WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.100 We are kicking off a brand new series in the book of Ecclesiastes today. 00:00:07.259 --> 00:00:10.500 How many of you opened up your Bibles this morning and read Ecclesiastes? Anybody? 00:00:11.580 --> 00:00:16.000 ! Don't worry, we didn't spread out the word about that ahead of time. You didn't miss anything out. 00:00:16.120 --> 00:00:20.620 It's not a book that we often find ourselves gravitating toward in the Bible. 00:00:20.620 --> 00:00:28.480 I do encourage each of us to try to find some time each day and as often as possible to get into God's Word. 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:32.619 But Ecclesiastes can often be seen as one of the more difficult books to understand. 00:00:33.359 --> 00:00:36.060 It can even be seen as depressing at times. 00:00:37.020 --> 00:00:43.700 And you caught a hint of that in that introductory video that takes direct quotes from the book of Ecclesiastes. 00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:50.760 And it's developed this concept of catching smoke, living life under the sun. 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:53.060 Smoke is a powerful thing, isn't it? 00:00:53.060 --> 00:00:58.600 Out here, a big cloud of smoke is not something anybody wants to see, is it? 00:00:59.179 --> 00:01:03.340 It can be a scary thing. Fires can do irreversible damage. 00:01:04.140 --> 00:01:06.120 Where there's smoke, there's what? 00:01:07.020 --> 00:01:07.340 Yeah. 00:01:08.140 --> 00:01:09.460 Smoke gets people's attention. 00:01:10.439 --> 00:01:11.980 Have you ever tried to catch it before? 00:01:12.980 --> 00:01:14.640 You ever tried to hold it in your hand? 00:01:15.359 --> 00:01:16.620 It doesn't work very well, does it? 00:01:16.620 --> 00:01:17.800 You close your hand, there's nothing. 00:01:17.900 --> 00:01:19.120 You can't grab it. 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:20.980 It seems immaterial. 00:01:22.060 --> 00:01:23.100 But smoke is real. 00:01:23.900 --> 00:01:24.640 You can see it. 00:01:24.980 --> 00:01:25.800 You can smell it. 00:01:26.880 --> 00:01:30.640 The harder you try to hold it, the faster it disappears. 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:34.080 And if we're honest, life can be like that. 00:01:35.100 --> 00:01:37.620 Control can be like that. 00:01:38.659 --> 00:01:40.340 We try to get a grip on it. 00:01:40.740 --> 00:01:42.360 We try to catch it in our grasp. 00:01:42.359 --> 00:01:44.079 We chase meaning. 00:01:44.739 --> 00:01:47.480 We chase the illusion of control. 00:01:48.200 --> 00:01:52.480 We chase security, success, certainty. 00:01:53.180 --> 00:01:57.939 And just when we think we've wrapped our hands around it, it slips through our fingers. 00:01:58.780 --> 00:02:01.319 It's exactly where Ecclesiastes begins. 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:07.299 Would you take your Bible with me and turn to the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 1. 00:02:08.699 --> 00:02:10.099 Turn to the middle of your Bible. 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:11.300 You'll see Psalms. 00:02:11.639 --> 00:02:12.180 Keep going. 00:02:12.180 --> 00:02:13.180 You'll see Proverbs. 00:02:13.819 --> 00:02:15.700 And then you'll find Ecclesiastes. 00:02:17.080 --> 00:02:21.520 Ecclesiastes is all about this idea of life under the sun. 00:02:21.939 --> 00:02:26.420 I don't know if you've ever thought about it in those words unless you read them in Ecclesiastes. 00:02:27.480 --> 00:02:31.200 Can't say that ever occurred to me that we're living life under this sun. 00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:32.140 Well, of course we are. 00:02:32.200 --> 00:02:33.740 It's always up above us, right? 00:02:34.100 --> 00:02:36.060 Shining down on us until it's nighttime. 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:38.000 And then we wake up and there it is again. 00:02:39.020 --> 00:02:40.400 So what is unique? 00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:43.439 What is different about life under the sun? 00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:47.539 This phrase shows up again and again throughout the book of Ecclesiastes. 00:02:47.539 --> 00:02:47.599 Ecclesiastes. 00:02:48.099 --> 00:02:51.299 It means that life as we actually experience it. 00:02:51.500 --> 00:02:59.340 It means our work, the money we earn, our time, our relationships, the joy and the grief, the fulfillment, the disappointment. 00:02:59.340 --> 00:03:04.099 This is what we experience in our life under the sun. 00:03:04.599 --> 00:03:05.520 I'm not talking about heaven. 00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:07.759 I'm not talking about a theory. 00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:10.400 Just real life. 00:03:11.340 --> 00:03:12.219 The teacher. 00:03:12.659 --> 00:03:16.800 He introduces himself, the author of Ecclesiastes, as the teacher. 00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:22.920 Most have attributed this teacher to be Solomon, David's son, king of Israel. 00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:32.840 And in verse 1, Ecclesiastes says, everything is meaningless. 00:03:33.160 --> 00:03:33.700 Verse 2. 00:03:34.680 --> 00:03:38.620 These are the words of the teacher, king David's son, who ruled in Jerusalem. 00:03:38.939 --> 00:03:42.680 Everything is meaningless, says the teacher. 00:03:43.200 --> 00:03:44.680 Completely meaningless. 00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:48.180 That word meaningless doesn't mean worthless. 00:03:49.140 --> 00:03:49.800 Notice that. 00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:51.900 It means temporary. 00:03:52.920 --> 00:03:54.060 It means vapor. 00:03:55.020 --> 00:03:56.400 It means smoke. 00:03:57.920 --> 00:04:03.800 Life is real, but it doesn't hold still long enough for you to get your grasp on it. 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:07.740 So let's read it together from Ecclesiastes 1. 00:04:07.860 --> 00:04:13.800 If you're still finding your place, I want to give you a very brief background on this powerful book in the Bible 00:04:13.800 --> 00:04:17.340 that often goes unread or underappreciated. 00:04:18.020 --> 00:04:22.680 Ecclesiastes is a part of the section of the scriptures called wisdom literature. 00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:25.259 We can gain much wisdom from it. 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:30.860 It was written in ancient Israel, likely a few centuries before Jesus was born, 00:04:31.400 --> 00:04:34.900 during a time of stability in Israel, prosperity. 00:04:34.899 --> 00:04:38.519 And this author refers to himself as the teacher. 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:42.099 We normally associate that with Solomon. 00:04:42.599 --> 00:04:47.620 Some other theories have been proposed, but normally it's accepted that Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes. 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:49.919 He wasn't writing this biographically. 00:04:50.019 --> 00:04:53.479 He wasn't writing this necessarily as a story of his life, 00:04:53.480 --> 00:04:58.520 but he was sharing the wisdom and the lessons that he had learned from his life. 00:04:58.600 --> 00:05:02.900 If you know anything about Solomon, he's considered the wealthiest man who ever lived. 