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So they're in Ecclesiastes chapter eight. Ecclesiastes chapter eight and verse number one. It says, who is as the wise man and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine. The total for the sermon this evening, brethren, is a man's wisdom. It says a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine. And so we know that Solomon was a very wise king. God has given that ability, a greater ability, to learn and to be a good judge, a good king, over the nation of Israel. And just like the book of Proverbs, for me, Ecclesiastes chapter eight feels a lot like the book of Proverbs. You know, he's coming back to that wisdom, that understanding that God has given him. You know, he's progressing through this journey. He's been so back-sleeting from God. You know, everything that he's done and achieved, he's looked at and just, it looks like vanity and emptiness to him. And he's starting to, you know, find traction once again about the things that are important. And once again, we see that he values wisdom. Look at verse number one again. Who is as the wise man? Brethren, we should be attaining to wisdom. We should desire to increase, to be like this wise man. And who know of the interpretation of a thing? We start to see what a wise man looks like. It's a man who is able to interpret things. It's a man who gains understanding. Hey, the more you know the Bible, the more you're able to correctly interpret what God is teaching us, hey, the wiser you're becoming, all right? Now it says these words, the wiser you become, it says, a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine. And the boldness of his face shall be changed. The Bible's saying that the wiser you are, the more bold you become, okay? Meaning you become more confident. You know that topic well. You know, if you wanna go door to the soul winning, if you go out the very first time, you know, you're not gonna have that boldness, you're not gonna have that confidence, but the more you do it, okay, the more you know your plan of salvation, you know where to go, where to lead people, the more bold you become, the wiser you become. Hey, this is in any area of life, anything, you know, that you can gain wisdom is, you're gonna grow in confidence in what you say. And I've said this many times, one thing that kind of gives me a little bit of fear in our society, in our generation, is how many people speak with boldness but actually don't have the wisdom. Again, I think of, it's the internet. You know, we live in a time where we have so much information available to us. We have the Wikipedias, we have the videos that we can all listen to and watch, and, you know, as many people open their mouths boldly about something they found online, but it's not true, or they don't know the information very well. It kind of blows my mind that, you know, we live in such a generation, that where, you know, where you can just speak nonsense and think you're bold about that. And you know what's really embarrassing is that when you know that topic really well yourself, and someone tries to teach you that, something they've heard online, you know, it just shows them, not to be wise, but shows them to be foolish. You know, make sure that if you're gonna speak with confidence and boldness about a topic, that it's a topic that you've researched. It's a topic that you know well. Then you can apply your wisdom. Otherwise, as you open your mouth, you'll show yourself to be a fool, okay? But wisdom, you know, it's an area that we need to analyze. You know, we grow in confidence, we grow in boldness, don't we? Like if you're working a job and, you know, you start the very first time and you don't know how to do that job very well, you're not gonna be very confident. Hey, but as the months go by, as the years go by, as you become a better employee, hey, you're gonna be more bold in your workplace, you're gonna be more confident, right? People are gonna be looking up to you to teach them, to guide them for the wisdom that you've attained during those years. Look at verse number two. It says, I counsel thee to keep the king's commandments and that in regard of an oath of God. Okay, so the second part of verse number two is basically, hey, look, I counsel you. Make sure you keep your oaths that you've made toward God. Make sure you keep your promises that you've made to God. But not only that, but also to keep the king's commandments. And here we're speaking about authority, again, once again, authority figures that we have in our lives. Now, when it comes to the king's commandment, of course, that's King Solomon, all right? He's counseling his subjects, he's counseling those that are listening to his words to keep the commandments that Solomon has given to his servants, to the people of his land, okay? And there is a reason, you know, why, and again, look, we kind of think about, we associate the kings of the Bibles many times with our politicians, with our government, and yes, there are many principles that we can apply, but you know what? Our politicians aren't as wise as King Solomon. Like, there's a reason why, you know, King Solomon says, look, listen to your king's commandment. You know, when it comes to the kings of Israel, you know, we started with King Saul, and Saul started well. He was a very humble man. God chose him because of his humility. He had a lot going for him at the beginning. Then we have King David, and you know, King David was a man after God's own heart. You know, he loved the Lord, and even though he made some mistakes, you know, he was also a very powerful warrior, you know, a very strong soldier, and so, you know, David has a lot of experience. You know, Saul had the humility. David's got the experience, and then you got Solomon, the next king on this line, and he's full of wisdom, okay? And he loves the kingdom that God has given him, right? He loves the people. He wants to judge righteously, which is why he asked God for that wisdom. I mean, we got some good examples. Yes, they've made mistakes in their life. King Saul definitely made some major mistakes later in his life, but you know