Finding Meaning In Life | Duane Roberts | Ecclesiastes 4

But then somebody else is gonna get a whole bunch of views and they left you to go to somebody else. So Solomon's saying to us, you can't please everybody, you can't. If you're a people pleaser in the house, sometimes, yeah, I just want some honest people because I'm putting my hand up. Is it hard for you to say no? Anybody in the house, say. It's like, it's so hard. They ask me if it's within my power, I'm gonna do it. But you realize the more you say yes, the more people you disappoint. Because you can't keep up with everyone. So I wanna teach you a very short sentence that is a complete sentence. You have to learn to say no, no, no. Practice with me, no. See how easy that was? Sometimes you have to say no because there's only one you need to please. There's only one you need to glorify. His name is Jesus Christ. He's the greater King. He's the King of kings. He's the Lord of lords. He's the one that gives you meaning. Welcome to Church, Calvary. We're so glad you're here. This morning, we're celebrating all that God did

at Kids Conference this past week. Hundreds of children got to learn about Jesus and the power that is found in His name. And it's my prayer that what God did in the hearts of those children would be true in ours this morning, that we would know that there's power in the name of Jesus, that we would know that in His name, there is hope for the hopeless, there is strength for the weak, there is healing for the hurting, and there is salvation to all of those who call on His name. So whatever you are carrying in today, whether you are in need of peace in your life, of healing, of restoration, of hope, we are going to lift up our voices in faith this morning, remembering that God can still save, that God still provides for His children, that He is a perfect Father to us. So let's lift up the name of Jesus together as we worship. ♪ I fell into the atmosphere ♪ ♪ Spirit of God, You're here, You have all authority ♪ ♪ I pray over my heart and mind ♪ ♪ I am healed by Your stripes, Your blood declares that I am free ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray ♪ ♪ Calling on the power of heaven, I proclaim ♪ ♪ Every weapon formed against me must break ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ I draw a permanent boundary line ♪ ♪ The enemy has no rights to come near my family ♪

♪ No slave could ever run to God's reds ♪ ♪ No matter the circumstance, the cross has seared my destiny ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray ♪ ♪ I pray, calling on the power of heaven, I proclaim ♪ ♪ Every weapon formed against me must break ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus, in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus, I know ♪ ♪ All the power of fear and darkness must go ♪ ♪ Every key to every victory, I hold ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus, I will never be defeated ♪ ♪ I will not fear, I will not fear, when the enemy comes near ♪ ♪ On the dark frame of my life, in the blood of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ I will not fear, I will not fear, there's an army of angels here ♪ ♪ All protected on our side, by the blood of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ I will not fear, I will not fear, when the enemy comes near ♪ ♪ When the enemy comes near ♪ ♪ On the toe print of my whole life ♪ ♪ Is the blood of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ I would not fear, I would not fear ♪ ♪ There's an army of angels here ♪ ♪ Our protection on all sides ♪ ♪ By the blood of Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ I pray, calling on the power of heaven ♪ ♪ I'm afraid, every weapon called against me ♪ ♪ Overcast with rain, in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ In the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ I know, all the power of fear and darkness ♪ ♪ It must come, every king to every victory ♪ ♪ I know, in the mighty name of Jesus ♪

♪ In the mighty name of Jesus ♪ ♪ I know, in the mighty name of Jesus ♪ Let's give you glory and honor because there's no one like you. There's no one besides you. We fix our eyes on you, King Jesus. We sing together. ♪ A thousand generations, falling down in worship ♪ ♪ To sing the song of ages to the land ♪ ♪ And all who've gone before us, and all who will believe ♪ ♪ Will sing the song of ages to the land ♪ His name is the highest. ♪ Your name is the highest, your name is the greatest ♪ ♪ Your name, oh, stands above them all, oh ♪ ♪ And all thrones and dominions, all powers, your name ♪ ♪ And the angels cry, oh, oh, your name is the highest ♪ ♪ Holy, oh, creation cries, oh, oh, holy ♪ ♪ You are lifted high, holy, holy forever, oh ♪ If you've been forgiven. ♪ If you've been forgiven, if you've been redeemed ♪ ♪ Sing a song forever to the land, yes ♪ And if you walk in freedom. ♪ If you walk in freedom, oh, if you know his name ♪ ♪ Sing a song forever to the land, yes ♪ ♪ We'll sing a song forever and he'll end ♪ ♪ And the angels cry, oh, oh, holy, oh, creation cries, oh ♪ ♪ Holy, you are lifted high, holy, holy forever, oh yeah ♪ ♪ You are lifted high, holy, holy forever, oh yeah ♪ ♪ In your people's name, oh, holy, to the king of kings ♪ ♪ My God, glory that you will always be, holy, holy, holy ♪

