It’s easy to fall into a rut isn’t it…..

It’s certainly easy to let the pace and pressure of life steal away the joy and excitement of our first encounter with Jesus! If you’ve felt that before, don’t think that you are alone. Many believers go through periods in their lives when their relationship with Christ loses its energy, it may be caused by neglect, sin, or unforeseen life circumstances that temporarily pull our focus away from Jesus.

The real danger is becoming content or worse comfortable with a semi Christ focused life. We begin making excuses for our lack of concern for God’s priorities in our life. Please understand that all Christians, whether they’re preachers, elders, deacons, teachers, or anyone else, go through times in their Christian walk where their walk with God is challenged.

The real question is; what do we do about it? How can we restore the joy and excitement in our Christian life after it’s slipped away momentarily?

I believe one of the most important things that we can daily do is remind ourselves of God’s goodness and grace.

The bible is constantly reminding us of the central role grace plays in our relationship with God.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8.9. “We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved.” – Acts 15:11. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you, through His poverty, might become rich.” – 2 Corinthians 8:9.
Think about that for a second……. Christ became poor so we might become rich in him.

Some have defined grace as God’s unmerited favor. That simply means that though we could do nothing ourselves to earn God’s love, or demand God’s approval on our lives, God chose to made a relationship possible through his son Jesus Christ.

That is why salvation or eternal life is described in the Bible as a gift. Paul says in Romans 6:23,

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So, we have received God’s favor because of Christ’s obedience on the cross, and our obedience to Christ.

There is an old memory aid that I think summarizes the idea of grace most memorably:

Grace is,

God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense

The Bible describes this truth in so many ways. For example, we are told in John 3:16,

“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
And in Romans 5:6-8,

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possible dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Have you ever stopped to think about when Jesus died?

He died before you were ever born!
We did not ask Him to.
We did not create the plan by which we could be saved.
We did not offer Him a life that was pure, but a life that was tainted with sin.
Even so, God offered us life through his son Jesus.
“But wait,” you might say, “When I was baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of my sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, did I do something to earn my salvation?” That is a good question. Perhaps the gift of God’s GRACE could be compared to a present given to you by those who loved you very much. As they hand the present to you they say, “Open it.” Obviously, you have to do something for the gift to really be yours. You must take off the ribbon, take off the paper, and open the box. Does that mean that you earned their gift?

Of course not!

You simply accepted the gift as freely as it had been given. The same is true with baptism. Christ has done everything so that you and I can be saved. God, through Christ, offers us the gift of salvation. He says that by grace we can be made right with Him. Therefore, in faith, baptism is simply the biblical   way we prepare ourselves to take off the ribbon and wrapping paper. We accept God’s GRACE as freely as it has been given.

As we get back to our original question…. How should God’s goodness and grace change our focus when we go through those rough spells in our lives? Just thinking about how great God’s love is for us should cause us to want to live, and love, and work for God and Christ as never before. That is certainly the way in which God’s grace affected the apostle Paul. He says in 1 Corinthians 15:10,

“But by the GRACE of God I am what I am, and His GRACE to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all . . . yet not I, but the GRACE of God that was with me.”
May the GRACE of God have the same uplifting and energizing effect on our lives today as we live for God’s glory!


QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW AND STUDY

1. Why do Christians have low points in their spiritual walk?

2. According to Ephesians 2:8,9, Acts 15:11, and 2 Corinthians 8:9 what attribute of God allows us to be saved?

3. How would you define Grace if someone were to ask you?

4. Fill in the following acrostic which can help us remember what grace is.

G –
R –
A –
C –
E –

5. According to Romans 6:23 how do we have access to a relationship with God?

6. What does Romans 5:6-8 tell us about God and Christ?

7. What effect should God’s grace have upon us according to 1 Corinthians 15:10?

In the past few lesson we’ve been discussing the nature of God. You might think this is a strange place to start a new believers Bible study, but my reason is simple. There is nothing more important in all of the world than knowing God. In fact, that is exactly how Jesus defined eternal life.

He said in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
Our first concern for your new walk with Christ is not so much that you know many things “about” God, but that you come to know God Himself as fully as possible.

