Introduction to Ecclesiastes: Joy, Transience, and the Fear of God

‘Hevel…’ Vanity…Smoke…Mist…Breath… If these things represent the transience of life, and if they represent the transience of the experiences life has to offer, then Solomon wants to be sure we’re not chasing after the wrong things. Solomon wants to be sure we’re not putting our hope in the wrong things. Because the reality is, our lives will be over soon. And Solomon desires for us to escape the bitterness of the life that ends with looking back and wishes the things we once experienced had lasted a little longer. He would rather see us be able to look back and rejoice that our lives were characterized by a God-given, joyful contentedness in a God who is the giver of every good gift. Such a life is grounded in the fear of the Lord: Faith-filled obedience to God in response to a right understanding of who He is. Solomon says this is how we’re going to really enjoy life ‘under the sun.’ And our Creator agrees.

Sermon Notes:

Main Idea: Three themes of life to understand so that our lives would be what God wants them to be.

Outline:

• Life and Joy
• Life and Transience
• Life and the Fear of God

Jared Millican

Former college pastor at Faith, Jared and his family are currently preparing to move to the Czech Republic and work as global outreach partners in 2024. He and his wife, Claire, have three children.

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