QUESTIONS
1.Why do you think it would be easier to tell sinners to “believe” than to tell them they need to repent?
To simply "believe" allows a sinner to hold Jesus in one hand while choosing to continue to hold their sinful ways in the other. Telling someone they need to repent means they need to acknowledge they are doing wrong (not easy) before they will be motivated to truly turn around (repent).
2.How did the old soldier sum up repentance?
An old soldier once summed up repentance this way: “God said, ‘Attention! About turn! Quick march!’”
3.Explain why salvation entails more than merely “believing in Jesus.”
It is true that numerous Bible verses speak of the promise of salvation with no mention of repentance. These verses merely tell us to “believe” on Jesus Christ and we shall be saved (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9). However, the Bible makes it clear that God is holy and man is sinful, and that sin makes a separation between the two (Isaiah 59:1,2). Without repentance from sin, wicked men cannot have fellowship with a holy God. We are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) and until we forsake them through repentance, we cannot be made alive in Christ. The Scriptures speak of “repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18). We must turn from sin to the Savior. This is why Paul preached “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).
Jesus said that He came to call “sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13). The first public word He preached was “repent” (Matthew 4:17). John the Baptist began his ministry the same way (Matthew 3:2). Jesus told His hearers twice that without repentance, they would perish (Luke 13:3,5).
If belief is all that is necessary for salvation, then the logical conclusion is that one need never repent. However, the Bible tells us that a false convert “believes” and yet is not saved (Luke 8:13); he remains a “worker of iniquity.”
In his book One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven, Mark Cahill notes that, when witnessing to the lost, “if there is no desire to walk away from sin, the person is not really making a true heart commitment to the Savior. In John 6:44 Jesus says, ‘No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.’ If God is drawing someone to Him, He would also be drawing the person away from his sin.”
Look at the warning of Scripture: “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” (1 John 1:6). The Scriptures also say, “He that covers his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesses and forsakes them [repents] shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). Jesus said that there was joy in heaven over one sinner who “repents” (Luke 15:10). If there is no repentance, there is no joy because there is no salvation.
4. Who does God command to repent? (See Acts 17:30.)
As Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, he commanded his hearers to repent “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Without repentance, there is no remission of sins; we are still under God’s wrath. Peter further said, “Repent... and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). We cannot be converted, or have our sins blotted out, unless we repent. God Himself “commands all men everywhere [leaving no exceptions] to repent” (Acts 17:30). Peter said a similar thing at Pentecost: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you” (Acts 2:38). Scripture says that the Lord is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Clearly, those who do not repent will perish.
5. According to Scripture, what should we be preaching?
If repentance wasn’t necessary for salvation, why then did Jesus command that repentance be preached to all nations (Luke 24:47)? When He sent out His disciples two by two, they “preached that men should repent” (Mark 6:12).
Memory Verse
“Repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”
ACTS 3:19
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Lesson 15: Our Ally, The Conscience
QUESTIONS
1. What does the word “conscience” mean?
The dictionary defines the conscience as “the human faculty that enables one to decide between right and wrong acts or behavior, especially in regard to one’s own conduct.” This is what the Bible is speaking of when it says that God has given “light” to every man. The word “conscience” (con + science) means “with knowledge.” Whenever we sin, we do so “with knowledge” that what we’re doing is wrong.
2. What is the function of the conscience?
Charles Spurgeon said, “The conscience of a man, when he is really quickened and awakened by the Holy Spirit, speaks the truth. It rings the great alarm bell. And if he turns over in his bed, that great alarm bell rings out again and again, ‘The wrath to come! The wrath to come! The wrath to come.’”
3. How do sinners dull the voice of their conscience?
The problem is that sin is so enticing to the lost that they prefer to live in darkness rather than remain in the light of the conscience. To the lost, the conscience is a “party pooper.” Many people snuff out the light and abandon themselves to the dark world of sin, not realizing the terrible consequences of their actions. As A. W. Tozer wrote, idolatry (making a god to suit ourselves) leads to a dulled conscience:
God’s justice stands forever against the sinner in utter severity. The vague and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly opiate for the consciences of millions. It hushes their fears and allows them to practice all pleasant forms of iniquity while death draws every day nearer and the command to repent goes unregarded. As responsible moral beings, we dare not so trifle with our eternal future. (The Knowledge of the Holy)
4. How can you (with God’s help) awaken a conscience?
Thank God that He has given us something to do the job—it is the rousing sound of the ten cannons of His Law that stirs the sleeping conscience. Charles Spurgeon said, “The conscience of a man, when he is really quickened and awakened by the Holy Spirit, speaks the truth. It rings the great alarm bell. And if he turns over in his bed, that great alarm bell rings out again and again, ‘The wrath to come! The wrath to come! The wrath to come.’”
