Ecclesiastes 8 Starting at verse 14 if you see it in your notes You see that it was only one verse but uh, that's a little deceiving because I've expanded it But I've picked this passage in Ecclesiastes because this I think in a nutshell Describes all of Ecclesiastes which we're going to be trying to do in our limited time this morning to the message of Ecclesiastes and Here's what I'm going to do Wondering if If I'm going to be clear even this morning, I'm going to just tell you from the get-go, the main point of Ecclesiastes is that our only hope is in Jesus Christ, as we have already sang this morning. And with our only hope in Jesus Christ, we still, as fallen human beings, have this great opportunity to enjoy life, even as it may be in a fallen world. So, Ecclesiastes 8, starting in verse 14. We're going to read all the way through verse 10 of chapter 9. Here's what the Word of God reads. There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun. When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one's eyes see sleep, then I saw all the works of God that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out. But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it's love or hate, man does not know, both are before him. It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner. And he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun. Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white, let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life that He has given you under the sun, because this is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol to which you are going." Let's pray. Gracious Father, illuminate Your Word this morning. Strengthen weary souls. Convict proud hearts. And Lord, may everything be done to Your glory. We thank You for all of life, and we ask these things in Your name. Amen. Well, there's nothing quite like the book of Ecclesiastes, and there's a snapshot of what the whole book is about, but the book of Ecclesiastes will swiftly and abruptly wake you up with a cold, hard slap across the face. It's called reality. And reality is tough. Reality is relentless, we see in Ecclesiastes. And it's unavoidable, though oftentimes we are spending our time trying to avoid it. Reality is always present, though we try and pretend that it's not. Why do we try to avoid it? What is there to pretend that something isn't present? Why do we do that? Because reality is harsh. Reality is painful and it stings, it's bitter. Though we see the sweetness of life, we also know the bitter sting. Reality leaves a nasty taste in your mouth. All of us have come face to face with reality by this point in most of our lives and it leaves a bad memory. Reality hurts and yet if you want to understand life a bit better and you want to ingrow you want to grow to enjoy life the life that God has given you to live, then reality is what the preacher here in Ecclesiastes said you need to consider and dwell upon. And that is precisely what the preacher does in the book of Ecclesiastes, and that's his goal, to present to you the complexities and the confusions of this life and all its brutal realness, so that you may live this temporary life under the sun to the most God-honoring, God-glorifying fullest. So this morning we're going to dive deep into the reality of life as presented to us here in this message of Ecclesiastes and I'm going to say from the get-go there are four points to give us a framework to operate in and These four points are important to understand how and why we are to enjoy the life that God has given us we are going to look at number one the reality of vanity this is where If you're a note taker, you can use the empty space there. The reality of vanity. Number two, the reality of death. Number three, the reality of God's control. God's sovereignty. Number four, the reality of God's gifts. You may say the reality of God's giving. And so first, we look at the reality of vanity. Vanity of vanity, says the preacher. All is vanity. We see vanity upward of over 30 times in the book of Ecclesiastes or its related form, vain. Vanity or vain comes from the word, the Hebrew word, hevel. And the book of Ecclesiastes is oftentimes shied away from because of this misunderstanding of what exactly vanity is. We interpret most of the time vanity to be this meaninglessness. And that's all the definition that the preacher uses it in. That's the only form. But you see, there's a good chance that you associate the book of Ecclesiastes with a cynical kind of pessimistic thing to avoid and a full of despair kind of view of life. And you've likely arrived at that conclusion or that association because you've taken vanity to just mean that things are pointless. So let's stay away from that. But the term is actually much wider in scope than this. And Hevel in its simplest Hebrew definition means a mist, excuse me, a vapor. It's a mist, the shortness of a vapor. So wrapped up in the preacher's use of this term is this idea of something that we cannot grasp, but it is there for a short time and then it is gone. Life as being vain is life as short. James alludes to this in his letter when he says, For what is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. And so vanity in some sense is dealing with the brevity of life for the preacher. But vanity also has wrapped up in its meaning this idea of grasping for air. or grasping for the wind. As he says in Ecclesiastes, we also like to put it, a striving after the wind. to look at a couple examples of those. In Ecclesiastes 1.14, it says, I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after the wind. 2.11, Then I consider that all my hands had done, and the toil that I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after the wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. Verse 17, So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after the wind. And we could go on more and more here of the striving after the wind in Ecclesiastes, but it's not necessarily that life is meaningless. and that vanity means only a pointlessness, but it's just that life under the sun, that is the life that only we can see now, and the way that we view life