Sermon Tone Analysis

Inexplicable purpose of God

Without a doubt there are things that we can know, death is eminent, but we can know some great wisdom from the scripture about the inexplicable purpose of God as well as many other great topics we will overview tonight in our passage.

All things serve God’s eternal purpose and plan (Ecc3:1-15)

To everything there is a season and a time for everything under the sun (Ecc3:1-8)

God has created everything beautiful in it’s time (Ecc3:11)

God has set eternity in the heart of man, though man has striven to find out the purpose of life, it is like striving after the wind, we cannot know everything.

Everything happens in it’s proper time

Our mixture in this world is filled with joy, sorrow, laughter, tears, triumphs and tragedies.

We have harmony, conflict, life and yes death too.

All happens in it’s proper time.

May we as creatures in this world for a time such as this know what we have waiting for us when we confess and wait on the eternal purpose of God to be fulfilled in us.

While life maybe grievous, may we not be without hope (Eph2:12; Heb10:23; 1Tim1:1)

We were once without hope

But now we need to hold to our hope

For Jesus is our hope

This life can be frustrating because we cannot understand, comprehend everything, but we can rest assured the God’s eternal purpose (Jesus and the Church) that gives us our eternal hope.

We can only now, in this temporal world, accept what the Lord has given us and know that our salvation, our resurrection, our victory over death is assured in our belief, faith, trust and obedience to Jesus Christ.

so may we

In this life may we rejoice and be good (Ecc3:12)

Enjoy this life and the fruit of our labor (Ecc3:13)

God’s eternal purpose does include reverencing Him (Ecc3:14; Act17:26-27)

Everything we have is a gift from God (Ecc3:13; Jam1:17)

Death is eminent

Death and taxes you have heard that those two things are eminent.

Well Solomon has much to say about the death part in this passage, and his outlook regarding death

What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

Koheleth saw the oppression of men (Ecc3:16-17)

God see’s the oppression of men and one day will hold men accountable for being an oppressor or being oppressed.

God will use injustice and wickedness in carrying out his purpose

God raised up Assyria, raised up the Chaldean’s against Israel

Ask the question: Can you think of anything, anytime God has used evil for a good outcome?

Koheleth reasoned in his heart God tests heart of man (Ecc3:18)

God will judge in the future, and all will be held accountable but also

God judges now (v.18) testing the heart of man.

Leads to the next point the fate of men and beasts

Koheleth acknowledges God and the fate of man and beast (Ecc3:18-21; also see Jm2:26; Gen35:18; Lk8:55; Ecc12:7)

Man is the same as beasts they will return to the ground, return to dust when they die

Man is also different for man has a spirit that ascends and the beast descends

Remember we were created in the image of God (Gen1:26-27) so we have advantage over beast.

Man dies when spirit leaves the body (Jam2:26; Gen35:18; Lk8:55 and Ecc12:7) you can look those up on your own

Koheleth draws another conclusion (Ecc3:22)

Maybe better put the conclusion up again

While we are people of faith, we learn to live with what seems to be inconsistencies and absurdities for we live by promises not explanations.

We can’t explain life, we just have to experience it, either enduring it or enjoying it, so which is it going to be?

Now as we continue this “Make the most out of life” Koheleth goes on and talks about a few topics throughout chapter 4 so let’s break them down.

Koheleth: It is better to be dead

Without hope, without God this world can be pretty oppressive and depressing and Koheleth looks at what he see’s with no view of God here.

What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

Koheleth looks and again, sees the oppression (Ecc4:1)

Notice that again it says “under the sun.”

He see’s tears and no comforter; there seems to be power in the oppressor

Where he even says better to not to have been born, this is all a hyperbole, an over exaggeration

God see’s the oppression of the people too (Exo3:9; 2Kng13:4; Act7:34)

We have a full picture, the full counsel of God we have the whole book in our hands and know God sees the oppression of the people too.

Koheleth: On labor and riches

Remember we have already discussed vanities of vanities and labor is part of the vanities, now he gives a little more to prove his vanity conclusion here.

What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

It can cause rivalry, envy (Ecc4:4)

It too is vanity and like striving after the wind.

(Ecc4:4)

It is foolish to do nothing, but to labor and acquire brings no lasting satisfaction either (Ecc4:5-6)

Here is a Godly solution, be content with what God gives you (Pro15:16-17)

Koheleth on: Friendship

Man was not created to be alone, to strive, to live alone, we were meant to be communal .

Koheleth gives a beautiful description here in our passage.

What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

In this life we face many hardships, tragedies, disappointments, but there are few things that can help us more in those times than a real friend.

A friend who is by our side, not just in the good times but in the trying times too.

Koheleth sees the value of friendship, two better than one (Ecc4:7-8; Ecc4:9)

There is a promise in (v.9); what is it?

(they, together, will have a return for their labor) There is in insinuation in (v.9) too, what is it?

(Friendship takes effort, takes work).

Koheleth sees the strength in friendship, vs. being alone (Ecc4:10)

Who doesn’t need someone to come by their side in the difficult times to help them get up and keep moving and not give up?

Koheleth sees the importance of friendship (Ecc4:11)

In the cold dark times of life, we need people, someone who will be there for us to help us through those times.

Koheleth has not sexual implications here in (v.11); but intimacy in being there for one another; oftentimes this can be our, should be our spouse.

Koheleth sees the power in friendship (Ecc4:12)

Cord of three strands (expand on this briefly)

Koheleth on: Popularity

Who did not want to be popular at some time of your life, be honest.

Well Koheleth see’s that popularity is fleeting too and it is vanity, and striving after the wind too.

What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

Better to be a poor lad and teachable then old privileged and set in your ways (v.13)

From poverty and prison to a kingdom (v.14)

It is better to be the second one (the poor lad) than the other, but yet still striving after the wind here too.

Political power and popularity are short-lived.

Those who are in power for long periods of time seem to be set in their ways and inflexible to the people and thus make themselves vulnerable and the people desire to take them out.

Still the struggle is real and it is vanity of vanities, popularity and political power it is like striving after the wind it avails nothing.

Drawing a conclusion

Vanity of vanities we have seen that through Chapters 1-4; and we have seen Koheleth view of everything “under the sun” and then the introduction of God.

So from there may we see some application, draw a conclusion.

God has made everything, and given everything in it’s season to be used and enjoyed, knowing it is temporal.

God has set eternity in the heart of man, eternity that goes beyond death which is eminent.

Life without God is useless, pointless, it is like striving after the wind, but when you have God in view it can, should have purpose, meaning and shared with others, for two are better than one!

Life maybe perplexing since we cannot understand everything how God works all things out (Rom8:28) but we have each other to help each other (Ecc4:9-12; 1The5:11)

For there is no better way to encourage one another then to have the greatest friend we can have, Jesus

We have the mystery revealed to us, we have the Son, we have the Church, we have the scripture, and through Jesus with the right view we can find mercy and grace in our time of need.

(Encouragement slide)

Koheleth had a view of the world, a view of God that he has started to introduce and will continue to develop as we continue our series, but tonight our view, may it be of Jesus and what He did for us, does for us, will continue to do in us and through us.