 Turn to Ecclesiastes chapter 9. We're going to be looking at this entire chapter. Don't be afraid. That's I knew you're like Wait, that's a lot of verses. I got to go to Chili's here. I got a note. Don't worry about it. I'll be done before that But it's going to be a great study here. The message I've entitled this morning is called reality check so you're going to have a reality check this morning and We'll be looking at verses chapter 9 all the whole chapter pretty much I'm going to read the chapter and that way we can go through for the sake of context But in Ecclesiastes chapter 9 As Solomon is writing Solomon says 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 People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them All things come alike to all one event happens to the righteous and the wicked to the good the clean and the Unclean to him who sacrifices and to him who does not sacrifice as is the good So is the sinner he who takes an oath as he who fears an oath This is an evil in all that is done under the sun That one thing happens to all Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil Madness is in their hearts while they live and after they go to the dead But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope for a living dog is better than a dead lion For the living know that they will die But the dead know nothing and they have no more reward for the memory of them is forgotten Also, their love hate their hatred and their envy have now perished Nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun Go eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart For God has already accepted your works like your garments always be white and let your head lack no oil Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life Which he has given you under the sun all your days of vanity For that is your portion in life and in the labor which you perform under the sun Whatever your hands finds to do do it with all your with your might for there's no work or device Or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going I Returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong nor bread to the wise Nor riches to men of understanding nor favored to men of skill, but timing chance happened to them all For man does not know his time Like a fish taken in a cruel net like birds caught in a snare So the sons of men are snared in an evil time when it falls suddenly upon them This wisdom I have also seen under the sun and it seemed great to me There was a little city with few men in it and a great king came against it besieged it and built great snares around it Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city yet No one remembered that same poor man Then I said wisdom is better than strength Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heard Words of the wise spoken quietly should be heard rather than the shout of a ruler of fools Wisdom is better than weapons of war But one sinner destroys much good Over the past few years television has been filled with reality shows that are not reality But if you think about it in reality you and I will not be stranded on a deserted island and forced to survive I don't think any of you guys have gone through that. I've never been through that if you have I want to talk to you afterwards not only that but Guys single people. Let me just say this You're probably not going to have the opportunity to pick a spouse a group from a group of model type people Who are competing to marry you? I don't know about that, right? You know sometimes a single people I've talked to many, you know, they were praying for their spouse They can't find a spouse and whatnot so I You know, I mean you could pray for a group, but I doubt that Not only that but as you go throughout the reality reality TV shows We're not going to eat worms walk across the top of a moving semi truck for a million dollars We're not going to have our houses extremely made over in a week Perhaps these shows would be better labeled as escape from reality And let me ask you this Are you dealing with reality? Or are you trying to escape reality? You see the book of Ecclesiastes is one of those books that you miss in the Bible It's in there you thumb through the Psalms and you go through his Ecclesiastes And when you make the attempt to read Ecclesiastes, you're like, what is this? This guy's talking about life and it's depressing. I mean the chapter one. He says life stinks. That's my interpretation His observation about life is like I see people being oppressed. I see people who are depressed I see people that are working very hard and they die life stinks. That's his premise. That's the way he starts Ecclesiastes It's interesting too that as you get into the book and we're gonna look at this here that when he talks about death He's got an interesting perspective In fact Jehovah Witnesses will take this book and they will build the doctrine of annihilation by reading Ecclesiastes We're gonna go through some things in here that you're gonna be like whoa, wait. I'm in here But I'm gonna explain these things to you so you're not coming out if you're dizzy spiritually if you will But the book of Ecclesiastes is a fascinating book and I believe that this book is in this Bible to give us a reality check Because when we look at this book We're gonna be looking at this that Solomon delves into the heart issues of life and attempts to find Satisfactory answers that prevent despair How can you live a life without dealing with despair? How can I live my life on this side of heaven without suffering without going through all of that chaos that we see in this world? That's the