Lottie

How can it be that Jesus can go from declaring his commission from God on high one moment, to being subjected to an attempted assassination the next? Because the people there did not believe in Him. They thought He was just a common person like the members of His family. They were offended at Him and at what He said about them. They were angered by His words and wanted to kill Him. Have you ever experienced highs and lows this extreme? Yes not too long ago. I was feeling good about doing my speech for my Christian OA group and feeling good about it. And remembering the comments of others. The next day I was brought low by a mistake I made sending a response to the whole group online instead of to the individual. The individual was my former sponsor and still had some bad feelings about me braking off with her. I talked to her one night and she was so upset that in the middle she got mad and hung up on me. I felt really bad; we made up after a while and now we are good.

1.Why do you think God chose someone like John to be Jesus' forerunner? God chose John because he was humbler, and he was different than anyone else. He was one who God knew would not bend to man's opinion or rules. He would not be easily swayed from what he was supposed to do. Because he had spent years in the wilderness alone listening to God. He was a man, who would be loyal and obedient regardless of the consequence 2. How can we be sure that all our personal differences are part of God's plan and purpose? Can't some be patterns of sinful reactions to past events? (Let's resist the temptation to get too deep into the mystery of predestination. Grin.) God created us exactly the way we are in order to use us for His specific purpose. God decided before we were born what plans we were to fulfill, and He knew what would be needed. There are no mistakes with God. Everyone one of us is unique and no one is the same. Each of us in the body has talents and gifts that were given to us to use in the kingdom. Each one of us have different temperaments and personalities that fit different tasks He wants us to do. These are different than reactions we may have to things that happened to us before. Though He uses our experiences to mold us us to His image as well. If we surrender and put it in His hands, he can do wonders with us. 3. John was raised in the desert. What kinds of circumstances has God used as a training for your preparation? God has used various experiences in my life to mold me in someone He can use. I have had job losses, death and separations. As well as bad treatment from others to show me how to be more compassionate to others. I had summers where i volunteered to cook for kids and others at camp. This taught me how to serve others. 4. How dependent are you upon what others think and say about you? How can you change this without becoming callous? I have to say that sometimes I care too much about what others think and say about me. I tend to compare myself to others when all I should be doing is caring what God thinks. I know I can surrender my feelings over to God and choose to listen but not take it to heart. That I am not here to please them.

Q4. (Hosea 1-3) Why does Yahweh tell his prophet to marry a girl of ill repute? What does the story of Hosea and Gomer teach us? How does the story illustrate God's relationship with Israel? What does it teach about grace? Yahweh or Jehovah God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute to demonstrate the relationship between Israel and Yahweh Himself. Just like a prostitute Israel is prone to wander to other lovers or idols and not be faithful to God who she is wed to. God is trying to show His people through Hosea what they are doing and prod them to come back to Him. The story teaches us how much God loves us and how far He will go to bring us back. It tells us of His grace that will overlook our sins if we return to Him. Then He will take us back if we promise to be faithful. Grace that goes all the way to the cross for us. Grace that chooses to forget our pasts and redeems us. It shows how Israel just like Gomer was unfaithful and often chose other idols or lovers. Yet God chose to have mercy and grace on them and plead with them to come back to Him. It teaches that God's grace is gutsy and will stop at nothing to win us back. That it went all the way to the cross to redeem us. That even though the price was high God chose to do it anyway because of how much He loved us.

Q3. (Exodus 34:7) What sins will Yahweh forgive those who repent? How might the sin of rebellion find its way into a believer's life? Why doesn't God forgive those who refuse to repent and surrender to him? Yahweh will forgive every sin we commit when when we humble ourselves and repent. Nothing will be left out because Jesus died for all our sins. Rebellion finds its way into the lives of believers when we refuse to obey something He told us to do. Or when we choose to deliberately sin by doing something we know is wrong. God looks at it as rebellion; like when Saul disobeyed God. There are severe consequences for believers who choose to rebel against God. We end up losing His blessings in this life and our rewards when we get to heaven. God doesn't forgive thise who refuse to repent and surrender to Him because they are rejecting His gift of forgiveness through Christ. They were given a chance and refused it; so there is no hope for them anymore. It is like they are trodding on the very sacrifice that Jesus offered and that is his death on the cross. There is no more hope for them then.

Q2. (Exodus 34:6) What do we learn about Yahweh's character in his self-revelation to Moses on Mount Sinai? That He is compassionate, gracious, merciful, lonsuffering or slow to anger, and faithful. What does this have to do with grace? It is because of His very nature that He is gracious towards us who don't deserve it. Because of His love for us he is slow to get angry with us and instead extends His grace towards us when we sin. His grace reaches out through His forgiveness when we sin. He doesn't punish us for our sins because of Jesus on the cross. His grace reaches out to us when we are hurting and in need and He is comapssionate. Because of His grace He can be faithful to us even when we stray from Him. He is always ready to take us back cause that is who He is. He is love and love shows itself in all of His attributes.

Q1. (1 Peter 5:10) How does grace (Greek charis) differ from earning wages? Grace is something that is freely given and does not require anything of the recipient. The recipient does nothing to earn it. It is given because of the goodwill of the givers. The recipients only have to accept it. From earning favor by being good? Grace is unilateral and cannot be earned by being good. What is a helpful working definition of Biblical grace? Grace is favor that is neither earned nor deserved. In what way does grace characterize "the God of all grace"? God showed us His grace when He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us. We did not earn it and we certainly can never be good enough on our own to receive it. God did it because of His love and mercy towards us. Because of His great love and compassion for us. That is His v ery character or nature.

1. Luke uses the accounts of Matthew, Mark, and John and other witnesses who were there at the time Jesus was living.\ 2, Servants are ministers, ones who function as helpers, assistants or officials. 3. Luke has spoken to the eyewitnesses himself. he has written down everything in an orderly manner and pays attention to detail. 4. Yes, reading the Gospels tells us all we need to know. We can be very certain since he spoke to the Apostles himself. We want to be certain that what we believe is really true. Because we want to be sure that what we believe is true.

1. If we can't love our enemies the way Christ loved on the cross; then we are no better than unbelievers who love their own. Jesus prayed for the ones who hurt Him. God so loved the world that He allowed Jesus to die for us. This is what agape love is all about. Loving even when it hurts; even when you are not loved in return. Showing compassion like the Samaritan did for the Jew in Jesus's parable. In order to do this we have to be in submission to the Lord and let the Spirit work in and through us. 2. I see it as a hyperbole or exaggeration to make a point. 3. Because it is what Jesus did while He was here. He died on the cross for His friends and enemies. He prayed for His enemies and in our walk we are to do the same. We are to die to ourselves so we can truly love others as He did. We are to give up our rights and show compassion and forgiveness like he did. 4. The difference is that in the negative aspect; it means we are not to do certain things that will harm our neighbors or make them mad. In the positive aspect it means treating others as we would like to be treated.

Why do you think God chose someone like John to be Jesus' forerunner? God chose John because he knew that he would not be tempted by anything in the world. John had spent years being alone in the desert and listening to God's voice. He was not afraid to speak the truth to people. God knew he would tell them like it is and not sugar coat things. How can we be sure that all our personal differences are part of God's plan and purpose? Can't some be patterns of sinful reactions to past events? (Let's resist the temptation to get too deep into the mystery of predestination. Grin.) We must be sure to spend time with God and study His word. God knows what quirks and traits we have and what can be used to glorify Him. Some we got from our famiy and others we used to protect ourselves from being hurt. Yes, I believe some can be patterns of sinful reactions from past events. These are the things that God has to work on in our lives to get rid of any root of bitterness or anger. John was raised in the desert. What kinds of circumstances has God used as a training ground for your preparation? I was always teased and even traumatized when I was younger. I married someone a lot older tham me cause I was looking for a father; my real father did not spend much time with me. My husband died of a heart attack after 28 years of marriage. I had to sell the farm and move and walk to work. Our friends left us and we had problems in church. Through it all He has taught me to trust in Him. How dependent are you upon what others think and say about you? How can you change this without becoming callous? I am very insecure and I sometimes worry what my neighbors think of my house. It hurts me if I hear someone say something bad about me or my daughter. I know I can learn to care more about what God thinks about me. I can keep reminding myself that God loves me and Jesus died for me and loves me regardless of how I look or how my house looks. What would you say to a person suffering from chronic guilt over past sins? How can guilt be healthy? How can guilt be unhealthy? I would tell them God has forgiven them of their sins and they do not need to beat themselves over the head for them. God has buried them and will not bring them up again. That Jesus died so that they could be free of their guilt and shame. Guilt can be healthy if we know that we have done something wrong and need to ask forgiveness of someone we know and if we have sinned against God. It will remind us that there is something wrong and we need to make amends.Guilt can be unhealhty when we refuse to forgive ourselves of past sins and it hinders our relationship with God. Why is humbling (such as repentance and baptism in John's day) necessary to form disciples of Jesus? Repentance is necessary if we want to become followers of Jesus. We need not only to be sorry for what we have done but repent. We need to totally turn around and refuse to do or act the way we once did. Baptism is necessary if we want to publicly let others know we are His and that we have been cleansed from all sins. It shows that we have surrendered all to Him and are willing to serve and obey Him. What kind of cutting, filling, straightening, and smoothing work has God been doing in your life? What does he still need to do? Why is this necessary preparation for disciples? God has been working on my selfish tendencies at times; and causing me to put others needs before mine; especially my daughters. He is used 2020 to show me how faithful He was. He used other people I knew to help me out. He caused my faith to grow. He still needs to work on my fear in witnessing and in my tendency to waste time readig when I am depressed. It is necessary if we want to beb able to reach others for Christ. We need to always listen and obey Him no matter what and love each other. Only when we put everything on the altar,including our fears, doubts, worries and anxieties; only then can He use us. Endnotes

Q1. (Romans 8:28) What is the actual promise contained in verse 28? What does this promise mean? Put it in your own words. What are the two qualifications to the recipients of this promise? How does verse 28 give you hope? The promise is that God will make even the bad things that happen to us; work out for our good and for His glory, That like Joseph we can trust that God is working behind the scenes. It means that we do not need to worry if bad things happen to us; He has a plan. The promise is for those who are called out or are saved. It is not for those who have never accepted Jesus as their Savior. For those who are4 saved He promises that He will make things turn out for good. I know for a fact that God being all sovereign will cause all things that happen to me work out for my good and His glory. Because I am one who loves Him and I have chosen to accept His Son as my Savior. Number one we have to love Him. Number two we have to be called out or saved in order to be a part of it. It gives me hope because I know everything; even my sufferings will work out for my good if I trust in Him.

Q5. (Romans 8:18-25) In what sense do we expect to experience God's glory when Christ comes? How will the suffering creation experience God's glory? How will our mortal bodies experience God's glory? In what way will our spirits experience God's glory? We will see Jesus in all His glory. Creation will become like it was in Adam's day. Wild animals will lie down with domestic ones and a little child will lead them. Our mortal bodies will become like His. We will see the one who saved us and be with Him forever.

Q4. (Romans 8:24-25) What are the characteristics of a person who has lost hope? How does this person typically conduct his life? How does this differ from a person who holds an eager expectation of a better future? What is the "Christian hope"? How should it motivate us and affect our lives now? A person who has lost hope is inconsolable. They are sad and depressed. They do not have an interest in anything. They think that they are better off dead. He goes about feeing sorry for himself and complaining. He tries to look for other things to make him feel better. A person who holds an eager expectation of a better future is different because they know something better is coming. They know this is not the end and that better things are coming. They don't feel sorry for themselves. They are eager and hopeful because they know it is getting closer. The Christian hope is that one day we will be with Him. It should cause us to be joyful and full of hope. It should cause us to reach out to others and to want to know Him more and b ready for Him.

Q3. (Romans 8:26-27) How does the Holy Spirit act as a Helper or Mediator or Intercessor in verses 26-27? What similarities do you see between the Holy Spirit's ministry here with Jesus' teaching of the Spirit's ministry as Counselor/Comforter/Paraclete in John 14:16 and 15:26)? Why do you think we tend to take the Holy Spirit for granted or fail to understand His ministry to and through us? He intercedes for us and searches our hearts. He helps us know what to pray. In Romans 8:26-27 and in John 14:16 both talk about the Holy Spirit helping us, I think that we do not know how to relate to Him as the third person in the trinity. We are used to praying to God or Jesus and forget that He sent the Spirit to help us, I myself do not know how to address Him.

Q2. (Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Why do we suffer? Why does all creation seem to be suffering? What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life? Jesus' lot in life was suffering because He chose to come to earth and live as one of us so He could sympathize with us in our struggles. He struggled with being misunderstood and mocked and made fun of among His own family and people. He suffered when He was crucified on the cross for us. We suffer from Adam's fall and we are all sinful beings and suffer with pain, loss, agony and other things. We suffer when we make bad mistakes and hurt others. Creation suffers because of the ground being cursed when Adam and Eve sinned. Jesus return to the earth will signal the end of creation's suffering, decay and death. He will make a new heaven and earth. Yes we have to look forward to a new heaven and a new earth. Where there will be no more sufferings or death.

In Romans 8:14-21 and verse 28 the idea of us being sons and daughters is alluded to at least 6 times. We become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Whatever He receives we also receive once we get to heaven. That one day this earthly body will become like His and we will no longer suffer anymore. Because we will be like Him. It is far better than what we have here. For one day we will share in His glory. One day we will reign with HIm.

