The Lesson of Ecclesiastes

Speaker today, the sermon giver. You have already seen him. He's been up here leading songs part of the time. I'm very thankful to have Mr. Anthony, Tony Wosselkopf.

Mr. Wosselkopf has been leading songs. He's a very energetic song leader, and we thank him for doing that.

He and his wife are from the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area.

They are in that area. He's the pastor of the Toronto and the Hamilton congregations, and along with his wife, they work in the Canadian office. And so they're adding an international flair to our festival here in Branson.

But the sermon, following special music, will be brought to us by Mr. Tony Wosselkopf.

Very, very pleasant. Good morning.

Good to be together again, and on behalf of all of you, I want to thank the choir for that very beautiful and inspiring number. We appreciate our special music here very, very much. I might add one more thing to the kind words that Mr.

Dobson mentioned, that my wife is from this area, and although we bring some international flavor, there are others. I'm sure here she's originally from here, so she's come home to visit family, and so she is, although coming home, has lived in Canada longer than she has in the United States. So she has to repatriate herself each time she comes back, but she does that fairly handily.

It is always a joy to be here with one another at the Feast of Tabernacles, and as always a surprise to us, how quickly the days elapse, and it seems to accelerate as the week goes on.

In the Jewish community, it was reference made to the Jewish community in the Sermonette today, their custom is to read different books of the Bible on the festivals. And you probably are aware, for instance, that the book of Ruth is read on the Feast of Pentecost year by year by year, and which book of the Bible is read, do you suppose, during the Feast of Tabernacles?

Well, as you probably realize, it is the book of Ecclesiastes.

Now in the Jewish religion, when someone dies, and that is among practicing Jewish people, there is a whole week set aside for official mourning of the loss of that loved one, and it is called a Shabbat, H-I-V-A, and practicing Jewish families, then will set aside a week, which at times, I think even in Western society, was not unusual when people, if there was a loved one who died, would set aside time to to mourn. Sometimes they would wear dark clothing. Some of you will know firsthand from years ago in life experience, for quite some time, or at least wear a black armband for quite some time, indicating a loved one had passed away and that they were in the process of mourning.

To provide a real-life instance, there was a Jewish magnate, a lawyer in the city of Winnipeg, who had parlayed his good business sense to acquire a media empire in Canada, and a few years ago he died, and instead of having seven days of mourning for the family, they only had a day and a half.

Do you know why?

Because of the Feast of Tabernacles.

They in the Jewish way of life, and we learn a lot from that, the Feast of Tabernacles trumps seven days of mourning.

So when Izzy Asper died, Izzy short for his Israel, the family gathered at one of the daughter's homes in Winnipeg, and after a day and a half, the rabbi got everybody together in the family and said, well, look, now we have to abbreviate the Shabbat this year because the Feast of Tabernacles is upon us. So we'll gather one more time this afternoon, family prayer, and then what we'll do in order to bring one element to a conclusion and begin something else is we'll all walk out of the house together, go for a short walk into a park, and then we'll come back in, signaling the mourning is now concluded, and now we begin a brand-new experience because we're entering into a celebration for the Feast of Tabernacles.

This is instructive.

And it is touching, and it tells us a great deal of what we need to know and what we need to review. And that is why the book of Ecclesiastes is read and why the Feast of Tabernacles would trump, for instance, the Jewish Shabbat. Ecclesiastes. Let's turn there. Next, please.

Or first for this particular passage, for this particular sermon this morning.

Ecclesiastes chapter 2, and here we'll read Solomon's experiment with consumerism.

Now, one of the experiences we have each year at the Feast of Tabernacles, because we enjoy, is that we have an opportunity for seven, eight days to experience consumption in a way that we don't at any other time of year. Significantly, right prior to the time of our greatest opportunity for reasonable and measured consumption, God says, before you start, I want you to fast one day.

And so we have the Day of Atonement, because the contrast makes it that much more significant and meaningful. And so you know that when you have breakfast at the conclusion of the Day of Atonement, how good everything tastes. It tastes so much better. So after having had a day of fasting, we enjoy seven, eight days of consumption that much more. Now remember, Ecclesiastes chapter 2, verse 3, Solomon's perspective, his experiment with what we might call materialism or consumerism.

Chapter 2 Ecclesiastes verse 3, I've searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine when guiding my heart with wisdom.

How do I hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives? So he decided to sample different types of quality wine, which you may do also during the Feast of Tabernacles. There's even a winery in town that some of us may have gone to to see. Now there's wine and there's wine.

There's a five dollar bottle. There's a ten dollar bottle. There's a twenty dollar bottle. There's a fifty dollar bottle of wine, and the quality will vary, as you know, from the wedding feast, the occasion where Jesus Christ turned water into wine. Love to see that miracle again.

At a wedding, and it had to do with quality of wine. There is a variation of quality of wine, which was acknowledged then.

