K.P. Yohannan emphasizes the contrast between worldly pleasure and true fulfillment, drawing from the teachings of King Solomon and the life of Moses. While Epicureanism promotes a life of indulgence, Solomon concludes that everything is meaningless without God, urging us to fear Him and keep His commandments. Yohannan highlights the emptiness felt by those who pursue worldly happiness, as seen in the lives of many, including the wealthy and educated who still feel hollow. He illustrates Moses' choice to forsake earthly riches for the sake of Christ, demonstrating that true purpose lies in eternal values rather than temporary pleasures. The sermon calls for an eternal perspective, reminding us that suffering for Christ leads to true life and fulfillment.

What is the Greatest Good? The famous Greek philosopher Epicurus taught that “pleasure is the greatest good”. His theory is known as Epicureanism. “Eat, drink and be merry” is the motto of the Epicureans. The wise King Solomon said that everything in this world is meaningless. “A person can do nothing better than do eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil.”(Ecclesiastes 2:24) In a glance, both these theories may look similar. But in detail, the inner meanings of both the theories are miles apart. They’re like day and night. The former denies the existence of God, while the latter points towards His existence and our dependence on Him. King Solomon adds one more sentence to the 24th verse of chapter 2 in the book of Ecclesiastes: “This too, I see, is from the hand of God.” (Ecclesiastes 2:24) King Solomon wrote this at the end of Ecclesiastes: “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13) Some people talk like this, “Oh, who knows where hell and heaven are? Let us live happily here, now. After all, hell and heaven occur only after death. So now enjoy to the maximum, because now is the only time we can do all these things.” You can find a lot of people who support this idea, while some don’t. But all of them live for worldly happiness. The Bible refers to these people as those “who live according to the flesh”. God might have created leeches and vipers to represent such people, since leeches can’t see anything and vipers can’t hear anything. The spiritual eyes of many people are blind to spiritual truth. Their ears can’t hear. So many people don’t even think about eternity. An Eternal Perspective Dear reader, are you in this situation? Did you ever think about where you will be after 100 years? How long will this hurry, this busy life, making money, building a house, planning for the future of your children and a hundred other things last? What will happen afterwards? clock-214727_1280 The Holy Bible talks about people who tried to get everything in life. Let us think about King Solomon; he was one of the richest men in the world. He enjoyed everything available in this world according to his desire. But like I said in the beginning of the article, he said that “everything is meaningless”. That means he couldn’t find the real purpose of his life in any of these things. After all these he still felt hollow in his heart. Nowadays, a lot of people commit suicide. Statistics show that in the small state of Kerala, almost 20 people end their lives every day. None of them are poor or illiterate, some are highly educated, and some are rich. Some have almost all that the world can offer. But in the deepest part of their heart, they feel hollow. Moses the Israelite was the crowned prince of Egypt. What did he do with his life? In St. Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, chapter 11, verses 24 and 25 it says that, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin.” Moses considered disgrace for the sake of Christ as greater than the treasures of Egypt. If it happened today, people might tell him, “Dear Moses, you are such a fool! You are going to be the next Pharaoh of Israel. Did you leave all the wealth behind to go live with slaves who always go through the pain of poverty, who always suffer the pain of whips? Are you going to live in their huts? Are you going to share the food which they get once in a day? Are you going to wear the cotton dress which only slaves wear? Are you going to sleep with them in a dust-covered bed and pillows? Why? You are such a fool! Moses replies, “This castle, this crown, this throne and the power all these visible things are temporary. Beyond this I can see eternity. Knowingly I choose disgrace for the sake of Christ.” St. Paul the apostle said in his letter to the Corinthians, “If you suffer with Him, you will live with Him.” The basic principle of the Bible is that there is no crown without a cross. Moses chose to suffer with his people. He witnessed their suffering with his own eyes, their sighs reached his ears. He witnessed everything—their hard work, sweat, sorrow and pain. Whatever he saw, heard and understood changed his heart.