One of the sad realities of preaching is the preacher’s knowledge that much of what he says is so quickly forgotten.  That is just one of the challenges any communicator faces in this day of technological and information overload.

Therefore as this series of messages on the Book of Ecclesiastes comes to a close I have a desire as your pastor to try and help you remember the truths that the Preacher of Ecclesiastes has taught us in the past four or five months.  Obviously I can’t speak for you but I can speak for myself and I can tell you that this study has been one of my most enjoyable while at the same time one of the most personally challenging.  Week after week I have been challenged to examine how I’m living my life in light of what God the Father is saying through the Preacher.

Time and again I have been personally challenged to examine my life to see if I was enjoying life, if I was enjoying God’s gifts to me.  I was challenged and had to ask myself what kind of risk was I taking for the Kingdom of God and the glory of God?  What kind of risk was I willing to lead the church to take?  Part of the problem was as I contemplated the current question the Preacher would raise another one and then another one.

The wrong thing to do would be to leave the questions he raises un-answered.  The wrong thing to do would be to move on to the next series of messages and leave the questions of risk taking and enjoying life behind.  Let me tell you I really don’t want to do that!

I want to deal with these questions and I want to wrestle with them and come to some kind of resolution.  And as your Pastor that’s what I want for you as well.  I want you to wrestle with these questions until you resolve them.  I want to stir your intellect and lead you to think about life and how you can live successfully.

After all don’t we all want to be successful in life? Who doesn’t want to find the answers to the questions of meaning and purpose?

In order to help us remember what the Preacher has taught us I’m going to summarize his main points and hopefully I’ve done it in such a way that it will be remembered and referenced frequently.

Lesson #1:  Don’t dismiss or discount the evangelistic power of Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes directly addresses the questions that every human being asks privately or publicly.  We all want to know why we are here.  We all want to know if there is any meaning or any purpose to life.  We want to somehow make sense of the suffering, the injustice that we both experience and witness.  Ecclesiastes answers those questions by pointing us to our Creator.  The Preacher of Ecclesiastes boldly asks the important questions about life, but he doesn’t stop with asking the questions he strives to provide some answers.  When he doesn’t have the answers he still has wise counsel for us and invariably points to the One who does have the answers. He points us to our Creator; he points us to our wise and sovereign God who is in control of the times and the seasons of life.

When people ask these life and death questions you can take them to Ecclesiastes and help them understand what the meaning of life is and you can help them understand that we are not living in a world of randomness, but rather we are living in a world that is under the watchful care of its Creator.  You can help them understand that the meaning and purpose of life can only be found through Jesus Christ.

Lesson #2:  The Preacher teaches us that life lived apart from God is a wasted and useless life.

Early in the book we encountered the often repeated phrase “under the sun”.  The Preacher uses that exact phrase 28 times and he uses it to describe life that is lived apart from God. When the Preacher uses the phrase “under the sun” he refers to living in this world and never taking God into account. Under the sun means observing life purely on the horizontal plane and never taking the time to look up; it means our observations and the conclusions we draw from those observations are made purely on the horizontal plane.  It means we live as if there is not a God to whom we are accountable or never consider that he has something to contribute to enhance the quality of our lives.

Therefore the message to all who never factor God into life is that they are destined and doomed to waste their most valuable possession – their life. They will have missed the very essence of their existence.

The Preacher uses another word, another phrase to describe the lives of those who never consider their Creator.  He describes their lives as being vain, meaning that it’s not really life at all, that there is no substance in that kind of life.   A life of vanity is in reality a life that has no meaning.

Lesson #3: The Preacher teaches that the only legitimate way to live a life of meaning and purpose is by remembering our Creator.

When the Preacher commands us to remember our Creator he means much more than just thinking pleasant thoughts about God, or simply thinking about God once in a while.  When we properly remember our Creator that will lead us to live our whole lives for him, to be mindful of our Creator in every circumstance, to include God in all of our plans and praising him for all of his blessings and praying to him in our times of trouble.

To remember our Creator means we submit to his Lordship we submit to his authority we obey him and we factor him into each and every decision that we make.  To remember our Creator is to center our lives on Him.

Remember that Jesus Christ is our Creator.

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16, ESV)

“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3, ESV)

“He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.” (John 1:10, ESV)

The only way to escape the vanity of life is by centering your life on Jesus Christ and on him alone.  Not on your wife, not on your husband, not on your children, not on your school and not on your career.

Lesson #4: The Preacher teaches us how God’s sovereignty orchestrates our lives.

Gods’ sovereignty is one of the key themes in the book of Ecclesiastes.  The Preacher teaches us about God’s sovereignty not by definition but by demonstration.  In Ecclesiastes 3 we read the Preacher’s poem about time.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1–8, ESV)

The Preacher teaches us that it is God who controls the times and the seasons of our lives.  He controls the day of our birth and the day of our death.  He controls the days of prosperity and the days of adversity.  The Preacher teaches us that because God is sovereign everything comes from his hand.

The Preacher uses the sovereignty of God to teach us that we should stand in awe of God.  To help us reverence and respect God.  To humble us before our transcendent Creator.

The sovereignty of God not only creates in us the awe of God it is also the source of contentment in our lives.  When I understand that my life is not a collection of random events but rather is a predesigned sequence that God has set in motion and that he has designed that sequence for my good (See Romans 8:28). When I come to terms with that knowledge it create a sense of contentment in my life.

As I said in one of the earlier messages this has nothing to do with fatalism.  It does have to do with our humbling ourselves in light of God’s wisdom.  The Preacher also taught us that contentment is not the same as inactivity.  He encourages us to seize the opportunities that God provides for us.

Lesson #5:  The Preacher teaches us how to worship

In chapter five the Preacher admonishes us to “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God.”

The Preacher wants us to know that there is a right way and a wrong way to come to God’s house. You can’t help but notice the serious tone the Preacher takes.  He says, guard your steps, pay attention, and be careful when you go to God’s house.  He then tells us how we must conduct ourselves when we are in the Lord’s house.

Philip Ryken writes: “Understand that whenever we go to worship, we enter the presence of a holy God who has gathered his holy people to hear his Holy Word. If we take this for granted, not listening to what God says, then the Bible says that we are guilty of great evil, for we have despised the gospel of the cross and the empty tomb.”

If there was only one lesson from the Preacher that sticks with you I hope this is the one.  Take your coming to church – take your worship of God seriously.  If you can get this right you will miles ahead of so many other professing Christians.  There is a right way to worship God!  Learn it and practice it!

Lesson #6:  The Preacher teaches us to live life with a sense of urgency.

“Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.” (Ecclesiastes 9:7, ESV)

The sense of urgency comes from his use of the word “Go”.  The Preacher says Go Know!  Don’t hesitate, don’t procrastinate, and don’t put it off.

Why this sense of urgency?  I hesitate to bring it up – some have remarked how much I’ve mentioned this subject in these messages – but it’s the 800 pound gorilla in the room.  The Preachers’ urgency comes from what none of us can avoid and that is death!

Repeatedly the Preacher has shown us that regardless of who we are, or what we have we are all going to die.  The wise die, and the foolish die.  The young die, and the old die.  The righteous die and the wicked die.  Death bats a thousand!

The problem is our ignorance of knowing when our ticket will be punched!  We don’t know the day, the moment, the second Jesus turns our hearts off.  In light of our ignorance we should, we must live our lives with a sense of urgency.  Go!  Do all you can for God while you can!

The New Testament teaches us to “redeem the time”.

Lesson #7:  The Preacher teaches us to enjoy life.

It’s funny as I was preparing this message I combines all 17 of my messages into one large word doc.  When I searched for the word “enjoy” Word came back with the message “That shows up a lot!”  In fact I made reference to it over 180 times.

Why did I emphasize it so much?  Because the Preacher did!  He time and again teaches us that we must enjoy life that we must enjoy the good gifts that God has given to us.

“There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God,” (Ecclesiastes 2:24, ESV)

“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.” (Ecclesiastes 8:15, ESV)

“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 the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.” (Ecclesiastes 5:18, ESV)

The Teacher, encourages all of us to enjoy God’s daily gifts such as food and drink and work. Instead of pursuing riches, we should pursue daily enjoyment. When we do this, we will discover that even our joy is a gift from God.

The Preacher tells you to stop your worrying and enjoy life.  The Preacher reminds you that anxiety kills joyful living.  The key to overcoming your anxiety is by resting in the greatest certainly of life – that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

Lesson #8:  The Preacher teaches us that it’s right to take God honoring risks.

