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The best book I read last year was Notes From a Tilt-A-Whirl, by Nate Wilson.  This book is about you and me and the world (tilt-a-whirl) we live on, spinning through space at 67,000 mph.  Our story and the story of everyone who ever lived is really about one big story of redemption that includes laughter, evil, death, beauty, and the Hero we all ache for in a good story. 

But, how do you make sense of a world like ours filled with paradoxes?  Is there a purpose to all the madness and sin within and around us?  Yes, there is, and the purpose is surprisingly beautiful: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  Through Him were all things made. 

As I think about this book, here are 4 objective and subjective reasons why this was the best book I read last year.  It was…

1) Metaphysical (real).  The world we live on is like a tilt-a-whirl ride at a carnival.  While on a ride that spins in every direction, it seems chaotic but there is actually order—much like the spinning planets in our solar system and in the entire universe.  Like a play, we all enter the stage and there will come a day when we must exit the stage.  In a seemingly chaotic and short-lived life there are so many ‘notes’ to take and so many questions to ask.  Yet, you don’t have to know all the answers to every question.  In the spirit of Ecclesiastes, all that matters is what really matters.  All of creation groans for ultimate reality: the Redeemer.  Wilson has portrayed all of this and more, amazingly.    

2) Theological.  In a fresh way, Wilson deals with most of the questions relating to hell, the problem of evil, and chaos vs. order.  Plato, Aristotle, Nietzsche, Shakespeare, Hume, Lewis, Chesterton, Sartre, Donne, Tolstoy, and others are gathered in a round table discussion.  Jesus is at the head of the table.  His word and His cross speak louder than all the ideologies of the world.  Like a thriller, Wilson presents Christ unexpectedly with a shocking effect.  This is a book I would give to my lost friends or family members who are thinking through these things.     

3) Poetic.  This is a beautiful book because it is written as a novel but reads like a poem.  The use of literature, art, and philosophy are breathtaking and are reminiscent of C.S Lewis and Francis Schaeffer.  For all four seasons of the year, he has included four hiatus (“be still”) chapters that are purely reflective, provoking wonder and awe at the beauty of God’s spoken universe.  Wilson helps to awaken you to stand in awe of the reality that is and has been.   

4) Personal.  I feel like I read this book at the right time.  In a sense, this book saved me from a dull and sinful unbelieving heart to lay hold of God’s powerful will for my life.  Wilson has and still does help me to use all five senses to enjoy life and to magnify God.  Even in seasons of spiritual desertion, God has not forgotten me and is not blind towards my circumstances, or deaf to hear my prayers.  Reading this book not only helped me feel the weight of a transcendent God, but the weight of His sovereign love and providential care for me as an immanent God.

In the spirit of Good Friday and Easter, Wilson retells the story of redemption with triumph:

The last page approaches, reached only through trials and triumphs, tears and laughter.  The ending comes.  But God is too big for endings, too big to work with a single narrative arc.  This will be the end of Death, the end of a story that began in a garden and has played out in gardens ever since.

Let us bury Death in a garden, and seal the hole with a cross.  For Him there will be no Spring.

There is a rustling of impatience.  Anticipation.  Creation creaks and groans, tired of shadow, tired of Winter.

The sun comes.

The corn will see the morning.

The sun warms me, reminds me.

Be grateful, it says.  I have broken the Winter (89).    

Needless to say, get this book and read it dozens of times!

Live will truly be empty if you as a creature do not come to know your Creator God. How is it that people do not take God seriously?

Here is the worldly reasoning that leads to life being meaningless:

• There is no God.
• If there is no God, there is no Judge
• If there is no Judge, there is no final Judgement
• If there is not final Judgement, there is no meaning to life.

This leads to the logical conclusion: "I die, and that's it." But, here is Solomon's reasoning:

• God exists.
• He is the creator.
• If he is the creator then he is the judge
• If there is a judge, then there is a final judgement
• If there is a final judgement, then everything we do matters.

Without God, life is reduced to a hollow drag, an empty existance.

If Solomon ended Ecclesiastes before this final section, then life would be a dismal, meaningless excercise. But he does not end there! In this section, he shows us his ultimate conclusion, which is that, with God, everything matters.

In this conclusion, the Preacher intends to show us that he has exhaustively investigated the question of life's meaning, and reached the end of the matter, so that we don't have to.