Walter Chantry wrote, “The absence of God’s holy Law from modern preaching is perhaps as responsible as any other factor for the evangelistic impotence of our churches and missions. Only by the light of the Law can the vermin of sin in the heart be exposed. Satan has effectively used a very clever device to silence the Law, which is needed as an instrument to bring perishing men to Christ. It is imperative that preachers of today learn how to declare the spiritual Law of God; for, until we learn how to wound consciences, we shall have no wounds to bind with gospel bandages” (Today’s Gospel: Authentic or Synthetic?).
It’s been said that the conscience is the headline warning of sin, while the Law is the fine print. The spiritual nature of the Law gives the details to what the conscience already knows. When the Law is preached, the conscience affirms its truth. You can see this verified when using the Law, as the sinner’s head nods in affirmation of each Commandment.
Unfortunately, in modern evangelism, few believers address the sin-ner’s conscience as we should. Spurgeon said, “In many ministries, there is not enough of probing the heart and arousing the conscience by the revelation of man’s alienation from God, and by the declaration of the selfishness and the wickedness of such a state.”
It was the use of God’s Law, when applied to the conscience, that was the key to great revivals of the past. Martyn Lloyd-Jones noted this fact:
The trouble with people who are not seeking for a Savior, and for salvation, is that they do not understand the nature of sin. It is the peculiar function of the Law to bring such an understanding to a man’s mind and conscience. That is why great evangelical preachers 300 years ago in the time of the Puritans, and 200 years ago in the time of Whitefield and others, always engaged in what they called a preliminary “Law work.”
5. According to John Wesley, what is “the ordinary method of the Spirit”?
He said,
It is the ordinary method of the Spirit of God to convict sinners by the Law. It is this which, being set home on the conscience, generally breaks the rocks in pieces. It is more especially this part of the Word of God which is quick and powerful, full of life and energy and sharper than any two-edged sword.
6. What are some phrases you can use in addressing the conscience?
Ask if they have kept 3 or 4 of the Ten Commandments. Its from God, for us.
Memory Verse
“Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.”
ROMANS 2:15
1. What does the word “conscience” mean?
The dictionary defines the conscience as “the human faculty that enables one to decide between right and wrong acts or behavior, especially in regard to one’s own conduct.” This is what the Bible is speaking of when it says that God has given “light” to every man. The word “conscience” (con + science) means “with knowledge.” Whenever we sin, we do so “with knowledge” that what we’re doing is wrong.
2. What is the function of the conscience?
Charles Spurgeon said, “The conscience of a man, when he is really quickened and awakened by the Holy Spirit, speaks the truth. It rings the great alarm bell. And if he turns over in his bed, that great alarm bell rings out again and again, ‘The wrath to come! The wrath to come! The wrath to come.’”
3. How do sinners dull the voice of their conscience?
The problem is that sin is so enticing to the lost that they prefer to live in darkness rather than remain in the light of the conscience. To the lost, the conscience is a “party pooper.” Many people snuff out the light and abandon themselves to the dark world of sin, not realizing the terrible consequences of their actions. As A. W. Tozer wrote, idolatry (making a god to suit ourselves) leads to a dulled conscience:
God’s justice stands forever against the sinner in utter severity. The vague and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly opiate for the consciences of millions. It hushes their fears and allows them to practice all pleasant forms of iniquity while death draws every day nearer and the command to repent goes unregarded. As responsible moral beings, we dare not so trifle with our eternal future. (The Knowledge of the Holy)
4. How can you (with God’s help) awaken a conscience?
Thank God that He has given us something to do the job—it is the rousing sound of the ten cannons of His Law that stirs the sleeping conscience. Charles Spurgeon said, “The conscience of a man, when he is really quickened and awakened by the Holy Spirit, speaks the truth. It rings the great alarm bell. And if he turns over in his bed, that great alarm bell rings out again and again, ‘The wrath to come! The wrath to come! The wrath to come.’”
