Circuit Teaching International
- Teaching the Nations
| Our relationship with God by Erling Rasmussen, John Ronaldson and Ivor Lewis Third edition, 1995. |
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| Lesson 1. - The majesty of God | Lesson 5. - God makes the way |
| Lesson 2. - God created man in His image | Lesson 6. - Jesus is alive |
| Lesson 3. - What is sin? | Lesson 7. - What we must do |
| Lesson 4. - The result of sin | Lesson 8. - We are a new creation |
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Click on each lesson to go to the text |
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1. Before we talk about getting to know God we want to consider who God is.
2. In this lesson we will try to comprehend something of the glory and majesty of our great God.
3. The Bible tells us that there are three ways that God has used to help us understand how wonderful He is.
4. First of all God has revealed Himself to us in all of His creation around us. Romans 1:20.
5. Secondly, God has revealed Himself to us in His Word. John 1:1.
6. The most glorious of all the ways He has revealed Himself is through His Son Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:1-2, John 1:18.
Read Isaiah 6:1-7.
1. God gave Isaiah this magnificent vision of Himself that has been recorded in the Bible for you and me.
2. Verse 3. The seraphim have been crying, "Holy, holy, holy," praising God for all eternity and still they are not tired of praising and bowing down before Him.
3. When we are in His presence that is our only desire, to praise Him, for He is so holy and majestic.
4. Verse 5. The effect of standing before God made Isaiah say, "Woe is me." He realised he was unclean and unworthy to stand before Almighty God.
5. Verse 8. Finally Isaiah cries out, "Here am I send me." A revelation of God gave Isaiah a desire to serve God.
6. We need a revelation of who our God is.
7. Our revelation of Him will inspire us to worship Him, to walk separate unto Him and to serve Him.
Read Psalm 90:1,2.
1. God has always existed and no one created Him.
2. There was a time in eternity past that God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit dwelt completely alone.
3. There were no angels to sing His praises.
4. There were no stars, sun or moon in the heavens to show His glory. It was completely empty.
5. There was no earth with its mountains and great seas.
6. This was not just for a day, month, or year but from everlasting.
7. The wonderful truth is that God did not need His creation to make Him happy.
He was full of joy just as He is today.
He was full of peace just as He is today.
He was total love just as He is today.
He was perfectly holy just as He is today.
8. God in His Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rejoiced completely in Himself. He needed nothing else for His happiness.
There are four characteristics of God that no one else can possess.
1. Omniscient.
Read Romans 11:33,34.
a) To say that God is omniscient means that He knows all things, past, present and future.
b) God is all-wise. There is nothing that He does not know. This includes all things that are actual and all things that are possible.
c) Both Paul and Isaiah had this revelation of God as recorded in Romans 11.
d) Verse 33. The riches of God's wisdom and knowledge are so deep that they are immeasurable.
e) For this reason God's judgements are perfect and unsearchable.
f) Verse 34. We, as mere mortals, cannot fathom His ways.
g) Who has God been to for counselling? No one can counsel God. He knows all things.
2. Omnipresent.
Read Psalm 139:7-13.
a) Omnipresent means that God is everywhere at the same time.
b) God is free from His own laws of the limitation of space. His presence is everywhere.
c) David is astounded by God's presence being everywhere.
d) If he ascends into the highest heavens or descends to the lowest depths God is there.
e) If he goes to any place in this universe God is there.
f) What a marvelous comfort for us to know that wherever we go or whatever happens to us God is there for us.
3. Omnipotent.
Read Proverbs 30:4.
a) Omnipotent means that God is all-powerful.
b) When God created the heavens and the earth He did not have anything to create it out of.
c) God just spoke and the heavens and earth were created. Hebrews 11:3.
d) What can compare to His power?
e) It is great to know that God can speak and release that same power in our lives today as we look to Him.
f) Like Jeremiah we need to declare, "Ah, Sovereign Lord....Nothing is too hard for you." Jeremiah 32:17.
4. Immutable.
Read Hebrews 13:8.
a) Immutable means that God does not change.
b) God is the same God who was before the creation and He is the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament.
c) Everything in this world can fade away but God remains the same. Hebrews 1:10-12.
d) Others may let us down but God will never fail us.
e) We can always trust in God's promises. Numbers 23:19.
Read 1 Chronicles 29:11.