whole thing about Ecclesiastes This morning what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna give you four reality checks that are in life And I'll begin with the first one based on verse one here Reality check number one. We are not the sovereign masters of our destiny Notice what it says in verse one. He says it very clearly He says I considered all this in my heart so that I would I could declare it all that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God Unquestionable truth right there under the hand of God Solomon acknowledges here in the very first verse of chapter 9 that God is sovereign over everything and everyone right away and We see that in Proverbs 21 verse 1 Solomon said this about the sovereignty of God He says the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. He directs it like a water course wherever he pleases. Isn't that great? Hey listen, we are about in our in our nation. We're about to change presidents when I read this verse I'm like amen to that Lord Those candidates are not in full control God is in full control So there's peace just comfort in my heart and we see that Solomon himself made it very clear that The heart of the king's heart is in God's hand. He directs it like a water course. I love that David said this about life Psalm 31 15 my times are in your hands Deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. I love that my times are in your hands And that's true for all of us in here There's a story in the New Testament that Jesus gave it was actually a parable about a rich man and this rich man yielded a bunch of crops he was already rich and You know for some reason this rich guy was able to accrue tons of crops. It was a good year for him and he said something interesting and I'm gonna read it to you don't have to actually turn there but when he saw this Crops and all of this stuff. He said, you know what? I don't have room in my barns to build to put them in So what did he do? This is what he said Jesus said this He thought with it himself saying what shall I do since I have no room to store my crops? So he said I will do this I will pull down my barns build greater and there I will store all my crops all my goods And I will say to my soul. You're the man. That's my interpretation. All right. He didn't say that He said this and I will say to my soul soul. You have many goods laid up for many years Take it ease. Take your ease eat drink be merry But God said to him notice this now Fool he didn't say what a wise man fool Why this night your soul will be required of you Then who's will those things be which you have provided ouch? He was gonna die and here he thought he was on top of the world. He was like, hey, this is great I'm on top of the I got it made You know Solomon acknowledges here that God is sovereign over everything and here we see that this man himself is Actually thinking that he has everything that he needs and there's no reason to disturb his life and yet God says no I'm in control here And little do you know that you're gonna die today. So all of the stuff that you have Who's it gonna go to? Solomon adds that you will neither know love nor hatred. He says it here What does that mean? Literally, it means whether it will be love or hate no one knows in other words What he's saying is this we don't know God's providence neither do we know whether we are going to be objects of love or objects of hatred We don't see it coming. We don't see love coming. We don't see hatred coming We just don't know Solomon's point is this there are no guarantees as to what life will bring. That's his whole point We just don't know God knows because he's on he's he's he's sovereign. He knows he knows the future You guys remember this the movie force gone Remember that little quote that little saying that that he said everybody gets you know and quotes it I'm gonna quote it today This is what he said Mama always says that life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get right remember that That's the only part I could do That's true though. Seriously. Yeah, that's a movie But that's true because life is full of surprises. Listen if you've been living long for a very long time You know life is full of surprises, right? You know it is if you're young you're like no, it's not wait until you get there life is full of surprises and We see here very clearly that no one will never know whether what will happen next and the thing is this you are not in Control of that that's the hard thing about life that because life is full of surprises We don't know what's coming next yet. We don't have control over that at all Proverbs 27 one says this do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day will bring We don't know whether we're gonna be objects of love objects of hatred in fact The that uber that crazy uber driver that shot those people They didn't know that they were gonna be objects of hatred They didn't realize that that day was their last day as they were walking on the street a guy pulls over and shoots him They didn't know that That's what Solomon is kind of saying here But we don't know whether we're gonna be objects of lover objects of hatred But there is a certainty that I want to tell you about There's one certainty in life and you can count on this certainty and that certainty is this is that God is involved in the lives of those who trust him So don't worry But Robert you don't you see how the world's going I mean terrorism is here now and and all the things that are happening I can't even take an uber car because now I don't even know what this guy's gonna do listen One God is in control and to Trust them. He