1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:26,220 You ready, Brandon? You all set? Okay. Okay. Good morning. We're going to go ahead and stand and read our verses together today. Yeah. We're going to be reading out of Isaiah 55, and we're going to be doing verses 10 through 12 together. 2 00:00:26,220 --> 00:00:52,440 And it begins, "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty, 3 00:00:52,440 --> 00:01:22,420 but it shall accomplish that which I purpose. I'll succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace. The mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." This is the word of the Lord. Let's pray. 4 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:46,440 God, we thank you for today, and we thank you for the opportunity to gather here together and to be encouraged by one another, and for those that are watching online as well. We thank you so much for your creation and how it just constantly tells us of your greatness. And we ask that you today and allow it to glorify you. In Jesus' name. Amen. 5 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:50,440 All right, our first Song we're going to do today is "Christ Our Hope in Life and Death." 6 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:41,440 That our souls to Him belong. Who holds our days within His hand? What comes apart from His command? And what will keep us to the end? The love of Christ in which we stand. 7 00:02:41,440 --> 00:03:04,440 Oh, say hallelujah. Our hope springs eternal. Oh, say hallelujah. Now and ever we confess Christ our hope in life and death. 8 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:29,440 What truth can cause the troubled soul? God is good. God is good. Where is His grace and goodness known? In a great Redeemer's blood. 9 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:50,440 Who holds our faith when fears arise? Who stands above the stormy trial? Who sends the waves that bring us nigh unto the shore the rock of Christ? 10 00:03:50,440 --> 00:04:11,440 Oh, sing hallelujah. Our hope screams eternal. Oh, sing hallelujah. Now and ever we confess Christ our hope in life and death. 11 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:32,440 And to the grave, what will we sing? Christ, He lives. Christ, He lives. And what reward will heaven bring? 12 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:59,440 Everlasting life with Him. There we will rise to meet the Lord. Then sin and death will be destroyed. And we will feast in endless joy when Christ is ours forevermore. 13 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:26,440 Oh, sing hallelujah. Our hope springs eternal. Oh, sing hallelujah. Now whenever we confess Christ, our hope in life and death. Oh, sing hallelujah. 14 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:53,440 Our hope springs eternal. Oh, sing hallelujah. Now whenever we confess Christ, our hope in life and death. Now whenever we confess Christ, our hope in life and death. 15 00:05:53,440 --> 00:06:20,440 All right. We're going to be moving into our prayer and share time. So if you're watching online, there will be a phone number up for you to text. If you have any prayer requests or anything you'd like to send to us that we can share here, please do that. And then we'll be muted here during that time. So just give us a few minutes until we are finished up with that. And then we'll be back and continue with the rest of our service today. 16 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:23,440 And with that, we're going to be singing "Blessed Assurance." 17 00:06:50,440 --> 00:07:19,440 "Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood." This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long. 18 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:44,440 But this submission, all is at rest. I am my Savior, I'm happy and blessed. Watching and waiting, looking above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love. 19 00:07:44,440 --> 00:08:08,440 This is my story. This is my song. Praising my Savior all the day long. This is my story. This is my song. Praising my Savior all the day long. 20 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:12,440 Alright, you may be seated. 21 00:08:38,440 --> 00:09:08,420 Let's pray. 22 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:38,420 Let's pray. 23 00:09:38,440 --> 00:10:08,420 Let's pray. 24 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:23,440 All right, as we move into our time of communion, we're going to be singing Man of Sorrows. 25 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:35,440 Man of Sorrows 26 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:37,440 Man of Sorrows 27 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:42,440 Man of Sorrows 28 00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:56,560 Has been on Jesus' name 29 00:19:56,560 --> 00:20:06,580 Silent as He stood accused 30 00:20:06,580 --> 00:20:13,380 Feeds Him mocked and scorned 31 00:20:13,380 --> 00:20:19,040 Bowing to the Father's will 32 00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:26,800 He took a crown of thorns 33 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:31,740 Oh, that rugged cross 34 00:20:31,740 --> 00:20:34,740 My salvation 35 00:20:34,740 --> 00:20:38,140 Where Your love poured out 36 00:20:38,140 --> 00:20:41,140 Over me 37 00:20:41,140 --> 00:20:44,140 Now my soul cried out 38 00:20:44,140 --> 00:20:47,140 Hallelujah 39 00:20:47,140 --> 00:20:49,140 Praise and honor 40 00:20:49,140 --> 00:20:54,140 Unto Thee 41 00:20:54,140 --> 00:21:01,140 Send up heaven 42 00:21:01,140 --> 00:21:04,140 God's own Son 43 00:21:04,140 --> 00:21:10,140 To purchase and redeem 44 00:21:10,140 --> 00:21:16,140 And reconcile the very ones 45 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:22,240 Who nailed him to that tree 46 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:25,240 Oh, that rugged cross 47 00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:28,240 My salvation 48 00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:32,240 Where your love poured out 49 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:35,240 Over me 50 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:38,240 Now my soul cries out 51 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:41,240 Hallelujah 52 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:44,240 Praise and honor 53 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:47,240 To me 54 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:54,240 Now my debt is paid 55 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:57,240 It is paid in full 56 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:00,240 By the precious blood 57 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:04,240 That my Jesus spilled 58 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:07,240 Now the curse of sin 59 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:10,240 Has no hold on me 60 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,240 The sun sets free 61 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:17,240 Oh, is free indeed 62 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:20,240 Oh, that rugged cross 63 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:23,240 My salvation 64 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:26,240 Where your love poured out 65 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,240 Over me 66 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:33,240 Now my soul cries out 67 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:36,240 Hallelujah 68 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:39,240 Please, and all will run 69 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:42,240 To Thee 70 00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:52,240 See the stone is rolled away 71 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:58,240 Behold the empty tomb 72 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:02,240 Hallelujah 73 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:06,240 God be praised 74 00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:12,240 He's risen from the grave 75 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:14,240 Oh that rugged cross 76 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:18,240 My salvation 77 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:24,240 Where Your love poured out over me 78 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:28,240 Now my soul cries out 79 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:30,240 Hallelujah 80 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:32,240 Praise and honor 81 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:36,240 Are to Thee 82 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:38,240 Praise and honor 83 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:40,240 Are to Thee 84 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:42,240 Praise and honor 85 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:44,240 Are to Thee 86 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:46,240 Praise and honor 87 