In the sermon 'Living in Light of the End' by Mike Davenport, the speaker expounds on Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, emphasizing the importance of living with the end in mind. The sermon outlines five contrasts using the word 'better': honor over luxury, seriousness over frivolity, restraint over rashness, wisdom over wealth, and submission over rebellion. Each contrast highlights the value of living wisely in the face of life's vanities and uncertainties. Davenport suggests that life should be lived with a recognition of mortality and God's ultimate control over prosperity and adversity. Wisdom is presented as a superior asset to wealth, as it not only benefits life on earth but also impacts eternal life. The sermon concludes with a call to embrace a relationship with God, live with a good name, and prepare for the end by repenting and believing in Jesus Christ.

Praise God we can come and worship or or a rock or redeemer a faithful God. The son says that true delight is found in him alone. May the Lord give us That delight in hearing the word of God today. And the sermon text today is in Ecclesiastes 7 from 1 to 14. A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one's birth.

Better go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting. For that is the end of all men, and the living will take it too hard. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the revue of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.

For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity. Surely oppression destroys a wise man's reason. And a bribe debases the heart. The end of a thing is better than its beginning.

The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools. Do not say, why were the foreman days better than this? For you do not inquire wisely concerning this. Wisdom is good with an inheritance and profitable to those who see the sun.

For wisdom is a defense as money is defense, defense. But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it. Consider the work of God, for who can make straight what he has made crooked. 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. Let's pray.

Oh, Father, come to hear your word, Lord. And as your children, we need wisdom. And Father, may you please have mercy and give us that wisdom to your word. As your word says, that wisdom that gives life, we need that wisdom, Lord. May you please feed our hearts with that wisdom.

In Jesus' name, amen. Well, today we continue our study of Ecclesiastes. And in doing so, we embark upon the last half of this book. It's hard to believe we're halfway done with it. In the first six chapters of this book, we have seen the following things.

First, we were created for something greater than simply being a part of a fallen world that is given over to constant change and cycles. God made us for something more than our senses can give witness to. Second, We saw that life is about more than a pursuit of knowledge, attainment, and possessions. A life given over to a pursuit of these things is a life that is wasted. For the pursuit of these things leaves us at the end of the day with simply two fistfuls of wind.

Third, we saw that we must face the reality of our mortality, that no matter what we have gained or achieved in this world, that this one thing, every one of us have in common, and that it is appointed unto men once to die. Then fourthly, we were made aware that there are multiple seasons throughout the years of our life, but they are all according to divine purpose and plan. And these seasons and the purpose for them is not revealed to us, and we should therefore humble ourselves, accept it, and wait upon our God in an atmosphere of fear as we wait upon him. Fifthly, we were reminded that this world is a world full of injustice, but that this injustice, though allowed by God here and now, will be dealt with by the Judge of all the earth who will do right. We can therefore rest in God's providence and His timing and patiently wait and eagerly look for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sixth, we then considered how we could navigate our way through such a fallen world, a world of difficult and uncomfortable seasons within and injustice without. And we came face to face with the vanity of rivalry, of laziness, and of restless pursuit. We saw the vanity of solitude, of being alone, and the vanity as well of honor and popularity in a fickle world like ours. Seventh, Solomon then dealt with the real possibility and probability of our coming into the house of God and worshiping in vain. That vanity is not something that just comes to us from without, but can also arise from within us when we come to worship our God without a sense of Holy fear.

Eighth, we saw then that we considered earthly mindedness, earthly mindedness. Earthly mindedness that can be found not only in the world but also in our own flesh. We considered how we can mortify this sin of earthly mindedness. And then ninth in our last study, we considered together that the things of this life will not bring satisfaction. That satisfaction is sold separately.

Satisfaction is not found in the gifts of God, but in the relationship with the giver of those very gifts. And when we truly enjoy fellowship with the giver, then and only then will we experience true satisfaction with his gifts. Well, the last two verses of chapter 6 introduce questions that we must give answer to. They are questions that are made necessary by the things considered in the first half of this book. And here are those questions.

Since there are many things that increase vanity, How is man the better? And then also, for who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? And I believe our text today and even the rest of the book of Ecclesiastes is Solomon's answer to these two questions. In light of the vanity that abounds in this life and in this world, what is good for man in this life? What is the best course of action?

