The Solomon Syndrome (Pastor Mike Lombardo, 03/29/25)

Imagine if one night you're sleeping in your

bed, you're sound asleep, and you're nudged awake

by the God of heaven. And he leans over to you

and he says, what would you like to have? You

name it. He comes with a blank check from Almighty

God. Ask whatever you want, and I'll give it

to you. That's exactly what 2 Chronicles 1 -7

says. Well, Solomon was asked this question.

And you know what he asked for? He didn't ask

for riches. He didn't ask for wealth. He didn't

ask for honor. He didn't ask for the death of

his enemies. He asked for wisdom and knowledge

that he might lead God's people. And God said,

okay, wisdom and knowledge will be given you.

But he didn't stop there. He also gave Solomon

wealth and riches and honor. such as no king

had ever had before him. In fact, verse 14 says

that Solomon accumulated 1 ,400 chariots. That's

a lot of cars in the garage. And 12 ,000 horses.

That's a lot of horsepower. And verse 15 says,

King Solomon made silver and gold as common as

the stones on the ground. Solomon had everything

going for him as far as this world is concerned.

The chapters that follow in 2 Chronicles indicate

that Solomon's reign went from glory to glory,

culminating in the building and dedication of

the temple, that temple that his father David

had wanted to build. This was Israel's grandest

moment. And to top it off, Solomon was considered

to be the wisest man who ever lived. And his

wisdom was a gift from God. But listen very carefully.

Even divinely given wisdom cannot counteract

the folly of a man who will not deny himself.

In other words, without self -control, even the

wisdom of God is powerless to keep a man or woman

from making a fool of him or herself. For some

reason, Solomon wasn't satisfied with having

it all. All the blessings of God just weren't

enough. And so Solomon decided to go on a hunting

expedition. He stopped looking with eyes of faith.

He started grasping for the here and now. He

took his eyes off God and started grasping for

the temporary things that bring superficial happiness.

More, more, more became Solomon's motto. The

story of his hunting expedition is told in the

book of Ecclesiastes, so we're going to go and

pick it up there in chapter 2. Verse 1, he said,

I thought in my heart, come now, I will test

you with pleasure to find out what is good. But

that proved to be meaningless, or the King James

says, vanity. I tried cheering myself with wine

and embracing folly. 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. and I planted

vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted

all kinds of fruit trees in them. I also owned

more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem

before me. Solomon goes on to list a bunch of

things he accomplished. If you keep reading the

chapter, a bunch of things he accomplished and

accumulated. Solomon's hunting expedition took

him first into the world of wealth and material

things. Solomon accomplished and accumulated

a lot of things. But you know, meaning is not

in things. Jesus himself said a man's life does

not consist in the abundance of the things he

possesses. Having been a hospital chaplain for

about half of my years of ministry, I was with

many patients as they lay on their deathbed.

I've never seen one of them take it all with

them. I've never seen one of them pile up their

money, pile up their jewels, pile up their...

pile up their portfolio, their barabonds, their

whatever possessions there at their bed as they

breathe their last. What I saw that did bring

comfort to those breathing their last was relationships,

their relationship with God, their relationship

with their family. But notice instead how Solomon's

diary continues in Ecclesiastes 2, verse 8. I

Ecclesiastes 2:8

amassed silver and gold for myself and the treasure

of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women

singers. You see, there was no stereo system

back then, and so King David could have this

group of singers. I guess they'd be slumbering

in between their performances whenever he got

feeling down a little bit. Come on over and send

me a song. I guess that's what was going on there.

He acquired men and women singers, but look what

the rest of the verse says. He also amassed a

harem as well. Are you kidding me, Solomon? You're

the king of God's people, and you've got a harem?

It reminds me of the cartoon where the kindergarten

child is asking the preacher, how many porcupines

did Solomon have? You get it. Porcupines, concubines.

In fact, let's see how many he had here. He had

700 wives and princesses and 300 what? Concubines.

