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TABLE OF
CONTENTS for BIBLE STUDY
INTRODUCTION TO BIBLE
DOCTRINE
JUMP DOWN TO
INTRODUCTION
A. Why are we here?
(1) challenge regarding faith
in Jesus Christ
BIBLE LESSON ONE
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON ONE
A. Do you have problems?
(1) the importance of Bible
Doctrine in solving problems
(2) learning and applying Bible
Doctrine
BIBLE LESSON TWO
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON TWO
A. Thinking vs Emotionalism
B. How Bible Doctrine helps us use
Divine Viewpoint rather than human viewpoint
BIBLE LESSON THREE
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON THREE
A. Lessons we MUST learn about PRIDE
(1) the causes and effects of
pride in our lives
B. Carnality
(1) cause and solution for
carnality
BIBLE LESSON FOUR
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON FOUR
A. The value of TIME and how we should
use it wisely
B. Best use of time through fellowship
with the Lord
C. Eternal Security and what it means to
us
D. The ministry of God, the Holy Spirit,
in the life of the believer in Jesus Christ during the Church Age
BIBLE LESSON FIVE
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON FIVE
A. A reference library of things
learned
B. How your memory will help you
C. Building a vocabulary that is
bible-oriented
D. Thinking categorically
E. How our conscience helps us make
decisions
F. Wisdom and the importance of having
it
BIBLE LESSON SIX
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON SIX
A. Motivation
B. God's Word and your spiritual
growth
C. How Jesus handled temptations
D. The four meanings of the word "IF"
E. The importance of Bible Doctrine
BIBLE LESSON SEVEN
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON SEVEN
A. Why being in fellowship is vital in
the Christian's life
B. Spiritual victory for Elijah on Mt.
Carmel
C. Ahab, an apostate, carnal believer
D. Elijah's failure to trust the Lord
and the consequences
E. The importance of Elijah's ministry
and what he represents
BIBLE LESSON EIGHT
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON EIGHT
A. The Doctrine of Hamartiology (SIN)
(1) meaning of the word sin
(2) all sin is against God
B. 3 categories of SIN
C. 3 categories of people
D. 7 areas of not thinking grace
E. 7 sins the Lord hates most
F. The Sin Unto Death ... what is it?
BIBLE LESSON NINE
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON NINE
A. Who is God and what is He
like?
B. RELIGION in contrast to CHRISTIANITY
C. The ATTRIBUTES of God and what they
mean
BIBLE LESSON TEN
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON TEN
A. Rightly dividing the Word of Truth via
Dispensational interpretation
B. Why Dispensational teaching
of scripture is important
BIBLE LESSON ELEVEN
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON ELEVEN
A. The evidence of carnality in the
believer's life
B. The fruit of the Spirit in contrast
to Old Sin Nature
control of our thoughts and
actions
C. Fruit of the Spirit characteristics
listed and explained
BIBLE LESSON TWELVE
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON TWELVE
A. "THINKING" ... is this foreign word
in our society today?
B. "STUDY" ......... why should I bother
to study the Bible?
C. "FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD" ... how is it
possible for sinful man to have fellowship with God who is Holy?
D. "BILE READING" ... where should I
begin?
E. "BIBLE DOCTRINE" ... what is it?
... why is it so important?
... what do I do with it?
BIBLE LESSON THIRTEEN JUMP
DOWN TO LESSON THIRTEEN
A. Satan's strategies to destroy
mankind
(1) ENVIRONMENT as an issue
(2) PEACE as an issue
(3) ECCUMENICALISM as an issue
(a) why not have a
one-world church?
(4) SOCIALISM and how it
affects a nation
(a) what the Social
Gospel presents
(5) INTERNATIONALISM as an
issue
B. The Anti-Christ ... world dictator
during the Tribulation period
(1) what he will be able to
accomplish
(2) his final end
BIBLE LESSON FOURTEEN
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON FOURTEEN
A. RESPONSIBILITY
(1) what is personal
responsibility?
B. Old testament characters who
illustrate the importance of having personal responsibility
C. National Responsibility
(1) who is responsible when a
nation is disciplined or destroyed?
BIBLE LESSON FIFTEEN
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON FIFTEEN
A. Using the "Follow- through"
technique in the Christian's life
(1) are we involved or content
to watch others succeed?
B. How do we grow spiritually?
C. How can we help to preserve nation?
BIBLE LESSON SIXTEEN
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON SIXTEEN
A. Is ours a heathenistic society?
B. What is Liberalism?
C. What is the Christian's attitude to
be toward both?
BIBLE LESSON SEVENTEEN
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON SEVENTEEN
A. What is Internationism?
B. How does the Lord view
internationalism vs Nationalism?
C. How does the Bible illustrate both
of these?
BIBLE LESSON EIGHTEEN
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON EIGHTEEN
A. What is Heathenism all about?
BIBLE LESSON NINETEEN
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON NINETEEN
A. Buried Treasure can be found in
the Bible
(1) How do we find it?
