THE GOSPEL PROJECT

ALL SCRIPTURE FOR LESSON

IS PROVIDED IN THE STUDY BOOKLET.

ANGELS, SATAN, AND DEMONS

LUKE 1:26
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,

DANIEL 12:1

1 “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.  

JUDE 9
9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 

REVELATIONS 12:7-8
7 And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 
8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 

PSALMS 103:20-21
20 Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! 
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will. 

SALVATION

IS REMORSE AND REPENTANCE THE SAME? READ THE SCRIPTURE
BELOW.

2 CORINTHIANS 7:9-109 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.

10For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.
　

SALVATION— deliverance from the power of sin; redemption.In the Old Testament, the word “salvation” sometimes refers to deliverance from danger (Jer. 15:20), deliverance of the weak from an oppressor (Ps. 35:9–10), the healing of sickness (Is. 38:20), and deliverance from blood guilt and its consequences (Ps. 51:14). It may also refer to national deliverance from military threat (Ex. 14:13) or release from captivity (Ps. 14:7). But salvation finds its deepest meaning in the spiritual realm of life. Our universal need for salvation is one of the clearest teachings of the Bible.

REPENTANCE— a turning away from sin, disobedience, or rebellion and a turning back to God (Matt. 9:13; Luke 5:32). In a more general sense, repentance means a change of mind (Gen. 6:6–7) or a feeling of remorse or regret for past conduct (Matt. 27:3). True repentance is a “godly sorrow” for sin, an act of turning around and going in the opposite direction. This type of repentance leads to a fundamental change in a person’s relationship to God.

JUSTIFICATION— the process by which sinful human beings are made acceptable to a holy God

NEW BIRTH— inner spiritual renewal as a result of the power of God in a person’s life. The phrase new birth comes from John 3:3, 7, where Jesus told Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Jesus meant that all people are so sinful in God’s eyes that they need to be regenerated—recreated and renewed—by the sovereign activity of God’s Spirit (John 3:5–8). 

SANCTIFICATION— the process of God’s grace by which the believer is separated from sin and becomes dedicated to God’s righteousness. Accomplished by the Word of God (John 17:7) and the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:3–4), sanctification results in holiness, or purification from the guilt and power of sin.



　

　

　

THE HOLY SPIRIT

EXODUS 31:2-5
^{2　“Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
3　I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. 4　He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze.
5　He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft!}

NUMBERS 11:16-17
Moses Chooses Seventy Leaders

^{16　Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle* to stand there with you.
17　I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone.}

EZEKIEL 2:1-4
Ezekiel’s Call and Commission
1“Stand up, son of man,” said the voice. “I want to speak with you.”

^{2　The Spirit came into me as he spoke, and he set me on my feet. I listened carefully to his words.
3　“Son of man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day.
4　They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you to say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’}

1 JOHN 2:19
^{19　These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.}

EPHESIANS 1:3-7
^{3　All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
4　Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
5　God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
6　So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.*
7　He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.}

1PETER 1:3-5
^{3　All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,
4　and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
5　And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.}

JESUS CHRIST

1 CORINTHIANS 15
The Resurrection of Christ
15
Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters,^* of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it.
^{2　It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.*
3　I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.
4　He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.
5　He was seen by Peter* and then by the Twelve.
6　After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers* at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
7　Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.
8　Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.
9　For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
10　But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.
11　So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed.}

The Resurrection of the Dead

^{12　But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead?
13　For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either.
14　And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.
15　And we apostles would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can’t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16　And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised.
17　And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
18　In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost!
19　And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.
20　But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
21　So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man.
22　Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
23　But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.
24　After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power.
25　For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.
26　And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.
27　For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.”* (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)
28　Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.
29　If the dead will not be raised, what point is there in people being baptized for those who are dead? Why do it unless the dead will someday rise again?
30　And why should we ourselves risk our lives hour by hour?
31　For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you.
32　And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus*—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”*
33　Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”
34　Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don’t know God at all.}

The Resurrection Body

<sup>35　But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?”
36　What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first.
37　And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting.
38　Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. 39　Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.
40　There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies.
41　The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.
42　It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43　Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.
44　They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.
45　The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.”* But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit.
46　What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later.
47　Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven.
48　Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man.
49　Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like* the heavenly man.
50　What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.
51　But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!
52　It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.
53　For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
54　Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,* this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.*


55　 O death, where is your victory?
         0' death, where is your sting?*”

56　For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.
57　But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58　So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

　</sup>

OUT STRETCHED-ARMS

MATTHEW 15:32-37
^{32　Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.”
33　The disciples replied, “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?”
34　Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”}They replied, “Seven loaves, and a few small fish.”
^{35　So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground.
36　Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd.
37　They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food.}