And what did those wives and all this adultery

do for Solomon? And his wives turned his heart

away from the Lord. Wow. How did the wisest man

who ever lived go so wrong? By not practicing

self -control. By living for self. By taking

his eyes off God and focusing on himself. You

know, that's really what the great controversy

is all about. Self is why the whole sin problem

got started to begin with. But Solomon's hunting

expedition wasn't over yet. Solomon said in verse

9, I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem

before me. Talk about keeping up with the Joneses.

He said, I denied myself nothing my eyes desired.

I refused my heart no pleasure. Remember this

key statement here. Even divinely given wisdom

cannot counteract the folly of a man who will

not deny himself. Without self -control, even

the wisdom of God is powerless to keep a man

or woman from making a fool of him or herself.

Let's look at Solomon's own conclusion in verse

11. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had

done and what I had toiled to achieve, Everything

was meaningless or vanity, a chasing after the

wind. When I was a child growing up in New Orleans,

we would have these storms that would blow in

off the Gulf. I mean, almost without notice,

they would show up. Of course, I wasn't paying

attention to the weather when I was six years

old, but when I would see that wind start blowing,

I knew the rain was coming. along with the lightning,

but I would get permission from my mother to

go out and run and chase the wind. It was something

I did when I was a child. It was silly, but I

was a child. That's what children do, silly things.

That's what growing up is all about. But as soon

as that lightning came along, mother said, get

in here. And so I had to get out of the wind

because the rain and the lightning was hitting.

It is silly or chasing after the wind. to put

a higher value on the things we achieve or accumulate

than we do our relationship with God and with

others. Christian maturity should lead us to

seek the more important things in life, like

fulfilling God's will for our lives. We don't

get to bring our trophies, we don't get to bring

our antique collections or our video games or

our bank accounts with us, just the souls we've

helped to win to Jesus and our characters that

have begun to reflect Christ's character. That's

what we get to bring with us. Over 100 years

ago, this man named Andrew Carnegie, he was the

richest man in the world. He's being interviewed

by this young reporter. Now, just to give you

a taste of how rich Carnegie was, in today's

money, he would be worth $350 billion, with a

B. That's twice as much as Bill Gates and Warren

Buffett combined, their wealth. Well, this young

reporter kind of broke down in his interview

and said, Mr. Carnegie, I envy you your wealth.

You know what Carnegie said to him? He said,

young man, I am not to be envied. How can my

wealth help me? I am now in my 60s. My health

is beginning to slip away. I would give all my

wealth, I'm reading from his statement here,

if I could just to have my youth back again.

In fact, I would make you a deal, young man.

If we could change places, I would give you all

I have. to be able to live my life over again.

The point is, wealth does not satisfy. And that's

the conclusion that Solomon comes to when in

Ecclesiastes he says, whoever loves money never

has money enough. Whoever loves wealth is never

satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless

or vanity. As goods increase, so do those who

consume them. and what benefit are they to the

owner except to feast his eyes on them? A number

of years ago, I was pastoring a church not far

from here, and one of my church members invited

me to his home, and as we're sitting there in

the living room, I just looked over and noticed

this old comic strip laying there in a plastic

sleeve. I didn't think too much until my church

member said, how much do you think that's worth?

It was an old Superman comic strip. And it had

10 cents on it. I said, well, it says 10 cents.

He said, be careful, Pastor. He said, that comic

strip magazine is worth $100 ,000. You know what

my immediate thought was? I had the presence

of mind to not say it out loud, but I said, to

who? I wouldn't give 10 cents for it. It's an

outdated, old magazine. And someone would give

$100 ,000 for that? Are you kidding me? What

benefit are they, Solomon said, to the owner

except to feast his eyes on them and maybe to

impress others with their possessions? The sleep

of a laborer is sweet, Solomon said, whether

he eats little or much, but the abundance of

a rich man permits him no sleep. He's too afraid

somebody's going to break in and steal that.

comic magazine. He's too afraid the stock market's

going to crash. He's too afraid that the banks

are going to close. He's too afraid a burglar's

going to come breaking through the doors. And

this syndrome that Solomon became entangled in

is not exclusive just to the rich, by the way.

The wannabe rich can also get entangled and infected.

