The Search for Enjoying Life
Today we’re continuing our teaching series on a book of the Bible called Ecclesiastes. It’s an 8 week teaching series we’re calling The Good Life, and it’s all about finding satisfaction and purpose in everyday life. What we’re talking about specifically today is enjoying the moment. We’re talking about how life is short, so enjoy the moment and blessings you have in life. It’s such an important message on a special day like Mother’s Day, because time flies and our kids grow up fast. If you’re a parent in the sleep-deprived diaper stage or the stressful tantrum stage, then it probably feels like time is slow and you’re ready for your kids to start changing their own diapers. But the empty nesters will tell you to enjoy the diaper and tantrum moments while you can, because graduation is coming soon...If you’re a middle or high school student who wants more freedom than your parents are giving, then it probably feels like time is slow and it’s taking forever to grow up. But enjoy the moment of being a kid while you can, because soon your childhood will end, and you’ll be responsible for paying for everything yourself.
It's such an important message for all of us to hear, because we’re often rushing through life with packed schedules and little margin to enjoy the moments and blessings of life. We’re often rushing through life relying on coffee, diet sodas, or Celsius to give us energy for our daily tasks, but we crash later with little energy to enjoy the rest of the day.We aren’t getting to enjoy the moments and blessings of today, because we’re too busy rushing through the day. This is what we’re talking about today, and so let’s turn to Ecclesiastes 9 and get into it. If you open the bible to the middle and keep turning left, you’ll find Ecclesiastes. We’ll be in Ecclesiastes 9:1-10, and the title of the message is The Search For Enjoying Life. The big idea of the message is that life is short, and you can’t control tomorrow. So enjoy the moments and blessings you have today...Life is short, and you can’t control tomorrow. So enjoy the moments and blessings you have today...
Here’s your context. The author of Ecclesiastes is King Solomon who’s one of the wisest, wealthiest, most powerful kings in history. He’s a man who experienced a lot of life, he made a lot of mistakes in life, and he wrote Ecclesiastes towards the end of his life so we can learn from his mistakes. As we read this we need to picture him as a wise old teacher, a wise old grandpa, who’s teaching us a few things about life. He repeats several things in ch’s 6-8, so we’re picking it up in ch 9, where he teaches us to enjoy the moments and blessings we have in life. Let’s check it out.
Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 states, “I took all this to heart and explained it all: The righteous, the wise, and their works, are in God’s hands.” Solomon’s talking the sovereignty of God here, meaning God has absolute authority, power, and control over all things. It means every molecule and atom in the universe, every cell and strand of DNA in our bodies, isn’t being held together by random chance. It’s being held together intentionally by God’s sovereign hands. Corrie ten Boom states, “His sovereignty means every detail of your life is a part of his perfect plan, and he’ll never let you go.”Solomon says our entire lives are in God’s hands. This means no matter how bad things get in our lives and world, we can always find hope in knowing God has a plan and the sovereign power to execute that plan. Proverbs 19:21 states, “Many plans are in a person’s heart, but it’s the Lord’s purpose that will prevail.” The plans you make will sometimes fail, but God’s plans will always prevail. He’ll use the power of his sovereign hands to accomplish his plans.
This is such an encouraging truth for anyone who trusts their life in God’s hands. The more you trust your life in his sovereign hands, the less stressed you’ll be in life. Instead of being stressed over situations beyond your control, you’ll be at peace trusting his sovereign hands are in control. Elisabeth Elliot said, “The sovereignty of God is the one unshakable foundation for hope. Because he’s in control, we can rest knowing our pain, plans, and prayers are in his hands, working for our good and his glory.” Are you feeling stressed?...Are you feeling stressed over a situation beyond your control?...Whatever situation is causing you to feel stressed, find peace in God’s sovereign hands. You can’t enjoy life stressing over things beyond your control, but you’ll enjoy life when you trust the God who’s in control. Solomon says our entire lives are in God’s hands.
