Back to School season... the commercials always seem to start up every summer a little earlier than they did the year before. Trapper-Keepers, clothing sales, and that little phone commercial about the dad doing his twitter update about sitting on the porch all seem to mark this time of the deep breath before the plunge back into the classroom. How kind that the Preacher has given us something to think about once again!
In Ecclesiastes 1:13-18 we read that wisdom as a pursuit doesn't bring much meaning to life. The reason it comes up empty is that although we grow in our ability to diagnose things about life, we don't have the ability to make things different (v 15 - what is crooked can't be made straight). As a result we wind up "vexed" and sad (v 18). So what's the point of going to school again?
First, wisdom that comes from God reveals the need our world has for a Savior. The Preacher saw things and turned into a cynic... sorrowful and bitter about the problems he saw in the world. This danger is real for all of us. Increasing in knowledge always brings about a proportional risk of growing in arrogance and disdain. But none of us wants to be a "food critic" regarding life. We want to savor and enjoy grace wherever we can find it. So how can we humble ourselves enough to do this?
Second, we have to remember that wisdom that comes from God is revealed by behavior. James 3 tells us that those who truly possess wisdom from above are marked by good conduct. Their wisdom could be described as "meek." In short, according to God- wisdom is as wisdom does (apologies to Forrest). James says that folks who are truly wise will be people who are "pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, merciful, impartial, and sincere." They will be people who are marked by "good fruit." This makes us ask ourselves, "What happens to me when I learn something new (something new about life, the world, or about others)? Do I become critical and arrogant in my observations? Or am I marked more by this list in James?" If you're not sure... I'll be there are some folks you know who could help you answer this question. But what if we see something kind of ugly about ourselves in the process?
Lastly, we must remember that the ultimate display of wisdom is seen at Calvary. Paul dealt with a church that was enamored by people who lived morally and spoke eloquently. They thought that those who were "wise" were respected and ultimately worthy of favor from God. But Paul reminded them in 1 Cor 1 that the Cross was ultimately God's greatest reminder that man's strength and wisdom were useless before God. "At the cross God shattered all human pretensions to strength and wisdom" (Carson). At the end of the day, nothing humbles us more than focusing on the Cross. And there is our hope: although it's tempting to grow in pride as we gain knowledge, living in the shadow of the Cross is a more powerful antidote to pride. Not only are we humbled by God's wisest display of what the world calls waste, we're included in God's display of this "folly!" God chose us (who aren't wise, noble, or worthy) so that people would ultimately have their eyes drawn to the One who is the wisdom of God.
Enjoy reveling in our weakness that we might boast in the Lord! (1 Cor 1:13-31)
Monday, August 17, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Rethinking wealthiness...
This last week, we looked at the Preacher's take on riches in Ecclesiastes 5. We're all so tempted to look to our bank accounts as indicators of whether we can feel good about ourselves and have confidence for the future. But through that passage, God reminded us that wealth on the earth isn't all it's made out to be. Money always disappoints us in the moment and never comes through for us in the end. That's just part of the way God's ordained things: only He satisfies us fully in Christ... and He's not about to be replaced.
In order to help my family think this through, I'm considering a little book I've just run across. It's by Greg Dutcher, a seasoned pastor who recently started a church in Maryland. The book is called You are the Treasure that I Seek... but there's a lot of cool stuff out there, Lord. Interesting title... I hope the book will be a help to me as I try to subdue Here's a little blurb about it:
With honesty, humor, and compassion, author Greg Dutcher addresses a contemporary problem that most Christians aren’t even aware of: idolatry. He reminds his readers that there is a battle to be fought, and what is at stake is our lives, the lives of others, and, most importantly, the reputation of Christ Himself. With winsome anecdotes, references to modern culture, biblical references, and nods to respected theologians such as Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, and C. S. Lewis, Dutcher makes us aware of the problem, helps us isolate it, and then gives us the weapons to contain it. Study questions at the end of each chapter make this a great individual or group Bible study.
Anyway, I thought I'd list a few closing points from the sermon on Sunday:
How are we to fight materialism and gain treasure that lasts for eternity?
