When You Play It Safe You Stand to Lose Everything!

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When You Play It Safe You Stand to Lose
Everything!

• Ecclesiastes 111-6
• September 28, 2008

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Ecclesiastes 111-6

• 1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for after
  many days you will find it again. 2 Give
  portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not
  know what disaster may come upon the land. 3 If
  clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon
  the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or
  to the north, in the place where it falls, there
  will it lie. 4 Whoever watches the wind will not
  plant whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
  5 As you do not know the path of the wind, or how
  the body is formed a in a mother's womb, so
  you cannot understand the work of God,
• the Maker of all things. 6 Sow your seed in the
  morning, and at evening let not your hands be
  idle, for you do not know which will succeed,
  whether this or that, or whether both will do
  equally well.

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Main Idea (111-6)

• In this life there are mysteries and questions we
  cannot answer but that is no reason to let
  pessimism and paranoia rule your life.
• Take risks calculated ones but do it boldly!
  Even though the events of the world are uncertain
  and even though we cant control what happens,
  its still better to take action rather than to
  be paralyzed with fear..

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Exposition (111-6)

• When You Play It Safe You Stand to Lose
  Everything!
• This is taught by

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Lesson 1

• The ________ i.e. Risk/Reward (111-2)

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Lesson 1

• The Economy i.e. Risk/Reward (111-2)

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Lesson 1

• The Economy i.e. Risk/Reward (111-2)
• 1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for after
  many days you will find it again. 2 Give
  portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not
  know what disaster may come upon the land.

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Lesson 1

• A. The amount that we _______ will determine the
  amount that we ___ (v 1)

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Lesson 1

• A. The amount that we venture will determine the
  amount that we gain (v 1)

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Lesson 1

• A. The amount that we venture will determine the
  amount that we gain (v 1)
• 1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for after
  many days you will find it again.

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Lesson 1

• B. Take __________ risks but BE BOLD! (v 2)

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Lesson 1

• B. Take calculated risks but BE BOLD! (v 2)

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Lesson 1

• B. Take calculated risks but BE BOLD! (v 2)
• 2 Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you
  do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

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Lesson 2

• The ___________ (113-4)

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Lesson 2

• The Environment (113-4)

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Lesson 2

• The Environment (113-4)
• 3 If clouds are full of water, they pour rain
  upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south
  or to the north, in the place where it falls,
  there will it lie. 4 Whoever watches the wind
  will not plant whoever looks at the clouds will
  not reap

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Lesson 2

• A. Being ______ cautious means never venturing
  anything (v 3)

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Lesson 2

• A. Being overly cautious means never venturing
  anything (v 3)

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Lesson 2

• A. Being overly cautious means never venturing
  anything (v 3)
• 3 If clouds are full of water, they pour rain
  upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south
  or to the north, in the place where it falls,
  there will it lie.

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Lesson 2

• Therefore dont wait for a ______ set of events
  (v 4)

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Lesson 2

• Therefore dont wait for a perfect set of events
  (v 4)

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Lesson 2

• Therefore dont wait for a perfect set of events
  (v 4)
• 4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant
  whoever looks at the clouds will not reap

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Lesson 2

• C. You will always find an ______ to wait for a
  better time

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Lesson 2

• C. You will always find an excuse to wait for a
  better time

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Lesson 3

• __________ i.e.Procreation (115)

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Lesson 3

• Embryology i.e.Procreation (115)

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Lesson 3

• Embryology i.e.Procreation (115)
• 5 As you do not know the path of the wind, or
  how the body is formed a in a mother's womb,
  so you cannot understand the work of God, the
  Maker of all things.

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Lesson 3

• A. Dont let the ___________ paralyze you

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Lesson 3

• A. Dont let the unknowable paralyze you

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Lesson 3

• B. The greatest rewards are masked in ___________

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Lesson 3

• B. The greatest rewards are masked in uncertainty

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Lesson 4

• Equilibrium (116)

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Lesson 4

• Equilibrium (116)
• 6 Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening
  let not your hands be idle, for you do not know
  which will succeed, whether this or that, or
  whether both will do equally well.

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Lesson 4

• A. Let God take care of the _________ you take
  care of the ____

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Lesson 4

• A. Let God take care of the mysteries you take
  care of the work

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Lesson 4

• B. So do your job and _____ God

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Lesson 4

• B. So do your job and trust God

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FINAL THOUGHTS

• To the Youthful Remember Life is a Stewardship
  not an Entitlement (117-10)

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• 7 Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see
  the sun. 8 However many years a man may live, let
  him enjoy them all. But let him remember the days
  of darkness, for they will be many. Everything
  to come is meaningless. 9 Be happy, young man,
  while you are young, and let your heart give you
  joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways
  of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but
  know that for all these things God will bring you
  to judgment.
• 10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart and
  cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and
  vigor are meaningless.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

• To the Aging Remember to grow better not just
  older (121-8)

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FINAL THOUGHTS

• 1 Remember your Creator in the days of your
  youth, before the days of trouble come and the
  years approach when you will say, "I find no
  pleasure in them" 2 before the sun and the light
  and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the
  clouds return after the rain 3 when the keepers
  of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop,
  when the grinders cease because they are few, and
  those looking through the windows grow dim 4
  when the doors to the street are closed and the
  sound of grinding fades when men rise up at the
  sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint

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FINAL THOUGHTS

• 5 when men are afraid of heights and of dangers
  in the streets when the almond tree blossoms and
  the grasshopper drags himself along and desire no
  longer is stirred. Then man goes to his eternal
  home and mourners go about the streets. 6
  Remember himbefore the silver cord is severed,
  or the golden bowl is broken before the pitcher
  is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken
  at the well, 7 and the dust returns to the ground
  it came from, and the spirit returns to God who
  gave it. 8 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the
  Teacher. "Everything is meaningless!"

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