2-1-2-John the Baptist

Where did John the Baptist preach?  Read Matthew 3;1?

Read Matthew 2:1-2.  What did John the Baptist say was "near"?

According to John what step does one have to take in order to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven?  Read Matthew 3:2.

Read Romans 6:11-12.  What rules the life of the unrepentant man?

Repentance means, therefore, having a Change of Attitude toward what?

Read Ephesians 3:17.  What new king rules in the heart of the repentant man in the place of sin?

Since repentance is a change of attitude toward sin it is an inner experience.  Repentance is something which takes place in a person's thoughts and mind and heart.  It cannot be seen.

However, John demanded an outer sign, something people could see, as proof of repentance.  What is that?  Read Matthew 3:6.

What did those who repented do when they came to be baptized by John?

Confessing your sin means: that you admit the wrong in your life.

Read Acts 22:16.  Baptism is an outer sign of an inner change of attitude.  When someone repents he confesses and God washes away from our hearts all our sins.

Name the two groups of people who came to be baptized by John in Matthew 2:7.  1.2.

Have un-repentant people sometimes been baptized?

According to Matthew 3:8, there is another outer sign of repentance in the heart.  What is that sign?

Read Matthew 3:10.  Why was the tree cut down and thrown in to the fire?

We can reason from this, that if someone does not produce good fruit in their life it is certain evidence that his heart is truly

What does Jesus produce in the life of the believer?  Read John 15:5. 

In what did John baptize people?  Read Matthew 3:11.  In

What is the baptism of Jesus that produces fruit in our lives? In

What is the result of having the Holy Spirit in our hearts?  Read Galatians 5:22. 

Can we say that a person is really repentant if they do not leave their sin behind them and never show any fruit of the Spirit in their life?

Can you remember any examples of incomplete repentance, either from the Bible or your own experiences?  Please share them?

The Pharisees and the Sadducees

Read Matthew 3:6.  John the Baptist did not just preach the kingdom of Heaven, he was also the people in the river Jordan.

Among those who came to be baptized by John were various religious leaders from Jerusalem.  They were mostly members of the two main religious parties among the Jewish people.  Name these two religious parties.  Read Matthew 3:7.  1. 2. 

The Pharisees were very strict about the need to obey the law of Moses.  As time passed however, they had added a whole pile of Human Traditions to this law.  Which of these Human Traditions  of the Pharisees did Jesus' disciples break before eating?  Read Matthew 15:1-2.

The Pharisees didn't wash their hands in order to be clean or to stop the spread of sickness like we do today.  They washed their hands simply as a religious ceremony without any real purpose.

Read Matthew 15:19-20 and think carefully about the importance of Jesus' words here.  Do we need to wash our bodies or hearts in order to be clean?   What do we call this change of attitude?

The Sadducees reacted against the Human Traditions of the Pharisees.  Their protest was negative, cold, and done in a worldly spirit.  The Sadducees made fun of the faith of the Pharisees and denied the Resurrections of the dead.

We have seen that the Pharisees and Sadducees were enemies because of their different beliefs.  However, there were also big differences in other areas.  The Pharisees and Sadducees come from two different social classes.  The Pharisees were leaders among the working class.  The Sadducees on the other hand, were a much smaller group.  Not just anyone could be a Sadducees because they all come from the upper class.

If the Pharisees were for the common people and the Sadducees for the more wealthy class, which of the two would be friendly with the Herods and welcomed at the king's palace?

Although both of the parties were represented on the Sanhedrin, the highest council of the Jews, it was always the Sadducees which had control of the council.  This was the party which was friendly with the Herods and the Romans.

The president of the Jewish council was thee High Priest.  He was nominated by the Romans.  Of course, the Romans would always nominate someone from the party which backed them.

When parties divide a church what condition does it show to be among the members?  Read 1 Corinthians 3:1.  That they are not men, but rather men.

Read Deuteronomy 4:2.  This passage warns us against the two errors of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  What are they?

a.to the Word of God (Also read Rev. 22:18)

b.the Word of God (Also read Rev. 22:19).

Read Ephesians 4:1-3.  There the Apostle Paul give us a cure for the divisions and party spirit in the church.  According to verse 3, who will help us to maintain unity in the bond of peace?

What characteristics will appear in the life of the man who is led by the Spirit, according to verse 2?

Read and meditate upon Ephesians 4;13-16.  In an attitude of prayer and humility, ask the Lord to remove from His Church all the divisions and party spirit and to help us speak the truth in love, through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Relational Dimension

Purpose:

To discover ways to improve our relationship with God and with others.

