← ArchiveEcclesiastesEcclesiastes – What’s The Point? (Ecclesiastes 1:1-12)DateMay 26, 2024SpeakerJared MitchellTextEcclesiastes 1:1–12Passages in this sermonEcclesiastes 12:22Job 321:29Colossians 123:37Psalms 14829:33TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00Thank you. Thank you.0:30Thank you. Thank you.1:00Thank you. Well, good morning, church family. It's good to be together today on this Memorial Day weekend. My name is Jared, and I'm the worship pastor here at Bethel, and today we're doing the things that we do every single Sunday. As we get to come and we get to fellowship together through our small groups, as we get to pray together, as we get to sing and worship together, and now we get to hear from God's Word together.1:25As always, I'm so incredibly thankful to Matt and the band and the praise team and the choir for leading us once again so faithfully. This morning, as a church family, we are beginning a brand new sermon series in the book of Ecclesiastes.1:48Now, maybe it's been a while since you've read through Ecclesiastes, and maybe you never have, but for the next few weeks, we're going to be studying this book together. And as I have studied, I believe that it will be greatly beneficial for our hearts and our souls and our church.2:11So I want to invite you now to open up your Bible with me to the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 1. And that's where we're going to be spending our time today. If you don't know, Ecclesiastes is in the Old Testament. It comes right after the book of Proverbs, and it really rides on the heels of Proverbs in theme.2:37You see, in the Old Testament, there are three books in the wisdom category, and those three are Job, Proverbs, and can you guess the third one? Ecclesiastes. And all three of these books are written with this theme in mind. They ask this question. How do we live with wisdom amid the many challenges of life?3:08And there's this reality that we need all three wisdom books. You see, if you only read Job, you think, well, no matter how hard I try, I will only face suffering. If you only read Proverbs, you think that if I just do what is right, if I do everything that is right, then a good life awaits me.3:31And then we have Ecclesiastes, that really falls in the middle, that sometimes life is good, sometimes life is hard, there's joy and there's suffering, but what's the difference between the two anyways? What's the point? A good life and a bad life both end the same way.3:59So to some extent, both seem somewhat meaningless in the end, so why even bother? And I'm thankful for the Word of God. I'm thankful that it is living, it is active. I'm thankful that it speaks to us today. And I believe that as we read these verses today, that they're going to address a few questions that each of us have, mainly being, what is this life worth?4:22What's the meaning of it all? Why are me and you, why are we even here? A Russian novelist wrote, and he said this, that the mystery of human existence lies not just in staying alive, but in finding something to live for.4:44You see, every day, most of us, if not all of us, we wake up, take a shower, brush our teeth, we go to work, or we face some task. For the day, we come home, we eat dinner at some point, a couple hours later, we probably eat a second dinner, and we go to sleep just to wake up the next day and do it all over again.5:14You know what I mean, right? I think about my daughter Presley and my son James. My daughter is six years old, and my son James is two. Now, James, he does what he does every day, and he really doesn't ask many hard questions, other than, can I have an Oreo?5:42And if we say no, he may get upset, but then he sees a butterfly or something gets his attention, he gets distracted, and he moves on pretty quickly. My daughter Presley, on the other hand, she asks for an Oreo, and after she's already had ten, we say no.6:07Well, when we say no, what's the first question she asks? Why? Why can't I have another Oreo? You see, in our house, we hear the word and the question why a lot. Any other parent in the room, I'm sure that you can relate to this, and maybe you are the one asking why. Now, here's the reality, that asking why is not always a bad question to ask.6:37I would suggest to you that sometimes it is the right question to ask. You see, one day, Presley was asking, well, why can't I have another Oreo? Or why can't I watch another episode of Bluey or Blippi, is what they're watching now. And these questions at the time seemed so simple.7:04But soon after that, as Presley has gotten older, she started to ask harder questions. She's starting to ask more complicated questions. And even now, she's starting to ask why to much more important things. Well, Mom and Dad, why do we go to church? Why do we pray? Why do we read our Bible? Mom and Dad, why do people close to us die?7:33Mom and Dad, why do I have friends at school that don't have two parents at home? Why did God make us? Why did God make me? What's the point? So me and my wife, we are in a season of life where we better have an answer to the why. And I think that we all know that it's not just kids, but we are all facing this question.7:57And