Moraine Valley Church

God Will Come Through / People of Promise

 Abrahamic – Foundational Promises
Genesis 12,15,17 & Hebrews 6  October 2, 2022 - Communion    

1. Introduction:
   1. The foundation of a building not only supports the weight of the structure but also determines the shape of it!
      1. The Abrahamic covenant is the foundation that not only supports the entire covenant program of God but also is the foundation that gives shape to the story of the Bible, what God is doing in this world – past present and future and ultimately in our own lives.  
      2. The better you understand covenants, the better you understand the Bible!  A synonymous word to covenant is testament.  New and Old Testament = new and old covenant!
   2. A covenant is the strongest word in any language to express and define relationships. 
      1. It is a solemn binding agreement between two parties, which provides a clear statement of how they will relate to one another with promises being made, and conditions agreed upon!
      2. The blood sacrifice required in a covenant indicates that they are permanent until one of the parties dies and is broken only under the penalty of death! 
   3. We are doing a series we are calling people of promise as we look at the promises that God has bound himself to by means of the solemn and serious means of covenants.  Promises that drive the story of God, the Bible and our lives!
2. The promises in the Abrahamic covenant
   1. There are five main promises that God made in the covenant with Abraham.   
      1. Land – actual dirt, ground, soil that would become their property. 
      2. Seed – a people, a nation, a lineage, descendants, children, offspring 
      3. Blessing – benefits God would bestow upon them
      4. In your seed all the nations will be blessed.
      5. God will be their God 
   2. Let’s start by reading where God first makes promises in Genesis 12:1-3 and then we see them progressively developed in chapters to come!   Read.
   3. I want to show you each of these promises one at a time.
      1. Land – an actual geographical piece of earth.
         1. Genesis 12:5-7 – fact
         2. Genesis 13:14-15 – forever
      2. Seed – descendant, offspring, children, the nation of people! 
         1. Fact - Genesis 12:2,7
         2. Numerous – Genesis 13:16, 15:5
      3. Blessing 
         1. Fact – Genesis 12:2-3
         2. Clarification – we see here and as the Scripture continues to unfold that God’s plan right from the beginning was to bless Abraham, the nation of Israel and the entire world!   
      4. In your seed all the nations will be blessed.  
         1. Read Genesis 12:3c: Genesis 22:18
         2. As we learn in Galatians 3, a few weeks ago, in Jesus, the ultimate seed of Abraham all the nations will be blessed and we get in on these promises because we belong to him.
      5. God will be their God -   
         1. Before God set up the covenant of circumcision, he reviewed with Abraham the promises he had already made by means of covenant to him and adds a few extra here.  
            1. Read Genesis 17:2-8  
            2. Not only a seed and land but he adds three more things here
               1. Father of a multitude of nations
               2. Kings will come forth from him
               3. God will be their God – both to Abraham and his descendants/seed 
         2. This is a key promise of this covenant and the whole covenant program!
            1. Note in Exodus 6:5-8 what God tells Moses when he reassures him regarding what he had promised in his covenant with Abraham.  Read
            2. This phrase is used ten times referring to the new covenant and is used to summarize the heart of the new covenant in the New Testament.  Hebrews 8:10 
   4. We see many of these put together when God confirmed the covenant with Jacob.   Read Genesis 28:13-15
   5. The heart of the Abrahamic covenant promises:  a land, seed, blessing and God being their God drives the stories behind the formation of the nation and the entrance into the Promised Land as seen from Genesis all the way to Joshua! 
      1. It is the why behind all these stories and the thread that ties them together.
      2. By the way, “promised land” is a term we have heard for years and even is in songs we sing–– it was the land promised to Abraham as an inheritance for his descendants in the Abrahamic covenant.  

• Note 

1.   The weight of the Abrahamic covenant
   1. Turn to Genesis 15 where we see these promises being made into a covenant.  
   2. The reason for the covenant was to give assurance to Abraham that God was going to fulfill his promises to him.     Listen to Genesis 15:7-8 – How may I know?
   3. Now we see God responding by making his promises into a covenant.  
      1. Read v9-10
      2. We learned last week that this is the procedure of a covenant
      3. Note that it only takes one animal to sacrifice to make it legitimate but this covenant is so big that God has three animals sacrificed
   4. Now as I read the details of this covenant I want you to notice who goes through the middle of the sacrificial animals and who does not.   
      1. Read 12-18 – know for certain.
      2. God alone went through the pieces of the sacrifice in the form of a smoking oven and smoking torch while Abraham was asleep
      3. The covenant was made with Abraham, not Israel.  The existence of Israel  the seed, descendants, the family line from Abraham, was one of the promises, provisions of the covenant
   5. That made this covenant an unconditional covenant where God bound himself under the curses of a covenant, the death penalty for breaking them, regarding the promises he was going to do for Abraham.
      1. This covenant places no conditions upon Abraham but only upon God himself!
2. Communion
   1. Turn to Hebrews 6 where he picks up on the theme of Genesis 15 and shows us that God made these promises into a covenant not only to assure Abraham that he would do what he promised.  Also, to assure the Jews living at that time and you and me as believers who are also in on these promises through Jesus!   
      1. Now before we look at this passage remember it was written about 35 years after Jesus ascended back into heaven as the writer was assuring these Jewish readers that the Abrahamic promises/covenant were still a sure future hope they could build their lives upon like an anchor for their souls.
         1. They were not something that have been spiritually fulfilled with the church now because of Israel’s disobedience or rejection of the Messiah. Rather it was a hope they could look forward to!  
      2. Read v13-20 - v18 – two unchangeable things, promise and covenant
      3. The reason for the covenant is three fold
         1. To show the recipients of the promise unchangeableness of his purpose. 
            1.  God is going to raise up a people for himself! He is going to be their God! He is going to give them the land! He is going to bless them!
         2. We might have strong encouragement
         3. Gives us a hope that is sure enough to be an anchor for our soul.
   2. We, the church, along with Israel have the hope and look forward to all these covenant promises going into effect when God fulfills them with Israel and us in the future when Jesus returns.  
3. Communion 
   1. I want to speak for just a moment regarding the promise of blessing.
      1. While the Mosaic, Deuteronic and the new covenants detail out more of what that blessing will look like.
   2. I want to close with how the New Testament helps us further understand that blessing.
      1. Turn to Acts 3 and read v25-26   
         1. What we see here that ultimately the promise of Abraham’s seed blessing of all the families of the earth is the blessing of salvation and the deliverance from the power of sin in their lives.
      2. We see this again in Galatians 3:8-9 – turn and read 
         1. We see here that God actually preached the gospel to Abraham in this promise
      3. Read Galatians 3:13-14 – the blessing of Abraham was so the Gentiles might also receive the promise of the Holy Spirit.
         1. Interesting to note that the promise of receiving the Holy Spirit was not given until the new covenant, which further explains the blessing of the Abrahamic covenant.
   3. So every person in this room who knows Jesus personally on the basis of faith has experienced the covenant promise of Genesis 22:18.  Both the blessing of salvation and the blessing of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
   4. As you go to communion would you thank God for including us and thank Jesus for dying for us so we can experience the promised blessings to Abraham and for the hope of what we still have to look forward to!

