Foundations Creation, the Gospel & New Identity

Transcription

1 I. Typical Creatin Questins Fundatins Creatin, the Gspel & New Identity Identity - I am a new creatin. I am redeemed. I belng t Gd. Where did Gd cme frm? Hw did peple live s lng (and what abut the dinsaurs)? Where did all the peple cme frm? II. Beginning the Study Read Genesis 3:1-6. The first sin -- Definitin f the ccult: Why was the first sin a sin f the ccult? Hw culd Satan nw claim wnership ver man? White shirt, spaghetti and the definitin f hly: Read Isaiah 59:2. What is the cnsequence f sin? Read Psalm 51:5 and Rmans 3: Is anyne withut sin? Definitin f Hell: Read Matthew 27: What was the true agny f the Crss? Definitin f The Gspel: Rmans Rad: Rmans 3:23, 6:23a, 5:8, 10:9, 10:13, 8:1-2 Extra gdies: 2 Crinthians 5:21, Psalm 103:11-12, Jeremiah 31:34b, Jhn 8:36 Lets take a clser lk at what cnsequences f sin Jesus endured fr us: (Reference: Blessing r Curse by Derek Prince) Jesus was punished that we might be frgiven. (Isaiah 53:10) Jesus was wunded that we might be healed. (Isaiah 53:5) Jesus was made sin with ur sinfulness that we might becme righteus with His righteusness. (2 Crinthians 5:21) Jesus died ur death that we might share His life. (Hebrews 2:9) Jesus became pr with ur pverty that we might becme rich with His riches. He als endured hunger, thirst, nakedness, and a need fr all things including a brrwed tmb. (2 Crinthians 8:9) Jesus bre ur shame that we might share in His glry. (Isaiah 53:4, Hebrews 2:10) Jesus endured ur rejectin that we might have His acceptance as children f Gd. (Matthew 27:46-50, Ephesians 1:5-7) Jesus became a curse that we might receive a blessing. (Galatians 3:13)

2 III. New Identities! I am a new creatin. (2 Crinthians 5:17): I am redeemed. (Ephesians 1:7): I belng t Gd. (1 Crinthians 6:19-20): IV. Small Grup Questins 1) Read Genesis 1:26. Satan hates that we were made in the image f Gd. Hw des he try t attack this identity in peple? After the prdigal sn had fallen in sin (Luke 15:18-19), hw des his identity, in relatin with his father, change? 2) Hw des Gd s first questin in Genesis 3:11 relate t hw ur identity is shaped, either by Gd r by the wrld and Satan? What are sme ways that cmmercials and advertising shape a child s identity? 3) Read Ephesians 4:22-24 and Clssians 3:9-10. What is taken ff and what is put n? Hw have yu changed since accepting Christ? Hw d yu actively put n the new self? 4) After reviewing what Jesus endured fr us n the Crss, what are sme f the things in yur life that yu want t give t Him (such as a certain sin, pverty, shame, a scar)? After sharing, pray fr each ther. Memry Verse f the Week