Ecclesiastes, all throughout the book, it faces these themes about finding and knowing truth. The question of suffering. And in the midst of all of this, the youngest in our lives show us that deep down, there is an innate desire inside of each of us to search and ask for the reason.8:17Or for the meaning. And the way that we answer. And the way that we seek this answer. It affects everything about us. It doesn't only affect me, but it affects our family. It affects our church, this gathering, our ministry.8:48So we can all agree that the question why is a question worthy of asking. So as we look at this book, we've got a few goals today and really for the next few weeks. That we would just closely examine the text. That we would ask these questions that the text is pushing us to ask. That we would search in a Christ-like way.9:16And ultimately, that we would look to Jesus for all that we need. Amen? So let me pray for us before we dive into this text. Let me pray. Let us pray to that end. God, we believe that you are good and we completely trust you. Even when it's hard to trust, we trust. Father, we declare today that you are worthy of all the praise and the glory.9:47And as we've already sung, you are so good. So God, we thank you for your goodness. We thank you for your word. So as we open your word, God, I pray that you would, God, allow our minds to understand, and our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our hearts to receive. God, we give you all the glory through your son, Jesus.10:17We all pray this in your name. Amen. Amen. So let us now open up to the book of Ecclesiastes. We will be in the first chapter, but before we start at verse 1, I want you to look with me at verse 12, because I believe that verse 12 really sets the foundation, not only for chapter 1, but it sets the foundation for the entire book.10:43So look with me at verse 12 of chapter 1. It begins with, I, the teacher. So now quickly, just to be clear, as we move forward, the teacher in this book is a character, but not the author. The teacher is who the author is quoting and writing about. Now, the author is mainly unknown. Some believe that it was Solomon, but at the most, what we know and believe is that it was11:12someone from Solomon's influence. And here, the author is writing about what the teacher is saying. If that's not clear enough, our PhD pastor will be back next week, I promise. But let's hear what the teacher says in verse 12. And then with some irony, he says, well, God has given people this miserable task to keep11:33them occupied. I have seen all things that are done under the sun, and I have found everything to be futile. I have found everything to be a pursuit of the wind.12:02So here we have the teacher searching for meaning, and he says, listen, I've seen it all. I've searched it all. I've asked all the questions. I've done the research. I've seen everything this world has to offer, and this is my conclusion. So now, turn back with me to verse 1. And here we see these poetic words that describe the findings of the teacher, that after a lifetime12:32of searching, this is what he found, and this is how he summarizes it. Chapter 1, verse 2, absolute futility. Absolute futility. Everything is futile. What does a person gain for all of his efforts that he labors at under the sun?12:58A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets. Panting, it hurries back to the place where it rises. Gusting to the south, turning toward the north. Turning, turning goes the wind, and then the wind returns in its cycles. All of the streams flow to the sea, but yet the sea is never full. To the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.13:28All things are wearisome. More than anyone can say. The eye is not satisfied by seeing, and the ear is not satisfied or filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done. There is nothing new under the sun. How can anyone say about anything, look, this is new. It's already existed in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of those who came before, and there is no remembrance of those who will come after.13:55And that's it. That's what we got to work with. This is our passage. This is our passage. It's encouraging, right? Some of you read these verses, and you could not agree more. Some of you read, everything is futile, and you just say, amen. The first thing that I want us to see is, number one, we can relate.14:24We can relate. So, church, let me ask you, have you ever felt this way? That everything around you is simply futile? Now, your Bible may say meaningless. It may say vanity. But you look at the world around you, you look at your life, you look at your circumstances, and you just think it all seems meaningless.14:50And like the teacher in Ecclesiastes, you just ask, well, what's the point? And I think it would be dishonest for us to say that we haven't asked these questions, because we do ask these questions. Every day we ask these questions.15:17Just look at these verses again. Like the teacher in verse 2, when he asked, well, what does a person gain for all of his efforts? That he labors at under the sun. So, you and me, we think and we wonder that I can work 80 hours a week for 40 