The Plowman

 

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:14. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, October 10, 2010.

Introduction
It dates back thousands of years.  Back to the days of the Greek poet Homer and beyond.  The idea of the wise old sage who will point you down the right path insuring success or enabling you to reach the goal.  The sage is the embodiment of wisdom.  The one able to distill great, profound truths into a single thought.  In the Iliad it was Nestor.  In Greek mythology it is Mentor.  For King Arthur it was Merlin.  In Star Wars it was Yoda.  In the Lord of the Rings it is Gandalf.  For me it was Gibson, the sage of Webster High School who also happened to be the football coach.  A man of great intellect who often spoke in terms that were beyond us as mere mortals.  Great perils of wisdom flowed from his lips like water from a fountain.  When you made excuses for why your man got through the line and annihilated your quarterback in the backfield the sage would say, “Son, you best smell yourself before you tell me the other fella stinks!”  You just don’t forget such wisdom.

Throughout history men have sought the advice of the sage as a means of navigating life’s treacherous path.  We all need help in making sense of the senselessness around us.  The Preacher began by asking, “Is life worth living?”  Life seemed an endless monotony.  He found that wisdom provided little or no relief.  That wealth ultimately proved worthless and that death could not be avoided.  So, after carefully considering life under the sun, that is life without God, his answer was, “No.  Life is not worth living.”  Being a wise man Solomon consider the question again, this time with God in the picture.  That made all the difference.  Rather that monotonous he found life filled with challenges from God.  He discovered wealth could be enjoyed and used for the glory of God.  And even if you can’t know everything being wise was infinitely better than playing the fool.  As for death - there is a way of escape.  Now in chapters 11 and 12 the Preacher is ready to conclude his message.  Our text this morning is found in the last two chapters of Ecclesiastes.

Text: Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:14

I want to take these two chapters together because they belong together.
A single thought is running through them.
Remember Solomon is nearing the end of his days.
He is imparting that one great truth he wants to live beyond him.
That great lesson to be embraced by the following generation.

So think of Solomon as the family sage.  Uncle Sol has something he wants the family to understand.  Something he wants the kids to take to heart.

Thesis: The Preacher calls on his hearers to see life clearly and to respond appropriately.

His advice is to see life as it really is from the vantage point of glory and then do what is appropriate.  As we saw earlier, perspective is everything.  Uncle Sol is going to help us see and embrace life as God intends.

1. Life is an adventure that is to be lived.  (11:1-6)
2. Life is a gift to be enjoyed!  (11:7-12:8)
3. Life is a school learn the lessons well - 12:9-12
4. Life is a stewardship guard it well and be prepared to give account - 12:13-14

Conclusion
Is life worth living?  Yes!  If yo are truly alive through faith in Christ Jesus.  Then you can be satisfied, no matter what God may permit to come to your life.  “He who has the Son has life.  He who does not have the Son does not have life.”  1 John 5:12

 

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 10:1-20. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, October 3, 2010.

Introduction
I read this week about a couple who went to their local dealership to pick up the their new car.  When they arrived they were told, “It is going to be a few minutes the keys got locked in the vehicle.”  When they went to where the car was sitting they noticed a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver’s side door.  Instinctively they tried the handle on the passenger side and the door opened.  The man said, “Hey, it’s open.”  The mechanic, somewhat miffed, said, “I know - I already got that side!”  Don’t you wonder how people like that keep a job, much less get a job to start with?  Years ago when we moved to Ponca City to pastor Longwood Baptist Church we had a group of men from the church move us.  They rented a truck and came to Pawnee loaded us up and moved us to Ponca.  After several hours it was time for lunch.  They didn’t want to stop so I said, “Let me just go up the road to Taco Bell and get you something.”  Rheadon wrote down what everyone wanted and I went to Taco Bell.  I walked in alone.  The store was empty.  The smiling young girl behind the counter said, “Can I help you?”  I said, “Yes you can.  I need 12 tacos; 4 burrito supremes; 2 bean burritos; a taco salad and a large nachos.”  She looked me right in the eye and said, “Is that for here or to go?”  I said, “Here, and give me a diet Pepsi I’m watching my weight!”  A little foolishness goes a long way.  Sometimes you just have to laugh but being a fool is not a laughing matter.

