Plymothian

http://www.chapel.org/messages/treasure

The series at The Chapel conjures up ideas of pirate ships and chests full of gold.  The series is called Treasure.  Things that we treasure are things of great worth.  We treasure our families, our memories, and our possessions.  However the Bible teaches that there is one thing that we should treasure above all.

• What things do you use to define yourself when
  you meet someone for the first time?
• What do you hear about Jesus in the media?  Who do people think Jesus is?
• Groups like Muslims show great respect to Jesus.  How would you respond to those who see him as a prophet, a great teacher, or a good man?

Read Luke 9:18-50:

¹⁸ Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked
them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

¹⁹ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that
one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”

²⁰ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”

²¹Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. ²² And he
said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders,
the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the
third day be raised to life.”

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? ²⁶ Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

²⁷ “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they
see the kingdom of God.”

²⁸ About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. ²⁹ As he was praying, the
appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of
lightning. ³⁰ Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. ³¹ They spoke about his departure,^[a] which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. ³² Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when
they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. ³³
As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

³⁴ While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid
as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” ³⁶ When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

³⁷ The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. ³⁸ A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is
my only child. ³⁹ A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. ⁴⁰ I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”

⁴¹ “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay
with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”

⁴² Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. ⁴³ And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, ⁴⁴
“Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be
delivered into the hands of men.” ⁴⁵ But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

⁴⁶ An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. ⁴⁷ Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him
stand beside him. ⁴⁸ Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this
little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one
who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”

⁴⁹ “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we
tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

⁵⁰ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

Questions

• Who did people in Jesus’ day say that he is?
• What did Peter say about Jesus?
• How did Jesus’ transfiguration confirm what
  Peter thought?

The second message on Treasure (www.chapel.org) caused us to think about who Jesus is.  Jesus himself is the treasure that is central to the Kingdom of God. We do not follow a set of rules primarily, we do not follow a team: we follow a person.  There is a difference
between being a fan of a person and a follower. A follower in the Bible was a fully committed equivalent to a slave.  The message challenged us to think whether we have that same commitment.

• How does this passage create a divide between
  those who belong to Jesus and those who do not?
• Why is the idea of becoming a slave to our
  master so controversial in North America?
• Who do you think people you know are most
  committed to?
• How does the image of a nail driven into the ear
  to become a bond-servant affect you?
• Anne Rice, writer of Vampire novels, said that it is easy to create an image of Jesus which looks like us, however it is harder to create a life in ourselves that looks like Him.  What can we do to stop changing Jesus and keep changing ourselves?

Next Steps

The Holman Concise Bible Dictionary says that “Legally a slave had no rights; but, except for the gangs [who worked in the fields], most were treated humanely and were better off than many free persons.  Domestics were considered a part of the family, and some were greatly loved by their masters.”

The apostles frequently introduced themselves as slaves.

• In what ways does slavery in American history colour our views on slavery?
• How do North Americans view submission?  How would you encourage people to submit to one another and to submit to Christ?
• What rights do you hold dear?  How would giving up more of your rights lead
  to greater peace with God and greater peace in your home or workplace?
• Verses for further study:
  • (Ex. 12:44-48; 21:1-11, 20-21, 26-27) Rules
    about slaves
  • (Mark 8:27-38)
    • Look at how Peter confesses Jesus is the Christ
      but does not understand what the Christ must do.
    • How do people say the right words about Jesus
      but miss their significance?
    • How do people suffer through an internal
      struggle to pursue Jesus?
    • How do people suffer external struggle to follow
      Jesus?
    • What would your week be like if you wore a cross
      on your lapel, a Jesus T-shirt, or other identifier?  Would the week be the same or different?  How?

We are younger for longer these days.  Good nutrition and healthy lifestyles have got us living much longer on average than people did 500 years ago.  If you did live long you could expect to lose your teeth, eyesight and other functions much earlier.  However, what is a long time for us – let’s say we are 55 before we have to slow down instead of 35 – is just a blip on the map of history.  Enjoy it while you can.

Many of us sit on the couch, eat garbage, let electronics live our lives for us.  However, we should get out in nature, build relationships, and learn to laugh.  Don’t worry about the cancer that killed your parents – get a check up now and then, but put it out of your mind.  Don’t waste the time that you can do what you can do today.  Tomorrow you may lose a hip or go blind.

