Bono Baptist Church Greenbrier, AR
Thrive 12/10/25
  • Main Truth: Apart from God, life’s unfairness leads to despair — but with God, injustice and death don’t get the last word. Application: How do you respond when life feels unfair? Gospel Connection: Jesus is the righteous Judge who suffered injustice to bring ultimate justice and eternal life.

    INTRODUCTION — Welcome to a Broken World

    Solomon has been lifting the veil on life “under the sun.”
    He’s talked about:
    the limits of wisdom
    the emptiness of pleasure
    the frustration of work
    the reality of seasons we cannot control
    But now Solomon goes even deeper
    he looks at the brokenness of the world itself.
    He looks around and sees:
    injustice in the courts
    oppression among the powerless
    envy driving people’s achievements
    loneliness consuming people
    and the sobering finality of death
    It’s like he’s saying:
    “This world isn’t just confusing… it’s corrupted.”
    And if you try to navigate injustice and death without God, you will end up:
    angry
    bitter
    hopeless
    cynical
    Ecclesiastes 3:16–4:16 exposes the cracks in the world — and shows why we need a Savior.
    Ecclesiastes 3:16–4:16 ESV
    16 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. 18 I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. 19 For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? 22 So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him? 1 Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. 2 And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. 3 But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun. 4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. 5 The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. 6 Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind. 7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 8 one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business. 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 13 Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. 14 For he went from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor. 15 I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that youth who was to stand in the king’s place. 16 There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

    INJUSTICE IS EVERYWHERE

    Ecclesiastes 3:16–17 ESV
    16 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.
    “In the place of justice, even there was wickedness…” “God will judge the righteous and the wicked…”
    Solomon starts with one of the most painful truths of life:
    The places that are supposed to be fair often aren’t.
    People in power abuse it.
    Courts don’t always do the right thing.
    The vulnerable get overlooked.
    Those who cheat sometimes win.
    Those who lie sometimes get ahead.
    Those who follow Jesus sometimes suffer unjustly.
    Even teenagers know this deeply:
    coaches have favorites
    teachers grade unfairly
    bosses overlook your work
    friends betray you
    siblings get away with stuff you didn’t
    rumors spread faster than truth
    Solomon doesn’t paint it pretty — he names what everyone feels:
    “Life isn’t fair.”
    But he doesn’t stop there.

    Cross References

    Psalm 73 — The wicked prosper… until God sets everything right.
    Proverbs 15:3 — “The eyes of the LORD are in every place…”
    Romans 12:19 — “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
    Teaching Point:
    When human justice fails, God’s justice doesn’t.
    He sees. He knows.
    And He will judge rightly.

    DEATH LEVELS EVERYTHING

    Ecclesiastes 3:18–22 ESV
    18 I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. 19 For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? 22 So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?
    Solomon shifts to the biggest equalizer:
    “For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same…”
    “All are from the dust, and all return to dust.”
    Solomon isn’t saying humans are no different than animals — he’s saying:
    Death comes for everyone.
    rich or poor
    wise or foolish
    powerful or powerless
    The grave doesn’t care about your GPA, your bank account, your following, your free throw percentage, your talent, or your résumé.
    Solomon’s point?
    If death is the end, life has no meaning.
    If death is the end, injustice wins.
    If death is the end, nothing matters.
    Without God, death makes life hopeless.
    With God, death becomes a doorway, not a dead end.

    Cross References

    Romans 6:23 — “The wages of sin is death…”
    Hebrews 9:27 — “It is appointed for man to die once…”
    John 11:25 — “I am the resurrection and the life.”
    Teaching Point: The reality of death is meant to push you to the One who conquered it.

