The Meaning of It All

Introduction:

Have you ever got out in the yard to rake leaves or cut the grass and just thought to yourself, “What’s the use in this? The leaves are just going to fall again. The grass is just going to grow again? I’m just going to have to do this all over again!”

Sometimes life can feel like a ferret wheel. Note that I said ferret wheel and not ferris wheel! We just go round and round and it seems like there is a never ending cycle of things stuck on repeat like a bad Christian radio station. Nothing ever seems to change and we just keep doing the same things over and over again.

Sounds depressing doesn’t it? Well, life doesn’t have to be this way. I mentioned this morning that perspective is everything. Well, tonight we are going to see this same truth as we begin studying the Book of Ecclesiastes.

Here is an outline of where we will be heading in the weeks to come:

1. The Theme of the Book (1:1-2)

2. A Catalog of Vanities (1:2-2:26)

Vanity in the World (1:2-11)

Vanity in Wisdom (1:12-18)

Vanity in Pleasures, Possessions, and Accomplishments (2:1-11)

Vanity in Wisdom (2:12-17)

in Work (2:18-26)

3. Solomon’s Poem (3:1-8)

4. Worship God for His Deeds (3:9-15)

5. More Vanities in Life (3:16-4:16)

6. Worship God for His Holiness (5:1-7)

7. Wisdom Concerning the Vanity of Wealth (5:8-6:12)

8. Wisdom to Live By (6:10-7:22)

Money Can’t Satisfy (5:10-12)Money Can Harm 5:13-17)A Healthy View of Money (5:18-20)The Vanity of Money (6:1-9)Wisdom to Live By (6:10-7:22)The Heart of the Problem (7:23-29)More Wisdom to Live By (8:1-12:7)Conclusion of the Matter (12:8-14)

9. The Heart of the Problem (7:23-29)

10. More Wisdom to Live By (8:1-12:7)

11. Conclusion of the Matter (12:8-14)

So you see an overview of where we are going, but now lets zoom in on a couple verses as we look at who wrote Ecclesiastes and why.

Read text. Pray.

Baccalaureate Service Story

Ecclesiastes is a great book to put things into perspective for us of what really matters

1. Who Wrote Proverbs?

Things we know about the author:

He was a Preacher (v.1)

He was a King (v.1)

He was David’s son (v.1)

When these three things are taken with the message of the Book about an old man who tried everything there was to try to gain happiness in this world and found no satisfaction in anything but God, we have a picture of Solomon.

Solomon had wisdom, wealth, material possessions, women, and anything else his heart desired.

Consider a few verses from the Book:

Concerning his wisdom,

Ecclesiastes 7:25 ESV

I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.

Concerning his wealth and ability to gain whatever he wanted,

Ecclesiastes 2:1 ESV

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.

Ecclesiastes 2:10 ESV

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.

Let’s match that with what the Bible says about Solomon and we will see that it most likely was Solomon who wrote the Book.

1 Kings 3:9–14 ESV

Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

1 Kings 3:9-14

1 Kings 4:29–30 ESV

And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.

1 Kings 4:29-

1 Kings 4:34 ESV

And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

1 Kings 4:33

So as we can see, Solomon fits the mold, but regardless of who the author is, we know that God wrote it. However, during this message series, I am going to take the position that Solomon wrote it because that lends to helping us interpret the Book.

2. When did Solomon Write the Book?

At the end of his life

3. Why did Solomon Write Ecclesiastes?

As a father to his son

To pass on wisdom

To avoid vain pursuits

To keep the focus on God

4. What is the Theme of Ecclesiastes?

All is vanity under the sun, but everything has a purpose under THE SON.

If you take God and His purposes out of the equation, if you take the atheist’s point of view, there is no meaning to life under the sun.

there is no point to morality (there is no morality)

there is no point to earning wealthy and working (socialism realizes this)

there is no incentive to bravery and self-sacrifice

there is no point to making the world a better place

there is no point to love

there is no reason to live

In Solomon’s words, “Vanity of Vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”

BUT, life is not just lived under the sun. We live under THE SON.

We have purpose - relationship with God

We have a moral authority

We have a calling to be good stewards

We have a calling to lay down our lives for others

We have reason to love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us

We have a reason to live - to share the gospel with as many people as we can

We have a future to look forward to that is not in this world, but in a new heaven and earth

Conclusion:

Over the course of the next several weeks, we are going to look closer at the point of it all and discover where our focus should really be. There are many things in life that want our focus, but ultimately it should be on God.