what? As far as these kings, when they were following the Lord, hey, and they were passing that commandment to their people, of course, you know, the servants, the people of that land, should strive to keep that king's commandment because he's the one in authority, okay? He's the one in authority, and once again, employees, you know what? If you get a command from your manager, from your supervisor on the workplace, it's good for you. You know, I counsel you to listen to that commandment, listen to that instruction, listen to that guidance. You say, but I know better than them. Sometimes you do. You know what? And sometimes when I preach on something, you're gonna know better than the pastor, okay? And sometimes you're gonna know better than the king. All right, this is life, okay? But there's a reason why these people have been put in authority. It's not always just because they know more, though that's usually the case, it's because they've earned it, they've got the experience. Hey, maybe they can see the bigger picture where you don't necessarily see that, okay? You know, there is a reason why authority in life is important. You know, God wants us to listen to those that God has put over us. You know, children, your authority is your parents, all right? I counsel thee to keep your parents' commandments. Listen to what they have to say. And I know teenagers, I know what you're saying. You're saying, but my parents don't understand me. You know, my parents are of another generation. They don't get what I'm going through. And like all the parents know, of course we know what you went through. Don't you remember that we were kids once? Don't you remember that we were teenagers once? Don't you remember that we made mistakes? You know, we had the same hurts and pains that you go through. Of course we know what you're going through, okay? There's a reason why you listen to your parents, okay? Because they've got some 20, some 30, some 40 years of experience over you, okay? They know what the world is like. They know how this world can hurt you. And so they want to guide you so you can be protected and safe. They don't want you making the same mistakes that your parents made, okay? And again, how do you know that, Pastor Kevin? Because I said the same thing. I said, oh, my parents don't know where I come from. And then when I become the parent, I realize, oh, my parents didn't know where I came from. What I was going through, okay? You know, we ought to honor, you know, appreciate the people that have gone before us, the experience, the authorities that are there in our life. You know? You know, again, I kind of, one reason, you know, I've got Pastor Stevenson here. I'm thinking, you know, when we started this church, we started New Life Baptist Church. You know, I wanted to go to someone we've experienced. Right? I tracked you down, Pastor. You know, I think I emailed you or phoned you. Hey, can you catch up with me? I'd like to talk to you. You know, thinking of starting a church here on the Sunshine Coast. You know, what's your experience like? What's the spiritual temperature like on the Sunshine Coast? Hey, what's this Callum like? You know, this troublemaker? What's this Jason like or whatever? You know, I want to be able to listen to someone that's got some level of experience, right? I mean, if there's someone there that has some level of wisdom, hey, utilize it. Go to them. All right? Be humble enough to go, yeah, all right. I'm going to the king to listen to what he has to say. I see he's got a commandment there. You know, he's got some wisdom. He's got the authority. I'm going to listen to what he says. There's something to gain. There's some wisdom to learn. You know, you can't think that you'll become wise by not listening to those that have experience or those that have authority. You want to get better at your job? You listen to your supervisor, all right? And then you'll be put in place of other people. You'll be the trainer. You'll be the one passing down wisdom. All right? This is important, okay? Let's keep going there. It says in verse number, oh, by the way. So yeah, many times you get authority just by experience, right? Again, children, your parents may not be the wisest people on the earth, like I said. But like I said, they've got at least a good 20 or 30 years of life experience over you, okay? Your parents have not become your parents because they're the wisest people on the earth. They became your parents because they've got experience. They've got age over you, okay? They know a lot more about life than you do. You better listen to them. And I know when you're 17 or 18, you think you figured out life, you haven't figured out life, okay? And sometimes what makes me laugh is when people say, oh, you know, man, when I'm a parent, and I'm not having to go at people because I was probably saying the same thing. But people are like, you know, when I become a parent, you know, my kids are not going to do what, you know, brother so-and-so's kids do, or what sister so-and-so, I'm going to raise them differently. And then when you have your own kids, you realize, oh man, I spoke out of turn, I was a little bit foolish. Why, why was it a little bit foolish? Because they don't have the experience. You know, when you don't have the experience, you think you're the wisest man. You think you know it all. But really, you have to realize you have to humble yourself and go, look, I don't have the experience. Let me speak to those that do have the experience. Pastor Stevenson wasn't the only pastor I spoke to. I spoke to my very first IFB pastor before starting this church. You know, he's out of the ministry, he destroyed himself. And I went to speak to him and said, look, how did you destroy your ministry? How did you destroy your life? Because I don't want to make the same mistake that you've made. You know, what can I learn from you, from your mistakes? You know, how would you advise me not to fall in the same issues and the same problems that you fell into? It's so important that we listen to the king's commandment. It's the council, the council of God's word. Verse number two, I counsel thee to keep