MINISTRY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN
GROWTH

Syllabus from: 1
 Table of Contents

Lesson 1: Becoming A Christian ....................................................................................................................................................... 4

Lesson 2: Growing as a Christian: An Introduction .................................................................................................................. 6

Lesson 3: Striving to Grow .................................................................................................................................................................. 9

Lesson 4: Moral Formation versus Spiritual Formation.......................................................................................................11

Lesson 5: Exercising Your Faith in Community .......................................................................................................................14

Lesson 6: Growing by the 1st Means of Grace ..........................................................................................................................17

Lesson 7: Growing by the 2nd Means of Grace ........................................................................................................................20

Lesson 8: Humility and Obedience ................................................................................................................................................23

Lesson 9: Resisting Temptation and Overcoming Sin Habits .............................................................................................26

Lesson 10: True Spirituality .............................................................................................................................................................29

Lesson 11: Discipline and Self-Denial ..........................................................................................................................................32

Lesson 12: Chastening and Suffering to Grow ..........................................................................................................................35

Lesson 13: A Repentant Heart is the Heart that Grows ........................................................................................................39

Lesson 14: Keeping Your Heart and Overcoming Wrong Emotions................................................................................42

Lesson 15: The Need to Know God & How It Changes Us ....................................................................................................45

Lesson 16: Growing in Wisdom .......................................................................................................................................................50

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 The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges

“In the deceitfulness of our hearts, we sometimes play with temptation by entertaining
the thought that we can always confess and later ask forgiveness. Such thinking is
exceedingly dangerous. God’s judgement is without partiality. He never overlooks our sin.
He never decides not to bother, since the sin is only a small one. No, God hates sin
intensely whenever and wherever He finds it.”

“Too often, we say we are defeated by this or that sin. No, we are not defeated. We are
simply disobedient. It might be good if we stop using the terms victory and defeat to
describe our progress in holiness. Rather, we should use the terms obedience and
disobedience. When I say I am defeated by some sin, I am unconsciously slipping out from
under my responsibility. I am saying something outside of me has defeated me. But when
I say I am disobedient, that places the responsibility for my sin squarely on me. We may in
fact be defeated, but the reason we are defeated is because we have chosen to disobey.

We need to brace ourselves up and to realize that we are responsible for thoughts,
attitudes, and actions. We need to reckon on the fact that we died to sin's reign, that it no
longer has any dominion over us, that God has united us with the risen Christ in all His
power and has given us the Holy Spirit to work in us. Only as we accept our
responsibility and appropriate God's provisions will we make any progress in our
pursuit of holiness.”
“As we grow in holiness, we grow in hatred of sin; and God, being infinitely holy, has an
infinite hatred of sin.”

“One of the most difficult defilements of the spirit to deal with is the critical spirit. A
critical spirit has its root in pride. Because of the 'plank' of pride in our own eye we are
not capable of dealing with the 'speck' of need in someone else. We are often like the
Pharisee who, completelyunconscious of his own need prayed "God, I thank you that I am
not like other men" (Luke 18:11). We are quick to see - and to speak of - the faults of
others, but slow to see our own needs. How sweetly we relish the opportunity to speak
critically of someone else - even when we are unsure of the facts. We forget that "a man
who stirs up dissension among brothers" by criticizing one to another is one of the "six
thing which the Lord hates" (Proverbs 6:16-19)”

“We must be careful to let the Holy Spirit do this searching. If we try to search our own
hearts, we are apt to fall into one or both of two traps. The first is the trap of morbid
introspection. Introspection can easily become the tool of Satan, who is called the "accuser"
(Revelation 12:10). One of his chief weapons is discouragement. He knows that if he can
make us discouraged and dispirited, we will not fight the battle for holiness. The second trap
is that of missing the real issues in our lives.”

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 Lesson 1: Becoming a Christian
• One pastor who spoke in many Baptist churches in many places estimated that 50% of
those in our churches are unsaved. We may disagree (and he was not dogmatic), but
many people in our churches lack clear fruit of true salvation.
• Nearly every year at BJMBC, new enrollees or current students are saved. Some are PKs
and MKs.
• In Matthew 7:22-23a, Jesus said, “Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we
not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name
done manywonderful works?’ And then will I profess unto them, ‘I never knew you.’”
o Many are in hell today who thought they were saved.
o Many are in hell today who served the Lord with many wonderful works.
• Hebrews 2:1 warns professing believers that they (read it without the italicized word)
might “slip.”
o Not backsliding or falling into sin, but slipping into hell!
o Not losing our salvation, but never really being saved!
• Many people, even in Baptist churches, believe they are saved but are not. One of
those many persons might be you.

The purpose of this lecture is not to make truly saved people doubt their salvation, but to
makeall of us examine ourselves. This is biblical and this is commanded.
• 2 Corinthians 13:5a “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove [test] your
own selves.”
God wants you to examine yourself if you are truly saved. To quickly say, “Yes, I
know I am saved” is not obeying God’s command to examine yourself. Are you willing
to honestly and humbly examine yourself?

I. True faith does not rely on what you are or do, but solely on what Christ is and has done.
A. Romans 3:20, 28
1. A person is saved by faith without law-keeping. Your law-keeping has no part in
salvation.
2. Faith in what or in who? Verse 22, 25, 26
B. Not works or goodness. What is becoming a Christian NOT essentially about?
1. Not just saying a salvation prayer – Words do not save.
2. Not being a member of a Baptist church: The readers of Hebrews were
churchmembers, as well as the false brethren in Galatians.
3. Not just agreeing that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone
a. Agreeing with the gospel is not salvation.
b. All these in Hebrews made a profession of faith, but God knew some
were not saved.
c. Tares look like wheat. None suspected Judas.
4. Not a work we do or identifying with a true church or even accepting Christ, if that
means understanding & agreement. True faith is heart reliance, dependence, trust.
C. True faith relies on Christ and His work alone (Romans 3:22, 25, 26)
1. True saving faith is desperate for rescue from Christ alone.
2. True saving faith is dependence on Jesus’ cross alone to save you.

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 Becoming a Christian is about putting all your hope in Jesus’ cross to
save you.
3. True NT faith is not just faith in God but faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).

II. True faith includes repentance, no longer wanting self and sin but wanting the Savior.
(Acts3:19-20; cf. Acts 11:8; 5:31; Luke 24:47)
A. Not mere fire insurance while we continue to live the life we want.
B. You want a relationship with Jesus Christ. (John 17:3)

III. True faith rests on God’s promises, not the size of our faith (Matthew 17:20).
A. True saving faith is accepted if it is placed in Christ alone, not whether our faith is
great.
1. What if one Hebrew father was applying the blood and the eldest was confident,
but another Hebrew father was applying the blood and the eldest was worried.
Which one was safer?
2. The most common noun for what we must do to be saved is “faith.” The most
common verb for what we must do is “believe” (present tense of continuing action)
B. Is your hope in Christ alone?

IV. True faith results in good works and a changed life.

A. True faith is saving faith. A “dead faith” does not result in truly good works. (James
2:17, 20, 26)
B. Jonathan Edwards listed the following as evidences of genuine conversion:
1. Have You Enjoyed Fellowship with Christ and the Father?
2. Are You Sensitive to Sin?
3. Do You Obey God’s Word?
4. Do You Reject This Evil World?
5. Do You Eagerly Await Christ’s Return?
6. Do You See a Decreasing Pattern of Sin in Your Life?
7. Do You Love Other Christians?
8. Do You Experience Answered Prayer?
9. Do You Experience the Ministry of the Holy Spirit?
10. Can You Discern Between Spiritual Truth and Error?
11. Have You Suffered Rejection Because of Your Faith?
Evaluation
You may not even realize that you are not saved.
• Many true believers testify that before their salvation, “I thought I was saved.”
• John & Charles Wesley
• Jeremiah 17:9: “deceitful” is the root word of “Jacob”: a heart disguises itself to
look and feel like the genuine thing.
• Many baptized church members have apostatized.

2 Corinthians 13:5a “Examine yourselves, whether

ye be in the faith; prove [test] your own selves.”

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 Lesson 2: Growing as a Christian: An Introduction

I. Defining Christian Growth: Christian growth is becoming like Christ (Ephesians 4:11-15).
A. God gave preachers to equip believers for building up the entire body.
B. God’s goal for all believers is that grow to spiritual maturity.
1. Descriptions of spiritual maturity:
a. v. 13b: ‘Unto a perfect man’: “Perfect” is τέλειος/teleios: spiritual maturity
b. v. 13c: ‘Unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ’
c. v. 15b: ‘Grow up into Him in all things’
d. Christian growth is becoming like Jesus Christ
1) Jesus showed His glory to be “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14)
2) We need to become full of grace
a) Merciful, kind, loving, forgiving, patient, diligent, kind, compassionate
b) Self-denying, sacrificially serving others not ourselves, generous, etc.
3) We need to become full of truth
a) Righteous, holy, just, honest, pure, sincere, speaking & living truth
b) Trusting in God and His truth, wise, valuing what God values, etc.
2. Areas of spiritual growth
a. v. 13a: to grow in “the faith”
1) “The faith” refers to the body of truth that we put our faith in.
2) Grow in walking by faith in the truth.
3) It is not enough to know God’s truth, you must have more faith in it.
b. v. 13b: to grow in “the knowledge of the Son of God”
1) Knowledge” is ἐπίγνωσις/epignōsis, intimately knowing Christ by
growing fellowship with Him.
2) Grow in walking in close fellowship with Christ.
3) It is not enough to know about Christ, you must have more fellowship
with Him.
c. v. 14: not childish believers who are easily deceived and unstable in heart
d. v. 15: but growing believers who speak the truth in love

1 Peter 1 describes the world’s opposition to believers and how we should respond:
1. Believers who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution here on earth.
2. But God’s message here is to set your hope on the glory that is to be revealed to us!
a. Do not be persuaded to uncleanness, but be holy as the God who called us is holy.
b. We have been delivered through the blood of Christ and born again by the
Word ofGod! Jesus Christ is glorious and God’s Word remains forever!
3. Chapter 2 applies these glorious truths this way:
Theme: Put away all sin and desire the Lord, then you will grow. (1 Peter 2:1-5)

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II. Key to Christian Growth: Forsake sin, and desire God.
A. Long for the Lord (1 Peter 2:1-5).
1. Forsake all sin and self. (v. 1).
a. “Wherefore” points back to chapter 1. We should put away all sin because
we were delivered from sin by the incorruptible, imperishable blood of
Christ and born again by the incorruptible, imperishable Word of God!
1) We are new people delivered from sin! Why should we continue in sin?
2) We are new and delivered by that which will never perish. Our
future is guaranteed! Why live for this world when we are headed
for glory?
b. The sins we should put away include all sins against people.
1) malice: κακία/kakia: trying to hurt people by your words & actions
2) guile: δόλος/dolos: deceiving people
3) hypocrisies: ὑπόκρισις/hupokrisis: intentionally pretending to be spiritual
4) envies: φθόνος/phthonos: wanting what someone has
5) evil speakings: καταλαλία/katalalia: trying to damage another’s testimony
6) These sins against people come from a selfish heart.
c. We must put away all sin and self in order to grow!
1) Verse 1 is first. We cannot desire God or His Word if our hearts love self!
2) To grow, you must begin with a pure heart, not just outward reform.

2. Desire the Lord so that you may grow (v. 2).

a. To grow, we must desire the Lord.
1) What should we be seeking when we come to God’s Word? See verse 3.
a) We have already tasted that the Lord is good
(‘gracious’ χρηστός/chrēstos: good)
b) Now we want more than a taste of the Lord, we want a drink of Him!
i. “of the word” is the Greek word “logikos,” which has three options
of meaning:
• pertaining to speaking or ‘of the word’ (KJV)
• pertaining to the reason or ‘logical’
• pertaining to the soul or ‘spiritual’ (ESV)
ii. If “pure, spiritual milk” refers to the Lord, we must still desire the
Word because it reveals the thing we most desire – the Lord!
2) We should want the Lord like a newborn baby wants milk.
a) This verse is not just for baby Christians. Peter is telling all Christians
that they should be like babies in their intense desire for milk.
b) “desire”: ἐπιποθέω/epipotheō -- “long for” (Thayer); “intensely crave”
c) Babies cry for milk, search for milk, and crave for milk!
3) We must desire the Lord in His Word in order to grow.

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 a) We do not automatically grow by attending church.
b) We do not automatically grow by reading our Bible.
b. Verse 4: We come to the Lord as the cornerstone of life and as the precious
One.
1) He is precious: ἐντιμος/entimos: “held in honour, prized, precious”
(Thayer)
2) Constantly coming4 to Him by praying and meditating on His Word.
3. By desiring the Lord and constantly coming to Him, we are being built up to
offerspiritual sacrifices (v. 5).
• We are built up as a temple – we grow! Then we can offer spiritual sacrifices.

B. Forsake sin, and grow in God (2 Peter 3:17-18).

1. These two verses conclude this epistle with two commands:
a. Beware of being led astray by the wrongs of sinning people. ➔ Avoid sin!
b. Grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. ➔ Grow in God!
2. According to II Peter 3:18, what are the two areas of spiritual growth?
a. Grow in using God’s grace to be Christlike in Conduct
b. Grow in knowing your Lord and Savior or Closeness to Christ.

Evaluation of Christlikeness in Conduct:

1. Are there any sins you need to forsake?
2. Are there any ways you need to forsake yourself?
3. Honestly examine yourself through the “Complete Spiritual.”

