Sovereign Over the Deep: In the most well-known chapter of Jonah’s story, we do encounter a great fish. But is that what this story is all about? No! The point is that even in the deep, even in that dark and uncomfortable place, even as Jonah drifted down to what he thought would be his death, God was sovereign and good. The fish was only the circumstance that God used to change Jonah’s heart. Recorded on June 12, 2022, on Jonah 2, by Kyle Wagner.
This message is part of our “Sovereign to Save” sermon series from the book of Jonah in the Bible. Jonah’s story is well-known both in and outside the church for his encounter with the great fish. But Jonah is really about the incredible heart of a sovereign God to save even his enemies.
Sovereign Over All: In the series introduction to Jonah’s story, we see all sorts of unexpected things. We see a prophet running from God. We see pagan sailors praying to and praising God. Most importantly, we see a God who is sovereign over all of creation, including the wind and the waves, the seas and the storms. Recorded on June 5, 2022, on Jonah 1, by Pastor David Parks.
This message is part of our “Sovereign to Save” sermon series from the book of Jonah in the Bible. Jonah’s story is well-known both in and outside the church for his encounter with the great fish. But Jonah is really about the incredible heart of a sovereign God to save even his enemies.
Sermon Transcript
All year, we’ve been focusing on, The Greatness of God. And today, we’re starting our last sermon series under that annual theme called “Sovereign to Save.” This series is from the book of Jonah in the Bible. The basic story of Jonah is well-known in and outside the church. But when you dig into what it actually says, you find a God who is sovereign, with divine power/authority over all. In Jonah, we see that this is a very good thing, because we find the great compassion and love of God, even for his enemies, and we see the lengths he went to save them. Our God is sovereign to save. Today, we’ll start the story by considering the sovereignty of God over all of creation. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Jonah 1. Jonah is a narrative, but since we’re working through a whole chapter, we’ll unpack it as we go. V. 1.
Jonah 1:1-3 (NIV), “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.” Ok, let’s pause here. So why in the world would a prophet of God run from God? The answer really is because Jonah had a major problem, not with the message of God’s word, but with the intended audience. You see, God had called Jonah to go and preach to the great city of Nineveh, which was not in Israel. Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire. To give some context, we know from 2 Ki 14 that this was happening during the reign of Jeroboam II of Israel who reigned from around 750 – 800 BC, in other words, Jonah lived during a time of utter chaos/crisis for his people. The Assyrians were the most powerful empire in the world at that time and would eventually conquer Israel and kill many friends and family members of Jonah. Historians sometimes point out that the Assyrians were the first empire we have who used phycological warfare to terrify and subjugate the peoples they conquered. Let’s look at a map here. But when Jonah, son of Amittai, a prophet from the city of Gath Hepher in the northern kingdom of Israel was called to go some 700 miles to the northeast to Nineveh, instead, he flees to Tarshish, a city somewhere in the far west in the Mediterranean, perhaps in modern Spain, some 2,000 miles in the other direction. Why would he do such a thing? Later in chapter 4, we learn that Jonah did this because he knew what God was like, that God was gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. And he knew that if the Assyrians listened to his preaching and repented (the goal of any good preacher), the Assyrians would receive the grace/mercy of God. And Jonah would rather disobey God than see his hated enemies receive the grace/mercy of God. How would God respond? Would he throw up his hands? Would he stomp his feet? Would his plans be somehow frustrated? Not for a second. v. 4.
Jonah 1:4-6 (NIV), “Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”” Let’s pause here. So the Lord responds as only a God who is sovereign over all could respond. No one else could pull off something like this. God sends a great wind and a violent storm. He took the professional, hardened men that sailors typically are (no matter when in history they live) and made them so afraid, that they were willing to throw valuable cargo overboard so they wouldn’t drown. Everyone was praying and crying out to their own god, but then they noticed someone was missing. The captain found Jonah sleeping and made him get up and call on his God, just in case it might help. But do you see the irony of this? Pagan sailors compel Jonah to wake up and pray to the one true God. A prophet running from God is told to turn back to God by those who did not even know the God of Abraham/Isaac/Jacob. We’ll see irony throughout Jonah’s story. V. 7.
Jonah 1:7-10 (NIV), “Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)” Let’s pause here. Casting lots (think rolling dice) was a common way in ancient times to determine God’s will. So they cast lots to find out if one of them was the cause of the storm and the lots fell on Jonah. As if the sailors weren’t afraid enough in the midst of the great wind and violent storm, they find out that Jonah was running away not just from the god of his city or of his region or even nation, but the God who created all things, including the seas and storms. Jonah was running away from the One who was sovereign over the seas and the storms. No wonder they were terrified. Another irony. Jonah was running from a call to turn the hearts of those who terrified their enemies and here Jonah, through his disobedience, was bringing terror and threat of death on these poor men. v. 11.
Jonah 1:11-14 (NIV), “The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.”” Here, Jonah admits that he knows his actions were wrong and that it was the Lord who was behind the storm. But instead of asking the crew to bring him back to their port so he could obey the word of God, he asks them instead to throw him overboard. If disobedience didn’t deter the Lord from his plan for the people of Nineveh, maybe his death would do it. But again, ironically, Jonah’s failure as a prophet resulted in these pagan men actually crying out to the Lord, the God of heaven! Jonah is silent but they pray for mercy from a God they now believe is sovereign over creation, a God who is both merciful and just, who might hold them responsible for not saving the life of one of his prophets. All of this takes great faith. v. 15.
Jonah 1:15-16 (NIV), “Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.” Now, before we continue I’d like to address a question many people have about Jonah. Whether you’re talking about God miraculously causing and then calming a storm here or in the next chapter where Jonah survives for 3 days in the belly of a great fish, many wonder if this fantastic-sounding story really happened. Now, one possibility is that the whole book is something like a prophetic parable. That it’s not necessarily a historical account but is a parable that communicates true things about God and his kingdom. On one level, this wouldn’t be a problem for me. We don’t get mad at Jesus for telling the parable of the Good Samaritan or the Prodigal Son or demand that they really happened in order to gain much insight into the kingdom of God from them. But the problem with jumping to this interpretation is that there’s nothing in Jonah that explicitly says it’s a parable. A bigger problem with this line of thinking about the miracles in the Bible is often rooted in unbelief, or rather, the belief that God doesn’t interact with creation. Or even that God can’t intervene or act in a special, supernatural way. To be clear, I do not believe that is a view that can be reconciled with the God who is revealed in the Bible. If God created everything from nothing, can he not cause/calm a storm? If God created the great fish of the sea, can he not use them (or any creature) for his plans/purposes? Miracles would be entirely consistent with the doctrine of creation. It is God’s world and he can do whatever he pleases.
With that said, let’s consider the final irony of chapter 1, Jonah disobeyed/ran/remained silent before finally being thrown into the sea as a sacrifice to save the sailors. As a result, we have a crew of sailors who knew nothing of Jonah’s God when they left the port of Joppa, who by the end here have put their faith in Yahweh, the God of the Bible, the God who made the heavens and the earth. They prayed to him, they saw his sovereign power over the seas and the wind and the storm and they worshipped him by offering a sacrifice and vows to him to thank him for saving their lives. Was this fruit a result of Jonah’s obedient, faithful ministry? Just the opposite. It came as a result of Jonah’s disobedience. But God was only doing what God always does. As the old saying goes, only God can draw a straight line with a crooked stick. Only God can bend circumstances to his will, resulting in his glory and the saving of many lives. Notice also that God was willing to save these men, even though they had just broken the first of the Ten Commandments when they called out to their gods before they were told about Yahweh. But still, it was in this context that we see the grace and mercy of God. Isn’t that amazing? This is who God is.
But our series is emphasizing the sovereignty of God. Was there even one second of Jonah chapter 1 where God wasn’t in control of the situation? Where God didn’t know how things would turn out? Or where the plans and promises of God were in jeopardy? Not one second. I believe God sent Jonah to Nineveh knowing that he would run to Tarshish so that he could save those few sailors on his winding road to Nineveh. Only God could orchestrate something like that, the threads of so many lives woven together in just the right way. But one thing is sure from this chapter of the story (and frankly, every page of the Bible), that God is sovereign. The Lord is the creator, the maker of the heavens and the earth. He has active power and authority over every piece of creation, every galaxy, every particle, including the wind and the waves, the seas and the storms. We’ll see in the weeks ahead that God is sovereign over every nation, over life and death, over salvation, over all. You can try to run from him, you can try and live in denial of him for your whole life. But that will not change the fact that he is sovereign over all. Now this wouldn’t necessarily be good news. A God who is sovereign over all would be a scary thought, as it was to the sailors that day, but it depends entirely on what this God is like. Is he good? Does he care for people? How does God use his sovereign power? The sailors saw something that day that generations of Hebrew people had seen, and that we can see today from God’s word. God uses his sovereign power as a tool of his grace, to save those who are far from him, to love and to save even his enemies.
But nowhere do we see this aspect of God’s character more clearly than in the story of one who lived about 700 years after the time of Jonah. It was Jesus who taught that the whole Bible was about him, that he is the interpretive key. This means that we must understand Jesus and the gospel in order to properly understand Jonah. But once you start looking, there are so many signs pointing from Jonah to Jesus. Jonah functions as both a type of Christ, but also as a type representing the opposite of Christ. Here in chapter 1, Jonah is sent from his hometown to Nineveh to preach a message of peace to the enemies of God’s people; instead, he runs away. This is not very Christ-like. But did you know that Gath Hepher, Jonah’s hometown, was in the territory of Zebulun, only about 3 miles from Nazareth, the town where Jesus grew up? This is why, in the generation after Jonah, Isaiah the prophet wrote, “In the past [God] humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations…The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.“ For Jonah, his land and his people were being humbled and were walking in darkness. But Jesus was the light who would come to provide hope and life to Jonah’s people from his ancestral home. But Jesus wasn’t just sent from Nazareth, he was the Son of God, sent from heaven. And, of course, Jesus didn’t run away, he ran towards those who were the lost, and the last, and the least of these. He ran towards us to seek and to save the lost. And whether or not Jonah had pure motives in sacrificing himself by throwing himself into the sea, we know that Jesus had his face set toward Jerusalem, we know he knew what lay in store for him as the ultimate sacrifice, providing forgiveness of sin and eternal life to all by his sacrifice on the cross of Christ. One final sign pointing from Jonah to Jesus is Jonah sleeping in the boat during the storm. Jesus, too, had a story like that. The Apostle Matthew writes in Mt 8 that when the disciples encountered a great wind and violent storm, many of whom were also sailors by trade, they found Jesus sleeping in the boat like Jonah. “The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Mt 8:23-27). What kind of man is this? Jesus was the One who, hundreds of years earlier, Jonah had disobeyed, Jesus was the One to whom the sailors prayed and worshipped, and Jesus was the One who had proven he was sovereign over all. Jesus was the One who had made the waves, so he can walk on the waves, he was the one who made the wind, so he could quiet the wind with but a word. And he was the One who used his sovereign power for the good and for the saving of many lives. This is who God is. This is who Jesus was and is and ever will be: A God who is as great as he is good, and, as we’ll see throughout Jonah, who is sovereign over all. Let us pray.
God is Greater Than… Series Conclusion: After considering the traps of pleasure, wisdom, work, and wealth here are the conclusions of King Solomon’s search for meaning: Fear God and obey his commandments. What does this mean and how might this lead to lasting significance? God is greater than all. Recorded on May 29, 2022, on Ecclesiastes 12, by Pastor David Parks.
This message is part of our “God is Greater Than…” sermon series. There are several common traps that human beings have fallen into for thousands of years. Traps of believing that certain pursuits are satisfying enough to take the place of God in your life. But in the end, these pursuits reveal themselves to be ultimately meaningless and lead to a hollow and deeply unsatisfying life. Our series will examine the traps of pursuing pleasure, wisdom, work, and wealth before coming to the conclusion that God is greater than all.