1. Kill those things that threaten your contentment in Christ.
2. Beware of a growing anxiety about your stuff.
3. Beware of a growing greed about other's stuff.
4. Give generously to God's work and others in need.
5. Be grateful (with your words) about your current lot.
6. Most importantly, strengthen your satisfaction in Christ alone.
Praying it helps us to use our wealth as a foundation for our futures,
Darren
In order to help my family think this through, I'm considering a little book I've just run across. It's by Greg Dutcher, a seasoned pastor who recently started a church in Maryland. The book is called You are the Treasure that I Seek... but there's a lot of cool stuff out there, Lord. Interesting title... I hope the book will be a help to me as I try to subdue Here's a little blurb about it:
With honesty, humor, and compassion, author Greg Dutcher addresses a contemporary problem that most Christians aren’t even aware of: idolatry. He reminds his readers that there is a battle to be fought, and what is at stake is our lives, the lives of others, and, most importantly, the reputation of Christ Himself. With winsome anecdotes, references to modern culture, biblical references, and nods to respected theologians such as Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, and C. S. Lewis, Dutcher makes us aware of the problem, helps us isolate it, and then gives us the weapons to contain it. Study questions at the end of each chapter make this a great individual or group Bible study.
Anyway, I thought I'd list a few closing points from the sermon on Sunday:
How are we to fight materialism and gain treasure that lasts for eternity?
1. Kill those things that threaten your contentment in Christ.
2. Beware of a growing anxiety about your stuff.
3. Beware of a growing greed about other's stuff.
4. Give generously to God's work and others in need.
5. Be grateful (with your words) about your current lot.
6. Most importantly, strengthen your satisfaction in Christ alone.
Praying it helps us to use our wealth as a foundation for our futures,
Darren
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Usefulness, fairness, and coolness...
Over the past three weeks, we've heard from "the Preacher" about the trouble with toil, the idiocy of injustice, and the perils of power. As we gather this week to apply God's word to our lives, I wanted to provide a basic overview of these messages and to suggest a few application questions for discussion. I pray God uses these in your groups as you seek to discuss what God is doing in your lives.
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Sunday, July 19- Ecc 2:18-23 by Jonathan Putnam
THE BIG IDEA: the gospel makes it possible for us to glorify God in the work He has assigned us.
First Point: Death renders work meaningless.
Sin has affected our work to the point that we want to labor for our own honor. We see a picture of this in the Tower of Babel. The curse on work in Genesis 3 demonstrates God's opposition to our attempts at working for our glory. In this sense, the curse on work is the mercy of God that makes self-centered labor fruitless.
Second Point: Christ rendered death powerless.
The resurrection of Jesus marks the triumph of Christ over death as the final payment for sin. Instead, Jesus' death on the cross pays our debt before God, and God's resurrection of Christ demonstrates that this payment is effective. If that is true, then death is powerless over us... and our work can be meaningful.
Third Point: Christians can labor in a meaningful way for God.
Jonathan pointed out that (in seeking to live for God) Christians can glorify God in three ways:
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Sunday, July 26- Ecc 3:16-4:3 by Darren Lander
THE BIG IDEA: the greatest injustice the world's ever seen provides courage to act against injustice and comfort when I'm treated unjustly.
First Point: Injustice distorts our outlook.
The injustices of life can make us think that nobody is in control over life and that there is no comfort for those who suffer in this life. The Preacher saw this in the courts and in the workplace, and we can find those same injustices publicly on display today in corrupt trials and unfairness towards workers and stockholders today. This evidence can tempt us because...
Second Point: Injustice lies about our God.
The "Preacher" in Ecclesiastes came to the conclusion that injustice makes life a hopeless cause. He thought that people were no better off than animals and that death was the only hope for those who suffer. In fact, when we try to reconcile whether our lives are meaningful, we often look (like George Bailey) back on the impact we've made on those around us. Sadly, we often find a lack of evidence that supports the idea that our suffering in life has been worth it. But God brings hope to us because...
Third Point: Injustice reveals God's justice and control.