(2) What equipment do we need?
B. The Doctrine of Death in the
Scriptures
(1) The 7 deaths
C. The Doctrine of Dispensations
(1) Why is this important for
us to know?
BIBLE LESSON TWENTY
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON TWENTY
A. A THIRST FOR POWER
(1) How a thirst for power
affected king David's family
BIBLE LESSON TWENTY ONE
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON TWENTY ONE
A. Foolishness vs Wisdom
B. King Solomon's request for wisdom
C. Rehoboam takes bad advice
1.) nation
is divided
D. Jeroboam becomes king over 10 tribes of
the Children of Israel
1.)
idolatry the result of foolishness
BIBLE LESSON TWENTY TWO
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON TWENTY TWO
A. Getting to know God
B. Emotions vs thinking
C. Importance of knowing God's thoughts
BIBLE LESSON TWENTY THREE
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON TWENTY THREE
A. Picture of salvation for Adam &
Eve
B. Abraham's offering of Isaac
C. Moses and the Rock
D. Lessons from the life of Joseph
E. Significance of Jonah's experience
BIBLE LESSON TWENTY FOUR
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON TWENTY FOUR
A. Avoiding Mistakes
B. Learning from the Failures of
Others
BIBLE LESSON TWENTY FIVE
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON TWENTY FIVE
A. After death, what?
B. What is life?
C. The soul is eternal
BIBLE LESSON TWENTY SIX
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON TWENTY SIX
A. Do you want to be popular?
BIBLE LESSON TWENTY SEVEN
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON TWENTY SEVEN
A. Two secret Disciples
B. Why were they afraid to witness
about Christ
BIBLE LESSON TWENTY EIGHT
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON TWENTY EIGHT
A. Looking at Our Human and Spiritual
Intelligence
BIBLE LESSON TWENTY NINE
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON TWENTY NINE
A. Manna
BIBLE LESSON THIRTY
JUMP DOWN TO LESSON THIRTY
A. What is the spiritual life?
INTRODUCTION TO BIBLE DOCTRINE
WHAT ARE
YOU DOING HERE?
No doubt,
every thinking person has asked that question at some time in their
life.
Well, the
answer can only be found in a careful study of God's Word!
Let's explore some facts that the Lord has given us: Yes, He has an
answer to EVERY problem you and I could possibly face, but it must be
done by a concentrated effort to study the 66 books contained in the
Holy Scriptures we commonly call the Bible.
If
you have never personally put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as
your saviour, stop right now and consider the following facts I'm
going to relate to you:
(1) Jesus Christ is God and man in one person forever
(2) He came into the world and became true humanity for the sole
purpose of dying on the cross for the sins of the world
(3) Because He is sinless, Jesus Christ was able to bear every sin
that has been or ever will be committed, and took our place as a
substitute for each one of us
(4) When you accept that fact by faith and add NOTHING you do to
that simple faith in the work of Christ on the cross, you become a
Christian. No one can decide for you, because the Lord has given each
of us a decider known as a free-will to make that decision. When you
become a Christian you are then able to understand spiritual truth. To
the unbeliever, the Word of God is a closed book which they not only
do not understand, but they distort the meaning God intended for us.
I'll
be using the terms "believer" and "unbeliever" as we look at the big
picture of why we are here and the purpose for our existence.
A
believer is a person who has believed in Jesus Christ for salvation.
An unbeliever is a person who prefers to accept his OWN good works
rather that the ONLY work that God, the Father can accept which is
God, the Son in true and perfect humanity paying the penalty for our
sins.
Each
one of us has a nature to sin, and we are born with that "Sin Nature".
Nothing we can do, good or bad, is acceptable to God!
Well, now let's get to our original question of what we are doing
here.
In
eternity past, before Adam and Eve were created, God created angels.
The most beautiful angel of all was Lucifer, the son of the morning.
His position was to be guardian of the throne room of God. That was
the highest rank possible for a created being to hold. All the angels
were also given a free-will to make their own decisions.
One
day Lucifer became very proud of his magnificent beauty and talent and
decided he would exalt himself above all the angels and that he would
be exactly like God. We are told about his words in Isaiah 14:13,14.
Also, one-third of the angels decided to go with Lucifer. They are
called demons.
God's response to Lucifer's arrogance was to give a sentence of
eternal judgment. He also changed Lucifer's name to Satan, which means
ADVERSARY.
Satan appealed that sentence and said it wasn't a fair decision. God
cannot be unfair to anyone, so He created a new creature ... man ...
to prove to Satan that given a free-will like the angels had, man
would decide whether or not they would choose God's will for his life
or decide to go the same arrogant way Satan and his angels did.
Now,
we have the basic reason for our being here, which is to make that
decision during our lifetime whether to obey God or to follow Satan.
During this contest, angels are observing us, but we cannot see them
except through the written pages of God's Word.