Evaluation of your Closeness to Christ:

1. Is your heart desire like Paul who said Philippians 3:7-10? In verse 8, he said, “I count
all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…”
2. Is God all your:
a. Desire?
b. Delight?
c. Devotion?
d. Dedication?
e. Dependence?

“Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purifyyour hearts,
ye double-minded” (James 4:8).

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 Lesson 3: Striving to Grow
Be diligent to guard your heart from sin and to add godliness to your faith.

I. Proverbs 4:23: Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
A. “diligence” – ‫ מׁשמר‬mishmâr
1. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon defines it as “guarding, watching”; used
ofguarding one’s post or a prison
2. Guard your heart with all guarding. ESV translates mishmâr as “vigilance”
3. “all” emphasizes the strictness of the diligence/vigilance
B. To grow spiritually in any area of life, you must be very diligent in guarding your
heart.
1. Diligently guard your heart above all else, for from it are all areas of life.
2. Barnes: “Better, as in the margin, i. e., with more vigilance than men use over
anything else.”

II. 2 Peter 1:5-12: To grow, you must give diligent effort to add spiritual qualities to your life.
A. Spiritual growth requires effort. (v. 5 says giving all diligence: ‘make diligent effort’)
1. You do not become a gold medal athlete by dreaming about it. You do not
become a concert pianist by wishing it. To become like Jesus Christ requires
diligent effort: giving your all.
2. Why? Because God has given us all we need to be godly.
a. 5, “And beside this” can have the idea of ‘Because of this”
b. Because of God’s enabling us with “all things” to be godly and calling us to be
godly.
c. We need to make every effort to grow because we have all we need to be godly!
d. E.g., construction site with all the materials, equipment, workers,
foreman, design
3. Give all diligence
a. “to interest one’s self most earnestly” (Thayer: σπουδή/spoudē)
b. “all” diligence – all your heart, focus, and self
1) One of Satan’s tactics to place many distractions, some even good things.
2) E.g., music, news, FB: too much distracts from focusing on growing.
4. The key command of vv. 5-7 is “add.” God wants us to add to our saving
faith in Christ. This “adding” is called spiritual growth.
B. Make diligent effort to grow in spiritual qualities.
1. Grow by adding to your saving faith, add virtue (ἀρέτη/aretē): moral
excellence, noble character, virtue (moral courage to keep the faith)
2. To virtue, add knowledge (γνῶσις/gnōsis): knowledge of truth and wisdom,
most ofall the knowledge of God
3. To knowledge, add temperance (ἐγκράτεια/egkrateia): self-control, self-discipline
4. To temperance, add patience (ὑπομονή/hupomonē): steadfastness; consistency;
spiritual steadfastness

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 5. To patience, add godliness (εὐσέβεια/eusebeia): reverence that leads to being
to like God; Christlikeness
6. To godliness, add brotherly kindness (φιλαδελφία/Philadelphia):
affection forbelievers; love for fellow-believers
7. To brotherly kindness, add charity (ἀγάπη/agapē): sacrificial love for all
people;self-denying kindness to all
Question: How do you do these things? How do you become a person who does these things?
Answer: We add spiritual qualities by very diligently doing virtues we know.
Very diligently do spiritual virtues in order to add more spiritual virtues.
C. If you grow in these spiritual qualities, these virtues will have rich benefits for you.
1. These spiritual virtues will make you effective and fruitful. (v. 8)
2. Lacking these spiritual virtues means you are blind and falling into sin. (v. 9)
3. Diligently grow to confirm your spiritual standing (v. 10)
a. Your life confirms your spiritual standing.
b. Practice these virtues so you will never fall (v. 10b), but enter heaven with
rich blessings. (v. 11)
III. 2 Corinthians 8:7 “Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and
knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace
also’
A. All diligence (“all possible diligence”) is a grace. (Generosity is a result of grace,
as isfaith, utterance, knowledge, and love). Diligence is by God’s enabling.
B. Both here & in 2 Peter 1, “diligence” is σπουδή(spoudē) meaning “earnestness,
diligence.” To be diligent in action, you must be earnest in attitude. Earnest
desire forsomething results in diligence to obtain it.
C. Diligent obedience comes from earnest desire enabled by God’s grace
Application
1. Diligently guard your heart above all else, for from it are all areas of life.
2. Diligently do spiritual virtues in order to add more spiritual virtues.
3. Diligent obedience comes from earnest desire enabled by God’s grace.

Adding Essential Virtues

1. What spiritual virtue do you need to add to your life?
2. Do not be a Christian in name only. Be a Christian in character and conduct.
3. What is 1 specific thing you should do to live out this quality?
4. For the virtue you need to add, find verses and write them on cards to stop & think about.
Spiritual Quality Suggested Action
to your faith, add virtue Stop doing that sin habit
to virtue, add knowledge Meditate on a verse each day
to knowledge, add temperance Say “no” to what you want to do
to temperance, add patience Follow a plan of good activities
to patience, add godliness Think of God’s presence: “WWJD?”
to godliness, add brotherly kindness Ask “How is your ?”
to brotherly kindness, add charity Witness to someone each week.

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 Lesson 4: Moral Formation versus Spiritual Formation1
The Common Wrong View of Christian Growth and The Biblical View of Christian Growth:

Dedicated believers and those in the ministry have a great desire to grow and be used of
God but often struggle with a secret burden of guilt and shame that they are not as
mature as they should be and that their lives are dry and withered at times. They wonder
“Where are the rivers of living water?” and “Why do I struggle so?”
They are faced with 3 terrible temptations:
1. to yield to moral sin
2. to despair and accept being lukewarm or dry
3. to seek moral formation instead of spiritual formation:
a. the unconscious attempt to perfect oneself in the power of the self
b. to use spiritual disciplines and being good to relieve the burden of spiritual
failure, lack of love, and the guilt and shame that results.

I. Christian growth is NOT about developing a life of moralism:

A. No amount of effort can relieve us from our burden of shame and guilt except Christ.
B. What the Christian life is NOT really about:
1. The Christian life is not about being moral in itself or being a “good boy or girl.”
2. The Christian life is not mainly about obedience to a set of principles.
3. The Christian life is not mainly about character or imitating Christ external
to mysoul.
4. The Christian life is not mainly about doing spiritual disciplines.
C. This life of moralism, in fact, is what we are saved from: a life of trying to be
good and pleasing to God in the power of the self as a way to deal with our guilt
and shame.
1. Paul knew we would be tempted daily with merely “moral formation”:
Galatians 3:1-3 “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you before whose
eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I
want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law or
by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit (a
relationship by faith) are you now being perfected by the flesh?”
2. Living by your own efforts and focusing on the law result in frustration and
failure: Romans 7:15-19 “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that
do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent
unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that
dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good
thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I
find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that
I do.”

1 The notes in this lesson are adapted from John H. Coe, “Resisting the Temptation of Moral Formation: Moving
from Moral to Spiritual Formation” (Talbot School of Theology: Institute for Spiritual Formation, 2005).

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II. Rather, the Christian life and spiritual formation are about denouncing the moralistic
life as a way to find happiness and please God, though it may have been the way as a
beginner in the faith. However, there is a time to grow up.
A. So the Christian life is about a certain kind of obedience and effort of opening the
heart to a relationship. It’s about a participation in the Vine, a dependence upon
the indwelling Spirit, the need to abide in Christ. This is our obedience, this is
what the disciplines are about.
B. I don’t want to fix myself to be good – I can’t fix myself- I want to learn to give
up on that and open more deeply to Christ’s work and the Work of the Spirit in
me.
1. Jeremiah 31:33 “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house
of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward
parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my
people.”
2. Ezekiel 36:25-27 “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be
clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take
away the stonyheart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I
will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye
shall keep my judgments, and do them.”
3. Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the
Son ofGod, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
4. Galatians 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the
lust ofthe flesh.”
5. Romans 7:24-25a “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the
body ofthis death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Question #1: Why would a Christian or anyone be tempted to be moral – isn’t the temptation
to be immoral?
Answer: Morality or being good is probably the most common human solution and a
seeminglyeffective way to avoid dealing with the problem of sin and guilt before God.
1. Adam and Eve’s human answer to sin and guilt was to (a) cover shame and
badness(Gen. 3:7) and (b) hide from guilt and God and blame others
2. When a person is saved, the flesh habits of the heart want to continue. Thus the
believer can be tempted to use spiritual disciplines as a way to (a) cover deep
feeling of shame over spiritual failures by trying to be good and (b) to hide from
feelings of failure and guilt by covering up the truth about oneself

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Question #2: How do you know whether you are a Christian moralist? Two Tests:
(1) 1st Test: Regarding guilt: whenever you are convicted by sin and your first and abiding
response to conscience and guilt is “I will do better” then you know you are a
moralist, youknow you are tempted to fix yourself by your own effort.
(2) 2nd Test: Whenever awareness of failure, sin, and guilt result in overwhelming and
abidingfeelings of frustration and failure so that one does not want to feel these things
and represses them, then you know you struggle with being a moralist.

Question #3: How did we get this way, how did we become Christian moralists?
1. The first and main reason: Habits of the Heart from our original sin nature
2. A secondary reason: Our responding to authority by external conformity

Question #4: How can we resist this temptation to be a Christian moralist and learn to
depend upon Christ’s cross and God’s Spirit?
1. By yielding our heart to the reality of the Cross (our Justification by Faith)
2. By yielding our heart to the power of the Spirit (our Regeneration and Filling by the
Spirit)

Three Prayers of Intentions:

1. Lord, I no longer want to hide from seeing myself as I really am, full of sin. I
honestly, humbly confess my sinfulness before you.
2. Lord, I no longer want to deal with my guilt and shame in the power of my own self.
I do not want to try to fix myself, to grow myself, to cover my badness with my own
efforts.
3. Lord, I no longer want to live the Christian life alone, in the power of myself. I want
You, to depend upon you, to be filled with Your Spirit, to abide in the Vine.

Question #5: What will happen to me, my spiritual life, if I cannot resist the temptation to
just be a moralist?
1. First, Christ will be of no benefit to you in the spiritual life. Galatians 5:1-3 “It was for
freedom that Christ set us free; therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject
again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision,
Christ will be of no benefit to you.”
2. Second, we will become more like a Martha than a Mary- you will slowly dry up and
witherin your service and attempts to be good. Luke 10:38ff.
You are sanctified in the same way you were saved -- by Grace through Faith in Christ.
May the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and
soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is
he that calleth you, who also will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

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 Lesson 5: Exercising Your Faith in Community

I. You must be in community with other believers in order to grow.

In other words, you must be an active member of a local church in order to really grow.
A. Some think that they would grow better if Jesus Christ was still physically present
on earth like during the days of the 12 disciples. But this is not true. Jesus Christ
said it was “expedient” (advantageous for them) if He goes away. After Christ
ascended, He sent usthe Holy Spirit and “gave gifts unto men” (v. 8)
B. Ephesians 4:11 says these spiritual gifts were spiritual leaders: apostles,
prophets, evangelists and pastor-teachers
1. Christ’s gifts to us are four kinds of spiritual leaders (“some” introduces the
four, so “pastors and teachers” may be one kind of spiritual leader, the “pastor-
teacher.”
2. The last two still exist today: evangelists and pastor-teachers
C. Christ gave spiritual leaders to help us to grow.
1. Spiritual leaders perfect us
a. “Perfecting” καταρτισμός/katartismos: “equipping,” “training”
b. This word includes: correcting a problem.
c. This word includes: adding what is lacking.
2. How do evangelists and pastor-teachers perfect us?
a. Evangelists proclaim the gospel to us. Do believers need that?
b. Pastor-teachers lead us and feed us when they teach God’s Word.
3. Do we need our spiritual leaders? Yes! They feed us God’s truth.
a. You should consider every message you hear to be a means by which God
wants to speak to you, to change you, and to guide you.
b. We need to be corrected and added to.
D. Spiritual leaders perfect us so that we can do the work of the ministry.
1. The meaning of the verse is clearer if you eliminate the first comma.
2. What work or ministry are believers supposed to do? Edify the body of Christ.
a. Spiritual leaders perfect us so that we can build up the body of Christ.
b. All believers are to build up the body of Christ, not only evangelists and
pastors.
E. Also, every believer in church helps you to grow (v. 16).
1. How? “according to the effectual working in the measure of every part.” Every
part of the body effectually works, referring to spiritual gifts! When a believer
uses his spiritual gifts, he is ministering part “of the manifold grace of God.” See
1 Peter 4:10.
2. Every believer helps you grow, and even immature believers stimulate growth:
a. Church forces you to relate to people you would not choose as friends.
b. To grow, you must exercise spiritual virtues when it is not easy.

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 F. Some applications:
1. Faithfully attend all services, and join a Bible study.
2. Get your heart, mind, and spirit engaged in the service ➔ Try closing your eyes.
3. Seek to personally talk to every member of your church and be a blessing to them.
4. Humbly realize that God is speaking to you through every believer’s
example, words, or ministry. If you are humble, God will give you grace.

