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 Sermon > Cell Bible Study |
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Title |
Lesson 30-[2013 Cell Group Service] What Believing in the Lord Means |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
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Date |
2013-08-19 |
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Reading Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2
Verse to Memorize: Hebrews 12:2
Reference: Leviticus 25:23-28
Goal: To help believers show the evidence of true faith by understanding the four qualifications to become our Savior that only Jesus fulfills and what believing in the Lord means
Today many people say that they attend church but just a few understand why Jesus is the only Savior for mankind and why only believing Jesus Christ leads to salvation. It is important to know the qualifications since they are directly related to salvation. This situation tells us that many Christians are leading their believing lives without knowing the exact, spiritual answers to the two questions. However, we must know why Jesus is our only Savior and what it means to accept Jesus as the Savior and believe Him. Only then, can we possess true faith and experience the power of God.
1. God prepared the way of salvation for mankind
Some people in the world consider Jesus as one of the world's four saints. But, Jesus must not be considered as an equal with men. Now then, why did Jesus our Savior have to come to the earth in the form of a man?
In Genesis 2:16 appears the Word of God given to the first man Adam. It says, "The LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'From any tree of the garden you may eat freely'". And then He warned Adam, as written in Genesis 2:17, "But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." After a long period of time, however, Adam and Eve failed to keep God's command in their hearts and they ended up eating from the tree through the temptation of a serpent that was instigated by Satan. Just as Romans 6:16 reads, "Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey," Adam and Eve obeyed the voice of Satan and as a result they became subject to Satan.
Thus, sins came into the world because Adam, the first man, transgressed God's command, and all mankind, his descendants, inherited "sinful nature" from him. When man commits sin, according to the spiritual law, they should pay for the wages of sin which is death as written in Romans 6:23 saying, "For the wages of sin is death." Here 'death' refers to eternal punishment that is Hell. In conclusion, all mankind came to dwell in sins because the first man Adam committed sin, and in the end, they could not help but go to Hell.
2. Jesus Christ is qualified as the Savior according to the law of the redemption of the land
Then, what spiritual law can be applied to our being forgiven of sins and recovering the authority of God's child that Adam the first man had possessed? It is the law of redemption of the land that the Israelites abided by. Under the law, their land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is God's. If one of their brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold (Leviticus 25:23-28).
All things in the heavens and on the earth, including all human beings, belong to God. So, Satan is not able to 'keep' Adam's authority and maintain possession of Adam's descendants who also became slaves of Satan. When a proper redeemer who could redeem men from Adam's sin appeared, Satan would have to give both back according to the spiritual law.
Even before the beginning of time, the God of justice prepared Jesus who would fulfill the law of the redemption of the land. Then, how could Jesus win back mankind, who had become slaves of Satan, and take back the authority Adam had lost? I am going to give the answer by delving into the four qualifications of the Savior.
First, the Redeemer must be a man. Leviticus 25:25 reads, "If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold." In order to get back the authority that Adam had handed over to Satan, the Redeemer must be a man who is a relative of man.
1 Corinthians 15:21 reads, "For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead." That is, death came by a man, Adam, so the resurrection of dead spirits must come by a man as well. Jesus satisfies this first condition because He came to the earth in the form of man (John 1:14).
Secondly, the Redeemer must not be Adam's descendant. The one who is to redeem someone else from his sins must not be a sinner. However, all Adam's descendants became sinners due to the disobedience of Adam. Thus, none of Adam's descendants can meet this second qualification to be the Savior. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the virgin Mary's womb, not by the combination of egg and sperm (Matthew 1:18). So, Jesus is not Adam's descendant and He is sinless.
Thirdly, the Redeemer must have power. A redeemer should have the power to buy back the land for poor relatives that they sold, as recorded in Leviticus 25:26-27. A poor man cannot pay off the debt of his brothers even if he desires to do so. Power is given only to one who has no sin according to the law of the spiritual realm. Jesus had no original sin because He was not a descendant of Adam and He never committed personal sin because He lived only in the Word of God. He could defeat the authority of darkness, overcome death, and become resurrected since He had no sin at all, and then He finally became our Savior.
Fourthly, the Redeemer must have love. Even if one had fulfilled the three qualifications listed above, he would not be able to redeem men without love. A rich man, if he had no love for his brother, would not help his brother who acquired great debt. If Jesus had not had love, He wouldn't have taken the suffering of crucifixion. But Jesus had a sacrificial love for us even to the point of giving His life, so He took the cross, shed all His blood, and died for us.
Galatians 3:13 says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us뾣or it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.'" All men were cursed and destined to Hell for they were all sinners. To liberate men from the curse of the law, Jesus had to take the wooden cross on their behalf.
Leviticus 17:11 reads, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement." Only the blood that is the life of the flesh can make atonement. Without shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. That is why Jesus shed His precious blood that is spotless and without blemish. He gave His life for us.
3. Believing in the Lord means 'being changed by the truth'
God's children who have been saved by believing the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus were set free from all kinds of curses such as diseases, infirmities, and poverty. Jesus redeemed us from poverty by living in poverty Himself, and He bore our diseases through being scourged. He redeemed us from all sins committed in thoughts by wearing the thorny crown and from sins committed with hands and feet by being nailed through hands and feet. If you understand this providence of the cross and believe it from the bottom of the heart, you will live following the will of God and receive His love and blessings.
Why do people say they believe the Lord but still live in trials and afflictions without receiving answers? This is because they say they believe with their lips but do not have true belief. They have the knowledge of the Word of God, but they have not cast away sins and they have not been changed in the truth. Some offer up only Sunday Morning Service and just enjoy themselves after the service. Some others even skip keeping the Sabbath. Still others do not give whole tithes begrudging money. This is to rob God as written in Malachi 3:8. How could they expect blessings! They even do not forgive others' fault and even repay them with evil. They just resent and complain without any difference between them and unbelievers.
If we truly believe in the Lord, we need to remove every form of evil and take after the Lord. We have to forgive and love even those who hate us, get rid of hatred, and change into men of gentleness. We should change our evil words, if any, into good words. We must not complain but give thanks in all circumstances. We must give grace to people around us. It is a shortcut to receiving answers and blessings from God to cast away evil and change by the truth.
Hebrews 12:1-2 reads, "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Therefore, I hope you will cast off every form of evil, have true faith, and see only the Lord who is the perfecter of faith, and live as a witness of change and life.
* Evaluation and Application
1. Write down the four qualifications to become the Savior.
Firstly,
Secondly,
Thirdly, the Savior must have strength.
Lastly,
2. What is the spiritual law that says sinners cannot help but to fall in Hell?
(Romans 6:23)
3. Let's talk about things that you have changed after believing the Lord.
* Weekly Assignment
Read pages 59-71 of The Power of God and high-light important sentences.
* Let's Learn about It!
Tithe
A tithe is a tenth of one's income that he/she sets apart to give to God. The Israelites started to officially give a tithe after the Exodus. Abraham and Jacob were guided to offer up a tithe even before it was instituted. The tithe is used for God's work and souls' salvation. Giving a tithe and keeping the Sabbath are the minimum evidences of faith, and they are very important part because they are directly related to salvation. |
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