Why do you think millions used to gather around

their television sets? to watch Lifestyles of

the Rich and Famous by Robin Leach. If I asked

for a hand raise, I'd probably see a few hands

go up. That used to be a popular television program.

Tell me something. Who buys lottery tickets?

Trillions of dollars are spent by people who

can't afford it, and that's usually the ones

who buy it, wanting to get rich quick, thinking

that will solve all their problems when actually

it would bring a whole lot of problems with it.

And when the cash prize gets into the billions

of dollars, people line up to buy lots of lottery

tickets. That's an actual picture of a line of

people ready to buy this multi -billion dollar

lottery ticket. It could have saved them a lot

of time if they just passed the trash can. Put

your money here and just go on home, save your

time, because you're not going to win, and if

you did, it'll ruin your life. But Solomon didn't

find. meaning in wealth and material things.

And so he continued his hunting expedition next

into the area of sensual pleasure, you know,

the porcupines I was talking about earlier. Once

there was a very, very successful business executive

who had more money than he knew what to do with

and a little condo on the beach. And he... slept

with a different beautiful girl every night.

One day he asked for a minister to come and visit

him, and he asked that pastor, why am I so miserable?

I have it all, but something just seems to be

missing. You bet there was something missing.

That man and you and I are part of this TV generation

where pleasure is touted as the highest good.

From soap operas to prime time and from surfing.

To gaming, life has become one hectic, trivial

pursuit. A hundred years ago, Edna St. Vincent

Millay was blessed with the gift of poetry, having

a score of books to her credit, and so she was

a very wealthy person, but she lived an immoral

life, sleeping with a different man almost every

week. And I want you to notice how she felt about

her own life one rainy evening. Listen to her

own words. She said, what lips my lips have kissed

and where and why I have forgotten. What arms

have lain under my head till morning, but in

my heart there stirs a pain. For I am that tree

that stands alone in winter. I cannot say what

loves have come and gone. I only know that summer

came and sang in me a little while, but sings

in me no more. The apostle Paul agrees with her

when he said, the woman who lives for pleasure

is dead even while she lives. Of course, men

are included in that as well. Well, Solomon didn't

stop his hunting expedition in the area of wealth

and material things and in the area of sensual

pleasure. And so he continued searching for meaning

through knowledge and philosophy. Verse 12, then

I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom. and

also madness and folly. What more can the king's

successor do than what has already been done?

In other words, been there, done that. Solomon

wanted to know it all. He wanted to be it all.

He wanted to do it all. He wasn't content with

the knowledge of the scriptures that were available

to him in his day. And so he cast his net far

and wide. He was up on the great literature and

philosophy of the time that he was living in,

and somehow it began to infect. with its fatalistic

humanistic tendencies that we find reflected

in this book we call Ecclesiastes, almost like

a diary. Large portions of this book are quite

depressing. I mean, when you read Ecclesiastes,

you always have a tissue nearby. But I believe

God permitted all this to be recorded to show

us what can happen when our eyes are off of him.

So first it was materialism, then sex, then knowledge,

comparative philosophy, and none of that satisfied.

So then it was on to the thrills of the dark

powers, the occult. Solomon, the king of God's

people, built temples for other gods with a small

g. We talked about that in Sabbath school when

we went through the Ten Commandments together

in our class time. Gods with a small g that demanded

the sacrifice of human babies. Solomon became

involved in the occult. Remember all those wives

he had that came from other nations and they

brought their idolatry and occult with them and

that influenced Solomon. We still have societies

today that claim to have secret knowledge that

came to them from the temples of Solomon. Well,

eventually Solomon discovered that none of these

diversions could satisfy. Reading again. from

Solomon's own diary in verse 17. So I hated life

because the work that is done under the sun was

grievous to me. Can you feel the depression just

dripping from those words? All of it is meaningless,

he said, a chasing after the wind. You're repeating

yourself, Solomon. I hated all the things I had

toiled for under the sun because I must leave

them to the one who comes after me. You truly

can't take it with you. So my heart began to

despair over all my toilsome labor under the

sun. Depression, pessimism began to set in. Now,

if only Solomon had lived by the advice that

we heard read to us beautifully in our scripture

reading, we find it at the end of his diary in

the last chapter of Ecclesiastes. If only he

had lived by that throughout his life, we'd be

reading a different diary today. We come to the

conclusion of his diary found in the last chapter

of Ecclesiastes when he says, 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. If Solomon only had

