The Learner I by Tazh Vernil

The Learner 1

“Follow me and I will make you Fishers of Men.” Mathew 4:19

“The Learner” A life of learning to walk closely withJesus, these inspired teachings from the Words of Christ will help us walk closer to Jesus as His chosen disciples.

Cary McQuaid

Table of Contents

Title

Page

Foreword Chapter One

Becoming A Disciple

Chapter Two

What Is Man?

Chapter Three

Man: From Fall unto Faith

Chapter Four

These Three Are One

Chapter Five

Light vs. Darkness

Chapter Six

What is Man In Christ?

Chapter Seven

Prayer and Confession

103

Chapter Eight

Forgiveness

114

Chapter Nine

How to Handle Hard Times

128

Chapter Ten

God and Deliverance

145

Chapter Eleven

Faith in Action

162

Chapter Twelve

Workers Needed

178

Foreword

“The Learner” for all that desire a closer walk with Jesus. Thisbook would not have been possible without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and is brought to you in the spirit of love. Jesus loves us and has purchased our lives by giving His life to redeem us, to save us from eternal suffering. As the scripture tells us in Isaiah, “all we like sheep have gone astray” yet Jesus has made it possible for us to return and resume a close walk with him and be reconciled to our Father. No longer to live in sin, our commitment today is to grow with him! God bless you as you read and become a ministering vessel in His image and likeness. Let us start by imagining ourselves to be like the sheep at the foot of the tree that can be seen on the front cover. In order to learn to follow Jesus we must sit and listen closely. Simply sit at his feet and listen to His teachings. It is a rare moment in today‟s society that we are instructed to merely sit and listen, but God wants to slow our fast paced life down and teach us his ways. In the “Learner” it will be our focus. Like sheep we will sit at His feet and take in the infallible word of God. At the end of this we will have learned to be His disciples as we continue in His word.

Chapter One

Becoming a Disciple Primary Message:“Whom say ye that I am?” Mathew16:15 Worldview:I am all that I need, I have the ability andpower to be anything and do anything that I choose in life. Evangelistic Emphasis:Jesus is the Word of God.“And the word became flesh and dwelt among us.”. John 1:14 “Behold the Lamb of God!”

From the start of His ministry Jesus began to select people to follow him and be assistants to the work of God. As he called them to follow he taught them and shared with them a close relationship, enabling them to become mature and to be used by God for the kingdom‟s glory. In some cases we can see that it was a hard walk requiring much commitment and sacrifice on their part and in some cases we can find that a few fell away and no longer walked with Jesus. The purpose of calling others to be Disciples is to mature them and to equip them with the tools necessary to take Jesus‟ message of salvation to the world, to bring forth fruit that remains, and to strengthen them to endure and keep the faith to the very end. There are critical steps to take that will ensure success. We will start with one word that we find in our Bibles, it may be one of the most important words of action that we can take as Christians and one of the hardest words to do.

Turn with me to John chapter 15 and begin to read until you find the word â&#x20AC;&#x153;abideâ&#x20AC;? Yes this is a critical word. As the sheep that are abiding beneath the tree soaking up the shade on a hot summer day, we also must be abiding in his presence, at His feet. Get this word into your soul and daily exercise it. This will bring many blessings to you. Now that we have started as sheep that are simply abiding, let us go on to our first lesson. Who is Jesus? John 1:1-14 1. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. 4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5. And the light shined in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. 8. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of the light. 9. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10. He was in the world, and the world was made by him and the world knew him not. 11. He came unto his own and his own received him not. 12. But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13. Which were born not of blood, nor the will of flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. 14. And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Wow! Jesus is the same word that we read today in our Holy Bible! The word was in the beginning of all things, the word created all things, and the word lives among us even today! God has never changed! Accepting God at His word is to accept Jesus, God‟s son and accept that Jesus was sent to us as God‟s word for man. God has always had a word with a purpose and a teaching that is meant for man. God loves us and He wants all that is good for us, but we must accept this truth and to accept this starts with accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Jesus is what God has determined to be good for us and we must accept this knowing that Jesus is God‟s son and our Savior and His words are life. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Have you ever been taught that everything began another way such as “The Big Bang” or “Evolution?” Do you feel that these ideas of how the world began would prefer to leave Jesus out of the history of the world? Who is Jesus to you? Where did he come from? Why did he come? Why should we follow him? These questions might strike you as very simple, but I have been surprised to find the many different beliefs about whom Jesus is by asking who people say he is. One of the most important questions, I believe, in life is “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked this question to Peter and He continues to ask each of us who come to Him today. Who do you say Jesus is?

After Jesus was announced by John The Baptist He began to select a group of students or learners that would be later known as the twelve Disciples. Let's read about the first people that followed Jesus. They had to answer this question also because their choice to follow was soon to tell what they believed. They believed that Jesus was the son of God. John 1:35-51 35. “again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36. And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, “Behold the lamb of God!” 37. And the two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus. 38. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, what seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted, Master, where dwellest thou? 39. He saith unto them Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40. One of the two, which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, we have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. 43. The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, “Follow me.” 44. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, we have found him, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46. And Nathanael said unto him, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, “Come and see.”

47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith unto him, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.” 48. Nathanael saith unto him, “Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, “Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.” 49. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the son of God; thou art the king of Israel.” 50. Jesus answered and said unto him, “Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these.” 51. And he saith unto them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, Hererafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the son of man.” After reading these verses what questions do you have? John says; “Behold the lamb of God” and others begin to follow. This is the domino effect that we have on others around us. Imagine for a moment if John had not spoken. It could be possible that only John would have followed. However, it‟s important to note that because John spoke to others about who Christ is, many others believed and followed Christ. This is the Domino effect! Telling others or evangelizing is the way that we can have a great impact on our world. Without fear of what others would think, John spoke out about who Jesus is! Have you ever witnessed a Domino chain reaction as you told others about Christ? Answer the following questions: st

Who were the 1 disciples? How were they selected? (vs. 44,48)

Disciples or Learners of Christ have one thing in common, a desire for truth. Jesus chose those believers who had a great desire to learn the truth and to follow it. How much do you desire to know the truth about something? Do you search for it? John 8:31, 32 31. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” 32. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” After reading these verses what questions do you have? What is TRUTH? This might have been a question that you asked! Well, if you asked that question you have asked the question that many people have asked and are still asking today. It is a “free-thinking” attitude about the world that questions truth today. Many are saying “our truth is our reality”. What this means is, whatever we feel is truth to us, is truth, therefore this makes our reality. The problem is we cannot make up our own truth, call it truth, and expect that it is the truth. In fact, this type of truth is a lie indeed! A lie straight from the devil! The same one who deceives us into believing that we have the answers and that we have the power to create our own truth. The truth is Jesus, Jesus is the truth! Answer the following questions: What was Jesus saying to continue in? What did he promise to those who continued?

The truth will set you free! The real truth is that we need our savior, we need to have Jesus, and we need to escape the lies of this world and to cling to truth. John 15: 8-17 8. “Herein is my father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11. These things have I spoken unto you, that joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12. This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13. Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14. Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: and whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it unto you. 17. These things I command you, that ye love one another.” After reading these verses what questions do you have? The book of James comes to mind when thinking about bearing fruit. It is not possible to bear fruit by saying we do, but we must do as we say! Do we do what we say and say to others what we do as a witness for Jesus? We must say and do love, we must say and do commandments, and we must say and do God‟s word.

When you think of fruit what comes to mind? Is it things that are profitable to the Kingdom of God? If so, then shall ye be called Disciples of Christ! Answer the following questions: What is a disciple of Jesus as described here? What is in it for us if we choose to become a disciple? One character trait of a true Christian and Disciple of Christ is that they abide in Christ and He in them. The way to abide in Christ is to abide in His word daily. John 15:18-27 18. “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21. But all of these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. 22. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin. 23. He that hateth me hates my Father also 24. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not sin: but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father. 25. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, they hated me without a cause. 26. But when the comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. 27. And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.”

After reading these verses what questions do you have? It is a fact that when you follow Jesus many of those that you once knew have joined the crowd that hates Jesus. If you are hated because of your love for Jesus, do not be surprised. The reason why the world hates Jesus is because He exposes their sin. His word brings their wicked deeds to the light and as it is written in John 1 â&#x20AC;&#x153;they loved their darkness more than His light.â&#x20AC;? Answer the following questions: What warnings does Jesus give to us when we choose? Why does Jesus warn us of these things? It is one thing to be saved; it is another to answer this call. Jesus gives us all a mission that expects to take us from the early stages of salvation unto maturity in faith that will bring forth fruit for His kingdom. What is the mission of a disciple? Mark 6:7-13 7. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; 8. And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse; 9. But be shod with sandals, and not put on two coats. 10. And he said unto them, In what place so ever ye enter into a house, there abide until ye depart from that place. 11. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. 12. And they went out and preached that men should repent.

13. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” It‟s very difficult to take nothing to this task! I have gone out many times and always it seems that I have to take my Bible, some tracts, some money etc. The thought to take nothing might leave us with a feeling of lack wondering what to say or what we should do! This part of scripture really is a test of our preparation. Are we prepared to tell others? In short, are we filled with the words of Christ for any possible situation that we might be confronted with? These twelve that Jesus has selected must have been fully depending on Jesus, the spirit of God and their training that they learned by following Jesus all this time. Now they are ready! Now it‟s time to put to action all that they have believed and learned. Now it‟s time to trust God! After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What did they go out to do? What did they need for this work? If you answered preach the word to any of these questions you are absolutely right, but you might not feel that preaching His word is important so please read the following previously written on our Daily Devotion page: "And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15 Sometimes I wonder why this wasn't included in the Ten Commandments or the Golden Rule, if we would say "Love God and keep His commandments" with this instruction that has been left to us it might be easier to tell those that continue to speak of the separation of church and

state, that to preach the gospel is much like "thou shalt not lie" or "thou shalt not kill" or "do not commit adultery" because God says, then it might be different? At any rate, we teach our children to obey their parents and those that are in authority, yet we despise many of the things that our Father has instructed us to do. Preaching the gospel is vital, "How shall they believe?" is what Romans 10 asks. Without the spreading of God's word the world continues on in darkness without having truth, and because of this many around you shall not make into the Kingdom of Heaven. While believing that they are ok and that a loving God would not be so harsh that He would let someone perish, they are at risk of going straight to hell! God's word is true! "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing of the word of God!" "Man cannot live by bread and water alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God!" If someone stands with their hands out begging food, will we not feed them because of this separation of church and state? Without those who take His message into the world, the world continues to tumble into darkness and shall die of famine. The famine of His truth. Excerpt: “Our Challenge Today” With this do you see the importance of this mission that you are being called to? You may be saying, "I don't know what to say!" Say: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus loves you and wants to save your soul!

Mathew 10:1, 5-15 Mathew 10:1 “and when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness. 5. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. 6. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7. And as ye go, preach saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 8. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,, cast out devils, freely ye have received, freely give. 9. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses. 10. Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. 11. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide until ye go thence. 12. And when ye come into a house salute it. 13. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy let your peace return unto you. 14. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15. Verily I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment than for that city. Wow! This is a lot to take in! Things don‟t seem to be like this today, in fact if someone were to come to your house, first this would be amazing that they are going from city to city preaching as they did in the day that this was written, and second that someone should desire to stay at your house while they did this work! When is the last time this has happened to you? Actually this is how it is supposed to be, but because fear

of the unknown and reports of evil people taking advantage of the kindness of others, most peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x;s heart is hardened to this type of Evangelism. Disciples are expected to have a job, money, and a prearranged place to stay in these days, but this directly contradicts the message of faith and the true ways in which Jesus instructed his disciples to act by. Still we are to preach and continue on in this work despite what the world standards would say about it. Godâ&#x20AC;&#x;s wisdom opens doors to work around the times and situations that we live in. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What did Jesus tell them to preach? Is the kingdom of heaven at hand? Mark 16:14-18 Mark 16:14 and they said, some say that thou art John The Baptist: some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. 15. But whom say ye that I am? 16. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. 17. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jona for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Here is the answer to whom Jesus is. Jesus is the Son of God! Our Savior! Do you know anyone who is saying that Jesus was just a man or just a prophet or like any other man? It is important

that we contend for who Jesus is. The question of “Whom do you say that I am?” is one of the most important questions that the world must answer! How can they answer if they are never asked? After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Are you able to lay hands on the sick? What signs followed those who believed? Give some ideas of how a disciple can prepare themselves for the mission field. The following message was given at an addiction recovery meeting. The central focus was to recognize who Jesus is and understand that only he has the power to deliver us from all of our difficulties. RECOGNIZING OUR SAVIOR To determine, to settle, or to make a resolve about an action is to decide. In Step 3 of addiction recovery we must decide! In our lives we decide will we turn our life over to God or not? Step 3 reads: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of (God as we understood Him). What will save us, how can we know? Who is it that has such power that we should turn our lives over to Him and trust Him that He will care for us? John 1:15-34 “John bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This was He

of whom I spoke, He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for He was before me and of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” John‟s understanding came from witnessing and experiencing. John bare witness of Him that grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. When we buy a car, a house, or anything, we want the best deal possible, we want to know that we can trust the person that we purchase from and that they dealt with us in truth and in good faith. John is witness to this fact. That Jesus came in truth and in faithfulness. "NO MAN HAS SEEN GOD AT ANY TIME; THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHICH IS IN THE BOSOM OF THE FATHER, HE HATH DECLARED HIM." Since this is true, did John see God when He witnessed Jesus? John 4:24 tells us: “God is spirit.” His son through the incarnationbecame man and God.” The Father is Spirit. The spirit of God cannot be seen by the natural man, yet it exists. In Genesis 1:2 we read: “The spirit of God moved about the face of the waters.” The Spirit of God is still with us, living amongst us and moving freely, yet we in our natural human condition cannot see God, but we can witness the effects of God around us. When Jesus, (God‟s only born son) (The Word of God) became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14), many did not recognize Him as they don‟t recognize Him today, people still do not recognize that 1. Jesus is God, 2. Jesus is God‟s word to us, and 3. Jesus, God‟s Word, and God‟s Spirit lives with us today, therefore they say “God doesn‟t exist.” This is a lie created by the devil to prevent all of God‟s children from accepting God‟s truth. Many will say there is a higher power

because they realize things are happening that they cannot explain any other way. Listen to what John has recorded: “And this is the record of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask Him, “Who art thou?” John confessed, and denied not, but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked Him, What then? Art thou Elias? He said, "I am not."Art thou that prophet? He answered, "No.” John was not and is not our savior, but he was a witness of God‟s gift to us, the Savior of all mankind. The God of John‟s understanding, The Savior of the world, and God‟s gift to His children was soon to be announced! “Then they said unto Him, “Who art thou? That we may give an answer to them that sent us. What say thou of thyself?” Here they have heard rumors of a Messiah coming who they would call Christ, so they are asking John if he‟s the one that they are watching for. John denies any claim to be Christ the long awaited Messiah, in fact John tells all who the Messiah is, but even John is found to be asking a similar question that suggests he had doubt. Strong in belief at the start, John, through hardship begins to question also. Mathew Chapter 11 records this record of John‟s humanity and doubt as he questions if Jesus is the one they have waited for. It is possible to recognize Jesus as the truth and still through hard times wonder about this truth. We are all human as it reads in scripture, “All we like sheep have gone astray” Our faith will be tested and tried as was John‟s. Belief comes from hearing and hearing the word of God, how we act upon what we hear and believe is influenced by our motives. Are our motives in line with God‟s infallible word? Do we want to believe God? Whether we want to or not does not change the truth, but it does effect our acceptance of the truth.

Our motives and desires affect our ability to recognize Jesus for who He is because our heart often drives our life despite what the actual truth is. For example, our heart may be hurting and tell us that no one cares, but this is a lie, Jesus cares and many others care also, it is God‟s word that tells us the truth and our heart can often lie to us. In order to recognize Jesus for who he is our heart must accept the fact that it does not tell us the truth without accepting Jesus to live in it because it does not know the truth apart from Jesus and His word. If John the Baptist decided that he wanted to be praised and exalted for his great works in Baptism many might not have seen Jesus, but instead his motives and desires showed that he wanted to be in God‟s will, God‟s plan, and not his own. It was at this time that John made the decision to turn his will and his life over to the care of God. If our motives and desires are the same as what God wants for our life we will recognize that we are not the Christ, that we are powerless apart from Him, and that we must willingly turn everything over to Jesus, our Father who cares for us. John said: “He it is who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoes latchet I am not worthy to unloose.” Not only does John recognize that he is not the Savior of the world, but he also recognizes that he isn‟t even close to being on Christ‟s level! What do you think about yourself? Because John didn‟t think more highly of himself than he should have, he was able to see Jesus and to know the truth when it came to him. Many people cannot recognize Jesus and the truth because of what they think about themselves.

“The next day John sees Jesus coming unto him, and says, Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.” John saw that Jesus is the one that will work in ourlives to help all to live in freedom from sin and will save our soul from perishing. To be able to recognize our Savior we must turn our life over to Jesus who is able to save us and not make ourselves the power to do what only God does. We must not put ourselves in God‟s place. Step 3 reads: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of (God as we understood Him). What we believe about ourselves effects what we believe about God. We must know, like John, we are not the one! Jesus is! NOW COMES THE TIME OF DECISION: ARE YOU WILLING TO BELIEVE GOD FOR WHO HE IS AND THE POWER THAT HE CAN BRING TO YOUR LIFE?

The most important thing in life that anyone will ever do is to decide for themselves who Jesus is and then make the decision to accept Him as Lord and Savior of their life. Listed below are some Memory verses. It is important to start memorizing scripture as a Disciple of Christ. Jesus is the Word of God and therefore we should make it a point to know His word through memory. Each Chapter will have its own set of memory verses for you to memorize. We encourage you to do so in preparation of taking the Word to the world. Taking this message to the world is everyone‟s responsibility!

Memory Verses: Complete these verses and quote them, repeating them until they are easily repeated. These 7 verses are an exercise in memory meant to prepare the individual for discipleship service. Each lesson will include applicable verses.

