Life Is A Vapor | Doug Sauder | Ecclesiastes 1-2

You can even be satisfied, or enjoy a glass of wine, or a good meal, or a beautiful sunset, or your family, or your friends, or your house. Even just enjoying a moment of it, all of that is simply a gift from God to be received with gratitude. Life is not about gain and making more, and achieving and dominating. It's about recognizing the Creator and His good gift. This is not the hedonistic creed, eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die. No, it's eat, and drink, and be merry, because these are gifts from God that He gives us to enjoy in moments, right? God is a good and generous God. Good morning, Calvary Chapel. Would you stand to your feet if you are able? Come on, put your hands together like this, come on. This is your new song. It goes like this. ♪ You've been good, good for all my life ♪ ♪ So nothing good ever changed my mind ♪ ♪ And You'll never break Your promise ♪ ♪ You're constant in all You do ♪ ♪ Yours is the way, the truth, the life that I will choose ♪ We sing. ♪ Oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ♪ ♪ Oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ♪ ♪ I will look to the left or right ♪ ♪ And I will keep heaven in my sight ♪

♪ And no I will not be shaken ♪ ♪ Nothing is moving me ♪ ♪ Oh I'm not afraid that strong things I cannot see ♪ ♪ Oh I know and I know you won't ever let me go ♪ ♪ Every road, every heart, you are faithful all the time ♪ ♪ Oh I taste it and I see you've been so, so good to me ♪ ♪ God I know that I know you're faithful all the time, oh oh oh ♪ ♪ You're faithful all the time, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ♪ ♪ Now I'll stand on words of men ♪ ♪ God I'll stand on yours instead ♪ ♪ It's all of my hope, it's all of my faith, all of it's in your name ♪ ♪ And the world cannot deny all that you've done in my life ♪ ♪ It's all of my days, all of my praise, all to live in Jesus' name ♪ ♪ And I won't stand on words of men, God I'll stand on yours instead ♪ ♪ It's all of my hope, all of my faith, all of it's in your name ♪ ♪ And the world cannot deny all that you've done in my life ♪ ♪ It's all of my days, all of my praise, all to live in Jesus' name ♪ ♪ It's all of my days, all of my praise, all to live in Jesus' name ♪ ♪ Oh, I know that I know, you won't ever let me go ♪ ♪ Every low, every high, you are free for all the time ♪ ♪ Oh, I know that I know, you won't ever let me go ♪ ♪ Every low, every high, you are free for all the time ♪ ♪ I've tasted and I've seen, you've been so, so good to me ♪ ♪ God, I know that I know, you're free for all the time, oh oh ♪ ♪ You're free for all the time, oh oh ♪ Oh, oh, oh, you're faithful all the time Oh, oh, oh, oh, you're faithful all the time Oh, oh, oh, oh, you've been so, so good Oh, oh, oh, oh, you're faithful all the time Calvary Chapel, if you are glad that you serve a faithful God this morning, would you lift

up a shout of praise to Jesus today? Before we continue to sing and make much of Jesus together, I want to read Revelation chapter five. This is the Apostle John's picture of the throne room of heaven. And this is what he sees. He says, then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and 10,000 times 10,000, they encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders and the loud voice they were saying, and I would love for us to read this part together. Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise. Can we just lift up praise to Jesus today? And that's the beautiful thing about worship. When the church gathers to glorify the Lord Jesus, this is not just an isolated moment. We are joining the host of heaven, all of creation, the heavens, the angels and the elders who cast their crowns down to the Lord. They say worthy is the lamb and we join in that worship together. And that's the best part. And it's also in the process of being worshiped that God communicates his presence to us. He speaks, he fills us with the spirit, he reminds us of who he is. Every other concern in our life finds its rightful place. It's submitted at the feet of Jesus. So my encouragement to you this morning is that you would look at Jesus. I don't know what you came in with this morning. Maybe this week has been stressful. Maybe you're coming off of a mountaintop this week and that's all the more reason to be thankful and praise God. But maybe you're in the room today and this week has not been the easiest. Maybe you're going through something pretty difficult. But Jesus has purchased our life by his blood. You are a friend of God.

You are a child of God. I want you to remember that your identity is in him and him alone. And there's a song that only you can bring. Not even angels know the same type of redemption. We have been redeemed and saved and made new. And so there is a praise and there is a song and there is a kind of worship that only you and I can bring. So as we continue to sing together, look to Jesus. Make much of him today. Let him be the center of your affection. Can we do that together, church? Come on. I am an instrument of exaltation, and I was born to lift your name above all names. You hear the melody of all creation. There's a song of praise that only I can bring. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There's no one, only Jesus. Who else is worthy? Talk to him. Who else is worthy? There's no one, only Jesus. You are the infinite, God of the ages. Yet you chose to make my heart your dwelling place. You hear my lovingness, show me your glory. So I have songs of praise, not even angels sing. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There's no one, only Jesus. Who else is worthy?

