The Bubble That Bursts

Harvest podcasts featuring Pastor Greg Laurie are brought to you by harvest partners to receive Pastor Greg free online daily devotions or to become a harvest partner, please visit us online@harvest.org all right well were starting a brand-new series tonight in the book of Ecclesiastes. The let's all turn therein I'm gonna do that sort of the inaugural message herein Pastor Jeff to pick up the baton as he so ably does in and teach that this book and hopefully I can jump back in here at some point before we ended but will get a deal with chapters 1 and two deny in the title of my message is the bubble that bursts so Ecclesiastes chapter 1.

Let's begin with a word of prayer father. We believe that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God in this profitable, we believe that it is God breathed and I think as we look at this book deny organist see how relevant it is how current it is for.

As we will see there's really nothing new under the sun. But Lord, will you learn lessons from a man who found things out the hard way and we don't want to go down that road. We want to learn from his mistakes. We want to have wisdom we want to live godly lives so we pray that you will bless our time as we open your word and look together at Ecclesiastes, we ask all of this in Jesus name, amen. Well I want to tell you the story of a man who tried it all if anyone was overqualified to say, been there done that, bought the T-shirt. It was this man, you could describe him as a hedonist extraordinaire teammate Hugh Hefner look like a lightweight. In comparison, this was a man that sought pleasure at all costs.

He was highly educated, yet he went on unbelievable drinking binges he chased after women like there was no tomorrow and he was an architectural genius and he was known around the world for his great wisdom in addition to this, this man was worth billions of dollars that we were to put them in our economy today. Yet as we will discover he was miserable and empty and almost completely destroyed his life.

No, I'm not describing some contemporary billionaire rock star or movie star.

I'm talking about. Amanda lived hundreds of years ago. Yet the experiences of his life is current as tomorrow's newspaper. Of course I'm talking about Solomon and this is his story. He wrote it all down for us in this book that shows us basically out of mess up your life and that's really, in effect, what a good deal of Ecclesiastes deals with its sort of a roadmap of destruction. If you want to do the wrong thing. Follow the path that he followed in many chapters of this book of Ecclesiastes is the autobiography of Solomon hope for sadly much of his life wandered God's blessing on his own personal pleasure rather than the glory of God. But here's the reason he wrote it down the empty credit for this. He didn't want his mistakes to be wasted. He was very honest very forthcoming. Usually when someone writes an autobiography.

They gloss over their mistakes or they rationalize them, but Solomon put his on display.

The stupid stuff I did, but then of course he also shows us what he learned as a result.

What he learned the hard way. He's basically telling this at all earthly goals and ambitions were pursued as ends in themselves and produce only emptiness, now Solomon was an older man.

At this point, it's always writing to younger men and women. These things don't make the mistake I made and it will read just the first three chapter 1st three verses rather of Ecclesiastes chapter 1 will really get the theme of the whole book curators. Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes 1 the words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

Vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

What profit has a man in his labor in which he toils under the sun. Not right off the bat, Solomon introduces himself as the teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. So that's how we know that Solomon, the indeed is the author now describing himself as the preacher is a word that the might throw us because in many ways is not a preacher resident amenities in a position to sort of freaked down the people, but in reality you sort of like a searcher, like an explorer like a guy that learn these things. You know sometimes when you tell a person you're preacher it sort of put the wall when I'm trying to share my faith with people as an individual. I don't tell them I'm a preacher and I don't walk around the pulpit on wheels and they know and say hello how are you, you know, turning your Bible stereo.

I just try to strike up a conversation and then try to relate to them and build a bridge to them, etc. but to relatable single what you do for a living.

Well I'm a pastor or what. And then the whole dynamic changes because now you're the preacher you know and people of a certain expectation of a preacher and so Solomon is writing not so much as a preacher but as a man whose learn these things the hard way we could just as easily describe them as the searcher needless to say he was raised in a godly home. The father of Solomon was King David. Now of course we know David's shortcomings. We know the sin, but we must not forget the fact that David is described in Scripture as a man after God's own heart the most part David was very godly young man and even older man amenities sought the Lord a good deal of the Psalms were written by King David and you know that she loved his son Solomon and Solomon's mother, of course, with was Bathsheba but get Solomon didn't listen to is that despite the fact that his dad was King David.

You know he still wanted to find out for himself, you know we hero PK's preacher's kid will he was KK at King's kid, but it didn't matter. He was still going to go and experiment in the world.

So he goes on a search for the meaning of life and his conclusion is given to us in verse two is vanity of vanities, no other way. This word vanity is used 38 times in the book of Ecclesiastes as he wrote about life under the sun.

Let's understand what the word vanity means it's not awarded that is describing a person likes to look at themselves in the mirror a lot and there are people like that. Of course some people never met Amir they didn't like you, knowing always walk by and check themselves out of your been in a restaurant that maybe has sort of a reflective quality to the window so you look out for the person will see the reflection and so the come right up to the window there like you know you're looking at them.

