Title: The Promise Unfolded: “Beyond the Sun: From Vapor to Promise”
Movement 1: The Question
(Ecclesiastes 1:2-3)
What does man gain under the sun?
Movement 2: The Evidence: Solomon runs the experiments
Experiment one — Wisdom and knowledge (1:12-18; 2:12-16)
Experiment two — Pleasure and laughter (2:1-3)
Experiment three — Great works and achievement (2:4-6)
Experiment four — Wealth and possessions (2:7-11)
Experiment five — Labor and its legacy (2:18-23)
Experiment six — Justice and oppression (4:1-3; 5:8; 9:2-3)
Experiment seven — Wealth again — but deeper (5:10-17)
Experiment eight — Aging and mortality (11:7-12:7)
Experiment nine — Time and the cycles of life (3:1-11)
The Pivot — Ecclesiastes 3:11
“He has planted eternity in the human heart”
Movement 3: The Promise Unfolded
(Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Acts 26:6-8, 22-23)
Solomon points beyond the sun
The promise made to the Fathers
The Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead
The promise is unfolded… His name is Jesus Christ.
Application: You have two options
Stay under the sun — Keep running the experiments Solomon already ran.
Respond to the promise — Fear God. Run to Christ. Trust him. Follow him.
