Life is to be Fully Embraced as a Gift
Intro: Dear Friends and visitors. My name is Pastor Matt Johnson and it is good to be back with you after a couple of weeks leave. TODAY, we are again picking up our study of Ecclesiastes thinking about life in our fallen world. How do we seize the day (and make the most of life) – when we are confronted with so much futility, brokenness and death?
Prayer: Well, King Solomon (the author of this book) is a little bit like A DRILL SERGEANT in the army. He kind of beats us down and forces us to face reality – before he begins to build us back up in the closing chapters. There is no point sending young soldiers out on to the battle field – thinking they know what they have to do – WHEN 1) they are completely unfit to do it, 2) don’t know how to load their rifles properly and 3) haven’t the slightest idea about military strategy. They may all be hero’s in their own minds. BUT IF THEIR HEROISM is a complete delusion it is a sure recipe for disaster. So drill sergeants generally knock young soldiers down a peg or two AND help them to face reality before they begin to build them back up again. THE SOLDIER who has not seriously pondered the reality of war (and/or the limitations of their own humanity) will generally be the first-person dead on the battlefield.
And the same is true of life. Most people THINK they know what life is all about. We don’t need a drill sergeant. Of course, we will win the battle of life – if we simply work hard and follow our hearts. But is any of this grounded in reality? Or is it simply delusion?
Like most drill sergeants, Solomon begins to burst some of our delusional bubbles. He points out that given the brokenness of life under the sun most of us don’t have THE ABILITY to obtain our goals in life. AND even if by chance we did obtain our goals in life – we’d soon discover they’re not very satisfying – because they are not good goals…
Yet, nonetheless in our increasingly secular, humanist world we often tell young people “you can do whatever you put your mind to.” Or we tell them – “You can become whatever you want to be” even if it’s the opposite sex, a furry animal or the President of the United States. But is this actually true? Is shooting for the stars really the answer to life. And why are we shooting for the stars anyway? Why aren’t we content with an ordinary good life?
Again, and again in Ecclesiastes Solomon tells us that happiness and meaning is not usually found in A) being extraordinary, but in B) learning to appreciate the ordinary. Meaning, significance and joy in life is not reserved for SOME SELECT MINORITY who make it to the stars, but for all those who fear God, keep His commandments – and learn to appreciate the ordinary, good things of life.
So today Solomon continues to TEAR US DOWN, in order to build us up. He forces us to confront the awful realities of death, time and chance – so that we accept we are not really in control of anything…
Point 1: Everything Appears Meaningless if Death happens to us All
Show: Eccles.9:1-2 (READ)
Explain: Well THE COMMON DESTINY that we all share is the grave. It doesn’t matter whether we are righteous or wicked, good or bad, \ religious or not religious – we all ultimately die. So what value is there in being righteous, good or religious – if you still die. Whatever choices we make – we all seem to end up in the same place – 6 feet under.
Now looking at the options – Solomon recognises that it is better to be A) alive than B) dead. In verse 4 – (he says) even A LIVE DOG is better than A DEAD LION. Now as I’ve pointed out the word “BETTER” occurs some 25x in Ecclesiastes. Solomon is trying to work out the best way to do life. And some ways of doing life are BETTER than other ways of doing life. In this case being alive is better than being dead. But can we choose life and avoid death?
Again, Solomon is forcing us to face an awful reality. We’re all going to die. Now you may be like the lion – the king of the jungle. You may be the king of real estate, or the king of likes on Tik Tok. But the minute you die – the stray mutt or the beggar on the street is better off than you. Death turns all our hard work to nought. No matter how hard we work or what we accomplish it all amounts to nothing when we die. So why are we all working so hard? What are we looking for in life? Whether we like it or not – we must confront the reality of death.
But this is the very thing most people don’t want to do. Death is such a FINAL and SCARY reality – that most people choose to ignore it, or they sanitize it or they live like they are never going to die. But death is something we must face in life. You are going to die. It may be SOONER OR it may be LATER – but you are going to die and your whole life will be summed up on a tombstone. So its better to face this reality and make decisions in light of this reality.
Earlier in Ecclesiastes 7 Solomon said a similar thing…. (Slide 3 – Eccles.7:2). Now the house of mourning is talking about a funeral. And Solomon is saying it is actually better for you to go to a funeral than a party. (PAUSE). Death is your ultimate destiny and you need to take that to heart and consider how it is shaping you…
But this is the very thing we don’t want to do. In our western world we are increasingly sanitizing and distancing ourselves from death. We no longer watch our loved ones die – because we put them in hospitals or nursing homes for this final step. We no longer prepare the bodies of our loved ones for burial. We no longer dig the grave. We outsource all these parts of the process. What’s more – while funerals still take place, less and less people these days go to the BURIAL or the CREMATION. It is too final and too confronting. So most people (even family members) now bypass the burial or cremation and go straight to the wake – where they can eat, drink and be merry again while talking about sport or the weather. But Solomon says – that DEATH and the finality of DEATH is something we must take to heart.
