Bible Study

Isaiah 53:3-5

    [3] 

    He was despised and rejected by men,

        a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

    and as one from whom men hide their faces

        he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

    [4] 

    Surely he has borne our griefs

        and carried our sorrows;

    yet we esteemed him stricken,

        smitten by God, and afflicted. 

    [5] 

    But he was pierced for our transgressions;

        he was crushed for our iniquities;

    upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

        and with his wounds we are healed.

Philippians 2:8-11

[8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Ezekiel 16:62-63

[62] I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, [63] that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD.”

Romans 3:9-12

No One Is Righteous

[9] What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, [10] as it is written: 

    “None is righteous, no, not one; 

    [11]     no one understands;

        no one seeks for God. 

    [12] All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

        no one does good,

        not even one.”

Are You Growing in Your Knowledge of Jesus?

PRAY OVER THIS

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”

Colossians 2:6

 

PONDER THIS

What is a walk? It is one step at a time. It takes two feet to walk. Do you realize when you walk, you’re off-balance? If you don’t take another step, you’ll fall after a while. You take one step, and then the other step is necessary, and then the other step is necessary. The way you walk is one step at a time, and it takes two feet to walk. What are the two feet of the Christian faith? Repentance and faith. How did you receive the Lord Jesus? By repentance and faith. What is repentance? Repentance is God’s way of revealing myself to me, and faith is God’s way of revealing Jesus to me. Repentance is where I see my bankruptcy; faith is where I see His glory.

When I became a Christian, I did not know much, but I had a hunger in my heart to know God. When I got saved, I gave all I knew of me to all I knew of Him. Frankly, I knew very little about myself or Him at that time. But I did know I was sinful, and I did know He was glorious. But since that time, I have learned a whole lot more about me, and none of it is good; and I’ve learned a whole lot more about Him, and it’s better than I ever thought.

What are some things you have learned about yourself since you became a Christian?

How has your faith in God grown since you became a Christian?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

A Hiding Place for the Helpless

How abundant is your goodness, which you have . . . worked for those who take refuge in you. (Psalm 31:19)

The experience of future grace often hangs on whether we will take refuge in God, or whether we doubt his care and run for cover to other shelters.

For those who take refuge in God, the promises of future grace are many and rich.

None of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. (Psalm 34:22)

He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. (2 Samuel 22:31)

Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:12)

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. (Nahum 1:7)

We do not earn or merit anything by taking refuge in God. Hiding, because we are weak and need protection, is not a work to commend our self-sufficiency. All it does is show that we regard ourselves as helpless and the hiding place as a place of rescue.

In all those promises I just quoted, the condition of great blessing from God is that we take refuge in him. That condition is not a meritorious one; it is the condition of desperation and acknowledged weakness and need and trust.

Desperation does not demand or deserve; it pleads for mercy and looks for grace.

John Piper 

Bible Study

Colossians 1:10-20

[10] so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [11] being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; [12] giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. [13] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Preeminence of Christ

[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Ephesians 4:1-2

Unity in the Body of Christ

[1] I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, [2] with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

Ephesians 5:10-11

[10] and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. [11] Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

2 Corinthians 5:9-11

[9] So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. [10] For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

[11] Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

Are You Walking in God’s Spirit?

PRAY OVER THIS

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Galatians 5:16-18

 

PONDER THIS

To “walk in the Spirit” means the Spirit is to be the circumference of my walk. If I said to you, “Walk in this building.” That means you are supposed to stay in this building. This building is the parameter, the circumference, the environment, and the element in which you walk. If you step outside this building, you’re not walking in this building.

The Holy Spirit is to be the parameter in which you walk. Are you willing to do that? Our flesh often says, “Don’t fence me in!” It tells us that outside of the Spirit, there are certain pleasures, ideas, and fulfillments you need to make you happy. A person with a Spirit-controlled life has come to this settled conclusion: there is nothing worth having outside of Jesus. If you don’t come to that conclusion, you will never live a victorious life. All the things you do are to be within the context of the Holy Spirit of God leading and directing your life. When I step out of bounds, the Holy Spirit says, “You are out of bounds.” And so, I repent, and I step back in. That is a Spirit-controlled life.

Can you truly say you are seeking to live within the parameters set by the Holy Spirit?

When has God shown you that you were out of bounds? How did you respond?

PRACTICE THIS

Take some time in silence to consider where you have seen the Holy Spirit direct your life. Listen to where the Spirit is leading you now.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Fear That Draws Us In

“Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” (Exodus 20:20)

There is a fear that is slavish and drives us away from God, and there is a fear that is sweet and draws us to God. Moses warned against the one and called for the other in the very same verse, Exodus 20:20: “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.’”

The clearest illustration I have ever seen of this kind of good fear was the time one of my sons looked a German shepherd in the eye. We were visiting a family from our church. My son Karsten was about seven years old. They had a huge dog that stood eye to eye with a seven-year-old.

He was friendly and Karsten had no problem making friends. But when we sent Karsten back to the car to get something we had forgotten, he started to run, and the dog galloped up behind him with a low growl. And of course, this frightened Karsten. But the owner said, “Karsten, why don’t you just walk? The dog doesn’t like it when people run away from him.”

If Karsten hugged the dog, he was friendly and would even lick his face. But if he ran from the dog, the dog would growl and fill Karsten with fear.

That’s a picture of what it means to fear the Lord. God means for his power and holiness to kindle fear in us, not to drive us from him, but to drive us to him. Fearing God means, first, fearing to abandon him as our great security and satisfaction.

Or another way to say it is that we should fear unbelief. Fear not trusting God’s goodness. Isn’t that the point of Romans 11:20? “You stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.” That is, what we should fear is not believing, not having faith. Fear running away from God. But if we walk with him and hug his neck, he will be our friend and protector forever.

John Piper 

Bible Study

Deuteronomy 13:3-4

[3] you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. [4] You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. Genesis 22:1-2

The Sacrifice of Isaac

[1] After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” [2] He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

1 Samuel 12:20-23

[20] And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. [21] And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. [22] For the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself. [23] Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.

1 Corinthians 8:3-6

[3] But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

[4] Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” [5] For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—[6] yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.