Okay you know Glenn, I'm not sure Amir but you know they love to look at themselves and so forth. What that's not what Solomon is talking about vanity as intervene person. In fact, it is a word that means a different thing altogether. It's a word that can be translated in a number of ways, as follows emptiness, emptiness, emptiness, all is emptiness or futility, or even meaninglessness or a wisp of a vapor or a hollow empty ring or nothingness nothingness.

All is nothingness or the title that I chose for this message of bubble that bursts that can also be another translated of the translation of the word vanity of bubble that burst essentially think life without God is like a bubble that burst life when God is not put in its proper place emptiness it. A hollow empty ring. The preacher or the searcher if you will, is telling us there is nothing on this earth that will satisfy is completely apart from God. No thing, no relationship, no pleasure has is going to give you enduring value.

It sort of like writing one of those stationary bicycles you know you get on it yet. Your writing and writing. You're not going anywhere and not even a little screen took up to them and some of the good video gaming when you're going up the hill and the screen.

It gets a little harder and if you like you've edited workout you never left the gym. Okay that's all I can be a lot of thunder peddling and peddling and moving a moving but you don't feel like you really going anywhere. Life can be that way. Moving at a frantic pace always coming up empty. It was the Jewish author shalom elect, once described life" a blister on top of the tumor in a boil on top of that," that's a pessimistic view of life, Benjamin Disraeli, the former prime minister of England, reviewing his life." Use is a mistake. Manhood is a struggle. Old age is a red wet regret, regret, am I suddenly became an hour but I will Glatz ways. He wafted old age of regret" more contemporary source Dr. George Clooney made this pessimistic statement about life.

I don't believe in happy endings, but I do believe in happy travels because ultimately you die at a very young age we live long enough to watch her friends die. It's a mean thing life" and that sort of the outlook that a lot of people up on life and effectively life without God is pretty bleak. Life without the Lord in the place of the ought to be. So Solomon pretty much expresses that here in the book of Ecclesiastes. Now there is a phrase that he's going to use that I want to the be attention to that. We will identify the verses we will now read together. Let's look at Ecclesiastes 1 starting in verse one the words of the preacher that son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, or emptiness of emptiness or futility of futility or any other of those words. I offered to you all is vanity.

What profit does a man have from all of his labor in which he told under the sun one generation passes away, another generation comes with the Earth abides forever. The sun rises, the sun goes down and hastens to the place word arose the windows toward the south and turns around of the North one whirls about continually and comes again on a circuit all the rivers run into the sea yet the sea is not full to the place from which the rivers, then they return again all things are full of labor men cannot express the I is never satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing that which is been is what will be that which is done is what will be done and there is nothing new under the sun is or anything of which it may be said, see, this is new. It's already been in ancient times before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor were there be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who come after stop there for a moment how true, there is nothing new under the sun.

We always think we found a new thing, really. There's nothing you under the sun. The one thing we learn from history is we learn nothing from his we just keep repeating the same old mistake in doing the same old things over and over again, generation after generation acts as though they discovered sex drugs and rock 'n' roll for the first time and we see more and more lives destroyed by but here's a phrase I want to look for its run of verse three and the first time it under the sun, and you might underline that phrase under the sun so you want to understand if Solomon is speaking as we look to these chapters of Ecclesiastes.

He is speaking in a horizontal way. In other words, he's speaking from a strictly human viewpoint in virtually every major section of the book. He uses the word under the sun or under heaven because Solomon rarely looks above the sun for answers becomes of these conclusions of life under the sun. In effect, he's describing the life without God.

G. Campbell Morgan summarizes Solomon's outlook by clearly when he says, quote this man had been living through all of these experiences under the sun concerned with nothing above the sun until there came a moment in which he had seen the whole of life and there was something over. The sun is only as a man takes account of that which is over the sun as well as that which is under the sun that things under the sun are seen in their true light" so here's what were sleep carries a man who was raised in a godly home. As I said earlier, this was a man that knew what was right and when King David, Solomon's father was on his deathbed he delivered this final charge through his son. He said my son, know the God of your father, and serve him with an undivided heart and a willing mind for the Lord searches all hearts, and understand all the imaginations of the thought. Basically they were saying, son, you can't live off my faith. You need to get your own, you need to know this for yourself and initially, Solomon didn't know for himself and initially, Solomon did the right thing. But then, as time passed, his heart became divided and ultimately hardened and Solomon was trying to live in two worlds and this is a real problem for kids raised in the church today. You know, they hear the gospel they attend church, from their earliest days as far back as I can remember, and sometimes a vacancy will meal my parents to know what they're talking about and I want to go out there and live the life that I want to live and a lot of times we have kids in the church were living dual lives are trying to live and to morals and effectively the up too much of the Lord to be happy in the world get too much of the world to be happy in the Lord and it's a miserable play to be and that's exactly where Solomon was and he went on this binge of chasing after anything he wanted me he had the luxury of the wealth of an unlimited checking account. In other words, no one could say no to him, no one could restrain him. He was the king in unlimited resources at his disposal unlimited time to waste.

