When Life Feels Empty
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Show up ready to work HARD!!!! We’re only going to have about an hour to set EVERYTHING up!
So we want to share another lifehack this morning to help us out when life feels empty.
What’s a hack? The word has evolved overtime, but today it’s often used to describe a way of dealing with a situation or to make use of a tip or trick to do something more efficiently.
God’s Word is full of life hacks that will aid us as we navigate life’s challenges.
Tell Solomon’s story.
Big Idea: With God in the picture, we can view life from an infinitely better perspective.
We experience lasting fulfillment when we realize that abundant life can never be found in anything other than Jesus.
INTRODUCTION (10 minutes)
Have you ever owned a hamster? I also have been the unfortunate owner of a pet hamster once or twice in my life. But I was at a pet store this week picking up dog food for my dog and I happened to walk by the hamster isle. I just stood there mesmerized for a few moments so I decided to film this little clip for you...
Have you ever owned a hamster? I was at a pet store this week picking up dog food for my dog and I happened to walk by the hamster isle. I just stood there mesmerized for a few moments.
I was amazed at these little guys working so hard to go absolutely nowhere.
Sadly, I thought…my life sometimes feels like that. Some mornings I wake up and feel like a hamster in a cage, running hard and fast on the wheel of life and I’m making a lot of noise but not making any progress.
I’m not alone in this am I?
Same thing, day after day.
According to the 2019 World Happiness Report in which 196 countries participated America is the most addicted country in the world!
“There is an epidemic of addictions in the United States.” -World Happiness Report
“There is an epidemic of addictions in the United States.” -World Happiness Report
-
The US is in the midst of epidemics of several addictions, both of substances and behaviors.
Marijuana: 7% of 18-year-olds, 2% of 50-year-olds;
Illicit drugs, non-marijuana: 8% of 18-year-olds, 5% of 50-year-olds
Tobacco: 15% of US adult population
Alcohol: 10% for older teenagers and adults
Food addiction: 10% of US adult population (= 25% of obese population)
T.V. addiction
Gambling: 1-3% of US adult population
Internet: 2% of US adult population
Exercise: 3-5% of US adult population (22-26% of college youth)
Workaholism: 10% of US adult population
Shopping addiction: 6% of US adult population
Love and sex addiction: 3-6% of adult population
The same annoying colleagues,
“These epidemics are accompanied by rising suicide rates and overdoses related to substance abuse, rising obesity related to eating addictions, and rising adolescent depression apparently related to Internet and related addictions.”
The same mundane meetings,
“These addictions directly lower wellbeing, major impact on poor decision making and outcomes, increases social isolation and stigmatization, more criminal activities to obtain illicit substances or to pursue illicit behaviors, personal shame, and many other kinds of distress...”
The never-ending to-do lists.
Just another day in the office.
Just another day at home.
The same gossipy coworkers.
The same spouse.
The same questions from your kids “Are we there yet?” “Why can’t I have $100?” “Can I get a unicorn for my birthday?”
It’s exhausting and we’ve all been there. Some of us are there right now and we’re wondering...
Is this as good as gets?
What if things never change?
Our problem isn’t staying busy. We’re busy, but we’re also bored.
So we want to share another lifehack this morning to help us out when life feels empty.
What’s a hack? The word has evolved overtime, but today it’s often used to describe a way of dealing with a situation or to make use of a tip or trick to do something more efficiently.
God’s Word is full of lifehacks.
The Bible describes the effect of these seasons on our emotional health...
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
What are we hoping for? What are we hoping in?
When we delight ourselves in the Lord he fulfills the desires of our hearts! And that becomes a tree of life!
EXPLANATION (12 minutes)
Questioning the purpose of life is as old as time. We all want to know what life is all about. And we all lose sight of what life is all about from time to time.
Years ago, a man more powerful than Donald Trump, wealthier than Bill Gates, and more famous than Lebron James asked, “What is the meaning of life?” He recorded his most intimate and deepest thoughts in a journal we know as Ecclesiastes.
His name was King Solomon. He ruled Israel for 40 years and brought 4 decades of peace and prosperity to his nation.
In his early life, he wrote the Song of Solomon a passionate love story between a man and a woman.
In the middle of his reign he wrote Proverbs—a collection of profound statements and principles that provided a foundation of living wisely.
In his later years he wrote Ecclesiastes.
The passion of his youth was gone.
His practical mindset of middle age had passed.
He was now somewhat cynical as he pondered life’s meaning, but he begins with a shocking statement...
“Absolute futility,” says the Teacher.
“Absolute futility. Everything is futile.”
He’s not joking. He’s serious. He’s providing a starting point for a discussion about the meaning of life.
Life without God amounts to nothing.
Life without God amounts to nothing.
Life without God amounts to nothing.
This is what the teacher is saying… Absolute futility. Meaninglessness.
No after life.
No redemption.
No ultimate consequences for our choices.
No hope.
And he starts to ask a series of good questions...
Biblical Explanation # 1
And he begins to build a case...
What does a person gain for all his efforts
that he labors at under the sun?
What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?
Highlight “under the sun”. That’s important. We’ll come back to that.
