Ecclesiastes: Making Sense of Life
Ecclesiastes
30 August 2020
Making Sense of Life
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14
by Tan Huai Tze
Qohelet draws Ecclesiastes to a conclusion by showing us how to make sense of life and why we need to make sense of life. To make sense, we need both the truth and beauty of God's Word. The goal of making sense is to stand in awe of God and obey him. That is what it means to be truly human.
23 August 2020
Repent, Rejoice, Remember
Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:8
by Julian Wu
Qohelet teaches the youth to rejoice all the days of their life and to remember God the creator before the days of suffering, ageing, and death. For those among us who are older, the gospel frees us from our past sins to rejoice in God. For all of us, we rejoice in the hope of the resurrection, a hope that transcends our age in the present world.
16 August 2020
Living With Uncertainty
Ecclesiastes 11:1-6
by Tan Huai Tze
Although there are many things we are uncertain of in life, this does not mean we cannot live a full and generous life. In fact, Qohelet shows us that it is precisely because life is uncertain that we should give our all today, to reap eternal rewards.
9 August 2020
The Fool's Portrait
Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20
by Joel Sim
Qohelet tells us how to live wisely by showing us what folly, the opposite of wisdom, looks like. It is ultimately a matter of one's heart and relationship to God. Because of this, Jesus calls us to be wise by standing on the solid rock of Christ and trusting Him so that we may move away from the path of folly to the path of wisdom.
2 August 2020
How To Enjoy Life
Ecclesiastes 9:1-12
by Tan Huai Tze
Qohelet teaches us that death is a certainty because of human sin, and the circumstances of life are uncertain. Yet, God graciously gives us food, drink, clothes, relationships and work to enjoy. Through Christ, all these things are a foretaste of the great feast God has for his people at the end of history.
26 July 2020
Wisdom in a Paradoxical World Part Two
Ecclesiastes 8
by Wong Yann
In Ecclesiastes Chapter 8, the preacher Qohelet prescribes the wise way to behave around a king, but at the same time warns us about the limitations of wisdom, and how wisdom is insufficient to answer all the questions we have.
19 July 2020
Wisdom in a Paradoxical World
Ecclesiastes 7:15-29
by Joel Sim
Qohelet tells us that wisdom is needed to live in a paradoxical world under the effects of sin. However, just because we pursue wisdom, this does not imply that we will receive its associated benefits, nor does it mean that we will never sin. Instead, this points to our need for the sinless Christ to redeem us from folly and to live wisely as He did.
12 July 2020
Get Wisdom
Ecclesiastes 6:10-7:14
by Tan Huai Tze
Instead of wealth, Qohelet points us to seeking wisdom that will be able to guide us through life. To get wisdom, we need to acknowledge our humanity and our mortality: the prospect of death teaches us many important lessons. We must also consider the limits of wisdom. Wisdom cannot save us from our sins. Only Christ, who is the power and wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24) can save.
5 July 2020
Money No Enough
Ecclesiastes 5:8-6:9
by Tan Huai Tze
Qohelet continues his quest to show us meaning by discussing wealth and our love for it. He shows that wealth cannot satisfy, and cannot promise joy, but that it isn't evil, but good. He helps us see that all that we are, and all that we have is a gift from God. God is our source of true joy.
28 June 2020
In the Presence of the Eternal
Ecclesiastes 5:1-7
by Aaron Akins
Qohelet reaches the pinnacle of his argument: if nothing on earth really matters, what does? Our relationship to God. He therefore warns us against approaching God foolishly, and shows us how we can worship in a way that reflects God's holiness and glory.
21 June 2020
Back to Work
Ecclesiastes 4:4-16
by Tan Huai Tze
Qohelet shows us that how and why we work can contribute to addressing injustice and oppression in this world. Instead of envy, he urges us to cooperate and to consider others' needs over our own. Only in Christ, the king who humbled himself for us, can we find the power to live for others, and so contribute to a more just and free world.
14 June 2020
It's A Hard Knock Life
Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3
by Joel Sim
Qohelet confronts us with the hard realities of life through the twin problems of injustice and oppression. It is a reminder that we continue to live in a fallen world where justice is not administered perfectly, and a reminder that life apart from God only ends in death and a return to the dust. However, God has sent His Son Jesus Christ, who suffered injustice and oppression Himself, so that those who trust Him may be righteous and freed to care for others.
7 June 2020
About Time
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
by Tan Huai Tze
Qohelet shows us that we do not have control over the times and seasons in our lives, but God does. And the God who does is sovereign, wise and kind. When we see that he is writing a better story of our lives than we would ever write, we take pleasure in every moment he gives, and we stand in awe of him.
31 May 2020
Are We Happy Yet?
Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:26
by Tan Huai Tze
Qohelet now addresses the universal search for happiness. Through his own experience, he takes us through the path of seeking wisdom and knowledge to find it futile, and then to pleasure and possessions to find them fleeting. None of these things can truly give joy. To truly have joy, he discovers, is to recognise wisdom, knowledge and pleasure as the gifts of a good God who ultimately gives us Christ as the greatest gift.
24 May 2020
All Pain, No Gain?
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
by Tan Huai Tze
Qoholet, the scholar-king shows us that all that we toil for apart from God will ultimately be fleeting and futile. Why? Because life itself is fleeting, mundane and insatiable. In so doing, he points us forward to the eternal, new and full life that only Jesus can give.