No Matter the Question, Christ is the Answer

If you would, if you'll turn in your Bibles to Ecclesiastes chapter 1. Ecclesiastes chapter 1. We're just going to read the first two verses at the beginning. I will refer to several other passages within Ecclesiastes, and we will jump around throughout the Scriptures as we proceed. Don't feel like you need to keep up with me. There's a, I think there's a couple of points in the sermon. I'll ask you to turn to a passage, but if I don't ask you to turn, don't worry about that. And I'm happy to give you the references afterwards. Just ask me. Okay? Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verses 1 and 2.

The words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the preacher. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity. When Brother Chris asked me to preach a message out of Ecclesiastes, I quickly decided that with only one message to preach, and since we are studying the chapters in depth in our weekly small group studies, perhaps the best idea was to simply construct an overview of the book. But when I began to study and prepare the message, I soon discovered that covering all the themes in the book of Ecclesiastes in one sermon would be a pretty tall order, because the book covers so much ground.

There are so many things that course through the book. One list I found, the shortest list I found, came from the folks at esv.org, and they listed at least six themes found in the book of Ecclesiastes. The tragic reality of the fall of man, the vanity of life, sin and death, the joy and frustration of work, the grateful enjoyment of God's good gifts, and the fear of God. And then, as I was looking for potential outlines that I could study in preparation to put mine, together, I found there twice as many suggested outlines out there as there were overview of themes. And the funny thing is I didn't see any of them that didn't make sense to me.

Every outline I saw made sense. Every outline I saw fit the book. It's really a rich book that can take you in so many biblical directions, solid biblical directions. So as I wrestled with choosing a direction for this message, and as I prayerfully considered the book itself, a theme began to emerge and it wouldn't leave me alone. In fact, a word kept coming to mind every time I turned my attention towards summer preparation. And that word is perspective. Perspective. Perspective refers to the way that you see something, or the angle at which you see it, or the position from which you see it, or the distance from which you see it.

Think of it this way. The moon looks pretty small from our perspective here on earth. In fact, at night, you can put it between two fingers, right? Just like that. But from the perspective of the men who were walking on it, probably looked pretty big. Inside of a courtroom, a guilty verdict looks a lot different to the criminal than it does to the victim. Right? Same verdict, different perspective. Looks even different probably to the judge and the attorneys because they see it from different perspectives.

To touch on current cultural events, I thought to myself, I would imagine that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have different views of their recent verdicts. Why? Because they see the verdicts from different perspectives. When studying the book of Ecclesiastes, we need to see that there is a battle of perspectives throughout. And that battle is embodied by Solomon. And we must remember that Solomon was writing Ecclesiastes late in life. He was writing from a perspective of one who had already lived through what he was writing about, much of it years earlier, years prior to his writing.

John MacArthur referred to Ecclesiastes as Solomon's quote, "painful autobiography." I think that's right. And throughout his painful autobiography, Solomon's perspective actually changes from time to time. It switches between the two perspectives that we're going to examine this morning. He writes first from the perspective of the flesh, a totally humanistic perspective. An earthly perspective. And he sometimes writes from the perspective of one who knows and trusts in God. With a heavenly perspective, an eternal perspective, which is actually where he ends the book, finally.

So in a sense, the book of Ecclesiastes is a contrast between two perspectives. A battle of perspectives of sorts. And it's important for us to remember that as we read and study Ecclesiastes, there might be a battle of perspectives raging within us too. Those of us who've been born again have the ability to see things from a heavily eternal perspective. But because we still have our flesh hanging around, like Paul talks about in Romans chapter 7, trying to influence us, we can slip into that earthly temporal humanistic perspective if we aren't careful.

And if you haven't been born again, you're trapped within that humanistic earthly fleshly perspective. And you have no ability to really see things from any other perspective. You must be born again in order to see things any differently. There's a man in this congregation this morning sitting in this room who can testify to what I just said. Just a few days ago, he was trapped in that fleshly humanistic perspective and was completely incapable of seeing anything any other way. Then suddenly, the Lord invaded his life and he was born again. And just like that, his perspective changed.

I heard him say something to the effect of, "I see now." That's not a direct quote, but that's the idea he communicated. And he sang about it this morning. "I once was blind, but now I see." His perspective changed in a moment of time. So I want to talk about the two perspectives through which we can and should view the book of Ecclesiastes this morning. The perspective of one who is outside of Christ without hope. And the perspective of one who is united with Christ, one who is in Christ whose hope is in Christ. Let's read the first two verses again.

