Back Creek Church | Charlotte, NC

We are not only chosen by God as elect exiles. In Christ, we are children of God!As children of God, we are called to holiness in the way we think.As children of God, we are called to holiness in the way we live.As children of God, we are called to holiness in the way we relate.

Having been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have a new identity of hope. We are no longer citizens of this world, but citizens of Christ's Kingdom - elect exiles.

Jesus meets us in our struggle with exactly what we need.Struggle: Fear (disciples huddled in a room afraid)Response: Peace (the risen Christ comes and proclaims peace)Struggle: Doubt (Thomas: "unless I see... I will never believe")Response: Assurance (Jesus: "Put your finger here... do not disbelieve, but believe")Struggle: Off Mission (disciples returning to their old way of life)Response: Commission (provision of what they need and restoration of Peter the denier)

The journey we see Mary Magdalene experiencing through the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus is parallel to the journey we take when the truth of the resurrection changes everything for us - Expectation, Devastation, Revelation, Proclamation.

Even in a world full of vanity, we can live a life of ultimate meaning and eternal significance - through relationship with God.

Life gets harder. But for those who remember God, it also gets sweeter. Wherever we are in life, it is almost certain that hard days are ahead. The Preacher of Ecclesiastes calls us to remember our Creator now so that we may have hope and meaning and even sweetness then.

We were created and redeemed for a great adventure, called to express our faith through taking risks with discernment.

How do we keep going in an unpredictable, volatile, vain world where even wisdom can't give us all the answers we want? Trust and obey. The failure of human wisdom to figure it all out is actually a very good thing and a blessing, because it calls us into a trust relationship with God. Trust God for His provision. Obey God for your good. Trust God for your eternity.

To navigate and enjoy life under the sun, we need wisdom. Wisdom in our perspective, character, lifestyle, work, and speech.

The key to enjoying life is never the gifts. It is always the Giver.

The certainty of death reveals to us the opportunity of life that frees us for the intentionality of enjoyment to the glory of God.

Under the sun, injustice, impermanence, and individualism reign. But under the sun is not all there is. Jesus gives us hope that one day justice will reign, that joy may be found in this life and beyond, and even under the sun, two are better than one.

Human experience, emotion, and endeavor under heaven are dominated and dictated by the transitory, temporary, unpredictable, even futile. If there is any hope for us, it is located in the character, nature, and actions of the God who is in heaven:Beautiful, Eternal, Generous, Sovereign Creator and Redeemer. The Preacher says, "A time to seek and a time to lose."Jesus says, "The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost."The Preacher says, "A time to be born and a time to die."Jesus says, "Whoever believes in me shall never die."The Preacher says, "A time to mourn and a time to dance."Jesus says, "I will turn your mourning into dancing."The Preacher says, "A time to weep and a time to laugh."Jesus says: "There will be no more crying...anymore."The Preacher says, "A time to keep and to cast away...to embrace and to refrain from embracing...to tear and to sew...to plant and to pluck up."Jesus says, "whoever comes to me I will never cast out." He runs toward us with open arms like the father of the lost Son. Instead of ripping us to shreds in just judgment, He came to be ripped to shreds for our sake, tearing also the curtain in the temple, that He might sew together and restore that which was torn apart by sin and death; to be the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies and bears much fruit.And this compels us to live what is *in* heaven *under* heaven:The Preacher says, "A time to love and a time to hate."Jesus says, "Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you."The Preacher says, "A time for war and a time for peace."Jesus says, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting."The Preacher says, "A time to break down and a time to build up."Jesus says through the Apostle: "you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood..."The Preacher says, "A time to keep silence and a time to speak."Jesus says, "You will be my witnesses."

We have an innate sense that our lives mean something, and most of us are on a search for meaning in life. In this passage, the Preacher shares his quest for meaning with us. Searching for meaning in life, the Preacher pursued wisdom.Searching for meaning in life, the Preacher pursued pleasure.Searching for meaning in life, the Preacher pursued work. They all brought some value to the Preacher's life, but none satisfied his search for meaning. Only God can do that. If we make wisdom, pleasure, work, or anything else under the sun the pursuit of our lives, we will miss a life of true meaning and find ourselves striving after wind. But if we make God the pursuit of our work, our pleasure, our wisdom, our very lives, through relationship with Jesus Christ, EVERYTHING we do will be bursting at the seams with meaning!

Introducing Ecclesiastes. From a horizontal, human perspective, life under the sun is vanity, a vapor. It is filled with impermanence, dissatisfaction, repetition, and insignificance. We do not always have answers and hurt, grief, and absurdity are commonplace. It does us good to consider this, so that we do not build our lives around that which is fleeting and finite. While life under the sun offers impermanence, the hope of the Gospel is eternal life.While life under the sun offers dissatisfaction, the hope of the Gospel is eternal joy.While life under the sun offers repetition, the hope of the Gospel is being a new creation in Christ.While life under the sun offers insignificance, the hope of the Gospel is that our lives count and will be recognized and rewarded by Jesus.

