A Long term View
Notes
Transcript
A Long Term View
A Long Term View
12 And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done. 13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. 14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all. 15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity. 16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool. 17 Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit. 18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. 19 And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity. 20 Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun. 21 For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
key verses
Solomon is now looking at the reality of the future:
When it all said and done what does the future look like?
When you age sometimes you start look to the future at the end of this life.
Wise and the fool both die:
15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.
They both are soon forgotten
16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
all the wise collected is given to someone else
18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
Even though I was the wisest man I will die just like the lazy fool that did nothing
Even thought I worked like a horse to get prosperity and a good like i will be forgotten
All my work and labor will be passed on to someone else that did nothing to earn it....
It is better to be a wise man?
Is it better to work hard?
Is it better to be wise or a fool?
what does it matter?
A very fatalistic and pessimistic view of life.
But that what you get when you evaluate life based upon the premiss of this book “ under the sun”
Definition. The term "fatalism" can refer to any of the following ideas: Any view according to which human beings are powerless to do anything other than what they actually do. Included in this is the belief that humans have no power to influence the future or indeed the outcome of their own actions.
The ultimate end for us is that:
wise and fool both die ‘
The wise and the fool are both forgotten
The wise mans riches are passed on to someone else
This is the view of this world:
How about making a difference in someone else's life
How about investing in eternity with your riches
How passing along to the next generation what Jesus Christ can do
A Resurrection Reunion
I want to meet those who’ve gone before me and I want to meet those who will hopefully come after me. I want my great-great-grandmother .
I want to thank my ancestors for bringing up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord; and I want to thank my descendants for honoring their fathers and mothers by keeping the faith.
It Only Takes One Generation
The faith that has been passed down to me began with one person from one generation.
They probably didn’t realize it at the time, but they were beginning a legacy.
If you are a Christian parent, then realize your job is spectacularly important. You cannot, of course, guarantee that your children become Christians, but you can do everything within your power to show them why Jesus is worth following.
There is no higher calling in this world than ensuring your children have the opportunity to hear the Good News about Jesus.
As you discipline, as you instruct, as you strive not to “provoke your children to anger,” as you pick up toys and help with algebra homework – remember that you are part of something much bigger than yourself.
You are helping to ensure that another generation has the opportunity to seize the baton of faith and pass it down to another generation.
And just as it only takes one generation to start a legacy, it only takes one generation to destroy a legacy.
The second generation of Israelites in the Promised Land “did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10).
Bottom Line
The point is this: we have to start thinking about Christianity generationally.
We have to see the big picture. We have to take what we have heard and “entrust” it to others, “who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). This is true in the church, as well as our families.
This message is the worlds view of life:
All based on under the sun ...
I. Wise and the Fool
I. Wise and the Fool
12 And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done. 13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. 14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all. 15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.
Because of the disheartening outcome of all his research, Solomon began to consider whether it’s better to be a wise man or a fool.
He decided to look into the matter.
Since life is such a chase after bubbles, does the man who lives prudently have any advantage over the one who goes to the other extreme, having a good time in madness and folly?
Being an absolute monarch, and a wise and wealthy one at that, he was in a good position to find out. If he couldn’t find out, what chance did anyone succeeding him have?
2:13 His general conclusion was that wisdom is better than folly to the same degree that light excels darkness.
The wise man walks in the light and can see the dangers in the way. The fool, on the other hand, gropes along in darkness and falls into every ditch and trap.
2:14 But even granting that advantage—that the wise man’s eyes can see where he’s going—what final difference does it make?
They both die eventually and no amount of wisdom can delay or cancel that appointment. It is the lot of them all.
2:15 When Solomon realized that the same fate was awaiting him as awaited the fool, he wondered why he had put such a premium on being wise all his life.
The only redeeming feature of wisdom is that it sheds light on the way. Apart from that, it is no better. And so the pursuit of wisdom is also a great waste of effort.
What a pessimistic view on life ....
Wow - when its over its over
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
This world is not the end for the Christian
But most of the world lives for the day then they die!