Sermon Transcript
All year, we’re focusing on, The Greatness of God. And today, we’re finishing a sermon series called “God Is Greater Than…” from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. And in this series, we’ve said that there are several common traps that human beings have fallen into for thousands of years. These are traps of faith, of believing that certain pursuits are big/important/satisfying enough to take the place of God in your life. But in the end, these pursuits lead to a life of hebel, the Hebrew word translated as meaningless; ultimately, these pursuits lead to a life that is hollow and deeply unsatisfying. Next week, we’ll start a new sermon series on the book of Jonah called Sovereign to Save. But today, we’ll consider the conclusion of King Solomon in his search for meaning. In some ways, it’s a very simple solution. But, in light of everything we’ve covered so far, I believe it is rooted in real wisdom, which, if we listen, will help us not only avoid these traps but will lead us to a life of lasting meaning and significance. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Ecclesiastes 12. We’ll break this chapter down into three sections. So part one, v. 1.
Ecclesiastes 12:1-8 (NIV), “1 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”— 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; 3 when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim; 4 when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when people rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint; 5 when people are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags itself along and desire no longer is stirred. Then people go to their eternal home and mourners go about the streets. 6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the wheel broken at the well, 7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Everything is meaningless!””
Let’s pause here. What is going on here? Well, commentator Duane Garrett interprets vv. 2-5 as a poem describing the steady decline of the human body in old age, and I think he’s right. The trembling keepers of the house are the trembling of hands, the strong men stooping is the bent posture of a weakened back, the grinders are teeth that have fallen out or cannot easily eat anymore, and those looking out the windows are the eyes that have trouble seeing. v. 4 describes a declining ability to hear when sounds fade and the bird songs grow faint. v. 5. refers to a lack of strength and mobility and the fear and disorientation that that can bring. Fear for safety in falling from a height, for example, or fear of physical safety, perhaps of being attacked in the street. Desire no longer stirred, probably refers to waning sexual desire. All of these poetic images are signs of strength and life coming to an end. But what happens then? “Then people go to their eternal home and mourners go about the streets.” This is the end of every person, every human being both great and small, male and female. No one is exempt. But why is this slightly depressing fact part of the conclusion of this quest for meaning?
Well, let’s think about where we’ve come from in this series. King Solomon explored the hedonistic life. A life of pursuing pleasure and avoiding pain, honestly the life that many people today aspire to. And then, he explored the intellectual life. A life of pursuing more and more wisdom/knowledge/understanding. And then, he explored the productive life, a life of climbing the ladder of career and working to achieve more and accomplish more. Finally, he explored the materialistic life, a life of earning and saving and seeking to accumulate more and more money, wealth, and possessions. But what is the nagging fact of life about all these various ways to live? The truth is it doesn’t matter how many wonderful, pleasurable experiences you had, or how many things you knew or how wise you were, or how many things you accomplished in your career, or how much money you made. One day, maybe soon, or maybe years from now, but one day every life will come to an end. So the repeated conclusion to these common traps which tempt us to turn to them to replace God in our lives is found in v. 8. Meaningless. They are hebel. They are here today and gone tomorrow. But if these different ways of life are hebel, then we might nihilistically conclude that we are hebel, we are meaningless, we are little nothings, here today and gone tomorrow. We’ve run the experiment countless times and come back with nothing. What more can we ever hope to experience in this life under the sun? But wait. According to the Bible, we don’t live in a world that is only defined as life under the sun. We do not live in merely a material or physical world. The heavens and the earth have come from something higher and greater, someOne outside of time and space, someOne who transcends over all of this hebel. Solomon calls us to “Remember your Creator” before the end of life, in the days of our youth, and even today! Don’t forget, you are not your own. We are not stuck with a meaningless life under the sun. There is a God who made us and sustains our every breath and one who knows our names and can count the hairs on our heads. He is not far off and removed from our existence as the deists thought. But he is imminent, he is near, and he has and is and will interact with his creation in meaningful ways because he loves us and knows how he designed us to live. So the true path to wisdom and pleasure and productivity and wealth is found in him. The true life of meaning and significance is found before the face of God. Whatever we do with our lives, whoever we might marry, wherever we might live, whether or not we have kids and when, or whatever we hope to achieve must be done in light of this God-given God-infused reality. Every other way is a vapor, a breath, it will not last or bring us the satisfaction/fulfillment/wholeness we long for. Let’s continue with v. 9.
Ecclesiastes 12:9-12 (NIV), “9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.”
Remember, throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon took on the role of the Teacher or Preacher, one who sought not only to discover the path of wisdom to life but one who wanted to share that with others. This section was likely written by the editor of the King’s proverbs and wisdom. Their conclusion is found in v. 11. “The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd.” Goads were sticks used by farmers or shepherds to poke their animals to walk along the right paths, not to turn to the right or to the left, but to stay on the path that would lead them to safety and life. Wisdom is like that. When you lack wisdom, you wander all over looking for the path. Without wisdom, you might wander over the paths that many others have tried and found to be unsatisfying/unfulfilling or even dangerous/destructive. But true wisdom, no matter where it comes from, ultimately is given by one Shepherd, that is God, the good shepherd. It is the Lord God Almighty who is the source of wisdom. Can non-Christians be wise? Anyone can gain wisdom and knowledge, but the real source is God. However, no one can truly be wise if they forget their creator. “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”” (Ps 14:1). It is for this reason that I believe the editor ends this section with a warning. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to the wisdom that comes from God. There is always a temptation to think that the latest book, study, or research will lead to a new conclusion about the meaning of life. This is simply not true. There is nothing new under the sun. But does this mean that Christians shouldn’t be about scientific research or innovation in technology? No! These things are wonderful ways to glorify God in better understanding the universe that he has made and finding ways to help other people or make this life under the sun a little better. But does this mean that our science and tech will lead us to a different ultimate source of wisdom? No. Be warned. The experiment has been run, countless times in fact, and you don’t have to run it again for yourself. You can learn and gain wisdom from this ancient king. You can find meaning and significance in life that lasts even beyond death. The challenging conclusion to all of this is found in the final two verses of the book. Look back at v. 13.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NIV), “13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Here is the conclusion. Here is the place to find lasting meaning and significance in life. Fear God and keep his commandments. But what does that mean? Does that mean we should be afraid of God? It would make sense to be afraid of God. After all, if he is our creator and we are his creatures, but we have lived or functionally lived as if the only part of life that matters is this secular life under the sun, wouldn’t you think that would make God angry? Maybe we should be afraid of God. In fact, most cultures and religions in history have envisioned god or the gods as a source of fear in this sense. So religion almost universally has been about sacrificing important parts of our lives or our wealth or even our children to god to placate his wrath against us. It’s fear of punishment that drives this behavior and religious expression, not love, not grace, not good news. But along comes the God of the Bible. No one else has envisioned God as he has revealed himself to us through his word. The God of the Bible is indeed the creator of the world and has many commandments that people, his creatures, are supposed to obey. But not out of a fear of punishment, out of a heart changed by the grace and mercy of God, by the love of God. And where do we see the love of God? Nowhere more than at the cross of Christ. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (Jn 3:16-17). God knew that sin had broken and corrupted all of life under the sun. And he knew that death was the ultimate end to every human life, and would render all other paths to take through life including the hedonistic life, the intellectual life, the productive life, the materialistic life, and every other potential path through life as meaningless/hebel. So God did something about this in Christ. This is why the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:16–17 (NIV), “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” The life we find by faith in Jesus is the life of meaning and significance that we long for and that we are all trying to find. Solomon didn’t know how God would finally deal with the problems of sin and death, so he had to live by faith. Fear God and keep his commandments. He will find a way. He will judge what is right and wrong. Even if we don’t understand everything. Even if we don’t like some of the commands of God. Even when life gets hard. So Solomon lived a life of faith in God and obedience to God and found the meaning of life in him. How much more can we, having seen the fullness of the plan of God to deal with the problem of sin and death through Jesus, should we live a life of faith in God and obedience to him? This is the great blessing of living today, on this side of the cross and the resurrection. But finally, this means that for us, to fear God, to fear the Lord, cannot mean to simply be afraid of him and obey him to placate his wrath. But to fear God in light of the gospel means something more like developing a reverent awe of God. To see God for who he is, infinite in wisdom, power, and goodness. Supremely God. Transcendent over all. But also as a loving Father who was willing to give up everything in order to rescue and redeem us in Christ. In all of this we see the great love of God, and “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.” (1Jn 4:18). In Christ, we have no fear of punishment. He paid the price himself on the cross, the price demanded for all of our wanderings, all our imperfections, all our sin. Do you want to have a life of meaning? Do you want to find significance that lasts beyond the grave? Turn to Jesus, follow him, worship him, and serve him, not out of fear of punishment but in the reverent awe that he deserves. To him be the glory, honor, and praise both now and forevermore. Amen. Let us pray.
God is Greater Than…Wealth: The fourth and final trap of our series is the materialistic life. The materialistic life believes that more money, wealth, and possessions will lead to lasting meaning and satisfaction. Money isn’t inherently evil, but it is uniquely tempting for us. How do we avoid a life of hollow consumerism? Watch here. Recorded on May 22, 2022, on Ecclesiastes 5:8-20, by Pastor David Parks.
This message is part of our “God is Greater Than…” sermon series. There are several common traps that human beings have fallen into for thousands of years. Traps of believing that certain pursuits are satisfying enough to take the place of God in your life. But in the end, these pursuits reveal themselves to be ultimately meaningless and lead to a hollow and deeply unsatisfying life. Our series will examine the traps of pursuing pleasure, wisdom, work, and wealth before coming to the conclusion that God is greater than all.
Sermon Transcript
All year, we’re focusing on, The Greatness of God. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series called “God Is Greater Than…” And we’ve said that there are several common traps that human beings have fallen into for thousands of years. These are traps of faith, of believing that certain pursuits are big/important/satisfying enough to take the place of God in your life. But in the end, these pursuits lead to a life of hebel, the Hebrew word translated as meaningless; ultimately, these pursuits lead to a life that is hollow and deeply unsatisfying. Our series has examined the traps of pleasure, wisdom, and work, but has come to the conclusion that God is greater than all, and it’s only in him that life has meaning/significance which will last forever. Today, we’ll consider the trap of pursuing wealth, of making/accumulating more and more, something we will call the materialistic life. But again, how could it be such a bad thing to have money?? How could the pursuit of more money, wealth, or possessions become a trap? If you have a Bible/app, please open to Ecclesiastes 5:8.
Ecclesiastes 5:8-20 (NIV), “8 If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. 9 The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields. 10 Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. 11 As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them? 12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep. 13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners, 14 or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit. 15 Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands. 16 This too is a grievous evil: As everyone comes, so they depart, and what do they gain, since they toil for the wind? 17 All their days they eat in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger. 18 This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.”
As we’ve said, in this series, we’re assuming that King Solomon is the author, which means that Ecclesiastes was written almost 3,000 years ago. And we’ve said that King Solomon decided to go on a journey of discovery. He went on something like a quest to understand everything that is done under the sun — a phrase that means basically everything done in this broken world apart from God. And he did this in order to find out what, if anything, is truly meaningful, what among all the possible activities really matters in life — what really gives us meaning under the sun? He considered the hedonistic life, a life of pursuing pleasure and avoiding pain. Then he considered the intellectual life, a life of pursuing more and more wisdom and knowledge. And then last week, we saw that Solomon considered the productive life, a life of pursuing accomplishments in your work or achievements in your career. But none of these ways of living brought lasting meaning. What did he try next? Look back at v. 8.
Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 (NIV), “If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.” Let’s pause here. So next, on this quest for meaning, King Solomon considered wealth. But what did he find? He found that this too was hebel, meaningless, a vapor or breath. How so? The first example he gives is rooted in corruption. Don’t be surprised if you see the poor oppressed or denied rights or justice. Why? Because one official is eyed by a higher one and over the two of them, others are higher still. The greater the bureaucracy, the greater the chance of corruption. The increase from the land is taken by all. The land has enough for everyone. The king himself profits from the fields. So why do the poor have to be mistreated? Those who have should share with those who have not, or at least show care to deliver justice for them. But this is not the way of this broken world, is it? Life isn’t fair and people do not always concern themselves with the needs of others. In fact, sometimes people use their positions of power or they use their wealth to take more and more from those in need. This creates a system that’s rigged. So the pursuit of wealth, the materialistic life, doesn’t always work, and certainly, some are born into better positions than others. This is hebel. Let’s continue with v. 10.
