i don't think i care whether you believe it or not i'm not here to tell you what's going to make you feel good or help you do what you think is right i'm here to tell you what god says is right and then get out of the way then you're his business i suggest you not mess with him take him seriously you're without christ listen to me the bible says if you die in that condition you will have no second chance the bible doesn't teach purgatory you will have no later opportunity to change your mind once you breathe your last on earth you're done your future is hell eternally hell believe it the bible tells us more about hell than about heaven believe it turn to christ trust him that is the way to miss hell and gain heaven that's it starts at the cross starts right there and out of reverence for the lord god and his word you believe what he says believe on the lord jesus christ you will be saved the one who does not believe is judged already and you live under the condemnation of god who does not want anyone to perish but you will without christ believe him thank you solomon for a great book for not holding back all the way to the end and my thanks to you for your grace in listening and most importantly in obeying out of reverence for your god lord we want to talk to you for a few moments we want to tell you that we've never known anyone like you we hold you in highest regard we bow before you we honor you we sing your songs we give you praise we pray to you we turn to you we trust in you we lean hard on you when we can't figure it out we don't blame you we cry out for insight that you would help us understand what we're going through and when we see things in your word that that are hard to accept it's our nature to resist those things help us break down those barriers so that there's nothing between you and us as we walk with you our dear god we love you we remember those who sit around us today and live near us and work beside us who've never come to know your son may we not be the reason for their doubting may we become for them the magnet that draws them to you bring them to yourself by your grace here and far away use your truth to set us all free now to him who is able to guard us from stumbling and to present us faultless faultless before the presence of your glory with exceeding great joy to the only wise god the only one be glory and majesty dominion and power now and forever all hail the power of jesus name we pray this through christ our savior everyone says amen [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Pastor Chuck Swindoll | Insight for Living

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Keywords: swindoll, pastor, chuck, Swindoll, sermon, bible, teaching, service, sermons, pastoral, biblical, exposition, chapter, old, testament, message, mankind, Ecclesiastes, book, ministering, preaching, Charles, pastoring, live, stream, ecclesiastical, Solomon, Jesus, weary, tired, preacher

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Length: 100min 25sec (6025 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 27 2021