“Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 9 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
In a new national survey (2016), 18-24-year-olds report that having a clear purpose in life is a big part of being a "real" adult. The problem is, most young people don't feel like they've found that sense of purpose. More than 86% of young adults say that making decisions in line with their purpose makes them an adult, according to a national survey. But only 43% say they have a clear picture of what they want in life, 36% say their career path aligns with life purpose, and only 30% know why they are here.
Christine B. Whelan, a professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison concludes, "This [study] isn't good news: Coasting is existing, not thriving. The majority of young adults who say they don't have a clear picture of what they want in life also say they are existing but not thriving, while those with purpose more often say they are thriving."
The question at hand today is...Have you discovered the meaning of life, or are you still searching? Another way to ask it, Do you understand your place in the universe, or are you still trying to figure out who you are and what you are doing here? We do see the consistent search for meaning in much of our media and ideologies of this day. But as we have seen throughout all historical intellectual thought, we still haven’t found what we are looking for. Today we put more of the puzzle pieces together… we find out a little bit more as to why we cannot find it. The word of God declares.
Ecclesiastes 7:19-29
One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town!
Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.
Don’t eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you. For you know how often you yourself have cursed others.
I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn’t work. Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find. I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.
I discovered that a seductive woman is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.
“This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle. Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman! But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”
Have you discovered the meaning of life, or are you still searching? Do you understand your place in the universe, or are you still trying to figure out who you are and what you are doing here?
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp. 171–172). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
1.
Wisdom Makes Us Strong
The Search for Wisdom
The Wisdom of God
The first thing we will look at today…wisdom is the strength we need to govern our thoughts, mouths, and actions. Second, wisdom makes us strong, but man it is hard to find. Finally, we will see that wisdom is a gift from God and the greatest of wisdom is the wisdom of God which is Christ.
Thesis: Though sin and the pattern of this world cause us to search for purpose in life under the sun, but life and life more abundant can only be found in the wisdom of God in life under the Son.
I. Wisdom Makes Us Strong
- Take hold of wisdom, and it will make you strong.
A. So far the Preacher has not solved anything. He does not have the answers he has been looking for. Yet even when he did not have all the answers, the Preacher still wanted to know the right way to live. So here in chapter 7 he has been praising the value of wisdom and showing all of its its practical benefits for us.
Take hold of wisdom, and it will make you strong.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 172). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 172). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
B. The wisdom literature of the scriptures, shows us in many ways just how precious wisdom is.
Job
Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it.
The price of wisdom is far above rubies.
For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies.
Nothing you desire can compare with it.
How much better to get wisdom than gold,
and good judgment than silver!
Wise words are like deep waters;
wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook.
Wisdom and money can get you almost anything,
but only wisdom can save your life.
One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town!
C. So what is the picture here? Qoheleth paints the picture of 10 men who rule a city and understanding the idea of strength in numbers, this is a good thing for a city. But Solomon suggests that one person with wisdom is so much better. One wise person has the strength of a well governed city.
D. Wisdom is the thing that governs our thoughts. It helps us to think in the right way, the God-centered way.
Wisdom even governs our wills. So that we know the right choices to make.
Wisdom guards our mouths so that we know what to say and when to say it.
Wisdom will govern our actions so that we will know what to do in any and every situation.
So you see Solomon is wanting us to see that wisdom is something to search for, it will make us strong.
E. Now what he shows us is a good practical example of how wisdom governs our actions and gives us strength.
Don’t eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you.
F. Now Derek Kidner says that this is excellent advice. “Since to take too seriously what people say of us is asking to get hurt, and in any case we have all said some wounding things in our time.”
“since to take too seriously what people say of us is asking to get hurt, and in any case we have all said some wounding things in our time.”
G. I think many of you could think of time where you have the opportunity to overhear people talking without them knowing you are there. The opportunities for this happens on the cell phone when people “butt dial” you. You know, you hear them talking and you wanna hear it. I just wont do it. Why? Look at what he says.
