Alive: From Death | Ezekial 37:1-8 & Ephesians 2:1-3

Look Alive: Live a life of joy, passion, and excellence.

We look alive because we are.

This death is real. (Ephesians 3:17-24)

• The nature is our birth; the actions are our choice.

Don’t dress up death.

• Repentance is dying to death.

Don’t return to death.

• Those made alive no longer desire to live in death.

Don’t judge decay.

• We are not better; we are different.

Don’t doctor decay.

• Speak life.

Alive: More than a Look

Ephesians 2:1-10 & Ezekial 37

Look Alive: Live a life of joy, passion, and excellence.

-We look alive because we are.

We look how we live.

-Love the provision. (Ephesians 1:3-15)

Love the Provider of life by loving the life provided.

-Love the making.

We cannot be joyful in, while begrudging, the making.

-Love being alive.

Do you love life in Christ?

7 Struggles of Suburbia

The Never-Ending Cycle of Indulgence

Winning is more than not sinning; it is wise living.

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

Is pleasure good? (Eccl. 2:24, 3:12-13, 3:22, 5:18, 8:15, 9:7)God is the Creator of pleasure. (Eccl. 11:13-14)

• The purpose of pleasure is greater than the experience of pleasure. (Prov. 20:1, 21:17)

Pleasure was created for our good to God’s glory. (Gen. 1:10,12,18,21,25,28-31)

• Pleasure in created things was created to cause our pleasure in the Creator and the Creator’s pleasure in us. (Prov. 28:7, 30:8-9, Eccl . 10:16-17)

The more we consume, the more we are consumed. (Psalm 78:29-31, Prov. 23:1-3)

• A driven pursuit for pleasure causes a diminished experience of pleasure. (Prov. 25:16&27,20:1, 23:20-21)

Satisfaction over gratification. (1 Cor. 6:13)

7 Struggles of SuburbiaGrudges: Holding and Healing

Proverbs 26:24-27

• Haters are both deceiving and deceived.
• Haters are not fully known nor fully trusted.
• Haters injure everyone, including themselves

Ecclesiastes 7:8-10, 20-22

Grace given causes forgiveness and forbearance. (Psalm 103:8-10, Prov. 10:12&19)

• Hatred dwells deeply. (Proverbs 10:17-18)
• We have the ability to affect how offended we are. (Psalm 130:3-4)
• Forgiveness is not necessary when offense is not taken. (Prov. 24:17)

The only remedy for grudges is grace. (Prov. 24:29)

• Remember all the grace given you. (Psalm 51)

Forgiveness is grace given. (Prov. 17:9, Psalm 103:12)

• Forgiveness is not an emotion, it is an ongoing state of being. (Prov. 25:21-22)

Imageries for Forgiveness from Wisdom Literature

• Covering (Psalm 32:1, Prov. 10:12, 17:9)
• Blotting Out / Erasing (Psalm 51:1,9)
• Cleansing / Washing (Psalm 51:2-7)
• Removing / Separating (Psalm 103:12)
• Not remembering / Not counting (Psalm 130:3-4)
• Healing / Renewal (Psalm 51:10&12)
• Reconciliation / Restoration (Song of Solomon 8:7)

Gossip: What, Why, & How

Winning is more than not sinning; it is wise living.

Ecclesiastes 10:12-14

-Words weigh. Weigh them before you say them.

-Words keep working. Words work long beyond their sound.

Say less. (Prov. 12:18, 13:3, 20:19, 29:20, Eccl. 5:2)

Love before you speak. (Prov. 12:25, 15:23, 18:21)

Say right things to the right people. (Prov. 11:13, 17:9, 26:20)

Never gain from the negative. (Prov. 16:28, Job 19:2-3)

True words can be sinful words. (Psalm 15:2-3, Job 6:25-26)Is this true? (Psalm 34:13, 101:5)

Am I right? (Psalm15, 141:3)

What is the good? (Prov. 12:18, 18:8, Eccl. 10:12-14)

“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” Proverbs 14:30

Comparison is a trap that steals kills and destroys

Contentment is the key that disables the destruction

Envy rots my life…

If I can see the trap I can avoid the snare

If I am trapped by comparison, there is freedom in faith

If my heart is at peace it will give life to my body…

4 Thoughts about Comparison to Consider this week:

Don’t envy the sinful.

-Success at the cost of sin has no real significance or value.

