When More is Never Enough (SLIDE)

Joke

A husband and wife took a long trip into the country and pulled over to fill up the car with gas and make sure the tires were full. The wife was surprised when she saw that the gas station charged to fill the tires and asked her husband, “why in the world do they charge for air?!” The husband responded, “inflation.”

Open

The camping bicycle story.

When we get older we have an opportunity to look back on our life and hopefully leave something behind for those that come after us. By this time in his life Solomon was old. He looked back on his life, which was by all worldly standards amazing and what he saw was simple…he saw regret. Like writing a autobiography Solomon using the wisdom given to him by the father wrote his thoughts and regrets and gave them to us so just like I learned not to race when dad said not to, we may learn that having more may not be enough.

While we think that having everything will make us complete, Solomon told us something different. He told us that that type of life is really…… (SLIDE)

A Meaningless Life

Before we jump to chapter 2 look at how Solomon opened the book. It gives you insight to where his heart was.

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Ecclesiastes 1:1–2 “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”

Vanity/Meaningless (SLIDE)

Hebel - “vapor” or “Breath”

You put water into the pot and it evaporates. There is nothing left.

A few examples of this word in the Bible is…

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Proverbs 21:6 “The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.

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Psalm 144:4 “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.”

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In essence…. “Everything is transitory and therefore has no lasting value. People are caught in the trap of the absurd and pursue empty pleasures. They build their lives on lies.”

I wanted happiness. I did everything I wanted. I tried everything I wanted. Nothing made me happy like I wanted.

Solomon being the wisest person EVER knew that just telling us this isn’t enough. So he told us why he thought this way in three seperate ways. The first of these is….

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Empty Pleasure

Ecclesiastes 2:1–3 “I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life.”

The first attempt - Laughter

Bring in the clowns.

If I am laughing my heart will be full.

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"You can make the whole room laugh and still struggle to find a reason to smile when your alone." - Anonomous

Many comedians have struggled with depression.

Robin Williams

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Happiness is a good thing!

Proverbs 15:15 “All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.”

The Problem: The laughter that Solomon was talking about is shallow laughter. Its a cup of coffee that will get you just enough energy to get to the next cup.

On the other hand, There is a laughter that comes when you are surrounded by Jesus that is pure and amazing. HAve you ever sang worship songs when you are feeling down. It lifts your spirit. It lets you see the good no matter what you are dealing with. Solomon was looking to bring in comedians, and performers, and clowns. He laughed but it was empty and it didn’t work.

The second attempt - Wine

I will drink myself into a full heart.

Parties

Drinking

When you sober up the world is still there.

Substance abuse is a huge issue in our country. Do what you want, when you want. If you are drinking to excess, drug users, anything that may cause you to temporarily make the problems go away it is like putting a bandaid on a bullet wound. Not only will it not fix the problem. It will often make the problem get worse.

In the end, Empty pleasure didn’t fix Solomon, so Solomon continued on his journey for happiness. If pleasure didn’t work measure would.

Which leads me to the second point…..

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Empty Measure

An easier way to say this is that Solomon thought that stuff would fix his problem.

Ecclesiastes 2:4–9 “I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.”

Solomon had everything he could possibly want.

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Houses

Vinyards

Gardens and Parks

All kinds of fruit trees

massive pools

Slaves both male and female to make sure his every wish was taken care of

Herds and flocks

more than any who had been before him in Jerusalem

silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces

singers

concubines

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According to the biblical record in 1 Kings 11:3, King Solomon had 700 wives of royal birth (princesses) and 300 concubines, totaling 1,000 women.

1 Kings 11:3 “He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.”

that is 1 date per wife every 3 years!!!

“i had more than anyone and I had my wisdom” - Solomon

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“No matter how many such things one has, he is always lusting after what he has not.”

-CS LEWIS

YET IT WASN”T ENOUGH

no one could ask for more. yet his heart remained empty

This was because Solomon had amassed massive wealth, things, experiences, and it just wasn’t doing what it was supposed to. This led Solomon to have to explain why, and he did so in verses 11-12 by telling us that all that he had and searched for was nothing but…

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Empty Treasure

Ecclesiastes 2:10–11 “And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”

All inhibitions were gone.

Whatever Solomon saw he got.

RIght and wrong didn’t matter.

All that mattered was what Solomon wanted.

He did the work and he deserved the prizes.

We get like that. Instead of seeing things as blessings from God and being thankful we look at everything we have as things we DESERVE.

I worked hard for my house. My car. My food. My kids. I have these things because of me. And the more I have the better my life will be.

Solomon found out the truth. it was all vanity. It was all for nothing. It was vapor that disappeared into the wind.

“whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil”

Solomon was missing that thing that would give him what he really wanted. Completeness. The feeling of satisfaction. The feeling that was fullfilling the purpose he was here for.

Solomon was empty because he was filling his heart with the wrong stuff.

There is only one thing that will fill a need like that and that is God.

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Close

We are not any different from Solomon.

The new iphone came out this month, I saw it and started drooling.

I don’t need it, but I wanted it.

We humans want more and more to fill an emptiness that only God can fill.

2 ways to fix this.

#1 GIVE THANKS TO GOD FOR EVERYTHING

#2 MAKE SURE GOD COMES FIRST