HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF CHURCH ECCLESIASTES 5.

The preflight dialogue is really interesting the first two times you fly. But after awhile it gets boring. Same old same old. I remember a few years ago hitting some really wild turbulence. A girl sitting next to me asked "do these things crash often?" I said "No. usually just once."

I then began thinking about the preflight instructions.. and wished I ad listened. I got out the plastic card in the back of the seat in front.. now where was that life raft? Even though we were flying over the desert of central Australia.

I once heard this preflight briefing. Here are some examples of how some flight attendants have tried to use a little humor. (1) "To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. If you don't know how to operate one you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised. (2) One captain said, "Delta Airlines is pleased to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight! (3) In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the ceiling. Stop screaming and grab the mask and pull it over your face. If you have a small child, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one child, pick your favorite. (4) And finally, my favorite: In the event of an emergency water evacuation, your seat bottom can be used for a flotation device. Place your arms through the straps and paddle to shore. And feel free to keep the seat bottom with our compliments.

Here is the inflight preflight briefing. And it is an inflight announcement. And it is about our worjsip!  Zig Ziglar used to ask the question, "How many of you have ever been to a boring worship service?" When people raised their hands he would say, "You're wrong. There's no such thing as a boring worship service. You might have been to a boring church service, but you've never been in a boring worship service." Worship is an exhilarating experience, and we can approach the presence of God with assurance because of what Jesus has done for us.

You and I need a good tune up!  Tune my heart to sing thy praise. We need a good tune up! Now.. going back a bit, getting a good tune up had several meanings. One was to get straightened out in a fight.  Hopefully you were tuning someone else up, not them you. Solomon is going to give you and I a good tune up. He gives it to us directly, telling us what to do. Here in Ecclesiastes Solomon tells you how to have an extremely beneficial time in church.

The context is that of a worshiper walking into the house of God, the holy sanctuary. In the days of Solomon, "the house of God" would have been the temple in Jerusalem, but what he says applies to any sacred place that is set aside for the worship of God. As we go to worship, the Preacher is telling us to watch our step! There is a right way and a wrong way to enter the courts of thanksgiving and the gates of praise.

The right way to approach God in worship is to come with our ears wide-open. The Preacher assumes that when people go to the house of God, there will be something for them to hear. That "something" is the Word of the living God. The house of God is a place for the reading and the preach­ing of the Word of God. So the first questions we need to ask ourselves as we prepare for worship are: Am I ready to listen to the voice of God? Is my heart open to spiritual instruction? Are my ears attentive to the message I will hear from the Bible?

 

WATCH YOUR STEP!

5:1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

Learn to let God be God; that is the first thing he declares to us. The lessons of life will fall into place when you learn that. God is in charge of life, let him be in charge; take these lessons from his hands.

The place to learn that is in the house of God. When you go there, guard your steps, i.e., enter thoughtfully, expect to be taught something. In ancient Israel, of course, the house of God was the Temple in Jerusalem. There sacrifices were offered, and explanation was made to the people as to what they meant. There the law was read, and the wisdom of God about life was given to people; this marvellous Old Testament was unfolded, with its tremendous insights into the truth about life, about what humanity basically and fundamentally is. The Temple was the only place in the land where people could learn these things. The trouble, of course, is that it is hard for us to listen. So many other voices clamor for our attention. Even when we enter a quiet place for wor­ship, the noise of the surrounding culture is still ringing in our ears. It is easy to let our thoughts wander, but hard for us to hear the voice of God. Like headless chickens, sometimes we go through the motions of worship without ever getting our minds engaged.

Matthew 11: 20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."

 

SHOOSH UP!

Ecclesiastes 5. 2 Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool's voice is known by his many words.  Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God!"

He's saying that you can't expect to meet God in worship if you go jabbering into His presence.  He is saying take the time to be still before the Lord and draw near to Him.

Prayer is not being rash with your mouth,  nor letting  your heart utter anything hastily before God.    Prayer is getting your heart right before God to pray as He wishes you to pray. Take the time before the service to draw near to God.  You'll be surprised how much more you'll get from the service.

Understand that whenever we go to worship, we enter the presence of a holy God who has gathered his holy people to hear his Holy Word. If we take this for granted, not listening to what God says, then the Bible says that we are guilty of great evil, for we have despised the gospel of the cross and the empty tomb. This explains why some people have been struck dead on the doorstep of God's house — like Nadab and Abihu, who offered unholy fire (Leviticus 10:1ff.), or Ananias and Sapphira, who lied to God about how much they had put in the offering plate (Acts 5:1–11). Each of these dreadful acts of judgment took place at the beginning of a new era of worship (when tabernacle worship was inaugurated and in the days of the early church), showing for all time how zealous God is for proper worship.

 

James 4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"?6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Jeremiah 23: 23    "Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away?24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.

"Let your words be few," and then he explains why: "For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words" (Ecclesiastes 5:2–3). It is hard to be wise all the time, and the more talking we do, the greater the chance that we will say something foolish, especially when we worship. As a gen­eral rule, fools are loquacious (cf. Ecclesiastes 10:14). They rarely keep their thoughts to themselves but tend to do a lot of talking. Tremper Longman paraphrases verse 3 like this: "Work leads to many dreams; foolishness leads to many words." Proverbs 10:19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

 

PAY UP!

Ecclesiastes 5. 4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed-- 5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.  6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?

Deuteronomy 23:21 "If you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.22 But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin.23 You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God what you have promised with your mouth."