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:05.720 He's considered the wisest man who ever lived. 00:05:06.020 --> 00:05:09.000 And we get to see a little clue of why. 00:05:09.860 --> 00:05:14.600 Because God offered him the choice of anything he wanted, and he chose wisdom. 00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:16.660 And God gave it to him. 00:05:17.580 --> 00:05:22.340 And then we read in the book of James that if you lack wisdom, you should ask from who? 00:05:23.200 --> 00:05:23.720 God. 00:05:24.820 --> 00:05:27.420 And Solomon did that far before James was ever written. 00:05:29.140 --> 00:05:32.020 So this book is not written from youthful optimism. 00:05:32.020 --> 00:05:33.939 It's written from experience. 00:05:35.020 --> 00:05:36.980 Ecclesiastes asks us an honest question. 00:05:38.040 --> 00:05:42.320 What does life really amount to when you strip everything away? 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:45.139 All the illusions, all the success, all the control. 00:05:45.579 --> 00:05:47.019 What does life amount to? 00:05:47.099 --> 00:05:48.399 What are you left with? 00:05:48.839 --> 00:05:52.680 And instead of rushing to easy answers or cliches, 00:05:52.980 --> 00:05:59.920 it teaches us how to live wisely, faithfully, and humbly under this sun 00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:01.819 that shines down on all of us. 00:06:01.879 --> 00:06:05.199 While learning to trust the God who stands above it. 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:06.600 And that's where our video left us. 00:06:06.939 --> 00:06:08.860 How do we live life under the sun? 00:06:09.319 --> 00:06:11.339 We look above the sun. 00:06:12.319 --> 00:06:13.519 So let's dive in. 00:06:13.699 --> 00:06:14.139 Verse 1. 00:06:14.500 --> 00:06:16.620 These are the words of the teacher, King David's son. 00:06:16.719 --> 00:06:17.740 He ruled in Jerusalem. 00:06:18.259 --> 00:06:20.240 Everything is meaningless, says the teacher. 00:06:20.339 --> 00:06:21.240 Completely meaningless. 00:06:22.599 --> 00:06:24.079 That'll grab your attention, won't it? 00:06:24.500 --> 00:06:26.159 If I got up here and just said, 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:27.759 Hey, y'all, just want to let you know something. 00:06:27.939 --> 00:06:28.740 Everything's meaningless. 00:06:29.459 --> 00:06:30.939 There's no meaning to any of it. 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:32.459 Some of you might say, 00:06:32.579 --> 00:06:33.939 What in the world is he talking about? 00:06:33.939 --> 00:06:39.879 That's not the shot in the vitamin B12 that I came here for this morning. 00:06:41.279 --> 00:06:42.779 He continues on. 00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:46.720 What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:51.120 Generations come, generations go, but the earth never changes. 00:06:51.120 --> 00:06:52.939 The sun rises. 00:06:53.100 --> 00:06:53.980 The sun sets. 00:06:54.139 --> 00:06:56.040 And then it hurries around to rise again. 00:06:56.899 --> 00:06:58.340 The wind blows south. 00:06:58.439 --> 00:06:59.459 And then it turns north. 00:06:59.579 --> 00:07:00.939 Around and around it goes. 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:02.000 Blowing in circles. 00:07:02.420 --> 00:07:03.600 Rivers run into the sea. 00:07:03.699 --> 00:07:05.060 But the sea is never full. 00:07:05.899 --> 00:07:07.840 The water returns again to the rivers. 00:07:08.019 --> 00:07:09.519 And it flows out again to the sea. 00:07:10.019 --> 00:07:11.620 Everything is wearisome. 00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:13.220 Beyond description. 00:07:13.220 --> 00:07:17.220 No matter how much we see, we're never satisfied. 00:07:17.820 --> 00:07:21.420 No matter how much we hear, we're never content. 00:07:22.860 --> 00:07:24.500 History merely repeats itself. 00:07:25.440 --> 00:07:26.780 Anybody ever heard that phrase before? 00:07:27.400 --> 00:07:28.580 History repeats itself. 00:07:28.880 --> 00:07:29.800 Where do you think they got it? 00:07:30.540 --> 00:07:31.900 It has all been done before. 00:07:32.880 --> 00:07:35.620 There's nothing new under the sun. 00:07:36.760 --> 00:07:39.400 Sometimes people say, here's something new. 00:07:39.960 --> 00:07:41.060 But actually it's old. 00:07:41.060 --> 00:07:43.300 Nothing's ever truly new. 00:07:44.139 --> 00:07:46.019 We don't remember what happened in the past. 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:49.519 Future generations, no one will remember what we're doing now. 00:07:50.939 --> 00:07:53.040 And then skip down, if you would, to verse 14. 00:07:53.660 --> 00:07:57.019 I observe everything going on under the sun. 00:07:57.899 --> 00:08:00.120 And really, it's all meaningless. 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:02.759 Like chasing the wind. 00:08:06.300 --> 00:08:07.840 How successful would you be? 00:08:09.459 --> 00:08:10.959 Trying to catch up with the wind. 00:08:11.060 --> 00:08:14.339 How successful would you be? 00:08:15.139 --> 00:08:16.720 Trying to catch smoke. 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:20.339 How do we live life under the sun? 00:08:20.379 --> 00:08:21.360 Would you pray with me right now? 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:24.480 God, we've worshipped you through song this morning. 00:08:25.240 --> 00:08:26.840 We've sung of your faithfulness. 00:08:32.340 --> 00:08:33.879 We've tried to quiet our hearts. 00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:34.519 We've prayed. 00:08:34.519 --> 00:08:38.720 We've given to support your work here. 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:45.559 Oftentimes it can feel like another week going by, another Sunday coming and going. 00:08:47.399 --> 00:08:48.299 Going to work. 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:49.980 Going to school. 00:08:49.980 --> 00:08:53.259 Maybe we're facing retirement. 00:08:53.259 --> 00:08:53.320 Maybe we're facing retirement. 00:08:56.120 --> 00:08:58.980 Whatever the situation is we find ourselves in. 00:09:00.379 --> 00:09:01.560 We're surrounded. 00:09:01.559 --> 00:09:06.419 By everything being the same over and over. 00:09:06.419 --> 00:09:09.799 Even in a world that seems to be changing. 00:09:10.199 --> 00:09:12.740 Our lives often remain the same. 00:09:12.740 --> 00:09:22.440 God, you put this book right in the middle of your scriptures to teach us a powerful truth. 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:24.820 Where do we find meaning? 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:27.140 Where do we find hope? 00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:31.440 When it's the same sun shining down on all of us. 00:09:33.020 --> 00:09:34.980 Lift our eyes above the sun. 00:09:36.440 --> 00:09:38.520 To the one who can restore the meaning. 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:40.820 The one can restore the hope. 00:09:42.320 --> 00:09:43.740 Teach us from your word this morning. 00:09:43.860 --> 00:09:44.820 We'll give you the glory for it. 00:09:44.880 --> 00:09:45.580 In Jesus name. 00:09:45.920 --> 00:09:46.160 Amen. 00:09:46.659 --> 00:09:47.679 Thank you for praying with me. 00:09:47.719 --> 00:09:49.779 I want to share a couple of truths with you this morning. 00:09:50.360 --> 00:09:52.659 As you look back at Ecclesiastes 1. 