Three Dead-End Streets of Human Pursuit

Good afternoon! Well, that was wonderful. I'm just so appreciative of those that are willing to share their gifts that God has given them and were able to worship God with music and song and instrument. And so I just want to say thank you to all those who have performed and it is just a wonderful way for us to honor God and to show our love toward Him. So thank you. It's just beautiful and it is wonderful to see all of you. Now, I know some of you may be thinking, will the excitement of the fire alarm be going off again this year? If you were here last year, you remember that the fire alarm began to cry out about midway through my message and it was quite exciting. But I did talk to Mr. Petty and he promised he wouldn't pull it again this year. I do understand the lure of that little red box with the white handle, you know, but I know he'll be strong. In fact, I don't even know if he's here. Is Mr. Petty here? No. Okay, don't tell him I said that.

Well, let me extend a warm welcome to all of you to this 2018 Southeast Teen Formal. I want to welcome you young men and young women and just remind you that you're here not by chance. You're here by divine appointment. God has invited you to be here to meet him through his word and I trust that each of you said amen after the opening prayer. So, you are in agreement in asking God to be here with us and also in agreement to ask him to open our hearts and our minds to his word today. And as I was thinking about what to speak to you about today, a question came to mind and it was the question, how can I make the Bible more relevant to you young men and you young women here today? How can I make it more relevant to you? Well, I quickly realized I was in error in my thinking. I was in error in that thinking because the Bible, it's already relevant. The Bible is relevant. And so there's no need for me to try to make it relevant. But what we as teachers of the Bible, the responsibility we have is not to make it relevant, but rather by explaining it and by applying the text. We have the privilege of just displaying how relevant it is. And I want to suggest to you today that of all the books in the Bible, there is one particular one that has what I believe a peculiar and particular relevance to you at this stage in your life. Any guess to which book it is? Well, I suggest to you it's the book of Ecclesiastes. The book of Ecclesiastes. Because that book in particular, it addresses our current cultural climate like no other, I believe. And it addresses you at this stage in your life. So what I'm going to seek to do today is say, here's the book of the Bible, Ecclesiastes. It's something that's been written a long time ago. We're going to study a portion of it together. And by doing so, I believe that you're going to see just how compellingly relevant it is. So that being said, I invite you to open your Bibles to that book, the book of Ecclesiastes, in chapter one. Ecclesiastes chapter one, this will be our point of departure today. It is the perfect place to start. We're going to establish our subject matter by reading Ecclesiastes chapter one. And we're going to read verses one through 14.

It's a fascinating book. Let's see how it opens here. Ecclesiastes chapter one, verse one. The words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the preacher. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity. Verse three. What prophet has a man from all his labor in which he tolls under the sun? One generation passes away, another generation comes, but the earth abides forever.

The sun also rises and the sun goes down and hastens back to the place where it arose. The wind goes toward the south and turns around to the north. The wind whirls about continually and then comes again on its circuit. All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full to the place from which the rivers come. There they return again. All things are full of labor. Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. That which has been has been is what will be.

That which is done is what will be done. There's nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which we may it may be said, see this is new? It's already been in ancient times before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after. Verse 12, I the preacher was king over Israel and Jerusalem, and I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven.

This burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and indeed all is vanity grasping for the wind. Let's stop there. So I've got us off to a real happy start here, as you can tell. Now, the preacher here, he introduces himself in verse 1 as the son of David, as the king of Jerusalem. So while he doesn't actually say, I am Solomon, King Solomon would certainly best fit this description.

So we can place him as the rider here. And of all the kings in history, Solomon was handed, in his role as the king, he was handed the best chance to succeed. God had given young Solomon a throne. He had given him peace in the land. He had given him phenomenal wealth. And he'd also given him phenomenal wisdom, more wisdom than any man had ever had.

And yet, despite all of that, he let his people down. He let himself down by turning his back on God. And so now, an old withered king is now looking back at his life as he writes what is absolutely a powerful autobiography, really. It's called Ecclesiastes.

And when you read through this book, you'll notice something unique about the tone here. This is not something that we typically see in Scripture. This is not necessarily a preacher of God coming to declare the Word of God. But what you have here, rather, is a preacher, in a sense, taking on the role of a philosopher, a philosopher who's commenting on the world around him. And he's thinking back and commenting on his journey through this world. And he's not presenting his readers with various thoughts or questions and then stepping back and removing himself from it.

