Sermon Tone Analysis

Conclusion of Wisdom Series-The reason to accept wisdom’s invitation to dine: Loving God and Neighbor -

With Advent already next week, today we conclude our fall series on Wisdom.

There is always more we could study, but for now, the wisdom groundwork is laid out to continue your own study.

On occasion, we’ll come back to The Bible’s Wisdom Texts aiding us further in loving God and our neighbor.

That’s especially true as we’ll come to see how Jesus amazingly lived all these Proverbs out with perfect execution.

“for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple and discretion to the young.”

Prov 1:2-4

An Explanation of Ecclesiastes - Everything “under the sun” is “meaningless, meaningless.”

An Explanation of Ecclesiastes - Meaningless, Meaningless,

Contrary to Jesus who mastered wisdom, we meet in Ecclesiastes a frustrated teacher Quohelet whose quest for wisdom falls short.

Many presume him to be Solomon - or an aging Solomon who eventually repented from turning on God.

That quest is the search for the meaning of life.

He does so by investing himself nearly 100% into every endeavor “under the sun.”

This phrase repeated 29 times in Ecclesiastes limits his search to the scope of human achievement outside of God.

He concludes life can be endured and it’s pleasures enjoyed-but such living falls short of true meaning.

Disillusioned by life’s limits, not only is one’s life temporary, one’s achievements are soon forgotten.

The end result is his conclusion that everything is meaningless.

On first impression, we might expect this teacher to be driving us to despair of life itself, but instead, another person in the book-the narrator who reflects on Quohelet’s wisdom drives us to God.

Testifying to his misteps in acquiring wisdom is Quohelet-the teacher.

Some presume him to be an aged Solomon lamenting and repenting from turning on God.

Whoever he is, the wisdom teacher is on a never-ending quest to find the meaning of life.

But nothing satisfies.

Everything is Meaningless.

We too realize our own sense of disillusion when we place hope in the meaningless.

We too realize our own sense of disillusion when we place our hope in the things of this world.

While Quohelet never uses the term idol, not every idol is a graven image.

In mock pattern, just like Quohelet, we pin our futures on the next trend, technology, education, or even candidate to make everything right.

Striving for solutions and purpose and happiness for everything “under the sun” we keep finding ourselves let down.

That’s because outside of God, they are.

All the things we put our trust in- striving for solutions and purpose but always being let down.

Ultimately, in and of themselves, outside of God, these things and institutions are ultimately meaningless.

Jesus highlighted this in -”Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.”

“Where your treasure is your heart will be also.”

The Funnel Imagery (

Pinning all our hopes on our own shoulders or the American Dream of bettering ourselves - comes off as a nightmare for many.

Working hard and learning hard isn’t always enough in this dog eat dog world.

Pinning all our hopes on government is a sure way to disappointment.

Anyone turning on the television finds that one impeachment is actually two depending on which station.

The greatest disillusionment is the face looking in the mirror.

We keep spinning our wheels searching for purpose and pursuing someone’s definition of success - we’re just exhausted.

The shining beacons outside of God we looked to for hopeA step back reveals that looking at a different angle - idol worship isn’t limited to the false gods people worship.

When we pursue after created things - even the good ones above the Creator - we are not fearing God, we are worshiping idols.

We put such a high degree of trust in all these things and more, that we come away lost and disillusioned when they don’t satisfy.

This is the recurring theme in Ecclesiastes.

Problem in the Text - The Funnel Imagery ()

Reading Ecclesiastes from start to finish is like being caught up in a funnel.

Like this picture, a funnel is wide at its body with a narrow neck at the bottom.

The teacher considers the advantage of youth — While it is in their best interest to seek God or as Jesus says store up treasures in heaven, the wide open end of the funnel offers so many “under the sun” options to treasure.

The problem is one is less prone as a youth to consider their eternal future and live in the moment.

(READ )

Consider our own youth.

Very few of us as teens or young adults gave much thought to where we are right now.