Illustrate: So when I buried my grandfather and grandmother (a few years ago) – I intentionally took my children to the actual burial. While most of the extended family and friends went straight to the wake – I wanted my kids to see the burial and throw dirt on the grave. LIKE SOLOMON – I want my children to remember we are all ashes to ashes, dust to dust. It is actually at the grave – facing death for what it really is – that we have the clearest vision of life and what is most important…
Apply: The finality of death and distressing nature of death – forces us to ask the only question that really matters. Is there any way to beat death? Sadly, in 1000BC – Solomon lacked a clear answer. He could not yet see – the Lord Jesus Christ, Good Friday or Easter Sunday. But as people who live in 2024AD (ano domini – the year of our Lord) we know Jesus has a story that involves beating death.
Now is that true? If death really is the biggest and most pressing reality that we face in life – it is a reality that inevitably drives us to look for a solution Did Jesus beat death and can he help me beat death?
In Matthew 7 – Jesus says (Matt.7:13-14; READ). Thanks to Jesus there is no longer a common destiny for all people. Although A) most people are still headed for death and destruction; B) a few people are headed for life beyond the grave. Humanity no longer shares a common destiny. But to get off the path of death and destruction – (Jesus says) we must enter through a narrow gate. So what is this gate? Well in John 14 – Jesus says (John 14:6 – READ). Jesus is saying he is the gate to life. Jesus is the way to safely pass through death and enter into His Fathers glory. (GOSPEL) THE PROBLEM IS – we all live in a fallen, sinful world – because we have rejected God. THE PENALTY for rejecting God is meaninglessness, futility and death. This is what we deserve. But when Gods Son – the Lord Jesus Christ – died on the cross – he was taking upon himself the punishment of sin – so that we can be spared. Jesus was dying in your place for your sins – so that you don’t have to die and endure meaninglessness forever. And God and Jesus – did this for you – because they LOVE YOU. Again, the famous – John 3:16 says (Jn.3:16 – READ). So have you faced the awful reality of death and has that driven you to seriously ponder Jesus. Either A) Jesus pays for your sin and you are saved from death OR B) you pay for your sin and you remain dead forever.
Point 2: Everything Appears Meaningless if Time and Chance happen to us All
Show: Eccles.9:11 (Slide 7 – READ)
Explain: Just as A) DEATH happens to us all, so time and chance happen to us all. We don’t actually determine the course of our life as much as we think. TIME and CHANCE play a huge role in how our life goes. As Ecclesiastes 9:1 says – (Slide 8; Eccles.9:1). Your life is in Gods hands. You are not in really control of your life.
Now the modern secular humanist actually teaches you and your children THE EXACT OPPOSITE of what Solomon says in verse 11. The world believes – 1) THE RACE is to the swift, 2) THE BATTLE is for the strong; 3) FOOD comes to the wise; 4) WEALTH to the brilliant and 5) FAVOR to the learned. It is not just survival of the fittest. We believe in success for the fittest. So be swift, strong, wise, brilliant and learned and you will have success in whatever you do. But this is simply not true. Time and chance often humbles the strong and elevates the weak…
Do you think ELON MUSK is the wealthiest man on earth A) simply because he is smarter and wiser than everyone else? OR B) did time and chance have a big role to play in his wealth. Do you realise – MOST of you would never have heard of Elon Musk if EBAY didn’t decide to buy his start-up company PayPal for $1.5 billion in 2002. EBAY could have written their own payment software OR bought a different company. Elon had no control over this decision. If Ebay did not buy PayPal in 2002 – Musk would never have had the capital to start Tesla or Space X (and you probably would have never heard of him). Time and chance has a big part to play with his success. What about DONALD TRUMP OR JOE BIDEN? Were they Presidents of the most powerful country on earth because they were smarter, wiser and more impressive men than the average Joes OR did time and chance and dumb luck largely put them there.
God has made the world in such a way that if you work hard and make wise decisions, you will generally do better than the lazy man who makes foolish decisions. But in our fallen, sinful world – there are no guarantees. There are plenty of lazy foolish people who seem to have great success and many hard working wise people who have very ordinary lives…
So if time and chance happens to us all (and there are no guarantees of success) – what value is there in being wise and working hard? Just as DEATH makes so much of our work futile, so does TIME AND CHANCE make so much of our hard work futile. Whether we end up rich or poor, healthy or sick, famous or unknown is determined as much by A) the circumstances of life, as B) our own efforts. So how do we interpret the chances and circumstances of life…
Apply: Most people end up going down a kind of KARMA philosophy. Good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. If I feel blessed – God or chance must be smiling upon me. If I’m suffering God or chance must be frowning upon me. Now according to the Bible people do tend to REAP what they SOW. The hard worker will generally do better than the lazy man. The wise person will generally do better than the fool. But the world is actually far more complex than Karma or wisdom. Straight karma and wisdom is naïve…
We know this is true because JESUS did not reap what he sowed. He reaped what we sowed. God allowed Jesus to go through great evil and great suffering for our good. So sometimes (in this fallen world) bad things can happen to good people AND good things can happen to bad people… But what looks like CHANCE is in fact Gods providence and Sovereignty. This is very hard to accept. But God is in control of absolutely everything and He is working for the good of those who love Him. Romans 8:28 says – (Slide 9 – Rom.8:28). Notice God is orchestrating the events of your life for your good if you love Him. This is often something we have to accept by FAITH, not SIGHT.
