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THE BIBLE IS GOD’S WORD
The Bible points the way to finding a relationship with
the LORD and His free gift of salvation.
Psalms 19:7-11,
“The law of the
Lord
is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the
Lord
are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the
Lord
are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the
Lord
are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the
Lord
is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the
Lord
are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than
gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from
the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is
great reward.
2 Timothy 3: 16-17,
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the servant of God
may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Peter 1:20-21,
“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about
by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.
For prophecy never had its
origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as
they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Questions for Consideration:
What are some blessings that come from spending time
reading the Bible?
How can the Scriptures become more relevant in my life?
GOD LOVES ALL PEOPLE
Without God’s love, we would be lost in our sin and
without any hope in this world.
John 3:16-17,
“For God so
loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the
world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Romans 3:23; 6:23,
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” “For the
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
Questions for Consideration:
In what ways do I feel God’s love?
What would my life be like if I did not know God loves
me?
GOD SENT HIS SON JESUS TO DIE ON OUR BEHALF
Because of God’s great love and in spite of our sin,
there is a solution.
Romans 5:6-8,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ
died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good
person someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for
us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
2 Corinthians 5:14-15,
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are
convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
And he died for all, that those who
live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them
and was raised again.”
Questions for Consideration:
Why would God send His only son to die for me?
What is my response to God’s love?
ETERNAL LIFE IS ONLY FOUND IN JESUS CHRIST
Through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, he
provides salvation for all people.
John 20:30-31,
“ Jesus performed many other signs in the
presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
But these are written that you
may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by
believing you may have life in his name.”
Romans 6:1-4,
“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so
that grace may increase? By no means! We are
those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
We were therefore buried with him
through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from
the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
I Corinthians 15:1-4,
“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of
the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have
taken your stand. By
this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to
you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 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,
and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to
the Twelve.”
Questions for Consideration:
What are some other ways in which I can receive eternal
life?
Why does Jesus state that he is “the way, the truth and
the life?”
DISCIPLES OF JESUS ARE COMMITTED TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH
There are many areas in which we can grow in our walk
with the Lord
Galatians 5:22-23,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. Against
such things there is no law.”
2 Peter 1:3-9,
“ For this very reason, make every effort
to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control,
perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
For if you possess these qualities in increasing
measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in
your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But whoever does not have them is
nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from
their past sins.
Questions for Consideration:
What am I doing today to mature in my walk with the LORD?
What are some things I can do to draw closer to God?
THROUGH GOD’S GRACE ONE RECEIVES SALVATION
This is no amount of good deeds one can do to earn,
merit, or deserve salvation.
Ephesians
2:1-10, “As for you, you were dead in your
transgressions and sins,
in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and
of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in
those who are disobedient. All of us also
lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and
following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature
deserving of wrath. But
because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in
transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with
him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in
order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of
his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For it is by grace you have
been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the
gift of God— not by
works, so that no one can boast.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do
good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Titus 3:3-8,
“ At one time we too were foolish,
disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and
pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one
another. But when the kindness and love of God
our Savior appeared, 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,
whom he poured out on us
generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that, having been justified by his grace, we might
become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
This is a trustworthy saying. And I
want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God
may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things
are excellent and profitable for everyone.”
Questions for Consideration:
Why
is my salvation important?
Have I
received the free gift of salvation? |