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:48,240 Are to Thee 88 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:50,240 Praise and honor 89 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:52,240 Are to Thee 90 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:54,240 Praise and honor 91 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:56,240 Are to Thee 92 00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:58,240 Praise and honor 93 00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:00,240 Isaiah 53 94 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:02,240 Chapter 95 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:04,240 Begins like this 96 00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:06,240 Who has believed what he has heard 97 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:10,240 And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 98 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:12,240 For he grew up before him like a young plant, 99 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:14,240 And like a root out of dry ground, 100 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:18,240 He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, 101 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:22,240 And he had no beauty that we should desire him. 102 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:24,240 He was despised and rejected by men, 103 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:27,240 A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, 104 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:30,240 As one from whom men hide their faces. 105 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:34,240 He was despised and we esteemed him not. 106 00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:38,240 Spurgeon, when he preached on this passage, 107 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:42,240 Begins his sermon by telling his congregation 108 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:45,240 That these words are not light, 109 00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:47,240 And they are not easy, 110 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:50,240 But they are ultimately wonderful. 111 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:55,240 And as we just sang about Jesus being a man of sorrows, 112 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:58,240 As we read the prophecy from Isaiah 53 113 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:00,240 About him being the man of sorrows, 114 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:04,240 I want you to see why Jesus was the man of sorrows. 115 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:06,240 Verse 4 tells us, 116 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:08,240 Surely he has borne our griefs, 117 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:10,240 And carried our sorrows, 118 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:12,240 Yet we esteemed him stricken, 119 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:14,240 Smitten by God and afflicted. 120 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:17,240 He was pierced for our transgressions, 121 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:19,240 He was crushed for our iniquities, 122 00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:23,240 Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, 123 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,240 And with his wounds we are healed. 124 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:28,240 All we like sheep have gone astray, 125 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:31,240 We have turned every one to his own way, 126 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:35,240 And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 127 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:39,240 See, Jesus wasn't sorrowful, 128 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:41,240 Because he had a lot to grieve, 129 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:42,240 He was sorrowful, 130 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:44,240 Because of our sin, 131 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:45,240 Our brokenness, 132 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:46,240 Our sorrows, 133 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:47,240 And our hurts, 134 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:49,240 And it says that he picked them up, 135 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:50,240 He bore them, 136 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:52,240 And he carried them, 137 00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:56,240 And ultimately he pays the price for them, 138 00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:57,240 For this, 139 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:01,240 So that you and I could have peace. 140 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:04,240 You see the picture of the Gospel, 141 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:07,240 Is not that we earn what God is offering, 142 00:26:07,240 --> 00:26:09,240 But rather that Jesus came, 143 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:11,240 And he took all of our hurts, 144 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:13,240 And all of our brokenness upon himself, 145 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:16,240 And paid the price for our salvation. 146 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:18,240 And so as we break this bread, 147 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:19,240 And drink this cup, 148 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:21,240 And we turn our eyes, 149 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:22,240 And our hearts, 150 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:23,240 And our thoughts, 151 00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:24,240 And our faith, 152 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:25,240 Toward Jesus, 153 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:27,240 The man of sorrows, 154 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:28,240 It was in our account, 155 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:30,240 That he was a man of sorrows. 156 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:32,240 It was because of us, 157 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:33,240 That he went to the cross. 158 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:36,240 And as a result of his sacrifice, 159 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:37,240 We have peace, 160 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:38,240 We have hope, 161 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:39,240 We have joy, 162 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:40,240 And as we were just saying about, 163 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:43,240 We have a future in the resurrection. 164 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:44,240 So let's pray, 165 00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:45,240 And then we'll partake together. 166 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:46,240 Father, 167 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:48,240 Thank you for grace. 168 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:53,240 Thank you for doing what you did not have to do. 169 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:56,240 Thank you for saving broken, sinful people. 170 00:26:56,240 --> 00:27:00,240 Thank you that you take our hurts, and our fears, and our sins. 171 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:04,240 Thank you that we are free from those things through your Son. 172 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:13,240 So this morning, as we celebrate this together, may you focus our hearts on this sacrifice. 173 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:17,240 May you help us to see your goodness, and your grace, and your love. 174 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:18,240 Encourage us. 175 00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:21,240 I ask that you bless this bread and this cup. 176 00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:22,240 It's in Jesus' name we pray. 177 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:24,240 Amen. 178 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:27,240 If you would take the bread with me, 179 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:35,240 Jesus invited his disciples when he said, "This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 180 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:48,240 And in the same way, he took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me." 181 00:27:52,240 --> 00:28:02,240 "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." 