is involved in your life. He cares for you Jesus said this I will never leave you and what? forsake you That's a promise He's with you here. He's with you as you leave and this is a promise So reality check is this that God is the one is in control. We are not masters of our own destiny We're not the sovereign master of our own destiny reality check number two We are gonna die You're like, well, yeah, I know that no no seriously there are people that live their lives like if they're not gonna die I Was on the freeway recently as I'm driving. I hear this loud noise coming from behind me I don't know what it was. Yes, you know those noises that you're like you're looking up side You know you're like what is it a drone? You know what I mean? I mean something really loud and all of a sudden this motorcycle Flies by me at least a hundred miles per hour Zooming by and if it was you here, you're in trouble now use a Hundred miles per hour and I'm thinking the first thing that came of mine I'm like, you know what dude if a car cut, you know crossed in front of you you are done and I'm thinking doesn't this guy have fear that one False move this guy is gone. He's he's gonna get hurt big time if not die People live like that. They think that I'm not gonna die. No, no, I'm fine Well reality check number two is that we are gonna die death is a common destiny for all people for all people Solomon can actually summarize verses two and three here with the words under the sun. You're done You could really summarize it in that way I Read a story Recently about three guys good friends a doctor a teacher and a comedian that were actually heading out going out Just hanging out to fellowship as they were driving their car crashed and they rolled over and they all three died unfortunately all of them So they were ushered into heaven and they were in this waiting room an orientation kind of thing and an angel comes to the To the first guy the doctor and he said hey listen What do you want to hear people say at your funeral? So the doctor sat for a moment is thinking well I want to hear people say at my funeral that I was a good doctor and I saved many lives Okay, he goes to the teacher and he says teacher What do you want to hear people say at your funeral? He said well, I want to hear people say at my funeral that I was a good dad I love my children my wife and that I influenced a lot of people in the school system for the Lord So the angel goes to the comedian. He says oh, what do you want to hear people say at your funeral? He's kind of thought for a moment. I Want to hear people say look he's moving I'll let you guys think about that one the first service was ten minutes later. They left Death is one of those subjects. We just don't like to talk about right I Mean if you were to call a friend today and say hey, I want you to come over for coffee I want to talk about death with you. You wouldn't have friends You know what I'm saying? Death is something we don't want to talk about. It's just it's weird, you know, sometimes people will shush you Shh, don't say that. What do you mean? Well, listen death is is a subject of course that people don't want to talk about I mean there are magazines that you know, there's a magazine called life. I've never ran into a magazine called death You know what I'm saying? I mean that sounds morbid doesn't it? I mean I guarantee you there'd be people that would buy that magazine But the majority of the people wouldn't buy or touch a magazine called death life. I'll buy that But but we see though very clearly that that people don't want to talk about death and instead of using the words dead Died we say things like passed away Returned home or they've gone to a better place because after all death is a depressing subject. It really is Most of us I'm sure all of us here have been in that lounge waiting room waiting to get your name called in to go Your doctor You know that that that holding tank I call it, right? You're sitting in there waiting for that nurse come through and say mr. Baltadano We you know doctor would like to see you and you go through those pre things, you know wait and all that good stuff Have you noticed that when you're in that room? It's very quiet and when you look around people are sad. It's almost like I'm in a funeral Seriously make you guys you're alive. I mean It's it's weird and you talk It's like my little goes like why you talk and we're in a waiting room. There's nothing. I'm not a funeral home You're just here for the doctor. You know what I'm saying But people get depressed and they're sitting there depressed in a room waiting to see their doctor Perhaps it's because of their illness But you see when I think about that I think about earth being like this big lounge or this big waiting room Waiting for our word. We're just here waiting for our time to go up But the thing is this though on this side of heaven as a Christian It shouldn't be depressing waiting to go home and it shouldn't be sitting We have worked to do don't we? We've been called in Matthew chapter 28 to go out and make disciples of all nations We have things that we need to do and that's what Jesus said So we see here that Solomon tackles the subject of death head on He's not afraid to talk about it and neither should we that's okay to talk about death Many years ago I used to work in Anaheim and I had a friend or actually co-worker who would make fun of me because I was a Christian I Was called Reverend because I was going to Bible college at the time so I called Reverend I was called preacher Bible Thumper all this stuff right and It was really starting to take me off right, you know, I'm