Solomon, near the end of his days, took time to look back over his life and see what he had learned.  What great lessons could he pass on to those who would follow?  Is there some great truth that could undergird and prove sufficient for sustaining life?  His thoughts are recorded for us in the book of Ecclesiastes.  Solomon wrote The Song of Solomon as a young man.  There he celebrated the bliss of marital love.  At mid-life he wrote the book of Proverbs extolling the virtues of wisdom and knowledge.  Now as an old man he is considering that one great truth he wants those who follow after him to know.  He says, “I sought for joy and satisfaction through intellectual pursuits and came up wanting.  I then sought it through pleasure.  I denied myself nothing.  If my eye desired it - I partook of it.  If I longed for it - I indulged it.  But I only found passing pleasure and momentary joy - in the end I was empty.  I then tried material possessions and professional advancement but it was like chasing the wind.  It was all in vain.”  In fact he concluded that life under the sun was a vain, empty existence.  The only real joy, the only lasting pleasure, genuine satisfaction was to be found in God and in God alone.  For God gives good gifts to everyone and to His people He give the ability to enjoy all things.  His conclusion?  Eat, drink and enjoy your labors for this is your position in life.  That’s not a cop out.  That’s not “settling.”  It’s understanding that because God is good and God is sovereign the Christian finds deep, satisfying joy in even the simplest things in life.

In chapter 10 he comes to deal with the disastrous effects of folly.  Our text this morning is the tenth chapter of Ecclesiastes.

Text
Ecclesiastes 10:1-20

9 times in these 20 verses he uses the term folly, fool or foolishness.
When you first approach this text it seems as if the Preacher is all over the map.
One might conclude that it is just incoherent rambling - but that’s not it at all.

As one writer put it, “With an onslaught of proverbs the Preacher hammers home his point with many nails.”

With his repeated warning that the wise and the foolish end at the same place - the grave - one might conclude, “So why bother to be wise?”  If it all amounts to vanity and striving after wind why not play the fool?  Solomon’s point is not that all of life is vanity.  He is not suggesting there is no joy in life.  Or that there is no benefit to living a wise and prudent life.  His point is that it is vain to expect to find joy anywhere other than in God himself.  All things consider there is great benefit in living wisely and all things considered there is great heartache accompanying the life of a fool.

Thesis
The words of the Preacher warn of the danger that accompanies the way of the fool in hopes of steering us down the way of hard work and honest good sense.

I want us to break this chapter down into two parts.

1. The principle stated - (10:1-3)
2. The way of the fool defined - (10:4-20)
   1. The way of the fool lacks discernment - 10:4-7
   2. The way of the fool marked by presumption and thus filled with danger - 10:8-11
   3. The way of the fool is filled with senseless talk - 10:12-15
   4. The way of the fool is marked by carelessness - 10:16-20

Conclusion
What is the message of the Preacher to us?  It is that we not live for ourselves and not according to our own agenda but that we live as a people who love God, find our joy in Him and seek to live the Gospel we proclaim.

 

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 9:1-18. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, September 26, 2010.

Introduction
We live in a complex, complicated world.  The economy, world events, political unrest, and climate issues are only part of it.  You must add to the equation interpersonal relationships, family issues, strained marriages, wayward children and the redefining of what makes a family.  Did I mention health issues?  Of course no one knows what’s going to happen to health insurance or the quality of medical care.  Then we have to decide what is “truth.”  Is there really any such thing as truth?  What about religion?  Does it really matter what you believe?  Isn’t it enough that you believe?  These are complicated issues.  They require a great deal of thought.  It takes time to work through them and come to a reasonable decision but I don’t have time!  “I’ve got work, we’ve got ball games, school, piano lessons, cheerleading, dance recitals, I’ve got that business trip coming up, we’ve put off that little remodeling job too long as it is, I don’t know when we are going to get a chance to take some time off, then there’s the…” and so it goes endlessly.  Then tragedy strikes.  A life ended.  In the darkness of our grief we are left to wonder, “What is the meaning of it all?”

Our text this morning is found in the 9th chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes.

Text
Ecclesiastes 9:1-18

To live in faith is not to live in denial.  It is not to live and act as if all is well.  Faith does not require that I refuse to recognize the reality that surrounds me.  Quite the opposite.  It demands that I take a good hard look at the world as it is and cling to the certainty that God is good and God is sovereign.  The Preacher forces us to see life in this book.  He doesn’t sugarcoat it.  He doesn’t twist or tweak it, he says, “There it is.  Look at it.  Understand that if you choose to deny the existence of God and you refuse to live by His rules - this is it.  There is nothing more.  Life is an empty, vain experience.  But if you look to God in faith this is not the end of the story.  If you are His, not only does He give all things but He gives you the ability to enjoy life.”

