Review of Week 40:

CRUSHED: Crushing may hurt, but it has its purpose. The mystery (Christ in you) is revealed as we proclaim, admonish, and teach.

SEE/CARE: We need to get past knowledge to character. We need to do our part in the valleys and the plains.

NEED: The world needs what we find to be true on the mountain.

HELP: Are we willing and able to help a troubled world.

TOGETHER: We’re not alone, and it’s not about us. We must work together.

MY SIN: My sin can be immorality and wrongdoing, or pompous religious blether. Both require the sacrifice of Christ and my surrendering control.

RE-GENED: Our body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. Our disposition must be regenerated.

Oct. 7 - BE RECONCILED

2 Corinthians 5:21 ”...He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him...”

What is the difference between wrong doing and wrong being?

How is what we do a result of what we are?

How is the Bible’s approach to sin different than religious dealings with sins?

- sins are the result of a sin nature.

- external dealings with sins leaves the sin nature intact.

- Jesus took the sin nature to the cross.

How was the cross an act beyond sympathy?

- Jesus didn’t just feel sorry for humanity.

- Jesus identified with the human sin nature and took it to judgment.

2 Corinthians 5:16-20 ”...Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God...”

- what does it mean to be a new creation?

- are we being trustworthy with the message of reconciliation?

Romans 6:1-14 ”...What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace...”

God’s part?

- Jesus died on the cross, paying the penalty for sin.

- Jesus rose from the dead.

Our part?

- to be buried with him by baptism into death.

- no longer enslaved to sin.

- be reconciled and carry on the ministry of reconciliation.

Oct. 8 - COME

Matthew 11:28 “...Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest...”

How does getting Jesus to come to our situation differ from coming to Jesus?

- we almost always want Jesus to come to us.

- we’re rarely ready to leave our priorities to come to Jesus.

How do we dispute rather than come?

How do we go through sorrow rather than come?

Who must put the axe to the root of the reason we don’t come to Jesus?

Matthew 3:10 “...The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire...”

How do we identify the root?

- if we have a healthy conscience, the Holy Spirit let’s us know.

• if we don’t have a healthy conscience, and don’t hear God clearly, we should be on our knees in repentance.

Oct. 9 - PRESENT YOURSELF

Romans 6:19 ”...I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification...”

Who makes atonement for sin? Who redeems the world?

Who rights wrongs? Who makes the unholy holy?

Can we do any of these things? [this is God’s work]

What can we do?

- present our members as slave to sin, with increasing selfish focus.

- present our members as slaves to righteousness, with increasing God focus.

Romans 6:12-13 “...Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God...”

Does God work through people?

Does Satan work through people?

Who is working through us?

Why must the Atonement always be the central point of our lives?

- Jesus redeems the world, rights wrongs, and imputes holiness.

- Without the blood of Jesus, we’re just a lot of pious blether.

Oct. 10 - REPENT / OBEY

Matthew 11:25 ”...At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants...”

Context:

11:1-19 Jesus describes the ministry of John the Baptist. What was John’s message? [repent]

11:20-24 Jesus denounces Chorazin and Bethsaida because of their response to his mighty works. What did they NOT do? [repent]

Is it complicated to follow Jesus?

Does it require a great deal of knowledge?

Why does the Lord of heaven and earth hide things from the wise and understanding?

- they are focused on self, self worth, and self attainment.

- they are unrepentant in their approach.

Ephesians 3:14-19 ”...For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God...”

How are we strengthened? [with power through His Spirit in our inner being]

How are we rooted and grounded? [by Christ dwelling in us through faith]

How important is agape? [it surpasses knowledge]

What is the result of being strengthened, rooted, grounded, and loved? [filled with all the fullness of God]

Is knowledge important?

2 Peter 1:3-8 “...seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ...”

- knowledge needs to be increasing to keep us from being useless and unfruitful.

- the knowledge we need is “true knowledge of our Lord Jesus”.

How is your understanding of a dark room affected by turning on a light?

How is your understanding of life affected by walking in obedience? [it turns on the light of the world]

Oct. 11 - WAIT

John 11:6 ”...So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was...”

Context:

- Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

- Lazarus becomes ill.

- Mary and Martha send word to Jesus about his sickness.

- Jesus waits until Lazarus dies.

Why did Jesus wait?

John 11:4 “...But when Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it..."

- The glory of God was to be revealed.

What was it like from the sisters’ point of view?

- they had a need.

- they sent for Jesus.

- He didn’t come soon enough.

Why didn’t He come sooner?

- God had other plans.

Have you ever had a need, asked Jesus to come quickly, and He didn’t?

Is waiting easy?

Which are more important, our needs or God’s plans?

Do we trust Him? Do we trust Him when things don’t go according to our plans?

Can silence be an answer? Can we remain faithful during silence?

Oct. 12 - WALK

Genesis 5:24 ”...Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him...”

Of all the Bible characters, whose life would you most prefer to live?

Adam - cast out.

Noah - total change of normal.

Moses - dealt with stiff necked people.

David - disfunctional family.

Solomon - 1000 wives.

Daniel - served nasty, pagan kings.

Jesus - died a cruel death.

Disciples - tremendous persecution.

Enoch walked with God and was no more.

Why is it difficult for an infant to walk with a parent?

- they don’t know how to walk.

Why is it difficult for a toddler to walk with a parent?

- they have short wobbly legs.

Why is it difficult for a teenager to walk with a parent?

- they are distracted by other things.

When is it difficult for us to walk with God?

- if we haven’t yet learned to walk.

- if we’re still wobbly.

- if we’re distracted by other things.

What happens when we get in stride with Jesus?

- it’s not about us anymore.

- like Enoch, we are no more.

Can we learn to walk with God by talking about it?

- until we get out on our wobbly legs, we never make progress in learning to walk.

Oct. 13 - TIMING

Exodus 2:11 “...Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren...”

Context:

- Moses was raised in Egyptian royalty, but was actually an Israelite.

- The Israelites were in grievous bondage to the Egyptians.

- Moses came to a realization of the cruelty.

- He took matters into his own hands and killed an Egyptian.

Was Moses out of step in his walk with God?

Did God know about the cruelty to the Israelites?

Did God have intentions of delivering Israel? Genesis 15:13 “...God said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years...”

Did God intend to use Moses?

Did Moses need to wait for God’s timing?

Do we ever see cruelty?

Does God have intentions of using us?

Are we waiting for God’s timing?

How long are we willing to wait?

Does our slow character development make our wait longer?

Is our character development a priority to God?

How long did it take God to develop Moses’ character?