MATTHEW 20:29-34
^{29　As Jesus and the disciples left the town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind. 30　Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they began shouting, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
31　“Be quiet!” the crowd yelled at them.}But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
^{32　When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?”
33　“Lord,” they said, “we want to see!”
34　Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.}

MARK 1:40-41
^{40　A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said.
41　Moved with compassion,* Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”}

MARK 6:34³⁴Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

LUKE 7:11-15
^{11　Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him.
12　A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her.
13　When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said.
14　Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.”
15　Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.}

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-7^{4　Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud
5　or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
 6　It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
7　Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.}

1 PETER 2:21-23^{21　For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered* for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
22　He never sinned,}nor ever deceived anyone.^{*
23　He did not retaliate when he was insulted,}
nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God,who always judges fairly.

1 PETER 3:8-9
^{8　Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters.* Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.
9　Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.}

WEB-SITE SERVICE ISSUE

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COPIES WILL BE BE AVAILABLE IN CLASS AS USUAL.

ROLLED-UP SLEEVES

MATTHEW 25:31-40
^{31　“But when the Son of Man* comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.
32　All the nations* will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33　He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
34　“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.
35　For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.
36　I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37　“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38　Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?
39　When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40　“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,* you were doing it to me!’}

ACTS 4:36-37
^{36　For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus.
37　He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.}

REVELATION 3:7-13
^{7　“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.}

This is the message from the one who is holy and true,
the one who has the key of David.
What he opens, no one can close;
and what he closes, no one can open:*
8　“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.
9　Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
10　“Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.
11　I am coming soon.* Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.
12　All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.
13　“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

JOHN 1:40-42
^{40　Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus.
41　Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”*).
42　Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”*)}

ACTS 2:14
^{14　Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this.}

ACTS 2:40-41
^{40　Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!”
41　Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.}

JOHN 13:14-17
^{14　And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.
15　I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.
16　I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message.
17　Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.}

WORN-OUT KNEES

MATTHEW 26:39
^{39　He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”}

MATTHEW 26:42
^{42　Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away* unless I drink it, your will be done.”}

LUKE 9:23
^{23　Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.}
ACTS 17:11
^{11　And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.}

DUSTY SHOES

2 CORINTHIANS 5:7
7 For we live by believing and not by seeing.

GALATIANS 5:16
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

EPHESIANS 5:2
2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us* and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

EPHESIANS 5:8
8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

PHILIPPIANS 2:3-4
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

GALATIANS 5:19-23
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

SIGNS OF LIFE

 

AS CHRIST’S FOLLOWERS, WE SHOULD EXHIBIT CERTAIN SIGNS OF LIFE THAT EVIDENCE OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR LORD AND HIS KINGDOM.

 

LIFE SIGN:
My faith is expressed through works.

LIFE VERSE: James 2:17

^{17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.}

LIFE IN ACTION:

What am I doing for others that clearly reveal the presence of God in my life?

ROMANS 12:11-12
¹¹Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.^*

^{12　Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.}


PHILIPPIANS 4:4-8

^{4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!
 5　Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.6　Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.}

7　Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

8　And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 

1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18

^{16　Always be joyful.
17　Never stop praying.
18　Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.}

FACING DEATH, LEAVING A LEGACY

GENESIS 50:22-26
22 Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father’s household, and Joseph lived one hundred and ten years.
23 Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s sons; also the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born on Joseph’s knees.
24 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.”
25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here." 
26 So Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

JOSHUA 14:6-7
6 Then the sons of Judah drew near to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh-barnea.
7 “I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart.

JOSHUA 14:10-12
10 “Now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today.  11 “I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in.
12 “Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.”

JOSHUA 23:1-2
1 Now it came about after many days, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their enemies on every side, and Joshua was old, advanced in years, 
2 that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and their heads and their judges and their officers, and said to them, “I am old, advanced in years.

JOSHUA 23:6-8
6 “Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left,
7 so that you will not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them.
8 “But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.

LUKE 2:36-38
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.
38 At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

ACTS 7:22-23
22 “Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds.
23 “But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel.

  ACTS 7:30
30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush.

ACTS 7:35-36
35 “This Moses whom they disowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. 
36 “This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.   

EXODUS 1:6-14
6 Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation.
7 But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them.
8 Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we.
10 “Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.”
11 So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses.
12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel.
13 The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously;
14 and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on them.
   
 
 


 








　

 







 
　

A LESSON IN FORGIVENESS

GENESIS 45:1-5

1 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
2 He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it.
3Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.
4Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come closer to me.” And they came closer. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5“Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.

