Living Purposefully: Embracing Life's Fleeting Nature
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "Live before God because you will give an account. So while building Apple, Steve Jobs famously described his culture, right? He said, people are putting in 18 hour days. We attract a different type of person, someone who really wants to make a dent in the universe. Otherwise, why even be here? Why even be here, right? Why even be here in this world? If our lives aren't going to make a dent in the universe. So what's the point of it all? This is really how Ecclesiastes concludes. It's asking, what is the point of it all? And in one of the most famous passages in Ecclesiastes, it's repeated 38 times effectively throughout the book. Verse eight, it repeats meaningless, meaningless. Everything is meaningless." [23:50]
2. "You know, when I was young, I kind of always thought I'm going to get to God one day. You know, I want to, I kind of want to live for myself for a while. Eventually I'll grow up just like I'll get a house one day or do this or that one day. But for now, I just kind of want to live for myself. If you're here and you're thinking that, I would just encourage you, don't wait until you're older to grow in your relationship with God. Start doing it today. Live before God because you are young. And that brings us to our next point. Live before God because you'll die." [13:41]
3. "Friends, if you're living apart from God right now, that means you are believing Satan's lies, right? If you're here today and you're not a Christian, we are thrilled that you are here. We'd like you to be nowhere else on a Sunday morning, but in God's name. But there's nothing I can say more strongly than to encourage you to repent of your sin and to believe in Jesus. Now, repenting is kind of a Christian word. It just means turning from. It means agreeing that you've sinned against God and believing means turning to God, believing in God, effectively admitting that you haven't ordered your life around your creator. You've ordered it around yourself or something else. Repent of that." [19:40]
4. "Believe in Jesus that he is the one who lived a perfect life, died a death, you deserved and rose from the dead, proving that sin and death had no claim on him. He gave his life for all of those who would trust in him. Again, don't delay young or old. If you can hear my voice this morning, then you have not yet returned to dust." [20:19]
5. "Our loving God gives us the whole world to enjoy. But he reminds us, very importantly in verse 9, for all these things, God will bring you into judgment. That means that one day God will judge you for all that you've done. It includes the ways you've sinned against him. But it also includes the ways you've served him and how you've been satisfied in him. This is reflected in Paul's letter in 1 Corinthians. So whatever you eat or drink, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. In Ephesians, it says, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." [08:26]
### Quotes for Members
1. "He says, life's like a puff. It's like chasing after the wind. You can't grasp it. Have you ever been on a plane and seen all those big fluffy clouds in the sky, right? A spoiler alert for young kids who haven't flown yet. Uh, but you know, those fluffy clouds that you see in the sky, you can't, you can't grab them, right? They, you fly straight through them. They're, they vanish. They're just a mist. Life is described like these. It's, it's kind of like an amazing vacation. It's great at the time, but it's hard to hold onto and capture forever. One day it comes to an end. James repeats this theme in his letter. He says in chapter four, what is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." [24:37]
2. "I can't get no satisfaction. I try. And I try and I try and I try. And he came to this conclusion by systematically trying to build a weighty life on a rock. He tried everything the world has to offer, right? He tried, if you read the whole book, he tried education, but found that it leads to sorrow and grief. He tried pleasure, but found it fleeting and unfulfilling. He tried work, but found that it's temporary and you kind of leave it to someone else one day. He tried popularity, but found it's transient. He even tried justice, but found it's unsatisfying, right? Because there's all this injustice out there and the wicked seem to prosper just as much as the righteous. What he realized and what he's trying to get across to his son here is that none of these things, again, will make a weighty, substantial, lasting purpose other than a wisp of smoke." [25:42]
3. "So, our first point, again, found in 11, 7 through 12, 1, is live before God because you're young. Live before God because you're young. Again, this entire book is written to a son. And it doesn't, again, say how old he is. So, all of this is written to a son. So, all of us, I think, can appreciate the point that he's making. He's saying, you know, some things in this book that we can all agree with if we're young. Like, I love this one line. We read it in our passage, that much study wearies the body. You guys all experienced that if you just finished school. You know some of these truths that he's talking about, about life. But he also says some things that I think might surprise you, especially if you're kind of coming to Christianity and you're not exactly sure what it all means. Let's kind of unpack a few of the things he says. They're surprising." [05:01]
4. "Well, today we have the joy of looking at a passage from one of my favorite books, Ecclesiastes. I love this book because it's what God really used in my life, in my heart, to draw me to himself when I was a 19-year-old working one summer on a golf course. Connected with me, I think primarily because it is just so straightforward. You see, I'm from Philadelphia, and in Philly, you communicate in a very simple, straightforward, succinct, you might even say superior manner. So, for example, if you're at a game, you don't say, excuse me, sir, but please, would it trouble you to get me a hot dog? No, you say, give me a dog. And if someone asks you if you'd like to eat out, you don't say, ah, that restaurant is my favorite, but I'm happy to go if everyone else wants to. You say, no way, that place stinks. And I can tell you, I never heard the phrase, bless your heart, growing up. It was more like, you gotta be kidding me." [00:58]
5. "So, Ecclesiastes 12, make this your wake up call. Let it put things in perspective for you live before God because you are going to die. And that brings us to our third point, And three, because you'll give an account. That's in 12, 8 through 14. You'll be helped to follow along in your Bible or the service guide has the text on it. As I read this, I'll be referencing some of the passages. So, let's dive in and look at this." [23:18]
