← ArchiveEcclesiastesEcclesiastes – Unhappy Business (Ecclesiastes 1:12-18)DateJune 2, 2024SpeakerDr Josh BurnhamTextEcclesiastes 1:12–18Passages in this sermonEcclesiastes 11:58Proverbs 1:73:01Ecclesiastes 1:83:21Job 12:133:32Romans 1011:131 Kings 416:10Matthew 1227:23Matthew 428:03Matthew 928:19TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00*music*0:30*music* *music* *music* *music*0:58*music* Okay, welcome to the church that gathers here at Bethel. My name is Josh, one of the pastors. And every week we welcome our guests here in person, and we welcome people who watch online. And if you wonder does it make a difference, it does, because last week when you welcomed people who are watching online,1:20I was that person. We were watching with eyes open. I was driving in the Nevada desert worshiping with you and our family got to participate. So church, let's welcome those that are in the Nevada desert today with a big hallelujah from the Lord. One, two, three. Hallelujah. If you are a guest here, we believe the Holy Spirit has been working in your life, drawing you to know his grace and his mercy.1:45So I'm continuing a sermon series that we started last week. Pastor Jared brought the word from Ecclesiastes one. And this summer we will be in Ecclesiastes, a series we call Chasing the Wind. If you've ever wanted your life to make a difference, if you've ever desired to count for something or to leave a legacy that lasts,2:07Ecclesiastes is the book for you. Ultimately Ecclesiastes says this, if you're chasing something in life, don't chase the wind, chase Jesus. Because when you live your life for Christ, everything finds meaning.2:31When you live your life without Jesus, nothing ultimately finds fulfillment. So some introductions as we begin today. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job are the three books that incorporate the wisdom literature in the Old Testament. Now, we find this unique juxtaposition in these three books.2:56For instance, we read in Proverbs, chapter 1, verse 7. The word says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." So Proverbs, to fear God is to find wisdom. Ecclesiastes 1:8, which we will land on today. For with much wisdom is much sorrow.3:25As knowledge increases, grief increases. Job 12:13, the final portion of our wisdom literature says, "Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His." So I ask you, which is it? Does fear of the Lord add grief to our lives? Does the strength of Christ magnify sorrow? Today's message hopes to clarify these three competing streams of wisdom literature.3:54With the super joyful title I've called "Unhappy Business." Yay! Ecclesiastes! Unhappy business! Unhappy business! So, join me in the book of Ecclesiastes, verse 12 of chapter 1. Verse 12, chapter 1 today. I'm reading from the Word of God in the Christian Standard Bible.4:22I, the teacher, have been king over Israel and Jerusalem. I applied my mind to examine and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task. So there's the title of the sermon. The ESV calls that "Unhappy Business."4:49God has given people this unhappy business to keep them occupied. I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile. The pursuit of the wind. What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. I said to myself, "See, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me.5:13And my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge. I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly. I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind. For much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases."5:35Let's pray. Father, we have heard the reading of Your holy, living, inspired Word. Lord, it might not have meant much when Solomon wrote these words.6:00But, Father, 3,000 years later, we thank You that the words inspired by the living God are not futile. That You are using those words to touch our lives today. Father, help us chase Jesus. Help us pursue Him, no matter the cost, that we might find that a life of Jesus is worth it.6:25Lord, grant us wisdom to know. Grant us hearts to love. Grant us hands to serve You. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, I'm going to start with a story to help give the framework of this sermon today. The Wizard of Oz is a classic story that you might have known or read or watched.6:54Simply put, it's a story of a young girl named Dorothy Gale, who has fancy shoes. She has a designer dog named Toto, lives in Kansas Farm with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. Long story short, she's trying to find her way back home again. As she's journeying to find her way home, she ventures with three tagalongs throughout her journey.7:19There's a tin man who desires a heart. There's a scarecrow who wants brains. And there's a cowardly lion who wants courage because he's cowardly. And like these travelers, I believe we often, as humanity, share these same struggles.7:42We sometimes struggle because we need heart. Sometimes we struggle because we need mind. And we sometimes struggle because we simply need courage. Today's message will combine the Wizard of Oz and the Book of Ecclesiastes. If you had that on your bingo card today, you are the luckiest person in the