Without question one of the most important attributes of God is that he is HOLY.

If someone asked you about one of your close friends, you might say, “He’s the most thoughtful person I’ve ever known.” How do you know? Because you have spent enough time with your friend to know he is thoughtful. The same is true of your relationship with God. As you spend more time with Him, learning about him and serving Him, you will realize that above all else He is HOLY.

The Bible tells us over and over again that God is holy.

The prophet Isaiah writes in Isaiah 6:3, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole world is full of His glory.”
Similarly, in the book of Revelation (Revelation 4:8) we find these words: “Holy, holy ,holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is , and is to come.”
Again, consider the words of Hannah. She prayed in 1 Samuel 2:2, “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”
 
The Bible speaks of God as holy hundreds of times.

So, what does that mean? What is the Bible trying to tell us when it says God is holy?

The idea of holiness carries with it two concepts which might seem contradictory, but are not. Holiness means both “Set Apart” and yet “With us” Separate and yet involved.

Hosea the prophet records God as saying:

Hosea 11:9, “I AM GOD, AND NOT MAN–THE HOLY ONE AMONG YOU.”
First, we see that GOD IS Set Apart or SEPARATE.

His nature is very different from ours:

God does not sin–we sin.
God is eternal— we all will die.
God is all powerful– We are very limited in power.
God knows all- We know so very little of all there is to know.
God is perfectly right in everything he does — we are often unfair toward others.
There is a very real sense in which God, by His very nature, is “separate” or “different” from man. As God says through Isaiah.

Isaiah 40:25,“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One.”
Obviously, no one can be God’s equal because of the vast difference between God and man.

Second, we see that HE’S INVOLVED WITH US.

 He describes Himself as “the Holy One among you.”

Although God’s nature and God’s ways are so different from ours, God still wants to be involved in the affairs of man.
He wants to make us holy!
Obviously, for us to be holy, it takes an act of God Himself!
There is no way, by our own power, that we can be holy.
But praise God! Because He is holy, He came in the form of Jesus Christ to take away our sins so that we might be holy!
 2 Corinthians 5:21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
At this point, you might ask an important question. “in what way am I really holy?”

You are not holy in our nature as God is but rather Your holiness is a shared attribute. God freely shares His holiness with you so that, as Peter says in 2 Peter 1:4, you “may participate in the divine nature”, or as Paul says in Ephesians 5:1, so that we might have the opportunity to be “imitators of God.”

This means that we too become set apart.

We no longer see the world as we once did
We are born again into a new family and a new way of thinking
You now have the promise of eternal life as we read John 3:16.
You now have turned away from a sinful way of living as revealed in Romans 6:11-14.
You now know everything that is necessary for a right relationship with God as we see in 2 Peter 1:3.
In your life and commitment you are now SET APART or different from others who do not know God. In this way we follow our heavenly father and as much as is possible demonstrate what it means to be holy.

 

Just as God’s holiness means that He is INVOLVED in the world, the same goes for you.

As one made holy, God calls you to be different than others.
He also calls you to be INVOLVED with others.
Jesus said:

Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
The Christian life, lived in the imitation of God, is not a life of retreating from people, but a life of being involved with others so that they might come to know God as well.

How would you describe your God? He is HOLY! How would you describe your life since you have come to know Christ as Savior?
You are also HOLY! Not because of your own virtue, but because of the goodness of God. Because God is so good, we should live our lives consistently with what God has called us to be–HOLY!
 

QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW AND STUDY

1. How did Jesus define eternal life according to John 17:30?

2. What does that Bible repeatedly say that God is? In other words, how does the Bible

describe God according to Isaiah 6:3 & Revelation 4:8?

3. What are the two concepts of holiness according to Hosea 11:8?

4. In what ways is God “separate”?

5. In what way has God been “involved” in your life?

6. Why does God share His holiness with us according to 2 Peter 1:4 & Ephesians 5:1?

7. As a person who has been made holy, in what ways are you now “separate” from our culture and world according to John 3:16, Romans 6:11-14 & 2 Peter 1:3?

8. As a person who has been made holy, in what ways do you think you can become “involved” in other peoples’ lives so that they might come to know God?

In past studies we’ve discussed the Bible’s powerful statements concerning the fact that God created the heavens and the earth. Since the Bible also says in 1 John 4:16 that, “God is Love”, we can summarize that the creation of the world was an act of love. If so, then the same thing can be said of us. We were brought into the world by an act of God’s love. God’s love gave us breath, and because of that, we owe God our very lives.

God’s love for us is shown in another remarkable way. Not only is God our CREATOR, but He is also our REDEEMER. Although we came into the world by God’s love, and we were created to love Him, and we’ve all rebelled. There has been a time in all of our lives when sin has controlled us. As Paul points out in

, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.”Colossians 1:21
There is a very real sense in which we sold ourselves to Satan and to the deception of sin. We became slaves of sin. Even so, God loves us so much that He decided to buy us back for Himself. When God bought us back for His own use, He redeemed us. Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:14 tell us the purchase price was tremendous. The only way God could buy us back from our self imposed slavery to sin was if Jesus offered His own blood to pay the price. Because Jesus shed His blood for us, we have been set free.

In other words… We’ve been REDEEMED!

What does this mean for our lives in a practical way?

1. We have been redeemed from a life of wickedness and have been set free for a life of goodness.

Paul says of Jesus in Titus 2:14,

He “gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”Titus 2:14
2. We have been redeemed from a life of emptiness and have been set free for a life of fullness.

Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:18-19,

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”I Peter 1:18-19
3. We learn that we have been redeemed from the consequences of sin in our lives (eternal death or hell), and have been set free for the hope of eternal life.

Paul says in Romans 8:22-15,

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. No only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoptions as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.”Romans 8:22
There is a song which says, “What a difference you’ve made in my life!” Surely that can be said of what God in Christ has done for us.

There are so many people around us who live lives of “desperation.” They are trapped in sinful patterns of living. Their bodies and hearts are only empty shells. They see no eternal purpose in life, feel no joy and peace in living. Then the final tragedy comes. Death erases all of their long held hopes and aspirations.

That is not true for us! What a DIFFERENCE He has made in our lives! Because of Christ’s sacrifice we find joy in doing good! Because of God our lives are filled with eternal purpose!

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 tells us that because of Him we live with the confident assurance that when Jesus comes again, we too will be raised from the dead to live with the Lord Jesus forever!

Because God is our CREATOR and REDEEMER, we owe Him both our life and our love.

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REVIEW

1. According to 1 John 4:16, God is what?

2. Do you believe that you were brought into the world by an act of God’s love? Explain your answer.

3. Before we accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, what was our relationship to God, how does that relate to Colossians 1:21?

4. Being redeemed means that we have been bought back by God. What price did Christ have to pay so that we could be set free from sin according to Ephesians 1:7 & Colossians 1:13&14? How should that shape our relationship with him?

5. Titus 2:12-14 tells us, we have been redeemed from a life of wickedness and have been set free for a life of what? Are we living that life?

6. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, we have been redeemed from a life of emptiness and have been set free for a life of what? Are we living that life?

7. According to Romans 8:22-25, we have been redeemed from the consequences of sin and have been set free for what?

8. Because God is our CREATOR and REDEEMER, we owe Him what two things?

I know we’ve said this before, but it must be said again. As you progress in your Christian life, from time to time there will be doubts that creep into your mind. Satan likes nothing more than to be able to make Christians unsure of their salvation. The nagging questions of am I doing enough, am I headed in the right direction, can destroy the Joy we are to have in Christ. As long as he can get us to worry about ourselves, he knows that he can neutralize our concern about those around us who don’t know Christ. One of Satan’s most subtle and useful tools is using other people who believe in Christ, but claim to have special powers or special gifts that set them apart from everyone else. By comparing our lives with theirs we may begin to wonder if there is something missing in our own lives. The apostle John wrote long ago to Christians who were facing a similar situation and similar doubts.

