Stones Hill Community Church
The writer of Ecclesiastes undertook a hugely ambitious life experiment and he made himself the guinea pig, the lab rat. King Solomon had the time, money, and power to pretty much pursue any avenue of life he thought would bring pleasure or satisfaction. Solomon decided to conduct a massive experiment in human happiness and meaning. He became his own test subject, his own lab rat. “I know there is a God, but I’m going to live as if there isn’t and see what that’s like.” He became this mad scientist in search of serum, an antidote to fix him. But nothing was ever enough. He lost sight of the Giver of the Gifts. Have you lost sight of what's important?
The theme of the book is a virtual summary of the biblical worldview: life lived by purely earthly and human standards is futile, but the God-centered life is an antidote. Solomon tells us what he wants us to remember when life gets confusing, mysterious, unfair or as black as night - keep your trust in Creator God’s plan. Life in the world has significance only when man remembers his Creator (12:1).
Welcome to "A Season for Everything" - Finding Meaning in the Book of Ecclesiastes!
We welcome you to Stone's Hill today!
A typical Stone's Hill service has:
* music (so feel free to sing out);
* some announcements (things that are upcoming that you can be a part of);
* a message out of the Bible (God speaks to us through his Word);
* and an opportunity for you to respond to the message (either immediately in the case of a decision that needs to be made OR in the future as you live out the message in your daily life.)
So relax and enjoy your morning! We're so glad you are here!
Ecclesiastes 7:1-14 NIV
Message Text: Ecclesiastes 7:1-14
INTRODUCTION
True wisdom must grapple with absurdity, tragedy, and the puzzles of life. What appears to be bad turns out to be good sometimes, but not always – so we have to have the maturity to deal with that. As we begin the second half of Solomon’s journal with chapter 7, you will immediately notice that chapter 7 looks a lot like Solomon’s Book of Proverbs. Solomon will use the word “better” eleven times in this chapter. Double “better” sayings occur at verses 1 and 8. In fact verses 1–8 make up the largest group of “better” sayings in the Old Testament. “Better things” will come to the life of the person who follows God’s wisdom.
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PROPOSITION
Title: How to Live a Better Life and See the Good Even in Adversity
The first twelve verses of this section are proverbs, and the last two verses (7:13–14) conclude the section with two admonitions. Here are the proverbs in a nutshell:
Character is Better Than Cologne (v. 1) –
Heaven is Better that Heartache (v. 1)
Reflection is Better than Revelry (v. 2)
Perspective is Better than Pleasure (v. 3-4)
Correction is Better than Commendation (v. 5-7)
The Conclusion is Better than the Commencement (v. 8)
Patience Is Better than Pride (v. 8)
Peace is Better than Being Peeved (v. 9)
The Present is Better than the Past (v. 10)
Wisdom is Better than Wealth (v. 11-14)
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Key Word: Now in order to navigate our way through these proverbs, I’ve organized Solomon’s inspired advice into FOUR CATEGORIES or CLUSTERS for our study. God, through Solomon, is going to give us four pieces of good advice for how to live a better life?
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MESSAGE POINTS
Find Your Work-Life Balance (1-4) Here’s the paradox: Thinking about your future death improves life today.
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Detox Your Relationships (5-6) Here’s the paradox: True friends value a harsh truth over a melodious lie.
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Cultivate Your Character (7-12) Here’s the paradox: The quick fix or the short-cut will not fix it and it will cost you more.
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Honor Your Creator (13-14) Here’s the paradox: God balances our lives by giving us enough blessings to keep us happy and enough burdens to keep us humble.
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CONCLUSION
I do appreciate the “Serenity Prayer” written in 1934 by Reinhold Niebuhr. A version of it is used around the world by people in various support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous; and it fits the lesson Solomon teaches in verse 13: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.
Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)
Come to Christ today!