Again vs. 1, “I took all this to heart and explained it all: The righteous, the wise, and their works, are in God’s hands. People don’t know whether to expect love or hate. Everything lies ahead of them. 2 Everything is the same for everyone: There is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who doesn’t sacrifice. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner. As it is for the one who takes an oath, so it is for the one who fears an oath. 3 This is an evil in all that’s done under the sun: there is one fatefor everyone. In addition, the hearts of people are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live; after that they go to the dead.” Solomon’s talking about death here. He mentions two times that we all have one fate, which is death. So the 1st thing he’s teaching is...
#1 Death is certain, but God is sovereign. = Death is certain, but God is sovereign over death. Solomon says both the righteous and wicked, good people and bad people, share one fate, which is death. We try everything we can to avoid it, but we can’t avoid it. We take multi-vitamins, wear fitness watches, drink filtered water, eat organic superfoods, buy anti-wrinkle cream to slow the aging process and delay the fate of death. But Solomon’s saying we can’t avoid it! He’s saying it doesn’t matter if you’re a good or bad person, rich or poor person, brisket or Kale eating person, death is the great equalizer, and it exposes that we have very little control over our lives. I mean despite all the medical and technological advancements we’ve had over the years, humanity’s death rate is still the same. Humanity’s death rate is still 100%, which proves we have zero control over the fate of death. John Ortberg states, “We aren’t the masters of our fate; we’re stewards of our moments.” Death exposes us to the reality that we aren’t the masters of our fate, and we aren’t as in control of our lives as we think. It exposes our need for God’s sovereign hands to guide us in life and resurrect us from death. Solomon’s teaching us that death is certain, but God is sovereign.
Vs. 4, “But there is hope for whoever is joined with all the living, since a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything. There is no longer a reward for them, because the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love, their hate, and their envy have already disappeared, and there is no longer a portion for them, in all that is done under the sun.” Solomon’s contrasting the living and the dead, and he uses the illustration of a living dog being better off than a dead lion. People back then didn’t view dogs as household pets like we do today. They viewed dogs as scavengers like vultures, and they viewed lions as majestic. So when Solomon says it’s better to be a living dog than a dead lion, he’s saying it’s better to be a living scavenger than a majestic dead person. Why? It’s because a living person still has time to repent and turn to God. A living person still has time to change their ways and enjoy life as a gift. But a dead person doesn’t have the chance to do that anymore. If they reject God in this life, there’s no longer a reward for them in the afterlife. So the 2nd thing Solomon’s teaching us is...
#2 Life is a gift with a deadline. = Life is a gift with a deadline. Solomons says if you reject God in this life, there’s no longer a reward for you in the afterlife. In the words of A. W. Tozer, “For those without Christ, time is a devouring beast.” If you don’t believe in the sovereign God who can resurrect your life, then time is a devouring beast slowly gnawing away at everything you enjoy in life. But if you’re a skeptic, the good news is you’re still breathing, which means you still have time to turn to God, change your way, and enjoy life before reaching your deadline. It’s like C.S. Lewis said, “The life of man has no greater duration, than the breath in his nostrils.” So turn to God, change your ways, and enjoy life before the final breath in your nostrils runs out. Get your life in order today, before reaching your deadline. This is practical wisdom for believers too! We need to view life as a gift with a deadline too! We need to get our lives in order today, instead of pushing things off like we’re guaranteed tomorrow when we aren’t. Life is a gift with a deadline, not a guarantee. So we need to prioritize our time today, because we aren’t guaranteed tomorrow.
Now this isn’t about living each day as if it were your last, because that isn’t practical wisdom. I mean if you had 24 hours to live, if you knew the final breath in your nostrils would be noon tomorrow, would you go to work tomorrow?...Would you go to school tomorrow?...Would you wake up in the morning to do the laundry, clean the house, mow the lawn, do some chores?...If you really only had 24 hours to live, you’re not spending those last 24 hours going to work, school, or doing chores, which is exactly my point! It isn’t practical to view each day as if it were your last, because you still have daily responsibilities. But it’s practical to view each day as a gift with a deadline. It’s practical to view your time as a limited resource that you need to prioritize better, so you can be more efficient at work, at school, at investing in your family, friendships, and faith. Solomon isn’t teaching us to treat each day as if it’s our last. He’s teaching us to make whatever changes we need to make in our lives today, because we aren’t guaranteed tomorrow. He’s teaching us to treat and view each day, to treat and view our entire lives, as a gift with a deadline.
