Islington Baptist Church
April 2, 2006
Sermon text: Ecclesiastes
Scripture reading: I Kings 3
The danger of drifting spiritually
1. Today I want to talk to you about the danger of drifting spiritually.
2. My inspiration for today’s topic is the book of Ecclesiastes which features a jaded, pessimistic, and cynical King Solomon.
3. 35 times in the book of Ecclesiastes we are told by a jaded and pessimistic King Solomon that life is meaningless. Read Ecclesiastes 1:2.
What a depressing take on life. What a defeatist attitude to have.
Sad to say, but the view that life is meaningless and without ultimate purpose is held by many people.
4. How could Solomon, who was so gifted and blessed by God, come to such a pessimistic view of life?
Solomon’s gift: 1 Kings 3
As the Scriptures tell us, God appeared to Solomon in a dream one night and said “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Rather than ask God for wealth, long life, and the death of his enemies, he asked for discernment and wisdom that he might rightly govern God’s people. God was pleased with Solomon’s request and granted it to him.
With this gift of God in him, Solomon went forth and built Israel into a superpower in its day. The country was rich, at peace, large, respected. Not only did the nation prosper- Solomon did to. Because of God’s gifting, Solomon became famous at home and abroad. People flocked from the world over that they might have an audience with him- that they might learn from him.
Blessings from God that Solomon experienced
-a godly and righteous father
-he had the privilege of building the Temple of God
-he had personally seen a manifestation of the glory of God (at the opening of the Temple)
-wealth
-peace
-the extension of Israel’s borders
5. Solomon drifted away from God.
Solomon, bit by bit drifted away from God. Inch by inch Solomon turned his back on God and His Word. Day after day Solomon’s devotion to God waxed and waned just a little bit more. Month after month passed and Solomon’s heart grew ever colder to God.
This is what happened in Solomon’s life. This is why Solomon, the tone of Ecclesiastes, and some of the counsel he gives in the book of Ecclesiastes is off. For example, Ecclesiastes 3:18-21.
I Kings 11:1-13 tells us how it happened.
“King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter--Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done. On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command. 11 So the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. 12 Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."
What happened to Solomon can happen to any of us.
Sad to say, Solomon is not the only follower of God who decided that sexual purity was a law of God that applied to someone else. Solomon was a sex addict who was unwilling to stick to God’s one woman, one man for life plan.
Sad to say, Solomon is not the only follower of God who became absorbed in the pursuit of money, pleasure, influence, power, and knowledge.
Sad to say, Solomon is not the only follower of God who dabbled in the occult and in witchcraft. How many Christians read up on the Horoscopes or involve themselves in Yoga, etc.?
Sad to say, Solomon is not the only follower of God who, because he couldn’t figure out some of the injustices that happen on earth, drifted from God
Sad to say, Solomon is not the only follower of God who, by his own choice, began to neglect spending time with God and the worship of Him.
Sadly- what I speak of does not merely exist in the realm of the hypothetical. I have seen it happen over and over again. I have seen people drift away from God. I have seen the effects that moral compromise have on a persons walk with God. I have seen the results of neglecting the Word of God and the fellowship of saints. I have seen peoples faith founder.
6. What are you and I to do? What can you I do to ensure that we are found faithful on the day of Jesus’ return?
1. Put on the full armor of God. Ephesians 6:10-18 read
2. Gather strength and inspiration from those who are faithful and who remained faithful to the end.
Hebrews 11 lists a whole bunch of people who are excellent role models of faithfulness
Also: Paul, disciples, various modern day examples
3. Persevere
"… he who stands firm to the end will be saved. Mark 13:13b
“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58
Also see Hebrews 12:1-3
4. Train yourself to be righteous
Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:7-8
Such training involves the following disciplines
-Bible reading, meditation, memorization
-Witnessing
-saying no to what is wrong and yes to what is right and holy
-fellowship with other Christians – even though they bug you sometimes
5. Remember that God has promised to help you
God doesn’t want you to wander. As such He’s promised to never leave us or forsake us.
As such 2 Peter 1:3 says “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
Also note Philippians 1:6
6. Pray for each other
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. Colossians 4:12
7. Use the gifts God has given you to build up your fellow Christians/the church
Our giftedness as Christians
-Every Christian has been gifted by the Holy Spirit
-purpose of the gifts: the strengthening of the church
-need to use and exercise the gifts
-need to be on guard that what happened to Solomon can happen to us. You can drift from God but still be gifted.
CONCLUSION
Because he drifted away from God, Solomon came to the terrible conclusion that life is meaningless.
That conclusion is far from the truth.
We are here a reason. God’s got a plan. Life is worth living. We are great worth and dignity because of God.
The key to happiness, contentment, and meaning is found in a relationship with God and not in things, pleasures, education, position, etc.
What happened to Solomon can happen to us.
As such, we need to do our part in remaining faithful and true to God. God’s doing His part, we need to do ours.
Staying faithful to Christ till death is not an easy thing to do, but its necessary and it’s doable, and as they say -The rewards are out of this world!”
Next week:
I want to talk to you about why Ecclesiastes is a good book for non Christians to read.
