⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6 

THE CROSS AT CHRISTMAS?

As I’ve been preaching through the book of 1 Corinthians, I have reminded those in our church more than a few times that the Cross of Christ should never be far from our minds.  That’s especially true around Christmas. 

This Christmas season as you think about God taking on flesh and becoming one of us, remember that the human body that the Son took on was crushed, pierced and crucified on your behalf.  As you think about the human blood that was flowing through our Lords veins, remember it was poured out for you and for me.   

"Quote" of the Week

"During this time of year, it may be easy to forget that the bigger purpose behind Bethlehem was Calvary.  But the purpose of the manger was realized in the horrors of the cross.  The purpose of his birth was his death."  -C.J. Mahaney

THE GREATEST MIRACLE OF CHRISTIANITY

If I were to ask you to show me from the Scriptures where the greatest miracle of Christianity is found, some of you might turn to the Gospel account of Jesus walking on water or of Him raising Lazarus from the dead.  I’m also sure many of you would turn to Mt. 28, Mk. 16, Lk. 24 and Jn. 20, which tell of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  But how many of you would turn to John 1:14?  In this verse John tells us,

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.   

This is a key verse in our Bible that reminds us that there was a time in history when God stepped out of eternity and into the world He created, took on flesh and became a man.  There is a sense in which this union of the two natures in Christ is the greatest miracle in Scripture because in order to save us God had to become one of us. 

This Christmas season when you think about the baby in a manger, may you be reminded of the fact that He who was infinite, unchanging and in need of  no one or nothing chose to take on limitations—chose to become one of us entering into this world as a needy baby.  He who is infinitely greater than any thought of us has become one of us--He has lived for us, died for us and has risen from the grave to grant us access to God.  This is the heart of the Christian message. 

"Quote" of the Week

"It is here, in the thing that happened at the first Christmas, that the profoundest and most unfathomable depths of the Christian revelation lie. 'The Word became flesh' (Jn. 1:14); God became man; the divine Son became a Jew; the Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, unable to do more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. And there was no illusion or deception in this: the babyhood of the Son of God was a reality. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the Incarnation." J.I. Packer

WHY WE NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT

In 2 Corinthians 2:10-12, Paul gives his readers some great insight on who the Holy Spirit is and what He does.  In vv. 6-9 he explains that true wisdom is only found in God and that His message—the Gospel Message is a mystery or a secret.  In v. 7 he says,

7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.

Paul is saying here, “The message that I and others share with you—the message of the cross is not a message that you will find on your own.”  That word secret also translated mystery does not mean what you think it means.  It’s not the type of mystery you read in a Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christy book.  That word does not refer to something that is figured out or discovered through hard study and meticulous detective work.  That word refers to a secret that is impossible for man to penetrate—it refers to something that man cannot come to know through personal effort and devotion.  It refers to something that has to be revealed.

For example, if I wanted to know what another person was thinking, there is no way for me to acquire that information unless that person makes it known to me.  The same is true of God’s wisdom—the same is true of His Gospel.  Paul is making the point here that men will never find the one true God on their own—through their own personal effort and devotion.  The world will never develop a religion that is true—human wisdom will never cut it.  Why?  Because the answers to the fundamental and foundational questions of life are outside the realm of this world—they are with God.   

Now some upon hearing this will say, “That stinks.  You mean to tell me that true wisdom is only found in God’s message and that we cannot come to know and understand and receive this message through personal effort?  Then what are we to do?  If we can’t discover it through empirical evidence and reason how are we to understand it?  Our eyes and our ears and our minds are all we have.”  Well Paul tells how in v. 10.  He says,

10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

It is the Spirit of God who makes the message of God known.  Believers the reason we know “the secret hidden wisdom of God” is because the Spirit has revealed these things to us.  Paul continues by saying,

For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Like I said earlier, Paul gives his readers some great insight on who the Holy Spirit is and what He does.  First notice what He does.  Paul says “the Spirit searches everything even the depths of God.”  How is He able to do that?  Paul says in Romans 11:33 that the depths of God’s knowledge and wisdom are too great and that His ways are unsearchable.  How then can the Spirit search the depths of God?  The answer is simply this—He is God.  He knows the depths of God and understands the thoughts of God because He is God. 

Though we cannot know God on our own because we are not God, the Spirit knows the depths and the thoughts of God because He is God.  So Paul is saying here, “Though God’s thoughts and ways are beyond us, they are not beyond the Spirit of God.”  Now you may be thinking to yourself, “Well what difference does that make?  He is still up there and I am down here.”  Do you remember the words Jesus spoke to His disciples before going to the cross in Jn. 16?  Remember what He promised?  He promised that He would send His Holy Spirit.  Look at 1 Corinthians 2:12.  Paul says,

12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

What Jesus promised to do He did.  He sent the Holy Spirit and it is this Spirit who opens our hearts and our minds to the things of God.  So follow this logic with me:  God’s message is the message of true wisdom, but His thoughts and ways are beyond our understanding, but they are not beyond the understanding of the Holy Spirit.  And this same Spirit who knows the mind of God has been sent to us to give us true knowledge of the living God and to make known to us His Gospel. 