♪ Holy forever, oh, we sing your name is the highest, your name ♪ ♪ Is the highest, your name is the greatest, your name ♪ ♪ Stands above them all, your thrones and dominions ♪ ♪ All powers and positions, your name stands above them all, your name ♪ ♪ Above them all, Jesus, Your name is the highest, Your name is the greatest, Your name stands above them all ♪ ♪ Holy, Holy forever, King of people, King of people, King of peoples sing it ♪ ♪ Holy, Holy forever, King of people, King of peoples sing it ♪ ♪ Holy, Holy forever, King of peoples, King of peoples sing it ♪ ♪ Holy, Holy forever, You will always be, Holy, Holy forever ♪ ♪ Holy, Holy forever, You will always be, Holy, Holy forever ♪ ♪ All the elders cast their crowns before the Lamb of God and sing, You're worthy of it all ♪ ♪ You are worthy of it all, for from You are all things and to You are all things, You deserve the glory ♪ ♪ All the saints and angels bow before Your throne, all the elders cast their crowns before the Lamb of God and sing, You're worthy of it all ♪ ♪ You are worthy of it all, for from You are all things and to You are all things, You deserve the glory ♪ ♪ You are worthy of it all, for from You are all things and to You are all things, You deserve the glory ♪ ♪ Day and night, night and day, let incense arise, day and night, night and day, let incense arise ♪ ♪ Day and night, night and day, let incense arise, day and night, night and day, let incense arise ♪ ♪ You are worthy of it all, You are worthy of it all, You are worthy of it all ♪ ♪ Oh Jesus, for from you are all things ♪ ♪ And to all things you deserve the glory ♪ ♪ You are worthy, worthy of it all ♪ ♪ You are worthy, worthy, worthy of it all ♪ ♪ Oh, we praise your name, for from you are all things ♪ ♪ And to all things you deserve the glory ♪ Thank you, Jesus. Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord. You truly are so worthy, oh God, of all of our praise, Lord. Thank you, Jesus, that we get to worship you, Lord Father.

All together, Lord, I pray, Lord, that you would prepare our hearts, prepare our minds to receive from you today, oh God. Fill us, oh God, with a refreshing, Lord Jesus. Renew us, Lord God, renew our minds, renew our hearts this moment, Lord God. We thank you, Lord God, and we love you, Jesus. And we pray all these things in your mighty name. Amen. Amen. Well, you guys can have a seat. Hey, welcome to Calvary. My name is Doug, and we're so glad you're here. If it's your first time, we wanna give you a special shout out. Hey, a couple things before we jump into the message today. Next Saturday, we are not having service. It's the 4th of July, and that is our country's 250th birthday. And that's gonna be amazing time to celebrate. And so we hope you go watch some fireworks or have a barbecue and then join us the next day for church. Also, if it's your first time, we're in the middle of a series today through the book of Ecclesiastes. If you have your Bible, I want you to turn with us to chapter four. If you don't have a Bible, raise your hand. We're gonna put one in your hand as our gift to you. Pastor Dwayne Roberts is speaking today.

It is gonna be awesome. Yes. So hey, at Calvary, we're all about one thing, and that's making disciples. We do that through connecting people to God, connecting people to people, and connecting people to outreach. And one of the best ways to find out how we do that is to scan the QR in front of you and find out all the things that are happening here this summer so you don't miss out. And then finally, this past fall, we celebrated 40 years as a ministry. And we are so grateful for what God has done the last 40 years. And we're praying this prayer in the book of Habakkuk. God, do it again. Do it again. And we're all about passing that baton and that vision from one generation to the next. And we wanna say thank you. Thank you to those that have been praying and serving and giving. Together, we are making a difference. And we wanna highlight two ministries that you're making a difference with today. So check it out. Hey, Calvary. I'm Sammy, and I have an exciting update about our From One Generation to the Next campaign.

Together, we're creating more space for people to encounter Jesus, grow as disciples, and impact the world. And today, we're seeing that vision come to life far beyond our campus in Guatemala. What God is doing there is a powerful reminder that when we step forward in faith, he uses it to reach people across generations and across the globe. So, let's watch as Pastor Jeff Stone shares how God is using this ministry to make an eternal impact. Hi, I'm Pastor Jeff from Calvary, La Esperanza. And 13 years ago, God called me here, and this is where we started a small little Bible study in this living room. We opened up the doors for whoever'd wanna come. We had two people. And then we hit this 25-person mark, and it didn't seem like we can grow past that. But season after season, we continued to provide. We're growing, we're expanding. So we began to pray, we began to walk the streets. Roughly a couple months later, we were walking down this road here, and we saw a for sale sign. After some negotiation and God opening the doors, we landed a deal. And so we began to make this our new home. Then God opened another door.