As we come to chapter 9…

Thesis
The words of the Preacher remind us of the simple, yet profound truths of the Christian Gospel.

Please understand the difference between simple and easy.

To be simple means that it is not complicated.  It is to be straightforward and easy to grasp or understand.  That does not mean it is easy to live by.  It does not mean that there will be no problems along the way.  Those of you who play golf know that the game is simple.  Hit this ball until it goes into that hole.  But it is not an easy game to play!  I can’t even hold the club.

According to the Preacher life is pretty simple really.
He boils it down to three things in this chapter.

1. Death is unavoidable.  (9:1-6)
2. Life is unpredictable.  (9:11-18)
3. We trust God, live by faith and enjoy whatever blessings God gives us.  (9:7-10)

Thus the words of the Preacher remind us of the simple, yet profound truths of the Christian Gospel.

 

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 8:1-17. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, September 19, 2010.

Introduction
Do you find balance difficult?  I don’t mean physical balance.  I’m not talking about if you have some inner ear problem that throws your equilibrium off or some other malady that affects your motor skills, I mean a balanced perspective.  I’m talking about the way you view the world or the way you interpret data.  It seems to me that balance is lacking most everywhere.  One news channel claims to be “fair and balanced” which is good marketing.  It certainly sounds better than “mostly fair and hardly ever unbalanced!”  Yet it seems to me we mostly choose up sides and take pot shots at each other.  In terms of our faith we are more interested in winning arguments than we are in seeking truth.  It even affects the way we understand and define our doctrine.  For instance, to say I believe in the doctrine of Divine Sovereignty is not to say my favorite song is “Que Sera, Sera.  Whatever Will Be, Will Be.”  Such a frivolous attitude is no substitute for the biblical doctrine.  To believe in God’s sovereignty is to believe that God rules over all things.  It means that I see the hand of God in everything.  That doesn’t mean I like everything that goes on.  It doesn’t mean that I happily embrace every experience but rather that I have confidence that the will of God is going to be accomplished on the earth.  Such a belief does not require me to ignore or deny what is happening around me.  I do not wear blinders, nor do I wear rose-colored glasses.  A biblical faith demands that I honestly assess the world around me in the light of Word of God.  That balance is crucial for understanding the message of the Preacher in the book of Ecclesiastes.

Qoheleth, the preacher, is taking an honest look at his life.  He is taking stock of what he has experienced and what that experience has taught him but he is doing so - not from his own, limited understanding - but in light of what God has revealed.  Careful observation and biblical revelation bring him to this understanding.  His understanding is life under the sun (that is life apart from God) is an ugly business.  It is a vain, empty pursuit.  It is existence it is not living.  So this book is about joy and where you can find it.  It is about God giving us good things and the ability to enjoy them.  Our text this morning is found in the 8th chapter of Ecclesiastes.

Text: Ecclesiastes 8:1-17

The Preacher deals with some difficult subjects in our text.

• He deals with the power of unjust rulers.
• He deals with rampant injustice as the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer.
• He deals with our inability to comprehend or make sense of it all.
• He is not singing, “Que Sera, Sera.”
• He’s not jumping off a bridge either.
• He is facing reality in confidence and faith.

As we make our way through this chapter we are reminded that…

Thesis
Joy demands an honest assessment of life as we know it and an unshakable confidence in God’s good and sovereign rule.

There are three things I want to point out in our text.

1. The joyful seek to use discretion when responding to injustice and recognize the limits of governmental authority.  (8:1-9)
2. The joyful know that ultimately justice prevails and that unrighteousness faces sure and certain doom.  (8:10-13)
3. The joyful accept their limitations and leave the end of all things in the hands of a good and sovereign God.  (8:14-17)

Conclusion
We live in a fallen world.  This is not the world God made.  This is the distorted corruption of His good creation.  In this world evil, wicked things happen.  What are we to do?  How are we to know joy?  Joy is God’s gift to His people and…

Joy demands an honest assessment of life as we know it and an unshakable confidence in God’s good and sovereign rule.

 

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 7:1-29. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on September 12, 2010.

