A Life Worth Living
Don't Waste Your Life • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 9 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Intro:
Intro:
Question: what are marks of “success” in life?
Privately ask yourself this question: What is my greatest ambition in life? What is it that if I accomplish it will make my life a “success” in my own eyes? (answer thoughtfully and honestly)
-a message that is profoundly counter-cultural
-story
-the “American Dream”
-consider the marketing
-consider the affect of literature and art (movies, etc)
-consider the biases of our financial systems
-consider the emphasis of our educational systems
>All these serve to cement the the “American Dream” as the primary goal for our lives
Grandma’s plaque
“Only one life,
Will soon be passed.
Only what’s done for Christ
Will Last.”
A Life Worth Living Requires:
A Life Worth Living Requires:
1. That by faith we choose the will of God rather than the pleasures of sin. (v. 23-25)
1. That by faith we choose the will of God rather than the pleasures of sin. (v. 23-25)
Why do I say the “will of God?”
Two ways to see: commission (doing what God forbids), omission (not doing what God requires)
It begins with his parents, who see he was a “beautiful” child
most commentators believe they recognized he was in some way marked out by God
this seems to be the understanding in the early church (Steven’s speech)
At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father’s house,
A
so in some providential way, perhaps not dissimilar to the supernatural revelation of the true beauty of Jesus to Anna and Simeon, God reveals the character of His chosen deliverer—and the parents do the right, because they knew the will of God
Then Moses...
Moses’s first option is simply to do nothing—he has it good—but he would be disobeying the will of God
What is it that Moses gives up?
When he decides to act—what is it that Moses gives up?
He gives up a place in Pharaoh’s household
He gives up his home in the land of Egypt
>It is like the story of Corrie, and Casper and Betsie Ten Boom
-Living in the Netherlands as clock makers during Nazi occupation
-Showed up to receive “star of David” from gestapo headquarters even though they weren’t Jewish
-were caught hiding Jews from the Nazi’s and sent to concentration camps where Casper and Betsie died
Question: Who are some contrasts? Contrasts: Saul (I have rejected you) and Solomon (given wisdom and understanding, chose sin)
Notice our text does not diminish the enticement, the allure, even the pleasure of sin to our sinful nature
but it is a passing, fleeting, temporary pleasure!
indulging sin is like is like the drug addict who disregards the lethal harm in favor of the immediate satisfaction
or it is like all the times we repeatedly choose fast food or overly indulgent desserts instead of healthy food
we choose the food whose taste we enjoy, but which passes quickly, and leaves us worse off and over time ruins our bodies, as opposed to the food that is healthy, nourishing and strenghtening
Question: Who are some contrasts? Contrasts: Saul (I have rejected you) and Solomon (given wisdom and understanding, chose sin)
Negative Example: Ecclesiastes (mention whole first chapter, chasing of the wind)
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already
in the ages before us.
There is no remembrance of former things,
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things yet to be
among those who come after.
Ecclesiastes 1:
Negative Example: Ecclesiastes
A 2008 Survey of British young people revealed:
1/5 believe Winston Churchill to be a fictional character, 47% Richard the Lionheart as well
In contrast, 65% believed in the existence of King Arthur, and 58% in the historical personhood of Sherlock Holmes
No one remembers the former days!
—>The point: we are chasing passing pleasures! That is hardly how one lives a life worth living!
2. That by faith we choose the sufferings of Christ over the joys of this world. (v. 26)
2. That by faith we choose the sufferings of Christ over the joys of this world. (v. 26)
Question: what is the treasure of our hearts?
-Christ is worthy (for Moses in foreshadow, how much more for us!)
-Consider 2 Cor. 5
Negative example: The rich young ruler (Luke 18!!!), the wealthy fool
Question: if placed in the position similar to Moses (or like so many believers in the history of the church), how confident are you that you would take the reproach of being a disciple of Jesus Christ instead of your present security?
3. That by faith we trust in eternal promises, and fear who we ought to fear (vs. 26-27)
3. That by faith we trust in eternal promises, and fear who we ought to fear (vs. 26-27)
-Moses’s parent feared who they ought to fear
-Moses feared who he ought to fear