Sola5 Wednesday Recap - 5/20/09

This weekly topic is an effort to recap the Wednesday night Bible study I teach at Sola5, my youth group. I hope it serves to help us all in contemplating the ceaseless riches of God’s grace as revealed through the Scriptures.

Last night, we had our 17th and final lesson in Chasing After the Wind, our study in the book of Ecclesiastes. It’s been a great trip through the book, and one that had us asking the question last night, “What do we do with this now?” We’ve seen Solomon go to great lengths to get his point across, showing us that all the things people chase after in this world will never ultimately satisfy, and that nothing has any meaning whatsoever unless viewed through the lens of the God who created it. In chapter 12, he brings home his point with one final thrust, much like a student who closes a research paper by summarizing the force of his research. As we read this final charge, we looked at three specific ways that we can apply the book’s message to our lives, so that we can follow James’ charge to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only.”

First, in verses 1-8, we looked at the charge to live urgently. Solomon exhorts us to remember God in our youth, before life saps away our strength and desire. So often, we make the mistake of thinking that living for God’s glory is something that we’ll do later in life, once we take our time living for ourselves. What a mistake this is. As time marches on, many of the opportunities we are given to glorify God will fade, as Solomon illustrates in his reflections on time destroying our joy (verse 1), physical strength (verses 2-5), desire (verse 5), wealth (verse 6), and life itself (verses 6-7). If we are not taking advantage of every moment we’re given, we will come to the end of it all and see the meaninglessness of verse 8. I told my students last night that I don’t want to see them cruise through their teenage years and then look back at age 40 or 50 and see a wasted youth. Whatever your age or place in life, live every moment unto the glory of God and seize every opportunity he has blessed you with to do so. In it all, enjoy every breath as a gift from the God who has created all joy and pleasure.

Next, in verses 9-12, we looked at the need for us to seek wisdom and live it out. Notice Solomon’s summary of his own life’s work – not only did he seek out wisdom with all of his heart, but he taught it to the people, he sought to pass its benefits on. It affected the way that he lived his life (though, at some times more than others). The wisdom of God is never a static knowledge, but it affects the way we approach every area of life, from schoolwork and jobs to relationships with friends and family to romance to marriage and everything in between. In fact, verses 11 and 12 serve as a warning against the accumulation of knowledge for knowledge’s sake at the expense of seeking the true and perfect wisdom of God, which Solomon says is like a nail that fixes us firmly in place.

Finally, in verses 13 and 14, Solomon summarizes the whole point of the book, or as he calls it, “the end of the matter.” What is the meaning of life? What is the point of it all? These are questions that have puzzled people for ages. Ecclesiastes sums the answer up for us in a single sentence – “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” What should you do with your life? Develop a view of God that sees his glory, magnificence, holiness, justice, grace, mercy, and love, and let that view provoke in you a sense of reverence and awe that compels you to seek God and his ways with every breath. So often in America, we fall into the trap of seeing faith as just another compartment in our lives, right up there with relationships, school, work, hobbies and the like, rather than seeing it as supreme – as the lens through which we see and understand all those other things and by which they have their meaning. If knowing, treasuring and following God - which we now understand is done through knowing, treasuring, and following Christ and his cross - is truly everything, if it is the purpose of your existence, then does your life properly reflect that? Forget your words, does your life agree with the declaration of verse 13? Keep its truth always at the forefront of your mind and heart, and when you, like Solomon, come to the end of your life, you’ll find that far from a “vanity of vanities,” or a “chasing after the wind,” you have instead lived a life that was in no way wasted. May God give us grace and joy in that pursuit.

Sola5 Wednesday Recap - 4/22/09

This weekly topic is an effort to recap the Wednesday night Bible study I teach at Sola5, my youth group. I hope it serves to help us all in contemplating the ceaseless riches of God’s grace as revealed through the Scriptures.

In chapter 10 of Ecclesiastes, the book shifts in its structure from the prose of most of the first 9 chapters into short proverbs, very reminiscent of the bulk of the book of Proverbs. Having spent the book laying out the vanity of life apart from God and the supremacy of God in all things, Solomon now starts to give quick bites of wisdom describing what a wise life or a foolish life looks like (and remember – God is the source of wisdom, and thus foolishness is by definition a rejection of God). Wednesday night, we looked at the proverbs at chapter 10 and examined eight “quick hits” of wisdom to apply to our Christian walk and worldview.

