A Four Lesson Series on Spiritual Growth Prepared by Ray & Seth Reynolds
A Series of Lessons on Spiritual Growth (by Seth Reynolds) LESSON # 1 = We Need Faith Introduction: Please open your Bible to Psalm 27:1-4 (READ). If you didn t know, after listening to these verses, our lesson tonight is on faith. We can see the need for faith in these verses. The Bible teaches us that Christians need to have faith (Hebrews 11:1, 6), but how can we achieve it? What can we do to attain it? I WANT faith. And I m sure you do too. What does the Bible teach us? What can we learn? I. Think about your fears and failures The fear and failure of Abraham hindered his faith (Genesis 11-16). The fear and failure of Moses hindered his faith (Exodus 2-4). The fear and failure of the disciples hindered their faith (Luke 17:5-6). We have to wonder where is our faith? Do we put faith in ourselves? Or in God? Can we move past our fears and failures? We need to focus on our hallelujahs and amens! Faith is needed for salvation (Romans 3:28, 5:1). Faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:14, 17). We should accept people who have weak faith (Romans 14:1). Christianity is the only true faith (Ephesians 4:5, John 14:6). Faith accompanies obedience to God (Hebrews 11:7 12). Conclusion: If you want to get close to God you need faith. The word FAITH is used 308 times in my Bible. That s awesome! We know that faith is hoping in what is not seen (Hebrews 11:1). It s one thing to see the word faith in your Bible, and something entirely different to have faith in the God who wrote it. Do you have it?
LESSON # 2 = We Need Hope Introduction: Please open your Bible to Psalm 33:18-22 (READ). If you didn t know, after listening to these verses, our lesson tonight is on hope. We can see the message of hope in these verses. The Bible teaches us that Christians always have hope (Romans 8:28), but how can we achieve it? What can we do to attain it? I WANT hope. And I m sure you do too. What does the Bible teach us? What can we learn? The fear and failure of Abraham nearly caused him to lose hope (Genesis 11-16). The fear and failure of Jeremiah nearly caused him to lose hope (Jeremiah, Lamentations). The fear and failure of David nearly caused him to lose hope (I Samuel 16-I Kings 2). We have to wonder where is our hope? Is it in ourselves? Or is it in God? Can we move past our fears and failures? We need to focus on our hallelujahs and amens! The future gives us hope (Jeremiah 31:17). The Bible gives us hope (Psalm 119:43). The Holy Spirit gives us hope (Romans 15:13). The resurrection gives us hope (I Corinthians 6:14, 15:19). Eternal life gives us hope (Titus 3:7). Conclusion: If you want to get close to God you need hope. The word HOPE is used 149 times in my Bible. That s awesome! It s one thing to have hope in your Bible, and something entirely different to have hope in your life. Do you have it?
LESSON # 3 = We Need Love Introduction: Please open your Bible to Psalm 136:1-26 (READ). If you didn t know, after listening to these verses, our lesson tonight is on love. We can see the message of love in these verses. The Bible teaches us that Christians need to have love (John 13:34-35), but how can we achieve it? What can we do to attain it? I WANT love. And I m sure you do too. What does the Bible teach us? What can we learn? The fear and failure of Leah caused her to feel unloved (Genesis 29-49). The fear and failure of Samson caused him to seek ungodly love (Judges 13-16). The fear and failure of Naomi and Ruth caused them to feel unloved (Ruth 1-4). We have to wonder where is our love? Is it in ourselves? Or is it in God? Can we move past our fears and failures? We need to focus on our hallelujahs and amens! God knows we can love Him with ALL our heart (Mark 12:28-30). God knows we can love Him with ALL our soul (Mark 12:28-30). God knows we can love Him with ALL our mind (Mark 12:28-30). God knows we can love Him with ALL our strength (Mark 12:28-30). God knows we can love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31). Conclusion: If you want to get close to God you need love. The word LOVE is used 310 times in my Bible. That s awesome! It s one thing to have love in your Bible, and something entirely different to have love in your life. Do you have it?
LESSON # 4 = We Need Mercy Introduction: Please open your Bible to Psalm 57:1-11 (READ). If you didn t know, after listening to these verses, our lesson tonight is on mercy. For the next few months I want to talk about how we can get close to God through faith, hope, and mercy. We can see the message of mercy in these verses. The Bible teaches us that Christians have mercy (Titus 3:5), but how can we achieve it? What can we do to attain it? I WANT mercy. And I m sure you do too. What does the Bible teach us? What can we learn? The fear and failure of Lot nearly caused him to lose mercy (Genesis 18-19). The fear and failure of David nearly caused him to lose mercy (II Samuel 11, Psalm 51). The fear and failure of the Israelites nearly caused them to lose mercy (Numbers 13:17-33). We have to wonder where is our mercy? Can we move past our fears and failures? We need to focus on our hallelujahs and amens! People who show mercy to others will be rewarded (Matthew 5:7). God requires that we show mercy (Matthew 9:13, Micah 6:8). We should imitate God s mercy (Luke 6:36, Psalm 86:5). Jesus is merciful (Acts 9:1-19, I Timothy 1:2, II Timothy 1:2). Love always shows mercy (Ephesians 2:4). Conclusion: If you want to get close to God you need mercy. The word MERCY is used 183 times in my Bible. That s awesome! It s one thing to have mercy in your Bible, and something entirely different to experience the mercy from God and then WE NEED to show mercy to others in our life. Do you have it? Do you share it?