In the sermon 'When We Reach the End of Wisdom's Tether' by Mike Davenport, the speaker delves into Ecclesiastes 8 to explore the limitations and roles of human wisdom. He highlights how wisdom can illuminate a person's demeanor and guide their actions, particularly in the presence of authority, such as a king. However, human wisdom is ultimately tethered, with boundaries set by God, and it cannot fully comprehend the divine work or predict future events. The sermon emphasizes the necessity of godly wisdom, which begins with the fear of God, to navigate life's challenges, including the preparation for inevitable death. The speaker also addresses the paradox of justice and wickedness, where the righteous suffer while the wicked prosper, pointing to the ultimate justice of God. He draws a parallel between the biblical account of Barabbas and the gospel, illustrating how Jesus, though innocent, took the place of the guilty, offering freedom and redemption. The sermon concludes with a call to embrace our humanity, seek wisdom, rest in God's providence, and live life with an eternal perspective.

We're going to be reading from Ecclesiastes 8, and we're starting in verse 1. A man's wisdom makes his face shine, and the sternness of his face is changed. I say keep the king's commandment for the sake of your own, your oath to God. Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.

Where the word of a king is, there is power. And who may say to him, What are you doing? He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful. And a wise man's heart discerns both time and judgment, because for every matter there is a time and judgment, Though the misery of a man increases greatly, for he does not know what will happen. So who can tell him when it will occur?

No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, and no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, and the wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it. All this I have seen and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man rules over another in his own heart. Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had done so.

This also is vanity, because the 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. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, whom who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked, nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God. There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked. Again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous.

I say that this is also vanity. So I commanded enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry. For this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God has given him under the sun. Then I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep night or day. Then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun.

For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it. Moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it. Let's pray. Lord, you've given us this word, and Lord, I pray that we would listen, Lord, that we would have hearts open to receive the words that you have for us now. Lord, I pray that we would apply them, Lord, that we would not apply them to our neighbor, but that we would apply them to our own.

Amen. At the end of Ecclesiastes 6, Solomon asked us two questions, questions that he himself is seeking to answer throughout the rest of this book. The first question that he asked is, Who knows what is good for man in life all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? And what we have been studying the last couple of times together has actually been answering that very question. In chapter 7, we considered the following answers to the first question of what is good for man in life.

Honor is better than luxury. Seriousness is better than frivolity. Restraint is better than rashness. Wisdom is better than wealth. And submission is better than rebellion.

Then last week we saw what is good for man in this life. It's to learn to accept what God has made crooked, those things that aren't straight, that we don't consider straight in our life, the things that are crooked, to learn to accept those things, and then to learn to fear God above all things and to learn to lean not on our own understanding. These are all answers to that first question that was asked at the end of chapter 6, but the second question that Solomon asked at the end of chapter 6. But the second question that Solomon asked at the end of chapter 6 is a question for which he himself seems to find no answer. The question is, who can tell what will happen after him under the sun?

What's going to happen the next day? What's going to happen down here once that man is gone from this earth? And in chapter 7 verse 14, Solomon answered that question as well. In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider. Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

Well, our text today here in chapter 8 has with it two bookends, two bookends that really define the contents of this entire chapter. But these bookends also answer these two questions. The question, who knows what is good for man in life is answered for us in the opening verse. It says, who is like a wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing?

A man's wisdom makes his face shine and the sternness of his face is changed. The answer is wisdom is good for a man. Not just any wisdom, but wisdom that we just learned about in chapter 7. That brand of wisdom, godly wisdom, Solomon says makes a man able to interpret correctly the right path before him. He can interpret the thing.

Godly wisdom makes the wise man's face shine and the stern look vanish. Should we not expect such a calm, a peaceful, and a hopeful expression upon his face? As we saw last week, the wise man has learned to accept what God has made crooked. He has learned to fear God and not his circumstances, and he has learned to not lean on his own understanding. And these realities, they show on his face.