GENESIS 45: 19-21

19 “Now you are ordered, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come. 20 ‘Do not concern yourselves with your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ ” 21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey.

GENESIS 45:22
22 To each of them he gave changes of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.

MATTHEW 18:35
35 “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

MATTHEW 5:23-24
23 “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
　

WHEN IT COMES TO FORGIVENESS, DO YOU STRUGGLE MORE WITH FORGIVING 

(CIRCLE ONE)

 

YOURSELF OR OTHERS? 

WHAT IS YOUR LIMIT OF FORGIVENESS FOR A REPEATED OFFENSE AGAINST YOU. 

(CIRCLE ONE)

1      2       3      4      5      6      7       8      9      10

HAVE YOU EVER ACKNOWLEDGED THE EMORMITY OF YOUR SIN AND RESPONDED TO GOD’S INVITATIONTO COME CLOSE HIM AND BE FORGIVEN?

(CIRCLE ONE)

YES               NO

IF YOU HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN BY GOD, ARE YOU TAKING SERIOUSLY JESUS INSTRUCTION TO FORGIVE OTHERS FROM YOUR HEART, WITHOUT LIMITATION?

(CIRCLE ONE)

YES                 NO 

GENESIS 3:1-5
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;
3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ "4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!
5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

GENESIS 39:7
7 It came about after these events that his master’s wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”

1 PETER 2:19-25
19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 
20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. 21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 
23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. 

ROMANS 8:28-29
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  

SOLD, SAD, AND SAFE

GENESIS 37:18-36
18 When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.
19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer!
20 “Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!”
21 But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, “Let us not take his life.”
22 Reuben further said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father.
23 So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him;
24 and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt.
26 Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood?
27Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.
28 Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.
29 Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments.
30 He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?”
31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood;
32 and they sent the varicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, “We found this; please examine it to see whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”
33 Then he examined it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”
34 So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.
35 Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.
36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer, the captain of the bodyguard.  

 GENESIS 42: 21
21 Then they said to one another, “Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.”

EPHESIANS 5: 3-4
3 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;
4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

GENESIS 39: 2-6
2 The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.
3 Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand.
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge.
5 It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house on account of Joseph; thus the Lord’s blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field.
6 So he left everything he owned in Joseph’s charge; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

A NEW COAT,BIG DREAMS, AND A LONG TRIP

GENESIS 30:22-24

22 Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb.
23 So she conceived and bore a son and said, “God has taken away my reproach.”
24 She named him Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me another son.”

GENESIS 33:1-7
1Then Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids. 
2 He put the maids and their children in front, and Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. 3 But he himself passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

GENESIS 35:23-26
23 the sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, then Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Zebulun;
24 the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin; 25 and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid: Dan and Naphtali;
26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

GENESIS 37:2
2 These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father

GENESIS 37:1-3
1 Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan.
2 These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.

GENESIS 35:16-19
16 Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and she suffered severe labor.
17 When she was in severe labor the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for now you have another son.”
18 It came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).

GENESIS 37:4 
4His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.

GENESIS 37:8
 8 Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

GENESIS 37:12-20
12 Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem.
13 Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “I will go.” 
14 Then he said to him, “Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16 He said, “I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.”
17 Then the man said, “They have moved from here; for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18 When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.
19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer!
20 “Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams

A KINGDOM WITHIN

weltanschauung

PRONUNCIATION:  (VELT-ahn-shou-oong)

MEANING:  noun: World view; philosophy of life; a framework through which to interpret the world.

ETYMOLOGY:  From German Weltanschauung (world view), from Welt (world) + Anschauung (perception).
 　

PHILIPPIANS 3:7-14
7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,

9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 

14  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

THE BEATITUDES

Matthew 5:3-12
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Joe's information

Beatitudes: Meaning -

The word ‘Beatitudes’ in not found in the english bible. It comes from the latin word ‘Beatus’, which means happy or blessed. It is usually referred to the eight state of blessedness, Jesus preached on the sermon on the mount, recorded in Matthew 5:3-12. Some what similar list is also mentioned in Luke 6:20-23. However, these two list of beatitudes differs a bit from each other.

THE SERVANTS MIND

Matthew 20: 25-28
25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.
26 “It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,

27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;

28  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

 Matthew 25: 14-30
14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.

15 “To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.

16 “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.

17 “In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more.

18 “But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

 19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves ^*came and ^*settled accounts with them.

20 “The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’

21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 “Also the one who had received the two and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

 24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.

25 ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.

