The Worlds Okayest Pastor

Beyond the Chase: What Truly Matters When Life Ends

• Jason Cline

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Solomon's shift from personal reflection to wisdom sharing in Ecclesiastes chapter 7 brings us face-to-face with mortality and meaning. What begins as almost funeral-like observations quickly transforms into profound insights about living well in light of life's inevitable end.

I recently wrote my own eulogy – a strange exercise that forced me to confront uncomfortable questions. What legacy am I building? Would people speak of me as I hope they would? Most importantly, have I focused on what truly matters? Because as Solomon reminds us, "A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth."

This counter-cultural wisdom strikes at the heart of our pleasure-seeking society. Solomon insists that mourning is better than feasting, that sadness benefits the heart, and that wisdom is found in confronting life's difficulties rather than escaping them. These insights parallel Jesus' teachings in the Beatitudes, where blessings are pronounced on those who mourn and hunger for righteousness.

Solomon also addresses our tendency to live mentally trapped between nostalgia for the past and anxiety about the future, missing the only moment we can actually influence – the present. This obsession manifests in our cultural resistance to change (like the recent Cracker Barrel logo outrage) while preventing us from investing deeply in relationships right before us.

Perhaps most powerfully, Solomon acknowledges life's apparent unfairness. The wicked sometimes prosper while the righteous suffer. Yet even without the revelation of Jesus that we now possess, he concludes that pursuing God is what ultimately matters. For us today, this means recognizing our value in God's eyes beyond our brokenness – that we are loved, chosen, redeemed, and purposeful in His divine plan.

Whether you're wrestling with mortality, questioning your purpose, or feeling distant from God, remember this truth: You are deeply loved. So much that even if you were the only person who needed saving, Jesus would have died for you alone. This is the message that gives meaning to everything "under the sun."

Speaker 1:

So we're in chapter 7, and in case you're thinking in your head, are we going to go through the whole book? We are, there's 12 chapters. So we've got five more weeks of this. Maybe not five weeks, there's a couple we're probably going to kind of combine.

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But as we get into chapter 7 of Ecclesiastes, solomon is kind of he's shifting a little bit his focus. So chapters 1 through 6, about halfway through 6, is really just reflective. He's questioning life, he's wrestling with his pursuits, his money, his wealth, his relationships, and he's coming to the conclusion that really everything he's trying to accomplish is just meaningless. I know I've talked about this before, but the word he uses in Hebrew is hevel. It's kind of like a vapor, like grabbing at smoke. There's nothing there, and so he has this kind of reflective tone and so, stepping into chapter 7, there's almost kind of a shift. So he goes from reflective, like his own personal life, to what Solomon does best is wisdom. So the Ecclesiastes he wrote the Proverbs Song of Solomon. These are accredited to him, these are wisdom books. He decides that it's important to share his wisdom and so he gets into chapter 7, and I know that I've talked about this, but we have to understand that his perspective is still very limited. Solomon doesn't have the revelation of Jesus yet. He knows something's coming. He knows following God is important, but he hasn't seen the salvation that God brings right, and so all of his reflectiveness is in light of him not understanding that God was coming to course correct, that Jesus was going to come and that Jesus was going to die.

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So I had a conversation this week with a friend of mine. We were talking about that, that when you read Ecclesiastes you and I have to read it through the lens of Christ, because he's made a way. He had a lot of answers for the things that Solomon is wrestling with. But chapter 7, it almost sounds like a funeral. Like the first 13 verses or so or first 12 verses it almost sounds like Solomon's at a funeral. You know, the older I get, the more funerals that I go to. I think that's normal, right. The older I get, the more I come to the reality that my life eventually comes to an end. I turned 39 this year. Lord willing, I've got another 50 years in me, but I don't know that right. I don't know that my life could end tomorrow. I really don't. I think that's what funerals they put life into perspective.