They show. Solomon tells us that this is good for man in this life. Then if you look at the end of this chapter, you will find the other book end, and you will find the answer to Solomon's second question, Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun? And the answer Solomon provides is no different than the answer he provided back in 714. Nothing's changed.

At Verses 16 and 17 of chapter 8 say, When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night, then I saw all the work of God that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the Son. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it. Though a wise man, the very wise man he talked about at the beginning of the chapter, a wise man attempts to know it. He will not be able to find it. And so these bookends of this chapter act as answers to the questions that Solomon has asked and what we have as well that fits in between these two bookends, the very text we have before us today.

The title of my sermon this morning is, When We Reach the End of Wisdom's Tether. When we reach the end of wisdom's tether. This is something that Solomon is seeking to fasten in our hearts and our minds. It is something that he has learned the hard way. Wisdom is good.

It is profitable. It is necessary. But at the end of the day, wisdom is on a tether. That is to say it's on a leash. God has appointed its boundary, its limitations, and it can go no further.

And may we have grace this morning to embrace our humanity. There is no tether on the wisdom of God, But may we embrace our humanity where our wisdom is on a tether, and may we have grace to be content within the boundaries that God has established. And so this morning I hope to show from this passage first wisdom in the presence of a mighty king, wisdom in the presence of a mighty king, and then wisdom in the preparation for certain death, Wisdom in the preparation for certain death. Then thirdly, wisdom in the perception of the work of God. And then fourthly, wisdom and the providential blessings from God.

Wisdom and the providential blessings from God. So first, wisdom in the presence of a mighty king. Verse 2 says, I say keep the King's commandment for the sake of your oath to God. Now it's not clear if this oath here is referring to an oath that the king has made before God, or an oath that the people have made to the king before God, or even as it is rendered in some translations an oath that God has made to the king. Some have actually considered this text as referring to God as the king, that God is the king here that Solomon has in mind.

Although it certainly applies to our obedience to God, our heavenly king, I actually see God as the third party in this obedience because it's obeying the king for the sake of the oath to God. He's as it were a third party. Thus it differentiates the king from God. And I think this is the heart of what Solomon is saying. Wisdom instructs us how to conduct ourselves in the presence of the King.

It teaches us to consider the King's power and the King's authority and to therefore keep His command. But this is not a blind obedience that we are to have. It's an obedience that considers allegiance to God, the King of all kings, as not only the basis of keeping the king's command, but it's also being the greater allegiance. You see, we are to obey the king for the sake of something greater, and that's our obedience to God. So wisdom in the presence of such a mighty king not only requires obedience to his command, but we read on in the next verses, do not be hasty to go from his presence.

Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him. Where the word of the king is, there is power. And who may say to him, What are you doing?" Now this going out from the presence of the king indicates a sharp disagreement with the stance of the king. The king has made a decision, and I don't like that decision. Matthew Henry comments that we must not be forward to find fault with the public administration when the king is displeased with thee or when thou art displeased with him.

Fly not off in a passion, nor forsake the kingdom. Be content to dwell in his presence, even if you're in disagreement." Now, this taking your stand for an evil thing indicates an unwillingness to back down from an offense. You've offended the king, But you're going to take your stand. This is a hill you're going to die on. And so you stand in an evil thing.

That offense is still there. It's not removed. And he's saying, don't do that. Humble yourselves. Humble yourselves before this mighty man who does whatever he pleases rather than digging your heels in and standing your ground.

Wisdom realizes that power and authority rest in the hand of the king. That same wisdom also recognizes, Richard Belcher says in his commentary, that the king's word is both powerful and arbitrary, which nullifies, it nullifies the effectiveness of wisdom. Wisdom has little chance to change the king who will do all that he desires. He's the king. He doesn't have to listen to wisdom.

But Solomon goes on to say, verse 5, he who keeps the king's command will experience nothing harmful. And a wise man's heart discerns both time and judgment, because for every matter there is a time and judgment, though the misery of man increases greatly, for he does not know what will happen. So who can tell him when it will occur? Well, obviously, if one keeps all the commands of the king, All will be well with him. He will experience nothing harmful.

