November 16 Chapter 10 Leaning on the Second Bookend

Scripture:  2 Corinthians 4:18   …as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Summary:   We are constantly inclined to depend on our own abilities, strengths, and resources, and we must shift our dependence back onto the power of the Holy Spirit. Three focal points will help us to make this shift:  1) we must see our desperate weakness and helplessness so that we will stop trying to rely on ourselves and depend on the power of the Holy Spirit; 2) we must see the reliable power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish all his will in us; and 3) we must reject self-reliance and cultivate humility and godliness in its place. Humility and godliness grow when we meditate on what Christ did for us on the cross. Finally, when we depend on both the righteousness of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, "we work hard in the strength he provides, not to earn merit but to glorify and enjoy him." (146)

Discussion:  Do you believe the last two sentences on page 137 are true? If so, how can you apply this to your life?

What is godliness and how does it address our self-reliance at its roots? (143-144)

November 9 Chapter 9 Gospel Enemy #3: Self-reliance

Scripture:  1 Corinthians 10:12   Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

Summary:   At first glance, self-reliance seems to be an admirable quality. In fact, though, the person who is self-reliant is relying on himself instead of relying on Christ. Anyone who tries to live the Christian life in his own strength will fail eventually, falling into legalism, frustration, or ungodly living—no one can live successfully without relying on the grace of God. Self-reliance is a subtle, ever-present sin; we are all guilty of self-reliance when we fail to depend on the power of the Holy Spirit to live faithfully for Christ.

Discussion:   The last paragraph on page 126 states that all believers are inclined to fall prey to self-reliance every day! Do you agree? Why or why not?

What insights and applications do you find in the description of Paul’s thorn in the flesh? (132-133)

November 2 Chapter 8 The Help of the Divine Encourager

Scripture:  Romans 15:13   May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Summary:   Placing our dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit provides hope for the battle against sin. The Holy Spirit encourages us in at least four ways: 1) He opens our eyes to the love of Christ for us, producing profound gratitude in our hearts; 2) He gives us an awareness of our sin and a greater love for God, which diminishes our appetite for sin; 3) He gives us a growing appetite for enjoying an intimate, satisfying  relationship with God; and 4) He gives us the promises of God in Scripture—promises of truth, wisdom, strength, eternal life, and much more.

Discussion:   What is gratitude for purchased grace? Why is it life-changing? (110-111)

What do you learn about enjoying your relationship with God from pages 116-117?

From the paragraph that starts at the bottom of page 118, describe how the Spirit uses the promises of God to equip us for our battle against sin. 

October 26 Chapter 7 Dependent Responsibility

Scripture:  Romans 8:13  For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Summary:   As we live the Christian life, we must always be aware that we are both responsible and dependent. We are 100% responsible to work as hard and as effectively as we can, but we are 100% dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to work. The Holy Spirit uses various "means of grace" to strengthen us and produce spiritual growth; these include the gospel itself, regular communion with God through Scripture and prayer, and the various circumstances he brings into our lives. All of these means contribute to our fellowship and communion with God.

Our fellowship with God is both objective and subjective: objectively, a believer always has the same relationship with God, whether he feels like it or not at any given time; subjectively, a believer's experience of his relationship with God varies, depending at least in part on his dependence upon the Holy Spirit as he works diligently at the spiritual disciplines.

Discussion:  Explain the two sentences that start on the bottom of page 98: “There’s no conflict between our work and our dependence. In fact, the harder we work, the more absolute our dependence on the Spirit must become.”

Explain the differences between our union with Christ and our communion with Christ. (106; also see the quote on page 48).

October 19 Chapter 6 The Power of the Holy Spirit

Scripture:  Timothy 1:7 …for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Summary:   Just as a believer depends on the righteousness of Christ for his acceptance by God, he also depends on the power of the Holy Spirit for strength to live the Christian life day to day. The Holy Spirit's power is evident in two ways: 1) he supplies the power so that we can do the work of obeying God, and 2) he works alone in us when he gives us new life, when he gives us assurance of our faith, and when he gives consolation and gratitude. Bridges refers to these as the synergistic (working together) and monergistic (working alone) work of the Spirit.

Discussion:  From the section titled, “The Spirit’s Synergistic Work” explain what is meant by the expression, “qualified synergism.” Describe how this relieves the burden of our having insufficient willpower and strength to obey God. (86-88)

Describe the similarities between the first and second bookends. (92, paragraphs 1-2); now describe the differences between the first and second bookends. (92, paragraphs 3-4)

October 12 Chapter 5 Leaning on the First Bookend

Scripture:  Luke 19:10  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

Summary:   The righteousness of Christ is all-sufficient for believers; it cannot be lost. But too often we tend to depend on something or someone else. Whenever we find ourselves depending on anything other than the righteousness of Christ, we must consciously shift our dependence back where it belongs. Three focal points will help us to do this:  1) seeing ourselves as desperately lost sinners, 2) seeing the righteousness of Christ as all-sufficient for us daily, and 3) seeing and rejecting our functional saviors. Functional saviors are anything that we depend on and turn to for our sense of security and significance. As we learn to identify and reject earthly things that we value too highly—things that we treat as more important to us than Christ—we grow in joy, love for God, and dependence on the righteousness of Christ alone.

Discussion:  Read all of page 68 and the first half of page 69. In what ways does the list help you “see” Focal Point #1?

Read the first paragraph on page 70 and think about specific areas you desperately need the righteousness of Christ to substitute for your sin and failure. Is his righteousness sufficient for even that? How does this realization make you feel toward him?

September 28 Chapter 4 Gospel Enemy #2: Persistent guilt

Scripture:  Galatians 2:21  I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Summary:   Our conscience is "our God-given inner voice, an internal witness that testifies to the level of our personal obedience ...." It warns us when we are about to sin and reminds us of our guilt when we do sin. When we repeatedly ignore our conscience, it becomes desensitized and no longer functions as God designed it to. On the other hand, when we listen to a guilty conscience and focus on our sin and failure—without remembering that God sees us clothed in the the righteousness of Christ—persistent guilt can incapacitate us. When we are justified by faith in Christ, God views us just-as-if we had always obeyed. The only way to escape persistent guilt is to acknowledge our sin and  turn to the cross and remember the mercy, freedom, and peace that Christ provides by his righteousness.

Discussion:  What have you used in the past to attempt to escape the voice of your conscience? Is this sinful? Why or why not? (55)

Explain how a healthy remembrance of our sin can be a blessing. (58, last paragraph; 59)

October 5     (week off because of NANC)

September 21 Chapter 3 Gospel Enemy #1: Self-righteousness

Scripture: Romans 10:3-4 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Summary: We are guilty of self righteousness any time we judge or measure ourselves on the basis of our own performance. There are two kinds of self-righteous Christians: 1) those who take pride, satisfaction and comfort in their Christian lifestyle or "goodness," and 2) those who are discouraged with themselves and struggle with a burden of persistent guilt. In both cases, the believer is focusing on his own performance rather than on the righteousness of Christ. Self-righteousness will eventually rob a Christian of the joy and assurance of salvation that comes from resting in the righteousness of Christ alone.

Discussion: Describe the self-righteous moralistic believer. Based on your answers to the ten questions, do you tend to fit in this category? (47-49)

Why is persistent guilt actually a form of self-righteousness toward God? (50-51)

September 14 Chapter 2 The Motivation of the Gospel

Scripture:  2 Corinthians 5:14   For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;

Summary:  This chapter presents three examples of people who were profoundly motivated by the gospel:  the sinful woman who anointed Jesus' feet, the prophet Isaiah, and the apostle Paul. Each of these people had a powerful experience in their relationship to God, and their experiences had three elements in common with each other:  1) an acute awareness of their sinfulness and God's holiness, 2) an understanding and assurance that their sins were forgiven through Jesus' death on the cross, and 3) gratitude, love and commitment to God. All believers should respond in the same way to the mercies of God, with deep gratitude and lives of committed service to God. We should remind ourselves daily of the love and grace God has poured out on us, so that our gratitude and love for God grows, and does not diminish.

