ECCLESIASTES 4: 1-16
The Book Of Ecclesiastes:
Encourages Us To:
HONOR God, ( Give God Glory )
OBEY His Commandments, ( Advance His Kingdom )
ENJOY Life.
BOOK OUTLINED:
THE SEARCH FOR SIGNIFICANCE:
EXPLORATION:
Exploring The Problem Under The Sun: Chapters 1-8.
EXHORTATION:
Explaining Life In The Hand Of God: Chapters 9-12.
BIG QUESTION: DOES LIFE HAVE MEANING ?
CONTENTS:
TAKEN FROM THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HUMAN LIFE.
TAKEN FROM MANY VARIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES.
THE CONTRAST:
HUMAN WISDOM VERSUS GOD'S WISDOM:
Human Wisdom Gains For Us NOTHING OF ETERNAL Value.
YES: KNOWLEDGE IS GOOD AND COMMENDABLE.
BUT IT CANNOT SAVE US.
SUMMARY OF BOOK:
God Precisely Works Out All Activities Under The Sun.
God Has A Perfect Plan Revealed In His Perfect Time.
God Discloses Only What His Perfect Wisdom Dictates.
God Holds All Mankind Accountable.
THE ONLY HOPE OF A GOOD LIFE:
PREPARING OURSELVES FOR HEAVEN.
THE ONLY REASONABLE RESPONSE:
BELIEF IN HIM BY FAITH.
THE ONLY EXPECTED RESPONSE:
OBEDIENCE TO OUR SOVEREIGN GOD.
THE VANITY OF THE WORLD SYSTEM:
All Is Vanity Said The Preacher Without The Life Of God In You.
MEANING: IN CHRIST As We Know Through Revealed Scripture.
THE VANITIES OF ECCLESIASTES:
HUMAN WISDOM AND HUMAN EFFORT:
HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT:
HUMAN LIFE:
THIS STUDY:
HUMAN RIVALRY:
HUMAN SELFISH SACRIFICE:
HUMAN POWER:
QUICK REVIEW:
The Preacher Began His Search For Meaning In Life.
First:
Beginning With Human Wisdom.
Human Wisdom Is Like Grasping For The Wind.
Human Wisdom Was The Source Of Much Grief And Sorrow.
Second:
True Living Is Not Found In:
Achievement, Possession, Pleasure, Or Work.
When We Fail To Consider God’s Will In Life?
Third:
The Teacher Is Seeking To Find Joy In God’s Good Gifts.
God Has Graciously Given Us Many Avenues To Find Joy.
But God’s Gifts Are Subject To Abuse Which Leads To Misery.
God’s Gifts Will Never Answer The Desire For Meaning In Life.
Seeking Ultimate Meaning In His Gifts Leads To Dissatisfaction.
The Preacher Finds Wickedness In Place Of Justice.
The Preacher Finds Oppression Instead Of Comfort.
But God Will Judge The Righteous And The Wicked.
Fourth:
The Mysterious Purposes Of God Are Incomprehensible.
All Things Serve God’s Divine Purpose.
God Wants Honor And Obedience.
God Wants Us To Rejoice In Him And Enjoy Him.
WITHOUT REVELATION FROM SCRIPTURE
WE CAN'T DISCERN GOD’S PURPOSES.
WITHOUT GOD'S BLESSING
WE CAN'T ENJOY THE FRUIT OF LABOR.
NOW, THE STUDY FOCUSES ON THE VANITY OF:
HUMAN RIVALRY:
HUMAN SELFISH SACRIFICE:
HUMAN POWER:
THE VANITY OF SKILLFUL AND SELFISH WORK:
WE LEARN: TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE:
OUTLINE:
I. JOY-STEALING LABORS (4–8).
A. JOYLESS LABOR IN PURSUIT OF ENVY (4–6).
B. JOYLESS LABOR IN SACRIFICING RELATIONSHIPS (7–8).
II. FINDING JOY WITH OTHERS (9–16).
KEY TAKEAWAY:
TO APPRECIATE THE VALUE OF FRIENDS.