It sounds good Until reality hits until reality hits It is the same reality that hit Nehemiah as he contemplated the plight of his people back in Jerusalem. And then he considered his own plight, how his heart was just wrenched. And he stood before the king struggling with his own thoughts and his burdens. Reality. Kings can act out of passion and not wisdom.

Reality. Kings can demand sinful things. Reality. Life is full of tragedy and trouble. The truth is every matter comes to us in a specific time and in relation to a specific judgment.

Did we not learn this back in chapter 3? For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven and these realities of these circumstances they come and they go apart from the King's command these these circumstances, they come and they go. Apart from the King's command, these circumstances, they come and they go. And in and of themselves, they will tend to increase our own misery. They'll just increase our misery, especially if we try to navigate through them without God.

If we try to navigate through them with a stoic determination, we'll get through this. It's going to cause misery. And so we here begin to experience the end of wisdom's tether. Though wisdom might be able to determine correctly the proper time and judgment of a particular matter, yet we are told that we don't know what will happen and we aren't told when it will happen. We just don't know.

Wisdom says this is the best course of action, but when do we implement it? And how do we navigate through these changing scenes around us? It is the exercise of wisdom to actually acknowledge. It's the wisdom that allows us to acknowledge that we are at the end of wisdom's tether and we need to rest in God. Just rest in God.

True wisdom acknowledges its limitations. This is precisely what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did. They understood the time and the judgment. They understood that it would be well with them if they obeyed the king, but the circumstances were upon them this particular time, this particular judgment, and they disobeyed the king. Realizing their own limitations and not knowing what would happen or what the outcome would be, but they feared God and they rested in Him when they got to the end of wisdom's tether.

Now, we don't live in time or place where we find ourselves under a sovereign monarch. We don't have a king. So how does this apply to us? How does it apply to us today, where we sit? Well, first of all, I think this points out that there are circumstances in this life that call for true wisdom.

Being in front of a king required wisdom. You better know what you need to do. Well, the circumstances that we face in our life, they call for true wisdom. Just as wisdom can help you navigate under the arbitrary demands of a king, so wisdom can help you navigate through the demanding and seemingly arbitrary circumstances of your life. And you need to discern proper times, proper judgments.

You need wisdom, but not just any wisdom. And so secondly, we learned that only godly wisdom is sufficient for the most difficult circumstances. Only godly wisdom is sufficient for the most difficult of circumstances. As we saw from the earlier chapters of Ecclesiastes, The wisdom that Solomon obtained was unable to deal with the difficult circumstances that troubled his heart and his mind. Godly wisdom recognizes its tether, it recognizes its boundary, and only the fear of God can bring such a full recognition and embracing of that reality.

How different Would the account appear in Daniel 3 of those three Hebrew children if they had not feared God? How different the account would have been had they not feared God. Only the godly wisdom that they had was sufficient for them in that circumstance. And that's why Solomon, at the very beginning of his book of wisdom, Proverbs, at the very outset he makes it clear that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. It's the fear of God.

Maybe you haven't personally experienced such difficult circumstances in your life. Maybe the circumstances of your life have been such that you have been able to navigate through with a wisdom that does not begin and end with God. Well then, the second point of the sermon will hit closer to home. Consider secondly from this passage wisdom in the preparation for certain death. Wisdom in the preparation for certain death.

Verse 8, no one, No one has power over the Spirit to retain the Spirit, and no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, and wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it. Who are given to it. No better place is the shortness of wisdom's tether felt than in the certainty of death that comes upon us all. When death comes, no amount of power, no amount of wisdom, and no amount of wickedness that can manage to escape the sentence of the king, nothing can stop the sentence that is in death's hand.

We cannot retain the Spirit in the day of death. Many an unbeliever has mocked God on his deathbed and dared death to draw near. But alas, their mocking voice grows silent and their spirit is snatched from their motionless body. Soldiers may receive a discharge from a particular battle, whether honorable or dishonorable, But in this war with death, there is no discharge. There is no release.

We must face death, And we must do it face to face when that hour comes. That is why we have stated over and over and over again here throughout this series, We must live life backward. We must live life backward with the reality that we are all destined to die and none will escape. Wisdom dictates that we consider our end in order to know how to live today. Solomon says, all of this I have seen and applied to my heart every work that is done under the Sun.

There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt. Then I saw the wicked buried who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity. Solomon has seen with his own eyes, and he wants us to consider the reality as well, that there are times when a man rules over others who through that rule profits himself in the here and now, but in the end it proves to be to his own hurt. True wisdom is absent.

He rules as if there is no tomorrow, as if there is no reckoning that has to be given at the end of his days. He perseveres in the accumulation of his own goods at the expense of others and prepares not himself for the certainty of his own end. We see such folly in the life of the rich man in Christ's account given in Luke 16. Here this rich man lived out his days in luxury and in such a way that his own selfishness produced a lack of love and a care for Lazarus who sat at his gate. And this, in the end, proved to be to his own hurt.

But there were others in Solomon's day who lacked wisdom in preparing for the inevitable. Men who lived out their days in wickedness, and at the same time, they made sure that they maintained their Sabbath-keeping each weekend. They came and they went. They came and they went. They came and they went from the place of holiness.

Wicked men, but they maintained their Sabbath keeping. By so doing, they were not eternally prepared when the day of death came. They were without power and without true wisdom, And such unreadiness leaves them lying there forgotten in their tombs, forgotten by those who remain in the land of the living. And such a life is a vain life. It's devoid of wisdom.

Perhaps we have here in verse 10 the very folks that Solomon was referring to back in chapter 5, that he addressed in chapter 5. You see, this was a people constantly coming and going from the place of holiness, maybe they approached the house of God without any prudence whatsoever. Perhaps they came offering the sacrifice of fools. Perhaps they were rash with their words and they made many oaths, possibly oaths concerning how they would leave the house of God and go about changed and go about this week in a different way. They were wicked, but maybe they made oaths that they would stop this wickedness each time they came out of this place of holiness.

Perhaps they put great stock in dreams and in visions they had, enjoying the religious experiences that were theirs in these moments of worship in the place of holiness. But in the end, in the end, they did not fear God. They didn't fear him. And they are declared wicked and they are forgotten even by those who witnessed their seemingly Seemingly religious zeal. Vanity.

Vanity. Such a life is chasing the wind. Dear ones, Are you playing religious games? Are you playing religious games? Wisdom makes preparations for the death that is certain.

Wisdom just doesn't go about trying to maintain a level of Understanding amongst the people you go in and out of each week and oh I was there at church like I always am I'm coming And I'm going from the place of holiness Wisdom goes beyond that Do you come here each Sunday and take up your usual place and participate in the worship service and maybe even lead in prayer for the congregation and have a few discussions about spiritual things as we fellowship in the afternoon and then leave this place as if you had never been here. Returning to your wickedness like a dog returns to its vomit. Wisdom would have you consider these patterns of your life and conclude that this is vanity, it's vanity, that you are not prepared for the coming death, death that is certain and that often comes unexpectedly. Well, just as we need wisdom in our everyday circumstances, such as those who found themselves in the presence of a king, and just as we need wisdom in our preparation for the most difficult and certain of all circumstances, death, even so we are thirdly admonished for our need of wisdom in the perception of the work of God.

Wisdom in the perception of the work of God. Verse 11. Because the 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 as we consider this perception of the work of God, we need to remember Deuteronomy 29, 29. The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." It's part of understanding where wisdom's tether ends.

The secret things belong to God. We are unable to judge God rightly by looking solely at his providence. Okay? We are unable to judge God rightly by solely looking at his providence. We are to judge the character, the being, and the attributes of our great God by his law which he has given to us.