Memory Verses: Romans 3:10 “As it is written, there is none…” Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned…” Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin…” Romans 5:8 “For God hath commended His love toward…” Romans 10:9,10 “That if thou shall confess…” John 3:3 “Verily, verily I say unto thee except…” John 3:5 “Except a man be born of water…”

Chapter 2

What Is Man?

Primary Message:“So God created man in his ownimage, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:27 Worldview:Man evolved from apes through theprocess of evolution. Science will soon be able to clone man! Evangelistic Emphasis:And the Lord formed man ofthe dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7 “Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 In the first chapter we learned about the importance of the decision about who we say Jesus is. In this chapter we will address the importance of who man is. Understanding who and what we are as we begin this walk with Jesus is vital. Jesus had selected disciples to walk with him and to learn the ways of God, but often it was difficult for them to understand because they had to mature in the things of God. Jesus began to teach His Disciples the things of God as they followed Him. Since the beginning, man has had a difficult time understanding the things of God, but God is faithful to us and teaches us through Jesus as we follow Him. Here we will take a look at man and how he was made and why it is difficult for man to walk with God without understanding who man is and what God‟s purpose is for his life. The issue of not understanding the things of God is common to us all. Not understanding the difference between the ways of man and the ways of God prevents us from experiencing God‟s benefits in life.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x;s look at what scripture says about man and who man is. Genesis 1:26, - 2:7 â&#x20AC;&#x153;And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all creeping things that creepeth upon the earth. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28. And God blessed them and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29. And God said, behold I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31. And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2. And on the seventh day God ended his work, which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work, which he had made. 3. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. 4. These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5. And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

6. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.â&#x20AC;? After reading these verses what questions do you have? Cloning is a big topic these days, man has recently successfully cloned sheep and other animals, but there has been ethical and moral issues concerning the cloning of man. Stem Cell research and many scientific things seem to be playing God. All the science in the world could never do what God has done though! Who we are and who God is are two totally different things. We are created in His image, but we are very limited in many things unlike God who is without limits in anything. When we attempt to play God we soon see how small and powerless man is. Would you say that man has been the first clone that ever lived since we are created by God in to be in His image and likeness? Do you believe that science will be able to clone man and if so what might they miss? Can science clone the soul and spirit? If so how would his soul be created and whose image might he eventually evolve into? Answer the following questions: Whose image was man created in? How did God create man? Why is it important that we should be created in the image and likeness of God?

When you were a young child who did you want to be like and why? Did you know if you were to study a sample of the dirt of the earth you would find the same ingredients that we are made of? For example Phosphorus, iodine, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, chromium, chloride, potassium, nickel, lead, and many more! When God made man from the dust of the earth he made us from the same ingredients that make up the earth and the same ingredients that we take everyday called vitamins. Man is created from dirt. Recently there was a story about an Ethiopian woman who had been selling “dirt pies” to make a living for many years. She would take the dirt from the ground and mix it with some water, salt, and some other flavor and then bake it like bread and then she sold it to hungry buyers as a snack and was very successful! Wow can you imagine eating dirt! Well that is some of what we are made of, but not all; we also have a soul (the breath of God). Genesis 3:1-13 1. “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field, which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2. And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3. But of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God, hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it lest ye die. 4. And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall surely not die: 5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. 9. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10. And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; as I hid myself. 11. And he said, who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, Whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12. And the man said, the woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me and I did eat.â&#x20AC;? Ok, so we have been talking about the image of man, we learned that man was created in the image and likeness of God and that man is a living soul. What has happened to man now? He has disobeyed Godâ&#x20AC;&#x;s command because he was tricked, does this now change who he is? Has his image changed, has his identity changed at all? Godâ&#x20AC;&#x;s image and likeness is one of purity, perfection, and promise. Mans purity changed when he witnessed his nakedness, his perfection changed when he broke the commandment of God, and his promise was broken when he listened to another. After reading these verses what questions do you have?

Answer the following questions: Man falls, what does this do to man‟s image? Does man‟s image begin to resemble the serpent now that he tries to hide from God and even trick God by claiming he is not responsible? God desires us to always live in his image and likeness and whenever we listen to any other than God, we distort our image of purity, the image that he created us in. When we fall into sin our image becomes like that of the serpent and when we follow Jesus and keep his commands our image returns and remains in the likeness of God. Job 5:6,7 5 “Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground. 7. Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” In many ways this has been a hard concept to imagine, that man is born unto trouble, and that a brand new baby would be anything but pure and innocent is a thing that is hard to swallow! Wait! God is not saying that we are trouble when we are born; instead he is saying that we are born into trouble! The world is full of trouble, trouble is already here when we come out of our mother‟s womb, the minute that we are born we are born into a troubled world and despite the fact that we are created in God‟s image and likeness we can take on a new image that resembles the troubles of this troubled world, a world that is full of a myriad of challenges, many of which we fall captive to without the proper defenses. This has a great deal to do with maintaining our original image in which we were created. How do we maintain this image? Our fallen nature or sin nature is not how it is supposed to be, in fact God‟s design is purity, without sin, and living out all of the fruits of the

spirit, meaning love, joy peace and so on. That is who we are until we are tempted to listen to another voice and to not follow the voice of God. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Trouble doesn‟t come from where? Where does trouble come from? Romans 3:10-18 10 “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: 11. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13. There throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues have they used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips. 14. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15. Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16. Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17. And the way of peace have they not known. 18. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Who is man is our question. It seems a bit harsh to say that we are so terrible and yet who is among us that is good? None! Who can do right by God all the time? Who can keep all of the law? Who can speak such great words that can convince God that we are ok? No one! Does God look at us in such a wretched way? Of course not, in fact he loves us and died for us to prove it, but he must share this talk with us because in truth there are those that think more highly of themselves than they ought, God simply puts things into it‟s proper perspective lest any of us think that we got it right. Truth is, it is only his grace that saves us!

All of us are incapable of controlling our lives, our tongues, and our hearts in the way that God requires so we must acknowledge who we are and our insufficiencies before a perfect God! We are imperfect, meant to be perfect, yet perfection only comes through Jesus. We are not born into perfection, but must resist trouble and aspire to walk in God‟s image and likeness, and we can do this by accepting Jesus into our lives. Can you think of anything about you that might be described here in the above verses? What are your imperfections and how might this effect the image that God originally created us in. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What is missing from the life of man that causes them to fall? Why is man‟s image different without Jesus? Romans 1:17 “for therein is the righteousness of God revealedfrom faith to faith: as it is written. The just shall live by faith.” Since the beginning of man‟s creation the great works of many men, women, heroes and the like have been recorded. We can call upon story after story, book after book, and year after year, all the wonderful works of man‟s accomplishments so it is true that Man has a “good side” to him, yet it is through the spirit of God that we are able to do anything good as it is written: “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” James 1:17 The Bible tells us that without God all that we do is filthy rags. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness‟ are as filthy rags;” Isaiah 64:6 So which is it? Is man good or not so good?

The answer does not come to us by reflecting on our accomplishments, it comes to us by reflecting on our faith. Only our faith in Jesus our creator makes us righteous. Not one thing that we have done or will ever do will make us more or less righteous, except our belief in who Jesus is, this makes us the man or woman that we were created to be, In his image and likeness. Never have we heard from Jesus that our accomplishments will reserve our place in heaven with the Father. He has not said it and will not! Only faith in Christ will give us access to the Father. We must live by faith and not by our works. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: How is the righteousness of God revealed? Can man gain access to heaven by doing great works? Man‟s image is that of an image that has faith in God because we are created to have faith. When man attempts to create his image based upon his achievements does this contradict what God‟s original creation was? What does this do to his faith? Does he now believe in himself as a god? Romans 1:21,22 21 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22. Professing them selves to be wise, they became fools.”

There is a very popular belief in our society that knowledge is power, so many do all to attain as much of it as possible. They promote higher degrees of education and spend lifetimes in study and leave with a darkened heart despite their efforts. They leave their lifetime of studies just like the Bible tells us “Ever learning, and never able to come into the knowledge of the truth.” 2Timothy 3:7 We are continuous in learning knowledge but knowledge distorts our original design because it puffs our minds up. 1 Corinthians 8:1 “Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies.” Man‟s image was created in the image of God and man was created from the dust of the earth as we have previously read, but now that man has taken on this pursuit of knowledge apart from God they have decided that man has evolved from an ape and can soon be cloned thereby making more of these scientific Frankenstein clones that obviously evolved from the ape‟s mind and not God‟s heart! This is the place the great pursuit of knowledge will bring you to when you forsake the truth of God. You will now become a scientific clone of an ape that has become vain in its imagination instead of the masterwork of the greatest creative designer that ever existed! Jesus Christ our Lord. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What is man‟s wisdom?

Why? Romans 1:28 28 “And even when they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” “Retain in their knowledge” Have you ever heard that phrase “use it or lose it?” This phrase speaks of retaining what we have always known or have always had. Our image or man‟s image has changed in a great way in this new time that we live in. There is a great deal of effort to exclude God from our study and consequentially from our lives. There are huge consequences to pay for the sin of turning away from God. To turn unto this new world thought leaving behind how we were originally created and in who‟s image and likeness and teaching our children and their children after them to do the same has nearly erased the benefits of our loving God from this generation and the generations to come. We are now suffering a true “identity crisis” The question “What is man” can no longer be answered, Man is the image of God, but instead it must be answered differently with things such as Man is the image of Ape! As we continue to pursue knowledge we must never lose our identity because when we do our Father will ultimately cast us aside as reprobates just as he has said here! Now, the answer to the question “what is man?” maybe man is the reprobate! After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Why did God give them up? Do you think this is fair?

The following message was given at an addiction recovery meeting. The central focus was to take a deeper look inside the heart and mind of the individual person making a fearless inventory of who we are and admit to God and to ourselves our need for help through Jesus the only one that can help us to overcome our weakness. WHAT MANNER OF MAN? Have you taken time to look in the mirror lately? I mean really look in the mirror into your soul? Have you tried to see what was inside of you, what you look like on the inside, in your heart, in your mind, and in your soul? You‟ve heard of the term “soul searching”. Have you done this lately? Let‟s take a few moments to take a look at ourselves. In addiction recovery steps 4 & 5 state that we are to make a fearless moral inventory of ourselves and admit to God, to ourselves and to others the exact nature of our wrongs. This takes courage and honesty, brutal honesty that hurts us many times. We must look at the truth of ourselves no matter how difficult it may be. So let us look in the mirror now and be honest asking, what manner of person am I? James 1:22-25 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholds himself, and goes his way, and straightway forgets what manner of man he was, but whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” There are great people in the world that know a great deal about a many things, but if one studies history they will find that the greatest of all were those that knew and put what they knew into action for all to see. What manner are you?

Are you one who will know a great many things or one who will know and do a great many things? Doing what you know instead of just merely saying what you know takes courage and a stand for truth. With the help of Jesus we can say and do the truth. 1Peter 1:13-25 “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written , “Be ye holy; For I am holy.” Here again, as it is in many other scriptures, Jesus leads the way; he is holy, so we are also called to be like him, holy. We are called to holiness! What manner of man? Holy! Roman 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the merciesof God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Have you given yourself over to Jesus as a sacrifice? To do so is to recognize what manner of person you are without Him and to recognize your need for His grace. Jesus became a sacrifice for us because He saw our need way before we saw it. We need to be acceptable unto God and without Jesus we cannot be. What manner of person does God desire? He desires us to be acceptable, holy, and honest about our condition. Isaiah 35:8,9“And a highway shall be there, and a way, and itshall be called: The way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those wayfaring

(travelers) men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.” With man we often forget what we were, how we were created and who we were created for, we forget yesterday, we forget last week, and we continue to wallow in the dirt of our past forgetting that Jesus blood was shed to wash us and clean us up. But God has called us to a life of holiness.” 1John 2:3-7 “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that says I know him and keeps not his commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him. He that says he abides in him ought himself also to walk even as he(Jesus) walked.” Here again Jesus leads. We are to walk even as he walked. What manner of walk? A Jesus walk. Are you walking as Jesus walked? Do you remember what you looked like when you looked in the mirror into your soul? What change have you seen since Jesus entered your heart? And what changes can be made to look more like him when you examine yourself in the mirror again? 1John 3:1-3 “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: Therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not.” Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

This may be my favorite scripture in the entire Bible! Like him, that‟s what we will be! When we look at ourselves, deep into our heart, and behold our image in the mirror when Jesus comes, we will see our image clearly and we will be like Jesus! What a glorious day that will be!!!! Listed below are some Memory verses. It is important to start memorizing scripture as a Disciple of Christ. Jesus is the Word of God and therefore we should make it a point to know His word through memory. Each Chapter will have its own set of memory verses for you to memorize. We encourage you to do so in preparation of taking the Word to the world. Taking this message to the world is everyone‟s responsibility!

Memory Verses: Romans 1:17 “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed…” Romans 1:21,22 “Because that when they knew God, they glorified…” “Professing themselves to be…” Romans 1:24 “Wherefore God gave them up to…” Romans 1:28 “they did not like to retain God…”

Chapter Three

Man: From Fall to Faith Primary Message:“And God said, let us make man inour image, after our likeness.” Genesis 1:26 Worldview:The claim to fame is to be a “SelfMademan” Evangelistic Emphasis:God can restore us to hisimage and likeness. “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” John 1:9

We have seen up to this point that man has a nature of sin. We can ask ourselves if this disqualifies us from service. Can man be restored and made whole again? Jesus never wastes anything. When we come to him we become his workmanship that he creates unto good works, Ephesians 2:10. So man has fallen, now what? Many of the greatest heroes of the bible fell hard. Moses committed murder, David committed Adultery, and Paul struggled with doing the right thing. We all fall short, but Jesus can pick us up, dust us off, and start using us again. This chapter is about getting back up and walking after you have fallen. Jesus never intends for us to stay where we are, but he always desires that we stand up, get up, and walk by faith towards all that he promises. Stand up, praise God, and walk in the original condition that God created you to live in, live by faith in Jesus!

Genesis 5:22-6:8 22. “Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

23. And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24. And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. 25. And Methuselah lived a hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech. 26. And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred and eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters. 27. And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years. 28. And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: 29. And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed. 30. And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters: 31. And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years; and he died. 32. And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2. That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose. 3. And the Lord said, my spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he is also flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. 4. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

7. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Is it possible that we can hurt God? He is the Almighty! When we talk about falling it‟s not to say that we have stumbled off of our feet and have fallen onto the ground below, nor is it to say that we have lost our balance and are now lying on the ground, instead when we talk about falling we are talking about a moving away from God, a falling away from God‟s ways. When we fall away from God it hurts, it hurts us and it hurts him! To think that we have the ability to hurt God is intense, God has a heart, a heart that is grieved, and a heart that hurts because we have chosen to listen and follow another. Man‟s fall started in the garden and has continued ever since. Since the time of Adam and Eve there has been actions that we have taken that hurt God because of the choice to listen and follow someone else. These actions are called SIN. Our sin(s) hurt God and cause us to be separated from God to live in a fallen state. We are all guilty, and we all have fallen. Behold all we like sheep have gone astray! What can be done about this? After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What was the condition of man‟s heart at this time? How did God feel? Do you see any similarities between today‟s events and those described in this reading? What can be done to repair this situation?

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Confession is the key. God‟s relationship to man is not to be taken lightly, nor can a repair to a severed relationship be quickly sewn back together except through Christ, our relationship to God must be examined carefully and God‟s relationship to us requires the same. There is no quick fix, and apart from a broken and contrite heart there is none. Repentance is an absolute! Repentance begins with the heart felt and sincere confession of the man who has fallen. As with any surgery there are procedural steps that must be taken to prepare for the operation, so it is with Christ. Confession is a vital step to begin to sew together our hearts again unto the Lord. When this step has been taken, immediately God begins his restoration process of forgiveness. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Can man come back after the fall? What happens to the heart of God when one comes back to him in confession and repentance? And man? Romans 5:12-6:8 12 “Where as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13. For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

14. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgressions, who is the figure of him that was to come. 15. But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16. Not as it was by one that sinned so is the gift for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17. For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which received abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. 18. Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men unto condemnation even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 20. Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. 21. That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2. God forbid, how shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer? 3. Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5. For if we had been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.

6. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7. For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we should also live with him.” How many times should God forgive us when he has told us through scripture that we should forgive others, seven times seventy? That‟s a whopping four hundred and ninety times and more!! Wow! I‟m absolutely certain that God has every right to forgive us as many times as he likes, but is he telling us that we can continue to sin even if we take him literally and believe that we have 490 chances to sin? Listen, the truth is, we are likely to sin that many times in a day just by the words we speak. What then? Have we used up all our chances? I‟m being a bit ridiculous because this is NOT what God is talking about. First of all, we are not supposed to sin, but if we do he will forgive us our sins when we rightfully confess them to him. Secondly, just because God forgives us our sins, it does not give us the right to keep sinning. Thus the scripture; “God forbid, how shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer in it?” I have spoken to several who would comment, that if we are to hold someone accountable for their actions we are bringing them back under the law failing to teach them that Christ redeemed them from the curse of the law. It is true that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, as it is written “cursed is any man that hangeth on a tree” but just because Jesus took our sins and took the curse of our sins, that does not mean that we can continue to sin as we please, thinking he will continue to do so, nor does it mean that if we are holding ourselves or others accountable that we are bringing them back under the law that Jesus set us free from, in fact Jesus said, “I have not come to take away the law, but to fulfill it.” We must all realize that grace is a gift from God, a gift that is free, but also a gift that cost Jesus greatly and therefore

should not be taken for granted and abused. We are never instructed to continue in sin. We are fully expected to walk in newness of life. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What was the free gift to man? Did he deserve it? Can we continue to sin because Jesus promises to forgive us? How can we stop? Romans 10:8-17 8 â&#x20AC;&#x153;But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach. 9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shalt not be ashamed. 12. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

15. And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. 16. But they have not all obeyed the Gospel. For Isaiah sayeth, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17. So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.â&#x20AC;? After reading these verses what questions do you have? This is where the rubber meets the road! This is where man gets back up and walks again! Saved by grace and forgiven by grace. Man coming from fall to faith is right here, not focusing on his sin anymore, but instead looking to God, not hiding his face anymore, but instead reaching out to God for grace and mercy. What keeps a man in a fallen state? When he continues to focus on and commit his sin and when he refuses to go to Jesus and ask for forgiveness! How can a fallen person walk with Christ again? The answer is faith. We must have faith in Jesus to restore us. A man can get back up if he has faith in God. Answer the following questions: How does a person get saved? How does faith come? What is the mission of the disciple? What is the likely difference for one who hears the words of God and those who donâ&#x20AC;&#x;t? What is the mission of the disciple of Christ?

