Life Under the Sun vs. Life Under the Son

Scripture References

Primary text

• Romans 8:20

Other references

• 1 Timothy 6
• Proverbs 17
• Proverbs 18

Overview

We traced the entire book of Ecclesiastes in one sweep. Solomon’s journal shows that every earthly pursuit—pleasure, possessions, power, even wisdom—proves “vanity” when lived only “under the sun.” Yet the emptiness is intentional: God allows it so we will look up, find life “under the Son,” and discover the true answer to our longing—“Fear God and keep His commandments.”

Context

Skip began by noting how early discontent sets in and how advertisers exploit it. The message then situated Ecclesiastes within both the Wisdom Books (English canon) and the Megilloth (Hebrew canon), and outlined the book in three movements: Solomon’s search (1–4), Solomon’s sayings (5–10), and Solomon’s solution (11–12).

Main Points

1. Our Shared Restlessness

• From toys to jobs to relationships, every stage of life promises “the next thing” will satisfy—but it never does.
• Happiness is not found by direct pursuit; it is the by-product of pursuing the God who is already pursuing us.

• Illustration: Children convinced a TV-advertised toy will “complete” them—until mid-afternoon.
• Story: A gifted Christian teenager envied “dramatic testimonies” and wanted to taste rebellion; friends pleaded, “Skip the mess—learn from our scars.”

2. Solomon’s Search Under the Sun (Ecclesiastes 1–4)

• “Qoheleth” means collector/searcher; Solomon collected life-philosophies and tested them.
• Repeated phrases frame the book: “vanity/vanities” (37×) and “under the sun” (29×).
• Observable cycles (sunrise, wind, rivers) show life’s predictability yet purposelessness apart from God.
• Pleasure experiment: wine, women, song, wealth, architecture, art. Result—“I hated life.”
• Work experiment: massive projects, treasure, success. Result—despair; everything will be left to another.
• Community insight: “Two are better than one…a three-fold cord is not quickly broken” (value of friendship, marriage, and ultimately God woven in).

“Life under the sun is boring; life under the Son—S-O-N—is delightful.”

3. Solomon’s Sayings on Vanity (Ecclesiastes 5–10)

• Like Proverbs, these chapters give snapshots of emptiness in specific arenas.
  • False worship—words without reverence.
  • Hoarding wealth—“He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver.”
  • Foolish living—shortcuts that dismantle character.
• Wealth itself isn’t evil; the love of it is (1 Timothy 6). Unbelievers make money their refuge; believers find safety in Christ.
• Observation of injustice: righteous suffer, wicked prosper—still vanity when viewed only horizontally.
• Human reason (the finite) cannot grasp infinite purposes; we must let God be God.

4. Solomon’s Solution: Fear God (Ecclesiastes 11–12)

• Advice to the young: rejoice, explore, but remember judgement is coming.
• Vivid poetry of aging: trembling hands, dimming eyes, whitening “almond-tree” hair, sleepless nights, fading appetite.

• Illustration: Skip’s meeting with funeral planners—better to visit a funeral home than a party; death clarifies priorities.

• Final summary:
  1. Fear God.
  2. Keep His commandments.
  3. Know you will give account.
• Life is an opportunity; life without God is empty; death without God is a calamity.

Key Truths

• God designed earthly futility so we would search for Him (Romans 8:20).
• Horizontal pursuits may thrill temporarily but always enlarge the hole in the soul.
• Authentic community strengthens and preserves; isolation weakens.
• Suffering, in God’s hands, deepens character; a trouble-free life is usually a shallow life.
• The simplest, wisest course: “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.”

Response

• Pursue God, not the mirages of happiness offered “under the sun.”
• Evaluate your current chase—what toy, title, or relationship are you expecting to fill the gap?
• Invest in meaningful friendships and invite Christ into every bond (“three-fold cord”).
• Use times of sorrow or funerals to examine your life and realign it with eternity.
• Decide for Christ while you are young—or today, whatever your age—and live abundantly now.

Closing

Solomon’s brutally honest journal ends, not in cynicism, but in clarity:

“Fear God and keep His commandments.”
Skip urged every listener who has looked outward and inward yet still feels empty to look upward, receive Jesus, and trade “life under the sun” for life under the Son—before the opportunity slips away.

Prayer

The pastor thanked God for Solomon’s transparent record and asked that anyone still searching would turn to Christ, finding the true meaning of life and joy that lasts.