TGP01V01S Unit4 Session11 PersonalStudyGuide

7/30/2019 TGP01V01S Unit4 Session11 PersonalStudyGuide

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FALL 2012: Personal Study GuideEd StetzerGeneral EditorTrevin WaxManaging Editor


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A D V I S O R Y C O U N C I L

Tese Christian leaders were part of a team who consulted on the creation of Te Gospel Project.

James MacDonald

Senior Pastor at Harvest BibleChapel, Chicago, IL

Daniel Akin

President of Southeastern BaptistTeological Seminary, WakeForest, NC

J.D. Greear

Pastor at Te Summit Church,Raleigh, NC

Eric Mason

Pastor of Epiphany Fellowship,Philadelphia, PA

Kimberly Thornbury

Dean of Students at UnionUniversity, Jackson, N

Jay Noh

Director of Missional Leadershipand Mobilization, ChicagoBaptist Association

Joe Thorn

Pastor of Redeemer Fellowship,St. Charles, IL

Juan Sanchez

Pastor of High Pointe BaptistChurch, Austin, X

Collin Hansen

Editorial director, Te GospelCoalition / editor-at-large,Christianity oday

THE GOSPEL PROJECT FOR STUDENTS

PERSONAL STUDY GUIDE, FALL 2012

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1

PRODUCTION AND MINISTRY TEAM

EDITORIAL PROJECT LEADER: Chad Jordan

CONTENT EDITOR: Chad Jordan

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST: Edward A Craword

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Charles Long

CONTRACT GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Susan Maywald

PRODUCTION EDITOR: Scott Latta

STUDENT MINISTRY SPECIALIST: Paul Turner

Send questions/comments to: Content Editor, The Gospel

Project for Students, One LieWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-

0174; or make comments on the Web at www.lifeway.com

MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL

DIRECTOR, STUDENT MINISTRY PUBLISHING: Jef Pratt

DIRECTOR, STUDENT MINISTRY: Ben Trueblood

DIRECTOR, SUNDAY SCHOOL: David Francis

Printed in the United States of America

The Gospel Project for Students (ISSN 1939-0742; Item 005508013) is

published quarterly by Li feWay Christian Resources, One LifeWay Plaza,

Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President.

2012 LifeWay Christian Resources.

For ordering or inquiries, visit www.lifeway.com or write LifeWay

Church Resources Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville,

TN 37234-0113. For subscriptions or subscription addre ss changes,

e-mailsubscrib [email protected], fax (615) 251-5818, or write to the above

address. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, e-mail

[email protected],fax (615) 251-5933, or write to the

above address.

We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for i ts end;

and truth, without any mix ture of error, for its matter and that all

Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LifeWays doctrinal

guideline, please visit www.lifeway.com/doctrinalguideline .

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the

Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003,

2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Scripture quota -

tions marked (NIV) are f rom the Holy Bible, New International Version,copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New

Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permi ssion of Tyndale House

Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reser ved.


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96 TGP Personal Study Guide

SESSION 11

SUBMITTING TO THEGOD WHO SPEAKS

WHY DO WE STRUGGLE so much with authority?

Why is it oten easier or you to listen to advice

rom a riends parents than it is your own? You

know your parents love you and only desire the

best or you. So why it it so difcult sometimes to

submit to them?

Deep inside all o us sin has let its mark. Where we should

have been hard-wired to walk with God, we are now hard-wiredto rebel. In the same way we struggle to submit to our parents, we

also struggle to submit to God and His will or our lives. Thankully

God has dealt with sin and provided a way or us to deal with our

sin. Because o Christ we are no longer hard-wired to rebel and

can now recognize the authority Gods Word has in our lives and

respond rightly to His authority with complete submission.


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READY YOUR HEART

9FALL 2012

Heb. 4:12 For the word o God is living and efective and sharper than any double-edgedsword, penetrating as ar as the separation o soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able

to judge the ideas and thoughts o the heart.

Also read 2 Kings 22:3-10 in your Bible.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE GOOGLE GOT ITS NAME?

