Calvary Lutheran Church

What I've Learned about Life

Grace and peace are yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our blessed Lord and Savior. Amen.

Ecclesiastes 1-12

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”

Dear Christian Friends:

Several books of the Bible were written later in the author’s life. One such book is Solomon’s Ecclesiastes. Solomon had it all—wisdom, power, riches, wives (plural), and, yes, faith. And towards the end of his life he reflects on it all in this book. So while the Holy Spirit certainly inspired Solomon to write these very words, he also used Solomon’s experiences to convey God’s amazing truths. 

This morning, I certainly am not claiming to have written a new book of the Bible. But having entered a new decade this month, I thought I might preach a sermon this morning on 

 “WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT LIFE”

And if you are starting to worry that this may be a sermon about Pastor Piepenbrink, you can rest assure that it is not. Because there isn’t anything I have learned personally about life that cannot already be found in this book. You don’t have to live 60 or 70 or 80 years to discover these truths. They are readily available for understanding and application to anyone at any age, including those of you in your 30’s and 20’s and teens. Yes, this Word not only teaches the way to eternal life, it teaches about life here on earth.

So let me give you four lessons that I’ve learned about life. There are many more than just four, but perhaps these are the four most important. The first is that that life is so very short. Those of you with some snow on the roof like me can now nod your heads in agreement. In the book of Psalms David called life a “handbreath.” That is the width of a hand, about three inches. Job called life a “shadow.” We know that as soon as the sun goes down the shadow is gone. James called life a “flower.” It is planted, it grows, it buds, it blooms, but it is soon cut down.

Life seems so long when you are younger and looking ahead. But it seems so very short when you are older and looking back. A person who reaches 80 years in age will have lived about 30,000 days. That seems like forever, but it is not, and they go by so quickly.

Knowing that life is short, what are we to do? Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Be very careful how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15,16). In other words, don’t waste your time, make use of every opportunity. Especially do not waste your time dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, but live mostly for the present. Paul wrote, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13,14). Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own,” (Matthew 6:34).

Look, there is nothing in the past that we can change, so why dwell on it. And much of what we worry about in the future will never take place, and even if it does we probably have little or no control over it, so why worry about it? What you plan to do next week, next month, next year is important. But what you do after this worship service, after this sermon, right now is more important. Live in the present. Live for the moment.

And notice, living for the moment means two things: avoiding sin—that takes our full concentration every minute, and using every opportunity to give God the glory, and those opportunities come in everyday living—Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

The second lesson I have learned about life is best expressed by Solomon when he writes, “Life is meaningless.” “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). He goes on to describe how knowledge is meaningless (Ecclesiastes 1:6,7). He writes that pleasure is meaningless(Ecclesiastes 2:1,2). He writes that work is meaningless (Ecclesiastes 2:4,5,11). He writes that riches are meaningless (Ecclesiastes 5:10).  

Is Solomon suffering from some pathological depression that makes him speak this way? No, remember that Solomon was inspired by God to write these words. When he wrote that everything is meaningless, he means that everything we may set our hearts on in this life will not bring us the complete satisfaction, fulfillment, or happiness that we are looking for. There will always be an element of disappointment, frustration, emptiness. Think of some of the most joyful aspects of your life—your marriage, your family, your hobbies or sports, maybe your job, that new house or new car, your wealth. Does it measure up to everything you dreamed it would, or are you always left with hoping for something more, something better?

Solomon is not saying the life is worthless, no, it is a precious gift from God. He is simply saying that it will never match our expectations. And why is that? It is because of sin. Adam and Eve were the first to realize that. Having lost their perfection, having lost their immortality, they recognized that life after sin would be very different from their life before sin. Perhaps this is why they named their second son, Abel, which in the Hebrew means “meaningless.” This was their commentary on life after the fall.