What happens when you realize that this is it?
Death is not fair
The grave happen to us all
Rich or poor
We are all going to die ! are you prepared
We have life insurance
We have a will
We have planned out everything
Have we thought out where we will spend eternity ?
Is this it ?
wow - what a terrible thought!
II. Forgotten and Lost
II. Forgotten and Lost
16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool. 17 Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
He continues this idea into verses 16 and 17.
After the funeral, both the wise man and the fool are quickly forgotten.
Within a generation or two, it is as if they had never lived. The names and faces that seem so important today will fade into oblivion.
As far as lasting fame is concerned, the wise man is no better off than the fool.
The chilling realization that fame is temporary and that man is quickly forgotten made Solomon hate life. Instead of finding satisfaction and fulfillment in human activity under the sun, he found only grief. It troubled him to realize that everything was vanity and grasping for the wind.
A former athlete who had achieved fame said:
The greatest thrill of my life was when I first scored the decisive goal in a big game and heard the roar of the cheering crowds. But in the quiet of my room that same night, a sense of the futility of it swept over me. After all, what was it worth? Was there nothing better to live for than to score goals? Such thoughts were the beginning of my search for satisfaction. I knew in my heart that no one could meet my need but God Himself. Soon after, I found in Christ what I could never find in the world.[1]
Conan O'Brien Wants You to Know That Nothing Matters and You're Going to Die
All your great hopes and dreams and successes and failures add up to nothing. Everyone you know and love will eventually be forgotten and rot silently in the ground where they will, if they're lucky, help feed the roots of a tree that will rot and die itself, and on and on until the sun someday explodes and swallows the Earth in a fiery, violent, wholly meaningless end.
We will all be forgotten!
What a depressing thought!
III. Leaving and Receiving
III. Leaving and Receiving
18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. 19 And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity. 20 Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun. 21 For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
vs 18 - wow - One of the greatest injustices that bothered Solomon was that he would not be permitted to enjoy the wealth which he had accumulated. C. E. Stuart wrote:
Death is a worm at the root of the tree of pleasure. It mars pleasure, it chills enjoyment, for it cuts off man just when he would sit down after years of toil to reap the fruit of his labor.
And he has to leave it all to his heir.
wow - 2:19 The galling thing is that the heir may not be wise. He may be a spendthrift, a dummy, a playboy, a loafer, but he will inherit the estate nevertheless. He will preside over the dissipation of a fortune for which he neither labored nor planned.
Perhaps Solomon foresaw that his son, Rehoboam, would squander by his folly all that he had toiled so hard to accumulate.
History tells us that Rehoboam did just that. By refusing to listen to his older counselors, he precipitated the division of the kingdom. When the Egyptians invaded Judah, he bought them off by giving them the temple treasures. The gold shields went to swell the coffers of Egypt, and Rehoboam had to substitute brass shields in their place (see 2 Chron. 12:9–10).
2:20 The prospect of having to leave his life’s work and wealth to an unworthy successor plunged the Preacher into gloom and depression.
It seemed so senseless and incongruous. It made him feel that all his efforts were for nothing.
2:21 The whole idea distressed him, that a man who builds up financial resources through wise investments, shrewd business decisions, and skillful moves is forced at death to leave it to someone who never did a lick of work for it or expended an ounce of worry. What is this but an absurdity and a great calamity?
The best heritage to bequeath is spiritual, not financial. Money left in wills has often caused serious jealousy and disunity in otherwise happy and compatible families. Children have been ruined spiritually and morally by suddenly becoming inheritors of large bequests. Other evils almost inevitably follow.
The spiritual approach is to put our money to work for God now and not to leave it to children who are sometimes unworthy, ungrateful, and even unsaved. Martin Luther felt he could trust his family to God as he had trusted himself. In his last will and testament he wrote:
A pretty depressing text:
we all die
we are all forgotten
we give all our hard work to someone else!
But that’s the way a person look a t life when their view is under that sun.
16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.