Identity Crisis: Ecclesiastes 2
Notes
Transcript
Welcome & Announcements
Welcome & Announcements
Good Morning and Welcome to our Family Worship here at Eastern Hills Baptist Church. It is so wonderful to see all of you this morning.
I’m Pastor Joe Vivian, the Children’s and Families Pastor, and I am honored to bring you the 3rd message in our series in Ecclesiastes.
Pastor Bill takes time each Sunday to recognize certain individuals or ministry teams that serve “behind the scenes.” I would like to do the same. This morning I’d like to say Thank-You to our Children’s Ministry Shepherds. I call them Shepherds, not teachers, because each time they are with our children, they Shepherd them. They take time each and every Sunday, behind the scenes, and share the Gospel with our children by their teachings, activities and love given to each child. If you have children in EHBC KIDS, please take time to thank them for their Shepherd’s Hearts. If you don’t have kids, then still take time if you see one and thank them too. Our EHBC KIDS Shepherds are truly a blessing!
I would like to share with you where we are in our Missions New Mexico offering thus far.
Thank you Eastern Hills, we have collected $4,625 towards our goal of $10,000. This offering will continue through October.
Tonight is our Bi-Monthly Business Meeting. Please plan on attending, we have motions and nominations to vote on tonight. So be here tonight at 5:30 in the Sanctuary.
Let’s get continue our time in Ecclesiastes.
Teaching
Teaching
We humans are very peculiar in the sense that we are continually working on who we think we are to be, to ourselves and to others. What I’m talking about is our Identities.
We all have some sort of Title that we apply to who we are.
Husband-Wife, Mom-Dad, Mr.-Mrs., Teacher, Pastor, Doctor. When our daughters were little and involved in sports, mine and Kerry’s title changed. We became known and addressed as Baylee and Samantha’s parents. That was our identity to the rest of the parents and athletes.
And at times, we feel stuck or trapped in those Identities.
To be very transparent, there was a time that I would hear from other Pastors or ministry leaders, “Oh, you’re still a Children’s Pastor.” Insinuating that that was a curse. However, know this, I have the greatest mission field in the world, and we also remember how Jesus feels about children.
But why are identities important? They are just words, right? They carry no weight, correct?
Let me share with you about an identity that forever changed a man’s life and focus.
In 1888, a young man by the name of Ludwig died of a cerebral hemorrhage. The local newspaper confused his death with his brother, Alfred Nobel. This newspaper published a scathing obituary entitled, “The Merchant of Death is dead.” See, Alfred was the inventor of Dynamite. He invented that to help mining and engineering for roads being built through mountain regions; however, it became exploited for war as well.
Alfred was given a rare opportunity to see the identity that the world saw of him as a death monger by his invention.
It was then that he set out to create a foundation that would recognize those who have selflessly worked for society towards the benefit of mankind. The awards would include prizes for chemistry, literature, medicine, physics, and peace. Thus, Alfred’s identity was forever changed and his name still holds the value of the Nobel Prize awarded each year.
Last week, we continued in the book of Ecclesiastes in Chapter 3. We read that the Teacher, King Solomon, aka Qoheleth, was considering why we can trust God in the midst of the uncertainties of life. Remember friends, as Bill shared from the beginning, our purpose in this study is to learn in the classroom of Solomon’s life, through the field trip that he took.
This morning, we’re going to ask the question: “Where is Your Identity Found?” and our prayer is that each of us truly take time to allow God to speak to each of us. To grow in truth, His Truth, and if necessary, like Alfred Nobel, make immediate changes. We will be in Ecclesiastes chapter 2.
As we are able, let’s stand in honor of God’s holy Word as we read our focal passage from chapters 2 this morning:
1 I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile.
2 I said about laughter, “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?”
3 I explored with my mind the pull of wine on my body—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—and how to grasp folly, until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
4 I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
5 I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them.
6 I constructed reservoirs for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.
7 I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned livestock—large herds and flocks—more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.
8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, and many concubines, the delights of men.
9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me.
10 All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles.
11 When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.
Let’s pray
(Pray)
FBC Estancia and Pastor Jonathan Richards: they have been growing with new young families, we pray for their building project and for them to continue to be able to minister to the families in their community in a tangible way.
Please be seated.
There is nothing intrinsically wrong with pleasure.
The Bible speaks of the Christian life as being a pleasurable one
Psalm 16:11 “You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.”
Friends, please understand that the legitimate pleasures of this life, however, are a by-product of its first cause—to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
In Matthew, Jesus spoke of seeking the treasures of God’s kingdom above everything else (Matt. 6:31–33).
31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’
32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
However, the Bible warns us not to become trapped even by legitimate pleasure.
Paul speaks of those who are ‘lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God’ (2 Tim. 3:4).
James warns those who seek God’s blessing on their self-centered pursuit of pleasure
(James 4:3).
3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Jim Winter writes in his commentary on Ecclesiastes, “To look for meaning and purpose in pleasure alone is to alienate ourselves from the God who has provided them for us.”
This is where we begin with Qoheleth’s investigation of where his “Identity” is found.
