THE OUTER LIMITS: ECCLESIASTES-Living In A Fallen World

 Living In A Fallen World Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 How do we live in a broken world? How do we survive a broken world - Solomon has an answer for us today. Hidden in the shadows and looking back to the warnings of Ecclesiastes up-to this point and from verses 1-6 that show our existing as part of a morally corrupt world’s fabric. So Church lets lean in and follow Solomon’s thinking between two chunks of scripture Ecclesiastes 4:4-6 and Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 and learn to live in a fractured world. So look around at the people to your right and left - they’re the church we’ll talk about today and lets get ready to be challenged. Solomon has shown us that even where we’re supposed to be most just, where fair is supposed to be levied - but even that is tainted by the fall. It’s all vanity. Solomon has reminded us that we’ll all die - like the animals that litter the side of the road no matter what our lives aim for and even reach - we’ll die. It’s all vanity. In chapter 4 we’ve seen that exploitation of the oppressed are part of the fabric of the world and that there is no ear for the oppressed. It’s all vanity. Finally he demonstrated to us in 5-6 how empty covetousness is church, we’ll continue to see this morning a quick glimpse at a way to cope in a broken world that brings about broken circumstances and we’ll find how to step away from vanity and into the light of purpose. Our passage(s) 7-12 starts “Again” connecting verse 7 and the preceding to the previous verses 1-6. Lets be reminded of 4-6: Ecclesiastes 4:4–6 (ESV) 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. 5 The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. 6 Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind. This concept of neighbor envy driving work, striving after wind, and folding the hands becomes important as Solomon is pointing forward to truths that are to be more fully realized in The Church and satisfied in glory: Maybe you’re new and you don’t know it - maybe you’re old (to the church) and you don’t know it, but this is our vision statement: “Joining with God, His community, and His purpose.” “His community” is strategic and purposeful - it’s loaded and it’s our aim that we realize the community God has visioned us to be. 7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 8 one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business. So he tells this story - one everyone can relate to whether it describes you or not, you can understand him (it’s culturally common) it’s the quintessential business person role, or scrooge mc-duck, or Ebenezer scrooge or the dad in Elf who needs Christmas Spirit the person who has nothing, because they work and work and work, seeming to end up with nothing but misery yet by the end of the movie we all know what needs to happen, right - they need to quit the work and re-focus, but why don’t we know that in life? It’s true since Solomon’s own time he the wisest man who is and ever was and ever would be, but he points forward to the Church where things are to be different - not by magic but effort and revelation and The Spirit of God - will we listen? Are you angry with church community, get around Church community - serve someone else, focus on Christ. Church isn’t perfect, it cannot be as it’s made up of sinners, of which you’re a weave in the fabric; the church is found in a world with oppression, death, and general vanity. We cannot let our excuse be that people are mean, or insincere, or inauthentic or doing church wrong, etc., etc. it cannot be that - we need to take personal responsibly we need to fear God (as is the beginning of wisdom the beginning of proverbs and the end of Ecclesiastes the bookends of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7 Ecclesiastes 12:13) we need to be disciplined and obedient (which is the aim of the great commission (teaching them obedience, as disciples)) running after it alone - is vanity and unhappy business it only will serve up more dissatisfaction. If you’re disjointed with the church - I know in your head right now you hate what I’m saying, but I pray the Spirit if God is convicting you that it’s true; how are we going to live in a world this broken? I don’t know if he was aware he was finding these things, but he rooted up an enemy of the church in you that tends to be common among people in the first half of verse 4: Ecclesiastes 4:4 (ESV) 4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. Because the heart is deceitful let me help you identify this - it’s buried away deeply: We talked about job promotions at work, someone promoted over you - maybe someone appointed to a position in a volunteer organization and you’re just waiting for them to mess-up. Maybe they confess to you, man - I’m out of place here and in your heart rather than feeling encouraging or helping desiring to help them in some way or to pay for them, you think - yup and you have a weird kind of happy/pride welling up. Maybe you believe the good things in someone’s life are the exact way God should be blessing you - and you’re not happy for them. Maybe something great happens to someone, and you could help make it easier/richer for them - but that’s not your heart, you’re mad about it so you withheld some affection - you cold shouldered rather than celebrated, you looked for the wrong thing or the bad in it to point out to bring them down some, you maybe even did