Having It All, Yet Having Nothing (Part 1): Ecclesiastes 6 by Dr. Rod Mattoon

Scripture

• Ecclesiastes 6

About this sermon

There are people today that have been blessed in a number of wonderful ways, yet, they are miserable. Abundance and acquisition do not always assure that you will enjoy acclamation, admiration, adoration, animation, or aspiration. When we buy the products or services of some businesses, many times they will make a promise that says, “Satisfaction Guaranteed.” When it comes to happiness and fulfillment, however, satisfaction is NOT guaranteed if you leave the Lord out of the picture of your life. Understand that you can have everything you want, yet have nothing. We find this truth in this chapter. Solomon provided a list of things in these verses that do not guarantee satisfaction even though people believe they will satisfy them. God, not things, not even people, satisfies a person’s heart . The lack of interest in the Lord is what leaves people empty, dissatisfied, and craving for more things to try and satisfy themselves, and fill their emptiness. It won’t happen. The things in life that many of us cling to the most for meaning and purpose must continually be hoarded because they so quickly elude us. The only lasting satisfaction in this life can be found in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Without Christ, you can have it all, yet have nothing. You can amass a great deal of wealth and abundance, yet have nothing or end up with nothing. A stranger can end up enjoying your wealth because it was stolen, taxed, or you made bad investments. You may lose it because of sickness and death. Without the Lord in the picture, without Him in your life, prosperity and possessions will not satisfy the emptiness within your soul. In his book Facing Loneliness, J. Oswald Sanders wrote: The round of pleasure or the amassing of wealth are but vain attempts to escape from the persistent ache....The millionaire is usually a lonely man and the comedian is often more unhappy than his audience.” Understand that your prosperity is a gift from God. Your ability to enjoy possessions is also a gift from God. He is the One that gives power and enables you to enjoy His blessings. True satisfaction is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the way God created man. He made us in such a way that we would find fulfillment in Him. If “things” could fill the emptiness in our hearts, then there would be no need for God in our lives. May we learn as David learned, "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him" (Psalm 62:5). This message was preached on Wednesday night, March 24, 2021 at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.