May 30th, 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
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May 23rd, 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
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May 16th, 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
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May 9th, 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
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May 2nd, 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
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