Relational Dimension

We have considered the spiritual, physical, vocational, and emotional dimensions of wholeness.  But it is the relational dimension which ties all of these elements together.  It is our relationships with God, with ourselves, and with others which make our lives whole.  Without relationships, life would not only be uninteresting, it would also be dehumanizing.  Through our relationships, we learn what it means to be a created human being.

But relationships in and of themselves are not good.  Successful relationships with God and others take work in order to be healthy.  They do not just happen.  At the center of all successful relationships is love and respect.  Healthy relationships are marked by equality-equal giving and receiving-or else you will find yourself in a co-dependent relationship.  Healthy relationships are balanced ones and they add to our lives.  Unhealthy relationships throw our lives off-balance-in all of the other areas.

In our first study (from Matthew's Gospel), Jesus puts the responsibility for keeping good relationships on us.  While it is easy enough to love those who love us.  Jesus' standard is higher: we should love our enemies.  

Read Matthew 5:21-26, 43-48 and discuss your responses.  This passage is part of Jesus' teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount.

If you had just heard this advice on relationships for the first time and did not know who had given it, what would be your first reaction?

Which of these standards would you have the hardest time living up to?

Of your relationships, which is likely to cause a stress attack in you?

If you could pat yourself on the back for making improvements in your relationships, what could you point to?

When you're angry, which relationship is the hardest for you to reconcile?

The Scripture passage talks about leaving your gift at the altar and going to make peace with your brother.  How well do you practice this?

If you take this Scripture seriously, what will you do about some of the bad relationships (personal or professional) in your life?

Which of your "enemies" would you have a hard time loving?

When you leave this session today, how will you respond to the radical demands of this passage?

How's Your Love Life?

In the classic passage of 1 Corinthians 13, we see the inspiring example of Christ's love.  We are challenged to love as he loved.

Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 and share your responses.  This passage (often called "the love chapter") is Paul's attempt to show "a more excellent way" of caring for others.

If you could summarize what Paul says here about love, what would it be?

Write a advertising slogan for love, based on this chapter from Paul?

Who in your life defined love for you by the way he or she lived?

As you seek to apply this passage to your life, how do you view it?

What relationship do you need to apply these teachings to right now?

How would your emotions be affected if you tried to live up to this standard of love?

How would you rate yourself in each area of this Scripture passage?

Love is patient: I don't take out my frustrations on those I love.  I am calm under pressure and careful with my tongue.

Love is kind: I think before I act, especially with those I love.  I cushion anything I say with prayer and consideration.

Love does not envy: I am not jealous of my time when those I love need me or want me to do something special.

Love does not boast: I don't consider my role any more important than those I love-I don't talk like "I know better."

Love is not proud: I don't think of myself as better because I am better organized than those I love (or better at sports, or singing, or handling money).

Love is not rude: I don't make cutting or crude remarks when I don't get my way-I don't become silent and withdraw.

Love is not self-seeking: I don't put myself first.  I try to think of those I love for spiritual and emotional support.

Love is not easily angered: I don't let little things bother me, especially with those I love.  I have a muffler on my mouth.

Love keeps no record of wrongs: I don't keep score of the number of times those I love have said something or done something that upset me, and I don't bring it up when we have a disagreement.

Love does not delight in evil: I don't secretly rejoice when those I love get a speeding ticket (or get fat from eating too much, or win the lottery and then lose it in a poker game).

Love rejoices in the  truth: I am filled with joy when I think that God is working out his perfect plan for those I love-to make these people fully mature in Christ one day.

Love always trusts: I believe in those I love and I believe in God.  And I am willing to let God do the shaping and molding.

Love always hopes: I affirm the work that God is doing in those I love, and I am confident that God is able to bring his work in them to completion.

Love always perseveres: I am committed to the vows that I made to those I love, and I am prepared to see it through to the end.

Caring Time

What if Jesus were a permanent resident in your living environment?  What would you redecorate? Review the various areas in your life now, write a slogan for each one.

1. TV Room

2. Office/study

3. bedroom

4. attic

5. game room

6. magazine rack

7. garage

8. checkbook

9. kitchen

10. hope chest

11. hideaway

12. workbench

13. safe

14. basement

15. family room

Finnish this sentence: "the relationship in my life where God is asking me to work on is

Action

Plan two or three concrete steps you can take this week to develop your relationship with God and one other person.

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