When we began our journey through Ecclesiastes back on January 4, I introduced our study with a quote from the “Author’s Note” in the book Blue Like Jazz, written by Donald Miller:
I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn’t resolve. But I was outside the Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes. After that I liked jazz music. Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way. I used to not like God because God doesn’t resolve. But that was before any of this happened.
After nearly seven months of examining the words of Qoheleth, the author of Ecclesiastes, I’m even more convinced just how much Miller’s thoughts paint a great picture of the book. Because, more than anything, the book of Ecclesiastes reflects the fact that, at least in our minds, God doesn’t resolve. When we look at the world around us, the world that Qoheleth refers to as life “under the sun”, we find very quickly that there is so much that doesn’t seem to make sense. And if we try to formulate our ideas about God from what we observe, rather than from His Word, we will come to some very wrong conclusions about the nature of God.
But as we’ve discovered, Qoheleth lived in a world that was not altogether different from the one we live in today. In fact, I’ve been amazed at how much of what he has written could have very well been written right here in the United States at this present time. And although it has taken some diligent study to sort it all out, we find, that just as Paul promised in his letter to Timothy, all Scripture is indeed profitable, including this often ignored book. I know that the book has had a very significant impact on my life and I pray that it has done the same for you.
Let’s stand together and read the last six verses of the book that will serve as our text this morning:
9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright - words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. 12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh. 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 (NKJV)
As we’ve gone through the Book of Ecclesiastes, I’ve often wondered – what is the point of all of this? At times, the words on the pages seem like nothing more than the rantings and ravings of a madman. Sure, there are some very practical principles for us to follow. And the overall theme - that we are to be grateful for God’s gifts to us and to enjoy them in our life here on earth - is important. But why does Qoheleth take the time to write down all that he ponders? And why is this book part of God’s Word?
But the more that I read through this passage this week, the more I began to see that the concluding words of Qoheleth bear some striking similarities to the words of Jesus that close the gospel of Matthew. Let’s read that familiar passage out loud together:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:19, 20 (NIV)
The somewhat surprising, at least to me, answer to some of my questions is this: just like Jesus, Qoheleth had a great interest in making disciples. And so all that he has written in this book is not primarily for his benefit, but instead he has wrestled with some of the things that we often wrestle with so that he can take the fruit of all his hard work and share it with others, so that they might be better able to live the life that God desires for each of them.
This ought to be of tremendous interest to all of us since, as we have clearly seen from Jesus’ own words, all of us who are His followers are responsible for making disciples. That is the sole mission of this church and of every member of this body.
Given that all Scripture is God-breathed, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised at how closely the words of Jesus, uttered hundreds of years later, so closely track with those of Qoheleth at the end of the book. But it is still fascinating to me how the disciple making process according to Qoheleth mirrors exactly what Jesus commanded all of us to be doing. So let’s use this passage to review…
THE DISCIPLE-MAKING PROCESS ACCORDING TO QOHELETH –
AND JESUS!
In this passage we find five clearly defined steps that must be part of making disciples:
1. Inspiration
10 The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright - words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.
We’re going to come back to the first part of verse 11 again in a moment, but what I want us to focus on here are two things. The first thing we notice is the source of Qoheleth’s words. Although he is the one who has written all these things down so that they could be preserved and we can still benefit from them thousands of years later, he recognizes that they are “given by one Shepherd” – a title which is frequently used in the Old Testament for God Himself. Although Qoheleth may have been the one to actually write the words down, he clearly recognized that God is ultimately the author of all he has penned. That is a concept that is confirmed by two of the most prominent New Testament writers – Peter and Paul:
For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:21 (NIV)
All Scripture is God-breathed…
2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)
Although the words we have studied for the last seven months may have been penned by Qoheleth, they are actually God’s words and that is why they are still as relevant today as the day they were written.
The second thing we notice here is that the words Qoheleth has written are “words of truth.” That fact is directly related to the first. The only words which we can rely upon as being true are those that come from God Himself. That is why Jesus described God’s Word as truth:
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
John 17:17 (NIV)
There is an important principle for us here. If we want to make disciples, then we must start with the Word of God and everything we do needs to be based on the truth that is contained therein. Jesus also confirmed that when he commanded His followers to teach people to obey “everything I have commanded you”. And where do we find those commands? In God’s Word.
There are a lot of good and helpful materials out there that can assist us in the disciple-making process. I’ve used some of those tools myself and they have been quite helpful. But we must build everything that we do on the foundation of God’s Word.
That’s why about three years ago I made a commitment to God to do everything that I can to help us all develop a depth to our faith that is grounded in the Bible. That’s why I’m preaching through entire books of the Bible – both Old Testament and New Testament, both books that are fairly straight forward like Ephesians, and those that aren’t, like Ecclesiastes. That’s why Dana and I have developed and taught classes that are designed to help you understand the overall theme of Scripture and how the various books of the Bible fit into that theme and classes to help you learn to study the Bible using many of the same tools that Jesus used.
