Redeemer Rockwall

Solomon looks at the table the world offers, and it's full of wickedness. And even in the church and its priests here in Ecclesiastes 8 are no different. It's easy to think that the way things are just is. And all we can do is resign ourselves to this fact. But Christ has a solution in response to this in injustice. He invites us to a table of redemption and he gives us himself. Stop getting distracted by the alternate reality proposed by the world and turn and look at Jesus. He's holding out His body and His blood for you!

Render unto Caesar what is Caesars, and render unto God what is God's. This passage from Matthew 22 is a an echo from Ecclesiastes 8. When the people are oppressed by an evil king, And we are supposed to subject ourselves to his authority, how is the follower of Jesus supposed to stand against this evil? By looking to the Kingmaker, and not to the leaders of this world, to bring about the kingdom of God! Pay your taxes and vote. Then leave those worldly obligations behind and spend your time sitting at the feet of Jesus.

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Render unto Caesar what is Caesars, and render unto God what is God's. This passage from Matthew 22 is a an echo from Ecclesiastes 8. When the people are oppressed by an evil king, And we are supposed to subject ourselves to his authority, how is the follower of Jesus supposed to stand against this evil? By looking to the Kingmaker, and not to the leaders of this world, to bring about the kingdom of God! Pay your taxes and vote. Then leave those worldly obligations behind and spend your time sitting at the feet of Jesus.

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To support the work and worship of Redeemer, subscribe to our channel and consider supporting us by giving a tax deductible gift at the link below.

https://Redeemer-Church-Rockwall-517189.churchcenter.com/giving

People would come from all over to seek the wisdom of Solomon. In chapter 7 he reveals the secret of his wisdom. This unconventional wisdom came through an unexpected way. Through sorrow! We are so averse to sorrow and grief as a culture but Solomon assures us "the heart of the wise is found in the house of mourning."

What would you choose if you trade your current income for wealth beyond measure with one catch.... You're physically incapable of enjoying it? What would be the point? In Ecclesiastes 5:8 through the end of chapter 6 we walk through a look at contentment that is little unconventional. The Lord is able to give the ability to enjoy wealth or to withhold it! This is hard for us to accept. Really hard! Life passes like shadow. Who are you living for? Your self or the one who gives the ability to have joy in poverty or wealth?

Ecclesiastes 5 gives a warning: don’t stroll into worship on autopilot. The writer visits the temple hoping to find something different from the world outside, but discovers the same pride, image management, empty talk, and hunger for success inside. People are worshiping God, yet they are using him to get attention, comfort, money, or the life they want. It's an age-old problem: humanity will always struggle with making itself the center of its own worship.

The passage tells us to “guard our steps” when approaching God. That means showing up ready to listen, taking our words and promises seriously, and making sure our worship connects with how we treat people all week. We should also ask what we are really guarding when we come to church—our reputation, schedule, energy, ambitions, or grudge? Worship becomes hollow when God is merely an accessory to the life we want.

The good news is that we are told to guard our steps because God invites us to draw near. Jesus in his tremendous love shows us how to approach God by the way he approached us. He came to his people, listened to their cries, used his words to heal, and kept his promise by giving himself on the cross. We approach God each week, by humbling ourselves before the one who humbled himself before us.

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Ecclesiastes 4 reads like a really hard day. The writer sees people crushed by injustice, coworkers driven by envy, wealth that leaves a person lonely, and leaders who promise change but cannot solve our deepest problems. These ordinary sources of despair reveal how easily life can feel meaningless when we forget to live with God and listen to his voice.

Jesus entered this same troubled world and showed another way. He comforted people who suffered instead of looking away. He worked ordinary days without envy. He offered friendship rather than using people for his own gain. And though public opinion turned against him, he became the King who will make all things new.

The sermon invites us to bring Jesus into the moments that weigh us down. We can respond to injustice with compassionate action and hope, work with contentment, offer friendship and forgiveness, and trust Christ above changing political leaders. The question is not whether hard days will come, but whether every troubling thought will carry us into cynicism. Remembering who Jesus is and following his example helps us meet each day with purpose and hope instead of despair, even when the world feels unbearably heavy.

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In Ecclesiastes 3 God calls us to slow down and think about the life we live in this world … In the beginning God made us to live with Him eternally, never having to wonder or worry about what comes next. So what happens when we find ourselves outside the walls of Eden, amid a world of change, uncertainty, doubt, and death? To be sure, ours is a world of balance: of being born and of dying. While we live we may eat, drink, and rejoice in our day. But what then? What comes after this life, and how does that day affect the life we live here and now? We need to know before it’s too late … Who will come to us and show us what’s next?

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In this sermon on Ecclesiastes 2, the author continues his pursuit of meaning by turning to pleasure. After wisdom failed to satisfy him, he tested every form of gratification—wine, wealth, possessions, homes, achievement, entertainment, and sex.

Although these things brought enjoyment, they ultimately proved meaningless because their pleasure never matched their cost. The Pleasure Paradox is that the more pleasure is pursued, the less satisfying it becomes, leaving people trapped in an endless cycle of desire. Ecclesiastes therefore warns against trying to build a personal paradise “under the sun.”

True meaning is found instead in Jesus Christ, who is Meaning in flesh and blood. Unlike the world’s call to gratify every desire, Jesus calls his followers to deny themselves, take up their cross, and surrender their desires to him. Meaning comes not from filling ourselves but from pouring ourselves out through acts of loving service to others.

Ecclesiastes asks the question "what is the meaning of life?" The author says all is vanity/meaningless and true wisdom begins when your hope in this world ends. Jesus is calling, come to him. He IS the meaning of life itself.

To support the work and worship of Redeemer, subscribe to our channel and consider supporting us by giving a tax deductible gift at the link below.

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