Turn with me to Ecclesiastes, the book of Ecclesiastes chapter
1. I don't have a sermon this morning. I have a message. And this message is not necessarily
for every person in this room. This is specifically for those
who are sad. If anyone is sad. This is for those who are disappointed
in themselves. Disappointed with their attitude.
Disappointed with what they are. This is for those who are frustrated
over their sin. That's specifically who this
is for. Disgusted with the sin that is
in them and on them. This is for those who would love
one moment of relief. Just one moment of relief from
the heartache and the stress, the sadness that comes from sin. Solomon wanted it. He wanted
it. Look at Ecclesiastes 1 verse
2. Solomon said, Vanity of vanities
saith the preacher. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity. All is vanity. Verse 12. He said, I, the preacher was
king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and
search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under
heaven. This sore travail, sore travail, hath God given to the sons of
man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that
are done under the sun and behold, all is vanity and vexation of
spirit. It's all tainted with sin. Every bit of it. Verse 17, he
said, I gave my heart to know wisdom. But in verse 18, he said,
in much wisdom is much grief. And he that increaseth knowledge,
increaseth sorrow. It's true, isn't it? Ignorance
is bliss. Such bliss. So chapter 2, verse 3, he said,
I sought in mine heart to give myself to wine. I'll drink myself
happy. It didn't work. Verse 4, He said, I made me great
works. Verse five. I made me gardens
and orchards. Verse six. I made me pools of
water. Verse seven. I got me servants
and maidens verse eight. I gathered me also silver and
gold verse nine. I was great. I was great. Verse 11. Then I looked on all the works
that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored
to do, and behold, all was vanity in vexation of spirit, and there
was no profit under the sun. In every bit of it, I sunk down
in the sorrow of my sin. Doesn't sin taint everything? It's good for a minute. Nope. Sin reigned. And he said, I sunk
down in the sorrow of my sin. None of it helped me. I'll do
this. That didn't work. I'll do this.
That didn't work. I'll do this. That didn't work.
None of it helped me. Oh, that I might find a moment
of relief. from the heartache and the sorrow
of sin. It's with us, isn't it? It's such a beautiful day. Oh,
it's with us. It's going to take no time and
we're going to be down in the heartache and sorrow of sin. It's just the way it is. Oh, that I might find some relief.
David wanted it, his father. Turn with me over to Psalm 38. Psalm 38 verse 1, David said,
O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath, neither chasten me in
thy hot displeasure, for thine arrows stick fast in me, and
thy hand presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh
because of thine anger, neither is there any rest in my bones
because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone
over mine head. As in heavy burden, they are
too heavy for me. My wounds stink and are corrupt
because of my foolishness. I am troubled. I am bowed down
greatly. I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with
a loathsome disease. And there's no soundness in my
flesh. I am feeble and sore broken. I have roared by reason of the
disquietness of my heart. My heart is sad. My heart is
sad. And I cannot find any relief
because of my sin. Is that not what he said at the
end of verse 3? Because of my sin. Oh, that I might find some
relief. Just a minute of relief. Job
wanted it. He said, Man that is born of
woman is of few days, and full of trouble. Oh, he sat there
scraping himself saying, oh, I wish I could find some relief. Paul wanted it. He said, oh,
wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of
death? I just wish somebody could deliver
me from this body of death. If we, along with these men,
say the same thing, then this message is for us. Today's message
is for us. I want to show us the remedy
for sadness, the absolute remedy for sadness. I want to show us
the cure for heartache and stress over sin. If a person in reality
is ever down in that pit, I want to show you the cure. Go with
me to Mark chapter 2. And the disciples of John and
of the Pharisees used to fast. And they come and say unto him,
why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast? But
thy disciples fast not. And Jesus said unto them, can
the children of the bride chamber fast while the bridegroom is
with them? As long as they have the bridegroom, as long as they have the bridegroom
with them, they cannot fast. You know what the word fast means?
