The CROSS

Stage 1
Lesson 5: The Cross

*In the days of Christ, those who is being crucified is only for criminals, the only reason that He has been crucified is that He has been changing the culture at that time.

When Jesus Christ was nailed to a wooden cross, wicked men thought they were just executing a man who was disturbing their way of life. They did not realize that the cross was planned by God form the beginning.

Rev.13:8
Isa.53:4-6 (Isaiah was written 700 years before Christ) Jesus died in place of everyone of us.


Significance of the Cross

1. Demonstrates God's Power (Col.2:15). In the cross, Jesus already disarmed the authority of the devil.

2. Demonstrates God's Love (Rom.5:8)

3. Demonstrates God's Holiness (Col.2:14)

4. Demonstrates God's Wisdom (1 Cor.2:7-8)


IT'S POWER

Rom.8:3-4. Our sins seperates us from God. At the cross, Jesus died in our place so that God's judgement would be satisfied. Through the cross,

God accepts us (2 Cor.5:21; Eph.1:4-6)

God forgives us (Col.1:13-14; 1 Jn.1:9)

We enter God's family (Heb.2:11-12, Jn.1:12)


IT'S VICTORY

The Cross has on great freedom for us! Freedom From:

Satan's power (Col.1:13)

Past sins (Jn.8:36)

Old Self (Rom.6:6-7)

Sickness (Matt.8:17)

Curse of the law (Gal.3:13)

Judgement (Heb.9:26-27)

Everlasting death (Jn.3:16)


ITS IMPACT ON HISTORY

The cross of Jesus Christ is the center-point of human history. From the time Adam sinned, people looked forward in faith to what God promised - Salvation.

Today, we look back and , by believing what Jesus has don for us on the cross, receive forgiveness and new life.

The cross is the center of human history and the center of our lives.

Gal.2:20 The cross of Jesus Christ is the turning point of your life.

2 Cor.5:17 On the cross, God dealt with your old life once and for all. You have died with Christ and have begun a new life with Him.

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JESUS

Stage 1
Lesson 4: JESUS

Heb 1:1-2
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.

2000 years ago, Jesus was born into the world and grew up like any other person, but He was no ordinary man. He was called the "Son of God" and the "Word of God".

John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Col.1:13
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves

...Why?
1. To give His life as a ransom for many (Mt.20:28)
2. To destroy Satan's work (1 Jn.3:8)
3. To give us eternal life (1 Jn.5:11-12)
4. To give us birth into God's family (Jn.1:12)
5. To restore fellowship with God


What did Jesus Do?
1. Jesus represented God (Heb.1:3). Jesus is called "the Word of God" (Jn.1:1-4; 14), He existed eternally before He took on human nature (Phil.2:6-7). As the Word, He communicated the heart of God to mankind. In Jesus, we see what God the Father is like.
John 14:7-11. He showed God's wisdom and power...

2. Jesus represented Man (Rom.8:3). In Jesus, we only not see the perfect image of God, we also see the perfect image of man, as God intended us to be. He shared totally in our humanity. Phil.2:6-8; Heb.4:15

3. Jesus died for us (Heb.2:9). Jesus could have saved himself from the cross, but He did not because it was through His death on the cross that God was going to save the world. 1 Pet.2:24; Isa.53:5-6

4. Jesus rose for us (Eph.2:4-6). Jesus opened heaven when His work on earth was completed, Jesus returned to heaven to be with His father, but this too was for us, for He opened the way into God's presence, where we can live now and forever. Heb.10:19-22


THE NAME OF SALVATION
Acts 4:12
Jn.14:6
Heb.6:19-20


MEMORY VERSES:
Acts 4:12
John 14:6

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THE GOSPEL

Stage 1
Lesson 3: The Gospel

6 steps to have a good grasp of the Bible:
Hear, Read, Study, Memorize, Meditate, Apply

The GOSPEL means "the good new". It is not religion or philosophy. Religions teach people to be good but the Gospel is different. It focuses through a single person - JESUS.
*It's not being good, but the relation we have in Christ.