Walter Chantry wrote, “The absence of God’s holy Law from modern preaching is perhaps as responsible as any other factor for the evangelistic impotence of our churches and missions. Only by the light of the Law can the vermin of sin in the heart be exposed. Satan has effectively used a very clever device to silence the Law, which is needed as an instrument to bring perishing men to Christ. It is imperative that preachers of today learn how to declare the spiritual Law of God; for, until we learn how to wound consciences, we shall have no wounds to bind with gospel bandages” (Today’s Gospel: Authentic or Synthetic?).
It’s been said that the conscience is the headline warning of sin, while the Law is the fine print. The spiritual nature of the Law gives the details to what the conscience already knows. When the Law is preached, the conscience affirms its truth. You can see this verified when using the Law, as the sinner’s head nods in affirmation of each Commandment.
Unfortunately, in modern evangelism, few believers address the sin-ner’s conscience as we should. Spurgeon said, “In many ministries, there is not enough of probing the heart and arousing the conscience by the revelation of man’s alienation from God, and by the declaration of the selfishness and the wickedness of such a state.”
It was the use of God’s Law, when applied to the conscience, that was the key to great revivals of the past. Martyn Lloyd-Jones noted this fact:
The trouble with people who are not seeking for a Savior, and for salvation, is that they do not understand the nature of sin. It is the peculiar function of the Law to bring such an understanding to a man’s mind and conscience. That is why great evangelical preachers 300 years ago in the time of the Puritans, and 200 years ago in the time of Whitefield and others, always engaged in what they called a preliminary “Law work.”
5. According to John Wesley, what is “the ordinary method of the Spirit”?
He said,
It is the ordinary method of the Spirit of God to convict sinners by the Law. It is this which, being set home on the conscience, generally breaks the rocks in pieces. It is more especially this part of the Word of God which is quick and powerful, full of life and energy and sharper than any two-edged sword.
6. What are some phrases you can use in addressing the conscience?
Ask if they have kept 3 or 4 of the Ten Commandments. Its from God, for us.
Memory Verse
“Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.”
ROMANS 2:15
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Lesson 14: The Ten Commandments, Part 10
the Tenth Commandment: “You shall not covet ...anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17)
QUESTIONS
1. What does it mean to covet?
Covetousness is perhaps the most subtle of sins. It seems minor compared to adultery, theft, or rape. However, before a man steals, he covets. Before he rapes or commits adultery, he covets. Covetousness is the spark that sets off the fuse of sin. It is a sin that lies close to the surface of every human being. Few children are content with ten pieces of candy when the child next to him gets eleven.
2. Why is the quiet sin of covetousness so harmful?
Covetousness is the bedfellow of jealousy, greed, and lust.
It was this quiet sin that found a place in the heart of King David, rich and blessed though he was. His covetous eye roamed toward another man’s wife, and opened the door to a multitude of sins.
3. What is the opposite of covetousness? (See Hebrews 13:5.)
Scripture admonishes us to “be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have” (Hebrews 13:5).
4. What can we learn from Psalm 23 about this sin?
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul...
5. Are there some areas in which you are guilty of this sin?
Yes. Money, travel...
6. Why do you think covetousness is so prevalent?
Its inward, a matter of the mind, hidden thoughts from others (but not God).
Matthew Henry said, “The Tenth Commandment strikes at the root; Thou shalt not covet. The others forbid all desire of doing what will be an injury to our neighbour; this forbids all wrong desire of having what will gratify ourselves.”
Memory Verse
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
1 JOHN 2:15
QUESTIONS
1. What does it mean to covet?
Covetousness is perhaps the most subtle of sins. It seems minor compared to adultery, theft, or rape. However, before a man steals, he covets. Before he rapes or commits adultery, he covets. Covetousness is the spark that sets off the fuse of sin. It is a sin that lies close to the surface of every human being. Few children are content with ten pieces of candy when the child next to him gets eleven.
2. Why is the quiet sin of covetousness so harmful?
Covetousness is the bedfellow of jealousy, greed, and lust.
It was this quiet sin that found a place in the heart of King David, rich and blessed though he was. His covetous eye roamed toward another man’s wife, and opened the door to a multitude of sins.
3. What is the opposite of covetousness? (See Hebrews 13:5.)
Scripture admonishes us to “be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have” (Hebrews 13:5).