I rarely need to buy a twenty dollar or twenty five dollar bottle of wine because I can't tell the difference between a twenty five dollar bottle and Charles Shaw, which is two buck chuck, some say. I think it's three dollars now.

But you know, blind tests on wine connoisseurs have resulted in Charles Shaw wine winning awards, because a lot of it has to do with a certain amount of snobbery. Nevertheless, he said, I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine. Verse four, I make great works, and I built myself houses and planted myself vineyards.

Some people think the key for satisfaction. And this is what Solomon is looking for. He's in a quest for meaning. What matters would really satisfies.

What will really satisfy a person's search for something. Were you looking for that something that will satisfy, I'll build myself habitations that are grandiose. You could do that then. More people than ever can do that today. I made works great. I built myself houses. I planted myself vineyards. I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them to have an acreage. And some of us would love to do that when we retire. Some of us may be doing that now. I met someone at the feast last year back in Canada who owns an avocado ranch.

That sounds wonderful. You can have avocados every day, and it's California. You can have them all year round. They're delicious. Good for you. Avocados are very, very helpful, I'm told. As long as you don't eat too many of them, I'm told. I made myself gardens, orchards, planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. So water is needed. And these days, what some of us have done, and it's become increasingly popular, it has been for quite some time, is to have a pond, a pond in the backyard, or a water fountain in your home, or in the lobby at your place of work. And just the sound of even a miniature waterfall is soothing, and it's appealing. We put in a pond in our backyard, 1,000 liters. That's gallons. Not sure how many gallons that is, but 4 liters to a gallon, typically. And put in goldfish. And enjoy them for a while until raccoons discovered that there was a pond with goldfish in them, and they're really good fishermen. And so then it became a contest of man versus beast, of how many of those goldfish we could preserve the raccoons won. They're adept fishermen, and so eventually we had to do something drastic, and that has put chicken wire over the top of the pond, which means it doesn't look very good anymore, but the goldfish were very happy and grateful and much safer under those circumstances. I made myself water pools, from which to water the growing trees, and the grove I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house even. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. He had staff members. In fact, they were born in his home and lots and lots of magnificent livestock, which is a wonderful thing to be able to do if you're in a position to do so. Verse 8, I also gathered for myself silver and gold and special treasures of kings, not ordinary treasures, but extraordinary treasures of kings, and of the provinces. And I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds. Some folks are really into music. These days, I see a lot of people wearing buds, where they're plugged in and tuned out. And so they're walking along, and you say, hello, they're not even aware you're there, because they're listening to high-fidelity music, I suppose. It was an amazing thing to see the development, some of us have seen that, of the progression of music. You may remember the first 45 you ever bought, your first ever 45 recording. Some are wondering, why that many? What was it? 45 or 33 and a third, before that, a 78. Vinyl records. And then eventually we thought, well, we can do better than that, and you got 8-track tapes. I still have mine, because they might come back into usage. And then cassettes. But that still wasn't good enough. We then started producing and buying CDs, and digital quality CDs. But did you know that vinyl records are coming back? That they're being pressed again? And there are those who were rejecting CDs and going back to vinyl, and getting the old turntable out and listening to that.

Solomon had real musicians. As part of his way of expressing himself as a king, he could do more than a hundred men in a hundred lifetimes, because that was available to him. Because he was King Solomon. Why read the book of Ecclesiastes during the Feast of Tabernacles? It's highly, highly instructive, as we shall see. Luke 12. A rich man's strategy for the future. We're still looking at this element of materialism or consumerism, which we actually are take-off, modestly, during the Feast of Tabernacles. Not excessively, but more so than we do the rest of the year. Luke 12. And beginning to read in verse 16. Then he spoke a parable to them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man had yielded plentifully. So here was a man who had a farm, a productive farm, and he was on the verge of a bumper crop. A bumper crop was on its way, and this wealthy man was going to become even wealthier. The ground of a certain rich man, Luke 12. Now verse 17, yielded plentifully, and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops? What will I do? I have all of this already stored away, more on the way. What will I do with more that's coming? One thing I know, I can't give it away. What will I do? So he said, I will do this. I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. He had this wonderful problem on his hand, and so he found himself a solution. I'll build bigger barns. That's what I'll do. And I will say to my soul, soul, I enjoy the way this is structured, I'll say to myself, self, and this is described self-talk, that where we say we're talking to ourselves. I wonder what I should do today. Well, I'm not sure. And it's okay to do that as long as no one else is listening in. But if someone else is listening in, then we get a little bit uncomfortable. I will say to myself, self, I'll say to my soul, soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. And we do a little bit of that at the Feast of Tabernacles, but not to excess. So his philosophy, according to verse 19, is everything will be fine. The future looks rosy. I'll be able to live for years and years. I'm set for retirement, and I'll be able to live comfortably. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, verse 20, fool. It's something he never foresaw, never perceived, couldn't comprehend, didn't take into consideration. God said to him, fool. This night your soul will be required of you, and then whose will those things be which you have provided? There was only one problem. The man died before he could begin to use up what he had stored in his big barns. Planning for retirement is a good thing. It's a wise thing to do. But neglecting life after death is calamitous because you can't take it with you, and some people try. You've never seen a funeral procession from the funeral home to the cemetery with the U-Haul attached to the front vehicle.