God
has set a time limit for this contest, but he has not told us exactly
when it will end. He has told us that when it does end, Satan and his
demons will be cast into a Lake of Fire which will never be quenched.
Also, people who refuse to accept the work of Jesus Christ on the
cross will join them in that place of eternal torment.
Those people who accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour will spend
eternity with Him where there will be no more tears, no more pain and
no more death.
That
decision is the responsibility of each one of us, and I trust that you
have made that all-important choice, because that is why you and I are
here on this earth today!
Today's Verse - John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life.
Study to
show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15)
All
Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the
man of God might be mature, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
( 2 Tim. 3:16-17)
End of
Introduction Jump to top
BIBLE
LESSON ONE
DO YOU
HAVE PROBLEMS?
When you
tell people your problems, 50% don't really care and the rest think
you had it coming!
Before,
we talked about "why we are here", and now if you have put your faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ, He has a plan for your life!
God has a
perfect plan for your life ... that's God's DIRECTIVE WILL, he also
will allow you to go your own way under certain circumstances ...
that's God's PERMISSIVE WILL. But wait ... He also has an OVERRULING
WILL which prevents you from going a certain way. There are examples
of these wills in the Bible, but today let's talk about
PROBLEM-SOLVING.
You don't
need counseling to solve your problems! (that is the popular way to go
today in our society, of course) What you really need is GOD'S
VIEWPOINT... or DIVINE VIEWPOINT as we will refer to it.
What is
DIVINE VIEWPOINT? Psalm 119:105 tells us, ''THY WORD is a lamp unto
my feet, and a light unto my path."
How do we
get DIVINE VIEWPOINT? 2 Timothy 3:16 ''Study to show thyself approved
unto God; a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the Word of truth."
Why
should we study? Psalm 119:11 "Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that
I might not sin against thee."
How do we
begin to learn God's Word?
(1) we must correctly understand and analyze what the Lord wants us
to know.
(a) are you teachable or are you negative?
(b) are you willing to listen or read and concentrate?
If you are, you will learn and then you will think the way God thinks.
After that, you will be able to apply what you have learned and
believed (metabolized) to every problem in your life. (this doesn't
happen overnight ... it takes time to learn and absorb the truth of
God's Word! You don't go from simple fractions to calculus!) BE
PATIENT AND BE FAITHFUL TO FIND GOD'S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE!
Where do
we begin?
You
need to find a man who has the spiritual gift of Pastor-Teacher, and
who knows the original languages of scripture so that he can give you
the tools with which you can study and learn BIBLE DOCTRINE.
What
tools are we talking about?
(1) principles: ie: truths which are the foundation upon which
we build knowledge of Bible Doctrine
(2) categories: ie: classified thoughts or actions through
knowing Bible Doctrine
(3) Doctrines: ie: learning what the Bible teaches about
specific subjects from Genesis to Revelation, and then coming to a
conclusion about each of those subjects that is correct... GOD"S
VIEWPOINT
To wet
your appetite for more Bible Doctrine, here's just a sample of what
I'm talking about. This sample is one that always divides Christians
because they don't have the "big picture"...the Bible Doctrine...
about the subject.
BAPTISM (the word means IDENTIFICATION...in every case throughout the
Bible)
There are
two categories of Baptism, and they are as follows:
(there are a total of 7)
DRY (Real
Baptisms)
Baptism of Moses: (the children of Israel are IDENTIFIED with
Moses as they pass through the Red Sea 1Corinthians 10:1,2)
Baptism of the Cross or Cup: (the Lord Jesus Christ is
identified with the cross. Matthew 20:22)
Baptism of Fire: (for the unbeliever only... it is a baptism
of judgment) Matthew 25:31,33; Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16; 2 Thess.
1:7-9
Baptism of the Holy Spirit: (for the believer only...the Holy
Spirit enters believers into union with Christ at the moment of
salvation. Acts 1:5; 1 Cor. 12:13;; Romans 6:3,4; Gal.3:27;; Col.
2:12; Ephesians 4:5
WET (Ritual
Baptisms...water symbolic of something else, but the individual is
really identified with the water)
Baptism of John: (Matthew 3:6, 11a... water symbolic of the
Kingdom of God, which John preached. Acts 19:4. The people who came to
John were saying in effect "I have trusted in Christ"
Baptism of Jesus: (water is used for his UNIQUE BAPTISM which
symbolized the Father's will for him. He said by his baptism that He
would go to the cross and die for the sins of the world. Matthew
3:13-17)
WE CANNOT
FOLLOW THE LORD IN BAPTISM because of the above!)
Baptism of the Believer in Jesus Christ during the Church Age in which
we live: (Matthew 28:19. Water represents the person of the
Lord Jesus Christ in His DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION)
Jump to top
BIBLE
LESSON TWO
HELLO
THERE . . . The last time we met here on the Website, we looked at the
importance of knowing how God thinks .., ie: BIBLE DOCTRINE, and we
had a small sample of what BIBLE DOCTRINE is.
