Welcome
Sunday School........10:00 a.m.
Worship Service.......11:00 a.m.
Sunday Night............ 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday Night .....7:00 p.m.
District Ladies Night
"Slumber Party"
Saturday,
September 18, 2010
5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
THE BIBLE:
GETTING STARTED
Are you interested in war stories, romance stories, biographies, adventures, history, adventures at sea, journeys to strange lands, or stories that help you understand yourself and others? You will find all of these and more between the covers of the book we call the Holy Bible.
The Bible is made up of many individual books. They were written over more than 2,000 years by 37 separate authors from various walks of life.
Job loved the Word of God so much that he said that it was even more important to him then the food he ate
Acts 17:11, 12
11.These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
12.Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.
II Peter 1:21
21.For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
John 20:31
31.But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Romans 1:16
16.For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Fantastic Facts (Acts 17:11, 12)
When Paul brought the Gospel to Berea, the people listened to Paul and studied the Word. Many were saved. The Bible refers to them as noble.
Here are some Bible facts for you to learn. Put these facts where you can review them regularly. A good way to memorize information is to review it often until it sticks.
The Bible is made up of many books, sixty-six in all. The Greek name for the Bible is ta biblia, which means the books.
The sixty-six books are divided into two parts, known as the Old Testament and the New Testament. Testament means agreement or covenant. The Old Testament is Gods agreement or covenant with man before Christ. The New Testament is Gods covenant or agreement with man after Christ died on the cross.
Take your Bible and open it up in the middle. You should be around Psalms or Proverbs in the Old Testament. Now, divide the second part in half. You should be near the start of the New Testament, at Matthew. The New Testament makes up approximately the last one fourth of the Bible.
The Old Testament is made up of thirty-nine books written by twenty-eight individuals over a period of more that two thousand years. To help you remember these facts, you can write them for later review as follows:
OT 39 books X 28 writers
> 2000 years
The New Testament is made up of twenty-seven books written by nine individuals over a period of less than one hundred years. Similarly, to help remember, you can write these facts down as follows:
NT 27 books X 9 writers
< 100 years
You need to have a good Bible, and keep it handy. It is also helpful to have a concordance. A concordance is a reference book, which allows you to look up a word and find out which Bible verses contain that word. An exhaustive concordance covers every word in the Bible, while one that isnt exhaustive contains most of the words. Computer programs are also available which will allow you to look up, read and print scriptures.
The Unity of the Bible
(II Peter 1:21)
It was mentioned earlier that the Bible was written over a period of more that two thousand years by thirty-seven different writers. A wide variety of individuals did the writing. There were kings, priests, princes, prophets, shepherds, fishermen, teachers, and even a tax collector and a doctor. Many wrote with very little knowledge about the rest of the books at hand. Yet, the whole Bible is in agreement and harmony. The only explanation for this miracle is as Peter explained it in II Peter 1:21.
The Bibles Theme
(John 20:31; Romans 1:16)
The theme of the whole Bible is Gods plan to redeem mankind. The cross is the heart of the Bible. All of the Old Testament and most of the Gospels look forward to it. The rest of the New Testament looks back to it as the basis of our faith.
1.If the Word of God is your spiritual food, have you been eating regularly, or are you on a starvation diet?
2.What priority should you put on reading your Bible each day?
3.If the government gathered all of the Bibles, and made it illegal to own one, how much of it would you remember?
Did you know your Bible was such a miraculous thing?
Its exciting to think we can walk in the footprints of the Bible authors and uncover the great truths they discovered.
So, grab your pick and shovel; were off to discover treasure in the gold mine of Gods Word!
THE BOOK OF BOOKS
The Bible is still Gods personal letter to us. Imagine facing the Maker of the Universe on the Day of Judgement and having God ask you the question, Have you read my Book?
We live in a time when people dont seem to be interested in the Bible. And yet, they are hurting and in need of answers for their problems. They need to know that the answers for even their most difficult problems are all contained in these sacred pages.
As Christians, we must study Gods Word! Our ultimate goal is to go to heaven and bring others with us. The study of Gods Word will help us reach our goal.
II Timothy 3:12-17
12Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
13But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
14But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
15And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
II Timothy 1:5
5When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
Study the Word
In our key verse, we hear Paul advising Timothy to study the Word. As you have discovered in school, you cant learn Math, History, or English without listening, reading, studying, and practicing. Yet, somehow we think we can fully understand the Bible by attending Church and believing it is true.
Its good to sleep with a Bible under our pillow, but it doesnt get into our brain that way. Like anything else we want to learn, we have to study! God will bless our efforts and help us learn!
Living for Christ today
(II Timothy 3:12,13)
As young people today, you face things that only you understand. You have probably already been teased or hassled about your Christian lifestyle or your Biblical beliefs. Paul plainly told Timothy that living for God and living by the Bible brings pursecution. Paul also warned Timothy that it would only get worse!
Now What Do We Do?
(II Timothy 3:14,15; II Timothy 1:5)
Paul knew that Timothy had been raised in a family with a strong faith! Notice that in II Timothy 1:5, Paul mentioned Timothys mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois. Paul knew what honest and pure faith they had. Think of the Godly people in your life. Let them inspire you. Talk to them about what you are going through. Then Paul gave Timothy some advice that will also serve us well today, to continue to live by the Bible, and continue to do the things we know are right!
The Ultimate Book of Wisdom!
(II Timothy 3:15-17)
Here Paul gets down to the bottom line. The Bible will direct you straight to salvation through Jesus Christ. The word inspiration means God breathed. That means God literally gave the writers the words to say. Its wonderful how the writers personalities show through, yet the ideas and principles came directly from God, through the writer, straight to your heart!
The Bible is valuable! As Paul said, it is still where we need to get our doctrine. Why would we want to get it from any other place? It will teach us, correct us, and show us how to be men and women of God. By letting Godthrough His Word, and through His Son, teach us, lead us, and guide us, we can become exactly what God wants us to be. In II Timothy 3:17, the Bible even uses the word perfect!
1.As a Christian teen, how have you been persecuted for your Biblical beliefs?
2.If you were arrested for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?
3.What current events can you think of that support Pauls statements in II Timothy 3:12, 13?
If youve been listening and reading Gods Word, but havent taken the important step of accepting Jesus as your personal Savior, please do so now!
If you feel that you are going through a hard time due to your Biblical beliefs, take courage; you are not alone. Continue in the things you have learned and know to be true. Remember that you will have to study Gods Word. It wont soak in through your pillow!
A Time for Renewal!
A story is told about a native Christian and a young missionary. The young missionary didnt believe that the native Christian could possibly have a true understanding of the things of Christ since his culture and background were so drastically different from his own. To prove his point, he asked the native to explain what salvation through Jesus Christ meant to him.
The first thing that the native did was to dig up a worm. He then made a circle of sticks and twigs and set them on fire. He placed the worm on the ground in the middle of the circle. As the worm got dryer and hotter, he slowed and finally stopped moving.
Then the man picked up the worm and placed it on soft moist ground. The worm began to wiggle, a little at first, and then more and more. Then the worm dug its way into the soft moist ground.
The native Christian then stated This, Christ has done for me!
The young missionary learned a valuable lesson that day. Its not about religion, but about a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ!
When we come to Christ, we are saved and given new life, but often the things of this world begin to crowd Christ out. We become burned out, stressed out, discouraged and overwhelmed. We feel like the little worm again!
Thats when we know that its time for renewal!
KEY SCRIPTURE
Ephesians 4:23
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
I.Walking in Christ
•I can remember trying to walk in my dads footsteps!
•I would have to step as far as I could to place my feet in the prints he left in the soft dirt.
•We are created in Gods image!
Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
•So, the more like Christ we are, the better off we are.
•Sometimes the tarnish of the world tries to rub off on us
•Then it is time to set our eyes on Christ as our example!
•Paul in this passage explains this situation and tells us what to do!
Ephesians 4:17-24
17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
II.Behavior Renewed!
•Statistics show that in general, the behaviors of those who profess to be Christians are not very different from the behaviors of those who dont profess Christ.
•In, other words, too many professing Christians havent allowed Christ to really transform their lives!
•Remember, we need to be less like the world and more like Christ!
•Paul contrasts the two, exhorting us to be like Christ in our behavior.
Ephesians 4: 25-29
25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27 Neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
III.Attitude Renewed
•Now were getting to the bottom line.
•Sometimes our circumstances influence our attitude.
•Our attitudes begin to resemble the attitudes of people around us.
•Remember, Paul said, But ye have not so learned Christ; (Ephesians 4:20)
•Christ wants to renew our attitudes.
•Remember, God made us in His image.
•The more like Christ we are, the more we are the people that God intended for us to be!
Ephesians 4:30-32
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
CONCLUSION
Now that you have pushed your old self out of the way and gotten back to what God created you to be, get ready for the joy, peace and victory to come flooding back!
The Psalmist said:
Ps 51:12
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help me to learn again how to rest in You, trust completely in You, and lean on You!
Search my heart and mind. Forgive me. Cleanse me. Renew me. Draw me closer to You. Help me to be more like You, as you intended.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation! I want to walk closer to you in the joy of your fellowship!
I thank You and praise You!
In the lovely name of Your Son Jesus I pray.
Amen.
_______________________________________________________
Scripture Text
Eph 4:17-5:1
Walking With Christ
•The religious leaders in Israel saw a difference in Peter and John because they had been with Jesus. Read Acts 4:13.
Acts 4:13
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
•Recently, my wife asked me the following question:
Are you more comfortable alone or with me?
•The answer was easy. Im more comfortable when we are together.
•Part of what is special about a walk, a meal or a trip to the zoo is the fact that we do these things with family or friends.
•Even more special is the fact that when we are born again Christians, we can walk with Jesus by our side!
•Since we, as believers have the great privilege of walking with Christ, why do we sometimes stray to the right or left and why do we sometimes continue to walk alone?
•In other words, why would we walk alone when we can walk continually with Jesus?
•Wouldnt we like to be perceived as being with Christ, as Peter and John were?
•More importantly, dont we want to be more like Jesus?
Col 2:6-10
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
I.Walking implies action
•Walking implies action.
•Not confined to our closet
•Not sitting
•Not hiding
•Not procrastinating
•Just, walking forward step by step
•We must put our beliefs into practice.
•We must live what we profess.
(continued on next page)
•We must walk the walk!
•Act as Jesus would act
•When Christ is our hope, our love, our joy,
•When Jesus is the most important person in our life,
•When we truly put Him first, we will act more like Him
II.Walking signifies progress
•Rather than focusing on the problems along your path, focus on the Savior!
•Focus on the grace that He gives, not the trouble you face.
•Dont focus on battle after battle, but
•Focus on victory on top of victory!
•In the Christian life, if your not growing, you are going backwards
•Its important to keep studying the Bible to continue to grow and to be grounded in the Word of God!
•And, dont forget to talk things over with Him (prayer).
III.Walking signifies total engagement (otherwise we might stumble)
•How many professing Christians come to Christ in the morning and at bedtime, but give their hearts to the world all day long?
•We must not be double minded!
James 1:6-8
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
IVWalking signifies habit
•When we say walk we are referring to the sum of our habits
•It takes 3 weeks to develop a habit.
•When we sometimes walk with Christ and sometimes walk on our own, that isnt a habit.
•Walk with Him constantly.
•Cling to Him constantly.
•You will never be sorry you did!
Conclusion
•Read Key Scripture verse by verse.
•He is all we need.
•When we settle for less, we are living beneath our privilege.
•Let us go to the Lord in prayer and humbly ask Him to help us to follow in His steps!
Resurrection Sunday
The Easter holiday represents a lot of fun for children, some really great candy, and the beauty and wonder of spring! But, while Easter is taking place, there is another holiday of infinitely greater importance. That day is Resurrection Sunday. Soon, Christians around the world will be celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! This is indeed a time to celebrate!
If a sinister, deadly plague was sweeping over our world and destroying millions of lives, and suddenly a cure was discovered that was 100% effective and the cure was free, wouldnt you use the cure? The truth is that sin is that sinister plague and it is destroying lives by the millions. Jesus life, death and resurrection is the 100% effective cure for sin! When His red blood is applied to a heart blackened by sin, it is washed white as snow! The Prophet Isaiah said it like this:
Isaiah 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If all of this sounds puzzling to you, read on and I will explain. We call it the plan of salvation. The plan is Gods plan and it has already been put into action. This fact is what we celebrate on Resurrection Sunday!
The Plan of Salvation
1.Sin separates us from God. Read Romans 6:23.