182 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:08,240 So we've been moving through a series talking about how God refreshes us. 183 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:13,240 We've seen how God refreshes us by his faithful character. 184 00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:16,240 We've talked about how he refreshes us through his word. 185 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:25,240 We talk about how God calls us to rest, something that is so hard for people who are oftentimes so busy that he calls us to rest. 186 00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:33,240 This morning we're going to talk about how we oftentimes pursue the very things that lead us to needing to be refreshed, 187 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:39,240 and that when we focus our hearts and our purpose on the goodness of God, that it brings us to refreshing. 188 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:48,240 And just sort of by way of an announcement, next Sunday, Stu is going to be preaching, sharing the word with you. 189 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:54,240 We're going to be talking about how we are refreshed by community, that's one another. 190 00:28:54,240 --> 00:29:02,240 If you look through the New Testament, Paul ends almost all of his letters by saying, "I hope to see you soon so I can be refreshed by your company." 191 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:12,240 There is something in the body of Christ, in our brothers and sisters in Christ, that restores our souls, that encourages us, and so I'm very excited. 192 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:20,240 We'll be here. I'm not going anywhere, but Stu is going to be preaching next Sunday, and I'm very much looking forward to that. 193 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:31,240 Also, by way of announcement, normally when I preach, I have kind of three full pages of notes, and I think this morning I have nine. 194 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:37,240 And so it's a good thing we all brought lunch, so if you need to run out, get lunch. No, we're going to move through it pretty quickly. 195 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:46,240 There's just a lot of interesting, wonderfully encouraging, but also deeply convicting things in what we're looking at this morning. 196 00:29:46,240 --> 00:30:00,240 So let's pray. Father in heaven, help us this morning as we move very quickly through these verses. Help us to see the depth, the hope, 197 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:05,240 and also the fruitlessness of so many of the things that we chase and strive after. 198 00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:10,240 I thank you for Jesus, and I thank you for grace. It's in his name we pray. Amen. 199 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:16,240 So there is something frustrating in trying to chase something you can't quite catch. 200 00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:23,240 And some of you will remember that for a period of time, I think it's probably been about six months since this has really happened to us, 201 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:29,240 Dodger really liked to go bolting out the front door of our house. And it's not that he wanted to run away. 202 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:33,240 It's like he wanted to go explore the neighborhood and then come back home. 203 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:38,240 And so there would be times where I'd be chasing him. There'd be times where I would recruit some neighbors to help. 204 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:42,240 Once, I think I shared with you, a neighbor down the street caught him with a brisket. 205 00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:48,240 I'd be driving down the road just yelling at him, and he'd be running like a doofus alongside the car. 206 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:54,240 And so it's frustrating. And the most frustrating moments of that was when it happened on Sunday morning. 207 00:30:54,240 --> 00:31:01,240 You know, like 10 minutes before church, and I'm wearing clothes that aren't by sort of necessity very cool. 208 00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:09,240 So you're running in the sun, and you're trying to run down the street to catch this stupid dog, and it's just frustrating. 209 00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:16,240 And many times, I think in life, we feel like we're just sort of chasing what it is that will make our heart happy. 210 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:22,240 And as a result, we end up sort of tired and frustrated, never sort of being able to catch it. 211 00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:27,240 And then sometimes when we do catch it, it sort of satisfies us for a little while. 212 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:33,240 And before long, we say, "Well, I got this. Now what about that? If I really had that, it would make me happy." 213 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:36,240 And there we are, off again, chasing something. 214 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:41,240 And so what I want to do this morning, as we think about being refreshed, 215 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:47,240 is I want to direct your attention toward a man who spent the majority of his life chasing things. 216 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:57,240 And he did so on a scale that makes our chasing things look like the difference between graduate student and kindergarten work. 217 00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:04,240 And the man's name is Solomon, and toward the end of his life, he wrote a book sort of distilling what he had learned from this pursuit. 218 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:12,240 The book is Ecclesiastes. And as we begin, we're just going to look at a few verses in chapter 1 and chapter 2. 219 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:20,240 But as we begin, there's two terms that sort of sum up this chasing of all of the different things in life. 220 00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:30,240 And the first one is one that's used 34 times in this book, and it's the word "vanity," or some of your translations may say "meaningless." 221 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:37,240 And that's literally what it means, that it's meaningless. The picture is like if you've ever seen fog early in the morning, 222 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:43,240 and then the sun comes out, and the fog disappears, or if you go outside on a cold day, 223 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:49,240 and you breathe out, and there's this sort of pop of steam, and then what happens? It just disappears. 224 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:54,240 When he says "vanity" or "meaningless," that's what he's talking about, that I pursued this, 225 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:59,240 and it was "vanity" or "meaningless," that it just sort of disappeared. 226 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:05,240 The second thing that he is going to say is that he says it is "striving after the wind." 227 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:11,240 And it's a phrase that he uses something like nine times. The first time he uses it is in verse 14, 228 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:21,240 where he says, "I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, and a striving after the wind." 229 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:27,240 And so when he says "striving after the wind," he means the same thing as "vanity" or "meaningless," that it's worthless. 230 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:34,240 Because the wind can do a lot of good things. It can push our sailboats on a hot day. It can cool us off. 231 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:41,240 Sometimes it can be frustrating when you go outside on a cold day, and that wind hits you and cuts right through you and makes you even colder. 232 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:47,240 It can be damaging. A storm comes through and knocks down a tree or blows off some shingles. 233 00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:53,240 But there's one thing that the wind cannot do, is it cannot be caught. 234 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:59,240 You can get a big jar or a bag and run out in the wind, and you close it up, and what happens when you open it? 235 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:03,240 Absolutely nothing, right? Because you can't capture the wind. 236 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:10,240 And it's sort of a picture of a fruitless chase, that you're chasing after something that can never be caught. 