"Quote" of the Week

"Apart from (the Holy Spirit), not only will there be no lively believers and no lively congregations, there will be no believers and no congregations at all."  -J.I. Packer

ARE WE STILL UNDER THE LAW? by Timothy Keller

Even though Christians believe that all of Scripture is authoritative, the coming of Christ fulfilled many of the Old Testament laws in such a way that they no longer bear on believers directly.  One clear example of this is how the New Testament tells believers to regard the "ceremonial" laws of Moses.  The numerous "clean laws" of Israel touching diet, dress, and other forms of ceremonial purity, as well as the entire sacrificial system and temple worship ordinances, are no longer considered binding on Christians, because Christ came and fulfilled them.  In the New Testament book of Hebrews, we are told that Jesus is the final Sacrifice and the ultimate Priest, and so believers must no longer offer up animal sacrifices.  Nor, as Jesus taught (Mark 7:17-23), do Christans have to obey the clean laws that determined if a worshipper was ceremonially clean and qualified for worship.  Why not?  It was because Christ's atoning sacrifice brings us the reality to which the sacrifices pointed, and in Christ believers are permanently made "clean" and acceptable in God's sight. 

Nevertheless, as Biblical scholar Craig Blomberg points out, 'Ever command [from the Old Testament] reflects principles at some level that are binding on Christians (2 Timothy 3:16).'  That is, even the parts of the Old Testament that are now fulfilled in Christ still have some abinding validity.  For example, the principle of offering God sacrifices stills remains in force, though changed by Christ's work.  We are now required to offer God our entire lives as sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2), as well as the sacrifices of worship to God and the sharing of our resources with others (Hebrews 13:5). 

And consider the book of Leviticus with all its clean laws and ceremonial regulations.  These laws are not directly binding on Christians, but when Paul makes his case that Christians should lead holy lives, sharply distinct from those of the nonbelieving culture around them, he quotes Leviticus 26:12. (See 2 Corinthians 6:16-17) 
Keller, Timothy.  Generous Justice.  New York:  Penguin Group.  pp.19-21.  2010.

"Quote" of the Week

"The coming of Christ changes the way in which Christians exhibit their holiness and offer their sacrifices, yet the basic principles remain valid."  -Timothy Keller

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.  Psalm 136:1



We had a great week in Nicaragua!  We had close to 100 pastors, church leaders, women's ministry leaders and Sunday School teachers attending the Bible Institute.  We taught Survey of the Old Testament in four days and got great feedback about the material from the pastors that were there. 

On the last day we were approached by a young lady from Costa Rica who is a missionary to Nicaragua.  I recognized her right away because she had been sitting front and center all week taking as many notes as she could and would often come and talk to the speaker after the sessions asking questions about the material.  She thanked us and told us that she had learned so much during the week and knew that this material would do nothing but improve her ministry.

"Quote" of the Week

"I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment."  -Apostle Paul

This week we are in Nicaragua. The whole week will be spent training pastors and church leaders on Survey of The Old Testament. Please be in prayer for the work.

"Quote" of the Week

¹³ Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. ¹⁴ The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. Proverbs 13:13-14 

We live in a culture where image is everything.  Don’t believe me just walk down the magazine isle at Wal-Mart.  You don’t see people like me on the front cover and the reason why is because the world puts a lot of stock into outward appearance and style. 

Let me ask you, “Do you think the celebrities who frequent the front page of GQ and Vanity Fair are on the front cover ultimately because they are people of substance?"  Not saying that some are not, but 9 times out of 10 the reason for them being on the cover of those magazines is because of their outward appearance.  And this is not just in Hollywood, we see this in Christian circles as well. 

Some of the most well-known preachers on TV are not necessarily the ones with the most substance—the most doctrinally sound.  I would argue that some have very little substance at all to their message.  Then why are they on TV?  Why are they so popular?  A lot of the time it’s because they either look good on camera or are gifted communicators.  Many are not drawn to pastors because of the content of their message, but in the way their message is presented—not with what’s being said, but how it is said. 

The believers Paul writes to in Corinth were the same way.  At this time if Greek speakers looked impressive and used ginormous words showing off how educated they were and if they were wise by the worlds standards and had a style that showcased their brilliance, their wisdom, their charm and their wit, great crowds would flock to these guys. 

Well in 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul gives his audience some great news.  He tells them that these characteristics are not what God is looking for in His representatives.  Paul proves this by example saying,  

2 And I, when I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.

Though Paul was highly educated and could have showcased his brilliance, he held back from showcasing these things because he knew lofty speech and human wisdom does not save.    

Now know that Paul is not speaking negatively about the importance of study and knowing what we believe.  Paul is clear here that his role and our role as believers is to know and communicate the Testimony of God—the Scriptures and the only way to do this is to read it, study it, memorize and meditate upon it so that we can in turn effectively communicate it to others. 

