You Shall Call His Name Jesus (Luke 1:26-38)
Introduction As Christianity has expanded—Luke provides an “orderly account” of the life and death of Christ. His expressed purpose is to provide Theophilus, and those like him, with “certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (1:4). He seeks to inform those interested in understanding more about Jesus. In the previous section, the birth of John the Baptist was foretold. The promise was that he would be “filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (v.15). At this…
A Reason for Everything (Ecclesiastes 3:9-15)
Humans have an innate tendency to search for a reason for everything that happens in life. The Preacher began with a search for meaning in wisdom, pleasure, and possessions. In the end he discovered that we should enjoy the life that God has given us. In chapter three, the Preacher began describing various seasons of life. The title of the sermon was “A Season For Everything.” Now, we will see there is “A Reason For Everything” as he begins to…
The Gift of Joy (Ecclesiastes 2:12-26)
The Preacher is exploring the meaning of life. He has already experimented with two avenues of discovery: wisdom (Ecc. 1:12-18) and pleasure (Ecc. 2:1-11). After coming to the conclusion that neither offered him a deep fulfilling sense of purpose and satisfaction, the Preacher returns to wisdom for a comparison between wisdom and folly. From there, he will consider the vanity of toil. Then, finally, he will come to the solution at the end of the argument (Ecc. 2:24-26). Ecclesiastes…
The Vanity of Hedonism (Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:26)
The Preacher has been making an argument about the vanity of life. When we remove God from the picture and consider life apart from him, everything is meaningless and frustrating. Remember, this entire section from Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:26 is an argument that follows a classic form of speech called “the chase technique.” The Preacher points to several avenues man looks to in search of meaning, and at the very end of his argument he provides the solution. Last week, we zeroed…
The Restoration of Israel (Amos 9:11-15)
We come now to Amos’ final words, and we are finally relieved to find that they are not words of judgment but of hope and promise. Nothing has changed on the part of the people. It’s not as if he saw some spark of interest in their eyes. In fact, we would not be surprised to find that many of the members of the original audience back in their homes, no longer listening to the rambling prophet. Regardless, this nation…
The Never Ending Chase (Ecclesiastes 1:12-18)
The Preacher has opened the book with a word about the vanity of life. Everything is meaningless and frustrating when it is viewed from “under the sun”, apart from any reference to God. The key verse from last week was: Ecclesiastes 1:3. He went on to point out how nature is mundane and monotonous. It feeds the sense of ceaseless routine that never amounts to anything. The sun rises and sets, the wind blows around and around, the streams continuously flow,…
The Sinful Kingdom (Amos 9:7-10)
Before we begin, let me acknowledge Dr. Vern Poythress for his help in my preparation to preach this passage. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to pick his brain over lunch this week. Although I won’t quote him directly, many of the pointers to Christ came directly from him. So, thank you Dr. Poythress. I pray there is a lasting evidence of the fruit of your ministry to me. Amos is wrapping up his final words of judgment upon…
All Is Vanity! (Ecclesiastes 1:1-11)
Introduction Open your bibles to the book of Ecclesiastes. We’re kicking off our series looking at the first eleven verses this morning. You will find Ecclesiastes somewhere near the middle of your bibles, following the books of Psalms and Proverbs. While you’re turning there, let me say a brief word about the author. Although historically, Ecclesiastes has been linked to Solomon, there is no mention of his name, unlike Proverbs and Song of Solomon. That alone gave Martin Luther reason…
Mourning and Famine (Amos 8:8-14)
Introduction Amos’ repeated warnings, first of words then of visions, have fallen on deaf ears. We’ve seen 4/5 visions Amos received: Plague of Locusts (7:1-3) Judgment of Fire (7:4-6) The Plumb Line (7:7-9) A Basket of Summer Fruit (8:1-3) God’s judgment is coming soon, he is not going to spare Israel any longer. Last week, we concluded that those who rejoice in corruption will mourn on the day of judgment. This afternoon, we will see what their mourning will look…