the king's commandments. Look at verse number three, be not hasty to go out of his sight. That's out of the king's sight, okay? Stand not in an evil thing, for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. So the counsel is, look, when the king's giving your commandments, don't like just hastily get out of there, like in a huff. Oh, I can't believe you asked me to do that. And then you leave hastily, all right? Or that you're like, you know, you have an evil, like you have evil thoughts toward him. You know what, because in this day and age, people were afraid, genuinely afraid of their lives to stand before the king. And you know what, if you're like, ah, I don't think so king, I think that idea's stupid, you could potentially lose your life, okay? Like if you're embarrassing the king, right, as he's issuing some commandments and you'll define him, you know, he may very well throw you into prison or just off with his head type attitude, okay? And so this is good counsel, good advice, you know? If your boss has asked you to do something, hey, be respectful. I know you don't always agree with him. I know that. I know you're not always going to agree with me as your pastor, but look, if someone's got authority, give them respect, all right? They've issued something, yes, I'll listen to that, thank you for that, thank you for those words, all right? Be respectful, be humble with those that God has put in authority. You know, one of my old pastors, you know, I loved serving there at the church, I was there for nine years, and you guys know the story, many of you, you know, I came to realize that the pre-trib rapture was not true, okay? And I went to a pre-wrath position, and you know, my old pastor was not happy about that, okay? And he said a few words to me, but you know what, and he said words that cut me, he said words that did hurt me, you know, he said words about me that just were not true, okay, and I just assumed he just must be so frustrated right now, you know, that I've changed positions on this, and I just won't budge. You know what, Brevin, I respected that man. You know, I loved that pastor, I still love that pastor. You know, I honored him. I'm like, my pastor was like, you're just rebellious, you won't believe what we believe, you're rebellious. I'm sorry, pastor, if I'm rebellious, but you know, I wasn't rebellious, I never tried to cause problems in his church, okay, but I just said, all right, pastor, you know, you're the boss, you're in charge, you know what, but this is what I believe, you know, and if that's a problem, I'm sorry, I can't change that, so that's what I see in God's word, you know? And there was a time later on where I really thought that he despised me. At some point after a service, I was walking to my car with my kids, he tracked me down, I was there by myself in the car park, and he says, look, I really appreciate the fact, how you've responded to the criticism that I've sent you, the words that are spoken to you. You know, I really appreciate how you've handled all those things. You know, and I kind of thought about him as a pastor. I assume, all right, being a pastor of 120 or so people of a, you know, larger church than ours, you know, that he's had many problems with people. I'm sure he's got the experience where people did not see eye to eye with him on certain doctrine. I'm sure he's had the experience of people being troublemakers in his church, and he's had to say some harsh words to all those people, probably thinking that I was gonna be the same way, and so he went on the attack, you know, ahead of time. Hey, but by my gentle response, by just respecting him, he was able to come up to me later and really appreciate by how I handled the words that he said about me. Okay, and I still love that man, I still love him, you know, I hope he continues to serve God, you know, all the days of his life. But you know, we need to just be, you know, learn to just humble ourselves, even when we think we're right, even when we think, hey, that person authority is wrong here. You know, sometimes it's just good to put your head down and say, you know what, I'm not going to act hastily here, I'm not gonna get frustrated, they've been given authority, you know what, I'm gonna be respectful, I'm gonna honor them, and you know, just try to get along as best I can with that person. And so, yeah, you know, be respectful to those that God has put over you. Look at verse number four. It says, where the word of a king is, there is power, or authority, okay, power. And who may say unto him what doest thou? So when the king, King Solomon, or King David, or whatever, right, issues a command, who can really turn around and say, well, king, I don't think so, I think you're wrong here. Like nobody, right? The word of the king is final in that land, all right? And I love this verse, actually. In fact, it reminds me of Hebrews chapter four, just read it so you don't need to turn there. Hebrews chapter four, verse 12, it says, for the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. Think about the word of the king. What is the word of the king that we use every day? Or at least every time we're in the house of God? It's the Bible. That's the word of the king, right? And in that word of the king, there is power. There is power in the Bible. It continues, for the word of the God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the divided asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. The Bible says that this book shows us our nakedness. Okay, when we preach from God's word, it's going to touch your hearts, it's going to touch your minds, okay? It has a way of revealing the issues that you have. It has a way of speaking to you, right? I mean, God uses the preacher, praise God for the preacher, but really the power of the preaching is found in God's word. That's what uncovers your nakedness, the problems and issues that you have. Again, when you have that attitude, Pastor Kevin must be preaching about me, I'm really not brethren, it's just God's word knows you. God's word is living, it's powerful, it's quick. As we saw them in the book of Ecclesiastes, where the word