Drop the Weight of Trivial Pursuits
Over the past few weeks we have been talking about dropping the weight, dropping the weight of junk we are carrying that tire us out, wear us down, and cause all sorts of problems in our relationships with each other, and our relationship with God.
This backpack I am wearing has stones, rocks within it that weekly we are exposing, and laying them down, giving them to God.
We have talked about the weight of sin.
We have talked about the weight of our tongues.
We talked about the weight of bitterness.
We talked about the weight of Jealousy. How we can find ourselves wishing God had made us differently. Envying others and the things they have, while being ungrateful for all God has given to us.
Well, today we are talking about the weight of trivial Pursuits, the weight of the pursuing meaningless things.
The BIG question “What things are important and what things are trivial?”
Illus. Christmas night 2002, Jack Whittaker had five out of five numbers in the West Virginia Power ball drawing.
Jack Whittaker had just won $314 million, the largest undivided lottery jackpot in history. He took the one lump payment and received $113 million after taxes.
Listen closely to this part. He tithed, gave 1/10th of his winnings to his church. That’s 11.3 million…to his church.
Jack was a solid church attender and respected member of his church. Over the next few months he frequented a strip club called the pink pony, and was picked up for a DUI.
Over the next 2 years Jack’s marriage would dissolve, his granddaughter, who he had raised, would die from a drug overdose, his business deals would lead to numerous lawsuits, and close friends would abandon him, as his winnings changed him to the point where many couldn’t stand to be around him any more.
If I only had more money, I would be happy. Ever said it?
Man, if I won the lottery, I would be set.
What is important, what is worth wanting, chasing, pursuing?
We need to take a lesson from Solomon – he wanted to know what was really important in life. And in his search, he tried everything.
Listen to what he discovered. “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”
Solomon chased after everything in his life. He pursued Science, philosophy, humor, drinking, partying, women, architecture, gardening, possessions, wealth, music…this guy tried it all!
He probably had the worst mid life crisis ever.
And he recorded his journey in the book of Ecclesiastes.
The purpose of this book was to show us what is really important. This is what he learned…
Solomon discovered the emptiness of wisdom.
Eccl 1:18 “For in much wisdom is much grief: and the one who increases in knowledge increases in sorrow.”
I would have loved to have shown that verse to my dad when I was in school.
He’s not saying that knowledge is bad, But that there is a weight that comes when we are obsessed with wisdom, or when we believe that the pursuit of more wisdom will satisfy us.
Here is Solomon’s conclusion about wisdom:
Eccl 2:16 (NIV) For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!”
There have been lots and lots of great thinkers and wise people who have gone before us. And some have been remembered, but most have been forgotten.
How many of you have you ever walked into a building named after someone? When I was in college every building was in memory of someone smart, or dedicated to someone who had accomplished something.
Most of us have no idea who the person was, or what they did. A generation or two later, and for the most part, their contributions, their lives, are forgotten.
Solomon discovered the emptiness of pleasure. (slide)
Solomon tried : Humor, drinking, building projects, cultural arts, dance, music and singing, having fun…
His conclusion: “This too is vanity”. Worthless, meaningless.
In fact, Solomon uses the term “Meaningless” 35 times.
• Literally, it comes from the word that means breath. It refers to things that are fleeting, transient, futile. One translation uses the word “smoke.” It’s here, you can see it, but in a moment it’s gone.
I’m not trying to stand in front of you today and convince you that pleasure is not fun. Sure it is. That’s why it’s called pleasure! Because it is pleasing, and pleasurable! But what I am telling you today is that it doesn’t last!
We live in a world that has put a high value on entertainment. Look at the professions that make the most money in our society. Entertainers. Sports figures, movie stars.
But look at the lives of the people who have risen to the top of the entertainment business. Sylvester Stallone, Janice Joplin. Elvis Pressley, Pacman Jones, Paris Hilton…
How many of you have ever tried to drink out of a fire hydrant? Water is a good thing. But too much of a good thing, or a good thing without restraint, can have devastating side effects.
St. Thomas Aquinas Wrote; “No man can live without delight, and that is why a man deprived of spiritual joy goes over to evil pleasures”.
Delight, fun, enjoyment, these are all things God made, and He made us with the capacity to enjoy them. But when we don’t look for enjoyment or pleasure in the right places, Or when we try to live for pleasure it’s like trying to get a drink from a fire hydrant.
