It's Still All Vanity

INTRODUCTION
Recall that a major theme of Ecclesiastes is the vanity, or emptiness, of the things of this life. If you watch the news, you know that life is not only empty, it’s troubling and even scary at times. This is certainly true for those who are not enjoying communion with God through Christ and the Holy Spirit. Today we continue our series titled, “The Meaning of Life” from the Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes where we have seen the Spirit, through Solomon, showing us the vanity of life outside of communion with God. We continue this morning with Ecclesiastes 9:13-18.

IT’S STILL ALL VANITY
The Emptiness of This Life (9:1-8)
Last week we heard again Solomon’s lament about life being not only empty, but seemingly unfair as it doesn’t matter who you are, the same kind of things happen to everyone: natural disasters, personal hardships, broken hearts, joys, hopes, hurts, destructive habits, and death. Life is like that, that’s one reason we have Celebrate Recovery. Such hard and painful things are all there is for those outside of Christ. Oh, there are times of wealth, ease, comfort, prosperity and all that, but it can all come crashing down in any moment; history shows it over and over again. However, for those in Christ there is joy, peace and purpose that goes beyond the tragedies, emptiness and even the happiness of this life. I Christ there is forgiveness, communion with God, and fulfillment as we learn to love Him.

The Vanity of Selfish Pursuits (9:9-12)
Last week we also saw that life outside of God life is viewed as merely time and chance, but for those who understand something about God’s sovereignty, time and chance there is something far more dependable: the perfect plan and will of God. Most of us know Ephesians 2:8-9, but we must not forget 2:10 which says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Once you’ve repented, and come to God thru Christ, then you live for Him doing the good works He prepared for you to do. Even the best “good works” outside of Christ…are filthy rags, but in Christ you can know what God’s purpose is for you and you can actually fulfill it through the strength, leading, and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. You see, in Christ, we understand that God is sovereign nothing happens just by “time and chance.” He is in control and He always does the right thing, even though mankind doesn’t.

The Value of Wisdom (9:13-18)
Today we return to the topic of wisdom, one often brought up in Ecclesiastes. The Spirit through Solomon tells a story about a single, lowly man who used his wisdom to save an entire city from destruction by an invading king. There is a similar account in 2 Samuel 20:16-22. This is not the same account as there are several differences, but the lesson is the same. Sheba, a Benjamite, tried to lead a revolt against King David. Joab, commander in chief of David’s army, went to the city to suppress the revolt. The woman, whose name is not recorded, was used to saved the whole city and bring the rebel to justice. One poor woman saves the city because God granted her the wisdom to do so. We don’t think much of anyone’s wisdom either unless they are wealthy and powerful, after all, if you were truly wise, you’d be wealthy and powerful, right? That’s what human wisdom says. On the contrary, God’s word tells us it’s not like that at all. He says in 1 Corinthians 1:19 “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise” (of human wisdom that is), and in 1 Corinthians 3:19 He says, “the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.” God’s wisdom is far superior to man’s wisdom and God gives it freely to those who trust Him and ask Him for it (James 1:5-8).

True wisdom, Godly wisdom, is to be greatly sought after. It makes no difference your intellect, wealth, or influence; only your humility before God, openness to Him, love and submission to Him. When you humble yourself and ask God to give you wisdom…He will!

Right now, today, human wisdom says there is much to worry about; time and chance are not going to well. There are many threats, like ISIS, Ebola, identity theft, and terrorism that combines them all! Do we need to fear these things? No. Could they come to New Brighton? Yes. But God is sovereign, and if you are in Christ, He will provide and ensure you are able to do the things he has called you to do. Does that mean you will be immune to trouble and hardship? No, ISIS, Ebola, identity theft, and any number of other things could harm you. Yet, you need not fear any of those things because you belong to Him, “whom shall I fear!”

This came up on Friday at Celebrate Recovery. We were talking about how God uses the Body of Christ in our recovery from our hurts/habits and the question came up, “Well, what do we do when this bad stuff (like ISIS and Ebola) happen?” The answer can be found many placed in Scripture, but I’ll mention now what I mentioned then; turn to Matthew 24:1-14. Notice that throughout this section, Jesus is telling that that hard things like wars, pestilence, earthquakes, and persecution are going to take place but we shouldn’t worry because the none of it is the end yet. These are all going to happen as part of life. Jesus tells us what to do in 24:14, saying that the Gospel must be preached to all people…”and then the end will come.” Our job in the face of good times or bad is to do what God has called us to do. As believers, part of the Body of Christ, we all have part in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is the only hope for mankind, the only hope for those just trying to survive the vanity of this life. For those outside of Christ, life is just “time and chance,” but for those in Christ, life is a short time of learning to love, trust and serve Him.

CONCLUSION
Life in communion with God is full and rich, not rich as in wealth, but rich in purpose, meaning and value…regardless of the trials and problems that come.

Not only does a follower of Christ have great purpose, but also a great mission, one that remains regardless of the trials and problems that come. My prayer is that God would help you understand His perfect will for your life and would use you to free the lost from the vanity of this world. You must also guard against falling back into vain pursuits…forsaking Godly wisdom, but if you are pursuing after the blessed communion with Christ…that won’t happen.