We are at Calvary Christian School. We are located in the middle of Quetzaltenango. We've been here for three years. It's a nine acre property that God has blessed us with and we absolutely love it. Christ is the only way that we'll see revival in this city. This school is that vehicle that's going to give us those opportunities and we've seen it happen. Now we're here at Calvary Shala. This is God's provision, God's faithfulness, and this is our new building. God is so faithful as we've been praying for two years now for the perfect location and today here we are. I think the meaning behind the church is that God can take one small step and do so many things. Just through this church, God has brought so much healing, restoration. He formed our family, but I think this is a fresh start and a fresh opportunity to say, God, what do you have for us? But this building isn't the story. The story is what God has done in the lives of all the people in the past 10 years. This building simply creates more opportunities for the story to continue. I truly would say I'm very, very grateful for everyone's generous heart in Calvary Fort Lauderdale and all the campuses. We are in this place because God's called us, but we're also in this place because of your partnership and all that you guys have supported us for the past 10 years, so thank you. What an incredible picture of God's faithfulness. What makes this story even more meaningful is that Pastor Jeff's ministry journey began right here at Calvary. Through Calvary House, our Christ-centered residential program for men and women seeking freedom from addiction. In Jeff's time at Calvary House, God transformed him from the inside out, breaking chains of addiction and igniting a passion to share the gospel with the nations. As part of the From One Generation to the Next campaign, we've also been investing in renovations and updates to the residential housing for our Calvary House Men's Program, creating spaces where more people can experience hope, healing, and freedom through Christ. Stories like Pastor Jeff's remind us that this campaign is about far more than buildings or projects.

It's about lives being transformed by Jesus. It's about people encountering Christ, growing as disciples, and carrying his mission into the world. And every one of us has a part to play. So thank you for being part of what God is doing through Calvary. If you'd like to follow along with campaign updates and celebrations or simply learn more, visit the link on the screen. Together, we're building a legacy of faith, passing the hope of the gospel from one generation to the next. Amen. Good morning, Calvary. How's everybody doing this morning? We wanted to say how grateful we are for your generosity because it not only impacts Guatemala, not only impacts Calvary House, but we're in a moment where we're seeing the impact of earthquakes in Venezuela. If you've been and you saw the news, the death toll is above 1,400 now. And we want, as a church, to respond to that with generosity. But before we do that, I want us to take a moment to pray. There are people that woke up this morning to a different morning than they expected. There are some that are grieving, some still holding out hope that a loved one could be found. And there's a lot of pain and grief and fear right now in Venezuela. So if you would just take a moment to pray with me, if you would bow your heads. Lord, we specifically ask for the people of Venezuela right now. And we know that you are sovereign and that you are the God of all comfort. And we're asking that you would be those for people that are grieving the loss of loved ones, people that are holding out hope for loved ones to be found, people that are afraid, that don't have what they need. people that woke up in the last several days to something that they did not expect. God, we pray that you would be their help in their time of need. As your word says, when we look to the hills, where does our help come from? Our help comes from the Lord.

So God, we pray that you would look down with special favor and attention, those people in Venezuela. I pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Yeah, praise God. Yeah, we could do that, yes. We wanna let you know that we are also working with partners already since the crisis happened. We're working with three partners right now. Samaritan's Purse, Convoy of Hope, and Food for the Poor. We also have missionaries in Caracas that were able to make it through. And we actually have a couple of those missionaries that started to work in Caracas, right out here at our table. So at the church, we're working with those people that have boots on the ground. We also are already sending $50,000 worth of just money to help those that are in need. So we're already responding to those that are in crisis. This is what From One Generation to the Next is about. It's not about just what's happening locally, but how God uses us to fuel his mission for those that are impacted globally. So if you've never given before, or if you feel compelled to give, we want you to scan the QR code that is up on the screen or behind your chair. If you just feel so led to put towards that effort, that's gonna go to connect with that crisis.

Again, whether that is locally at our campuses or Guatemala or Calvary House, we wanna be that church that responds to people that are in need. So that's something you could pray about, something you could just ask God, this is something that he wants you to step into. Can I get an amen if you're with me? Like Pastor Doug said, Doug will ask you that, my name is Dwayne, I have the honor and privilege of serving as our assistant pastor, campus pastor at Boynton. And if you could give a warm welcome to the Boynton campus, they can hear you. So if you don't mind, would you just stand to your feet as we read God's word together. Ecclesiastes four is where you should be. Ecclesiastes four, we're gonna read verses one through six. And then we're gonna pray to invite God into our Bible study. Ephesians, sorry, Ecclesiastes four, verses one through six. Says, again, I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed and they have no comforter. Power was on the side of their oppressors and they have no comforter.

And I declared that the dead who had already died are happier than the living who are still alive. But better than both is the one who has never been born, has not seen the evil that is done under the sun. And I saw that all toil and achievements spring from one person's envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves. Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. If you're a note taker, the sermon title for today is finding meaning in life. Finding meaning in life. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you that we get to freely worship you and open your word. And I pray as your word is open to us, would you open us up to what you have to say. Lord, open our minds, our ears, our hearts to ways that you wanna change us through your word. It is living and powerful and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, discerning the thoughts going down to the bone in the marrow. God, we want your word to get into us. And God, as I always pray, may we decrease and you increase. Lord, I pray for just myself that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart would be pleasing to you, God. And whatever you desire to say through me, that's what would be said.

And we pray this in Jesus' name. And everybody said. Amen. You may have a seat. So how do you find the meaning of? of life. Maybe you've come in here and you agree with Solomon. He said, out of all the things he did, out of all the things he enjoyed, all the work, all the money, all the wisdom, he declared that all of the things done under the sun, which is all of our earthly experience, everything that you would see today in his world, in our world, is meaningless, chasing after the wind. We've been using this thought. Life is what? It's a vapor. You can't catch vapor. Anybody ever chase after wind and be successful? It's impossible. So then what's the meaning of life? What is the purpose that you and I have been created for? Maybe you've come in and you are saying, life has no meaning for me. Because it begs the question, can you find meaning without God? I would agree. I mean, I have given my life to Jesus since 1999, and can I just say, life didn't have meaning before Christ. And I don't know how people survive without God in their lives. I don't know how people are doing it. And so if today you don't know him, today you don't believe in him, today you haven't made him Lord and Savior, our prayer is that you'll get to know him. Can I get a good amen? If it's somebody.

You got all these people to testify that it's God that creates purpose, that it's God that helps you find meaning. And Solomon is like this researcher, and he's seeing all of these things done under the sun. He's partying, he's doing all these things, and he's still coming to this conclusion that it is meaningless. Life comes, life goes, and it just seems like we're going and coming without any meaning. And he says in chapter four this, he says, again, I looked and I saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they have no comforter. Power was on the side of their oppressors, and they have no comforter. Solomon is talking about the oppression that we see, and if you want to get a picture, oppression is the abuse of power of those that take advantage of those that are weak and can't do anything about it. When you see the injustice happening, that's a form of oppression. When you see things like genocide and people's lives are being taken innocently, that's oppression. When you see maybe an employer working somebody that's, it doesn't seem fair and it doesn't seem right. It's even sad that sometimes you hear stories of parents oppressing their own children. I don't know about you, but sometimes when I watch the news, I am burdened for what I see. And we know in chapter three, Solomon points out there's injustice and wickedness, and God will rightly judge everyone. But until that time, it should bother you, but it bothers me when I see the weak oppressed. As you see Solomon, he's not just watching the oppressed, but it says he saw the tears of the oppressed. Like you got to get real close to see somebody's tears. Somebody crying. But he concludes, well, instead of doing something about it, he concludes, well, it's better that people have dead.

It's better for those that are no longer suffering. And he's even saying it's better for people not to be born than to go through evil under the sun. I know some young married people or people that are young right now that some of them don't even want to have children to bring into this world. I've heard them say that before. But that's not the conclusion that God would come up with. You see, man's vision is limited. Man's perspective is limited. So we have to find meaning in a perspective that's not under the sun, but above the sun. We got to look heavenward. We got to redirect. are focused to see how God is viewing oppression because God sees all. We got to change our perspective. So if you're a note taker, the first point is this. We find meaning in God's perspective. We find meaning in God's perspective. Why? Because God sees all the tears. God sees every injustice. God sees every bit of oppression. And when you look at the New Testament, Jesus sees it also. This is what Jesus says in Matthew chapter nine, verse 36 through 38. He says, when he, Jesus, saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples,

the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore to send our workers into his harvest field. What does that mean for us today? Sometimes God may put you in a path of someone that needs comfort. Here's the thing about Solomon that I want you to catch. Solomon had all the power, all the money. He saw the tears and he did nothing about the oppressed. About the oppressed. In fact, if you were to go into the history of Solomon, when he was building the temple, they were saying that Solomon was one of the hardest taskmasters that was there. So it's not about power. Sometimes it's not about money, but it's about proximity. And to comfort somebody, it's not just to watch them suffer, but coming alongside is like, you're gonna actually step into the mess. You're actually gonna step into their plight. You're actually gonna do something about what you see that you don't just watch. So maybe God has placed somebody in your path. And he's saying, can you be an instrument of comfort for somebody else? Maybe there's somebody that you see that's having a hard go and God has given you the power to do something about it, not wealth power, but he's given you gifts and ways that you can connect with people. And he said, you're close to the man.

And maybe you're saying, God, somebody do something about this. And God's like, that's why I placed you there. So is there an area? When we think about four kids and foster care weekend, why do we dedicate a whole weekend to foster care? Why do they dedicate a whole month to foster care? Why? Because there's kids in the system that are being abused and they need a godly home. They need a Christ-centered home to have a normal childhood instead of from going house to house. So maybe you're still praying about that or maybe you're in a process where you're just like, maybe we can be a home. We have an extra bedroom. Maybe as you look at a local outreach, there's something more than just delivering food. We had an outreach last month called Good Neighbor Days. And I don't know if you're involved. There was tons of churches. All of our campuses were doing things. And we have a school right next door called Freedom Shores, right next door to our campus there on Boynton Beach. 500 plus families came. 500 people face pain. They got free burgers, free Kona ice, bounce houses, and all of these things. And it would be great.