Now, what you find here is that he involves himself fully in the discussion. We see here he involves himself fully in the very questions that he raises here. So he's not standing up in this book with the purpose to make big pronouncements about God. But as you read this book, you'll realize that what he's essentially saying to his readers is, why don't we take a walk? Why don't we take a walk down a few of life's roads together? Why don't you come with me?

As I think through my earthly journey, I'd like you to come along with me. Let's think this out together. And so he invites the reader to ask what is essentially the overarching question of the entire book here. The overarching question, which is, where does life's fulfillment come from? Where does fulfillment in this life come from? I want to be happy. How can I find that fulfillment? And at this point in your young life, I wonder if you've ever wondered that very question. I wonder if you've ever wondered, where can I find fulfillment? Where can I find happiness?

Have you ever wondered that? Well, if you have, let's accept this invitation and let's travel along with the preacher here for the time we have and as he tries to find that answer. Now, you'll notice here as he begins his journey, what's fascinating in here is he begins with the conclusion. Did you notice that? That's in verse 2. What does he say? Vanity of vanities. All is vanity. Isn't that interesting? So this is like one of those movies you've seen. I know you've seen some of these movies where the movie starts off with kind of a flash forward scene. Have you seen that?

Where it gives us something of the conclusion right at the beginning of the movie and then somewhere along the line, it'll say, then at the bottom of the screen, 24 hours earlier, you know. And so those movies start off with that flash forward and so it's enjoyable to watch those just as you're thinking, well, I wonder how it's going to get. What's going to happen to get to that conclusion? Well, that's what Solomon does here. And his conclusion? It's all vanity. Life, it's meaningless.

That's his verdict on life. But you also notice that not only do we see his verdict on life, which is frankly a depressing verdict, but we also see that his verdict on life is placed within a certain context. I wonder if you notice that. His verdict on life is placed within a context, and the context is secularism. And what that simply means is his verdict is set in the context of no spiritual consideration. His verdict on life is constrained and set within the context of no religious belief. So he sets out on a journey only considering the things under the sun. In other words, his view, his reach, doesn't go above the sun. So no heavenly consideration here on his journey. And the phrase, under the sun, that's a key one in this book. We noticed it a few times when we read this, the verses. Verse 3, we see it. What prophet has a man from all his labor in which he tolls under the sun? And then again, allow your eyes to go down to verse 14. Verse 14. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind. And that phrase, under the sun, it comes to us some 30 times in this book. So I know that when I approach this book, I understand Solomon's perspective is going to be framed by or constrained by only things under the sun. No consideration of God whatsoever. No consideration of anything above the sun, if you will. So with that, he acknowledges right from the beginning that if life is viewed solely under the sun, it's vanity. In other words, it's absolutely meaningless. From this perspective under the sun, true fulfillment will never be found.

And so what Solomon is doing here, he states his conclusion, and then he says, let me support this conclusion with you. And that's what verses 1 through 11 are that we read. You have his conclusion and then a support of his conclusion that life is pointless and it's unfulfilling under the sun. Verse 2, vanity of vanities. Verse 3, what does man profit from all the labor by which he toils under the sun? So he's saying, you know, life, it's kind of this tedious work, isn't it? Life's a grind, he's saying. That's what he's pointing out to begin with. Oh, and also, life under the sun, it's the same old thing. Over and over again. Have you ever felt that? Each day is like the last? Well, that's verse 4. Verse 4, generations come and they go. And then he compares that to nature. He gives an example in verses 5 through 7. He says, you know, it's kind of like nature. You know, the sun, well, it rises and it sets and then it scurries back to do it all over again. The wind, oh, it goes south, it goes north and just turns around and tries to begin it all again. The rivers do the same. They flow into the sea. You know, the sea's never full, it says. It returns again to start it all over again. Well, that's our human experience. Here on earth under the sun, you and I, we come and we go, we go and we come, to and fro, fro and to. You ever wonder, young people, why you're constantly trying to overcome boredom and monotony? Well, Solomon says, that's life. That's all life is. Have you ever wondered how you're trying to get more out of life than it seems is there? Here, you're trying to squeeze more out of life than it seems to be there? Well, that's verse 8. Unsatisfied feelings. Look at the second part of verse 8. The eye is not satisfied with seeing. The ear is not filled with hearing. In other words, you know, down here on earth, just life has a huge appetite. It seems like it's never satisfied. And then his conclusion in verse 9 and 10, verse 9, that which has been is what will be. That which is done is what will be done. There's nothing new under the sun. Verse 10, and is there anything of which may be said that this is new? It's already been done in ancient times before us. So he's not saying that there's no new inventions. He's just saying, you know, the more things change, the more it seems the same, doesn't it? Man says, well, look, we invented flight, we invented the airplane. Look, we invented, we're in flight now. And the birds turn to us and say, we've been doing that since the ancient days. So there's nothing new. And by the way, whatever you're doing down here, it's all forgotten. That's verse 11. There's no remembrance of former things. There's no remembrance of things to come by those who will come after. After time, Solomon says, it's all forgotten anyway. So again, the whole conclusion here in verse 1 through 11 about life is that it's meaningless, pointless, and unfulfilling. Oh, vanity of vanities. Now, I can imagine that you young men and young women here today, maybe at certain points in your life thus far, you've had some of these same feelings. Maybe at certain times in your life, you've wondered, is this really it? Is life really going to be this unfulfilling?

