"The Vanity of Chasing the Good Life"

​Sermon Scripture:  Ecclesiastes 6:1-12

Sermon Notes are available below for you to follow along, or for download here.

Sermon Notes: 

At the Heart of the Matter is the Matter of the Heart

• Ecclesiastes does not __________ the gospel.
• Ecclesiastes shows us our ___________ for the gospel.
  • We all have the same problem: We are ____________.
  • At the root of our discontentment with life is ________.
  • A discontented soul apart from Christ will never be ____________.

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is
offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot
imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
-- C.S. Lewis
The God-Shaped Hole: God Has Not Built Life for Anything Apart from Him to Satisfy. (6:1-6)

• The inability to enjoy the good life apart from God is a heavy burden on mankind.
  • No one is exempt from this reality.
  • No one can ___________ this reality.
• God can give you everything you want and then keep you from enjoying it.
  • _________ of money won’t bring ultimate satisfaction.
    • Your bank and your barns can be full while your soul remains _________.
  • A ___________ family won’t bring ultimate satisfaction.
  • A ___________ life won’t bring ultimate satisfaction.
    • This man lives a _____________ life.
    • This man dies a _____________ death.
    • The stillborn child is better off than an old man who dies unsatisfied.
      • Both are a __________.
      • Both end in __________.
    • No matter how long you live, everyone is headed for the ___________.

Our Work Cannot Provide Ultimate Satisfaction. (6:7-9)

• All our work goes to feed our mouths.
  • You may feast today, but you’ll be __________ again tomorrow.
  • You will go back to work to feed your mouth to fill your stomach but never be _______.
  • Our deepest needs are ____________, not physical.
• Until you are content with what you have, you’ll never be satisfied with _________.

Our Words Cannot Change This Reality. (6:10-12)

• Man cannot argue with God about his limitations… just ask ________.
• Man cannot talk enough to unravel life’s mysteries... just ask ____________.
  • What is morally right? “Who knows what is good for man?”
  • What is life’s purpose? “... the few days of his vain life, which passes like a shadow?”
  • What does the future hold? “Who can tell man what will be after him under the sun? “
• Only one man can satisfy our souls… just ask __________.