In Sermon Illustrations: "Ecclesiastes 1:1-12:14"

Relationships Matter Most In Happiness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 10, 2011

RELATIONSHIPS MATTER MOST IN HAPPINESS In 1937, a researcher at Harvard University began a study (originally named The Harvard Study of Adult Development) on what factors contribute to human well-being and happiness. The research team selected 268 male Harvard students who seemed healthy and well ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

Tags: Happiness

Impersonal America

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 14, 2011

IMPERSONAL AMERICA Here is how Max Lucado rates us as a society: "Call us a fast society, an efficient society, but don’t call us a personal society. Our society is set up for isolation. We wear ear buds when we exercise. We communicate via e-mail and text messages. We enter and exit our house ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:7-12

Tags: Friendship General

The Culture Of The Corinthians Said, "Go Ahead ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jun 2, 2008

The culture of the Corinthians said, "Go ahead commit sexual immorality – God won’t mind – God is okay with it." The Corinthian city was evil because they practiced "Sexual immorality in the temple of Aphrodite." 1. It was considered normal! 2. It was considered even a way to honor other ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:11

Tags: Immortality

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Christian One Liners  PRO

Contributed by Tony Abram on Aug 22, 2008

Christian One Liners Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited, until you try to sit in their pews. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Many folks want to serve God, but ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:2, Luke 4:1-13

Tags: Change, Transition, Obnoxious, Rest, Christian Disciplines  (view more)  (view less)

Meaningless Life

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 6, 2008

Meaningless Life Mark Twain expressed thoughts about the meaningless of life in view of man’s inevitable death. Shortly before his death, he wrote, "A myriad of men are born; they labor and sweat and struggle;...they squabble and scold and fight; they scramble for little mean advantages over each ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:1-18

Tags: Death Nearness

You Already Have Happiness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 16, 2009

YOU ALREADY HAVE HAPPINESS The angel asked, "You aren’t happy. How can I help you?" The poet replied, "I have everything. But I lack only one thing. Can you give it to me?" To which the angel happily said, "Sure. I can give you anything you desire." The poet stared right into the angel’s eyes, "I ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:19

Tags: Happiness

The Bridge ...

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Feb 23, 2009

THE BRIDGE BUILDER (Unknown) An old man, going down a lonely highway, Came at the evening cold and gray, To a chasm vast and wide, Through which was flowing a swollen tide, The old man crossed in the twilight dim, The swollen stream had no fear for him. But he turned when safe on the other ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:6-12

Tags: Unity

Denomination: Assembly Of God

African Proverb

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 24, 2009

African proverb: If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, go together. (From a sermon by Anthony ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:8-12

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

The Problem Of Living For Time

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 9, 2009

THE PROBLEM OF LIVING FOR TIME By the time it’s all over, Tom Brady’s will be the fourth face on the Mount Rushmore of New England sports, right up there with Larry Byrd, Bobby Orr and Ted Williams. He is what they were: single-minded, blessed with the ability to lift a team, a cutthroat ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:8-20, Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Tags: Fulfillment

Keeping Up With Next Door  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 8, 2011

KEEPING UP WITH NEXT DOOR I heard about a chicken yard with a big hen house, where a rooster had all of his hens laying eggs. One day, two little boys were next door playing football, with a brand new white football. One of them accidentally kicked the football over the fence, and it rolled into ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:4

Tags: Envy, Successful

Do Dead Men Bleed?  PRO

Contributed by Perry Greene on Oct 3, 2011

DO DEAD MEN BLEED? It is dangerous to base our salvation experience entirely upon feeling. Knowing that, and acting upon it, are still sometimes strangers. Like the psychiatrist who took on a very disturbed man as a patient. The man thought he was dead. No matter what techniques the doctor ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:2-4

Tags: Salvation, Christian Work

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Simple Solutions

Contributed by Perry Greene on Dec 1, 2011

SIMPLE SOLUTIONS A toothpaste factory had a problem: they sometimes shipped empty boxes, without the tube inside. This was due to the way the production line was set up, and people with experience in designing production lines will tell you how difficult it is to have everything happen with ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 9:10

Tags: Ambition

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Labor Day And Our Divine Union

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 4, 2012

LABOR DAY AND OUR DIVINE UNION I’ve heard that Labor Day was first celebrated in Boston on Sept 5, 1882. It wasn’t until 1894 that it became a federal holiday. That was an effort encouraged by President Grover Cleveland to reconcile with the labor movement and prevent further violence. You see, ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Tags: Holidays Civic

The Purpose Of Life  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 28, 2012

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE There's a guy named Hugh Morehead who 45 years ago began a hobby of writing to famous philosophers and scientists and authors and asking them, "What is the purpose of life?" The responses he got back were depressing at best. Isaac Asimov wrote back, "As far as I can see there ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:1-14

Tags: God Brings Purpose

Time To A Pig

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 19, 2012

TIME TO A PIG There’s the story of a man walking past a farm and noticed a farmer feeding pigs in a most unusual manner. The farmer would lift a pig up to a nearby apple tree, and the pig would eat the apples off the tree directly. The farmer would move the pig from one apple to another until the ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

Tags: Decision, Time

Bitter Rivalry Between Artists

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 21, 2012

BITTER RIVALRY BETWEEN ARTISTS In 1503, Julius II became Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He immediately began a building program to beautify the Vatican. In 1509, he commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo reluctantly agreed to paint the fresco, though ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:4

Tags: Envy

Encouragement From A Friend

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 29, 2012

ENCOURAGEMENT FROM A FRIEND There are times when you will be pushed out or pushed aside. You can be on the right road and still find yourself in a situation that is so severe that you cannot survive it on your own. Mark it down: You are not exempt from times of suffering, rejection, or ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Tags: Friendship General

You Follow What You're Tied To  PRO

Contributed by Rick Pendleton on Oct 31, 2012

YOU FOLLOW WHAT YOU'RE TIED TO Two hunters were out hunting and come upon what appeared at first as an abandoned farm. The barn was sagging, the house was in disrepair, and there were junk cars and car parts lying around. The only thing that made it a working farm were a few chickens pecking away ...read more

Scripture: John 5:1-5, Luke 21:5-35, Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Tags: Fear, Marriage, Sin Bondage To, Sidetracked

Denomination: Baptist

What Time Is It?  PRO

Contributed by Rod Elmore on Feb 18, 2013

WHAT TIME IS IT? An old man was standing on a crowded bus. A young man standing next to him asked, "What time is it?" The old man said nothing. As the young man walked away, the old man's friend asked, "Why were you so rude to the young man?" The old man answered, "If I had given him the time ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Tags: Heart

Denomination: Christian Church

Casualties Of War

Contributed by Davon Huss on Jan 13, 2014

In the movie Casualties of War, Michael J. Fox plays Private Erikson, a soldier in Vietnam who is part of a squad that abuses a young Vietnamese girl. Though Private Erikson doesn’t participate in the crime, he still struggles with what has happened. He tells "Just because each of us might at any ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:14

Tags: Death, Judgment

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