Don’t Waste Your Life
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14
Introduction: The words of the Preacher have taken the failed life of Solomon and warned every person about how easy it is to waste your whole life. No, you won’t waste your life in the eyes of the world because the world has a different standard on how success and failure is judged. To illustrate, to the worldly mind, a man like Solomon was a success and the apostle Paul was a failure (in the mind of the carnal Corinthians).
- The Preacher’s Encouragement: “You Are Going to Die”
- Ha! What a way to start a sermon! Doesn’t sound very encouraging! Oh but it is. “The day of death is better than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning…for it is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart” (7:1-2).
- Consider this: how many times do you think the name “God” is used in Ecclesiastes? It is used 34 times not including the many times God is implicitly referenced by context and pronouns. In spite of the emphasis on life under the sun (life without godly considerations), the Preacher’s focus is the impossibility of taking God out of the equation. Look at the text before us:
- 11:9 “…for all these things God will bring you into judgment.”
- 12:1 “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come…”
- 12:7-8 “…and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, all is vanity.” Notice how these sentences come together. How long before the “spirit returns to God who gave it?” Lake a breath! Like a vapor!
- 12:13 “The end of the matter; all has been heard: fear God and keep his commandments…”
- 12:14 “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
- These words are not intended negatively. These are encouraging words because this is reality, and we have the opportunity to get ready for it.
- The Preacher’s Epilogue: The Words of the Wise (9-12)
- The Preacher obviously places himself in the category of those inspired by God. His words are “given by one Shepherd.” Notice that he gives words that are delightful , that is, they are words to be desired and will give pleasure to the hearer. And they are words of truth. A person could argue with his words, but the practice of the rest of his life under the sun would prove him wrong.
- Notice in verse 11 the value of the inspired words given by God, the one Shepherd.
- They are like goads. A goad is a prod to move a farm animal in the direction desired. Goads are pointy at the end so that the animal is more motivated to move. At first thought, you wouldn’t think we would need a goad. But that is why the word of God is so important. We tend not to make changes in our lives. We get comfortable. But the word of God is intended to make us uncomfortable so that we move to where God wants us to be.
- Therefore, though God’s word can be of great comfort, it also has parts that are described as a “two-edged sword” that penetrates the “thoughts and intents of our heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
- God’s word is also like “nails firmly fixed.” A firmly fixed nail or screw is what we use to hold shelving and other heavy objects on a wall. The word of God is the only thing in the world that we can depend on to hang the future of our lives.
- Jeremiah 10:23 “I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” As much as we would like to think so, we are completely incapable of directing our own lives without without totally destroying ourselves.
- Think of how this applies to marriage &
- How it applies to parenting.
- Notice also the word “Shepherd.” That is the position God is taking with us. We are like sheep, completely helpless to preserve out lives. When the Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not be in want.
- Vs. 12: “Beware of anything beyond these—of the making of many books there is no end.”
- Give attention to the word, “Beware.” This is not a suggestion. It is a strong warning about all writings that are not “given by one Shepherd.” Isn’t it interesting that nothing has changed in 2500 years. The message of God’s word still competes with the writings and wisdom of man. There are millions of books telling us how to raise kids, have a great marriage, how to get the most out of life, how to solve stress/anxiety, and every other concern that living life under the sun brings.
- This isn’t to say that all books written on these subjects are bad. To be sure, some are from a strong biblical perspective, applying God’s word in practical ways for today’s culture. But the challenge is, when our lives are those painful tribulations, are we turning completely to the one Shepherd? Who is turning to Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song?
- For example, just in Ecclesiastes, who is remembering:
- “What is crooked cannot be made straight”?
- “And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure…and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind…”?
- “There is nothing better for a person than to eat and drink and find enjoyment in his labor…for apart from him who can eat and who can have enjoyment”?
- “Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and striving after wind.”?
- “Two is better than one…and a threefold cord is not quickly broken”?
- “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money”?
- “A good name is better than precious ointment”?
- “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider…”?
- “Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life the he has given you…because that is your portion in life and in your toil…”?
- “…the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong…but time and chance happen to them all”?
- “Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench.”?
- “Cast your bread on the waters, for you will find it after many days…He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.”?
- “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come…”?
- We just studied all of the above, are we remembering it and living it?
- The End of the Matter: What Makes You Whole? (13-14)
- The word “duty” is not in the Hebrew. NKJV translates, “This is man’s all.”
- What is “man’s all?” What makes man whole? What is everything our lives ought to be? Fear God and keep his commandments. That’s it!! Stop seeking it every place else! It is chasing the wind. How foolish.
- Jesus said it:
- “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)
- “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:51)
- “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” (John 6:53-56)
- “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Are you ready for Judgment? Or are you chasing the wind? Fear God and keep his commandments, and the blood of Jesus will cleanse you from all sin.
Conclusion: Don’t waste your life
Berry Kercheville
Podcast: Download (12.6MB)