The Preacher has set his sights on the different ways we look to create significance in our lives and he has looked through the different realities of life in a fallen world. Now, he takes a look at people in church. And what he tells us is that religious activity can also be a way we look to control the vapor of life. It often looks like a focus on ourselves that produces a flurry of words and activities. When we realize that God is in heaven and we are on earth—and that God has used that power to send his Son to die for our sins—we change our approach. Now we come before God as humble listeners, happy to speak but always looking to him as the center of our spiritual lives.
Application Questions
1. How do you approach your spiritual life (e.g. Bible, prayer, Sunday services) when you aren't really thinking about it?
2. What are some ways you find yourself hasty with your words towards God? Are there ways you consciously or unconsciously try to influence him for your own benefit?
3. What would change about your spiritual life if you remembered that “God is in heaven and you are on earth” ?
4. How does the gospel free you to have a quiet heart and listening posture before God instead of heaping up words and activities?
11. Religion vs Reality
“God is in heaven, and you are on earth.”
September 30, 2018
04. What the World is Like
July 29, 2018
Ecclesiastes asks hard questions to show us what life is really like—and to show us the way to have joy in it all. It opens with an explanation of how fleeting and uncontrollable life really is. While we might pretend we know how to make things happen in the world, the truth is that outcomes are out of our control. Instead of coping by trying to make life obey our will, or by trying to find meaning on our own terms, we find joy by knowing there is someone above the sun who loves us and is in control of all things. Seeing Jesus come below the sun to live as one of us and die for us shows us that we can enjoy the gifts of life until he returns. Application Questions 1. What are some ways you“play pretend” about the world and your life in it? 2. What do you think about the opening 11 verses of Ecclesiastes? Do they encourage you or discourage you? Why? 3. Are there ways you have experienced life as a vapor? Are there ways you have tried to“gain” from life and found it to be like chasing after the wind? 4. How do you finish the sentence:“There's nothing better than _______” ? How do you think Jesus would finish that sentence? 5. What about the gospel frees you to embrace being human instead of trying to“get above the sun” ?
05. Wisdom vs. Reality
August 12, 2018
It's generally assumed that the more you know, the more you can control the things that happen in your life. The idea is that if you get the right knowledge and know the right techniques, you can shape your life into what you want it to be. But the Preacher in Ecclesiastes shows us that this is playing pretend: as human beings, we don't have access to enough knowledge to get control over life or create meaning for ourselves. But when we see God's wisdom in the gospel, it shows us that we don't need to use knowledge to grab control. God's love teaches us that we can enjoy learning as humans beings, the way we were created to be. Application Questions 1. How do you look at knowledge as a way to find meaning and success in your life? Are there ways you see yourself trying to“get into the control tower” in your life now? 2. What are some ways you've seen the inability of human wisdom to get control over life or bring lasting significance? Are there ways you've tried to hide those things under the wood chips? 3. How does Jesus show us true wisdom? How does the gospel free us to enjoy learning for learning's sake, instead of trying to leverage it for our own gain?
06. Pleasure vs. Reality
August 19, 2018
After having evaluated the wisdom of the world, the Preacher of Ecclesiastes next searches out earthly pleasure as a possible source of joy and fulfillment. Unsurprisingly, he also finds pleasure lacking the ability to truly satisfy. He tests entertainment, alcohol, work, possessions, and sex and finds that they are all fleeting and“vanity.” None of them truly last or satisfy. However, each one can be still be enjoyed as gifts from God when they are understood in light of his perfect design. Application Questions 1. In what ways do you try to get joy and fulfillment out ofentertainment, alcohol, work, possessions, and sex? 2. How can you be ultimately satisfied in Christ? What practical steps might help you pursue true joy in God alone? 3. How would your engagement withentertainment, alcohol, work, possessions, and sex change if you were more fully satisfied in Christ and freed to truly enjoy them?