II. Our faith should be expressed in good works, especially among other believers.
A. Believers are to Paul thanked God for the Thessalonian believers’ “work of faith” (1
Thessalonians 1:3).
1. He described this work of faith as being “examples to all that believe… for
from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia,
but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad” (1:7-8).
2. In chapter 2, Paul described the source of their faith as “the word of God,
which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (2:13b).
3. This faith worked out in their becoming “followers of the churches of God
which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of
your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews” (2:14).
4. Paul later mentioned that they were walking pleasing to God and exhorted
them to grow in exercising their faith (4:1).
B. In the practical section of 1 Thessalonians, these expressions or works of faith include:
1. Abstaining from immorality (4:3).
2. Controlling one’s body in holiness and honor (4:4).
3. Loving other believers, and increasing in love more and more (4:9-10).
4. Respecting others and fulfilling your work responsibilities (4:11).
5. Walking honestly toward the unsaved (4:12).
6. Not overly sorrowing when a fellow-believer dies (4:13).
7. Watching and be alert (5:6).
8. Fighting against sin by faith, love, and hope (5:7-8).
9. Comforting/encouraging other believers and edifying them (5:11).
10. Highly esteeming one’s spiritual leaders (5:12-13a).
11. Be at peace with others (5:13b).
12. Warning idle believers, encouraging faint-hearted believers, support weak
believers, and being patient with all (5:14)
13. Always seeking to do what is good to other believers and to all (5:15).
C. In summary, 1 Thessalonians demonstrates at least 3 truths regarding this topic:
1. Our Christian faith should express itself in works.
2. Our faith and its works should be expressed to others.
3. As 4:1 states, these God-pleasing works are part of growing.
a. Serving others is necessary in order to grow.
1) We must grow to serve well, but do we need to serve in order to grow?
2) Physical activity is needed to grow physically. (e.g., the baby who was
not allowed to move around)
b. Spiritual activity (service) is needed to grow spiritually.

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III. Serving others is necessary in order to grow: Romans 6:19-22
A. This passage is about our serving. “servant” is in vv. 19, 20, 22
1. The passage focuses on the issue of what we serve.
2. We will serve something.

B. This passage also teaches that serving God is necessary in order to grow.
1. What “word” refers to spiritual growth or sanctification?
a. Rom 6:19b in KJV: “…so now yield your members servants to righteousness
unto holiness.”
b. Rom 6:19b in ESV: “… so now present your members as slaves to righteousness
leading to sanctification.”
c. Rom 6:19b in ASV: “…even so now present your members as
servants to righteousness unto sanctification.”
2. What “word” refers to spiritual growth or sanctification?
a. Rom 6:22 in KJV: “But now being made free from sin, and become
servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness…”
b. Rom 6:22 in ESV: “But now that you have been set free from sin and
have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to
sanctification…”
c. Rom 6:22 in ASV: “But now being made free from sin and become
servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification…”
3. 2 key conclusions:
a. Yielding to be a servant to righteousness & to God leads to sanctification.
b. Serving God & righteousness is necessary in order to grow.

IV. How will doing God’s will, especially to others, help you to grow spiritually?
A. Witnessing and Discipling: helps you to grow because it forces you to grow in
your knowledge. To teach others also makes you grow.
B. Serving and Interacting with People:
1. Makes theory into practice – to grow in true, unconditional love.
2. Bob Jones, Sr: “It takes evangelistic unction to make orthodoxy function.”

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 Lesson 6: Growing by the 1st Means of Grace

“God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency
in allthings, may abound to every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

1. Grace is the source of all potential spiritually.

2. Grace is God’s enablement to always have all sufficiency in all things
3. Use the means of grace.
a. Why do some have much grace to abound in every good work; and others do not?
b. Why are you or any believer sometimes strong in the Lord and in the power
of Hismight; and other times are not?
c. Those that have God’s strengthening, sustaining grace are those that humbly
use the means of grace.
1) Acts 20:32: “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the
word ofhis grace, which is able to build you up.”
2) Hebrews 4:16: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,
that wemay obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

I. 2 Peter 1:1-4: God has given us all we need to be godly through knowing Him.
A. God called us to live according to His own glorious virtues.
1. The “glory of God” is the sum total of all of God’s attributes
2. God’s “virtue” is God’s moral excellence.
3. Being godly is God’s calling for us even now.
B. God has given us all we need for godly living through the knowledge of Him (v. 3a).
1. To be godly, we do not need godly parents, a deep mind, or a support network.
2. God’s power has given us all we need to be godly through knowing Him (vv. 2b-3).
a. Ἐπίγνωσις/epignōsis starts with facts but goes beyond to believing those
truths.
b. Thus knowing God goes beyond facts about him to a relationship with Him.
1) E.g., Like a man and woman who know one another enough to
marry, thereby entering into a special, personal relationship with
one another.
2) But then they know one another on a deeper level through much
interaction.
c. You can experience the intimacy of knowing Him more.
1) Not just know that He is faithful, but awed by His faithfulness.
2) Not just know that He is gracious, but humbled by His grace.
3) Not just reading Bible, but having the sense that He is speaking to you.
C. Through God’s very great, precious promises, we can partake of God’s nature (v. 4),
1. Not only diamonds, but Hope Diamonds
2. By God’s promises we have escaped corruption and can be godly.
3. Some Promises: Romans 10:13; Romans 6:14; John 12:24; 1 Peter 5:5-6
4. What promises are you living by today?

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II. 2 Corinthians 3:18: God’s Spirit is changing us to be like Christ when we are
beholding Hisglory.
A. Moses, Isaiah, Peter, and Paul were changed when they saw God’s glory. We
can see God’s glory even better in His Word (2 Peter 1:16, 19).
B. We are changed by habitually, repeatedly, continually seeing Him.
1. “Beholding”: Present tense
2. We do this by meditation – thinking day and night about verses
a. James 1:25: “whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty & continueth therein”
b. How to have devotions that leads to meditation:
1) Briefly pray, then read God’s Word with a ‘listening’ & ‘first-time’ mentality.
2) Read to know God and commune with Him.
3) When God impresses you with a truth, pause to pray about that truth.
4) Write down the things you have learned.
5) Choose a “verse for the day” and write it on a “Stop-Think” card.
6) During the day, think about each word of the verse and all its applications.
7) Whenever your thoughts are unprofitable or straying into sin, “Stop-Think!”
3. We are changed by not only constantly seeing Him, but examining Him closely.
a. Κατοπτρίζομαι/katoptrizomai : Beholding has the idea of examining, like
when we look in a mirror.
b. Many believers desire to grow and change but do not. Those who grow are
those whom God changes because of two simultaneous things:
1) They desire God far more than anything else.
2) They delight in God’s Word.

III. Psalm 1:1-3: To be spiritually abundant, plant your life daily in God’s Word.
A. v. 1: To be blessed, you must reject the way of the world.
1. Decide what soil you will plant your life in – the world’s way or the Word.
2. What you desire and delight in is a choice.
B. v. 2: To be blessed, you must delight in and meditate on God’s Word daily.
1. Before you will meditate, you must choose to make God’s Word your “delight.”
2. Psalmist: “How love I thy law, it is my meditation all the day!”
C. Esteem God’s Word.
1. Job 23:12: “I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food”
2. For the first 1400 years since the last book of the Bible was completed, hardly
anyone had a Bible. Only in the last 400 years has the Bible been available to
people. For the first 200 years of that, there was often persecution for having even
a portion of Scripture. Tyndale burned 1536. Great Bible (16x11) was chained. In
the 1500s, a Bible cost 20 pairs of shoes.
D. Eat God’s Word.
1. Meditating is often described as chewing on God’s Word.
2. Jeremiah 15:16: “Thy words were found and I did eat them; and Thy Word was
unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart!” See also Joshua 1:8.
3. Meditate by asking what is the truth in this verse? How do I apply this truth?

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 a. How does this truth apply to my life? How does this truth apply to my
situation?
b. Because of this truth, what changes need to be made in my life?
c. What are practical steps I should take to apply this truth?
d. Do I need accountability in this area?
4. Speaking the truth in love to others. This will help to fix it in your mind.
a. According to Ephesians 4:15, all believers should edify others by
speaking the truth. Who is speaking the truth in love here? Look at v. 14.
b. Believers should talk about verses. “Out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaks…” What is in the abundance of your heart?
5. We need to eat God’s Word, not junk.
a. Physical junk food: Coke, chicheria, & cotton candy.
1) Enjoyable, but removes our desire for fruit & veggies!
2) Makes us weak and sickly: lead to diabetes and high blood pressure
b. Spiritual junk food: worldly… TV/computer games/movies/bks/mags/music
1) Enjoyable, but removes our desire for God’s Word & prayer.
2) Makes us spiritually weak and sickly: lead to sin and death
IV. John 17:17: God’s Word gives us spiritual strength to overcome sin and trust God.
A. God sanctifies us (makes us holy) by His truth (1st means of grace).
1. God’s Word of grace builds us up: strengthens us against sin and self.
2. Matthew 4:4 “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word … of God”
B. God’s Word enables us to overcome sin and trust God.
1. The truth sets us free from sin. (John 8:32)
2. God’s Word gives us faith. (Romans 10:17)

Charles Haddon Spurgeon: “While the Spirit of God is thus the author of sanctification,
yet there is a visible agency employed which must not be forgotten. "Sanctify them," said
Jesus, "through thy truth: thy word is truth." The passages of Scripture which prove that
the instrument of our sanctification is the Word of God are very many. The Spirit of God
brings to our minds the precepts and doctrines of truth, and applies them with power.
These are heard in the ear, and being received in the heart, they work in us to will and to
do of God's good pleasure. The truth is the sanctifier, and if we do not hear or read the
truth, we shall not grow in sanctification. We only progress in sound living as we progress
in sound understanding. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Do
not say of any error, "It is a mere matter of opinion." No man indulges an error of
judgment, without sooner or later tolerating an error in practice. Hold fast the truth, for
by so holding the truth shall you be sanctified by the Spirit of God.” Morning and Evening,
July 4

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 Lesson 7: Growing by the 2nd Means of Grace

John 17:17 not only tells us that God grows us by His truth, but also describes Jesus
praying for God to sanctify us by purging us from sin (vv. 15-17).
Prayer is the second means of grace.
God gives sanctifying grace through prayer (Hebrews 4:16).
E.M. Bounds: “great students must be the greatest of prayers, or else they will be the greatest
ofbacksliders, heartless professionals, rationalistic, less than the least in God’s estimate.”

I. 2 Chronicles 7:14: True prayer is humbly seeking God.

A. True Prayer involves Humbling Oneself. "humble themselves and pray"
1. We do not pray like we should because we are not as humble as we should be.
2. Humility is admitting one’s poverty (1st beatitude: Matt. 5:3)
a. that we are spiritually needy
b. that we are undeserving and sinful
c. that God does not need us
d. that all we are & have is insignificant
B. Prayer is Seeking God's Face "pray, and seek God's face"
1. Another reason why we do not pray --> we do not desire God's fellowship above
all.
2. Real prayer is seeking fellowship with God—not just things, but God Himself.
3. God’s face refers to intimate fellowship with Him. (2 Chronicles 16:11; Isaiah 26:8-9)
a. In other words, prayer is drawing near to God. (Psalm 145:18; James 4:8a)
b. To pray more is not just an issue of scheduling; it is an issue of desire.
c. You must want God's fellowship more than anything else. Do you want God?
d. Do you want God more than your pleasure, your way, anything?
C. To draw near to God, you must Turn Away from Sin. "and turn from ... wicked ways"
1. To truly, really pray, you cannot regard iniquity in your heart.
2. This is another reason why some do not pray.
D. Results of Real Prayer according to II Chronicles 7:14b
1. God will hear you. (See I John 5:14-15)
2. God will forgive.
3. God will heal (spiritually). How God heals us spiritually according to Psalm 51:
a. create a clean heart
b. renew a right (steadfast) spirit
c. restore the joy of salvation
d. gives us a willing spirit

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We need God to grant our petitions. We need healing & blessing. We need grace and power.
o What is hindering your prayer life? Will you turn from wicked ways?
o Will you humble yourself and be totally dependent on God?
o Will you desire God's fellowship above anything else? (Prayer is a measure of this.)
II. How do we fellowship or commune with God in prayer?
A. Answer: Think of how you fellowship or commune with another person:
1. From what you hear a person say, you respond on the basis of what he/she
said. So hear from God through His Word, then speak to God about He
showed you:
a. Talk to God about what you read about His nature and ways.
b. Talk to God about other truths He showed you.
2. Parts of Prayer: "ACTS"
a. A - Adoration (for what He is; most common prayer in Bible; Ps. 145)
b. C - Confession (cf. Psalm 51)
c. T - Thanksgiving (cf. Psalm 92:1)
d. S - Supplication (asking God for something: 1 Sam. 12:23; Luke 11:10f)
B. A Daily Pattern for Prayer:
None of the Bible’s truths and examples of prayer will change us if we do not pray.
• Is God pleased with your daily prayer life?
• How much time do you spend each day praying (voluntarily)?
1. When you wake up in the morning: The first thing you should do is to
start communicating with God. Confess your need of the LORD to live.
2. Before devotions: Ask God to speak to you from His Word, and ask for His
help to understand His Word. The key attitude is still dependence.
3. Respond to what God said to you from His Word. Pray to the Lord about
whateverGod showed you or spoke to you about.
• E.g., “were carried away to Babylon for their transgression/unfaithfulness.”
4. Talk to the Lord about the things facing you today.
a. Things you have to do. Things you will face.
b. Roles you have and their responsibilities.
c. Needs of Family and Friends (including unsaved)
5. Continue praying throughout the day about truths you read and things you face.
a. Continuing instant in prayer. Pray without ceasing. Walk by dependence.
b. Pray as you face each task, temptation, decision, person, or problem.
o e.g., When you see a person, pray: “Lord, help me to be a blessing.”
c. Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation (anger, lust, etc.)
o Take all your concerns and tell each one to God in prayer
o Prayer reminds you who the LORD is (e.g., Hezekiah in Isaiah 37:14-20)

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 d. When you are weak, come to God and remind yourself who God is.
e. Hebrews 10:19-22: We have boldness by the blood.
6. As Daniel, you can also set apart a longer time for focused prayer not only
in the morning, but also noon/afternoon and night/evening.
7. Before you sleep, confess any sin and thank the Lord for His help that day.
III. Matthew 6:9-13: The Lord gave us the perfect guide to pray for a normal Christian life.
A. Your confidence is that God is your Father.
1. That He is your personal Father just as all of God’s other children
2. That He is the God of heaven: all-powerful, all-sovereign, all-knowing
B. Your desire is for God to get what He deserves.
1. That God would be honored as holy.
a. Through Praise
b. Through Faith
c. Through Imitation
2. That God’s rule would come. “kingdom”— reign/rule
a. That His physical rule would come through Christ’s return.
b. His spiritual rule in hearts would advance
1) His Word’s rule would advance over my thoughts and through me.
2) His Spirit ’s rule would advance over my spirit
3) His love’s rule would advance over my life and through me
3. That God’s will would be done on earth as heaven does it.
C. We want what we need in order to give God what He deserves.
1. Our necessary food:
a. what we need physically to be usable for God
b. what we need spiritually to honor His name
2. Forgiveness of our sins: “debts”—sins: the heart we need to be used for God!
3. Deliverance from evil: Help to maintain a heart to be used for God.