 

The Impact of Covenant / People of Promise

The Seed / People of Promise

 The Seed
Genesis 3:15 September 18, 2022   

1. Introduction:
   1. We just started a series last week called People of Promise; where we are seeking to answer the question “What in the world is God doing?”  by understanding the big story of the Bible! 
      1. We learned that the story is driven by three key words – seed, covenant, Jesus.  
      2. This week we will deal with the seed and how appropriate because it is the very first promise in the Bible! This promise gives shape to the heart of what is going on in our world today and what God is doing all the way from Genesis 3 through Revelation 20!
   2. We learned last week that the story of what God is doing in this world is simply stated “God’s redemption of man through Jesus Christ!” or we could call it paradise restored!
      1. We saw that the story starts (Genesis 1-2) and ends (Revelation 21-22) the same way with God dwelling in harmony with man in his creation and there was no sin, death curse or Satan. 
      2. Genesis 3 is the setting for and explanation for everything in between from Genesis 3-Revelation 20.
         1. We call this chapter the fall of man, the place where sin entered this world as Satan deceived man into sin.
   3. Our focus this morning is on the curse God placed on Satan but within that curse God also made a promise about a seed, this promise drives the story regarding what God is doing in this world and introduces to us in seed form Jesus Christ.  
   4. Turn in your Bibles to Genesis 3 - read  
      1. In verse 14 -since Satan used a snake as the instrument, he worked through to deceive Eve, God puts a curse on the snake to crawl on his belly and eat dust!  
      2. Now read v15 - enmity simply means open hostility between two different people or groups of people
      3. The first would be between Satan and Eve – the way he ruined her life I think we can understand.
      4. Secondly, between your seed (Satan) and her seed (Eve only “her” in existence at that time) 
   5. Before I finish this verse let me take a side bar to explain what the word seed means.
      1. When you trace this Hebrew word through the Bible listen to what words are used to describe it. Offspring, descendant, origin, family, child, children, son, line, race, nation, posterity, people, seminal, intercourse, sow, grain.  
         1. The Greek word for seed is the word sperma where we get the English word sperm.
         2. So bottom line it is talking about a lineage of people from a particular family.
      2. But the word seed is always singular. But it can either refer to one person or a group of people – which is known as a collective noun – 
         1. We use these all the time when we speak of a group as a single entity. – a team, a band, board of elders or deacons.  How about the body of Christ – body is singular but used for every believer in Christ.
         2. The only way to know which is used is by the context it is found in.
      3. Here is a third thing about this word seed – it is used both physically and spiritually.    Again, only context can tell! 
         1. Listen to Isaiah 53:10 – did Jesus have literal physical offspring?  No
            1. But we learned in John 1 that all who believed in him became children of God.    
            2. This is a spiritual seed, descendants’ offspring
   6. Look back at Genesis 3:15 now
      1. Reread 15c – let me ask you who would be Satan’s literal physical offspring? He has none. but he does have spiritual ones who are of him.
      2. Passages:
         1. 1 John 3:12 where it says Cain was of the evil one!
         2. John 8:41,44 - Jesus tells the Jewish leaders they are of their father – Satan.
         3. Matthew 13:37-38 – parable of the tares shows that the sons of the kingdom and the sons of the evil one are in the world together
      3. So, I believe Genesis 3:15 talks about the open hostility that will be between the godly seed and ungodly seed.  
   7. The final open hostility revealed in this verse is the open hostility between Jesus and Satan read Genesis 3:15d-e 
      1. Satan will bruise Jesus which ultimately points to the cross, and Jesus will ultimately crush Satan by throwing him in the lake of fire to be tormented forever and ever day and night!   
      2. As we read between Genesis 3 to Revelation 20, we see these hostilities going on between the godly and ungodly and God/Jesus and Satan.
      3. We can even see it going on in our world today as we live in the time between Genesis 3 to Revelation 20
   8. Here is a chart I created to try to picture these lines throughout the Bible.  Thanks to Joel for simplifying it
      1. As we trace ‘seed throughout Scripture, we see the enmity develop that God described in Genesis 3:15, and we see it played out in history all the way until today (Galatians 4:29 - read), and it will continue until Jesus crushes Satan’s head in Revelation 20:10. 
      2. Chart 

Un-godly line (“your seed” - Satan)	Godly line (“her seed” - Eve)	Supporting Scriptures
Cain	Abel	Genesis 4:4
	Seth	Genesis 4:25-26
	Noah	Genesis 6:5-18, 7:1
Ham & Japheth	sham	Genesis 11:10, 27
Culture & lands of the world	Abraham	Genesis 12:3, 7; 13:15-16; 15:18; 17:1-8; 22:17-18; Romans 4:11-13, 16-17; Galatians 3:16
Ishmael - nation	Isaac	Genesis 17:19, 26:3-5
Esau - Edom	Jacob	Genesis 28:3-4, 13-14
Gentiles	Twelve tribes (nation of Israel)
	Judah	Genesis 49:8-10
	David	2 Samuel 7:12-16, Psalm 89:3-4, 33-37
	Jesus	Matthew 1:1, Acts 3:25-26
Non-believers	believers in Jesus	Romans 4:11-17, Galatians 3:29, Galatians 4:29

 

1. In weeks to come we will see this idea of the seed further clarified in the covenants and ultimately fulfilled in Jesus.  
   1. We need to perk up and listen closely in this series because these covenant promises are not just a story about Israel, but we also get in on these covenant promises as well, 
   2. Not because we are some kind of spiritual Israel that has now replaced Israel because of their disobedience 

• But by two different means

1.  Christians are also the seed of Abraham.
   1. First, turn to Romans 4:10 where we will see that we are descendants/seed of Abraham because we have a faith like his.
      1. In verses 10-17 he is showing us that both believing Jews and believing Gentiles are considered the seed of Abraham thus he became the father of many nations fulfilling the promise to Abraham in Genesis 17.   
         1. Thus, he is the father of all who believe - Jew and Gentile.
      2. In Romans 4:10-12
         1. Those without circumcision in this passage are the Gentiles
         2. Those who are circumcised are the Jews
         3. Read 
      3. Now in verses 13-17 he is guaranteeing to all the descendants, both believing Jews and Gentiles, that they would be heirs, recipients, possessors of those promises made in the Abrahamic covenant!
         1. Those who are of the law are Jews
         2. Read v13-17
      4. So according to Romans here the church does not replace Israel when it comes to the covenant promises but instead, they come in right alongside of Israel in experiencing the covenant promises!
   2. 2ndly turn to gal 3:16 where we will see that we are heirs, recipients, possessors of these promises, Abraham’s seed because we belong to Christ.
      1. Galatians 3:14 – we see that in Jesus the blessing of Abraham comes to the Gentiles
      2. Galatians 3:16 – the promises were spoken to Abraham and his seed, he does not say seeds as referring to many but seed, who is Jesus Christ.  
         1. So, the promises were made to both Abraham and Jesus 
         2. Galatians3:19 also confirms that the promises were made to Jesus
      3. Galatians 3:29 states that we are Abraham’s seed, heirs’ recipients, possessors of the promises made to Abraham because we belong to Jesus Christ!
         
         
         
         
   3. Just a side note, not all the physical descendants of Abraham, Jewish people, are or will be saved and experience the covenant promises, only those who believe. So, all believing Jews and Gentiles form Abraham’s seed – the heirs, recipients, possessors of the promises
      1. 2 Corinthians 11:22 (Corinthians v13-15) – speaking of Jewish false teachers as descendants/seed of Abraham he makes it clear that they are false teachers, agents of Satan, unsaved!
      2. Read v22 then 13-15 
      3. You can read further about this in Romans 9-11 where we learn that only a remnant of Israel will be saved!
2.  Conclusion
   1. Now this should put this series on a new level of interest for us because we are heirs, recipients, possessors of the covenant promises we will learn.  
      1. Yes, we are people of promise!
   2. The story of the Bible and the covenant promises we now see are really our story that shapes our world, which shapes the Bible and shapes our present spiritual reality and shapes the foundation of our future hope that we can build our life off like they are an anchor for our soul!  

 

People of Promise / Week 1

Introduction What in the World is God Doing?