Jesus commands us, "Do not be anxious."Why according to Jesus should we not be anxious?Because God is our Master.Because God is our Provider.Because God is our Father.

We learn to number our days and get a heart of wisdom through an eternal perspective and expectant prayer.So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants!Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

This has been a year full of weariness. Simeon and Anna were two people who had waited their whole lives to see the Lord's salvation. In our weariness, we can learn from them how to wait upon the Lord. They waited with patience.They waited with faith.They waited with intimacy with God.

The Christmas Story is an Adoption Story!But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

The Christmas Story is an Adoption Story!The Old Testament anticipates the Son of God. The New Testament announces the Son of God.You are adopted through the Son of God.

The Christmas story is an adoption story. When Joseph discovers that his fiancee is pregnant with a child that is not his own, he is faced with a choice. In his choice to believe God's Word, marry Mary, and adopt Jesus, we see Joseph's character, his compassion, and his commitment - 3 things we will also need, by God's grace, if we are going to adopt adoption. But Joseph, like us, was a man of imperfect character who needed a Savior. Jesus is that Savior with perfect character. Joseph, like us, was a man of imperfect compassion who needed a Shepherd. Jesus is that Shepherd with perfect compassion. Joseph, like us, was a man of imperfect commitment who needed a Substitute. Jesus is that Substitute with perfect commitment to the plan of redemption.

An unexpected pregnancy plays a crucial role in the story of Christmas, the story of salvation. When an angel tells the virgin Mary she is going to conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and give birth to a Son, she responds in humility, in faith, and in surrender to the Lord.

The Christmas story is an adoption story! The Apostle Paul says Jesus had to be born so that we could be adopted by God (Galatians 4:4-5).But according to God’s covenant with David (2 Sam. 7), being born wasn’t enough. It was necessary for the Messiah to be a son of David. But the Apostle Matthew’s genealogy doesn’t establish Jesus as the natural, biological son of David. Rather, it shows that Joseph, who is not Jesus’s biological father, is the descendant of the King. Jesus became the Son of David through adoption.That we might be adopted by God, Jesus had to be adopted by Joseph.This shows us 3 truths: God has a plan (and it's good!)God keeps his promises (often in unlikely ways!)Adoption is close to God's heart (and it should be to ours as well!)

Thanksgiving is personal and corporate, intellectual and emotional. We are called, with the totality of who we are as individuals and as the church, to cultivate and express gratitude to God. The Psalmist gives us one strategy to do so: Remember.Remember his provision.Remember his power.Remember his precepts.Remember his presence.Remember his praise. Give Thanks to the Lord!

After a contentious and divisive election, whether we feel like we've won or lost (or somewhere in between), we ask the question "what now?" For the Christian the answer is always the same...PrayLiveWitness

Voting (or principled abstention) is a matter of Christian conscience, Christian conviction, and Christian community.

We put politics in its place by prioritizing unity in our discourse. We prioritize unity by practicing faith, hope, and love.

Submission to governing authorities (even ones we don't like or agree with) is one way we show our ultimate allegiance to Christ. It doesn't show we trust their authority, it shows we trust God's. Because our ultimate allegiance is to God, there are points at which we cannot submit to our governing authorities. Our obedience to Christ's authority always supersedes our obligation to civil authority when the two are in conflict.

The most radical and revolutionary political declaration we can ever made is our pledge of ultimate allegiance: Jesus Christ is Lord! Because Jesus is Lord, His Kingdom is our primary citizenship (not that in our nation).Because Jesus is Lord, His Church is our primary community (not our political compatriots or tribe).Because Jesus is Lord, His Great Commands and Great Commission are our primary calling (not obtaining, maintaining, and wielding political power).

Jesus gives us hope.

Jesus desires our health.

Jesus fights for our holiness.

Jesus fights against our heresies.

Jesus knows our hurts.

Jesus wants our hearts.

The book of Revelation was not written to confuse us or fill us with fear and dread. On the contrary, it is meant to give us comfort, confidence, and courage for anything we will face, because of who Jesus is, what Jesus has done, and what Jesus will do.

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us?

"I have loved you," says the Lord.

Joyful generosity shares trouble, sacrifices treasure, and by God's grace is supplied totally.

If we are looking to Christ for joy, we can find and cultivate contentment in any and all circumstances.

We practice joy in the Lord by patience with people, peace through prayer, and purity in what we pursue and ponder.

When we have conflict in the church, we can reconcile with joy remembering that we share one Lord, one labor, and one life together in Christ.

We persevere in joy through faith (that Jesus has made me His own), through forgetting (what lies behind, both our failures and our feats), and through forward-straining (toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ).

We experience joy in loss as we forsake the false gospel of confidence in the flesh (in ritual, race, religion, rank, or righteousness) for the true Gospel of confidence in Christ alone.

Connection that brings joy is spiritual, significant, sympathetic, steadfast, and sacrificially service-oriented.

We find joy in holiness as God empowers us to live out his gift of grace.

Unity that brings joy does not come from us, it comes from Christ.Unity that brings joy comes from our new mind, new motivation, new model, and new mission in Christ.