Will Wisdom Fix It?

August 16, 2023

Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, August 13, 2023.

Sermon text: Ecclesiastes 1:12-18


Last week Pastor Ky kicked off the book of Ecclesiastes for us, thereby also kicking off a season of meaninglessness... a season of vanity... a season of grasping the air and chasing the wind... Among our staff this week we have had a recurring line spoken where, after discussing specifics and details related to the work of ministry that we are doing, someone will say, "Yeah, but it doesn't matter."


This sermon series is different because the book of Ecclesiastes is different. And within the first few verses, we find ourselves uncomfortable. "All is vanity... no one will remember what has been... no one will remember what will be... there is nothing new under the sun..." So much to observe but nothing to really comprehend. We find ourselves waiting for the

punchline, waiting for the silver lining. We are eager for the "But God" moment, but it doesn't surface. And I think that we naturally make some jokes to lighten the mood. However, by God's design, sometimes the mood doesn't need to be light. Here at Crosspoint we believe that preaching verse-by-verse allows God to set the agenda for our church. If that is true, then God's agenda for this morning is to feel the weight of life... particularly the weight of trying to make sense of life.


Last week we learned that there are two voices in this book. One is the narrator, and the other is Qohelet, the preacher. This morning we are hearing from the second voice, the preacher.


1:12-13 "I the preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart

to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven."

  • The preacher is inviting us to join him on a journey...
  • The journey is that of a wise king, who is a man of God, with unlimited resources searching for something of substance... meaning...
  • The playing field is under heaven... or under the sun...


The experience is that of a powerful leader, who is a man of God, with unlimited resources looking deeply into their sphere of reality, under heaven, their earthly experience, with the goal of applying wisdom to find something of substance/meaning. So before we even begin the journey, we can draw a conclusion just from the fact that this

journey exists...


1.) God intends for you to think deeply about difficult things.

  • Why are so many of us against this? Why do so many of us spend our time escaping from reality rather than leaning into it?
  • I think that it is for 2 reasons. First, reality can feel scary and overwhelming. Second, what reality can become can be even scarier. This is where our anxieties come from. There is no doubt that we have reason for uncertainty about the future, but it becomes terrifying and paralyzing because of how that uncertainty might negatively impact our lives. Hence, anxiety. Can I handle what is ahead? Will it overwhelm me? Will I be safe? Will I be alone? We so desire for such things to be behind us, that we run away rather lean into them.
  • We follow wise leaders. If one of the wisest leaders in history thinks deeply about difficult things, so should we.


So what does this journey yield? What does the Preacher find?

1:13-14 "And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind."


I think it is fair to say that we were all probably hoping for a better outcome. We were probably hoping that he would apply his heart and take his time to think deeply about difficult things... to travel and explore and bring back something of deep meaning and substance... to tell the people he is leading "this is what you should busy yourselves with!"

Instead, the message is "whatever you busy yourself with... it is an unhappy business..."


2.) God intends for you to be perplexed.

  • We hate this. Uncertainty unsettles us. Many of us have a sense of adventure, but it is usually planned adventure.
  • Every philosopher who ever lived has thought deeply in the search for meaning. If Descartes says, "I think therefore I am"... Qohelet says, "I think therefore I am unhappy." Perplexity... things without resolve... questions without answers... can make us feel unhappy. I think there is some nuance here that we need to consider. Just because you feel a certain way doesn't mean it is a certain way. Feelings aren't reality. So, when we can't immediately or even quickly find some substance and meaning in the complexities of our life, in some hard season we are going through, we may choose to feel unhappy. But there may be some deeper importance found in being perplexed. Why? God intends for you to be perplexed.


I want to be careful here, because I know that many sitting here this morning either have struggled, are struggling, or will struggle with depression. We live in a cruel and fallen world, and sometimes it can overwhelm us with dark thoughts. There is a difference between meaninglessness and hopelessness. Perhaps our hope was never intended to be found in the things we can wrap our heads around. Perhaps there is a hope that can be found in complexity.


Next we see a reason for the Preachers conclusion that humans have an unhappy business from God...