Discussion:  None of us loves Christ the way he deserves to be loved. Discuss the two reasons for this identified in the first paragraph on page 34.

What were the three steps common to both Isaiah's experience and that of the sinful woman of Luke 7? (36, paragraph 2)   When you think of the last paragraph in the section on Isaiah (37, paragraph 1), what can you do to grow in your experience of the motivating power of the gospel?

Fall Schedule for 2009

Sept 7 Chapter 1 The Righteousness of Christ
Sept 14 Chapter 2 The Motivation of the Gospel
Sept 21 Chapter 3 Gospel Enemy #1: Self-righteousness
Sept 28 Chapter 4 Gospel Enemy #2: Persistent Guilt
Oct 12 Chapter 5 Leaning on the First Bookend
Oct 19 Chapter 6 The Power of the Holy Spirit
Oct 26 Chapter 7 Dependent Responsibility
Nov 2 Chapter 8 The Help of the Divine Encourager
Nov 9 Chapter 9 Gospel Enemy #3: Self-reliance
Nov 16 Chapter 10 Leaning on the Second Bookend


September 7 -  Chapter 1 The Righteousness of Christ

Scripture: Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

Summary: Jesus lived a perfectly righteous life. He never sinned and he always obeyed fully and perfectly, in spite of being confronted with the most intense temptation. The epitome of his obedience was his willing sacrifice on the cross, in which he endured separation from his Father. Jesus endured the cross to take the guilt and punishment for our sin, so that we could be forgiven and credited with the perfect righteousness of Christ. That is justification. Once we are justified, God always sees us to be as righteous as Christ himself.

The righteousness of Christ is the first bookend of the Christian life. But sometimes we don’t live as though we have this bookend in place; instead, we act as though we have to earn God’s blessings by our obedience—or we think we’ve forfeited God’s blessings by our failure to live a good life. Both those attitudes are wrong; instead, we must continually, by faith, renounce any trust in our own performance as the basis of our acceptance before God, and we must rely entirely on the righteousness of Christ as the basis of our standing before God.

Discussion: Faith involves both a renunciation and a reliance. In terms of the first bookend, what kind of renunciation is required of us? (p. 28, paragraphs 1-2)
What does it look like when we stand in the present reality of our justification every day? What difference will it make in our day-to-day, moment-to-moment lives? (p. 27-30)

Fruit of the Spirit - Summary

We have spent eight weeks considering the fruit of the Spirit as it is described in Galatians 5:22-23. Remember, if you are a Christian you have at least some measure of all these qualities, which were demonstrated by Jesus during his life on earth. By grace, you should grow in all of them by the help of the Holy Spirit.

Here is a summary of each of the qualities listed in Galatians 5. As you review them, consider the following questions and discuss the answers in your men’s group:

! In which of the qualities do you need to grow the most?
! Have you seen growth in these qualities over the last 8 weeks?
! What will you do over the summer months to continue to grow in the fruit of the Spirit?

Love is the sum and source of all the other qualities. It 1) is practical, 2) involves doing unpleasant things, 3) requires humility to do tasks that are beneath you, or not worthy of your time and talents, and 4) is not always welcomed (but that shouldn’t keep you from showing it).

Joy is "the spiritual buoyancy that comes from enjoying the privileges you have in Christ." Joy keeps us from giving in to the sorrows of life. Sadness seeps into our lives regularly, but when you remember the privileges and promises that you have in Christ, the joy overwhelm the sadness.

Peace is inner confidence and trust in God's wise and good control of your life.

Faithfulness is being trustworthy, reliable, true to your word, doing what you said you would do, keeping your promises, being a person someone can trust and rely on, being loyal even when the pressure is on.

Patience is the quality of being long suffering, to be long-fused rather than short-fused. It means that it takes a lot to get your dander up to the point where you lash out with your hand, tongue, or in your heart and will.

Kindness is a thoughtful, considerate disposition that a believer has toward a person; goodness is the concrete expression of that kindness in deeds. To put it another way, "goodness is the outgoing expression of a kind spirit."

Meekness is a quality that is a blend of humility, gentleness, and courage or boldness. Meekness has been described as “a quiet strength.”

Self-control is the mastery of your self. It is the ability to stay on the mission that God has given you (to love God and love people for God's glory) and not be derailed by temptation.

Fruit of the Spirit: Self-control

In this men's ministry series we have been looking at the various character qualities that make up the fruit of the Spirit These are qualities that the Spirit produces and qualities that we ought to be prayerfully and purposely pursuing. This week we come to the last quality of the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23, the quality of self-control.

Self-control is the mastery of your self. It is the ability to stay on the mission that God has given you and not be derailed by temptation. What is the essential mission God has given you? To love God and love people for God's glory. That means a lot of different things in every area of your life—work, relationships, church, money, etc. The opposite of self-control is self-indulgence, which is getting distracted from the mission. Self-indulgence is turning off the road by taking the exit ramp of temptation into sin. Paul gives examples of this in 5:19-21 (sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these).

In Matthew 4:1-12 we see the self-control of Jesus when Satan tempted him in the wilderness. The three temptations were the first major challenge to Christ's mission; Satan tried to derail him, but Christ exerted self-control and stayed on course.

Matthew 4:1-11

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4But he answered,

"It is written,
"'Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
"'He will command his angels concerning you,' and

"'On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"

7Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

"'You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.'"

11Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Recall the events leading up to Christ's temptations. 1) Christ had just been baptized and anointed by John the Baptist for his ministry as the great High Priest; 2) he was baptized with the Holy Spirit in full measure; 3) the Spirit led him into the wilderness to be tested. God was testing his Son, just as he had tested his son Adam in the Garden and tested his son Israel in the wilderness, so that he might learn obedience (Heb. 5:8).

As God was testing Jesus, Satan was also at work, tempting him to be self-indulgent and disobey his Father. Satan didn't want Christ to get to the cross; he wanted him to avoid the hard path of obedience and suffering that was his as the Messiah.

First temptation: Don't trust your Father Satan tried to persuade Jesus to use his power to avoid starvation instead of trusting his Father to give him food after the fast was over. He wanted Christ to use his divine power, rather than obey in his human strength as the representative of mankind.

Jesus responded with Scripture, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. In effect, he said, Satan, my Father said a long time ago to the children of Israel and I say the same thing to you: man is not ultimately dependent on bread, but on Him, the creative and sustaining power of all things. He is the only indispensable source of man's life and well-being. Christ intended, no matter how hungry and weak he was, to maintain self-control and wait until his Father provided food for him.

Second temptation: Test God Satan tried to lure Jesus into creating an artificial crisis, a situation which would not happen in the normal course of obedience service to the Father. The crisis would manipulate the Father into showing his dependability. Christ responded with self-control, quoting from Scripture: "You shall not put the Lord God to the test." He was saying I'm not going to dive off to see if my Father will save me. He hasn't commanded me to do so. I would be testing and experimenting with my Father.

Third temptation: Worship me! Satan made one final attempt to derail Christ. As one author described the temptation, "Satan presented Christ with a vision of the world in which nations stood ready to abandon their idols and accept Christ as Lord ... Christ could win the world without pain—no weeping over Jerusalem, no crucifixion ...." All Jesus had to do was bow and worship Satan, acknowledging his lordship over mankind.

