"meaning of life" Tagged Sermons
What is the Most Important Thing in Life?
Many scholars believe that Ecclesiastes is edited by a narrator, who takes the questions assembled by the Teacher (Qoholet) and reframes them with some qualification. Chapter 12 is often seen as the ultimate reframing of the entire book of Ecclesiastes around the question: what is the most important thing in life? Sermon Outline “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come.” (Ecclesiastes 12:1) Stages of Life and Stages of Faith (Ecclesiastes 12:1-7) Engaging…
Where is Real Wisdom Found?
Ecclesiastes falls within the wisdom writings, grouped along with other books in the Hebrew Bible in the Ketuvim. More specifically, Ecclesiastes is one of the five Megillot, connected with the festival of Sukkot, or the Feast of Booths. Throughout the book, the writer wrestles with how to find real wisdom. In a world where truth is up for grabs, where is real wisdom found? Sermon Outline “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to…
Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
We all at one time wrestle with the question, “why do bad things happen to good people?” The writer of Ecclesiastes is no different: “There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 8:14). Is there meaning in all this, or is life just random? Sermon Outline “There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the…
Are We Stuck in Endless Cycles or Is there Something More?
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). The litany of different seasons the Teacher explores can make it seem like life merely undulates along a path over which we have little control over and in which we may struggle to find meaning. “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” (1:9). Are we stuck in an endless cycle or…
The Gift of Doubt
The first few chapters of Ecclesiastes explore various pursuits in life, showing how any of them might become meaningless for us. Whether it’s the pursuit of pleasure, hard work, knowledge, or riches, any of these things apart from God can become sources of dissatisfaction. So, what can truly satisfy us? (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11) Sermon Outline The Path of Ecclesiastes What is life about? Chapter 2 – seeking the meaning of life Existential wrestling, crisis, or angst – a unique form of…
Is Life Meaningful or Meaningless?
One of the most pervasive themes in Ecclesiastes is what can seem like the apparent meaninglessness of life. The very beginning of the book centers on this theme: “Meaningless! Meaningless!’, says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless’” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). We can all feel like this sometimes. So, is life meaningless or meaningful? Sermon Outline “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1:14) Background…
Humility in the Darkness: Job Rebuked Regarding God’s Greatness
In Job 29-37, Job argues with his friends and verges on self-justification or pride at times. Elihu rebukes Job in order to bring him back to see his own heart-attitude before God. Sometimes our suffering actually leads us into a strong self-protective attitude with God and others, and we too must return to the place of humility in our suffering. (Job 29-37) Sermon Outline How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. (Job…
Wisdom in the Darkness: Clinging to God in the Face of Confusion and Adversity
In the midst of the dialogue of Job and his friends, an interlude in Job 28 on the way of wisdom catches the reader by surprise at the center of the book. Wisdom is not easily found, but is readily available. God is the beginning of wisdom and the advocate of wisdom. (Job 28) Sermon Outline “But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?…God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells” (Job 28:12,…
Wrestling in the Darkness: Job and His Friends’ Quest for Meaning in Suffering
In Job 3-27, Job enters into a deep dialogue with his friends about the nature and meaning of suffering. They offer counsel that is, in one way, true, but is divorced from the context of Job’s life and God’s permission. We will talk about when to speak and when to be silent, how we comfort one another in suffering and also how we search out meaning together before God in suffering. (Job 3-27) Sermon Outline “I know that my redeemer lives,…