1 Cor.1:22-24
Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.


In the beginning...

God created the first man and woman who were totally God-centered, God-conscious and God-dependent.

Satan tempted them to rebel (Genesis 3:4-5)

From that time on, SELF became the center of everything.

We all fall short of God's glorious standard (Romans 3:23, Isaiah 64:6)

Rom.5:12
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned



THE GOOD NEWS
The Good News of the Gospel is that God sent Jesus to take our judgement for us.

Rom.5:6
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

He didn't just save us, He became salvation for us (1 Cor.1:30)


THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL
Rom.1:16
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes....

The Gospel is the salvation of God in action. It describes how we enter into God's salvation.

Rom.1:17
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

This verse reveals three things about the Gospel:
1. It is from God-to-you direction not the other way around (1 Cor.8:6)
Religion - us finding God
Gospel - God finding us

2. It is by faith. God has designed the Christian life in such a way that as we release our faith toward God, He releases His power to work in our lives. (Heb.11:6)

3. It is from first to last. The Gospel embraces the whole Christian life from start to finish. We begin as Christian by faith in the saving power of God and we live as a Christian in that same saving power. The Gospel does this things: a) It introduces us to Christ (Eph.1:13) b) It establishes us in Christ (Rom.16:25)

Satan deceive Christians into thinking that after receiving the Lord, we must try to live the christian life in our own strength. Self-effort puts us back into self-centerednesss. The christian life is all by faith and all by grace.

Col.1:6
All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.

Memory Verse: 1 Cor.1:30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

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The Right Giving

June 17, 2012 Sunday Service

The Right Giving (2 Cor.9:7-15)

What motivation does it take for us to give? We heard the teaching to give in order to receive and does to give more is to receive more, but is this really the right way of giving or at least the right attitude for giving?




"We believe that the church is trust by God to preach the gospel to all nations. This it can accomplish by planting churches and supporting mission through tithes and offerings."
-Statement of Faith on Giving-



Why should we practice the RIGHT WAY OF GIVING?

1. I will give because I love God (2 Cor.9:7-11)
2. I will give because I am part of the church (1 Cor.16:1-3)
3. I will give because I love the sinners (2 Cor.8:1-5)
_________________________________________________________________

1. I will give because I love God.

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give. A believer must settle in his heart how much money he will give even before leaving his house.

Each man should give not reluctantly or under compulsion. When we give it should be a deliberate giving, not because we see others are giving and so we are forced to give.

God loves a cheerful giver. In giving it is not only the one giving who is involved, God is watching every one in the church. He sees the one who is not giving anything, the one who is giving according to what he has decided in hi heart, the one who is giving reluctantly or under compulsion, the one who have deducted an amount from the money that he or she is supposed to give to the church. Now check, Is God happy at all to our giving?

God is able to make all grace abound to the cheerful giver. Prosperity or poverty is not dictated by our giving, but rather in God's ability to make grace abound to the cheerful giver.

God supplies the need of the cheerful giver abundantly, exceedingly, and more than enough not only for his necessity but for every good work. Besides God owns the heaven and earth, He has everything, right?

God will make a cheerful giver rich so that he can be generous on every occasion and his generosity will result to thanksgiving to God.


2. I will give because I am part of the church

Do what I told the Galatians churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come, no collections will have to be made."

Paul gives general directives to all the churches concerning giving. Each one should set aside a sum of money to be given every week. This weekly giving is their participation as a member of the local church.

When we give, we are proclaiming that we are a member of the church, we are saying that we are part of God's family, we are saying that we are obedient to God.


3. I will give because I love the sinners

God gives grace to the Macedonian church, an extremely poor church and it resulted in generosity. To be generous is not necessary becoming a rich person or a rich church.

It is more on believing on what God can do through your life. It is more on the willingness to be part of God's work.

The Macedonian church literally gave to the Christians in Jerusalem who were starving because of famine. These gifts were not limited to simply providing for their needs, but we should bear in mind that we are part of it, if you faithfully give your tithes.

*We are doing our mission works because of the faithfulness of those who came before you.

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