Ecclesiastes 5:10-12 (NIV), “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them? The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep.” Whoever loves money… What does that mean? Whoever gives their heart to the pursuit of wealth/money/possessions. Whoever is captivated by these things. Whoever prioritizes these things above all else. Ok, so what happens when you love money? Are you happy? Satisfied? Fulfilled? No! Whoever loves money never has enough. They are never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless, or hebel. “As goods increase, so do those who consume them.” Here, Solomon uses the analogy of food to show the folly of the materialistic life. The more you eat, the more you can eat; the more you consume, the more your appetite/hunger grows. And isn’t this true? Were we all satisfied the first time we got a smartphone? Despite the fact that no one had ever had a smartphone before smartphones (so it should theoretically be possible to live without them), as soon as we all got one what did we want next? The new model! A newer smartphone, a bigger screen, more storage, 2 cameras, no, 3 cameras! Another thing I noticed over the years: Holly and I got married when we were 19 years old. We were young and our combined incomes totaled up to next to nothing. I like to say we had $4, but our bills were only $3, so life was good! And over the years, our incomes grew. As we gained more knowledge and skills, as we progressed in our careers, our compensation grew. But you know what? So did our bills. So did our expectation for the type of life we wanted under the sun. We outgrew our apartment and bought a house. We outgrew that house and bought a bigger house. It’s funny how that works. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We outgrew our apartment and our house because we were having kids and our kids were growing, so it was only natural to need more space. But the point is that making more and more money doesn’t automatically satisfy. More is not necessarily better. In fact, the more you make, the more you think you need in order to consume more and more.
v. 12 points to one of the results of this life of greater and greater consumption. Of making more and consuming more. “The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep.” Not only does more money lead to more expenses, but it also leads to worry, anxiety, and fear over losing your money. The sleep of a laborer is sweet. Why? Because they’re worn out from working. They don’t have trouble sleeping at night, even if they don’t have an abundance of wealth. But the rich, on the other hand, it’s the abundance of the rich that permits them no sleep. This is the mo money, mo problems principle that The Notorious B.I.G. wrote about. Well, King Solomon wrote about it a little bit earlier, but the principle is the same. The materialistic life doesn’t work because of corruption and injustice. But also because the more you get, the more you want. Consumption is like a hunger that is never satisfied and it only causes more problems. v. 13.
Ecclesiastes 5:13-15 (NIV), “I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit. Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands.” Some people hoard their wealth/possessions. And whether they are motivated by greed, or by fear of some threat (real or imagined), either way, it doesn’t help them. Wealth is hoarded to the harm of its owners. This is so twisted. In the Bible, we understand that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. So “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it”, says Psalm 24. This means that everything that comes into our possession, every dollar, our homes/cars, everything is a gift of God for us to steward for his glory and our joy. So it is in fact a grievous evil under the sun to find people who are hoarding their wealth to their own harm. Our wealth is simply a tool. Just like a hammer can be used to build up or to destroy, so our wealth is a tool that can be used to build up or to destroy. As people who love God and seek to follow him in every area of our lives, we then are under an obligation to use our wealth for good. Another example of the meaninglessness of the materialistic life is found in v. 14. That through some misfortune, wealth that was made was lost. This not only affects the person but also their legacy. When they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit. Solomon doesn’t give any examples here, but there are too many to list. I know people who have suddenly lost their job for a variety of reasons. I know people who had an accident that not only was financially devastating but prevented them from going back to work. I know people who have had huge amounts of savings wiped out through financial mismanagement or theft or through a sudden downturn in the stock market. Some of you might be feeling the pain of that today. The market has not done well this year. The truth is, there are no guarantees in life when it comes to our money. None of us knows for certain what will happen tomorrow. We can plan and save, but still not be ready for the day of disaster. But what if we don’t experience that day? What if our plans succeed and we have enough money to deal with the ups and downs of life? Then what? “Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands.” This totally fits what we’ve already seen in this series. Death is the end of so many of these traps. What happens if you are able to become a billionaire? What happens if you store up for yourself the wealth of a small country? Do you get to take anything with you? It’s a grievous evil to hoard your wealth for your own harm; it’s a terrible thing to not be able to leave an inheritance. But it’s also hebel to think you will be able to forever keep or enjoy the wealth you make in this life. v. 16.
Ecclesiastes 5:16-17 (NIV), “This too is a grievous evil: As everyone comes, so they depart, and what do they gain, since they toil for the wind? All their days they eat in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger.” This passage picks up on several themes that have already come. What does anyone gain from a life in pursuit of wealth? All their days, they eat in darkness. What does that mean? I think this is similar to losing sleep by worrying about your wealth. As your consumption grows, so your obligations and worries grow. As you worry about potential thieves or people who might steal or squander your wealth, the circle of people you really trust starts to shrink. You start to isolate yourself. But this doesn’t lead to a life of love, joy, and peace. It leads to a life of frustration, affliction, and anger. Does anyone want to sign up for that kind of life? Doesn’t that sound amazing? Of course, not. And yet, so many people, so many stories in our culture (books, tv, movies, social media) claim just the opposite. We are obsessed with the rich. We read the gossip about their lifestyles. We watch shows about their houses and cars. We envy their extravagance and imagine what it would be like for us to live like that. People play the lottery or do embarrassing things on reality tv all with the dream of going from rags to riches. Social media only makes this worse because we see a carefully curated stream of what looks like the amazing life of the rich and famous. The underlying message of every advertisement is that you just need a little more and then you’ll be happy. But this is just simply false. In the same news feeds that we see the opulence of the lifestyles of the rich, but we also see their problems. We watch their court cases, we read about their divorces, we see the problems of their kids, but somehow we overlook these things in our envy for their stuff. Solomon knew of these problems firsthand. Despite his vast wealth, remember in his time silver was considered worthless because of how much gold he had, remember he built himself an enormous palace with every form of pleasure at his disposal, despite all that, his family, his relationships with women, and his legacy were a mess. So much so that after his reign was done, the kingdom of Israel was divided and never returned to the glory it saw under King David and King Solomon. Let’s finish with v. 18.
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (NIV), “This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.” Again, Solomon introduces God into this life under the sun. And what does he say? He concludes not with a return to the hedonistic life, a life pursuing pleasure and avoiding pain, but he does say that we should find things we enjoy in this broken world. It is appropriate for a person to eat, drink, and be satisfied. Why? Because instead of seeing your money/wealth/possessions as the key to your happiness (which, ironically will ensure you are not happy) or solely as something you earned all by yourself. But as a gift from God. As the grace of God. As a blessing given so that we might learn how to be wise stewards. Do you see how this takes off so much of the pressure and worries that come with money? Also, not every day will be difficult. In this world, there is much trouble. Jesus clearly taught that we should expect trouble! But sometimes, we are able to enjoy our wealth, our possessions. This too is a gift of God! Our God doesn’t want us to be miserable. He wants us to be able to laugh and have fun and be satisfied, made whole. In fact, this type of abundant life is what exactly Jesus came to secure for us. But we have a decision to make. We can only follow and obey one master. Our God is a jealous God and will not share his glory with another. So first, we must see and understand the trap: that we might believe the marketing hype, and think that the pursuit of money, wealth, or possessions will lead to a life of meaning. It will not. It will only lead to more problems. Wealth isn’t inherently bad or evil, but it is uniquely tempting to take the place of God in our lives. So what do we do? How do we avoid the trap and be obedient to our true Master? I have three suggestions. First, read the Bible. There is so much wisdom in the Bible about wealth. I think of Jesus’ teaching in Luke 12 that, “life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Or I think of the Apostle Paul’s instruction at the end of 1 Timothy, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” There are hundreds of passages like this. My second suggestion is to practice generosity. Nothing combats consumerism and materialism like giving money away. You can give to the Lord, you can give to those in need, and you can give just to be a blessing to others. But growing in generosity fights against the self-centered, harmful, and deeply unsatisfying life of greed and ever-growing consumption. Third, and finally, I would always encourage you to look to Jesus. Here is one who left all the riches of heaven, all the wealth of being not just the king of a nation, but of all creation. Why? In order to generously give up his very life so that we might be saved from sin and death. So that we might find the life that truly satisfies both now and forever more. Look to him. Trust in him. Serve him. He’s the only master who won’t crush you or hold you in bondage. Instead, he will free you and give you everything that you need and more. For he is great and he is good. Let us pray.
God is Greater Than…Work: The third trap to consider is thinking that pursuing a life of work accomplishments or career achievements – the productive life – will lead to lasting meaning and satisfaction. But is this true? We were made to do good work, but work can become a trap if it becomes our main source of identity and security. Recorded on May 15, 2022, on Ecclesiastes 2:17-26, by Pastor David Parks.
This message is part of our “God is Greater Than…” sermon series. There are several common traps that human beings have fallen into for thousands of years. Traps of believing that certain pursuits are satisfying enough to take the place of God in your life. But in the end, these pursuits reveal themselves to be ultimately meaningless and lead to a hollow and deeply unsatisfying life. Our series will examine the traps of pursuing pleasure, wisdom, work, and wealth before coming to the conclusion that God is greater than all.
Sermon Transcript
All year, we’re focusing on, The Greatness of God. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series called “God Is Greater Than…” And we’ve said that there are several common traps that human beings have fallen into for thousands of years. These traps are traps of faith, of believing that certain pursuits are big/important/satisfying enough to take the place of God in your life. But in the end, these pursuits lead to a life of hebel, the Hebrew word translated as meaningless; ultimately, these pursuits lead to a life that is hollow and deeply unsatisfying. Our series will examine the traps of pleasure, wisdom, work, and wealth before coming to the conclusion that God is greater than all, and it’s only in him that life has meaning/significance which will last forever. Today, we’ll consider the trap of pursuing a life of work, of accomplishing more and more, something we might call the productive life. Now, again, how could it be such a bad thing to be a productive person?? How could the pursuit of a good job or a fulfilling career become a trap? If you have a Bible/app, please open to Ecclesiastes 2:17.
Ecclesiastes 2:17–26 (NIV), “17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? 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. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 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. 22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? 23 All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. 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, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge 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. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
In this series, we’re assuming that King Solomon is the author, which means that Ecclesiastes was written almost 3,000 years ago. And we’ve said that King Solomon decided to go on a journey of discovery. He went on something like a quest to understand everything that is done under the sun — a phrase that means basically everything done in this broken world apart from God. And he did this in order to find out what, if anything, is truly meaningful, what among all the possible activities really matters in life — what really gives us meaning under the sun? He considered the hedonistic life, a life of pursuing pleasure and avoiding pain. Then he considered the intellectual life, a life of pursuing more and more wisdom and knowledge. But neither way of life brought lasting meaning. What did he try next? Look back at v. 17.
Ecclesiastes 2:17-19 (NIV), “So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? 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.” Let’s pause here. So next, on this journey of discovery, King Solomon considered his vocation/work, we might say his career. According to the Bible, work can be in the home or outside the home. It can be paid or unpaid. But what did he find? He found that this too was hebel, meaningless, a vapor or breath. And what did Solomon do for work, again? Of course, he was the king of ancient Israel, but he also happened to be the king at the height of Israel’s power and influence in the world. But then, Solomon was not content to simply rule over the nation he was given by his father, David. We saw a few weeks ago that Solomon also did many building projects. He built a magnificent temple in Jerusalem for the worship of Yahweh God. He built a palace for himself, orchards, pools, and many other things. Solomon oversaw a huge trading empire as well. He had a fleet of ships that ran trade all over the Mediterranean region and became extremely wealthy. Additionally, because of his God-given gift of wisdom, he served as a consultant to many other kings and queens of other kingdoms. Whatever anyone had at the time, Solomon had more. He was maybe one of the most productive on the planet at the time. And yet what was his assessment of all this productivity? It’s not very uplifting, is it? I hated life. Why? “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish?” You work and you work and you work. You build and you scrape and you spend your blood, sweat, and tears, and what do you get in the end? The knowledge that someone else will end up with everything you’d done or built. And who knows what they’ll do with it?? If they are wise, then maybe they’ll take the work or the company or the project forward. But if they are a fool, then maybe they’ll squander everything you worked so hard to achieve. This too is meaningless. v. 20.
