Materialism

Pastor Bill Bush · Apr 18, 2018

Drawing from Ecclesiastes 2, Pastor Solomon's own experiment with unlimited pleasure — alcohol, possessions, wealth, control, and sex — proves that chasing more of the world's temporary gifts always yields less meaning. Because God planted eternity in every human heart, only a real relationship with Him can satisfy that deep longing. When we make the gifts the goal instead of the Gift Giver, we become pleasure seekers rather than God seekers, acting religious while lacking the power of the gospel. But when we love God with everything and love others as ourselves, we are freed to genuinely enjoy the temporary blessings He gives — and less truly becomes more.

Pastor Daniel Goulding · Apr 8, 2018

Through the life and writings of Solomon — the wisest, wealthiest man who ever lived — Pastor Daniel shows that every pursuit 'under the sun' (wealth, wisdom, pleasure, power) moves in a cul-de-sac circle that never delivers lasting contentment. The reason is theological: God has 'planted eternity in the human heart' (Ecclesiastes 3:11), so only life with the Son of God can fulfill what temporary things never can. True freedom comes not from accumulating more but from stewarding what God has given with courage and trust, discovering that less truly becomes more.