Sermons

Today's passage describes how Solomon worked with Hiram king of Tyre as he prepared to build the temple. Hiram, continuing from the days of David, kept up friendly relations with Solomon and supplied the cedar and craftsmen needed to build the temple, and through this Solomon systematically secured the labor and materials the temple required. This process is portrayed not as a mere political deal or trade, but as the sacred work by which the covenant God made with David is being fulfilled through Solomon.

The sermon emphasizes that for the mission of building the temple, God prepared a mission and resources suited to each one's place: David, Solomon, and even the Gentile Hiram. Just as David gathered and prepared wealth through the instruments of war, God governed the currents of the age and the hearts of people to set every condition for building the temple perfectly in place. Also, the contract Solomon made with Hiram by exercising his wisdom, and the way he managed the laborers, were the fruit of the wisdom God gave, showing that God accomplishes his work through people even where they can claim no credit for themselves.

The mission we must carry out in the last days is to hold on to the word of truth in this dark world and lead even one soul into the light. We are led to consider how we recognize the mission and the times God has given us, and how we will faithfully carry out that mission with the resources and wisdom we have been given.

This passage emphasizes the reverence we should have when we enter the temple and the posture of listening to God's word. It points out that God delights more in our hearing and obeying his voice than in sacrifices or formal worship, and that fools act and speak as things come to mind, without understanding. Therefore believers must take care not to open their mouths rashly in a holy place or make vows in haste.

Also, a vow made to God must be fulfilled, and rashly making a promise one cannot keep is sin. Jesus taught that an honest life matters more than empty oaths, showing that devotion and obedience that come from the heart are the true vow. And even when we see the injustice and oppression of the world, we must not lose heart, but believe that God, who is higher still, sees all things and will judge.

This word, that a fool's speech comes with a multitude of words, asks how honest our lips and hearts must be before God. How should we receive the truth that, instead of formal vows or complaints, we must trust God even in hardship and live holy lives?

This passage compares the lives of Solomon and David and points out the emptiness of what is built with the world's power and wealth. Solomon achieved much but left God and had no one to share his heart with, living a life of regret, while David relied on God even in hardship and set an example of faith by loving his people.

Through this contrast, the sermon asks what believers should hold on to as they live. The world's praise and riches are like a sandcastle that easily disappears, but faith built by walking with God, like a threefold cord, will never be broken. It also emphasizes that relationships in which we work together and sacrifice for one another are true blessing.

The sermon teaches that when believers live lives that love their neighbors and sacrifice themselves for the gospel instead of pursuing selfish aims, their labor is not in vain but remains as something of eternal value. Finally, it asks what choices believers must make to turn an empty life into a meaningful one, and what they must do to live the holy life of believers who expand the kingdom of God.

This passage deals with the administrative system of Solomon's reign and the vast prosperity the people enjoyed. Through the differences from David's reign, it examines how Solomon organized the state, restructured the local officials and strengthened a centralized system. While these policies were wise in some respects, the sermon points out that an unequal tax structure between the tribes and the exemption granted to the tribe of Judah left the cracks that later split the kingdom.

The sermon emphasizes that the peace and abundance Solomon enjoyed were the fulfillment of God's covenant and blessing. But Solomon's military policy of keeping many chariots and horses in violation of God's Law shows how dangerous human wisdom can become when it overrides God's command. What God desires is not dependence on the world's power, but relying on God alone and standing as a set-apart kingdom of God.

When we face practical difficulties or cracks in the course of our devotion and service, can we take them as an opportunity to connect them with God's work? Rather than being content by fitting ourselves to the world's standards, we consider what decision we must make to walk the path of humble obedience that God requires.

This passage contrasts Solomon, who oppressed his people with his power and wealth and came to regret it, with Job, who kept his faithfulness even in suffering. Solomon put the world before God and failed to be a true comforter to his people, leaving behind regret he could not undo. Job, on the other hand, believed in God and did not waver even under Satan's testing, and as a result received the protection and comfort of the Holy Spirit.