heeded this counsel. We should be reading a different

diary today. I can just hear younger Solomon

saying, don't fence me in with your rules and

restrictions. I want to live. Real happiness

is freedom, man. But tell me, have you ever played

a game where there was no rules or where you

made up the rules as you went along or you changed

the rules when you didn't like how it was favoring

you or not favoring you in the game? The game

loses its meaning, doesn't it? when you don't

have rules to play by. Can you imagine driving

in that kind of craziness where there's no signal

lights, no street signs? I was in India most

of February, and it's like that there. It's every

man for themselves. They stay on their horns,

and I'm just amazed that they don't have accidents

every five seconds. I was traumatized and glad

I didn't have to drive, but I'd close my eyes

and just pray a prayer. I said, Lord, if we make

it through, then I'll preach tonight at that

evangelistic meeting because it was scary just

like that. So rules are actually a good thing.

But Solomon's life had become vanity or meaningless

because he ignored the rules and the limitations.

And those who will not limit their behavior now

are surely limiting their behavior later. Think

about it. Take, for example, participating in

intimate acts before marriage. Not only has a

whole host of STDs come along to spoil the fun,

but there's study after study that shows that

when you have that intimate relationship before

marriage, that it affects your ability to have

a meaningful relationship with anyone in marriage

once you do get to the place of marriage. It

can affect you the rest of your life. Abstinence

is God's plan. We find it in Galatians, we find

it in Corinthians, we find it in the Ten Commandments,

we find it all through Scripture. Absence is

God's plan, not condoms, not pills, not killing

unborn babies through abortion. When kids want

to grow up too fast, they're borrowing happiness

from their future and maybe cutting out their

chance of eternal happiness. Our Heavenly Father

knows best. To live free from rules now is to

live in the strictest of bondage later. Take

another example. Drugs, alcohol, bending the

law, telling lies. It all leads to destruction

in the end. Life is all about choices and consequences.

Adam and Eve made a choice. They got kicked out

of the garden. Consequences. Now all consequences

don't have to be bad if we make good choices.

And it's true that we live in a world of sin

so that sometimes we make the good choices and

bad things still happen to us. Life is not fair

this side of heaven, but there's a life to come

where God will more than make up for it. But

generally speaking, we reap what we sow. The

choice is ours. Are you suffering from this Solomon

syndrome? The choice we make in the days of our

youth can either rob us of our peace and future

security or they can secure for us a future of

peace and eternal happiness. God knocks at the

door of our heart, but he lets us make that choice.

So what choices are you making? This Solomon

syndrome is quite pandemic in our world. Our

society is certainly infected by it, and we're

in contact with it everywhere we go. Even driving

home from church, you'll be infected, or you

have the potential of being infected by it just

looking at billboards. It used to be that only

a few people were subject to the Solomon syndrome.

But today, in this TV generation, the vast majority

are exposed to it with all the shows that parade

through television that are all about sex and

greed and idolatry and materialism and me, me,

me. By overexposure to excitement and pleasure,

a person can permanently raise his or her threshold

of pleasure. In other words, it takes more to

make that person happy. And so I've heard many

a young person say, I'm bored, and I'm thinking,

they've got ten times more things to do than

I did at their age. How could they be bored with

life with all they have to do? The threshold

has gotten pushed to a point where constant overload

of the sensory is required just to kind of reach

a level of satisfaction. Children are especially

vulnerable. when they're allowed to watch emotionally

packed traumatic scenes in one television program

that you might not see in real life in a lifetime,

and you can see it in 30 minutes or 60 minutes,

well, that person is becoming permanently desensitized.

You can send only so much electricity through

a small wire before it burns out. Well, Solomon,

with all his wealth, wanted to do it all. He

wanted to have it all. But Jesus said it would

be hard for a rich man to enter heaven. That's

because rich folks can sometimes be insulated

from the hard knocks of life. But hard knocks

are kind of a good thing for the most part. Solomon's

basic problem was this. He forgot the ultimate

secret to happiness, which is living for Jesus

first, others second, and ourselves last. Much

of Solomon's life was consumed in living for

self, me, me, me. And that is the way it is today.