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 Lesson 8: Humility and Obedience

I. Humility results in obedience.

A. 1 Samuel 15:1-3, 8-11: A leader must humbly obey whatever God says and not
proudlylean on his own understanding.
1. Partial obedience is disobedience coming from proud self-dependence.
2. 15:15, 20-21: Blaming others, rationalizing disobedience, and defending self
are evidences of pride.
B. 1 Samuel 15:23: God rejects leaders who follow their thoughts instead of God’s word.

II. Humility qualifies us to receive the grace we need.

A. Psalm 73:26: “My flesh and my heart faileth…” Does yours?
1. The biggest, strongest man can be laid flat by a microscopic germ.
2. Heart failure is serious, and so is spiritual heart failure: discouragement and fear.
B. Believers in the Bible were either strong or weak
1. Moses was strong sometimes & sometimes weak. David also. Joseph seemed
strongall the time. Samson seemed weak. You can be strong or weak.
2. A believer can show amazing spiritual strength or weakness.
C. We are completely enabled [empowered] by grace (2 Cor. 9:8). See the 7 “all”/”every.”
1. Grace dominates the NT. 156x the Greek word is used in relation to the Christian
life.
Rom 1:7; 16:24; I Co 1:3; 16:23; II Cor 1:2; 13:14; Gal. 1:3; 6:18; Eph 1:2…
2. Paul knows what these believers need. The Divine Author knows what they need.
3. Do we understand how needy we are? How weak and spiritually powerless we
are?
D. Grace is God’s unmerited favor to give you what you need.
1. What do unsaved people need? Salvation (Eph. 2:8)
2. What do we need? Strength (2 Cor. 12:9). Sanctifying Grace is Divine Enablement.
3. We could have: Joseph’s purity in suffering; Daniel’s faith in pressure. Moses’
meekness; David’s devotion; Jeremiah’s burden, Mary’s love, Dorcas’ humility.
a. All are made possible, your abundant potential, by GRACE!
b. Grace enables us to overcome bitterness, fornication, and godlessness (Heb. 12).
c. Grace can sustain you when you have a grievous thorn in the flesh or for
service:I Cor 15:10 “Grace which was upon me was not in vain; but I
laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God
which was with me.”
E. But God only gives His grace to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5)
1. Abide in Christ to be strengthened in the grace in Him (2 Timothy 2:1; Phil. 4:13).
2. “I need Jesus, I need Him every hour! My need I now confess!”

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 3. You can be and do all you should, only by the all-sufficiency of God’s grace!
F. Results of Humility:
1. Thankfulness, Repentance, Teachableness, Dependence & Prayer, Insight
2. Obedience
III. Obedience is the most frequently-stated demand of God to us.
A. Studying in a Bible college is a wonderful experience, but it is also very dangerous.
1. Because you can deceive yourself regarding your spiritual condition. How?
2. The 1st test that James gives of a living faith is obedience to God’s Word: “vv. 22-
25.”
3. By hearing and not doing, you can deceive yourself. Blessing is in doing (v. 25b).
4. The Lord made this the difference between the wise and foolish (Matthew 7:24-27)
B. The many commands in the NT imply that obedience is key to the Christian life.
1. “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.”
2. “Be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind”
3. “Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly”
4. “Let love be without [hypocrisy]. Abhor… evil; cleave to that which is good.”
5. “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love.”
6. “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.”
7. “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.”
8. “Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.”
9. “Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.”
10. “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”
11. “Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but
condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.”
12. “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.”
13. “Live peaceably with all men.”
14. “Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath”
15. “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
16. What is the summary of all these commands? Matthew 22:37-40
17. Obedience seems to be the outward key to spiritual success.
a. E.g., key of a car
b. Do you really want revival? Do you really want God’s
power? Do you really want His Spirit to control your life
this hour? Oh, repent and turn to Jesus, Seek His face and
humbly pray;
Do you really want revival? Are you willing to obey?” -- Ruth Greene

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 C. True obedience comes from a heart of love, gratitude, faith, and humility.
1. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” [John 14:15; ESV]
2. "I beseech you…by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice”
3. Saul obeyed when he was humble but disobeyed when he became proud.
a. In what area of your life are you not fully obeying the LORD?
b. We need to grow in love, gratitude, faith, and humility.
IV. How can we be humble? Realizing the wickedness of our own hearts.
A. When we think of changing, we usually think about changing our actions.
Our actions need to change, but the greatest need is to change the habits of our hearts.
1. Our hearts are us and the spring from which everything flows
a. Proverbs 23:7; Proverbs 4:23
b. "heart" not just the emotions but our entire inner being (thoughts, will, etc.)
2. Our hearts are source of all our evil (Matthew 5:18-19).
B. God sees the evil of our hearts, so we should be humble.
1. Proverbs 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD
pondereth the hearts.
2. Jeremiah 12:3 But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine
heart toward thee…
3. Jeremiah 17:9-10a “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked:who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins…”
4. 1 Chronicles 28:9 …Serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for
the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the
thoughts…
5. God sees anger, pride, fear, lust, discontentment, doubt, covetousness in our hearts
C. Applications for humility:
1. Discern and accept the truth embedded in any criticism, even if undeserved.
2. When your view is opposed: Do you insist & hold it just as firmly in your mind?
3. When you are criticized or corrected? e.g., William Carey
4. When you are treated like a servant or unimportant?
5. When you do wrong or speak wrongly: Shift blame? Make excuses?
6. Apologize to family member or authority or companion
7. Moment-by-moment yielding to God’s Spirit

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 Lesson 9: Resisting Temptation and Overcoming Sin Habits

I. You are in a war (e.g., Paul told Timothy to war a good warfare.)
John Bunyan depicted this in his allegory, The Holy War. The focus of evil Diabolus’
attacks was the beloved city of King El Shaddai & His prince Immanuel, the city of Man-
Soul.
A. Satan and his spirits are fighting against you (I Peter 5:8; James 4:7; Ephesians 6:12).
B. Your Flesh is an internal traitor, your sinful self (Romans 7:23; Gal. 5:16-17; 1 Pet. 2:11).
C. The World is the influence of unsaved man in opposition to God (1 John 2:15-17).

II. But Our Victory is sure through our Lord Jesus Christ and faith in Him.
A. Victory is Through our Lord Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:57)
1. 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made
unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That,
according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
2. All man’s greatest potential is dependent upon Christ’s person and work.
a. Man restored to God by Christ
b. Man knowing God through Christ
c. Man like God in Christ.7
3. Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the
Son ofGod, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
B. Faith in Jesus Christ overcomes the fleshly desires of worldliness (I John 5:4).
1. Faith fights the lie that “God does not see me, and if He sees me, He does not care.”
2. Generally, God works according to our faith.
3. Faith causes you to profit from preaching (Hebrews 4: 2).
a. Faith: trust, dependence, belief, reliance. Illus: Laying all your weight
b. Laying all your thinking, your way, your life upon what God’s Word says.
4. Faith causes you to persevere in God’s way.
a. By faith Abraham persevered in the promise of a son (Hebrews 6:12).
b. By faith Moses believed there will be a greater reward in following Christ
than in following the world (Hebrews. 11:24-26)
5. Faith leads you to draw near to God (Hebrews 10:22).
6. Faith-Dependence on Christ allows Christ to live His life through you (Gal. 2:20).
C. By faith in Christ, we claim our freedom from sin.
1. We are to lay aside “the sin that so closely clings to us” (Hebrews 12:2 in ESV)
2. A believer should not sin because he is dead to sin/free from sin (Romans 6:1-
2) byhis union with Christ (Romans 6:3-4) (“sin” occurs 20x in Romans 6).
3. Because Christ died to sin, we died to sin; because Christ rose to victorious
life, we can walk in victorious new life. (Romans 6:6-10)
4. Application: We must reckon this truth (v. 11) and refuse sin’s reign (vv. 12-13).
5. Application: Instead, yield yourself to God (v. 19).

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III. Ephesians 6:10-20: Stand strong against sin by living in the Lord.
A. Starting Points:
1. Ephesians 6:10-20 is the longest passage on how to fight against sin.
2. The context is the Christian walk: the relationships of a Spirit-filled person.
3. To walk in the Spirit, you must be strong in the Lord: in Him & His armor.
B. Objective of the Warfare (vv. 10-13)
1. The main command: 4xs–“stand” (:11, 13, 14) against the schemes (wiles) of
the devil.
a. 4 ranks of demonic forces fight against us (v. 12)
b. They use the world & our flesh to tempt us (lust of flesh, lust of eyes, pride)
1) Satan is the invisible enemy.
2) Flesh is the internal traitor—the sinful you.
3) World is the God-opposing culture in which we live, filled with self-desires.
c. Some days have more evil influences (v. 13)
2. How do we stand? By putting on the armor of God.
a. 2 commands of vv. 10-11 are 2 ways to say the same thing: Be strong in the
Lord by putting on His armor.
b. The armor is actions, not objects. Reality vs. Illustration We “put on” these
things by doing them.
C. Actions of the Warfare (vv. 14-17): Stand strong against sin by living in the Lord
Stand strong against sin by…
1. Filling your life with His truth.
a. A Roman soldier wore a belt to hold together his armor.
b. “truth” – both truth & truthfulness, especially.
c. To stand, get truth each day & use truth in all you do.
d. To stand, be truthful. Dishonesty leads to more sin.
Stand strong against sin by…
2. Doing right.
a. Breastplate protected the essential organs.
b. Essential to spiritual warfare is daily doing what is right.
c. Ask yourself, “What ought I do?” and do it. It will keep you from sin. E.g.,
David
Stand strong against sin by…
3. Giving the Gospel
a. “preparation” – readiness
b. For a soldier, the worst thing is to slip. These shoes had nails in the sole.
c. Many slip to temptation because giving the gospel is not their focus in this
world
d. Seek to give the gospel, and you will not slip to temptation.
Stand strong against sin by…
4. Faith in the Lord.
a. θυρεός was a door-like shield covering all the rest of you. It was covered

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 with leather soaked in water to quench arrows dipped in pitch & set on
fire.
b. Fiery darts: poisonous words, impure desires, selfishness, doubt, fear, & anger.
c. Quench these by faith in the Lord.
d. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walks about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the
faith 1Pe 5:8-9
Stand strong against sin by…
5. Remembering your salvation in the Lord.
a. How do believers “take salvation”? It is a helmet for your head or thoughts.
b. Remember your salvation. Remember what you are to help you to live like it.
c. A part of your family, a BJMBC student, a member of your church, a child of
God
d. Do not link your identity to performance or status. See yourself as one in Christ.
Stand strong against sin by…
6. Stand strong against sin by quoting the Word of the Lord.
a. This word “sword” is the small sword/dagger, used in hand-to-hand combat.
b. The word “word” is rema (a short quote of Scripture, not logos (body of truth).
c. Fight temptation like Jesus did—quoting verses!
D. Manner of the Warfare (vv. 18-20)
1. Ephesians 6:18a “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…“
2. Doing the actions of the armor must be accompanied by prayer to the
Lord. Stand strong against sin by living in the Lord
• Honest before Him, Right with Him, Witnessing about Him, Faith in Him,
• Remembering your salvation in Him, Quoting His words, Praying to
Him. Be being strengthened in the Lord and His armor!

