Meaningless 1

Intro

Opening Illustration: We have been doing a series on the book of Proverbs. Tonight we want to shift gears and I thought a good followup would be the next book of the Bible - The Book of Ecclesiastes. Proverbs is about Wisdom and Ecclesiastes is about meaning and purpose.

Illustration - I’ve brought in several items tonight and I want you to tell me their purpose.

How do you know when an item is broke? (When it fails to do what it was created to do)

How do you know when it is working correctly? (You know what it is supposed to do, and it does it!)

Knowing what an item is supposed to do - knowing it’s purpose, gives you a sense as to whether or not it’s working right.

How do you know when a person has lived their life right?

How do you know when a person hasn’t lived their life right?

How do we know a person’s purpose?

What is the meaning of life? Why are you here?

Imagine with me, if you would, that an old, wise grandfather is sitting on the back porch. It’s Florida, so he’s sitting around the pool with his grandkids. One of the kids asks the age old question - Grandpa, what is the meaning of life? Old grandpa, being the wise old man that he is, knows that these kids will learn more if he puts the question back on them. So he asks the grandkids - What do you think the meaning of life is?

One answers - I know what it is, my mom and dad work really hard all the time, so It must be about hard work.

Another one says, no, that can’t be it - they work hard so they can get money. So it must really be about getting as much money as you can.

Still another one says, No, all work and no play make for a boring life. It’s all about having fun and loving relationships. The old grandpa laughs and begins to tell them about his life...

The key word in this book is “Meaningless.”

Be careful when reading this book. Much of it contains thoughts of a depressed old man who is talking a bit crazy. What he has to say is true, but it needs to be balanced out. In the End he comes to this conclusion:

Biblical Background: The book of Ecclesiastes is set up like much like this.

Picture grandpa on the back porch sipping his sweet tea and telling you about the meaning of life.

Solomon, who is considered to be the wisest man alive, is pondering what life actually means. He’s apparently towards the end of his life and he’s reflecting on what was really meaningful.

The book of Ecclesiastes is all about how to find purpose and meaning in life. It’s honestly a very, very, very depressing book. The key word in this book is “Meaningless.” Be careful when reading this book. Much of it contains thoughts of a depressed old man who is talking a bit crazy. What he has to say is true, but it needs to be balanced out.

Main Idea: Life without God is meaningless

Points

Solomon Tries Money

Money alone will not provide meaning

Wealth is addictive - Wealth is like a drug

What happens to a druggy? They always need more. If they don’t have their drugs, they go crazy - and they will do almost anything to get them

Illustration - I was watching a show one night with my wife called “intervention” where they follow these people who are heavily addicted to drugs. They have an “intervention” to try and save them. But you would watch at the beginning of the show as these people would do anything for their drugs - many of them were robbing from their families, neglecting their children, etc. In one particular case a girl had a father who was ill - like could die- ill. And she snuck into his room while he was sleeping and stole his medicine. Many people do the same thing with money.

Wealth doesn’t bring real happiness - you always need more and more.

Quote- The problem is that your yearning power will always exceed your earning power.

Don’t love money because one day you will leave it Ecclesiastes 6:1-9

Ecclesiastes 6:1–9 NLT

1 There is another serious tragedy I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on humanity. 2 God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want, but then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. They die, and someone else, even a stranger, ends up enjoying their wealth! This is meaningless—a sickening tragedy. 3 A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn’t even get a decent burial, it would have been better for him to be born dead. 4 His birth would have been meaningless, and he would have ended in darkness. He wouldn’t even have had a name, 5 and he would never have seen the sun or known of its existence. Yet he would have had more peace than in growing up to be an unhappy man. 6 He might live a thousand years twice over but still not find contentment. And since he must die like everyone else—well, what’s the use? 7 All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they never seem to have enough. 8 So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others? 9 Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

One day you will die and you cannot take your money with you

Someone might amass great wealth - but he may die young - so what was the point?

Solomon goes back to his main point - one day you’re going to die and you can’t take your money with you - so why spend your life chasing it?

At the end of the day, how much money you had or didn’t have is not going to matter - what is going to matter is that you Feared God and obeyed his commandments!

Money is simply a tool and a resource - it is not a God- and it is a foolish thing to center your life around.

Money is meaningless without God - so learn to enjoy what you have and find peace in God.

Solomon Tries Pleasure & Fun

Think of the people who just think “Life is all about having fun!”

Solomon Tries out Fun Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

Ecclesiastes 2:1–11 NLT

1 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 2 So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” 3 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world. 4 I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. 7 I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. 8 I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! 9 So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. 10 Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. 11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

He tries a little “experiment” - He wants to see if pleasure brings meaning

He looks for “Fun” or “good things” in life.

He tries laughing and having a good time

He tries music and sex

He goes to parties and Drinks - to see if this helps with finding meaning.

In the end he finds that “having fun,” while it’s a good thing (And from God), really doesn’t provide meaning for life. Ecclesiastes 2:24-26, 8:15

Ecclesiastes 2:24–26 NLT

24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 8:15 NLT

15 So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.

He finds that fun is good, but it can’t be the foundation for life.

Solomon Tries owning & building stuff

Solomon builds himself huge homes

Solomon plants beautiful gardens and parks

Solomon buys slaves and herds and flocks

He buys more stuff than anyone else before him!

Solomon Tries Hard work

Hard work alone doesn’t make life meaningful Ecclesiastes 2:18-23

Ecclesiastes 2:18–23 NLT

18 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. 19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! 20 So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world. 21 Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. 22 So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? 23 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.

Work is hard and you work hard to leave everything you’ve owned behind for someone else

You don’t know whether they will manage it well or not

God alone provides him with meaning (Ecclesiastes 12:8-14)

Ecclesiastes 12:8–14 NLT

8 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.” 9 Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. 10 The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly. 11 The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep. 12 But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out. 13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

This is the truth - The foundation of our lives must be to fear God and obey his commandments.

He deserves our lives and they don’t find meaning apart from him.

Illustration - My television at my house is a great device. But if you want to use it and get a picture and sound out of it, you’ve got to plug it in to the wall. Then it needs to be hooked up to a picture source. On its own it’s just a cheap pile of plastic and metal. It cannot fulfill its purpose on its own - and you and I cannot fulfill our purpose or find meaning apart from God.

All these things - pleasure, hard work, are good things - but they must not be ultimate things. You must not build your life around them. Why?Because it will all end up meaningless.

Conclusion

Restate the MI - Life is meaningless without Jesus!

So What? Where are you in your walk with Jesus? Are you putting other things ahead of God? What things are you putting before Him?

Now What? Let’s get together in our groups and pray!