Ecclesiastes

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• Ecclesiastes 11-12

  Wisdom in All Seasons of Life.

  Solomon offers more wisdom principles as he concludes the book of Ecclesiastes. He urges us to embrace good, simple things as we have them. As we discipline ourselves to use our energy to enjoy God's good gifts, we will be a joyful people!

• Ecclesiastes 10-11

  Wisdom's Conclusions.

  Solomon has several concluding chapters as he shares wisdom on enduring the margin of mystery. The theme is similar to 1 Peter 4:19: When life is hard to understand, stay active doing good things.

• Ecclesiastes 9:11-18

  Joyfully Enduring Life's Inexplicable Mysteries.

  We are learning from Solomon how to live simply in the margin of mystery created by the unpredictability of life. Ecclesiastes 9:11-18 warns us not to trust our personal ability or opportunities.

• Ecclesiastes 9:1-10

  Joyfully Enduring Life's Inexplicable Mysteries.

  We try to understand God's plan, but we can never know all of it; and we couldn't handle that knowledge anyway. Life is full of spiritual mystery. What can and should we do as we live through this reality?

• Ecclesiastes 8:2-17

  Wisdom Addresses the Inequity in Human Government.

  Ecclesiastes 8:12-17 are addressed primarily to the wise employee of a despotic king. Though we are not all government employees, all of God's people can learn a wise disposition while we live under human government from these verses.

• Ecclesiastes 8

  Wisdom Addresses the Inequity in Human Government.

  Ecclesiastes 8:1-15 is our last set of verses in the third section of this book. These verses tell us how to respond to darkness in government. Ecclesiastes 8:15 sums up the conclusion of the whole section: an exhortation to enjoy life. We should never let inequity in government distract us from living joyfully as Christians.

• Ecclesiastes 7:19-29

  Wisely Analyzing Man's Character.

  In Solomon's discussion of living life on purpose, we have studied a bold determination in Ecclesiastes 7:15-18. We now turn to a balanced assessment and some benign reminders.

• Ecclesiastes 7:15-18

  Wisely Analyzing Man's Character.

  At first reading, Ecclesiastes 7:15-18 seems to advocate being a little bit wicked. But this interpretation would not fit with the rest of Scripture. Instead, Solomon is showing that excessively applying righteousness and piling on wickedness are both dangerous. We should not come to conclusions about a person's character too quickly.

• Ecclesiastes 7:11-14

  Wealth, Wisdom, and Eternal Purpose.

  In our American church context, we are all wealthy compared to the rest of the world. So there is much for us to learn from Solomon's wisdom for wealthy people in this section of Ecclesiastes.

• Ecclesiastes 7:3-10

  Wealth, Wisdom, and Eternal Purpose.

  Many of us may not feel wealthy when we look at our budgets. The Bible says that we should be content with food, clothing, and shelter (1 Timothy 6:8). By that standard, especially compared to the majority of people in our world, we are an affluent group of people. Solomon gives wisdom for wealthy people to maintain our eternal purpose for living.

• Ecclesiastes 7

  Wealth, Wisdom, and Eternal Purpose.

  We are studying the third section of Ecclesiastes, which instructs us on how to rejoice in hard times. Joy is the reality of the believer who lives in the blessed will of God (Ecclesiastes 8:15). With the proper perspective, believers can enjoy all God's good gifts, but if distracted from eternal purpose, we will doubt the integrity of God and His providence.

• Ecclesiastes 6:10-12

  Wisdom’s Direction for the Questioning, Hurting Heart.

  Life is a gift from God to be lived on purpose with joy. Our joy must be connected to living according to God’s Word (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

• Ecclesiastes 6:1-9

  Wealth and Eternal Purpose.

  In Ecclesiastes 6:1-9, Solomon applies wisdom to apparent injustices that can cause roadblocks in our lives. It is common to find people who seem to have everything but are not satisfied. Solomon gives two examples: a single man and a married man. Ultimately, we will see what it means for a believer to embrace the good material possessions God has given us.

• Ecclesiastes 6

  Eternal Purpose in the Midst of Apparent Injustice.

  The next section of Ecclesiastes we will study is Ecclesiastes 6:1-8:15. The beginning of chapter 6 instructs us how to navigate life's apparent divine inequalities. The message of the book is consistent: God's people must persevere in enjoying God and His blessings, even when God seems unfair.

• Ecclesiastes 5:8-17

  Wisdom Addressing Bureaucracy and Wealth.

  Ecclesiastes 5:8-17 show that God is comfortable talking about politics and finance. These topics often cause tension, but we can converse confidently about what God says about each of these areas of human life.

• Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

  Wisdom for Worship.

  This week, our study of Ecclesiastes moves from chapter 4's examination of oppression, competition, isolation, and position to adoration in chapter 5. While living through the difficulties of a broken world, God wants us to know His will and be refreshed when we come to worship Him. Solomon shares 3 aspects of wisdom to prepare our hearts for worship.

• Ecclesiastes 4:13-16

  The Transient Nature of Power and Popularity.

  Neither popularity nor position are permanent. Ecclesiastes 4:13-16 teaches us to avoid unrealistic expectations regarding both.

• Ecclesiastes 4:7-12

  Avoiding Self-Inflicted Loneliness.

  The next section of Ecclesiastes we will preach illustrates the importance of companionship where isolation reigns.

• Ecclesiastes 4:4-6

  Balancing the Desire to Compete.

  Much of life is about balance. Solomon reminds us of the need to balance work and family, avoid over-competitiveness, and find the mean between being workaholics and lazy.

• Ecclesiastes 4:1-3

  Two Are Better Than One.

  Solomon's examination of the apparent anomalies and contradictions that confront our lives every day continues in Ecclesiastes 4. Walter Kaiser describes the progression of thought from chapter 3 to chapter 4 as follows: