by Frank Luke
Human Need Being Addressed [FCF]: Because of their fallen state, people have lost the true meaning of life.
Big Idea: The True Meaning of Life is Found in God Alone.
Proposition: Because satisfaction is not found where people normally seek it, we must turn to God for true happiness.
Audience: University Worship Center in Stillwater, OK. Mostly college students.
Text: Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:17 and 12:9-14
Scripture Introduction
Turn with me to Ecclesiastes 1:12, and put your thumb in chapter 12. As you turn, I would like to share a little of the background of this beautiful book. The book of Ecclesiastes was part of a popular form of writing in the ancient world known as wisdom literature. In wisdom literature, the wise men would teach, argue and debate. Ecclesiastes tends to rivet attention. There is something in the troubled words of Solomon searching for the meaning of life that grabs everyone who reads it. The Preacher, as Solomon calls himself, shares the meaning of life. And now, Ecclesiastes chapter 1, starting in verse 12.
Sermon Introduction:
What might we learn from this book? As we follow Solomon on a search for the greatest treasure of all, keep looking inside yourself to see how you have been searching for the meaning of life. Everyone asks themselves if there is meaning in life, consider these famous men.
Shortly before his death, Mark Twain wrote, “…[M]en are born; they labor and sweat and struggle;… they squabble and scold and fight; they scramble for little mean advantages over each other; age creeps upon them; infirmities follow;… those they love are taken from them, and the joy of life is turned to aching grief. …[Death] comes at last— the only unpoisoned gift earth ever had for them— and they vanish from a world where they were of no consequence,… a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever.”
Ernest Hemingway, the literary genius, said of his life: “I live in a vacuum that is as lonely as a radio tube when the batteries are dead, and there is no current to plug into.” He would seek meaning to life but he never found happiness, for on a sunny Sunday morning in Idaho, he pulverized his head with a shotgun blast.
Kurt Kobane committed suicide even though his records were selling fast and he was a big star. Hitler conquered most of Europe before he committed suicide. He left this earth completely unmourned. Julius Caesar conquered 800 cities, only to be stabbed by his best friends at the scene of his greatest triumph. Napoleon, the feared conqueror, after being the scourge of Europe, spent his last years in banishment. All of these men found out one thing: “When you get to the top, there’s nothing there.” We can all identify with their frustration. [FCF] Because of our fallen state, people have lost the true meaning of life. God help all of us to find this elusive answer.
Solomon searched for the meaning of life also. In Ecclesiastes, he outlines his search and tells us his conclusion. Let us explore with Solomon as he shows us that satisfaction is not found where people normally seek it and we must turn to God for true happiness.
Point I. We must Turn to God Because Human Wisdom Isn’t the Answer.
As we walk with Solomon today in the search for meaning in life we will see several things. We notice immediately in Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 that we must turn to God because Human Wisdom isn’t the Answer.
Having the ultimate in wealth, Solomon sets out to explore everything on earth by his own wisdom. He says that he has seen everything under the sun, and it is worth nothing. Were Solomon writing today, he would likely say, “Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.” So, he saw it all, but did he know it all? In verse 16, he says he did; “Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.” Yes, he knew it all. He saw it all and knew it all, but human wisdom didn’t do him any good.
As smart as he was, he couldn’t straighten out the crooked, and still couldn’t count what wasn’t there. In short, human wisdom can’t change reality. As he says in verse 17, he might as well try to catch the wind. It’s only a wild goose chase, and can only do one thing, increase a person’s capacity for suffering. You don’t believe me, do you? How can increased knowledge and human wisdom lead to anything except a better life?
I’m telling you the truth. But how does human wisdom increase anguish, you say. We die a thousand times by wondering how the end will come. Knowledge makes us suffer because we see the end coming. The paradox of devoting your life to human wisdom is that the wise can see little human wisdom grants.
But it is no better to be ignorant. We’ll see more on that later. Solomon used his wisdom to show what wisdom could not do. He proved that he valued wisdom while he demonstrated the limitations of the same. He was honest. He pointed out its substance by the wisdom he used to argue for its futility. That is the paradox of wisdom. Human wisdom cannot give you the solution, but it can show you the problem.
So, what do we do with wisdom? Do we just chuck it out the window? Human wisdom, yes. This was Solomon’s conclusion, it is emptiness, a vanity, an irony, a useless, meaningless breath of wind. The alternative, Christ’s wisdom, is greater than human wisdom. Matt 12:42 tells us that Jesus had more wisdom than Solomon did. While human wisdom can’t change reality, Christ’s wisdom can. James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom which is from heaven is first holy, then gentle….” True wisdom is from above and it is the only thing that can make the crooked paths straight and add to what lacks.
