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Dear
Friend,
These
lessons are for new or young believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, or for
anyone who wants to refresh their understanding of the basics of the
Christian Life
I pray
that they will help to strengthen your faith, and that you will continue to
grow day by day, and be established in understanding God's Word
Please
read each lesson several times, and complete the questions at the end of
each lesson before moving on to the next lesson
The
questions can be checked and corrected by turning to the Bible references
indicated
There is
no need to send the lessons back to us, but if you have questions or need
advice, do write to us at your nearest MRC address
May
Yahweh our Heavenly Father bless you and keep you all along the Way
Your
brother in the Messiah, Don Stanton
THE WAY
The LORD …
your Teacher will no longer be hidden, but your eyes will see Your Teacher
And your
ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the Way, walk in it.’
(Isaiah 30:20-21)
Bible Lessons for New
Believers
By
DON
E STANTON
MARANATHA
REVIVAL CRUSADE ROELANDS, WEST AUSTRALIA
CONTENTS
Lesson
One The Beginning of the Way
Lesson
Two Growing in the Way
Lesson
Three Established in the Way
Lesson
Four Experiencing Christ, the Way
Lesson
Five Your Ever-present Helper on the Way
Lesson
Six Disciplined to Climb the Way
Lesson
Seven Dangers Lurking along the Way
Lesson
Eight Battles in the Way
LESSON ONE
THE
BEGINNING OF THE WAY
Have you
received the Lord Jesus as your personal Saviour?
You have
made the decision to follow Him? That’s wonderful!
We
rejoice with you, dear believer, and the angels in Heaven also rejoice, for
this is no small decision you have made! It is the greatest decision you
could ever make
The
Almighty God has been graciously working in your life to bring you to His
Way
Your
decision has undoubtedly been the turning point of your life, and now you
are discovering that everything seems to be new
That is a
good sign, for the Scriptures tell us that when we receive Christ,
everything does become new
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, (the Messiah), he is a new creation; the
old things have passed away; see, all things have become new.”
(2 Corinthians 5:17)
THE NEW
BIRTH
When one
repents of sin and receives Christ as his Saviour, he experiences what is
known as “the new birth.” This is the spiritual birth by which one is
born into the family of God, and enters the Kingdom of Light
It is
also called Regeneration
Before
your new birth experience, you were “dead in trespasses and sins.”
(Ephesians 2:1)
You may have been religious,
but you did not have spiritual life
That is
why you did not care deeply for the things of God, and you did not know Him
in a personal way
But now
you have been made alive, and your spirit pulsates with desire to know the
Lord and to feed upon Him
The new
birth experience is so necessary - for everyone, for, as the Lord Jesus
said; “This is the
solemn truth I tell you; no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born
again.” (John 3:3)
The new birth is the
beginning of the WAY
THE NEW
FAMILY
Through
the new birth you come into the family of God; you become, in fact, a child
of God
“But to
all who received Him, Jesus, to those who believe in His Name, He
gave the right to become children of God.”
(John 1:12)
Now that you have this
wonderful new relationship to God, the Father will train you in His ways
Just now,
having become a child of God, you are “a babe,” but you will grow to
maturity if you feed on the right things
The food
that makes you spiritually strong is the Lord Jesus Himself, and His Word
So seek
to develop regular prayer and Bible reading habits
It is in
prayer that you speak to your new Master, and through the Word He speaks to
you
Through
this two-way fellowship, you “feed” upon Him
That's
why Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life.”
(John 6:35)
In the family of God, you have
very many brothers and sisters – other believers and followers of Christ
Remember,
they are your family, and some of them will be of great help to you
Some will
help nurse you
Others
will help feed you, and teach you to walk in the ways of the Master
Others
will help you to talk and to sing praises to God
After
some time, you yourself will be helping other believers in various ways
So seek
to continue in regular fellowship with other believers
A NEW
MASTER
The most
wonderful thing about the new birth, is that it links you to the Saviour,
the Lord Jesus, who now becomes your new Master
Before
you received Jesus as your Saviour, you were serving a cruel, evil, master -
Satan
You may
not have realized you were serving him - he is so subtle
But, it
is a fact, until the Lord Jesus breaks the chains of slavery and sets them
free, everyone, voluntarily or involuntarily, serves the devil
The
believer is set free from bondage so that he may serve
5 6
the Living God
And
service to God is not bondage
Rather,
it's a JOY, for we are brought into a close relationship with the most
wonderful Person we could ever know
We have
the privilege of being an intimate companion of the Son of God
“The Way”
that we are now travelling, is actually the Lord Jesus Himself
The
Master said; “I am
the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no-one comes to the Father, except
through Me.” (John 14:6)
Everything concerning
the Way relates to Jesus, so get to know him better each day
He will
lead you and He will keep you right through to the end - the time when you
are with Him in Heaven
Keep your
eyes upon Him! Don’t set your eyes on people who may, or may not, be
good examples
People
never come up to our expectations, but the Lord Jesus is never a
disappointment
His
promise to each one of his people is:
“You are My servant, I have
chosen you and not rejected you
Do not
fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God
I will
strengthen you; definitely I will help you; I will uphold you with My
righteous Right Hand.”
(Isaiah 41:9-10)
A NEW JOY
When one
experiences the new birth, he receives forgiveness of sin
This is
not an imagination, but a reality which brings a deep sense of cleanness
And
coming into personal fellowship with God, produces joy and peace
It is the
result of knowing that you are, at last, right with God
You are
saved! The degree of joy we experience in the Lord, varies from time to
time, and from person to person
It may be
an ecstatic joy that thrills you through and through, that makes you want to
shout and sing and to tell everyone about what the Lord has done for you
It may,
on the other hand, be a deep, calm, joyous assurance that causes you to sit
quietly in worship of God
The joy
is real in both cases
Yes, the
joy is real, and while it abides in our spirit, and is experienced through
our soul and emotions, we need to remember that our emotions and feelings
change
So we
should not rely upon our feelings to give us the assurance of the Lord’s
Presence, and His love and salvation
As
believers we may be more aware of the joy of the Lord on certain days, and
not on other days
But we
are called to walk by FAITH, trusting GOD, and not to go by our feelings
If one
day you do not feel elated and filled with joy, does that mean the
Lord has left you, or that you have lost something? No, of course not! It is
simply that your feelings are “off-line,” or in “low gear” at the time
God’s
Word has not changed, has it? No! His promise has not changed! His salvation
has not been revoked! There is no need to be afraid because you don’t have
good feelings today
You have
not renounced your Saviour, have you? No! Your decision to follow Him is
still very much in force, and your relationship to Him remains secure
Always
remember: Your salvation does not depend upon your feelings, but on the Word
and the promises of God
A NEW
PURPOSE
No doubt
you are discovering that you now have a new purpose to live for
Your
vision is changing
Many
things that seemed so important to you before, have now lost their
attraction
You are
beginning to see that the things of the world are temporary - and that there
is an eternity ahead of you
As you
climb further up the Way, you begin to understand the things of God more
deeply
You
realize that you have become a part of God’s great plan - His eternal
purpose
The
Father's purpose in creating us was to make us His sons and daughters, so
that we might bring pleasure and satisfaction to Him, and that we might
enjoy His life and love for ever
Yes, God
created us for Himself
The
Scripture is clear:
“You are worthy, O LORD, to receive glory and honour and power; for You
created all things, and because of Your will they exist, and were created.”
(Revelation 4:11)
7 8
This is a thrilling reality,
and the understanding of it, will greatly enlarge our vision, and lead us to
NEW
BEHAVIOUR
Yes, your
behaviour has been changing since coming to the Lord Jesus, hasn’t it? And
yet, there is still much more that He needs to change in your life
Don’t be
afraid of changes! Whatever the Lord does in your life is for your
betterment; so let Him mould you into His own likeness
Let the
Master take away any habits that are hindrances in your life
Let Him
remould your life
Yes, He
will change your behaviour, for He intends to make you more holy, more
loving, more truthful, more pure, and more like Himself
For sure,
His perfect work in you will not be completed in a day, nor even in a single
year
It will
be a progressive work
You will
grow in Him day by day, throughout your whole life
“Grow in
the grace and knowledge of our Master and Saviour, Jesus Christ
To Him be
the glory, both now and to the day of eternity (for ever)
Amen.”
(2 Peter 3:18)
NEW TRIALS
As you
progress in this new Way, you will come across various trials and problems
These are
only to be expected, for your old master, Satan, is now your new enemy -
your enemy in a new way
And he
does not take kindly to your deliverance from his clutches
Another
enemy you will encounter, is “the World.” Not everyone in the world will
share your joy and faith in the Lord
Some of
your friends will discard you
Some of
your relatives may even persecute you, or cast you out because you have
given your life to Christ - the Messiah
Now that
your allegiance is to the Lord Jesus, you may not find yourself so welcome
with the world as you were before
You may
find that some temptations become more acute now
You will
certainly become more aware of the blackness of sin, and it will grieve you
whenever you fail
At times,
it will seem that the battle between right and wrong is going on right
inside you
But,
young believer, never fear that you have lost salvation because of this
warfare, or because of any failure
In a
later lesson we'll discuss this more fully, but for now, let us recognize
that trials will come
The
positive side, however, is that God uses our trials to develop our faith and
maturity in Him
“In this
you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while you have been
distressed by various trials, that the proving of your faith - which is
more precious than gold that perishes, though tested by fire -may
be found to result in praise, glory and honour at the revelation of
Jesus the Messiah
”
( 1 Peter 1:6-7)
We can be totally assured that
in all our trials, problems, persecutions and temptations, the Saviour will
be with us, not just to aid, but to deliver
He
will give us the victory
“Thanks
be to God who gives us the victory through our Master, Jesus the Messiah.”
(1 Corinthians 15:57)
“The Lord knows how to
rescue the godly out of temptation and trials.”
(2 Peter 2:9)
“No temptation has seized you
that people do not normally experience
And God
is faithful; He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to
bear
But with
the temptation He will also provide the way out so that you may be able to
stand up under it.” (1
Corinthians 10:13) So
friend, this is the beginning of the Way that leads to life eternal
We
encourage you to press ahead in the Way, as we ourselves are doing
We are
just a little ahead of you and we want to help you in the Way
The
lessons following, we trust, will be a great help and blessing to you
Please
read over each lesson several times during the week to retain the contents
in your mind
Also,
try to memorize some of the Bible verses included in the lessons
They will
be a good standby for you in the coming days
TEST
YOURSELF QUESTIONS Use
your Bible to check or find your answers
What are
the two ways in life that people follow?
(Matthew 7:13-14)
.…………….......................................………………….…………
....................................................................................................
On which
way are you travelling?
................................................
What is
the door or gate to the Spiritual Way? (John 10:9)
…………………............................................................…...……
....................................………….....................................................
As a
believer and follower of the Lord Jesus, can you expect your life to be
trouble free? (John 15:18-20) …………………………………………………....………….…………
When you
came to Christ, what did you become? Or what new relationship to God do you
now have?
..............................................................
of God
(John 1:12)
.........................................................
of Jesus
(John 15:15)
................................................................
Christ
(John 15:8)
A part of
the ...............................
of Christ
(Ephesians 5:23)
Part of
the ..................................
of Christ
(Revelation 21:2)
What are
the main things that happened when you received Jesus Christ as your Lord
and Saviour?
.....................................................................................
(John
3:7)
....................................................................
(2
Corinthians 5:17)
..................................................................................
(1 John
3:2)
.................................................................................
(1 John
3:14)
Who is
your new Master? Does he enslave you, or set you free? (Galatians 1:4, John
8:32)
…………………....................................
Does your
salvation depend on good feelings? (Ephesians 2:8-9)
.......................................................................……………………
If you
wake up one fine morning feeling terrible, would you think that the Lord had
forsaken you? (Hebrews 13:5) .
....................
Does God
have a purpose for you? (Romans 8:28) ..................
…………................................................…………………………….
When you
are attacked by the devil, how should you fight the powers of darkness?
