Clarity from the Contemplations of a King (Part 2): Ecclesiastes 9 by Dr. Rod Mattoon

Scripture

• Ecclesiastes 9

About this sermon

President Harry Truman once made a trip to the old west town of Tombstone, Arizona. Ghosts of the famous and notorious alike, crowd the streets of Tombstone such as people like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. When Truman returned from Tombstone, though, he didn't talk about the legendary heroes. Instead, he recalled the words engraved on the headstone of a simple man buried at Boot Hill. The inscription read: "Here lies Jack Williams. He done all he could." Jack Williams did his best, and beloved, we need to do all that we can to honor the Lord with our lives and be faithful in our devotion to Him. It is amazing what you can accomplish when you do your best. You may not always be the best at something, but you can always do your best. That is the message that Solomon makes here. The heart’s desire of every Christian should be to praise the Lord, but also desire His praise. When you thirst for His praise instead of the applause of this world, you will be focused on being faithful to Him. * His Praise! * His praise will give fulfillment like a man that has reached a life-long goal that was spawned in his dreams as a little boy. * His praise will give the fulness of satisfaction like hungry boys that have eaten a Thanksgiving dinner until their hearts were content. * His praise will give fantastic joy like a little, curly-haired girl that opens a crimson-wrapped box on Christmas morning to find a beautiful doll that she always wanted. * His praise will give "Worth It" feelings like a runner that stands on the Olympic podium with a gold medal around his neck and ponders the fact that all the training, time, expense, and pain in practice were worth the prize. * His praise will give us an unworthy frame of mind like a humble, ordinary man that became a hero when he rescued someone on his path who was drowning in an icy stream or trapped in a car that was on fire. May we all keep rowing our boats for the Lord, serving Him until He comes that we might hear His "Well done thou good and faithful servant." This message was preached on Wednesday, October 6, 2021 at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.