A Balanced Life
Ecclesiastes: Follow God's Commands • Sermon • Submitted
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· 7 viewsIn a world of extremes, balance is key
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Balancing acts
life is a big balancing act
as we are trying to balance everything together, we are thrown other things we must juggle.
yet we live in a world of extremes which do not end well to balance
Balance in Justice (1-3)
Balance in Justice (1-3)
injustice
all around us
CA churches can’t meet inside indefinitely
Oppression
tears of the oppressed
contrast to last verse in chapter 3
power in one group exercised over the other to subject them not protect them
human trafficking, modern day slavery, pregnant mothers, people of a different skin color, etc
(kids laying money on stage with 17 yr old fighting modern day slavery)
better not to be born at all than to witness this treatment of fellow man
Balance in justice is that evil action is punished, the innocent live free, and personal vendettas and biases never a part of it
Balance in Labor (4-8)
Balance in Labor (4-8)
Wiersbe labeled these as
Industrious man, idle man, integrated man, and independent man.
industrious (4)
seeks only to beat out another
jealousy, rivalry
not satisfied with what God has given him
Idle (5-6)
from one extreme to the other
lazy, only does just enough
folds hands in idleness only to destroy himself
idleness brings destruction
integrated (6)
well balanced with work and play
independent (7-8)
working for no one, alone
desires more things, not realizing that his heart truly longs for companionship
our work must be balanced
work and play
The industrious man thinks that money will bring him peace, but he has no time to enjoy it. The idle man thinks that doing nothing will bring him peace, but his life-style only destroys him. The integrated man enjoys both his labor and the fruit of his labor and balances toil with rest. You can take what you want from life, but you must pay for it.
nothing wrong with strong work ethic,
but focusing on only work while forsaking everyone and everything else is not good.
Balance in relationship (9-12)
Balance in relationship (9-12)
created to be in community
“it is not good for man to be alone”
1st crisis in the Bible
friendship is one area of life the teacher never says is “futile”
(importance of friendship to me)
you need friends, you need strength, the christian is to live in community with other believers, to have friendships
Balance in Ambition (13-16)
Balance in Ambition (13-16)
an old king who has forgotten his past and rise to power
will be overthrown by another who has walked that path
you may seek ambition, you may run after the next rung on that ladder
but remember, there is another generation behind you, that will replace you
the message here
ambition is good, but like everything else, moderation is key
never forget your journey, know that there is life going on around you, so don’t miss it
you will not always have your position, so use it wisely and help those coming after you succeed
Conclusion
Conclusion
in a world of extremes, find the balance
God created joy, he created pleasure for those he created in his image
use it wisely
God did not create us then leave us
he wants great and incredible things for you
be balanced
Sin tells us pleasure is all that matters
if it feels good, it can’t be wrong
but it only destroys
freedom from sin through Christ
says i gave you pleasure and toil so that you have balance
freedom from eternal consequences of sin
Christ came to give us life more abundant
more than just one sided pleasures
but of balance, of freedom, of forgiveness, of hope, and of peace
He offers that to you, this morning
stop pursuing what only destroys
pursue Christ.