Class Lesson April 15, 2012

Hey Gang,

This weeks' lesson is about what it means for Jesus to live in believers, the Bible says that believers in Christ share in His crucifixion, resurrection, and life. Your very baptism pictures the death and resurrection of Jesus, which by faith becomes believers' death to sin and resurrection to new life. Jesus called Himself the vine and said believers were branches. All believers are to bear fruit for Him. 

All these "churchy" phrases sound great, but what do they mean?

How do we actually do them? Many believers are a little foggy on what it means to live a Christian life. An examination of Scriptures truth can clear the haze and help you grasp the foundational truth that Jesus lives in and through believers. 


Watch the "Come Awake" video below: 

Christ's followers had come out of hiding and proclaimed the resurrected Christ despite the persecution that befell them. Thousands more were saved, and the church began. Many believers then, just like today, failed to grasp the earthly implications of having Jesus in their lives. Believing in Christ is different from living by faith, walking in freedom, and producing spiritual fruit.

Three New Testament passages echo the same truth - Jesus lives in believers. Paul's letters to the Galatians and Romans were aimed, in part, at helping believers put in to practice the faith they professed. Jesus Himself foresaw the problem when He stressed His disciples stay closely tied to Him. 

Choose each day to faithfully bear fruit for Jesus. He will show you how and He will give you power. 

  

I. STOP BEING SELFISH – GALATIANS 2:19b-21
19b I have been crucified with Christ 20 and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.




Consider this: Jan is heartbroken and doesn’t know which way to turn now that her spiritual mentor and friend, Betty, is moving. For the five years since Jan’s divorce, Betty has listened to her, encouraged her, prayed with her, and nurtured her in her Christian growth. In addition, Betty has been a source of practical help as she often baby-sat for Jan’s school-aged children and invited Jan’s family into her home for meals.



“I’m finally back on my feet, “Jan says. “I know I’m being selfish, but how can I do this without you?”



“I know you feel like I’m deserting you,” Betty responds gently. “But if you will let God work, this could end up being a wonderful growing experience.”



Question: In what ways could Jan grow because of Betty’s move? 

• Can now be more dependent on God
• Can put into practice the habits and attitudes that Betty shared and instilled
• Can begin to grow inside through a new and close relationship with Christ
• Can know that Christ will never leave or forsake
• Can begin to share her story and understandings with others – fruit
• Can get involved in God’s will for her life
• Can become a spiritual mentor to someone else

 




How realistic is it to no longer live to ourselves? What does that look like? 

• Selfishness is hugely tempting! But very lonely.
• The crucifixion was a radical, terminal event, ending once and for all sin’s hold on those who trust in Christ. It is no longer the believer living but Jesus living in the believer.

What does it really mean that Christ lives in me? 

Our children live in us because they are part of who we are. We share in their heartaches, joys, failures, and successes.

The dreams and values of our passed on loved ones live on in us. They help make us who we are.




How DO we live righteously? 

• Living as a Christian means more than asking Christ to forgive our sin. It also means we invite Him to live in and through us.
• Salvation certainly implies forgiveness of sin, but it’s just the beginning of life lived in Christ’s power.
• John described the relationship between us and Christ as the one between a vine and its branches. As we are connected to Jesus, we produce spiritual fruit. We depend on Christ in us to give us genuine life.

 




II. LIVE WITH CHRIST – ROMANS 6:1-7


The New Life in Christ

1 What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life. 5 For if we have been joined with Him in the likeness of His death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of His resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin’s claims. 





To be crucified and resurrected with Christ so that we may walk in a new way of life, what does this mean? 

 

If the old self has been crucified and we are freed from sin’s claims, then why do so many Christians continue to live powerless lives? 

• Believers are still tempted to sin.
• It is not sin that has died to the believer. It still seeks to ensnare. The follower of Christ has died to sin and is now free to not give in to sin.
• Christians sin because they choose to sin, not because they have to.

 



If you are a believer, what does it mean right now that you are raised with Christ? What does it mean for the future? How do you live this out in practical ways day by day by day? 

