Ecc. 2:12-26
Wisdom, Legacy, and Happiness
Intro: The Problem and the Experiment of Solomon
- Everything under the sun is meaningless
- Let me show you
- Under the sun wisdom can answer the biggest questions of life
- Partying, Hard work, Leisure, can not satisfy Heart
- What about wise living? Can that satisfy?
- What about living for a legacy?
- Solomon will bring us to God this morning.
- Happiness is possible in this life.
Vs 12-14a Solomon tests something more noble “Wise Living”
- Different Wisdom than before. Wise Living.
- Solomon discovery Good Choices are better than Bad Choices
- Gain in wise living.
- Sounds like the “I started living Christian” conversion.
- Sounds like the “I started going to church” conversion.
- We know we are not saved by good works but how about “Wise living/good Choices”?
Vs 14b-15 Wise Living fails to satisfy. The Critique of American “Christianity”
- Same event to both the wise and the fool. 1. Death 2. Life’s Difficulties
- What is the point?
- The more noble the false gospel the more seductive it is.
- Many think they have “Tried” Christianity because they went to church and stopped sleeping around.
- Consequences of this false Gospel called “Wise Living”
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- No freedom. “Am I living wise enough?”
- Judgmentalism “Other Christians don’t live as well as I do”
- Self-Worship “Trusting in my living”
- It will not satisfy.
- It causes to to look away from Christ.
- Ways we propagate this false Gospel?
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- Promoting the law more than gospel.
- Are individuals saved by works? How about nations?
- Never calling people to repent of “their” righteousness
- Measuring our spirituality by things we do or don’t do.
- When we challenge Christians to work harder for Christ without including “It is finished”
- We get more excited about the law than the gospel.
- When we act as if the gospel is for “Them”
Vs 16-17 You Will Die and Be Forgotten
- If you live wisely you will be forgotten
- If you live foolishly you will be forgotten
- Wise Living does not satisfy.
Vs 18-23 Legacy: We can take nothing we worked for with us
- After everything we have so wisely worked for we have to leave it.
- We leave it to people who have not worked for it.
- They might not ever care!
- Most Pickers have no family who wants there stuff.
- vs 21 I have to give this to Rehaboam!
- vs 22 What has a man? Tom Brady Quote
- Even in the night we have no rest.
- Wise living brings no rest to the heart. “You could have done better”
The Major Shift of Solomon’s Teaching
Vs 24-25 A New Way
- Joy in Food, Drink, and Toil? 5 times just like this!
- Before food, drink, and toil was meaningless!
- What is Solomon telling us?
Jesus Alone Satisfies!
- Everything under the sun fails us.
- Nothing in this world can handle the pressure of our worship!
- Solomon’s wisdom and experiment was his best effort of being his own god.
- When Jesus is everything to us everything changes!
Vs 24-25 With Christ As Ultimate we can now enjoy life as a gift!
- Life’s most basic things “Food and Drink and Work” are now seen as a gift not a god!
- The Christian no longer has to misuse food and drink!
- You can have joy!
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- More people in America sin with food than with drink.
- Stats on obesity a alcohol
- Other sins with food and drink?
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- Health freak nazi.
- No one should ever eat fried chicken!!!!
Gospel Freedom!
- Jesus never sinned with food or drink.
- He ate and drank responsibly.
- Jesus died for your sin of misusing food and drink.
- Your forgiven. No condemnation! No condemnation!
- But… Conviction. Walk away from your food or drink worship!
Vs 26 God’s Pleasure
- Christian you have it!
- Non- You don’t
Wise living and leaving a legacy won’t satisfy.
Only in Christ are you free to truly live the happy life.
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