Title: Cross-eyed
Text: Eccles. 1:1-2;1:12-18;2:1-11
Topic: Our lives, even our successes, can sometimes pull us away from Christ.
Introduction
Floods and rivers
In 1994, the entire city of Albany, Georgia flooded. We had an enormous amount of rain that year and when rain mixes with a river, it will flood. Many lives were damaged because of the flood. Countless homes were destroyed. Lives were lost. The local university was badly damaged. The Flint River caused a lot of damage to the small town of Albany.
What’s interesting is that usually the Flint River is a great resource for the people of Albany. It’s used for recreational use and fishing. I’ve personally spent much time on the Flint with family and friends. What usually a source of life quickly became deadly in the summer of 1994. What’s the difference? Focus.
Rivers are very resourceful and helpful while floods are destructive. The difference between the two is simply focus. In a river the water is focused and stays within its boundaries and in a flood the water goes all over the place.
Our lives are like a flood
It’s easy for our lives to be like floods. We have very busy schedules and can find ourselves all over the place. We have work, then we to pick up the kids from school. Then we have to cook dinner. Then we have to take the children to soccer practice. Then, on top of that, we have to go to church meetings. Busy, busy,busy. Very easily, in our busyness, we can become numb to what we are doing. We have so much on our plate that we are no longer focused. Very easily, we can become like a flood.
Solomon’s life is meaningless
Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon. In the book, Solomon is toward the end of his life. Remember, King Solomon was considered to be the wisest man/wealthiest in the bible. But towards the end of his life, he begins to realize that his wisdom and pleasures aren’t enough. He understands that they have there limits. So, let’s take a look at what Solomon discovered about life.
One thing he discovered is that wisdom is meaningless.
Wisdom is meaningless
Ecclesiastes 1:17,18 says “I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, the more knowledge, the more grief.”
What did you do about them?
There was an owner of a company who was interested in expanding her business overseas. So she planned a trip and left her assistant manager in charge of the company. While overseas, the owner wrote letters to the company, giving them certain instructions to follow while she’s gone. Months went by. Then she returned. As she walked up to the front door, she noticed that there were weeds in the flower beds and the grass hadn’t been cut in a while. A few of the windows had been broken. As she walked to the receptionist’s desk, she found her doing her nails, chewing gun, and playing games on the computer. The trash cans were overflowing, the carpet looked like it hadn’t been vacuumed in weeks, and no one seemed concerned that she had returned home. Finally, she found the person she left in charge playing cards in the break room. She asked him to step into her office. “What in the world is going on here?” “What do you mean?” “Well, look at this place! Didn’t you get any of my letters? Didn’t you get my instructions?” “Oh yeah, sure we did. As a matter of fact, we had a letter study every Friday since you left, spending time reading the letters and talking about them. We even formed small groups to discuss the letters outside of work. And you’ll be pleased to know that some of us even committed to memory some of your sentences and paragraphs. One or two of us even memorized an entire letter! Great stuff in those letters!” She responded, “Ok, you got my letters, you read them, studied them, and even memorized them, BUT WHAT DID YOU DO ABOUT THEM?” “Do? We didn’t do anything about them.”
The point of wisdom
Wisdom is good. But wisdom isn’t the end but only a means to an end. Reading and studying the letters that the owner sent was good, but that’s not the point. The point is how it affects your life and prompts you to action. We don’t read scripture and memorize it just to say that we did. We read it to hear from God and to see how he wants us to respond. Wisdom is meaningless if the focus is on the knowledge and not how it affects us to live.
John 8:32 Jesus says “you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
wisdom is a means to freedom
Wisdom is also our way to freedom. Wisdom is like a lamp in the dark. It’s a great guide for you, but it does no good if you don’t walk. In the same way, wisdom is meaningless unless we use it to get to God. It’s useless unless we allow it to keep our eyes on the cross.
Solomon concludes that wisdom is meaningless. He also learns in life that pleasures are meaningless.
Pleasures are meaningless
In Ecclesiastes 2:1-3 Solomon says “I thought in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. “Laughter,” I said, “is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?” I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly-my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.”
Solomon concludes that even pleasures prove to be meaningless.
