Who Is Our Lord?

There are only 2 lords. Some may think they are their own master and lord, but this is foolishness. People hurt them, steal from them, tax them, and eventually they die. They have no authority. There are only 2 lords. We can either serve God or the devil.

It is written:

B1 John 8:44 WEL You are of [your] father, the devil, and you want to do the lusts of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he tells [it] from himself, because he is a liar and the father of it.

B2 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 WEL So then come out from among them. Be separate," says the Lord, "and do not touch [what is] unclean, then I will accept you, 18 And I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters," says the Lord Almighty.

B3 John summarizes: 1 John 3:10 WEL God's children and the Devil's children are plainly recognized by this: whoever does not do what is right is not of God, nor he who doesn't love his brother.

We are born as sinners: Ecclesiastes 7:20 NIV Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.

We have evil thoughts and actions all the time: Genesis 6:5 NIV The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

Our heart is the source of our evil. The heart is speaking of our soul: Matthew 15:18-20 WEL But those things which come out of the mouth come from the heart; they defile a person. 19 "For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies. 20 "These are what defile a person but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.

We are…

B1 Servants of sin. This servant is one who gives himself up wholly to another's will (Thayer’s). John 8:34 WEL Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I say to you that all committing sin are servants of sin.

B2 Sin is addictive. We are all addicts before salvation. Ephesians 2:3 WEL Among whom we also lived our life in the past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, by nature we were children of wrath even as others.

B3 We resist God by hardening out hearts. Hardening is the word for resisting.

C1 Psalm 95:8 NIV Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness.

C2 Hebrews 12:25 NIV See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?

These 2 lords have different styles of leadership. They are totally opposite of each other. It is either God’s method or the devil’s method. One is controlling and the other is with a measure of libertarian freedom.

Here is a good example of 2 styles of leadership.

B1 Controlling: Exodus 5:1-2, 5-6, 10, 15, 17 NIV Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.' " Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go." ... Then Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working." That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: ... Then the slave drivers and the overseers went out and said to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I will not give you any more straw. ... Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: "Why have you treated your servants this way? ... Pharaoh said, "Lazy, that's what you are--lazy! That is why you keep saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.'

C1 A heavy yoke

C2 Rigorous service

C3 Pain

C4 Decisions made from one person

C5 Not mercy, care, compassion, or love.

B2 Godly: Matthew 11:28-30 WEL "Come to me, all who are exhausted and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For my yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light."

C1 A light yoke

C2 Delegation

C3 Care

C4 Merciful

C5 Loves his servants

Godly leadership style can be applied in many different situations: marriage, pastoral, employer, family, etc. Controlling is not Christian, and Christian is not controlling.

Even though God is sovereign, for He can do whatever He wants, and no one can prevent it. God is sovereign and can degree. No one can resist. We read this in the Bible regarding things in...

B1 Creation

C1 Colossians 1:17 NLT He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

C2 God gave the order, and it was obeyed—perfectly. We read this in God’s command to the birds of the air in Revelation 19:17-21 NIV And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small." Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

B2 Humans. Here we read of an action performed that Jesus’s enemies did not want to do, but they did. They fell backwards: John 18:4-6 NLT Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. "Who are you looking for?" he asked. "Jesus the Nazarene," they replied. "I AM he," Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) As Jesus said "I AM he," they all drew back and fell to the ground!

B3 The miracles done by the Lord Jesus show His power over creation, sickness, demons, people, and situations. In Matthew 14, Jesus feeds 5,000, walks on water, calms a storm, and heals the sick.

B4 Most of His covenants with people and nations are unconditional, but some are conditional.

C1 Conditional—Edenic: Genesis 2:16-17 NLT But the LORD God warned him, "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden-- except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die."

C2 Unconditional—Adamic: Genesis 3:15-17 NLT And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel." Then he said to the woman, "I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you." And to the man he said, "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.

C3 Unconditional—Noahic: Genesis 9

C4 Unconditional—Abrahamic: Genesis 12:1-4;13:14-17; 15:1-7; 17:1-8.

C5 Conditional—Mosasic: This is the Law given to Israel on Mt Sinai. If you obey, these blessings will happen. If you disobey, curses will happen.

C6 Unconditional—Land: Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20.

C7 Unconditional—Davidic: 2 Samuel 7:11b-16 and 1 Chronicles 17:10B-14.

C8 Unconditional—New: Jeremiah 31:31-40 and Hebrews 8:6-13.

C9 For further information on covenants see Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

God decrees a measure of freedom

B1 We can choose:

C1 2 Samuel 24:12 NIV Go and tell David, 'This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.

C2 Proverbs 1:29 NIV since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD.

C3 Isaiah 56:4 NIV For this is what the LORD says: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant.

C4 Matthew 7:13-14 WEL Enter in at the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in there. 14 "Because the gate is narrow and the road difficult that leads to life and there are few who find it.

B2 We can resist:

C1 Nehemiah 9:30 NIV For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.