When we
hear what God thinks, our lives should improve, and our problems can
be handled.
Right
actions come from our thinking! They do not come from our EMOTIONS!
We are
overly passive today, because it is the "easy way" to live. Sadly,
however, when we let everyone else do our thinking for us, we become
lax in thinking for ourselves, and we fail to analyze what we read and
hear by comparing those things with what God thinks.
Do you
believe everything you read and hear from the media which surrounds
our lives every day? If you said "yes", you don't have Bible Doctrine
as a believer in Jesus Christ. In that case, you will be a "loser"
when it comes to living a life which is honoring to the Lord.
When we
get correct teaching from a pastor-teacher who knows the original
languages of scripture and can give us a foundation on which to build
our faith in the Lord, we must first of all want to be taught ... we
call that BEING TEACHABLE!"
When we
desire and LEARN Bible Doctrine, we get UNDERSTANDING. Our
understanding becomes our THINKING. When we think Bible Doctrine, we
can APPLY it to our lives and to our many problems which face us on a
daily basis. Then we can SOLVE those problems!
Think of
your life as being in a frame that you can study and look at in order
to check your progress in this 'game of life' in which we are all
involved:
HERE'S
THE BIG PICTURE:
1.) In this frame, you can put thoughts and actions together in
order to look and examine them closely.
(a) Proverbs 1:5 "A wise man will hear, and will
increase learning and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise
counsels."
2.) Next, you build a new vocabulary with which you can arrange
and define your thoughts.
(a) Proverbs 4:7 "Wisdom is the principal thing,
therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting, get understanding."
3.) All the things you hear and read about can be classified into
certain categories where they can be divided into usable and
worthwhile thoughts and actions.
(a) Proverbs 5:1 "My son, attend unto my wisdom, and
bow thine ear to my understanding."
4.) We can distinguish right from wrong so that we may change our
ways and thoughts to agree with God's thoughts and ways.
(a) Isaiah 55:8-11: For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh
down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth
the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to
the sower and bread to the eater. So shall my word be that goeth
forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall
accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing
whereunto I send it."
5.) We learn to overcome the pressures in life ... little by
little, as we take in Bible Doctrine.
(a) Isaiah 28:10 "For precept must be upon precept,
precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little
and there a little."
6.) Through the intake, on a regular basis, of Bible Doctrine, we
will be able to form sound judgment, and make the BIG PICTURE of
ourselves pleasing in our own eyes. When we are able to do that, we
build self-esteem.
(a) Proverbs 16:7 tells us: "When a man's ways
please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."
Jump to top
BIBLE
LESSON THREE
WELL! I
STILL HAVE MY PRIDE!!! Have you ever heard that statement
before?
Pride was
the original sin in the universe, and it was committed by Lucifer. He
was the most beautiful creature God ever created! One day, he decided
he was going to be exactly like God. Isaiah 14:12-14:
"For
thou hast said in thine heart, I WILL ASSCEND INTO HEAVEN, I WILL
EXALT MY THRONE ABOVE THE STARS OF GOD: I WILL SIT ALSO UPON THE MOUNT
OF THE CONGREGATION IN THE SIDES OF THE NORTH, I WILL ASCEND ABOVE THE
HEIGHTS OF THE CLOUDS: I WILL BE LIKE THE MOST HIGH."
As a
result of Lucifer's arrogance, God changed his name to Satan
(adversary), and sentenced him to the Lake of Fire.
The Lord
has many things to say to us about PRIDE. Here are a few to consider:
"Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your
mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are
weighed." 1 Samuel 2:3
"The
Wicked, through pride of his countenance, will not seek God; God is
not in all his thoughts." Psalm 10:4
"Only by pride cometh contention; but with the well-advised is
wisdom." Proverbs 13:10
As a
believer in Jesus Christ, we are in carnality when we are proud, and
we have no fellowship with him in time. 1st John 1:9 tells us "If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
cleanse us from all unrighteousness." At that moment you are Filled
With The Holy Spirit and now have fellowship with God in Time.
Some of
the results of PRIDE are: jealousy, bitterness, self-pity, temper,
anger, hatred, murder and refusal to take responsibility for our own
actions.
NOT A
VERY ATTRACTIVE PICTURE, IS IT?
Let's not
confuse pride with self-esteem!
If you
take care of your body and look your best at all times, it doesn't
mean you are PROUD! (some people may think so, but just stay with
Bible Doctrine and move on)
As a
believer in Jesus Christ, you and I are here to please Him ...not
always trying to please people. When you are in fellowship with the
Lord, you will please people ... remember Proverbs 16: 7 which we
looked at last time ... "When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh
even his enemies to be at peace with him."
I'd like
to leave you with the following thought expressed by the Lord in
Proverbs 12:15:
"THE WAY
OF A FOOL IS RIGHT IN HIS OWN EYES, BUT HE THAT HARKENETH UNTO COUNSEL
IS WISE."
