Knowing
God's Word
How God's Word came to us
Revelation of
God's Word
The secret things
belong to the LORD our God, but the things
revealed belong to us and to our children
forever, that we may follow all the words of this
law. (Deuteronomy 29:29 NIV)
Inspiration of
God's Word
"As for me,
this is my covenant with them," says the
LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my
words that I have put in your mouth will not
depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of
your children, or from the mouths of their
descendants from this time on and forever,"
says the LORD. (Isaiah 59:21 NIV)
Illumination of
God's Word
For these
commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light,
and the corrections of discipline are the way to
life, (Proverbs 6:23 NIV)
What God's Word does
God's Word
convicts
Then Nehemiah the
governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the
Levites who were instructing the people said to
them all, "This day is sacred to the LORD
your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the
people had been weeping as they listened to the
words of the Law. (Nehemiah 8:9 NIV)
God's Word
corrects
As for the deeds
of men-- by the word of your lips I have kept
myself from the ways of the violent. (Psalms 17:4
NIV)
God's Word
cleanses
How can a young
man keep his way pure? By living according to
your word. (Psalms 119:9 NIV)
God's Word
confirms
To the Jews who
had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold
to my teaching, you are really my disciples Then
you will know the truth, and the truth will set
you free." (John 8:31-32 NIV)
God's Word
equips
Have I not
written thirty sayings for you, sayings of
counsel and knowledge, teaching you true and
reliable words, so that you can give sound
answers to him who sent you? (Proverbs 22:20-21
NIV)
What God's Word tells us
about God's program
God's work in
the past
Remember the days
of old; consider the generations long past. Ask
your father and he will tell you, your elders,
and they will explain to you. (Deuteronomy 32:7
NIV)
God's work in
our lives
I praise you
because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your
works are wonderful, I know that full well.
(Psalms 139:14 NIV)
What God's Word tells us
about God's covenants
The covenant of
Eden
The LORD God took
the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work
it and take care of it. And the LORD God
commanded the man, "You are free to eat from
any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for
when you eat of it you will surely die."
(Genesis 2:16-17 NIV)
The covenant of
Adam
So the LORD God
said to the serpent, "Because you have done
this, "Cursed are you above all the
livestock and all the wild animals! You will
crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the
days of your life. And I will put enmity between
you and the woman, and between your offspring and
hers; he will crush your head, and you will
strike his heel." To the woman he said,
"I will greatly increase your pains in
childbearing; with pain you will give birth to
children. Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you." To Adam he said,
"Because you listened to your wife and ate
from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You
must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground
because of you; through painful toil you will eat
of it all the days of your life. It will produce
thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the
plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food until you return to the
ground, since from it you were taken; for dust
you are and to dust you will return." Adam
named his wife Eve, because she would become the
mother of all the living. The LORD God made
garments of skin for Adam and his wife and
clothed them. (Genesis 3:14-21 NIV)
The covenant of
Noah
Then God blessed
Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be
fruitful and increase in number and fill the
earth. The fear and dread of you will fall upon
all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of
the air, upon every creature that moves along the
ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they
are given into your hands. Everything that lives
and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave
you the green plants, I now give you everything.
"But you must not eat meat that has its
lifeblood still in it. And for your lifeblood I
will surely demand an accounting. I will demand
an accounting from every animal. And from each
man, too, I will demand an accounting for the
life of his fellow man. "Whoever sheds the
blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for
in the image of God has God made man. As for you,
be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on
the earth and increase upon it." Then God
said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I
now establish my covenant with you and with your
descendants after you and with every living
creature that was with you--the birds, the
livestock and all the wild animals, all those
that came out of the ark with you--every living
creature on earth. I establish my covenant with
you: Never again will all life be cut off by the
waters of a flood; never again will there be a
flood to destroy the earth." And God said,
"This is the sign of the covenant I am
making between me and you and every living
creature with you, a covenant for all generations
to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and
it will be the sign of the covenant between me
and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the
earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I
will remember my covenant between me and you and
all living creatures of every kind. Never again
will the waters become a flood to destroy all
life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds,
I will see it and remember the everlasting
covenant between God and all living creatures of
every kind on the earth." So God said to
Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I
have established between me and all life on the
earth." The sons of Noah who came out of the
ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the
father of Canaan.) These were the three sons of
Noah, and from them came the people who were
scattered over the earth. (Genesis 9:1-19 NIV)
The covenant of
Abraham
The LORD had said
to Abram, "Leave your country, your people
and your father's household and go to the land I
will show you. "I will make you into a great
nation and I will bless you; I will make your
name great, and you will be a blessing. I will
bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you
I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be
blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3 NIV)
The covenant of
Moses
Now if you obey
me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all
nations you will be my treasured possession.
Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for
me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These
are the words you are to speak to the
Israelites." So Moses went back and summoned
the elders of the people and set before them all
the words the LORD had commanded him to speak.
The people all responded together, "We will
do everything the LORD has said." So Moses
brought their answer back to the LORD. (Exodus
19:5-8 NIV)
The covenant of
Palestine
All of you are
standing today in the presence of the LORD your
God--your leaders and chief men, your elders and
officials, and all the other men of Israel,
together with your children and your wives, and
the aliens living in your camps who chop your
wood and carry your water. You are standing here
in order to enter into a covenant with the LORD
your God, a covenant the LORD is making with you
this day and sealing with an oath, to confirm you
this day as his people, that he may be your God
as he promised you and as he swore to your
fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I am making
this covenant, with its oath, not only with you
who are standing here with us today in the
presence of the LORD our God but also with those
who are not here today. (Deuteronomy 29:10-15
NIV)
Now what I am
commanding you today is not too difficult for you
or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so
that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into
heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may
obey it?" Nor is it beyond the sea, so that
you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to
get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey
it?" No, the word is very near you; it is in
your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.
See, I set before you today life and prosperity,
death and destruction. For I command you today to
love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and
to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you
will live and increase, and the LORD your God
will bless you in the land you are entering to
possess. But if your heart turns away and you are
not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow
down to other gods and worship them, I declare to
you this day that you will certainly be
destroyed. You will not live long in the land you
are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses
against you that I have set before you life and
death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so
that you and your children may live and that you
may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice,
and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life,
and he will give you many years in the land he
swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. (Deuteronomy 30:11-20 NIV)
The covenant of
David
That night the
word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying: "Go
and tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD
says: Are you the one to build me a house to
dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the
day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to
this day. I have been moving from place to place
with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved
with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of
their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my
people Israel, "Why have you not built me a
house of cedar?"' "Now then, tell my
servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty
says: I took you from the pasture and from
following the flock to be ruler over my people
Israel. I have been with you wherever you have
gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from
before you. Now I will make your name great, like
the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I
will provide a place for my people Israel and
will plant them so that they can have a home of
their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked
people will not oppress them anymore, as they did
at the beginning and have done ever since the
time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I
will also give you rest from all your enemies.
"'The LORD declares to you that the LORD
himself will establish a house for you: When your
days are over and you rest with your fathers, I
will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who
will come from your own body, and I will
establish his kingdom. He is the one who will
build a house for my Name, and I will establish
the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his
father, and he will be my son. When he does
wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men,
with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will
never be taken away from him, as I took it away
from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your
house and your kingdom will endure forever before
me ; your throne will be established
forever.'" Nathan reported to David all the
words of this entire revelation. (2 Samuel 7:4-17
NIV)
The new covenant
"The time is
coming," declares the LORD, "when I
will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah. It will not be like
the covenant I made with their forefathers when I
took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant, though I was a
husband to them, " declares the LORD.
