Is Life Meaningless????

We are all searching for something- whether you realize it or not, we all want a purpose for living, we all want to matter for something or to someone.

What is the point of my life? How can I know what I am supposed to do?

At some point in life, I am sure you have asked these questions. I catch myself asking these things on a regular basis. It is easy to get down or discouraged when you concentrate on finding the right answers. The discouragement comes because too often, the answers remain unfound. We find ourselves at the dead end of a long and tiring search.

Last week, we began a new series in Ecclesiastes. King Solomon concludes that this life is meaningless-Ecclesiastes 1:2 - “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

In the opening of King Solomon’s book, he asks- What is the purpose of life? As we continue through the next few chapters, we see that his conclusion is this: Life without Christ is a meaningless cycle of events!

Meaningless cycles:

As I was preparing for this lesson, I tried to think of some meaningless cycles in my own life. I could think of a wide variety of things that I do everyday which ultimately have no significant value:

1.)    Watching TV

2.)   checking my friends face book updates or check ins

3.)   Pinterest create a “dream wedding” board

4.)   Trash Talk Radio Shows- like the Rolla and Ryan’s Roses show. (Don’t be afraid to admit you know what I am talking about!)

I could think of other cycles that might have a little more significance- but will be meaningless when we die:

1)      Filling the car with gasoline- a constant cycle of full to empty

2)     Sleeping- a constant cycle of rested to tired

3)     Working- more like a constant flow to the email inbox!

4)     Dating- a constant cycle of bad to worse date… or awkward to extremely uncomfortable conversations!! (haha)

My point is that Life is full of these cycles or these daily habits. We put so much significance on these things that we can forget these “cycles” are just filling our temporary time on this earth. Solomon says in Ecclesiastes- We all will pass, and the things we do will ultimately NOT MATTER- they will be forgotten! 

Not to be morbid, but Christian or non Christian, we all know- ultimately we will die! There is no way to avoid it. So most of us have thought- “what happens next- after death?” For Christian’s we find hope in death, because death, to us, is actually life. When we die, we will be in Heaven with our savior. In Philippians, chapter 1 verse 21 Paul says: “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

I want you to just think about these questions: What am I living for? What meaning do I find in life? What will matter after I die?

It is natural for us to focus on the here and now. In the moment it is difficult to think about how this choice will affect my future- does this activity honor the Lord? Yes we should live IN the present; but many of us live FOR the present- We seek immediate satisfaction in worldly and temporary pleasures.

As I was driving one day this week, I heard a really old song on the radio and I thought- What is this? Who sang this? And it made me think- All these accomplishments like “number one hit”- these accomplishments may bring us glory but who remembers 1, 2, 10, 50 years later?

For decades, the music industry has listed the years “top billboard hits” – Can any of you tell me who sang the following #1 hits and in what year:

·         “Whip it”- Devo (1980)

·         “The Time of my life” from dirty dancing- Bill Medley (1987)

·         “Don’t worry, be happy”- Bobby McFerrin (1988)

It is obvious that the music industry has drastically changed over the years-

·         1877: the Phonograph was invented by Thomas Edison

o    only good for a one time only playback and the sound quality was terrible

·         1887: the Gramophone was invented by Emile Berliner

o   He was the first inventor to start recording on flat discs or records

·         1963- the Cassette player- Made popular by RCN Records

o   You were now able to listen to music on the go- still had to rewind if you wanted to listen again

·         1982- The first CD (compact disk) was released

o   Does anyone know who was the first artist to release his single on CD?- Billy Joel’s
“52^nd Street”

o    Now, who still buys CDs?

·         1996- Audio Highway, device called “Listen up”- the first digital music player

·         2000- Napter allowed people to easily share song files with each other. This new program led to the music industries drop in recording sales

·         2001- iPod

·         2003- ITunes apple released the online music store to go along with the new iPod.

·         2013- Now some of your phones can hold 16GB of music- 40 hours!

So what is next?