The Preacher encourages us cast our bread upon the waters.  The Preacher encourages us to take a risk that seems so risky that a return seems impossible.  The Preacher wants you to embrace the uncomfortable world of risk taking.  The Preacher wants the major investment of your life to be in the kingdom of God.  He wants you to step out in faith.  He wants you to be bold for the Kingdom of God and the glory of God.  The Preacher does not want us to let uncertainty paralyze us.

Since this message was preached a few weeks ago have you thought about it?  Have you thought about and prayed about what risk you not only could take but should take?  Or are you continuing to let uncertainty or even apathy paralyze you?  Have you stepped out in faith?  What have you risked for the glory of God in the past week?

If you haven’t why not?  If not now when? What risk can you take?  Remember a risk isn’t a risk until the possibility of loss exists.  Most of what we do as Christians is pretty safe.  We give some but not enough to crimp our standard of living.  We come to church but we don’t serve because it may cut into our free time, our leisure time or our study time.  We hang out with our Christian friends instead of befriending a lost person who needs to hear the gospel.  We are far too comfortable in our Christianity.

Lesson #9:  The Preacher teaches us to fear God.

“To fear God is not to be terrified of God but to stand in awe of him. To fear God is to take God seriously, to acknowledge him in our lives as the highest good, to revere him, to honor him, and worship him, to center our lives on him.”

Why should we fear God?  Simply because it is the whole of man.  In the original the word duty is not there it is implied and supplied in the English to aid our understanding.  We should fear God because that is why we exist; this is why we were created.  It is the duty of everyone to fear God and to keep his commandments. It’s not only our duty, it’s our essence. God created us to stand in awe of him and keep his commandments.  This is where we find the meaning of life – this is our essence!

Second we should we fear God because God will bring every word and every action into judgment.

“For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14, ESV)

We must fear God because not only is he the Creator he is the Judge. Suffice it to say that the reason everything we do matters is because of the judgment of God.  God doesn’t overlook any of our actions.  Nothing falls through the cracks with God.

Every deed, every word, every action, has significance.  Think about all of your actions, all of the words that you’ve spoken today, think of everything you have done today, everything you’ve done in the last week.  Each and every one of them will come under the judgment of God unless and until you come to Christ!

The meaning of life can only be experienced as we are rightly related to our Creator.  God – our Creator has made it possible for us to escape the judgment our sin demands.  How so?  God took the punishment that you and I deserved.  Jesus Christ God in the flesh came to earth and lived a life of perfect obedience.  He lived a life that demonstrated each and every day the wisdom of God and how that wisdom must be used to live life in a God pleasing way.  Therefore for all who come to Christ, willing to turn away from their sin, their wisdom, their false sense of self sufficiency then they will not experience the judgment the Preacher talks about.  Rather they will find grace and mercy, forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life.

Until you come to Christ you are under the judgment of God both now and in the future.  If you never come to Christ you will have not only wasted your life you will have wasted your eternal existence.

“The final message of Ecclesiastes is not that nothing matters but that everything matters.”

There Eight key words and phrases to help you remember the message of the Preacher.  The Preacher commands you to live life with:

1. Urgency – in enjoying life and seizing opportunity

2. Enjoyment

3. Integrity – in worship and work

4. Community

5. Patience

6. Contentment

7. Adventure

8. Remembering Him – while we can

Text: Ecclesiastes 12:9–14

The Big Idea: The meaning of life can only be experienced as we are rightly related to our Creator. 

Date: March 8, 2015

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Philip Ryken writes: “If there is no God, then there is no Judge. If there is no Judge, then there will be no Final Judgment. If there is no Final Judgment, there is no ultimate meaning to life. Nothing matters.”

Are you ready to come to that conclusion?

I for one am not! More importantly neither is the book of Ecclesiastes.  Just the opposite is true – Ecclesiastes teaches us everything matters.  You would do well to meditate on those words until you feel the weight of them settle down on you and let them impact the way you live, to let those words impact every choice you make and every action you take.

If nothing matters – then what’s the point; but if even one thing matters then everything matters.  The Preacher who wrote Ecclesiastes agrees. From the beginning of his book he has been saying that if there is no God, there is no meaning.

But, now, the Preacher argues since there is a God, then everything matters.