H. Use wisdom. We may not have servants to curse us today, but sooner or later we are bound to hear somebody saying something about us that may be unkind or untrue. Usually our first reaction is to be hurt or to get angry. Use wisdom here. What we ought to do or should do instead is let it go, know that it was never intended for us to hear anyway and may well have been spoken in a moment of weakness or misjudgment. Saying things they didn’t mean.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 172). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
I. So Solomon urges us not to eaves drop. It is foolish for us to eavesdrop. French theologian and philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote, “If all men knew what each said of the other, there would not be four friends in the world.” Wisdom tells us, we must be careful not to take too much interest in what other people say about us.
Even if we do not have servants to curse us, sooner or later we are bound to overhear somebody saying something about us that may be unkind or untrue. Usually our first reaction is to get angry. What we ought to do instead is let it go, realizing that it was never intended for us to hear anyway and may well have been spoken in a moment of weakness or misjudgment.
J. Wisdom will make us strong. Wisdom teaches us to know what to hear and what to ignore, especially when it comes to criticism. This is one of the ways that wisdom makes us strong: it helps us not to be overly concerned about what other people say.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp. 172–173). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 172). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Wisdom teaches us not to take offense but to respond with gentleness and grace, even when the things that people say may seem unfair.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 173). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
It teaches us not to take offense but to respond with gentleness and grace, even when the things that people say may seem unfair. One
Wisdom teaches us to say, “He didn’t insult me at all; in fact, he was talking about another man: the man he thought I was.”
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 173). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
K. Still not convinced? Solomon continues. What about you? I bet your words are not always as charitable either.
One wise man responded to criticism by saying, “He didn’t insult me at all; in fact, he was talking about another man: the man he thought I was.”
For you know how often you yourself have cursed others.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 173). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
L. It is true: to our own shame, we have often said things behind people’s backs that we would never dream of saying to their faces.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 173). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
M. Sometimes we have spoken out of frustration or anger. We know it was only after we had a chance to calm down that we could see things better and speak better of things. You know that sometimes we spoke to soon acting as judge and jury in a situation we knew nothing about.
Sometimes we have spoken out of frustration; it was only after we had a chance to calm down that we could see the situation properly and speak with something closer to the truth. Sometimes
N. What we have got to understand that much of our criticism many times display more about what is wrong with us than what is wrong with someone else.
O. Whatever our reasons, there are times when we are guilty of unkind speech. Lets not deceive ourselves about our mouth and our behavior. Before we judge don’t forget...
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 173). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
On other occasions, our criticisms have indicated more about what is wrong with us than what is wrong with someone else.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 173). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 173). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
P. We all fail to meet God’s standard. Here is one for those who may think that we no longer sin. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So because of this truth, we should be slow to judge other people for not living up to that standard either. Before you freak out on someone saying bad about you, remember how much we spoke bad about others.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 173). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Q. Wisdom teaches us, we ought to let our own sinful words remind us not to take what other people say to heart, but make allowances for them instead, offering them the same grace that we ourselves need so often. Remembering that our criticism many times display more about what is wrong with us than what is wrong with someone else.
we will let our own sinful words remind us not to take what other people say too much to heart, but make allowances for them instead, offering them the same grace that we ourselves need so often. How
R. Wanna see this at work?
They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.
Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.
But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 173). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Titus 3:
They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.
Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.
But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love,
They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.
Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.
II. The Search for Wisdom
- Wisdom is strong but it is hard to find.
A. Look at this. No sooner has Qoheleth spoken about wisdom’s strength than he tells us how hard wisdom is to find. Here was a man who had dedicated his whole life to the pursuit of wisdom, who had searched long and hard for the meaning of life.
I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn’t work. Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find. I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.
Ecclesiastes 7:
In fact, no sooner has the Preacher spoken about wisdom’s strength than he tells us how hard wisdom is to find. Here was a man who had dedicated his whole life to the pursuit of wisdom, who had searched long and hard for the meaning of life. Notice
B. Think about it. Has any man ever made a more serious attempt to understand the meaning of life than the Solomon of Ecclesiastes? But it didn’t work? He failed to find the wisdom that he spent his time trying to find.
