Resurrection City Church - St. Paul Minnesota

Seeking Wisdom: Ecclesiastes | Wisdom That Lasts

The book of Ecclesiastes is wisdom that gives us a little jolt. The Author of the book compares it to a cattle prod,  sharply pointing us in the right direction. What is jolting is the fact that it tells us how fleeting everything "under the sun"--common human experience--is. What we need is to pursue meaning from wisdom that lasts.

Pastor Joel helps us take the hard words of Ecclesiastes in the right direction, discerning how to apply its wisdom in everything life throws at us.

Seeking Wisdom: Ecclesiastes | Wisdom in Decision Making

There's a season for everything, but how can we know when those seasons are? In this message from Ecclesiastes, Pastor Julie talks about why it can be so difficult to make decisions, and how God wants us to rely on him for wisdom instead of trying to take it for ourselves.

Seeking Wisdom: Ecclesiastes | Where is Justice?

The book of Ecclesiastes is not for the faint of heart. It offers a depressing and cynical look at the world, and it challenges us to not dismiss its words. One of its critiques of the world is that injustice is everywhere, and rest of the Bible's witness is the same: no one seeks out justice to the fullest extent because of sin. 

 

The important question is what God's response to this is, and in this sermon Pastor Joel tells us how God makes straight the crooked justice of this world through the injustice of the cross.

Seeking Wisdom: Ecclesiastes | Finding Meaning in Life

What's my purpose in life? If you ever wondered that question, you're not alone. Ecclesiastes is a book that asks hard questions about if the things we find meaning in actually provide it. Pastor Julie talks about the beginning of Ecclesiastes and how the wise person finds their meaning and purpose in Jesus.

Seeking Wisdom: Proverbs | Wisdom As Trust in God

Wisdom's guiding principle is that God is just and righteous, and his wisdom reflects it. But to understand wisdom deeper, we need to grapple with the complexities of the world. In this sermon Pastor Joel digs into the story of Solomon, the author of Proverbs and the man who is associated with wisdom in the Old Testament more than any other, to give us an in depth understanding of wisdom -- which is God's design woven into creation to promote a flourishing environment for all -- and trust in God.

Seeking Wisdom: Proverbs | Characteristics of Foolishness

Proverbs doesn’t just tell us what wisdom looks like so that we may seek it out; it also tells us what folly looks like. The point is that we would recognize people with these traits and avoid their influence and understand these tendencies and try to weed them out of ourselves. Proverbs talks about four such forms of folly: Simple thinking, apathy, avoiding growth, and stirring up quarrels. Pastor Joel breaks down all four points and reminds us how the gospel shows us a wisdom that is for us when we fall into Folly’s trap.

Seeking Wisdom: Proverbs | Characteristics of the Wise

Lady Wisdom, the personification of Wisdom in the book of Proverbs, calls us to heed her voice so we may find God's wisdom and live. She gives many exhortations to those who wish to become wise but we have to make a decision on whether or not we'll listen. In this sermon, Pastor Joel walks through three characteristics of the wise from the book of Proverbs.

Seeking Wisdom: Proverbs | Framing Wisdom

We live in a time where we basically can get instant information on any subject we'd like. But one thing we can't easily know is what to do with it. Wisdom, the biblical concept that is found throughout the Bible, speaks up to tell us to listen to her and she will lead us to life. Join us as we start a new sermon series about what wisdom is.

Vision & Mission: Our Call to Serve Others

We talk a lot about our purpose, but when we do we usually divide it from the gospel. Actually, our purpose in Jesus is intimately connected to the gospel, to accept the gift of grace offered in Christ that takes us from death to life and to walk as the artwork God has made us into in the good works God has prepared for us (Eph 2:10). Pastor Joel explains how we learn our purpose and also explains his fear of zombies.

Vision & Mission: Belong to Community

Belonging to Community is one of the fundamental ways we bear the image of God, and it's why God wants us to be members of the church. At Res City we care so much about this that we put it into our vision statement! Pastor Julie explains why this is so important to us.