Finding True Fulfillment: Wisdom from Ecclesiastes

"Rachel was in the train accident and uh critical condition and, uh, God came through and you know and and and brought glory to himself and I I just somehow knew this day would come when you'd be back in here with us it's amazing I remember the week before just interesting timing the week before the accident we had a time where I just said you know anyone can just come up here and just pick a passage of the Bible and read and I remember Rachel coming up and just reading scripture to us and and it was just so powerful." [00:19:50]

"The story I'm going to share is last weekend we had a memorial service here at Cornerstone and I came to the memorial service it was for uh Mr Hooper and his family was all here and I didn't know Mr Hooper before the memorial service but you know how that works out is when you go to a memorial service you hear a lot about a person's life and what they shared about his life is that he was pretty successful he had a job that he liked um lived in some very neat places before he came to the United States had a family loved music." [00:22:48]

"Her words were that she started reading Ecclesiastes to him and when she got to chapter 3 he stopped her and he accepted the Lord into his life and I thought praise God the power of His word God's word said that says that it's living and active and can I hear an amen for that amen living and active and what that did for me it ministered not only in the way I thought through how I would now approach people or think through scripture possibly but it also ministered to me in another way." [00:30:21]

"Vanity of vanity says the preacher vanity of vanities all is Vanity what does man gain by all the toil at which he toils Under the Sun a generation goes and a generation comes but the Earth remains forever the sun rises and the sun goes down and hastens to go to the place it rises the wind blows to the South and goes around to the north around and around goes the wind and on its circuits the wind returns all streams run to the sea but the sea is not full to the place where the streams flow there they flow again." [00:08:24]

"I said in my heart come now I will test you with pleasure enjoy yourself but behold this also was vanity I said of laughter it is mad and of pleasure what use is it I search with my heart how to cheer my body with wine my heart still guiding me with wisdom and how to lay hold on Folly till I might see what is good for the children of man to do under during the few days of their life I made great works I built houses and planted Vineyards for myself." [00:10:22]

"I made myself Gardens and parks and planted in them all kinds of trees I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees I bought male and female slaves and had slaves who were born in my house I also had great possessions of herds and flocks more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasures of kings and providences I got singers both men and women and many concubines the Delight of children of man so I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem." [00:10:47]

"Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind again I saw something meaningless Under the Sun 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 two are better than one because they have good return for their work if one falls down his friend can help him up but pity The Man Who falls and has no one to help him up." [00:23:34]

"Guard your steps when you go into the house of God go near to list rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools who do not know what they do wrong do not be quick with your mouth do not be Hasty in your heart to utter anything before God God is in heaven and you are on earth so let your Words Be Few as a dream comes when there are many cares so the speech of a fool when there are many words when you make a vow to God do not delay in fulfilling it he has has no pleasure in fools fulfill your vow." [00:25:55]

"Whatever your hands finds to do do it with your might for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in shol to which you are going again I saw that Under the Sun the races not to the Swift nor the battle to the strong nor bread to the wise nor riches to the intelligent nor favor to those with knowledge but time and chance happen to them all for man does not know his time like fish that are taken in an evil net and like birds that are caught in a snare so the children of man are snared at an evil time when it suddenly falls upon them." [00:51:06]

"Remember also your creat in the days of your youth before evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say I have no pleasure in them before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain in the day when the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men are bent and the Grinders seized because they are few and those who look through the window are dimmed and the doors on the street are shut and when the sound of grinding is low and one Rises up at the sound of a bird and all the daughters of song are brought low." [00:56:55]

"Besides being wise the preacher also taught the people knowledge weighing and studying and arranging many Proverbs with great care the preacher sought to find words of delight and uprightly he wrote words of truth the words of the wise are like gos and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings they are given by one Shepherd my son beware of anything beyond these of making many books there's no end and much study is a weariness of the flesh the end of the matter all has been heard fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole duty of man." [00:58:03]

"Fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole duty of man for God will bring every deed into judgment with every secret thing whether good or evil this this this man who lives this whole life in experiences all this in that last chapter he just says you know the best thing I can tell you fear God and keep his commands um you can chase after the wind and try to find fulfillment anything else but the other thing he says is remember your creator in the days of your youth he goes before those days come where you know you can hardly see and all the things that he goes remember the the the Creator in the days of your Youth." [00:58:03]