C. What??? At this point it almost seems as if the whole book of Ecclesiastes may end in failure. He is looking for wisdom that he cannot find. His quest has failed.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 174). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
At this point it almost seems as if the whole book of Ecclesiastes may end in failure. Qoheleth is looking for wisdom that he cannot find. His quest has failed. He is unable to explain the purpose of life, or explain why everything matters.
D. I love it. Derek Kidner describes these verses as “the epitaph of every philosopher.” Horace wrote, “Life’s short span forbids us to enter on far reaching hopes.” Pascal writes, “When I consider the short duration of my life, swallowed up in the eternity that lies before and after it, when I consider the little space I fill and I see, engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces of which I am ignorant, and which know me not, I rest frightened, and astonished, for there is no reason why I should be here rather than there. Who put me here? Why now rather than then?
E. Sooner or later almost everyone has the same questions, with the same doubts. What is the meaning of my existence, if there is any meaning at all? I have searched hard for wisdom, digging deep for the purpose of life. But I still have not found what I am looking for.
According to Horace, “Life’s short span forbids us to enter on far reaching hopes.” Or
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 175). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
F. So should we just give up? Give on the soap on the rope and scapegoats. Nope. I guess we could like many have. I revisited this back and fourth paradigms of life’s ultimacy. We hear today that it is better to strive to live a meaningful life instead of a happy life. But everything under the sun is meaningless… so how will we find meaning?
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 175). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
G. So what does this leave us? Easy. Once scholar writes, “The best alternative is to admit that we do not have all the answers, but also to believe that God still does, and then to wait for whatever wisdom he provides.”
H. This is the way of faith. What the historic protestant theologian Calvin called a “learned ignorance.” We should try as hard as we can to understand the meaning of life. But we should also be content to confess that there are some mysteries we do not understand. But trust that the Lord knows and the Lord understands and we are Ok with that.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 175). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
I. Knowing the limits of wisdom is part of wisdom. The more we know, the more we should realize how little we know, and that whatever wisdom we gain comes as a gift from God.
This is the way of humility and faith—what Calvin once called a “learned ignorance.” We should try as hard as we can to understand the meaning of life. But we should also be content to confess that there are some mysteries we do not understand.
Knowing the limits of wisdom is part of wisdom. The more we know, the more we should realize how little we know, and that whatever wisdom we gain comes as a gift from God.
III. The Wisdom of God
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 175). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 175). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 175). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
-It is the beautiful gift from God.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 175). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
A. And the wisdom we gain comes as a gift from God. All of this is a gift. Ecclesiastes and the Proverbs are all gifts of God. The word is a gift from God. Our life our breath is a gift from God. All good things are a gift from God.
B. But because not a single person on earth always does good and never sins, wisdom more and more become distorted and foggy. It even leads to deception where what we believe is wisdom is actually something foolish and evil. This is the problem with sin. It distorts reality.
C. Sin continues to show us that we needed the Lord to show us. Sin made us more and more lost the more we tried to find our way. The more we searched for wisdom apart from the Lord all we found is vanity. The more we searched for happiness apart from the Lord all we found is emptiness. And sin infected us all. The wages of sin is death and that was our future. Eternal condemnation facing the wrath of God. Slaves to foolishness and wickedness.
D. But the Lord gifted us wisdom. And the true wisdom of God is Christ.
God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
E. What a wonderful Lord who did not spare us His Son. The promised salvation of God came. Wisdom itself came. And Christ came to seek and ave that which was lost. Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures...
F. The promises continue. If you confess with your mouth...
G. Wisdom in the sense of Christ is not hard to find. Christ is calling us to come to Him. Christ will make us strong by the power of the Spirit. Christian today I can say that you have found what you are looking for.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 174). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
