1 00:00:03,280 --> 00:00:08,600 Morning. So I've come up with a theory 2 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:13,080 that the level of comfort of the person standing by the pulpit is 3 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:15,840 directly correlated to the distance they create between 4 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:18,720 them and the pulpit. If you see Rory preach, he'll be 5 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,440 walking up and down, back and forth, and Steven walks that 6 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:23,480 side and this side and this is me. 7 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:27,320 So please pray for me. I'm working on it. 8 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:32,159 There's a line in one of my favorite movies, A Few Good Men, 9 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:35,400 where Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson are in the courtroom. 10 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:39,480 And Jack Nicholson says to Tom Cruise, do you want answers? 11 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:41,720 And Tom Cruise says, I think I'm entitled to it. 12 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:45,320 And Jack Nicholson says, do you want answers? 13 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:47,320 And Tom Cruise says, I want the truth. 14 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:51,680 And then Jack Nicholson says, there we go. 15 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,360 You can't handle the truth. For the rest of you that don't 16 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:57,040 know that, let's have a look. You want answers? 17 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:02,320 I think I'm entitled the truth. You can't handle the truth. 18 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:07,600 All right, we can't handle the truth. 19 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,880 When Rory came up to me and he said get ready to preach on 20 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,360 Ecclesiastes, I got fired up and I went into full prep mode and I 21 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:18,720 was ready for this. But then as the weeks went on, 22 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:23,640 Rory and Stephen kind of covered every topic that I was preparing 23 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:24,720 on. So I'd sit there and just go 24 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:26,440 like, OK, not that one, not that one. 25 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,640 So today I thought instead of preaching out of Ecclesiastes, I 26 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:32,160 would preach on Ecclesiastes. Because something I've heard 27 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:34,360 over the past couple of weeks covering the series and in 28 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,880 general is that Ecclesiastes is one of the most difficult books 29 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,920 to read. And some resources rank it after 30 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:43,560 Revelation as the third or fourth most difficult book to 31 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,520 read. But I would actually argue the 32 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:48,760 opposite. I think Ecclesiastes is one of 33 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:51,560 the easiest books to read. That's just one of the hardest 34 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:55,520 to accept because the challenge isn't in understanding the 35 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:59,000 words, it's in facing the truth that they reveal in this book. 36 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,520 And if there's one thing that us humans struggle with, it's 37 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:05,640 hearing the truth right. We can't handle the truth. 38 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,080 So Ecclesiastes is also a book of feedback because it strips 39 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:15,520 away the illusions we cling to. That belief of our efforts, our 40 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:19,320 wealth, our pleasures, and even our wisdom will give us lasting 41 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:23,880 fulfillment in Ecclesiastes 1-2, Solomon, the wisest man that 42 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:25,680 ever lived. You've heard Stephen say this. 43 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:27,480 He declares meaningless, meaningless. 44 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:30,680 Everything is meaningless. And that's a hard truth to you. 45 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:34,240 And it's an even harder truth for us to accept. 46 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:37,400 And in my line of work, we have a saying that if you can't 47 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:39,600 accept feedback, you have an ego problem. 48 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:41,480 And I'll get to that in a second. 49 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:43,800 Let's see. We live in a world that thrives 50 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:48,200 on instant gratification. People mistake what feels good 51 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:51,840 for what is true. We chase things that entertain 52 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:54,880 us rather than things that transform us, and we choose 53 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:59,360 comfort over correction. We prefer lies that affirm us 54 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:04,240 over the truth that convicts us. But Ecclesiastes reminds us that 55 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:07,720 all these things pleasure, wealth, power, status, they're 56 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:13,360 temporary, They fade, they fail, they disappoint. 57 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,560 Yet people keep running after them, convinced that this time 58 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:21,320 the world will keep its promise. But it never does. 59 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,800 We also live in a world where many people seem to be easily 60 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:29,440 offended, where any disagreement or challenge is seen as an 61 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:31,560 attack rather than an opportunity of growth. 62 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:36,280 The rise of social media has amplified this, reinforcing 63 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:40,400 emotional reactions rather than encouraging thinking or 64 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:43,680 resilience. So if what I say today is 65 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:49,360 offensive, I would like to apologize to absolutely nobody 66 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,160 because my prayers that we walk away and not offended but 67 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,080 encouraged about what God is trying to do in our hearts. 