OPENER: "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Most of you are familiar with this proverbial statement from the movie “Forrest Gump” starring Tom Hanks. If you are familiar with the movie, you know Forrest is not a smart man. But his mama, played by Sally Field, loved him just the way he was and she did her best to teach Forrest about life and how to live in this world. And this is one way she did this was through various proverbial statements. There is another one she taught him: “dying is a part of life.” And still one more: “You have to do the best with what God gave you.” And there you have it: the message of Ecclesiastes – summed up in the proverbial wisdom of Mrs. Gump!

TRANSITION: Remember from last week: The Teacher in Ecclesiastes addresses two primary areas of concern in life: its unfairness and its end – death, which is our subject today. Warning – this might sound a bit dark and gloomy and to quote Ecclesiastes 7:8, the end of a matter is better than its beginning and this will be true for us as well.

On any given day, approximately 155,000 people worldwide die. This works out to about 56.5 million people every year. Some deaths are peaceful and others violent and tragic. Some die of disease, lack of necessities and others of old age; some die at the hands of another person, some by accident or of a natural disaster. Death is a hard thing. It brings much sorrow and pain to our lives and cuts so many lives short. It is the one thing all of us have in common. The Teacher considers life unfair is for a number of reasons:

·       “Life” is loaded down with meaningless burdens that God has laid on men! (1:13)

·       Man labors all his days to create some worthwhile sense of existence and in the end he has no real reward for his work – he must leave it all to the next generation.

·       And it hardly matters whether you live a good life or a rotten one.

·       Both the wise and the foolish, those who offer sacrifices – those who don’t must face the same reality – some day death is gonna come knockin on the door.

·       The main reason he views life as unfair is because death ruins the whole enterprise.

I.      The effects of death on life

A.    Death keeps mankind from enjoying the fruits of his labors.

·       Because of death, our lives are like a vapor - here one day and gone the next.

·       This is why we strive to beat, cheat and flat out ignore death so we can enjoy life.

·       We spend millions of dollars a year on plastic surgery, cosmetics.

·       We try to prolong our days through exercise, dieting and advancements in medicine.

·       All of our efforts only prolong the inevitable: man is still only passing through like a shadow.

·       (6:2) God gives man “wealth” but because he dies before he can enjoy it, a stranger enjoys it instead!” and he calls this a grievous evil.

·       The sum of man’s existence is to essentially work himself into the ground.

·       Never able to enjoy the fruit of his labors as he should – rendering his very life meaningless

·       Ok then – why don’t we make the most out of life by providing our own purpose for life?

·       That’s what the relativist says: life is what you make of it – you supply its meaning.

·       The secular humanist says what matters is having total freedom of thought from totalitarian beliefs and ideas. Yet death cares little about our freedom to think.

·       Even if you manage to define your own life death still gets the last laugh.

B.    Death brings sorrow and loss to our lives

·       We have all heard about how devastating the sudden loss of a parent, a spouse can devastate the stability and unity of a family.

·       I never knew my paternal grandfather – he died long before I was born – in fact he died before my father was 5 years old.

·       He left behind my grandmother and three young boys – she raised all of them by herself and faced much hardship and poverty in the process.

·       We have all heard of elderly folks who have been married for 60 or more years.

·       Imagine being married for so long and then one day, he dies or she dies.

·       The effects of death on such a person can be paralyzing – sometimes the spouse that is left behind gives up on living life and soon follows their deceased spouse.

C.  Death causes us to be lost in history

·       There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow. (1:11)

·       Despite the fact that at the time of our death there will be family and friends who will mourn for us – the brutal reality is most of us will be forgotten by future generations.

·       There are men and women and children who lived thousands of years ago, who had personalities, who loved, worked, had families and have been forever lost to history.

·       What were their lives like? What did they accomplish? It doesn’t matter, its meaningless.

·       All we have of my paternal grandpa are two small, faded photographs.

·       But who he was – we will never really know – and though I will likely be known by my grandchildren my great-grandchildren may only know my name and that’s it.

·       Our lives are so short and quickly forgotten! What a sorry existence!

·       This brings us to ask the question - how should we then live out this existence?

II.    The Teacher’s advice on how to live.

A.    Recognize: there is nothing you can do to change the human predicament.

·       All you can do is enjoy what little bit of life that you can.

·       He is not advocating a lifestyle of apathy or indifference.

·       Instead he advocates an active and fruitful life full of joy.

·       (9:7) “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do.

·       (9) Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.”

·       You hold a small fragment of time in your hand, use it well, it is all you have.

(11:9-10) ⁹ Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment. ¹⁰ So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.

B.    Enjoy life while you can – while you are young.

·       Don’t let the frustration and meaninglessness in the world stop you from enjoying the little bit of life that you can.

·       But understand that in the end you will be judged so

·       Live it to the fullest before age catches up with you, before you fade into history.

(7:15-18) “In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness. Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise— why destroy yourself? Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool— why die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes.”

3. Don’t be “too righteous” nor be “too wicked”. 

·       In other words: Fly under the radar! Don’t draw God’s attention to yourself.

·       He is unpredictable and might put you through even more misery!