Introduction
I don’t know if you’ve noticed this but life stinks.  Life is hard.  It’s frustrating and irritating.  Life is confusing and unsettling and just when you think you have a few answers “they” change the questions!  The preacher’s not going to get any argument from me, in fact he’s going to get a hearty, “Amen!” for his insights.  Life under the sun is a vain, meaningless, monotonous existence.  Oh it has its moments.  There are those times, however fleeting, of joy and excitement it’s just that they do not last and when the good time is over I’m worse off then when the party began.  Life, apart from God, is an ugly business.  If you begin with the understanding that there is no God, there is no reality beyond this life, that life is whatever you can make of it here and now - then there is no meaning ultimately.  King Solomon looked back over a lifetime and said, “Vanity of Vanity!  All is vanity!”  Pointless.  Hopeless.  It all amounts to “striving after the wind.”  Even if you catch it - what do you have to show for it?  Nothing.  Now, before you conclude that Solomon was some burned-out, depressed, failed monarch with a gun to his head - you need to know this was not the end of the matter for the preacher.  The book of Ecclesiastes is not a suicide note.  It is a book about real, lasting, profound joy and where you can find it.

Joy is God’s gift to His people.  Joy is the fruit of trusting wholly in God’s character and work.  It is resting in his providence to the extent that you find joy even in life’s darkest, most difficult hour because you know God is in control of all things.  I’m not talking about a sentimental, surface level happiness with a pasted on smile but a deep, rich, abiding joy anchored in the presence of a good and sovereign God.   In chapter 6 Solomon makes it clear that prosperity is not necessarily a blessing and in chapter 7 he is going to show that adversity is not necessarily a curse.  Our text this morning is the 7th chapter of Ecclesiastes.

Text
Ecclesiastes 7:1-29

The preacher says some things in this chapter that seem extraordinary.  There are a couple of places you may have to reread to make sure he said what you thought he said.  The first 13 verses read like a lost chapter of Proverbs.  At first glance they may seem like Bizarro Proverbs, “Surely he can’t mean that.”  He does mean it and it is very helpful for godly living.

As we explore this chapter we discover that…

Thesis
The godly embrace wisdom and find perspective, clarity and strength to face life’s great challenges.

I want to point out three things from our text.

1. Wisdom brings perspective.  (7:1-10)
   Sorrow is better than laughter - (1-4)
   Rebuke is better than praise - (5-6)
   The long haul is better than the short cut - (7-9)
   Today is better than yesterday - (10)
2. Wisdom brings clarity.  (7:11-18)
   In 7:11-12 the preacher informs us that wisdom is better than a generous inheritance.
   7:13-15 remind us we are to see God’s hand in all things.
   7:16-18 - - we are to fear God.
3. Wisdom gives strength to face life’s harsh realities.  (7:19-29)
   The universal ruin of sin - (20, 26-29)
   To see my own wickedness - 7:21-22
   To admit my inability to grasp the meaning of all that God is doing in the world - 7:23-25

 

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 6:1-12. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, September 5, 2010.

Introduction
It is as old as the Garden.  It is what tripped up our original parents - the sense that I’m missing out on something.  That there is more out there.  There is something that if I could just get my hands on it I would be genuinely happy.  Even when I have all my needs met, I’m satisfied, my life is in a good place, I can easily be conned into believing real life is just over there.  When I learn that someone has something I don’t have…I want it.  I don’t even know what it is but I got to have it.  While most of us would never admit it, we think that wealth brings fulfillment.  That’s why we read People magazine and want to peer into the lives of the “rich and famous.”  “Wow, it must be nice to have that kind of cash.”  “He’s guaranteed how many million whether he plays or not?”  “I don’t know what he’s complaining about I’d gladly trade places with him.”  We end up envying the most miserable people on the face of the earth!  It would be foolish of me to stand up here and say that the rich and powerful have no joy.  It would be foolish because you know I’d be lying.  Of course they have joy.  Of course they enjoy themselves and their wealth provide them opportunities and pleasure most of us will never know but that does not ensure satisfaction in life.  That does not guarantee lasting joy or fulfillment.  To be sure wealth in and of itself is not the problem.  Godly people through the ages have been wealthy and greatly blessed of God.  Wealth, power and influence are not inherently evil at the same time we must acknowledge that they do not inherently prove satisfactory.

Our problem is our scales are off.  As we weigh the evidence the results are skewed because the scales have not been zeroed out.  They are weighted it favor of wealth.  That’s because we view everything from our limited, finite perspective.  We live and think in the immediate rather than the eternal.  The preacher is trying to bring some perspective.  He hammers his message home again and again and again and again until we want to shout, “Enough already!”  The reason he is so persistent in his message is because he knows we really don’t believe it.  He knows that because he didn’t believe it.  Solomon is near the end of his life.  After careful analysis he is saying, “This is what I’ve learned.”  Solomon is like most of us he is thinking, “I wish someone had told me this when I was younger.”  The truth is someone was telling him this he just wasn’t listening.  We don’t listen because we don’t want to hear it - but hear it we must.  Our text this morning is found in Ecclesiastes chapter 6.

Text: Ecclesiastes 6:1-12

Keep in mind the book is about joy - real, lasting, robust, resilient joy - and where to find it.
It is not found in intellectual pursuits.
It is not found in abandonment to pleasure.
It cannot be had through personal achievement, the acquisition of power or the accumulation of stuff.

It is the gift of God to His people.

Chapter six is a discouraging chapter.  It is down right depressing.  If you pull chapter six from its context and read it outside of the preacher’s whole message you would have to conclude life is a dead end street.  Life is hard and then you die - have a good day!

You must read it in the context of the preacher’s whole message.  When you do so you understand that…

Thesis
The persistent warning of the preacher underscores the necessity of faith in Christ.

The whole of the book comes down to this - life apart from God is a vain thing.  Therefore fear God and keep His commandments.

In our text the preacher sounds three warnings.

• The preacher warns of the devastation of a full yet empty life.  (6:1-6)
• The preacher warns of the disastrous effects of discontentment.  (6:8-9)
• The preacher warns of the utter despair of a godless life.  (6:10-12)

Conclusion
Life is a dead end street.  There is no meaning.  There is no ultimate purpose.  Life is whatever you can make it here and now.  Life apart from God is a vain, worthless existence.  The Gospel is  the good news that there is life eternal and abundant.  It is a life that transforms from glory unto glory and it is yours by the grace of God.

 

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 5:1-20. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, August 29, 2010.

Introduction
Don’t you find the news depressing?  Whether you are talking about television, radio or the paper it just seems there is so much “bad” news.  Shootings, stabbings, abuse, war, financial crisis, terrorism and that’s just the school news!  Don’t eat eggs, don’t drink the water, 100 degree temperatures returning…enough already.  You reach a point where you just don’t want to hear it anymore.  “I’m tired of the bad news - give me some good news for a change.”  So you come to church and your pastor is preaching through Ecclesiastes.  You just can’t catch a break.  But you see Ecclesiastes is good news.  It is the good news that there is real joy and lasting satisfaction and it can be had here and now in this sin-sick, twisted world.  It is God’s gift to His people.  Don’t take my word for it, listen to Solomon:
Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

Did you catch it?  God gifts His people with the ability to enjoy life.  Now, we are talking about joy not happiness.  There is a difference.  Happiness is a feeling of elation when everything is as it should be.  Happiness is that which happens to happen with things happen to happen happily.  But if things happen to happen unhappily - you ain’t happy!  Joy is a deep, abiding sense of satisfaction regardless of the circumstance.  We are not assured of happiness in this world.  In fact we are told to expect heartache and tribulation but we can know joy because it is rooted in the person of the Lord Jesus who is an ever-present help in time of need.  Oh, the book of Ecclesiastes is a book of real, robust and resilient joy.  Our text this morning is found in the fifth chapter.

Text: Ecclesiastes 5:1-20
Solomon is thinking out loud.
He is looking back over a lifetime and seeing what lessons he has learned.
Where does one find real joy?
Is it through knowledge or intellectual pursuit?
Is pleasure the path to satisfaction?
How about wealth, power, influence or achievement?

No, all that amounts to “striving after wind.”
They are vain pursuits - hollow, empty, meaningless.

• Chapter 3 = trust God.
• Chapter 4 = the vanity of life apart from God.
• Chapter 5…

Thesis: Only a clear vision of God and a corresponding response of faith can produce lasting joy.

I want to point out three things as we make our way through this text.