"This is the covenant I will make with the
house of Israel after that time," declares
the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts. I will be their
God, and they will be my people. No longer will a
man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother,
saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all
know me, from the least of them to the
greatest," declares the LORD. "For I
will forgive their wickedness and will remember
their sins no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34 NIV)
Three Persons in One God
God the Father
God the Father
of all
Have we not all
one Father ? Did not one God create us? Why do we
profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking
faith with one another? (Malachi 2:10 NIV)
God the father
of Christ
And a voice from
heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love;
with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17
NIV)
God the Father
of believers
For you did not
receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to
fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And
by him we cry, "Abba, Father." (Romans
8:15 NIV)
God the Son
The person of
the Son of God
For to us a child
is born, to us a son is given, and the government
will be on his shoulders. And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 NIV)
The earthly life
of the Son of God
I have come that
they may have life, and have it to the full. I am
the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down
his life for the sheep. (John 10:10b-11 NIV)
The ministry of
the Son of God
For even the Son
of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many."
(Mark 10:45 NIV)
God the Holy Spirit
The person of
the Holy Spirit
Make every effort
to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond
of peace. (Ephesians 4:3 NIV)
The work of the
Holy Spirit in salvation
...he saved us,
not because of righteous things we had done, but
because of his mercy. He saved us through the
washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy
Spirit, (Titus 3:5 NIV)
The work of the
Holy Spirit in Christian living
Do you not know
that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,
who is in you, whom you have received from God?
You are not your own; {20} you were bought at a
price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1
Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV)
Beginning the new life
Need for the new life
Holiness of God
And they were
calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is
the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his
glory." (Isaiah 6:3 NIV)
Adam's sin
When the woman
saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food
and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for
gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She
also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were
opened, and they realized they were naked; so
they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings
for themselves. (Genesis 3:6-7 NIV)
Individual sin
There is not a
righteous man on earth who does what is right and
never sins. (Ecclesiastes 7:20 NIV)
Way to the new life
New life a free
gift
For the wages of
sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NIV)
New life based
on Christ's death
But now he has
reconciled you by Christ's physical body through
death to present you holy in his sight, without
blemish and free from accusation-- (Colossians
1:22 NIV)
New life
received by faith
They replied,
"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be
saved--you and your household." (Acts 16:31
NIV)
Results of the new life
Everlasting life
"I tell you
the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him
who sent me has eternal life and will not be
condemned; he has crossed over from death to
life. (John 5:24 NIV)
New nature
Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the
old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians
5:17 NIV)
Christ's
righteounsness
I delight greatly
in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he
has clothed me with garments of salvation and
arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a
bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as
a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah
61:10 NIV)
Placed into
God's family
Dear friends, now
we are children of God, and what we will be has
not yet been made known. But we know that when he
appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see
him as he is. (1 John 3:2 NIV)
Empowered by God
But you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in
all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth." (Acts 1:8 NIV)
Assurance of the New
life
Promise of God
a faith and
knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life,
which God, who does not lie, promised before the
beginning of time, (Titus 1:2 NIV)
Witness of the
Spirit
Those who obey
his commands live in him, and he in them. And
this is how we know that he lives in us: We know
it by the Spirit he gave us. (1 John 3:24 NIV)
Changed life
And that is what
some of you were. But you were washed, you were
sanctified, you were justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
(1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV)
Growing in the new life
Bible study
Reading God's
Word
He read it aloud
from daybreak till noon as he faced the square
before the Water Gate in the presence of the men,
women and others who could understand. And all
the people listened attentively to the Book of