Genesis 1-3, Revelation 19-22 September 11, 2022

I.Introduction:

A. This morning starts our fall series we are calling people of

promise! It will answer the question What in the word is God

doing?

1. We will answer that question not out of the context of

frustration because we cannot understand it,

2. But out of the context of a sure hope that we can have as

an anchor for our souls during the most difficult times of

our lives and world!

B. I can honestly say that this series was born in my heart back

in the spring of 1985, my last semester of seminary, when I was

taking a class from Doctor Dwight Pentecost called the biblical

covenants.

1. I went into that class having no idea what a covenant was

and also after three years of bible college and four and one

half years of seminary I had learned literally hundreds

upon hundreds of verses and truths but had no idea of how

they fit together or even more so flow together into a unit

forming the big story of what God is doing in this world.

2. I left that class looking at God and the Bible totally

differently

C. We are calling it people of promise because

1. A covenant is the means by which God has bound himself

to do the things he has promised!

2. In the covenants God’s big overarching plan by means of

promises are revealed

3. The better we understand the ultimate story of what God is

doing, then the better we understand our own lives and

times we live in!

D. Many people shy away from the Old Testament because they

either feel it does not apply to us today or they are so lost in it they

cannot figure out what is going on.

1. By the end of this series, you will be equipped with the

knowledge to go into the Old Testament with confidence

regarding what is going on there and recognizing it really

is the foundation to the New Testament. Thus, you will

not only better understand the Old Testament but the New

Testament as well.

2. Prophecy is simply what God has told us he will do in the

future! When it comes to the end times people try to piece

together hundreds of verses in the Old and New Testament

so it can make sense to them.

a. We will learn in this series that the hundreds of

verses on prophecy are simply the ways God is going

to fulfill his covenant promises that he made to Israel

which we join into through Jesus!

b. We will see that the prophecies have their roots in

the covenants so when the covenants make sense to us

then the prophecies will make sense to us!

c. Hopefully it will be like taking a 1,000-piece

puzzle and turning into about a 20-piece puzzle

E. So why a series on the covenants? - listen to these men

who recently went through this material as a test drive for this

series tell us how it impacted them:

• Let’s jump right in

II. The nature of a story

A. Structure of a story-

1. Put up image

a. Setting– introduction to the scene and characters –

e.g., “once upon a time…”

b. Incident – something happens that needs to be

resolved

c. Plot – a series of events that unfold as they try to

resolve the incident

d. Climax – the key event that resolves the incident

e. Outcome – tension decreases, and the incident is

resolved or explained

f. Resolution – learn something new or a new

way of carrying on from here. “And they lived happily

ever after…”

B. Are you following me now? Well, God’s story as

revealed in the Bible story works the same way

1. Structure of the Bible story image

2. Explain image

• Let me try to

III. Spaceship view of the story

A. I believe the story is driven by three key words – seed,

covenant, Jesus.

1. Next week we will learn more about the seed which

speaks either of a family line of people or a certain person

from that line

2. The following week and weeks to come we will learn

more about the covenants – a covenant is the means by

which God binds himself to do the promises he makes!

B. We learn a lot about a story by looking at the start of the

story and the end of a story. In the Bible

1. Start - setting – God creates a perfect heaven and earth,

and mankind (male and female) where he dwells with

them in paradise, and they are to reign over all his

creation. There is peace/shalom between God and man,

peace within man himself, peace between man and

woman, and peace with mankind and the earth. Paradise

has no: sin, Satan, curse or death Genesis 1-2

2. End - resolution – God creates a perfect new heaven and

earth where he dwells with man who reigns forever and

ever over all his new creation. There will be peace/shalom

between God and man, peace within man himself, peace

between man and woman, and peace with mankind and the

new earth. Paradise has no: sin, Satan, curse or

death Revelation 21-22

C. My statement, the PBP statement of what God is doing in this

world is a story of redemption: God glorifying himself through

Jesus, the seed, by restoring his original plan for mankind and the

earth where God himself reigns forever as king over a people who

love him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.

1. Or simply “God’s redemption of man through Jesus

Christ!”

2. Or as one brother (Mike) said just a few weeks to me

“paradise restored!”

• Let’s get a little closer in an airplane view 30,000 ft above.

IV. Airplane view of the story –

A. Just listen and I would encourage you to download the

notes as this is literally decades of study squeezed into just a

few paragraphs with many bible references to support

it. (thank - Joel Brassfield for his contributions to this)

B. The setting (paradise) – God dwelling with man as man

reigns over his creation and there is perfect shalom/peace and

no sin sin, Satan, curse or death. Genesis 1-2

C. Incident or conflict (the fall & the seed promise) –

Satan deceived the woman and they fell into sin (fall), as a

result sin entered into the world (Romans 5:12). Man became

separated from God as he died spiritually and God put a curse

upon Satan, woman, man and the world. Satan became the

god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). There would be

hostility between “thy seed,” ungodly line and “her seed,” the

godly line. There would also be hostility between Jesus, the

seed, and Satan until the seed/Messiah/Jesus Christ comes and

crushes Satan. (Genesis 3:15)

D. Plot (the whole “I will…” section with covenants) - man

struggles with sin, Satan and the curse on every page of the

Bible from Genesis 3 until Revelation 21

1. God develops the godly line/seed of the woman through

Able, Seth, Noah and Shem to Abraham and the ungodly

line through Cain, Ham & Japheth from whom come the

nations that were in conflict/hostility with Israel

throughout the Old Testament.

2. God made a covenant with Abraham where he promised

Abraham - a land, seed (i.e., a nation), blessing and that

God would be their god. The seed is now further defined.

It first broadly applied to Eve’s godly offspring, but now it

is narrowed down to being from the line of Abraham, and

that it would be both a collective people (Israel –

Genesis12:2, 22:17) and a specific person (Jesus – Genesis

22:18, Galatians 3:16) through whom all the nations of the

world would be blessed (Romans 4:11-17, Galatians 3:8-

9,14).

3. God gave Israel the Mosaic Covenant to regulate Israel’s

relationship with God until the seed comes (Galatians

3:19). Obey God and you will be blessed (lev 26:3-13),

disobey him and you will be disciplined/cursed (Leviticus

26:14-33). Because of Israel’s continued disobedience to

the Mosaic Law the Old Testament is a story of Israel’s

repeatedly being disciplined and repenting and ultimately

being deported from their own land (Leviticus 26:27-39,

Deuteronomy 28:64-68; 29:24-28). The prophets

repeatedly use the Mosaic Covenant to point out their sin

and call them to repentance so they can be restored to

God’s promised blessings (2 Kings 17:13-15, 23)!

4. Deuteronomy/land covenant – guarantees that Israel

eventually will repent, be regenerated and restored to the

land in blessing.

5. God makes a covenant with David where he–promises that

the seed will come from his line and will be a forever king

who will rule forever over a forever kingdom. We then see

a line of mostly failed kingships from David’s line as the

nation waits for the promised king who would be the seed

of David.

6. In the Old Testament, God foretold of a new covenant

with Israel – where he promises to forgive Israel, give

them a new heart, place his Spirit in them to cause them to

walk in obedience (Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:24-27)

and bless them in the land (Ezekiel 36:28-38,

Deuteronomy 30:1-10) as the Davidic seed rules over

them (Luke 1:33) and all the world (Zechariah 9:9-10,

14:9, Ephesians 1:20-21).

E. Climax (Jesus the seed)– in Matthew 1:1, the New Testament

starts by telling us that Jesus was the seed, the Christ, the

Messiah, the seed who came from the line of David and

Abraham and gives a genealogy to prove it. Jesus proclaims

he is the seed of David, the King, the Messiah/Christ and he

proves it by performing the kind of miracles that the Christ

will perform in his kingdom. He lives a perfect sinless life,

and dies (in our place) to pay for our sins, he is raised from

the dead to give us a brand new eternal righteous life, then

ascends to heaven to sit at the right hand of God until he

comes back to fulfill all the promises the Old Testament

prophets made about the period of restoration. (Acts 3:19-

21)

F. Outcome (church through millennium) – sin, Satan, the curse

and death are still present, but the back of their power is broken.