237 00:34:10,240 --> 00:34:24,240 And what Solomon is saying is that this is meaningless, and to try to pursue it is like trying to catch the wind and put it in a jar or put it in a bag, meaning that it will never, ever work. 238 00:34:24,240 --> 00:34:30,240 And so what we find, I think for all of us, is that sometimes life feels that way, right? 239 00:34:30,240 --> 00:34:38,240 It feels like the things we're doing maybe don't matter, or it feels like we're sort of striving and chasing after something that cannot be caught. 240 00:34:38,240 --> 00:34:46,240 And it's in this sort of opening section of Ecclesiastes that Solomon is going to make this very cheerful point. 241 00:34:46,240 --> 00:34:57,240 He's going to say the sun will rise and set, the wind will blow, the rivers will flow down to the sea, and you and I will die and then be forgotten, right? 242 00:34:57,240 --> 00:35:07,240 This book does not start in a very cheerful manner, but he's expressing something that if we're honest with us maybe that we've wrestled with, right? 243 00:35:07,240 --> 00:35:19,240 What in life truly matters, right? We see the rain comes, it gets humid, the water goes back to the clouds, you have this water cycle of rain and evaporation and rain and evaporation. 244 00:35:19,240 --> 00:35:26,240 It goes to the sea. All of these different things happen and then we die and we're forgotten. It seems like it might be hopeless. 245 00:35:26,240 --> 00:35:36,240 And it's not just Solomon, and it's not just us. Throughout history, all of the world has faced this question, right? 246 00:35:36,240 --> 00:35:44,240 Where can I find meaning? Where can I find purpose? Where can I find success? How do I define success? 247 00:35:44,240 --> 00:35:52,240 And every generation has sought these things, and all of us have come up in some way or another empty. 248 00:35:52,240 --> 00:36:00,240 That nothing truly satisfies our soul. And so what happens is we set out to try to find meaning and purpose. 249 00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:06,240 And sometimes we do so by trying to sort of drown out those questions from it. 250 00:36:06,240 --> 00:36:12,240 I remember when I was in high school, and I was riding with some of my co-workers, and we were going out to eat one night. 251 00:36:12,240 --> 00:36:16,240 And I was in the front seat of this car, and I go, "What is that noise your car is making?" 252 00:36:16,240 --> 00:36:20,240 She said, "Oh, it's fine." The lady I was riding with just turns up the radio, right? 253 00:36:20,240 --> 00:36:25,240 And I learned a very valuable thing about maintenance. You really don't need to do it if you have a loud radio, right? 254 00:36:25,240 --> 00:36:28,240 You just turn it up, and you don't hear the noise anymore, right? 255 00:36:28,240 --> 00:36:34,240 And so sometimes that's what we do in life, right? It's a struggle, and I'm upset, so I'll distract myself. 256 00:36:34,240 --> 00:36:42,240 I'll entertain myself. I'll get a new hobby and try to drown out those deep-searching questions. 257 00:36:42,240 --> 00:36:47,240 And then sometimes we try to accomplish our way to those kind of things, right? 258 00:36:47,240 --> 00:36:56,240 If my accomplishments are big enough, great enough, and grand enough, I will be remembered, and I will have achieved something. 259 00:36:56,240 --> 00:37:01,240 In the first chapters of the New Testament, we meet a guy by the name of Herod the Great. 260 00:37:01,240 --> 00:37:06,240 And Herod the Great was a guy who was really worried about being forgotten. 261 00:37:06,240 --> 00:37:15,240 And so one of the things he does is he begins to build, and he hires amazing engineers, and he undertakes great, great building projects. 262 00:37:15,240 --> 00:37:18,240 One of them was the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem. 263 00:37:18,240 --> 00:37:23,240 He builds harbors, he builds palaces, great works. 264 00:37:23,240 --> 00:37:27,240 And now 2,000 years later, a little more than 2,000 years later, 265 00:37:27,240 --> 00:37:33,240 out of all of his great bellowing achievements, which historians agree some of them were truly great, 266 00:37:33,240 --> 00:37:38,240 only one is left, everyone is in, all the others are in ruins. 267 00:37:38,240 --> 00:37:43,240 And ultimately that one will someday be in ruins as well. 268 00:37:43,240 --> 00:37:49,240 And the only reason that Herod isn't simply a historical footnote is because he's mentioned in the Bible. 269 00:37:49,240 --> 00:37:55,240 It wasn't because of his greatness, it was because of his opposition to Jesus that he's ultimately remembered. 270 00:37:55,240 --> 00:37:59,240 So we try to drown it out, we try to accomplish our way to meaning. 271 00:37:59,240 --> 00:38:05,240 And then sometimes we think, "Well, my life is pretty good. If I could just fine-tune things a little bit, I would be better." 272 00:38:05,240 --> 00:38:12,240 And so there's a whole genre of TV shows, of people trying to achieve something that sort of fine-tunes their life. 273 00:38:12,240 --> 00:38:21,240 So if I can be in better shape, if I can get fit, if I can lose weight, if I can do that, then I'll be happy. 274 00:38:21,240 --> 00:38:31,240 Or if I can achieve my goal of becoming a singer or dancing with the stars, or if I can redo my house so my kitchen is open concept, 275 00:38:31,240 --> 00:38:41,240 so we have all of these home renovation shows, and then I'll be happy. If I can get my car redone so it's nicer, I'll be happy. 276 00:38:41,240 --> 00:38:47,240 All of these different things that we change, if I can just fix this one detail in my life, I'll be happy. 277 00:38:47,240 --> 00:38:50,240 The problem with that is we live in a life of never-ending detail, right? 278 00:38:50,240 --> 00:38:58,240 So yeah, we may get this, but then there's this. And we may get that, and then there's this, and we still find ourselves back to where we started. 279 00:38:58,240 --> 00:39:02,240 And when all of that fails, we try to seek new things. 280 00:39:02,240 --> 00:39:10,240 And so what Solomon is going to do is he's going to say, "Hey, I tried new things. I tried them in big ways." 281 00:39:10,240 --> 00:39:15,240 Let's pick up in verse 12 of Ecclesiastes 1. 282 00:39:15,240 --> 00:39:21,240 "I, the preacher, have been king over Israel and Jerusalem, and I applied my heart." 283 00:39:21,240 --> 00:39:24,240 So what he's saying here is I applied my entire being. 284 00:39:24,240 --> 00:39:30,240 The heart is the center of the being, and what he is saying is that I did not go about this in sort of a small way, 285 00:39:30,240 --> 00:39:35,240 but I put every part of myself into what I am about to do. 286 00:39:35,240 --> 00:39:40,240 I applied my heart to seek and to search out wisdom, all that is done under heaven. 287 00:39:40,240 --> 00:39:45,240 It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 288 00:39:45,240 --> 00:39:51,240 And I have seen that everything is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after the wind. 289 00:39:51,240 --> 00:39:56,240 What is crooked cannot be made straight; what is lacking cannot be counted. 290 00:39:56,240 --> 00:40:01,240 I said in my heart I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all over Jerusalem before me. 291 00:40:01,240 --> 00:40:05,240 And my heart has great experience of wisdom and knowledge. 292 00:40:05,240 --> 00:40:10,240 And I applied my heart to no wisdom and to no madness and to no folly. 293 00:40:10,240 --> 00:40:14,240 And I perceived this is also but a striving after the wind. 294 00:40:14,240 --> 00:40:20,240 For in much wisdom is vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow." 295 00:40:20,240 --> 00:40:26,240 So Solomon says, "I applied my heart." I made it sort of the center of my being to find answers. 296 00:40:26,240 --> 00:40:31,240 He says, "I applied my heart to everything that is done under heaven." 297 00:40:31,240 --> 00:40:34,240 Right? I didn't just sort of look at one area here, one area there. 298 00:40:34,240 --> 00:40:39,240 I looked at every single thing. Nothing is off limits. 299 00:40:39,240 --> 00:40:46,240 And he says, "I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and I didn't find answers." 300 00:40:46,240 --> 00:40:49,240 And he comes to a couple of different conclusions. 301 00:40:49,240 --> 00:40:53,240 One of those conclusions is that life is difficult. 302 00:40:53,240 --> 00:40:58,240 Another one is that life doesn't fit neatly into a box. 303 00:40:58,240 --> 00:41:03,240 That's what he means when he says, "What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted." 304 00:41:03,240 --> 00:41:07,240 We can't categorize everything all of the time. 305 00:41:07,240 --> 00:41:10,240 And then he'll go so far to say, "I'm really wise." 306 00:41:10,240 --> 00:41:16,240 And what I realize is that it's kind of better sometimes to be foolish because we don't see the problems. 307 00:41:16,240 --> 00:41:19,240 We have a saying for this today, right? Ignorance is bliss. 308 00:41:19,240 --> 00:41:22,240 If I don't understand the problems, I don't have to worry about them. 309 00:41:22,240 --> 00:41:26,240 And so Solomon says, "I devoted my entire heart to this. 310 00:41:26,240 --> 00:41:30,240 I searched the world. I saw everything there was to see. 311 00:41:30,240 --> 00:41:34,240 And here's what I came up with. Life is difficult. 