Ecclesiastes 1:
Two words in this question are important. The first is “Gain”. Profit. Net Gain. Solomon is wondering, “What is left over when the transaction is complete?”
When all is said and done what matters?
When I turn the light out at the end of the day, am I satisfied?
The second word is “labor” or “toil”. It means to “work to the point of exhaustion”! So what happens when you work to the point of exhaustion and experience little or no fulfillment in your work?
Biblical Explanation # 1
In the end, we will die. What’s left over? What have we really achieved? Anything we’ve achieved will eventually be negated by death.
Grief
Misery
Frustration
Confusion
Weariness
Anger
When life feels empty we often grieve, become miserable, get frustrated etc...
We work harder...
We try something else...
We still feel empty...
ILLUSTRATION: Unhappiness in America.
Solomon searched for the meaning of life, and came up empty.
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
Solomon said, I experienced everything this world had to offer and it was like chasing the wind.
He highights the brevity of life...
A generation goes and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
Life can sometimes feel insignificant.
Do you ever wake up and wonder where the last 10 years of your life went?
The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it returns to the place where it rises.
Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind, and the wind returns in its cycles.
All the streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.
Life can sometimes feel too repetitive.
He noticed the up & down repetitive cycles of the sun. He said the sun rises and then sets and then it starts all over again!
Do you work hard all the time, but feel like you always end up back where you started?
Life can often feel directionless.
He noticed the directionless flow of the wind.
Gusts to the south...
Turns to the north...
It’s always changing directions!!
Ever feel like no matter how fast you go you’re getting nowhere?
Life can feel perpetually exhausting!
He noticed the never-ending flow of the rivers into the oceans!
Rivers and streams flow into the ocean without ever filling it!
Do you ever feel like the more time and energy you put into something, the more time and energy is required?
Parenting can feel this way.
Doing the laundry can feel this way!
In verse 9 he strikes a chord...
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.
We know this is true!!
Was Solomon just a miserable old man?
Was Solomon just frustrated that his life didn’t turn out exactly as he thought it would?
Was Solomon upset that he didn’t have more time, more money, more women, more stuff?
Did Solomon really believe that life was meaningless?
I don’t think so. I believe that he was teaching us something about life “under the Sun”.
3 times in this passage he uses the phrase “under the sun”
What does a person gain for all his efforts
that he labors at under the sun?
Ecclesiastes 1:
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
Ecclesiastes 1:
And once, Solomon used the phrase “under heaven”
I applied my mind to examine and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied.
Ecclesiastes 1:
Life without God amounts to nothing.
Life without God amounts to nothing.
Life without God amounts to nothing.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
That’s not to say that a person can’t experience a degree of satisfaction and significance in this life, it simply means that ultimately, apart from a relationship with God, any satisfaction or significance achieved in this life is meaningless.
Fearing God is an important concept in the O.T.
While fear to us often entails feelings of terror or dread, in the O.T. fear indicated awe or reverence.
To O.T. believers, fearing God was expressing loyalty to Him and faithfulness to His word.
This is demonstrated through trust and obedience!
So when does life feel empty? Life feels empty when we view it from our vantage point. It feels empty when we’re living from a human perspective.
From our perspective, life often feels...
When life feels empty trust God and do what He says.
too inconsequential. “generations come & go”
too repetitive. “sun rises and falls”
too directionless. “winds gust to the North and South”
too exhausting. “rivers flow into ocean without filling it.”
When life feels empty I need a new perspective!
APPLICATION (10 minutes)
With God in the picture, I can view life from an infinitely better perspective!
With God in the picture, I can view life from an infinitely better perspective!
When life feels empty, I need to change my perspective before trying to change my circumstances.
Solomon emphasized that everything done “under the sun” that is —apart from God— is worthless.
If all you can see is life “under the sun” and try to explain everything from that perspective, it’s meaningless. It’s like chasing the wind.
So Solomon was speaking from an earthly vantage point. A human perspective.
If all you can see is life “under the sun” and try to explain everything from that perspective, it’s meaningless. It’s like chasing the wind.
What we need is a different perspective. A perspective above the Sun. An eternal perspective. God’s perspective. We need to view life from God’s point of view.
What do we do when life feels empty? We flip the script!
Why is this important?
Life from my perspective is
How you view your life shapes your life!
How you view your life shapes your life!
Life is a canvas. -Trust God as he paints the picture of your life!
I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Life is a journey. -Follow Jesus as he leads you to love & serve others.
For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.
Life is a test. Allow God to develop your character through life’s challenges!
And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.
Life is a trust. Glorify God however you can with whatever you have wherever you are.
“ ‘Well done, good servant!’ he told him. ‘Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, have authority over ten towns.’
The more God gives you, the more responsible he expects you to be.
Provide a few practical takeaways.
Give them something “TO DO”
Takeaways:
Trust God as He paints the picture of your life.
Follow Jesus as He leads you on a journey to serve and sacrifice.
Endure life’s hardships with humility and joy.
Don’t waste a single resource God has given you!
COMMUNION
He’s given us everything!!! Today we celebrate that through communion.
As the ushers are distributing the elements today, we do have a gluten free option in the back, just in front of the sound booth.