Yesterday, as every Friday, I went for a walk in Volo Bog with family (http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/r2/VOLOBOG.HTM), had lunch at Bobby’s Barrel, spent the afternoon at Volo Auto Museum (http://volocars.com/), snuggled with my wife, played soccer under the lights, and played a computer game.  Today … actually today I am just waiting for a new table to arrive.

Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:8

⁷ Light is sweet,
   and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
⁸ However many years anyone may live,
   let them enjoy them all.
But let them remember the days of darkness,
   for there will be many.
   Everything to come is meaningless.

 ⁹ You who are young, be happy while you are young,
   and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
   and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
   God will bring you into judgment.
¹⁰ So then, banish anxiety from your heart
   and cast off the troubles of your body,
   for youth and vigor are meaningless.

 ¹ Remember your Creator
   in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
   and the years approach when you will say,
   “I find no pleasure in them”—
² before the sun and the light
   and the moon and the stars grow dark,
   and the clouds return after the rain;
³ when the keepers of the house tremble,
   and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
   and those looking through the windows grow dim;
⁴ when the doors to the street are closed
   and the sound of grinding fades;
when people rise up at the sound of birds,
   but all their songs grow faint;
⁵ when people are afraid of heights
   and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
   and the grasshopper drags itself along
   and desire no longer is stirred.
Then people go to their eternal home
   and mourners go about the streets.

 ⁶ Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
   and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
   and the wheel broken at the well,
⁷ and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
   and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

 ⁸ “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.^[a]
   “Everything is meaningless!”

Questions

1. What is to be done with the years we live?
2. Who should be remembered when we are young?
3. What parts of the body might the writer be referencing in chapter 12?
4. How does the break down of the body tend toward misery?
5. What things that you can still do and enjoy have you not made time for recently?

It is well known in investment that you need to diversify your portfolio.  This is not a new principle.  The writer in Ecclesiastes knew it too.  He suggested that his listeners invest in domestic and overseas ventures in the business of his day.  Looking to invest is outward looking.  Jesus reinforced this principle when he commended the ones who multiplied their talents in his parable of the talents.  The one who took his talent and held it close preserved what he had, but was cursed.  I think we see that defensive, introspective living is not condoned in the Bible.  We have to develop a courage that engages the world.  This means financially investing our money in good ventures as well as spreading the good news of the gospel.

Some people tend to split finances from religion.  They may see the only overlap in their ‘religious’ tithe that they give to God.  Ecclesiastes advocates putting your money into the cyclical flows of reality.  What you cast away will come back to you.  In other words, invest wisely and you will have a return.

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

 ¹ Ship your grain across the sea;
   after many days you may receive a return.
² Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
   you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

 ³ If clouds are full of water,
   they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
   in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
⁴ Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
   whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

 ⁵ As you do not know the path of the wind,
   or how the body is formed^[a] in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
   the Maker of all things.

 ⁶ Sow your seed in the morning,
   and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
   whether this or that,
   or whether both will do equally well.

Questions

1. Why does the passage advocate investing in a number of ventures in different lands?
2. What images from nature does the author use to describe the effects on the financial markets?
3. When can a person relax and be sure that their investments will be fruitful?
4. How does this passage speak to setting up your 401K?
5. What kind of mutual fund does Ecclesiastes suggest?

The ise person saves a city, but his name is not remembered.  Is it a waste of time to be wise?  It is better to be wise, but there is no gaurantee of lasting significance because of wisdom.  The nature of proverbs is that they tell us how we are to make wise choices.  Unfortunately some people read the wisdom of the proverbs and take them as promises.  A proverb is not a promise, it is just a better choice.  Strange happenings happen to people even if they make good choices.  So it is better to be wise and make good choices, however a falling rock doesn’t stop and think whether the head it is crushing is a wise one or a foolish one.  God is not bound to save us from events that are unforeseen.  Sometimes wise people endure hardship and even face death.  Look at the fate of Jesus and his apostles.

Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20

¹³ I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: ¹⁴ There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. ¹⁵ Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. ¹⁶So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.

¹⁷ The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
¹⁸ Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.

