Let us go to the Lord in prayer. Our Father in heaven, we approach your throne of grace this Lord's Day and we desire to magnify your name. We pray that you would help us to receive your word. We pray that your Spirit would work in our hearts shaping us and fashioning us into the image of your dear son. We pray that the truth that is proclaimed, we pray Lord that it would find true lodging in our hearts. She would work an effectual work given us a desire for you more than any desires of this earth. We ask that you'd help us to speak without fear or favor of man, but for the sole purpose of magnifying your holy name. We pray for those who could not make it today. We know there are multiple problems, physical problems, some with spiritual problems. We pray that you heal, as a great physician only can. We ask that you use our lives, that our lives would not be just vanity of vanities, but help us to keep focus of our purpose in life for your glory. We'll give you the praise for Christ's sake. Amen. You have your Bibles turned to the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 2. As you're turning there I will let you know this past week seems like the Lord has impressed upon my heart the urgency of preaching the gospel. There is in our day and time, I believe, a shortness of time. Evil is running rampant. Laws are not being enforced. And a lawless society becomes a godless society. Therefore, it's all the more need for people to hear about our Lord Jesus Christ. We're not gonna be here forever on this earth. Our lives may be shorter than what we think. They may be longer than what we think. But this I know, the only thing that can change people's hearts and lives is the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I pray that you sense that urgency also of how people need the Lord. He needs to be the center of our heart, the center of our thoughts, the center of our service and work in all that we do. As we look at the book of Ecclesiastes, what we see King Solomon is writing and he's speaking of his experience. And if you're not careful, you can get caught up in the same mindset as Solomon and say vanity of vanities, all is vanity. It's just all emptiness. And when you say vanity of vanities, he's saying extreme emptiness. It's not just emptiness, but it's extremely empty. In chapter one, what we saw, Solomon basically concluded that there is nothing that satisfies in this life. He had looked at wisdom and he's looking at education, he's looking at, it all comes up empty. If I were to ask you one question tonight, I would ask you this one question and you fill in the blank. Now I don't want you to blurt out your blank feeling. I want you to think about it. And how would you fill in this blank? For me to be happy, I need blank. How would you fill in the blank? For me to be happy, I need... Maybe I do want you to blurt it out. I'd like to know what some of you are thinking. Okay. I think of as we look at news we see many coming across our border. What's in their mind? What are they thinking as they're coming across the border? What's their purpose? What's their goal? What are they trying to achieve? What are they trying to attain in life by going many miles, paying out much money, being indebted to cartels, women getting raped, children going missing? What are they thinking as far as that question? For me to be happy, I need What? I don't know what they're thinking, but this one thing I could kind of summarize what they are thinking is more. They want more. What do they want more of? Some want more things. Some want more dollars. Some want to steal more. Some want to fulfill their flesh more. Some undoubtedly, from what we hear, not from mainstream media, some desire to rape and kill more. There are some, I have no doubt, that have infiltrated our U.S. to overthrow more. Those who are coming across have a false way of thinking. The American dream is a false dream. They're chasing after smoke. They're chasing after the wind. When they grasp it, they don't have what they thought they would get. Although our government is giving much, let me tell you something, they'll never be satisfied with what they're trying to get. Solomon had everything this world could offer. He was a king. He was wealthy. He had the ability and the power to try anything he liked. And what we see in chapter two, Solomon starts giving details of his search for the meaning of life. He moves from wisdom in chapter one. And he sees that he's come up empty. Education, no one more. It's all vanity. And because everything he's seeing is coming up vanity, chapter two, he starts out pursuing after pleasure. In other words, if there is no purpose in life and all is vanity, Why should I not just seek to please myself? Might as well party as hardy as I can if there's no meaning to life. I might as well fulfill every desire I have and that I can think of if there is no meaning to life. Let me tell you, if there is no God, Why are there rules? Why are there laws? Why can't