Remember Your Creator

31 May 2020 AM – Ecclesiastes 11-12 – Ecc20 – Scott Childs
Welcome: Welcome to our Sunday morning online church service.
Prayer
Introduction: (George Wald in “Innovation and Biology,” Scientific American, Vol. 199, Sept. 1958, p. 100) “There are only two possibilities as to how life arose. One is spontaneous generation arising to evolution; the other is a supernatural creative act of God. There is no third possibility. Spontaneous generation, that life arose from non-living matter was scientifically disproved 120 years ago by Louis Pasteur and others. That leaves us with the only possible conclusion that life arose as a supernatural creative act of God. I will not accept that philosophically because I do not want to believe in God. Therefore, I choose to believe in that which I know is scientifically impossible; spontaneous generation arising to evolution.” The Bible states, (Psalms 53:1) “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…” The complexity of every atom in the universes declares the glory of its divine Creator. In Isaiah 45:12 God states, “I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.“
Transition: As Solomon ends the book of Ecclesiastes, he gives you four important reminders about your Creator that you ought to heed.
Your first reminder in (Ecc 11:1-6) is that …
  1. You do not know as much as your Creator
a.         You do not know the future
1)         Casting your bread upon the waters (11:1) pictures being hospitable and helping others. You never know what might come from your hospitality. (Hebrews 13:2) “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.“
2)         Giving a portion to seven and also to eight (11:2) pictures generosity. It is giving more than what is expected. It may be in kindness, in work, in food, in money or something else. You do not know what evil may come that your generosity may help. A little love goes a long way to a needy soul.
b.         You do not know how to control nature
1)         You cannot control the rain (11:3).
2)         You cannot control which way a tree will fall. I have cut down many trees. I used wedges to encourage the tree to fall where I wanted it to fall, but I had little control.
3)         Farmers may watch the wind and the clouds to make farming decisions (11:4), but weather changes and man has no say.
c.          You do not know how to create life
1)         You do not know how the life and bones of a child in the womb grow (11:5). God affirms that life begins at conception; how it takes place is a mystery.
2)         You do not know whether the seeds you plant in your garden will sprout, grow and produce or not (11:6).
  • God is the Creator of all and He knows all these answers (11:5)
Your second reminder in (Ecc 11:7-10) is that …
2.        Your life will be judged by your Creator
a.         Remember that days of darkness are coming
1)         Living under the light of the sun is pleasant (11:7).
2)         If you live many days and rejoice in them all (11:8), you must be sure to remember that the days of darkness or death are ahead. The days of being dead are many.
3)         You are an everlasting being. Your body will die, but the real you will live somewhere forever (Mat 25:46).
b.         Remember that judgment day is also coming
1)         God wants you to rejoice when you are young (11:9). He encourages you to have a good time in life.
2)         BUT! Underline or highlight that word in verse 9. To help you guide your choices in life while you are having a good time, he states, “know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.” Every human will one day stand before the Creator in judgment.
a)         (Hebrews 9:27) “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:“
b)         (Romans 14:12) “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.“
c)         (Philippians 2:10-11) “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.“
3)         Therefore, (11:10) is another word to underline or highlight. Because judgment day is coming, you ought to remove things that will cause your heart to sorrow and put away evil from your flesh. Live wisely, because judgment day is coming. Childhood and youth are vanity. They do not last forever.
Your third reminder in (Ecc 12:1-11) is that …
3.        Your time to live for your Creator is limited
a.         Remember now thy Creator.
1)         The word NOW (12:1) is also worth underlining or highlighting. What does it mean to “remember now thy Creator”?
a)         Remember that He created you. You did not evolve nor did you create yourself. (Psalms 100:3) “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.“
b)         Remember that since God created you, He has the right to tell you what to do. It is wise to follow His rules and to obey His commands.
c)         Remember these things now in your youth to avoid grieving God and bringing judgment on yourself.
2)         Life is short. Do not waste a single day.
b.         Remember your Creator while you are healthy
1)         During youth, the evil days have not yet come. Evil days may be days of regret, days of lost opportunities, or days when you must live with the choices you have made.
2)         Your youth is also the time of life before old age draws near when health declines so that you no longer have pleasure in daily activities (12:1b).
3)         Old age brings with it many frailties and hardships.
a)         Life becomes stormy and afflicted (12:2)
b)         Hands shake, legs are unstable, teeth fall out, and eyesight dims (12:3)
c)         Hearing is impaired, yet you hear little irritating noises (12:4)
d)         Heights and walking become fearful, hair turns white like almond flowers, easy movement like a grasshopper is gone, motivation and appetite fails, death approaches (12:5).
e)         Death ends life under the sun (12:6)
f)          The body returns to dust and the spirit returns to God (12:7).
4)         When a youth does not remember his Creator, life is vanity (12:8). Life x no God = a zero. God makes life count.
5)         These words are goads to prod us to act wisely. They are nails of truth from God to keep our tent from blowing down in the storms of life (12:11).
Your fourth reminder in (Ecc 12:13-14) is that …
4.        You must hear your Creator’s conclusion
a.         Fear and obey God (12:13)
1)         Give God the fearful respect and honour He deserves.
2)         Obey His commands. Use the Bible as your manual.
b.         Prepare for Judgment Day (12:14)
1)         God will judge every work you do.
2)         God will judge every secret thing you do.
Conclusion: We have examined four reminders about our Creator found in these two chapters. (Review) God designed and created humans and every other thing that exists. He is much wiser than every human. Being our Creator, we will give account to Him on judgment day. Our time to honour our Creator is limited. God’s conclusion that we must fear and obey Him while we can is the wisest option.
            As you look at your life, how well are you fearing and obeying God? No matter how old you may be, you are younger today than you will be tomorrow. Now is the time to remember your Creator. If you have not yet by faith asked Christ to apply His payment to your account to save you from hell, that is where you must begin. If Christ has saved you, then now is the time to serve Him with your life and live for His glory. If I can be of help, please contact me.
Pray