thinking like okay I'm gonna get into that spirit of John the Baptist You're gonna start really going down on these guys, you know, so anyways we were Filing it was just him and I just on our own away from the main office And we were just doing a little thing packing boxes and whatnot and and I said, you know what? I need to talk to this guy cuz cuz I'm getting bitter, you know what I mean So I wanted to evangelize this guy so I just said to him very very Gently and straightforward. I said Jerry. He goes what if you were to die today Where would you go? And the guy looked at me with this like deer and headlights looking at me and he said and he just Didn't even say a word. He just went like this You know how many people are like that perhaps you're here this morning, you're like I don't know I Don't know if I were to die today if God said today's your last day. I Wonder if there's something here that would say I don't know I hope I make it Well Solomon here is talking about death and he's making it very very clear that we will die Proverbs 30 verse 16 says there are three things that are never satisfied for That never say enough the grave The grave is very hungry you know, I just recently saw that This this world clock, it's called the world death clock It's this dynamic clock that calculates the number of people who are dying in the world every second There's this ticker going like this of all the people that are dying. I don't know how accurate it is I didn't really do that much research, but I found it on Google. You know if it's not in Google doesn't exist So this is real So I'm seeing this thing ticking and I'm just overwhelmed and they says it is estimated that 56 million people die a year That's a lot of people 56 million people die 56,000 million people 56 million people die every year And then I read this fascinating Article about the governments around the world are kind of worried because we don't have enough earth to bury people Did you know that? We don't have enough earth to bury people So there's this Brazilian architect that came up with this unique So cool thing that he called it the skyscraper cemetery idea It's the world's tallest existing cemetery. That's it right there. That's not the Hilton a 32 story high where tombs are rented by the year and private moral rooms go for about a hundred and five thousand dollars I mean Stories that the capacity here that capacity holds a hundred and forty seven dead people Governments are scared. We're running out of earth. So this in Brazil this guy built this thing Could you imagine somebody going to this place thinking it's a hotel really seriously? Mom I saw it on the on the internet. It's beautiful. Look at that. It's right behind this beautiful hill, you know It's like why are people sleeping though? It's crazy And we see here that that that people will say things like especially Christians. Oh death is just part of life No, it's not did you know that death is not just part of life You know that that we were created to live forever In fact, it was our rebellion or the wages of a rebellion and sin against God that brought death Listen to this Romans 512 therefore just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin And this way death came to all because all sinned Romans 6 23 the rage the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord We were created to live forever Adam and Eve had an amazing relationship with God Eternally and they blew it they sinned and because of that Death entered the world death entered the human race That is why Jesus came to earth to die on the cross for our sins Because that's not the way God created us We weren't supposed to die, but we do now So Jesus conquered death and now as born-again people as we've accepted Christ and the death the Sacrifice on that cross now we have become born again So then when I die when I close my eyes on this side of heaven and I open them up I'll be in eternity with him He's bringing me back into that relationship that was once lost in the Garden of Eden Listen, Jesus wants to have a relationship with all of you here You know that and and if you are not connected to Christ if you're not connected to Jesus if you're not following Jesus He is bummed out because you were created to worship him. You were created to relate to him You're not your own island You're a creation of God and he wants to bring you back into that relationship with you I'm gonna give you an opportunity this morning towards the end for that But that's the whole thing Death is ugly and We see here that Solomon is making it clear here That the only way we're actually in the New Testament the only way to get rid of death is to get rid of sin That's the only way to get rid of death is to get rid of sin That day is coming did you know that? Revelation chapter 21 verse 4 says this there will be no more death. I Love that. How about you? there will be no more death in Eternity people don't die in eternity people live forever and it's not based on Quantity it's based on quality. It's a quality of life is what it is Because you think about living forever like that. That's kind of tiring because I need my nap I get hungry. I need to eat listen That's why the angels look down at us. We're like what is going on here? These guys sleep and eat up there. They don't do any of that stuff. It's a totally different place well Solomon is telling us here that life is better than death Now again, this is where it gets a little sticky Solomon is going to give us a perspective That is under the sun as Christians. We know there's more to life than this life, correct? We know that when we die, there is a better heaven