"The words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem, vanity of vanity," says the preacher, "vanity of vanities, all is vanity." Solomon opens his book with what could be seen as a very depressing declaration. He uses the word vanity or vanities five times in verse two by itself. He would go on to use some variation of the word 38 times in just 12 chapters. John MacArthur in his study guide for Ecclesiastes says that Solomon uses the word vanity in some fashion with three slightly different meanings, differing meanings throughout the book.

MacArthur says, and I quote, "In each case, it looks at the nature of man's activity as either fleeting, which has in view the vapor-like or transitory nature of life, or futile, which focuses on the cursed condition of the universe and the debilitating effects it has on man's experience, or incomprehensible, which gives consideration to life's unanswerable questions." So when you run across the word vanity or vanities or vain life in the book of Ecclesiastes, the context will help you determine whether the meaning is fleeting like a vapor or futile, meaning worthless, accomplishing nothing, or incomprehensible, or just impossible to understand or grasp.

Solomon opens his book by declaring that all is vanity. Everything is vanity. And he restates it again near the end of the book in chapter 12 verse 8, not quite the end, but just before the end, where he restates his thesis, "Vanity of vanity," says the preacher. All is vanity. He states his case in chapter 1 verse 2, spends the rest of the book laying out arguments of his case, and then rest his case in chapter 12 verse 8, right before he swings the pendulum.

I don't mean to say there's nothing else between chapter 1 verse 2 and 12 verse 8, because we've already mentioned a number of other themes that are explored in the book and pop up throughout those chapters and verses, but the overarching predominant tone of the book between verse 1 and 12a is Solomon making his case. What is his case? What conclusion has he drawn from his many years of life experiences? That is that all of life from a purely humanistic and earthly perspective is vanity. It's fleeting. It's futile. In the sense of it, the purpose of it is incomprehensible. Life outside of Christ is meaningless.

Everything outside of Christ is meaningless. Listen to what Paul said in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 12. "Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise," listen, "having no hope and without God in the world." Turn, if you will, briefly to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 for a moment. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Now let's read something else Paul wrote about having no hope in the world. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 will start in verse 12 and read through verse 19.

"Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." We are even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise if it's true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. Listen to this. "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Then those who have also fallen asleep in Christ have perished." Listen, "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." So I want to spend the rest of our brief time this morning doing two things. I want us to be able to agree with Solomon and Paul's conclusion that outside of Christ, when our perspective is only an earthly, fleshly, humanistic, temporal perspective, then indeed life is vanity. Everything is vanity. It's fleeting, it's futile, and its purposes and the purposes of God are incomprehensible. But secondly, I want us to grab hold of the truth that in Christ, everything has meaning.

Life has meaning, has purpose, has an eternal nature, and that through Christ the purposes of God are no longer fully incomprehensible. Now, we may not ever fully understand the purposes of God, for the Bible says His ways are past finding out. But one who is in Christ, one who has been born again, can at least see the Kingdom of God. So my thesis this morning is this. What's missing in the world is supplied by Christ, and what's found in the world is corrected or counteracted or completed by Christ. Here are some ways in which that is true that Solomon talked about.

This is not a comprehensive list, and you should probably say amen at that point, because if it was, it'd be an authority. It's a snippet of ways in which that is true that Solomon allows us to see when compared to other scriptures. There is unrighteousness in the world, Solomon found. Guess what? Christ is righteousness. There's futility in the world, but there's purpose in Christ. There is futile wisdom in the world, but true wisdom is found in Christ. The world offers false riches, but true riches are found in Christ. Finally, there is death in the world, but Christ is life. Let's briefly examine each of these, shall we?

Just so you know, the first one I spent a good bit of time on, but don't panic and think, "How many were there? We'll be here to Thursday." We won't, because I'll spend much less time on the ones after that. So firstly, Solomon noted correctly, there's unrighteousness in the world. Ecclesiastes 3, 16 says, "Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness even there was wickedness." In chapter 4, the first three verses, they read like this, "Again, I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them.

On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been born, and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun." And in verse 8 of chapter 5, he says, "If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter." By the way, Solomon said, "Don't be astonished when you see oppression." And I would add, unrighteousness in the world.

And as Christians, as people who love the Bible, we really shouldn't be surprised, should we? I know we still experience shock when we hear reports like what recently happened in that school in Iwaldi, Texas. It shocks our system, doesn't it? It's gut-wrenching, certainly. But ultimately, it shouldn't come as a surprise to us. Why? Because the Bible teaches us that the heart of man is wicked. Because we know that unregenerate man is capable of all manner of evil. If you have somewhat of an understanding of the doctrine of man, specifically the doctrine of man's depravity, then what should really surprise us is that it's not worse every time.

