The Rephidim Project

  COMMON SENSE LIVING (Ecclesiastes 10:2-20)   Central Idea: Living well depends on common sense.   Purpose: To encourage people to live wisely. BE SMART: THE PEOPLE IN POWER ARE NOT ALWAYS RIGHT (10:2-7). BE PREPARED: DO THE WORK WHEN IT NEEDS TO BE DONE (10:8-11). BE CAREFUL: BIG MOUTHS WON’T LEAD US HOME (10:12-15). […] The post Common Sense Living Ecclesiastes 10:2-20 appe...

  DEAD FLIES IN THE PERFUME (Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:1)   Central Idea: Trust God’s will because man’s plans can be nullified.   Purpose: To challenge people to trust the Lord. Human abilities can be nullified by sudden misfortune (9:11-12). Human wisdom can be nullified by simple ingratitude (9:13-16). Human achievement can be nullified by stupid foolishness […] The post Dead Fl...

  A LIVE DOG AND A DEAD LION (Ecclesiastes 9:1-10)   Central Idea: Do everything you can with all that you have for as long as you live.   Purpose: To encourage people to live each day for the Lord. Trust the sovereignty of God in the uncertainty of life (9:1-3). Live with hope despite […] The post A Live Dog And A Dead Lion Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 appeared first on The Rephidim P...

  CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (Ecclesiastes 8:10-17)   Central Idea: Living right seems futile when living wrong succeeds.   Purpose: To encourage believers to find contentment in God. Punish evil to slow the spread of evil (8:10-11). Fear God because He is the final judge (8:12-13). Enjoy what God gives despite how the world appears (8:14-15). […] The post Crime And Punishment Eccle...

  WISDOM AND AUTHORITY (Ecclesiastes 8:1-9)   Central Idea: Wisdom changes our response to authority (8:1&9).   Purpose: To challenge people to follow the Lord. Obedience begins with respect for authority (8:2-4). There is a right time and way for everything (8:5-6). Nobody escapes the consequences of wickedness (8:7-8). The post Wisdom And Authority Ecclesiastes 8:1-9 appeared...

  THE INSANITY OF IMMORALITY (Ecclesiastes 7:23-29)   Central Idea: The way of wisdom is to obey the will of God.   Purpose: To challenge people to follow the Lord in marriage. The Quest: We want answers to our questions (7:23-24). The Test: Immorality is a form of insanity (7:25-26). The Truth: Our schemes obscure […] The post The Insanity of Immorality Ecclesiastes 7:23-29 a...

  THE HUMILITY OF MODERATION (Ecclesiastes 7:15-22)   Central Idea: A life of moderation flows from a spirit of humility.   Purpose: To encourage believers to live moderately. The fear of God leads us to live in moderation (7:15-18). The wisdom of God leads us to live in humility (7:19-22). The post The Humility Of Moderation Ecclesiastes 7:15-22 appeared first on The Rephidim Proje...

  Walking the Road of Life (Ecclesiastes 7:1-14)   Central Idea: We will know the value of life at the end of life.   Purpose: To encourage believers to live each day well. We learn more from funerals than parties (7:2-4). Wise correction is better than shallow songs (7:5-7). Patience carries us through life successfully […] The post Walking The Road Of Life Ecclesiastes 7:1-1...

  AN UNSATISFIED APPETITE (Ecclesiastes 6:1-12)   Central Idea: Discontentment ruins our lives.   Purpose: To encourage people to be satisfied with the Lord’s gifts. Losing it all proves how meaningless “things” are (6:1-2). Living that is never satisfied is worse than never living at all (6:3-6). Wanting more means enjoying less (6:7-9). Arguing with […] The post An Unsatisfi...

  GRATITUDE: THE TRUE GLADNESS (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20)   Central Idea: Living the good life requires an attitude of gratitude.   Purpose: To encourage believers to be thankful. Find joy in being productive for as long as you live (5:18). Appreciate life as a gift from God (5:19). Develop the habit of happiness to ease the […] The post Gratitude: The True Gladness Ecclesiastes 5...

  THE FOLLY OF LOVING MONEY (Ecclesiastes 5:8-17)   Central Idea: Living for money means losing your life.   Purpose: To challenge believers to live for the Lord. The bigger the government, the more we pay (5:8-9). The more we have, the more we spend (5:10-12). The more we hoard, the more we lose (5:13-14). […] The post The Folly Of Loving Money Ecclesiastes 5:8-17 appeared fi...

  EMPTY WORDS (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7)   Central Idea: The fear of God guards our lips.   Purpose: To challenge people to watch their words. Come to worship with a listening heart (5:1). Do not pray to impress (5:2-3). Keep your promises to God (5:4-5). Do not make excuses for your failures (5:6-7). The post Empty Words Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 appeared first on The Rephidim Project .