everybody just do whatever they want? Many people try pleasures simply to numb themselves of the reality of life. To distract from the emptiness that's in their life. Solomon's search in chapter two starts with pleasure. Our more modern-day term is hedonism. To sum it up, you've probably heard the saying, eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die. In other words, live it up with all you got, because you're liable to die tomorrow. With no answers in life, Solomon turns to hedonism. And notice what he says in verse one, I said in my heart. In other words, he ain't talking to anybody else, he's just talking to himself. I said in my heart, go to now, I will prove you, I will test you with mirth. Pleasure, therefore enjoy pleasure. And you know what? He concluded that very quick. He says, and behold, look, this also is vanity. This is emptiness. He told his heart to enjoy pleasure. One of the songs that come to my mind from years ago I'll show my fleshly side. Hot fun in the summertime. Remember that song? Anybody? Some of you all do. Some of you wouldn't admit to it. That's what many people do. They strive to have hot fun in the summertime. They want to live it up so therefore they're seeking pleasure. They have what Solomon's got here. He's seeking And he's trying to fulfill the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh. And let me tell you something, there's nothing wrong with pleasure. There's nothing wrong with pleasure, but it must be under self-control. God has given us desires. God has given us life to enjoy. God has given us things that cause pleasure. There's nothing wrong with that, but you better exercise self-control. You might say back in the day when Solomon reigned, Solomon was the ancient party animal. He lived it to the hilt. He wanted to get all of life that he could. Listen to what it says back in 2 Kings. In 2 Kings 4, or it's 1 Kings, 1 Kings 4, notice down in verse 22, Solomon's provisions for one day was 30 measures of fine flour, three score measures of meal, 10 fat oxen. Now just one fat oxen will go a long way. We're talking 10 fat oxen and 20 oxen out of the pastures. That's 30 oxen. That's a lot of beef. That could feed a lot of people. A hundred sheep on top of that. besides hearts, and robux, and fatlodeer, and fatted fowl. For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the river from Typsa even to Aza, over all the kings on this side of the river, and he had peace on all sides round about." Daily. Did you get that? This is daily what they feasted upon. Let me tell you they feasted. That, according to one commentator, is enough to feed about 30,000 people. You see, Solomon had it all. And yet Solomon, with all he had, he said, it's emptiness, it's vanity of all the pleasures. So being pleasure, he came to an end of it He says in verse two, I said of laughter, it is mad, and of mirth, what doeth it? Solomon said, I'm gonna try laughter and comedy. What Solomon is trying to do is escape the reality of the vanity that he's running into. So he's trying to laugh. and is trying to fill his life with comedies. How many of us watch old shows that is clean comedy? Please don't be watching new shows with nasty comedies. I love Lucy. How many people have ever gone into a Lucy binge? That's willing to admit it. Okay. We got one volunteer there that didn't volunteer. It's kind of like Chuck Swindoll preached a sermon one time and he said a man went in for counseling and he was going through some deep depression and the counselor basically advised him that you need some comedy in your life. You need some comedy relief. come to find out the man was a comedian that he was counseling. You know, the escapism really does not work. Look at, more recently and up to date, Robin Williams. Robin Williams was a tremendous comedian. He cheered a lot of people in life. But you know what, it was all a cover up because of his depression. He took his own life. Look at what's popular in our day and time. Amongst young people, YouTube, TikTok, these little things. And what do they do? They entertain themselves with all these TikTokers and YouTubers. And some of that's funny. Some of it, you know, it's worth a laugh. But none of that, as far as comedy and laughter, can provide any depth to life. There's nothing in it that gives us a basis for life. It just masks our problems in life. It doesn't solve life's problems. I like to laugh as much as the next person. I enjoy laughter. But this I know, laughter has no deep substance to it. Laughter is not evil, nor is comedy. But what we find here, Solomon very quickly leaves the comedy bar and goes across the street to the wine bar. It says in verse three, I sought in my heart to give myself unto wine. yet acquainting my heart with wisdom, and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men." He's seeking, he's searching, but he's seeking it through alcohol, is what the Word of God is telling us. Which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. If you notice