High School | LLLB #8 Settle the Essentials

Note: Series outline and content supplemented by Live Lighter Love Better; Twelve Biblical Decisions for a meaningful life by Cary Schmidt. These lessons are prepared for the High School LifeGroup

I thrive when I live for what is valuable

Introduction Conversation: Many American Christians want to confuse the story of the publican with the rich young ruler. They hold onto whatever they want and hide behind God’s forgiveness for the repentant publican.

Do you need Jesus? If your only hope in life in death? Do you find Him of the most value.

Or is He someone you want in addition?

Ecclesiastes 9:7–10 KJV 1900

7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. 8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. 9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. 10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Opening Question: If you found out your last year of life started tomorrow what would you change? Would you have any regrets from last year? Would it change anything about this day?

Our lives often get cluttered with non-essentials

Three steps to take today

reckon, with an unpredictable life

Clarify a simple purpose

Aim to properly steward the opportunities and influence you have been given

Reckon, with an unpredictable life

Ecclesiastes 9:2–6 (KJV 1900)

2 All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

Karma is a common lie, that most of the world follows some version of. From star wars to superstition.

False Doctrinal-Driven apathy in India for the sick

Clarify a simple purpose

Ecclesiastes 9:7–12 (KJV 1900)

7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.

9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.

10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

Go thy way

Where: Proverbs 3:5-6 “5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.”

Where: Psalm 32:8 “8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

This passage worked in my heart at the age of 20. I wanted to know what God has place His eyes upon. I decided the unreached people of the world were a matter of His eye and should be where I direct mine.

Solomon gives some unexpected marriage advice in vs 9

Allow obedience to be the way you measure success and not earthly metrics v.10-11

Aim to properly steward the opportunities and influence you have been given

Ecclesiastes 9:13–18 KJV 1900

13 This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: 14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: 15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. 16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. 17 The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

Summary: I can live a big life or I can make a big difference

“There are far more activities and opportunities in the world than we have time and resources to invest in. And although many of them may be good, or even very good, the fact is that most are trivial and few are vital. The way of the Essentialist involves learning to tell the difference—learning to filter through all those options and selecting only those that are truly essential.” Greg Mceown

Prayer

Father, help me settle the essentials and recognize what is truly valuable in life.