1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,840 Good afternoon. Certainly a pleasure to be here, 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:08,000 to be your speaker this evening. Although it was not originally 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,360 planned, it's a great opportunity. 4 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:12,000 I'm glad to be here to worship with you. 5 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:14,080 I'm thankful for the safe travels that Kendra and I have 6 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,360 had to be here, and I'm excited to share with you something that 7 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:22,200 I've been studying recently. If you have your Bibles, please 8 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:24,360 open to Ecclesiastes, the first chapter. 9 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:27,880 We're going to be staying there for the vast majority of our 10 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:30,880 study, and we're going to kind of go through this as an 11 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,560 expository study through the 1st chapter of Ecclesiastes. 12 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,280 And before I begin, a quick disclaimer. 13 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:39,360 We can't go through the whole book. 14 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:41,120 We can't go through the whole book. 15 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:45,240 Ecclesiastes is a meaty book. It's a powerful book and I would 16 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:47,880 encourage you maybe take the liberty to assign some homework, 17 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,160 read the rest of it on your own, read the rest of it on your own. 18 00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:53,720 We can't go through all of it, but hopefully this serves as 19 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:57,040 motivation for you and your own personal study to go through 20 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:00,480 this book, and maybe it will be as helpful to you as it has been 21 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:05,200 to me in my own life. So Ecclesiastes, many people 22 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:07,680 have really never read Ecclesiastes, but they've heard 23 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:10,200 things about it. Some would say it's the problem 24 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:13,280 child of the Bible. And their reaction usually goes 25 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:16,080 something like this. Isn't that the depressing book 26 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,800 that says life is meaningless? The short answer to that 27 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:24,360 question is yes, it is the depressing book that says life 28 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:26,960 is meaningless. But it's not just that. 29 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:29,520 I argue there's a flip side to that coin. 30 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:35,040 The idea of meaninglessness is a huge theme throughout the text. 31 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:38,240 However, that's not the ultimate goal of the rider. 32 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:41,520 The goal of the rider, I would argue, is not to make us feel 33 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:45,880 meaningless, not to make us feel insignificant, but to weed out 34 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:48,080 those things that are meaningless, that are 35 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:52,000 insignificant, so that we can find those things that are truly 36 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,960 meaningful, that are truly significant. 37 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:59,240 If you picture life as a garden, we have flowers and we have 38 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:01,440 weeds. Flowers are those things that 39 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:04,960 are beautiful, They're meaningful, we like them and 40 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:09,000 they satisfy us. And we know weeds get in the way 41 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,760 of flowers. Weeds grow a whole lot faster 42 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:14,680 than flowers do. They could still sunlight from 43 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:16,640 those flowers make it hard for flowers to grow. 44 00:02:16,920 --> 00:02:19,240 And even if there are flowers, sometimes they get blocked by 45 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:20,760 the weeds because the weeds are bigger. 46 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,200 And So what I would argue the preacher, as we go through this 47 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:28,440 first chapter of Ecclesiastes, is advocating that we need to 48 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,040 pull those weeds out of our lives to nurture those flowers 49 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:34,840 that need to be growing. And so we can see those flowers 50 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:37,120 that are already there, and we need to be paying a little more 51 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:41,200 attention too, because they are truly more important. 52 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:47,120 In the same way, in order to find meaning, just like in order 53 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,400 to find those flowers, you have to weed out the meaningless. 54 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:54,240 Throughout the book, the idea of vanity is repeated over and over 55 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,760 again constantly. This phrase again, this is 56 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:58,480 vanity and grasping for the wind. 57 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:01,000 I saw that this was vanity and grasping for the wind. 58 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,360 You'll hear it repeated over and over again throughout the text, 59 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:08,280 but the author does this to bring focus to that which does 60 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,560 matter. It is a book not really of 61 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:14,480 doctrinal teaching, but a perspective building. 62 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:17,880 There's some doctrine and Ecclesiastes, but really this is 63 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:21,000 a book that helps Christians and it would have been the children 64 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:25,440 of Israel at the time, but to foster a perspective about God 65 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:31,080 that will help them to live fulfilling lives and really what 66 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:34,160 we should be valuing in our lives that will bring us 67 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:37,920 fulfilment. And I'll say that this book can 68 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,360 be depressing. It can be hard to read about the 69 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,480 things that you care about. They don't mean anything. 70 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:46,880 But I would advocate that sometimes God has to break down 71 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,960 before he can build up. Things that which we think are 72 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:54,000 important, this book reveals, are usually worthless. 73 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:57,120 And that can be a painful realization that can create a 74 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,000 void. Sometimes God needs to clear out 75 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:04,200 some of space in our hearts so that he has room to occupy. 76 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,400 He has to tear down that love for material things in order to 77 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:11,520 cultivate a love for him. And ultimately, as we'll find, 78 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,400 freeing ourself of that reliance, that dependence on 79 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:19,720 material things is the only way to achieve true contentment and 80 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:23,840 peace in life. So let's jump right in verse. 81 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:28,600 Verse one, the words of the preacher, the son of David, king 82 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:31,760 in Jerusalem. This raises 2 questions for me. 83 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:34,560 Just as the beginning of the book and from this verse in 84 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,400 general #1 who's the author? That's important when we're 85 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:40,800 studying any biblical text. The author of the book can give 86 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:44,280 us insight onto the teachings, the time it was written, what he 87 00:04:44,280 --> 00:04:46,400 truly means, why he's writing it. 88 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:50,920 There are two main schools of thought on the authorship of 89 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:54,120 Ecclesiastes. You see here that the the 90 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:56,440 preacher is a introduced character. 