Remember Your Creator – Pt 3

We exist to honor God, not for God to provide for us.

Ecclesiastes 4:5-16 (NLT)

6 And yet,“Better to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind.”

7 I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun. 8 This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.

9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

13 It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice. 14 Such a youth could rise from poverty and succeed. He might even become king, though he has been in prison. 15 But then everyone rushes to the side of yet another youth who replaces him. 16 Endless crowds stand around him, but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. So it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.

1. Don’t isolate yourself from others.

2. Be teachable as you age.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 (NLT)

1 As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. 2 Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.

3 Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.

4 When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. 5 It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. 6 Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.

7 Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead.

3. Approach God with your ears open and your mouth shut.

Ecclesiastes 5:8-20 (NLT)

8 Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. 9 Even the king milks the land for his own profit!

10 Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! 11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!

12 People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.

13 There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver. 14 Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. 15 We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.

16 And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind. 17 Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry.

18 Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. 19 And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. 20 God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.

4. Enjoy your work and the fruits of your labor.

Ephesians 4:28 (NLT)

28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.

5. Measure your life by what you give, not by what you gain.

Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT)

6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,  8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

SMALL GROUP MEETING OUTLINE

Where your faith intersects with real life!

Reconnect:

Each person shares a recent high and low from their life.

Explore:

Review the message notes.

Big Idea: Life is an abundant, valuable gift from our Creator. Let deep reverence for him shape your relationships with God, others, work, and money.

Consider:

Choose one or two questions for your Group to discuss as time allows.

▶ Read Ecclesiastes 4:5-12. Pick one area or share about them all.

– Who are the people in your life that you’re protecting? Who is protecting you?

– Who are you helping to succeed? Who is cheering you on and supporting you?

– Are there people in your life that you’re close enough with to keep each other warm?

▶ Read Ecclesiastes 5:8-20. How do you make quality decisions regarding your money?

Activate:

Spend a moment in silence to consider your response, then share with the Group.

Read Philippians 2:6-8. Ask God if there is something in your life he wants to you rearrange so that you can invest more in the Kingdom of God? It could be in your relationship with him, others, work, or money.

Prayer:

Thank God for the highs and lift up the lows.

Pray that as a church we would continue to grow as active followers of Jesus who are sensitive to hearing God’s voice and quick to obey.