Christ Or Ecclesiastes

As Sidney Greidanus points out here, Ecclesiastes is especially relevant for our culture the Teacher confronts enticements like materialism, secularism, hedonism, human autonomy, and self-sufficiency. But how can preachers convey these important teachings to their congregations in a helpful way? / Sidney Greidanus here does preachers a great service by providing the foundations for one or more series of expository sermons on Ecclesiastes. He breaks the book down in several ways, including: the boundaries of each preaching text, the text s theme and goal, various ways to move to Christ in the New Testament, detailed exposition of the fifteen literary units, and application for today

What if it is death that teaches us how to truly live? Keeping the end in mind shapes how we live our lives in the here and now. Living life backward means taking the one thing in our future that is certain—death—and letting that inform our journey before we get there. Looking to the book of Ecclesiastes for wisdom, Living Life Backward was written to shake up our expectations and priorities for what it means to live "the good life." Considering the reality of death helps us pay attention to our limitations as human beings and receive life as a wondrous gift from God—freeing us to live wisely, generously, and faithfully for God's glory and the good of his world.

The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.

What is life all about? In the end, is it no more than a wisp of vapor, a puff of wind, a mere breath? So says the Preacher in the book of Ecclesiastes. But is this the whole message of Ecclesiastes? With imagination and clarity, Derek Kidner introduces this unusual Old Testament book that speaks so powerfully to each new generation. He reveals how the Preacher confronts difficult questions and examines extremes of human experience, facing the fear that God is distant and nothing has meaning. Finally, however, we are led to encounter the God who was present all along, who cares about the details of our lives. Part of the beloved Bible Speaks Today series, The Message of Ecclesiastes offers an insightful, readable exposition of the biblical text and thought-provoking discussion of how its meaning relates to contemporary life. Used by students and teachers around the world, the Bible Speaks Today commentaries are ideal for those studying or preaching the Bible and anyone who wants to delve deeper into the text. This revised edition of a classic volume features lightly updated language and current NRSV Scripture quotations with a new interior design.

The book of Ecclesiastes speaks eloquently to the uncertainties and anxieties that people have experienced through the centuries. James Limburg brings this ancient book to life for readers in our probing, questioning twenty-first-century times. He illuminates the contemporary existential themes in Ecclesiastes -- the quest for meaning in life, the incompleteness of our knowledge, the place of work in human lives, and the need to discover God amid life's uncertainties. A fresh, relevant discussion, arising from Limburg's extensive teaching experience, Encountering Ecclesiastes is ideal for any reader seeking to understand the timeless wisdom of Ecclesiastes.