1 1 You Therefore, My Son, Be Strong in the Grace That Is in Christ

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1 1 You Therefore, My Son, Be Strong in the Grace That Is in Christ Matthew 28:19-20 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. 2 Timothy 2:1-2 1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Our Syllabus Your assignment: Write a letter to an unbelieving friend or family member sharing the gospel as clearly as you know how. 1 Introduction Many Gospel presentations are focused on getting the gospel out as clearly and as quickly as possible. The purpose is so that we can be effective in sharing the Gospel in a short period of time and get the necessary information communicated clearly and efficiently. This is a great practice, and many good methods have been developed to do this effectively. The purpose of this session, however, is to come to a thorough and Biblical understanding of the Gospel so that we can better understand our own salvation, as well as effectively answer the deeper questions which people may ask about the Gospel. Can you KNOW that you are saved? Epistemology 1 John 5:9-13 The Gospel (Disambiguation) The Character and Original Plan of God Genesis 1-2 Introducing the Problem (Sin) Genesis 3:1-7 Ephesians 2:1-3 Romans 5:12-21 Effects of Sin Genesis 2:15-17 Isaiah 59:2 Genesis 3:8-24 Attempting Salvation by Works Genesis 3:7, 21 Genesis 4:1-8 Isaiah 64:6 Galatians 2:20-21 Titus 3:4-7 2 Your assignment: Provide a collection of Bible verses that you would use in sharing the gospel (at least 5) give a brief explanation for each and, if you plan to use them in sequence, how they relate to one another. 3 Picking up at the GOOD NEWS! Last session looked at the bad news. We looked at the following topics and a good amount of Scriptural support for each one. This puts us in prime position to start from the bad news of our absolute helpless estate as sinners who were at enmity with God to come to the source of all of our hope: What God Did about it! Review Can you KNOW that you are saved? The Character and Original Plan of God Introducing the Problem (Sin) Effects of Sin Attempting Salvation by Works Who Jesus Is Genesis 3:15 Genesis 4:1 Genesis 12, 15, 17 Genesis 49:8-12 Numbers 24:17 2 Samuel 7:8-17; 1 Chronicles 17:1-14 Isaiah 9:6-7 Zechariah 14:3-4 John 1:1-5, 14 John 1:32-34 Acts 9:20 Philippians 2:5-11 Revelation 1:8-16 Your assignment: Read Revelation 1:8-16 and give a list of things it reveals about Jesus. 4 What it all means… We have examined man’s sinful inability – there is no hope of salvation by works for any single person. We are hopelessly condemned. In the last study we looked at the question: Who is Jesus Christ? From the Old and New Testaments, we saw that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God – the promised Savior and coming King. All of the hopes of the world – of every person – hangs exclusively upon the character and work of Jesus Christ. Review Man’s Need Who is Jesus Christ? What Jesus Christ did for Us Ephesians 5:6 Romans 1:18 Revelation 20:10 Isaiah 53 John 1:29 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 1 Peter 2:24 2 Corinthians 5:21 Matthew 27:46 John 19:30 Our Response Genesis 15:6 John 1:12-13 John 3:16 John 5:24 John 6:29 1 Corinthians 1:21 5 Ephesians 2:8-9 Galatians 2:1 Saving Repentance From The Gospel by Ron Shea: “WHAT SAVING REPENTANCE IS NOT: 1. Saving repentance is not being sorry for your sins. 2. Saving repentance is not turning from your sins or reforming your life. 3. Saving repentance is not the willingness to turn your life over to God so that he can direct your path. WHAT SAVING REPENTANCE IS: SAVING REPENTANCE IS TO STOP TRUSTING IN GAINING ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH RELIGION, RELIGIOUS RITUALS, OR OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S LAWS.” Matthew 3:7-9; Luke 13:1-5 Assurance of Salvation John 5:24 1 John 2:28 Eternal Security John 10:25-30 Hebrews 10:10-12, 14 Your assignment: Take one topic described in the last three studies (Sin, the Character of God, Our Response, etc.) and write a brief summary of what that means using the Bible verses provided (or any that you find!). 