And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Hebrews 9:27-28
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.
Philippians 1:21-24
9 Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. 10 The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14
After writing much of the Book of Ecclesiastes from a common but false premise, one that excluded eternal accountability and the God of eternity, now the Preacher concludes, having led us to the conclusion of the whole matter. This is why it is so important to remember your Creator in this life; because when this life is over, one will answer to the eternal God and to eternity.
David Guzik
JUDGEMENT
14 And it shall be said,
“Build up, build up, prepare the way,
remove every obstruction from my people's way.”
15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
Isaiah 57:14-15
Eternity, Eternity! I wish that I could sound or shout that word to everyone in the streets of Sydney. You’ve got to meet it, where will you spend Eternity?
Reverend John Ridley
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14
There is, and will be, an eternal accounting for everything we do. This is the complete opposite of believing that all is vanity or meaningless; it means that everything has meaning and importance, both for the present and for eternity. “If God cares as much as this, nothing can be pointless.”
Kidner
“The vague and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly narcotic for the consciences of millions.”
A.W. Tozer
“We ask for a world of softness and mercy, but what we really demand is a world in which God has removed the consequences of human sin — a world that would make virtue meaningless and love impossible.”
C.S. Lewis
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28
25 For whoever would save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 16:25
“Die before you die. There is no chance after.”
C.S. Lewis
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
1 Corinthians 3:11-15
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
Matthew 12:36
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21
24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’
Matthew 25:24-25
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling,
2 Corinthians 4:17-5:2
“19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
“He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance with increase. This also is vanity.”
“19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth.” Matthew 6:19
“19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
#1 Because earthly treasures will change: they can be corrupted (moth + rust) and they can be lost/taken (thieves).
#2 Eternal, heavenly treasures remain
#3 our hearts abide, where our treasures lie (our hearts are connected to our treasures).
“For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” 1 Timothy 6:7
We don’t carry our treasures, we store them
Where our heart is, our treasure is
Your treasure reveals your heart. Your heart reveals your devotion
When Jesus is our ultimate treasure, we will give him our earthly treasures
When earthly treasures are used for kingdom purposes, there is an effect made on eternal realities
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19
“The issue isn’t that earthly treasures are intrinsically bad, but they are of no ultimate value either. If this is the case, then it is wrong for the disciple of Jesus to dedicate his life to continually expanding his earthly treasures.”- David Guzik
“To seek first the kingdom of God is the fundamental choice everyone makes when they first repent and are convicted. Yet every day after that our Christian life will either reinforce that decision or deny it.”- David Guzik
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life- is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:15-17
Lust of the flesh= passions
Lust of the eyes= possessions
Pride of life= positions
1) we declare our love for Christ > love of self /stuff.
2) our earthly treasures become heavenly treasures.
“Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘one thing you lack: go your way, sell whatever you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven…” Mark 10:21
“But he was sad, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Mark 10:22
“Lydia was quick to perceive that what had been hers before her conversion-home, business, and possessions-now belonged to the Lord. She had a new partner-the Lord Jesus; a new purpose- to serve him; and a new satisfaction-seeking to be effective and successful in order to glorify the Lord”- unknown
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.
Ecclesiastes 3:11-14
7 “Listen, my people, and I will speak;
I will testify against you, Israel:
I am God, your God.
8 I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices
or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
9 I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the insects in the fields are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15 and call on me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
Psalm 50:7-15
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
Hebrews 9:27
"All Is Vanity”
“The Vanity of Wisdom”
“The Vanity of Self-Indulgence”
“The Vanity of Living Wisely”
“The Vanity of Toil”
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.
Ecclesiastes 3:11-14
“Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth ‘thrown in’: aim at Earth and you will get neither.”
C.S. Lewis
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:33
We can live FOR this world and give up heaven. We can live FOR heaven and attempt to avoid this world. Or we can live IN CHRIST and experience the best of both.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10
WHEN WE FOCUS ON EARTH, WE CAN’T SEE HEAVEN
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[c] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[d] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Matthew 6:19-24
King Tut’s Coffin Photo*
It has been wisely observed that a moving truck full of possessions never follows a hearse. Everything one might take with them to the world beyond is left behind. The pharaohs of Egypt were buried with gold and treasures to take into the afterlife, but they left it all behind. Even further, though gold is a precious thing on earth, God uses it to pave the streets of heaven.
