Read: Matthew 26:38-39
Problems with Wealth
Read: Ecclesiastes 5:10-17
“It is very difficult for us to resist the temptation to put too much emphasis on money and the things money can buy. This text is telling us that this is not a satisfying way to live. It is telling us that loving money does not bring satisfaction. It is saying that loving money is vanity. It does not bring fulfillment. It is not a worthwhile way to live. This verse is calling us to think about our own lives in the light of this principle. The Lord here is calling us to examine whether we are guilty of loving money and things too much. He is calling us to think about how we are seeking for satisfaction in our lives. He is calling us to think about whether we are living for what is really worthwhile.”
Sermon Series: Ecclesiastes
Believing the Resurrection
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:1-23
“The resurrection of Jesus means that those who are united to him by faith are no longer in their sins. Jesus died the death we deserve to die and having done that, death could no longer hold him – it had been conquered – for him and for us.”
“It is finished.”
Read: John 19:17-30
Text: Verses 28-30
“All of these passages which show the different ways that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Scriptures do not only give us insight into the meaning of Jesus and his death, they also give us insight into the meaning of history itself. These connections to the Old Testament all are making the point that history is the unfolding of God’s plan that is centered on Jesus Christ and his death on the cross.”
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image….” (5) Punishment and Steadfast Love
“This highlights our responsibilities as parents. Because our influence on our children is so great, we carry a huge measure of responsibility not only for our children, but also for our grandchildren and great grandchildren. That is a sobering thing to consider. How we train our children has implications not only for them, but for the generations that follow them! God punishes ungodly children because of their own ungodliness, but the fact that they are ungodly is to a great extent the result of the sins of their fathers.”
Sermon Series: The Ten Commandments
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image…” (4) God’s Jealousy
“And so, we should think of our own idolatries in this light. We have seen that idolatry is loving anyone or anything more than God. The things in our lives that are more important to us than God are our idols. So, think about your life. What do you seek first in your life? What are you most concerned about? What do you mostly think about? Wherever God is not the answer to those questions, you have your idols. Those are your other gods. Those are your other lovers. Those are all adulterous relationships. These are the things that provoke God’s jealousy.”
Sermon Series: The Ten Commandments
Government Corruption and Poverty
“Ecclesiastes is saying that it is gain for the land when you have a ruler who is committed to everyone flourishing as much as possible. “But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.” Within the context of Ecclesiastes, corrupt governments are one of the things about life under the sun that is vanity and problematic, while good and just governments are a real gain under the sun. Good governments can be a great means to promote human flourishing.”
Sermon Series: Ecclesiastes
“Therefore let your words be few.”
Read: Ecclesiastes 5:1-7
“It is actually dangerous for sinful human beings to be in the presence of God. This idea was at the heart of the worship of the temple in the Old Testament. The temple was the dwelling place of God and the only way that God could continue to dwell in the midst of his sinful people was through the offering of sacrifices that provisionally atoned for the people’s sin until the final sacrifice offered by Jesus Christ on the cross.”
Sermon Series: Ecclesiastes
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image…” (3) The Regulative Principle
“This is why worship that is authorized by the Bible is so simple and unadorned. God wants us to focus on what he is saying to us and on what we say back to him. He wants our attention to be focused like a laser on him, and anything that detracts from that is counter-productive as far as what God is looking for in our worship is concerned. God is not interested in us feeling worshipful because of a worshipful atmosphere. God wants us to love and rejoice and adore and tremble and fear and exult because our attention is riveted on what he is saying to us.”
Sermon Series: The Ten Commandments
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image….” (2) Worship and the Word
“The relationship between Jesus Christ and the second commandment is very significant because in Jesus Christ, God has provided an image whom we are not only allowed to worship, but whom we are required to worship. In Colossians 1:15 Paul refers to Jesus as “the image of the invisible God.” And in verse 19 of the same chapter, he tells us that “in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell….””
Sermon Series: The Ten Commandments