Description
LISTEN TO THE MUSIC VOL. II SERMON SERIES
SATISFACTION
OCTOBER 3, 1999
ED YOUNG
What would it be like to have it all? Celebrity status. Billions in the portfolio. Unlimited power to wield and pleasure to experience. A no-holds-barred existence. “Nirvana,” you might say. “Incredible,” you might say. “Unbelievable,” you might say. “That would be really living,” you might say. Would it? Would it? In this session we are going to crawl into the cranium of a man who searched for satisfaction like we can never, ever search. I am talking about Solomon.
Solomon arguably had more octane, more potential and more skill sets, and was as strong as anyone in scripture next to Christ. Bill Gates couldn’t carry this guy’s wallet. Donald Trump hasn’t seen the day he could build like him. Denis Rodman couldn’t even swap bedroom stories with him. Solomon lived on another planet. He searched in areas that go beyond our wildest dreams and fantasies. And I truly believe that God, our loving and transcendent God, allowed his autobiography to be recorded in the Old Testament. He knew that when we daydream or think about what it would be like to have it all, celebrity status, billions in the portfolio, unlimited power to wield and pleasure to experience, God knew all we needed to do was to read the life of Solomon. He knew we could find out what it would be like to own that, build that, sleep with that or have that.
You see, long before Mick Jagger ever pranced across the stage and did the satisfaction thing, Solomon was into this song thousands and thousands of years before that ever played out. Today we are going to look at this guy. We will watch what made him tick. He took a 40-year free fall into the abyss of pleasure and rebellion against God. And believe it or not, a lot of us have some similarities with the life Solomon led. Some of us are searching in similar areas, maybe not to the degree and level that Solomon searched, but we are finding the same answers that he found.
So this message is going to be a preventive message for some. Some right now may be searching for satisfaction and making a choice. I think this message will help. Others here are in the midst of a search. Still others here might be involved in some areas already referred to and need help, need a wake up call. Read the hard data to discover what the Bible says about life. I have been praying over the last several days that this message would be one that brings about life change.
Let’s see what we can learn from Solomon. Let’s see what we can learn from some of the mistakes that he made. Solomon, at the peak of his career, at the pinnacle, made a bad mistake. Ecclesiastes 2:1, Solomon speaking, “I thought in my heart, come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” I call Solomon, “Solo Man” because he did the solo thing. And so often we ask accomplishments, plead with pleasure, require relationships to fill the void in our lives reserved only for God—something they cannot do. Solomon hit a defining moment and he made a bad choice. Solomon messed up.
What can we learn? Discern defining moments. That is what we can learn from him—discern defining moments. You have those moments and so do I. Defining moments can occur when you are considering marriage, a decision to relocate, a decision to change careers, or even where to attend church. And defining moments hit us at a rapid fire pace. The evil one always tips us off to defining moments. Every time you feel temptation and the temperature is turned up, I can guarantee you, you are facing a defining moment. Satan just lobs change up after change up at us during defining moments, curve ball after curve ball. Too often we just swing for the fences. He wants us to make one little rationalization. He wants us to fumble one time, to make one fielding error. Then we fall into that abyss of pleasure and rebellion like Solomon did. Case and point would be I Kings 3:1—this is where Solomon began his free fall—“Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and married his daughter. He brought her to the city of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem.”
So often this rationalization thing starts with relationships. It is all about relationships. It is true when you are five, 25 or 55. God commanded Solomon, actually all of His followers, not to associate with ungodly people. Yet Solomon probably said, “Well, she is so good looking. We need a good relationship with the nation of Egypt. Surely I can just drop my guard this little bit. After all, God, I am so talented, so incredible. I can’t mess up here.” He did. He did. He did. This is the choice that led to Solomon’s destruction. And sadly, Solomon’s life is a tragedy of what might have been, could have been.