And we should understand that it's only by the restraining grace of God that it's not worse, and that it's not happening every day, every hour of the day. Because if sinful men were not restrained by the goodness of God, it would be happening every single day, every hour of the day. So I don't think we have any trouble agreeing with Solomon here, do you? There's evil in the world. There's unrighteousness in the world. There's oppression in the world. You'd have to be blind not to see it. And if you remain trapped in an earthly perspective, if there's nothing eternal, nothing transcendent, and this life is all there is, then it's all vanity.

It's all meaningless. There's nothing to do but bide your time until you're aligned with the dirt. Or worse, you just decide you can't take it anymore and you check out, either by medicating yourself into oblivion with drugs or alcohol, or by throwing yourself into fleshly pursuits like amassing sexual encounters, or by lashing out with your own violent outbursts, or by taking your own life. I mean, we have to admit, if you look around at the ugliness in the world today, and your only perspective is that of the flesh, that of the earth, and what good is there doing in doing anything else?

But thanks be to God that there is an antidote, and His name is Christ. Yes, the world is overrun with unrighteousness, with oppression, with wickedness. But what did Christ say in John chapter 16 verse 33? He said, "I've said these things to you," He's talking to his disciples, "I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart.

I have overcome the world." Listen to Jeremiah 23 verses 5 and 6, "Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he will reign wisely as king, and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. And in his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely, and this is his name by which he will be called." Listen, I love this, this is my favorite name of God in the Old Testament, "The Lord our righteousness." The Yehovah Sitzkenu, the Lord our righteousness.

The Lord our righteousness, the righteousness that any man needs in order to be able to stand before God is a perfect righteousness, a righteousness without spot or blemish, a perfect record, and that perfect record is only found in one place, in the very person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And because he's righteous, because he's the very essence of righteousness, he sees every bit of the unrighteousness Solomon noticed, nothing escapes his sight. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 13 is an alarming verse that says this, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.

Everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account." I love the sound of the King James that says, "The eyes of him with whom we have to do." We have to do with God. There's no escaping that. There's coming a day where everybody will have to do with him, have to give an account. That's an alarming verse for those still in their sins. It's a comforting verse for those in Christ, that there's nothing that's happened to you has escaped his notice. None of your struggles, none of your hurts or pains have escaped his notice. All that too is naked and bare before his eyes.

Paul said in Acts chapter 17 verse 30 and 31, "The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed the day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he is appointed." That's Christ of course. "And of this he's given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." So the person who's trapped inside an earthly perspective looks at all the wickedness and oppression in the world with no hope of remedy and really has no choice to do anything other than despair or try to find a way to ignore it.

But the one who has an eternal perspective, one who is in Christ, knows that Christ himself is the very essence of righteousness and that because he is righteousness personified and because he is omniscient and sees it all, he is in fact keeping score, so to speak, and judgment is coming. Solomon, writing from his human perspective in Ecclesiastes 3 16, spoke of all the wickedness he saw. Remember what he said? "Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of justice even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness even there was wickedness." And look at what he says in the very next verse.

If you happen to be open there later, look up. Look at verse 17. Right after he says there's even wickedness where there's supposed to be righteousness, the very next verse he says, "I said in my heart God will judge the righteous and the weak since there's a time for every activity and every deed." There's the eternal perspective. The flustered perspective says or is tempted to say there's all this wickedness and those who do it are getting away with it, scott free. But the eternal perspective says it might look like they're getting away with it, but judgment is coming.

Now some will say and some have said, I've had discussions with people who've said this very thing, well what's taking so long? What's God waiting for? How can he allow such wickedness to continue? If your God is supposed to be good, why doesn't he prevent things like what happened in Uvalde? Could he? Absolutely. He's omnipotent. That's a hard question for sure, but listen it's not difficult to answer. Hard? Yes. Difficult? No. The answer is because of his mercy, because he is long suffering.

He is withholding judgment because of his mercy, because listen you got to grab this when he comes in judgment, when the hammer falls, it will fall on all wickedness, all evil, all sin. If we took a worldwide vote on whether God should immediately condemn anyone who commits mass murder, I think it's safe to say that the overwhelming majority would vote yes, probably. Probably get a good majority to vote for the instant condemnation of rapists. Certainly child molestors, I would think. But how about adulterers? How about thieves, liars, people who have lust in their hearts, people who are disobedient to their parents?

Hands will probably start going down somewhere along that line. 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verses 9 and 10 say, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." In Galatians chapter 5 verses 19 to 21 the Bible says, "Now the works of the flesh are evident, sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.