5 Reasons why Solomon's research on the meaning of life should be considered "the end of the matter"

1. The skill in which he taught (Ecclesiastes 12:9). It was an exhaustive search, carefully weighed and proverbs carefully constructed.
2. The words in which he chose (Ecclesiates 12:10). He chose delightful words, words easily grasped, dependable, and accurate.
3. The intention of the preacher in writing this message (Ecclesiates 12:11). The message was intended to poke and prod (goads and nails) to think about the right thoughts and actions, to keep moving us in the direction of truth. The goads include: the brevity of life, the inability to predict the future, the meaninglessness of work, prosperity of the wicked, the risk of all endeavors, the restrictions of old age, the emptiness and horror of death, the human inability to figure out God, and judgement. These are intended to nail down the truth so that it would poke your soul.
4. The warning of the preacher (Ecclesiates 12:12). He's saying: be warned about all the different teaching out there, most of which leads to folly, emptiness, disillusionment, and death. Be careful of the teaching that promises to give all the answers to life's problems. The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom;if you don't start there, you don't have any knowledge or wisdom.
5. The conclusion of the preacher (Ecclesiates 12:13-14). Everything matters! So:Why? Ecclesiastes 12:14 gives the reason: God will bring every act to judgement. God will judge every act, even secret acts.
   • Fear God. (Ecclesiates 12:13) The first appropriate kind of fear is terror, the second appropriate kind of fear is awe and reverence. Both are necessary, in that order. The gospel message is first the wrath of God (Luke 12:4), and only then the love of God. (Proverbs 16:6; Proverbs 19:23)
   • Obey God. (Ecclesiates 12:13)

Where does a message like this lead us? If all will be brought to judgement, since we are all guilty, what can we do?

This message leads us straight to the foot of the cross! Christ, our Substitute, died on the cross for us, bearing the Divine judgement for all believers. God is just to forgive every sinner that comes to Him on the basis of Calvary. That is where Ecclesiastes ultimately leads us!

The major point in Ecclesiates: 1. Find God early in your life, 2. Fear God during your life, 3. Rest in Christ at the end of your life.

13 Pieces of Advice for the Youth on Aging

1. Walk with God throughout your youth while you still can (Ecclesiastes 12:1) . Serve God while you're young! Older people can sometimes feel useless and burdensome (2 Sam 19:35). Older people can be filled with regret, or a sense of fear. There will come a time where we will not be able to banish misery from your life, like you did when you were young. So if you wait until your old age to turn to God, it may be too late. Mental and physical opportunities may diminish forever.
2. Realize that you will not be youthful for very long (Ecclesiastes 12:2) . The image is of an approaching storm (death, then judgement). This storm already started. That the cloud comes after the rain means that the storm just keeps coming and coming. As old age comes, you grow weak, having less and less control of your body and mind.
3. Remember the Creator before your limbs, teeth, and eyes go (Ecclesiastes 12:3). Here, stooping mighty men are the decaying of your limbs. Your strength will leave you. The grinding ones are your teeth. They will fall out! The ones who "look thorough the windows" are your eyes. They will "grow dim."
4. Remember the Creator before your life's opportunities close down (Ecclesiastes 12:4). The grinding mill is idle.
5. Remember the Creator before you can no longer rest (Ecclesiastes 12:4). Even the "sound of a bird" will wake you up.
6. Remember the Creator before you can no longer hear (Ecclesiastes 12:4). The "daughters of song" sing softly.
7. Remember the Creator before you become too afraid (Ecclesiastes 12:5). Older people develop a fear of falling; it can be fatal. You're helpless to defend yourself; your facilities deteriorate.
8. Remember the Creator before you lose your hair! (Ecclesiastes 12:5). The almond tree blossoms.
9. Remember the Creator before you can no longer move (Ecclesiastes 12:5). You have to drag yourself along.
10. Remember the Creator before you can no become sexually stimulated (Ecclesiastes 12:5). The caperberry is a sexual stimulant.
11. Remember the Creator before you die.(Ecclesiastes 12:5-7). Mouurners mourn you. The silver cord is the spinal cord, the golden bowl is the brain. The pitcher and the wheel represent the circulatory system; your heart no longer works. You become dust (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Stop ignoring the fact that you will die!
12. Remember the Creator before you meet your Creator after death (Ecclesiastes 12:7). You will meet your maker after death. You will have to give an account of your life. The issue of Jesus Christ will be the main issue there.
13. If you don't remember the Creator before all this, then your whole life was useless (Ecclesiastes 12:8). Vanity of vanities!

