lesson loop 3.26.16

Family Night - "Simplified Wisdom" (Ecclesiastes 12:9-14)

We ended the HS study of Ecclesiastes at our Family Night this past Tuesday. It was a great way to cap it off, with parents and family members with us. What an awesome end to the book, where the author boils down for us what wisdom really means.

Big Idea: Wisdom can be simplified as fearing and obeying God.

Before we looked at those 2 simple directions, we considered first from the texts how valuable wisdom really is!

Wisdom is precious

• v. 9 - Wisdom (in Scripture) was included by God carefully & purposefully
• v. 10 - Wisdom presents truth in a pleasant way
• v. 11 - Wisdom presents truth that is painful -  correction (like a goad); being corrected by God or even our parents is not fun, but it is an important part of learning.
• v. 11 - Wisdom comes through knowledge of a Person - “The Shepherd”; our goal in youth ministry and parenting is to teach the Person of God through Scripture, not just Biblical facts.
• v. 11 - Wisdom (of God’s Word) is inspired by Him (His very words)
• v. 12 - Wisdom (of God’s Word) is sufficient.; be careful about eclectic wisdom out there (especially online!)

All the wisdom in Ecclesiastes can be boiled down to 2 simple instructions...

• Fear GOD (apparently, the fear of the Lord is the beginning and end of wisdom!)
• He is Omnipotent
• He is Sovereign
• He is Judge - don't forget however that if we are in Christ, we will never be condemned, we are clothed in Jesus' righteousness.

Fearing God allows us to obey Him (keep His commands); important - obedience flows from worship

Keeping God’s commandments demonstrates that we love and fear God!

• Keep His COMMANDS
• Obedience brings wisdom, knowledge and joy!; obeying God actually grants wisdom which helps in further obedience!!
• Obedience is best for us (even when it seems like it isn’t)
• Obedience = real holiness (not self-righteousness or self-indulgence)

We closed by recognizing that many do not agree with the thesis of Ecclesiastes - and they believe life's meaning is found in things other than God, or there is no meaning at all. We want to hold out the hope of the gospel and a meaningful life in Christ constantly to a lost world!

“Thou hast made us for thyself, and our heart is restless till it rests in thee.”

St. Augustine

lesson loop 3.19.16

Middle and High School - Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8 (Do Something Now!)

Since we are in between units with the MS students, we also went through the Ecclesiastes passage this past Tuesday. It seemed appropriate given the youth emphasis in the text.

Big Idea: Now is the perfect time to do something for your Creator!

Do something! (11:1-6)

• The "casting your bread" thing is a bit confusing, but it seems to indicate giving with a risk.
• Do something risky - We challenged to students to consider when the last time was that they did something risky? (for the Lord)?
• Do something generous - "give a portion" refers to being generous with food
• There is a lot of uncertainty!
• There is a lot that we don't know!
• About how life works - i.e. how a baby grows in the womb
• About God's specific will for our life (there are a lot of things teenagers wish they knew about the future, but God does not reveal them to us)
• The best way to respond to uncertainty is to make the most of the time - both morning and evening (v. 6)!
• There is a spiritual work to be done; a spiritual harvest! (seed of the gospel)
• Many of us tend to procrastinate, but that is dangerous. God wants us to get involved.
• We challenged the students to think about where they can serve in the church or in youth group. God can use them now!!

Make the most of your youth! (11:7-12:8)

• Enjoy life!
• Joy is not permitted. It is commanded!! (11:9-10)
• Enjoy life for the Lord!
• “Know that God will bring you into judgment” 11:9b
• “Remember your Creator!” 12:1
• Points to life before us
• Points to life above us
• Points to life beyond life “under the sun”
• “Remember” - more than simply a memory; “passionate loyalty”
• A vital part of true joy is pleasing God
• Part of finding true joy is in committing our heart and body to God - 11:10
• Here and other places in Scripture - the eyes can either lead to worship in the heart, or sin (jealousy, lust, anger)
• Enjoy life for the Lord while you are young!
• Before you are old
• poetry - old age described as...
• an impending storm
• a house in decline
• While you still have life
• life is a valuable but fragile work of art

There are no guarantees. Life is fragile. And even a full life is shorter than you realize. (“Seize the Day” for God’s glory!!)

Enjoy life. For the Lord. While you are young.