now from our point of view, this temporary moment is hard to know the meaning of. And the act of searching it out as the preacher has done is more of what is meaningless. You see, because what he says in chapter 8, verse 17, "...then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out, even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out." Vanity is that it cannot be found out. So us, so we and our finitude foolishly say, if I can't find the meaning of something in this life, then it must be meaningless. And so what we don't understand and what we get frustrated with, and instead of trusting God with, makes us despair. Sends us into depression. And by the way, frustration and that frustration of depression and despair is also wrapped up in this word, Havel or vanity. You see, vanity deals with the absurdity of this life from our point of view. It's unsolvable. It's impossible to fully grasp. There is an emptiness associated with it. And here's what the preacher was seeking and searching to find satisfaction in. Look at these six things. You see the vanity of wisdom, chapter one. You see the vanity of pleasure in chapter 2. You see the vanity of morality, or the vanity of moral and wise upright living. You see the vanity of work and toil, chapter 2 also. You see the vanity of wealth and the vanity of honor in chapter 5 and verse 6. And that's why it leads him to say, vanity of vanities, it's all vanity. Just listen to how he describes wisdom, something that we know to be good and to be valuable. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, it is all vanity and striving after the wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight. What is lacking cannot be counted. And I said in my heart, I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me. And my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. And I perceived that this also is but a striving after the wind." You see, vanity of all vanities, everything is vanity. The reality of vanity is that your pursuit of fulfillment in life, our pursuit of fulfillment in life will leave us empty. When you sit back and contemplate where you are going to, and what you are going to seek out and find meaning in this life and this purpose, you will conclude, as the preacher has concluded here, that it can't be found in pursuits. It's pointless. You won't find it. We haven't even gotten to the cyclical kind of repetitious nature of this vain life that he presents in chapter 1, nor do we have the time, but here's how he says it, there's nothing new under the sun. Nothing. Therefore don't try to discover something new the preacher says That will fulfill you because there is nothing there. I've done the work for you. It won't happen So with the reality of of vanity we Transition into the second reality. It is a reality of death here that the preacher presents and Ecclesiastes to lead us to an enjoyment of life and Sounds kind of opposite, doesn't it? And here's the question that the preacher asks in Ecclesiastes. He says, are you prepared to die? Are you prepared for death? Ecclesiastes 9, 1-3 again says, But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and the deeds are in the hand of God, whether it is love or hate, man does not know. Both are before him. It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices, him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. This is an evil that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that, they go to the dead." What is this evil event that the preacher speaks of? It's death. Death is an unavoidable reality, and unless Christ Returns during your lifetime here is the sad reality of death you and I will die You will go to the grave and time will pass and you will soon be forgotten Wow You won't be remembered Life will go on for the living and Sure, your family members will remember you for a generation or two, but life under the sun is harsh. It's real. You will face death one day. It's inevitable. Now, life under the sun isn't all there is, but it is where we are now. And it's over time and it's in our time and it's in this specific place that we experience our lifetime. And it's tempting to say, well, this is the vantage point of life without Christ. This is what the preacher is saying here. And this is the view of life for the secularists, right? For the atheists, for those who know nothing of eternity to come and think this life is all there is. It's tempting to say that is what he is combating here. And it is true that there is no life apart from Christ. We know that. But that is not what he is speaking of here in Ecclesiastes. What he's saying is this is what life is like for all of us. The reality is that life is full of monotony. I've spoken to enough of you over the last couple of years to know, Christian or not, life is full of despair. Life, a lot of times, if you're honest, can seem like you're on a hamster wheel. You get up, you go to work, you come home, go to sleep, repeat, make money, spend money, so on. This is life under the sun. This is precisely what he is describing. And one day that will end in death. So the question is, are you prepared to die because you're not going to live forever? Not in this life under the sun. So are we prepared? Are we prepared to die? You see, the reality of death, especially as it relates to the reality of vanity, is that we are not in control. And that's a tough pill to swallow because we are a people that want to control everything, right? We don't typically think of ourselves as control freaks, some of us may. But we are a people. When it gets down to it, we want to control everything. We want to be our own God. We want to know everything. We want to fix everything. We want to solve everything. We want to make everything smooth. We want to make everything nice and neat and tidy. We want to avoid everything that is hard. Help our kids to avoid everything is hard. We want to go after everything and attain all there is to attain. We want to be recognized for everything. So, of course, most of us aren't prepared for death, if we're honest, because an obsession with controlling everything in our lives keeps us preoccupied and distracted