My notes from Chuck Swindoll's message: Journal of a Desperate Journey, Part 1
On Ecclesiastes:
Ecclesiastes is where we find Solomon on a journey for satisfaction. We read his findings.
Solomon learned that nothing under the sun is worthwhile, everything is futile.
Ecc 1:1-11- No
matter how much we see or hear, we are never satisfied. We are never content.
Ecc. 6:10-12- God has already planned who we are. God knows who we are, and our
destiny- He knows it all. Who are we to
contend with God? He is greater and mightier! (See Isaiah 40) Ecc 12:13-14-
Fear God and obey His commands. God will judge us justly.
What dreams do
you have that you haven't lived out?
What do you think
about when no one else is around?
Ecclesiastes is
the journal of Solomon's journey to find happiness and purpose when everything
else seemed boring and empty. He longed for that fulfillment. Deep within us is
an irresponsible itch where we want to forsake our responsibilities, flee everything,
and pursue dreams. If only, we would see the other side and the meaninglessness of those dreams. Solomon had all the money and brains to pull it off. But,
what would he find?
Dreams send Solomon to find something.
What does he find? "Nothingness,
nothingness…" is what his pursuits fostered.
He wasn't given the satisfaction he hoped for.
What's it all
about? It's empty… It's futile.
Until we are
there at the end (Ecc 12:13-14), we feel the emptiness.
"One of the
reasons we are so boring as people, as Christians, because we read our
immortality message into every scene that's also the reason we don't have too
many real answers to our real problems. We're too quick with the ultimate
answers to fill ourselves with the horrific pain." Before mentioning
following God or obeying God, he throws his hands in the air! Nothing brings satisfaction.
Brokenness comes before finding what we need!
We have to see
this book using the natural, human mind. If we don't, we will throw this book out of the
window. It is about seeing things from the human mindset. Under the sun. Seeking satisfaction from
things under the sun. It is the
brokenness that comes from realizing that nothing under the sun could ever
satisfy. The brokenness that leads us to none other than Jesus Christ!
The more we read Ecclesiastes, the less shocked we are
with the world. The brokeness of this world. Others giving up. Others committing suicide. We will enter that understanding of what others face. Remember: The
purposelessness of this world, of life. The futility. The meaningless. It is only found through Jesus Christ. Without Christ, we have nothing. He has a purpose for us. He has a great love for us! Let us remember what we experienced without Christ, enter into the brokenness, have compassion for others, and share the love of Christ!
Now why: Why is
it so meaningless? (1:4)
It's a boring
place to be; it's the pits. The eye is never satisfied with seeing; the ear is
never satisfied with hearing. There's always something else. The appetite is
never filled. Even with money, there is nothing satisfying. Nothing will ever satisfy!
"Can you imagine
launching a child under the sun? Nothing new. Nothing of meaning."
Are we ready to
move beyond the sun? Allowing Jesus Christ into our lives. Him and His holy is
what our souls are longing for. It is only as we move past the brokenness and
realizing our need for Him that we finally see what we have needed all along.
His holiness is serious. He is holy. He is supreme, above all others. He is
God, creator of Heaven and Earth! He came to give us abundant life, life far
beyond what we can experience in this world!
Is what we are seeking meaningful?
Is it soul satisfying?
Is it leading us closer to Christ? Or, drawing us away from Him?
Are we seeking after the eternal or things that will not last?
*Seek Christ*. Only He can satisfy! Nothing in this world can ever satisfy except Christ and Him alone.
Are we digging into the Word of God? Spending time reading the Bible? In prayer?
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