312 00:41:34,240 --> 00:41:37,240 It doesn't fit neatly into a box. 313 00:41:37,240 --> 00:41:40,240 And sometimes it's better just not to know the answer. 314 00:41:40,240 --> 00:41:43,240 It sounds like a pretty depressing beginning. 315 00:41:43,240 --> 00:41:48,240 And now he's going to entail what he does, how he searches. 316 00:41:48,240 --> 00:41:51,240 And he'll say this, "I said to my heart, 317 00:41:51,240 --> 00:41:55,240 Now I will test you with pleasure. Enjoy yourself. 318 00:41:55,240 --> 00:41:58,240 But behold, this was vanity. I said of laughter, it is mad. 319 00:41:58,240 --> 00:42:01,240 And of pleasure, what use is it that I searched with my heart 320 00:42:01,240 --> 00:42:04,240 how to cheer my body with wine, 321 00:42:04,240 --> 00:42:06,240 my heart still guiding me with wisdom, 322 00:42:06,240 --> 00:42:08,240 and how to lay hold on folly, 323 00:42:08,240 --> 00:42:12,240 till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven 324 00:42:12,240 --> 00:42:15,240 during the days of their life." 325 00:42:15,240 --> 00:42:17,240 And he says, "I pursued two kinds of pleasure." 326 00:42:17,240 --> 00:42:20,240 It's sort of a passing pleasure. The joy of the moment. 327 00:42:20,240 --> 00:42:26,240 Someone tells a joke, or you have an exciting or wonderful, pleasing experience. 328 00:42:26,240 --> 00:42:29,240 And he said, "I sought deeper pleasures." 329 00:42:29,240 --> 00:42:31,240 These are the ones that are sort of more serious. 330 00:42:31,240 --> 00:42:33,240 They go below the surface. 331 00:42:33,240 --> 00:42:35,240 And maybe we don't sort of experience the outer joy, 332 00:42:35,240 --> 00:42:39,240 but we find ourselves satisfied and content for a moment. 333 00:42:39,240 --> 00:42:42,240 And he says, "I explored both the superficial 334 00:42:42,240 --> 00:42:46,240 and the depth of real pleasure, 335 00:42:46,240 --> 00:42:49,240 and I didn't find it." 336 00:42:49,240 --> 00:42:51,240 Let me give you one example of Solomon 337 00:42:51,240 --> 00:42:53,240 and how he sought pleasure. 338 00:42:53,240 --> 00:42:56,240 One of the things that Solomon was very well known for 339 00:42:56,240 --> 00:42:59,240 was being able to throw a really good party. 340 00:42:59,240 --> 00:43:04,240 In 1 Kings 4, here's his grocery list for one day: 341 00:43:04,240 --> 00:43:07,240 "30 cores of fine flour, 60 cores of meal, 342 00:43:07,240 --> 00:43:09,240 10 fat oxen, 343 00:43:09,240 --> 00:43:11,240 20 pasture-fed cattle, 344 00:43:11,240 --> 00:43:13,240 100 sheep besides deer, gazelles, 345 00:43:13,240 --> 00:43:15,240 roebucks, and fattened cows." 346 00:43:15,240 --> 00:43:17,240 So, fattened fowl. 347 00:43:17,240 --> 00:43:19,240 So, if I'm heading to the grocery store, 348 00:43:19,240 --> 00:43:22,240 and Rachel says, "Get me a core of wheat," 349 00:43:22,240 --> 00:43:26,240 that doesn't translate very well to me. 350 00:43:26,240 --> 00:43:30,240 So, to put it into ideas that maybe we can get a hold of 351 00:43:30,240 --> 00:43:34,240 is one core is equal to about six bushels of wheat. 352 00:43:34,240 --> 00:43:36,240 And so, just those 30 cores of flour 353 00:43:36,240 --> 00:43:41,240 is 180 bushels of wheat. 354 00:43:41,240 --> 00:43:45,240 Maybe close to like 10,000 pounds of flour. 355 00:43:45,240 --> 00:43:49,240 According to the National Bakers Association, 356 00:43:49,240 --> 00:43:52,240 it's probably not quite accurate because it's modern day wheat, 357 00:43:52,240 --> 00:43:57,240 they're talking like 16,000 loaves of bread just from that. 358 00:43:57,240 --> 00:44:00,240 Right? And that's just the bread course, right? 359 00:44:00,240 --> 00:44:02,240 Here you go. Would you like to start out with some bread? 360 00:44:02,240 --> 00:44:05,240 Here's 16,000 loaves of bread. 361 00:44:05,240 --> 00:44:09,240 And then he goes on to talk about how he has oxen. 362 00:44:09,240 --> 00:44:14,240 Something like six and a half tons of meat from those oxen. 363 00:44:14,240 --> 00:44:17,240 That's taking the average weight of an ox, 364 00:44:17,240 --> 00:44:21,240 the average meat you get out of an animal like that, 365 00:44:21,240 --> 00:44:23,240 which is about two-thirds the body weight, 366 00:44:23,240 --> 00:44:27,240 multiplying it by ten, six and a half tons of meat, 367 00:44:27,240 --> 00:44:29,240 just from the oxen. There's ten of them. 368 00:44:29,240 --> 00:44:32,240 Then you've got twenty cows, and you've got a bunch of sheep. 369 00:44:32,240 --> 00:44:37,240 Think about the amount of people and the amount of food this would take, 370 00:44:37,240 --> 00:44:41,240 and this is for one day, right? 371 00:44:41,240 --> 00:44:48,240 This makes the kind of parties maybe we went to in high school where we thought we were really partying, 372 00:44:48,240 --> 00:44:52,240 right? That makes it seem pretty small compared to Solomon. 373 00:44:52,240 --> 00:44:55,240 And he says, "Even with all this, I ended up empty." 374 00:44:55,240 --> 00:44:59,240 And he doesn't say it was unpleasant. He just says it's unsatisfying. 375 00:44:59,240 --> 00:45:02,240 Right? It doesn't meet his needs. 376 00:45:02,240 --> 00:45:05,240 And then he's going to try to build stuff. 377 00:45:05,240 --> 00:45:09,240 "I made great works. I built houses, planted vineyards for myself. 378 00:45:09,240 --> 00:45:13,240 I made myself gardens and parks, planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 379 00:45:13,240 --> 00:45:19,240 I made myself pools to water the forest of growing trees." 380 00:45:19,240 --> 00:45:21,240 So essentially Solomon here grows up. 381 00:45:21,240 --> 00:45:25,240 He's moved from the partying to the building, right? 382 00:45:25,240 --> 00:45:29,240 He's sort of gone back to responsibilities, set aside the crazy parties, 383 00:45:29,240 --> 00:45:33,240 and now he's moved on to try to accomplish things. 384 00:45:33,240 --> 00:45:38,240 Maybe he gets tired of ending the party and he wakes up in a chariot on the way to Egypt. 385 00:45:38,240 --> 00:45:40,240 How did I get here? 386 00:45:40,240 --> 00:45:46,240 Solomon, if you read the accounts of Scripture just from the grocery lists, this was a big deal. 387 00:45:46,240 --> 00:45:49,240 Now he's moved on to building things. 388 00:45:49,240 --> 00:45:54,240 He doesn't just build a house, he builds houses, plural. 389 00:45:54,240 --> 00:45:58,240 What's interesting is that when he builds the temple, it takes seven years. 390 00:45:58,240 --> 00:46:01,240 You can read the descriptions about the gold and the wood, 391 00:46:01,240 --> 00:46:05,240 and then he goes to build his house, and it takes 13 years. 392 00:46:05,240 --> 00:46:08,240 And I want you to see just one of his summer houses. 393 00:46:08,240 --> 00:46:10,240 This is 1 Kings 7. 394 00:46:10,240 --> 00:46:12,240 He built a house of the forest of Lebanon. 395 00:46:12,240 --> 00:46:14,240 Its length was 100 cubits. 396 00:46:14,240 --> 00:46:16,240 His breadth was 50 cubits. 397 00:46:16,240 --> 00:46:17,240 His height, 30 cubits. 398 00:46:17,240 --> 00:46:22,240 Built on four rows of cedar pillars with cedar beams on the pillars. 399 00:46:22,240 --> 00:46:27,240 So what this comes down to, this house would measure 150 feet long, 400 00:46:27,240 --> 00:46:31,240 75 feet wide, and 45 feet tall. 401 00:46:31,240 --> 00:46:35,240 So just the floor plan is 11,000 square feet. 402 00:46:35,240 --> 00:46:38,240 And you probably, with being 45 feet tall, 403 00:46:38,240 --> 00:46:40,240 probably have a few floors. 404 00:46:40,240 --> 00:46:43,240 And this is his summer house, right? 405 00:46:43,240 --> 00:46:45,240 11,000 at least. 406 00:46:45,240 --> 00:46:47,240 Maybe 22,000. 407 00:46:47,240 --> 00:46:49,240 Maybe if it's three floors, 33,000. 408 00:46:49,240 --> 00:46:51,240 Maybe if they use the roof, it's even more. 409 00:46:51,240 --> 00:46:55,240 This is a massive accomplishment of building. 410 00:46:55,240 --> 00:46:58,240 And we read in Scripture how he builds. 411 00:46:58,240 --> 00:47:00,240 He doesn't just sort of throw some stuff at it. 412 00:47:00,240 --> 00:47:04,240 He gets the finest wood, the finest craftsmen. 413 00:47:04,240 --> 00:47:07,240 In fact, it will even say of his foundation, 414 00:47:07,240 --> 00:47:12,240 they're 12 to 15 feet tall, the foundation blocks, 415 00:47:12,240 --> 00:47:16,240 and cut and finished for these buildings, 416 00:47:16,240 --> 00:47:20,240 in addition to gardens, trees, parks, and forests. 417 00:47:20,240 --> 00:47:22,240 He's going to move from this to saying, 418 00:47:22,240 --> 00:47:24,240 maybe I should enjoy some things, right? 419 00:47:24,240 --> 00:47:26,240 I've partied. I've built. 420 00:47:26,240 --> 00:47:28,240 Now let's enjoy what I've built. 421 00:47:28,240 --> 00:47:32,240 So I bought male and female slaves, herds, 422 00:47:32,240 --> 00:47:34,240 and had slaves who were born in my house. 423 00:47:34,240 --> 00:47:37,240 I had great possessions of herds and flocks, 424 00:47:37,240 --> 00:47:40,240 more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 425 00:47:40,240 --> 00:47:42,240 I gathered for myself silver and gold 426 00:47:42,240 --> 00:47:45,240 and the treasure of kings and provinces. 