Facing Frustration

Ecclesiastes?

This month we are embarking on a new series called Frustration, Joy and The Fear of God. As the title of the sermon series implies, we will be looking at these things in light of scripture. We will be in the book of Ecclesiastes which is in the OT, after Proverbs and between Song of Solomon. Ecclesiastes is part of the Hebrew Wisdom Literature. In Hebrew the OT is called the TANAKH. It is the only testament for Jewish believers. The TANAKH consist of three parts: Torah, which means Law or instruction; Nevi’im, means the Prophets; Ketuvim, The Writings. The book of Ecclesiastes belongs to this last section, Ketuvim. These are fun facts about the bible you hold in your hand, whether it be digital or physical. The beautiful part about fun facts is that their fun, like, the OT makes up 75% of the Christian bible. Cool right? If you would like More awesome facts about this book please check out our Wednesday series on Ecclesiastes from

Such is Life

Ecclesiastes 1:1–11 ESV

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.

Ecclesiastes, like Proverbs, is a wisdom writing that teaches us how to view and live life in light of the fall. God shows us His grace by showing us how to navigate life in a broken world. And it can be broken up into roughly three subjects: the frustration of life, finding the joy in life and the fear of God.

As you can tell from the these verses, we will be talking about joy today. But seriously, we will be looking at frustration in this life. Frustration can be difficult to deal with, yet so easy to develop. Frustration occurs when we run into situations that we cannot change, or at least it seems it cannot change. In my line of work it is easy to run into frustrating moments. From design flaws to difficult to reach bolts, there is no shortage of agitators for me. Not to mention the difficulty I have in dealing with getting asked the same question more than about 3 or 4 times. Doesn’t mean I’m right, but I digress.

Frustration comes in all shapes and sizes but it’s always the same feeling, though at different levels. Sometimes we’re just upset and sometimes we rage out. In Ecclesiastes we get to experience the frustration of the Preacher. I say the preacher because there are two theories about them. One is that this is written by King Solomon himself and the other is that this is written during Babylonian exile. I like what RC Sproul says about this point, “our understanding of the message of the book does not depend on knowing with certainty who wrote it.” Not to say it wouldn’t be a fun fact to know.

The Preacher has lived and searched all the earth for wisdom and the pleasantries of life, yet they found it to be all vanity.

Ecclesiastes 1:2 NASB95

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”

In the Hebrew language this is the word Hebel. This word is found 38 times throughout the book. Though there are several different translated meanings of this word one of the most fitting is the idea of mist or breath. If we can imagine a could night, we’re backlit and we exhale and we’re able to see our breath. The preacher here is saying that the things of this life are but a breath. Every effort, pleasure, youth, success, wealth and the list goes on. In some verses the word is translated futility, but it’s the same word Hebel.

Psalm 144:4 NASB95

Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow.

Psalm 39:5 NASB95

“Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah.

So it’s not just the preacher in Ecclesiastes that uses this term to express the brevity of life and the frustration of living in this world after the fall and before the coming glory. This life is filled with adversity, or difficulties and frustrations. Some times they’re self inflicted, kind of like my intolerance to having to answer the same question several times at work, and some are external frustrations, like when my daughter is exhausted and she wont go to sleep. She spends the last bit of her energy crying until she gets into her own ever changing sweet spot. This life is filled with fleeting moments and moments of frustration.

Self-Inflicted Frustration

Since the curse of the fall, we have had a broken view of this world and how we should live it. Even as believers we tend to have a skewed view of how God should be showing himself in our lives. Often times we expect him to show up and change everything from one moment to the next. Though God is capable of doing this, if there is anything we have learned from the OT is this, God is a god of means. Meaning, though God can and sometimes does intervene, more often than not He will uses other things and others to help us.

It’s similar to the anecdote of the man lost at sea. He prays to God and asks for help. A ship passes by and they ask if he needs help, he says no thanks I prayed to God to help me. Then another passes and he has the same response. Then another and another and he dies. He goes to heaven and asks God, yo what happened?!! I prayed and waited and now I’m dead. To which God says “I sent you four boats!”

Sometimes the changes we want to see in our lives come through the trial. We ask God for patience and he provides a way for us to exercise patience. Sometimes our sinfulness is what leads us to frustration. I experience this same frustration myself. In my line of work there is a common and vulgar nomenclature that is used. It serves to assimilate and to vent frustrations. In other words, as mechanic it not unusual to swear and it is a huge part of the culture that it is unavoidable.

A few months ago I was on a zoom call with different worship leaders from our region during a worship conference that started on a Thursday night and ended Saturday. On Friday I hopped on to a zoom call during my work hours. I was able to step away for a bit but not too far from my work space. In my intro I just warned them of the possible language they might hear. Not out of embarrassment, they were all grown-ups, but just so they’re not shocked if a bomb gets dropped out of nowhere. Too often I succumb to the same language, and if I’m honest, I almost run to that first. I can say with certainty that this is a generational thing in my family as well, but I want to change that. I have asked God so many to take control of my language and He gives me a daily opportunity to correct that and develop better habits. I so often think about these verses in James.

James 1:2–4 ESV

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 3:9–10 ESV

With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

I take great encouragement from these verses:

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 ESV

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

That doesn’t mean that I celebrate my faults, but that despite these and in spite of my short comings God still uses me and empowers me. The same with you believer, Though things will seem confusing and vain. Though it seems like you can never change, Know that you are being conformed and transformed to the image of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit and transformed daily by the Word we have in front of us. (Romans 8:29; 12:2)

External Frustrations

There are also things that we feel we cannot change outside of us. Where we feel powerless and frustrated. The people at our jobs, in our family, a misunderstanding or uncommunicated expectation drives a wedge in all this. If you’ve ever done ministry frustrations there as well. Some of these overlap into the self-inflicted portion of this conversation. But there are truly external things that cause frustration. That cause us to ask, “What good is any of this? It is but fleeting breath.”

Lets think about Job.

Job 1:20–21 NAS

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

There are so much brokenness in this world that we have to navigate through as believers. From pressures to conform to this world, to racism, poverty, being told that what we believe as christians is hateful and intolerant. So many things are thrown at us.

Just recently Priscilla partook of a zoom call and part of the ice breaker is to share what you’ve been reading and so on. while others had shared about non-christian religions and even books on energies and such, priscilla shared that she had been reading the bible more because she has been preaching here. While others recieved a “that’s so cool” and things of that nature, Priscilla recieved an awkward silence and a thank you for sharing.

This is part of what we experience or will experience as believers. A disdain and intolerance from people who preach tolerance. This is a general observation. Jesus himself said:

John 15:18 NAS

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

Every singe apostle as persecuted. And Persecution is frustrating, how do you make the world understand? This world will try to break you because you are not of this world.

Matthew 28:19–20 NAS

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

J

If you think that because you are a believer everything will turn to good:

2 Corinthians 12:10 NAS

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with bdifficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Matthew 11:28 NAS

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Romans 8:28 NAS

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Job 42:2 NAS

“I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.

Doesn’t mean not to care, just remember that whatever is out of your control, it is still in the hands of God.

Believer as the frustrations of living on this side of eternity was over you, remember that Jesus is enough. Think and look to Christ as the one who lived in died in your place So that you can eternal life in Him.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come Let this blest assurance control That Christ (yes, He has) has regarded my helpless estate And has shed His own blood for my soul

It is well (it is well) With my soul (with my soul)

types of frustration:

with how slow God might be working on us

waiting for God to heal us

frustrated with jobs, family, other straining relationships.

end:

come to me those who are weary.