1. Foolish worship distorts your vision of God and disrupts genuine joy.  (5:1-7)
2. Frustration over corruption and a preoccupation with wealth distorts your values and destroys any chance for lasting joy.  (5:8-17)
3. Trust in a good and sovereign God enables a rich, robust and resilient joy.  (5:18-20)

You were made to be in relationship with God.
You will be restless until you find your rest in Him.
Only a clear vision of God and a corresponding response of faith can produce lasting joy.

 

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 4:1-16. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, August 22, 2010.

Intro:

Well he was no Joel Olsteen that’s for sure!  In fact I’m certain he wouldn’t have a large church today.  His message is a little hard to listen to.  He just seems so negative.  He seems to be soured on life.  How are you going to build a crowd when your whole message seems to be summed up with, “Life stinks?”  Who would drag themselves out of bed on a Sunday morning to come hear a preacher say, “Life is hollow, meaningless and empty?”  There are sections of his book, when reading it, you have to keep reminding yourself, “All Scripture is breathed of God and is profitable.”  The truth is, Solomon is not as negative as it may seem.  Keep in mind the book of Ecclesiastes was written late in his life.  He is looking back over a lifetime and evaluating the life he has lived.  He is seeking to “make sense” of it all.  He desires to pass on some insight for living.  Where is it a man finds real, lasting joy and satisfaction?  It is not to be found in intellectual pursuit.  It is cannot be had by indulging one’s appetite for pleasure.  Nor is it to be found in career advancement, the acquisition of power or the accumulation of wealth.  Real joy and lasting satisfaction is the gift of God’s grace to His people.

Apart from Him life is meaningless.  Apart from Him there is no real joy, no lasting satisfaction.  There is only temporary pleasure and momentary relief.  Life under the sun is a vain existence.  If you take God out of the equation and then set out on a quest for joy you are on a fool’s errand.  Our text this morning is found in Ecclesiastes the fourth chapter.

Text: Ecclesiastes 4:1-16
In chapter 3 we discovered that joy and satisfaction are the fruit of trusting wholly in God’s person and work.  It is to acknowledge His sovereign rule over all things.  It is to rest in His providential working.  It is to trust in His righteous handling of all things.  That’s good.  If you can do that you are well on your way to a life of joy and real, lasting satisfaction.  In chapter 4 Solomon seems to take a step backwards.

Chapter 4 is a miserable chapter!
Chapter 4 reads like the confession of a soured, jaded, hardened skeptic.
He points out problem after problem but offers no solution.
“It’s striving after the wind.”
“This also is vanity and an unhappy business.”
Until he concludes the chapter with, “…this also is vanity and a striving after wind.”
What happened?
Did he forget what he just said?
You have to read the whole book.

What is the book about?
It is about joy - real, lasting, robust, resilient joy and where to find it.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20: Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.
19 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God.
20 For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

What is chapter 4 about?

Thesis: The disturbing words of the preacher serve to underscore the futility of life apart from God.

There are 4 things I would like to point out from our text.

1. The cares and troubles of this life are often so overwhelming that death or better yet nonexistence seems preferable.  (4:1-3)
2. Driving ambition and endless pursuit of success and prosperity can lead to a crushing loneliness.  (4:4-8)
3. Selfish ambition and rugged individualism leaves you alone and vulnerable.  (4:9-12)
4. The adoration of the crowd and the popularity of success are sorry substitutes for a genuine friend.  (4:13-16)

Joy, peace and lasting satisfaction are to be found in Christ and in Him alone.

 

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 3:1-22. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, August 15, 2010.

Introduction
I saw in the paper this week that Tulsa has had 21 homicides since May 1.  During this same period there have been 311 shootings.  There was a time, not so long ago, that we expected such things to be happening in large metropolitan areas such as New York, Chicago or Los Angelus but not here.  Not in the buckle of the “Bible Belt.”  Life here was good.  People were friendly.  Church played a prominent role but times have changed.  Pessimism has replaced optimism, skepticism has replaced hope and life has become meaningless.  This didn’t happen overnight.  It’s been coming for a long time.  I think this quote sums up the majority opinion today, “There is no reason to suppose that a man’s life has any more meaning that the life of the humblest insect that crawls from one annihilation to another.”  Catchy don’t you think?   A nice uplifting thought.  Have we really become that jaded?  What may surprise you is that quote is from an English professor at Columbia University during the 1940s!  What was thought in the halls of academia in 1940 is being lived out on the streets of our city in 2010.

