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

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

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

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

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