Address—C.E. Lunden
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So we turn to the first chapter of Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes one.
The words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Vanity of vanities set the preacher, vanity of vanities.
All is vanity.
What prophet hath the man of all his labor, which he taketh?
Under the sun, Eight birds.
All things are full of Labor.
Man cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the air filled with hearing.
Verse 15.
That which is crooked cannot be made straight.
That which is warning cannot be numbered.
I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate.
I and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem.
Yeah, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
And I gave my heart to no wisdom, and to no madness and folly.
I perceive that this also is vexation of spirit.
For in much wisdom is much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge increases sorrow.
I said in mine heart go to now, I will prove thee with Merth.
Therefore enjoy pleasure, and behold, this also is vanity.
I said of laughter. It is mad and of mirth. What doeth it?
I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men which they should do under the heaven. All the days of their life I made me great works.
I build it be houses. I planted me vineyards. I made me gardens and orchards. I planted trees, and them of all kinds of fruit. I made me pools of water to water there with the wood that bringeth forth trees. I got me servants and maidens, and that servants born in my house. And I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me.
I gathered me awesome silver and gold, and the peculiar treasures of kings.
And of the provinces I got me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men.
As musical instruments and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem also my wisdom remained with me, and whatsoever mine eyes desired, I kept not from them. I withheld not my heart from any joy.
For my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my portion of all my labor.
Verse 18.
Yeah, I hated all my labor, which I'd taken under the sun.
Because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
I'd like you to turn with me to a scripture keeping this place, Deuteronomy 17, I believe it is.
14 Deuteronomy 17 and verse 14.
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When thou had come unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shall possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like us all the nations that are about me, Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, Whom the Lord thy God shall choose one from among thy brethren, shalt thou set king over thee? Thou mayest not set a stranger over thee which is not thy brother.
But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to the end, that he should multiply horses. For as much as the Lord has said unto you, you shall henceforth return no more that way, neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turned not away, neither shall he greatly multiplied him himself silver and gold.
And it shall be when he said upon the throne of his Kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priest of Levites.
And it shall be with him, and he shall read there in all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God.
To keep all the words of this law in these statues, to do them that his heart be not lifted up.
Above his brethren, and that he turned not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, nor to the left.
To the end that he may prolong his days and his Kingdom, he and his children.
In the midst of Israel.
We have in these verses that we've read in Ecclesiastes.
One who was a preacher.
Now he wasn't a preacher to start with.
No, he was a king to start with.
And he was a very unusual kind of a king.
Because there was number king like him for wisdom.
Not only had he inherited from his father a Kingdom that his father had diligently prepared in every way for him.
But he had inherited wealth.
And beside that God had given him wisdom.
And well.
So there was no king like him in that respect before or after.
You know, someone was saying the other day that probably the taxes.
Are no more today than they were in Solomon's time.
Think of all the works of Solomon built and how he taxed the people to get all of this revenue. Besides the wealth that he had, we read of it.
Yes, Solomon's day was a great day. It started out like the like the morning without cloud.
And all what a glorious noonday for solemn.
But what a sorrowful night to that man, King Solomon. What a night of retrospect, looking back over his life. Why?
It was said of his father David, that he served his generation. It was not so sad of Solomon.
You, dear young people, have inherited.
From your father's something that's better than all that Solomon ever inherited.
You have the precious word of God and all its fullness.
And God has been pleased to give it to you. And shall we say that he is also entrusted with you properly, many blessings in a physical way.
That those of another generation did not know.
Yes, some here have known the day when they worked for $15 a week.
And some of you are getting $15.00 an hour.
Oh, what a day we're living in a prosperity.
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What a day we're living in a privilege.
Are we holding the truth and unrighteousness?
Do we have a form of godliness and denying the power of it?
Solomon did.
If you read in the 6th chapter.
Of Crawford of Second Chronicles.
You will see that man as he prayed before God.
But what is he recounting to us here?
In the book of Ecclesiastes, now that he's turned preacher.
He's going back over his life.
And why?
So that you and I would know what's good for the sons of man.
God allowed Solomon to waste his life in this way.
So that you and I would discover not to waste our lives.
All dear young people, do you know that this life is the seed time for eternity?
Are you availing yourselves of it?
Are you planting wisely for that day?
Are you laying up in store for the time to come?