First, in verses 1-3, we looked at the poison of sin. Solomon uses the imagery of dead flies in fine perfume to demonstrate how a small bit of foolishness or sin can render an otherwise wise life futile. Imagine that you are drinking a bottle of Coke, and I take it and spit in it. I would guess that you wouldn’t keep on drinking it. Why not? It’s just a little bit of spit, right? The bottle is still probably around 98% Coke. That wouldn’t matter to you, though. A small bit is enough to make the whole thing repulsive. In a similar way, a small bit of sin in our lives can destroy the rest of our testimony. Thus, we should be constantly on our guard.

Secondly, in verses 4-11, we looked at the danger of pride. These verses contain many warnings against pride, from Solomon’s observation that those in places of prominence and recognition aren’t always deserving of it (verses 5-7), to warnings that one’s own accomplishments can often cause harm (verses 8-11). We should make sure that we’re trusting in God and keeping our pride in check. Thirdly, in verses 12-14, we examined the power of words, both to do good and to do evil. Our words, whether spoken, written, or Tweeted, carry the potential to build others up or to be empty, wasting time at best and tearing down at worst. Think carefully about the things you say. In verse 15, we looked at the importance of focus. Solomon points out the futility of working and sweating to reach a destination when you don’t know how to get there in the first place. All the effort and ability in the world is wasted when it doesn’t have a purpose in view. What are you chasing in life? What is important to you? Put Christ in your sights and follow him, ensuring that your life’s efforts won’t end up a bridge to nowhere.

Fifth, in verses 16-17, we see the value of sobriety. A byproduct of the proper focus, sobriety is the ability to control one’s self and think clearly about what is important. We need to understand the importance of our time and use it wisely. After all, if Solomon asserts here the importance of wisdom and sobriety for those who rule nations, how much more vital is it for we who are ambassadors for Christ? Sixth, in verse 18, we see the need of work. There is no such thing as an armchair Christian. Our faith demands action, and we need to be willing to do the work it takes to know God (primarily through his word) and the work that knowledge demands of us. In verse 19, we see the gift of blessings. In a book where Solomon has constantly belittled earthly wealth as meaningless, it is a good counterbalance here to see him speaking of the value that material things can have. God created all things good, and every good gift we have comes from him. When we stop seeing our things as our things and start seeing them as gifts from God, we’ll start enjoying them and using them in an entirely different way and avoid the trap that they can so easily become. Finally, in verse 20, we looked at the destruction of hate. We all know murder is wrong, but often times we feel that harboring anger or resentment in our hearts is harmless. Jesus made it pretty clear that’s not the case, but Solomon warns against it as well. Nothing will destroy your relationships with God and others faster than harboring bitterness and hatred against other people.

My encouragement to the believers in our group was to reread the chapter and this list before going to bed Wednesday and to pinpoint one of the eight things that needs the most attention in their lives. What about you? Which of these lessons of wisdom do you need to learn or re-learn? Seek God’s wisdom, and avoid a wasted life.

Sola5 Wednesday Recap - 4/1/09

This weekly topic is an effort to recap the Wednesday night Bible study I teach at Sola5, my youth group. I hope it serves to help us all in contemplating the ceaseless riches of God’s grace as revealed through the Scriptures.

How’s your memory? Do you ever have to leave yourself reminders to help you remember various things? When I posed that question to my students last night, they had a wide array of memory-triggering devices, from sticky notes to cell phone calendars to writing on their hands. As we looked at Ecclesiastes 8:1-9, we talked about the subject of authority, and how it can have a similar effect on our spiritual memory – that our obedience to earthly authority is both a reminder and a primer on our ultimate obedience to God.

Wisdom continues to be the theme, here, and Solomon is continuing his look at the practical outworking of Godly wisdom in one’s life. In verse 2, he begins to talk about the importance of obedience to authority – in this case, the king. Obviously, none of us are subject to a king these days, but we can apply Solomon’s principles here to all authority, including government, parents, church elders, bosses, and teachers. Solomon begins with some practical reasons for submitting to authority. The first is that authority is God-given. In fact, Romans 13 goes as far as saying that all authority is given by God, without exception. Jesus even told Pilate during his trial that the only authority Pilate had over him was the authority God had given. Whether authority is used well or abused horribly, God is ultimately the one who gives it, and thus when we rebel against authority (except in cases where human authority contradicts God’s commands) we rebel against God. Secondly, Solomon says that we should obey authority to avoid the negative consequences of wrong behavior. Don’t want to go to prison? Don’t commit a crime. Actions have consequences, a fact that a wise person will consider before they act. Finally, Solomon teaches that obedience to authority makes us more Godly. In verse 5, he indicates that the wise heart will grow in its knowledge of what is right and good through its obedience. It builds us up, while rebellion tears our faith and trust in God down, since it holds us up as the ultimate authority.