David Guzik
But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
Romans 1:19-23 (MSG)
22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Matthew 19:22
WHEN WE FOCUS ON HEAVEN, WE CAN’T SEE EARTH
30-32 Jesus answered by telling a story. “There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.
Luke 10:30-32(MSG)
“Don’t be so heavenly minded that they’re no earthly good.”
WHEN WE FOCUS ON CHRIST, WE SEE THE BEST OF BOTH
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:1-4
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
John 4:31-38
“I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives…And indeed all was vanity and grasping for wind. There was no profit under the sun.” Ecc. 2: 3,11
What really satisfies?
What really satisfies: amusements=pleasure and parties?
Solomon’s pleasures:
-gold, gold, and more gold
-throne of ivory
-camels
-horses
-mules
-apes
-monkeys
-precious stones
-instruments of every kind
- silver, silver, and more silver
-fleet of ships
-1,400 chariots
-12,000 horse men
-servants
-700 royal wives and 300 concubines
“I said in my heart, ‘come now, I will test you with mirth (festivals/parties); therefore, enjoy pleasure.’. But surely, this also was vanity.” Ecc 2:1
What really satisfies: accomplishments=work?
Solomon’s work:
-Lord’s house and his house
-House of Forrest of Lebanon
-Hall of Pillars
-Hall of Jerusalem
-Hall of Judgement
-Cities
“I made my works great…So, I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.” Ecc 2:4, 9
“I looked at all the works my hands had done and in the labor in which I had looked; and indeed, all was vanity and grasping for wind.” Ecc 2:11
“Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure. For my heart rejoiced in all my labor…” Ecc 2:10
“there was no profit under the sun.” Ecc 2:11
Nothing under the sun satisfies.
Every earthly pursuit is like vapor, wind, dust; it fades away
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” John 4:10
“where then do you get that living water?” John 4:11
“Whoever drinks this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:13-14
1) Earthly satisfaction
2) Eternal satisfaction
Earthly satisfaction are those things found under the sun. Eternal satisfaction are those things found under the Son.
Jesus is the gift God gave and under him (in him) is our promise of lasting satisfaction: everlasting life
The key to satisfaction is knowing the value of God over everything else. It’s not that everything on earth is bad. It’s that Christ is better.
The satisfaction we seek is in Jesus, who is with God the Father, in our father’s house.
Ecc 3:11 says God “has written eternity on our hearts”.
Phil 3:20-21 says our “citizenship is in heaven”.
2 Cor 5:12 says “we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling”.
Solomon teaches us life under the sun does not satisfy.
Samaritan woman teaches us satisfaction comes when we know Jesus (life under the Son).
Prodigal son teaches us to find eternal satisfaction in Jesus is to remember what house we belong to
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
3 What does man gain by all the toil
at which he toils under the sun?
4 A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
and hastens to the place where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
and goes around to the north;
around and around goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns.
7 All streams run to the sea,
but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they flow again.
8 All things are full of weariness;
a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already
in the ages before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things,
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things yet to be
among those who come after.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
THINKING ABOUT DEATH
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble.
Proverbs 4:18-19
15 In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
Ecclesiastes 7:15-17
Ecclesiastes is filled with what we might call true lies. Given the perspective “God does not matter,” it is true that all is vanity. Since that perspective is wrong, it is not true that all is vanity. Yet Solomon makes us think through this wrong perspective thoroughly through Ecclesiastes.
David Guzik
The Book of Ecclesiastes is a sermon concerning the emptiness of all things without Christ. He who reads it and does not see the Cross in its conclusion has missed its true meaning.
Charles Spurgeon
Memento Mori: “remember, you will die” or “remember, you are mortal”
CD PICTURE*
Day by day remind yourself that you are going to die.
Benedict
PICTURE OF BENEDICT*
“What you are, we used to be. What we are, you will be.”
In context, Benedict was essentially saying, “Don’t waste your life on triviality. Remember what matters. Life is fleeting and precious. Don’t squander it. Keep your death before your eyes. Hold eternity in your heart.”