Hebrews 11:1 1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidenceof things not seen.” What are your hopes and dreams in life? Did you know the Bible refers to Jesus as “the hope of glory?” This is a favorite passage of mine: Colossians 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of Glory!” Faith is the substance of things hoped for, we hope for the Glory of God in our life. Why do we hope for this glory? For us it is a hope to see his glory, for others a hope for a miracle, and for others still, it is a hope for happiness, but why does any of us hope for anything? Because we have heard that it was possible, thus hope comes from an expectation that has been built upon hearing something about the possibility that it could be and God has said “With God all things are possible.” So now that it is possible we have hope! Our faith is increased when we hear the word of God because the word of God gives us hope! Even though we cannot see it yet, we believe that it is because we believe God at his word! After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What is faith? What is the difference between faith and knowledge?

Hebrews 11:6 6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he thatcometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” How is it that man goes from fall unto faith? He seeks God! When we seek God he rewards us with faith. He is the author and the finisher of our faith. This means he writes our faith into our heart and mind. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing the word of God and faith gives us hope for a new day. When we have hope for a new day all of our troubles flee away. We are then strengthened to rise again just as Jesus rose from the grave! Jesus is the ultimate “Good Samaritan” In Luke 10:30 there was a man who travelled on the road to Jericho and he fell. You might say, it says he fell among thieves, you are right! Let‟s read it together; Luke 10:30 “And Jesus answering said, A certain man wentdown from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed leaving him half dead.” This is what the devil our adversary does! In John 10:10 we read “the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and todestroy.” This verse is describing the devil. It‟s the devil thatleaves us stripped of righteousness, wounded, and half dead whenever we allow him to deceive us to commit sin(s) against God. If we read further we see how the man was lifted up and restored by a good Samaritan that was passing by the way. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions:

How can we please God? When we come to God what must we believe? Mark 11:20-26 20 “And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21. And peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold the fig tree which thou cursed is withered away. 22. And Jesus answering saith unto them, “Have faith in God.” 23. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them. 25. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26. But is ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Have faith in God, it is impossible to please God without faith in him and impossible to receive from him what you hope for unless you believe that he is and that he is able to do all that he says he can do! Man must move from his fall and return unto faith in God. He does this by seeking God and God‟s word. So with that we find in conclusion that it is absolutely possible to recover from our fall and return back unto God and once again walk with him in his light. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions:

Is Jesus saying we can have the desires of our heart? If so, how? What are the prerequisites if any? How important is it for man to have faith in God? The following message was prepared and delivered at Grace Temple Church and at The Warren Family Mission. These seven steps will allow us to walk again after falling. The message was given to bring hope to the down trodden who were homeless and in need to know that there is hope in Jesus to live again a life new and full of promise. It gives us the seven steps that we need to take towards restoration and reconciliation. THE SEVEN STEPS OF REPENTANCE AND LIFE Charles Haden Spurgeon once said: “Do not fall under the notion that the necessity for repentance is over. I have heard it said that repentance is “merely a change of mind.” I wish that those who so speak had undergone that change.” ”He who looks sin ward has his back to God—he who looks God ward has his back to sin.” Jesus said in John Chapter 10: “The thief comes not but for to kill,steal, and destroy: I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.” Jesus loves us! He wants us to have a good life and even more to have an eternal life! Therefore, our topic of discussion today is repentance, the 7 steps that lead to life.

Turn with me to James chapter 4:1-10 as it reads: “From whence come wars and fighting’s among you?Come they not hence, even of the lusts that war in your members? Ye lust and ye have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; yet ye have not because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not because ye ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts. You Adulterers and Adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is the enemy of God? Do you think that the scripture says in vain, the spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy? But he gives more grace. Wherefore he says, God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble.” Herein we see our biggest problem in life: the fallen spirit of man! The fallen spirit in man lusts, it lusts towards envy. Envy is the desire to have all for you. The fallen spirit of man is prideful and selfish! We desire, yet we ask not or we desire and we ask according to the world‟s ways instead of what God has determined to be good and healthy for us. Verse 5 clears it all up for us: “The spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy.” Before Christ and sometimes even after, we decide for ourselves to ask of God things that are of this world, things that would do absolutely no good purpose in our lives or in the lives of others, yet we want them for ourselves. We ask amiss! But thank God for his wisdom because he resists us as it reads in verse 6; “But he gives more grace.” Hasn‟t he already given enough? Yet he gives more because he realizes how foolish we are when we ask amiss. But he gives more grace: Wherefore he says, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble!” Now here is the secret, pride or humility. If you are walking in your pride he will resist you, but if you humble yourself he will assist you!

Beloved God has never intended to resist us but in our pride is sin and he cannot and will not look upon it. Ok so here is what he tells us to do if we have fallen into the distresses of life caused by our lust, our envy, and our pride. These seven steps are as follows: 1. Submit yourselves therefore to God Romans 12:1 reads: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the merciesof God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” It is reasonable for us to give ourselves over to God, to submit our will to him, to take up our cross and follow him after that he has given all for you! It is reasonable for us to give up the lies of this world in exchange for the truth of God! God has compassion on the broken and hurting heart that turns from the errors of their ways. 2. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you 1Peter 5:8,9 reads: “Be sober be vigilant because your adversary thedevil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” The Devil is as a roaring lion, he is NOT a lion in fact he is a wormy serpent that is on his belly! Genesis 3 God says be sober so that takes away all dependence on alcohol and drugs!

God says resist the devil STEADFAST, be steady at resistance, continue always to resist his ways and the ways of this world which are but lies from the devil. Resist in the faith. In the faith is in Gods word and his teachings. Resist the devil with Gods words of truth! 3. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you Hebrews 10:22 reads: “Let us draw near to God with a true heart infull assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Isaiah 12:3 reads: “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of thewells of salvation.” Beloved God has given a great mystery here. Pure water is Gods word! The wells of salvation are Jesus, his words, and his love! Draw near to his love and his words! 4. Cleanse your hands ye sinners Free yourself from filth! What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of JESUS! Hebrews 9: 13,14 reads: “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and theashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works.” Friends when you draw near to Jesus and ask him into your heart to take over your life he cleanses you completely removing all filth! The blood of Jesus washes our minds and frees us from all unrighteousness. Ye were bought with a price. While ye were still yet sinners Christ died for YOU!

5. Purify your hearts ye double minded Commit your heart to Jesus only! James 1:8 reads “A double minded man is unstable in all hisways.” A doubting person is unstable you never know which way they will turn or what they will do next and they cannot be trusted. Brothers and Sisters doubt and unbelief are from the devil, which we are to resist steadfast! Proverbs 3:5,6 reads: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart;and lean NOT to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Jesus, and he shall direct your path.” Are you unsure about something? Cast it on the Lord and trust only him and his counsel! 6. Be afflicted and mourn and weep, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness Beloved God can see all things! God can see your heart! He knows when we are serious. He wants to see that you grieve over the things that can cost you or anyone eternal life. Show him that you hate sin! Show him that you see the price that he had to pay for our souls and to the cost of redemption. John 3:16 reads: “For God so loved the world that he gave hisonly begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” For your sin God gave his life!

Be afflicted; be sad over your sin and his pain, his hurt that he takes when you sin! Psalm 34:18 reads: “The Lord is near unto them that are of abroken heart.” Does your heart feel the pain over your sinful ways: God is near to you! 7. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up The last step tells us to come to him as a child that needs a Fathers love. Jesus loves us and the sooner we really look deeply into this the sooner we can come to him with love and the more we too can love others. Mathew 23:12 reads: “Whosoever exalts himself shall beabased, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted.” If you have the right heart he will lift you up. Proverbs 29:23 reads “A mans pride shall bring him low: buthonor shall uphold the humble in spirit.” Love God enough to hate sin, love the brethren enough to serve them. Jesus is love! He gave his all. He teaches us to repent and live! Today, there may be among us today one that is wavering, one that is struggling with this faith, or even one that hasn‟t received Jesus into their heart. God has called us to believe on his son Jesus, to repent of our sins and receive his son into our hearts and lives to live with him from this time forth and forever in eternity. God has given us 7 steps to follow to get our hearts right with Him and to live life more abundantly.

Again they are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Submit yourselves to God Resist the Devil Draw near to God Cleanse your hands Purify your hearts Be sorry for your sin Humble yourself as a child needing their Father

Man from fall to faith requires a commitment to these seven steps. God always gives us everything that we need to walk with him in peace. What a mighty Savior we serve!

Memory Verses: 1John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful…” Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing…” Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the substance of things…” Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith…” Mark 9:23 “If thou can believe all…” Mark 11:22 “Jesus said unto them have…”

Chapter Four

These Three Are One The Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit

Primary Message:“In the beginning was the word, andthe word was with God, and the word was God. And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:1,14 Worldview:Many say, “God is the higher power ofyour understanding” Evangelistic Emphasis:“For there are three that barerecord in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and these three are one.” 1 John 5:7

Many people believe that Jesus was just a man or just a prophet. Some say he‟s just a crutch for the weak and faint of heart and many refuse to follow him. It was the same in the days in which he walked upon the earth, many in his day only knew him as the son of Joseph and Mary, but he was and is much more than these things. In this chapter we talk about who Jesus really is and why it is important to confess and believe who he is and what makes him different than any other person that ever lived and walked amongst us. Jesus is more than a man, more than the son of man, more than a prophet, Jesus is God incarnate. Let‟s take a look at the who, what, where, when, and why as we investigate God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The when-was in the beginning and the when was the time of man‟s need for salvation.

The where-was with God and with man. The who-was Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father. The what-is the creation of all things and the redemption of all humanity. The why-is salvation of all mankind for eternal life. John 1:1-34 1. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning with God 3. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. 4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. 8. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. 9. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man which cometh into the world. 10. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11. He came unto his own and his own received him not. 12. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. 13. Which were born, not of his blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14. And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15. John bare witness of him and cried saying, this was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

16. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. 19. And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent Priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20. And he confessed, and denied not, but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet, and he answered, No. 22. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? That we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23. He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah. 24. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 25. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elijah, neither that prophet? 26. John answered them saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27. He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28. These things were done in Bathabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

32. And john bare record saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34. And I saw, and bare record, that this is the Son of God.â&#x20AC;? Many people throughout history have been confused about who Jesus is, they thought that John might have been the one or at least that John might have been the prophet Elijah, but to just believe without proving things has never been a common character that man has held to. We have always needed our questions answered to our satisfaction and have always struggled with explanations from others who are without evidence. There are some though that suddenly recognizes Jesus. How was it that John knew who he was? John was alone with God. Some will never come to know who Jesus is and accept him for who he is until they are alone with God in a desert place, yet many need only to hear this truth from a believer and the word of it is caught up in their heart. God uses us to testify of his word and of who Jesus is so that others may recognize him as Lord. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: In the beginning where was Jesus and what was he? What was the testimony of John? What did Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x;s two disciples do when John announced who Jesus was?

After they heard Jesus speak? What makes Jesus different than any other man? Mohammad, Buddha, Nostradamas? Etc? Genesis 1:1-2 1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” The Spirit of God has always been, was never created, and is the active force that engages and brings to life God‟s will. It is the one-third equal part of God that stands ready to work out God‟s intents. When we recognize Jesus it is because the Spirit of God reveals him to us. Jesus is God as well, thus explains the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they act together making one God and they never act apart from the other. John the Baptist was informed of who Jesus is through the actions of the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit that moved about the face of the waters in the beginning before the earth was fully developed. Just as the earth was without form and the Holy Spirit moved at God‟s commands to develop the earth, so are we without knowledge about Jesus until the Holy Spirit reveals the deep hidden mysteries about how Jesus is the Son of God and how he was and is and forever will be God, the word of God, and the life of men. So when we are recognizing the Lamb of God, Jesus, we must acknowledge how we can know this. It is revealed to us through the power of the Holy Spirit combining with God‟s words of truth. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Who is present in the beginning according to this scripture?

John 1:1, 14, 32 John 1:1 “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” 14. “And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” 32. “And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.” The idea of recognizing someone is not often something that we make a big deal of because unless they are reported to be someone famous, beautiful, or someone that has been in the news it doesn‟t really spark an interest, but if that someone has changed the world for generations, has the ability to alter and change our life, and has been doing this for people since the beginning of time, then we might be, and should be very interested in knowing who this is. Here we see that not only was Jesus a man, but he is the Son of God who does God„s will, and he works together with God‟s Holy Spirit to change lives. God sent his Son with his word to connect with the Spirit and change the world for as many as believe. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Was God in the beginning? Was the word? Was the spirit? What happened to the word of God?

1John 5:7 and Revelation 19:13 1John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.” A common tragedy of today‟s time is a powerless people. In Ecclesiastes it tells us “Woe to the man who stands alone.” and “A threefold chord is not easily broken.” The idea that Jesus is not God or not a part of God is false and the idea that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are separate is false! These three are one, so when we hear of Jesus we must think God and we must think God‟s Spirit because they all work together and they all are one together. There is one God! Jesus is God! Jesus is the Word! Many stumble over this issue, but this issue is vital to recognizing who Jesus is and to understanding the power of God. Revelation 19:13 “And he was clothed in a vesture, dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.” Jesus was the only one that was sent by God from heaven to be crucified (dipped in blood) for bringing to man the Word of God, Jesus is the Word that became flesh, dwelt among us, and was crucified, and his name is the only name that is called the Word of God! After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Is there three gods or One God? Who are the three that make up One God?

Isaiah 61:1 1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” How can we recognize Jesus? We can recognize him by God‟s Words, his activities, and the fruit that his deeds bring. Jesus has been producing fruit since the beginning of time, some would argue that Jesus wasn‟t there in the beginning; this argument is false, as it is written, “Let us make man in our image and likeness.” Genesis 1:26 The “us” that we read here is the Father, the Word (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. The “us” was in heaven creating all that exists since the beginning, never have they ever been separated, they are one! And here we see again that they are not separated, “the Spirit of the Lord God was upon Jesus” All those that argue that this is not true are merely trying to build an argument that Jesus is not God and thereby fail to recognize Jesus for who he truly is! “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asked Peter and he is asking you today! Answer the following questions: In the beginning the spirit of God moved where? Can the spirit of God also be upon man? Hebrews 1:1-3, 8-14 1 “God, who in sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the Fathers by the prophets. 2. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3. Who being the brightness of his glory, and

the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high.” It‟s amazing to me that after reading this there are still those who question who Jesus is, however to me this seems to be more than clear. Who is Jesus? Jesus is God, God‟s Son, God‟s express image, the heir of all creation, the brightness of his glory, the word of God, the creator of the worlds, and the one who sits in majesty at the throne of God. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Where is Jesus seated? He is the heir to all of what? 1John1: 1-4 1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2. (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.) 3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4. And these things write we unto you that your joy may be full.”

We have talked about how Jesus has always been even from the beginning, when the worlds were created. We have looked upon Jesus in order to do so, because when you look at the Word you are looking at Jesus, our hands have handled Jesus and the words of life today, now we are in fellowship with God, Jesus (the Word), the Holy Spirit, and we are one. Our joy may now be full with the understanding that we can recognize Jesus as God, as the Word of life, and as having the Spirit of God upon this word with the intent of bringing to every person eternal salvation and release from captivity. Are you in Bondage? When you recognize Jesus his truth will set you free! After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Who is our fellowship with? Who do you say Jesus is? What was his purpose? What is your purpose as a child of God and a disciple of Christ? The following message was given at The Warren Family Mission. The message was given to bring clarity to who Jesus is and how much He means to us. JESUS IS….(WORSHIP THE CREATOR) Exodus 5:2 “And Pharaoh said, who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord; neither will I let Israel go!”

Romans 1:21 “Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and they’re foolish hearts were darkened.” Who is Jesus? He is our advocate 1John 2:1 “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Advocate in the Greek means parakletos or comforter. Jesus is our intercessor our lawyer on our behalf.” Jesus takes our sins upon his back; he carries our burdens of guilt and shame and speaks to God as our friend seeking to pardon us for our sin. He is the Lamb of God John 1:29 “Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world.” For your sin there is a cost, to pay for your wrong doings there must be a cost to someone. In Romans 6:23 it tells us “Thewages of sin is death…” Friends you cannot pay this price yourself, there is not enough money in the world to pay for the sin against God, but God has made a way. That way is called: “The Lamb of God.” Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not

his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.” He said nothing. He became the sacrifice for your sins. He took away the sin for all who came to him. Isaiah 53:11 “He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their sins.” He saw sorrow and grief to his own soul to pay the cost of our sin. He was satisfied to die for us knowing it was God‟s will! He is the one that rose again and brought life to us! Jesus is the resurrection and the life! John 11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” All too often we forget the power of God. The power of God raises the dead, heals the sick, restores sight to the blind, tears down and binds up. This power is what Paul instructed us to know. Romans 6:5 “For if we had been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection.” The power that raised Jesus from the grave is the same power that changes our lives from sinners to righteous, from sickly to strengthened, from saddened to full of joy. He gives us a new life, one that we can walk in peace and joy.

