Many people are confused—or even put off—by Ecclesiastes. It seems to resonate a little too much with our darkest thoughts and fears about life, with our cynicism and despair. Is there anything truly meaningful, substantial, and lasting in life? The emphatic and resounding answer of Ecclesiastes is, No, “under the sun” there isn’t. If what you can see in this world is all there is, then everything is “vapor”: meaningless, insubstantial, and fleeting. You need to face that reality, to know it and feel it. Because only then will you know the relief and glorious joy of the Gospel, that this world is not all there is. God is the Most Real One who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ. He has come from the heavens beyond the sun and dwelt with us on earth “under the sun.” The only way to find true, lasting significance in anything in this world and in your life is to bring everything into your relationship with him.
These are some recommended* resources that might be referenced during this series. Take a look, follow along via online sermons, and invite a friend to visit with us for the series!
- Zack Eswine, Recovering Eden: The Gospel According To Ecclesiastes
- David Gibson, Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us To Live In Light Of The End
- Sydney Greidanus, Preaching Christ From Ecclesiastes
- Derek Kidner, The Message Of Ecclesiastes
- Tremper Longman III, The Book Of Ecclesiastes
- Philip Ryken, Ecclesiastes: Why Everything Matters (or the condensed version, Why Everything Matters: The Gospel In Ecclesiastes)
(*Disclaimer: it should go without saying, but simply because a resource is recommended doesn’t mean every view promoted by the resource is being endorsed. If you need to know that everything someone says is 100% biblical before you’re comfortable listening to him at all, you’ll never be comfortable—not even with yourself. By God’s grace, we can learn from all kinds of people, even if we disagree about important things.)