Well, the first answer is here in our text and stands as the title of today's message, Living in Light of the End. Living in Light of the End. I'm indebted to Stuart Olliot and his well-won commentary on Ecclesiastes for the outline that we will be using today. The outline he created reflects the contrast set before us throughout this passage, contrasts that jump off the page many times through Solomon's use of the word better. Better.

In fact, Richard Belcher points out that these proverbs, as he calls them, that's what they are, these proverbs in the first 12 verses of this chapter take up the concept of good, which occurs 11 times in these 12 verses, many times in the comparative sense of better. So having asked, what is good for man, it should not surprise us to find Solomon used this Hebrew word for good 11 times in our passage. So here's the outline. Number one, honor is better than luxury. Honor is better than luxury.

Number two, seriousness is better than frivolity. Seriousness is better than frivolity. Third, restraint is better than rashness. Restraint is better than rashness. Fourth, wisdom is better than wealth.

Wisdom is better than wealth. And fifth, submission is better than rebellion. So number one, honor is better than luxury. Verse 1, a good name is better than precious ointment and the day of death than the day of one's birth. Ointment was a valuable commodity of the ancient world.

Its value signified right here in the text before us by the accompanying word, precious, precious ointment. Do you remember the time when Hezekiah had the envoy from Babylon come. This was before the Babylonian captivity and Hezekiah invited the Babylonian envoy and he took them all around Judah and showed him all the riches that God had given him. He showed them the silver. He showed them the gold.

We would expect that, but that's not all he showed them. He showed them as well the spices and the precious ointment. He showed that to them, the spices and the precious ointment. The Shulamites said this of Solomon in the opening verses of the Song of Solomon, because of the fragrance of your good ointments, your name is ointment poured forth. The fragrance of the spices and the ointments were of such an arresting nature of the senses of the nose that the Shulamite woman said the mere mention, the mere mention of Solomon's name re-engaged the senses to almost smell afresh the wonderful scents just at the mention of the name.

The scent of a perfume or cologne remains in the air as one passes by, but it is soon dissipated or overtaken by other scents that may be present. But by contrast, one's name, one's reputation does not pass by so quickly. Note that Solomon does not refer to this name as a great name. It's a good name, a good name. Strive not to be great, strive to be honorable.

Strive for a good name before God and before men. A good name lingers here upon earth after one is gone and also precedes the saint who is taken up into heaven. A name. Jesus said, I know my sheep. The good names of his people are written down in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Yes, there will be some to whom Christ will say, depart from me. I never knew you. But to his dear children, he will say, You, my child, I know. Well done, good and faithful servant." Christ has a book of remembrance, And in that book are the names of all those who fear him. How are you known, my friend?

How are you known? How are you known in your family? How are you known among your workmates? How are you known among your closest friends? And how are you known to the ever-present and all- knowing God of the earth in whose presence our very secret sins are made manifest by His light.

How are you known?" The idea of this good name carries over into the second part of this opening verse. When one is born into this world, the life before him or her is a life of potential. The name of that person will be measured by the courses taken and the conduct manifested from that day forward. But when one comes to the end of life, it is no longer about potential. It is about what has or has not been accomplished.

Thus, the day of one's death is far more important than the day of one's birth. But what does it mean to have a good name and to have it in light of that day of death? The great Puritan, William Perkins, wrote this, first we must labor to be approved of God. And then after the good name with God follows the good name in the world. He therefore that labors for favor with men and neglects the favor of God, he may get a good name, but it shall prove a rotten name in the end.

Proverbs 10-7, the memorial of the just shall be blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot. The good name of the wicked is rotten, first because it is loathsome and stinking in the face of God, though it be never so glorious in the world. Secondly, because it will not last the wearing out, but in the end vanishes and comes to nothing." Perkins goes on to say, and this is the name which commonly is gotten in the world because men first seek not a good name with God. But that good name which is obtained by faith will stand and continue all a man's life and at his death leave behind it a sweet perfume and abide forever in the world to come." Honor, a good name, first before God, then before men, is better than any luxury the world can provide. But what else is good for man in this life?