Sin would always bring a measure of frustration to every aspect of life. And sin would lead to death which puts the kibosh on any thought of making this life the be all and end all. And that was God’s intent after the fall into sin. Paul wrote to the Romans, “For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it” (Romans 8:20).  The “one who subjected it to frustration” was God. Why? God does not want us to attach ourselves so much to this world that we forget he has a better world waiting for us where all our dreams and joys and aspirations will be completely realized and which will never end.

And knowing that life is meaningless, what are we to do, how are we to live? Solomon concludes his book of Ecclesiastes with these words, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). The only thing that gives life meaning in this world is what we do for God—how we fear him, that is, give him honor and respect; and, secondly, how we keep his commandments, that is love him and love our neighbor. Why? Because only those works do follow us into eternity, everything else is chaff that is burned in the fire.

The third lesson I’ve learned about life is that every trouble and every trial and every heartache of life is really a blessing from God to make us stronger. James wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4). It is much easier to look back on troubles and to see how perseverance led to maturity, than to see it when we are in the midst of experiencing them. But I’m sure you will agree with me, the times I’ve felt closest to God and most fervent in prayer and earnestly searched his Word was not when things are going well and the blessings were flowing, but when I was in trouble, in need of help, and had nowhere else to turn.  

Helmut Thielick was a well-known German pastor and theologian who was constantly harassed and persecuted by the Nazi regime. After an extensive tour of the United States, he was asked what he saw as the greatest defect among American Christians. He replied. “They have an inadequate view of suffering.” In other words, they have this ridiculous idea that it is always God’s will for believers to be trouble-free and happy, as though something “strange” is happening to us when we face a painful trials, as Peter says. We get this inadequate view of suffering from advertising—“buy my produce and you will be happy”; from the government which thinks it can solve all our problems; from our own sinful nature, “why me Lord.” The writer to the Hebrews writes, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). It took me a long time to learn to do that. I pray it will not take you that long.  

The final lesson I’ve learned about life is to recognize God’s sovereignty. You young people need to learn this word—learn how to pronounce it, learn how to spell it, learn how to apply it—because you will be faced with it throughout your life. 

Why doesn’t God always allow me to live the kind of life I want to live, to have all the things I want to have, to do all the things I want to do, to have all the talents, the looks, the health, the wealth that I want to have. If he really loved me why wouldn’t he do that for me? The answer is God’s sovereignty. Perhaps the most famous words in Solomon’s book of Ecclesiastes are these, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). And who determines all those “times”? Do you? No. God does. Things are going to happen in life both good and bad, and there is no escaping them. But just know that it is all in his control.

Look, God does not sit up in heaven asking himself, “How can I serve Pastor Piepenbrink today?” as though I’m the only creature God is concerned about. God has seven billion other people in the world whom he loves and cares for, not to mention an entire universe to control. He sees the big picture. He has a plan for my life and for my good that is intertwined with the lives of those around me for their good too. So I am here to serve him, to obey him, to follow his plan for me, whatever that might be.

The pot does not say to the potter, “This is how I want you to form me. These are the colors I want to have, this is the shape I want to be, and certainly I don’t want to be put in the fiery kiln to be hardened.” No, he is the potter, you are just the pot. He is God, you are not. The psalmist wrote, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.” (Psalm 115:1-3).

We can put our lives in his hands “because of his love and faithfulness.” He proved his love when he sent his Son to be our Savior. And that is just the way we want it. We don’t want our salvation to depend on our works, our intelligence, our decisions, but to be purely in his hands. “It is by grace you have been saved and this not of yourselves it is a gift of God not by works so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9). If we are willing by faith to entrust our eternal salvation into his hands, certainly we are willing to entrust our short lives here on earth into his hands as well.

I have just shared with you seven decades of learning in just 24 minutes. What it all means is this: Christ Jesus earned the right to rule and control our brief lives here on earth by his own great sacrifice for our salvation. And he deserves nothing less that our complete devotion, love, and trust in him especially in times of trials. Yes, we would do well to pray Martin Luther’s Morning Prayer every one of our 30,000 mornings we spend on this planet. So let us pray it now:

Let us pray:

I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger. Keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please you. Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all things. Let your holy angel be with me, that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.