the Law. (Nehemiah 8:3 NIV)
Memorizing God's
Word
Accept
instruction from his mouth and lay up his words
in your heart. (Job 22:22 NIV)
Meditating upon
God's Word
Do not let this
Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate
on it day and night, so that you may be careful
to do everything written in it. Then you will be
prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8 NIV)
Obedience to
God's Word
Assemble the
people--men, women and children, and the aliens
living in your towns--so they can listen and
learn to fear the LORD your God and follow
carefully all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy
31:12 NIV)
Prayer
Praise
Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his
mighty heavens. (Psalms 150:1 NIV)
Confession
If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us
our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
(1 John 1:9 NIV)
Petition
Eli answered,
"Go in peace, and may the God of Israel
grant you what you have asked of him." (1
Samuel 1:17 NIV)
Thankgiving
Do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. (Philippians 4:6 NIV)
Commitment
Commit to the
LORD whatever you do, and your plans will
succeed. (Proverbs 16:3 NIV)
Stewardship
Using spiritual
gifts
Now about
spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to
be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans,
somehow or other you were influenced and led
astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that
no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says,
"Jesus be cursed," and no one can say,
"Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy
Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but
the same Spirit. There are different kinds of
service, but the same Lord. There are different
kinds of working, but the same God works all of
them in all men. Now to each one the
manifestation of the Spirit is given for the
common good. To one there is given through the
Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the
message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
to another faith by the same Spirit, to another
gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another
miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to
another distinguishing between spirits, to
another speaking in different kinds of tongues,
and to still another the interpretation of
tongues. (1 Corinthians 12:1-10 NIV)
Serving
You, my brothers,
were called to be free. But do not use your
freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather,
serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13 NIV)
Giving
Remember this:
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows generously will also reap
generously. Each man should give what he has
decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or
under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you,
so that in all things at all times, having all
that you need, you will abound in every good
work. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NIV)
Worship
The meaning of
worship
ascribe to the
LORD the glory due his name. Bring an offering
and come before him; worship the LORD in the
splendor of his holiness. (1 Chronicles 16:29
NIV)
The expression
of worship
Through Jesus,
therefore, let us continually offer to God a
sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that
confess his name. (Hebrews 13:15 NIV)
The reasons for
worship
When all the
Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory
of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the
pavement with their faces to the ground, and they
worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying,
"He is good; his love endures forever."
(2 Chronicles 7:3 NIV)
Participation in the
local church
Definition of
the local church
Greet also the
church that meets at their house. Greet my dear
friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to
Christ in the province of Asia. (Romans 16:5 NIV)
Reasons for
participating in the local church
Let us not give
up meeting together, as some are in the habit of
doing, but let us encourage one another--and all
the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews
10:25 NIV)
Benefits of
participating in the local church
They devoted
themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to
prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many
wonders and miraculous signs were done by the
apostles. All the believers were together and had
everything in common. Selling their possessions
and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
Every day they continued to meet together in the
temple courts. They broke bread in their homes
and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
praising God and enjoying the favor of all the
people. And the Lord added to their number daily
those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47 NIV)
Sharing our faith
Sharing our
faith - Why ?
Therefore go and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, (Matthew 28:19 NIV)
Sharing our
faith - What ?
For what I
received I passed on to you as of first
importance : that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day according to
the Scriptures, (1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NIV)
Sharing our
faith - How ?
because our
gospel came to you not simply with words, but
also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with
deep conviction. You know how we lived among you
for your sake. (1 Thessalonians 1:5 NIV)
Sharing our
faith - When ?