¹ As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
² The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left.
³ Even as fools walk along the road,
they lack sense
and show everyone how stupid they are.
⁴ If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
do not leave your post;
calmness can lay great offenses to rest.

⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
⁶ Fools are put in many high positions,
while the rich occupy the low ones.
⁷ I have seen slaves on horseback,
while princes go on foot like slaves.

⁸ Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;
whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
⁹ Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.

¹⁰ If the ax is dull
and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
but skill will bring success.

¹¹ If a snake bites before it is charmed,
the charmer receives no fee.

¹² Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,
but fools are consumed by their own lips.
¹³ At the beginning their words are folly;
at the end they are wicked madness—
¹⁴and fools multiply words.

No one knows what is coming—
who can tell someone else what will happen after them?

¹⁵ The toil of fools wearies them;
they do not know the way to town.

¹⁶ Woe to the land whose king was a servant^[a]
and whose princes feast in the morning.
¹⁷ Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth
and whose princes eat at a proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.

¹⁸ Through laziness, the rafters sag;
because of idle hands, the house leaks.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter,
wine makes life merry,
and money is the answer for everything.

²⁰ Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird in the sky may carry your words,
and a bird on the wing may report what you say.

Questions

1. How is wisdom contrasted with foolishness?
2. Rewrite three proverbs in your own words.
3. Why would the writer give examples of proverbs when he has said that the pursuit of wisdom is ‘meaningless’?
4. How do people hope for recognition because of their wisdom?
5. When have you made a wise decision that did not go well?  Why do people tend to get angry with God after good choices do not go well?

At the beginning of Plato’s Republic he starts an argument about justice.  Why should we be just?  Plato’s Socrates argues with allcomers about whther justice is better than scheming or folly.  Eventually justice wins out.  Qoheleth goes through similar reflection in Ecclesiastes.  He sees that this life might be all there is.  However, God has so designed the world that justice, goodness and righteousness are the proper courses of action. 

Unlike Plato, Qoheleth does not make the Rupublic the focus of mankind’s attention.  We do not work hard to bring about a just state that outlasts us.  We look to what God has placed within our reach for this day and we righteously, compassionately, and gratefully focus on making the best of what we already have.

Ecclesiastes 9:1-12

¹ So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them. ² All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,^[a]the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.

   As it is with the good,
   so with the sinful;
as it is with those who take oaths,
   so with those who are afraid to take them.

 ³ This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. ⁴ Anyone who is among the living has hope^[b]—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

 ⁵ For the living know that they will die,
   but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
   and even their name is forgotten.
⁶ Their love, their hate
   and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
   in anything that happens under the sun.

 ⁷ Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. ⁸ Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. ⁹ Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. ¹⁰Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

 ¹¹I have seen something else under the sun:

   The race is not to the swift
   or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
   or wealth to the brilliant
   or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.

 ¹²Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:

   As fish are caught in a cruel net,
   or birds are taken in a snare,
so people are trapped by evil times
   that fall unexpectedly upon them.

Questions

1. What happens to all people whether they are gifted or not?
2. What do God ‘s people know and what can they not know?
3. How do many people through the ages tend to think that if they serve God they will get a reward in this life?
4. How does ‘time and chance’ effect godly people today?
5. If you had lost someone on 09/11/2001, how do you hope the day had been on 09/10/2001?  How does that affect you today?

Welcome to reality.  The world around us is real – the families that we are born into are real.  However, the pain of life and the monotony of everyday living causes us to wish to escape.  We live in one world, and as Playstation once advertised, we play in another.  The world of parties, TV, video games and trash novels takes us away from reality.  In many ways the existence in this parallel world is better than life.  We get so absorbed that we think our unreality is where we truly are alive and that at work and with the family is where we merely exist.  However, Ecclesiastes reminds us that when we pursue entertainment we pursue something that is meaningless. 

The Christian should be increasingly aware of reality.  God is the underlying reality behind what we see and know.  If life itself alienates us we can not create value in the un-life of media and drugs.  We need to find our way home to the true reality that will reconcile us with God.  God takes us through some difficult places but ultimately we leave behind the vapour of unreality and we find that our lives have the substance of stone.