(Ephesians 6:11-18)
………………………...........................…………………….......……
....................................................................................….……………
Why does
the world hate you? (John 15:19) ...........................
………………………………………..........................................……
Whose is
the ultimate Victory? (1 Corinthians 15:57) ..............
………….......................................................…………………….……
Write
down from memory, one Bible verse from this lesson along with its quotation
…………....………………………......................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................
LESSON TWO
GROWING IN
THE WAY
You truly
entered a new way when you received the Lord Jesus as your personal Saviour
Now you
need to grow up, to walk, and to progress on the Upward Way
You don’t
want to remain a spiritual babe, do you? Just as a baby needs to have the
right food to grow physically, we need the right food to grow spiritually
In this
lesson we will discuss our spiritual diet and how we should take in this
heavenly food
What type
of food do we need? What has been provided? There are four types of
spiritual food and drink in the Bible:
The Milk
of the Word
The Meat
of the Word
The Bread
of Life
The Water
of Life
These
four items will provide a heavenly diet
THE MILK
OF THE WORD
We read
of the Milk in the first Book of Peter:
“Like newborn babes, crave for
the pure (unadulterated) milk of the Word, that you may grow in
respect of salvation, now that you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”
(1 Peter 2:2)
The “Word” is the Word of God,
the Bible
The
‘Milk’ means the fundamental truths from the more easy-to-digest portions of
Scripture, along with the nutritious, strengthening precepts of God
THE MEAT
OF THE WORD
The
following exhortation in the book of Hebrews is about those who are growing
up in Christ: “Anyone
who lives on milk is still an infant without experience in applying
the word of righteousness
But solid
food is for the mature whose faculties have been exercised and
trained by constant practice to discern good and evil.”
(Hebrews 5:13-14)
We should not live solely on
‘Milk.’ We should desire stronger food also
‘Meat’!
Many Scriptures have very deep meanings and truths which are usually not
digested on a first reading, or even on a tenth reading
A
believer will be continuously discovering more of the wonders of the truth
in the Word as he studies and meditates on it throughout his life
DAILY
FEEDING ON THE BIBLE
Disciples
of Jesus should make a regular practice of feeding upon the Word of God
daily
This is
essential for our spiritual growth – it is more essential than eating our
physical food
To feed
on the Bible, however, means more than simply reading the Scriptures
It is to
take the words of God into your soul, so that they become part of you
You need
to continually remember that the Bible is the Word of God
It is not
merely a historical or religious book
It is a
holy book – and more; it’s the very message of God for YOU personally
Learn to
value the Word of God
Learn to
love the Word
It is
God’s love letter to you
God has
caused every word to be written in just the right way, so that it might be
food and encouragement for your soul
Some of
the writers of the Bible themselves have written in this strain:
“O how I love Your Torah -
Your teaching! It is my meditation all the day.” “How sweet to my
taste has Your Word been! Sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
(Psalm 119:97, 103)
“Your words were found and I
ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart.”
(Jeremiah 15:16)
Feeding on the Bible gives
light to your mind, as well as food to your soul
It
strengthens your faith, it helps to keep you from sin, it gives you
instructions, and draws you closer to God
It guides
you into all truth, and encourages you all along the way
So make
feeding on the Bible, your daily habit
HOW TO
STUDY THE BIBLE
Set aside
a time, especially each morning for this purpose
And close
the day by reading a portion of Scripture
Decide
what portion of Scripture you will study
Be
systematic in reading
Aim at
reading right through the Bible
This does
not necessarily mean starting at the first book and reading through to the
end
It is
better to have a balanced diet of Old Testament and New Testament
You may
decide to read a chapter of the New Testament in the morning and a chapter
of the Old Testament at night
Many
believers aim at reading the complete Bible within one year
This can
be done by reading an average of four chapters per day
One plan
is to read two Old Testament chapters, one New Testament chapter and one
Psalm or chapter of Proverbs each day
Some
portions of the Bible you can read through more rapidly, such as the
historical Old Testament books
You will
want to read other sections more slowly and minutely, particularly the
epistles of the New Testament
It is not
how much you read, but how you read the Word that is important
Before
starting to read, pray and ask the Master to speak to you, and to
feed you
As you
read, meditate on the Word, analyze it; see what the message is
Think
it over
Is there
any promise, or command, or any instructions for you in this portion? Any
example to follow? Any error to avoid? What is God saying to you through the
portion? 4
It is a
good idea to mark your Bible - underline any special words or
verses - or mark key words or subjects
This will
help you to become more familiar with the Bible
You will
find after some time, that you are able to find your way around the Book
quite well
Pray
about what you have read
Let your
“spiritual cud” chew the food over throughout the day or night
It is
good to memorize special verses
Then seek
to obey and live out the Word
THE BREAD
OF LIFE
This may
come as a surprise - the Bread of Life is a person? “What?” you say, “How
can I eat a person? What bread is this?” It is the Person of the Lord Jesus
These are
His words: “‘I tell you
the truth; Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives
you the true bread from heaven
For the
bread of God is He who comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.’
So they said to Him, ‘Master, give us this bread always.’ Then Jesus said to
them, ‘I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me will never go hungry, and
he
w ho
believes in Me will never be thirsty’.”
(John 6: 32-35)
Yes, Jesus is the Heavenly
Bread, the Living Bread
We feast
upon Him - not physically, but spiritually
As we
spend time in His Presence, in prayer and fellowship, we will be “eating”
the Living Bread
He will
satisfy our souls and our spirits, just as ordinary food satisfies the body
To
partake of the Lord Jesus means partaking of His life
Without
Jesus, we cannot have any spiritual life
This is
clear from these words of the Lord:
“‘I am the Living Bread that
came down from heaven
If anyone
eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and indeed, the bread that I will
give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’ The Jews
therefore began to quarrel with one another, saying, ‘How can this
Man give us His flesh to eat?’ “Then Jesus said to them, ‘I am
telling you the truth! Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink
His blood, you have no life in you
He who
eats My flesh and drinks My blood has everlasting life, and I will raise him
up at the last day
For My
flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed
He who
eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I live in him
As the
Living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father; so he who feeds on
Me will live because of Me
“This is
the bread which came down from heaven - not as the fathers ate the manna and
died. He who eats this bread will live forever’.”
(John 6: 51-58)
These words at first seem very
strange indeed, but we must realize the Lord is not talking about His
physical body and blood
He is
saying that we must partake of Him in such a way that He becomes a part
of us
If we
read and feed on His spoken and written word, and commune or talk
with Him, we will be partaking of His very life - and the more we commune
with Him, the more we will be “eating His body and drinking His blood” -
partaking of His life
If we
have His life and instructions active within us, then we truly live,
spiritually, because of Him
There is
also another reason for the Lord saying that we are to “eat His body and
drink His blood.” His body was offered on the cross as a sacrifice for our
salvation
His blood
was shed there, and this signifies that His life was given for the
forgiveness of our sins
A person
first partakes of salvation through faith in Christ, and he immediately
partakes of the benefits of the sacrifice on the cross
Then, as
a believer, he continuously partakes of the Living Bread - the Living Christ
You will
find many verses in the Bible encouraging us to pray - to commune, and to
talk with the Master
One
passage says: “Rejoice
always! Pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s
will for you in Christ Jesus.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
We are encouraged to
pray always
Of course
you can’t be on your knees, or meditating in a quiet place, all the time
But you
can, and should talk to your Heavenly Father often - wherever you are - even
while walking down the street, or even in the midst of hectic activity
Your
hands, and even your mouth may be busy, but your spirit can be communing
with the Lord
Remember, the
Master is with you and in you
So commune with Him as often as possible
HOW TO
COMMUNE ?
This must
be a very personal exercise on your part
There is
no set pattern for prayer
A few
points may help:
Let your
prayer include much praise and adoration of God
The more
you get to know Him, the more you will love and praise Him
(Philippians 4:4)
Always
confess any faults or sins in your life that you are conscious of
(1 John 1:9)
Learn to
give thanks in every situation
(1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Let
your needs be made known to God
(Philippians 4:6)
Pray
for others - for
the extension of the kingdom of God
(Ephesians 6:18)
Talk
things over with
the Lord
Be
intimate in prayer
“Continue
to devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with
thanksgiving.”
(Colossians 4:2)
THE WATER
OF LIFE
The Lord
Jesus satisfies not only our hunger, but also our thirst
The Water
He gives is Living Water
He
offered it once to a woman in Samaria:
“But whoever drinks the water
that I give him will never ever thirst again
Indeed
the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up into
eternal life.” (John
4:14) In John, chapter
seven, we read that the Living Water is the Spirit; that is, the Holy
Spirit: “Now on the
final and most important day of Sukkot, the Feast of
Tabernacles, Jesus stood and cried out, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him
come to Me and drink
Whoever
believes and trusts in Me, as the Scripture has said, “rivers of
living water will flow from his innermost being”.’ By this He meant the
Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive.”
(John 7:37-39)
The Master gives us His Holy
Spirit so that we may be fully satisfied in Him
As we
"drink" of His Spirit, we become gloriously filled with His life and power,
and our lives become 17
18 channels of
blessings, bringing refreshment to others
HOW TO
DRINK OF THE SPIRIT
The Holy
Spirit lives within every born again believer
He
constantly fills us, and flows through our lives - as long as we walk "in
the Spirit" - that is, in fellowship with the Master
We need
to maintain that fellowship by surrendering our lives to the Master each day
This will
enable the Holy Spirit to flow like a River of Living Water through
us, bringing blessing to others as well as ourselves
But when
sin comes into our lives, it causes us to walk "in the flesh." Selfishness,
self-centredness, pride, disobedience, or holding anything back from God,
will grieve the Spirit, and bring a blockage
Once the
sins and blockages are dealt with, God will restore us, and the River will
flow again
How can
we deal with the blockages? By confessing any known sins to
God
This
leads to an immediate restoration of fellowship with the Master
The
blockages will then be removed
A failure
to confess our sins means our lives become a stagnant pool, and we
become discouraged, or parched
Confession and surrender to the Master brings restoration, and then we may
"drink" again of the Holy Spirit
(In
Lesson 5, we will study more deeply, the work of the Holy Spirit.)
Finally: Avoid the wrong
spiritual diet
Avoid bad
food and harmful drinks
Avoid
"junk food" - avoid feasting on the entertainment of the world
Avoid
taking in the debased, frivolous and unsavory influences and standards of
the unbelieving society in which you live
Don’t
feed on folly or idleness
Avoid
worldly attractions; for the Scripture commands us:
“Do not love the world nor the
things in the world
If anyone
loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him
For all
that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the
boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world
The world
is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of
God lives for ever.” (1
John 2:15-17)
TEST
YOURSELF QUESTIONS
Use
your Bible to check or find your answers
How does
one grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus? (1 Peter 2:2, Hebrews 5: 13-14)
.....................................................
.........................................................................................................
What use
is the Bible in our lives today? ( 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
………….........………………………………….………………………
Why is
Jesus called the Bread of Life? (John 6:57)
…………………………………………..............………………………
Who is
the best teacher of the Bible? (John 14:26)
………………………......………………………………………………
Does God
expect us to pay in some way for the food and drink that He provides?
(Isaiah 55:1, Rev 22:17)
……………....................………………………………………………
What are
some of the things that we need to avoid in the way?
..................................................................................
(2 Tim
2:16)
..............................................................................…
(2 Tim
2:3)
.................................................................................
(1 Thess
5:22)
.................................................................................
(1 John
5:21)
...................................................................................
(Eph
4:29)
...................................................................................
(Eph
4:30)
.................................................................…..............
(Eph
4:31)
.............................................................................