IV. To overcome sin habits, you must Put Off, Renew Your Mind, and Put On (Eph. 4:22-24).
A. Replace a sin by choosing to forsake it and doing the opposite.
1. Anger➔Kind, Stealing➔Working, Lying➔Speaking Truth
2. See 1 Peter 2:11-12 and 2 Timothy 2:21-22
B. To replace sin with righteousness, you must think God’s thoughts (Romans 12:2).
1. “I am responsible for my life” (Rom. 14:12). Stop making excuses.
2. “God can change anything in my life” (Mk. 9:23; I Cor. 10:13).
3. “God is good” (Psalm 34:8). Any sin doubts that God’s way is best.
C. Begin the new practice strongly. Change requires fervent amputation (Matt. 5:27-30)
1. Temptation is an opportunity to show the LORD that you love Him and trust Him
2. Take the way to escape (Flee) when the temptation comes (1 Cor. 10:13).
3. Do not look a 2nd time. Turn your eyes away.

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 Lesson 10: True Spirituality
Are you “spiritual”? Most of us would not proudly say, “I am spiritual!” But if the truth was
known, we think we are pretty good. The truth is, all of us have rebel hearts (Isa. 53:6).
• E.g., an elementary student or child
All of us are rebels and must grow in submission: of our wills, desires, and to our God-
given authorities. God specifies this as the habit of the spiritual Christian (I Peter 2:11-12
introduces 2nd of 3 sections of this epistle, the section describing godly living. The
repeated command of godly living: 2:13, 18; 3:1)
• In all 3 verses, it is the same word, hupotasso – “to arrange under [the authority]”
• We must learn to submit & always keep ourselves under God’s control. Submission
involves faith that God will meet your needs & desires in His time & way.
• This includes submission to authorities (I Peter 2-3; “ducking so God can hit your .”)
• A spiritual person submits to God and thereby is a spiritual success in every way.

I. We can be spiritual and should strive to be spiritual. (I Corinthians 2:15; 3:1)

II. True spirituality is NOT in what you possess or how you perform.
Question: What 2 groups of people believed they were spiritual but were not?
Answer: Pharisees and Corinthians
What True Spirituality is NOT:
A. NOT giftedness (I Cor. 1:7; 12:8ff; 12:7: profits people!) e.g., the Corinthians: most
gifted; carnal
B. NOT knowledge (I Cor. 1:5; knowledge is necessary for growth: Romans 12:2)
e.g., the Corinthians
C. NOT outward righteousness (Matthew 23:27-28)
D. NOT service or even soul winning (Matthew 23:15);e.g., Preachers in Philippians
1:15a, 16
All these things will be seen in a spiritual Christian, BUT they can be seen in a carnal
or unsaved. Just because your ministry is a blessing to others, you have a lot of Bible
knowledge, you do right things and have high standards, you serve & witness, does
not mean you are “spiritual!”
III. True spirituality is submission to the Spirit and makes you pleasing to God in every area.
3 positive commands in the NT regarding our relationship to God the Spirit:
A. Revelation 2-3, seven times:
1. Hear what the Spirit saith (2:7, 11, 17ff): Not only to hear the Word of God, but
also to heed and submit, as the voice told the disciples on the Mt. of
Transfiguration, “This is my beloved Son: hear Him.”
2. Submission is part of this command.
B. Ephesians 5:18: Be filled with the Spirit. The idea is controlled by the Spirit.
How? You submit!
1. “Do you really want revival? Do you really want the Spirit to control your life
this hour? Are you willing to obey?” Submission to God. This results in
pleasing God in every area:
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 2. 3 evidences of being submissive & controlled by the Spirit (Vv. 18-21 is one
sentence).
a. You publicly sing spiritual songs from your heart.
b. You give thanks always for all things unto God
c. You submit to others (deny self to meet others’ needs)

C. Galatians 5:16: Walk in the Spirit ➔ Result is victory over flesh (all its desires; do
what you ought)!
1. Literally, “be walking in”: Submission. Like a blind beggar at a traffic light
walking from car to car with his hand on someone’s shoulder. Not walking on
his own, but submitting to the will and way of another. For us, that means
depending and submitting to God’s Word. This is what it means to be led by
the Spirit.
2. This produces the fruit of the Spirit. The result is not just v. 16, but also v.
22-23! Here is key to the Christian life and growth!
3. Victory over sin, all the fruit of the Spirit, and even faithful witnessing (Acts
4:31) isby submission.
4. Romans 8 confirms the same truths:
a. The Spirit’s giving life to you has set you free in Christ from sin and death.
b. A characteristic of one with spiritual life is that he walks not according to
the flesh but according to the Spirit.
They set their minds on the things of the Spirit, not the things of the flesh.
c. Therefore, we should not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
1) By the Spirit, you put to death the deeds of the body.
2) This is what it means to be led by the Spirit of God. (All who are led by the
Spirit are sons of God.)

IV. Submission also brings rest to the soul (Matt. 11:28-30).

frustration➔ joy anger➔love fear➔ peace
A. Notice Christ’s 3 commands. Summary: Stop going your way, and submit to God’s
way.
1. Hannah Whitall Smith said in Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life: The Lord never
intended for us to live in defeat & discouragment. ➔ Submit/Surrender to God.
2. Andrew Murray: asked Christians in Scotland the greatest need of the Church ➔
“Absolute surrender is the one thing.”
B. This is the secret to spiritual success in every area: moment-by-moment submission to
God’s Spirit.

V. Submission to God’s Spirit empowers you to be good and do good, just like Jesus Christ.
A. At the baptism of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit indwelled Jesus to empower Him
for lifeand ministry.
1. Before Jesus’ baptism, He was already filled and directed by Holy Spirit. At
Christ’sbaptism, the Spirit descended visibly. The Spirit’s coming upon Jesus
Christ is reminiscent of OT saints being indwelt by the Spirit in order to
specially empower them for service. The difference is what John emphasized in
1:32 and 33. The Spirit “abode upon him” and “remaining on him.” In the OT,

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 the Spirit came and left. For Jesus Christ, the Spirit is abiding and remaining
on Him. Thus, we now expect that all that Jesus Christ will now do in His life
and ministry He will do by the enabling of the Holy Spirit.
2. This is a great mystery beyond us because it is the mystery of the “hypostatic
union” (2 natures in 1 person; 100% God and 100% man). As fully man, as us,
Jesus lived and served by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.
3. This is the emphasis of the subsequent Scriptural record.
a. Christ’s temptation: Luke 4:1
b. Christ’s ministry and teaching: Luke 4:14-15
c. Christ’s description of His ministry: Luke 4:18
d. Christ’s casting out demons: Matthew 12:28
e. All of Christ’s works: John 14:10
f. Christ’s instructing the apostles: Acts 1:2
g. Summary verse: Acts 10:38
B. Christ performed His entire earthy ministry under the direction and power of the
Holy Spirit. Most believers think Christ was dependent upon His divine nature to
do good, tobe good. But Christ was depending upon the Spirit’s power to do good
and be good.
1. Christ the God-Man did not yield to temptation because He was
dependent/submissive to the Holy Spirit. It is not directly attributed to His
Deity.
2. We do not share Christ’s godliness, not because we do not share His deity,
but because we do not share His dependence on the Holy Spirit.
Applications:
1. Life is short. The potential for God to use you is infinitely great, as well as your
potential forbad.
a. Do not waste your life but walking in self-dependence. Be sensitive to and submissive
to God’s Spirit.
b. Constantly ask God, “Lord, what should I do now?”
c. Yield to the Spirit of God’s working in your conscience: sensitivity to and submission
to God’s Spirit.

2. Do not make knowledge or ability your focus, but actually your character & your choices
a. Do you make right choices: choosing what is excellent?
b. Is our love for God strong enough that we say no to temptation?
c. Is our faith in God strong enough that we do not fear, worry, complain, work in our
own strength?
d. Your future spouse, your future children, your future ministry, your future in life
is alldetermined by this – our character

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 Lesson 11: Discipline and Self-Denial

I. Self-Discipline, which is self-denial, is vital to spiritual growth

A. “Self-discipline” is “ruling or controlling one’s self”
1. Self-Discipline is needed in studying, in sports, in work, in cleaning the house
2. Self-Discipline is needed for spiritual
health. To:
a. Have daily devotions
b. Listen well to Bible teaching/preaching
c. Improve your prayer life
d. Resist temptation
e. Overcome a sin habit
f. Obey God
g. Let God’s Word dwell in you richly
B. 1 Timothy 4:7: But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise [train;
discipline] thyself rather unto godliness.
1. “exercise” – γυμνάζω gumnazō
a. Thayer: 1) to exercise (in the athletic games); 2) to exercise vigorously, in
anyway, either the body or the mind
b. Training for Olympic athletes require much self-discipline (when wake-up,
what they take into their bodies; how they exercise and practice); likewise,
spiritually!
2. Goal of the disciplined training is godliness.
3. The context, verse 6, tells us that the means of this disciplined training is the
words of faith & good doctrine (“nourished up” is ἐντρέφω /entrephō ,
meaning “trained”
a. To be godly, you must refuse profane and silly stories and instead train
yourselfin the words of God.
b. Discipline chooses to give attention & value to God’s Word rather than profane
& silly stories (on TV, movies, pocketbooks). How do you spend your time?
c. Discipline yourself to reject profane stories and to nourish yourself in God’s
words that lead to godliness.
C. 1 Corinthians 9:27: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest
that byany means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a
castaway.”
1. “keep under” – “discipline” (ESV); ὑπωπιάζω hupōpiazō
a. Thayer: “to beat black and blue, like a boxer who buffets his body; discipline by
hardships”
b. Object of discipline: body
c. Meaning of discipline: to bring it into subjection (under control)
2. Purpose of discipline: to avoid being a castaway (disqualified). The following
verses(chapter 10:1-14) describe an example of disqualification: Those who

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 enjoyed spiritual blessings but who desired fleshly things, loved idols, and
yielded to temptation.
a. We must deny our body and have it under control (cf. 9:25: “temperate”
[ἐγκρατεύομαι ‘self-control’] “in all things”)
b. To avoid sinning and disqualification, we must deny our body what it
wants, even when it is painful. Instead of “what does my body want?” ask,
“what does God want?”
c. Discipline your body by not following it lest you fall into sin.
D. 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of
love, and of a sound mind.”
1. The Greek word translated “sound mind” is also translated “self-control”
(ESV) or“discipline” (NAS).
2. In Vincent’s Word Studies, he described this word as “the faculty of generating self-
control in others or in one's self, making them σώφρονες of sound mind. Render it
‘discipline.’”
3. The power to discipline self comes from the Spirit which God has given us.
a. God gave us His Spirit to enable our spirit to be self-controlled.
b. According to the context this enables us to not fear or be ashamed to
stand forthe Lord and enables us to be loyal to the gospel even if it means
suffering.
c. By God’s Spirit, you can be self-disciplined: controlling your spirit, body,
and choices.
E. Truth Summary:
1. Discipline yourself to reject profane stories and to nourish yourself in God’s words
that lead to godliness.
2. Discipline your body by not following it lest you fall into sin.
3. The power to discipline self comes from the Spirit which God has given us.
F. Satan wants to slow us down in our spiritual race by weighing us down with
distractions, minor activities, and bad habits. Areas of Self-Discipline:
1. Discipline your eyes & mind. Discipline your body. The power to be
disciplined isfrom God.
2. Self-discipline to listen. Self-discipline to read. Self-discipline to redeem the time.
3. Self-discipline to do what you ought to do.
4. Self-discipline to not live according to your own desires. E.g., chicherria
5. Self-discipline to stop-and-think, to examine your heart and mind.
a. Do not live on “auto-pilot” (whatever our heart leads us to do, we do). Ask:
1) “Am I right to be angry like this?” “Am I right to be fearful?”
2) “Am I being selfish?” “Am I being stubborn?”
3) “Am I guilty of discontentment & covetousness?”
4) “What I just said or did was pride!”
5) “I am not going to follow my heart!”
b. Self-discipline not to “float”
a. Just to do whatever is fun or to follow what others are doing
b. Stop & examine based on the Bible (“Walk circumspectly.”)

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II. John 12:24: The promise of fruit can motivate you to die to self.
A. See also 1 Samuel 26:23.
B. There are no blessings/rewards without dying to self.
1. If it dies, it bears much fruit. If it does not die, it remains alone.
2. A choice: Will you die?
C. To learn:
1. You must die to self in order to stay in your seat and study and do your
assignments well and on time! Your self wants to do other things and be lazy
and procrastinate.
2. You must die to self to learn in another way: to be humble. Each of us do
what is right in our own eyes➔ That is the book of Judges! We think we are
right! We lean on our own understanding. We go our own way. You will
never really learn!!
3. If you die, you will learn and grow much.
D. To be pure: (clean in heart and mind and life):
1. You must die to self: to turn away from world entertainment
2. To put off the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and desire to lift yourself up
3. If you die, you will be an instrument that God will greatly use.
E. The Christian life and Christian growth is:
1. Living a life of dying to self; Growing in self-denial.
2. Paul: “I die daily”; Jesus: “Luke 9:23: If any man will come after Me, … deny self,
take up cross daily, and follow Me.
3. Christian life & growth does not only consist of camps, conferences, & concerts.
Some people live for occasions such as those who followed Christ for the
excitement.
4. Christian life and growth is dying to self: saying “no” to yourself and ‘yes’ to God.
F. When you die to self, there is GREAT REWARD.
1. Joy! Peace! Blessing! Power! Usefulness! Fruit!
2. Your choice tonight and every day will determine your destiny: Will you die to
self?

III. How to become self-disciplined.

A. The dynamics of self -discipline: Goal ➔ Structure ➔ Discipline
1. Discipline requires having a goal of what you want to be.
2. Discipline involves setting up a structure/schedule to attain your goal.
3. Discipline continues by denying self to attain the goal.
B. Usually, a person needs to do a new practice for 3 weeks before it becomes a habit.
1. List your goals.
2. List what you must do to reach your goals.
a. These “action points” must be specific and practical.
b. E.g., Time Schedule
c. Do you need an accountability partner?