something subtle (like talking about how they wont be able to handle it, or don't deserve it) to someone they know trying to shape their opinion of them - guys this will slaughter community. Maybe your Jeremiah 17:9 heart tells you, this is your personality people need to toughen up. Maybe you need to stop serving Satan and working against the church and the love of Christ for people - how are we to live in a world this broken? Maybe you simply attack people on Facebook and try to pull others in. Maybe you jump in whenever someone’s being villainized on Facebook - maybe you need to stop serving Satan and working against the Church and the love of Christ for people. Ecclesiastes 4:5 (ESV) 5 The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. Here is another enemy of community (the vision of Transcend Church) laziness. Maybe you’re lazy because you’ve given up. The church is lame and so you’re out - I want you to know that the church is better when you're in. If the church is people, and God gifts the church with people of various gifting we’re all important to its function. Are you functioning in the church? It’s imperative for community to work, for the plan of God for His church that we be here, together building community, upholding community, evaluate yourself - where are you? Are you participating, are you giving up, or are you simply lazy? You don’t want to put in any work - 9-5 gets everything you have and God/community gets nothing? Again, the commission is to make disciples, who learn obedience. So if you’re in Christ you’re a disciple, then obedience demands discipline are you disciplined? If not - I’d ask, are you a disciple? The church is better when you're in Each feeds after the next as Solomon works to a conclusion Ecclesiastes 4:6 (ESV) 6 Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind. Quietness here is satisfaction. You’re better to be satisfied than dissatisfied and working like a madman. Can you enjoy now, or do you have no enjoyment until tomorrow’s goals are met, today? This is a careful cord to strike in balance with Jeremiah 17:9. A Princeton study showed that making more than 75k per year would not significantly improve your day-to-day happiness. Guys let me pause for a second. If none of this is hitting you, or if you have a way around all of this, you’re lying to yourself or your Jesus, and you’re not - so find this in yourself. This was why we took a week to reflect on Jeremiah 17:9 it’s really important that we can find sin in ourselves, it’s important to us, it’s important to community, and it’s important to The Church, how will we live in a world this broken? 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Then we come back full circle - verse 7: Ecclesiastes 4:7–8 (ESV) 7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 8 one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business. Is the toil for nothing - or for community? Is there a maker of Joy in your life - if not maybe you need to slow down and locate it. Because we live in a culture where sexuality is ground into our brains during every waking moment. We joke in our family about the strip club and say it’s Christmas lights are all year round. You see Solomon lives in a world without “The North Face” and Woolwrich. Teigan and Taylor and I were out hunting - and we’re serious outdoorsmen so we bring a sleeping bag… That said, if you were outside in Solomon’s day - you lay down cover with a cloak and snuggle up to your boy and you’d live. Solomon is talking about this - he’s standing up the loaner individual worker against the traveling companions who survive by depending on one another, church - THIS is how we glorify God. When we work, we work to be generous - we work for the benefit of community, we give of our personal wealth to our church, and through our church we live together, generously, differently and we live as disciples who bring Glory to God with a unique love that draws people, church the church is better when you're in Church - will you join me here, in desiring for community - seeking to find laziness, isolation, ill motives against one another, and work for works sake so that we can kill them in favor of Jesus Church to be realized in us, through us, for us and for our neighbor? THIS is how we live in a broken world. Lets close with this: Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 (ESV) 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. This is the key to life in a broken world - realizing the mess that we are, deep-deep-deeply at our core - and bundling up together in the church, redeemed, remade, and renewed people all focusing after Christ, realizing our own shortcomings, having grace for others shortcomings, and having a love that SHOWS we’re disciples - John 13:35 this is the church, grace, patience, and love. Dwell this week on two verses and one bonus verse (as needed): Galatians 6:2 (ESV) 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Living out the love of God in Christ, as Disciples should, do and will: John 13:35 (ESV) 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” As needed 2 Thessalonians 3:13 (ESV) 13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. This is how we live in a Broken world - together as a community, The Church. the church is better when you're in. THEN we step out of the shadows of vanity and into the light of purpose. Better With You THE OUTER LIMITS: ECCLESIATES – Living In A Fallen World Pastor John Weathersby Transcend Church 5 of 5 Sunday 12/4/2016