(Romans
12:19)
There are
nine Scripture portions quoted in this lesson
Try to
memorize some of them
LESSON
THREE
ESTABLISHED IN THE WAY
It is
important for followers of the Lord Jesus to become firmly established in
Him
Like a
tree, our roots need to go down deep so that we might become strong and bear
much fruit
We need
to be like a ship that sails under a strong command, with a powerful engine
so that can sail right through the storms; and with an anchor that holds
against the tides
We don’t
want to be like a rowing boat that is tossed to and fro by every gust of
wind
Our ship
must be under the command of our Master, Jesus, and empowered by the
mighty Holy Spirit
Our
anchor must be the Word of God, and our rudder, a faith that
has developed through trusting the Lord in every circumstance
One of
the prayers of the apostle Paul, in the book of Ephesians, is a prayer for
all believers to be rooted, anchored, and established in Christ:
“For this reason, I
kneel before the Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah, from whom every
family in heaven and on earth derives its name, I pray that out of
the riches of His glory, He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit
in your inner being, so that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through
faith in Him
And I
pray that you will
be rooted and established in love, so that together with all the set-apart
believers, you may be able to comprehend what is the width, length,
height and depth of the Messiah’s love - and to know this love which
surpasses knowledge so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
(Ephesians 3:14-19)
So, you see, we need to
go deep into the faith, and not be shallow, and tossed to and fro
(By the
way, there's a lot of “meat” in those six verses above.) To be firmly
established, it is important that we become members of a local church or
fellowship
We need
to meet regularly with other believers to worship the Lord, to have
fellowship, and to learn together
(True
fellowship means “friendship around the person of Jesus.”)
Some
believers become “alone-ers” or drifters - they never have regular
fellowship, and they usually do not become strong disciples
Now I
want you to see the truth of what “the church” is:
THE
EKKLESIA – THE BODY OF CHRIST
(EKKLESIA is the Greek word
used in the New Testament to refer to the Body of Called-out Believers; the
Assembly - local and universal, comprised of all who have been redeemed and
brought into union with the Messiah
The word
“church” is often used to translate the word Ekklesia
That is
all right as long as we understand that the “Church” does not mean a
building, a religion, or a denomination
The
Church (the Ekklesia) is the “Body of Christ,” and it is comprised of
all true believers in the Messiah
They are
not of any one denomination, but are believers from all over the world
The
members are usually called “Christians” or “Messianic believers,” for they
belong to, and follow Christ (the Messiah)
(Christ
and Messiah both mean, “The Anointed One.”)
Not all
“Christians” belong to the Body of Chris
A person
may call himself a “Christian” and he may be a member of a local “church,”
but he may not belong to the Body which is the Ekklesia - “The Body
of Christ.” It all depends on whether he is a born again believer
If he is,
then he belongs to Christ and is automatically a member of Christ’s “Body.”
The Ekklesia, then, is the Body of true believers
We become
members of this Body the very moment we receive Christ as our Saviour and
are born again
There is
absolutely nothing that another person, or a group of people, can do, to
make us a member of the Body of Christ
Other
Christians can teach us and guide us, but it is the Holy Spirit who makes us
21 22
a member when He comes to
indwell our spirits
He
joins us to the body
- He links us to the Head
(Jesus Christ) and to all other true believers
That's
why the relationship between believers is so real and vital
Two
strangers may meet "accidently," but as soon as they discover that they are
both believers, they experience a oneness
That’s
because the Holy Spirit unites them both to Jesus, and to each other
This is
not a theory or imagination, but a vital reality, and I’m sure that you have
already begun to experience this oneness in your relationship to other
believers
Now let's
look at the Bible’s teaching about the church, in the thrilling book of
Ephesians: “The Messiah
is the Head of the Ekklesia (the church), the Body of which He is the
Saviour … the Messiah also loved the Ekklesia and gave Himself up for her;
that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of water with the
Word, and that He might present the Ekklesia to Himself, a glorious
Bride, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing - but that she
should be holy and without blemish … for we are members of His body.”
(Ephesians 5:23, 25-27,
30) We have already
seen that the “Church” is a Body comprised of saved people - true believers;
and that the Head of the Church - the Head of the Body - is Christ Himself
(See also
Ephesians 1:22-23) Now
in the above passage, the church is referred to as “her.” This seems strange
at first, but the Scripture is teaching a second truth here - that the
Ekklesia is also the Bride of Christ
The Bride
is a corporate companion prepared for the Son of God
It
consists of millions of people who are called to share this intimate,
eternal relationship with Jesus
In verse
27 above, we read of the time when the Church will be presented to the
Messiah in all her glory
In
Revelation 19, we read of the Marriage of the Lamb and the Bride, and of the
marriage supper: “‘Let
us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has
come and His Bride has prepared herself.’ Bright and clean fine linen was
given to her to wear; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the
set-apart people of God
Then
the angel said to me, ‘Write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the
wedding feast of the Lamb”.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of
God’.” (Rev
19:7-9) This
Marriage, or “Presenting,” will occur at the end of this age, after we have
been caught up to meet the Master and are taken to Heaven - and before He
comes to reign over the earth
(We have
dealt with prophetic subjects in several of our other booklets, and we
encourage you to study these.) For the present, be sure that as a member of
the Ekklesia, you are a part of His Bride
The Lord
Jesus loves you so much; therefore He is sanctifying you (that is,
purifying, maturing and making you holy), and one day you will be presented
to Him, to share His glorious, eternal life
This is
thrilling, isn’t it? In the Ephesians passage (5:22-33), we find teaching
about the relationship between a husband and his wife - a relationship which
God intended to be one of love, based on the model of the love of Christ for
His Bride, and the loving submission of the Bride to the Head
Earlier
in Ephesians we read of how the Church, the Body, was formed by believers -
both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) - being brought into this one new Body
“So then,
remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh - being called
‘the uncircumcised’ by those who are called ‘the Circumcision’ because of
the sign performed in the flesh by human hands - remember
that at that time you were separate from the Messiah, excluded from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, without
hope and without God in the world
But now
in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the
blood of the Messiah
For He
Himself is our peace, who has made both groups into one, and has
broken down the dividing 23 24 wall between us by abolishing in His
flesh the enmity and the Law of commandments contained in
ordinances - His purpose being to create in union with Himself one
new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this
one body, to reconcile both of them to God through His death on the
cross, by which He put to death the enmity.”
(Ephesians 2:11-16)
Once, Gentiles were without
hope and without God
Not
belonging to Israel was a disadvantage, as the revelation, the promises and
the covenants were all deposited with that nation
But now,
through the sacrifice of Christ at Calvary, all who trust in Him are saved
and brought into this new Body, the Body of Christ
The
inauguration of the Church took place on the Day of Pentecost, in Jerusalem,
when the Holy Spirit came upon all the believers, baptizing them into the
one body
(See Acts
chapter 2) “For as the body is one and yet has many members, and all
the members of that one body, though they are many, are one body, so also is
the Messiah
For by
one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or
Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit
For
indeed the body is not one member, but many.”
(1 Corinthians 12:12-14)
Pentecost was the Biblical
Harvest Festival of Shavu'ot, which came fifty days after the
Resurrection of Christ
Pentecost
was the beginning of the New Testament Ekklesia; but ever since then,
the Holy Spirit has been adding new believers to the body – every day -
wherever they are, and as soon as they are born again
We
may not always be
able to tell if a person is a member of the Master’s Body or not, but
“the Master knows those who are His.”
(2 Timothy 2:19)
The Body has millions of
members - the majority are already with the Lord in Heaven; the rest are
still on the earth, and some are still to be born
Soon, the
last member will be added, and then the Master will catch the believers
still on the earth, up to Heaven, where they will be united with those who
have gone before, and with the Messiah Himself
And there
and then, in Heaven, the Marriage will take place
What a
day of rejoicing that will be!
BUILDING
UP THE BODY The
Master is concerned that every member of the Bride should be established and
built up, and ultimately brought to mature stature - to His fullness and
likeness
Therefore
He provides leaders and gifts (abilities and functions) for this purpose
Let’s
take some of the MEAT in the following passage:
“And He gifted and gave
some disciples as apostles, some as prophets, some as
evangelists, and some as shepherd-pastors and teachers, for the
perfecting of the set-apart believers, for the work of service, for
the building up of the Body of Messiah; until we all come to the unity of
the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown, mature,
perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Messiah, so
that, we should no longer be children, tossed here and there and carried
about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of men, and their
subtle scheming to lead people astray
But
speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into
Him, who is the Head - the Messiah, from whom the whole body, joined and
knit together by that which every joint supplies, according to the effective
working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the
building up of itself in love.”
(Ephesians 4:11-16)
THE LOCAL
EXPRESSION OF THE BODY
Whenever a group of true
believers meet together to worship the Lord, they automatically form "a
local body" - a local expression of the whole Church
They are
members one of another, united around the Head, and, in God's plan, having
elders, pastors and teachers to build up the members
A careful
examination of the text shows that each member has a special function and
that each one should help build others up in the faith
(Read
also 1 Corinthians chapter 12)
It is
important then, that we become regular, faithful and
zealous members of a
local fellowship
The size
of the group, or its prosperity, is not important; nor is its "reputation,"
but it should be a true expression of the Master’s Body
On earth,
we will never find a perfect church - one that is absolutely true in
doctrine, holy and blameless in conduct, loving and charitable in all
relations, fervently evangelistic in reaching the unsaved, exercising the
gifts of the Spirit with abundance of spiritual fruit, and without friction
or division of any kind
Every
church should be working towards that perfection
Alas, all
fall short in some way
But we
should, at least, seek to be associated with a church, where … 1
The
Headship of Christ is acknowledged and God is truly worshipped
The Bible
is recognized as authority, and used for guidance
There is
fellowship, life and love
HOW TO
JOIN A LOCAL CHURCH?
You may
already be a member of a local Church
If so,
you may need to consider if this church is the right one for you
Do you
receive food and fellowship there? Is Christ in the central place? Is it a
Bible-believing fellowship? If not, then seek out a new “home.” When you
find a good group, then approach the leaders of the church and ask about
joining the fellowship
You can
expect them to question you to make sure you are truly the Lord’s
They will
usually ask you if you have been baptized as a believer
So, let’s
consider the matter of Baptism
BAPTISM
I am
referring to “Believer’s Baptism” by emersion in water
The work
of the Spirit "baptizing us into the Body," is another matter
That is
an inward experience, whereas water baptism is an outward expression of His
work in us
Should a
person be baptized in water? Yes, definitely, for it is a command to all
believers: “And Peter
said to them, ‘Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the Name of
Jesus the Messiah, for the forgiveness of sins; and you will receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit’.”
(Acts 2:38)
“Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
(Matthew 28:19)
Baptism does not make you a
member of the Church; it does not wash your sins away, nor does it give you
salvation or the Holy Spirit
Baptism
is an outward sign of what has happened in you
It is a
testimony to your faith in Christ
Baptism
in water is a sign
Going
under the water speaks of death; coming out of the water speaks of
new life
It shows
firstly, that we were associated with the Master in His death at Calvary
It shows,
secondly, that our "old life" has finished, and that, like Christ who was
raised from the dead, we too, because of His life implanted in us, have been
raised to newness of life
Baptism
is a wonderful sign and a privilege for the believer to publicly show his
faith
So
believer, be baptized if you haven’t taken this public step already
“What
about child baptism?” you may ask
“Child
baptism” is a dedication of a baby by its parents
It is not
“believer’s baptism.” Baptism must come after you experience new
birth
In many
cases, baptism helps to establish a believer as a true Christian, such as
when he comes out of another religion
Because
of the step of baptism, he may be cast out and persecuted, but to take a
public stand with Christ, brings the Master's commendations
“Everyone, therefore, who shall confess Me before men, him I shall also
confess before My Father who is in heaven.”
(Matthew 10:32)
TEST
YOURSELF QUESTIONS
What are
three other names for the Church?
..................................................................................
(Eph
5:23)
...................................................................................
(Rev
19:7)
...............................................................................
(Rev
21:2,10)
How does
one become a member of Christ’s Body, the Church?
..................................................................................
(1 Cor
12:13)
........................................................................................
(Eph 2:8)
How
should members of the Church treat each other?
.................................................................................
(1 Thes
5:11)
.............................................................................