Reality was that we were on the fast track to Hell, but Jesus changed that at the cross. 1 Cor 1:30 says, “But God has given you a place in Christ Jesus, through whom God has given us wisdom and righteousness and salvation, and made us holy.” These are the words that make for meaning in life — not the long life, honor, wealth, peace, and blessing human wisdom offer. We can come to terms with God because of what Christ did at the cross. That is the meaning of happiness; that is the path of true wisdom.
Point II. We must Turn to God Because Pleasure Isn’t the Answer.
Just as we saw we must turn to God because human wisdom isn’t the answer, we must turn to God because pleasure isn’t the answer. Solomon decided that since the answer wasn’t in wisdom, it must be in folly. Solomon’s motto became “Live for today.” Here was a man who admits that he “denied [himself] nothing.” He ate and he drank. He got wealth and used it. He sought happiness in wine, women, and song. But he found out that when he had emptied the bottle, he was just as empty as when he started.
But Solomon didn’t stop there. He had to fully explore pleasure, so he built great buildings and gardens. He had pools in them for beauty and utility. I would dare say that the way Solomon approached life that his gardens were greater than the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which paintings show to be stunningly breathtaking. He had more flocks and herds than any other king in Jerusalem. He had more wealth in silver and gold than one man would know what to do with, but still something lacked.
He had the greatest singers to entertain him. More women than any man could possibly handle. “And nothing which [his eyes] desired did [he] keep from them; [he] did not keep any joy from [his] heart, because [his] heart took pleasure in all [his] work, and this was [his] reward.” He had earned the wealth and now he felt he had earned the pleasure. Solomon felt on top of the world.
Few societies have been as driven for success as the United States. The mind set of the contemporary American is best summed up by none other than Donald Trump, “My attention span is short, and probably my least favorite thing to do is maintain the status quo. Instead of being content when everything is going fine, I start getting impatient and irritable. For me the important thing is the getting, not the having.”
Solomon and Donald Trump both found out that pleasure satisfies only during the act. Just one drink, one party, one fling, one contest won, one sexual conquest isn’t enough. You want more and more until you are consumed by it. There is no lasting impact from any of these things. To gain pleasure is to be bored with it soon after, but if we don’t gain it we are disappointed. Like the child who gets a new toy for Christmas, plays with it twice, and then forgets about it.
A carnival is fun for two days. But imagine being locked in it for a year. The food that delighted becomes nauseating, and the entertainments become boring. But at the same time how many of us wouldn’t like to be able to say these things? Solomon said that he had earned everything that he had, but in reality, he hadn’t earned anything more than another empty vanity. He admits that he was no better off than before he had all the pleasure. Like the men I mentioned before, Solomon was at the top and, to his great surprise and disappointment, he found nothing there.
What about us? Are we running after pleasure? You bet we are, and we will find it as empty as Solomon did: an emptiness, a vanity, an irony, a useless meaningless breath of wind. We can’t find true joy apart from God. Pleasure isn’t in the dancing girls and slaves, it is in quiet times with God, seeking His face and worshiping in His presence. That stands in sharp contrast to the way of the world. Enough is never enough for the worldly, but for the man of God, simplicity is enough. Nothing compares to spending time with One whom you love and who loves you.
Point III. We must Turn to God Because Balance Isn’t the Answer.
Human wisdom isn’t the answer, pleasure isn’t the answer, so what is? Never one to give up, Solomon seeks to find the answer in the balance between human wisdom and pleasure. No one who followed him would have the resources to explore both, so he might as well. But once again he finds that we must turn to God because balance isn’t the Answer. Let us follow in his footsteps to see how he gets to this conclusion.
Solomon logically decides that if the answer isn’t in human wisdom, and it isn’t in pleasure, then the meaning of life lies in finding a balance between the two. He even goes so far as to say that the balance lies more to the wisdom side, because the wise see where they are going where the fools do not.