I warn you as I warned you before that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." So how many people would vote right now to send all greedy people there? How about all drunk people? Jealous or envious people? Probably not too many. Some of those hit home. Some of those hit a little closer to home. So rest assured that wickedness will be judged. Mass murderers will be punished, but when judgment comes it will be full. It will be fast and it will be final, and all sin will be punished. Not just the ones we condemn, no, even the sins we like will be condemned. So that's the eternal perspective.

It might look like the wicked prosper and that oppressors are avoiding accountability, but justice is coming. Judgment is coming, and unless they repent they will not escape. So there's unrighteousness in the world, but there's righteousness in Christ. He is righteousness. All right, we're moving on to the rest of the list, but like I said, relax. None of the others we delve into that long, so we won't be that much longer. Solomon observed from an earthly perspective that there's futility in the world. He talked about it in several passages pointing out the futility of several endeavors, but for the sake of time we'll just look at one.

In Ecclesiastes chapter 2 verses 22 to 23, Ecclesiastes 22 to 23, Solomon said, "What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity." That's a pretty bleak image of work, isn't it? Toiling, striving, sorrow, and no rest. What a bummer. But in the very next verse, in verses 24 and 25, Solomon hints at how the eternal perspective can change that whole picture.

In chapter 2 verses 24 and 25, he said, "There's nothing better for a person that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment." Listen to Ephesians, Paul in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 to 10, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. This is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so then no one may boast.

For we are his workmanship," listen, "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." And then Colossians chapter 3 verses 23 and 24, Paul says, "Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." And then one of my favorite verses, 1 Corinthians 10, 31, says, "So whether you eat or drink," listen, "or whatever you do," including work, "do all to the glory of God." You see the eternal perspective?

From an earthly perspective, work can be a total drag, a drudgery, miserable even, but Christ has redeemed it. The eternal perspective, from the perspective of those in Christ, all that work is done for him and to him and for his glory. If you can get a hold of that, it'll change the way you look at your work. It'll change the way you look at raking the leaves. It'll change the way you look at washing the dishes. It'll change the way you look at everything that you do and take it from being a drudgery to a worshipful experience, offering praise to him. So there's unrighteousness in the world, but there's righteousness in Christ.

There's futility in the world, but there's purpose in Christ. There's also a futility of the wisdom in the world. Listen to what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 1, 16 to 18. "I said in my heart, I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge, and I applied my heart to no wisdom and to no madness and folly.

I perceive that this also is but a striving after wind, listen, for in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow." See, people with an earthly perspective can easily get caught up in a never-ending pursuit of worldly knowledge and wisdom. Do you remember the little description of the people in Athens and that Paul was talking to you in Acts chapter 17? Go look at this sometime. Acts chapter 17 verse 21. It's very interesting.

It's just it almost looks out of place, but it says, "Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new." All the Athenians and foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. We're just like them, aren't we? How many news channels are there? You ever thought about that? Listening to the evening news? They use the word "new." It's the evening program to tell you something new so you can hear something new, and there's umpteen news channels, and they come on umpteen times a day.

Some of them never leave the air. Some of them are 24 hours telling you something new. And by the way, can I just tell you, if everything is breaking news, nothing's breaking news. It's like if every announcement in Walmart, you know, now when they make announcements at Walmart, it sounds like Charlie Brown's teaching to me. I don't hear it anymore. Because if everything's important, nothing's important. And Solomon tells us that the joke's on us actually because in reality there is nothing new under the sun. That what will be has already been. He says that, and he's right. It's just a regurgitation and a recycling over and over and over.

Look, I don't have to ask anyone's opinion on this because I know from firsthand experience as an admitted information addict, I can find myself in a rut where I can be like the Athenians very much and spend most of my time consuming news. I expected Patty to shout "amen" right there, but she didn't. And when I find myself in those seasons, I find myself with much vexation of spirit and increased sorrow. But contrast that with the words of Paul to the Colossians in chapter 2 verses 1 to 4 of that epistle.

"For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged being knit together in love to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." If you're looking for treasures of wisdom and knowledge, they're all found in Christ and nowhere else. Paul closes that portion of the scripture saying, "I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments." Stick with Christ and the wisdom of Christ.