Ecclesiastes 2:20-21 (NIV), “So my heart began to despair over all my 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.” Part of the problem with a life spent in the pursuit of productivity, a life of career, is that it just takes so much work to become good at anything. Usually, it takes years and years to build your knowledge in a particular field (teacher, sales, electrician, or even being a mom or dad). And then it takes years more to hone the appropriate skills for that field through experience. And then it takes years more to accumulate the wisdom that comes with a mastery level of performance or credibility in any industry. King Solomon knew these things. He knew how long it took to build “wisdom, knowledge and skill” and he certainly achieved all three. But he didn’t experience the satisfaction or meaning that he was looking for. It still seemed like it was all for nothing since no matter how much wisdom, knowledge, and skill you might earn, you still will one day be gone, in another position, or maybe retired, but either way, you’ll leave your work to someone who didn’t toil for it as you did, who didn’t earn it. And again, you can only hope that they’ll be wise. v. 22.
Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 (NIV), “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.” Another problem with a life of pursuing your work/career, the productive life, is that it takes such a mental toll. Not only is it often physically exhausting to work (I like the word toil, it just sounds like sweat is involved.) but then it’s also mentally exhausting. Solomon describes this as both anxious striving, as grief, and pain, and it keeps you up at night. Even at night, their minds do not rest. Have you ever had a hard time sleeping with something going on with your work? I have. But what comes of all this anxiety and sleepless nights and grief and pain? Love, joy, and peace? A life without worries or cares? No! We’re still in this broken world, trying to figure out how to survive in this life under the sun. But what can we do? Is this just how it is or is there a different way to work? Is it only ever grief and pain or is there something more? Let’s finish with v. 24.
Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 (NIV), “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 wisdom, knowledge 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. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” So two things to mention quickly here. First, Solomon isn’t now taking up the hedonistic life in place of the productive life. Eat, drink, and be merry is the slogan of the life of pleasure, but here, Solomon envisions the pleasures of life being a gift from the hand of God. And that God is the source of provision and of joy. So this isn’t the hedonistic life under the sun, this is a redeemed view of a life of pleasures. In light of the fact that a life of pursuing advancements and achievements in your career will not bring lasting or ultimate meaning and satisfaction, don’t be afraid to stop working from time to time to enjoy the pleasures of life. The second thing to mention is that v. 26 is a proverb. That means that this is the wisdom of how life works in general, not a guarantee of how life will work. Sometimes godly people, people who please the Lord, have successful careers and are able to build up their wealth. But sometimes ungodly people do the same. And other times, through their fault or through no fault of their own, godly people just are not able to get ahead in their vocation or in their finances. But in general, the one who loves the Lord and seeks to obey him and follow his way in life is one who is able to find success in many areas of life. Responsibility/faithfulness in one area of life tends to increase your responsibility/faithfulness in all areas of life. And to the one who is responsible and faithful, very often, more will be given. But in all these things, Solomon is discouraged. He’s down. “I hated life,” he says. He describes his work as labor and toil, as filled with grief and pain. He found that it does help to enjoy the pleasures of life. But still lands in the mindset that just about everything he worked to accomplish in his life was hebel.
But is this true? Does it really not matter to God how we work or what we’re able to accomplish with our careers in or outside the home? I really don’t think that is true. So how do we, as followers of Jesus, how do we think about our work or approach our careers today? First, as in the last few weeks, we must see how this way of life can be a trap. Why is it such a tempting thing for people, for us, to make our work/career something so big and important that it starts to take the place of God in our life? Before I continue, I’d like to share with you or remind you about my work history. I haven’t always been a pastor. I didn’t dream of being a pastor when I was a kid. But for the past 11 years, I have been a church planter and pastor, and I’m so grateful to the Lord for his calling on my life. But before that, I was in sales and sales management for about 7 years at a tech company. And I loved that work. I loved the industry and I loved the people and I loved the strategy and payoff of selling to big companies. Before the calling to vocational ministry, that’s what I thought I was going to do with my life. But before the business world, before that, I was in a touring rock band for 4 years. The band started with guys I had known since middle school. And we loved to write and record music and tour and build up our fan base. Throughout my life, I’ve done all kinds of things for work, I’ve cleaned bathrooms and I’ve stocked pop machines. I’ve made sandwiches and pizzas and delivered the Bargain Bulletin on my bike. I love to work and I love to work hard and I love to see the fruit of my work. But the truth is, for so much of my life before I became a pastor, I really didn’t have an understanding of how my faith impacted or intersected with my work. As a result, this is really something that is near to my heart for you. I do not want you to miss this. Why? Because our work is what we spend the majority of our waking hours, for most of our lives, doing. And if we fail to make the connection between our faith and our work, then our faith will have a huge blind spot in our lives. And in the years that I’ve worked as a pastor, I’ve talked with so many people about what you do for work and how you think about your work and what the struggles are with your work. My conclusion, based on both my experience with faith and work and from my conversations with you, is there are two main reasons why our work or our productivity becomes a trap for us. First…
Work can become our main source of identity. What’s typically the first thing that people ask you when they meet you? (And what do you do?) Why do people ask that question so quickly? Why not first ask about where you grew up or who your family is or if you’re a Packer fan or not? Maybe in Green Bay, the order is a little different, but I think we go so quickly to the “what do you do” question because what we do for work (again in or outside the home, paid or unpaid) goes so deep down to the core of how we see ourselves and our identity. This is especially a problem for our culture. The US is the most productive country in the world, as measured by GDP, by quite a bit. We’ve been the main source of innovation and technological advancement in the world, at least since WWII. We get stuff done. And we pride ourselves for our productivity. So the productive life, a life of pursuing work and a career above everything else, is one of the easiest traps for us to fall into. It’s the water we’re swimming in. It’s all around us every day. But when your career is the main thing that defines you, your main source of identity, this is not good. This is not a stable identity. It’s just not big enough. After all, King Solomon reminded us that no matter how much wisdom, knowledge, or skill we have in our work, we will not be able to work forever. And if we can’t work, maybe there’s an accident, or maybe we get sick, or maybe we just physically can’t do the work any longer and need to retire…then what?? Do we lose our sense of self? Many people do. Human beings were meant to do good work. Work was in the garden of Eden before the fall to sin. And God has created us to do good works that he has prepared in advance for us to do. But our work was never meant to define us. Only God can do that. Only our creator God. Only our Father in heaven can give us an identity that can never be taken or shaken, that is to be a child of God through faith in Jesus. It doesn’t matter what might happen in our careers, good, bad, or ugly, nothing can take away our identity in Christ. Second…
Work can become our main source of security. Just as work can become our main source of identity, so can our work become our main source of security. This does touch on the issue of wealth. Because, to a certain degree, the more wealth and resources we have, the more stable our lives tend to be. If an emergency comes up, and you have money in savings, that is a very good feeling. But next week, we’ll deal with the trap of wealth, so we won’t say much more about that here. But Solomon wrote, “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?” And he agrees with what the rest of the Bible envisions for life in this created world where God is a living and active creator who is involved in providing and sustain the lives of the creatures of his world. Besides the trap of letting what you do become who you are, the other trap is confusing your career for your creator. It is our Father’s world, and life wouldn’t exist without him. Every breath is due to his provision. Every blessing in life is a gift of grace from his hand. Our work is the usual means by which God provides for us, but we must not confuse the vehicle of the provision with the provider himself. If God wanted to provide food directly from heaven, he has before and he would again, I’m sure. But most of the time, he chooses to provide through the natural laws and processes of human life. Should we work hard and get a good education and try our best to grow and improve our wisdom, knowledge, and skills in our work? Of course. This would be one of the ways we could bring glory, honor, and praise to God, and could provide very well for ourselves, and bring wealth and other resources to be a blessing to other people in the world. This is a very good thing. But is our work a good replacement for God our creator? Of course, not. The Lord is our refuge and our strength. The Lord is our protector and provider. The Lord is God and our career is not. So refuse to fall into the trap of work, the trap of the productive life. You are so much more in Christ than what you do. And you have such a better source of security in the one who didn’t even withhold his one and only son from us. One who moved heaven and earth to save us from sin and death. Put your hope in Jesus. Look to him to find your identity and your security. Trust in him. He will never leave you or forsake you. Let us pray.
God is Greater Than…Wisdom: The second trap to consider is thinking that pursuing a life of knowledge and wisdom, the intellectual life, will lead to lasting meaning and satisfaction. Now there’s nothing wrong with education, innovation, or technological breakthroughs, in fact, they can help so many areas of life. So get wisdom! But avoid the trap of pursuing knowledge and wisdom apart from God. Recorded on May 8, 2022, on Ecclesiastes 2:12-16, by Pastor David Parks.
This message is part of our “God is Greater Than…” sermon series. There are several common traps that human beings have fallen into for thousands of years. Traps of believing that certain pursuits are satisfying enough to take the place of God in your life. But in the end, these pursuits reveal themselves to be ultimately meaningless and lead to a hollow and deeply unsatisfying life. Our series will examine the traps of pursuing pleasure, wisdom, work, and wealth before coming to the conclusion that God is greater than all.
Sermon Transcript
All year, we’re focusing on, The Greatness of God. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series called “God Is Greater Than…” And we’ve said that there are several common traps that human beings have fallen into for thousands of years. These traps are traps of faith, of believing that certain pursuits are big/important/satisfying enough to take the place of God in your life. But in the end, these pursuits lead to a life of hebel, the Hebrew word translated as meaningless; ultimately, these pursuits lead to a life that is hollow and deeply unsatisfying. Our series will examine the traps of pleasure, wisdom, work, and wealth before coming to the conclusion that God is greater than all, and it’s only in him that life has meaning/significance which will last forever. Today, we’ll consider the trap of pursuing a life of wisdom, of pursuing more and more knowledge — the intellectual life. How could that be such a bad thing to be an intelligent person?? Why is the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom a trap? If you have a Bible/app, please open to Ecclesiastes 2:12.
Ecclesiastes 2:12-16 (NIV), “12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done? 13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. 14 The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both. 15 Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.” 16 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!”
If you missed our series introduction a few weeks ago, you can go back and watch that if you’d like more background on the book of Ecclesiastes. But we’re assuming that King Solomon is the author, which means this book was written almost 3,000 years ago. And King Solomon was known for his wisdom which was a gift from God. So Solomon decided to go on a journey of discovery. He went on something like a quest to understand everything that is done under the sun — a phrase that means basically everything done in this broken world apart from God. And he did this in order to find out what, if anything, is truly meaningful, what among all the possible activities really matters in life — what really gives us meaning under the sun? Last week, we saw that this journey started with pursuing a life of pleasure. Solomon said that “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.” And he tried to see if good food, good wine, accomplishing big projects, entertainment, and sex, he tried to see if any of these things would lead to a meaningful life, but his conclusion is that it all ended up as hebel/meaningless/fleeting happiness, not lasting joy. What did he try next? Look back at v. 12.
Ecclesiastes 2:12 (NIV), “Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done?” Let’s pause here. So, is it better to be a sane person in a broken world or an insane person in a broken world? Is it better to be highly educated and intelligent or to be a fool? Good question! Looking out into the world, it would seem that madness and folly have the market cornered. And to pursue, not just a growing list of facts and information you have memorized for the test, but a life of slow but steady growth in actual wisdom sounds like a ton of work over years and years. Is it worth it?? Is it worth all the work to be wise? Maybe yes, maybe no. Solomon’s first observation about wisdom is not encouraging. He says, “What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done?” In other words, I think the point here is basically, what meaningfully changes from one generation to the next? Sure, there are innovations and new technology over time, but what really changes from one king to the next or one generation to the next? Isn’t it basically just more of the same pain/affliction/strife? Isn’t it just learning the same lessons over and over? Already in Ecclesiastes, Solomon observed, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecc 1:9). The overall picture of a secular life, a life without God, this “life under the sun” as Solomon says, seems to be a series of endless cycles, birth/death, season to season, king to king. For all our learning, are we actually making any progress? For all our trying, are we making any sort of difference? Let’s keep going. v. 13.