John 11:43,44 “And when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes and his face was bound about with a napkin, Jesus said unto them, Loose him and let him go.” The power that raised Lazarus from the dead and commanded him to be loosed is the same power that can raise you out of bondage of addiction or sickness and restore you back to life again! Jesus is the shepherd and bishop of souls Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.” In the most materialistic nation in the world we can say I shall not want because he teaches us the vanity of earthly possessions. We can know that all that we need is taken care of as it is written: “But my God shall supply all your needaccording to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus!” Philippians4:19 As a bishop he is blameless. Titus 1:7 “For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre.” Jesus is perfect and without sin no fault can be found with him and he cares for our souls. Ezekiel 18:4 “all souls are mine!” here Jesus can be found stepping up to the plate, taking the leadership role which many fail to do today. He shows his love for us by taking possession of us to keep us from another, the other that would love to devour our souls!

Jesus is the good shepherd Ezekiel 34:11 “For thus saith the Lord God; Behold I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek out my sheep and deliver them out of the places wherein they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.” Friends it is the responsibility of the shepherd to seek out his sheep! Jesus came for that purpose! Mathew 18:11 “For the son of man has come to save that which is lost.” Are you like a sheep that has lost their way? Jesus is seeking you right now! Jesus is judge! Psalm 7:8 “The Lord shall judge the people: judge me O Lord according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.” Too often we take it upon ourselves to judge everyone but ourselves; we constantly examine and criticize others instead of looking within our hearts. Jesus is Judge, not you or I! He judges rightly, full of grace and mercy, yet perfect in his judgment of sin!

Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords and Jesus Christ is our Lord! 2Peter 1:2 “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.” 2Peter 1:8 “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” Beloved whomsoever or whatsoever you place on the throne in your heart, that is you're Lord. Whomsoever or whatsoever you obey from your heart that is your master. In other words if you place something in your life that is more important than worshipping God; such as shopping, sports, or money then these are the things that is your Lord and Master and not Jesus. However, if you place all these things second to Jesus and worship him and exalt him above worldly things then he shall be you Lord and Master. As it is written: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Jesus is Lord but you must place his throne in your heart before he can work in your life. Joshua 22:5 teaches us we must: “Love the Lord our God, and walk in his ways, and keep his commandments and cleave to him, and serve him with all our heart and with all our soul.”

Jesus was a man of sorrows Isaiah 53:3-12 “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid as it were our faces; he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken and smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb before the slaughter and as a sheep before her Shearer’s is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off from the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Jesus the man of sorrows took upon himself all your sins so that you might have a glorious future and might have peace and joy today. Are you suffering? He suffered also and how much more?

Jesus is the head of the church! 1Colossians 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” In Gods kingdom there is an order, it is not the order that man decides, it is the order that God has created. Many times people believe that they can worship God at home and never attend church. Yet God is the head of the church, he is on the throne in the church, he established it and many believe that he isn‟t there because they decide that their way is right and so they stop attending church thinking everything will be ok. Mathew 16:18 “And I say unto you, that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Jesus said that He will build His church. Be careful what you say about his church! Take heed to not forsake it! As it is written: “Let us considerone another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Friends it is easy to say that we can worship God anywhere, but what will we say to him when we worship? Father we

worship you but not in the church? I want to worship you my way and not the way that you have said? Forsake not the assembling! Christ is the head of the church and he decides how we shall worship! In closing beloved it is upon us to examine our hearts. Look inside yourself and see if you have made Jesus Lord and King of your life. If you haven‟t followed his ways and would like to start tonight know that he is waiting for you to ask him in. Open your heart that he may place his throne there, that he may place his church in your heart also, and that he may lead and guide you through life‟s ways. As it is written: “That if thou shall confess with the mouth theLord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved.”Roman 10:9

Memory Verses: John 1:1 “In the beginning was the …” John 1:4 “In him was life and …” John 1:14 “And the word became flesh…” John 1:17 “For the law was given by …” 1John 5:7 “For there are three that bare record…

Chapter Five

Light vs. Darkness

Primary Message: “And the light shined in darkness;and the darkness comprehended it not.” John 1:5 Worldview:To be a believer in Christ, is to have aclosed and otherwise darkened mind. Evangelistic Emphasis:“And this is the condemnation,that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light.” John 3:19

We live in a world that is turned upside down, where right is wrong and wrong is right, where faith in Jesus is to hate human rights, and where commitment to God is a part-time self-serving aspiration. It would seem that the darkened minds of dogma and the closed hearts that worship God and turn away from evil have lost their battle and a new world order has taken over! If you believe this you are wrong. This is absolutely a false perception! We must remember that “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever” and that his light will break through and overcome even if the world has some other plan, a plan that will ultimately fail! Just because Jesus is not the fashion of today does that mean that we can turn aside from his precepts? Absolutely not! Romans 6:1 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue to sin that grace may abound?”

Often it is thought that God allows us to continue in our sinful ways with little reaction to us except affording us the grace to continue. On the contrary, God is very grieved by our sin and he never expects that we continue to do it! What he expects is that we walk in a newness of life. Not continuing to sin, but turning away from our old ways of sin to walk in a new way. Sure he is a God of grace and that grace allows us the opportunity to repent and be forgiven of our sins, but it never says that we are to remain in this activity expecting God to overlook it and keep giving while we take! This sin is called darkness and God want us to walk in the light so we don't stumble and fall. This week we will study about his light and how we can walk in it and not walk in darkness. John 1:1-5 1. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made. 4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.â&#x20AC;? After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: In the beginning what existed? Where was the word? Who made all things? What was the light?

Before we can overcome darkness (sin) we must learn who and what is light. We cannot think that we are able to overcome the darkness (sin) of the world by ourselves and out of our own self-will or will power! Time and time again man is guilty of leaning upon his own understanding and standing upon his own power, as it is written “There’s a way that seems right to man,but leads to destruction.” John 1:6-14 6. “There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. 8. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. 9. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. 13. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man. 14. And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What came into the world? What power was given to those who believe? What was the word full of?

Let‟s face it, whether or not you are a believer in Christ we are looking for answers to today‟s problems. That‟s because we can see many problems in our world, just watch the news or stand in a line somewhere and listen to the people talk. We are really good at pointing out problems and really good at offering solutions that don‟t work! The world has been full of problems since the time of Adam and Eve and these problems in their various forms have existed always, but so has the only answer! Jesus Christ, the light of the world! John 8:12-23 12. “Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 13. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearist record of thyself; thy record is not true. 14. Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and where I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come and when I go. 15. Ye judge after the flesh, I judge no man. 16. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. 17. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. 18. I am one that beareth witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. 19. They said unto him, where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. 20. These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; his hour was not yet come. 21. Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: where I go ye cannot come.

22. Then said the Jews; Will he kill himself? because he hath said, whither I go, ye cannot come. 23. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.” After reading these verses what questions do you have? Jesus is what to the world? If you follow Jesus you will not what? If you continue in his word then you are what? How can we know the truth and be set free? I don‟t know about you, but always my first reaction to darkness (sin) is, can someone please turn on the lights?!! The problem is I can‟t see in the dark and if I try to walk in the dark I stumble on something, maybe a chair, or something that is in the way. That‟s exactly how it is in life, when you can‟t see where you are going then you are sure to stumble into sin! That‟s why Jesus came, he is the light of the world, and we can‟t see things right and clear until we put Jesus and his word into our life. So, if Jesus is the light and the one that brings us out of darkness then who or what is the one that we are calling darkness? The thief… John 10:1-10 1. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3. To him the porter openeth and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 79

5. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 6. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. 7. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you I am the door of the sheep. 8. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture. 10. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.â&#x20AC;? After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What is the way to heaven? Who is the door of the sheep? What is a person that tries to enter another way? What does the thief come to do? And Jesus what did he come to do? Jesus came into the world to open the spiritual eyes of all of us, he has brought light into an otherwise darkened world, and his competition the devil desires to sift us and destroy our lives by keeping us in the dark about his schemes. To do battle with the troubles of the world is to recognize that the battle is the Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x;s and we must go to him so that we

can see the traps that are waiting to catch us and destroy us, if we choose to not seek the Lord then we walk in darkness to all the enemy‟s tricks, and the enemy is very subtle. Genesis 3:1-6 1. “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field, which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea hath God said; Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, 3. But of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God, hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What question did the serpent ask the woman? Which tree of the garden was forbidden to eat from and why? Would they die or would their eyes be opened?

Knowing good and evil does it make us as God? What does the serpent do here that is found in John 10:10? Hey! Did you catch that? Wow! The serpent said that in the day that ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened! Wait a minute. Isn‟t that what Jesus came to do? Open our eyes! Absolutely, he is the light of the world, but the trick is to go to Jesus for that light, not to the serpent that tricks us into believing that if we listen to his voice we will know good and evil. Eve was tricked, everything that God told her was turned upside down, after the devil spoke to her what God said was not true and what the serpent said was. She listened to another voice! Jesus said “my sheep heareth my voice and a stranger will they not follow.” Yes, Jesus came to open our eyes, and he wants all of us to be like him, to be Sons of God, not to be gods to ourselves, and not to be deceived by the trickster! Can you think of some ways that the world is being deceived today by the trickster? In these last passages we see the battle between darkness and light, the serpent or thief rages against the light. Jesus is the truth; Jesus is the light that openeth the eyes of all men to the ways of the devil. LIGHT VS. DARKNESS Lights speak to us in words. For example a traffic light is used to speak to us: Red=stop, Green=go, and Yellow=proceed with caution. Light speaks words and words speak light. Words such as compliments, encouragement, kindness, hope, and love. These types carry meaning that bring life. John 1:1-5 In Him was life and the life was the light of men.”

“In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; Without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” Why do we need light? His light? Because light, His light, lifts us from gloom & doom to a position of life full of peace, joy, and happiness. Before there was any beginning, the word was and this word was God‟s words. God‟s words have been with us from the beginning and will always be. Mathew 13:16 “But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears for they hear.” In Genesis 1:2 we read about how there was nothing in the beginning. No light, the earth was void and full of darkness. Today we can hear and see many things. Jesus says: “blessed are your eyes, for they see” He isn‟t addressing us about our physical eyes, whether they are 20/20 vision or not. What Jesus is talking about is our spiritual eyes. When we spiritually see life then we are no longer void, our mind is not empty, and our heart is removed from darkness. Here‟s how it works: His words of life hit our ears, drop to our hearts and opens our eyes to the truth. The truth can be seen. Is the light red, yellow, or green, this can be seen with our physical eyes and the true color is revealed through seeing, but truth also can be heard and

processed into what we can see with our spiritual eyes, this is the light that Jesus reflects, the light that must be heard and processed into what we can see with our spiritual eyes. John 1:9-14 9. “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. 11. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him, 12. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name. 13. He gave the right to become children of God, not children born of natural decent, nor of human decision or husbands will, but born of God. 14. The word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Take note of verse 13. “But born of God” The right to become born-again of God and not of natural decent. John chapter 3 tells us: “Ye must be born again to enter the Kingdom of God.” In other words you must come out of darkness and into the light of Jesus. To be born of God is to walk with God, to be recreated, returning again into His image and likeness, taking on a renewed mind that mirrors the mind of Christ and living a new life that mirrors the life of Jesus. Grace and truth, renewed minds, and His image and likeness come through Jesus.

John 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses; but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Jesus is truth, wouldn‟t the world be a nice place if we had only truth in the world, but unfortunately this is not the case. The truth is there are many lies in this world that oppose God‟s truth. John 10:10 “The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” How is it that the devil (thief) will carry out his plan to steal, kill, and destroy? The first thing he will do is hide the truth, and when that isn‟t working he will distort the truth by allowing partial truth to come mixed with a small lie, and when that doesn‟t work he will flood your mind with worldly desire. The devil is crafty, but he is the loser! The answer against this opposition is get the truth! Get wisdom, get understanding, know God‟s truth, and expose the devils lie! “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him. “If yecontinue in my word, then are ye my Disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John8:31,32 Continue in God‟s word and you will continue to have light, and you will continue to have victory over your troubles!

John 1:1-5 1. “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. 2. He was with God in the beginning. 3. Through Him all things were made; Without Him nothing was made that has been made. 4. In Him was life and that life was the light of men. 5. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” There is a constant battle that rages between light and darkness and the truth and lies, between Jesus and the devil, between life and death, and between right and wrong. In this struggle many are deceived. How can we avoid this deception? The truth! Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life! John 14:6 To defeat death choose life, choose Jesus. To defeat wrong choose right, choose Jesus. To defeat darkness choose light, choose Jesus. 1 John 1:5, 6 5. “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” We can‟t have it both ways; we can‟t live a life with a little of Jesus and a little bit of our own way. It‟s all Jesus or no Jesus! God knows our struggles and our heart. He wants so much that all come to Him. 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanses us from all sin.” 86

My friends, you are not alone. All the power of God‟s kingdom is on your side, but it is your choice to love Jesus and accept His truth that will determine the outcome in your life. Resist the lie of the devil and resist the darkness that wars with God for your soul and remember that “greater is Jesus‟ truth that is in you than the lies of the devil that is in this world!

Memory Verses: John 8:12 “I am the light of the world; he that follows me…” John 8:31 “If ye continue in my word then…” John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth…” John 10:1 He that enters not by the door, the same…” John 10:9 “I am the door if any man enters in he shall…” John 10:10 “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy but I…”

Chapter Six

Who is Man in Christ?

Primary Message:“Therefore we are buried with himby baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4 Worldview:Each man to his own, “He is a selfmademan!” I don‟t need Jesus because Jesus is just a crutch for the weak! Evangelistic Emphasis:“Verily, verily, I say untothee, except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 Who is man in Christ? What it means to be in Christ Jesus is a hard concept to grasp when you consider that Jesus was crucified thousands of years ago. For us, to be baptized in him, to have the ability through him to walk free of sin, and to have the authority over principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness because he has given us this authority is a choice, it is a daily choice based upon our faith in him to believe. Man in Christ Jesus can do all things through him, which strengthens him. No weapon formed against man when he is in Christ Jesus shall prevail. To be in Christ Jesus is to have received the keys to the kingdom of heaven whereby those who are in Christ can bind and loose here on earth. Jesus Christ has given man power over all things. All this and so much more can be accessed by having faith in the work that Jesus has done for us at the cross. Many Christians today are weak because they don't understand who they are in Christ, King David stated: "What is man that thou art mindful of him? Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels and all things are under his feet!

The position of authority in Psalm 8 can only be had when we live in Christ Jesus! When we live, move, and have our being each day with Jesus then we can become acquainted with our position in him and his kingdom and also in this world. First we must see where this all begins and that is at the cross! Romans 6:1-11 1. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What shall we say then? Shall we continue to sin, that grace may abound? 2. God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3. Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection. 6. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7. For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.â&#x20AC;? How many times should we die to our sins? Should we continue to sin so that we can experience repentance, forgiveness, and the death of our sin again and again? If sin is to die how shall it live again? The only way that our sin

lives, is if we give it life! When we come to Jesus we take with us our sins to be placed on the cross to never be acted on again or at least that is our intentions, but why do we continue to walk in sin when we have vowed to stop? Is it that we are uncontrollably out of the ability to fight sin or is it that we cannot help ourselves? Actually it is some of both, we are out of order, out of the ability to help ourselves, and in realizing this we go to Jesus, but that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x;t allow us to continue to sin knowing that all we have to do is go to Jesus and all is well, instead we are expected to grow in maturity and in strength, leaning not on our own understanding, but rather on the word of God. We are now dead to sin and are no longer permitted to freely live in our sinful ways of the past! Now we live a new life through Jesus Christ, so much so that even our own do not recognize us anymore. We are New! New in Christ! After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What does it mean to be baptized? How can we be free from sin? Romans 7:14-25 14. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal sold under sin. 15. For that which I do I allow not; but what I hate, that I do. 16. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18. For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

19. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil, which I would not, that I do. 20. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21. I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man. 23. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members. 24. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” After reading these verses what questions do you have? Remember the old phrase; “the devil made me do it?” We are truly in this war, a war with ourselves, our own members, and the internal lust that, apart from God we succumb to, what can save us? There is a battle that Paul had to deal with and each of us must deal with it also. When Paul says; “O wretched man that I am, who can save me from this body of death? He was recognizing that there is a force that we must deal with that attempts to prevent us from doing right. He continues on to say; “I thank God for Jesus Christ.” We need Jesus because we are unable to fight this battle on our own. With Jesus we can overcome all things! Answer the following questions: Is the law good? Why? Does sin continue?

Are there two laws? Romans 8:1-10 1.”There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. 2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. 5. For they that are after the things of the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the things of the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Here again you see this struggle of the flesh against that of the Spirit, so it is not uncommon that we experience some difficulty in our life when we try to do right, when we try to follow Christ, the flesh just don‟t like it! Parts of our own self despise the things of Christ because the purity of Jesus exposes our true nature. We were born into sin and because of this we will forever struggle with our self, we all have sinned and fallen short of God‟s glory and the wages of this sin is death, so it can be said we were actually born into death, a death that will constantly pull us away from the life that Christ wants for us, as it is written; “The gift of God is eternal life”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 8:28-39 28. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. 29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 30. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33. They answered him, we be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest you, Ye shall be made free? 34. Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you; whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35. And the serventabideth not in the house forever: but the son abideth forever. 36. If the son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 37. I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. 38. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 39. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our Father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.”

In Christ we are called to a purpose, we have been given a purpose that is greater than we can understand until we meet with God and he shares with us his purpose. His purpose then becomes our purpose, but this happens when we are truly in Christ. What is man in Christ? Man in Christ is a man who has new purpose, old plans and purposes in life have faded away and all now has become new. God stands at our side in our life and gives us full assurance that when we are in him he causes all things to work to our good, but not according our purposes of old, but rather according to his purposes. With this new life, my friend you have been called unto a new purpose, a purpose in which God will cause to be fulfilled unto his glory! After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: How can things in life work good for us? Can anything separate us from the love of God? We must always remember that when we are in Christ we are fully protected and completely assured of his partnership with us, Jesus partners with us and we partner with him in order to glorify God. And the time in which it seems too hard for us to manage, God reassures us that “If God be for us who can be against us?” No weapon formed against us can prosper and we can do all things through Christ Jesus, which strengthens us. One of the greatest weaknesses of our time as Christians is, not knowing what power we have in Christ. My challenge to you is to research the Bible and write down every scripture that begins with or ends with the words, “In Christ” or “Through Christ” Many believers fall away because they are not aware of who they are “In Christ Jesus”

A great way to demonstrate “who we are in Christ” has been given to us. I was watching a prominent Pastor teach this years ago and have never forgotten how he demonstrated this to his church, it went something like this: How to demonstrate this to the unbeliever: “Who is Man in Christ.” You will need three different sized envelopes and two 5x8 index cards for this. Relate to the class the trinity 1John 5:7 and Jesus‟ position and what it means to be in Christ. Instructions: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Write your name on the first 5x8 index card and your name plus Jesus on the second card. Write “Holy spirit” on the smallest envelope Write Jesus‟ name on the second smallest envelope Write “GOD” on the last and largest envelope

To Begin: 1. 2. 3.

