A Surprising Punch Line

The teacher in the book of Ecclesiastes searched exhaustively for satisfaction, ultimately declaring each of his pursuits meaningless.

So what does his feudal exploration teach us? Well, today on Truth for Life, Alistair Begg walks through the teacher's surprising conclusion and his parting words of wisdom. Before we come to the punch line, we need to acknowledge the work that has been done by the teacher that is described in verse 9 and following.

Not only was the teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge. Who's saying this? What voice speaks this?

Well, presumably, the writer is writing in the third person. He doesn't want to say, And by the way, I did a remarkably good job. I'm a phenomenally wise person, and my teaching has been superb. But just in case any of you get any misapprehensions concerning me, says the teacher, I want you to know that I owe all of this to someone else. Because all of this wisdom that I've been able to convey to you has actually been given to me, and I've just passed it on to you. And I want you to know that the person who gave it to me is just simply one shepherd—namely, the Lord himself—that he is the source of all this wisdom. He began chapter 12, remember, by saying, Remember your Creator.

You mustn't forget your Creator. Now he says, Make sure that you listen to your shepherd. For he is not simply a God who is far away. He's a God who's nearby. He's a God who knows, a God who can be known, a God who speaks in an understandable fashion, a God who speaks with authority, and a God who speaks with finality. And so, he says, Since the shepherd has spoken with such authority and with such finality—and incidentally, is there not here just some indication of the doctrine of inspiration? That men moved by God, as Peter says, were ushered along by the Holy Spirit? That the writer wrote within the context of his day, the historical context, the circumstantial context within the framework of the genre, of his capability, and yet you have this amazing, inseparable continuum that involves the moving of the power of the Spirit of God and the actual reality and life of the writer of the book? It is a great and wonderful truth.

I don't want to camp on it. But it is important. We're not just reading a book which you could say, Well, if this was written all these centuries before Christ, so many centuries have elapsed since then. Everybody knows so much more now. Therefore, what we know now must replace what we knew then.

No. Because what is written in here is the words of the wise, given by one shepherd, timeless in its impact, undeniable in its contact, powerful in its life-changing capacity. Hence the warning in verse 12 and the little observation that follows it. He says, I want to warn you, incidentally, as you go off out of my class now, I just want to warn you about anything in addition to these wise words that have come from the shepherd. There are lots of books, and I want to warn you about those that you read in addition to your Bible. And make sure that you pore everything you read through the sieve of the Bible. Every other word of wisdom, every other wise acknowledgment, every other insight must bow to the truth of Scripture. And so he observes in the statement employed by most teenagers when they're trying to get out of their homework—Ecclesiastes 12, verse 12, make a note of it, 12b, of making many books. There is no end and much study.

Where is the body? What's he talking about here? I think what he's talking about here is the person who is always inquiring and never finding answers. C. S. Lewis in The Great Divorce has an amazing section where, in a dialogue with a lifelong searcher on the borders of heaven, this seeker is being invited in. He wants to come in on his own agenda.

He wants to be able still to do this, still to do that, and do the next thing. And so the person on the borders of heaven who's addressing him says to this lifelong searcher, I can promise you none of those things. No sphere of usefulness.

You are not needed there at all. No scope for your talents, only forgiveness for having perverted them. No atmosphere of inquiry, for I will bring you to the land not of questions but of answers, and you shall see the face of God. Ah, says the guy, but we must all interpret those beautiful words in our own way.

For me there is no such thing as a final answer. The free wind of inquiry must always continue to blow through the mind, must it not? This is amazing, isn't it? See how contemporary this is?

There's nothing new under the sun. Listen, said the white spirit, once you were a child, once you knew what inquiry was for. There was a time when you asked questions because you wanted answers and were glad when you had found them. Become that child again, even now. Ah, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

Now, you see, no argument, no appeal can avail against that kind of infinite elasticity. And the encounter, as C. S. Lewis writes it, ends with the searcher saying, Oh, by the way, I forgot an appointment that I had. He makes his apologies. And as C. S. Lewis describes it, he hurries off to his discussion group in hell. Hell will be full of people saying, There is no one answer. Therefore, says the teacher, you better be warned about running around with everything that is additional to its truth.

Let it supplement, let it help, let it encourage, but let it not divert and destroy. There are tons of books. There's no end to the books. And if you continue on that journey of inquiry without resolution, then, of course, it'll be absolute futility.

Back to the punchline. Now, all has been heard here is the conclusion of the matter, colon, Fear God and keep his commandments. This is the whole duty of man.

Notice verse 14, This exhortation is given in the light of a final appointment that is to be faced. God will bring every deed into judgment. We daren't succumb to complacency. Nothing goes unnoticed.

Nothing goes unassessed. Not even the things that we disguise from ourselves. But there is an encouragement in it inasmuch as we needn't embrace futility either. Because if God cares as much as this, then nothing can be pointless.

