Mark 4:1-20

Mark 4:1-20

“Do you know what the word prodigal means? In modern English we only hear that word in one place…And that’s unfortunate, because the word prodigal doesn’t mean rebellious or wayward. In fact, prodigal means lavish, generous, bountiful, even irresponsible. The prodigal son lavishly scattered his father’s money like the sower sows the seed. So here we meet the prodigal sower…

If you look at this as the parable of the sower, where’s your focus gonna lie?…Sowers are important…critical… we are to be sowers of the word - but it’s not the sower that makes the difference. It's the seed.”

Ecclesiastes 8:1-17

Ecclesiastes 8:1-17

Pastor Josh continues his series through Ecclesiastes:

“Where every other book of the Bible emphasizes God’s potent sovereignty, which is good news for those who love him, Ecclesiastes pairs that emphasis with an unflinching look at human inability…In the final assessment, the author commends that we should live in joy:  We should fear God and keep his commandments, and eat, drink, and be joyful in the few days God has given us to live, because lasting gain does not rely on our ability to scrabble it together by excessive striving, even striving for wisdom.”

Ecclesiastes 7:15-29

Ecclesiastes 7:15-29

Pastor Josh continues his series through Ecclesiastes this Sunday:

“Wisdom is a good thing, especially when contrasted with folly, but Ecclesiastes has been insistent that human wisdom and understanding are limited, and are therefore insufficient to produce a lasting profit, thus the final assessment that it is all hevel (vanity, mist, temporal and fleeting)…While Ecclesiastes keeps acknowledging that certain ways of behaving are better and wiser, and generally lead towards goodness and life rather than death, its purpose here is to teach us enough wisdom to know that ‘wisdom is not magic.’”

Ecclesiastes 6:10-7:14

Ecclesiastes 6:10-7:14

Pastor Josh continues his series through Ecclesiastes:

“So when is the day of death better than the day of birth?  When is mourning better than feasting and sorrow better than laughter?  When the living see that death is the end of all mankind, and lay it to heart.  Psalm 90:12 asks God: ‘...teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.’ The author is not depressed or suicidal.  He is not recommending that we love death more than life or dress like goths and be obsessed with funerals.  He is saying that there is a certain context in which these things are better.  In this limited context, “Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad”! Part of the wisdom required to enjoy the good life is to recognize the reality of death and live accordingly…Humans cannot determine what is good for them. We would never pray and ask God to give us sorrow instead of laughter.  We don’t know when, by sadness, our hearts will be made glad. The wisdom taught here is not that bad things are good things, but that we can’t even know.  Human wisdom, though good, has severe limitations.”

Ecclesiastes 5:10-6:9

Ecclesiastes 5:10-6:9

Pastor Josh continues his series through Ecclesiastes:

“Wealth, long-life, and many children were the primary hallmarks of a life blessed by God in the ancient near east and even in much of the old testament.  Ecclesiastes does not deny that these could be blessings, only that they are not blessings at all without the added gift of contentment; the ability to be thankful and enjoy what you have.”

Mark 3:7-35 Pt 2

Mark 3:7-35 Pt 2

“But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house (Mark 3:27). Satan is the strong man in this parable, and by the actions and intentions of the Pharisees, it’s clear that Satan is mighty and hard at work and not divided. But God is stronger, and we have seen repeatedly through these first three chapters, that Jesus has entered the devil’s turf, broken into his home and is pushing back. Christ ultimately has come to defeat Satan and all forces of evil, showing the unmatched glory of the Father who sovereignly rules all, and has only allowed the devil some chain for just a short time..”

Ecclesiastes 4:4-11

Ecclesiastes 4:4-11

Pastor Josh continues his series through Ecclesiastes:

“Once again, Ecclesiastes stares unblinking into the human heart.  You see, the only way for us to know our own hearts is for the word of God to lay them bare.  Our hearts have sociopathic tendencies…God, and God alone, knows the hearts of men….You say that you work hard to provide for your family; the word of God says that you work hard because of covetousness…Exposing the human heart, Ecclesiastes sees only a selfish motive: getting ahead of your neighbors…The hopeless situation of the human heart, steeped in sinful self-seeking, finds hope in Christ Jesus, who grants us a new heart and a new spirit.  You can’t change your envious heart, but in Christ we are given a replacement.”

Mark 3:7-35 Pt 1

Mark 3:7-35 Pt 1

“Now there’s just too much here to look at in one message, so next time, I’ll go through the family-Pharisees-family sandwich, as it relates to the whole chapter, but I had to have Mark read through the whole thing today, so we could get see how the crowds and the call of the apostles relates to the whole of the chapter. And all this brings us to the main question: Who are my mother and my brothers? Essentially Jesus is asking: Who are the people of God?”

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

Pastor Josh continues his series through Ecclesiastes:

“Not only can we fall into the rut of mindless religious expression, but we can also easily fall into the mind-set that our religious rituals will somehow gain us God’s favor.  Not only is this wrong-headed, it is evil. This is an attempt to manipulate God!  It is a form of paganism or witchcraft to perform rituals for God so that He will give you what you really want in return.  If God is a means to an end as you try to gain the desires of your heart, you are a practicing pagan!  That is not the gospel.  That is not authentic Christianity… Just because you go to church and worship God does not mean you are not a fool. The fool supposes that worship, or a sacrifice or service covers up unfaithful living, but such foolish sacrifices achieve the very opposite of their intended effect; they anger God and add to the separation.  Your worship may actually be making things worse!”

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