Christ knew that the road God had placed him on had a cross at the end of it, and he had to go all the way to the end. So, with utter self-control (unlike the first Adam), Christ, the second Adam, stood above the wilderness and cried, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'" At that moment, Christ triumphed over temptation and the Tempter.

What do we learn about temptation and self-control?
1. Temptation is an invitation to take a detour and disobey God—to indulge your desires. It is an exit ramp. And sometimes when you get off on an exit, it's hard to get back on the road. By the time you do, your marriage may be gone, you may be enslaved to drugs, you may be in financial hardship, etc. Don't get off the road.

2. Temptation is inevitable. Jesus was full of the Spirit and led by the Spirit, and he had an absolutely pure heart, and yet he experienced temptation. Don't be naive to think that you are beyond temptation. Don't think it's strange that you experience temptation to do awful things. You are in spiritual warfare with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Testing and trials are the way to holiness and heaven.

3. Satan doesn't always tempt you with bad things; he tempted Jesus with bread, not booze; with safety, not sex; and with power. These were good things. Today, he tempts you to put good things in the place of first importance over God—things like friendship, family, respect, romance, financial stability, etc. If any of these things are of greater importance to you than God, they will control you. You will not have self-control, and eventually you will take the exit ramp of temptation away from God.

• If you live for human approval, people will control you.
• If you live for money or power, your greed will control you.
• If you live for pleasure, your physical desires will control you.

How do we grow in self-control, so that we are able to stay on the road?

1. You must know the Word of God well, so it is right there to counter the temptation when it comes.

2. The love of Christ for you must control you. You need to see that Christ was not just resisting temptation for himself, he was resisting temptation for you. As the second Adam, he set out to undo the results of the first Adam's fall by living a righteous life and then dying on the cross to pay the price for all the times that you lacked self-control and went off the exit ramp of temptation and into sin.

Christ loves you. That truth needs to be real to you; it needs to hem you in so that you stay on the road and fulfill your mission to love God and love others for God's glory. The Redeemer's Word and love for you must be like a video, constantly playing in your life, so that you stay on the road.

How will you respond?
Growing in self-control requires discipline. If you lack self-control, it is hard to exercise discipline.

1. Read the Word and meditate on the love of Christ for you. Do this regularly. How can your men's group encourage one another to do this?

2. In what areas do you tend to struggle most with lack of self-control? What do you need to do differently? How do you need to think differently?

Fruit of the Spirit: Meekness

We are examining the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. The fruit of the Spirit describes the kind of character and lifestyle you are to have as a person who has the Holy Spirit. If you are walking in step with the Spirit—that is, in step with his Word—you will have real love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and the quality that we are looking at this week: meekness.

Meekness is a misunderstood quality. Many people think of a meek person as a person with no backbone, a pushover, a wimp. It doesn't mean that at all. Moses and Jesus were meek—but they were not wimps!

Moses was the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3). He went to Pharaoh and said, "Let my people go," and, in effect, told Pharaoh to give up his entire slave labor force, which was at the heart of Egypt's military and economic superiority, to give it up without remuneration, and to do it now!

Christ described himself as meek. In Matthew 11:28-30 he said, "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will refresh you. Put My yoke on you and learn from Me; I am meek and humble in heart, and you will discover refreshment for your souls. My yoke is easy to wear and My burden is light." But we know that Christ had tremendous strength and backbone.

What is meekness? The word is used to describe a wild, powerful horse that has been tamed and is now submissive to the rider. Meekness has been described as quiet strength. The Kid Zone, (our children’s after-school program) uses the definition that "meekness is being willing to give up my rights in order to put others first. Meekness waits for God to bring about justice." Meekness is a quality that is a blend of humility, gentleness and courage or boldness. We saw it last week in Luke 7:36-50, in the story of Jesus and the forgiven prostitute. Simon didn't approve of this woman; he wanted Jesus to reject her. But instead, Jesus paid attention to her, talked with her, and assured her of his forgiveness and her faith; He acted with humility, gentleness, and boldness. Jesus didn't treat her as beneath him, even though morally, she was. This is also how he treated Judas when he washed his feet, and the three disciples when they fell asleep in the garden.

Meekness is a quality that Jesus expects you to have in your relationships with others; it is much needed. The need for meekness is clear in Galatians 6:1-2.

Galatians 6:1-2

1 Brothers, even if a person is caught in some trespass, you who have the Spirit should restore him in a spirit of meekness, watching out for yourself so that you won't be tempted too. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill Christ's law.

You need to have meekness because you have the responsibility to restore those who have fallen into sin. Christians are susceptible to falling into sin, straying from God, and really messing up their lives. It happens more than it should, and it happens to younger and older Christians alike.

For example, believers may have marriage problems and need help; someone may fall into adultery; a person may become deeply depressed; others try to escape difficult circumstances through drugs or alcohol; and some get distracted by the world and simply drift away from God. You probably know someone in trouble. Perhaps you've been there yourself.

What does God want you to do when he puts a wounded Christian friend in your path? He doesn't want you to 1) ignore them, 2) gossip about them, 3) write them off, or 4) condemn them. Rather, God wants you to work to restore them.

In Bible times, the word restore was used by doctors about setting a bone. When a broken bone was set and healed, it would become useful again—restored. Also, fishermen would use the same word about mending their ripped nets. After the nets were mended they were useful again—restored.

When a brother that you know falls into sin and away from God, God wants you to go to him, extend your hand to pull him out of the swamp of sin that he has fallen into, and help him to become useful again in the body of Christ. He has God-given gifts to be used, and without him, the rest of the body suffers.

Isn't that the responsibility of the pastor and elders? Read the verses again: "you who have the Spirit ...." Some translations say "you who are spiritual" but that simply means "those who have the Holy Spirit," which means all Christians. Now, if you are stuck in sin yourself, obviously you can't help. But otherwise you should be willing and ready to go. (If you aren't successful at extricating the erring brother, then others must be enlisted, including the elders, but that is further down the road of church discipline.)

Where does meekness fit into your responsibility to restore a fallen brother? When you go to your brother in meekness, it means you go to him in humility. You go as one sinner to another, realizing you are no better than he is; but for the grace of God, you would be in the same place. In fact, because you know you are susceptible to falling into sin, you are very wise and careful in your effort to restore your fallen brother so you won't fall into sin with him. That is humility.

Along with humility, there is gentleness. You know that the way of the transgressor is hard; he is already beaten up enough from his sinful choices. A meek person doesn't kick a person who he is down. He is gentle in his speech and in his actions (2 Tim. 2:22; 1 Cor. 4:21).

In addition to the humility and gentleness, a meek person has courage or boldness. You need courage to go to an erring brother; it is just plain hard to do! You might be afraid of how he will respond to you. If it is a friend, you might be afraid he will end the friendship—but if you are meek, you go anyway, and you courageously speak the truth in love to your fallen comrade.
How do you grow in meekness? Meekness grows in the heart of a believer who is aware of his own sinfulness and is grieved by it. This awareness of sin fosters humility and gentleness.

Meekness grows also in the heart of a believer who knows he is loved and forgiven by Christ, who was condemned in his place. Since a believer is loved, forgiven, and accepted by the Father, he knows that God is for him and with him, so he has the courage to do the work of restoring his erring brother.

Finally, meekness grows in the heart of a believer who is learning to love his neighbor as himself. Love is other-centered, so the believer who loves his fallen brother will overcome his own fear and, instead of giving in to it, find the courage and gentleness to try to rescue that brother.

How will you respond?

Discussion: "Meekness is a quality that is a blend of humility, gentleness and courage." Which of these qualities do you most need to strengthen?

