Sermon Tone Analysis
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Hook -
These past couple years have been incredibly “interesting”.
I was reflecting this past week and just thought through some of the World issues that have taken place and when I reflected, I was floored:
Australian Wildfires
Tension with Iran and U.S.
COVID 19 Pandemic Began & So did Shut Downs
Racial Tension
Murder Hornets
Quick Fear of new Ebola Outbreak
Storming of the Capital — Catalyst with other disunity
2020 Olympics canceled.
Vaccines Were Being Given
Shut-Downs were ending, but then the world said JK
Local Events: Tornado after Tornado after Hurricane After Hurricane
Local Events: Shootings/Injustices
We ended the year of 2021 with a bang — Betty White — Y’all...
When I look at these events, Here is what I think: Life is meaningless.
Book:
Biblical Background
The Bible is a story about God’s full plan of redemption and within the Bible are sections of different genres of literature.
Ecclesiastes is Wisdom literature.
This means that it is a part of the Bible helps readers cope with practical & philosophical things of life.
The problem is that sometimes texts like this can be difficult to interpret because of language & structure issues.
However, when we try and understand this in the concept of what is going on, there are some principles that we can get from the text.
Solomon is the person who is typically given credit to have written Ecclesiastes 1. Something that I want you to consider as we read this text are the things that we know about Solomon:
Solomon was wealthy, He had 700 wives and almost 300 concubines, people generally admired him, Known for his wisdom
It sounds like Solomon was like the bomb dot com, right?
Had everything figured out and seemed to have a pretty good life.
Well let’s look at what he said pertaining to life beginning in Ecclesiastes 1 verse 1.
The words of the Teacher,, son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 “Absolute futility,” says the Teacher.
“Absolute futility.
Everything is futile.”
3 What does a person gain for all his efforts
that he labors at under the sun?
4 A generation goes and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets;
panting, it hurries back to the place
where it rises.
6 Gusting to the south,
turning to the north,
turning, turning, goes the wind,
and the wind returns in its cycles.
7 All the streams flow to the sea,
yet the sea is never full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they flow again.
8 All things are wearisome,
more than anyone can say.
The eye is not satisfied by seeing
or the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Can one say about anything,
“Look, this is new”?
It has already existed in the ages before us.
11 There is no remembrance of those who came before;
and of those who will come after
there will also be no remembrance
by those who follow them.
THE LIMITATIONS OF WISDOM
12 I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 I applied my mind to examine and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven.
God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied.
14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.,
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened;
what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself, “See, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge.”
17 I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly; I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind.
18 For with much wisdom is much sorrow;
as knowledge increases, grief increases
Truth # 1 - Worldly Activity Means Nothing.
(v.
2-3)
The World that we live in is BUSY!
When I am considering our church family, I came to the realization… we have a lot of people who do a lot of things and have many responsibilities:
Work / School / Families & Children / Hurricane Relief Responsibilities / Kids Sports / Friendships & Relationships / etc.
( Verses 2-3)
The word “futile” comes from a Hebrew word that means “vapor” or “breath”.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that something is altogether worthless, but in the context of Ecclesiastes, it means that things done “under the sun” only has a temporary significance, therefore has no real value.
When Solomon writes “under the sun”, he is referring to what takes place here on earth.
This is important to keep in mind when we read through Ecclesiastes as this phrase is used 29 times throughout the Book.
If we are so focused on worldly activity and we work hard in all of these areas of our life, but our attention is ONLY on the activity of this world it’s meaningless.
This is because at the end of the day, these things are all temporary.
This brings me to the truth that...
Truth # 2 - This World Keeps Moving.
(v.
4-7)
I think sometimes, especially in Christian culture, we can have this concept out there about “leaving our mark” or “leaving a big legacy”.
But when we think through the reality of life, when we are gone … it is possible that our works and our deeds may be forgotten.
Let me ask you a question: What can you tell me about your great great great grandparents?
If you are anything like me — you may not even know their names.
But maybe you do — but what all do you know about that person.
You don’t know every intricate detail about that person.
Things have been forgotten.
(Verses 4-7)
We must recognize that when we pass into eternity, the world continues to move on.
This goes back to what I was saying about having the desire to leave a big legacy for ourselves.
I had a professor that said on a regular basis this very good statement: “When people begin to look toward you… it’s time to move out of the way.”
The imagery that Solomon uses in this text helps us understand how with each day that passes, the reader should feel the weight of the emptiness of life with the mundane rhythms.
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