Our first point we will park at this morning:
1. Identity Under the Sun
In Ecclesiastes, we find the words, “Under the Sun” 35 times. The focus under heaven. Locked into the pleasures on a horizontal plane. Fixated on earthly prizes and goals.
Let’s start again in the first two verses.
1 I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile.
2 I said about laughter, “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?”
In verse 1 we see the teaching of Epicureanism.
Epicurus taught that through the avoidance of pain and the pursuit of pleasure people could attain happiness.
The apostle Paul encountered this when he addressed the Athenians on Mars Hill in Acts 17:18
That was futile.
Then we see Qoheleth’s take on humor.
Friends, a sense of humor can diffuse sometimes very difficult situations and can bring light relief too many of the trials we find ourselves in.
However, very often, such humor is often a cover for fear and despair.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s famous poem Solitude sums it up:
Laugh and the world laughs with you
Weep and you weep alone
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth
But has trouble enough of its own!
In summary, these two initial verses help tie together this pursuit of Qoheleth and the Identity he is looking for in the following 9 verses. Possible Identities that will bring purpose and peace to his heart.
This brings us to our first Identity sought after Under the Sun.
1. Identity Under the Sun
a. Identity Found in Our Riches.
Christopher Wren was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history. He was best known for rebuilding 52 churches in London after the Great Fire of 1666. His greatest masterpiece is St. Paul’s Cathedral that he completed in 1710. He was noted as saying, “If you want to see my monument of glory, just stand in London and look all around you.”
Wow, now that’s a great example of humility…NOT.
However, for many of us, our homes, with their front yard facades, back yards, living rooms, kitchens…those become identifying markers for each of us.
Look how Qoheleth stated this Identity found in material items.
4 I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
5 I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them.
6 I constructed reservoirs for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.
There is a huge focus on. “things” that he strived for.
Homes, vineyards, gardens, parks, orchards, and an entire irrigation system for it all.
These items in themselves are not wrong, nor evil. It’s when we make a good thing the ONLY thing, that’s when we have lost sight.
Paul David Tripp wrote this:
“Desires for good tthings morph to become dangerous things because they have become ruling things. Things that are okay to want become things that now control.”
We have a nice home. I love our backyard. I appreciate how Kerry takes time to decorate and keep our home be a home; however, if the two of us begin to “hold tightly” onto the home and possessions in it, then it becomes a ruling thing. We strive to place it first and our every goal is to make it onto the cover of Better Homes and Garden. Maybe even pour countless hours, resources and money into it so that maybe Chip and Joanna would crown it as a home that they would be jealous of, then we have begun to define our Identity.
Jesus spoke of this trap during His Sermon on the Mount.
19 “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.
How is it that we become so consumed with “Stuff?”
We create our very own “mini-environment” that is pleasing to us. With walls, clothing, wheels, electronics. The new iPhone came out this past week. How many of us first saw it and thought, “Man, I need that now.” Even though you probably had a perfectly functioning phone in your possession.
Again, homes, clothing, cars, electronics, and things like that are not the problem. It’s how we pivot to them and how they make us feel, our value…our identity, that is the issue. And that is an issue of the heart.
The writer of Hebrews summed it up beautifully in Hebrews 13.
5 Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.
So often our focus on our possessions and what they say about us, that Identity found in material items will shift us towards a new identity.
That’s my next focus,
1. Identity Under the Sun
b. Identity Found in Our Relationships
Think back to the days of your childhood. For some in this room, you are living it now, but for the rest of us, go back 10, 20, 30+ years.
Do you remember your best friend in grade school? How about Jr. High/Mid School? High school?
More than likely, that relationship meant everything to you. You were known as that person’s best friend. You identified with each other and were Identified by each other.
What usually takes place, we begin to forge a foundation in those relationships and as we get older, we lose sight of who we are in Christ and instead we find our identities infused with our spouses, or our children, or our parents, or our siblings, or even our friends and co-workers.
Here’s what Qoheleth writes.
7 I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned livestock—large herds and flocks—more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.
8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, and many concubines, the delights of men.
Friends, notice that Qoheleth does all he can to attract others. By power, wealth, and control. His love he has towards those relationships are superficial and conditional.
Again, having relationships with our spouses, children, friends…that is not the issue. It’s when we are more concerned about being Identified with a person, a demographic, even, dare I say, a political party, more so than who we are in Christ, then we have lost sight of our true Identity as a follower of Jesus Christ.
Paul states it beautifully in Galatians 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Stop and ask God to reveal to you how you see the relationships in your life and how you place your Identity in those relationships.
Remember how Paul dealt with this in his letter to the church at Corinth.
10 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction.
11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by members of Chloe’s people, that there is rivalry among you.
12 What I am saying is this: One of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name.
16 I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t recall if I baptized anyone else.
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.
We are at my last focused identity “Under the Sun.”
You may not be focused on material items or hung up on relationships, but odds are, your focused identity lands here without even realizing it.
1. Identity Under the Sun
c. Identity Found in Our Resume
So, what do I mean by Resume? Before I answer that, let’s read what Qoheleth writes.
9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me.
10 All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles.
Look carefully at what Qoheleth said.
