What Will You Live For?

This passage is Solomon's confession of the deep emptiness and the fleeting nature of life that he came to feel after enjoying all his wealth and glory. He realizes that all the riches and power of the world, and all human effort, mean nothing in the face of death, when everything returns to dust. The passage points out that although he had wisdom and wealth, a life apart from God is all show, like a puffed-up bun that is hollow inside, and it emphasizes that there is no new thing under the sun.

The sermon explains that this emptiness is a sign revealing that human beings, because of sin, cannot escape death. People constantly chase new things to fill their lives, but they must recognize that none of it lasts forever. It warns that when people lose their longing for God and live by the world's desires, they become unable to make wise judgments. So it teaches that, rather than clinging to temporary possessions or honor, we must receive Christ for eternal life and live a life that walks with God.

The sermon invites the reader to look back on whether their life is an empty one filled without God, or one moving toward an eternal hope. Rather than regretting time gone by and chances thrown away, it asks how we will offer this very moment to God.