It is the notion that individuals are not unique and therefore not important.  Life is without meaning and if life is without meaning it isn’t worth living.  Let’s all just eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.  To quote the ‘preacher,’ “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”  Empty, hollow, nothingness - what is?  Everything…under the sun.  If you consider life apart from God it is empty, meaningless.  Life apart from God and the things of God is unsatisfying.  Oh there may be a moment of joy but it doesn’t last.  There may be happiness but it is fading.  The party ends.  The money gets spent.  The music stops.  The crowd gets bored and moves on.  You will go down to the grave and be forgotten.  Nothing lasts.  Nothing ultimately satisfies.  Nothing that is under the sun.  Our text this morning is found in the third chapter of Ecclesiastes.

Text: Ecclesiastes 3:1-22
Solomon states his conclusion from the very beginning - 1:2 - “Vanity of vanities all is vanity.”
Life is empty - under the sun.
He sought for meaning through intellect and discovered it wasn’t there.
He sought it through pleasure and came up empty.
Then he tried to find satisfaction through work and the accumulation of stuff and learned it was a fool’s errand.

Where does one find true satisfaction and lasting joy?
It is the gift of God’s grace.
As we explore the 3rd chapter we discover that…

Thesis: Deep, genuine satisfaction is the result of trusting wholly in God’s person and work.
There are three things I want to call to your attention from our text.

1. Lasting joy and genuine satisfaction demands that you gratefully acknowledge Gods’ sovereign rule over all things.  (3:1-8)
2. Lasting joy and genuine satisfaction demands that you rest in God’s providential working.  (3:9-15)
3. Lasting joy and genuine satisfaction demands that you trust in God’s righteous handling of the end of all things.  (3:16-22)

Conclusion
What is it that brings lasting joy and genuine satisfaction?  It is the knowledge of God’s sovereign rule over all things, it is resting in His providential working, and trusting his righteous handling of the end of all things.

Deep, genuine satisfaction is the result of trusting wholly in God’s person and work.

 

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An exposition of Ecclesiastes 2:12-26. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, August 1, 2010.

Introduction
It seems to me it starts earlier and earlier.  We start asking kids, at a young age, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  It’s one of the fruits of living in a free and prosperous society.  We condition kids early on to understand, “You can be anything you want to be.”  In many parts of the world you won’t find kids dreaming of what they will be when they grow up - they just hope to live long enough to grow up!  As a young person moves toward high school we expect them to have a plan.  “What are your goals?”  “What college are you plan to attend?”  “What do you want to do with your life?”  What is interesting is to see how things change.  I love to go to high school homecoming and senior recognition and hear what the students’ plans are.  “After graduating Susie plans to attend MIT with a double major in nuclear physics and medieval renaissance theology.”  A couple of years later you learn Susie is taking some night courses through TCC and working at Wal-Mart.  My point is youth is filled with optimism and hope and it should be!  I bring it up because it is important to note Solomon did not write Ecclesiastes as a young man but rather as an old man looking back on a life of experience.  When you ask a kid what he or she wants to be when they grow up - they do not answer, “I hope to be a bitter, disillusioned failure.”  The goal, regardless of what path they may choose to follow, is to be happy, successful and live with meaning and purpose.  That is why it is critically important for us to hear and heed the message of “the preacher.”  Solomon’s years of empty experience taught him that experience is empty.  Life under the sun is filled with bitter disappointment and is unsatisfying.

Life without regard for God or the things of God is an empty, vain thing.
While there are momentary joys, times of peace and contentment, they do not last.
Thus the preacher cries, “Vanity of vanities!  All is vanity.”
He sought satisfaction through wisdom and found it empty.
He sought satisfaction through pleasure and found it was an illusion.
In the text we are going to explore this morning he reaches an end to the first section of his book.
Our text is found in the second half of the second chapter.

Text: Ecclesiastes 2:12-26
Keep in mind the preacher is “thinking out loud.”
He is bringing us along in a process.
He is walking us through his life experience and sharing what he’s learned.
I want to point out three things in this summary and then draw a final conclusion.

1. Wisdom while advantageous cannot, in itself, secure lasting joy.  (2:12-17)
2. Wealth and professional success, while providing momentary peace, ultimately falls short of lasting joy.  (2:18-23)
3. Lasting joy only comes through the gracious work of God in the hearts of His people.  (2:24-26)

Conclusion: Satisfaction is the gracious gift of God to His people.