lesson loop 11.15.15

Middle School - "A Living Sacrifice"

We started a brand new mini-series on worship entitled "A Living Sacrifice".

Big Idea: The worship that God desires is accompanied by obedience and comes from a pure heart.

We briefly looked at the sacrificial system from the book of Leviticus, and then we turned our attention to the misunderstanding of King Saul when it came to offering sacrifices of worship to God - 1 Samuel 15:1-22

God desires worship that is…

1. Accompanied by obedience
2. From a pure heart

We considered these 2 points from the following Scriptures...
Hosea 6:6
Amos 5:21-24
Psalm 51:16-17
Proverbs 21:2-3

We then looked at how Jesus fulfilled the OT sacrifices as the ultimate sacrifice - Romans 3:22-25

Then we finished by considering Paul's words on what it means to be a "living sacrifice" from Romans 12:1. This will be the theme for the next couple weeks.

Lastly, we watched a live Keith Green video of "To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice"

High School - Ecclesiastes 2:12-23 ("The Problem of Death")

Big Idea: Death is the great equalizer which puts things in perspective.

Death shows us that...

1. Wisdom does not bring eternal significance (v. 12-17)
*Everyone wants significance and prosperity, but no one has ever had the opportunity to combine wealth, power and wisdom like Solomon.
*If Solomon of all people came up empty handed, what gives us the idea we have any chance to find satisfaction in these things?

a. Wisdom has temporary benefits (flip with me…)
*gives success - 10:10
*preserves and protects life - 7:12
*gives strength - 7:19
*better than mere brute strength - 9:16
*gives joy - 8:1
*v. 13 - light

b. wisdom cannot solve the problem of death.
*Problem with death is it is “the great equalizer”!
*Wisdom will not secure everlasting fame for us.
*More than that, wisdom cannot “straighten what is crooked, or make up for what is lacking”. (1:15)

c. Wisdom will not impress God in heaven

2. Work does not bring eternal reward (v. 18-23)

a. Work only benefits us temporarily
*wealth makes life easier, but you can't take wealth with you
*Many men (and women) are chasing after the very things that Solomon chased after. (“irrationality of sin” - our attempts are obviously futile and unsuccessful.)

b. work often brings frustration and despair
One of the beautiful aspects of Ecclesiastes - it reflects the reality of life. We all get really frustrated with work!! (Solomon actually says he “hated all his toil”  - v. 18)

Next week in our study we will see that a God-centered perspective on life allows one to enjoy life because it is given by God. But this is impossible in a life lived “under the sun”

Antithesis - work for the Lord is always worthwhile! (1 Cor. 15:58)
Anything done for the Lord is not vanity!!