Do you know someone who is caught in sin and has fallen away from God, or is drifting away? Perhaps it's a family member or someone at work. God is asking you to go. Jesus said, "Love one another as I have loved you." Jesus loved you by bearing your burden of sin on the cross and dying for it. He didn't stand by and watch you suffer under the burden of your sin. He bore it so that you could be freed from sin and able to love him and others. So like Jesus, you go, and go with meekness.

Are there specific situations where you need meekness? Pray together with the men in your group for God to help you grow in meekness.

Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness and Goodness

We are in the midst of a study on the fruit of the Spirit. Each week, from a different passage, we've looked at one facet of this jewel that is produced, ultimately, by the Holy Spirit. This week we will examine two closely-related facets of this beautiful jewel: kindness and goodness.
Kindness is a thoughtful, considerate disposition that a believer has toward a person; goodness is the concrete expression of that kindness in deeds. To put it another way, "goodness is out outgoing expression of a kind spirit."

The words "kindness" and "goodness" don't appear in our passage, but Christ and the Sinful Woman clearly and beautifully display them. Simon the Pharisee displays the opposite. Remember, love is the sum and source of the other qualities that make up the fruit of the Spirit, so when love is present, some measure of the other qualities is present also. Wherever real, Spirit-wrought love is found there will be kindness and goodness, and that is what we find in this story.

Luke 7:36-50
36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." 40And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."

41"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" 43Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." 44Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." 48And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?" 50And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

To understand this story, we have to know some of the customs of that day. This was probably a nice home constructed around a central courtyard where formal meals were served. The guests were reclining around a table on low couches, their feet extended away from the table. As the host, Simon should have shown the following courtesies to Jesus: place his hand on Jesus' shoulder and give him the kiss of peace on the cheek; have his sandals removed and his feet washed; anoint Jesus with a touch of olive oil. Since none of these kindnesses was shown, so Simon showed himself to be a rude and unkind host.

Another custom was that visitors would come in off the streets and sit around the courtyard wall to observe the happenings and, perhaps, even carry on conversation with the guests. Typically, a lot of folks were coming and going. One such visitor was the woman in our passage. Luke calls her a "sinner." Either she was married to a prominent sinner, or she herself was notorious for some sinful lifestyle. Many believe she was a prostitute. Whatever the reason for her status as a sinner, she was not welcome in the Pharisee's home. You can imagine the shock and the whispers, "Oh, look who's here! Can you believe her audacity, to come in here?"

Why did she come? She was grateful! She had met Jesus before, she had heard the good news about how she could be cleansed of all her sin, and that's what had happened to her. So she went to Jesus and stood at his feet. The tears began to flow from her eyes onto his dusty feet. The tears kept flowing and flowing; then she fell to her knees, unbound her hair (a no-no for a Jewish woman), and wiped the tear-drenched feet of Jesus. The text says she repeatedly kissed his feet and then she took an alabaster vial of expensive perfume and anointed Jesus' feet.

Can you picture this woman? She was unashamedly crying, her nose was running, her hair was a mess. She was a wreck. But what she did was truly an act of goodness, flowing from a heart of kindness and love for Jesus, and out of the kindness of his heart, Jesus welcomed her goodness, which was given to him without any concern for what Simon and the others would think.

Simon the Pharisee, however, didn't like what he witnessed at all. He sat there and complained to himself. He assumed that if Jesus knew who the woman was he would have sent her away.

Jesus confronted Simon with a parable about two debtors who couldn't repay their debts. Simon understood that the debtor who was forgiven the most would love the most. Then Jesus drew the comparison, point by point, between Simon and the sinful woman. Simon didn’t wash Jesus’ feet, but the sinful woman washed his feet and wiped them with her hair; Simon didn’t give Jesus the kiss of peace, but the woman hadn’t stopped kissing his feet since she came in; Simon didn’t anoint his head with oil, but she anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume.

Jesus drew the conclusion for Simon: The woman is the 500 denarii debtor. She recognized “her sins are many,” and because she was forgiven fully, she displayed such love and kindness to me. But the reason you don’t have any love for me and have been everything but kind is that you don’t recognize your sin, and you have never been forgiven. What a powerful blow to this religious conformist!

Jesus affirms the woman’s faith. Your sins have been forgiven (your love for me has made that clear); your faith has saved you. Then he sends her on her way.

Here are powerful and challenging truths:

Great love, kindness, and goodness flow from the realization that you have been forgiven a great debt by Jesus. If you appreciate the extent of your sin—and on the other hand know the extent of Christ’s love for you in forgiveness—you will love much. Acts of goodness flow from a heart mellowed with kindness.

Sometimes we don’t have a strong sense of our sinfulness because we don’t look below the surface. Outwardly, you may look pretty good, but what about the pride, selfishness, lust, bitterness, impatience, etc.? When you become aware of some of your heart attitudes, your sinfulness becomes apparent.

Being kind and doing good things are evidence of your faith, not the cause of it, and give one assurance of his faith. Notice in v. 50, Jesus says to the woman, “Your faith has saved you.” In v. 47 he says, “…her many sins have been forgiven, for she loved much ….” In other words, the evidence of her having been saved and forgiven was her great love and kindness.

Our world needs to see and experience your kindness and goodness. In many respects, you live in a harsh world. You hear of horrendous crimes regularly; you hear of political infighting and scandals; you hear of harshness, meanness, and spite everywhere. As those who have been shown the kindness and goodness of Jesus, we must follow in his steps and show kindness and goodness to others.

How will you respond?

Do you know someone who is an example of kindness and goodness? How can you imitate his or her example?

Can you think of times in the last week that you have been unkind? How have you fallen short ? How could you have behaved differently?

With the men in your group, discuss specific ways you can show more kindness and goodness to others—your spouse, your family, your co-workers, your neighbors.

Fruit of the Spirit: Patience

We have been looking at the fruit of the Spirit as it is presented in Galatians 5:22-23. We've looked at love, joy, and peace, then last week we skipped over to faithfulness. This week we come back to the quality of patience.

Remember, since this fruit is produced by the Spirit in Christians, only Christians can have real love, joy, peace, patience, etc. There are counterfeits, but the real McCoy comes only from the Spirit.

Question: Since the Spirit is the one who produces the fruit, what does the believer have to do about it? Do not make the mistake of thinking we can be passive. We must pursue the fruit. In this week’s passage, the first two words are, “Be patient.” That's a command! Growing in Christ-likeness is a cooperative effort; the Holy Spirit produces the fruit and we are commanded to demonstrate the fruit. God works, so we work.

God expects you to be patient. To be patient is to be long suffering, to be long-fused rather than short-fused. It means that it takes a lot to get your dander up to the point where you lash out with your hand, tongue, or in your heart and will. Consider this passage in James:

James 5:7-11 7Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

God expects you to be patient with his timetable. James uses the example of the ancient farmer who had to wait for the early rains to soften the ground, and for the latter rains to mature the crop. If he became impatient and harvested his crop too soon, before the latter rains, his crop would not be mature. Any good farmer would patiently wait for the right time to harvest the crop. In the same way, you must be patient with God's timetable and agenda for your life.

1. You can become impatient with God’s timetable. For example, let's say you're on the way to an important meeting and get caught in a traffic jam. Would you become impatient?
Or, say you're really tight financially, but you're in line for a promotion that would provide what you need. Then you find that you were skipped over and didn't get the promotion. Would you become impatient?
You make your plans and set your goals for a project, for a family, for school, for a career, etc., but God has different plans and a different timetable. It's difficult not to become impatient with God and His plan.