The truth is that we've never suffered in any degree as Jesus has suffered for us. Rather than making us feel guilty that we struggle under suffering, this should encourage us about 4 things:
a. God uses our suffering to prove our faith (1 Peter 1:3-7)
b. God uses our suffering to magnify His glory (Romans 8:16-19)
c. God used Christ's suffering to bring us to God (1 Pet 3:17-18)
d. God used Christ's suffering to reveals His righteousness (Romans 3:21-26)
If God can use the greatest injustice in history to guarantee His justice and our salvation, then we can trust Him to use the lesser suffering in our life to rivet our faith on Christ and to declare His worthiness to others who suffer. Therefore,
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Sunday, August 2- Ecc 4:13-16 by Darren Lander
THE BIG IDEA: the lies of popularity to stick with us and protect us are countered and conquered by the fear of the Lord and the love of Christ.
First Point: Popularity pledges to stick with us forever.
The "Preacher" observed the ways in which the king of Israel (beloved and old) would be replaced by his successor and forgotten by his people... and that this would be the lot for all who would succeed him on the throne. This reality sobered him, but we are all tempted to place our identity in what others think of us. Because we all want to be remembered and have our namesake honored forever...
Second Point: Popularity pledges to protect us from harm.
In Ecclesiastes 8, the Preacher gave advice to the counselors to the king, who would be in danger of suffering harm at the hands of the tyrannical king of Israel. To protect them, the Preacher provided rules to live by in order to keep themselves out of trouble. In the same way, we can live under rules that we think should help us to know the right thing to say at the right time (v 2-6)... but we can't really know how to act all the time (v 6-9). People are troubled by things we can't see and respond in ways we can't predict. We see this in public settings and in our private lives. We'd love to be free from this desire to live for other's approval so that we'd never feel hurt in social settings again... but we seem chained by the desire to live for other people's approval. But good news exists...
Third Point: The Savior pledges to change our allegiances.
Jesus died to free us from living for our glory and to release us to live for His namesake. We see a model of this in Paul's life (who was threatened and mocked but who chose to serve Christ and others nonetheless). In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul demonstrates that he was motivated by 2 things:
I hope these are some reminders of what we've discussed and help to provide a refresher of what God's been doing both to convict you of sin, to remind you of His work, and to encourage you that He's provided grace for you. Have a great night together!
Darren
-----
Sunday, July 19- Ecc 2:18-23 by Jonathan Putnam
THE BIG IDEA: the gospel makes it possible for us to glorify God in the work He has assigned us.
First Point: Death renders work meaningless.
Sin has affected our work to the point that we want to labor for our own honor. We see a picture of this in the Tower of Babel. The curse on work in Genesis 3 demonstrates God's opposition to our attempts at working for our glory. In this sense, the curse on work is the mercy of God that makes self-centered labor fruitless.
Second Point: Christ rendered death powerless.
The resurrection of Jesus marks the triumph of Christ over death as the final payment for sin. Instead, Jesus' death on the cross pays our debt before God, and God's resurrection of Christ demonstrates that this payment is effective. If that is true, then death is powerless over us... and our work can be meaningful.
Third Point: Christians can labor in a meaningful way for God.
Jonathan pointed out that (in seeking to live for God) Christians can glorify God in three ways:
- We glorify God in the tasks of our work. We can actually bring glory to God because our labor imitates God's labors (see Genesis 1). In this sense, we labor like God.
- We glorify God in the quality of our work. We can bring glory to God because our labors are a means of "working heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." In this sense, we labor for God.
- We glorify God in the goal of our work. We can make God look good when we remember that God uses our jobs as ways of restoring the world to himself. In this sense, we labor with God.
- What has God been showing you about how you've built your own Tower of Babel?
- How does Jesus' victory over death give you hope that your work can be meaningful again?
- In what way (from the third point) are you encouraged that you can glorify God at work?
-----
Sunday, July 26- Ecc 3:16-4:3 by Darren Lander
THE BIG IDEA: the greatest injustice the world's ever seen provides courage to act against injustice and comfort when I'm treated unjustly.
First Point: Injustice distorts our outlook.
