Ecclesiastes “Disillusionment”
Ecclesiastes: What is Life? • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Greeting:
Greeting:
Good morning everyone
Welcome visitors
Come back tonight at 5, Wednesday at 7
Lesson Text:
Lesson Text:
Ecclesiastes 8
Opening:
Opening:
We are continuing on in our study of Ecclesiastes this morning…
I hope you are finding this beneficial as we look at some of these lessons we learn from Gods word…
I encourage you all to get out your bibles and follow along with us this morning as we study together...
In our study what we are doing is this...
We are going through the book of Ecclesiastes in hope of answering what we could say is maybe life’s biggest question...
What is the meaning of life?
We are looking at the preacher as he calls himself, who most accredit or believe to be Solomon, as he sort of searches for the same thing really throughout this book…
He goes through life looking for meaning and for purpose, trying to to find value in his life…
He has looked far and wide, everywhere under the sun so far, to no avail…
No pleasures, no wisdom, nothing here on Earth, nothing under the sun is able to provide him true meaning in life…
Last lesson we studied together in chapter 7, this idea of a good ending...
We looked at how sometimes good things can come from something bad...
How death doesn’t have to be the end, this scary horrible experience...
But rather it can be good..
The good that comes from death for a faithful Christian is our eternal reward…
We looked at how we can have a good ending that has been promised to us...
We can have a good ending to this life...
We can find meaning we can find purpose, and that is what God wants for us...
That is his plan for us...
Our hope this morning is to study further together and draw more wisdom from God’s word on how we can find purpose in life...
A meaningful life, a life that has value...
Lesson:
Lesson:
If you have your Bibles and are not there yet turn with me to Ecclesiastes chapter 8....
This morning we are going to look at this idea of how we as Christians can live in a world full of disillusionment...
Now that is a much bigger vocabulary word than I am used to using...
Don’t ask me how to spell it...
But what it means is this...
“The sad or disappointed feeling one gets when one learns that a person, job, idea, etc. is not as good, honest, or special as we thought it to be.”
To sum it up, being really let down when something doesn’t meet our expectations
Can you think of anything in the world today that we live that fits that definition?
Probably could think of a lot that fits that idea couldn’t we?
But what direction does Solomon take it?
What direction are we taking it this morning?
We are taking it the direction Gods word takes it here in chapter 8…
In the direction of the two very things people tell you not to discuss...
Politics and religion...
Preacher talking about politics, this could get interesting...
But that is what we find Solomon discussing here to start chapter 8...
Look at verse 2 and 3 with me...
2 I say, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God. 3 Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”
Solomon says “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God...
Don’t be hasty to leave his presence, do not take stand for an evil thing.”
Why would Solomon say this?
Why would we be talking about this today?
I am going to suggest its because there might be some people that becomes disillusioned today with politics...with political leaders...
That is a possibility, and maybe not just a possibility but a reality...
There was an editorial back in 1973 published in Christianity Today that basically sated there would come a point in time that Christians needed to prepare for...
A time would come when the American state it called it, or government would fail to support and uphold the laws of God...
53 years ago someone said there will come a time when the government may one day turn against the law of God and those who support it...
Think there has been any truth to that?
Are we seeing any of that today?
Do we think America today is a society that is close to God?
One that abides by His word? Follows after His will?
When thinking about all the recent laws that's been passed, changes that have been made in support of lifestyles that contradict God’s word...
Fitting election time is right now upon us, I promise this is just by chance, this wasn’t planned out this way...
But when thinking about all this, how does a christian respond?
How do we handle the fact that we live in a world where the values we are to uphold are not being upheld?
How can we keep living a life of purpose and a life of meaning in a word, where governments, politicians, individuals all keep to seem drifting further away from God...
All keep letting us down…
How do we prepare for and handle that?
I looked up some statistics on this and recent polling shows that 62% of American adults claim to be a “Christian”
With around only 20% of that number attending services and practicing religion weekly or regularly...