In Matthew 4, Jesus faced a defining moment. After He advertised His public ministry by being baptized, the Bible records that Christ was driven into the wilderness and tempted by Satan. Satan is not stupid. Satan doesn’t just start this all out offensive and say, “Here I am. I am going to tempt you.” He is sly. He is the father of lies. He wanted Jesus to drop His guard just a little bit. He wanted Jesus to make one swing to the fences. He knew if he got Him to sin, Christ would miss His purpose in life, which was the redemption of mankind. Jesus discerned the defining moment.
You might be asking yourself how you can discern the defining moment, how you can work on it, learn from it. You learn from this by reading the conclusion during the introduction. How many people in here like to read? Lift your hands. I am a reader, man. I love to read. Every night before bed, I read. Well, now and then—I’ll confess here—
when I am reading the first couple of pages of a book, like a John Grisham novel, I will sometimes turn to those last couple of pages and find out what happens. It gives me confidence for reading the rest of the book. Well, during defining moments, when we feel temptation, when we are just being introduced to the possibility of making a poor choice, read the conclusion. Ask yourself, “Okay, if I swing at this pitch, what will happen to my marriage? What will happen to my children? What will happen to my career? What will happen to my parents? What will happen to my body? What will happen to my relationship and fellowship with Christ?” What will happen? Read the conclusion. Read Ecclesiastes. Read the life of Solomon during the introduction. It will save you boatloads of pain and anguish and animosity. Discern defining moments.
There is something else we can learn during our search and we can pick this up from the life of Solomon. We have got to beware of the numbing factor. If we search and say to ourselves, “I can’t get no satisfaction, so I’ll try and try and try and try,” a numbing factor may set in. We can get numbed out. We can become so immersed in the search that it numbs us out to our necessity for God. You say, “How in the world could someone as smart as Solomon burn up four decades searching for the meaning and purpose of life?” Why didn’t Solomon just come clean and say, “OK God, I blew it. I messed up.” He didn’t because of the numbing factor. He moved from one thing to another. Oftentimes we are so busy and scheduled out, shaking and baking, that we don’t have time for introspection. We don’t have time for solitude. We don’t have time to really assess our lives before God.
Just sit back and I will read for a while. This is not on the side screen, not on the view-a-verse, but I want you to listen to me as I read for you Solomon’s thoughts as he went into this search. You won’t believe this. I am reading out of Ecclesiastes 2, beginning with Verse 3. Notice the personal pronouns. Talk about meistic. Whoa.
“I tried cheering myself with wine and embracing folly.” Solomon had a bunch of slaves and their job description was simply to hike up into the mountains and bring Solomon back icicles to cool his cocktails. “I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives. I undertook great projects. I built houses for myself…” Solomon’s house, if it was built today, would cost over two hundred billion dollars. It was 60 feet wider and 80 feet longer than the temple. The precious stones in this puppy were over 20 feet tall. The whole house was covered in gold. We are not talking about a tract home here. “…And planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.”
I read this past week that Solomon had moats around his residence. Some were 10 feet deep and 100 feet long. They required sixteen thousand gallons of water a day, and featured exotic fish and wildlife. “I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves that were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself and the treasures of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers…” Check this out. Solomon had the best singers of the day wake him in the morning and put him to bed at night. Wouldn’t that be cool? “Honey, tonight let’s hear the Back Street Boys.”
This next line is going to kill you. You won’t believe this one. “…
And a harem as well, the delights of the heart of man.” He kind of just threw that in. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Can you imagine his dealings with his in-laws? That is all I wonder about when I read that. In Verse 9 he concludes by saying—and it is the saddest line—“I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me.” This is Solomon talking.
Do you find yourself on a search? Do you find yourself seeking satisfaction? Are you looking maybe for the ultimate in some of the areas that I just read to you? Maybe wisdom. Solomon memorized 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. People from all over the world came to sit under his teaching. Is wisdom your deal? Is it wine, drugs, alcohol, getting high? Automobiles? Employees? Sex? What is it? Psalm 16:4 tells us what is going to happen as we continue our search away from God. “The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods.” They will increase. We will have a greater and greater desire because we are empty.