John Mark Comer
For the unbeliever, death is avoided for the sake of life. For the Christian, death is the lens through which we view our life and the door through which we finally enter real life.
TOMBSTONE PICTURE*
What Will YOUR Dash Be?
10 Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already
in the ages before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things,
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things[e] yet to be
among those who come after.
Ecclesiastes 1:10-11
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’
Luke 12:13-19
THINKING ABOUT DEATH SAVES US FROM THE ILLUSION OF CONTROL
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
James 4:13-16
20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
Luke 12:20
THINKING ABOUT DEATH SAVES US FROM THE ILLUSION OF TIME
21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 12:21
THINKING ABOUT DEATH SAVES US FROM THE ILLUSION OF VALUE
“Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.
C.S. Lewis
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2
The Church: the vast network of God’s family reaching across the globe and all time
THE GLORIOUS BODY: WE ARE DESTINED FOR ETERNAL GLORY
If those are our only thoughts we think about when we think about heaven then we won’t think of it often and when we do - the excitement won’t be lasting.
WE ARE DESTINED FOR ETERNAL GLORY
Revelation was written by John to the church then and now, giving us hope by showing us that Christ reigns and final victory is assured.
9 I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.” - Revelation 7:9-12
WE ARE DESTINED FOR ETERNAL GLORY
heaven is for we, not just me
9 I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb - Revelation 7:9-10
5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 (A)Then he believed in the Lord; and He credited it to him as righteousness. - Genesis 15:5-6
6 (A)Then he believed in the Lord; and He credited it to him as righteousness. - Genesis 15:5-6
15:6A Rom 4:3, 20-22; Galatians 3:6
6 Just as Abraham (A)believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. 7 Therefore, recognize that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, (A)“All the nations will be blessed in you.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. - Galatians 3:6-9
A) the Gospel is the central message of scripture
B) By Faith [in the Gospel] we are a part of the Family of God
9 I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” - Revelation 7:9-10
Form follows Function: how something looks (form) should be based on its primary purpose (function)
10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
Just like Form follows Function, Design follows Destiny
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. - Romans 8:28-30
He changed our DESTINY!!!
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. - Romans 8:28-30
WE ARE DESTINED FOR ETERNAL GLORY
live with heaven in mind
For we know that if our earthly tent, which is our house, is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made by hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed, in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven. - 2 Corinthians 5:1–2
Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. - Colossians 3:1–2
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:16–18
A) We should long to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven.
B) Heaven starts in the mind
C) We are accumulating an eternal weight of glory
9 I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen, blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.” - Revelation 7:9-12
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe[d] came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Acts 2:42-47
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Romans 12:4-5
The Healthy Body
Global Wellness Economy: $6.3 trillion (2023), projected to $9 trillion by 2028.
Pharmaceutical Industry: About $1.6 trillion (2023).
Travel & Tourism: Around $5.8 trillion (2023).
Technology Industry (global IT): Roughly $5.3 trillion (2023).
Global Food & Beverage Industry: Estimated at $9.4 trillion (2023).
The wellness economy is larger than pharmaceuticals, IT, and travel, and nearly rivals food and beverage (one of the most essential global markets).
“The paradox is that a movement designed to make people healthier sometimes makes them more anxious, isolated, or perfectionistic.”
Body Dysmorphia: a mental condition characterized by extreme preoccupation with self-perceived defects in the appearance of the body.
Church Dysmorphia: a mental condition characterized by extreme preoccupation with self-perceived defects in the appearance of the Church.
Church Dysmorphia leads us to think that:
THE CHURCH IS TOO FAR GONE
14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”
1 Kings 19:14
THE CHURCH SHOULD BE FULL OF PERFECT FOLLOWERS
27 And the servants[d] of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
Matthew 13:27-30
This parable teaches us that the good and evil will always be found together in the professing church, until the end of the world.
J.C. Ryle
Those who are tares today, may be wheat tomorrow.
Augustine
THE CHURCH MUST BE IMPRESSIVE
38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus[d] entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary.[e] Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42
CHINESE UNDERGROUND CHURCH PICTURE*
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe[d] came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Acts 2:42-47
As our body is enlivened by the soul, so the Church receives its life from Christ. Hence the Church is called the body of Christ, because it receives life from him, and in turn communicates that life to its members.
