King of the Mountain - Ecclesiastes 1:16-18

All you pursue is the wisdom and knowledge of this world you're going to come up empty. He's come to realize that people are another can be just as unsatisfied as people who barely made at 1/5 grade if all you have is life here, Solomon is described for us under the sun. If you don't pursue the wisdom of God arranged beyond the sun all you're getting attach of life is this today's broadcast Stephen Davey continues through his series from Ecclesiastes.

We've come to Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verses 16 through 18. Solomon asserts that no matter how much we know there will be problems. Frustrations and challenges. We simply can't solve with human wisdom. Moreover, knowledge and information don't eliminate life's sorrows, trusting in the world's wisdom is never the answer. We must learn to trust in the wisdom and the word of God and Stephen's going to help you with that right now in my studies I have come across Stella's door stone slabs that have been excavated predominantly in Egypt, declaring the glory of the king who will reign at that present time. Certainly juxtaposed furtively with the glory of the King we worship today reigns forever.

One of them who evidently enjoy this kind of self propagation or our approval. Applause commission the number of them him and how tough the second and wanted to survive. Read this carved into stone. There was no one like him. There was no one who could draw his bow like him.

He could not be surpassed in running, there is none who can fight in his vicinity, even though they have come against him in a million nice little humble profile. There about 350 years later another team from a neighboring region wrote this on a stone tablet. It was car reads I am the king of the world king of all for him of the earth. The courageous hero who overthrows all his enemies. I am King of the world and I was king of the world, just in case you missed it, there it is again. Imagine now the truth is if you study history of that part of the world these guys working out of the mountains. They were they they own the world. There were there world was sort of a their own playground in their own office suite.

All of the one they were uncontested by 300 years after the wanted to write you another team comes along who is on top of the mountain's mountain. In fact, he has the fair is you are writing their own granite. You know, embodiments he has them paying him tribute in solid gold. He's master over there that you spend some time in his memoirs regarding his own profile because the spirit of God have to inspire what he would write delete is ultimately to the truth. We have a copy of what he wrote of himself in our Bible.

So let's go back to his Denmark the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon is at the top of his world is introducing himself. He is telling the truth about what is observed and he began in the summary statement. If you are with us last the Lord's day by picturing himself as a great explorer and he was exploring everything. Verse 12 is regular running start. I preacher the convene or the lecturer had been king over Israel and Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom. All that is done under heaven. It is not a happy business that God is given to the children of Adam to be busy with. I've seen everything that is done under the sign, and behold all is brevity all is futility all is vanity and a chasing after when I explore everything I turned over every rock in fact the rest of this journal will give us the details of his exploration. His experiments his observation. Since I couldn't find anything that would bring lasting satisfaction. Happiness was as elusive as chasing way with a net when he does that these sparrows didn't do before. Is tell us that here's the truth here's Sears the brutal truth and he delivers it to us in the form of a couple of Proverbs. We look at the first one I last was a verse 15 what is crooked cannot be made to strengthen what is lacking cannot be counted. We broke that proper data to principles of what is crooked cannot be made straight out over the matter how hard you try their dilemmas against right now the world is broken and you can't fix it. In fact, you cannot fix yourself if you cannot fix yourself the audit we several patients with the rest of the world.

Solomon is on add what is lacking cannot be counted in other words, no matter what nor how much you have, there are deficiencies you can't supply you. Not enough money in the bank.

You don't have enough talent and resources in yourself. If you want to be honest for once you can handle the challenges of life.

You come up short handed.

Even though Solomon is King of the world is on top of the mountain he knew in his heart that humanity was broken in his own life was deficient, God is leading him even in the depressing introduction to reveal artistry. Now what Solomon does next and that brings us to our exposition today is describe himself not not as a great explorer but as a great scholar what you notice verse 16 I said in my heart I acquired great wisdom surpassing all over Jerusalem before me in my heart has had great experience and wisdom and knowledge I surpassed in wisdom.

Remember that word is broad depending on the context.

Solomon is talking about worldly wisdom is talking about intuition. He's talking about analytical skill is talking about discerning that even an unbeliever can fulfill his desire hi, I observed more and with greater skill world around me than anybody else. Now is not exaggerating as sparrows before him. Solomon is essentially the valedictorian of the human race really is. The Bible records in first Kings four this biographical description God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding the unmeasured and breadth of mine like the sand on the seashore's gotta say so this Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of these and all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than all other men wiser than Ethan. The Ezra hi hey man, tell: start today with the word they got straight a student and his fame was that all the surrounding nations. He spoke 3000 Proverbs compose songs about thousand and five, he lectured on trees separating from the Cedar to the hyssop that grows out of a Wally. He lectured on the beach send up birds and the reptiles and the fish and people of all nations came to hear Solomon.