Hemingway said, life is a dirty trick. It's a short journey from nothingness to nothingness. Is he right?

Now, I don't think for a second that the majority of you sitting here today have come with, you know, these deep-seated thoughts on these matters on your mind. But over the course of time, over the course of time, as you grow older, you may be faced with the challenge to come up with your own conclusion on life. And in your search, you may be tempted, just like Solomon, to make sense out of life without any consideration of God. You might be tempted as well to try to make sense out of life without any consideration of those things above the sun, you see. But Solomon, if you were here, he would tell you, well, wait, before you begin your search, please, just come along with me. Come along with me. And if you're tempted to make sense of it, come along with me because you may discover something. And you may be interested in discovering what I found out in my under-the-sun journeys. So he's done a lot of the hard work for us here, he would say. And again, as we go along with him, we discover that life, this life that we're living, living under the context, under the sun, it's a dead-end street. Unfulfilling. Dead-end street. Solomon says, if you don't believe me, let's go. Let's start out on this journey. Let me take you down a few roads. In fact, let me take you down three specific streets. And we're going to go down these streets without God. And we're going to go down these streets solely under the sun, if you will. We're going to be constrained by that. So here we are. We find ourselves at street number one that he wants to take us down. Street number one. Street number one is the pursuit of mere knowledge. Street number one, the pursuit of mere knowledge. Can we find fulfillment down a street where we're focused solely on gaining knowledge? Good question. That's verses 16 through 18. Let's read this. Road number one. Verse 16 through 18. He says, I communed with my heart, saying, look, I have attained greatness and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge. And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceive that this also is grasping for the wind. Verse 18. For in much wisdom is much grief. And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. Let's stop there. So this is the street he went down. It's the street in pursuit of wisdom and knowledge. So what is he saying here? Is he saying that the dumber you are, well, the easier it is you'll find fulfillment. No, that's not what he's saying. What he's asking is, can I truly be fulfilled solely in a pursuit of education? Can all of life's answers be found in mere education? It is a good question. So Solomon is thinking that we can just make sure we're wise enough. If we can just make sure we're educated enough, then somehow or another, this is the place where we'll make sense of it all. And this is the place, education is the place where we'll find fulfillment. In other words, if I increase in wisdom, if I experience most wisdom and knowledge and apply myself to education, everything will work out. Well, what he found out was that education in and of itself was not the answer.

Now, if you think about that, it is true. There's a notion in society that says education is the answer to everything. Education is the answer to everything. It's the notion that if we simply educate people enough, then they'll be fulfilled and they'll begin to do good things and they'll stop doing bad things. For example, if we simply put up a big sign about the hazards of smoking, if we simply just educate them enough on these matters, then they'll stop doing the bad thing, and that education will eliminate smoking altogether.

But what do you see? What do you see when you visit the nation's best hospitals? With some of the most educated and brightest employees working there, what do you see? Well, on their breaks, they're standing on the side of the building in the designated smoking areas. They're inducing lung cancer into themselves. That's what you find. And it's not because they're dumb. It's not because they're dumb. It's because education, in and of itself, is insufficient to bring about the answers to life. Education itself cannot be the sole answer. That's what Solomon is saying. There's something else that would be needed there. What would be needed there is a moral education, right? A moral education. But remember, on this journey, we cannot consider that. This street allows no consideration for God. You remember, we're going on this journey with Solomon. No consideration above the sun. So we can't consider that. So if education solely could bring about fulfillment, education under the sun, if it could solely bring about fulfillment, then why haven't our universities and colleges become the place of peace and tranquility?