C2 Acts 7:51 NLT You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That's what your ancestors did, and so do you!

B3 We can cause the Holy Spirit to grieve: Ephesians 4:30 WEL Don't grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by which you are sealed for the day of redemption.

B4 We can quench the Holy Spirit: 1 Thessalonians 5:19 WEL Don’t quench the Spirit.

B5 We can lie to God the Holy Spirit: Acts 5:3 WEL Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit to keep some of the money from [selling] the land?

B6 We can test God: Acts 5:9 WEL Then Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! See the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door and will carry you out."

B7 We can insult the Holy Spirit: Hebrews 10:29 WEL How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserving the one who has spurned the Son of God and has considered the blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, an unholy thing and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

B8 We can blaspheme the Holy Spirit: Matthew 12:31-32 WEL Therefore, I say to you, 'All kinds of people’s sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, but a person’s blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.' 32 "Whosoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, not in this age nor in the age to come.

Let us reverently serve God and enjoy His great leadership style. As we do, they us live by that same leadership style in all we do.

And remember, let us always choose life by choosing Yahweh and His ways. He will give us grace when we need it, if we ask. When it is time for judgment, there is no choice we can make. He is the judge who decides and who sentences.

Jesus' Teaching and Truth Sets Us Free

John 8:31-32 WEL Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, "If you continue in my teaching, you are truly my disciples, 32 “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

The formula

1. Continue in my teaching
2. Truly my disciples
3. Know the truth
4. Being set free

Continue in my teaching

B1 What Jesus taught IS the teaching of God: John 7:16 NKJV Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.

B2 Everything that Jesus taught was founded in the Old Testament: Luke 24:27 NKJV And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

B3 The Lord Jesus fulfilled all the requirements in the Old Testament: Luke 24:44 NKJV Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.

B4 His teaching is based on the same summary: Mark 12:28-31 NRSV One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" 29 Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.

B5 The future: Mark 14:62 NRSV Jesus said, "I am; and 'you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power,' and 'coming with the clouds of heaven.

B6 He exposes false teaching and false teachers: Matthew 7:15-20 NRSV Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will know them by their fruits.

B7 He gives an invitation to join Him and learn: Matthew 11:28-30 NRSV Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

B8 He teaches that we must obey what He taught either directly or through His apostles: John 14:23-24 WEL Jesus answered and said to him, "If a man loves me, he will obey my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling place in him. "The one who doesn't love me doesn't obey my word, and the word you hear is not my own but the Father's who sent me.

C1 No one can obey unless they have placed their faith and trust into Jesus Christ alone. Our works are trash and garbage.

C2 Obey is the fruit of a new creation, which is a creation of the Holy Spirit. It is a totally different nature than the one we were born with.

C3 If there is no obedience, there is no salvation, because obedience is the fruit of a born again, regenerated, person.

C4 He is the King of kings and Lord of lords and reigns forever.

C5 He is a loving shepherd leader, not a controlling, selfish dictator.

B9 Acknowledge His words are eternal and are life.: John 6:68-69 WEL Simon Peter then answered him, "Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. "And we are convinced and have come to know that you are the Christ, the son of the living God.

B10 What He taught, He lived, so should we: Luke 9:23-24 WEL He said to all, "If any wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me, For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same one will save it.

Truly my disciples

B1 If we are truly His disciples, what He taught, we will believe, we will do, and we will teach others.

B2 We have to show consistency in what we say and do both in public and private.

Know the truth

B1 God understands truth as reality.

B2 The words

C1 Hebrew:

D1 The Hebrew word is H571 אֶמֶת 'emeth.

D2 It means (TWOT): This very important concept in biblical doctrine gives clear evidence of the biblical meaning of “faith” in contradistinction to the many popular concepts of the term. At the heart of the meaning of the root is the idea of certainty. And this is borne out by the nt definition of faith found in Heb 11:1. The basic root idea is firmness or certainty.

C2 Greek

D1 The Greek work is G225 ἀλήθεια aletheia.

D2 It means (TDNTa): A. The OT Term for Truth.

1. The common OT word for truth appears some 126 times. It denotes a reality that is firm, solid, binding, and hence true. With reference to persons it characterizes their action, speech, or thought, and suggests integrity.

2. In law the word is used for a. the actual truth of a cause or process as shown by the facts (cf. Dt. 22:20; 1 Kgs. 10:6; Dan. 10:1).

C3 The Greek word for know is G1097 γινώσκω ginosko. According to TDNTa, it means The Greek Usage. The ordinary use is for intelligent comprehension (“to perceive,” “to understand,” “to know”), at first with a stress on the act. As distinct from aisthánesthai, ginṓskō emphasizes understanding rather than sensory perception, and as distinct from dokeín it is a perception of things as they are, not an opinion about them. Related to epistḗmē, gnōsis needs an objective genitive and suggests the act of knowing rather than knowledge as such.

B3 Thus, knowing truth is an intelligent understanding of reality.

