I invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to our text this Lord's Day as it's found in Ecclesiastes chapter 9 verse 11. I returned and saw under the sun That the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to the men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill, but time and chance happeneth to them all. We must carefully guard against thinking that our mere hard work, that our mere diligence, or that our abilities and gifts automatically guarantee to us success in this life, automatically guarantee us that all the plans that we have for the future are going to be realized. Certainly we should be very diligent in working hard and developing the gifts and the abilities that God has given unto us to serve him and to serve others. And ordinarily, hard work in the use of the blessings and gifts that God has given to us does yield a profit in many ways in this life. Proverbs 13, four. We read, the soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat, shall be prosperous. Nevertheless, the Lord also reminds us from his word today that the right use of God's gifts does not necessarily ensure and guarantee that all of our earthly plans will be realized. The Lord teaches us that it's not our swiftness, it's not our strength, it's not our riches, it's not our knowledge that ultimately brings about the realization of the plans that we have in this life. He uses, indeed, our gifts. He uses our abilities. He uses our diligence. But it is God, by his most wise and holy providence, that brings about every blessing in this life. And it's easy to forget that. Even the disciples of the Lord Jesus forgot that. They learned, again, the lesson a hard way. You remember in Mark chapter nine that there was this young boy that was demon-possessed. His father brought this young boy to be healed by the Lord Jesus. Jesus was with Peter, James, and John in the Mount of Transfiguration. And the father brought this young boy to be healed by the disciples and they prayed and they could not heal him. Christ had given them the gift of healing and yet they could not heal him. Again, they were trusting in their abilities. They were not looking to the Lord, they were looking to their own gifts and abilities, to their own swiftness, to their own strength. I have the gift of healing. Therefore I can heal this, this boy. And the Lord showed them, no, it's not, it's not merely in our gifts and in our abilities or in our diligence. It is the power of God and it's trusting in him. You see, we are simply tools. in God's hand that he uses to accomplish his good pleasure. And to our shame, we so often look to the tool. We look to our own gifts. We look to our own abilities for the help that we need, giving the tool the praise rather than looking to God who wields and uses the tool in his almighty hand to fulfill his purposes in this world and giving God the praise and glory. How often the Lord disappoints and frustrates our own resources, our abilities, our gifts, our diligence, our plans, in order to humble us and to remind us that we are simply tools. We're not God. We are simply tools that God uses for his own glory. That's what Paul is saying basically in 1 Corinthians 3, verses six through seven. He's saying, I'm simply a tool. God is the one who brings forth the increase. I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything. Neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. He is everything. God both gives the increase, but sometimes God withholds the increase for his own holy and wise purposes and reasons. And dear ones, if we do not learn this lesson in the school of Christ, we will be constantly disappointed and discouraged because our plans have not been realized. Even though we've been in our judgment and estimation so diligent, we've been faithful in the uses of the gifts and graces that he has given unto us. Why hasn't he blessed them? Why hasn't he enlarged us? Why hasn't he delivered us? The Lord tells us that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to the men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill. The main points from our text in Ecclesiastes 9.11 are the following. First of all, our gifts do not guarantee earthly success. Ecclesiastes 9.11, and the second main point also from the same verse, the reason why we cannot trust our gifts. So the first main point, our gifts do not guarantee earthly success. Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon, the wisest mere man that ever lived. In order to reveal the vanity, the emptiness of all life under the sun without the Lord Jesus without God. In Ecclesiastes chapter one, verse two, and this is the theme, this is the conclusion. Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, that is Solomon, he's preaching in this book. Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Interesting, he states his conclusion first and then the rest of the book goes to prove his conclusion, that all is vanity, all is emptiness apart from God. If it's simply a life lived under the sun, a life lived in this world, it's vanity, it's futile. If anyone should have found joy, If anyone should have found true joy, lasting joy, contentment in this life, it should have been Solomon. He had the immense wealth, he had the great power, he had the knowledge and the wisdom to find joy and he tried it all. There wasn't anything he says as he works his way through the book of Ecclesiastes that he did not try in order to find the joy and peace that lasts. But he writes this inspired book to inform us that if we only live for this life under the sun, we will be filled again with vanity. we'll be filled with emptiness and we'll be filled with futility. Only Jesus, only Jesus can give a true and lasting joy and contentment regardless of what happens in this life. In this chapter, Ecclesiastes chapter nine, in verses seven through 10, the verses that occur immediately before our text, Solomon has given us a remedy to ward off discouragement when we find ourselves in times of adversity. And he, in effect, says in these verses, look at the blessings of God all around you when you're going through great trials and adversity. Find, count them, seek out the blessings of God. Humble yourself and be thankful for the blessings of God. And don't do this half-heartedly. Don't just go about looking for God's blessings and thanking God for his blessings half-heartedly. Do it with all your might, he says. God wants you to enjoy the blessings that he has given to you. Do it with all your strength. Do it with all your might. You see, dear ones, it's easy for our sinful nature to count all that we want and what we do not have, rather than to count all that God has given to us, even if it's not all that we want. That's what our old nature does, but our new nature seeks out, our new nature in Christ finds and counts, even in the midst of adversity, finds the blessings. They may seem to be hiding behind those dark clouds or behind that storm or behind that rain or that strong wind that is blowing, but they're there. And God calls us to seek out those blessings, even in such times. Our joy, our peace, and our contentment depend on what we count as blessings that God has given to us. And those blessings, God calls us to enjoy with all our might. But in verse 11, having said that, in verses seven through 10. In verse 11, Solomon gives a word of caution. The word of caution here is given in order that we might avoid an erroneous conclusion that might be drawn from what he just said in verse 10. whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest. Therefore, enjoy the blessings of God that God has given to you. Now, but here's the caution. I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to the men of understanding, nor yet favor to the men of skill. You see the error is this that we must again avoid and which he warns us of. There may be some who think that merely applying our hand with all our might and strength to use our gifts and perform our duties will automatically yield the blessings that we seek in this life. Perhaps we have cried out to the Lord, God, I have sought to be faithful in my Christian life. Why did I lose my job? Why did my child go astray? Why did my marriage collapse? Why did my loved one die? Why have I suffered this physical affliction? Why, Lord? The prophet Elijah even fell into this error, you recall. after he had won such a mighty victory, the blessing of God there on Mount Carmel. And God had sent forth fire from heaven and burned and consumed the sacrifice after the prophets of Baal had cried to Baal all day long, and there was nothing, not a drop. And yet God consumed the water, the sacrifice, and the altar itself. before Elijah and before King Ahab and all the people of Israel. And then Jezebel threatened his life and he ran in fear. And he ran and he ran, he was exhausted. He finally ran to a cave. And we read in 1 Kings 19 verses nine through 10. And he came thither unto a cave and lodged there, and behold, the word of the Lord came to him. And he said unto him, what doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been jealous for the Lord, God of hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars and slain thy prophets with the sword. And I, even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away. I've been faithful, Lord. I've been diligent. I've served thee. I've stood up for thee. And this is what I get. My life is now being threatened by Jezebel. I'm fleeing for my life. Does God always bring earthly success to our diligence in obeying and serving Him? He will indeed bless our obedience. I don't think we need to draw the conclusion just because we don't see with our eyes certain physical, earthly, material blessings that we ought not to conclude that God does not bless our obedience. But sometimes that's what we are especially focused on are the things of this world that we want to see. He will bless our loving obedience, but will it necessarily be earthly blessings that we can see or grasp with our hands? Ordinarily, those who, again, obey their parents, honor their parents, and all lawful authority according to the fifth commandment will have A long life on the earth as God has promised in Ephesians 6, one through three. Children, obey your parents and the Lord for this is right. I wanna stop there for a moment. Children, obey your parents and the Lord, not because of what you will receive in this life. That's not what he says first. He does go on to say that it may be well with you and you may have a long life, But the first reason, children, you are to obey your parents is because it's right. It's right before God. And then he goes on to say, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with thee and that thou mayest live long on the earth. But dear ones, that's not always true. as we see in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, who only lived to be 33 years of age when he was crucified. Or when the young Margaret Wilson, Scottish martyr, covenanter, who was only 18 years of age and was drowned to death because she would not turn her back upon the Lord in the covenant. that she had taken and had been taken for her by those in authority, a biblical lawful covenant, the solemn legion covenant. And she would not deny that covenant before the dragoons. And she was drowned to death, along with Margaret McLaughlin, an elderly lady. And so sometimes, again, though that's the general promise. Obey your parents and you'll have a long life. Again, there are exceptions obviously to that. Does the prayer of faith always heal the sick? According to James 5.15. Why then was Paul not healed of this thorn in the flesh? for which he prayed three times that he would be healed and delivered from. Why was Timothy not healed of his many stomach ailments? Why was Trophimus left sick at Miletus? Paul certainly had the gift of healing, and yet he left Trophimus sick, Timothy sick, he, again, We can ask the question, why? The prayer of faith, again, is even subject to the purposes of God, to what his will is. Does obedience to God always lead to earthly blessings? Then why was Lazarus begging at the gate of the rich man in Luke 16, or why did Job lose all that he had in this world during a time of testing? You see, dear ones, there's no mathematical formula that will bring about the realization of all of our plans in this life that is under the sun. That if I'm diligent, that if I'm faithful, that if I do this and I do that, then all of these plans are going to come to fruition. where God cannot be placed in a box. And we do not obey God, we are not diligent in order to get something from God. That's the outcome, that's certainly the fruit. But we do so because he is worthy. We do so because it is right. We do so, we're diligent, we're faithful, we use our gifts and abilities. not to get something first and foremost from God, but to honor Him because we love Him, we worship Him, we want to follow Him. God will keep all of His promises. However, He will keep His promises to us in the way and at the time that He sets. not according to our day timer, not according to our calendar, not according to our watch, but according to his own time and his purposes, he fulfills his promises. Sometimes God works ever so slowly in our lives or in the lives of others, so it seems, even to the point that we wonder in unbelief whether he is working at all. At other times, God surprises us with unimaginable blessings when we ask or even before we ask. God is God. He doesn't have to tell us and give an account for what He does and why He does it, but He does it for His own most wholly wise purposes, and He does it for our good. And we need to understand, again, it's not our gifts, it's not our abilities, it's not our diligence that cause that are the cause of the blessings that we enjoy. It is the mercy and the love of Jesus Christ that is the cause of the blessings that we enjoy in this life. It is not because we are swift. It is not because we are strong. It is not because we are knowledgeable. It is because he is good. He is good. We cannot put our confidence and our trust, dear ones, in our diligence. We can't put our trust and confidence in our gifts or in our obedience to God's commandments as being the cause of blessings that he bestows upon us. Those may be means that he uses, but they are not the cause. The cause and the source is God himself out of his rich love and his tender mercy to us, whom he loves with an everlasting love. We use our gifts to serve the Lord and others because, again, He is worthy. He's worthy of that service. He's worthy of our obedience, not in order to get what we want in this life. In Revelation 4.11, That's what the saints in heaven are crying out. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created, for the pleasure of God. Dear ones, we can never make God our debtor by way of our obedience. God owes us nothing. We owe Him everything. We are debtors to Him. And so let us never look at our obedience or our diligence or our faithfulness as being that which guarantees that we will get what we want in this life. We do those things because he's worthy. And if he blesses us, with those earthly blessings that we have prayed for, then we rejoice in that. But if he doesn't, we yet rejoice in him because we don't serve him in order to get, we serve him because he's worthy. The words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 9.11, are both an encouragement to us and a warning to us and so let's first look at how these words are an encouragement to us. These words are an encouragement to us who are desperate in circumstances and are utterly powerless to change those circumstances or to change people all around us. It may appear to us that the enemies of Christ in this world are swift, are mighty, are rich, and are knowledgeable, and we cannot stand before them. It may appear that our situation in this life is totally hopeless in light of the enemy's resources. But let us be encouraged, the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. No matter how swift, no matter how strong the enemy may appear. You remember, And we just read this last Lord's Day in our Old Testament scripture reading, how the Lord gave victory to Jonathan and to his armor bearer over the Philistine garrison. And Jonathan said to the young man that bear his armor in 1 Samuel 14, six, Come, let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few. It doesn't matter how swift they are. It doesn't matter how strong they are. There is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few. Or you remember how the Lord defeated 135,000 Midianites through Gideon's 300 Israelites who only had trumpets and pitchers and torches and who shouted At the same time, the words of the Lord and in Judges 7, there was such confusion amongst the camp within the Midianites that they destroyed themselves. He brought about such a victory and that type of victory we see in the way in which the Lord delivered Jehoshaphat as well against the Ethiopians who, again, were at the very threshold of Jerusalem, a mighty force, far outnumbered God's people. And the Lord told them to go out and to send the priests out, the Levites out to sing Psalms. And God brought about again such confusion among the ranks that they destroyed themselves. And that's what I expect God will do with his enemies even now. I believe God will cause them to destroy themselves. He does not need for there to be twice as many of us than them. He causes confusion. He causes, again, that even the weak to see the victory. The victory doesn't go. The race is not won by the swift. The battle's not won by the strong. It's by those who trust in the Lord. The Lord delivered Peter by an angel from prison, though Peter was shackled and guarded under lock and key in Acts 12. Peter was very weak. He wasn't physically strong and able to break those shackles, and yet the Lord delivered him. Jesus took Paul's painful thorn in the flesh and he used it to show for his strength. in Paul's weakness. And Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12, 10, when I am weak, then I am strong. How is that Paul? How is it that you, when you're weak, when you are suffering, when you're going through such trial, tribulation, infirmities, how is it in your weakness that you are strong? Because then, It's clear in my weakness that it's not my strength that is carrying me through. It's clear that it is the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ that is carrying me through. So this is always our hope, dear ones. This is the encouragement of these words that God is able to use even we who are weak and frail to accomplish mighty things against those who believe that they're swift, against those who believe that they are strong, against those who believe that they are wise and knowledgeable and have the favor of men of this world. God is able to do mighty things and he will do mighty things as he has always done throughout scripture and throughout history when we stand for him. He's able to turn the overwhelming resources of the wicked against them so that they, as we've noted, destroy themselves. In Isaiah 54, 17, we read, no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper. That is, shall prosper for thy hurt, for thy destruction spiritually. And every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and the righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper. But this, these words here in Ecclesiastes 9.11, that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to the men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill. These words are also of great warning, not only great encouragement to us, but also of great warning to us that our trust cannot be placed ultimately in man, in the gifts and the resources of man. This would be their ones to make an idol out of man and out of man's resources. Our trust must finally be in the Lord alone. So says the psalmist in Psalm 33, verses 16 through 20. There is no king saved by the multitude of an host. A mighty man is not delivered by much strength. And Horus is a vain thing for safety. Neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him. Upon them that hope in his mercy to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine, our soul waited for the Lord for he is our help and our shield. So much of the discontentment and discouragement that we experience in this life is due to our falling into this air. We faithfully do what we know to do. And when adversity rather than prosperity comes our way, we say, why Lord? I have done what thou has commanded me to do. Where is thy blessing for which I have prayed? And from there, very often we spiral downward into unbelief and self-pity and even anger against the Lord and against His most holy and wise providence. Dear ones, when that happens, when we spiral downward because the Lord has not given to us that for which we have prayed, Does that not indicate that our faith has been misplaced all along? Are we not, and that is what we expect, the blessing of the Lord because we have been diligent, because we've been faithful. Are we not then trusting more in what we have done to bring about his blessings than trusting in his tender mercies? Trusting in his Holy purposes, trusting in Him being a loving and a faithful God to give us all that we need even now. Our response to God's nays and to God's delays says much about where our faith is placed. Is it placed in ourselves or is it placed in Him? Our response will tell us where our faith is placed. Does our response reveal that our faith is placed in Jesus Christ who works His power in those who glory not in their own swiftness, who glory not in their own riches, who glory not in their own might, who glory not in their own earthly wisdom, but who glory rather in the Lord. Jeremiah chapter nine verses 23 through 24. a favorite of mine, thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might. Let not the rich man glory in his riches, but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, saith the Lord. That we glory in knowing him. That we glory in being a child of God, in receiving the forgiveness of all of our sin, standing righteous before the absolutely righteous God that we stand righteous before Him now and for all eternity, that He supplies all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. And if He withholds something from us, then we must not have needed it. Otherwise, He would have given it to us. The Lord disappoints our earthly expectations that the race is not to the swift so often in order that our faith might rest in Him and not in our swiftness and not in our riches and not in our might and not in our wisdom. but that our faith might rest in Him, the Almighty God. The second main point, very briefly, the reason why we cannot trust our gifts. Solomon says, but time and chance happeneth to them all. In other words, It's not the resources of man that guarantee success or bring to pass the events in your life or mine, or even the blessings that we pray for or long for. It is the divinely ordained plan and good pleasure of God that orders the time and the events in our lives. Even those events, that appear from our human perspective to be chance because they're outside of our control. The word chance here in verse 11, but time and chance happeneth to them all, but it's probably better translated as occurrence. but time and occurrence. Occurrence that is not planned by man, in other words. We're simply talking here about God's providence, are we not? But time and chance, or God's providence happeneth to them all. Doesn't depend upon the swift, it doesn't depend upon the strong or the wise. or the rich and wealthy. No, it depends upon God because time and chance happens to everyone. God's providence is that which brings to pass all things. This is why we must never consider some earthly blessing as absolutely sure and certain as guaranteed to us as the result of our strength as a result of our swiftness, as a result of our knowledge or our wisdom, or even our obedience. Even if it is done according to the will of God, God administers those blessings that he chooses at precisely the right time. No sooner and no later than is best for us. It doesn't do this so that we're simply waiting around doing nothing. Okay, God, bring about thy providence in my life. God doesn't do that in order for us to be lazy and sit around and do nothing. The Lord calls us to be diligent in the time we have in exercising faith in him and love for him and obedience. acting as though our diligence, we ought not to act as though our diligence matters not at all. It matters much to God. All that I think Solomon is saying is our diligence is not the cause of the blessings that we receive in this life. They may be the means, but they're not the cause. God is the cause. And he will, if we become lazy, He will discipline us. He calls us to be faithful. He calls us to persevere in what is right and what is true and what is righteous. He calls us to use our gifts for His glory and to walk in faithfulness to His commandments. And He even graciously rewards us when we do so, not because He has to reward us, because he chooses to reward us, because he delights to reward us. The duty is always ours to obey God. The result and consequences of our obedience belongs to God, what he does with it. And so as I close today, Let me conclude with these thoughts. Again, the race is not to the swift or to the most gifted, but is to those who actually see their weakness. And because they see their weakness, they persevere in trusting the Lord Jesus to be their strength. It is not how quickly you start the race out of the starting blocks. It's not how quickly you start that counts, or how swift you may be at certain points of the race, the Christian race. What ultimately counts is that you finish the race. that you finish it. It's what the Apostle Paul says in 2nd Timothy 4 verses 7 through 8. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. That is the race the Lord set before me. I have kept the faith. Henceforth, There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day. And not to me only, but unto all them also that love is appearing. But ultimately counts there once. is that you persevere in the race that the Lord has set before you. Not that you are necessarily swift. If God grants us swiftness and that we grow more at certain periods of our life than other periods, praise God. Let us seek to grow. Let us not certainly set obstacles before us. Let us not put burdens upon our shoulders by way of sin and transgressions that hold us back from running this race. Let us run the race set before us, but let us run to finish the race. Let us run to persevere, looking to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. He's already run the race, according to Hebrews 12, verses one through three. He's already standing at the goal. He's there, as it were, calling us to run the race that He has run in faithfulness. He has already won the race for us. We can't win the race on our own. We cannot run the race in our own strength. We run the race in Christ's strength. We win the battles not in our own strength, but in Christ's strength. It all comes from the Lord Jesus. Let us not trust our own swiftness, our own strength, our own riches, our own wisdom or knowledge. Let us trust the Lord Jesus, looking to him, Jesus, who is the author and the finisher. He finished the race. And by God's grace, so will we finish the race. Please stand with me in prayer. Heavenly Father, thank Thee and praise Thee for our Savior. We look to Him who has already run the race. And though He went through more persecution and suffering than any mere man has ever endured, He finished the race. And so, because we are in Him, we will finish the race as well. Let us not trust in our own gifts, our own abilities. Let us not trust in even our own obedience. Let us trust in Jesus Christ. Let us look to him to supply the strength, which we acknowledge we do not have. But with Paul, we declare, when I am weak, then am I strong. strong in the strength of Jesus Christ, who will cause us to finish the race that we have begun. We praise Thee and we thank Thee, in Jesus' name, amen.