The Circle of Life
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
April 25, 2021
I’ve certainly never been one to want to include movie clips in a sermon, but if I was ever going to do it, I would have started this one with that opening clip from the Lion King with the singing of “The Circle of Life”
For that’s exactly what the book of Ecclesiastes calls our attention to
And certainly is highlighted in the first 11 verses of the book.
That everything about our existence
Flows in this endless and unchanging circle.
The difference between Disney and the book of Ecclesiastes
Is where Disney sought to celebrate this great circle of life
The book of Ecclesiastes laments it.
(2) “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”
It is no doubt the redundant cry of the book.
• Over 20 times the book contains the word “vanity” or “vanities”
• 11 times we read the word “futility”
• 9 times we read the phrase “striving after wind”
The Hebrew word translated “vanity” here is HEBEL (hev-el)
It means “vapor” or “breath”
And the preacher uses it 30 times in the book
As his best descriptive word about life on this planet.
And so you are already making one reference in your mind
To the New Testament writers and their usage of such theology.
James 4:13-14 “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”
James took that straight from the Preacher in Ecclesiastes.
• James learned from the Preacher that it is utter foolishness to bank on
certainty in this life, it’s just a vapor; it’s just a breath.
That is the horse that the Preacher will ride throughout this book.
And because he goes there so often,
It has led many to make some FAULTY ASSUMPTIONS about the book.
When I was a teenager my pastor said that “Ecclesiastes was the only book in the Bible written from the perspective of a non-believer.” He said that “Solomon wrote it late in life after the consequences of all his sin had made him bitter.”
He was not alone in that assessment. Indeed some through the years have made such an interpretation and then questioned if Solomon was even saved at all.
“How could a saved man write such a book?” they would say.
But I would state it just the opposite.
• How could a saved man not write such a book?
• It is certainly not something a lost man would write!
In fact, it might surprise you to know
That much of Jesus’ preaching can be found in truths
That were also echoed by the Preacher here in Ecclesiastes.
When Jesus asks the question:
Matthew 16:26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
That is exactly the point the Preacher makes in Ecclesiastes.
When Jesus warns:
Matthew 6:34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
That is the exact perspective of the Preacher here.
• When Jesus laments a farmer who stored up treasure on earth but was
not rich toward God…
• When Jesus tells of a rich man who enjoyed all his good things in this
life, and now get torment in the afterlife…
• When Jesus warns of the judgment of God on those who choose this life
instead of the next…
All of those realities are the very point of the Preacher here in Ecclesiastes.
The apostles certainly followed suit.
I already read you James’ warning that our life is a vapor,
But that wasn’t all James had to say.
James 5:1 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.”
That is the very warning of the Preacher here
To the man who pours all of his effort into this life.
Listen to John:
1 John 2:17 “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
That is exactly the warning of the Preacher.
When the writer of Hebrews reminds:
Hebrews 13:14 “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.”
One might wonder if he just finished reading Ecclesiastes.
When the apostle Paul tells Timothy:
1 Timothy 6:17 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”
Paul is merely echoing the truths taught by the Preacher in this book.
The point is that the book of Ecclesiastes
Is NOT a book written from the perspective of a non-believer.
• Ecclesiastes is a book from an extremely mature Christian perspective.
• Ecclesiastes is written by a man who has crucified the world to himself.
• Ecclesiastes is written by a man whose treasure is not in this world.
• Ecclesiastes is written by a man who lives in light of eternity not here.
And it is a necessary message for the world.
In fact, this may surprise you a little,
But when you read Ecclesiastes you are not getting a first-hand account,
You are getting a second-hand account.
What do I mean?
• Ecclesiastes is written by an unknown man, we simply call him “The Author”
• But only about 7 verses in the book are original to him.
The rest of the book is the author quoting “The Preacher”.
This becomes evident especially at the end of the book when we read:
Ecclesiastes 12:9-10 “In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.”
When you read those verses it becomes evident that
The Preacher didn’t write the book.
Instead the author is summarizing for you
All that he learned from the Preacher.
The author of Ecclesiastes thought this message was of such importance
That he took the time to compile all that he taught and preserve it for us.
THIS BOOK HAS SUCH AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE.
• What is the message?
• Why did the author write down for us the message of the Preacher?
It’s very simple.
TO KEEP YOU FROM WASTING YOUR LIFE.
AND I CAN’T STRESS ENOUGH
How relevant such a message is for our culture today.
We live in a nation that wastes everything.
• We waste food…
• We waste time…
• We waste money…
• We often waste relationships…
Sometimes this is done out of laziness or apathy,
But most of the time it is done out of misdirection.