What Paul is speaking against here is adding our own two cents—putting our own spin on the Testimony of God thinking, “If I add this here or that there then this person will be more likely to respond.”

It is so important for us to realize that God doesn’t call us to be His PR person, He calls us to be His witnesses.  He doesn’t need us to dress up His message and put our own spin on things or to add elements to it to make it more appealing.  He just wants us to know His word and communicate it clearly to others.   

This should encourage us.  Maybe you are thinking to yourself, “How could God use me?  I’m not that popular, I’m not a gifted speaker, I’m not educated and don’t have a huge vocabulary.”  That’s fine—that is not what saves.  That’s not what brings sinners to repentance—that’s not what makes people right with God. 

God brings change when His word is learned and clearly communicated to others.  Jesus calls for His followers in Acts 1:8 to be His witnesses and that’s great because that is something we all can do.  Now if He said, “Go out and be funny in my name that would exclude some because some of us are not very funny.”  If He said, “Go out and draw people to me through with your looks and your intellect that would leave many of us out.” 

Instead God gives us an assignment we all can do.  He says, “Be my witnesses—go spread about me.  Grow in your knowledge of Me through My word and share that message with others.”

"Quote" of the Week

"For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." -Apostle Paul

HAPPY REFORMATION DAY!!!

It’s Reformation Day—when the church celebrates and commemorates October 31, 1517. It was on this day (a Saturday) that a 33-year-old theology professor at Wittenberg University walked over to the Castle Church in Wittenberg and nailed a paper of 95 theses to the door, hoping to spark an academic discussion about their contents. In God’s providence and unbeknownst to anyone else that day, it would become a key event in igniting the Reformation.  -Justin Taylor

For more on Martin Luther and the Reformation click HERE

"Quote" of the Week

“The true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and grace of God.” -Martin Luther

WHERE DOES HUMAN WISDOM LEAD US?

Scripture is clear that when you hang your hat on human wisdom—when you elevate it above everything else what naturally results is a rejection of Christ and the cross.  This should make sense to us shouldn’t it?  Think about the characteristics of those who value human wisdom—they elevate self, they promote human reasoning and self-effort and believe those things to be what truly makes the world a better place. 

Well the message of the Gospel tells us the exact opposite.  It teaches us that our thoughts and our actions are corrupt.  In fact, Scripture teaches that human wisdom is the reason why our world is a mess to begin with.  Didn’t Adam and Eve prove this to be the case in the very beginning?

Even though God told them that if they ate of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden they would surely die, they chose to listen to Satan and trust in themselves rather than believe and trust in God.  As a result of that act, sin came into the picture and ruined and wrecked God’s perfect world.  Though they thought this decision they made apart from God was going to make their life better as if it wasn’t perfect already, what happened as a result of them trusting in themselves is that their lives got much worse.

Scripture is clear that though good has come from human wisdom, it falls short in the most crucial of ways. For example, though we have made all these advancements in the field of medicine, there really hasn’t been any real progress in explaining what life is all about.  Though we have made great strides in our legal systems--in our theories on the way the law is to be applied, we cannot explain why people continue to hate, exploit, abuse and kill one another at an increasing and alarming rate.

Though we have some of the most advanced forms of communication in the world, we are really not any better at communicating with one another, which is the reason why we have families at odds with one another and why divorce rates are through the roof.

Truth is when answering the most fundamental and foundational questions of life.  Questions like, “Does God exist and if so what is he like?  Who are we, why are we here and what’s wrong with the world?”

The good news is that where human wisdom has fallen short, God has come through for us.  He has provided answers to those questions in His word.  The Scriptures tells us who He is and what He has done for us--that we are special because we are created in His image and that sin is what is wrong with the world.  His Word also tells us that He has created us to live in relationship with Him and how that relationship can be restored through the person and work of Christ. 

"Quote" of the Week

"Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?  There is more hope for a fool than for him."  -Proverbs 26:12 

THE RIGHT KIND OF STAND TO MAKE

¹¹ For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.  1 Corinthians 1:11

Though we don’t know much more than this about Chloe and her people from the Scriptures, their mention here is significant.  They are the ones who appealed to Paul to let him know about the disunity within the church at Corinth. 

When they were made aware of the issues within this church they went to the right person for the right reason.  They had a desire to see the church in Corinth unified and prove it here by taking the matter to Paul so that he can come alongside them in an attempt to bring unity to the church.  They like Paul rightly saw disunity for what it truly was—a threat to the church—something that can tear the church apart.

Believers, when there is disunity in the church we need to recognize it for what it truly is—a poison—something that is toxic—something that can divide and destroy God’s church.  When you see the church being divided over an issue let me ask you, “Will you like Chloe and her people take a stand and be bold for sake of unity?”  Will you be willing to say, when issues threaten to divide the church, “I am going to make the matter known to the right people for the right reason?” 

