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Explore the pursuit of happiness through God's wisdom and control. Discover the beauty in life's moments with divine guidance. Reflect on purpose, judgment, and the sovereignty of God. Let Ecclesiastes teach you the true meaning of fulfillment and contentment.
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He is the Professor We are the Students
Ecclesiastes 1:2 “ ‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’ ”
Big things without God eventually prove to be meaningless. But even little things with God can be satisfying.
Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?”
“God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness” -Ecclesiastes 2:26 • Pursue happiness and you will come up empty. • Pursue God and you will gain God and happiness too.
The Search for Meaning Part III I. A Time (vv. 1-6) II. A Question (vv. 9-17) III. A Thought (vv. 18-22)
A time to be born A time to plant A time to kill A time to tear down A time to weep A time to mourn A time to scatter stones and a time to die and a time to uproot and a time to heal and a time to build and a time to laugh and a time to dance and a time to gather them
A time to embrace A time to search A time to keep A time to tear A time to be silent A time to love A time for war and a time to refrain and a time to give up and a time to throw away and a time to mend and a time to speak and a time to hate and a time for peace
What does this Mean? • The world seems big and complicated, and we often face things that are opposite to each other. • But even this has some order because it is “under heaven,” under God’s control, not ours. • If we yield to God’s control, we can do the right thing at the right time. • We can even find meaning and beauty in each activity. “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
The Search for Meaning Part III I. A Time (vv. 1-6) II. A Question (vv. 9-17) III. A Thought (vv. 18-22)
“What does the worker gain from his toil?” -Ecclesiastes 3:9
“I have seen the burden God has laid on men.” -Ecclesiastes 3:10
“He has made everything beautiful its time.” -Ecclesiastes 3:11
“He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” -Ecclesiastes 3:11
“They cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” -Ecclesiastes 3:11
Not Chasing Happiness But Choosing Happiness
Ecclesiastes 3:13 “That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.”
Ecclesiastes 3:17 “I thought in my heart, ‘God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.’ ”
The Search for Meaning Part III I. A Time (vv. 1-6) II. A Question (vv. 9-17) III. A Thought (vv. 18-22)
People and Animals • The spirit of people will rise to face the judgment of God. • The spirit of animals will not rise to face the judgment of God.
Daniel 12:2 “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Ecclesiastes 3:21 “Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”
Ecclesiastes 3:22 “So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?”
“Is God really in charge of everything? Many of us say he is, theoretically, but when things don’t go the way we think they should, do we submit to His wisdom in goodness, or do we resent Him and mutter against His Lordship? We’d never admit it, but do we, deep down, think we’d do a better job of ruling the world than He does? Do we trust Him enough to say, ‘yet not my will, but Yours be done?’…
…This is the response that Solomon is looking for. God is in charge of everything, and this means we can trust Him. Best of all, we can trust Him to come again and set things right—even when the world says He isn’t. Let us, therefore, confess the sovereignty of God and stand in awe of Him.” -Michael Philips