Introduction

• Why are you here right now?
• Ephesians 1:3-8; 4:1 – You can not walk any stronger than your understanding of how worthy your walk is.
• I Corinthians 1:2-9 – The church in Corinth had a lot of problems, but Paul started by reminding them about Jesus.
• God provides our fuel!

Colossians 1

Colossians 1:1-8 – “because of the HOPE”

• “faith in Christ” – Colossians 1:4
• “love for saints” – Colossians 1:4
• “bearing fruit” – Colossians 1:6
• I Peter 1:3-7 – We should be rejoicing in our faith!
• Romans 5:1-5
• Hebrews 6:19-20 – Hope anchors our soul.

Colossians 1:9-12 – “filled with the KNOWLEDGE”

• “walk … worthy” – Colossians 1:10
• “please God in all” – Colossians 1:11
• “steadfast and patient” – Colossians 1:11
• Colossians 1:26-27

Colossians 1:13-22

• Jesus is …
  • Rescuer – Colossians 1:13
  • Redeemer – Colossians 1:14
  • Eternal God – Colossians 1:15
  • Creator – Colossians 1:15
  • Sustainer – Colossians 1:17
  • Head of the body – Colossians 1:18
  • Risen from the dead – Colossians 1:18
  • Peacemaker – Colossians 1:20
  • Reconciler – Colossians 1:22

The story of Job

• Holy and blameless
  • Job 1:1-5
• Blessed and secure
• Targeted by Satan
  • Job 1:8-12
• Suffered great loss
  • Job 1:13-19
  • Job 2:4
  • Job 3:1-3
• Cried out to God
  • Job 1:20-21
  • Job 13:15 – Compare Isaiah 53
  • Job 19:25-26
• Restored after trials
  • Job 42:10-17
• Intercessor for everyone
  • Job 42:7-9 – Job prayed for his friends

This is also the story of Jesus

• Holy and blameless
  • Philippians 2:5-7
  • Revelation 12:1-6
• Intercessor for everyone
  • Hebrews 2:17
  • What does it mean to you that Jesus went through all this for you?
  • Hebrews 7:23-27
  • Romans 8:31-34

Who are you in the book of Job?

• We are Job’s friends, who Job had to pray for when it was all over.

Introduction

• The theme of this series is to learn about Jesus first, then learn about yourself.
• Read your Bible every day! This practice will change you. It will change your perspective and erase your biases.
• Luke 24:44-47
• Don’t walk past the Ruler to get to the rules!
• When we are studying the Bible, question one should be, “What can I learn about Jesus?”
• How far back can you go in the Bible and find Jesus?
  • Genesis 1:26 – “Let us make man …”
  • Genesis 1:1-5 – “God” in verse one is referencing Jesus. See John 1:1-9. Jesus is order in the chaos. He is light.
• How far forward can you go in the Bible and find Jesus?
  • Revelation 21:1-4

David

• I Samuel 16:1

Who is this story really about?

• Preselected by God to be king
• Previously given miraculous powers
• Disregarded by the leaders
  • I Samuel 17:28
• Facing a foe no one could defeat
  • I Samuel 17:23-24
• With the whole nation on the line
  • I Samuel 17:8-9
• Fights unlike the enemy and wins
• Leads the army of God to victory
  • I Samuel 17:50-52
• Is exalted to king over the people

Jesus is my David

• Who are you in this narrative?
  • I Samuel 17:23-24, 51-54 – The people had confidence because of this victory!
  • Ephesians 6:10-20 – All of these things are Jesus.

Matthew 20

Matthew 20:1-16 – Laborers in the vineyard

• Matthew 20:1 – See Matthew 12:24-26. Satan also has a kingdom. God (Jesus) is the ruler of the kingdom of God. Compare also Luke 17:20-21. When you see “kingdom” in the Bible, think “ruler.”
• See Romans 9:14-16. God told the Jews it was His decision to whom He would be merciful. Both Jews and Gentiles would be acceptable to God in the end. God had a covenant with the Jews, who were then upset that Gentiles were also being blessed.

Matthew 20:17-19 – Jesus foretells His death again

• Jesus clearly states that the Jews will condemn Him to death.

Matthew 20:20-28

• The mother of James and John clearly did not understand the type of kingdom Jesus was setting up.

Introduction

• Proverbs 23:4-5
• All these physical possessions are temporary.
• Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
• Materialism: “focusing on immediate, physical treasures and neglecting eternal, spiritual treasures”

What makes me feel secure?

• Psalms 52:6-9 – The unrighteous would not make God his strength.
• Does your security come from your relationship with God?
• Proverbs 11:28
• Judges 7:2 – God reduced the size of Gideon’s army to provoke faith in God.
• Jeremiah 9:23-24
• Nothing we can do compares to anything God can do.
• I Timothy 6:17-19
• We must retrain our brains. The most important thing is our fellowship with God.

Am I jealous?

• II Corinthians 12:20-21
• I Corinthians 3:3-4
• Acts 5:12-18
• Acts 13:42-45 – The Jews were jealous of the crowds the apostles were drawing.
• James 3:13-18 – We want this wisdom that comes from above.
• Proverbs 27:4

Where does my time go?

• Luke 8:14 – Materialism robs us of spiritual treasure by redirecting our time and resources.
• Luke 12:13-21 – Wealth is not necessarily wrong, but don’t neglect God.
• How many minutes do you spend focusing on spiritual things?