(1 Thes
5: 13)
..............................................................................
(1 Thes
5:14)
............................................................................
(1 Thes
5: 14)
.............................................................................
(1 Thes
5: 15)
................................................................................
(Col
3:13-14)
.....................................................................................
(Gal 6:2)
................................................................................
(James
4:11)
Was the
Lord Jesus ever baptized?
............................................
..........................................................................
(Matthew
3:13-17)
How many
were baptized on the day of Pentecost?
................
.....................................................................................
(Acts 2:
41)
The Great
Commission says that there are three vital things to do to establish the
Church
What are
they?
.........................................................................
(Matthew
28: 19)
........................................................................
(Matthew
28:19)
.........................................................................
(Matthew
28: 20)
LESSON
FOUR
EXPERIENCING CHRIST, THE WAY
One of
the most well-known statements of the Lord Jesus is His words to Thomas:
“I am the Way, the
Truth, and the Life; no-one comes to the Father, except through Me.”
(John 14:6)
The Heavenly Father is
revealed in the original, God-breathed Hebrew Scriptures, by the Name of
"Yahweh." This is His everlasting Name
(Exodus 3:15)
The
meaning of the Name has to do with His eternal existence
Yahweh is
the "Great I AM," The Eternal One
The more
you study the Scriptures, the more you get to know the Master, and the more
you realize that Jesus is indeed, THE WAY
He is
absolutely unique
He does
not merely show us the way or teach us about the way - HE IS THE WAY
Likewise,
He is the Life
He not
only gives eternal life, but HE IS LIFE
The
Beginning of our faith is Christ
He is
also the End - the goal of our faith
“I am the
Alpha and Omega - the A and the Z, the Beginning and the End -
says Yahweh the Lord , who is and who was and who is to come, the
Almighty.” (Revelation
1:8) “… fixing our eyes
on Jesus, the Author of the Faith and the One who completes and
perfects our faith.”
(Hebrews 12: 2)
Jesus is also the Centre
of our very life, if we belong to Him
This is a
precious and vital truth that I want you to understand through this lesson
I pray
that our Father will reveal it to you in all its simplicity and power
In the
book of Colossians we read some important words concerning this “mystery”:
“… to whom God has
chosen to make known among the Gentile nations, the glorious riches
of this mystery, which is 29 30 Messiah in you, the hope of glory, whom we
proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that
we may present every man perfect, mature and complete in the
Messiah.” (Colossians
1:27, 28) “For in Him
(the Messiah) all the fullness of the Eternal Deity - all
the fullness of what Yahweh is - dwells in bodily form, and in
union with Him - Jesus, who is the Head over all power and
authority - you have been made complete.”
(Colossians 2: 9, 10)
“For you have died, and your
life is now hidden with the Messiah in God
When the
Messiah, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with
Him in glory.”
(Colossians 3: 3, 4)
The “mystery” is that CHRIST IS OUR LIFE, and He LIVES WITHIN US, and wants
to LIVE OUT HIS LIFE, THROUGH US
(We are
referring here, of course, to born again believers.) This is not
imagination, but a fact
It has
awesome implications
All the
fullness of God dwells in Christ - and Christ lives within us
He is
not a God “way up there in the sky,” but the Almighty God living within
us
It
is by God's Spirit that Christ lives in us
(In our
next lesson we will study “The Holy Spirit.” more fully.) If God lives
within us, then He is the resource for our every need
If
we need wisdom, He is within us
If we
need strength, He is within us
But not
only is He there to supply our needs; He is there to take control of us,
and to make us a dwelling place on earth for His glory
We
- frail creatures that we are - are vessels to bear the Life, the
Personality and the Glory of God
The more
you think about this, the more you see how tremendous it is
“But
we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of
the power may be of God and not from ourselves.”
(2 Corinthians 4:7)
Now if Christ is in us - and
He is the “hope of glory” - then let us restate our beliefs, or rather, the
Bible teaching about the Person of Jesus Christ:
THE PERSON
OF JESUS CHRIST
The
Lord Jesus Christ is the Eternal Son of Yahweh the Eternal One
The
following verses speak of the Sonship of Christ:
“JESUS declared the Son of God
with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of
holiness, Jesus Christ our Master.”
(Romans 1:1,4)
“For Yahweh, the Almighty
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten (His one and
only, unique) Son, so that whoever believes in Him, should not perish,
but have eternal (everlasting) life.”
(John 3:16)
“For to which of the angels
did He ever say, ‘YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU - that is, I
have established You in this unique relationship to Me, declaring that You
are My Anointed Son’? And again, ‘I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM, AND HE
SHALL BE A SON TO ME’?”
(Hebrews 1:5) In the
latter two verses, you read that Jesus is the “Begotten Son.” This
expression confuses many as it seems to suggest that Christ was born or
created
But that
is not so
The word
‘Begotten’ (Greek: “prototokos”) is used only for the Lord Jesus and
speaks about His unique relationship with the Father
It can
also be translated as “prototype” - the “original model.” He is the
uncreated model to which God will conform all of His redeemed children
(The
Begotten Son is just as “'6Fld” as the Father, for He is without beginning:
The word “Son” in this context does not mean “junior;” nor is it
speaking about His humanity; it is speaking of His unique, eternal
relationship with the Father.)
Jesus
is the Creator
“And
He is the image of the invisible God, the ‘First-born’ of all creation
For in
Him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible
and invisible, whether thrones or 31 32 dominions or rulers or authorities -
all things have been created through Him and for Him
And He
is before all things, and in Him all things hold together
And He
is the Head of the body, the Ekklesia (the corporate Body of true
believers who are in fellowship with the Messiah); and He is ‘the
Beginning,’ the ‘First-born from the dead’; so that He Himself might come to
have first place in everything.”
(Colossians 1:15-18)
The word “beginning” in verse
18 is not saying He was the first created
The
Greek word is arche, which means “ancient.” In the Book of Daniel,
the Lord is called “The Ancient of Days.” So, “the Beginning” is the
“Ancient One,” or the One who is before all things
It is a
similar expression to those in Revelation 1:8 and Hebrews 12: 2 (quoted
earlier) - the Alpha and the Omega (the A and the Z) - the Beginning and the
End, and the Author and the Finisher
He is
absolutely unique as the Creator
In His
Divinity, the eternal Son is so equated with Yahweh the Heavenly Father,
that they seem to be one and the same
The Son
is called by the same titles as the Father: “Everlasting Father, Mighty God,
Saviour, Lord, the First and the Last.” And yet we have read about the
“unique, uncreated Son,” who became the “unique Son of Man” in His humanity
Simply
put, Yahweh the Eternal One is the Father, the Son and the Spirit - one in
unity - the holy Three-in-One
Jesus
is Yahweh Incarnate
Jesus
was no less than Yahweh the Eternal One clothed in humanity
He
became man in order to save us, and to share Himself in a form that we could
easily understand
This is
the teaching in Philippians 2: 5-8:
“Christ Jesus, who, although
existing in the form of God - being in very nature God, did not
regard equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself,
taking the form of a bond-servant, being made in human likeness
And
being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself (still further)
by becoming obedient to the extreme of death, even death of an
execution stake - a cross.”
Jesus is absolutely unique
in His incarnation
God has
never been incarnated in any other form or person
The
original Hebrew Name of Jesus was Y’shua (Ye-shu-a) which means, “Yahweh
is salvation.” Y’shua is Yahweh manifest in humanity
(“Jesus”
is an English transliteration of Y’shua.)
The
Saviour and Redeemer
Even
as His Person is unique, so is His work
Jesus is
the only One who can save people from sin
He
saves, not merely by His teaching and example, but by His sacrificial and
substitutionary death on the cross
He died
in our place
The
tremendous value of His death is in the fact that He was sinless, and that
His life was eternal
It was
more than the sum total of all human life in all the ages
Many
Scriptures refer to Jesus as Saviour
“…
God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth
For
there is one God, (Yahweh), and one Mediator between God and men - the Man,
Jesus the Messiah, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men - a fact
attested to at the proper time.”
(1 Timothy 2:3-6)
Jesus is also absolutely
unique as the Saviour
“And
there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven
that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”
(Acts 4:12)
Look up these verses also in
your Bible: Titus 2:11,
3:4-7; Hebrews 2:14-17; 1 Peter 1:18-19, 2:24, 3:18
Much
more could be said about the Person of Jesus, Y’shua, for He is also the
Head of the Church, the Bridegroom, and the Coming King
He has
more than 200 titles in Scripture, each of which amplifies His wonderful
Person
And to
you, young believer, is given the privilege to discover more and more of
this unique One as you travel along The Way
Jesus
is the Resurrection
The
term “first-born from the dead” in Colossians 1:18, is again not referring
to the birth or origin of Jesus, but to His uniqueness in resurrection
The
Greek word for “first
born” is again ‘prototokos’, so the expression can be translated as
“Prototype of resurrection.” It is a reference not only to the fact that
Jesus rose from the dead, but that HE IS the resurrection
He was
the origin of life, and the One who has total control over life and
death
This is
all implied in the claim of the Lord in John 11:25-26:
“Jesus said to her, ‘'49 am
the Resurrection and the Life; he who believes in Me, even
though he dies, he will live; and whoever is living and believing in Me will
never die
Do you
believe this?’ ” Truly
this is a tremendous claim
But it's
true! Jesus is unique, and He is everything that He said He was
It is
because of who and what He is, that our faith in Him is so real and vital
SHARING
HIS LIFE
Let
us progress further
It is
thrilling, dear believer, that our faith is not merely believing the
facts about our wonderful Master, Saviour and God, but it is a real and
vital participation in His Life
Our
relationship to Jesus is not theoretical, but a living reality
It is
also a very personal relationship, and He is quite capable of sharing
Himself with every individual at the same time, and to the extent that the
believer desires and is available to Him
He lives
within us, so let's learn to count on that fact, and learn to let His Life
manifest in our behavior - in our actions, in our expressions, our smile,
and in our words
Since
you were born again, believer, you have been experiencing the life of Jesus
working within you
Now, I
want you to guard against the subtle danger of drifting back to the
“natural” life and thinking that you, yourself, should live out your
Christian life in your own strength
Guard
against the danger of thinking that you should “carry yourself” along the
way
Just as
you first came to Christ, in faith, now continue to follow Him - by faith
And
faith means more than believing in Him - it means trusting Him,
becoming dependant upon Him
Here is
a simple, but often difficult lesson to learn
Jesus
said: “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”
(John 15:5)
Then Paul said: “I can do all
things through Him who strengthens me.”
(Philippians 4:13)
The lesson is, learn to be
totally dependant on the Person of Christ within you, so that His life and
power is released in your behavior and activity
Paul
explained it this way:
“I have been crucified with the Messiah; and I no longer live, but it is
the Messiah who lives in me; and the life which I now live
in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself
for me.” (Galatians
2:20)
JESUS IS
OUR MASTER
In
order that He might live His life in us, the Messiah calls us to
surrender ourselves fully to Him
He is
our Master, so we must learn to recognise and obey His voice
But
always remember, Y'shua (Jesus) is our ever-present, loving, gracious, and
empowering Master
The Lord
Jesus has come into your heart, but He does not intend to take a back seat
and remain hidden
He must
live out His life in you
Therefore He must be permitted to enter and direct every area of your
life
He
will not force His way in; neither will He become a tyrant
But He
will be in you, the Source of joy, peace, comfort, wisdom and strength
He does
not want to bind us, but to set us wonderfully free - free to live a
Godly life - a life of fullness, and one that truly fulfils His
glorious purpose in us
On our
part, there must be a constant surrendering to Jesus, as our Master - a
surrendering of ourselves, our bodies, our wills, our affections and our
resources to Him, so that He might live out His life through us
“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your
reasonable service and spiritual act of worship
And do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is - His good,
acceptable and perfect will.”
