May I please God to bless us
together this evening as we meditate in his word. Let us turn to the
book of Ecclesiastes and chapter seven and we'll read verses one
and two. The book of Ecclesiastes chapter
seven and reading verses one and two. A good name is better than precious
ointment. and the day of death and the
day of one's birth. It is 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 lay it to his heart. Solomon, by the grace of God,
studied the things of time and endeavoured to find happiness
in the things of this world. But as one reads through this
book of Ecclesiastes, it is quite clear that Although he was able
to give advice on many things and to speak on things that we
should seek after and turn away from, things which are wrong,
and to also direct us with regard to that which is good and that
which is bad, yet really his conclusion continued to be that
the things of time produce vanity, that things of time did not produce
any true satisfaction and that he constantly refers us to the
end of our life and to be aware that our life on this earth is
really very short with comparison with eternity and it's good therefore
for us to be reminded of these things because our life indeed
is very short the longest It's very short in comparison with
eternity. And the great, great concern
each of us should, we should have is that our souls are right
for eternity. Indeed, in response to that great
question, is it well with our soul to be able to say humbly
before God, it is well. And we should only be able to
testify of that if we have the wonderful evidence of God's grace
and mercy toward us. Well, the man of God here brings
before us this analogy really. He tells us a good name is better
than precious ointment. Good name is better than precious
ointment. Well, we have some understanding of what precious
ointment can be like. You know that which is perfumed
or very pleasant and perhaps very expensive. We know that
it was used in the days of the saviour when it was poured over
his head and was used and we know it was very expensive. We have just a very small indication
therefore of ointment of precious ointment. But the fact of the
matter is that however valuable precious ointment may be, however
pleasant the smell may be, it is of relatively short duration. It soon fades away. It doesn't
last forever. And indeed, generally speaking,
it has a very short lifespan. And so Solomon brings that to
our attention. He tells us, that this precious
ointment is not as good, is not as valuable as a good name. Well, we should strive therefore
to be concerned that we do walk in this world in a right way. And that means really in the
fear of the Lord. We don't want to pass out of
time. with a bad name. We want to pass
out of time with a good name. It's a favour, isn't it, to be
blessed with that situation and that understanding. We're told
in Proverbs and Proverbs chapter 10 and verse 7 gives us these
beautiful words. The memory of the just is blessed. but the name of the wicked shall
rot. And it's good if you and I have
known people, godly people, who as we think of them, we realize
that their name is one which is blessed. I mentioned before
we commenced our reading the case of Frank Gosling. He was a godly man. preached
the gospel and he was highly esteemed not because what he
was in himself but what God had used him for enabling him to
preach the unsearchable riches of Christ and his name was indeed
better than precious ointment because the Savior blessed him
and the Savior was with him and enabled him to set a good example
in his life no doubt we've known many people who have come into
that category and we can say the memory of the just is blessed. Indeed we can think of Sylvia
Ford who has so recently passed away and as we think of her and
all of us will have met her and all of us will have no doubt
spoken to her and we will know that her concern and Her favour
was to be blessed in the Lord and to go and to be with Christ,
which was and is far better. She was a blessed character.
She didn't have an easy life, but she was a blessed character.
And God's people do not have easy lives. In one way or another,
the Lord sees fit that they are called upon to often crying to
God, crying to God for mercy because of their sinful nature,
because of their unbelieving heart, because of the hardness
of their heart. And all these things drag the
people of God down. And there are not things that
they can truly rejoice in, but only as the Lord uses them to
direct them to himself and to seek for the blessing of the
Lord that maketh rich. So therefore this statement is
indeed true. A good name is better than precious
ointment. Well, may you and I be concerned
that people may speak well of us only because they see in us
the Lord Jesus Christ. They see in us his blessed effect
of his life in our lives and so often of course we are tested
and tried and we find so often things do not go in accordance
with that, we find we have a sinful nature, we find we have a hard
heart, we speak things sometimes inadvisably, we think things
often perhaps which are not good, and yet here we have such a statement
a good man a good name is better than a precious ointment well
might indeed be true in our lives then that when we come to die
this will be true of us the memory of us is blessed not because
we desire any exaltation in our own lives, but we do desire that
the grace of God may be exalted. We do desire that our lives may
demonstrate the wonderful mercy, the wonderful love and the wonderful
favour of Almighty God to unworthy sinners. May this constantly
be our desire, constantly be our concern for the honor and
glory of God." Well, a good name is better than precious ointment. And then he goes on to say, and
the day of death than the day of one's birth. We may think,
well, that's a rather strange statement to make because we
know, of course, that generally speaking, births are happy occasions. when the Lord is gracious and
allows children to be born in a healthy state and the mother
to pass through labor successfully without too much of a problem
and therefore it is generally a happy occasion but yet we should
know that as a child is born into this world we're told man
is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. We're not promised
a trouble-free life. We're promised that situation
which the Lord tells us about. It is through much tribulation
that we shall enter the kingdom. He does encourage us to say,
but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. So although
we can look at a babe and praise God perhaps for that birth and
for the wonderful favor that we have in seeing life granted,
yet to realize that that babe will have to pass through this
world, a world of sin, a world of sorrow, a world of pain, a
world of anguish, not a time of happiness in this life, but
he tells us here in this word but there will be the day of
