What are your living for?

Introduction

What is up guys?

As you know several weeks ago, we finished up the Book of Philippians.

Then Jimmy preached,

then we went to unite nite

So we are going into a short sermon series, called do not waste your life.

Today we are going to be all around the book of Ecclesiastes.

It might be a little bit like Bible drill because my main text is the last two verses,

Which means we have to understand what is going on in the rest of the book to get there.

Guys, this message ties in great with what Jimmy preached on with the younger son.

He had all of this money

His father set him up great,

He could have started a business, invested it, done a lot of good,

but he ended up squandering everything he had.

I wanted to ask you guys:

what you would do if you had all the money in the world?

Like Elon Musk style: billions with a B type of money?

You could have:

Trips

Cars

Clothes

Food

Experiences

You would have no limits, no budget, no restrictions

But what do you really have?

You always will want more money or more things, and realize just like Elon Musk that it can’t buy happiness.

then,

When you die people will fight over it at a yard sale or an auction.

What about if you were famous?

If you were an influencer?

You would have the money, you would have the fame, you would have the influence,

The exact thing that so many hope for…

That they aspire for,

Yet so many of them are empty and anxious.

They are letting the comment section ruin their lives.

They are surviving off of the next big thing,

Because as quick as they rose to the top they can fall.

Our world has told us that the next thing will solve our problem.

If we can just climb the latter, if we can just reach the next step…

Thinking that the next step is the greatest,

That the next leaf that we turn over is going to be when life finally gets good.

It mights be

When I get my license…

When I graduate…

When I get that relationship…

When I make more money…

When I get a real job…

When I get married and start a family…

You can have money. You can be famous. You can climb to the top of the latter.

That is what the book of Ecclesasties is all about.

Solomon had it all, chased it all, and realized that he had nothing.

Let’s pray and jump in to the book of Ecclesasties.

The Pursuit: What if I try everything?

The author of this book is presumed to be Solomon.

What can you guys tell me about Solomon?

He was rich 1 Kings 10:14 tells us that he received 25,000 tons of Gold annually.

This the price of Gold right now that is 1.6 Billions dollars a year.

That’s just Gold, he had silver and jewels, he had people paying taxes, he had land, live stock, everything.

Scholars estimate him to be a trillionaire in modern currency.

He was the Son of King David.

He was the third King of Israel.

He during Israels peak wealth, power, and time of peace.

He was the wisest person ever.

He built the temple.

So he wrote this book

and

he tells us that he went and he explored the world and tried everything.

Ecclesiastes 1:13 CSB

I applied my mind to examine and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven.

Solomon tells us here, I have done it all.

This is the background of this book.

In chapters one and two he talks about how he lived life.

So this book is like him being a scientist,

of him testing things in the world because he has it all.

so if I had to summarize what this book is,

He tested it all and wrote down the results for you.

He did this…

He went and explored the world,

so you dont have to ruin your life to learn this lesson.

so,

He went on this journey asking what should I live for?

What is the point of life?

This is not Him being sad and depressed,

he wanted to know that life was meant for.

He said I am going to go and figure this out,

so the book of Ecclesasties tells us what he did.

but notice how he says under heaven or sometimes he says under the Sun.

he says this 29 times in this book.

and what this means is, if you look at life without God.

You forget about God who is over the Sun, and you look at life merely from a horizontal prespective without God,

What do you get?

So this is how he is doing this case study…

The first thing that he did was chase wisdom and knowledge.

Ecclesiastes 1:16–18 CSB

I said to myself, “See, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge.” I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly; I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind. For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases.

This is the wisest man to have lived.

He learned more than anyone else on the face of the planet.

He knew more than anyone knew at that time.

Yet the more he knew, he learned it was really chasing nothing.

It was like grabbing the wind. You can’t ever grab the wind.

He is saying wisdom and knowledge lead you to greif.

The more you learn the more you see how broken the world is.

The more you understand life, the more injustice, broken, sin, and suffering.

There is no wisdom and knowledge that can fix what sin has broken.

Wisdom cant solve our deepest problems.

It can use wisdom to understand.

Why relationships fail,

why people hurt each other,

and why things can feel empty,

but wisdom does not:

fix sin,

stop death,

or control outcomes,

This is why Solomon says he is exploring things under the Sun,

God can fix these but merely wisdom cannot.