Children on Christmas morning
My favorite holiday is Christmas. One of my favorite things about Christmas is watching the children opening their presents. They get in the floor in sheer excitement to see what Santa Claus has brought. Then when they finish opening their presents, they are occupied for the next few minutes. However, it doesn’t take long for the newness to wear off. Even though they have all of these new toys, not long afterwards they begin looking around at the other children’s toys, wishing that they had them. The children are at first pleasured to have their new gifts, but for their pleasures to continue to be satisfied, new gifts have to come.
Adults are no different
The truth is, adults are really no different. Whenever our friend gets a new vehicle, we feel like we need one. Whenever a woman gets made at her husband, what does she usually do? She goes shopping, usually with her husband’s credit card. But overtime we realize that Solomon was right. Material pleasures can’t buy happiness. We eventually realize that pleasures are meaningless.
Occupations
A study was done a couple of years ago about jobs. They were trying to find out what the most fulfilling and satisfying jobs were. Here’s the top ten: 1. Clergy 2.Firefighter 3.Physical Therapists 4.Authors 5.Special Ed Teachers 6.Teachers 7.Educational Administrators 8.Painters and Sculptors 9.Psychologists 10.Security and Financial Services Salespeople.
You can see a common theme is these careers: They all seek to help others. Most of them aren’t the highest paying jobs, but the people are satisfied.
I believe this shows that joy isn’t found in the pleasures of possessions, but in living the life of Christ. Joy in life comes whenever we take up our crosses and follow Christ. Even the world catches a glimpse of this whenever it finds fulfillment in helping people.
Michael Jackson
Over the last ten years or so we have followed the tragic story of the life of Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson was probably the greatest musician of my generation. He had almost everything. He had money, fame, but there was one thing that he didn’t have: happiness. Many people within his circle have said that Michael lived a pretty miserable life. I’m sure that he would agree with Solomon, pleasures are meaningless.
Pleasures and material possessions don’t offer life. We find life only in Christ. Pleasures can be a good thing as long as you don’t try to find fulfillment and life in them, as long as they don’t take your eyes off of Christ.
In Solomon’s life, he has discovered that wisdom is meaningless, pleasures are meaningless, and work is meaningless.
Work is meaningless
In Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 Solomon says “I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well-the delights of the heart of man. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”
Solomon was considered the wisest man in the bible. He was also considered the richest. However, at the end of his life, he concluded that it was pointless. He concluded that all that he had gained was meaningless.
Story of Martha and Mary
One of my favorite stories in the bible is the story of Jesus coming the Mary and Martha’s house. Jesus is invited to come in to dine with them. Now imagine if you had a guest like Jesus in your home. I’m sure that you would want everything to be perfect. You would make sure the floor was vacuum, the candles were lit, the food was prepared. Well, whenever Jesus was visiting, Martha was busy in the kitchen, making sure that everything was prepared. Meanwhile, her sister Mary was spending time with Jesus. Martha eventually came in and asked Jesus, “Will you tell my sister to help me?” Jesus responded, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. “ Those are probably not the words that Martha wanted to hear.
I think what Jesus was saying to her was, “There is a time to work, but while you are in the kitchen, you are missing your chance to spend time with me.”
Who are you like?
Do you think you are more like Martha or Mary? Does your work ever get in the way of you spending time with God?
Your achievements
Solomon lived a very successful life. But at the end, he realized that all was meaningless.
Conclusion
In chapter 5, Solomon let’s us know what we should be focusing on. In conclusion of him discussing what is meaningless, he says what one should be focused on doing. Chapter 5:7 says to “stand in awe of God”.
Floods and Rivers
Like the flood in Albany, our lives have no aim. We can be so busy trying to become wiser and learn more, trying to become wealthier, and trying to work harder. Unfortunately, what eventually happens is that we can lose sight of what we should be focused on. When this happens, we become like a flood and prepared to cause damage. Solomon doesn’t think that wisdom, pleasures, and work are bad in and of themselves. We know that it’s good to be wise. It’s also good to find pleasure in life. What Solomon is trying to tell us is to be careful not to let these pleasures take the place of God. In New Testament terms, don’t let them take our eyes off the cross!