• Believers must choose to “walk in a new way of life.” This is an hour-by-hour process.
• See 1 Corinthians 15:42-58
• This is what the video Come Awake means – it’s what the resurrection means right now in the lives of Christ followers.

Some people take God’s grace lightly. They think that if people are saved by grace, they can do whatever they want, and God is obligated to forgive them. This way of thinking reveals a real ignorance about salvation. 

 

 

 

 


Where sin was great, God matched it with even greater grace. 

 

 

 

 

 

• When you accept Christ as your Savior you must also accept Him as your Lord!
• To walk describes a lifestyle behavior.
• Salvation that does not transform is not salvation.
• Salvation transforms us day by day into the image of Christ. We are not perfect, but we should have made progress if we experienced death and resurrection in Christ. We should be making progress toward becoming like Christ and doing what He would do in each situation.
• We should begin to bear fruit!

Wake up and realize what the resurrection means to your daily life - POWER!

 

III. BEAR FRUIT – JOHN 15:1-5


The Vine and the Branches

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. 2 Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. 

If Jesus lives in a person, what happens?



What does it mean if a person does not produce fruit?



What’s the difference between someone God removes and someone He prunes? 

• Not only a select few who are attached to Christ produce fruit but all. All must endure pruning. He prunes the branch so it can all it can be – produce more fruit.
• Experiences of pruning are evidence of God’s desire for you to be more fruitful.
• Verse 2 does not deny John’s promise that God will protect those who are truly His (6:39; 10:29). Rather, it is a reminder that some who claim to follow Christ never really do and that true believers are revealed in substantive measure.

How many times did Jesus say “remain”? Why? 

• Real love, joy, peace, and the rest of the fruit of the Spirit occur only as we have an abiding relationship with Jesus.

 



What fruit is evident in your life? What fruit would you like to produce in the days ahead?  

• To many people, salvation means forgiveness and a home in heaven. True salvation also impacts life in the present. If salvation only meant forgiveness from past sins and future security, why would God leave us on earth after our salvation? We still have opportunities to impact the lives of others and make an eternal difference by producing spiritual fruit.

 
 

Galatians 5:19-23 (Fruit of the Spirit)

19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.


22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

 

If you had to pick one, which truth would you say is most evident in your life: have been crucified with Christ, have been resurrected with Christ to walk in a new life, or Christ in you produces much fruit? Which one of the three is most difficult for you to grasp and live out?

Prayer of Commitment

Lord, enable me to die to self and sin by the resurrection power of Your Spirit. Amen

This weeks lesson requires us to really give some deep thought into the scriptural phrases we have heard over the years and what they really mean. Be in prayer this week that God would unfold these spiritual truths to us and that we will begin to put them into our daily walk of faith.

See you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan  

Class Lesson April 8, 2012

It's Easter

Hey Gang,

Last week we opened this series with a lesson entitled: Jesus Died for Our Sins. Why? For three reasons: To forgive our sins, to fulfill God's plan, and to reveal that He was indeed God's Son. This Sunday is our Easter lesson on the resurrection. Did Jesus die and rise from the dead? We will examine the evidence associated with this event and the significance of believing in the reality and relevance of Jesus’ physical resurrection from death. As a believer what proof would you give to an unbeliever that Jesus rose from the dead.

Why do some people have trouble believing that the resurrection happened?

Why does it matter if it did or did not?


  

Tensions could not possibly have been higher. Jesus' disciples hid in fear. They'd given up everything to follow Jesus, and as far as they knew, He was dead. Jewish leaders plotted how to get through the next three days without any master-planned deception being carried about by those crazy Jesus followers. They'd finally gotten rid of Him, and they weren't about to let anyone or anything stop them from snuffing out the Jesus-is-Messiah movement entirely. Though Pilate had "washed his hands" of responsibility in Jesus' death, he certainly felt somewhat nervous over the backlash that might come his way.

No one expected what DID happen. Jesus had told them that it would. Still, shock, disbelief, and wonder was in store for all of them resurrection morning. Jesus is ALIVE!

Let's examine the evidence...