of a king is, there is power. And of course, he's speaking about himself as the king. He's got the final say, he's got the final authority. It's not good for you to defy the king, okay? It won't end up well for you, is what King Solomon is teaching. You know, the other thought that I've had about this, and I've heard this also as teaching in favour of the King James Bible, and I know we might be stretching it a little bit here, but the King James translation is essentially a translation because of the king of England and Scotland, King James. Okay, it's known as the King James Bible. It's the only English translation that has been authorised by a king, all right? And again, when you have that mindset, it says where the word of a king is, there is power. Yeah, you know what? King James authorised the translation of this Bible. You know there is power in this translation because it was by the instruction of a king. I can understand the fear of the translators. You know, this isn't just a group of friends. It's not just a group of theological people and religious leaders that just got together and said, let's translate a Bible. Hey, King James said, hey, we need an English translation that's gonna be available to the populace, that every man and woman and child is able to get ahold of these words. And I'm giving these translators, you the responsibilities to translate this Bible accurately. Yeah, it came by the word of a king. Of course, they're gonna be more fearful. They're gonna be more careful about the work that they do, about the effort they put in. This is why we've been given this great privilege of having the King James Bible as the perfect word of God in English. Praise God for that. Let's keep going there, verse number five. Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing, and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment. So again, if authority, a king or somebody authority issues you a commandment, you won't feel no evil thing. They're not trying to hurt you, is what they're saying. They're not trying to make your life miserable. One thing we learn here though, if you gain wisdom and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment, this is what you need to learn. This is why you need to gain knowledge, children. This is why you need to learn skills. This is why you need to become a strong employee and know your business from back to front. It's because you're gonna have someone over you that barks an instruction at you, but the wiser you are, the more competent you are, the more productive you are on the job, okay? Then you can apply this idea of discerning both time and judgment, meaning that it's gonna be left to you to decide when and how you do that job. Again, think of a new employee that comes to the business. They don't know anything. They're not wise in the job, and so they need to be trained. They need to be supervised. People need to watch them and measure their success. See, they're being constantly monitored because they're new, but listen, the more you know the wiser you become, the more you're left alone, aren't you? Like if your boss trusts that you're gonna get the commandment done, you're gonna get the job done, they'll leave you alone. You'll be able to, in your wisdom, discern time and judgment. You'll know when this needs to be done and how I'm gonna do this. That's the advantage of wisdom. Listen, we all have commandments. We all have authorities over us. We're always going to be directed, hey, do this or do that, but the wiser you are, the more competent you become at the skills or the jobs that you have, then you'll be the one that calls the shots. You'll be the one that decides this is how I'm gonna do it and how I'll do it, and there's a lot more liberty in that sense. We don't wanna be constantly, be people that constantly need our hands to be held and being pushed all the time. Have you got the job done? Have you got the job done? Kids, if you do your chores, you do your studies, you do your homework, you do the things that mom and dad expects from you, you're gonna have more liberty. Instead of mom and dad checking every little thing that you're doing, they'll trust you that you're gonna get the job done and you're gonna have more time for yourselves. You're gonna have more time to pursue your own hobbies, you know, have your own time. You know, you need to show your parents that you're wise children, that you're listening to the commandment of mom and dad. You know what? And when your parents trust you, when they can see, hey, they do their work without being pushed, then you become the discerner of judgment and times. You'll be the one to be left to decide how you do things as long as the job gets done. That's the important thing. Verse number six, verse number six. Because to every purpose, there is time and judgment. So there's that idea of time and judgment. Therefore, the misery of man is great upon him. All right, there's a few things. Verse number six is a change of thought there from Solomon, all right? So yeah, the wiser you become, the greater discerner you can be of time and judgment. Okay, you can control those elements. But really, there's a time and judgment about a certain area of our life that no man can really control. In fact, it's a misery, okay? Because look, again, if you can control time and judgment in whatever aspects you have in life, you're gonna have that liberty, okay? You're gonna be able to, life will be a little bit better for you. But there is something that you can't control, and that brings misery, okay? Now, again, if you look at how verse number six begins, because to every purpose there is time and judgment, that should bring back to remembrance the kind of words that are found in Ecclesiastes 3. If you can please go back there, Ecclesiastes chapter three, verse number one, Ecclesiastes chapter three, verse number one, because to every purpose, that should sound very familiar, to Ecclesiastes chapter three, verse number one, it says, to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven, a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted, all right? So we can see that there are certain times