  PEOPLE, POLITICS, AND POWER (Ecclesiastes 4:1-16)   Central Idea: The quest for power leads to an empty life.   Purpose: To encourage people to find fulfillment in Christ. The abuse of power drives us to despair (4:1-3). Success driven by envy produces vanity (4:4-6). Selfish greed breeds empty achievement (4:7-8). Shared lives are stronger […] The post People, Politics, And...

  CARPE DIEM (Ecclesiastes 3:12-22)   Central Idea: Enjoy today as if there is no tomorrow.   Purpose: To challenge believers to live every day to the fullest. God offers us the gift of happiness as we do good in this world (3:12-13). God governs our world so that we will honor Him with our […] The post Carpe Diem Ecclesiastes 3:12-22 appeared first on The Rephidim Project .

  IN HIS TIME (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11)   Central Idea: How do we make peace with the pointlessness of life?   Purpose: To encourage believers to find contentment in life. We accept the earthly rhythms God designs for our lives (3:1-8). We appreciate the perfect timing God plans for our lives (3:10-11a). We trust the eternal […] The post In His Time Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 appeared fi...

  DAILY LIFE WITH GOD (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26)   Central Idea: We are to enjoy our daily lives as gifts from the hand of God.   Purpose: To encourage believers to find contentment in God. Our happiness in life comes from the hand of God (2:25). The simple pleasures of life are God’s gifts for us […] The post Daily Life With God Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 appeared first on The Rephidim...

  DEATH: THE GREAT EQUALIZER (Ecclesiastes 2:12-23)   Central Idea: Death renders meaningless a life that is Christless.   Purpose: To call everyone to follow Christ to find meaning in life. In the face of death, wisdom cannot save us (2:12-17). In the face of death, work cannot satisfy us (2:18-23). The post Death: The Great Equalizer Ecclesiastes 2:12-23 appeared first on The Reph...

  MEANINGLESS MONEY (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11)   Central Idea: The pleasures money can buy cannot satisfy the soul.   Purpose: To challenge believers to find joy by investing in Christ’s work. Money buys parties that never satisfy the soul (2:2-3). Money builds projects that never satisfy the soul (2:4-6). Money collects possessions that never satisfy the […] The post Meaningless M...

  CHASING THE WIND (Ecclesiastes 1:12-18)   Central Idea: Apart from God: Making sense of life is like chasing the wind.   Purpose: To encourage people to find fulfillment in the Lord. All our efforts cannot achieve permanent changes (1:14-15). The more we know the more frustrated we become (1:16-18). The post Chasing the Wind Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 appeared first on The Rephidim Proj...

  THE VANITY OF SCIENCE Ecclesiastes 1:1-11   Central Idea: If the study of our natural world fails to lead us to God, our quest for meaning will end in emptiness.   Purpose: To challenge people to find fulfillment in God. Our study of science cannot satisfy our need for significance (1:1-8). “Newness” is repackaged […] The post The Vanity of Science Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 appear...

  WHERE WILL WE FIND HAPPINESS IN LIFE? (Overview of Ecclesiastes)   Central Idea: It our duty to be happy in God’s will for our lives.   Purpose: To encourage believers to find happiness in God’s will. Enjoy God in the simple pleasures of life (2:24-25). Enjoy God through the gift of good work (3:12-13, […] The post Where Will We Find Happiness In Life? Ecclesiastes Introduct...

  FINAL EXHORTATIONS (Hebrews 13:17-25)   Central Idea: Biblical principles undergird church life.   Purpose: To encourage believers to follow God’s principles for church life. We Willingly Follow Spiritual Leaders (13:17). We Pray for the Integrity of our Leaders (13:18-19). We Trust in God’s Power to do God’s Will (13:20-21). We Highly Value Spiritual Friendships […] The pos...

  TRUE SACRIFICES TO GOD (Hebrews 13:7-16)   Central Idea: If Jesus is the same eternally, we must follow Him consistently.   Purpose: To encourage believers to live faithfully. Follow Those Who Have Gone Before (13:7). Don’t be Misled by Legalism (13:8-9) Identify with the Cross of Christ (13:10-14) Offer Sacrifices of Praise (13:15-16) The post True Sacrifices To God Hebrews 13:7-...

  KINGDOM LIVING (Hebrews 13:1-6)   Central Idea: Our lives should express His values.   Purpose: To encourage believers to value what God values. Love: Giving Without Getting (13:1-3) Marriage: The Preciousness of Purity (13:4) Contentment: A Lifestyle of Faith (13:5-6) The post Kingdom Living Hebrews 13:1-6 appeared first on The Rephidim Project .

  OUR UNSHAKABLE KINGDOM (Hebrews 12:25-29)   Central Idea: The unshakable kingdom is founded on the grace of Christ.   Purpose: To encourage believers to serve in gratitude for grace. TURNING FROM CHRIST MEANS NO ESCAPE FROM JUDGMENT (12:25-27). GRIPPING GRACE PRODUCES ACCEPTABLE SERVICE (12:28-29). The post Our Unshakable Kingdom Hebrews 12:25-29 appeared first on The Rephidim Pro...