FRIENDS HELP EACH OTHER IN TIME OF WORK AND IN TIME OF NEED.
ECC 4:9-10.
1. JOYLESS LABOR:
WHEN IT BREEDS RIVALRY AND ENVY IN OTHERS.
He Saw How That Skillful Work Causes One To Be Envied By His Neighbor.
Ecc 4:4.
ACQUIRING TOO MUCH IS NOT WORTH THE EFFORT.
For It Really Does Not Satisfy.
Ecc 4:5-6.
PROVERBS 15: BEST TO HAVE LITTLE WITH QUIETNESS.
2. JOYLESS LABOR:
WHEN IT SACRIFICES RELATIONSHIPS.
The Preacher Saw One Alone And With No Companion.
Ecc 4:7-8.
Who Is Never Satisfied Indeed He Can’t Be.
Ecc 5:10.
And Doesn’t Think For Whom He Is Laboring.
Ecc 2:18-19.
3. FINDING JOY WITH OTHERS:
IT IS MUCH BETTER TO HAVE FRIENDS:
Ecc 4:9-12.
Who Can Help Each Other In Their Labor.
Who Can Help Each Other When They Fall.
Who Can Help Each Other Withstand Conflict.
1. It Is Better To Poor And Wise And Young
Than Old And Foolish And A King.
Ecc 4:13.
2. For Despite Rising From Poverty And Prison To Become King,
The People Will Eventually Prefer Another Much Younger Than He.
Ecc 4:14-16.
CONCLUSION:
AGAIN: APPRECIATE THE VALUE OF FRIENDS
WHO CAN HELP US IN TIME OF WORK AND NEED.
BECAUSE WE MAY BE PERPLEXED AT TIMES
CONCERNING THE WORKINGS OF GOD.
When Solomon Said, “Two Are Better Than One,” He Acknowledged That True, Godly Friends Are:
A Comfort In Need,
A Help In Trouble,
A Companion In Toil,
A Protective Guard Against Danger.
We Have The Family Of God To Help Us In Our Labor And In Time Of Need.
1 Thess 5:11.
SO, SPECIFICALLY HOW ARE TWO BETTER THAN ONE.
ECCLESIASTES 4:9
We Discover A Most Valuable Things In Life: True Friendship.
Solomon Reflects On:
The Benefits Of People Working Together.
The Importance Of Companionship,
Because They Have A Good Return For Their Labor.
Because Two Laborers Have A Better Return For Their Efforts.
They Achieve More Than One Alone Even After Dividing Profits.
Because It Can Offer Different Strengths To Complement And Encourage One Another.
Because If One Person Falls The Other Can Reach Out And Help.
But Someone Who Falls Alone Is In Real Trouble.
Sometimes We Fall Down Physically And Need Help Getting Up.
Sometimes We Need An Even Greater Emotional Hand.
Because Sometimes A Person Needs Help In Walking Spiritually.
It Is Vital To Have A Friend Who Can Come Alongside Us.
It Is Vital To Help Restore Us To Wholeness In Our Relationships.
Share Each Other’s Burdens. This Is Obedience To Christ.
THERE IS NO GREATER FRIEND:
Jesus: The Ultimate End Of All God’s Purposes In This World.
Ephesians 1:9-10.
Through Jesus We Obtain Mercy And Find Grace As Needed.
Hebrews 4:15-16.
THE VANITIES OF ECCLESIASTES:
HUMAN WISDOM AND HUMAN EFFORT:
HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT:
HUMAN LIFE:
THIS STUDY:
HUMAN RIVALRY:
HUMAN SELFISH SACRIFICE:
HUMAN POWER:
COMING SOON:
HUMAN GREED 5:10
HUMAN ACCUMULATION 6:1-12
HUMAN RELIGION 8:10-14
No comments:
Post a Comment