And the details of life are known to God. So he says, Fear God. Fear God. It's a call that puts us in our place.

It's a call that puts all of our hopes and fears and admirations in their place too. Fear God and keep his commandments. Here is the conclusion of the matter. Here is the punchline. Let me give it to you in just a phrase.

Fear God and keep his commandments. Oh, says someone, this sounds very Old Testamenty to me. Is this really the conclusion?

Well, it's the conclusion that's written there in front of you, isn't it? Couldn't we, says someone, get into the New Testament, pass Malachi into the sort of Sermon on the Mount material, where it gets a little more acceptable, a little more amenable, a little more gentle, a little more encouraging? Well, I don't want to be unkind to you, but you don't know what you're talking about. You haven't been reading your Bible. You've already forgotten our studies in Luke, when Jesus gathers a vast crowd around him. So vast, says Luke in chapter 12, verse 1, that the people were stumbling over one another. They were trampling one another in their desire to get a glimpse of Jesus and to hear what it was he was saying. It's a wonderful scene. If your Bible is open, you'll notice it.

If it isn't, you'll have to take my word for it. Luke chapter 12 and verse 1. Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples. And he said to them, Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There's nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. What you've whispered in the ear of the inner room will be proclaimed on the roofs. Sounds a lot like Ecclesiastes 12, doesn't it? Everything hidden will be brought to judgment.

Nothing goes unnoticed. God will bring every deed into judgment. Jesus is saying the same thing. And then he says in verse 4 of Luke 12, I tell you, my friends, my friends—this is the most loving man—I tell you, my friends, don't be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear.

Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Now let's just think about that scene for a moment, can we? Here a vast crowd of people has come to listen to Jesus. And in that crowd there would be all the various shades of the society. And intermingled in it, although not with a sign on their hats, for sure, there would be plenty common criminals. There would be the pickpockets and those who, in the opportunity that was represented in a vast crowd like that, would be ready to seize the moment for their evil deeds.

And those who got closest would be able to hear what Jesus was saying. Now, with this phrase, fear God and keep his commandments in my mind, I went to Luke chapter 12, because it occurred to me. And when I got to Luke chapter 12 and I thought about the vast crowd, and when I thought about the fact that in the diversity of the humanity that would be represented, there doubtless would be those who were criminals, I then said to myself, I wonder if one particular criminal was present in this crowd.

I wonder, can you follow my line of thought? Do you know which criminal I'm thinking of, I'm referring to? Well, one of the criminals who was crucified beside Jesus. You need to go forward in your Bible to Luke chapter 23, is it? And if you go forward to Luke chapter 23, and the description there of the scene at the cross, the people were watching, the rulers sneered, shouting their abusive comments, the soldiers mocked. They put a sign up above him, verse 38, verse 39, and one of the criminals who hung their hurled insults at him, aren't you the Christ, save yourself and us? But the other criminal rebuked him. Don't you fear God? he said.

Now, isn't that interesting? He doesn't say to the other chap, don't you fear dying? They're both going to die. Maybe he was present in the crowd when he heard Jesus say, let me tell you, you shouldn't be afraid of those who can kill the body, but you should be afraid of him who, after the killing of the body, can cast you down into hell. And suddenly the lights went on, and the man said, I have an appointment to keep. I have a God to face.

I have a soul that needs redeemed. Don't you fear God? And then, out of an awareness of the immensity of what was happening next to him, in the love of this Christ, who was a sinless savior, dying for sinners like him, he says, you know, would it be, is there any possibility that you would remember me when you come into your kingdom? And oh, the wonder of it as it settled on his heart and mind, today you will be with me in paradise.

What brought it about? Fear God. Do you fear God? You see, most people say, no, I don't think I fear God. Well, let me tell you that to fear God, and to trust God, and to love God, and to know God are all the same thing.

It's all the same. The fear that is referred to in Ecclesiastes 12 arises from the discovery of the immensity of God's love. It is the fear of a child for a father. The awareness of the fact that even though I'm such a rotten little kid, even though I do so many bad things, even though I've told so many lies and hung around with the bad people and been a disappointment to my parents, still my father loves me. It fills me with awe. It makes me want to bow down before him.

If he cast me out forever, he would be justified, but still he loves me. That's the kind of fear. What a punchline!

What a surprising punchline! Fear God and keep his commandments. You will never know what it is to fear God this way until you become God's child. Oh, you say, but I am God's child. He created me. You are God's child by creation, but you are not God's child by redemption.

None of us became a child of God as a result of a religious professional doing something for us or to us. The gateway into the family of God is by faith in the Lord Jesus and repentance from sin. Therefore, let me finish our series by encouraging those of you who as yet are not the child of God to become his child.