We run after and pursue the wrong things.
• Kids waste their supper because they want the treat…
• We waste time when we engage in non-profitable engagements…
• We waste money buying what we don’t need…
• We waste relationships when we throw away one because another looks better…
But our world is filled with people
Who don’t just waste and afternoon, or a paycheck,
But who literally waste their entire lives.
I shared with you a couple of weeks ago about the John Piper sermon that inspired my generation.
• Where John Piper told the story he read in Readers Digest about a couple who spent their retirement in Florida collecting shells.
• Piper said, “That’s a tragedy. That’s a tragedy.”
• And he spoke of how pathetic it would be some day when that couple stands before God and says, “Look Lord, my shell collection!”
• To which Piper pleaded, “Don’t waste your life.”
It is such an important point of contemplation.
• What are you pursuing?
• What are you seeking?
• What are you accomplishing?
And 100 million years from now will it even matter what you did?
This book is the warning of the Preacher not to waste your life.
Yet is often rejected or overlooked because our culture expects positivity.
We certainly value optimism over pessimism or realism.
• If you approach someone and say, “How’s it going?”
• You expect them to say, “It’s good”
• If they say, “Life is terrible!” something in you wants to get away.
That’s how this book feels when you read it.
But to shy away from this book would be a massive mistake.
• This book is evangelistic – it awakens the lost to death and judgment.
• This book is sanctifying – it helps you crucify the world to yourself.
It is so valuable!
It will help you let go of the world
That makes this book A GUIDE to show you how to live this futile life.
One thing no one can argue with is that
The book of Ecclesiastes IS BRUTALLY HONEST.
• There is no flattery here.
• There is no fairy tale.
• There is no Hallmark ending.
The Preacher will tell you to take off your rose-colored glasses and take a long hard look at this world.
• Do you see the pain?
• Do you see the suffering?
• Do you see the injustice?
• Do you see the untimely death?
• Do you see the random nature of it all?
• Do you see the futility?
The Preacher isn’t going to sugar-coat this life for you.
He is no motivational speaker.
He is pure unadulterated reality.
And he does so because it is his objective
To get you to quit seeking satisfaction in this world.
In 1965 that great theologian Mick Jagger wrote his masterpiece to sum up this life; and he sang, “I just can’t get no satisfaction.”
And have we ever seen it!
• How much money will finally satisfy?
• How many cars will finally make you happy?
• How many super bowls do you need to win?
• How much land do you need to own?
• What is that one purchase that will finally satisfy the craving of you heart?
• What earthly relationship has finally given you everlasting contentment?
• What award finally left you feeling like all the work was worth it?
You know the answer: NOTHING
Do you know why?
BECAUSE GOD HAS FIXED IT TO MAKE SURE
THAT YOU NEVER FIND SATISFACTION WITH THIS LIFE.
To best understand the book of Ecclesiastes
ONE MUST FIRST TURN TO THE BEGINNING OF THE BIBLE.
• If you’ll remember, God created man in a paradise of a garden.
• He gave man everything he could ever ask for or desire.
• But when that man sinned against God we found that God, from that day forward, would refuse to allow this world to ever satisfy man again.
Genesis 3:17-19 “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”
God decreed that this world would be the adversary of man,
Not the helper of man.
If man was going to get any benefit from this earth,
It would be only by sheer force, labor, and determination.
• This world would not easily yield up satisfaction and fulfillment.
• This world would fight him.
AND THAT HAS BEEN SO TRUE.
But not only did God curse this world, He also condemned it.
• In Genesis 6 God flooded it.
• Next time God will burn it.
2 Peter 3:7 “But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”
And this world, which man so desperately seeks will one day be totally destroyed.
Revelation 21:1 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.”
That is the same thing Isaiah told us:
Isaiah 24:20 “The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard And it totters like a shack, For its transgression is heavy upon it, And it will fall, never to rise again.”
That is the same thing John told us:
1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
This world will not last.
This world is passing away.
And so God has determined that man
Will never get the satisfaction he craves from this world.
And the Preacher in Ecclesiastes knows that.
And he redundantly preaches it at you.
This book seems depressing,
But it is only depressing if you are holding out hope
That this life will give you the fulfillment and satisfaction you seek.
The Preacher is out to crust that futile hope.
And that also then makes the book of Ecclesiastes
THE PERFECT PRIMER FOR THE GOSPEL.
There is no life to be found in the distractions of this world.
However, there was One who came into this broken world,
And He came with the promise of satisfaction and fulfillment.