You may think- well I don’t really follow the music industry “top charts” much…. I follow sports or movies or whatever it may be… and you may be thinking: “I will never forget who_(fill in the blank)__ is.” Well- What did your great-great grandparents do for a living, do you know their names? That is your family!!…. So 100 years from now who will remember you?

 It is pretty depressing when you think about it this way… Ecclesiastes addresses this issue- even the King questioned his life’s purpose!

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon realizes that we focus way too much on ourselves. Where are our priorities? A year from now, who is going to remember our efforts? So if everything is meaningless, how do we find fulfillment?

In chapter 2 we see that the answer isn’t pleasures: Ecclesiastes 2:10-11: I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

 We see that Wisdom & Knowledge are not the answer:  Ecclesiastes 2:16- For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten! Like the fool, the wise too must die!

We see that see that hard work is not the answer:  Ecclesiastes 2:21-23- For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and great misfortune. What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

So then the question remains…. What is the answer? What is the purpose of our life and how/where do we find fulfillment? Or simply- how can we just be content where we are?

Ecclesiastes 3:10-11- I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 

This verse tells us that we cannot find fulfillment in earthly pleasures, in knowledge, or in hard work- we still feel empty once we attain these things because they are not eternal. Our stuff, our trophies and awards, they do not come with us when we die. So we feel empty even when we attain the things we seek.

Emptiness is a symptom of allowing worldly pressures and pleasures to get a foothold. When we fail to make time for intimate fellowship with Christ life feels incomplete. Why? We were never meant to find fulfillment in earthly things. God has set eternity in our hearts- Deep down, we long for something that will last!

Temporary “clutter” robs our time- distracts us from the Lord. Instead of pursing a relationship with him or sharing his love with others, we fall into a self-centered trap: “Chasing the Wind.”

So how do we overcome this meaningless habit?? Three things we are instructed to do:

Ecclesiastes 5:1- Guard your steps when you Go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

Guard- GO- Listen

1.)  Guard your steps

·          First and foremost-Worship begins with an attitude of reverence- our hearts have to be made right before Him; thus we have to be free from clutter!

·         I believe one way we guard our steps is by clearing our lives from this clutter and focus on things drawing us closer to Christ. With reason, we need to remove activities and goals that distract us from pursuing and deepening a relationship with Him. I am speaking to myself mostly… my life is full of activities that are meaningless!

Proverbs 4:25-27 “Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” 

2 Corinthians 5:6-10- Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

2.) Go to the house of God

·         Secondly, we have to build a relationship with Him. When we are seeking Christ our focus will shift away from ourselves. We will trust in His purpose for our lives: 1) Worship Him and 2) Love others.

Matthew 22:34-40: Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

·         It doesn’t say our purpose is to make money, get married, live in a nice house, drive a nice car, or travel the world. It doesn’t even say our purpose is to go on hundreds of mission trips- No our purpose, our “greatest command” is to Love God and Love others- no matter where we are! If we do these two things- then we will have fulfilled the reason for our existence.

John 17:26  I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

3.) Listen

·         Why are we to guard our steps? And why are we to go to the House of God? “Go near to listen!”

·         Listen- “Rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools who do not know that they do wrong.” What Solomon is saying is this- Foolish people are marked by two things.

1.)    First, they don’t realize worship includes everything they do!

·         They think worship is limited- formal gathering/ singing

2.)   Second, they don’t listen

·         They don’t listen to what God has to say. And because of that, they don’t even know what they’re doing is wrong.

·         They don’t know why they feel empty?

·         They desperately searching for contentment.

Paul says that, “Faith comes through hearing the Word of God.”

Romans 10:17- Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

When we Guard our Steps, Go to the Lord, and Listen- we are able to Trust Him! No matter what life throws at us we will be content! In Philippians 4- Paul says he has learned the secret to being content- Trusting God!

Philippians 4:11-13: For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I was listening to one of Ben Stuart’s- breakaway podcasts the other day and heard a story about a man (lets call him Joe) who understood the secret to contentment. Joe had to have his appendix removed- a serious issue, but a routine surgery for the doctors. Well apparently something went wrong during this surgery and Joe had to have several more surgeries to correct the issue.