God is the satisfaction we seek in life. He is the source of all good we enjoy in this life!

You will die someday. There are only two ways we can die. Either we can die in the Lord, or we can die in our sin.

What will be the condition of your soul at death? You are already condemned before God; the only way to be cleansed of your sin (and have victory over death) is by trusting in the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ alone to take away your sin. Make him the Lord of your life.

If you do this, then your death will actually be your gain (Phil 1:21).

Even though life is full of uncertainty and risk, we are being called to bold action, not dormancy. We must trust the Creator and live according to His mandate.

3 Bits of Advice to Live our Life with Boldness

1. Pursue this risky life by doing good. (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6)
   • Take risks by doing good, even if you don't know what will happen (Ecclesiastes 11:1). The good may come back to you!
   • Be bold in giving, invest in other people. (Ecclesiastes 11:2)
   • Don't spend time thinking about things you cannot change (Ecclesiastes 11:3) A full cloud is going to rain, regardless of what you do.
   • Don't spend time thinking about things that don't matter. (Ecclesiastes 11:3) It really doesn't matter which way a tree falls in the forest.
   • Stop waiting for the ideal situation to do something, which may never happen. (Ecclesiastes 11:4)
   • Don't spend your time figuring out every detail, things only known to God; spend time trusting in God. (Ecclesiastes 11:5)
   • Be bold in diligence and responsibility in the midst of risk. (Ecclesiastes 11:6) Morning and evening here probably refer to the youth and old age of your life. When you get older, don't stop living boldly and say "let the young people do it." Make a mark in the world for Christ before death takes you.
2. Pursue this risky life with joy. Enjoy your life! (Ecclesiastes 11:7-10)
   • Rejoice in all your years. (Ecclesiastes 11:8) The term "let him" is very telling. Its a word that is used when you give permission for someone to do something. We are being invited to rejoice here, regardless of circumstances. Stop waiting for external things to happen that you think will bring your happiness. Be joyful now! This is not a naive joy, nor a disillusioned joy, but one that remembers the "days of darkness," but doesn't let them rob joy.
   • Real joy has boundaries and accountability. (Ecclesiastes 11:9) You can follow your desires and impulses, BUT remember that God will bring to judgement what you do. This puts boundaries on what you do. True joy can only be obtained within Godly boundaries.
   • Real joy is obtained within an honest and responsible life. (Ecclesiastes 11:10) Put away from you a rebellious spirit, a spirit of frustration or complaining or bitterness, evil that could affect the body (e.g. drugs, working too hard, too idle, dangerous thrill-seeking, sexual immorality).
3. Pursue this risky life mindful of your Creator. (Ecclesiastes 12:1-8)
   • Remember your Creator while you're young, before you lose your delight of life in old age (Ecclesiates 12:1). There will come a time where one will not be able to banish misery and unhappiness from one's body. Don't wait until then to serve God. First, you might not get old. Second, you're deceived if you think you can truly enjoy life without God, anyways!

You will be miserable if you don’t resolve to enjoy your life.  This is not just another flashing statement you will see on a billboard on the highway, selling you another getaway to the Caribbean.  Enjoying your life is the very prescription of the Bible.  Ecclesiastes 9:7-8a says, “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do […] Enjoy life […].” 

All of life is vanity and a striving after the wind without God.  Since the fate of everyone—whether righteous or wicked, is to die, enjoy your life with every pulse and every breath.  Be grateful.  You have been given a role to play for a short time under the sun.  Your life narrative is part of God’s grand story of redemption.  We, of all people have been given hope: “He who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion” (Ecclesiastes 9:4). 

We have hope because a Lamb has been slain in our place.  Jesus was cursed so that we might enjoy our life in Him.  In Adam, we pass from life into death; in Christ we pass from death into life (see John 5:24).  As the dead have no hope, Jesus breathed His last for us as a slaughtered lamb.  But, in three days time, Jesus roared victoriously over death for us as the Lion of Judah (see Revelation 5:5).  The Lion is not dead and all who hope in Him will never die.  Death is not the end of the story.  In Christ, there is life after death.  For this, be grateful.  Now, enjoy your ice cream.

