Ecc Outline Week 3

Outline 2

Pray

Intro/Welcome — Stress, Anxiety, Depression

Solomon’s Life with these

Solomon’s Answer:

God is Sovereign — All Seasons come From Him

God is Good — He makes them beautiful in his time

You are Eternal — Made for another World

You are living in the temporary — can’t see it all now

Solomon’s Conclusion: In light of this...

Enjoy the good life now

It is a gift from God

What God does lasts forever

So Worship Him alone!

Application:

Applying these truths to your stressful, anxious depressing life

Do it with others (God’s people, God’s Spirit, God’s Word)

Come to Jesus.

Outline:

Intro/Welcome

The quest for immortality

Pray

The Poem of Time

Question: What gain is there in all his struggles?

I have seen this struggle, this task to keep them busy (See also Gen 3:17 “cursed is the ground”)

I’ve seen the hevel of life, i know it. What hope can we take? What hope can we have?

Answer: God.

The task has been given by GOD

GOD

The task/toil has been given by GOD — Sovereignty #1

In this, GOD has made everything beautiful/appropriate in it’s time — Sovereignty #2 — Redemption

GOD has put eternity in their hearts — a sense of eternity, an eternal longing, the very image of God — Sovereignty # 3 — a thirst for the eternal — that is for God himself.

BUT the entirety (from beginning to end) of His work is hidden by GOD — Sovereignty #4 — cannot grasp what God is doing (1 Cor 13:12-13 “seeing in full”, 1 Cor 2:9 “no one has imagined what the Lord has prepared for those who love him”

1 Corinthians 2:9 CSB

9 But as it is written, What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived— God has prepared these things for those who love him.

Conclusions:

I know nothing better than to enjoy life

I know this is a gift from God, to enjoy life.

I know whatever God does is eternal — lasts forever.

REASON: God does this all so people will be in awe of him, fear him, worship him.

Reaffirmed by Ecc 3:1

Ecclesiastes 3:1 CSB

1 There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven:

Be present now, but live for eternity.

being focused on eternity allows us to be fully present now.

if you focus on eternity you can be present now

if you focus on the now you’ll miss both.

It is futility to try to figure out what God is up to (anxiety) — trust that what he is up to is God, appropriate, beautiful in it’s time (rom 8:32)

Your dissatisfaction is because you were made for eternity — accept that, trust #1

As opposed to a secular world view which says this life is all we have — there is constant striving.

Accept/Receive your life as it comes

this will allow you to enjoy life which is a gift b/c you trust in God.

God is working all things for Good forever — for those who will put their trust in him.

no one can add or take away from it.

Worship is the result — when we grasp this we will be in awe of God, we will fear him, and do what he says.

So, what kind of time is it for you?

What do you need to receive from the Lord?

Is it a time for birthing? or dying?

Personal Illustration:

life on the submarine —