68 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:02,640 So from a biblical perspective, offenses is often linked to 69 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:04,760 pride. That's linked to lack of 70 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,200 patience and unwillingness to bear in love with others. 71 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:13,160 If we look at Proverbs 1911 that says a person's wisdom yields 72 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:16,240 patience. It is to one's glory to overlook 73 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:19,360 an offence. So the Bible encourages us, 74 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:21,760 encourages us to be slow to anger. 75 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:25,600 In James 119 it says, my dear brothers and sisters, take note 76 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:27,840 of this. Everyone should be quick to 77 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:31,320 listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. 78 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,600 And then if we add Ephesians 4, two to that, it says, be 79 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:39,560 completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one 80 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:44,480 another in love. The Bible also warns us that 81 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:47,200 truth will be offensive to those who reject it. 82 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:51,040 In one Peter it says that Jesus himself was a stumbling block to 83 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:55,040 those who refused to accept him. And Paul reminds us in One 84 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,320 Corinthians, For the message of the cross is foolishness to 85 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,800 those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is 86 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:05,720 the power of God. In other words, offense often 87 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:09,360 comes when people resist truth, they resist correction, and they 88 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:14,520 resist conviction. So while society encourages us 89 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:18,560 to take offense as a form of self protection, Scripture calls 90 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:21,920 for humility, endurance, and a willingness to engage with one 91 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:27,280 another in truth and love. Colossians 3 says to us, 92 00:05:27,280 --> 00:05:30,760 Therefore, as God's chosen people, wholly and dearly loved, 93 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:35,680 clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, 94 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:38,880 and patience. So instead of reacting 95 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:42,320 emotionally, the Bible teaches us to forgive, to be patient, 96 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,360 and not to let offense take control of our lives. 97 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:51,200 Looking at Ecclesiastes as we have in the past couple of 98 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:54,000 weeks, we might see this book as offensive. 99 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:59,040 That tells us that no matter how hard we work, no matter how much 100 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:02,640 we gain, no much how, no matter how much we think we are in 101 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:07,200 control, our lives are fleeting, meaningless, meaningless. 102 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:11,720 Everything is meaningless. And in Ecclesiastes, as always, 103 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:15,360 God speaks truth and the truth offends people who build their 104 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:20,920 lives on lies. Proverbs 1618 says pride goes 105 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,120 before destruction and a haughty spirit before fall. 106 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:27,560 Pride is what makes people reject truth. 107 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:33,160 Pride is what makes people offended rather than convicted, 108 00:06:34,280 --> 00:06:37,400 and pride is what makes people fight feedback rather than grow 109 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:41,120 from it. When it comes to pride and ego, 110 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:44,360 the irony is that in the war of ego, the loser always wins. 111 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:49,440 And the person who lays down their pride, who humbles 112 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:53,200 themselves and receives the truth, even if it stings, they 113 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:55,160 will win the battle that really matters. 114 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:00,800 So Rory mentioned this a while ago, but it's at the end of last 115 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:02,680 year. A couple of months ago I was 116 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:05,880 considering uprooting my entire family, leaving this amazing 117 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:08,400 community, and moving to Cape Town for a job offer that I 118 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,040 received. And if I'm completely honest, 119 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:13,520 even though I was praying about it and reading seeking 120 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:16,640 scripture, I was purely doing this to chase generational 121 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:20,800 wealth for my family. So I saw counsel from Rory, I 122 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:22,680 sat down with him, I told him I plan. 123 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:25,720 And Rory was nice enough not to tell me in that exact moment 124 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:29,880 what he thought about my plan. And I think that didn't happen 125 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:32,320 because God had already planned that he was going to reveal the 126 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:36,160 truth to me. And that decision has come and 127 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:37,720 gone. Instead of Cape Town. 128 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:40,280 We are firmly rooted in Pretoria with this community. 129 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:43,760 Instead of chasing generational wealth, I'm chasing generational 130 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:45,880 faith for my children and their children. 131 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:50,440 But The thing is, if Rory told me in that moment that my plan 132 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:53,520 to move to Cape Town is a bad plan and I shouldn't do it 133 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:56,560 instead of seeing the truth in it, I would have been offended 134 00:07:56,960 --> 00:08:00,680 because it would have bruised my ego because it's not what I 135 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:02,800 wanted to hear from him. I even walked out and I phoned 136 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:06,280 my wife is like he didn't tell me what I wanted to hear, right. 