Bible Study Guide - 45 Lessons

45 BIBLE STUDY LESSONS For Cellgroups Compiled by Ate Nessie

Bible Study Guide: Volume 1

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CONTENTS

Introduction

A Word to the Bible Study Leaders

LESSONS FOR LIVING

Lesson Reference Title

1 Luke 12:13-21 What Am I Living For?

2 Luke 19:1-10 A Corrupt BIR Agent Surrenders

3 John 4:1-30, 39-42 Living Water

4 Luke 18:35-43 “I Want To See!”

5 John 9:1-41 Eyes Fully Opened

6 John 3:1-18 The New Birth (Life): God‟s Plan

For Salvation

7 John l4:1-11 The Glorious Hope: The Way To

God

8 John 1:29-34; Hebrews 9:11-15 Lamb of God

9 Mark 5:1-20 Jesus Frees The Demon

Possessed

10 John 10:1-18 The Christian Life: Secure With

The Loving, Caring Shepherd

11 Genesis 13:1-17 Priorities

12 Genesis 16:1-16 Man‟s Way Vs. God‟s Way

13 Psalm 1 The Victorious Christian Life

14 Jonah 3 & 4 Lessons From Jonah

15 Genesis 22:1-19 Faith And Obedience

16 l Samuel l5:10-23 Obedience Is Better Than

Sacrifice

17 Luke 5:1-11 To Know Jesus More Deeply

18 Deuteronomy 8:11-20 Overcoming Complacency

19 Judges l4:1-3,16:1-24 Playing With Temptation

20 Genesis 39:1-23 Overcoming Temptation

21 Matthew 5:21-30 Sins Of The Mind

22 Luke 15:11-32 Repentance (The Prodigal Son)

23 Psalm 51 Prayer Of Repentance

24 John 8:1-11 “Does No Man Condemn You?”

25 Numbers 22:1-22 Our Hidden Desires

26 Daniel 4:28-37 God‟s Chastisement

27 John 21:1-14 Usurping God‟s Glory

28 John 21:15-25 Backsliding And Its Remedy

29 Revelation 2:1-5 The Love Commitment

30 Matthew 20:1-16 To Follow Christ Forever

31 Exodus 14:10-14 Generosity And Jealousy Fear

And Anxiety

32 Acts 12:1-19 What To Do In Times Of Crisis

33 1 Peter 1:1-9 Suffering Yet Rejoicing

34 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a What Is True Love?

35 1 John 3:13-19 Love That Is Practical

36 Luke 10:25-37 Love In Action

37 John 13:1-17 Jesus Kneels To Love

38 John 15:1-17 The Fruitful Life: Abiding In

Christ

39 Luke 7:36-50 Loving Service

40 Luke 10:38-42 Hungering After Christ

41 Joshua 1:1-9 The Servant Vs. The Service

42 John 6:1-15 The Man God Uses Sharing:

Giving Of Our Substance

43 John 1:35-51 Sharing Our Faith

44 Isaiah 6:1-8 True Worship

45 Acts 2:40-47 The Vibrant, Growing Church

Bible Study Guide: Volume 1

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A WORD TO THE BIBLE STUDY LEADERS

1. Principles of Bible Study:

The outlines contained in this study guide are intended for

use in a small group discussion setting. It uses the inductive

Bible study method as follows:

· Observation A careful look at what the Bible actually says.

We ask questions like who, what, where, when, how, etc.

· Interpretation After observing the passage carefully, we try to

understand what it means. We ask questions like, “Why did he

say that?”; or “What is the significance of this action?” etc.

· Application: Having understood what the Bible says and what

it means, we should learn how to apply it to our lives. Unless

we let the Word of God affect our attitudes and our daily lives,

all our efforts will have been wasted!

2. Your Use of the Guide:

As a wise leader you should regard the guide as a servant,

not a master. First, make the study your own, hearing God

speak to you and your situation. Then prepare with the group in

mind. The questions should never be used mechanically, but

flexibly. They are intended to stimulate thoughtful, personal

investigation of the Bible. You should feel free to adapt the

questions to the group‟s level and needs. Reword them to suit

your personality, using your own dialect if possible.

3. How to Lead the Bible Study:

(Adapted from Neighborhood Bible Studies by M. Kunz

and C. Schell)

a. Have the Bible portion read silently by the group. Then

have it read aloud by paragraphs. The reading aloud should

be done by paragraphs, or thought units, and not verse by

verse. Then discuss the questions regarding the paragraph.

It is not necessary for everyone to read aloud, or for each

person to read an equal amount.

b. Good Bible study leaders are not lecturers or preachers.

They are more like shepherds who guide their flocks to

green pastures to feed for themselves. So don‟t talk too

much as a leader. The discussions should move back and

forth between members.

c. Encourage everyone to contribute to the discussion. Ask

questions like, “What do the rest of you think? “ or “Is

there anything else that can be added/?”

d One of your basic responsibilities as leader is to watch that

this discussion is based on the text. If it is based on

subjective opinion only, you could refer members back to

the Bible by asking, “Where did you find that in our

passage? “

e. Don‟t be afraid of pauses or periods of silence. People need

time to think through the meaning of the passage. Rephrase

your questions if the pause is too long. Perhaps they do not

understand what you are asking.

f. Watch quiet and shy members who, through their facial

expression or by the way they sit, express that they have

something to say. Give them a nod or call their name to

encourage them to speak.

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g. Discourage monopoly of the discussion by one or two

talkative members by specifically directing the questions to

other members of the group.

h. Throughout the study seek to maintain an atmosphere of

love and openness, expectancy to learn from God, and

humility to learn from each other. At the end it is good to

give a short, clear conclusion, summarizing the message of

the passage and its relevance to the group.

4. Prayer Throughout:

Do not presume upon God‟s help, even though it is true that

He is more eager than we that we understand His Word. Prayer

opens up our lives to Him personally and directly. Prayer for

our friends helps to bring divine wisdom in how to relate and

communicate Jesus Christ to them.

Lesson 1: What Am I Living For?

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Lesson 1:

WHAT AM I LIVING FOR? Luke 12:13-21

Research before the Bible study: One week before the

scheduled Bible study, assign each of your group members to

ask somebody the question “What are you living for? “ Aim for

thoughtful answers.

At the Bible study, the members report. Then the whole group

studies Luke 12:13-21.

Compare the teachings of Scripture with the answers of the

researchers; look for conflicts and agreements.

Bible Readings

Luke 12:13 Then one from the crowd said to Him,

“Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an

arbitrator over you?”

15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of

covetousness, for one‟s life does not consist in the

abundance of the things he possesses.”

16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a

certain rich man yielded plentifully.

17 “And he thought within himself, saying, „What shall I do,

since I have no room to store my crops?‟

18 “So he said, „I will do this: I will pull down my barns and

build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my

goods.

19 „And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid

up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be

merry.”‟

20 “But God said to him, „Fool! This night your soul will be

required of you; then whose will those things be which you

have provided?‟

21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich

toward God.” (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. The Love Of Money (vv. 13-20)

1. What is the practical problem this passage begins with? Do

you know of family problems over money? In what way

was the attitude of this man wrong?

2. In the parable, what was the rich man living for? What did

he think was his security in life? What was the wonderful

future he dreamed of?

3. What are some of our securities? (job, friends, families . . .

) Are they really secure? Why or why not? What are we

striving for in our lives?

4. How did God evaluate the rich man‟s achievements and

values? What was his future in God‟s eyes?

Imagine yourself to be the rich man. You have worked so

hard and accumulated so much. You feel so secure. Now

comes God‟s judgment. How do you feel? What are your

thoughts?

How does knowing this in advance affect the direction of

your life from here on?

B. The Right Reason For Riches (vv. 15-21)

1. Is it wrong to accumulate wealth and be rich? When is it

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wrong and when is it not? (Notice that the rich man in the

parable was condemned not because he accumulated

wealth, but because of the reason he accumulated wealth

[v. 19]. In other words, it is wrong for a person to

accumulate wealth for himself only and to think that

possessions are all that matter.)

From verses 17-19, write down every “I”, “me”, “my”, etc.

to discover what the rich man was living for. How then

should we regard possessions”

2. What key principles did Jesus lay down in verses 15 and

21? What does “rich toward God” in verse 21 mean?

3. How can a person “live for God”? What does it mean and

what does it involve? Sometimes we say that we are living

for God, but our actions show otherwise.

REFLECTION

1. Do I spend most of my time and energy accumulating

money/ honor/position for myself?

2. What occupies my mind more often. God and how I can

please Him, or myself and my problems and needs?

CONCLUSION

Today‟s world measures man‟s success by the amount of

money he earns or possesses. For this reason, possessions and

how to accumulate even more—have become an overpowering

priority in place of pleasing God. May we, as modern

Christians, be found and called “rich toward God” rather than

later be condemned by Christ as “rich fools.”

Lesson 2: A Corrupt BIR Agent Surrenders

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Lesson 2:

A CORRUPT BIR AGENT

SURRENDERS Luke 19:1-10

If a person truly encounters Jesus, he can never be the same

again. Today we will study just such an encounter.

Bible Readings

Luke 19:1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.

2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief

tax collector and was wealthy.

3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he

could not, because of the crowd.

4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see

him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him,

“Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your

house today.”

6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone

to be the guest of a „sinner.‟”

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord!

Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and

if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back

four times the amount.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house,

because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was

lost.” (NIV)

DISCUSSION

A. Zacchaeus - The Despised Tax Collector (vv. 1-7)

1. Describe Zacchaeus, looking for clues in w. 1-7.

2. Why would Zacchaeus want to see Jesus?

What dissatisfaction and longings would such a man as

Zacchaeus be likely to have?

We may not be tax collectors like Zacchaeus. But in what

ways do we cheat people? In what ways do we cheat God?

3. How did Zacchaeus show his eagerness to see Jesus?

(He ran ahead, climbed, watched - w. 4, 5) Are we just as

eager to see Jesus? How do we show our eagerness?

4. Zacchaeus overcame hindrances in his desire to draw near

to God. What hindrances do we meet in our desire to draw

near to God? What have we done -to overcome those

hindrances?

B. Jesus - Lover Of The Despised (vv. 5-7)

1. What did Jesus do when He saw Zacchaeus? (Paid attention

to Zacchaeus. Called him by name.)

What does Jesus‟ reaction teach us about God and the way

He relates to us? (God knows us intimately by name. We

cannot hide anything from Him. He is never too busy to

give us personal attention.)

2. Why did Jesus seem to intrude so boldly into Zacchaeus

life?

Do you think he saw a deep need in Zacchaeus? What was

that need?

In Jeremiah 29:13 God made a promise. How is that

promise fulfilled in Zacchaeus‟ life?

3. How do we usually treat people who are “sinners” and

despised? (v. 7)

How does it contrast with the way Jesus treated Zacchaeus?

(vv. 5-10)

Lesson 2: A Corrupt BIR Agent Surrenders

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C. Zacchaeus - The Repentant Cheat (vv. 8-10)

An interval of time obviously passed between verses 7 and

8, when Jesus explained to Zacchaeus how he and his family

could be saved.

1. What was the change in Zacchaeus after meeting Jesus?

Was the change primarily external or internal?

Why?

2. How did Jesus describe Zacchaeus‟ changed situation?

(Zacchaeus was saved.)

What is “salvation” in verse 9? Is it only for the distant

future, or also for the here and now? (Note verse 9, “Today

salvation .. .”)

How can we experience it? (See Lesson No. 6 of this study

guide - The New Birth.)

3. Is it possible for a man who is saved to remain basically

unchanged? Why?

REFLECTION

1. Have I encountered Jesus in my life?

2. Has my life changed as a result?

3. As I grow to know Jesus more fully, has my life continued

to change, or has it become stagnant?

CONCLUSION

It is amazing how much we can learn from a passage which

at first looks very simple. Today we have seen what happened

when a man who was eagerly seeking, encountered Jesus.

Although Zacchaeus was burdened with sin and despised by

the people, Jesus loved him, accepted him spent time with him

and saved him. Zacchaeus received Jesus joyfully and was

dramatically changed. May all of us respond to Jesus like

Zacchaeus did.

Lesson 3: Living Water

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Lesson 3:

LIVING WATER John 4:1-30, 39-42

BACKGROUND: The pureblooded Jews despised the

Samaritans whose Jewish ancestors had intermarried with

foreigners about 700 years before, thus deviating culturally and

religiously. In other words, the Samaritans were “mestizos”

looked down upon by the Jews. Samaria lay between Judea and

Galilee, and orthodox Jews took a longer detour across the

Jordan River to avoid “contamination” with Samaritans.

Bible Readings

John 4:1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees

had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than

John

2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),

3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.

4 But He needed to go through Samaria.

5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar,

near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6 Now Jacob‟s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied

from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth

hour.

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to

her, “Give Me a drink.”

8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that

You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?”

For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of

God, and who it is who says to you, „Give Me a drink,‟ you

would have asked Him, and He would have given you living

water.”

11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw

with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living

water?

12 “Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the

well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his

livestock?”

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this

water will thirst again,

14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will

never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in

him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I

may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “You have well said, „I have no husband,‟

18 “for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you

now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a

prophet.

20 “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews

say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to

worship.”

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming

when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem,

worship the Father.

22 “You worship what you do not know; we know what we

worship, for salvation is of the Jews.

23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true

worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the

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Father is seeking such to worship Him.

24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship

in spirit and truth.”

25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming”

(who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all

things.”

26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled

that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You

seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”

28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the

city, and said to the men,

29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.

Could this be the Christ?”

30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him. (NKJ)

John 4:39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in

Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told

me all that I ever did.”

40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him

to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.

41 And many more believed because of His own word.

42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not

because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him

and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the

world.”

(NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Overcoming The Barriers (vv. 1-9)

1. What did Jesus do when He sat down at the well and the

Samaritan woman came?

2. What barriers or prejudices did Jesus overcome by starting

a conversation with her?

a. Racial - Jews vs. Samaritans

b. Social - respectable teacher vs. adulterous woman

c. Religious - Jews and Samaritans have different beliefs.

3. How do we apply Jesus‟ example in our lives? (Christians

should not have prejudices. We should not hesitate to be

friends with people whose beliefs, customs and way of life

are very different from ours.)

B. The Living Water (vv. 10-20)

1. How did Jesus, step by step, cause the woman‟s attitude to

change?

In verses 10-15, Jesus spoke of the living water.

To understand what this means, let us draw an analogy

from ordinary water.

Why do we drink water? (To quench our physical thirst.)

In our lives, we also thirst or look for many things. What

are the things people usually thirst for? (Money, power,

friends . . .) Assuming that they get what they want, does it

quench their thirst? (Man is never satisfied. For example, if

he wants to have P10,000.00, after he gets it, he will next

want P100,000.00. After he gets that, he will want still

more.)

Why is man this way, and how does the living water

resolve this?

Man has a basic need. He may not know what it is, but the

need is there and he feels it. Some think it can be satisfied

by earning more money, or fame, or power, or education,

etc. But after having these, they still feel their need has not

been satisfied. Hence people like Marilyn Monroe, who had

money, fame, etc. committed suicide. Man cannot really be

satisfied until he finds God. It is because man, whom God

created in His likeness, was made to enjoy God‟s company.

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When man sinned (rebelled against God) he was separated

from God and became the enemy of God. He became

spiritually dead. Hence man is now not complete. He is not

what he was meant to be. Hence his basic need.

Cure: The living water. (To be reconciled to God, through

Jesus).

Did the woman understand what Jesus meant, at this point?

How did Jesus explain it to her? (vv. 13,14).

3. Why did Jesus bring up the matter of husband? (v. 16)

(Because before a person can drink of the living water, his

sins have to be acknowledged and dealt with.)

4. Why do you think this woman had 5 husbands? Is there any

relationship between this fact and the need for the living

water that Jesus was speaking of? (vv. 17-18)

(Her having 5 husbands shows that she had a need which

she could not satisfy. She kept on changing husbands in the

hope that she would eventually find someone who could

satisfy her. What she really needed was the living water.)

5. What is the significance of the woman‟s statement in verse

19? (This is the first step in her awareness of who Jesus is.

She now knows He is more than just a man.)

C. Revealing His Identity (vv. 21-30)

1. Here Jesus explained what true worship is (vv. 21-23).

What is the meaning of worshipping the Father “in spirit

and in truth”?

(The place and form of worship are really not so important.

It is the essence of worship that counts. We should know

God personally in order to worship Him in spirit. We

should worship Him in truth, and not put on a show to let

people think how pious we are. As long as a certain form of

worship helps us to worship God better, it is good. Some

other forms may be helpful to others. We as Christians

should try to appreciate the beauty and relevance of our

form of worship so that we can truly worship God in spirit

and in truth.)

2. The woman seemed well versed in religious matters (vv.

25-26). In verse 12 she mentioned Jacob; in verse 20 she

discussed wors=2; in verse 25 she mentioned the Messiah

(the Christ). (“Messiah” was the Hebrew title given to the

Savior whose coming was promised by the Hebrew

prophets. The Greek word “the Christ” has the same

meaning.) Although all along Jesus had been speaking with

her, she did not yet recognize Him as the Christ. What

lesson can we learn from this?

(Many of us are well versed in religious matters. Many of

us have attended church services since childhood and taken

catechism classes. But do we really know Jesus? Have we

partaken of the living water? Can we share Jesus with

others?)

3. It is strange for a woman of bad repute to go to the city and

declare to the people, “Come, see a man who told me

everything I ever did” (vv. 28-30). Why did she do it? (Her

experience of meeting Christ was of such importance that

she could not keep it to herself. Her natural desire was to

share it with others.)

D. Result Of The Woman’s Testimony (vv. 39-42)

1. What was the result of the woman‟s testimony?

a. The Samaritans came out to see and hear Jesus.

b. Many believed because of her testimony.

c. Many more believed because of Jesus‟ own words.

(Note that they could not have heard Jesus‟ own words

if the woman had not aroused their interest.)

2. How do we apply verse 42 to ourselves? Many of us may

believe in Jesus because of what our priests/pastors say, or

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because of what our Christian friends say. But we should

proceed from there and meet Jesus personally. We should

talk with Him ourselves, hear Him ourselves, accept Him

as our Christ, our Savior and Lord.

3. Are we bearing witness to Christ? Have other people come

to know Him through our witness?

CONCLUSION

All of us thirst for the living water. Jesus Christ Himself is

the living water. Our thirst will never be satisfied until we let

Jesus come into our lives and transform us.

Lesson 4: I Want to See!

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Lesson 4:

“I WANT TO SEE!” Luke 18: 35-43

Many of us feel lost in this world, finding no meaning or

direction in our life. Somehow, we know that there must be

more to life, but cannot “see” what it is. Today we will study

why we feel this way and how we can really “see.”

Bible Readings

Luke 18:35 Then it happened, as He was coming near

Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.

36 And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it

meant.

37 So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.

38 And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy

on me!”

39 Then those who went before warned him that he should be

quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy

on me!”

40 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to

Him. And when he had come near, He asked him,

41 saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he

said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”

42 Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has

made you well.”

43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him,

glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave

praise to God. (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. The Blind Man Looks For Jesus (vv. 35-39)

1. What did the blind man do when he heard Jesus was

passing

Why do you think the blind man called out to Jesus? a. He

knew He was blind. b. He wanted to see. c. He knew Jesus

could heal him. d. He believed Jesus would heal him (v.

42).

2. Do you think this is the first time the blind man heard of

Jesus? Why?

(He must have heard of Jesus before, of how Jesus healed

many people. That is why he cried out to Jesus for mercy.)

The blind man‟s cry was for mercy. What is mercy? Why

did the blind man need it?

3. Most of us take our sight for granted. Let us spend some

time to consider what it means to see.

Ask each of your group members to cite one difference

between a blind man and one who sees.

Although we may not be physically blind, we may be so,

spiritually speaking. What is spiritual blindness? How did

we get to be spiritually blind? How did it become a

problem/dilemma for us?

Compare spiritual blindness with physical blindness. What

similar effects are present when our spiritual eyes are

opened?

PHYSICAL a. See the wonders of God‟s creation.

b. Become sensitive to light.

c. If we have dirt on us we become aware that we are dirty.

d. Know people more fully. In addition to hearing and

touching them, we can see what they are like and do things

with them which a blind person cannot (like running

together, etc.).

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e. Be a guide to other blind people.

SPIRITUAL a. Become aware of the greatness and majesty of God. As a

result, we learn to worship God.

b. Become sensitive to the leadings of the Holy Spirit.

c. Become aware of our sinfulness.

d. Know God more fully. Be fore, we only used to hear

people talk about God. Now we can “see” Him, know Him,

experience Him, do things with Him.

e. Share the Good News of God with other people.

B. Eye Contact With Jesus (vv. 39-43)

1. As discussed earlier, several reasons prompted the blind

man to call out to Jesus. (Review answers to question 1.)

Let us apply them to ourselves in the spiritual sense. Why

is each factor important for our eyes to be opened?

a. We must know/acknowledge that we are spiritually

blind. Some people never admit that they are blind.

That is why they cannot be healed.

b. We must want to see. Some people know that they are

blind, but prefer to stay that way.

c. Unless we truly believe Jesus can heal us, we will not

cry out to Him.

d. Unless we believe Jesus will heal us, we will also not

cry out.

2. What did the people around the blind man try to do? (v. 39)

(Prevent him from getting to Jesus.)

What did the blind man do then? (He persisted and finally

was healed.)

How does this also happen in our case? What should be our

reaction to hindrances?

(In our search for God, some people may try to hinder us -

our friends, family, etc. But if we are earnest in our search,

if we persist and cry out to Jesus, He hears us and heals us.

Also, note that Jesus „stopped‟ for this blind man. He found

time for him, as He has always stopped for every sinner

who is willing to come to Him. No one is too insignificant

for Him; no burden of ours is too trivial for Him.)

REFLECTION

1. Am I spiritually blind?

2. Do I want to see?

3. Have I cried out to Jesus?

CONCLUSION

When we come to Jesus and cry out earnestly to Him, He

heals our spiritual blindness so that we can truly “see.”

Lesson 5: Eyes Fully Opened

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Lesson 5:

EYES FULLY OPENED John 9: 1-41

Any of us blind? “Not I,” you say. Don‟t be too sure. Blindness

can have more than one meaning. Today we will study an

encounter of a blind man with Jesus and see how his healing

can be ours too.

Bible Readings

John 9:1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was

blind from birth.

2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned,

this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,

but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

4 “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day;

the night is coming when no one can work.

5 “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and

made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the

blind man with the clay.

7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam”

(which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came

back seeing.

8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen

that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”

9 Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He

said, “I am he.”

10 Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”

11 He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and

anointed my eyes and said to me, „Go to the pool of Siloam and

wash.‟ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”

12 Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not

know.”

13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees.

14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and

opened his eyes.

15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had

received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes,

and I washed, and I see.”

16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not

from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” Others

said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And

there was a division among them.

17 They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about

Him because He opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a

prophet.”

18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had

been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents

of him who had received his sight.

19 And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say

was born blind? How then does he now see?”

20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is

our son, and that he was born blind;

21 “but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who

opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will

speak for himself.”

22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews,

for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that

He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.

23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to

him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.”

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25 He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do

not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I

see.”

26 Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How

did He open your eyes?”

27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not

listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to

become His disciples?”

28 Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but

we are Moses‟ disciples.

29 “We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we

do not know where He is from.”

30 The man answered and said to them, “Why, this is a

marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet

He has opened my eyes!

31 “Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if

anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.

32 “Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone

opened the eyes of one who was born blind.

33 “If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

34 They answered and said to him, “You were completely born

in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had

found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of

God?”

36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may

believe in Him?”

37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is

He who is talking with you.”

38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshipped Him.

39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world,

that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may

be made blind.”

40 Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these

words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?”

41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no

sin; but now you say, „We see.‟ Therefore your sin remains.

(NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. The Setting (vv. 1-5)

1. What did Jesus mean when He said He is the light of the

world in verse 5? Why does the world need “light”?

In what ways is the world in darkness? (sin, ignorance of

spiritual truth)

In verse 5, Jesus says, “But while I am still here in the

world, I give it my light.” Now that He is no longer in the

world, does it mean the world has no more light? (We

Christians have the responsibility of being the “light of the

world,” Matthew 5:14.)