Billboards and advertisements tell us you owe

it to yourself to do this. Reward yourself. Pamper

yourself. You've earned it. So enjoy it. And

remember, Solomon did achieve many great things,

good things even. But for what purpose did he

do it? For who are we achieving? For ourselves?

For the glory of being recognized by others?

Speaking of achievement, have you ever heard

of... Yukimio Ashima, this Japanese young man,

was a spectacular example of what ambition coupled

with fierce determination can accomplish. You

see, Yukimio was literally a 97 -pound weakling

as a youth, frail and sickly. But by disciplining

himself and through grueling weightlifting, Ashima

transformed his frail body into an atlas -like

physique. In fact, the Japanese encyclopedia

used him as their example to illustrate bodybuilding.

And so first it was bodybuilding that he became

a master at, and then he took up swordsmanship

and became a master swordsman, and then he distinguished

himself as a novelist, a playwright, a stage

director, a movie actor, a journalist. In two

and a half decades, he wrote 40 novels, 18 plays,

20 collections of short stories, countless articles

and essays. On top of all that, he was a political

figure and a renowned speaker and an international

celebrity who could talk to you in six different...

That's what a polygon is, someone who speaks

multiple languages. On top of all this, Ashima

had piloted a commercial jet and conducted a

symphony orchestra, traveled around the world

seven times, and on three separate occasions

been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm

tired just reading his list, this partial list

of what he did. And yet by his own admission,

Ashima said that he was devoid of meaning. He

was a homosexual. who had a morbid preoccupation

with death, and at the age of 45, he took his

life. Jesus said, what will it profit a man if

he gains the whole world and yet loses his own

soul? Clarence Darrell was a person who would

have understood both Ashima and Solomon. He was

one of the greatest lawyers of his time, and

of any time. We're kind of getting too far removed

from his time when he was a lawyer, but he could

demand a six -figure salary or fee back in his

day for the work that he would do. And yet one

day he asked for a minister to come and visit

him. And he said, you know, Pastor, I've done

a lot of things. I'm the envy of a lot of people,

but I realize I'm old enough now, I'm wise enough

to realize that that isn't life. He told his

minister that he had found the epitaph for his

life in one of the gospels where Jesus told the

disciples to let down their nets for a catch.

The answer of one of his disciples described

his life, Darrell said. Master, we've toiled

all night and have taken nothing. You see, it's

not enough to achieve, to be a success if it's

done for self. There's a much greater cause than

the cause of self. Jesus said whoever saves his

life. We'll lose it. But whoever loses his life

for me will save it. And that's the profound

secret of joy. But maybe you question that. Or

maybe you're struggling with all the other folks

around you who just, you know, not just on Black

Friday, but whenever there's some great sale,

just run over everybody to get to it. Looking

out for number one. Me, me, me. That's what I've

got to take care of. Who else is going to take

care of me if I don't take care of me? Maybe

God. Or maybe you've seen others who weren't

going by the rules and they seem to be just going

along just fine and yet you're trying to live

by God's word and it just doesn't seem like things

go your way. There was a fellow by the name of

Asaph who struggled with all of this himself.

He actually wrote the 73rd Psalm. Only half the

Psalms were written by David. He collected the

rest and did a good job of it. In fact, this

one definitely was a good one to include because

in this Psalm, Asaph questions whether it was

worth it to be good. He envied the wealth and

success of others who were not living a moral

upright life. Listen to what he had to say. He

said, this is what the wicked are like. Always

carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in

vain have I kept my heart pure. In vain have

I washed my hands in innocence. All day long

I have been plagued. I have been punished every

morning. When I tried to understand all this,

it was oppressive to me. Till. You know something

good's coming now. And he says, till, till I

entered the sanctuary of God, then I understood

their end, their final destiny. Did you hear

what Asaph said? Did you catch it? See, until

he started looking with spiritual eyes, until

he started looking at the big picture, it was

frustrating to him. But once he looked at the

big picture, the eternal picture, he could now

make sense of it all. And so, If you want to

know something of the ultimate values of life,

you don't look at the beginning of a person's

life. You don't look at the middle of a person's

life. You look at the end of their life. You

seek to understand their end, their final destiny.