Preach the Word;
be prepared in season and out of season; correct,
rebuke and encourage--with great patience and
careful instruction. (2 Timothy 4:2 NIV)
Walking in the Spirit
Confession
Surely God is
good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
(Psalms 73:1 NIV)
Yielding
Therefore, I urge
you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer
your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and
pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of
worship. (Romans 12:1 NIV)
Filling
Do not get drunk
on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be
filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18 NIV)
Facing problems in the new life
Sin
What sin is
Wash away all my
iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know
my transgressions, and my sin is always before
me. (Psalms 51:2-3 NIV)
What sin does
But your
iniquities have separated you from your God; your
sins have hidden his face from you, so that he
will not hear. (Isaiah 59:2 NIV)
What should be
done about sin
Then I
acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up
my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my
transgressions to the LORD"-- and you
forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalms 32:5 NIV)
Temptation
Temptation by
the world
Do not love the
world or anything in the world. If anyone loves
the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
(1 John 2:15 NIV)
Temptation by
the flesh
Watch and pray so
that you will not fall into temptation. The
spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
(Mark 14:38 NIV)
Temptation by
Satan
Satan rose up
against Israel and incited David to take a census
of Israel. (1 Chronicles 21:1 NIV)
Suffering
Kinds of
suffering
It is better, if
it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than
for doing evil. (1 Peter 3:17 NIV)
Purpose of
suffering
So Satan went out
from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job
with painful sores from the soles of his feet to
the top of his head. (Job 2:7 NIV)
Response to
suffering
"Naked I
came from my mother's womb, and naked I will
depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken
away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
(Job 1:21 NIV)
Example of
suffering
They were angry
with Jeremiah and had him beaten and imprisoned
in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which
they had made into a prison. (Jeremiah 37:15 NIV)
Knowing the will of God
Knowing the will
of God through the scriptures
The king stood by
the pillar and renewed the covenant in the
presence of the LORD--to follow the LORD and keep
his commands, regulations and decrees with all
his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the
words of the covenant written in this book. Then
all the people pledged themselves to the
covenant. (2 Kings 23:3 NIV)
Knowing the will
of God through prayer and fasting
So I turned to
the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and
petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed:
"O Lord, the great and awesome God, who
keeps his covenant of love with all who love him
and obey his commands, (Daniel 9:3-4 NIV)
Knowing the will
of God through submission to the Spirit
Then I heard the
voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I
send? And who will go for us?" And I said,
"Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8 NIV)
Knowing the will
of God through circumstances and counsel
for waging war
you need guidance, and for victory many advisers.
(Proverbs 24:6 NIV)
Doubt
Occasions of
doubt
Why do you always
forget us? Why do you forsake us so long?
(Lamentations 5:20 NIV)
Sources of doubt
How long, O LORD,
must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or
cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do
not save? (Habakkuk 1:2 NIV)
Cure for doubt
Elijah went
before the people and said, "How long will
you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is
God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow
him." But the people said nothing. (1 Kings
18:21 NIV)
God's
institutions
The family
How the family
began
The LORD God
said, "It is not good for the man to be
alone. I will make a helper suitable for
him." Now the LORD God had formed out of the
ground all the beasts of the field and all the
birds of the air. He brought them to the man to
see what he would name them; and whatever the man
called each living creature, that was its name.
So the man gave names to all the livestock, the
birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the
LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep
sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of
the man's ribs and closed up the place with
flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the
rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought
her to the man. The man said, "This is now
bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall
be called 'woman, ' for she was taken out of
man." For this reason a man will leave his
father and mother and be united to his wife, and
they will become one flesh. The man and his wife
were both naked, and they felt no shame. (Genesis
2:18-25 NIV)
Three essentials
for a christian home
Hear, O Israel:
The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD
your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your strength. These
commandments that I give you today are to be upon
your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk
about them when you sit at home and when you walk
along the road, when you lie down and when you
get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and
bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the
door frames of your houses and on your gates.
(Deuteronomy 6:4-9 NIV)
The role of the
wife
Wives, in the
same way be submissive to your husbands so that,
if any of them do not believe the word, they may
be won over without words by the behavior of
their wives, when they see the purity and
reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not
come from outward adornment, such as braided hair
and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
Instead, it should be that of your inner self,
the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is of great worth in God's sight. For this
is the way the holy women of the past who put
their hope in God used to make themselves
beautiful. They were submissive to their own
husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and
called him her master. You are her daughters if
you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
(1 Peter 3:1-6 NIV)
The role of the
husband
Husbands, love
your wives and do not be harsh with them.
(Colossians 3:19 NIV)
Husbands, in the
same way be considerate as you live with your
wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker
partner and as heirs with you of the gracious
gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your
prayers. (1 Peter 3:7 NIV)
Husbands, love
your wives, just as Christ loved the church and
gave himself up for her to make her holy,
cleansing her by the washing with water through
the word, and to present her to himself as a
radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any
other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this
same way, husbands ought to love their wives as
their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves
himself. After all, no one ever hated his own
body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as
Christ does the church-- for we are members of
his body. "For this reason a man will leave
his father and mother and be united to his wife,
and the two will become one flesh."