427 00:47:45,240 --> 00:47:48,240 I got singers, both men and women, many concubines, 428 00:47:48,240 --> 00:47:50,240 the delight of the sons of men, right? 429 00:47:50,240 --> 00:47:54,240 So now he's shifting from partying to building, 430 00:47:54,240 --> 00:47:56,240 now to enjoying. 431 00:47:56,240 --> 00:47:59,240 And so he starts by talking about his leisure. 432 00:47:59,240 --> 00:48:02,240 When he talks about these male and female slaves, 433 00:48:02,240 --> 00:48:06,240 what he's saying is I didn't have to do anything for myself, right? 434 00:48:06,240 --> 00:48:08,240 You know, if I didn't want to, 435 00:48:08,240 --> 00:48:10,240 I didn't even have to chew my food, right? 436 00:48:10,240 --> 00:48:12,240 He's got a guy for that, right? 437 00:48:12,240 --> 00:48:13,240 You hear somebody say, 438 00:48:13,240 --> 00:48:15,240 "Well, do you know anybody who can do electrical?" 439 00:48:15,240 --> 00:48:16,240 "Yeah, I've got a guy for that." 440 00:48:16,240 --> 00:48:18,240 Or, "Do you know anybody who can help me?" 441 00:48:18,240 --> 00:48:19,240 "Yeah, I've got a guy for that." 442 00:48:19,240 --> 00:48:23,240 Solomon has somebody for everything. 443 00:48:23,240 --> 00:48:28,240 And then his wealth, herds, flocks, silver, and gold. 444 00:48:28,240 --> 00:48:31,240 And it doesn't just measure it in amounts. 445 00:48:31,240 --> 00:48:34,240 It measures it in terms of kingdoms. 446 00:48:34,240 --> 00:48:35,240 That's what he means when he says, 447 00:48:35,240 --> 00:48:38,240 "The treasure of kings and providences." 448 00:48:38,240 --> 00:48:41,240 How much money do you have? 449 00:48:41,240 --> 00:48:42,240 Australia, right? 450 00:48:42,240 --> 00:48:45,240 That's the kind of wealth we're talking about. 451 00:48:45,240 --> 00:48:47,240 In one place in Scripture it will say 452 00:48:47,240 --> 00:48:50,240 that silver was worthless in Jerusalem 453 00:48:50,240 --> 00:48:54,240 because of the amount of money that he had. 454 00:48:54,240 --> 00:48:56,240 His household implements were described like this. 455 00:48:56,240 --> 00:48:59,240 All his drinking vessels were of gold. 456 00:48:59,240 --> 00:49:02,240 The vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon, 457 00:49:02,240 --> 00:49:06,240 that big 11,000 at least square foot house, were of pure gold. 458 00:49:06,240 --> 00:49:08,240 None were of silver. 459 00:49:08,240 --> 00:49:12,240 Silver was not considered as anything in the day of Solomon. 460 00:49:12,240 --> 00:49:14,240 And then it says he went and got singers. 461 00:49:14,240 --> 00:49:16,240 And what that means is he bought the band, right? 462 00:49:16,240 --> 00:49:17,240 We go to a concert. 463 00:49:17,240 --> 00:49:18,240 You go to the merch table. 464 00:49:18,240 --> 00:49:20,240 Say, "I'm going to get a CD." 465 00:49:20,240 --> 00:49:23,240 Solomon goes, "Alright, you guys are all coming back with me because I've just bought you." 466 00:49:23,240 --> 00:49:24,240 Right? 467 00:49:24,240 --> 00:49:25,240 He doesn't just buy the CD. 468 00:49:25,240 --> 00:49:29,240 He buys the band in and of itself. 469 00:49:29,240 --> 00:49:33,240 And then he seeks love. 470 00:49:33,240 --> 00:49:38,240 Now, King Solomon loved many foreign women, this is 1 Kings 11, 471 00:49:38,240 --> 00:49:45,240 along with the daughter of Pharaoh, Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidon, Sidonian, and Hittite women. 472 00:49:45,240 --> 00:49:51,240 And 1 Kings 11:2 will say this, "Solomon clung to these in love." 473 00:49:51,240 --> 00:49:56,240 I hear a lot of people talk about how Solomon's wives' relationships were a business transaction. 474 00:49:56,240 --> 00:50:01,240 1 Kings 11:2 says, "He clung to them in love." 475 00:50:01,240 --> 00:50:02,240 Right? 476 00:50:02,240 --> 00:50:03,240 Not just one or two. 477 00:50:03,240 --> 00:50:11,240 He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 concubines, right? 478 00:50:11,240 --> 00:50:16,240 It's too much, right? 479 00:50:16,240 --> 00:50:23,240 It's so easy for us to try to find meaningful purpose in relationships and sex. 480 00:50:23,240 --> 00:50:26,240 If I could have this relationship, if I could find this person. 481 00:50:26,240 --> 00:50:29,240 And Solomon says, "I tried it." 482 00:50:29,240 --> 00:50:36,240 I got married 700 times, had 300 mistresses, and it still left me empty. 483 00:50:36,240 --> 00:50:37,240 Listen to what he says. 484 00:50:37,240 --> 00:50:43,240 He says, "So I became great, surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom remained with me. 485 00:50:43,240 --> 00:50:46,240 Whatever my eyes desired, I did not keep from them. 486 00:50:46,240 --> 00:50:51,240 I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil. 487 00:50:51,240 --> 00:50:53,240 And this was the reward for all my toil. 488 00:50:53,240 --> 00:50:57,240 Then I considered all that my hands had done. The toil I expended is doing it. 489 00:50:57,240 --> 00:51:01,240 And behold, all was vanity, striving after the wind. 490 00:51:01,240 --> 00:51:04,240 There was nothing to be gained under the sun." 491 00:51:04,240 --> 00:51:12,240 He's thrown parties that make the craziest party we've ever been to look small. 492 00:51:12,240 --> 00:51:21,240 He has meals that make us go into Texas Roadhouse and go, "I'll take the 42-ounce steak," making that look like a happy meal. 493 00:51:21,240 --> 00:51:26,240 He's built things that make our great accomplishments look small. 494 00:51:26,240 --> 00:51:33,240 He's achieved a level of wealth we have a hard time imagining, and he's done all of this while still keeping his head about it. 495 00:51:33,240 --> 00:51:41,240 He says, "My wisdom did not leave me." He's tried everything. Verse 10 says, "Anything my heart desired." 496 00:51:41,240 --> 00:51:49,240 He sees it. He tries it. And his conclusion was, "My satisfaction was only temporary." 497 00:51:49,240 --> 00:51:56,240 He'll say, "First of all, I had joy for a little while, and then what happened when I began to think about it?" 498 00:51:56,240 --> 00:52:02,240 That joy disappeared. It just disappeared. 499 00:52:02,240 --> 00:52:06,240 And the problem, what Solomon is going to say, the problem isn't enjoying things. 500 00:52:06,240 --> 00:52:08,240 It's not accomplishing things. 501 00:52:08,240 --> 00:52:12,240 It's not taking those possessions that we've gathered and enjoying those. 502 00:52:12,240 --> 00:52:16,240 The ultimate problem is when we're chasing after the wrong thing. 503 00:52:16,240 --> 00:52:19,240 The problem isn't the things that maybe we enjoy along the way. 504 00:52:19,240 --> 00:52:24,240 The problem is where we're setting our hearts, the ultimate destination. 505 00:52:24,240 --> 00:52:29,240 He's going to go on to talk about this just a little bit. 506 00:52:29,240 --> 00:52:33,240 He's going to talk about wisdom and folly. 507 00:52:33,240 --> 00:52:36,240 He's going to talk about his legacy. 508 00:52:36,240 --> 00:52:39,240 And as he thinks about his legacy, he's frustrated, 509 00:52:39,240 --> 00:52:42,240 because I've built all these things, accumulated all this wealth, 510 00:52:42,240 --> 00:52:44,240 now I'm going to die, I'm going to give it to my kids, 511 00:52:44,240 --> 00:52:50,240 and I don't think they're worthy to take what I've built and use it wisely. 512 00:52:50,240 --> 00:52:55,240 And so all of this leads to sleepless nights. 513 00:52:55,240 --> 00:53:00,240 "What has a man, from all the toil and striving of heart, with which he toils beneath his son? 514 00:53:00,240 --> 00:53:04,240 For his days are full of sorrow, and his work is vexation, 515 00:53:04,240 --> 00:53:09,240 even in the night his heart does not rest. This is vanity." 516 00:53:09,240 --> 00:53:11,240 He goes, "What is there to gain?" 517 00:53:11,240 --> 00:53:16,240 You're hard, you die, somebody else gets your stuff, they ruin it, and then you're forgotten. 518 00:53:16,240 --> 00:53:19,240 And we've experienced this. We work all day, we're tired, 519 00:53:19,240 --> 00:53:23,240 we go home and we worry all night, and all of us have had those moments 520 00:53:23,240 --> 00:53:29,240 of a restless night where we struggle with these big questions. 521 00:53:29,240 --> 00:53:34,240 Maybe about our jobs, or our relationships, our accomplishments, our future. 522 00:53:34,240 --> 00:53:38,240 Being a parent, being a spouse, being able to pay bills, and we sit there at night, 523 00:53:38,240 --> 00:53:43,240 and all of these things run through our head. 524 00:53:43,240 --> 00:53:45,240 And then he gives us a glimpse of hope. 525 00:53:45,240 --> 00:53:50,240 There is nothing better for a person than he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. 526 00:53:50,240 --> 00:53:53,240 This also, I saw, is from the hand of God. 527 00:53:53,240 --> 00:53:57,240 For apart from him, who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 528 00:53:57,240 --> 00:54:02,240 For the one who pleases him, God has given wisdom, knowledge, and joy. 529 00:54:02,240 --> 00:54:05,240 And to the sinner, he has given the business of gathering and collecting, 530 00:54:05,240 --> 00:54:07,240 only to give to the one that pleases God. 531 00:54:07,240 --> 00:54:10,240 This is vanity and a striving after the wind. 532 00:54:10,240 --> 00:54:15,240 Now you might say, "Wait a minute. He just got done telling me all of these things were bad." 533 00:54:15,240 --> 00:54:20,240 And then he says, "They're joy, and they're a gift from God." 534 00:54:20,240 --> 00:54:24,240 The big difference is, look at what he says in verse 24. 