Joe did not come from a lot of money, he was already working overtime to pay off student loans, and after these surgeries he found himself buried in debt. One day, on his drive home, he was overwhelmed with fear- His prayer sounded like: “Lord, I don’t know how I can pay for all this, I am anxious but God I trust you- God I trust that you are with me and that you will provide a way.”

Joe understood that trusting God didn’t mean life is perfect. To be content, doesn’t mean you will never complain, never be anxious or fearful, and it doesn’t mean you will never wish you had something more- in Joe’s case he wished he had more money to pay off his debt.

Contentment means when fears, burdens, and desires enter our lives, that our first reaction is to give them to God. When we trust Him, we say Lord- I trust you with this… you will provide exactly what I need and I need nothing but you.

Contentment is trusting that God has your best interest- When He is what we long for, we don’t need anything else!

Anyways, back to the story- so Joe has this conversation with God, gives the Lord his burdens and continues driving home. A few minutes later he sees a woman on the side of the road with a flat tire. Joe decides even though he has his own problems to worry about that he should still be a kind person and ask if she needs any help. So he pulls over and offers to change her tire.

As he is changing her tire they start talking and he discovers that she is in fact the president of the hospital where he has been treated. That evening he received a call from the hospital- All his debt to the Hospital had been cleared-He didn’t owe a single penny! WOW!! CHILLS- GOD IS AMAZING! That cannot be a random coincidence!

When we join God’s team- we are content because we know that He is ALWAYS on our side!

Matthew 28:20- “surely I am with you always”

Strength to Strength

These past couple of weeks, we have been going through the book of Job. As a recap, lets go back to where the story begins (in chapters 1 & 2). As the book opens, we see a dialect between Satan and the Lord; where the Lord is basically bragging on His servant, Job.

 Job 1: 8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

In the beginning of this chapter, Satan claims that Job only praises the Lord because of his extreme wealth and prosperity. He is convinced that Job’s “blamelessness” (if that is a word) is conditional- there are “strings attached.”

Job 1:9-11 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.  But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

If we are honest, how many times have we had these same thoughts? I definitely think this way sometimes. Full disclosure- a different example, but applicable to my own life- I sometimes look at friends who are married, engage, or “in love,” and I catch myself thinking: “ their life must be so much easier than mine.” I sometimes listen to Satan’s lies and tell myself, “If God had given me a partner who loved, comforted, and made me feel special, then all these things I deal with wouldn't seem so bad.”

You may have a different struggle than I do; you may think life would be easier if I had his or her job… his or her family… his or her looks…. His or her life. This is basically the same argument Satan gave God. He said- Job has it all- of course it is easy for him to praise you!

Satan knows, that many times, we praise the Lord because of what he has done- instead of who He is. Some of us have a conditional relationship with God- when things go our way we are thankful and full of praise. But during the rocky times, when God seems distant, we might curse His name- maybe not with our words, but through our actions.

Even after Satan had made this assumption, the Lord was still confident in Job’s character. God tells Satan to do whatever he wishes, but not to physically lay a finger on Job.

Job 1:12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

In the next few verses, we see Job’s world fall apart. He is stripped of his riches and status, his possessions are destroyed, and his children are killed. After Job’s life had crumbled, he falls to his face and worships the Lord.

Job 1:20-22 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Is this our response when we face discomfort in our own life? How do we usually react when something terrible occurs? What is the first thing we do (our natural reaction) or who is the first person we call? Do we call on the Lord or do we call on this world?

Again, if I am honest, my natural reaction is not to call upon the Lord. I do not instantly think about praising the Lord when something bad happens. Usually my reaction is to ignore the situation, become angry at someone, or grow bitter with God. I then seek to find someone who will justify my feelings and agree with my theories- but this is not what Job did. Job did not seek the approval of his friends, but rather he sought God’s favor.