(Romans 12:1-2)
CULTIVATE
THIS WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP
Young
believer, the Eternal One has brought you into a wonderful relationship to
Himself, so that you might experience more of His life and purposes
Don’t
neglect the GIFT that is within you
Learn to
love your Master deeply
Walk
close to Him and
obey Him so that His life becomes your life and your
life becomes His life
Go
carefully over these words in Ephesians:
“For this reason, I kneel
before the Father … I pray that out of the riches of His glory, He
may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so
that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith in Him
And I
pray that you will
be rooted and established in love, so that together with all the set-apart
believers, you may be able to comprehend what is the width, length,
height and depth of the Messiah’s love - and to know this love which
surpasses knowledge so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
(Ephesians 3:14, 16-19)
TEST
YOURSELF QUESTIONS
1
How does
Jesus live within the believer? .
...........................................................................
(Galatians 4:6)
Does the
Master ever leave the believer, after He has come into him?
..................................................
(Matt
28:20, Hebrews 13:5)
What are
some of the reasons for the Messiah living in us?
....................................................................
(Colossians 1:18)
..........................................................................
(1 Thess
5:23)
...........................................................................
(John
15:16)
........................................................................
(Eph 2:
21-22)
Who is
the older - God the Father, or God the Son?
....................................................................
(John
1:1-2, 14:9-11)
Why is
Jesus different to all other religious founders?
............................................................................
(1 Cor
15:3)
..................................................................................
(John
15:4)
.................................................................................
(John
14:6)
...........................................................................
(Acts
4:10-12)
If Jesus
is our Life and our Master, what are some of our responsibilities?
.....................................................................
(Matthew
16:24)
....................................................................
(Colossians 3:5)
....................................................................
(Colossians 3:8-9)
................................................................
(Colossians 3:12-14)
...................................................................
(Colossians 4:4-6)
....................................................................
(Hebrews
13:15)
....................................................................
(2
Timothy 2:2)
LESSON
FIVE
YOUR
EVER-PRESENT HELPER ON THE WAY
A very
definite promise of the Lord Jesus is that He would give His people the
Holy Spirit: “And I
will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you
forever - the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it
does not see Him or know Him
But you
know Him because He lives with you, and will be in you.”
(John 14:16-17)
“When the Helper comes, whom I
will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of Truth, who
proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me.”
(John 15:26)
“… it is to your advantage
that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you;
but if I go, I will send Him to you … But when He comes, the Spirit of
Truth, He will guide you into all the truth …”
(John 16:7, 13)
The Master is referring to the
Holy Spirit, who is also known as the Comforter, or Helper
In Greek
He is the “Paracletos,” which means, “one called alongside to help.”
As you read the Bible, you will find quite a lot of teaching about the Holy
Spirit and His work
Sometimes
He is referred to as the Holy Ghost
But
“Ghost” is an old English word that has changed its meaning
“Spirit”
is a much better modern translation
The Lord
Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will be our Helper always, and that He will
live in us
It is
important then, that we understand clearly who the Holy Spirit is, and what
He does in our lives
THE HOLY
SPIRIT IS A PERSON
Erroneous
doctrine has often taught that the Holy Spirit is a power, and not a Person
The Holy
Spirit is indeed the power of God, but He is not an abstract force
He is
a Person
But by
“person,” we don’t mean a “human being.” It means He has “personality.” The
Heavenly Father also is a Person, but He's not a man
The Lord
Jesus, of course, took humanity upon Himself when He came to earth as a
babe, but He is an eternal divine Person
The
Spirit's personality is referred to in the Master’s teaching:
“But the Helper, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things
and bring to your remembrance everything I have said to you.”
(John 14:26)
The Lord does not refer to the
Holy Spirit as “it,” but as “He.” Moreover, only a person could be a
helper and teacher
Other
verses in Scripture also show the personality of the Holy Spirit
He
intercedes (Romans
8:26), He speaks
(Rev 2:7),
and loves, for He can be
grieved (Eph
4:30)
THE HOLY
SPIRIT IS GOD
The Holy
Spirit is usually referred to as the Third Person of the Eternal Trinity -
the Three-in-One
This does
not mean that He is inferior, or junior to the Father, or to the Son
He is
equally God, and He is called by a number of titles, including, the Spirit
of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of Yahweh
An
absolutely false teaching that's been going around, says that the
Holy Spirit is the God-Mother, who should be referred to as “she.” This is
utter nonsense and unscriptural
In trying
to understand the Eternity Deity, we should avoid the danger of trying to
fit God into our human concept
Man’s
concept of God always falls very short
Imaginations are not realities
We must
accept what God has declared about Himself in the Bible
And
remember, God is so great and so vast, that we may need all of eternity to
get to know Him fully
The Bible
says that the Father is God, Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit is God
We must
accept then, that God is known or manifest as three persons, and that those
Three Persons are the one Eternal God
Along the
way you will sooner or later come across various misconceptions, such as -
“Only the Father is God”, or “Father and Son are God, but not the Holy
Spirit.” Then there is an extreme view which says that there are three Gods
Another
extreme is known as the “Jesus only teaching.” This says that there
is one God - not three persons; there is only Jesus
It says
that the “Father” is actually Jesus, and the “Holy Spirit” is Jesus,
therefore, there is only one Person - Jesus
This
teaching tries to simplify the Eternal Deity, but it falls short of the
revelation, and is very confusing
These
extremes arise out of attempts to “explain” God
But, you
can’t do that satisfactorily with limited human reasoning
You might
find some Bible verses to help support ideas, but they will always clash
with other Scriptures when used wrongly
We must
accept what is revealed in the Bible - that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are
Three Personalities, but together, are One eternal God
Thus,
while we see the Son talking to the Father, we can accept statements of
Jesus, such as: “He
who has seen Me has seen the Father.”
(John 14:9)
The “Three-in-One” are so
closely involved and linked, that we cannot separate Them except in words
Often the
question comes up: Should we worship the Holy Spirit? Some quote John 16:14,
which says the Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus, and not Himself, suggesting
that Jesus should be given central place in worship. Others believe we
should pray to and worship only God the Father
(John
4:23) It is true that
we are told to come to the Father through the Son, and that we are to pray
“in the Spirit,” and in the Name of the Son
(John 14:6 Eph 6:18, John
15:16)
But the
Scriptures say:
"Moreover, when He brings 'the firstborn' (the Origin, Model, Head and
Heir) into the world, He says, 'Let all the angels of God worship Him'.”
(Hebrew 1:6)
The wise men worshiped the
baby Jesus (Matt 2:11)
And the
redeemed in Heaven also worship the Lord Jesus:
“And they sang a new song:
‘You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals, for You were
slain, and by Your blood You have redeemed us to God out of every
tribe, language, people and nation’.”
(Revelation 5:9)
A problem is created if we
think of the Father, the Son and the Spirit as “three Gods.” That is NOT the
Bible teaching
The Bible
and church doctrine is that the Father, the Son and the Spirit are co-equal,
and are co-eternally God
The three
are manifestations of the ONE eternal Divinity
Each has
various functions, but in substance they are the one eternal Divinity
We must
certainly acknowledge that both the Son and the Holy Spirit are our God,
even as the Father is
And so,
in view of the great commandment which Jesus quoted to the devil,
“You shall worship YAHWEH the
LORD your God and serve Him only”
(Luke 4:8
Deut 6:13), we
can say that we do not worship one, two or three personalities, but God in
His entirety
Always
remember, the Holy Spirit is our ever-present Comforter
He is the
wonderful, gracious, loving Person of God living inside us
(Romans
8:11; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Cor 1:22, 5:5; 1 John 3:24)
Now let
us consider some important aspects of
THE WORK
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy
Spirit is an Executive who carries out the plans of Yahweh
He moved
in Creation (Gen 1: 2)
He
inspired the writing of the Scriptures - the Bible
(2 Tim 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
He
strives with men to turn them from their sin
(Gen 6:3; John 16:8)
He exalts
the Person of Jesus and turns hungry souls to Him
(John 16:14; Galatians 4:6)
He does a
miraculous work - the new birth - in the heart and life of sinners who
respond to the call of God
(John 3:5-7)
He
continues His work in the believer - sanctifying, purifying and perfecting
(1 Thess 5:23-24; 1
Peter 1:2), and He
gives the believer assurance of salvation
(Romans
8:16)
The Holy
Spirit seeks always to fill the believer with Himself, and to empower him to
live for Christ and to witness of His saving grace
(Acts 1:8)
He
teaches us more of the ways of God,
(Romans 8:15), and
He also prays for us
(Romans
8:27) Finally, the Holy
Spirit will raise us up (if we should die before the Lord comes), and take
us to the Father’s House
(Rom
8:11) Let us now come
to the most important aspect of the Holy Spirit’s work in us:
THE HOLY
SPIRIT WANTS TO FILL OUR LIVES WITH HIMSELF AND HIS POWER
In a
number of places in Scripture, we see that believers were filled with the
Holy Spirit
(Acts
2:4, 4:8, 31, 7:55, 9:17-18, 13:9,52)
In
Ephesians we read the command:
“BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT.”
(Ephesians 5:18)
What does this mean?
Paul uses the expression, “filled up to all the fullness of God.” This
phrase has been expanded in the Amplified Bible, giving a fuller meaning –
“That you may … know
the love which surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the
fullness of God - that you may have the richest measure of the Divine
Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself.”
(Ephesians 3:19)
That is the meaning of being
filled with the Spirit
It is
indeed a mysterious, an awesome, and yet a wonderful and thrilling
experience
It is God
possessing us completely
It is not
an “experience” for experience’s sake, but the means by which God releases
His life, love, joy, holiness and power in and through us
If we are
filled with the Holy Spirit, then our lives become truly spiritual - full of
Godly characteristics that bring peace and joy to us, and blessing to others
If we are
filled with the Holy Spirit, then God’s power will be working through us so
that we become truly effective instruments in His work of saving and
building up others in the faith
It does
NOT mean that all our troubles are over and that there is an instant removal
of every difficulty
But it
does mean that the power, love and grace of God are free to operate in our
lives as the Master intends
When we
are born again, the Holy Spirit fills us, and gives us great joy
But after
some time we may find that something has "gone wrong," and we feel "empty."
When this happens, we need to confess our sin and failure
This
leads to the refilling with the Spirit
Sadly,
instead of confessing our failure immediately and being refilled with the
Spirit, we often start walking under our own steam, and quickly lose the joy
of the Lord
There
will be periods in our lives when God seeks to show us our own inadequacy,
our failures, and our need to be filled anew with the Spirit
At these
times we should wait on God, inviting Him to search our lives to reveal any
pockets of sin, or areas in our lives that are not fully surrendered to Him
Then the
moment will come when God’s grace enables us to “open up” to His love and
enabling power
And at
that moment He will fill us anew
Here are
a few guidelines to answer the question, “How can I be filled anew with the
Spirit?”
CONFESS:
Let the
Lord go deep into your heart to search you and to show you any sins or
failures in your life
Then
confess them to God (1
John 1:9; James 4:8)
Confession will bring cleansing and will retore you to fellowship with God
But
unless you followup with these next four steps, you will soon be "empty"
again
RENOUNCE:
Renounce
anything of darkness; any sins or bad habits or false loves, selfish
ambitions, and evil desires
(Romans
6:11-13; Col 3:5, 8)
MAKE
RESTITUTION:
If you
have done wrong, put it right if at all possible
Mend
broken relationships
Repay
what you owe
Apologize
if you have offended
(Matthew
5:23-24)
Forgive
those who have done wrong to you
(Matthew
6:12)
SURRENDER:
Surrender
everything you have and are, to the Saviour
Give
every part of your body to Him
Give Him
control over every area of your life
Become a
living sacrifice
(Romans
12:1-2)
WALK
IN FAITH:
Go ahead,
trusting the Father to enable you to live for His purpose and glory
(2 Cor
5:7 Gal 5:16 Eph 5:8)
When we
are refilled, the work of the Spirit will go deeper in our lives, taking us
forward in the life of God
It must
be emphasized that the filling is not given for experience’s sake
The
Spirit fills us so that our lives might be in fellowship with God, and
effective for Him
When we
are filled, we may or may not have strong feelings
Sometimes
there may be little feeling at all - only a sense of trusting
the Lord
But there
may be a great sense of relief, release and joy
Some
believers have felt an indescribable experience of the Spirit overpowering
and flooding them, which has lasted for some minutes or hours
The
filling of the Spirit usually produces a deep sense of cleansing, followed
by a spirit of praise
It also
rekindles our love for God, and gives us a deep compulsion to tell people we
meet, of our Saviour's love
We should
not rely on our feelings; we need to just trust in the Master to live out
His life in us
And as we
walk in the Spirit, evidence of the Spirit’s work will be seen in our lives
THE FRUIT
OF THE SPIRIT
The
continuous filling of the Spirit will normally be a quiet flowing of His
power, love, grace and joy through us, bringing blessing to others
At times
we may be aware of His power at work in us; but at other times we may not be
conscious at all of how He is using us
He often
speaks to others through our words, or actions, or even through our smile,
without us realizing it
But when
the Holy Spirit fills us, He produces much fruit in our lives
What type
of fruit? “The fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control.”