I. GUARDED TOMB GAVE PROOF – MATTHEW 27:62-66

The Closely Guarded Tomb

62 The next day, which followed the preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that while this deceiver was still alive He said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 Therefore give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come, steal Him, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’ Then the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “You have a guard of soldiers,” Pilate told them. “Go and make it as secure as you know how.” 66 Then they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting the guard. 

Why do you think Matthew emphasized sealing the stone and the presence of the guards?



Why is it significant that Jesus’ enemies understood Jesus was in fact dead?






Is there anymore evidence?



II. EMPTY TOMB GAVE PROOF – MATTHEW 28:5-8


5 But the angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead. In fact, He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there.’ Listen, I have told you.” 8 So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell His disciples the news.

In what way did the angel agree with Jesus’ enemies? In what way did the angel differ?




How do you think the women felt when they left their homes for the tomb that morning? How did they feel when they arrived at the tomb? How did they feel when they left the tomb?




What does resurrection proof do for you? 

Is there anymore evidence?

III. EYEWITNESSES GAVE PROOF – Luke 24:13-16, 32-33, 35

The Emmaus Disciples

13 Now that same day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 Together they were discussing everything that had taken place. 15 And while they were discussing and arguing, Jesus Himself came near and began to walk along with them. 16 But they were prevented from recognizing Him.


32 So they said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts ablaze within us while He was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?” 33 That very hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and those with them gathered together,


35 Then they began to describe what had happened on the road and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread. 

Why do you think Jesus didn’t reveal Himself to them earlier in the encounter? Why did He disappear? What was their response to the resurrection?





Conclusion:

What does it matter what a person believes about the resurrection?

Prayer of Commitment

Lord Jesus, help me to speak and live so that others will believe that You are alive. Amen

What does Easter mean to the 2nd half of marriage? Can the resurrection apply to my marriage?

• The same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to us. It can make us new, and it can resurrect any relationship that seems hopeless.
• A Weekend to Remember - As we celebrate Easter this week, I am struck by the fact that Jesus Christ died and was resurrected so that we could be reconciled to God and see a resurrection in our own lives as well. As 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 tells us, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ …"

1. Live for grace more than law.


Have you ever noticed how people tend to grasp a position and hold onto it even when they are obviously wrong, defending it to the death? That is human pride wanting to be right at any cost.


Do our marriages get caught in this same spiral of human pride? No one wants to admit wrong. We defend our position at all costs. And the cost is sometimes quite devastating. And the truth is that usually both sides are wrong. We tend to live expecting grace for us and law for others, when we should live grace for others and expect law for ourselves. We can give others more grace when we can see our own sinfulness clearly. That would defuse a lot of arguments and save a lot of marriages. A lot of marriages could be resurrected if even one side would consider that both are children of the resurrection (or potentially so if unsaved). This is the grace of God that we should give one another.




2. Live for optimism more than pessimism.



A lot of problems stem from our world view. Is your world view pessimistic and cynical? Are you quite certain that no one can be trusted but yourself? Is everyone really against you and trying to trip you up or take advantage of you? The Sadducees certainly weren’t living on hope. Their world view was cynical, pleasure oriented, and materialistic. And they lost sight of God.



Perhaps you have gotten burnt a few times in your relationship. Shall we then give up and insure that it will never be any different because our attitude shall secure it that way? What pride this is when we say in effect that if I could not have it my way before, then I shall ensure by my attitude that it shall always be that way hereafter. If I can’t control the situation in one way then I will control the situation in another, even if it is to destroy hope and ensure defeat. Some marital situations and attitudes are that long standing. Pessimism is perilous.



3. Live for the covenant more than the flesh.



This is more of a functional rather than a romantic view of marriage.



Marriage is a covenant that God is serious about. We must be faithful to it because God has a purpose for it even if we lose sight of it. We have this cultural quirk that marriage is primarily romantic. Certainly it is enhanced if it is. And with the right perspective it will be. But what is that perspective? It is that in God’s sight, marriage is primarily a covenant with a purpose - His purpose. It reflects His covenant through Christ to us and the beautiful romance of Christ’s love to us will certainly inspire our own. Our marriage relationship is more a promise than a feeling, and faithfulness to the promise will inspire the feeling. Putting the feeling first is the first step in a fateful falling. No fallen human living in a fallen world will be able to keep up the romantic intensity of feeling without eternal inspiration. We must always put the truth and honor of the covenant before the fickleness of the flesh.