"Quote" of the Week

"To gather with God's people in united adoration of the Father is as necessary to the Christian life as prayer."  -Martin Luther

Have you ever noticed how easy it is for believers to let their “so-called” sense of calling be determined solely by their circumstances?  I have known of people to say, “I feel as if God is calling me and my family to serve in this way” and then at the first sign of trouble they say, “You know I think God is calling me elsewhere.”  Pastors are the worlds worst at this.  I once met a guy who had been in the ministry for six years and had served at four different churches.    

Is this the response we see in Scripture?  Though I believe that God equips us for what He calls us to do, is what He calls us to do always easy?  No.  Just look at the events in David’s life.  David was a man after God’s own heart—He was greatly loved and favored by God.  Did he have an easy rise to be king?  No.  Was it God’s will that he became King?   Yes.  But for fourteen years King Saul and his men hounded David and sought to kill him.  Though David had been anointed by Samuel, he was uncrowned and literally on the run for his life and had to hide in caves for fourteen years.

What about the Apostle Paul in the New Testament?  Was Paul being disobedient when he ends up in prison or when he is beaten and left for dead?  No.  He was following God—He was going where God called Him to go and doing the work God had called him to do.  Yet listen to what he says about himself in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28.

With far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. ²⁴ Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶ on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. ²⁸ And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.    

Boy this passage really takes the air out of the sails of the health and wealth crowd.  Though Paul was being obedient, he had been put through the ringer.  Yet he knew he was right where God wanted him to be doing what God had called him to do. 

Believers, at times God calls us to do things that are hard, but though that’s the case we have to be careful not to let our circumstances be the deciding factor when it comes to discerning God’s calling.  God has called you to be a part of His ministry and to serve Him in His church and in His world.  Let me encourage you this morning to let that sense of God’s calling in your life be the anchor that keeps you going and serving especially when times are tough.

"Quote" of the Week

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

READING THE BIBLE WITH THE CHURCH IN MIND

One of the big problems that happens with Bible reading and Bible study today is that people, if they read it, only read it for themselves.  They say, “How does this relate to me and only me?”  Though the Bible is supposed to relate to us as individuals, the bigger question we need to ask when reading God’s word is, “How do the Scriptures relate to me within the context of the local church?” 

It’s very important that this be our perspective because so much of the Bible is written to God’s people and is meant to be read and shared collectively.  So as we study Scriptures instead of asking, “How does this relate to me and only me,” ask, “How does this relate to me within the context of the local church?” 

"Quote" of the Week

"Sometimes when you read the Bible it’s not all about you, it’s about us, the church, and the corporate well-being and the needs of others and not just ourselves."  -Mark Driscoll

IS THERE A RIGHT KIND OF RISK?

We don’t like the word “risk” do we?  We don’t like it one bit and we do all we can to avoid it.  But the truth of the matter is we risk every day.  Being safe and secure is really a façade because we live in a world filled with uncertainties. 

The truth is risk is unavoidable.  For example, we risk being injured in a wreck when we get behind the wheel of a car, we risk choking when eating certain types of foods and we are even at risk within our own homes.   We risk every day and Scripture affirms this. 

Think about it financially.  I mean a few unexpected medical bills, stock market crash, theft, bad investments—any one of those things or a combination of a few of those things could suck us dry in a short period of time.  That’s pretty humbling isn’t it?  But it reminds us that we own nothing, therefore we need to realize that giving back to God and supporting His ministry is a worthy investment. 

What about socially?  I mean you could lose a friendship over any number of things, whether it be a petty dispute or because one of you moves away.  Don’t you think taking a stand for Christ and telling someone what they may not want to hear so that they can become more of what God wants them to be is worth the risk?  God’s word tells us it is.

"Quote" of the Week

“All of our plans for tomorrow’s activities can be shattered by a thousand unknowns whether we stay at home under the covers or ride the freeways.”  -John Piper

Have you ever been to Niagara Falls?  If so, while you were there standing in awe of this incredible wonder of the world did you at any time think to yourself, “Man gravity is amazing?"  Did you say to yourself or to someone else, "Look at what gravity is done—Gravity is incredible?”  If not, why?  Isn’t gravity what makes Niagara Falls so amazing?  Isn’t gravity the power behind water flow?  The reason we don’t’ think in this way is because though gravity is a true power in our world, because it is unseen it often goes unnoticed.

The same is true of the Holy Spirit.  Though He is very much at work in our world because He is unseen His power and His work often go unnoticed.  We don’t give Him the credit that is due Him when it comes to the fruits that come from God’s ministry.  Scripture is clear that the Holy Spirit is the power behind God’s mission in the world.  While preparing His followers for their mission, Jesus tells them in Acts 1:8, 

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”

Many have argued that Jesus took a risk here by leaving this work in the hands of ordinary men.  What do you think?  Did He?  It appears as if He does because He gives them this assignment in v.8 and then leaves in v. 9.  But as you carefully study this text and others like it, what you find is that Jesus’ confidence is not solely in these men and women, but in the person and work of the Holy Spirit.  In Acts 1:8, Jesus lets His followers know that they are going to be successful and are going to be His witnesses throughout the world because they are going to be empowered by the Holy Spirit.