Ecclesiastes 7:1-29

 A good name is better than fine perfume,
   and the day of death better than the day of birth.
² It is better to go to a house of mourning
   than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of everyone;
   the living should take this to heart.
³ Frustration is better than laughter,
   because a sad face is good for the heart.
⁴ The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
   but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
⁵ It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person
   than to listen to the song of fools.
⁶ Like the crackling of thorns under the pot,
   so is the laughter of fools.
   This too is meaningless.

 ⁷ Extortion turns a wise person into a fool,
   and a bribe corrupts the heart.

 ⁸ The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
   and patience is better than pride.
⁹ Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
   for anger resides in the lap of fools.

 ¹⁰ Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
   For it is not wise to ask such questions.

 ¹¹ Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing
   and benefits those who see the sun.
¹² Wisdom is a shelter
   as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
   Wisdom preserves those who have it.

 ¹³Consider what God has done:

   Who can straighten
   what he has made crooked?
¹⁴ When times are good, be happy;
   but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
   as well as the other.
Therefore, no one can discover
   anything about their future.

 ¹⁵In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these:

   the righteous perishing in their righteousness,
   and the wicked living long in their wickedness.
¹⁶ Do not be overrighteous,
   neither be overwise—
   why destroy yourself?
¹⁷ Do not be overwicked,
   and do not be a fool—
   why die before your time?
¹⁸ It is good to grasp the one
   and not let go of the other.
   Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.^[a]

 ¹⁹ Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful
   than ten rulers in a city.

 ²⁰ Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,
   no one who does what is right and never sins.

 ²¹ Do not pay attention to every word people say,
   or you may hear your servant cursing you—
²² for you know in your heart
   that many times you yourself have cursed others.

 ²³All this I tested by wisdom and I said,

   “I am determined to be wise”—
   but this was beyond me.
²⁴ Whatever exists is far off and most profound—
   who can discover it?
²⁵ So I turned my mind to understand,
   to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness
   and the madness of folly.

 ²⁶ I find more bitter than death
   the woman who is a snare,
whose heart is a trap
   and whose hands are chains.
The man who pleases God will escape her,
   but the sinner she will ensnare.

 ²⁷ “Look,” says the Teacher,^[b]“this is what I have discovered:

   “Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—
 ²⁸ while I was still searching
   but not finding—
I found one upright man among a thousand,
   but not one upright woman among them all.
²⁹ This only have I found:
   God created mankind upright,
   but they have gone in search of many schemes.”

Questions

1. Which words are emphasized throughout this passage?
2. Why is wisdom both represented as meaningful and meaningless in Ecclesiastes?
3. How did people escape reality in the days of Ecclesiastes?
4. How do people escape reality today?
5. How do wisdom and entertainment coexist in the life of the believer?

We can so often let our appetites or our emotions control us in bad ways.  There are reasonable appetites given to us by God, we need to feel angry about injustice and we need to desire to eat food in a regular or healthy way.  However, I have noticed that strong emotions can catapult people into impulsive behavior.  The worst environment for this to happen is in our relationship with God.  It is amazing how many people bargain with God in a dangerous situation, but what do we do with our end of the bargain when danger has passed?  It is even more ridiculous when we expect God to answer our self-focused demands.  He might, but he doesn’t have to.

In short, there needs to be wisdom during times of stress and during times of excitement.  A good friend who is often with us can be given permission to counsel us when our emotions are running away with us.  We can ask ourselves a question like, “Would I do this if my feelings were different?”  there are ways to stop ourselves from rushing in and making rash promises or threats that we can not or should not follow through upon.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

 ^{1 [a]}Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

 ² Do not be quick with your mouth,
   do not be hasty in your heart
   to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
   and you are on earth,
   so let your words be few.
³ A dream comes when there are many cares,
   and many words mark the speech of a fool.

 ⁴ When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. ⁵ It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. ⁶ Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? ⁷ Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.

Questions

1. Why should you let your words to God be few?
2. When Jesus teaches the Lord’s Prayer, how does he reinforce the idea of being brief in our prayers with God?
3. What kind of vows might an ancient Israelite and a modern westerner both make before God?
4. When have you tried to bargain with God, “If you do this, then I will …”
5. How should we manage times of crisis so that we do not make rash vows or meaningless promises to God or others?