Ecclesiastes 7.2-4
22 April, 2007

Our text teaches opposite of what most people today would expect. The goal
of so many today is to pursue pleasure. There is so much to be sad about
that it only makes sense to try to feel good. Or so goes the wisdom of the
day. And that is exactly what our text is talking about. ‘…the heart of
fools is in the house of mirth.’ To counter this, the wise man tells us
that, ‘the mind of the wise is in the house of mourning.’ Does this mean
that it is always better to be glum? No. Our friend explains why it is
better go be in the house of mourning. ‘…for this is the end of all mankind,
and the living will lay it to heart.’ It is good to be confronted with
death. It is a fact of our existence. It is a reality for us all. It is good
to be confronted with death if we are wise and take it to heart.

Last week I told you that we all need to mull over Scripture and that we
need to do that in the context of real world questions. So this week we are
going to mull over Scripture in the context of what happened at Virginia
Tech last week. We all were confronted with death to a greater or lesser
degree when we heard the news of the murder of those thirty-two people. And
so, today we are going to consider some Scripture with this question in
mind, ‘How shall we respond to this situation?’ We’ve read the papers and
heard the discussion of others. We need to ask, ‘But how shall we –
disciples of Jesus – respond to this situation?’ So, we’re going to look at
Scripture to find some answers to that question. I have several goals in
this. I do want to help you to deal with what happened. And I also want to
show you what I meant by ‘mulling over Scripture’. But I also want to help
you prepare now for the time when you will be much more closely confronted
by death. So, listen to what the Spirit has to say and take it to heart.

Let’s start with something from Amos. Chapter three of this book contains a
list of question with obvious answers. Listen to one of them. ‘Does disaster
come to a city, unless the LORD has done it?’ Did disaster come to Virginia
Tech? Oh yes, indeed it did. And it came because Jesus caused it. Now, this
is not just something we say because being Reformed we are forced to. It is
a very practical statement. It is a statement that gives hope. If what
happened at Virginia Tech was a matter of fate or some other unknown source,
then life becomes very scary. Who knows what may happen next! Life then
becomes an unpredictable chaos and the only reasonable response is complete
anxiety or using any means to escape reality. But life is not chaotic.
Things don’t happen because of some unpredictable fate. ‘Does disaster come
to a city, unless the LORD has done it?’ And who is this LORD who has done
this thing this week? He is Jesus, who is Lord of heaven and earth; Jesus,
who, as the Good Shepherd, promises to take good care of you; Jesus, who is
guiding history so that whatever may happen, ‘all things work together for
good’ – at least for you. Someone just killed a couple dozen people. But
Jesus still rules. If you hold on to that you will have much hope and that
even in the face of much evil.

Let’s consider now something from Hebrews 9. ‘…it is appointed for man to
die once, and after that comes judgment…’ This is true for every person
under heaven. It was true for those thirty-two people. It’s true of each one
of you. One day you will die and then your life will be evaluated. Are you
ready for that? I do not say this to manipulate you with some scare tactic.
I say it because it is a fact. You are going to die after which comes the
examination. It seems to me only prudent, then, to ask, ‘Are you ready for
the exam?’ And being ready for the exam is not some strange and difficult
thing. It boils down to this: are you working at being a faithful disciple
of Jesus? When the Spirit points out sin, do you repent? As you interact
with the world around you, are you working at doing that in light of the
Gospel? The question is not, ‘How close to perfect are you?’ The answer to
that is easy. Not close at all. Instead, the question is, ‘Are you still
endeavoring to live, in humble reliance on the grace of the Holy Spirit, as
becomes a follower of Christ?’ So, back to the main thought. One day – who
knows when? – you are going to die and your life is going to be examined.
Are you ready for that?

Now, something from a parable. ‘There was a rich man who was clothed in
purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate
was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed
with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and
licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to
Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades… [he
was] in torment…’ The rich man had all the signs of wealth. Lazarus had all
the signs of poverty. Whose life was a success? It a fair bet that at least
some of those students believed the myth that if you get a degree you’ll be
on your way to a comfy life. You’ll be a success. Those students who were
without Christ now have nothing – and worse than nothing. Many of their
peers continue to believe the same myth that the goal is a comfy life and
that if you attain that then your life is a success. So, back to my
question. According to Jesus, whose life was a success – the rich man or
Lazarus? Is your life a success? How do you know?

