Study 11: Chasing After Immortality

Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 -- Remember Your Creator in Your Youth

12:1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, 4 and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low— 5 they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets— 6 before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.


Questions

1. As you read this poetic description of growing old and dying, how do you relate to it? Does it describe your experience of aging? If you are young and healthy, perhaps reflect on the aging process as you observe it with your parents or someone else who is close to you.
2. How do the metaphors in 12:2-5 describe the deterioration brought about in old age?
3. Why should deterioration encourage commitment to the Lord during our youth (12:1)?
4. What are the metaphors used to describe death (12:6-7)?
5. Why should the eventuality of death be a strong encouragement to a risk-taking commitment to God?
6. What measure of hope does the Teacher have as he utters these words? Where do you find your hope in the face of death?
7. Do you consider it legitimate to use the fear of death to jar people into considering the claims of Christ?
8. What do you like about your stage of life? What bothers you?
9. What beliefs or experiences give your life meaning?
10. Do you look to the future with hope? Why?
11. What Scripture passages describe the meaning that a relationship to Christ offers us?

1 Corinthians 15

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

YH Enneagrams (Including Alumni)

1:    kate y. (w2), laura w. (w2), meagan b. (w2), tamara (w2), michelle (w9), nicole (w9), whitney (w9)
2:   beth (w1), abbie (w3), laura r. (w3), lizzie (w3)
3:    kyla (w2), megan k. (w2), angela (w4)
4:    christina (w3), erin (w3), kate mc (w5), lindsay (w5), sara m. (w5)
5:    sarah (w4)
6:    kerri (w5), angie b (w7), erica (w7)
7:    emily (w6), ji (w6), julie g. (w6)
8:    chelsea (w9)
9:    barbara (w1), isabella (w1), jane (w1) lauren (w1), liana (w1), medina (w1), jessica f. (w8), kelly (w8)

YH Enneagrams (Current)

Abbie: 2w3

• Twos (At Their Best): Become deeply unselfish, humble, and altruistic: giving unconditional love to self and others. Feel it is a privilege to be in the lives of others.
• Charming, good-natured, and heart-felt
• Really get things done, serve effectively on projects that involve the well-being of others. 
• Thrive on group process and are generally good communicators.
• Healthy people of this subtype are charming, friendly, outgoing.
• They enjoy the attention of others, are self-assured, and exude a sense of well-being and wholesome enjoyment
• They possess a free-spirited worldly attitude that can easily be confused with a Seven. 
• There is genuine warmth in them, as well as the ability to communicate that warmth to others. 
• They enjoy sharing whatever talents they possess with their friends and admirers; cooking, entertaining, singing, and listening are all experienced as something to be shared. 

Beth: 2w1

• Twos (At Their Best): Become deeply unselfish, humble, and altruistic: giving unconditional love to self and others. Feel it is a privilege to be in the lives of others. 
• Teaching others, improving their lives, and working for a cause are common strengths. 
• They want to give their best possible service to others, and they do so with less self regard than the Two’s other subtype. 
• They often sense a higher purpose, and they are drawn to search for their life’s work. 
• They may be particularly fine teachers, since they not only have an objective intelligence, but also the emotional warmth to bring ideas to life. 
• As teachers and parents, they are also very encouraging and appreciative of those in their charge.
• When healthy, they act from general principles about the value of serving others. Ethics come before pride.
• More discrete and respectful of other people's boundaries.
• They have a strong conscience and a desire to act on principles so that people of this subtype will try to treat others fairly, no matter what their emotional needs are.