You can't take it with you. Some people have tried. It doesn't work that way. We had a delightful neighbor some years ago when we lived in British Columbia, Canada. A very fine gentleman. He and his wife were originally from Scotland, Edinburgh, I think, and they moved from Scotland to Canada to find a new better life. They didn't seem to satisfy. They moved back to Scotland to go to their home turf. That didn't succeed too well. They came back to Canada. People find sometimes that they change more than they think they will have, and so they return to Canada again. He was, he and she, having no children of their own, sort of adopted everybody's neighborhood children. And our children, when they were little, would go to their house along with all of their friends, and the two of them would make milkshakes for all the neighborhood kids. Lovely people! And he was the one who said to one day, to my wife and I, we don't own anything on planet earth. We are only, we are at best, caretakers. I thought that was profound for someone who was not in the church and not attending church, but clearly, philosophically, and maybe more than that, a Christian. We don't own anything. We are only caretakers, and it is true. We don't take it with us as this rich man failed to take into his calculations here in chapter 12 of Luke. Haggai. Let's turn next to Haggai, please. And read here a prescription from the great Creator God, and it's one of the things that we've been admonished to do in sermonettes and sermons already during the Feast of Tabernacles thus far. Haggai. It's easier to find if you start with Malachi and flip backwards.

And there's Haggai, easy to locate that way every time. Chapter 1, verse 5, Haggai, a prescription, a challenge, an admonition from our loving Creator God in heaven. Beginning to read in verse 5, "...Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the Lord of armies, angelic armies, consider your ways." He says to Israel of all to Israel today, and especially to Christians today, consider your ways.

Stop for a moment and evaluate your life, your lifestyle, your values, your priorities. Think about what you're doing and why you're doing it. And the Holy Days do that for us. The Sabbath day does it for us, but the Feast of Tabernacles especially does that for us because we have a change of pace and a change of scenery and a change of routine. And it's really good for us because after a while we get so stuck in our ways, we get so stuck in our routine.

And they say the difference between a grave and a rut is its depth. And sometimes we get caught that way, and it's good to get out of that. And the Feast does it for us especially. Verse 6, "...You've so much, and bring in little. You eat, but do not have enough. You drink, but you're not filled with drink. Nothing satisfies. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm." We heard last night you should dress in layers, so this could have a connection. And He earns wages to put it into a bag with holes where investments don't seem to work.

Now we're familiar with smartphones, and I've seen any number of people texting using the telephones. The leading instrument for that once was the BlackBerry. And I'm not sure if any of you still own a BlackBerry produced by RIM, Research in Motion, out of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. But they've been displaced by competitors, and now it's in trouble. And some forecasters are saying that it may actually go bankrupt. Do you know how much money RIM has in the bank? $2 billion. Cash. But still, that's not enough, forecasters say, to survive what's happening. There are other corporations that have an enormous amount, but it's like having a bag with holes in it. If you don't use it wisely, it'll disappear.

Verse 7, "...thus says the Lord of hosts, the Lord of armies, consider your ways." A lot of people are so busy trying to get ahead, they don't bother checking to see if they're on the right road. Jonathan Bowles, a few years ago, I think he was a Presbyterian minister, wrote a book called What Color Is Your Parachute? Some of you have read that, recognized it, and he uses a lot of diagrams to depict what he's trying to convey. And one of his comments is, some people climb the ladder of success only to find when they get to the top that the ladder was leaning on the wrong wall.

And it is true, where it can happen to people. One of our members some years ago, he's still alive, actually, though his wife is now deceased, was a physician in one of our church areas, a GP, a very good GP, a country doctor, in the real sense of the term. And he said, I study to be a physician in order to help people. He's now retired, suffering from the effects of Alzheimer's, I'm sorry to say, but he related an instance where he knew a fellow physician who went through med school and got his degree and started his practice only to find out he didn't like being an MD.

He didn't like being a general practitioner. He wanted to be a real estate man. So he gave up his medical practice and went into real estate. And guess what? He was happy! On the other hand, we, through the years, because we are transferred, as you know, we in the full-time ministry, and some of you and your other work, other types of work we all share, you may be subject to transfer as well.

You have dealings with real estate men from time to time. We met a real estate man who really wasn't happy being a realtor, although he was successful because he had always wanted to become a physician. And he had hoped that that would have happened to him. There are plumbers who wish to become an electrician, electricians who wish to become mechanics, mechanics of which they had become plumbers.

I have a GP now, a general practitioner, who's quite good, who laments being a GP. His father was a physician, and he relates that when his dad saw 12 patients in one day, he'd had a full day of work. And now, you know, to get him through much faster than that, and he was relating. He had... I'm thinking, why is he telling me this?

