Ecclesiastes 4:4-16 / David VanAcker

4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. 5 The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. 6 Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind. 7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 8 one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business. 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 13 Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. 14 For he went from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor. 15 I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that youth who was to stand in the king’s place. 16 There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

The fact that the resurrection is simultaneously enormous and familiar confronts preachers with the annual question of how to address it in a way that really draws us into appropriate awe and worship and action. Rather than address a familiar topic (the resurrection) with a familiar passage (one directly on the resurrection), I intend to try to overcome the sometimes-numbing effect of the familiar by coming at things from a completely different perspective. And for that reason, we’re going to spend Easter in Ecclesiastes!

The big idea of this sermon is that the only real and lasting solution to the problems we face in this life (physical, relational, emotional, and spiritual) is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The main takeaway, then, is to surrender entirely to the risen Jesus.

Service Order

Memory Verse

1 Timothy 1:15 – The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

Service Times

Prayer
8:30-8:45am
Resurrection Sunday Breakfast
8:45am-10:00am
Worship Service
10:30am-Noon

Berea

NO Berea or Sunday School this week - Come to the Resurrection Sunday Breakfast instead! RSVP for that in News and Notes.