Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
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Introduction: Ecclesiastes
Does life have meaning?
Big questions: Who am I?
Where did I come from?
Does my life have meaning?
Go and stand on the sidewalk at the courthouse from 3-5 PM
We ask why about so many things, but we do not ask the why when it comes to life
If people really asked why and really thought about their purpose in life, it would drive them crazy
Ecc 1:
If you are honest, there are a lot of things about Christianity that seem crazy
I want to tackle why life without God or with a god who cares is meaningless; and why our lives have meaning
I wish Ecclesiastes was first
The list of the Bible is not inspired
In the beginning, God… [It’s a good argument]
However, I think Ecclesiastes could be first
Ecclesiastes
Who wrote Ecclesiastes?
Not Solomon
He was an Israelite who wrote like Solomon
It does not matter who wrote Scripture, because we know that God was ultimately behind it
The opening statements...
Vanity of vanities… all is vanity
Appears 30-40 times in the book
We may think of vanity as pride (you’re so vain)
Vanity is emptiness, meaninglessness
Everything has no meaning
Under the sun
Only used in this book, but has a two fold meaning:
It has to do with life on earth: If all we have is life on this earth, then life is meaningless
Labor under the sun is hard - working outside is hard, again, if there is only a horizontal level when it comes to life, there’s no profit, no gain
“I’ll make the world a better place”
No. No, you won’t.
ecc 1
Whatever you do, will pass away
Nature tells us this
We are insignificant specks
Traveling at the speed of light
4.3 years to get to the nearest star; we could see the sun like it was another sun in the sky
26,000 years to get to the center of our galaxy
Another 74,000 years to get to the edge of the milky way
To get to the nearest major galaxy, would take 2.5 million light years
46.6 billion lightyears to edge of known universe
Natural history tells us that everything dies
All organic life dies
To say, “I’m going to make a difference is like repairing the engine on a sinking boat”
History also shows us this
What do you know about your great-great grandparents
Everyone is forgotten - no matter the historical figure, eventually, they are forgotten
Whether you live a life of compassion or a life of cruelty, no one will remember
“I’ll just enjoy life”
You will never be satisfied
Anthony Bourdain
It all becomes the same thing - there’s nothing new
You have to ignore reality - ignore your humanity
Life only has meaning when God exists and cares
ecc 12
If your origin is meaningless, and your afterlife is meaningless, then your life is meaningless
This book can be pessimistic, but it is a true assessment of a world apart from the light of God’s redeeming love
As believers, everything that the preacher says is meaningless has meaning because Christ has restored it: wisdom, labor, love, life and even death
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