for preparing for the one thing that we have zero control over, and that is death. Which leads us smoothly into the third reality. If we are not in control, we know the one who is. The reality that God is sovereign and in control over all things is overflowing in the book of Ecclesiastes. You see a number of things begin to fall in place when we understand the doctrine of the sovereignty of God, right? And a lot of us can attest to that. But as it relates to the reality of death, accepting God's sovereignty over our death will actually prepare us to accept death itself. And accepting death is the next step to help us enjoy the life that God has given us. Accepting death will help us to live. It sounds odd, sounds off, but it's true. You guys know who lives life to the fullest. You guys have known people with terminal illnesses or you've heard of people who have had terminal illnesses. Who do you see that loves the best? Who do you see that laughs the hardest? Who do you see that cares the most? People that know they are close to death. People who know they are going to die. You even know someone or have heard of someone probably that has been announced to them that they are going to die. And to really begin to live life, talk to someone whose kids have grown up quickly and they regret the time spent. Talk to someone who put their whole life and their career and didn't even put intention into loving a family. You see, you really begin to live life when you know you are going to die and when you know that God is sovereign over your death. And so, should believers be in our rock-solid confidence of a sovereign God that is everlasting, that is unchanging, we should be a people that are prepared to die and to die well. Because the God who has our lives in His hands, who has the number of our days down to the exact second, and get this, He actually planned it, He can be trusted. And not because He lets us know everything, but because what we do know is that He is good. He is good. And His timing is perfect. Verse 14 of chapter 3, He says, I perceive that whatever God does endures forever. Nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it so that people fear before Him. That which is already has been, that which is to be already has been, and God seeks what has been driven away. See, under the sun, it doesn't always look like justice is winning. It doesn't look like righteousness is going forth. And under the sun, nothing seems fair, let alone death. But in chapter 8, verse 14, It says there is a vanity that takes place on earth. You see, the reality of God's sovereignty is that so much of it is hidden from our sight. So much is concealed, so little revealed, but those that fear in Him will be wise and live well. And after all, the fear of God or the fear of the Lord is the beginning of what? It's the beginning of all wisdom. You see, this is the otherworldly wisdom, a wisdom that doesn't find its worth in navigating life under the sun, though it helps, but one that has eternal weight and value. Know the reality of vanity and know the reality of death, but translate them with the simple rule of translation that God is ruler over all and nothing catches Him off guard. The final point this morning, and really where I wanted to be the whole time, so that was just an introduction, is the reality of God's gifts. We sang about His gifts before. I had no idea we were going to sing about that much giving that the Lord has done for us. Like I said, I even picked the songs. But God is the giver of all gifts. He is the giver of everything good. Or to put it another way, this is the reality of a giving God. And listen, church, God is the ultimate giver. You cannot out give God. He gives and He gives and He gives. Everything good in your life, God gave you. And guess what? Everything bad in your life, God gave you for your good. the basic, most helpful fundamental truth that you learned from a young age if you grew up in church, or the fundamental truth that you need to know as a new believer in Christ right now, or for that matter, the old believer in Christ. The fundamental thing that you need to know is God is good. God is so good. We don't sing that song often enough, probably. We left that in our childhood, but God is so good. His provision, His loving, His caring, they are good. Verses 7 through 10 in chapter 9, Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white, let not oil be lacking on your head. Look at the similarity of the wedding language. and celebration. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that He has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. And whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge of wisdom and Sheol to which you are going." You know how you face the reality of vanity and you face the reality of death. It's profoundly simple, but simple doesn't mean easy. But here is the solution. Stop trying to gain in this life and just enjoy the gift of life. You notice the theme here in these next several verses that I want to read to you. And you don't have to flip around with me, but just listen here to this overview of enjoying life found in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 2, verse 24 to 25. There is nothing better for a person than he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also I saw is from the hand of God, from apart from Him who can eat or who can have enjoyment. 