The Promises of God. Greeting. The Promise

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1 The Promises of God, Lesson 5 Participant Guide, Page 1 The Promises of God Session 5 You Can Live a Godly Life Leader Guide Greeting Puzzle exercise-- Discussion Questions: When have you been given a large task to accomplish but not the resources you needed to get the job done? How did you feel? What are some areas of your life where you have big expectations to meet and need all the help you can get? The Promise His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 2 Peter 1: 3-4 In your own words, what is God promising in these two verses? And just as important, what are some things these verses aren t promising? In other words, how have you noticed this promise being misused?

2 The Promises of God, Lesson 5 Participant Guide, Page 2 New Story: Rachel and Andy Ask: Hold for comprehension question. Hold for empathy-building question. Hold for application question. God s Story God s Word Acts 2:1-47 (ESV) 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God. 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, What does this mean? 13 But others mocking said, They are filled with new wine.

3 The Promises of God, Lesson 5 Participant Guide, Page 3 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him, I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

4 The Promises of God, Lesson 5 Participant Guide, Page 4 or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence. 29 Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool. 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? 38 And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation. 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the

5 The Promises of God, Lesson 5 Participant Guide, Page 5 apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Behind the Scenes The second chapter of Acts records the coming of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Christian church. Jews from many nations had gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost, one of three major feasts that occurred each year. (Pentecost occurred 50 days after Passover, and Jesus had been crucified and resurrected during the observance of Passover.) On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven with a sound like a mighty rushing wind and with divided tongues as of fire that rested on each person present, symbolizing God s presence within and among believers. The transformation of the disciples went far deeper than their newly found ability to suddenly speak in foreign languages. The Holy Spirit transformed their character as well. After Jesus crucifixion the disciples went into hiding out of fear of being arrested and suffering as Jesus had. Now they were proclaiming Jesus to the nations. The transformation in Peter is striking. Peter was the disciple who three times denied knowing Jesus. But after being filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter is the disciple who delivered the stirring sermon recorded in Acts 2: (Not everyone in the crowd was receptive: some mockers said, They are filled with new wine. ) At Pentecost we see the disciples beginning to share God s message with the whole world, because the Holy Spirit had begun to form Jesus character in them. Here are my initial impressions, insights, and questions regarding the passage:

6 The Promises of God, Lesson 5 Participant Guide, Page 6 Discussion Questions: Why was it important for international Jews to hear the gospel message spoken in their native languages? When Jesus was arrested, the disciples abandoned him, and Peter three times denied even knowing him. What changes did the Holy Spirit need to make in the eleven disciples before they were willing and able to share the gospel on Pentecost? There are some insights my friends got from the text: Discussion Questions: How was the way the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples on Pentecost a fulfillment of the prophecy quoted by Peter in Acts 2:17 (from Joel 2:28 in the Old Testament)? What are some ways the Holy Spirit empowers us today?

7 The Promises of God, Lesson 5 Participant Guide, Page 7 Growing Has God ever made His presence or a message known to you? Was it through a gentle nudge or something more dramatic? Has God ever called you to make difficult decisions about the way you have been living your life? If so, how did you respond?

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9 The Promises of God, Lesson 5 Participant Guide, Page 9 Hidden Books of the Bible Puzzle Find 30 books of the Bible hidden in the paragraph below: There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus; there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless.

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