[Q3. Self-perception vs God's perception]

Q3. (Judges 6:12-16) How did God see Gideon? How did Gideon see himself? Whose self-perception is most accurate? How can our own self-perception prevent us from becoming what God has made us to be? What is God's answer to Gideon's self-image? What might be an appropriate prayer to pray in light of what God has taught you from this passage?

1. God see Gideon as a strong man.

2. Gideon sees himself as weak.

3. God's preception

4. We must have faith that as long as God is with us, we are made strong through Him.

5. God told Gideon that He was with him and do go forth.

6. Praying no matter what He would have us do, He would strengthen us. Praying that He would always be with us and take us through.

[Q2. Blaming God for our troubles.]

Q2. (Judges 6:13) In what way does Gideon blame God for his troubles in verse 13? Is Gideon's assessment accurate? Why or why not? Why do we blame God? What's the danger and how can we stop short of this in the future?

1. Gideon felt like God had forsaken them because He let them go through so many troubles.

2. No

3. Even though they were disobedient, God had not forsaken them, but Gideon couldn't see it.

4. We blame God because we are still in the flesh and can't understand.

5. We need to stop and think about what we are doing. Are we being disobedient and where is our faith? We should have faith and believe that God has promised not to leave us no matter how bad it looks.

[Q1. Breaking God's commandment]

Q1. (Judges

[Q7. Father, Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit (Luke 23:46)]

Q7. (Luke 23:46) What does Jesus mean when he says,

[Q6. It Is Finished (John 19:30)]

Q6. (John 19:30) What had Jesus

[Q5. I Thirst (John 19:28)]

Q5. (John 19:28) What do you learn from Jesus

[Q4. My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? (Mark 15:34)]

Q4. (Mark 15:34) What does Jesus

[Q3. Woman, Behold Your Son (John 19:26-27)]

Q3. (John 19:26-27) Why does Jesus make St. John responsible for his mother Mary? What does this tell us about Jesus? How should we apply this in our own lives?

1. He knew that John would take care of His mother. He loved John and knew that He could trust him to take his mother into his home and care for her like his own.

2. This tells us that He loved His mother and since He was the oldest child, He felt responsible for her well-being. Even though He was dying He was thinking about others.

3. We should apply this in our lives, by showing love and responsibility to others and especially our parents.

[Q2. This Day You Will Be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:43)]

Q2. (Luke 23:39-43) Why is the thief

[Q1. Father, Forgive Them (Luke 23:34)]

Q1. (Luke 23:34) Who was most responsible for killing Jesus? What responsibility do you and I bear in this? In what sense was Jesus praying for us?

1. Many were responsible, but I think that the Chief priests and scribes were the most guilty of killing Jesus.

2. You and I are responsible because He died to save us from the debt we owed for our sin.

3. It shows us that we have sins known and unknown that he has forgiven and this shows us how we should live.

[Q2. Blaming God for our troubles.]

Q2. (Judges 6:13) In what way does Gideon blame God for his troubles in verse 13? Is Gideon's assessment accurate? Why or why not? Why do we blame God? What's the danger and how can we stop short of this in the future?

1. Gideon says that God has brought them out of Egypt and now he feels like God has forsaken them.

2. & 3. No, because God never left the people even though they were not obeying Him.

4. We blame God because we don't want to take the blame ourselves. We have too much pride to admit that we did not listen to God's Word and were disobedient.

5. This is very dangerous. God has given us free will and we must take the responsibiity for our own mistakes; repent, and ask God to forgive us. We must study His Word and work on doing what He has told us we must do.

[Q1. Breaking God's commandment]

Q1. (Judges

[Q6. Healing the Wounds of Divorce]

Q6. The Church has always been supportive of those who are hurting or scarred. In Christ, we help people make the best of what is sometimes a difficult situation. What can you do to extend Christ's healing love to someone who is struggling in his or her marriage? What can you do to bring healing to someone who is or was divorced?

1. We can be understanding and not judge the person who is struggling in his/her marriage. We don't know what that person may be going through, so we can't judge.