4. What can we learn from Psalm 23 about this sin?
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul...
5. Are there some areas in which you are guilty of this sin?
Yes. Money, travel...
6. Why do you think covetousness is so prevalent?
Its inward, a matter of the mind, hidden thoughts from others (but not God).
Matthew Henry said, “The Tenth Commandment strikes at the root; Thou shalt not covet. The others forbid all desire of doing what will be an injury to our neighbour; this forbids all wrong desire of having what will gratify ourselves.”
Memory Verse
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
1 JOHN 2:15
Monday, December 26, 2011
Lesson 13: The Ten Commandments, Part 9
the Ninth Commandment: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16)
1.What is the dictionary definition of a lie?
The dictionary defines a lie as a false statement deliberately presented as being true; a falsehood; something intended to deceive or give a wrong impression.
2.What is the difference between a lie and discretion?
There is a big difference between discretion (wise self-restraint in speech) and lying (a false statement intended to deceive), and that God knows the difference.
3.Do you think it is ever okay for a Christian to tell a lie in order to protect someone? Why or why not?
It depends on the circumstances. Perhaps the answer is that it is the motive that matters. However, the issue depends on the conscience of each individual. We should pray for solutions that would arise outside of these unique circumstances.
4.What is the difference between a white lie, a half-truth, a fib, and an exaggeration?
There is no difference between a white lie, a half-truth, a fib, or an exaggeration. All are lies in the sight of God.
5.How many lies must one tell to be a liar?
How many murders does one have to commit to be a murderer? Just one. In the same way, if they have told even one lie, no matter what color or size, that makes them a liar.
6.What will happen to all liars?
The path of lies is often the easy path, but it leads to hell. The Bible warns that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 21:8). What a fearful thought! People may not think deceitfulness is a serious sin, but God does. It should break our hearts to even think of the fate of the ungodly.
Memory Verse
“A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaks lies shall not escape.”
PROVERBS 19:5
1.What is the dictionary definition of a lie?
The dictionary defines a lie as a false statement deliberately presented as being true; a falsehood; something intended to deceive or give a wrong impression.
2.What is the difference between a lie and discretion?
There is a big difference between discretion (wise self-restraint in speech) and lying (a false statement intended to deceive), and that God knows the difference.
3.Do you think it is ever okay for a Christian to tell a lie in order to protect someone? Why or why not?
It depends on the circumstances. Perhaps the answer is that it is the motive that matters. However, the issue depends on the conscience of each individual. We should pray for solutions that would arise outside of these unique circumstances.
4.What is the difference between a white lie, a half-truth, a fib, and an exaggeration?
There is no difference between a white lie, a half-truth, a fib, or an exaggeration. All are lies in the sight of God.
5.How many lies must one tell to be a liar?
How many murders does one have to commit to be a murderer? Just one. In the same way, if they have told even one lie, no matter what color or size, that makes them a liar.
6.What will happen to all liars?
The path of lies is often the easy path, but it leads to hell. The Bible warns that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 21:8). What a fearful thought! People may not think deceitfulness is a serious sin, but God does. It should break our hearts to even think of the fate of the ungodly.
Memory Verse
“A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaks lies shall not escape.”
PROVERBS 19:5
Lesson 12: The Ten Commandments, Part 8
the Eighth Commandment: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15).
1.Why is the value of a stolen item irrelevant?
Most people don’t think that God considers theft to be theft until the value of what is taken impresses Him. However, if I open your wallet and take just one dollar, I’m a thief, and the Bible says that thieves will not enter the kingdom of God.
2.What does a news item about someone returning a lost wallet reveal about human nature?
It is a sad testimony to the wickedness of the human heart when the world honors an honest person. Someone finds a wallet filled with money and returns it to the owner—and that makes national news. It is rare when a human being does what he should.
3.Is it wrong for a man to steal when he is hungry?
The answer is yes. It is theft and the Bible says that he should make restitution for his crime. If a man is hungry, he should beg before he steals.
4.How would you react if you saw $600,000 fluttering along a freeway?
I would know that God sees me.
5.What would keep you from stealing the money?
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
MARK 8:36,37
6.Why isn’t it enough for a thief to reform his ways?
