Covenant Naples

Trials not only reveal and refine our faith, but our trials also reveal where our character is lacking and needs to be completed. And one of the things we frequently lack which keeps us from having joy in our trials is wisdom. The good news is that God promises to give that wisdom to all who ask for it in faith. Join us this week to discover why we need wisdom and how to get it. Sermon Outline: I....

No one likes to face trials in this life. Yet, in this passage, James calls us to “Count it all joy” when we encounter trials. What is it about the Christian faith that turns the hardest things that happen to us in this life into occasions for joy? Join us to find out as we kick off our new sermon series in the book of James! Sermon Outline: I. The Counterintuitive Response to Trials II. What We K...

How can anyone know if they are living life rightly before it is over? Some might argue that it’s being presumptuous to say that there is a “right” way to live. But how to live life rightly amid all the chaos, confusion, and ambiguity of our existence under the sun is what Ecclesiastes is all about. Join us for the final message in this series as we put it all together. Sermon Outline: I. The Comm...

Life is short. Decay and death comes for all of us. The book of Ecclesiastes shows us how to live life in light of these sobering truths. Chapter 11 and 12 are particularly relevant for young people and those of us who are no longer young should pay special attention to what the book says. The clock is ticking. Discussion Questions: 1. As you think of aging, which do you fear losing the most: a yo...

The fear of uncertainty can keep us from pursuing a dream, from venturing into a relationship, from taking a step of faith, from starting that business or ministry, from reaching out to someone, or from using our gifts. How you respond to the uncertainties of life will either expand your life or reduce it. Join us to discover how and why we can live boldly for God’s glory in the face of uncertaint...

How many businesses have been ruined by one person’s folly? How many marriages through one foolish decision? How many nations, and how many churches, have been undone through the folly of its leaders? Wisdom and folly are not abstract ideas, but realities that impact the lives of everyone under the sun. Join us to consider the power of wisdom and folly! Sermon Outline: I. Value the Saving Power of...

You do not know when your time is coming, but it is coming regardless of how you live. To live your life wisely is to live like you are dying. Join us to find out how! Sermon Outline: I. Embrace Reality: You Are Dying. II. Enjoy the Life You Are Living. III. Be Ready When the Time Comes. Sermon Discussion Questions: 1. How would you live differently if you were to live like you were dying? 2. If l...

Human leadership abuses power and the wicked are celebrated by the world. How are we to live when life is so dangerous and unfair? Ecclesiastes 8 gives us clues, though not as many as we might wish. Join us as we explore the necessity and limitations of wisdom for life. Outline: I. How do we live in a world that is dangerous and unfair? II. Trust God. III. Have Joy Questions: 1. When has life seem...

What does the bible mean when it says, “do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise”. Why do seemingly good people sometimes perish and wicked people live long lives? Does everyone sin? Why? Come join us as we tackle some of the hard passages of Ecclesiastes 7. Sermon Outline: I. We are not to be overly righteous nor overly wicked. a. Take hold of this truth. II. None are righteo...

Who knows what is good for man? In our limited vision and wisdom, we cannot see or know what is good for man. There are things in our lives we would not choose that are precisely the things God has given us to make us wise. Do you want to be a wise person? Join us to discover how. Sermon Outline: I. Sorrow is better than laughter. II. Hard words are better than pleasing words. III. Growing in pati...

This week as we resume our series in Ecclesiastes, I ask you to consider: Are you operating right now under the belief that more money will make you happier and more satisfied with life? Are you making decisions based on that assumption? Who told you that was true? Ecclesiastes shows us that wealth may be given by God, but satisfaction comes separately. Rather than wasting our lives toiling for sa...

In our last I AM statement sermon, we consider the exclusive claim that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. How could someone so exclusive bring peace to our troubled hearts? We will see Christ caring for his disciples at the end of his life by pointing to the only source of peace, himself. I. In Christ, your future is secure II. In Christ alone is salvation for a troubled heart Questions 1...

Jesus is the source of true spiritual life and only those abiding in him can produce the fruit that the Father seeks. Are you bearing the fruit the Father is seeking? How do you know? If not, how can you? These are the issues Jesus puts before us when he says, “I am the true vine." Sermon Outline: I. The Vine Gives Life to the Branches. II. The Vinedresser Tends to the Branches. III. The Branches...

