Hillside Community Church

We live in a world of hyper criticism that is often done in a hypocritical way. Judgement is not bad in and of itself, but we cannot judge others while we remain blind to our own sin. In order to correct others in a way that build them up, we must first remove our own sin so that we can see clearly enough to properly judge.

The reality and beauty of Christianity hinges on the reality of Jesus being resurrected. Peter writes that this truth is what gives us a living hope. In this Easter message we celebrate the goodness that the resurrection ushers into our lives.

What if we really believed that God gave good gifts to His children? How would this transform how we pray? We often pray for physical needs, but aren't as persistent in our prayer for spiritual things. But this passage reveals the goodness of the heart of God the Father.

Solomon tells us that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep his commandments. But in a society where fear is only seen as negative, what does it mean to fear God? In this episode we unpack the good news and delight of the fear of the Lord. Book mentioned: What Does It Mean To Fear The Lord? by Michael Reeves

When life is all said and done, what will really matter in the end? Will how we spent out lives matter, or was it all meaningless? In the last chapter of Ecclesiastes Solomon concludes his book by encouraging us to fear God and obey his commandments.

Life often feels out of control, and the reality is that it is! But instead of this being a reason not for joy, it actually can be a reason for it. Joy is found in the One who is in control when we are not.

We all are driven by a desire for joy. But we often think I need _____ in order to be happy, so we try to control the outcomes of our life. In Ecclesiastes 11 Solomon encourages us to find our joy not in controlling our life, but in surrendering it to God.

Have you ever had a decision to make but you just couldn't decide? That is where wisdom comes in. Wisdom is knowing the right course of action at the right time. While there are no shortcuts to wisdom, we can surround ourselves with those who have walked the path before us.

Are you on the path of wisdom or the path of fools? This will depend on the inner life of our hearts; one way leads to destruction and folly while another leads to life and wisdom. In Ecclesiastes 10 Solomon analyzes folly and advises us toward wisdom.

Life is uncertain, yet the end of life is certain. How do we live with that reality in mind? We can either become despairing or we can become intentional, but either way it shapes how you live your life. Grappling with death is something the marks the wise, and actually allows us to enjoy the lot God has given us while we can.

We all want to believe that we are self-sufficient on our own. Many think that the answer to our problems is gaining control of our lives. But Solomon argues that the wise person actually realizes that life is out of their control and that indeed they are dependent on God for everything.

Paul says, the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. What then does godly wisdom look like compared to world wisdom? In this episode we explore countercultural wisdom and how it is marked by being slow to speak rather than hasty. We also explore how nostalgia about the glory days is a counterfeit for our future glory day when we are united fully in the presence of God in eternity.

How can we find wisdom? How can we become holy in our daily life? In Ecclesiastes 7 we look Solomon's wise sayings, that often go against the modern sayings of our day. But if we are willing to explore them, we can find wisdom and the one who is wisdom himself.

Wealth isn't bad, in and of itself. But it also can't satisfy in and of itself. It is only when God is on His proper throne in our life that we can actually begin to enjoy possessions and money for what they are, a gift.

We all are searching for satisfaction, the only difference is where we look for it. Solomon has searched for meaning and satisfaction in many things that end up falling short. One of the main things we look to for satisfaction and happiness in our culture is pursuing wealth. We look for jobs that pay the highest salaries, so we can have a bigger house, and better vacations. But in the end will thi...

In this section of Ecclesiastes, we are taught to take seriously our posture and worship before an Almighty God. We are all temples of the living God, part of the Divine household. How can we prepare for worship in the everyday of our lives?

What is your posture before God? How do you prepare for worship? In this section of Ecclesiastes, we see that we should stand in awe of who God is. From our steps to our words, we need to be reverent rather than flippant before the Almighty God.

The world is full of evil, yet so are we. In Ecclesiastes 3 and 4, Solomon paints a bleak picture of the world as he makes us face the reality of evil. Yet the hope remains that God will judge all evil and injustice. 

We look out at the world and see a place littered with evil and injustice. What are we to make of that? In this section of Ecclesiastes we look at the reality of evil, the reason for evil, and the remedy for evil.

How can we receive the season we are in as a gift? In part 3 of our Ecclesiastes midweek conversation, Robbie and Dan discuss the bounds of time, our frustrations with it, and trusting God's control over it all. 

We all value time, it is our highest commodity that we can never get more of. But time escapes us as the years go by so fast, yet it is out of our control. How can we live now within this reality? How can we live here and now but with eternity in mind? Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 helps us answer those questions.

Where can satisfaction be found? Can it be found in possessions or pleasure or education or work? In Ecclesiastes 2, we see a man who holds nothing back in his quest for satisfaction, but without God as our ultimate satisfaction, the gifts alone end up falling short.

We are all on the search for fulfillment. A life that means something. A life of joy. But most of our pursuits fall short of providing lasting satisfaction. In Ecclesiastes 2, the Preacher says he looked for fulfillment in pleasure, possession, wisdom and work; yet all fell short in and of themselves. The key is looking beyond the gifts themselves, the the giver himself.

In chapter 1 of Ecclesiastes, Solomon forces us to face reality. In a couple generations, nobody will remember us. No matter what, we aren't permanent. This book starts by tearing down what we often put our hope in, so that better foundation of hope can be built.

Does my life matter for anything? What am I really gaining at the end of all my work in this world? In Ecclesiastes 1, we look at a man who asked the same questions and sought their answers.