Week 13 - Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:14 | A Life of Eternal Return

Good morning. I want to introduce to you an old dead guy... this gentleman was a genius in his day. As a teenager, he invented one of the first mechanical calculators, which laid the groundwork for all of our computing world today. Along with that, he’s the mind behind hydraulic lifts, disc brakes on our cars and even the syringe. He also developed the scientific unit for pressure which carries his name. Does anyone know who I’m talking about?

He was an old French thinker named Blaise Pascal. Now, Pascal was a genius, and I don't use that word lightly. But what’s most compelling about this brilliant scientist is that he was also a profound theological thinker and a deeply devoted follower of Jesus.

And what I want to share most with you from him is a famous idea he came up with that has become known as Pascal’s Wager.

It goes like this:

Every human life is a bet. You can bet that God exists and live accordingly, or you can bet that He doesn't and go your own way.

Pascal argued that betting on God is the only logical choice. For, if you bet on God and you're wrong, you lose very little. But if you bet against God and you're wrong, you lose everything—for eternity.

He framed the ultimate question of life as the highest-stakes wager a person can make.

And our text today uses a similar, powerful metaphor: life is less of a wager and more of a high-stakes investment of our very souls. Every single day, you are investing your time, your energy, your love, your very life into something.

The book of Ecclesiastes has been God's divine audit of all of life's "under the sun" investments. The Teacher, King Solomon, tried every portfolio this world offers—pleasure, power, wisdom, wealth—and his conclusion was that they all yield a return of zero. They are hevel—a vapor or mist, a chasing after the wind.

But in his final words, Solomon points us to the one investment that guarantees an eternal return, and he leaves us with a single, life-defining question: Where are you investing your life?

For weeks, we've wrestled with the Teacher's brutal honesty. And now, we arrive at his conclusion. It’s a conclusion that will give us a strategy for living, a motivation for acting, and a hope that cannot be shaken. And it all boils down to this one, central truth: Your days are numbered and only the gospel can make them count!

That’s our big idea. So with that in mind, let's look at his final words together in Ecclesiastes, chapter 11.

I. A Strategy for Living: Invest in Eternity by living with Bold Faith (Ecclesiastes 11:1-10)

In chapter 11 we’ll first see that Solomon gives us a strategy for living. After proving that hoarding resources and trying to control the future is meaningless, Solomon’s first piece of advice is a radical call to open our hands to God and invest in His Kingdom with bold faith and action.

Read with me from Ecclesiastes 11, verses 1-10.

Ecclesiastes 11:1–10 NLT

1 Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you. 2 But divide your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead. 3 When clouds are heavy, the rains come down. Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls. 4 Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. 5 Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. 6 Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both. 7 Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning. 8 When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember there will be many dark days. Everything still to come is meaningless. 9 Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. 10 So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.

Ok, some of you might be thinking… um, ok what now? Solomon bro, what are you even talking about.

I get it, the Bible isn’t always straight forward or easy to understand. So let’s work back through this section and I’ll try to show you how I see this as a life investment strategy to operate with bold faith.

Solomon lays out a strategy for living that is built on two key principles.

A. The Principle: Act in the Face of Uncertainty (vv. 1-6)

The first principle Solomon gives us is this: Act in the face of uncertainty. He begins with a powerful image: "Send your grain across the seas” or as other translations put it, "Cast your bread upon the waters."

In Solomon's day, this was the picture of a high-risk venture. It meant loading a ship with your valuable grain, your very livelihood and life source, and then sending it out to sea with no guarantee it would return. It could be lost to storms or stolen by pirates (YARRRR!). It was a radical act of faith!

And that is what Solomon is saying we need to adopt as our attitude in this life: a bold, open-handed posture with everything God has given us. It's about moving from a mindset of hoarding to one of investment. As author Paul David Tripp writes, "We should make radical plans and take radical gospel action... there is always more gospel work to do." This is a command to invest what we have, rather than hoarding our resources out of fear or our own personal comfort!

And why should we take such risks? Because trying to control the future is a fool's errand and doing nothing is not an option!

Look at verse 4, Solomon says, "Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest." If you wait for perfectly risk-free conditions to live for God, you will do nothing. The person who over-analyzes every possible outcome becomes paralyzed by fear and we are not called to life of fearful paralysis but one of faith-filled action!

In the same way, let you light shine before all mankind that they may see you good deeds and glorify your Father how is in Heaven. Matthew 5:16!!!

And I know this is intimidating, but look at the comfort there in the text: we are called to bold action, but we are not responsible for the outcomes. Those belong to God. Listen to verse 5: "Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things."

The results of our faith-filled actions are the mysterious work of God. We don’t know how He makes the seeds of the gospel take root and bear fruit, any more than we understand the mysteries of life itself. And because the outcome is in His sovereign hands, we are liberated from the crushing burden of having to guarantee it. Our job is not control outcomes it’s to faithfully follow God where we think He’s leading!