Put the index cards in the Holy Spirit envelope Put the Holy Spirit envelope in the Jesus envelope Put the Jesus envelope in the God envelope

Now: Explain all that the devil (thief) must do to get to Gods child when they are in the spirit, and in Christ Jesus. Then explain that Jesus is in you even if the devil ever got through God through the spirit and to you. He can‟t get to the one that is in Christ, but the one who stands alone is easy prey! Do not stand without trying to make it in life alone on your own!

Below is written a song and message that is meant to answer the question â&#x20AC;&#x153;What is man in Christâ&#x20AC;? I like this song because it gives strength to the believer and truth about the struggle. There is a great hymnal that goes like this:

Onward Christian Soldiers Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before. Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; forward into battle see his banners go! (Refrain) Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before. At the sign of triumph Satan's host doth flee; on then, Christian soldiers, on to victory! Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise; brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise. (Refrain ) Like a mighty army moves the church of God; brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod. We are not divided, all one body we, one in hope and doctrine, one in charity. (Refrain ) Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane, but the church of Jesus constant will remain. Gates of hell can never against that church prevail; we have Christ's own promise, and that cannot fail. (Refrain) Onward then, ye people, join our happy throng, blend with ours your voices in the triumph song. Glory, laud, and honor unto Christ the King, this through countless ages men and angels sing. (Refrain)

The thought of today‟s time is to be or desire anything hasslefree, commitment- free, easy and convenient in life. We find these thoughts are permeating our society and have been allowed to seep into our churches making them dead or ineffective. Our Lord has strategically placed us exactly where we are not for our convenience, not that we should be hasslefree or commitment- free, nor that we should merely have easy access to attend a morning worship service and afterwards happily go on our way. He has strategically planted our church in its present location to effectively cause Satan to fall. To lose the chains that hold His children in bondage and overcome the battle that Satan wages against God‟s people. You might say; “cause Satan to fall?” I thought Satan had already fallen! Today our topic is about our communities. Since Satan has fallen from heaven where is it that he fell to? Luke 9:57-10:21 Here we find Luke the beloved physician giving an account concerning Jesus and his disciples. First he starts by showing Jesus teaching the disciples about priority. When we follow Jesus there are priorities. You might say; “Preacher I have always had priorities, I just follow my heart and I know that my heart is good and therefore my priorities are straight. And so it was with a few other disciples. 57 “And as they were going along the road, someone said to him (Jesus) and said, “ I will follow you wherever you go.” How many of us can say this today? “And Jesus said to him: Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.”

This doesn‟t sound too convenient or hassle-free too me so far. Jesus immediately says to another: “Follow me” Now this one says “Permit me first to go bury my father.” Can I do a few things that I want to do first Jesus? Jesus replies: “Let the dead bury the dead but as for you go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” Often we say to Jesus I will follow you, but when asked to do something for him or for another we shrink back and seek to set the obligation in accordance with our terms. Beloved in those moments that we commit and we then reevaluate the commitment we show Jesus our terms in which we will do it, but he sets the terms beloved, not us. The work of God is never done according to our terms, we can never say to him yes, but!! Yes we will go but when we are ready? Yes we will go whenever you call us is what we agree to, is it not? “Another said I will follow you Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home. But Jesus said to him, No one putting his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Again this walk is not set to your terms. If you say I will follow you there is no looking back. No turning aside to the former things. This is an exact commitment not determined by your terms, but rather by Gods terms. Now this seems to be very discomforting, certainly not convenient and not hasslefree. This takes commitment! But for Commitment there is great reward! And here are the happy results! Now Jesus, after appointing 35 teams of 2 and dispatching them to various cities with instructions on how to go as we read in Luke 10:1-16, watches for the results.

In pairs of two they went and to every city in which he directed them. They didn‟t ask permission to take care of little things first, they didn‟t delay the operations at all, and they just went as directed. They laid down their lives to obey their Lord. 70 Disciples denied themselves, they didn‟t take anything for the journey, they didn‟t make pit stops on the way, they didn‟t take it as an opportunity to treat themselves to a lavish dinner, and instead they became like John the Baptist and entered into the cities where Jesus himself was going to go. They searched out for an inviting house or receptive people that would hear them and then they laid the groundwork, they planted the seeds, and then they reported back to Jesus with a great and mighty praise report! Why is all of this necessary one might ask? Why can‟t we just assemble behind these 4 walls and let God send them to us? Why can‟t we just mind our own business, we believe in God and we attend services and we worship God and we help the Pastor and the Elders when we‟re asked. Why do I have to go into the city or to my neighbors? Let me answer you; When Satan got kicked out of heaven with one third of the angels where did they go? When Jesus appointed 70 other disciples to send them to every city that he sent them to, what was his purpose? The reason you have to go, the reason why you need to get out of your comfort zone and stop telling God your terms, the reason you need to look outside these four walls is there is a war right here in your neighborhood, right in your backyard, right in your city where your church is and that war is pressing in trying to take over. What happened when Jesus sent the 70 out and they returned? Well let‟s hear the report: “And the seventy returned with joy saying, Lord even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

And Jesus said to them, “I was watching Satan fall fromheaven like lightning!” This is one of the happiest moments in the ministry of Jesus! Jesus was expressing his joy, his excitement, and his celebration over their victory! Satan was defeated in those areas, his assault against the cities was abandoned, and he fell that very day. Friends Satan is running wild all around us and he is going unchallenged. Is he being challenged in your city? What can you do about it? Get together as teams and go out, as did the others that we read about. Follow Gods instructions; make it a point to give an hour or two every week to going into your neighborhood or city and shining your lights. Don‟t let Satan go unchallenged anymore. Bible studies, bible readings, or even carrying your bibles around town for people to see sends a loud sound of victory. Be seen, be noticed, and be active. Put a smile on Jesus face. You have the power! You can make a difference! 19. “Behold I have given you authority to tread upon serpentsand scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you!” Team up Christians, find a partner and get busy, don‟t be as some who find excuses. Jesus will say to you! “I was watching Satan fall!” Jesus will smile and celebrate with you your victory! Today there may be one among us that by the grace of God was brought here to listen, one that might not yet be saved, that might be struggling with asking Jesus to come into their heart. Friend if that is you, listen to what the spirit of

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God is saying today. Open your heart and let Jesus in. Stop resisting the Holy Spirit, stop-making excuses, if your saying I will after… or I‟m not ready yet, Now is the time you cannot do this on your terms, only on Gods terms and here are his terms: “Today if you should hear his voice, harden not your heart as in the day of rebellion.” Right now is the time! Set aside all your excuses and come to the alter right now and ask Jesus into your heart as it is written: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that he was crucified for your sins and by the power of God was raised from the grave you are saved. Right now on his terms make this confession, believe it and step out to receive.” Sing this song with me Saints: Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before. Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; forward into battle see his banners go! Refrain: Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before. At the sign of triumph Satan's host doth flee; on then, Christian soldiers, on to victory! Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise; brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise. Man in Christ is a soldier, a servant, and a friend to His community!

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Memory Verses: Romans 8:1 “What shall we say to these things? If God…” Romans 8:35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ…?” Romans 8:37 “Nay, in these things we are…” Romans 8:38 “For I am persuaded, that neither death nor…”

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Chapter Seven

Prayer and Confession

Primary Message:Casting our burdens upon a lovingGod is the fastest and most certain way to find relief from our troubles and deliverance in a time of need. “Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22 Worldview:Prayer is a sign of weakness andconfession is an admission of that weakness to the world. Evangelistic Emphasis:God is faithful and just. Hewill always show compassion to those that acknowledge their need for Christ and through this acknowledgement he promises to wash our record clean. “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)

Prayer and Confession: The words that we say can bring death or life. It is a choice that we must make each day. Will we say words that are uplifting, confessions that are recorded as great words of faith, and prayers that request God's presence in our life? Jesus taught us to pray without ceasing, to confess unto salvation, and to believe unto righteousness. What we say and what we believe will make an eternal difference in our lives. This week we will study the importance of prayer and confession. Jesus so often went apart from the crowds to pray and this was evident that he had been alone with God by his confession of who he was and what he came to do.

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1John1: 5-10 5. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This then is the message, which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. 7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin. 8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.â&#x20AC;? Have you ever closed your eyes and tried to walk around without being able to see? See, that we need the light! He is the light and if we say that we are walking with him through this life and remain in our sin, then we are not telling the truth. Sin is darkness and in Jesus there is no sin, no darkness, but if we have sin, we have darkness and do not have true fellowship with Jesus. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x;s incredible to know how many people say that they are Christian and say that they are going to heaven, yet still believe that they can sin against God and he will just forgive them and include them. They should reconsider their position on the subject of sin, you cannot have sin/darkness and still say that everything is ok! Everything is not ok! You must stop your sin, confess it and repent because there is no place in heaven for darkness and sin and there is no place in Jesus for darkness and sin! If your lifestyle is full of sin you must deal with this and surrender to Jesus all these darkened ways that he may forgive you and fill you with his light! After reading these verses what questions do you have?

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Answer the following questions: What is the message here?

What are the two things that Jesus does when we confess our sins? Romans 10:9,10 9. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” What we say means everything! Because where our treasure is there our heart shall be also. Think about this, Jesus wants to know what you feel in your heart about Him and His kingdom. What better way is there to know this than to ask you to say it, and not just say it, but show it in your deeds. Our confessions are revealed in our actions. St. Francis of Assisi said, “preach the gospel and if you must use words” in other words let your actions be your confession as to what you hold dear to your heart. Jesus tells us that if we believe like we say we do then it will not be a troubling issue to confess what we believe and to live like this because it is what we hold dear in our heart! Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth theLord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” In the case where a person believes, it is impossible to confess that which is not in the heart, and impossible to believe that which they are unwilling to confess, for it is with their confessions their heart is known. Understand that

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some can say things that they may not truly believe, yet they cannot truly confess that which is not rooted in their heart because the fruit or their actions will tell on them. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: How can a person be saved? Why confess with the mouth? Luke 12:8-12 8. “Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man confess before the angels of God: 9. But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. 10. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemes against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. 11. And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto the magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: 12. For the Holy Ghost shall teach ye in the same hour what ye ought to say.” Sometimes we don‟t know what to pray, this is when we must rely on the fact that we are not alone and that Jesus has left us with a helper, the Holy Spirit, which promises to help us through by interceding on our behalf. Even the Disciples of Jesus experienced this and in turn asked Jesus saying “Lord, teach us to pray” Luke 11:1-4 We do not have to worry about what we shall pray or say at times in which we are in need of the right words because we have a

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helper that desires to assist us in our needs and more than that Jesus knows our needs even before we ask and he moves to supply all that we have need of promptly! After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Does the scripture say confess him in your heart? Who will Jesus confess you to? Mathew 6:5-15 5. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. 6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8. Be ye not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 9. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. 11. Give us this day our daily bread. 12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thineis the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

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14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.â&#x20AC;? Here again we are taught a prayer that helps us in a time in which we might not know what to say or what to pray. These times God understands very well, they are times when life is tough and it seems that we have little strength to think about what to pray, not to mention the strength to express it. Jesus has given us a prayer to pray that covers it all! Every possible thing that we ought to be concerned with is listed here in this prayer. This prayer turns our focus from our misery unto the source of power that will strengthen us, that source is Jesus and the Kingdom of God. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Who should we pray to? Are we asking for his kingdom to come? Who is our daily bread? Do we have to forgive others to receive forgiveness? The words we say and to whom we pray affects the outcome that we live. Since words have power and we know that God himself created the heavens and the earth though the spoken word, the following message was given to emphasize this importance to a group of residents during a meeting at the Warren Rescue Mission.

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THE WORDS WE SAY Mathew 6:5-8 “And when you pray do not be as the hypocrites are for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward, but when you pray, enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which sees you in secret shall reward thee openly, but when ye pray use not vain repetitions as the heathens do, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking, be not ye therefore like unto them for your Father knows what things ye have need of before you ask Him.” Why is it that we need to pray in a certain way? Jesus tells us how to pray because He wants us to pray correctly from the heart, effective prayers, not repetitive, but rather to the point! Just because one prays the same thing over and over again doesn‟t mean that they will get what they want because of the repeated prayers. Instead of our ineffective prayers, Jesus gives us a prayer that effectively covers everything that we need. Mathew 6:9-13 “After this manner therefore pray ye… Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for yours is the Kingdom and the power, and the glory forever.” When praying this prayer we have said: We want His Kingdom not this world, His will and not ours, His word

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Our Daily Bread, which includes a daily portion of Jesus, since He is the Bread of Life, we request that He forgives us our sin and we acknowledge that we will forgive those that sin against us, we request God lead us and surrender all leadership to Him, we ask that God delivers us from all evil that tries to hinder us in our life, and in short we are stating that we no longer seek to live our life our own way, but instead choose to do all things his way. We have said! This is not a recital, but a sincere request unto God. It is a surrender of our life to God, placing our full trust in Him. By praying this prayer we acknowledge God‟s supremacy, His sovereignty, and His care for us. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” The words we say bringlife or death. The prayers that we say and how we say them are very important to God. It is, a surrender of your life to God, placing your full trust in Him, by praying this prayer we acknowledge His supremacy, His sovereignty, and His ability to provide. “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done!” The words we say and how they are believed in our heart bring life or death We see God‟s words put into action to create life in the beginning. Genesis Chapter One All through this chapter we read how God spoke and the heavens and the earth and all that lives was created, created by spoken words!

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There was a man in the New Testament that realized just how powerful God‟s spoken word can be. Let‟s read about it. Mathew 8:8 “The Centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but speak the Word only, and my servant will be healed.” The great faith of a roman centurion is seen here when a centurion seeks Jesus to come and heal his servant, Jesus says in verse 10: " Verily, I say unto you, I have not found so greatfaith, no, not in all Israel. Vs. 13 Jesus says: go thy way; and as thou hast believed so be it done unto thee." The words that the centurion said were mixed with the real, true belief that Jesus was able to speak the words that would bring healing. Again, words we say, just as Jesus spoke, can bring life or death! Our prayers can bring life, life which is God's will. It is God's will to bring life into the world, into your situation, and into your heart and soul. John 10: 10 reads “the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy Iam come that they might have life, and have it to the full.” The mystery of this can be also found in Luke 5:3 " and heentered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out deeper from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto SIMON, launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for drought." Here is the mystery, wherever your heart goes the deepest,

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there your words will be. If your heart is cast out into the deepness of god's words and a deep faith takes root, you'll seek to see god's miracles and his will in your life. If your heart is cast out into the deepness of the world's ways and a deep unbelief in god's ways takes root, you'll seek to live your life apart from god And will not see his miracles. Wherever our heart seeks deepness, be it in god or in the world, the root that grows in it will be revealed by the words we say. John 7:38 " he that believeth on me, as the scripture hasSAID,out of his belly will flow rivers of living water." Launch out into the deep of god's words and rivers of life will come out of you!! Consider what you say and see if it came from the deepness of god's words or from the deepness of this world. Mathew 15:11 â&#x20AC;&#x153;not that which goes into the mouth defiles aman; but that which comes out of a man's mouth, this defiles a man." A manâ&#x20AC;&#x;s heart is revealed through what comes out of hismouth. Mathew 15:17 "Do you not yet understand that whatsoeverenters into the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies: these are the things that defile a man." Cast your heart into the deepness of Christ's words and take that into your life that only Christ's words will come out. The words we say can bring life if they are words that are near to god's heart. The words we say can bring death if

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they are words that are away from god's heart and are near to our own heart. Out of our own hearts comes evil, because we are born into evil. You have said! His kingdom, his will, his provision, his ways!!! The words we say!!! Now comes the time of decision; you must turn from your ways of sin and completely trust Jesus Christ to save you. “let thewicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the lord, and he will have mercy on them. Will you accept Jesus? Then if you will confess with your mouth the lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that god raised him from the dead, you will be saved!” Romans 10:9

Memory Verses: 1John 1:9 “If we confess our sins…” 1John 1:10 “If we say that we have no sin…” Mathew 6:9-13 “Our Father who are in heaven…”

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Chapter Eight

Forgiveness

Primary Message:Forgiveness is an act of giving toanother an opportunity of mercy. “Give to him that asks thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not away.“ Mathew 5:42 Worldview:An eye for an eye, repay another whatthey have given unto you. Mathew 5:38 Evangelistic Emphasis:The Code of Hammurabi hasbeen abolished through Jesus Christ. Forgive others that you may be forgiven. “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and persecute you.” Mathew 5:44

For-give-ness, sometimes we have to break apart a word to get to the meaning. Jesus was the greatest giver of all time. He gave to the max; he gave the ultimate, because he gave his life. Forgiveness is giving. It is giving a free gift to someone that may not deserve it and unforgiveness is the act of not giving. Jesus teaches only to give. Our actions show our heart. We have a hard heart when we can't forgive and because of this we cannot and will not receive forgiveness when we ask. Are you a giver? This chapter takes a look into what it means to be a giver and a for-giver.