Who else is worthy? ♪ There is no one only in Jesus who else is worthy ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one only in Jesus who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one only in Jesus who else is worthy ♪ ♪ Who else is worthy ♪ ♪ There is no one only in Jesus ♪ Church, right now, let's just ask our heavenly father to help us to see Jesus rightly this morning. Church, ask your heavenly father to fill you with awe-inspired reverence today as we lift our voice, that we would be reminded that Jesus died, he rose again, and right now, today, he is seated at the right hand of the father, so we get to worship knowing the completed work of Christ. So ask him to open your eyes and declare these lyrics. Remind our hearts of truth today, God. Church, let's lift our voice as we sing this together. ♪ The Lamb of God, anointed one ♪ ♪ Who was and is and is to come ♪ ♪ Seated on the throne of love ♪ ♪ Holy, holy righteous one ♪ That's what he did for us. ♪ Who proved to us the father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ who rose again at the right hand of the father ♪ ♪ The Lamb of God, anointed one ♪ ♪ Who was and is and is to come ♪ ♪ Seated on the throne of love ♪ ♪ Holy, holy righteous one ♪ ♪ Who shed his blood, he proved to us the father's love ♪

♪ Jesus Christ, we lift it up, you are holy, you are holy ♪ ♪ The Lamb of God, anointed one ♪ ♪ Who was and is and is to come ♪ ♪ Seated on the throne of love, holy, holy righteous one ♪ ♪ Who shed his blood, he proved to us the father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ, we lift it up, who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ There is no one, only in Jesus, who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? ♪ ♪ There is no one, only in Jesus, oh-oh-oh-oh, it's only in Jesus, it's only in Jesus ♪ ♪ It's only in Jesus, you are worthy, you are worthy, we sing! ♪ ♪ Death could not hold you, the veil tore before you, you silenced the voice of sin and greatness ♪ ♪ The heavens are full, the praise of your glory, for you are raised to life again ♪ ♪ You have no rival, you have no rival, you have no equal, now and forever God is with you ♪ ♪ Yours is, yours is the kingdom, yours is the glory, yours is the name above all names ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, what a powerful name it is, the name of Jesus Christ my King ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, oh nothing is standing still, what a powerful name it is ♪ ♪ It is the name of our Savior ♪ ♪ You have no rival ♪ ♪ You have no equal ♪ ♪ Now we're calling out to You ♪ ♪ Yours is, Yours is the kingdom ♪ ♪ Yours is the glory ♪ ♪ Yours is the name of our Savior ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, hey ♪ ♪ The name of Jesus Christ, my King ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, I know ♪ ♪ Nothing can stand against ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, the name of Jesus ♪

♪ Jesus, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Oh we exalt Thee, God we exalt Thee ♪ ♪ Oh we exalt Thee, God we exalt Thee ♪ ♪ Oh we exalt Thee, oh Lord, oh we exalt Thee ♪ ♪ Your name we exalt, there's no one more worthy, we exalt ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Heavenly Father, we have gathered here today to glorify the name of Jesus, your son, the one who lived the life that we could not, who took the cross, went to the grave, but did not stay there, he rose again, defeating death, hell, and the grave so that by faith in Jesus Christ today, sin and its power no longer get the last word over our life. And for that, we say thank you, Lord Jesus. We are grateful people. We have been shown mercy and grace beyond anything we could possibly imagine. We love you. We exalt your name. And all of this right here, this is just a rehearsal for what's gonna happen in heaven when we lift up the name of Jesus, where sin will be no more, pain, death, sickness will be no more. But God, until that day comes, we wanna be found faithful. We want our lives to be a posture of worship, not just a Sunday morning at 11 a.m. songs of worship,

but a life that is centered on you, that makes much of you, that is transformed when you speak, when you speak to us through your word, when you speak to us through your spirit. God, would you move in this place this morning? Have your way, we are open. Your church is here, willing and open to whatever you want to do, whatever you want to say. We are here to worship you, Jesus, and you alone. So here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down. Here I am to say, you're mine. You're altogether lovely. You're altogether worthy. You're altogether wonderful, too. We sing, oh, here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down. Here I am to bless God. You're altogether lovely. You're altogether worthy. You're altogether worthy. You're altogether wonderful, too. That's why we're here. That's why we're here. Nothing else matters. It's only you, Jesus. We love you. Even right now, would you just take a moment, maybe close your eyes,

think back to all of the times that God has been so kind, so patient, so merciful, so loving, so loving, so loving, where he's been so sweet, and caring, when you felt broken, he healed you. Maybe you think back to your testimony when God rescued you. He rescued you. Thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus. I know for me, I spent so much of my life, I grew up in church, and I spent so much of my life still farming and playing church, and then he touched my heart, and changed me forever. I know I'm not the only one in this room that has had that kind of testimony. I know this church is filled with people who are redeemed, who have been saved, who have been made new, who have had their life transformed

by Jesus, and it's the grace that saved us is the same grace that sustains us. It empowers us. It empowers us. And maybe you haven't had a very specific moment with the Lord like that, but if you need evidence of God's love in the room tonight, all you have to do is look at the cross. All you have to do is look at Jesus on Calvary, the one who knew no sin, became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. That's how God demonstrates his love for you and I. He would give up his own life so that we might find ours. What a great gift. All of us, we woke up to new mercies this morning. God, we are so thankful. We are so thankful. You have been so good beyond anything we could have ever imagined or thought. And you will continue to be good. I pray for anyone in this room right now that has been struggling to see that.

Maybe it's been so hard to understand that you are still good and that you are still near. Your word is true, Lord. The psalmist says that you are close. You draw near to the brokenhearted. You bind up their wounds. You are a healer. You are the breakthrough. You are our redemption. We love you, King Jesus. I pray that as the preaching of your word happens this morning, it would transform us from the inside out, that it wouldn't just be another Sunday, but it would be a Sunday where we can look back and say, man, I was marked by God. That's who we want to be. We love you. This is all for you. And it's in the precious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we say, amen. Before you take a seat, would you turn to somebody next to you and tell them, I'm so glad to see you in church with me today. Come on. Have you ever felt the disconnect between what happens

in here on a Sunday and what happens out there on a Monday? I mean, think about it for a moment. In here, you're singing. Some of you are lifting your hands. Some of you are crying. Some of you are smiling. Some of you are hugging strangers. Today, you're thinking about love and faith and God and hope and courage and grace. But out there, turn the other cheek. It's dog-eat-dog world. You turn the other cheek, someone's going to slap your other cheek. If you don't do for yourself, someone's going to take advantage of you. Out there, it's not about faith and hope and love. It's about taking and getting and winning. And that disconnect can sometimes be confusing because sometimes we can orient our lives toward, okay, I'm in church. Okay. Just for like 90 minutes, if I can just recharge and then go back out in that crazy world and then come back in I even said recharge once a week, then I'll be good.