Vs. 7, “Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works. 8 Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head. 9 Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that’s your portion in life and in your struggle under the sun. 10 Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength, because there’s no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you’re going.” The Hebrew word for Sheol in this context means the grave. So what Solomon’s saying is work hard, but don’t work yourself to death without enjoying some of life. Work hard, but also take time to enjoy some of the blessings you have before you go to the grave. So the 3rdthing Solomon’s teaching us is...
#3 Life is short, so enjoy the moment. = Life is short, so enjoy the moment and blessings you have before you go to the grave. He gives us a few examples of things to enjoy, such as eating with pleasure, drinking with a cheerful heart, and enjoying life with your spouse or the people you love. In vs. 8 he says wear white garments and oil on your head, which symbolizes getting decked out for a party. He’s saying instead of mourning this short life like it’s a funeral, enjoy this short life like it's a party. Sometimes we’re so busy with work, school, and the struggles of daily life, that we fail to enjoy some of the blessings we’re given in life. Sometimes we’re so caught up in seeing the glass half empty, that we forget to enjoy the other half that’s full of blessings. In vs. 10 Solomon says we need to work hard at whatever we do, but we also need to take time to play hard, have fun, and enjoy some of the blessings we’re given in life. Every joyful moment God gives you is a glimpse of the extraordinary breaking into the ordinary. It’s a glimpse of the extraordinary God breaking into your ordinary life, to relieve you of pain and point you to find greater joys in him. Just like the certainty of death points to our need for God, the joys of life points to greater eternal joys in God. Solomon says without God, everything we enjoy in life will end in Sheol.
The good news of the gospel is that Jesus is our incarnate God who came to die for our sins on the cross, to save us from the eternal death we deserve in hell. But he didn’t just come to save us, he also came to restore us to an abundantly joyful life with him. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” He didn’t just come to save us, he also came to restore us to an abundantly joyful life with him. Jesus lived a short life for roughly 33 years, but he also lived an abundantly joyful life working hard and playing hard. He worked hard, but he also enjoyed some good food and drinks with his friends and family. He worked hard, but he also enjoyed some downtime in the mountains, and went to lakes to go fishing with his buddies. He worked hard, but he also went to parties like the wedding in Galilee, where he turned water into wine. I don’t think Christians reflect this celebratory side of Jesus enough. We don’t party, celebrate, and enjoy our blessings enough, reflecting to others the abundantly joyful life Jesus offers us. We’re often viewed as critical, judgmental, joyless people, instead of viewed as abundantly joyful people. But when we enjoy our blessings and share our blessings with others, we reflect that Jesus is a blessing to us and wants to be a blessing to others. We reflect that Jesus is a God who wants to give us an abundantly joyful life with him. But the skeptic needs to put their faith in him, and the believer needs to prioritize their time with him. The more we trust him and walk with him in the daily moments of life, the more we’ll enjoy that abundantly joyful life.
The big idea of the message is that life is short, and you can’t control tomorrow. So enjoy the moments and blessings you have today...Life is short, and you can’t control tomorrow. So enjoy the moments and blessings you have today...Like I said before most of us aren’t enjoying the moments and blessings of life, because we’re too busy rushing through life. Mother's Day can sometimes remind us of how quickly time flies. If you're an older mother you know how quickly your children went from being in diapers, to driving and graduating. If you’re a younger mother you’re probably tired of changing diapers, being an Uber driver for your kids, and dealing with teenage attitudes. But enjoy the moments and blessings of each stage of life, because it'll go by fast. Keep pouring into your children and point them to Jesus, because you aren’t raising children, you’re shaping souls...You aren’t raising children, you’re shaping souls for eternity...
But we all need to enjoy the moments and blessings we’re given, regardless of our stage of life, because life is short. Solomon teaches us that life is short, and you can’t control tomorrow. So enjoy the moments and blessings you have today. More importantly, trust God’s sovereign hands with every moment you face in life, so you can enjoy an abundantly joyful life...Let’s pray...