1. The church is born made up of all nations, both Jew and

Gentiles who believe in Jesus (Ephesians 2:11-22). Their

sins are forgiven, they receive a new heart and the Holy

Spirit dwells inside of every believer. They are now God’s

people through whom he works his purposes out on earth

(Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, 2nd Corinthians 5:18-20).

2. Believers are in Christ (1st Corinthians 1:30), the seed, and

now are Abraham’s seed who partake in the covenants of

promise made to Israel (Ephesians 2:12-19 - spiritual

blessings now and material blessings later when Jesus

returns) based upon a faith like Abraham’s (Romans 4:11-

17) and their relationship with Jesus, the seed, to whom

the promises were also spoken. (Galatians 3:16, 29)

3. Believers will be raptured out of this world as God

disciplines unbelieving Israel and judges the nations for a

seven-year period. (Jacob’s trouble, tribulation)

4. Satan makes war with the Lamb and his saints at the end

of this time as all the world is gathered together against

Israel (Zechariah 14:2, 12:3-9, Revelation16:13-16; 17:12-

14)

5. Jesus returns and defeats Satan and binds him for 1,000

years (Revelation 19:19-21, 20:2-3) while he sets up a

kingdom here on earth (Revelation 20:4-5) to fulfill his

covenant promises with Israel and all the Old Testament

prophecies about the period of restoration. (Acts 3:19-21)

6. At the end of that kingdom Satan will be loosed

(Revelation 20:7) one more time to spear head one final

war where he will be defeated and thrown into the lake of

fire (Revelation 20:10). Thus, the seed of woman crushed

the head of Satan!

7. The present heaven and earth are destroyed by fire at the

presence of the great white throne (Revelation 20:11, 2

Peter 3:7-10)

8. Great white throne judgment – anyone’s name not written

in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

(Revelation 20:15).

G. Resolution (paradise restored) - then we are back to the new

normal, where God creates a new heaven and earth! “Paradise

restored!” God dwelling with man as man reigns over his new

creation and there is perfect shalom/peace and no sin, Satan, curse

or death. Revelation 21-22

V. Closing

A. Josh and Joel will close us up by letting us know of some of

the opportunities that we have to make this series even more

beneficial for us!

Under the Sun / Week 10

Am I Wise or a Fool?

September 4, 2022

Introduction:

A. We are completing our series on Ecclesiastes today as we

have been looking at broad themes throughout this book. Two

themes run side by side throughout the book as well as in Psalms

and Proverbs!

1. That is wisdom and foolishness.

B. As great, beneficial and powerful as wisdom is it only takes a

little foolishness in our lives to stink it up!

1. Read 10:1 – perfume gives off a sweet smell but flies that end

up caught in it and dying cause the sweet smell to stink. In the

same way it only takes a little bit of foolishness to stink up the

sweet aroma of our lives and the beautiful gifts that God gives

us

2. All it takes is one reckless word, one offensive remark, one

hasty decision, one foolish pleasure, one angry outburst, just a

little bit of sinning, just a little bit of foolishness to spoil the

freshness and beauty of a life well lived.

C. And wisdom and foolishness present to us two very different

paths for us to live.

1. Read 10:2.

2. They are opposites - wisdom is the anti-foolishness and

foolishness is the anti-wisdom.

• So first let’s take a look at what

I. Wisdom and foolishness are

A. Wisdom - I want to share two very unusual verses that use the

Hebrew word for wisdom “hokmah” that gives us some insight just into

what wisdom is:

1. Passages:

a. Exodus 28:3

1. Both highlighted words come from the same Hebrew root

word which means “skill” the exact same word you find

in Proverbs when he speaks of wisdom

2. They were very skilled at sewing the garments needed for

the priest and God is the one who put that skill within

them.

b. Exodus 31:6

1. Both highlighted words come from the same Hebrew root

you find in Proverbs when he speaks of wisdom.

2. These were tradesmen or craftsmen and their ability or

skill came from God.

2. A skill simply is a “developed ability to do something very

well.”

. Wisdom simply means this “the skill of living life well!” If there

is only one skill I can have that is the one I want! I want God to fill me

with the skill to live my life well as he filled those to sew the garments

and the craftsmen make all the equipment for the tabernacle.

a. I want to live my life well as a husband, father, pastor, man, friend,

neighbor, as an ambassador for Jesus, etc.

3. The core of wisdom is found in Proverbs 9:10

a. This is synonymous parallelism - using different words

in the second line to say the same thing in different words.

Gives us another window or angle by which we can

understand “the fear of the Lord.”

b. It shows us here that in some way the fear of the Lord is

a personal relationship, a personal knowing of the Holy

One!

B. Foolishness on the other hand at its core is defined for us in

1. Passages: Psalm 14:1and Proverbs 1:7

a. While the wise man has a deep respect for God and

what he says in his word; the fool has no regard for or

thought of God or his word

2. There are four major categories that define a fool

. Relationship with God Psalm 14:1

a. His attitude towards learning Ecclesiastes 4:13; Proverbs 8:2

b. His talk Proverbs 18:6-7; Proverbs 15:2

c. His walk Proverbs 10:23; Proverbs 26:11

3. When I looked up numerous passages on wisdom this is how I

tried to summarize the heart of it.

A fool trusts is in himself rather than the Lord because he believes in his

heart that there is no God. A fool no longer knows how to receive

instruction; rather he hates knowledge, despises wisdom and instruction

and does not delight in understanding. Rather than listening and

learning, he is constantly talking, as he loves revealing his own

mind. What his mouth spouts out is folly bringing about his own ruin

and is a snare to his soul. His words bring about strife in relationships

and call for a punch in the mouth.

A fool’s ways are always right in his own eyes and his ways are full of

rebellion and sin against God displaying just how foolish he is. Doing

wickedness is like a sport to him; he is constantly losing his temper and

either raging or laughing at the wise. He repeats this same old stinky

stuff repeatedly.

When you are around a fool, you can find no peace for your soul and the

annoyance that comes from the fool is heavy upon your soul.

• so …

II. Am I a fool or a wise person?

A. Before we go on I want let me tell you that it is possible to

1. Be a true believer in Jesus Christ and have a life that has the

sweet aroma of Christ but has some areas of your life that are

stunk up by foolishness.

2. And it is possible to be a believer in Jesus Christ and believe in

God but to have your whole life characterized as foolish.

B. Let’s start with a pop quiz - Two questions that I want to score

yourself on a 1 to 10 level:

1. How wise do you think you are? 1 = dummy 10= I am like

Solomon!

2. How well do you take criticism and correction from others? 1=

I hate it 10 = bring it on because I love it!

3. How many of you gave yourself the exact same number for

both?

a. You are the ones who passed the quiz because the reality is that

you are only as wise as your ability to take criticism and

correction. The number you gave yourself for criticism is true

indication of how wise you are.

4. Listen to these 3 verses: read Proverbs 12:1, 13:1, 15:31

C. We love to talk about how foolish our culture is – a culture that has

removed God and his book from the schools, the political world, from

the courthouses, from our marriages and parenting, our values and

morals and even many churches. Instead, we have people who have very

very very very little knowledge compared to God who are claiming to be

experts, who are making decisions about right and wrong and what is

wise and foolish in our culture!

1. But let’s not talk about the culture but about us today!

2. More importantly have you removed God and his book from

your decisions making, your finances, your relationships, your

marriage, your parenting, your speaking, your education, your

work, etc.

3. Is your source for wisdom on living coming from the experts of

the world and aligned with the world’s thinking rather than

God’s and his book?

4. If no one knew, you were a Christian and all they had was your

walk, your talk and heart to know if you were a Christian would

they think you are of Jesus or the world?

D. Now before I ask this next question remember that the fool says,

“There is no God.”

1. “Do you live your life day in and day out as if there is no

God?”

2. Are you the boss of your own life? Are you calling all your

own shots? Are you trusting in your own wisdom and

resources? Alternatively, are you submitting your life and will

to him? Are you asking him what he wants you to do, say,

think, and respond? Are you trusting him for his strength and

wisdom

3. While you may say in your head and with your mouth that there

is a God, like the fool you may be living your life as if there is

no God!

E. Are you applying what you are learning from God’s word?

1. Jesus said in Matthew 7 that the difference between a fool and a

wise man is not that they do not know God’s word but rather the

wise man applies God’s word while the fool does not.

2. The end result is the fool’s life collapses when life’s major

storms come, while the wise man building his life off the

application of God’s word is able to stand strong when the

storms of life come!

III. Communion

. So which are you? –the fear of the Lord is not only the beginning

place of wisdom it is the very heart of wisdom. Listen to Job 28:28.

A. We have seen this before but it is worth repeating as you consider

just how wise you are. The fear of the Lord is:

1. Such a deep respect and awe for Jesus that I trust him, obey him

and avoid evil.

2. It is a high view and value of Jesus that so impacts me that I

walk in his ways

3. It is such a high regard and wonder for Jesus’ holiness, power,

wisdom, majesty and judgment that it cause me to trust and

obey him and live a holy life.

Under the Sun / Week 9

Remember God During the Prime of Life

Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:1

August 28, 2022

Introduction:

I.Today’s passage has a special word for everyone:

1. Young people, those in prime of life and those who are

old

2. He defines the prime of life as whose body is still

functioning free from the effects of aging.

3. He defines old as anyone whose body is waning away and

severely limiting their ability to engage in life!

• Let’s start with those who are young and those still in the prime

of life

II. Remember the Lord during the prime of life.

I.This passage really turns around three key words that all start with

the letter “r”.

1. Rejoice v7-9

2. Remove v10 – the obstacles that keep us from rejoicing

3. Remember 12:1–center which life should revolve around

II.As I read this section I want you to watch for two things:

1. 3 “r’s”

2. Idea to do all of this “before” it is too late

3. Read 11:7-12:1

III.Rejoice - v7-9 – rejoice in the days of your youth

1. Note three times in v9 he refers to youth (young man,

childhood, young manhood) Reread v9a-b

2. In this verse, he tells us specifically how a young person

can rejoice in their youth.

3. Read 9c. – by following/pursuing your dreams

a. The things your heart desires and the things you see that you

want

4. However, he tempers the pursuing of those dreams by

saying - read 9d.

. This is not an encouragement to go out and do

whatever you want and follow every lust of your heart

but rather follow your dreams but do it with a sense of

accountability to God, do it in a godly way

a. Read Ecclesiastes 12:14 - God is going to judge

every deed, the things others see and the things that no

one sees but you and God. God’s judgment is:

1. Without partiality (in other words God has no

favorites, he does not care about the color of your

skin, your economic status whether rich or poor or

what position you hold)

2. All-inclusive as every human being will stand

before God in one way or another.

3. Fair in it where the punishment or reward will be

equal to the act.

4. Do it justly – that means everyone will be judged

by the same standard –God’s perfect standard

revealed in his word!

5. That awareness that he will hold us accountable for

every deed and every word in our lives should

change the way we live and cause us to trust him,

obey him and live holy lives

IV.Then in v10, he tells them what they need to remove in order to

enjoy life in a godly way.

1. Note the word “so” Read 10a –

. Vexation – it is a word in Hebrew that can be

translated as either grief or anger or

vexation. Basically some kind of irritation in heart

a. He is focusing upon the heart here and is saying

get rid of the things that are irritating your heart and

keeping you from enjoying life. Get rid of depression,

anger, and bitterness.

b. How are you doing? – Anything of this in your

heart? If so, address it immediately with God and the

help of others.

2. The second obstacle we need to remove are the sins of the

body. Read 10b

. Pain in Hebrew is literally translated as evil.

a. The sins of the body are the various different

ways we can use our bodies to sin – overeat, substance

abuse, laziness, sexual, etc.

3. So get rid of the things in your heart that are stinking it up

and the sins of your body so you can enjoy this life now

because this youth thing, the prime of life, flies by

quickly.

V.Remember – 12:1 – read – remember God, put him at the center of

everything while you are young, in the prime of life and you can

enjoy life to its fullest!

VI.Remember your creator -

1. One of the great gifts of still having a body in the prime of

life is that you can use your life for God in a big way,

without the limitations that poor health can bring.

• Now there is a shift in the emphasis of this passage from

remembering the Lord during the prime of life to

III. Remember the Lord before you die

I.With getting older comes declining capabilities of the body.

II.This passage is built around two key words – “remember” and

“before.”

1. We are to remember him before three things set in!

a. v1 before – your youth passes away

b. v2-5 before – old age sets in

c. V6-7 before – you die.

III.In v2-5 the image of a deteriorating house is used to picture for us

the impact of old age upon us. There is a lot of debate over the

meaning of the “specific” images used in this passage, but they all

agree that “image as a whole” is describing the deterioration of the

body and human vigor that comes with aging that ultimately

culminates in death. Read 2-5

IV.Then in v 6-7 he tells us to remember God before we die as he

gives us four images that picture death for us, read v6-7

V.Remembering God before it is too late is the main idea that drives

this whole section, whether young, prime of life or old!

1. When he says “remember” he is not just talking about

bringing God back to mind so we do not forget God

2. The Hebrew dictionary defines it as remembering him in

such a way that causes us to respond to him in a way that

is worthy of who he is.

3. So to remember God means to live moment by moment

with God at the center of your life, seeking him, serving

him, loving him, trusting him, and obeying him and on

and on and on.

• So what does all this mean for you and me today?

IV. Application

I.A number of years ago I gave one of my doctors the tape I did on

living to the fullest because we are going to die! (I did that again

just two weeks ago). Next time I saw him he said, “You am in

deep ----; I am upset with you, you have ruined my life.” I said,

“You must of listened to my cd”

1. Day after listened to tapes, first person he was supposed to

see, that man’s wife died that weekend. It hit the doc like

a hammer

2. He said, “I have realized that all these plans I have made

for the future may never happen – my wife or I may not be

there for them. All my savings and all my planning may

never happen.”

3. I need to do something now! I was planning to make some

minor changes – now I have to make major changes and I

do not know what to do.

II.So are you living moment by moment with Jesus at the center of

your life, seeking him, serving him, loving him, trusting him, and

obeying him and on and on and on?

III.You are not too young

1. Mary mother of Jesus – was in her early teens when God

chose her to be the mother of Jesus

2. Most if not all of the disciples, the ones whom Jesus

deeply invested in for three years then entrusted with the

world-wide great commission were also in their teens

3. I know of kids here at MVC in 3rd grade who have invited

friends to clubs, prayed for them and talked to them about

Jesus.

4. We have kids in fifth and sixth grade working as helpers

in the Sunday kid’s classes and even the cameras on

Sunday morning.

5. High school kids working in the junior high department

and club impacting junior highs

6. College kids and young singles investing deeply in high

school students

7. High school, college and young singles who have been

involved in leading us in worship!

8. MVC itself has seen young people all the way back to Ron

Hutchcraft to recently Sydney Lach and Ted Aguilar make

a deep impact for Jesus both within and beyond these

walls.