But the assistant principal came up to me and she said, Pastor Dwayne, you know we have an issue. I said, what's going on? We are a Title I school. And they're thinking about cutting the funding to free meals to families that need it. And I said, how many families are gonna be affected? 700 families. So man, it's great that we gave them bounce houses. Great that we gave them free burgers. But can I just say, most people that go to Title I schools or most families, the only meal that their child eat is the free one that they're getting at school. So we're saying, God, can we do something about that? I already got people coming up. We need to do something. If we can deliver one or two meals per day, whatever it is, can we actually do something? Why? Because it's right next door to our campus. Psalm 82 and three says this. You could take note. Defend the weak and the fatherless. Uphold the cause of the oppressed. So I don't know where you are today. Maybe there's something that God is saying, I want you to come alongside. Not like Solomon that just.

watched it, but can we as a body respond to those that need our comfort? He goes on to say in verse 4, after the evil done on the son, he goes on, and I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person's envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. And what he's saying, what's meaningless is this idea that you have to keep up with the Joneses, that the motivation to get more is not based on need, but it's based on want. And people are competing constantly. You see businesses compete all of the time. I remember before there was Amazon, it was FedEx, DHL, UPS, and the normal mail system, right? And you would say, I want it next day, and you had to pay $300 just to get it next day. Or you can do ground and get it in a month. Which one do you want? Some of you are like, praise God, who got Amazon Prime in here? Just like next day. They take a picture of your package, it's right there waiting for you. Some of you are procrastinating on Christmas gifts and birthday gifts, you go, ooh, I got Amazon Prime tomorrow. It's going to be here. Businesses compete. Sports, the same thing. How many are watching the World Cup? Anybody watching the World Cup, right? I don't know if your country is still in it or not, right? How many of you like Messi? Anybody like Lionel Messi, right? But you see guys like Mbappe, Mbappe wants to stay on the field trying to catch Messi. You got LeBron James, he's going to play till he's 100 years old. It's just like, LeBron, bro, you're 75. I mean, I know you want to be the GOAT, but there's only one GOAT, and it don't matter.

It don't matter if you keep signing extensions. Me and my house, we have a debate over this, there's LeBron people, they think I'm a LeBron hater. No, I just know factually there's only one GOAT. There will never be another GOAT. His name is Jesus Christ. Y'all got it all twisted. Jesus is the GOAT. I'm not here to debate who's the greatest. There's only one that's great, and that's the one we worship. But what's the motivation for people that want more? It's the car. You ever watch your neighbor's driveway, you go, they got a new car, that's nice. You got like a 2002 Hooptie that's got like 500,000 miles, but listen, that Hooptie getting you where you need to go, but for some reason, as soon as you see your neighbor car, that Hooptie ain't good enough to get you to work now. You trying to work out your budget. It's the next house. You see your neighbor's moving, hey, where are you going? Oh, we're moving to that neighborhood. Really? You got a house there? You must got a new job, how much they paying you at your job, can you hook me up? Solomon said, it's never ending. I'm not against the new house. I'm not against the car, but is it out of want and desire or is it out of need or is it because you got to keep up with the Joneses and compete with your neighbor, your friend, that other person that you see that seemingly is doing better just because they seem to have more. Solomon says, no, that's meaningless.

And then he points out two extremes, right? He says, there are some people that are like fools and they fold their hands and maybe you know somebody that's too complacent. They have no desire to achieve anything. You know anybody like that? Don't look left or right if they're next to you. Preach to my husband. Am I preach to him? No, that's not. Children, you know, it's like, no. But he says they ruin themselves, why? Because it's like they have no meaning, that there's no purpose. Now don't get me wrong, if you are trying to discover your purpose and you're waiting, that's a different story. But some of us could be just super lax. It's just, I'm just waiting for Jesus to come back. I'm just, I'm good. So I'm gonna say, that's not good either, that you do nothing. And he says, better is one hand that works and one hand that rests. So he's not against working hard. You might work hard, like you're good at your job, right? And Ecclesiastes 2.25 says that the toil or the work or the career that you have or the season that you're in, it's a gift from God. It's a good thing. But he doesn't want you to be a workaholic.