I and he took full advantage of it. He was able to chase after what some people would only dream of.

And you know what it turned into a real nightmare but Solomon started turn it into a research project I'm looking to just believe what other people say about these things. I'm gonna find out for myself. Ironically, this all happened despite the fact that God himself had come to Solomon when he was but a young boy in a dream and beckoned like you to turn with me to that story and keep a marker here in Ecclesiastes 1 organ return. Let's go over to first Kings chapter 3 first Kings chapter 3 if you don't know where that is in front of her first Kings chapter 2 sold Dr. Genesis before Revelation that'll help little but this is a story of how the Lord came to young Solomon was now ascending the throne of his father. His God. Solomon is the new king is overwhelmed by the awesome responsibility that the position would call for and so we read what happened a number to reach you from the new living translation. That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream. Verse five and God said what you want. Ask and I will give it to you. Can you imagine of God came to you and said that what you want. Ask and I'll give it to you. Solomon replied, will you show people of your servant.

My father David because he was honest and true and faithful to you and you have continued your people loving him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne. Now the Lord my God you be thinking instead of my father, but I am like a little child doesn't know his way around in here I am in the midst of your own chosen people and nation so great in numerous cannot be counted.

Give me an understanding heart so I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong removed by himself is able to govern this great people of your own look at this verse 10 the Lord was pleased that Solomon did ask for wisdom. So God replied because you asked for wisdom and governing my keyboard justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies. I will give you what you ask for. I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one's ever had or ever will have, and I will give you what you did not ask for riches and fame. No other king in all of the world would be compared you for the rest of your life and you will follow me and obey my decrees on my commands as your father David did. I will give you a long life stop there.

Not what an amazing story, a blank check from God. Listen word of God came to you tonight in your dream and said I cannot give you anything you want.

You think to never have those extra peppers on my pizza man I'm thinking crazy things. No, God himself came to you is that I give you whatever you want, what would you ask for would say a lot about you or about me know we've all heard the stories of Jeannie's appearing. The people are always in desert island different notice that so I did hear about some guy who was on the desert on a true story and it lamp floated up course you know that Lance always float to the desert island guy picks up a lamp and rubbed it. Jeannie Pearson. Jeannie says old master. I will give you three wishes three wishes. Whatever you want three wishes guys as well.

Well number one. I wish I was no longer on this island but I was back home in California can prove he was back home in California. Wow it works okay commonly up the ante know I was Jeannie that I was cruising down the main boulevard in a white Cadillac convertible. He was in the caddy convertible is along all this is good and the genies in which 1/3 was communal hold on. I don't want to waste Jesus. That's up to you so guy was driving along for a few minutes, turned on his radio and his favorite commercial came on. I wish it were an Oscar Meyer Weiner have had such a bad joke. See you don't get it because you don't remember the commercial we have to explain a joke instead of the water, but I'll explain it used to be a commercial and the sound of it was. I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner.

That is what I you say you do know okay that's even weird because you got it, and even really laugh well without whatever you want. It'll be yours. God was effectively saying to Solomon man he really asked the right thing. Yes, for wisdom. Yes, for wisdom to rule God's people and you know that's when prayer has really reached its ultimate when you can get your will, in alignment with the will of God. Sometimes we may think the purpose of prayer is to get our way. I want to tell God what I want him to do, or someone teach. I'm going to speak it into existence because faith they will say is up for some of the harness utilized, and therefore, I will tell God what I want.

No claimant, no, no that's really not what prayer is federal what that is exactly what it certainly is in prayer. I would describe that is foolishness. Prayer is aligning myself with the will of God in finding out what he wants. I told you before that Jesus said if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you will and it will be done in the you and from the least expanded Greek translation it would say Jesus speaking.

If you maintain a living communion with me and my words are at home with you. I commend you to ask at once for yourself. Whatever your heart desires any charts, sounds a good joke. I thought whatever you want yeah but if you're maintaining the living communion with Jesus and his word is at home in your heart can it change the way that you think is going to change the way that you at this point at least in Solomon's life.

He had it right. Lord, I need wisdom, that was a perfect thing to pray for what he was doing was he was putting God first and Jesus said in Matthew 633. We will seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

All these things shall be added unto you. What are these things, he was talking about in the context he was talking about nonbelievers only worry about what they're going to eat what they're going to drink once again aware.

Jesus is listed.

You put me for and you put my kingdom first I will provide these things for you. Solomon was doing exactly that you put God first, God sent Simon to give you what you asked for him to bless you with these other things as well and were living in uncertain economic times and because of that we think very carefully about expenditures right now and what were going to use our resources toward and some will even say well you know I can afford to invest in the work of the kingdom and recommended not give it all and I would tell you just because times are uncertain.