137 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,440 So looking back at at that as it played out, I realized that if 138 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:13,400 we see God in everything, he will reveal and confirm the 139 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:16,320 truth to us. But if we seek the world, the 140 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:20,920 truth will offend us a little less serious. 141 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:22,880 But for those of you that know me well, you know, I'm very 142 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:27,000 passionate about my archery. I spend way too much time at 143 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:29,400 Arch's Edge that I'd like to admit. 144 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:32,360 I don't know if I should thank or blame Reg Grant for that. 145 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:38,440 But I go to my wife with these thoughts in my head and I say to 146 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:41,280 like baby, you know, I'm really enjoying this archery. 147 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:44,640 I'm getting into competitions. I'm getting pretty good at it, 148 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:47,960 but I'm competing with a hunting bow and these guys, I can't 149 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:51,080 really compete if I don't have a competition bow, you know, And 150 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:54,120 like for me to be competitive, they just launched this new 151 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:56,920 competition bow that'll make me, it'll make me stable and 152 00:08:56,920 --> 00:08:58,960 accurate. And this is something that I 153 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:02,760 have to get. And in my head, there's no other 154 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:04,720 response. She can have that other than 155 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:12,320 babe, go and get it right. But then she hits me with a, OK, 156 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:15,880 does this make financial sense right now to do that? 157 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:18,120 Or is it something that you really need? 158 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:23,840 So obviously my response isn't thank you for revealing the 159 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:28,320 truth to me, right? My response is I go to my office 160 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:31,480 and I said all grumpy and I feel sorry for myself because she 161 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:33,160 didn't tell me what I wanted to hear. 162 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:39,440 So how often do you seek someone's advice or opinion only 163 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:42,680 because you want them to confirm what you want to hear? 164 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,880 How often do you read scripture but you selectively ignore or 165 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:51,240 apply some of it because the rest doesn't stroke your ego? 166 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:56,640 How often do we pray to God and we ask Him for something, but 167 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,240 then we get frustrated and we feel sorry for ourselves because 168 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:02,200 God didn't answer us the way that we wanted Him to? 169 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,440 What is it that we are chasing ultimately in life? 170 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:12,240 We sat here this morning with stress, anxiety, and worry, not 171 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:16,720 because of what God has said, but because we've been chasing 172 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:20,840 what the world has promised us. We believe that success will 173 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:25,120 bring peace, but it never does. We believe that the more money, 174 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:28,880 the more things, or the more status we have, it'll satisfy 175 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:29,760 us. But it doesn't. 176 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:33,760 And we believe that avoiding discomfort will make us better, 177 00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:38,960 but it only makes us weaker. Because Solomon had everything. 178 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:41,280 He had wealth, He had wisdom, power, pleasure. 179 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:44,200 But in the end, he realized that none of that mattered apart from 180 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:47,160 God. So with a series of 181 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:51,360 Ecclesiastes, we've heard the truth, but will we accept it and 182 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:53,920 believe it, or will we be offended by it? 183 00:10:55,760 --> 00:11:00,280 So in the church today, I believe we're at crossroads. 184 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:03,960 We can't preach messages that keep people comfortable, or we 185 00:11:03,960 --> 00:11:06,800 can preach messages that keep people comfortable, or we can 186 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:09,440 preach messages that convicted, But we can't do both. 187 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:12,920 The world doesn't need another soft gospel. 188 00:11:12,920 --> 00:11:16,480 The world doesn't need more motivational speeches disguised 189 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:18,400 as sermons. The world needs the truth. 190 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:21,760 We need the truth. The truth that offends before it 191 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:28,080 heals, the truth that humbles before it lifts up, and the 192 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:30,960 truth that tears down pride before it builds up faith. 193 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:34,800 Paul said in Two Timothy 4, verse 3. 194 00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:38,480 For the time will come when people will not put up with 195 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:41,160 sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own 196 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:44,600 desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers 197 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:47,240 to say what their itching ears want to hear. 198 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:50,680 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to 199 00:11:50,680 --> 00:11:53,800 myths. It says, Therefore the time will 200 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:55,160 come. And I believe we are living in 201 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:59,640 those times. But As for you and me, we've 202 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:03,920 been called to stand in truth. Not because it's popular, Not 203 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:06,520 because it's easy, because it's eternal. 