waiting for us On this side of heaven is what he's talking about He's looking at it in that way and this is what he's saying in verses 4 through 6 not as what it says here He says but for him who is joined to all the living there's hope for a living dog is better than a dead lion It's interesting. He says that a living dog is better than a dead lion the king of the jungle Now let me just explain to you what a what a dog what what dogs were like in the time of Solomon and in Bible times Solomon's day dogs were just the diseased mutts that ran in packs through city streets They were not pampered like we pampered him today. Did you know that I? Was recently recently in a Home Depot with my little four-year-old and as I'm walking through I ran into I actually bumped into a Lady who had a big dog in in there, and I'm thinking like Do they know there's a dog in here, you know So I'm walking by just ignored it, and then I went to another I'll another dog And I'm thinking like is this Home Depot right? This is honey. Is this Home Depot, right? Okay, and I just I just had to find out why is there why are there dogs in here? So I went to one of the Clerks, and I said excuse me ma'am. I said, um, do you know there's dogs in here? Yeah, we allowed dogs in here. I'm like you kidding me really now. I can't go anywhere without dogs You know I'm saying now. I think it was a I forget where I was at a park, and I see this couple Pushing their stroller, and I'm thinking I'm gonna see this beautiful little baby, you know what I mean? And as I'm walking by you know because I'm gonna show off my little grace and one-year-old. I miss a year of it What's that? How was your hairy one? How old is he? You know and it's like You spent money a stroll. It's $300 to put a dog in there. I'm sorry. I love dogs I had a dog before it's dead now, but I had a dog. I have no problems with dogs cats I could care less but I have a dog I had a dog but but but listen if you pampered your pets, please don't don't Don't hate me. See here's I'm being an object of hatred right now probably And I didn't see it coming More power to you in Bible times dogs weren't pampered when you see a dog when you saw a dog in the streets You'd kind of it. Oh, there's a dog get away from here Solomon is saying this is that a live dog is better than the king of the jungle who's dead Why because the living can enjoy life while the dead can't that's where it gets kind of weird You're like wait a minute, but but as Christians if we're dead we are enjoying life true, but this is Solomon Solomon has a different perspective But here's the point that he's making there are no second chances and I agree with that There are no second chances. There's no purgatory. There's no reincarnation There's no eternal reoccurrence of life none of that stuff the moment you die. It's over Bible says in Deuteronomy or not Deuteronomy. I'm sorry Hebrews chapter 9 verse 27 that man is appointed to die once and then after that is Judgment so there's no going back. There's no like okay got bring me back What Solomon is saying is that listen being alive is better than being dead is what he's saying Not as a side note. This is a good passage to offer one who is contemplating suicide Living is better than dying living is better than death why Because relationships can be healed sickness can be cured work can improve It never makes sense to take your life just because life is not treating you well It's better to live You know, it's sad when you hear people jumping off over passes that happened like a week and a half ago There were two up to 57 sad Solomon is saying there's more hope for the living than there is for the dead But of course as Christians, we know that there is more life beyond the grave Solomon has said that it's better to die at the beginning of the book. He wanted just to say it's better for us to die here He's saying no There's hope for the living. He's kind of changing all of a sudden But life is a gift from God it really is we should enjoy life, you know We heaven is our eternal home, but but this life is very special because God created you for it Got created life and we should enjoy life. We should take advantage of the life that God has given us You know Paul even said I know he was kind of torn He says, you know, I want to stay here with you But I also want to be with Jesus and he says which is far better We know heaven is far better But there's work to be done here and I want to see my kids grow up I want to be used on this side of heaven because once the Lord takes me home this whole thing here It's done and no more preaching no more teaching no more Sunday night live. No, no that stuff. I mean the eternity I'm enjoying Jesus now But this experience on this side of heaven is only once And we see here that this is what he's talking about What is lost? He says here when you're dead according to Solomon Rewards presence of his lost emotions love hatred and envy in verses five and six Reality check number three Life is short life is short Solomon reveals five requirements that promote living life to the fullest by using the words go eat drink and joy and do Notice what he says there and verse seven Go eat your bread with joy drink your wine with Mary with a merry heart for God has already accepted your works Legs your garments always be white and let your head lack no oil Verse seven go and eat food and bread or just bread and wine is referring to the provisions of God This is not giving us the license for wild living. It's not there. It's not in the text The Solomon is not saying go out and party go club hang out get drunk That's not what it's saying here, and that's