That doesn't mean that God is not certain when the economy is unstable. Remember, God is still and always will be very stable and he has reminded us that if we will honor him with our giving.

He will take care of our needs. The one thing I would not cut back on is my giving to the work of the kingdom of God. That's the last thing I would cut back. Why, because God promises in the book of Malachi of Aubrey my ties and my offerings to him, he will rebuke the devour for my sake, he will take care of me. This is something we need to keep in mind so God is saying to Solomon if you will put my will plan a purposes first in your life. Everything else you need will be there for you and so that's exactly what he did. He put God first and God blessed them. Now here's what you need to do especially when you're young you kids are watching up their love wake up were still here. Okay, here's what I want to say the when you're young you want to make the right decisions and you want to commit your life to the Lord you want to commit your futures of the Lord it's hard to understand why God doesn't give you what you ask for some time. I was a kid there was a girl I thought I was in love with and I said, Lord.

She's the one I don't know if you know but I think she's the one, and I I'm I'm 18 and I know the six okay so just listen to me tell her she's the one was she didn't get the memo. She she wasn't the one.

That's why, but I thought she was an nothing ever came of that relationship. Much to my disappointment, and then a little bit later I met Kathy, my wife, who I've been married to for 35 years and so that was the one that I thought the other girl was once a God said no and I was disappointed when a few years ago I was with my wife Kathy and we ran into that girl died in a parking lot I'm looking to see much but I'm just going to say I made the right choice. Time is been kinder so we say to my wife and I don't know what I'm saying is it it sounds cool, sounds cool but it's true. God knows what he's doing. He has your best interest in my listen. Sometimes God says no. Sometimes God says slow and sometimes God says grow so full to be seen in the screen and waiting hello Sherry. Got to work. Sometimes God says no. Salty Lord, I want this Lord to know. Sometimes God says slow said you know not yet. You're not ready later. Sometimes God says grow these of those times. And God loves hardship in our life we say Lord take it away is is no room like when Paul had his thorn in the flesh in the three times yes Lord, remove the gods of my grace is sufficient for you loose paraphrase God to grow you can learn some things here Paul. You would not learn otherwise we need to just trust the Lord.

We don't always know what's best for ourselves and think a lot of times we don't.

I mean my little granddaughter Stella. Each tuning out is becoming very self-assured of what she thinks it knows now she I I want to do this. I don't want to do that, yes, no, you know, very opinionated for 2 1/2-year-old Stella Hattaway. There is only one food group. She would ever eat for the rest of her life. You know the city. Fortunately for her. Grandpa knows how to make a quesadilla that's pretty much the extent of it scrambled eggs to that's it that's all she wants what he wants done quesadilla Keith quesadilla Casey okay quesadilla or sometimes as she calls it Adia. Why know that she needs to have a balanced meal can be cold and snow it seriously seeming to balanced diet and will say I want this Lord. The Lord will save you know what you have enough of that. You need one-on-one that you don't know what to do next. I do know what I'm doing, you're going to have to trust me. Solomon had his priorities in order. God gave him wisdom God gave him wisdom like no man is ever had. It was so profound. People came from around the world to sit at his feet and drink in his word, no authority, and authority. Rather, no less than the Queen of Sheba after observing Solomon's accomplishments verse and said that half is not yet in whole I mean wisdom will how wise was he read the book of Proverbs and find out. To this day we regarded as the greatest book of wisdom in human history. He had this great wisdom given to him by God and that is why his ball in his sinfulness was all that more tragic because he knew better yet, he went on this backsliding binge out of it start started with little things because, listen little things always turn in the big thing okay, small compromises always lead to big compromises ever. Solomon went back to marrying a nonbelieving woman first Kings three we read Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh the king of Egypt married one of his daughters and brought her to live in the city of David until he could finish building a palace in the temple of the Lord at that time and so he started off by marrying a nonbeliever in his case he thought Willett strategic CFI married a daughter of Pharaoh than we won't have a war so this is a good thing in and that was sort of the rationalization but the fact is, as God told the Israelites to not intermarry with non-Jews in the same way he tells us as believers to not intermarry if you will. What non-believers. The biblical verbiage is done in second Corinthians 6 when it says don't be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.

For what fellowship does righteousness have with unrighteousness. What communion does light have with darkness.

Another translation I like this one. Don't become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong that's not partnership. That's more is like best friends would dart is on a partnership. That's a war now what is it me is I mean that we can have friends who are nonbelievers will know because how can we reach the world. How can we influence feet were not called to live in a Christian Bible and isolate ourselves from every other influence. In fact, instead of isolation. I think we should rather engage in infiltration. We want to infiltrate our culture. Jesus did not say that the whole world should go to church. Rather, he said the church should go to the whole world, so we want to go out there and influence people. But there's a difference between engaging people trying to reach people trying to influence people and those you make your best friend wanted to hang out with you partner with you joke with if you will. And when you enter into a relationship with a person, especially a romantic relationship that one person is a believer in almost every case is gonna pull in the direction of the nonbeliever and the believers going to be drug down the nonbelievers not to be pulled up, so forget missionary dating doesn't work, save a great, none of the guys at church ever asked me out and you know so there's this really cute guy. He's asking me out and and so I want to go out with them and I'm reaching for the Lord, you know, share the gospel with them. Yet, here's what's going to happen. Okay, you got with this guy and and you can assail Calico with you tonight but after after we go I will go will go to church okay all you will go to church okay so you going to have dinner with him and he orders a drink and little chance whatever.

