The Search for Satisfaction

Intro-

- Illustration- iPhone

o if I just had this I would be just a little bit happier!

o How often do we tell ourselves that?

- But it doesn’t just happen with stuff, we face this illusion of lasting satisfaction a lot in life- kids wanting to be adults

o We think that something will satisfy us, will make us happier people, but when we achieve it, it doesn’t have the effect we were hoping for, or at least not for long

- This desire to discover something in life that truly satisfies is hardwired into us- and not because of our sin nature.

o God has placed this desire in us to drive us to the only true and lasting satisfaction we can have, but it cannot be found “under the sun”, in this world

o It can only be found in a relationship with God through the person and work of Jesus- this is the key!

o but if we are not careful, this pursuit of satisfaction in temporal things can consume us- and we see that all around us- and if we are honest, we see it in ourselves

- This morning I want us to look at Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:26 where Solomon describes three specific areas that we often run to for satisfaction

Satisfaction in Wisdom (12-18)

A. Many believe that pursuing knowledge and understanding will make sense of the world around them

1. Wisdom was prized as the greatest thing to pursue- Philosophy- the deep thinkers of our age- the pursuit of knowledge

a. The thought is that we can be satisfied if we can just make sense of things

b. Illustration- What would we do without google- but many times that causes us more anxiety- “it could be nothing, but it could mean that you’ll be dead by the end of the day.”

c. But here’s the irony that Solomon points out, the philosopher knows better than anyone the futility of life

2. (v.15) The reality of life is that there are some problems that cannot solved and some information that is always lacking in order for us to fully understand the “why” of life

a. Especially when we remove God and his truth from the equation

b. The more we study these problems, the more we realize we don't have all the answers and we can't fix what is broken

(1) God's ways are inscrutable- Rom. 11:33

3. So the more Solomon understood about the world and about man, the more it caused him grief

a. Last week Gavin pointed us to this fact- to the reality of our unrighteousness and our hopelessness without God

B. There is benefit in pursuing wisdom over folly (13-14a)

1. He’s not saying it doesn’t matter

2. Scripture is constantly telling us to pursue wisdom

a. But in itself, it can only reveal our inadequacy

3. It may improve your life, but in the end, we all come face to face with the same inescapable thing… death (14b-17)

a. Illustration making our way through a long hall filled with obstacles- in the light vs in the dark- but we all eventually end up at the same destination- so there is no ultimate advantage

- So what kind of wisdom IS worth pursuing?

C. Pursuing Wisdom from the Lord

1. 1 Cor. 3:18-20 18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”

2. Our source of wisdom is not found in this world

a. Prov. 2:6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding

b. James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

c. James 3:13-18 tells us that this wisdom from above is vastly different from the wisdom of this world

Transition- 1:16-18 After I understood that wisdom alone won't satisfy, I tried folly, self-indulgence

I've pursued wisdom to the fullest, now I will try the other end Epicureanism- "Eat, drink, for tomorrow we die!"

Satisfaction in Pleasure

A. Amusement (2:1-3)

1. Live it up!- carefree- live, laugh, love

2. Laughter, celebrations, drinking wine

a. I love humor- I think it is a powerful tool and a great way to soften the tension of the world around us- but it can easily become a way we distract ourselves and others from the realities of life

b. He even specifically mentions Alcohol

(1) So many run to alcohol to dull the pain, escape the stress, but it does not last and often causes many more problems

(2) Here Solomon is talking about moderation, a controlled experiment- "my heart still guiding me in wisdom"-

(a) We would all agree that a headlong dive into alcoholism and drunkenness causes more harm than good, but what about moderation?

(b) His conclusion is the same- there is no lasting satisfaction in the pursuit of a carefree life

B. Creation (4-6)

1. Building, creating, architecture, art

a. But not just physical things, many are consumed with building a name for themselves or a legacy to leave behind

2. We want to build something that will outlast our own temporal existence so we can be remembered, leave an impact, or simply feel like we have accomplished something

3. We are made I God’s image and God is THE Creator. I believe we have this desire in us for a purpose and we can use it to do incredible things

a. But when we seek satisfaction or fulfilment in our own creations, we will come to the same conclusion Solomon came to. It is all vanity. It won’t last. It won’t satisfy

C. Possessions (7-8)

1. consumerism- the pursuit of joy, meaning, and satisfaction in the accumulation of temporal things

2. Solomon had it all- there was nothing that he wanted that he couldn’t have

3. We think we would be happy if we didn’t have money problems

4. The more stuff we have, the more we have to worry about

D. The Pursuit of pleasure is a life all about me

1. “For myself”

2. Usually comes at the expense of others

3. Pleasure is not wrong, God wants us to enjoy the good things he has given to us

a. but when we pursue it at the expense of our mission, what God has called us to do, or at the expense of others, we miss the point

b. We are great at taking good things and abusing them

Satisfaction in Work (18-26)

A. Pursuit of meaning in what I do- toil

1. Men, we are bad at this- our work becomes our identity

2. We can become consumed by it for several reasons- sense of worth, accomplishment, to escape other areas of our lives, to build wealth and security, even in order to provide a good life for our family

3. But when we begin down that path, know from Solomon’s example that it will never be enough, we will never reach that point where we can say, “I’ve arrived”

a. And if we aren’t careful, it will consume us

b. And here’s the sad reality- this usually happens at the expense of the ones we claim to love most

c. Fathers, when your children are grown and gone, they will not care how many things you were able to buy them, the size of the house they grew up in, the car you drove them around in, or your status at the office. But what will impact them for the rest of their lives is the time you spent with them, the fact that you were present in their lives

(1) Sadly, many well-meaning dad’s miss this completely

(2) This is becoming a real problem in our country- dad’s not present in the home

B. Eventually I'll die and what happens to my stuff?

1. Everything I work so hard for stays here and goes to someone else who didn’t work for it and in all likelihood, they will squander it.

Conclusion

- 2:26

- When we pursue God, he gives our lives meaning

o He gives us wisdom and pleasure and purpose. But without him, those very same things control us and consume us. We spend our lives pursuing something we can never achieve

o Chasing after the wind

§ "You never can catch it, but if you do catch it, you do not have anything anyway."

- I encourage you to find joy in the pleasures God has given us in this world, but do not look to those things for your ultimate satisfaction

o We read of this very problem in Romans 1

o People pursued their own pleasure and began to worship the creation rather than the Creator

§ “claiming to be wise, they became fools”- “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie”

o CS Lewis – “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

o We must not allow this to be true of us!

- So where can we find that ultimate satisfaction? If God created that desire in us, why can’t we find it anywhere in this world?

o It is meant to point us to Jesus

§ It is only through our relationship with Jesus Christ that we have access to the wisdom of God

§ It is only through the a relationship with him that we can experience lasting joy

§ And it is only through his work on the cross, not our own, that we can find meaning and purpose under the sun

- So where are you searching? Because there is only one place you will find what you are looking for, and God is waiting to show you the fullness of a life lived for Him.