535 00:54:24,240 --> 00:54:33,240 "This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart who can eat or who can have enjoyment." 536 00:54:33,240 --> 00:54:41,240 So if we are pursuing things simply in an earthly fashion, we end up with two fears. 537 00:54:41,240 --> 00:54:43,240 One of those is that it'll never be enough, right? 538 00:54:43,240 --> 00:54:48,240 So we get a job, and we have to advance, and we have to get better, and become more accomplished, 539 00:54:48,240 --> 00:54:54,240 and we live with that fear of not succeeding, or on the other hand, we live in fear of losing that, right? 540 00:54:54,240 --> 00:54:58,240 What if I don't do well enough? What if I get fired? What if I get laid off? 541 00:54:58,240 --> 00:55:04,240 And so if this is our striving in and of ourselves, we're going to end up being afraid of not accomplishing it much, 542 00:55:04,240 --> 00:55:08,240 or being afraid of losing it all. 543 00:55:08,240 --> 00:55:15,240 We either have to strive, or we have to protect what we have. 544 00:55:15,240 --> 00:55:20,240 Right? If this is all I have, I better work as hard as possible. 545 00:55:20,240 --> 00:55:23,240 What Solomon says when he talks about joy in these things, 546 00:55:23,240 --> 00:55:26,240 he says joy comes from realizing these things aren't ultimate. 547 00:55:26,240 --> 00:55:32,240 The joys and pleasures of life, the building and accomplishment, all the things you accumulate, 548 00:55:32,240 --> 00:55:35,240 he says that's not where our joy is found. 549 00:55:35,240 --> 00:55:39,240 He says they come from the hand of God, and notice what he says, 550 00:55:39,240 --> 00:55:44,240 "Apart from him who is able to enjoy these things." 551 00:55:44,240 --> 00:55:48,240 Right? He's saying our ultimate pursuit, where you and I are running, 552 00:55:48,240 --> 00:55:53,240 is what will ultimately bring us to joy. 553 00:55:53,240 --> 00:55:56,240 He's changing our perspective. 554 00:55:56,240 --> 00:55:59,240 So I've always liked books, and I think probably most of you know that. 555 00:55:59,240 --> 00:56:04,240 One of the things that I'm still extremely bitter about toward my brother, 556 00:56:04,240 --> 00:56:10,240 I think he's not here this morning, is when we were younger, one of my favorite things were Calvin and Hobbes books. 557 00:56:10,240 --> 00:56:13,240 And I remember he took one of them, without asking, or a couple of them, 558 00:56:13,240 --> 00:56:18,240 and we had this little outdoor fort, and you climb up a ladder, kind of like a tree house without a tree, 559 00:56:18,240 --> 00:56:27,240 and he took some of my Calvin and Hobbes books to the fort and left them there overnight in the rain, ruining them. 560 00:56:27,240 --> 00:56:33,240 I'm still mad about it. Thinking about it now, I'm going to go home and write him an invoice for those books. 561 00:56:33,240 --> 00:56:37,240 I've never been able to really let that go. And I was thinking about this. 562 00:56:37,240 --> 00:56:43,240 I remember I was reading and working on something with like a real book, an important book, 563 00:56:43,240 --> 00:56:47,240 when Evelyn was just like a little toddler, just barely able to walk. 564 00:56:47,240 --> 00:56:52,240 And she comes over, and you should know toddlers by definition are gross, right? 565 00:56:52,240 --> 00:56:55,240 She's got like jelly on her hand, comes over, wants to sit with me. 566 00:56:55,240 --> 00:56:59,240 So here I go, pick up this little baby, little toddler, sit around my lap, 567 00:56:59,240 --> 00:57:02,240 and she's got her sticky hands on my book, and you know what? I didn't care. 568 00:57:02,240 --> 00:57:05,240 You know why? Because there was something more important. 569 00:57:05,240 --> 00:57:08,240 That's what Solomon is trying to tell us. 570 00:57:08,240 --> 00:57:14,240 Like these things that he pursued, it could maybe just stick with one wife rather than 700. 571 00:57:14,240 --> 00:57:16,240 He's like, these things aren't necessarily bad. 572 00:57:16,240 --> 00:57:19,240 The problem is, you've got to put them in perspective. 573 00:57:19,240 --> 00:57:23,240 That they can only be enjoyed when you're with God, and when you're pursuing God, 574 00:57:23,240 --> 00:57:28,240 and when they're from God, and when you're next to God, right? 575 00:57:28,240 --> 00:57:33,240 He's seeking to change how we think. 576 00:57:33,240 --> 00:57:40,240 I want to give you just a couple of examples of how this plays out. 577 00:57:40,240 --> 00:57:50,240 You remember Job loses everything: his children, his flocks, his house, even his health, ends up with a place. 578 00:57:50,240 --> 00:57:57,240 And in Job 1:20, after this damage has happened, Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, 579 00:57:57,240 --> 00:58:01,240 fell on the ground and worshiped, and he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb. 580 00:58:01,240 --> 00:58:06,240 Naked shall I return." The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. 581 00:58:06,240 --> 00:58:12,240 And then he says something that is so startling: "Blessed be the name of the Lord." 582 00:58:12,240 --> 00:58:19,240 The guy who has everything: the wealth, the flocks, the houses, the children, loses it all. 583 00:58:19,240 --> 00:58:26,240 And what does he say? "Blessed be the name of the Lord." Spurgeon will say this: "I am so pleased to think 584 00:58:26,240 --> 00:58:31,240 that Job recognized the hand of God in everywhere giving. He says, "The Lord give." 585 00:58:31,240 --> 00:58:38,240 He did not say, "I earned it all." He did not say, "There my hard-earned savings go. Gone. Oh, me." 586 00:58:38,240 --> 00:58:42,240 He might have said, "All the care for the sheep, and the dreadful expense of those camels, 587 00:58:42,240 --> 00:58:46,240 and the trouble that I have had with those oxen, and now they're all gone." 588 00:58:46,240 --> 00:58:53,240 It does seem hard. He does not put it so. But he says, "The Lord gave them to me, and they were a gift." 589 00:58:53,240 --> 00:58:59,240 And though they are gone, they were a gift from him who had the right to take them back. 590 00:58:59,240 --> 00:59:06,240 For all he gives is only lent, and alone should go laughing home. 591 00:59:06,240 --> 00:59:10,240 And if God lent me these things, and now has called them back, 592 00:59:10,240 --> 00:59:16,240 I will bless his name for letting me have them for so very long." 593 00:59:16,240 --> 00:59:22,240 You see, Job's hope, when we see this play out throughout the book, 594 00:59:22,240 --> 00:59:26,240 wasn't in the stuff, it was in God, and the struggle that he has in the book 595 00:59:26,240 --> 00:59:30,240 is that he hasn't heard from God, and he doesn't understand why God, 596 00:59:30,240 --> 00:59:34,240 but Job's hope ultimately is in the righteousness of God. 597 00:59:34,240 --> 00:59:37,240 Or you have Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 598 00:59:37,240 --> 00:59:41,240 Those three Jewish men who would not bow before the idol. 599 00:59:41,240 --> 00:59:44,240 The king orders the furnace heated seven times hotter, 600 00:59:44,240 --> 00:59:48,240 prepares to throw them in, and says, "Will you guys bow down to the idol?" 601 00:59:48,240 --> 00:59:51,240 And they respond like this, "Oh Nebuchadnezzar, 602 00:59:51,240 --> 00:59:54,240 there's no need to answer you in this matter. 603 00:59:54,240 --> 00:59:57,240 If this be so, our God whom we serve 604 00:59:57,240 --> 01:00:00,240 is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace. 605 01:00:00,240 --> 01:00:04,240 And he will deliver us out of your hand, O King. 606 01:00:04,240 --> 01:00:08,240 But if not, let it be known to you, O King, 607 01:00:08,240 --> 01:00:10,240 we will not serve your God, 608 01:00:10,240 --> 01:00:13,240 for worship the golden image we have set up." 609 01:00:13,240 --> 01:00:16,240 We're familiar with this courageous. God's gonna save us. 610 01:00:16,240 --> 01:00:19,240 But what we miss is what they say. 611 01:00:19,240 --> 01:00:22,240 Even if He doesn't, right? 612 01:00:22,240 --> 01:00:25,240 Even if God doesn't save us, He can. 613 01:00:25,240 --> 01:00:26,240 We think He will. 614 01:00:26,240 --> 01:00:29,240 But even if He doesn't, 615 01:00:29,240 --> 01:00:31,240 we will be faithful. You know why? 616 01:00:31,240 --> 01:00:35,240 Their hope wasn't based on the things they had, 617 01:00:35,240 --> 01:00:38,240 or the life they live, or even their physical well-being. 618 01:00:38,240 --> 01:00:41,240 It was based upon the goodness of God. 619 01:00:41,240 --> 01:00:46,240 And they said if it's God's plan for us to die in this manner, 620 01:00:46,240 --> 01:00:49,240 He is good, and we will serve Him until the end. 621 01:00:49,240 --> 01:00:51,240 Paul will say this: 622 01:00:51,240 --> 01:00:55,240 "To live is Christ, but to die is gain." 623 01:00:55,240 --> 01:01:00,240 You see, when we fix our hope on Jesus, 624 01:01:00,240 --> 01:01:03,240 when we pursue Him, 625 01:01:03,240 --> 01:01:07,240 it changes how we see everything else. 626 01:01:07,240 --> 01:01:10,240 We sing this song that has a line that goes like this: 627 01:01:10,240 --> 01:01:13,240 "What heights of love, what depths of peace. 628 01:01:13,240 --> 01:01:18,240 My fears are stilled when striving cease. 629 01:01:18,240 --> 01:01:20,240 My comforter, my all in all, 630 01:01:20,240 --> 01:01:23,240 here in the love of Christ I stand." 631 01:01:23,240 --> 01:01:25,240 And that's what Solomon's getting at. 632 01:01:25,240 --> 01:01:27,240 All these things that you can strive for 633 01:01:27,240 --> 01:01:29,240 and you have sleepless nights over, 634 01:01:29,240 --> 01:01:30,240 they're not bad. 635 01:01:30,240 --> 01:01:33,240 God gives us things as good gifts to enjoy. 636 01:01:33,240 --> 01:01:37,240 The problem is when we chase those things 637 01:01:37,240 --> 01:01:41,240 rather than chasing God. 638 01:01:41,240 --> 01:01:44,240 So what I would challenge you to do, 639 01:01:44,240 --> 01:01:46,240 not just you, but me as well, 640 01:01:46,240 --> 01:01:49,240 to look at those things in your life that you chase 641 01:01:49,240 --> 01:01:51,240 and you have sleepless nights over, 642 01:01:51,240 --> 01:01:54,240 and ask yourself, "Am I chasing these things? 643 01:01:54,240 --> 01:01:55,240 Am I worried about these things? 644 01:01:55,240 --> 01:01:58,240 Or am I chasing God?" 645 01:01:58,240 --> 01:02:01,240 As a moment of evaluation, 646 01:02:01,240 --> 01:02:04,240 but also as a moment of thankfulness 647 01:02:04,240 --> 01:02:07,240 as we see the good that God has done, 648 01:02:07,240 --> 01:02:09,240 the things that He has allowed us to enjoy, 649 01:02:09,240 --> 01:02:14,240 and understand that if we are to truly, ultimately have peace, 650 01:02:14,240 --> 01:02:17,240 if we're truly, ultimately to be refreshed, 651 01:02:17,240 --> 01:02:19,240 that has to happen, 652 01:02:19,240 --> 01:02:22,240 not from us and from our strivings, 653 01:02:22,240 --> 01:02:25,240 but from being with God. 654 01:02:25,240 --> 01:02:26,240 Let's pray. 655 01:02:26,240 --> 01:02:30,240 Father, we chase so many different things. 656 01:02:30,240 --> 01:02:32,240 We chase accomplishments. 657 01:02:32,240 --> 01:02:35,240 We chase temporary joys. 658 01:02:35,240 --> 01:02:38,240 Help us to see that these things are not bad 659 01:02:38,240 --> 01:02:41,240 in and of themselves, but ultimately, 660 01:02:41,240 --> 01:02:43,240 true joy comes only from you. 661 01:02:43,240 --> 01:02:47,240 May we cease our striving after all of these other things 662 01:02:47,240 --> 01:02:50,240 and strive after you alone, 663 01:02:50,240 --> 01:02:52,240 that you would give us rest and that you would refresh us. 664 01:02:52,240 --> 01:02:54,240 In Jesus' name we pray. 665 01:02:54,240 --> 01:02:55,240 Amen. 666 01:02:55,240 --> 01:02:58,240 Let's stand and sing "Behold Our God." 667 01:03:08,240 --> 01:03:18,240 Who has held the oceans in His hands? 668 01:03:18,240 --> 01:03:24,240 Who has numbered every grain of sand? 669 01:03:24,240 --> 01:03:31,240 Kings and nations tremble at His voice. 670 01:03:31,240 --> 01:03:38,240 All creation rises to rejoice. 671 01:03:38,240 --> 01:03:47,240 Behold our God, seated on His throne. 672 01:03:47,240 --> 01:03:52,240 Come, let us adore Him. 673 01:03:52,240 --> 01:04:00,240 Behold our King, nothing can compare. 674 01:04:00,240 --> 01:04:06,240 Come, let us adore Him. 675 01:04:06,240 --> 01:04:11,240 He has felt the nails upon His hands. 676 01:04:11,240 --> 01:04:18,240 Bearing all the guilt of sinful man. 677 01:04:18,240 --> 01:04:24,240 God eternal, humble to the grave. 678 01:04:24,240 --> 01:04:32,240 Jesus, Savior, isn't now to reign. 679 01:04:32,240 --> 01:04:40,240 Behold our God, seated on His throne. 680 01:04:40,240 --> 01:04:45,240 Come, let us adore Him. 681 01:04:45,240 --> 01:04:53,240 Behold our King, nothing can compare. 682 01:04:53,240 --> 01:05:02,240 Come, let us adore Him. 683 01:05:02,240 --> 01:05:14,240 I'd like to thank you for being with us this morning. Just a few announcements before we set up and enjoy some lunch together and celebrate Derek and Chrissy. 684 01:05:14,240 --> 01:05:22,240 We will be here Wednesday night, continuing on in our study. We've been talking just a little bit about Jude 685 01:05:22,240 --> 01:05:29,240 and what's happening in that short little book. Also starting in September, we're going to begin a series on the book of James. 686 01:05:29,240 --> 01:05:38,240 We'll have a preview for you next week, taking a look about how faith takes action. 687 01:05:38,240 --> 01:05:41,240 So we'll walk through that series together. 688 01:05:41,240 --> 01:05:46,240 I'm just going to have Derek put the next announcements up one at a time, so I can't remember what order they're in. 689 01:05:46,240 --> 01:05:53,240 So after church today, baby shower for Derek and Chrissy and maybe Theo. I think we're going to eat up here. 690 01:05:53,240 --> 01:05:59,240 So Rachel's going to kind of tell you what we need to set up, so we'll help with that. We've got food to put together. 691 01:05:59,240 --> 01:06:03,240 You told me that's what I'm supposed to say. 692 01:06:03,240 --> 01:06:10,240 Alright, we're going to move some chairs and set up some tables up here where there's air conditioning and we're out of the sun. 693 01:06:10,240 --> 01:06:18,240 Also, next Saturday, the Bradfield Family Reunion Concert. This is Rachel's family singing gospel music. 694 01:06:18,240 --> 01:06:24,240 It's in Augusta, so there's a meal at 4pm. If you're going to the meal, they'd like you to RSVP. 695 01:06:24,240 --> 01:06:29,240 There's Grandma's Favorites, which I guess is another singing group. I don't know. 696 01:06:33,240 --> 01:06:45,240 Yeah, so that's 5:30, and then 6pm, the Bradfields will be singing, so kind of southern gospel, and so that's in Augusta at Hope Christian Church. 697 01:06:45,240 --> 01:06:50,240 I can give you more details, and there's some flyers around if you want to see that. 698 01:06:50,240 --> 01:06:56,240 Also, just very quickly, starting in September, we're going to start, I think the plan is to start with the kids. 699 01:06:56,240 --> 01:07:00,240 We'd like to ask any adults who want to participate. You're welcome to as well. 700 01:07:00,240 --> 01:07:05,240 We're going to be doing something, it's called the Bible Memory Project. It's four verses a month. 701 01:07:05,240 --> 01:07:11,240 They send you a little package with the verses. They kind of have a unique way of memorizing them. 702 01:07:11,240 --> 01:07:15,240 They sort of help you. The first letter of each word kind of helps you remember them, 703 01:07:15,240 --> 01:07:19,240 and so they give you a little armband for each week to help you remember the verses, 704 01:07:19,240 --> 01:07:24,240 and some stickers and cards to help you work through these verses together. 705 01:07:24,240 --> 01:07:31,240 If you'd like to participate in that, just let me know. I think we've talked to most of the kids, 706 01:07:31,240 --> 01:07:34,240 but if we haven't and your kids are interested, we'd love to do that. 707 01:07:34,240 --> 01:07:40,240 Also, if you're an adult and like to, let me know so we can go ahead and get those set up. 708 01:07:40,240 --> 01:07:42,240 Is there anything else there? 709 01:07:42,240 --> 01:07:47,240 All right, let's sing the doxology. We'll pray, and I'll read a verse of Scripture. 710 01:07:47,240 --> 01:07:52,240 Actually, we're going to pray, read a verse of Scripture, and then we will sing the doxology. 711 01:07:52,240 --> 01:07:55,240 Father in heaven, thank you for allowing us to be here this morning. 712 01:07:55,240 --> 01:07:59,240 Thank you for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you for your word. 713 01:07:59,240 --> 01:08:02,240 Be with us during this time of celebration, 714 01:08:02,240 --> 01:08:07,240 so that we would be able to celebrate and bless Derek and Chrissy and Ezra 715 01:08:07,240 --> 01:08:10,240 and look forward to the arrival of baby Theo. 716 01:08:10,240 --> 01:08:15,240 Thank you for Jesus and grace. It's in his name we pray. Amen. 717 01:08:15,240 --> 01:08:18,240 In Isaiah 55, we read some of this this morning. 718 01:08:18,240 --> 01:08:22,240 God speaking through Isaiah, 719 01:08:22,240 --> 01:08:26,240 "Why do you spend your money on that which is not bread, 720 01:08:26,240 --> 01:08:29,240 and your labor on that which does not satisfy? 721 01:08:29,240 --> 01:08:33,240 Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 722 01:08:33,240 --> 01:08:37,240 Incline your ear, come to me, and hear that your soul may live, 723 01:08:37,240 --> 01:08:40,240 and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, 724 01:08:40,240 --> 01:08:43,240 my steadfast, sure love for David." 725 01:08:43,240 --> 01:08:45,240 Let's sing the doxology. 726 01:08:45,240 --> 01:09:14,240 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him, above ye heavenly hosts. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 727 01:09:14,240 --> 01:09:16,240 Praise God. 728 01:09:44,240 --> 01:09:46,240 Amen. 729 01:10:14,240 --> 01:10:16,240 Amen. 730 01:10:44,240 --> 01:10:46,240 Amen. 731 01:11:14,240 --> 01:11:44,220 Thank you.