Chelsea: 8w9

• Eight (At Their Best): Become self-restrained and magnanimous, merciful and forbearing, mastering self through their self-surrender to a higher authority. Courageous, willing to put self in serious jeopardy to achieve their vision and have a lasting influence. May achieve true heroism and historical greatness.
• Healthy Eights with a 9 wing often have an aura of preternatural calm, like they haven't had a self-doubt in decades. 
• Take their authority for granted - queen or king of all they survey. 
• May be gentle, kind-hearted, quieter. 
• Often nurturing, protective parents; steady, supportive friends. Informal and unpretentious, patient, laconic, generally somewhat introverted. 
• Healthy persons of this subtype possess a quiet power and an understated wisdom. 
• They are strategic planners and tend to be more steady in the execution of their goals. 
• They are not easily annoyed, and are noticably more at ease with themselves and with others, recognizing that they don’t need to assert themselves at every moment. 
• They are more aware of the concerns others, particularly members of their family. 
• They are kinder, strong-willed, but mild-mannered, leading others through support and protectiveness. 
• Eights with a Nine-wing are able to forge a deep, personal bond between themselves and others, and may be drawn to nature, animals, and children. 

Christina: 4w3

• Fours (At Their Best): Profoundly creative, expressing the personal and the universal, possibly in a work of art. Inspired, self-renewing and regenerating: able to transform all their experiences into something valuable: self-creative.
• Fours with a 3 wing can sometimes seem like Sevens. May be outgoing, have a sense of humor and style. 
• Prize being both creative and effective in the world. 
• Both intuitive and ambitious; may have good imaginations, often talented.
• Because of the Three-wing, healthy people of this subtype can be sociable, ambitious, and accomplished, particularly in the arts. 
• They have both creativity and the drive to make their mark in the world. 
• They are in touch with who they are and who they are becoming, but with a more extroverted dimension to them. 
• In general, Fours tend to be private and not particularly action-oriented, but with a healthy Three-wing, this impulse is tempered by their desire to improve themselves and accomplish. 
• To do this they know they must work hard, and they must be involved with people. 
• The Three-wing also makes them more goal-oriented and sociable.
• They want to be successful, but distinctive, and are willing to put in the necessary work to actualize their dreams. 
• While both the subtypes of the Four are highly creative, the Four with the Three-wing is more aware of creating with an audience in mind. 
• They are adaptable, sensitive to others, and have a good sense of humor

Erica: 6w7

• Sixes (At Their Best): Become self-affirming, trusting of self and others, independent yet symbiotically interdependent and cooperative as an equal. Belief in self leads to true courage, positive thinking, leadership, and rich self-expression.
• Can be charming, sociable, ingratiating. 
• Have a faster tempo, stronger connection to Three. 
• Often self-preservation subtypes, characterized by a personal warmth. 
• Can have a cheerful, forward-looking drive and be disarmingly funny. Self-effacing, gracious and curious. 
• Healthy person of this subtype desire to feel not only accepted by others, but also happy, particularly with regard to material well-being. 
• They have broad areas of interests and often have more than one hobby or past-time. 
• They are friendly and sociable, not taking themselves or life too seriously. 
• They tend to be self-deprecating, sometimes turning their fears into humor to bond with others. 
• Healthy Sixes with a Seven-wing are playful and funny, and their sense of humor is used to cope with life. They are generally more extroverted than the other subtype.

Jane: 9w1

• Nines (At Their Best): Become self-possessed, feeling autonomous and fulfilled: have great equanimity and contentment because they are present to themselves. Paradoxically, at one with self, and thus able to form more profound relationships. Intensely alive, fully connected to self and others.
• Tend to have been "model children." Instinctively worked to please their parents by being virtuous, orderly, and little trouble. 
• When awakened, they have great moral authority plus good-hearted peacemaking tendencies. 
• Often have a sense of mission, public or private, that involves working hard for the welfare of everyone they are committed to. 
• Principled expression of love. 
• Desire to contribute, do little harm.
• May be well-liked, modest, endearing, gentle yet firm. 
• Some have great grace and composure with bursts of spontaneity and sweetness. Elegant simplicity.
• Healthy persons of this subtype possess enormous integrity and are extremely principled. Their great common sense helps them to be wise in their judgments, particularly about others. 
• They are alert to issues of fairness and objectivity when they are called on to act or to judge situations. 
• Healthy Nines with a One-wing are wonderful at synthesizing different schools of thought and sorting out the common threads between them. 
• They can be highly imaginative and creative, seeking to express and share their visions of an ideal world. 
• They tend to be sunny and friendly, but with a certain seriousness about their ideals. 
• They enjoy teaching, and may be moral leaders, teaching most effectively by their example. 
• This subtype makes a good friend or therapist, balancing the Nine’s nonjudgmental listening with the One’s wisdom and desire to give helpful advice.

