Deeper Study Verses:
Romans 2:12-16 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. NIV

Hebrews 9:11-14 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! NIV

1 Peter 3:13-17 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.”  15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.   17 It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. NIV

1 John 3:19-24 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 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. NIV

Day 1 Verse:
Hebrews 10:19-23 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. NIV

Concept:
Gentleman had lied on his application for a security clearance many years earlier in order to get the job he wanted.  By confessing and making it right, he put his job at risk, but he trusted in God to take care of everything so he could clear his conscience.

Day 2 Verse:
1 Samuel 12:1-4 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. 2 Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. 3 Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right.”

4 “You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.” NIV

Day 3 Verse:
Matthew 25:37-40 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ NIV

Matthew 25:45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ NIV

Acts 9:1-5 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. NIV

Ephesians 2:12-16 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. NIV

Day 4 Verse:
Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. NIV

Day 5 Verse: (none)

Do you guys remember the movie Star Wars?  Oh, the many things that we learned about force.  We learned about interesting characters such as Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and so many other memorable characters. Perhaps one of the more memorable characters is Yoda. One of my favorite Yoda scenes is from Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back. In this movie we see Yoda, along with Luke Skywalker in the swaps as Luke begins his training to become a Jedi. Earlier, once Luke has crash landed in the swamp, we see him encounter a smallish green creature. He thinks this is one of the natives of this planet, but he finds this native is particularly annoying.  It isn’t long before Luke realizes that this is Yoda, the Jedi Master that was spoken of by Obi-Wan Kenobi. After a brief meal at your his place, they quickly began Luke’s quest to become a Jedi Knight. It’s time for training to begin.

That’s where we pick up the story. Training has started, and Luke done some pretty cool things. But now the swamp has taken a toll of its own.

In today’s lesson will look at obedience in God’s Word. Obedience is an area that we have choices. Now I do want to tell you that there are some areas in God’s Word that seem to be “gray areas”. Unfortunately, we try to make almost all areas of God’s Word a great area. So that we have the flexibility to do what we want to do and not be obedient to what God would have us to do.

The lesson is on obedience, there are some key points that I want to show and discuss with you even before we get to the Scripture for today. Those are:

• Those who boast about their obedience may be trying to cover disobedience.
• In God’s eyes, nothing is more important obedience.
• Disobedience reveals a rebellious heart.
• Partial obedience is disobedience.

There are so many areas in God’s Word that we could look at to review instances of obedience and disobedience. What comes to mind when you think of obedience or disobedience? For me, I immediately thought of the story Abraham and his son Isaac. I mean, a father taking his son up to offer him as a sacrifice because God told him to–that’s just one wild story. Another when they came to my mind had to do with Moses and the people of Israel. Remember, God took them through all the plagues with the Egyptians, and let them out into the desert, where they wandered for 40 years due to their disobedience. And Moses… even he had an issue with disobedience as he struck a rock instead of speaking to it. And for that disobedience, he only got to see the promised land, he did not get to enter it.

There are so many stories and illustrations of obedience and disobedience in God’s Word. Today, we’re going to review the story of Saul–the first king of Israel.

1 Samuel 15:1-24

As we review the first three verses of verse and 1 Samuel 15, we see the Samuel is sent by God to anoint Saul as king over the people of Israel. And verse three we give very harsh, Saul needs to do. God was going to send the nation of Israel to do a number on the Amalekites. In fact, in verse three we see that God is telling the Israelites to destroy everything that they have–and that means everything.

Others think about this, if God gave you that charge, and you carry it out? In our minds, it may seem an air, very harsh, and at times, maybe even unnecessary. But we do have a choice–to obey, or not to obey. Let’s see how Saul responded (read vs. 5-9).

If I’m reading verse nine correctly, it appears that solves spared became also the best of the flocks of sheep and oxen calves anyway. So my question to you is did Saul obey God? I mean on the outside, I think the answer is no. But let’s give Saul the benefit of the doubt. Let’s read a bit further read vs. 10-15).

Here we see God talking with Samuel and God was not happy, which made Samuel not so happy as well. Samuel got up to meet Saul, and had a question for him, what’s the sound of all the animals I hear? But so are a great excuse for God–it sounds an awful lot like us.  The excuse starts in verse 15 and goes on a bit. Let’s read a little bit further (read vs. 16-21).

It sounds to us like Saul had a great opportunity to make his case. In fact, it sounded pretty doggone spiritual the things that Saul had in mind for the animals that were spared. And in case that wasn’t a good enough reason, Saul implied that it wasn’t his idea to save these animals, but it was the people’s idea to do it. I wonder if that was a good enough reason for Samuel and for God? Let’s read on… (vs 22-23).