IV.You are not too old to seek the Lord, serve him and be

fruitful. God’s desire and ability to use you even in your old age is

not done – remember Caleb?

1. Caleb was a man who had a different spirit than the

others. He was a man who when everyone else saw

obstacles, Caleb saw an opportunity for God to do his

thing.

2. At the age of 85 Caleb still walking with, serving and

trusting God, took a hill from a group of people who were

very big and strong and who lived in fortified cities

3. Be a Caleb as you age – there are plenty of others around

to complain and see problems, but what MVC needs, what

the kingdom of God needs, what your family and friends

need. They need a Caleb or a Calebette who see God as

bigger than any problem they face and serve him until the

end!

4. Too many seniors have checked out at MVC and there are

too many needs that they could meet here at MVC. A

great place to start is working on Sunday mornings in the

children’s ministry so you can impact young people and

relieve some overworked brothers and sisters who often

need to miss church themselves!

5. Let me encourage you with a life giving passage –

a. Turn to Psalm 92:12-15 – still yield fruit in old age – full of

sap

b. Do not waste this opportunity to pour out on others what

should be the most abundant and best fruit you should have if you

have walked with Jesus even into your old age

Under the Sun / Week 8

Don’t play it safe, take risks
Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 - August 21, 2022 - Picnic

1. Introduction:
   1. How do you normally respond when you have an opportunity to do something or a decision that has to be made but you really do not know what to do because the future is uncertain and out of your control?  
      1. Do you wait for better circumstances before acting?  Circumstances, which seem never to come!
      2. Do you get frozen by the fear of failure or getting it wrong?
      3. Or do you are stuck in the paralysis of analysis mode and never move out? 
   2. If you remember our chart of the big picture of Ecclesiastes in the second half of the book he is giving insight and advice on how to live in light of 
      1. The things he learned in his investigation
      2. Also, the fact that everyone is going to die
      3. Finally, the fact that no one knows the future

• Last week we looked at the lessons he teaches us on death, today we are going to see the key lesson he teaches us since 

1.  No one knows the future!
   1. At least 21 times in this book, this idea comes up.  
      1. It is not the idea that man “does” not know something but if he studied a little harder he’d know it, but it is the fact that man “can” not know, he does not have the ability to know certain things even if he studied a lifetime.
   2. Ecclesiastes mentions five things in particular that man “cannot” know
      1. What will happen in the future – 6:12; 9:1; 10:14; 11:2
      2. When things will happen in the future – 8:7; 9:12;  
      3. The great mysteries of life – 7:23-24; 11:5 a-b
      4. What God is doing here on earth –8:16-17; 3:11; 11:5c   
      5. If what we do will succeed or not - read 11:6 

• This is the passage we are going to address this morning and it will give us some surprising advice on 

1.  How to live life when the future is uncertain and out of our control.  
   1. We will learn this lesson in Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 and it is divided into two main sections:   
      1. A merchant in v1-2 
      2. A farmer in v4-6.
   2. As I read v1-6 watch for this idea of not knowing which is a repeated theme in this passage. read v1-6
   3. The merchant - in v 1-2 he gives us an illustration from the world of merchants.   
      1. Solomon had a fleet of ships and the belief is that Solomon sent out merchandise in these various ships and brought back the return on his invest after a period of time.  Some of that merchandise was grain.  
      2. Now listen to v 1-2 in that light.  

The Hebrew word for “cast” is literally “send” read v1-2

1. The point is that there are risks involved taking the resources we have and investing them, but do it wisely, diversify your investments because we do not know what calamity may occur on the earth

1. V3 teaches us that there are things that are beyond our control, things we cannot change.  Things we have to learn to deal with.  Read v3
2. The farmer in v4-6 is essentially teaching us the same thing.
   1. V4 he tells us not to play it safe, do not be overcautious, do not wait for perfect conditions and circumstances.  Read v4
   2. In v5, he comes back to the backdrop that tells us that we cannot understand the great mysteries in life and God’s activities right here on earth and in our lives and circumstances.  
      1. Read v5
      2. Note that Solomon has a supernatural view in this passage as he is really implying that God is behind all of these opportunities, misfortunes and circumstances beyond our control and as we will see in the next verse whether our efforts are successful or not.
   3. V6 becomes the “so what” of this whole passage that drives the application God is seeking to impress upon us. Read v6

1.  Application
   1. This passage gives us some very surprising wisdom when you have an opportunity to do something or a decision that has to be made but you really do not know what to do because the future is uncertain and out of your control 
      1. Here it is – don’t play it safe – take wise adventurous risks! 
   2. We like “sure things” but most of life is unknowable, unsure and beyond our control. 
      1. Did you know that faith requires taking risks, 
         1. Faith requires stepping into the unknowable and unsure future that is beyond our control
         2. Hebrews 11:6 
      2. It is impossible to please God without faith, so it is impossible to please God without taking risks  
      3. The only way I can regroup when all those feelings and thoughts of the uncertainty and risk start to fill my heart is to I remind myself what God says in his word and that he is faithful and big enough to do what he says he will do!
   3. What risk is God calling you to today?
      1. For some it may be letting go of all the religion, being good and moral, or doing good deeds to make you right with God, and grabbing on fully to Jesus as your only hope of being right with God and going to heaven some day! God would say don’t play it safe – take wise adventurous risks!  
      2. For some believers it may be presenting your entire life to Jesus to let him work into your heart and change you at your core, so you live your entire life for him.  God would say don’t play it safe – take wise adventurous risks!  
      3. It may be sharing the gospel with someone who you have been waiting for months or even years for just the right opportunity.  Or you do not know if you will to lose the relationship or their image of you will change.  God would say don’t play it safe – take wise adventurous risks!  
      4. I know for some it is to join a small group, church activity or serve in a ministry even though you do not know how that will work out with your schedule or how they will receive you.  God would say don’t play it safe – take wise adventurous risks!  
      5. Afraid to start giving because do not know how it will fit into your budget or afraid you will not have enough for your future. God would say don’t play it safe – take wise adventurous risks!  
      6. As believers we are called to be hospitable – step out today at the at picnic or each week at the end of the service to introduce yourself to someone and really get to know them!  Yes, you do not know if they will like you or feel like you are bothering them.   But God would say don’t play it safe – take wise adventurous risks!  
   4. According to Hebrews 11:6 God is a rewarder of those who do!

Under the Sun / Week 7

Death – A Powerful Teacher
Ecclesiastes 7, 9, 12    August 7, 2022  

1. Introduction:
   1. Let me ask you a question – it’s New Year’s Eve 2022 and you have two engagements, one in the morning to go to a funeral of someone you deeply loved and the second in the evening to go to a party with some of the most fun people you know!
      1. Which would you rather go to?
      2. Which would be more beneficial for you to go to?
   2. Turn to Ecclesiastes 7 and read v2-4
      1. Read v2 again note - it is better …. because/for that is the end of every one of us and it has an impact upon our heart.  
         1. Simply stated when you go to a funeral one of God’s purposes of this is to remind us that someday it will be our turn to be in that box. 
      2. Read v3. Give the literal translation of v3
         1. Hebrew lit – the heart “becometh” better
         2. NLT – sadness has a refining influence on us.
      3. Bottom line - the sorrow, pain, and grief that the death of a loved one brings to us has the potential to make us better, to refine us, and transform us!