In response to this problem, John told his Christian friends that there is only one thing they needed to be sure about, and that was that they had eternal life. John said:

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”1 John 5:13,
But how can we know for sure we have eternal life and what exactlyis eternal life? First of all if we have never accepted Christ’s offer of salvation, been baptized for the forgiveness of sins, and filled with the Holy Spirit we must start there. However if we’ve done those things the journey isn’t over, but rather its just begun.

In his gospel, John records the prayer of Jesus. From this scripture we learn what eternal life really is. Jesus prayed:,

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3
So, to know that we have eternal life, we must make sure that we know God and that we are known by God. We also learn in 1 John that there are three specific ways in which we can test whether or not we actually know God and Christ.

1. We can be sure that we have eternal life if we continue to obey God’s commands.

This does not mean we will never fail, but that the tendency of our lives is to constantly do what Christ commands. John writes in 1 John 2:3, “We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands.” Again, he says in 1 John 3:6, “No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him.” If we continue in a sinful lifestyle somewhere we’ve missed the purpose of grace. Paul asks the question:

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?Romans 6:1
If the tendency of our lives is to do what God commands and repent

when we do slip into sin, then we have one good reason to believe that we have eternal life.

2. We can be sure that we have eternal life if we continue to listen to the apostles and eye-witnesses of the Lord Jesus.

John writes:

“We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.” 1 John 4:6,
The “us” in that verse refers to the apostles and eye-witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ, in other words, the writers of the New Testament books. There are many voices that compete for our attention in this world of religious confusion, but our eternal life depends upon whether or not we continually listen to what the New Testament tell us.

3. We can be sure that we have eternal life if we continue to demonstrate love.

 1 John 4:7-8, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for loves comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God.” I John 4:7-8
The kind of love that John speaks of here is not primarily a “feeling.” Rather it comes from a mind and heart devoted to Christ which says, “I will act in your best interest in all situations, no matter how I may feel about it.” Certainly that is the kind of love that Jesus displayed towards us. While we were very unlovable, Christ showed His love by dying for us.

Jesus said that the world would know his true disciples by the quality of love they had for one another.

We can use these three tests to examine our progress, ask ourselves where I am in my walk with God.

Are we continually obeying His word?
Are you listening and applying Gods word to our lives?
Are we loving people as Christ loved us?
If you are, then you certainly walking on the path the Jesus has laid out for each of us. There will be challenges along the way but with the strength of Christ we can overcome! ! I pray this assurance will be a source of strength and conviction to you all throughout your life!

QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW AND STUDY

1. What does John say is the most important thing to be sure about in 1 John 5:13?

2. According to Jesus, what is eternal life in John 17:3?

3. If eternal life means knowing God and Christ, is it possible to know for sure that we really know them? If so, how many ways are there to test whether or not we really know God and Christ?

4. What are the 3 ways we can be sure that we know God and Christ, and therefore, be sure that we have eternal life according to 1 John 2:3, 1 John 4:6, and 1 John 4:7,8?

5. How do you know that you have eternal life?

Dear Saint,

You might be a little confused at why I referred to you as a saint. Contrary to the common notion about sainthood, the Bible says that all Christians are saints. The word saint actually comes from a Greek word (hagios) which means “holy.” A saint is a “holy one” or a person who is “holy.”

As a Christian, you are indeed a “saint” because you have been made holy by the blood of Christ. The Bible says in Hebrews 10:10 that “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” This is the reason the apostles sent letters to the various churches, letters designed for everyone in the congregation. They would often write such things as,

“To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi” –Philippians 1:1 ,
“To all the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse” –Colossians 1:2 .
What does it mean to be holy? It obviously means that our sins have been taken away, but there’s much more than just forgiveness. It means that we have now been set apart by God Himself to accomplish His will.

Peter writes in 1 Peter

“As you come to Him,the living Stone–rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him–you also, like livingstones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ… But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, aholy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called youout of the darkness into His wonderful light.”1 Peter 2:4-5, 9 ,
Notice that as a holy people, God has called us to do His will. That includes both offering spiritual sacrifices as seen in Hebrews 13:12-16 and declaring His praises or telling of how good God has been to us.

