WHY?
January 6 - January 27
We are taking the first four weeks of 2019 to tackle some of the big questions of the Christian faith - like "Why are we here?" and "Why do bad things happen to good people?".
WHY AM I HERE?
January 6, 2019 | Bill Clark
The Bible tells us that as created beings of a Holy God, our purpose is simply to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. As we begin our look at the big questions, Bill Clark explores how this question affects our daily interactions both with God and others.
MESSAGE NOTES
WHY AM I HERE?
Why? | Week 1 | January 6, 2019
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Isaiah 43:6-7 NIV
I will say to the north, "Give them up!" and to the south, "Do not hold them back." Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth — everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.
The purpose of man (humankind) is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Impose / Propose
Psalm 86:12-13 NIV
I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love for me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.
For God so loved the world…
WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?
January 13, 2019 | Bill Clark
One of the most common and vexing questions about God is why He allows bad things to happen to good people. Bill Clark examines this question in light of the truth that we are never disconnected from the love of God.
MESSAGE NOTES
WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?
Why? | Week 2 | January 13, 2019
John 21:25 NIV
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
Philippians 4:11-12 NIV
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Denial
Anger
Blame
Acts 14:22 NIV
We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.
1. Suffering is a necessary part of the Christian life.
Romans 8:18 NIV
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
2. Suffering and pain awaken us to God.
3. No matter what happens to us, we are never disconnected from the love of God.
Romans 8:38 NIV
…neither death nor life…will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
4. When bad things happen, our faith instructs us to get through it.
"Pain insists on being attended to. God whispers in our pleasures, speaks to our consciences, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world." - C.S. Lewis
WHY IS JESUS THE ONLY WAY?
January 20, 2019 | Adam Barnett
In John 14, Jesus himself says that He is "the way, the truth, and the life." Adam Barnett explores the crucial question of why Jesus is the only way, and the reasons we can put our trust in Him alone.
MESSAGE NOTES
WHY IS JESUS THE ONLY WAY?
Why? | Week 3 | January 20, 2019
“Our danger lies in questioning too little rather than too much. After all, our questions can be the voice of God.” — Caroline Westerhoff
Because He said so.
John 14:1-7 NIV
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
John 14:11 NIV
Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.
1 | Jesus Performed Miracles
2 | Jesus Lived a Sinless Life
3 | Jesus Died Without a Fight
Isaiah 53:7 NIV
“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”
4 | Jesus Defeated Death
Origin
Meaning
Morality
Destiny
WHY IS THE BIBLE AUTHORITATIVE?
January 27, 2019 | Adam Barnett
Scripture is the God-breathed and inspired word of God. It is the perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct. As such, we can rely upon its authority. Adam Barnett concludes our Why series by exploring why the Bible is authoritative.
MESSAGE NOTES
WHY IS THE BIBLE AUTHORITATIVE?
Why? | Week 4 | January 27, 2019
“Our danger lies in questioning too little rather than too much. After all, our questions can be the voice of God.” — Caroline Westerhoff
"We confess God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, as the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct.”
1 | Scripture includes the Old and New Testaments.
2 | Scripture is the perfect rule for faith.
3 | Scripture is the perfect rule for doctrine.
We can’t add to Scripture with our experiences and we can’t subtract from Scripture with our skepticism.
4 | Scripture is the perfect rule for conduct.
2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
1 | The Bible is unique.
2 | The Bible is widely accepted.
3 | The Bible claims to be authoritative.
2 Peter 1:20-21 (NIV)
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Direct Revelation
The actual words of God are recorded by the prophets
Inspiration
The Holy Spirit guided the prophets as they wrote; therefore, it is Divine Truth
4 | The Bible welcomes our challenge.
5 | The authority of the Bible requires faith.
"True doctrine is crucial if the church is to remain in sound health and fulfill its mission." — Dr. Jonathan Wilson