In fact in Acts 1:4, Jesus tells His disciples to wait on the promise of the Father.  This is very interesting here that Jesus tells His followers to wait because throughout the gospels He is either telling His followers to “Come…Follow me” or “Go…Make disciples.”  They are told to come and they are told to go, but here they are told to “Wait.”  Why?  Because Jesus knew that they were in need of the empowering of the Holy Spirit to be able to do the work that He is calling them to do—to be His witnesses and make Him known where He is not known. 

Truth is if it were left to us alone, God’s mission would be in jeopardy.  We are in need of divine power and we have that in the Holy Spirit.  Without the empowering work of the Holy Spirit none of us would be worth anything in ministry—none of us would have anything to offer.  It’s His work in and through us that makes the difference. 

"Quote" of the Week

"A church in the land without the Spirit is rather a curse than a blessing. If you have not the Spirit of God, Christian worker, remember that you stand in somebody else's way; you are a fruitless tree standing where a fruitful tree might grow." -Charles Spurgeon

DO WE THINK OURSELVES HIGHER THAN WE SHOULD?

Though we hate to admit it, we have a tendency to think of ourselves as being more important than we really are.  A while back I read a slogan for a certain type of insurance that read, “For the most important person in the world…you.”  We are constantly being exposed to these types of messages and think of ourselves in this way.

Now the Bible is clear that we are special in so far as we are created in God’s image, but Scripture is also clear that we are not nearly as great and as important as we think we are.  We need to have a correct view of ourselves and in Philippians 2, Paul puts things in perspective for us.  He says in vv. 5-6,

‎ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.

‎Paul explains in this passage that Christ has the highest status imaginable—He is God.  In v. 6, the NASB translates it “although He existed.”  Paul is speaking of the time before Christ came to earth, which tells us that Christ is eternal—he has always existed.  Paul goes on to say, “in the form of God” meaning Christ is equal in person with God the Father.  So what Paul is saying here is, “Before coming to earth and before taking on flesh Christ existed as the eternal Son of God equal in person with God the Father.” 

But though that’s the case—though He was equal in nature, essence and form with God, Paul tells us that Christ refused to selfishly cling to His equality with God and aren’t you glad He didn’t?  Aren’t you glad He didn’t say, “I have the same nature and essence as the Father, I am equal to Him and refuse to become a part of My creation because I am creator God?”

Instead, Paul tells us that He did not cling to these things, but instead humbled himself.  Now this doesn’t mean he gave up his authority or his title or his essence as God.  It just means that he did not cling to all the advantages that come with being God.  Now what’s ironic about this is that Christ who is in the very nature, form and essence of God who could have clung tightly to the advantages of being God—HE chose to humble Himself, while we, who are not even close to being what HE is refuse.

Paul wants his readers to realize that if Christ, who is infinitely greater than any thought of us did not consider his status as something to cling to then neither should we.  If He humbled Himself for us, how much more so should we for others?

"Quote" of the Week

"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him." -C.T. Studd

DO WE NEED GOD'S PEOPLE?

A while back I was given a book written by George Barna entitled Revolution. For those of you not familiar with Barna, he is a Christian stats guy and he and his group have reported a lot of helpful statistics about the state of things within the church and with nonbelievers in the world.

In this book, what Barna does is he reports on a group of believers that they have studied that he calls “revolutionaries.” He explains that their main focus is on their relationship with God and that they really don’t see the church as necessary.

Now like I said, the stats that Barna reports about the rise in this group of people and their mentality is very helpful to pastors and church leaders. The problem with this book is that the prescription Barna gives is not. In fact, I would say that Barna’s prescription is worse than his diagnosis. What Barna basically says in this book is, “No big deal." He even makes a push for Christians to accept the fact that people are seeking to follow God outside the church walls.

There is a major issue I have with this prescription. It’s just not biblical. What we discover as we read God’s Word is that one of the key ways for us to grow in Christ—one of the key ways to mature in our faith is through valuing relationships and connecting with God’s people in His church.

The phrase “one another” is used over a hundred times in almost every book in the New Testament. How can we be obedient to God by "Loving one another, submitting to one another, encouraging one another, building one another up, exhorting one another, showing hospitality to one another, praying for one another, not speaking evil against one another" if we do not associate with one another?

Truth is we can’t. Living in community with God’s people is not optional, it's essential if we want to be like Christ.

"Quote" of the Week

"Congregational life (is) the very means whereby believers are shaped into Christlikeness and Christian maturity." -Albert Mohler

When you hear the word worship, what often comes to mind? Maybe it’s a place of worship like the church or a person of worship like a worship leader or maybe even a style of worship whether it be a contemporary or more traditional form of worship.