Lizzie: 2w3

• Twos (At Their Best): Become deeply unselfish, humble, and altruistic: giving unconditional love to self and others. Feel it is a privilege to be in the lives of others. 
• Charming, good-natured, and heart-felt
• Really get things done, serve effectively on projects that involve the well-being of others. 
• Thrive on group process and are generally good communicators.
• Healthy people of this subtype are charming, friendly, outgoing.
• They enjoy the attention of others, are self-assured, and exude a sense of well-being and wholesome enjoyment
• They possess a free-spirited worldly attitude that can easily be confused with a Seven. 
• There is genuine warmth in them, as well as the ability to communicate that warmth to others. 
• They enjoy sharing whatever talents they possess with their friends and admirers; cooking, entertaining, singing, and listening are all experienced as something to be shared.

Megan: 3w2

• Threes (At Their Best): Self-accepting, inner-directed, and authentic, everything they seem to be. Modest and charitable, self-deprecatory humor and a fullness of heart emerge. Gentle and benevolent.
• Threes with this wing are often highly gregarious.
• Social perception, prestige and recognition important. Healthy side brings personal warmth, leadership qualities. 
• Sincere desire to do well by others; may be genuinely nice people. 
• If they have achieved some measure of success they are generous in their mentorship of others.
• They are often charming, sociable, and highly popular. 
• They treat people with more positive feelings and warmth. They tend to care most about the few people they are closest to.  
• They can encourage and appreciate others. 
• There is a perky, vivacious quality about them that can resemble the energetic qualities of the Seven. 
• They are talkative and helpful but still have a sense of poise and self-control that is characteristic of the Three. 
• They usually want a particular kind of affirmation from others: besides receiving attention, they also want to be loved. This encourages them to be more responsive to the needs and desires of others.

Sarah: 5w4

• Fives (At Their Best): Become visionaries, broadly comprehending the world while penetrating it profoundly. Open-minded, take things in whole, in their true context. Make pioneering discoveries and find entirely new ways of doing and perceiving things.
• May be talented artistically and inhabit moods like Fours do. 
• Combine intellectual and emotional imagination. 
• Enjoy the realm of philosophy and beautiful constructs of thought. The marriage of mental perspective and aesthetics is the best of life for them.
• In healthy people of this subtype, we find the intuition and knowledge, sensitivity and insight. 
• This subtype has been somewhat overlooked in many descriptions of Fives because they do not fit the stereotype of the academic/scientific Five, which is really the Five with a six-wing
• The Five with a Four-wing is able to pull things together and seek out new ways of looking at things. 
• They tend to utilize their imaginations and if they are involved in science, they are drawn to the areas in which there is less emphasis on experimentation and data collection and more emphasis on intuition and vision. 
• One of their strengths is their intuition, since intuition helps them uncover areas of knowledge that others have missed. 
• The Four wing adds a unique vision to the curiosity and perceptiveness of the Five, causing them to “tinker” with familiar forms until they become something unique and new. In talented Fives with a Four-wing this can lead to startling innovation in their chosen fields.
• They are more independent than Fives with a six-wing and resist having deadlines and structures imposed on them

Tamara: 1w2

• Ones (At Their Best): Become extraordinarily wise and discerning. By accepting what is, they become transcendentally realistic, knowing the best action to take in each moment. Humane, inspiring, and hopeful: the truth will be heard.
• This wing generally brings more interpersonal warmth. 
• High standards are tempered by humanism. 
• May understand and partly forgive humanity for not doing its best. 
• Work hard to improve the conditions of others, sacrificing time and energy to do good works. 
• The Two-wing softens the One’s tendency to be overly harsh and judgmental. 
• If thoughtfulness and love of neighbor are their ideals, Ones with a Two-wing will attempt to be caring and personal, trying to take needs of others into consideration. 
• They can be generous, kind, helpful, and good-humored, offsetting the One’s more rigid demeanor. 
• They are more willing to work to bring about the changes they desire and are often found in many of the helping professions; such as teaching, ministry, and medicine.