B. The Healing (vv. 6-12)

1. Why did Jesus go to the trouble of mixing mud and spittle

and asking the blind man to go and wash? Could He not

heal him by saying a word? (Jesus wanted to test his faith

and obedience.)

2. What is the significance of Jesus using mud and spittle,

which are seemingly worthless, to heal a man‟s eyes?

(Jesus can use the most ordinary and worthless thing to do

wondrous things.)

Application: Do you often feel you have no special talent?

Do you feel you don‟t have the ability to communicate

Jesus to others? If you are willing to place yourself in

Jesus‟ hands, He can do wondrous things through you.

3. What was the “suit of &e blind man‟s faith and obedience?

4. Let us see what effects the healing had on the formerly

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blind man himself and his neighbors.

a. What reactions did his neighbors have? (They noticed

he was changed. They wanted to know how it

happened.)

b. What reactions did he himself have? (He knew it too

and admitted it.)

Application: Blindness here can have a two-fold meaning:

physical blindness and spiritual blindness.

(1) What is spiritual blindness” Are your spiritual eyes

opened? Do you notice the change in yourself?

(2) When you receive Jesus into your heart, is it

possible to have no change in your life? What will the

effects be on yourself and on your friends?

(Your friends will surely notice the difference, and you

yourself will know that Jesus is in you.)

C. The Pharisees’ Reaction (vv. 13-23)

1. What reactions did the Pharisees have? When they

investigated, did they really want to know the truth, or did

they have other motives? Why were they always trying to

find fault with Jesus?

2. Why did the healed man‟s parents not dare speak the truth?

(v. 22)

Application: In what ways are we like the healed man‟s

parents? (Often we are afraid to bear witness to Jesus

among our friends, for fear of being considered “queer” and

ostracized.)

D. The Second Confrontation (vv. 24-34)

1. Since the Pharisees were so authoritative and much more

educated than the healed man, why was the healed man so

courageous in arguing with the Pharisees? (Because he had

the experience of personally being healed by Jesus).

Application: How do we apply the above in our lives?

(In our conversation with others regarding spiritual matters,

there may be many theological questions which we may not

know how to answer. But if we have personally received

Jesus into our lives, if we have experienced His love and

Spirit in our lives, then we can bear witness to that fact. If

and when some of us go to college, and if some professor

who appears to be very learned and authoritative ridicules

our faith, we can always stand on solid ground by pointing

to our personal experience with Jesus.)

2. Contrast the answer of the healed man with that of his

parents. What caused the difference?

(His parents did not dare tell the Pharisees what really

happened because they were afraid and the experience to

them was “secondhand,” while to the healed man it was a

“first-hand” experience.)

Application: In our spiritual lives, what is a “first-hand”

experience and what is “second-hand”?

(Some of us may go to church only because our parents or

friends want us to go. They may be real Christians but our

association with Christ through them is only a second-hand

experience. We need to receive Jesus into our own hearts to

have a first-hand experience.)

3. Although the healed man gave a courageous testimony

about Jesus, what happened to him? (v. 34) What do we

learn from this? (Real Christians are often persecuted.)

E. Eyes Fully Opened (vv. 35-41)

1. Why did Jesus come and look for the healed man?

a. Concern for his well being.

b. To fully open his spiritual eyes.

2. Trace the various stages of the man‟s understanding of who

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Jesus was from verses 11,17, 38.

(A “man”, a “prophet”, and “Lord.”) What is the

significance of this, and how does it apply in our lives? (It

shows that the man was progressing in his knowledge of

Jesus. For us, it is also natural that we pass through several

stages in our knowledge of Jesus. Each of us should ask

ourselves in what stage we are, and whether our knowledge

of Him is still growing.)

3. Verse 39 seems difficult to understand at first glance, but it

is really the key to the whole passage we are studying

today. What does verse 39 mean? (It means those who

admit that they are blind will be healed by Jesus just as the

blind man was healed. But those whose spiritual eyes are

blind but do not admit it and still claim that they can see

(like the Pharisees), will remain blind. Hence verses 40 and

41.)

4. After our spiritual eyes are opened, is it still possible for

our sight to be impaired?

If so, what are the causes?

a. spiritual pride

b. non-use of our spiritual eyes

c. sin in our hearts

CONCLUSION

Today we see the encounter of Jesus with a blind man. The

“blindness‟ can have a two fold meaning—physical and

spiritual. And though none of us may be blind in the physical

sense, it is important to examine ourselves to see if our spiritual

eyes have been fully opened by Jesus.

Lesson 6: The New Birth: God‟s Plan for Salvation

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Lesson 6:

THE NEW BIRTH (LIFE):

God’s Plan For Salvation John 3: 1-18

One of the most basic truths of the Christian faith involves

“salvation” and being “born again.” Sometimes one uses these

terms without fully understanding their meaning. Today we

will study a passage that helps us understand better.

Bible Readings

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees named

Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi,

we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one

can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to

you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of

God.”

4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he

is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother‟s womb and

be born?”

5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one

is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of

God.

6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is

born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, „You must be born

again.‟

8 “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound

of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So

is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these

things be?” (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. The New Birth (or Being “Born Again”) (vv. 1-7)

1. When Jesus was conversing with the Jewish religious

leader Nicodemus, He said unless a person is born again, he

cannot get into the Kingdom of God (v. 3). What is meant

by “born again”?

(During our first birth, we were born with a physical body

with its old nature. We need to have a new birth, so that

God‟s life, God‟s nature will be in us).

Why do we need this new birth? This new nature? (For us

to understand the contrast between the two kinds of nature,

let us look at a pig and a cat. It is a pig‟s nature to like to be

dirty. Even if we give it a bath, pretty soon it wallows in

mud again. On the other hand, it is a cat‟s nature to like to

be clean. A cat is constantly washing itself with its tongue.

If it accidentally gets dirty it will stop and clean itself at

once. So a pig and a cat behave differently because they

have different natures. Looking at ourselves, we were born

with a sinful nature. There are many things which we know

are wrong, yet we still do them (like lying, cheating, hating,

etc.). We do not have the power not to do them. Sometimes

we resolve to change for the better, specially during New

Year‟s day, but after a few days we are back to our old

selves. This is because of our sinful nature. When the first

man, Adam, sinned (disobeyed God), his nature became

corrupted and sinful. We inherited this sinful nature and

have been following our own ways, our own desires, which

actually are controlled by Satan. The only way to change

all this is to be born again into a new kind of life - the life

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of God.)

2. How can one be “born again”?

a. Born of water and the Spirit (v. 5)

(The Holy Spirit is the one that initiates our new birth,

not something we can do by ourselves).

b. Believe . . . and have eternal life (v. 16)

c. Receive . . . to become children of God (John 1:12)

NOTE: “Believe” here does not only mean mentally

saying, “It is true.” (Satan also believes Jesus is the Son of

God, but obviously he is not saved.) It is believing in Jesus

with all our heart, repenting of our sins and receiving Him

as Savior and Lord. We turn over our lives to Jesus Christ

to control. The center of our lives is no longer ourselves,

but God.

3. Sometimes we meet non-Christians who live better lives

than Christians. Do they need to be saved also?

Yes. None of us are perfect in God‟s sight. Since God‟s

standard is perfection, none of us are acceptable in God‟s

sight.

Illustration. Suppose all of us are required to swim from

Manila to Cavite. Some jump off the seawall and sink right

away. Some may reach halfway, and then sink. Some may

even nearly reach Cavite, but 10 meters before reaching

shore, run out of strength and sink also. So none of us reach

Cavite. In the same way, none of us reach God‟s standard,

even though some may live very good lives (say 95%

good). The reason Christians are acceptable in God‟s sight

is because Jesus Christ is perfect and we come to God

through Jesus Christ. (In our illustration we can reach

Cavite if carried on the back of an Olympic swimmer.)

B. The Working Of The Holy Spirit (vv. 8-12)

1. What major point did Jesus illustrate in talking about the

wind in verse 8?

(We may not know where the wind comes from or where it

is going, but we can hear it, and see its effect on things.

Similarly, we may not fully understand hors the Holy Spirit

gives us the new birth, but we know he does it, by

observing its effect on people.)

2. What simple thing did Jesus want Nicodemus to do in

verses 11 and 12? (Accept . . . believe). Are you willing to

accept Jesus and believe His words? Verses 13-16 give

several reasons for taking that step.

C. Why We Believe In Jesus (vv. 13-18)

How could Jesus demand the faith and confidence of

Nicodemus or of any other person? Think about this as you

make a list of everything, which verses 13-16, tells us about

Jesus.

a. Jesus came down from heaven (v. 13), so He is

qualified to tell us of heavenly matters.

b. Verse 14 refers to an incident recorded in Numbers

21:4-9.

Jesus‟ explanation and reference to Himself through

this illustration speaks about the totality of His work:

God becomes man, dies on a cross and is raised again.

Thus Jesus‟ death on the cross brings about the

reconciliation between man and God. Anyone who

looks to Jesus by faith can be cured of the deadly

disease of sm.

c. Verse 16 is an excellent synthesis of the Gospel. What

does it say regarding God? Regarding Jesus? Regarding

you?

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REFLECTION

Do I want to have the Spirit act in my life?

Do I want to be born anew?

CONCLUSION

The apostle Paul explains the meaning of the new birth in

these words:

“Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old

has passed away, behold, the new has come! ... for our sake He

(God) made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we

might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:17,

21).

Lesson 7: The Glorious Hope: The Way to God

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Lesson 7:

THE GLORIOUS HOPE:

The Way To God John 14: 1-11

BACKGROUND: Time and place where conversation took

place: During the Last Supper, before the arrest and crucifixion

of Jesus by the soldiers.

In John 13:21 Jesus said one of the disciples would betray him.

In verse 33 He said He was going away, to a place where the

disciples could not yet go. Hence chapter 14 verse 1 where He

said, “Let not your hearts be troubled.”

Bible Readings

John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God,

believe also in Me.

2 “In My Father‟s house are many mansions; if it were not

so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again

and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be

also.

4 “And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are

going, and how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No

one comes to the Father except through Me.

7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father

also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is

sufficient for us.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet

you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen

the Father; so how can you say, „Show us the Father‟?

10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father

in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own

authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me,

or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Heaven (vv. 1-4)

1. What is the place that Jesus is referring to in v. 2?

2. What is your idea of heaven? (Let several members give

their idea of what they think heaven is.)

3. What do we learn about heaven from this passage?

a. “Many homes” or “rooms” (big enough for all

Christians) (v. 2)

b. Specially prepared for us by our Lord (v. 2).

c. God is there, and we will always be with Him (v. 3).

4. Will we be happy the”? How do you know you will be

happy them? If you do not enjoy living with Jesus here on

earth; if you do not enjoy praying and “acing the Bible and

worshipping Him, do you think you will be happy living

with Him in heaven?

(NOTE: For those who really do not enjoy praying and

reading the Bible, but would like to know how, please see

Lesson 13 of this study guide.)

5. What promise did Jesus make to His disciples in v. 3?

REFLECTION

1. Are you happy living with Jesus he” on earth? Do you

really think you will enjoy being in heaven?

2. Do you really believe Jesus is coming again?

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Do you look forward to His coming again?

What preparations have you made for His Second

Coming?

B. Jesus Is the Way, the Truth and the Life (vv. 5-6)

1. Thomas was an apostle of Jesus and had been following

Jesus for three full years. How was it that he still did not

know where Jesus was going and the way there? Was his

question answered?

Application:

a. In what way are we like Thomas? (Many of us call

ourselves Christians from early childhood onwards. We

go to church regularly. But many of us really know so

little about basic spiritual truths.)

b. In what way can we learn from Thomas? (He was not

ashamed to ask when he did not understand. Likewise

we should not pretend we know everything. His

questions were answered by our Lord in person. Our

questions will be answered through His Word—the

Bible. That is why we are having Bible studies.)

2. What did Jesus mean when He said He is the way?

Why did He not say „l will show you the way”?

Why did He not say „I am one of the ways to heaven”?

Why did He say, “No one comes to the Father except

through me”?

(Since Jesus comes from the Father, He is the only one who

can bring us back to the Father. Since Jesus is the one who

died for our sins, it is only through Him that our sins are

forgiven, that we can be holy and acceptable in the sight of

the Father.)

Nowadays many people are saying that all religions are

essentially the same that they lead to the same God. How

do we refute this kind of statement?

3. What did Jesus mean when he said He is the truth? How is

this statement relevant in the light of present confusion

regarding different moral standards, different ideologies,

different goals, etc.?

4. What did Jesus mean when He said He is the life? Are we

not already alive, even without Jesus? What is “everlasting

life”? If it means that we will be resurrected, does it mean

non-Christians will not be resurrected? What is the

difference?

To understand all of this we should understand what death

is.

What is death?

(Death means separation. When we die physically, our soul

is separated from our body. Spiritual death means our soul

is separated from God, who is the source of life. We are

like a plant, which has been uprooted. When God created

man, His plan was for man to love Him and enjoy His

presence. But man sinned and rebelled against God. Hence

he was cast out from God‟s presence, meaning, he became

spiritually dead. But man is not meant to be separated from

God. Man is now incomplete—hence his feelings of

emptiness and aimlessness. But God still loves us and has

provided a way for us to come back to Him. That is through

accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Then we

become spiritually alive again. Jesus now lives in us. That

is why Jesus said He is the Life.)

C. Knowing God (vv. 7-l 1)

1. Why did Jesus say, “If you know me, you know the

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Father”? In what way can we know Cod?

(Our human minds are very limited. How can we, the

creature, comprehend God, the Creator? Is it not through

seeing and hearing, and then understanding from what we

see and hear?

We “see” the Father and “know” the Father by seeing what

Jesus did—healing the sick, teaching people, dying for

people; hearing what Jesus said—as recorded in the Bible.

Moreover, we know Him by interacting with Him

personally.)

2. How can we know for sure that Jesus‟ claim that He

represents the Father is authentic? (v 11 )

REFLECTION

1. Has Jesus manifested Himself to me personally?

2. Do I have a living relationship with Him?

CONCLUSION

Our Lord gives us a glorious hope. He has prepared heaven

for us, and will be coming back to bring us there. He can do so

because He is the way, the truth and the life.

Lesson 8: Lamb of God

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Lesson 8:

LAMB OF GOD John 1: 29-34; Hebrews 9:11-15

During the Holy Communion service we often hear the phrase:

“Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world ....”

Many don‟t know what it means. Today we are going to study

a portion of Scripture, which lets us understand its meaning.

BACKGROUND: In Old Testament Times, when an Israelite

sinned, and repented of it, he offered a lamb as a sacrifice to

take away his sins.

Bible Readings

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him,

and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of

the world!

30 “This is He of whom I said, „After me comes a Man who is

preferred before me, for He was before me.‟

31 “I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to

Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”

32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit

descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon

Him.

33 “I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with

water said to me, „Upon whom you see the Spirit descending,

and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy

Spirit.‟

34 “And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

Hebrews 9:11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good

things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle

not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.

12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own

blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having

obtained eternal redemption.

13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer,

sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,

14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the

eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your

conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant,

by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions

under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive

the promise of the eternal inheritance. (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. What does “Lamb of God” Means

1. What testimonies regarding Jesus did John give? (vv.

29,30,33,34)

2. What is the meaning of Jesus being the “Lamb of God”?

Read Hebrews 9:11-15.

(The blood of a lamb in Old Testament times could not

really take away the sins of man. It only represented „ -_

Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, who came to die for our

sins.)

3. Why was the sacrifice necessary?

What is the effect of our sins?

(Our sins cause us to be separated from God; they make us

spiritually dead - Romans 6:23, enslaved to Satan. That is

why we need Jesus Christ to pay the penalty of sin on our

behalf to free us from the effects of our sins.)

Lesson 8: Lamb of God

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B. The Only Qualified Sacrifice

1. What qualified Jesus to be the Lamb of God? Suppose I am

willing to die for your sins, would I be qualified? (No,

because I have to die for my own sins, so I cannot die for

somebody else. Jesus was sinless, and He was willing to die

to take our place.)

2. Since Jesus came to die for all men, are all our sins

automatically forgiven? How then can we receive the

forgiveness of sin? (We need to confess our sins to God

before He can forgive us. See 1 John 1:9.)

3. What does it mean to you that Jesus not only forgives your

sins but also takes them away? (We often hear the saying,

“I will forgive you, but I will not forget the offense.” That

is not true forgiveness. When God forgives us, He also

forgets. Jesus has already taken our sins away.)

APPLICATION

1. Have your sins been taken away by the Lamb of God?

2. When you partake of Holy Communion, where or on what

is your attention focused—the wafer and wines or the Body

which was broken for you and the blood which was shed

for you? And the reason why His body had to be broken

and his blood sheds Does His love overwhelm you?

3. Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no man than

this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” How can

we share this love?

a. We should love others the way Christ loves us. Give

examples.

b. We should let others know God loves them this way—

which in effect is evangelism.

CONCLUSION

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of

the world. He gave His own life as a sacrifice so that we can be

reconciled to God.

Lesson 9: Jesus Frees the Demon Possessed

Page 9 - 1

Lesson 9:

JESUS FREES THE DEMON

POSSESSED Mark 5: 1-20

Demon possession is a subject that is troubling many

Christians nowadays. A lot of confusion and fear surrounds the

subject. Many questions are being asked, such as:

Are there really demons?

If a person is possessed by demons, is his condition hopeless?

If not, how can he be healed?

What should be our attitude towards fortune-tellers, spiritistas,

mediums etc.? Is it harmful for us to visit them? Is it harmful

for us to play “Spirit of the Glass”?

Today, we are going to study a case history of demon

possession, and will find the answers to the above questions.

Read Mark 5:1-20

Bible Readings

Mark 5:1 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the

country of the Gadarenes.

2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there

met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could

bind him, not even with chains,

4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.

And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles

broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.

5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in

the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.

7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I

to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore

You by God that You do not torment me.”

8 For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!”

9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he

answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”

10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them

out of the country.

11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the

mountains.

12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the

swine, that we may enter them.”

13 And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean

spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two

thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into

the sea, and drowned in the sea.

14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city

and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that

had happened.

15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been

demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in

his right mind. And they were afraid.

16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him

who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.

17 Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their

region.

18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-

possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.

19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go

Lesson 9: Jesus Frees the Demon Possessed

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home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord

has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.”

20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all

that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled. (NKJV)

DISCUSSION

A. Reality Of Satan’s Power (vv. 1-5)

1. What are the characteristics of the demon-possessed man?

a. Had extraordinary strength (v. 4) (shows Satan‟s

power)

b. Wandered day and night among the tombs (v. 5)

(lonely, aimless)

c. Screaming (v. 5) (sad, in despair)

d. Cutting himself (v. 5) (reflection of struggle and

conflict within his heart, resulting in self-destruction.)

2. What are the contrasts between a demon-possessed man

and one who is filled with the Holy Spirit?

a. Lonely and aimless versus fullness of life in Jesus, and

having purpose in life.

b. Sadness and despair versus joy.

c. Inner conflict versus inner peace.

Application: All of us are influenced to some extent by

either demons or the Holy Spirit. Rarely do we meet a man

who is totally possessed by demons or totally filled with the

Holy Spirit. Most of us are somewhere in between. As you

reflect on the above characteristics, ask yourselves this

question: Am I influenced more by demons or by the Holy

Spirit?

B. Reality Of Jesus’ Power (vv. 6-13)

1. Was the man‟s condition hopeless? What were his reactions

when he saw Jesus? (v. 6)

(Although the man was possessed by demons, he longed for

deliverance. [Conflict again!] So he saw Jesus, ran to meet

Him [shows eagerness], fell down and worshipped Jesus

[shows humility and reverence]).

2. Did the demons inside him like it? What was their reaction?

(v. 7)

3. Why did the demons have to beg Jesus? (Shows Jesus has

power and authority over demons)

4. Did Jesus succeed in casting out the demons?

Application:

a. Should we fear the demons? (We should realize that

demons are powerful, and that we should not play

around with them. In that sense we should fear them.

But we should not have an obsessive fear of demons

thinking that nothing in the world can stand up to the

power of the Devil. Our Lord is more powerful than the

Devil, and can keep us safely in His arms.)

b. What should be our attitude towards fortune-tellers,

spiritistas, mediums, etc. or playing “Spirit of the

Glass”?

(We should never visit them nor play any game

associated with the Devil. Read Deuteronomy 18:10-12.

If we violate this clear cut command from the Bible, we

will have to suffer its consequences - being more and

more influenced by the Devil.)

c. What should we do with a man who is possessed by de-

mons?

(Cast out the demons by the name of Jesus. But again,

we should not do this lightly. Read Acts 19:13-16. Not

all Christians are empowered by Jesus to cast out

demons by His name. It should be one who has been

walking closely with Jesus in his daily life. After much

Lesson 9: Jesus Frees the Demon Possessed

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prayer, confession, maybe fasting, and after he is

clearly led by the Holy Spirit to go and cast out the

demons, he should do so.)

C. Different Responses To Jesus (vv. 14-20)

1. What changes had come to the man?

2. What were the reactions of the herdsmen and townspeople?

(vv. 14,15)

3. Why were the people frightened and why did they ask Jesus

to go away?

(It may have been a combination of the following:

a. They had just lost a herd of pigs. If Jesus stayed around,

they might lose other things too. So they valued their

possessions more than Jesus.

b. They may not have wanted to change their old ways.

They knew that accepting Jesus meant changing their

lives.)

Application:

In what ways are we like the herdsmen and townspeople?

(Oftentimes we want God to leave us alone. We don‟t want

Him to interfere with our lives. We feel God might want us

to give up this thing or that thing, do this or that, alter our

system of priorities. In other words, we want ourselves and

not God to run our lives.)

4. After they asked Jesus to leave them alone, what did Jesus

do? (Left them alone!) What lesson can we learn from this?

(Someone has commented that God is a “gentleman.” He

will never force His way into our hearts if we don‟t want

Him. How true! Rut it is we who are the losers if we react

this way.)

5 What was the natural desire of the man who was healed by

Jesus?

What did Jesus tell him to do instead?

Did the man obey? What is the characteristic of a man who

truly accepts Christ? (Obedience)

What was the result of this man‟s obedience? (God was

glorified )

CONCLUSION

Jesus is more powerful than demons. He is able to free any

person possessed by demons if that person comes to Him for

deliverance. Let us have nothing to do with Satan and his

cohorts, but stay firmly by the side of our Lord.

Lesson 10: The Christian Life: Secure with the Loving, Caring Shepherd

Page 10 - 1

Lesson 10:

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE:

Secure With the Loving, Caring

Shepherd John 10: 1-18

The deepest needs of man today show in his insecurity, fear

and loneliness. The reason man is always trying to earn more

money, win more friends, etc. is because of these basic needs.

Christians don‟t have to be caught in this “rat race.” Today‟s

passage shows how this problem is solved, and paints a

beautiful picture of the Christian life: secure with the loving,

caring Shepherd.

Bible Readings

John 10:1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not

enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way,

the same is a thief and a robber.

2 “But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the

sheep.

3 “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his

voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

4 “And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before

them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

5 “Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee

from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the

things which He spoke to them.

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to

you, I am the door of the sheep.

8 “All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but

the sheep did not hear them.

9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved,

and will go in and out and find pasture.

10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to

destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may

have it more abundantly.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life

for the sheep.

12 “But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does

not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep

and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

13 “The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not

care about the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am

known by My own.

15 “As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I

lay down My life for the sheep.

16 “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them

also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will

be one flock and one shepherd.

17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My

life that I may take it again.

18 “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I

have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.

This command I have received from My Father.” (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Cared For By A Loving Shepherd (vv. 1-15)

1. How did Jesus describe the relationship between the

shepherd and his sheep?

a. The shepherd calls his sheep by name (v. 3) (knows

each one individually). See also v. 14.

Lesson 10: The Christian Life: Secure with the Loving, Caring Shepherd

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Application: Are you aware that our Lord cares for you

as an individual? Do you have a sense of belonging to

Him? How does this relate to your problem of

loneliness?

b. The sheep recognizes his voice and follow him (vv.

4,5). By constant association, the sheep learn to

recognize which voice is the shepherd‟s and which is

not.