You see the difference? "Accumulation of worldly wisdom and knowledge brings stress and sorrow, but heavenly wisdom and knowledge, knowledge of Christ are described as riches and treasure." And listen to the words of Christ as he prayed to the Father in John chapter 17. In verse 3 he said this, "And this is eternal life that they know you," he's praying to the Father, "that they know you the Father, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." Let me read it again. "And this is eternal life that they know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Worldly wisdom and knowledge is vanity, it's futile, it's fleeting, incomprehensible in ways. But heavenly wisdom and knowledge of Christ and the Father is eternal life according to Christ." What a difference. Solomon may have been right that there's nothing new under the sun, under the sun from an earthly perspective, but the Bible says that Christ makes all things new, does it not? When a man or woman is born again, he or she is a new creation, a new creature in Christ, and because that person becomes a new creature a creature in Christ, all things become new. They see them differently because they now have a heavenly perspective.

Now that's some news that we ought to be spreading. Also Solomon limited the futility of the riches offered by the world. In Ecclesiastes chapter 5 verse 10 he observed, "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income." This is also vanity. He went further to describe that the more you get, the more people there are to use it up for you. The more money you have, the less sleep you get, and even if you have great riches you could lose it all in a single transaction. In Matthew chapter 6 starting in verse 19, Christ himself confirms Solomon's observation about worldly riches.

Then he provides a heavenly antidote, the eternal perspective. Christ said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal." That sounds like Solomon. Sounds like what Solomon is teaching us. But Christ says, "Instead, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The world's riches are fleeting and can cause you misery, but the heavenly riches found in Christ should be your treasure." Paul told the Colossians in the first few verses of chapter 3, "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." Finally, throughout Solomon's writings and ecclesiastes, he mentioned death coming for everyone.

He talked about both man and animals returning to dust. In some places, it was as if he was saying, "Why bother? Everything is going to continue as it has and then you die." From an earthly perspective, death looms constantly. We are reminded daily that death is coming. We lose family members to disease, to sudden accidents, to violent crime. Reports of death make the news every single day. The old news saying of "If it bleeds, it leads." They put the worst stories first and it often involves death. The Bible says, in fact, that it is appointed unto man to die once and after that, the judgment. So Solomon was right.

Death is coming for everyone. You know the most alarming statistic there is? 10 out of 10 people die. Everybody dies, should the Lord tear it. But Christ said, "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." In John chapter 11 verses 25 to 26, he said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." He's talking about the second death, obviously. So yes, there is death in the world, but there's life in Christ. He is life. The way, the truth, the life. And no man comes unto the Father, but by me, he said.

So what then is the bottom line of all we've studied this morning? I think it's simply this. No matter the question, Christ is the answer. In fact, that's the title of the message. No matter the question, Christ is the answer. Whatever the question is, Christ is the answer. As we continue our study of Ecclesiastes together this evening and future Sunday evenings, I pray you'll keep two things in mind. First, remember the word perspective. Pay attention to Solomon's perspective as he's writing. Notice when he writes from an earthly, humanistic perspective and notice the difference when he slips into an eternal God-focused perspective.

By the way, keep an eye on your perspective too. Not only as you study the book, but as you live your life each and every day. Are your reactions to things you experience based on a heavenly perspective or an earthly perspective? So first, remember the word perspective. Second, remember Christ. He is the answer to all the unanswerable questions. Are you overwhelmed or depressed by the wickedness and evil that you see all around us? Look to Christ. Do you feel like there's no point in spinning your wheels? No point in your life like you're just spinning your wheels? Look to Christ. Do you need wisdom? Look to Christ. Looking for true riches?

Look to Christ. Are you held captive by the fear of death? Look to Christ. He's the answer to the questions that Solomon couldn't answer or the questions that he wrestled with. Christ is the answer. Do you know him this morning? If you do, praise him for his goodness and mercy because he's worthy of all your praise. If you don't know him, would you bow your knee to him today? Look, the cold hard truth is that if you die in your sins, you will spend an eternity in hell. And guess what? That's where you should be. That's what you deserve because it's what we all deserve. That's where we all should be.

But God, who is rich in mercy, has offered reconciliation and I beg of you, be reconciled to him today. Let's pray. Lord, thank you for the book of Ecclesiastes. Lord, forgive me and perhaps many of us who admittedly have overlooked it over the years and really not spent much time in it. It's so rich and Lord, I really hope that we understand how directly the book points us to Christ. It points us to look for an eternal perspective because the earthly perspective leaves us saying, "Is this it? Is this all there is?" But the answer is no. Everything that Solomon identified as futile finds purpose in Christ.

Lord, everything missing in this world is supplied in you. Everything found in this world is corrected or completed by you. Lord, help us to keep our eyes on you. You promised to keep us and him in perfect peace whose eyes are stayed on you. Help our eyes to be stayed on you. When the world's going crazy, help us to have an eternal perspective. Thank you for these people. Thank you for this church. Thank you for your word. In Jesus' name, amen.