·       You might die before your time and that wouldn’t be good now would it?

·       Life already stinks enough so make sure you make the most of it.

·       Don’t live an overly righteous life; apathetic life; hedonistic life.

·       Just find the middle road and be content with it.

·       I know it’s a rather dark way of looking at life and God – but this is what he is saying.

4. The reality and inevitability of death sets the pace for life in the here and now.

·       ^12:13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. ¹⁴For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

·       Live each day as if it is your last.

·       But remember you live in God’s world therefore you need to play by his rules.

III.  The Teacher’s Theology Examined

A.    The Teacher view of God

·       He certainly paints God in Dark Colors and it should be making you wince.

·       Remember last week – he is exposing us to twisted thinking in order to encourage right thinking – keep this in mind.

·       His concern about life and death is lead to a concern about God’s role in human life.

·       God runs the world like an indifferent tyrant: all of this is God’s doing!

·       He is the lawgiver of a static world that man cannot alter.

·       He is not hostile, but he is not loveable either.

·       Disobey and he might punish you. Obey and he will possible spare you.

·       The solution in 7: flying below God’s radar is the best way to find happiness in life. If you stick your neck out there you might die before your time.

B.    The Teacher’s View of the Afterlife

·       Shaped by his view of God - the teacher clearly had an incomplete and jaded view of the afterlife.

·       In fact he sounds agnostic – for he says “no man knows whether love or hate awaits him.”(9:1) We don’t know what’s on the other side of the veil.

·       Considering how bad things are on this side – the Teacher cannot imagine anything better.

·       He sees death as the reversal of creation - the only promise we have is a return to dust.

·       (12:7) Just as all are made from dust, all return to dust. Man’s spirit returns to God (which simply means God takes it away).

C.    How should we respond to the Teacher’s strange theology?

·       He is following Mrs. Gump’s wisdom and is doing the best he can with what God gave him.

·       Though he sounds twisted at times, he correctly sees that the world is broken – cursed.

·       He also seems to recognize that this was never God’s original intention.

·       It was not his design for man’s life span to be a mere breath or a shadow.

·       There is something within the Teacher and us that realizes we were built to last. 

Calvin and Hobbes: I love Calvin and Hobbes. It is one of the best comic strips ever – always guaranteed to entertain and make you laugh. There is one though that is a bit heavier and serious than others. In this one, Calvin encounters a young but badly hurt raccoon. They try to help him – they put him in a shoe box and wrap him up in hopes he will recover. But, that’s not what happens – despite his hopes the next morning Calvin’s dad informs him the little raccoon died. At this point Calvin wrestles with the difficult concept of death and loss and the point to it all.  (read comic)

·       The Teacher was just doing the best that he could with the knowledge he had.

·       Live your life in the fear of the Lord and keep his commandments and die well.

·       This is all your life is about – nothing more – these are God’s rules.

Ecclesiastes 4:2-3: The dead, who [have] already died, are happier than the living…But better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

·       Far be it from me to contradict Mrs. Gump – but dying is not part of life – it is life’s worst enemy – it consumes life and makes a mockery of it.

CLOSER: But thanks be to God – death does not have to get the last laugh! The Teacher has toppled our idols, undermined our self-sufficiency, exposed our sense of self-worth as a hoax, but in the end it does not give us much hope. One Commentator writes: As we stare into the darkened glass of the Teacher’s enigma’s we strain to see what lies beyond. We see and sense a troubling scene, even if we cannot make out the details. Indeed, however we decode the symbols, we will come to the same insights and the same uneasiness…We see our own death and the Teacher will not let us turn away. The Teacher’s words, as hard as they are to accept lead us to cry out for hope and deliverance from the threat of death. His words prepare us to hear the words of another Teacher and son of David.

• Hear the words of the Teacher, the Son of David, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. ^25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. (John 5:25)
• Every concern addressed and observation made by the Teacher is answered and solved by the person and work of Christ.
• Jesus entered into the futility and meaninglessness of this life to redeem all that is done under the sun so that we might live meaningful lives to the glory of God.
• He also came to conquer death by giving himself up unto death and by triumphing over death in his resurrection.
• Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 15:26 “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
• When Jesus returns to gather his elect, “then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” ⁵⁵ “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Death does not get the last laugh if our faith is in Jesus!
• Because Jesus has conquered death and promises us life eternal, life in the here and now does not have to be hopeless; meaningless.
• When we live for his glory – what we do does matter.
• Eph. 6:7-8: Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, ^8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does.
• If we live for Jesus then it does not matter that future generations will forget us and what we have accomplished – we didn’t do it for them anyways – and Jesus will not forget us – isn’t that comforting to know?
• He promises great rewards in the next life when our faith is in Jesus.
• (6:7) All man’s efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied.
• Are you longing for life to have meaning and purpose? Let your appetite be satisfied by Christ.
• Are wondering what awaits you on the other side of the veil? It does not have to be grim.
• Put your hope in Christ the giver of life and conqueror of death – live your life for him who paid the ultimate price for you salvation - and know for certain the future glory that awaits you!
• A life lived for Christ’s glory is a life enjoyed the most because it promises lasting reward.