Without the heavenly perspective of a marriage covenant being a picture of Christ’s eternal love for the Church, it is hard to maintain the earthly covenant.



4. Live for the eternal more than the temporal.



So now we have a perspective on grace, optimism and covenant. Let’s get even more personal. Jesus says that our heavenly existence will be like that of the angels. They are spiritual beings who never die, neither do they marry. Since this is life at its best - life eternal - there is no reason for marriage since there is no reason for propagation. There is no reason for sexual reproduction to carry on the race. We have entered the kingdom of our God, having obtained eternal redemption as God’s children. Through the worthiness of Christ we have become worthy by faith in him. We will have a spirit body as he has - like the angels. We are children of the resurrection. And Jesus’ answer reveals to us that sex isn’t everything, contrary to popular opinion.



Has it occurred to you that your spouse is really like an angel? Do you treat him or her that way? Do you live knowing that eternity will soon remodel and redecorate our earthly personalities and frames? Even though Scripture says we are one flesh through marriage covenant in this life, we shall be one spirit through the spirit of our Lord in the next. I think we can approach living that way now. Believing in angels now may make us a bit more angelic. Our earthly hype, like the Sadducees, does not connect with God’s heavenly reality - and ours.



Conclusion:


How can we resurrect our marriages?


We must have a heavenly view of earthly reality:

• grace is greater than law,
• covenant endures longer than flesh,
• optimism will be rewarded, and
• angels are eternal.

We must live by faith in the power of God to resurrect and renew. We must live by hope. And it is not so much where we are going that gives us hope as it is in knowing what we will be like when we get there. God is the God of our living relationship with himself through Christ, pictured in his relationship to the Church as his bride, and pictured in our own marriages to those who will be like the angels in heaven.

Jesus is clearly teaching in this passage about the resurrection in regard to the question. But the resurrection also has great practical significance to the institution of marriage. There is life after marriage, even on earth. What matters most is our relationship to Christ. We must remember that the quality and purity of relationships will extend far beyond what marriage provides today. Sin will no longer cloud our relationships. There will be a quality of personal interaction directed fully by the presence of God. We must come to him for truth and hope and healing. 


Now my personal belief toward the resurrection of a marriage can be summed up in four words: "It's not about you."

If understanding this can transform your personal view of a purpose in life, then I believe that it can transform a marriage relationship as well.

Well, it's Easter...are you going to church this Easter with any anticipation in your heart, how will you feel when you arrive this Easter morning? How will you feel when you leave this Easter morning? 

Be praying this week for the same change that took place over 2,000 years ago on Easter morning when believers woke-up and experienced that Christ is ALIVE!

See you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan

Class Lesson April 1, 2012

Hey Gang,

This week we begin a whole new series on Foundations of Our Faith. Many of us live life at such a fast pace that sometimes we fail to catch the significance of our faith for daily living. Some of us are really only able to give “Sunday School answers” regarding the foundation of our faith. There are foundational truths that are necessary to establish a firm foundation on which to grow in spiritual maturity and understanding.

The true test of any structure like a home or building, a successful business, a marriage, any relationship, especially your relationship with Christ is dependent totally on its foundation. The foundation determines whether it will stand and grow strong or whether it will completely crumble. Sometimes you’ve got to go back and check the foundation, both in your home and in your life. Maybe you’ve got some shifting or cracking that’s undermining your strength and allowing unwanted forces to seep in. When that’s the case, you’ve got to shore up your foundation.

The five lessons in this series provide a foundation upon which we can build lives that are strong and can stand the outside forces that try to bring us down. Jesus is the Master Carpenter and He will do the work. Your payment required is your life, but the work is guaranteed for eternity.

Lessons in this series:

April 1 – Jesus Died for Our Sins – Understand with head, heart, and soul why Jesus died on the cross.