So he says wisdom without God leads to grief.

He knew that education does not fix the emptiness, it just allows you to describe it better.

Wisdom can make you understand your emptiness and still leave you empty.

So he pivots and goes what can I fill the void with.

He wants to know what he can chase after, so he pursues pleasures and spends chapter 2 talking about them.

He is looking for things that will please him, so…

He turned to alcohol.

He asked can this fill the void?

Ecclesiastes 2:3 CSB

I explored with my mind the pull of wine on my body—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—and how to grasp folly, until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

but look at what he said, he still did it with wisdom.

He wasn’t being reckless, he wanted to know what it would do for him.

And he said it was like grasping folly or foolishness.

Then he had great building projects.

In his time as the King he built himself a mansion,

He built the temple.

Chapter 2:4-6 says he build houses, gardens, and reservoirs,

But none of those things brought him any more pleasure.

He thought maybe having more power and possessions would bring him pleasure

Ecclesiastes 2:7 CSB

I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned livestock—large herds and flocks—more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.

He had servants, who ere there at his request

he got land, he appearntly had a big farm.

But these things did not fulfil him.

So what else does he go and pursue.

Well the obvious one… money

Ecclesiastes 2:8 CSB

I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, and many concubines, the delights of men.

Then he went for money and women.

He chased after even more wealth than he already had.

He got people to sing for him and had entertainment.

Then he even said I am going to have prostitues and see if sex will solve my problem of trying to figure out what to chase after.

If you remember the Bible tells us that Solomon had 300 wives and 700 concubines.

then finally in chapter 2 verse 10

Ecclesiastes 2:10 CSB

All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles.

WHATEVER HE WANTED HE DID.

He said there is nothing that he did not do.

This was a science experiment so see what would happen.

He had the parties, he drank what he wanted, he slept with who he wanted, he was rich, he had the house everyone wanted.

He experimented with life,

and some of us need to hear this!

If it could have satisfied him, he would have found it. Yet, he still came up empty.

There are things in life what the world says brings us joy.

Maybe it is a relationship, and the world says they are awesome, but its dragging you into sin

It could be making the right choice on career or college.

If I go here I would have fun and really get the experience.

Maybe you are chasing the weekend,

or a summer trip.

and back to what we said at the begining, we always think the next things is going to be great.

but Solomon did all things,

and he was hit with the reality that it does not work…

The Reality: It does not Work

Ecclesiastes 2:11 CSB

When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.

NONE of it!

All the work that he did.

All the fun he had.

Everything!

Was futile.

One of Solomons favorite words was vanity or futile.

He says it is all vanity.

This is the word for vapor.

Just like a kettle releasing steam into the air just for it to be gone.

Or in the cold of the winter you can see your own breath.

He says the accomplishments of life.

All you can reach,

the ladders that you can climb are all like a vapor.

once again like trying to catch the wind.

He is saying its pointless.

This verse is saying been there done that, and gained nothing from it.

He brings back this under the sun language.

Saying without God.

What’s the point?

Without God, why work 40 years of my life just to “enjoy” things when I am old and can hardly move.

Without God, when I gain knowledge I only see people are evil at their core.

Without God, the pleasures that I pursue do not fill me.

If you aren’t careful, you can spend your whole life building something that doesn’t last.

That’s because only God can fill you!

He makes the point that there has to be more!

Ecclesiastes 5:15 CSB

As he came from his mother’s womb, so he will go again, naked as he came; he will take nothing for his efforts that he can carry in his hands.

You came into this world with nothing, and when you die, you will leave with nothing.

So there has to be more.

If there isn’t then even the best things disappear with death.

Ecclesiastes 9:5 CSB

For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything. There is no longer a reward for them because the memory of them is forgotten.

That you can have all the power and money, but in 100 years, the memory of you is forgotten.

The best things that you can find of this earth are shadowed by the fact that death erases the memory of them.

If you are super influential maybe you will be written about in a book,

But most of us don’t even know our great great grandparents names.

Thats only like 80-100 years ago!

Thats who you came from!

Like your heritage, but so often we forget.

and if you do know their name, most of you can tell me nothing about them.

Chasing after this world does not work.