However, not only does God call us to accomplish His purposes, He also gives us His promises. “And we pray this in order that you may live a lifeworthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work,growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”Colossians 1:10-12,
Of course, you will learn very quickly that Satan does not want you to believe that. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8 , “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

The first thing he will do to try to get you to question your salvation. He’ll do his best to create doubt about your place with God in Christ, or that you really have been made holy. He will subtly try to get you to look at your own shortcomings in hopes that you will forget to look to Christ and what he has done for you. But you must do as Peter says

“Resist the devil, standing firm in the faith.”1 Peter 5:8 ,
Remember, that God cannot lie, and He has said clearly in His word that you have been made holy. The book of Hebrews reminds us in chapter13 verses 12-16 ,

“And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood. Let us, then, go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of the lips that confess His name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”Hebrews 13:12-16
Let’s not forget Paul’s blessing

“May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you (make you holy) through and through. Mayyour whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. TheOne who calls you is faithful and He will do it.”1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24,
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW AND STUDY

1. What is a “saint” according to the Bible?

2. How do you know according to Hebrews 10:10, you are a saint and have been made holy?

3. Are all Christian’s saints according to Philippians 1:1 & Colossians 1:2?

4. To be a saint, or to be holy, means that we have been set apart to do God’s will. What are two things that we will do as saints as seen in 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9?

5. What kind of sacrifices does Hebrews 13:12-16 say please God?

6. What promise is ours as saints of God according to Colossians 1:10-12?

7. To resist Satan, we must believe God. What does Hebrews 13:12-16 say God has told us that can make us sure that we have been made holy?

8. Who does 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 say we can trust to keep our spirit, soul and body blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus?

Type your new text here.

God is who the Bible says was in the beginning.

in Genesis 1:1.In fact, we learn

“In the beginning, God CREATED the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1
Everything we see and cannot see, all that is, has been created by God; even me and you! Although some have tried to prove that God did not create the world, the only reasonable explanation for our world, in all of its vastness and order, is that IT WAS CREATED.

One reason is the Bible’s testimony is certainly clear. It says in Psalm 33:6,

“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth.” Psalm 33:6,
  “Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights above. Praise Him, all His angels, praise Him, all His heavenly hosts. Praise Him, sunand moon, praise Him, all you shining stars. Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created.” Psalm 148:1-5
There are many convincing arguments and a lot of solid evidence that helps us understand that God created the world. In addition to these, the Christian has an assurance that the world does not understand, but it is certainly real. It is called FAITH. The writer of Hebrews says in

Hebrews 11:1-3, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith, we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
As we look at creation, we can begin to see something of the nature of God. The apostle Paul is very specific about this. He writes in Romans 1:18-20,

 

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness since what may be known about God is plain to them. For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible attributes—His eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Romans 1:18-20
In the same way, the Psalmist says in Psalm 19:1,

“The heavens declare the glory of God.” Psalm 19:1
Since God has created everything, we are also a part of His creation. However, the Bible indicates that there is something that makes us as special in God’s sight.  We, unlike any other creature in the whole universe, have been created in His image.

Genesis 1:26-27, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ so God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.”
It is interesting to note that after each thing was created God said that it was good in Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, & 24, but it wasn’t until man was created that God could say in Genesis 1:31, “It is very good.”

There are two reasons why I share this with you:

The first is so you can be reminded and understand more fully that God is indeed the Creator of the universe, and each day we live in His world we will be reminded of His eternal power and divine nature.
The second is so we might realize we are special to God, and God should be special to us. If it were not for God, we would not even be alive!
The prophet Isaiah summarizes both of these things. He says in Isaiah 42:5 that it’s

God “. . .who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it.”
It’s God who has given us life and breath, and who has made us special. May we never stop praising Him for that!

QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW AND STUDY.

1. How does Genesis 1:1 say our world came into existence?

2. How were the heavens and the earth created according to Psalm 33:6 & Hebrews 11:1-3?

3. What things can we learn from Romans 1:18-20 about God by looking at His creation?

4. According to Psalm 19, what do the heavens declare in verse 1?

5. What makes man special according to Genesis 1:26-27?

6. When did God say the creation was VERY good according to Genesis 1:31?