You see, we mess up here. We really do. And the church for too long has really messed up on this one. The church has said, “Sin is not fun. Rebellion against a holy God is not enjoyable.” That is a joke. Sin is fun. If it wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t be tempted, nor would you. But we have to understand something about sin. Sin is fun, but it is temporary. What happens when the buzz wears off, when the passion wanes? What happens when the shine wears off of a new suit or a new car or a new home? It is empty. It is a fleeting thing. If sin satisfied, we would just sin one time. “Oh, Okay, I’ve sinned.” And that would be it. But it doesn’t. Also—and listen to this one—not only is sin empty, but sin also has consequences. It has consequences every single time. Some of the time? No, no, no. Every single time. And here is the kicker: It always messes us up. The consequences are not always immediate but always inevitable. They are not always immediate, but they are always inevitable. And that trips us up almost every time, doesn’t it?
Solomon searched and searched. He wasn’t having that much trouble. He was kind of having a fun time. But one day after four decades of searching, the inevitability and the consequences of sin hit and it bowled him over. He looked back an angry and bitter man and asked himself what he had done. He knew he had blown it, messed up.
You know what the great news about our great God is today? I don’t care how far you are into the search, how you are looking for satisfaction, what you have been involved in, God can change your life today if you come clean. You can tell God that you have been living this numbing lifestyle and that today, as a result of the message, you have decided to go His way.
I love coffee. Yesterday morning I made my daily trek to Starbucks. I have a big truck, a Ford F250, which is hard to park. I pulled in next to a little Cherokee Chief. When I open my big old heavy door, I just rocked that Cherokee Chief. I put a door ding in it. People were milling around inside Starbucks and I started asking who owned a Cherokee Chief. I asked and asked and asked. I went back out and looked at the door ding again. I jumped in my truck, grabbed my briefcase and started to write a note. I was going to leave my phone number and the whole deal. A young lady walked up and said, “Sir, did you put a door ding in my car?” I said, “Yes, I was writing you a note right now.” She looked at her door and turned and said, “Don’t worry about it. Have a great day.” She got into her car and left. I thought, wow, that is just like God.
Here we have all these door dings, all of these problems, all of these sins. If we say, “God, I did it; I messed up.” He will say, “I forgive you, My child.” “It is OK, My son.” “It is OK, My daughter.” And then we can drive off and get on God’s track and live within His guardrails and do life His way and not Solomon’s way. I have been praying strategically over the last several weeks as I prepared for this message that many here would tell God they wanted to do it His way.
Discern the defining moment. Beware of the numbing factor. There is something else we can learn. Watch the wind sheer. Watch for those wind sheers. DFW has a Doppler Radar, which picks up wind sheers. Wind sheers are bad news for pilots. A plane flying high can hit a wind sheer and crash. A lot of us feel like we are flying high, that everything is cool. “I am doing the Solomon thing. I can’t get no satisfaction; but let me tell you, honey, this satisfaction search is fun.” One day, out of nowhere, you will hit a wind sheer and it is not going to be pretty. I know too many people who have sat in these theater seats, who had a casual thing going with God, and hit wind sheer. And it is an ugly sight.
“Ed, where did you get this wind sheer idea? That is out to lunch.” Wait a minute. Ecclesiastes 2:11, Solomon talking, “When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind…”—t
hat is wind sheer—“…nothing was gained under the sun.” The wind sheer deal.
Do you have a radar in your life? Do you have someone watching for your wind sheers? Solomon didn’t. He had no accountability. And we have got to have accountability to grow and to be the kind of people God wants us to become. You cannot walk with God in a deep way without accountability. Deuteronomy 17 tells us that kings back then were supposed to write all the commandments and all of the laws in front of the priests on a scroll. Solomon didn’t do it. Oh, no, no, no. He was a Solo Man. He wasn’t going to do that. Had he done that, though, I guarantee you, he could have had some accountability with one of the priests.
Remember David? I have talked about David during this series. He committed adultery, had Bathsheba’s husband killed. Nathan, a man who loved David and was a trusted confidant, said, “David, you have sinned. You have messed up.” Hey, we need Nathan, don’t we? I ask you, Christian, I ask you, believer, do you have accountability operative in your life? Do you have someone in your life who loves you for who you are who will speak truth into your life? See how Solomon’s life could have been different.