Ask a question about this sermon
1. "Live before God because you will give an account. So while building Apple, Steve Jobs famously described his culture, right? He said, people are putting in 18 hour days. We attract a different type of person, someone who really wants to make a dent in the universe. Otherwise, why even be here? Why even be here, right? Why even be here in this world? If our lives aren't going to make a dent in the universe. So what's the point of it all? This is really how Ecclesiastes concludes. It's asking, what is the point of it all? And in one of the most famous passages in Ecclesiastes, it's repeated 38 times effectively throughout the book. Verse eight, it repeats meaningless, meaningless. Everything is meaningless." [23:50]
2. "You know, when I was young, I kind of always thought I'm going to get to God one day. You know, I want to, I kind of want to live for myself for a while. Eventually I'll grow up just like I'll get a house one day or do this or that one day. But for now, I just kind of want to live for myself. If you're here and you're thinking that, I would just encourage you, don't wait until you're older to grow in your relationship with God. Start doing it today. Live before God because you are young. And that brings us to our next point. Live before God because you'll die." [13:41]
3. "Friends, if you're living apart from God right now, that means you are believing Satan's lies, right? If you're here today and you're not a Christian, we are thrilled that you are here. We'd like you to be nowhere else on a Sunday morning, but in God's name. But there's nothing I can say more strongly than to encourage you to repent of your sin and to believe in Jesus. Now, repenting is kind of a Christian word. It just means turning from. It means agreeing that you've sinned against God and believing means turning to God, believing in God, effectively admitting that you haven't ordered your life around your creator. You've ordered it around yourself or something else. Repent of that." [19:40]
4. "Believe in Jesus that he is the one who lived a perfect life, died a death, you deserved and rose from the dead, proving that sin and death had no claim on him. He gave his life for all of those who would trust in him. Again, don't delay young or old. If you can hear my voice this morning, then you have not yet returned to dust." [20:19]
5. "Our loving God gives us the whole world to enjoy. But he reminds us, very importantly in verse 9, for all these things, God will bring you into judgment. That means that one day God will judge you for all that you've done. It includes the ways you've sinned against him. But it also includes the ways you've served him and how you've been satisfied in him. This is reflected in Paul's letter in 1 Corinthians. So whatever you eat or drink, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. In Ephesians, it says, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." [08:26]
### Quotes for Members
1. "He says, life's like a puff. It's like chasing after the wind. You can't grasp it. Have you ever been on a plane and seen all those big fluffy clouds in the sky, right? A spoiler alert for young kids who haven't flown yet. Uh, but you know, those fluffy clouds that you see in the sky, you can't, you can't grab them, right? They, you fly straight through them. They're, they vanish. They're just a mist. Life is described like these. It's, it's kind of like an amazing vacation. It's great at the time, but it's hard to hold onto and capture forever. One day it comes to an end. James repeats this theme in his letter. He says in chapter four, what is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." [24:37]
2. "I can't get no satisfaction. I try. And I try and I try and I try. And he came to this conclusion by systematically trying to build a weighty life on a rock. He tried everything the world has to offer, right? He tried, if you read the whole book, he tried education, but found that it leads to sorrow and grief. He tried pleasure, but found it fleeting and unfulfilling. He tried work, but found that it's temporary and you kind of leave it to someone else one day. He tried popularity, but found it's transient. He even tried justice, but found it's unsatisfying, right? Because there's all this injustice out there and the wicked seem to prosper just as much as the righteous. What he realized and what he's trying to get across to his son here is that none of these things, again, will make a weighty, substantial, lasting purpose other than a wisp of smoke." [25:42]
3. "So, our first point, again, found in 11, 7 through 12, 1, is live before God because you're young. Live before God because you're young. Again, this entire book is written to a son. And it doesn't, again, say how old he is. So, all of this is written to a son. So, all of us, I think, can appreciate the point that he's making. He's saying, you know, some things in this book that we can all agree with if we're young. Like, I love this one line. We read it in our passage, that much study wearies the body. You guys all experienced that if you just finished school. You know some of these truths that he's talking about, about life. But he also says some things that I think might surprise you, especially if you're kind of coming to Christianity and you're not exactly sure what it all means. Let's kind of unpack a few of the things he says. They're surprising." [05:01]
4. "Well, today we have the joy of looking at a passage from one of my favorite books, Ecclesiastes. I love this book because it's what God really used in my life, in my heart, to draw me to himself when I was a 19-year-old working one summer on a golf course. Connected with me, I think primarily because it is just so straightforward. You see, I'm from Philadelphia, and in Philly, you communicate in a very simple, straightforward, succinct, you might even say superior manner. So, for example, if you're at a game, you don't say, excuse me, sir, but please, would it trouble you to get me a hot dog? No, you say, give me a dog. And if someone asks you if you'd like to eat out, you don't say, ah, that restaurant is my favorite, but I'm happy to go if everyone else wants to. You say, no way, that place stinks. And I can tell you, I never heard the phrase, bless your heart, growing up. It was more like, you gotta be kidding me." [00:58]
5. "So, Ecclesiastes 12, make this your wake up call. Let it put things in perspective for you live before God because you are going to die. And that brings us to our third point, And three, because you'll give an account. That's in 12, 8 through 14. You'll be helped to follow along in your Bible or the service guide has the text on it. As I read this, I'll be referencing some of the passages. So, let's dive in and look at this." [23:18]
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