3 Fundatins Creatin, the Gspel & New Identity (Master) I am a new creatin. I am redeemed. I belng t Gd. I. Typical Creatin Questins These questins are nt critical t the study, but they are fun t cver as mst new Christians ask these questins and desire t put them t rest. Where did Gd cme frm? Revelatin 1:8 I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lrd Gd, wh is, and wh was, and wh is t cme, the Almighty. (ESV) Alpha means the first and Omega means the last. In terms f time, they wuld be negative infinity and psitive infinity. In truth there is n beginning and there is n end. Gd is an eternal being wh always was and wh always is and wh always will be. S nthing can create Gd and nthing can take Gd away. He is unchanging. Hw did peple live s lng? Genesis 1:6 says, And Gd said, Let there be an expanse in the midst f the waters, and let it separate the waters frm the waters. And Gd made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse frm the waters that were abve the expanse. And it was s. (ESV) In Genesis 7:11, In the six hundredth year f Nah s life, in the secnd mnth, n the seventeenth day f the mnth, n that day all the funtains f the great deep burst frth, and the windws f the heavens were pened. And rain fell upn the earth frty days and frty nights. (ESV) Accrding t research it had never rained befre the fld. Where did 40 days wrth f rain cme frm? Genesis 1:6 dcuments a huge expanse f water in the sky. Research says that the zne layer used t be massively thick. This caused great vegetatin and wuld have als lengthened life span in great measure. After the fld yu will ntice that human life span gradually shrank, likely as the sun s rays increased. Als, if life lived a lt lnger befre the fld, this wuld als help explain dinsaurs. Reptiles cntinue t grw until they die, s if every creature lived much lnger befre the fld then small reptiles wuld grw huge. Gd rdained a shrter life span just befre the fld in Genesis 6:3. Where did all the peple cme frm? Simple math explains ppulatin grwth: If a man was t have fur kids and his kids were t have fur kids and s frth, the ppulatin wuld bm expnentially. Mst Christian belief hlds that this was hw the earth was ppulated. The human gene was s perfect that riginally incest wuld nt damage the children. Early in Genesis marriage f cusins was cmmn (Abraham, Isaac, Jacb). As time prgressed thugh, Gd instituted laws that banned incest. By 2Samuel 13, relatins amng relatives are shwn as detestable. **Fr questins f race/culture/language, see Genesis 11 (Twer f Babel) II. Beginning the Study I assume all f yu knw the stry f Adam and Eve and the snake in the garden. I want us t cver the rt f the sin and its effect n mankind. Read Genesis 3:1-6. The first sin What was the rt f this first sin? What was Eve desiring when she ate the fruit?

4 Definitin f the ccult: Seeking knwledge r pwer frm a surce ther than Gd Tart card readers, palm readers, astrlgists, psychics, and Ouija bards are all examples f the ccult. The ccult is the mst severe f sins because whatever knwledge and pwer yu are seeking, yu are actually seeking frm Satan and nt frm Gd. By pening yurself up t Satan yu allw him t take a part f yu as a strnghld. Demns f the ccult are the strngest because they are able t claim the persn due t his sin. Sexual sin and sin against man are bad, but they can nly allw s much wnership f Satan. Occultic sin welcmes wnership f the mind. Let s read Genesis 3:1-6. Why was the first sin a sin f the ccult? Hw culd Satan nw claim wnership ver man? Eve was seeking knwledge and pwer frm smething frbidden. Because she allwed Satan t influence her and because she sinned against Gd, she was nw under the influence f the prince f sinners Satan. White shirt, spaghetti and the definitin f hly: T be set apart, sacred Imagine that yu have a pristine, white dress shirt. It was mad expensive and f great quality. What fds wuld yu avid eating if yu were t wear this shirt? Why? Any spt n that shirt will ruin it, whether it s a big spt r a small ne. Right? Gd is hly. He is pure and sptless. Nthing unhly, apart frm the grace f Gd, can stand befre Him. Anther example wuld be pp. If yu see a big pile f pp, yu aren t ging t rll in it. And even if it s just a small piece f pp, yu aren t ging t rll in it. Pp is pp. Yu dn t want any f it n yu, n matter hw small the amunt. Read Isaiah 59:2. What is the cnsequence f sin? Sin separates us frm Gd. The unhly cannt be with the hly. It is impssible. Because f ur sin, we cannt enter the presence f Gd. Read Psalm 51:5 and Rmans 3: Is anyne withut sin? Simple answer: NO. Definitin f Hell: Eternal separatin frm Gd When this Scripture says, the wages f sin is death, it des nt just mean physical death. The greater cnsequence f sin is the separatin that ccurs between us and Gd. Because f ur unrighteusness, Gd cannt be near us. When peple are witnessing t new believers, they ften use the bridge diagram. Here are yu and Gd tgether. Then sin ccurs and *bm*, there is a huge divide between yu and Gd. Because f yur sin, yu are unhly. The hly cannt be a part f the unhly. The tw simply cannt cmmune. S, yu can n lnger be near Gd. Yu cannt enter int His presence. What many peple d nt realize is that the separatin frm Gd is precisely what Hell is. Peple think f Hell as the place with fire and a lt f peple screaming in trment. But actually, fire in the Bible is a symbl; it is a symbl that represents judgment. Scripture refers t Hell as the place f blackest darkness. What Hell actually is, is eternal separatin frm Gd. Gd is light. When Gd says, I will shine my light n yu, He is actually saying, I will lk upn yu. But in Hell, Gd cannt reveal Himself; He has t lk away. The peple f Hell have received the wages f their sin: separatin frm Gd. Separatin frm Gd can be difficult t cmprehend. A simple analgy wuld be when yu fall ut f favr with peple that yu lve r care abut. And because yu have fallen ut f favr with them, they