2. You should be there for them. Listen and patiently try to understand their problems. We could give our opinion if they ask.

[Q5. Divorce and Remarriage]

Warning. Believing Christians disagree on some aspects of divorce and remarriage. In addition, many have been hurt in bad marriages and divorces. Be gentle, sensitive, and loving with one another -- even if you disagree!

Q5. (Matthew 19:9) Does a person who has remarried after a divorce that wasn't caused by marital unfaithfulness, live in a perpetual state of adultery? Should that person divorce or separate in order to get back into God's will? How can he or she get back into God's will, or is that no longer possible?

1. Yes, I believe that a person live in a perpetual state of adultery.

2. No, I don't think that divorcing or separating would get you back into God's will if that is the only reason that you are separating.

3. I believe that if you humbly pray and ask God to forgive you and there was no other way out of the marriage, He would forgive you.

[Q4. Disciples' Reaction to Jesus' Teaching]

Q4. (Matthew 19:10) Why do you think Jesus' disciples reacted so negatively to his teaching on marriage and divorce? Did they misunderstand it?

1. I think that some of the disciples reacted so negatively because they were probably guilty themselves regarding divorce. I'm sure that they understand, but this would have been hard for someone to do when this was the normal practice during that day. In those days, the men were in charge and did whatever they felt like doing. It's just like today. If you marry and get tired of your wife or husband, just divorce them, but this is not God's plan.

[Q3. Marriage 'From the Beginning']

Q3. (Matthew 19:7-8) According to Jesus, does the Mosaic law command divorce? Does it allow or regulate it? Why does it allow divorce at all? What was God's original intention ("from the beginning") for marriage and divorce, according to Jesus?

1. No, it didn't command divorce.

2. It allowed divorce, but you couldn't just put your wife out of the house, you had to give her a certificate of divorce, which had to be done legally.

3. Moses allowed divorce because it man stayed with his wife, it caused the heart to be hardened and started all kinds of trouble.

4. God's original intention was for man and woman to join together and become one. If one of them was unfaithful he could divorce, but if the divorce was for any other reason then he committed adultery if he remarried.

[Q2. Joined as One Flesh]

Q2. (Matthew 19:4-6 quoting Genesis 2:24) Do people need to be Christians to be joined as one flesh? Is this making into "one flesh" accomplished by a religious ceremony or by natural law? Of those who have entered into a first marriage, what percentage do you think have been "joined together" by God, according to Jesus' statement in Matthew 19:6?

1. No, you don't have to be a Christian tobe joined as one flesh.

2. Joining of one one flesh is when they have had sex regardless if whether they are in a religious ceremony or natural law.

3. All have been joined together once they have had sex, so even though the remarry, they would still be considered married to the first wife if they divorced for any other reason besides adultery.

[Q1. Jesus' Interpretation of Deut 24]

Q1. (Matthew 5:27-32; 19:1-12) With whom did Jesus side: Rabbi Hillel or Rabbi Shammai? What exception does Jesus give to his prohibition of divorce? How does this exception relate to Deuteronomy 24:1-4?

1. In my opinion, I don't believe that Jesus sided with either one. He seemed to want to go back to the original law when God said in Genesis 2:24 that man and wife become one.

2. The exception that Jesus gave for divorce was for marital unfaithfulness. Moses permitted divorce because it developed hardness of the heart.

3. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 gave men the right to divorce for any reason, so as long as they had a certificate of divorce, they could remarry.

[Q1. Jesus' Interpretation of Deut 24]

Q1. (Matthew 5:27-32; 19:1-12) With whom did Jesus side: Rabbi Hillel or Rabbi Shammai? What exception does Jesus give to his prohibition of divorce? How does this exception relate to Deuteronomy 24:1-4?

1. In my opinion, I don't believe that Jesus sided with either one. He seemed to want to go back to the original law when God said in Genesis 2:24 that man and wife become one.

2. The exception that Jesus gave for divorce was for marital unfaithfulness. Moses permitted divorce because it developed hardness of the heart.

3. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 gave men the right to divorce for any reason, so as long as they had a certificate of divorce, they could remarry.