204 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:11,880 Solomon's final conclusion in Ecclesiastes 12 is this. 205 00:12:11,880 --> 00:12:13,680 Fear God and keep his commandments. 206 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:15,680 Commandments. For this is the whole duty of 207 00:12:15,680 --> 00:12:18,080 man. Everything else is noise. 208 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:23,520 Everything else fades. So when we come to church and we 209 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:26,880 hear the truth or we read the truth, accept it even if it 210 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:32,360 offends, even if it costs you because John 832 says then you 211 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:36,120 will know the truth and the truth will set you free. 212 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:42,760 One of my favourite quotes, Richard C Halvorson, he says a 213 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:46,120 man can never be the same after hearing God's truth spoken in 214 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:49,760 the power of the Holy Spirit. He will either obey and go 215 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:51,800 forward or ignore and die a little. 216 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:55,800 This is not just a poetic statement, it's a spiritual law 217 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,520 because when God's truth is revealed to a person that 218 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:04,040 demands a response that does not allow neutrality. 219 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:07,280 The moment truth is received that places a weight upon the 220 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:11,640 soul that must be reckoned with. This is why the Gospel is both 221 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:15,520 life giving and it's dangerous because it forces a choice. 222 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:19,400 When the Holy Spirit moves through the preaching of God's 223 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:24,680 truth, the erer us, we are confronted with a crossroad, 224 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:30,800 obedience or resistance. Option number one, we obey and 225 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:33,600 go forward. When we hear God's truth and 226 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:37,520 submit to it, transformation begins within us, our hearts. 227 00:13:37,520 --> 00:13:42,920 Often we step, our steps align with God's will, and His life 228 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:45,400 begins to bear fruit of righteousness in us. 229 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:48,960 We are refined, we are renewed, and we are drawn closer to Him. 230 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,200 Option #2 We ignore and we die a little. 231 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:56,560 When we hear the truth and we resist it, we don't remain 232 00:13:56,560 --> 00:13:59,560 unchanged. We harden on the inside. 233 00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:03,320 Our heart becomes dull, our spirits become resistant, and 234 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:06,960 the ability to hear God's Spirit or the Holy Spirit diminishes. 235 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:10,160 So we step further away from God's presence. 236 00:14:10,160 --> 00:14:13,520 And with every rejection of truth, something in US Withers. 237 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:16,880 This is why no man is ever the same. 238 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:19,960 After hearing truth preached in the power of the Spirit, he has 239 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,880 either taken a step toward life or a step towards spiritual 240 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:27,960 decay. Throughout Scripture we see 241 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:31,200 these principles play out in the lives of those who encountered 242 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:35,000 God's truth. So in Matthew 26 we see Peter 243 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:38,040 and Judas. Both men sinned against Christ. 244 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:40,400 Both men heard truth from the mouth of Jesus. 245 00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:42,520 Peter repented and he was restored. 246 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:45,320 He went forward in obedience and became a pillar of the early 247 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:48,960 church. Judas rejected the truth and he 248 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:52,800 chose self destruction. His rejection of grace led to 249 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:57,960 spiritual and literal death. Another example, in Exodus, 250 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:00,600 Pharaoh heard God's truth through Moses, but each time he 251 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:04,560 refused, his heart hardened into Samuel. 252 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:07,640 David, when confronted by Nathan over his sin, he repented 253 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:09,680 immediately, though it cost him dearly. 254 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:14,080 But his response allowed him to remain a man after God's heart. 255 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:19,800 And then in Luke 18, the rich young ruler and Zacchaeus the 256 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:22,640 rich young ruler, heard Jesus called to surrender his wealth, 257 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:24,920 but he walked away sorrowful and his heart shrank. 258 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:28,880 Zacchaeus, when confronted with Jesus, responded with joyful 259 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:32,240 obedience, and his life was forever changed. 260 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:36,320 So in each case, truth demands a response. 261 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:42,880 Some obeyed and they walk closer to God, while others resisted 262 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:47,320 and stepped towards death. And the thing about truth, 263 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:51,640 especially God's truth, ignoring it, does not leave us unchanged. 264 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:55,480 It deadens our soul and it dims our spiritual vision. 265 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:58,800 It decreases our capacity to hear God's voice. 266 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:03,840 Hearing truth and rejecting it makes the next rejection easier. 267 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:08,240 The conscience becomes seared. One Timothy. 268 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:11,200 The heart becomes calloused. Hebrews 3. 