Jump to top
BIBLE
LESSON FOUR
TIME is a
very precious thing, and we ought to use it wisely!
Each one
of us uses time in a different way, because each of our lives are
unique to the others.
Time
spend in fellowship with the Lord is the most profitable time spent
for the Christian. When we have no unconfessed sin in our life, God's
Word tells us we are in fellowship with Him, and we are filled and
controlled by the Holy Spirit.
When the
Holy Spirit controls the believer, he/she is teachable. The Holy
Spirit teaches our human spirit the things of God, which are not
understandable by the carnal believer or the unbeliever.
In the
Church Age in which we find ourselves every believer, upon simple
faith in the work of Christ on the cross, is regenerated, baptized
into the body of Christ ( the Church ), indwelt perpetually by the
Holy Spirit, sealed by the Holy Spirit and given the privilege of
being continuously FILLED with the Holy Spirit. All of this is unique
and distinctive to the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the believer in
the Church Age.
God, the
Holy Spirit, is the revealer of all Divine Truth ... the scriptures
are the product of the Holy Spirit. He guides the believer and calls
the Christian to various service in the body of Christ ... the Church.
Before
the Church Age began officially ... on the day of Pentecost, the Holy
Spirit did not indwell believers, but He came upon some of them for
special services like kings, prophets and priests. that is called
INDUEMENT, which means to put on. He could be taken away as He was in
the case of king Saul. Remember, David prayed, "Cast me not away from
thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me." Psalm 51:11
We can't
pray that prayer today. The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:30
"And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the
day of redemption." We can grieve or quench the Holy Spirit, but never
lose Him!
Believer
... STOP WORRYING ABOUT LOSING YOUR SALVATION because you have
committed a sin which is unforgivable! Your salvation was secure at
the moment you put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. John 10:28
tells us clearly, "I give unto them ETERNAL LIFE, and they shall never
perish; neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand."
YOU
CANNOT UNTO WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU ... THAT IS THE HEIGHT OF
ARROGANCE!
Keep
short accounts with God regarding your personal sins! Confess them to
the Lord, forget about them and MOVE ON TO MATURITY through learning
Bible Doctrine, applying Bible Doctrine and solving your own problems.
You can do that only by a consistent intake of God's Word.
Are you
ready to accept that Challenge?
Jump to top
BIBLE
LESSON FIVE
Greetings!!! The last time we met here on the Website we saw how
it is absolutely necessary for the believer in Jesus Christ to confess
his/her known sins to the Lord in order to be in fellowship with Him.
When you
hear good, doctrinal teaching, the Holy Spirit teaches your human
spirit, and He makes the things taught understandable. When you
believe what you hear, you store those things in a reference library
in your mind.
When you
have a question or a problem that needs solving, you can go to that
reference library and recall what you learned, and then you can apply
the necessary doctrine to the situation.
If you
are persistent in knowing and doing God's will, you will also begin to
build up a vocabulary that is Bible-oriented. (often, you will find
things to be contrary to what you believed before and/or learned from
your human resources, ie: the media, books, etc.) It will be up to you
to examine and sort this information correctly!
The
result of having a good reference library built up in your memory will
be your ability to put what you learn into specific categories. Then,
when you hear certain words, you will automatically refer to your
memory in that reference library, and you will be able to use the
information to help yourself as well as those who may come to you with
their questions, (I'm not talking about counseling, but instead, that
would be giving correct information which you have learned so that the
person needing help can decide for themselves about your advice)
The Lord
has given each one of us a conscience so we may make decisions about
whether or not something we think or do is right or wrong. God's Word
will convict us of wrong-doing so that we may confess it and move on.
(hopefully, we will not keep repeating the same sins over and over
again, because discipline will surely follow if we do!) Look at
Isaiah's word ... "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee,
saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right
hand, and when ye turn to the left." (Isaiah 30:21)
Finally,
if you really want to be wise in everything you do, you will listen,
concentrate, learn, categorize, think and apply Bible Doctrine to
every situation in life!
WISDOM is
the application of Bible Doctrine to experience. Solomon was the
wisest man who ever lived. God gave him this great wisdom when Solomon
asked for guidance in ruling over Israel. (2 Chronicles 1:9-12)
Solomon
gave us some excellent advice in Proverbs 1:5 ... "A wise man will
hear and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall
attain unto wise counsels."
Also
Solomon said, "The fear of the Lord (ie: reverence for Him) is the
beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
(Proverbs 1:7)
Jump to top
BIBLE
LESSON SIX
WHAT
MOTIVATES YOU?
When was
the last time you were really motivated and excited about doing
something? Maybe it was about taking a special vacation, going
anywhere you think might make you happy? Some people spend all their
lives in a FRANTIC SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS ... not that the things you
want are not legitimate, but if you are a Christian, you should have
certain priorities regarding finding what the Lord wants you to do. Of
course, don't neglect your family or your responsibilities to your
employer, etc., but you can always find time to do what you really
want to do, can't you? BE HONEST ABOUT IT ... MOST OF US ARE
NATURAL-BORN PROCRASTINATORS, AND WE KNOW IT!