Well, Solomon tells us secondly that seriousness is better than frivolity. Seriousness is better than frivolity. Verses 2 through 6. Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men, and the living will take it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools. For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity." The consistent and prevalent theme that runs through these proverbs in our text is the worthwhile nature of living life in light of the end, of the inescapability of the reality of death. It is better to go to a funeral than to go to a party.

Now that doesn't mean, hear me now, that doesn't mean that we should never have times of feasting and times of joy and mirth, okay? Our perfect Lord and Savior attended both the house of mourning and the house of feasting. What Solomon is saying here is that a funeral is a better teacher of reality than a party. It sets reality before our eyes. Death is the inescapable end of all men, of all women, and of all children.

And we ever stand in need of being reminded of that. When death comes, It's too late to think about life seriously. The time has passed, but the living, while they still have breath in their nostrils, have the necessity of taking these things to heart. David Gibson in his book, Living Life Backwards, which we've heard from many times in this series, writes the following, Death is an evangelist. He looks us in the eye and asks us to look him right back with a steady gaze and allow him to do his work in us.

Death is a preacher with a very simple message. Death has an invitation for us. He wants to teach us that the day of our coming death can be a friend to us in advance, in advance. The very limitation that death introduces into our life can instruct us about life. Think of it as death's helping hand.

Instead of being superficial, death invites you to be a person of depth. Only someone who knows how to weep will really know what it means to laugh. That's the message of Ecclesiastes. It's an invitation to be a person who realizes that living a good life means preparing to die a good death. Will you let death teach you the limitations of your life?

Will you let it reshape your goals, reshape your attitudes, reshape the reshape your attitudes, reshape the things you long for and work for and pray for and hope for the most." End quote. Not only is death an evangelist and teacher, sorrow is as well. Even as a funeral is better than a party, so sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. It is out of a state of sorrow that God is ready to turn our mourning into dancing. It is God that removes our sackcloth and then clothes us in His gladness.

Brothers and sisters, when we are weaned from the malnourishing milk of this world, we will be enabled then and only then to delight ourselves with God's abundant supply a feast of choice pieces a feast of wines on the leaves of fat things full of marrow of well-refined wines on the leaves." Isaiah 25-6. Note that Solomon draws our attention to the need of the heart. To the need of the heart. We too often pamper the desires of our flesh and fail to take due consideration of the need of our heart. If our hearts are to be made better, providence must often take us through the valley of tears." The preciousness of God storing up our tears in his bottle and of wiping every tear from our eye is only known and experienced by those whose circumstances give rise to a sad countenance.

But often our hearts are not made better, for even when our bodies may be in attendance at a funeral or may be going through some trying circumstance, our hearts are not there. But oftentimes we send our heart on ahead to seek a place at the house of feasting. Oh my heart save me a seat at the house of feasting. I have to go through this funeral, through these trying circumstances, press on my heart. We rob ourselves of the blessing to be had in the very circumstance God has designed for us.

But not only are we to be shaped by death and by sorrow, we are also to be shaped by the rebuke of the wise, The rebuke of the wise. The generation of today, the millennials, are preoccupied with the songs of fools. The rebuke of the wise is a foreign thing to young people, not to be found among the sound waves that tickle their ears through the ever noise-supplying earbuds and Dr. Dre beats. There is no place, there is no appetite, there is no tolerance for the rebuke of the wise, just the constant song of fools drowning out any profitable word of exhortation.

And all the while, we go on amusing ourselves to death. Well, the rebuke of this world's wisest of men is coming to you this morning, the rebuke of Christ through the words of Solomon, a double dose of wisdom. I submit to you that if the rebuke is having no impact upon you as you sit there now this morning, then the song of fools still ringing in your ears is drowning out the message. The continuous noise of these songs are as the crackling of thorns in the midst of the fire that makes for a mighty impressive sound but fails to move the water to a meaningful boil. The rebuke of the wise will bring change to the heart only after the song of fools forsaken for the vanity that it is.

Seriousness is better than frivolity. Young people, Are you living in light of the end? You're still young. You seemingly have many years ahead of you, seemingly. Are you living in light of the end?