2. Perspiration
…yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs…
Although the Book of Ecclesiastes often appears to us like Qoheleth just sat down at his computer and began to type as thoughts randomly popped into his mind, we find that this book is actually the result of a diligent, systematic approach. In fact, although we don’t have time to look at it in any detail this morning, those of you who attended the “how to Study Your Bible” classes that we held last winter will see some striking similarities between the process that Qoheleth used – he pondered, sought out and set in order – to the P-R-D-S process that we studied and practiced.
In other words, the disciple-making process requires some hard work. It won’t just happen by osmosis. It requires that we diligently study the Scriptures. In fact, in his second letter to Timothy, Paul described one who handles the Bible well as a “workman”.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)
In that same letter, Paul also makes it clear that the hard work of studying the Bible is to be a lifelong pursuit:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:14, 15 (NIV)
Timothy began his journey with the Scriptures very early in his life, but Paul urges him to continue in that pursuit. One of the greatest joys in studying God’s Word is that there is always something new and rich for us to discover each time we open the pages.
There is certainly much evidence that Jesus’ disciples were quite diligent in their study of the Scriptures. That’s why Peter, for instance, could get up on the Day of Pentecost and preach such a powerful message about Jesus, using the Scriptures that he obviously knew quite well. Or how Philip was able to explain the Scriptures to the Ethiopian official.
When it comes to knowing the Bible, there is no substitute for the systematic, thorough study of God’s Word. And a 30 minute message on Sunday morning, while it is helpful, will never be enough, by itself, for you to get a good handle on God’s Word.
3. Transmission
9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge…
All the time that Qoheleth spent with God’s Word was not just for his benefit. It was also so that he could pass it on to others. Even his name, Qoheleth, which is translated “Preacher” here, alludes to that. As we discovered in our very first week of our study, his name literally means “assembler” and it is quite likely a reference to the fact that he assembled the people together so that he could teach them based on what he had learned himself through his own study.
That’s exactly what Jesus has commanded every one of His followers to do:
…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…
This is not just a command for a select few or just for those who are pastors or have the gift of teaching. This is a universal command that Jesus has given to every one of His followers. If you are a follower of Jesus then you have a responsibility, regardless of your level of spiritual maturity, to take what you have learned and to help others mature in their walk with Jesus. No matter where you are spiritually, you have something that you can contribute to help build up others in their faith. And since it’s a command, there are, as we’ll see in a moment, some very serious consequences to disobeying that command.
That’s why Paul wrote these words to the young pastor, Timothy:
And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
2 Timothy 2:2 (NIV)
Not only are we to just transmit what we have learned to others, we are to do that with those who will also be able to pass that teaching on to the next generation of Christ-followers as well.
4. Application
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
As Qoheleth brings his book to a close, he leaves us with a very clear conclusion. After twelve chapters of observations and laying out principles for us to follow, he sums everything up with just one command - Fear God and keep His commandments. I know some of you are probably thinking to yourselves – that’s two commandments, not just one. “Fear God” – that’s one commandment. And “keep His commandments” – that’s the second. But what we find in the Bible is that what look like two separate commandments are really two sides of the same coin. Throughout the Bible, and especially in the Old Testament, fearing God is equated with keeping his commandments. We can see this most clearly in the Book of Deuteronomy:
These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.
Deuteronomy 6:1, 2 (NIV)
It couldn’t be any clearer than this. How do we demonstrate that we fear God? By keeping His commandments. That’s exactly what Jesus confirmed in the Great Commission:
…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…
The key word there is “obey”. Jesus didn’t just command His followers to teach His commandments, as important as that is. He commanded them to teach others to obey those commands.
The point that both Qoheleth and Jesus are making is this: The process of disciple-making is not just about passing on information, it’s about application. As D.L Moody put it:
The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.
Or, in the words of Kenny Luck, the men’s pastor at Saddleback Church:
Information without application is hallucination.
There is an interesting verse in the midst of our passage here in Ecclesiastes where Qoheleth further emphasizes the importance of application:
12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.
At first glance, Qoheleth almost seems to be contradicting himself. But he is not in any way saying that we shouldn’t study the Scriptures diligently. On the other hand, he does seem to be addressing the increasingly popular practice of reading and studying books about the Bible rather than the Word of God itself.
In his commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, Iain Provin writes these insightful words:
Never have so many books and articles touching on biblical texts been written and published as in the last fifty years. Yet this explosion of literature has had little to do with genuinely new and worthwhile insights into how God is addressing us through his Word. It has had much more to do with the fact that the Bible has proved itself useful to those who business is “gain.”