Whitney: 1w9

• Ones (At Their Best): Become extraordinarily wise and discerning. By accepting what is, they become transcendentally realistic, knowing the best action to take in each moment. Humane, inspiring, and hopeful: the truth will be heard. 
• When awakened, may be objective and balanced, cool and moderate in their evaluations.
• When they are healthy, people in this subtype are unusually objective and fair in their judgments and dealings with others, since they have a special interest in remaining dispassionately involved. 
• They are civilized in the best sense of the word, and often display a “scholarly” quality. 
• There is a spiritual, mystical side to people of this subtype, and an attraction more to nature, art, and animals than to humans. 
• They are restrained in showing their emotions, but they are often generous and loyal friends. 
• As Ones, they strive to be good examples, teaching by embodying what they believe in, yet the Nine-wing gives them a more gentle approach to life than Ones with a Two-wing. 
• They can be gifted, articulate speakers and writers and frequently use their talents to raise awareness of society’s ills.

Study 10: Chasing After Spirituality

Spirituality as an idol:

• Idolatry functions widely inside religious communities when doctrinal truth is elevated to the position of a false god
• Another form idolatry within religious communities turns spiritual gifts and ministry success into a counterfeit god
• Another kind of religious idolatry has to do with moral living itself

Ecclesiastes 5:1-6

1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.
4 When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. 5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. 6 Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?


Taking a Closer Look: Read Ecclesiastes 5:1-6.

1. What advice does the Teacher give here? Is it good advice?
2. How would the Teacher word his concern about religion?

How Do We Chase After Spirituality?

1. When is religion harmful? Can Christianity be harmful?
2. One philosopher accused religion of being the “opiate of the people,” and another said that religion is “spiritual alcohol.” What did they mean, and do they have any basis at all for their statements?
3. What is the difference between a superficial religion and a religion of the heart?
4. How can you tell true religion from false religion?
5. What does it mean to “put God in a box”?
6. What is the difference between contentment and smugness in religion?
7. In what ways has your spiritual life become out of balance?
8. What Scripture passages give you direction as you seek a more meaningful relationship with Christ? 

--------------------

“To keep a vow, therefore, means not to keep from breaking it, but rather to devote the rest of one’s life to discovering what the vow means, and to be willing to change and to grow accordingly.” - Mike Mason

Study 9: Chasing After Wisdom

How Do We Chase After Wisdom?

1. Who is the wisest human being you know? What makes him or her so wise?
2. What can you do to gain wisdom?
3. To what extent do you feel shame for not knowing God’s will?
4. To what extent do you despise not “having intel”?
5. To what extent do you prefer “knowing” over “doing”?
6. What benefits are derived from education or from learning new skills?
7. What skills and ability are of most value to your for practical day-to-day living?
8. In what ways does God give his children wisdom to live life successfully?
9. What does it mean to live a successful life?
10. What Scripture passages help ground you in God’s wisdom?

Ecclesiastes 7:1 – 8:1 – Where Can We Find Wisdom?

1. What are ways the Teacher describes wisdom?
2. What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge?
3. How can suffering and sorrow offer instruction for living?
4. Do you agree with the description of wisdom in verses 11-12?
5. What are the limits of human wisdom according to verses 13-15?
6. Describe how fearing God puts life into perspective (v. 18)
7. What perspective does wisdom provide according to verses 19-22?
8. What further observations does the Teacher make from his quest for wisdom (7:23-8:1)?

Other passages to consider:

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 (ESV)

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.


James 3:13-18

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.


James 1:5-8

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.


Romans 11:33-36

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.