Godly Success: Worldly, Religious, and Godly Success (Randy)

What is success for God, and how does it differ from how we think about it? The dictionary defines success as “achieving an aim or purpose,” but I think a more complete definition would read, “achieving an aim or purpose so we can feel good about ourselves.” Herein lies the rub. Whether we pursue worldly success or religious success, we tend to do so motivated by our own, self-centered needs. This gets us in trouble, and we end up making an idol of whatever we deem as success whether we realize it or not. In tomorrow’s lesson, we will explore the similarities and differences between worldly, religious, and Godly success, and use that as a springboard to approach the topic of Godly success with an appropriate level of humility.

Listen to Worldly, Religious, and Godly Success

Godly Success: Good and Faithful Servants (Chris)

New Series: Godly Success
First Session: "Good and Faithful Servants"

This week we begin a new series based on a simple question: "What is success to God?"

As the old saying goes, "Begin with the end in mind."  If our aim in life is to stand someday in heaven and to hear our Lord say the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant," how does that goal translate into living now?  What does God value?  How do our own unique abilities and opportunities relate to God's kingdom?  Where can we find solid direction in an unstable world hostile to Godly purposes and priorities?  How also can we escape the trap of a culture that prioritizes "achievements" and "accomplishments" over humble obedience?

Thankfully, Scripture provides us with numerous examples of "good and faithful servants."  This series will focus weekly on people from the Bible and will explore how they lived in service to God with an emphasis on their fulfillment of Jesus' two Great Commandments: love God and love others.  The first session this week will hone in on the goal itself.  What does it mean to be a "good and faithful servant"?

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Handout

Knowing God: God With Us (Chris)

Our final lesson of 2022 is Knowing God: God With Us.

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."  [Isaiah 7:14]  The main reason we can know God is that God wants to be known.  God wants to be known so much that he sent his own beloved son into the world to preach and teach and heal and love and to show us what it is like to be in a full relationship with God.  Then, that perfect son died on a cross to redeem us and to restore us to communion with God.  This is the miracle which we celebrate at Christmas and at Easter and which we will reflect upon this week.  "Do not be afraid; for see -- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord."  [Luke 2:10-11] 

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Knowing God: A Living Hope (Randy)

The book of Hebrews tells us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  As humans, we all place our hopes—and therefore our faith—in something, whether we realize it or not. We don’t realize, however, that the object of our hope can define our lives in ways we don’t expect. Its only when we understand the “new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:3) that our hope can lead us to a life of joy.

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Knowing God: The Heart of the Gospel (Chris)

This fall, we have been exploring the theology of the Bible and how it applies to our lives as followers of Jesus Christ.  Chapter 18 of J.I. Packer's Knowing God builds a central understanding of Christianity around one complex but powerful word: propitiation.  This concept addresses the deep mysteries at the heart of our faith: justification of sin, the incarnation of God the Son, the heavenly ministry of God, and the love of God.  Put as a more simple question, "Why did Jesus have to die for us?"  There is no more important topic to consider in this season of Advent as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

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Handout

Knowing God: God's Love and God's Justice (Chris)

Last week's class focused on the uncomfortable topic of God's "judgement."  God's judgement is a reflection of God's justice, but it does not exist in isolation. God's perfect justice ("holiness") is paired with the other side of God's nature, perfect love ("grace").  "Knowing God" means understanding both of these essential parts of God.   This week, we further explore who God is by considering God's "goodness" (love) and God's "severity" (justice).  A key question to consider: how is it that aspects of God that sound scary like "wrath," "jealousy," and "judgement" actually are evidence of God's care and compassion for us?  This lesson draws on chapters 15-17 of J.I. Packer’s book, Knowing God.

Listen to God's Justice and God's Love
Handout

Knowing God: God the Judge (Randy)

As we continue our exploration of Knowing God, we shift from the easy topics related to God’s love to the harder ones related to his judgement.  What does it mean to say God is our Judge, and how do we feel about divine judgement?  Moderns often dismiss the idea of judgement day, but it is crucial to understand how God’s judgement is necessary for us to have meaningful and moral lives – both at an individual and societal level.  However, the idea of God’s judgement is equally repugnant to our modern sensibilities. How do we reconcile these ideas of needing God’s judgement but not being able to stand it? Fortunately, the gospel message is far more nuanced and powerful than anything we could ever imagine, and helps us make sense of God the Judge.

Listen to God the Judge