In this principle, Solomon transitions into a reflection on the ultimate reason that wisdom submits itself to authority – because wisdom trusts in God. In verses 6-9, he speaks of the uncertainties of life as being a motivating factor for our obedience. The things which baffle us, which concern us, which remind us of our own mortality, should drive us to trust ever more in God, which should in turn yield a deeper, more gracious, and more joyful obedience. If we truly trust in Christ, our lives must be marked by obedience to his commands. He said as much, and it makes logical sense as well. Think of it this way – if you believe that God is a) in control of all things, b) perfectly wise, and c) true to his promise to work our good in all things, then what reason do you have for not obeying what he tells you to do? There is none! Trust must yield obedience, or it is not trust. So, the next time your teacher or boss rubs you the wrong way, the next time your parents' rules contrast with your own desires, or the next time you’re tempted to skirt some small, insignificant law that nobody else obeys (pirating media, anyone?), think about the fact that you’re ultimately making a statement about your trust in God by doing so. It may initially seem like a large disconnect, but when you follow the bread crumbs the connection is clearly evident. It extends to our attitudes toward earthly authority – good and bad – and to every other part of our lives as well. So let your relationships, your time, your money, and yes, your humble submission to authority, be sticky notes reminding you of your ultimate allegiance to your Lord and King.

Sola5 Wednesday Recap - 3/25/09

This weekly topic is an effort to recap the Wednesday night Bible study I teach at Sola5, my youth group. I hope it serves to help us all in contemplating the ceaseless riches of God’s grace as revealed through the Scriptures.

In last night’s study of the book of Ecclesiastes, we picked up the same theme that we explored last week, namely, the marks of a life being lived wisely with God as its focus. We looked at Ecclesiastes 7:14-29, examining three truths from the text, sought to understand them, and then discussed how they affect our lives, right here and right now.

First, in verses 14-19, we looked at the first truth – appearance isn’t everything. Solomon discusses the fact that a wise man realizes that the same God has created both the day of prosperity and the day of disaster. He talks about the things he has seen in his life that make little sense to us – often, it seems, the bad guys win and the good guys lose. The world’s reaction to this is reflected to us by Solomon in these verses – don’t be overly righteous (and end up a martyr or a doormat) or overly evil (and end up in trouble and misery), but just live life and look out for yourself. However, how should the Christian react? Solomon tells us that the same God is in control of both the good and bad things that befall us, a God who is perfectly wise and good. The implication, then, is that there is design and a reason behind all things, even when we can’t or don’t see it. Appearances aren’t everything, for our sovereign creator is always at work, weaving the story of human history for his glory and our good. Thus, our reaction should be a trust in him that runs deeper than circumstances. We can lean on him, depend on him, find joy in him – even when times are difficult – a lesson powerfully demonstrated in the life of the prophet Habakkuk.

In verses 20-24, we examined the fact that true wisdom causes humility. Solomon asserts that we all are fallen and tainted by sin. We cannot be too quick to harshly judge others when they wrong us, because we know that we’ve done the same thing to others ourselves. He even admits that though he dedicated his life to the pursuit of wisdom, there is still much about the world that he cannot figure out. True wisdom brings with it a right view of ourselves. We see sins and shortcomings, and we see that we’re not nearly as significant and important as we’d imagined. Thus, true wisdom directs itself outward, building others up rather than calling attention to ourselves. This same lesson is one that Paul taught to the Christians at Corinth, rebuking them for allowing their spiritual knowledge to destroy those around them.

