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 11:1-10 NIV
MESSAGE TEXT
Ecclesiastes 11:1-10
INTRODUCTION
Wisdom gives you an advantage in life but it doesn’t give you immunity to the unfairness of life. It won’t keep you from getting hurt or betrayed or taken advantage of. But don’t retreat from life or from taking risks because of this reality. And don't wait until it's too late in the game to apply the principles of wisdom. Live wisely when you're young. Give wisdom’s principle a lifetime to work.
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Can we live confidently though life is filled with unexpected, unfair contingencies? Unpredictable events occur in life. Things take place without any explanation. And they can be heavy things to carry. I know this. But do we have to wait until all things resolve to be happy? A broken relationship? Better work hours? An extra bedroom? A more attentive, respectful, loving spouse? A new baby? Relief from a bad back? The desired number on the scale? More supportive parents? Cure from a chronic condition? More income? What do we do until then? Shelve our joy and bench our happiness? We can’t stop enjoying and participating in life. Grieve the losses. You have a right and a need to do that. But don’t get stuck. Keep moving.
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PROPOSITION
I want to talk to you today about how to boldly live a joyful and happy life. What are some ways that we can enhance our joy and happiness without seeing a psychotherapist or counselor? We don’t have life all figured out, but there are some things that typically enhance your joy and happiness. Happiness boosting activities include…
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MESSAGE POINTS
Invest your resources in the right things (1-2)
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Cultivate an optimistic attitude toward your circumstances (3-4)
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Avoid overthinking your situation and comparing yourself with other people (5)
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Practice acts of kindness throughout your lifetime (6)
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Express gratitude every day of your life (7)
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Develop healthy strategies for dealing with the hardships and traumas of your life (8)
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Enjoy every day of your life rather than just endure it until you reach the next goal (9)
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Take care of your body because you are going to get older someday (9b)
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Learn to forgive and free your heart from the things that weigh you down (10)
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CONCLUSION
Talking about investments and risk - We cannot avoid risk even if we wanted to. Every direction you turn, there are unknowns and things beyond your control. The futility of finding a risk-free place to stand can paralyze us into inaction. Risk is simply an action that exposes you to the possibility of loss or injury. If you take a risk you can lose money (we risk it in investments), you can lose face (we risk it in evangelism), you can lose your health (we risk it in the foods we eat) or even your life (we risk it when we drive somewhere). You can’t avoid risk.
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Do you know what John Piper says? John Piper says it would be better to lose your life than to waste it. You can throw your life away in a hundred sinful ways and die as a result. You can waste your life. Or, you can give your life to God, to wisdom, to self-sacrificial love – you can lose your life for these things and this is far better than wasting it. You still might lose your life but the ripple effect of your life for God will keep rippling out and it may return a great harvest for your family and God’s glory. And Piper says this is far greater than wasting your life.
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Jesus says when you love your life so much to the point you never risk anything, the very life you’re trying to protect you’ll lose. Matthew 10:39Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. But, in wisdom, we can decide that Jesus is worth more than money or TikTok followers. We can recognize that Christ has created us, saved us, and called us for a much greater purpose than anything this world could ever offer us. We can die to ourselves, our hopes, our dreams, our ambitions, our priorities, and our plans. We can do all of this because we believe that the person and the plan of Christ bring reward that makes any risk more than worth it (Piper).
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And a call to live is a call to risk. And if our single, all-embracing passion is to make much of Christ in life and death, and if the life that magnifies him most is the life of costly love, then life is risk, and risk is right. To run from it is to waste your life. So, live like you mean it.