Sermon Notes

Ecclesiastes, which is the Greek name, more properly known to the Jew as Kohelet, was written by a variety of authors between the years 450 and 200 BCE. That means, when it comes to the Old Testament, this, rather than Malachi, is the last words recorded in our Protestant Bibles. But because this book is strongly associated with wisdom literature, it is put with Psalms and Proverbs, which is ironic because much is what is taught in Kohelet is the antithesis of Psalms and Proverbs.

The Power of a Touch — Mark 1:40-45

Misery loves company but company hates being miserable!

Matthew 10:32–33 (NIV): 32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

Acts 7:51–53 (NIV): 51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

Romans 8:28–39 (NIV): 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Life certainly has its moments. There are some good times, and there are some bad times. I guess some things never do change in the matter. Charles Dickens wrote something similar in “The Tale of Two Cities” when he said, “that it was the best of times and the was the worst of times”.

What Paul records in Romans deals with the way we should all as followers of Jesus should live, and Paul points towards, using key words, to help us to understand transformation of life and thought when it comes to ourselves and our interaction with “others”. Those key words are obligation, adoption, inheritance, sharing (charity). I could have added the word “liberty” as well, but that word has been abused so much in our American culture, I doubt most could understand biblical liberty. Paul answers the following questions:

A CARNAL Mind leads to CARNAGE! A CHRISTLIKE mind leads to LIFE!

While many Jesus followers love the picture of Jesus flipping over tables (he did this twice by the way, marking the beginning and the ending of his ministry) and forming a whip out of chords, driving out livestock and merchants out of the Court of the Gentiles due to the zealousness of a house dedicated to his Father, every other action was GENTLE. I want us to notice one area that Jesus was gentle where we might not react or judge the situation the same way. Would you be gentle?