Finally, in verses 25-29, Solomon drives home the truth (which he had come to realize all too well) that marriage is serious business. He talks about a fate worse than death – a woman who serves as a spiritual trap for a man. This could easily be true with the genders flipped – the point is that romantic relationships can easily be a snare rather than the blessing God intended. Solomon learned this lesson the hard way, with his many wives leading him away from God for much of his life. For the teens in my group, marriage seems like a distant prospect. However, this truth has major implications for them as they navigate the minefield that is our modern concept of dating. Consider how strongly Solomon warns against giving ourselves emotionally to the wrong person – he calls it a fate worse than death. There is no person who will have a greater influence on you than the person you marry. This raises the stakes when it comes to looking for that person. Thus, I asked my students, “What are you looking for?” What is it that you are drawn to in the people you’re attracted to? What sort of influence would they have on your spiritual life? Are they someone who will build you up in your love for Christ? If not, then what on earth are you chasing? Romance and marriage are among the most amazing gifts God has given us (for proof, you need go no further than the next book in the Bible, The Song of Solomon). However, it can also be among the most deadly of traps if we’re not seeing it as an avenue for glorifying God, just like everything else Ecclesiastes has discussed. Ultimately, our reaction to difficult times, our level of humility, and our approach to dating and marriage will say a lot about whether we’re living our lives unto God or living the wasted, vain, worldly lives that Solomon warns against. Take stock of these things, and look inward. What do they tell you about yourself?

Sola5 Wednesday Recap - 3/18/09

This weekly topic is an effort to recap the Wednesday night Bible study I teach at Sola5, my youth group. I hope it serves to help us all in contemplating the ceaseless riches of God’s grace as revealed through the Scriptures.

As we moved into our tenth week studying Ecclesiastes last night, the general theme of the book has become very clear. Solomon makes the case that all of life is meaningless and vain unless viewed through the lens of God and lived for his glory. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about why that is and breaking down Solomon’s points, but last night we looked at verses 1-13 of chapter 7 and talked about exactly what a life focused on God looks like. Once we’ve established that only God can give life meaning and we desire to live for his glory, how should we do it? What does such a life look like? We examined the answers, which are reflected in a series of proverbs that open the chapter.

The first thing we need to live lives of Godly wisdom in the right mindset. In verses 1-6, Solomon contrasts the wise man and the fool – a common theme in his proverbs. What is surprising, however, is the mindset that he says characterizes each. Solomon paints the fool as in a state of revelry and happiness, but says that the wise are marked by mourning and sadness. This seems strange to us. Is happiness a bad thing? Are we to be some kind of spiritual masochists, seeking out pain and eschewing pleasure? I don’t think that’s what the text is saying at all. What it is saying is that we need to have a sober mindset when it comes to this life. We need to be people who take serious things seriously, and think deeply about what this life is all about. What are the times in life that tend to cause us to think deeply about what’s really important? It’s usually the painful times. Think of how our nation’s culture changed, albeit briefly, in the wake of 9/11. Suddenly, there was a deeper sense of community among people, church attendance rose, and most people started to think more about what really matters. Sadness and pain tend to have this effect on us, while good times tend to lull us into coasting along without a thought. Solomon says that it a wise person, a Godly person, will think deeply about life and have a sober and focused outlook.

In verses 7-13, we see that once we have the right mindset in place, we need to have the right heart. What sort of things highlight the person who is living a life of Godly wisdom? We examined five characteristics from these verses. The first is integrity, which is seen in verse 7. Solomon says that the corrupting influence of sin can drive mad the wisest man. We need to be people of character who do what is right regardless of whether or not someone is watching. As James 1:26-27 points out, true faith in God is demonstrated by actions. Second, we need to be people of patience in both our actions and our attitudes. In verses 8-9, we see Solomon teaching that it is better to see something whole from the end than to make rash judgments at its beginning, and he warns of the danger of letting anger easily take up residence in our hearts. James warns about this as well in his famous admonition to be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” Third, we need to have a spirit of contentment. Unlike the man Solomon describes in verse 10 who longs for the good ol’ days, we need to be people who rejoice in whatever circumstances God places us in and seek to learn from and glorify him in the midst of those circumstances. Like Paul in Philippians 4:11-13, we will likely face times in our lives when we have much and times when we have little. We need to have the same attitude of contentment in each. Fourth, we need to display wise judgment. Verses 11-12 talk about how wisdom is a guard, helping us to use what God has given us wisely. Coming at the heels of our thoughts on contentment, no matter our circumstances we should strive to use what God has given us to his glory – including our possessions, yes, but also our time, talents, energy, relationships, and every other aspect of our lives. As Jesus parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 shows, God has blessed all of us for a purpose, and he calls us to use our gifts in his service. Finally, we need to be people of obedience. Verse 13 tells us that fighting against God is futile. If we truly want to live wise lives that are not wasted, we will bring ourselves into conformity to God and his word rather than seeking to live by our own rules.