years. I can do everything my boss asks of me. I can work until I am blue in the face. And at the end, what does that get me?15:47A few years in retirement? Some more money? At the end, is that really enough? Does that really satisfy? Verse 4 through 7. A generation comes and goes, but the earth remains forever. The sun keeps rising. The wind keeps blowing. The streams of water keep flowing. So, we ask, well, what does that make me?16:15These trees were here long before me, and they're going to be here long after me. So, you tell me what's the point. And then we come to verse 8. And I believe that this is a key verse. And I believe that this verse, it truly personifies living life on this side of heaven. When it says that all things are wearisome.16:45All things are wearisome more than anyone can say. The eye is not satisfied by seeing. And the ear is not satisfied with hearing. So, I just want to ask the question, and you can answer inwardly, but answer honestly. Are you tired? Are you tired right now? Physically?17:16Physically? Emotionally? Spiritually? I would imagine that if I asked for hands to be raised this morning, that hands all over the room would be in the air. Because this is us. This is our generation. This is our society that I do as much as I can. I work as hard as I can. I'm trying to be the best dad I can be.17:43I'm trying to be the best mom. I'm trying to be the best friend that I can be. But I'm just so tired. I feel like I can't get ahead, but if I do, it's not enough. My life is always one step forwards and two steps back. I'm just tired. And we live in a culture of exhaustion. But I think if we're honest, we see that we foster a culture of exhaustion.18:13We're building a culture of exhaustion. We embrace this. Like, we hold up exhaustion like a status symbol. Well, I'm more tired than you. Wait till you hear about my week. We embrace exhaustion. Back to verse 8. Our eyes and our ears, they're not satisfied. The things that we consume. The shows that we watch.18:43The music we listen to. The food we eat. And the experiences that we strive for. It's just not good enough. And in our culture, we live in a comparison world. That when we lay our heads down at night, we open up our phones and we go to Facebook. We go to Instagram. We go to Twitter. Because we want to know what everyone else is doing. And if we're not doing what they're doing, we aren't measuring up.19:09So we're tempted to say, well, I'm just not happy with the way my life is. Everyone around me seems like they're walking around like a 10 out of 10. And I'm simply not. And I'll be honest. You don't know how many times I'll talk to somebody and I'll say, man, I saw your pictures.19:35It just looks like things are just going awesome for you right now. And they turn around and they say, Jared, I know you saw that, but let me tell you what's really going on. Can I just tell you something? None of us are walking around 10 out of 10. None of us. Really, we're walking around like chapter 1, verse 8. We're here. Not satisfied.20:04Not satisfied. Verse 9. What has been is what will be. There is nothing new under the sun. We think, well, nothing changes. Nobody changes. I can't create change. My circumstances won't change. So what's the point? That leads into verse 11. That there's no remembrance of those who came before and there's not going to be any remembrance of those who come after. So after all of this, when I am done, who will even remember me? And if they don't remember me, then why am I striving?20:33Why am I trying to do anything? And I think now we're getting to the heart of the issue. That maybe you're here this morning and you're just asking, why, God? Why? Even for the Christian. We find ourselves asking, why? Maybe it's a diagnosis. Maybe it's your job, your relationships, and you're just looking up.20:59And you feel like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling and coming right back and you're just asking, why? And what you need to know and what I think that the Word of God begs us to know is that if you're asking these questions, you are not alone. You're not. I want you to see what Job, Job says in Job chapter 3.21:29This is another wisdom book. He writes this. In the midst of Job's suffering, his immense suffering and his questioning, he says this. He says, may the day that I was born perish. And the night that said a boy is conceived, if only that day it turned to darkness. May God above not care about it or light shine on it. May darkness and gloom reclaim it.21:58May a cloud settle over it. May what darkens that day terrify it. If only darkness had taken that night away. Here, Job is saying that not only can I not find meaning in any of this, I just wish I was never even born. I just wish I was never even born. Why am I even here? Why would God put me here?22:27And I know that this seems grim. And I understand that we may not all be there. But when we keep asking why, without an answer, our reality darkens. We see David ask these questions all throughout the Psalms. We see the disciples ask these questions all throughout the New Testament. All of that to say, if you're asking those questions this morning, you are not alone.22:56But I think we