John Calvin
“4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
#1 We are equipped
#2 We are responsible
#1 We are equipped:
What are these gifts,
Who gives them
and what for?
“Gracious endowments, leading to miraculous results.”- Clarke
Gift (Greek:charis): grace
“4 There are diversities of gifts, but it’s the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities in activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
“7 the manifestation of the Spirit” 1 Corinthians 12:7
“The Holy Spirit is always present with believers but at times he is more apparent”- David Guzik
3)for what?
#1- For His will
“11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things (gifts), distributing to each one individually as He wills.” 1Corinthians 12:11
“18 God has set the members, each one of them in the body just as he pleased.” 1 Corinthians 12:18
“Why is the foot a foot and the hand, a hand? Because it please the designer to make it so. So, the hand can take no pride in being the hand, and the foot no shame in being a foot. Each serves the pleasure of the designer.”- David Guzik
#2- For unifying His people into one expression
#3- For caring for the body.
“26 If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, but if one member is honored, all members rejoice with it.” 1 Corinthians 12:26
The equipping of the body of Christ are the gifts of the Holy Spirit, given in grace by the Holy Spirit as He wills to the unifying care of the body.
#2 How are we responsible?
We are responsible for the posture we receive the gifts in
We should receive the gifts in a:
1) posture of humility
2)posture of desire
3)posture of love
Ch 12 of 1 Corinthians describes the gifts of the Spirit to the body.
Ch 13 of 1 Corinthians depicts the love which gives the ministry of gifts its value
“1Though I speak with tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
“When the helper (Holy Spirit) comes…he will bear witness about me.” John 15:26
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:4-5
God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.
John Piper
The Church is NOT:
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24-25
16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.
Psalm 73:16-17
The Psalmist did not merely go to the building, he went to meet with God.
Martyn Lloyd Jones
What a wonderful place God’s house is. Often you will find deliverance by merely coming into it… People who neglect attendance at the house of God are not only being unscriptural—let me put it bluntly—they are fools.
Martyn Lloyd Jones
A seeker-sensitive church (or seeker-church) is a model of ministry and worship designed to be especially accessible, welcoming, and understandable to unchurched or spiritually curious people (“seekers”). The goal is to remove barriers that might make non-Christians feel out of place and to present the gospel in a culturally relevant way.
Stop looking for the perfect church. It does not exist. Even if it did exist, the moment you or I joined it, it would no longer be perfect.
Nicky Gumble
PETER’S CRUCIFIXION*
DIETRICH BONHOEFFER*
The Church is:
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Romans 12:4-5
The Church is not a religious community of worshippers of Christ but is Christ himself who has taken form among people.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
Acts 9:1-4
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
Ephesians 2:19-20
21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by[e] the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:21-22
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Ephesians 5:25-27
If the Church is central to God’s purpose, as seen in both history and the gospel, then it must surely also be central to our lives.
John Stott
[teaching text]
4 And while staying[a] with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:4-8
POWER
4 And while staying[a] with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:4-8
WHAT DOES THIS POWER LOOK LIKE?
The book of Acts shows us what the Christian church is meant to be. If you want to know what Christianity is, do not go to the church as she often appears; go to the New Testament. Go back to the book of Acts, and there you will see Christianity, the Christian life, and the church in action.
Martin Lloyd-Jones
The Acts of the Apostles is above all else the book of the Spirit. It is the Spirit who is the principal actor, and it is he who continues the ministry of Jesus through the apostles. Here is a model of normal Christianity—the Christian life lived in the fullness of the Spirit.
John Stott
What we see in Acts is what normal Christian living looks like.
WHAT DOES THIS POWER LEAD TO?
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
Notice that this really wasn’t a command; it was a simple statement of fact: When the Holy Spirit has come upon you… you shall be witnesses of Me. Jesus didn’t recommend that they become witnesses; He said they would be witnesses.
David Guzik
In less than a generation, Christianity had reached the ends of the known world. An uneducated band of fishermen and tax collectors, with no money or power, had transformed history because they carried a message stronger than empires.
Michael Green
WHAT DOES THIS POWER REQUIRE?
4 And while staying[a] with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father,
Acts 1:4
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
Romans 8:26
The greatest weakness in a person is trusting in their own strength and avoiding God. The greatest strength in a person is admitting their weakness and drawing strength from God’s.