He wants you to be able to rest well. So there's this work-life balance. Like on Sunday, you know, it's like I have this idea. So we are in essence like serving and working. So we're preaching, we're serving, but better believe when I'm done with service and I go home, I'm resting well next to a nice big piece of bread pudding and some ice cream, and I'm just going to town. And then I pass out till about six o'clock. But when you think about your life, are you content with what God has given you? Or do you, as Solomon's saying, it's like, do you have to have two handfuls? Both got to be working at the same time. And when you see this word work in the Hebrew culture, it was this word called avodah. And the whole point is this, it's you work, but work becomes worship and then service. So like you can go to your workplace or the season that you're in, because maybe you're a homemaker and you're staying at home, you work too. If you have to raise a family and you're not going to an office, you guys work as well. Praise God for our homemakers, right? Maybe your thing is that in this season, you're taking care of your home, but I want you to get this picture. The same hand you work with

is the same hand you worship with. So what if you looked at your season of life right now, instead of hating your job, can you be grateful that God gave you a job? Can you be grateful that God is providing in this season? And you can worship God tomorrow. Instead of walking in, I hate my boss. I hate my workplace. I hate my coworkers. I hate, I hate, I hate. You are worthy of it all. Like you can walk back in, but then you serve. Some of you, God has called to serve. Like use your gifts. And if you have been sitting on your gifts, waiting for the opportunity, God says the same hand you work, the same hand you worship, but could you serve somewhere if you're not serving? Maybe it's family ministry. Maybe it's youth. I don't know. We always need help in family ministry. It seems like we have kids growing and growing. More people being born. There's something in the water. At Calvary, it seems like we still have more and more kids. My man, has God called you to serve our family ministry? And I would say this.

If you do not like children, do not sign up for family ministry. You got another gift. Maybe you need to be parking or doing something else. But God has called you to serve. So where are you? I want to show you this picture. Are you the person on the left? It's got two handfuls. And actually work is more like an idol that you have placed above God. That you have placed above God. I've been there too. Working hard, hard, hard. No time to enjoy. Are you the person on the right where you're actually enjoying the gift of work that God has given you? And it seems like. Like that person on the right is enjoying life a little bit better. Sometimes what Solomon is saying, it's the quality of life, not the quantity of life. It's the quality of life, not the quantity. You know who could teach us a lot about quality? Island people. I used to work in corporate America and I used to go to the islands to work. Now I come with my full week schedule and I'm just like, we're going to get this done, this done, this done, this done. I hand my schedule off to the local worker and he's like, yeah, man. Tomorrow, you look at the clock, it's three o'clock and we, we're done today. Sometimes I would send them off. I would be working with something and I said, go get a wrench.

All right, come back soon. I mean, it's just like. He ain't coming back. I mean, just night would fall. You'd be just like. But you know what they taught me? They don't look stressed at all, right? They just say we are the ones that are stressed out and trying to keep up. So we find meaning when we see the perspective of God in these areas. Let's continue to read again in verse seven. I saw something meaningless under the sun. There was a man all alone. He had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil. Yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. For whom am I toiling, he asked. And why am I depriving myself of enjoyment? This too is meaningless, a miserable business. Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up, but pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Verse 12, the one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. If you are no taker, the next point is this. We find meaning in godly community. We find meaning in godly community. We say this at Calvary. We are better together. And that's so important.

Solomon is talking about a man who's alone. And he's not introverted. It's not like he's afraid of community. It says he has no brother, no son, which means he has no time for a wife and a family. All he wants to do is make money and he's not content with the money he has. Rockefeller said this during an interview, and he actually meant it in an opposite way that they recorded as if he was greedy for money. They asked him, how much money is enough? And he said, just a little more. Sometimes that's us. I just need a little bit more. I'm not content. I just need a little bit more. I just need that thing to make me feel satisfied or feel fulfilled. And he has no desire at this point to pass off. And it's so sad that he himself is saying, I am working so hard that I don't even get to enjoy what I'm doing. I'm depriving myself, not a son or brother or wife or family. I am not enjoying life. And when you look at your calendar, is it so busy that you can't enjoy life? And it's something that we got to look at, okay, Sunday I'm church, but then my schedule is full. I'm busy, I'm busy, I'm busy, I'm busy. He said it's a miserable business. So instead of enjoying life, sometimes life for the busy person feels miserable, that you can't even stop to enjoy what you're working for. He says that's a horrible way to live. And the thing that you see also here is that this person has no desire to pass on any type of legacy. In Hebrew culture, there were very important things, legacy, who was going to inherit what you worked for, what you were going to pass down from generation to generation. It's not just, it wasn't just God's heart, but it was also in the human heart that you're passing something down. from this generation to the next. That's why our vision is from one generation to the next. Psalm 145 verse four says this, one generation commends your works to another.

They tell of all, they tell of your mighty acts. Imagine we turned 40 last year, and we say the mission is over. No more making disciples. We turned 40. We don't care about the next generation. What if there was no kids' conference, where we created an environment for kids to learn about Jesus? What if there was no youth encounter, which is coming up in the month of July, where our middle schoolers and high schoolers will have a place to learn about Jesus? What about CCA, Calvary Christian Academy, where disciples are being made in an educational setting? What about our Calvary young adults? Those are from 18 to 33. Any young adults in the house, 18 to 33, make some noise. Y'all still waking up, but that's okay, y'all. Y'all are represented. Here's what we want. We want the work of God to go beyond us. We want the next 40 to even be better than the first 40. We want to see more disciples come to know Jesus Christ. We want to pass the baton, well, to the next generation. So it's right. Our generosity is not about buildings, but it's about building up the next generation, because they're taking the baton and doing things for God.