He really was most brilliant man on the planet materially financially. He had a goal yet this interesting phrase.

Verse 17 and I applied my heart that is dedicated everything I had to know wisdom. The wisdom of the world and no madness and folly. We need to understand here is that is giving us a spectrum, not just the positive side of scholarship couples. These words madness and folly here is unitive three times in his journals is one of the three and when he does it he he isn't contrasting the valedictorian of the graduating class with some of this is just were thrilled to get out of class. He's not doing that he is using madness and folly to refer to someone to behave badly and responsibly.

While waiting see he is contrasting the extremes of human behavior does see that together and those that don't. So is not only touring the University library.

He sees walking on the back alley he sees inspecting human life from all the angles. The morally right and the morally uprooted that no compass is interviewing you thing in this way is interviewing Supreme Court justices and murderers on death for all he's studying the entire range of human behavior. Reason is examining one author wrote the extremes and everything in between. And he's asking one basic question.

Do any of them on this spectrum from the wisdom madness.

Do any of them have any kind of advantage over any of the other individuals on the spectrum in taxiing happiness, meaning, purpose, and apart from God. The answer is going to deliver to us is none of them have any advantage over each other. Verse 17 the latter part. I perceive this also is by the striving after when there's a phrase driving after chasing the wind. Nobody has anything nobody can contact you. You think you found lasting meaning and happiness in life. Well, hang on, slip through your fingers.

He's come to realize that a Supreme Court justice can be just as confused about the meaning of life is an inmate on death row.

He's perceived that means he's come to know he's come to realize that people who have it all and people who molested all can be either sad or happy in the state. He's come to realize that the people earning 1° after another to be just as unsatisfied as people who barely made it out of fifth grade. He's come to realize that somebody live Dana Perino how was the winner with a three car garage can be just as unsatisfied as the guy lives in a moment. Three cars on the front yard not start. Solomon is going to realize that the king of the mountain doesn't bring any more lasting joy when he arrived and when he was clawing his way up there but you realize that you have you ever been on top of the mountain. How long the euphoria last. Maybe you thought well it's not this mountain. It's another when I see one over there look like that you got to the top would Ernest Hemingway, who became a literary sensation fact biographers say he influenced century of how to write fiction. He would win the Nobel prize in literature and Pulitzer Prize of he can't get any higher than that produce novels that become bestsellers. He was known as a man's man had a tough vigorous war veteran correspondent philosopher. He loved everything from big-game hunting in Africa watching bullfighting and staying outspoken, wealthy, independent, before he took his life at the age of 61 he wrote these words and I quote him. Life is a dirty trick, a short journey from nothingness to nothing.

Sounds like Solomon doesn't matter who you are, what you're doing.

If all you have is life here, Solomon is described for us under the sun. If you don't pursue the wisdom of God arranged beyond the sun all you're getting attached in life is a fish. All of their disappeared and keep in mind now in this opening statement, Solomon is not including the wisdom of God is not praying he references God wants but it's it's the technical term of his sovereignty, not the personal name of this relation. He is being guided by the words of Moses being guided by the knowledge of man intuition. The perception of an incredibly brilliant mind who runs itself into it.

Solomon arrives at another brutal truth about the steadily verse 18 for much wisdom is much fixation and he will increase his knowledge increases sorrow.

So let's break down his concluding problem in this opening summary statement sorta sets the stage for all who reveal it is experimented is exploration that is exploited break it down into two principles principle number one about how much we know their frustrations.

We cannot solve in much wisdom is fixation that Hebrew word fixation should be translated very simply frustration.

I was the morning the more frustrated you become true that the more you learn, the more you realize you need to learn, the more you know the more you realize you didn't know that verse gives rise by the weight of the little axiom. This is less and less the less you know the less you have to worry about. You really ought to try to plug your ears not know anything is blessed. It's just better not to know so much. Reminds me of the teacher wrote on a boys report card before he headed the teacher wrote these words were his parents to read. If parents is less your son is going to be the happiest person in the world. Solomon is not disparaging education science about you, but I spent a lot of years and school. He's not disparaging doing your homework may not only here and say well you don't have to tell me I can drop out of middle school you missed the whole point that's for graduate, he simply arriving at something that is true. EL tied up chapter 12, but not without God leads to frustration. Think about it we know more today about the University any other generation.