Does the reality of what awaits shape your thoughts, your passions, your desires, and your choices? Are you listening to the voices of death, of sorrow, and of the wise in your life? The great need of young people is sober-mindedness. Titus 2 makes that abundantly clear. Young people, become serious-minded about the things that matter, the things that are eternal.

The eternal state of your heart and your very name before God rests upon that. Indeed, we all need to understand the need for greater seriousness in light of the end. Not only do we see that honor is better than luxury and that seriousness is better than frivolity. But thirdly, from this passage we see that restraint is better than rashness. Restraint is better than rashness, verses 7 through 10.

Surely oppression destroys a wise man's reason and a bribe debases the heart. The end of a thing is better than its beginning. The patient in Spirit is better than the proud and spirit. Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools. Do not say, Why were the former days better than these?

For you do not inquire wisely concerning this." Solomon sets before us here an unnamed dilemma, an unidentified problem. The dilemma or this problem is identified by such words as oppression, bribe, a thing, and such a thing that is likely to breed a spirit of anger. And there are only two possible responses to such a problem, to such a difficulty. Number one, we can face the problem head-on with a patient spirit. Or two, we can be overcome by the problem and respond in a spirit of rashness, a spirit that is lacking self-control.

Solomon has personally seen oppression so strong, so relenting that even the wisdom of wise men cannot reasonably explain its occurrence, but that reason is actually destroyed in the process of trying to grasp it. Such dilemma, such problems often cause us to long for days gone by. Maybe previous days in our own lives when things seemed better or maybe longing for days that predate us, days we consider as most definitely better than the days we find ourselves in. Have you ever longed for such days? I have.

I've longed. Bemoaning the current trial that you find yourself in, wishing for the good old days. Mr. Gibson points out to us the sinfulness of such thinking. Quote, often when we ask, why were the former days better than these?

It's because we are blind to the good things of the present and ignorant of the evil of the past. Notice how all of these things in verses 7 through 10 he says are variations on escapism. Impatience is a way of escaping reality and wishing things were different from the way they are. Anger is a way of escaping your inability to cope with things not being the way you want them. Nostalgia is a form of escapism by taking a vacation in the past instead of grappling with the present or looking to the future in faith." End quote.

Why were in faith." Why were the former days better than these? The foolishness of such a comment, yea, of such a desire in the heart, is no different in principle or in degree than the foolishness of the Israelites displayed in the wilderness. Do you recall what they were saved from in Egypt? Do you remember the burden, the heavy burden placed on them? They were slaves.

And yet in Numbers 11, 5 through 6, and again in Numbers 14-3 we read, we remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic, But now our whole being is dried up. There is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? We look at her response with disdain and disbelief. What?

What? And yet, often, Our response is no different than theirs. It's no different. When we are prone to look back at earlier times, we come away thinking those times were actually better than they really were. Gibson describes this nostalgia through the lens of C.S.

Lewis. C.S. Lewis writes, God is giving you in that moment one of the most profound glimpses of the intensity of perfection and beauty that you have actually yet to see. What is in fact pulling on your heartstrings is the future. It's heaven.

It's your sense of home and belonging that has just cracked the surface of your life for just a moment and then is gone. Gibson goes on to tie this thought of C.S. Lewis with the earlier portion of Ecclesiastes. He says this fits beautifully with the message of Ecclesiastes. Remember what we saw in chapter 3.

God has placed eternity in our hearts. We're built for home, for a place we cannot see yet. And so when we get that flashing moment of nostalgia, It's like tiny pinpricks of that eternal home breaking through into our present life. Wise people who understand how God has made us to long for Him and for heaven Don't look backward when they get nostalgic. They allow the feeling to point forward.

They look up to Heaven and to home. Recall the words that we studied in James 5, 7, and 8 regarding how we should respond in the midst of difficulties of life. Therefore, be patient, be patient brethren, until the coming of the Lord." Pointing forward. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Restraint is better than rashness. Now, fourthly, wisdom is better than wealth. Wisdom is better than wealth. Verses 11 and 12. Wisdom is good with an inheritance and profitable to those who see the sun.

For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, but the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it. Now if you remember earlier portions of Ecclesiastes, it's true, it's true, the wise man dies just like the fool. His wisdom can in no way gain him an advantage over the arrival of death. Death comes to both. It's no respecter of persons.