Mourn, cry, be sad, do without. Let me prove that to you in Matthew
9. Look at Matthew 9 with me. Matthew 9 verse 14 says, Then came to him the disciples
of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy
disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can
the children of the bride chamber mourn as long as the bridegroom
is with them? Can they mourn? Can they be sad
as long as the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have
the bridegroom with them, they cannot. They cannot. Do you know what that tells me? As I wallow in my sinful misery, I need to get to Jesus Christ. I need to get to Jesus Christ. Somehow I need to find myself
in His presence. I need to pull up a chair at
His feet. Because as long as I'm with Him,
I cannot sorrow over my sin. I cannot. It's impossible. As long as I am hearing his voice,
listen to what Solomon said. This is what Solomon wrote. He
said, I sleep, but my heart waketh. It is the voice of my beloved.
Sweet is that voice. Have you ever heard his voice
through his word? I've always loved how one man
was asked one time, does God speak out loud? He said, no,
it's much louder than that. Has God ever spoken to you through
his word? Just what I needed, I was at
the bottom. I was at the bottom and then
all of a sudden, he spoke to me. Through his, just what I
needed. Now I'm on top again. Why? The
bridegroom is here. Sweet is thy voice as long as
I am seeing his face. This is what Solomon wrote. His
cheeks are as a bed of spices. As sweet flowers. His lips like
lilies dropping sweet smelling myrrh. His eyes are as the eyes
of doves by the rivers of water, washed with milk and fitly set. I love this. He said, turn away
thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me. I'm about to
bust in here. You ever feel like the Lord blesses
your heart through his words so much, I can't take anymore? I remember when the Lord was
really dealing with my heart, listening to the gospel preach,
thinking, it's time for you to stop. I can't take anymore. My heart's about to explode.
He said, turn your eyes from me. They've overcome me. I almost can't take it. It's
going to stop my heart. Solomon said, Thy neck is as
a tower of ivory. Could you imagine? All we want to do is hear his
voice, see his face. As long as they have the bridegroom
with them, they cannot fast. Heaven is a happy place. There's
no sadness there. There's no sorrow there. Turn
with me to Luke chapter 10. Luke chapter 10 verse 38. Now it came to pass, as they
went, that he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman
named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister
called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about
much serving. and came to him and said, Lord,
does thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?
Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said
unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful, full of care, and
troubled about many things, but one thing is needful. And Mary
hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from
her. Mary hath chosen that part which brings gladness to the
soul, health to the navel, marrow to the bones. She's chosen comfort. She's chosen
rest. She's chosen peace of heart. by coming to the feet of Christ,
the Lord Jesus Christ, and sitting down right there just to hear
His Word. Anyone who comes to the Bridegroom
like that, it will not be taken from them. It will not be taken
from them. Now, was there anything wrong
with what Martha did? Was there anything wrong with
everything that she did? Our Lord was there. His people
were there. Was there anything wrong with
her working as hard as she was working? Solomon said in Ecclesiastes,
everything has a season. Everything. There's a time for
everything. There's a time to work. There's
a time to serve. There's a time to do. But I'll
tell you this, when sorrows like sea billows roll, And if a child
of God has never experienced that true sorrow over sin, just
wait, it's coming. It's coming. And when sorrows like sea billows
roll, that's the time to get to the feet of the bridegroom. That's the time. Being with our
bridegroom, being near him, being close to him, that's the only
remedy for sorrow over sin. That's the only one. Now turn
with me over to John 21. I just want you to see his words
here. And I'm hoping that we'll hear His voice in them. That's
what I hope. I would love for every sinner who is keenly aware
of his sin or her sin to hear the Lord's voice in this. John 21, verse 12, Jesus saith
unto them, Come and dine. Come and dine. Come and dine. Do we hear Him? Come and dine. If any man thirst, let him come. If you're thirsty, it's because
I made you to be that way. So I could bring you to fountains
of living water. If any soul is hungry, I made you to be that
way so you could come and dine. come and dine. If you're sad,
if you're sorrowing over your sin, if you're broken hearted,
if you're feeling guilt, it's because I made you to be that
way. So I could pour the oil of joy all over you. That's what
he said in Isaiah 61. I brought the oil of joy. Come
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, I will give
you rest. Come and dine. Come and dine. Not fast. If you go to Christ
now, you're gonna have to fast. No, you're gonna have to dine. As long as they have the bridegroom
with them, they cannot fast. They cannot. Go with me back
to Mark chapter two. Verse 18 says, And the disciples of John and
of the Pharisees used to fast. And they come and say unto him,
Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but
thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can
the children of the bride chamber fast while the bridegroom is
with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they
cannot fast. But the days will come when the
bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they
fast in those days." And we do from time to time, don't we?