Ecclesiastes 2:13-14 (NIV), “I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.” So before we go any further, let’s define our terms here. What is knowledge, what is wisdom, and how are they related? Knowledge is a set of facts or information that you have learned and can recall. You can gain knowledge from a teacher, books, or by your own experience. You can have knowledge about many different things, but no one has perfect knowledge about everything. For example, you might have an advanced degree you spent years of your life working towards, building up a ton of knowledge about a certain sphere of life (engineering, healthcare, accounting, theology, or whatever!), but if your sink drain is clogged, you instantly realize, wow, there are whole spheres of knowledge out there that I do not have. And then you hop on YouTube to see if you could maybe gain some knowledge on the topic before eventually calling someone with way more knowledge than you to actually fix the problem. Now, a good plumber is going to have both knowledge and wisdom. They will know the facts about plumbing and drain clogs but they will also have enough experience to know what will most likely succeed in that particular situation. This is wisdom. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, wisdom is “the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment.” It’s a combination of what you know (knowledge) and how you apply that knowledge in life, of understanding both the truth and the times. In other words, wisdom understands what the right thing would be to do here/now. So do you see how it could be a great benefit to being wise or growing in wisdom? To know not only what all the possibilities might be to respond to some circumstance or in some situation, but what out of all those possibilities might be the best option. That’s wisdom.
The analogy that Solomon uses is one of light and darkness, which is often used in the Bible to represent truth and error. He says, “I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness;” So it is better to have wisdom than to be a fool? Of course it is! Just as light is better than darkness. Let me ask you this. How confident do you become if you have to walk across a room in the dark? Even your own bedroom becomes a potentially dangerous place to walk through in the dark. Every sense starts straining, you start imagining things, every dog is lying right in your path, it’s a hazard. But the wise person has the lights on. They can see. They know where they should walk and where would be dangerous. They can see where they’ve come from and where they are going and why. But the fool doesn’t see any of those things. They can’t see where they’ve come from or where they are going. They don’t understand what drives them or why they’ve had the same struggles/sins for years and years. They’re in the dark. Can a fool follow the right path? Sure, it’s possible. But it more likely happened by accident or perhaps by following someone who is wise, than it is because of their ability to see and understand the right path on their own. But what’s the conclusion? Look again at v. 14. “The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.” Oh no! The same fate overtakes them both. It doesn’t matter how smart you are or how wise you are, it doesn’t matter how many advanced degrees you get or if anyone else sees you as an expert in any field, in the end, neither wisdom nor knowledge means you’ll live forever. In the end, death comes for all. Let’s finish with v. 15.
Ecclesiastes 2:15-16 (NIV), “Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.” 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!” This is hebel, this is meaningless! You can be the smartest person who ever lived. You can be, like King Solomon, the wisest person on the planet, one who is widely revered, whose opinion is highly valued by every other wise person, one whose writings are viewed as wisdom literature some 3,000 years later. But what’s the point? After 70, 80, maybe 90 years, we’re dead and gone. Like the fool, the wise too must die. So does this mean that wisdom is a waste? That all the years building up knowledge and then the years hammering/forging those facts into useful pieces of wisdom so that you understand what the right thing is for any given circumstance? If the fate of the wise person and the fool are the same, why go through all the trouble of being wise? Here’s where I think it’s important to remember that Solomon is exploring common traps that people fall into trying to find a meaningful life. We must see and understand the trap first. What is the trap of wisdom and knowledge? And why is this such a common temptation for people to replace God in their lives? Here’s the trap:
One of the most common misconceptions of the fundamental problem of the world is that of a lack of education. That all of our issues, conflicts, injustices, all of the sources of difficulty in life and society, all stem from simply a lack of information. That any problem can be solved by learning the facts of the matter and then wisely applying that information going forward. But is it true that more knowledge brings fewer issues in life or that, for example, advanced degrees will bring you more happiness in life? The answer is, it’s complicated. This is why it’s a trap. Sometimes and in some spheres of life, education (growing in your knowledge and wisdom) is incredibly helpful, in fact, it’s vital. You don’t have to walk through life in the dark. You can grow in your understanding of where you’ve come from and where you should go. You can get better at dealing with life and navigating difficult situations with wisdom. This is why it’s tempting to think that devoting your life to the cause of wisdom/knowledge will lead to a meaningful life. But just as we saw last week, sometimes it’s good to pursue pleasure, but sometimes the pursuit of pleasure leads us away from a flourishing life, the life that God has intended for us, his creatures. So in the same way, it is sometimes helpful to grow in wisdom and knowledge, but it won’t necessarily solve all your problems. There are still highly educated people who struggle at times with life/careers/marriages/kids/friends. We have a number of people who work in education in our church. Let me ask those of you who work in education, among the teachers/professors/administrators in schools, are there still issues/difficulties in the lives of the good people who work in education? Well, in the end, Solomon observed so many years ago that no amount of knowledge or wisdom, no scientific or technological breakthrough or innovation has the power to save your soul. And why not? Because the fundamental problem of the world is not a lack of wisdom or knowledge, it’s not a lack of education, just as it isn’t fundamentally an economic or political problem. According to God, the fundamental problem of the world is a sin and death problem. All other problems, conflicts, and injustices are the fruit of the root of sin. And this problem required not more information, but the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus on the cross paid the price for the sins of the world. And the resurrection of Jesus from the dead has broken the power of death forever. So anyone who would trust in Jesus as Lord, and anyone who would believe that God raised him from the dead, will be saved. The solution to the fundamental problem of the world has been provided in the person and work of Christ. So the Christian gospel is a message of good news of what God has already done that is received by faith. And this good news is offered to all people, whether you’re wise or a fool, whether you’re brilliant or barely made it through grade school. The family of God is not formed by your intellectual potential, but by faith in Jesus.
So what do we, as followers of Jesus do with this today? How might we be wise, in the application of wisdom in our lives today? I think first, we must see the value of wisdom. It doesn’t matter who you are or how many years you were in school, every single one of us has the God-given capacity to grow in our wisdom and knowledge. And given the chance, why wouldn’t we want to grow in that way? Why wouldn’t we want a better picture of the world around us and what reality is made of? And why wouldn’t we want a better path through that reality based on the truth and the light of wisdom to know not only what is right but how/when to apply that truth to life? Wisdom is a light to our path, and there isn’t an aspect of life that could benefit from you being a little more wise than you were yesterday. But here’s the trap: The trap is in thinking that more knowledge/wisdom/innovation/education, that better technology is all we need; that pursuing wisdom apart from God will lead to a meaningful and significant life. This is simply not true. Why? Because nothing in creation was made to exist without God. As creatures of God our creator, we were made to enjoy a real, personal knowledge of God in relationship to him. It doesn’t matter how many advanced degrees you might accumulate, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Ps 14:1). And as Solomon said, “the same fate overtakes” both the wise man or woman and the fool. So what do we do? How can we be wise about wisdom? I would say three things: first, don’t be a fool! If you need knowledge, if you need wisdom, go get it! “Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” (Pro 4:7). Think about who is really smart in some field that you’re interested in and listen to them, study them, read their books, watch their lectures, and try to absorb as much of their knowledge as you can. “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” (Pro 16:16). It’s worth the effort. I’ve known some rich fools. But I’ve never known a wise person who was truly poor. Money comes and goes, but wisdom is truly valuable. James, the brother of Jesus wrote, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (Jas 1:5). So God will help us in this task; all true wisdom and knowledge comes from him anyways. But second, don’t fall into the trap. Don’t throw your life away in the pursuit of wisdom/knowledge apart from God. The perspective of life under the sun, of life apart from God is a lie. It’s not the truth about reality. Also, the Apostle Paul wrote that “…knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” (1Co 8:1b). Sometimes increasing knowledge only leads to increasing pride. For these reasons and more, wisdom is a bad god; it was never intended to be big enough or powerful enough to worship and serve with your life. It was never meant to be our true source of hope or the solution to the fundamental problem of the world. So first, don’t be a fool, but second, don’t fall into the trap, either. Finally, third, realize that sometimes, the wisdom of God will look like foolishness to the world. Be humbly willing to set aside all of your hard-won knowledge and wisdom in the face of God’s wisdom. I’d like to close with a passage from 1 Corinthians 1:20–25 (NIV), “20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” So don’t be a fool, be wise and gain wisdom. But don’t fall into the trap of believing that gaining more wisdom/knowledge will lead to a life of meaning by itself. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Why? Because the gospel is the wisdom of God, and the foolishness of God is wiser than any human wisdom. Let us pray.
God is Greater Than…Pleasure: The first trap to consider is thinking that hedonism, of pursuing pleasure or avoiding pain, will lead to a meaningful life. It’s tempting to think that indulging in good food and wine, accomplishing great things, having wealth, being entertained, or having lots of sex is the key to happiness. However, none of these things bring ultimate satisfaction. Is there anything better? Recorded on May 1, 2022, on Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, by Pastor David Parks.
This message is part of our “God is Greater Than…” sermon series. There are several common traps that human beings have fallen into for thousands of years. Traps of believing that certain pursuits are satisfying enough to take the place of God in your life. But in the end, these pursuits reveal themselves to be ultimately meaningless and lead to a hollow and deeply unsatisfying life. Our series will examine the traps of pursuing pleasure, wisdom, work, and wealth before coming to the conclusion that God is greater than all.
Sermon Transcript
All year, we’re focusing on, The Greatness of God. And today, we’re continuing a new sermon series we started last week called “God Is Greater Than…” As we said, there are several common traps that human beings have fallen into for thousands of years. These traps are traps of faith, of believing that certain pursuits are big/important/satisfying enough to take the place of God in your life. But in the end, these pursuits lead to a life of hebel, the Hebrew word translated as meaningless; ultimately, these pursuits lead to a life that is hollow and deeply unsatisfying. Our series will examine the traps of pleasure, wisdom, work, and wealth before coming to the conclusion that God is greater than all, and it’s only in him that life has meaning/significance which will last forever. Today, we’ll consider the trap of pursuing a life of pleasure, a life of happiness, a life of self-gratification. How could that be such a bad thing to try and be happy?? If you have a Bible/app, please open to Ecclesiastes 2:1.
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 (NIV), “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. 2 “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives. 4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 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. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem[a] as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. 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. 11 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.”
So if you missed our series introduction last week, you can go back and watch that if you’d like more background on the book of Ecclesiastes. But we said last week that we’re assuming that King Solomon is the author, which means this book was written almost 3,000 years ago. And King Solomon was known for his wisdom which was a gift from God. So because he was the king and had vast resources and because of his wisdom, Solomon decided to go on a journey of discovery. He went on something like a quest to understand everything that is done under the sun — a phrase that means basically everything done in this broken world apart from God. And he did this in order to find out what, if anything, is truly meaningful, what among all the possible activities really matters, really gives us meaning and purpose under the sun? Here in chapter 2, Solomon describes this journey. Let’s go back and work through this text starting with v. 1.
Ecclesiastes 2:1-2 (NIV), “I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be [hebel] meaningless. “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” Let’s pause here. So one of the most common traps in life under the sun is to think that pursuing pleasure, or having the freedom to pursue pleasure, or at least finding ways to avoid pain as much as possible, will lead to a meaningful/significant life. And it’s very understandable to think this way. After all, how could it lead to a bad outcome if you’re able to increase the amount of happiness or pleasure in your life? How could it be bad to decrease the amount of pain and suffering in your life? Wouldn’t that be a good thing? This way of thinking, of pursuing or being motivated by pleasure, is called hedonism. In the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, English philosopher Jeremy Bentham who lived around 1800, is quoted writing, “Nature has placed mankind [notice he doesn’t reference God, this is purely a life under the sun perspective, “Nature has placed mankind…”] under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain, and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do.” (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hedonism/) Bentham believed that morality or what is right and wrong, doesn’t need to be defined by God. But instead, morality can be determined by the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. But what is the conclusion of the Teacher more than 2700 years before Jeremy Bentham? That hedonism also proved to be hebel/meaningless. Laughing is great. And pleasure is great. But what does it actually accomplish? Let’s keep going v. 3.