    OPPRESSION BREAKS PEOPLE

    Ecclesiastes 4:1–3 ESV
    1 Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. 2 And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. 3 But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.
    Solomon says something shocking:
    “I saw all the oppressions done under the sun…”
    “They had no one to comfort them.”
    “The dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living.”
    It’s depressing and that’s the point.
    He’s describing life without God, life under the sun.
    He sees:
    systems that crush people
    voices that never get heard
    bullies who don’t get punished
    victims who carry trauma
    people crying with no one to care
    cycles of abuse that never seem to end
    Solomon is giving the most brutally honest description of the world.
    This is to show us why we need Jesus and His kingdom.
    This is not despair for despair’s sake.
    It’s despair that drives us to hope.

    Cross References

    Psalm 9:9 — “The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed.”
    Luke 4:18 — Jesus came to bring freedom to the oppressed.
    Teaching Point: Injustice hurts so deeply because we were made in the image of a just God.

    ENVY DRIVES PEOPLE

    Ecclesiastes 4:4–8 ESV
    4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. 5 The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. 6 Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind. 7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 8 one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business.
    Solomon says:
    “I saw that all toil and skill… is driven by a man’s envy of his neighbor.”
    That’s painfully relevant.
    We don’t post to share, we post to prove.
    “I’m better.”
    “I’m happier.”
    “I’m more put together.”
    “I’m more talented.”
    Envy is one of the biggest engines of our generation:
    People study to beat someone else.
    People work to impress someone else.
    People buy things to keep up with someone else.
    People chase success to matter more than someone else.
    Envy makes life a competition nobody wins.
    This is why Solomon says:
    “Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and striving…”
    Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is stop trying to prove yourself.

    Cross References

    James 3:16 — “Where jealousy exists… there is disorder.”
    Galatians 5:26 — “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
    Teaching Point: If envy drives you, emptiness will define you.

    ILLUSTRATION — “THE RIGGED GAME”

    Bring up a simple game; rock-paper-scissors —
    Play a quick round with a student.
    But before they play, quietly tell another student exactly what to pick so you always win.
    Play 2–3 rounds.
    The first student keeps losing.
    They get frustrated.
    They realize something feels off.
    “The game was rigged against you.”
    Connect the dots:
    That’s how Solomon describes life.
    The game feels rigged.
    Sometimes the wicked win.
    Sometimes the righteous suffer.
    Sometimes the innocent lose.
    But the story isn’t over.
    God is not absent.
    Justice is coming.
    Death is defeated.
    The game is only rigged if God never shows up
    and in Jesus, God has shown up.”

    APPLICATION — HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO LIFE’S UNFAIRNESS?

    Ask your students:
    When someone gets away with hurting you, what do you do?
    When a teacher is unfair, do you collapse inward or lash outward?
    When life feels unjust, do you blame God?
    Does the unfairness of life make you bitter?
    Does comparison steal your joy?
    Does envy fuel your work ethic?
    Challenge them:
    Don’t let injustice harden your heart.
    Let it push you to the God who heals hearts.

    GOSPEL CONNECTION — THE ONLY FAIR JUDGE WHO SUFFERED UNFAIRLY

    Here’s the twist Ecclesiastes is pushing toward:
    The world is unfair.
    Life is unfair.
    But the gospel is beautifully unfair… in your favor.
    Jesus, the only truly innocent person was:
    lied about
    betrayed
    falsely accused
    unfairly condemned
    beaten without cause
    killed without guilt
    Why?
    So He could give you the justice you long for and the mercy you don’t deserve.
    He is:
    the Judge who sees every injustice
    the Advocate who stands with the oppressed
    the Savior who defeated death
    the King who will set everything right
    In a world where injustice screams loud, Jesus whispers louder: ‘I will make all things new.’
  • Victory In Jesus
  • Death Was Arrested

      • Ecclesiastes 3:16–4:16ESV

      • Ecclesiastes 3:16–17ESV

      • Ecclesiastes 3:18–22ESV

      • Ecclesiastes 4:1–3ESV

      • Ecclesiastes 4:4–8ESV

Bono Baptist Church Greenbrier, AR
connect@bonobaptist.com
501-679-0509
https://www.bonobaptist.com
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