00:09:53.100 --> 00:09:54.480 Down through verse 11. 00:09:54.559 --> 00:09:55.799 And then again in verse 14. 00:09:55.939 --> 00:09:57.100 You catch this idea. 00:09:57.240 --> 00:09:57.919 This theme. 00:09:57.919 --> 00:09:59.079 That the teacher. 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:00.179 Or Solomon. 00:10:00.519 --> 00:10:02.500 Is trying to express to us. 00:10:02.699 --> 00:10:05.339 As a result of looking back on his life. 00:10:05.439 --> 00:10:06.819 This is what I've learned. 00:10:07.579 --> 00:10:11.439 I like to find people who have been very successful in their lives. 00:10:11.620 --> 00:10:12.360 In their careers. 00:10:13.159 --> 00:10:14.559 Especially me in ministry. 00:10:14.779 --> 00:10:15.360 In church. 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:17.960 I like to find people who have been doing it for a long time. 00:10:18.060 --> 00:10:19.419 And seemingly doing it well. 00:10:19.800 --> 00:10:20.200 And then say. 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:21.539 What did you learn? 00:10:22.019 --> 00:10:23.560 What have you learned through your decades? 00:10:24.580 --> 00:10:25.620 What is the one thing? 00:10:25.680 --> 00:10:27.000 That's such a cliche question. 00:10:27.519 --> 00:10:29.820 Because oftentimes there's far more than one thing. 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:31.740 But often I want to try to find out. 00:10:31.820 --> 00:10:32.980 What is the big lesson? 00:10:33.120 --> 00:10:34.500 What's the thing that you've learned? 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:36.639 And Solomon is sharing it here. 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:39.720 And it's maybe not what we expect. 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:43.560 I've learned that everything is meaningless. 00:10:43.559 --> 00:10:48.539 Nothing really does it for me anymore. 00:10:50.059 --> 00:10:51.979 It doesn't hold much meaning. 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:53.979 It doesn't hold much value. 00:10:54.719 --> 00:10:56.479 Well we see some ideas why. 00:10:57.159 --> 00:10:59.159 Why did he arrive at this. 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:01.879 What could be seen as depressing conclusion. 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:03.720 We're kicking off a new year. 00:11:03.720 --> 00:11:06.480 A couple weeks ago he said. 00:11:06.840 --> 00:11:12.980 What is going to make 2026 any different than 2025 or 2024 or the years that came before it? 00:11:13.059 --> 00:11:15.039 What's going to make this one different finally? 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:17.200 Let's look. 00:11:17.620 --> 00:11:18.480 Truth number one. 00:11:19.159 --> 00:11:20.139 Truth number one. 00:11:20.259 --> 00:11:23.939 Trying to control life is like catching smoke. 00:11:24.039 --> 00:11:26.740 I apologize for how that seemed to not format correctly. 00:11:26.740 --> 00:11:30.039 So you'll have to pay attention because I'll tell you what it needs to say. 00:11:30.600 --> 00:11:34.340 Trying to control life is like catching smoke. 00:11:35.180 --> 00:11:37.060 Look down at verse 9 if you would with me. 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:41.139 History merely repeats itself. 00:11:41.820 --> 00:11:43.500 It's all been done before. 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:46.440 Nothing under the sun is truly new. 00:11:46.560 --> 00:11:47.840 And then again down in verse 14. 00:11:47.940 --> 00:11:48.759 We read it a moment ago. 00:11:48.759 --> 00:11:51.500 I observed everything going on under the sun. 00:11:51.559 --> 00:11:52.919 And really it's all meaningless. 00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:55.259 Like chasing the wind. 00:11:55.939 --> 00:11:57.039 The Amplified Bible. 00:11:57.779 --> 00:12:00.539 And by the way I love to read the Amplified Bible sometimes. 00:12:00.679 --> 00:12:02.720 It takes the normal biblical text. 00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:06.220 And then it kind of fleshes out the extra meanings. 00:12:06.220 --> 00:12:09.000 That can sometimes be implied by some of these words. 00:12:09.340 --> 00:12:11.179 You know the Old Testament written mostly in Hebrew. 00:12:11.379 --> 00:12:13.200 The New Testament written mostly in Greek. 00:12:13.460 --> 00:12:16.000 And so we don't have this original English text. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:17.539 That we can take and understand. 00:12:17.539 --> 00:12:19.639 So we have to break down these words. 00:12:20.019 --> 00:12:22.019 What did they mean in that original language? 00:12:22.199 --> 00:12:24.419 And how can we get the full picture? 00:12:24.699 --> 00:12:26.919 Sometimes it requires more than one word. 00:12:27.319 --> 00:12:28.740 So when you take the Amplified Bible. 00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:29.799 You can find that online. 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:31.959 If you have a Bible app on your phone. 00:12:32.059 --> 00:12:34.179 You can usually find the Amplified Bible there. 00:12:34.219 --> 00:12:36.019 And it will give you several words. 00:12:36.159 --> 00:12:37.439 That paint the full picture. 00:12:38.059 --> 00:12:41.179 Of what the original author was trying to say in the Bible. 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:42.659 So when we see this. 00:12:42.659 --> 00:12:44.819 We get this idea of catching smoke. 00:12:45.699 --> 00:12:46.939 From the phrase. 00:12:46.940 --> 00:12:48.120 It's chasing the wind. 00:12:48.760 --> 00:12:51.160 Your Bible might say something similar to that. 00:12:51.800 --> 00:12:54.740 But it's the idea of chasing something that can't be caught. 00:12:55.300 --> 00:12:57.440 Trying to hold something in your hand. 00:12:57.440 --> 00:12:59.760 That can't actually be held. 00:13:00.920 --> 00:13:04.600 And this is what trying to control your life. 00:13:06.060 --> 00:13:08.000 Will leave you with. 00:13:09.580 --> 00:13:11.400 Trying to control life. 00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:13.480 Life is like catching smoke. 00:13:14.220 --> 00:13:15.959 The teacher doesn't argue. 00:13:16.259 --> 00:13:17.840 About philosophy here. 00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:21.259 He points instead at reality. 00:13:22.220 --> 00:13:23.360 What he's learned. 00:13:23.459 --> 00:13:24.980 The realities of his life. 00:13:25.079 --> 00:13:25.879 The sun rises. 00:13:26.220 --> 00:13:27.019 The sun sets. 00:13:27.139 --> 00:13:28.419 The wind will circle around. 00:13:28.659 --> 00:13:29.639 The streams flow. 00:13:29.720 --> 00:13:30.860 But the sea's never full. 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:32.340 He paints this picture. 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:33.439 That life just. 00:13:33.679 --> 00:13:35.519 Is on an endless loop. 00:13:35.519 --> 00:13:38.220 Anybody ever watch Groundhog Day? 00:13:39.139 --> 00:13:40.419 I'm not in the habit of. 00:13:41.059 --> 00:13:42.340 Recommending movies up here. 00:13:42.419 --> 00:13:42.639 All right. 00:13:42.679 --> 00:13:43.720 And so if there's something in there. 00:13:43.799 --> 00:13:45.460 That shouldn't be recommended at a Baptist church. 00:13:45.539 --> 00:13:46.460 Then I apologize for that. 00:13:47.199 --> 00:13:48.639 But I remember the concept. 