We do. We get lean. We get a little bit lean. Have
you ever felt lean? Lean in heart, lean in spirit,
Lean in comfort, lean in joy. Sometimes you can't put your
finger on it, but I don't have any joy. Well, I know where you
can find it. Lean. That leanness, though,
that we have from time to time, that's what keeps the children
of the bride chamber coming back to the bridegroom every time. They come running back to the
bridegroom, ready to delight their soul in fatness. Fast? Never. Not with the bridegroom. What
do they feast on? What feeds their soul? It's something
that they hear. It's something that they hear.
They come to him loathing their sin. hating what is on them, hating
what is in them. You ever experienced that? You
ever had that? Hating. Lord, I'm so sorry. I hate what's on me. I hate what's
in me. This is what he tells them every
time they come that way. That way, this is what he tells
them. Look at verse 21. No man also soweth a piece of
new cloth on an old garment, else the new piece that filled
it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And
no man putteth new wine into old bottles, else the new wine
doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles
will be marred. But new wine must be put into
new bottles. Lord, I hate my filthy rags. All that covers me is my sin.
Don't you worry. Don't you worry. I am not going
to take a piece of my righteousness and sew it onto your old filthy
rags. Don't you worry, I'm going to
give you a brand new robe. You're getting a brand new robe.
If you come to Christ absolutely sorrowing over the sin that is
covering you, every sinner who comes like that will hear him
say, you're getting a brand new robe. Every time, I promise. Every single time. You're right. Your works are filthy. You have
every reason to be sad, but be of good cheer. You're going to
be wearing the same robe of perfection that every soul in glory wears.
I've already reserved one for you. I embroidered your name
on it. I was sitting right in the back writing all this out,
thinking about this, and I know this is silly, but I was envisioning
one of these days I'm going to, if there are indeed gates, to
my Lord's kingdom? I don't know. If there are, I
was envisioning seeing them for the first time. Walking up to these gates. And
there stands my Lord holding a robe. And on that robe is my
name embroidered in it. And he says, here, try that on
for size. It fits perfectly, Lord. I know. Welcome in. Your old filthy rags are destroyed. They were burned up in fiery
wrath. Welcome in. And I'm not just going to make
the outside right either. I didn't stop there. I'm going
to do something on the inside too. That blood that I shed,
don't you worry. I'm not going to add my blood
to your blood. I didn't reform you. I'm not going to put my sinless
blood in your sinful body. I'm not going to do it. No man
puts new wine into old bottles. I'm going to make you a new creation.
You are a new creation. Lord, I hate the sin that's in
me. I hate the sin that's in that
old sinful heart. You are a new bottle. I know
you don't feel it yet, but you're a new bottle. You're a new creation. Your sin is dealt with inside
and out. Only a sinner who feels his sin
can enter in to the glory of hearing Christ say that. Do you
know that? Inside and out. Come to Christ and you won't be sorry you did. Verse 19, right here, Jesus said
unto them, Can the children of the bride chamber fast while
the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom
with them, they cannot fast. We're going to live the rest
of our days in sorrow. I promise this world is full
of sorrow. This sin is full of sorrow. Everything
is tainted. Nothing makes you happy but the
bridegroom. Every single time you find yourself
in the bottom of that pit and everywhere you look is a wall
of that pit, look up. Cry out to the bridegroom. I
promise you'll hear something that'll make you glad every single
time. Come to him. All right, let's
stand together.