Bible Studies

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LESSON 5

CALLED TO BE LIKE JESUS

If we desire to be like Christ, we are to ask in faith, and our prayers will be answered because this prayer is completely within God’s will. His Holy Spirit living within us accomplishes this – if we allow Him to. Bear in mind that this will not be an overnight miracle, so place the burden at the foot of the cross and allow God to work in you in his time and way. The learning process will probably include periods of emotional, mental and/or physical suffering. God is our Father and, in perfect love, he will do all that is necessary to bring us to perfection. As we train our children in love, so God trains us. Our part in the process is to make a conscious choice to believe and trust God in every circumstance he allows in our lives. We are to continue practicing righteousness, asking for forgiveness every time we fail. Our Father promises to make us perfect through the power of his Holy Spirit.

· Luke 11:9-13 – “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’

Stumbling in our walk with God is usually attributable to a lack in the following areas. The attached scriptures explain why:
1. Failure to keep learning more about God through the Bible.
· Read all of Prov. 2
2. Failure to regularly communicate honestly with Him in prayer.
· 1 Chr. 15:2b – If you seek Him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, he will forsake you.
· Prov. 8:17 - I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.”
3. Failure to believe all of His Word.
· Mark 8:5-13 – Jesus told this parable: A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path ………… some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. ………… When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said …… “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those on the rocks are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.”
· Matt. 4:4 – Jesus answered (the devil), “it is written, ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
4. Failure to obey what He tells us to do.
· James 1:22 – Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
· Deut. 28:2 – All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God.
5. Failure to consistently turn to Him and trust Him for guidance, teaching and the provision of all our needs.
· Psalm 25:8-15 – Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant. For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.
6. Failure to quickly ask forgiveness when we sin.
· 1 John 1:6-10 – If we claim to have fellowship with (God) yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
· Isaiah 59:1,2 – Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
7. Failure to regularly meet in fellowship with other believers to share in your walk with the Lord.
· Ecc. 4:12 – Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! … Although one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
· Matt. 18:19-20 – Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.
8. Failure to participate in the sacrament of Communion.
· Luke 219:20 – And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

BE HONEST WITH EACH OTHER ABOUT THE TIMES YOU HAVE FAILED IN THESE AREAS AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR FAILURE.

· Eph.6:10-18 – “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

In Lesson 6, we will be learning about God’s view of sin and his wonderful solution to our problem, being fruitful through grace.

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