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So I decided this week to write my eulogy. I don't know if you've ever done this. It's interesting. I didn't explain to Danny what I was doing. And I was working on this and at some point something happened and our kids got us distracted. And she's sitting in my computer and she's reading this. And then I look at her and I realize she's reading the eulogy that I just wrote and I'm like okay, hold on, I need to explain why I wrote that. Like I'm not. I'm not. Like she's like well, it's really good. I'm like thanks, I appreciate that. But I decided to write my own eulogy because I think, as you go through Ecclesiastes, you have to understand that the life ultimately has an end, and so if I die, what is it that I would want people to say of me? So today we gather not only in grief but in gratitude. Gratitude for a life lived with purpose, conviction and love.

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Jason was a minister, a teacher and a shepherd of souls, but more than that, he was a man who believed deeply that God's word was not just to be studied but lived. Every conversation, every sermon, every prayer, prayer carried the same heartbeat that people would come to know Christ, to walk with him daily and to experience his transforming grace. He had a passion for the church, not as a building or an institution, but as a family of believers called to shine light into a dark world the refocused Christian church. Through devotions like his kingdom. First, through counseling, teaching and discipleship, jason poured himself out so that others could stand firm in their faith. Yet if you asked him what mattered most, his first answer would not be ministry. It would be his family.

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His deep love for his wife was evident in every season of his life. He honored her, cherished her and saw her not only as the partner as a partner but as God's greatest earthly gift to him. Together they built a marriage marked by faith, resilience and joy. He also poured himself into his three boys, raising them to be men who would know more, who would know and love the Lord. Whether it was teaching them, guiding them or simply being present with them, he considered fatherhood one of his greatest callings. His sons will carry his legacy forward, not just in name but in the character and faith he instilled in them. His legacy is not measured in numbers or accolades, but in lives changed, hearts healed, marriages strengthened and souls pointed heavenward. He was a chain breaker, a hope bringer, a steady guide who pointed again and again to Jesus.

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And now, though, his voice is silent here, his influence is not. It continues in the people that he loved, the church that he shepherded and, most of all, in the family he treasured. Above all else, we can imagine the welcome he received. Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into, enter into the joy of your Lord. It's weird to read that Because, on one hand, I wrote it and, as I reflect on it, you wonder is that the kind of person that I would really be seen as? Would people see me and speak of me in such a way Like did my life have significance? What did I pursue? Because, at the end of life, the things we own, the things we have, are never nearly as important as the people we own. The things we have are never nearly as important as the people.

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And so Solomon, as he steps in to chapter 7, imagine he's speaking at a funeral and he has some incredible wisdom to share. Starting in verse 1, he says A good name is better than fine perfume and the day of death is better than the day of birth. He said it's better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone. The living should take this to heart. Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of the mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools Like the crackling of thorns under the pot. So is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless. Extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart. The end of the matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.

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Do not quickly be provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. Do not say why are the old days better than these? For it's not wise to ask such questions. Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. Wisdom is a shelter, as money is a shelter. But the advantage of knowledge is this wisdom preserves those who have it. And so he kind of lays it out in the first 12 verses his proverbial saying. He says listen, sadness is good for the heart. He says don't be quickly provoked in your spirit. Understand that money is a shelter, but it's temporary. The Greek word for shelter actually translates into shade. It's something that comes and something that goes. This is the house. The heart of the wise is in mourning. So it's better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than listen to a bunch of fools.

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But he starts off and he says a good name is better than fine perfume. And so again you have him reflecting on things that matter. And it's interesting because it actually kind of mirrors almost what Jesus does in the Sermon on the Mount, matthew 5, verses 1 through 11. When Jesus starts the Sermon on the Mount, he starts in verse 3. He says Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. And again, this is Jesus right, this is one of the most profound sermons ever. And so Solomon is having this reflection and saying, listen, we chase all these things, we chase pleasure, and we've convinced ourselves that if we can just be happy, and Solomon says listen, it's not about that, because being sad is good for your heart.

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Mourning is an important part of life, and it goes back to Ecclesiastes 3, and he reflects on everything as a season. And when I think about life, I think about funerals, because death is the ultimate equalizer. No matter how much money you have, no matter how many things you own, death will come. There's a guy recently and I can't think of his name, but I was reading the headline a couple weeks ago that this guy was trying to find a way to live forever. I don't know if you saw this, but he was like a health addict and he was doing some genetic stuff and some testing and he was throwing money at all of these things and then he died. Can you imagine the frustration that this man felt To know that here he is trying to live forever, but he couldn't outrun death? It finds us Always.

