Ecclesiastes: Living in Relationship (Part 5)

Sermon on Ecclesiastes 4.

1 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed—and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors—and they have no comforter.
2 And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. 3 But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.
4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
5 Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves.
6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.
7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
8 There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless—a miserable business!
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning.
14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom.
15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor.
16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

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We are seduced by fantasies that we believe will bring us joy, peace, and satisfaction. We secretly wish we could invent the next best thing and become famous for it. We’re drawn to the latest and greatest fads like a moth to a flame, and continue in the cycle of covetousness because we realize we aren’t as satisfied as we had hoped to be. What we discover is there’s nothing new under the sun. As a result, the fantasies that seduce us end up deceiving and depressing us.

However, when we look at life with God at the center, the fantasy and illusion soon disappears and the meaning of life comes into clear focus. Learn with us the foolishness of chasing after the wind, and the joy and meaning that comes from living life under the SON, Jesus Christ.

Join us this Sunday for worship at 10 a.m. at Salmon Creek Elementary
1601 NE 129th St, Vancouver, WA 98685

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