To us and to our children forever are these things that are revealed that we may do all the words of the law. The Word reveals to us this is what belongs to us And true wisdom sees the work of God in light of what his Word declares. What his word declares. Seeking the Word of God is the farthest thing from the mind of natural man. Seek the Word of God?

I can see what God's doing with my eyes. I can just see it. He judges God by his own experience and man looks around and he sees that wicked men around him are not receiving the justice their deeds deserve, certainly not in a timely manner, and he comes to the conclusion in his own mind that such justice will not be executed at all. And because men seem to be getting away with wickedness, the wickedness in man's heart plunges headlong into that same wickedness. This is the reaction we saw back in chapter 7 last week when faced with the fact that a wicked man may very well prolong his days, the reaction of some was to what?

Be overly wicked and foolish. They didn't take the path of being overly wise or overly righteous. They, just like these here, the heart of the sons of man is fully setting them to do evil. They went overly wicked and foolish. Dear ones, God has revealed to us what will happen to the wicked.

He's told us we don't need to look and see, well, they're getting by with, they're getting by with. We'll wind up like Asaph. But Asaph did what? He went to the house of God and he heard about their end and then everything was straight. Everything was straight.

He got to the end of wisdom's tether and he couldn't deal with these wicked people prolonging their days until he went to the house of God. Then he was able to perceive rightly the work of God. Dear ones, God has revealed what will happen to the wicked, and we do not need to, like them, judge God's disposition by his delay or seeming disinterest. Solomon actually, in the very next verses, points us to the conclusion that a truly godly wisdom comes to. He says in verses 12 and 13, though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before him.

But it will not be well with the wicked, nor will he prolong his days which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God." So we see here that wisdom, first of all, does not judge the disposition of Almighty God by what God allows the sinner to get away with. He doesn't judge the Disposition of God by what the sinner is allowed to get away with he may indeed Do that same evil deed a hundred times And there's no stopping of the beating of the heart There's There's no bolt of lightning that comes down from the heavens, but rather seeming silence from heaven, and yet here on earth, persistence in the same evil activity in what feels like a hundred times. Wisdom, secondly, does not judge the disposition of God by the longevity of the life granted to the wicked man. It doesn't judge God's disposition towards that wickedness by the longevity that is given and granted to this wicked man. His days may indeed be prolonged here on this earth, here on this earth.

But in the midst of it all wisdom will cause our faces to shine. It will remove the sternness from our faces. How are they getting by with that? That sternness is removed. Our faces shine because contrary to what Providence seems to be saying, we like Solomon can surely know, we can be utterly certain that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before him.

This same assurance, the same certainty is applied to the reality that it will not be well with the wicked. My friends, this is not something that we gather from studying God's dealings with individuals in this world. It is something that we see over And over and over again in the pages of Scripture, that judgment day is coming. And the judge of the earth will act righteously and justly. Though it may not be executed speedily, there is a final sentence that will fall upon all who do wickedly.

Their sin will not go unpunished. Now note the distinction between the two groups, the one who fears before God and are one who does not fear God. There's no middle ground. There's no middle ground. And your eternal well-being hinges upon this distinction.

Listen to the wisdom of Charles Bridges Take then the sum and substance of the matter the child of God at his worst It shall be well with him The servant of sin at his best. It shall not be well with him. Each lives for the present life under the blessing or curse of God. Each will reap the full harvest of their principles throughout eternity. Balance the whole.

And who can for a moment doubt on which side lies the well and on which side the ill, the ill of the godly, the ill of the godly, whatever that may be, it's but for a moment and his well is for eternity. The contrast is dark beyond expression. The ungodly grasps at happiness and embraces vanity. He cannot prolong his days at his will. Their shadow, in contrast with true substance, without good, passes away and all his portion is dark despair, the cutting rebuke ringing in his ears, son remember that in your lifetime you received your good things.