Jesus said that the pleasures of life can choke out the Word of God. Luke 8:14
How many believers even trade in time with God in church on Sunday mornings, for time at the beach, or the pool, or having fun in the sun. Pleasure and fun choke out the Word of God.
Solomon discovered the emptiness of stuff.
Illus. A young banker was driving his BMW, in the mountains, during a snowstorm. As he rounded a turn the vehicle slid out of control and toward a cliff. At the last moment he unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped from the car.
Though he escaped with his life, his left arm was caught near the hinge of the door and torn it off at the shoulder.
A trucker passing nearby witnessed the accident, stopped his rig, and ran back to see if he could be of help. There standing, in a state of shock, was the banker at the edge of the cliff moaning, "Oh no, my BMW, my BMW". The trucker pointed to the banker’s shoulder and said "man you’ve got bigger problems than a car".
With that the banker looked at his shoulder, finally realizing he’d lost his arm, and began crying ":Oh No, my new Rolex, my new Rolex".
The pull of the world can easily steal our affections away, and cause us to live for the wrong things. See, stuff is not bad, and it is not evil to own stuff, to have money, possessions, nice cars, Rolex’s.
The important thing is our attitude toward the stuff in our life.
For example: Money is not evil, the love of it is.
Many godly men were rich :
Solomon – with his wealth he built the Temple.
Jehoshaphat – with his wealth he built a great Military power
Job - Stayed faithful to God even when he lost all his wealth. Then God gave him even greater wealth as a reward..
Hezekiah – Used his wealth to reform Israel.
Solomon was the richest man who ever lived.
He owned : Houses, vineyards, gardens, parks, fruit trees, slaves, flocks, singers, so much silver that it was as common as dirt, gold shields, a solid ivory throne, a solid gold throne, fleets of ships, robes of the finest materials, weapons, Storage buildings full of exotic spices, herds of mules, peacocks, 1,400 chariots, 12,000 horses, and land that extended farther than the eye could see.
Ecclesiastes 2:10: “He was denied nothing his eye desired.”
But he was not satisfied: Barna Research Group - the average American adult believes he needs an additional $8,000 - $11,000 per year to live comfortably. Tracking studies show, however, that even when adults reach or exceed the income levels to which they aspired, they still claim they need another $8,000 - $11,000 to live comfortably.
Solomon’s insight on stuff…
Eccl 2:18,19 “Eventually all we own we leave to somebody else.
Who knows, he may be a fool.”
Prov 23:5 “Money grows wings and will fly away.”
Prov 23:4 “Don’t wear yourself out to get rich.”
Prov 27:24 “For riches are not for ever…”
I’m betting James Whittaker would amen that.
Solomon discovered what was really worth pursuing.
Eccl 12:13 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
How about that.
This guy tried it all, and yet he doesn’t say anything about how money made him happy, or that having lots of stuff gave his life meaning and purpose, or how entertainment and fun made him feel satisfied with his life.
That’s because the secret to having a life that is freeing is to live for something more than what is here!
CS Lewis once wrote "If I find in myself a desire that this world can’t fulfill, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."
So if we were made for eternity, it makes sense that we should live our lives now in light of eternity
When Tracy and I decided we wanted to have children our lives were changed. We couldn’t live for ourselves anymore.
Now we had to live for others. For our children. It changed how we shopped, how we spent our time and our money.
From the day we decided to start a family, we have needed to live in light of that decision.
For those of us who have trusted Jesus as our only hope for eternal life, we need to be living every day in light of that decision. We should be living in light of eternity.
So, what is really important : (12:13)
1. Fear God:
Stand in awe of Him.
Give God the respect, honor, and glory due.
Who He is, what He has done.
2. Keep His commandments
When asked what the greatest commandment was :
Mark 12:30 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment.
Loving Him with all your heart means :
Not just give place in your heart - but your whole heart.
Wholly devoted to Him with an undivided heart
To give God first place in everything in your life.
To do everything we do for Him from a LOVE motivation.
Loving Him with all your soul means:
Loving with our emotions. Not holding back!
Love Him with all your mind means:
To think like Him. And to think about Him. To think about all things thru the lens/filter of His presence.
Love Him with all your strength means : To serve with all that is within you. Commit yourself to excellence in serving God.
Mark 12:31…”And the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Love God/Love others. Love.
Now this is worth pursuing! With all you have!
Pray