-(Proverbs 23:17, 24:1-2 Psalm 37:1-2, 73:2-3, Job 5:2)

Don’t give value to what is without values.

-Do not put value to what someone has without considering the cost of who they are.

-(Proverbs 15:16-17, 16:8, 17:1, 28:6, Psalm 37:16, 73:2-3&16-17)

Don’t compare the good of self against the wrong in others.

-Be careful not to judge yourself on intentions and others on actions.

-(Proverbs 30:12, 21:2, 26:12, 16:5, 27:2, Psalm 19:12-13, 36:2)

Don’t judge yourself by your strengths and others by their weaknesses.

-Be careful not to judge yourself or others based solely on the things you do best.

-(Proverbs 14:21, 22:2, 23:10-11, 31:8-9, Psalm 41:1, 82:3-4, 147:3&6)

7 Struggles of Suburbia

Apathy vs. Empathy

Ecclesiastes 8:10-9:5

Winning is more than not sinning; it is wise living.

Apathy is from the loss of empathy.

Choose righteousness.

-In the end, it goes well for those who fear God.

Choose hope.

-Hope is a matter of conscience, not just circumstance.

Choose love.

-Hate hardens.

Choose good.

-Do well in the doing of good.

Why do I not care?

-Take care of your capacity to care.

-Proverbs 11:25, 15:13, 22:9, Psalm 41:1, 112:4-5.

Am I really this lazy?

-Doing well requires doing work.

-Proverbs 6:9-11, 18:9, 21:25-26, Psalm 82:3-4, 119:26

Does what I do matter?

-Changing one thing can change everything for one.

-Proverbs 11:24-25, 15:1, 25:11, Psalm 37:16, 147:10-11

Is it wasteful to help?

-Be wise in how, when, and where you help the unwise.

-Proverbs 23:9, 26:4-5, 29:11, Psalm 1:1-2, 37:7-9, 37:30-31

The Emptiness of EntitlementWinning is more than not sinning; it is wise living.Ecclesiastes 5:10-6:9The struggles of entitlement are deserving, demanding, and delighting.-Every good thing is God’s grace.Delights drive us.-When what delights us becomes what we deserve and demand, it loses its delight.Deserving is dangerous.-Having never satisfies the appetite to have; it increases it.Demanding destroys.-Faith is trusting in the person, not for the promise.Truths to Untitle the Soul…Am I being honest in humility?-Seek to be neither nothing nor everything.-Proverbs 1:19, 3:26, 11:2, 15:33, 22:29, 23:4-5, 28:1, 29:23Am I cultivating a healthy level of dissatisfaction?-Seek to be neither complacent nor complaining.-Proverbs 1:32, 13:4, 12:11, 14:30, 15:27, 17:22, 28:25,Am I nurturing genuine gratitude?-Seek to be neither unmoved nor unmotivated.-Prov. 6:6-8, 12:27, 14:23, 18:9, 21:25-26, 27:7, 30:15,Am I desiring right delight?-Seek to be neither self-righteous nor unrighteous.-Proverbs 3:7, 11:20&28, 16:2, 21:2&15, 28:26, 29:6, 30:12, Psalm 37:4, 119:14

The Struggle of BusynessWinning is more than not sinning; it is wise living.Ephesians 5:14b-17Be awake. Be aware. Be available.Ecclesiastes 3:1-14The moment matters…-This moment isn’t everything, but it’s not nothing.Time matters more…-Time will always be something we can never get back.Eternity matters most.-God did not create us for time; He created time for us because He created us for Himself.Struggle with these questions, truths, and verses this week:What comes first?-What gets our first gets our best.(Proverbs 8:34, Psalm 5:3, 143:8, 84:10, 92:1-2, 108:1-2, 119:147)What do I value?-What we do we value.(Proverbs 13:4, 10:4-5, Psalm 1:1-2, 46:10, 119:97)What am I avoiding?-What we avoid, we lose.(Proverbs 6:9-11, 12:15, 16:32, 20:4-5, Psalm 32:3-5, 139:7-12)Why am I hurrying?-What we hurry isn’t holy.(Proverbs 14:29, 19:2, 21:5, Psalm 27:14, 37:7, 106:13)

Twisted Truth: God Will Never Give You More Than You Can Handle2 Corinthians 1:3-14Embrace uncomfortable.Put hope to work.Life gets hard, lean in.Get simple.Get real about the real.Stay sincere.Stay right in the real.The strong are simple enough to be sincere and sincere enough to be simple.