2. You can become impatient under trial. James' readers were being taken advantage of by rich landowners, who were withholding their wages and mistreating them. There are also many other examples of believers being mistreated:
● Jeremiah was beaten, put in stocks, held in prison, and finally,
into a muddy cistern.
● Job lost his wealth, his family, his health, and his friends.
God does test and try his people to see if they are for real, and if they are, to purify their faith by removing the dross — pride, unhealthy dependence on something or someone else, etc.
Are you under trial? Are you saying, "How long, O Lord, how long?" Or, perhaps you're saying, less eloquently, "Life stinks!"
If that's you, then beware! When impatience is a temptation, so is self-pity. Self-pity is when you feel sorry for yourself and believe that you deserve better. It is dangerous! When self-pity sets in, you can justify any sin—and I mean ANY sin. You reason to yourself, "This is too hard for me. I deserve some relief and some pleasure," And then you go out and do ....

3. You can become impatient with someone else’s weaknesses and sins. This can be a big problem in a church family, where God brings together people from different backgrounds, experiences, idiosyncrasies, and styles of sinning, and says, get along, love each other, and be patient with one another. That's a big challenge for us all.

God expects you to say wholeheartedly,

● "God, your timetable is better than mine. It's hard to wait, but who am I to think that I know better than you?"
● "God, this trial is long and difficult, but I know you are in control and at work in my life to make me more like your Son. Thank you.
● "God, this person is awkward to be around, but you have put us together in the same church family. I need to wash his feet and be patient with him, and he will have to be with me. Thank you, Lord."

How can you cultivate patience in your life? By strengthening your heart, the inner you, where you think, believe, decide, feel, and value things. You need to think of, delight in, and believe the truth of God for patience to be produced in your heart and life.

1. Remember who is making you wait — God. Not your boss or your spouse, but the sovereign and majestic God of heaven and earth, the one person who has perfect wisdom and loves you.

2. When you’re under trial or being mistreated, remember that Christ will right all wrongs when he returns. For now, he is using the trial to produce growth in you, and the process of growth into Christ-likeness is valuable. Remember also that God hasn’t left you alone. He is compassionate and merciful, and will provide for you as he did for Job.

3. When you are dealing with the sins and weaknesses of others, remember how patient God has been and is with you. Jesus endured his suffering patiently, and his suffering of the crown of thorns, the nails, the mocking and the scorn, were far worse than anything you have to endure. He patiently took it for you, and he never lashed out.

Remember how patient and forgiving God is with you. Think of the parable of the unmerciful servant, who forgot the king's patience and kindness to him (Matthew 18:23-35). The next time you feel like tearing into someone who has blown it with you, remember God's patience with you. (Patience doesn't mean saying nothing or being indifferent. It means that you say the truth in love and you lend a helping hand.

Discussion

1. When are you most tempted to be impatient? Which of the three occasions listed in the blog are most challenging to you?
a. when your timetable is disrupted;
b. when you are undergoing a trial;
c. when you have to deal with someone's weaknesses and sins.

2. What thoughts will help you to overcome impatience and respond with genuine, God-pleasing patience?

3. What will you do—specifically and concretely—to help yourself remember how to respond patiently in the future?

Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness

We have been looking at the fruit of the Spirit as it is presented in Galatians 5:22-23, where Paul says, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control ...." We've looked at love, joy, and peace. This week we are skipping ahead to the quality of faithfulness, and we will look at faithfulness from Mark 14:32-42:

32 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34And he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch." 35And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." 37And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 39And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 41And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."

What is faithfulness? It means being trustworthy, reliable, true to your word, doing what you said you would do, keeping your promises, being a person someone can trust and rely on, being loyal even when the pressure is on.

Jesus was faithful par excellence, and this week's passage describes the culmination of a whole life of fidelity. When Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane with his disciples to to pray, he knew the crucifixion was imminent, and the reality of it began to weigh on him. He saw the horror and felt the weight as never before. Listen to the depth of his emotion: "...he began to be distressed and troubled. And he said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.'" Jesus did not exaggerate; the life was being sucked out of him by the horror of what he faced.

Jesus mentions the cup he would have to drink. This was a metaphor used by the Old Testament prophets to picture the wrath and judgment of God being poured out on sin. In the Garden, Jesus saw the cup. He saw the sins of his people swirling around; he saw the deception and lies, the unfaithfulness, the adultery, the hatred, the gossip, the abortions—all the acts of sin committed against his Father. And he saw, and smelled, and tasted, and felt the horror of hell. One commentator, William Lane, says, "Jesus came to be with the Father for an interlude before his betrayal, but found hell rather than heaven opened before him, and he staggered.

As horrible as all that was, something even more devastating was happening. His becoming sin for us meant alienation from his father. Jesus was all alone as the sins of his people were poured over him. Heaven was closed to the Son of God. What happened in the Garden anticipated the cry of Jesus on the cross, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" He began to hear the judgment from his father, "Depart from me, ye cursed, from the presence of the Lord and his glory."

Jesus was faithful under infinite pressure. The waves of utter horror and astonishment at the coming judgment came crashing upon him, yet he was like a rock on the shore and didn't crack or give way. He remained faithful in the dark, when he was all alone. He remained faithful to his Father and to his people—faithful to you.

Jesus didn't change when thorns, the whip, and the nails inflicted their pain. No, Jesus took the chalice of sin and wrath from the hands of his Father and drank it all and staggered into the flames of hell. His beautiful body was broken and precious blood was spilled out down his body onto the cross and to the ground below, and he died. What faithfulness! He kept his word. He kept his promise.

The disciples were unfaithful. Three times Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to stay awake and pray for themselves lest they succumb to the temptation to be unfaithful to Jesus when the betrayer appeared. Each time, they fell asleep. The spirit was willing, but the body was weak.

How could they do that, with Jesus right there with them, suffering and writhing in painful horror? Their unfaithfulness seems incredible! Or are the disciples a picture of you in your relationship to Jesus and others?

• How many times have you been unfaithful in your relationships—not doing what you said you would do, not being a true and faithful friend, husband, wife, child, or brother or sister?

• How many times have you given in to the temptation or invitation to be untrue to Jesus by choosing to sin, doing the very things that Christ convulsed over as he peered into the cup of judgment and suffered the alienation of his father?

• Are you someone entirely different under the cover of darkness? Are you different around certain people than you are at home or at church? What do you watch on TV when you're alone in the hotel room? How do you carry out your job when the boss is away?

How do we become more faithful like Jesus?

1. Own up to your lack of faithfulness to Jesus. Don't deceive yourself; acknowledge it and ask God to forgive you.
2. Contemplate and cherish this:
• Jesus came to be faithful to the Father for you because you couldn't be.
• Your unfaithfulness was attributed to him; Jesus prayed and got hell and was ignored so that you could pray and get heaven and be heard.
• God considers you forgiven and faithful, now and forever.
• Paul says in 2 Cor. 3:18 that when you see the glory of Christ you are transformed from one degree of Christ-likeness to another. So when you see Jesus being faithful for you, that will change you.
3. Out of gratitude for his faithfulness, you need to make a disciplined, prayerful effort to be faithful to God and others.
• Identify areas in your life where you need to be more faithful.
• What will you do to change?
• Pray for God's help, for yourself and your brothers.

Fruit of the Spirit: Peace

We are looking at the fruit of the Spirit—the fruit produced in a believer's life by the Holy Spirit in coordination with the believer's own pursuit of it. We have looked at love and joyfulness in recent weeks, and now we look at the quality of peace, which is closely related to joy. The very same eternal realities that are the basis of your joy are what the Spirit uses to produce peace—the reality of your salvation in Christ and your relationship with him.