(Ephesians 5:25-31 NIV)
The role of
children
Listen, my son,
to your father's instruction and do not forsake
your mother's teaching. (Proverbs 1:8 NIV)
The role of
parents
Fathers, do not
exasperate your children; instead, bring them up
in the training and instruction of the Lord.
(Ephesians 6:4 NIV)
How to rear
children
Train a child in
the way he should go, and when he is old he will
not turn from it. (Proverbs 22:6 NIV)
Human government
Origin of human
government
And for your
lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I
will demand an accounting from every animal. And
from each man, too, I will demand an accounting
for the life of his fellow man. (Genesis 9:5 NIV)
Functions of
human government
Everyone must
submit himself to the governing authorities, for
there is no authority except that which God has
established. The authorities that exist have been
established by God. Consequently, he who rebels
against the authority is rebelling against what
God has instituted, and those who do so will
bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no
terror for those who do right, but for those who
do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the
one in authority? Then do what is right and he
will commend you. For he is God's servant to do
you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he
does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's
servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on
the wrongdoer. (Romans 13:1-4 NIV)
Our
responsibility to human government
Submit yourselves
for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted
among men: whether to the king, as the supreme
authority, or to governors, who are sent by him
to punish those who do wrong and to commend those
who do right. For it is God's will that by doing
good you should silence the ignorant talk of
foolish men. (1 Peter 2:13-15 NIV)
Israel
Selection of
Israel
"You only
have I chosen of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you for all your
sins." (Amos 3:2 NIV)
History of
Israel
We will not hide
them from their children; we will tell the next
generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his power, and the wonders he has done. (Psalms
78:4 NIV)
Purpose of
Israel
for you are a
people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the
peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has
chosen you to be his treasured possession.
(Deuteronomy 14:2 NIV)
Government of
Israel
Yet the LORD, the
God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to
be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as
leader, and from the house of Judah he chose my
family, and from my father's sons he was pleased
to make me king over all Israel. (1 Chronicles
28:4 NIV)
Worship by
Israel
Ascribe to the
LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in
the splendor of his holiness. (Psalms 29:2 NIV)
The church
The meaning of
the church
He was in the
assembly in the desert, with the angel who spoke
to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and
he received living words to pass on to us. (Acts
7:38 NIV)
The origin of
the church
And I tell you
that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build
my church, and the gates of Hades will not
overcome it. (Matthew 16:18 NIV)
The purpose of
the church
(Ephesians 3:21
NIV) to him be glory in the church and in Christ
Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and
ever! Amen.
The functions of
the church
Here is a
trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on
being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now
the overseer must be above reproach, the husband
of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled,
respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given
to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not
quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage
his own family well and see that his children
obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not
know how to manage his own family, how can he
take care of God's church?) He must not be a
recent convert, or he may become conceited and
fall under the same judgment as the devil. He
must also have a good reputation with outsiders,
so that he will not fall into disgrace and into
the devil's trap. Deacons, likewise, are to be
men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in
much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. They
must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith
with a clear conscience. They must first be
tested; and then if there is nothing against
them, let them serve as deacons. In the same way,
their wives are to be women worthy of respect,
not malicious talkers but temperate and
trustworthy in everything. A deacon must be the
husband of but one wife and must manage his
children and his household well. Those who have
served well gain an excellent standing and great
assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. (1
Timothy 3:1-13 NIV)
The relationship
of the church to Christ
Husbands, love
your wives, just as Christ loved the church and
gave himself up for her to make her holy,
cleansing her by the washing with water through
the word, and to present her to himself as a
radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any
other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this
same way, husbands ought to love their wives as
their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves
himself. After all, no one ever hated his own
body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as
Christ does the church-- (Ephesians 5:25-29 NIV)
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