With accountability someone could have asked, “Hey, Solomon, aren’t 40,000 horse stables a little excessive? Hey, Solomon, Isn’t covering your house with gold a little much? Hey, Solomon, isn’t building a city just to house your livestock a little out there? Hey, Solomon, why 700 wives, 300 concubines, when God has never honored polygamy, when God has said one man and one woman together forever? What are you doing?”
This stuff is real to me because I have a couple of people in my life, trusted confidants, who can speak truth to me, who have helped me with this whole wind sheer watching deal. And recently someone shared with me in a loving and upfront manner regarding a character flaw that they saw in my life. When I heard their words, it hurt. I would be lying to you if I said I just received it. It hurt. But I knew they were speaking the truth, because I knew how they felt about me and more importantly, God. And you know what? They were exactly right. This is the rub. This is the deal. This is how we do life deeply. We have to have wind sheer watchers. No windshield wipers. Wind sheer watchers.
We can learn something else after we discern defining moments, after we beware of the numbing factor, after we watch for the wind sheer. If you are keeping score, it is number four. We also need to leverage our time. If we eat healthy and work out we will live 2.4 billion seconds or 683,200 hours. That is all we have in this life. Solomon, after burning through 40 years on his search, talked about leveraging time. Let me draw your attention to Ecclesiastes 12:1. “Remember your creator in the days of your youth.” This word “remember” is not like, don’t forget. The word “remember” here is to actively pursue, to be decisive. It is to make your whole agenda in life to follow the Lord. Remember your creator in the days of your youth. There is nothing like someone at the pinnacle and peak of their lives giving it all to Christ. And that is precisely why we spend so much money and put so many volunteers and staff into our children’s and student ministry. These little ones have so much energy and they will develop into great guys and girls for God. We want them to maximize and capture their strength and mentality and ability at a young age so that they can become difference makers in this sin-stained and darkened world. That is why we do it. We rejoice when anyone comes to Christ, but there is nothing like a young person coming to him.
I will never forget what happened nine years ago. We started this church in an office complex with about 150 people. After one of our first services, a man in his sixties with white hair walked up to me. He was very well dressed, articulate. Tears were streaming down his face and he said, “Ed, because of this church I invited Jesus Christ to come into my life.” I said, “Good for you. That is the best decision you will ever make. That is why our church is here, to lead people to Christ. But that is just the first half of the equation. We need to mature you and grow you as a full court follower.” So we got him involved in some discipleship. He began to grow. Five months later we were having lunch. He looked at me and got choked up again. “Ed, why did I wait so long to make this decision? I should have done this 40 years ago. I have wasted so much of my life.” Leverage your time. Remember the creator in the days of your youth.
Ecclesiastes 12:13. “Now all has been heard…” He is saying, if you can top that, be my guest. “…Here is the conclusion of the matter. Fear God…” This word “fear” does not mean, “Oh, God is a cosmic killjoy wanting to whack me.” No, no, no. It means we are to reverence God. We are to let God be God, to put Him as the center of our lives. “…and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man.” This is it. This is why we are here. This is why we are alive. This is why we have our different personalities and skill sets. It is to keep His commandments. It is to do life within God’s guardrails, by following His commandments. That is the best way.
When I began this message, I asked what would it be like to have it all. Celebrity status. Billions in the portfolio. Unlimited power to wield and pleasure to experience. What would it be like? I said nirvana. I said satisfaction. Then I asked the question, “Is that really the deal? Is that really the answer?” No, that is not the answer. You want satisfaction. You want contentment. It is found only in the Lord. It is found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is doing life deeply by His directives, down His avenues, down His path, swinging at His pitches, playing in His ballpark. That is what matters.
During this series we have opened up with secular songs and concluded with a Christian contemporary song that answers the question we have been asking. We started with “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” We are going to end with a song, “That’s What Matters,” and I pray that this song becomes a song that is embedded in your heart and in your life.