Peace is inner confidence and trust in God's wise and good control of your life. It is an attitude that is constant, solid, and confident no matter what the conditions. The natural man doesn't know true peace. Some people have the counterfeit of true peace—they are laid back and easygoing, but only because they are apathetic or indifferent or self-centered; they don't have true Spirit-produced peace. True peace has confidence and trust in God's control, and it also loves and cares for and is engaged in the lives of other people.

The natural man, on the other hand, is worried to death. Inside, he is torn apart with worry about the economy, terrorism, moral decay, etc. Worry in the heart of a pagan is like a weed growing wildly, out of control. He worries because he doesn't know God; he worries because he is oriented only to the material world and yet he can't control it. He is like the rich fool in Luke 12, who was busy laying up treasure for himself on earth and was not rich toward God:

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." 14But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?" 15And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' 18And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."
22And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
32 "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The rich fool was self-centered and greedy. Though he worked hard and was blessed by God, he gave no thought to God or others; his life consisted in having an abundance of things.

What does it look like today when someone is busy laying up treasure for himself on earth?
You see it every day. You know someone whose primary ambition is to accumulate money and possessions, or to travel the world, to head up his own company or to buy out his competitors, to build his reputation., to succeed, earn human approval and acceptance, fame and power. Or maybe you know someone who is determined to have physical health and be young forever.

This ambition for treasure on earth is a prescription for worry and dissatisfaction. It is the soil out of which the weed of worry flourishes and takes over a person's heart. Just look at the market for prescription drugs! People crave relief from the worry and anxiety that come from a life centered on the material world, the world without God. And their worry is justified! Everything they are living for will be lost, and they know in their hearts that they have no security.

Are you a believer? Do you have the Holy Spirit? Then you shouldn't resemble the worry-filled pagans in the world. You should possess a confidence and trust and rest in God's wise and good control of your life, resulting in an inner calmness—the peace of God. Why? Because you have a personal relationship with God. He loves you and is concerned about the very details of your life, and he promises to provide for your needs. Jesus has already met the greatest need in your life by giving you peace with God when he was your enemy. If God has met your greatest need, won't he meet the other, lesser needs that you have?

What prevents you from having the peace of God? The roadblocks to peace are simple (though serious):
• a focus on laying up treasures on earth - "Where your treasure is there will your heart be also" (v. 34). When treasures on earth are too important to you, you worry over them.
• unbelief - You don't trust God's good and wise control; you don't really believe his promises.

How can you remove the roadblocks to peace?
• Repent for your worry and unbelief, and for your inordinate desire for treasures on earth.
• Seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness with all your heart. How do you seek that? You seek the kingdom of God when you try obey his word. That includes being salt and light in the world, serving in the church, your family to know God, enjoying and sharing with others the material wealth God provides, in the promises of God, praying with thankfulness, and seeking to spread the gospel and bring others into the kingdom.

What issues in your life sometimes threaten the peace of God that you should have?
When you indulge in the sin of worry, what is the impact on those around you? On yourself?
What will you do to cultivate peace in your life in the next week?
Have you grown in love and joyfulness as a result of the first two weeks' studies?

Fruit of the Spirit: Joyfulness

Remember from last week that the fruit of the Spirit is a unity. The qualities listed in Galatians 5:22-23 are not nine fruits; they are nine facets of one fruit. For example, in the story of Jesus washing his disciples' feet, we saw him showing love to his disciples—but his love also displayed humility, patience, kindness, etc.

The same evening that Jesus washed his disciples' feet, Jesus talked to them about joy. Even while the ordeal of his own suffering grew nearer and nearer, he was focusing on preparing his followers for the ordeal that was approaching for them. He wanted them to know that after the sorrow, joy would come, and the joy would last forever. This week, let's look at the quality of joy, from John 16:16-22

16"A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me." 17So some of his disciples said to one another, "What is this that he says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me'; and, 'because I am going to the Father'?" 18So they were saying, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We do not know what he is talking about." 19Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, "Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, 'A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me'? 20Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

That last evening with his disciples, after Jesus washed his disciples' feet, he pointed out Judas as the betrayer, he predicted Peter's denial, he comforted the disciples with the reality of heaven, and he spent a good deal of time preparing them for his departure. He warned them that he was going to have to leave them in a little while, but that they would see him again. Jesus told them that they would weep and mourn. Their grief would be overwhelming, like a mother suffering in labor and childbirth, but afterward they would have joy.

What does this tell us about joy?
1. Joy is essential for a follower of Jesus. Jesus told them, " I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice...." The apostle Paul was very direct when he exhorted the Christians to have joy: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God" (1 Thessalonians 5:16); and again, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice" (Philippians 4:4). Why? Because Jesus returned from the grave, and he rescued us from death and hell. Nothing can diminish the joy of this reality!
2. Joy and sorrow coexist in this world. Sin brings sorrow in this life, and we all have many trials. When you become a Christian, the fact is that you become gladder and sadder at the same time. You are glad because of the joy of the gospel, and you are sad because of sin. You mourn over your own sin and the sin that brings so much pain and sorrow to everyone; you also suffer difficult trials for righteousness' sake. But for the believer, there should always be joy in the midst of sorrow.
3. Joy overwhelms sorrow. Joy is like a furnace. When the cold seeps in from outside, the furnace kicks in and the heat overwhelms the coldness. One definition of joy is "the spiritual buoyancy that comes from enjoying the privileges you have in Christ." Joy keeps us from giving in to the sorrows of life. Sadness seeps into our lives regularly, but when you remember the privileges and promises that you have in Christ, the joy overwhelm the sadness.
4. Joy is permanent. Jesus said, "No one will take your joy from you." Joy is permanent because the basis of your joy is eternal. Happiness based on happenings comes and goes. When you focus on happenings you forget your joy. When you focus on Jesus you will be joyful.

How can you cultivate your joy? Jesus is the key! He said, "I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice."
1. You must know Jesus as your personal Savior. you must believe the joyful news of forgiveness and salvation.
2. You must love Jesus. Joy is found in knowing Jesus, not just loving the gifts he gives. In this life, there will be trials as well as blessings, but loving Jesus gives us the ability to consider even the trials a joy for the sake of following Jesus.
3. You must obey Jesus. In John 15:10-11, Jesus said, "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."

How is your furnace of joy?
1. What tends to dominate you more, joy or sorrow? If sorrow dominates, try to identify the source of your sadness. What are you thinking about that produces sadness? How do you need to change your thinking?
2. How is your lack of joyfulness manifested? Whining and complaining? Depression? Anger and resentment? What else?
3. Assuming that you struggle to be joyful (at least sometimes!) , consider who else is negatively affected by your lack of joyfulness. Your wife? Your children? Your co-workers? Your neighbors?
4. Consider the three ways to cultivate your joy listed above. Which kind of "cultivation" do you need most? What specific, concrete actions can you take to cultivate joy?

The Fruit of the Spirit

We know that all Christians have the Spirit living within them and, therefore, all Christians have some fruit of the Spirit. But we can’t take that fruit for granted. Second Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Fleeing and pursuing are not passive words—so we are not to be passive, but to work diligently at cultivating the fruit of the Spirit. How? Well, primarily by prayerful, regular study of the Word of God, including meditation on it and obeying it. And, of course, that’s why you’re part of the Men’s Ministry, isn’t it—to pursue the fruit of the Spirit in your own life?

Galatians 5:22-23 lists some qualities of the fruit of the Spirit. The nine listed in Galatians are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Remember that “fruit” is singular. There are not nine fruits, but only one, with many facets or aspects. That means that when the fruit is present in your life, you can’t have only one or two of the qualities without any of the others. You can’t have joy and peace, but no self-control. You will have at least some measure of all the qualities. Taken together, as a unity, they represent Christ-likeness. And Christ-likeness is worth pursuing.

