God' S Concern For The Way We Think And Why It Matters Series

God’s Concern for the Way We Think and Why It Matters

(Eccl. 11:1 to 12:14)

1. It is a challenge to preach sermons that are Biblical, relevant, and spiritual.

2. Some pastors do this by skipping around and avoiding the drier or more detailed sections of Scripture.

3. What many people miss, however, is the reality that the little things do matter.

4. We do not want to major on the minors, but sometimes the minors add up to a major.

5. And this is very true in the Christian life.

6. Since the mundane, everyday aspects of life happen to be the majority of our life’s experiences, God is very concerned that we live out our faith in all areas.

7. The particulars of everyday Christian life may seem irrelevant because we detach them from the big picture. But the truth is that we need God’s help in areas we often do not view as spiritual for a God reason.

God will bring every act, every aspect and detail of life, into judgment. That¡¦s why the Scripture addresses so many issues that seem "secular," or non-religious to so many people: handling finances, a philosophy of being young or old, being a social person, living a balanced life which includes fun...all these things ARE spiritual matters because God shares His will in these areas. We need God’s help in many areas for a good reason.

PROP: Today, we are going to look at a few more areas in which we need God’s help, and then look at WHY we need to be concerned about such non-churchy, non-stained glass, everyday mundane things.

TS---„³ Although these areas do not seem overtly religious, they expose some areas in which many of us are weak.

First, A Few of the Areas in Which We Need God¡¦s Help

I. Developing A Work Ethic (1-6)

A. Make present sacrifices for future benefits (1-2)

1. Bold moves (1)

2. Diversifying (2)

B. Learn to Conquer Procrastination: Do It Now (3-5)

1. Even though some things are out of our control (3) and much of life remains a mystery, we should not take a defensive posture

2. Procrastinators believe that they must wait for the right time and conditions while others just launch out, ¨just do it."

"There’s a hole in my bucket, dear Liza."

C. Better to Allow for Loss: Don¡¦t Cut it Close, But Use a Little Overkill (6)

II. Enjoying Your Youth Fully While You Are Young (11:7-12:1)

Most parents and young people do not have a well thought out philosophy as what their stage of life should be like: they just do what everyone else seems to be doing; or they fight the normal course God has designed. Youth can be a topsy-turvy time, but it helps if we have a few bearings.

1. Have FUN while you are young¡Xdo not grow up too fast

(1) kids dating too young

(2) "Be home when the big hand is on 12 and the little hand on 8"

(3) premarital sex forces young people to grow up prematurely and a society that separates sex from marriage and children and the responsibility to support a wife and kids means that some people never grow up. God intended this to be a package deal.

2. Parents should encourage their kids to have WHOLESOME fun.

(1) Not TV, video, computer

(2) Social times, games, sports, clubs, self-made entertainment¡Ka great time to learn to enjoy people¡Kparents should encourage their children to be participators in WHOLESOME environments

(3) I have seen some teens take life too seriously when young and then try to experience their teen years in their twenties or thirties

(4) If I have one regret about my teenage years, it is that I did not have enough fun

3. Fun is not the only priority of youth: this is a great time to come to know the Creator (12:1)

(1) most Christians were saved before the age of 18

(2) it is surprising how much depth younger people can gain: encourage your youth to take advantage of opportunities to learn & grow in the things of God

(3) If I have one great thing that happened to me during my teen years, it was getting saved, reading through the Bible, and being connected to a Bible church that took teaching the Word seriously

(4) Youth is a time of preparation for adulthood; maturity is the goal, and a life with God at the center is the way to live.

4. You can see the philosophical base for a good youth ministry: provide fun and social opportunities, disciple and train youth toward spiritual maturity toward God-centeredness and others-centeredness

5. The best way to prepare for youth is to not let your younger children make too many of their own decisions so that you have authority to release when they are older if they have privileges at the age of 12 that they should have at the age of 16, the only new freedoms teens will have is the freedom to do wrong.