Being set free

B1 Free from what?

C1 Lies

C2 False teachers

C3 False teachings

C4 Lies used to manipulate us

C5 Lies used to hurt and shame us

C6 False guilt

C7 False doctrine

C8 False preachers

B2 The more we know and study the Bible; the more we are set free.

We learn:

B1 The importance of the teaching of Jesus Christ.

B2 The importance of continuing in His teaching.

B3 The importance of avoid “new” words of faith, “new” words of doctrine, and “new” ways of living.

B4 If we really are a disciple or not.

B5 What truth is.

B6 How to be set free.

B7 How to stay free.

Free to Love

Theme: Freedom in Christ

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 8:1–9:23

Objectives: (From the D6 Fusion Sunday School Lesson book)

Know: Christ has set us free to put other’s needs and well-being ahead of our own.

Think: I consider other’s well-being as more important than my own desires.

Do: Use my freedom in Christ to choose what is best for others.

Notes and questions:

B1 What is freedom?

C1 Not under or following any laws

C2 “I can do what I want.”

C3 Freedom means getting rid of desires except one and that is, to love — the kind of love which doesn’t demand anything, even love in return. Source (in the comments).

C4 Freedom is the ability to resist.

C5 What else?

B2 Freedom lost

C1 Can freedom be lost?

C2 How is it lost?

B3 Freedom regained

C1 Are either of the following choices Scriptural?

C2 Second Council of Orange, Canon 13: The freedom of will that was destroyed in the first man can be restored only by the grace of baptism…

C3 “Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it”—Malcolm X Source

B4 Who is free?

C1  His (God–editor) will is completely free, because He cannot be forced to will, reject or permit [anything] either by the inward necessity of His nature, nor by external power either of some force or the efficacy of an object which either are outside Himself, or will be. (Arminian Confession of Faith (1621), Chapter 2.9)

C2 No person is free who is not master of himself.—Pythagoras

C3 "I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free."—Nikos Kazantzakis Source

C4 In an irreverent TV commercial for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Ron Reagan quips that he is "an unabashed atheist, not afraid of burning in hell." Source

C5 After reading these, who is free?

B5 Consider

C1 Is the first, second, or third quote freedom, or is it something else?

D1 Isaiah 14:12-13 NKJV  How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!  13  For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north.

D2 Malachi 3:15 NKJV  So now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.

D3 John 8:33 NKJV  They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"

C2 The context of the third quote: John 8:33-36 NKJV  They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  34  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  35  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  36  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

D1 Who is a slave in this passage?

D2 Is one who commits sin free?

B6 1 Corinthians 8,

C1 The Corinthians had a question about food and idols.

C2 Could they eat food that had been dedicated to an idol?

C3 Can we eat food offered to idols?

C4 Could we eat halal or kosher food?

C5 What is the weaker conscious that might be offended?

C6 What should the motivation be for the one who is free to eat towards the one who does not have that freedom?

C7 How does having love (God’s definition of it) change our perception of freedom?

C8 Are we our brother’s keeper?

C9 Could someone use this as an excuse to manipulate others?

C10 How else can we apply this principle today?

C11 Why is it necessary to limit our freedom?

B7 1 Corinthians 9,

C1 Rights

D1 What are rights?

E1 Some suffer for the greater good?

E2 What the rich and power want?

E3 What the government gives and takes?

E4 What we protest for?

D2 Who gives rights? Is it government, ourselves, peer pressure, or something else?

C2 Did Lucifer have the right to rebel against God?

C3 Did Adam have the right to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?

C4 Did Jesus have the right to lay down His life voluntarily as a sacrifice for our sins?

C5 1 Corinthians 9:11-12 NKJV  If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?  12  If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ.

D1 The Apostles have a right to not work and have the financial assistance from believer’s gifts. They gain something.

D2 What rights do the givers have? They lose something.

D3 How does this apply, or maybe it doesn’t? 1 Corinthians 9:14 NKJV  Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.

C6 1 Corinthians 9:20-23 NKJV  and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law;  21  to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law;  22  to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.  23  Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

D1 Does this make Paul a hypocrite? He lives like a Jew when with Jews and a Gentile when with Gentiles.

D2 Does this help answer the question? Acts 16:3 NKJV  Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.

D3 Or this: Galatians 2:3 NKJV  Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.

D4 Does a missionary to a foreign country have to live by the culture they know or the culture of the people they are ministering to?

D5 What is more important—the Gospel or “my rights?”

D6 How can we apply this today?

D7 When should we not adopt the culture of those we minister to?

B8 Questions

C1 How do we find the balance between tolerance and intolerance?

C2 When do “my rights” cause a problem for spreading the Gospel?

C3 How do we decide what activities I can do that others cannot?

D1 Alcohol

D2 Movies with cursing and the Lord’s name taken in vain

D3 Movies with just one sex scene (implied or otherwise)

D4 Doing the drug scene as an undercover police officer

B9 Next week