here, Solomon is searching, like many people do in a sports bar, a drinking bar. Many people will go through a lot of substance abuse, whether it be through alcohol substance or whether it be through drugs. They abuse to numb the pain that they go through in life. Was Solomon drinking himself drunk to find the meaning of life? Or, as the passage says, He retained his wisdom while he was drinking. Was he drinking and not getting drunk? If you look at the passage of scripture, it says, he gave himself unto wine, yet acquainting his heart with wisdom. There's a balance there where he was not getting drunk. I believe Solomon in all of his searching, he was searching every which way he could, therefore he drank, Yet he did not get drunk. He tried to apply his wisdom with the wine. But right after that, he says, and to lay hold on folly. Therefore, I believe he got drunk. I believe he tried figuring things out drinking without getting drunk. And I believe he tried to figure things out by getting drunk and being foolish. He lay hold on folly, that's the drunkenness. And what he's trying to do in verse 3, he's saying he's trying to find out what he might see what is good for the sons of men. But he's limited by nature and by space, by time. He's not thinking about that which is eternal. By space he's only looking at under the sun. He's not looking beyond the sun. By his own human nature he is limited because he is not seeking God as he's seeking the purpose of life. He's only looking at things under the heaven, not that which is above heaven. So he's limited himself in his search, though his search is quite thorough as far as under the heaven. But let me tell you, he must go higher than under the heaven to find the true answers. What we find in verses 4 through 8, Solomon just seeks for achievements and accomplishments in life. He's doing great things. He's doing great works. He's building. He's building. And boy, he's accomplishing great buildings. Notice what he says in verse four, I made me great works. Where is that focus? It's focused upon me. It's almost like I remember Berlin Heisel years ago, he would say, when somebody, it was his daughter, she would come in and she would brag about something that she had done and she would say, daddy, daddy, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look what I've done, look, look, look. And he said, she sounded like a clucking hen And it's all the focus is on me. Solomon says, I made me great works. He built for himself and for his own glory. What did he build? Notice what he says, I built in me houses. Solomon built a house that took him 13 years. But here it says plurality, he built houses. You gotta remember, Solomon had 700 wives. That's a lot of houses. You know you're not going to have 700 wives in a mall dwelling in one house. You talk about a fight. I doubt two could live in one house being married to the same man. He built houses and let me tell you, he built a lot of houses. He did great works. He didn't only build houses. You remember Solomon built the temple? And that was a beautiful sight. These are great accomplishments. You can read about those in 1 Kings chapter 5 and 6. But the Word of God tells us that He also built shrines for all these women that had all these different gods Can you imagine how many buildings Solomon built? He used forced labor. And therefore he accomplished great works is what he called it. He didn't stop as far as building houses. Let me pause there for a minute. My questions start out for me to be happy, I need a bigger house. Anybody ever thought that? Solomon built, built, probably built a mountain house. Maybe had a beach house. Oh, if only I had a beach house, then I'd be happy. Or if only I had a house up there in Pigeon Forge or somewhere like... Boy, I'd be happy. You know what? Solomon says, no you wouldn't. Solomon tried all that. The Word of God says he built vineyards. No, he says, I built me vineyards. Vineyards? What do you have vineyards for? For wine? Well, he has the choices of drink. He also built gardens. He built orchards, had fruit trees. And I have no doubt it was very volumous. He said he had an irrigation system. Notice what it says in verse 6. I may make pools of water to water therewith the wood that brings forth trees. I imagine he had an irrigation system that was out of this world. You think about what Solomon's doing and all he's building with all these gardens and all these orchards, all these vineyards, all these different kinds of fruits, all this water irrigating, everything is growing. Almost sounds like he's trying to rebuild the Garden of Eden. Wouldn't that be nice? Problem is, it did not satisfy. You know what? You can build your Garden of Eden, but without God, it's not going to satisfy. you're not gonna find happiness. Solomon, as he is building, he's got this irrigation system. Listen to what else it says over in 1 Kings once again. 