That's why he says two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up, but pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. What is Solomon saying? Man, if just two people get together, they can make an impact. And sometimes it's not two people. Sometimes it's two churches. Sometimes it's a church and an organization. Like how can we make an impact in Venezuela if we're not partnering with like a Samaritan's Purse or a Convoy of Hope? They got people on the ground. If it was just Calvary, the impact wouldn't be the same. But when you partner with missionaries and people on the ground, you make more of an impact. You weren't meant to live life alone, right? So what if you're walking and you're walking with Jesus and the idea of like if one falls, the other one can help up, right? The image there is in Israel at the time or in that area Solomon is talking about is sometimes there were holes and ditches, people in sea. So if you fell down, you had someone there to pick you up. But as believers today, sometimes we get tripped up. Can I get amen? Amen. And if you're by yourself, who's gonna help pick you up when you get tripped up?

Says pity the one that doesn't have like a sister or maybe a brother or a couple or a mentor or somebody to step in to help pick them up. He goes on to say, if anyone lies down together, they will keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? It was this idea as well. It would get cold at night. So Solomon is saying it's better if two huddle up together, but then he goes even further and says, the one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. So back in those days, people can get robbed. You're walking down the street and somebody robs you or attacks you. But if you have somebody with you, you could defend each other. And he says, a third cord is not quickly broken. And many people say Jesus is the third cord. So your marriage, if you are doing marriage under the sun, you insert that third cord in Jesus, he will transform your marriage. Can I get amen, right? If you insert Jesus as the center of your community group, he will transform your community. If you put Jesus as the third cord in your family that is dysfunctional right now, he can transform your dysfunctional family. This is why I love what we do. This is why I love community groups. And a lot of people wanna do life alone,

but I thank God for Calvary House. Sometimes you're seeing them cutting grass, You see these guys and these gals with black shirts, they're cleaning toilets, they're doing everything, but it's different, why? Because they're cleaning toilets in Jesus' name now. They're cutting grass in Jesus' name. They're keeping our facility clean in Jesus' name. Why is CR important? Why are the care groups so important? If you have cancer or if you have grief going on, those care groups mean something. When you're involved in community, it doesn't matter what you came in with. If Jesus is in the center of your situation, he will transform your life. He will give you purpose. He will give you meaning. But sometimes, sometimes we feel that when you come in a church, you go, I got it, I got what I need, but you're just going back to a lonely life. I got what I need, I got my little Jesus. Just me and Jesus. I get it. But how much more powerful if it's you, Jesus, and a whole bunch of other followers of Christ with you? So we find meaning in godly community. And if you don't have community today, I wanna encourage you.

The QR code that you scan is not for us. It's for you. The connection point over there, it's not for us. It's something we offer to you. Go, go find community. And if you're introverted, I understand that. But can I say to my introverted people, it's okay to take a risk, to have community. So we find meaning in God's perspective. We find meaning in godly community. Let's continue to wrap up this study. Verse 13 says, better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king's successor. There was no end to all the people who were before them, but those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Final point, if you're taking notice this, we find meaning in living to please and glorify God. We find meaning in living to please and glorify God. This is an interesting section of scripture because it could actually be talking about Solomon. Now I'm over 50, and I'll leave it right there. And I'll leave it right there, it's just.

But here's what happens, as you get older, some of y'all, maybe it starts at 45 over 50. If you're over 50, just raise your hand, I just want to acknowledge you, you know. Praise God, you're my people, that's right. But here's what can happen, maybe not you, I'm telling my people, we get set in our ways. You can't tell me nothing. You got blind spots, and somebody younger trying to tell you something about somebody else, you go, mm-mm, I know what I'm doing. I don't need your advice. I don't think you hear from God even. And it describes Solomon, or this king, as he got older, he got more foolish. Because he wasn't willing to take advice from anyone, including the younger. And that's why I like to hang out with our Calvary young adults, why? Because there's some smart, God-following, God-ordained, gifted young people, and I don't know what they know. So it's good sometimes to listen to the younger. Solomon is saying, it's better to be young, poor, and wise than to be old and have everything, but still be a fool. One commentator said it this way, and I thought this was gold. He said, Solomon started his life humble. You go back to when Solomon was taking over the kingdom from David, he didn't ask for money,

he asked for wisdom. But his life ended, 300 wives, 700 concubines, and he started to drift from his relationship with God, and this commentator coined it so well, Solomon was the wisest fool to ever live. I was like, wow. So if you're setting your ways and it's like, oh, yeah, yeah, I don't wanna listen to anybody anymore, I'm just... Or the opposite is true, in verse 16, Solomon concludes, there was no end to all the people who were before them, but those who came later were not pleased with the success of this too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. What is Solomon saying? The young guy that took over, the young leader, is gonna eventually get old too. So you might be in your Calvary young adult age, in 20, 30 years, you're gonna be in my category. You wake up, things pop, things make noise, and you just wonder, I'm breaking down. That's what is going on, Lord. But then they say, they won't be pleased with you. So it's like on social media, they'll start following you, but then somebody else is gonna get a whole bunch of views and they left you to go to somebody else. So Solomon is saying to us, you can't please everybody. You can't. If you're a people pleaser in the house,