1. In the last line of the Lord's prayer Jesus told us to pray this same prayer. Matthew 6:13b.
2. We need to be reminded daily of the greatness of our God.
3. How glorious and majestic is our God!
4. He is far greater than anything in all His creation.
5. Truly, all of the glory goes to Him.
| Memory verse Exodus 15:11, "Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you - majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?" |
| Teacher's notes 1. Read Job 42:2, Psalm 115:3 and see how the God of scripture is and always will be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 2. Consider the following great Hebrew titles of our God and share them with your congregation whenever you wish to. You might also like to use them as titles for sermons to explain the greatness of God. Jehovah - means eternal one; He who was and is and is to come. Jehovah Elohim - eternal creator; self-existent one. Genesis 2:4-25. Adonai Jehovah - the Lord our sovereign master. Genesis 15:2,8. Jehovah Jireh - the Lord our provider. Genesis 22:8,14. Jehovah Nissi - the Lord our banner. Exodus 17:15. Jehovah Ropheka - the Lord our healer. Exodus 15:26. Jehovah Shalom - the Lord our peace. Judges 6:24. Jehovah Tsidkeenu - the Lord our righteousness. Jeremiah 23:6. Jehovah Mekaddishkem - the Lord our sanctifier. Exodus 31:13. Jehovah Saboath - the Lord of hosts. 1 Samuel 1:3. Jehovah Shammah - the Lord is present. Ezekiel 48:35. Jehovah Elyon - the Lord most high. Psalm 7:17. Jehovah Rohi - the Lord my shepherd. Psalm 23:1. Jehovah Hoseenu - the Lord our maker. Psalm 95:6. Jehovah Eloheenu - the Lord our God. Psalm 99:5. |
Read Isaiah 43:7.
1. In our previous study we saw how glorious God is in all His holiness and power.
2. In this study we will see how almighty God created mankind in His own image, and how wonderfully we are made.
3. God says through Isaiah 43 that we have been created for His glory.
4. If we look with God's eyes at ourselves, we will see how much we are worth to God and to our fellow beings.
Read Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7.
1. God made us, we did not make ourselves. Psalm 100:3.
2. God in His Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, counselled together to make man.
3. He did not speak us into being like the sun, moon, stars and earth, but lovingly made man with His own hands. Psalm 119:73.
4. Then He breathed His life into Adam and he became a living soul.
1. When we look about us in the world today and we see how deep men have fallen in the miry clay, then it is difficult to see how we have been created in God's image. But that is not how God intends it to be.
2. When we read the Bible we see how we are in many ways similar to God.
a) Spirituality - God has breathed His spiritual nature into us which exalts us above animals. We alone of all earth's creatures are capable of communing with God. Job 32:8.
b) Personality - God is a person. He is the Supreme Being and has a free will. Man is also a person and has a free will to choose between right and wrong.
c) Holiness - God is the Holy One and man was created pure and holy after the image of God.
d) Love - God is love. Man was created to love God and his fellow beings.
e) Dominion - God is Sovereign (He is Lord of all) and He created man to rule over all creation.
f) Divine image - Man as a child of God, made in His image, reflects the divine likeness among the inhabitants of the earth.
3. Because we are made in His image we know Him.
Read Psalm 139:14.
1. Let us consider some things about the amazing human body to see how wonderfully we are made.
2. If we look at our body we will see that there are no two people in the world exactly the same. God has made everyone an individual. For example, each person's thumb prints are different to everyone else's.
3. Our heart, which is a pump beating in our chest, never has to be told to pump or be switched on. Yet it pumps 4200 times an hour, and it pumps 12000 litres of blood every day we live.
4. In our body we have 600 muscles and 1500 kilometres of blood vessels, while there are 20 000 hairs in the ears to tune into all the sounds around us.
5. There is no computer in the world that even comes near to the ability of the human brain.
6. These are just some of the wonderful things about our creation.
7. God has not made any one person greater than another. Acts 10:34.
8. We all have the same Father God, come from the same human father, Adam, and God is no respecter of persons.
Many people in the world have not understood how important man is to God and how much worth God places on mankind. Because they do not understand this they kill each other and treat one another worse than animals. But see how important God finds us to be:
1. Authority.
Read Psalm 8:3-8.
When God made Adam and Eve He put them in charge of all creation. Genesis 1:27,28.
2. Great worth.
Read Mark 8:36.
In the eyes of God a human being is worth more than all the world.
3. Costly salvation.
Read 1 Peter 1:18,19.
The highest price of all was paid for our salvation, the life of the Son of God.
4. Eternal importance.
Read John 11:26.
Because God has breathed His life into us, we cannot die, but will live forever and ever. Therefore we are very, very important.
5. Copy of the Creator.
Read Genesis 9:6.
Because we are such a wonderful copy of the Creator and we have been exalted above all other creatures, our human life is very sacred to God.
Read 1 John 1:3.
1. It was God's delight right from the creation of man to have wonderful fellowship with him.
2. He walked in the cool of the evening in the Garden of Eden to fellowship with Adam and Eve.
3. He has plans for us even before we are formed in our mother's womb. Jeremiah 1:5.
4. He even fashions us in the womb. Job 31:15.
5. God holds us by the hand and tells us not to fear, just as we would hold our child's hand to comfort him in time of danger. Isaiah 41:13.
6. We will have eternal fellowship with God and rule eternally with Him. We will work with God in administering the affairs of the earth. Revelation 5:10, 22:4,5.
1. It was God's plan for us to rule and reign over His creation, to multiply and to be blessed by Him.
2. He created Adam sinless, but of course Adam had his free will and was capable of sinning.
3. God entered into a covenant or agreement with Adam that he would never die as long as he did not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
4. Satan came in the form of a serpent and tempted Adam. Adam purposefully sinned and so destroyed his relationship with God.
5. Because of this great sin, mankind and all creation was cursed by God and could no longer fellowship with God.
6. In the next lessons we will see what sin really is and God's remedy for it. God has made us in His image and for His glory and wants to fellowship with each one of us.
| Memory verse Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." |
| Teacher's notes 1. Man is made like God in that he is tripartite. 1 Thessalonians 5:23. He has a body - physical flesh and bone with the five senses of touch, smell, feeling, seeing and hearing. He has a soul - this is intellect (or mind), emotions (feelings) and will (decision-making). He has a spirit - his spirit communes with God, his conscience shows him right from wrong, his intuition shows him the will of God. 2. The physical and spiritual natures of man are clearly distinguished in scripture. a) The body was made from dust, not the soul and spirit. Genesis 2:7. b) The spirit leaves the body at death. James 2:26; Luke 16:22. c) The body can be killed, but not the soul. Matthew 10:28. d) The spirit can be willing, but the flesh weak. Matthew 26:38-41. e) Both body and spirit must glorify God. 1 Corinthians 6:20. f) The inner man is eternal, while the body is mortal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. g) Spirits can be dead, while the bodies are alive. Ephesians 2:1. h) Souls and spirits of the righteous go to heaven at death, 2 Corinthians 5:8, and their bodies to the grave. John 5:28,29. i) Souls and spirits of the wicked go to hell, while their bodies go to the grave. Luke 16:19-26 |
Read 1 Samuel 12:15.
1. The Bible tells us that God is not pleased with sin and that we need to turn from our sins.
2. In this lesson we will look at what sin is.
1. Sin is rebellion against God.
Read 1 Samuel 15:23.
a) Satan was once the angel Lucifer, one of God's chief angels created to bring glory to God.
b) Lucifer lifted himself up in pride, rebelled against God's authority and so he was cast out of heaven to earth.
c) Satan's spirit of rebellion against God is working on the earth today, inspiring mankind to reject God's authority and inspiring man to go his own way.
d) God considers rebellion to be very serious. God says it is like witchcraft and bowing down to idols.
e) Jesus said the greatest command is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Matthew 22:37,38.
f) Many people say that they are not sinners. They live good lives.
g) They do not steal or kill and yet they are not surrendering their lives to God, seeking Him with their whole heart.
h) God created us to have a relationship with Him.
i) God has to be first in our hearts. Our whole life must be surrendered to Him as we seek to please Him by faith.
2. Sin is in our actions.
Read 1 John 3:4.
a) Sin first entered this world in the Garden of Eden when man disobeyed God.
b) God had given man clear instructions, but Satan led Adam and Eve to doubt God's Word and eat from the fruit God had said not to eat from.
c) Today man is given clear instructions in the Bible of the things that please God.
d) We sin every time we choose to disobey His instructions. Sin is doing anything that is not pleasing to God.
3. Sin is in our thoughts.
Read Matthew 5:27,28.
| Illustration Two brothers were fighting. Their father punished them by making them sit in two different corners of a room. The father stopped the boys from fighting, but the boys were still planning how they could hurt each other. The boys had stopped fighting, but there was still resentment and unforgiveness - they were still fighting in their hearts. |
a) Many people say that they are not sinners because they do not do bad things. Yet in their thoughts there is resentment, bitterness, lust, etc.
b) Sin is not just outward disobedience to God, but also inward disobedience to the Word in the heart.
4. Sin is in our mouths.
Read Proverbs 10:19.
a) The Bible speaks a lot about what we say with our mouths.
b) God tells us not only what He wants us to do and to think, but also how to please Him with our lips.
c) Gossip, lying, backbiting, slander, cursing, etc. are not pleasing to God. James 4:11.
5. Sin is in man's nature.
Read Romans 5:12,19.
| Illustration A mother was disappointed when she found her young child trying to steal something from the kitchen. The mother wondered where her child had learned to steal. |
a) A child does not have to be taught. It is natural for the child to sin.
b) We have all inherited a sin nature through Adam our father and so sin is in our seed.
c) Our children will also inherit a sin nature through us.
d) The Bible says that we not only sin, but that we are sinners.
Read 1 John 1:8.
1. When we consider what sin is we must admit that all are sinners. No one is excluded.
2. We are all in need of God's help to deal with sin.
| Memory Verse Romans 3:10,11&23, "There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God." "....for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...." |
| Teacher's notes 1. Read Ezekiel 28:12-17 and Isaiah 14:12-17. a) These are prophecies concerning Satan b) Notice the number of times in Isaiah 14:13,14, Satan says in his pride, "I will". 2. Read Genesis 3:1-6. Notice verse 1, "Did God really say?" 3. Read Matthew 4:1-11. a) Notice that Satan is still trying to twist what God's Word says. b) Our answer for Satan's deceit is the same as that of Jesus. It is to know God's truth. Verse 4,7 and 10. Jesus said, "It is written". |
Read Romans 3:10,23.
1. In our last lesson we learned that all people are sinners.
2. Verse 23 also tells us the result of our sin. We have fallen short of God's glory.
3. Let us consider together in this lesson what it means to fall short of God's glory.
Read 1 John 4:8.
1. In this verse we see something of God's character.
2. God is love. God does not just love. He is love itself.
3. Because God is love, He desired someone to express that love to.
4. Adam and Eve fulfilled that desire of God's heart in the Garden of Eden.
5. In the garden Adam and Eve enjoyed God's fellowship and blessing.
Read Habakkuk 1:13a.
1. This verse tells us something more about God's character.
2. He is a holy God who will not dwell with sin.
Read Isaiah 59:2.
1. The fellowship that man enjoyed in the garden was broken when man sinned.
2. "If God is a loving God, why was this relationship broken?" we might ask.
3. Because God is also a holy God and will not tolerate sin.
| Illustration Man's position with God now could be considered like the picture of a large canyon. On one side stands the glory of God and on the other side stands sinful man. Between the two is a large gulf that is separating man from God. So man is unable to enjoy all the blessings that come from a relationship with almighty God. |
4. In this way man has fallen short of the glory of God.
1. Death.
Read Genesis 2:17.
Sin brings death to man in three ways:
a) Physical death.
Sin brought sickness and death into the world. On the day Adam and Eve sinned, their natural bodies started dying. Genesis 5:5.
b) Spiritual death.
Read Ephesians 2:1.
(1) This scripture is speaking to people who are alive but at the same time it says they are dead.
(2) People today without Christ are dead spiritually.
(3) Sin separated man from God's fellowship. Sinful man cannot communicate with God.
c) Eternal death.
Read Romans 6:23.
1) There is a time when every person will die and their body will go to the grave.
2) The soul, the real person inside the physical body, does not go to the grave.
3) The soul of the person lasts forever.
4) Without Christ, the soul of man is separated from God's love for eternity in hell. This is the worst death of all.
2. Guilt.
Read Genesis 3:7-10.
a) Adam and Eve had peace with God in the garden.
b) Because of the guilt and shame of their sin, we now see them hiding from God in fear.
c) Many people today do not admit that they are sinners, but the guilt of their sin weighs on their hearts and robs them of peace.
3. Sorrow.
Read Genesis 3:14-19.
a) In the garden, man was free from strife and all his needs were met.
b) Now God said man would be in warfare with Satan, verse 15, and he would have to struggle to provide for his needs.
c) We see in the world today that sin has brought many sorrows to people's lives.
d) These include drug addiction, broken marriages, strife in relationships, poverty, life in prison, etc.
4. Darkness.
| Illustration A man had to journey through the night across an area of land that had large pits in the ground. While it was still light the man could find his way, avoiding the holes, but as darkness came he stumbled on the way and fell into the pits, harming himself. |
Read Proverbs 4:19.
a) Sin brings darkness.
b) Without the light of God's presence, man stumbles in the darkness and does not know the right way to go.
c) So man falls into all kinds of traps that the Devil has to bring him harm.
5. Bondage.
Read John 8:34.
a) Sin makes man a slave.
b) He cannot do what he wants, but is bound like a person bound with chains.
c) In sin man is separated from the freedom that comes from knowing God.
Read Jeremiah 2:22.
1. Lost and bound in sin man tries many ways to remove himself from this state.
2. Many people think good works, going to church, better education, different religions, trying to be good etc, will help. Proverbs 14:12.
| Illustration Again to our picture of the large canyon of sin separating us from God. People try with these things we have listed to build a bridge across this canyon. The Bible is clear that all of these attempts will not bridge this separation. |
3. There is nothing man can do in himself to remove his sin and restore fellowship with God. Acts 4:12.
4. All of man's attempts, no matter how good they are, will not remove the guilt of man's sin. Isaiah 64:6.
Read Romans 7:24,25.
1. With all this bad news we might wonder if there is any hope for man.
2. The good news is found in Jesus Christ.
3. Only the blood of Jesus can remove our sin and restore our relationship with God.
4. Our next lessons will share this good news in more detail.
| Memory Verse Isaiah 59:2, "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear." |
| Teacher's notes Accepting Jesus and the power of his blood is the only way to restore fellowship with God. Ephesians 2:13. a) Different religions - John 14:6. Jesus did not say that He was a way to God. He said He is the way. b) Going to church - John 3:1-3. To the religious, Jesus said, "You must be born again." c) Good works - Ephesians 2:8,9. Good works without Christ will not save us. d) Education - 1 Corinthians 1:18-21. All man's learning and wisdom will not gain him eternal life. e) Mental belief in God - James 2:19,20. The demons believe in Jesus, but they are not saved. |
Read Proverbs 8:35,36.
1. In the last few lessons we have seen that sin is the reason for man's separation from God.
2. And we saw that all of man's problems have come because of his sin.
3. We also learned that there is absolutely nothing that man can do to deliver himself from this hopeless state.
| Illustration A certain village of people were living on the bank of a wonderful life-giving stream. One day a big rock fell into the river some kilometres upstream. This turned the river in a completely different direction. The people had no water to drink or to wash themselves. Their crops began to die in the fields for lack of water. Soon the people began dying. The people worked very hard trying to improve their situation. They fertilized the fields, weeded the plants and even planted more crops. All of these good efforts did nothing to change their plight. Without the life-giving water the village people grew weaker, became ill and continued to die. The people needed to get to the root cause of their problem. They needed to remove the rock and restore the life-giving water. |
4. Sin is the root cause of the problems of mankind.
5. In these next lessons we will see how God has dealt with this root cause of sin and has given us life.
Read 1 Peter 1:18-20.
1. It was not God's plan for sin, sickness and suffering to come upon mankind.
2. The God who loves us desires the best for us.
3. For love to be real love there has to be a choice, or it is not a love relationship at all.
4. Man was given a choice to love God but man chose to go his own way.
5. God in His foreknowledge saw man's fall and in His love made a plan for man to be restored.
6. Back in eternity, before the universe was even created, the Godhead planned that Jesus Christ should die on the cross of Calvary for the sin of man.
7. How great a love, that God should risk the death of His only son to have a relationship with us. 1 John 4:10.
8. God's plan for our sins was the blood of Jesus Christ.
God's long and repeated lesson right through the old covenant is that only "the blood" can atone for sin and bring man back into relationship with God.
Teachers to include as many of the following examples from the Old Testament as you have time for.
1. Adam and Eve.
Read Genesis 3:21.
a) Barely had they sinned, before God killed two animals and covered Adam and Eve with the skin.
b) God was pointing to something right from the start when man first sinned.
c) As Adam and Eve stood, dripping with blood from those freshly skinned animals, God was saying, "only the blood will cover your sins".
d) Even before Christ died on the cross God was seeing the blood of Jesus which would cover all sin.
2. Cain and Abel.
Read Genesis 4:3-5.
a) It does not seem fair that Cain's offering should be rejected.
b) Cain had worked hard and brought a good offering.
c) God wanted to make it clear that all of man's good intentions will never be good enough to deal with sin.
d) Abel already understood that the only ground for fellowship with God is through "the blood of the lamb".
3. Israel delivered from slavery and death.
Read Exodus 12:1-14.
a) Frogs, lice, hail storms, locusts etc.... could not take Israel out of slavery into a walk with God. Exodus 8-11.
b) God allowed Moses to perform all these nine plagues to underline that it was only the blood of an innocent lamb that would bring them out.
c) God was pointing to the blood of Jesus Christ that would deliver us from our bondage to sin.
d) When God saw the blood on the wooden doorposts, death passed over that people.
e) This was pointing also to the blood shed on a wooden cross that delivers us from death today.
4. The cleansing of a leper's house.
Read Leviticus 14:49-53.
a) This terrible sickness which so much signified sin, could never be cleansed without blood.
b) The sick person was to bring two doves; one was brutally killed and the other was dipped in the blood of the first one and then released.
c) We might ask, why they should do such a dramatic thing?
d) It was foreshadowing the cross on which Christ was brutally killed.
e) His blood was poured out that we should be cleansed and set free as a bird.
5. Blood sacrifices.
Read Leviticus 1:1-5.
a) The way into God's presence in the Old Testament Tabernacle was by the offering of a blood sacrifice.
b) All the way through the Old Testament flowed this stream of blood.
c) There was no secret power in the blood of bulls, lambs and goats.
d) God allowed this blood to be a token which drew its power from the blood of Christ.
e) Notice that the sacrifice had to be without defect, pointing to Christ the sinless sacrifice.
Read Hebrews 10:10-14.
1. All the blood through the Old Testament was pointing to the blood of Jesus Christ.
2. He was the spotless lamb that took away the sins of the world. John 1:29.
3. The sacrifice of His body is what all the other sacrifices were pointing to, so the shedding of blood is no longer necessary.
4. By His blood we have been made holy forever.
5. His sacrifice was once for all. It is final and it is for everyone.
Read Ephesians 2:13.
1. Our sins separate us from God keeping us from His fellowship.
2. Through the blood of Jesus the sin that separated us from God has been dealt with.
3. What was impossible for man to do in himself, God did through the death of His son.
4. We are free to come to God now and to enjoy His fellowship forever.
5. What a wonderful God! What a tremendous provision!
| Memory verse Hebrews 10:10, "We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." |
| Teacher's notes Consider the power of the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross. 1. It atones for us. Leviticus 17:11 2. It cleanses us. 1 John 1:7 3. Defeats Satan for us. Revelation 12:11 4. Purchases us. Acts 20:28 5. Redeems us. Colossians 1:13,14 6. Justifies us. Romans 5:8,9 7. Cleanses our consciences. Hebrews 9:14 8. Gives us forgiveness. Matthew 26:27,28 9. Frees us. Revelation 1:4,5 |
Read 1 Corinthians 15:1-8.
1. In the last lesson we learned that Jesus Christ died for us.
2. It is exciting to know that the death of Jesus washed away our sins.
3. But the good news would be incomplete if we do not declare also that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
4. The good news is that Jesus died for our sins, He was buried and on the third day he rose from the grave.
5. Many religious leaders in history have claimed to bring salvation.
6. All these men are dead and their bodies remain in the grave.
7. The grave that Jesus was buried in is empty. Christ is risen. He is alive!
John 20:3-9.
8. This fact was witnessed by many. Jesus even showed himself to more than five hundred people at one time.
Read Acts 26:22,23.
1. Neither the Jews, nor the Romans, nor Satan could have touched the Son of God. John 19:11.
2. Jesus offered himself up willingly to the cross. Matthew 20:28.
3. Christ declared to His disciples that he would die and rise again. Matthew 16:21.
4. Not only did the blood of the Old Testament point to the cross but God also spoke through His prophets declaring His plan.
5. At the right time Jesus fulfilled God's Word.
6. Christ was willing to face such a gruesome death because He knew what the power of His death and resurrection would do for us. Hebrews 12:2.
1. We can know Him.
Read John 3:3-8.
a) We serve a risen Saviour. He is alive.
b) It is Christ's desire that we know Him.
c) You cannot know someone who is dead. Because Jesus is alive, we can know Him personally.
d) But what is natural cannot communicate with what is spiritual.
e) Our dead spirit inside of us has to come alive to commune with God.
f) The Bible calls this experience being "born again".
g) Christ's spirit in us brings resurrection power to make our spirit alive.
h) We are now free to know God.
2. We have peace.
Read Romans 5:1,2.
a) People without Christ walk under a burden of guilt.
b) They do not know what is bothering them but the guilt of sin is weighing on their hearts.
c) The blood of Jesus has removed the sin that kept us from God.
d) Our sins are forgiven and God says that He remembers our sins no longer. Isaiah 43:25.
e) We are free to enjoy the relationship with God that we were created for.
f) God frees us also from the guilt of sin and we can enjoy peace of mind and heart.
g) What a new found freedom there is in accepting Christ! The burden of sin is lifted.
3. We are satisfied. Read John 4:13,14.
a) Without Christ there is an emptiness in people's hearts.
b) People try everything to fill that emptiness.
c) It may be a career, alcohol, drugs, possessions, etc....
d) None of these pursuits will ever satisfy. So people go from one thing to another trying to find fulfilment.
e) There is a void in every human heart that can only be filled with the presence of Jesus Christ. John 17:26.
f) When we accept Christ, by His Spirit a well springs up on the inside, that satisfies every longing of our soul.
4. We are freed from death's power. Read Hebrews 2:14,15.
a) Jesus defeated death's power when He rose from the dead. Acts 2:24.
b) With Christ in our lives, death no longer has any power over us. Colossians 3:3,4.
c) One of man's greatest fears is death.
d) When we consider how terrible it would be to experience the fire of hell for eternity, death is something to be feared.
e) But in Christ we are free from this fear of death and judgement.
f) God promises us eternal life. John 5:24.
g) What a freedom and satisfaction that we can enjoy forever and ever with Christ.
5. Satan's hold over us broken. Read Colossians 2:15.
a) Satan thought that he had defeated Christ at the cross.
b) But God used Satan to bring about his own downfall.
c) When He rose from the dead, Christ triumphed over Satan. 1 John 3:8.
d) When we are in Christ we are risen with Him.
e) Satan no longer has any authority over us.
f) With Christ we triumph over Satan's works.
g) We no longer need to be afraid of any of Satan's spiritual forces of darkness. Ephesians 6:12.
6. God's healing power released in us. Read 1 Peter 2:24,25.
a) God did not create us for sickness and torment.
b) God created us to be whole in body, soul and spirit.
c) The blood that Jesus shed on the cross has made God's healing power available for us.
d) The power of God working in our hearts can touch our whole being.
e) Many people with minds destroyed by drugs and alcohol have come to Christ and had their minds totally restored.
f) Others who have been abused, come to Christ and receive healing in their emotions.
g) Testimonies abound of those who have accepted Christ and receive miraculous healing in their physical bodies.
h) God's resurrection power is able to touch every area of our lives.