death. A good name is better than the
precious ointment and the day of death and the day of one's
birth. To think then that if we are
the true household of faith, if we are one of the children
of God, then this word is true. The day of our death is better
than the day of our birth because when that day comes, as it will
in all of our lives we come to that day and we pass out of time
into eternity and we are one of those whom the Lord has graciously
and wonderfully and gloriously condescended to call by his grace
and to know therefore it is well with our souls we shall then
pass into that place of bliss that place of eternal happiness,
that place where there is no sin, nothing to cast us down,
nothing to aggravate us, nothing to produce evil, but all will
be peace and love and union. What a blessed time that will
be. We might say, of course, it's
not time. because we will have passed out
of time into eternity and there to be with the Savior forever
and ever and with the ransomed Church of God and so we get some
little idea therefore that it is better the day of our death
is better now only of course if we are one of God's people
if we are not then you see it'll be the most tragic day because
we will be out of time. We will be in that place where
there is no mercy. We will be in that place where
there is no forgiveness. We will be in that place where
the devil and all his angels, you see they will be tormenting
us forever. It is a very terrible prospect
to consider and we should be concerned about it ourselves
as we press on through our life here on this earth to be concerned
that the first part of this verse is true a good name is better
than a precious ointment the day of death than the day of
one's birth and it will only be through the grace for the
mercy the love of the Saviour toward us. Well, what a blessing
it will be then for us today, if we have again the evidence
of God's goodness and mercy toward us, so that we're able to say
very humbly, as David was, surely goodness and mercy shall follow
me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of
the Lord forever. you and i think of the life of
david well david was a blessed child of god but he passed through
a difficult life didn't he many temptations many sins much adversity
much affliction and yet you see god brought him safely through
life to take him safe to glory and that's why he was able to
pen that 23rd psalm and be able to say with that humble confidence,
surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my
life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. We
want each of us to be able to say the last part of that song. We want to be able to have the
evidence that it is therefore well with our soul and we shall,
by the grace of God, dwell with him forever and ever and therefore
the day of death and the day of one's birth naturally speaking
people wouldn't agree with that naturally speaking people would
say well of course the day of my birth is far superior the
day of my death people don't like to talk about death they
don't want to consider death and i want to think of birthdays
as bringing them a year nearer their eternal rest. As I said
fairly recently, I remember meeting somebody years ago who said that
they hated birthdays, and clearly they hated birthdays purely because
they were being reminded that their life on this earth is passing
away, and our lives on this earth pass away very quickly. as we
look back in our lives well it's just like a shadow it's passed
away and eternity is rapidly approaching and therefore may
we have the wonderful favor of being able to confirm this truth
which Solomon was able to confirm the day of death the day of our
death is better than the day one's birth. Well the Lord graciously
brings to our attention such words as this so that we recognize
that these things are true. And then he goes on to really
confirm this in the second verse of this chapter. It is 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 would lay it to
his heart. Well, no doubt most of us have
been to a funeral. I wonder what effect going to
a funeral has had upon us. Whether we perhaps thought, well,
one day that will be me. You know, when we go to a funeral,
sometimes when I've taken a funeral, I've said, well, We're here to
bury this particular person, but someone in the congregation
will be the next person. And the question should be, of
course, is it I? Would it be me? Would I be the
next person? And if it is me, would it be
well with me? Would it be true of me? that
this day is better than the day of my birth. Well, says Solomon,
it's better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the
house of feasting. Now, it doesn't say it's wrong
to go to the house of feasting, because we know the Lord Jesus
Christ went to the marriage supper the first time that he performed
the miracle. And that was obviously a time
of feasting. But nonetheless, the word of
God is true. It's better to go to the house
of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, to be reminded
of our situation, which must be that we must come soon to
that time of our death. And of course, we're told the
young must, the old must die, but the young may. we naturally
think we look around we think well there's an old person perhaps
they'll pass away we tend to not consider it may be young
people it may be a young person that may pass away and so therefore
it's relevant to not think well i'm young and it won't be me
it may be and therefore how necessary it is that you and I are indeed
amongst those who are ready to stand before God. Further on in this same book
of Ecclesiastes, Solomon tells us of a very sad situation. This is what he says in the 8th
chapter and the 10th verse. He tells us he says this and so I saw the
wicked buried who had come and gone from the place of the holy
and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done this
is also vanity now he tells us here he's speaking not of godly
people he's speaking of wicked people And that's a very solemn
consideration, a very solemn fact, which he tells us of, and
we should know the truth of it. He said, I've seen, I've saw
the wicked barren who had come and gone from the place of the
holy. And we've had people, and I've
known people who have come and gone from chapel all their life,
and there's been no spiritual life within them. They have no
testimony. They have no evidence that the
blessed savior has ever loved them. They've shown no evidence
of a work of grace in their heart. And what have they done? They've
been satisfied with just an outward performance of religion. They
may have read the Bible every day, I don't know. They may have
done. But all these things are just
an outward performance of religion. And what you and I need so desperately
is the life of God in our souls. And that life of God, which produces
