Chasing After the Wind Part 3, Ecclesiastes 1: 8-12 by Dr. Rod Mattoon

Scripture

• Ecclesiastes 1:8–12

About this sermon

Solomon believed that the past can’t be corrected, adjusted, or changed. What is done, is done and there is nothing you can do about it. The crooked, the dents, the warps, and the bends of past mistakes, he believed could not be straightened out. You are stuck with what you have done and there is nothing you can do about it. To try to correct the problems of the past was like chasing the wind. You will end up with nothing, no solutions and no corrections. That view is held by many today and it is a hopeless, dismal conclusion, and a reason why some kill themselves. Solomon’s assessment was not, however, an accurate conclusion because he left the Lord out of his life throughout his latter years. When you bring the Lord into the picture of any person’s life, the portrait changes. Without the Lord, the crooked cannot be straightened. We are all crooked. We have a fleshly, sinful nature that cannot be glamorized, perfumed, and primped. We are filthy before God. With the Lord in the portrait of our lives, we can find cleansing and forgiveness through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The blood of Christ atones or covers all of our sins in the eyes of God the Father Solomon claimed that he had more wisdom than all the kings before him in Jerusalem. He basically said, “I am smarter than everyone else. I am the greatest.” Solomon did observe and attain a great deal of wisdom and knowledge, more than other men because it was given to him by God for God’s glory, not for Solomon’s glory. This man who gained so much wisdom ended up learning and practicing folly. Solomon was at the top of his field. Solomon enjoyed many experiences and experiments in gaining knowledge, but he did not find the satisfaction he was seeking. He was the wisest of all, yet, he was empty, chasing after the wind because he turned his back on God. Don’t make that mistake in your life. This message was preached on Wednesday night, September 16, 2020 at Lincoln Land Baptist Church in Springfield, Illinois by Dr. Rod Mattoon.