[Q5. Desire and Spiritual Life]

Q5. (Matthew 5:27-30) The spirit of our age is very accepting and approving of lus+ According to Jesus' words, how seriously are we to take lus+? How does agape love help us combat lus+?

1. We are to take **** very seriously. If we weren't supposed to take it seriously, it wouldn't have been included in the Bible.

2. Agape love helps us combat **** by making us love one another despite the things that people are doing. We are to love each other even though we don't agree with their life style.

[Q3. So-called Victimless Crime]

Q3. (Matthew 5:28) What is wrong with pornogr*phy? What is wrong with going to prostitutes? Who are the victims of this "victimless" activity?

1. *********** is so wrong because it is sin and it is against God's Word. It produces ****, which the Bible makes clear is sin. *********** entices people to do things that they normally would not think of doing.

2. For some, going to a prostitute is adultery and causes others to commit sin by ******* after someone. People can get a disease and give it to their wives or others. They lose money that they need on prostitutes.

3. The victims are women who might get raped; children who may be abused; innocent young women; cause divorces; and many other things. It just pays to be obedient to God's Word.

[Q2. Sexual Desire]

Q2. God purposely created us with a good and natural sexual desire. How do we distinguish between that God-given sexual desire and forbidden lus+?

1. Sexual desire is good between a married man and woman for the ultimate purpose of producing children. ******* after someone that isn't your husband or wife can result in more problems than some people can handle. A pure heart can keep you from desiring forbidden things.

[Q1. Adultery and Coveting]

Q1. (Matthew 5:27-30; Exodus 20:17) What is the point of similarity between adultery and lus+? What is the difference? How does lus+ break the Tenth Commandment?

1. Adultery and **** are basicly the same as far as sin is concerned.

2. The Bible has made it very clear how wrong it is to commit either of these. If your heart is pure, you wouldn't commit either of these sins. Being married should keep you from ******* after anyone. Keeping your mind on God should keep you from *******.

3. You should not be looking at anyone or anything with desire. You shouldn't be wishing for things lustfully that don't belong to you. Even if you don't do or say anything, you are sinning within your heart.

[Q4. Settling before Getting to 'Court']

Q4. (Matthew 5:25-26) What is the point of Jesus' parable of settling out of court? Who are we supposed to settle with, according to this parable? What does "settling" entail? What are the reasons that we should settle?

1. If you quickly settle any disputes, you won't have to settle it in court. This only brings harsh feelings and may bring about a financial burden to the person and then the matter will never be forgiven.

2. We are supposed to settle the matter with your accuser.

3. Settling entails going to your adversary humbly and asking them for forgiveness and attempting to resolve the problems together without going to court.

4. If we are truly trying to live like Christ, we should have an understanding heart and it would never get as far as the court. We should do all we can to resolve any issues by talking them over and doing whatever will make each person happy..We should pray before we even go to the person to discuss the matter. The Word tells us to turn the other cheek, so if we practice this, we shouldn't have a problem, and also if we love each other like we say we do.

[Q3. Worship and Reconciliation without Delay]

Q3. (Matthew 5:23-24) What's wrong with worshipping while a brother has something against us (or us against a brother, Mark 11:25)? What is the appropriate action for us to take? How far should we go to bring about reconciliation with someone whom we have offended? Are there any situations that we shouldn't try to resolve? Or that we can't resolve?

1. We are supposed to love our brother and forgive them if there is bitterness between us. We are supposed to turn the other cheek, but if we can't forgive our brother, how can we say that we are worshipping with a pure heart. Our heart is not where God wants it to be. We are mocking God if we are worshipping and we haven't repented of our sins.

2. We should go to our brother and reconcile our differences and repent of our sins.

3. We should do anything that is possible to reconcile the differences even if it takes more than two or more tries and do it as soon as possible.

4. No, we should humbly try to resolve any issues that are causing issues with you and your brother.

5. I'm sure that there are some situations that no matter how hard you try, a person will not reconcile, but after you do your part, just leave it in the hands of God.