But this is not just a gas station for your soul. There's something more that God wants for us. And we want to pay attention to that angst that we feel sometimes when we're honest about how the world is out there. I mean, most of the times life is confusing. Most days, if we're honest, life doesn't make sense. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Like, life just can be perplexing. Like, it always seems like I'm in the longest line unless I change lines, and then that becomes the longest line, and you know what I'm talking about? These little things that just seem to annoy you. And there's bigger things too, like this thing about life, like that dream that you have always seems like right out of grasp. If you get really close and then an injury or an accident or your boss moves, the promotion falls through, the relationship doesn't seem to be within reach, another bear, and you're always like one step away. Like, what is that? I want to be filled with faith, but why can't I find that healthy relationship, or why can't, and then maybe some of you, like, I got the dream, I got the job I wanted, but it turns out it wasn't what I thought. I got the guy, I got the girl, but it's not happily ever after. We prayed for kids, and now we have them, God help us. It's not what we expected.

We're exhausted, and they don't listen. I always wanted that house, and now, I wish I was renting again. What is that, that thing about life that seems so elusive, so perplexing, that we don't often talk about, but subconsciously, late at night, we feel. What is that? And that creates this sense of angst, and for some people, it creates this existential crisis. Like, what's the point? Can we be honest like life? Sometimes, some days, what's the point? What does it matter? What does it make sense? Following Jesus, is that really gonna help? Is it really gonna matter in the end? And well, that type of angst is felt by everyone who's ever been born, and every generation is trying to figure out how do I go on this journey to find meaning and purpose in my life? And that question asked by every generation is almost always best expressed in music. Every generation has songs that express this existential angst. Any kids or young people who grew up in the 70s know a band named Aerosmith? Steven Tyler's first hit at 25 years old, Dream On. Every time I look into the mirror,

these lines in my face, they seem to get clearer. The past is gone. It's like time goes from dusk to dawn, getting facts from fools and sages. What's happening with time? He invites you to sing with him. So sing with me, sing for the years, sing for the laughter, sing for the tears. Sing with me if it's just for today, because maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away. Dream On. What is Steven Tyler talking about at 25 years old? He didn't have wrinkles. Today he has wrinkles very clearly. Time is flying by and what is life about and how do I find purpose? And it seems to be slipping through my fingers. I don't know. Maybe you didn't grow up with the music of the 70s. Maybe it was more like the 80s. I grew up as a high school student in the 80s and this song in 1987 by a man named Bono. I've climbed the highest mountains. I've run through the fields. I've run, I've scaled the city walls, but I still haven't found what I'm... Yeah, you know it. I've done all the things. I've pursued all the things, but I still haven't figured out what is life.

I still haven't found what I'm looking for. Maybe the 90s is more like your style. The verb, bittersweet symphony. Because it's a bittersweet symphony, that's life. Trying to make ends meet, you're a slave to money and then you die. Whoa. I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down. It's life. You live, you die, try to earn money, try to survive, but what's it all about? Or Billie Eilish, she kind of sums it up in her 2021 song, everybody dies. There you go. Now, if this type of rawness, authenticity, sort of grips you like, yes, that's the real stuff, then you're gonna love the book of Ecclesiastes. Because the book of Ecclesiastes is gonna punch you in the face. When you read it, you're like, what? I'm just preparing you. Verse two is gonna punch you in the face. And you're gonna be like, wait, is this in the Bible? Now, before we read it, know that this existential journey, this angst, is everyone's felt it, it's what it means to be human, it's expressed in our music, but Solomon's gonna express it 3,000 years ago in his letter Ecclesiastes. And it's part of five books of the Bible,

right in the middle of our Bible, called the Wisdom Literature. So we wanna understand what we're reading before we read it. The Bible's not written in chronological order from the first book written to the last book written, it's arranged in sections. So one of the sections in the Old Testament is a narrative section, like Genesis, Exodus, gives us history of God's people and creation and all the things. You have books of the law, like the Viticus, that describe the laws of God given to the Jewish people. Then you have the books of the kings, which is history again, and eventually you have the books of prophets that have prophecy and apocalyptic visions, and eventually the book of Revelation. In the New Testament, you have the Gospels. But in the middle of all your Bibles are these five books, the book of Job, the book of Psalms, the book of Proverbs, the book of Ecclesiastes, and the book of Song of Solomon. And these are poems, they're songs, they're journal entries, they're diaries. It's what does it mean to be human, to experience failure and success and difficulty, and how do we make mean of it all? And Solomon wrote three of those, the wisdom literature, the book of Proverbs, the book of Ecclesiastes,

and the book of Song of Solomon. He is the author, and he's gonna be our guide through this process. And I wanna give you a frame of how we can see the book of Ecclesiastes. What does it mean to live in this beautiful world that God made, that he called good, when this world has gone terribly wrong? Hmm. What does it mean to live in this beautiful world that God made, he called good, when this world has gone terribly wrong? Ecclesiastes chapter one, verse one, buckle your seatbelts. Are you ready? Oh no, that was no, that was not, that was not a ready sign. Buckle your seatbelts, are you ready? Yes. Okay, here we go. The words of the teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem. Meaningless, meaningless, says the teacher, utterly meaningless. Everything is meaningless. Happy Sunday, welcome to church. Verse three, what do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets

and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south, turns to the north, and round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, look, this is something new? It was here already long ago. It was here before our time. No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them. Solomon, the son of David, the king of Israel in Jerusalem, he is our guide. He is our teacher. He is gonna give us an autobiographical journey through his own existential crisis as a way to teach us. That's why it's called wisdom literature. He wants to give us wisdom. And his favorite word throughout the book of Ecclesiastes is a Hebrew word called hevel. Everyone say hevel. Hevel.

