Striving After Wind
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes 1 (ESV)
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
3 What does man gain by all the toil
at which he toils under the sun?
4 A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
and hastens to the place where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
and goes around to the north;
around and around goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns.
7 All streams run to the sea,
but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they flow again.
8 All things are full of weariness;
a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already
in the ages before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things,
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things yet to be
among those who come after.
12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 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. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be made straight,
and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 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.” 17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.
18 For in much wisdom is much vexation,
and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Sermon Outline
A world that is meant to be brimming with life is full of weariness (v8).
1. Grasping for life
v2 “all is vanity”
vv14, 17 “striving after wind”
2. Struggling for productivity
v3 “what does man gain by all the toil…?”
v15 “what is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted”
v12 “it is an unhappy business”
3. Longing for something new
v10 “is there a thing of which it is said ‘see, this is new’?”
Matthew 11:28-30
Prayer of Confession
God of glory and grace, grant to us the eternal life offered in Jesus Christ. We are weary. We are tired of grasping for life and striving after wind. We admit we have depended too much on ourselves, and have assumed we know more than we know and can control more than we can control. We are burdened by our own inability. We feel guilty for how we have failed. We suffer shame from not being good enough. Forgive us for trusting in ourselves and for hoping in the things you have made, rather than trusting and hoping in you. Grant to us the forgiveness of sins, the gift of peace, and breathe the Spirit of life into us. Give rest to our souls, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
What adjective would you use to describe how you are feeling in your current season of life? Does it connect in any way with the word “weary”?
What are you striving for in life? What is the greatest thing you can imagine attaining?
What role does productivity play in your life? What is good and helpful in your attitude about productivity? How does your attitude towards productivity create challenges?
How are you affected by the limits of what you can know? How do you deal with it?
How does being unable to fix or change something affect you? How do you deal with it?
Does the bigness of the world draw you in to transcendence and exuberance, or a feeling of being small and meaningless? Why?
Why is it wise to accept Jesus’ invitation to come to him to find rest? Reflect on these verses and take note of specific things that can address some of our deepest needs: Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
What practices can make your spiritual life a spring that fills the whole of your life?