Obviously, neither Qoheleth nor I are advocating that we don’t use the many tools that are available to help us understand God’s Word. I’m really thankful for many of those tools that I use each week in my study. But the point is that we’re not just to use those tools to get more information. We are to use them as complements to the Word of God in order to develop the proper application of God’s Word in our lives. But we must always start with the Word of God first.
The primary point that Qoheleth is making here is that we are not to study just for the purpose of getting more information or for the sake of study itself, but rather that our goal is to be application of that which we are learning.
And the reason that we are to focus on application of God’s Word is that every person is going to be held accountable by God for how we apply God’s Word in our lives. At the end of verse 13, we find this curious phrase:
For this is man’s all.
The Tanakh, the Jewish Bible translates this phrase more accurately as follows:
For this applies to all mankind.
In other words, every person is responsible to apply God’s Word in his or her life by fearing God and keeping His commandments. And in verse 14, we find out why application is so crucial. One day every person, whether that person is a Christ follower or not, will be judged by God based on whether they have feared God and kept His commandments.
Once again, on the other side of the cross, Qoheleth couldn’t understand fully the nature of that judgment or know that the judgment will be quite different for those who have committed their lives to Jesus and those who have not.
For those who have not made the decision to trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus as the payment in full for their sins they are going to have to stand before God and give an account of their lives for the purpose of determining where they will spend eternity. This is what is referred to as the Great White Throne Judgment which is described in Revelation 20. And since all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the wages of sin is death, every one of those people will be banished to the lake of fire, a place of perpetual torment, separated from the presence of God. The writer of Hebrews described that judgment like this:
It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:31 (NIV)
However, if you have made the decision to commit your life to Jesus and make Him your Savior and the Lord of your life, then you won’t ever face that judgment since Jesus has made you righteous in the sight of God. However, you are still going to be judged based on how well you have kept God’s commandments. This is often referred to as the Bema Seat Judgment and it is described by Paul.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV)
It’s interesting how closely this parallels the language in Ecclesiastes. This judgment is not for the purpose of determining our salvation, as we’ll see even more clearly in a moment, but rather for the purpose of determining our rewards, based on whether our actions were good – consistent with God’s commands – or bad- violated those commands.
Paul gives us some additional insight into this judgment:
If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
1 Corinthians 3:12-15 (NIV)
As I mentioned a moment ago, this judgment is clearly not for the purpose of determining our salvation. The person being judged will be saved regardless of the nature of his works. But there is certainly a loss that occurs for the one whose work is burned up because it wasn’t consistent with the commandments of God.
Jesus was very clear that the ultimate test of whether or not we love God is whether or not we make application of God’s Word. Let me just share two verses from the gospel of John that confirm that quite clearly.
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.
John 14:21 (NIV)
If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
John 15:10 (NIV)
Here’s the bottom line when it comes to loving God. The true test of whether or not we love God is not what we say, but what we do. If we apply His commands in our lives, then we prove we love God. If we don’t do that, we really don’t love God, no matter what we say.
Because application is so crucial, I work really hard each week to make my messages relevant to our lives and to try and leave us with some practical ways to apply God’s Word in our lives to help us fear God and keep His commandments. But I can’t implement those principles and practices for you. Each one of us is responsible for how we respond to God and He reveals Himself to us in His Word.
5. Transformation
Application of God’s Word is not just for God’s glory. It is also for our benefit. Sometimes our lives get out of whack and God uses His Word in our lives to transform us into the people that He desires for us to become. That’s the point Qoheleth is making in verse 11:
11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails…
Most of us in today’s culture aren’t very familiar with goads. These were long pointed sticks that a shepherd or herdsman used to prod the sheep or cattle to keep them from getting into danger. The poke of the goad was painful, but it was necessary for the safety of the flock. The reference to well-driven nails is not quite as clear, but there seems to be a picture there of anchoring down something, possibly a reference to the tent stakes that would anchor down the shepherd’s tent.
When we get comfortable with our lives, God often uses His Word as a goad to prod us and move out of our comfort zone so that we’ll keep His commandments. And when we get anxious and tossed to ad from by the winds of life, His Word serves as an anchor to keep us from drifting away. But in both cases the purpose is the same. Paul describes that purpose clearly in the Book of Romans:
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:29 (NIV)
This is the ultimate goal of the disciple-making process – to transform lives so that people become more and more like Jesus. That’s why we exist as a church and why Jesus has left His followers here on earth for the time being. Our ultimate mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ – to begin with God’s Word as our foundation, to study it diligently, to pass it on to others and help them to apply it in their lives so that they might become more and more like Jesus every day.
Let me close with the words of C.S. Lewis as he comments on the absolute necessity for all of us to be about the work of making disciples:
This is the whole of Christianity. There is nothing else. It is so easy to get muddled about that. It is easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objectives -- education, building, missions, holding services. The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christ’s. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose. It says in the Bible that the whole universe was made for Christ and that everything is to be gathered together in Him.