John 1:1-4 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.”
When Jesus stepped into this world “life” came with Him.
And the promises of Jesus are extremely clear.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
John 7:37-38 “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'”
John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
It was the continual cry.
Life; true life; fulfilling life; satisfying life; eternal life;
Is NOT found in this world,
IT IS ONLY FOUND IN CHRIST.
If you will accept the message of the Preacher in Ecclesiastes
Then you’ll be ready to run to Christ.
• As a lost man you’ll see that only Jesus offers eternal life.
• And even as a saved man you’ll see that it is time to let go of this world.
But if you ignore the Preacher here
And are bent on squeezing joy and satisfaction out of this life
Then Jesus has nothing for you.
For it is only when you lose this life that you gain the next one.
• It is only when you forsake this world that you gain the next.
• It is only when you give all that you have that you obtain the treasure.
And so with that in mind, I can’t think of a more relevant and appropriate book for study than this book of Ecclesiastes.
It is written to open your eyes and crush your worldliness.
• Because it is something that must be crushed.
• Because until your love of the world is crushed you’ll never have love for God.
Jesus was very clear.
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
This world must go.
The Preacher in Ecclesiastes will help you with that.
Now, that DOESN’T MEAN it’s all doom and gloom.
It’s not all about misery and despair.
The preacher is quite honest about what things you should find joy in.
• Things like a hard days work…
• Things like a good meal…
• Things like the company of your wife…
God has given us pleasures to enjoy and you should enjoy them,
But you should also know that
While those simple pleasure are a gift from God
THEY ARE NOT the goal of your life.
Your goal is for eternity.
That is what you are working for.
And ultimately that is where this book ends.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”
That is the point, and the Preacher is going to drive it home for us.
Well, there’s your LENGTHY introduction to the book.
There’s your “Bird’s Eye View”
With the little time we have left let’s start taking a look
At this message of “the Preacher” which the author has recorded for us.
These first 11 verses which we look at this morning
We have basically the summary of the author.
If he were to summarize for you the message of the Preacher,
It would be found in these first 11 verses.
And it all centers around this question:
(3) “What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?”
The word “advantage” there is YITH-RONE in the Hebrew.
It is a word only used in the book of Ecclesiastes
And it is used in this book 10 times.
Sometimes translated “advantage”
Sometimes translated “profit”
Sometimes translated “excel”
It is the foundational question of life.
• What are you really gaining for all your labor?
• What are you really gaining from all your effort?
• You get up in the morning…
• You go to work…
• You come home from work, you clean the house…
• You cook a meal…
• You mow the grass…
What are you gaining in all of that?
What advantage is there to all the work you do in this life?
Well the eye-opening answer to the question is actually stated in verse 2.
“Vanity of vanities,” Says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”
• It’s breath!
• It’s a vapor!
• It’s smoke!
There is no advantage; there is no profit.
And of course the perspective here is an eternal one.
• Surely we might find an advantage to cleaning your house.
• The benefit is you get to live in a clean house.
But if you spend your whole life cleaning house,
And your only achievement is a “clean house award”
And then someday you die, and here is what you learn.
A clean house had no bearing on whether or not you go to heaven.
You see there the frustration of the older brother in that Prodigal story.
Luke 15:29-30 “But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’
You see the frustration of those who worked longest in the vineyard only to see those who were hired late get the same pay.
Matthew 20:10-12 “When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. “When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’
So what’s the point of all my labor?
There is some temporal benefit,
But what a miserable thing to make your life’s purpose.
BUT THAT IS THE WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE.
Look at verses 4-11.
(4) “A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever.”
I’ve been reading a book called “The Empire Of The Summer Moon”
• It’s all about the Comanche Nation.
• It’s really interesting because their battles happened all over right here where
we live.
Do you understand that?
• There was a time when the Comanche was virtually unchallenged.
• This was his land and he did whatever he wanted here.
If you go to the theme park in Arlington
• You’ll see the “Six Flags over Texas”
• And remember that there was a time when the land where you sit today
• Was Spain, or France, or Mexico, or just Texas, or the Confederacy, or the
United States.
There was a person who lived on your land before you lived there.
There will be a person who lives on your land after you are gone.
All that work you put into it, someday it will be for someone else.
Psalms 49:10-12 “For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish And leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names. But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.”
Do you see the foolishness in making that the purpose of your life?
(5-7) “Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; And hastening to its place it rises there again. Blowing toward the south, Then turning toward the north, The wind continues swirling along; And on its circular courses the wind returns. All the rivers flow into the sea, Yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, There they flow again.”