Now, this is not an argument. I just want to repeat again. This is not an argument that's opposed to education. The Bible is very clear. The importance of a basis of an education. Of course. But with Solomon, the point he's making is, what I thought was down that street, in my pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, what I thought would be there, it wasn't. I didn't find it. Life's answers, true fulfillment, will not be found down that street. So that's the first street he takes us down. Under the sun. Under the sun. Will fulfillment and meaning come from the pursuit of mere knowledge? No. No. Well, okay. Okay, maybe it's found down a different street. I know. I got a good street here for you. What about the street in pursuit of pleasure? What about that street? If the first street was a bust, this second street, well, it holds a lot of potential. The second street. Will this pursuit of pleasure, will that bring me fulfillment and meaning? So, road number two, he invites us to take us on, is the street of the pursuit of pleasure. That's road number two. We find this in chapter two, verses one through three. Look at this. Chapter two, verse one through three. He said, in second street here, to go down, I said in my heart, come now, I will test you with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure. But surely this also was vanity. I said of laughter, madness, and of mirth, what does it accomplish? I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under the sun all the days of their life. Let's stop there. In other words, let's get the party started. I just thought of a song. I won't mention it. I won't say it. But let's do what we want. Let's go down. Let's experience the good life, so to speak. Gratify my flesh. I'm gratifying my flesh with wine, the street of pleasure. Oh, wine, pleasure of the flesh. Perhaps that's where I'm going to find what I'm searching for here, fulfillment. I'll just write my own rules. Really doesn't matter what other people say. I'm definitely not interested in anything he has to say. God. I don't want his interference because I'm interested in having a good time down here. Later we'll read that Solomon had vineyards, so he had all the wine he could ask for. Verse 8, we see that he acquired men and women singers. So it was all there. Wine, women, he has buddies there, music. Some would say, oh, it's the perfect Saturday night under the sun.

You know, there's a reason. There's a reason why young men and young women block God out. There's a reason. Because by doing so, it removes any feeling that you're accountable to someone. It removes that feeling. You can block out those feelings. With God blocked out, anything's permissible, isn't it? So can happiness be found in the pleasures of the flesh? Well, Solomon went down that road. I searched my heart to see how I could gratify my flesh, he says. And he had all the means to do so. Verse 3, he says, I laid a hold on folly, he says.

But what's his conclusion? Well, the end of verse 1, end of verse 1, this also was vanity. Verse 2, it's madness. What did it all really accomplish?

Anyone who's been down this road, probably has said that very thing. This is madness.

What am I doing here? What is this accomplishing?

I want to be clear. This is a dead end street. Dead end street. Such emptiness this road brings. If you ever speak to someone who is on this road trying to find fulfillment and happiness on this street, gratification of the flesh, wine, ask them what goes through their mind when they lay their head on their pillow.

Such emptiness. Such sorrow. Such sorrow. And I know you've seen it. Have you ever looked into the eyes of someone who's on this street or has been on it? Look into their eyes. If you're on this street, look into the mirror. What do you see in the eyes of someone on this street? It's just, it's sadness and emptiness. I know you've seen it. You've seen those eyes. It's a dead end street.

So, down the pursuit of mere knowledge, down the pursuit of the pleasure of flesh, both don't have what we're looking for.

Well, I got a good one. I got a good street. Our third and final street to consider, the street of the pursuit of materialism. Have you thought about that street? Of materialism. So, in street number three, the pursuit of materialism. And that's what he suggests here in chapter two, verse four through eight. Chapter two, verse four through eight.

