After spending 12 chapters exploring the meaning of life, what is the Preacher's conclusion? What should we be doing with the life that we have? In Ecclesiastes 12:9-14, after telling us a little bit about himself as the author, and about the book he has written, he concludes his book by relating "the end of the matter" (Eccl. 12:13, ESV).

August 20, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Derek Kidner, Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken.

According to research cited by a recent Wall Street Journal article, the average age that Americans stop feeling young is 43. Unless God spares us, most of us will experience aging. Does the Bible have anything to say about this process? In Ecclesiastes 11 and 12, the Preacher addresses this, providing a word to the older, a word to the younger, and a word about aging.

August 6, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Derek Kidner, Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken.

We live in an uncertain world where as James 4 says, we do not know what is going to happen tomorrow. How should we respond to this? Should we circle the wagons and keep our boats in the harbor, lest something unfortunate happen to us? In Ecclesiastes 11:1-6, the Preacher tells us to do the exact opposite. He tells us to invest boldly and take risks. Title from Derek Kidner.

July 30, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Derek Kidner, Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken.

How do you lead? How do you work? How do you speak? Like a fool? Or like someone who is wise? According to the Preacher in Ecclesiastes 10, we all have hearts that are inclined to either wisdom or folly, and what is in our hearts is revealed by what we do in these three everyday activities.

July 23, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Derek Kidner, Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken. Breakfast example from Ryken, example about a preacher using a lot of words from O'Donnell.

In Ecclesiastes 3, the preacher takes a step back and examines life once again. And as he examines life, he gives us a framework for how we can understand our lives while we live under the sun. The framework that we find in this passage is that as we submit to God's sovereignty, we can consider death, enjoy life, and seek to live wisely.

July 17, 2023

In his commentary on Ecclesiastes, Douglas O'Donnell writes this: "What Winston Churchill said of Russia in 1939, we might say of American politics today: It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside of an enigma...How are we to work our way through the current political maze?" As O'Donnell points out, in Ecclesiastes 8, the Preacher gives us 3 bedrock principles to follow: we are to submit to authority, fear God, and be joyful.

July 2, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Derek Kidner, Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken. Sermon structure and much content from O'Donnell.

Whether we recognize it or not, we all have expectations of the world in which we live: we may expect things to be fair, we may expect people to be nice & kind, and we may expect to find all the answers we are looking for. In Ecclesiastes 7:15-29, the Preacher disavows us of some of these expectations as he continues to teach us how to live wisely in a fallen world: he calls us to trust God in life's apparent unfairness, to not be surprised by human sinfulness, and to understand the limits of human wisdom.

June 25, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Derek Kidner, Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken.

How do wise people live in a fallen world? According to the Preacher in Ecclesiastes 7:1-14, the wise go to funerals, listen to wisdom's rebuke, are patient, and submit to God's sovereignty.

June 18, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Derek Kidner, Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken. Connection to chapter 6, structure, and many other insights from O'Donnell.

What is the good life? Can getting more stuff and money deliver us a life full of meaning and satisfaction? Our culture seems to think so. But in Ecclesiastes 5:8-6:12, we find that the Preacher tells us that money only brings more problems, and that it cannot satisfy us. It leaves, in the words of George Herbert, "Rich and weary."

June 11, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Derek Kidner, Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken.

We tend to think that gathering together for worship on Sundays is inherently pleasing to God. But is it? According to the Bible, not necessarily. In Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, the Preacher tells us to be careful as we come to worship God: to listen up, to watch what we say, and to fear God.

May 21, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Derek Kidner, Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken. Headings adapted from Phil Ryken

"I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take, when people run in circles, it’s a very, very mad world, mad world.” This line, from the song "Mad World" sung by Gary Jules (originally a Tears for Fears song), is a fitting one for the book of Ecclesiastes, and particularly chapter 4. In this chapter, as Douglas O'Donnell helps to point out, the Preacher notices four disquieting features of our world: oppression, envy, loneliness, and impermanence. And while he gives us a few helpful ways of dealing with our world, this chapter leaves us longing for a new world in which these things no longer exist.

April 30, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Derek Kidner, Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken. 3 of the 4 headings from O'Donnell.

Injustice is a flash point in our culture today. Some believe it doesn't really exist and get frustrated by those who talk about it. Others see injustice everywhere and have committed their lives to eradicating it. But what does the Bible say about it? In Ecclesiastes 3:16-22, one of the topics that the Preacher addresses is injustice, pointing out where it exists, one of the reasons God doesn't intervene right away to fix it, and where the ultimate hope for justice resides.

April 23, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Derek Kidner, Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken. "It's not fair" idea from Ryken.

We are all subject to events and circumstances that are largely out of our control. How do we navigate these changing seasons of life? In Ecclesiastes 3:1-15, the author identifies the reality of the seasons, shows us how God is sovereign over them all, and then points to faith as a sensible way to respond. As Katharina von Schlegel so helpfully writes in her hymn "Be Still My Soul", in the changing seasons of life, we are to "Leave to Thy God to order and provide."

April 16, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Derek Kidner, Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken. “Get busy” subheading adapted from Ryken.

Many of us work really hard in our jobs. But why? And is all of our effort really worth it in the end? In Ecclesiastes 2:18-26, the Preacher examines the topic of work, both what we ultimately gain from it and our daily experience of it, to see if the workplace is where we are meant to find meaning, purpose and fulfillment.

March 19, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken

What would happen if we were able to get everything that our heart desired? Would that bring us meaning and fulfillment? Would that bring us happiness? In Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, the author of the book conducts an experiment with pleasure, in which he denies himself nothing that he wants for a season of time. He pursued a good time, a great home, a full bank account, the arts, and sex. Did any of these things deliver what he was looking for?

March 12, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken

How do we make the world a better place? How do we find meaning, satisfaction and fulfillment in our lives? Many believe that the key to both of these questions is education. But is it? In Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 and 2:12-17, the Preacher explores the topic of human wisdom to see whether or not it is worthy of the investment of a human life.

March 5, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken

Have you ever been struck by the apparent emptiness of life? Or spent your time chasing things that you thought would fulfill you only to discover that they didn't? The author of Ecclesiastes understands this experience completely. In Ecclesiastes 1:1-11, he analyzes the natural world around him and observes that "everything is meaningless" (NIV). The rest of the Bible explains why this is so, and reveals a path forward toward hope and life.

February 26, 2023

Helpful resources that shaped and influenced this sermon: Ecclesiastes by Douglas O'Donnell, Ecclesiastes by Phil Ryken