• (Make the most of your youth!)
• Do something!!

lesson loop 3.13.16

Middle School - "Following Up"
This was the final lesson in our series on "Sharing our Faith". It also concludes the bigger unit on being a "Community of Believers"

Big Idea: Before, during and after sharing the gospel... it is important to show love.

Before

• “Pre-evangelism” - just treating others in a respectful way (“Love your neighbor”)

During

• Watch out for being forceful, demeaning, angry, etc…

After

• How do we respond...
• when someone accepts the gospel?
• when someone rejects the gospel?

What does it look like to show someone love after we have shared the gospel?
(from 1 Cor. 13)

Love is patient and kind

• patient
• μακρο-θυμία - literally "takes a long time to boil over"
• kind
• God's kindness leads us to repentance. Perhaps our kindness could lead those who have said no to the gospel to a place of repentance
• we need to be patient and kind to those who are "baby Christians" as well

Love does not envy or boast

• envy
• boast
• It's not about us. We should not boast about anything except Jesus Christ!

Love is not arrogant or rude

• arrogant - literally means "puffed up".
• rude - Christians are often accused of being rude. We want to make sure this is not our attitude or behavior whether someone accepts Christ or not.

Love does not insist on its own way - this is the heart of love!!!

Love is not irritable or resentful

• irritable - We should not be miserable as Christians
• resentful - keeps no record of wrongs!!
• we cannot be angry when people reject Christ - God has forgiven us for all of our disobedience
• we cannot keep a record of how baby Christians fail - God doesn't do that with us - Psalm 130:3

Love rejoices not with sin but with truth

• We should never glorify sin

Love bears, believes, hopes and endures (all things)

• bear - cover, support, protect
• believes - not suspicious or cynical
• hopes - we can never give up hope that God will save

We finished by encouraging the students to substitute the name of Jesus for love in 1 Cor. 13. After that, they should substitute their own name in the place of love, asking - is this how I love others?

High School - Ecclesiastes 10:2-20 ("Living Wisely Under Foolish Rulers")

The relationship of Christians to politics is a tricky issue!

Big Idea: We should live wisely regardless of how wise our leaders are.

Wisdom & Folly are traced to the heart

Prov. 4:23

Wisdom protects us (v. 1-11)

• from rulers (v. 4)
• angry rulers
• foolish rulers - God is in control and He will take care of them
• time and chance (ch. 9) cause unlikely things to happen - the foolish succeed and rule; wisdom is cast aside
• from ourselves (v. 8-11)
• we are our own worst enemy
• wisdom allows us to be effective - like sharpening a tool

Wisdom produces discernment of speech (v. 12-15)

Sooner or later, wisdom literature will address the tongue - acid test of wisdom

• v. 12) wise speech brings favor (word = grace)
• v. 12) foolish speech eats you alive
• v. 13) foolish speech is a snowball - begins in the heart
• v. 14) less can be more (with words)

Wisdom promotes respect for authority (v. 16-20)

• Tough!!, because sometimes our leaders are…
• immature (v.16)
• inappropriate (v. 16)
• indulgent (v. 17)
• indolent (v. 18) - lazy

We must be respectful to leaders (even when they don't deserve respect). We must be respectful...

• in thoughts - sinful words start first in the heart and mind. This is going to be really hard, so we need to pray much, asking God to change our heart towards that individual
• in words - how do you talk about your leaders? about the president?

We finished with John Piper's "Prayer for the Election". You can find that here: http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-prayer-for-the-election

lesson loop 3.1.16

Middle School - "Telling the Story"
Romans 10:13-18

We began with an activity where students had to try to tell a friend about their favorite story without using words. They had masking tape over their mouth. We then related this to the difficulty (impossibility) of sharing Christ without using words.

Big Idea: Telling the good news is a beautiful thing!

• We tend to be so excited to share with someone a present we bought for them, or maybe even sharing the newest gossip, but we seem so reluctant to share the greatest gift and the greatest news ever!
• God designed the process of salvation, and He has given us the privilege of being part of that process!!

People are saved when they call on the name of the Lord

• "everyone" - all people, regardless of background are saved when they call on the name of the Lord
• While Christianity is always accused of being exclusive, it is the most inclusive "religion" in the world
• Because of this we should share Jesus with everyone, even those it is difficult to share with
• The "calling" in this passage may or may not be out loud, but it must be humble

People call on the name of the Lord when they believe in Him as Lord

• hearing is not enough (though they can't believe if they don't hear)
• This is more than believing Jesus existed - Paul seems to equate Jesus with Yahweh
• It's about receiving Jesus as LORD!
• This is important as you are sharing Christ - help others understand they must "count the cost"!

People believe in Jesus as LORD after they hear the gospel

• We talked about the quote attributed (falsely) to St. Francis of Assisi - "Preach the gospel. Use words when necessary."
• While we discussed the intention of this quote, students were able to identify how this quote does not square with Romans 10.

People hear the gospel when someone preaches it!

• being "sent" is a beautiful thing!
• We reviewed the definition of "gospel" - good news

We finished by considering the lyrics from Jimmy Needham's song - "Speak"

High School - Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:1

We began by discussing the breakneck speed of technology development. We live in the information age, and we have SO much information at our fingertips today. Unfortunately, this information does not automatically produce wisdom. Wisdom is knowing how to live skillfully the information you have learned. We need others for this.

Big Idea: Wisdom is valuable!

Wisdom is humble (We are not as strong as we think we are) (9:11-12)

• you can't rely on speed, strength, wisdom or intelligence
• wisdom has no built-in guarantees
• Time & Chance are 2 things which are completely out of our control.
• this is a death blow to our confidence
• this is a catalyst for faith
• In a world where everything is getting faster, more powerful, and more knowledgeable, we as followers of God need to be humble and have enough wisdom to realize that only God is in control, and nothing matters except what He desires.

Wisdom is power (9:13-17)

• example of a siege (probably a real life example)
• "wisdom is better than might" - students shared example from Scripture where this is true

Wisdom is free (9:15)

• The wise man in the passage is poor. It requires no money to be wise
• In the book of Proverbs wisdom calls out to all who will listen
• Irony - that which is of immense value is free

Wisdom is undervalued (9:15-17)

• Throughout all time, wisdom has not been as valuable as power, speed, influence, etc...
• Today, information is far more valuable than wisdom
• side note - You can’t rely on the approval of man - people are fickle! (one minute you are the hero, the next moment you are forgotten)

Wisdom is a weapon against sin (9:18-10:1)

• Proverbs 2:6-8, 11-12
• There are many “nets” out there, Satan seeks to catch us in them
• Wisdom is very beneficial in the fight against sin!
• There is a battle going on, and a lot is at stake.
• Satan wants to destroy us, but thankfully God has given us victory in Christ!

lesson loop 2.16.16

Middle School - "God's Story"
John 1:1-18

We began by talking about the rising action in a story, as well as the climax. We discussed that Jesus is the climax in God's story.

Big Idea: Jesus is the climax of God’s story!

We also talked about how in order to convey a story, you need to use words. In John 1, Jesus is "The Word".

God’s story is communicated through Jesus!

• Jesus is the Word!
• Jesus is the Light that brings clarity in a dark and confusing world
• Jesus explodes "Relativism" (we talked briefly about what this means)
• Jesus is God's clear Word to us - telling God's story

God’s story is believed through Jesus

• This is not just a nice story... it has tremendous implications and consequences
• Summary of God's Story"
• Creation
• Fall
• Redemption
• Restoration
• We must "receive Jesus" (v. 11-12)
• more than knowing about him or believing in him
• receiving like a king (not as much like a present)
• We receive Jesus because God has opened our eyes

God’s story is retold through Jesus

• retold to ourselves - we must review the gospel and preach it to ourselves constantly!!
• retold to others - example of John the Baptist
• What do we like to share through social networking? How often do we share about Christ?

High School - Ecclesiastes 9:1-10

We began by clearing up that while this world is not our eventual home, it is our home now. How are we to live?

Big Idea: God’s approval enables us to truly enjoy life!

Life without God’s approval is madness (v. 1-6)

• Many people believe there is a God, but they wonder what He is like?? loving, hate-filled? (v. 1)
• What does it matter if you are good or bad - we all die in the end?
• Death is scary for us all; especially if you are without Christ.
• philosophy apart from God is "madness"
• sin = madness; sin will make you do crazy stuff!
• for those without God, all you have is life. There is nothing after, so Carpe Diem!
• The Christian has more reason than any other to Carpe Diem!