a change, that life of God which produces a difference, so that
we have the blessed favor that we are amongst those the Lord
has loved. And you know, the outworking
of that will be that our heart is touched by Christ's love to
such unworthy sinners. to know that the Blessed Saviour
has loved us and worthy as we are, not worthy of any favour,
not worthy of any notice, not worthy of any blessing, and yet
to know by the wonderful effect it has produced, the love of
Christ toward us, so that we can indeed praise God for his
love, which is so wonderful, and we've received so unworthily. We can understand what the hymn
writer said, on such love, my soul still ponder, love so great,
so rich, so free, save whilst lost in holy wonder, why, O God,
such love to me. It is an amazing experience. It is a necessary experience. It is a wonderful experience
when the blessed God shows us that he's loved us from eternity
past. And those words, of course, are
very true that the apostle John writes in his epistle, not that
we loved God, but that he loved us. God's love to us is that
which is first and then it is our love toward him in response
to his wonderful love toward us well what a mercy then for
us tonight if we have the evidence of this love we are therefore
not amongst those who are wicked who just go backwards and forwards
to chapel and think we've ticked all the boxes and we think it'll
be all right with our souls. In actual fact we're in desperate
need. We're in a desperate condition.
We need the Blessed Saviour. Indeed may it be our prayer,
give me Christ or else I die. I wonder whether that has been
our real prayer We've needed a saviour. We've needed him to
come and reveal himself to us as our saviour, as that one who
has laid down his life, that one who shed his precious blood
upon the cross at Calvary, that we might receive the wonderful
gift of eternal life. Well, what a mercy that will
be because if it is so you know we will have been blessed with
a good name a good name and the proverbs encourage us in this
in a 22nd chapter of proverbs in the first verse we read a
good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving
favor rather than silver and gold the loving favor of God
The love of God to us unworthy sinners is far, far greater than
silver and gold. Wicked people, ungodly people
want silver and gold. They're not interested to know
that they are loved of their God. But those who are moved
by the Spirit of God are concerned they are loved of their God and
that their names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life and
they are not forsaken and they are not forgotten and therefore
they recognize the truth of this word the name is better than
precious ointment the good name is better than precious ointment
the day of death and the day of one's birth, it is better
to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting. See, it's good when the Lord
stirs up our hearts, stirs up our conscience to realize the
vital importance of these great important truths, because the
man of God goes on to say for That is the end of all men. Death. Death. Oh, my friends, death
is a frightful foe to those who are not born again in the Spirit. A frightful foe. And may you
and I be delivered from that terrible situation being found
in hell eternally. So Solomon goes on to say, for
that is the end of all men and the living will lay it to his
heart. That really means that to those
who are the children of God, the blessed Lord, will graciously
come and touch our hearts and cause us to consider our latter
end. We should ask the question, how
stands the case? My soul with thee, for heaven
are thy credentials clear. That means the evidence is evident. God's work in our soul? Is it evident? Have we a sure
testimony that God has looked upon us and the Lord has indeed
redeemed us so that we are amongst the living? We don't want to
remain in a dead condition and every one of us tonight needs
to examine ourselves whether we are in a dead condition spiritually
or whether we are amongst the living. The living, the living. He shall praise thee as I do
this day, he said, Hezekiah. And that is true. The living
child of God, because of the life given by God, desires to
praise him. for the life given. We won't want to bury the evidence
that God has given us. We desire to praise him and thank
him for it and bless him that he's been gracious to us and
has not dealt with us as our sins deserve. Isaiah says so
many wonderful words in his prophecy but one very suitable word in
the 61st chapter of Isaiah directs us to a wonderful truth concerning
the blessing of God and in the 61st chapter these are the words
that we read the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because The
Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He
has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. This
is the privilege of God's servants to preach the gospel, good tidings. The gospel is good tidings. And
my friends, you and I are still on the earth. We're still in
a gospel day. And what a wonderful thing it
is to hear good tidings, which the Lord speaks to our hearts. And he says, good tidings to
the meek, not to the rebellious, not to the proud, not to the
hard-hearted, but those who come and submit themselves under the
mighty hand of God, the meek. He has sent me to bind up the
broken-hearted. You might say, well what is a
broken-hearted person? A person who is convinced of
their sin before a holy God. A person who is broken because
of their sin. A person that comes and cries
out, can ever God dwell here? A person that has no hope in
themselves. no hope in what they've done,
no hope in just their chapel going, no hope in just performing
a religious act, but concerned about the life of God in their
souls. And to proclaim liberty to the
captives, those who are captived by Satan, who are locked up in
the dungeon, who can't free themselves. They look to the Lord to come
and to deliver them. Liberty. Liberty is a lovely
word, isn't it? What a blessing it is when God
comes and grants us liberty. Wonderful favour and the opening
of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable
year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God and to
comfort all that mourn. There will be, to those who are
true believers, those who are born again in the Spirit of God,
they will mourn over their sin. They won't sin and just forget
about it and pass it off. They will be truly sorry for
their sin. They will repent because of their
sin and they will come to Almighty God and desire that they will
be blessed with that wonderful favour. And then he comes to
this third verse, to appoint unto them that morn, to give
unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for morning, the garment
of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees
of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be
glorified. See, God plants his children.