In the midst of difficulty we can’t always see the good. At least not immediately. But God is good and He is Sovereignly orchestrating the events of your life for your good if you love Him. You are not the subject of blind chance, but the subject of a loving God who is always working for your good. So even in difficulty do not despair, Rather, seize the day.
Point 3: Life is Meaningful when we know we have Gods* Approval
Show: Eccles.9:7-10 (READ)
Explain: Well notice Solomon tells us to EAT our food with gladness and DRINK our wine with a joyful heart FOR we have Gods approval. That is a huge statement. Despite the reality of death and the ups and downs of life – do you know you have Gods unconditional love and approval? We all long for approval. What often drives us to shoot for the stars – is the desire to gain the approval of our parents, or our peers or even God. We don’t really desire greatness. What we desire is approval and acceptance and love. BUT 1) the reality of death and 2) the happenchance of life – make it hard to discern Gods heart and other people’s hearts towards us. Are we loved? Are we approved of?
We all know the old French game – that involves a daisy. To determine whether your sweetheart loves you or not – you get a daisy flower and gradually tear off the petals one at a time. As you tear off the first petal you say “he loves me”. Then as you tear off the second petal – “he loves me not.” So on and so forth you repeat he loves me and loves me not – as you tear off the petals. And when you get to the last petal – whether you are saying A) “he loves me” or B) he loves me not – supposedly reveals the true heart of your beloved.
Of course, this is all nonsense. But this is how many people do life. We have a positive experience and we decide God loves us. Then we have a negative experience and we decide God does not love us. So on and so forth. But the final petal on the flower of life is DEATH – so maybe we are not loved. As Ecclesiastes 9:1 says – (Slide 12; Eccles.9:1)
With this question unresolved – God loves mel He loves me not – we spend much of our life trying to gain God’s approval. We don’t really live and enjoy life. Rather we strive and chase the wind trying to gain approval from God, others and self. OR we give up altogether and we conclude that God could never love and approve of a person like me. But this inevitably leads to despair and destructive patterns of life – because we have effectively given up on our self.
So Solomon is encouraging us to break the daisy chain of he loves me, he loves me not – and realise that if you are a true child of God – you have Gods unconditional approval on your life already. Its not something you have to earn by reaching the stars. It’s something you have as a gift – ultimately in the Lord Jesus Christ…
Apply: Now exactly how Solomon grasped Gods unconditional love and approval of him in 900BC is hard to tell. Maybe he was simply clinging to Gods promise that He had set his love and affection on the Jews – even though they were the least of all people (Deut.7:6-8). But as Christians – we know we have Gods unconditional approval by looking at the cross. God didn’t save you because you were worthy of salvation OR because you reached the dizzying heights of the stars. NO! God loved you and saved you simply because He decided to love you and save you. Just as God chose the Jews, so He has chosen you. And God says that if you truly believe in Jesus death for your sins – you will always have his unconditional love and approval. In the good times – approval. In the bad times – approval. Even when you stumble and fall – God will never take his approval away from you.
And this is the beginning of true life. This is Carpe Diem and how we seize the day. WE DON’T LIVE in order to gain God or man’s approval. We live in a joyful, grateful confident way because we know we already have Gods approval. And if we have Gods approval – we know we are worthy of man’s approval too. We don’t have to earn it.
What we all desire in life is not really greatness or power or fame. No one is really born with a desire to work 80 hours a week and become CEO of a big company. What we all desire in life is the love and approval of God and others – despite our flaws and insecurities. But this is not found in being EXTRAORDINARY and REACHING THE STARS. It is found in grasping that God and others can love you (and do love you) – even in your ORDINARINESS.
If you are a Christian you are loved and approved of by God. You are not special because of what you do. You are special because of who you are. You are Gods child. IN JESUS – you have a future that is LIFE, not death. What’s more, your life now is not the VICTIM OF CHANCE. Your life now is under Gods special providence and care. So be thankful. Enjoy Gods blessings. Don’t fret the difficulties. Dress well. Do your hair with oil (or whatever is your preferred styling product). Love the people in your life and seize the opportunity you have to glorify God for loving you. As verse 10 says – whatever your hand now finds to do within the realm of Gods approval – do it with all your might. Seize the day. Carpe Diem.
Becoming a Christian does not mean you stop working hard. It just means you work hard for different reasons. You no longer work for self approval and self glory. RATHER YOU WORK for God and Gods glory because He loves you and approves of you. But this means your work is also less toilsome – because God is a kinder master to serve, than yourself. So long as you are working for self – you will often beat and whip and drive yourself to exhaustion to gain meaning and approval before you die. But when you begin serving God he helps you to get better balance in life – because you know you are significant – not because of how much you do, but because of who you are to Him…
