What am I here for?
Ecclesiastics 5:1-7
This is my eighth Easter as pastor at this church. Easter is kind of like the Super bowl Sunday for the churches. It is considered the biggest Sunday of the year. It is usually a time where you have the biggest attendance, the biggest offerings, the biggest everything. In years past I would spends hours planing and preparing the service. I will work on my sermon for hours trying to come up with some inspiring sermon based on the beautiful morning when the Lord arose. I knew that we always have a lot of visitors who come to church on that day, and I only have one chance to impress them. Eight years, same routine, same results. If I were to ask for a show of hands of those whose first time they visited here was an Easter Sunday and are still coming now? We would have a moment of silence as they say. I guess my sermons wasn’t as inspiring as I thought. People come and go, and it’s not just on Easter. So the question I want us to answer this morning shares the title of my sermon. What am I here for?
Now growing up I was on drugs. I was drug to church every time the doors were open. I was 16, I think, before I saw the Wizard of Oz. It was always showing on TV on a Sunday night. If some one were to ask me then why I was at church, I would have replied, “My parents make me come”. Now I am grateful that they did. Most of my biggest mistakes that I have made in life was when I got out of church.
There are no perfect churches, never have been, never will. Some people leave the church because of problems within the church. I heard about a guy who had been shipwrecked and lived most of his adult life on a deserted island with no one else around. After many years of isolation, a ship came his way with a rescue party sent ashore. He welcomed them and then proceeded to show them the living conditions he had survived in. He showed them his hut and bragged that he had made it all by himself. One of the rescuers then asked him about another hut a few yards away from them. He said that was his church where he went to worship. Then he was asked about another hut that was on the the opposite side. He went on to explain, “That was his old church, but there was a split and he left.
If you are here this morning and you are looking for a perfect church, good luck. The church is not going to be perfect because it is full of imperfect people. That’s not a reason not to go to church. They say that most Americans will go to church at least a few times in their life time. They say many people will come to church to get baptized, to get married, and they have their funeral service. The first time they throw water on you, the second it’s rice and the third time it is dirt.
I want to encourage you if you are here this morning and you do not attend church on a regular basis then you need to find a church and get involved in that church. Now going to church does not save you. Just like me going to my garage doesn’t make me a car. But this morning I want to share with you the seriousness of your relationship with God and coming to His church. Why you should go, so hopefully we can see you here or some other church that God leads you. Turn with me if you would to Ecclesiastics chapter 5.
Before we read our text, let me give you a little background on the book of Ecclesiastics. The author of this book is thought to be David’s son, Solomon, also called the wisest man in the world. There was a time in Solomons life that God was first. God was everything. But then, some where, some way, some how Solomon stopped taking his relationship with the Lord seriously. He got off tract. Solomon is nearing the end of his life, and after his repentance he give us a strong warning about taking God seriously.
You see God is a jealous God. And He doesn’t want custody just on the weekends or special occasions. His desire is that He is to be # 1 in our hearts and lives. Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before Me. He does not want to be just someone who is thought of a few times a year. He is not just someone who just wants to spend time with us on Sundays. He wants to be with us everyday and every way. So the theme of these twelve chapters in Ecclesiastes is that everything is nothing without God. Which leads me to my first point.
You better be careful how you enter into the presence of GOD
Ecclesiastes 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.
The NIV Bible states Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
What it is stating is be careful when you come into the presence of God. When you come into the house of God it is serious business.
Every one of us when we come into church, in this church or any other church, either one of two things happens. We are either going to listen to what God has to say or you are going to offer what is called here, the “sacrifice of fools”.
Let me give you an example. Think about everything you did in the last week and see if you can find something that is more important than what you decided to do today, coming to church. You will be hard pressed to find something that is more important than you being here today.
Why you may be thinking? It is not the building, no but it is who we came to meet in this building. Our primary purpose when we come into this building is not so much to sing. It is not to see our friends. It is not to socialize. It should not be because it is Easter and that is just what people do on Easter, go to church. It is not to give some money in the offering plate. It is not even to hear this sermon. The primary purpose we should have came here today is to encounter God. Is that why you came here today? Or did you just come to please someone else?
Let me give you an example to help you understand what I am talking about. Imagine you come into a room and it is completely empty. There may be a TV, maybe a couch and chair. A few pictures on the wall. How would you come into that room? You would be relaxed, no stress. you come into that room by yourself and you are just Chilin. II am going to change just one thing in this room now. Now imagine you are walking in that same room and the only difference is you see God sitting in the recliner. Would that change how you walk in that room? Would that change your attitude? Would that make you mind a little bit more attentive? Would that make your heart a little bit more tender? Sure it would.
So what Solomon says that we are to draw near to God, whether it is in this house or at your own home, listen rather than to give the sacrifice of fools.