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 Lesson 12: Chastening and Suffering to Grow

I. Hebrews 12:1-17: The Lord disciplines us to help us to grow.

A. The Christian life is a race we run by looking at Jesus by faith, including His
enduringsuffering (vv. 1-2).
1. Do not be weary of striving against sin because Jesus suffered more (vv. 3-4)
2. Do not be weary of the Lord’s discipline because He disciplines those He
loves (vv. 5-6)
B. You endure for discipline (vv. 7-8; see v. 7a in Ang Biblya).
1. You endure so that you can have more difficulty and become strong!
2. Submit to the Lord’s discipline, and you will live (v. 9)
a. By discipline, you will share God’s holiness. (v. 10)
b. God’s discipline will train you to be righteous. (v. 11)
3. Develop a sensitive recognition when God is chastening you.
a. It is likely that God chastens us when we sin. How often do we sin?
b. God’s chastening is not always dramatic; it can also be a subtle correction.
c. Chastening can include difficulty in accomplishing our work, a lack of joy, a
lack of direction, struggling with temptation, etc. These can be signs we have
strayed.
C. Strive to holy and righteous by God’s discipline. (vv. 12-13)
1. Strive for peace and holiness. (v. 14)
2. Do not fail to claim God’s grace so that you do not become bitter. (v. 15)
3. Do not fail to claim God’s grace so you do not become immoral or unholy. (v. 16)

II. God Designed Suffering & Chastening to Help Us to Grow

A. If God loves us, why does He allow us to have needs, unfulfilled desires, burdens,
problems, and temptations? To give us joy! When we come to the end of self & cry
out to God & come to Him, we find that He is the Solution to our problem & He is
the Satisfaction of our heart: Joy!
B. God has always used trials, suffering, and chastening to help His people grow.
1. Jacob, Moses, & Paul were: 1) Godly men 2) God used trials to help them grow.
2. Jacob suffered the same cheating from Lot that Jacob did to Esau. “In the
day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep
departed from mine eyes.” Eventually Jacob became a godly man, Israel, a
prince with God.
3. Moses spent 40 years in the backside of the desert tending sheep & became meek.
4. Paul suffered being abased to learn to be content, & was given the thorn in the
flesh that he would be humble & depend on God’s strength in his weakness.
5. Miriam was struck with leprosy so that she could repent & grow.
6. Michal despised her husband David, so she had no child unto the day of her death.
7. Eve sinned and was cursed with pain in childbearing, including menstrual pain.
Why?

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C. Question: How does this work? How do trials help us to grow? In Deuteronomy 8,
Moses is preparing Israel, 2-3 million people, to enter the Promised Land. To prepare
them, Moses reminds them why God led them into the wilderness and allowed them
to suffer for 40 years! Why would God let His people suffer in the desert for 40 years?
5 Purposes for Suffering:
1. To humble you to repent & seek the LORD (8:1-2a).
a. What was their sin?
b. Pride and unbelief and disobedience. 3 common sins that we have!
c. We need chastening to humble us: we are stubborn & don’t really trust or obey.
d. Chastening (“My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint
when thou art rebuked of him.” Hebrews 12:5b)
i. God chastens & rebukes us to humble us so we repent, turn from our ways,
and seek the LORD.
ii. God disciplines to purge us from sin like slag.
iii. God uses different kinds of sufferings: sickness; disappointment; loss of
property; death of a loved one; the ingratitude of others; unkindness of
professed friends, the hate of enemies; family problems; misconduct of
children
iv. God uses sufferings to show us that going our own way is SIN!
v. In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar was proud so God made him like an animal
for7 years until he humbled himself before God. God resists the proud and
helps the humble.
2. To test (‘prove’) you so you see your heart need (8:2b).
a. Suffering tests you to know what is in your heart, whether you would keep His
commandments or not.
i. Luke 8:22-25: Why did Jesus bring His disciples into a storm? So they would
realize their need to grow in faith. To grow, we need to see our spiritual lack
& need to change.
ii. When we suffer with problems, we are like a tea bag in hot water. The hot
water brings out what is in your heart.
b. Purpose: so that you see your heart need.
i. We think we are ok, but we are not! God hates lukewarmness & pride!
ii. Rev 3:15-17 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would
thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither
cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am
rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest
not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.
3. To make you know that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that
comes from the LORD (8:3).
a. Suffering shows us that material things and earthly things are not enough. We
need God and His Word!

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 b. Suffering shows us that we cannot live by our strength, circumstances, or our
feelings. To live, we need God’s Word.
c. Suffering works endurance in us (hupomene—‘remaining steadfast under
pressure’)
i. James 1:2-4 Consider it joy when you have trials because tests of your faith
produces spiritual steadiness that ye may be perfect (spiritually mature) and
entire, wanting nothing.”
ii. Trials remove our “crutches” so that we learn to stand without them.
iii. Why did they beat swords with a hammer? To make them strong.
iv. Suffering works into us Steadfastness by the Scripture. (Joni Eareckson
Tada)
a) Suffering shows us that we cannot live by our strength, circumstances, or
our feelings.
b) To live, we need God’s Word.
4. So you will keep the commands of the LORD, to walk in His ways & fear Him (8:5-6)
a. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept Thy Word.
• Discipline of children
b. Suffering brings obedience, so you will walk with God! (Fellowship)
• “There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to
buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” (2 Cor. 12:7b)
HUMILITY
• “And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My
strength
is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9a) DEPENDENCE
• Result of a right response to suffering: A deeper, closer walk with
Christ!
5. So He can do you good in the end (8:6-7).
a. Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall
come forth as gold.
b. Jer. 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
c. 1 Pet. 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold
that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and
honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
d. 2 Cor. 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus,
that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

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 Life can be very difficult. One pastor says “We are either coming out of a trial, in a trial,
or going into a trial.” God is using sufferings to turn us to Him and produce real spirituality
in us. “Master, the tempest is raging! Carest Thou not that we perish?” The boat was filling
up with water, and the Bible says that their lives were in jeopardy! Sometimes we feel like
that!
Sometimes, that storm is our own fault & God is chastening. Sometimes, the trial comes
becausewe are following the Lord—God led us into the storm! It seems like He is asleep! But
when we doubt God & question God, we have stopped trusting God. That is when Jesus asks
us, “Where is your faith?” We have had a failure in faith. APPLICATION
1. When you are in the school of suffering, have “patience of hope,” remaining steadfast by
confidently expecting that God will give you good from this.
a. Isaiah 38:17: “It was for my SHALOM (wholeness/completeness) that I had great
bitterness.”
b. Sometimes, God gives us brown (unprocessed) rice or whole grain bread, and green
and orange vegetables. Like a child, we may not like how it looks or tastes. But you
need to trust your Heavenly Father and “Eat what is put on your plate.”
c. After Becky Vaughn had healed from the body burns and skin grafting that left her
bodydisfigured. Becky saw her sister Debbie playing the piano while Becky’s club-like
hands struggled to turn the pages of a children’s book. Becky: “When I grow up, will I
have hands like Debbie?” Her mother: “God gave Debbie the hands she needs to do
God’s will for her. God has allowed you to have the hands you need to do God’s will
for you.”
2. Wait on God.
a. Pruning a rose bush so that it will blossom and be beautiful. But when you prune and
cut it, it looks terrible at first and for a long season. But God has a purpose. God is
sovereign.
b. Psalm 119:67-68, 71: To make a beautiful statue, God has to cut and chip.
c. Waiting on God is an expression of trust and hope in Him.
d. God puts us on our back in affliction that we might look up to Him.

3. “O, Rejoice in the Lord” by Ron Hamilton

1. God never moves without purpose or plan; When trying His servant and molding a man.
Give thanks to the LORD though your testing seems long; In darkness He giveth a song.
2. I could not see through the shadows ahead; So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead. I
bowed to the will of the Master that day; Then peace came and tears fled away.
3. Now I can see testing comes from above; God strengthens His children and purges in love.
My Father knows best, and I trust in His care; Through purging more fruit I will bear.
Chorus: O, rejoice in the LORD, He makes no mistake, He knoweth the end of each path
that I take,
For when I am tried, and purified, I shall come forth as gold.

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 Lesson 13: A Repentant Heart is the Heart that Grows
I. To grow, you need to be repentant, admitting you are wrong in heart, thoughts, and
actions.
A. 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then
will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
B. Isaiah 57:15 “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose
name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and
humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the
contrite ones.”
C. James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but
giveth grace unto the humble.”
D. “Repent” μετανοέω/metanoeō is “change of mind, heart, and will, resulting in a
change of life.
1. Do you need to repent in some area of your personal relationships?
2. Do you need to repent in some area of your personal life?

II. Colossians 3:18-4:1: A repentant heart returns to the Lord in your personal relationships.
A. Colossians 3:18-4:1 is a list of 8 commands, all regarding our relationship to others.
1. If God tells us how to treat others:
a. We must not naturally relate to others like we should.
b. God has a will/design for how we should treat others
2. But we can and must relate to others according to God’s design because we
are in Christ.
B. We in Christ must not only have a godly heart but also godly actions toward others.
1. 3:1-17 has emphasized that we should have godly heart attitudes. (v. 5, 8, 12-15)
2. 3:18-4:1 adds that a true Christian should also have godly actions toward others.
C. We must live out our new self in Christ in the first sphere of life – our home. (3:18-4:1)
1. Wives, put your heart and will under your husband’s leadership.
2. Husbands, deny yourself to do what is best for your wife.
3. Children, obey your parents in everything.
4. Fathers, do not cause your children to be bitter.
5. Servants, obey your boss in everything.
6. Everyone, do all your work with your heart for the Lord.
7. Bosses, treat your servants fairly because you have a Master in heaven.
D. Deny yourself to treat others according to God’s design by wanting to please the Lord.
1. To treat others right is self-denial – submission, love, being kind and fair.
2. To treat others right, you must follow God’s design, not your way.
3. To treat others right, you must want to please the Lord. (7x in ¶: v. 18, 20, 22, 23, 24;
4:1)

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III. The Heart that Grows: Have a repentant heart that returns to the Lord in your
personal life. 2 Timothy 2:16-24: A Christian worker continually avoids sins
A. God has 5 imperative verbs in this passage. Each command is related to avoiding sin.
1. “Shun profane and vain babblings” (present tense)
2. “Let everyone…depart from iniquity” (aorist tense)
“If a man therefore purge himself from these…”(aorist tense)
3. “Flee youthful lusts” (present tense)
4. “Follow righteous, faith, charity, peace…” (present tense)
5. “Foolish and unlearned questions avoid” (present tense)
B. Be avoiding irreverent babble. (v. 16)
1. The opposite of “the word of truth” is profane/βέβηλος [vain]
babblings/κενοφωνία
a. Avoid useless talk that does not reverence spiritual things.
b. Biblical example? Verse 18 (resurrection has already happened): twisting truth.
2. Those who are of the truth depart from sin
a. Illustration: in a large house, some vessels are for honorable use (jewelry)
and some vessels are for dishonorable use (garbage, waste, etc.)
b. Application: To be a vessel for God’s use, you must purge yourself from sin. Be
set apart as holy, useful for the Master, and ready for every good work.
c. Make a once-and-for-all break from sin. Purge your life from all sins.
C. Be fleeing youthful desires and pursuing spiritual virtue.
1. To be a holy vessel for the Lord’s use in every good work, you must continue
fleeing youthful passions/desires. Maintain purity.
2. To be a holy vessel for the Lord’s use in every good work, you must
continue pursuing spiritual virtue: righteousness, faith, love, & peace
D. To be a holy vessel for the Lord’s use, you must abstain from quarrels.
1. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies.
2. The servant of the Lord must not be contentious but kind.

John Fox in 1831:

“What else is the life of godly men, but a continual repentance, and a perpetual
detestation and condemnation of sin, whilst we are forced by the gospel with daily
groans to breathe forth this petition, ‘Forgive us our sins.’” “Repentance, as it is an
excellent gift of God, so it brings forth fruits…”
IV. If you do not have a clean conscience, your growth will be hindered.
A. Sin produces death (2x): Hebrews 9:14: “dead works”: acts that lead to death (Ja. 1:15b).
1. For believers, sin brings death to all the Spirit is growing in us. It kills His fruit.
Death of... Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Self-
control.

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 2. Sin produces its own fruit: “of the flesh, [you] reap corruption—ruin/destruction!
a. Proverbs 5 says the “feet [of the immoral] go down to death.” Destroyed life!
b. What if you act independently of Biblical counsel & make life work your
way?Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seems right unto a man, but
the end…”
c. Thou wilt “mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, &
say, ‘How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof!’”
3. Sin will destroy your life. It kills your love, joy, everything!
4. Is there any sin in your heart or life? Prov. 28:13: “He that covers his sins shall not
prosper: but whoso confesses and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
B. The blood of Christ can completely cleanse your conscience! (2x)
1. Where sin is, there is guilt. The feeling of guilt may be forgotten or absent.
Butbefore God, the fact of guilt remains (e.g., a black cloud or heavy
weight)
2. Your conscience is very helpful (Rom. 2:15).
a. Your conscience witnesses to you whether you did right or wrong.
b. Never act against your conscience.
1) I Cor. 8:7: You can “defile” [make dirty] your conscience.
2) I Cor. 8:12: You can “wound” a conscience (others & yours) until it is seared!
3. A clear conscience is needed to serve God (II Tim. 1:3).
a. Paul “exercise” (strive, make great effort) to keep a clean conscience (Acts
24:16).
b. A clear conscience is obtained at a price.
1) A conscience is cleansed by the blood of Christ (Heb. 9:14).
2) A conscience is maintained by living honestly in all things (Heb. 13:18).

