For the Next Generation
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Introduction
Introduction
Junior Church Dismissed
Open your Bibles to . You can find that book in the Old Testament, that’s the first part of the Bible, right after the book of proverbs. If you get to the book of Psalms, you’ve went too far.
Last week we started a new series titled “Launch Out” and that will be our theme for this year. As we seek to launch out into the community to take Jesus to the people who need Him through small acts of kindness to show that we are for Bristol and want to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Our country, our world, is a in a volatile state. The past couple weeks we saw our president take action against a foreign terrorist. I don’t want to know how you feel about it, that’s not whats important.
I want to make sure that we, as a church, keep the men and woman who are being deployed and their families in our prayers. Let’s not allow our political position on the events of the day to prevent us from being the Christians we need to be and pray for one another during a time of need. As a former Marine that has deployed I personally know the strain put on a family and I can only imagine being rapidly deployed as many of our military members were in the past few weeks and how that would impact the family.
We looked last week at the example of Peter and how we need to launch out in faithful obedience to just the simple requests of the Lord. We saw the blessing that can come from faithful obedience and how we must be faithful in the little things for the Lord to trust us to be faithful in the big things.
This week I want us to examine launching out and the next generation. I want us to look through the lens of scripture and see the great impact that can be had when we are focused on those who come after us rather than we are only focused on our generation and what we want or need.
Two volunteers. Let me get a 6th grader and a high schooler to come up.
I learned not to throw pumpkins at mailboxes on halloween. I learned not to lie about where you were going
Stick out your hand. Slap
#2 stick out your hand…why not?
Stick out your hand. Money
#2 Stick out your hand. Why did you?
Notice that the younger, the next generation, learned from the example of the older.
So as it is with us as Christians. We are leaving a legacy behind us for another generation to follow. The question is, what type of example are we setting?
Are we teaching them to care for the generation that follows after them or are we teaching them to care for only their generation?
As we seek to launch out we will need to keep a focus on the next generation because as we are about to read “one generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth forever.”
Follow along with me as I read
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
PRAY
Notice first the preachers outcry
I. The Preacher’s Outcry
I. The Preacher’s Outcry
The author of this book is not specifically named however there are identifiers that we can find that point us to believe the preacher who is the Son of David that has wealth and Wisdom is King Solomon.
He writes here in what is believed to be toward the end of his life and the first verse of writing he gives a hollow declaration.
A. A hollow declaration
A. A hollow declaration
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
Vanity…Vanity…All is Vanity....Woe is me…all is vain...
Such a hollow statement made from the lips of a man that is in a sad state looking at his life and finding nothing but emptiness.
The word vanity is used 38 times throughout the book of Ecclesiastes. It is the Hebrew word “hevel” meaning emptiness, futility, vapor.
There was a language professor that illustrated it this way. Here is a bubble machine. When I turn it on, there will be bubbles that come out and go around the room right?
But what is left when the Bubbles are gone? Let’s find out...
The language professor said that vanity, hevel, can be understood to be whatever is left after the bubbles are gone.
Solomon is writing that life and everything under the sun is equivalent to this. What a poor state of mind Solomon is in.
Asking hollow questions like this reveals his focus and we can see that in the verse three when he asks an honest question.
B. A honest question
B. A honest question
What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
The word profit there is the Hebrew Word yitron and is used 10 times in this book and means “that which is left over, surplus, advantage, gain” It’s just the opposite of vanity.
Solomon is writing and asking what’s the point of our labor what’s the point of the job, what’s the point of the hobbies, what’s the point?
While an honest question we can see that it is asked out of a depressed state.
Maybe someone here today is in this state. You are questioning your existence. You don’t know why you are doing what you are doing. You don’t see the point in life or find purpose in it. You are like Solomon and saying “Vanity of Vanities, ALL is vanity”
Warren Wiersbe said it this way “Solomon asks,
“In the light of all the puzzles and problems of life, what is the advantage of living? Is there any gain?”
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Satisfied (p. 16). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Solomon is not in a good place right now. What’s brought him here? What has got Solomon to this place of depression?
Look at the last 3 words in verse 3 “under the sun.”
This is another phrase that is repeated in the book of Ecclesiastes. It’s repeated 29 times. It is the key phrase that defines the outlook of the write. He is looking at life from a human perspective and not from Heaven’s point of view.
He is a man that was granted great wisdom yet in this time of life he isn’t looking at things through the lens of heavenly wisdom from God, he is looking at it through the earthly wisdom of man.
Now, if you know anything about Solomon, you know that Solomon was the wisest man to ever live apart from Jesus. Yet as he got older he got distracted and began to look to the world all it had to offer him.