world.8:08So the three points are the unhappy business of the ten men, unhappy business of scarecrows, and unhappy business of cowardly lions. So in Ecclesiastes chapter 1, we meet the teacher, verse 12. I, the teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. Now, in Hebrew, the word is kohelet, kohelet, which means teacher or preacher.8:36One commentator actually translates this as the churchman. Because the Hebrew kohelet in Greek is ecclesiastes, which sounds like very much ecclesia, which is the New Testament word for church. So this person could be like you or me, someone in the assembly of the Lord.9:02Why is this important? Because often we think that we can't ask deep questions of life. We feel like, well, if I'm a church person and I say things are futile, then that's a lack of faith and that's sin and that's ungodly. Well, Solomon would say, well, no, I've asked that question. And he has found at the end of the day that the deepest longings of your heart find meaning in Yahweh himself.9:28In Yahweh himself. So, Ecclesiastes is answering questions. These are not questions of an atheist or a non-believer. These are authentic inquiries of a believer who wants to keep his faith honest. Because God is not scared of your questions. As a believer, if you ask God with an authentic heart, God, show me your glory, he will show you that.9:55Because we have a good father that gives good gifts. You don't ask him for bread, he gives you a stone. He desires to feed you with his word. Ecclesiastes is an authentic inquiry of a believer who wants to keep his faith authentic. This is the churchman. And the churchman first applies his mind, verse 12, to examine and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven.10:22The first point is this, the unhappy business of the ten men. Now, you might say, well, pastor, I thought you said the ten man needs a heart. And Ecclesiastes, verse 12, says that Solomon has applied his mind to know all that there is. Well, you're astute. But in Hebrew, it actually says that the churchman applied his whole heart to understand fully the task of understanding.10:50Now, in Hebrew, the word heart is not simply the organ of the cardiovascular system. It's the seat of the emotions. It's heart, mind, soul, and strength. It's fascinating that Solomon would use the word heart, which we translate mind, because I think about Romans 10.11:13And I've always loved the beauty of language, although I'm not necessarily eloquent. I like other people who can speak better than myself. And the New Testament says if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. You know that scripture. It says the message is near to you in your mouth and your heart.11:40This is the message of faith that we proclaim. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart. Now, in the West, we say, well, no, no, you don't believe with your heart. You believe with your mind. But Ecclesiastes sets the same journey before us. That we believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead. You will be saved.12:09Now, let me give you anatomy lessons really quick. In biblical physiology, your heart is the seat of your emotions. Let me say it another way. If you don't have a heart, you're not human. In biblical Old Testament thoughts. So what the churchman is saying is, God, I set my heart to know you fully. Like the ten men, he is saying, God, I need a heart.12:37And God, I will not have a tender heart towards you unless you change my heart. This runs counterculture to the ways that we live now, does it not? Think about the language we use. Sometimes we say things like, well, they just wear their heart on their sleeve. Now, that's a negative connotation, isn't it? That means, well, they're just super emotional. They're not rational. They're not stoic.13:05And the inference is that is bad. But if we live in a society of ten men, we live in a society of people without hearts. And when we have men without chess, we live in a society that has no morals and no framework. Oh, that we would set our hearts upon Jesus Christ once again.13:27The heart, we would think, is a sign of weakness and to be emotional is a sign of instability. But what if that's Satan's greatest lie? What if Satan wants you to check your heart at the door and not bring it into the gathered assembly? What if Satan teaches us and catechizes us that says, "Church, there's only certain emotions that God wants in your life."13:48God doesn't want your HD emotions. He just wants gray. He wants black and white. Some of you remember black and white TV. Some of you were like, "What is that?" You used to actually have to turn, like, you had to use a remote to watch TV and you didn't stream things.14:13What if Satan wants you to only have grace in your life, but God wants your whole heart? May we be people who set our hearts and our affections on God once again. May we understand what Jesus says. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, your soul, your mind, and your strength.14:39Church, the person who lacks a heart for Jesus will continuously pursue and chase the wind. May we not leave here as ten men, but may God give us hearts for the things of the Lord. That's the unhappy business of the Lord. That's the unhappy business of the ten men. We also have in verse 13 the unhappy business of scare crews.15:08Verse 13, the teacher, Koheleth, says, "I applied my mind," that's my heart, "to examine and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven." Now that's a bold statement, don't you think? He said, "I have examined everything under the sun." I would say, "You have everything?"15:37So there's not one thing, Solomon, under heaven that you've not examined. He's using hyperbolic language to say, "God, I have lived my life and I don't see anything that is worthwhile without you." This is the unhappy business of the scarecrow. The heart is not the only part of you that God wants. The teacher knows that the Creator gifted him with a mind to think and pursue the wisdom of heaven.16:051 Kings 4 reminds us that Solomon, if you have to give a name to the writer of Ecclesiastes, it would be Solomon. That's the only name that you could think of. When you say, "Well, it's a school in the time of David's son." I would say, "Well, what is his name?" Solomon. So if you have to give a name to the writer of Ecclesiastes, it would be Solomon. 1 Kings 4 says about Solomon, "God gave Solomon wisdom, very great insight and understanding as vast as the sand of the seashore."16:34It's a reminder, I don't know how smart you think you are. I don't know what you made on your ACT score, but it wasn't as high as Solomon's. You might have been salutatorian in life, but Solomon was valedictorian in the wisdom. So much so, the Bible says that the people of the world would come to Solomon for wisdom, because God had gifted him to that.17:03If you know the backstory, God tells Solomon, "I will give you anything you ask." Now, I have a long list. If God tells me, "Josh, you can pray for anything and I'll give you anything you ask." I'm going to say, "Lord, you know I'm a Mr. State fan." And we've never won the championship of football. And I know it's a lot to ask, but you who created light out of nothing can even make us win.17:30Lord, I'm just asking for one thing. But of all the things that Solomon could ask, he said, "Father, would you give me wisdom to lead your people?" And God granted the humble and authentic petition of the king.17:53The wisest king in the world says, "I applied my mind to explore through wisdom." That is Solomon's way of saying, "I put my mind as far as intellect could take me, I pursued meaning by intellect and wisdom alone." So he's taking the world's standards and saying, "God, may my life make sense by the world's standards."18:20Now look at verse 13. Look at the personal pronouns used. He says, "I applied my mind and explored through wisdom all that is done under heaven." God has given people this miserable task, unhappy business to keep them occupied. Verse 14, "I have seen all the things that are done under heaven." Verse 16, "I said to myself, see, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all things."18:49Verse 17, "I applied my mind. I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind." Did you notice all the "I" language? Ecclesiastes is warning us against world-centric wisdom. He's saying, "If you think by wisdom and your understanding alone you can find meaning in life, you will not find it."19:18And he's not trying to brag, but he's saying, "Listen, you might be smart, but you're not Solomon." So if Solomon can't find meaning through wisdom and knowledge alone, then what makes you and I think that we can do that the same? And we live in a world that is thirsty for intellectualism.19:43That's simply the Western mindset. Rene Descartes famously concluded, "Cohito ergo sum," which is, "I think, therefore I am." And that's the way that we live oftentimes in modern thought. If we can think it, if we can intellectualize it, then we are what we think. And I'm not discounting knowledge. I'm not discounting learning.20:12But if you think that you can find fulfillment through learning alone, you will end up a scarecrow. You will get to heaven one day and say, "God, I've given you everything, but I forgot to give you my mind." And I find that it is worthless. This is the unhappy business of the scarecrow. What does scarecrow civilizations look like? They say, we teach our kids, "Well, you are what you think."20:39You find your self-worth in your mind. You find your self-worth in your grades. You find your self-worth in the college that you attend. If you do these things in life, you will find fulfillment. Scarecrow civilizations commit fraud so that their child gets into the right college. And you say, "Well, that would never happen to us."21:06Well, you can find documentaries where famously rich people committed fraud to get their children into the right schools so that their right children would find fulfillment in life. And at the end of the day, we have scarecrow societies. Scarecrow civilizations raise generations who only find their identity in education and achievement and test scores.21:31Scarecrow societies leave students with a lifelong debt that they hate, degrees that they despise, and unfulfilled lives. If we teach our children that no child is left behind and the only way to catch up is to be learned, but we do not teach them that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,22:00we have