Preceding is how secure I person that there's now terrified somebody's getting a job in a spaceship ball. So what we know more about Madison and disease and ever before, and yet in that knowledge. We have more security in some kind of epidemic just want to wipe us out.

Knowledge without understanding the sovereign God who is a purpose for the human race.

You can read how it ends up in the book of Revelation leads to a dead end becoming smarter is not the pathway to becoming happier ever thought about the fact that if the solution to frustration and irritation was education the happiest places on earth lease in our region would be the University campuses right in the happiest place would be NC State UMC ECU Campbell, Meredith. Do not do the happiest people on the planet would be professors working talk to 1000 leave than the creator God, human reason doesn't bring about satisfaction. It is what I can learn from the outside is what the Spirit of God is on the inside so the weather at the parade of homes or mobile home whether it's barely get out of fifth grade or having a couple of document happiness and meaning and purpose in life come by means of the Holy Spirit's transforming power begins at salvation city, you begin to evidence the fruit of the evidence that he's at work in your life which produces love, joy, peace, patients coming in are some things here today. I hope having to work at their parking lot at the church and I got cut in front of you leaving church.

You are a chart that was close to perfect as you been all week is that working out there.

If your windows rolled up. Solomon writes with rather acid, Inc. matter how much we know their problems and frustrations and challenges. We simply cannot solve getting the faith that God given reality. The humanist manifesto, I came across recently, volume 2 declared when it was published in 1973 would have the dynamite through 10th grade and I quote, reason and intelligence are the most effective instruments humankind possesses. Conclusion I quote no deity will save us. We must say cell a better solution call upon the name of the law are, you will be say and by the way, you'll be safe from your cell were the ones that are driving ourselves and that as we pursue our and our knowledge of their pride, follow this Solomon at the final phrase to the summary newsletter part of her safety and he will increase his knowledge increases sorrow we put it this way, no matter how much we learn their sorrows, we cannot avoid the more you learn, in fact, the more sorrow you end up with you get the news 24 hours a day. The parents had to wait till you know 6 o'clock in the evening are your grandparents to get an update on what happened in the world on times, it was already sort of halfway resolved by the time they watched it. You can see the latest terrorist attack. The latest Brandon shooting spray the latest high crimes and misdemeanors is the most recent moral collapse.

Whatever it is on the out and you live with yourself. The longer that goes, the longer the list of regrets and inadequacies and failures. Sin and trouble. Some people want to be king of the mountain and they never do get up there and they lived with his senses sorrow and the satisfaction I believe the greater sorrow and the more dissatisfied is the individual who made it up there and then realizes it's a fistful of fair without a Savior reigns above the sun like Solomon without a Redeemer to lead you and forgive you and give you a future and a hope, purpose and meaning along the way. Whether you're on top of that you try to crawl your way up your heading toward a dead end. I couldn't help but think if I could interview Solomon as he finishes this opening summary and after studying this opening summary. I now know why no preacher I ever sat under the book study through ecclesiastics fact I was reading one well-known expositor on his treatment of a particular text in Ecclesiastes this past week and he said you probably ought to plan on preaching eight sermons covering the book of Ecclesiastes well to this five get to chapter 1, I know you can't wait chapter to start. Don't leave me day only when you know if I could interview Solomon I thought what would I ask the thought occurred to me of different things.

I could ask one of the things that I think I'd like to ask Solomon whatever happened in that memory of yours which never forgets anything ever happened to the music of your father David.

Some over and over again as you grow up. Knowing years the festival to hurt the music buyers lease rates all what happened. They reminded not to trust yourself not to follow yourself not to pursue the things of this life, not to trust in human reason to understand this is not the end that this will one of his most famous Lord is my shepherd, I shall not he makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies you anoint my head with oil my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and then then I will dwell in the house. That's what you sing again. Again, I hope this time in God's word has both challenged and encouraged today you tuned into wisdom for the heart are Bible teacher Stephen Devi is in a series from Ecclesiastes entitled finding meaning under the sun.

Stephen has a new book out entitled tied to the treadmill of life. That booklet is our featured resource during the month of March were making it available to anyone who wants it for a donation of any size to our ministry.

If you'd like more information about that give us a call today at 86 648 Bible. That's 86 648 Bible or 866-482-4253 would love to tell you how you can get a copy of this brand-new booklet tied to the treadmill of life and join us tomorrow for our next Bible lesson right here on wisdom for the hearts