Finishing Well (Ecclesiastes 12:8-14)

Dr. Rick Griffith, Crossroads International Church

www.biblestudydownloads.com

Ecclesiastes 12:8-14

Finishing Well

Last Words

Last Words

John Wesley's Last Words

"The best of all is,

God is with us.

Farewell! Farewell!"

Adoniram

Judson's Last

Words

"I am not tired of my

work, neither am I

tired of the world; yet

when Christ calls me

home, I shall go with

the gladness of a

boy bounding away

from school."

Last Words

J. H. Huxley's Last Words

"So it is true."

Voltaire's Last Words

"I am abandoned by God

and man. I will give you

half of what I am worth, if

you will give me six

months' life." The doctor

replied, "Sir, you cannot

live six weeks." Voltaire

retorted, "Then I shall go

to hell, and you with me."

Live now in light of your end.

How can you

finish well?

Solomon's Pursuits

Cover

Ecclesiastes 12:8-14

Last Words to

Finish Well

I. The Theme: Life is fleeting

(12:8).

Key Word of Ecclesiastes

"Everything is meaningless,"

says the Teacher,

"completely meaningless."

Hebel literally means

"a breath, wind, or vapor"

(Prov. 21:6; Isa. 57:13).

Key Word of Ecclesiastes

A Very Literal Translation

Metaphor:

what doesn't last

("what is without real

substance, value,

permanence,

significance, or

meaning" BKC, 1:976)

Ecclesiastes

"vanity" (KJV, ESV, NAU),

"meaningless" (NIV, NLT), "futile"

(NET, TLB, BKC)

"fleeting"

Meaning of Hebel

lbh

Our Study in Ecclesiastes

Work & Wisdom Don't Last

I. The Theme: Life is fleeting

(12:8).

Key Word of Ecclesiastes

"Everything is meaningless,"

says the Teacher,

"completely meaningless."

II. The Authority: Live by

God's words (12:9-12).

God's Word pierces through!

78God's words matter!

"9Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he

imparted knowledge to the people. He

pondered and searched out and set in order

many proverbs. 10The Teacher searched to

find just the right words, and what he wrote

was upright and true" (Eccl. 12:9-10 NIV).

Your teachers have taught you

with the wisest words they know.

Scripture gives wisdom but non-inspired

books have no ultimate answers and

only wear us out (12:11-12)

But how does the Bible's

teaching through wise men

give true wisdom (12:11)?

78The Bible's Wisdom

"11The words of the wise are like goads,

their collected sayings like firmly

embedded nails—given by one

Shepherd. 12Be warned, my son, of

anything in addition to them.

Of making many books there is no end,

and much study wearies the body"

(Eccl. 12:11-12 NIV).

78The Bible motivates and

guides in wise living

"11The words of the wise are like goads"

(Eccl. 12:11a NIV).

78The Bible gives a strong basis for

wise living

"11…their collected sayings like

firmly embedded nails"

(Eccl. 12:11b NIV).

78The Bible is the only Book that is

divinely inspired

"11…given by one Shepherd"

(Eccl. 12:11c NIV).

78The Bible's Wisdom

"11The words of the wise are like goads,

their collected sayings like firmly

embedded nails—given by one

Shepherd. 12Be warned, my son, of

anything in addition to them."

(Eccl. 12:11-12a NIV).

"Of making many books

there is no end…"

(Eccl. 12:12b NIV)

"…and much study wears you out"

(12:12c NLT).

Get a Biblical Foundation

I. The Theme: Life is fleeting

(12:8).

Key Word of Ecclesiastes

"Everything is meaningless,"

says the Teacher,

"completely meaningless."

II. The Authority: Live by

God's words (12:9-12).

III. The Conclusion: Respect

and obey God because this

applies to everyone

(12:13-14 ).

"That's the whole story.

Here now is my final conclusion:

Fear God and obey his commands"

(12:13a-b NLT).

"Fear God"? No.

"Fear God"! Yes!

"Remember your Creator in the days

of your youth" (12:1)

Enjoy life but honor God

(11:7–12:7)

The way to enjoy your youth

is to honor GodM

ain

Id

ea o

f

(11:7

–1

2:7

)

"That's the whole story.

Here now is my final conclusion:

Fear God and obey his commands"

(12:13a-b NLT).

But why?

"That's the whole story. Here now is my

final conclusion: Fear God and obey his

commands, for this is everyone's duty"

(12:13 NLT).

Worship

Awe!

"God will judge us for everything we do,

including every secret thing, whether

good or bad" (12:14 NLT).

Maleficent

Maleficent

Maleficent

Maleficent

Maleficent

How do you approach God?

So what does the wisest,

wealthiest, most successful man

in human history tell us in his

last words?

Solomon's Key Idea

Respect and obey God

to finish well.

Worldly

Advice

Are you

hungry?

"How can you tell a 1st year seminary

student from a 4th year?"

1st Year 4th Year

?"All zeal,

no knowledge"

"All knowledge,

no zeal"

Your Pursuit?

Bible Reading Plans

5 min./day = 1/288th of a day

bible-reading.com

Black

OT Sermons link at biblestudydownloads.com

Get this presentation for free!