Verse four. I made my works great. I built myself houses. I planted myself vineyards. I made myself gardens, orchards. I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. I acquired male and female servants and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions and herds and flocks than all those who were in Jerusalem before me. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of the kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds. Stop there. So, if stuff was the key to it all, he was holding the key in his hands. If stuff was the key. But the fact is, he didn't have that key, did he? He didn't hold the key in his hands. Do I really think that I can purchase something? Do I really think that I can own something or wear something or live somewhere or take a vacation? Do I really think that I can obtain some stuff that will answer these deep longings that I have inside of me? Longings for it to be fulfilled. Will stuff really do that? This book says no. Solomon tells you no. Stuff won't do it. And this guy was wealthy. This guy was wealthy, more so than anyone you would ever meet. And he went right down the end of that materialism road. And what did he find? The answer wasn't there. It wasn't there. So again, the summary, verse 9 through 11. Verse 9 through 11. So I became great and excelled more than all those who were before me in Jerusalem, also made wisdom. Also, my wisdom remained with me. Whatever my eyes desired, I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor. And this was my reward from all my labor. Then I looked up on all the works in which my hands had done and on the labor in which I had told. And indeed, all was vanity, grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun. There you have it. And these are some of the common streets that men and women take, looking for fulfillment.

Now, it's fascinating that at the end of this chapter, at the end of chapter 2, he does something interesting. And we find him, Solomon, doing this periodically through this letter. And what he does for just a brief moment, for a brief moment, he breaks through that canopy that he had put over. He breaks through that canopy in which he was keeping God out. And he says, let's just try, as he was saying, let's just try to make sense of this life under the sun. Well, just for a moment, every so often, he breaks through. And when he does, he then is able to have a perspective from those things higher, higher heavenly considerations. Every so often, he allows himself to do this, to view things above the sun. And we see one such moment here in chapter 2. Look at verse 24 through 26. Look at this. Staying here in chapter 2, but going down to verse 24 through 26. Breaks through for just a moment. He says, nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. For who can eat or who can have enjoyment more than I? For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in his sight, but to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and collecting that he may give it to him who is good before God. This also is vanity, grasping for the wind. Let's stop there. Let me read you verse 24 and 25 from the NIV version. Just listen to this for a moment. Verse 24 and 25. A person can do nothing better than to eat in the drink and find satisfaction in their tool. This, too, I see is from the hand of God. For without him who can eat or find enjoyment? He asked that question. Without God, who can eat and find enjoyment? That's a good question, isn't it?

Now, let's not misunderstand. The Bible is not suggesting that knowledge or education or the right kind of pleasure or having some enjoyment from material success. The Bible is not suggesting that somehow or another that's innately a bad thing or inherently wrong. It's not saying that. But what Solomon is saying is that denying God robs all those things ultimately of their meaning. Without God, all those things will never bring you fulfillment. That's what he's saying. For who can eat and who can find enjoyment? Without him, without God, no matter how hard you try, without God, you will never be fulfilled in this life.

Because look at verse 26. What does it say? Verse 26. What did it tell us? For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in his sight. But to the sinner, the one who blocks God out, he gives the work of gathering and collecting that he may give it to him who is good before God. So you can work, gather, and collect in this life. If you're with God, then you will receive wisdom, knowledge, and joy. Or you can work, gather, and collect. And without him, you'll remain empty. So for example, for example, without God, you may say, you know, if I could only graduate, if I could only get this diploma, it'll be the best day of my life. I'll get my diploma, and I'll truly be fulfilled. And you went home, and you have some fulfillment, but pretty quickly, you just say, ah, this isn't what I thought it was going to be.

Or without God, you could just experience, if I could just experience this fleshly pleasure, oh, if I could just experience this fleshly pleasure. Or if I could just have that shiny new thing, then my life will be fulfilled.

But it won't be. Why? Because life and those things lived solely under the sun will never provide you what you seek, because things under the sun never truly give wisdom, knowledge, and joy to a man or a woman. Why? Why is that? Verse 26, because only God gives.

Only God gives. So you will never be truly satisfied. You will never truly feel fulfillment if you block them out.

My wife and I, we grew up in the church, and in our early 20s, we turned our back on God. We put up a canopy so thick, you couldn't imagine. Box God out, living our lives solely under the sun. We were traveling down these streets, making big bucks, six figures. Y'all, is that how you say it? Six figures, big house, nice clothes, beamer sitting in the driveway.

We'd sit down at dinner at night on our nice mahogany dining table, and all you'd hear is the clanging of priceless silver on designer plates. Silence. Silence.

We were miserable. Absolutely miserable.

Within three months, we'd be separated from each other, heading down to divorce.