Nate Wilson says,

“Paper and ink are not important.  Wealth is unimportant next to souls.  So are legs and fingers, all five senses.  So is life.  But gratitude is all-important.  Everything is a gift.  Every smell, every second, every ice cream dollar.  Gratitude for the whole story, from beginning to end, gratitude for the valleys and the shadows that lead us to the novel's final page.  Take a step and thank God, for He holds you in His hand.  Never ask to be put down.  Never struggle for separation or for worth apart from His gifts.  Breathe, taste His world, His words, and marvel that you are here to feel the blowing swirl of life.  To be blown by it.  Enjoy your ice cream […]

“We can hold out our fingers and watch how the sun glows on our decay.  We can feel the wind coming, our stems shivering and then severing.  We can clutch, or we can float and tumble and wait to be raked and gathered.  Let the children play on us, let them roll and jump, and we can cling to their hair, old and dying.  They will put us in the ground” (181, 182).

Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl

4 Things that Give Structure to the Meaning of Life:

1. Everyone is under the supervision of God (Ecclesiastes 9:1)
   • From a human perspective, it seems as if the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. But in reality, there is only one fate for both, and both are under God's sovereignty.
   • God is sovereign and man cannot figure out God's sovereign will (Job 12:10)
   • The treatment that the righteous will receive in this life is unknown. Mankind can only deal with circumstances, the lot he has been given (Ecclesiastes 9:1)
   • There is no built in guarantee of worldly success/blessing for the righteous person (Ecclesiastes 9:1).
   • This is okay. We don't have to have all our questions answered, because we know and trust that God is good.
2. Everyone will meet the same end (Ecclesiastes 9:2)
   • Everyone, whether good or evil, will die.
   • This is evil! (Ecclesiastes 9:3). The fact that all will meet the same end, regardless of whether they are righteous or wicked, is an evil, and not the end of the story.
   • Why do people die? Because of sin. Death is a judgement for sin.
   • The gospel of Jesus Christ, who has the authority to give eternal life, rescues us from this evil conclusion.
3. Everyone is thorougly sinful and off their rocker! (Ecclesiastes 9:3)
   • Everyone's heart is full of evil and insanity. Somehow, evil, sin, and insanity are all related.
   • People fill their lives with insignificant passions instead of doing their hardest to deal with their real problem, sin and death. This is insane!
   • Our world is filled with political, judicial, moral, relational, intellectual, fiscal insanity. This insanity comes from the sin in our hearts, and we deal with it every day of our lives.
   • Our insanity starts with our rebellion against God.
   • Mankind has a moral wildness about him that reveals the sting of death.
   • Only in Christ, we regain our sanity, and we can see things as they really are (the reality of death, sin, eternal life, etc.
4. Everyone who knows Christ can and should enjoy life while there are here.
   • But, when there is life, there is still hope. Life is still worth living (Ecclesiastes 9:4). Why? Because the living know they are alive, but the dead don't know anything (Ecclesiastes 9:5). Also, the living still have a share of the good things that are under the sun.
   • Because the living have hope, they can extrapolate to enjoy your life. Live your life with contentment (Ecclesiastes 9:7). Enjoy the gifts that God has bestowed upon you! If you are blind to not see the gifts, then open your eyes!
   • Indeed, God has already approved our works, because of Christ (Ecclesiastes 9:7). This gives us the wherewithall to enjoy life without worry.
   • Live a pure and a Godly life, a loyal life to God (Ecclesiastes 9:8). White symbolizes purity, oil symbolizes blessing.
   • Enjoy your life with your spouse! (Ecclesiastes 9:9) Do you do this? Or do you let all kinds of sin, family, outside relationships chip away at your relationship with your spouse? You only have a short period of time here. Don't let anyone rob your joy.
   • Live your life with Gusto! (Ecclesiastes 9:10) Live life in light of the end.

(Hover over the link to read Ecclesiastes 5:1-7)

Trying to find the answers for the meaning of life without God is a most difficult task. The work is hard and lead to frustrations instead of solutions. It's like chasing after the wind - you will not win, but be exhausted quickly. There is nothing to show for all your chasing and grasping after the wind.

And as soon as you think you're making any headway at all, you run into the great leveler: death.

Last week, we saw that even if you have the "simple pleasures of life" such as food, possessions, etc., you cannot even enjoy it unless God gives you the ability to do so!

Therefore, people must accept that God is God and people are people, and people must accept that they are dealing with a sovereign and inscrutable God.

Only when Solomon looks upwards to the Lord does cynicism and empty striving melt away. When we step into the presence of an awesome God and give Him our full attention, is where we find our full satisfaction.

Wealth, material pleasures, etc. can never bring people real satisfaction and fulfillment. Only when people are bound back to God can they find full satisfaction.

Can God be approached? Yes, but there are dangers when you approach God. God cannot be approached lightly. For instance, Exodus 30:17-21 lays out strict requirements for priests to be able to approach God (under the Old Covenant).

People often approach God in worship with 1. insincerity and 2. thoughtlessness.

Here, Solomon gives us a series of warnings on how to a properly approach God.

1. Guard your steps (Ecclesiastes 5:1). You must understand the holy character of God. Are you preparing to come before God? Feet are often used in Scripture as a figure of human conduct; they can either lead you down the wrong path or the right path. You can approach worship in a right manner, or in a wrong manner. The Bible allows us to have sufficient knowledge in order to know whether we are walking right or wrong. You can't just do anything you want during the week and then come to church expecting to worship the right way!
2. Listen carefully (Ecclesiastes 5:1). Truth is going to be deposited in your head and heart, and truth is always designed to change/transform you, to make you other than you were, to make you like Christ, to make you holy, Godly, sober, and listen to what He is saying. There is some danger in coming to God carelessly, offering up "the sacrifice of fools" ... the inappropriate, careless, stumbling into the worship of God without any thought or preparation. The fool rushes into worship without careful preparation and thought about the character of God. And the fool doesn't know that "they are doing evil!" Practically, we should anticipate the hour of worship, make sure our minds are ready to worship, be on time, prepare on Saturday to remove obstacles. Don't stay up late on Saturday. Guard against distraction, mental preoccupation, and pray for the worship hour. Pray that the Lord would speak to the congregation. That they would listen, then receive, then do.

Here are 3 admonitions of what to do to worship:

1. Ponder your own walk (Ecclesiastes 5:1) on the character of God who you are worshipping. It is God's time to communicate. It is not time to drift off, think about something else, text, twitter, surf the web.
2. Take a deep breath. (Ecclesiastes 5:2) Don't be impatient of spirit, let your heart race in thought or be hasty in words! "Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)" Stop being distracted! Have a careful and thoughtful approach to worshipping God. Don't be flippant in worship. In Ecclesiastes 5:2, God dwells in heaven, infinite and awesome, and we are merely on the earth. Restrain your tongue. Also, keep your mind free. (Ecclesiastes 5:3) Dreams here probably refer to daydreams. This is like letting daydreams take over during worship. Learn to discipline your mind to pay attention during worship. Dreams here can refer to anything that's not reality, anything that's transient. This can also refer to the preoccupation of hard work, which cause one to be unable to pay attention.
3. Be sober and serious (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6). When you finally do speak, watch what you say. Don't make frivolous deals with God. This can be extrapolated to commitments you make before God. Commitment to prayer, bible reading, church attendance. Commitment to faithfulness to your spouse (this is a direct vow to God). Keep your word, because God heard you. We don't have the power to relieve ourselves from our own vows and promises. A good example is Jonah, who didn't keep his vow to the Lord until he was in the belly of the whale, and God forced him to honor his vow to go where the Lord told him to. (Jonah 2:9). The main sin of Jonah was not keeping his vow to God as a prophet. So, don't be hasty to make a commitment, and once you do, don't say that it was "just a mistake" when it becomes hard to keep the vow. God will not let you get away with this. (Ecclesiastes 5:6; Deuteronomy 23:21-22).

The summary is in Ecclesiastes 5:7. Fear God! Don't play games with worship, but treat your relationship with God with a soberness, respect, reverence, and awe as you approach the house of God in worship.

When you come to worship, come attentive, come mindful of who you are approaching, be mindful of your daily walk. Don't let the anxieties of your life to squeeze you so hard that you don't have any real joy in your worship! Let's think hard about our attitude during worship in the house of God.