WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT?

Ecclesiastes 11:1 – 12:14

The book of Ecclesiastes (in the bible) gives King Solomon’s experiences when trying to find life “under the sun”. And Solomon realized that life was not monotonous but filled with challenging situations from God, each in its own time and each for his own purpose.

He also learn that wealth could be enjoyed and employed to the glory of God.Now let’s look at the question, what life is all about?

1. Life is an Adventure. (v. 1-6)

CHALLENGE: Live by FaithHere Solomon used two activities to illustrate his point:

The merchant sending out his ships. (v. 1-2)The farmer sowing his seed. (v. 3-4)

REMEMBER: Life has a certain amount of risk to it, and that’s where faith comes in.

2. Life is a gift. (v. 7-12:8)

CHALLENGE: Enjoy it!In order to do this we must obey these instructions:

A.) Rejoice (v. 11:7 -9 )B.) Remove (v. 10)

The word translated “sorrow” means vexation, inner pain, anxiety.

C.) Remember (v. 12:1-8)It means “pay attention to, consider with the intention of obeying”

When to Remember God?

Keepers of the House – Your arms and hands tremble.Strong men – Your legs, knees, and shoulders weaken and you walk bent over.Grinders – You start to lose your teeth.Windows – Your visions begins to deteriorate.Doors – Either your hearing starts to fail, or you loose your mouth because you’ve lost your teeth.Grinding – You can’t chew your food, or your ears can’t pick-up the sounds outdoors.

Rise up – We wake up with the birds early each morning, and wish you could sleep longer.Music – Your voice starts to quiver and weaken.Afraid – You are terrified of heights and afraid of falling while you walk down the street.

Almond tree – If you have any hair left, it turns white, like almond blossoms

Long home – You go to your eternal (long) home and people mourn your death.

Enjoy Life not Enjoy Sin!

3. Life is a Stewardship(v.13-14)

CHALLENGE: Fear God!We don’t own our lives, because life is the gift of God (Acts 17:24-25)Some people are only spending their lives.Others are wasting their lives.Few are investing their lives.

The measure of life is not its duration but its donation.If our lives are to count, we must fulfill three obligations:

A.) Fear God (v. 13)B.) Keep his commandments (v. 13)C.) Prepare for final judgment (v. 14)

Conclusion:

When you look at life “under the sun” everything does seem vain; But when you know Jesus Christ as your saviour, “your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

Invest your life to God!