Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

“We all end up in the same place, so what’s it matter how we get there?”

That’s Solomon’s question (really his complaint) in this section of Ecclesiastes.

Earlier in he said...

Later, he will say in ...

And here in he writes...

But after the repeated examination of wisdom, madness, and folly, Solomon says they end up in the same place.

Death comes for the wise man just as it does the mad fool, so what’s the point?

Well, the point is beyond death.

The point is eternity to come.

But how we live our lives now affects how we will spend eternity.

Major Ideas

Solomon stays on the same pessimistic note that he began Ecclesiastes with.

In v. 12, he writes...

The king has already said that his own reign was “vanity and striving after wind” ().

In addition, because his rule has been so monumental (cf.

), he has made the rule of all who follow him vanity and striving after wind as well.

The king has already said that his own reign was “vanity and striving after wind” ().

In addition, because his rule has been so monumental (cf.

2:1-11), he has made the rule of all who follow him vanity and striving after wind as well.

Solomon is returning to the same theme he spoke of in vv.

9-10...

Q: How do you see people trying to do something new and innovative today?

[Illus] In our day, it seems as if some new rebellion against God is presented as innovative.

A couple years back, a pop singer did something lewd and said that she was making history.

But of course there were thousands of lewd entertainers before that one.

refers to “inventors of evil,” and that phrase describes well the age we live in, but every age sees itself as innovative in thought and deed when in reality it is only following the same rebellious path as all the ages before.

But then in v. 13 it seems as if Solomon is coming around.

He says in v. 13...

Q: How would you define “living wisely” versus “living foolishly”?

v. 13, “…there is more gain

Q: What are the benefits of living wisely versus living foolishly?

But v. 13 only seems pessimistic because in v. 14 Solomon says...

Verse 16 tells us that the fate Solomon is talking about is death.

We also see this teaching in Psalms...

Psalm 49

This teaching is also repeated in Ecclesiastes...

Q: Solomon responds to this kind of teaching with a “what’s the point?”attitude, but what’s the problem with his thinking?

He is thinking of death as the end.

Q: What Scriptures prompt us to think about what happens after death?

Matthew 16:37

Revelations 2:23

Revelation 22:11

Q: How do these verses teach us to prepare for death and the eternity to follow?

Know Christ and bear fruit.

In , Solomon asks, “Why then have I been so wise?”

He asked that because he saw that the wise man and mad fool both die.

Q: But in light of eternity, how might we answer that question?

Living wisely puts us in a position to better store up treasure in Heaven.

Solomon is also discouraged in v. 16 because he realizes that he won’t be remembered after death.

Q: Why is it a fool’s errand to live to be remembered?

Because you’ll be forgotten!

[Illus] We just celebrated the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

We blasted men up to the moon and put a flag on it.

It was truly a monumental achievement.

But I heard one guy talking about it, and he said, “When the story of the 20th Century is written, the moon landing was so important that it will get a paragraph.”

If the moon landing gets a paragraph, how much print space do you think you will get?

Q: Rather than living to be remembered, how should you live?

Ecclesiastes 12:13

Trust God for significance as you obey Him.

Conclusion

Solomon ends with a despairing note, which we might have expected.

Ecclesiastes 2:17

Q: How does living in light of eternity through faith in Jesus turn our despair to hope?

Through faith in Jesus, our lives have significance as we trust him and strive for obedience to God.

We live not to be remembered but to make him known to future generations.

In doing those things, we store up treasure in Heaven to lay at the feet of Jesus as we worship him there.