In verses 22 and 23 we get God’s. When God gives us an order, it’s not just a request. He does give us a choice–we can either choose to obey what God has asked us to do, or we can make the choice to disobey.

In verse 24, we see the Saul finally admits that he had done wrong. I also want you to see that that doesn’t stop Saul from offering excuses! I think it’s important for us to understand the media’s from God’s perspective is very important. And we should not be surprised that disobedience brings consequences. Here are Saul lost his position and God took the kingdom from him. So had to stand by in shame and watch someone else accomplish what God told him to do. Not only that, Saul lost godly friendships and counsel of Samuel.

For you and I, the outcome of our choices is much the same. We can obey God and his wishes and come away with the unexpected blessings to come from obedience. On the other hand, we can disobey understand that with that disobedience comes consequences. The choice is ours–when God speaks, what will your choice be? Let’s break off into our small group.

Discussion questions:

Why is simple obedience often clouded by other issues, which seemingly justify disobedience?

If God were to examine my heart, He would say that:

• I’m more like Moses–I strive to fully obey God.
• I am more like Saul–I often only partially obey God, and then offer excuses or blame others for my disobedience.
• I don’t really show any concern for whether or not I am obeying God.

Question (and please give a simple yes-or-no answer): Do you struggle with obedience to what you know God wants of you? Justifying disobedience never brings the peace and blessing of God. And pleasing God in this regard is not in degrees. Either you obey or you disobey.

According to 1 Samuel 15:22, God takes greater delight when His children obey His voice than anything else they can bring Him or do for Him. Do you really want to please God? And what is it He’s asking you to do?

If you knew Jesus was going to return three days from now, would you be excited to meet him, because you’ve been living an obedient life?

Have you placed any limits on what you are willing to do for God?  Perhaps you are continuing to do something that you know God wants you to stop? Focus this week on being obedient to God!

Here we see the picture of a man’s love for his son.  Pip is performing his duty as a solider for his country, and is mortally wounded.  In fact, he might not make it.  But in the Twilight Zone, most anything can happen.  We see a father who is experiencing remorse.  Why?  He hasn’t been the best father he could be.  For any father, I believe they can relate to this feeling.  I know I can, in fact I can think of about a million things I could have done better than I have done for my son and my wife.  But I can’t change the past, I can only work on the future.

Here, this man is given a chance to meet his dying son.  They get to relive some past pleasures at an amusement park.   But there comes a time where Pip grows quiet and solemn – in fact, he tells his dad he’s dying.

Then we see the prayer / deal with God.  It’s a trade off.  Max doesn’t want to fail his son this time, but he would need help from God.  And, as you see, Pip lives.

It got me thinking about that most quoted verse and a couple to follow.  Let’s look at John 3:16-19.  You see, in some small way, we see the love of God in tonight’s episode.  While the dad (Max) had problems and issues and regrets, God is perfect and has none of those issues.  However – He was willing to love us so much that He felt the pain of ‘losing’ His only Son – for me!  It was a tradeoff – and God loved us so much He offered up His Son!  It will never cease to amaze me how great the love of the Father is.

Let’s break down into our small groups and look at the ultimate sacrifice – the Son of God for our eternal life.

Discussion questions:

• In tonight’s episode, we see the father heave a prayer of desperation to God.  Does God hear our prayers?  Why or why not?  Give personal examples.
• God pursued us and died for us when we didn’t even know we needed a Savior.  What lengths would you go to for your (future) son or daughter?  Would you not do drugs?  Smoke?  Engage in unnecessary risky behavior?  Stay true to your spouse?
• If God loved us so much He gave His Son, what do you give for God?  (note – this is not about money as much as it is about ourselves)
• If you learned a loved one (parent, brother, sister) was dying, what type of prayer would you offer up to God?

Deeper Study Verses:
Deuteronomy 30:11-20 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 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?” 13 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?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 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.

17 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, 18 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.

19 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 20 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. NIV

Psalms 119:57-67 You are my portion, O Lord; I have promised to obey your words.  58 I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. 59 I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes. 60 I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands. 61 Though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget your law. 62 At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws. 63 I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts. 64 The earth is filled with your love, O Lord; teach me your decrees. 65 Do good to your servant according to your word, O Lord. 66 Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands.  67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. NIV

Philippians 2:5-11 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 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. NIV

1 John 2:3-6 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4 The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. NIV

1 John 5:1-5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. NIV

Day 1 Verse:
Psalms 19:7-11 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.  11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. NIV

Concept:
Story of a man with a furniture store, he had many choices to make in the area of obedience and the story shows how his heart turned towards obedience for the things he knew were right (and away from the choices he was making that were wrong).