The Preacher opened the book by saying the words that have become familiar to us.  He opened the book by saying

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, ESV)

Now as the book draws to a close we find him saying those same words:

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 12:8, ESV)

By opening and closing the book with these words the Preacher reinforces one of his main messages, that there is nothing new under the sun.  Life lived under the sun, which was how the Preacher has consistently described life that is lived apart from God, is vain.

The Preacher has taught us that work is vanity, that there is nothing for us to gain from all our restless toil  under the sun. It is all “vanity and striving after wind.” We know that human wisdom is vanity, that it only increases our “sorrow” and “vexation.” Whether we are wise or foolish doesn’t matter because we will all die in the end. We know that pleasure is vanity. Wine, women, and songs, parks, houses, and vineyards, gold, silver, and treasure — there is “nothing to be gained under the sun”.

Of course the final twin vanities are the vanities of growing old and death.

Let me remind you though that there is still enjoyment to be found in life.  The enjoyment is to be found in the good gifts that God gives to us each and every day.  But what the Preacher really wants you to see, what he wants you to understand is that life holds no meaning apart from God.  If we fail to remember our Creator then we have missed the very point of our existence.

Yet as Philip Ryken says “Vanity does not get the last word.”  God thankfully does not end the book at verse eight; He adds a final six verses to properly conclude the book.  And in his conclusion He provides us with the proper perspective that teaches us how to make the most of the life our Creator has blessed us with.

Just for your information, these final verses were probably not written by the Preacher himself but were added by an editor.  But, as you can see, the editor was in sync with the Preacher.

PRAISE FOR THE PREACHER

The editor picks up his pen he begins by praising the Preacher.  He says that the Preacher was a wise man.  Just one final reminder when we talk about wisdom in the Old Testament it is not theoretical wisdom but practical wisdom; it’s insight into how to make the most of each day.

BIBLICAL WISDOM IS THE INSIGHT INTO MAKING THE MOST OF EACH DAY!

One of the ways that the Preacher demonstrated his wisdom was by making sure that he passed his accumulated knowledge on to others.  The text says that he taught the people knowledge.  The Preacher was also a teacher.

How did he teach the people the knowledge that he had gained?  Our text says that he took all of the knowledge that he had accumulated and he “weighed it, he studied it and he arranged it.”

Philip Ryken said he wrote with logical clarity.  He didn’t just to a massive information dump and hoped that people would figure it out for themselves.  He took the time, he put in the effort to sort through it all and he threw out what wasn’t helpful or what wasn’t true.  He would study and logically arrange the proverbs that he knew would help us to escape living lives of vanity and meaninglessness.

After stating his theme, the Preacher told us the story of his exhaustive search to find meaning in life. Then, to help us know how to live for God in this vain world, he showed the difference between wisdom and folly. He ended, by talking again about death and dying, before restating the primary theme — the vanity of all vanity.

But not only did he write with logical clarity he also wrote with literary artistry.  The text says that he “sought out words of delight.”  He understood the power of language and worked hard at choosing just the right word to express the truth he wanted to convey.

The Preacher wrote with logical clarity and literary artistry; he also wrote with intellectual integrity.

The editor says that he “uprightly wrote words of truth.”  The message of the Preacher may be at times hard to hear, but we always know that he is shooting straight with us.  He writes with integrity, meaning he has been faithful to the message that he was given to teach others.

As Christians there is a lesson to be learned from the Preacher and that is to make sure that we handle the truth of God’s word with integrity, not compromising the message out of the fear of man; while at the same time we must seek to communicate the timeless truth’s of the gospel in words that resonate with our culture.

Then we have a proverb.

“The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd.” (Ecclesiastes 12:11, ESV)

A goad was an ancient cattle prod.  The cattle rancher would use the goad to inflict just enough pain to keep the cattle moving in the right direction.  Likewise the words of the wise Preacher worked in the same way as the goad did.  He words were sometimes painful to hear but his design was always to keep us moving in the right direction.

His words not only keep us in line, his words are like nails firmly fixed.  Meaning that they provide stability and focus.  One thing I appreciate about the Christian life is I know what the goal is, I know what God desires of me and that it is never going to change.  I don’t have to worry about hitting a moving target.

As an example we repeatedly read in the book of Ecclesiastes the Preacher pleading with us to fear God, to be in awe of God and to remember our Creator.  Why does he do these things?  The Preacher gives us the reason in chapter 8:12

“Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him.” (Ecclesiastes 8:12, ESV)

The Preacher issues these repeated exhortations for our own good, for our own peace of mind.

