Stop Chasing The Wind
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
We learned last time that all work is vanity in Eccl. 1:1-11, nevertheless the Teacher continues to explore possibilities of trying to find meaning with all the toil man does under the sun. Today’s text will have to main section.
Solomon’s quest in finding meaning in life.
Solomon’s quest in finding meaning in life.
What was Solomon’s conclusion from his quest.
What was Solomon’s conclusion from his quest.
Solomon’s Resume
Solomon’s Resume
12 I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
As king, he had the kingdom’s resources at his disposal as he explored and exhausted the subject of finding “meaning in life.”
He was the greatest man in all Israel during his lifetime.
Politically, under his leadership he lead the nation to develop great power.
Because of his wisdom he lead his country to amassed so much wealth never seen before.
During his term he built some structures considered as one of the greatest in the world, that people, from ordinary to dignitaries, came to visit the structures.
To sum it up, Solomon ruled in the areas of POLITICS, MILITARY AND ECONOMY!
While in the process of becoming great and having becoming great, there was one thing he was trying to figure out - PERMANENT SATISFACTION in LIFE.
Solomon’s Quest in finding meaning in life!
Solomon’s Quest in finding meaning in life!
He had a systematic approach in finding the answer:
Personally Devoted to the task.
He studied all man’s activities, al least those around him. He enquired and he investigates thoroughly.
He explored and visited different places just to see first hand.
With everything he had he ventured to pursue what gives permanent meaning and satisfaction to life.
Solomon used all the wisdom he had in his investigation of human achievements.
And scripture describes Solomon’s wisdom as with a measure beyond that of any other person read 1 Ki. 3:5–12.
5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask what you wish me to give you.” 6 Then Solomon said, “You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7 “Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 “Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted.
9 “So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 10 It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you.
Therefore, Solomon was well equipped mentally to search for the real meaning of life.
Equipped with all of God-given wisdom to finding meaning in life under heaven it, he looked into the following:
➢ All the works of God: all nature and the order of the world.
➢ All the works of God: all nature and the order of the world.
➢ All the works of man: all human activities and achievements.
➢ All the works of man: all human activities and achievements.
What was his conclusion?
What was his conclusion?
1.The “drive” to achieve is from God but He has laid a difficult road to go through.
1.The “drive” to achieve is from God but He has laid a difficult road to go through.
13 And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.
13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!
In Genesis 3:17, as God was dealing with Adam and Eve after sinning, CURSED the ground and declared that through painful toil they will eat food from it all the days of their life including us. God also gifted man with the “DRIVE” to achieved. So despite the punishment God provided a way through it.
As a consequence to sin, man became totally incapacitate to restore what was broken but God at the same time gave man a gift - DRIVE TO WORK.
Since day one, when this gift was given, it had to contend with one thing and that was - LAZINESS.
Laziness came hard against Drive to Work!
Despite some interruptions from the devil, God’s plan for man not be idle continued. He also did not create him for the soul purpose to enjoy only recreation and leisure. God created man to work and be productive. When God created Adam, He placed him in the Garden with specific responsibilities:
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.
9 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.
God never intended work to be burdensome, it is what it is now because of sin. But still should thank God for two things:
Giving us the drive to work.
The promise that one day when everything will be restored that work then will be a joy and not burdensome. (in reference to the experience)
2. Man’s achievements are meaningless - like chasing the wind.
2. Man’s achievements are meaningless - like chasing the wind.
This is in reference to Earthbound achievements.
Man’s satisfaction from his hard work is not long lasting and it is not permanent. It is only satisfying for a brief moment, If our sweat were a reward, by nature it eventually dries up thus we have to repeat the process of physical labor just in order to sweat again.
The same goes with achievement - the immediate gratification is temporary at the same time it here or Earth that we only able to savor it.
To described this he coins the phrase “CHASING THE WIND.” Has anyone successfully caught the wind that he or she was able to contain it.
It is pointless to chase the wind, you can never catch something that you cannot see and hold and so are achievements in life. According to Solomon it is pointless because it is temporary. Also, there is no point chasing something that you cannot catch.