Solomon came to a stunning realization. He faces a well-duh moment if you will. “Both wise and fool die.” Well, isn’t that just great. Solomon gives a pessimistic surrender deciding that labor is grievous and everything is useless and troubling. The ultimate reality of death makes even the small advantage of human wisdom temporary. Solomon is so upset by this realization that the man who set out to find the meaning of life shouts out that he hates life. Only the cries of Job, and the Lamentations of Jeremiah match the anguish that tears this cry from the bottom of Solomon’s soul. That says much about the torment in Solomon. Jeremiah was commonly known as the weeping prophet and Job lost his health, his fortune and his children, everything except his wife and life. Solomon joins their ranks, not at the low point of his life but while he still has everything. He who had it all says that it was all for nothing, and he sees that life is yet another emptiness, a vanity, an irony, a useless meaningless breath of wind.
I find it interesting that some of the greatest achievements in the world are monuments to death. The Taj-Mahal, the great Mausoleum, and the Pyramids of Egypt. The 2.3 million stones at 2 tons each in the Great Pyramid would build a wall ten feet tall and one foot thick around the country of France. And the pyramids are nothing more than an elaborate tomb. Satellite studies have found 17 more buried pyramids in the past few years. The inhabitant can’t even enjoy it. Some of the Pharaohs spent their entire reigns building their tombs. We know what Solomon would say about such things. He would look on them and say there are emptiness, vanity, ironies, useless, meaningless breathes of wind.
What is the answer to death? Jesus Christ. He defeated death so that we wouldn’t have to. We do not need to fear death because after the pyramids are no more than sand dunes, the people of God, will live on to enjoy a full and rich time with He who made them, loved them and saved them.
Conclusion. We Must Turn to God Because He Is the Answer.
Unfortunately, Jesus had not been born, crucified or resurrected yet. So now Solomon abandons his search for meaning in life because he knew in his heart that there was no reason behind it all. Even though he knew all of this, he was wise and sought to teach others knowledge; he pondered, sought out and arranged proverbs; wrote delightful words and wrote them truthfully. If there is no meaning in life, why did he continue to do this? Because even if the wise and foolish both die, it is better to have been wise. And then, after he has given up, because he has given up, God gave him the Answer. The conclusion to all of the matter, the answer to the question of why are we here, the final meaning of life is written in Ecclesiastes 12:13 and 14: “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is [this], ‘Fear God and keep His commandments.’ This is for every man. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything that is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” The answer. Isn’t it surprisingly simple for such a complex question. And it is for everyone. Notice the four times that ‘every’ or ‘all’ is used:
(1) all has been heard — no evidence has been left unexamined.
(2) This is for every man — no person is exempt from this command.
(3) every act — all human deeds will face judgment.
(4) everything that is hidden — it may escape human eyes, but God sees it, and guarantees that it will be rewarded whether it is good or evil.
Today, Solomon has taken us on a treasure hunt for the meaning of life and we have arrived at the spot marked “X.” And what have we found? That the treasure is not human wisdom, pleasure or riches; it is “Fearing God and Keeping His Commandments.”
I found myself challenged by this last message. If the words of a teacher are supposed to make sure people stay on the right track as is said in v. 9, then I will sometimes have to say things that may hurt. God loves us so much that He would prefer to see us hurt for a short time than to live comfortably away from Him and hurt more later.
I expect some of the applications you have made for yourself today will challenge you. In case you need help thinking of how the Answer fits in your life, here’s a way you can more fully “Fear God and keep His commandments.” Remember, Solomon says, “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Knowing God is the meaning of life and we should act like it. That’s a great way to practice the Answer. If you aren’t a Christian, this would be a good time to start “fearing God and keeping His commandments.” You don’t have to search anymore. Solomon tried it all and decided that the Answer wasn’t in trying it all. Come and find the answer.
Even if you are a Christian already, look into your heart and see if you are building a life on human wisdom or pleasure. Put God’s wisdom first, take human wisdom and pleasure in moderation, and savor the simple things. To do this is to “Fear God and Keep His Commandments.”
Consider the society we live in. What are our friends running after? In all likelihood, human wisdom, pleasure and wealth. They need to hear the words of Solomon now more than ever. More importantly, we need to listen to the advice of a Wise Man wiser than Solomon. We need to follow the One Shepherd that Solomon mentioned in verse 11. In Matt. 11:29, Jesus says, “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Christian, have you wondered away from the flock? Nonchristian, are you looking for that rest? The flock of the Shepherd can find the peaceful pasture that Solomon looked for high and low. This isn’t a peace that you find, but a peace that finds you. Keeping in line with the meaning of life, “Fear God and keep His commandments,” allows one to live with joy in the midst of mystery and gives confidence in every storm.
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Please visit Frank Luke’s Blog where this sermon is also posted.