James 5:7-12
Lord, Give me Patience–Now! Last Sunday James offered us a “word to the wealthy,” rebuking the wicked who misuse riches in flagrant disregard of godly principles of stewardship. Pastor Phil did a really good job sharing that theme with us. Today our Scripture passage considers the other side of the coin: what about those who get the short end of the stick–the poor, the downtrodden and the suffering? There is a theological movement that has developed in many liberal denominations over the past…
James 5:13-20
Handle With Prayer Today we will conclude our study of the Book of James as we turn our attention to chapter 5:13-20. Good, decent, and godly scholars differ greatly in their interpretation of these verses, and that always makes it a bit disconcerting when one tries to deliver a clear and unambiguous message from God. But let’s study it together and see what we can learn. Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing…
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
The Bottom Side of the Rug My homiletics professor in seminary taught us that the introduction is the most important part of a sermon because in the first two minutes you will either convince people they should listen to the rest of it or allow them to drift. I’m going to use as my introduction today the reading of the Scripture text itself because I believe this passage will convince you all by itself that you should listen to the…
Ecclesiastes 1:12-26
TO HEAR THE ENTIRE LESSON CLICK LISTEN The Search for Satisfaction “Stop the World! I Want to Get Off,” is the message of a Broadway musical of a number of years back. Did you ever feel that way? Don’t be afraid to admit it. The wisest man who ever lived felt that way. He looked at the jigsaw puzzle known as human life and desperately tried to fit all the pieces together. He tried to find the key to life but he discovered it was lost and…
ecclesiates 3:1-22
The Tyranny of Time and Eternity Two of the most incomprehensible terms in the English language are “time” and “eternity.” Have you ever tried to define these words? Years ago I conducted a rather thorough search for a workable definition of time. About the best I could come up with was the following: “Time is the mere abstract possibility of events in durational sequence.” Now if you take pains to examine that definition and to digest each part of it very carefully, you will probably be forced to admit you don’t understand what time is…
Ecclesiastes 4:1-16
Wise Work in a Wicked World The question for today is, “How do we keep our sanity while working in a wicked world?” A great deal of work is oppressive. (4:1-3) The opening verses of chapter 4 speak of the oppression of the poor by the powerful. Economic injustice was so severe and so pervasive in the Preacher’s day that he declared it is better to be dead than living and better still to have never been born, because the only alternative…
Ecclesiastes 5:1-7
In Search of Excellence in Worship TO HEAR THE ENTIRE SERMON CLICK THE LISTEN BUTTON ABOVE People come to church for many different reasons. Some of us are probably here this morning out of sheer habit. Church is where we’ve always been on Sunday morning, and habits are easier to continue than to break. Some may be here to avoid guilt, i.e., the guilty conscience we know we’d have if we went to the golf course instead. Some us are here out of obligation. Our parents have told us to come or God’s…
Ecclesiastes 5:8-6:12
Satisfaction Sold Separately I’m not guilty of divulging any state secrets when I suggest that many Americans live as though their life verse were Ecclesiastes 10:19, where we read these rather startling words, “Money is the answer for everything.” That attitude is not only common in our culture; it is even common among Christians. Now it’s not my purpose this morning to wrestle with the interpretation of Eccl. 10:19, because Solomon’s actual view of riches, as revealed here in chapters 5 & 6, is far different. And that is…
Ecclesiastes 7:1-20
The Test of Adversity Is Easier than the Test of Prosperity TO HEAR THE ENTIRE SERMON CLICK THE LISTEN BUTTON ABOVE A well-known Hollywood actress once said, “I know what it’s like to be poor. And I know what it’s like to be rich. And let me tell you, rich is better.”[i] But Solomon would disagree. I don’t know whether he was ever poor, but he certainly was rich, and his personal testimony in chapter 5 and 6 of Ecclesiastes is that wealth is not all it’s cracked up to…
Ecclesiastes 7-11
Sharp Goads and Hard Nails Note: This sermon is a summary of Ecclesiastes 7-11. Please turn in your Bible to Ecclesiastes 12. I want us to begin reading at verse 9: Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true. The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like…
Ecclesiastes 11:1-6
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained Note: This sermon was preached at First Free Wichita by Associate Pastor Phil Thengvall. Introduction: Today’s global economic uncertainty has a way of paralyzing nations, corporations, small business owners, families, and individuals. Yesterday, The Washington Post said that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner confirmed that Aug. 2 remained the deadline for raising the $14.3 trillion debt limit. On that date the United States will begin to default on its obligations without additional borrowing authority, setting in motion the “catastrophic…
Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14
Live It Up Without Messing Up! The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks the question, “What is the chief end of man?” The answer? “The chief end of man is to love God and enjoy Him forever.” But you wouldn’t know it by looking around. It seems to me that many Christians just endure life rather than really enjoy it. There is relatively little laughter in their lives, only occasional excitement, and almost no ecstasy. It doesn’t have to be that way. Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life and might have…