Life with God’s approval is joyful (v. 7-10)

• vs. 7 - most hope filled verse in the book! God has approved us (because of Christ)!
• Good theology = rest; Bad theology = unrest
• Important to understand what the Bible says about God, and ourselves! (if we listen to what the world says about us, we will be in trouble -
• we are animals
• we should live for ourselves and our happiness
• money is everything
• Christians should enjoy life!
• pleasure is designed by God
• Satan has never invented a pleasure, he only twists God's good gifts
• Christians should be content
• God has given us an allotment - house, car, spouse, family, etc...
• Contentment is the only way to enjoy pleasure
• Christians should be passionate!
• "might" - v. 10
• 1 Cor. 10:31
• "Go" - v. 7
• What kind of billboard are you to the world??

lesson loop 1.31.16

Middle School - "Your Story"

We began a brand new mini-series on sharing your faith entitled - "Salvation Story"
Last Tuesday we looked at Ephesians 2:1-10, and our title was "Your Story".

Big Idea: Your salvation story is about God’s transformation of you!

Transformed from death to life! 

• dead in sins (deaf and blind spiritually)
• dead but "walking" - spiritual zombies
• "But God" - extremely important words in this text (v. 4)
• we have been "raised up" from death to life!

Transformed from enemy to family!

• Before God saves us, Satan is our ruler and we follow him - that makes us God's enemy.
• Either Jesus is our ruler and Lord - or Satan is. Not a 3rd option.
• “children of wrath” (not God’s child)
• But God!!
• “seated us with Jesus” - not just part of a family, but a royal family - we have been given authority!!??
• We explained Reconciliation - Rom. 5:10

Transformed from sin to good works!

• trespasses = false steps
• every step we take before Christ saves us is a false step
• sin = miss the mark
• But God!
• v. 10 - We are God’s workmanship, created for good works - God has already prepared these good works!

Transformed by God’s power alone!

• “rich in mercy” - God saves us because of His mercy and love
• “made us alive” - all God’s work (“we are his workmanship”)
• “For grace you have been saved through faith” - this (whole phrase) is the gift of God
• "God helps those who help themselves" = absolutely incorrect. In actuality, God helps those who are helpless!

We then concluded by having each student sketch an illustration of how God has transformed them or is transforming them right now

Then, each student shared with one other student their picture and their story of salvation.

High School - Ecclesiastes 8:2-17

First, we reviewed a summary of what we have learned in Ecclesiastes so far...


Big Idea: Obeying authority is always worth it!

Obeying authority on earth is worth it (v. 2-9, 16-17)

• Romans 13 - also clearly states we are to obey human govt. and authority
• There is enough trouble in this life (v. 6) without disobeying the law
• It is very difficult to submit to authority, b/c we want to do what we want to!!
• Ephesians 6:1-4 - It’s worth it to obey parents!
• Our power as humans is limited
• we cannot know the future (v. 7)
• we cannot control the wind (or the human spirit/soul) (v. 8)
• we cannot cheat death (v. 8)
• we cannot leave the military in the middle of war (v. 8)
• we are not able to understand why God allows what He does
• ultimately, we have no control over the authorities and whether they are good or evil (In America we vote and that is about it)
• In fact, sometimes authority harms us and opposes God (v. 9)
• today - allowing and supporting abortion
• all throughout Biblical history rulers have opposed God - Sennacherib, King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, Nero, etc...
• Ecclesiastes has a realistic view of government
• The point of v. 2-9 is that it will be better for us if we obey human authority, even when that authority is harsh
• Ultimately, rebellion against human authority is rebellion against God Himself (who institutes authority); Prov. 24:21

Obeying God’s authority is worth it (v. 10-14)

• The “Preacher” gets an eternal perspective - v. 10 (the wicked are buried - remember, the wise learn from funerals
• The statement in v. 12 takes faith - “yet I know”
• Psalm 73
• The way of safety is to “fear God”

• The author doesn’t try to figure out the puzzle of injustice; instead he urges us to get on with life and live rightly (leaving justice in God’s hands)
• Truth of the matter - we will either be under God’s authority…. or we will be under sin’s authority! (v. 8) - we go to sin for deliverance, instead it enslaves!

Obeying God’s authority brings joy (v. 15)

• “joy” - being glad or joyful with the whole being (heart, soul, eyes); fullness
• God is a central part of our lives, and He brings joy (not futility)
• We considered... Do we really believe that obeying God's authority brings happiness and joy?? Do we really?
• 1st sin… (and every one after…) was based on disbelieving that obeying God's authority brings true joy.