It's found in every chapter of the 12 chapters of Ecclesiastes. It opens with hevel, which he describes as meaningless, and it ends toward the end with that same concept. That word hevel can mean several different things. One, it can mean life is like a vapor. It's here, and then it's gone. Life is fleeting. And often the Bible will translate that word, life is a vapor, life is fleeting. Sometimes, though, that word hevel will be translated beyond grasp. This idea that when you try to grasp the meaning of life, it feels like. You can grab it, but then once you grab it, it seems to be gone. It's a vapor. It's fleeting. Or as it's translated here in the NIV, it's meaningless. When you try to make sense of life and all the things, right about the time you think you've figured out the formula of how life works, and you try to apply it, it doesn't work anymore. It's elusive, perplexing. How is God running the world this way? And why can't I figure out how to work for me and my family? Life is meaningless, utterly meaningless. It's beyond my grasp. It's unpredictable. It's heaven. Now in verse 12, he's going to tell you a little bit more about who he is. This autobiography he's disclosing, this is who I am. Verse 12, I, the teacher, was king over Israel and Jerusalem, and I applied my mind to study and explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens.

What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind. I've seen all the things that are done under the sun, and all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted. And I said to myself, look, I've increased in wisdom more than anyone who's ruled Jerusalem before me. I've experienced much of wisdom and knowledge. Then I applied myself to understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly. But I learned that this too is chasing after the wind. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and the more knowledge, the more grief. Solomon describes himself as the teacher, as the guide. He's saying, Israel, I'm gonna guide you or teach you through my experience to show you something. He is the wisest, richest, most powerful man who's alive at the time this is being written. And the same things that bother him back then are the same things that bother us today. Like, why do the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? Why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people? Why do tyrants seem to reign and have it all together, and good people get cancer and die? Why does it seem like life is not fair? Why does it seem like when I try to apply the formula of living for God, it doesn't work out for me, but it works out for others? It just doesn't make sense. It's like the world is broken, and everything is off balance. And it gives me this sense that I'm drifting sort of aimlessly in moments of my life. And what's interesting is if you look at your Bible in Ecclesiastes chapter one, at least in my Bible on the right-hand side is Ecclesiastes, on the left-hand side is a book called Proverbs, both written by the same person. Proverbs is life figured out, the practical wisdom. If you do these things, then these things will happen. Ecclesiastes is life not figured out, that life doesn't work by a formula. And sometimes you can read that in the Bible, and you're like, okay, is this the Bible contradicting itself? Is this Solomon on this side saying one thing, on this side saying one thing,

or is it two sides of the same coin that, for instance, Proverbs 22, 6 says, train up your child in the way they should go. And when they're old, they won't depart from it. Now, is that a truth of Scripture that's always true? Or is it a principle of life that's mostly true, but in some people experiences it's not? Well, if you're reading this as wisdom literature, then you understand the book of Proverbs is giving you principles that are generally true or true most of the time, they're not promises of God. And so most people who raise their kids a certain way, their kids end up turning out the way they raised them, but that's not always true. And if you think it's always true, if your kid doesn't turn out like you think, you're going to live with this low-grade sense of guilt. You'll carry false guilt around. You're like, what did we do wrong? And if your kids turn out and other people's kids don't turn out, you'll have this sort of low-grade sense of superiority or judgment. Man, they really messed up with that kid. But Ecclesiastes says, well, sometimes you can do it right as a parent, your kids might not turn out, and that's the way life is, and it doesn't always make sense. And so we have these two books of the Bible right next to each other to sort of balance this idea, both written by the same person. And so verse three, he uses this phrase, under the sun. And we're going to see this phrase 29 times throughout this. This book, he's gonna use this phrase, like under the sun, in life, these things are principles that I have seen in my life. And the first one is in verse three. He says, what do people gain from all their labor under the sun? You see that desire that people have for progress or achievement, whether it's in a business or with your family or with your kids

or with your own personal development, that desire to be in the black for things to go up and to the right, that desire to gain, at the end of it all, what does it actually gain? And he uses the example of creation. Verse five, the sun. Verse six, the wind. And verse seven, the streams. He says, the sun goes around and around, but nothing in the earth gets bigger because of it. And the winds blow in the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere, but the planet itself doesn't grow. And the water rains, fills the streams, the streams fill the ocean and it comes back around, but the water's not rising in the earth. And so if you're a human being, you're gonna climb a mountain, the mountain's not gonna care, and one day you're gonna die and the mountain's not gonna change and the earth is no fuller if you were here or if you weren't. Whew, whoa, what is that? That is heavens. Life is temporary and all the work you do and all the gain you have, well, it's not what you think in the end. And he says, the same is true of the human being.