Think of the security that comes from our understanding that God is in control.  Think of the focus that results from the Preacher’s constant exhortations and encouragement to seize the day, to seize the opportunity that God provides for us, to daily enjoy God’s gifts that he so graciously gives us.

The goads prod us to move in the right direction while the nails firmly fixed provide us with security and stability.

Where did these proverbs and these words of wisdom come from?  The come from one Shepherd.  The word Shepherd is probably capitalized in your Bible.  Who is this Shepherd?  In the Old Testament God the Father is referred to as the Shepherd of Israel.  And what do we see in the New Testament?  Jesus is our Great Shepherd.

Therefore what the Preacher is giving us is not his own wisdom but the very wisdom of God communicated to us through words of the Preacher.  This means that his words are words of authority and we must respect them but more than respect them we must obey them.

Additionally we must give God’s word priority.  That’s the point of verse 12

“My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” (Ecclesiastes 12:12, ESV)

The Bible should be, must be the first place we turn to seek direction and guidance for our lives.  The Bible contains the timeless, eternal wisdom of God. Therefore the Bible will never lead us astray indeed it can’t lead us astray; the Bible when obeyed will always keep us out of trouble.

Scriptural truth is timeless and unchanging.  Unlike much of what is written today.  If there were a lot of books in the time in which the Preacher lived imagine what he would think today.  Millions upon millions of books written and published and some certainly are helpful to us but they must never take priority over the Word of God.

We would do well to listen to the advice of Charles Spurgeon who said, “Visit many good books, but live in the Bible.”

THE CONCLUSION

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, ESV)

The Teacher has already urged us to “fear God.” In chapter 3:14 he wrote, “I know that whatever God does endures forever …” God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before him [literally, should fear him].” In chapter 5:7 he commanded, “With many dreams come vanities and a multitude of words; but fear God.” In chapter 7:18 he encouraged, “the one who fears God shall succeed with both.” And in chapter 8:12 he comforted, “I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because  they stand in fear before him.”

“To fear God is not to be terrified of God but to stand in awe of him. God is the almighty Creator; we are mere creatures. God is eternal; we are a finite vapor. God is sovereign; we are dependent. God is holy; we are sinners. It is only fitting that we stand in awe of the eternal, almighty, creator God. “

“To fear God is to take God seriously, to acknowledge him in our lives as the highest good, to revere him, to honor him, and worship him, to center our lives on him.”

What is the evidence that we fear God?

Obedience!

Our obedience is the proof that we truly fear God.  Not what we say but what we do.  Lot’s of people give lip service and say that they love God and that they fear God but there is little to no obedience in their lives.

As one commentator said “The one leads to the other.”  Jesus said in John 14

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15, ESV)

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12–13, ESV)

Why should we fear God?  Simply because it is the whole of man.  In the original the word duty is not there it is implied and supplied in the English to aid our understanding.  We should fear God because that is why we exist; this is why we were created.  This truth applies to everyone.  It is the duty of everyone to fear God and to keep his commandments. It’s not just our duty, it’s our essence. God created us to stand in awe of him and keep his commandments.  This is where we find the meaning of life – this is our essence!

Second we should fear God because God will bring every deed into judgment.

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”” (Matthew 12:36–37, ESV)

Every deed, every word, every action, has significance.  Think about all of your actions, all of the words that you’ve spoken today, think of everything you have done today.  Each and every one of them will come under the judgment of God unless and until you come to Christ!

The meaning of life can only be experienced as we are rightly related to our Creator.  God, our Creator, has made it possible for us to escape the judgment our sin demands.  How so?  God took the punishment that you and deserved.  Jesus Christ God in the flesh came to earth and lived a life of perfect obedience.  He lived a life that demonstrated each and every day the wisdom of God and how that wisdom must be used to live life in a God pleasing way.  Therefore for all who come to Christ, willing to turn away from their sin, their wisdom, their false sense of self sufficiency then they will not experience the judgment the Preacher talks about.  Rather they will find grace and mercy, forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life.

Until you come to Christ you are under the judgment of God both now and in the future.  If you never come to Christ you will have not only wasted your life you will have wasted your eternal existence.

Come to Christ while you can!

“The final message of Ecclesiastes is not that nothing matters but that everything matters.”  Philip Ryken

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