42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
Matthew 26:42
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
John 16:7-11
21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
James 1:21-25
CONVICTION AND COMFORT
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
John 16:7-11
26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,
John 14:26 (NIV)
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,
John 14:26 (CSB)
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name,
John 14:26 (KJV)
HOW DOES THE COMFORTER COMFORT US?
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
John 16:7-11
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Jeremiah 17:9
Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.
Proverbs 28:26
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8
MOVIE CLIP***
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers[a] has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.
Revelation 12:10
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
John 16:8
elegchō: declare (someone) to be guilty of a criminal offense by the verdict of a jury or the decision of a judge in a court of law.
“The Spirit is the ‘advocate’ or helper of those who believe in Jesus, their counsel for the defense. But in relation to unbelievers, to the godless world, he acts as counsel for the prosecution.”
F.F. Bruce
Before the convicting work of the Holy Spirit one may say, I make a lot of mistakes. Nobody’s perfect. After the convicting work of the Holy Spirit one may say, I’m a lost rebel, fighting against God and His law – I must rely on Jesus to get right with God.
David Guzik
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…
John 16:13
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8
The devil will sometimes come to men's souls as a false comforter.
Charles Spurgeon
In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 11:1
“The Holy Spirit never comes merely to make us feel good; He comes to make us holy, and that requires conviction before comfort.”
A.W. Tozer
“When the Holy Spirit comes, He is like a refiner’s fire. He burns away the dross, but never destroys the gold; He convicts to cleanse, and cleanses to comfort.”
Charles Spurgeon
5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man!
2 Samuel 12:5-7
“When He rebukes, He wounds only to heal; when He pierces the conscience, it is to pour in the balm of comfort.”
John Chrysostom
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14:25-26
“The idea of the Spirit held by the average church member is so vague as to be nearly nonexistent. When it is thought of at all, it is likely to be misunderstood as an influence or an impersonal power.”
A.W. Tozer
“From my perspective, the Holy Spirit is tragically neglected and, for all practical purposes, forgotten... while no evangelical would deny His existence, I'm willing to bet there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have experienced His presence or action in their lives.”
Francis Chan
What do you believe concerning the “Holy Spirit”?
First, that the Spirit, with the Father and the Son, is eternal God. Second, that he is given also to me, so that, through true faith, he makes me share in Christ and all his benefits, comforts me, and will remain with me forever.
Heidelberg Catechism, Q.53
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT A PAST/PRESENT POWER APPLIED TO A CHRISTIAN, HE’S THE PERSON OF GOD WHO HAS COME TO MAKE HIS HOME IN A RESURRECTED HEART.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14:25-26
THE TEACHER
Teacher: someone who helps others learn, understand, and grow in knowledge, skills, character, or wisdom.
MATH EQAUTION PIC***
Teacher: someone who takes what is formless and void to the student, and brings order to the chaos through words.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14:25-26
ONE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT’S PRIMARY ROLES IS TO PARTNER WITH GOD’S WORD TO CREATE ORDER.
Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested[a] on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:2-4
Modalism: a theological view that posits the Trinity is not three distinct persons within one Godhead, but rather one God who reveals Himself in different "modes" or “manifestations"
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CREATION
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Genesis 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life,[a] and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-5
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN EZEKIEL
The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley;[a] it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath[b] to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling,[c] and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Ezekiel 37:1-10
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN JESUS
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
Luke 1:31-35
GOD’S SPIRIT WORKS IN TANDEM WITH GOD’S WORD
TRY TO SEPARATE GOD’S SPIRIT FROM HIS WORD AND YOU WILL GET
WORSHIP THAT IS “WITHOUT FORM” (John 4)
22 You worship what you do not know;
John 4:22
They worshipped a God whom they did not really know. The
reason for this was their rejection of most of His revelation in
the Old Testament. On top of this, the Samaritans had added
pagan concepts to their faith, concepts that came from their
Gentile forefathers.
Dr. Thomas Constable
WORSHIP THAT IS “VOID” (Matthew 23)
2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
Matthew 23:2
“AM I GIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT THE WORD TO WORK WITH?”