00:13:48.840 --> 00:13:49.960 That it's just the same day. 00:13:50.019 --> 00:13:51.319 Happening over and over again. 00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:53.399 Does life ever feel like that for you? 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:54.899 It's the same day. 00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:57.100 Happening over and over again. 00:13:57.319 --> 00:13:59.120 This is the feeling we get. 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:02.000 The picture that's painted by the teacher. 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:04.560 Life is on a cycle. 00:14:04.879 --> 00:14:06.220 A never ending loop. 00:14:06.460 --> 00:14:07.679 It's a different decade now. 00:14:08.500 --> 00:14:11.399 Far different technology than they had in Solomon's time. 00:14:12.820 --> 00:14:14.460 But you know what hasn't changed? 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:18.320 We have the same longings of our heart and our soul. 00:14:20.379 --> 00:14:21.940 We have the same desires. 00:14:22.100 --> 00:14:24.440 We ultimately have the same needs. 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:27.419 Same anxieties. 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:29.100 Same fears. 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:30.980 We might explain them differently. 00:14:31.779 --> 00:14:34.879 But it all goes back to the same root. 00:14:35.419 --> 00:14:38.060 Problems and needs to be addressed. 00:14:39.259 --> 00:14:41.799 So the problem is not that life has no meaning. 00:14:42.820 --> 00:14:44.139 The problem is. 00:14:44.759 --> 00:14:46.259 We keep trying to control it. 00:14:47.720 --> 00:14:51.720 We keep trying to ascribe or assign meaning. 00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:56.879 To something that at its core essence is meaningless. 00:14:56.879 --> 00:15:01.279 So how does that look? 00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:09.059 We will assign meaning to something that should have no meaning. 00:15:09.059 --> 00:15:12.559 I gotta live in a nicer house. 00:15:12.859 --> 00:15:14.919 I gotta drive a nicer car. 00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:17.479 I gotta make a bigger salary. 00:15:18.479 --> 00:15:24.079 And we'll assign the meaning or the fulfillment of our souls to these things. 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:27.580 That Solomon who attained it all. 00:15:27.580 --> 00:15:29.440 said, trust me. 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:29.440 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:29.480 Trust me. 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:30.840 It's meaningless. 00:15:31.520 --> 00:15:33.060 It doesn't help you. 00:15:33.340 --> 00:15:35.180 It doesn't fill that craving. 00:15:35.179 --> 00:15:37.859 It will never fill that void. 00:15:37.859 --> 00:15:41.579 We assume if we do the right things, life will cooperate. 00:15:42.379 --> 00:15:43.159 Anybody ever been there? 00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:47.739 Well, if I just make all the right decisions, then everything will fall into place. 00:15:47.740 --> 00:15:51.539 And sometimes it's not the decision you made was wrong. 00:15:52.360 --> 00:15:54.220 It's that God is in control. 00:15:55.180 --> 00:15:57.659 There is a spiritual battle going on. 00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:01.799 The forces of evil and the forces of good are fighting against one another. 00:16:02.299 --> 00:16:04.419 And oftentimes we're caught in the crossfire. 00:16:04.940 --> 00:16:09.480 And sometimes the decision you think was the right decision was actually not at the time. 00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:11.139 Because you don't know it all. 00:16:11.259 --> 00:16:11.940 You're not God. 00:16:12.360 --> 00:16:13.799 You don't have all of his wisdom. 00:16:13.799 --> 00:16:20.059 And sometimes you don't realize that life is not cooperating. 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:23.620 Not because the universe is stacked against you. 00:16:24.199 --> 00:16:26.519 Not because God has abandoned you. 00:16:27.339 --> 00:16:29.979 But because everything in this life is meaningless. 00:16:30.479 --> 00:16:37.339 And we are assigning way too much meaning to something that in our minds and hearts, 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:40.799 controlled and driven by the Holy Spirit, 00:16:40.799 --> 00:16:44.579 we should be able to see that, no, that's not that big a deal after all. 00:16:46.219 --> 00:16:47.039 Yeah, I got sick. 00:16:47.479 --> 00:16:48.479 Yeah, my body failed me. 00:16:49.359 --> 00:16:51.439 Yeah, we don't have as much money as we had before. 00:16:51.559 --> 00:16:52.899 Maybe we're going through a hard time. 00:16:54.179 --> 00:16:58.379 Maybe we don't know where what we need is going to come from. 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:01.459 But that's not what's important. 00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:06.380 What's important is I am getting to know my maker. 00:17:07.019 --> 00:17:13.500 What's important is I am being guided and introduced to the king, the ruler of the universe. 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:15.420 I love what Heather said. 00:17:16.039 --> 00:17:21.100 God, we're so amazed that you would even have time for us, that you would even think of us. 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:23.400 That is what is full of meaning. 00:17:24.259 --> 00:17:25.299 That's what's meaningful. 00:17:25.700 --> 00:17:28.000 That's what will satisfy your soul. 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:31.920 So, we lie to ourselves. 00:17:32.460 --> 00:17:34.299 If we do the right things, life will cooperate. 00:17:34.420 --> 00:17:37.900 If we plan carefully enough, then the outcomes are guaranteed. 00:17:38.140 --> 00:17:39.799 We know nothing in this life is guaranteed. 00:17:40.180 --> 00:17:42.019 And yet we still try to act like it is. 00:17:42.859 --> 00:17:46.839 If we manage everything just right, then we'll finally feel secure. 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:51.500 In Ecclesiastes, the teacher, Solomon, is teaching us that that's an illusion. 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:53.640 You're tricking yourself. 00:17:53.940 --> 00:17:54.779 You're fooling yourself. 00:17:54.779 --> 00:18:00.019 You're trying to control life under the sun, and that's like trying to catch smoke. 00:18:00.700 --> 00:18:04.700 The same illusion is confronted directly in James 4. 00:18:04.940 --> 00:18:07.099 James 4 and verse 13 says, 00:18:07.379 --> 00:18:07.700 Look here. 00:18:08.899 --> 00:18:11.899 You who say today or tomorrow, we're going to go to this certain town. 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:13.200 We're going to stay there for a year. 00:18:13.379 --> 00:18:14.500 We're going to do business there. 00:18:14.559 --> 00:18:15.399 We're going to make a profit. 00:18:16.180 --> 00:18:17.079 Verse 14. 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:17.960 How do you know? 00:18:18.899 --> 00:18:21.160 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? 00:18:21.859 --> 00:18:23.680 Your life is like the morning fog. 