need to ask another question. Are we asking and seeking the right thing? That maybe instead of asking God, tell me why, we should instead be asking God, show me Christ. Show me Christ. Because the remedy for our constant questioning and doubting comes when we seek Christ.23:25We seek Christ. I want you to look in Colossians chapter 1. Here the Apostle Paul, he's writing. He's writing to the church. And this is what he says in verse 9. Paul writes, For this reason, we haven't stopped praying for you.23:53And we are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding. So that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. Maybe today, some of us, including myself, need to stop looking at our problems and we need to fix our eyes on Christ.24:17Because when we fix our eyes on Christ, everything changes. Look again what Paul writes in verse 9. He prays that the church would be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom. And don't miss this. Underline it. Circle it. And spiritual understanding.24:47Spiritual understanding. This is not an earthly understanding. You see, Paul knows that there is an understanding that Christians have that transcends everything we know on this earth. And there's this reality that we may never have the answers on this side of heaven. It's likely that we never will.25:15And if we're honest, a lot of the times we don't even know the questions to ask. But when Paul, when he writes in Philippians that knowing Jesus means for him and means for us, for the believers in the room, to live as Christ and to die as gain. This is a spiritual understanding of our life that is now hidden with Christ and it is knowledge that this world will never understand. So church, would we stop chasing earthly wisdom?25:46Would we fix our eyes on Jesus? And when we do, when we begin to see our lives through the lens of Christ, everything starts to look different. So quickly, for the rest of our time today, I want to walk back through this passage, looking through the lens of Christ and reading with a spiritual understanding.26:07Not an earthly understanding, but a spiritual understanding. And when we do this, let us be encouraged. Let us be reminded of God's goodness. Sometimes I wonder that if we truly know just how good and kind God is, in his grace, he has given us a spiritual understanding.26:31So back in Ecclesiastes, verse 3, the teacher asked this question, what does a person gain for all of his efforts that he labors under the sun? So yeah, through an earthly lens, this life and our work, it does seem meaningless.26:55Our work on this earth does eventually run out. But as a believer, and because of the gospel, we trust not in our work, but in the work of Christ. And now, Christ does a new work in us, through us, and for us. And it's this work, that while we were dead, Christ died for us. So now, we are no longer slaves to sin, but we work now for the sake of righteousness.27:22And Christ has brought us from death to life, so now we are a new creation. So this new work through Christ is not meaningless, but it's eternal. So Christian, the news for you today, maybe you're retired, maybe you're not. But you have now entered into a new workforce. It is a workforce for the kingdom of heaven. And our work for the kingdom, it is not in vain.27:53But you see, in our own effort, we gain nothing. And actually, if we trust in our own efforts and our own work, the Bible says that our works are like filthy rags already condemned. But trusting in the work of Christ is our aim. It is now our goal. So yes, human work is fleeting, but Christ's work brings salvation, joy, peace, and contentment. Praise be to Christ for His work in our lives.28:23Amen? Verse 5, the constant flow of nature. The sun rises and the sun sets, panting. It hurries back to the place where it rises, gusting to the south, turning toward the north. Turning goes the wind. The wind returns and it cycles, and all of the streams flow to the sea, but the sea is never full. To the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. Yeah, the constant, the constant flow of nature.28:50It may seem mundane. It may seem pointless. But as a believer, with a spiritual understanding in God, as the creator and sustainer of all things, this is beautiful. This is the result of a faithful, loving God. So let these verses remind us that we need not even ask the question of why, when we have a God who is our creator, He is our sustainer, and He holds all things together.29:16And He is also holding us. Look at Psalm 148 with a spiritual understanding when you look at nature. Praise Him, sun and moon. Praise Him, all you shining stars. Praise Him, highest heavens. You waters above the heavens.29:46Let them praise the name of the Lord. For He commanded and they were created. He set them in position forever and ever. He gave an order that they will never pass away. So when you go outside tonight, when you look at the stars that God put in place, when you look at the trees blowing in the wind and the streams of the water flowing, you can know that they are doing exactly what they were designed to do. And that is praising and giving God glory. So let us look up and let us be reminded that God is