1 Kings chapter four, as a matter of fact, once again, down in verse 33. He spake of trees from the cedar tree. that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that springs out of the wall. He spake also of beasts, of fowl, of creeping things, of fishes. Solomon was full of wisdom. He was not only a horticulturist, he was a, boy, he knew all about the animals. That would be a zoologist, I guess. He probably even knew all about the bugs, too, Jessica. He just had this wisdom about all these things. And the Word of God tells us that he had power and prestige. He says in verse 7, I got me servants and maidens and had servants born in my house. Now what would one have a servant for? He could iron his clothes, cook his food, clean the house, do whatever he said, whatever he commanded. He had power over servants. That was a lot of power. He said, I had great possessions of great and small cattle, above all that were in Jerusalem before me. He says in verse 8, I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces. I gat me men singers and women singers. Solomon bought his own choir, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts, he had an orchestra." And I imagine it was quite a phenomenal orchestra. He bought a choir and an orchestra to sing and play for him whenever he wanted. Now, isn't that extravagant? When you think of all that Solomon had, back in 1 Kings, in chapter 11, and down in verse four, the word of God says, in verse three, and he had 700 wives, princesses. In other words, they were of royal lineage. And the word of God says, and he had 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. Now you know what, there were probably political marriages, forming alliances with other nations with all those 700 wives. Not all of them. If he saw a woman, he wanted that woman, he got that woman. But, I want you to notice the 300 concubines. A concubine was simply for sexual pleasure. Boy, it's getting blunt tonight, but that's a fact. Now you think about it, Solomon is seeking every type of pleasure that he can. He is seeking it, he is seeking it. And you know what, that's the same today. Many people are seeking it. Seeking sexual pleasure, deviant sexual pleasure. they might have more women than Solomon had. Because of the Internet, because of pornography, and because of all the garbage that goes around in our day and time, many people are looking for an ultimate experience. And you know what happens? They continually come back empty. One experience after another and they keep striving and grasping for the wind and not able to attain it. Many live their lives for pleasure. As I said, there is nothing evil in and of itself with pleasure, but you can make it evil if you have not self-control. Many people in our day and time live for entertainment. Isn't that true? How many of y'all watched Kentucky yesterday? If you watched, you had pleasure watching if you like watching Kentucky because they played pretty good on one end of the court. But you know what, that don't last long when they lose. All of a sudden it's gone. We have, in our lives, had so many things added to our lives just to entertain us so we don't be bored. You ever notice that? to make life easier and actually most things make things more complicated. How many people do you know that live for the weekend? I'll go into a bank or go somewhere and they'll say, what you got planned for the weekend? They don't know me. If they don't know me, I'm going like, I'm glad you asked. I'll tell them what I got planned for the weekend. After they get to know me, they don't ask me no more. But how many people are actually living through the week to work through the week for the weekend? There are so many people like that. And it's so sad. The more they try to fulfill their appetite for pleasures, the more they are left empty. We read, or used to be, all the beer commercials, and you remember, grab all the gusto, or there was the liquor commercials, there was the cigarette commercials. Most of that's kind of done away with, but you know what? They try to make you think, boy, that's the life. That's the living. They don't show you. the one who's been drinking because of the Super Bowl and they drink all night, they don't show you them hugging the toilet, spitting up in it the rest of the morning. They don't show you the effects of sin, they just show you the pleasures of sin. It's very deceptive. Let me ask you once again, what do you really desire? What is it that really satisfies? In verse nine, back in our text, Solomon said, so I was great. Boy, you talk about the big head. He had the big head, but it's because of all he accomplished. He accomplished more than anybody else. He says, so I was great. and I increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem. There's a little bit of boastfulness going on here, I believe. Also my wisdom retained or remained with me. And then he says in verse 10, whatsoever. Now whatsoever includes whatsoever. whatsoever mine eyes desired, I kept not from them. If I saw something with my eyes and I desired it, I got it." He also