April 8 – Jesus Rose from the Dead – Examine the evidence and believe in the reality and relevance of Jesus’ physical resurrection from death.



April 15 – Jesus Lives in Believers – Choose each day to faithfully bear fruit for Jesus. He will show you how and He will give you power.



April 22 – Jesus Works Through His Church – Allow Jesus to work through you as part of His church to give people of all nations opportunity to know Christ.



April 29 – Jesus Is Coming Again – Because Jesus is really coming back prepare for His return.

This is a WHY lesson: Why did Jesus choose to die?



It’s important to your foundation of faith that you understand with your head, heart and soul why Jesus died on the cross. 

I. JESUS DIED TO FORGIVE – MATTHEW 26:26-29

The First Lord’s Supper

26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take and eat it; this is My body.” 27 Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks, He gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood that establishes the covenant; it is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 But I tell you, from this moment I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it in a new way in My Father’s kingdom with you.”



What does Jesus’ intention seem to be here? What symbolism is in the bread and the wine?

• Forever after this the Passover meal would have new symbolism, completing the old covenant with the new one (Ex. 12:24-28; Jer. 31:31-34).

• During the exodus in Egypt, God’s people put the blood of a lamb offering on the top and two sides of the door frames of their houses (Ex. 12:5, 7, 22-23). The angel passed over the houses covered with lamb’s blood but destroyed the firstborn in all other homes. The Passover wine represented that blood. Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God (John 1:29; 1 Pet. 1:19).

• At the last supper Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. His immediate purpose was to prepare His disciples for His death. His long-range purpose was to help latter generations remember what He had done and why.

Jesus indicated He would be crucified before He was ever arrested. What does this tell you about the reason He died? From verse 28, for what purpose did Jesus choose to die? 

• It’s true the Jews hated Jesus, the Romans were cruel, Pilate was weak, and Judas was greedily controlling. But long before Jesus walked the earth, God chose to redeem humankind.

What does the Lord’s Supper, also known as communion, mean to you now?





II. JESUS DIED TO FULFILL GOD'S PLAN – MATTHEW 26:36-39

The Prayer in the Garden

36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He told the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow —to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with Me.” 39 Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”



Describe Jesus’ emotional state in verses 36-39. How do you know that, despite His anguish, He was still determined and certain of God’s plan? What does this passage teach about obedience?

• Jesus was fully human and tempted in all the ways we are (Heb. 4:15).
• Obedience is not always easy; even Jesus wanted a different plan if possible.
• In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed earnestly that He might not need to die, but he concluded by renewing His commitment to the Father’s will.
• Gethsemane is the ultimate example of an earnest prayer that received a no answer.

Jesus had changed water to wine, healed many, cast out demons, walked on water, fed thousands from a small amount of food, and raised dead people to life. God could have saved Jesus from the cross at any point. What does it tell you that God did not “let this cup pass”?

The Cup was the wrath of God.



When you pray, is there any reason to pray for anything other than "Thy Will Be Done?"

III. JESUS DIED TO REVEAL HE WAS GOD'S SON – MATTHEW 27:45-46, 50-54


The Death of Jesus

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over the whole land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

...............................................

50 Jesus shouted again with a loud voice and gave up His spirit. 51 Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom; the earth quaked and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 And they came out of the tombs after His resurrection, entered the holy city, and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, “This man really was God’s Son!”




When Jesus was crucified, people looked on; so did His enemies. Some of them pointed to the irony of the sign declaring Jesus King of the Jews. Jesus was crucified between two thieves, thus identifying with sinners. He cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” When He died, the temple veil was torn from top to bottom. A Roman centurion declared his faith in Jesus as the Son of God.


What four miraculous events occurred? What caused the centurion and those who were with him to recognize Jesus is the Son of God? What did they risk by making such a proclamation? What makes this discovery worth the risk?

Prayer of Commitment

Lord, I confess my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, and I commit (or recommit) my life to You. Amen

This is our Easter series of lessons and spring is in the air, so be in prayer this week as you prepare to re-build your faith on the foundational truths of the good news!

Hope that each of you have a blessed rest of the week and we'll see you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan