How Shall We Treat Others

Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Matthew 7:7-14 NIV

 7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. 13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) In His Sermon on the Mount, what three things did Jesus tell His disciples to do and why? (v.7-8)
2) How do parents generally respond to the requests of their children? (v.9-10)
3) How willing is our Heavenly Father to give good gifts to His children? (v.11)
4) How are we to treat others? Why? (v.12)
5) What does our Lord Jesus tell His disciples about the path to destruction and the path to life? (v.13-14)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
6) What do you typically do when you have a need that you are unable to meet yourself?
7) How do you typically treat others? Why?

LIFE LESSONS
8) The Lord desires to meet our needs, but He cannot do so unless we ask Him for what we want.
9) The Lord commands us to love others as ourselves; not through our own power, but through His.

In Fact, Christ Has Been Raised

Sunday, April 5, 2015
1 Corinthians 15:1-11, 20-22 KJV 

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which [was bestowed] upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore whether [it were] I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed. ... 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What did the gospel that the Apostle Paul preach do for those who heard it? (v.1-2)
2) What was the Apostle Paul's Gospel? (v.3-4)
3) Who saw Christ after His resurrection? (v.5-8)
4) How did the apostle describe himself and why? (v.9)
5) To what, or whom, did the Apostle Paul attribute his ministry and what was its impact on those who heard him, as well as others who preached the gospel? (v.10-11)
6) How did the apostle describe our Lord and why? (v.20-22)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
7) Are you certain that you will be raised from the dead? If so, how do you know?

LIFE LESSONS
8) We are assured of our salvation, and of eternal life through our Lord Jesus, because we have believed the gospel of grace.

The Hope of Eternal Life

Friday, April 3, 2015
Titus 3:1-7 KJV 

1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, 2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, [but] gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. 3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, [and] hating one another. 4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) The Apostle Paul left Titus in Crete to appoint elders in every city. What did he remind Titus to tell the elders that he would appoint? (v.1-2)
2) What did the apostle have to say about the former conduct of himself and his disciple? (v.3)
3) What changed in their conduct and why? (4-7)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
4) Before your conversion, how did you behave? Why do you behave as you do now?

LIFE LESSONS
5) Before Christ we behaved just as those who are entangled in this world's system, but after being saved we have been justified and saved, resulting in a change in our behavior.

Christ Has Risen

Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Matthew 28:1-8 KJV 

1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first [day] of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead [men]. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What happened on the first day of the week, following our Lord Jesus' crucifixion and who beheld those things? (v.1-2)
2) How does Matthew describe the angel of the Lord and those who witnessed his appearing? (v.3-4)
3) What did the angel say to those who had seen him? (v.5-6)
4) What were the women instructed to do by the angel and what did he tell them to say about Jesus? (v.7)
5) How did the women depart from the tomb and what did they do? (v.8)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
6) What, if anything, will you tell you children and/or grandchildren about the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ?
7) What, if anything will you do to share Jesus with those who do not know Him as Savior or Lord?

LIFE LESSONS
8) Jesus Christ rose from the dead so that all who believe could be witnesses of His life to those who have not heard the good news!
9) The good news is that all who believe on Jesus Christ, will also arise from the dead to eternal life with Him.

Grace and Justification

Friday, August 8, 2014
Scripture Reading: Rom 5:15-21 KJV

15 But not as the offence, so also [is] the free gift. For if through the offence 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 And 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 offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to 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 offence 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.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What “offence” and “free gift” is the Apostle Paul referring to in this Scripture? (v.15-16)
2) What does “spiritual death” or the “free gift” reign through? (v.17-18)
3) What makes us sinners or righteous? (v.19)
4) Where sins abounds what else abound more? (v.20)
5) What reigns and leads to death? What reigns through righteousness and leads to eternal life (v. 21)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
6) What is the “free gift” that we, as believers, have received?
7) Why did we receive the “free gift”?
8) Do you have eternal life? Why, or why not?

PRINCIPLES

9) Salvation is free but sanctification  is costly!

10) Christians receive eternal life the moment we believe on Jesus Christ!

11) Sin always leads to spiritual death, unless and until it is confessed!

12) Condemnation comes through the Law, but GRACE comes through Jesus Christ!

Sin and Forgiveness

Monday, August 4, 2014
Scripture Reading: Act 13:36-41 KJV

36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
38 Be it known unto you therefore, men [and] brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
40 Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
41 Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) Paul was delivering this sermon in a synagogue in Antioch. What happened to King David? Why do you think that it was necessary for the Apostle Paul to remind his fellow Jews of this? (v.36)
2) What happened to Jesus? Why do you think that the Apostle Paul told his fellow Jews about what happened to Jesus (v.37)
3) What was Paul preaching through the life of Jesus Christ? (v.38)
4) What happens to everyone who believes on Jesus, as opposed to those who follow the law of Moses? (v.39)
5) What would befall those who did not believe on the Lord Jesus? (v.40-41)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
6) Why are you justified (saved)?
7) Whom have you shared the Good News with?
8) What is the good news?

PRINCIPLES

1) Christians are justified by grace alone, through faith alone,  in Christ alone and no-thing else!

2) Every human has a choice, to believe Christ and live, or to reject Christ and perish!

3) Everyone who believes in Jesus will be resurrected and receive glorified (incorruptible) bodies!