A Sermon from Ecclesiastes Opening Scripture “Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.” — Ecclesiastes 12:13 (NKJV) Church, Ecclesiastes is not the words of a man who knew nothing. It is the words of a man who had almost everything. Wisdom. Money. Power. Pleasure. Success. Influence. Yet after tasting the world in every form, the writer came to a shocking conclusion: Without God, it all becomes empty. Not because life has no beauty… but because nothing created was ever meant to replace the Creator. The book of Ecclesiastes is the sound of a soul searching for meaning beyond temporary things. And if we are honest today… many people are still searching. Some search through money. Some through relationships. Some through status. Some through addiction. Some through work. Some through approval. Some through religion without relationship. But Ecclesiastes whispers something powerful: “You can gain the whole world and still feel empty inside.” Because the human soul was designed for eternity. --- “Vanity of Vanities” The writer says: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” That word vanity means vapor. Like breath on a cold morning. Here for a moment… gone the next. Life moves quickly. Seasons change quickly. People change quickly. Circumstances change quickly. One moment you are praying for something… the next moment you are grieving something. One season you are building… another season you are healing. Ecclesiastes teaches us that life under the sun is unstable. But life anchored in God remains steady. --- There Is a Season Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us: “To everything there is a season…” A season to plant. A season to uproot. A season to laugh. A season to mourn. A season to speak. A season to stay silent. Some of you are frustrated because you are trying to force a season God has not released yet. But wisdom understands timing. A farmer cannot harvest in the season of planting. And spiritually, neither can we. Sometimes God is growing roots before fruit.

Let me share with you today… one of the most heartbreaking things I have experienced is realizing that sometimes the loudest gossip is not found in the world… but around tables where the name of Jesus is spoken. I began quietly stepping away from certain gatherings because I could no longer ignore what my spirit was feeling. I would leave more burdened than blessed. Conversations filled with criticism, tearing others down, masked judgment, and “prayer requests” that sounded more like entertainment than intercession. Just because people gather in church does not mean God approves of every conversation at the table. We cannot ask God to purify our hearts while allowing poison to freely leave our mouths. Gossip destroys churches. It wounds people deeply. It separates friendships. It hardens hearts. And many times the damage is done with smiling faces and “good intentions.” I would rather sit alone with peace than sit at a crowded table filled with division. Silence is not weakness. Walking away is not pride. Sometimes it is discernment. Sometimes it is obedience. Sometimes protecting your spirit is necessary for survival. “He who guards his mouth preserves his life…” — Proverbs 13:3 NKJV “Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.” — Proverbs 26:20 NKJV “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’” — 1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV Not every table feeds the spirit. Some tables feed confusion, division, and offense. Guard your heart. Guard your ears. And guard your mouth. God notices what we participate in… even in casual conversation. 🤍

Flee Idolatry 1 Corinthians 10:14 Let me share with you today… sometimes idolatry does not look like statues or golden calves. Sometimes it looks like fear, control, money, relationships, approval, addiction, success, comfort, or even people we trust more than God. Anything we run to first, cling to tighter, or depend on more than Him can quietly take His place in our hearts. The Scripture says to flee idolatry. Not negotiate with it. Not slowly walk away from it. Run. Lace up your shoes spiritually and move away from anything that begins to replace God in your life. There are moments when God lovingly reveals what has slowly gained too much influence over us. Maybe it is relying more on your own understanding than His voice. Maybe it is depending on a person to carry what only God can heal. Maybe it is turning to distractions instead of prayer when your soul is weary. But here is the beautiful thing about God: conviction is not condemnation. It is invitation. He is not exposing idols to shame you. He is calling you back to freedom. When we place God first again, peace returns. Clarity returns. Strength returns. The weight of trying to control everything begins to lift because we remember who truly holds our lives together. I can tell you from experience, the things we lean on besides God will eventually fail us. People change. Circumstances shift. Feelings rise and fall. But God remains steady. He remains faithful. He remains enough. Today, if the Holy Spirit is gently showing you something that has taken too much space in your heart, do not ignore it. Run back to God. He is not waiting with anger. He is waiting with open arms. Prayer Father, search my heart and reveal anything that I have placed above You. Help me not to rely on temporary things for eternal peace. Teach me to trust You fully and to run from anything that pulls me away from Your presence. Be first in my heart, my mind, and my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Metaphor An idol is like an anchor tied to your ankle while God is calling you to walk on water. You cannot move freely into your purpose while holding onto what keeps pulling you beneath the surface.

"Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him." Hebrews 10:22 This passage is so comforting. It is mind boggling! That God has made a way that we can go right into His very presence and fellowship with Him. What a marvelous plan. He created us to have an intimate and loving relationship with Him. "Intimacy with God is the purpose of our lives. It is why God created man, and in doing so He established the goal of our existence-to know Him, love Him, and live our lives in an intimate relationship with Him." Jesus, through His death on the cross, provided a way for intimacy with God. We have been invited to really know God and share with Him our deepest thoughts, concerns, fears, desires and imaginations. And better yet, God wants to share His thoughts with us. What a glorious relationship we can have with God, but will you take time out of your schedule to spend with Him? Will you share with God from your heart? Will you quiet yourself in order to hear His voice? God has given you a heart to recognize Him, will you use it? So let me encourage you to quiet yourself before God. Meditate on the meaning of today's verse, "Go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts, fully trusting Him." Think of fully trusting Him. What does that feel like? Picture yourself like a child with a loving Father. Feel trust filling your heart. See yourself safe in His presence. Rest in His presence, develop a deeper relationship with Him.

"For w walk by faith not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7 It is time for us to stop believing the lie that things will always go the way we want them. Yes, we do get what we want at times but if that was the case always, we would never learn to appreciate the process and never need to walk by faith. The process is what God uses to make us. The process develops us and our faith and gets us ready for what we have been asking God for. There is protection in unanswered prayers. God does not give us what we want at times but He always gives us what we need. God does not work everything out the way we think He should, but He works it out for our good (Romans 8:28). It is up to us to see the good in what God does in our lives. "Every good and perfect gift comes from God." (James 1:17) Does that mean you give up hope? No, of course not! It means you have to learn to see things from a different perspective. You have to look for the good in each and every situation. It means we must walk by faith and not by sight!" (2 Corinthians 5:7) So if you find yourself discouraged today because you can’t see the forest for the trees, and you feel as though God has abandoned you. You feel alone in your relationship. You are afraid and anxious about the next move or even if you are fighting to hold on to your faith. I challenge you today to let go of your expectations. Let go of your own preconceived notions of how it will all work out and trust that God has a plan and a purpose. Follow His promptings and obey His voice and cast all your cares, all your worries, all your fears, all your doubts on God today knowing that He will strengthen and settle you and bring you to an expected end.