We had everything you could imagine under the sun. If you want to talk to me sometime, I've been down some of these roads, and I can tell you, dead in streets, dead in streets, every single one of them. And except for the grace of God, I'd still be there. I'd still be there, empty, miserable, meaningless, searching for answers, desperately trying to find fulfillment from all these things, never finding it. But in His mercy, He rescued my wife and I. In His love, He removed that canopy that we put up.

And He showed us a few things on that day. I want to share them with you. What He showed us is that life can be fulfilling. That life can be fulfilling. You can have a fulfilling life beyond your imagination, here on this earth, but it's not found on those streets, and it's not found without Him.

And He showed us that not only would you not find fulfillment without Him, but He also showed us that there was a devastating consequence with our wandering in this lifetime without Him, and down those dead-end streets. A devastating consequence. Without Him, not only was there not going to be any fulfillment, but there was just this consequence He showed me. I want to show it to you. Let's turn to Isaiah 53, if you will. Isaiah 53. If you have a Bible, I do want you to turn here and see this.

Isaiah 53. Here is the prophet Isaiah, and he writes, and he's speaking of humanity, men and women, and he's going to compare men and women to sheep, and he's going to tell us that as sheep, men and women have gone astray, and he's going to say, you've gone your own way. You've gone down your own street without me. You've chosen your own path, and by doing so, you've enacted a severe consequence. Look at this. Isaiah 53 and verse 6. This is what I was shown when the canopy was lifted. Isaiah 53. Just look at the first part of verse 6.

Isaiah 53 verse 6. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. So let's stop there for a moment. So many. All have turned to his or her own way. Each of us have gone without God, and when you've gone without God down that street, listen to how the verse ends. Again, verse 6. All we, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us have turned to his or her own way. And then look how it ends. And the Lord, that's God the Father, has laid on him, that's Jesus Christ, the iniquity of us all. Let's stop there. Do you understand what this is saying? So, by me, blocking God out, by me going my own way, my rebellion against God brings about this iniquity. Sin. It brings it upon me by going down those streets, by blocking him out. Well, that's sin. And the consequence is I now have iniquity placed on me. Shutting God out, it has that consequence. And because he is a just God, because he's a just God, he determined that the consequences of sin, the consequences of that iniquity, of me blocking him out, would be spiritual death placed on me. Spiritual death. I would bring upon myself living without God. That's the consequence of iniquity. That's the consequence of walking down these roads. Spiritual death is placed on me. But what has happened then? God placed that iniquity that I brought about... On who?

On Jesus Christ. You read it. There at the end of verse 6, And the Lord has laid on him... That's Jesus Christ, the iniquity of us all. So my wanderings, my sin, my iniquity has been put on him. Why?

Why did God the Father do that? And why did Jesus Christ agree to take my iniquity upon himself?

Because unless Jesus would take this iniquity, my iniquity upon himself, then I would be destined solely to a life here under the sun. This would be it for me. There would be no future for me beyond this life. Except that he did this for me. Except that he did this for you.

That's why when Jesus came, he said, I am come that you might have life. He said those words, powerful words. I'm going to take your iniquity so that you may have life. You have to read those words with me. Let's turn to John 10. This will be our last passage. John 10, turn there with me.

Verse 7 through 11.

John 10, verse 7 through 11. Oh, read these words. So we saw Isaiah compared us to sheep. As sheep, we've gone our own way. We've gone down those streets without God.

John 10, verse 7 through 11. By doing so, we have this consequence of spiritual death then enacted. Jesus Christ came to remove that consequence from his sheep. Look at this. John 10, verse 7 through 11. This is powerful. Then Jesus said to them again, most assuredly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Let's stop there.

I hope you hear that. So Jesus came to give his life. He took that death consequence so that I could have an abundant life now, here under the sun, and so I could have an abundant life to come. He did that for me. The end of verse 10, I have come, he says, that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. So in him, in him, these answers are found. In him, true fulfillment, true joy, an abundant life is then found. He is the door to your fulfillment.

Thieves and robbers will lie waiting for you down those dead-end streets. And they want to steal, they want to kill, they want to destroy you. So don't go down them.

You see, Jesus came to give his life so that you and I could have a life beyond imagination.

After God removed the canopy from my wife and I's life, there has been more fulfillment than I could ever express in words. And that's after we lost all that stuff. We lost all the stuff that we had picked up down those roads. Lost it all. And we were more fulfilled than we ever could have imagined. Ever. And I ask you, do you want to know that life? Do you want to know that life that Jesus Christ is offering you?