goes on to say, "...I withheld not my heart from any joy." His eyes and his heart led him into sin. For my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my portion of all my labor. All this work I did, I'm rejoicing in it. I saw something I wanted. If my heart desired something, I didn't see it, but my heart desired it, I got it. Solomon is trying anything and everything. One of the passages of scripture over in Timothy talks about, in the last days men shall be lovers of themselves more than lovers of God. In other words, they're going to seek to satisfy whatever their hearts desire and whatever their eyes desire. And they're going to pursue it and pursue it because the center of their universe is I. And if you notice what Solomon has been saying, he's been saying, me, me, me, me, me, I. His focus is upon himself. What is Solomon's conclusion to all this? Of striving and getting everything he wanted. What is it that you need? to make you happy. Solomon says in verse 11, we conclude in verse 11 for now. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do, and behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit. And there was no prophet under the sun. Solomon is simply saying, It's all emptiness. Doesn't matter if it's pleasure. Doesn't matter if it's fame. Doesn't matter if it means building houses, building temples, building shrines, building a 13-year house. Think of 13 years building on a house. And that's forced labor doing it. You can imagine how vast and big that house was. Solomon realizes he's just grasping at the wind. He's just chasing after the bubbles and catching bubbles and it's all ending up empty. Indulging in your life whatever feels good can be very dangerous. The saying, I don't know if you ever heard this saying, follow your heart. That can be very dangerous. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. And if you hear somebody say, follow your heart, you need to correct them. We're to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. You follow your heart, you're gonna end up in trouble. It leads to emptiness and it'll lead to brokenness. That's what Solomon is saying here. There is a term. and that has been termed and coined in our day and time. As we look at this pleasure-seeking that Solomon sought, it is called hedonism. Hedonism, there is a term which John Piper come up with called Christian hedonism, or Christian pleasures, seeking pleasure. Should we as God's children seek pleasure?" Don't answer too quick. Should you seek pleasure being a child of God? We find pleasure when we treasure God. If He is our treasure, He is who we hope for and long for. He is who we hunger and thirst after. You know what? If He is our pleasure, that is a good thing we seek. John Piper also mentioned this comment, and it's one he's pretty much renowned for. And some of you may know this. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. And you know what? That's the truth. God is most glorified in our lives when our lives are most satisfied in Him. What do I need to make me happy? I'll be happy and I'll be satisfied when I find my satisfaction in God. Is that where your satisfaction is tonight? We can seek the things of this world and you can look at all things under the sun Things have multiplied since Solomon's time. You can look under the sun all you want, but let me tell you, all the things under the sun will not satisfy. You need to look to the sun, the Lord Jesus Christ. Only he can satisfy our most longings of our heart, the deepest longings of our heart, only he can satisfy. I pray that you know him. If you have not committed your life to the Lord, surrender to Him. We're gonna give a hymn of invitation. There was a song I remember, it just come to my mind. Are You Tired of Chasing Pretty Rainbows? Anybody remember that song? Anyway, hopefully you're not, hopefully you're tired of chasing the pretty rainbows. and the wind and the bubbles and the things that leave you empty. The only one who can satisfy is our Lord. Let's stand and go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we thank you for your precious word. And Lord, from Solomon's perspective, truly things are vanity. Vanity of vanities when we seek the things of this world. We ask that you'd help us to seek you more wholeheartedly, with a pure heart, a singleness of heart. And truly our satisfaction lies with you. The things of this world will ever leave us empty, because of sinfulness and how sin has affected all things of this world. But your word has told us of a better day coming when you're gonna make a new heavens and a new earth. All things will be made new. Lord, we can look around and see much fault all around us. We've all got faults. I can look in the mirror and see faults. Lord, we ask that you'd help us to hunger for you. You alone are worthy of our praise. Work in our midst to your glory for Christ's sake. Amen. We're going to sing, Give Me Jesus. If the Lord is dealing in your heart, would you make things right with him?