Application: Do you recognize our Lord‟s voice? How

do you learn to recognize His voice?

(By regular reading of His Word - the Bible. By prayer

and meditation. By memorizing Bible verses and letting

them become a part of you. By being eager to know

Him. By being sensitive to the guidance of the Holy

Spirit.)

c. The shepherd protects and saves the sheep (w. 8,9).

Who is the thief in w. 1, 8,10? (Satan and his

followers).

How do they attack us? What are our fears today? How

does our Lord protect and save us?

Note that not only is He willing to protect and save us,

but He is able to do so. Why then do we still feel

insecure?

d. The shepherd provides the sheep with abundant life

(life in all its fullness). (v.10)

Application: What is the abundant life for us? (A life

full of love, peace, joy . . . etc.)

Are you experiencing the abundant life now? If not,

why not?

e. The shepherd loves the sheep and cares for them so

much - to the extent of giving his life for the sheep (v.

11).

Application:

1. Do you sometimes feel nobody in the world really loves

you? Are you experiencing Jesus‟ love and care? In

what ways?

2. How much do you care for the people our Lord has

entrusted to you? Like the shepherd or like the hired

man (vv. 12,13)?

REFLECTION: Is Jesus truly my shepherd, and I His

sheep?

B. The Shepherd’s Flock (vv. 16-18)

In verse 16 Jesus was referring to the non-Jews. In the Old

Testament time, the Jews were the chosen people of God. Jesus

was declaring that from that time on, even people who were not

Jews would be able to come to God through Him. Christians,

regardless of race, would be united in Jesus as one flock.

Application:

a. Among our brothers and sisters in Christ who are

Filipinos, Americans or Chinese, do you feel the

oneness in Christ? If not, why not?

b. In verses 17 and 18, Jesus was saying He laid down His

life for us, not because He had to, not because it was

taken from Him, but because He wanted to. Because He

loves us. He was setting an example for us to follow.

How do we apply this in our relationship to God? In our

relationship to other people?

CONCLUSION

Christians have peace and joy in their lives because they

are secure with the loving and caring Shepherd.

Lesson 11: Priorities

Page 11 - 1

Lesson 11:

PRIORITIES Genesis 13:1-17

All of us, consciously or unconsciously, have priorities. Our

priorities affect the way we think and act. They determine the

direction of our lives. Today we will study the priorities of

Abram and Lot, and see how we compare with them.

BACKGROUND: Read Genesis 12:1-10. (Let the whole

group read it first before proceeding to read and discuss

Genesis 13:1-17.)

Bible Readings

Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of

your country, from your family and from your father‟s house,

to a land that I will show you.

2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make

your name great; and you shall be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who

curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be

blessed.”

4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and

Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when

he departed from Haran.

5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother‟s son,

and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the

people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to

go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.

6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as

far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were

then in the land.

7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your

descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar

to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel,

and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the

east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the

name of the LORD.

9 So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.

10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down

to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.

Genesis 13:1 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his

wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.

2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

3 And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel,

to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between

Bethel and Ai,

4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at first.

And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.

5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and

tents.

6 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might

dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they

could not dwell together.

7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram‟s

livestock and the herdsmen of Lot‟s livestock. The Canaanites

and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land.

8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife

between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your

herdsmen; for we are brethren.

9 “Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from

me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go

Lesson 11: Priorities

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to the right, then I will go to the left.”

10 And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that

it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed

Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the

land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.

11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot

journeyed east. And they separated from each other.

12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the

cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.

13 But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful

against the LORD.

14 And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from

him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you

are-- northward, southward, eastward, and westward;

15 “for all the land which you see I give to you and your

descendants forever.

16 “And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth;

so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your

descendants also could be numbered.

17 “Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width,

for I give it to you.” (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Priorities And Actions (vv. 1-13)

1. Observe carefully and ask someone to summarize the

events that transpired.

2. What were Abram‟s priorities? How did his actions reflect

his priorities?

a. His first priority was God - “He sought the Lord” (v. 4)

Actions indicating the above:

(1) The journey itself was an act of faith and obedience

to God (v. 3). See Genesis 12:1.

(2) The place where he chose to encamp was the place

where the Lord had appeared to him before (vv.

3,4). See Genesis 12:8.

(3) The altar was built by Abram and showed his

devotion to God (v. 4).

(Our daily quiet time before our Lord may be

considered the present day equivalent of the altar in

the Old Testament. Both are expressions of

devotion to God, and both stress the importance of

communication with our Lord.)

b. His second priority was others - he valued love and

social harmony (v. 8). Note also his humility (v. 9).

c. Among his priorities, material possessions counted last

(v. 9). He was generous.

Application: Why can those who trust the Lord dare to

be generous?

3. Because Abram was Lot‟s uncle, what should have been

the proper response from Lot to the situation?

What apparently influenced Lot‟s choice? (v. 10)

What does this reveal about Lot‟s priority in life? How did

it affect his lifestyle? (w. 12,13)

What are the characteristics of a person whose first priority

is material possessions (or self-gratification)?

a. No desire to seek God. God gets crowded out.

b. No social values. (Lot did not defer to his uncle.)

c. A loose lifestyle. (Lot moved closer and closer to

Sodom. Although he knew full well the wickedness of

Sodom, he had no spiritual and moral strength to resist.

He ended up living in Sodom. See Genesis l4:12.)

Application: In what ways are we like Lot? Like

Abram? Ask your members to give illustrations from

their daily lives that reflect their priorities.

(1) A good way to test what our priorities are is to

analyze what we do with our “free time”—those

Lesson 11: Priorities

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hours of the day after our working hours.

(2) Also, we need to analyze how we spend our

working hours. Are our actions during our working

hours pleasing to God?

Do we value our work more than our relationship

with God or with our co-workers?

Do we use deceptions or half-truths to clinch a

deal?

Do we make others look bad and ourselves look

good in order to win a promotion?

Are we obsessed with our work?

What is the basis for our choice of jobs?

Do we share God‟s love with others in our work

environment?

How do we show we care about others?

(3) To conclude the application portion, let your

members either reflect silently or write down how

they would re-orient their priorities, and how they

would re-adjust their actions to be in accord with

them.

B. The Reassurance (vv. 14-17)

How did God respond to Abram‟s choice? What is the

significance of God‟s promises in the context of what

happened?

(God reassured Abram. Abram had given up something.

And after having made his decision he might have had

misgivings or doubts such as, would he be cheated out of the

good things in life? Or, was he really wise about setting

priorities the way he did? God must have understood and

reassured him and renewed His promise. He seems to be saying

that those who make God their first priority will not lack

anything. See Matthew 6:33.)

CONCLUSION

May each of us set our priorities right, and live accordingly.

Lesson 12: Man‟s Way vs. God‟s Way

Page 12 - 1

Lesson 12:

Man’s Way VS. God’s Way Genesis 16: 1-16

Often we are aware of what God‟s way is and what God wants.

But sometimes we follow our own way instead. Today we will

discuss why we do so, and what the consequences often are.

Bible Readings

Genesis 16:1 Now Sarai, Abram‟s wife, had borne him no

children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name

was Hagar.

2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the LORD has

restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid;

perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the

voice of Sarai.

3 Then Sarai, Abram‟s wife, took Hagar her maid, the

Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife,

after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan.

4 So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she

saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in

her eyes.

5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave

my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had

conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The LORD judge

between you and me.”

6 So Abram said to Sarai, “Indeed your maid is in your

hand; do to her as you please.” And when Sarai dealt harshly

with her, she fled from her presence.

7 Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water

in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.

8 And He said, “Hagar, Sarai‟s maid, where have you come

from, and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from

the presence of my mistress Sarai.”

9 The Angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your

mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.”

10 Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “I will multiply

your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted

for multitude.”

11 And the Angel of the LORD said to her: “Behold, you are

with child, and you shall bear a son. You shall call his name

Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your affliction.

12 He shall be a wild man; his hand shall be against every

man, and every man‟s hand against him. And he shall dwell in

the presenceof all his brethren.”

13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her,

You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here

seen Him who sees me?”

14 Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; observe, it is

between Kadesh and Bered.

15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son,

whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael

to Abram. (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. No Deadlines For God’s Promises

1. God, in Genesis 12:1-4, had promised to Abram that he

would have many descendants.

How long a time had elapsed from the time the promise

was first given? (v.3)

What action did Sarai suggest they take to have children?

NOTE: Sarai and Abram‟s action was contrary to God‟s

intention for marriage, but was in keeping with the practice

Lesson 12: Man‟s Way vs. God‟s Way

Page 12 - 2

of that day.

2. Imagine the struggle in Abram‟s mind while deciding

whether to follow God‟s way (and wait in faith for the

promised son through Sarai), or man‟s way (and take Hagar

as a concubine to bear his son).

What were the factors he probably considered that caused

him to choose the latter?

a. He was 85 years old and without a son (v. 16).

b. He had waited 10 long years for God to fulfill His

promise (v. 3).

c. The suggestion came from someone he loved.

d. The suggestion was in keeping with the practice of that

day (“Everybody is doing it.”)

With all the above factors, can we say Abram was right in

acting as he did? Why or why not?

On what basis can we say whether what he did was right or

wrong?

NOTE: What Abram did seem only rational. However,

faith is non-rational, though not irrational. In other words,

faith is not against reason, but transcends reason.

Application: Give examples from our daily lives when we

use man‟s way instead of God‟s way. Cite especially those

things that seem to become right just because “everybody‟s

doing it.”

3. What could be the reasons we use our own ways?

a. Don‟t know what God‟s way is - stems from lack of a

close walk with God.

b. Faith in the visible. (Example: going to „spiritistas‟ for

quick healing instead of waiting for God.)

Is God pleased? If we know God is not pleased, why do

we still do it?

B. The High Price of Human Solutions

What were the consequences of Abram‟s choice of man‟s way?

1. Disharmony in the household (vv. 4-6).

2. Suffering for Hagar (w. 6 8).

3. Disharmony among descendants (v. 12).

(The descendants of Ishmael are the Arabs. The

descendants of Isaac are the Jews. They have been

constantly at each other‟s throats. Even today, they still

are.)

APPLICATION

Based on the examples given in section A(2) above, list the

consequences that usually result from our choice of man‟s way.

CONCLUSION

God‟s way is always the best way, though we may not see

for the moment. Let us walk with Him in faith, putting our trust

in Him especially in these days of turmoil and unrest.

Lesson 13: The Victorious Christian Life

Page 13 - 1

Lesson 13:

THE VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN

LIFE Psalm 1

Every Christian wants to live a victorious Christian life. But

some find it difficult. Today we will study a passage that shows

us how to live and have victorious Christian life.

Bible Readings

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of

the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the

seat of the scornful;

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he

meditates day and night.

3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that

brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not

wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the

wind drives away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor

sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way

of the ungodly shall perish. (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Discussion Before Reading Passage:

1. What is your idea of a “victorious Christian life”?

a. A life pleasing to God

b. Victory over sin

c. A fruitful life

d. A life with direction, fulfillment, meaning, which is

sustained.

2. Are most of us living a victorious Christian life? If not,

what are the problems we encounter?

a. Many of us feel close to God at one time or another, but

seem unable to sustain it.

b. We are unable to resist temptations.

c. We forget God when pre-occupied with our daily

routine.

d. God gets crowded out of our hearts when we spend

most of our time and energy in pursuit of our

career/business/family. Hence our lives lose meaning

and direction.

e. Our lives seem to be unfruitful.

f. Looking at other Christians‟ failures and letting them

affect us.

Let us now study the passage and try to find out how we

can overcome these problems.

B. Discussion After Reading Passage:

1. In verse 1, there are three don‟ts. Give examples of each in

our daily lives.

2. Verse 2 tells us how we can sustain a Christian lifestyle.

a. How can we “find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord”?

Do we “study it day and night”? What is our attitude in

our “acing of the Word of God?

Do we read the Bible out of a sense of duty, or do we

read it because we love Him and want to know what He

wants to tell us?

b. Share your experiences frankly.

What do you usually do when you receive a letter?

Lesson 13: The Victorious Christian Life

Page 13 - 2

If we were to liken the Bible to a letter (God‟s love

letter to us), would you have the same attitude?

Does our attitude affect how much we profit from the

Word of God? How? What kind of attitude should we

have?

c. How does studying the Bible regularly affect our

Christian lifestyle?

How does memorizing Scripture help in this regard?

d. Is it possible for a Christian to study the Bible and not

bear fruit? How and why?

How important is obedience in this regard?

3. Verse 3 describes what happens when verses 1 and 2 are

fulfilled.

a. Why is a Christian likened to a “tree that grows beside

a stream”? What is the “water” that a Christian needs?

Contrast it with a tree planted in the desert.

Application: Do you feel “watered” or do you feel

“dry”?

b. What is the “fruit” Christians bear? There are several

kinds of “fruit”:

1) What we are (our character) - see “fruit of the

Spirit” in Galatians 5:22

2) What we do (our actions) - acts of love, etc., e.g.

being good Samaritans

3) People we lead to the Lord - Jesus has made us

“fishers of men.”

Application: Examine your life for a moment. How

much fruit is there? If there is not much, why?

NOTE: Verse 3 describes the tree bearing fruit “in its

season.” In other words, regularly. Do you bear fruit

occasionally or regularly?

c. “They succeed in everything they do” is a tremendous

statement. Why do we often fall short of this? What

relation is there between the growth of our spiritual life

and the success of what we do?

(The ““holistic approach.” God is concerned with our

total person: what we think, what we are, what we do,

what our direction in life is, etc. He must be Lord of all

areas of our lives. Then the success of what we do

follows. Jesus made it more explicit in Matthew 6:33,

“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His

righteousness and all these things shall be given unto

you.”)

Regarding the term “success,” we should be aware that

what is successful in the eyes of God may not always

be successful in the eyes of the world, and vice versa.

4. Verse 4 describes the non-Christian. Is there anybody who

feels like he is “drifting through life”? Like “straw that the

wind blows away”?

What is the solution?

Contrast this picture with the tree that is planted beside the

stream.

What are the differences? (stability, water, fruit, purpose or

meaning)

5. Verses 5 and 6 tell us the end of sinners. Who among us are

not sinners? Just because we are somewhat better than our

neighbors, can we claim to be “righteous”? If not, how do

these verses apply to us?

(Only through confession of our sins and acceptance of

Jesus as Savior can we claim His righteousness as ours.)

APPLICATION

Now that we have studied the passage, how do we apply it

to resolve the problems we cited in section A(2)?

CONCLUSION

Lesson 13: The Victorious Christian Life

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The key to a victorious Christian life is to be in total union

with God, letting Him be the Lord of our lives. And the way to

achieve that is to study His Word day and night and delight in

it.

Lesson 14: Lessons from Jonah

Page 14 - 1

Lesson 14:

LESSONS FROM JONAH Jonah 3 & 4

Almost everyone has heard of the story of Jonah and the big

fish. However, in addition to the traditional story there are also

many other lessons we can learn from the book.

(At this point, summarize chapters 1 and 2 to acquaint your

group with the background. Then ask them to read chapters 3

and 4.)

Bible Readings

Jonah 3:1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the

second time, saying,

2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the

message that I tell you.”

3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word

of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a

three-day journey in extent.

4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day‟s walk.

Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall

be overthrown!”

5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast,

and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.

6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from

his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with

sackcloth and sat in ashes.

7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published

throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles,

saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste

anything; do not let them eat, or drink water.

8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry

mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and

from the violence that is in his hands.

9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away

from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?

10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil

way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He

would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

Jonah 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became

angry.

2 So he prayed to the LORD, and said, “Ah, LORD, was not

this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled

previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and

merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness,

One who relents from doing harm.

3 “Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for

it is better for me to die than to live!”

4 Then the LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

5 So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the

city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the

shade, till he might see what would become of the city.

6 And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up

over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him

from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant.

7 But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a

worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered.

8 And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a

vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah‟s head, so that

he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, “It

is better for me to die than to live.”

9 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry

Lesson 14: Lessons from Jonah

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about the plant?” And he said, “It is right for me to be angry,

even to death!”

10 But the LORD said, “You have had pity on the plant for

which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up

in a night and perished in a night.

11 “And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which

are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who

cannot discern between their right hand and their left-- and

much livestock?” (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Nineveh? No Way?

1. Nineveh was a big heathen city - the capital of Assyria,

which was the dreaded enemy of Israel.

What possible reasons would Jonah have for not wanting to

preach God‟s message in Nineveh?

a. Perhaps it was patriotism. Jonah might have wanted the

enemies of Israel to perish.

b. Perhaps it was moral indignation. The people of

Nineveh were really so wicked Jonah might have felt

they deserved to die.

c. Perhaps it was radar prejudice. The Assyrians were

non-Jews, and despised by Jews.

Anyhow, God‟s command to Jonah to go was specific.

Yet Jonah disobeyed.

2. How would you describe Jonah?

a. Disobedient, evaded God

b. Lacking love for others

c. Quick to anger

d. Easily depressed

e. Selfish

f. Possibly having racial prejudice

g. Possibly putting country above God

In what ways are we like Jonah?

Jonah was not all bad. He had some good points too.

In what ways should we be like Jonah?

Honest before God.

Admitting his wrong and then doing what was right.

Giving thanks (inside the fish‟s belly).

B. God Doesn’t Give Up

What do we learn about God in the book of Jonah?

a. Loving

b. Patient (toward both Nineveh and Jonah)

c. Forgiving of those who repent

d. Willing to listen to our complaints and reason with us

C. The Making Of A New Jonah

1. What finally motivated Jonah to preach God‟s message to

Nineveh?

(Jonah preached God‟s message reluctantly. He probably

did it out of a sense of duty, not out of love for God or love

for the people in Nineveh.)

Application: For those of us who are serving God in

whatever capacity, let us examine our motives in serving

Him.

Do we do it reluctantly, out of a sense of duty?

Do we do it to get a reward or win God‟s favor?

Do we do it so that people will look up to us?

Or do we do it because we really love God and love those

whom we serve?

If our motives are not totally pure, how can we remedy

this?

2. Jonah was a prophet of God, yet he had so many obvious

Lesson 14: Lessons from Jonah

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faults. What lesson can we learn from this observation?

(We should not be overly critical of the servants of God

today. If the leaders of our church or the leaders of our

fellowships are less than perfect, let us be reminded that

they, like Jonah, have human weaknesses. Let us learn to

pray for one another, especially for our spiritual leaders,

that we might all become more and more like Jesus, as we

grow in the knowledge and love of our Lord.)

3. After experiencing the miraculous deliverance from the

storm and the big fish, and after seeing the spiritual revival

of Nineveh, Jonah went into a depression. He sulked. Why?

What did he do?

(He bared his soul to God. He was completely honest with

God telling Him his pent-up feelings, arguing with Him.

And God answered Jonah. When we experience depression,

the best solution is to bare our soul to God. Tell Him

everything. Tell Him what is bothering us. Tell Him what

we are angry about. Argue with Him. God honors our

honesty, and His Spirit will give us the understanding we

need.

However, note that being completely honest with God does

not imply that we forget who He is and who we are when

we come before Him. He cares to listen in spite of who

man is, not because man has any right to argue with Him.)

CONCLUSION

Ask your group members to each share one lesson they

learned from today‟s passage and how it applies to their daily

lives.

Lesson 16: Obedience is Better Than Sacrifice

Page 16 - 1

Lesson 15:

FAITH AND OBEDIENCE Genesis 22: 1-19

BACKGROUND: Maybe impatient in some occasions that we

have previously discussed, but overall Abraham was a man of

great faith. In fact, he was called the “father of faith. “ In

Genesis 17:1-6, God promised Abraham that he would have

many descendants, and would be the father of many nations.

However, Abraham was already 99 years old and had no son.

But God promised that next year he would have a son, and the

promise was fulfilled. The son was named Isaac. When Isaac

had grown to be a lad, the event we are going to study today

took place.

Bible Readings

Genesis 22:1 Now it came to pass after these things that God

tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said,

“Here I am.”

2 And He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac,

whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him

there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I

shall tell you.”

3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his

donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his

son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and

went to the place of which God had told him.

4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the

place afar off.

5 And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the

donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will

come back to you.”

6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it

on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife,

and the two of them went together.

7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My

father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said,

“Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt

offering?”

8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself

the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went

together.

9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him.

And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in

order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar,

upon the wood.

10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to

slay his son.

11 But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and

said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do

anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you

have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind

him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham

went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering

instead of his son.

14 And Abraham called the name of the place, THE-LORD-

WILL-PROVIDE; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The

LORD it shall be provided.”

15 Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second

time out of heaven,

16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD,

because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your

Lesson 16: Obedience is Better Than Sacrifice

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son, your only son--

17 “blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply

your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand

which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess

the gate of their enemies.

18 “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,

because you have obeyed My voice.”

19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and

went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

(NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. God’s Command and Abraham’s Response (vv. 1-8)

a. What did God command Abraham to do, and how did

he respond? (w. 2,3)

(Obeyed unhesitatingly. Verse 3 says “The next

morning Abraham got up early . . . “)

b. What lesson can we learn from the fact that God talked

with Abraham?

(God is a person and can communicate with us. He is

not just a “Ground of All Being,” or an impersonal

“Force.” He is alive and real, and interacts with us

intimately. Although we do not hear His voice audibly

nowadays, we can still communicate with Him through

reading His Word and praying, while being sensitive to

the guidance of the Holy Spirit.)

REFLECTION:

1. Are my prayer dialogues or monologues? Am I really

communicating with God?

2. How far was the place of sacrifice from home? (a three day

journey)

3. a. What were the factors that made Abraham‟s obedience

very difficult?

(1) Isaac was his only son, whom he dearly loved.

(2) He had hoped to be the father of many nations

through Isaac.

(3) The three-day journey was probably physically

strenuous for an old man.

(4) He had plenty of time to change his mind - three

full days.

b. Put yourselves in Abraham‟s situation. How would you

have responded? Why? How do we show our obedience

in the face of difficulties?

What do you think was going on in Abraham‟s mind?

Since God had promised Abraham he would be the

father of many nations through Isaac, and now wanted

Isaac sacrificed, do you think Abraham thought God

was breaking His promise?

How do you think Abraham resolved this conflict in his

mind?

(Read Hebrews 11:17-19. It is good to let your group

know that the Old and New Testaments are

inter-related).

4. a. What did Abraham tell his servants to do when he saw

the place in the distance? (vv. 4,5)

b. Why do you think he did that?

(1) Probably he foresaw that the servants would try to

prevent him if he really wanted to go through with

sacrificing Isaac. This shows his determination to

obey God‟s command.

(2) Worship (v. 5) was to Abraham probably a very

sacred and personal experience.

What did Isaac ask Abraham, and how did he

answer? (vv. 7,8)

c. Who or what provision was Abraham referring to

Lesson 16: Obedience is Better Than Sacrifice

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when he said, “God Himself will provide...”? (Isaac

himself. Abraham had no way of knowing that God

would later on provide the ram.)

B. The Crucial Test (vv. 9-14)

1. What did Abraham do when they reached the place of

sacrifice? (vv. 9, 10)

2 a. Why did Isaac allow himself to be tied up to be

sacrificed? What does this show us about Abraham as a

father? (Isaac probably had an inkling he would be the

burnt offering (v. 7). But he obeyed up to the end. “Like

father, like son.” Abraham must have been a very good

father, teaching his son to fear and love God,

obedience, etc.)

b. In whet ways are we influencing members of our family

and close friends?

3. a. What did the Lord do and say through the angel when

Abraham took the knife? (w. 11-13)

b. What is the spiritual significance of the ram taking the

place of Isaac as the sacrifice?(The ram signifies Jesus

as the perfect Lamb of God who took our place as a

sacrifice for our sins. See Lesson No. 8 of this study

guide.)

4. a. Why do you think God tested Abraham and let him go

through all this?(Abraham had been walking closely

with God. Then, at age 100 God gave him a son. When

Isaac was growing up, you can imagine the time and

affection Abraham bestowed on him. It may be possible

that Abraham was gradually letting Isaac take the place

of God in his life. God wanted Abraham to decide

whom he would love more.)

b. Who or what is first in our lives? Who or what are the

“Isaacs” in our lives? (Money, position, degrees, loved

ones . . . )

REFLECTION: Am I willing to sacrifice my “Isaac”

to God?

c. What does it really mean to “put God first” in our lives?