that take place. You know, in verse number two, a time to be born and a time to die. You know, one time that we have no control over is the time to die. And in fact, as we continue in this chapter, you'll see that the next few verses is about death. This time and judgment, you can't control it, okay? Yeah, you can become a good employee, you can control elements of your job. Kids, you become great kids, you'll be able to control certain elements of your life. But when it comes to death, there's no control on our side. You know, it's coming for all of us. You know, you can't decide which day it is that you're going to pass to be with the Lord, all right? Now, you'll soon see that as you go back to Ecclesiastes 8, look at verse number seven. Ecclesiastes 8, verse number seven, it says, for he knoweth not, so you don't know, that which shall be. For who can tell him when it shall be? So basically, you don't know how or when you're going to die. Okay, and nobody can tell you. You can't go to one of these, all these people that you go to, they're supposed to tell your future, what do they call them? You can't go to a psychic, and they're not going to tell you, you're going to die, you know, on this day. I remember, you know, again, the internet sends stupid things to you. I remember there was a time, it's like, oh, you know, what is your date of birth, and what's your favorite color, and you know, what's your favorite this and that, and then it goes like, you're going to die on this day. It gives you a time and a day and a year, and it's like, nobody can tell you when you're going to pass away, all right? Look at verse number eight, it says, there is no man that have power over the spirit to retain the spirit. But when you've got no power over that spirit, you can't retain it. What is death? Death is when the spirit leaves the body, okay? You can't stop it from leaving your body. You can't be like, no, no, come back here. You can't even stretch out your arms when your spirit leaves. Okay, you can't catch it, you don't have power. You know, when God says your time is over, your time is over. You've got no power over life and death in that sense, okay? Neither have he power in the day of death. So there's the confirmation of what he's speaking about. And there is no discharge in that war. Neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. There is no discharge in that war. It's kind of like the idea of soldiers going to war, and then they might be able to, they might get permission to be discharged from battle for whatever reasons, maybe there's some big problem going on in their family life, and they can be discharged from war. Well, nobody can be discharged from death, okay? We're all gonna experience that, that idea. The Bible says in Hebrews 9, 27, and as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. It's appointed unto men. We have an appointment, right? You might have a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment. We have an appointment of death. We're all gonna pass on. And it's so important that we teach our children, you know, that life does not continue forever. Sometimes my little girls, you know, it's happened once or twice, we hear them crying at night, just weeping at night, and we say, what's wrong, honey? They're like, oh, we're just thinking that one day you and mom are gonna pass on. One day you and mom are gonna die. And it's like, yeah, but we're here now. We're alive now, and you know what? When we die, we're gonna be in heaven. And to the little ones, you know, they're saved. They know, hey, when they pass on, they're gonna see us anyway. They're gonna be with the Lord Jesus Christ, and we have the family that have passed on that are saved. But yeah, we can't stop there. And why would we want to? It's such a wicked world. For me to live is Christ, but to die is gain. Such an exciting time to pass on, isn't it? As long as you're saved, that is. You know, it's something that we can rejoice in when a saint closes their eyes and they go to be with the Lord in heaven. But again, it kind of says, verse number eight, it says, neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. So we're gonna touch upon wicked people as we move on here. But remember how Solomon in earlier chapters kind of said that, you know, it seems like the wicked prosper. It seems like the wicked live a long life. But you know, it goes, but even those that do weakness, they're gonna die one day. Like even they can't stop this from happening in their life. So it says in verse number nine, all this have I seen and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun. There is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt. Okay, so he's reflecting on life, you know, in light of death. Now again, he's one, he's the man who rules over other men. Okay, because he's the king. He's just recently just talking about the king's commandment. Okay, and so that's the context of what he's speaking about. He goes, look, there's something I've seen in life. He goes, you know, it's good to be wise and it's good to be in charge, as it were. You know, the king's commandment, you've got the final say. But one thing that he's realized, he goes, at the end of verse number nine, there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another, during life, to his own hurt, though. He goes, actually, you know, it's good to be in charge, but actually it hurts as well. You know, you can actually hurt yourself being a man of authority. And the point is basically, you know, when you're overseeing other people, you're not just dealing with your own issues, but many times the issues of those under you fall on your shoulders. Okay, many of the problems that other people have are gonna come to you. And, you know, being someone over others hurts you. I mean, think about it, parents. You know, when your kids are, you know, just, you know, they might get hurt, okay? You know, maybe another kid said something nasty to your child and they get a bit sad, they get a bit hurt. It kind of hurts the parents a little bit more, right? It's just like, you know, you've got authority over them and because they're feeling sad, you