Sermon Discussion

Sermon: Ecclesiastes – Let Go

Text: Ecclesiastes 3:1-14

Introduction

Timing is everything. You have probably heard this phrase many times. There is a great deal of truth in that statement. In this passage, Solomon tells us that life is really a matter of timing, for timing is everything. This should be evident to us. Yet God is the one is who in charge of everything in our lives. It doesn’t matter how much we plan or prepare, God has sovereignty over the good and bad things that occur in our lives. Knowing this, we are called to acknowledge God’s goodness over our personal desires and experience.

Discussion Questions

1. How does it make you feel to know that God is ultimately in charge of all the events in life (3:1)? Are you comforted by this reality? If so, how does this truth comfort you? Do you find God’s sovereignty a bit disconcerting? How so?
2. Blaise Pascal speaks of those that live in the past and those that live in the future as never really living because they miss the present. Do you agree or disagree with this? Why or why not? What does it mean to live in the present?
3. Verse 11 says that God has made everything beautiful in its time. Looking back at your life, tell of an experience that is “beautiful in its time,” when everything worked out perfectly.
4. What are some of the “mysteries” regarding your life or faith that you have been dealing with lately? How can we, as a community, work together in helping each other make sense of these mysteries in our lives?

Moving Forward

Solomon says one of the greatest responses to this life is to make the most of it. Not in a hedonistic sense, but in a spiritual sense. We enjoy life by including God in all that we do and being filled with joy. Biblical faith is a call to joy. We take joy in knowing that we have a sovereign and benevolent God that is full control of our lives and the things that happen to our lives. We are called to acknowledge His greatness in worship despite whether times are good or bad.

Meditate

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.   Romans 8:28