As we continue on with the story, Satan, is frustrated by Job’s commitment to God and so Satan claims that Job is still hopeful because he is healthy and has not been physically harmed. So the Lord allows Satan to put Job in physical pain.

Moving into Chapter two, Job has lost everything and he is now in excruciating pain. He is covered in boils and diseases, his friends do not even recognize him. At this point, his wife (who has also lost everything) tells him to just curse the Lord and die! But Job is still faithful to God in his response:

Job 2:9-10 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

Job understood that God was in control and that all things happened for a reason. Although he did not understand why these things were happening, he trusted God’s plan.

Proverbs 19:21 Many plans are in a man’s mind, but it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand.

The story of Job has a pretty short beginning and a pretty quick end; however, as we read through the bulk of the story, we will see all the drama in between. There is basically a ping pong game going back and forth between Job and his “friends.”

As I was preparing to teach this week, I asked: “Geez, why is this middle part so long? Why did I have to get stuck with all this drama?” I realized that life usually works this way. When trials hit, they come on quick. As we walk through these difficult times it can feel like eternity before things get better. Just like the book of Job- this tribulation came quick, the drama seemed to last a lifetime, and then compared to all this “middle madness,” the end seems brief. The mean time is always during the “meantime.”

As we dive into the bulk of the story, the main characters: Job and 3 of his friends, who are really his accusers, go into three rounds of debates. In our class last week, we briefly covered the first round and today we will look at round 2, starting in Job Chapter 15. Let’s turn to chapter 15 and see how this round begins.

Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends, starts this round on the offense- accusing Job of sinfulness.

Job 15: 5-6 Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty. Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; your own lips testify against you.

Job 15: 9-10 What do you know that we do not know? What insights do you have that we do not have? The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, men even older than your father.

Eliphaz, as well as Job’s other friends (Zohar, & Bildad), claim that Job’s words are being prompted by his sin. They believe his claim for innocence has further condemned him and that Job’s hidden sins- are evident due to his current situation. They are confident that only sinners experience this level of suffering- if Job had remained righteous then he would still be living in prosperity.

Not only do his friends claim this theory to be true, but in vs. 10, Eliphaz states that wiser men before them had also believed this to be true. Therefore they urge Job to repent and get off his high horse.

When these men originally came to comfort Job back in Chapter 3, they may have started in a good place, but as they saw Job’s life continue to spiral downward, they wanted to believe the pain was brought on by Job’s wrong doings. In theory- they may have been convincing themselves that this was the case, because, if they were wrong and indeed suffering could happen to godly people, then they might also be at risk!

QUESTION: Have you ever been guilty of imposing your own interpretation, instead of truly seeking to comfort/help a person in pain? *What this world needs around us is not our opinions- but rather the word of God*

            -Often times we want to blame someone or something, we want to provide a solution in order to get rid of the problem. I have been guilty of this in my own life, especially when I am tired or frustrated. I forget how patient the Lord has been with me, I forget the love that he shows me (even when I am in the wrong) and all I want is to focus on me. So I fail to show someone else Christ’s love and comfort.

I know God has probably said these words to me: “Wow Laura, think of all the times you have complained or come to me with tears and requests for comfort. No matter how many times you complain and no matter how often you cry out in pain, I will never ever stop loving you! If you had my love for others, it would never run dry. Don’t you see, that I have let you experience painful situations not to harm you, but to make you more sensitive to others pain!”

 Thinking about Job’s situation in this way made me realize that maybe some of us are like Job’s friends. We might speak the truth, we might give biblical advice, but we don’t really put ourselves in their shoes because we don’t really want to share in their pain. We don’t seek to see the big picture, and like Job’s friends we make false accusations!

1 Corinthians 12: 24-26 But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

When I hurt, Christ hurts, therefore; when a friend is hurting, I should also be hurting.

However, Job’s friends were not entirely wrong- Sin does cause turmoil in our lives, but they failed to admit that everyone, no matter who you are or what you have done, everyone has been a victim of suffering. God allows us to suffer so that he can love and comfort us and then, so we can return that love and comfort to others!

