Redemption Church in Brookfield, WI

Remember Your Creator

Preacher: Greg Alles

Passage: Ecclesiastes 11:1 - 12:8

Sermon Points:

1. Where We Are: Under The Sun
2. What We Experience: Vanity, Evil, Trouble
3. Who God Is: 1 - Vanity, Evil, Trouble 2 - Joy
4. How Do We Respond?

Four Final Quiet Words of the Wise:

1. Be Generous
2. Be a Sower
3. Be Joyful
4. Be Godly 

Quiet Words of the Wise One: Be Shrewd as Snakes

Preacher: Greg Alles

Passage: Ecclesiastes 9:13 - 10:20

Big Idea: Saving Wisdom is Despised and Ignored Under the Sun

Sermon Points:

The Fear of God/Wisdom in Ecclesiastes:

1. To trust God is doing a beautiful work in time, and humbly submit to His correction rather than resist Him.
2. To carefully listen to God rather than talk a lot.
3. To have a right self-assessment before God that is not overly righteous or too wise.
4. To not be corrupted by evil power when the wicked prosper.
5. To keep God's commandments knowing judgement is coming.

Four Quiet Words of the Wise:

1. Beware of Folly in High Places
2. Be Wise at Work
3. Be Wise with Words
4. Be Wise About Money

Live Like You’re Dying

Preacher: Greg Alles

Passage: Ecclesiastes 9:1-12

Big Idea: In the midst of death and judgement there can be joy.

Sermon Points:

Four Truths About Death -

1. We all are under the judgement of death.
2. Death is the just judgement for evil human hearts.
3. Death ends the opportunities of life.
4. Death is unpredictable and sometimes sudden.

The Love of God -

1. The living have hope.
2. God has good gifts that can be enjoyed.

Power

Preacher: Greg Alles

Passage: Ecclesiastes 8:2-17

Big Idea: God fearers joyfully submit to governing authority and refuse to be corrupted by power.

Sermon Points:

1. Power Commands
2. Power Corrupts

Application Points:

4 Responses to Power and Corruption

1. Subject yourself to governing authorities.
2. Fear God
3. Be joyful
4. Don't think you can figure it all out - trust God.

The Resurrected King of all Nations

Preacher: Danny D'Acquisto

Passage: Revelation 5

Sermon Points:

• Question: Why did Jesus rise again and ascend into heaven?

• Answer: To rule over all of creation as our heavenly King.

   

Application Points:

Because Jesus is ruling over all of creation today…

1. Let’s bow down before him.

    

2. Let’s tell all nations the good news.

    

3. Let’s tap into his power.

What is Man?

Preacher: Greg Alles

Passage: Ecclesiastes 6:10-8:1

Sermon Points:

1. Whatever has come to be
2. What is Man?
3. How to get this Wisdom
   • Through Wise Conduct
     1. Through mourning not parties and laughter.
     2. Through wise rebuke not songs of fools.
     3. Avoid corrupting activities.
     4. Avoid danger and be patient.
     5. Don't think life was better in the past.
4. Consider God's Work and Fear God
   • God's Work
     1. God makes days of prosperity and adversity - and we have no control or pre-knowledge of what our days will be like.
     2. God allows good things to happen to "bad people", and bad things to happen to "good people".
   • The Wise Responses to God's Work
     1. Don't be Overly Righteous.
     2. Don't be Too Wise.
     3. Don't be Overly Wicked or a Fool.

Goads & Nails:

1. We Need a Humble Self-Evaluation before God.
2. Hope in God Alone.

God’s Gift of Satisfaction

Preacher: Danny D'Acquisto

Passage: Ecclesiastes 5:10-6:9

Sermon Points:

1. Love of money does not satisfy (5:10-12)
   • 2 Things Money Can't Buy
     1. Enough Stuff
     2. Sleep
2. Grievous Evil #1: Riches Guarded and Lost (5:13-17)
3. The Good Life: God Gives Satisfaction (5:18-20)
   • 3 Fold Gift of God (5:19)
     1. The "power to enjoy" wealth and possessions.
     2. Accept one's lot.
     3. Rejoice in one's work.
4. Grievous Evil #2: Riches Gained but Not Enjoyed (6:1-6)
   • Having wealth does not equal enjoying wealth.
5. Working to Feed Desire Does Not Satisfy (6:7-9)
6. The Better Way: Want What You Have

Application Points:

Goads & Nails

1. Don't Love Money - Love God
   • 4 Questions
     1. Are you enjoying life?
     2. Are you anxious?
     3. Are you content with what you have?
     4. Are you humble and generous?

The Better Way

Preacher: Greg Alles

Passage: Ecclesiastes 4:4-5:9

Sermon Points:

1. The Success of Envy
2. The Lonely Workaholic
3. Continual Disappointment with Leaders
4. Evil in Religion
5. The Oppression and Injustice of Bureaucracy

Application Points:

The Better Way:

1. A Balanced Life of Rest and Work
2. Prioritize Relationships Over Career and Wealth
3. Choose Wise Leaders over Fools if you can, but don't except too much
4. Carefully Listen to God
5. The Best Leaders are Ordinary People Who Serve

Trapped In Time

Preacher: Greg Alles

Passage: Ecclesiastes 3:1 - 4:3

Sermon Points:

1. Good and Evil Under the Sun (1-10)
2. Faith, Not Sight (11-15)
   • Observation: In our experience of good and evil under the sun, we cannot understand what God is doing.
   • 2 Insights:
     1. Joy and Goodness (3:12-13)
     2. Fear and Reconciliation (3:14-15)
   • Goad: It is better to admit you don't understand, than to think you know better than God.
3. What We See - Vanity and Evil Under the Sun (3:16-22, 4:1-3)
   • 10 Vanities that Challenge Faith in God's Goodness.
     
     1. Wickedness Everywhere (16-17)
     2. Death Like the Animals (18-22)
     3. Oppression and Evil (1-3)

Searching for the Good Life

Preacher: Greg Alles

Passage: Ecclesiastes 1:16-2:26

Observation of Vanity #2 - More Wisdom and Knowledge = More Sorrow and Vexation.

Sermon Points:

1. The Great Search (1-11)
2. No Gain (12-23)
   1. Evil #1: The wise die and are forgotten just like the fool.
   2. Evil #2: Who gets all my stuff?
3. The Gift (24-26)

Big Idea: The Good Life is not a human achievement to be gained, it is a gift that only comes from God.

Goads and Nails:

1. The Good Life is not a Human Accomplishment.
2. The Good Life is a Gift that only Comes from God.