You know it is another drink and it is time to go to church/church all you know it's gentle and I don't know do some alien sending out something to happen. Here's what you need to do. I want to go with you all. Tell Terry what see you and harvest service starts at 7 o'clock Bobby Sitton three Rosen from the front talk afterwards really nonserious. I'm dead serious. We won't come and find he's not a prospect is not a prospect becomes will maybe can reason with the gospel and if you end up in a relationship within. That's one thing, but maybe you can just use that as leverage the region with the gospel and he could talk to him with a group of friends around you without a place for you would be vulnerable and you can fall into something that would drag you down.

I seemed people drug down this way. This is why I emphasized it and it surely was at the root of the downfall Solomon that he took it to the next level because you were read and second Kings 11 King Solomon was obsessed with women. Pharaoh's daughter was only the first of the many foreign women. He loved to come from surrounding pagan nations of the God warned Israel saying you should not marry them. The seduce you a new infatuation with our God. But Solomon fell in love with them anyway, refusing to give them up. Listen yet. 700 Royal wives and 300 concubines of thousand women in all and they didn't seduce him away from God as he grew older, his wives beguile them with her alien gods and became an faithful and he didn't say stay true to his God as his father David had openly defy God did not follow in his father David split 700 Y's that would also be 700 mothers mother-in-law's which is just a wonderful thing I can think of anything I met in the most positive way imaginable, and if that's not enough.

Seven.

Otherwise, you know, 300 concubines in your due guy was obsessed with women. He was obsessed with sex. One thing led to another and he went deeper and deeper in to sin.

And this is what's going to happen.

You're going to start with something small, it's not all that bad. It's not all that evil, or won't seem that we have first and then one thing will lead to another. Now look at what Solomon is doing. He is engaged in these relationship with these women and that's how the devil is gonna bring other people down as well. And that's how we ended up with this bleak world view. Follow his train of thought back to Ecclesiastes no. Chapter 1 he says in verse five. The Sun also rises and the sun goes down and hastens of the place where the roads yeah just like sun goes up sun goes down. This another day's horrible talk considerable difference between the words of Solomon the king and Jeremiah the prophet about the same topic.

Jeremiah says that even the rising of the sun reminds him of his Lord when he said in Lamentations 323 great is his faithfulness and his mercies begin fresh every day.

In contrast, Solomon says the rising of the sun. What a drag sun goes up sun comes down then verse eight VI is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing is not true is true, then it's true you know beers never satisfied with your you know you second go upgrade my sound system and see go down the distorted get out the newest equipment you know and and you spend a lot of money in the guys is not you want to really make this you want your ears to believe may have listen you put in these woofers here and there some woofers there in the in the middle with running the with these things, I'm just making words up. You know Daniel get the ultimate sound. You know it or even in the car you see these guys and what somebody's seekers in their car and there's driving on is a little ground shaking their descendents of blood coming out of their that's good.

But then the eyes never see enough all night got the ultimate sound system in your home. You gotta put in the ultimate video system you know will got one of those rear projection.

You know that's over with man, flatscreen plasma has me a really thin one now the newest one he insisted is a piece of that that something and it felt to be really big, you know, not 20.

It's not 30th. You gotta go for the 30 foot version okay to put it on the side of the house and you said 2 miles away. That's it so you can have bragging rights. My plasma is bigger than your plasma so that he put in the ultimate plasma you got your sound system with your will purchase some woofers. Your meadow will perjure everything tenant also wanted you got HD H what you think a state know you got turned out in 10 HP all did you get 3D HD adjust just came out three VA the with smell of visionary got that. So there you are. Sit in front of your HD 3D said with your Blu-ray you've got your speakers everywhere in your hooked up to the sunlight with a thousand choices of thousand channels and it still horrible.

Click click click click click click click and you find yourself actually saying I'm bored, philosopher and author Peter Kraft asked this question, why is it that were board why this distinctively modern phenomenon. The very word did not exist in pre-modern language above. How do we explain the earnings of the very society which for the first time in history is conquered nature by technology. In turn the world into a giant fun and games factory, a rich kids play room.

The very society which has the least reason to be bored is the most board." How true Solomon says you never hear enough. You never see enough and he's just getting started verse 13 and I set my heart to seek and search up my wisdom.