Ecclesiastes 2:3 (NIV), “I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding 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 first, Solomon tried drinking wine in his pursuit of pleasure. As long back in history and wherever in the world that we find evidence of human beings, we also find evidence of alcohol. It was no different thousands of years ago than it is today. Especially during times of stress, alcohol can be a very common means of trying to avoid pain and increase pleasure. A study by the RAND corporation came out in Sept 2020, showing that “Alcohol consumption rose among adults over age 30 by 14% during the pandemic, with a 41% increase in women heavily drinking.” Don’t answer this out loud, but did you have a more difficult time with alcohol during the last two years? Did alcohol become more of a medication for you to help you deal with life than just a fun treat? The bible does say not to get drunk, but it doesn’t say that drinking itself is a sin. In fact, the first miracle of Jesus recorded in Scripture is when he turned something like 150 gallons of water into the finest wine at a wedding. But does alcohol work? Does it make life rich and meaningful? It might seem like it in the short run. Author Malcolm Gladwell writes about alcohol in his book, Talking to Strangers, saying that alcohol is very effective in producing a myopic or nearsighted effect. In other words, when we drink, we lose sight of bigger, and often deeply troubling issues and questions. Questions like, is there anything actually meaningful in life under the sun? But like so many things, alcohol can be easy to overindulge. The reason why is complicated and multifaceted, but part of the trouble is that with every drink you get worse at decision-making. So with every drink, another drink sounds better and better. That is until you feel like you’re going to die. But what happens the very next day? You feel terrible from drinking too much AND all your issues and existential questions come rushing right back into your view. This is hebel. So drinking doesn’t work. What else did Solomon try?
Ecclesiastes 2:4-6 (NIV), “I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.” So drinking/partying didn’t lead to a meaningful life, but what about accomplishing great projects? Solomon built a temple for worship in Jerusalem, he built a huge palace for himself, and many other building projects. There really is no one that can organize people to accomplish big goals/projects like a wealthy king. And was Solomon wealthy? Oh yes. Let’s look at a passage from 1 Ki 10.
1 Kings 10:21–25 (NIV), “All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons. King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.” So with all this wealth pouring into his kingdom, Solomon built and built and built. But this, too, was hebel. Anyone who has done any sort of building project knows just how exhausting they can be. It took almost a year to remodel this little building space. It was expensive and exhausting. And then what happened? Did it lead to a life of pleasure for us? No! A month after we fully moved in we had to shut it all down because of Covid! Talk about hebel. Like drinking, accomplishing big projects can be very satisfying in the moment. But when you’re done, you have to keep working/updating/remodeling, why? Because things break down in this broken world. The work never ends. Now, there’s much more to be said about this, but two weeks from now we have a whole sermon on work. So let’s keep going in v. 7.
Ecclesiastes 2:7-8 (NIV), “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.” So we already talked about his wealth. But here are a few more details. Male and female slaves were very common in the ancient world. The only thing I usually note is that slavery then was very different compared to slavery in the history of our country. Slavery wasn’t race-based or lifelong back then. I’ve heard some statistics that up to 50% of the Roman Empire were slaves. This is a reflection not on the morality of slavery, but on the enormous wealth that Solomon enjoyed. In addition to the flocks and herds and silver and gold, he says he also acquired male and female singers. He had a personal choir for entertainment. He had his own PAC. Can you imagine that? Finally, he says he had a harem as well. Now, one of the purposes of sexuality is certainly pleasure, but sex was never intended by God to only be about pleasure. The purpose of sexuality is also (and probably most importantly) to accomplish the blessing of God over humanity to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. One of the purposes of sex is procreation. But it’s also described in the Bible as a way to increase intimacy and whole-life oneness between a husband and wife. But Solomon took this source of pleasure far beyond anything most people would even think of. It’s written in 1Ki 11 that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Now this was not right or good for him to do. Both in the creation narratives of Genesis 2 and in Jesus’ teaching on marriage in the gospels say that marriage is supposed to be between one man and one woman for life. Not one man, even though he’s the king, and multiple women, much less hundreds of women. And what was his conclusion about this? Look at v. 9.
Ecclesiastes 2:9-11 (NIV), “I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. 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.” I refused my heart no pleasure. This is probably a good description of modern life, isn’t it? An old slogan said if it feels good, do it. A more recent slogan says you do you. In other words, whatever or whoever you’re into, go for it! Follow your heart. Don’t withhold anything from yourself that you desire or that makes you feel good. Another term for this way of life is Epicureanism, which was founded by the Greek philosopher, Epicurus. Now Epicurus didn’t overindulge like we might imagine today. But his philosophy led to the belief that in the face of all the hebel of life under the sun, all we can do is eat, drink, and be merry. Why? For tomorrow we might die. Basically, any meaning that there is in life is meaning that we create through fun or pleasurable experiences. So you do you! But thousands of years ago, and about 500 years before Epicurus, a fantastically wealthy king tried this way of life and concluded it was a waste. It was meaningless. It was like chasing after the wind. What good is that? It was all hebel. So how should we, as followers of Jesus, think about pleasures like good food and wine and wealth and accomplishments and entertainment and sex? Should Christians avoid these things? I think the answer is not necessarily; none of these things are inherently sinful. If Solomon would’ve applied the “everything in moderation” principle, he would’ve been far better off. However, in a culture that is entirely motivated (and even defines morality) by hedonism, we must both see and understand why these things can be a trap for us, and why it’s tempting to turn to these things in order to replace God in our lives. So as we close today, I’d like to draw your attention to just one reason why hedonism, or pursuing a life of pleasure or living to avoid pain, is not compatible with the way of Jesus.
Self-sacrifice has no place in a hedonistic way of life. Hedonism is defined by what will benefit you or what you think would benefit you; it’s entirely self-centered. But the way of Jesus is not self-centered, it’s a way of self-sacrifice for the benefit of the other. Even though our culture is very hedonistic, we still recognize the value of self-sacrifice. For example, it’s not clear how a parent might be motivated by pleasure or to avoid pain when they sacrifice so much for their infant child. When parents pay huge financial costs, experience physical changes to their bodies (mostly the mother, obviously), lose many a night’s sleep, and so much more, are they motivated by their own happiness or to avoid their own unhappiness or are they more likely motivated to sacrifice all of these things for the good of their child? Or what about a soldier who dies in battle while saving the lives of many others? How does that sacrifice lead to their happiness? It doesn’t! In fact, the soldier might endure terrible pain and suffering in the process of their sacrifice. So does that mean it’s the wrong thing to do? No! And the reason is that the pursuit of personal pleasure isn’t the only or even the highest good for human beings. This was Solomon’s conclusion all those years ago. If hedonism was the way people were intended to find meaning and significance in life, then why did Jesus die on the cross? How did the cross contribute to the happiness or of avoiding pain for Jesus? The cross is the opposite of “eat, drink, and be merry.” The cross says, “I will give up everything, including my very life, for the sake of another.” Jesus says, “Do you want to be my disciple? Then deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” But does this mean that the life of following Jesus, the Christian life, is one of constant sorrow or that pain is a value in the Kingdom of God? Not at all. Even the cross had a joy to it. Hebrews 12:2 (NIV): “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.“ And what was the joy set before him? It was you and I! It was the many, many men and women who would be saved by his death. Jesus willingly laid down his life for the joy of being a blessing to us! The way to find real and lasting joy is by love/sacrifice/humility/generosity. The unexpected way to find real joy is actually to love your neighbor as yourself. And here in the church, we have the incredible blessing of being in a community of people who are trying to live this out, loving/serving one another and being loved/served in return. May we never think that pursuing our own self-centered pleasure will lead to lasting happiness, joy, or peace. May we trust in the Lord and follow the way of Jesus. The way of the cross. The way of self-sacrifice that leads to resurrection power, life, and a joy that lasts forever.
God is Greater Than: Series Introduction. In ancient times, King Solomon used his wisdom and vast resources to observe everything done under the sun. And what did he find? Life was a vapor, a breath. So much of what we worry about and work for seems to be meaningless. Is there any way to find real meaning and significance in life? Or are we stuck living in depression, denial, or destructive cynicism? Recorded on Apr 24, 2022, on Ecclesiastes 1, by Pastor David Parks.
This message is part of our “God is Greater Than…” sermon series. There are several common traps that human beings have fallen into for thousands of years. Traps of believing that certain pursuits are satisfying enough to take the place of God in your life. But in the end, these pursuits reveal themselves to be ultimately meaningless and lead to a hollow and deeply unsatisfying life. Our series will examine the traps of pursuing pleasure, wisdom, work, and wealth before coming to the conclusion that God is greater than all.
Sermon Transcript
All year, we’re focusing on, The Greatness of God. And today, we’re starting a new, 6-part sermon series from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible called “God Is Greater Than…” God is greater than what, exactly? Good question. Here’s the big idea for this series: There are several common traps that human beings have fallen into for thousands and thousands of years. These traps are traps of faith that can affect everything about how you live your life. Fundamentally, they’re traps of believing that certain pursuits are big/important/satisfying enough to displace, or, take the place of God in your life. What’s tricky about these traps is that they always seem to have the power to replace God for a season, or sometimes for years. But in the end, these pursuits reveal themselves to be ultimately meaningless and lead to a life that is hollow and deeply unsatisfying. What a tragedy. Our series will examine the traps of pursuing pleasure, wisdom, work, and wealth before coming to the conclusion that God is greater than all of these, and it’s only in him that life has meaning which will last forever. So let’s learn from the Teacher of Ecclesiastes, let us not waste our lives on things which are ultimately meaningless, and let us see that God is greater than all. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Ecclesiastes 1:1. We’re going to cover the whole first chapter, so we’ll unpack this as we go. v.1.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 (NIV), “1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: 2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Let’s pause here. So first, who wrote Ecclesiastes? Someone who says they are a son of David, that is, King David of ancient Israel who lived around 3,000 years ago. After David died, Solomon, his son, became the king of Israel, ruling from the capital city of Jerusalem. It never says directly, but from the clues in the text, Solomon is the most likely author. Some scholars don’t agree, but there really isn’t any solid evidence that it couldn’t be Solomon, and it fits God’s gift of wisdom described in 1Ki 4; let’s look at that together.
1 Kings 4:29–34 (NIV): “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.”
God had asked Solomon what he wanted when he became king and he asked for wisdom instead of fame or wealth or power. God was pleased with his request and gave him the wisdom he had asked for. So in this series, I’m assuming King Solomon is the author, who applied this God-given wisdom and insight and his great curiosity to the big questions of life. And if it’s true that Solomon is the author, that means it was likely written around 950 BC. Ecclesiastes is part of the wisdom literature in the Bible and is very philosophical. When people think about the history of philosophy, they usually start with the ancient Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. But King Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes and many of the Proverbs in the Bible over 500 years earlier than the Greek philosophers. Philosophy really started with the ancient Hebrew kings and prophets. Now, the Hebrew word translated as Teacher or Preacher has its root in the word for a gathering or assembly. So it’s possible this role is a person who speaks to some sort of gathering. So in this writing, Solomon isn’t making kingly pronouncements, laws, or commands. But rather, he’s sharing the results of a philosophical and ultimately theological search for meaning — to answer the question: what really matters in life? Ecclesiastes shares the wisdom he collected in this very personal search for significance and to understand the way things work under the sun. But what is his conclusion in verse 2? “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Ok! This will be a very heartwarming series, don’t you think? But what does Solomon mean by this saying? Let’s continue with v.3 and see if we get more information.
Ecclesiastes 1:3-11 (NIV), “3 What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. 6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. 7 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. 8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. 9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. 10 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. 11 No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.”
Let’s pause here again. Solomon writes very poetically here and highlights aspects of life “under the sun,” which is basically a phrase that means human life or earthly life. This phrase and the things he describes don’t really include the things of heaven. There are no references to God here. Life under the sun might be called a secular or materialistic world view, which, by the way, is one of the most common world views in our culture today. But what does this perspective give us? A series of seemingly endless cycles of nature leading to basically nothing that lasts. People come and go, generations come and go, we toil and labor, we build and create and repair, and for what? We never seem to be satisfied. And then what? 50 or 100 years later almost everything and everyone is forgotten. Even the few human achievements which are remembered 500 or 1000 years later don’t really benefit the people who accomplished them because they’re dead and gone. Do you know what this is? This is hebel. Hebel is the Hebrew word which translated throughout Ecclesiastes as meaningless. Hebel means vapor or breath. It figuratively means something that is here and then gone, something that has little to no substance, something empty or hollow or vain. A gnat is a little fly-like creature whose whole life lasts only 7 days. A gnat is hebel. Now people aren’t gnats. But still, from the perspective of the earth, much less from God’s eternal perspective, human life is so short. And so much of what we spend so much time and energy worrying about or working on or sacrificing for — so much of what consumes our lives really doesn’t last. It’s not something we like to spend a lot of time thinking about, but it seems Solomon is right; life is hebel. But how did he arrive at this conclusion? Let’s continue in v. 12.
Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 (NIV), “12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 15 What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. 18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.”
As we’ve said, this description really only fits one person in the Bible, that of King Solomon. So Solomon’s process or journey of exploring what matters and what (if anything) really lasts in life took place probably over many years. He used his resources and time and personality and gifts to explore, as he says, “all the things that are done under the sun.” He wanted to learn both what makes someone wise and what makes someone a fool. Who knows? Maybe meaning could be found not by being responsible and wise, but by being a fool? His conclusion to this is that the more he learned and the more wisdom he acquired, the worse he felt. “For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.” Why? Because all of the things people tend to pursue in life, whether it’s pleasures or wealth or wisdom or accomplishments in their work, none of these things finally satisfy. It’s all hebel.
But if this is the conclusion of a king, and not just any king but a king who was wealthy beyond imagining, who was gifted by God with wisdom and insight (gifted enough to be read and studied almost 3,000 years later), and who was one of the most famous people on earth at the time, what hope is there for us?!? Is there anything that might give us significance or meaning which will actually last under the sun? Ultimately, the answer is yes. There is meaning to be found. There are things we can pursue which will finally satisfy and will last forever. Ecclesiastes may raise some uncomfortable questions, but it doesn’t land in a place without hope. But before we get to our Source of hope, let’s consider our options. If you study the history of philosophy, you’ll know that there aren’t an infinite number of conclusions that human beings have come to about these big existential questions of life. There are really only a few options that people have come up with over the ages. So what options do we have when we consider the meaninglessness of life? What options do we have when we encounter the futility, injustice, and chaos of this broken world? In my view, we have only four options. 1. We can become lost in despair and hopelessness. This world is difficult and harsh and it doesn’t really seem like we can do anything about that. This is very depressing. So the solution of so many people today is to turn to medication or therapy to deal with our depression. I’m not against medication or therapy, but is this the life we want to live? I don’t think so. 2. We can live in denial or at least try to forget reality for a time. Sure, the world is depressing, but let’s just not think about it or talk about it, ok? Or maybe through alcohol or drugs or binge-watching tv or video games or some other form of escapism, we can forget about it all for a time. And some of these things can bring us a measure of happiness for a time, but again, is this the life we want to live? A life living in denial of reality? I don’t think so. 3. We can become cynical and nihilistic and just want to see the whole thing burn to the ground. This is a response of anger/rage against all the systems/structures/cultures/people of this broken world. If I can’t have lasting happiness/satisfaction/meaning, then no one can. I really don’t think this is the type of life anyone wants to live, but it is a destructive one that we see in our society. 4. In response to all the hebel of life, we can turn to someone who exists from eternity and is transcendently above and beyond this life under the sun. This is where the ancient Hebrew philosophers differed from the Greeks. They turned to God, the creator of the heavens and the earth. A personal God who speaks and has entered into a covenant relationship with the family of Abraham and Sarah. A God who knows what life is like in this broken world and has a plan to redeem and renew all things. And it’s here that we find our hope. Instead of becoming depressed or living in denial or resorting to destructive cynicism, we can trust that God is sovereign over all, that he is still great and he is still good, that his plans of redemption and renewal will come to fruition, and in the end, justice will be done, even when we don’t understand.
Commentator Duane Garrett writes, “This passage is not a contradiction to the gospel but a call for it. The world is in bondage; and humanity is unable to explain, find satisfaction in, or alter it. Only the Word [that is Jesus Christ], who came into the world from above, can open the way of understanding and escape.” [Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (NAC)] The good news is that God agrees with this assessment of the meaninglessness of life under the sun, but he isn’t content with leaving things that way, in bondage as they are to sin and death. God sent his son Jesus Christ, to live and die and rise again, to provide a way for us to be forgiven and freed from the power of sin and death. And by faith in Jesus, we can experience a life that isn’t only hebel, a life that actually has meaning and significance that lasts; not just 50 or 100 years, but forever and ever in the kingdom of God, the kingdom where Jesus is king. But for the next few weeks, we’ll consider these common traps, the things we pursue in life, thinking that they will bring us the life that we long for. As we take this journey, may we have the humility to learn, as Solomon learned, that these pursuits will ultimately let us down. May we refuse to give in to despair or denial or destruction as we endure this life under the sun. And may we never lose hope, for Jesus is alive and he is good, and in him, all things find their meaning and significance. God is greater. Let us pray.
The Perfect Judge: Our current age will not last forever. One day Jesus will return, the dead will be raised, and all will give an account of their lives to Him. What will that day be like? What hope is there for any of us to stand before the great white throne on Judgment Day? Our hope rests on the fact that the Judge is also the Savior. Recorded on Apr 10, 2022, on Revelation 20:11-15, by Pastor David Parks.
This message is part of The Supremacy of Christ sermon series. The Christian gospel claims that Jesus is far greater than anyone or anything. And it’s true that his first coming was marked by humility, suffering, and even death on a cross. But is that how Jesus is today? Absolutely not. Jesus has risen from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God. Today, Jesus reigns and rules over all of creation and will one day return in glory to judge the living and the dead.
Sermon Transcript
All year, we’re focusing on, The Greatness of God. And today, we’re finishing a sermon series called The Supremacy of Christ. For the past 6 weeks, we’ve been saying that the Christian gospel claims that Jesus is far greater than anyone or anything. And it’s true that his first coming was marked by humility, suffering, and even death on a cross. But that is not how Jesus is today. Jesus has risen from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God. Jesus reigns and rules over all of creation and today we will consider his return in glory to judge the living and the dead. During the past few years of dealing with Covid and other difficult things, it became clear to me that far too many Christians have way too small of a vision of who God is. And it’s true that if we fail to get this vision of Jesus, high and lifted up, supreme over all, we’ll have all sorts of problems in our life and faith. In this series, we’ve considered a number of ways that Jesus is far greater than anyone and anything. But now, let us look ahead to things yet to come, to the end of time and the end of this age of sin and struggle. A few weeks ago, we heard the promise of the angels at the ascension of Jesus that he would one day return in the same way. What will that day be like? What will happen on that day when the King of heaven returns? If you have a Bible/app, please open to Revelation 20:11.
Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV), “11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Earlier this year, we finished our Encounters with God series by considering the Apostle John’s encounter with the risen Jesus on the Island of Patmos toward the end of his life living in exile there. And just as the ancient Israelites needed the incredibly vivid prophetic imagery of Ezekiel and Daniel when they were in exile, so John and the early Christians needed John’s vivid imagery of the cosmic battle between good and evil found here in Revelation. Now, the book of Revelation is really unique in the Bible because it’s written in the Jewish apocalyptic literary style, which we don’t really have anymore. And I suspect that it’s for this reason, and the fact that at least some of the events he describes take place in the future and therefore might turn out a little different than we imagine today, that there are so many different interpretations of Revelation among Christians. As such, it can be very difficult to know from the text whether certain things John describes are meant to be taken as literal or figurative or spiritual in nature or some combination. I believe from John’s gospel and his letters that he is perhaps the most poetic of the Apostles of the NT. If so, then surely God would use his artistic sensibilities for our benefit. But in approaching Revelation, just as we might approach any prophetic work, we must proceed with caution, speaking loudly on the things which are clear in the text and allowing some measure of mystery on the things which are not yet clear to us. Ok! Let’s start back at v. 11.
Revelation 20:11 (NIV), “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.” In this passage, it’s not clear if it is God the Father or Jesus the Son who is on the white throne of heaven. Since there is one God with ultimate glory and authority, either the person of the Father or the Son would be appropriate, but I believe that it is Jesus who is here, seated on the throne. The reason is that in the next passage, the one who is on the throne is described as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. And this title is only used for Jesus by John in Revelation. In Revelation 19, Jesus is depicted as a mighty warrior who has conquered Satan and all the forces of evil. Here, he is seated on the great white throne. What is the significance of this image? I believe the white throne is a symbol of the righteousness and justice of heaven and reflects the holy beauty of a perfect God. “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (1Jn 5b). But in the glorious presence of the King and Creator God, all of creation is displaced. This is what it means when John says, “The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.” Now does this describe the physical destruction of our current universe? We know that God has promised to make a new heaven and a new earth. In the very next passage, in Revelation 21, John has a vision of this new heaven and earth. So perhaps yes, this moment is the great transition, the end of our age and the beginning of the new age of eternity. Let’s continue v.12.
Revelation 20:12-13 (NIV), “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.” First of all, if you’re familiar with the OT in the bible, this whole passage should immediately remind you of Daniel’s vision of the throne room of heaven in Daniel 7. There, one who is called the Ancient of Days is seated on a throne and the books were opened. I believe John had this exact passage in mind when he recorded his vision because there are a number of intentional links between the language he uses here and the language of Dan 7. But what exactly is he describing? This is Judgment Day. This is the day when every single person who has ever lived, from Adam and Eve on down to you and I and every soul who comes after us, will stand before the throne of Christ and give an account of our lives to him. All of the dead will be raised to life, wherever their bodies came to rest, on sea or on land, whatever their manner of death, and no matter whether they were richly entombed and greatly mourned or whether they were lost and forgotten. Every man and woman, rich and poor, great and small will stand before their maker, and each person will be judged according to what they had done in life.
Now, of course, it’s not only John who teaches us of this coming Day. This is a thread that runs through the whole Bible. God says through the prophet Jeremiah, “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jer 17:10). The prophet Daniel writes, “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Dan 12:2). Jesus taught his disciples, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.” (Jn 5:28-29). Finally, the Apostle Paul writes, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2Co 5:10). I know that we modern people hate the idea that anyone could judge us. We love the idea of justice but hate the idea of judgment. This is, of course, an incoherent contradiction. There is no justice without some sort of judgment that something is right or wrong. But the reason I share so many examples of this teaching is so that you wouldn’t be tempted to move quickly on and ignore this doctrine. We don’t know the timing of the return of Christ. And we probably don’t have all the details of his return figured out. But one thing the Bible is very clear on is that Jesus will return, the dead will be raised, and all will stand before him to give an account of our lives. We are not our own. We are creatures who have been made by a Creator. And it is his right, and his right alone, to assess whether we have lived how we ought to have lived or not. Let’s finish this passage with v. 14.
Revelation 20:14-15 (NIV), “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” So first, here death and Hades, or the grave, are personified and thrown into the lake of fire. John says that the lake of fire is the second or final death. The very next passage says that death and mourning and crying and pain are part of the old order of things that have passed away. This means that this age of illness, aging, and death will not continue forever. This age of war and decay and destruction will one day come to an end. Praise God. I can’t wait for that day. But secondly, and terribly, John says that anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire as well. The book of life is also called the Lamb’s book of life in Revelation. When his disciples came back from sharing the good news in groups of two and were so excited by what they saw God do, Jesus said, “…do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Lk 10:20). Having your name written in the Lamb’s book of life is the same thing as being born again or having a relationship with God by faith in the person and work of Jesus. As John famously wrote, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16). The death that John refers to here is this second death of hell. The opposite of eternal life, which might be called eternal death. The picture here of this sad reality is one of fire. Throughout the Bible, several images are used, some of which even seem to contradict each other. In some places, this place of judgment is described as darkness, while in other places it’s described as fire. I think what is going on is the same thing we saw in our Encounters with God series. The Biblical authors are using earthly language to describe a spiritual reality. Now, fire is also a metaphor in the Bible, a picture of refining. Does this mean that after a time of punishment or refining, these people might be released? The truth is that God only knows. Of course, we trust in the goodness and mercy of God, but we are not given any indication of this from His word.
