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Simple Joys of God’s Blessings
Eccl. 2:24-26
Introduction
The wise and the fool both die and soon forgotten. There is no assurance that the riches, properties, and all that a man had accumulated all the days of his life will be taken care of by the man after him. Solomon can enjoy the fruits of his labours but only for a short time, and then leave it to others whom he does not know whether he will be a fool or not. That way, he hated life though he does not want to die. Here in the end of this chapter Solomon mentions “God” for the first time and tells us that we should accept God’s blessings now and enjoy it.
Illustration 1: Pursuit for Joy
Men have pursued joy in every avenue imaginable. Some have successfully found it while others have not. Perhaps it would be easier to describe where joy cannot be found:
• Not in Unbelief — Voltaire was an infidel of the most pronounced type. He wrote: “I wish I had never been born.”
• Not in Pleasure — Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure if anyone did. He wrote: “The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone.”
• Not in Money — Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying, he said: “I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth.”
• Not in Position and Fame — Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both. He wrote: “Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.”
• Not in Military Glory — Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having done so, he wept in his tent, before he said, “There are no more worlds to conquer.”
• Where then is real joy found? — the answer is simple, in Christ alone.
The Bible Friend, Turning Point, May, 1993
I. Enjoy the fruits of your labour
A. Simple pleasures in this life are gifts from God. (Eccl. 3:13; 5:19; 9:7)
B. They are from the hand of God
1. Eat (good foods)
2. Drink (this may include some alcoholic drinks, Christians are not supposed to drink alcoholic beverages)
3. Riches and wealth (Eccl. 5:19)
4. Marriage and family (Eccl. 9:9)
5. All things that can make us enjoy life which would include not only material, but also physical (good health), mental, good friends, etc.
C. It is also a fact that even the enjoyment of God’s blessings is a gift to us by the Lord.
D. Solomon considers “evil” if you have all the blessings in life but cannot enjoy them (Eccl. 6:1-5)
Illustration 2: Blessings from the Lord (Ps. 68:19)
• An acceptance that can never be questioned. (Eph. 1:6).
• An inheritance that can never be lost (I Peter 1:3-5).
• A deliverance that can never be excelled (2 Cor. 1:10).
• A grace that can never be limited (2 Cor. 12:9).
• A hope that can never be disappointed. (Heb. 6:18, 19).
• A bounty that can never be withdrawn. (I Col. 3:21-23).
• A joy that need never be diminished (John 15:11).
• A nearness to God that can never be reversed (Eph. 2:13).
• A peace that can never be disturbed (John 14:27).
• A righteousness that can never be tarnished (2 Cor. 5:21).
• A salvation that can never be cancelled (Heb. 5:9). (Anonymous)
Illustration 3: Carnegie Would Give All For Health
Andrew Carnegie, the famous American millionaire, who gave away seventy million dollars during his lifetime, died at Lennox, Mass., on August 11, 1919.
Concerning him, T. P. O’Connor, writing in M. A. P., says: “I remember, as we drove down to the station on his four-in-hand coach, I was saying how I envied him his wealth. He said, ‘I am not really
to be envied. How can my wealth help me? I am sixty years old, and I cannot digest. I would give you all my millions, if you could give me your youth and health. I’d gladly sell all, to have half my life over again.’ ”
—Acts and Facts
II. Two kinds of people
A. Man, who is good in God’s sight
1. By faith we can be good in God’s sight.
2. To be good in God’s sight is to have a personal relationship with Christ, one who truly love God above all, one who is totally obedient to Him, doing everything to glorify Him, and willing to suffer even give his life for Christ’s sake. The essence of goodness is Christlikeness. No Christlikeness means no goodness.
3. To be good in God’s sight is to receive 3 things that only God can give:
a. Wisdom – the knowledge of himself, light to direct in the way of salvation.
b. Knowledge – knowing the truth and facts of life
c. Joy – a thankful and contented mind with his portion. It carries the idea of satisfaction in life
4. The man who is good in God’s sight finds favour and satisfaction of his labour within a single day (Eccl. 5:18).
5. He is not motivated by greed and has the heart to share his portion to the weak and to the poor.
6. We will experience real joy, satisfaction and contentment when the Lord Jesus Christ comes.
B. Sinner
1. A sinner is one who disobeys God, don’t love and fear God.
2. The sinner offends God and labours for greed and selfish end, will use dishonesty and deception just to accumulate wealth.
3. To the sinner God giveth travail. The word travail here means employment, a task, a job and this job is to:
a. To gather and heap up or to collect large amount of riches and possessions.
b. The good things he has collected will just be given to the man who is good before God.
III. The wealth of the sinner is given to the just (Prov. 13:22, Prov. 28:8)
A. This truth is can be seen in the Bible through the life of the Old Testament people like:
1. Abraham, Jacob and Laban
2. The Israelites taking the riches of the Egyptians before the Exodus
3. Israelites taking the Promised land from the Canaanites
4. Mordecai and Haman (Est. 8:2)
5. David taking the spoils from his defeated enemies.
B. These people enjoyed Christ’s blessings which is accumulated for them by sinners.
IV. Conclusion:
We can experience simple joys from the Lord now while we are still here on earth. More awaits us when we go to heaven. Repent and receive Christ as your personal saviour it’s
the best thing you can do now under the sun.Simple Joys of God’s Blessings

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