Covenant Naples

Life is short. Decay and death comes for all of us. The book of Ecclesiastes shows us how to live life in light of these sobering truths. Chapter 11 and 12 are particularly relevant for young people and those of us who are no longer young should pay special attention to what the book says. The clock is ticking.

Discussion Questions:

1. As you think of aging, which do you fear losing the most: a youthful mind, a youthful body, a youthful heart?

2. What prevents us from enjoying the years we are presently in?

3. How does remembering "the days of darkness" affect our attitude towards life and aging?

4. What joys has God provided for you in your current stage of life?

5. What are some benefits of remembering our Creator while we are young? How about when we are no longer young?

6. Where do we see the grace of God at work for us in these verses?

The fear of uncertainty can keep us from pursuing a dream, from venturing into a relationship, from taking a step of faith, from starting that business or ministry, from reaching out to someone, or from using our gifts. How you respond to the uncertainties of life will either expand your life or reduce it. Join us to discover how and why we can live boldly for God’s glory in the face of uncertainty.

Sermon Outline:

I. Live Boldly Now Because You Do Not Know What Disaster May Happen.

II. Live Boldly Now Because You Don’t Know When the Time is Right.

III. Live Boldly Now Because You Don’t Know What God Will Do

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. Can you share a personal experience of a time when you faced a significant uncertainty? How did it impact you?

2. Our response to life's uncertainties can either expand or diminish our life. Can you share a time when your response to uncertainty led to growth and fruitfulness or, conversely, held you back?

3. In what ways have you been “observing the wind” or “regarding the clouds” (v.4) in your life, effectively hesitating to take action due to perceived uncertainties or risks? How might you move past these hesitations?

4. How does the gospel free us to take risks for the glory of God in the face of uncertainty or potential failure? Where do you need to apply the gospel in your life today to live boldly for the glory of God?

How many businesses have been ruined by one person’s folly? How many marriages through one foolish decision? How many nations, and how many churches, have been undone through the folly of its leaders? Wisdom and folly are not abstract ideas, but realities that impact the lives of everyone under the sun. Join us to consider the power of wisdom and folly!

Sermon Outline:

I. Value the Saving Power of Wisdom.

II. Heed the Destructive Power of Folly.

1. A Little Folly Ruins Much Good.

2. Folly Overturns Order.

3. Folly Brings Self-Destruction

i. Through Careless Action.

ii. Through Careless Inaction.

iii. Through Careless Words.

III. Choose Wisdom

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. Have you experienced or observed a situation where one person's foolish decision impacted a larger group or organization?

2. Wisdom is often taken for granted and less valued than power. Can you think of any examples in your life where wisdom was overlooked or not appreciated?

3. How can we better value and celebrate wisdom in our communities, especially in the light of the biblical principle that “wisdom is better than might”?

4. The sermon cites a proverb, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” How can this wisdom be applied to contemporary conflicts or discussions, particularly on digital platforms like social media?

5. We have seen the dangers of both careless action and careless inaction. Reflecting on your own life, can you identify moments where either of these types of carelessness led to unforeseen consequences? Is there any part of your life where you are acting carelessly now that you need to stop? Is there any part where you are carelessly not acting that you need to begin?

You do not know when your time is coming, but it is coming regardless of how you live. To live your life wisely is to live like you are dying. Join us to find out how!

Sermon Outline:

I. Embrace Reality: You Are Dying.

II. Enjoy the Life You Are Living.

III. Be Ready When the Time Comes.

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. How would you live differently if you were to live like you were dying?

2. If looking at the circumstances of our life is not a good way to determine whether God loves us, how can we know that he loves us?

3. How does being confident in God’s love allow us to enjoy the simple pleasures of life? For those who are married, how much would you say you are enjoying your marriage? What are some things you can do to increase that enjoyment?

4. The Preacher says that “man does not know his time” and so we should be prepared to die. How can we prepare to die? Are you ready?

5. What would be distinctively different about a Christian who is living like they are dying versus a person who does not know Christ living like they are dying?

Human leadership abuses power and the wicked are celebrated by the world. How are we to live when life is so dangerous and unfair? Ecclesiastes 8 gives us clues, though not as many as we might wish. Join us as we explore the necessity and limitations of wisdom for life.

Outline:

I. How do we live in a world that is dangerous and unfair?

II. Trust God.

III. Have Joy

Questions:

1. When has life seemed most unfair to you?

2. When has wisdom helped you navigate difficult interactions with authority?

3. When has wisdom failed to help you in a difficult situation?

4. Has the injustice or suffering in life ever tempted you to disbelieve in God

or to abandon your faith in him?

5. How does the Preacher in Ecclesiastes 8 resolve this tension?

6. How does Jesus provide a way forward for us?

What does the bible mean when it says, “do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise”. Why do seemingly good people sometimes perish and wicked people live long lives? Does everyone sin? Why? Come join us as we tackle some of the hard passages of Ecclesiastes 7.

Sermon Outline:

I. We are not to be overly righteous nor overly wicked.

a. Take hold of this truth.

II. None are righteous, all sin.

a.The proof you sin

III. Full wisdom is unobtainable.

IV. The scheme of all things

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. What should you do when you encounter cryptic or difficult passages of scripture?