In Biblical times people often made vows to God, usually in the context of public worship (see Leviticus 22:18–20). We find this language in some of the psalms, like Psalm 50:14 ("Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiv­ing, and perform your vows to the Most High") or Psalm 65:1 ("Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed"). We also see examples in stories from the Old Testament, such as the story of Hannah, who vowed to dedicate her firstborn son to the ministry of a priest (1 Samuel 1:11), or Jephthah, who rashly made a vow that cost him his daughter (Judges 11:29–40).

Here in Ecclesiastes we are not talking about a sinful vow but about a holy promise to offer God a gift or sacrifice, like the vow Asaph described in Psalm 76:11: "Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them; let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared." The point the Preacher makes is very simple: if we make a vow, we need to be sure that we do what we say and pay God what we owe.

Sometimes God brings us under conviction of sin about things we are doing or how we live.  Sometimes we know we need to deal with sin, and we vow to the Lord never again shall I…. get angry, blow my fuse.. threaten to resign of I can't get my way.. have a temper tantrum, have a tempter tantrum, look at that, do this, drink this.. say those words.. skip hurch.. skip my quite time.. skip prayer meeting.. make that crude joke, make that motherinlaw joke…And then we do.  And then we think "well the roof didn't come down on me so I guess it is ok to do this or not to do this." It isn't! God knows. He convicted you of that sin, and now you are going right ahead and doing it!  It isn't going to end well!  And that list is just the ones I have talked to people about this week!

Don't play games with God!  God is a realist. He never plays games with us. He sees things the way they really are and he tells us the way they are. God expects us to carry out our word. It is dangerous to make superficial promises about what we are going to do if he will only do this or that. He hears our promises, and he takes us at our word. There is a penalty when we do not keep it.

WAKE UP!

Ecclesiastes 5:7 "For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear".

Prov 1: 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Charles Bridges defined the fear of God as "the grand fundamental of godliness."9 To fear God is to recognize his might and majesty. It is to acknowledge that he is in Heaven and we are on earth, that he is God and we are not. It is to say, "Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?" (Psalm 89:6–7).

When we fear God in this way, we will come to worship with expec­tancy and awe. We will be ready to listen to what he says (he is God, after all). We will be careful what we say, limiting our speech to words that are pleasing to him. We will give God what he deserves, including whatever time or talent or treasure we have promised to give

 

Hebrews 12:18-29  For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them.20 For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned."21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I tremble with fear."22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

 

The writer describes the terrifying scene when God showed up on Mount Sinai and then observes that we don't have to go back to that terrible mountain. The Bible says, "Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem)." (Hebrews 12:22 CSB) So why did God send all the powerful thunder, lightning, and restrictions about approaching the mountain? God was getting ready to give the Law and He wanted the people to know He was a powerful God who could punish disobedience. To God, sin is not just a mistake; it is an affront to His holy character. But as followers of Jesus Christ, we don't have to go back to the terror of Mount Sinai. We are invited to run to a different mountain, Mount Zion. Mount Zion is one of several literal mountains in Jerusalem. There's the Mount of Olives, Mount Moriah where the Temple stood, and Mount Zion which is tallest of the three. I stood on the highest point of Mount Zion on Thursday. But the term "Zion" has come to mean more than just a hill. It represents all of Jerusalem, the Holy City. Mount Sinai represents the Law of God and His government over humanity. Mount Zion represents the Love of God and His grace. When you compare the two mountains, at Mount Zion, God says, "Draw near to me and you will LIVE!" But at Mount Sinai God warned, "Stay away from me or you'll DIE!"

 

25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."27 This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of things that are shaken---that is, things that have been made---in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,29 for our God is a consuming fire.

 

In 1707 Isaac Watts wrote these wonderful words: "Come we that love the Lord and let our joys be known. Join in a song of sweet accord, and thus surround the throne."  "We're marching to Zion. Beautiful, beautiful Zion; We're marching upward to Zion, the beautiful city of God."

So here's the important question. Where are you living? Are you living at Mount Sinai, where you are still trying to obey a lot of rules and regulations, or are you living at Mount Zion where there is grace greater than all your sins? Don't miss that mountain.

 

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way which he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:19-25

 

Around the turn of the twentieth century there was a fiery evangelist in Texas named Sam Jones. He had been a successful lawyer and real estate investor who got gloriously saved. He served briefly as a Methodist pastor, but he was so blunt, he couldn't hold the job as a pastor. He became a famous evangelist. I have a book of his sermons.

Earlier when he was still a pastor, he got a message from one of his members, a Mr. Green that said, "Pastor, come quick! My son John has been bitten by a rattlesnake!" When he got there the frantic man said, "Pastor Sam, pray for my son! I have promised the Lord that if he recovers, I will come back to church and bring my family, and we'll start living for the Lord."

Sam Jones said he prayed a prayer like this, "Dear Lord, we pray for Mr. Green's son that he might recover from this snakebite. But I want to thank you, Lord, for sending this rattlesnake to bite John. This one snake has done what I and the church has been unable to do in the life of Mr. Green for over three years. During all this time, he has not been interested in church or the spiritual wellbeing of his family, and this one rattlesnake has turned his mind back to You. Lord, what we need in the lives of many of our other church members are bigger and better rattlesnakes!"

Maybe we need a few rattlesnakes.

GROWTH GROUP QUESTIONS

Read James 4.  Sometimes Christians become closet Deists or Atheists. We forget God! What areas of life are challenged?

How is the fear of God to be understood? How is this relevant to you? What does it not mean?