However, if you also recall in chapter 2, wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. That is what the remainder of the book of Ecclesiastes is revealing to us. Living in light of the end grants us in the here and now a wisdom that proves its excellence, a wisdom that gives life to those who have it. The wealth of an inheritance can provide a defense. That word in the Hebrew means a shadow, that wealth can provide a shadow in difficult days.

Wealth can afford the best protection, be that by home security system or by a personal bodyguard at the side. Wealth can purchase the best medical care and the best treatments. Wealth can provide a security in times of drought or in times of recession. And that wealth is made better, says Solomon, when coupled with wisdom. The two together provide much profit to all who have them both here in this world.

However, however, one exceeds the other in profit. One is profitable for this life and for the life to come. Only one actually gives life, wisdom. Wisdom. Wisdom is better than wealth.

Not that wisdom is good and wealth is bad. No. Simply put, both are profitable but only one excels. Wisdom. Wealth can afford that precious ointment.

Wisdom purchases a good name. Wealth can provide a temporary escape from sorrow. Wisdom provides the understanding that the heart will be made better through that sorrow. Wealth may make a way of escape from oppression and from the bribe. Wisdom grants patience to learn from Christ in the midst of the difficulty.

Are you laying up something for the latter years of life, making investments in your savings accounts and your 401Ks and in your IRAs? Excellent, excellent. This will no doubt prove beneficial to you in those times of need. But of more importance is this Question, are you laying up wisdom for the time of need as well? Have you started out?

Have you started out with the fear of the Lord. Those are the first dollars put into that account, the fear of the Lord. How do you even started there? Are you continuing to build up in this account by continuing in the Word and in meditation on that Word? Wealth can form a defense of what one already has or is, but wisdom is better.

Wisdom grants life to all that have it, life not only in this world, but also life in the world to come. And so we have seen that honor is better than luxury, that seriousness is better than frivolity, restraint is better than rashness, and wisdom is better than wealth. Now, fifthly and finally in our text, submission is better than rebellion. Submission is better than rebellion. Verses 13 and 14.

Consider the work of God, for who can make straight what He has made crooked? 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. Now as we move into this point having said much about wisdom and the prophet of wisdom, it would be helpful to heed the caution that David Gibson provides concerning this wisdom that Solomon has been writing about. As we have seen and and Solomon has declared, wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. Wisdom is necessary to understand what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow.

But on this package of wisdom that we receive from God are these words, fragile handle with care, fragile handle with care. Here's what Mr. Gibson says, wisdom can actually be dangerous. A little wisdom can go a long way or a little wisdom can be enough to hang yourself with if you forget that the world is twisted by sin and every heart is affected. And so we can't fully explain everything.

Wisdom can never achieve the kind of control over your life and destiny that you seek. It can help you with your money, with impatience, with anger, and with nostalgia. But never forget that it is God who controls the times. It is God who rules the universe. And so, although you can live well and die well and know some things truly, you cannot know all things completely, but God does.

So trust him and do not make an idol out of wisdom." So rather than make wisdom, man's wisdom, the primary focus and the primary concern, Solomon rather points us to a fresh consideration of the work of God. A consideration of the work of God. There are things in our life that God has intentionally and purposefully made crooked. This wise man, Solomon, instructed us back in chapter 3 verse 14, based on what his own study had proven, he says, I know that whatever God does, designing the straight, designing the crooked, whatever he does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.

God does it that men should fear before him. So as we note here this work of God, this work consists of both the day of prosperity as well as the day of adversity. Neither day falls outside the purview of God's sovereign control or divine will. Neither one. Neither one.

How often have I said when things have gone well, God is so good, He's so good. How often I failed in times of adversity to say the same thing, that God is good. God is good. The seasons of life or particular events are straight, that are straight are so by the virtue of his will and the seasons of life or the particular events that are crooked are so by his divine so by His divine will." My friend, where do you find yourself today? Do you know a current season of prosperity, then be joyful.

Be joyful. It is not a righteous thing to despise or even ignore prosperity of life and soul. Don't ignore it. Be joyful to God for that day of prosperity. These are from the Lord and it should be acknowledged we are to be joyful.

But maybe that's not where you are this morning. Maybe you are experiencing a season of adversity. Your senses and your circumstances may be screaming the same declaration that Jacob made to his sons, all these things are against me. If you're in such a season, note that the expectation is that you will stop, that you will stop and consider. Consider.

This word in the Hebrew is a verb written in the imperative. That means it comes across as a command, as a duty. Consider, consider. Wilson's Old Testament Word Studies says of this command to consider we are to respect, we are to regard, we are to take good notice of with thought, with reflection, and with attention. We are to consider that God has appointed both prosperity and adversity, And he has done so for a reason, that man may experience firsthand the very limits, the very limits of his own wisdom and of His finite nature.

Dear brother and sister, consider the beauty, consider the beauty of the divine appointments of both our prosperity and our adversity. Surely as times of prosperity reveal all too clearly our own vices, even so, the times of adversity often reveal clearly to us the presence of virtue. Virtue made real, made living, made to grow in the midst of the adversity by the direction and the power of the indwelling Spirit. In the midst of adversity, says Bridges, we are taught to mark the hand and character of God, the humbling cause, the gracious end, how to obtain support, how to realize more fully the enriching blessing, how to assure ourselves of deliverance, how anticipate complete and eternal compensation. Child of God, Bridges says, this is thy present privilege, sustaining thy confidence, rejoicing the heart." End quote.

Dear ones, such a consideration of the will and the ways of God can actually produce in the believer a time of prosperity right in the center of a season of adversity. Think of that core, that apple core that's rotting and thrown into the ground and it's in a state of decay and yet in the very midst of it is a seed of prosperity to grow another tree. Even so, in the midst of our adversity, if we consider the will and the ways of God, that adversity can actually be a time of prosperity. Solomon ends this section with the somewhat mysterious phrase, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him. What this is indicating is that after the days of prosperity and of adversity, after those days have run their course and we look back upon them, we cannot find anything in them that was excessive, anything in them that was defected, anything in them that was superfluous, anything in them that was wasted.

We won't find any of that. Looking back, though apportioned to each of us at different times and in different measures, all came to us at the right time and in the right manner and with the right measure. Richard Belcher in his commentary sums it up like this, an above the sun view is able to affirm that there are things in this life that are absolutely good based on God's revelation. Human beings can know what is good. God is good, and he pronounced good when he created it.

Although sin marred God's creation, God is at work to restore his creation. Solomon absolutizes the problems of life so that he is not able, in an earthly sense, to see what is good. But an above-the-sun view recognizes that even in the problems of life, God is able to accomplish His good purposes. Romans 8 28. God's good purposes will triumph even in situations where life does not work out the way one would hope.

Although we cannot know what the future may bring, we know the God of the future, and His good purposes will triumph. Thus, Despair should not take root in our lives. God is good, and all things in some way turn out for good to those who love him. This is our confession. This is our hope.

My friend, do you have this as your confession? Do you have this as your hope that all things are working together for your good? You have no right, no right to such confidence and hope if you do not love the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, despair should be taking root in your heart, left to your own sinful thoughts and actions. But may that despair drive you to the one who has become the rock of salvation for so many gathered here today.

This one who stands ready to save is pleading with you to consider your ways, consider your end. Live life according to the end. And you, as you are today, he cries out today to you, you will die in your sins. You will die in your sins if you continue on that course. Oh, consider the end of this world as you know it, the end of your own mortal life, and consider the one who calls you to repent of your sins and believe in him, he will grant you forgiveness and give you a new name, a good name, a name forever written in the Lamb's Book of Life, never to be removed, never to be blotted out.

That good name which is obtained by faith will stand and continue all a man's life and at his death leave behind a sweet perfume and abide forever in the world to come. May God grant us all grace to live in light of the end. Let us pray. Oh God, we ask for eyes to see what we cannot see. Lord, to not live in the past and not be carried away by the present.

But Lord, give us eyes to look ahead, to see the future, to see what's the end of all men, and to respond in a way that wisdom would prescribe. Lord, give us grace that we might be made better because of wisdom, that this wisdom would grant unto us the life that it can. Lord, give us eyes to see Jesus. We need him. May those who do not know him come to know him today, lest they die in their sins.

We pray in Christ's name, amen.