The Same ole same ole

Title Extreme Home makeover edition

Text: Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

D.T Learn to embrace the same ole same ole

Introduction: Today we start a new series called “Extreme Home Makeover.” This series is named after the ABC series where Ty Pennington would take over the homes of people in need. Once the home makeover would be complete, they would utter the famous phrase “Move that bus.” The reality is this, our homes could use a little work. Whether it’s our faith, our relationships with our families, our marriages, each at times needs a bit of a makeover.

Transition: As we discuss how to provide the work and make-over for our homes, we are going to do so by examining the E-books. Now, I’m not talking about the books which begin with “E” in the bible. This is Ecclesiastes and Ephesians, the keys to how we work and renovate our spiritual lives is found within these books.

When we think about Ephesians it makes sense. The Apostle Paul speaks at length about marriage, our relationships with each other, our relationships with our kids. However today we aren’t looking at Ephesians, instead we will spend the next couple weeks studying the book of Ecclesiastes. What does Ecclesiastes say about make-over and renovating our spiritual lives?

Isn’t the book of Ecclesiastes a depressing book which talks about everything in our lives? Sure the book of Ecclesiastes calls many things “meaningless and vanity” however it’s purpose isn’t to depress us, instead it’s to help us think about what we value in our lives.

If I were to say the book of Ecclesiastes is about anything it’s this; tensile strength. The truth is our lives produce burden and weight. The book of Ecclesiastes hits us with the reality that so many people are putting weight and burden on aspects of our lives that were never meant to carry the weight and burden we are placing upon them. The book of Ecclesiastes teaches us how to place the correct weight on the objects with the tensile strength designed to sustain them.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 says this

Ecclesiastes 1:1–11 ESV

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.

In this passage Solomon teaches uses the word meaningless and vanity to describe the objects we put too much weight upon. Objects that are not meant to bear that type of weight.

Longevity, Experience, Productivity

I want to be clear, I’m not saying how everything mentioned is bad. However it’s not the main thing, it isn’t meant to bear the weight people place upon it.

However this passage does include an example of weight bearing truth, this truth is found in verses 5-7. It’s all filtered through a question asked in verse 3.

In these passages Solomon uses creation as a means to illustrate his point. The sun, the wind, and the water all have repetitive repetitive existences. Not only do they have repetitive existences, they never see any gain.

The sun chases its tail. It has risen and set and repeated this process thousands upon thousands of times. During which the sun has never figured out how to increase the length of a day. The days have been the same length forever. The sun has repeated the same thing and has no gain to show for it.

Rivers have been flowing, rising and receding for thousands of years and it has never figured out how to fill the seas. It has no gain to show for its efforts.

The point of Solomon is this. If creation is resigned to an existence where it repeats the same process day in and day out without making any gain, what makes us think our lives will be different?

The book of Ecclesiastes punches us in the gut with the reality that we live a life of repeating the same process over and making no significant gain. This idea terrifies so many people.They tell their therapists how they fear living a life that just cycles through the “Same ole same ole”

Here’s another reality, we don’t hate repetition as much as we think we do. We're just led to believe that we hate and fear the idea of repetition. Take Christmas for example. During every candle light service, we read the same scriptures, we sing the same songs, we light the same candles, which is usually done at some point close to 7pm. Then we sing Silent Night together. It’s more less the same thing year in and year out. However I cannot tell you the amount of times I hear people mention how special that service is, and it’s their favorite moment of the year!

Don’t view this as a slight or a bad thing! Instead let this be a confirmation. The love of rhythm and repetition of God is written on our hearts.

Satan is the one who sows discontent. “Your life is in a rut! You need to make a change! Your marriage is getting older and so is your spouse. Maybe you need to be with someone different. If you do, it will make you feel younger!

Satan will convince us to fear repetition so we are tempted to make our lives about what we experience, gain, or how long we can extend it. All things which do not have the tensile strength to bear the weight and burden that comes with human existence.

Since this sermon series is entitled “Extreme Home Makeover edition” Each week will contain a main idea we can use to be the center pieces of the makeover. So what’s the main idea of this discussion?

Learn to embrace the same ole same ole Resigning our lives to the same ole same ole might be repulsive to some. However there is a lot of life to be lived in the same ole same ole. If we spend our lives trying to avoid this, we miss alot of life to be lived. (Andy Bernard Office Quote) Why do people miss the Good ole days? It’s because they are repetitive, the same ole same ole. Instead of living them, they look past them. Christians for the sake of our families, faiths and lives. Learn to embrace the same ole same ole.