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Mathew 6:9-15 9. “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11. Give us this day our daily bread. 12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thineis the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. 14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you: 15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” This seems to be pretty clear, our hearts may not always respond to this so clearly though. When someone has wronged us we often struggle trying to forgive them because we seek vindication, retribution, restoration, and revenge. All of these are fleshly and carnal desires that can destroy us. They can eat at us from the inside and tear at our soul. It will be the most difficult time to be at rest and enjoy God‟s peace when we cannot forgive. God demands that we come before his throne with no hatred, no bitterness, and no strife. He just won‟t have it in his presence and will not allow it in our hearts; again he will not allow us to come into his presence with unforgiveness in our heart. Read Mathew 18:21-35 and see what can happen if from our hearts we cannot forgive every brother their trespasses. Mathew 18:21-35 21. “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? 22. Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven. 23. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousands talents. 115

25. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him a hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29. And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me and I will pay thee all. 30. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31. So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32. Then his lord after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desirest me: 33. Shouldest not thou also have compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? 34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.â&#x20AC;? After reading these verses what questions do you have?

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Answer the following questions: How many times should we forgive? How did the wicked servant get caught? What happened to him when he got caught? Jesus is our Lord, just as this servant had a Lord we have Jesus as our Lord, he is our heavenly Father that has forgiven us our sins. How shall we face Him each day in light of the forgiveness that he has given to us? The answer is: We shall always be ready to forgive others remembering that Jesus forgave us even when we did not deserve to be forgiven. When we do this we will remain in perfect peace with God and our fellow Christians and ourselves. God forgives as written in the following discussion that David was having with God: "You have been favorable to your land, you have brought back the captivity of Jacob. You have forgiven the iniquity of all your people; you have covered all their sin" Psalm 85:1,2 The Bible teaches that love covers a multitude of sins. True love never desires to rejoice in the sins of others. Some people love to gossip about what he or she has done, they like to bring attention and focus to the wicked deeds of others, while their deeds are minimized. Jesus teaches us to love one another and this love must seek to cover sin, to hide it and to reach out a helping hand to those that are overtaken by their sin. When we restore another who is down we are doing what God has done for us. He has given us His favor by forgiving us our sins and covering them so that others cannot see them. This is true love.

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“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” Galatians 6:1 This is the all telling focal point: Are we as Christian as we believe? This scripture will put that to the test. Many attend church, live a pious life, smile and raise their hands in joy showing to others their holiest, but when it comes to restoring another in the spirit of meekness they walk away or they join the stone throwers union! Praise Jesus that He throws no stones at us, in fact He cautions us about afflicting those that are in sin or have sinned. Let‟s praise Him for His goodness and His wisdom. Praise Jesus for His love that has covered our sins and lifted us up from the dirt and filth of this world so that we may also love someone as He has loved us. Here is Paul‟s word of caution to us regarding afflicting others that have fallen. 2Corinthians 2:5-11 5. “But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge you all. 6. Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. 7. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. 8. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. 9. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. 10. To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ. 11. Lets Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

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So have you heard Christians say that they are Christian and turn with hatred or unforgiveness to another? Are they not testifying that they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x;t as Christian as they say? Here we see that Paul is writing to those that they may not overcharge an offender. It is a characteristic that many of us struggle with, the overcharging of an offender! Are we not called to love even our enemies? Yes, so we must not take things to far by failing to relent on our retribution against those that have caused us grief. When we fail to draw a line and follow that measure given to us, failing to offer forgiveness then our actions prove that we are in sin ourselves! The sin of not loving and not forgiving! We must say it is enough! They have suffered enough and now it is time to take them back in through the love of Christ. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Should you forgive after punishment is complete? Should we forgive like Jesus does? Romans 12:17-21 17. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21. Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.â&#x20AC;?

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Wow! This may be hard, but remember God will never give us more than we can handle and he will never ask us to do something that we canâ&#x20AC;&#x;t do with his help. If we are to be honest in all things we must ask ourselves, have we let this go, have we truly forgiven them, and have we trusted God enough to give it to him? God will vindicate, he promises to be with us through it all and he has stated that Vengeance belongs to him so why continue to bring injury to your heart by holding onto bitterness and hatred all the while claiming to be a Christian that walks in love. When a person lives with this in their heart they are not fooling anyone but themselves. When we are not truly honest about our feelings of unforgiveness we can say all that we want to try to convince ourselves that we forgive, but the truth is our actions before God prove us to be a liar. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Recompense to no man evil for evil, how shall we live with others? What does it mean to overcome evil with good? 1Peter 3:8,9 8. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous. 9. Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.â&#x20AC;? Are you ready for a blessing? Paul reminds us that we are to inherit a great blessing when we follow what Jesus has taught us. The days of the Code of Hammurabi are gone,

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they have been abolished and no longer are we to live by the rule of an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, but rather we live by forgiving others as we have been forgiven. For this cause it is written in Mathew 5:38-42 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Not rendering evil for evil, what are we to do? Jesus gave forgiveness and restoration. Let‟s take a look at what Jesus did in the message below:

THE MAN THAT GAVE Livingstone on Commitment: When Dr. David Livingstone was working in Africa, a group of friends wrote him: "We would like to send other men to you. Have you found a good road into your area yet?" According to a member of his family, Dr. Livingstone sent this message in reply: "If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don't want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."

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Today‟s message is about Commitment. Friends we see that it takes a special breed of folks to make a difference in our world. Our world has been hardened. Our road is not been made easy. I know that many people decide to tell others about Christ whenever or wherever it is easy and decline to take this task when it seems to be hard. I was reading this morning a portion of meditation from Charles Spurgeon‟s archives. Charles Spurgeon wrote about how we must sharpen our tools and ready them for battle, noting that we can learn from our enemy‟s warfare and he challenged us to “go about like good Samaritans, seeking whom we may bless today.” Friends to take this road may not be easy; in fact this road may be one that you have to build first before you can get to them. This is what Dr. Livingston was saying. Before we can reach someone we might have to build the road! What examples do we have of this? Let us turn to Luke chapter 10:30-37. “And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed leaving him half dead.” Here we see a man that was walking a road, a road that was already laid, and a road that made it easy for another to serve God. Here ministry to another was easy. Let‟s see what happens. “By chance their came down a certain Priest that way: and when he saw the man, passed by on the other side.” Friends, the road was already laid. The Priest had every opportunity to minister to a hurting soul. He didn‟t have to open a door, and then walk through. He didn‟t have to pray first to see if it was God‟s will. He also did not have to obtain a seminary degree first to become a minister! We will see in a moment what he had to do.

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What he did do was pass on by the other side. It was easy for him to go around this soul and to ignore him. Next we see another, a Levite. “And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.” He did the same thing only worse; he actually took the time to look at the situation and decided to pass by. Again he didn‟t have to lay the road, he didn‟t have to pray to see if it was God‟s will, and he didn‟t have to get a Seminary degree before he could have the opportunity to minister. The road was laid, the door was open, and the opportunity was there just as it is now! Finally a third person comes down this road and he isn‟t a Priest or a Levite, he is not a person of greatness, and he decides that he doesn‟t need a degree, or even to pray if it was God‟s will first. Instead he takes action. “But a certain Samaritan as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he the man he had compassion on him, and went to him and bound his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.” Beloved this was an easy task because the door was open and the road was laid already. The opportunity presented itself for ministry. How many opportunities do we have to minister to others? Do we need a degree? Do we need permission from God first as to if it is his will? Do we need for God to make a road for us? And what about the road we are on? I tell you friends the opportunity is here, right here and right now. Will we, do we pass on by the other side?

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Dr. Livingston wanted people that wouldn‟t wait for a good road, that wouldn‟t wait for the easy opportunity, but rather the ones that were willing to take the hard road, to make a way, to see the opportunity that is around them to minister and to make opportunities where none are found! Today is a tough marketplace, not every opportunity will be easily had. Charles Spurgeon said: “We are engaged in a great war with the Philistines of Evil. Every weapon within our reach must be used. Preaching, Teaching, Praying, Giving, all must be brought into action and talents which have been thought to be to mean for service, must now be employed!” 1Samuel 13:20 reads: “But all the Israelites went down to thePhilistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his ax, and his mattock.” Listen friends we are in a war for souls today, our families and friends are perishing while we walk by the other side seeking this feel good church experience. Ministry opportunities are all around us. Have all our hearts grown hard? Are all our tools become dull? Is it too mean to tell the truth? The Bible tells us in Luke 6:38; “Give and it shall be given untoyou; good measure pressed down and shaken together and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you give, it shall be given unto you again.” If there is no road, make the road and it shall be made for you. If the road is there take, the road and it shall be taken for you! If an opportunity presents itself to minister to another and you pass by the other side what then should be done to you

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in your time of need? If there is no opportunities in front of you then seek them, make them, take them and you will be blessed! Let us take a look at the greatest teacher of all Jesus! What did he do? Did Jesus need man to give him a road or an open door? No he didn‟t, nor do we. The opportunity is all around you wherever you‟re at. People are in need of good Samaritans. The bible tells us; “The harvest is ripe but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore to the Lord of the harvest that he send laborers to help bring in the crop.” Here is what God did. “For God so loved the world that hegave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him would receive eternal life.” John 3:16 Listen friends God made the road, he didn‟t wait for a good road to be made, and he didn‟t wait for a more perfect time. The time is right now! Mathew 25:34-40 “Then shall the king say unto them on hisright hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying Lord, when did we see thee hungry and fed thee, or thirsty and gave thee drink? When we saw thee a stranger and took thee in? Or naked and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick or in prison and came unto thee? And the king shall answer unto them, Verily I say unto thee, Inasmuch as you have done these things unto one of the least of my brethren ye have done it unto me.”

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My friends all around us are opportunities to minister unto hurting, needful friends and sinners. And whatever we do to them we are doing it unto God. Jesus gave his life; he knew that to love others was always God‟s will as he gave us these instructions in John 13:34. “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” See Jesus gave his life for us; this is how he loved us. He didn‟t pass by on the other side. He took action by giving. The Good Samaritan gives us a great example and Jesus gives us the greatest example ever! Are you moved with compassion today to come to the aid of a hurting world? Friends you don‟t need a piece of paper licensing you to act! You don‟t need to wait to find out if it‟s God‟s will, he has made it very clear already, and you don‟t need to wait for the good road or open door to give you the right of passage. Friends all you need to do are look around, Look around you and see the need and refuse to pass by the other side!!! Friends God is calling us to be that man who gave, to be the Good Samaritan, to do as Jesus did. Love.Love. Love!!! Love one another!!! Today there might be one that is hurting, one that is in need of a friend, one that needs a touch from Jesus, or even one that would love to be used of God to help. If there is any that would like to know Jesus better, would like to get closer to him, that has never asked Jesus to come into their life, then come forward and pray with us. Come to the Altar today and watch how Jesus takes you into his arms and comes into your heart with love. He loves you beyond what you could ever imagine. Come to Jesus!

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Father we know that we are sinners, but today we want to receive you in our life. We confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that you died on the cross for our sins and was raised by the power of God from the grave, that only you can change our lives and make it better. Thank you Jesus for coming into my life. Now open my heart and my eyes to help those around me to have better lives. Help me to make a difference and be that Good Samaritan, In Jesus name we pray. Amen! Give a little love today!

Memory Verses: Mathew 6:12 “Forgive us our…” Mathew 18:22 “Jesus said unto them, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but …” 2Corinthians 2:8 “Wherefore I beseech you that you confirm…” 1John 1:6 “If we say that we have fellowship with him, …”

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Chapter Nine

How To Handle Hard Times in Love

Primary Message:“Blessed are they which arepersecuted for righteousness‟ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Mathew 5 Worldview:Kindness is weakness and to deal withhard times you must be tough and deal with things by force. Evangelistic Emphasis:Our affliction is light and notlasting. It will lead us unto a better and more glorious future. “How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.” 2Corinthians 8:2

Often after we have done a good thing for God or for others we are surprised to find out that it is misunderstood, not appreciated, or used against us because others become jealous. Jesus did many miracles and was told to leave, was spoken harshly about afterwards, was accused of having a demon and so on. Should we be so surprised if after doing something good for God we get attacked? No, but we need to understand how to deal with these hard times should they come. This chapter is about how to deal with hard times even after doing good things! The word teaches us to overcome evil with good Lets' take a look at this.

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1 Samuel 17:40-58 40. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. 41. And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David, and the man that bare the shield went before him. 42. And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of fair countenance. 43. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a Dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44. And the Philistine said unto David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. 45. Then said David unto the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and he will give you into our hands. 48. And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49. And David put his hand into his bag, and took thence a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slung it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. 50. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 51. Therefore David ran and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, 129

and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. 52. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines, until thou come the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. 53. And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents. 54. And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent. 55. And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O King, I cannot tell. 56. And the King said, inquire thou whose son the stripling is. 57. And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58. And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.â&#x20AC;? After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: How many times have you done a good thing for someone and only trouble came because of it? How did you deal with it? David has long been known as a man after Godâ&#x20AC;&#x;s own heart, here we find him to be just a boy, but when you look into his background you find that he was a shepherd boy

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that spent days in the pastures tending to his flock and talking with God. His wisdom and strength came only from the Lord and not from the conventional or traditional wisdom of his day. He chose not to fight using sword and spear; he left his armor behind, and went forth into battle in the name of the Lord. What an awesome faith he had in God! And because of his faith and his obedience to God, God gave him the victory. It was to the delight of the Lord to see his will be done! Often we are called into battle in our lives and are tested in our decision to trust God or to do things man‟s ways. When we are, it is upon us to stand firm in the strength of the Lord and to believe in the words of Christ that he will never leave us nor forsake us. So step out! And Step into Christ glory! David is now the hero because he stepped out in faith trusting God and thereby won the victory for God‟s people. 1 Samuel 18:6-16 6. “And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out from all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with Tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music. 7. And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. 8. And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, they have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? 9. And Saul eyed David from that day forward. 10. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand. 11. And Saul cast the Javelin; for he said, I will smite even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice. 12. And Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul. 13. Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. 131

14. And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him. 15. Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. 16. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.” After David does well he becomes a target of danger. The bull‟s eye was now placed directly upon David‟s back because King Saul was threatened by David‟s popularity and jealous of his fame. God had left Saul and was with David, and King Saul opened the door for an evil spirit to enter into his heart. In fact God himself allowed this spirit to take over Saul‟s heart. In the book of Galatians chapter five, we read of the fruits of the flesh vs. the fruits of the spirit. Saul was guilty of allowing his flesh response to take over and it exposed his jealousy, and Jealousy we find, is one example of the fruit of the flesh! After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What would you do if you were David? Has anyone ever been jealous of you? What did you do? What should our reaction to hard times be? The role that faith plays: Mathew 8:19-27 19. “And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

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20. And Jesus saith unto him, the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 21. And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. 23. And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27. But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” The Military teaches “The Three M‟s” My Mission, My Men, and Myself in that order. It would seem that Jesus is teaching a set of priorities to his disciples also. In life we must abide by certain priorities lest we are confused as to what things are important and in what order of importance we should follow. To understand this order we must first understand why Jesus came. This is found in Luke 19:10 where Jesus states, “I have come to seek and to save the lost. This is the statement that sets priority. The mission is to seek and to save first. The fact that Jesus is forewarning the scribe that to follow him means to have no place to live and no place to rest is an awakening to us. To follow Jesus will require us to deny ourselves the luxuries of the world in order to prepare for the life to come, the eternal life with Jesus our Lord. There are priorities, which often will require that we place our loved ones in the number two slot and ourselves in the number three, behind the mission of seeking and (Jesus saves) saving.

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After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Will hard times come when we follow Jesus? What did the disciples have to little of? To whom did the disciples call out? Mark 11:20-26 20. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. 22. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.â&#x20AC;? Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x;t it amazing that despite the miracle on the boat where Jesus caused the winds to obey him and brought calm to the sea, the disciples soon after forgot all about it at the withering of the fig tree? This is exactly what we do. We

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forget the miracles that Jesus has done in our lives and for some reason expect some different experience to happen. With excitement Peter called this to remembrance as though the rebuking of the winds and the calming of the sea was just an accident and this type of miracle to happen again was amazing. Jesus said “O ye of little faith” at the rebuking of the winds and here he simply says “Have faith in God” The reinforcing of what they needed more of is the answer to all of our issues, Faith, faith, and more faith. This is more than a common theme throughout the many miracles of Jesus‟ ministry it is a fact of daily life. Have faith in God today, everyday and always forevermore! This is how to deal with hard times. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What do you have to do when you pray before you can receive? Why is faith so important in times of difficulty? Mathew 5:38-48 38. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. 41. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 44. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for hemaketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the 135

good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47. And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.â&#x20AC;? Have faith you say! I have faith another says, but all of us must realize that faith worketh by love. How shall we who walk in faith show others our faith if we are in the business of retaliation? Remember, mission first then others and then ourselves. If we are seeking to strike back for an offense committed unto us then where is our love and what then of our faith? Jesus not only tells us that to follow him we may not have a place to rest our head, but he also tells us that we must deny ourselves and walk in love. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: In times past how did people treat their enemies? When Jesus came what did he teach about enemies? Love and faith go hand in hand and compassion rather than revenge is how we ought to treat others when it comes to those that despitefully use us. We must remember Jesus on the cross and what he said; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Father forgive them for they know not whatthey do.â&#x20AC;? Luke 23:34

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Romans 12:17-21 17. “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Here is where faith comes in, to activate our faith in God we are put to the test; we must overcome evil with good! This is an action not merely an ignoring of the situation. Our faith in God requires us to lay every issue at his feet and understand who he is. He is Almighty God who says “Vengeance is mine I will repay” Lay it at his feet and walk away from the offense and go and love the offender! Wow, now that is a test of faith in God! God will not give us more than we can handle and therefore desires to defend us and to vindicate us. When he says “All things work to the good to those that love Jesus” he is assuring us that he is in charge and on top of the situation. He also tells us “If God is for us who can be against us?” God is for us but we cannot forget that he is there and take matters into our own hands. When times get tough lay them at his feet asking God to work on your behalf. Trust God to do what he says! DO NOT TAKE MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS AND RETALIATE! After reading these verses what questions do you have?

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Answer the following questions: Why is it important to be honest to all people? What should you do for your enemies? Yes, we are all going to have hard times, we will be persecuted, we will suffer at the hands of evil people, but there is a way to handle this. Take a look at the message below titled “Pressing Forward” this will give us some very important instructions on how to endure hard times.