So what do we say about such things? What hope is there for anyone of us on that great and terrible day of judgment? I would say two things: First, there’s the curious detail that John mentions about the books. So does God really need a book to remember the details of someone’s life? The answer is no. God is infinite in wisdom and knowledge, he is omniscient and omnipresent, therefore he knows not only the things that we have said and done but also every thought and motive of the human heart. The books are a metaphor for this divine knowledge. But do you know what this means? The perfect knowledge of God means that he will also be the perfect judge. Even the best human judge cannot understand every extenuating circumstance, every factor that influenced your behavior that you had no control over. No human judge can fully see or know the human heart. We can barely understand what’s going on in our own hearts half the time, much less perfectly judge someone else. We should want God to be our judge. For a perfect judge will ensure that perfect justice will be done. This means that in the end, evil will not win and justice will be done. Every time when it seems as if someone has gotten away with some terrible evil, we can take comfort in the fact that they too will one day stand before the Lord. Every wrong will be set to right. Praise God. Now, this is helpful to remember when someone has sinned against you and has hurt you deeply. But this isn’t necessarily a comforting thought when you consider your own sin.
So secondly, what about our sin? What about our judgment? We say it all the time, no one’s perfect. We can pretty easily admit that. And it’s true, we have not perfectly loved God, heart, soul, mind, and strength. And we have not perfectly loved our neighbor as ourselves. In fact, there isn’t a single person who has ever lived who has even met their own internal sense of right and wrong. How will any of us stand before his throne? Well, we have already seen from John chapter 3 that the Judge is also the Savior. The good news of the gospel is that the One who is seated on the great white throne of judgment is also the One who stepped down out of heaven to seek and to save the lost, and ultimately to give his life, facing the hell of the cross so that we might be welcomed into heaven. Believing in Jesus results in a great exchange. One where Jesus takes on our sin and death and we receive the gift of his righteousness and his life. So please hear this invitation: be reconciled to God. Give your sins and your struggles to him. He’s already paid the price with his death on the cross. And if you do, you have nothing to fear on that future day. For when you stand before the throne, your sin will not be on display, but rather, the righteousness of Christ. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Ro 8:1a). On that day, you will not be shamed or punished, but welcomed as a friend and a brother or sister because of the glorious grace of God. And the One with all the glory/authority of heaven will be the one who wipes every tear from your eye. So turn to him today, while there is still time, and receive him, welcome him with joy and thanksgiving as the Savior and Lord of your life. He will never leave you or forsake you. And he will reveal himself to be greater than anyone or anything both now and forevermore. All glory, honor, and praise be to him. Let us pray.
The Ascension: Maybe one of the most overlooked aspects of the gospel is the ascension of Jesus back into heaven. Why is this significant? Because the ascension of Jesus reveals both his kingly power and authority over all of creation and the wonderful comfort of his promise to return and take us to be with him. Recorded on Mar 20, 2022, on Acts 1:1-11, by Pastor David Parks.
This message is part of The Supremacy of Christ sermon series. The Christian gospel claims that Jesus is far greater than anyone or anything. And it’s true that his first coming was marked by humility, suffering, and even death on a cross. But is that how Jesus is today? Absolutely not. Jesus has risen from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God. Today, Jesus reigns and rules over all of creation and will one day return in glory to judge the living and the dead.
Sermon Transcript
All year, we’re focusing on, The Greatness of God. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series called The Supremacy of Christ. The Christian gospel claims that Jesus is far greater than anyone or anything. And it’s true that his first coming was marked by humility, suffering, and even death on a cross. But is that how Jesus is today? Absolutely not. Jesus has risen from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God. Today, Jesus reigns and rules over all of creation and will one day return in glory to judge the living and the dead. But if we fail to get this vision of Jesus, high and lifted up, supreme over all, we’ll have all sorts of problems in our life and faith. We’ve considered the transfiguration of Jesus and also the exclusivity of a relationship with God through Jesus. That no one comes to the Father except through Jesus. Today, we’ll consider the ascension of Jesus back into heaven. This is one of the most under-appreciated aspects of the gospel. But the ascension of Jesus reveals both his kingly authority over the kingdom of God and the wonderful comfort of the promise of his return. So we dare not miss this. If you have a Bible/app, please open to Acts 1:1.
Acts 1:1–11 (NIV), “1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Two weeks ago, we considered the story of the transfiguration of Jesus from Luke’s gospel. There, I said that Luke was the first of a two-part work in the Bible. The book called Acts is the second part of Luke’s work. Let’s go back to the start of this passage and work through it together. v.1.
Acts 1:1-3 (NIV), “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” Luke dedicates both of these works to a man named Theophilus. We don’t know much about this brother, but it is generally thought that he was a wealthy man who funded Luke’s work of doing this careful investigation into the life and ministry of Jesus. This is such an important point not to miss. Money is never the point of real ministry. Of course, in every generation, there are so-called ministers who use the gospel for selfish gain saying that God has called them to have a Lamborghini and a private jet. But the gospel isn’t supposed to be a means of increasing your net worth. That’s far too small of a goal for something as powerful and glorious as the gospel of Jesus. However, ministry, like so many other things in life, relies on money to make it work. The Bible presents God as the one who is ultimately in charge of providing for our needs in life and ministry. But so very often, God’s provision comes through the generosity of regular people, probably like Theophilus. So here, Luke reports back on what he has discovered after interviewing the eyewitnesses. Luke’s first work was about all that Jesus began to do and teach through his death and resurrection and ascension back into heaven. Here, the book of Acts is what happened next, what happened after Jesus rose from the dead. Don’t miss this point either. That after his suffering and death on the cross for the sins of the world, Jesus appeared to hundreds of eyewitnesses and gave them many convincing proofs that he was, in fact, alive. He was with the disciples for forty days and continued to teach them about the Kingdom of God. This was the main message of Jesus. But what does he say here? Look at v. 3.
Acts 1:4-5 (NIV), “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Again, don’t miss that the specific context for this teaching is that Jesus is sharing a meal with his disciples. I’m not kidding when I say that few things bring people together like eating together. In the verses after our text for today, we know that this is taking place near Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus had spent a lot of time there and had friends who lived there including Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. But here, in this familiar place with his friends around him, Jesus issues a command, Luke says. After the resurrection of Jesus, Jesus said that all authority in heaven and earth had been given to him by the Father in heaven. Even though he was a brother and a friend, he was also the King of all creation. When Jesus speaks, he doesn’t give suggestions or opinions as we might. His word has the weight of a command from the throne of heaven. And what did he command his friends and followers? Don’t leave Jerusalem until you are baptized with or immersed in the Holy Spirit. According to the Bible, all of human history might be separated into 4 ages: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and New Creation. Creation speaks to the time before the fall to sin, when God created a good and perfect world. The Fall is when sin entered into humanity through the rebellion of the human creatures who were made in the image of God. This age led up to the first coming of Christ, who provided the sacrifice needed to make atonement for the sins of the world. The age of Redemption started on that first Easter Sunday but really kicked off on the day of Pentecost, the day when the Father and Son sent the Holy Spirit into the world to allow the very personal presence and power of God to dwell among his people in their spirit, leading and guiding them as they learn to follow the way of Jesus. The final age, the New Creation, will fully arrive when Jesus returns, the dead will be raised, and all will give an account of their lives to their maker. Jesus is saying, don’t leave Jerusalem, don’t move on with your lives, don’t even try to do gospel-centered ministry, until what? Until you receive the Holy Spirit. You need him. You need him to be your advocate, counselor, and strong helper. You need him to remember and discern the truth. You need him to remind you of your identity as a child of God. In the OT, only at certain times and places would someone be said to be filled with the Spirit of God, usually a prophet, priest, king, or some strong deliverer. But then Jesus’ whole ministry seemed to rely on the work of the Spirit. Here, one of the marks of this current age of Redemption is that every believer is filled with the Spirit. In fact, the book of Acts could rightly be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit. Let’s keep going. v. 6.
Acts 1:6-8 (NIV), “Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” I love that the disciples are still a little fuzzy on what Jesus was resurrected for. They still thought of the Kingdom of God in a physical or political sense. Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel? Meaning are you going to set our nation free from the Roman Empire? This isn’t a bad question, but Jesus gently corrects them saying, this is not for you to know. It’s for this reason that I am astonished by the proliferation of ministries that try and connect the dots between contemporary political events and the return of Jesus. If you read back through history, it seems as if every generation thought they were the generation that would be alive on the earth when Jesus returned. But here, Jesus clearly says that we won’t know when he will return. It is not for you to know! But that doesn’t mean we can just sit around and wait for him to return. He has given us the Holy Spirit, he has given us spiritual power, he has given us the gospel, and he says that his disciples will be his witnesses in Jerusalem, that is in the city where they were at the time, and in all Judea and Samaria, that is in the region of Jerusalem and in the next region, and to the ends of the earth. If we continued to study the book of Acts, this is really how Luke has structured his account. Chapters 1-7 center on what happened in Jerusalem. In Chapter 8 the disciples are scattered throughout Judea and Samaria because of persecution. And by the end of the book, we have Paul and others who have taken the gospel all over the Roman Empire, even to the ends of the earth. So it’s not our business to know the details of Jesus’ return, but it is very much our business to share the good news of the gospel, by the power of the Holy Spirit, starting out in our Jerusalem and radiating out from here. But now that these first Christians understood their mission, in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus, what would happen to Jesus? Would he stay with them as their king or maybe more like a general in this campaign of the gospel? We find the unexpected answer in v. 9.
Acts 1:9-11 (NIV), “After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” So after the resurrection, where Jesus defeated the Satanic powers of sin and death, and after he spent forty days with his disciples and appeared to hundreds of eyewitnesses, he ascended back into heaven where he is seated at the right hand of God, in the place of absolute power and authority. Did he need to fly up into the clouds? No, we know that he could appear and disappear in this physical realm, just as these men or angels or whoever these two characters are did to explain what was happening to the disciples. But not only was he raised from the dead but he was raised all the way up into heaven. Now, we talk a lot about the death and resurrection of Jesus, and rightly so. But in my opinion, the ascension of Jesus is one of the least appreciated aspects of the gospel. Why? Because his ascension is such a clear picture of the uniqueness of the person of Jesus. No one else is like him. In this sermon series, we’ve said that the Christian gospel claims that Jesus is far greater than anyone or anything. The ascension of Jesus, this image of Jesus high and lifted up is vital for followers of Jesus to understand, even today. Far too many Christians have way too small of a view of God. But here, we see that Jesus is greater than any person in your life or who has ever lived. Jesus is greater than any other prophet, priest, or king. Jesus is greater than Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus is greater than Moses, David, and Daniel. Not only that, but Jesus is greater than the angels and all the hosts of heaven. He is far greater than our Adversary, the devil. It’s not even close. Jesus died, it’s true, but he was raised. And he has ascended back into heaven as the undefeated King of the Kingdom of God.
So what does this mean for us today? The ascension of Jesus means many things, but I’ll briefly share two thoughts. First, and I hope you never forget this as long as you live, Jesus is not currently meek and mild. His first coming was marked by humility, suffering, and death, but Jesus is no longer in that state. Read Acts 1, Col 1, Heb 1, Php 2, the whole book of Revelation, and on and on. Jesus has been exalted to the highest place. He is seated on the throne. He is in glory. He is surrounded by all the hosts of heaven. Is this how you picture him? Is this the one you picture when you pray? Or when you listen to his teaching? Do you understand that his word is the command of the King of kings and Lord of lords? Do you understand that it was by his word that all things were made and that it is by his word that all things are sustained in reality?? See him high and lifted up! See him in glory! And see that the only possible response to one like Jesus is to worship him and give your whole life to him in joyful obedience and service.
Second, and finally, the ascension of Jesus ought to remind us of the final thing these two heavenly men told the disciples: “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” I love this. It’s like, ok I know you just saw a man taken up directly into heaven…but why are you still standing around here? Jesus has left you physically, but one day he will return. Remember the passage we considered last week? It started with Jesus saying, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (Jn 14:2-3). The ascension of Jesus should be a wonderful comfort for us not only of his kingly power and authority but of his care for us, his people. Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. Others might abandon you, but he never will. He has given us his Spirit and his Word. And one day, in the fullness of time, he will return and make all things new. So may we never lose this vision of Jesus high and lifted up, greater and more glorious than anyone or anything. And may we never forget his promise to return. He has gone into heaven to prepare a place for us. And one day, at just the right time, he will return and take us to be with him. Praise God. Let us pray.