Truth is all of us have certain ideas that come to mind when thinking about worship. Though that’s the case—though all of us think and talk about worship and feel as if it is important—though we have strong opinions about how it should look and be done, too few of us have been equipped from God’s Word with what He has said about Worship.

In Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 Solomon gives us great insight on what true God honoring worship should look like. He says,

To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.

Several times in this passage Solomon talks about the importance of worshipping with an open heart and a closed mouth. The reason why is because our worship is to be based on the truth of God’s word.

Many think, “Worship is all about me singing and shouting praises to God—Worship is all about what I say about Him and to Him.” God’s word says “NO.” True God honoring worship takes place when our hearts are open and our mouths are closed. Worship is just as much about what God says to us as it is about what we say to Him.

Many take part in worship in the church week in and week out not just because they are participating in singing the songs or paying a tithe (though that’s a part of worship), but because they are being attentive when the Word of God is being preached—because they are listening with open hearts and closed mouths and because they are open and ready to receive and apply God’s message

That's what true worship is. It's focusing on and responding to God.

"Quote" of the Week

"I believe a local church exists to do corporately what each Christian believer should be doing individually--and that is to worship God. It is to show forth the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light." -A.W. Tozer

BEING THE BODY BETTER

When little babies first learn to walk they are pretty awkward aren’t they? Not being mean, just being honest. They fall down a lot, it takes them a while to figure out they have joints so they often walk around stiff legged and can’t get anywhere fast. But their little bodies don’t stay that way do they? They eventually grow and mature and function properly.

In Ephesians 4, Paul tells us that the church is to be doing the same thing. Though the church is often referred to as the “Body of Christ,” right now at present many of our churches are not being the body very well. In fact, we could all be the body better. Many churches, like a toddler, lack maturity and are not functioning properly. Paul says what we are to be doing in response is growing in godliness individually and collectivly so that we can better represent our head—the Lord Jesus.

If we as a church body would make a commitment to gather together for the purpose of getting equipped to grow in Christ then we are going to become more of what God has called us to be. We are going to start worshipping God better, we are going to start connecting with one another better and become unified and mature together and as a result we are going to start making an impact here and everywhere.

"Quote" of the Week

"The concept of the Church as the body of Christ...is a tremendous idea. Nothing, surely, is more stimulating to our faith, nothing more encouraging, nothing more stimulating to our practical holiness, than the realisation of this wonderful and exalted truth about ourselves. I say once more that I am increasingly convinced that what chiefly accounts for the low state of spirituality in the Christian Church is the failure to grasp (this) doctrine. We think so much in subjective terms, and we spend so much time in trying to work something up, that we fail to see that the way to become holy is to understand the truth about ourselves and to realise our high calling and our privileged position." -Martyn Lloyd-Jones

SERMON NOTES FOR AUGUST 14, 2011

MAKING SENSE OF OUR DAYS LEFT UNDER THE SUN
I know I have shared this with you before but just in case you don’t know this about me, I am terrible with directions. Because I am this way, I love when someone gives me clear and simple directions to get from one place to another.

Well guess what? That’s exactly what Solomon gives us here in this last section of this wonderful book. Today we are ending our study of Ecclesiastes and if you will remember from last week Solomon ended the passage with this familiar phrase, “Vanity of Vanities, all is vanity.” As we have discussed already at length, under the sun—without God life is vanity.

The word vanity is the Hebrew word Hevel, which means meaningless, empty, futile and fleeting.” And you’ll remember Solomon begins this book with that phrase, “Vanity of Vanities,” but aren’t you glad he doesn’t end with it? Aren’t you glad this book doesn’t end with v. 8?

Today we are GOING to end this book by discussing vv. 9-14.

Though Solomon has been straight up with us so far that life is harsh, challenging, unfair, and meaningless, he does us a great service at the end of this book by ending with clear and simple instructions on how to live our lives for God under the sun. First Solomon says we need to...

GET WISDOM

Once again in this passage we return to the theme of the importance of wisdom. Solomon makes the point once again that wisdom is to be the preferred thing in our life. We are to value it over health, wealth, power and popularity. And God’s word is clear that we are not to just sit around and wait for it. We are to seek it out. Solomon says in Proverbs 4, “GET WISDOM…GET INSIGHT.” We are to seek it out and Ecclesiastes is a book written by a man who has done just that.

Though Solomon made a lot of mistakes in his life, Ecclesiastes is proof that his life was not in vain. He learned some valuable life lessons and in this book he imparts his wisdom to us. So it’s important that we seek to gain wisdom as well by looking to Solomon in this book and by studying other books from God’s word.

Not only is it important that we get wisdom from God’s Word, but we need to also look to others to help us grow in wisdom. Once again remember what Solomon says in Proverbs? He says to be wise, we have to walk with the wise. So we need to seek guidance from those who are displaying godly wisdom—those who honor God with the decisions they make and the lives they live.

There are people in this church who fit this description. All you have to do is look at their life and see it. If you are young in your faith, I want to encourage you to seek out those who are more spiritually mature than yourself for guidance.