An abundant life. Enter in through him. That's what my wife and I discovered. And I pray that you find it.

So here it is. Here it is. This tells me that Jesus Christ died for me. His death was caused by my disobedience. My wanderings. My iniquity. And in the awareness of such immense love that's been given to me, I refuse to go down those streets. I will not block him out. And I'll say to God, I don't want to turn my back on you. I want to turn my back on all those ways, on all those things where I know to do right and I didn't do it. I'm going to turn my back on those things. I want to discover this life that Jesus Christ has offered me. Pray those words.

And as you think things through, you may be wondering, well, how do I do that? How do I discover this life that's being offered to me? Well, simply thank him tonight. Thank him for taking the consequence on him, on his son. Ask for forgiveness. And then do better. Turn more to obedience. Turn away from that disobedience. And as you grow older, and as those dead-end streets begin to open up to you, just say no. Don't go down on them. Why? Why? Because you have been given a love. Oh, what a love you've been given. And that is your soul motivation in life.

If anyone asks you why you do what you do, why you live your life the way you do, if anyone asks you why are you obedient to the law, why do you go to church on Saturday instead of Sunday? If anyone asks you why do you give up football games on Friday night, why do you do that? If someone asks you why did you not go to this school function that you really wanted to go to because it was on a Saturday?

Why do you put yourself through feeling a little out of place every day by how you live, by not going along down these roads? If someone asks you why you do those things, you tell them you're responding to love. Your whole life is responding to a love that's been given to you. God gave you his son. His son volunteered his life for you, and you're so grateful for that you want to show your love back to him.

And how do you show your love back to him? Well, you open your Bible and you begin to read, and you begin to read, and you read, oh, if you love me, keep my commandments. If you love me, don't go down that road. That's how you show love and respond to the love that's been given to you. Keep the commandments. That's your motivation. Love. Simple.

Well, did you know that in the end, Solomon does something that may have been a little unexpected? He changes his conclusion. Did you know Solomon changes his conclusion in the end? Let's turn back there. Let's go back. This is a fitting place to begin to finish. Ecclesiastes 12, as we conclude. Ecclesiastes 12 in verses 13 and 14. Let's go to the very end. Conclude now with the preacher's now changed conclusion. Conclusion. It's wonderful. I'm so glad he gets to this point. Let's finish with these final words here. The new conclusion on the whole matter. Ecclesiastes 12, verse 13 and 14. We now have this well-traveled Solomon finally removing the canopy, I believe. It blocked God out for so long. So wonderful to see this. Ecclesiastes 12, verses 13 and 14. Let us hear the conclusion on the whole matter. I thought he already gave it to us. Well, it's changed. Fear God and keep His commandments. For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. Isn't that wonderful? Here's the movie twist, if you will. Every good story has a twist. We just thought we knew the conclusion, didn't we? Well, Solomon, he gives us a twist here. The new conclusion on the whole matter. Fear God and keep His commandments. You understand now why he comes to this new conclusion, don't you? Reverence Him. Honor Him. Fear Him. Love Him. Why? Because you know now an incredible love that's been given to you. Respond to His love. Live a life that honors that love that's been given to you. Keep His commandments. That's how you show me you love me, he says.

What a wonderful new conclusion. And in the end, when your works, when your life is brought forth, you'll be able to stand tall. Stand tall. Not that you were perfect, but you'll be able to stand tall because you had perfect desire to love Him. Stand tall because you had perfect effort. You never stopped putting forth your effort. Stand tall because every morning you woke up determined to walk with Him. That's how you stand tall in the end. You see, the preacher writes this whole book in such a way to say the meaningless verdict, that meaningless verdict, that conclusion, vanity of vanities, he writes this book in a way to say that doesn't have to be your conclusion. You don't have to conclude that. He ends this book by saying I was able to tear down the canopy. And I hope by you traveling with me that you can too, or just don't even put it up. You're young enough in your life where you don't even have to put it up.

God made you do experience all of His fullness, all of His blessing, all of His love, all of the wonder of His love. Just don't block them out. Vanity of vanities? No, that's not your life. Meaningless? No, because I'm not going to put up a canopy. My life has meaning. God made you discover in your life these things. May you live your life under a different sun, not the S-U-N, the S-O-N. Live your life under the Son of God, dedicated to Him. And as you walk down the streets of life, may you always keep Him with your path.