CONVERSATION STARTERS
Conversation Starters help us dig deeper, connecting Sunday’s sermons with our Monday lives. These prompts have been designed to help Community Groups grow in their relationship with God, with one another, and with their neighbors. Please know that these questions are meant to be a resource to you. You do not have to follow them verbatim or get through them all. We trust you to know your group and to ask the questions based on your group needs.

In Ecclesiastes 12:9-14, a single summary is given for all that has been shared in the book: though the world offers many attempts at wise living, one can only find it in fearing God and keeping His commandments.

1. What stood out to you from Sunday’s sermon?

2. Read Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 aloud and then read the same passage in The Message version. Does The Message version illuminate any part of the text in a new way to you?

3. Since there are so many excellent books, podcasts, blogs etc. around living the Christian life available, to what extent do you lean on these resources vs. the Bible (vs. 11, 12)? How do we find balance here?

4. Share about a time when life events brought disappointment or pain, but you felt God’s care in the midst of the ‘smoke’, even when you couldn’t see or understand why it was happening.

PRAYER PROMPT
Ask the Lord to help us cherish the gift of wisdom He has provided in Ecclesiastes and write it on our hearts and minds. Ask the Lord to help us through His Holy Spirit to fear Him and keep His commandments in all our activity and affections.

Title: Fear God
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:9-14
Speaker: Nathan Miller, NathanM@cckc.church

> Fearing God frees us from fear

"And therein is an extraordinary paradox, for we live more safely than ever before…more safety than almost any other society in history, safety has become the holy grail of our culture. And like the Holy Grail, it is something we never quite reach. Protected like never before, we are skittish and panicky like never before." - Michael Reeves, Rejoice and Tremble

"I want you to rejoice in this strange paradox that the gospel both frees us from fear and gives us fear. It frees us from our crippling fears, giving us instead a most delightful, happy, and wonderful fear."

"For the nature of the living God means that the fear which pleases him is not a groveling, shrinking fear. He is no tyrant. It is an ecstasy of love and joy that senses how overwhelmingly kind and magnificent, good and true God is, and that therefore leans on him in staggered praise and faith." - Michael Reeves, Rejoice and Tremble

> Fearing God frees us from despair

"The goad carried by a shepherd…is sharp and prodding, uncomfortable for sheep reluctant to move forward onto new ground…" - Ellen Davis

> Fearing God frees us for joy