Do you see the futile circle of creation?
It just keeps going on and nothing ever changes.
• The sun never gets to quit rising…
• The rivers never get to quit flowing…
• The wind never gets to quit blowing…
• Their job is never finished.
They are the old “Dunkin Donuts” guy
Saying, “Time to make the donuts”
IT NEVER ENDS AND NEVER RESTS.
(8a) “All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell it.”
That is to say that life is exhausting.
Man can’t even express how exhausting.
There is a CERTAIN DISCONTENTMENT that goes along with it.
(8b)“The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing.”
• You may reach a time where circumstances force you to be content without
seeing or hearing,
• But no one ever reaches a point where they just say, “Well, I am satisfied. I
don’t need to see anything else.”
The simple point is that there is a “Never Enough” mentality
That permeates our thinking and our world.
Humanity is always searching for more.
And the problem is that in their search,
They never find what they are looking for.
They just can’t get no satisfaction.
(9-11) “That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say, “See this, it is new”? Already it has existed for ages Which were before us. There is no remembrance of earlier things; And also of the later things which will occur, There will be for them no remembrance Among those who will come later still.”
What a passage!
It pictures a man who is ON A QUEST
To find that new thing that will finally satisfy his life.
And we think about the industrial revolution that occurred here,
And all the inventions that were supposed to make life so much better.
And the question is, “Did they?”
Think about all the innovation and technology and advances…
Now I know, there have been some good inventions.
• I like indoor plumbing…
• I like air conditioning…
• Automatic windshield wipers are great…
But think about it, has any of it brought fulfillment to life?
Has any of those things caused you to say,
“Well now I don’t need or want anything else.”
NO, NOT AT ALL.
And many of the advancements one could argue have only made things worse.
Many of these new technologies are only destroying society, not satisfying it.
AND THAT IS THE PREACHER’S POINT.
You have man on this massive quest to find satisfaction in this life, BUT HE CAN’T. There is no satisfaction.
It’s all just one big circle.
Can I put it to you like this?
You are on a hamster wheel.
• And there are people who are just running and running and running;
• Turning that wheel nonstop, until one day they die,
• They fall out of the wheel,
• And without missing a beat another hamster jumps right in and takes over.
And someone might approach that hamster and say,
“Hey, come over here to the edge of the cage for a second.”
But that hamster yells, “Can’t, gotta keep this wheel moving!”
Can you see, that is life?
• What is your hamster wheel?
• What is it that you are seeking and pursuing?
• What is it that will finally bring you satisfaction?
YOU’LL NEVER FIND IT IN THIS WORLD.
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”
You were not created to find satisfaction here.
• This world is cursed.
• This world is fallen.
• This world is passing away.
And what a tragedy to spend this whole life
Seeking what you will never find.
• So that at the end you can show God your shell collection…
• Or at the end you can leave a spotless house…
• Or at the end you can say you ran a successful little league…
Do you see it?
Do you understand?
How frustrated and angry people become
Because they work their whole lives for that which doesn’t satisfy.
I’ve seen it and you’ve seen it.
• That retirement party for the man or woman who gave 50 years to the
company.
• The entire celebration can be completed in about an hour
• With one store bought cake and maybe an engraved watch.
• And tomorrow the business will go on without them.
If your life is wrapped up in that,
What a lonely and frustrating thing you have to look forward to.
And that goes for everything.
What award is ever enough?
What recognition will ever make all the hours truly worth it?
• Cook the meal, they’ll be hungry in a few hours.
• Clean the floor, they’ll mess it right up again.
• Wash the clothes, the hamper will be full in 2 days.
• Mow the grass, it will be uneven in the morning.
• Prepare the baseball field and the t-ballers will absolutely tear it to pieces!
I’m not saying you shouldn’t serve or work or volunteer.
But the point is that in all your labor this life
Will never produce for you the satisfaction you long for.
AND if you are bent on running this race for some piece of earthly satisfaction then you are going to end up gravely disappointed.
But there is One who called you to forsake this life.
• One who told fishermen to start fishing for men.
• One who told an adulteress to be a true worshiper.
• One who told a tax collector to leave his wealth and find true life.
• One who tells you to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him.
There is life available.
True, fulfilling, satisfying, abundant, eternal life…
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
But you won’t have it until you quit trying to find it in this world.
Our goal during this study is
• To get you to take off your rose colored glasses
• And see how futile this world really is,
• And then it is to get you to forsake this world
• And find life in Jesus Christ alone.
There’s so much more to say, but we’ll have to go there next time.
