Jun13-19: Community

God Wants a People

1. What was God’s purpose for creating Adam and Eve according to Gen. 1:28?

• Gen. 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

ANSWER:

• Be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth.
• To have dominion over the earth.

OBSERVATION:

• “Replenish the earth” – this command gives us an idea that God wants a community of His people in a global scale.

2. What was God’s purpose for calling Abraham out of his hometown according to Gen. 12:1-3?

• Gen. 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: Gen. 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: Gen. 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

ANSWER:

• To be a “great nation” …. “in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed”– this promise gives us an idea that God wants a community of His people with a global spiritual influence.

OBSERVATION:

• Gen. 11:1-4 “let us make us a name” God did not approve this community because they want to make a name for themselves.
• Gen. 12:1-3 “I will…make they name great” God did approve this community because God makes their great not Abraham himself.

The Privilege of Belonging

1. How did God call the Israelites that are in bondage in Egypt?

• Ex. 3:7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows

ANSWER:

• My people – God was letting them know that they belong to Him.

2. What was the demand that Moses made to Pharaoh?

• Ex. 5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

ANSWER:

• Let my people go

NOTICE:

• Moses said to Pharaoh, “Let my people go” nine times. Ex. 5:1; 7:16; 8:1, 20, 21; Ex. 9:1, 13; 10:3, 4

3. How can we be a part of God’s people?

• Jer. 24:7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
• Jer. 31:1 At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Jer. 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.
• Jer. 32:38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: Jer. 32:39 And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them
• Ezek. 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: Ezek. 11:20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
• Ezek. 36:25 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. Ezek. 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh Ezek. 36:27 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. Ezek. 36:28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

ANSWER:

• If we have a new heart. What is a new heart? A heart that is in tune with the law of God. A heart that fears God with love and trust.

OBSERVATION:

• The First Angel’s message is inviting the world to be a part of God’s people. Rev. 14:7 “Fear God and give glory to Him”
  

4. What is the final message of mercy just before the end of the world?

• Rev. 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

ANSWER:

• Come out of her, My people.

5. In what way we belong to God?

• Is. 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

ANSWER:

• Through creation and redemption, we are God’s heritage

CONCLUSION:

• From the beginning until the end, God wants us to know that we belong to Him through creation and redemption. We do have a belonging!

The Responsibility of Belonging

1. What did Jesus say about all the members in God’s church?

• Matt. 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

ANSWER:

• We are disciples of Christ and we all are brethren

2. How do we show to the world that we are Christ’s disciples?

• John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

ANSWER:

• Love one to another

3. In what way we should love one another?

• John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

ANSWER:

• Willing to lay down our life for one another.

4. What else should we do for one another?

ANSWER:

• Gal. 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
• Eph. 4:2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love
• Eph. 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
• Col. 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
• Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
• 1Th. 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
• Heb. 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
• Heb. 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Heb. 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
• 1Pet. 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently
• 1Pet. 5:14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Unity in Diversity

1. What did Jesus ask for His disciples when He prayed according to John chapter 17?

• John 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one

ANSWER:

• That they may be one.

OBSERVATION:

• Disciples of Jesus are unique and different but Jesus prayed for them that they might have the unity in diversity.

2. What would help the disciples to be united as one according to the prayer of Jesus?

ANSWER:

• “Glory which thou gave Me I Have given them”

OBSERVATION:

• What glory did God give to Jesus?
• John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee
• What was Jesus talking about when He said, “the hour is come; glorify thy Son”?
• Read Mark 14:41. The hour is the time of Jesus’ death and rejection.
• Jesus was glorified when He was crucified on the cross.
• John 12:23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
• John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. John 12:33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.
• Answer: The Father gave Jesus the glory of self-sacrificing love. And Jesus gave this glory to His disciples that they might be united as one even though the group is so diverse.

The Church’s Foundation: Jesus Christ

1. Read John 15:5. What is Christ and what are we in this verse?

• John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

ANSWER:

• Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches.

OBSERVATION:

• Jesus is the life source for all believers. We need to be connected to Christ and through Christ we are connected to other believers. In this sense, Jesus Christ is the foundation for the community of believers.