Every
Christian knows he/she is told by Peter to: "Desire the sincere milk
of the Word, that ye may grow thereby." (1 Peter 2:2) Then Timothy
tells us to: "Study to show thyself approved unto God; a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. (2
Timothy 2:15) Did you notice that Timothy said "rightly dividing the
Word of Truth?" Anyone can take the Word of God and make it mean what
they want to have it say, but that only leads to a lot of confusion
... and what's even worse ... FALSE TEACHING. That's why we have so
many cults in the world today. Satan knows scripture too, and he
influences unbelievers as well as untaught believers about twisting
the scriptures to their liking!
Satan did
that when he tempted Jesus right after Jesus was identified with the
Father's plan for his 3-year ministry. In Matthew chapter 4 we have
the details of that temptation, and it is in three parts, (1) Jesus,
in perfect humanity, had gone without physical food for forty days.
God the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness where He would be
tempted (not tested, you understand), by Satan himself.
Wait ...
before we really study the discourse between Jesus and Satan, we must
understand that the word "IF" can mean four differerent things in the
Bible. Only understanding that principal can clarify the way Satan
used scripture in trying to get his way with Jesus. The four meanings
of the Word (if) are as follows:
(1) If ... and it's true
(a) Satan said, "If you are the Son of God ... "(and you
are)
(2) If ... and it is NOT true
(a) Satan said, "If you will fall down and worship me,
but you will not ..."
(3) If ... maybe "yes" and maybe "no"
(a) "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1
John 1:9)
(4) If ... a wish that it was so
(a) Paul told believers, "If you were suffering for
righteousness sake ..." (I wish you were, but you're not)
READY TO
TACKLE MATTHEW CHAPTER 4 and apply what we just said about the word
"IF"?
Satan
said to Jesus, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones
be turned into bread."
Jesus
answered with scripture and said, "It is written, Man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of
God". (Deuteronomy 8:3)
Next,
Satan said to Jesus, "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down;
for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning thee;
and in their hands, they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou
dash thy foot against a stone." (Satan used scripture, but twisted the
word!)
Jesus
answered again with scripture, "It is written again, "Thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy God."
Finally,
Satan misused scripture when he said as he took Jesus up to a high
mountain where they both could see all the kingdoms of the world, "All
these things will I give thee, If thou wilt fall down and worship me."
Jesus
ordered, "Get thee hence, Satan for it is written, "Thou shall worship
the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."
All four
uses of the word (IF) are found in Matthew 4:1-11. Satan knows that
Jesus is the Son of God in perfect humanity. Satan thought he could
destroy Jesus if He jumped from a high place. Satan is now, at this
present time, ruler of the world, and his offer to give Jesus the
kingdoms of the world was LEGITIMATE! The last temptation is a kind of
combination of "maybe" and "wish", because Jesus had volition (a free
will) to do what the Devil asked him to do.
We are
also tempted as Christians, and 1 John 2:16 tells us clearly, "For all
that is in the world, the LUST OF THE FLESH, the LUST OF THE EYES, and
the PRIDE OF LIFE, is not of the Father, but is of the world." Satan
tempted Eve in the same way also. Examine Genesis 3:6 to see that Eve
hungered for the forbidden fruit, it was beautiful to look at, and she
believed the lie Satan told her that she would be as wise as God if
she ate the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
LET'S GET
BACK TO OUR ORIGINAL SUBJECT ... MOTIVATION. If you are a Christian,
you ought to want to please the Lord. If you don't, we have an
illustration that can be like a mirror to look into when we just plug
along not caring about God's plan and purpose for our lives. The
illustration is found in PROVERBS 24:30-32 (Use your imagination, and
think of yourself as a vineyard which the Lord planted ...)
"I went
by the field of the slothful, and the vineyard of the man void of
understanding. (no Bible Doctrine) And, lo it was all grown over with
thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall
was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well; I looked upon it,
and received instruction".
Then the
next two verses in chapter 24 tell us what happens to the Christian
who let's the cares of this world, etc. overtake his thoughts and
actions. "Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of
the hands to sleep; So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth,
and thy want as an armed man."
The
believer with no Bible Doctrine in the thinking part of his mind, will
be frantic under adverse situations. Remember, adversity is
inevitable, but stress is what we do to ourselves!
BIBLE
DOCTRINE which has been LEARNED, UNDERSTOOD, BELIEVED and APPLIED can
be used when we face any adversity in life!
We're
looking forward to seeing you on the Web again soon!!!
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BIBLE
LESSON SEVEN
In
previous lessons we talked about the importance of being in fellowship
with the Lord. Remember, we must NAME our sins to Him! It is a PRIVATE
MATTER between you and the Lord!