7. To give us abundant life. Read John 10:10.
a) Jesus died and rose again to give us life.
b) That life is not just for eternity, but abundant life now here on earth.
c) The same power that raised Christ from the dead is released in us. Ephesians 1:19,20.
d) This resurrection power at work in us will enable us to live a victorious life.
e) Christ does not just cleanse us from our sins with His blood.
f) By His resurrection power at work in us He enables us to do the things pleasing to God.
g) We are given liberty to enjoy an abundant life walking with God.
| Memory verse John 14:6, Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." |
| Teacher's notes More on the work of the cross: a) Reveals God's love to us. 1 John 4:10. b) A new heart promised. Ezekiel 11:19,20. c) By faith. Romans 4:3. d) Not by keeping the law. Acts 13:39. e) It cannot be earned. Romans 4:4,5. f) It is only by God's grace. Romans 3:24. g) So God gets all the glory. Romans 11:30-36. h) It saves us from God's wrath. Romans 5:9. i) Because our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus. Romans 4:7,8. |
Read Exodus 12:13.
1. We have seen the powerful work of the cross.
2. Christ by His blood redeemed all mankind and opened the way back to a living relationship with God. Hebrews 10:19-22.
3. We saw the powerful picture from Exodus 12 where the people of God were delivered from slavery.
4. But it was only those who applied the blood of the lamb on the door posts of their houses who were saved.
5. We can know all about the blood of Christ and the power of His resurrection.
6. However, if we never apply the blood to our own hearts we will not be delivered from the slavery of sin.
7. Salvation by the blood of Jesus stands as a wonderful free gift to any person who will receive it and apply it to their life.
Read 1 John 1:8,9.
1. To come to God, the sin that separates us from God must first be dealt with.
2. It is only the blood of Jesus that can remove that sin.
3. We apply the blood of Christ when we confess to God that we are sinners.
4. We are acknowledging to God that we are in need of His help.
5. As we do so, He promises to forgive us our sins.
6. He promises to purify our hearts from our sins.
Read Acts 3:19.
1. God challenges us from His Word to repent of our sins.
2. Real repentance is more than just acknowledging our sin to God.
3. The Greek word "metanoia" used for repentance in the New Testament means more than just acknowledging our sin, but also a heartfelt descision to go in a new direction.
4. So repentance is not just confessing with our mouths that we are sinners, but really confessing our sin from our hearts. Acts 2:37.
5. And from our hearts making a decision to turn from the path of sin to a walk pleasing to God. Proverbs 28:13.
Read Romans 10:9,10.
1. Salvation cannot be worked for by trying to please God. It is by grace alone. Ephesians 2:8,9.
2. We will never be good enough in ourselves and there is no price that we can possibly pay for our salvation.
3. Christ paid it all with His blood on the cross.
4. Salvation can only be obtained as a free gift from God through faith. Romans 6:23.
5. Faith is believing from our heart that all God said was accomplished on the cross is true, and that it is for us.
6. Not only that Jesus died for us but, "that God raised Him from the dead", for us.
7. Real faith speaks from the mouth.
8. With the heart we believe and with the mouth we speak it out and seal God's salvation to our lives.
Read Revelation 3:20.
1. Jesus does not come to force His way into anyone's life.
2. Real love comes as a response from the heart.
3. Christ is gently knocking on the door of people's hearts today.
4. He challenges anyone to open the door of their heart by inviting Him in.
5. Christ promises that He will come in and fellowship with us.
6. What a promise! The God who created us to fellowship with Him, comes and lives inside us. 2 Corinthians 13:5.
7. By His power at work in us He begins to change us from the inside out.
8. Many people have tried to be good enough to come to God.
9. God says, "Come to me through the blood of Christ and I will work my holy power in you." It is from the inside out.
| Illustration A man had attended church all his life and was now old. He read the Bible and prayed. He knew about Jesus and the power of the cross, but all his life he had strived to please God and was still not sure of his salvation. One night he heard a man preaching the gospel. Challenged, the man repented of trying to live a good life in his own strength and he asked Jesus to come into his heart. Soon the man found a new joy and peace in his heart and the assurance of his salvation that he had always looked for. |
1. Here is a suggested prayer for receiving Jesus.
2. This is not a special formula, but what we do pray needs to come from our heart.
3. Our prayer should include the following things:
Father I come to you in Jesus' name. I confess my sins to you and admit my need for your salvation. I ask you to forgive me and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I open the door of my heart and invite you to come in and to be Lord of my life. By faith in your power working in me I thank you Lord that I can live a life pleasing to you.
4. Remember that our salvation does not depend on our feelings but is by faith in what God has said He will do in His word. 2 Peter 1:4.
5. If you have prayed this prayer, then God has forgiven you, Christ has come into your heart, you are a child of God and Jesus is Lord of your life.
6. God is true to His promises. 2 Corinthians 1:20.
Read Colossians 2:6.