The things that you say, once you say something, there'll always be more to say. What you hear, when you hear something, you don't hear a great song and go, you know what, that's done, I can die now, I never have to hear another song. No, another good song is gonna come up later. And the things that you see, if you see a good movie or see a beautiful sunset, you're not gonna say, well, I never have to see a sunset or anything beautiful again. No, the human soul is never full. There's never someone who's fully full, like I had a great meal, I never have to eat again. You're gonna get hungry in eight hours or maybe four hours or maybe two hours. Because a person is never full like the earth is never full. And if you try to fill it up, you're gonna find yourself in that sense of futility. This idea that as the sun rises and falls, as the wind blows, this constant repetitive cycle that is creation has something to teach us. And then verse nine, he says, there's nothing new under the sun. And I'm like, well, is that true? Because, I mean, Solomon didn't have an iPhone. Solomon didn't experience space exploration. So what's Solomon talking about? No, he's talking about this general principle. Again, let's let history and creation teach us

a person is never fully satiated. A person never experiences like a new discovery, like again, now I'm full. No, they're gonna continue to long for more, that desire for more and what's next. And so Solomon says, you're not gonna find something in life that ultimately scratches that itch. And so people will labor and try to labor and gain and learn and grow and build. And he says, just remember, you're gonna die and leave everything behind. And there'll be almost no trace of your life. And that is life as a vapor. You see, James in the New Testament, the brother of Jesus would say, you know, your life is like a mist. It's here today, it's gone tomorrow. So don't be the type of person who brags and boasts or thinks you're in control that you're gonna go to this city, you're gonna make this business deal, you're gonna get married, you're gonna have kids, you're gonna go on this trip, you're gonna do these things because you don't know what's gonna happen with your next breath. You're not in control of your next heartbeat. So humbly remember your place in God's good universe. Now, I don't know if you guys heard this week, but this week, the world experienced something for the first time.

Elon Musk became a trillionaire. He's never been a trillionaire before in the history of the world. Now, here's what Solomon would say. Even though today, or even though this week, we experienced our first trillionaire on planet Earth, he would say there's nothing new under the sun because here's what we know about a trillion dollars. Elon Musk, I did a little math, can spend a million dollars a day on himself doing whatever he wants for the next 3,000 years. Yeah, how many of you guys want that problem? Anybody? Some of you are like being real spiritual right now, like I'm not supposed to raise my hand. You know you wanna raise your hand. Raise your hand, it's okay. Give it away if you want. A million dollars a day for 3,000 years? Here's the problem. Solomon would say, here's the problem with having a million dollars a day for 3,000 years you can spend. Here's the problem. You're not gonna live 3,000 years. Elon Musk is not going to live 3,000 years or 300 years. He might not even live 30 years. So Elon Musk is going to do what with a trillion dollars? He's going to leave it all behind. There is nothing new under the sun.

All that money is heavy. It's a vapor. I know I want some of it, but I can't get it. Come on. And so verse 11, it gets even more depressing. No one remembers the former generations or even those yet to come. They will not be remembered by those who follow him. So check this out. Solomon is saying Elon Musk in 100 or 200 years won't be remembered at all. And you're like, that's not true. That's totally not true. Okay. Anybody know a man named Cornelius Vanderbilt? Okay. A couple of hands, a couple of hands, like maybe 30 people. So Cornelius Vanderbilt was the Elon Musk of his day a couple of hundred years ago. He built all the railroads in this country. He was the man creating a pathway for people to travel where they'd never traveled before. And if you told people back in the day, oh, people are going to forget Cornelius Vanderbilt, they're like, you're crazy. But what Solomon said is true in a couple of hundred years. So check this out. I mean, this is going to sound crazy. I'm going to say something crazy right now.

In a couple of hundred years, people won't know who Taylor Swift is. Don't say it Faust, it's true. It's true. All the Swifties, people, what is a Swifty? I have no idea. Yeah, just, I mean, go back to the 60s. Not even a hundred years ago, like Janis Joplin, anybody? Okay, a couple people, give it 50 years. I just met someone a couple of weeks ago didn't know who Michael Jackson was. I was like, what, what? I know I'm old, but I'm not that old. Generations come and generations go. And all that you remember about all these people is going to be forgotten. So Steph Curry, his name would be like Oscar Robinson. Who was that back in the day? I think I heard his name. And if you think about it, this is true for famous people. Who's going to remember you? Oh gosh, this is really depressing. It's going to get worse, it's going to get worse. Okay, all right, think real hard, think real hard. If you don't think you're going to be forgotten, tell me the name of your great-grandfather. Like, oh man, I'm a horrible ancestor. I don't know the name of my great-grandfather. And if you do, by chance,

what's the name of your great-great-grandfather? Oh, this is so depressing. That means in two or three generations, nobody will remember you. And Solomon says, and this is the way that life works. Works. It's like when my kids were young, we would go to the beach and you're trying to keep your kids active. So you're like, hey guys, let's build one of these. You ever build one of these, a sand castle? And you're like trying to get the sand and get the dirt. It's more about you as the dad than it is about the kids because you want it to be right and perfect. Come on, more sand, more water. But then when this is all done, you sort of admire it. But none of us are under the impression that this beautiful creation that we spent an hour on is gonna last more than an hour or two until the water washes it away and there is no trace that it was ever there. Solomon says, this is life. It is heaven. Shh. And if this depresses you, he's not done. Chapter two, here we go. Remember I said it's gonna punch you in the face. Get ready. So now he's gonna go on a journey. He's gonna go deep down the rabbit hole to find,

is there a way to find that true sense of meaning in life? And look at all the things he does. I said to myself, come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good. But that also proved to be meaningless. Laughter, I said, is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish? I tried cheering myself with wine and embracing folly. My mind still guided me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives. So I undertook great projects. I built houses for myself. I planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks. I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water the groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers and a harem as well, the delights of a man's heart. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. And all this, my wisdom stayed with me. Now look at verse 10. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired. I refused my heart, no pleasure.