The sermon points out that human life can be vain and empty, and asks who the true comforter is. It emphasizes that the peace gained through the world's power or wealth is only temporary, and that only the Holy Spirit is with us as the true Comforter and Protector. The Holy Spirit is presented as the one who encourages believers in their suffering and guards them from Satan's attacks.

So the sermon leads the reader to reflect on whether their life will end in regret like Solomon's, or whether they stand firm in the comfort of the Holy Spirit like Job. In the end, it asks whether we can enjoy spiritual protection and peace depending on the faith by which we live, and raises the point that this choice decides the destiny of the soul.

This passage covers the first day after Jesus' resurrection, when Mary Magdalene, Peter and John ran to the tomb, and what followed. Even after seeing that the stone had already been taken away from the tomb, Mary ran to the disciples in fear and confusion over the loss of the body, and Peter and John too, though they witnessed the miracle of the resurrection, went back home with heavy hearts. Even knowing that Jesus had risen, they had no understanding at all of what it meant for them or how they should live, and they were gripped by fear.

Through these reactions of the disciples, the sermon points out the state of faith of believers today. Mary did not yet believe in the resurrection, but because of her sincere love for Jesus she did not leave the tomb, and as a result she was the first to meet the risen Lord. The disciples, on the other hand, though they had heard much of his word and followed him, were gripped by the thought that Jesus had gone away, and went back to their daily lives or shut the doors and hid. The sermon emphasizes that God does not choose those whose faith is perfect or whose knowledge of the Bible is rich, but looks at a heart that longs earnestly for the Lord and does not give up.

We look back on whether, even having met the risen Lord, we are still living focused only on the affairs and fears of the world. Jesus said that just as the Father sent him, he also sends us into the world. Before the command to become witnesses who boldly share the gospel with assurance of the resurrection, it asks whether we are still like the disciples who bolted the doors and hid, and whether we have grown into a faith that truly meets the Lord and bears witness to his love.

This passage covers Solomon offering a thousand burnt offerings at the high place in Gibeon and then asking God for wisdom in a special dream. High places are generally viewed negatively, but because this was where Solomon worshiped God with true reverence, God appeared to him in a dream and promised to give him whatever he wanted. Instead of asking for long life or riches, Solomon asked for a listening heart to judge the people and discern between good and evil, that is, the wisdom of obedience.

This wisdom is not mere knowledge but a heart that loves life, and it comes from following God's statutes. God was pleased with this heart of Solomon's and granted him not only remarkable wisdom but also the riches and honor he had not asked for. In the case of the two women that follows, Solomon, through his astonishing ruling that the baby be divided with a sword, brought to light the true heart of the mother who wanted the child to live, and made the people realize that God's wisdom was in him.

If we have asked God for wisdom, we must apply that wisdom according to God's word and live it out in the real situations of life. It is not in knowing, but in saving life and embodying the truth through that knowledge, that the grace God has given becomes certain. We must look back on whether, in this confused age, we are ready to restore the authority of God's word, exalt God each in our own place, and give our lives to him.

This passage sheds deep light on the world after death and the meaning of life now. Solomon emphasizes that death is a complete severing from this world, and says that because one can have no influence after death, how one lives while alive is what matters. Though the lives of humans and animals may look alike, he warns that the human spirit goes up to God and so will face judgment. It therefore teaches that falling into darkness without receiving Christ is the saddest thing of all, and that we must prepare for what comes after death by faith.

Through the case of King Hezekiah, the sermon points out the problem of regret and vanity. It notes that he was granted fifteen more years of life, but came to regret it because of the evil deeds of his son Manasseh, born during that time. This shows that a selfish life that cannot overcome its own emotions, temper and pride, and so makes family and neighbors unhappy, in the end comes back as vanity. And through the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, it emphasizes that the world's wealth and power do not decide one's destiny after death, and that only faith and the practice of love matter. The rich man suffers after death, unable even then to forget the worries of the world, while Lazarus enjoys peace in Abraham's bosom.

The sermon asks about the wisdom to be content with today and live well rather than worry about tomorrow. Because people cannot know their own end, they must show love and forgiveness to their family and neighbors and live honestly. Believers should strive so that those beside them feel peace and happiness, and should fill the time God has given them with thanksgiving and praise. The sermon leads the reader to reflect on what they value most in their life now, and whether they are making choices they will regret in the face of death.