All that is done under heaven as word C can be translated to seek and explore. Psyche was doing research paper and for all practical purposes, Solomon is going to get to the root of human behavior. Why do people do what they do and in this process. He ignored affairs of state. He neglected his family set aside all principles of spiritual truth where there was passion or pleasure or philosophy or sex or money or whatever he was going to find out everything that could possibly learn to explore means to examine from all sides. So is looking to just read about what it's like to be drunk, he's talking to just observe someone who's drunk, he's going to feel the burn of the alcohol down the road he's going to feel the effects of it.

He's gonna wake up with a hangover and I just read about what it's like to live a morally talking to just watch other people be immoral. He's going to do it all himself. He's not going to just see lavish wealth on display.

He's going to have it. He's going to build it. He's going to do it. You just take off the list now. The things that he chased up number one.

Knowledge and wisdom started out pretty admirable. Verse 13 to 18. I set my heart to seek and search up by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven. This burdensome task. God is given to the sons of men, by which they may be exercised. I've seen all the works that are done under the sun, and indeed all is vanity or emptiness or grasping for the wind what is crooked cannot be made straight.

What is lacking cannot be numbered. I commune with my heart say look, I've attained greatness and of gain more wisdom than all that were before me in Jerusalem, my heart is understood great wisdom and knowledge and I set my heart to know wisdom and an old madness and folly.

They perceive this to was grasping for the wind bring much wisdom as much grief and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow was in the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom is a good one. And if you search for it in the word of God.

It's the greatest pursuit whatever is in their pursuit of higher education or a degree or whatever it is that you're chasing after I leave God out. It can be the worst possible thing I can find. If I'm engaged in the pursuit of knowledge that I forget the one who is truth that I will in effect become a full because I'm told over and Romans 122 that I can claim to be wise and end up being a fool instead. Many will hold up the pursuit of intellectualism as the key. The purpose and fulfillment. But if that were the case, then our university and college campuses would be bastions of peace and purpose but go to any major secular university today and you will see the emptiness of academic pursuit. Without God from these great centers of learning that we have the humanism of today and we have professors boldly propagating that God does not exist, demanding ball from a lower life form and then we see how it affects our culture.

Sociologist Robert Nisbett writes in a quote. The ideologies which gained entry into the Academy in the 60s claim that the fundamental intellectual principles of Western culture were illegitimate and must be overthrown without destroying terms like truth good, evil, could and should be discarded." That's adjusting a lot of our universities today. These great intellectual telling us there is no God, there is no absolute truth. There is no such thing as right or wrong and now we see what that leads to our culture today. One 60s radical wet second thoughts thing Peter Collier wrote and I quote the stones.

We threw into the waters of our world. In those days the six cause ripples. I continue to laugh on our shores today, for better or for worse. So here's the point.

The pursuit of knowledge is good, but not if it is done at the expense of pursuing God and so Solomon went after these things, but he forgot God only concludes in verse 18 for in much wisdom as much grief and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow, no kids, don't quote that first your parents as to why you don't have to do your homework mom. The Bible says that he that increases knowledge increases sorrow what why even study I was given play video games know that the misunderstand that it's a pursuit of knowledge without God. So Solomon shifts gears.

I tried that been there done that, bought the T-shirt empty. So now comes going to pursue pleasure. I was gonna party.

They do a lot of that college campuses do verse one of chapter 2 of Ecclesiastes. I said my heart, Mel Cortes. She was murdered. I will enjoy pleasure. But this also was vanity or emptiness. Notice he says I said in my heart is not talking to God is talking with them was okay then, let's do this. He says to himself, he say let's pursue other things. Knowledge didn't do it.

Let's just pursue pleasure with complete abandon. Now, you might've thought that Solomon would've learned something after watching his dad's death the man after God's own heart. His father David. The giant killer, the hero of Israel. His father David the road so many of the great Psalms that we quote today and sing look to for comfort and help get it was of course David that spied the beautiful Bathsheba baiting yourself and you know that story.

Our he called her into his chambers, and they had sex together and she became pregnant rather than acknowledging it coming clean. He tried to cover it often ultimately resulted in Bathsheba's innocent husband, Uriah being sent to the front lines of the battle being killed in the Mary a David married that she did think you need covered up the salmon. The prophet Nathan came and confronted him and said you know thou art the man and David had to finally confess what he had done and as Nathan said you given the enemies of God opportunity blasting so David paid off a deep price for his sin. His reputation was her his integrity was damaged. He paid for it and you would've thought that Solomon said that I don't happen to dad. I don't want to go down that road, but knowing that that what is that had to do with me why detested with a fax from you just want to do something in it all the time and resources to do whatever he wanted and knew he was the king in the kingdom was at peace. There were no domestic problems to speak of and as the old rock song used to say yet too much time on his hands.

You know, and off he went.

There were no limits to what he would pursue so we tried pleasure, he live life under the sun. That too is an empty pursuit. First Timothy 56 says she who lives for pleasure is dead while she lives joy David and the wife of CS Lewis.

