Redeemer Church Tauranga - Podcast

Redeemer Church Tauranga
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Christianity
  • Biweekly

Welcome to the weekly audio podcast for Redeemer Church Tauranga, New Zealand. Ps Philip Brown and the Elders and guests bring Gospel-centered, Biblically-based, and Spirit-reliant messages each week that will inspire and strengthen your walk with Christ. Redeemer Church exist to see lives redeemed and our city renewed by the gospel for the glory of God. Visit us online at www.redeemerchurch.org.nz

  1. 4d ago

    #20 Aim for the Bushes (Ecclesiastes (9:7-10)

    Phil unpacks Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 as one of his favourite sections in Scripture, framing Solomon’s counsel through three virtues: grateful enjoyment of God’s good gifts (food, drink, clothing, marriage), humble acceptance of our limited lot and short life under the sun, and eager wholehearted living—“whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” He balances the call against both naive positivity and excessive asceticism, then roots it in the gospel: justification by faith, resurrection hope, the coming feast, and Jesus as the passionate Bridegroom and high priest who loves his people and works with gusto. "Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going" (Ecc 9:7-10).

    #20 Aim for the Bushes (Ecclesiastes (9:7-10)

  2. Oct 18

    #19 Living Dogs and Dead Lions (Ecclesiastes 9:1-6)

    Solomon presses further into life under the sun in Ecclesiastes 9:1-6: the righteous and the wise are in God’s hand, yet we cannot read from circumstances whether that hand is acting in love or hate; the same fate—death—comes to all alike after hearts full of evil and madness; yet the living still have a real share and limited hope that the dead no longer possess. Caleb moves from the tension of unreadable providence, through the leveling sting of death rooted in the fall, to a call to live the years we still have in Christ, who entered the common fate, broke its power, and holds his people while conforming them to himself. "But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him. It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun" (Ec 9:1–6).

    #19 Living Dogs and Dead Lions (Ecclesiastes 9:1-6)

  3. Oct 10

    #18 The Closing Scene in Asterix Comics (Ecclesiastes 8:14-17)

    Solomon’s ancient wisdom in Ecclesiastes 8:14–17 provides a candid look at the inherent injustices and mysteries of life under the sun. This sermon explores the human tendency to obsessively attempt to solve the world's problems, offering instead the counterintuitive, biblically grounded path of finding joy, eating, drinking, and resting in God’s provision amidst the toil. Rather than seeking a human-made utopia, listeners are invited to find contentment and purpose in the sovereign work of God, ultimately pointing toward the greater wisdom and satisfaction found in Jesus Christ. "There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun. When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one’s eyes see sleep, then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out" (Ecclesiastes 8:14-17).

    #18 The Closing Scene in Asterix Comics (Ecclesiastes 8:14-17)

  4. Oct 4

    #17 Cherry Blossom Trees in Greerton (Ecclesiastes 8:10-13)

    This sermon on Ecclesiastes 8:10–13 confronts the reality of wicked people in a fallen world. Solomon observes that the wicked often abuse sacred things, are celebrated by society, and seem to prosper because judgment is delayed. Yet he insists they are still mortal, their time is limited, and ultimately it will not go well with them. In contrast, it will be well with those who fear God. Philip moves from this stark realism to the hope of the gospel: Jesus was counted among the wicked, buried, and raised so that sinners who trust him might receive eternal life and a heart that turns toward God rather than evil. "Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God"(Ecclesiastes 8:10-13).

    #17 Cherry Blossom Trees in Greerton (Ecclesiastes 8:10-13)

  5. Sep 26

    #16 The Chocolate Bunny (Ecclesiastes 8:1-9)

    Brandon Hill opens Ecclesiastes 8 by asking what true wisdom looks like and how the wise person should relate to imperfect earthly authorities. Solomon calls us to keep the king’s command because of God’s sovereignty, while also urging caution, patience, and righteousness rather than hasty rebellion. Even though governments often cause hurt and we have little control over the future, the wise response is joyful, gentle submission where possible, and trust in the greater King. The sermon points to Jesus as the true wise man who perfectly submitted to earthly powers in order to save us, and invites believers to the Lord’s Supper as they place their trust in him. "Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. I say: Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him. Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, “What are you doing?” Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him. For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt" (Ecclesiastes 8:1-9).

    #16 The Chocolate Bunny (Ecclesiastes 8:1-9)

  6. Sep 19

    #15 The Hogwarts Sorting Hat on Meth (Ecclesiastes 7:15-29)

    Philip Brown continues through Ecclesiastes 7 with a series of hard-edged but realistic observations about life under the sun. Solomon warns that the rankings of life will often be off—the righteous sometimes perish while the wicked live long—and that we must avoid the twin ditches of being overly righteous and overly wicked. Wisdom is more valuable than bureaucracy, every person is sinful, and we must thicken our skin against the inevitable gossip and criticism of others. He also addresses the difficult verses about men and women, insisting that sin does not discriminate by gender. The sermon lands on Christ as the one truly righteous Man among a thousand, whose death and resurrection give hope to sinners of both sexes. "In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.  Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.  Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.  Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.  All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?  I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes" (Ec 7:15–29).

    #15 The Hogwarts Sorting Hat on Meth (Ecclesiastes 7:15-29)

  7. Sep 12

    #14 Weather Chat in Antarctica (Ecclesiastes 7:1-14)

    Solomon’s ancient wisdom in Ecclesiastes 7 serves as a practical guide for navigating the complexities, contradictions, and brevity of life under the sun. This sermon explores how believers can cultivate a meaningful existence by embracing the reality of death, seeking wise counsel, exercising grit, and ultimately finding rest in the sovereign providence of God. By weaving together biblical exposition and modern life applications, the message encourages listeners to look beyond fleeting pleasures and anchor their hope in the finished work of Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate source of wisdom and eternal life. "A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity. Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart. Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools. Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun. For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it. Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him" (Ecclesiastes 7:1-14).

    #14 Weather Chat in Antarctica (Ecclesiastes 7:1-14)

  8. Sep 5

    #13 An Emancipated Disney Channel Star (Ecclesiastes 6:1-12)

    Philip Brown opens Ecclesiastes 6 by confronting two deep problems under the sun: restless forward-thinking that never finds satisfaction, and the futile attempt to dispute with God’s sovereign destiny. Solomon paints the tragic picture of a man who has everything yet cannot enjoy it, showing that the endless chase for more leaves a person emptier than a stillborn child. Like an emancipated Disney Channel star who takes control too early and ends up ruining their life, we too can reject contentment and God’s limits only to find deeper emptiness. Solomon calls listeners instead to enjoy the good things of the present and to rest in God’s providence. Ultimately the message points to Christ, the greater Solomon, who alone satisfies the eternity set in our hearts and has secured the new world we long for. "There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil. If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life’s good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place? All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind. Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 6:1-12)?

    #13 An Emancipated Disney Channel Star (Ecclesiastes 6:1-12)
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About

Welcome to the weekly audio podcast for Redeemer Church Tauranga, New Zealand. Ps Philip Brown and the Elders and guests bring Gospel-centered, Biblically-based, and Spirit-reliant messages each week that will inspire and strengthen your walk with Christ. Redeemer Church exist to see lives redeemed and our city renewed by the gospel for the glory of God. Visit us online at www.redeemerchurch.org.nz

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