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:26.539 It's here for a little time, and then it's gone. 00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:32.960 What you ought to say is, if the Lord wants us to, we will live. 00:18:33.340 --> 00:18:34.080 We will do this. 00:18:34.140 --> 00:18:34.720 We'll do that. 00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:38.279 Remembering that God is in control of it all. 00:18:38.700 --> 00:18:39.400 We are not. 00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:43.259 And any idea we get that we are in control is an illusion. 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:44.420 It's a lie. 00:18:45.080 --> 00:18:48.460 Trying to control life is like catching smoke. 00:18:48.460 --> 00:18:49.900 So think about this. 00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:53.900 Control looks like strength, but feels like fear. 00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:57.000 Can anybody testify to that? 00:18:57.680 --> 00:18:59.380 Control looks like strength. 00:18:59.500 --> 00:19:02.100 Somebody who seemingly has a lot of control. 00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:04.200 It looks like they're a strong person. 00:19:04.579 --> 00:19:05.799 They got it all together. 00:19:05.900 --> 00:19:07.500 But you know what's going on inside? 00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:08.579 Fear. 00:19:09.400 --> 00:19:10.740 What are they afraid of? 00:19:11.100 --> 00:19:12.420 Somebody who's in control. 00:19:12.559 --> 00:19:13.600 What are they afraid of, church? 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:16.259 Church, losing control. 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:20.019 Because they finally got control. 00:19:21.059 --> 00:19:24.699 But are you really in control when you're filled with fear? 00:19:25.679 --> 00:19:27.319 And so they work overtime. 00:19:27.879 --> 00:19:31.579 They try to set themselves up to stay in control. 00:19:32.579 --> 00:19:37.500 We've seen that with leaders of nations, kings, and dictators, 00:19:37.500 --> 00:19:41.140 and people who would do everything to stay in power. 00:19:44.859 --> 00:19:49.180 Control looks like strength, but it's actually fear. 00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:54.279 It promises peace, but it only delivers panic. 00:19:55.140 --> 00:19:59.319 The more we try to control everything, the more anxious we become. 00:20:01.460 --> 00:20:05.660 You know, that's interesting that a church also can chase control. 00:20:05.660 --> 00:20:10.660 We can confuse predictability with faithfulness. 00:20:11.800 --> 00:20:14.560 We can look back and say, yeah, this is how we are. 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:15.380 This is what we do. 00:20:15.560 --> 00:20:17.500 And it means we are being faithful to God. 00:20:17.960 --> 00:20:20.440 In a reality, we're just being predictable. 00:20:21.960 --> 00:20:25.480 Maybe God wanted to lead us down a different path at some point. 00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:28.080 Maybe he wanted us to shake things up a little bit. 00:20:28.660 --> 00:20:31.920 Maybe he wanted us to reorient ourselves back on his mission 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:34.180 and his calling for us as a church. 00:20:34.180 --> 00:20:36.759 But we're stuck in what's predictable. 00:20:37.360 --> 00:20:40.580 We can confuse the status quo with being obedient. 00:20:41.320 --> 00:20:44.940 We can say, well, hey, man, we've been obeying God this way for a long time. 00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:47.560 In reality, we're just falling back to what's expected. 00:20:48.100 --> 00:20:50.060 We're just falling back to the status quo. 00:20:50.460 --> 00:20:53.700 We can confuse creature comforts with blessings. 00:20:54.740 --> 00:20:56.799 Man, God's been so good to me in my life. 00:20:57.180 --> 00:20:58.920 I've got a nice bed to sleep on. 00:20:59.220 --> 00:21:00.980 I drive a car with leather seats. 00:21:00.980 --> 00:21:03.680 I've got AC and heat in my house. 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:05.400 Carpet wall to wall. 00:21:05.500 --> 00:21:06.900 Nobody wants carpet anymore, does it? 00:21:07.460 --> 00:21:08.460 That used to be the thing. 00:21:08.660 --> 00:21:10.079 You get big, plush carpeting. 00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:11.500 Now everybody wants hardwood. 00:21:13.160 --> 00:21:18.579 We can confuse creature comforts with God blessing us for our faithfulness. 00:21:18.660 --> 00:21:20.880 Now, certainly God has promised to provide, 00:21:21.779 --> 00:21:23.880 but he never promised what he would provide. 00:21:24.519 --> 00:21:27.039 He did promise that he would provide his spirit. 00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:31.920 He didn't promise that he would provide all the creature comforts that we ever want on this life. 00:21:33.099 --> 00:21:36.980 And so sometimes when we have them, we redirect that and say, 00:21:37.099 --> 00:21:42.059 well, see, this is evidence of God loving what I'm doing in my life and loving where I'm going, 00:21:42.159 --> 00:21:43.799 and he has blessed me with all this abundance. 00:21:44.659 --> 00:21:47.519 And we should thank God for what he's provided for us in our life, 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:53.000 but we should never confuse being predictable with being faithful 00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:56.039 or sticking to the status quo with obeying him 00:21:56.039 --> 00:21:58.940 or just the fact that we have some creature comforts 00:21:58.940 --> 00:22:02.180 with God pouring out his abundant blessings on us. 00:22:02.660 --> 00:22:05.559 God's kingdom never advances through control. 00:22:06.220 --> 00:22:09.160 It advances through trusting obedience, 00:22:09.740 --> 00:22:12.599 faithful obedience built on our faith in him, 00:22:12.740 --> 00:22:14.079 built on our trust in him. 00:22:14.079 --> 00:22:16.019 God, even if you take it away, 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:18.519 even if you change my circumstances, 00:22:18.759 --> 00:22:20.240 I will be faithful to you 00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:23.099 because I've figured out that all that is meaningless. 00:22:24.740 --> 00:22:26.579 You are the one who provides meaning. 00:22:26.779 --> 00:22:28.980 So direction, not perfection. 00:22:29.559 --> 00:22:31.359 We've been talking about that for a few weeks now. 00:22:31.619 --> 00:22:34.740 It starts when we loosen our grip. 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:37.039 We've got to loosen our grip. 00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:41.199 Back in the fall, we went through a study on generosity 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:43.720 and we repeated this mantra over and over again. 00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:45.400 Maybe y'all can say it with me. 00:22:46.120 --> 00:22:47.980 Hands open, eyes up. 00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:48.660 Can we do it again? 00:22:48.840 --> 00:22:50.920 Hands open, eyes up. 00:22:50.980 --> 00:22:55.680 That is an attitude that God is waiting for from you and from me. 00:22:56.980 --> 00:22:59.779 Say, God, hands open, eyes up. 00:22:59.920 --> 00:23:03.100 I will remember where my meaning comes from. 00:23:03.580 --> 00:23:05.100 I look above the sun. 00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:08.700 And so everything under this sun is hands open, God. 00:23:08.700 --> 00:23:15.980 I loosen my grip because I realize that trying to control it is like catching smoke. 