This parable also reminds us that the Christians who died at Virginia Tech
last week – and some of them were Christians – are right now with Jesus.
They are like Lazarus. Their battles are over. They were faithful to the
end. Now, they are enjoying their reward in heaven. You need to remind
yourself that the death of a saint is a good thing – at least for him. The
world out there cannot understand this. But it’s true. So, we need to
rejoice for these saints. They have crossed the finish line. And again, this
is something that gives us hope. Death doesn’t have the last word for a
Christian. Jesus does. And His last word for us is always ‘Life’.

And yet, those Christians who died do leave behind people who grieve. Listen
to these words of Paul. ‘But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers,
about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no
hope.’ We who are left behind do grieve at the death of a saint whom we have
known. Because of what happened last week, there are many Christians who
mourn the loss of a child or a spouse or a friend. But this is something
that we can do in hope. I read somewhere recently that it might take four
years to be able to deal with the death of a child. I don’t know if that’s
true. But I do know that it takes close to that to deal with the death of a
spouse. And by ‘to deal with’ I don’t mean ‘to forget’. Rather, I mean to be
at peace with this loss, to be able to say with more than a bare and brute
faith, ‘Whate’er my God ordains is right’. We can deal with this grief
because of the hope of the Gospel. The process of getting to that point,
however, is not something that can be done alone, or at least not done well.
Consider Paul’s words at the end of the paragraph that I just read,
‘Therefore encourage one another with these words.’ Grieving a death is a
community affair. Those who have lost a son, daughter, husband or wife last
week need help, and they will need that help for a while. Just because in 6
or 9 months it looks like life is back to normal for these folk, no one
should assume that it is. Simply asking, ‘How are you doing?’ is a start,
but you need to do more than ask and listen. ‘Encourage one another with
these words.’ The grieving person needs help to mourn the loss in the
context of the Gospel. That person needs to be reminded of who Jesus is and
what He has done, and how that speaks to his situation. This is something
that will take time. And this is one of those times when you need to weep
with those who weep.

Now listen to this from Psalm 139. ‘…in your book were written, every one of
them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.
’ The number of your days has already been decided. The date of your death
is already known to God. This is very helpful. One of the survivors was
quoted as saying something like, ‘We were lucky to get out alive.’ If you
think in that way, then is the day of your death unlucky, something you
should dread? The day of your death has nothing to do with luck, fate,
chance or the phase of the moon. It is a day that your Father has chosen.
And therefore, it is an expression of His wisdom and love. On that day, you
will have fulfilled the role that He had for you. And so, your death will
occur at just the right time. As a result, there is nothing to be anxious
about as you contemplate your death. Remember that Jesus’ plan for your
life – including the day of your death – is good, wise and loving.

As you contemplate your coming death, add this from Hebrews 13. ‘[God] has
said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we can confidently say,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not fear…"’ You will not face the day of your
death alone. Jesus will be with you. He will walk with you and comfort you
along the way. So, you need to learn how to trust Jesus now. You need to
learn to trust Him to walk with you in the various ongoing issues of day to
day living so that you will be able to trust Him when it comes to dealing
with the last issue of day to day living.

Let me close with this. This world is an evil place. ‘The LORD saw that the
wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the
thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.’ [Genesis 6:5] The murder
of 32 people last week was not unique. In fact, on average, 42 people are
murdered every day in our nation. And the one who committed suicide at the
end of his murderous rampage joined 82 others who also committed suicide on
that day. This world is a very evil place. And yet, we need to remember
Jesus and His Gospel. To use the words of the Apostle, Jesus ‘gave himself
for our sins to deliver us from this present evil age…’ [Galatians 1:4]
Jesus has come. He has rescued us from this evil place in order that we
might enjoy our true home where there will be no evil at all. We are not
overcome by the evil of this place. In the midst of that evil we can take
pleasure in the joy and hope that come from the Gospel. Think on these
things.