If Only We Lived for the Good of One Another (Ecclesiastes 4:1-16)

If Only We Lived for the Good of One Another Ashley Her Sermon Notes Sermon Series: Ecclesiastes - Striving After Wind Sermon Title: If Only We Lived for the Good of One Another Passage: Ecclesiastes 4:1-16 Preacher: Ashley Herr Small Group Guide He Saw Oppression (4:1-3) The first result of living for good of the ‘me’ over the ‘we’: 1. We use our power to pursue our own good at the expense of another He Saw Envy (4:4-6) The second result of living for good of the ‘me’ over the ‘we’: 2. We compare ourselves to others, competing w/ others When we compare ourselves to others, competing with others: We view the relationships we have as rivalries We view the resources they have with resentment Let’s not over-react, doing nothing, because: Laziness is self-destructive (v5) Complacency is self-deceptive He Saw Hoarding (4:7-8,13-16) The third result of living for good of the ‘me’ over the ‘we’: 3. We accumulate more to satisfy ourselves, rather than to share w/ others Another Perspective (4:9-12) Three results of living for the good of the ‘we’ over the ‘me’: Provision (v10) Presence (v11) Protection (v12) Reflection Ask yourself, “How have I been living for my own good, seeking the good of the ‘me’ over the ‘we’? Think about: how you use the power and influence you have, using it for your own good at the expense of others why you are doing what you are doing, why you are working as hard as you are, what is motivating you who you are doing all of this for, who is benefiting from your work Read Galatians 5:13-16,22-26; 6:2-3,9-10