It means to kill cause to stop and repent and turn away from what you used to do. To learn to say no to our fleshly desires and yes to Christ. For me it means saying no to eating so many snacks during the day and learning to eat when I am hungry. It means turning to God instead of food, games or books when I am sad or depressed. Being put to death and being led by the Spirit work together in that we have to kill or get rid of the things we used to do before we we were saved. We need to fill our minds with godly things and spend out time serving Him and others and not ourselves. Being led means listening to Him and obeying what He tells you and you will be at peace instead of worried. In order to be led we need to spend time in prayer and reading the Word and taking time to listen when God speaks to us and be accountable to others in a church. It means serving Him and witnessing; doing all he tells you to.

No we do not have to sin nor are we compelled to sin. We are free from all that because of Jesus death on the cross. Yes it is possible to live for an hour or more and not sin. We get bad attitudes towards sin when we rely on the flesh and not the Spirit. We are more than conquerors through Him!

You cannot be a Christian if you do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you. You can be indwelt by the Spirit but not filled to overflowing. In order to be filled you have to ask for it and seek to be used by Him. You have to pray and continually ask God to fill you up. Singing hymns and songs and praying is one way to be filled all the time.

Q2. (Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will? It means to fix your on heavenly things not earthly ones. It means to be listening to the Spirit and following Jesus. It means focusing our minds on how Jesus wants us to live. We know when we are following our sinful nature when we go and do those things that God hates; like the list the Apostle Paul gave us. When we deliberately choose to sin and willfully disobey God. We always make choices abut what or who we will serve. Our sinful nature or habits are ingrained in us from when Adam sinned. If we are in tune with the Spirit then we will turn back and live for God. We have to be willing to let Him take control. This is not our doing but the Holy Spirit's and we cannot do it without Him.

We cannot be saved by the law; it only shows us that we are sinning while at the same time creating a desire inside of us to sin. The weak link is that the law is powerless to save us. It is weakened by our own sinful nature. Jesus, God's own Son is the only one who can save us. He took our punishment for our sins on the cross; when we are saved we are united with Him.

The "I' in Romans 7 refers to all believers who still struggle with walking with the Lord. With all believers who still give in to their evil desires. Then and now all of us have problems with our selfish natures that wage war against our spiritual one. Paul was trying to say that even he as an apostle; still struggled with it himself.

Q4. (Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:18-20; Romans 7:24) What is the doctrine of "total depravity"? Put it in your own words. Does it mean that none of God's original goodness shows through? Then what does it mean? Why does modern man tend to believe that man is basically good? How does this differ from what the Bible teaches? The doctrine of total depravity is that even man who is created by God and has the image of God in him is still sinful or depraved. That even the good things we do are motivated by our own selfish natures. That we cannot do anything good on our own. No, God's image still is there only overshadowed by man's inherent evil nature. It means that the good in man was corrupted by the fall. Modern man thinks that there is some good in all of us; that we can fix whatever is wrong and still get in to heaven. That we are not born in sin and that all ways lead to heaven. It differs in that the Bible teaches that we are all sinful. That obeying the law cannot save us; only Jesus can do that .

Q3. (Romans 7:12; 8:3) What does the law do well? What does it do poorly? Why is the law (knowing right and wrong) powerless to save us? What is the problem here? The law shows us that what we are doing is wrong or sinful. Yet by showing us that some of our actions are sinful it also causes us to want to do them more. We want what we cannot have. It is powerless to save us because it cannot change our hearts and make us want to live for God. All it can do is show us that we are sinning against God. The problem is that knowing what is wrong does not fix the problem.

Q2. (Romans 7:7-8) The law reveals sin for what it is. Why wouldn't we be better off just not knowing that we should not covet, for example? Why does the flesh respond to being told "Do not covet" by coveting all the more? If we did not know that it was sin; we would go on in our sins and die. But the law showed us that it was wrong in order to turn us back to God. Without the law there would be no moral compass for anyone to go by. Everyone would do as they pleased no matter what. The flesh responds to it by rebelling. Our natural selves does not want to be told that we cannot do it; we want to do what we feel is right or makes us feel good. We think we will be happy if we have more money, a better job, a newer car or house like the neighbors do. We do not want to settle for less.

Q1. (Romans 7:5) Paul uses the word "flesh" (or NIV "sinful nature") many times in chapters 7 and 8. In your own words, what does Paul mean by "flesh" in these verses? He means our old nature that we inherited from Adam. It caused us to rebel against God and sin. We were born into sin and are unable to change it ourselves. Instead we do those thinga that God hates. Even now we need the power of the Holy Spirit to help us live for the Lord.