In addition to getting wisdom, Solomon says that we are to…

EQUIP OTHERS

What good is having wisdom if we don’t share it with others? Solomon says this about himself,

9 Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. 10 The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

Solomon makes the point here that he’s not just wise for the sake of being wise. Look again at what he says in v. 9. He says,

9 Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge,

Here Solomon is humbly acknowledging that God had given him the gift of wisdom so that he could in turn pass that wisdom on to others. And boy does he ever do this in this book. The same is to be true of us. If you have biblical wisdom, you have a whole lot to offer people.

We are all to be growing in wisdom, but in turn we are also to be equipping others with the wisdom that we have. Now there are different degrees to this. You may just be teaching your spouse, or your children, or your grand-children—you might be leading a Bible Study or Small group or something bigger than that, but we are all called to make disciples. We are called at some level to teach and to impart wisdom to others so that the body of Christ—God’s people—the church would be built up.

That’s Paul’s point in Ephesians 4. So don’t tune me out here. This passage has relevance to you.

Solomon’s point in this passage of Scripture is that to honor God with your life—to live the life that God has called you to live, you need to be faithfully equipping others—you need to get wisdom and in turn share that wisdom with others so that this church can be more of what God wants it to be—so that this church can be built up.

Now some of you are probably thinking to yourself, “Well, where do I begin?” “How do I begin to grow in wisdom?” Once again, the best place to start is with God’s word. Notice what Solomon says at the end of v. 9.

He says, “I have weigh(ed) and stud(ed) and arrang(ed) many proverbs with great care."

Solomon as wise as he was, he didn’t just sit down and crank out three books of the Bible in a night. He didn’t just write Ecclesiastes, Proverbs and the Song of Solomon effortlessly in a short period of time. In v. 9 he shares a bit about this process of writing these biblical books. Solomon says, “I have weighed, and I have studied and I have arranged these books with great care.”

Solomon was a student of God and of His Word. Though he was the wisest person ever to live outside of the Lord Jesus, he worked hard and spent long hours—days, weeks, months and more carefully studying and arranging these texts of Scripture.

If this is true of Solomon, how much more so should this be true of us? How much more so should we be carefully studying God’s Word to get the wisdom needed to live a life that is honoring to Him?

In v. 10 Solomon says,

10 The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

Once again, Solomon did not seek to have godly wisdom just to be wise. He worked hard with his speech and crafted his words carefully to communicate truth in a way that’s easily understood.

That needs to be our goal as well. We need to study God’s word and look for good ways—creative ways to teach His word to others. It’s not about showing how much you know and how educated you are in the Scriptures. It’s about communicating truth in a way that is enjoyable, understandable and applicable.

In the second half of verse 10 notice Solomon also says that a good teacher speaks truth. He says,

The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

If you are going to honor God in teaching others, you cannot hold back and waver when it comes to difficult truths of the Bible.

Now I want to warn you that this message is going to anger some. Now you need to speak truth in a loving way, but at times this is unavoidable because many don’t like the message of the Bible. Is saying that Jesus is the only way going to be accepted by all your friends and family? Absolutely not. But let me ask you this, is it true? It absolutely is.

Will you speak the truth and take a stand for the truth regardless the consequences? One thing I love about Ecclesiastes is that Solomon speaks the truth--he holds nothing back. Some of you were overwhelmed by some of the depressing realities Solomon addressed about our life under the sun. There were some Sundays when I thought to myself, “This may not go over well.” But are his words true? Absolutely. Are we going to die someday, maybe today? Yes we are. Is it beneficial to live everyday with that day in mind? Yes it is.

After studying this book we have a much better understanding on how to live life because Solomon has helped us in the nasty here and now. He has helped us to know how to live a heavenly life in a hellish world.

He continues in v. 11 with this theme of why it is important to study and share God’s word with others by sharing some personal benefits to learning and applying the word of God. He says,

11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd.

Once again Solomon is using metaphors here to share with us the reader the benefits of studying and sharing God’s word. He says that God’s word is like a goad. A goad is similar to a cattle prod. And what Solomon means by giving this metaphor here is that God’s word is like a cattle prod in that it motivates us—it gets our attention and gets us moving in life and living for God.

And let’s be honest, we all need the Bible to function in this way at times don’t we. Sometimes when running the race for God, we get sidetracked. Maybe at one time your walk was strong, but along the way you have slowed to a stop. God’s word functions as a goad or a cattle prod to motivate us to get back in there and get moving for God.

Solomon also says God’s word is also like nails firmly fixed. Now how are nails used? They hold things in place right? That’s what God’s word does. It’s not just used as a goad or a prod to get us motivated to move and live for God. His word is also used to provide stability and security. There are many people being blown about by the waves of this life and don’t know which way is up.

You ever been in that situation? When you truly feel as if you don’t have anywhere to turn and don’t feel as if there is any way out? You feel trapped? God’s word can function as nails that are firmly fixed giving us stability, security and confidence in a world filled instability, insecurity and uncertainty.

