Base Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:1-8:
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”— 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; 3 when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim; 4 when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when people rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint; 5 when people are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags itself along and desire no longer is stirred. Then people go to their eternal home and mourners go about the streets. 6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the wheel broken at the well, 7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.“Everything is meaningless!”
Why are we here as All Nations Christian Centre: To make Jesus known to everyone, everywhere.
It’s Father’s Day and we are talking about an aspect of our vision and priorities this month: legacy.
Legacy: Nurturing and investing in our children, teenagers and young adults – the future church today.
Fatherlessness
One of the greatest challenges today is that of fatherlessness. It is linked to all kinds of struggles in society today (I won’t go into them). Research shows that kids do better with a father. Now don’t rush out and marry a chump.
Biblical advice: ‘Ruth patiently waited for her mate Boaz.’ While you are waiting on YOUR Boaz, don’t settle for any of his relatives: Broke-az, Poor-az, Lyin-az, Misreable-az, Unsaved-az, Not-going-to-church-az, Cheating-az, Dumb-az, Drunk-az, Cheap-az, Lockedup-az, Goodfornothing-az, Lazy-az, Gambling-az, Lustful-az, Stingy-az, Disrepsectful-az, AMEN.
I grew up in a broken and dysfunctional home, but that would be considered the norm today. So I know from personal experience how vital it is to have father figures in life, but also to be a father figure in life.
Solomon - Started Well, Ended Average
Here in our passage we have advice from a man, Solomon, who fed his weaknesses. What was his weakness? Women. You know he had a 700 wives and a concubine of 300. Which went directly against the command of God. 1 Kings 11:3 states that Solomon “had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines.”
Obviously, God “allowed” Solomon to have these wives, but allowing something is not the same as approval.
Solomon started out well early in his life, listening to the counsel of his father, David, who told him: 1 Kings 2:2-3: “So be strong, act like a man, 3 and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.”
Solomon’s early humility is shown in 1 Kings 3:5-9 when he requests wisdom from the Lord.
Over time, Solomon forgot his own counsel and the wisdom of Scripture. God had given clear instructions for anyone who would be king: no amassing of horses, no multiplying of wives, and no accumulating of silver and gold (Deuteronomy 17:14-20).
These commands were designed to prevent the king from trusting in military might, following foreign gods, and relying on wealth instead of on God. Solomon broke all three of these divine prohibitions; God promised him wealth but he came to love the gifts not the giver!
So, Solomon’s taking of many wives and concubines was in direct violation of God’s Word.
Just as God had warned, Solomon wandered off track:
1 Kings 11: 4: As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. ”
To please his wives, Solomon even got involved in sacrificing to Molek, a god that required “detestable” acts to be performed (1 Kings 11:4-8).
God allowed Solomon to make the choice to disobey, but Solomon’s choice brought inevitable consequences.
1 Kings 11:11: So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.”
God showed mercy to Solomon for David’s sake (I Kings 11: 12), but Solomon’s kingdom was eventually divided. Another chastisement upon Solomon was war with the Edomites and Aramians (1 Kings 11:14-25).
Solomon was not a puppet king. God did not force him to do what was right. Rather, God laid out His will, blessed Solomon with wisdom, and expected the king to obey. In his later years, Solomon chose to disobey, and he was held accountable for his decisions.
The guy had it all, but he had nothing because he walked away from God! The wisest guy who ever lived could not apply that wisdom to his own character. Which is why he says it’s all meaningless! Repeatedly.
His advice: remember God in your youth? Why? That will keep you on the straight and narrow.
So, men-folk, how are we going to help our kids with this?
- Model it for them.
Show them what your faith means to you. They’ll repeat it in their lives.
This doesn’t mean telling them things like, “You don’t know that you’re born,” or “when I was a kid we had to walk three miles to school through four feet of snow with no shoes.”
They need to see faith in Jesus modelled for them. They need to see it works in daily life. They need to see what a life-long commitment to Jesus looks like.
You see, your kids will ignore what you say, but they will mirror what you do. They will do that even when they don’t know they are doing it.
Verse 1: Remember your Creator in the days of your youth… is not an instruction so that God will feel special! It’s there to keep our young people from making the mistakes we have.
Model it! Demonstrate it!
Story: We once had a strange phone call. It was from the guys in a young adults group that one of our sons belonged to at the time. They decided to call one another’s parents and thank them for raising their kids into the young adults that they were. It blew us away. Not least because just a year or two before we had lived through that ‘I’m-gonna-do-my-own-thing-and-you-can’t-stop-me’ stage.
- Be vulnerable before them
Things in life change. For you and for them.
Verse 6: Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken…
Life is tough. Things happen. The bubble bursts. When your kids were small they thought that you were immortal. There comes a point when they realise you’re not.
Story: When our eldest was young he went through a phase of mischief. When we would hear silence, we would call out, “What you doing?’ One time he replied, “How do you know?” I said, flippantly, “I can see through walls.” Okay, I know I should not have lied. A year later he is playing with his younger brother and then silence comes. So I call out, “Boys, stop that!” He says to his little brother, “Don’t worry, dad can’t see through walls!” Something had changed! The bubble had burst.
Guys, the bubble will burst one day. They realise you’re not immortal. For some, as you approach the twilight year’s your kids will be reminding you of of this!
So, be vulnerable before them. If you need to apologise to them, do it. It doesn’t show you’re weak, it shows your inner strength and your reliance of God.
It’s the moment they realise you can’t see through walls.
When things change in life they need to know where to turn to when they are feeling weak - they need to turn to Jesus. They will learn that by seeing it in you.
- Meaningless!
8: “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher “Everything is meaningless!”
Show them what’s the most meaningful in life.
Show them what is most valuable in life.
My two favourite Ed Cole quotes. My three sons heard these over and over as they grew up. So much so that they could say them without a prompt:
“Maturity does not come with age but the acceptance of responsibility.”
“The best thing a man can do for his children is to love their mother.”
Your children will inherit your values, without question, without you even knowing. They will end up supporting the same team, or least the same sport; they will follow the same core political views; they will follow the same views of faith.
In a moment we are going to show you a short video. After my son finished his basic training as a fireman about two years ago, the family were invited for a demonstration of what they ad learned. What you will see will be my boy climbing a ladder in full breathing apparatus and climbing into a smoke-filled room. Then you’ll see his son’s, my grandson’s, reaction!
[Video of Sam and Joshua].
Our children, grandkids and church kids are watching us navigate life. Show them what is valuable. They will imitate that - for a while Joshua wanted to be a fireman, just like his daddy.
Make sure you value the right things, not just for you but for them.
Solomon ended up valuing the fruit of following God (riches) rather than God Himself. So at the end of his life he calls everything outside of God, meaningless.
Value the right things in life.
Wrapping this up:
So, this Father’s Day, which includes grandfather’s and, to be honest, all Christian men in this church, we need to take up the challenge of being living examples to our children here and at home.
We need men who they can look up to.
Men who finish well.
Men who can model Christlikeness, be vulnerable and instil Godly values into the future generations.
Will you be those men?
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