not biblical as most of us know What Solomon is saying listen you have one life to live enjoy it He's going to give us some elements to that which is kind of cool here. You're going to see it here But the idea here is talks about meals because meals in ancient times was very communal And the idea here is to enjoy your meal because you never know when you're going to die to enjoy your meal We need to enjoy God's blessings. God's good gives and celebrate life with other people and quit being always in a hurry I Can't I can't meet with you. I can't do this I can't do that. I know people like that. They just don't have time I don't want to be like that. I just can't I can't I can't have dinner tonight, honey I gotta stay at work, you know what where I really can't get home and eat dinner and enjoy it with my family People are always rushing always in a hurry The reason Solomon gives this to us is because God has already approved your works This means that such enjoyment it's God's will for us, you know, I I've had people say to me things like you know you Christians are weird I'm sure you probably had that I said, what do you mean? I guess you guys are like Amish you guys don't do you guys don't do anything? Wait a minute. Are you serious? You know, it's like it's like the world looks at Christianity and they think like we're supposed to be locked up in a room reading Our Bibles every single second. It's like I can't enjoy a Dodger game. I can't go out and hang out at a restaurant I can't use electricity. I have to use gas lamps and I have to find a horse and buggy It's like wait, that's that's not Christianity man Christianity's not about that Christianity is loving God serving God loving my neighbor and enjoying the life that God has given me in Christ's yeah, there are some things that I have to stay away from I Mean when you look at the Garden of Eden, but when you see God said to Adam Adam enjoy this garden But stay away from the one in the middle remember that He gave him a parameter. He gave him a boundary says listen enjoy all the fruit enjoy everything here But just get away from this tree the same thing in life God will say to you listen enjoy life is stay away from sin stay away from while living but enjoy life travel enjoy it and And we see here This is what Solomon is trying to drive the point here is that that this enjoyment is God's will for us and he says in verse 7 God has already accepted. It's not sinful to enjoy life. Listen to what Jesus said John 10 10 The thief does not come except to steal and kill and to destroy I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. I love that word the abundant life What does that consist of? It consists of living in Christ and enjoying his blessings That's cool that as a Christian I can enjoy life You know, I've had more fun being a Christian than being a non-Christian. Do you know that I? Remember my my my non-Christian days It's done. It really did the outer appearance of partying and clubbing and getting drunk was cool And I remember at one time Every weekend I remember Friday and Saturday were my days to party with my friends. I wanted to go out Hey, what's the next club that we want to hit? Hey, where are the chicks? Hey, where do we go and I would get drunk before I went into a club because I was cheap I didn't want to buy this stuff inside. I sit in a car with my friend just drinking It was crazy. It's dumb and I go in tweaked eye and couldn't see what I was doing and That happened weekend after weekend after weekend and I got to the point where I was like, this is boring It's like it was almost like it was a dude like somebody was paying me to get drunk It was paying me to have this kind of lifestyle and it got to a point was like this is not life This is boring. This is this is so redundant. There's got to be more to life Fast forward. I'm a Christian now. I love life It's exciting to know Jesus. It's exciting to tell somebody about Christ exciting to be used by God. It's fun I love being a Christian And my friends were not Christians to this day. They've never experienced this life. I've been in their shoes They've never been in my shoes. That's the advantage you have with a non-Christian when they try to put you against the wall Oh, really? Theologically they're trying to destroy the Bible says listen. I've been in your shoes. I know what it's like to drink I know what it's like to do this and that you've never been in my shoes You don't know what it's like to be a Christian But I'll tell you what it's like You talk to people that way. It's not like you're missing out. I'm missing out somebody came to me. Oh, Rob You're missing out man. No, no, I'm not. I know exactly what's going on. I'm not missing out Well Solomon here says that we have a life to live and he says enjoy it notice in verse 8 garments always be white in other words fine garments and fine oils is what he's talking about here all of oil was used to refresh the face it was Used as a deodorant perfume and what he's saying here is get out the best garments and fine oil. I Was at a beauty supply yesterday with my wife Kareen, okay? Make sure I said that at the end We just were hanging out I flew in last yesterday that she picked me up from the airport And so we went out to dinner and whatnot and then she had to get some supplies and stuff like that And we went in there and I was overwhelmed by all the products that That that that you ladies buy I Just couldn't believe the colors. I mean as a guy I was attracted to the color and the designs of the bottles but I'm like there's there's like 20 things of this 20 things of that 20 things of that and I'm like Are you guys