5 n lnger acknwledge yu. They give yu the silent treatment. They lk away when yu enter the rm. Yu knw that they knw yu are there, but because f what yu have dne r what has happened between yu and them, they turn away. Think abut that fr a mment. All f us have had times in ur lives that have caused separatin, whether it be breakups in relatinships r arguments with family members r friends. Take a mment t remember that hurt. That pain hurts, but it is nt eternal. Nw imagine the Gd we lve suddenly turning away frm us. We are n lnger clean because f ur sins and He has t lk away. We cry ut t Him, but He cannt answer. We seek Him, but we are surrunded by darkness. There is n mre lve, n mre faith, n mre hpe, and n mre peace just darkness. Althugh there are many definitins fr Hell, the truest and scariest definitin is this separatin. Read Matthew 27: What was the true agny f the Crss? Jesus endured Hell fr us. He endured Gd frsaking Him. The darkness cvering the land was the symbl f Gd turning away. It had nt been the anticipatin f the pain, the rejectin, r the shame f the Crss that had made Jesus earnestly cry ut t Gd befre being arrested t take this cup frm Him. It had been the knwledge that He wuld lse fellwship with Gd, if even fr just a shrt amunt f time. Many Christians have endured unspeakable sufferings fr their faith but n Christian has t endure Hell. Definitin f The Gspel: The gd news The gspel is the Christian revelatin f salvatin and the kingdm f Gd. It is the revelatin that Christ has endured ALL the cnsequences f sin fr us. It is that if we cnfess ur faith in Him and accept Him int ur hearts, we will be saved. Rmans Rad: Rmans 3:23, 6:23a, 5:8, 10:9, 10:13, 8:1-2 Extra gdies: 2 Crinthians 5:21, Psalm 103:11-12, Jeremiah 31:34b, Jhn 8:36 Let s take a clser lk at what cnsequences f sin Jesus endured fr us: (Reference: Blessings r Curse by Derek Prince) III. New Identities! Jesus was punished that we might be frgiven. (Isaiah 53:10) Jesus was wunded that we might be healed. (Isaiah 53:5) Jesus was made sin with ur sinfulness that we might becme righteus with His righteusness. (2 Crinthians 5:21) Jesus died ur death that we might share His life. (Hebrews 2:9) Jesus became pr with ur pverty that we might becme rich with His riches. He als endured hunger, thirst, nakedness, and a need fr all things including a brrwed tmb. (2 Crinthians 8:9) Jesus bre ur shame that we might share in His glry. (Isaiah 53:4, Hebrews 2:10) Jesus endured ur rejectin that we might have His acceptance as children f Gd. (Matthew 27:46 50, Ephesians 1:5-7) Jesus became a curse that we might receive a blessing. (Galatians 3:13) I am a new creatin. (2 Crinthians 5:17): There is a reasn why Jesus liked t say that we must be, brn again. This is the fundatin. As we grw in claiming ur identity in Christ, Satan is ging t keep trying t remind us f ur past. But that is nt us anymre. That was a different persn. We are a new creatin and n lnger relate t that frmer self. Please declare with me, In Christ, I am a new creatin! Amen.