LEARNING TO DWELL AND FEAST ON THE BIBLE IS THE START TO A SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE
“AM I GIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT ROOM TO WORK WITH THE WORD?”
DON’T READ ALONE. INVITE THE HELP OF THE TEACHER....
Open-mic testimony night about all God did at camp this summer! 🕊️
The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.
Ezekiel 34:1-6
Shepherd
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
John 10:1-6
Strangers, Sheep, and Shepherds
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.
John 10:1
A shepherd in scriptures represents any spiritual leader who is called to lead, feed, and care for God’s people.
John 10 is Jesus’ response to John 9 and the Man born Blind
34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
John 9:34
The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.
Ezekiel 34:1-2, 4
A stranger is anyone who operates in spiritual authority over another person without going through Jesus, with Jesus, and like Jesus
The man who makes much of Christ is a pastor after God’s own heart, whom God delights to honor. The minister who makes little of Christ is the one whom God regards as an imposter—as one who has climbed up to his holy office not by the door, but by “some other way”
J.C. Ryle
Confidence in a stranger leads to REJECTION.
34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
John 9:34
DO I EASILY FEEL REJECTED BY PEOPLE?
He that enjoys the favor of the Son of God will not tremble at the frown of the Sanhedrim.
Charles Spurgeon
2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
John 10:2-5
A sheep is anyone who belongs to Jesus, listens to Jesus, and follows Jesus
Confidence in a sheep leads to PRIDE
18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? 19 And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
20 “Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, 22 I will rescue[b] my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep.
Ezekiel 34:18-22
A true shepherd is anyone who feeds, leads, and cares for the sheep
Confidence in Jesus leads to WORSHIP
· Jesus is a man (John 9:11).
· Jesus is a prophet (John 9:17).
· Jesus is my master, I am His disciple (John 9:27).
· Jesus is from God (John 9:33).
· Jesus is the Son of God (John 9:35-38).
· Jesus is who I trust (John 9:38).
· Jesus is who I worship (John 9:38).
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
John 9:24
38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
John 9:38
Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
John 18:37
The goodness of God is so boundless that no mind can grasp it, no tongue declare it. To know Him is to worship, for His attributes are not just mighty—they are lovely.
Ulrich Zwingli
The divine attributes are not separate parts of God; they are how He is. And this God—eternal, infinite, unchanging—is the most beautiful being that ever was or could be.
A.W. Tozer
God’s attributes are the beams of the sun of His nature. Is He wise? His wisdom draws admiration. Is He powerful? His power begets awe. Is He holy? His holiness evokes reverence. The perfection of all His attributes makes Him infinitely beautiful.
Thomas Watson
King
Authority: the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
John 18:33-38
Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” 7 The Jews[a] answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. 9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.
John 19:1-11
‘Any one might make himself king by putting himself at the head of a band of rebels whom he fell in with.’
Josephus, 4 B.C.
These [rebels] were the only types who would be foolish enough to claim to be the King of the Jews in the face of Roman domination. Pilate had seen these kinds of men before, and knew Jesus was not like them.
David Guzik
When the kingship of Jesus is misunderstood:
Worldly Power is OVERestimated
Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” 7 The Jews[a] answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. 9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?”
John 19:6-10
The same man who claimed to have all power tried to wash his hands of the decision (Matthew 27:24) claiming, “I didn’t really want to do this.”
Guzik
God’s Power is UNDERestimated
11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.
John 19:11
What happens when we understand Jesus is truly king?
We find true power in:
37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
John 18:33-38
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
John 18:36
33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?”
John 18:33
Whose authority are you under?
"If Jesus is King, then there is no part of our lives—no politics, no finances, no relationships—that He does not claim with authority and grace."
Tim Keller
16 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. 18 I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts.
Ecclesiastes 3:16-18
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
John 1:18
This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
Psalm 18:10
“The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.
Deuteronomy 32:4
“God alone is good essentially. Other things are good by participation.”
Thomas Aquinas
It [John 8:1-11] was omitted because of a prudish fear that it would encourage adultery.
Thomas Aquinas
1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
John 8:1-11
15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning,[d] when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone's will is to do God's[e] will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.
John 7:15-19
3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him.
John 8:3-6
10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of[a] his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
Leviticus 20:10
Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.