She's really quoted her husband is often quoted made this insightful statement about the pursuit of pleasure. She said living for your own pleasure is the least pleasurable thing a man can do it. His neighbors don't kill them and discuss he will die slowly aboard him and powerlessness."

How true. And if you stop and think about of the pursuit of pleasure means that you spent a lot of time waiting for it to happen anyway. We can the week and we can have a party get in your waiting in your waving your waiting and finally the weekend comes and you have your big party and sure there are moments of pleasure because the Bible even acknowledges there can be pleasure in sin for a time but then there are the repercussions of it and of course this is what happened to Solomon. He chased after pleasure, but it was empty to think that way. I just need to laugh more, and so he said in verse two of Ecclesiastes 2. I sent of laughter madness in the birth. What does it accomplish with unlimited resources he brought in all the people entertain you if you're alive today he would put the comedians to come and do a show in this house. You know that he would just go listen to a Bennion book the band to come perform form personally. You know, just didn't do the concert) and listen to if he had it all pursuing after all this pleasure, but he still wasn't happy you know some people want to just laugh so they have a few drinks and they laugh at nothing. They laugh like fools you know if you need to see them laughing because they they just want to release comedian Jerry Seinfeld made the statement quote. Everybody's looking for good sex, good food and a good laugh like little islands of relieving what is often a painful existence." A lot of people just want to escape that. I just want to have a good laugh.

I don't want to deal with that. I don't want to think about it. That's what Solomon was doing but he saw the emptiness of laughter so he said how about alcohol, about drinking verse three of Ecclesiastes to a search of my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine while guiding my heart with wisdom how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what good there was of the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives. So we chase after all that Brockton I don't even have to tell you about the instructive effects of alcohol I experienced it firsthand. Growing up in an alcoholic home. I saw how it literally ruined my mother's life.

She was once a beautiful woman and full of life and personality and intelligence, but my mom chased after blues and men and well and fun and effectively through most of her life away and it was tragic and I saw many of her friends go the same route and and I've seen so many since then go down this road. Solomon tried it. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt dictation AutoCAD drug trade. All these things and try the pursuit of knowledge.

I tried the pursuit of pleasure. I've tried going on. You know, tinges of drinking I've done the sex thing I know I just built some amazing structures. That's where it's at verse four of Ecclesiastes 2. So I made my works great. I built myself houses and find myself vineyard and I made myself gardens and orchards and find all kinds of fruit trees in them.

I made water pools from which the want of the growing trees of the Grove. I acquired male and female servants and had servants born in my house and a greater possessions and herds and flocks of all that were in Jerusalem before me. I gathered for myself silver and gold, and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces I acquired male and female singers that the lights of the sons of men, musical instruments of all kind. I became great and excelled more than all that were before me in Jerusalem. My wisdom stayed with me whenever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure for my heart rejoiced in my labor then verse 11. I looked at all the works.

My hands and done in the labor which I toiled in all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun. Solomon went on the building. Making his portfolio of construction projects would eclipse anything Donald Trump would be in a look at all these houses is built, but that too was empty. There was nothing new, but the sun read an interesting interview this week in a British magazine that was sent to me a link to the website with Simon Simon of course is one of the judges on American Idol and he's amassed a huge fortune from not only that program but from a program he is involved in in England and other artists. He's developed and so forth and so is a fascinating article because as I read it.

It reminded me of Solomon when we just read you an excerpt from it, it says Simon's new Beverly Hills home is very clean. It's very well black and why so much so that as the imposing gates are open shielding this $24 million mansion there black and so highly polished. You can see your face in them. Simon likes to laugh. He loves to be entertained. He hates to be bored is a TV in his bathroom or worry watches old cartoons in the bath each morning. This is a put them in a good mood and make him laugh out loud. Nothing isn't wrong in this place here everything function smoothie has a staff housekeeper personal chef's cleaners. All were quietly efficient is not so much of it as a cushion out of place in the 14,000 square-foot house of white marble floors black lacquer paint work. Even the cupboards are made of black lacquer.

Then there's his guesthouse with a small pool, movie theater, a garage and houses is regarding Rolls-Royce, Bentley is your in a Ferrari. Then there are trees shipped in from Palm Springs sculptures and water features that make this an extraordinary place.

Sounds like Solomon so he must be living the good life.

But then he says he's not a happy person. He says he can be having the best time of his life and all of a sudden he's totally miserable as I get very antisocial, depressed, irritable with people I don't have time for that I can't make phone calls and stuff. I just sit on my own for day. I torture myself. I have to find something to make me miserable. So the person is writing this article says Simon Cowell, age 49, the coolest man on the planet, depressed, dark and tortured.

Is this the same Simon the writer of the article asks who made this year's rich list with a fortune of $192 million. The star maker everybody wants a piece of Simon says I'm just a wandering asteroid without a home. I get the points in my life where I think I'm never going to be happy. Someone said to me recently. You're like a human buffet table.