1:15 "What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted."


3.) God intends for you to learn your limitations.

If you have ever purchased lumber at Lowe's or Home Depot, you know that what is

crooked cannot be made straight. In all seriousness though, God intends for us to learn our

limitations through the crooked and unknown things of this world.

  • Crooked things: There are things that happen in this world that don't make sense. They are crooked. They can't be made straight. There is no real silver lining. These things are complex and cannot be simplified. For Example: Maui, Hawaii.... [Showpics and tell the story]...
  • Lacking things: There are things that happen in this world that you simply cannot know. What you cannot see you cannot observe. There is always more going on than you have the ability to observe.


So not only can you not observe all that there is to observe, you also cannot make sense of or wrap your head and heart around the things that you can observe.


RESULT: Learn your limitations. Come to the end of yourself.


1:16-18 "I said in my heart, "I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge." And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after that wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow."


4.) Believers are not exempt from vexation and sorrow.

This is why the "prosperity gospel" is such a heaping pile of insufferable garbage. I'm not saying that for shock value. It is dangerous. It can try to eat your soul while professing that it is trying to save your life. If there is something to be learned in the sorrow and perplexity, shame on the man or woman or movement that says you must not have enough faith. Rest assured, it takes faith to think deeply about difficult things. It takes faith to be perplexed and sit in it. It takes faith to swallow pride and embrace your limitations. It takes faith to know that vexation and sorrow just might come from the loving hand of God.


Bartholomew: "What does one do when precisely as a believer everything one observes and experiences seems to lead to the conclusions that all is enigmatic and that the enigmas cannot be resolved? This is Qohelet's struggle, and it resonates with that of any believer in a crisis of faith."


Just because something is hard doesn't mean you should just pull the rip cord and remove that thing from your life. You might just not yet be to the end of yourself. One principle in our preaching is to preach verse-by-verse so that God can set the agenda for our church. Another principle is to always make sure to get to the point about Jesus. While Qohelet’s quest for wisdom was limited to what he could see, ours is not. The Supper reminds us of this.


Supper:

We can be transformed by the renewal of our minds, even if our circumstances don’t change. We can cry out for wisdom and know that God will grant it to us. Romans 8 says that, because of Christ, nothing separates us from the love of God. So, while we will still have to think deeply about difficult things, we do so in the loving arms of Christ. And while

we will still be perplexed, we enter those difficult situations in step with the Holy Spirit and bathed in the love of Christ. As we reckon with the reality of our limitations and weaknesses, at the end of ourselves we find a limitless Savior, for whom and with whom nothing is impossible. And in moments of vexation and sorrow, our Lord sustains us through his kindness and provision, ultimately welcoming us into the arms of our loving heavenly Father. That is far better than some silver lining….


Discipleship Questions:

  1. How do you feel about going through this book? Discuss what you know about it, questions you have about it, etc…
  2. The author uses the Hebrew word “hevel” which translates to “vapor” or “breath” almost 40 times in 12 chapters. What do you think he means by referring to life “under the sun” as vapor?
  3. Why do you think the author uses the phrase “under the sun” to describe human life?
  4. How is our perspective on this book different on this side of the cross as compared to its original author and audience?

Arm Yourselves

June 11, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 4:1-6 Prepare to suffer Is. 50:6-8a I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7 But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. The martial language indicates that discipline and grit are needed to live the Christian life, particularly in view of the suffering believers encounter. -Thomas R. Schreiner Some people won’t like you if you follow Jesus When a culture abandons biblical standards, when extramarital sex, cohabitation, and birth outside of marriage become normal, people attack the church for its moral snobbery and judgmentalism. Peter warns us that if we do take a stand, we need to expect slander, not applause. -Daniel M. Dorian This is one of the hardest things a new Christian has to face. Your friends liked you because you shared in “the same flood of debauchery.” It seemed great fun at times, but then you came to embrace Christ… But your friends have not… They will be surprised when you say “No.” -Juan Sanchez. Keep an eternal perspective Our outcome is glorious Suffering is good for us Let’s remember that suffering accomplishes God’s purposes. It exposes what or whom we are trusting (1 Peter 1:6–7). - Juan Sanchez Ecc. 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Discipleship Questions: Verse 1 tell us to arm ourselves by thinking as Christ did about suffering. How did Christ arm himself for and against sufferings? What does it look like for us to do that? Have you ever lost friendships (or had them change) because you were following Jesus? Do you fear that we (or our kids) will experience greater persecution in the future? If yes, how should we handle that fear?