00:23:16.960 --> 00:23:24.240 So, secondly, eternal meaning cannot be found in temporary things. 00:23:24.980 --> 00:23:28.600 Eternal meaning cannot be found in temporary things. 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:32.380 Look back at verse 2 of Ecclesiastes 1. 00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:34.580 Everything is meaningless like chasing the wind. 00:23:34.579 --> 00:23:41.839 And then, would you flip over with me to chapter 3 and verse 1, just a couple, verse 11. 00:23:42.379 --> 00:23:44.460 A couple of chapters over from Ecclesiastes 1. 00:23:46.599 --> 00:23:49.879 God has made everything beautiful for its own time. 00:23:50.019 --> 00:23:53.419 He has planted eternity in the human heart. 00:23:54.599 --> 00:23:57.960 God has made everything beautiful for its own time. 00:23:58.259 --> 00:24:01.519 He has planted eternity in the human heart. 00:24:01.519 --> 00:24:06.639 Do you realize that God has implanted you and me, not just with a conscience, 00:24:07.339 --> 00:24:11.639 not just with an awareness of our maker, our creator, 00:24:12.039 --> 00:24:17.119 and the one who wants to be our savior, our friend, our deliverer. 00:24:17.779 --> 00:24:20.660 But he has planted this idea of eternity. 00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:25.279 What really matters in our hearts. 00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:31.599 And so, that awareness cannot be filled by the things that are meaningless. 00:24:32.279 --> 00:24:42.259 That awareness, that consciousness of eternity cannot be satisfied by the things that are not eternal. 00:24:43.639 --> 00:24:44.639 But we try. 00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:46.519 We do our best. 00:24:47.500 --> 00:24:50.879 And in middle class America, we're the worst at this. 00:24:50.880 --> 00:24:57.620 Often, if you've traveled around the world and you've seen poor parts of the world, 00:24:57.700 --> 00:25:01.080 and when I mean poor, I'm not even talking about American standards of poverty. 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:07.860 I'm talking about real poverty around the world where they truly have no hope of changing their circumstances. 00:25:09.220 --> 00:25:11.680 And oftentimes, those people have just accepted, 00:25:12.020 --> 00:25:14.720 this is our life and we're okay with it. 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:25.460 But this idea of the middle class that's constantly striving to get more, obtain more, improve our standing, 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:31.160 improve our bottom line, improve our bank account, save up more for retirement, 00:25:31.259 --> 00:25:32.799 none of those are bad pursuits. 00:25:33.019 --> 00:25:35.539 But they must be kept in their compartment. 00:25:35.759 --> 00:25:38.500 That at the end of the day, none of this really matters that much. 00:25:39.180 --> 00:25:40.360 I have a responsibility. 00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:41.480 Provide for my family. 00:25:41.579 --> 00:25:42.700 I'm going to do the best I can. 00:25:42.759 --> 00:25:43.600 I'm going to be a good steward. 00:25:43.599 --> 00:25:47.240 But I am going to keep the kingdom of God first and foremost in my mind. 00:25:47.559 --> 00:25:50.319 I'm going to keep the mission of God first and foremost in my mind. 00:25:50.339 --> 00:25:51.599 Because that is eternal. 00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:53.279 The rest of it is not. 00:25:53.919 --> 00:25:55.959 It doesn't really have meaning. 00:25:56.579 --> 00:25:58.959 So here's where Ecclesiastes turns. 00:25:59.719 --> 00:26:01.799 This is the critical turn of the book. 00:26:02.339 --> 00:26:04.319 It doesn't say that life doesn't matter. 00:26:04.919 --> 00:26:06.799 It doesn't say that work is pointless. 00:26:07.619 --> 00:26:11.439 It doesn't say that the joy you experience is fake or false. 00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:16.920 It says meaning cannot be secured under the sun. 00:26:18.120 --> 00:26:18.279 Why? 00:26:18.420 --> 00:26:20.880 Because God has placed eternity in our hearts. 00:26:21.820 --> 00:26:25.779 The longing you feel for something lasting, something solid, something permanent. 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:29.740 It was never meant to be satisfied by things that fade. 00:26:30.120 --> 00:26:32.740 Meaning is not achieved by trying harder. 00:26:32.740 --> 00:26:35.380 You say that again. 00:26:36.380 --> 00:26:40.000 You don't find meaning by trying harder. 00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:41.960 You don't. 00:26:43.920 --> 00:26:48.319 Meaning is received by trusting higher. 00:26:48.319 --> 00:26:52.559 It's not by trying harder. 00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:55.059 It's by trusting higher. 00:26:56.399 --> 00:26:59.619 I trust in God. 00:27:00.619 --> 00:27:01.740 My Savior. 00:27:02.759 --> 00:27:04.559 The one who will never fail. 00:27:05.939 --> 00:27:07.319 It's a song by the way. 00:27:08.159 --> 00:27:08.759 I love it. 00:27:08.759 --> 00:27:14.579 Those are the kind of themes we've got to pump into our heads, pump into our hearts, our souls. 00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:21.039 Because life under the sun can feel unstable, but it was never meant to be ultimate. 00:27:21.859 --> 00:27:26.359 This is exactly the posture that the Apostle Paul calls for in Colossians chapter 3. 00:27:26.359 --> 00:27:33.000 Colossians 3, Paul is writing one of his letters to those early churches, our predecessors. 00:27:33.779 --> 00:27:38.919 The ones on whose shoulders we stand up here in Henrietta, Texas in 2026. 00:27:39.399 --> 00:27:42.979 We can go back to those early churches and say they started this whole movement. 00:27:43.119 --> 00:27:44.179 They started this whole thing. 00:27:44.479 --> 00:27:48.839 And Paul was one of the great teachers that God used to shape these early churches. 00:27:49.419 --> 00:27:53.000 To show them how to follow him and do his work in this world. 00:27:53.099 --> 00:27:55.259 So Paul's writing to this one in Colossians. 00:27:55.259 --> 00:27:58.000 He says, since you have been raised to new life with Christ, 00:27:58.859 --> 00:28:02.500 then set your sights on the realities of heaven. 00:28:03.539 --> 00:28:05.180 Not on the fantasy of heaven. 00:28:05.640 --> 00:28:09.920 Not on the myth of heaven or the idea or the folk tale of heaven. 00:28:10.099 --> 00:28:11.460 On the reality of heaven. 00:28:11.579 --> 00:28:12.440 Heaven is real. 00:28:12.859 --> 00:28:14.019 Where God lives. 00:28:14.140 --> 00:28:16.079 Where God's going to bring us home to someday. 00:28:16.339 --> 00:28:17.119 That is real. 00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:18.440 We don't exactly know where it is. 00:28:18.619 --> 00:28:20.259 We don't exactly know where it all looks. 00:28:20.339 --> 00:28:22.379 We can look in Revelation and try to get an idea. 00:28:22.740 --> 00:28:24.599 A picture is painted and it's going to be beautiful. 00:28:24.599 --> 00:28:25.419 It's going to be eternal. 