Everyone comes and takes something from you, and at the end there's nothing left." That sounds familiar, doesn't it. What we read early on in the book of Ecclesiastes. There's nothing new under the sun.

I know I can quote you know billionaires and rock stars and movie stars." I've amassed over the years, and using crusades to prove this point but you know how true it is.

That's exactly what Solomon is saying it's all emptiness, meaninglessness, a wisp of a vapor, a hollow, empty ring nothingness or a bubble that burst coming back to what G. Campbell Morgan said in concluding Solomon finally got to a point resolve the whole of life and that there was something a rather someone that was over the sun. It's only when we take into account that which is over the sun as well as that which is under the sun that things under the sun will be seen in their true light. Let me put it another way, we see God for what he is.

We will see the world for what it is shallow, empty, temporary and unfulfilled friendship to see God for who he then you see this world for what it is you know and sometimes we have to learn that the hard way for a lot of us its process of elimination for me to some degree before I came to Christ. I went out had to either observe or try these things myself and even before he was a Christian, I knew the world didn't have the answers I just ignore the answers work.

I knew it wasn't in the affluent alcoholic freewheeling lifestyle of my mom. I knew it wasn't in the stupid drug experimentation that I've engaged in. I knew it wasn't in a lot of things that I'd been exposed to. But where was it. It's not here it's not there or is it and then when I heard the gospel I realized where it was and I realized who it was. I was searching for all along. This is why were born in the Bible to not love this world first John 215 says don't love the world's way don't love the world's goods. Love the world squeezes out love for the father practically everything that goes on in the world wanting your own way wanting everything for yourself wanting to appear important is nothing to do with the father just isolate you from him the world and all of its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out but he that does what God wants is set for eternity. I like translation and basically adjusting this world doesn't have an accused.

Here's what I'm saying years and Greg it's like your preaching and evangelistic sermon.

Okay, maybe I am cleaned but I'm talking to Christians tonight. Here's what I'm saying. You can find the something easy, where the heart we can say. I believe God's word is true and I am not to go out and make the same stupid mistakes other people. It made you can sit there and fold your arms and you don't know what you're talking about bald guy I know I know what's up and what's up his quesadillas man it's all quesadillas.

Don't tell me I don't know what I know you have your little world and your little you know breath of experience that you look to and so you really gonna find out for yourself and you make the same mistakes.

And sadly, some don't live to tell the story because they go too far. So what's the conclusion of all this will I'm not stealing Jeff's thunder. I hope you are, but I think we all know of the book in but is fast forwarding me the turn there, but I just read to you from the final chapter.

Here's what Solomon said to have all the stupid things they did.

Here's the sum of the matter, yet she says Ecclesiastes 1213 the 14th led to the conclusion of the whole matter. Dear God and keep his commandments, but this is man's all God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil Solomon thing wasn't taken from a seasoned pro I know what I'm talking about here. If you leave God out of the picture. Your life is going to be empty, meaningless and futile. But if you want a full life you want life more abundantly. You want to live your life of the whole mandrel whole woman, here's the answer. Fear God and keep his commandments or let me put it another way.

Reverence God and do what he said let me put it another way, love God and discover his plan for your life and those are different ways of saying the same thing love God and discover his plan for your life. Reverence God and do what he says let me say it another way. Reverence God and avoid what he tells you not to do personal happiness is built on two things happening simultaneously, not doing some things and doing other blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly are stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. Someone tells so that's what you should not by the word way the word blessed me taffy happy is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, who does not understand was sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful.

So there is a certain truth to say that happiness is avoiding certain things but that's only part of it, but is the life. Notice the word the life not just duty. Though there is something to be said for duty. His delight is in the law of the Lord to get updated justly in the word of God and it does seem meditate day and night meditate is to chew over to think about the ponder he meditates. He chews on it. He thinks about it day and night.

His life will be like a tree that's planted by river waters and will bring forth fruit in his season is lame shall not, whether whatever he does prospers so there's your choice.

You can stand with the sinners. You can walk with a godly you can do the wrong things you can do the right things but if we want to take the advice of his season probe will listen to what Solomon had to say. Don't try to live in two worlds. But as David said to his son serve the God of your father with an undivided heart and that's what we all need to do and commit our future to the Lord.

Let's pray father, we thank you for the wisdom of Solomon, even the wisdom that is learned from his mistakes, as well as from his victory.

Lord help us to avoid the things that will hurt us, help us to embrace the things that will help us, help us to keep our distance from people that will drag us down and help us to run with those that will build a soft help us Lord to be like trees planted by the rivers of water that will bring forth lasting spiritual fruit and help us to not walk in the counsel of the ungodly are stand the way in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful Lord we want to reverence you honor you and love you and do what you say you tell us these things in Scripture for our own good. Help us to learn and help us to never be afraid to commit an unknown future to unknown God. So we do that again tonight. Lord, we commit ourselves to you global forest. We pray in Jesus name we ask