unfulfilled scarecrow children. May we not fall into that trap. And hear me, I am a person with an advanced degree. I am not saying that we should be uneducated embassies. But I am saying that you can be an educated embassies. Because wisdom without the Lord is scarecrow mentality.22:23Scarecrow philosophy says that education is the only answer the world needs. It will eliminate all of our problems. And I think about the quote of Malcolm Muggeridge who says that we have educated ourselves into imbecility. And if that's you, if you are pursuing wisdom, if you're pursuing self-worth in what you have done in your degree.22:48And listen, let me talk to the parents. If you think that if your child does not get into the right college that they will have an unfulfilled life, I would tell them that if they get into the college of their dreams, and if they do not have Jesus, they will live an unfulfilled life. What if the answer is to say, hey, Johnny, Sue, wherever you go, whatever you do, walk in step with the Spirit.23:13Go to Votek School. Find fulfillment in what you do, not because it is what you do, because you do it for the glory of God. And when we teach that, when we live that, we will not have scarecrow churches.23:37We will have people who say, I'm educated, but not because of the grease on my wall, because the Word of God is implanted in my heart and is planted in my mind. May we not educate ourselves into imbecility. May the fabric of our learning be the Word of God. When we live I lives, we will end up saying, much wisdom is sorrow.24:05Much knowledge is grief, because I don't have Jesus. May we pray for minds and hearts today. The last unhappy business. This is the unhappy business of the cowardly lion. All of his striving through the eyes of life, the teacher concludes in verse 18, with much wisdom is sorrow and knowledge increases grief.24:30And you might think, man, this is a rough life. To get to the end of your life and say, it's useless. All is worth less. What Solomon is saying, though, is when you pursue things by your means, it is like chasing the wind, verse 17.24:57I learned that this too is pursuit of the wind. It's fascinating that these are words used for tending a flock. It's almost as if Solomon is painting the picture and saying, listen, when you live cowardly lives to pursue your self-interest as a cowardly life. Me, focused people are cowardly lions.25:27And when we live those lives, it's as if you are trying to lead and guide the wind to streams of water, to green pastures. Now, I have no clue where Solomon would get this information. But I do know this. If Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, how many nights did his father David teach him bedtime stories?25:51And Solomon would say, Dad, I can't sleep tonight. Can you tell me a story? And David would say, okay, Solomon, I don't know what he called him. Sally? One day, when I was out with the flock, I was by myself, that there was a lion that came up.26:15And the strength of God overpowered me, and I slew that lion. Because it was desiring to eat and devour the sheep. And Solomon, in that way, I want you to know that you are a sheep of the Lord. And nothing in your life, there's no bad dream tonight.26:42There's no devil in the darkest part of hell that can take someone from the flock of God and lead him away. So Solomon, sleep well tonight. Because as your dad is a pastor, your heavenly father is a greater shepherd. I can imagine that Solomon is thinking about this. As he's saying, man, I can't imagine having a shepherd sheep, but to live a cowardly lion life, you might as well try to be a shepherd of the winds.27:06And it will not work. Matthew 12, Jesus says this about Solomon. He said, "The Queen of the South will rise up to the judgment with this generation and condemn it. Because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon."27:34And look, something greater than Solomon is here. Jesus is saying to the world, "You thought Solomon was special?" Something greater than Solomon is here, and that is Jesus Christ. Listen, church, it takes great courage to follow Christ. It takes great courage to follow Jesus Christ, no matter the cost. Think about what Scripture says. In Matthew 4, it took courage for the disciples to drop their fishing nets and follow the Messiah.28:03It takes great courage, Matthew 4, to leave the boat and your family and pursue the Savior. Matthew 9, it takes courage to leave your career and your tax collection booth and become a disciple of Jesus Christ. It takes great courage when you have the reputation of Mary Magdalene.28:27To walk into a people who they would say, "You don't belong here." We know that Jesus came to save sinners, but not people like you. To leave that lifestyle behind and follow Jesus no matter the cost. That's courage. That's courage. Do you have the courage to take the steps of faith?28:53Maybe for you, as you journey through life, the courage you need is you need to leave the reputation that you've been holding on to behind. Maybe like Mary Magdalene, you say, "Well, there's no way Jesus could save someone like me." Yes. Even you, Mary. Jesus came for you.29:23Maybe you're the one, the learned person. You say, "Well, I had these degrees. I reached the