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord
2.All people have sinned. Read Romans 3:23.
Romans 3:23
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
3.Jesus died on the Cross to take the punishment for our sins. Read Romans 5:6-9.
Romans 5:6-9
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him
4.We must repent of our sins, believe in our heart that Jesus died for our sins, and confess with our mouth that He is our Lord and Savior. Then we are placed on the road to Heaven. Read Romans 10:9, 10, Romans 5:1.
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.
Romans 5:1
1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
5.If we continue to follow Christ and maintain our relationship with Him, when we die, we will make our home in Heaven. Read Romans 8:1, 14, 18.
Romans 8:1, 14, 18
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Now, isnt that a reason to celebrate?
SEEING THE BIG PICTURE
It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.
George Washington
OK, you've made up your mind. You're going to study the Bible like you never have before. You get it out, put it on the desk in front of you, and begin to wonder, Where do I start? Have you started reading at Genesis and stalled in Leviticus. Have you begun in Matthew and bogged down in the begats? Have you started in Matthew and before you finished John, you began to wonder if all of the New Testament repeats the same basic story as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John do? What you need to do is take a big step back and look for the big picture. Whether you are studying Art, Architecture or the Bible, it is important to find out what the parts are and how they are put together! It may take some effort, but you will never regret taking time to understand the Bible. As you can see from our key verse, it was written for you!
John 14:26
26.But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you
Psalms 119:89
89.For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
II Peter 1:20
20.Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation
Acts 15:28
28.For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
Rightly Divide the Bible
(John 14:26; Psalm 119:89;
II Peter 1:20; Acts 15:28)
In II Peter 1:21, we can see a picture of the Bible authors writing as the Holy Ghost moved on them and gave them the words. Unfortunately, we can't go to those writers and discuss with them what they intended to say. But, the exciting news is that, we can do even better than that. Carefully read John 14:26. Yes, you read it right! The same Holy Ghost who inspired the words is the same Holy Ghost who is with us today. When you read the Bible, ask God, through the Holy Ghost, to open up the meaning to you!
King David said that the Word of God is settled in heaven forever (Psalms 119:89). For you to study the Bible effectively, it is important that you accept the fact that the Bible is correct and that it all agrees together. Rightly dividing the scripture is finding all of the verses on a topic and looking at them all together. If all of the pieces of the puzzle don't fit, you are missing something. Its then time to study and pray some more until you can see how it all works together. You can't take one or two verses out of context and build sound doctrine on it!
The reformers paid a high price (some with their lives) for us to be able to have a copy of the Bible and read it for ourselves. Peter, however, in II Peter 1:20, points out the fact that we are not alone when it comes to interpreting the Bible. Peter points out that we are not to set up our own set of doctrines. In the early church a controversy arose over doctrine. The Church met together at Jerusalem and searched the scriptures and prayed and come to a unanimous decision on the subject. Acts 15:28,29 is the conclusion that they reached on the matter. Following this pattern, the General Assembly of the Church of God meets each year to consider doctrinal questions. The Twenty-nine Important Bible Truths are important Bible truths that have already been studied and prayed out.
The Structure of the Bible
The Books of the Bible can be divided into groups. Knowing the groups will help you get the big picture.
In this lesson, we will look at the divisions of the Old Testament. Next week we will consider the divisions of the New Testament.
The Old Testament can be divided into the following five categories:
•The Law of Moses
•The History of Israel
•The Poetry of Israel
•The Major Prophets of Israel
•The Minor Prophets of Israel
The Books are divided as follows:
Law
Genesis
Numbers
Exodus Deuteronomy
Leviticus
History
Joshua
II Kings
Judges
I Chronicles
Ruth
II Chronicles
I Samuel
Ezra
II Samuel
Nehemiah
I Kings
Esther
Poetry
Job
Ecclesiastes
Psalms
Song of Solomon
Proverbs
Major Prophets
Isaiah
Ezekiel
Jeremiah
Daniel
Lamentations
Minor Prophets
Hosea
Nahum
Joel
Habakkuk
Amos
Zephaniah
Obadiah
Haggai
Jonah
Zechariah
Micah
Malachi
1.Can you think of times when knowing which section of the Bible you are reading in would help you better understand what you are reading?
2.What problems can you face when you dont rightly divide the Bible verses that you read?
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