Today's passage, through the Preacher's confession, makes clear that everything in life has its appointed season. People each think, from where they stand, that they are experiencing something for the first time, but with God there is already an appointed order and time, and all things are repeated and brought to completion. From this perspective, we must acknowledge the sovereignty of God, who is above the changes of the world and of human life.

The sermon emphasizes in particular how important the wisdom to know the ‘time’ is when it comes to saving souls and sharing the gospel. Even though thistles are growing in the hearts of family members and friends we love, staying silent out of embarrassment or laziness can end in the loss of souls. When we live in fear of the world instead of carrying out our mission according to the time God has set, we commit the sin of letting the seed of the gospel the Lord entrusted to us rot.

We must look back on whether we have ever pretended not to see, even when we saw thistles and thorns covering the hearts of the people we love. We should also ask ourselves whether not sharing the gospel comes from a cowardly thought, or from true love.

This passage deals with the emptiness Solomon saw at the end of his life and with what true peace is. Just as the love parents devote to their children becomes empty if it does not lead to gratitude, it is not easy for human beings to give satisfaction to their Creator. Yet God gives abundant power and wisdom to those who carry out their mission, and the passage shows that true love is giving children the chance to stand on their own.

On the other hand, greed like King Saul's, which does not fear God and seeks to harm others for the sake of one's own power and one's children's interests, in the end brings ruin. Saul tried to kill the innocent David and even turned against his beloved son Jonathan, living in anxiety. Such a selfish heart narrows one's vision and keeps one from finding eternal rest, and in the end makes the difference between lives that part ways into heaven and hell.

Though Solomon enjoyed wealth and glory, he realized in the face of death that all was vanity. He envied the peace of those who were poor but feared God, and regretted how empty his own life had been. The world's wealth and success disappear with time, but those who serve God as their Master and live by faith enjoy eternal rest. The sermon asks believers to cast off the world's empty desires, rely on God alone, and live in peace.

This passage covers how Solomon, though he enjoyed wisdom, wealth and power all together, in the end came to realize the emptiness of life. At first he ruled the nation for God, but gradually he changed into a selfish attitude of living for his own pleasure and satisfaction. As a result, even possessing a thousand wives and vast wealth, he instead fell into deep emptiness and regret.

The sermon points out that Solomon's failure came because he left God and lived only for himself. Every person dies and returns to dust, so we must remember that the world's power and wealth are not eternal. In particular, when we become addicted to fleshly pleasures such as alcohol, our reason is paralyzed and we come under Satan's control, and this in the end leads to the ruin of the soul. The life and wealth God has given belong to him, so the choice of how to use them is ours.

In what are we now finding a sense of accomplishment? If our hearts have been captured by the world's temptations and pleasures and we are heading down the path of sin, what decision should we make at this very moment, while we can still turn back?

This sermon connects the parable of the prodigal son with Solomon's confession, shedding light on God's unchanging love and on human emptiness. When the prodigal son had lost everything and fallen into a wretched state, the father waited for him and welcomed him with open arms. Unlike worldly friends, who turn their backs once the money is gone, the father's love continues without condition. Through this heart of the father, believers come to realize that God is always waiting for those who return.

On the strength of the wisdom and riches God gave him, Solomon chased the world's power and idols and drew away from God. He forgot that his position and wealth came from God, and fell into the pride of regarding himself as equal to God. As a result, amid wars to keep his power and spiritual emptiness, he lost his peace, and in the end he confessed that his life was vanity of vanities. The sermon emphasizes that Solomon's regret is a warning to believers that they must hold on to God's grace rather than the things of the world.

Human wisdom and effort cannot make the crooked road of life straight or find eternal peace. Only Jesus Christ opens that way, and believers must not fall into spiritual laziness but must remain in Christ and fight. The sermon warns believers not to rely on material things or wisdom and not to leave God, and presents repenting and returning to the Father's arms as the only answer. It raises the question of how believers must live so as not to repeat Solomon's regret.