Verse 14, there is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the works of the wicked. Again, as if that wasn't bad enough, again there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous." I said that this also is vanity. You see, without the wisdom necessary to understand that God will not be mocked, That whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. Without that wisdom, we are left to our own senses, and we are left to sort things out in this world apart from an understanding of what's to come. And Solomon expressed the reality of what is to come in chapter 3, verse 17.

God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. So the time's coming. But what may we find here below, before the time? We may find that what Solomon found is what we find. Righteous men getting what the wicked deserve and wicked men getting what the righteous deserve.

And we must find contentment in the fact that God does not always distinguish between the righteous and the wicked in regard to his providential dispensation. In the here and now, God's providence doesn't always draw distinctions, But my friend, there is a distinction. God's not mocked. Whatever you sow, you will reap. You will reap.

Richard Belcher interjects some wise words. He says, sometimes life in this world looks like the back of a knitted rug. Any of you kids ever looked at the back of a knitted rug before? If you have one at home, go home this afternoon, turn it over and look at the back. You'll understand why it's on the back side and not face up.

He says sometimes life in this world looks like the back of a knitted rug. It's messy and there's no clear picture. Everything seems confused, but if you turn the rug over, everything becomes clear. The picture can be seen and it's understood. That is the broader perspective given by God.

By faith, we believe that life is in his hands and that the trials of life do have a purpose. We may not be able to explain everything in life, but we trust in the revelation of God, which affirms what is good for us in this life in this world Wisdom in the presence of a mighty king wisdom in the preparation for certain death wisdom in the perception of the work of God. And now, fourthly and finally, wisdom and the providential blessings from God, wisdom and the providential blessings from God. Verse 15, so I commended enjoyment because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun. Commentator Matthew Henry says, God would have us not to fret ourselves about these things that we witness in this world, but cheerfully to enjoy what he has given us in the world and to make the best of it, though it be much better with others and such as we think unworthy.

Enjoyment here is commended. A holy, a holy security and serenity, a peace of mind arising from confidence in God and his power and promise, soberly and thankfully, to make use of the things of this life and to be cheerful whatever happens. Our present life is a life under the Sun. That's where we find ourselves. It is a life under the Sun, but we look for the life of the world to come, which will commence and continue when the sun that we live under shall be turned into darkness and shine no more." My friend, God gave us richly all things to enjoy and too often we are like small children not able to enjoy the very thing that God's placed in our hands because that one over there has been given something different, something better, something greater.

And I want that. And it's not fair. I deserve better than that. I want that. And we don't enjoy what he says.

He is placed in our hands. These are the works, the things God gives us from the work that he gives us. It's from his hand. We are to enjoy. Wisdom teaches us to rest in the providential blessings of our God and simply enjoy them.

And we'll see more of that in the next chapter. And this brings us to the other bookend of this chapter, the last two verses. When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night then I saw all the work of God that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun for though a man labors to discover it though he tries to go beyond the end of the tether of wisdom. For though a man labors to discover, he strains at the leash, yet he will not find it. Moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, He will not be able to find it.

And so we see both the need for wisdom throughout this chapter as well as what we must do when we reach the end of wisdom's tether. Now as we close, I just want to go back for a moment to verse 14. Verse 14. There's something important here that I don't want us to miss this morning. Verse 14.

There is a vanity which occurs on earth. That there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked. Again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. Now certainly this is chock-full of vanity if we don't have wisdom to see beyond it.

The thought of this occurring makes us cringe. But my friend, stop to consider this for a moment. This very vanity, which occurs on earth, This vanity became the greatest blessing ever under the sovereign hand of our God. You see, we have in these verses the seed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because God did not cut us off in a speedily way in our first moments of our own display of wickedness, because his just sentence upon us was held back.

We became bold in our sins, hardened in our hearts, and furthered ourselves along in the path of sin. And God's patience, God's patience actually gave us more opportunities to sin against him more than a hundred times. And he allowed our days to be prolonged way past what he should have. He should have cut us off. And then mystery of all mysteries, Christ who knew no sin Christ, who knew no sin, condescended and entered into this world of wickedness as a man, a perfect man, born of a virgin without the sin nature of your father Adam and my father Adam.