Day 2 Verse:
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” NIV

John 14:21-24 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. NIV

Day 3 Verse:
Exodus 39:1 From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary. They also made sacred garments for Aaron, as the Lord commanded Moses.

5 Its skillfully woven waistband was like it — of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen, as the Lord commanded Moses.

7 Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.

32 So all the work on the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses.

43 Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them. NIV

Exodus 40:19 Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, as the Lord commanded him.

21 Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the shielding curtain and shielded the ark of the Testimony, as the Lord commanded him.

23 and set out the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him.

25 and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him.

27 and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord commanded him. 28 Then he put up the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.

29 He set the altar of burnt offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it burnt offerings and grain offerings, as the Lord commanded him.

32 They washed whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar, as the Lord commanded Moses. NIV

Exodus 40:33-34 Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work. 34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. NIV

Day 4 Verse:
1 Samuel 15:1-3 Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’” NIV

1 Samuel 15:5-15 Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. 6 Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites. 7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs — everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.

10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.

12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”

13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”

14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”

15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” NIV

1 Samuel 15:22-23 But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” NIV

Day 5 Verse:
(none)

To start with, let’s break down what holiness is. The first level of holiness can be looked at as positional holiness. This is how we are viewed in Christ eyes. For you see, we are sinners, and God is holy. The way to be reconciled to God is by the blood of Jesus Christ. Because of that shed blood, God gives us Christ’s righteousness, and that makes us holy and blameless before Him. It’s our position in Christ. There’s nothing I can do to change that.

The other way of looking at holiness is something called personal holiness. This is showing up in our lives or, the things that we do. Because I am a Christian and a child of the King, I show the holiness of God by the way I think and live my life. I try to do His will, each and every day. I have been set apart for God’s purposes – and this is the holiness will focus on this lesson.

Let me try to illustrate. Perhaps some of you have seen CMT’s. My big redneck wedding. If you haven’t, I don’t encourage it. I mean, it’s funny, but I hope it’s not your reality for your big day.

Let’s imagine, if you will, the group standing with a pastor at the front of the church. He awaits the arrival of his pride. It is time for excitement and anticipation. As the entrance music begins, the doors open and people stand and turn to see the bride. And there she is! Except… she’s wearing sweat pants. And a tie dye T-shirt. And… her hair is still in rollers! As she stumbles forward, we hear her exclaim “I’m so sorry, I forgot what today was!”

I’ve seen many weddings in the years I’ve been on planet Earth. And for the vast majority of them, the bride and groom make an awful lot of plans. They go over the cake, what folks will wear, where they will sit, what they will eat, the music at the service and the reception, and plan every other detail just to get to the big day.  They don’t forget their wedding day! But sadly, many Christians today live as if they’ve forgotten about the wedding day. So we look at revival we could also see that it’s like the bride getting ready for the wedding. The church needs to be holy. We need to be set apart and used for God’s intents and purposes. So perhaps we should ask a question, what are we doing to get ready for the wedding day?

You see, oftentimes we forget that we have a responsibility to be holy. It’s not an act of God only – it’s also our personal actions. To become holy means that we make the choices that God would have us to make.  In the day of Christ, the religious leaders were greatly respected and everyone thought that they were holy. The religious leaders themselves believed they were holy. In fact, from the way they behaved on the outside it looked real holy. But God could see into their hearts–and He was certain that they were less than holy inside.

While the New Testament has many examples of the encounters of Jesus with these religious leaders, we will only look at one today. Our Scripture is found in Mark 7:1-8.

Here God illustrates for us that the washing of hands is a big issue to the Pharisees. They had a list of rules of do’s and don’ts that you needed to follow. One of those was exactly how to wash one’s hands. Their rules went into details of how much water you have to use, how to pour the water on your hands, and even how the motion of your hands during washing was done. The motions they would make would be one of cleanliness from the wrist area down. The top of the hand and the palm of the hand both had to be washed a certain number of times with a certain type of motion.

The Pharisees were asking Jesus why His disciples weren’t following the traditions written in the law. If you look in verse six, you’ll see that God had their answer. The issue wasn’t what they were doing with their hands because that could make them unclean–the issue was with their hearts. From the outward appearance, these Pharisees and Scribes looked really good. But inside their heart, God was letting them know how truly they appeared.