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And so Solomon is taking the time and saying, listen, make sure that the things you do matter. Don't be so quick to rush through times of grief. Don't be so worried about what fools say, but instead take counsel of the wise. Live every moment as your moment. I love what he says. He said why do we say in verse 8, he says do not say why were the old days better than these? For it's not to why it's not wise to ask such questions.

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I think so often we live in the past and we're consumed by the future. When things happen in our past, we always want to go back to them and to talk about them Anytime you try to change anything. Listen, I'm going to get in trouble for saying this and I'm okay. I don't know what the big deal is about the Cracker Barrel logo. That's just me personally, like I'm just trying to be honest here I thought the new one looked kind of neat. It's kind of simple, but the outrage was absolutely insane. I mean, the internet blew up and like again, I'm not picking a side, I'm just saying, as someone who doesn't mind new things and creating new things, I thought it was neat that they took something, and I realize that there's a whole lot more attached to that. I'm not trying to undermine that, but the outrage for that was absolutely insane. And I think that's because, again, I think, we're focused on the wrong things sometimes.

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Sometimes Solomon says don't ask, why was the past better? It's not wise to reflect on those things. And again, we think about the future. We think about this whenever you're planning churches. You're always trying to predict what's next. What are we going to do, what's the plan? You know, even as our church right, like we, as we kind of move and we grow, like what are our steps? And those things aren't bad, we're obviously praying over them.

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But sometimes we can lose track of what's here and what's now. We forget to be present with people, we forget to build relationships with people we and John talked, talked about. We forget the importance of community because we're always running from one thing to the next and we're so busy that we forget that the only thing that matters is people. The only influence we have is the people in our lives. And so, again, solomon in his wisdom is saying focus on what matters. A man who had everything Talked about it last week, that wealth, no matter how much money you have, it's never enough. Solomon understood this. And so the first part of this is some proverbial wisdom, and so the first part of this is some proverbial wisdom To enjoy the seasons that we find ourselves in. People who have kids will tell you don't rush it.

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I believe that Everett turns 10 on Friday. That's weird to me. He's already talking about the kind of car he's going to buy and, like part of me, is excited about that, but then part of me. I look at the eulogy that I wrote and I think, okay, am I doing everything now that I can do to make sure that, if God takes me from this place, that my kids will not only carry my name but they'll carry my faith? That's something I think the Ecclesiastes. It forces us into the realization that life has an end. So we should live to the best of our ability, we should pursue God and his righteousness, we should do all of the things that have an eternal impact.

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And then Solomon in verses 13 and 14, is another reflection. He says consider what God has done. Who can straighten what he has crooked? He says when times are good, be happy. When times are bad, consider this. God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future. Again he says understand that in all of this, god is sovereign, he's in charge, he knows everything that's happening. He's not surprised. He's not surprised. So often we, I think we, don't trust God because we're convinced that he doesn't have our best in mind. And listen, that's just not scriptural. Romans 8, 28 speaks to that truth that God works out everything for the good of those who love him. And Solomon in his life is saying listen, understand that there's nothing God can do or can't do. That you haven't changed, you can't change it. God is ultimate, he's in control.

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There's a moment in the life of David and I think it's second samuel, chapter 12 david had done an incredibly horrible thing. He ended up having an affair with basheva, ended up killing her husband. If you've never read the old testament, you've never heard this story. It's because when we talk about david, we talk about the Goliath and how amazing he is, but we hardly ever reflect back on the fact that David did some not-so-great things in his life, didn't change his pursuit of God. He was human, right.

