Posts Tagged ‘Bible Study’


Under Gods Command

PAUL ADDRESSES CHURCH PROBLEMS (1:1-6:20)

1 Corinthians 02:09 However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”

We cannot imagine all that god has in store for us, both in this life and for eternity. He will create a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:1), and we will live with him forever. Until then, his Holy Spirit comforts and guides us.

Lets Bring it Home: Knowing the wonderful and eternal future that awaits us gives us hope and courage to press on in this life, to endure hardship, and to avoid giving in to temptation. This world is not all there is. The best is yet to come.


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and flattering mouth works ruin

Good words do not prove good intentions. Liars and flatterers are out to destroy you, no matter how good their words sound, no matter their excuses (Pr 26:24-25). A wise man rejects both kinds of men, just as David did (Ps 101:3-8). If you tolerate these deceitful people in your life, they will take you down (Pr 20:19; 29:5). They are hiding hatred and destruction behind their lying words, and noble and prudent men will stay far from them.

A man lies for advantage or to protect himself. He is selfish and wicked, so he feels no guilt about deceiving you in order to advance himself. It does not matter what his relationship is to you or how kindly he speaks at other times. If he has lied to you, then you should run far from him, whether it is a slander about you or a lie to your face. His deceit proves that he hates you. He is out to hurt you or use you. True friends never lie.

Flattery is praise designed to deceive you into doing what the flatterer wants you to do. It is a form of lying, but it is harder to detect and resist. Men love praise, so they are easily lulled to sleep by flattery. It is poison in a spoonful of honey. A flatterer is more dangerous than a slanderer, for he is crafty, friendly, and subtle in working his deceit, while liars are more easily detected by their open malice and wickedness.

Are you vigilant and intolerant against deceivers? Aggressive salesmen may lie or flatter to sell an inferior product. Many girls have lost their virginity or women their marital fidelity to lying flattery of whoremongers (II Sam 13:1-13). Many men have been led to hell by flattering lies of whorish women (Pr 2:16-18; 5:3; 6:24-26; 7:5,21-23). Many citizens have voted for corrupt politicians due to flattery and false promises, for the election process in most nations is based on words rather than character or performance.

Parent, you must punish lying and flattery, and you must teach children to reject liars and flatterers (Job 32:21-22). Teach them that God hates liars, He will judge them, and liars are going to hell (Pr 6:16-19; Job 17:5; Ps 12:2-3; Rev 21:8). Teach them that friends who tell the truth even when it hurts are better than kisses from an enemy (Pr 27:5-6). Teach them that men should be judged by their actions and lives, not words (Pr 20:11).

Religion has many lies and flattery, for the devil has used it since Eden (Gen 3:1-13; John 8:44). The Jews flattered and lied to Jesus to trap him (Luke 20:20-21). False teachers use good words and fair speeches to deceive simple hearers (Rom 16:17-18). Rome tells the lies of abstaining from meat and marriage (I Tim 4:1-3). But God’s faithful pastors and teachers never use flattering speech or lies (II Cor 2:17; 4:2; I Thess 2:3-6).

Jehovah is God of truth, and so is His Son Jesus Christ, Who is Faithful and True (Rev 19:11). He expects honesty and truthfulness from His children, and He punishes all liars and flatterers. All who take His name must make sure their every word is honest, sincere, and true – and obviously so in the ears of all others (Deut 32:4; Rom 12:17; I Pet 2:12).


Under Gods Command

2nd Timothy 4:18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.  To him be glory for ever and ever.  Amen.

Here Paul was affirming his belief in eternal life after death.  Paul knew the end was near, and he was ready for it.  Paul was confident in God’s power even as he faced death

Lets Bring it Home: Anyone facing a life and death struggle can be comforted knowing that God will bring each believer safely through death to his heavenly kingdom.


Under Gods Command
Lamentations 3:39-42 – Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins? Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD. Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say: “We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven.

Parents discipline children to produce right behavior. God disciplined Judah to produce right living and genuine worship. We must not complain about corrective or instructive discipline in our lives but learn from it trusting God and being willing to change. We must allow God’s correction to bring about the kind of behavior in our life that pleases him.


Under Gods Command
Proverbs 18.24 – A man of many companions may come to ruin, but here is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Loneliness is everywhere-many people feel cut off and alienated from others. Being in a crowd just makes people more aware of their isolation. We all need friends who will stick close, listen, care and offer help when it is needed-in good times and bad. It is better to have one such friend than dozens of superficial acquaintances. Instead of wishing you could find a true friend, seek to become one. There are people who need your friendship. Ask God to reveal them to you, and then take on the challenge of being a true friend.


Under Gods Command

Lamentations 1:16 – “This is why I weep and my eyes overflow with tears. No one is near to comfort me, no one to restore my spirit. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed.”

Jeremiah’s sorrow expresses the sorrow of the nation. God is the comforter, but because of the people’s sins, he had to turn away from them and become their judge. When we suffer the consequences of sin, repentance from the sin that caused the problem is the first and most important way to find relief.


Under Gods Command
Proverbs 15:14 – The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

What we feed our minds is just as important as what we feed our bodies. The kinds of books we read, the people we talk with, the music we listen to, and the films we watch are all part of our mental diet. Be discerning because what you feed your mind influences your total health and well-being. Thus, a strong desire to discover knowledge is a mark of wisdom.


Under Gods Command

Lamentations 1:14 – My sins have been bound into a yoke, by his hands they were woven together. They have come upon my neck and the Lord has sapped my strength. He has handed me over to those I cannot withstand.

At first, sin seems to offer freedom. But the liberty to do anything we want gradually becomes a desire to do everything. Then we become captive to sin, bound by its “yoke.” Freedom from sin’s captivity comes only form God. He gives us freedom, not to do anything we want, but to what he knows is best for us. Strange as it may seem, true freedom comes in obeying God-following his guidance so that we can receive his best.


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 14:09 Fool mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.

How rarely we find goodwill around us today. Angry drivers scowl at each other in the streets. People fight to be first in line. Disgruntled employers and employees both demand their rights. But the common bond of God’s people should be goodwill. Those with goodwill think the best of others and assume that others have good motives and intend to do what is right. When someone crosses you, and you feel your blood pressure rising, ask yourself, “How can I show goodwill to this person?”


Under Gods Command

Lamentations 1:9 – Her filthiness clung to her skirts; she did not consider her future.  Her fall was astounding; there was none to comfort her.  “Look, O LORD, on my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed.”

 The warning was loud and clear: If Judah played with fire, its people would get burned.  Jerusalem foolishly took a chance and lost, refusing to believe that immoral living brings God’s punishment.  The ultimate consequence of sin is punishment (Romans 6:23).  We can choose to ignore God’s warnings, but as surely as judgment came upon Jerusalem, so will it come upon those who defy God.  Are you listening to God’s Word? Are you obeying it? Obedience is a sure sign of your love for God.