1. Confessing Jesus as Lord is not just empty words. Romans 10:9,10.
2. We are confessing the power of the cross, that Jesus is Lord now of all. Philippians 2:8-11.
3. Having received Christ we need to let him be Lord of our lives.
4. The best life is one lived doing His will.
5. Let us surrender to His lordship right from the start and ask Christ to take control of our lives. Luke 14:27.
6. Life lived to please ourselves only leads to emptiness. Matthew 10:39.
7. By a faith that seeks to do His will we can live the best life.
| Memory verse Romans 10:9, "....if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved." |
| Teacher's notes Suggested counsel for those that give their lives to Christ. 1. The need to start and continue to testify to others about Christ. Matthew 10:32. 2. The need to obtain a Bible and to read it daily. Matthew 4:4. 3. Encourage the person to read the gospels first before they read other parts of the Bible. 4. The need to build our relationship with God through personal daily prayer. John 16:23,24. 5. The need to go to church and keep fellowship with other living Christians. Hebrews 10:25. 6. The need to be baptised as soon as possible. Acts 2:38. 7. The need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 11:11-13. |
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17.
| Illustration Being born again completely transforms us into a new creation. It is like an ugly caterpillar that has been bound by its cocoon, suddenly transformed into a beautiful butterfly that is free to spread its wings and fly. Many Christians do not realize how beautiful they are in God's sight and the freedom that they now have in Christ, and so they continue to crawl around like a caterpillar. |
1. A new heart.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:21.
a) To be righteous is to be right before God, having no sin.
b) This is how God sees us in Christ.
c) Because of the blood of Jesus, God looks at us and sees new hearts that have never sinned.
d) This does not mean that we cannot give in to sin. 1 John 1:8.
e) When we do sin we need to repent and the blood of Jesus will keep our new hearts clean day by day. 1 John 1:9.
f) Satan would remind us of our past sins, to try to get us to hang our heads in guilt and shame and run from God's presence like Adam and Eve did.
g) We must remember the power of the blood, lift up our heads and walk in a close relationship with God. Isaiah 43:25.
2. A new relationship
Read John 1:12.
a) Not everyone in the world is a child of God.
b) All people were created to be his children but only those who have received Christ are God's children.
c) Natural children have greater privileges with their natural father than other children.
d) They enjoy his fellowship, protection, provision, etc.
e) God is our father now. He wants us to enjoy the privilege of being his children, providing for our every need.
f) You belong to a family now and are a member of God's household.
3. A new position
Read 1 Corinthians 12:12,27.
a) As Christians we each make up the different parts of God's spiritual body in the earth now.
b) Christ considers His body, the Church, very important. You are Christ's physical representative on earth.
c) Anyone who touches you is touching Christ. Acts 9:1-5.
d) This is a great privilege, but it is also a great responsibility.
e) Christ is the head of His body on the earth. Colossians 1:18.
f) As your natural head directs the rest of your body, you can expect Christ to guide you now as a member of his body.
g) Christ, the Head, is very committed to His body.
| Illustration A man struck his foot against a rock and broke his small toe, one of the least members of his body. The man's head immediately rushed everything to aid and protect this hurting member. |
h) You see our natural head is totally committed to the members of our natural body. No matter how small they may be, the members of our own natural body are all very important to us.
i) In the same way Christ is totally committed to you. You are a member of His body and are very important to Him.
4. A new authority.
Read Luke 10:19.
a) Jesus said, "I have given you authority.... to overcome all the power of the enemy."
b) Christ defeated Satan at the cross and is seated in authority now over all authorities and powers. Ephesians 1:18-23.
c) Where the head is, the body must be also. Ephesians 2:6.
d) We are seated with Christ in authority over every power of darkness.
e) Satan tries to bluff Christians into believing that he has the authority over them. 1 Peter 5:8.
f) We need to resist him and tell him to go in Jesus' name. James 4:7.
| Illustration A young boy who had accepted Christ was still awakened in the night by demons who terrorized him and brought him great fear. The young boy heard a preacher teach from Luke 10:9 about the authority the believer has now in Christ over Satan. When the demons came that night, instead of giving in to fear, the young boy resisted the demons and told them to flee. The demons ran and the boy slept in peace. |
5. A new inspiration.
Read Revelation 3:20.
a) When we repent and ask Jesus to be Lord of our life, by His Spirit He comes and lives inside us.
b) Christ living in us will inspire us to a new lifestyle that is pleasing to God.
c) It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. The same power that created the universe. It is God's power. Romans 8:9-11.
d) By that power we can do anything that God wants us to do. Philippians 4:13.
e) We can trust God. As we surrender ourselves to Him we can rest in Him.
f) God will complete His work through us. He will guide us in our new walk with Him.
| Teacher's notes Read Ephesians 1:18. Pray this prayer for yourself and also for the people you will teach. It is one thing to know the truth with our minds, but to walk in victory we need to pray for a spiritual revelation in our hearts of the position we have in Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to impart that revelation to the hearts of the people you teach. |
| Memory Verse 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" |
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