Many of us have heard Psalm 23 at one point in our lives, whether in church or perhaps at a funeral. Perhaps we’ve seen a painting depicting Jesus as a shepherd, and that painting brought us comfort. When Jesus made the claim to be The Good Shepherd, he was offering words of comfort to many, but they were also words of consternation and blasphemy to others. Jesus’ words can divide, but ultimately...

Jesus confronts the religious leaders of his day for their negligent shepherding of the people of Israel. He picks up where they failed and reveals Himself as the gate – the only door - to the sheepfold, where those who enter find salvation, protection, and life abundant. I. Those who belong to Christ can distinguish between true and false teaching II. The Door is the exclusive entry point to salv...

The world is a dark place and our lives frequently are as well. Jesus said “I am the light of the world”. Join us as we consider what Jesus meant and how his light speaks to our deepest needs. Jesus is the light of the world. I. Jesus is the light of life. II. Jesus is the light of wisdom. III. Jesus is the light of joy. Discussion Questions: 1. Where are you currently experiencing darkness in you...

In the passage we are considering today, Jesus Christ tells us the second thing we need to know about him when he says, “I am the bread of life.” What does that mean, and what does it mean for us? We can sum it up this way: Because Jesus Christ is the bread of life, he alone offers the satisfaction we seek. Join us to consider three implications of the fact that Jesus is the bread of life. Sermon...

Many people have ideas about who Jesus is, and some people define him as they think it is best. But in this new series, we are not going to impose upon Jesus our own ideas about who he is. Instead, we are going to let Jesus define himself through a series of statements in which he tells us definitively who he is. On this Easter Sunday, he tells us the first thing we need to know about him in a wor...

Dr. Sinclair Ferguson Sermon Discussion Questions: 1. Palm Sunday was not Jesus’ first trip to Jerusalem. Why was he greeted with such fanfare upon his arrival this time? 2. Jesus was treated like a true king when he entered Jerusalem but died friendless days later. Why did the enthusiasm for Christ’s promised reign fail to generate enduring faith or courageous loyalty to Him? 3. On at least three...

How seriously do you take your words? How seriously do you take the commitments you make to God and other people? Most of us, most of the time, speak without thinking. But this week the Preacher of Ecclesiastes helps us see that our words matter because they reveal the posture of our heart toward God. What do your words say about your heart? Sermon Outline: I. Because Words Matter, Hearing Words i...

What really drives us to excel in the workplace? Envy is rarely talked about nor admitted to. Yet, the Bible tells us it is often the motivation behind our labors and toil. Come join us to find out what the bible says about our work, those that won’t work, meaningful relationships and the contented peaceful life Jesus offers us. 1. Do you consider yourself and envious person? Have you considered w...

God has a way of making everything beautiful in its time, and it is our confidence in this fact that enables us to find joy in the present moments that may be filled with pain or sorrow. One of those places of pain and sorrow is our frustration over the injustice that exists in the world and the wickedness that is so prevalent all around us. In this passage, the Preacher assures us that while inju...

In one of the most famous poems ever written, Ecclesiastes reminds us that we are not in control of the seasons of life and we are not capable of comprehending them. Yet, with the ups and downs and perplexities of the changing seasons, the sovereign God is working out all his holy will. Join us to experience the tremendous comfort this passage offers people living in a broken world. Sermon Outline...

Many of us spend our lives grinding it out day after day to accomplish, achieve, and accumulate only to find ourselves mildly to severely dissatisfied. Or to put it in the language of Ecclesiastes, “what have we gained from all our grinding?” Take a break from the grind and join us to find out where true gain is found. Sermon Outline: I. Grinding for Gain is Absurd. II. Grinding as Gift is Joyful....

There is so much to enjoy in this life. God made the world and called it good, and he made us with the capacity to enjoy. And it doesn't matter how much money you have, or where you were born, every human being naturally searches for pleasure in their life. The author of Ecclesiastes in this Sunday's passage searched the world for its greatest pleasures, but in his search, he found no pleasure tha...