Let's review the verse that best illustrates the principal: "If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) There are many
other verses in the Bible to illustrate that principle ... one of them
is Job's confession after he blamed God for his misfortune and
complained about it to his friends. His confession is found in Job
40:4 where he says, "Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I
will lay my hand upon my mouth." Then, after David's sin of adultery
with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband which followed, David
confessed those sins to the Lord, and tells us about it in Psalm
51:4: "Against Thee, Thee only have I sinned and done this evil in
thy sight ..."
Conviction of sin doesn't always come from our own conscience or
thought pattern where we have stored information regarding right and
wrong ... it comes from getting into contact with God's Word! The Lord
provided men with the gift of Pastor-teacher to study and give us the
Bible Doctrine we so desperately need ... then we can take the things
we've learned to the pages of scripture ourselves, where God the Holy
Spirit can speak to us as believers in fellowship with the Lord. He
then will point out our sins ... privately ... so we can confess them.
The prophet Isaiah tells us, "... this is the way; walk ye in it."
(Isaiah 30:21) Paul tells us in Colossians 2:6 & 7, "As ye have
therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. Rooted
and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as ye have been
taught; abounding therein with thanksgiving." We become believers
through faith, and we are to walk by faith! We must be ROOTED IN
BIBLE DOCTRINE, GROW SPIRITUALLY, and eventually become MATURE and
EFFECTIVE for the Lord while we are alive on this earth.
Well, we've seen how important confession of sin is by which to stay
in fellowship with the Lord. It is only then that we are TEACHABLE,
because God the Holy Spirit teaches our human spirit ... not our soul.
When we sin, we are quenching or grieving the Holy Spirit and we
cannot learn spiritual things.
Did
you know that right after a great spiritual victory we are most
vulnerable to defeat? One of the great Old Testament prophets. Elijah,
is a very good example to look at. Let's see what happened to him as
we look at the events of his victory and his failure.
Elijah is introduced to us as he was sent to minister to Israel in the
days when Ahab was king. Ahab was an apostate, carnal believer who had
married a beautiful woman by the name of Jezebel. She was the daughter
of the king of Tyre and Sidon. Jezebel had great influence over Ahab,
and because of that, he made very bad decisions which brought judgment
upon the nation of Israel. Jezebel brought her idolatrous practices to
Israel when she became queen, and she supported 450 prophets of the
idol Baal and 400 prophets of the Astarte. Through her influence over
Israel, Bible Doctrine was mixed with false, pagan doctrines which
engulfed the people of Israel in idolatry. DISCIPLINE UPON THE KING
AND THE ENTIRE NATION FOLLOWED.
A
judgment of no rain for a three-year period was the message which God
gave Elijah to take to king Ahab. After telling Ahab the bad news,
Elijah was told to keep out of Ahab's sight to save his own life.
During the time of drought and famine which followed, the Lord took
care of Elijah's every need.
At
the end of the three years, Elijah was told to go back again to Ahab
to announce that rain was on the way to relieve the land. However,
before that would happen, Ahab was told to gather the prophets of
Baal, the prophets of the groves where idols were worshipped, and then
to invite all the Israelites in the area to Mt Carmel where a
sacrifice would be made.
When the people were gathered together before Elijah, he said to them,
"How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow
Him; but if Baal is god, follow him." The people listened to his
words, but did not answer. Elijah went on speaking, "I, even I only,
remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are 450!
Next, Elijah told the people to bring two bullocks for the sacrifice.
The prophets of baal were to choose one for themselves to offer, and
he would take the other. They were instructed to build an alter of
wood on which to lay the offering, but put no fire under it ... then
the false prophets were to call upon Baal to accept their offering.
They did so, and then called upon Baal from morning to evening without
getting any response. In the middle of that day, Elijah mocked them
and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god .. either he is talking, or
pursuing, or he is on vacation ... or maybe he's asleep and you have
to wake him." The prophets even cut themselves in an effort to please
Baal, but still no answer!
Then Elijah gathered the people to him. They watched while he
repaired the altar for the Lord which was broken down. He took twelve
stones ... one for each of the tribes of Israel ... and built an altar
in the name of the Lord. He made a trench around the altar which
would contain much water, placed wood on the altar, the pieces of the
bullock and ordered the people to fill four barrels of water to pour
into the trench as well as on the sacrifice itself. They did this
twice, and everything was saturated with water. Next, Elijah came near
to the altar and prayed aloud so that the onlookers could all hear
him. "Hear me, O Lord; hear me that this people may know that Thou art
the Lord God, and that Thou has turned their heart back again." When
he finished his prayer, the fire of the Lord fell upon the sacrifice
and consumed not only the animal, but the wood, the stones, the dust
and all the water that was in the trench! When the people saw that,
they fell on their faces and said, "The Lord, He is the God (the only
God)"
After that, Elijah commanded that they bring all of the prophets of
Baal before him, and the prophets were executed! Then Elijah turned
to Ahab and said, "Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of
abundance of rain." Ahab gathered his robes about himself and
high-tailed back to the palace to tell Jezebel about the events he had
witnessed.