2. How does being overly righteous fail to miss the gospel? Why or how is it sometimes used to wrongly “manipulate” or “force God’s hand”?

3. What is the fear of the Lord. How does a proper understanding of it help us in our Christian life?

4. Why is the Doctrine of Original Sin important in the understanding that everyone sins? What happens when you remove the understanding that people are not morally neutral?

5. What is personification and how is it used throughout the Wisdom Literate in categories such as Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly? How did it apply to our passage on Sunday regarding the temptress?

Who knows what is good for man? In our limited vision and wisdom, we cannot see or know what is good for man. There are things in our lives we would not choose that are precisely the things God has given us to make us wise. Do you want to be a wise person? Join us to discover how.

Sermon Outline:

I. Sorrow is better than laughter.

II. Hard words are better than pleasing words.

III. Growing in patience is better than growing in pride.

IV. Wisdom is better than wealth.

V. It is better to trust the God who knows what is good for man than to dispute with him.

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. How have you seen the story of the farmer and his horse play out in your own life? (Was there a time when you thought something was bad that turned out good or vice versa.)

2. Why is it said that sorrow is better than laughter? Why is it important that we attend funerals if we want to be wise?

3. Do you believe that God has put a crook in everyone’s lot? Does this conflict with his attributes of being good and loving? Why or why not?

4. How do our failures, struggles, and crooks teach us patience? In what ways are they better for us than our successes?

5. In what ways can you practically incorporate the wisdom of this passage into your day-to-day life? (Think about how you might respond when your crook is causing you pain, when you are facing adversity, when someone criticizes you, when you’re tempted to pine about the ‘good old days,’ or when you’re feeling impatient with some aspect of life.)

6. When we do not know what is good for us, how does the message of the gospel enable us to trust the one who does?

This week as we resume our series in Ecclesiastes, I ask you to consider: Are you operating right now under the belief that more money will make you happier and more satisfied with life? Are you making decisions based on that assumption? Who told you that was true? Ecclesiastes shows us that wealth may be given by God, but satisfaction comes separately. Rather than wasting our lives toiling for satisfaction from wealth, we should trust God for our provision and rejoice in his gifts.

Sermon Outline:

I. Do Not Toil for Satisfaction in Wealth

II. Trust God for His Provision and Rejoice in His Gifts

III. Recognize that the Ability to Enjoy Gifts is a Gift

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever fell into thinking that if you just had more money, you could be truly happy? Is there any truth to that idea? What’s wrong with the idea?

2. Why can money and possessions not satisfy the desire of our hearts? How can we remind ourselves of this when we are so prone to forget?

3. How does God’s gift of his Son Jesus Christ enable us to enjoy God’s other gifts?

4. In 1 Timothy 6:6-10 the apostle Paul warns against the love of money. What additional insight does this passage shed on what we have seen in Ecclesiastes?

5. What do you need to confess to the Lord today and repent of? What gifts do you need to give him thanks for and enjoy?

In our last I AM statement sermon, we consider the exclusive claim that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. How could someone so exclusive bring peace to our troubled hearts? We will see Christ caring for his disciples at the end of his life by pointing to the only source of peace, himself.

I. In Christ, your future is secure

II. In Christ alone is salvation for a troubled heart

Questions

1. This passage is often quoted in evangelistic conversations. Given the biblical context,

why is John 14:6 appropriate for evangelism and why is it inappropriate?

2.Look back on your life. When have you had a troubled heart?

How did you see God give you a hope and a future in the midst of your troubles?

What currently are you still longing to see God do?

3. Jesus makes an exclusive claim to bring peace to a troubled heart.

Where have you turned before to look for peace? How did it work out?

4. Peter wanted to take Jesus’ place and die for him.

What was wrong with that? How do we do that still today?

5. Phillip wanted just a little bit more from Jesus instead of trusting him at his word.

In what areas have just wanted a little bit more from Jesus,

instead of trusting him as the sufficient savior and comforter?

Jesus is the source of true spiritual life and only those abiding in him can produce the fruit that the Father seeks. Are you bearing the fruit the Father is seeking? How do you know? If not, how can you? These are the issues Jesus puts before us when he says, “I am the true vine."

Sermon Outline:

I. The Vine Gives Life to the Branches.

II. The Vinedresser Tends to the Branches.

III. The Branches Bear the Fruit.

Sermon Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever tended a vine or a garden? How does your experience with that inform your understanding of what Jesus teaches in this passage?

2. Pruning is a painful process for us typically. How do Jesus’ words about our Father being the vinedresser comfort us in those times when it feels like good things in our lives are being cut away?

3. What kinds of fruit are evidence of a life vitally connected to Jesus? What should we do if we do not see evidence of this fruit in our own lives (or others’ lives)?

4. What is the difference between obeying God’s commands to gain his love and obeying God’s commands to abide in his love? How is obedience essential to abiding in his love?

5. Read Isaiah 27:1-6. How does this prophecy ultimately find its fulfillment through the ministry of Jesus Christ and his church? (*hint: Leviathan and the dragon are identified with our adversary Satan) If verse 6 is being fulfilled through Jesus and the church.