So, when verse 6 says, "Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon," I believe this is a call to be relentlessly faithful, trusting the results entirely to God.

To say it another way, the uncertainties of life shouldn’t paralyze us. Instead, they should free us to step out boldly, knowing that one person may plant, another may water, but it is always God who makes it grow. Life is uncertain, but God’s in control so we should act boldly in faith trusting Him and entrusting ourselves to Him.

And folks, this is exactly the season we are in as a church. This has been one of the most challenging seasons of ministry I’ve ever experienced, precisely because we are trying to live out this principle. We are casting our bread on the waters.

After years of seeking the Lord, we as leaders have felt called to make bold moves of faith—to invest more deeply so that more people can hear the gospel. We’ve made difficult staffing changes. We’re stretching our budget. We’ve had to ask for your trust, sometimes without being able to share all the information. And next Sunday, we will step into uncharted waters by moving to two services.

These are our attempts to faithfully build God’s Kingdom, but we don’t know for sure what the fruit will be. And that’s scary. It’s uncertain. But ultimately, the outcome is in the Lord’s hands, isn't it?

To be honest, I can't fully explain the growth we're experiencing. We’ve always tried to preach the gospel and make disciples. But for some reason, in the past two years, God has seen fit to draw so many more people into our family. And we believe He's going to continue. This is why we're making these changes. It’s not about building a name for our church. It is about faithfully stewarding what God is doing. We exist to help people get found by Jesus and grow in Him. If God is sending more people and He is and has been, then must make room.

It has been a difficult road, but we only get one life to live for Him and Solomon tells us here not to sit idle, paralyzed by the future or fear of change but to trust God! Cast your bread on the seas! Follow Him boldly in faith, believing that He will make our lives, and the life of this church, count for eternity!

So the first principle is this: Act in the face of uncertainty. Act with wisdom. Act in prayer, yes and amen. But act. Act with bold faith, even when you can't see the outcome!

And as you act, do so with the posture he outlines next: the posture of accountable joy.

B. The Posture: Accountable Joy (vv. 7-10)

You see, this life isn’t meant to be a grim duty—it’s supposed to be fueled by joy.

Solomon says, “Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning.” God gives good gifts—so enjoy them! Savor your meal, laugh with your friends, soak in the sunshine. Verse 9 adds: “Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Take it all in.”

But joy has a guardrail: “Remember you must give an account to God for everything you do.” That doesn’t crush joy—it purifies it. It keeps joy from becoming our god.

You see, every choice we make is like walking a path through a field. At first it’s just a faint line in the grass. Walk it again, the rut deepens. Keep walking it, and soon it’s the only path we know. That’s how selfish choices or godly choices work—they carve deep ruts in the soul.

So Solomon urges us: choose accountable joy as every decision shapes our character—toward God or away from Him. Romans 1 warns that if we persist in rejecting God, He may eventually give us over to the path we’ve chosen. And one day, all of it comes before Him in judgment.

But don’t miss the point—the call is still toward joy. Not grumbling under a cruel taskmaster, but delighting in the God who gives good gifts without letting those gifts enslave us. Solomon says ack in bold faith to build on that foundation now, while you’re young, so that when the dark days come, that foundation of accountable joy and bold faith holds!

Which brings us to point two:

II. Motivation for Action: The Clock is Ticking. (Ecclesiastes 12:1-8)

We're called to live with bold faith and accountable joy. But why? What’s the motivation? What’s the rush?

Solomon’s answer is simple: the clock is ticking. In chapter 12, he paints a vivid, poetic, and frankly sobering picture of why we must act now. Listen to this:

Ecclesiastes 12:1–8 NLT

1 Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” 2 Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. 3 Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop. Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly. 4 Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint. 5 Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral. 6 Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. 7 For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. 8 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.”

This section gives us the urgent "why" behind our strategy.

A. The Command: "Remember Your Creator" (v. 1)

The anchor of this whole passage is that repeated command: Remember your Creator.

In the Bible, "remembering" isn't just a mental note. It means orienting your entire life—your decisions, your identity, your worship—around God. And the time to do it is now. In your youth. Don't put it off until after college, or after you're married, or after you retire. Your youth is the prime time to build the spiritual foundation that has to support the rest of your life. As the prophet Isaiah says, "Seek the LORD while he may be found."

B. The Reality: Your Body is a Depreciating Asset (vv. 2-8)

Solomon then gives us this stark, poetic reality check: your body is failing.

The sun and the light are darkened – your vision dims.

The keepers of the house tremble – your arms and hands grow unsteady.

The grinders cease because they are few – you lose your teeth.

The almond tree blossoms – your hair turns white. (I’m going to start using this when people let me know how white my hair is becoming… I prefer my almond tree is blossoming!)

And it all culminates in that bleak, almost darkly humorous image of dragging yourself along "like a dying grasshopper."

