The Church at 4Points

Main Point:Life as we know it is full of disappointments and displeasures.Application:1. Find true hope not in passing things, but in the certainty of the gospel.2. Find true joy not in unpredictable circumstances, but in the certainty of the gospel.3. Find true satisfaction not in temporary recognition, but in the certainty of the gospel.Supplemental Text: 1 Peter 2:13-17 | 1 Timothy 2:1-4 | Romans 13:1-2 | Isaiah 53:3-5 | John 1:11-13 | Romans 5:1-5 | 1 Peter 1:3-5 | 1 Peter 1:6-9 | 1 Peter 1:13-21

Main Points:1. God is in control of all things. We are not.2. God is purposeful in all things, even when it seems he is not.Application:Because God is in control of and purposeful in all things, it is wise to put our complete trust in him.Supplemental Text: Ecclesiastes 7:1-12 | 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 | James 1:19-20 | James 4:13-16 | Matthew 6:34 | Ecclesiastes 7:15-18 | Proverbs 16:18 | Ecclesiastes 7:19-29 | Isaiah 55:8-9 | Proverbs 3:13-18 | Proverbs 7:4-5;21 | Romans 3:10-11 | Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 | Romans 8:28 | Romans 5:12

Main Points:1. Good things in life are given by God for our enjoyment.2. God gives us the power to enjoy the good things in life.3. Our contentment is connected to whatever we find most satisfying.Application:1. End the love affair with the things of this world.2. End the comparisons of your life to the lives of others.3. End the pursuit of fleeting pleasure, and pursue joy in Christ.Supplemental Text: Matthew 19:23 | Matthew 6:24 | 1 Timothy 6:9-10 | 1 Timothy 6:17-19 | Philippians 4:11-13 | Matthew 6:19-20 | Hebrews 13:5 | 1 Timothy 6:6-8 | 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Main Points:1. We worship by approaching God on His terms, not ours.2. We worship God for who he is and what he has done for us in Christ, not for what he can do for us in this life.Application: Let your worship be sincere:a. Have confidence in prayer because God is our heavenly Fatherb. Aspire to Christlikeness by ordering your life and worship according to the WordSupplemental Text: Genesis 28:20-22 | 1 Samuel 1:11 | Deuteronomy 23:21:23 | Judges 11:30-35 | Romans 11:33-36 | Deuteronomy 6:4-5 | 1 Samuel 15:22-23 | Luke 10:38-42 | Luke 18:9-14 | Psalm 147:11 | Zephaniah 3:17 | James 1:19-22 | Matthew 5:7-8 | Psalm 34:4,9 | Romans 12:1-2 | 2 Peter 1:19

Foundation #1: God is perfect justice, righteousness, mercy, and love.Foundation #2: We are created in the image of God who embodies these attributes.Application:Lament injustice.Long for righteousness.Live mercifully.Love one another.Supplemental Text: Isaiah 30:18 | Deuteronomy 32:4 | Psalm 89:14 | Psalm 11:7 | 1 John 3:7 | Psalm 119:137 | Luke 6:36 | Deuteronomy 4:31 | Psalm 103:8 | 1 John 4:7-8 | John 17:24 | Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:16 | Psalm 94:3-10 | Matthew 23:25-28 | Psalm 75:2 | Psalm 98:7-9 | 2 Timothy 2:22 | Micah 6:8 | Proverbs 19:17 | John 13:34-35 | Psalm 94:1-2 | Hebrews 9:27-28

Main Points:1. Nothing in all of creation happens outside of the sovereignty of God.2. Everything in all of creation happens according to the character of God.Application:1. Receive the time you have been given as a gift from God.2. Steward the time you have been given for the things that will last.Supplemental Text: Isaiah 55:8-9 | Psalm 139:13-16 | Romans 8:28-29 | Luke 12:22-34 | James 4:13-15 | Hebrews 9:27-28

Main Points:1. Work is a gift from God and part of his original plan for man.2. Work was an original mandate in creation that was changed by the fall of man.3. Work is an opportunity to glorify God that has been redeemed by Jesus.Application:1. Do not let work control your life.2. Work hard as an example to those around you.3. Be generous with the fruits of your labor. Supplemental Text: 1 Kings 14:25-26 | Ecclesiastes 4:4 | Luke 12:13-21 | 1 Timothy 4:4-5 | Genesis 1:27-28 | Genesis 2:15 | Genesis 3:17-19 | Colossians 3:23-24 | 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 | Proverbs 23:4-5 | 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 | 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 | Titus 2:7-8 | Ephesians 4:28 | Proverbs 19:17 | 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 | 1 Timothy 6:17-19

1. God's glory and our pleasure are not enemies.2. God is not the means to an end; He is the means and the end.Supplemental Text: Ecclesiastes 9:7 | Proverbs 20:1 | Proverbs 23:31-32 | Psalm 37:4 | Philippians 4:4 | Matthew 13:44-46 | Philippians 1:20-21 | Psalm 16:11 | John 14:6

