First Baptist Church of Orange Park - Sermon Audio

In this sermon titled "Crooked Made Straight" Pastor David leads us through a portion of Ecclesiastes 7 that reveals the difficulty in knowing God is good while so much bad occurs around us.

One of the most difficult passages of scripture, especially for many in our world who do all they can to avoid death and facing it.

Pastor David Tarkington preaches from Ecclesiastes 6 reminding us that it is vital to view the world through a biblical worldview. Otherwise, you end up thinking everything under the sun is vanity.

Pastor David Tarkington preaches from Ecclesiastes 5 on the dangers of idolatry that seems to always rear its head in the lives of believers.

Behold...Easter.

Solomon shifts from journaling to sermonizing as he instructs the reader to walk wisely when entering into God's presence, as well as not to make vows unless there is intention to keep them.

Solomon is despairing over the oppression, isolation, and corruption he sees everywhere "under the sun." In this sermon Pastor David focuses on the redemption made possible through Christ as the healing hope for all that creates such despair.

Is this all there is? Where is the hope? These are the questions that come from the writer of Ecclesiastes and still resonate with people today. Even Christians sometimes ask these questions. Pastor David takes us through Ecclesiastes 3:16-22 as we seek together to find God's answers to these questions.

Pastor Mike Godfrey leads us through this section of Ecclesiastes. The value of knowing oneself and knowing God truly is evident in this passage that refers to "eternity being written on our hearts."

This passage is most notable today as being the majority of the lyrics to the Pete Seeger song "Turn, Turn, Turn." Yet, this is not simply a Woodstock-era pop song. Pastor David looks at what is revealed in this passage and how it leads to hope in Christ.

How does God take someone who hates his life, hates his job, has moved from disgust to despair and lead them to life? Pastor David looks at Solomon's moment here in Ecclesiastes 2. It is hard. It is honest. And...it sounds like it was written in the 21st century rather than hundreds of years before Christ's birth.

Even with Solomon, the presumed author of this book, declaring that wisdom is better than folly, he continues to struggle with seeing life as having value. If anyone has ever thought "I hate my life" this sermon is for you. There is good news under the Son. Take heart.

Solomon, the Preacher, admits that he tried everything he could in life to find meaning, but it all fell short. This is not unlike the strategy of many today. In this sermon Pastor David shares how there is hope in "holy hedonism" that finds pleasure and joy in Christ. This is the answer to "striving after the wind."

What if you lived your entire life seeking the answer to the questions of life? What if you discover all the answers, but then find out you were asking the wrong questions? Life is not futile. It is not vanity. Yet, at times it seems so. That's what the Preacher says in Ecclesiastes. In this sermon Pastor Tarkington looks at how the gospel of Jesus Christ answers the right questions and resonates throughout all of the Bible and life.

Pastor David Tarkington joined the First Baptist Church of Orange Park family when he was called to serve as the Student Pastor beginning January 1, 1994. Since that time, he has served as Student Pastor, Single Adult Pastor, Young Adult Pastor, and in 2005 as Senior Pastor. David has been the longest tenured pastor in the 100+ years history of First Baptist Church. Associate Pastor Mike Godfrey preached on this day. Then, following the sermon, Jacob Saunders (deacon) shared a tribute to Pastor David with video testimonies from Brandon Phillips (former student and current associate pastor at FBC Panama City,) Neil & Kaytee Jimenez (former student & staff member - Kaytee, former deacon - Neil, and current Send Network Toronto missionaries in Canada, Rick Wheeler (Stewardship Simplified,) Bob Bumgarner (First Coast Churches,) and Josh Dryer (former associate pastor and current pastor at 5th Avenue Baptist Church in Key West.)

If the writer of Ecclesiastes had a go-to playlist, it would be full of songs of despair. Many would be Top-10 hits. Why? Because the nature of humanity, in our depravity, leads to despair. The writer asks hard questions and wrestles with the challenges of what seems to be a life of vanity. Pastor David Tarkington preaches this message in our series on Ecclesiastes, revealing how the gospel shines through as the answer to all that life presents.

We begin our journey through the book of Ecclesiastes as Pastor David Tarkington preaches this sermon titled "Quest for Meaning."

The final message in our series through the book of Hebrews and the final message of 2023. Pastor David preaches from Hebrews 13 on worshiping well, following well, and living well.

Christmas Eve Lord's Day service at First Baptist Church of Orange Park.

Remember.