know, it hurts you. You know, think of an employer. You know, if you've got an employee who does bad on the job and they're not productive, it's gonna hurt your profits. It's gonna help your bottom line. It's gonna hurt you from achieving the targets that you're trying to achieve when your employees are burdened and they're not performing well. And again, you know, it might sound great to be the king, might sound great to be in charge and be in authority, but you've got a lot more people that you've gotta be thinking about, you know, concerned about, praying about. And so, again, there's sort of pros and cons to a lot of things in life. Let me just quote to you a passage in James 3 verse one that says, my brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. Okay, the greater authority you have, the greater the condemnation if you fail. All right, there's a lot weighing on your shoulders when you're a master, when you've got authority. You know, if you fail, you let down a lot of other people. Verse number 10. And then he goes, and so I saw the wicked buried. So he's comparing those in authority. And now he's comparing them to the wicked. And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done, this also is vanity. So he goes like, you know, it's kind of vanity to be, to have authority, because even that hurts. And he goes, well, what about the wicked? What about just living a sinful life? He goes, well, you know what, when they die, they're forgotten, like nobody likes the wicked. They're not remembered, they're not honored. You know, I mean, anybody that likes the wicked on the earth, they like them only for what they can get out of them. But once they're dead, nobody cares about the wicked. So he goes like, which ones, like, so what? You got authority, you got people, you know, you got to say over other men's matters, or you're just a wicked person. Death comes to all, so what's the point of it all? It's kind of, again, where is Solomon? He's going for this journey. He's trying to figure out, you know, what's important in life. And he's finding that if we just all die, then what's the point? We're wicked, have an authority. You know, we all get to this point of death. Let's keep going to verse number 11. It says, because sentence against an evil, sorry, okay. So why is it vanity for the wicked to perish? This is quite interesting, it goes, because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily. Therefore, the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Now this person, this wicked person, has left the place of the holy, okay. So you might consider that, maybe you might consider church being that place, you know, the house of God being that holy place, and so they departed from the things of God, and they've lived a wicked life. But what I believe this holy place is actually speaking about the courts. You know, this is what I think it's referring to. Because the sentence was not carried out or executed speedily, and so it's vain. And because the sentence has not been carried out speedily, it caused the hearts of other people to do evil. We learn an interesting principle there, is that when a wicked thing has been done, sentence has to be executed speedily, quickly. It needs to be addressed quickly, all right. Listen, if someone in our church deserves to be disciplined and kicked out, it needs to be done speedily, okay. Because a little leaven, leaven up the whole lump. You don't want to just wait for someone to, you know, hurt the church and cause further problems. Action needs to be done quickly to save the body, okay. Parents, if your children are doing wickedly, okay, you need to execute judgment speedily, okay. If you want their hearts to turn to righteousness, if you don't want them making the same mistakes, if you don't want them influencing their siblings to do wrong, you better take that rod quickly and sort it out. Don't take the attitude, oh, we'll deal with that, you know, maybe next week or next month. Everyone's gonna forget, everyone's gonna realize you're not serious as parents, okay, and the children's hearts will get cold, right. I mean, if we saw the hand of judgment in our government has been a lot more severe, if we saw them a lot more lined up to God's word, we would not see as much crime as we do today. If sentences carried out speedily, quickly, all right, it's so important, you know, parents, if you're out with your children in public and they play up, you know, they're being disobedient, I don't recommend disciplining them right there and then, you know, the last thing I wanna do is embarrass my children in front of other people, but you better be sure when they get home that rod's gonna come out pretty speedily, okay. You need to address it quickly, okay. Don't let problems, you know, just simmer along for a long time and a long time. You know, if you've got an employee, if you're an employee, you've got an employee at work who's just not performing, who's just rebellious, you know, don't just put up with it. Put them on a discipline plan. Like these days, it's very hard to just fire someone on the spot unless they've done something extremely bad, okay, but tell them, hey, look, you know what, you need to address this. You know, pull that employee into the office and say, look, you're not performing how you need to be. This is the level we need you to be at. This is where you're at and we're gonna help you get to where you are. You know, we'll give you two weeks, we'll assess you again. We'll give you another two weeks, we'll assess you again. Hey, man, look, if you've not done it by the end of the month, if you're not where you need to be, we have to let you go. You put them on a plan, you address it quickly, okay. Otherwise, you have a lazy employee. You know what that's gonna cause in your business? Other people to be lazy. They're gonna think, well, he gets paid. Look how lazy he is. Look how little he does. So why should I try hard? When someone does wrong or does wickedly, judgment needs to fall as quickly as possible. Or you're gonna cause other men's hearts to turn to evil. Verse number 12. Though a sinner do evil at a hundred times