The Pointlessness of Pleasure

Introduction

A. Bubbles – illustration of vanity.  As a child it was great fun to chase a bubble, but when you catch it, it is gone

Pointless partying

A. Explanation

a. He says in his heart – The center of thinking, reason, and who he is

b. I will test you with pleasure – Joy or mirth.  This is the desire to just pursue unconditional happiness.

c. The conclusion –

i. laughter is mad and pleasure, what use is it?

ii.It was shallow and did not test his depth as a human being

d. The party –

i. Searched to cheer my body with wine

ii.Still wise – not absolute debauchery or drunkenness, but just seeking pleasure to fill the whole within him

iii. It was chasing bubbles

B. Application

1. This is the problem with so many today is that we simply chase the next high, the next place of fun

2. We don’t know how to find joy if we are not entertaining ourselves

a. Drinking

b. Sex

c. TV

d. Social media

3. These things give us the dopamine hit for the moment, but they don’t change our lives.  They don’t make us better people

4. Illustration – Da club – Conversation with a friend at work who refused to submit to Christ because he liked his party.  But it was empty

5. The pursuit of Christ doesn’t always bring the momentary happiness, but He is the source of lasting joy and meaning in life

Pointless planting

A. Explanation

1. I made great works – Solomon was a great builder, temple, other great works, and the nation. He built houses, planted vineyards, gardens, parks and pools for irrigation.  He was a great builder and organizer. Everyone could see his greatness through his works

B. Application

1. We often try to fill the void with our own sense of self-worth.  We seek to build ourselves up.

2. We are told from a very early age that we need a high sense of self-esteem and so we continually seek to plant things around us to give us a sense of belonging, security, and importance

3. At the same time, we are plagued with self-doubt and insignificance

4. Planting more things around our lives will not fill the void that only Christ can

Pointless procuring

1. He accumulated a lot of things – slaves, herds, flocks, silver and gold, singers, and women

a. Whatever Solomon wanted he had.  There was nothing left that he could not obtain

b. He created the good life all around him giving him aesthetic beauty, physical pleasure, and opulence

2. As throughout the book these did not appease his desires or fulfill his sense of satisfaction – It wasn’t enough to fill the void in his life and make him happy  

B. Application

1. This is the essence of a mid-life crisis – People who come to the half-way point in their lives and begin to think they haven’t not gotten enough for themselves and so they begin to try and make their life more valuable by the accumulation of stuff – a new car, a new wife, a bigger house

2. But these things do not bring the fulfillment.  They bring guilt and resentment that the stuff did not fill the void

3. Illustration – I was once walking through an estate sale.  The people had passed, and the family was getting rid of each item left in the house. I wonder how many of those items had a story behind them.  Bow many of the items were “must-haves” in someone’s life.  Yet now, those items that were hoarded were being unloaded at yard-sale prices with no meaning. Did they bring fulfillment?  Did they bring salvation?

Pointless producing

A. Explanation

1. Solomon returns to himself and shows how he had done all these things and through them surpassed al who were before him in Israel – he was the greatest king

2. He did not keep anything from himself and he denied himself no pleasure – This was the reward for all his toil

3. When compared to all the work he had done and all he had expended of himself to procure them he came to the realization that it was for nothing – Chasing after the wind

4. There was nothing to be gained – under the sun

B. Application

1. This is not to say that his work, the things that he produced by his work wasn’t valuable. He bettered the lives of others. He in many ways honored and dishonored God through his work, he made a name for himself.

2. But, in the end, the reality was the same for him and everyone else – The grave would come, and his works would no longer be his or give him valie and worth

3. Again, the key is “under the sun”

4. The which is worked for to be great in this world comes to nothing.  The one who is great and from whom we truly gain value is not under the sun.  He created the sun!

Conclusion

A. It is not wrong to enjoy the things of life

1. A time spent with loved ones

2. A wonderful meal

3. To create as the image of God and to make lives netter for others

B. What is wrong is when we try to find our value and meaning in these things.  What matters is our relationship with the one who made us in His image

C. Illustration – Tom Brady - After winning multiple Super Bowls, quarterback Tom Brady was interviewed on 60 Minutes. He had fame, wealth, and more championship rings than most players could dream of. Yet he said, “Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? … I think, ‘God, there’s got to be more than this.’” Even at the top of his profession, he found that success and possessions weren’t enough to satisfy the soul.

D. Jesus says that we will find our joy in Him – John 15:9-11

John 15:9–11 ESV

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.