being scammed? I'm like you guys really use all of this and and is there a product that nobody buys I mean it's there on the shelf Sorry ladies. This is the guys thinking here guys are like a man to that Did you know that in the old days in the Bible times they use olive oil for all that stuff? You want to save money use olive oil? You use it as deodorant Facial cream you name it We see here very clearly that Solomon is saying this Have a blast while you last that's what he's saying Have a blast while you last and I love what he says in verse 9 notice he says Enjoy he says live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life You know what's interesting about this? You know that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines a thousand women in his life And I find it very intriguing that he uses the word wife singular enjoy your wife if I fainted after that He didn't say enjoy your wives. No enjoy your wife It's like by thinking like man a thousand women in his life. I mean, how could you do that, right? enjoy your wife and this is cool because He's saying basically that he's talking about notice. He uses the word vain the word vain means Fleeting and it's referring to the shortness of life, which is our third reality check that life is short He says enjoy your wife. So let me encourage you men. Enjoy your wife Enjoy your wife. Are you enjoying your wife? and ladies Make it easy For them to enjoy you All right. Listen, hold on relax. No, no, I Did not get this response from the first service. So they were in the right mindset. All right This is where I'm going with this. All right Wow, I lost my turn of thought here because of that. I got scared enjoy your wife So when your husband comes to you and says honey, let's go out to dinner Don't say why Don't question him. Listen Don't block that channel of enjoyment. In other words, let him take you out. It says get on the best garments and Deck yourself out and go out for a night and enjoy you like well Robert. I have we have kids So do I I have a one-year-old and a almost five-year-old very active wonderful babies and When my mother-in-law is here and she's in this crowd right now. Thank you mom My wife and I will say hey, let's go for coffee and I go Carol Can you watch my four-year-old while I take the baby because he's still nursing so we can go out for coffee We just did this recently It was great to talk to my wife without a little four-year-old mommy daddy mommy daddy mommy daddy You know what I'm saying? You guys know right? You have to be strategic. You have to be purposeful. You have to find ways to enjoy your wife and That's what Solomon is saying enjoy your wife and ladies make it easy say hey, absolute. Let's go. I love Chipotle. Let's do it Doesn't matter where you go, right? It doesn't matter as long as you guys spending time together. That's what counts, right? Taco Bell, whatever As long as you're both face-to-face and having a conversation And talking I know it's a challenge In these days for marriages to have that enjoyment. It's it's hard to parents working and and there's a lot of commotion and whatnot And sometimes marriages are not doing well, but pray and enjoy each other. That's what Solomon is saying Have a blast while you last and he says something about your portion notice. This is your portion He says this is what God has given you now Where God has you today is where God wants you today. That's your portion. That's that's what God has given you And I know sometimes it's very hard to accept the portion in life like you're like God Why you know, maybe you're a person who's dealing with sickness Maybe maybe you're going through some issues or whatnot and you're like this is my portion Robert I don't I don't care for this portion, but listen trust the Lord Just don't do what Jonah did when he did not like his portion When God came to him and says Joan, I want to use you big time I want you to evangelize the Assyrians and I want an entire capital to get saved and he says nope He went the other way Don't do that He rejected that portion that God was given him, but you know what happened God and eventually brought him back But he says to enjoy Your portion Verse 10 he says whoever whatever your hands finds to do he says he says it very very clearly there And I love how he says it He says whatever your hand finds to do do it with your might for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the Grave where you're going Well How do you enjoy your job? You're like I don't like my job Robert. I don't like my job Give it your best effort and remember you're working as unto the Lord If you give your job your best effort with the ability that God has given you you're going to see change in your own heart Whatever you are able to do do it with your heart as unto the Lord the word hand suggests ability The word find suggests opportunity and the word might suggest Intensity so what Solomon is saying is that we only have one life to make our contribution one life Do you know that work is a privilege? It really is work is a total privilege if you don't think so Talk to someone who's been out of a job for a long time talk to somebody who's been unemployed for a couple years You're gonna be very privileged to have a job especially nowadays Solomon says Whatever your hands finds wherever your hands finds to do do it with your might with the ability that God has given you Reality check number four and this is our last one Life is unpredictable life is unpredictable Expect the unexpected Expect the unexpected verse 11. There's a list of people in four areas. There's a race an athlete There's a battle a military a service