00:28:25.639 --> 00:28:26.919 We're going to be worshiping him. 00:28:27.279 --> 00:28:30.299 It's going to be a place of abundance and fulfillment and joy. 00:28:30.879 --> 00:28:32.359 In the presence of God. 00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:35.299 So when we set our sights on that. 00:28:35.839 --> 00:28:37.199 That's going to be our eternity. 00:28:37.719 --> 00:28:38.919 That's something eternal. 00:28:39.339 --> 00:28:40.159 And it's real. 00:28:40.719 --> 00:28:41.899 And that's where Christ sits. 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:44.719 In the place of honor at the right hand of God. 00:28:45.119 --> 00:28:46.659 Then think about these things. 00:28:47.259 --> 00:28:48.959 Think about the things of heaven. 00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:49.039 Hidden. 00:28:49.680 --> 00:28:50.960 Not the things of the earth. 00:28:51.019 --> 00:28:52.720 Because you died to this life. 00:28:52.920 --> 00:28:53.960 And your real life. 00:28:54.279 --> 00:28:56.519 It's hidden with Christ in God. 00:28:57.519 --> 00:28:58.980 But our real life. 00:29:00.120 --> 00:29:02.740 Tends to not take up most of our pursuits. 00:29:03.279 --> 00:29:06.340 It tends to not take up most of our time and our energy. 00:29:08.340 --> 00:29:10.000 Instead we spend most of it. 00:29:10.840 --> 00:29:12.240 Chasing this life. 00:29:12.740 --> 00:29:13.700 That we died to. 00:29:13.700 --> 00:29:17.880 Chasing this life that God saved us from. 00:29:20.160 --> 00:29:21.400 At the end of the day. 00:29:21.799 --> 00:29:23.640 We generally come to the conclusion. 00:29:24.080 --> 00:29:25.580 With Solomon the teacher. 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:28.160 That life is meaningless. 00:29:29.340 --> 00:29:30.960 So I want you to think about this. 00:29:32.380 --> 00:29:33.640 Trade your earthly dust. 00:29:34.240 --> 00:29:35.920 For your heavenly destiny. 00:29:37.180 --> 00:29:39.460 I try to avoid this word destiny. 00:29:39.460 --> 00:29:42.019 Because it's been co-opted. 00:29:42.120 --> 00:29:42.960 It's been abused. 00:29:43.160 --> 00:29:43.940 And misused. 00:29:44.059 --> 00:29:46.579 By so many preachers and teachers over the years. 00:29:46.700 --> 00:29:48.400 But we do have a destiny. 00:29:49.180 --> 00:29:50.880 It's eternity with the Father. 00:29:51.640 --> 00:29:53.680 We have a destiny in heaven. 00:29:54.319 --> 00:29:56.940 If we have placed our faith in Jesus. 00:29:57.100 --> 00:29:58.980 And God has made us one of his own. 00:29:59.140 --> 00:30:00.140 Then he promises. 00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:02.380 What our destiny will be. 00:30:02.740 --> 00:30:04.640 He says your destiny is eternity. 00:30:04.980 --> 00:30:06.360 Of joy with me. 00:30:06.360 --> 00:30:07.279 In my presence. 00:30:07.279 --> 00:30:09.920 So don't exchange that. 00:30:10.079 --> 00:30:11.220 The pursuit of that. 00:30:11.500 --> 00:30:13.940 With the earthly dust surrounding you. 00:30:14.319 --> 00:30:15.579 We all came from dust. 00:30:15.660 --> 00:30:16.920 We're going to return to dust. 00:30:18.339 --> 00:30:20.519 Maybe a lot of people will be at that funeral. 00:30:20.639 --> 00:30:21.500 Maybe they won't be. 00:30:22.920 --> 00:30:24.480 Maybe they'll make a big hoopla. 00:30:24.599 --> 00:30:25.700 Out of the graveside service. 00:30:25.819 --> 00:30:27.680 I was conducting a graveside service. 00:30:27.759 --> 00:30:28.399 A few weeks ago. 00:30:28.579 --> 00:30:30.940 For a man who served in the military. 00:30:31.240 --> 00:30:32.960 And the guns were sounded. 00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:34.299 And they folded up the flag. 00:30:34.299 --> 00:30:37.079 And gave it to his family left behind. 00:30:37.279 --> 00:30:39.079 And maybe there'll be a big performance. 00:30:39.079 --> 00:30:39.920 And a big ceremony. 00:30:39.920 --> 00:30:40.859 But then. 00:30:41.200 --> 00:30:42.619 That sound will fade. 00:30:42.740 --> 00:30:44.639 And the memories will start to fade. 00:30:44.940 --> 00:30:45.240 And. 00:30:45.879 --> 00:30:46.639 Back to dust. 00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:47.539 It will all go. 00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:50.180 But what is meaningful. 00:30:50.720 --> 00:30:51.960 What is eternal. 00:30:52.339 --> 00:30:53.240 What will last. 00:30:54.539 --> 00:30:55.920 Is what was done. 00:30:56.720 --> 00:30:58.779 With our heavenly destiny in mind. 00:30:58.779 --> 00:31:00.399 So. 00:31:00.399 --> 00:31:00.480 So. 00:31:02.299 --> 00:31:03.220 Despair comes. 00:31:03.940 --> 00:31:05.819 From trying to find eternal meaning. 00:31:06.240 --> 00:31:07.799 In temporary places. 00:31:08.579 --> 00:31:12.039 This is why the direction of our lives matters. 00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:16.200 This is why the direction of our church matters. 00:31:16.920 --> 00:31:18.740 This is why I believe that God. 00:31:19.099 --> 00:31:20.240 Pressed on my heart. 00:31:20.599 --> 00:31:22.779 To give our church the theme of. 00:31:23.160 --> 00:31:24.680 Direction not perfection. 00:31:25.059 --> 00:31:26.480 For the year 2026. 00:31:26.480 --> 00:31:28.599 because we have a choice. 00:31:28.740 --> 00:31:30.759 We can either join God's mission 00:31:30.759 --> 00:31:33.299 or we can avoid discomfort. 00:31:34.759 --> 00:31:36.980 We can either join God's mission 00:31:36.980 --> 00:31:39.319 or we can avoid discomfort. 00:31:40.440 --> 00:31:43.980 Our church finds meaning when we join God's mission. 00:31:44.660 --> 00:31:48.599 Our church finds meaning when we celebrate life change. 00:31:49.880 --> 00:31:52.860 And our church finds meaning when we welcome differences. 00:31:52.859 --> 00:31:57.240 These are the things God calls every church 00:31:57.240 --> 00:31:59.339 who names the name of Christ and says, 00:31:59.479 --> 00:32:00.399 we are Jesus followers. 00:32:01.039 --> 00:32:02.439 This is what he calls us to be. 00:32:02.819 --> 00:32:04.179 It's what he calls us to do. 00:32:05.259 --> 00:32:09.199 And so when we do this with our heavenly destiny in mind, 00:32:09.819 --> 00:32:12.579 then we find meaning at church. 00:32:13.039 --> 00:32:15.459 We find meaning on Sundays. 00:32:16.219 --> 00:32:18.759 We find meaning on Saturday night thinking, 00:32:18.919 --> 00:32:20.539 man, I can't wait to go back 00:32:20.539 --> 00:32:23.579 and be with my church family 00:32:23.579 --> 00:32:28.139 because that's where we join God's mission. 00:32:28.259 --> 00:32:29.960 That's where we celebrate life change. 00:32:30.200 --> 00:32:32.180 That's where we welcome the differences we have 00:32:32.180 --> 00:32:34.500 and set them aside and prefer others, 00:32:34.940 --> 00:32:37.319 Christ at the top over ourselves. 00:32:38.619 --> 00:32:41.379 But instead, we often find ourselves 00:32:41.379 --> 00:32:44.200 doing our very best to avoid discomfort, 00:32:44.920 --> 00:32:48.399 doing our very best to preserve our preferences, 00:32:48.400 --> 00:32:51.960 doing our very best to cling to what is familiar. 00:32:53.480 --> 00:32:55.860 And we wonder why we're dissatisfied. 00:32:56.680 --> 00:33:00.060 We wonder why we don't feel that joy 00:33:00.060 --> 00:33:02.240 and that life that maybe we used to experience 00:33:02.240 --> 00:33:03.140 when we came to church. 00:33:04.160 --> 00:33:05.460 And so we'll blame the music. 00:33:06.180 --> 00:33:08.780 We all know Jared is just a problem up here. 00:33:08.920 --> 00:33:09.940 I tell him that every day. 00:33:10.080 --> 00:33:10.660 He's a problem. 