We are starting this first week with the quality of love, which is the sum and source of all the other qualities. Let’s examine love as we see it in John 13:1-7, which tells of an event in the life of Jesus when the Spirit’s fruit was ripe. Jesus showed love, the kind of love we all need to have for others.

1Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" 7 Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." 8 Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." 9Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" 10Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you." 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, "Not all of you are clean."
12When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Men, we can learn a lot by studying Jesus’ behavior. Although he was God, he was also a man—a man who was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. A man who “learned obedience through what He suffered.” Think about the love he showed here as he faced Gethsemane and the suffering of the cross.

Remember that this was his last evening with his disciples. Jesus knew that Judas was lost and full of hate for Jesus and would betray him. Jesus knew that the disciples were weak and confused and that they would fail him. Jesus knew too that he would soon—within hours—undergo the greatest suffering and agony that any man would ever face. In that circumstance, he chose to show the extent of his love for his disciples by washing their feet, including the feet of Judas, his enemy.
Why was foot washing such a big deal? Because it was a task that only the most menial, inferior slaves did. It was so demeaning that Peter was embarrassed by what Jesus was doing. But Jesus had a point to make, and when he explained it to them afterward, he said: I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

Jesus taught them that they were to be known by the same kind of self-sacrificing love toward one another. Jesus’ followers are here to love God and love other people for God’s glory. You can make God look great by what you do!
Here are some pointers to keep in mind when you are looking for ways to show love:

1. Love is practical. Look for simple things that need to be done for someone else, and do them.
2. Love involves doing unpleasant things (like washing feet). Look for things that need to be done that perhaps no one else wants to do. Or, perhaps, show love to someone who is difficult to love, who has done wrong to you.
3. It requires humility to do tasks that are beneath you, or not worthy of your time and talents. Be willing to do things that might bring disapproval. Maybe something is needed that you ordinarily wouldn’t do yourself—but that might just be an opportunity to show love.
4. Love is not always welcomed, but that shouldn’t keep you from showing it.

Love is not self-seeking; don’t show love expecting your kindness to be appreciated. One example of this is giving constructive criticism to a friend when it is needed—your loving rebuke may not be appreciated, but love will motivate you to overcome your reluctance or fear. Be satisfied with knowing that God is the One who sees and rewards our good deeds.

In your men’s group, talk about ways to show love that imitate Christ’s “foot washing.” Deeds of love will be different for each of you, of course, depending on your situation. Here are some ideas to get started.

• Helping aged or infirm folks with physical chores they can no longer physically do, like cleaning gutters, changing light bulbs, moving furniture, etc. Or, if needed, help with their physical care.
• Clean the bathrooms or refrigerator for your wife.
• Take an interest in someone who is not especially interesting to you, but who may need your friendship. This might be someone you think is boring, or needy, or whining complainer, etc.
• Talk to a friend lovingly about an area of sin you are aware of that he needs to overcome. Be prepared to follow through and help him change if he wants you to.
• Take time (outside of work hours) to listen to a co-worker who is struggling and give some helpful counsel.

WEEK NINE — Radical Amputation and Accountability

You will need to apply the previous procedures regularly, to various temptations. Sometimes you will find it difficult, and you may even find yourself failing in the battle against temptation. Now, let’s give some further consideration of this matter.

Read Matthew 5:29-30, and ask yourself these questions:
1. Am I avoiding all unnecessary situations, contacts, etc., in which I will be tempted? Be honest!
2. Do I find myself, instead, purposely frequenting those contexts? If so, what must I do?
3. When I cannot avoid contact, possibly dangerous situations, and the like, what should I do then?
[Check out Job 31: 1 for one such initial solution.]
4. If the problem is extreme, what must I do?
5. How would you apply the words about tearing out the eye, etc., to this problem?
6. Last. If for some reason there is still a problem in this area that you find more difficult than you can handle along, speak to the pastor or your elder about it. They will be glad to help.

As you engage in this battle with temptation, remember the encouragement of Christ in Matthew 5:6:

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

You must not only learn to radically amputate, you must also learn to radically hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness.

WEEK EIGHT — The Stages of Temptation

How to win the fight!

Read James 1:13-15. This passage in James takes apart the stages in which temptation works its way from the heart outward. Temptation can be resisted at any point along the way. As long as you live, it is never too late to repent. However, the further you go in the process of temptation, the harder the consequences are likely to be. How can the temptation be checked at various points?

Point 1. When you experience the appeal of sinful desires:



Point 2. After you have decided to give in to sinful desires:



Point 3. When you are experiencing the consequences of giving in to temptation—the growth of sin that brings forth death:

WEEK SEVEN How to avoid becoming involved in temptation

This week's assignment is short. However, if you follow it carefully, it could change your life by helping you defeat temptations and sins that may have plagued you for years.

Read Proverbs chapters 2-5 in their entirety, and write down in your own words what the writer is saying about how to avoid becoming "involved" in temptation.

1. Specific ways to pursue wisdom:


2. Specific warnings and consequences of neglecting wisdom:


3. Benefits of wisdom:

WEEK SIX - facing sexual temptation

[Write out your answers to the questions in the blog.]

Now that you know how to face temptation, let’s take up one that you probably have struggled with from time to time—sexual temptation. I don’t need to describe what it is; you know already. In addition to the matters you have already covered in the process sketched out above which, presumably, you have been following, apply the same procedures to this temptation as well.
a. Talk to God about the problem and repent of it.
b. Find a verse that opposes the problem.
c. Memorize the verse
d. Use the verse to oppose temptation.

Now, ask yourself :


1. How is the temptation of my heart the prelude to the temptation to follow through physically? Look at the Sermon on the Mount for Jesus’ comments about adultery in the heart (Matthew 5:27-30).




2. Am I avoiding all unnecessary situations, contacts, etc., in which I will be tempted to sexual sin, including pornography either in print or online? Be honest!

WEEK Five – I Am a Liar

All right! As you’ve been working through various passages on temptation, you’ve been thinking about your own life, I am sure. Great! And now, perhaps, you’ve come to an important conclusion; you’ve decided, “I am a liar!” That may not be exactly what you concluded, but let’s take it as an example.

You have thought about how often you are tempted to lie your way out of difficult circumstances. How often the lie comes to mind, even when you don’t use it. How, at times, even when there is no pressure to lie to get out of some scrape or another, you have been tempted to lie about ordinary things simply to exaggerate them, stress your capabilities or importance, and so forth. Lying is a definite temptation to be faced throughout your day.

OK. Let’s assume that you agree that it is. Now, what are you going to do to rectify this? First, you ought to talk to God about the problem. What will you say? Write it out: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(I’m assuming you are printing out these pages to use and keep them).
Second, having repented, you will need to find at least one verse that opposes lying. If you’re having trouble with this, may I suggest that one such verse may be found in Ephesians 4. It (or another verse that you’d rather use) is____________________________. Now that you have your verse that opposes lying, the next step (that we suggested in the week 2 study) is:

Third, memorize the verse.

Good. Now what is the next step?

Use the verse to oppose temptation.

You have just been through a practical application of the process that you learned previously. Does it help you know what to do to counter temptation? If so, then I suggest the following:

1. Now determine what is the most serious temptation that you regularly must face. Don’t fudge here—be excruciatingly honest!

2. Good! Now go through the process that we have suggested.

WEEK FOUR - Concordance Study

Come prepared to discuss your concordance study.

To facilitate the discussion, just look for examples in James 1:2-15.

Refer back to the post on Week 3 for details.

WEEK THREE

Come prepared to discuss the “it is written” lists as well as this blog.