Now, I’ve recently taken up fly fishing, which means—nerd alert—I've started studying insects. 🤓 I learned to tie a fly called the "half-drowned hopper." It’s designed to look like a mangled, old grasshopper, barely kicking, just dragging itself through the water—an easy meal for a trout.

That’s Solomon's picture of us. This isn’t meant to be morbid; it’s a reality check. It’s a megaphone screaming: don’t invest your ultimate hope in a failing asset like your body. This life is fleeting.

That reality leads to the Teacher’s signature refrain in verse 8: "Everything is meaningless... completely meaningless." If the book ended there, it would be the most depressing conclusion imaginable. That’s the logical end of a life lived only "under the sun."

But thankfully, the Teacher doesn’t leave us in that hopeless place. He’s shown us the problem. Now, he moves to the solution. If our days are numbered and our bodies are failing, where do we find a hope that lasts? How can our lives count for something more than dust?

III. A Hope That Can’t be Shaken: The Gospel Guarantees a Life with Eternal Returns! (Ecclesiastes 12:9-14)

This is where the Teacher lands the plane. After exploring the meaninglessness of a life lived "under the sun," he gives us his final conclusion—a hope that cannot be shaken. Listen to his last words:

Ecclesiastes 12:9–14 NLT

9 Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. 10 The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly. 11 The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep. 12 But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out. 13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

This conclusion gives us both the problem and the solution.

A. The Impossible Terms and Conditions (v. 13-14a)

Here it is. The final word: "Fear God and obey his commands... for God will judge us for everything we do."

This is the fine print of life, and it exposes our deepest problem: we have all failed to meet this standard. Who here has feared God perfectly? Who has kept every command? Who can stand before a judgment that sees every secret thing?

This creates an impossible tension. The Teacher tells us to live with joyful, risk-taking freedom while demanding perfect obedience. We can't do both. We either shrink back in fear and fail to live boldly, or we pursue joy without accountability and fail to fear God.

B. The One Shepherd's Solution (v. 11, 14b)

It feels like a trap. But the Teacher hid the key to our escape a few verses earlier. Go back to verse 11. And I’ll be honest the NLT isn’t great here. I much prefer the NIV and ESV here. Solomon says in the Hebrew that the words of the wise are a gift not from a shepherd but from "one Shepherd."

For centuries, God's people wondered who this Shepherd could be but we know His name. He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. His name is Jesus.

Jesus is the only one who ever lived out the Teacher's impossible command.

He cast His bread upon the waters when He invested His very life, trusting the Father for the return of the resurrection.

He perfectly remembered His Creator and obeyed every command.

And on the cross, He stood in our place, absorbing the judgment and wrath for every secret thing we have ever done.

Because of Jesus, everything changes. The command to "fear God" is transformed. It’s no longer the terror of a criminal before a judge, but the loving awe of a child before their Father. The final judgment is no longer a day of condemnation, but a day of celebration, because our debt has been paid in full.

The gospel frees us. It frees us to live boldly "under the sun" because we are secure in the One who is over the sun. We are free to ac boldly in faith and to enjoy—all for the glory of God.

Conclusion

Well, there you have it. The Book of Ecclesiastes. The Teacher’s search is over. His conclusion is this: the world offers a thousand different ways to invest your life. He tried them all, and every single one ended in the bankruptcy of hevel—meaningless, empty vanity.

The message is clear: Your days are numbered, and only the gospel can make them count.

If you’re here today and you're still searching—investing your life in your career, your reputation, or your own goodness—please hear the Teacher's warning. Those portfolios will fail. Repent of trusting in yourself and place your faith in Jesus Christ. He is the only one who offers a return that is guaranteed and eternal.

For the believer, how do we live this out? God, in His kindness, doesn’t just give us a command; He invites us to a meal. (Invite to pass out the elements)

This Table is His gift to us, a tangible way to press these truths into our hearts. As we prepare for communion, let’s respond to God’s Word in three ways.

Stop Drifting and Start Remembering. The command of this meal is simple: "Do this in remembrance of me." This bread and this cup are our anchor. They stop our drift into fear and pull us back to the solid ground of the cross. As you take these elements, remember that Jesus did for you what you could never do for yourself.

Stop Worrying and Start Rejoicing. This Table is a feast, a taste of grace. We don’t come here to earn God’s favor; we come to celebrate that we already have it in Christ. As you eat and drink, rejoice that you are forgiven. Let that joy silence the worries of tomorrow.

Stop Waiting and Start Sowing. This meal isn't just about looking back; it’s the fuel that sends us forward. It empowers us for the mission. We leave this Table not to hide, but to "cast our bread upon the waters." As you receive this grace, be strengthened to sow seeds of the gospel this week, trusting the one Shepherd with the results.

Your days are numbered. But here, at this Table, we are reminded that in Christ, they are not meaningless. Because of the gospel, your life can be a bold, joyful investment that counts for eternity.

Let's pray.