Now let’s be honest – the same thing happens in churches today. If you take a look around, you’ll see many families that look perfect this morning. If you were to visit their home, perhaps you would’ve seen something different when preparing for church today, or on the way to church today. There could have been fights, disagreements, snide remarks. But once we get to church–everything is wonderful. God sees through all the while.  You might fool me or others, you’re not fooling God.

Just like the Pharisees, we want to look good. We want people to think we have it all together. But oftentimes, just like the Pharisees, we have issues. It’s not easy to put off the old self. And sometimes, I must confess, it’s hard to understand how I’m supposed to put on the new self. I can see this–some things are obvious to you and me. I should be getting rid of judging others, bitterness, selfishness, pride, stubbornness, rebellion, disrespect of authority, covetousness, jealousy, anger, hatred, gossip, evil speaking, lying, vanity, idle words and things of that nature.

But it’s not just about putting things off. God’s Word tells us we have to put some things on- things like love, humility, submission, obedience, patience, gratitude, praise, self control, edifying speech, kindness, speaking the truth, trust, and things that God would have us to do, which He clearly spells out in His word.

In our study this week, there were over 60 items in each of the things to put off and things to put on columns. It made me think, how am I doing here? As we go our small group time, you can ask yourself how you’re doing in some of those areas. Let’s pray.

Discussion questions:

• Can you make yourself more holy by doing good things? Why or why not?
• Who do you know, or know of, who has lived what you consider a holy life? Explain your answer.
• 1 Peter 1:13-16 and other scriptures urge us to be active in our pursuit of holiness. How can we cooperate with God to growing personal holiness?
• Why was Jesus so hard on the Pharisees when everyone else thought they were model believers?
• Holy people are real. Hypocrites pretend to do things they don’t; to abstain from things they do; to love things they hate; to hate things they love; to want things they dread; to dread things they want. Do you see yourself in any of the statements describing hypocrites? What are you doing about any hypocrisy in your life?
• How does holiness fit in with revival? If we were holy, as a church, would that help or hinder revival? What if we were holy as a youth group? What if you were holy?

Questions come at us from every angle: our friends, our relatives, even ourselves. These questions ask, “Does God Really Exist?”, “Is the Bible trustworthy?”, “Why does God allow so much suffering?” The questions are difficult, and they’re important. Now, it’s time to get The ANSWERS.

This conference is designed to help Christians answer these questions and more. Parents, teens, college students, home-schoolers, new believers, and pastors: EVERYONE can come here to get The ANSWERS. Experts from all over the country are gathering here to answer questions related to: atheism, Islam, Creation vs. Evolution, the Bible, the Resurrection, Pop-Culture phenomena like the Da Vinci Code, and more. Some of the speakers include best-selling author Mark Mittelberg, nationally renowned scholars Dr. Michael Licona and Craig Hazen, and former-Muslim Christian evangelist Dr. Nabeel Qureshi. The evening will conclude with a live debate between international debater David Wood and atheist author John Loftus on the topic “Does God Exist?” Seating is very limited, so sign up early to make sure you are here to get the ANSWERS!

More information on speakers here. Contact Tom Gilson if you’d like to join a group going to this great conference!

God’s commands are the picture: They describe how God wants us to live. But they cannot give us the power, or spiritual strength, to live that way (see Romans 7:2-23). We fall from grace when we begin to look at God’s commands, the picture of the life he wants for us, to be our power.

I did something similar on a trip I took a few months ago. After flying to Milwaukee, I rented a car to drive to Madison. I hadn’t been to either city in decades, so I knew nothing about the route. I gratefully accepted the map the rental car company offered me. In fact, since it was free with the rental, I asked for several dozen. I took the maps to the car, opened the gas cap, and stuffed them into the tank one by one….

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Deeper Study Verses:
Psalm 99 The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. 2 Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations. 3 Let them praise your great and awesome name — he is holy.

4 The King is mighty, he loves justice — you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right. 5 Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.

6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the Lord and he answered them. 7 He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.

8 O Lord our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds. 9 Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy. NIV

Ephesians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. NIV

Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. NIV

1 Peter 1:13-17 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. NIV

1 Peter 2:9-12 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. NIV

Day 1 Verse:
Isaiah 6:1-7 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”  4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” NIV

Concept:
Story was of a pastor who had impure thought life, he turned this over to God and experienced freedom.