91 00:04:57,240 --> 00:04:59,960 One group believes that the author is someone other than the 92 00:04:59,960 --> 00:05:03,080 preacher who was recording the words of the preacher after the 93 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:06,720 fact and reflecting on them. We'll find in chapter 12 that 94 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,560 there's some reflection that happens on all the teachings of 95 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:12,480 the preacher. Another one says, another school 96 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:14,800 of thought says that the author and the preacher, they're just 97 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,200 the same person. So it would be like if I was 98 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:19,840 about to to tell something to you, I would say these are the 99 00:05:19,840 --> 00:05:22,160 words of Cohen. And then after the fact, I said 100 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:24,360 this is what Cohen said in the third person. 101 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:27,520 And that's not something that's out of the blue. 102 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,320 It does happen in the Bible. Bible writers sometimes refer to 103 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:32,600 themselves in the third person. So it's not something that's 104 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:36,600 totally unheard of. But I would argue that the 105 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:39,360 authorship is not the primary concern. 106 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:43,200 Whether or not the author is the preacher or the author was 107 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:46,200 simply recording the words of the preacher, the teaching is 108 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:48,480 largely the same. I don't think there's any 109 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:51,080 differences in interpretation based on the either of those 110 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:54,360 views. What is of importance is who the 111 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:57,720 preacher is because the preacher is who's given us the meat of 112 00:05:57,720 --> 00:05:59,800 the text. The preacher is the one who's 113 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:04,240 preaching. And based on the clues given to 114 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:07,840 us in the first verse, and we'll find even in verse 16 of this 115 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:14,000 chapter, I believe it is the primary subject or suspect for 116 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:15,800 who the preacher is. I guess you could say is 117 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:19,600 Solomon, King Solomon. And we see here it says that the 118 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:21,400 the preacher is the son of David. 119 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:25,560 Solomon was the literal son of David and he was literally the 120 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:28,520 king in Jerusalem. Later on, it will talk about the 121 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:32,240 wisdom that this preacher has gained, and we know that Solomon 122 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:35,560 was blessed by God with unparalleled wisdom, so it makes 123 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:39,520 sense that Solomon is the most obvious candidate for who the 124 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:43,960 preacher is. Solomon had more than any of us 125 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:49,200 could ever dream of, which makes his perspective so powerful and 126 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:54,320 insightful as we read this book. So these are the words of the 127 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:57,600 preacher. Vanity of vanity, says the 128 00:06:57,600 --> 00:06:59,360 preacher. Vanity of vanities. 129 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:03,480 All is vanity, verse 2. Think of this as the thesis 130 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:05,080 statement for the rest of the book. 131 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:08,720 This idea of vanity is one that will be hammered into you by the 132 00:07:08,840 --> 00:07:13,560 end of reading Ecclesiastes, and it's a major concept. 133 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:15,640 So we need to know what this word vanity means. 134 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:18,120 I think it's easy to have a baseline understanding of 135 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:23,600 vanity, but the Hebrew word is Havel, and that is literally 136 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:27,600 translated vapor or breath. Think about walking outside on a 137 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,320 cold morning and you breathe out and you see your breath there 138 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:31,720 for a second, but then it's gone. 139 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:35,800 Basically what this means, anything that's vanity is that 140 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:41,280 which is pointless without profit, futile, fleeting, or 141 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:43,840 worthless. It's not lasting. 142 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:47,160 It's not going to matter at the end of the day. 143 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:51,720 So Solomon is saying that the things in this life are just 144 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:53,880 like that. They're vanity, they're 145 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:56,640 worthless, they're fleeting, they're futile. 146 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:01,440 They're vanity because they will ultimately be worthless and they 147 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:04,680 will ultimately profit us nothing of lasting value. 148 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:08,440 And Solomon, I believe, is saying this is kind of a 149 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:10,680 hyperbole. He's kind of exasperated. 150 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:13,320 All is vanity. It'd be like if I got cut off in 151 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:16,040 traffic and I said everything's going wrong today. 152 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:19,560 Everything's not going wrong in the strictest sense of that 153 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:23,160 phrase, but I'm so overwhelmed in that moment that I'm saying 154 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:26,600 everything is going wrong. Solomon was likely overwhelmed 155 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:31,200 by the things in his life that he found to be vanity, that he 156 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:37,159 says everything is vanity, all is vanity, and much of life is. 157 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:41,320 It's not that much of an exaggeration, but the things in 158 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:46,840 his life especially were vanity, and he was probably worn down by 159 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:48,840 that. He'd probably grown weary. 160 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:53,480 Not everything is vanity, but those things in Solomon's life 161 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:56,800 had caused him to cry out in this way at the beginning of 162 00:08:56,800 --> 00:09:01,440 this discourse. Verse 3 says this. 163 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:05,520 What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils 164 00:09:05,680 --> 00:09:08,520 under the sun? Under the sun. 165 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:10,800 What does Solomon mean when he says that? 166 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:13,760 That's another major theme. Under the sun is a phrase that's 167 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:17,000 repeated over and over again. This is the first time that it's 168 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:21,520 used essentially under the sun and above the sun. 169 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:24,080 You won't find the phrase above the sun used in the book, but 170 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:25,920 there are two different perspectives. 171 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:30,720 Under the sun is this physical life as we experience it, devoid 172 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,800 of God. It is the non spiritual things 173 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:37,840 that we experience in life. And so Solomon says, what 174 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:41,400 prophet has a man from all his labor in which he toils under 175 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:43,760 the sun? It's a rhetorical question. 176 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:47,640 Solomon asks what prophet? There's no prophet in what we 177 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:50,360 toil under the sun. And I want to make it clear that 178 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:55,160 by saying these things, Solomon is not condemning or devaluing 179 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:58,080 hard work. In fact, later in the book he's 180 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:02,120 going to emphasize we do need to work hard in things in our life. 181 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:07,920 Ecclesiastes 910 says whatever you your hands find to do, do it 182 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:11,720 with your might, for there is no work or device or knowledge or 183 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:13,520 wisdom in the grave where you are going. 184 00:10:14,560 --> 00:10:18,240 This is really similar to what Paul wrote in Colossians 322 185 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:21,080 through 24. He says they're bond servants. 186 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,640 Obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with 187 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:29,520 eye service as men pleasers, but in sincerity of heart fearing 188 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:31,920 God. And whatever you do, do it 189 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:35,520 heartily as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the 190 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:39,160 Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance, for you 191 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:43,680 serve the Lord Christ. When we work, we're supposed to 192 00:10:43,680 --> 00:10:47,680 work as though we're doing the job for God, not man. 193 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:52,680 And studying that was kind of a painful realization for me 194 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:55,120 because that hasn't always been the case in my life. 195 00:10:55,880 --> 00:11:00,640 And maybe it's a crude example, but when my my mom or my dad 196 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:04,000 asks me to mow the lawn, I have to mow the lawn. 197 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:05,400 You know, like kind of grudgingly. 198 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:10,320 Would I act that same way if God had asked me to mow his lawn? 199 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:16,760 I hope not. Would I have cut corners, left 200 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,160 some weeds there when you couldn't, couldn't really see 201 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:21,400 them, you know, if you just checked out the window? 202 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:24,000 Would I have done that if I was mowing God's lawn? 203 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:29,560 It's a small example, but even those small things, those small 204 00:11:29,560 --> 00:11:33,120 things that we put effort into in our lives are practice for 205 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:38,440 those bigger things, right? And even though maybe my lawn 206 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:43,160 isn't God's lawn, I am working for God because God has given 207 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:45,400 that individual authority over me. 208 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:48,240 And he said you work for them like you're working for me. 209 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:53,920 So that should inspire an attitude of being hard working, 210 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:58,760 having a good work ethic. And the difference is found in 211 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:02,120 our hearts. Many worldly people are 212 00:12:02,120 --> 00:12:06,800 incredibly hard workers, but they set their their their goals 213 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:11,680 after something that's vain. And that's a goal that Solomon 214 00:12:11,680 --> 00:12:15,000 knew all too well was ultimately worthless and fleeting. 215 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:18,720 Like Colossians said, we need to have sincerity of heart when we 216 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:23,040 work, not striving to build up wealth for ourselves, but to 217 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:25,240 glorify God in the work that we do. 218 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:29,960 Service to God can bring contentment that money never 219 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:34,800 can. The action is is the same, but 220 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:38,440 our heart, what we're after, determines our reward. 221 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:42,440 This is beautifully exemplified in Matthew chapter 6. 222 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:45,240 Jesus taught there in verses 5 through 7. 223 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:49,560 And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, for they 224 00:12:49,560 --> 00:12:52,320 love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of 225 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:55,200 the streets, that they may be seen by men. 226 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:58,640 Here's the purpose. Jesus says, I know their hearts, 227 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:01,880 I know why they're doing it. And then he says, assuredly, I 228 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:03,960 say to you, they have their reward. 229 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:07,720 They have their reward. They're doing it to be seen by 230 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:10,120 men. Guess what, they will, they will 231 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:13,920 be seen by men, but that's all they're going to be seen by. 232 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:18,120 Then he says, But you and you pray, go into your room, and 233 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:20,280 when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who was in 234 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:24,280 the secret place, and your Father who sees in secret, will 235 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:27,800 reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use 236 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:30,640 vain repetitions. Even in Jesus's teaching, this 237 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:34,560 idea of vanity, those repetitions, they're worthless, 238 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:37,480 they don't mean anything. They're after man's attention, 239 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:40,400 not God's. Do not use vain repetitions as 240 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:43,640 the heathen do, for they think that they will be heard for 241 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:47,800 their many words. Just like the example Jesus gave 242 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:50,720 about prayer. Our reward is what we make it. 243 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:54,600 Our reward is what we make. Both men were praying, but their 244 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:57,840 heart determined two things. It determined the way that they 245 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:00,800 prayed, and it determined who heard them. 246 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:07,360 The man who had his heart, after being seen by men, he went out 247 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:10,680 and prayed in front of man and he was seen by men, but he did 248 00:14:10,680 --> 00:14:14,960 not glorify God in that. The man who wanted to seek after 249 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:18,480 God, he was seen by God. And it said when he went to his 250 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:22,600 father, who sees in secret, he will be rewarded openly. 251 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:28,040 The action can be similar, but the heart determines the reward. 252 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:31,600 And what this might look like in our lives, maybe in the context 253 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:35,560 of the labor which we do, is that someone who's greedy? 254 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:39,080 They want money, right? Maybe they have some unethical 255 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:41,040 work habits. They're cheating people out of 256 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:42,480 money. They're not working with 257 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:45,920 integrity. This person is after a material 258 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:50,800 goal and is sacrificing ethics in order to obtain it, and 259 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:52,120 they're going to get what they're after. 260 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:55,920 They might make a lot of money, but that's all they're going to 261 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:59,600 make. Whereas the Christian in their 262 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:03,200 work for maintaining our ethics, we're still working hard. 263 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:07,520 Maybe our paycheck is not going to be as big, but guess what? 264 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:10,160 We're getting something a whole lot better than a big paycheck. 265 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,960 We are glorifying God and pleasing Him in our lives. 266 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:18,880 If we work hard for temporary things like riches and pleasure, 267 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:21,320 we're going to get them. We're going to get them. 268 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:25,680 But if we work hard for God's glory, we're going to get that 269 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:28,440 too. So the question is, what are we 270 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:32,200 after? One is vanity, the other is 271 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,840 vital. So what are we working hard for 272 00:15:36,200 --> 00:15:40,560 and what reward are we after? Ultimately, our desire to serve 273 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:44,200 God in our hearts should manifest itself in hard work and 274 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:47,360 will cause the reward from that work to be greater and more 275 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:51,400 lasting than these vain rewards that will die with us. 276 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:56,480 Moving on to verse four, one generation passes away and 277 00:15:56,760 --> 00:16:00,280 another generation comes, but the earth abides forever. 278 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:03,360 Time is fleeting. Solomon makes that abundantly 279 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:05,320 clear. You and I, we're not going to be 280 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:08,200 here together just this generations before us have gone 281 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:10,360 on. We're going to go on too. 282 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:13,920 And in a lot of ways, that makes our work vanity because our 283 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:17,640 labor often dies with us. We can't continue it after we 284 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:20,280 die. And the fact is, much of the 285 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:23,560 work that we do will likely have no effect on anyone who lives 286 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:27,040 after us. But that's our labor under the 287 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:30,080 sun. I think that raises the 288 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:32,040 question, what can I do in my life? 289 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:35,080 Solomon talks about this generational passing of time. 290 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:40,160 What can I do in my life that will affect generations after 291 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:43,000 me? I think there's a simple answer 292 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:44,880 to that. Sometimes we make it more 293 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:48,320 complicated than we need to. I simply need to live a 294 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:53,440 Christian life. Living a Christian life is 295 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:56,840 something that can be felt by the children of that person, the 296 00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:59,640 grandchildren of that person, and so on. 297 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:04,240 Being an example of a faithful Christian is so powerful because 298 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:08,160 future generations can look toward that set example and 299 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:11,560 learn to follow it. My mom and dad were the first 300 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:17,240 examples of Christians that I had in my lives, and I thank God 301 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:20,520 that I had good examples like them because I don't know where 302 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:23,400 I would be without them. I have them to thank for the 303 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:27,400 example that they set for me, and I know that I am who I am 304 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:31,960 today largely because of that. The future generations probably 305 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:34,440 won't know about how much money my parents made. 306 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:37,400 They won't know what they were good at, what they were bad at. 307 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:42,480 But through their example, and I pray through my example and 308 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:47,960 through my kids example, one day that Christian life will not be 309 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:50,000 in vain. It can be felt through 310 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:53,200 generations. And that's just one small way. 311 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:56,800 Maybe it's a small way, but it's also probably the biggest way 312 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:03,000 that we in our lives can labor so that generations long after 313 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,320 us will feel the fruit of our labor. 314 00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:12,280 Solomon continues by giving examples from nature about this 315 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:15,760 vanity of Labor. Verses 5 through 7 says this. 316 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:20,520 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down and hastens to the 317 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:23,640 place where it arose. The wind goes towards the South 318 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,160 and turns around to the north. The wind whirls about 319 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:29,400 continually and comes again on its circuit. 320 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:33,880 All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. 321 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:38,600 To the place where from which the rivers come, there they 322 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:42,360 return again. Even an observable nature. 323 00:18:42,360 --> 00:18:45,960 There is no end to toil. It is constant. 324 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:49,760 The work is constant. The sun goes down just to rise 325 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:51,960 again. The wind goes around in circles, 326 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:55,000 seemingly endlessly, and the rivers run into the sea. 327 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:58,240 But they can never accomplish their goal of filling it up. 328 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:02,440 In fact, as soon as they pour that water into the sea, the 329 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:04,840 water gets taken right back to where it starts. 330 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:08,840 The end of one labour is merely the beginning of another. 331 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:12,640 It's this endless cycle of trying to accomplish a physical 332 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:17,640 goal, but it never being enough. It never satisfies. 333 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:23,320 The work is undone and fleeting. And if even the work of nature 334 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:29,160 is unsatisfying and burdensome, how is our tireless labour any 335 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:32,440 different? If our end goal is physical, We 336 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:36,560 can learn from nature that it will not last, will not be 337 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:39,280 permanent. It can never satisfy. 338 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:44,440 I think as a side note, it's also worth mentioning that this 339 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:49,040 is a very clear picture of the water cycle, and this is in my 340 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:51,840 mind. I'm interested in apologetics. 341 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:54,640 This is the water cycle that's outlined. 342 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:56,720 The water cycle was not something that was 343 00:19:56,720 --> 00:20:00,320 scientifically accepted until the early 1800s. 344 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:04,120 And here's Solomon writing about the water going into the sea and 345 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:06,120 coming back to the place that had started. 346 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:11,080 This was not the the popular belief at the time about how all 347 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:14,160 of this worked. And so I say that to say that 348 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:19,600 the wisdom found in this book, though sometimes it can seem sad 349 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:23,360 and focused on that which is pointless. 350 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:28,200 It's not just from some sad guy who was unhappy with his life. 351 00:20:29,120 --> 00:20:32,120 This is wisdom that God has given us so that we can learn 352 00:20:32,120 --> 00:20:33,680 from it. So we don't. 353 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:37,800 We don't have to make the same mistakes that Solomon did in his 354 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:41,000 life. The Bible and the wisdom therein 355 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:45,480 is from God. Verse 8 says this. 356 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:49,800 All things are full of Labor. Man cannot express it. 357 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:53,200 The eyes not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with 358 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:55,680 hearing. Even though the eye was designed 359 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:59,840 to see, seeing is not enough. Even though the ear was designed 360 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:04,760 to hear, hearing is not enough. The point is, the physical will 361 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:08,280 never be enough. There will always be a higher 362 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:11,280 salary, a more significant achievement, you name it. 363 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:13,840 Fill in the blank, however it applies to you. 364 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:20,040 A life that depends on physical things to give it purpose is a 365 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:23,800 life wasted. A life that depends on physical 366 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:26,320 things to give a purpose is a life wasted. 367 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:31,760 But why is that? Verses 9 through 11 say that 368 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:36,920 which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will 369 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:40,080 be done. And there is nothing new under 370 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:42,720 the sun. Is there anything of which it 371 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:44,440 may be said? See, this is new. 372 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:47,400 It is already been in ancient times before us. 373 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,920 There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be 374 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:54,040 any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will 375 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:56,720 come after. The reason we can't be 376 00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:59,960 permanently satisfied by physical things is because 377 00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:04,000 there's nothing new about them. People back back then weren't 378 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:06,360 satisfied by them. What makes us think we can be 379 00:22:06,360 --> 00:22:10,280 satisfied by them now? There's nothing new about them. 380 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:13,680 And this phrase, There's nothing new under the sun, is again 381 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,400 another major theme in Ecclesiastes. 382 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:22,440 Basically, the idea is nothing we experience is unique to us. 383 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:27,520 In other words, I'm not special. I'm not special, I'm not the 384 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:31,760 centre of the universe, I'm not living my own unique narrative. 385 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:35,080 Sure, I have my own unique experiences, but these are 386 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:37,040 things that have been experienced by other people. 387 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:42,520 I am not special. And that can be hard to swallow. 388 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,040 And as people, we like to think that we're completely unique. 389 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:47,920 We're the centers of our own universes. 390 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:51,640 But that viewpoint at its root is inherently prideful. 391 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:56,560 And Solomon is taking a shot at that pride, a pride that he 392 00:22:56,560 --> 00:22:58,440 probably experienced in his life. 393 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:02,160 I mean, you get you're the wisest man in the world. 394 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:08,200 God miraculously blesses you with wisdom, says there's 395 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:13,160 nothing new under the sun. We don't remember the things 396 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:17,280 done before us and no one will remember the things done by us. 397 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:21,720 Our problems, our pursuits and our preferences will be vanish 398 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:25,440 and will vanish away and ultimately be remembered by 399 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:27,160 knowing. And that can make you feel 400 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,880 insignificant. That's not a good feeling, that 401 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:32,720 advocate. There's a flip side to that 402 00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:36,320 coin. We talked a lot about how a lot 403 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:39,840 of the book talks about what's meaningless, to reveal what is 404 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:44,480 meaningful. The point that I want to bring 405 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:48,880 out is that we are not defined by our physical accomplishments, 406 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:51,680 Solomon says. They're not even going to be 407 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:53,840 remembered. Nobody cares. 408 00:23:54,120 --> 00:23:57,120 In other words, we are not defined by our physical 409 00:23:57,120 --> 00:24:01,120 accomplishments. So much of life is out of 410 00:24:01,120 --> 00:24:05,200 control, and losing control can be viewed in two ways. 411 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:09,680 Can be either incredibly stressful or it can be 412 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:13,280 relieving. Can be stressful or relieving. 413 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:18,360 And when we detach ourselves from earthly expectations, we 414 00:24:18,360 --> 00:24:22,800 can be far more at peace. Things are out of my control, 415 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:28,200 but I know whose control they are in is far more powerful than 416 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:30,720 me, and he knows far better than me. 417 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:34,280 They're out of my control. They're in God's control. 418 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:39,960 When I read this, this rung in my mind a similarity between 1st 419 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:44,600 Corinthians 1013 where Paul says no temptation is overtaking you 420 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:48,720 except such as is common to man, but God is faithful who will not 421 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:51,440 allow you to be tempted beyond what you were able, but with the 422 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:55,320 temptation will also make a way of escape that you may be able 423 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:58,640 to bear it. We are not special in our 424 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:02,080 laborers, just like we're not special in our temptations. 425 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:06,080 No temptation is overtaking you except just as common to man. 426 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:09,560 This is a common problem. Lots of people deal with this, 427 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,920 but ultimately a godly perspective on each of these 428 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:18,640 issues can lead provide us with peace and comfort where we would 429 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:21,640 otherwise be hopeless and isolated. 430 00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:29,000 Verses 12 through 15 say this. I, the preacher, was king over 431 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:33,400 Israel and Jerusalem, and I set my heart to seek and search out 432 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:37,280 by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven, this 433 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:40,720 burdensome task God has given to the sons of man by which they 434 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:44,320 may be exercised. I have seen all the works that 435 00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:49,600 are done under the sun, and indeed all is vanity and 436 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:53,200 grasping for the wind. What is crooked cannot be made 437 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:56,440 straight, and what is lacking cannot be numbered. 438 00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:00,840 As the King of Israel, Solomon had a very unique perspective. 439 00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:03,920 He could sit back and look at things from the bigger picture a 440 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:06,520 whole lot easier than maybe the common person could have. 441 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:09,360 He had a higher kingly perspective. 442 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:13,520 And I believe also too, he was speaking from years of his own 443 00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:15,920 experience. Those things that are done under 444 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:18,640 the sun, part of those things were things that Solomon had 445 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:22,240 done. He was probably tired from years 446 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:26,080 of idolatry, meaningless pursuits, and regret. 447 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:31,840 He sought to see the works done under the sun and was met with 448 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:35,320 vanity. It was worthless at the end of 449 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:37,960 the day. And from this kingly vantage 450 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:41,800 point, he saw how small the works of man, not only the works 451 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:44,840 of man in general in the terms of the Kingdom of Israel, but in 452 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:48,640 the terms of his own life, how small they truly were. 453 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:53,960 And if that was from an earthly king perspective, how much 454 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:58,680 smaller do our pursuits, our vain pursuits seem to God, who 455 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:02,000 has an eternally greater kingly perspective? 456 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:06,840 How much more vanity does he find in our lives with his 457 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:10,880 kingly perspective? God knows all and sees all. 458 00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:15,080 So what does he see in my life? What does he see in your life? 459 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:19,680 Is there vanity there? I don't think any of us can 460 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:23,520 confidently answer no, there's vanity in all of our lives. 461 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:28,040 But is that vanity? Are those weeds getting in the 462 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:33,640 way of the flowers? Solomon described this vanity as 463 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:36,360 grasping for the wind. This is another thing that's 464 00:27:36,360 --> 00:27:39,880 talked about over and over and over again, and you think about 465 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:42,040 trying to grab the wind. You can't. 466 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:44,720 You can grasp for the wind all you want. 467 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:47,560 You're not going to catch it If you do. 468 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:50,880 It's pretty impressive. But of course not. 469 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:53,480 You can't grasp the wind. What is there to hold onto? 470 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:56,640 We talk about vanity. This idea of vapor. 471 00:27:56,880 --> 00:28:00,720 It's like trying to catch that breath only for it to disappear, 472 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:04,040 only for it to slip through your fingers and be gone forever. 473 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:08,320 Grasping for the wind is this idea of working for something 474 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:12,760 you can never obtain. No matter how hard you grab, you 475 00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:15,400 can't obtain it. And no matter how hard you work, 476 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:18,160 you can't be permanently satisfied with the physical 477 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:22,040 fruit of your laborers. But listen to Proverbs chapter 478 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:27,240 30 and verse 4. Who has ascended into heaven or 479 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:31,400 descended? Who has gathered the wind in his 480 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:33,840 fists? What does that sound like 481 00:28:35,760 --> 00:28:38,320 grasping for the wind? Who has gathered the wind in his 482 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:40,440 first? Who has bound the waters in a 483 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:42,640 garment? Who's established all that the 484 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:45,880 ends of the earth? What is his name and what is his 485 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:50,000 Son's name? If you know we can't grasp the 486 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:55,040 wind, someone can. What is his name and what is his 487 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:56,560 son's name? It's God. 488 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:01,840 God can grasp the wind. And not that God pursues these 489 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:06,200 meaningless things, but where we try so hard to find meaning in 490 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:09,400 our lives and work so hard to reach out and grab it. 491 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:15,360 God says I've already grabbed meaning and I'm the only one who 492 00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:19,080 can give it to you. We can't grasp for the wind. 493 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:22,640 God can. God can accomplish the things we 494 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:26,760 cannot, which is why we trust Him to reward ourselves, to 495 00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:29,280 reward us rather with something lasting. 496 00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:32,600 And this leads right into Solomon's next statement, verse 497 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:36,120 15. What is crooked cannot be made 498 00:29:36,120 --> 00:29:38,720 straight, and what is lacking cannot be numbered. 499 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:41,920 This was confusing to me the first time I read it, but 500 00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:45,600 Solomon says something very similar in Chapter 7 verse 13 501 00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:49,400 that I think adds some clarity. He says there, consider the work 502 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:53,680 of God for who can make straight what he has made crooked. 503 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:58,200 The point is, God is more powerful than us. 504 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:00,680 He's more powerful than me. He's more powerful than you. 505 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:02,760 He's more powerful than all of us combined. 506 00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:07,120 He can provide us with the things we can't provide 507 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:10,560 ourselves. No one can undo what God has 508 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:14,600 done, and no one can accomplish what God has made impossible. 509 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:21,240 God is greater. Verse 16 I commune with my 510 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:24,600 heart, saying, look, I have attained greatness and it gained 511 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:27,440 more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. 512 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:31,240 My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge. 513 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,640 I don't have anything on this section, but the one thing I 514 00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:37,600 want to draw from this is another clue, another piece of 515 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:41,200 evidence that supports that Solomon is very, very likely the 516 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:44,480 preacher. He has attained more wisdom than 517 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:46,240 all who are before me in Jerusalem. 518 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:49,600 Again, just pointing back to when God miraculously gave him 519 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:52,560 wisdom that surpassed anyone before him. 520 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:57,320 Then he says in verse 17 and 18, and I set my heart to know 521 00:30:57,320 --> 00:30:59,960 wisdom and to know madness and folly. 522 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:05,360 I perceive that this also is grasping for the wind, for in 523 00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:10,200 much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge 524 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:14,160 increases sorrow. I have two questions after 525 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:16,680 reading this. The first one is this. 526 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:21,840 Why was Solomon's pursuit of wisdom vanity? 527 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:27,360 We know from other places in the Bible that wisdom is not a bad 528 00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:31,920 thing, but what did Solomon's wisdom result in? 529 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:34,960 We find our answer in First Kings Chapter 11. 530 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:37,400 It's talked about in verses one through 8. 531 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:39,840 We won't read the whole thing, but I'll briefly summarize. 532 00:31:40,320 --> 00:31:43,560 Says there, but King Solomon loved many foreign women. 533 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:49,320 When the Lord had said you shall not intermarry with them, nor 534 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:51,400 they with you. Surely they will turn away your 535 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:56,240 hearts after their God. Solomon clung to these in love. 536 00:31:56,840 --> 00:31:59,480 He disobeyed God, and what was the result? 537 00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:03,640 He has 700 wives, princesses and 300 concubines. 538 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:07,240 And his wives turned away his heart. 539 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:12,080 His wives turned away his heart, for it was so when Solomon was 540 00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:15,600 old that his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his 541 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:20,040 heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his 542 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:22,720 father David. So what was the result of 543 00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:27,920 Solomon's wisdom? It was vanity because it did not 544 00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:31,720 result in wisdom, in wise living and righteous living. 545 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:38,840 Wisdom itself is not vain, but it will be if it's not correctly 546 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:41,800 applied. Wisdom applied though is vital 547 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:45,520 in the life of a Christian. Solomon himself talked about the 548 00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:49,200 the preciousness of wisdom. Proverbs 1616. 549 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:51,200 How much better to get wisdom than gold? 550 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:54,320 And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. 551 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:58,920 Proverbs 26 For the Lord gives wisdom, the Lord gives wisdom 552 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:02,920 from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 553 00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:06,520 So two things need to be true from my study. 554 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:12,920 For wisdom to not be vanity #1 needs to come from the right 555 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:15,880 source. Proverbs 26 says the Lord gives 556 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:18,120 wisdom. First Corinthians chapter 1 557 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:21,560 talks a lot about the difference between God's wisdom and man's 558 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:23,840 wisdom. He says they're the foolishness 559 00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:27,720 of God is wiser than man. It's not to say God is foolish. 560 00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:32,160 It's just saying that even the wisest decision man has ever 561 00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:35,160 made doesn't even compare to if God made a foolish one. 562 00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:40,480 God is that much wiser. So #1 wisdom needs to come from 563 00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:42,880 God, needs to be from the right source. 564 00:33:43,440 --> 00:33:46,560 And two, as we see in Solomon's life, wisdom needs to be 565 00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:50,240 correctly applied. Solomon had wisdom from God. 566 00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:53,920 That wasn't his issue. His issue was that although he 567 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:56,680 had received this wisdom, he had not applied it to his life. 568 00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:59,640 It had not resulted in wise living. 569 00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:02,240 In fact, it had resulted in quite the opposite. 570 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:07,880 He had turned his heart away from God, therefore his wisdom 571 00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:11,480 was vanity. And number two, maybe in a more 572 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:14,199 general sense, not solemn and specific. 573 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:17,920 Why do wisdom and knowledge lead to sorrow? 574 00:34:18,679 --> 00:34:20,840 Why do wisdom and knowledge lead to sorrow? 575 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:24,679 The fact is, wisdom and knowledge expose evil. 576 00:34:25,639 --> 00:34:29,159 They expose evil, and exposure to evil, especially in the eyes 577 00:34:29,159 --> 00:34:32,880 of one who seeks after God, should naturally produce sorrow. 578 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:36,560 Whether that's godly sorrow leading to repentance in the 579 00:34:36,560 --> 00:34:40,199 life of the individual, or whether it's seeing people that 580 00:34:40,199 --> 00:34:46,040 you love with a Christian love living lives of sin that 581 00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:49,080 produces sorrow. It's not a happy feeling that 582 00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:52,400 you feel when you see that. And I would, I would argue that 583 00:34:52,679 --> 00:34:57,120 Solomon, both in his own life and in the lives of those who he 584 00:34:57,120 --> 00:35:00,760 had witnessed, felt that sorrow. He could see the vain pursuits 585 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:02,720 of others, and he knew they weren't worth anything. 586 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:07,080 That's a helpless feeling. There's nothing really that I 587 00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:10,280 could do about that. I can't control how people live 588 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:12,280 their lives. I can try my best to influence, 589 00:35:12,640 --> 00:35:16,040 but I can't control it. But then I think even more so 590 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:18,120 when Solomon looked in his own heart. 591 00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:23,560 Wow, that wisdom. I don't think Solomon was blind 592 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:25,200 to the mistakes that he was making. 593 00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:29,920 He was the he was the wisest man to ever live besides Jesus. 594 00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:34,680 How much sorrow do you think it produced within him? 595 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:38,000 I mean, he's writing this probably towards the end of his 596 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:40,880 life now, expressing that sorrow. 597 00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:43,720 All of this was worthless. I don't know why I've spent all 598 00:35:43,720 --> 00:35:47,040 my time doing this. That wisdom and that knowledge 599 00:35:47,040 --> 00:35:53,560 exposed evil in his own life, leading him to be sorrowful and 600 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:59,120 see that he was burdened by sin. Surely this filled him with 601 00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:01,760 sorrow. If you're following along, you 602 00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:03,280 know that that's the end of the chapter. 603 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:07,120 That's kind of a downer note to leave on, right? 604 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:10,800 So again, I would encourage you continue to read through this 605 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:13,080 book. It's a powerful book and it will 606 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:15,920 serve you well. But I don't want to end there. 607 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:20,840 I want to end in the last chapter of Ecclesiastes in verse 608 00:36:20,840 --> 00:36:23,280 13. We talked a little bit about the 609 00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:25,240 reflection that happens at the end of the book. 610 00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:29,880 This is a part of that reflection, and in a book where 611 00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:37,400 it's often easy to read and to feel kind of down after reading 612 00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:43,240 it, this is the conclusion. The author says, let us hear the 613 00:36:43,240 --> 00:36:46,360 conclusion of the whole matter. So everything that the preacher 614 00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:50,120 just talked about, all this talk of vanity and worthlessness and 615 00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:52,240 meaninglessness, this is the conclusion. 616 00:36:52,240 --> 00:36:56,200 This is the bottom line. Fear God and keep his 617 00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:59,640 commandments, for this is man's all. 618 00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:05,360 After 12 chapters of teaching about vanity, the one thing that 619 00:37:05,360 --> 00:37:08,120 truly matters is brought into focus. 620 00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:11,560 And it's so simple. It's so simple. 621 00:37:12,880 --> 00:37:15,040 Ecclesiastes can be a philosophical book. 622 00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:19,040 It can be easy to get bogged down in the the different 623 00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:22,840 examples given in all this philosophical language. 624 00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:26,200 But it all boils down to this, and this is not hard to 625 00:37:26,200 --> 00:37:28,400 understand. Fear God and keep his 626 00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:29,960 commandments. This is man's all. 627 00:37:31,240 --> 00:37:35,880 In a book so full of unsatisfaction and emptiness, we 628 00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:41,200 find man's all the thing that can truly complete man and 629 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:45,760 fulfill him, fearing God and keeping his commandments. 630 00:37:46,960 --> 00:37:51,720 Everybody has a God sized hole in their heart and different 631 00:37:51,720 --> 00:37:53,600 people try to fill it with different things. 632 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:57,640 And the fact is nothing's big enough to fill a God sized hole. 633 00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:01,640 That's why so often these physical pursuits leave us 634 00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:04,640 feeling worthless and tier than we were before because we're 635 00:38:04,640 --> 00:38:07,400 trying to shovel things in and all we're realizing is, wow, 636 00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:09,400 that holds a whole lot deeper than I thought it was. 637 00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:13,920 I can't fill it up with these things in my own life. 638 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:20,280 I like to rock climb and my goal for the end of this year was to 639 00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:22,320 climb AV 8. Those of you not familiar, 640 00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:24,720 that's just a grade of how difficult the climb is. 641 00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:31,040 And I accomplished it a while back and I was super, super 642 00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:36,600 happy for about 3 seconds and then I sat there and it was kind 643 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:39,320 of like, is this it? That was it. 644 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:42,680 I worked like a year and a half for that. 645 00:38:45,720 --> 00:38:48,080 It's because I was trying to fill a God sized toll with 646 00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:50,320 something that was so much smaller than God. 647 00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:56,720 Maybe I didn't realize it at the time, but I put so much time and 648 00:38:56,720 --> 00:39:02,040 effort and training into doing this, and when I had finally 649 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:05,560 accomplished it, the only thing I could think of was that 650 00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:09,920 doesn't matter. What did I gain from that? 651 00:39:10,280 --> 00:39:12,280 That I can say that I climbed to be 8? 652 00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:18,960 It's insignificant, it's fleeting, and it meant nothing, 653 00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:25,560 but a life of service to God will never leave you 654 00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:31,240 unsatisfied. When you go to funerals and you 655 00:39:31,240 --> 00:39:34,760 hear what people talk about, maybe the regrets that they had, 656 00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:40,240 the regret that you never hear is, man, I spent way too much 657 00:39:40,240 --> 00:39:43,440 time trying to serve God. You never hear that. 658 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:45,960 In fact, it's almost always the inverse. 659 00:39:46,840 --> 00:39:51,360 I regret not giving God the time He deserved, because when you 660 00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:56,160 sit back and look at your life from that perspective, that's 661 00:39:56,160 --> 00:39:59,000 what truly matters. And it's so clear in that 662 00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:01,360 moment. It's so clear in that moment. 663 00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:07,120 But the goal of the preacher is to cultivate that perspective in 664 00:40:07,120 --> 00:40:10,120 every moment. Not just the deathbed 665 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:14,040 realization, but the in the moment realization that maybe I 666 00:40:14,040 --> 00:40:18,240 shouldn't be spending all this time at the climbing gym because 667 00:40:18,480 --> 00:40:23,160 it doesn't matter that much. Maybe I shouldn't be taking all 668 00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:27,760 these extra hours because it's not letting me spend time with 669 00:40:27,760 --> 00:40:30,840 other Christians or do this or that, whatever it may be. 670 00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:37,400 The point is, we try so hard to fill ourselves, our hearts with 671 00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:40,640 things that do not matter and neglect the only thing that 672 00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:44,840 does. But a life of service to God 673 00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:49,680 will never leave you wanting. It will never leave you empty. 674 00:40:51,080 --> 00:40:53,920 So I have one question to finish it off. 675 00:40:54,760 --> 00:40:59,640 Are you living under the sun or under the sun You can't see the 676 00:40:59,640 --> 00:41:04,880 board probably doesn't make very much sense under the sun SUN the 677 00:41:05,040 --> 00:41:10,080 physical life devoid of God or am I living under the sun SON 678 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:16,080 Jesus Christ John 4 verse 13 through 14 says this. 679 00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:18,720 Jesus answered and said to her, talking to the woman at the 680 00:41:18,720 --> 00:41:21,480 well. Whoever drinks of this water 681 00:41:21,480 --> 00:41:26,160 will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water I shall give 682 00:41:26,160 --> 00:41:31,160 him will never thirst. Wow, That's a parallel that's 683 00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:33,960 very closely connected to what Solomon's saying. 684 00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:37,920 My drinking the water that the light that life is giving me 685 00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:41,760 because it's just going to leave me to want more. 686 00:41:43,280 --> 00:41:45,120 It's not going to quench my thirst for very long. 687 00:41:45,240 --> 00:41:48,560 It might for a moment that that 3 seconds that I felt good about 688 00:41:48,560 --> 00:41:52,840 my accomplishment, but after I'm just going to need more. 689 00:41:53,120 --> 00:41:56,960 I'm not going to be satisfied. But Jesus says I shall give him 690 00:41:57,480 --> 00:41:59,600 water that will make him never thirst. 691 00:42:00,720 --> 00:42:02,720 It will never leave you unsatisfied. 692 00:42:03,920 --> 00:42:06,600 But the water I shall give him will breed, becoming him a 693 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:09,640 fountain of water. All it's going to do is produce 694 00:42:09,640 --> 00:42:14,680 more water springing up into everlasting life. 695 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:18,480 The water from the wells, just like the satisfaction we get 696 00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:21,080 from life, will be enough for a while. 697 00:42:21,520 --> 00:42:23,960 We will always find ourselves wanting more. 698 00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:29,760 Jesus is the only one who can offer us something better than 699 00:42:29,760 --> 00:42:33,080 that. The only one is the only place 700 00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:36,240 you're going to find it, and that's something. 701 00:42:36,480 --> 00:42:42,320 That water is the gospel, the good news that Jesus died for 702 00:42:42,320 --> 00:42:45,400 our sins, was raised from the dead, and ascended to reign in 703 00:42:45,400 --> 00:42:52,400 heaven at the right hand of God. So while we close our study, we 704 00:42:52,400 --> 00:42:56,840 never want to close our worship service without extending the 705 00:42:57,080 --> 00:43:01,000 invitation that Jesus died so that you could accept. 706 00:43:01,040 --> 00:43:03,760 This is not my invitation. It's not the congregation's 707 00:43:03,760 --> 00:43:08,400 invitation, it's Jesus's. It's that water that will never 708 00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:12,840 leave you thirsty again. And the plan of salvation is so 709 00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:18,000 clearly laid out in Scripture, hearing the Word of God, that 710 00:43:18,280 --> 00:43:20,760 faith comes by hearing. So we need faith. 711 00:43:20,760 --> 00:43:23,880 Faith in what? Faith in Jesus, that he's the 712 00:43:23,880 --> 00:43:27,800 Son of God, that he is, who he says he was is, and that he did 713 00:43:27,800 --> 00:43:33,120 what he said he did. And faithfulness, faithfulness, 714 00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:36,400 that allegiance to Him. We need to repent of our sins. 715 00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:40,560 That repentance is walking One Direction, realizing that 716 00:43:40,560 --> 00:43:44,000 there's error in my way, and turning the other direction and 717 00:43:44,000 --> 00:43:47,080 walking toward God. I was once walking away. 718 00:43:47,080 --> 00:43:51,120 I am now walking toward Him. Repentance is not this idea of 719 00:43:51,120 --> 00:43:54,040 drawing the line of sin on the ground and inching your way as 720 00:43:54,040 --> 00:43:57,320 close as you possibly can to it without technically sinning. 721 00:43:57,920 --> 00:44:01,400 That's not repentance. Repentance is turning your back 722 00:44:01,400 --> 00:44:04,720 on the line and leaving it so far behind you that you don't 723 00:44:04,720 --> 00:44:07,600 even know where it is anymore. It's in the dust, it's in the 724 00:44:07,600 --> 00:44:09,800 past. That is repentance. 725 00:44:10,640 --> 00:44:15,800 Then comes confession, confession that Jesus Christ is 726 00:44:15,800 --> 00:44:20,200 the Son of God, and then baptism for the remission of sins. 727 00:44:20,200 --> 00:44:24,400 And maybe you have taken those steps, but maybe you have looked 728 00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:27,560 into your life. You've realized that so much of 729 00:44:27,560 --> 00:44:32,240 it is vanity, just like Solomon, so much of life is vanity. 730 00:44:32,560 --> 00:44:34,600 And we consume ourselves with that vanity. 731 00:44:35,240 --> 00:44:38,560 But maybe you're here. And if there's any way that I 732 00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:41,240 can help you or the congregation here can help you, we would love 733 00:44:41,240 --> 00:44:42,400 to. We're a family. 734 00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:47,160 I'm not from here, but we're all brothers and sisters in Christ, 735 00:44:47,160 --> 00:44:51,080 so if I can help you, or if anyone here can help you in any 736 00:44:51,080 --> 00:44:53,520 way, please come while we stand and sing a song.