What Profit A Man
Notes
Transcript
What Profit A Man
What Profit A Man
3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
The reason this book seems to clash with the rest of the Word of God is that it presents merely human reasoning “under the sun.”
This phrase, under the sun, forms the most important single key to understanding Ecclesiastes. The fact that it occurs twenty-nine times indicates the general perspective of the author.
His search is confined to this earth. He ransacks the world to solve the riddle of life.
And his whole quest is carried on by his own mind, unaided by God.
If this key—under the sun—is not kept constantly in mind, then the book will present mountainous difficulties. It will seem to contradict the rest of Scripture, to set forth strange doctrines, and to advocate a morality that is questionable, to say the least.
Solomon’s Search
Illustration of searching in all the wrong places
At one time in his life, Solomon set out to find the true meaning of human existence.
He was determined to discover the good life.
Richly endowed with wisdom and comfortably cushioned by wealth (1 Kgs. 10:14–25; 2 Chron. 9:22–24), King Solomon thought that if anyone could find lasting satisfaction, he was the one.
But there was a self-imposed condition to Solomon’s search.
He was going to do this on his own.
He hoped that his own intellect would enable him to discover fulfillment in life, quite apart from divine revelation.
It would be the exploration of a man without any help from God. He would search “under the sun” for the greatest good in life.
Solomon’s Findings
Solomon’s search for meaning ended with the dismal conclusion that life is “vanity and grasping for the wind” (1:14).
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
As far as he was able to determine, life under the sun simply wasn’t worth the effort. He wasn’t able to find fulfillment or lasting satisfaction. In spite of all his wealth and wisdom, he failed to discover the good life.
And of course his conclusion was right.
If one never gets above the sun, life is an exercise in futility.
It is meaningless. Everything that the world has to offer, put together, cannot satisfy the heart of man. It was Pascal who said,
“There is a God-shaped vacuum in the human heart.”
And Augustine observed, “You have made us, O Lord, for Yourself, and our heart will find no rest until it rests in You.”
Solomon’s experience anticipated the truth of the words of the Lord Jesus,
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again” (John 4:13). The water of this world cannot provide lasting satisfaction.
Solomon’s search for reality was only a temporary phase, a single chapter in his biography.
Solomon and God
The Need for Ecclesiastes
The question inevitably arises, “Why did God ordain that a book which never rises above the sun should be included in the Holy Bible?”
First of all, the book was included so that no one will ever have to live through Solomon’s dismal experience, searching for satisfaction where it cannot be found.
Natural man instinctively thinks he can make himself happy through possessions, pleasure, or travel on the one hand, or through drugs, liquor, or sexual indulgence on the other.
But the message of this book is that someone wiser and wealthier than any of us will ever be in this life has tried and failed.
So we can save ourselves all the expense, heartache, frustration, and disappointment by looking above the sun to the One who alone can satisfy—the Lord Jesus Christ.
I What Will Make Me Happy
I What Will Make Me Happy
2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. 3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
Every person in the world wants to know what will make him or her happy. We’re all desperately seeking for the person, place, or thing that will meet our expectations, needs, and wants. What will truly satisfy the desires of our heart?
As children, we thought it might be that bag of potato chips we begged our parents for at the store or that new bike, video game, or doll we wanted for Christmas.
We thought they would make us happy. But they didn’t.
As teenagers, we sought satisfaction in good grades, athletic accomplishments, a car, or in a significant other.
But all of it left us discontent.
As adults, we think that a bigger house, more (or less) children, or a better job will quench our thirst.
But we’re still left wanting more.
11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; And mine age is as nothing before thee: Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.
II. The Never-Ending Thirst
II. The Never-Ending Thirst
13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
They will never find satisfaction
Dissatisfaction in life is near the root of all kinds of sin.
illustration here
4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Why do people cheat on their spouse, abuse drugs and alcohol, mindlessly binge-watch ridiculous amounts of television, scroll endlessly on Facebook and Twitter, steal, or commit suicide?
All of these things and more happen because people haven’t found happiness.
At the root of our dissatisfaction is a never-ending thirst that nothing in this world can satisfy.
We’ve been duped into thinking that a better job, more money, cooler friends, another spouse, or a new life is really what we need.
And if we can’t obtain any of these things, or when they leave us dissatisfied, we resort to drug abuse, sexual immorality, or senseless entertainment.
“For a long time I was looking for something, for a relationship to fill something that only Christ could,” S.O. confessed in a recent interview.
“I thought if I got into this relationship I [would] be happier, you know? Or if I was with this girl everything would be all right, you know? But that wasn’t the case. A relationship couldn’t satisfy me, though. Only Christ can satisfy me.”
He realized that there is someone greater than people or possessions that can truly satisfy. God offers us himself in the person of Christ. Jesus exceeds our expectations, provides for our needs, and fulfills our desires. Christ alone can provide the satisfaction and joy we so desperately seek.
III. Promises of Satisfaction
III. Promises of Satisfaction
The Bible is full of glorious promises of satisfaction for the discontent:
illustration here
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
§ For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. (Psalm 107:9)
9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, And filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Herman Bavink once wrote, “God, and God alone, is man’s highest good.” God is the source and sustainer of all good. He and he alone, as Bavinck notes, is “the abundant fountain of all goods.”
Our Good and His Glory
Seeking satisfaction in Christ alone serves two purposes: It is for our good and for the glory of God. “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” As we drink daily from the cup of Jesus, it becomes evident to those we interact with that Jesus is enough and our hearts will “flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38).
We reap the benefits of knowing, loving, and delighting in Jesus.
The Father gives us peace that surpasses understanding and provides for all our needs according to his riches.
No good thing is withheld from us and all things work together for our good.
Living in light of these truths proclaims to a discontent world that Jesus is better than anything the world has to offer. As we look to Jesus to make us truly happy, we also proclaim to a world in need that only Christ can truly satisfy.
“When we are most satisfied in him, he loves that,” S.O. said with a smile. “We are glorifying God when our satisfaction is Jesus alone. We never heard [this] concept before, because to us it was we have to read our Bible to glorify God [or] we have to pray to make him happy. No. When we are satisfied in him all those things will happen and he is happy with us. He is most glorified when we are [happy in him], which is crazy.”
What in this word are you depending on for satisfaction?