ECCLESIASTES 1:1-3
This Book Encourages Us:
To Fear God, Keep His Commandments, And Enjoy Life.
Fear: HONOR.
Keep: OBEY.
The Book Of Ecclesiastes Is A Sermon.
There Is The Announcement Of A Theme,
The Theme Is: What Is The HIGHEST GOOD?
The Initial Standpoint: Based On Natural Reason.
The Quest: Where Does The Highest Good Leads Us.
When Conducted On The Ground Of Natural Experience, Observation, And Induction.
The Title: Ecclesiastes: A Preacher.
Who Was This Preacher-Author: Solomon.
THE BOOK OUTLINED:THE SEARCH FOR SIGNIFICANCE:
EXPLORATION:
IS EVERYTHING IN VAIN:
VANITY IN DOING:
VANITY IN HAVING:
EXHORTATION:
IS LIFE LIVED WELL:
USING LIFE FOR GOOD:
GOOD FROM GOD'S POINT OF VIEW.
ADVANCE KINGDOM, GLORY TO GOD.
SOURCE OF TRUE LIVING:
CONTENTS:
Under A Great Variety Of Evidences,
Taken From The Circumstances Of Human Life,
The Preacher Fully Proves:
The Total INABILITY Of All Outward Circumstances Of Nature To OBTAIN Happiness.
Words Of The Preacher, Son Of David, King In Jerusalem.
The Book Opens Very Properly With The Name.
Or Rather The Office And Connection Of The Author.
And The Significance Of His Sermon.
Find Solomon And You Find Wisdom.
HOW MUCH MORE THEN WITH JESUS.
In Whom Are Hid All The Treasures Of Wisdom And Knowledge. Colossians 2:3.
SUBJECT MATTER OF BOOK:
VANITY OF VANITIES, SAITH THE PREACHER, VANITY OF VANITIES; ALL IS VANITY.
The Contrast:
The Durable Riches VERSUS Righteousness In Christ.
The Opposite To THIS VANITY, Which Is Found In Christ.
WORD TRANSLATED: VANITY:
IT LOOKS AT THE NATURE OF MAN’S ACTIVITY “UNDER THE SUN”:
1) FLEETING: Which Has In View Being Vapor-Like.
2) MEANINGLESS: Which Focuses On The Cursed Condition Of The Universe.
3) INCOMPREHENSIBLE: Which Refers To The Mysteries Of God's Purposes.
SUMMARY OF BOOK:
The Only Hope Of The Good Life.
The Only Reasonable Response.
Is Faith And Obedience To Sovereign God.
He Precisely Works Out All Activities Under The Sun.
Each In Its Time According To His Perfect Plan.
Discloses Only As Much As His Perfect Wisdom Dictates.
God Holds All Mankind Accountable.
Be Careful: Take God And His Word Seriously.
If NOT, A Person Is Doomed To A Life Of VANITY.
SOLOMON’S CONCLUSION:
TO HONOR GOD AND OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS.
DIVINE BLESSINGS ARE TO BE ENJOYED.
DIVINE JUDGMENT IS IMMINENT.
SOLOMON:
Who Had Riches As Plentiful As The Stones.
(1 Kings 10:27).
Who Had Wisdom As Large As The Sand Of The Sea.
(1 Kings 4:29).
Who Had All The Advantages, Could Experiment, Could Draw Conclusions.
(Ecclesiastes 1:16, 17).
For This Wise Man Himself Concludes:
To Fear God And Keep The Commandments Of God.
Therefore, He Pronounces All To Be Vanity,
It Must Be Meant Of All Worldly And Earthly Things;
1. The World Is NOT VAIN In Respect To:
Its Natural Being:
Whatsoever God Made Is, In Its Kind, Good.
(Genesis 1:31).
Solomon Did Not Mean The Works Of God Were Vain.
God The Creator:
He Makes His Ends Out Of All;
Creation Glorifies Him According To Divine Order.
Rational Mankind Is A Most Obvious Demonstration Of God's Infinite Being, Wisdom, And Power.
2. The World Is VAIN In Respect To:
The Sin And Folly Of Man:
Worldly Things Will NOT Perform The Way We Expect.
Our Great Expectation Is Happiness;
Our Great Folly: Is Not Found In Enjoyments Of This World.
All Worldly Enjoyments Are Leaky And Broken Cisterns.
Leaky And Broken Cisterns Cannot Hold This Living Water.
THIS IS WHY THEY ARE CONSIDERED VANITY.
WHAT CAUSES THE WHOLE WORLD TO BECOME VANITY?