and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him. So we might get into this mindset that we see someone, a sinner, and we're all sinners, but someone who's excessively sinful, just constantly sinned. One time, two times, three times. You know, again, that idea, we just look in the world, there's so much wickedness. There's so many people that blaspheme God. So many people that do not work in the righteousness of God. And they seemingly prosper. They seemingly have their days prolonged. They seem to be just living a great life. And then you might be like, so why am I trying so hard to live righteously and godly? But what does he say at the end of verse number 12? He says, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him. He says, look, I know for sure that it's still gonna be better for those that fear God. Life is still gonna be better for those that are afraid of the Lord God and they're gonna walk righteously. They don't wanna be out of line. They wanna be in God's will, all right? It's still gonna end up better for them. Either in this life, definitely in life eternal. Definitely in eternal life. So again, kids, you're gonna have that mindset. Your parents probably had that mindset. How can these wicked people seemingly get away with so much? How can they seemingly be so rich and so successful? God, why don't you step in? But just remind yourself if you fear God, you walk in his past, things will still be better for you in the long run. Okay, that's a promise that King Solomon gives you. Verse number 13. But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days. So again, it's that seemingly. It looks like they prolong their days. It looks like they live this long and happy life. But no, they're not prolonging their days because of their wickedness, okay? Neither shall he prolong his days, which are a shadow because he feareth not before God. You know, God's not going to allow them to get away with it. It's all gonna at some point come crashing upon them, okay? I mean, sometimes I look at certain people and I hear stories and how wealthy this man is and how wealthy, and then you really find out about their life and everyone hates them. Their children want nothing to do with them. You know, you hear that their life is essentially a disaster. But for social media or for whatever, they try to make it look like they're having a great time, but they've got great hurts, you know, great hurt. And children, you know, you wanna be people that fear the Lord, you know? We need to fear the Lord. Just do what is right. Just do what you know what God's word says, even though you may seemingly look like it's not benefiting you. In the long run, it'll benefit you, okay? Verse number 14. There is a vanity which is done upon the earth. And again, this is that mindset of King Solomon, the same mindset. That there be just men. And I hope, you know, we're just, we've been justified, amen? You know, we're saved and we're seeking to live a godly life, so this might be us. That there be just men upon whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked. Because I've seen this in life, Solomon goes, I've seen people who try to be just, you know, people that are just trying to be godly and fear the Lord, but they have wickedness that happens in their life. They have problems that fall upon them. It just doesn't seem right. Then he says, again, there be wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. Because again, I see the wicked, but it just seems like it all goes well for them. They seem like they're having a good life. No, no problems. What's going on here? Life is not fair. And again, yeah, life is not fair. You know, you're not always gonna get your way, all right? But you know what? It doesn't matter if in your eyes, life does not seem fair. You continue serving God. I mean, think of Job, right? He loses his family, he loses his cattle, and he loses it all, and he loses his health, all right? But he doesn't, you know what? Was that really fair in Job? You see, in Job, he's a man who still loves God, who still fears the Lord, a man who keeps his integrity, and says, you know what? I'm gonna continue to serve in the Lord all my life. And listen, at the end of it all, he got double of everything that he lost. It ended up better for him going through that. You know what? Being someone like Job, going through so many problems, it's hard when you're in that process, I understand. You may feel like just giving up. Like, why isn't God coming through? You know, I'm just trying to live godly and righteously, and just problem after problem. But don't forget, brethren, that our problems are there to teach us, to gain wisdom, to draw closer to God. You know, to not rely on the strength of man, but to rely on the strength from God, okay? God gives us opportunities, problems, weakness that takes place. When life does not seem fair, these are your opportunities to grow and to be more like Christ. Was it really fair for Christ to die on the cross for you? Was that fair for me? Is that fair? You know what? I mean, out of the most righteous of the righteous, without any sin, he laid down his life and he took my sin. Is that fair? You know? It wasn't fair, was it? But it was just, it was righteous. It's the love of God. It's his mercy, it's his grace. And when life does not seem fair, just remind yourself of what Christ has done for you, okay? Listen, you're not going to be dying for the sins of the whole world, don't worry. You're not gonna suffer that much, okay? But this is just a journey, this is a process of life. Ups and downs. Sometimes you're gonna have good days, sometimes you're gonna have bad days. This is life. It doesn't matter if you're having good days or bad days. You just rejoice in the Lord. You have a healthy fear of God. You do what he's commanded you to do. Verse number 14, please. Verse number 15. Verse number 15. Then I commanded Mirth. Again, Mirth is like enjoyment, okay? He goes, life doesn't seem fair. So he goes, you know what, I'm just gonna enjoy life then. And I think this is good advice, in a sense, because we should not be people that are just constantly looking at other people. Constantly