My heart took delight in all my labor and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet, when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Nothing was gained under the sun. Oh man. This is bad. This is really bad. Solomon says, I tried education. If I could just educate myself and grow in wisdom, then I would scratch that itch. But I became wiser than anyone who lived anywhere around me. And the more I learned, the sadder I became. So then I tried pleasure. Give me some more wine. Male and female servants and singers. Listen, a harem, everything I wanted. I mean, Solomon knew a little bit about excess. He had 300 wives and 700 concubines. We'll keep it PG-13, all right. Everything he wanted, he took. He said, everything I saw that I wanted, I took. And I was never full. I was never whole. So then I did these great projects. I built houses, I created parks, these beautiful trees and fruit.

I tried all these things to try to fill that void. And the more I built and the more silver and gold I amassed and the more famous I was, the more people wanted to follow me and travel for hundreds of miles to see me, the more empty I felt, that every pleasure is subject to the law of diminishing returns. The more you have of something, the more you need of something to get that same feeling again. And see, here's the thing about where Ecclesiastes sits in the five books of wisdom in the middle of the Bible. You see, the book of Job begins with a crisis, not an existential crisis, but a crisis about suffering. Why is a good man suffering for something he didn't do? And is Job crying with God and arguing with God and arguing with his friends? Why are bad things happening to me? It's a crisis of trial, of difficulty. But Solomon's crisis is not one of difficulty and trial. His is a crisis of excess, of having too much stuff. It's a different kind of crisis. It's more like the crisis that we experience here in the wealthiest nation in the world and the history of the world. That sometimes when you have too much, you feel even more empty. Think about cultures and societies that have the highest rate of addiction

and depression and suicide. They're not countries that are impoverished like third world countries. They're first world countries. The wealthier they are, the more access there is, the more despair, the more depression, the more addiction, the more suicide. And that should make us scratch our heads. Solomon in some ways is allowing this book of poetry, this autobiography of self-disclosure to be a moment of prophecy for us because, well, I read this this week and I thought it was insightful. Our excesses are the best clues to our own poverty and the best way of concealing it from ourselves. Where is their excess in your life and what might it be revealing about you? Excess is just saying, well, I love food, but food can easily turn into gluttony. I love a gluttony. a glass of wine, but excess turns that into alcoholism. I love the feeling of getting a job done, but that could turn into workaholism. I wanna make my mark, I want a sense of significance, but that can turn into narcissism. And we go through all these excesses, how they take good gifts that God has given and they turn it into something dark, and we don't even realize it's happening to us. And so one of the questions we have to ask is,

what am I pouring my life into right now? What am I working so hard for to get? And maybe that will reveal a bit of the brokenness in us. Because the thing is, most people who don't have, they're not despairing because they think once they have, they'll scratch that itch, but the person who has it all says, I've tried it and I'm more depressed than you because I know all the things you're going for, when you get them, it's not gonna satisfy ultimately. And so Solomon is sounding a warning through his experience. And verse 16, in verse 12 through 16, he says, at the end, I feel like there's no difference between a wise person and a foolish person because the same fate awaits them all. In verse 16, he says, for the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered. The days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die. So like Billy Eilish wrote, everyone dies. Welcome to church, happy Sunday. And you know, we spend most of our life avoiding that reality, hiding that reality. So like when you're a little kid, you get used to pretending. I raised three boys and for many years, they all lived in the same bedroom. So their bedroom, their bunk beds, turned into like a war bunker

and there was stuffed animals and there was woodcracker, nutcrackers. And there was always this battle and pillows and pretend and make believe and battle. And when your kids are two, four, and six, their imaginations are amazing. But at some point in life, the let's pretend world doesn't match with the real world. You know, at home, you're always a winner and there's always encouragement. And then you go to school and kids make fun of you. And you don't win. You don't get picked to be on the team. You get cut or someone says or does something to hurt you. And you realize there's a big difference between the pretend world, the fantasy world, and the real world. And Solomon's trying to burst that bubble. He says, you know, if you live in the pretend world, you can say, let's pretend like if you get the scholarship or the job you want, that your future will be secure. Let's pretend like if your investment works out, that you will have a life of ease in the future. Let's pretend like if you get in a new relationship, you won't feel stuck or stifled or lonely. Let's pretend if you get married, if you have kids, if you're able to get a second house, if you're able to do these things, then your life will be a certain way. And Solomon says, don't believe the lie

because the second you try to grasp something to control it, it's gone. Life does not work like you think it works according to a certain formula you have in your head or a certain thing you think the Bible promises you that it doesn't. And so he says, these words are like a goad, like a point that burst the bubble. And he says, the thing that's gonna burst the bubble for you pursuing all these things is the needle or the goad of death that you're all gonna die. So we're gonna do something. Now raise your right hand. You're gonna tell yourself the truth. Say this after me. I'm gonna die. Like, oh gosh, this is morbid. One more time. Say it like you mean it. I'm gonna die. Now you're like, what kind of weird church is this? All right, so check this out. Is that true? How much time and energy do you avoid thinking about that? Most of life. Like, I just wanna go have a cheeseburger right now because I don't wanna think about it. But Solomon says it's precisely thinking about death that will teach you how to live.

It's a goad. It's gonna burst the bubble of illusion that you're in control, that if you do certain things, your life's gonna work out a certain way, that you can find ultimate fulfillment by looking at yourself. But it's gonna take him a while to get there. He's still on the journey. And the fact that he's gonna die as a wise person and be in the same condition as a fool, it bothers him. And so look with me at verse 17. So I hated life because the work that's done under the sun was grievous to me, all of it meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun because I must leave them to one who comes after me. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish. And yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. So my heart began to despair over all the toilsome labor under the sun. For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving

with which they labor under the sun? All their days, their work is grief and pain. Even at night, their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. Wow. Solomon, the man who tried it all, who was on top of the world, said, I hated life. This is like nihilism. It's like life is nothingness. It has no purpose and no meaning. Because everything I've worked for, notice this, notice the way he phrases. It's my effort. It's my skill. It's me being up at night trying to gain, trying to achieve, trying to build, trying to grow. It just struck me one day that I'm gonna die and leave all of this to someone and who knows what they're gonna do with it. Look with me at verse 19. They will have control over. It strikes him that he has some sense of control over his life, that when he dies, it'll be a complete loss of control. And yet he poses a sort of rhetorical question. Who knows whether my son will be a fool or will be wise? Now, if you know the history of Solomon, he had a son named Rehoboam, and within the first year of Rehoboam's reign, Rehoboam divided Solomon's kingdom just like that.