Main Points:1. Seeking to understand life through human wisdom alone leads to a frustrating and disappointing conclusion.2. Seeking to enjoy life through human experience alone leads to an unsatisfying and unending cycle.Application:1. Seek the wisdom of God.2. Focus on eternity with God.Supplemental Text: 1 Kings 3:3-15 | 1 Kings 4:29-34 | 1 Kings 10:23-24 | James 3:13-18 | Romans 11:33 | Proverbs 9:10 | James 1:5 | Colossians 3:1-3 | Proverbs 2:1-8 | 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 | 1 Corinthians 3:18 | Philippians 1:21

1. Life is not forever; death gives perspective to the temporary.2. Life was never meant to fully satisfy; only Jesus can do that.3. Life is out of our control; God is the one in complete control.Supplemental Text: Psalm 144:3-4 | Psalm 39:5; 11 | Colossians 3:17 | Ecclesiastes 12:13 | 1 Timothy 6:17 | John 4:13-14 | Matthew 6:33 | Psalm 139:16

Main Points:1. In Christ, you are a new creation.2. In Christ, you have been given a new ministry.3. In Christ, you have been given a new identity.Application:1. Fight sin personally and collectively.2. Share the gospel passionately and intentionally.3. Pursue righteousness persistently and victoriously.Supplemental Text: 1 Corinthians 5:6-7 | Romans 6:2-12 | Colossians 3:1-17 | James 5:16 | Romans 10:13-15

Main Points:1. God is love, and the clearest expression of his sacrificial love is Jesus.2. As those loved by God, we should sacrificially love one another.Application:1. You can have hope no matter what you face in life.2. You can experience lasting peace that is not defined by your situation.3. You can be joyful even in disappointment, sorrow, and heartbreak.4. You can know that the love God has for you is guaranteed.Supplemental Text: John 3:16-17 | Romans 5:7-8 | Romans 8:38-39 | Psalm 86:15 | Ephesians 3:18-19 | John 13:34 | John 15:17 | Romans 13:8 | 1 Thessalonians 3:12 | 1 Thessalonians 4:9 | 1 Peter 4:8 | John 15:12-13 | Galatians 5:13-14

Main Points:1. Joy is rooted, not in the presents from God, but in the presence of God2. Joy is fueled, not in isolation, but with the people of God3. Joy is settled, not in shifting circumstances, but in the security of our eternal home with God.Application:1. Do not compromise on your communion with God2. Do not neglect fellowship with the people of God3. Do not forget your secured home with GodSupplemental Text: James 1:17 | Isaiah 9:1-7 | Ephesians 2:22 | Philippians 1:3-5 | 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 | 1 Thessalonians 3:7-10 | Job 19:25-27 | 1 Peter 1:4-9 | Psalm 84:10 | Matthew 4:4 | Isaiah 29:19 | John 15:11 | Hebrews 10:24-25 | Colossians 3:16 | Revelation 7:9-10 | James 5:16, 19-20 | Jude 24-25

Main Points:1. Peace is found not in the absence of trouble, but in the presence of Jesus.2. Peace is found not only in the presence of Jesus, but is also given to us in this present life.Application:1. Receive the peace that Jesus has the authority and ability to give.2. Remember the peace that Jesus gives has protective power over our hearts and minds.Supplemental Text: Isaiah 9:2-7 | Luke 2:8-14 | Romans 5:1-2 | Romans 16:20 | Hebrews 13:20 | John 16:33 | John 14:27 | Colossians 1:19-20 | Colossians 3:15 | Philippians 4:6-7

Main Points:1. The gospel of Jesus brings hope to hopeless situations.2. The gospel of Jesus brings hope to hopeless people.Application:1. Trust the plan of God not your present circumstances.2. Trust the power of God not your own strength.Supplemental Text: Matthew 4:12-17 | Psalm 43:5 | Romans 5:2-5 | Romans 15:13 | Titus 2:11-13

Main Points:1. Until Jesus returns, death is a reality that we will all experience.2. When Jesus returns, our bodies will be resurrected, reunited with our souls, and glorified.3. Once Jesus returns, the everlasting life promised to believers will be realized for all eternity.Application:1. Allow your Earthly focus to not be on what is temporary, but what is eternal.2. Allow your Earthly hope to not be shaped by the temporary, but by the eternal.Closing Exhortations:1: God's Word is perfect and timeless.2: God's Word is secure and unchanging.3: God's Word is authoritative and authentic.4: God's Word is loving and personal.Supplemental Text: James 4:13-14 | Hebrews 9:27 | Hebrews 2:14-15 | Romans 8:23-24 | Romans 8:30 | 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 | 1 Corinthians 15:42-44; 49 | Philippians 3:20-21 | Philippians 1:19-23 | Revelation 21:1-4 | Mark 10:29-30 | Revelation 22:4 | John 14:1-3 | Matthew 10:28 | 1 Peter 2:11 | 2 Corinthians 15:1-9 | Isaiah 40:8 | 1 Timothy 6:3-4a | Matthew 24:24