Remember Your Creator – Pt 5
Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 (NLT)
Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” 2 Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. 3 Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop. Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly.
4 Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint.
5 Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral.
6 Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. 7 For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
8 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.”
9 Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. 10 The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly.
11 The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep.
12 But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out.
13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
FIVE REASONS TO REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR:
1. To guide life decisions.
2. To live a Christ-centered life.
Colossians 1:15-18 (NLT)
15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16 for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. 18 Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.
3. To fear God and keep His commands.
4. To be prepared for the day of judgment.
1 John 4:9-10 (NLT)
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
5. To remember that God remembers you.
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: Remember your Creator means you were created for Christ-centered living, following His instructions and doing good works.
Consider:
Choose one or two questions for your Group to discuss as time allows.
▶ Read Ecclesiastes 12:1-14.
– What are some practical ways to fear God and keep His commandments in our daily lives?
– How does the concept of a day of judgment shape our understanding of the purpose and meaning of our actions?
– What does it mean to believe God remembers us, and how does that impact our identity and purpose?
▶ Read 1 John 4:9-10.
– How does God’s love, demonstrated through Jesus’s sacrifice, both encourage and challenge us to live for Him?
Activate:
Spend a moment in silence to consider your response, then share with the Group.
Read Colossians 1:15-18. Thank God for the areas in which He has given you strength to live a Christ-centered life. Ask Him to show you an area of your life where He needs you to put Him first.
Prayer:
Thank God for the highs and lift up the lows.
Pray that as a church we would grow in remembering our Creator before any decision or action.