Some of his concerns, the investments that went bad, and how he wishes he would have been a dentist, because they make so much more money than physicians do. Is there anyone who's happy with what they have? Well, it's not that. It's a matter of being satisfied with what we have, whoever we are, and whatever we are doing. That's what is key, as it says here in verse 6 in particular. Let's switch then from consumerism to something else. Luke chapter 15. Luke 15, a family case study. You'll be familiar with this. You'll recognize it as we begin reading it. Luke chapter 15, a family case study. Beginning to read please in verse 11, A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his dad, Father, give me the portion of goods that fall to me, and so the dad divided to them his livelihood. The youngest son had a hankering. He wasn't happy anymore. He wasn't satisfied anymore. He wasn't content. He wanted to get out of there, get out and discover the world, look for adventure. Find himself would be perhaps the better way of describing what his discontent was. He wanted to find himself. The younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that fall to me, and so he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, it didn't take long for him to pack and get out his GPS, or whatever would have been the equivalent, his sports mule, whatever would have been the equivalent. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there, enrolled in university, worked hard for four years, earned a degree. Not at all. There, he wasted his possessions with prodigal living. He went out looking for excitement, adventure, travel, independence. No more rules. It can be summarized as wine, women, and song. Done back then, done through the ages, being done even today, as different ones of us, when it's our turn, have to address this as to whether or not we will do this or reject it, or at least trifle with it. Verse 14. There's only one problem with this approach. It's described here for us in verse 14. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.

Eventually, if you're spending the principle, eventually money runs out. You and I are familiar with instances where people win a million dollars in a lottery, or five million, and instead of investing and then spending the interest, they're spending the principle. Eventually, it runs out. In this instance, he spends it all. Once that happens, no more money. Guess what? No more friends. They also disappear. Then famines come at the worst time. When he spent all, there was a severe famine in the land. He began to be in want. He went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he was sent into his fields to do what? To feed swine.

This is very demeaning work, especially for a good Jewish boy.

That's the way this is presented for us. So he didn't have the job skills to survive what was happening to him far away from home. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. So even the pigs were at this point eating better than he was, and he was hungry. There are those instances, and you have felt that from time to time. Some of us, perhaps more than others, where you're so hungry. You're looking at someone else who's eating a sandwich, and you think, oh, I'd love to have a bite of that. But they don't even offer it to us under those severe circumstances that we've been through that bring the scribe for us here. And when he came to himself, verse 17 says, and look at that expression, when he came to himself, who had he been up until then? Somebody else. Remember, he left his family to go find himself. And here, that's beginning to happen. When he came to himself, he didn't find himself where he thought he would. But it was finally beginning to happen, and a light came on. When he came to himself, he said, How many of my father's hired servants have bred enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger? Even my hired hands back at my dad's farm have more than I do, and extra. Verse 18, I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. He finally realized that you don't find yourself in wine, women, and song. Not in travel, not in new friends, not in adventure, not in spending, spending, spending. The only thing in this life that comes close to satisfying a human being is close human relationships, and especially family. And so he said, I'm going home. And off he went, and you know as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story. Remember Princess Diana? She's now been deceased for quite some time. A tragic death on her part. It would have been so lovely if she'd been able to see all her sons have done and their marriage, or one of them anyway. Do you remember what she went through? I'll just review that briefly. To escape her problems, and she was a princess, married to an heir to the throne of England. To escape her problems, she indulged in everything from cranial massage, you know what that is cranial massage, and anti-depressants to therapeutic shouting sessions. Something else that is treatment for depression and other psychological difficulties. Diana was treated for eating disorders, believing in nervosa, had been prescribed antidepressants like Prozac. She took solace in frenetic, frenetic exercise and talked with mystics, clairvoyance, and tarot card readers. She was trying to find answers for her unhappy life. But this time, of course, she'd been divorced after her relatively short 11-year marriage to Charles. And then she had aspirations that she was going to turn over a new leaf. You know what she dreamed of?

Finding a gentleman with whom she could have a happy marriage. She was hoping to marry a courteous, her words, lean and rangy Frenchman and move to France. That's what she hoped to do. She eagerly awaited the day when she could, this is what her goal and dream was, she could share her life in a loving relationship. She could have everything, but that's what was missing.

And that makes sense, and it adds up scripturally, in fact. Let's go back to Ecclesiastes, chapter 4.

Why is the book of Ecclesiastes read during the Feast of Tabernacles by the Jewish, practicing Jewish community year after year after year? And it should be, and it's valuable for us to do the same. Chapter 4 of Ecclesiastes, verse 7. The solitary individual. Then I returned and I saw a vanity under the sun. I saw something meaningless under the sun. Remember Solomon is searching for meaning in human existence, value in human existence, to find what satisfies, what matters, what makes a difference. There is one alone, verse 8 tells us, there is one alone without companion. Here is an individual all by themselves. They're an isolate. They have no partner, no spouse, no one. There's one alone, verse 8. Ecclesiastes, chapter 4, without companion. He has neither son nor brother. This individual has no heir, no extended family. Continuing. Yet there is no end to all his labors. This individual, although an isolate, no partner, no associate, no immediate family, no heir, that person isn't lazy. He still works hard. He's still industrious. He accumulates. He applies himself. According to what we read here, there's no end to all his labors. He's 24-7. Nor is his eye satisfied with riches. The more he earns, the more he wants to sock away additionally. And he never asks, verse 8 tells us as it wraps up, he never asked for whom do I toil and deprive myself of good. This also is vanity and a grave misfortune. He's too busy to ask himself, why am I doing this? Lots of people work so hard to get an education, earn money, acquire property, gain power, make investments, only to have no one to share it with.

So then, what good is it then? Now, a few years ago, some of you will remember, Barbara Bush received an invitation from Wellesley College in Massachusetts to speak at a commencement exercise. 25% of the student body protested and said, we don't want her to come to speak to us because she's coming only because her husband's successful, not because she's successful. We don't want her. But she came anyway, and she brought along reinforcements.

Ryisa Gorbachev, Mrs. Gorbachev, came with her. Two first ladies came, and she spoke to them in a way only a mother or grandmother could speak and said to them, giving them three points, and I'll just cover the third point. The third choice that must not be missing is to cherish your human connections. She said to that graduating class at Wellesley College, your human connections, your relationships with family and friends for several years. You've had impressed upon you the importance to your career of dedication and hard work. And of course, that's true, but as important as your obligations will be if you're a doctor, a lawyer, a business leader, you are a human being first. And those human connections with spouses, children, friends are the most important investment you will ever make. Final paragraph quoting her address, at the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, winning one more verdict, or closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend, or a parent. Is that not true? That captures it very, very effectively. No one on their deathbed ever expresses regret for not having spent more overtime on the job. I wish I'd put in some more overtime. Never do they express that, but they do express regret. I wish I'd spent more time with my son, my daughter, my husband, my wife, my family. Psalm 146. Psalm 146. Human limitations underlined here in the 146 Psalm. Psalm 146, and we'll begin reading in verse 3.

Do not put your trust in princes. Do not put your trust in princes. Prince may look powerful. Real prince may look influential, but they're still a human being.

There were those who put their trust in Saddam Hussein. If I can just be faithful to him, I'll be fine. There were those who put their trust in Hosni Mubarak. There were those who put their trust in Muammar Gaddafi, but ultimately they couldn't even look after themselves.

Do not put your trust in princes, nor in the Son of Man in whom there is no help. Son of Man meaning someone in the condition of a human being, nor in the Son of Man in whom there is no help. Verse 4, his spirit departs, he returns to his earth, and in that very day his plans or his thoughts perish. What is this telling us? In spite of their best intentions, human beings have some pretty serious shortcomings.

That is, we lack the ability that we'd like to have even when we're trying to do what we're trying to do because of our human shortcomings. And you know what our greatest shortcoming is?

We lack permanence. The best this life has to offer is not things, although we enjoy things, and the Feast of Tabernacles allows us to do that within reason. The best human life has to offer is human relationships, and yet human relationships have their limitations. Marriage is an example of that. If you marry someone, all your problems are over, correct? As a single, we tend to think that. I'm single. I've been single all these years. And if I just find the right person to marry me, and then we'll marry each other, then all of our problems will be over. Well, not quite. You just switch one set of problems for another set of problems. You don't believe me. Ask someone who's married. They'll tell you if this is true or not true. You switch one set for another set. One of the things that you have to address is, after a while, they know what you're thinking. Where it can really be irritating. Where the husband is rifling through the closet, looking for something muttering, and she's watching with her arms folded, saying, what are you looking for?

And he says, nothing. And she says, it's not in there. It's under the bed.

How does she know? It can be really irritating in a nice way.

We have our limitations as human beings. Human relationships, especially with family, immediate family, extended family, is the best this life has to offer. And on a deathbed, you don't wish you had worked more overtime. You wish you'd spent more time with humans in human relationship, especially family. And this is what we address. This is what we highlight at this wonderful feast of tabernacles, this particular reality. And even so, at the end of a marriage of 40 years, 50 years, 60 years, someone then checks out. Someone goes first. And thinking back, having attended the seminar last night, hearing Mr. Antin relate examples of his parents who lived to be into their 90s, where my mom and dad, who lived into older age, my mother died at age 68, my dad at age 75, they did not live anywhere near as long as his parents did, as some of you who are here today have lived. My father thought, well, what we'll do is that I will die first, and then my wife will continue living, your mother and all will be well. Didn't happen that way. Happened the other way around. She died first at age 68, and then he continued living to age 75, which he wasn't prepared for, hadn't planned on. And it's difficult to lose a spouse after you've been married for 30 years, 40 years, 50 years. Those who've gone through it will tell you it's like losing your right arm.

And you think, why does it have to be so hard? Why does it have to be so difficult? Wouldn't it be better if we both went at the same time? Then we wouldn't have to grieve for each other. We wouldn't have to go through this horrible agony when one person leaves the other behind. Someone said, it's like losing your right arm. You never get used to it, but you learn to live without it.

And others have said, yes, that's applicable. There was an instance, and God knows what he's doing. And it's part of our curriculum. It's part of what he wants us to learn, what he wants us to go through. There was an instance, I'll share with you momentarily here, or presently, I guess I should say, where I haven't attended. I think I've only attended many funerals in my ministerial career, as other ministers will say to you here. And the older you live, the more of those you attend. George Burns once was asked why he didn't date anybody his own age. And he said, because there's no one else around my age, because he lived to be 100, or nearly nearly so.

Where you go to a double funeral. There was a husband and a wife in the church, Mr. Antony, and I think knows who they were, the Buffalo Church, who were coming home from a high holy day going back to Canada, were involved in a traffic accident just as they were about to cross the bridge back into Canada, and they were both killed. They both died. Second marriage, two of us from the Canadian church office went to Port Colborne to attend the funeral, where there's two caskets in the church. A minister from the United Church of God, and a minister from the local, I forget now which denomination it was, mainstream Sunday denomination. The UCG pastor talking with the pastor of the other denomination said, well, there may be some compatibility concerns, because I don't believe in going to heaven when I die. And the other minister from a mainstream church said, well, that's not a problem. I don't either.

So, oh, okay. And so they worked together really well. It was a beautiful service. Very hard to be in a church, and there are two caskets, husband and wife, and the amount of grieving that occurs when you lose both mom and dad at the same time. So it's easier for mom and dad, but much, much harder for children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. John 6. Tie this in a little bit later. John 6. The feeding of the 5,000 postscript. We're changing gears here just a little bit then, from materialism to relationships, and now to another element. John 6. The feeding of the 5,000 postscript. John 6. Verse 15. See what happened here that sometimes is overlooked. John 6. Verse 15.

Therefore, when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain. Now, why did Jesus do this? Why did He decline when He perceived they wanted to take Him by force to make Him king, to coronate Him? He declined the world's method of kingship as a work of the adversary. In fact, there are no legitimate shortcuts to success, are there? There are no legitimate shortcuts to success or to rulish Him for that matter. And look at how it describes what He chose to do instead. He departed again to the mountain to do what? For what reason? By Himself alone.

Wasn't it Marlene Dietrich who said, I want to be alone? I think it was heard. That's not a very good accent. I apologize for that. There are some individuals who just cannot be by themselves for any length of time. They've got to be with people around them at all times or they become agitated. Now remember, here He was just with the 5,000. And so if you in your line of work are working with people all day long, what do you like to do in the evening? Be away from people. On the other hand, if you are working with machines all day and all week, what do you like to do in the evening? Be with people. And so we find the contrast is valuable. So Christ loved people, knew how to relate to people, but also valued time alone. He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. That's emphatic, isn't it? Usually if I'm by myself, I'm alone.

And you are too. So it's emphatic that He needed some space. He needed some solitude.

Now when evening had come, that is when evening came, verse 16, His disciples went down to the sea. So Jesus Christ chose to be by Himself alone for quite a while. They were waiting for Him, waiting for Him, waiting for Him. He didn't come, so they gave up. And they got into the boat and went over the sea to work a pernium, verse 17 tells us, and it was already dark. And Jesus had not come to them. They probably lingered, hoping He'd show up, and He did it. And this is later on, is where He walks on the water. These days, because of my age, I know some of you are much older than I am, and you will say you haven't seen anything yet. I accept that. Nevertheless, I find because of my age, I don't like driving after dark anymore. It's more difficult. I know that some of us coming back from the two seminars last night had difficulty finding our way back. Everything looked different after dark. And I went on, as Mr. Dobson said, the roundabout. There was a traffic light there two years ago. Now there's a traffic circle, or a roundabout. And about after going around five times, I was able to find my exit. Nevertheless, it's supposed to be for improved safety. They're waiting for Christ. He doesn't show, so they're going to cross this lake after dark. Not easy. Of course, he walks on water after dark, which made it scary, and scarier than it could have been or perhaps would have been otherwise. My point here is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, enjoyed people, all kinds of people, from all walks of life. He was called a friend of publicans and sinners, you recall. He had just fed 5,000 at one time. That's a lot of folks to rub shoulders with. Yet at the same time, He modeled the capacity to be alone.

Our Lord Christ demonstrated that each person must learn how to stand by himself alone. He wasn't married. He modeled the life of being a single adult. And He didn't encourage—at least I can't find it anywhere in the Gospels—He didn't encourage His disciples to get married. He never said to anyone of them, why don't you get engaged to that nice lady over there or that nice lady over here? Let me set you up with this person over there. And there are those who've tried that.

Those of us who have been single have had that happen to us and it didn't work. We didn't like it. It's sort of interference. Sometimes it works. But to be sure, Jesus honored marriage, and He didn't allow for incidental or routine divorce by any way. But today's society does adopt. Doesn't today's society, out of Hollywood and the media in general, emphasize that being paired off is the most important thing on the planet? It's considered more important than a commitment to the living God. And daily the media bombards us with the idea that all single people yearn to be joined as somebody else. The old-fashioned idea of blessed singleness or sanctified virginity is considered foolish, even by profession Christians in some instances. And yet Jesus was a single adult and He practiced pure celibacy, modeled it. John 16.

Jesus speaks to His disciples more plainly in John 16, beginning to read, please, in verse 29. John 16.

John 16, verse 29, His disciples said to Him, See, now you are speaking plainly and using no figure of speech. They were so happy to have something planned, something they could comprehend and grasp more readily.

Chapter 16, verse 30, Now we are sure that you know all things and have no need that anyone should question you. By this we believe that you came from God. And it's a good thing they did because they were going to be tested severely. And in verse 31, He said, Do you not believe? Do you really?

Indeed, the hour is coming. Verse 32, Yes, has now come that you will be scattered each to His own, and you will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

Jesus Christ loved people. He spent time with people. But there was a time when His disciples deserted Him, and He would have to stand on His own alone. And there are those instances that happens to us. That's part of our training. That's part of our experience.

Now, a couple of days ago, I mentioned it was made, and I will mention it again here, of the gentleman in the Bronx Zoo, I believe, who was going for an aerial ride and decided he would jump out of this elevated conveyance into the Siberian tiger enclosure. And broke some bones when he landed over the 16-foot barrier, because he wanted to get closer to this 11-year-old male named Bachuta, weighing 400 pounds. They rescued him. Thankfully, the staff acted quickly. They used a fire extinguisher, coached him to roll under the electric fence, and said, if he wanted to kill you, he would have. He was just tasting, chewed on him a little bit.

And he was asked, why did you do this? He's infatuated, fascinated with big cats.

They're on his Facebook, apparently. And he explained as he was pressed, why did you do this?

Do you have a death wish? He said, no, I wanted to be one with the tiger.

I wanted to be one with the tiger. We should be one with other human beings, but not with tigers. Not 400-pound Siberian tigers. But there's that craving in us to be at one, when we have to cultivate, in fact, to be alone at times. 2 Timothy 4. Certainly not Siberian tigers weighing in at 400 pounds. 2 Timothy 4.

Beginning to read in verse 9 of 2 Timothy 4, Be diligent to come to me quickly, for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessaloniki. 3 Cressons for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia.

Only Luke is with me. So all these individuals had left him, according to verse 9. Paul was alone, and most likely very lonely. Where was he at this time? He was in a cold, dank dungeon. He was in prison and alone. Some sent away on the assignment. Some who had decided they didn't want to be there under those difficult circumstances. It's not pleasant to be in prison, especially not back then.

2 Ticacos, I have sent to Ephesus, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, when you come, and the books, especially the parchments. Verse 16, At my first defense no one stood with me, all forsook me.

May it not be charged against them. He was to be brought into court, and when he needed character witnesses, supporting witnesses, there weren't any, because everybody had gone.

May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and all the Gentiles might hear, and I would deliver it out of the mouth of a lion. So there are those instances where you are alone out of necessity, and God is with you. You sense that, and He strengthens you, and you sense that as well. So we can lose, as you put all this together, you can lose everything in this life. You can lose all of your possessions, everything you've worked for. You can lose your relationships. You can lose your health. You can lose your vitality. Life is a school of hard knocks to teach us that the only thing that will always be there for us is our relationship with our great Creator God. And even in relationships, which is the best this life has to offer, even in the best of marriages, there will always be hurts, and there will always be disappointments. Even our spouse, who loves us and we love them, inadvertently can hurt us and disappoint us. Sooner or later, that will happen, and only God can always be there for us because He is eternal, omnipresent, and omnipotent. Exodus 34, we'll be starting to head toward the conclusion. Not quite yet in conclusion, but getting close.

Exodus 34. Here's a little known, and we've had chapter 34 cited for us during the feast already, a little known title of the Creator God of the universe. Found in one short verse in Exodus 34, verse 14. For you shall worship no other God. Exodus 34, verse 14. You shall worship no other God. For the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. We don't ordinarily remember that this title actually belongs to our Creator God. It's one of His names that He is called Jealous. J-E-A-L-O-U-S, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. Why? Why would He use and choose such a title? Because the great God does not tolerate rivalry or unfaithfulness. The ruler of the universe demands exclusive devotion to Himself. We cannot worship God aright if we do not worship Him exclusively, if we do not worship Him alone. God is a jealous God. He doesn't want to share us with anybody. He must come first. Now, as you notice, marketing today, whoever you are, wherever you're from, a great deal of the odorant, mouthwash, cruises, cars are sold on the premise that if you're at the right place at the right time, have the right look and smell, a mysterious somebody will appear with whom you can be totally connected forever. But it's a myth. It's a falsehood. Nobody can always be there for us and accept us totally, love us eternally. Only God can, and He offers eternity to us in His kingdom. We are here to develop and increase our relationship with our wonderful, wonderful Creator God.