00:33:11.640 --> 00:33:13.420 Now we give each other the business in the office. 00:33:14.360 --> 00:33:16.140 We'll blame the Sunday school class. 00:33:16.140 --> 00:33:18.420 Well, if that teacher was just more interesting, 00:33:19.060 --> 00:33:20.300 we'll blame the preacher. 00:33:20.520 --> 00:33:23.680 Look, I know I'm the source of 99% of the problems here, okay? 00:33:26.960 --> 00:33:29.420 We'll blame whatever we can blame 00:33:29.420 --> 00:33:33.280 because it's much harder to accept 00:33:33.280 --> 00:33:36.640 that we're not prioritizing what actually matters. 00:33:36.640 --> 00:33:40.740 We haven't done a whole lot to join God in his mission. 00:33:42.280 --> 00:33:44.660 We see others celebrating life change 00:33:44.660 --> 00:33:47.100 through discipleship happening or baptism happening 00:33:47.100 --> 00:33:49.940 or the steps that they're taking to grow closer 00:33:49.940 --> 00:33:51.220 and follow Jesus more. 00:33:51.940 --> 00:33:54.180 But we don't see ourselves celebrating that. 00:33:57.080 --> 00:33:58.540 We don't welcome the differences. 00:33:59.400 --> 00:34:00.500 We fight against them. 00:34:01.020 --> 00:34:02.380 We cling to what is familiar. 00:34:02.560 --> 00:34:04.120 So how do we live life under this sun? 00:34:04.119 --> 00:34:07.779 We look above the sun. 00:34:09.699 --> 00:34:12.339 We live under this sun by trusting the God 00:34:12.339 --> 00:34:13.400 who stands above it. 00:34:13.619 --> 00:34:14.779 Even when it's uncomfortable, 00:34:15.019 --> 00:34:16.440 especially when it's uncomfortable. 00:34:19.440 --> 00:34:23.579 Ecclesiastes begins by tearing down our illusions. 00:34:24.199 --> 00:34:25.659 Not to crush us. 00:34:26.019 --> 00:34:27.139 Not to ruin our day. 00:34:27.139 --> 00:34:29.799 But to free us. 00:34:30.960 --> 00:34:33.500 Free us from the shackles of chasing 00:34:33.500 --> 00:34:35.699 what everybody else in the rat race is chasing. 00:34:36.900 --> 00:34:39.400 And what will never provide meaning. 00:34:39.940 --> 00:34:41.699 When we stop trying to catch smoke, 00:34:42.079 --> 00:34:44.739 we finally free our hands to receive life 00:34:44.739 --> 00:34:46.940 as the gift from God that it is. 00:34:47.799 --> 00:34:48.940 So we begin this series, 00:34:49.039 --> 00:34:51.799 we begin this year by asking this question. 00:34:52.420 --> 00:34:54.839 How can we live life under the sun? 00:34:54.840 --> 00:34:56.760 Would you bow your heads with me? 00:35:00.200 --> 00:35:02.400 Ecclesiastes will help us learn the answer to this. 00:35:03.380 --> 00:35:04.539 We can't control it. 00:35:04.579 --> 00:35:05.480 We can't master it. 00:35:05.519 --> 00:35:06.400 We can't perfect it. 00:35:06.460 --> 00:35:07.559 We have to trust God. 00:35:07.780 --> 00:35:09.220 We have to pursue his kingdom. 00:35:09.360 --> 00:35:12.600 We have to walk faithfully one season at a time, 00:35:13.220 --> 00:35:15.680 individually and together as a church. 00:35:15.679 --> 00:35:18.399 God, you hear your people. 00:35:19.339 --> 00:35:21.440 You hear the cry of our hearts right now. 00:35:21.539 --> 00:35:23.119 We're not lifting our voices loudly, 00:35:23.440 --> 00:35:26.319 but you hear our hearts calling out to you 00:35:26.319 --> 00:35:27.039 and God saying, 00:35:27.239 --> 00:35:29.679 we see this meaningless surrounding us every day. 00:35:30.399 --> 00:35:31.419 We feel it. 00:35:31.719 --> 00:35:32.759 We try to ignore it. 00:35:32.819 --> 00:35:35.539 We try to assign meaning and value to something, 00:35:35.639 --> 00:35:37.440 even though we know it can't fulfill. 00:35:37.440 --> 00:35:43.400 God, teach us, change us. 00:35:44.179 --> 00:35:45.619 It's in Jesus' name we pray. 00:35:46.200 --> 00:35:46.500 Amen. 00:35:47.539 --> 00:35:49.900 Church, can we say this together? 00:35:50.519 --> 00:35:51.460 I'll ask the question, 00:35:51.599 --> 00:35:53.700 how do we live under the sun? 00:35:53.800 --> 00:35:54.920 And would you respond with me? 00:35:55.980 --> 00:35:57.420 We look above the sun. 00:35:57.460 --> 00:35:57.800 Are you ready? 00:35:58.599 --> 00:36:00.659 How do we live under the sun? 00:36:01.139 --> 00:36:03.119 We look above the sun. 00:36:03.280 --> 00:36:04.740 We know who stands above the sun. 00:36:04.820 --> 00:36:05.960 We know who created the sun. 00:36:05.960 --> 00:36:07.420 We know who created us. 00:36:08.000 --> 00:36:09.900 Let's turn our eyes to him right now. 00:36:10.679 --> 00:36:12.659 Church, let's take just a minute or two 00:36:12.659 --> 00:36:14.659 to do some business with God. 00:36:14.780 --> 00:36:16.480 Wherever you're sitting in your seat, 00:36:17.440 --> 00:36:18.900 if you'd like to make a decision today, 00:36:18.960 --> 00:36:19.900 if you'd like to come forward 00:36:19.900 --> 00:36:21.220 and speak to myself or Jared 00:36:21.220 --> 00:36:23.139 or one of the leaders of our church 00:36:23.139 --> 00:36:25.280 and say, I would love to give my life to Jesus. 00:36:25.420 --> 00:36:26.820 I need to make that final decision. 00:36:27.199 --> 00:36:28.800 I need to choose the Jesus way. 00:36:29.420 --> 00:36:30.320 I'm not gonna be perfect, 00:36:30.720 --> 00:36:32.920 but I put my faith in him and him alone 00:36:32.920 --> 00:36:34.860 to save me of my sins, 00:36:34.860 --> 00:36:36.200 make me his child. 00:36:36.240 --> 00:36:37.480 If you wanna make that decision today, 00:36:37.519 --> 00:36:38.680 I could not encourage it more. 00:36:39.120 --> 00:36:40.180 This is the moment to do it. 00:36:40.420 --> 00:36:41.480 Don't wait another delay. 00:36:42.360 --> 00:36:43.120 Do it today. 00:36:44.420 --> 00:36:45.579 Maybe if that's not you, 00:36:45.660 --> 00:36:46.860 but you say, I've got something 00:36:46.860 --> 00:36:47.620 I need to pray about. 00:36:47.700 --> 00:36:48.700 I'd like to talk to somebody. 00:36:48.820 --> 00:36:49.960 Please come meet us down here. 00:36:50.320 --> 00:36:51.260 We'd love to talk with you, 00:36:51.640 --> 00:36:52.240 pray with you, 00:36:52.559 --> 00:36:53.280 consult the scriptures 00:36:53.280 --> 00:36:54.680 and try to help you as best we can. 00:36:54.920 --> 00:36:56.160 If you'd like to join this church 00:36:56.160 --> 00:36:57.340 and place your membership here, 00:36:57.599 --> 00:36:59.160 I've had a couple of those meetings recently 00:36:59.160 --> 00:37:00.539 with people who would like to join in 00:37:00.539 --> 00:37:02.240 as members of our church, 00:37:02.660 --> 00:37:03.740 then we welcome you to do that. 00:37:03.739 --> 00:37:05.079 I'd love to come down and talk with you 00:37:05.079 --> 00:37:06.659 about that, how that could look. 00:37:07.000 --> 00:37:08.219 Whatever is on your heart, 00:37:08.259 --> 00:37:09.919 if you just need to do some business with God 00:37:09.919 --> 00:37:12.859 and say, God, I need to get my eyes back on you, 00:37:12.939 --> 00:37:13.799 looking above the sun 00:37:13.799 --> 00:37:14.899 and seeing what is meaningful, 00:37:15.239 --> 00:37:16.619 let's take the next minute or two 00:37:16.619 --> 00:37:18.559 and do that quietly in our seats 00:37:18.559 --> 00:37:19.579 while the music prays. 00:37:19.579 --> 00:37:26.059 as you can hear as many as you can hear as you can hear as you can hear as you can hear as you can hear as you can hear as you can hear as you can hear as you can hear as you can hear as you can hear as you can hear as you can hear as you can hear 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