You know why we can have this kind of confidence that this book and others like it in the Bible can make this kind of impact? Look at the end of v. 11. The words of this book come from “ONE SHEPHERD.” Solomon is saying here that the words within this book are true and can bring about change in your life because they are God’s words. So we need to become students of it and equip others with it.

The third point is a continuation of this second point. Though there are a lot of ways to train people to live a life that honors God, we need to first…

MAKE THE BIBLE A PRIORITY

Solomon says,

12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

There are a whole lot of books out there aren’t there? I mean I have close to 1200books in my online library that I have access to. It’s unbelievable the amount of books out there on any and every topic you can think of.

Some of you I know are avid readers. You read article after article online, follow 5-10 blogs, read every best selling novel you can get your hands on. But the question you need to ask yourself is this, “What am I doing with the best-selling book of all time?” Last I checked over 6 billion copies of the Bible have been sold. That is over 5 billion more than the book in second place. But is it the most read—the most studied? I don’t think so.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love to read and there are some great books that I’ve read that have improved my reading of God’s word so please don’t hear me say that we should not read other books, especially those that help us grow in godliness. There is nothing wrong with books. What Solomon is saying is that it is wrong when we neglect The Book—God’s book—God’s Word because true biblical wisdom can only be found in the Scriptures.

You want to live the life God has called you to live? You want to not waste your life and make an impact for God under the sun? Let me tell you that it will not happen if you are not a student of God’s Word. Have you ever met a sold out servant of the Lord—a godly man or woman who was not a student of the Word of God? I haven’t. So in your quest for wisdom, make sure you put Scripture first.

Solomon closes this book with one last word of advice. And like the previous points it is plain and simple. He basically says if you want to live a life that honors God the rest of your days under the sun you must...

FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDS

Look at v. 13. Solomon says,

13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Here Solomon gives us two imperatives, “Fear God and keep His commandments.” These are not options or suggestions, these are commands. Now let’s talk about the first command because we first have to get a handle on this before discussing the second.

What does it mean to “Fear God?” Though many don’t like talking about God as one to be feared, we cannot avoid this phrase “Fear God.” You know why? Because it’s all throughout the Bible. Many have defined fearing God as reverential awe—standing in awe—or in amazement of God for who He is and what He has done. Though that works in certain texts of Scripture, in this passage in Ecc. 12:9-12, the phrase “Fear God” is followed by verses about God’s Judgment. Solomon says in v. 14,

For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

So here Solomon is not as much calling for believers to acknowledge God as an awesome being as he is calling for us to acknowledge Him as a fearful being. Now we need to recognize both, but here Solomon is not calling for us to stand in awe of God as our Creator King, but is calling for us to fear HIM as our judge.

Jesus said we are to fear God because He is the only one who can destroy both body and soul in Hell. The Bible also tells us that our God is a consuming fire and that you don’t want to fall into His hands and that every single person that has lived or will ever live will stand before the Lord one day and be judged. And we are told this so we will fear Him—so that we will experience Holy terror.

Now though we don’t like to talk about fearing God, though we want to be happy and carefree in life, we have to emphasize what Scripture emphasizes and God’s word emphasizes being fearful of God as our judge. Many also fail to realize the benefit of fearing God. Remember when we talked about making sense of our dying day and about how though we often don’t like to think about death it’s extremely beneficial for us to think about because it affects the way we live in a good way? Same is true when it comes to fearing God.

Though we don’t like to think about God as a God of wrath and judgment, thinking about Him in this way affects the way we live in a good way, which is why it is emphasized hundreds of times throughout the Scripture and why it is emphasized here in Solomon’s closing remarks. Believers, you want to honor God with your life for the rest of your days under the sun, “FEAR GOD.”

Solomon follows with the second command “keep His commandments.” He knew we had to first have the fear of God down before we would be ready for the second. If you will fear God, really fear Him and fear sin and its consequences, this will help you better live for Him.

CONCLUSION

Let me end with this. I want you to notice that especially on this last part I have been speaking to believers here. “Believers, fear God” “Believers, keep His commands.” Because the truth of the matter is without Christ, coming to know God for who he truly is and fearing Him and living a life that honors Him is impossible. You want to live a life that honors God the rest of your days under the sun? You have to first be made right with Him through His son.

As Solomon says in v. 14, we are all going to stand before God one day and the question you need to ask yourself this morning is “Am I ready when that day comes?” Some will say, “Well, I’ve done the best that I can, surely that will be enough for God.” I can tell you this and don’t even have to pray about it—it won’t. God has made that much clear in His word.

Your good deeds are filthy rags to God. What you need is righteousness outside of yourself to be right with Him and the good news is that this has been provided by the Lord Jesus. Christ is our substitute. Through His life, death and resurrection he made a way to God for us, when there seemed to be no way. I want end this series in Ecclesiastes the way I began by telling you that the only way to live a life that is honoring to God the rest of your days under the SUN is by living your life in the SON.