looking at this family or that family or that wealthy person or that wicked person. Because you're not going to be able to understand, you're not always going to understand what God is necessarily doing on this earth. So you know what? Just stop and say, you know what? God's given me today. God's given me a day that I can enjoy. He's given me the house of God. He's given me a place where I can come and worship him. He goes, in verse number 15, because a man hath no better thing under the sun than to eat and to drink and to be merry, for that shall abide with him of his labor, the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun. You know what? You stop and you think about what God has given you. Okay, what has God given you? He's given you to drink, to eat. He's given you things to enjoy. He's given you family. He's given you New Life Baptist Church. He's given you the Word of God. He's given you salvation. He's given you a breath. He's given you the Sunshine Coast to live in. You know what? Instead of just looking at everything else and going, oh, that's not fair, that's not fair, that's not fair, what's going on, God? You know what you need to do when you start to get frustrated? Just pause, just count your blessings. Say, look what God has done for me. Look how God has come through in my life. Look at the great blessings, the labor of my hands, how God has given me certain riches, certain things that I can enjoy, and just praise God. Thank God for everything he's done for you. You're not going to understand this world, brethren. In fact, the last verse explains this. You're not gonna understand it all. You're not gonna get it all. Life is not always gonna make sense to you. So don't worry about it trying to make sense. Just stop and enjoy what God has given you. Go and label your hands. Go and be productive. And that's how God rewards you. Look at verse number 16. When I applied mine heart to no wisdom and to see the business that is done upon the earth, for also there is that neither day nor night, sorry, let me read that again. For also there is that neither day nor night seeeth sleep with his eyes. That part in bracket is speaking about God, okay? God who never sleeps. God is not someone that sleeps, okay? So again, Solomon's going, look, I look at the world, I look at the business of the world, I see that it's not fair. The just seem to go through wicked times and the wicked seems to be going through the good times. But then he reminds himself, but God never sleeps. God sees what's going on in this world. Like nothing, you know, nothing goes past God. He sees the injustice of the world. He sees the wicked, what they do. He sees how the righteous, those that fear God, are trying to serve him. So he comes to this conclusion in verse number 17. Then I behold all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. Because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it. Yea, further, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it. He says, look, you're not going to figure out what God is exactly doing in everybody's life. Okay, what seems like injustice to you. When things don't seem fair to you, all right. You know, if you just spend your life trying to be this, you know, social justice warrior, trying to fix every problem in this world, because it doesn't fit how I need it to be, you know what, you're never gonna get to the end of it. You're never, it's never gonna satisfy you. You need to just stop and realize that you know what, God never sleeps. He sees the wickedness, all right. One day God is going to judge the wicked. One day God's going to reward the righteous. You know, one day God is going to balance the books. It's all gonna be fair in the long run. 100%, God is one who balances the books. I was doing my tax a couple weeks ago, and I was concerned, am I balancing the books just right? Do I count this as an expense or do I not, right? Do I count this as income or do I not? I don't wanna get in trouble with the government, right? Make sure I do this right, and sometimes it doesn't seem fair. I mean, I'm making this much, and the government wasn't saying how much? That doesn't seem right to me. You know, life doesn't always seem right to you, does it? But the best thing is just to remember God never sleeps. God is over it all. God sees righteousness, God sees wickedness, and God's gonna balance the books. Now, you may feel like I'm not getting much out of this Christian life. I'm trying to live righteously and godly, and I'm like, how come others? Don't worry, you lay up your treasures in heaven. It's going to be worth it, okay? These treasures don't, you know, these treasures in heaven is not just something to make you feel comfortable if you're not doing that well in life. They are truly treasures in heaven. They are truly mansions that Christ has gone to prepare a place for us, okay? There is truly a city of God that will descend from heaven to this earth, and we're gonna live there before God, in his presence, in his righteousness. All of these things are going to come to pass, 100%. And when these things come to pass, you're not gonna be concerned about how life seemed unfair. You're gonna be more concerned thinking, I wish I did more for God. I wish I did more. I wish I was more righteous. I wish I had a greater fear of God. You know, I wish I wasn't envious of the wicked. I wish I just put my head down and labored hard for him, regardless if the world did not seem fair. That's what life is about, guys, you know, just remembering that it's all gonna come to an end. Wickedness will not continue forever. God's going to judge us all. He's gonna judge the unsaved. They're gonna be cast into the lake of fire. He's going to judge the saved. You know what, the more we've done for him, the greater our rewards will be. I can't wait to ruin Raymond Christ. Great authority, great power over the nations. Life will be fair then. Christ will be ruling with a rod of iron. And then we have the new heavens and new earth once again, where there will be no sin, no corruption, okay? Everlasting life, new heavens and new earth, we are Lord God forever. All right, brethren, let's pray.