Everything he worked for was gone after he died and broken. This turns out to be a prophecy in his own life because he's gonna turn it all over. And the reality is the things that you spend all your time up at night building and cultivating, your perfectly manicured lawn, your perfectly decorated house, your perfectly clean car, your perfect Facebook family. Shh. Huh. Wow. Hebel. Anybody depressed yet? So, so what do we do with all this? So notice for the first two chapters of Ecclesiastes, the guide, the preacher, Solomon is, led us down this trail and hasn't mentioned God. But now, in verse 24, we get a little ray of light, a little glimpse into, wait, this doesn't need to leave us into nihilism. There's something or someone who can give us a sense of joy and purpose. Verse 24, a person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God. For without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives knowledge and wisdom and happiness.

But to the sinner, he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. And this too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. He says, the idea that you can even be satisfied or enjoy a glass of wine or a good meal or a beautiful sunset or your family or your friends or your house, even just enjoying a moment of it, all of that is simply a gift from God to be received with gratitude. Life is not about gain and making more and achieving and dominating. It's about recognizing the creator and his good gifts. This is not the hedonistic creed, eat, drink, and be married for tomorrow we die. No, it's eat and drink and be married because these are gifts from God that he gives us to enjoy in moments, right? God is a good and generous God. In a world that is east of Eden, in a world that is broken and complicated and messy and doesn't always make sense, it's best to accept that that is the reality of our world. world, and to enjoy these moments. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not mastered. And it's possible to find wisdom and knowledge and happiness, not by pursuing those things, but by pursuing the one who gives those things. And it's interesting, as 21st century Western Christians,

most of us bristle when we read the book of Ecclesiastes, like, oh, this is depressing. Oh, I can't read anymore. I'm not coming back for the next seven weeks. It's interesting that for 3,000 years, Jewish families gather at an annual feast called Sukkot. It's called the Feast of Tents or the Feast of Tabernacles. It's the Feast of Harvest Time, that in the Old Testament law, God said to Jewish families, seven days, you're gonna celebrate a festival. You're gonna build a tent outside your house, and you're gonna remember that you are temporary residents here and that God has always provided for you. And you know, in the neighborhood I live in, there are several Orthodox Jewish families. So they set their tents up outside their house during Sukkot. And you know the first thing they read on the first day of Sukkot? They read the book of Ecclesiastes to their family as a way to remind their family about the dangers of excess, the dangers of success, and a reminder, as we live in this tent for seven days, it's a reminder that life is heavily, temporary. We're only passing through. And it turns out that this is a gift because if you know that you are not in control,

that you don't have to fix everything, that it's not all up to you, you can actually be free to enjoy the good gifts that God gives and enjoy these family moments together. And this is the gift of God. A thousand years after Ecclesiastes was written, Jesus would say this about finding what's important in life. Do not store for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. If you feel like you're on that hamster wheel, you're grinding, because you've got to strive, you've got to achieve. One of the questions you want to ask yourself as the Bible now becomes a reflection of your life, why am I working so hard? What is my treasure? Take a moment. What is the treasure of your life? The thing you wake up thinking about? The thing you go to bed thinking about? The thing when you compare yourself to other people

you feel good about or bad about? And what's driving that? Maybe ask yourself, what's the fear behind that? What would be the fear if that didn't happen? And if you know you're gonna die and leave it all behind, how might that free you to loosen your grip on whatever that thing is? How might that free you to let go of that thing knowing you don't control it, but God has given it to you to enjoy as one of his many good gifts? See, if we could experience this freedom, well, we would be the happiest people on the planet, not because we pursued happiness, but because we pursued God. In fact, Jesus would say it this way. As people strive to figure out what they're gonna wear and what they're gonna eat and where they're gonna live and how they're gonna feel full in life, he offered this simple statement. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these other things will be given to you as well. Jesus was the answer to Solomon's question. Where do you find meaning? In a relationship with the God who made you. Next week, he's gonna say, I know that God placed eternity in the human heart and that eternity longs for something whole, something full. All of life is heavens. It doesn't last, it doesn't fulfill, it seems fleeting,

but there's a place. where life is not fleeting, life is not hell, it's a place called heaven. A place where you'll finally be satisfied and full and whole, where there'll be no more tears and sorrow and death, no more cancer and fighting, no more brokenness of the world. Are you looking forward to that place called heaven? Right? And it's that longing, that despair, that leads us to look to God. What is there? And this is the beautiful thing about Jesus. This is why Jesus came, because he came to answer all the questions on our journey. It's that pursuit that we go after that leaves us empty, that makes us look up, maybe for the first time, and say, God, if you're up there, I've tried it all on my own way, and now I'm ready for you. Jesus, he would describe it this way. God so loved the world that he gave us one and only son, that whoever believes in him wouldn't have to perish, but could have everlasting life. Listen, this is what we call the good news of the gospel. The reality is our own pursuit of happiness has taken us away from God, our own sin has separated us from God, and there's no way back on our own.