6 I am redeemed. (Ephesians 1:7): Yu can add t it justified and frgiven as well. When we cnfess faith in Gd and accept Christ int ur hearts, we are redeemed by His bld. All thse negative traits and past failures have been cvered ver. Our sins have been hurled int the depths f the sea (Micah 7:19). Please declare with me, In Christ, I am redeemed! Amen. When we pray the bld f Jesus ver urselves, we are basically stating ur redemptin in Gd. We n lnger belng t the prince f this wrld and the king f sinners; we have been redeemed frm a life f sin! I belng t Gd. (1 Crinthians 6:19-20): If we n lnger belng t the prince f this wrld, then wh d we belng t? We belng t Gd! We are nt ur wn. We are Gd s pssessin. We belng t Gd. There is pwer in understanding that yu are Gd s pssessin. Jhn 10:28-29 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and n ne will snatch them ut f my hand. My Father, wh has given them t me, is greater than all, and n ne is able t snatch them ut f the Father s hand. (ESV) Sexual bndage is a cmmn way that Satan makes us believe we belng t him. Whenever smene falls with his purity, Satan will try and cnvince the persn that he belngs t the sin and can nt escape it. Satan makes the persn believe that he might as well give up t the sin. But n, we are redeemed and we are Gd s pssessin! We might stumble r fall, but by the bld f Jesus, we receive grace. Satan can nt steal frm Gd. He knws he can nt snatch us frm Gd s hand, yet Satan still tries t deceive us int believing that we can nt escape his grasp. But the nly pwer Satan can have ver us is the pwer we give him. When we understand that we belng t Gd, Satan knws his time is shrt; it will nly be a matter f time until we cnfess ur sins, receive Gd s frgiveness, and claim Gd s prmises. At that pint, Satan s grip is cmpletely lst. Please repeat after me, I belng t Gd! Amen. IV. Small Grup Questins: 1) Read Genesis 1:26. Satan hates that we were made in the image f Gd. Hw des he try t attack this identity in peple? After the prdigal sn had fallen in sin (Luke 15:18-19), hw des his identity, in relatin with his father, change? **Tries t make us feel n better than animals in ur sin, tries t make us believe the Father will nt accept us again, tries t make us believe we evlved frm mnkeys. Satan tries t devalue us and turns us frm sns t servants t slaves t cmpletely unwrthy** 2) Hw des Gd s first questin in Genesis 3:11 relate t hw ur identity is shaped, either by Gd r by the wrld and Satan? What are sme ways that cmmercials and advertising shape a child s identity? **Adam&Eve were tld by Satan they were naked and tld they shuld be ashamed and they believed it they were nw under the influence f Satan and because f that they were plagued by shame and cndemnatin. The wrld tells us we are t fat, nt athletic enugh, nt smart enugh, nt attractive enugh** 3) Read Ephesians 4:22-24 and Clssians 3:9-10. What is taken ff and what is put n? Hw have yu changed since accepting Christ? Hw d yu actively put n the new self? **Our ld identity must be taken ff. Our new identity must be put n. We d this by cnfessing and turning frm ur sins and then thrugh prclaiming wh we are in Gd. As we speak His truth ver us we are cleansed frm the wrds and accusatins f the enemy and we are filled with faith and hpe.

7 4) After reviewing what Jesus endured fr us n the Crss, what are sme f the things in yur life that yu want t give t Him (such as a certain sin, pverty, shame, a scar)? After sharing, pray fr each ther. Memry Verse f the Week 2 Crinthians 5:17 Bibligraphy Prince, Derek. Blessing r Curse: Yu Can Chse. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Chsen Bks, 2006.