Often times I wonder why bad things happen to me. I also wonder why other people (who do not appear on track with the Lord) receive the blessings I so desperately long for.

I hear myself saying: “Lord, why are you holding out on me? Or why have you done this to me?” When I have this internal dialect with the Lord, I am actually speaking like Eliphaz, I am suggesting that my righteousness deserves A, B, or C and that their sins deserve X, Y, or Z. Like Job’s friends, I do not understand. It is not the Lord who has attacked me, but rather the enemy. Satan is the king of this world, and his mission is to keep me from spreading the gospel. He will do anything to make my heart cold or hard towards God.

Instead of blaming God, I should be encouraged that I am a threat to the enemy. Why would Satan waste his time messing with someone that wasn’t a threat?

EXAMPLE: Do you know how steel is made? It goes through a process of heating and cooling. The metal is heated at an extreme temperature and then cooled with water or air. Once it has cooled down, it again is heated (often at a higher temperature) and then cooled again. This takes place over and over until the metal has hardened or reached its full strength.

Thinking about this illustration, you could say it is a means of hardening the steel or a way to strengthen the metal- both statements would be correct.

Tying this illustration to our lesson, there are also two ways we can think of pain. Satan and God have different agenda’s during this process. Satan believes trials and tribulations will harden our hearts towards the Lord; but God allows us to walk through difficulties in order to strengthen our spiritual growth.

Psalm 84 v. 5 & v. 7

v. 5 blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. V. 7 they go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

When we look at Job, we see a man who does not go from strength to weakness, but rather strength to strength. This is because he finds strength not in a situation, but rather, his strength is in the Lord.

Looking at Job’s response in Job 16, where Job responds to his friends accusations, we see that he did not allow these obstacles to push him away from the Lord. Even though he did not enjoy or understand why these things were happening- He did not curse the Lord.  Lets see what Job says in his response:

Job 16:19-21 Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend.

Reading this passage I instantly thought of Jesus. Jesus is my mediator; he intercedes for my wrong doings. And as I read this verse, I forgot two things:

1.     Job was innocent

If my friends were accusing me of something I had not done, I would be quick to defend myself and prove my innocence. But Job’s reaction, is not immediately to defend himself, instead of back lashing with anger, for being falsely accused, he claims God is his Judge.

If we look back in chapter 6, Job asks God to show him what wrongs have been committed so he can make them right. Job 6: 24 “Teach me, and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong.” Job is focused on hearing God’s response and unlike many of us- he believes God will respond!

2.     Jesus had not yet come!

In Job 16, Job is asking God to send a mediator- someone to intercede for him. Today we can read this and connect the dots, but Job had no idea that he was asking for Jesus!

A few weeks ago I mentioned how God wants to take things in our lives and make them full circle. When we are in the middle- in the “meantime.” We have no idea why or what will happen, we can only see half of the pie, but God sees the beginning middle and the end.

 It isn’t until we are at the end that we understand why God allowed these things to happen, but we have to trust Him, while we are in the middle, in order to get to the end.

Job didn’t know that Jesus was the answer to his problems. He didn’t know Jesus would come and die to intercede for him. Because Job sought the Lord’s wisdom, he knew that only God could answer the why. Job didn’t try to argue his way out; but he trusted that God would eventually lead him out.

Colossians 1:15-20- For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

We may not get all the answers on this earth- in fact we probably won’t know or see why many painful things happen. But because of what Jesus did on the cross, God will reconcile all things! One day we will understand, but in order to get there, we first have to trust!

So as we close today, I want everyone to ask these questions:

1.)    Am I showing others true love and compassion?

·         Am I like Job or Am I like his friends?

2.)    Am I seeking to just resolve problems? Or do I truly care about other’s pain?

3.)    Has my own heart hardened towards God? Or Is there some bitterness that I am still holding on to?

I think some of us need to admit that we are very much like Job’s accusers and we need to ask the Lord to give us a heart that not only seeks the truth, but that trusts Him, no matter what we are going through! Psalm 56:3- When I am afraid, I will trust in you.