It’s about time that we defined temptation, don’t you think? If you look into various Bible translations you will discover that the words tempt, try, and test appear in temptation contexts. Why is it that such a variety of translations exists? Which is the correct term to use in each place? Well, here’s the reason—the very same Greek word can be translated any one of these three ways. There is only one way, therefore, to determine which word best fits a context.

That being so, you will translate the New Testament this week! (I don’t mean the whole thing!) Haven’t you always wanted to do that? You see, you have as much right to use one of these words or another depending on the context, as I said. So, here’s what you’ll do:
1. Get out your trusty concordance. If you don’t have one larger than the one that you find right before the maps in the back of your Bible, you ought to get one.
2. Now, look up the passages where each of these words appears in the New Testament (If you want to look at the Old Testament as well—then that’s OK too. But don’t bite off more than you can chew!).
3. Next, determine which word should be used in each instance according to the context.

Well, how did it go? Was it fun? Biblical translators have not always agreed on how the original word ought to be translated, so you were free to decide for yourself. And, since context alone must determine the way it is used on a particular occasion, your translation is as valid as anyone else’s.

4. The final thing that you will want to do is to write out the reasons why you think that the particular word you decided to use is a better translation in any given context than the others.

Homework for next week: do the concordance study assigned in the blog.

WEEK TWO

Come prepared to discuss this blog on how to meet temptation. Note that you are also given some homework to prepare for Week 3.

Last week we took up the first question: why Jesus/you are tempted. We saw that the devil wanted to divert Jesus from His work. How often has he diverted you from doing things for the Lord?

This week we take up the second question: How ought we to meet temptation?

There are several factors to consider in response. First, we ought to meet it head on. Jesus certainly did. He understood the temptations—all three of them—and dealt with them head on. If we minimize them, as people sometimes do, we can avoid the direct response that is necessary. He acknowledged the temptations as such and met them for what they were—attempts to lead Him into sin. Sometimes people will say such things as, “Oh, I don’t think that’s what she meant . . .” thus minimizing the temptation. Minimized in that fashion, it is easier to fall into it. After all, if what she said isn’t what she meant, then it may be something less than a temptation to sin. Let’s stop kidding ourselves and others by minimizing what, down deep, we know is a temptation to sin. If there’s any question it is better to err on the side of caution!

Now, how did Jesus meet the three temptations? I Peter 5: 9 provides the clue. Jesus did precisely what Peter tells you to do. What was that? write out the key word in the verse___________.

OK. So now you know exactly what to do. How do you go about doing it? That’s the question. The word you wrote down can mean many things. What are some of them?
You probably thought of such things as oppose, refuse to do, defy, stand firm against, fight, withstand, refuse, and the like. OK. Most of those terms speak about some aspect of what to do. But look at what Jesus did. How, exactly, did He withstand, defy, refuse and so on? There was one thing He did in respect to each of the temptations. What was it? Three times (in vv. 4, 6, 10) we see Him refer to something, using three words: Write them here “:__ __ ______________.”

If you are going to meet temptation head on you too will need to be well-versed in the proper passages of Scripture that refer to the temptation. But, notice, He countered not with verses that warned against the temptation, as sometimes we are prone to do, but with verses that asserted the opposite to it. “Yes,” you say, but how do you expect me to be able to come up with such passages on the spot? Here are two suggestions to do before next week’s meeting:

Homework for next week:

A. Make a growing written list of verses that set forth the opposite of all the things that you are tempted to do.

B. Memorize the verse that opposes your most severe temptation, and refer to it in times when the temptation arises.

What is the result of opposing the temptation? Turn again to the verse in I Peter to find the answer. It also occurs in the account of Jesus’ temptation in Matthew 4: 11.
There, two things are stated. What are they?
List them 1_____________________________________________________
2_____________________________________________________

Can you also expect these two results of resisting temptation in your case? Certainly you can expect the first, as I Peter clearly asserts. The second may or may not happen in precisely the same way. But surely, you can expect some sort of help in the outcome—whether angels are employed or not. And, in addition, you will be stronger for having overcome the roaring lion!

Think about the last time you faced temptation successfully—did you receive help? Did you find that for a time thereafter temptation fled from you? Were you stronger after that? If not, why not? Did you become overconfident? If you have questions about this you might want to consult your elder and get assistance from him. At any rate, you will want to instruct and support others who face temptation so that they, too, may experience these same results.

Week 1: Why are you tempted? (Matthew 4:1-11)

Redeemer Men

For the next several weeks Jay Adams will be providing a series of posts on the subject of temptation. This is an opportunity to learn from someone with rich biblical understanding about something that each of us face every day.


Men . . .
Over the next few weeks we will be studying the biblical teaching about temptation. Pastor Slattery thinks that this is an important subject to consider since we are all tempted all the time in any number of ways. So . . . here we go!
WEEK ONE We’re going to begin by looking at the supreme example of how temptation ought to be met. As we see Jesus in the desert, dealing with the wiles of the devil, we can understand at least three things about temptation:
1. Why temptation comes to us;
2. How we ought to meet it;
3. What the outcome of properly handling temptation is.
Before going further, read Matthew 4: 1-11 and see if you can find the verses referring to the three matters mentioned above. Having looked up the passage and reached your conclusions, let’s talk a little more about these questions.
1. Notice the first sentence in this section: Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. The devil is “the accuser” of the brethren. How do we know that? [Use a concordance or Bible dictionary if necessary.] Scripture verse:_______________ What do you think that means?

2.Answer:______________________________________________________________________________________________
We are tempted for the same reason Jesus was—God sees fit to test us just as He saw fit to lead Jesus into temptation. It was at His weakest point, after fasting 40 days that the temptation took place. Certainly, we ought to be especially on guard at times of physical weakness. But we shall see also that such weakness doesn’t mean that we will necessarily be overcome when tempted. Indeed, Jesus, Who was far weaker than you will probably ever be (when did you fast for 40 days?), shows that succumbing for this reason is far from inevitable. He shows also that we cannot use physical weakness as an excuse for giving in to temptation.

But, again, why are we tempted? First, let’s ask, why was Jesus tempted? The Lord had just been baptized as the “Anointed One” (Hebrew: “Messiah”; Greek: “Christ”) for His ministry. According to prophecy (Daniel 9), He was to be baptized (“anointed”) precisely on the date promised to Daniel. This happened. The devil seemed to know something about this schedule (perhaps he reads Scripture) and came to divert Him from the death that would take place, (also according to Daniel 9, exactly 3 ½ years later in the midst of the last “week” or 7-year period predicted). He wanted to keep Him from the cross. So, he tempted Him to take a shorter route to possessing “all the kingdoms of the world,” as prophecy had predicted He would. The temptation was arranged by God’s Spirit, who led Jesus into it. God and the devil each had a purpose in the temptation. The devil wanted to keep Jesus from His mission, the Father wanted to prove (test) Him for it.

OK, then. The first thing we see is that it’s when the devil knows that you intend to do something for God he is likely to tempt you. He will do this in order to keep you from accomplishing the task. And, it is especially true that you seem vulnerable if you are physically exhausted or otherwise weakened. Remember, God wants to test you for the work. If you pass the test, you will be stronger in the wake of it. The devil wants to stop you.

Think about it for a while. Are you about to do something for God? Are you also tired or physically weak? If so, then especially at this time you may be most subject to temptation. In surviving it you will be strengthened. But if you fail you will probably mess up royally in attempting to serve Christ—unless you repent. You may even give up on your best intentions. Think about this the next time you set out to achieve something for Christ. That’s one time to especially be on guard for temptation.

Next week we’ll take up the second matter.

Men's Ministry Groups Start week of Jan. 11th