Someone might say that he has stolen once, but has since reformed. He must be told that time doesn’t forgive sin, and that God still sees the sins of yesterday as if they were committed today. Stop his mouth using the Law (Romans 3:19). Show him that the only way to escape the terrible consequences of his sin is the Door of the Savior. Let the hurricane of the wrath of the Law of God blow far from him the scanty leaves of self-righteous-ness. Have him admit his transgression by name—that he is a thief. Then point to (and have him read) 1 Corinthians 6:9,10.
Memory Verse
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
MARK 8:36,37
1.Why is the value of a stolen item irrelevant?
Most people don’t think that God considers theft to be theft until the value of what is taken impresses Him. However, if I open your wallet and take just one dollar, I’m a thief, and the Bible says that thieves will not enter the kingdom of God.
2.What does a news item about someone returning a lost wallet reveal about human nature?
It is a sad testimony to the wickedness of the human heart when the world honors an honest person. Someone finds a wallet filled with money and returns it to the owner—and that makes national news. It is rare when a human being does what he should.
3.Is it wrong for a man to steal when he is hungry?
The answer is yes. It is theft and the Bible says that he should make restitution for his crime. If a man is hungry, he should beg before he steals.
4.How would you react if you saw $600,000 fluttering along a freeway?
I would know that God sees me.
5.What would keep you from stealing the money?
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
MARK 8:36,37
6.Why isn’t it enough for a thief to reform his ways?
Someone might say that he has stolen once, but has since reformed. He must be told that time doesn’t forgive sin, and that God still sees the sins of yesterday as if they were committed today. Stop his mouth using the Law (Romans 3:19). Show him that the only way to escape the terrible consequences of his sin is the Door of the Savior. Let the hurricane of the wrath of the Law of God blow far from him the scanty leaves of self-righteous-ness. Have him admit his transgression by name—that he is a thief. Then point to (and have him read) 1 Corinthians 6:9,10.
Memory Verse
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
MARK 8:36,37
Lesson 11: The Ten Commandments, Part 7
the Seventh Commandment and what it means in light of New Testament revelation: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).
1.How did the Messiah make the Law “honorable”?
The Bible said that the Messiah would magnify the Law and make it honorable (Isaiah 42:21). The Pharisees had dishonored the Law by teaching that God required only an outward show of piety. However, Jesus explained that God judges even the thought-life. He said, “You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not commit adultery: But I say to you, that whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27,28).
2.What are some of the sins that accompany lust?
Lust is especially dangerous because it rarely lies alone. Its bedfellows are fornication, adultery, perversion, rape, and even murder. It burns in the heart of man, and like acid reflux, it forces its way through his flesh in a great all-consuming wave with a mind of its own.
3.What does lust want from you? (See John 10:10 and James 1:14,15.)
John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full
James 1:14-15
14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
4.How would you answer someone who said that the Ten Commandments do not condemn sex outside of marriage?
Men will often deceive themselves by believing that the Ten Commandments condemn only adultery, leaving them free to have sex outside of marriage. However, the Law condemns all unlawful sex. First Timothy 1:8–10 tells us that the Law was also made for fornicators (whoremongers). Galatians 5:19 lists adultery and fornication at the top of the list of works of the flesh.
Those who forsake marriage thinking that they can enjoy sex outside the bonds of the institution risk getting AIDS and numerous other sexually transmitted diseases—several of which are incurable. It is interesting to note that a man and a woman can engage in sex ten thousand times within marriage and never even once risk contracting any sexually transmitted disease.
One who commits fornication (from the Greek Porneia, “illicit sexual intercourse”) takes what could lawfully be his as a gift from God, and corrupts it. He is like a child who one night steals a crisp, new twenty-dollar bill from his father’s wallet, not realizing that his father intended to give it to him as a gift in the morning.
The fornicator not only sins against God and incurs the wrath of eternal justice, but he sins against his conscience, and his own body (1 Corinthians 6:18). Fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9). Scripture warns us to “abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11).
5.Why shouldn’t you be discouraged if you have a problem with lust?
Don’t be discouraged if you have a battle with lust. If you are struggling, then at least you are fighting it. If you have no problem with it, then you have given your heart to demons and they will drag you to hell. These are fearful words—but they are needed to awaken us to what is at stake.
6.What does the Bible say to those who consider viewing pornography to be a harmless activity?