Now believe it or not you can walk in this place this morning and leave here in worse spiritual condition that you came in here with. You would have been better off just to stay home, rather to come in and give the sacrifice of fools.
What does it mean to give the sacrifice of fools? It is to just to go through the motions. It is to come in so that you come in so you can just check something off your list. You don’t have any intentions of being changed. You don’t have any intentions of leaving here different. You don’t care if you encounter God or not, you are just going through the motions.
And Solomon is saying when you come in the house of God you better be hear to listen. The word listen here does not mean just to hear. It means to hear then act out on what you heard.
Weather you are here, or another church, or reading your bible on your living room. When you come into God’s presence, you need to be saying something like this. You ought to say to your brain, “I’m here to learn the truth that God has for me”. You need to say to your ears, “I am here to listen to the truth that God has for me”. You need to say to your feet, “I am going to walk out of here and I am going to apply what I have heard and learned.” But the truth of the matter is most of us come in the church and for the most part, we leave the same way we came in. We offer the sacrifice of fools.
So when you come into church or if you are sitting at your own home with your Bible open, you need to be careful when enter into the presence of God.
Then the next thing we find that Solomon tells us is...
You need to be cautious in words
Not only should we be careful when we enter the presence of God, we need to be cautious in our words. Not only do you need to walk the walk, but you need to talk the talk.
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.
Let your words be few. I wish I could learned that earlier in life. I know my shoe size well, because I always am putting my foot in my mouth. You better think through your words very carefully.
I used to say at one time I wish I could just have a screen to pop up and I could freeze time, that way I could have some time to read and think if I should say that or not. I know, some of you wish I have that capability as well.
If there is anything I wish that I could change about myself, it would not be to have hair. (Maybe when I was in my 20’s) but bald has become cool now. People with full heads of hair shave their heads. But if I could change anything, I wish I could take back some things that I have said.
An illustration that I have used in the past with the youth group is that I would take a tube of toothpaste and then I would empty out the contents on to a paper plate. I would then challenge them to put as much of the toothpaste back in the tube as possible. Now I have some didn’t do so good, but one time I had one of them actually suck in the toothpaste in his mouth and then try to blow in back into the tube. After a while he looked like a rabid dog with foam all over his mouth. My point was, after it comes out, you can never get it all back in. Once you have hurt someone with your mouth, you can say your sorry. You can truly be sincere in your apology, but the damage has all ready been done. So we need to be cautious in our words.
Let’s say you have been out of work for a year. You apply for a job. It is your dream job. It is going to pay you more money than you have ever made. You are going to have very flexible hours. This is the job you have wanted all of your life, and you find out it is between you and one other person. How careful would you be in that final interview?
Or you are a Defense attorney and you are giving your closing statement. And the life of your client is hanging by a tread, and what you say can make a difference in life or death. You loose the case and he is going to the electric chair and you believe that they are truly innocent. How careful would you be in that closing statement? Solomon says you need to be just as careful what we say.
Matthew 12:36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
Everything you say, it may not seem like a big deal to you, but Jesus said you will have to give an account for it. Those off color jokes you tell to your friends, even though they are funny. The language that comes out of your mouth, but everyone else says it too you think. The lies, the deceit.
So why should we be so careful in your words. If you knew that today was going to be the last day of your life? You only had a few hours to live. What would you want to say? Who would you want to say it to?
Maybe you would call your parents. Maybe another loved one who you have not talked to for a while. Maybe you would want to spend your last few hours with your spouse or your kids. But you would tell them that you love them. You would give them any advise that would help them latter on in life. You would tell them that you love them.
Or maybe if you are here and you don’t know the Lord, you would be crying out to Him. You would maybe be trying to make sure that you will make it to heaven. You don’t want to go to hell. Or if you are saved you would spend your time asking God for forgiveness for any wrongs you have done.
But the truth of the matter, it could be your last few hours to live. There is no guarantee of anything. The next breath you take could be last. We take for granted that we can make things right some other time. We need to clean up before we can get things right with the Lord. You can never get things right with out the help of the Holy Spirit. And the best part of it is, you don’t have too. He takes us just as we are. Jesus said that He came not to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners. I don’t care what your relationship or lack of relationship with God is, He is calling for you. He desires to restore you. He longs to have a relationship with you. Not just but coming to church and going through the motions, but but giving Him complete and total control over your life.
2 Corinthians 6:2 For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
He hears you...He helps you...He says NOW is the accepted time, NOW is the day of salvation.
Why did you come here today? What are you going to do with what you have heard. Maybe you are here this morning and you have never entered into that personal relationship with Christ, He is calling you? He is invited you to come to Him.
Maybe you are here this morning and your words have hurt someone. You may never have another chance to make things right. You need to ask God to forgive you and then ask them to forgive you as well.