What are the concrete manifestations of doing this?

C. The Promise (vv. 15-19)

1. What did God do after the test? (vv. 15-18)

2. God‟s blessings are so numerous and abundant, they are

often more than we could think or ask. Are you aware of

God‟s numerous promises of blessing to you? Have you

claimed them?

CONCLUSION

Faith and obedience are the marks of a true Christian. We

often say we love God. But if we really love Him, we will trust

Him and obey, just as Abraham did.

Lesson 16: Obedience is Better Than Sacrifice

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Lesson 16:

OBEDIENCE IS BETTER

THAN SACRIFICE 1 Samuel 15: 1-23

We often talk about how important it is to serve the Lord.

Today we are going to discuss something even more important

than service or sacrifice.

BACKGROUND: Read I Samuel 25:1-9

Did Saul totally or partially disobey God? Is there any

difference? What is God‟s standard for obedience? What does

that mean to us Christians today?

(Saul disobeyed God partially, but the effect was the same as

disobeying Him totally. Elsewhere in the Bible it says if we

break one of God‟s commandments we have broken all—

James 2:10. As Christians we seldom disobey God totally, but

very often, partially. To apply this passage of Scripture to

ourselves does not mean we are to go around killing people in

our Lord‟s name, but to obliterate totally those things and

attitudes in our lives that are displeasing to God).

Bible Readings

1 Samuel 15:1 Samuel also said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to

anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore,

heed the voice of the words of the LORD.

2 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'I will punish Amalek for

what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when

he came up from Egypt.

3 'Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that

they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and

woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and

donkey.'"

4 So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them

in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten

thousand men of Judah.

5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the

valley.

6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, "Go, depart, get down from

among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you

showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came

up out of Egypt." So the Kenites departed from among the

Amalekites.

7 And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way

to Shur, which is east of Egypt.

8 He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly

destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the

sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good,

and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything

despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

10 Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying,

11 "I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has

turned back from following Me, and has not performed My

commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to

the LORD all night.

12 So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it

was told Samuel, saying, "Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he

set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around,

passed by, and gone down to Gilgal."

13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed

are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of

Lesson 16: Obedience is Better Than Sacrifice

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the LORD."

14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in

my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"

15 And Saul said, "They have brought them from the

Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the

oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have

utterly destroyed."

16 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Be quiet! And I will tell you

what the LORD said to me last night." And he said to him,

"Speak on."

17 So Samuel said, "When you were little in your own eyes,

were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the

LORD anoint you king over Israel?

18 "Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, and

utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against

them until they are consumed.'

19 "Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why

did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the

LORD?"

20 And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of

the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent

me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly

destroyed the Amalekites.

21 "But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the

best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to

sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal."

22 Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in

burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the

LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed

than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness

is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word

of the LORD, he also has rejected you from being king." (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Caring For A Lost Brother (vv. 10-16)

1. Was Samuel trying to find fault with Saul or was he

genuinely concerned for Saul? How did he show his

concern?

a. He was deeply moved and cried to the Lord all night for

Saul.

Application: Have we ever cared enough for a brother

in Christ who has gone wrong to pray for him all night?

b. He rose up early the next morning, then he went to look

for Saul

Application: When a brother sins, do we just pray for

him and do nothing? Do we wait for him to come to us?

Suppose he does not come?

c. Samuel told Saul what God had said. (v. 16 ff)

Application: When we counsel a brother who has

sinned, sometimes we beat around the bush and do not

dare get to the point. The most important thing is to tell

what God says in His Word.

2. Notice that Samuel went to see Saul only after the Lord

told Samuel about it (v. 10). What can we learn from this?

(When a brother sins, we should not immediately go and

correct him, based on our own impulse. Instead, we should

be sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and go if

bidden by Him, and only after much prayer.)

3. When Samuel found Saul, what was Saul‟s reaction? (Saul

lied.) When Samuel pressed him what was Saul‟s second

reaction?

In what ways are we like Saul when we have sinned and are

being confronted?

a. Lie

b. Shift the blame to somebody else

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c. Try to rationalize, produce alibis, make excuses, etc.

4. Why did Saul say in verse 15, “the Lord your God”? (May

signify that Saul had lost his relationship with God).

B. Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice (vv. 17-23)

1. After Samuel repeated God‟s command, what was Saul‟s

reaction? How does sin eventually affect our reasoning and

thinking, our defense system?

2. What were the possible reasons Saul disobeyed God?

a. Love for worldly things - keeping the oxen, etc.

b. Pride - keeping Agag as a trophy

c. Trying to please men instead of God (v. 21)

d. Wrong view of God - maybe he really thought God

preferred his sacrifices to his obedience (v. 21)

e. As king, he wanted to do what he pleased, not other

people‟s bidding. Contrast with v. 17. We should also

beware of our spiritual pride.

3. How do we apply verse 22 in our lives? (Ask your

members to give examples.) What sacrifices do we usually

offer to cover up our disobedience? What does God think

of such sacrifices?

4. Since Saul was a human being, and all human beings

inevitably sin, why was God seemingly so harsh in dealing

with Saul (v. 23)?

a. Saul was king at that time; the higher the position, the

greater the responsibility. “To whom much is given, of

him shall much be required” (Luke 12:48).

b. When confronted by Samuel, Saul repeatedly insisted

he did not do wrong. Contrast this with King David

who committed adultery and murder, but when

confronted by the prophet Nathan, immediately

confessed, and asked God‟s forgiveness.

5. How can we learn to obey God moment by moment?

APPLICATION 1. What are the reasons we disobey God? Are these

reasons valid? Why do we often persist in disobedience

even if we know it is wrong?

2. What lessons do we learn from today‟s study? (If

feasible, ask each of your members to cite one lesson.)

CONCLUSION

All of us should be like Samuel—genuinely concerned for

a fallen brother, bringing God‟s Word to him.

All of us are like Saul. We often obey God only partially,

with certain areas in our lives which we don‟t want to turn over

to God. May each one of us ask ourselves: What is the “Agag”

of my life? In what ways am I trying to offer sacrifices to cover

up my disobedience, May each of us learn the main lesson of

today: Obedience is better than sacrifice.

Lesson 17: To Know Jesus More Deeply

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Lesson 17:

TO KNOW JESUS MORE DEEPLY Luke 5:1-11

Many of us have been Christians for a long time. But how

deeply do we know Christ? How can we know Him better and

serve Him more? Today we will consider these questions as we

study Luke 5:1-11.

BACKGROUND: About a year had passed since Jesus met

Peter and his fellow fishermen. Peter had ample opportunity

during that year to hear Jesus and observe His works. But so

far, there appeared to be little personal commitment on the part

of Peter to Jesus.

Bible Readings

Luke 5:1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to

hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,

2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen

had gone from them and were washing their nets.

3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and

asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down

and taught the multitudes from the boat.

4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch

out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."

5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have

toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word

I will let down the net."

6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number

of fish, and their net was breaking.

7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come

and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that

they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees,

saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"

9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the

catch of fish which they had taken;

10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who

were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be

afraid. From now on you will catch men."

11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook

all and followed Him. (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A Some Busy Fishermen (v. 1)

1. What were the possible reasons for the crowd's eager

interest in Jesus? By contrast, what was the attitude of

Simon Peter and his friend?

(Peter and his friend appeared somewhat indifferent to

Jesus. They went about washing their nets while the crowd

pushed their way up to Jesus to listen to what He had to

say. They might have thought, "Oh, I have heard that

before.")

Application: What is your attitude to God and His

teachings?

2. Note how Jesus moved from the crowd to the fishermen

and then to one man. Why do you think Jesus chose Peter‟s

boat to teach from?

(Jesus wanted Peter to know Him more deeply and

experience Him more fully. His singling out Peter showed

Jesus wanted to minister not only to the masses but to each

of us individually also.)

3. Compare the two requests Jesus made of Simon Peter in

verses 34. What do you observe? What did Jesus know

Lesson 17: To Know Jesus More Deeply

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about the fishermen‟s problems? How did Peter probably

feel when Jesus asked him to do these things? Why did he

obey anyway? What was Jesus teaching him through these

commands?

(A carpenter teacher was telling a professional fisherman

how to fish. But Peter obeyed. Obedience is the key for us

to know Jesus more deeply and experience Him more

fully.)

B. An Astonished Sinner (vv. 7-10)

1. Describe the results of Simon Peter‟s obedience.

What new things did Peter realize as a result of the

miracle?

In which way do you think his exclamation was logical and

expected? In which way was it not?

(As a fisherman, Peter should have been very happy about

the big catch of fish. But he knew the experience involved

much more than fish. He had come to know Jesus as a

much greater person with greater powers than he had

thought. And immediately he saw by contrast his own

sinfulness, and felt unworthy to be in the presence of

Jesus.)

Notice his change of title for Jesus from verse 5 to verse 8.

REFLECTION: Have there been instances in your life

when the Lord asked you to do something which you felt

was not “logical” in the world‟s eyes?

Did you obey? What was the result of your obedience?

C. Fishers Of Men (vv. 10-11)

1. What did Jesus mean by “fishers of men”?

2. What was the response of Peter after he acknowledged

Jesus as Lord and Master of his life?

Application:

a. How well does each of us know Jesus? As Teacher?

Savior? Friend? Master and Lord?

How does our knowledge of Jesus affect our response

to Him and His commands?

b. What about Jesus should convince us to value Him

more than anything else in our lives?

What are the hindrances to your personal commitment

to our Lord? How can these hindrances be overcome?

c. How important is obedience to a deeper knowledge of

God?

How obedient have you been to His commands?

d. Christ (as in the Scripture passage), meets both our

physical and spiritual needs. In light of this, what

should be our attitude as we face the petty little worries

of everyday life?

e. Following Christ entails leaving the “old life” behind

and a total change of lifestyle. What used to concern

Peter before (catching fish) no longer concerned him

now. Having encountered Jesus, do we have a new

purpose/new goals in life or are we much the same? Are

we still “catching fish” or are we “fishers of men” for

His Kingdom?

CONCLUSION

We should desire to know Jesus more deeply and

experience Him more fully. For this to happen, we must be

willing to obey, and obey, and allow Him to become the

Master and Lord of our lives. Only then can we fulfill our

commission to be fishers of men.

Lesson 18: Overcoming Complacency

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Lesson 18:

OVERCOMING COMPLACENCY Deuteronomy 8: 11-20

Sometimes in our Christian life we may feel we are not

growing. Or, if we do not feel anything at all, we actually may

be stagnant or even sliding back. One possible reason may be

complacency. If a church has many people who are

complacent, then that church is really in trouble. We will study

today what causes complacency and how to overcome it. In

this passage, Moses gives his last words to the Israelites just

before he died.

Before studying the passage, discuss the following questions:

What are the symptoms (or signs) of complacency?

a. We forget God.

b. We lead a loose lifestyle and fail to keep His

commandments.

c. We feel lukewarm towards spiritual matters—no

burning desire to seek God or serve Him.

d. Stagnation in our spiritual growth.

e. Our time/energy/attention is spent mostly on

career/family/business.

Now read the passage.

Bible Readings

Deuteronomy 8:11 "Beware that you do not forget the

LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His

judgments, and His statutes which I command you today,

12 "lest-- when you have eaten and are full, and have built

beautiful houses and dwell in them;

13 "and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your

silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is

multiplied;

14 "when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD

your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the

house of bondage;

15 "who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in

which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where

there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty

rock;

16 "who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your

fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He

might test you, to do you good in the end--

17 "then you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my

hand have gained me this wealth.'

18 "And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He

who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His

covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

19 "Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD

your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship

them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.

20 "As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so

you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the

voice of the LORD your God. (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Signs and Causes of Complacency (vv. 11-14a)

1. Against what sin did Moses warn the Israelites? What signs

would indicate complacency on the part of the Israelites? a.

Forgetting God (vv. 11, 14) b. Not keeping His

commandments (v. 11)

Lesson 18: Overcoming Complacency

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2. What could cause their complacency?

a. Basic needs met (v. 12)

b. Everything running smoothly and prospering (v. 13)

REFLECTION

1. How is my spiritual growth and my relationship with

God?

Do I love Him as before, or have I drifted away from

God?

2. Is it because everything is running smoothly in my life?

Because my career/business/family, etc. are prospering?

Is it not ironic that when our Lord blesses us with

prosperity, instead of drawing nearer to Him with praise

and thanksgiving, we become complacent and forget

Him? Why is this so?

B. The Remedy (vv. 14-20)

How did Moses exhort the Israelites so that they would not

become complacent?

1. The Israelites were to recall the following:

a. That they were previously slaves in Egypt (v. 14)

b. That they were rescued from Egypt by the Lord God (v.

14)

c. That they were led through the vast and terrifying

desert by God (v. 15)

d. That God met their needs for water and food in the

wilderness (w. 15, 16)

e. That the testing and blessings were all from God (v. 16)

f. That all their wealth and prosperity were purely God‟s

grace, that on their own they could do nothing (vv.

17,18)

2. The Israelites were warned very sternly (w. 19, 20) which

should shock them out of their complacency.

APPLICATION

1. In applying the above, point by point, to our lives, what

can we do to avoid falling into the sin of complacency?

a. We should remember that we were formerly under

the bondage of Satan, that the wages of our sin was

death.

b. We should remember that our Lord Jesus Christ

came to save us from eternal damnation and gave us

eternal life.

2. Verse 19 mentions “other gods.” What other gods do

we have in our lives? (Our business/position/ family,

etc. can become our gods, displacing the true God from

the center of our heart.)

CONCLUSION

All of us should beware of complacency creeping into our

lives. When everything is running smoothly, we should not

forget God. Instead, let us remember how He has saved us, fed

us and blessed us. May all glory and honor be given to Him!

Lesson 19: Playing with Temptation

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Lesson 19:

PLAYING WITH TEMPTATION Judges 14:1-3, 16:1-24

Many of us do not realize how dangerous it is to play with

temptation. Today we will study the case history of Samson—

how he played with temptation, and how it caused his

downfall. It is the tragic record of the weakest “strong man” of

Scripture.

BACKGROUND: Samson was born under special

circumstances, like Samuel and John the Baptist. (See Judges

13.) In verse 7, he was to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from

birth to the day of his death. (For the Nazirite vow, see

Numbers 6:2 ff. The practical application of this vow was

denial of se) and separation unto God. The word “Nazirite”

itself means “dedicated or consecrated.”) God also gave

Samson extraordinary strength.

Bible Readings

Judges 14:1 Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a

woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.

2 So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, "I

have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the

Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife."

3 Then his father and mother said to him, "Is there no woman

among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people,

that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised

Philistines?" And Samson said to his father, "Get her for me,

for she pleases me well." (NKJ)

Judges 16:1 Then Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot

there, and went in to her.

2 When the Gazites were told, "Samson has come here!" they

surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the

gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, "In the

morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him."

3 And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at

midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the

two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his

shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces

Hebron.

4 Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley

of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.

5 And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to

her, "Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies,

and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind

him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven

hundred pieces of silver."

6 So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me where your

great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict

you."

7 And Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven fresh

bowstrings, not yet dried, then I shall become weak, and be like

any other man."

8 So the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven fresh

bowstrings, not yet dried, and she bound him with them.

9 Now men were lying in wait, staying with her in the room.

And she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!"

But he broke the bowstrings as a strand of yarn breaks when it

touches fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.

10 Then Delilah said to Samson, "Look, you have mocked me

and told me lies. Now, please tell me what you may be bound

with."

Lesson 19: Playing with Temptation

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11 So he said to her, "If they bind me securely with new ropes

that have never been used, then I shall become weak, and be

like any other man."

12 Therefore Delilah took new ropes and bound him with

them, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!"

And men were lying in wait, staying in the room. But he broke

them off his arms like a thread.

13 Delilah said to Samson, "Until now you have mocked me

and told me lies. Tell me what you may be bound with." And he

said to her, "If you weave the seven locks of my head into the

web of the loom"--

14 So she wove it tightly with the batten of the loom, and said

to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke

from his sleep, and pulled out the batten and the web from the

loom.

15 Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when

your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three

times, and have not told me where your great strength lies."

16 And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her

words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death,

17 that he told her all his heart, and said to her, "No razor has

ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God

from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will

leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man."

18 When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she

sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come

up once more, for he has told me all his heart." So the lords of

the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their

hand.

19 Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a

man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then

she began to torment him, and his strength left him.

20 And she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" So

he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as before, at

other times, and shake myself free!" But he did not know that

the LORD had departed from him.

21 Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and

brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze

fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.

22 However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it

had been shaven.

23 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a

great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they

said: "Our god has delivered into our hands Samson our

enemy!"

24 When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they

said: "Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, the

destroyer of our land, and the one who multiplied our dead."

(NKJ)

DISCUSSION:

A. The First Incident (14:1-3)

1. What happened in vv. 1-3?

Why did Samson do as he did? “For she pleases me well”

(v. 3) This is the key to his weakness - self-pleasing.

2. Application:

There are three kinds of pleasers:

a. God pleasers

b. Men pleasers

c. Self pleasers

Which kind are you?

Give examples from our daily lives of how we act like each

of these.

3. Is it always wrong to please ourselves or men? When does

it become wrong?

(The three kinds are not mutually exclusive. We can be all

Lesson 19: Playing with Temptation

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three at the same time. What is important is which has

highest priority.

Example: When we take a glass of soft drink or coffee, we

are pleasing ourselves. This is not wrong. But when we

drink 20 glasses of coffee in a day to please ourselves, we

harm our body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. By

pleasing ourselves in this case, we fail to please God, when

He should be our priority.)

B. The Second Incident (16:1-3)

1. In this second encounter of Samson with a woman, did

Samson do anything wrong? (He committed adultery.

Although not condoned by God, in the Old Testament

times, a man was allowed more than one wife. However,

having sexual relations with a person who was not his wife

was considered adultery. The seventh commandment in

Exodus 21:14 said, “Thou shall not commit adultery.”)

2. Since Samson committed adultery in this incident, why was

the extraordinary strength given to him by God still with

him?

(This shows God‟s mercy and patience with men. If God

were to be strict with us and deal with us as we deserve,

who among us could stand until nightfall?)

Application: a. Are we aware of God‟s mercy and patience

in our lives? b. Do we tend to abuse His mercy and

patience? Give examples.

C. The Final Straw (16:4-24)

1. What temptations did Samson face?

a. To commit sexual sin

b. To reveal the secret of his strength to the enemy

(Remember that the Israelites and Philistines were enemies,

and God had commissioned Samson “to deliver Israel from

the hand of the Philistines”—13:5)

2. Was Samson aware of what the temptations were? Why?

3. Did Samson show any resistance?

How long did Samson stay with Delilah? Many days (v.

16). Contrast this with what Joseph did when he was

tempted by the wife of his Egyptian master. Joseph resisted

and fled from temptation.

4. Samson was a Nazirite with a vow of self-denial and

separation unto God. He knew he was being tempted. Yet

he spent many days with Delilah, and finally succumbed.

Why?

(He was playing with temptation.)

What were the possible reasons he played with temptation?

a. Perhaps he was over confident, felt that the temptations

were harmless, that he could always escape.

b. Perhaps he was abusing God‟s patience. In the previous

incident, God did not deal with him right away, so he

might have thought he could get away with it again,

even if he sinned.

c. Perhaps his overriding concern was to please himself,

as we saw earlier.

d. Perhaps his relationship with God was not close. He

was far from God.

5. What were the results of his playing with temptation?

a. “The Lord left him” (v. 20). His loss of strength was

evidence of this.

b. He was captured, blinded, chained and thrown into

prison to do forced labor (v. 21).

c. He caused God‟s name to be blasphemed (v. 24). (Bad

testimony)

Lesson 19: Playing with Temptation

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APPLICATION

(NOTE: Spend more time of your Bible study session in

this section.)

1. When faced with temptation, do you play with it?

2. How do we play with temptation? Give examples.

3. Why do we play with temptation? Give examples.

4. What are the results when we play with temptation?

Relate to the above examples.

5. What should we do when faced with temptation?

a. Resist the temptation.

b. Flee from the temptation.

c. “Keep watch and pray, that you will not fall into

temptation” (Matt. 26:41). This signifies a close

walk with God. By daily communication with Him,

we will not be easily swayed when temptation

comes.

CONCLUSION

Samson was a man mightily used by God. But he played

with temptation, and this caused his downfall. Let each of us

then examine our life and beware of playing with temptation.

Lesson 20: Overcoming Temptation

Page 20 - 1

Lesson 20:

OVERCOMING TEMPTATION Genesis 39:1-23

We often meet temptations in our daily lives. Temptations in

themselves are not sins; it is only when we say “yes” to them

that we sin. We want our lives to be pleasing to our Lord, but

we fail Him again and again. Today‟s study shows how we can

overcome temptation in the face of overwhelming odds.

Bible Readings

Genesis 39:1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And

Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an

Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him

down there.

2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man;

and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that

the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.

4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he

made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put

under his authority.

5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of

his house and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the

Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the

LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.

6 So he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not

know what he had except for the bread which he ate. And

Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

7 And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife

cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me."

8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my

master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has

committed all that he has to my hand.

9 "There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he

kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife.

How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against

God?"

10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did

not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.

11 But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the

house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was

inside,

12 that she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me."

But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.

13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in

her hand and fled outside,

14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them,

saying, "See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He

came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.

15 "And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and

cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went

outside."

16 So she kept his garment with her until his master came

home.

17 Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, "The

Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock

me;

18 "so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he

left his garment with me and fled outside."

19 So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife

spoke to him, saying, "Your servant did to me after this

manner," that his anger was aroused.

20 Then Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison,

Lesson 20: Overcoming Temptation

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a place where the king's prisoners were confined. And he was

there in the prison.

21 But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and

He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all

the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there,

it was his doing.

23 The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was

under Joseph's authority, because the LORD was with him;

and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper. (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Overview (vv. 1-6)

1. Briefly relate the background.

2. Describe Joseph.

B. The Temptation (vv. 7-12)

1. What were the various stages in the temptation of Joseph?

How did he handle the temptation?

2. Was the temptation easy or difficult to resist?

Why was it difficult to resist?

a. Fleshly pleasure

b. Repeated temptation (v. 10)

c. Perhaps the woman was beautiful

What possible excuses could Joseph have made and yielded

to the temptation?

3. The above shows how great the temptation was for Joseph.

But he overcame it. Why did he resist the temptation?

a. He was responsible to man (vv. 8,9)

b. He was responsible to God (v. 9)

Are we just as aware of our responsibilities towards man

and God? Give concrete examples of how our falling into

temptation affects our responsibilities towards man and

God.

4. How was Joseph able to overcome the temptation?

a. He had a close walk with God (v. 3).

b. He resisted the temptation at every stage.

Note his responses in verses 7-9,10, 12.

(1) He used his mind - reasoned out (v. 8)

(2) He used his will - refused (w. 8,10)

(3) He used his body - avoided her (v. 10) - ran (v. 12)

APPLICATION What kind of temptations do we continually encounter?

How do we usually react to them? How can we learn to

overcome them, like Joseph did?

Case 1: Suppose your weakness is drinking. You are unable

to control it, and sometimes you get drunk. How do you

apply the above?

a. Use your mind - Read the Bible to see what it says

about drinking. While it does not prohibit drinking,

Ephesians 5:18 says, “Do not get drunk with wine,

which will only ruin you ....” Also, doctors will tell you

excessive drinking is harmful to the body. And since

“your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit” (I

Corinthians 6:19), you should not do anything to harm

it.

b. Use your will - Make a decision to stop drinking. While

other people may be able to drink moderately, you

know you are unable to control it. So use your will to

stop drinking altogether. Pray to the Lord for strength.

c. Use your body - If your friends start drinking, and you

know you cannot control yourself if you remain with

them, then get away from there. Flee like Joseph.

Lesson 20: Overcoming Temptation

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Case 2: Suppose your weakness is sex. You like to read

dirty books and see “bold” movies. You often have unclean

thoughts and know it is not pleasing to the Lord, but you

cannot stop. How do you apply the above?

a. Use your mind - Read the Bible to see what it says

about unclean thoughts. Read Matthew 5:27-28. (Please

refer to Lesson No. 21 of this study guide for a full

discussion of this.)

b. Use your will - Make a decision not to read any dirty

books or see “bold” movies. Decide to shut off a TV

program that can pollute your mind. Pray to the Lord to

give you strength. Occupy your mind with more

wholesome activities.

c. Use your body - Throw away any dirty stuff you have

at home. If you walk down a street where a “bold”

movie is being shown, cross the street before you come

to it. If you say, “I will just look at the advertisements

and not go inside,” you are fooling yourself and before

you know it, you will be inside.

C. The Unexpected Results (vv. 13-23)

1. What happened to Joseph as a result of his refusal to yield

to temptation?

How did Joseph react when he was framed and placed in

prison? Was he bitter? If you were in his situation, would

you have been bitter?

Why, then, was Joseph not bitter?

(Joseph accepted what had happened to him. In spite of the

unfair treatment he received, he believed that God was still

in control, and had a plan for his life.)

How do we apply this in our lives?

How can we make the most of whatever circumstances we

are in?

(We should be ready to suffer persecution and face unjust

accusations. No matter how unbearable our circumstances

seem to be, we should be aware that God is still in control.

“His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His ways are

higher than our ways” [Isaiah 55:8,9]).

2. Did God forsake Joseph? Why, then, did he land in prison?

How do we know God was still with Joseph?

(Not only was Joseph successful in everything he did in

prison [v. 23], but through his contacts in prison he was

also brought before the king, and later became the governor

over all Egypt. See chapters 40 and 41.)

CONCLUSION

Joseph was a human being like us, with weaknesses and

often faced temptation. But he was able to overcome

temptation by trusting in God and using his mind, will and

body. May each of us do likewise and live a life pleasing to our

Lord.

Lesson 21: Sins of the Mind

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Lesson 21:

SINS OF THE MIND Matthew 5: 21-30

Matthew 5, 6 and 7 are usually called the “Sermon on the

Mount.” Many precious teachings of our Lord are contained in

them. Today we are going to study a small portion of it which

deals with the most basic part of us— our thoughts.

Bible Readings

Matthew 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old,

'You shall not murder,' and whoever murders will be in danger

of the judgment.

22 "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother

without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And

whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the

council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell

fire.

23 "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there

remember that your brother has something against you,

24 "leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.

First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer

your gift.

25 "Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the

way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the

judge hand you over to the officer, and you are thrown into

prison.

26 "Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of

there till you have paid the last penny.

27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall

not commit adultery.'

28 "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for

her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it

from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your

members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

30 "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast

it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your

members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

(NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Hatred ant Murder ( vv. 21-22)

1. What was the old definition of murder?

Did Jesus contradict this old definition? If not, what did He

do to it?

2. What is wrong with anger and insult?

Why do they receive such heavy punishment?

(Killing a person is a natural extension of the hatred within.

If we hate a person to the extent of thinking, “I hope

lightning strikes h m dead, or “I hope a car runs over him,”

we have actually killed him in our minds. The reason we do

not carry out the murder is because of the restraints of

society.)

What is the difference between “anger” and “hatred”?

(Anger is usually short-lived. When one nurses anger over

a long time, it usually develops into hatred.)

B. Make Peace Before Making A Sacrifice (vv. 23-24)

1. What is the problem in verse 23? What is the remedy?

What are some examples of our “offering a sacrifice to

God”?

(Serving in the choir in church, giving contributions, etc.

Ask your members to mention as many as possible,

Lesson 21: Sins of the Mind

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relevant to their lives.)

2. Note here Jesus says “ . . . and suddenly remember that a

friend has something against you,” not, “you have

something against a friend.”

What is the difference between the two?

(Sometimes after quarreling with somebody, you may say

“Well, I have forgiven him, I am not angry at him

anymore.” But Jesus is saying here that if he is still angry at

you, you should approach him and make peace with him.)

Why is it so difficult to apologize to someone who has

something against you?

C. Make Peace Before It’s Too Late (vv. 25-26)

Bad relationships tend to progress from bad to worse. How do

verses 25 and 26 illustrate this?

D. Mental Adultery (vv. 27-28)

1. Why is adultery wrong?

2. What is mental adultery? Can you commit it by reading

“Playboy” or watching “bold” movies?

3. What about green jokes?

4. What practical steps can we take to avoid committing

mental adultery?

E. Seriousness Of Sin (vv. 29-30)

1. Does sin matter? Should we resist it?

2. Where does sin lead to? See Galatians 5:19-21.

3. Is this command of our Lord to be taken literally or

symbolically?

(It can be taken literally. When our right eye sins, it should

really be taken out. The reason we don‟t take it out is

because Jesus bore the punishment for us already. So when

we sin, and are forgiven, we should not treat it lightly,

thinking “Well, I can always be forgiven again if I sin

again.” We should bear in mind that every time we sin, it is

as if we crucify our Lord once more on the cross.)

CONCLUSION

Today, we have studied a passage relating to our thoughts.

Our Lord is very emphatic that sinning in our thoughts is

equivalent to sinning in our actions. Let us ask Him to keep our

minds pure and acceptable to Him.

Lesson 22: Repentance (The Prodigal Son)

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Lesson 22:

REPENTANCE

(The Prodigal Son) Luke 15:11-32

Repentance is a very important part of our Christian life. Not

only do we have to repent when we initially forsake our sins

and receive salvation, but there are times we need to repent as

we follow Christ and realize we have sinned in some ways.

Today we will study a passage, which, though familiar, is still

full of meaning.

Bible Readings

Luke 15:11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons.

12 "And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give

me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them

his livelihood.

13 "And not many days after, the younger son gathered all

together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his

possessions with prodigal living.

14 "But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in

that land, and he began to be in want.

15 "Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that

country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

16 "And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods

that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my

father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I

perish with hunger!

18 'I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him,

"Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,

19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me

like one of your hired servants."'

20 "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still

a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and

ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

21 "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against

heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called

your son.'

22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe

and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on

his feet.

23 'And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and

be merry;

24 'for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost

and is found.' And they began to be merry.

25 "Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and

drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

26 "So he called one of the servants and asked what these

things meant.

27 "And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because

he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the

fatted calf.'

28 "But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his

father came out and pleaded with him.

29 "So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many

years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your

commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young

goat, that I might make merry with my friends.

30 'But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured

your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'

31 "And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all

that I have is yours.

32 'It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for

Lesson 22: Repentance (The Prodigal Son)

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your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is

found.'" (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Who’s Hurt When I Sin?

1. The parable of the prodigal son is applicable both to a

sinner receiving salvation for the first time and to a

Christian who has sinned. Today we will look at the

parable as portraying a Christian who has sinned.

2. What happens when a Christian sins but has not yet

repented?

a. He feels miserable. In fact, he feels more miserable

than a non-Christian. While a non-Christian feels

emptiness in his life, he does not know what is lacking.

A carnal Christian on the other hand remembers what it

was like to taste and enjoy the love of God and the

sweetness of His fellowship, which are now lost

because of his unconfessed sin. His spirit is now

literally starving.

b. The Father is grieved, and longs for the son to repent

and come back to Him.

After we sin, the thought that prompts us to repent is

usually the fear of punishment, right? How often do we

care that we have grieved our Heavenly Father? Which is

more important? Why?

(When a person becomes a true Christian, his center of

attention should no longer be himself, but rather his Lord

and Master. He should not keep on thinking about how to

make himself happy, etc., but rather how to please his

Heavenly Father, how to love Him., how not to cause Him

grief.)

B. Steps To True Repentance (vv. 17-20)

What are the steps in true repentance as portrayed by the

younger son‟s actions in the parable?

a. He came to his sense (v. 17). (Realized the situation he was

in)

b. Confessed (v. 18)

c. Got up and started back to his father (v. 20)

Very often after we have sinned, we feel guilty, but then do

nothing. Unless we take all these three steps, we have not truly

repented.

REFLECTION: When I have sinned, do I just feel guilty and do

nothing? Are there still unrepented sins in my life?

C. The Waiting Father (vv. 20-24)

How do verses 20-24 illustrate the love of our Heavenly

Father? Do we really believe it? If so, why are we still

sometimes reluctant to repent when we sin?

The beautiful thing about the story of the prodigal son is that he

came home to find his father waiting for him. How different it

would have been had the son decided to go home but his father

was not there—it would have been a different story. “Faith is

man‟s response to God‟s initiative.” The father had always

been there, waiting for the prodigal son to make the proper

response that of coming back.

D. Guilty Of The Same Crime (vv. 25-32)

In what ways are we sometimes like the elder brother? What

was his main problem?

(His main problem was lack of love—towards his brother and

towards his father. He did not rejoice when his brother

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repented and came home. He had worked for his father all

those years, probably not out of love but out of duty.)

Some of us who have been serving God for many years need to

reexamine our attitude. Do we serve out of love for our Father?

For our brothers and sisters? Or out of a sense of duty? Do we

need to repent of our attitude?

CONCLUSION

We should be aware of how much we grieve our Heavenly

Father when we sin, and how we only put ourselves in a

miserable state when we do. After coming to such a realization,

we should confess our sins and ask forgiveness from our

Father. He is loving and patient and very willing to accept us

again into His arms, no matter how much we have sinned.

Lesson 23: Prayer of Repentance

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Lesson 23:

PRAYER OF REPENTANCE Psalm 51

BACKGROUND: (II Samuel 1 1:1 -27, 12:1-24) This is a

prayer of confession by David. After he had committed

adultery with Bathsheba, God sent the prophet Nathan to

confront him. When David realized how dreadfully he had

sinned, he confessed and asked forgiveness from God. This

Psalm shows how deep his repentance was, how he cried out to

God, how much he valued the forgiveness of God.

Bible Readings

Psalm 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your

lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender

mercies, blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from

my sin.

3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always

before me.

4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in

Your sight-- that You may be found just when You speak, and

blameless when You judge.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my

mother conceived me.

6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the

hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I

shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have

broken may rejoice.

9 Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast

spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take

Your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by

Your generous Spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners

shall be converted to You.

14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, the God of my

salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your

righteousness.

15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your

praise.

16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; you

do not delight in burnt offering.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a

contrite heart-- these, O God, You will not despise.

18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of

Jerusalem.

19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of

righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering;

then they shall offer bulls on Your altar. (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. True Repentance (vv. 1-6)

1. a. What was David‟s reaction after realizing that he had

sinned? (v. 1)

b. Some people do not ask for mercy from God after they

have sinned. Instead what do they try to do?

(1) Some blame others. (David could have blamed

Bathsheba for tempting him.)

(2) Some give all sorts of excuses, or try to cover up

Lesson 23: Prayer of Repentance

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their sin.

(3) Some try to avoid God. (David could have tried to

avoid God by refusing to see the prophet Nathan.)

(4) Some try to give offerings to God, hoping to take

away God‟s anger; like giving more contributions,

etc.

David did not do any of the above. A true child of God has

only one recourse and that is to cry out like David, “Lord,

have mercy on me.”

REFLECTION: How do I usually react when I realize that I

have sinned?

2. a. What are the prerequisites for one to be forgiven? (vv.

34)

(l) He must know that he has sinned (v. 3).

(2) He must confess the sin he has committed (v. 4).

b. Against whom did David say he sinned? (v. 4)

What is sin? Against what standards do we measure our

selves when we say we have or have not sinned?

c. What are we usually thinking of after we have sinned?

(1) Some are very conscious of what other people will

think or say.

(2) Some are afraid of the punishment that comes with

sin.

(3) A true child of God is more concerned with

grieving His Heavenly Father against whom he has

sinned. Do we feel this way every time we sin?

d. Why can we be confident that we will be forgiven if we

acknowledge and confess our sins?

(Jesus Christ‟s work on the cross; God‟s promise in I

John 1:9)

REFLECTION: As I stand before God now, what specific

sins should I confess?

B. Results Of Being Forgiven (vv. 7-12)

When a man‟s sins have been forgiven, what are the results in

his life?

a. He is cleansed (v. 7).

b. He hears the sounds of joy and gladness (v. 8).

c. The bones which God has broken rejoice (v. 8).

What does this mean?

(When we have sinned, we feel burdened as with a heavy

load. We feel depressed and tired. We feel as if our whole

body is aching, as if our bones are broken. Once our sins

are forgiven, however, the heavy load is lifted, we feel free

and our “broken bones” once more rejoice.)

d. His sins are hidden from God‟s face (v. 9).

Sometimes, even after God has forgiven us, we still have

not forgiven ourselves. We keep on thinking, “Why did I

do that? How stupid of me!” How can we learn to forgive

ourselves?

e. A right spirit is renewed within him (v. 10). What does this

mean?

f. He is not cast away from God‟s presence (v. 11).

g. He has the joy of salvation (v. 12).

REFLECTION: Have I experienced the liberating effects of

being forgiven? If not, why not?

C. What We Do After Being Forgiven (vv. 13-19)

1. What should we do after we are forgiven?

a. Help other sinners repent and turn to God (v. 13).

b. Sing aloud the righteousness of God (v. 14).

Some people keep on sinning, thinking that God will

Lesson 23: Prayer of Repentance

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always forgive them if they confess their sins. How

can we prevent this from happening in our lives?

(Remember that God forgives sins, but He is also a

just and righteous God. Forgiveness does not come

cheaply. Jesus Christ had to pay the price on the

cross.)

c. Our mouth shows forth God‟s praise (v. 15).

Do we praise God only when we gather for worship

once a week? Let us learn to praise Him every day

ourselves, especially when we realize His greatness and

love in forgiving our sins.

d. Offer sacrifices to God. (vv. 16-19)

REFLECTION: Have I done all of the above? If not, why not?

2. What kind of sacrifices does God delight in?

What are the conditions for God to accept our offerings?

(God does not desire our sacrifices when our sins remain

unconfessed. We cannot hope to “buy” God‟s favor by

offering sacrifices instead of confessing our sins. It is only

after we have come before Him with a broken and a

contrite heart, after we have cried out to Him for

forgiveness, that God can begin to accept our other

sacrifices. After all, the best sacrifice we can offer is a

broken and contrite heart.)

3. Although forgiveness is available whenever we repent and

confess our sins, we may have to suffer some consequences

of our sins due to existing natural laws through which God

operates. Cite examples.

(a) A man commits adultery with a woman, out of which a

child is born. When he repents and confesses, God

forgives him of the sin of adultery, but the man is still

responsible to support the child.

4. How important is it to be honest before God?

How important is it to be honest before men? (For the

growth of our spiritual life. For the growth of our

character—humility, etc. For the growth of our personal

relationship with God, and also with other people)

Remember: The higher our position, the deeper our

humility should be.

CONCLUSION

Whenever we sin, our only recourse is to confess and cry

out, “Lord forgive me.” No amount of excuses or alibis can

ever be acceptable. What our Lord wants is a broken and

contrite heart. Then he restores within us joy and a right spirit.

Lesson 24: Does No Man Condemn You

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Lesson 24:

“DOES NO MAN CONDEMN YOU?” John 8: 1-11

In our daily lives we often criticize and judge one another. It is

easy for us to point out what is wrong with somebody else, but

difficult to realize what is wrong with ourselves. Today we will

study a passage that deals with this very subject.

BACKGROUND: The Jews at Jesus‟ time were under Roman

occupation, like the Philippines was at one time under Japanese

occupation. The laws being administered were Roman laws,

and under Roman law, adultery was not punishable by death.

Bible Readings

John 8:1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple,

and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught

them.

3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman

caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,

4 they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in

adultery, in the very act.

5 "Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be

stoned. But what do You say?"

6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something

of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on

the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up

and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him

throw a stone at her first."

8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their

conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest

even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman

standing in the midst.

10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the

woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of

yours? Has no one condemned you?"

11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither

do I condemn you; go and sin no more." (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. The Sly Trap

1. The Scribes and the Pharisees were sure this time that they

could trap Jesus. What were the only answers they thought

Jesus could have to their question?

How did they hope to trap Him in each case? (If Jesus had

answered, “Stone her to death,” the Pharisees would report

to the Roman authorities that Jesus said a woman should be

killed contrary to Roman law. On the other hand, if Jesus

did not advocate stoning her to death, the Pharisees would

say Jesus was not upholding the Law of Moses, thus

discrediting Him in the eyes of the Jews.)

2. Try to put yourself in the woman‟s place and describe her

feelings in each succeeding verse as the narrative

progresses. How would you feel standing before Jesus if

the most shameful thing in your life had suddenly been

made public?

B. The Attitude Test

1. a. What was the people‟s attitude towards the woman?

b. What was Jesus‟ attitude toward the woman?

c. Why did they not also bang the male partner?

Lesson 24: Does No Man Condemn You

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d. What did it show about society at that time?

e. How about our society today?

2. Observe the steps by which Jesus directed His accusers‟

thoughts towards their own guilt.

(a) What do you see about His method? What did their

reaction to Jesus‟ challenge tell us about what was

happening within them?

(b) Why did the old leave ahead of the young?

3. After all accusers left, why did the woman not run away?

What did it show about her realization of the person of

Jesus Christ?

4. Did Jesus condone her sin?

What then did He do?

(Condoning sin means saying “never mind” without paying

the cost. Here Jesus was not condoning her sin, but forgave

her, and paid the price for it by dying on the cross.)

APPLICATION

1. Why do we often criticize and judge people?

2. Should we judge people and criticize them negatively?

Since we know we should not, why do we still criticize and

judge people?

3. What is constructive criticism?

4. What should be our attitude towards our own sins? (strict)

5 What should be our attitude towards other people‟s sins?

(Hate the sin but love the sinner)

6. How do we hate sin but love the sinner?

REFLECTION

In the past few weeks, have I judged people and criticized them

negatively?

CONCLUSION

None of us has the right to judge others and criticize them

negatively. But we often do. Let us remember how our Lord

treated the woman caught in adultery, and adjust our attitudes

accordingly.

Lesson 25: Our Hidden Desires

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Lesson 25:

OUR HIDDEN DESIRES Numbers 22:1-22

We Christians profess to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and

Master. We read His Word, pray and seek His will in order to

do what He wants us to do. But sometimes our hidden desires

which are not in accordance with His will show through. Today

we will study how to spot such hidden desires, and how to deal

with them.

Bible Readings

Numbers 22:1 Then the children of Israel moved, and camped

in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from

Jericho.

2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done

to the Amorites.

3 And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because

they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the

children of Israel.

4 So Moab said to the elders of Midian, "Now this company

will lick up all that is around us, as an ox licks up the grass of

the field." And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the

Moabites at that time.

5 Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at

Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his

people, to call him, saying: "Look, a people has come from

Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling

next to me!

6 "Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me,

for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat

them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom

you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed."

7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed

with the diviner's fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam

and spoke to him the words of Balak.

8 And he said to them, "Lodge here tonight, and I will bring

back word to you, as the LORD speaks to me." So the princes

of Moab stayed with Balaam.

9 Then God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men

with you?"

10 So Balaam said to God, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of

Moab, has sent to me, saying,

11 'Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the

face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I

shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.'"

12 And God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them; you

shall not curse the people, for they are blessed."

13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of

Balak, "Go back to your land, for the LORD has refused to

give me permission to go with you."

14 And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said,

"Balaam refuses to come with us."

15 Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more

honorable than they.

16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says

Balak the son of Zippor: 'Please let nothing hinder you from

coming to me;

17 'for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do

whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this

people for me.'"

18 Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak,

"Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and

gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to

Lesson 25: Our Hidden Desires

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do less or more.

19 "Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I

may know what more the LORD will say to me."

20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "If the

men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word

which I speak to you-- that you shall do."

21 So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and

went with the princes of Moab.

22 Then God's anger was aroused because he went, and the

Angel of the LORD took His stand in the way as an adversary

against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two

servants were with him. (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. The Setting (vv. 1-6)

What did the King of Moab fear, and what did he do?

B. The Message and Response (vv. 7-14)

1. Was Balaam clear about what Balak wanted?

2. What was God‟s will and command concerning the matter?

(v. 12) Was it definite? In other words, was there any

ambiguity as to what God‟s will and command was? (none)

3. How did Balaam respond? (v. 13)

C. The Second Try (vv. 15-22)

1. How was the second try more difficult for Balaam to resist

than the first? (w. 15,16)

Application: Ask your members to cite instances in their lives

similar to this.

a. Sometimes we give way to persistence, even when we

know it is not the will of God. Example: a non-Christian

suitor.

b. Sometimes prestige and pressure are involved, making

it more difficult to resist. Example: moving to a more

prestigious place to work, when you know God wants

you in another place.

2. Did Balaam resist? (In words only.)

What was Balaam‟s hidden desire?

(Money. See II Peter 2:15)

3. How did his hidden desire show through his actions?

a. He asked the messengers to “stay here this night” (v.

19).

(Contrast this with what Joseph did when his master‟s

wife tried to seduce him: Joseph fled.)

b. He wanted to ask God again to see what more the Lord

will tell him. (v. 19)

(Since the answer of God in verse 12 was definite

enough, Balaam‟s action was not really to seek God‟s

mind, but to bend God to his own will.)

4. Since God gave Balaam permission to go (v. 20), why was

God angry with Balaam when he went (v. 22)?

(God was angry with Balaam because He knew the hidden

desire in Balaam‟s heart, that Balaam had already set his

mind to go, contrary to God‟s wishes. God permitted

Balaam to go, not to curse the Israelites, but to bless them,

and to teach Balaam a lesson in the process.)

NOTE: The Bible study leader should summarize the

remainder of the story (up to end of chapter 24) for the

group members, so that they can have a complete picture of

the incident.

APPLICATION

1. Give examples from our daily lives wherein what we do

Lesson 25: Our Hidden Desires

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and what we say do not agree, where our hidden desires

show through.

Example 1: We say God is first in our lives, but spend most

of our time and energy making more money for ourselves.

Example 2: We say all glory is God‟s, that we seek none

for our own. But deep inside we want glory and praise and

do our best to obtain them.

2. Give examples from our daily lives where we are clear

about what God wants. Yet we ask Him again and again

about the same matter, hoping to bend His will to our own.

Examples: Choosing a life partner, choosing our

profession, choosing where to serve . . .

3. Why do we often have such hidden desires that conflict

with God‟s desires for us?

If we become aware of these desires, how can we deal with

them?

(Discuss based on examples cited.)

CONCLUSION

Our hidden desires are bound to show through one way or

another, like Balaam‟s. Let us be totally honest before God,

asking Him to dig out all our hidden desires and replace them

with His own character.

Lesson 26: God‟s Chastisement: Usurping God‟s Glory

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Lesson 26:

GOD’S CHASTISEMENT:

Usurping God’s Glory Daniel 4:28-37

God is love. But He also abhors sin, especially the sin of pride.

As such, He exercises discipline over His children. God‟s

chastisement can be swift and terrible. Today we will study

such a case.

BACKGROUND: Read Daniel 4:1-27 as background.

Bible Readings

Daniel 4:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king, To all peoples, nations,

and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied

to you.

2 I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the

Most High God has worked for me.

3 How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! His

kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from

generation to generation.

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing

in my palace.

5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on

my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

6 Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of

Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the

interpretation of the dream.

7 Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and

the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they

did not make known to me its interpretation.

8 But at last Daniel came before me (his name is

Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the

Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him,

saying:

9 "Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that

the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you,

explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its

interpretation.

10 "These were the visions of my head while on my bed: "I

was looking, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and

its height was great.

11 The tree grew and became strong; its height reached to the

heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.

12 Its leaves were lovely, its fruit abundant, and in it was food

for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, the birds of

the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

13 "I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there

was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven.

14 He cried aloud and said thus: 'Chop down the tree and cut

off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the

beasts get out from under it, and the birds from its branches.

15 Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, bound

with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field.

Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the

beasts on the grass of the earth.

16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man, let him be

given the heart of a beast, and let seven times pass over him.

17 'This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the

sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living

may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,

gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of

men.'

18 "This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you,

Lesson 26: God‟s Chastisement: Usurping God‟s Glory

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Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men

of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the

interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God

is in you."

19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was

astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. So the

king spoke, and said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its

interpretation trouble you." Belteshazzar answered and said,

"My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its

interpretation concern your enemies!