Realize that when you give yourself to pornography, you are committing adultery (Matthew 5:27,28). Grasp the serious nature of your sin. Jesus said that it would be better for you to be blind and go to heaven than for your eye to cause you to sin and end up in hell (Matthew 5:29). Those who profess to be Christians yet drool over pornographic material evidently lack the fear of God (Proverbs 16:6). Cultivate the fear of the Lord by reading Proverbs 2:1–5. Think of where lust led King David. He opened himself to many other sins, including murder, and brought misery and shame to his family name.
7. What can we learn from Proverbs 2:1–5?
Proverbs 2:1-5
1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
Memory Verse
“You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not commit adultery: But I say to you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
MATTHEW 5:27,28
1.How did the Messiah make the Law “honorable”?
The Bible said that the Messiah would magnify the Law and make it honorable (Isaiah 42:21). The Pharisees had dishonored the Law by teaching that God required only an outward show of piety. However, Jesus explained that God judges even the thought-life. He said, “You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not commit adultery: But I say to you, that whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27,28).
2.What are some of the sins that accompany lust?
Lust is especially dangerous because it rarely lies alone. Its bedfellows are fornication, adultery, perversion, rape, and even murder. It burns in the heart of man, and like acid reflux, it forces its way through his flesh in a great all-consuming wave with a mind of its own.
3.What does lust want from you? (See John 10:10 and James 1:14,15.)
John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full
James 1:14-15
14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
4.How would you answer someone who said that the Ten Commandments do not condemn sex outside of marriage?
Men will often deceive themselves by believing that the Ten Commandments condemn only adultery, leaving them free to have sex outside of marriage. However, the Law condemns all unlawful sex. First Timothy 1:8–10 tells us that the Law was also made for fornicators (whoremongers). Galatians 5:19 lists adultery and fornication at the top of the list of works of the flesh.
Those who forsake marriage thinking that they can enjoy sex outside the bonds of the institution risk getting AIDS and numerous other sexually transmitted diseases—several of which are incurable. It is interesting to note that a man and a woman can engage in sex ten thousand times within marriage and never even once risk contracting any sexually transmitted disease.
One who commits fornication (from the Greek Porneia, “illicit sexual intercourse”) takes what could lawfully be his as a gift from God, and corrupts it. He is like a child who one night steals a crisp, new twenty-dollar bill from his father’s wallet, not realizing that his father intended to give it to him as a gift in the morning.
The fornicator not only sins against God and incurs the wrath of eternal justice, but he sins against his conscience, and his own body (1 Corinthians 6:18). Fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9). Scripture warns us to “abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11).
5.Why shouldn’t you be discouraged if you have a problem with lust?
Don’t be discouraged if you have a battle with lust. If you are struggling, then at least you are fighting it. If you have no problem with it, then you have given your heart to demons and they will drag you to hell. These are fearful words—but they are needed to awaken us to what is at stake.
6.What does the Bible say to those who consider viewing pornography to be a harmless activity?
Realize that when you give yourself to pornography, you are committing adultery (Matthew 5:27,28). Grasp the serious nature of your sin. Jesus said that it would be better for you to be blind and go to heaven than for your eye to cause you to sin and end up in hell (Matthew 5:29). Those who profess to be Christians yet drool over pornographic material evidently lack the fear of God (Proverbs 16:6). Cultivate the fear of the Lord by reading Proverbs 2:1–5. Think of where lust led King David. He opened himself to many other sins, including murder, and brought misery and shame to his family name.
7. What can we learn from Proverbs 2:1–5?
Proverbs 2:1-5
1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
Memory Verse
“You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not commit adultery: But I say to you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
MATTHEW 5:27,28
Lesson 10: The Ten Commandments, Part 6
the Sixth Commandment: “You shall not kill”(Exo-dus 20:13).
1.Why is civil law limited when it comes to prosecuting criminals?
If civil law can prove that you are planning to assassinate the President, you can be prosecuted and severely punished. That law, however, is limited in its search for evidence—it can’t see what a man thinks.
2.Most people will claim to be not guilty of violating the Sixth Commandment. How can you explain God’s perspective?
With the all-seeing eye of our Creator, His Law searches the heart, and He sees “evil thoughts.” To even think hatred is to transgress the Sixth Commandment.
3.Why does God consider hatred to be murder?
Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say to you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment” (Matthew 5:21,22). The Bible further adds that if we hate someone, we are murderers (1 John 3:15). There are many who would like to kill, but refrain because of fear of punishment. God counts them guilty of murder.
4.Is there someone you dislike strongly enough to not want to see the person in heaven? Do you think God considers you a murderer for this?
If we hate someone, the last thought in our minds will be sharing the gospel with them out of concern for their salvation. In that sense, we too become a murderer, desiring the person’s eternal death, by not giving them the words of life.
Some states have laws that declare a bystander guilty for standing by and failing to prevent a crime. In the same way, God declares us guilty of murder if we stand by and do nothing to prevent someone’s eternal death. Their blood is on our hands (see Ezekiel 3:18).
5.Do you think God views abortion as murder? Why or why not?
At 21 days gestation, the child’s heart is beating, and at 40 days brain waves can be measured. If by our medical criteria a life is ended when there is no heartbeat or brain activity, then surely by their presence we can assert that life has begun. The Bible tells us that taking the life of the unborn is clearly murder: “He slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might have been my grave” (Jeremiah 20:17), and God vowed to punish those who “ripped up the women with child” (Amos 1:13). God, the Creator of life, commanded us, “Do not shed innocent blood” (Jeremiah 7:6).
6.Does the Bible equate capital punishment with murder? Why or why not?
Some equate capital punishment with murder, and cite Jesus’ command to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44) as evidence that He did not endorse capital punishment. However, just because we have love for an enemy doesn’t give us the right to allow him to escape punishment for murder. The Bible says, “Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation . . . But if you do that which is evil, be afraid; for he bears not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that does evil” (Romans 13:1–4).
The Bible says that anyone who deliberately takes a life should lose his own: “Whoso kills any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. Moreover you shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death” (Numbers 35:30,31). Genesis 9:6 says, “Whoso sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”
Memory Verse
“Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
1 JOHN 3:15
1.Why is civil law limited when it comes to prosecuting criminals?
If civil law can prove that you are planning to assassinate the President, you can be prosecuted and severely punished. That law, however, is limited in its search for evidence—it can’t see what a man thinks.
2.Most people will claim to be not guilty of violating the Sixth Commandment. How can you explain God’s perspective?
With the all-seeing eye of our Creator, His Law searches the heart, and He sees “evil thoughts.” To even think hatred is to transgress the Sixth Commandment.
3.Why does God consider hatred to be murder?
Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said by them of old time, You shall not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say to you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment” (Matthew 5:21,22). The Bible further adds that if we hate someone, we are murderers (1 John 3:15). There are many who would like to kill, but refrain because of fear of punishment. God counts them guilty of murder.
4.Is there someone you dislike strongly enough to not want to see the person in heaven? Do you think God considers you a murderer for this?
If we hate someone, the last thought in our minds will be sharing the gospel with them out of concern for their salvation. In that sense, we too become a murderer, desiring the person’s eternal death, by not giving them the words of life.
Some states have laws that declare a bystander guilty for standing by and failing to prevent a crime. In the same way, God declares us guilty of murder if we stand by and do nothing to prevent someone’s eternal death. Their blood is on our hands (see Ezekiel 3:18).
5.Do you think God views abortion as murder? Why or why not?
At 21 days gestation, the child’s heart is beating, and at 40 days brain waves can be measured. If by our medical criteria a life is ended when there is no heartbeat or brain activity, then surely by their presence we can assert that life has begun. The Bible tells us that taking the life of the unborn is clearly murder: “He slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might have been my grave” (Jeremiah 20:17), and God vowed to punish those who “ripped up the women with child” (Amos 1:13). God, the Creator of life, commanded us, “Do not shed innocent blood” (Jeremiah 7:6).
6.Does the Bible equate capital punishment with murder? Why or why not?
Some equate capital punishment with murder, and cite Jesus’ command to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44) as evidence that He did not endorse capital punishment. However, just because we have love for an enemy doesn’t give us the right to allow him to escape punishment for murder. The Bible says, “Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation . . . But if you do that which is evil, be afraid; for he bears not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that does evil” (Romans 13:1–4).
The Bible says that anyone who deliberately takes a life should lose his own: “Whoso kills any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. Moreover you shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death” (Numbers 35:30,31). Genesis 9:6 says, “Whoso sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”
Memory Verse
“Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
1 JOHN 3:15
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