Just Do It?
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 (ESV)
1 Cast your bread upon the waters,
for you will find it after many days.
2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,
for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
3 If the clouds are full of rain,
they empty themselves on the earth,
and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
Sermon Outline
There is much we don’t know, which creates challenges for our choices and actions, but the wise still engage in the activities of life.
1. You do not know what disaster may happen on earth (v2)
vv1-2 “cast your bread upon waters… give a portion…”
2. You do not know the work of God (v5)
v4 “he who observes the wind will not sow”
3. You do not know which will prosper (v6)
v6 “in the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand”
Prayer of Confession
Omniscient and wise God, you know all, you can do all, you are over all. We gather humbly before you, confessing our ignorance, our inability, our lack of faith and our failure to act. In our pride we have assumed too much, acting impulsively and without thought. In fear we have squandered what you have entrusted to us. With laziness we have made excuses and grumbled because the conditions of life have been imperfect. Lord, there is so much we don’t know. Forgive us for thinking we can know as you know, and forgive us for failing to trust what you have said and have shown us. Thank you that we do know that your work in the world will make all things new. Thank you for accomplishing this through means which are costly to you and beneficial to us. Grant us sufficient knowledge to be able to act honorably and wisely, and bless what we do so that it will be for your glory. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
Are you more likely to act without thinking, or think without acting? Why? Reflect on your life – are there key moments, influences, or contexts that shaped you this way?
How can awareness that you don’t know what will happen to you (for good or for bad) motivate you to action? How can you avoid the trap of anxiety?
How does obedience to the teachings and commands of Jesus offer a way forward when you otherwise don’t fully know what you should do, or what will happen with whatever you do?
Do you believe the ways of God are fundamentally right and worth doing? How does the nature of life cause you to doubt or disagree with what God teaches us?
What makes God trustworthy? What is compelling about God that you can rest in when you feel helpless?
Is there something you are currently avoiding doing? What do you believe is the faithful thing to do, and what help do you need to take the next step? Make a plan.
Are you only focused on one thing? Are you faithful in a variety of areas of life, and are you watchful for what God is doing in various places?