• Death, both in the book of Ecclesiastes and in life, is a powerful transformational teacher.  Let’s see some basic 

1.  Truths about death  
   1. Ecclesiastes uses death to impress four things upon our hearts
      1. That our life is temporary, short and is fleeting - Ecclesiastes 6:12a; Psalm 39:4-5
      2. That no one escapes death – everyone will experience it - Ecclesiastes 9:2-3a
      3. When we die, we will take nothing with us! - Ecclesiastes 2:18-19 – 
      4. Nobody knows when they will die and it is out of our control, it is in God’s hands –   read 9:12 and Ecclesiastes 3:2 – a time to give birth and a time to die! James 4:15 “if the Lord wills, we shall live” 
      5. We live life as if it is going to go on forever and make plans as if we are in control of what and when things are going to happen.  The wise man recognizes that being alive today is a gift of God and he does not even have a guarantee to make it to the end of the day.  And yes, someday he will die
   2. We also see in Ecclesiastes the nature of death. 
      1. Remember as I read the next few verses the focus of Ecclesiastes is upon life here on earth and what people will be missing out on in life here on earth. It is not meant to be a statement of what after life will be like.  Read v4-6
      2. Reread v4a – “there is hope” there is still the hope for future dreams; there is still the opportunity to partake in life on earth. 
      3. You still can have knowledge of things, you still can experience the rewards that God gives you in life, you still can know and be known personally by people, you still can have the passions of your heart and you still can have the opportunity to participate in all that is going on here on earth.
      4. What he is saying is that while you are alive you still have opportunities to engage in life here on earth.  But once you die that ends!

• So he is using the truths that we are going to die someday at an unexpected time to “motivate” us not to miss the opportunities that lay before us today! In verses 7-10 he lays out for us …

1.  Four wise ways to live in light of the fact we will die
   1. Note that he starts off in v7 with “go then,” in other words here is what you should do in light of what has been said.  
   2.  Read v7 - enjoy life! 
      1. We have seen this many times in the book before; actually, it forms the heart of the repeated refrains in the first half of the book.  
      2. One of the good things we are told to do is enjoy life, the simple things in life like eating and drinking and the task/work that we do!
   3. Read v8 – make every day a special day!
      1. In their culture, they could not afford to wear white clothes, cologne, and perfume every day.  So they brought them out for special occasions, like weddings and special holy day celebrations
      2. But note in this verse he says to do it “at all times.”  In other words, live every day as a special day.
      3. Turn the simple things of life into special occasions and pleasures.  
      4. Here in North America we are busy people driven either by a written or internal to do list that never seems to have an end.  To follow this instruction it will simply take a matter of cutting down the list for today and giving some intentional thought how to make the day special and not just another day of getting things done. 
   4. Read v9- enjoy life with your mate 
      1. If you are single, you can apply this truth to your special friend!
      2. The reason for this is that this life is flying by us.   
      3. Yes, there will not only be an end to your life but an end to your marriage relationship so enjoy that gift while you have it.   
      4. I went to visit a man from MVC six months after his wife died. I just wanted to check in with him and see how he was doing.  I will never forget what he told me that day as it has lodged deep within my heart.
         1. He said, “Pat, retirement is not what it is cracked up to be. My wife and I had dreams for years what we would do when we got here, but for most part either one of you does not have the health at that time to pull off what you dreamed of doing, or one of you dies and all those dreams go into the ground with them!”   
      5. If you are not enjoying the ride with your mate, do something about it!    There is help here at MVC, there is help with personal marriage mentors – (look around and go ask) and there is help with professional counselors.    
         1. Do not waste this special gift God has given you for a limited time! 
   5. Read v10 – live life to the fullest  
      1. The reason again is that when you die that opportunity is all gone.
      2. Here is a principle that I use - do everything you can to live your life fully, limiting yourself only to the things you can do with joy and passion.
         1. We may need to prune some things to do this!  In other words, are you burning yourself, your joy and strength out by doing too much?   
         2. To keep our passion, joy and energy up we need to take enough time to enjoy the simple things God has given to us, make every day special and enjoy the mate or special friends that God has given to us 

• Regarding these four ways to live you could be feeling: I could have gotten this same info in a secular speech or article, maybe even the local atheist club.  But he adds a fifth one near the end of the book that puts all these into perspective.

1. He adds a fifth  
   1. Read Ecclesiastes 12: 6-7 – remember him
      1. The emphasis is remember him before you die!
      2. In other words everything we have heard so far must be put in the broader context of remember God
      3. That means for us believers today that we should remember Jesus when we enjoy life, make every day special, enjoy our mates and live life to the fullest! 
   2. When it comes to enjoying life 
      1. Read Ecclesiastes 2:24-25  
      2. Joy is a gift of God, a fruit of the Spirit, either we can get all bent out of shape, angry and anxious about all the enigmas, uncertainties of life and the fact we are going to die, or we can enjoy gifts God has given to us in this broken world!
   3. When it comes to make every day a special day!
      1. Read Colossians 3:17  
      2. Everything we should do we should do it with the Lord Jesus Christ in mind and for his glory!
   4. When it comes to enjoy life with your mate
      1. We learned in Ephesians 5, when we studied marriage that marriage is ultimately a picture of Jesus’ relationship to the church and husbands and wives should emulate that in their relationship to those around them.   How Jesus lays down his life for his bride the church and how his bride, the church submissively responded to him in a submission that responds to his loving leadership!
      2. Are you using your marriage to model for other believers what Jesus can do for them in their marriage and for the lost world in what a relationship with Jesus can look like for them?
   5. When it comes to live life to the fullest
      1. John 10:10 teaches us that the fullest life possible is only through Jesus
      2. Colossians 3:23 teaches us that everything we do we should do with all our hearts for the sake of the Lord!  
   6. Are you living for Jesus?  Is he the purpose and driver of your life?
      1. While these four ways of living are wise in light of the fact we are going to die, they are meant to be carried out in the context of Jesus at the center of all of them!                                      

1.  

 

Under the Sun / Week 6

                         

 

 

 Fearing God
Various passages  

August 7, 2022   

• Introduction:
  1. I do not know about you but when I hear the phrase “the fear of the Lord” I often take a pause in my heart and mind because it seems so vague way up there in the sky and so spiritual 
     1. Since the fear of God is the key application to the book of Ecclesiastes, we need to understand what it means to bring it down to earth and get the arms of our minds around it so this book can transform our lives! 
  2. Let’s look at it in Ecclesiastes:
     1. Turn to Ecclesiastes 12:13 where we see the conclusion to this whole book.  Read v13 
        1. We already saw this is the essence of the meaning of life
     2. Turn to 3:14 where we learned two weeks ago, that God is in control of everything and that everything he does is all a part of his eternal and beautiful plan and that everything he does is perfect and permanent.  
        1. Then he says this, read v14  
        2. So that …….   fear him
     3. Some people will say “wait a minute is that not an Old Testament concept that now has been replaced by the love of God in the New Testament?” 
        1. We all love to emulate the early church where in Acts 2:42 they were devoted to the apostles teaching, to fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer.  Well listen to Acts 2:43 awe is literally fear
        2. In the book of Acts listen to the way he characterized the churches as they spread.  Read Acts 9:31, fear and Holy Spirit coexisting!
        3. In 1 Peter 1:17 speaking of the way every believer is to walk during our time on earth. Read 

• Let’s start by …

1. Defining the fear of the Lord
   1. The first thing we need to realize is that fear is a response to something or someone.
      1. So fearing God has to do with the way we respond to God, a disposition of heart that we have towards him!  
   2. Secondly, we need to realize there are two aspects to this word; this is true in Hebrew, Greek and our English word today.  Those two aspects are: 
      1. Being afraid - terror, dread, 
      2. Respect - profound reverence or awe
      3. And at times, a mixture of both dread and respect.
   3. Let me try to illustrate that with an experience I had with electricity when I was the custodian here at MVC
      1. The air conditioning was down and a man was called to come fix it.  We went down into the room with all kinds of electrical switches big and small all over the wall.  
         1. He was not sure which one he needed to turn off and I asked him if he wanted me to call the electrician in our church that knew all of that. He said there was no need
         2. All I know is a few moments later there was a flash of light that filled the room so that was all you saw and a loud boom that sounded like a bomb went off in that room!
         3. I literally did not know for a moment if I was dead or alive.
      2. Am I afraid of electricity, do I run frightened of it every time I am around it? No!  But I do have a great respect for it and every time I am dealing with it I walk very carefully and double check to make sure I am doing it right.
         