Applications:
1. Are you willing to confess that you stole or cheated or lied?
2. What is hindering you from being a Psalm 1-type tree?
3. Genuine repentance is part of a spiritual healing process that gets to the root of sin.
a. If we just try to reform (pull out the weeds on the surface), they will just grow back.
b. 7 components of sincere repentance (2 Cor. 7:11): Attention (carefulness),
Correction (clearing), Shame (indignation), Alarm (fear), Deep Regret (vehement
desire), Longing (zeal), Accepting Consequences (revenge)
4. Notice when things are not going well. Maybe God is chastening you for straying.
5. Keep short accounts with God. Confess immediately. Unrepentant sin brings fear,
anger, depression, and death.
6. At invitations, the first step is to raise your hand in admission.

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 Lesson 14: Keeping Your Heart and Overcoming Wrong Emotions

I. Our hearts are prone to wander.

A. How do we keep our heart with all diligence when we so easily become angry,
fearful, discouraged, lustful, and discontent?
B. John Newton answering the question, “What are the best means to be used by a
young person to prevent the world, with all its opening and ensnaring scenes,
from drawing the heart aside from God?: “In the first place, then, I would observe,
that though it be our bounden duty, and the highest privilege we can propose to
ourselves, to have our hearts kept close to the Lord; yet we must not expect it
absolutely or perfectly, much less all at once; we shall keep close to Him, in
proportion as we are solidly convinced of the infinite disparity between Him and
the things which would presume to stand in competition with Him, and the folly,
as well as ingratitude of departing from Him. But these points are only to be
learned by experience, and by smarting under a series of painful disappointments
in our expectations from creatures. Our judgments may be quickly satisfied that
His favour is better than life, while yet it is in the power of a mere trifle to turn us
aside. The Lord permits us to feel our weakness that we may be sensible of it; for
though we are ready in words to confess that we are weak, we do not properly
know it, till that secret, though unallowed, dependence we have upon some
strength in ourselves, is brought to the trial and fails us. To be humble, and like a
little child, afraid of taking a step alone, and so conscious of snares and dangers
around us as to cry to Him continually to hold us up that we may be safe, is the
sure, the infallible, the only secret of walking closely with Him.”9
C. Solution:
1. We must become more and more convinced of the infinite disparity between
God and the things which would presume to stand in competition with Him.
2. Focus on the cross. Each morning, thank God for the cross.
3. Example: When you are bitter and do not forgive, you are magnifying his sin
against you and minimizing your sin against God. You are not seeing God
accurately.

II. We need to control our thoughts (Isaiah 26:3-4).

A. Any wrong emotion, such as discontentment is dangerous, for it leads to sin.
1. Sinful emotions can be conquered and godly contentment learned (Php 4:11-12).
2. “Isaiah 26:3”: v. 1 describes Ch. 26 as the song of Judah rejoicing in the
salvation enjoyed by the “strong city” (Jerusalem) and the judgment of the
“lofty city” (the world & all of its kingdoms).
3. “Even though verses 3-4 are Millennial in their context, they are true for
believers of all ages. Knowing that God will someday punish the whole world
and cause His people to triumph should cause us to trust in Him in all things
and at all times.”
B. Yahweh can keep you in perfect peace (whatever your need or problem)
1. Peace is “shalom”: not just the absence of hostility but the presence of
wholeness, completeness, well-being, perfect welfare.
2. Perfect peace includes contentment: your spirit is not frustrated, fearful,
discontent, or restless, but rather one of perfect contentment, peace, and joy.

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 C. Yahweh keeps in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on God.
1. Not all have perfect peace (few actually). Only those whose minds are “stayed”
or “steadfast” (sāmak) on Yahweh, which implies an undeviating commitment
to Him.
2. Do we keep our minds focused on Yahweh? This is how we can have
perfect contentment, peace, joy, and inner wholeness.
a. We fear when we focus on the winds, waves, and storms in our lives.
b. We lust & covet when we look at the world, NOT our Father & Savior.
c. We become discontent & bitter when we do not look upon God’s goodness.
d. See Matthew 16:23 (“phroneo”); Col. 3:2 (“phroneo”) Thayer’s on phroneo: to direct
one’s mind to a thing, to seek after
3. You must do at least 2 things with your mind:
a. Put off wrong or sinful thoughts and 2) put on right & pure thoughts. Choose:
“Think on these things: pure, virtuous, praiseworthy”; not on people or things
b. In other words, you must avoid worldly thoughts and abide in God’s thoughts!
1) Do you memorize Scripture? Psalm 119:9-11
2) Do you meditate on Scripture? Joshua 1:8
4. God keeps in perfect inner joy & peace him whose mind is stayed on YHWH!
5. “But that is my problem—my thoughts!” How can I have a mind stayed on God??!
D. Our minds stay on God when we really trust in God; really depend on God.
1. What we are thinking on reveals what we are depending on for well-being.
2. The root meaning of “stayed” is “to support” but the Hebrew passive
participle carries the idea of “leaning on, depending on, resting on”
something.
3. So how can you trust God more? Discover the glory of your God—Isaiah 26:4!

III. Know the love of Christ to be filled with God (II Corinthians 5:14).
A. We need something to control us, compel us
1. “constraineth” (συνέχω) means control/compel, as Paul in Acts 18:5: “pressed in
the spirit and testified.”
2. We need something to compel us because our hearts are deceitful and we are weak
a. Our hearts are “deceitful above all things & desperately wicked!”
b. Even when the spirit is willing, our flesh is weak. Problems & pain takes
awayour strength & desire to live for God!
3. Paul was weak & sinful too. But the love of Christ constrained him!
a. “love of Christ” refers to NOT our love for Christ but Christ’s love for us:
1) 3x this passage mentions what event?
2) What did Paul see most of all when he saw the cross? Infinite LOVE!
b. That love compelled him not to live anymore for himself
1) This is our problem, we live for self. It is embedded in our nature.
2) Selfish motives, selfish thoughts, selfish ways, selfish words
3) The root of fear is selfishness. The root of anger is selfishness. The root of
pleasure-seeking is selfishness. The root of covetousness & jealousy &
seeking to impress is selfishness.

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 c. But Christ’s love can control us!!

B. For Christ’s love to control us, we need to learn about & meditate on it.
1. 2 Cor. 5:14: Christ’s love controls us because we thus judge…
a. They “judged” – studied the facts, meditated on them, & made a conclusion.
b. What did Paul study & meditate on? The cross!
c. We need to learn Christ’s love so it can control us! (“But I already know”)
2. Paul prayed that believers would know the infinite love of Christ so that we
would be filled and controlled by God! (Eph. 3:14-19)
a. V. 19: “filled with all the fullness of God”—Filled with God; Controlled by God!
b. That’s what we need! How? By knowing the love of Christ!
3. Evidence that we really don’t know the love of Christ
a. V. 19: “passeth knowledge”
b. What fills us & controls us?
c. We sin & choose pleasure or people instead of God b/c we don’t know!
1) Give 4-yr old choice of buffet @ Manila Peninsula Hotel or FF @ McDo
2) “Oh how great Thy lovingkindness, Vaster, broader than the sea! Oh,
how marvelous Thy goodness Lavished all on me! Simply trusting
Thee, Lord Jesus, I behold Thee as Thou art, And Thy love so pure, so
changeless, Satisfies my heart; Satisfies its deepest longings, Meets,
supplies its everyneed, Compasseth me round with blessings; Thine
is love indeed!
4. Know the love of Christ to be filled with God. Focus your heart on Christ, seek
intimate fellowship with Him, & seek to realize the greatness of His love. Then
we will not be filled with self or the world, we will be filled with all the fullness
of God!
5. What happens when we are filled with the fullness of God? We LOVE Him!

IV. When we love God, we will make godly choices. (Philippians 1:9-11)
When believers get to heaven and our lives are reviewed, the distinctions among us will
not begender, position, opportunities, abilities, gifts, race, culture, social status, or economic
status.
The distinctions among us will be the daily choices we made: self-serving or
God-serving & others-serving; Fleshly? Worthless? OR Worthwhile? Excellent? The
choices we make determine the quality of our character and conduct; the beauty of our
heart & lives.
A. What is the sphere, soil, source of abounding love for God? Knowledge & insight (:9).
1. Knowing God & His Love more ➔ You Love God more
2. Loving God more ➔ Choosing things that are excellent
3. Excellent choices ➔ Pure (sincere), Blameless (without offence), Righteousness
4. Pure, blameless, life filled with righteousness ➔ Brings glory & praise to God
B. 4 step process:
1. A Growing Love that abounds by knowledge & insight about God ➔
2. Examining & choosing the excellent ➔
3. Being Christlike in heart, conduct, character, life ➔
4. The Glory and Praise of God
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 Lesson 15: The Need to Know God & How It Changes Us

▪ How would you describe yourself? Would you mention your civil status? Your
family? Your work? Your education background? Your accomplishments? Your
church?
▪ What is the most important thing about you?
▪ A. W. Tozer “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most
important thing about us.”
▪ One reason why this is true is that if your thinking about God is really wrong, you
may not be saved.
▪ A 2nd reason why this is true is that your thinking about God determines what you are
like: your behavior, your character, and your responses.

When you face problems and situations, think about God and His character because
your knowledge of God helps you change to be like Christ.

I. We have the privilege of knowing God. God wants us to know Him. And we can
know Him more and more each day.
A. We have the privilege of knowing God.
1. Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus says the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his
wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man
glory in his riches: But let him that glories glory in this, that he understands
and knows me…
2. We are not to glory in our wisdom, strength, money, or possessions. We
are to glory [rejoice with great gladness] that we know God!
3. E.g., privilege of knowing a VIP (“very important person”)
B. God wants us to know Him.
1. Hosea 6:6 “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God
more than burnt offerings.”
2. God is speaking here: “I desire My people to know Me!”
C. And we can know Him more and more each day!
1. 2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and
SaviorJesus Christ.”
2. The knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ is something we can grow in/increase
in!
3. E.g., knowing your spouse more
4. Col 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being
fruitfulin every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
D. Do you really want to grow in knowing your Savior?
1. Are you growing in a close personal knowledge of Him more and more?
2. Paul said, “… That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and
the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death”

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II. Your knowledge of God helps you change to be like Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
A. We can be changed into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ!
1. Called ‘Christlikness’ or ‘godliness’ or ‘having the fruit of the Spirit’
2. ‘Do you reflect the beauty of Christ in your life?’
3. Are we overcoming our sinful habits and spiritual struggles? We can!
B. How? By beholding the glory of the Lord
1. NT believers can behold God’s glory openly and closely.
a. “open face” – unveiled heart; nothing blocking our view of Christ’s glory as
revealed in the Scripture.
b. “beholding as in a glass” does not refer mainly to the ability of a mirror to
reflect but the possibility to hold the image close up with no hadlang.
2. What we can see is the “glory of the Lord” – the sum total of all God’s
character and attributes. We can see the beauty & perfection of God being
holy, sovereign, lovingkind, merciful, all-powerful, all-wise, patient, just,
righteous…
C. When we are continually focusing on God and what He is, we are changed.

III. When you face problems in life, think about God and His character.
A. Examples
1. Death – How should we respond to someone’s death or the thought of our
dying?
a. Think “What do I know about God?”
b. Instead of dwelling on the problem, think about God.
c. What is God’s perspective on this problem?
2. No money to pay bills
3. A member of my family is rebelling or unfaithful
4. Boredom
5. Anger
6. Depression – what is God’s character?
B. In order to have the right response to the problem, we must (2 things):
1. Know our God!
2. Think about our God!
a. Train your mind to think on God. Discipline your thoughts to focus on God.
b. God wants us to think right. We are bombarded with different ideas from
the world, and we tend to respond based upon our feelings or to please
people.
C. 1st, Know your God!
1. “What do I know about my God to help me overcome my sinful tendencies?” “What do I
know about my God when I am…
a. Angry
▪ “The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” God will not
work in this situation by my anger.

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 b. Fearful
▪ My God is Sovereign/In control
c. Bitter
▪ My God is Forgiving/Merciful
d. Jealous or Envious at the another person receiving praise or blessing
▪ My God is knows all that I deserve. My God is unselfish and blesses.
e. Discontent
▪ My God is of Surpassing Value: “Fairest, Lord Jesus…”
f. Someone under me is insubmissive.
▪ My God is Loving and Patient.
2. 2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge
of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto
us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of
him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us
exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of
the divine nature, havingescaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust.
a. Through the knowledge of God
▪ I can have grace and peace in abundance
▪ I can have everything I need for life and godliness
▪ I can participate in the divine nature
▪ I can become like Jesus!
b. God has given us everything we need to live a godly life “through the
knowledge of Him
c. Knowing God truly does affect our daily lives. Your theology determines
your behavior or actions……your responses to the problems of life. In
overcoming sinful habits and spiritual struggles, we need Biblical truths
about God to resolve these problems. We can only have the right
response to any situation when we KNOW our God.
o Do you really want to grow in knowing your Savior?
o Are you really seeking to know Him more and more?