WHEN WE BREAK THE DIVINE ORDER OF ENJOYMENT.
WHAT IS THIS DIVINE ORDER ?
HOW IS LIFE LIVED WELL ?
THE WHOLE WORLD IS VANITY:
1. BECAUSE ALL ITS GLORY DEPENDS MERELY UPON THE OPINION OF MANKIND.
Example: Gold And Silver:
Had Not Mankind DETERMINED Them An Excellency Far Beyond Their Natural Usefulness?
GOLD Was Of Little Value Beyond Natural Usefulness In The World Until Mankind Determined It To Be Of High Value.
Gold And Silver Became Prized Possessions.
Lusting For Gold And Silver Makes Us Needy.
IT IS NOTHING BUT CONCEIT
THAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THE RICHEST AND THE LEANEST
AS LONG AS BOTH HAVE THE NECESSITIES.
Mankind Tends Toward Coveting Possessions Of Others:
What Is Gold And Silver But Diversified Earth?
What Is A Diamond But A Hard Shiny Rock?
2. BECAUSE IT IS DECEITFUL.
Lying Vanity Betrays Both Our Hopes And Our Souls.
(a) It Betrays Our Hopes: Leaves Us Nothing But Disappointment, When It Promises Happiness.
(b) It Betrays The Soul: Guilt And Eternal Condemnation.
The World System Snares The Soul.
It Offers LOVE OF SELF
Which Is Inconsistent With The LOVE OF GOD.
The World System Is Satan's Temporary Domain.
Satan's Goal Is To Drag You To Hell With Him.
Because Of The Inclination To The Lusts Of The World:
It Is Almost Impossible:
To Moderate Our Affections Towards Them.
To Control Our Appetites And Desires.
3. BECAUSE IT OFFERS LURING COMFORTS BUT ALONG COME CERTAIN BURDENS.
(a) There Is A Great Deal Of Turmoil And Trouble In Getting The World's Comforts.
Nothing Can Be Acquired Without Sacrifice.
(b) Getting The World's Comforts Or Not, Still Mankind Is Disappointed In Its Reward.
The World Is Much Better In Show Than Substance;
The World Causes Us To Admire Things Before We Enjoy Them.
When We Enjoy These Things THEN We Discover The Disappointment In Them.
4. BECAUSE THE LONGER WE ENJOY ANY WORLDLY THING THE LESS SATISFYING IT BECOMES.
5. BECAUSE THE PLEASURE OF THE WORLD IS NOTHING BUT A TEDIOUS REPETITION OF THE SAME THINGS.
6. BECAUSE PLEASURES OF THE WORLD ARE INADEQUATE:
When We Have Great Need Of Support And Comfort.
When We Are Under The Conviction Of Our Guilt.
When We Are At The Hour Of Our Death.
7. BECAUSE THE WORLD IS UNSUITABLE TO SATISFY THE DESIRE FOR JOY AND HAPPINESS:
The Necessities Of The Soul Are Altogether Different.
Worldly Things Are NOT Able To Supply These Needs.
Worldly Things Are Wholly Unsuitable.
The Soul's Necessities Are Spiritual.
Worldly Things Can Not Reach Spiritual Heights.
8. BECAUSE OF ITS INCONSTANCY:
God's Providence Administers All Things In Perpetual Fluctuation.
It Is In Vain To Expect Happiness From What Is So Uncertain.
All Our Treasures Are Like Quicksilver,
Which Strangely Slips Between Our Fingers.
Which We Think We Hold It Securely.
9. BECAUSE IT IS UNSATISFACTORY:
Even Great Abundance Can Not Give Real Contentment.
The Whole World Offers Only Such Empty Things.
(1) Cannot Free Us From Cares And Crosses.
(2) We Still Desire Change.
If The Worldly Possessions Did Not Disappoint,
If The Worldly Possessions Did Not Frustrate Us,
Would Any One Think Of God ?
Would Any One Remember Heaven?
Would Any One Remember The Life To Come?
HOW FOOLISH:
To Lay Our Most Serious Cares Upon It.
To Give Up Peace And Purity Of Serving A Loving God.
To Lose Our Precious Souls.
To Fear Death That Only Deprives Us Of Fading Vanity.
To Be Discontent With Our Present State And Condition.
BUT, WHATEVER OUR OBSERVATIONS,
THE VANITY OF WORLDLY POSSESSIONS
SHOULD TEACH US:
TO ADMIRE AND ADORE
THE GOOD PROVIDENCE OF GOD.
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