20 The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong,

whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen

by all the earth,

21 whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which

was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and

in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home--

22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for

your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and

your dominion to the end of the earth.

23 And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one,

coming down from heaven and saying, 'Chop down the tree

and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound

with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field;

let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the

beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him';

24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of

the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king:

25 They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with

the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like

oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven

times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High

rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He

chooses.

26 And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump

and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you,

after you come to know that Heaven rules.

27 Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you;

break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by

showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a

lengthening of your prosperity."

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.

29 At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the

royal palace of Babylon.

30 The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I

have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the

honor of my majesty?"

31 While the word was still in the king's mouth, a voice fell

from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the

kingdom has departed from you!

32 And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall

be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass

like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know

that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to

whomever He chooses."

33 That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning

Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like

oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had

grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.

34 And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes

to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed

the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever:

for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom

is from generation to generation.

35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; he

does according to His will in the army of heaven and among

the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or

Lesson 26: God‟s Chastisement: Usurping God‟s Glory

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say to Him, "What have You done?"

36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the

glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me.

My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my

kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me.

37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the

King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways

justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.

(NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. The Warning (vv. 1-27)

1. God‟s chastisement is usually preceded by a warning.

The Bible is full of God‟s warnings to us. Are we aware of

them? If not, why not?

2. In spite of the fact that Nebuchadnezzar was warned, he

still committed the sin he was warned against. Why? AK

we like him in this “yard?

B. The Sin—Usurping (Stealling) The Glory Of God (vv.

28-30)

Most of us are proud in one way or another. Instead of

acknowledging God to be the source of our gifts and blessings,

we tend to give the glory to ourselves.

Give examples from our lives:

1. Having a nice voice/beautiful face/ ....

2. Special skill in: playing ball/arts/ computers . . .

3. Having a bright child

4. Earning lots of money

REFLECTION: Have I been usurping the glory of God? If so, I

must ask for forgiveness.

C. The Chastisement (vv. 31-33)

1. a. What chastisement came upon Nebuchadnezzart Why

did God chastise Nebuchadnezzar? What is

„chastisement‟? How different is this from punishment?

(Punishment is what is due us when we commit a

wrong act. Chastisement is a disciplinary measure

aimed at correcting a wrong behavior.)

b. What possible forms can chastisement come to us?

c. What should be our attitude when we a” chastised?

2. In Nebuchadnezzar‟s case, the chastisement came

immediately. In our case, it may not have come yet. Why?

How is God‟s sovereignty seen in Nebuchadnezzar‟s case?

our case?

D. Repentance and Restoration (vv. 34~36)

1. Did Nebuchadnezzar repent? How?

a. “Lifted my eyes towards heaven” (v. 34).

b. Acknowledged that God is ruler over all (vv. 34, 35).

(Notice that Nebuchadnezzar‟s repentance came in two

stages. First, he lifted his eyes towards heaven, signifying

his turning towards God. Then his reason returned, and

with it, he was able to fully repent and acknowledge God‟s

sovereignty. Some of us may have minds clogged with sin

and controlled by Satan, but none of us is beyond

redemption. If we really want to repent, God enables us to

do so, even in stages.)

2. What changes came to Nebuchadnezzar, especially his

attitude towards God and glory, before and after his

chastisement?

3. a. Was it Nebuchadnezzar‟s “right” to be restored after he

repented? If not, why was he restored?

b. After we repent, can we “expect” God to restore to us

Lesson 26: God‟s Chastisement: Usurping God‟s Glory

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what He has taken away? Is the expectation of

restoration sometimes the secret reason why we repent?

c. Is this kind of repentance genuine? (We can desire and

expect to be reconciled to God after repentance. This

means the restoration of our broken fellowship and

rejoicing in God‟s presence. But to expect to get back

those blessings or gifts He has taken away is to

prostitute our repentance, making our repentance not

genuine. God may or may not give these back. It is His

prerogative. It is His grace.)

E. His Testimony (v. 37)

1. Happy is the man whom God chastises and who learns his

lesson well.

REFLECTION: How do I react when I arm chastised?

2. Love and judgment seem incompatible. But throughout this

whole episode, God‟s mercy and love are shown alongside

His judgment. How?

CONCLUSION

We have often usurped God‟s glory, just like

Nebuchadnezzar. Sooner or later God‟s chastisement will fall

on us, sometimes in unexpected ways. But His judgment is

tempered with mercy. It is for us to lift our eyes to Him and be

restored to fellowship with Him.

Lesson 27: Backsliding and Its Remedy

Page 27 - 1

Lesson 27:

BACKSLIDING AND ITS REMEDY John 21: 1-14

Many of us have encountered Jesus at one time or another. We

may have experienced a “spiritual high.” But somehow, the

excitement subsided. Then we went back to our old ways. Old

habits. When we do this we feel so far from our Lord.

Sometimes we would like to come back to Him, but feel

ashamed to do so. Today we will study a passage dealing with

this problem.

Bible Readings

John 21:1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to

the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed

Himself:

2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana

in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples

were together.

3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said

to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and

immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught

nothing.

4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the

shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?"

They answered Him, "No."

6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the

boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were

not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It

is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the

Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and

plunged into the sea.

8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were

not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the

net with fish.

9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of

coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.

10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have

just caught."

11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of

large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there

were so many, the net was not broken.

12 Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast." Yet none of

the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?"-- knowing that it

was the Lord.

13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them,

and likewise the fish.

14 This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His

disciples after He was raised from the dead. (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Sliding Back

1. Jesus had resurrected and appeared to the disciples several

times (vv. 1, 14). What were the disciples doing when Jesus

saw them this time? In John 20:21, during the second

appearance of Jesus to the disciples, He specifically sent

them to preach the Gospel to the world. Peter and his

companions had in the past given up their fishing careers

and followed Jesus (Luke 5:11). But now, instead of going

and preaching the good news of salvation, they had gone

back to fishing.

2. What are the possible reasons they did so?

Lesson 27: Backsliding and Its Remedy

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a. Some may say that it was out of necessity to meet their

daily needs. But during the past two years or more, they

had followed Jesus full time and had not engaged in

fishing, yet they had enough to eat. God provided for

them, apparently through other followers of Jesus. After

Pentecost, they also preached full time without fishing.

b. One likely explanation is that they had backslidden—

forgotten their commitment to our Lord to serve Him

full time; followed old ways, and attended to their daily

routine only.

3. In what ways are we like them?

B. Marching Forward

1. Did Jesus forsake or rebuke them?

2. What was Jesus‟ attitude towards them?

a. Loving and humble - instead of waiting for the disciples

to go to Him. He went to them (vv. 1, 4, 5).

b. Gentle and caring (vv. 5, 6, 9, 11 )

c. Patient - going to so much trouble just so that they

could learn one lesson.

Jesus seemed to tell them: “If fish is what you want, I

will give them to you. But is this what you really

want?”

C. Helping The Backslider

1. What is often our attitude towards a brother who has

backslidden?

a. Condemnation and criticism

b. Disgust/frustration

c. Avoidance of him

2. What should be our attitude?

3. What should we do? Share your experiences.

(The best way to help a backslidden brother is not to

immediately talk about going to church/fellowship/Bible

readings/prayers. First, be a friend to him. Visit him. Let

him know you care for him whether or not he comes to

church. Gradually, as he feels more and more accepted by

other Christians, you may begin to talk about

church/fellowship/Bible readings/prayers.)

4. Let us put ourselves in the situation of a person who had

backslidden. What usually are our feelings and actions?

a. Shame and guilt

b. Trying to avoid God - not praying, not reading Bible

c. Trying to avoid other Christians

5. What should be our attitude and response when we have

backslidden?

(Aware that our Lord still loves us and is patiently waiting

for us to come back to Him—that He will accept us. Then

drop to our knees and really return to Him.)

CONCLUSION

Our Lord loves us very much. Even when we have

backslidden, He still loves us and patiently waits for us to

return to Him.

Lesson 28: The Love Commitment: To Follow Christ, To Care for New Christians

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Lesson 28:

THE LOVE COMMITMENT:

To Follow Christ Forever

To Care For New Christians John 21: 15-25

Our Lord was very patient with the disciples who had gone

back to their old pursuits (w. 1-14). When they could not find

fish He told them how to catch so many the net almost broke.

In effect He was telling them—”If you want fish, I will give

you fish. But is this what you really want?”

This is the setting for the conversation that follows.

Bible Readings

John 21:15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to

Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than

these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You."

He said to him, "Feed My lambs."

16 He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah,

do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I

love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep."

17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you

love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third

time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know

all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed

My sheep.

18 "Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you

girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you

are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird

you and carry you where you do not wish."

19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify

God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow

Me."

20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus

loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the

supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?"

21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this

man?"

22 Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what

is that to you? You follow Me."

23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this

disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he

would not die, but, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is

that to you?"

24 This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote

these things; and we know that his testimony is true.

25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which

if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world

itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

(NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Loving The Lord And Caring For His Sheep (vv. 15-17)

1. What was Jesus referring to in verse 15 when He said

“these”?

(It may refer either to Peter‟s fellow disciples, to the boat,

nets, fish and Peter‟s fishing career. In the context of what

happened in verses 1-14, it probably referred to the latter.)

Application: What are the things we sometimes value more

than our Lord (perhaps not consciously, but we show by

our actions)? (Money, fame, sensual pleasure, etc.)

What do we really want?

Lesson 28: The Love Commitment: To Follow Christ, To Care for New Christians

Page 28 - 2

2. What was our Lord emphasizing again and again in His

questions to Peter?

a. To stress that the most important ingredient for

Christian service is love. See 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.

REFLECTION: Am I serving my Lord out of love, or

because of duty, reward, other people‟s urgings . . .?

b. If we really love our Lord, we will naturally want to

feed His sheep and tend His lambs. Who are the sheep?

the lambs?

REFLECTION: In what ways are we feeding His sheep

and tending His lambs?

(Not only should we encourage and help them to read the

Bible, pray, meditate, bear fruit, etc., but should also care

for them in the context of our church. We should encourage

them to pin the worship services, and fellowship meetings,

know and interact with other members, participate in other

areas of church life. If someone is not yet baptized, by all

means encourage him to be. We should realize we are all

members of one Body, and we cannot exist alone. We

should not be always asking what we can get out of church

life, but what we can give.)

NOTE TO LEADERS: Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.” In

other words, He is the true Shepherd, we are only His

assistants. See John Z 0:11-13. He provides the food, we

just give the food to the lambs, with loving care. Some of

us think of ourselves as the shepherd, and that if we go

away things will collapse. Humbug! We should prayerfully

bring the sheep, including ourselves, to His presence and

feed on Him.

B. Following Christ Forever (vv. 18-25)

1. Note verses 18-19. This was not the first time Jesus called

Peter to follow Him (see Matthew 4:19 and Luke 5:10, 11).

Why did Jesus have to call Peter so many times? How do

we apply this to our own lives?

(Commitment to follow Jesus is not a once-in-a-lifetime

decision only. When we receive Him as Savior and Lord,

that is only the first step in following Him. We have started

in the right direction. We do not need to receive Him as

Savior and Lord again and again, because the new birth is

only once. But there are times when we need to recommit

our lives to Him, especially if we have backslidden. Verse

19 indicates that Peter once again committed his life to the

Lord.)

2. In verse 20 who was the disciple Peter saw following them?

(John. Since John was the one writing this account, he did

not want to mention his own name directly. So he used two

phrases to identify himself: (a) „The disciple whom Jesus

loved;” (b) and “the one who had leaned .... “)

What was Peter really asking when he said, “Lord, what

about him?”

(In vv. 18 and 19, Jesus was telling Peter he would one day

die for God‟s sake. Then Peter saw John, and he seemed to

be asking, “How about this one you love? Will he also die

as a martyr?”)

3. When Peter was called by our Lord to follow Him, and he

tried to compare himself with John, what did our Lord

answer? What can we learn from Jesus‟ answer?

(Very often when we serve our Lord, we like to compare

ourselves with other people. We may grumble, “How come

I am doing all this work and he is not?” Our Lord‟s answer

shows that it is not our business to ask such questions. Each

of us is responsible to Him for ourselves only.)

CONCLUSION

Lesson 28: The Love Commitment: To Follow Christ, To Care for New Christians

Page 28 - 3

We have been studying God‟s Word for many weeks. How

much have you grown? Are you willing to make the love

commitment - to follow Christ forever, and to care for new

Christians? Instead of waiting for other people to feed us, are

you willing to start feeding other people? Remember, the best

way for us to grow is to help other people grow.

NOTE: Baptism is an important sacrament in the Christian

church. It is declaring before the world that “from now on I am

forsaking Satan and all his works. Now I belong to Christ and

will follow Him forever. “

Lesson 29: Regaining Our First Love

Page 29 - 1

Lesson 29:

REGAINING OUR FIRST LOVE Revelation 2: 1-5

BACKGROUND: Read Revelation 1.

Author : The apostle John, under the command of God.

When : During his old aye, at his exile on the island of

Patmos (v. 9).

What : John saw a vision, and God told him to write to the

seven churches (v. 11). Each church had both its

strong and weak points.

Application: We should not keep on grumbling and

complaining that the church we are in is like this and like that.

Let us thank our Lord for our strong points, and ask Him to

remedy our weak points.

Now study chapter 2:1-5.

Bible Readings

Revelation 2:1 "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,

'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right

hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:

2 "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that

you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those

who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them

liars;

3 "and you have persevered and have patience, and have

labored for My name's sake and have not become weary.

4 "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left

your first love.

5 "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent

and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and

remove your lampstand from its place-- unless you repent.

(NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Losing Our “First Love” (vv. 1-4)

1. a. What were the strong points of the church of Ephesus?

b. What was its weakness? How did this single weak point

weigh against the strong points?

c. Is this true of our church today? In what ways?

2. What are the characteristics of “first love”? Apply first to

human lovers. Then extend to man and God.

a. Between human lovers - Enthusiasm, excitement, trying

to please each other, desiring to talk and be with each

other, knowing each other‟s thoughts, oneness, having

joy and interest in each other, willingness to sacrifice

for the other, commitment to each other, etc.

b. Between man and God - Apply above. In describing

first love, usually enthusiasm and excitement come

immediately to our minds. Although emotional feelings

are important, commitment is even more important.

What does commitment to our God mean? What does it

involve?

(Choosing Him and no other, God having highest priority

in our lives; loving Him with all our heart, mind, strength;

obedience to Him; following Him through trials and

suffering even though we do not understand why at the

moment . . .)

What does it mean to lose our “first love” for God?

REFLECTION: Was there a time when I really loved God?

What was it like?

What about now? Do I love God as I did at first?

Lesson 29: Regaining Our First Love

Page 29 - 2

3. Some of the characteristics of the church of Ephesus (like

being hardworking and patient) seem like evidences of

love. Why, then, did the Lord say they had lost their first

love?

(They might have been exhibiting the outward motions

without really having love in them. Activity is not equal to

spirituality. Being an officer, an active civic worker, etc.

does not make one spiritual. The Lord knows the heart of

man, and no facade can fool Him. We fool ourselves by

thinking activity/service is good enough.)

4. What are the reasons we lose our first love?

a. Crowding out God with other things or persons

b. Sin

c. Laziness

d. Ambition

e. Pre-occupation with activities

Give examples of each from our daily lives.

B. Regaining Our “First Love” (v. 5 )

1. How can we regain our first love for God?

a. Be aware that we have lost our first love.

b. Recall, or think of where we fell and how far we have

fallen.

c. Repent, or turn away from our sins.

d. Do what we did at first.

2. Why must we regain our first love?

3. What if we do not? What is the meaning of the candlestick

being removed from its place? (Cannot glorify and witness

for God. Lose our chance to serve Him. Cannot be effective

even if we try to serve.)

REFLECTION

What are the reasons I have lost my first loves

Ask for forgiveness.

Ask for strength to return to Him.

CONCLUSION

In the life of a Christian as in the church of Ephesus,

something can go badly wrong if one is not watchful. The

earnest service may be there; the gallant endurance may be

there; the unimpeachable doctrine and conduct may even be

there—but the enthusiastic commitment to and warm love for

God are gone. Let us not wait for God to sadly say, “Because

of this I come to you and remove your lampstand from its

place.” Rather, as Christians, let us constantly desire and

commit ourselves to sustain our first love for God.

Lesson 31: Fear and Anxiety

Page 31 - 1

Lesson 30:

GENEROSITY AND JEALOUSY Matthew 20:1-16

This parable, told by Jesus, deals with a very common human

problem —jealousy. Contrast it with God‟s generosity and the

meaning of pure grace.

Bible Readings

Matt 20:1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who

went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

2 "Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius

a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3 "And he went out about the third hour and saw others

standing idle in the marketplace,

4 "and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and

whatever is right I will give you.' So they went.

5 "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and

did likewise.

6 "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others

standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing

here idle all day?'

7 "They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to

them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you

will receive.'

8 "So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said

to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages,

beginning with the last to the first.'

9 "And when those came who were hired about the eleventh

hour, they each received a denarius.

10 "But when the first came, they supposed that they would

receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.

11 "And when they had received it, they complained against

the landowner,

12 "saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and

you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the

heat of the day.'

13 "But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing

you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

14 'Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this

last man the same as to you.

15 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own

things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?'

16 "So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are

called, but few chosen." (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

verses 1-2 What was the agreement made between the owner

and workers hired early in the morning?

verses 3-7 What was the agreement made between the owner

and the workers hired later?

verses 8-15 How were the men paid?

What were the reactions?

Why were the early laborers grumbling?

If you had been one of them, would you have

done the same? Why?

Did the owner fulfill the agreements?

Were the “rumblings justified?

A. Man’s Jealousy (vv. 1-15)

1. What causes jealousy (envy)? Is it because we want more,

or because we want more than others? How is it related to

pride and self-centeredness? Should a Christian have pride

(ego)? What is the difference between pride and

Lesson 31: Fear and Anxiety

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self-respect?

2. In the parable, was the owner obligated to pay the late

comers that well? What do we learn about God‟s character

from this? (His generosity)

3. What is pure grace? What should be our attitude when we

receive grace? Our attitude when others receive grace?

How can we learn to be contented?

(Grace is something we receive which we do not deserve.

Of course we are very happy and thankful when we receive

grace. If others receive grace, we should be happy for them,

too. But often our reaction is the opposite. We are unhappy

and jealous [envious] because “they do not deserve it.” But

that is precisely the meaning of grace. When we stand

before God, none of us deserve anything. All that we

receive is pure grace from God‟s generosity. God does not

owe us anything. When we fully realize this, it is easier for

us to be contented and not be jealous or envious.)

4. Ask your members to give illustrations from their daily

lives when they have experienced feelings of jealousy

(envy), and discuss how to deal with those feelings.

5. Very often, we tend to compare ourselves with other

people—our difficulties, struggles, trials, etc.; or in terms

of the work we do. Who should be our standard? To whom

are we accountable?

B. God’s Generosity (vv. 15,16)

1. The main point of this parable is God‟s generosity. As

God‟s children, we should also learn to be generous. Cite

examples from our daily lives on how we can be generous.

2. Note that there are two kinds of workers in the parable:

a. The men who were hired early but would not work until

they knew how much they would make.

b. The men who were hired later but had no contract.

They trusted the owner to give them what was right (v.

4). They trusted the owner‟s character.

What kind of worker are we in God‟s vineyard?

3. What is the meaning of verse 16? What warning or

teaching does it give us?

(Many of us want to stand on our rights. We think that

since we came to know the Lord and started serving Him

much earlier than many others, we would naturally be more

“spiritual than they.” We become complacent. But the fact

is, many late comers who hunger after God‟s Word, who

loves Him fervently, overtake the earlier ones.)

CONCLUSION

Our Heavenly Father is loving and generous. All that we

are and have are gifts from Him, which we do not deserve. Let

us always be thankful for His grace and not be jealous

(envious) of others who also receive His grace.

Lesson 31: Fear and Anxiety

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Lesson 31:

FEAR AND ANXIETY Exodus 14: 10-14

Many of us are troubled by fear and anxiety and do not know

how to deal with them. The more we think about them, the

tighter our fear and anxiety grip us. This may distort our minds

and immobilize us Today we will look at how God wants us to

deal with them.

BACKGROUND: Read Exodus 14:1-9 God, through Moses,

had manifested His power throughout the land of Egypt by

sending plagues again and again until Pharaoh agreed to let the

Israelites go. When the Israelites were at the edge of the Red

Sea, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army after them.

Hence this incident.

Bible Readings

Exodus 14:10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of

Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched

after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel

cried out to the LORD.

11 Then they said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in

Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why

have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?

12 "Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let

us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?' For it would have

been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should

die in the wilderness."

13 And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand

still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will

accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see

today, you shall see again no more forever.

14 "The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your

peace." (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Demolished By Fear (vv. 10~12)

1. What was the cause of fear among the Israelites?

a. The threat - Pharaoh‟s army was approaching near,

ready to kill them.

b. No escape (feeling of hopelessness) - Their back was

against the Red Sea.

c. No way to resist (feeling of helplessness) - They were

no match for Pharaoh‟s army.

Application: Ask your members to share instances in their

lives when they were troubled by fear and anxiety. Analyze

the common elements of threat and feelings of helplessness

and hopelessness. What other things are causing them fear

and anxiety now?

2. How did the Israelites express the fear that gripped them?

How had this fear distorted their minds?

a. Cried out to the Lord (v. 10)

b. Blamed Moses (v. 11)

c. Regretted being delivered from Egypt (v. 12)

NOTE: Fear had distorted their minds. Although they had

already seen the mighty acts of God when they were led out

of Egypt, they still felt helpless and abandoned when faced

with the threat of Pharaoh‟s army. Instead of being grateful

for having been delivered from slavery, they regretted it.

Lesson 31: Fear and Anxiety

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If you had been one of the Israelites, what would have been

your reactions?

In the instances given in Section 1, what were your natural

reactions?

In what way are fear and trust related?

B. Delivered From Fear (vv. 13-14)

1. What was the solution to their fear?

a. Stand fast - v. 13 (signifies trust in the Lord)

b. See the salvation of the Lord - v. 13 (instead of looking

at Pharaoh‟s army approaching)

Application: How do we apply this? The more we look at

our difficult circumstances, the more it will generate fear

and anxiety in our hearts. When we fix our eyes on our

Lord Jesus and His promises, remembering how He has

blessed us and carried us in the past, our fears and anxieties

will dissipate.

Keep silent - v. 14 (instead of fretting and blaming others)

FOR THE LORD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU (v. 14)

2. Ask your members how they can best deal with the sources

of fear and anxiety cited earlier, based on what they have

learned from this Bible study.

3. Note that the Israelite‟s fear and anxiety were lessened

when Moses assured them of God‟s intention.

How do we apply this in our lives?

(Appreciate the value of Christian fellowship and godly

counsel. Find strength in mutual encouragement and

uplifting.)

4. We are at times very much like the Israelites. We think that

if what God has promised is something good, then there

should be no obstacles, no hardships. The moment

difficulties arise, we fret and complain.

5. The journey was but a transient episode between what had

been slavery, etc. and the better things to come—the land

of Canaan. A Christian‟s life is very much like a journey.

This world is not our home, we are sojourners. Canaan lies

ahead. What is a Christian‟s Canaan?

APPLICATION

In light of this, how should we view trials and suffering?

How does putting things in proper perspective help us deal

with the sources of our fear and anxiety?

CONCLUSION

The solution to our fear and anxiety is to let the Lord fight

for us. He is able, He is willing, and He is faithful to His

promise. Our part is to stand fast, keep silent, and see the

salvation of our Lord.

Lesson 32: What To Do in Times of Crisis

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Lesson 32:

WHAT TO DO IN TIMES OF CRISIS Acts 12: 1-19

Christians are sometimes confused in a time of crisis. Should

we only pray? Or should we try to do something more?

Today‟s passage gives us some guidelines regarding this.

Bible Readings

Acts 12:1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out

his hand to harass some from the church.

2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded

further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of

Unleavened Bread.

4 So when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison,

and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him,

intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was

offered to God for him by the church.

6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night

Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two

soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the

prison.

7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light

shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised

him up, saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his

hands.

8 Then the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your

sandals"; and so he did. And he said to him, "Put on your

garment and follow me."