Ask a man who's at the brink of death. Ask the

man who has lived his life for himself and is

now at the end of his life what his thoughts

are. Go ahead. Go ahead. Ask him. Ask Voltaire,

one of the most noted infidel writers of all

time. who once called Christ a wretch. He said,

curse the wretch. He tried to wipe out Christianity

in Europe. But shortly after his death, his house

became a depot for the Geneva Bible Society.

They stored Bibles to give to people in his house.

But the nurse who tended to Voltaire said, for

all the wealth in Europe, I will never see another

infidel die. She heard this Christless person

cry out. I'm abandoned by God and man. I'll give

you half my possessions if you give me six months

of life, nurse. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Christ. Oh, Jesus.

Or ask William Pope, a leader of a company of

atheists who ridiculed everything that had to

do with Jesus and Christianity. One of their

exercises, this was in the late 1700s when Bibles

were very expensive, but at the beginning of

each of their group meetings, they would take

a Bible and kick it around the floor and tear

it up before they would go ahead and have their

meeting. Friends who were present at his death

in 1797 spoke of it as a scene of terror as he

died crying, I have no contrition. I cannot repent.

I know the day of grace has passed me. I am damned

forever. Oh, eternity. Nothing for eternity but

hell. While Pope didn't have his theology right

when it comes to how long hell will last, you

can feel the hopeless outlook that his prior

decisions had led him to. And don't forget to

ask Thomas Paine, a renowned American author

and atheist who exerted his influence against

Christianity. He came to his final moments in

1809 and said, I would give worlds if I had them

if my book Age of Reason had not been published.

Oh, Lord, help me. Christ, help me. Oh, God,

what have I done to suffer so much? But there

is no God. But if there should be, what will

become of me hereafter? Stay with me, nurse,

for God's sake. Send even a child to stay with

me, for it is hell to be alone. If ever the devil

had an agent, I am he. How would you like those

to be your last words? Or ask Queen Elizabeth

I of England, a haughty, self -centered woman

who died in 1603 with 2 ,000 expensive dresses.

Take a look at that dress. She had 2 ,000 like

that. And what did she say? All my possessions.

for a moment of time. Ask Stephen Gardner, a

Catholic bishop who worked to stamp out Protestantism

in England. Gardner's hands were stained with

the blood of many a martyr. His last words in

1555 were these, I have sinned like Peter, but

I have not repented like him. Ask these Christless

souls what their life had accomplished and now,

and how their future looked, but now turn back

from them. And I want you to... to now listen

to some of the words of individuals who love

their Savior. Listen to their final words. Listen

to James Robertson, a Scottish merchant, who

refused to take a false oath. And for that, he

was sentenced to be hanged. Just before he was

hanged, he had this testimony. He said, I rejoice

in my lot, for it has fallen to me in pleasant

places. and I have a godly inheritance, and I

will not exchange it with the greatest of earthly

monarchs. Let heaven and earth praise him. Let

all creation praise him throughout eternity.

Goodbye, fair friends of mine. Or ask Charles

Wesley, who by his pen sought to bring ever greater

glory to God. Nineteen of the hymns in our hymnal

were written by Charles Wesley hundreds of years

later, but shortly before his death he said,

Come, precious Jesus. What manner of love is

this to a poor worm such as I? I cannot express

the praise due thee, but Lord, help me to give

thee my all. I will die praising thee and rejoice

that others can praise thee better. I will be

satisfied with thy likeness. Satisfied. Satisfied.

Oh, my dearest Jesus. Then there is the artist

John Bacon, who died in 1799. Before he died,

he had his tombstone made, which was a custom

back then. Before he died, he had it made, and

he wrote on it these words. While I lived, what

I did as an artist seemed very important to me.