6 The Christian Life The Gospel is under constant attack – riddled with misunderstanding on all sides and for all manner of reason. No less misunderstood is the Biblical perspective on the Christian Life. If we are saved already, then what are we still doing here? If we are declared complete in Christ, then why do we still struggle with Sin? Why does the Bible talk about our salvation as being finished at the moment of faith, but also talk about it going on right now? Even more frighteningly, why does it talk about the fact that we are “going to be saved”…does that mean that we may NOT be saved after all? The next four studies on Living the Christian Life are meant to answer those questions and more. The Path Ahead Session 1 – The 3 Phases of Salvation Session 2 – Romans 5-8 – Finished, Growing, and Gone Session 3 – Galatians 5:16-26 – Walking Right Session 4 – The Riches of Grace Vocabulary Words: Salvation Justification Sanctification Glorification 7 3 Phases of Salvation: Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Title Justification Sanctification Glorification Purpose Saved from Sin’s Saved from Sin’s Saved from Sin’s Penalty Power Presence Timing Past Present Future Passages Titus 3:5 1 Timothy 4:16 Romans 5:9-10 Ephesians 2:8-9 James 1:21 Romans 13:11 Luke 7:50 Philippians 2:12-13 1 Corinthians 3:15 Your assignment: Give a simple definition of each phase of salvation and how you understand it now. 8 Three Phases of Salvation in Practice Understanding the three tenses of our salvation is pivotal to our Christian growth. As we explore what it means to grow in Christ we come to understand our position in Him. We grow in our ability to rely upon Christ and trust Him in every moment, every trial, every triumph. We find we are able to say with Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who loved, but Christ liveth in me…” Galatians 2:20. Yet this growth is a matter of process. It involves learning more from God’s revelation (the Bible) and applying it to how we think, perceive, understand, speak, and act. Thus this week’s study will be an overview of Romans 5-8 which give the foundational information needed to understand how the Christian is meant to grow. Reviewing the 3 Phases of Salvation Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Title Justification Sanctification Glorification Purpose Saved from Sin’s Saved from Sin’s Saved from Sin’s Penalty Power Presence Timing Past Present Future Passages Titus 3:5 1 Timothy 4:16 Romans 5:9-10 Ephesians 2:8-9 James 1:21 Romans 13:11 Luke 7:50 Philippians 2:12-13 1 Corinthians 3:15 Romans 5 Trusting through Trials (Romans 5:1-5) Christ’s Substitutionary Work (Romans 5:6-11) The Permanent Power of Propitiation (Romans 5:12-21) Romans 6 Our Position in Christ (Romans 6:1-14) Living in Freedom (Romans 6:15-23) Romans 7 Free from the Law (Romans 7:1-6) An Eternally Losing Battle (Romans 7:7-12) What the Law can NEVER DO (Romans 7:13-25) Romans 8 Free from Sin (Romans 8:1-11) 9 Made a Son (Romans 8:12-17) Suffering in Christ (Romans 8:18-30) God’s faithfulness and Love (Romans 8:31-39) Your assignment: Write your own personal synopsis of Romans 6:1-11. Be sure to include what these verses mean and how they are meant to affect the believer’s life. 10 A Walk that Matters In the last study we took a lightning-fast look at the four most important chapters of the Bible in understanding the Christian life. Romans 5 highlighted our Phase 1 Salvation, Romans 6 highlighted that we must KNOW, RECKON, and PRESENT. Romans 7 showed what happens when someone tries to live the Christian life under our own power, strength, or ability. Finally, Romans 8 showed us life by means of the Holy Spirit ending in an explosive hymn of praise to the faithfulness of God and the certainty of our salvation. Galatians 5:16-26 is a clear passage on what it means to be truly Spiritual – to be spiritually growing. This passage gives us clear marching orders for how we are to live our everyday lives. Galatians 5:16-26 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
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