Solomon King in Jerusalem, son of David.
David, a man after God's own heart, never said of Solomon.
With all his wisdom and all his wealth.
All dear ones, Giftless and Godliness.
Position won't hold you.
You have to have what we had in our little hymn that we were singing.
What do we hold as a treasure or pleasure with Christ? That's all.
Are you and I willing to take the testimony of Solomon, who proved these things?
Who did not withhold his heart from any joy under the sun? Are we willing to take that testimony and start there? Are we going through the whole thing and prove it ourselves, dear young people?
What is written on the first page?
As he looks out of everything under the sun, vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
You believe that?
All is vanity.
That's the message this afternoon, dear one.
All that God would stir our hearts as we live in the midst of vanity, no day like it.
And if you want to see the end of it, read the story about Belshazzar and his idolatrous feet. That's the end of Christendom.
What does it mean to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness, the coupling of holy and unholy things?
To holding the truth and unrighteousness.
Yes, that's turning the grace of God into lasciviousness or license.
Are you and I doing this?
All beloved young people, you and I, who have been entrusted with so much.
What are we going to do whether?
Are we going to replace God with the world?
Solomon did.
Are we going to replace that which is for the soul, the body?
Are we going to substitute eternal values for time?
Solomon did.
Yes.
Is that the world or is it God?
Is that your body that you're interested in or is it your soul?
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Is the time or is it eternity?
Oh, how important the truth is here. How one would love to speak of Ephesians one or Hebrews one. There we have the glories of the person of Christ.
But all this afternoon one is constrained to speak of these things, dear young people.
Because we feel the need of it.
The world What is it?
Well, turn to the second chapter.
The third chapter.
3rd chapter.
11Th verse.
He hath made everything beautiful in his time, all throughout the world.
In their heart.
Now, dear young people, the world is in your heart. God said it there.
He did as a natural man. The world is in your heart.
How can this be well?
When God created this world, he fitted it for man.
Just as it should be for man.
Every detail was ready before man was placed here, and then he put man in the midst of it.
He gave him a bride, and he put the world in his heart.
What happened?
Ah, God had made everything beautiful in its time, but something happened to it all.
And it wasn't God that caused it to happen, because.
It was man's will.
And so in the 15 first of the third chapter, what do we read?
Now we have a blight coming in now.
That which hath been is now, and that which is to be hath already been, and God requires that which is passed.
Yes, God is going to require that with just past.
And there is no one in this room. But what can look back and say if they were true to themselves? I have sinned.
But you know, Adam sinned and he brought in a ruin upon the whole beautiful scene.
And you, dear young people, still have the world in your heart, unless the grace of God causes you to rise above it.
Do you know why you can't find your pleasure, your happiness here? Do you know why? Because you're not going to stay here, that's why.
You don't know how many hours more are appointed you.
During this meeting, I dare say.
From 7 to 10,000 souls will pass into eternity.
In this world, and you may be one of them during this hour.
Are you going to seek your pleasure here, dear young people? Are you?
Are you going to sit here and sing, oh worldly pomp and glory, your charms are spread in vain and then go out the door and seek your pleasures in this world. Are you?
Oh, may we plead with you this afternoon?
This is not your rest. Don't seek it here.
Don't seek it here.
But going back to the first chapter.
Eighth verse, The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear with hearing.
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You believe that?
Or do you have to prove it?
Here's the man who proved it, and now he's telling you. Are you going to believe it?
Are you going to spend your life on vanities?
Are you going to tour the world to find out all about it? Are you?
Are you going to visit every corner of it so you can discover whether or not the eye is satisfied with seeing or the ear with hearing?
The word of God tells you it isn't.
How about getting started right this afternoon on eternal things, on things of value that you can take with you?
That which is crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
Oh dear ones.
How often times we find ourselves in situations the.
That we set about to improve when there's no possibility of it and we spend our lives on vanity.
Let me give you an illustration.
I'm going to speak of a man that some know here.
He's a man that's been on his back all his life and he's probably nearly 40.
He cannot talk.
He's been in the hospital a good many years. His name is Albert.
Now he's not trying to improve his condition.
But I'll tell you, dear one, if you go and meet that man.
It'll be an inspiration to your soul.
He's not occupied with making crooked things straight. He's got something better before he's sold.
He hasn't descent in this world, but someone gave him $15.
And he gave it to a friend who understood what he meant.
Although he can't talk.
And this is what he said in his own language.
By signs.
I don't need it. I have my bed and I have Christ.
Oh dear ones.
What do you have this afternoon that your heart's craving after?
I know of a young lady, years ago, 18 years old.
Who was on her way to a school convention of some kind.
Suddenly, the car overturned.
Crushed her spine.
And I suppose to this day she's trying to make that with just crooked straight and although I believe she's a believer.
Trying to make that which is crooked straight. She hasn't accepted it.
She hasn't accepted it.
There's no possibility of her body being repaired.
With all precious of her heart could lay hold of that which is eternal.
Of value that was just warning cannot be numbered.
In this next chapter, we find Solomon trying to bring back the Garden of Eden.
Are you trying to do that?
Oh, may I say this to you, dear parents?
Are you trying to surround your children with the Garden of Eden? Are you?
You dear young parents here this afternoon.
These things will not satisfy your children, nor will they lead to godliness.
There's only one path that leads to godliness, and that's the path of dependence.
And the more we surround ourselves with present things, the less we learn about dependence.
Be sure of that.
Oh, how good it would be to follow the old path.
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The old paths that are laid out in the word of God, We're living in a day of new paths.
Some of you may have known.
I'll take the liberty to speak of this brother. He's with the Lord now. Herman Engberg.
For years he had his string of cattle.
And every morning he'd call them. Every evening he'd call them at the time of milking.
And you know something, every morning and every evening those cattle followed a certain path.
That path is deep now.
Many other cattle have been in that same pasture since then and therefore.
And they're following that same path.
Same path.
It's been years.
Since our dear brother Larson.
Father had his cattle in that pasture.
You remember our dear brother Larson is gone. Be with the Lord. His father had his cattle in that pasture.
It's the same path.
Getting deeper all the time. But it's the same path. Those cattle haven't changed the path at all in that pasture. God turned with me to the Song of Solomon.
Song of Sodom was written by the same author as this The Preacher the King in Jerusalem.
Seventh verse.
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth first chapter, seventh verse?
Where thou fetest, Where thou makeest thy flock to rest at noon.
For why should I be as one that turneth aside, but the flocks of thy companions?
If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and be thy kits besides the shepherd's tents.
That's the path.
How are you going to know the path, the footsteps of the Flock?
And oh, dear father and mother, feed the kids besides the shepherds.
Are you doing this?
The shepherds tents.
Are you seeking a new path?
Naomi sought a new path.
More She left her husband and her two sons there in debt.
A new path.
Oh, how many have sought a new path?
But how about the old path?
The footsteps of the Flock.
Solomon.
He surrounded himself with everything we've read of it.
Now the 10th 1St.
Of the Ecclesiastes 2, Ecclesiastes 2 and 10.
And whatsoever mine are as desired, I kept not from them. I withheld not my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my portion and all my labor.
Welders from Solomon.
He had all the wealth he wanted.
He was king. He lived in the day of perfect peace. His enemies have been put down by his father.
There was nothing to disturb Solomon outwardly.
And here he is.
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And now giving himself over to pleasure.
Which afterwards.
When he becomes a preacher.
He calls it Bali Bali.
Now, dear young people, are you going to start out in your lives by calling it pleasure or folly?
Are you going to just leave the world in your heart as it is, just like a natural man?
Or do you have something else that lifts your soul above it all? Do you have a stay arrest that you can depend upon?
Are you feeding on Christ?
It may be that some of you dear young people don't know the Lord Jesus. Oh, I ask you this afternoon, won't you take him as your Savior? The blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanseth from all sin.
You can have him as your savior this afternoon. You can start right?
And then take that path.
The footsteps of the Flock.
That a proven path.
And feed your kids beside the shepherd's tent.
Where your children can be fed and nourished and brought up in the proper way.
And were you yourself will find something for your own soul of lasting.
Prophet.
But Solomon was not like his father turned to the 119th Psalm with me.
Verse 37.
This is what David said.
Turn away mine eyes from the holding vanity.
Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity.
Is that what Solomon did?
He gave himself to it.
Yes, that if your heart is in this world this afternoon, you will give yourself to it too.
All you'll say, you know how you'll start out. You'll say, well, this is just an innocent pleasure.
There's nothing to this.
Do you know dear young people, It's your habits and it's your companions, your associates.
That leads you astray.
Oh yes it is. It keeps you from the.
Whether it be the salvation of your soul, or whether it be that you grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, where did Solomon make his first fatal mistake? Go to the first chapter.
First chapter of Ecclesiastes.
16 first.
I communed with mine own heart.
There's the fatal mistake.
You know that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Is that what you're commune with?
Oh dear, dear young people.
Why don't you take the word of God this afternoon?
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
The Word of God.
Not communing with your heart.
If you commune with your heart, you're going astray. What do your heart tell you?
My pleasure.
You know what your heart says to you. Yield for pleasure, middle age for business, and old age for religion. That's what your natural heart will say.
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Is that right?
Yield for pleasure.
Middle-aged for business?
And old age for religion.
Let the devil have everything but old age, and you'll give that to God. Is that right?
For you say no, it's not right. But I say, Oh dear young people, are you doing it? Are you?
Or you say, you're putting it rather bluntly, But it's the truth, isn't it?
Isn't that the truth?
I ask you, dear young people, when you gather together, do you sit down and discuss those things that are profitable for your souls?
Do you ever do that?
What is your occupation as you come together?
Is it what?
Your natural heart you commune with your heart that you should do.
Or is the word of God that prompts your actions.
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy Word.
Thy word.
Well, our time is slipping by.
In the third chapter, we find there's time for everything.
Now, dear young people, you and I.
Judge here what should occupy us and when we should be occupied with it. Notice the various things. We're not going to read them, but just notice them carefully sometime when you have time.
How that everything has a place?
And your life should be controlled by the word of God. There is a time for everything.
Let's not get things out of place.
In the 4th chapter.
Six verse.
Better.
Now he's going to tell you what's better.
Better. That's like the book of Hebrews. You know, it tells us what's better.
The better thing.
Better is a handful with quietness.
Then both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.
Now when you come into this world, you come in to a scene of vexation and spirit of spirit, and when you go out, you go out the same way as far as this world is concerned, you're not going to improve it.
And you're not going to find anything here but vexation of spirit. That's all you'll find in this world.
Solomon proved it.
He went to the extremes to prove it. He is the preacher in our setting before you to that you and I can see without going through the experience.
Better is a handful with quietness.
The spirit under control.
Serving the Lord.
A handful with quietness.
Then both of the hands full.
And vexation of spirit.
You know, we're told in Luke's gospel not to be overcharged with the cares of this life.
We all have cares, dear young people, but we're not to be overcharged with them. That's sin.
To be overcharged with cares.
The cares of this lot.
That's sin.
Handful with quietness. Oh, how good.
Prove it. You'll have time for the things of Christ.
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Your life won't be fulfilled that you say. Well, I haven't time to go to prayer meeting. I have something very important to attend to. Why did you have that important thing to attend to? Because you didn't leave room for the prayer meeting, isn't that right?
What is it that comes first in your lives? Oh, how good it would be if.
If we had a handful in quietness and we would have time for the things of Christ.
Yes, we would.
Now in this.
10th chapter in the 10th verse.
Ecclesiastes 10 and 10.
If the iron be blunt and he do not wet the edge, then must he put?
To more strength, but wisdom is profitable to direct.
Why is it that we're so dull so often in our spiritual lives?
Is it because the edge has not been wet?
Take a take a tool for instance.
And try to cut with it when it's dull.
Well, in the 1St place you can't do a good job and it may take you twice as long.
But just sharpen the edge a little. Just wet the edge and know how. Easy.
You can accomplish what you have in view.
But here we apply it to spiritual things.
How about our personal lives? Not what men see, but our personal life. Are we wetting the edge? Are we?
Perhaps you dear young people want to be heard.
You want to preach the gospel?
You want to get on the platform, I say. Have you wept the edge?
Have you been in communion with God so that he might use you as a tool and instrument for himself instead of exalting yourself?
Solomon said I became great, didn't he?
She did.
Great.
He surrounded himself with a Garden of Eden and became great.
But he didn't wet the edge.
There was number power in his greatness.
And he had to admit, when it was all over, it's all vanity.
How about?
How about wetting the edge? And I'm speaking to my own soul this afternoon.
How about wetting the edge?
Otherwise you'll have to put two more strength.
That's the energy of nature, and there'll be nothing for Christ in it.
They're now going to the.
11Th chapter.
Ninth verse, rejoice.
All young man in my youth.
And let thy heart shear thee in the days of thy youth.
And walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes.
But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
You take this path.
God will bring thee into judgment.
Therefore remove sorrow from thine heart and put away evil from thy flesh for childhood and youth.
Vanity.
God's pronouncement of it vanity.
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Childhood and youth, damn it.
The only thing it'll change it is Christ.
The Word of God was the object.
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. Remember now now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.
While the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.
While the sun or the light or the moon or the stars be not darkened.
The ruling powers the brain and all that which controls man.
Nor the clouds return after the rain retrospect.
Remembrance.
In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble.
The whole system that controls man and the strong men, his muscles go weak. The grinders, the teeth, I suppose.
Those who look out of the windows, the eyes.
The doors be shut in the streets when the sound of the grinding is low.
It isn't hard to see what this refers to. He shall rise up with the voice of the bird.
Restless.
The daughters of Music shall be brought low also, when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fear shall be in the way in the almond tree.
I suppose the white hair shall flourish in the grasshopper, shall be a burden. Desire shall fail.
Because man goes to his long home and the mourners go about the streets wherever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the picture be broken at the cistern or the wheel be broken.
Broken at the fountain, and the wheel be broken at the cistern.
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the Spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
But wait, that's not all. Look at the last verse.
The last verse.
For God shall bring every work into judgment.
With every secret thing.
Whether it be good?
Or whether it be evil.
You know what's said in the book of Hebrews? I believe that.
Jacob bless the sons of Joseph leaning upon his.
Die.
There wasn't much expression of faith in the life of Jacob until his time of his death.
That is, there wasn't much of an outward testimony in his life.
But there is one thing that Jacob had was a staff. He had a staff.
This is what enabled him.
To stand upright, he leaned on his staff.
And now we've read about what takes place in old age.
But all desire fails. No desire to build a Garden of Eden now.
No desire for pleasures.
Desires all failed. Now what?
Have you got a staff to lean on?
Have you?
Have you something solid to lean on when you come to that point in your life? You will if you've been already working on it.
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If you have Christ as your object.
If you have not followed the path of Solomon.
To commune with your heart.
That you've taken up the word of God as the object for your soul.
The directions are found in there.
That's before you, a person. Because really, that's what the word means. A person. Christ. He is the living word.
If this has been the the path that you've taken, you may have not said too much.
Down. Deep down.
You'll have what we find in second.
Corinthians 4. We'll turn to it in closing.
2nd Corinthians 4.
16 first.
For which 'cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed.
Day by day.
All that was through of David as he wrote those beautiful Psalms.
You know, David made mistakes.
But they weren't the pattern of his life.
The pattern of his life was.
Praise.
That all the pattern of Solomon's life until he became the preacher.
Was following vanity.
Vanity.
I say again, you dear young people have been entrusted with much.
How are you going to use it?
Your fathers have laid up for you much.
Not material wealth, I trust, but spiritual wealth.
What are you going to do with it?
Are you going to use it? Is it going to turn like David's to praise to God?
Are you going to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness? I.
Going to couple holy things with unholy.
A Christian can't do what the world can do.
Because the government of God will be upon him that, O al solemn, when we see the government of God falling upon those.
Who refused to walk in the path of faith?
What a solemn thing it is.
But how sweet?
How sweet, how precious it is.
When the inner man is renewed day by day, Communion.
The reading of the word of God in prayer. Don't be afraid of habits. Don't say what I'm going to read just when I feel like it. No.
You're a creature of habit. Form good ones or you'll form bad ones.
And let me say this in closing.
Unless you and I have a positive plan in our life.
For good.
We'll turn to delusion.
And the world which is in your heart will take over.
And you'll follow the path of pleasure folly be sure of that. But if you have Christ as the object.
And you set about definitely to have the word of God before you regularly.
To be on your knees before God.
Your path will be one of blessing.
You'll have a staff to lean on when that day comes. We're left here.
A staff to lean on.
He asked us to What you've learned of Christ that'll sustain you when all of these things breakdown as they do in nature.
Shall we sing number?
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39 in the back of the book.
How can we?
Say.