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Episodes
Sermons preached at the Hinckley Evangelical Free Church (Hinckley, MN)
Episodes
Monday May 30, 2016
Monday May 30, 2016
Chasing the Wind: All is Vanity
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
What is Ecclesiastes? (v. 1)
• A book of deep wisdom based on the personal experience of its author
• It is a book that is best understood when one knows the end from the beginning (Ecc. 12:13)
• It is written in poetic form
• The author: The Preacher
– Hebrew: Qoheleth; Greek: Ecclesiastes
• One who speaks to the assembly
– Son of David, king in Jerusalem
• Any of David’s ancestors
• Probably Solomon
– Known both for his wisdom and his extravagance
All is Vanity (v. 2)
• Vanity: Lacking in lasting effect
– הֶבֶל (hebel): “vapor” or “breath”; fleeting
– Something that will not satisfy or last
• A summary of the theme of the book
– Life apart from God is unsatisfying
The Monotony of Life (v. 3-7)
• Despite all of our efforts and how important we think we are
– The world will keep spinning without us
• There is seemingly never-ending pattern to life
– Both for humanity
– And for Creation (see Rom. 8:19-21)
• This thought ought to humble us
– But not depress us*
Nothing New (v. 8-11)
• Even our senses fail to bring us satisfaction
• This cycle of dissatisfaction is a result, in part, of humanity’s inability to learn from our past
So What?
• Life apart from God is unsatisfying
• Thus, we need God to have true meaning in life
– Do you find your meaning in your relationship with God?
– Are you sharing the hope that you have with others?
Meditation Verse: Ecc. 12:13
Monday May 23, 2016
Monday May 23, 2016
The GOSPEL, part 2
Various Texts
Our Mission
• As followers of Jesus we are called to share with the world the truth of:
– Who Jesus is
– What Jesus has done
• This message is called the Gospel
– The Good News
– The heart of this message can be summarized in the GOSPEL acronym
The GOSPEL
• God created us to be with Him
• Our sins separate us from God
• Sins cannot be removed by good deeds
• Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again
• Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life
• Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever
Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again
• Jesus’ sinless death paid the debt for all our sins (1 John 2:1-2)
– Propitiation: appeasement
• As our sinful nature makes us “children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3)
• Jesus took on the punishment that our sins deserved
• His resurrection is proof of His victory over sin and death (1 Cor. 15:54-57)
Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life
• Christ gives eternal life through faith in Him (John 3:16; Rom. 6:23)
• This is all God’s doing, not ours
- Grace: A free, unmerited gift
Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever
• The life Jesus offers us begins now (John 5:24; 10:28)
• We will experience it fully with Christ’s return and our resurrection (1 Cor. 15:52)
So What?
• We are called to share the Good News of Jesus with the world
• Do you know the truth of the Gospel well enough to share it?
• Do you believe the Gospel and are you living it out?
Meditation Verse: 1 Peter 3:15
Monday May 16, 2016
Monday May 16, 2016
The GOSPEL, part 1
Various Texts
Our Mission
• As followers of Jesus we are called to share with the world the truth of:
– Who Jesus is
– What Jesus has done
• This message is called the Gospel
– The Good News
– The heart of this message can be summarized in the GOSPEL acronym
The GOSPEL
• God created us to be with Him
• Our sins separate us from God
• Sins cannot be removed by good deeds
• Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again
• Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life
• Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever
God created us to be with Him
• Humans were created by God (Gen 1:27)
• We were made to be with Him (Ps. 100:3)
Our sins separate us from God
• We are all sinners
- Sin: Disobeying God’s commands
- We were born as sinner (Eph. 2:3)
- We choose to sin (1 John 1:8, 10)
• Sin separates us from God (Isa. 59:2; Rom. 3:23)
- In our sin, we do not give God the glory that He is due
Sins cannot be removed by good deeds
• Regardless of how good we act, we cannot pay the debt that our sins have earned us (Rom 6:23a; Isa. 64:6)
• We must rely on God to act on our behalf (Eph 2:8-9)
So What?
• We are called to share the Good News of Jesus with the world
• Do you know the truth of the Gospel well enough to share it?
• Do you believe the Gospel and are you living it out?
Meditation Verse: 1 Peter 3:15
Monday May 09, 2016
Monday May 09, 2016
The Gospel of John: John’s Purpose & Witness
John 20:30-31; 21:24-25
John’s Goal
• John ends his Gospel with two statements concerning his:
– Purpose
– Selectivity
– Trustworthiness
John’s Purpose
• To proclaim Jesus as:
– Christ: King
– God’s Son: God
• In order to instill faith in Him
– Which leads to eternal life
• This happens through declaring His signs & teachings
John’s Selectivity
• John selected the stories and signs that he did to inspire faith in Jesus in his readers
– He always connected the message with the audience
John’s Witness
• John wrote down his own experiences with Jesus
- As the beloved disciple
- He tells his audience of how Jesus loved others and loved him
• Jesus’ words in 20:29 declare that those who believe without being firsthand witnesses are blessed
- Thus, those who come to faith by the testimony of John from this Gospel are blessed
• That’s us!
So What?
• Just like John:
– We need to declare Jesus to the world
– We need to connect the Gospel to those with whom we are sharing it
– We need to testify to what Jesus has done in us
Meditation Verse: John 20:31
Monday May 02, 2016
Monday May 02, 2016
The Gospel of John: The Call to Follow
John 21:18-23
Peter’s Fate Foretold (v. 18-19a)
• Jesus then tells Peter cryptically of his fate
– He will die for Jesus by crucifixion
• Just like Jesus
– And his death will bring glory to God
• Just like Jesus
• Peter’s died by crucifixion about 30 years after this prediction
– This prediction had been fulfilled by the time of the writing of John’s Gospel
• Peter, and the other disciples, are shown to be carrying on Jesus’ ministry
– Including by sharing in suffering and death (1 Pet. 4:14-16)
Peter & John (v. 18-23)
• Jesus then gets up and leaves the larger group
– And commands Peter to follow Him
• Which Peter probably took to mean “walk with me”
– But it also meant: “Follow in my footsteps”
• Living in obedience to Jesus
• When Peter sees the beloved disciple (John) tagging along
– He asks Him what John’s fate will be
• Jesus' response is: “YOU focus on following ME!”
– “Don’t worry about what will happen to him.”
• Jesus was NOT saying that John would never die
– He is using hyperbole to make a point
So What?
• Our obedience, even in suffering and death, gives glory to God
– Are we living for His glory?
• Are we focused on our own walk with Jesus?
– Or are we comparing ourselves to others?
Meditation Verse: John 21:22