D. 2nd, Think about your God!

1. We are changed by the renewing of our mind. Not just what we know but
howwe think!
a. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind…
b. Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old
man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; Eph 4:23 And be
renewed in the spirit of your mind; Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
▪ “be renewed” = ‘be being continually renewed’ in our thinking habits
c. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that when we are continually beholding /
focusing/thinking on God and what He is, we are being transformed from 1
level of glory to higher levels of glory. We are becoming more like Jesus Christ.

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 d. This is what will help us overcome our sinful habits and spiritual
struggles. This is what will change our responses to various problems
and situations.
2. Helps to Think about God when facing sin habits & spiritual struggles
a. Daily Devotions
b. Memorizing Verses
c. Stop-Think Card (words “Stop-Think” on 1 side; a Bible verse on the other)
d. Songs full of truths about God

IV. Our greatest need is for spiritual illumination to intimately know God.
A. The overall truth of Ephesians: We have riches in Christ in which we should
walk so that we bring glory to God.
• We have riches in Christ! (ch. 1-3; e.g., 1:3; 6x, 12x)
• in which we should walk (ch. 4-6; e.g., 4:1; 7x)
• so that we bring glory to God (8x; e.g., 1:6, 12, 14)
1. Why are we not walking in the riches we have in Christ?
A lack of realization (full, deep, personal) of what we are & have in
Christ. The root of that is lacking a full, deep, personal knowledge of
Jesus Christ!
2. Not a lack of head knowledge, which is surface-only, but a lack of realization
that fills our souls. This is Paul’s prayer in 1:15-20
B. Three main Greek words for knowledge; this one (epignosis) means full,
intimate knowledge.
1. God wants us to have full, intimate knowledge of Him!
2. Job said, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye
seeth thee.”
3. What does this mean?
a. v. 17 is the general prayer request for the spirit of illumination, in knowing
God.
b. v. 18 begins the specific details of what we need to know about God.
c. Note that it begins again w/ a request for spiritual illumination.
d. Then it lists 3 specific things we need to know about God.
1) His calling 2) His inheritance 3) His power
C. A man who had riches at his feet but did not realize it.
1. During the early 20th century in Texas, a man named Mr. Yates, owned a
sheep ranch. But times were difficult. He could not pay the monthly
mortgage payments. At times, he and his family did not have enough
money for food and clothes and the many bills they had.
2. One day a truck from an oil company came by and asked for permission to
drill for oil on a portion of his land. They soon struck a huge reservoir of oil,
yielding 80,000 barrels/day. For years he had owned these great riches, but
he had neverenjoyed it because he did not know.

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V. Only the LORD can satisfy your soul.
A. Psalm 107:9 says that “He satisfieth the longing soul, & filleth the hungry soul w/
goodness.”
1. For Christian Growth, you have to decide how you will satisfy the desires of your
heart and soul.
2. If those desires are not satisfied, you will be weak to temptation.
3. If desires are “satisfied” in the wrong way/by the wrong things, you will sin
& beeven weaker.
4. You must decide how you will satisfy the desires of your heart & soul. TV?
Internet? Friend? Fun?
B. A Psalm that really gives us details about this is Psalm 63. J. J. Stuart Perowne,
in his classic commentary on Psalms, divides Psalm 63 into 2 major sections:
1. vv. 1-8, “The longing of the heart for God, and the joy of the heart in
communion with Him.”
2. vv. 9-11, “The anticipated destruction of his enemies, and his own triumph in
consequence.’
3. David was in a dry & thirsty land where no water is. The inscription identifies that
David was in the wilderness of Judah. But David’s thirst/longing was for God!
a. What are you really longing for? A spouse, happiness, fulfillment of
my ambitions, etc.?
b. Augustine: “Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts have no rest
untilthey rest in Thee.”
4. Specifically, our souls are thirsting to see God’s power and God’s glory.
a. You want to see God’s exceeding great power doing things in you & around
you & through you! In fact, not just God’s power, but you want to see God’s
glory!
b. You are thirsting to see the Lord’s beauty, to delight in His fellowship, to
be overwhelmed by His love. “Fill all my vision, every desire Keep for
Thy glory; my soul inspire With Thy perfection, Thy holy love flooding
my pathway with light from above.”
c. No one ever cared for me, like Jesus. There’s no other friend so kind as
He, No one else could take the sin & darkness from me, O how much He
cares for me.

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 Lesson 16: Growing in Wisdom
I. Grow in applying God’s truth to your life in every area.
A. The whole counsel of God teaches us how to please God in every aspect of life.
1. “wise” is hakmah: skillful in pleasing God
2. Getting wisdom is the principal thing (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10; 27:11)
B. The entire Bible gives wisdom as Proverbs does:
• to fear God (Prov. 1:7; 9:10; 10:27; 14:26-27)
• to guard our minds (Prov. 4:23; 23:7)
• to hear and obey (Prov. 1:8; 4:1-4; 6:20-23; 30:7)
• to choose godly friends (Prov. 13:20; 1:10-18; 2:10-15)
• to flee youthful lusts (Prov. 2:16-19; 5:3-5; 6:23-33; 7:6-27)
• God’s design for sex (Prov. 5:15-20)
• to speak pure words (Prov. 4:24; 10:19-21; 12:18, 22)
• to faithfully work (Prov. 6:6-11; 10:4-5; 22:29)
• to manage our money (Prov. 3:9-10; 6:1-5; 11:24-28; 15:27)
• to love others (Prov. 3:27-29; 25:21-22)

II. Principles on which to Base Life’s Decisions

A. Wrong but common bases for decisions
1. Personal Feelings
Do we live by our feelings? “I don’t feel like having devotions.” “I don’t feel like
forgiving her.” “I feel like watching TV.” “I don’t feel like witnessing.”
2. People’s Opinions
2nd wrong basis for decisions is opinions. We think, “What will they think of me if
I do this?” Testimony is important, but most important is pleasing God! Peter
stopped fellowship w/ Gentiles when the Judaizers came. Why? Because he
feared them. “The fear of man bringeth...”
3. Situational Circumstances
3rd wrong basis for decisions is circumstances: money, security, health, comfort are
considerations, but none of them should be the foundation of a decision.
B. The only right basis for making decisions is the principles of God’s Word.
1. All wrong bases for decisions are constantly changing, resulting in an unstable life
2. The root issue is, what is right to do according to this Book? What pleases
God according to His Word?
C. Some Principles on which to base decisions: I Corinthians 6:12
1. Truth #1: Not all things are lawful.
a. The “Golden Rule of Interpretation”: Interpret according to context.
b. See I Corinthians 6:8-10. See v. 13.
c. This means all things are lawful that the Bible does not prohibit as unlawful.
d. Avoid any web sites that have impurity, irreverence, and insubordination.
e. God’s law prohibits boasting, lying, deceiving, bad words, viewing
wickedness, anti-God philosophies, courting the lost, and being conformed to
the world.
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 2. Truth #2: All things are not expedient (“helpful”)
• Do not waste your time doing things that are not really helpful to you.
3. Truth #3: I will not be brought under the power of any (“control” of any).
a. Is there any activity or practice in your life that controls you?
b. What determines what you do—desire to please yourself or to please God?
c. “There are only two choices on the shelf: please God or please self.”
I Corinthians 10:23
4. Truth #4: All things edify not.
a. In context, Paul saying is saying that not all things edify others.
b. “Is what I am doing helping to build up others spiritually?”
I Corinthians 10:31
5. Truth #5: Do all to the glory of God.
• “Am I glorifying God by this activity?”
Ephesians 5:10-12; Colossians 1:10
“Proving (discerning; testing) what is acceptable (pleasing) unto the Lord.”
6. Truth #6: Please God in all.
a. Illustration: Sometimes a child does what pleases his parent even if he is not
told. And sometimes a spouse does what pleases his spouse even if he is not
asked.
b. Pleasing God shows that we have a heart for Him.
I Thessalonians 5:21
7. Truth #7: Anything you do should be carefully examined first.
• God commands us to live a life of careful evaluation.
D. Practical Basis for Daily Life Decisions13
1. Establish your priorities biblically.
a. Your priorities are usually defined by your relationships or positions.
b. E.g.: follower of Christ, spouse or child, parent, church member,
employee/student, etc.
2. Identify four to five of your top relationships
3. Write down two or three biblical priorities for each relationship.
4. Identify some goals to help you achieve those priorities.

III. Profitable versus Unprofitable

A. Read good books for one hour/day or at least 30 minutes/day
B. Sing godly hymns: many teach helpful doctrine; memorize hymns and poems
C. Choose godly friends and a truly godly person to be your spouse.

IV. 1 Corinthians 11:1: Copying Copies of Christ

The word “followers” in the NT translates the Greek word μιμητής/mimētēs: “imitator”
a. 1 Corinthians 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
b. 1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
c. Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk
so as ye have us for an ensample (τύπος/tupos: “an example to be imitated” Thayer).

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 d. 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having
received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were
ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
e. Hebrews 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith
and patience inherit the promises.

1. We should imitate those who imitate Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

A. God commands us to imitate the lives of certain people.
• “followers” in the NT translates the Greek word μιμητής/mimētēs: “imitator”
B. We should imitate those who are like Jesus Christ.
• “My [53rd] birthday. Still I am far, far behind. My leanness; my leanness; but my
soulis more than ever fixed upon Christ, and my conscience satisfied with His
obedience, from Bethlehem to Calvary, and His drinking the cup of trembling
from the manger till He drank out its dregs at the Cross” (Andrew Bonar, Diary
and Life, 219).
• “February 25 [1913]—The thought of the Lord’s nearness has been very precious to
me of late, but how it reveals one’s own failures and shortcomings! May we
know the blessed Lord’s presence in every time and circumstance! May He be to
us the altogether lovely one! I think sometimes, if we only knew him as He is to
be known, in that intimate way that John knew Him, and other of the saints have
known Him, we should never want to leave Him nor take our eyes from Him. We
should never want to do anything that would hurt Him at all. May He be all this
and more, for I cannot speak of Him in suitable language” (F. B. Meyer, Cecil
Robertson of Sianfu, 143).

2. We should imitate Christlike-examples in receiving the Word in much affliction with joy
(1Thessalonians 1:6-7).
A. We should be like those who receive God’s Word despite suffering for it.
• “I … was constrained by my temptations to search deeper and deeper; for no
man, without trials and temptations, can attain a true understanding of the
Holy Scriptures. St. Paul had a devil beat him with fists, and with temptations
drove himdiligently to study the Holy Scripture.” (Luther, Table Talk, entry
62).
B. We should be like those who receive God’s Word with joy while suffering
• Thessalonian believers

3. We should imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises
(Hebrews6:12).
A. We should imitate those who inherit God’s promises through faith.
• A missionary candidate to the China Inland Mission described his first
attendance at a meeting chaired by the mission’s founder, Hudson Taylor: “Like
most young men, I suppose, I associated power with noise, and looked for great
physical presence in a leader. But when he said, ‘Let us pray,’ and proceeded to
lead the meeting in prayer, my ideas underwent a change. I had never heard
anyone pray like that. There was a simplicity, a tenderness, a boldness, a power
that hushed and subdued one, and made it clear that God had admitted him into
the inner circle of his friendship” (Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission,
220–21).

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 • When Hudson Taylor’s firstborn, 8-year old Gracie died, he wrote:
“Except when diverted from it by the duties and necessities…our torn hearts
will revert to the one subject…our dear little Gracie! How we miss her…! As I
take the walks I used to take with her [skipping] by my side, the thought comes
anew like a throb of agony, ‘Is it possible that I shall never more feel the
pressure of that little hand, never more hear the sweet prattle of those dear
lips, never more see the sparkle of those bright eyes?’ …Pray for us. At times I
seem almost overwhelmed with the internal and external trials connected with
our work. But He has said, ‘I willnever leave thee nor forsake thee,’ and ‘My
strength is made perfect in weakness.’ So be it.” Hudson Taylor and The China
Inland Mission (vol. 2): The Growth of a Work of God, p. 119.
B. We should imitate those who inherit God’s promises through perseverance.
• W. Tozer made a time and place to meet with God in busy Chicago as a busy
pastorand speaker. Each day he would go to a back room of his church and
get down before God. He called it a “solitary place to meet with the Lord.”
• “I have heard of a young musical composer who was bringing out his first great
composition. As the successive members of the mighty theme were evolved, the
house rang with uncontrollable applause; and, as he stood above the orchestra,
hearing his ideas interpreted by the perfect executants and feeling the force of his
genius pass into the souls of his fellowmen, irrepressible emotion began to swell
in his breast. Yet all the time he kept his eye fixed on one spot in the audience,
where sat a master of his art much greater than himself; and his heart trembled
more at the slightest movement of the master’s features than at all the thunders of
the crowd.
This is the way to live. After man’s judgment and our own judgment, there is
another far more august—the judgment of God. It is only a recollection of this
which will keep the manliest mind from becoming proud and pharisaical. As at
night, I pass the day’s work under review, I can see much to blame; but, when I
pass it on to God’s hands, I know that His eye will detect a thousand faults
where mine has noticed one. And, when I think of having to meet all of my past
life again, and hearHis judgment on it . . . I know that I have nothing to depend
on but His infinite mercy and the precious blood of His Son Jesus Christ, which
cleanseth us from all sin” (James Stalker, The Four Men [1892], 22-23).

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