The name Google is derived rom the number googol A googol is the number one

ollowed by 100 zeros, or, in scientic notation, 1x10^100 When the ounders o Googlewere looking or a name, they decided upon Google to convey the message that they

were searching an extraordinary number o webpages every time someone used theirsearch engine

So how big is a googol, exactly? Well, or some perspective, the number o electronsin the entire known universe is estimated to be around 1x10^79 Remember, electronsare one o the components o atoms That means every single atom has at least one

electron, and most have many electrons I you were to add those up or the entireuniverse, the number would be 1x10^79 Signicantly less than a googol

Why is this important? It will help us to see how incredible the Word o God isThroughout the Old Testament, approximately 300 dierent prophecies regarding the

Messiah are presented In the New Testament, we nd that Jesus ullled every singleone o these prophecies The mathematical odds o all o these prophecies being

ullled are literally incalculableSo we ask again, why does this matter? Well, the Bible is the only collection o

writings ever to exist that orecast the uture with such clarity and precision Think aboutit or a moment The Bible is a single work that was written over a span o 1500 years,by more than 40 dierent authors, in a variety o locales, in dierent cultural settings,

in many dierent moods, across three dierent continents, in three dierent languages,in a variety o literary styles, and in response to a multitude o controversial subjects

Yet, in spite o this, it tells one central story o Gods redemption o man without a singleerror or contradiction

In other words, when we pick up our Bibles, we can be completely condent that we

are reading the true Word o God!

BETTER THAN GOOGLE

PAUSE AND REFLECT Why is is important that the Bible tells the truth? How does the truthulness o the Bible impact your

daily lie?


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READY YOUR HEART

2 Kings 22:11-13 When the king heard the words o the book o the law, he tore hisclothes. Then he commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son o Shaphan, Achbor son o

Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and the kings servant Asaiah: Go and inquire o

the Lord or me, the people, and all Judah about the instruction in this book that has been

ound. For great is the Lords wrath that is kindled against us because our ancestors have

not obeyed the words o this book in order to do everything written about us.

HAVE YOU HEARD OFTHE GINSU KNIFE?A quick search o Youtube will provide theoriginal commercials o these knives The maker o these knives claimed they could cut

through just about anything without dulling their bladesOn the commercials, youll see these knives cut through all kinds o things, including

rozen vegetables, tree branches, nails, leather shoes, the bones in T-bone steaks, sodacans, and even the head o a hammer It takes a pretty incredible (and sharp) knie toslice through all o these objects!

Notice what Hebrews says about Gods Word It says that its sharper than any two-edged sword In other words, Gods Word cuts deeper than any Ginsu knie could ever

cut It cuts through everything we encounter in this world, and penetrates our heartsGods Word slices through our body and exposes the sinul condition o our hearts

No matter how deep we try to bury our sins, Gods Word cuts through and exposes

them And that is a wonderul thing By cutting through our entire being and revealingthe sins weve committed, we can be conronted by the gospel o Christ The good

news o Christ isnt that He came to save a bunch o good people The good news is that

while we were still sinners Christ died or us (Rom 5:8)!This demonstrates an important reason or studying the Scriptures As we learn

more and more about who God is, we see the impossibility o becoming like Him on our

own The Bible shows us how desperately we need a Savior!

PAUSE AND REFLECT What does the Bible reveal about our hearts? Why is it so important to realize the sinul condition o

our hearts? How has sin afected the world as a whole? What can we do to overcome the sinul condition o our

hearts?

SHARPER THAN A GINSU


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READY YOUR HEART

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Heb. 4:13 No creature is hidden rom Him, but all things are naked and exposed to theeyes o Him to whom we must give an account.Also read 2 Kings 22:14-20 in your Bible.

I HAVE AN INTERESTING RELATIONSHIP with snakes I am absolutely terried othem, yet am incredibly ascinated by them all at the same time In the real world,that means i I encounter a snake, I run in the other direction as ast as humanly

possible But, i Im protected by plexiglass at the zoo or stumble upon a snake showon Animal Planet, Im enthralled

This ascination has led to the watching o many television programs o peoplegetting bitten by venomous snakes Once bitten, the need or anti-venom quickly

becomes apparent Once the person can get to the hospital and the anti-venom isinjected, the person begins down the road to recovery

Compare this to the human condition Weve all been bitten by the poison o sin

Sin has entered our hearts at birth and colors everything we do It moves throughoutour body and soul, destroying everything in its path Fortunately, God has provided the

ultimate combatant to sin: His only begotten Son Jesus came to earth, lived a sinlesslie, died on the cross, and rose again in order to orgive us o our sins In other words, He

is the perect treatment to all the sin in the worldBut notice a key element in the process o recovering rom a snakebite The existence

o anti-venom is not sufcient or recovery The anti-venom must be injected into theperson In this instance, the syringe is the instrument that enables the anti-venom to

enter the bloodstream and begin its healing properties The syringe itsel doesnt healthe person, but it makes it possible or the anti-venom to do its job

In many ways, this scenario parallels with the Bible Christ alone is the solution to

mans problem o sin But the Bible is the tool that enables us to see both our sinulcondition and point us to the ultimate healer and redeemer, Jesus Christ

That is the main thrust o the entire Bible Yes it is entirely true Yes it points outour sinul condition Yes it tells us about the world, morality, history, and a multitude oother things But above everything else, it allows us to encounter the lie-changing truth

o the gospel

ANTI-VENOM FOR SIN?