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And so there's a moment when he commits this sin against Bathsheba, he kills her husband and then he takes that dude's wife as his wife, as if somehow that's going to make it all okay. And so the prophet Nathan comes to him and he's aware of this and he says to David he says you don't know this, but your son who comes out of this birth will die. That's your punishment. You have sinned against God and because of that this is a consequence. And listen, I know it's really hard for you and I to grasp that, because why would God do that? I don't have all the answers, but I do know that God is in charge, he knows what's happening, he's aware. So David has this moment and he stops and he prays and he's begging God to spare the life of this child. And he doesn't Right around verse 12, 13, the child dies. And it's interesting what David does next. He gets up, he changes his clothes and he goes and he eats a meal and his convoy his people. They come to him and they're like what are you doing? And David, here's a moment. He says, listen, I prayed for God to intervene, but the child is gone. What else can I do? And it sounds almost, but the child is gone. What else can I do? And it sounds almost heartless, but I don't think it is.

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David understood that God is sovereign, you and I, when we approach God and when we pray and we seek his wisdom. Sometimes he doesn't give us what we want. That's one of the hardest things about living on this side of heaven. Sometimes God doesn't give us what we want. He's not a genie. Solomon says who can make straight what he has made crooked? Job has this same reflection at the end of Job and God says where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? And Solomon in his reflection says enjoy the good, but also understand that good comes with bad, and God too has ordained those things. And it's hard to process that Because we want what we want. We want God to answer every prayer, every thought, every desire, and he doesn't. And there's a part of having faith that forces us to realize that God is sovereign. He doesn't work inside the same time frame that you and I do.

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I read a sermon a couple years ago and it was talking about unanswered prayers. They were reflecting on prayers that people struggle with and they get to the prayer in the garden, gethsemane. The prayer that Jesus prays is God. If you can take this from me, please do. In a moment of desperation the Son of God is crying out and saying God, if you can remove this from me, if there's any other way, then let it happen and Jesus goes to the cross. That's an unanswered prayer. That's an unanswered prayer. But what you and I now know that they didn't is the death of Jesus had to happen because without the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, there's no salvation for any of us. None of this is possible, none of this matters.

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So Solomon, again reflecting on his own life, says trust God with everything, in every season. And then he goes on and continues in 7, reflecting on his own life, says trust God with everything and every season. And then he goes on and continues in 7 and says In this meaningless life of mine, I have seen both of these the righteous perishing in their righteousness and the wicked living long in their wickedness. Do not be over-righteous, neither be over-wise. Why destroy yourself? Do not be over-w, neither be over wise. Why destroy yourself? Do not be over wicked. And do not be a fool. Why die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful than ten rulers in a city. Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins. Do not pay attention to every word people say. You may hear your servant cursing you, for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.

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Every time I read that passage, all I can think about is Griffin in my ear saying well, that's not fair. Kids don't think anything's fair. But if we're honest, life is not fair. I don't know why. I don't know why evil seems to prosper. I don't know why wicked people seem to flourish. Why does God give people money? Who hoard it instead of giving it to those? I don't know? Life's not fair. It never will be.

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And again, solomon, in all of his wisdom, he lives the same life that you and I do. That's why Ecclesiastes, I think, is so important, because it's an honest reflection on the human condition. Under the sun, life doesn't always make sense to us. Under the sun, life doesn't always make sense to us. And so he finishes by saying all of this, I tested by wisdom and I said I am determined to be wise, but this was beyond me. Whatever exists is far off and most profound. Who can discover it? So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom in the scheme of things, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are in chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare. Look, says the teacher. This is what I've discovered, adding one thing to another to. I think Solomon was a little jaded. This only have I found. God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes. So again, solomon is reflecting on the human condition. He says I look at humanity. God created them to be something and they're not. We chase after pleasure. We worry about ourselves. We stop worrying about our neighbor. We become so focused and listen. This happens in churches a lot too. One of the strongest indicators of a church that's about to die is the church becomes so internally focused that it forgets that it's supposed to be a beacon of hope. Churches that become so internally focused with their money and their activities that they only care about themselves, never realizing that the person right outside their door is Jesus. If you ever wonder why I try to do so much stuff in the community? It's because I think that the church should be in the community always. I don't think it should be the government's job to take care of people. I think the church should be doing that. I think we should come around people and help them and not only give them hope, but give them life and give them a purpose and give them more than we can even imagine. Because the early church did this Acts 2, at the end of Acts 2, when they're talking about the early church, they met together, they broke fellowship together, they broke bread together, they gave of their possessions to help anyone who was in need. They understood that they were supposed to come together under the single focus of Jesus and to go into the community and make an impact, which means that everywhere you and I go, if we follow Jesus, we have no excuse not to take the kingdom of God everywhere we go. We cannot just be Sunday morning Christians. It'll never work. God calls us to go into the world to make a difference. Again, solomon, in all his reflection. He's talking about pursuing things that matter and as we get to chapter 12, he says pursue God. The pursuit of God is the pursuit of people, to pursue them so that they know who Jesus is, to look and pray for opportunities to share our faith. These things matter Because nothing else in this world will ever give them what Jesus can.

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I have a love-hate relationship with TikTok. It drives me nuts Social media in general, really and one of the things that I see all over TikTok is there's a lot of people who are deconstructing their faith. And listen, it's not inherently bad. I think it's good to ask questions. I think that if we're honest, we have to wrestle with these things. I think Solomon did that well, but I see a lot of people deconstructing their faith so much and it's actually hurting people and I think it's hurting them.

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And I saw this lady. She had posted something on her TikTok and she had given her reason for walking away from the church, and so one of the things she talked about is she grew up in a church and her entire existence was she was told by the church that she was broken, that she was sinful, that her brokenness caused the death of Jesus on the cross because his death was the only way to save her from eternal separation from God. And listen, those are all things that I 100% agree with, but I understand her reflection because if that's all you've ever heard, if the church has only ever convinced you that you're a bad person, because for the longest time that's how we thought we could win people to Jesus I think about the hellfire and brimstone preachers of the 60s Follow Jesus or burn in hell. Doesn't seem like a hard choice, but if all you've ever heard your whole life is that you're a problem and that you're broken, and then you find yourself in the church and you hear the exact same conversation, and again I don't think it's wrong. And so she has this moment where she reflects and she says but I'm not going to raise my kids that way. I want to teach them that they have value, that they have purpose, that they're loved. You know, my first reaction to her is well, yeah, that's what the church teaches too. That's what the church should teach too. And I was frustrated because I was like, I don't know her story, but the more I thought about it, the more that I was broken. If I ever have an opportunity to have a conversation with her, lord willing, this is what I hope she hears. I hope that she understands that she's loved.

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Romans 8, 38-39 tells us that. I hope she understands that she's a child of God John 1-12. That she's chosen Ephesians 1, 4-5. That she's been redeemed Colossians 1, 13-14,. That she's being restored Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians 5, 17,. That she's valuable, she matters to God Matthew 10, 29-31,. That she's given life and she has a purpose Jeremiah 29-11,. And that she's part of God's plan always Jeremiah 29.11,. And that she's part of God's plan always.

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I reflect on her moment and again I reflect on my life and I wonder am I the kind of person that is living in such a way that people know that they matter, that the kingdom of God belongs to them just as much as it does to me? It hurts me Because I don't know if anyone ever told her that. So if no one has ever told you this, let me be the first. You're loved. You're loved. Yes, jesus died Because sin has broken us. That's the problem. But he would die for you, even if you were the only one he had to die for that. He has a plan for your life. He has a purpose. God is not some distant, far-off God that doesn't know who we are. The Bible tells us that he knows the hairs on our head. It means you have value. You matter to him. Your life was bought with a price, one that he would pay again and again and again, because he loves you more than anyone else in this world ever will.

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Ecclesiastes is hard to read.

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Solomon doesn't know Jesus.

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But let me tell you, no matter what you come into this place with, no matter who you are, no matter what you hear at home, your schools, I hope in this place you understand that you are loved more than you will ever imagine. As we sing this last song, I'm actually going to get up there and I normally don't do this, but I love this song. It's important that you understand that your life matters. It's important that my eulogy is true, that I live a life helping people understand that growing in their faith and knowing Jesus is the greatest thing they can ever do. And so, even though I'm going to be up here, if you want to have that conversation here, if you want to have that conversation, if you want to make that decision listen, I know it's not always an easy one, but even if you don't, I really do pray that you leave this place knowing how deeply the sovereign God of creation, how deeply the sovereign God of creation how deeply he loves you, that even if you were the only one, jesus would have died for you too.