1 John 1. 1 John 1. Our second last Scripture for today's sermon, 1 John 1.

And we'll begin reading in verse 1.

I think we've touched on this passage already as well. 1 John 1. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled concerning the word of life.

1 John 1. 1 John 1. The life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness, and declared to you that eternal life which was from the Father and was manifested to us. That which we have seen and heard, we declared to you that you also may have fellowship with us. Fellowship in the Church is important. Relationships in the Church are important, especially relationships in our immediate family and in our marriages. However, we have to take responsibility for ourselves in relationship, in our connection, and in our bonding with God in heaven. I've heard about a marriage.

A husband and a wife had been together for many, many years, and somehow, some way, they got into a correlation where she required him, and it could be either way, but in this case, it was the way I'm describing it, she required him to make her happy. And if she wasn't happy, it meant that somehow, some way, he had failed his part as a husband, and he would have to find out what was wrong. And there are instances where you and I may have had experiences or conversations like this. This is a totally fictitious conversation. What's wrong, dear? Nothing. But it seems like something is wrong. Nothing's wrong. See, I didn't say who's talking to who, so you can figure out for yourself who's talking to who. Well, please tell me, how can I know what's wrong if you don't tell me?

Well, if you loved me, you would know. How'd he get out of that one? Uh-oh. So if I loved you sufficiently, then I'd know. Sorry, I'm not a mind reader, but in relationships, sometimes, if they go askew, you're expected to be a mind reader, then you're in a no-win situation. I'm responsible for keeping myself happy, and the other person is responsible for keeping themselves happy. Together, we can be happier or miserable. Preferably, we'll be happier. 1 John 1.3.

And truly, our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. A real connection, our strongest connection, has to be with God the Father and with Jesus Christ. It's important, as human relationships are, and fellowship in the church. Ecclesiastes 12, including Scripture.

Ecclesiastes 12. This is how the book of Ecclesiastes concludes, as you are aware.

And we'll start reading in verse 9.

Remember Gerald Waterhouse saying, years ago, as you get older, you lose that stick them in your fingers, and you can't turn those pages, as you're used to.

Chapter 12, verse 9. And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yes, he pottered and sought out, and said in order many proverbs, the preacher sought to find acceptable words, and what was written was upright. Words of truth, the words of the wise, verse 11, are like gold, and words of scholars, are well-driven nails given by one shepherd. And further, my son, be admonished by these, of making many books there is no end, and much study is weariness to the flesh. I marvel at the iPads people have. Now, you have a book on there, and you can flip the page by dragging your finger across it. How does that happen? It's amazing.

Further, my son, be admonished by these. Verse 13, let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep His commandments. Enter into a strong, viable relationship with Him.

Take Him seriously, for this is man's all. And for God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. We have a lady in our congregation, Mr. and Mrs. Antia know who this lady is, who has been a long, long time member of the church.

One time was married. Her husband was never in the church, but he was very supportive of her. He had been a policeman. And you know what that can be like. It could be a school of hard knocks. They had a good marriage. He encouraged her to go to church. He loved the church. Church brethren. Eventually, he died. She's been a widow now for many, many years. She used to attend the feast.

Faithfully, when he was alive, after. But for the last 10 years or so, she can't go to the feast anymore. She will occasionally show up for church for high holy days. Usually, can't go in between because her health is very fragile. She probably weighs 90 pounds. And when you shake hands with her, she's almost fragile. She keeps the feast at home. She used to come to church. She would love to be here with us if she could. But she cannot. So she keeps the feast at home and plans ahead.

She receives sermon tapes, CDs now, or DVDs. I think she still prefers CDs. She selects her hymns for every day in advance. She dresses up in the morning as if she's going to church. She'd be dressed up just like you and I are right now. She has her three hymns pre-selected. She does an opening prayer. She apologizes to God and says, I'm the only one here, so I have to do it.

She does her opening prayer. She listens to the sermonette, listens to the sermon. She apologizes again, does the closing prayer. And then she has a special meal like he and I would. And then later in the day, she'll change her clothes through ordinary civilian wear. And she keeps the feast day after day, all by herself. Although she'd love to be here and yet is growing spiritually and as energetic as you are, she is too, although she would prefer to be here. We're learning, among other things, at the Feast of Tabernacles to bond with God the Father and Jesus Christ. After the feast is over, and we're almost at the halfway mark, what will you go home with? What will you take home with you? Well, we'll take some souvenirs home with us, some trinkets we will have purchased, new experiences, new friends, a few extra pounds.

We'll take home with us. But hopefully, most importantly, sermon notes, sermonette notes, connections we've made with human beings. But most of all, we'll take home with us a stronger, more viable, growing relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ.