4.4.31 6.25.2023 Ecclesiastes Life's True Work
Wisdom Literature: Faith Begins to Work • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Start:
Entice:
What is our purpose in life?
What is our purpose in life?
What is the goal?
What is the goal?
What is our Work?
What is our Work?
I don’t just mean our job but the capital-letter big-picture concept of who and what we are. The title given this book in Hebrew is
Qoheleth
Qoheleth
translated as
The Preacher.
The Preacher.
We call it
Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes
and still don’t know exactly how to reckon with it.
Engage: The following are the most famous words written by the preacher...
2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
That does not sound promising.
That does not sound promising.
How can we discover our purpose our “Big W” work in life if it’s all
pointless,
painful,
or
Pitiful?
In reading through his book “the preacher” leads us to consider life and all its variety.
Expand: Qoheleth proposes a number of alternatives for the chief work of mankind. Let’s consider them:
The preacher considers
Pleasure:
1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.
9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Next the preacher ponders
Learning:
17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.
26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
And of course the preacher reflects on
Labor (small “w” work)
11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.
4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
6 Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.
The preacher considers living with
Pessimism:
Which he describes as Chasing after wind
vanity
In Hebrew—>HeBeL which sounds kind of pessimistic.
14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
The preacher searches for truth and purpose in life. He asks the question “what is the true work of life” over and over again.
Then, despite his skepticism
He ends up with an answer that is far more pious than all His questioning…
11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd.
12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Explore:
Our true work in life is not to be found in what we can experience, produce, achieve, or do ourselves.
Our true work in life is found in a relationship with God.
Our true work in life is found in a relationship with God.
That is our “Big W” Work.
His questions may have been hard, even offensive but his conclusions remind us that a relationship with God is strong enough to endure hard questions.
Expand: So, Let’s consider the conclusions of “the Preacher”
Body of Sermon: His first conclusion is that we should
1 Appreciate Reason.
1 Appreciate Reason.
We have a tortured relationship with our minds. Intellect fascinates us and infuriates us. We celebrate it and are crushed by it. We are bewildered by its successes and harmed by its failures. Qoheleth teaches us to appreciate it for what it is.
He tells us
1.1 Reason can function like Goads and Nails.
And he tells us that
1.2 Reason contributes to the Goal
1.2.1 True wisdom has one Shepherd.
1.2.2 All truth, is God’s truth.
Next he tells us to
2 Act Responsibly
2 Act Responsibly
(whole duty of man)
2.1 Fear God Keep His commands.
2.2 “Doing our Duty.”
His last conclusion…concluding conclusion?!
3 Accept the Result.
3 Accept the Result.
3.1 God will judge.
3.2 The secrets of our hearts and deeds are not secret.
Shut Down
As we wind down we need to consider the reason for the futility and vanity expressed by Qoheleth in his questions.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Paul knew that discovering our “Big W” life’s work can be both exhilarating and frightening. It is exciting, exhausting, and sometimes terminal.
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”
20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”
The vanity mentioned by Qoheleth is that futility produced by sin.
The remedy, as he discovered, is not
harder living,
smarter living,
richer living,
or
sensual living
—the remedy is a relationship with the God who brings order to the chaos.
He created it beautiful. Sin has wrecked it. Rebirth renews and reclaims it. We can mourn the vanity or participate in the recovery. When you partner with God in Christ Jesus, you will discover why you are here—you
can then embrace your life’s Work.