faithful.30:15You know, two people don't stand on the top of Mount Everest and argue about who's taller. But we see creation and we're reminded that we need not even ask. And really, who are we to ask? Who are we to ask but through God's kindness we can ask?30:40Verse 8, all things are wearisome more than anyone can say. The eye is not satisfied by seeing. The ear is not satisfied with hearing. You know, when I am tired, when I am weary, the first thing that I am tempted to run to is a bed or a couch, a TV. But there's this reality that maybe it's not that we need rest as much as what we really need is strength.31:07And Jesus says, come to me on all who are weary, and I will give you rest that in doors. So while a bed or a couch or a TV might bring physical rest, Jesus and his word bring physical strength, spiritual strength. And apart from Christ, we will never find true satisfaction in this life.31:34I used to have a good friend who didn't know the Lord, but in an earthly sense, he had it all. He had the great job. He had the big house. He had the pool. He had the car.32:04And he used to tell me, well, Jared, I feel lucky because I've got everything I've ever wanted. And I want you to hear me. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that these things are bad things because they're not. But looking back, my heart breaks for him because, yes, he had all of this stuff, but he did not know God.32:27And if I could go back, I would tell him, friend, without Christ, you have nothing. That car is going to break down. That pool is going to drain out. Those walls will lose their pain. And you see, earthly satisfaction ultimately leaves us empty. But I'm humbled by the Word of God.32:58When Jesus says, well, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his soul? You see, the Word of God has a way of humbling us, but it also gives us life. It is living bread for our souls and how we need it. Because in our questioning, when we look to God's Word, God starts to come near.33:20God is near. And when we start to seek, not with earthly wisdom, not with an earthly understanding, but with a spiritual understanding, God comes near. And as we close, I'll tell you this story.33:48When I think about God's creation, His faithfulness, I remember years back, me and Anna Claire, we went to Yosemite National Park out in California. And I remember every day we would look up at this big mountain. And from Yosemite Valley at the bottom, this mountain looked really, really big.34:14At night, it was so big that at night, if you went out, you would see these little twinkling lights on the wall. And that was really rock climbers ascending to the top. Now, we debated whether or not we should hike up this mountain. I was thinking, there's no way. There's absolutely no way. It's too big, too long, too far away. You see, from the distance of Yosemite Valley, the mountain looked really, really intimidating.34:42Well, my wife declared, we will hike up this mountain. So we decided to, and you know, it's interesting. That as we went, the closer we got to the mountain, and we started hiking up, it started to look different. And it started to feel different, the rocks and the paths, the ways to go.35:09It wasn't quite intimidating as I thought it would be. Eventually, we got to the top, and the views were incredible. Now, here's what I'm getting at. Some of you have been looking at God from a distance for a long time. And you're asking questions from a distance.35:36You're doubting. You're struggling. And the longer you keep viewing God from a distance, yes, these questions become really hard to answer. The struggles deepen. The doubts set in. But the closer you get to God, the more you seek Him through His Word, the closer He comes. And you see that He's good, and that He's kind, and that He can be trusted.36:03And when you seek God, you find life in Christ, and life in Christ is worth everything. So maybe today, your prayer just needs to simply be, God, come close. God, I've been looking at you from a distance for a long time. God, I'm scared if you come close to me, what you will see.36:31Friend, there's nothing that God does not see. You see, what we cover, God will uncover, but what we uncover, God will cover with His grace and His kindness. Maybe today, you need to cry out to God in faith. You need to repent of your sin and put your faith in Jesus. And when you do that, God is faithful to save.37:01And maybe you're here and you're a Christian, but you've been distancing yourself. And that you're just in a season of life where you are leaning on your own understanding. And today, our prayer for you is like Paul in Colossians 1, that you would be filled with knowledge of His will, with all wisdom and all spiritual understanding. That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, being strengthened with all power,37:29according to His glorious might, so that you would have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saint inheritance in the light. God is good. And He comes close, if we would only ask. Let's pray. Father, we believe that You are good. .37:59.Next in Ecclesiastes →Ecclesiastes – Unhappy Business (Ecclesiastes 1:12-18)More sermons on Ecclesiastes →