He became great
Wisdom remained in him
He did not deny himself anything
He deserved it!!
A resume is a summing up or a summary of your experiences up to this point in your life. It’s a written account of personal, educational and professional qualifications.
When we owned a business in Coronado Center, I did not hand out employment applications, I requested resumes from people seeking employment.
It was interesting how people would perceive themselves. Some very “to the facts” and nothing more. Some very basic and humble in their writings. Then there were some that truly used their Thesaurus to its maximum.
How are you displaying your “Resume” for all to see? Are you justifying your Identity by your accomplishments? By your sufferings?
If it’s not our riches or our relationships that “Identify” us, it’s more than likely our Resume, our Titles, our Achievements that we point to.
Or maybe it’s our past sufferings, the trials and hardships that we allow to point to our current Identity. We play the victim or those around us say, “Well, that’s just the way they are.”
Stop it.
If you have surrendered your life to Christ, the old has passed away. You’re a new creation in His eyes and also to those around you.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!
And if you feel it necessary to boast and be prideful, then boast in Christ!
Adopt Christ’s attitude. Infuse your soul with His humility.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.
4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.
5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,
6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited.
7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man,
8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.
9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth—
11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Again, our achievements, promotions, titles and diplomas are not the problem. It’s again how we pivot to them and how they make us feel, our value…our identity, that is the issue. And again, that is an issue of the heart.
Qoheleth closes with a return to the futility of it all. The focused Identity Under the Sun is nothing of value. It’s a pursuit of the wind. Chasing the wind.
11 When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.
So where does that leave us.
With the only Identity worthy of pursuit. The only Identity we should be found in.
2. Identity Found in Jesus Christ
In these past 11 verses this morning, the word “I” is used 18 times!
That’s a focus on Self and Self only.
Our Identity is not in the riches we acquire, nor is it in the relationships here on earth we mirror or gravitate towards, and it is definitely not in the Resume of our achievements, the prideful focus on self.
No, compared to the riches we have in Jesus, aligned to the relationship we have to the Creator of the Universe, and the righteousness we have in the Resume from Jesus Christ, there is no other Identity that we should be found in.
Remember what Jesus teaches about remaining in His Identity
34 Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it.
36 For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life?
37 What can anyone give in exchange for his life?
38 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.
10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
Paul’s displayed that Identity in Christ as well.
7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.
8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.
10 My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death,
11 assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.
Friends, there are some of you today, either here in the room or online, whose Identity is solely focused on the world. You do not have a relationship with Christ.
You have heard this morning’s message.
You have listened to the truth.
Friend, Jesus wants a relationship with you. He wants you to Identify solely with Him.
He wants to take the heaviness of life off your shoulders and give you rest.
28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jesus wants you to have the riches of His Glory, a genuine relationship with Him as a child of God, to be known and seen as His follower first.
He wants you to be Identified to Him FIRST.
12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name,
13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.
What do you choose?
Better question yet…Who do you choose?
Where is your Identity Found? Under the Sun or the Son of God Himself?
For those in this room or online who have a relationship with Jesus.
Same question, “Where is Your Identity Found?”
We have shared so much this morning and to some, this may be a struggle. I too struggled as I wrote this out.
I asked God to search my heart. To reveal to me if I was choosing an Identity Under the Sun. If I was too caught up in things and what others thought of me? If I was padding my life resume.
Asking for forgiveness from God and then choosing to lift my eyes towards heaven. To stop chasing the wind and allowing his love to permeate my soul.
I’m praying the same for each of us too.
This morning, if you know your identity is not in Christ. This is the time to surrender your life to Him today, this very morning.
You can surrender today and choose to follow Christ from this day forward.
Come down this morning and pray with one of us.
I’ll be here, so will Bill, Trevor and Kerry. We want to pray with you and celebrate this decision.
If you’re online and this is your decision, then please email me at joe@ehbc.org. I want to celebrate with you and pray with you and give you resources to strengthen your walk with Jesus.
Maybe, you need to spend time in prayer during this time. You realize that you have placed too much worth in material possessions, or personal relationships, or maybe your focus on personal achievement has enveloped your heart.
You can seek God’s face right where you are sitting or you can come down and pray with one of us.
This can also be a time of worship through giving. you can use the church app or the link on the Bible App. You can even use the offering plates as you leave. They are located next to the exits.
Whatever you do, seek Him first. Seek His Face today!
Let’s stand together and pray as the band comes down for our time of invitation.
(PRAY)
We can remain standing. i only have two quick announcements.
Closing Announcements
Closing Announcements
-Bible Reading Plan
Today we are in Ecclesiastes 7. We will finish up the book of Ecclesiastes on Friday and this Saturday we will begin 1 Thessalonians. It’s a chapter a day.
You can download the Bible reading calendar on the What’s Happening page of our web page.
-Join us this Wednesday at 5:45 in room 105…or maybe 103, for our Prayer Meeting. Pastor Bill will be continuing in his teaching from Philippians as we come together to pray for our church family and community as a whole.
I will close with Paul’s words in Romans.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him,
9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him.
10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
You are “Sent” to be imitators of His Identity through your words, actions and deeds!
Love you all!