If it can’t survive death, it can’t be your purpose.

Based on how you look at the book of Ecclesasties, it can be depressing.

But I do not think that is the point.

I think it is easy to look at the book and look Solomon says life doesnt matter.

But really he says the only thing that matters is a life that is submitted to the Lord.

Which brings me to my last point:

The Conclusion: What actually Matters?

If there is nothing that brings fulfilment under the sun.

If all is vapor, here one second then gone,

What actually matters?

Let’s look at how Solomon ends the book.

and where we are going to camp out for a little bit.

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 CSB

When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.

Guys this is so important.

The conclusion after living it up.

After what most people would consider “the life.”

He says after ALL HAS BEEN HEARD,

His conclusion is

Fear God and follow after Him.

He says that every single thing both good and evil will not be hidden from God.

This is really what he is saying.

God is of upmost importance.

He is saying if there is no God, then there is no judge.

And if there is not a judge, then when we die there will be no final judgement.

And if there is no final judgement, there is ultimately no meaning to life.

We are here to suffer, struggle, work, have some fun that does not fulfil us and as quick as we are here we are gone and forgotten.

But if there is a God, everything matters.

and

There is a God, so every choice matters.

And that is what Solomon is saying.

There is a God,

He sees everything.

He Judges everything.

He is real.

So everything matters.

That means:

Every word you say matters.

Every thought you think matters.

Every hidden sin matters.

Every moment, even if it is not seen by others matters!

Because nothing is hidden from God.

God is able to fill that void that no one else can.

But knowing nothing is hidden from God and that he will one day judge us for what we have done is scary.

Honestly… it is not comforting, it is terrifying.

Because if everything matters, then all of our sins matter.

And because God is completely Just we have a payment for our sins.

But that is why God sent his Son, Jesus.

So we did not have to do the sacrifices with animals they used to do.

but to come and take that judgement from us.

Jesus came and lived a perfect life to say remember how Solomon said remember how everything act will be brought to judgement.

How he sees everything,

How he sees your hidden sins.

How he sees your every failure.

Jesus says I am here to wear all of those mistakes on the cross.

So if you place your trust in me, I will take that judgement and wrath to set you free.

But if you do not turn to God, there is still that payment.

There is not eternal life.

And it doesn’t mean that this life is it.

but it means when you die, you will be completely separated from God.

under his wrath.

Forever in hell.

This is why Solomon is warning us!

He has done the science experiment with trying to find what life is all about and he came to the conclusion that life is about following God.

Not money,

Or things,

or relationships,

But following God.

He says it at the end of the book here, but he also mentions it in chapter two after he said he chased all those things.

Ecclesiastes 2:24–25 CSB

There is nothing better for a person than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work. I have seen that even this is from God’s hand, because who can eat and who can enjoy life apart from him?

So he is saying you can have the money, you can have things, and you can be in relationships,

But they all should be in line with the things of God.

Because you cannot fully enjoy life until you have submitted to God.

because remember that God is Just, and we have this payment for the sins we commit.

This is why he says “fear God.”

and its not like we are a beaten puppy, or a person walking on egg shells.

but we have a revenant awe of who he is.

That we realize he is greater,

That we are not on his level,

And because of who he is and what he has done we love him.

Because when you truly love him, it shows up in how we live.

Guys, what I want you to know is your relationship with God matters.

Nothing else does.

Guys what I really want you to do is…

Live for what outlives you.

Live for God.

Matthew 6 says to seek first the kingdom and all else will fall into place.

Ecclesasties is echoing that.

Who you date is important,

Where you go to college is important,

What you do for a living is important,

But nothing is as important as living for God.

Do not waste your life, chasing the things of this world.

So let me ask you, what are you living for?

I said it last week at unite nite,

You can know God, but not have a relationship with God.

and if you do not have a relationship with God, then you are not truly living for him.

but if you seek God first,

Other things will fall into place

but do not chase things that you cannot take to the grave with you

We have to get right with God and chase after him.

We have to make the decision every day to obey him and keep his commands, because he will bring judgement to everyone,

And the only way you make it is by letting Jesus take it.

You can’t do it yourself.

So I am pleading with you, do not waste your life,

and to know if you are or not, ask yourself the question, what am I living for?