3, 12 and 13 says, I perceive that there is nothing better for them to do than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live, also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil, because this is God's gift to man. Chapter 5, verse 18. Says this, behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun for the few days of his life that God has given to him, for this is his lot. 815, which we've already read a few times. And I commend joy for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful. For this will go with him in his toil through the days of the life that what? God has given. You notice the theme? The life that you have is from the hand of God. It has been given to you. It is your gift. This is to be enjoyed. Why? Because this is what has been given by a gracious God. This life is a gift. And maybe, maybe, like I find myself at times, you are unsatisfied with your job, just maybe because we are trying to gain something. Something that we cannot take with us because it's all vanity. Moms. Maybe you are restless with your calling because you aren't enjoying your family. The pursuit of joy in your callings and the pursuit of purpose and identity in your children or your husband or your wife will leave you empty. but the man or woman not trying to consume and not trying to gain, but slow down and enjoy the simplicity of God's gift of life, this is what brings joy. And joy is something that must be grown in. It's not automatic for the believer. Joy must be grown in. How many commands are there in the New Testament to not only rejoice, but to be thankful? And this takes growth and maturity. And ironically, it takes a striving after to know how to rest and to enjoy what God has given you in this lot. And so you might say that this is kind of confusing. Like, how am I supposed to love life and the physical gifts that God gives and the materialistic things that God gives? How am I supposed to enjoy the blessings of life that God has given me, yet I am also meant to enjoy and love God and live only for Christ? You say, I'm not sure quite how those two thoughts jive. And here's what I would propose to you. that these go hand in hand. You see, the created world and this life under the sun can only be truly enjoyed if it's not worshipped. If it's turned into an idol, you're worshipping. You are no longer enjoying. Pleasure, wisdom, morality, work, wealth, honor. Do you worship God's gifts, turning them to idols? Or do you worship the giver of those gifts, holding his gifts in their proper place, knowing that anytime they can be ripped away? You see, this is how we enjoy the life, the lot that God has given us. We worship Him. We trust Him. We obey Him. We walk with Him. We walk with the giver who gives and gives and gives. And when we grow and learn to enjoy life and we still get to the point where we see that sorrow and disaster and grief make us homesick and long for heaven, We will also see, too, that the gifts that God gives do not satisfy completely any of themselves either. They will never satisfy our deepest longing. So they themselves, even from the hand of God, point us back to God. So, too, will they fail at providing ultimate comfort and security. And that is also the design of God. See, if these are the good things and these are God's gifts now, how good is eternal glory going to be? Closing, I want to leave you with this truth from Ecclesiastes 3, verse 11. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, catch this, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. You see, God has so set up a lack of satisfaction even in his good gifts so that we would long for eternity. He has put eternity in our hearts. Augustine, listen to what Augustine said, speaking of salvation by Christ, but related here to this whole concept of enjoying God and enjoying the life he has given. He says, because you have made us for yourself, our heart is restless until it rests in you. You see, we are created with the knowledge of God, and we are created by design. God created us for a longing of eternity. We will not be satisfied, even though we may learn to master the enjoyment of the simple gifts that God has given us. But He has put eternity in our hearts. Ecclesiastes teaches that to know something of eternity, that right now, It is affecting our hearts and causing us to long for something even greater. And we don't fully understand, as the end of that verse says, we don't fully understand what God has done from the beginning to the end, but we are aware. John Tweedale says, we are to live our lives from the vantage point of eternity. Sin, however, distorts this perspective. We no longer treat work as a gift from God, but as a platform for personal greatness. Time is seen as not something beautiful that should be redeemed, but as something inconsequential that should be squandered. History is understood not in the arena of God's providential rule, but as the playground for the powerful to prey on the weak. An eternal life is not to be desired, but to be mocked by those who only live for the moment. Ecclesiastes, however, teaches us that such fatalism is futile. We are made to know God and nothing apart from eternity with Him will satisfy our deepest longings. Do you know God? Are you in Christ? Christ says, come and feast. He says, come and dine, come and drink and never be thirsty again. Isn't it ironic that the Sunday we celebrate the Lord's Supper and how Christ invites us is also the same and related to the simple gifts that God gives us to eat and drink and find your longing in Christ. You see, Christ came and said, I came that you may have life and have it more abundantly. The hope that can satisfy and fulfill all your deepest longings can only be found in Christ. So I plead with you this morning to put your faith in Christ, who is mighty to save, who is mighty to satisfy, and come and dine with Him. Let's pray. Oh, Father, You are a good God. You are a good Father. Lord, You don't only make us new, but You sustain us, Father. You sustain us with no energy at all. Lord, You sustain us every heartbeat, every breath by Your great and awesome power. And Lord, You do this because You are a giver. You are a giver of life. You are a giver of Your love. You cannot not give. You cannot not love, Father. And we are forever grateful to You for Your glory, for Your grace, and for Your mercy. Father, we ask that the words from Scripture this morning would not send us into despair ultimately, Lord, but would send us there only to see that You alone will satisfy the longings of our broken souls. Father, help us to enjoy life. Lord, help us to see this life as a gift from above. And Father, even the not-so-hard things in life, or the not-so-easy things in life that You send that are hard, Father, help us to rejoice even in those, Lord, that You have sent them our way. We trust You that You are faithful to do good to us, Father. And we ask these things in Your name. Amen.