Jezebel was furious to learn that her prophets were slain by Elijah,
and she sent a threatening note to Elijah. She could have sent an
assassin with a dagger to finish him off, but instead, she frightened
him with a note saying that by the next day he would be dead!
Well, our great, victorious Elijah ran for his life when he got that
message from Jezebel! He went a day's journey into the wilderness and
sat down under a tree where he asked the Lord to take his life ... it
just wasn't worth living anymore ... poor Elijah! well, the Lord gave
him food and rest and sent him on his way again. He spent forty days
and forty nights on the strength of that food, and then he found a
cave in which to hide. (He is fearful and not trusting the Lord ...
he's out of fellowship!) (Fear is a sin)
The
Lord spoke to Elijah in the cave and said, "...what doest thou here,
Elijah?" By Elijah's answer, we know he was completely centered on
himself and his problem when he said, "I have been very Zealous for
the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy
covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the
sword; and I, EVEN I ONLY, AM LEFT, AND THEY SEEK MY LIFE TO TAKE IT
AWAY!" Then the Lord told Elijah to look out of the opening of the
cave where he was hiding, and He sent a great wind that tore up the
mountains and broke rocks around him. After that, the Lord sent a
great earthquake, and followed it by fire to remind Elijah the LORD
GOD IS OMNIPOTENT. After all the noise which the wind, earthquake and
fire had made, God sent a STILL SMALL VOICE OF SILENCE. When that
happened, Elijah wrapped his mantle about his face, and he went to the
mouth of the cave to look out and see what was happening. God spoke
to him again and said, "What doest thou here, Elijah?" The same
answer containing all of the "I's" came back again. Then, because
Elijah wouldn't confess his sin of fear and not trusting the Lord, the
Lord said he would be replacing Elijah with another prophet ... Elijah
could no longer have the respect of the people when he failed to trust
the Lord! You can fill in all of the details to this story of Elijah
by reading 1 Kings chapters 17, 18 and 19. Also see Ahab's confession
in 1 Kings 21:27-29.
Elijah was still used by the Lord to some extent before he was taken
up in a chariot of fire in a whirlwind before the very eyes of Elisha
who was his replacement to minister to Israel. (2 Kings 2:11)
Elijah appeared with Jesus and Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration.
(Matthew 17:3) Again, he will appear with Moses as one of the two
witnesses in the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation. Revelation
11:3-12 give all the details of the event. Moses was the
representative of the LAW, and Elijah was the representative of the
PROPHETS ... the Law and the Prophets embrace the Old Testament
scriptures and present them to the Jews as a witness to the truth of
the Word of God.
Well, I trust you will read and digest all the information we have
briefly touched on in our study ... it is important to understand how
a great believer can fail ... we should profit from his mistake and
learn to trust the Lord in our problems.
Jump to top
BIBLE
LESSON EIGHT
THE
DOCTRINE OF HAMARTIOLOGY
Hamartiology is a theological word for SIN. The word hamartiology
comes from the Greek word HAMARTIA, which means to fall away or to
miss the mark. It embraces the fact that EVERYTHING which is contrary
to the expressed WILL OF GOD is SIN! Even though a sin is committed
against another person or people, it is primarily against the LORD!
King David said it beautifully in Psalm 51:4. This Psalm was written
after David confessed his sins of adultery with Bathsheba followed by
the murder of her husband to cover his sin of adultery. "AGAINST THEE,
THEE ONLY, HAVE I SINNED, AND DONE THIS EVIL IN THY SIGHT: THAT
(purpose of his confession) THOU MIGHTEST BE JUSTIFIED WHEN THOU
SPEAKEST, AND BE CLEAR WHEN THOU JUDGEST."
THERE
ARE 3 CATEGORIES OF SIN:
1. IMPUTED ... "Wherefore, as by one man (Adam), sin
entered into the world, and death (spiritual death) by sin; and so
death passed upon all men, for that ALL sinned." (because we are
Adam's seed) (Romans 5:12)
2. INHERENT ... "For all have sinned, and come short of
the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) (we sin because we have a nature to
sin)
3. PERSONAL ... "They are all gone of the way, they are
altogether become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good and
sinneth not." (Romans 3:12)
THERE
ARE 3 CATEGORIES OF PEOPLE:
1. GOOD ........ Moral, kind, good citizen, etc. (this kind
is hard to reach because he thinks he's okay)
2. BAD ............ This one knows he's bad, and is the
easiest to reach with the Gospel. (a good illustration of "bad" is in
the King James Bible: Acts 17:5, "But the Jews which believed not,
moved with envy, took unto them LEWD FELLOWS OF THE BASER SORT ..."
3. RELIGIOUS .. This kind of person is extremely difficult to
reach, because they are always busy doing good deeds in the name of
God.
Religion
is in contrast to Christianit | 