PAUSE AND REFLECT Why is the Bible important? Does owning a Bible do anything or you?

How does the Bible communicate the gospel to theworld around us?


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What piece otechnology do youwant to get next?How is it better thwhat you currentlyhave? Describe atime when the newupgrade wasntbetter than theoriginal?

We Accept

His Truths.Think about the word authority. Do you seeanother word inside it? Author. The Bible hasauthority because God is the Author. Its truethat God spoke through human authors in orderto get His message across. But ultimately it isGods message revealed in the Scriptures.

When we submitour lives to God...Gods Word infuences the thoughts,opinions, and behaviors o His people bytelling us the truth, cutting to the heart o

our sinul condition, and bringing usto repentance.

Would your

attitude towardScripture changeit were extremeldifcult to obtaina copy? How so?What i it wereillegal to own acopy o the Bible

When push comes to shove, we show what wereally believe about the Bible by how we act.We can say that we believe the Bible is true andauthoritative and therefore we are to submitto it, but if the Bible is true and if it is trulyauthoritative, it must change the way we live.

How does one becoan authority ona certain subject ortopic? How do yourparents exerciseauthority over you?What is the dierenbetween authoritythat is earned and

authority inherent a position?

Defend the Bible?Would you defend alion? Loose him; andlet him go!

Charles Spurgeon,(1834-1892)

What would you sayto someone whothinks Scripture isjust an outdatedbooka dinosaurthat might havebeen powerullong ago but lacksrelevance today?


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The perfect Word of Godshows us our imperections and givus a true diagnosis o our allen staWhereas the world oten tells us thour problem is ailing to believe inourselves, the Bible gives us a starkpicture o our true state: we are in

rebellion against God. In this way, tBible cuts to the heart o our sinulcondition.

Do you read the Bible

merely out o habitor do you expectthe Lord to convictyou o sin and bringyou to repentancethrough His Word?Give examples owhen Gods Wordhas cut to your heartand convicted you osin in your lie.

When John was on the Isle o Patmos, he sawan image o Jesus Christ with a double-edgedsword emerging rom His mouth (Rev. 1:16).What does this tell us about the power o theWord o God to judge?

The sword o the Spiriwhich is Gods word (E6:17) is a powerul weaagainst Satan (see Ma4:1-11), but it is also capo piercing the hearts oGods people.

He ChangesOur Heart.

He Continues toRefne Us.The joy of salvation is that God does not lookat His people without a lter. Instead, the Father seesbelievers through the lens o Jesus Christs righteousne

Read Psalm 139. Pay attention to the verbs inthis passage. What do these words reveal about thabilities and power o God? What eeling does thisknowledge leave with you?

How would youdefne repent?Compare Ezekiel33:11 and Matthew12:41. Who are therecipients o eachcommand to repent?What does thissuggest about Godsultimate plan oredemption?

ConclusionUltimate authority does not come rom man-madeinstitutions. It does not come rom power, wealth, sociastatus, or reputation. Instead, all authority under heaveand earth belongs to God, and you and I submit to theGod who speaks by reading and obeying the Word Hehas spoken.

Is the Bible the only source o authority or aChristian or the supreme authority?

How can we distinguish amongscriptural authoriconventional wisdom, and alse religious teachingHow is Gods Word impacting your lie?

Whereas the world ottells us that our probleis ailing to believe inourselves, the Bible givus a stark picture o outrue state: we are inrebellion against God.this way, the Bible cutsto the heart o our sincondition.


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ENCORE

1. WE ACCEPT HIS TRUTHS (HEB. 4:12; 2 KINGS 22:3-10).

The Word o God is our nal authority, the standard by which all things are judgedeven us. TeBible isold, but the Bible nevergetsold. You and I can examine and scrutinize the Scriptures, butGods Word also examines and scrutinizes us. Since God is the author o His Word, to disobey ordisbelieve Scripture is to disobey and disbelieve God.

Tink about the word authority. Do you see another word inside it?Author. Te Bible hasauthority because God is the Author. Its true that God spoke through human authors in order toget His message across. But ultimately it is Godsmessage revealed in the Scriptures. Te Bible hasauthority because God is the Author, the Creator, the ultimate source o all authority.

