Dr Tom Hover
November 26, 2023
Ecclesiastes 1:2-3
LIFE UNDER THE SUN? (SON!)
LIFE UNDER THE SUN? (SON!)
Jump Off Text: Ecclesiastes 1:2-3
Introduction: No one has a choice whether we live under the SUN or not! We all will live and die under the SUN; However, we all have a choice weather or not to live under the SON’S Redemptive Blood and Lordship! Notice: Some of the key words and phrases in Ecclesiastes are: man (47 times), labor (36 times), under the sun (30 times), vanity (37 times), wisdom or wise (52 times), and evil (22 times). Keep in mind that Solomon is reasoning about what he sees and knows “under the sun.”
1. Solomon Pedagogy Ecclesiastes 1:1 “Preacher”
2. Solomon Parent Ecclesiastes 1:1 “The son of David”
3 Solomon Position Ecclesiastes 1:1 “King in Jerusalem”
Look and see three basic things that are in this book.
I. LIFE’S PROBLEM Ecclesiastes 1:1-2
Did you know that God does not want life to make sense to you? That may surprise you, but God, in His infinite wisdom, makes life a mystery.
Romans 8:20-21, Ecclesiastes 3:10-11
A.) Life Is a Complex Mystery Apart from God Ecclesiastes 7:14,
Romans 8:20-21 IT IS A PROBLEM WE WILL NEVER FIGURE OUT UNTIL WE GET TO HEAVEN!
B.) Life Is Confusing and Mystifying Apart from God
1. Nature Has No Real Answer Ecclesiastes 1:1-7, I Corinthians 15:17,
I Corinthians 15:14, Philippians 1:21, Ecc.1:8-9,1:4
2. History Has No Real Answer Ecclesiastes 1:9
3. Science Has No Real Answer Ecclesiastes 1:13–14
The World (Humans) has HGAC = Haven’t Got a Clue!
4. Power, Prestige, Privilege Has No Real Answer
Solomon was the most powerful man in all the world, he could do anything he wanted to do, go anywhere on earth he wanted. He owned everything imaginable in his time. He satiated his flesh with all worldly and Fleshly desires. He is what people would say: He Has It All! Mark 8:36
C.) LIFE IS COMPLETE MEANINGLESS APART FROM GOD
1. Wisdom Is Meaningless Apart from God Ecclesiastes 2:14-16
2. Wealth Is Meaningless Apart from God Ecclesiastes 6:1–2
3. Work Is Meaningless Apart from God Ecclesiastes 9:11
4. Warm Bodies Are Meaningless Apart from God Ecclesiastes 8-11
Remember, Vanity does not produce a good product.
Three frustrating products are noted here.
• Nothing Satisfies. Ecclesiastes 1:8
• Nothing's Different. Ecclesiastes 1:9
• Nothing's Remembered. Ecclesiastes 1:11
II. LIFE’S PURSUIT Ecclesiastes 2:24
Beware, lest you become cynical about life because it will steel your Joy! God tells us that life is a Pursuit and Adventure as well, and you need to live it with enthusiasm and joy. Ecclesiastes 3:11–13,22,5:18-19, 9:7-9,
Hebrews 1:9
A.) Live Joyfully Because God Is Good
Ecclesiastes 2:24, 3:12-13, Psalm 118:24
B.) Live Confidently Because God Is Sovereign
Ecclesiastes 3:14, Romans 8:20, Romans 8:28
C.) Live Reverently Because God Is Holy Ecclesiastes 12:13–14
III. LIFE’S PILGRIMAGE Ecclesiastes 12:13–14
Notice: Everything is going to come into judgment so;
A.) Live Rejoicing in The Lord Ecclesiastes 11:9, Philippians 4:4
B.) Live Resting in The Lord Ecclesiastes 11:10
C.) Live Remembering The Lord Ecclesiastes 12:1,13–14
Life is a Problem in that it is a Mystery; Life is a Pursuit with Good and Bad Adventures; and Life is Pilgrimage with many tests. And it’s soon going to be over. Solomon lived before Calvary. Everything that he wrote is by divine inspiration. But we know some things he didn’t know, because we have the New Testament. We have an understanding that even Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, did not have before he died. Life is not empty with Jesus Christ. What the world offers is emptiness, but what Christ offers is Life. What is life all about? Jesus said in; John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. That is not vanity but vitality of l