The options are wide open like the top of the funnel- but the teacher wants his students (a) to think ahead to the days of darkness (b) not forget God.

I think back to Wednesday night as the GEMS left to sing carols.

In that wonderful moment, they had God on their hearts.

Yet, they were fully in the present.

Not one gave thought that in 60 or 70 years, they would be the ones being visited.

Yet in that hour or so of singing, whether they realized it or not, they were investing in the Treasure of Heaven.

I think back to Wednesday night.

The GEMS were heading outside to sing carols at the nursing home.

All conversation at the tables came to near halt - in that moment we were just so caught up their joy and energy.

Quohelet was right.

They gave little thought to the future as they left - that in 60 or 70 years, they would be the ones being sung too.

Right now, the young have strength and unlimited potential.

It’s with that same zest for life, Quohelet pursued after sorts of things for satisfaction.

Yet without God in his proper place, not one of these gave him satisfaction.

(35x’s) Pleasure (2:1), Work (2:11), Profit (2:15), Estate (2:19), Life and Death (3:19) Achievement springing from envy (4:4), Lonliness (4:8), Many Words (5:7), Love of Money (5:10) Life (9-9) Future (11:8) Youth and VIgor 11:10,

But again and again as far as the teacher is concerned, storing up treasures on earth and seeking hope in them is meaningless.

Consider just a small list of all he tried - Pleasure, work, profit, achievement, companionship, love of money.

Exclusive to themselves, outside of God, all are meaningless.

And the narrator of Ecclesiastes does not want his son repeating the same mistake.

The sooner the lesson learned the better one’s life will be.

We know all too well, time marches on.

But then with the narrowing of the funnel - With that funnel imagery still in mind, Quohelet realizes that as life goes on, one’s own options gives way to the common path of everyone.

Life begins wide and open with so many options - Quohoelet is imbittered by it that in the end are the limits of one’s body.

Whereas a long life is taken by Scripture to be a sign of blessing, Quohelet pushes back on this.

While you will see on the news or hear of those who defy the limits of age - for the majority of us that is not the case.

And if there’s one thing that starts to force one’s mind to thinking about the future and meeting their maker - it is aging, it is serious illness.

The Funnel Imagery (Ecclesiastes 1-11)

While you will see on the news or hear of those who defy the limits of age - for the majority of us that is not the case.

And when you have less days in front of you compared to what’s behind you -

reach the neck of the funnelWith that funnel imagery still in mind, Quohelet realizes that as life goes on, one’s own options gives way to the common path of everyone.

Life begins wide and open with so many options - Quohoelet is imbittered by it that in the end are the limits of one’s body.

Whereas a long life is taken by Scripture to be a sign of blessing, Quohelet pushes back on this.

While you will see on the news or hear of those who defy the limits of age - for the majority of us that is not the case.

And if there’s one thing that starts to force one’s mind to thinking about the future and meeting their maker - it is aging, it is serious illness.

Old Age at the neck of the funnel (1-8)

Age at the neck of the funnel has a strangle hold on all of us - the ultimate idol buster (1-8)

Going back to the funnel imagery, as one ages, the funnel narrows.

That’s Quohelet’s honest but somber view of old age.

Our earthly treasure driven society takes a different approach.

Our society teaches us that our retirement years are the wide part of the funnel with unlimited options.

The neck of the funnel is our working and child rearing years.

But not as far as the teacher is concerned.

Let’s be honest - while the Bible speaks of the blessing of a long life, not all that change is for the better.

In dramatic fashion, the teacher highlights the importance of remembering God early on for the things of this earth are temporary and soon forgotten.

Verse 1-2 - Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say - I find no pleasure in them.

before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark and the clouds return after the rain.

- before time runs out, the reversal of God’s creation of light.

Verse 1-2 - Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say - I find no pleasure in them - before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark and the clouds return after the rain — This is oppositte of the start of creation in where God ordained light and the sun, moon, and stars.