(Galatians 5:22-23)
THE GIFTS
OF THE SPIRIT
The Holy
Spirit gives spiritual gifts or talents to His people, to be used for the
building up of the Body of the Messiah
Believers
are not all given the same gift
(Check
out these Bible verses: Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Cor 12:7-11, 28; Romans 12:6-8)
We are not told to ask
or demand certain gifts from God
And we
should not seek to imitate another believer’s experience
God gives
talents to each one according to His purpose
So let
the Holy Spirit work in you, and manifest the life of Christ through you, in
whichever way He chooses
CAN WE
LOSE THE HOLY SPIRIT?
If we are
born again, the Holy Spirit will never leave us, for He is God’s seal upon
us, and we are sealed until the day of redemption; the Return of the Master
But it is
very possible that we can grieve and quench the Holy Spirit
That’s
why we are commanded: “Do
not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day
of redemption.”
(Ephesians 4:30) “Do
not quench the Spirit.”
( 1 Thessalonians 5:19)
Any sin, selfish living, or
uncontrolled action, even a hasty, nasty word, will grieve Him, as will also
our withdrawal of what we have already surrendered to God
Grieving
the Spirit blocks His power flowing through us
So if we
grieve Him, or are not quite right with Him, we must confess our condition,
our faults, and receive His cleansing, restoration and refilling
Finally,
always remember, the Holy Spirit is your everpresent Companion and Helper
TEST
YOURSELF QUESTIONS
What are
some other names for the Holy Spirit?
................................................................................
(John
14:16)
..................................................................................
(John 15:
26
Does the
Holy Spirit live in all believers? Yes / No (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
Is the
Holy Spirit inferior to God the Father? Yes / No (See page 38-40)
Where is
the Holy Spirit?
...........................................................................
(Psalm
139:7-12)
To be
filled with, and to walk in the Holy Spirit, what must we do?
................................................................................
(1 John
1:9)
..........................................................................
(Colossians 3:5)
.......................................................................
(Matthew
5:23-34)
.........................................................................
(Romans
12:1-2)
.........................................................
(2 Cor
5:7 Gal 5:16 Eph 5:8)
Can you
name nine types of fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives?
(Galatians 5:22-23) ........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
........................
Does the
Holy Spirit give gifts to special leaders only, or to every born-again
believer? ..................................................................
(1
Corinthians 12:7, 11)
LESSON SIX
DISCIPLINED TO CLIMB THE WAY
In our
earlier lessons we have seen the provision God has made for us to grow and
to walk in His Way
We have
seen some of the blessings He has given to us
Now we
will look at discipline, for along with the blessings there must be
discipline in the believer’s life
A child
who is showered with material benefits, but who is not disciplined, will
soon be spoiled
And a
follower of Jesus Christ will be unprofitable if he is not disciplined to
climb the way
I must
emphasize that the way leads upward, and there is much climbing to be done
The way
of the Messiah is not a luxury coach in which you simply relax and enjoy the
scenery
No
At times
we have much walking, marching, climbing and fighting to do along the way
While the
Christian life is a life of rest, joy, divine energy and blessing, it also
has difficulties, troubles, sighs and exertions
We must
have the both sides, in our spiritual life
Take as
an example, the life of our Master
He was
filled with the peace, joy and power of the Holy Spirit, yet He often became
tired from long walks, hard work, persecution, and the spiritual warfare
which led Him all the way to the cross
TAKE UP
THE CROSS
The Lord
Jesus says to all who would follow Him
“‘If
anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross
daily and follow Me’.”
(Luke 9:23) “Whoever
does not carry his own cross and come after Me, cannot be My
disciple.” (Luke 14:27)
"To carry your cross,"
does not simply mean to endure the difficulties
It means
much more; the cross represents “death,”
47 48
and we are called to die to
our own selfish desires, and to live for God’s will
The
apostle Paul said: “I die daily.”
(1 Corinthians 15:31)
He also
explains it like this:
“I have been crucified with the Messiah; and I no longer live, but it is
the Messiah who lives in me; and the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave
Himself for me.”
(Galatians 2:20) “For
me, to live is the Messiah, and to die is gain.”
(Philippians 1:21)
This should be our daily
motto, attitude and goal; “Not I, but the Messiah in me.” Is it
reasonable that the Master should ask so much of His disciples? Definitely,
for He bought us with His precious blood, and He has absolute good in store
for us
So He
must receive our total compliance to His sovereignty in our lives
“Do you
not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who lives
inside you, whom you have received from God? You do not belong to yourself;
you have been bought at a price
Therefore
glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
“You were redeemed with
precious blood … the blood of Messiah.”
(1 Peter 1:18-19)
If we own Jesus as our Master,
then we must discipline ourselves, and accept His discipline, as we follow
in His ways
Paul, one
of the greatest Christians said:
“I beat my body and make it my
slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be
disqualified.” (1
Corinthians 9:27)
Physical discipline is very much a part of discipleship, but “discipline for
godliness” is even more important
“Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is
only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it
holds promise for the present life and also for the life to
come.” (1 Timothy 4:7-8)
Again Paul says;
“Suffer hardship, therefore, as a good soldier of Y’shua the Messiah
No
soldier in active service entangles himself with the everyday affairs of
life, because he wants to please the one who enlisted him.”
(2 Timothy 2:3-4)
We all agree that soldiers
must be disciplined if they are going to be of any use to the country
So must
the believe
Correct
habits must be maintained, and wrong habits eliminated
We need
to discipline our mind, and feed our mind on the Word of God
We need
to get into the habit of rejecting all the unprofitable and ungodly things
that beckon for our attention
We need
to discipline our eyes, so they are not running after evil; our
ears, so they are not attuned to wickedness; and, our tongue, so
that it does not become “a fire full of iniquity and deadly poison.”
(See James, chapter 3)
Our hearts
need to be disciplined so that
the Lord Jesus is Master of our affections and desires, and so that we are
not filled with greed, lust and selfishness
We need
to be disciplined in the use of our time, talents, and
possessions, for these all belong to God
Time
is so precious and
can be so easily wasted
We should
make our time count for God, and also for the spiritual development of both
ourselves, and others
Talents are gifts
and abilities that God has given to us
They are
to be used as He directs for the extension of His Kingdom
If we
belong to God, our possessions also belong to God
But He
has entrusted us with certain possessions, including our finances, and He
regards us as stewards in handling these possessions wisely and for good
We should
never use a single coin for anything wrong
Consider
everything you have as belonging to the Master
The Bible
says: “It is required
of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”
(1 Corinthians 4:2)
49 50
If we are faithful to the Lord
in the use of the talents He gives us, we will receive His commendation with
joy when we stand before Him
(See
Matthew 25:21)
THE BODY
IS A TEMPLE OF GOD
If we
realize this fact, it will make a tremendous difference in our attitude to,
and our treatment of, our bodies
The Bible
says: “Do you not know
that you are a Dwelling Place (temple) of God, and that the Spirit of
God dwells in you?” (1
Corinthians 3:16, 17)
This indicates that any abuse of our bodies is wrong, and that we should
renounce all bad habits
SMOKING
most
people admit, is a bad habit
Doctors
warn that it is dangerous to health
Lungs are
effected and so often “smoking cough” sets in
Smoking
is unnatural and is an abuse of the body for anyone
How much
more for the believer, whose body is a holy temple of God
ALCOHOL
While
there is no Biblical command, “You shall not drink,” we all know that
alcohol can be very dangerous
And
habitual drinking can be an abuse of the body that robs a person of his
self-control
Self-control is a “fruit of the Holy Spirit”
(Gal
5:23), but
drunkenness is a “work of the flesh,” and leads to all sorts of evil
“Let us
behave properly as in the daytime, not in carousing (revelry) and
drunkenness, not in immorality - sexual promiscuity, sensuality and
debauchery, not in strife and jealousy
But
clothe yourselves with Y’shua the Messiah (the Lord Jesus) and make no
provision for the flesh (the sinful nature) to gratify its desires (lusts).”
(Romans 13:13-14)
NARCOTIC DRUGS
are similar to alcohol in that
they rob a person of self-control and so they abuse the body
These
three common bad habits are not only harmful, but for the believer they are
unnecessary money consumers
And this
is a misuse of the possessions that the Lord has entrusted to us
Let the
Master show you the right use of money! Remembering that our bodies are
temples of God, we need to be careful to honour our Master in every way
For
example, the in way we dress and make up - we are to be humble
and moderate in appearance
We are to
watch our speech so that what we say is not crude, frivolous or
careless, but speech that honours the Master We need to maintain our
personal physical cleanliness as well as a clean mind and
soul, for our bodies are sanctified, set-apart “temples of God,” and the
glory of Christ indwells us
“For
it is God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in
our hearts for the enlightening of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Y’shua the Messiah
But we
have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of
the power may be of God and not from ourselves.”
(2 Corinthians 4:6-7)
“Messiah in you the Hope of
Glory.” (Colossians
1:27) Whenever you are
in doubt about what you should do, or how you should behave, or what you
should say, remember, you are a disciple of Jesus
And then
ask yourself, “What would Jesus, my Master do, or say, in this situation?”
Aim always to “glorify God in your body,” as 1 Corinthians 6: 20 exhorts us
THE RIGHT
AND WRONG OF SEX
Is sex
wrong?
This is
one of the most vital questions, as sex is one of the strongest instincts in
the human makeup, as well as in all nature
Sex
itself is not wrong
In the
right place - in the marriage bond - sex is very right
It is the
abuse or misuse of sexual functions that is wrong
Always
remember that God intends only good - the very best - for His people
His
intention is that the marriage relation51
52 ship between man and
wife should be a loving and satisfying one
The
sexual desire and capacity should be satisfied in that relationship - not
merely for sexual gratification, but as a physical expression of true love
True love
is more than the physical; it is the uniting of two hearts or souls, and
should also include the spiritual dimension
Outside
of marriage, sexual union is forbidden by the Word of God, and it is called
immorality
Why?