         
         
         
         
      3. We need to be aware of the greatness, holiness, wisdom and power of God and we need to walk in light of that awareness. Not afraid of him but respectful and careful of him, I walk carefully with what he says because ….
         1. I have such a high respect for God that I know when God says to fill my mind with truth and do not be anxious that if I do not do those, then my mind and emotions are going to go boom!   
         2. I have such a high respect for God that I know when God says do not get involved in lust, pornography or with someone other than my wife I walk carefully with every temptation that comes my way because I do not want my sexuality, my marriage, my kids and the church to go boom because I was not careful.
         3. I have such a high respect for God that I know when God says to forgive and do not hold onto anger with someone who has hurt me that if I do not then my own heart and relationships are going to go boom
      4. So this kind of fear of God produces a respectful carefulness in my relationship with Jesus not a terror that makes me want to run because he has the power to smash me.   
   4. So let me do my best to define it by saying the same thing in three different ways hoping that one of the ways will click for you.  The fear of the Lord is: 
      1. Such a deep respect and awe for God that I trust him, obey him and avoid evil. 
      2. It is a high view and value of God that so impacts me that I walk in his ways
      3. It is such a high regard and wonder for God’s holiness, power, wisdom, majesty and judgment that it cause me to trust and obey him and live a holy life.  

• So 
• Application 
  1. Since fearing God is a response to him that brings about something.
     1. Then a deep and intimately knowing of God precedes faith, obedience and holiness.
     2. So many of us live the Christian life backwards by trying to trust, obey and be holy without knowing deeply and personally the one who is the cause for these responses in the Christians life.
     3. We need to focus on knowing God as the top priority in our Christian lives and everything else in our life will flow out of that.
  2. We only had time to scratch the surface today on this all-important truth for our church and lives. This is a pursuit worthy of your time and energy to go deeper into it. 
     1. Read Proverbs 2:1-5
     2. As we come daily, prayerfully and drinking deeply from God’s word, not just to learn the word but to know God intimately and personally, and to see his holiness, his power, his wisdom, his majesty and even see him as our judge then you will discern and discover the fear of God not just for your head but for your heart and life!  
  3. As we take communion this morning, consider this:  do you have…...
     1. Such a deep respect and awe for Jesus that I trust him, obey him and avoid evil.
     2. It is a high view and value of Jesus that so impacts me that I walk in his ways
     3. It is such a high regard and wonder for Jesus’ holiness, power, wisdom, majesty and judgment that it cause me to trust and obey him and live a holy life.  

 

Under the Sun / Week 5

 The Test of Pleasure
Passage July 31, 2022   

1. Introduction:
   1. How many of you have ever seen an illusionist – they are skilled at presenting something real in front of our eyes which leads us to an incorrect perception or false impression about the object .
      1. I have always been amazed and entertained by them as they admit it is not magic but an illusion. 
      2. Satan is also an illusionist as he is skilled at putting the real things of this world before the eyes of our heart with the intent to mislead or deceive us into thinking this is just what I need!
      3. One of the greatest illusions that Satan presents to both to the lost and believer is that what the world has to offer will bring you the fulfillment and joy you are looking for.
      4. Turn to 1 John 2:15-17 and read
         1. Note:
            1. Loving God and loving the things of this world are polar opposites
            2. What God offers lasts forever and what the world offers passes away
         2. We also see the heart of what the things of the world are:  Reread v16.
            1. Lust of the flesh – the pleasures that please our senses and body
            2. Lust of the eyes – the possessions we see
            3. Boastful pride of life – the high positions within a group or organization that could make you prideful
         3. So all the world has to offer are pleasures, possessions and position. Satan is very skilled as presenting those to us as what will bring meaning and joy to our lives.
   2. In Ecclesiastes 2, we see that Solomon takes all the world has to offer to see if that answers the question of what brings lasting meaning, significance and value to life.  Turn and read v1-2  
   3. Review briefly what we saw is going on in this book.  
      1. Question and the test 
      2. The major sections at the top
      3. Conclusion 
      4. Key backdrop – vanity – meaninglessness
   4. Eric Bihl made a suggestion to me regarding the role of vanity in this book and I think he said it better than I have been saying.  
      1. He said that the idea of vanity that shows up 30 times in this book is suggesting that our works and activities in and of themselves are not useless but they are useless to provide the answer to what bring lasting meaning, significance and value, to life!     
      2. That only can come from fearing God and keeping His commandments! 

• We will see an example of that again here in Ecclesiastes 2 when he tested all that the world has to offer:  pleasures, possessions and positions

1.  Ecclesiastes 2
   1. Structure of the passage
      1. V1-2 – states he is testing pleasure to see if that will bring this lasting meaning and value he is looking for.
      2. V3-8 – he tests pleasures and possessions
      3. V9 he experienced high position 
      4. V10-11 – he gives his conclusion to this test
   2. Watch for all of this as I read and comment along the way
      
      
      
      
   3. Conclusion – the outcome of this pleasure hunt, where he tested the best the world has to offer – was that there was some temporary pleasure but ultimately all of this was vanity and striving after wind when it comes to answer our question what can provide lasting meaning, significance, value or joy.  Reread v10-11
      1. As we have seen before the answer to that question comes from fearing God and keeping His commandments!
      2. So following Jesus and impacting others is not only the mission God gave us; it really is the pathway to lasting meaning, significance, value or joy!
2.  Following Jesus, impacting others
   1. I think Solomon’s test is so important for us in North America today.  As we learned there are things we can enjoy but they do not provide the ultimate things in our heart and life that we need.
      1. Satan uses the illusion of the world satisfying as one of his most powerful distractions for Christians today from following Jesus.  
   2.  Following Jesus is much like a marriage relationship where we leave and cleave. 
      1. Read Matthew 4:18-22 
         1. V19 – definition of a disciple at MVC – follow and impact
         2. V20 – they left their livelihood
         3. V22 – they left their possessions, boat and family 
   3. Listen further to these verses about being a disciple of Jesus
      1. Matthew 16:24–26 – note speaking to His disciples – 
         1. If you want to hang onto your life the way it is and what you have, you will lose out on experiencing life indeed. 
         2. Even if you gained the whole world, you will come up empty! 
      2. Listen to what Peter said in Mark 10:28 to Jesus.   
         1. Read v28
         2. Read v29-30  
3.  Testimony 
   1. I want to introduce you to some friends of mine and missionaries of MVC who left everything to follow Jesus down to the boarder of Mexico to minister to the poor and orphans: 
      1. Bruce – tell us what your life was like before God called you to the mission field.
      2. Bruce – you left some great opportunities up here and followed Jesus down to Mexico to minister to the poor.  Tell us about how God worked in your hearts and brought that about
      3. Peter said to Jesus – we left everything … and Jesus told him about the great blessings he would get in return in this world and in eternity.   How has God blessed this leaving the security of the North American dream and cleaving to Jesus as you minister to the poor and orphans in Mexico.
      4. Next hour in the Chapel people will have an opportunity to meet you two and hear more about the ministry that you have.   In one minute, tell us what they can expect if they come to that time.
   2. Let me ask you and myself today this question – is there anything, anyone or pursuit that we need to leave in order to better cleave to Jesus so we can experience a life that has lasting meaning, significance, value and joy?