What should you do? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, the only Savior. And John says, To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave them the power to become the children of God. Jesus issues his wonderful invitation, Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. What a word to a lady at the well, five husbands and a live-in lover.

Is she messed up? Jesus came seeking to save the lost. The Pharisees, see you around, Charlie.

The woman with the live-in lover, you know what? I can give you living water. You can?

Why would you even talk to me? To believe in the Lord Jesus is to entrust yourself to him. And Jesus is able to save you. Trust him, and he will be your Savior. And with that, with Christ's help, give up and turn away from your old lifestyle to a new way of living under the authority of Jesus. Recognize that your old way of life is empty, and that the new way of life that is held out to you in Jesus is not down any of these dead-end streets but is on a narrow road that leads to life. When Jesus uses the word repent, this is what he means.

He's talking about changing my heart, changing my mind, changing my direction. And faith involves coming to Jesus in my sinfulness, acknowledging my emptiness, receiving his forgiveness and his fullness. Indeed, repentance, then, is born in me when I come to realize that in coming to the Lord Jesus, he will accept me just as I am in my sinfulness. He accepts me as I am in my sinfulness. And then he takes and changes me by his grace and his power. And one of the mechanisms that he employs to make me more and more like him and more and more useful to him are the very commandments of his Word.

So I fear God, believing in Christ, turning from my empty way of life to a whole new way of life, turning from my empty way of life, turning to a whole new way of life. And I keep his commands. Jesus said, If you love me, you will keep my commands. Now, I've quoted a number of songs and songwriters throughout the Ecclesiastes, but I'm not sure I quoted Johnny Cash, and I want to finish on a country note. When I read this, Fear God and Keep His Commands, my mind went very, very quickly to a Johnny Cash song. You say, You are weirder than we even realized. I keep a close watch on this heart of mine, And I keep my eyes wide open all the time, I keep the ends out for the tie that binds, Because you're mine, I walk the line.

Get it? It doesn't say, To make you mine, I walk the line. See, many of you have come out of a background where you hear Fear God and Keep His Commands. You say, I'm back where I started.

That's what life used to be like for me. I would go in these churches that scare the bajabbers out of me, and all I heard somebody say was, Keep the Ten Commandments. Now I've come here, I listen to the whole series, you get to the end of it, and you've given me the… No, no, no, no, no! There you were introduced to the idea that by means of your endeavor and by your effort and your ability to provide your evidences of your designs and your desires, eventually you would gain approval.

You would mix whatever little bit of grace God gave you with all of your own abilities, and synergistically you would eventually get there. No, I'm telling you, you've got nothing to mix, nothing to give. There's no reason why Christ should marry you. There's no reason why he should die for you.

There's not a reason in the world save his amazing grace and love. And then when I realize he loves me as I am, I find it very, very easy to be true. I find myself alone when day is through. And, oh yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you, a fool for you, because you're mine. Now walk the line.

You're walking the line. If God cares so much about the details of our lives as the Bible teaches, then nothing is pointless. You're listening to Truth for Life. That's Alistair Begg concluding our study in the book of Ecclesiastes.

Alistair returns in a moment to close the program. At the end of today's message, Alistair explained how one becomes a child of God. You may still have questions about that. You may be wondering where to begin. If so, visit our website at truthforlife.org. When you go there, you'll find a couple of brief videos that explain clearly the gospel.

You'll also find some suggested messages and short studies to help you get started. Now let me remind you, we're in the final days of offering a book called Being the Bad Guys. This is a great book to help you persevere confidently in your faith, despite the growing pushback from a radically shifting culture.

You can request your copy of the book Being the Bad Guys when you give a donation online at truthforlife.org slash donate. And if you are not currently subscribed to the free Truth for Life daily devotional, you can sign up today. When you do, you'll receive an email each day with a passage of scripture and a corresponding commentary from Alistair. It's a great way to begin or end your day focusing on God and his word.

To subscribe, go to truthforlife.org slash lists. Now here's Alistair with prayer. Some of you are here this morning and you've never actually come to nail this matter for once and for all. You don't really know where you stand in relationship to these things. You're a mixture of belief and unbelief. Well, let me read a little prayer that I keep in my notes. Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I am weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed. But through you I am more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I thank you for paying my debt, bearing my punishment, and offering me forgiveness. I turn from my sin and receive you as my Savior. And the promise of God's word is that when we cry out to him in that way, that he that comes to him, she who comes to him, he will never turn away.

Come to him just as you are. If you just prayed that prayer with Alistair, would you let us know? We would love to hear from you about how God used his word to work in your life today. You can send us an email at letters at truthforlife.org. I'm Bob Lapine. We hope you have a great weekend and are able to spend time worshiping with your local church. Join us Monday as we begin our Encore 2022 series. These are listener favorites from the past year. And our first message will help us understand why the Ten Commandments are more like a mirror than like a ladder of achievement. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living.