Because it is a deviation from God’s will and plan, and because the sexual
drive is so strong, that if unrestrained, it will lead not to satisfaction,
but to guilt, incompleteness, insecurity, fear, misery and despair
Most of
all, immorality will lead one away from God
Immorality produces the opposite result to what is hoped for, and to what
God intended
If a
believer commits immorality, it is worse, because he defiles a temple of God
Our
bodies belong to Christ and we are to keep them as pure vessels for Him
“Therefore put to death the members of your earthly body - your physical
parts and all that is carnal in you which causes you to sin: immorality,
impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to
idolatry.” (Colossians
3:5) How to do this? By
presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to God
(see
below.) Also, read carefully, 1 Corinthians 6: 9-20
A LIVING
SACRIFICE
Not only
should we keep our bodies from bad habits, uncleanness and immorality, but
we are to continually and positively present our bodies to God
“I urge
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service and spiritual act of worship
And do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that you may prove what the will of God is - His good, acceptable and
perfect will.” (Romans
12:1-2) The Master
calls us, each one, to a life of service, and He wants to use our bodies as
instruments to fulfil His will
We must
be willing instruments, responsive to His directions
If we
truly love the Master, then our chief desire will be, to be a vessel which
God can fill and use
We cannot
become such a vessel by accident, but only by a deliberate surrender of
every part of our body, soul and spirit to God
This is
the way to fullness, to usefulness, to pure joy and satisfaction - to give
our bodies and all that we have and are, to the Master, so that He can use
us however He decides
So let's
make the Lord Jesus the absolute sovereign of every part of our live
Let's be
His disciples indeed
Young
believer, if you have failed anywhere in your Christian life, (or whenever
you do), or if you have been regarding your possessions, your time, or your
body, as your own, I beseech you, as the Word of God does, to confess your
failure to the Master right now, and then present yourself completely to Him
as a living sacrifice
The
following verses will help you do this
And this
should be our constant prayer:
Take my life, and let it be,
consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, let them flow in
ceaseless praise
Take
my hands, and let them move, at the impulse of Thy love; Take my feet, and
let them be, swift and beautiful for Thee
Take
my voice, and let me sing; always, only for my King; Take my lips, and let
them be, filled with messages from Thee
Take
my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect, and
use, every power as Thou shalt choose
Take
my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine; Take my heart, it is
Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne
Take
my love; my Lord, I pour, at Thy feet its treasure store; Take myself, and I
will be, ever, only, all for Thee
TEST
YOURSELF QUESTIONS
What is
one of the most important commands of Christ for His disciples?
.....................................................................................
.............................................................................
(John
13:34-35)
Why is it
so important to give the tongue to the Lord?
.................................................................................
(James
3:1-8)
What does
it mean to “take up the cross”?
...........................................................................
What is
the requirement of a steward?
.......................................................................................
(1 Cor
4:2)
What is a
"temple of God"?
....................................................................................
(1 Cor
3:16)
What are
some bad habits a believer must avoid?
....................................................................................
(Gal
5:21)
...................................................................................
(Col 3:5)
....................................................................................
(Col 3:
5)
................................................................................
(James
3:5-6)
What is
the worst part about sexual sins?
...................................................................................
If a
believer commits immorality, can he be forgiven?
.....................................................................................
(1 John
1:9)
What is
the way to fullness, and a truly satisfying and useful life?
.............................................................................
(Romans
12:1-2)
LESSON
SEVEN
DANGERS
LURKING ALONG THE WAY
The way
of following the Master is not always easy and smooth
There are
dangers and discouragements, and there are enemies and battles
We need
not be afraid, however, as the Master is always with us, and He will never
ever leave us
But we do
need to be wary of the dangers along the way
Every
believer will encounter three main enemies
ENEMY ONE:
THE WORLD
By
“world” we do not mean “the earth,” nature, or the planet itself, but
rather, the worldly systems that are often so contrary to the ways of God
The Bible
warns: “Do not love the
world nor the things in the world
If anyone
loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him
For all
that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and
the pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world
And the
world is passing away, and also its desires; but the one who does the
will of God remains forever.”
(1 John 2:15-17)
Worldliness is the
way of a God-rejecting society
It is the
behaviour of people influenced by Satan
As
another verse in the first epistle of John says,
“The whole world lies in the
power of the evil one.”
(1 John 5:19) Three
things are mentioned in 1 John 2:16 to summarize “the world.” 1
The lust
of the flesh (self-gratification and immorality); 2
The lust
of the eyes (selfishness and envy); 3
The
boastful pride of life (self-centredness and arrogance)
The world
system is thoroughly man-centred
It always
places man first and caters for man’s selfish desires
It is
opposite to the spiritual and heavenly realm, where God is in the Center
I do not
say that everything non-believers do, is evil
People
and organizations in
the world often do good, as in medical, educational and charity programs
But, even
with all its “good works,” the world is still basically man-centred, and
God, if He is considered at all, is kept on the outside
Believers
are in the world, and to some extent we are compelled to be part of the
world system
We are
compelled to ride in trains, to use telephones, to pay our taxes, to have
vaccinations, to have our children educated, to register our births,
marriages and deaths, etc
These
things are not bad, but we need to be wary of what the world offers
Many of
its offers are extremely evil, especially in the areas of entertainment,
advertising, the news media, business, commerce and intoxicating products
Certainly
the world is not in the business of promoting godliness
We don’t
even expect it to do so, because it is “the world.” It is a separate system,
and is often opposed to the principles of Christ
It is
essential for us as believers, then, to remember that we belong to Heaven
and are pilgrims passing through this world
And we
can expect opposition and enmity from the world, as the Lord Jesus said:
“If you were of the
world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world,
and because I chose you out of the world, the world hates you.”
(John 15:19)
ENEMY TWO:
THE FLESH
In the
letters to the Romans, Galatians and Ephesians, we read about this enemy
that we all have, living inside us
The
“flesh” is not referring to our physical bodies, as such, but to the
fleshly, or carnal nature that we possess
It is
this inward nature that uses the parts of our body to fulfil it's
sinful desires, and that is evil
The
fleshly nature is also called “the old man,” and it is opposed to the
“new man,” the new spiritual life that God has put within all
believers
The “old
man” is very much opposed to the Spirit of God who lives within us
“For the
flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what
is contrary to the flesh; and these are opposed to one another, so that
you are prevented from doing what you desire to do.”
(Galatians 5:17)
"In regard to your former way
of life, put off the old man - your old self, which is corrupt because of
deceitful desires, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your
mind, and put on the new man - the new self, which has been created by God
in true righteousness and holiness."
(Ephesians 4:22-24)
In Romans, Paul explains this
in-built “natural” enemy that we all have:
“For we know that the Law is
spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold into bondage under sin; and why
and what I’m doing, I don’t understand, for I am not practicing what I
would like to do, but I’m doing the very thing I hate
“Now if I
do the very thing I don’t want to do, I agree with the Law,
confessing that it is good
So now,
it is no longer I myself doing it, but the sin dwelling in me.
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for
the desire and willingness to do good is present in me, but
how to do right I don’t know
For the
good that I want to do, I do not do; but I practice the evil
that I don’t want to do
“Now if I
am doing the very thing I don’t want to do, I am no longer the one
doing it, but it’s the sin dwelling in me
I find
then the principle that when I want to do good, evil is present with me.”
(Romans 7:14-21)
The flesh, then, is that
nature within us that loves wrong, or that just can’t help doing wrong
We
cannot, however, simply excuse this enemy by saying, “I can’t help it.” God
has given us new life and a new nature - a spiritual nature, a "new man"
that loves to do right; a nature that yearns to obey Him
It is
this new nature that we are to feed and to develop through communion with
the Master
It is
essential to recognize the old nature as an enemy, and to “black list” it as
such
We cannot
compromise with it, for if we do, it will subtly gain victory over us and
bring us into bondage again
The old
nature belongs to the world system and is always evident by its emphasis on
“I.” It is self-centred and opposed to the Sovereignty of Christ
The Word
of God gives us guidance and commands us to conquer this enemy
Turn up
these verses in your Bible and read carefully:
Romans 6:6-7, 11-13, 19-22,
8:1-14
Paul sums
it up like this: “Walk
in the Spirit, and you will not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”
(Galatians 5:16)
Remember, the Holy Spirit has
been given to us to guide us, to keep us, to deepen our lives, to bring us
to maturity, and to fill us with God Himself
Look back
to lesson No.5, and refresh yourself on the importance of being filled with
the Spirit
ENEMY
THREE: THE DEVIL
The devil
is no myth
He is a
very real enemy and the Scripture says:
“Be of sober spirit, be on the
alert, for your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring
lion, seeking someone to devour
But
resist him, standing firm in the faith.”
(1 Peter 5:8-9)
“Resist the devil and he will
flee from you.”
(James 4:7) Satan is
our spiritual enemy and if we are faithful to our Master and are pressing on
the upward way, we will encounter his attacks
In lesson
eight, we will talk about the spiritual warfare more fully
The
following are some dangers which you must guard against:
COMPANIONS
As
followers of Christ we have to be careful regarding forming close
friendships with unbelievers
James
gives a very emphatic warning:
“Adulterers and adulteresses!
Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?
Therefore whoever decides to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of
God.” (James 4:4)
This does NOT mean that
we must not show friendship to unbelievers, for then, how could we help
others come to the Lord? We need to love unbelievers, and we have to help
them, and be ready to comfort them in times of need
But
Scripture is warning against the joining into alliance with worldly people
We cannot
afford to enter into deep friendship with unbelievers, because we are of the
LIGHT, they are of the DARKNESS
What
fellowship, or friendship, can darkness have with light?
(2 Corinthians 6: 14)
We can
talk with unbelievers, we can pray for them and we seek to lead them to
Christ, but we cannot enter into ALLIANCE, because we have different masters
Many
believers have fallen back because of wrong companions
Be very
careful
“Do not
be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals.”
(1 Corinthians 15:33)
2
MARRIAGE
What has
been said of companionships is doubly true of marriage; we cannot enter into
alliance with an unbeliever
The
Scripture warns very strongly:
“Do not be yoked or
bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and
lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”
(2 Corinthians 6:14)
Marriage is intended to be the
closest of relationships and a deep sharing of two lives
How can
an unbeliever satisfactorily share the life of a believer? Many marriages
have been wrecked because of this unequal yoke
Often a
believer marries an unbeliever, hoping that the
59 60
unsaved partner will soon come
to the Lord
But,
instead of turning to Christ, the unbeliever will resent religion being
"forced" upon him
He will
harden his heart and gradually bring the believer down to his own level
Never,
under any circumstances, marry an unbeliever
It can
lead to your spiritual ruin
If you
are already married to an unbeliever, then stay with your partner, and pray,
and seek to bring him or her to the Saviour
But don't
try to "force it." Take it gently and lovingly, trusting the Holy Spirit to
move in your situation
BUSINESS
OR WORK
The
Master gives us a clear exhortation and a wonderful promise:
“In all your ways acknowledge
Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
(Proverbs 3:6)
If we acknowledge Him, the
Lord will direct our way in regard to our work, our business and every other
area of our lives. There are often big dangers in
following certain careers
There are
many positions or careers that are not right for a believer
Be sure
to reject a job that would cause you to dishonour your Master
A
believing businessman should not enter into partnership with an unbeliever
This
also, is an unequal yoke, and will lead to compromise
MONEY AND
POSSESSIONS
Material
things can be great snares
They have
often robbed believers of their spirituality, making them not only
ineffective for God, but also completely dissatisfied with their own lives
Money and
possessions in themselves are not wrong, but when a believer’s heart is set
on them, he will lose his true love for the Messiah and he will become
carnal in his thinking and ways
Take a
warning from Timothy:
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and some, by
hankering for it, have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves
with many griefs.” (1
Timothy 6:10)
TIME AND
AMBITION
Our
desire and goal should always be to glorify God in our life, and to fulfil
His will and plans
If you
look at the Christian life from the spiritual point of view - from your
Master’s point of view, you see that nothing is really important except
God’s will
Everything in this world will pass away
All
worldly ambitions and successes are but for a moment
Our
personal ambitions can rob us of the real plan of God for our lives
SPORT AND
RECREATION
There is
a time for sport and exercise, and indeed, physical experience is necessary
for our bodies
But
there's a real danger when we allow sport, a hobby, or some physical
activity, to take up our affections and time, so that they gradually rob us
of our devotion to the Master
CINEMA, TV
AND ENTERTAINMENT
The
trouble with these things is that they are so much a part of the world’s
Godless system
Films and
entertainment need not necessarily be evil - but the fact is, today, the
arts and media have been greatly perverted and are being used to keep people
away from God
They so
often produce unwholesome thoughts and behaviour! The Scripture exhorts us:
“For the rest,
brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is
righteous, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and
commendable, whatever is of good report, if there is any excellence
and anything worthy of praise - meditate on these things.”
