Ecclesiastes: The Wisdom of Meaning - A Survey of the Bible
Ecclesiastes: The Wisdom of Meaning
A Survey of the Bible
For the bulletin in PDF form, click here.
Ecclesiastes Chart - Wilson
Meaningless, Meaningless - Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook
Ecclesiastes Summary - Zuck
Ecclesiastes Summary - Wilson
The Key Word in Ecclesiastes - NET Bible
Context: Who, Where, When and Why?
• Who composed Ecclesiastes?
• When was Ecclesiastes written?
• Where were he and his audience?
• Why was he writing?
Content: How and What?
• How is Ecclesiastes organized?
- Theme Introduced: The Futility of Human Endeavor (1:1-11)
- The Futility of Human Achievement Demonstrated (1:12-6:9)
- The Limitations of Human Wisdom (6:10-12:7)
- Final Advice: Fear and Obey God in Light of Judgment (12:8-14)
• What is the message of Ecclesiastes?
The Quest: To Find Meaning in Life (3:11)
The Question: What is the purpose of our life? (1:12-13)
The Answer: Only God knows (8:17)
The Advice:
• Enjoy life as a gift from God (2:24-25; 3:22; 5:18; 8:15; 9:7-9; 11:8-9)
• Fear God and keep His commandments (3:14; 5:7; 7:18; 8:12-13; 12:13-14)
Conviction: So What?
• Where does this fit?
- An Examination of the Complexity of a Search for Meaning
- A Guided Tour of a Well Resourced Search for Making Sense of Life
• What should we believe?
- We will never escape a quest for making sense of the world.
- We will never make a sense of the world.
- Wisdom can guide us through life.
• How should we behave?
- In the final analysis two balanced conclusions should guide us:
* Enjoy your life as a gift from God.
* Fear God and keep His commandments.
Next Steps
• Relax into the sovereign good purposes of God knowing you will never stop trying to make sense of the world.
• Enjoy your life as a gift from God.
• Fear God and keep his commandments as you embrace the mystery and enjoy the gifts.
This Week’s Growth Guide
God’s Word is both central and critical to your spiritual growth. We invite you to utilize the Growth Guide during the week to further your application of the Truth from the message.
•. Monday - Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
•. Tuesday - Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
•. Wednesday - Ecclesiastes 5:1-17
•. Thursday - Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:7
•. Friday - Ecclesiastes 12:8-14
Finances
Weekly Budget 31,390
Giving For 06/18 19,668
Giving For 06/25 29,072
YTD Budget 1,632,266
GIVING 1,603,411
Over/(Under) (28,855)
Fellowship Women’s Taco Tuesday
Ladies, join us for a night of fun, fellowship and festive food. July 11, 6:00 p.m. at 625 Fieldstone (home of Tracy Williams). Register at fellowshipconway.org/register and we’ll save a place for you.
Free child care by RSVP to Shanna at 501-336-0332.
New to Fellowship?
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Community
The Christian faith was designed to be lived out in community. Spiritual growth happens as believers come together to read Scripture, pray, and serve alongside one another. Fellowship desires everyone to find that community, and the primary way this is achieved is through our small group ministry called Home Church. A Home Church is comprised of 12-16 people who gather weekly and discuss how to apply the word of God to their lives. Plan now to prioritize one evening a week (typically Sunday or Wednesday evening) to join others in community to encourage, sharpen, and spur one another on in faith. You will be glad you did! Sign-ups begin the first of August.
Automate the Important
Summer travel is here, and routines will be changed. Plan now to ensure your giving continues throughout the summer, even when you are away. Would you consider setting up recurring giving for the next few months to enable Fellowship to continue to have the resources needed to carry out its mission? Go to
fellowshipconway.org/give and click on “Automate the Important” to get started.
Nine Months That Will Change Your Life - Downline
Apply now for next year’s Downline class that starts on August 29th. The program equips individuals to know God’s Word and make disciples where God has strategically placed you around the city. Go to DownlineConway.com for more information and to submit your application. Questions? Contact Chris Kear at chris@downlineconway.com.
Prayer
Fellowship places a high value on prayer. After the message, members of our prayer team will be under “Hope” and “Love” for anyone who would like to be prayed for this morning. A team member will walk into the hall with you to pray with you.
Stay connected
Fellowship sends a weekly email on Thursdays with upcoming events, information, the Sunday songlist, and more. If you are not receiving this email, but want to stay connected, fill out a connection card and drop it in the offering baskets by the doors.
Czech Team 2023
Please continue to pray for Fellowship’s team of 15 ministering in the Czech Republic.