The injustices of life can make us think that nobody is in control over life and that there is no comfort for those who suffer in this life. The Preacher saw this in the courts and in the workplace, and we can find those same injustices publicly on display today in corrupt trials and unfairness towards workers and stockholders today. This evidence can tempt us because...
Second Point: Injustice lies about our God.
The "Preacher" in Ecclesiastes came to the conclusion that injustice makes life a hopeless cause. He thought that people were no better off than animals and that death was the only hope for those who suffer. In fact, when we try to reconcile whether our lives are meaningful, we often look (like George Bailey) back on the impact we've made on those around us. Sadly, we often find a lack of evidence that supports the idea that our suffering in life has been worth it. But God brings hope to us because...
Third Point: Injustice reveals God's justice and control.
The truth is that we've never suffered in any degree as Jesus has suffered for us. Rather than making us feel guilty that we struggle under suffering, this should encourage us about 4 things:
a. God uses our suffering to prove our faith (1 Peter 1:3-7)
b. God uses our suffering to magnify His glory (Romans 8:16-19)
c. God used Christ's suffering to bring us to God (1 Pet 3:17-18)
d. God used Christ's suffering to reveals His righteousness (Romans 3:21-26)
If God can use the greatest injustice in history to guarantee His justice and our salvation, then we can trust Him to use the lesser suffering in our life to rivet our faith on Christ and to declare His worthiness to others who suffer. Therefore,
- We will never WINK at injustice, instead- we'll act wisely to help others who suffer.
- We will never WORRY about injustice, instead- we'll pray fervently when we suffer.
- We will always TAKE COMFORT in the cross- the greatest injustice ever seen.
- In what ways have you been feeling as though you've been unjustly treated lately?
- What has this tempted you to believe about God and His way of dealing with you?
- How does God's treatment of you (through Christ's suffering) encourage you as you suffer?
-----
Sunday, August 2- Ecc 4:13-16 by Darren Lander
THE BIG IDEA: the lies of popularity to stick with us and protect us are countered and conquered by the fear of the Lord and the love of Christ.
First Point: Popularity pledges to stick with us forever.
The "Preacher" observed the ways in which the king of Israel (beloved and old) would be replaced by his successor and forgotten by his people... and that this would be the lot for all who would succeed him on the throne. This reality sobered him, but we are all tempted to place our identity in what others think of us. Because we all want to be remembered and have our namesake honored forever...
Second Point: Popularity pledges to protect us from harm.
In Ecclesiastes 8, the Preacher gave advice to the counselors to the king, who would be in danger of suffering harm at the hands of the tyrannical king of Israel. To protect them, the Preacher provided rules to live by in order to keep themselves out of trouble. In the same way, we can live under rules that we think should help us to know the right thing to say at the right time (v 2-6)... but we can't really know how to act all the time (v 6-9). People are troubled by things we can't see and respond in ways we can't predict. We see this in public settings and in our private lives. We'd love to be free from this desire to live for other's approval so that we'd never feel hurt in social settings again... but we seem chained by the desire to live for other people's approval. But good news exists...
Third Point: The Savior pledges to change our allegiances.
Jesus died to free us from living for our glory and to release us to live for His namesake. We see a model of this in Paul's life (who was threatened and mocked but who chose to serve Christ and others nonetheless). In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul demonstrates that he was motivated by 2 things:
- Paul was motivated by the fear of the Lord (v 11). This knowledge of Jesus as the Creator and Judge over all freed him from fearing others' opinion or lack of honor for himself.
- Paul was motivated by the love of Christ (v 14-15). This awareness of Christ's love for Him motivated him to die to others' approval and to live for Him who died (namely Christ).
- In what ways are you living for the limelight... aiming to be the "flavor of the month" for others?
- What do you think you might be afraid of that keeps you so committed to living for other's approval?
- What could you imagine being different about the way you lived if you were to grow in an awareness of God's majesty (the fear of the Lord) and God's affection (the love of Christ)?
I hope these are some reminders of what we've discussed and help to provide a refresher of what God's been doing both to convict you of sin, to remind you of His work, and to encourage you that He's provided grace for you. Have a great night together!
Darren
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