I Believe That We Will Win

June 3, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Jesus suffered and died in order to bring us to God Jesus conquered death by his resurrection “A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means.” —Martin Luther Problem #1 - he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison —Jesus preached through Noah to those who lived at that time (1 Peter 1:10–12) —Jesus proclaimed His victory to evil angels (see Genesis 6:1-4) Problem #2 - baptism now saves you —Scripture is clear - we are saved by grace not works —baptism pictures our salvation from God’s judgment through the resurrection of Christ “The waters of baptism, like the waters of the flood, demonstrate that destruction is at hand, but believers are rescued from these waters in that they are baptized with Christ, who has also emerged from the waters of death through his resurrection. Just as Noah was delivered through the stormy waters of the flood, believers have been saved through the stormy waters of baptism by virtue of Christ’s triumph over death.” —Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude —in baptism we are appealing to God for a good conscience "This appeal is an act of the heart looking away from itself and from all human instruments and calling on God, appealing to God, for grace to save.” —John Piper —in baptism we are pledging to God to live in a manner worthy of the gospel Jesus ascended to heaven and now reigns over everything “We can face suffering as Christians with confidence rather than panic, and hope rather than despair, because the road marked with Christian suffering is, no matter what its twists and turns are, the road to vindication and glory. The God who vindicated Jesus will vindicate you, and he will sustain your faith until that day.” –Juan R. Sanchez, 1 Peter For You Discipleship Questions: How does Jesus’ death and resurrection encourage us when we suffer? Why did we need Jesus to suffer and die to bring us to God? How does Jesus’ victory over death give us eternal hope? What are your thoughts regarding some of the problems in this passage? How does what Peter says about baptism elevate the importance of baptism? When were you baptized and how does this passage inform your understanding of baptism? How does knowing our victory is secured help us with all the things this life throws at us?

Who Can Be Against Us?

May 27, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:13-17 Nobody can (truly) hurt Christians Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Rom. 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? The train of thought is as follows: “No one will be able to harm believers on the future day if they are zealous for good” (v. 13). Indeed, even present suffering is not a sign of punishment but of blessing both now and especially in the future, on the day when God rewards his people with eternal life. -Thomas R. Schreiner Honoring Christ Erases Fear Share your faith with strength and gentleness Embrace balance Be prepared to share The truth of the gospel is a public truth that can be defended in the public arena. This does not mean, of course, that every Christian is to be a highly skilled apologist for the faith. It does mean that every believer should grasp the essentials of the faith and should have the ability to explain to others why they think the Christian faith is true. -Thomas R. Schreiner Be prepared to suffer “I’ve spent a number of years in India and Africa where I found much righteous endeavor undertaken by Christians of all denominations; but I never, as it happens, came across a hospital or orphanage run by the Fabian Society [a British socialist organization], or a humanist leper colony.” -Malcolm Muggeridge Be bold! We will likely suffer as Christians in this world, but that suffering is slight and temporary compared to the eternal inheritance that awaits us. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we die and receive our promised inheritance. Can you imagine how emboldened Christians would be if we only believed what Peter is saying? -Juan R. Sanchez Discipleship Questions: Does the fact that nobody can (truly) harm us comfort you? What would change if we lived like we really believe that? Are you a more confident person as someone who knows Christ? Does your security in Christ embolden you to take some risks in life, knowing that the worst that could happen is death? How equipped / prepared are you to give a reason for the hope that you have? What would grow your confidence and competence in that? Have you considered joining Michael Clark one day for evangelism at the harbor? Well….you should….
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