269 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:15,120 Sin becomes easier and repentance becomes harder. 270 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:20,160 Every time a man chooses to ignore God's voice, he dies a 271 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:22,600 little inside, not physically, but spiritually. 272 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:29,680 This is why Jesus often said Matthew 1115. 273 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:34,440 He who has ears led him here, because to hear without 274 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:39,360 responding is a dangerous thing. Preaching is new to me, right? 275 00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:43,800 As you can see, it's only my third time up here. 276 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:46,920 But I've come to realize that those who preach and teach 277 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:49,760 understand the weight of this reality. 278 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:52,840 Every time the gospel is proclaimed, people are either 279 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:56,120 being drawn towards Christ or they drifting further away from 280 00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:58,480 Him. And This is why truth must be 281 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:02,440 preached boldly, not softened, not diluted, not made palatable 282 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:05,680 to our ego. When preachers watered down 283 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:08,000 truth to avoid offense, they robbed people from the 284 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,680 opportunity to make that life changing decision. 285 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:14,760 When churches avoid conviction, they create lukewarm believers 286 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:18,280 who think that there's they can just ignore truth without any 287 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:22,920 consequence. The reality is that every 288 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:26,680 sermon, every teaching, and every encounter with God's Word 289 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:30,120 is a life or death moment, a call to move forward or a call 290 00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:39,960 to weather. Truth is also not passive. 291 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:45,400 It doesn't allow us to just sit comfortably in indifference. 292 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:49,520 You are either moving towards God or you are moving away from 293 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:54,440 Him. Joshua 24 verse 15 says choose 294 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:59,680 this day whom you will serve. This choice happens every time 295 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:04,800 that we hear God's truth. Over the past few weeks we've 296 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:08,960 heard God's truth in Ecclesiastes and the question is 297 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:13,400 when we hear that, will we obey and go forward or will we ignore 298 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:18,560 it and just die a little? We cannot spend our lives 299 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:21,600 clinging to what we expected the world to offer us. 300 00:18:22,120 --> 00:18:24,320 Vanities. Are vanities meaningless? 301 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:29,160 Everything is meaningless. God has a far greater plan for 302 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:31,600 each and us and He's given us the choice. 303 00:18:32,360 --> 00:18:36,520 Seek His truth or as Roman 12/2 says, be conformed to this 304 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:40,480 world. And like Mark 8 verse 36 says, 305 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:43,840 for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but forfeit 306 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:49,280 his soul? Beautiful. 307 00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:52,960 Ecclesiastes teaches us that the true gain is not found in what 308 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:55,960 we accumulate, but it's found in what we become in Christ. 309 00:18:58,360 --> 00:19:02,000 We've heard this over the past few weeks, we've read this, we 310 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,320 know this. But is it what we want to hear, 311 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:13,240 or does it offend our ego? That's a decision only we can 312 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:17,480 make. No one can do that for us. 313 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:22,160 We need the truth. But like Jack Nicholson said, we 314 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:25,720 can't handle the truth. Instead of accepting truth, the 315 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:27,840 enemy tells us we can't handle it. 316 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:32,680 And the enemy gives us things like ego and pride and offence 317 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:40,880 to fight truth. But Philippians 413 says this, I 318 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:43,640 can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 319 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:48,360 Through Christ we are empowered to handle truth with courage and 320 00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:53,800 perseverance. 2 Timothy one verse 7 says for the Spirit God 321 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:57,800 gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and 322 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,560 discipline. So we are given a spirit of 323 00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:04,800 strength, not fear, to embrace and live out the truth of God. 324 00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:09,560 God does not shield us from the truth, but He equips us to 325 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:12,960 embrace it. He equips us to receive it, to 326 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:17,160 process it, and to act on it with wisdom and courage. 327 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:24,040 Truth refines us and through His grace we are able to handle 328 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:33,120 whatever He reveals to us. So my prayer over the past 329 00:20:33,120 --> 00:20:37,480 couple of weeks for all of us is when we are faced with something 330 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:44,880 like the series of Ecclesiastes or when we hear somebody preach 331 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:50,280 something from the frontier that is difficult, it's hard to 332 00:20:50,360 --> 00:20:55,360 process, it's hard to accept. My prayer is that instead of 333 00:20:55,360 --> 00:21:00,040 acting on that, we ask God to humble us, to lay down our pride 334 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:04,720 and our ego and not to take offence, and to ask God to 335 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:10,160 reveal the truth in it for us. Thanks.