You can't work off your bad deeds by doing more good deeds. It's not like that. The reality is the only person who gets in heaven is the person who stands before God and says, I'm perfect, I'm faultless, I've never sinned. And Jesus is the only person who's ever done that. But if you put your faith and trust in Jesus, if you accept his payment of your sin and your sin debt to God on the cross, then he gives you his robe of righteousness, and you actually stand before God perfectly forgiven and whole and holy. And this is the great exchange, right? The great exchange is you give God your sin and your brokenness and your shame, and he gives you the righteousness of his son, Jesus. And this is the most beautiful invitation that you will ever be given. And the most important decision you will ever make, because this doesn't just happen because you're human. You see, the reality is your default destination, my default destination, the default destination of every human being is hell, separation from God because of our choices. But if we make a decision that that meaninglessness has led us to look up into crowd for help, then Jesus responds, and heaven is our future, it's our destiny. And so we wanna provide a moment for you,

if you don't know Jesus in that way, that you could know him. This is a decision your parents can't make for you, your pastor can't make for you, your friends can't make for you, but it's the most important decision of your life. And so I'm pleading with you just for this moment of focus, just to know that God sees you and he knows you and he loves you, and there's no sin you've committed he cannot forgive, and he's waiting, he's longing for you to be connected to him in a relationship with him. And so we're gonna give you an opportunity to do that by playing a song and inviting you to stand wherever you are and walk forward to this altar and there's room for a lot of people to stand at this place and say, you know what? I'm a sinner and I need a savior and I'm ready to put Jesus at the center of my life, I'm ready to go all in, I'm ready to try this relationship with you that I've never tried before in this way. So we're gonna play the song and it's gonna require courage for you to stand, but here's what I know, when you walk this way, people are not gonna shake their heads and say, what was wrong with that person? They're gonna clap and scream and shout because we know what this meant for us.

When Jesus saved us, that was our day and we can't wait for this to be your day. Today is the day of salvation. Do not wait, do not delay, stand and walk this way and we will celebrate with all of heaven as you come. Come on, he's waiting for you. A thousand times I fell, so your mercy remains, should I stumble again, I'm caught in your grace, everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades, never ending, your glory goes beyond all figures, my heart and my soul, I give you control, consume me from the inside out, Lord, let justice and praise become my embrace, to love you from the inside out, everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades, never ending, your glory goes beyond all faith, and the cry of my heart is to bring you praise, you praise from the inside out, Lord, my soul cries out. ♪ Is out everlasting ♪ ♪ Your light will shine when all else fades ♪ ♪ Never ending, your glory goes beyond more faith ♪ ♪ And the cry of my heart is to bring you praise ♪ ♪ From the inside out, Lord, my soul cries out ♪ It's a powerful thing when you cry out to God, because he has a promise. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. You call out to him, he will respond. He's a God who keeps his promises,

and right now he's gonna keep his promise to you, that if you come to him and you confess that you're a sinner, that you need a savior, that he's gonna give you the righteousness of his son, Jesus, and he's gonna reorient your life toward him, toward the things of heaven. And so in this moment, as you pray this prayer, your sins are gonna be forgiven. The shame of your sins is gonna be removed from you. The God of redemption is gonna begin to take the broken pieces of your life and turn the mess into a message. That's what he does. And so we're excited and honored to be part of this moment. But I just wanna ask for one more moment, because I know there's people out there that are wrestling. Sometimes you don't, you don't know what to do, what to think, because you wanna be up here, you wanna be right with God, you wanna be forgiven, but there's things holding you back. Maybe it's the control of your life. Maybe it's the current way you're living that you know you have to change. That's what it was for me. Maybe it's just doubts. Is this even real? All that kind of stuff. But that longing to be right with God comes from somewhere. And so I just wanna encourage you, like if you know that that longing is there

and there's a wrestling in your spirit, don't delay. Don't say, I'll do this tomorrow, I'll do this next week. If you're here today and you can hear my voice, this is God saying, be reconciled with me today. Forgiveness is for you today. Freedom is this way, not that way. So wherever you are, we want you to join these men and women who are here. We're grateful that you're here. Come on, let's applaud these decisions as men and women step into the aisle. This is the most important decision you'll ever make and we don't want you to miss the opportunity. All right. Amen. Come on. Welcome. And those of you who are online in our VR campus, you're welcome to join us. I'm gonna lead you in a very simple prayer. I'm gonna ask you to say this prayer after me. Just say this out loud to God. He's listening and he will answer this prayer as you pray it sincerely. Say this to God. Lord God, I open my heart and I invite you inside. Forgive my sin. Today I repent. Now fill me with your spirit and I will walk with you all the days of my life.

Pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Guys, congratulations. Welcome to the family. Hey, so before you go back to your seats, I wanna ask you just for five more minutes, you just made the most important decision of your life. So I wanna ask you to follow me. We're gonna give you a Bible, have a quick conversation with you this way and you'll be back with your friends in five minutes. Church, can we give them a hand as they go this way? And church, we have a chance now to respond in praise to the Lamb of God who came for us and died for us. Let's worship Jesus together. Let's sing this together. ♪ One who shed His blood ♪ ♪ Who proved to us the Father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ, we lift it up ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪ ♪ Lamb of God, anointed one ♪ ♪ Who was and is and is to come ♪ ♪ Seated on the throne of God ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪ ♪ One who shed His blood ♪ ♪ Who proved to us the Father's love ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ, we lift it up ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪

You are holy! And ever God anointed one Who was and is and is to come Seeding all those bones of one You are holy! Holy! Righteous one who shed his blood Give proof to us the Father's love Jesus Christ, the lifted up Who else is worthy? There is no one, only you Jesus Who else is worthy? There is no one, only you Jesus There is no one, only you Jesus You have a restful Sunday. Enjoy time with family and friends and we'll see you again next week! Bye!