There's there's a wise person There's a person who has favor Those who are skillful in their work are not always favored Do not he talks about the wise that even though your wise it doesn't always guarantee that you're gonna have a good earning But generally it's the strongest who wins Generally speaking, it's the smartest that make more money The skillful ones are reorganized and the popular ones have more friends, but not always But not always. That's what he says here. The results are uncertain here and beyond our control Hey, listen going to the best college finding the best college doesn't guarantee you Wealth doesn't guarantee you a job I know friends that have gone to college and they've spent not tons of money and they're still they have they're not in their career So it doesn't matter how where you go and and what you find. It's all uncertain. It's unpredictable Yeah, there are some that do it and they're very successful Remember David and Goliath This big giant versus this little guy And if you were to see these guys You would look and you're like, okay, there's a fight going on a nine-foot giant versus a little guy You're like, there's no way this guy is gonna get smashed But what happened? David won the little guy won so it's not always the strongest that wins David and Goliath Goliath had the strength David had the faith Totally different. God was on his side But notice though the reason why this is not guaranteed because adversity falls on everyone Whether you're a wise person whether you're not whether you're a Christian whether you're not a Christian You're part of this verse 12 He says this notice. I want to read this for man also does not know his time Like fish taken in a cruel net like birds caught in a snare So the sons of men are snared in an evil time when it falls Suddenly upon them. That's the key word in that verse if you want to underline it suddenly that's the whole point right here suddenly Nets and snares there are people who go about in life thinking that they have it under control when suddenly something happens We see that in professionals professionals will go through big Explosions of money and whatnot and then suddenly something happens Perhaps you know somebody who at first was very wealthy very very Well off, but then suddenly they were hit with a sickness and lost everything That's the unpredictability of life and Solomon is hitting it very well here. I mean even with athletes athletes who are guaranteed millions of dollars and suddenly they get hurt and Their career goes down the hill. They don't play anymore Well Solomon in verses 13 through 18 appreciates the wisdom in others and He says it very clearly 17 and 18 will close with that Words of the wise spoken quietly should be heard rather than the shout of a ruler of fools Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good God's wisdom especially God's wisdom is really cool to see in scripture when God used Moses To part the Red Sea that was wisdom when God used Joshua to bring down those walls. That was wisdom When God used Joshua to bring down those walls that was wisdom It wasn't through might it wasn't through anything, but God's power his wisdom So let me close with a few things here One is that life on the horizontal level is unpredictable. It really is on the horizontal level is unpredictable We don't know What comes next One missionary said this and I love what he said and I quote the unknown gives adventure to life Listen guys as a Christian The unknown shouldn't scare you the unknown should excite you Because Jesus said don't worry about tomorrow He is the God of your tomorrow. He already knows what's gonna happen tomorrow. You trust them with your life Let him be your driver if you will Enjoy the ride Yeah, life is unpredictable, but when you're with Christ, you're safe In Proverbs it says that God is a strong tower and the righteous run to him and what are safe Yeah, we live in a crazy world in a chaotic world, but listen when you're in Christ, man There's comfort to know that God is on your side. That's the cool thing about being a Christian. I Cringed when I hear people that are not Christians you are on your own When you go through your trials and things you're on your own when I go through trials and things I got Christ's I Have somebody I can turn to and talk to and pray It's so cool to see this because the unknown gives adventure to life and it's so it's so true And the fact that our days are numbered out to motivate us to live earnestly for Jesus It shouldn't scare us it should drive us to earnestly love the Lord in light of the brevity of life We must live with seriousness recognizing the importance of a life well invested and what is that about? Well, a well-invested life is one that is lived in Christ alone Why is that important? Because life is short Death is certain That's why see death is like the great equalizer. You know what I'm saying. It's like the big equalizer death plays No favorites overlooks. No one regardless of your looks regardless of your talent regardless of your strengths regardless of your wealth You're gonna die That's what his that's his point the works that we accomplished on this side of heaven is The basis of our words in the next. How are you investing in the kingdom? Where are you in your walk with Christ? Is it strong? Is it passionate? Or is it like I just come to church and go home and Then I come back and think of God next Sunday The question that you have to ask yourself is this are you living for Jesus? Are you living for Jesus? I'm not asking do you know Jesus because you may know of Jesus, but do you truly know him and are you living for him?