Sermon from June 24

Here is the listening guide from yesterday:

Ecclesiastes 3

1. God is a God of order, not chaos. We are wise if we act appropriately for the situation.

2. God laid a "burden" of work on us in the curse. Genesis 3: 17 - 19.

3. We can imagine eternity, but we can't quite comprehend it.

4. The only true justice belongs to God himself. He will make all things right.

5. Life after death is only a hope. There's no way to know this outside of faith.

6. Our lot is to enjoy the time we are given. The only way to do this is through reverence for God. (vs. 14)

Sermon from June 17

Ecclesiastes 2

1. What's Wrong With Solomon:

a. He seems spoiled and selfish.

b. His work made the world a better place, but he gets no satisfaction from that.

c. He is disappointed with how his children turned out.

d. He isn't sure about life after death.

2. What's Right With Solomon:

a. He understands that satisfaction is a gift from God.

b. He knows that those who please God are rewarded with success and happiness.

c. He knows that sinners will not long keep their wealth. Matthew 6: 19 - 24

Sermon from June 10

Here is the listening guide from my sermon Sunday. I've begun a summer poetry book series on Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 1

1. Ecclesiastes means preacher, and this is Solomon's sermon about the meaning of life.

2. "Meaningless" and "Vanity" can be translated smoke. In other words, life is short and we are dust in the wind. (vs. 14)

3. Life is an endless cycle and we cannot change that. (vs. 4 - 7) and nothing is truly new to us. (vs. 10 - 11).

4. We are never satisfied, no matter how much we have. (vs. 8).

5. Even knowledge and wisdom do not satisfy us. (vs. 13 - 18).

6. James Dean said, "The only greatness a man can achieve is immortality." 1 Corinthians 15:19

Sermon from June 3rd

Here is the listening guide from yesterday's sermon. I preached this by candlelight because the electricity went out just before church began.

Humble and Victorious

1 Peter 5: 1 - 11

1. Elders should lead by example; not greedy, but eager to serve others.
2. Young people should submit to the authority of older Christians. All of us should be humble toward one another. This means we put others first.

3. True humility involves casting our cares on God.

4. We have an enemy and he is out to get us. He wants to destroy our lives, control our minds, and make us ineffective. 2 Corinthians 10: 3 - 5

5. We defeat Satan with God's power -- by resisting his lies and standing firm in the faith.