So, how does your life stack up to this calling? Do you have the right mindset, seeing this life with sobriety and a focus on what is truly important? Does your heart reflect the virtues that God says come from wisdom? No doubt, we can all see failings in our lives in these various areas. Thankfully, God promises to give wisdom to all who ask for it. Draw near to the throne of grace, seeking wisdom for a life that’s not wasted, and thanking God for the cross of Christ, which ultimately triumphs over our failures and brings us to the Lord.

Sola5 Wednesday Recap - 1/14/09

This weekly topic is an effort to recap the Wednesday night Bible study I teach at Sola5, my youth group. I hope it serves to help us all in contemplating the ceaseless riches of God’s grace as revealed through the Scriptures.

This week, we finished up chapter 1 in our study of Ecclesiastes. Solomon continues to talk about the vanity and meaninglessness of life, but he takes it here in an unexpected direction. In verses 12-18, he shifts the discussion to look at the vanity of wisdom. That’s strange, isn’t it? After all, aren’t we supposed to pursue wisdom (Proverbs 8)? Isn’t wisdom a characteristic of God (Daniel 2:20-23)? Why, then, would Solomon call his life’s pursuit of wisdom meaningless? What does he want us to understand?

The first thing he wants us to understand is what his wisdom allowed him to discover. He says that he applied himself to trying to understand life, to understand the world around him. He sought wisdom and knowledge at every turn. What did he find? He found that the word is hopelessly broken. This world is crooked and lacking, he says. His pursuit of wisdom and understanding brought him face to face with so much grief, suffering, and sin that he called it an “unhappy business.” We all can attest to the reality of this feeling. The more you know about our world, the more troubled you become. Turn on the evening news tonight. Count how many stories they report, and count how many of those stories are bad news. Head over to CNN.com. How many of their “Latest news” stories are negative (as of this writing, out of 19 stories, 3 are about deaths by accident or murder, 2 are about the war in Gaza, 3 are about aspects of the economic crisis, and 3 are about the end of the Bush years and people’s negative view of them – all in all, 11 of 19 stories with a predominantly negative vibe – and today actually isn’t all that bad, with headlines dominated by the amazing US Airways water landing in New York)? The point is, everybody knows that the world is screwed up. It’s filled with suffering and tragedy – all driven by sin. We all, when we’re honest with ourselves, know that we’re screwed up. We’re driven by anger, bitterness, lust, greed, jealousy, pride – all things that we know are wrong but which infest our hearts and drive our actions anyway. The seeds of the world’s evil are planted in each of our hearts. So, we can certainly understand Solomon’s feeling that the more you know, the more you wish you didn’t. Ignorance is bliss.

However, the true vanity is wisdom is seen in the fact that though it allows one to see the brokenness of the world, it doesn’t enable one to fix it. As Solomon says, “What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.” He saw a broken world, and he also saw that he was powerless to fix that world. Look around – the centuries of human history have been filled with wise men, yet we still have the same problems that we had 3000 years ago in Solomon’s day. Wars are still fought over the same issues, people are still downtrodden and oppressed for the same reasons, and relationships still break and fail because of the same shortcomings. We cannot fix the problem, because we are the problem. Sin is destroying the world, and we cannot destroy sin. Thus, Solomon concludes that wisdom only serves to increase the sorrow and stress of a man. He becomes like one who is watching a loved one drown while he himself is chained to a tree on the shore – able to diagnose the problem, but incapable of fixing it, and emotionally destroyed because of it.

Where, then, is hope? Why does God call us to seek wisdom? The wisdom that God calls us to is his own, and it always leads us back to him, and by leading us back to him, it leads to a solution that Solomon couldn’t fully comprehend – Jesus Christ. Christ can deal with the brokenness of the world. His grace and forgiveness are the only things that can overcome sin in our lives. He is the only one who offers hope. However, before we can see the greatness of the solution, we must come face-to-face with the depth of the problem. Otherwise, we will end up like the Pharisees, convinced that we’re just fine, thank you, and in no need of what Jesus offers. Don’t be afraid to stare the darkness of this world – and your own heart – in the face. Let the problem drive you to the one solution that can offer the world hope, and your heart peace.