Pastor Joshua Harris writes: Te doctrine o Scripture teaches us about the authority o GodsWord. Scripture must be the nal rule o aith and practice or our lives. Not our eelings oremotions. Not signs or prophetic words or hunches. What more can God give us than what hesgiven in Scripture? Te question is, will we listen? Will we obey when we dont like what the Biblehas to say?

When push comes to shove, we show what we really believe about the Bible by how we act.We can say that we believe the Bible is true and authoritative and thereore we are to submitto it, but what we afrm about Gods Word can be denied by actions that undercut the Biblesauthoritativeness. I the Bible is true and i it is truly authoritative, it must change the way we live.

2. HE CHANGES OUR HEART (HEB. 4:12; 2 KINGS 22:11-13).Te author o Hebrews tells us that Gods Word is sharper than any double-edgedsword, penetrating as ar as the separation o soul and spirit, joints and marrow (4:12). God spentover 2,000 years orging His Holy Worda pure and perect weapon without aw or impurity. Wecall this truth the infallibility of Scripture. Its the idea that Gods Word is pure in its authorityand authoritative in its purity. In other words, Gods weapon contains no deciencies inherent to itsdesign, construction, and eectiveness. It pierces its target every time, or God said, My word thatcomes rom My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and willprosper in what I send it to do (Isa. 55:11).

Jesus once said that the mouth speaks rom the overow o the heart (Luke 6:45). Because

Gods Word ows rom Gods heart, we can be condent that the Bible is the ultimate standard otruth.

Te sword o the Spirit, which is Gods word (Eph. 6:17) is a powerul weapon against Satan(see Matt. 4:1-11), but it is also capable o piercing the hearts o Gods people. When Christ absorbedthe sins o His people, the temple curtain was torn rom top to bottom and sinners were grantedaccess into the presence o God. wo thousand years later, the Holy Spirit continues to remind us othis event by convicting us o our sins and using Gods samurai-sharp Word to penetrate our hearts,

judge our thoughts, remove our impurities, and bring us to a place o repentance and ultimatehealing in Jesus.

SUBMITTING TO THE GOD WHO SPEAKS

When we submit our lives to God...


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10FALL 2012

ENCORE

Te perect Word o God shows us our imperections and gives us a true diagnosis o our allenstate. Whereas the world oten tells us that our problem is ailing to believe in ourselves, the Biblegives us a stark picture o our true state: we are in rebellion against God. In this way, the Bible cutsto the heart o our sinul condition.

3. HE CONTINUES TO REFINE US (HEB. 4:13; 2 KINGS 22:14-20)

Te author o Hebrews says, all things are naked and exposed to the eyes o Him to whom we mustgive an account (4:13). All things. Tat means youand me. God sees through all o us all o thetime. Every thought, every action, every hidden sin and secret is known and perectly perceivedby the all-knowing eye o the Almighty. It is a dangerous thing to stand naked in the presence o apowerul God.

Te joy o salvation is that God does not look at His people without a lter. Instead, the Fathersees believers through the lens o Jesus Christs righteousness. Te Messiahs atonement shields usrom the wrath o God. Despite our maniold sins and our rebellious natures, God is patientnot

wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9)

CONCLUSION

O whom did Jesus say, I have not ound so great a aith even in Israel! (Luke 7:9)? Was it Peter,James, or John? Perhaps it was Mary or Martha. No. Tis honor went to a random ofcer in theRoman army, a centurion. We dont know much about this centurion; in act, we dont even knowhis name. But what we do know is that this Roman ofcer recognized the authority o Jesus betterthan anyone else Jesus had met, even the disciples.

When the centurions slave was sick, he sent his riends to tell Jesus, Lord, dont trouble Yoursel,since I am not worthy to have You come under my roo. Tat is why I didnt even consider mysel

worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be cured. For I too am a man placedunder authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, Go! and he goes; and toanother, Come! and he comes; and to my slave, Do this! and he does it (vv. 6-8).

Why did Christ pay him the compliment I have not ound so great a aith even in Israel!?Because this centurion knew the answer to the question By what authority? By what authoritycan my sick slave become well again? Not by Satans authority. Not by Caesars authority. Not bytraditions authority. Not even by religions authority. Te supreme authority in heaven and earthbelongs to God alone.

Ultimate authority does not come rom man-made institutions. It does not come rom power,wealth, social status, or reputation. Instead, all authority under heaven and earth belongs to God,

and you and I submit to the God who speaks by reading and obeying the Word He has spoken.

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TGP01V01S Unit4 Session11 PersonalStudyGuide