Whoever wins the NBA championships will celebrate for a moment just to strive and practice hard all over again a few months after the break just to win again during next year’s championship.
Whenever a new car model comes out, it will no longer be the latest the moment the following year’s model roles around.
A lot of people always want the latest and the greatest just to find out that the latest and greatest today will no longer be such during the following year because something else new, came out and there is a new latest and greatest.
What was Solomon trying to pursue?
What was Solomon trying to pursue?
SATISFACTION FOUND IN PERMANENT SATISFACTION!!!
SATISFACTION FOUND IN PERMANENT SATISFACTION!!!
It’s like eating food without nutritional value.
For Solomon there is satisfaction in finding permanent satisfaction from a moment of work.
Why do we have to work everyday?
3. Man will not be able to fix everything that is broken in life nor provide “perfectly” what’s need in this world.
3. Man will not be able to fix everything that is broken in life nor provide “perfectly” what’s need in this world.
Solomon also concluded that no amount of work can fix everything that is broken in this world or make right was is wrong.
No mater how long a person works nor how hard he tries, it is never enough.
He considers, in order, achievement, pleasure, wisdom, wealth, timing, friendship and finding joy in God’s gifts. In some of these he does find a certain value, less in the earlier explorations and more in the latter. Yet nothing seems permanent, and the characteristic conclusion in each section is that work comes to “a chasing after wind.”
This is coming from a man whom the bible describes with superlatives like:
THE GREATEST
THE WEALTHIEST
THE WISEST
THE MOST POWERFUL
And yet that is his conclusion - nothing satisfies!
SOLOMON’S CONCLUSION
SOLOMON’S CONCLUSION
7 All a man’s labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite is not satisfied. 8 For what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living? 9 What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires. This too is futility and a striving after wind.
What can we learn from Solomon’s depressing revelation?
What can we learn from Solomon’s depressing revelation?
Stop chasing after the wrong wind. Go for the will of the Spirit.
1. Put on the divine perspective.
1. Put on the divine perspective.
Start with God’s calling.
There is satisfaction in carrying out God’s purpose for you. There is the individual type and the general type.
In Paul’s case the general calling was to preach the Gospel and promote the Lord’s salvation BUT he was set apart by the Lord to bring the Gospel to a specific group who needed it - preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles.
2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;
Satisfaction is found in what you are doing and who your are doing it for. In as much as there is some degree of satisfaction from what you get from your hard work, prolonged and sustained satisfaction is found in motivation. There is joy that cannot be duplicated by accumulating wealth, that is by being in the center of God’s will.
The money that you earn will be use to buy things that eventually breakdown, worn out and get thrown in a landfill. But the person that you lead to salvation through Christ will be with you through eternity.
Beware of defining success with world standards. The world define success in terms of:
possession
position
power
prestige
God’s idea of success is being in the center of His will and doing it.
In the bible the word SUCCESS is defined as obedience to the Word of God.
2. Attitude adjustment - A thankful heart and attitude!
2. Attitude adjustment - A thankful heart and attitude!
There will be a lot of moments where work can be overwhelming, it keeps on piling up and you see no end it. Try not to look at the entirety of the work but instead break it into sections and addressing one section a day will give you a sense of accomplishment. We learn this principle from a famous joke involving and Elephant: HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT? The answer is, “One bite at a time!”
Big jobs are accomplished through numerous small steps.
How do you get to the top of the hill? One step at a time. Each small step will bring you one step closer to the top.
Part of the attitude adjustment is knowing what the bible says about work - it’s a gift from God. Every gift of God is not to be set aside but to be used for his intention and His glory.
3. Patience & Hope
3. Patience & Hope
There is patience in knowing God’s blueprint.
God’s truth will reveal to us that life will be tough but at the same time He said He has overcome the world.
Spending your spiritual currency to carry out God’s plan in your life will produce eternal returns.
Aside from working under the SUN, work also for the SON.