sometimes, yeah, I just want some honest people because I'm putting my hand up. Is it hard for you to say no? Anybody in the house say, it's like, it's so hard. They asked me if it's within my power, I'm gonna do it. But you realize the more you say yes, the more people you disappoint because you can't keep up with everyone. So I want to teach you a very short sentence that is a complete sentence. You have to learn to say no, no, no. Practice with me. No. See how easy that was? Sometimes you have to say no because there's only one you need to please. There's only one you need to glorify. His name is Jesus Christ. He's the greater King. He's the King of Kings. He's the Lord of Lords. He's the one that gives you meaning. Here's what Paul says in Galatians 1.10. Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings or of God, or am I trying to please people? If I was still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Trying to please people is meaningless. And here's what I love this commentator said. The only vapor that doesn't evaporate

is the one that's connected to God. He's the one that helps you find meaning. He's the one that's the greater King. And I end with this. Yesterday I was running. I run pretty much every Saturday. And every now and then, there's certain pictures. So I took out my phone. I just took this picture. And so I'm running and I'm doing my Devo. I'm listening to worship music. It's just my time with God as I run on the road. And as I'm going through my points, I asked God, I said, God, how can I please you today? Like, what can I do? I look at my life, my family, my wife, my children, the calling of how can I please you? And I felt like the Lord say to me and say to us one faithful step at a time. Sometimes I'm running and listen, this old body don't run the same way it used to, it hurts. And I wish I could just be transported. Like who told me to run this long? I just want to be transported back to my house. But that's not the walk with Jesus. It's one faithful step. So what is that for you? What is that one thing that you can do differently? Maybe in your home, your marriage, your life as a single. As a young adult, maybe something to volunteer usually.

What is the one faithful step that you can do simply to please and glorify God? Maybe it's today just like, I want to help those people in Venezuela. I want to be generous. It doesn't matter the dollar amount. It's the posture of the heart. So I want you to take stock in that. What is one thing that you could do? Here's the thing I love about Christ. He's not a condemning God. He's not like, oh, you messed up. Can't get back on. So even if you feel distant from God or you feel like you don't have her, maybe the one faithful step is you finally say yes to Jesus and you give up running away from him. What is that one faithful step? We find meaning in God's perspective. We find meaning in godly community, but we also find meaning in living to please and glorify God. Can I go to go? Man, if you're with me, let's bow our heads and pray. Lord, we praise your name because there's no other name worthy of our praise from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same. There's only one name we desire to honor, our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. God, we thank you for being here with us and I pray that what was spoken today

would resonate with all of us. That God, we would find meaning in life in only you. And we pray this in Jesus' name. And everybody said, amen. We're gonna be taking communion. So if you were given elements or you need an element, get it ready. Raise your hand if you did not get an element. We're gonna take a moment to honor Christ for what he did. If you came in here and you don't have a relationship with Jesus, this is something that you wouldn't take because without a relationship, this doesn't mean anything. But it's also a perfect time to invite him into your heart. And so if you desire to do that, you can invite him today and then partake with us. So just take a moment. I wanna take it together. Our worship team's just gonna play to have a moment of reflection. So just prostrate your hearts, get before Jesus, and then after some time, we'll partake of the bread and the cup that represents his sacrifice for us. Thank you. ♪ Thank you for the cross, Lord ♪ ♪ Thank you for the price you paid ♪ ♪ Bearing all my sin and shame, in love you came ♪ ♪ Gave amazing grace ♪

♪ Thank you for this love, Lord ♪ ♪ Thank you for the nail-pierced hands ♪ ♪ Washed me in your cleansing flow ♪ ♪ Now all I know is your forgiveness and embrace ♪ ♪ Worthy is the lamb seated on the throne ♪ ♪ We crown you now with many crowns ♪ ♪ You reign victorious, high and lifted up ♪ ♪ Jesus, Son of God, the darling of heaven crucified ♪ ♪ High, worthy is the lamb, worthy is the lamb ♪ ♪ Oh, worthy is the lamb ♪ If you could take out what represents the body of Christ, God's word says, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Let's partake together of what represents the body of Christ. Scripture goes on to say, in the same way, after supper, he took the cup saying, this cup is. the new covenant in my blood. Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me. But whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Let's partake together of what represents the blood of Jesus. Let's pray. Lord, thank you for your body. Thank you for the blood that washes away our past, our present and future sins. We also thank you that on the third day,

you rose for our justification. So today we don't worship a dead king. We worship the living God. And thank you that one day we're gonna get to spend eternity with you. And we can't wait for that day. It's in Jesus' name we pray. And everybody said, amen. Can we praise God right there? He's worthy of our praise. Amen.