What a mercy if God has planted you and me. What a mercy, therefore,
if we know what it is to be a true mourner, because that's what
the man of God Solomon is telling us here. It is better to go to
the house of mourning And if we come to a house of mourning,
it's good that we mourn then over our sins and after the Lord
Jesus Christ, to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give
unto them beauty for ashes. Yes, we may not think that we
have very much at all. It may just be all burnt up.
But what a mercy it is when God gives us that beauty and shows
to us that we are by the grace of God repenting sinner, one
who he has called by his grace, one who has turned from darkness to the blessed light of the gospel,
one who's led us by his grace to the cross of Christ. And there
we are standing, looking at the glorious death of the Saviour,
that finished work which he completed on our behalf. And so this word is true, the
oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit
of heaviness. We may have been heavy, heavy
hearted. The church of God is heavy hearted
because of their sins. But when the Lord reveals himself
to them as their all sufficient and glorious savior, what does
it do? It gives us the garment of praise,
the robe of righteousness, to praise our God for his wonderful
mercy, and that they might be called trees of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Again, you see, our life is to
bring glory to God. Our life isn't to bring glory
to ourselves, it's to bring glory to our God. What a mercy that
is. And the living will lay it to
his heart. So to come to the house of mourning,
it's better than to go to the house of feasting. Naturally,
of course, we'd like to go, perhaps, to the house of feasting. We
look forward to it. And perhaps we wouldn't look
forward to going to the house of mourning. But yet, you see,
the difference is that under the Spirit of God, going to the
house of mourning would direct us to the end of our life and
that really is the relevant and important issue because it then
causes us to be concerned about our life and the end of our life
and whether we have the blessed evidence of the work of God in
our souls. You know the Apostle John he
was on the isle of Patmos the Lord came to him and blessed
him with revelation that's why it's called revelation blessed
him with revelation the truth of God those things which were
to be revealed and in the 14th chapter and the 13th verse this
is what we read John is speaking and i heard a voice from heaven
saying unto me right blessed are the dead which die in the
Lord from henceforth, yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest
from their labours, and their works do follow them. This is the word of God, this
is the encouraging word which the Spirit says, blessed are
the dead which die in the Lord, or that you and I may be found
dying in the Lord. And that means relying upon what
the Lord has done, relying upon his grace, relying upon his love,
relying upon his mercy, so you and I have nothing in ourselves.
We rely upon what Christ has done. You see, that's why the
Lord Jesus is precious to his people. because they are resting
upon what Christ has done on their behalf, because he has
fulfilled the law on their behalf. He's kept it on their behalf
so that all their sins are forever washed away in the precious blood
of the Redeemer. Well, what a mercy it is. And
so we can come then to God and say as The Apostle Paul did,
who of course was a great sinner, but he knew the great grace of
God, and what a mercy it was, and what a mercy it is. And when
he wrote to the Corinthians in the second chapter of the 14th
verse, he says, now thanks be unto God. Oh, how good it is
if you and I can look in our hearts and in our lives and be
able to say, thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph
in Christ. There's the secret. In Christ and maketh manifest
the savour, the good smell, the savour of his knowledge by us
in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour
of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish. What
a mercy then to be blessed and to have this sweet savour of
Christ, because Christ has died to atone for all our sins. And if that is so, as we Began really our sermon tonight
with that great question, is it well with our soul? Blessed with this evidence, we
shall be able to say humbly, and yet to the honor and glory
of God, yes, it is well. A good name is better than precious
ointment. The day of death and the day
of one's birth, it is better. to go to the house of mourning
and to go to the house of feasting for that is the end of all men
and the living will lay it to his heart. Amen.