We know how to get money. We have all kinds of ways to do that. But the question remains: How do you get Christ?
Our text for today compares the goodness we try to get for ourselves in our lives (verse 10), over and against the goodness we receive from God (verse 19) when He freely gives us grace through faith on account of Christ alone. The way it introduces this contrast is by talking about money and showing how the desire to get money, which can be a good thing, will only leave you empty inside and full of broken vanity. The reason this disconnect happens to us has to do with the reality that God is, in fact, the only “good” we have. He alone gives good things for our lives. Think of how many times we have buyers’ remorse or when good business deals turn to ash in our mouths. This text puts a contrast between what we call good and what is genuinely good.
We often name things “good” in our lives which are really just idols. However, what God gives us in life is actually good. He delivers grace and mercy on account of Christ which we receive through faith. If you are looking for an excellent resource that illustrates this point which also riffs off of Luther’s Heidelberg Disputation, I cannot recommend a better resource than Erik Herrmann’s soapbox talk at the 2018 Theological Symposium in Saint Louis Missouri at Concordia Seminary. The article is entitled “Good Beer is Likely a Mortal Sin,”[1] and it illustrates the point of our text beautifully.
Solomon’s reasons that you have to figure out which gifts from God are actually the good gifts. Of course, we know the greatest gift God has given us is Christ. But the question remains: How do you get Christ? We know how to get money. We have all kinds of ways to do that. Well, the way you get Christ is “by grace through faith, which is a gift, not through works lest we should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). So, Christ is a gift, and the gift is given freely by grace alone and we receive it through faith alone. Spend time developing the connection between Ephesians 2:8-9 and Ecclesiastes 5:19. It is worth developing how we also firmly believe, as the scriptures teach, that:
“We cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called us by the Gospel, enlightened us with His gifts, and sanctified and kept us in the true faith” (Explanation to the Third Article of the Creed in Luther’s Small Catechism).
So, Christ is a gift, and the gift is given freely by grace alone and we receive it through faith alone.
This is good news by the way, because by our sinful nature we will drive ourselves into the grave chasing after things we call good. Of course, we eventually realize how the things which are worthwhile and eternal are something only God can give us in Christ.
To get at a structure to make this text preachable, you could do a Compare and Contrast structure. But I would like to suggest another idea, which is, perhaps, a Homiletical challenge to you and your hearers. Consider this quote by JD Rockefeller that my friend Sam Reinhard shared when we were talking about these verses. Once, he was famously asked: “How much money is enough?” His response was: “Just a little bit more.”[2]
Using this famous quote, you can now shape it through a sermon that compares the worldly wisdom concerning gain to the true wisdom and gain of knowing the gift of God in Christ. Through the sermon, shape their interaction with this quote to ask a new question: “How much is enough in this life?” Then, conclude by giving Christ’s answer to the Apostle Paul’s question in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” It is made perfect in Christ suffering on the Cross for us and risen again on the third day “for our Justification” (Romans 4:25).
Using this quote to shape our walk through the text towards our Gospel proclamation will give us a thought-provoking analysis of worldly wisdom verses God’s wisdom. The best structure to do this with is the Proverbial Structure:
“This sermon structure works with the prevalence of proverbs in contemporary discourse (like advertising slogans, sound bites, and quotes) and seeks to use that experience for the purpose of proclaiming the divine wisdom tradition. In this structure, the sermon develops a single proverb for the hearers by using it as a refrain throughout the sermon. Often, this proverb arises out of the text itself. For example, when Jesus tells His disciples that “whoever saves his life with lose it and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” The sermon consists of offering the hearers various life situations in which this proverb is reflected upon. In each case, the hearer needs wisdom to discern the application of the proverb, and the sermon offers contemplative wisdom which discerns how the proverb applies. At one point in the sermon, the proverb is related to the proclamation of the Gospel. By moving from biblical stories to contemporary situations and punctuating each situation with a statement of and reflection upon the proverb, the preacher forms hearers who enter the world remembering the proverb and seeing situations wherein it guides their daily life with godly wisdom.”[3]
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Ecclesiastes 5:10-20.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Ecclesiastes 5:10-20.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
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[1] https://concordiatheology.org/2018/09/good-beer-is-likely-a-mortal-sin/
[2] https://www.cnbctv18.com/views/how-much-money-is-enough-just-a-little-bit-more-8800361.htm
[3] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/dynamic/proverbial/
