Living the Vain Life

I. Introduction: In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon laments the vanity of life. However, he also gives some advice for living in a world of vanity.

II. All is vanity, Ecclesiastes 1:1-11.

A. Vanity can be defined as absurdity, frustration, futility, or nonsense.

B. Life is made absurd by death.

C. Man lives and works in his generation but then he and his generation die and another takes its place.

D. The earth’s cycles continue in motion as they have since the creation.

1. The sun rises and sets every day and upon every generation.
2. The wind travels on its path around the earth and comes back again.
3. The water cycle continues generation after generation.
4. Even the advances of technology are recreations of what has already been developed.

E. Yet man does not have a cycle like the sun, wind or water. He comes to the earth, stays for a small time, then goes to the grave, never to return to the earth.

1. When a man or a generation passes, the memory passes as well.
2. He labors in his generation but when he dies another generation shall replace his, and so on.

III. Ecclesiastes 9:5-6

A. Soon the memory of the dead is forgotten because those who remember them will die too.

1. Graveyards have hundreds or thousands of tombstones, yet we do not know their stories, their loves, hatred, etc.
2. They no longer have a part in the world of the living.
3. This is vanity.

B. Why work so hard for riches when a fool might inherit it? Why labor so hard for a name when it will be forgotten?

IV. Living in a vain world

A. Be content

1. Ecclesiastes 2:17-25
   • He works hard in the heat of the day, but a fool may inherit it.
   • Even if he is not a fool, he enjoys the labor of another man.
2. His conclusion, v.24, is that it is better to enjoy one’s own labor.
3. Ecclesiastes 9:7-8; EXPLAIN
4. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 – godliness with contentment is great gain.

V. Enjoy your family life, 9:9

A. Many times our families are the first sacrifice that we make when pursuing the vain things of life: wealth, popularity, etc.

B. We will find more happiness by enjoying the simple pleasures of life, like time with our families.

C. “No one ever said on his death bed, ‘I wish I would have spent more time in the office’,”

D. We can find much joy with our spouse and children if we will be content with them.

1. Proverbs 18:22: “He who finds a wife finds a good thing.”
2. Proverbs 19:13-14 – Gift from God
3. Proverbs 17:6 – Glory of children

E. If we do not have pleasure in our home life, we will likely find that the problem is not the spouse or the children, but us.

1. Exceptions:
   • Proverbs 21:9, 19 – contentious woman
   • Proverbs 29:15 – foolish child
2. Gilgamesh epic (Abraham’s time): [be joyful all your days] “Look at the child holding your hand, and let your wife delight in your embrace. These things alone are the concern of man.”
3. We become so focused on possessions, we forget the greatest gifts and the simplest pleasures.

VI. Work diligently, 9:10.

A. It is not futile to work, but work must be kept in perspective.

B. Work is a means to get what we need; it should not be our object.

C. Ecclesiastes 5:10-12

1. No satisfaction in accumulation of many goods.
2. The disturbed sleep of the rich: worry about thieves, the market, interest rates, “am I earning enough on my money?”
3. We need to plan for the future, but not become obsessed by it.
4. Satisfaction with being content and meeting the present needs.

D. Ecclesiastes 4:6

1. Jesus taught this in Matthew 6:25-13 (summarize)

VII. We must find joy and contentment for we will all die, 9:1-2.

A. The wicked and the righteous will die.

B. We must be faithful, 8:12. In the eyes of the world, death makes life absurd.

C. The Christian knows that God gives our life meaning.

1. We know that how we live on this earth will determine our eternal home.
2. 1 Corinthians 15:19 – we are to be pitied if there is no life afterwards.
3. We are to be content while living on this earth and faithful to God for we know that we will be judged by all that we do, 12:13-14.
4. Revelation 20:12-15 – Judged by our works.

VIII. Conclusion: Let us be content, let us find joy in our families and our work, and keep things in perspective. Let us seek first the kingdom of God and let Him take care of all the details. There are many things out of our control, but we have prayer so we can turn that over to the God who is in control of all things. We can live joyfully in the vain world because living for God is not vanity, it is the only thing with true meaning.