We picked up where we left off last week - what it means to be a "living sacrifice". One text that is key in understanding this is Micah 6:6-8. We will spend the next several weeks teaching through what this means. This first week we focused on what it means to "do justice".
“do justice” = keeping the rules (context of integrity)
Some people confuse Christianity with simply living a moral life; simply “keeping the rules”.
There is a huge problem with this:
- For those who have a lot of trouble keeping the rules - despair and hopelessness
- For those who seem to be good at keeping the rules - pride and self-reliance.
Big Idea: Being a living sacrifice means living justly.
Living justly towards God ( Turn to Psalm 37:27-28)
Do good
This is the concept of "putting off" and "putting on" in Scripture (It is not enough to just stop sinning)
Eph. 4:28-29
The Lord loves justice!! (anytime Scripture tells us something that God loves, we should pay attention!)
Living justly towards others (turn to Isaiah 1:16-17)
- Helping the weak and oppressed (“correct oppression”)
- Stopping the oppressor (only way to permanently help the oppressed)
- Caring for believers in need - 1 Jn. 3:14-18
Really, it is a matter of integrity!!
High School - Ecclesiastes 2:24-3:22
We saw that there is a big difference between the perspective of a believer and the perspective of an unbeliever - and it comes down to worldview.
Big Idea: For those with a God-centered worldview, there is incredible meaning and beauty to life
“Coram Deo” - before the face of God
For those with a God-centered worldview…
Life has incredible meaning (2:24-26)
- Life is full of God’s blessings! (these are gifts from God)
- God’s natural blessings - 2:24-25 (food, work, relationship)
- God’s supernatural blessings - 2:26 (wisdom, knowledge, joy)
- Life is about pleasing God! (not ourselves)
- 1 Cor. 10:31
Life has incredible beauty (3:1-22)
- deep beauty
- complex beauty
- eternal beauty
- We have a very limited vantage point (perspective)
- God does all things well! (v. 14); nothing He does is in vain.
- Fear Him!! (v. 14)
- Seize the day!! (“nothing better” - 2:24; 3:12, 22)
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