From Meaningless to
Blessed
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 - New International Version (NIV)
1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”
3 What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
7 All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.
8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
11 No one remembers the former generations,
and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow them.
at which they toil under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
7 All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.
8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
11 No one remembers the former generations,
and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow them.
Who
is the Teacher who wrote Ecclesiastes (verse 1)?
What does the Teacher say is “meaningless” (verse 2)?
In your opinion, “what do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the
sun” (verse 3)?
What comes and goes (verse 4)?
What does the sun do when it sets (verse 5)?
Where does the wind blow (verse 6)?
In your opinion, why is the sea “never full” (verse 7)?
What is “wearisome”
(verse 8)?
What is “new
under the sun” (verse 9)?
In your opinion, “is there anything of which one can say, “Look! There is something
new”?” (verse 10)?
Who is not remembered (verse 11)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of
this passage?
Matthew
5:1-10 - New International
Version (NIV)
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and
sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to
teach them.
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
When
did Jesus go up on a mountainside and sit down (verse 1)?
What did Jesus begin to do (verse 2)?
How are the poor in spirit blessed (verse 3)?
Who will be comforted (verse 4)?
How are the meek blessed (verse 5)?
What will happen to “those who hunger and thirst for fighteousness” (verse 6)?
Who will be shown mercy (verse 7)?
How will the pure in heart be blessed (verse 8)?
Who will be called “children of God” (verse 9)?
What will the blessing be for “those who are persecuted because of
righteousness” (verse 10)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of
this passage?
In your opinion, how can the Teacher be
accurate when he says that everything is meaningless in Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 when
Jesus lists people who are blessed in Matthew 5:1-10?
Colossians
3:1-10 – New
International Version (NIV)
1 Since, then, you have
been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on
things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and
your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When
Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with
him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore,
whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust,
evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of
these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in
these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you
must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice,
slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not
lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and
have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of
its Creator.
What
should those who “have been raised with
Christ” set their hearts on (verse 1)?
What should those who “have been raised with Christ” not set
their minds on (verse 2)?
Where is the life of those who “have been raised with Christ” (verse 3)?
In your opinion, what does Paul mean
by “then you also will appear with him in
glory” (verse 4)?
What should be put to death (verse 5)?
What is coming (verse 6)?
In what ways did those who “have been raised with Christ” used to
walk (verses 5 and 7)?
What should those who “have been raised with Christ” do with
anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips (verse 8)?
Why should those who “have been raised with Christ” not lie
to each other (verse 9)?
What have those who “have been raised with Christ” put on (verse 10)?
In your opinion, what is the basic
message of this passage?
In your opinion, using the definitions of
earthly things and things above in Colossians 3:1-10 of earthly things or
things above, how would you classify the wisdom of the Teacher in Ecclesiastes
1:1-11 and why do you classify this way?
In your opinion, how does the Paul’s teaching
in Colossians 3:1-10 reveal how the people of the crowd that Jesus was talking
to in Matthew 5:1-10, and people today, can move into the status of being
blessed as Jesus promises?
James
1:12-18 – New
International Version (NIV)
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having
stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has
promised to those who love him.
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God
cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but
each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and
enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives
birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every
good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the
heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He
chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of
firstfruits of all he created.
Who is blessed (verse 12)?
What will the one who is blessed receive (verse
12)?
Why should no one say “God is tempting me” (verse 13)?
When is “each
person” tempted (verse 14)?
What does desire give birth to (verse 15)?
What gives birth to death “when it is full-grown” (verse 15)?
In your opinion, why does James say “don’t be deceived” (verse 16)?
Who “does
not change like shifting shadows” (verse 17)?
How did the Father choose to give us birth (verse 18)?
In your opinion, what is the basic message of this
passage?
In your opinion, how does the Teacher in his
wisdom find everything “meaningless” in
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 and yet James sees that “the
one who perseveres under trial” is blessed?
In your opinion, how does knowing that God “chose to give us birth through the word of
truth” (James 1:12-18) help us understand how the blessings of Jesus in
Matthew 5:1-10 will be accomplished?
In your opinion, how does the relationship of
desire and sin explained in James 1:12-18 help us have a richer understanding
of the “old self with its practices” that
Paul talks about in Colossians 3:1-10 and about the “new self” we are to put on?
In your opinion, what do these passages from Ecclesiastes,
Matthes, Colossians and James teach us about the difference between worldly
wisdom and heavenly wisdom?
In your opinion, what can we change today to
help us from viewing everything as meaningless to living as blessed?
(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)
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