But now what I really am as a believer in Jesus

Christ is the only thing of importance. Ask Ellen

G. White, who was used by God to help raise up

this last day movement. Ask her for her final

words as she breathed her last in 1915. She said,

I know in whom I have believed. God is love.

He gives his beloved sleep. And did you know

that Solomon's father's last words are recorded

in the Bible? King David's words are found in

2 Samuel 23. Is not my house right with God?

Has he not made an everlasting covenant, arranged

and secured in every part? Will he not bring

to fruition my salvation and grant me my every

desire? Can you hear the assurance of salvation

he had? This was a murderer and an adulterer.

who had confessed his sins, received forgiveness,

and he had that assurance. And listen to the

Apostle Paul. His words come as he's on death

row, about to have his head chopped off. And

he said, For I am now ready to be offered, and

the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought

a good fight, I have finished my course, I have

kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for

me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,

the righteous judge, shall give me at that day,

and not to me only. but to all those who love

his appearing. You know, if you want real success,

success of enduring value, success of eternal

worth, success that has no regret, then don't

go chasing after the wind like Solomon, making

the same mistakes he made. Choose a worthy goal,

work on it with all your might, but remember

that the man or woman who lives for the glorification

of self will lose everything in the end. Instead,

if you will lose all for Christ, live for God

first, others second, yourself last, if you'll

choose for your work something for the upliftment

of humanity, if you'll choose to serve, then

in the end, as you look back over your life,

you'll see that it was a full one. The life worth

living is a life lived for others. One of the

craziest stories I ever read was the one where

a farmer decided to sell everything he had, except

he was going to keep his house and maybe a couple

acres around it there, but sold hundreds of acres.

Think of South America or Africa. I'm trying

to remember what country. But he sold everything

because he wanted to go hunting for diamonds.

He wanted to discover diamonds. He spent every

penny. He came back to his home penniless, and

he sat on his porch while he watched a mining

company on the land he had sold uncover. the

richest vein of diamonds that had ever been discovered.

Solomon had tasted all the sweets the world had

to offer and it became bitter in his mouth. He

made choices that turned into dead ends. But

after he had squandered much of his life in self

-centeredness and riotous living, he came to

his senses. He turned back to the God of his

fathers and our loving God accepted him. And

so we must read his conclusion one more time.

In Ecclesiastes 12. 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. Now some of you are or will be wise,

strong, or rich. But please heed the words of

the Lord found in Jeremiah 9. Let not the wise

man boast of his wisdom, or the strong man boast

of his strength. Hear that wise man one more

time from that last chapter of Ecclesiastes.

He's not just speaking to the young people, but

also us young at heart when he says, remember

your creator in the days of your youth before

the days of trouble come and the years approach

when you'll say, I find no pleasure in them.

Then I hear a wiser man speaking, another son

of David, whose ancient paths have crossed our

paths today. Can you hear him saying, have you

the faintest idea what I have to offer? You're

playing in your puddles when you might have the

ocean. You flit about with your candle when you

might have the sun. You talk about planning for

years when you could have eons. Jesus said, A

thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

But I have come that they may have life and have

it in all its fullness. Jesus says, I am the

way, the truth, and the life. Follow me. Lose

yourself in me, and I'll give you more skies

than you can see, more seas than you can sail,

more sun than you can bear the watch, more stars

than you can scale, more breath than you can

breathe, more yield than you can sow, more...

grace than you can understand, more love than

you can know. In closing, I'd like you to sing

with me a little chorus, a cappella. It's like

a prayer, and it's entitled, Yes, Lord. And if

this prayer says what's in your heart right now,

that you want to give all to him anew, and you

want him to fill your heart and live in your

life, then I'd like you to stand with me as we

just sing this little chorus a cappella. Yes,

Lord, I give my heart to you. If that's your

decision, stand with me today. Yes, Lord, I give

my heart to you. Yes, Lord, my will I yield anew.

Love me, guide me, fill me. my soul. Yes, Lord,

take full control. Lord, that's our prayer. Thank

you for your mercy. Thank you for your long suffering.

Thank you that you were long suffering with Solomon

and you're patient and merciful with us. We need

you, Lord. Take full control. We pray in Jesus'

name. Amen.