PRESSING FORWARD "Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Joseph is made a slave Moses is chased in the desert Sampson was captured by the Philistines David was pursued by Saul Eli's sons were put to death Solomon turned from God Elijah was chased by Jezebel Daniel was thrown into the lion‟s den Shadrack, Mishack, and Abednego was thrown into a fiery furnace Jesus was hunted by Herod Steven was stoned to death John the Baptist was beheaded John the revelator was sent to the Island of Patmos On and on, the gospel continues, it has pressed on despite adversity. Tonight there may be some sitting among us that are going through hard times. You may be asking, how can I continue having all this trouble slowing me down almost to a stopping point? How can I keep going?

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2Kings 20:1-11 "In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover." Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, " Remember, O Lord how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him.” Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, " This is what the Lord, the God of your father David says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hands of the King of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David. Then Isaiah said, "Prepare a Poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered. Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, "What will be the sign that the Lordwill heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the Lord on the third day from now?" Isaiah answered, "This is the Lord's sign to you that the Lordwill do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps or shall it go back ten steps?” “It's a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps." said Hezekiah. "Rather have it go back ten steps." Then the prophet Isaiah called upon the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down the stairway of Ahaz.

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Here we find Hezekiah coming to his end, he does not want to die, but he has been told his time was up. He was told to get his house in order because he was going to die. Now notice what Hezekiah does! Hezekiah turned and prayed to God saying remember Lord how I have walked before you faithfully, (not perfect but faithful) and with whole hearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes. Hezekiah doesn't want to die; he wants to keep going so he cries out to God. God hears him and adds years to his life. So how do we press on? We cry out to God! Some of us just need to cry out to God, we are often too busy looking for a way out ourselves and stay stuck. Until we cry out we will stay this way. Jeremiah 33:3 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and mighty things that you do not know." Because Hezekiah called to the Lord he is given more time, 15 years. The first thing to do when we desire to press on is call on God! Our life is but a shadow! 1Chronicles 29:15 "We are aliens and strangers in your sight,as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are but a shadow, without hope." Job 8:9 "for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,and our days on earth are but a shadow." As we continue to read Hezekiah asks for a sign that he will live. Isaiah asks him, "should the shadow go forward ten stepsor shall it go back ten steps?"

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Shall we press on? In this story, where was the shadow going? It was on course for death, Hezekiah says: it is easy for the shadow to go forward. Folks it is easy to quit! Hezekiah's story tells us it is an easy thing to go forward to the grave, but a hard thing to stay and keep pressing forward. The shadow of Hezekiah that is on the stairway of Ahaz is on the way to death and Hezekiah elects to have it go ten steps back. In Philippians 1:21 Paul says. "For me to live is Christ but todie is gain." We must accept the fact that to live is to live as Christ lived and that may require suffering as he suffered for our sakes! It is easy to quit! Thank God Jesus was not a quitter! Hebrews 12:1-4 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassedabout with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." Friends Jesus didn't quit. He pressed on! Are you suffering? Are you having a hard time understanding why? Turn with me to Isaiah 55:6-11 "Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God for

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he will abundantly pardon. 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 returns not there, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goes forth out from 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 sent it." Who can understand God? Who can understand why? Even Jesus struggled (Mathew 2 7:46) and David too! (Psalm 22:1) We are not above them! They suffered and so must we! So what do we do? Philippians 1:12-14 & 19-21 "But I would that ye should understand brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear." "For I know that this shall turn to my salvation, through your prayer, and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ. According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death " "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Friends we must trust that all things work together for the good to them that love Christ, we may not understand it all right now but it is for our good, we must trust that!

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No one knows all of God's ways, but all works to the good! Romans 8:28-31. Knowing all of these things, we can take comfort in God. Genesis 28:15 "And behold I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places where you go, and will bring you again unto this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." Psalm 106:1 "Praise ye the Lord, O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: his mercy endures forever." God will see us through when we decide to press forward! With every head bowed and every eye closed, if you are in need of a special touch from the Lord, may be you would like to receive him as your Lord and savior today, maybe youâ&#x20AC;&#x;re struggling and need a little extra strength to press on, or maybe you feel the Lord calling you to get closer to him. If any of these describe where you are at today then please let us pray for you, come to the front and we will pray for your need and our God which supplies all our needs according to his riches in glory, he will provide what you need as you believe on him for it.

Come and receive, this is what Jesus always says with open arms and an outstretched hand willing to provide for you as you are. Pressing Forward!!

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Chapter Ten

God and Deliverance Primary Message:God will make a way where thereseems to be no way. Deliverance belongs to the Lord! â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore I will deliver him.â&#x20AC;? Psalm 91:14 Worldview:Deliverance belongs to the wealthy andstrong. God is only a crutch for the weak of mind. Evangelistic Emphasis:â&#x20AC;&#x153;The spirit of the Lord is uponme, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. Isaiah 61:1

As Disciples of Christ we walk with God seeking to do his will. Sometimes as we travel we are put to extreme tests of our faith and often we feel as though we have been left alone. We pray and wait for God to answer, we are stretched to the limit and pressed on every side only to hear God sometimes say wait or sometimes say nothing at all! Jesus felt this also. He was put under extremely stressful situations; many people left his side and chose not to follow Him anymore. This week we will be looking at God and what he teaches us about deliverance. Deliverance belongs to the Lord and we will focus on why it is important to understand this.

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Psalm 34:1-22 1 â&#x20AC;&#x153;I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. 3. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. 4. I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. 6. This poor man cried and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 7. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 8. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. 9. O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. 10. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing. 11. Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? 13. Keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile. 14. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. 15. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. 16. The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 17. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. 18. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

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19. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. 20. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. 21. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. 22. The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.” Let‟s talk a bit about this: I sought the Lord and he heard me and he delivered me from all my fears is what verse 4 says. A common misunderstanding today is to have fear is sin. Fear can be good or fear can be bad, it‟s what we do with our fears that determine if it is good or bad. In this case David shows us what we should do when we fear, and that is to seek the Lord. If your fear causes you to call out to Jesus this is a great fear! Call on the name of Jesus and he will hear thee and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not! Often, we are in troubled times and we begin to fear. Are we calling out to Jesus? Wouldn‟t it be a sad thing that Jesus just wants to help us but we never ask? Listen to what the word tells us: “For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” Isaiah 50:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2Timothy 1:7 To seek the Lord is to surrender to him, to give him all your troubles and to believe that he is able to help you. The sin of fear, is not having fear, but rather having unbelief.

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When we react to our fears by not calling out to Jesus and by doing things ourselves then we have unbelief, we fail to trust Jesus to deliver us. This is the sin of fear. Trust God, blessed is the man that trusts in him. “Faithful is he who calls you, who also will do it!” 1Thessalonians 5:24 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2Peter 3:9 You see, God will not fail you, just don‟t fail to call out to Him. He promises and His promises are sure! After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What was David delivered from? Did the Lord use an Angel to deliver him? Who does David say the Lord delivers in verse 17? What does deliverance mean? Psalm 40:1-11 1”I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

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3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. 4 Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. 5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. 6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. 9 I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. 10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great congregation. 11 Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy loving kindness and thy truth continually preserve me.â&#x20AC;? About 10 years ago I was working the night shift as a Corrections Officer when the Lord gave me a vision. I saw in this vision a man standing in a field. He was dressed like a farmer and had his farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x;s hat on with what appeared to be rubber boots, and he was standing in the field holding a kite string in his hand as the attached kite flew high above his head. On the kite string was tied three metal washers (in the real test Benjamin Franklin used a key) and he was just standing there as it flew. After seeing this God began to speak to me about what it must have been like for Benjamin Franklin when he was standing outside waiting for lighting to strike.

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How many attempts did he have to make before his tests prevailed? Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x;s how it was: Ben suspected that lightning was an electrical current in nature, and he wanted to see if he was right. One way to test his idea would be to see if the lightning would pass through metal. He decided to use a metal key and looked around for a way to get the key up near the lightning. As you probably already know, he used a child's toy, a kite, to prove that lightning is really a stream of electrified air, known today as plasma. His famous stormy kite flight in June of 1752 led him to develop many of the terms that we still use today when we talk about electricity: battery, conductor, condenser, charge, discharge, uncharged, negative, minus, plus, electric shock, and electrician. Ben understood that lightning was very powerful, and he also knew that it was dangerous. That's why he also figured out a way to protect people, buildings, and ships from it, called the lightning rod. Ben waited a finally it happened, it is now what we know as: Electricity! You see, this is all about waiting, hoping, and believing in what God has told us despite those who ridicule us, despite our emotions through it all, and despite the many failed attempts. When we expect something from the Lord, often we must wait patiently for the Lord. Wait upon the Lord and he will deliver you and he will establish you, just as he did Benjamin Franklin and His discovery of electricity! Deliverance happens much like this also, we often have to wait. After reading these verses what questions do you have?

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Answer the following questions: Why is this Psalm titled “A Song of Deliverance?” Why is it important to express our gratefulness for God‟s deliverance? Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” 61:1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” I desire mercy above sacrifice. To see the heart of God and to understand that God is good, he is merciful, and full of love. This is what we see when we read this passage of scripture. He came unto the poor, the brokenhearted, and to the captive that cries for freedom. Jesus is selfless beyond all measure. Should we ever doubt the heart of God when we can clearly see his love? There are so many times in the bible that we are encouraged to remember the miracles of Jesus, we often receive good from him and so easily forget what he has done as did the disciples time and time again. This flaw would make us wonder why God suffers us so much, but the truth is he is longsuffering towards us and knows our frame and is very patient because he loves us. True love loves like this. He is always forgiving, and always full of mercy.

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After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Who did Jesus preach deliverance to? Do the words of Jesus have the power to deliver us? Mathew 6:9-13 9 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thineis the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” God not only desires to bless you with love, forgiveness, and grace, but he desires that you are free. He will not allow his children to suffer more than they can handle and will deliver them from all evil. It is not God‟s will that any should perish. Contrary to the world view that questions why would a loving God allow so much devastation if he were truly real and truly loving, we can know that our confidence and faith in Christ needs no questions of Christ‟s love because his love is certain and proven at the cross. How many near misses, how many failed attacks by our enemy, and how many devastations have been already avoided in our life and have not been attributed to the real and loving God that we serve? Why isn‟t this the focus of doubters?

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The point is simple, God is real, God is loving, and God wants to deliver us from devastation. All that Satan would cause in our lives, all that we have to do is call on Jesus and trust in him. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Why did the Disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray? And what did He ask them to pray? In verse 6:13, What are we to pray concerning deliverance? Do we have the power to deliver ourselves? Can you think of a tough time in your life and how you got out of it? Explain. Have you ever delivered yourself from something that was tough that maybe God wanted you to be more patient and wait for him to do it? Exodus 14:8-31 8 â&#x20AC;&#x153;And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh King of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. 9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon. 10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. 11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the

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wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. 13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: 16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: 20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. 21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

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23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. 26 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. 27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. 29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. 31 And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.â&#x20AC;? In closing we can conclude that God has established deliverance as one of his benefits that is promised to all who put their trust in him. Although it may seem that it is taking forever, God having his perfect plan, which includes his perfect timing, will deliver all who wait upon him.

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And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses. Never think that deliverance is only to serve you, deliverance serves a much greater purpose than delivering you from your troubles. While God desires to see you free, he also desires to have his glory revealed to all. And the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord. In delivering you God is actually multitasking or accomplishing many other miracles as well, thereby making believers along the way! And this is why Deliverance belongs to the Lord. If we were able to deliver ourselves, who would believe? After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What happened to the Israelites after they left Egypt? What did Moses tell the people in verse 13 & 14? What were the instructions that God gave to Moses to tell the Israelite? What should we do when we are stuck in a hard time with no way out? “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it!” Isaiah 46:10 “Faithful is he who calls you, who also will do it!” 1Thessalonians 5:24

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“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2Peter 3:9 Jesus is not a liar! If he says it he will do it! He will do it! He has said he will restore you to sanity! He has said he will take away your shame! He has said he is God and has a power greater than yours! Jesus can! We see the history here as we witness the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. God has been in the deliverance business since the beginning of time and His sole purpose has been to save. Luke 19:10 “For the son of man is come to seek and to save the lost!” It‟s simple, Jesus wants to save you! Call to Him in your time of need! Suppose for a moment, right next to you, in the flesh, was sitting the son of God, the son of God! What would you ask him? What would you tell him? Would you believe that he cared? Would you believe that he could do what you would ask? Now let's suppose that you could no longer see him, he became the spirit that now is ever Present, but you can't see him as you did when he was in the flesh. Would you still talk to him? Would you still ask him for things? Would you still believe? You can know that he will because he loves you!

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This is all about trusting God, just because you might not be able to see God with your fleshly eyes walking around as in the fleshly image of man doesn‟t mean that God isn‟t near. God is spirit not flesh, so we must worship Him in spirit and in truth. The message all throughout the Bible to us is to trust and believe. The following message puts a little light on this act of trust that God calls us to.

TRUSTING GOD Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and--*their righteousness is of me*, says the Lord." Are you under the gun? Does it seem that the world is against you because of your stance with Christ? Nothing that comes against a child of God will prevail! Nothing opposed to God's will in your life shall prosper!! Isaiah 55:11 "so shall my word be that goes forth out of mymouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Jesus says,"My word shall accomplish that which Iplease." His word shall not come back void!!! Suppose that Jesus selected you to receive his word in your life, he has sent his word into you, now based upon what we just read, how likely is it that his word will not succeed in it's purpose that he desires to be accomplished??? Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that heshould lie;neitherthe son of man that he should repent. Hath he said, and shall ht not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"

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Revelation 21:8 "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and theabominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire..." God shall have no part in the lake of fire, save to cast all listed above into it! To say that God cannot or will not perform what he sent his word to do, is to say he is a liar and that he will be cast into the lake of fire with all those that offend! Either he will do it and is righteous or he won't and is a liar! which one is he??? Does God lie or not? He will do what he haspromised!!! Genesis 22:1-19 In these verses we see that God tested Abraham and he trusted God during the test and because he trusted God, God provided all that Abraham needed! Hebrews 11:17-19 "By faith Abraham, when he was tested,offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure." He will do what he has promised!!! Genesis 21:1-3 â&#x20AC;&#x153;And the lord visited Sarah as he had said, andthe lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, and at theset time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac." You see Isaac was a promise from the Lord, yet it came to Abraham & Sarah in their old age and it was a miracle that

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many would not believe, but Abraham and Sarah trusted God's promise, and received it. James 1:12 "Blessed is the man that endures temptation: forwhen he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the lord has promised to them that love him." If you endure the test, the trial, the waiting, and continue in the lord, you shall receive the promises of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 2:2 "For all the promises of God in him are yes,and in him are amen unto the glory of God by us." God keeps His word. God is not man That He should lie. Has he said it? And will he not do it? James 1:17 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every good gift and every perfect gift is fromabove, and cometh down from the father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." If God has said it, he will do it, he will not turn away, nor will he fail. Trust God. Now comes the time of decision. You must turnfrom your ways of sin and completely trust Jesus Christ to save you. "Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous manhis thoughts: and let him return unto the lord, and he will have mercy on them.â&#x20AC;? Will you accept Jesus? Then if you willconfess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved! Romans 10:9

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Memory Verses: Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon formed against thee shall prosper…” Numbers 23:19 “God is not man that He should lie…” Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, the unbelieving, the abominable…” James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endures temptations…”

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Chapter Eleven

Faith In Action Primary Message:What does it profit my brethren,though a man say he hath faith, and hath not works? Can faith save him? James 2:14 Worldview:I believe in God and I don‟t have to proveit to anyone. I‟m not called to do tell others about Christ, That‟s not my gift. Evangelistic Emphasis:“Even so faith, if it has notworks is dead, being alone” James 2:17

It is well documented in history many of the great accomplishments of various named Christians. The list is enormous starting from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and bringing us into our modern times with C.S. Lewis, Billy Graham, and D.L. Moody for just a few. There is no way we could do justice to all the great works that God has done through those who walked by faith, but this week we are going to look at what they all had in common and that is faith in God, but not just faith that they claimed to have, but faith that they lived, faith that they put into action. With this we want to keep in mind Hebrews 11:6 "For it is impossible to please God without faith!" and put ourfaith into action! Putting our faith into action means becoming workers in the harvest and serving a greater purpose than ourselves.