station of life. I had the career. I have what I need." Would you hear the words of Solomon that says, "You can have everything the world offers." And it is but chasing the wind. You might as well try to shepherd the wind to green pastures because you will leave and live an unfulfilled life.29:50If you don't have courage to follow Jesus Christ. Maybe like Peter, you say, "Well, I can't follow Christ because all I know is what I know. I know how to fish for fish. I don't know anything about fishing for men." That's why Jesus calls you to follow first.30:17And when you follow Jesus Christ and take a step of faith, everything falls into place. Everything. Would you have that courage? There is a lot of unhappy business in the world, church. But the greatest command is to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your minds, and with all your strength.30:39So to the ten men in the room. To you who have given God your mind and you've given Him your courage, but He doesn't have your heart anymore. Maybe you've been living by faith for so long, it's automatic. And you walk into church.31:07You have your arms folded. You know where you're going to sit. You have your tithe on automatic draft. You go to the same life group and you're simply out of violence. Would today be the day that God gives you a fresh heart? Would today be the day where you have spiritual emotions you didn't even realize existed? May you weep at communion. May you rejoice in the songs of faith once again.31:37For you who have not given God your mind. And you say, well, I just have to live by faith. I don't need to set my mind on His Word. I need to set my mind on the things of grace. Would today be the day where you say, God, I will give you my mind. I can't read well, but I will read your Word. I can't speak well, but I will set my mind upon holiness and godliness. God, I give you my mind today.32:07Would our scarecrows find that it's the fear of the Lord that begins wisdom? And lastly, for those that are the cowards. If you say, well, I don't like you calling me a coward. That's okay. I'm not here to make you happy. I'm here that you'd be holy. We're all cowards in some way.32:34But here's the hope that Jesus Christ died on the cross for guilty cowards. The lion of the tribe of Judah came to die for the cowardly lions. That one day we might stand in His glory. And if you need to take a step of faith today, would today be the day where you, like we saw before us through baptism,33:02where you would pray a prayer of authentic faith for the first time. To say, God, I know that I'm a sinner. God, I know I'm the count. Forgive me. I believe. I believe. That's a hard issue, right? I believe you sent your only son, Jesus, to die on the cross and rise again. I believe it. Lord, I trust that you did it for me. And today I will follow you no matter the cost.33:30You ask me to follow, I will follow you. And whatever might come, Lord, you will hold me fast. Because the good shepherd will hold me secure. As we think about wisdom, 1 Corinthians says this. It is from Jesus, from God, that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us, our righteousness,33:59our sanctification and our redemption, in order that it is written, let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord's. What would I tell Solomon? That Jesus became wisdom for us. That we might boast. Not in ourselves. This is not a look at me. We boast to the world and say, look at him.34:28Look at Jesus. That we can look at the cowardly lion and say, hey, God will give you faith. We can look at the ten men and say, God can give you a heart. We can look at the scarecrows and say, God can give you a mind. Walk and step with him. In a moment, we're going to have a time of response. And it's going to be unique today. Our response for the Christian is going to be the Lord's Supper.34:56So we're going to invite you in a moment to come during the song and gather a cup and go back to your seat. Because we're going to eat together. For the non-Christian, we're going to ask you not to participate. Because this is a uniquely holy moment for those that have followed Jesus Christ and been baptized. As a demonstration of their faith. Why? The Lord's Supper. Well, it helps us remember the past.35:25It's a vivid reminder. Do this in remembrance of me. It's a reminder of what Jesus Christ did for us. But it's also a reminder of the present. Because we break bread together today. As a reminder that God's not finished working. He's working in you. He's tabernacling in you.35:54That God's grace continues by the Holy Spirit through you and I. And it's an anticipation of the future. As often as you do this, do this in remembrance of Jesus. Until he comes. Because we anticipate together that there will be a day when Jesus comes back.36:20And I don't have to be first, but I'm going to be in line. Because to be even a doorman in the kingdom of heaven is better than a thousand elsewhere. We remember what Jesus did. We know what he is doing. And we look forward to what he will do.← Previous in EcclesiastesEcclesiastes – What’s The Point? (Ecclesiastes 1:1-12)Next in Ecclesiastes →Ecclesiastes – Turn! Turn! Turn! (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11)More sermons on Ecclesiastes →