We drive around and see church buildings on every corner, we see America as the religious God fearing country...
Yet 20% of the country “practices religion regularly”
Now you may say where are you going with this Daniel?
You have touched on politics, our culture in America and what its become, what is the point of all this...
The point of it all is this...
What are we going to do about it?
What do we do?
How are we as christian people supposed to continue to live in a world of disillusionment...
A world that is seemingly turning their back on Christ more and more…
A world where cultural chaos is ensuing...
We see riots breaking out throughout the country, all the craziness and madness going on in society…
A world that is seemingly less and less each day living like Christ would have us live...
That is what I want us to think about this morning...
I want us to think about what we can do, how we can continue to live a life of meaning and purpose no matter what is going on around us...
And we are going to do that by looking at God’s word...
If you go back with me there to Ecclesiastes 8, the first thing we can see that we are to do is this...
Continue to live and be as law abiding citizens
We read a few minutes ago verse 2...
“Keep the King’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God”
Solomon is reminding us here that as Christians we are called to obey aren’t we?
5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.
We see this same idea presented to us by Paul in Romans 13...
1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
The Bible speaks about this idea on numerous occasions...
Paul even says there do you not know those that exist have been placed there by God?
This is the way in which we should behave as a christian...
And that is what the author is getting at here in Ecc 8:2-4 …
It’s the idea that we are not always going to agree with what is going on...
We are going to be let down and disappointed by them...
Once again we can’t Look under the sun, in this world for our sense of meaning and value…
Go to 1 Samuel 8 for just a minute...
Do we remember what Israel wanted?
They wanted a king didn’t they?
They thought that was the answer to all their problems...they wanted to be like every other nation.
Even though Samuel there tells them how frustrating and disappointing the king will be...
They didn’t listen, they couldn’t see beyond this life…
If we want to live a life of peace, a life of meaning, a life that is not constantly disappointed, frustrated, maybe even enraged by the things that go one around us this is what we need to understand...
We have a terrible problem I believe in this country…
And that is we believe there is some magic person, magic party, magic candidate out there that is going to fix all the problems...
We have placed our faith in man, instead of God...
Does Scripture teach us to be subject and respect our authority?
To be good citizens, not our here acting a fool as maybe your parents has told you before...
Absolutely...
But back in Romans 13 do you remember who it said had the ultimate authority?
God...
That is where our loyalty lies...
God won’t fail us, but mankind, the government, authorities and rulers, they will, because they are human...
Are we to obey and respect the rulers of the land authority absolutely....
But who does our greater loyalty lie?
God....
Look over in Acts 5...
What you find here is Peter is about to be beaten because they were preaching and they were told not to..
28 saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”
What does Peter say in verse 29?
29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.
If we are ever told to do anything believe anything, to act in any way contrary to the will of God, we simply say no..
We don’t do it, we remain firm in the faith…
We do not fold under pressure...
Go back with me to Ecclesiastes 8....
How can we find meaning in a life of frustration and let down from our government and society and world?
One we keep on living our life, obedient to God first and foremost...
But point number two this morning...
The second way we can do this is by waiting on God’s timing and not losing our joy in the mean time, all while keeping the end in mind...
Look at verse 11 with me...
11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.
What do we have to do in the meantime?
We wait on God’s perfect timing...
Sort of like we talked about in the last lesson, we keep the end in mind...
We wait on God, we let him deal with it...
I think we sometimes forget what God is truly capable of...
1 Kings 22 we have the story of Ahab...
Remember him, one of the worst kings we can read about...
Ahab is going to go attack another country essentially and has all these prophets telling him he is going to win...
Johosophat says basically you know is there a real prophet we can ask or talk to about this?
There was a prophet named Maccai but he alwasy prophesied bad things about Ahab, but they bring him in to ask and he tells him of you will win...
