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Q. Tell one meaningful thing for you in your life [money, God.]
Q. Tell me one meaningful thing for you in your life.
Q. for the worldly people what are the meaning full things? [Going to gulf,]
Q. What kind of efforts do the worldly people take to attain all these things.
Q. For the world all these things are meaningful. Wisdom / pleasures / riches / youth
Ecclesiastes 1:12-18
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men!
14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
15 What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge."
17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
- v.16; - explain about the great wisdom, the author attained from this world.
- What kind of effort, he would have taken to attain that wisdom. [Going through lots of books]
- V.17-18: - why do you think the author says that wisdom is meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 2:4-11
4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.
5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.
7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well--the delights of the heart of man.
9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.
-What diff. pleasures do you think the author gained from his hardwork.
What differences, Efforts do you think, the author would have taken to attain all these things.
Why do you think the author says that pleasures are meaningless [lots of emptiness / lack of real happiness]
Ecclesiastes 11:9-10
9 Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.
- To what extent does a man value his youth.
- What are some of the things that a man can achieve in his youth.
- Why do you think the author says that youth is meaningless.
- Now we talked about all the meaningless things that we focus on many times.
- Let’s focus on the one meaningful thing that the author talks.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
Why do you think that the author considers ‘fearing God’ as the most meaningful thing.
-Why do you think the author considers ‘keeping his commandments’ as a meaningful thing.
-How have your life been all these years: a meaningful life on a meaning less life.
Lets make a decision to go behind meaningful things to change our life.
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