He became a man of great wealth. He took many wives in order to position Israel with its allys. He was not living the way the Lord had commanded for His people to live. He was distracted, he lost his focus, and stayed that way which lead to this depressive state that he is in.
He is looking at only things of this physical world and what’s happening around Him “under the sun”
Man…what if that’s all we had to focus on today?
Brushfires in Australia, Earthquakes in peurto Rico, Military action in the middle east, terrible political climate, 3rd world countries where they don’t have shoes, homes, indoor plumbing, sufficient a/c’s during the 100+ degree summers....opioid epidemics, ungodly philosophies and practices taking over our culture, taxes taking a lot of our money, politicians that don’t seem to care…yea…I could get in a real depressive state if that’s all I looked at. if that was all I thought on or thought living consisted of.
Solomon then goes on to observe something profound…See with me the Preacher’s Observation.
II. The Preacher’s Observation
II. The Preacher’s Observation
Look at verse 4
One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
We as people live our lives and die and then the next generation comes along and does the same thing.
Generations come and generations go....but the earth remains. It was here before us and it will be her after us...
Pastor, that’s pretty bleak and depressing....your exactly right. That’s the focus of Solomon right now. That’s the focus of a man that isn’t living for or walking with the Lord. That’s what our attitude can become when we begin to believe that the thing we live for is only what we can see “under the sun”
Solomon observed a sure series
A. A Sure Series
A. A Sure Series
Solomon is right in the series of events he observed at the beginning of the verse. “one generation passeth away and another generation cometh.”
That is guaranteed to happen.
David, Solomons father, wrote in
Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.
Notice the difference between Solomon’s focus and David’s focus.
Solomon saw how one generation came and went believeing that the existence of futile whereas David made the same observation yet He saw God’s faithfulness to each generation.
See the difference between someone focused on what’s under the sun verse what’s under heaven? Someone focused on the temporal rather than the eternal?
Solomon’s heart and attitude here lead will lead us to selfishness and pride. Which leads to contention.
We can see how Solomon’s heart is inwardly focused by the selfish statements he makes later in the chapter.
Look with me at verses 14-18 of chapter 1
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
B. The Selfish Statements
B. The Selfish Statements
3/5 of those verses have the word I in them. Each of those verses speaks of his own understanding and attempts of finding purpose.
He used his eyes in verse 14 and found all is vanity.
John wrote in 1 John about the eyes and said this
1
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
The lust of the eyes…that is in reference to the things that we see in the world. The material objects, the full bank accounts, the cars, the homes, the clothes, the looks, etc.
Solomon looked through his own eyes and found emptiness.
Then he looked to his own heart…Jeremiah had something to say about the heart
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Solomon looked at his own heart and perceived it to be a vexation of his Spirit. Now I don’t know about you but the word vexation isn’t a word I use in my day to day vocabulary.
It means a state of being annoyed or frustrated.
Looking to our own hearts does not lead to contentment. It does not lead to happiness or joy. It leads to frustration.
Solomon is finding himself in such a poor state in this passage because of his focus.
And if we had the time and you would listen to me for another 40 minutes we could go through chapter 2 and see how Solomon goes into detail about his labors, and efforts, and all of it turns up empty. I encourage you to take the time this week and read these two chapters in one setting thinking about Solomon’s state of mind and the conclusion he comes to at the end of chapter three.
let’s look there real quick.
Look at
There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?
For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Where does joy in labor come from? Where do we find proper wisdom and knowledge....from God. Where do we find purpose? in God.
I could honestly stop here but I want to bring your attention to the New Testament writings that reinforce this same conclusion and give some application on how to make your life more than vanity and vexation of Spirit. On how to have an impact on your generation and the one that comes after it instead of allowing one generation to pass and another cometh without affecting those after you.
On the screens you’ll see where you will see the Apostle’s Order
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
III. The Apostle’s Order
III. The Apostle’s Order
Paul the Apostle is writing to the church in Corinth here and gives them the application needed, that Solomon discovered in Ecclesiastes, on how to go from seeing life as Vain to seeing life as filled with purpose.
he first tells them to have a perserving Spirit.
A. Have a Persevering Spirit
A. Have a Persevering Spirit
“Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding”
The word steadfast is defined as being loyal, being committed, not faltering.
but to what and why?
The first word in that verse “therefore” points us to the verses before it.
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
What’s Paul writing about? Heaven. Eternity. He is taking the readers at Corinth’s focus from the the things of this world to the things of God. He is teaching them what Solomon wrote about.
Stop focusing on self. Focusing on Eternity.