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One of the effects of having too few workers in the harvest was even recorded in Jesus ministry. Mathew 9:37 “Then saith heunto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.” Friend, the work of God is often resistedbecause it requires commitment. Not many people want to commit their, time, money, or talents to the work of Christ. There was a story in Africa where the famous Dr. Livingston was at work and received a letter from a few willing individuals that read; Have you found a good road for us to come to you yet? This from some supporters that wanted to do the work of God but resisted the idea until a road was made for them. Dr. Livingston replied: If you will only come when a good road is made for you I don't want you to come, I want those who will make the road and then come. He was talking about their commitment level and faith. Putting our faith into action requires commitment. Mathew 9:35-38 35 “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.” Have you ever been presented with a task that caused you to look at the magnitude of the task and conclude that you will need others to assist you? Here we see that Jesus looked at the multitudes and saw the condition or the magnitude, in which the task at hand would require workers,

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volunteers and devotees that saw a purpose much greater than themselves. He was moved with compassion for the multitudes understanding that like sheep when they are traveling through life they primarily keep their head down failing to look up and see where they are going and failing to realize how far they have drifted away from the Shepherd who protects them from ravening wolves. His great concern was that his loved ones would be eaten up by devouring wolves in sheepâ&#x20AC;&#x;s clothing and began to ask the Disciples to pray to the Lord of the Harvest that he would send laborers to help to keep the sheep near to the Shepherd. The Lord of the Harvest of course is Jesus and Jesus was with them already so why did he ask this? He wanted the Disciples to understand the purpose of having leaders in the field and why it is critical to understand that lives go astray like sheep when they are left unattended. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What caused this feeling of compassion that Jesus experienced? What was Jesus doing at this time? When Jesus saw how much work was to be done what did he say? What was his instructions concerning prayer? Mathew 11:1-12 1 â&#x20AC;&#x153;And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

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2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. 7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet?yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.â&#x20AC;? As the earth travels around the sun it has times in which it is closer to the sun and times in which it is not so close. In the close times we call this summer and the not so close times we call it winter. If the earth were close to the sun always and too close then it would of course burn up and if it were always far away it could freeze and have no life at all. Here we see that John the Baptist who was once preaching with a fire in his heart and who was absolutely positive that Jesus was the Messiah the son of the living

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God now asking Jesus â&#x20AC;&#x153;are you the oneâ&#x20AC;? We all have times such as this when affliction takes its toll. What can we do? Jesus simply told the Disciples to go and remind John of the miracles of the past. Sometimes we need to be reminded of all that Jesus has done for others and us. We need to remember where we came from and all that he has done to save us. Even the strongest have weak times and when we are weak lest us return to the foundational truths that Christ has laid before us and recall all that he has already done! After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: Why do you think there are so few workers for Christ? What emotions do you believe John the Baptist was experiencing and why? Have you ever grown weak and began to doubt? Why do you think that the workers of God suffer? Mathew 8:5-13 5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

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10 When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.” It is a rare thing for a Centurion to call anyone besides the Emperor “Lord” Who was this man that even Centurions in which had servants of their own and who themselves only called the emperor Lord and served no other would actually have them calling him Lord? This man was the son of the living God, the Messiah who had the power to save and heal. Here this Centurion realizes the healing powers of Jesus and goes to him in faith, not demanding Jesus to heal his servant, not ordering Jesus to heal his servant, but instead in such an amazingly humble way he requests only that Jesus speak the word and his servant would be healed. Often in our despair we go to God with our urgent demand, with words that point at God stating “You said” instead of humbling ourselves at his feet and requesting him in faith to give his word and this will be enough. Is his spoken word enough to do what we need? After reading these verses what questions do you have? Mathew 12:33-37 33 “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

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34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouthspeaketh. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.â&#x20AC;? Good and bad, words are judged! We say a lot of things out of our mouth and seldom remember that what we have just said or are planning to say will determine good or bad in our life. If a tree is known by its fruit we in like manner are known by our words. Either make our words good, and the fruit good, or else make them corrupt, and the fruit corrupt, for we are known by our words, for out of the abundance of our heart the mouth speaketh! We tell on ourselves all the time, what type of person we are simply by what we say. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: If a man is a good worker for Christ what will he bring forth? How can you tell?

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What happens to every person that does not bring forth fruit? And every person that does? How can a person bring forth much fruit? Does Jesus call us branches? What does it take to glorify God?

James 2:14-26 14 â&#x20AC;&#x153;What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

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25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Earlier we talked about what we say, but it is also what we do that tells the story of our heart. Physically the heart is an amazing machine: From the moment it begins beating until the moment it stops, the human heart works tirelessly. In an average lifetime, the heart beats more than two and a half billion times, without ever pausing to rest. Like a pumping machine, the heart provides the power needed for life. But, spiritually the heart is deceitfully wicked! Woe! Wait a cotton picking minute! My heart is a good heart! Truth is..... our hearts are wicked apart from Jesus. It is an amazing organ that works tirelessly, but it can also bring harm to us if we allow it to lead us astray from God. “The heart isdeceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 With this in mind, how can we trustour decisions? We must allow God‟s words and our belief in Jesus to dictate to our hearts what we must do. Without this we will surely do what seems right to us, but leads to destruction. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions: What use is it to claim to have faith but never act on it? Can faith without works save anyone?

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Just claiming to believe is this real faith? Luke 19:1-10 and examine Zacchaeus' commitment level and remember what Dr. Livingston said earlier. Luke 19 1 â&#x20AC;&#x153;And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.â&#x20AC;?

PROACTIVE PARTICIPATION What is proactive participation? It is an attitude that supports fervent involvement in an activity. Today the church is struggling and numbers of attendance is down, rarely is an unbeliever approached to be told about Jesus Christ and the way of life through him is exchanged for a more politically correct way of life. This inactivity for

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Christ is a reflection of peoples experience and their passion for the things of God. To overcome this decline we need to go all the way back to our first love and our first experiences with God. Take a trip back with me for a moment in time that enables us to experience God again. 1 Corinthians 10:1,2"Moreover Brethren, I would not that yeshould be ignorant, how that all of our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." Here we go back to when God led his people by day with a pillar of a cloud and by night in a pillar of fire! Imagine wandering through life without a leading, we were all like this at one time, we all went astray and had no support, can you remember the time when you was without Jesus in your life? Thank God that Jesus came to us, he came to be a light to us, we did not deserve it and we didn't do anything that he owed this to us, yet he decided and chose to be a pillar for us. The standard definition of pillar is as follows; support, column, shaft, prop. Pillars are used to support the weight of heavy buildings. Whenever God asks us to do a task he always provides support and his support is always sufficient. He supplies our needs according to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus! We are all baptized. This word defined means participated. We all participated. When they were in the desert under the cloud they participated in this exodus. In the desert we were baptized unto Moses, we participated in the exodus that delivered us from Egyptian slavery.

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Romans 6:3 "As many of us as were baptized (participating)into Jesus Christ, we were baptized (participating) into his death, we was buried with him by participation into death, that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father, even so we should walk in newness of life." "For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they allpassed through the sea." Baptized by experience, our participation is what gives us the experience. Are you still the same after participating in the Exodus? In the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus? If you haven't changed the next question is: Have you participated? Exodus 13:18-21 "But God led the people about, through theway of the wilderness of the Red Sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straightly sworn the children of Israel, saying God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you. And they took their journey from Succoth and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light; to go by day and night." Folks in all these things it takes you being involved! If youwant to experience the moving of God in your life and know the blessings of God, it takes you getting involved! Many people are seeking direction in their life, they need leading, what better thing is there than to know that God can lead you.

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Scripture tells us to seek ye first the kingdom of God and all else will be added unto you. Also in all your ways acknowledge the Lord in all your ways and he will direct your path. God can provide direction! But You Must Participate! Participate in this Exodus, participate under the cloud by day and the fire by night, participate in Christ' death, burial, and resurrection. Participate by going down with the old and up with the new! Experience God's deliverance through getting involved! Imagine death coming right at you and you have nowhere to go and the sea parts to give way to a road of deliverance. They saw God's deliverance because they were involved in the event and didn‟t sit back in Egypt wondering. Romans 5:1-4 "Therefore being justified by faith we have peacewith God through our lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulation also; knowing that tribulation works patience; and patience, experience, and experience, hope." Experience is the knowledge or skill acquired from actual participation in the activity! Experience is the gift that comes from God when you participate in him. One says, "I had a bad experience or I didn‟t like the experience in church today. Is it because you didn‟t participate or because your participation was poor?

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There is a very good chance that they sat on the pew and stared into space wondering what they would do when it's over! The Israelites experienced deliverance from the Egyptians because they participated, they didn‟t refuse to go. Imagine this: “Moses, Moses, Moses! You want to do what? Walk through the desert to where?” “Moses, I just want to relax, do you have any idea how many bricks I had to make this week? Come on Moses just let me sit here in the pew and worship God the way I see fit ok! There are so many others that can do it please let me alone! You want me to hike through the hot desert after working hard all week and you don't even know where we are going to?” Ok so now you decide to get involved, what do you do? There is a right way and a wrong way, Let's look at Isaiah 58. Isaiah 58:1-14 1 "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, andshow my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins.” 2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they delight in approaching to God. 3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labors. 4 Behold ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice heard on high! 5 Is it such a fast as I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush,

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and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day unto the Lord? 6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? toloose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; that thou hide not thy self from thine own flesh? 8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. 9 Then shall thy call and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry and he shall say here am I. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity. 10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and the darkness be as the noonday." 11 There is a right and wrong way to be involved, are your motives set for ritual or for caring? 12 Do you get involved because you care for souls or because you are following procedures? 13 My friends in order to experience God we must have the right heart for the things of his kingdom lest he say go away from me I never knew you 14 My friends, is there anything greater than knowing that you have been involved in God's work and that you are participating in life changing events?” This brings us to a close, with every head bowed and every eye closed, if there is anyone that doesn‟t know if they have the Lord Jesus and would like to know for sure, now's the time. If any here know that they haven‟t been right with the Lord and would like to get right tonight and walk from today on with his hand leading then come right now. Get up from your seat and come to the alter, to the cross where we

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can pray with you and the Lord will receive you and guide you in his right way. Come and receive Jesus tonight, don't walk around anymore wandering through life not knowing the meaning or having any direction, let him lead you and explain all. Let's all get active for the Lord it will be great to see his work in the lives of many.

Memory Verses: Mathew 9:37 “The harvest truly is…” Mathew 9:38 “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the…” John 15:2 “Every branch in me that bears not fruit he…” John 15:3 “Now are ye clean through…” John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the …” John 15:8 “Herein is my father glorified…”

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Chapter Twelve

Workers Needed

Primary Message:“Labor not for the meat whichperisheth, but for that which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.” John 6:28 Worldview:Get all you can get in life, houses, cars,money. Work hard and party hard. Working for the weekend! Evangelistic Emphasis:“Now he that plants and hethat waters are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are laborers together with God.” 1Corinthians 3:8,9

Jesus needs workers, simply put, Jesus needs us and we all need Him, we are His hands and feet, we are His voice that carries His message of love and salvation to those in need. People need Jesus, salvation, and hope. How can they get this if nobody takes it to them? What type of person can we be? We can be above the average, we can be a motivator, an igniter that blows upon the coals and sets them on fire. We can be God‟s instruments of righteousness that takes His message of love, hope, deliverance, and more to hurting people. Listen to a story about a man that wanted to be more, He wanted to get closer, and he wanted to make a difference in his world. In the previous chapter we took a short glimpse into the life of Zacchaeus, it was his faith that caused an incredible action in his life. This set him apart from all the others and

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got him noticed. In this chapter we will take a deeper look into his life because he is the type of persons that Jesus needs. Workers that will climb to new heights, ones that will do whatever it takes to see Jesus, and ones that will not settle for less! If we follow the actions that Zacchaeus took to make a difference, we can be different than any in the world, we can be above the crowd, and we can make a huge impact in our world today. Decide to be Above and not beneath!

ABOVE THE CROWD “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and few there be that find it.” Mathew 7:14 In scripture it tells us that, “it is easier for a camel to gothrough an eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” Mathew 19:24 In the same way it is hard fora camel to get through, it is also hard for people that cling to things of this world to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Narrow and difficult, this is how it is, these are not very friendly words and not many can swallow them, but to get above the ways of this world we must see Jesus! We must take this road. It is imperative to break from the crowd and take the narrow way. There was a man in the Bible that realized this truth. Luke 19:1-10 1 “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

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5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” We see in this story a rich man. We see it is still not impossible for a rich man to get in. After reading these verses what questions do you have? Answer the following questions. Did you know we could be a roadblock to others that are trying to meet Jesus? Have you ever wanted to get closer to Jesus but too many things or people got in the way? Luke 19:1-10 “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho, and behold there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was chief among the publicans and he was rich!” He was rich what was he doing? He couldn‟t get in as it

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says it is harder for a rich man to go through the eye of a needle than for one to get into the Kingdom of God! Why even try? Well Zacchaeus decided he wanted to know more about Jesus, true he was rich and he had all that he could ever need in this world but he heard about Jesus and maybe it was curiosity but I‟d rather think that when he heard the name Jesus his soul thirsted after him and compelled him to seek Jesus amongst the crowds. As it continues; “and he sought to see Jesus who he was; andhe could not for the press, because he was little of stature.” Now we see here there are two reasons why a person cannot see Jesus. 1. The press, the crowds, and the roadblocks of life all were hindering his desire to get close to Jesus. Here again you have those two questions: Did you ever want to get closer to Jesus but too many things got in the way? And did you know that you could possibly be a roadblock to someone getting close to Jesus? 2. His stature. Now his stature was the second reason that he couldn‟t see Jesus. Our position often prevents us from seeing Jesus work in our life, our position such as our faith level, our understanding of God and how he operates, or our passion to see him; all these may represent our stature. In Zacchaeus‟ case the Bible tells us “he was of little stature” meaning he was physically too short. So Zacchaeus came up with a plan of action, he was a leader, he was chief among tax collectors and I assume that he had to be fairly intelligent to be in such a high position. A good leader will do their best to find a way to increase their stature or to develop a plan of action to accomplish a task with good results. Zacchaeus was this type of man.

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So what was his plan? We read in verse 4: “And he ran before, and climbed up a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.” Why did Zacchaeus run before (ahead)? He planned to get ahead of the crowd, before the crowd could get there he planned to increase his position so that he wouldn‟t be blocked by them anymore. What does all this mean? Zacchaeus decided he would grow ahead to go ahead. He increased in his faith level, he increased in his passion level, and he got ahead of the crowd and was no longer following them. Friends don‟t follow the crowd! If you want to see Jesus you have to run ahead of the crowd! Zacchaeus ran ahead. When he got ahead of the crowd Zacchaeus selected a tree, not just any tree but the Bible says “ a sycamore tree” A sycamore tree is a tree found in the lowlands and it yields fruit. It is part of the fig tree family. Now Zacchaeus began to climb this tree so that he could see Jesus as he passed. In doing this Zacchaeus‟ intention was to see Jesus, it doesn‟t say to be seen it says to see, yet we see in the next verse that Zacchaeus was the one that is seen. Jesus takes notice of this man and his faith. Let‟s read it: Verse 5: “And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up, andsaw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus make haste and come down for today I must abide at thy house.” The most notable thing here is that Zacchaeus was getting ready by running ahead and climbing the tree and in doing so his efforts are noticed by Jesus. Why didn‟t he just say well the Lord knows my heart or if it‟s meant to be it will be or I have faith in God I don‟t need to do all this extra stuff too? Why? Listen friends I am not preaching works! Ephesians 2:8,9“ Forby grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” It is faith that I‟m

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preaching, Zacchaeus had faith but without his works his faith was dead! Without his preparing, his running ahead, his climbing to new heights his faith would have been dead! As it is written in James 3:14 “What does it profit my brethren, thougha man say he has faith, and has not works, can his faith save him?” No he must believe with his heart and confess with hismouth! What if he just believed with his heart and left out the confession? James 3:17,18“Even so faith if it has not works it is dead,being alone. Yea a man say, thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” In other words Zacchaeus showed Jesus his faith by his works. Are you filled with faith yet having no works? Do you come to church to get filled with words of faith yet sit and do nothing more with what is given you? The as the word says your faith is dead! Are you praying and hoping in God for a need that you have citing that you have faith yet you do nothing to act on your faith? Friends Zacchaeus had the faith to see Jesus but because of his faith he was rewarded with much more than he expected! Verse 5 continues and reads: “Zacchaeus make haste and comedown; for today I must abide at thy house.” Why did Jesus say must? In order to keep his word! He must abide at Zacchaeus house because? Because of his word! Faith with works, with action, with love compels God to act! God must act on his word! Mark 11:23 “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faithin God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith.”

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Zacchaeus believed without doubting how do we know he didn‟t doubt? Because he moved on his belief! Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please God;for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Let‟s look at the word diligently for a moment. The word diligent means constant, continual, not giving up but insisting, and persisting with determination. The Webster‟s Dictionary says: “Steady in application.” Zacchaeus was stead in application, insisting on seeing Jesus, persisting with determination, and continually taking efforts to get through the crowds and (pardon the pun) his shortcomings! He did not stop, he wouldn‟t quit, he didn‟t take no for an answer, instead he knew that he was going to see Jesus no matter what!!! And because of this he did more than see Jesus, Jesus saw him! Jesus is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him! God will always keep his word and that is why Jesus said he must abide at thy house. He could have selected anyone in the crowd I suppose, but in order to keep his word, in order to reward the diligent, and in order to answer Zacchaeus‟ actions of faith Jesus said he must abide at his house. And Zacchaeus wasted no time! He was down that tree like a flash! His faith had been answered!!! He is seeing Jesus face to face! It says in verse 6 he received him with joy. “And he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully.” “To obey is better than sacrifice.” 1 Samuel 15:22 Immediatelyhe obeyed Jesus and with great joy! He didn‟t say I‟ll be with you in a moment first I have to he didn‟t

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say do you know how much it took to get up here? He didn‟t say well Jesus I was just trying to get a look see I really wasn‟t asking you to come to my house…etc. No he immediately knew his faith had been answered and jumped to the call! Jesus called him! What is our response when Jesus calls? If we have been praying, believing God for something, waiting faithfully for God to answer and then when he does answer and it‟s not exactly what we thought what is our reaction? Sometimes Jesus will answer you and answer with more than you expected, or answer exactly what you asked just not in the time you expected what is our response? Immediately Zacchaeus obeyed! Was he in anyway confused? No! Was he in anyway upset? No! Was he in anyway disappointed? No! He was filled with excitement and joy! Oh Thank you Jesus for your answers to our faith! Hallelujah! God has answered my prayers! I saw Jesus today! And Jesus saw me! Jesus is coming to my house to abide with me a tax collector!!! I believe this day Zacchaeus was saved! His attitude was of excitement and joy, his heart was to obey joyfully, he was ripened fruit just waiting to be picked!

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Memory Verses: “For the Son of man came to seek… Luke 19:10 “Without faith it is impossible…” Hebrews 11:6 “To obey is better than sacrifice…” 1Samuel 15:22 “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in…” Mark 11:23

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Please visit us at www.carymcquaid.com and send us comments about this book.

Thank you and may God bless you!

Souls For Christ Ministries 151 E Cypress Way Unit #D102 Naples, Florida 34110

www.carymcquaid.com cary@souls-for-christ.com

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cary McQuaid is the Director of Souls For Christ Ministries. He was saved by grace during a combat tour to the Middle East in 1990 and since that time has been used to reach many souls through preaching, teaching, and writing. He has taught in rescue missions, churches, prisons, outreach centers and the World Wide Web. His books include Our Challenge Today, The Learner I and II series. Cary and his wife currently reside in Naples, Florida.

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