(Philippians 4:8)
Now, my brother, my sister,
try to memorize some of the Scripture verses in this lesson
Treasure
up the Word of God in your heart, as they will help you to “walk in the
Spirit.”
TEST
YOURSELF QUESTIONS
What does
the fleshly nature produce?
..........................................................................
(Galatians 5:19-21)
What
characterizes the spiritual nature? ....................................
..........................................................................
(Galatians 5:22-23)
Why does
the world persecute the followers of Christ?
...............................................................................
(John
15:18-19)
What is
the “old man”?
................................................................
...........................................................................
What is
the “new man”?
..............................................................
..........................................................................
According
to James 4:4, a friend of the world is also an
“..................................... of God.”
Look up
the following Bible verses, to see certain other dangers to avoid:
...........................................................................
(1
Timothy 6:20)
.........................................................................
(Colossians 3:8)
.............................................................................
(Philippians 2:14)
.....................................................................
(Romans
12:17- 21)
LESSON
EIGHT
BATTLES IN
THE WAY
Along the
way, the believer will be engaged at times in spiritual warfare
So he
must be equipped and disciplined as a good soldier of Christ
Paul said
“Suffer
hardship, therefore, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
(2 Timothy 2:3)
We can be assured of battle,
because of our third main enemy
ENEMY NO
3: THE DEVIL
The
devil, Satan, is the enemy of God
Created
originally as a beautiful angel, Satan's heart was gripped with pride, and
so he wanted to be as God - he wanted to be worshipped
Following
this terrible sin, Satan became a devil and led many angels in rebellion
against God
They all
became demons (evil spirits)
When the
human race was created, Satan was soon at work, seeking to sabotage the
plans of God
He came
to our first foreparents, Adam and Eve, and tempted them to sin
And he
has been tempting mankind ever since; and not only Satan, but with him, a
host of wicked spiritual beings
It is
Satan who has enslaved the human race and bound it to the principles of “the
world, the flesh, and the devil.” After a person has been delivered from the
yoke of Satan, by receiving Christ as Saviour, he finds that the devil is
now his double enemy; he finds that he is now subjected to new temptations
and he has become an object of spiritual attacks such as he had never
experienced befor
This may
puzzle, and discourage him, until he learns about this enemy
It is
essential to know your enemy, if you are going to fight victoriously
The
Scripture teaches us:
“Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to
stand
firm against the schem es
and strategies
of the devil
For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities,
against authorities, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age,
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
(Ephesians 6:11-12)
These spiritual forces
of wickedness are the fallen angels, the hosts of demons under Satan’s
command
Their aim
is to destroy, to frustrate and to hinder
If they
cannot destroy, they will seek to gain as much control over humanity as
possible
After a
believer has been delivered by the Saviour, these forces will attack and
seek to cripple him, and to bring him back into captivity
We are
therefore taught and warned of this enemy
“For we
wanted to come to you – I, Paul, more than once – and yet Satan thwarted
us.” (1 Thessalonians
2:18)
SATAN’S
SUBTLETIES
“Be of
sober spirit, be on the alert, for your adversary, the devil, prowls
about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour
But
resist him, standing firm in the faith.”
(1 Peter 5:8-9)
We must not be afraid of this
enemy, but we should be very careful of his subtleties
Sometimes, “Satan
disguises himself as an angel of light.”
(2 Cor 11:14)
And so he
deceives people into believing falsity
Sometimes
he tempts very subtly, but at other times he attacks by bringing all sorts
of discouragement and doubts to the believer
If he can
get a foothold in our lives, he will then seek to influence us and control
our lives
The Bible
says: “Do not give the
devil an opportunity.”
(Ephesians 4:27)
Sometimes Satan’s attacks and temptations are like fiery darts or flaming
missiles, which he aims at our most vulnerable parts, with pinpoint accuracy
He
studies our weak points very carefully, so that he might attack us there
If you
are lazy, he will exploit that
If you
are greedy, he will encourage you in that
If you
are fearful, he will attack there
If you
have a loose tongue, he will use that to the full
If you
have a temper, he will fan it
If you
have an argumentative spirit, he will urge you to make the most of this
trait
He will
always seek to promote your ego, and encourage you to stand up for your
rights, to trample upon others, and to exalt yourself
He will
always seek to turn your eyes away from Jesus, and keep you from meditating
on the Word of God, and from prayer
He will
seek to keep you from witnessing to others, and also from regular fellowship
with other believers
These are
his subtleties, his “tricks of the trade.” Remember, he has been in this
business for thousands of years and is a master at deception and destruction
As
born-again believers, however, we need not be fearful, for the Holy Spirit
lives within us
“You are
of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He
who is in you than he who is in the world.”
(1 John 4:4)
JESUS THE
MESSIAH IS VICTOR
The Lord Jesus “appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works
of the devil.” (1 John
3: 8) The Messiah
defeated Satan at Calvary, and then three days later, He rose victoriously
from the dead
Now the
Master gives the authority of His Name to His followers, so that we might
resist Satan and all demonic influences
“Having
called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them authority over unclean
spirits, to cast them out.”
(Matthew 10:1)
“In My Name they will cast out
demons.” (Mark 16:17)
It is because of this
authority given to believers, that we are able to
“Resist the devil
so that
he will flee from you.”
(James 4:7)
Satan and his forces hate the
Name of Y'shua, the Lord Jesus, and they hate the mention of the blood of
Jesus, because His shed blood spelt defeat for Satan
Satan is
called “the accuser of the brethren” because he seeks
65 66
to make believers feel guilty
because of their sinful past
We should
resist these attacks because once Jesus forgives our sins, they have been
cast out of God’s reckoning for ever
Look at
this Scripture: “Then I
heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, ‘Now the salvation, and the
power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ have
come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down - the
one who has been accusing them before our God day and night
And they
overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of
their testimony, and they did not love and cling to their lives,
right up to their very death’.”
(Revelation 12:10-11)
So, believer, we must resist
Satan in the Name of Jesus
And we
can do so because the Messiah, won the victory at Calvary
OUR
SPIRITUAL WEAPONS
In
fighting the spiritual forces, we have the authority of Jesus, and we have
also been provided with a spiritual armour, and with weapons
We cannot
fight Satan in our own strength, nor with material or human weapons
“For
though we walk in the flesh as human beings, we do not wage war
according to the flesh by using carnal and physical weapons; for the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal and physical, but mighty in God
for overthrowing strongholds.”
(2 Corinthians 10:3-4)
Now let’s turn to another
passage on spiritual warfare -
Ephesians 6:10-18: “Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Master, and in the strength of His power
Put on
the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand firm against
the schemes and strategies of the devil
For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities,
against authorities, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age,
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places
Therefore
take up the full armour of God, that you may be able to resist
in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm
“Stand
then, having fastened the Belt of Truth around your waist, and
having put on the Breastplate of Righteousness,
and
having put shoes on
your feet in
preparation and readiness to proclaim the Good News of
Peace; above all, having taken up the Shield of Faith with which
you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one
Take also
the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is
the Word of God, praying in the Spirit at all times, with every
prayer and supplication
To this
end, keep alert and watch with all perseverance, interceding for all
the set-apart people of God.”
Here is our armour, and here
are our weapons
If we put
on the armour and use the weapons, we will be able to stand
If we
don’t, we will be defeated
Look at
the armour:
The Belt
of Truth:
Jesus
is the Truth, and
we must maintain the Truth
Never
depart from it! Lies are the weapons of Satan and his people
We must
cling to the Truth of the Word of God
“Your
Word is Truth.”
(Psalms 119:160)
The
Breastplate of Righteousness:
Jesus
is our Righteousness
(Jeremiah 33:16)
We are
covered by Him
Never try
to stand in your own righteousness, but always remember that those who have
been called, have also been justified
(Romans
8:30) “Therefore having been justified (declared right) by faith, we
have peace with God through our Master, Jesus the Messiah.”
(Romans 5:1)
“Justified” means that our
sins have been taken away, and we stand before God, without condemnation
Now, of
course, the believer seeks to live a righteous life, for God says,
“You shall be holy for I am
holy.” (1 Peter 1:16)
The Shoes
of the Gospel of Peace:
We need
to know the Gospel of Christ, not in theory only, but in experience
We need
to be able to share the gospel, and we must be willing to go with the
gospel
Our
attitude and behaviour will not be as those who
are “swift to shed blood,” but as ambassadors on the go for Christ
“As
it is written, HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PROCLAIM THE GOOD
NEWS OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!”
(Romans 10:15)
The Shield
of Faith:
To
protect ourselves from the missiles of the enemy, we need faith
All
believers have faith in the Lord, but we need to deliberately exercise
that faith
Faith is
not abstract; but it is trusting the Lord
As John
says: “For every one
who has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that
has overcome the world - our faith.”
(1 John 5:4)
When attacks come, call
to the Saviour (the Deliverer), and trust Him to give the victory
The Helmet
of Salvation:
It is
essential to have our minds renewed through meditation on the Master and His
Word
And our
minds need to be protected by a daily experience of the saving power of
Christ
“And do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that you may prove what the will of God is - His good, acceptable and
perfect will.” (Romans
12:2) 6
The Sword
of the Spirit:
This
weapon is not only for defence, but for attack
It is the
Word of God
We must
know the Bible, and use it, just as the Lord did when He was
tempted by Satan
“Be
gone, Satan! For it is written …”
(Matthew 4:10)
We need to store up the Word
in our minds so that we can use it at the right time as a sword
That is
why I have asked you to try and memorize the verses in these lessons
Prayer in
the Spirit:
Prayer is
a weapon that we must not neglect
Prayer
keeps the supply lines open to us
The
prayer of faith is a call that God will honour
It is
written: “Do not be
anxious about anything - do not worry at all, but in everything, by prayer
and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.”
(Philippians 4:6)
“And the prayer offered in
faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Master will raise him up.
If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”
(James 5:15)
“But let him ask in faith
without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea,
driven and tossed by the wind.”
(James 1:6)
TWELVE
IMPORTANT RULES TO REMEMBER
To
summarize the important rules to overcome Satan and temptation:
Surrender
your body, and your all, to Yahweh the Lord, as a living sacrifice
(Romans
12:1)
Count
yourself as dead to sin but alive to God
(Romans
6:11)
Present
your members (hands, eyes, etc.) as servants of righteousness, and not as
servants of sin
(Romans
6:12-19)
Don’t
neglect meditation on the Master, and His Word
(Psalms
119:11)
Pray
regularly and at all times
(Ephesians 6:18)
Learn to
TRUST the Lord, in all situations, and do not waver
(James
1:6; Proverbs 3:5-6)
Use the
Word of God and act in the authority of the Name of Jesus
(Ephesians 6:17)
Count
upon the Presence of the Holy Spirit within you
(Romans
8: 9-15)
Do not
give opportunities for Satan to get a foothold in your life
Flee lust
(2 Timothy 2:22),
and keep yourself from
the love of money and from worldly ambitions
Always
speak the truth
Never use
carnal weapons such as lies, self-justification, heated arguments, scandal,
revenge, bribery, false accusations and exaggeration
Use the
weapons God has provided!
Praise
the Lord and rejoice always
(Philippians 4:4; Romans 8:28)
TEST
YOURSELF QUESTIONS
What was
the name or title given to Satan before he rebelled?
.........................................................................(Isaiah
14:12)
What are
the “spiritual forces of wickedness”?
..................................................................................
Who is
the “accuser of the brethren”?
.................................................................................
Should a
believer be afraid of Satan? Why?
..................................................................................
Where did
the Lord Jesus defeat Satan?
..................................................................................
In what
Bible passage do you read of the seven-piece armour of God?
...........................................................................................
What is
the “Sword of the Spirit”?
.......................................................................(Ephesians 6:17)
What are
some “carnal weapons” that we should never use?
................................................................(Romans
12:9) ...........................................................................
(Exodus
23:8) ......................................................................(Exodus
20:16) ............................................................................(James
4:2)
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