Stop looking to just your generation. Before you know it, it will be gone and there will be another one. time will pass you by and you will feel as though you have done nothing because you were focused on the job, the home, the place you are in life. You will be focused on something that will eventually pass away.
The more important things of life surpass our generation. The more important things of life are multigenerational and eternal.
It doesn’t matter what house you have, what car you drive, what job you work, or how much money you have, if you don’t invest into the next generation of your home, your church, and everyone around you will have lived for the vanity of vanities. you will have a frustrated spirit.
As Christians we are to focus on all things under Heaven with a God sized perspective on life and not just what’s under the sun.
When we do this. We will stop living for the material. When we will stop focusing on our failures. When we stop say I should’ve would’ve and couldve and look to the future of what God will do, what God can do, and what God wants to do, with us and those after us we will start to see the purpose in our life.
That’s what Paul finishses verse 58 with. He says “Forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord”
He says live for the Lord and the things of God and you will not have lived in vain. You will have a purposeful life.
B. Have a Purposeful Life
B. Have a Purposeful Life
Having a purposeful life isn’t about just having purposes that you give yourself. It is about focusing on God and the things of God and living for them.
It’s about the next generation that comes after you. It’s about your children, it’s about my children, it’s about the babes in christ that have yet to be born into the family.
That last statement was a little Christianese. What I mean by babes in Christ yet born into the family is: there are unbeleivers in the world that need Jesus and are the next generation of Christians that we need to be pursuing with all of our efforts. Our finances, Our time, Our prayer, Our everything.
A purposeful life isn’t found in money, if it was rich people would never commit suicide.
A purposeful life isn’t found in being the best at a job, if it was, high ranking officials wouldn’t face alcoholism or divorce, or children leaving the home hating mother and father.
A purposeful life is not found in the things under the sun....it is found when the live for the things under the heavens that Jesus lived for.
A purposeful life is found when your impact surpasses your own generation and goes to the next.
Many of you of age have impacted the generation after you and even 2-3 generations in some cases. My question for those of us that are up and coming of age. us 30-50 year olds. What are we doing to have an impact on the next generation?
It’s in our age group that I believe depression is highest. Why? Becuase we are so consumed with obtaining success, wealth, and happiness, in the temporal things of the world and find it to be just like Solomon said “vanity of vanities”
Ladies and gentlemen Solomon also wrote another statement in chapter 1 of Ecclesiastes
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
There is nothing new under the sun.
the problems you faced were faced by men and women of the 1st century…they just look a little different now.
Something else that hasn’t changed that isn’t new....the need for believers and God’s people to be the example that is needed for the World, for our homes, and for our churches.
Can someone tell their teenager or their child “hey…do you see that man or woman there? That’s a man or woman who loves God and lives for Him. You be like that person....”
Conclusion
Conclusion
That statement, that question…that hits home for me…What about you?
Is the Holy Spirit convicting your heart of your life and how its being lived? Did you have something brought to your attention this morning that made you realize you’ve been focused on the wrong things of life? Don’t continue living that way. It leads to vexation…to frustration…annoyance…it leads to destruction....
Instead…Be ye steadfast, loyal, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know, for all that you do for Him, your labor is not in vain…it has purpose.
Labor for the Lord for the next generation.
Launch out of your selfishness. Launch out of your temporal focus and into a life lived with an eternal focus.
Have you ever thought about eternity? What it will be like after death?
The Bible says that there is one of two things that will happen after death. You will either go to Heaven with Jesus or to hell with the devil and his angels.
Which will you do? Wouldn’t you like to know for sure your going to heaven?
Woudln’t you like to stop living a fruitless and purposeless life focused only on self and only on the things of this world? In order to do that you must start where every Christian starts....by puting your faith in Christ.
With every head bowed and every eye closed I’d like to transition to our time of response now.
This is a time at Liberty Baptist where we respond to the message in prayer to God.
How do you need to respond? What has God called you to do as a result of what you’ve heard today?
Do you need to put your faith in Him?
The Bible says in
that God loves you so much He sent Jesus to die for your sins. In that same verse Jesus said that whosoever believes on him will not perish but have everlasting life.
It’s that simple. Believe on Jesus…have a relationship with Him.
Do you believe this morning? If you made the decision to trust in Jesus this morning I want to invite you to confirm that with prayer. The words of the prayer mean nothing if you don’t believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God who died for your sins and was raised from the dead.
If you want to make the decision to trust Jesus as your savior this morning please pray after me
“Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner, I believe you came to die on the cross and rose from the dead. I put my faith right now in you and ask you to come into my life and change me from the inside out. Amen.”
Christians…How do you need to change your focus? What action steps in your life should you take be more aligned with God and have an impact on the next generation?
PRAY
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