The Pleasure Hunt

Scott Risley

Ecclesiastes 2:24-25

King Solomon in spite of all his wisdom and wealth found no meaningful satisfaction in any of the pleasures he indulged in. No amount of sex, wine or entertainment satisfied his soul. Solomon realized he tried to enjoy the gifts apart from the Giver. All these pleasures come from the hand of God, but we can't enjoy them unless they are put in their proper place. We can experience pleasure under His loving guidance.

The Pursuit of Pleasure

Chris Hearty

Ecclesiastes 2:1-26

King Solomon, who had more wealth and possessions than any man who ever lived, did not deny himself anything that would bring him pleasure. Yet, it did not bring him what he was looking for. Instead, he discovered pursuing pleasure only resulted in chasing the wind. Whether he pursued wisdom or folly, the end was the same, futility. But what he did learn was the ability to find enjoyment and joy comes from God. We cannot enjoy the things of this life without God.

Experimenting with Pleasure

Conrad Hilario

Ecclesiastes 2:24-25

King Solomon decided to do a little experiment where he would not deny himself anything his eye desired. Although King Solomon had all the wealth and sexual pleasures a man could ever want, he realizes it all left him empty. All of it was meaningless, chasing after the wind. A life lived as if there was no God, was utterly meaningless, but a life lived for God is where one finds true meaning under the sun.

Dynamics of Renewal in Christ

Jim Leffel

Colossians 3:5-11

When we become believers in Jesus, God embarks on a renewal process that involves us putting on Christ and setting aside the old self, the old way of life. We can know intellectually that we are a new creation, but we must go deeper and really consider our bodies to be dead to the old immoral ways. As we are clothed in the newness of Christ, all the differences between people falls away. We are one in Christ. This is real hope for a broken world. It cannot be lived out individualistically. It is lived out corporately, united with one another.

The Secret of Contentment

Chris Hearty

Philippians 4:10-20

Contentment can never be achieved by always getting what you want. It must be learned through practice. Paul had learned the secret to contentment regardless of his circumstances, whether good or bad. He learned this through the Holy Spirit who strengthened him. Paul connects the state of contentment with the act of giving. When we are content, with or without, we are not afraid to give generously because we know God will provide for us. Paul calls this trusting generosity worship, a pleasing and fragrant offering to God

Two Ways to Live

Chris Hearty

Philippians 3:17-21

Paul offers that there are two ways to live. One way is the earthly mindset that invests in temporal things that are destined to perish, that is enslaved to desires, and ends in ruin. The other way to live is accept the gift of salvation that is in Jesus. This enables one to have an eternal mindset that leads to investment in things that last forever. The eternal perspective leads to the realization of unparalleled freedom in Christ, no longer to be enslaved to worthless things. This leads to the glory that comes from God who transforms us.

Paul's Greatest Secret

Dennis McCallum

Philippians 4:10-20

Paul's greatest secret was having learned to be content in all circumstances. He didn't learn this secret in one momentous moment but it came to him over time, bit by bit. God had to stress his faith in order to make it grow. Growth comes in the areas of life when no one is watching. Your little steps of faith grow over time and you learn to to trust God with the bigger things. When we learn to trust God with our money and start giving it away as a "sweet-smelling offering" God will reimburse us. Just as the Philippians had no idea their simple monetary gift resulted in untold number of people benefitting from the prison epistles Paul wrote, we have no idea how our giving freely may be used by God to bless people we have never met.

Wealth, Anxiety, and the Eternal Perspective

Ryan Lowery

Matthew 6:24-34

It's easy to put things like material possessions above God, thinking that they will make you happy. But Jesus says putting God first, investing His priorities, will allow Him to take care of our needs and will fulfill us more than any other goal we might have. This approach promotes a healthy basis for self-worth and also resolves the problem of anxiety.

Babylon the Great

Gary DeLashmutt

Revelation 18

Babylon the Great is the ultimate expression of human empires that defy God's rule. It seduces governments and businesses thorough the allure of material wealth. It seduces individuals by turning good things into idols that corrupt and enslave. As believers, we are not citizens of this world system and so should not get caught up in arguing the relative value of different political systems but instead should make the ongoing decision to resist the seductive influence of Babylon the Great.