Day 2 Verse:
Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. NIV

1 Peter 1:13-16 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” NIV

1 Timothy 5:22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. NIV

1 Corinthians 15:34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God — I say this to your shame. NIV

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.” NIV

Romans 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. NIV

2 Corinthians 7:1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. NIV

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. NIV

Day 3 Verse:
Mark 7:1-8 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2 saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were “unclean,” that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)

5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with ‘unclean’ hands?”

6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” NIV

Matthew 23:25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. NIV

Matthew 23:28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. NIV

Day 4 Verse:
Psalms 4:1 Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.  2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Selah 3 Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him. 4 In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Selah 5 Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord. 6 Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?”Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. 7 You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. 8 I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. NIV

Psalms 32:1-2 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. NIV

Hebrews 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” NIV

Day 5 Verse:
Ephesians 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. NIV

This week those studying the facets of grace came across a few areas in the study.

Saving Grace

If a young man is killed through some random act of violence, and his father tracks down the guilty person and kills him, we would call that vengeance.  If, however, the father calls the police and the murderer is arrested, tried, convicted, and executed, we’d call that justice.  If, at the trial, the father pleads for the guilty man’s life to be spared, and the judge and jury consent, we’d call that mercy.

Now imagine this: in addition to pleading for the guilty one to be spared, the father actually appeals to the judge to release the offender into his custody and care.  Miraculously gaining approval, the father takes the young man into his heart and home, adopts him, and raises him and loves him as his own son … that would be grace!  (from Seeking Him, pg. 86)

That’s a pretty good picture of saving grace, and Ephesians 2:1-9 details that out for us as we look at our salvation from sin.  We had no way out of that situation, and we couldn’t improve it – so God had to do it for us.  Grace was not some reward for us when we told God we were sorry for our sin – there is nothing we could do to merit grace (or it wouldn’t be grace).

Sanctifying Grace

Once you were saved by grace, you didn’t become a mature Christian and you certainly were not some spiritual giant!  You didn’t arrive there – and not meaning to burst any bubbles – and you (and all the rest of us) are not there yet!  We need the grace of God everyday and every second of every minute.  We are in the process of being made in the image of Christ, and that is an ongoing process.

This is where we make a terrible mistake.  We get saved by grace, then we try to live for Christ in our own power.  We struggle to be a ‘good Christian’ (whatever that is) without realizing we can’t live any Christian life without God’s grace.  You see, grace is a gift that enables us not to sin – so it is more than just some pardon!  We’re going to focus on this area more today than the first or last one.

Suffering Grace

This is the grace available to us where God provides us a way to endure.  You may find this in traffic jams, troubles with family and others, times of grief – whatever the hardship and trial you may be facing.  In the Bible, 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 give us some insight into Paul suffering some thorn in the flesh and God not granting his prayer to be delivered from it (My grace is sufficient).  The story for this day included a man who had lost his wife to ALS, and how God was graceful so his suffering was not so much that it was mortally wounding to him and his family.  He was left with four children and a broken heart, but found humility through all the pain and suffering.

Now, back to sanctifying grace – I want to make a bold statement.  Where grace is properly taught, it is abused. What I mean is, when you catch on to the truth that God really did die for sin (and that includes all sin), you may be tempted to … sin.  I mean, the price has been paid, and God knows everything already, so why try to be ‘good’ anyway?  I want to specifically deal with this in our questions today and show you that grace is superabounding!

Romans 5:20 The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, NIV

Rom 5:20 But then Law came in, [only] to expand and increase the trespass [making it more apparent and exciting opposition]. But where sin increased and abounded, grace (God’s unmerited favor) has surpassed it and increased the more and superabounded, AMP

Rom 5:20 The Ten Commandments were given so that all could see the extent of their failure to obey God’s laws. But the more we see our sinfulness, the more we see God’s abounding grace forgiving us. TLB

There is no way you can out-sin God’s grace!  That should be fantastic news to you and I, but knowing to some extent how we as humans think, we take that as a license to sin as much as we possibly can.  Let’s look at verses that deal with believers and the problem of sin, as well as answer the question of why shouldn’t we just sin away!  Let’s pray.

Discussion questions:

What do the following verses tell us about God’s provision when we are tempted to sin?

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. NIV

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. NIV

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. NIV

If God’s grace is extended to us when we confess and report of our sin, does that mean we are free to sin whenever and however we want to?

You and I were not the first to have these thoughts about grace and sin – Paul addressed these same issues in the first century.  Review the following verses and answer this question: How should God’s grace be a restraint, rather than a license to sin?

Romans 6:1-2 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? NIV

Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, NIV

How does God’s grace differ from justice?  From mercy?

How can you extend grace to others?  How have others extended grace to you?