We saw last week that there's not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin. My friend, this one was one who did good and did not sin. This was a truly just man, not just before men, but before his Holy Father. Pilate himself, being a judge, could find absolutely no fault in this man. Pilate's wife wrote to him, warning him to be careful with this just man.

And what happened? What happened? This just man received from God the sentence, do a wicked man. It happened unto Christ according to the work of the wicked. But there's another character on the scene, a man called Barabbas.

Unlike this just man before Pilate, Barabbas was a notorious prisoner, a rebel, and a murderer. And what was the experience of this man? It happened to wicked Barabbas according to the work of the righteous. And what do we read in Luke 23, 25? And Pilate released to the Jews the one they requested who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison but he delivered Jesus to their will to be their will to be crucified.

My friend Barabbas is a picture of all of us. Of all of us. We are notorious sinners. We are wicked. We deserve to die.

We deserve to be executed. As a picture of you, I would like for you to imagine with me what it would have been like to have been standing in the shoes of Barabbas. Put yourself in his place. You're there in a cold, dark, damp prison cell, locked away, justly tried, and sentenced to death, awaiting the moment that you are to be escorted out of that prison and make the long walk up the hill to Golgotha. Yes, you're guilty.

You're guilty. You are to die. You are to be executed. You are to hang there on that cross. It should happen to you according to the work of the wicked because you are wicked.

But as you sit But as you sit there in that cell, awaiting your execution, you hear footsteps, and they are drawing nearer. And those footsteps pass by the cells of all the other prisoners as they make their way down that long corridor and they stop at your door and you hear the sound of keys rattling as the keys come out and you hear the working of those keys into the door and you hear the bolt freed And there you stand. The room is suddenly filled with light as the torches enter into the room, bringing light to that dark, dark place. You're momentarily blinded by that light. The keys are once again used to loose the fetters that hold you to those prison walls.

And you begin to think that now the fetters that will bind you are the cold hands of death that will grasp you in its clutches and never let go. You are escorted back down the long corridor to the entrance door of the prison itself. But rather than being from there escorted down the street and then up the hill to Golgotha, there your chains are removed and you're proclaimed a free man. You can go. You stand there in amazement as if some cruel game is being played with your emotions.

Me? The Habes? A freeman? The rebel? The insurrectionist?

The murderer? Certainly, This is some cruel joke. So you ask, I don't understand. How can this be? How can I, as a wicked man, receive the sentence, do a righteous man." The answer then comes back, because in your place A just man received the sentence, due to you the wicked man?

Jesus is your substitute because your sentence fell on him. You are a free man. You're a free man. Vanity of all vanities. That's the just man.

And he received the sentence of the wicked. And you, my friend, with wickedness dripping from your hands. You can receive the sentence that only that just man could be given. You're free. Right with God.

You're free. Write with God. As Peter declared in Acts 2-23, this earthly occurrence of the greatest tragedy to ever occur must not be viewed from our own inadequate perception. This tragedy was the very masterpiece of a holy and righteous God whereby he could reconcile the wicked to himself without doing violence to that very holiness, righteousness, and justice. Peter says, Jesus Christ being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, You have taken by lawless hands and have crucified and put to death.

Yes, you. You brought the sentence of the wicked upon the God of glory. But look what happened. Look what happened. And when we come to the end of wisdom's tether, may we have grace to burst out in doxology like Paul at the end of Romans 11.

Oh, the depth, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, which know and have no tether. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out for who has known the mind of the Lord or who has become his counselor who was first given to him and it shall be repaid to him for of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever amen. Oh father we we praise you for your goodness Lord help us to embrace our humanity yes to act with wisdom as we navigate through the changing scenes of this world. But oh, where that wisdom reaches the end of its tether, may we find Christ, may we rest in his wisdom, his glory, and may we rest there and enjoy all the good things from your hand. We pray in Christ's name, amen.