John 7:24
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Matthew 7:5
6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him.
John 8:6
WHAT KIND OF JUDGE IS JESUS?
WILL JESUS JUDGE WITH THE LAW? (NO MERCY)
WILL JESUS THROW AWAY THE LAW? (NO MORALS)
JESUS’ JUDGEMENT IS NOT HARSH OR LENIENT; IT’S PERECT
“There is no mistake in God’s court. No flaw in His evidence, no error in His verdict, and no miscarriage in His sentence.”
Charles Spurgeon
6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.
John 8:6
O Lord, the hope of Israel,
all who forsake you shall be put to shame;
those who turn away from you[c] shall be written in the earth,
for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water.
Jeremiah 17:13
Their names shall be written in the earth. This is what I think He wrote, linking their names with sins of their past. Perhaps He wrote the name of a woman living in Rome. One old pious Pharisee had had an affair in Rome when he was a young fellow. His wife didn’t know about it; no one in Jerusalem knew about it; but our Lord knew that old rascal. AS He just wrote the name of the old woman, the old Pharisee came over and saw—and suddenly remembered that he had another appointment. Perhaps one of the scribes made regular trips to Ephesus, a great sinning place, to a certain address over there which Jesus wrote in the sand. The scrub looked and said, “Oh, my gracious!” He left hurriedly. Another scribe may have left a girl in Galilee who was pregnant. He didn’t marry her, and he didn’t think anyone knew. Our Lord wrote the name of the girl and the scribe’s name with it.
J. Vernon McGee
Secret sin on earth is open scandal in heaven.
J. Vernon McGee
9 What then? Are we Jews[a] any better off?[b] No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
Romans 3:9-11
10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you;
John 8:10-11
Is Jesus reversing the Mosaic system? No. He is placing His cross between that women and her sin.
“Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
John 8:11
...
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
John 17:1-5
Anyone who has fasted understands the lethargy and fatigue that the body feels. So too, with your spirit. If you fast from the bread of God, your spirit will become lethargic and sleepy.
Peter K. Louis
Social Schema: A mental framework that helps organize and interpret information. People use social schemas to interpret others based on past experiences and expectations.
A bio is basically answering the question, “Who is _______?”
FACES OF GOD
“We must not think of God as like ourselves. We are creatures; He is Creator.”
Athanasius of Alexandria
“Your thoughts of God are too human.”
Martin Luther
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
J.I. Packer
WHAT IS GOD LIKE?
What do you get from a God who is a CREATOR first?
If God’s very identity is to be The Creator, The Ruler, then he needs a creation to rule in order to be who he is.
Michael Reeves
What do you get from a God who is a JUDGE first?
What do you get from a God who is a FRIEND first?
What do you get from a God who is a KING first?
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Colossians 1:15
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
Hebrews 1:3
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
John 1:18
25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.
John 17:25-26
“He became what we are so that He might make us what He is.”
Athanasius of Alexandria
Father: ~165+
My Father: ~40+
The Father: ~60+
Your Father (to disciples): ~20+
Abba, Father: 1
God: ~15-20
Lord of Heaven and Earth: 1
Holy Father: 1
Righteous Father: 1
Bar Graph Picture***
“If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child and having God as his Father.”
J.I. Packer
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:9-11
“God is not only a father but the best and kindest of all fathers.”
John Calvin
What do you get from a God who is first a FATHER?
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons[f] of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Romans 8:14-15
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:9-11
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
Hebrews 12:7-8
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
1 John 3:1
“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”
Augustine of Hippo
“The greatest sorrow and burden you can lay on the Father, the greatest unkindness you can do to Him, is not to believe that He loves you.”
John Owen
25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
John 17:25-26
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12
Let Down - “I tried faith and it didn’t work.”
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Psalms 34:8
After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
John 6:1-6
11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
John 6:11-15
24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
John 6:11-24
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
John 6:35
41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
John 6:41-42
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
John 6:52-56
66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”
John 6:66-67
Jesus helps us ask better questions.
24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
John 6:11-24
Instead of asking “why did you leave Jesus?”, we need to be asking “why did you seek Jesus?”
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
2 Timothy 4:1-5
False Gospels that will never meet our expectations
THE PRODIGAL SONS
29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
Luke 15:29-32