27 ‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.  
28 ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’

29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

30 “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR JOE

The context of this parable is the return of Christ.  The wealthy “master” is the Lord Jesus Christ whose “journey” refers to his departure to heaven after his resurrection.  The“servants” represent initially the 12 disciples and later all believers of every generation.  The “talents” symbolize all gifts, both natural and spiritual, which he “entrusts” or loans to his servants.  Different servants receive different gifts and different opportunities.  The master’s return “after a long time” refers to the end of this age of grace during which the servants should faithfully use their talents for Christ’s service.

The “settling of accounts” takes place at the “judgment seat of Christ” when the service of believers will be evaluated (Romans 14:12; 1 Corinthians 5:10).  The test is faithfulness or unfaithfulness, not popularity or apparent success.  Many will be commended but some will be condemned.  Degrees of punishment and reward are based upon privilege and opportunity, and our stewardship of them.

ABILITY (verses 14-15)

A talent represents any kind of resource (such as money) or ability (for example public speaking or any spiritual gift) or opportunity for service that we have.  God sovereignly distributes his gifts unequally according to his grace.  Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service… All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.” (1 Corinthians 12:4 –5, 11).  The Holy Spirit gives each Christian one or more gifts “as he wills.” (Verse 11 RSV)  Each believer has a different endowment of gifts.  The apostle Peter makes the same point: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”  (1 Peter 4:10)  God’s gifts should be used for the welfare of the whole church and not used selfishly or for self-promotion.

The phrase “each according to his ability” indicates that the amounts given were in keeping with the abilities of the servants.  No matter how much or how little we have, we must always recognize that we are responsible to him for what he has given.  There is no ground for pride in those who have been given five talents and no cause for envy or discontent in those who have received one talent.  It is unwise to compare ourselves with others.  Possibly one-talent people, who use their talent, do most Christian work.

.RESPONSIBILITY (16-18)

“At once” indicates that the good servants promptly put the money to work.  The expected return was in proportion to the amount entrusted.  The response of the first two servants illustrates what Jesus required, an unhesitating and fruitful obedience from his disciples.  The two “trustworthy” (NEB) servants received the same commendation from the master, although their original responsibility was different, and their achievement was different.

But one servant, unwilling to work or take risks, simply dug a hole and buried the money.  This was safer than the deposit systems of the time. (In Luke’s parable, the money of the third servant is hidden in a piece of cloth.)  He decided to “play it safe” rather than serve the master.

ACCOUNTABILITY (verses 19-25)

The Day of Judgment is depicted as a master investigating his servants’ accounts (c.f. 18:23).  The accounting begins “after a long time” which implies that the fulfillment of the kingdom will be delayed.  “Settled accounts” (verse 19 NIV) is a commercial term.  The first servant, who doubled his five talents, is praised for his faithfulness and given two things: increased responsibility and a share in his master’s “joy”.  The second servant has also been faithful with what has been given him and hears the same words as his more able fellow servant.  The same commendation of “Well done” (verses 21 and 23) suggests that we will be rewarded by how well we have used our talents, rather than on the basis of how much service we have done.

The master rewards his slaves generously.  In heaven, God honours the earthly service of Christians by giving them more service.  The reward for good work is more work and increased responsibility.

THE EXCUSES OF THE THIRD SERVANT WERE NOT ACCEPTED

The emphasis in this story is on the third character that the master called “wicked, lazy and useless.”  He accused his master of being a “hard” man who exploited the labour of others (“harvesting where you have not sown”), and putting the servant in a difficult position.  Should he take the risk of trying to increase the one talent entrusted to him, he would see little of the profit.  If he failed and lost everything, he would experience the master’s wrath.  However, he misjudged his master’s character and distrusted himself; he did not understand his master’s generosity.  Perhaps he was annoyed at having been given much less than the other two.  In effect he did not care what happened to his master’s property.

CONDEMNATION (26-30)

The master condemned the servant as “wicked and lazy” on the basis of the servant’s own words.  If the master was so hard and grasping, should not the servant have put the money where it would have been relatively safe, earned interest, and required no work?  There is a definite contrast between the third servant and the first two servants whose loyalty and works indicate their relationship of trust with their master.  The third slave had no works, which in the NT is the same as having no saving faith.  James says, “Faith without deeds is dead.” (2:26)

The talent entrusted to this wicked servant was taken from him and given to the servant with ten talents.  The wicked servant was considered “worthless” (NIV) or “useless”(NEB) or “unprofitable” (KJV) for to fail to use what God has entrusted to us is a serious sin.  Having neglected opportunity, he was deprived of further opportunity (c.f. Matthew 13:12).  God is not a kindly father figure who tolerates laziness and disobedience; Jesus said that the servant’s laziness was wickedness.  God is not a hard taskmaster but his grace does not tolerate irresponsibility.