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I just started teaching a class series from the Bible on the book of Ecclesiastes titled, "Worldly Wisdom or Godly Wisdom?" (you can view class notes here). In this book, Solomon who was known as the richest, wisest, and strongest king (reigned during a time of peace) seemed to have it all. He had weapons, wealth, wisdom, and women. Although he had everything most people would want, he felt empty. So he went on a quest to discover the purpose of life.

Ecclesiastes 1:13 -- "I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven (NAS)."

As he searched to discover the meaning of life, he evaluated all aspects of life from "under the sun." He asked the following questions:

• Does my work make me satisfied (Ecclesiastes 1:3)?
• Does my knowledge and intellectualism fulfill me (Ecclesiastes 1:12-18; 2:12-16)?
• Does having fun and seeking pleasure make me happy (Ecclesiastes 2:11-16)?
• Does my money bring total joy (Ecclesiastes 5:8-17; 6:1-12)?

After evaluating his life, Solomon came up with this conclusion:

Simply looking horizontally gets you nowhere.

He said, "I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind" (Ecclesiastes 1:14).

Money, power, sex, wisdom -- none of these things completely satisfied Solomon. In fact, he basically said, "Life is a treadmill. You'll never be satisfied. We all die, so what does it matter? (see Ecclesiastes 1:4,8,11; 2:16)."

If you only look at life horizontally, you will never be satisfied.

So, does life matter?

Yes. It does.

The only way life can matter is if the vertical is on our horizon.

At the end of his search, Solomon came to this conclusion about life:

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. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

In other words, Solomon is saying, what matters in life is if we fear God and obey Him. 

To fear God (yawray in Hebrew) means to revere, be afraid, to stand in awe, to respect, to honor. In other words, we are to be fearful that God is in control of everything and that God is in control of our souls. We are also to revere, hold in high esteem, and honor God more than anyone or anything.

As we fear God in this way, we begin to understand the importance of following God's ways and God's rules. His Word does not bore us, but It excites and encourages us. As we read the Bible, all of a sudden we realize that life has meaning; that life has significance. We start living for Someone Who is greater than anything we could ever imagine. We realize the life we live is to be lived to display God's magnificence.

As we look to the vertical, we find meaning in the horizontal.

Does life matter? If you believe in Jesus Christ, you better believe it does! If you don't believe in Jesus, believe me, you will never experience the true joy that a person who follows Jesus experiences.

Jesus is the only way that life can have meaning. Jesus is the only person who can give you ultimate satisfaction in this life. Put your trust in Him today.