9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that

what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was

seeing a vision.

10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts,

they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened

to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down

one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know

for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered

me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the

Jewish people."

12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of

Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where

many were gathered together praying.

13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named

Rhoda came to answer.

14 When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness

she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter

stood before the gate.

15 But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept

insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel."

16 Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the

door and saw him, they were astonished.

17 But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he

declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the

prison. And he said, "Go, tell these things to James and to the

brethren." And he departed and went to another place.

18 Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among

the soldiers about what had become of Peter.

19 But when Herod had searched for him and not found him,

he examined the guards and commanded that they should be

put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and

stayed there. (NKJ)

Lesson 32: What To Do in Times of Crisis

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DISCUSSION

A. No Small Crisis (vv. 1-11)

1. From verses 1-5, describe the background of the story.

What happened to Peter?

2. From verses ~10, how was Peter delivered from prison?

From what happened, we can draw the following principle:

“What we can do, we are expected to do. What we cannot

do, God will do for us.”

3. How does each part of the incident illustrate the above

principle?

a. Peter was chained. He could not do anything about it,

so the angel broke the chains for him (v. 7).

b. Peter could put on his sandals and coat by himself. This

he was expected to do for himself (v. 8).

c. Peter could not open the iron gate. The angel opened it

for him (v. 9).

d. Peter could walk down the street by himself. So the

angel left him (v. 10).

Application: What do people usually do when they meet a

crisis?

a. How do we apply the above principle when we get

terribly sick? (We should consult a doctor and take

medicine, because it is expected of us to do what we

can. But after taking medicine, we should commit

ourselves to God for healing. Some people take

medicine but continue to worry. This is not applying the

second part of the principle.)

b. Ask your members to think of the problems or crises

they face and how the principle could be applied to

them.

For example:

(1) Family crisis - broken family, parents quarreling.

(2) Having a broken heart

(3) Being on the verge of emotional breakdown (4)

Having an economic crisis

c. How does this principle differ from the saying, “God

helps those who help themselves”?

(This latter saying is only the first part of the principle.

A person who follows this saying has a tendency to act

and act and act. When he cannot do anything anymore,

he starts to worry, because there is nothing else he can

do. We should rest in the promise of God that what we

cannot do, He will do for us.)

d. Do we worry a lot? Why? How can we experience the

peace that God has promised at all times?

4. Peter now has “hindsight” (v.11). What is “hindsight”?

Why is it just as important as “foresight”?

B. No Small Miracle (vv. 12-19)

1. What happened afterwards? (w. 12-19)

The disciples had been praying for Peter (vv. 5, 12). Now

that their prayers had been answered, what was their

reaction? (v. 15)

2. Why was it so? What does this show us regarding their

expectations when they prayed?

Ask your members to compare their attitudes and

expectations when they pray. When have they shown a

similar lack of faith?

How de we correct this lack of faith? (Pray seriously. Pray

with an expectant heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to transform

our mind and attitude to conform to His will. When prayer

is answered, remember to give thanks.)

CONCLUSION

Lesson 32: What To Do in Times of Crisis

Page 32 - 3

When we meet a crisis, always remember: “What we can

do, we are expected to do. What we cannot do, God will do for

us.”

Lesson 33: Suffering Yet Rejoicing

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Lesson 33:

SUFFERING YET REJOICING 1 Peter 1:1-9

Many of us cannot stand suffering. We worry, we fret, we

complain. But what should be our attitude as Christians? Today

we shall study a passage that shows how we can cope with

trials and suffering.

Bible Readings

1 Pet 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of

the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and

Bithynia,

2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in

sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the

blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to

a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the

dead,

4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does

not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for

salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if

need be, you have been grieved by various trials,

7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more

precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may

be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus

Christ,

8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see

Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full

of glory,

9 receiving the end of your faith-- the salvation of your souls.

(NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. To Refresh With Hope (vv. 1-5)

1. Who wrote this letter and how did he describe himself?

2. In verses 1 and 2, how did he describe the people to whom

he wrote?

How did each way he described them meet a need they

probably had as refugees?

a. What identity did these people have? (v. 1) Who chose

them?

b. What destiny did these people have? (v. 2)

How does this give meaning to their lives?

To whom should they be loyal and obey?

In what ways are we also like refugees, and in what

ways do the above apply to us?

3. In verses 3 to 5, how did Peter describe the salvation of

Christians? What was his attitude?

Describe the blessings/inheritance reserved for Christians.

How are they different from the earthly riches that people

aim for and strive for?

B. To Refine Like Gold (vv. 6-8)

1. Verses 6 and 7 address the subject of suffering directly.

a. Why do we meet trials and sufferings?

(1) Trials come to test our faith (v. 7).

Through them we are being purified like gold.

(2) When our lives have undergone testing, they bring

praise and glory and honor to our Lord Jesus Christ

(v. 7).

Lesson 33: Suffering Yet Rejoicing

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(3) The greater the suffering, the more we see

God‟s greatness manifested in our lives if we

allow Him to work in our lives.

Application: During times of trials and suffering, does

our faith endures Do we bring praise and glory and

honor to our Lord? Why or why not?

b. How do we usually react when we meet trials and

suffering? What are the consequences of such attitudes?

ATTITUDES CONSEQUENCES

(1) We blame God or keep on

asking why. Feel bitter.

(1) We become far from God.

(2) We feel hopeless or

depressed.

(2) We may seek other means

of help, like going to psychic

healers or „spiritistas‟ thus

compounding the problem.

2. From the text that we are studying, what should be our

attitude when we meet trials and suffering? (Rejoice with

unutterable and exalted joy-vv. 6 and 8.)

3. What are the consequences of such an attitude?

a. God is glorified.

b. Others who have heard or seen how God has worked in

our lives will be strengthened and edified.

c. Our own faith will be strengthened.

C. To Rejoice In Pain (vv. 8, 9)

1. How can we rejoice when we meet trials and suffering?

Verse 8 mentions love. When we truly love a person, it is

easier for us to endure suffering for his sake.

Give examples from our daily lives to illustrate this point.

a. Because a mother loves her baby, she does not mind

cleaning his wastes and soiling her hands.

b. Because Jesus loves us, He willingly gave His body

to be broken and His blood shed for our sake.

REFLECTION:

1. How much do I love my Lord?

Am I really willing to suffer for His sake?

Or am I usually thinking of myself and my problems, and

not of Him and how to please Him?

2. What is said about a Christian‟s past, present and future in

verses 3-9? If we are already saved, why do we still “hope

for salvation”?

Salvation has three tenses.

a. We were saved from our sins and from condemnation

by God when we first became Christians.

b. We are being saved everyday, as we struggle and fight

against sin and Satan in our daily lives.

c. We will be saved on the Last Day, when we shall be

totally changed into His likeness.

(See also II Corinthians 1:10)

3. In verses 3-9, what sustains us when we meet trials and

suffering?

a. Hope (vv. 3,4,5,9)

b. Faith (v. 7)

c. Love (v. 8)

These are the three great pillars of the Christian faith (I

Corinthians 13:13).

How are these three inter-related?

CONCLUSION

Christians are not free from trials and suffering. These are

actually good for us, for they test our faith and result in glory to

Lesson 33: Suffering Yet Rejoicing

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our Lord. As we love God more and more, being sustained by

the glorious hope He has given us, we will be able to rejoice as

we suffer for His sake.

Lesson 34: What is True Love

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Lesson 34:

WHAT IS TRUE LOVE? 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a

Everybody likes to speak of love. But love means different

things to different people. “True love” in the romantic sense

often turns out to be not so true after all. The best definition of

love anytime, anywhere is still found in the Word of God.

Bible Readings

1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men

and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass

or a clanging cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all

mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so

that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and

though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits

me nothing.

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does

not parade itself, is not puffed up;

5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not

provoked, thinks no evil;

6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,

endures all things.

8 Love never fails. (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. The Importance Of Love (vv. 1-3)

1. What are the things that usually impress people, that people

usually consider important?

a. The ability to speak well (v. 1)

b. Much knowledge and wisdom (v. 2) c. Faith that can

move mountains (v. 2) d. Dramatic gestures/sacrifices

(v. 3)

2. Why is love more important than the above? What does the

supreme position given to love show about the person of

God? (God is love. His greatest commandment is that we

should love one another - John 15:12. Everything else pales

in comparison.)

B. What True Love Is (vv. 4-&)

1. Illustrate by examples from daily life each of the different

characteristics of love listed in this passage. (If possible,

ask your members to take turns giving examples. It is

important for them to relate the true qualities of love to

their lives. The discussion on this section should be the

main activity for today.)

REFLECTION:

Reflect on your own life and experience.

Where are you strong?

Where are you weak?

How can you show this kind of love to others?

2. Do the people in our church show this kind of love to one

another? How do we help each other have this kind of

love?

CONCLUSION

Loving others totally the 1 Corinthians 13 way is not just

difficult; it is humanly impossible! But this is true love. First,

Lesson 34: What is True Love

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love is a matter of choice. It is easier not to love (especially

obnoxious offenders) but we can will or choose to love.

Second, as we choose to love, trust that God (who is love) is

our constant source not only of this kind of love but also of the

capability and power to model it.

Note: Supplementary materials on love:

1. The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis makes a comprehensive

study on love.

2. Love can also be differentiated as follows:

a. Love because of (love with a reason) - Because you are

beautiful, I love you.

Because you are . . . I love you.

b. Love if (love with a condition) - If you buy me

chocolates, I will love you.

c. Love in spite of (unconditional, sacrificial love) - In

spite of the fact that we are sinners, God still loves us.

(Needless to say, this is the kind of love God wants us

to have.) In spite of the fact that you have hurt me, I

still love you.

Lesson 35: Love That is Practical

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Lesson 35:

LOVE THAT IS PRACTICAL 1 John 3:13-19

In the previous study, love is seen essentially as an attitude.

Today, we will study how to translate it into action.

Bible Readings

1 John 3:13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates

you.

14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because

we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides

in death.

15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know

that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.

And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in

need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of

God abide in him?

18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but

in deed and in truth.

19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall

assure our hearts before Him. (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Equipped To Love (vv. 13-16)

1. Who is the apostle John addressing when he says “my

brothers”? (Real Christians)

2. Why do the people of the world hate real Christians?

(Satan is constantly at war with Christ. The people of the

world are under the control of Satan, while real Christians

belong to Christ. So we are all involved in this great

spiritual warfare.)

3. What is the mark of a real Christian?

(Those who have left death and come over into life - v. 14.

And because we have the life of Christ in us, we will love

our brother v. 14.)

Application: Each of us should ask ourselves: Do I have the

mark of a real Christian?

Verse 15 sounds pretty strong. It equates hatred with

murder. Please note that our Lord Himself says the same in

Matthew 5:2122. For a fuller discussion on this, see Lesson

No. 21 (Sins of the Mind) of this study guide.

5. Psychology tells us that a child who has never been loved is

unable to love.

Why is a Christian able to love his brother? (v. 16)

Do you really know the love of Jesus?

Do you really feel loved by Jesus?

If not, why not?

B. Not With Words Alone (vv. 17-19)

1. How do we “give our lives for our brothers”?

Is it not giving what we hold precious in our lives to our

brothers?

What do we consider most precious in our lives?

a. Money

b. Time

c. Talent

d. Attention

2. In connection with verses 17 and 18, read James 2:15-17.

People often criticize Christians thus: „You Christians pray

and read the Bible all day long. But we haven‟t seen what

your love is like.”

Lesson 35: Love That is Practical

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How true? We should not only look after the “souls” of

people, but after their other needs as well.

3. How do we show a love that is practical?

a. The poor - how do we help them?

1. Some people say, “Think of all the poor in the

world. They are so many it is useless trying to help

them all.” Is this right?

2. Is it right for us to throw extravagant parties and

have extravagant clothes when so many people in

our society live below the poverty line?

b. How do we look after widows and orphans]

c. Do we visit prisoners? the mentally retarded? the sick?

The elderly?

d. How do we help flood victims?

e. How do we care for the sorrowful in heart?

f. The Boy Scouts have a motto: “One good deed every

day.”

How about us?

APPLICATION

How can we become more sensitive to the needs around us

and respond in love?

CONCLUSION

Since love is the most important ingredient in a Christian‟s

life, let each of us examine our life to see whether it is filled

with love; whether we love only with words, or with deeds

also.

Lesson 36: Love in Action

Page 36 - 1

Lesson 36:

LOVE IN ACTION Luke 10: 2-37

Christians like to talk about love. We know all about love—

different kinds of love, why we should love, how we should

love, etc. But do we really do it? Today we will study a

passage, which will prick our conscience.

Bible Readings

Luke 10:2 Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great,

but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest

to send out laborers into His harvest.

3 "Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among

wolves.

4 "Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and

greet no one along the road.

5 "But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this

house.'

6 "And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if

not, it will return to you.

7 "And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such

things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do

not go from house to house.

8 "Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such

things as are set before you.

9 "And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of

God has come near to you.'

10 "But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you,

go out into its streets and say,

11 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off

against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God

has come near you.'

12 "But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day

for Sodom than for that city.

13 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the

mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre

and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in

sackcloth and ashes.

14 "But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the

judgment than for you.

15 "And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be

thrust down to Hades.

16 "He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects

Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."

17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the

demons are subject to us in Your name."

18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from

heaven.

19 "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents

and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and

nothing shall by any means hurt you.

20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are

subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are

written in heaven."

21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank

You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden

these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to

babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.

22 "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and

no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the

Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to

reveal Him."

23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately,

Lesson 36: Love in Action

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"Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see;

24 "for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to

see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you

hear, and have not heard it."

25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him,

saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your

reading of it?"

27 So he answered and said," 'You shall love the Lord your

God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your

strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as

yourself.'"

28 And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this

and you will live."

29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who

is my neighbor?"

30 Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man went down

from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who

stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed,

leaving him half dead.

31 "Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And

when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32 "Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and

looked, and passed by on the other side.

33 "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he

was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.

34 "So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on

oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to

an inn, and took care of him.

35 "On the next day, when he departed, he took out two

denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take

care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again,

I will repay you.'

36 "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him

who fell among the thieves?"

37 And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus

said to him, "Go and do likewise." (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. The “Experts”’ Kind of Love (vv. 25-32)

1. What was the concern of the teacher of the law? (v. 25)

2. How did Jesus respond to him?

Love for God and love for man go hand in hand (v. 27).

Why?

3. Who were the priest and the Levite?

Did they see the hold-up victim? What possible reasons

could they have had for not stopping and helping?

Why do you think Jesus used these particular characters in

His story?

Application: Levites were people serving in the Temple,

helping the priests. They correspond to the people serving

in our church today. We know about love and talk about

love. But sometimes a situation arises wherein we should

put love into action—but we draw back.

Can you think of some such instances?

They don‟t have to be dramatic events everyday

happenings are just as relevant.

Examples:

a. A little brother needing tutoring for his exam

b. A friend who got sick

c. Someone having emotional problems

d. An accident victim

e. A newcomer in church or the fellowship

4. What are some of the reasons we give to justify our lack of

Lesson 36: Love in Action

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action? How sound are these reasons?

B. The Despised Samaritan’s Love In Action (vv. 33-37)

1. a. List the actions of the Samaritan. What sacrifices did he

make? Why did he do it? What is “compassion”?

b. If you had been the Samaritan, would you have done

the same?

c. Would you put that person‟s needs ahead of „your‟

business?

2. a. How do we apply verse 37?

b. Who is my neighbor?

How can we develop an increasing love for our neighbor?

How can we remedy our lack of action?

Making a conscious effort to show love makes a lot of

difference. The Boy Scouts have a motto: “One good deed

a day.” Can a Christian do less?

REFLECTION

How often am I putting love into action:

Once a day?

Once a week?

Once a months

Think of your different roles in life. Example: as a student,

son (daughter), brother (sister), husband (wife), friend. List

down at least three specific things you can do immediately

to show your love.

CONCLUSION

Our Lord gave a vivid picture of love in action. It is not

enough to know about love and talk about love. We must show

it in our everyday lives.

Lesson 37: Jesus Kneels to Love

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Lesson 37:

JESUS KNEELS TO LOVE John 13: 1-17

In our society we are used to the idea of the rich and powerful

ordering people around, and the lowly people are the ones who

serve. Today we will study how Jesus Christ, through His

example, changed this standard.

BACKGROUND: Jesus was nearing the time of His death.

His disciples had just been arguing who of them would be

appointed to the highest cabinet posts in Jesus „ coming

government. (See Luke 22:24)

It was the Jewish custom of those days that whenever guests

came to dinner, the house slave would wash the guests „feet

which were dirty from the dusty roads. In this incident, there

was no slave present, and apparently none of the disciples had

offered to wash the feet of the others.

Bible Readings

John 13:1 Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus

knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this

world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the

world, He loved them to the end.

2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it

into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him,

3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His

hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God,

4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel

and girded Himself.

5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash

the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which

He was girded.

6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him,

"Lord, are You washing my feet?"

7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do

not understand now, but you will know after this."

8 Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus

answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with

Me."

9 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also

my hands and my head!"

10 Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash

his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all

of you."

11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said,

"You are not all clean."

12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and

sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have

done to you?

13 "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I

am.

14 "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,

you also ought to wash one another's feet.

15 "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I

have done to you.

16 "Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than

his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.

17 "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

(NKJ)

Lesson 37: Jesus Kneels to Love

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DISCUSSION

A. The Feet-Washing (vv. 1-11)

1. Imagine yourself as one of the disciples when Jesus arose,

took off His outer garment and put on the slave‟s towel.

What would be your reaction?

Why do you think none of the disciples had taken the

initiative to wash the others‟ feet?

2. The disciples had been following Jesus for three years

already. They had heard Jesus preach innumerable times

about love and humility. Why were they still quarreling

among themselves about who should be greater, and why

was no one willing to humble himself and wash the others‟

feet?

(They probably found their feelings of pride and animosity

hard to overcome. Their sinful human nature was still very

much a part of them. Also, they were “slow learners.”)

Application: In what ways are we like them? (Many of us

have been Christians for many years already, yet our

character are far from being Christlike. Many of us are also

“slow learners.”)

3. If you were Simon Peter, what thoughts would have flashed

through your mind as Jesus approached you?

What feelings would have flooded over you? Why would

you not want Jesus to wash your feet? Then why would you

ask Him to give you a complete bath?

4. How did Jesus respond to Simon Peter‟s apparent

embarrassment and confusion? How do we apply Jesus‟

reply in verse 10 that “he who has bathed does not need to

wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over”?

(In those days, the people wore sandals. When arriving at a

house after walking the dusty roads, all they had to do was

wash their feet and they became clean again. There was no

need to bathe the whole body. In the same way, when we

Christians commit sins in our daily walk, we need to come

to God for forgiveness; then we are cleansed. We do not

however need to accept Him as Savior again and again.)

5. Assuming that the disciples did not want to wash each

others‟ feet for fear of being looked down upon, why did

not one of them volunteer to take the place of Jesus or at

least assist Him when Jesus started to wash their feet?

Especially Peter, this seeming leader of the disciples?

(Again, they were “slow learners,” even when their Master

had shown the way.)

In what ways are we “slow learners” too? Give examples.

How can we begin to overcome this?

B. What the Feet-Washing Meant (vv. 12-17)

1. Several reasons prompted Jesus to wash His disciples‟ feet.

What was the obvious reason? What was the symbolic

reason? What was still another reason?

a. Obvious reason - Their feet were dirty and needed

washing.

b. Symbolic reason - Jesus wanted to teach them humility

and love.

Another reason - As their Lord and teacher, Jesus wanted to

set an example for them to follow.

2. What motivated Jesus to do this and how do we apply it?

(Jesus did it out of love (v. 1). When we humble ourselves

and serve, it should not be out of a sense of duty, but out of

love).

Application: What practical examples from our everyday

lives can you give where Jesus‟ example should be

followed?

3. What reminder does verse 17 give us?

(To know these truths concerning humility, unselfishness

and service is but one thing. The real value and blessedness

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lie in doing them.)

CONCLUSION

Our Lord Himself set an example for us to follow—humility

and love. Whoever is great shall be the servant of all.

Lesson 38: the Fruitful Life: Abiding in Christ

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Lesson 38:

THE FRUITFUL LIFE:

Abiding In Christ John 15: 1-17

We learned in Lesson 10 that the Christian life is one that is

secure with the loving, caring Shepherd. We learned in Lesson

7 that we have a glorious hope. But what is our responsibility

in our Christian life? This will be discussed in today‟s passage.

Notes on text:

verse 4 - “Abide in me” can also be interpreted as “stay

constantly with me” or “live in me. “

verse 6 - This verse should not be interpreted as relating to

salvation, as if a person will lose his salvation if he disobeys

God and sins. Rather, it refers to our fellowship with God and

our usefulness. When we are separated from God, we can do

nothing and are useless, like a useless branch that is cut off and

burned. (We should realize that all analogies have limitations

and usually illustrate one main point only, so we should not

carry an interpretation to its extremes.)

verse 16- “You did not choose me, but I chose you. “ This

verse emphasizes the sovereignty of God. How do we reconcile

it with man‟s free will? Perhaps we can say, “Whoever wants

to choose God, God will choose him. “ But we should realize

God is not a passive God who sits around waiting for us to

choose Him, but an active God who initiates His love, who

prepared the plan of salvation and invites us to choose Him.

Christianity is God-centered, not man-centered.

Bible Readings

John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the

vinedresser.

2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes

away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may

bear more fruit.

3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have

spoken to you.

4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit

of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you

abide in Me.

5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me,

and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do

nothing.

6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch

and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the

fire, and they are burned.

7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will

ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so

you will be My disciples.

9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in

My love.

10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love,

just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in

His love.

11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain

in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I

have loved you.

13 "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's

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life for his friends.

14 "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

15 "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not

know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends,

for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known

to you.

16 "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you

that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should

remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may

give you.

17 "These things I command you, that you love one another.

(NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Abiding In Christ (vv. 1-4)

1. How are we related to the Father?

2. What is meant by “fruit” throughout this passage?

a. Fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives (Galatians 5:22) -

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

b. Fruit of our labor when we share our faith with

others. How many persons have come to know Christ

personally because you cared enough to share?

c. Good works such as acts of kindness, helping

people, etc. Give specific examples. How often do you

do good works? Christians sometimes overemphasize

“salvation by faith,” and neglect good works. How can

this be corrected?

Among the above three kinds of fruit, which do you have

more of, and which less? Why do you have less of some?

3. How can we bear much fruit?

a. By at least trying, and bearing a little fruit, because our

Father will “prune” us to bear more fruit (v. 2)

b. By being cleansed by the Word of God (v. 3)

c. By abiding in Christ (living in Him) (v. 4)

B. Reasons We Abide In Christ (vv. 5-11)

1. Why should we abide in Him?

a. Because apart from Him, we can do nothing (v. 5)

Application: Many of us feel we are so weak spiritually.

We like to serve Him, like to share our faith with

others, but do not seem to be able to do so. Why?

b. So that our prayer will be answered (v. 7)

c. When we bear much fruit, our Father is glorified (v. 8)

Note: Christianity is God-centered, not man-centered.

Although it is true a person usually becomes attracted to

Christ because of his personal needs and problems, once a

person accepts Christ as Savior and Lord, his attention

should shift from himself to God. From then on he should

not always be thinking, „What can I get out of this,” but

rather, “How can I please God?” He should be the center of

our thoughts, our emotions, our actions. We will want to

glorify Him for His name‟s sake.

Application: How often have we thought of glorifying our

Father through our daily lives? Or are we still always

thinking of ourselves?

d. Because of His love (v. 9)

He loves to be with us. Talk with us. Do things with us.

Do you love to do so with Him too?

e. That our joy may be full (v. 11). Do you have this joy?

If not, why not?

C. Love - The Central Ingredient (vv. 12-17)

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Our Lord reiterated once more that love is the central

ingredient in a Christian‟s life. He commands us to love (vv.

12,17), shows us how to love by His own example (v. 13), and

makes us His friends instead of slaves or servants because of

His love (v. 15).

APPLICATION

Is love the central ingredient in your life? Think back on this

past week—all that you have done and said. Was it because of

love? How much fruit have you borne? Have you glorified our

Father?