They could tell he is being sarcastic, so Makkai tells them the truth...
He says you are going to be defeated, you will lose...
Ahab, enraged by this says get this man out of here and lock him up...
A king locking up a prophet of God...
All because he didn’t like what was told to him..
You can look down in verses 34 and 35 there in 1 Kings 22 and we cans see what happens...
Ahab comes up with this plan he is going to go into battle dressed as just a regular foot soldier, maybe no one will know him and he will live...
And how does that work out for him?
34 Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”
35 The battle increased that day; and the king was propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out from the wound onto the floor of the chariot.
This isn’t me saying God is gonna strike someone dead today...
The point of this story is just that I think we forget what God can do and His plan he has...
God will take care of things in His own time...
Whether that is now, or whether that is all the way on the day of judgement...
We need to remember who is really in control...
We need to remember God’s timing is always perfect, and we need to remember again, if you haven't picked up on it throughout the whole book so far...
Keep the end in mind..
Those who think other wise, those who think they can deceive God, they can reject his authority, they can go against His word...
One day they will realize just how badly they messed up...
We can read of something similar to this over in 2 Peter 3...
They were those who were mocking essentially saying...
Listen its been forever, He ain’t coming back, it ain’t gonna happen...
3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
How many people today are doing the same thing?
Our government, our culture, our society as a whole...
How many are doing this same thing?
There really isn’t no God...
There definitely isn’t no place called hell...
He is not going to punish anyone, He is not coming back...
God? There is no God...
If you go on there in 2 Peter 3, Scripture goes on to describe a sobering reminder...
A reminder that one day Christ will return...
He will come back, He will destroy this Earth, and He will take those that are faithful to Him home..
We need to keep the end in mind, that is what Solomon is reminding us there in Ecc. 8...
Wait on God’s timing, keep the end in mind, and don’t lose our joy in the meantime...
Look in Ecclesiastes 8:15
15 So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.
How much joy, how much sleep, do you think is robbed by all this we are talking about?
How many people let what is said on the news, what someone posted on Facebook, what some politician did keep them up at night?
Am I worried about it?
No… I am not...
Why?
Because I am not going to let anything in this world rob the joy I have...
Solomon he writes about all the things there that we have to enjoy that has been given to us by God...
Direct blessings from Him...
Are we too busy getting up in arms, worrying and stressing, and allowing our joy to be robbed?
Solomon’s counsel could really be this, a quote I am sure you may of heard...
“Don’t let the worry of tomorrow ruin the joy of today.”
Last thing this morning...
How can we as Christians live in a world of disillusionment?
How can we find purpose and meaning in a world that will let us down, that is chaotic, that is changing all the time?
One, we keep being good law biding citizens, we keep our faith , we serve God...
Two, we wait on God’s timing with joy in our hearts and the end in mind...
And finally number three this morning...
We keep serving God openly...
Look in verse 12...
12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.
Do we think that serving God openly could ever cost us something?
Relationships, jobs, elections, etc?
Could us placing our faith and devotion as a priority and openly serve God ever cost us something?
Sure it could...
But does that mean we should just choose to not let our faith be known?
Absolutely not...
There isn’t a single position, promotion, anything in this world that is worth sacrificing our faith for...
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
Are we going to be willing to serve God no matter what?
Are we willing to confes Him before men, to put our faith first over anything else in this world?
Will we ever compromise our iontegrity our faith?
I hope we choose God first...
I hope we choose him over and over again...
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
I know this lesson this morning may be a little different..
But it is something Scripture touches on many times, therefor it is something worth preaching...
This morning what I hope we have learned from this is that what matters in this life is our devotion to God…
Our obedience and faithfulness to Him…
Not allowing anything that goes on here on earth distracts us from what truly matters….
Not letting our disappointments or dissatisfactions with what goes on around us keep us from serving God….
This morning are you a child of God?
If not become one today
If so and you’ve left the faith come back home…
