May 23, 2004 AM Service Sermon Notes

Bob Yandian

Grace Fellowship.

Ecc 11:9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.

Though you can chase after other things, remember that you will stand before God in the end.

Ecc 11:10 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.

Youth is a passing thing. Without God, youth is nothing. Do not forget God to pursue worldly things when you are young.

Ecc 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

Stay with the Lord or when you reach old age you will say you have no pleasure in life. Things in life cannot substitute for a walk with God. This does not say do not have things, just do not let them get in the way of your walk with God.

This shows Solomon turning his back on God and walking after the things of the world. In the end he says it was not good. Verse 12:1 says basically, 'been there, done that, it does not satisfy, stay with God'. Solomon pursues five things in an attempt to seek the worldly things. Again, none of them are wrong in themselves, unless they cause you to put them before God.

1. Earthly Wisdom

Ecc 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
When you acquire more knowledge, it generally will not satisfy, as you find no matter how much you learn, there is still more to learn when you are done. To live to just acquire knowledge is a sad thing.

2. Pleasure
Ecc 2:10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
Ecc 2:11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

He got what ever he wanted to get so he would be satisfied. In the end he was not. In fact, the more stuff you get the more responsibility you have to take care of it.

3. Possesions
Ecc 2:15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.
Ecc 2:16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.

After you die, you will not be remembered of any more than the fool. You will both be in the ground. Pastor Bob tells the story of a preacher who God let him see his death, and they buried him, and the people there to mourn go back to the church for a dinner. Afterwards he sees some one say 'pass the potato salad.' After his death, the food was more important then he was.

Ecc 2:18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
Ecc 2:19 And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

It is suggested he talks of suicide here. But what it does say is the he did not know who would gain his possessions, might that person be a fool (and it was, his son Rehoboum was a fool).

4. Heritage
Ecc 2:23 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

He could not sleep at night knowing that his kids could wind up being fools and getting all of his things.

Ecc 2:26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Train kids in God's way. They will not have to worry about things, for God will make money come to them from the hands of the fools.

5. Philosophy he tried the philoshies of the day -

a. Person who belives in a time for everything.

Ecc 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Ecc 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
Ecc 3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
Ecc 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
Ecc 3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Ecc 3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
Ecc 3:7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
Ecc 3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

b. Evolutionist
Ecc 3:18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
Ecc 3:19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

c. Universalism - no heaven or hell to go to
Ecc 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

d. Agnostic
Ecc 3:21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

d. Humanist
Ecc 3:22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?


He found no pleasure in any of these things. In the end he says, 'Been there, done that, it does not work. '