God Secret Of Satisfaction

God Secret of Satisfaction

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

November 6, 2005

Good News Christian Fellowship

INTRODUCTION

A. There is nothing like the joy and satisfaction of a job well done (ex. Fixing furniture, etc.) There a sense of joy of having producing something beautiful.

B. Life, however, is not always a success story.

1. The furniture you fix may break up.

2. You mistakenly misconnected the wire of your television.

3. You got sick and bed ridden. Maybe you have a cancer.

• What can you do?

• Can you exchange your life for a new one?

C.However, you can do one thing.

1. Tell your children and grandchildren about the mistakes you made to warn them early in life.

2. Or, even better, you can write a book about your frustrating life-experience so people can read it and learn a lesson, perhaps many years after you have gone from this world.

D.This is exactly what the wise man of old did when he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. This is an inspired instruction of Elderly man who had it all, who tried to end it all and repented of it all.

1. This book is a record of repentance for pursuing life without God as his focus.

2. A Cultural Apologetics – It is a defense of a certain worldview of a certain culture.

3. Solomon had distinguished himself as one of the wise men of his day. Travel in different countries to trade with them and argue with them. He is the most gifted man.

D.He disseminates the wisdom to the philosophers for a challenge. That is exactly Chapter 12:12 is talking about, that the making of this book in the exchange of worldview, there is no end of it, it will boil down in the next verse that the real matter of all this, is to fear God, for it is the duty of men.

E.Particular gentile is address in chapter 11&12.

F.This book is instructive to us. It teaches how to deal with other people of different worldview and to present God to them. It follows the same format Paul did in Acts 17.

G. I believe Ecclesiastes connect to gentile world to one issue of despair. I believe we have to understand the theme so well.

I believe the key to the book is found verse 11 of chapter 12.

THE KEY

Read Chapter 12:11. Solomon says his words have two purposes: Some serve as goads, some serve as nails.

1. Goads

• Literally, means a sharp pointed stick that Palestinian farmers used prick their oxen to move, when it did not moving past enough and the oxen will get the point. When he gets the point, it will motivate to do something.

• Figuratively speaking, Solomon is awakening man to the truth of his sayings. Solomon brings a lot of question in your mind about your life to get the Point. And when you get the point, you will do something about it.

• Solomon challenges us with the enigmas of life.

1. Goads are disturbing reflection of life

2. Young people don’t run to the disturbing reflection of life. Face it.

3. A lot of mysteries; unsolved enigmas of life.

4. A lot of people don’t to think about them because they are painful.

5. You need to think because it will move you into an action.

2. Nail

• Use by tentmaker as stabilizer in fixing the tent in the desert. The assemblers tie the rope to the nail to keep the tent blow by wind.

• Nail are stabilizing truth; that divine revelation that anchor our soul in the midst of this disturbing reflection of life ( note: house built into the rock)

Are you under Goads and Nail? If you did, you should understand what Solomon is saying. For Example:

1. Chapter 1:6 –

• The water go up, the rain go down;

• The sun go up, the sun go down.

• The cycle goes on and on as your life goes around and around and you try to satisfy it.

• The worse of it, if you are done in your life, no one even remember that you are here.

So what is the POINT? That without something to transcends, the pointlessness all of life is pointless.

2. Chapter 2: 18

• What is the POINT of your labor if you just leave it to somebody who will just going to destroy himself into it?

• What is the POINT? That without GOD in the picture, there is no point to that.

3. Chapter 3:19

• You die, and your dog dies. You and your dog both go into dust. What is the difference?

• What is the advantage you have over the dog?

• What is the POINT? That without God in the picture there is no difference and there is no point.