ECCLESIASTES – The Book of emptiness without God.

– Book of Emptiness (Life without God)

Key Point –What life is like without God is empty?

Memory Verse – Ecclesiastes 12:13 “…Respect and obey God! This is what life is all about.”

Skit – Show two different people one who has God in their life, and one that doesn’t (have everything be empty from their stomach to the coke can etc…) One kid will come out and will be drinking a coke the other will be drinking a coke as well. The kid who doesn’t have God in his life will have a can of coke that is empty while the other kid the one with God in his life will have more than enough. The kid w/o God will say to the other one “are you hungry” the kid who has God in his life will say know I am full, but I have noticed that everything in your life seems so empty why is that? The first kid will say that he has no idea. The Show the difference that God makes in everything. Have the skit explain to the kids that when God is not in our life it affects every part of our life.

Object Lesson – Have two glasses of water one that is empty and ugly on the outside the other that is clean. Explain that without God in our life we are miserable. When God comes into our life he fills us up and cleans us up. Place smaller cup that is clean in a dirty larger cup, also have a pitcher of water to represent God. Take the dirty cup and explain that God takes us when we are empty and dirty and fills us up with his love and goodness. At this point pull out the smaller clean cup and explain that the Bible tells us that God makes all things beautiful in His time.

Object Lesson – Full glass vs. empty one – how many of you would like to have an empty glass after you have just got done running in a race you were very thirsty. Would you rather have a full cup or an empty one? Our life without God is like an empty cup we have no purpose but if our cup is full we have much purpose giving life and strength to all who need it.

Object Lesson – Gas Can – Ask the kids how far you can drive your car with no gas in it with the tank empty? Not far huh? Same thing with God, we will not get very far without God. Many people try to put other things in their engine other than gas and they won’t go anywhere. We need God to fill us up. Because life without God is empty.

Puppet – Have a puppet explain that without the puppet master he has no life. How without the puppet master he is just a lump of material but when the puppet masters hand comes inside of him he has life. MC will say wow that is just like us without God our life is lumpy and meaningless but when Jesus comes into our life and fills us up with His Holy Spirit we have life and life more abundantly.

Bible story – Story of Solomon – Tell how Solomon turned away from God and his life got much harder. Solomon’s life with God he was blessed with wisdom, fame and money. He walked away from God and life became meaningless.

 Ecclesiastes 2:22-26
22 What does a man get for all of his hard work on earth? What does he get for all of his worries?23 As long as he lives, his work is nothing but pain and sorrow. Even at night his mind can’t rest. That doesn’t have any meaning either.

 24 A man can’t do anything better than eat and drink and be satisfied with his work. I’m finally seeing that those things also come from the hand of God. 25 Without his help, who can eat or find pleasure?

 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness to a man who pleases him. But to a sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth. Then the sinner must hand it over to the one who pleases God. That doesn’t have any meaning either. It’s like chasing the wind.

Solomon had everything because he trusted God. He understood that we need to honor and respect God we need to trust him with everything.

When solomon became King God asked him what he wanted and Solomon replied that he wanted wisdom to lead God’s people well. God blessed him with wisdom and because he asked for wisdom rather than, money, fame or revenge of his enemies God gave all of those things to him and more.

God also warned Solomon to never trust in himself but to always trust in God. Solomon didn’t  listen and started building a large army and married lots of wives and slowly his heart turned from God to other things and as a result he became sad he realized that life without God doesn’t have any meaning. If we want our life to be exciting and to accomplish a lot we have to trust God and do what He says.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

13 Everything has now been heard.

And here’s the final thing I want to say.

Have respect for God and obey his commandments.

That’s what everyone should do.

ECCLESIASTES – SMALL GROUP

Activity –

Have a piece of candy in it’s wrapper and then a candy wrapper with no candy in it ask the kids how many would like the wrapper with the candy in it or how many of you would like this empty wrapper with candy inside it. (Allow for response) Most want the wrapper that has something in it, not the empty one. There is a big difference between being full and being empty. When we don’t have Jesus in our life we are empty.

Questions –

What would life be like with out Jesus?

Have you ever felt alone?

Have you ever felt afraid?

What did you do?

Did you know that when we have Jesus we are never really alone?

When do you feel alone or afraid?

What should you do?

What does Jesus tell us He will do? (never leave us or forsake us)