CONCLUSION

Christians have a responsibility to lead a fruitful life. But we

cannot be fruitful unless we abide in Christ. Because apart

from Him, we can do nothing.

Lesson 39: Loving Service

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Lesson 39:

LOVING SERVICE Luke 7: 36-50

Different people serve Jesus Christ for different reasons. Today

we will study how two persons served Jesus—the how‟s and

why‟s, and then compare our own service with theirs.

BACKGROUND: The Pharisees were members of a Jewish

religious party which prided itself in strict observance of the

Law of Moses and the hundreds of traditional interpretations

added to it through the centuries. Most of them were openly

hostile to Jesus. But Simon was sympathetic enough to invite

Jesus to dinner.

Bible Readings

Luke 7:36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with

him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.

37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when

she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house,

brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,

38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began

to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of

her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the

fragrant oil.

39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he

spoke to himself, saying, "This man, if He were a prophet,

would know who and what manner of woman this is who is

touching Him, for she is a sinner."

40 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have

something to say to you." And he said, "Teacher, say it."

41 "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One

owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

42 "And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely

forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love

him more?"

43 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he

forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."

44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you

see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water

for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and

wiped them with the hair of her head.

45 "You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to

kiss My feet since the time I came in.

46 "You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has

anointed My feet with fragrant oil.

47 "Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are

forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the

same loves little."

48 And He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to

themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

50 Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go

in peace." (NKJ)

DISCUSSION:

A. Two Kinds Of Service To Jesus (vv. 36-39)

1. What gave the woman boldness to enter a Pharisee‟s house

uninvited? What was her only concern? In what ways did

she demonstrate this?

2. How did the woman serve Jesus?

What did her actions reveal about her? (She served Him

with her tears—signifying repentance. She wiped His feet

with her hair and kissed them—signifying humility and

Lesson 39: Loving Service

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love. She anointed Him with perfume—giving her

possessions. In other words, she gave herself totally,

because of her love for her Lord.)

3. How did Simon react to the woman‟s actions?

What difference do we see in the woman‟s attitude towards

herself and Simon‟s attitude towards himself?

4. Did Simon serve Jesus? In what way?

What was lacking in his service? (Yes, Simon did serve

Jesus— he invited Him to dinner. But he did not extend to

Him the usual courtesies of a host—washing of feet,

anointing with oil, greeting with a kiss, etc. This showed

Simon‟s lack of dedication. Probably Simon thought he

was already doing Jesus a favor by inviting Him to dinner.)

B. Reasons For The Difference In Service (vv. 40-50)

1. What was Jesus essentially saying to Simon in His short

parable?

2. In applying the parable of Jesus, why was the service of the

woman so different from the service of Simon?

(The woman acknowledged herself to be a sinner. Having

been forgiven, she had great love for our Lord. But Simon

did not think of himself as a sinner. Or rather, at most, a

“lesser sinner” than others. Hence less need for forgiveness.

Hence less love.)

3. Some people are puzzled by this parable. They ask, “Does

it mean we have to go out and commit a lot of sins, so that

we can be forgiven much, so that our love for our Lord can

be much?”

How do we respond?

(No. Actually, all of us are already bad sinners. All of us

have already committed a lot of sins—in our minds,

actions, attitudes. In the text, Simon probably was as great

a sinner as the woman in God‟s eyes. It is how we look at

our sins that makes a difference in our attitudes.)

APPLICATION

1. Are we more like Simon or more like the woman in our

attitudes? Do we often feel that we are “okay”? Or, at least

“not like so-and-so”? Or do we acknowledge that we are

sinners, needing God‟s grace and God‟s forgiveness? Do

we have the love that motivated the woman‟s service?

2. In our service to Him, are we more like Simon or more like

the woman?

Do we exert just a little effort, yet feel like we are doing

God a favor? Or do we give our all, and feel that God is

doing us a favor by accepting our meager offering?

3. How are our attitudes and our service to the Lord related?

CONCLUSION

The way we serve is a reflection of how much (or how

little) we love our Lord. This in turn is determined by how we

view ourselves before God. May we be constantly aware of His

grace, and be motivated by love in our service to Him.

Lesson 40: Hungering after Christ: The Servant vs. The Service

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Lesson 40:

HUNGERING AFTER CHRIST:

The Servant Vs. The Service Luke 10: 38-42

Many of us have been Christians for many years, and have

even served God for some time. But some of us feel our

spiritual lives are not growing. We wonder why. Today we will

study a passage which shows how important it is to hunger

after Christ, and see the proper relationship between the servant

and the service.

Bible Readings

Luke 10:38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a

certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed

Him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus'

feet and heard His word.

40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she

approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my

sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."

(NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Qualified To Serve?

1. Who are the characters in this passage? Where did the

incident happen? What happened?

2. Mary and Martha both loved the Lord.

In what ways did each sister show that she cared about

Jesus? From their actions, what did each consider more

important? How did Jesus evaluate their actions and

priorities? What about us? What do we consider more

important?

B. The King - or The Kingdom?

1. How is “quietly sitting at the feet of Jesus” (v. 39)

translated into our lives? (Meditation, prayer, Bible

reading, listening to messages, seeking counsel from godly

people, being sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit,

worship.)

Why is it more important than service?

Why is it essential for our growth?

2. a. We are often busy running around. Our Lord told

Martha, “You are anxious and troubled about many

things” (v. 41). What are the things we are anxious and

troubled about, which distract us from quietly listening

to our Lord?

(Studies, work, trying to be more popular, trying to win

friends, preparing for service, etc.)

b. When do legitimate concerns become distracting pre-

occupations?

C. The Right Kind of Service

1. Some people may decide: “From now on, I will not serve

any more. I will just sit quietly and listen to the message.”

Is this right?

How can we maintain a balance between quiet worship and

practical service?

(Our Lord wants us to serve also. But only after having

been inwardly strengthened by listening quietly to Him.

Otherwise, our service will be harried and not pleasing to

Him. A person who listens quietly to Him, who loves Him,

will naturally end up serving Him with a glad heart.)

Lesson 40: Hungering after Christ: The Servant vs. The Service

Page 40 - 2

2. Notice the attitude of Martha. Was she serving with a glad

heart? Why?

(She complained. She was harried. She compared herself

with others. Because she had not learned to sit quietly at the

feet of Jesus.)

REFLECTION: When we serve, is our attitude like

Martha‟s? Do we complain and compare (“How come he is

not doing as much as I am “)? Are we harried?

3. Did Jesus condemn Martha for her attitude? What do we

learn about Jesus from His reply?

(From the way Jesus addressed her, He was not

condemning her, but was full of compassion and love for

her in spite of her error.)

REFLECTION:

How is my love for my Lord expressed? Am I loving Him

as He wishes me to? Is my spiritual life growing?

Am I truly hungering after Christ?

CONCLUSION

Our Lord is more concerned with the worker than the work.

He is more concerned with the servant than the service. We

should continue to hunger after Him. Then serve Him.

Lesson 41: The Man God Uses

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Lesson 41:

THE MAN GOD USES Joshua 1: 1-9

Most of us would like to be used by God. But there are certain

requirements that we have to meet before God can use us.

Today we will study how Joshua came to be used by God, and

see how we can be used too.

Bible Readings

Joshua 1:1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it

came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun,

Moses' assistant, saying:

2 "Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over

this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am

giving to them-- the children of Israel.

3 "Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I

have given you, as I said to Moses.

4 "From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great

river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to

the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your

territory.

5 "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of

your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not

leave you nor forsake you.

6 "Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you

shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their

fathers to give them.

7 "Only be strong and very courageous, that you may

observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant

commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the

left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

8 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,

but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe

to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will

make your way prosperous, and then you will have good

success.

9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good

courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your

God is with you wherever you go." (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Required Qualifications (vv. 1-6)

1. From verse 1, what kind of preparation did Joshua have,

and why was it essential to his being a leader at that time?

(He had been trained for quite some time by Moses. A

potential leader must be humble enough to first learn from

others.)

2. For what task was Joshua called by God (v. 2)? Imagine

Joshua‟s feelings at the death of Moses and the weight of

his ensuing responsibility. Why was such a calling

necessary?

As we serve today in our various capacities, do we know

the calling of God? Are we sensitive to His leading? Or are

we doing it “on our own steam “?

3. What was God‟s promise for the Israelite nation? (He

would give them the land of Canaan.)

What did God want Joshua to do regarding His promises to

the Israelites? (v. 3) (Claim them.)

Unless Joshua would actually arise and walk through the

land and claim it for the people, the promises would remain

just promises.

Application: There are many promises in the Bible for us.

Do you know them? Which of them are not yet being

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fulfilled in your life? (For example: peace, joy, love.)

Why is this so?

(In order for the promises of God to be fulfilled in our

lives, first we must know them, and then claim them.)

What promises did God give to Joshua personally in verse

5? Why were these essential for the task God gave him in

verse 6?

Application: How can we experience God‟s presence with

us today?

(We must have a vital, living relationship with Him. By

reading His Word, communicating with him through

prayer, regular worship, being sensitive to the guidance of

the Holy Spirit, seeking Him earnestly, completely obeying

Him, etc., we can experience God‟s presence in our lives.)

B. “Success” Formula (vv. 7-9)

1. The secret of success and prosperity is the place that God‟s

Word has in the heart and life of the believer. In verses 7

and 8, what were the specific commands God gave Joshua

regarding this?

a. Obey God‟s laws (vv. 7, 8)

b. Memorize God‟s Word (v. 8)

c. Meditate on it (v. 8)

d. Act on it - obey (w. 7, 8)

2. What were the promised results? a. Prosperity and success

(v. 8) b. God‟s presence (v. 9)

REFLECTION a How do I treat God‟s Word? b. Do I feel

His presence?

3. What should be the attitude/character of a man whom God

uses?

a. Strong and of good courage (vv. 6,7,9)

b. Not frightened or dismayed (v. 9)

How can he be so?

(The Lord God is with him - v. 9)

CONCLUSION

God wants to use us. He wants us to claim His promises,

and lead other people to Him. But we must first treasure His

Word and obey it. We must be strong and of good courage. We

can be, because the Lord God is with us.

Lesson 42: Sharing: Giving of Our Substance

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Lesson 42:

SHARING: Giving of Our Substance John 6: 1-15

In learning about practical Christian living, one of the most

important areas is to learn how to share. Today we will study a

passage that shows what happens when we are willing to share

what we have.

Bible Readings

John 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee,

which is the Sea of Tiberias.

2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His

signs which He performed on those who were diseased.

3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with

His disciples.

4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.

5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude

coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy

bread, that these may eat?"

6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He

would do.

7 Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of

bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may

have a little."

8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said

to Him,

9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two

small fish, but what are they among so many?"

10 Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there

was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number

about five thousand.

11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks

He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those

sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.

12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather

up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."

13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets

with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left

over by those who had eaten.

14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did,

said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."

15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to

come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed

again to the mountain by Himself alone. (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Philip’s Test (vv. 1-7)

1. What is the setting of this event?

What did Jesus ask Philip and why did He ask it?

2. What lesson can we learn from this? (Our Lord is all

knowing and all powerful. When he tests us, it is to make

us grow. So we should thank Him for the trials and tests

that we meet, instead of blaming Him and grumbling.)

If you were one of the disciples, how would you have felt?

What would you have done?

B. Giving of our Substance (vv. 5-14)

1. What are the main lessons of the feeding of the five

thousand?

a. The boy had only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, but he

was willing to share what he had and gave them to

Jesus. Jesus accepted his gift and made it enough.

Application: How do we apply this in our lives with

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regards to sharing our material things, talent, time, etc.?

b. Jesus is able to meet our needs. Very often we focus our

eyes on our problems and feel helpless (like Philip),

whereas Jesus is waiting for us to turn to Him to

provide.

2. What do you think motivated the boy to share what he had?

(It was not for recognition or fame or praise, because his

name was not even mentioned. He must have been

motivated by love for Jesus and others.)

Application: What usually motivates people today to share?

What should motivate us to share?

Peter was the leader of the disciples. But note that it was

Andrew, not Peter, who found the boy who was willing to

share. What lesson can we learn from this?

(Andrew was quieter, but he did his part. He was more

observant, more sensitive to people, more helpful. So he

was able to notice the boy and lead him to Christ.)

How do we apply this in our church today?

Usually, we look up to the “leaders” to do things—those

who can speak well, sing well, etc. But more often than not,

it is the “ordinary” members who contribute more to the

growth of our church. Are you one of them? Do you realize

what you can do?

3. Did the people have enough to eat? How much was

leftover? (v. 13)

What lesson can we learn from this?

(Jesus not only fed the people, He gave them more than

enough. Today some of our churches seem to be so poor,

both materially and spiritually. Why? Is our Lord not the

same Lord? Often we blame others—”That fellow gives so

little” . . . “She does not want to serve” . . . etc. How about

ourselves? Notice that the boy did not mind whether others

gave or not. He simply did his part.)

4. What did Jesus instruct them to do with the leftovers? (v.

12). What lesson can we learn from this? (Never be

wasteful.)

Application: In what ways are we wasteful nowadays in our

daily lives?

C. Giving of Ourselves To God (v. 15)

1. What did Jesus do after this incident?

2. What can we learn from what he did?

a. Humility of Jesus.

b. Importance of withdrawing regularly to a secluded

place for intense prayer. Notice the term “withdraw

again,” meaning He had the habit of withdrawing to the

mountains for prayer.

Why is it important to do so?

CONCLUSION

The true Christian naturally wants to share what he has, out

of love for his Lord and other people. Unconditionally, and

without comparing what he gives with what others give. Let us

be sensitive to what others need, and share what the Lord has

given us.

Lesson 43: Sharing Our Faith

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Lesson 43:

SHARING OUR FAITH John 1: 35-51

A person who loves our Lord will naturally want to introduce

others to Him. Today we will study a passage, which shows us

how to do it.

Bible Readings

John 1:35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his

disciples.

36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the

Lamb of God!"

37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed

Jesus.

38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them,

"What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to

say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"

39 He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw

where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it

was about the tenth hour).

40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him,

was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We

have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).

42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at

him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be

called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

43 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He

found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."

44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and

Peter.

45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found

Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote--

Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

46 And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out

of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him,

"Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"

48 Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus

answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you

were under the fig tree, I saw you."

49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the

Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

50 Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I

saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see

greater things than these."

51 And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you,

hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God

ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. Telling The Good News (vv. 35-46)

1. Who are the people in this passage that shared their faiths

to whom?

a. John the Baptist to Andrew and another disciple.

(vv. 35, 36)

b. Andrew to Peter (v. 41)

c. Philip to Nathaniel (v. 45)

2. What was the result of their sharing? (Their companions

followed Jesus.)

3. What made them qualified to share their faith? (They

themselves knew Jesus first.)

Application: How do we apply this in our lives? (Before we

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can share our faith with others, we must know Jesus

personally.) How real is He to you? What is your

relationship with Him?

4. How did they share their faith?

(They pointed their companions to Jesus. Shared what they

knew about Jesus. Brought their companions to see Jesus.)

Application:

a. How do we apply this?

(Many try to share their faith by arguing, by presenting

a system. But the only way for us to effectively share

our faith is to point to Jesus. Our belief is in a Person,

not a system or organization.)

NOTE: However, once a person has come to know

Jesus personally, he should be brought into the

fellowship of the church because the church is the Body

of Christ.

b. Since “actions speak louder than words,” can we

evangelize by just living a good life?

(If we keep silent and just live a good life, people may

attribute it to our natural goodness and not to God. If

we evangelize with words but live a life dishonoring to

God, people will not believe what we say. So both

action and words are needed.)

5. Although the passage is not explicit in this, why do you

think they shared their faith?

a. They recognized man‟s problem - sin

b. They know of God‟s plan - salvation through Jesus.

c. They loved their companions - unless saved, they

would perish.

Example: Suppose all of us are suffering from a deadly

sickness. Unless a cure is found, everyone will die

within a certain time. Then you find a doctor who is

able to cure you. If you love your friends, you will want

to introduce them to him too.

REFLECTION: How much do I care for people around me who

do not know Christ?

Am I really convinced that they need Christ?

B. Chain Reaction (vv. 35-51)

Notice that there is a chain reaction in the sharing of faith from

John F the Baptist to Andrew (w. 35-40) and from Andrew to

Peter (vv. 41-42).

How do we apply this? (You now know Christ because

someone shared his faith with you. You should in turn share

your faith with others.)

Are you willing to share your faith with others? Share your

experiences.

If you have tried in the past, but encountered difficulties, what

were those difficulties?

How can they be overcome?

What should we keep in mind when we share our faith in

Christ? (God is in charge. Let us just be faithful in sharing, and

leave the results to the Holy Spirit.)

CONCLUSION

The best way for us to share our faith in Jesus Christ with

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others is on a person-to-person basis. Let them know who Jesus

is, how wonderful He is and how He has changed us. A

changed life is the best evidence of His presence in us.

Lesson 44: True Worship

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Lesson 44:

TRUE WORSHIP Isaiah 6: 1-8

We worship God every Sunday. Do we really? Let us compare

our worship with a Scriptural passage that illustrates what

worship really is.

Bible Readings

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord

sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe

filled the temple.

2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two

he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two

he flew.

3 And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the

LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!"

4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him

who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

5 So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a

man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of

unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of

hosts."

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a

live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.

7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: "Behold, this

has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin

purged."

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I

send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send

me." (NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. The Essence Of True Worship (~. 1-5)

Read verses 1-5 several times to let the picture and thought

sink in.

1. Describe Isaiah‟s experience.

What predominant elements in Isaiah‟s experience made it

true worship?

(God‟s majesty and holiness, and man‟s response.)

a. Objective fact - God‟s majesty and holiness (vv. 1-4)

b. Subjective fact - “I saw the Lord . . .” (vv. 1,5) - “I am

unclean . . .” (v. 5)

So, what is true worship?

(True worship is seeing with our spiritual eyes God in His

majesty and holiness, and responding to Him, realizing our

unworthiness and sinfulness.)

NOTE TO LEADER: This passage should be taken as a

whole. Do not go into discussion of each detail, like: What

is the meaning of the robe filling the Temple? Or, why did

the angels cover their eyes and bodies with their wings?

etc. If you get bogged down in details, the picture of God „s

majesty and holiness tends to get lost.

2. Let us examine our worship:

a. Are we able to “see the Lord” when we worship?

(1) Before the worship service starts, how do we

prepare our hearts?

What really are our expectations? Do we expect to

“see the Lord” or are we there just to fulfill our

obligation to attend church?

(2) During the service, what is our predominant

thought?

Our minds should be filled with God‟s majesty and

holiness.

Lesson 44: True Worship

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We should meditate on who He is, what He has

done, how His love is expressed.

b. What are the factors that detract us from true worship?

(1) Feeling sleepy

(2) Preoccupation with other thoughts

(3) Critical attitude towards sermon, choir, other

churchgoers, etc.

(4) Mumbling the prayers and wondering why we pray

the same thing week after week.

c. How do we remedy this?

(Ask your members to go through the different parts of

their worship service and discuss how each part is

designed to help us focus our attention on God—

whether it is the lighting of candles, the opening hymn,

prayers, Scripture readings, chants, etc., up to the

benediction.)

d. Every time we worship, do we fully realize our

unworthiness and sinfulness? What do we need to do?

(Consciously examine our lives and confess our sins

one by one. A general prayer of repentance is too

general.)

B. Results Of True Worship (vv. 6-8)

What are the results of Isaiah‟s worship experience?

1. He was cleansed. Sins forgiven. (vv. 6,7)

What does this mean in our lives? (God wants to “burn off”

our uncleanness. A person who is not willing to be cleansed

cannot participate in true worship. Perhaps that is why

many of us do not find worship meaningful. If we are

unwilling to let God purify us, we do not expect cleansing

and hence cannot “see God.”)

2. He became sensitive to God‟s leading (v. 8).

3. He was obedient (v. 8).

Application: Are we sensitive to God‟s leading?

Are we willing to obey?

Is it possible to participate in true worship and not heed

God‟s commands afterwards?

Why are so many of us disobedient in many areas of our

lives?

C. Worship In Review

Review the whole passage, describing the progressive stages in

Isaiah‟s experience.

1. Saw the Lord in His majesty and holiness

2. Realized his own sinfulness

3. Experienced forgiveness

4. Became aware of God‟s leading

5. Became willing to obey

May each of us experience all of the above every time we

worship.

CONCLUSION

True worship puts our relationship with God in the right

focus. We see God‟s majesty and holiness and our own

sinfulness. But He is merciful. He cleanses us and guides us.

We cannot but be obedient to such a wonderful, majestic and

loving God.

Lesson 45: The Vibrant, Growing Church

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Lesson 45:

THE VIBRANT, GROWING

CHURCH Acts 2: 40-47

All of us want our church to-be vibrant and growing. How can

it be so? Today we will take a look at the early church, and

analyze the factors that made it so.

Bible Readings

Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles'

doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in

prayers.

43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and

signs were done through the apostles.

44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in

common,

45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them

among all, as anyone had need.

46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and

breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with

gladness and simplicity of heart,

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the

Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

(NKJ)

DISCUSSION

A. The Early Church (vv. 4~47)

1. What was the early church like?

2. What elements were present in the early church as

enumerated in verses 40 to 47?

B. My Church Today

How does our church today compare with it?

a. Baptism (v. 41): What is the significance of baptism to

us?

Is baptism to our people today as meaningful as it was

to the early church? Or do we regard it as a custom

only?

b. Apostles‟ Teaching (vv. 41, 42):

Are the people in our church being fed properly with

the apostles‟ teachings? Are they growing spiritually?

In what ways can this be enhanced?

(Invite good speakers. Encourage Bible studies ....)

c. Fellowship (v. 42):

The early Christians did not just form a “fellowship”

and meet once a week or once a month. There was real

interaction among members, real concern and love,

bearing one another‟s burdens, caring for each other‟s

needs. Can we say this of our church today? What‟s

lacking? Why? What can be done so that there will be

real fellowship among members?

d. Breaking of Bread (v. 42):

What is the meaning and significance of Holy

Communion? Are the people of our church taught this?

Every time we approach the Lord‟s table to partake of

His Body and drink of His Blood, are we overwhelmed

by His love? Are we aware of why His body was

broken for us and why His blood was shed for us?

If not, why not? How can we make it sot

e. Prayer (v. 42):

How meaningful is prayer in the lives of our members?

Do they feel that they are communicating with God?

Lesson 45: The Vibrant, Growing Church

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How can we help enrich their prayer life?

How is our church‟s prayer life?

How is my own prayer life?

f. Love and concern for each other (vv. 44, 45):

Though we do not do exactly what they did (selling all

their possessions) because we are in a different

historical context, do we have this common love for

each other? How is it expressed (or not expressed)?

How can we learn to become more sensitive to the

needs of others?

Instead of waiting for others to start, what can I do in

this regard?

g. Oneness in spirit (v. 46):

Does our church have oneness of spirit?

Do we have a common vision?

Do we have a sense of working together towards a

common goal?

How can this be achieved?

In the early church, sacrifice was a way of life, and

unity went beyond having a common Savior. It was a

unity that made them one. Today‟s church seems to

have too much of „self‟ to make this possible. How can

this be remedied?

h. Worship (v. 46). Praising God (v. 47):

Worship should be a strong point of our church. Are all

our spirits lifted up to God when we attend worship

services?

i. Good testimony in public (v. 47): What is the public

impression of our church today?

Are they attracted to Christ because of us?

Or have we become a “mutual admiration society”

which has lost contact with the world? What can we

do?

C. The Growth Factor (v. 47)

1. Verse 47 says “And the Lord added to their number day by

day those who were being saved.”

Is this happening in our church today? If not, why not?

2. How does this relate to what we discussed in Sections A &

B?

(If our church has all the elements of the early church, we

will naturally be vibrant and growing, as in v. 47. On the

other hand, if our church is not growing, we should

examine which elements are missing.)

CONCLUSION

Let us not put all the blame on others. After all, you and I

are part of the church, and should share some of the

responsibility. Even if we cannot expect others to change

immediately, we can ask our Lord to change us, so that our

small group can start to function like part of the early church.

And we can pray that eventually our whole church will become

vibrant and growing like the early church.