CLASS 2
III. DEVELOPING A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THE SON - JESUS
Now that you have had a glimpse of God the Father, it’s time to understand who God the Son is.
A. Write down the answers to these questions:
1. Who is Jesus?
2. Is He your personal Savior?
3. Is He the center of your thoughts?
4. Do you accept the total redemption He paid for you, or do you think you have to earn it somehow?
5. Do you have to pay penitence for your sins?
6. Do you love Him? He said if you love me, you will keep my commandments. What kind of relationship
do you have with Jesus?
B. These are some of the attributes and characteristics of Jesus:
1. Jesus is our Lord and Savior.
2. Jesus was the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.
3. Jesus is our provider. He made a provision for us to go directly to God.
4. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the door.
5. Jesus is our brother and friend.
6. We are heirs with Him.
7. He is God’s Son!
8. He came to show us the Love of God our Father.
9. We are also children of God because of what Jesus did.
10. Jesus tore the wall down so we had free access to God (John 16:25-27).
11. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:12)
12. Jesus was a carpenter. He’s building a place for us in Heaven.
13. Jesus was the Word made flesh. (Jesus is the Godhead bodily)
14. Jesus helped God build the earth. He was there when all was being created.
15. We were made in His image.
16. Jesus experienced what it is like to live in this fallen world. Yet he did not sin.
17. Jesus has the power over death. (Hebrews 2:14)
18. Jesus is the great high priest (Hebrews 4:14)
19. Jesus is there in the time of need. (Hebrews 2:18; 4:15)
20. Jesus sets people free.
21. Jesus is faithful (Hebrews 3:1)
22. Jesus is my teacher, master, and Rabbi.
23. Jesus is the great physician.
24. He has all things under his feet. (Hebrews 2:8)
25. Jesus sits at the right hand of God, making intercession for us.
26. Jesus is the sole expression of God’s glory.
27. Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s nature.
28. He is higher than the Angels.
29. Jesus is light.
30. Jesus is life.
31. Jesus is light, and in him is no darkness.
32. Jesus was obedient.
33. Jesus sits on the throne beside God. (Hebrews 12:2)
34. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2)
35. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8)
****QUESTION: Do you believe that Jesus is the answer?
C. The Character and Nature of Jesus
1. Jesus Christ is: (1 Cor 13)
Very patient, Kind,
Never jealous or envious.
Never boastful or proud
He will be loyal to you.
He doesn’t demand His own way
He’s not irritable or touchy
He doesn’t hold grudges
He is never glad about injustice.
He rejoices whenever truth wins out.
He loves you
Never haughty or selfish or rude
He will always believe in you.
You can always expect the best of Him
He will always stand His ground in defending you.
2. God the Father identifies us in Christ Jesus.
3. “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus so that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:6-7 NIV) “‘…let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.” (Jer 31:34)
C. You Take His Breath Away
1. You took His breath away to create the Universe
“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. (Ps 33:6 NIV)
2. You took His breath away when He formed You
“The time came when the Lord God formed a man's body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And man became a living person”. (Gen 2:7 TLB)
3. You took His breath away when you chose Him as your Lord and Savior.
“Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." (John 20:21-22 NIV)
4. Now, it is your turn to let Him hold you so close that He takes your breath away because ever since the beginning of time, you have been taking His breath away every moment of every day
“You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse; You have ravished my heart With one look of your eyes, With one link of your necklace. How fair is your love, My sister, my spouse! How much better than wine is your love, And the scent of your perfumes Than all spices!” (Song 4:9-10 NKJV)
D. You Have Been Redeemed.
1. Only the shed blood of Jesus can redeem us.
"and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Rom 3:24)
2. Jesus provided the ransom payment. He bought you. He paid the price with the infinite, eternal value of His blood.
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace" (Eph 1:7)
3. He bought you out of the marketplace of sin, and you now belong to Him by right of purchase.
4. Once you are purchased by Jesus, you will never be sold back because Jesus has set you free, and now, “you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).
E. You Have Been Freed From The Curse Of The Law.
1. Jesus redeemed you from the curse of the law because He became the curse.
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." (Gal 3:13 NIV)
2. We are no longer under the law but under grace.
“For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." (Rom 6:14 NIV)
3. Sins dominion was through the law. Humanity’s inability to keep the law manifested our sin and brought us under the curse of the broken law.
4. Faith in Jesus released you from the obligation to a broken law and any obligation to keep it.
"So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." (Rom 7:4-6 NIV)
PRAY – CAN WE ALL COME TO AGREEMENT ON THIS SECTION?
"Lord Jesus, I believe that You died for my sins and were resurrected so I may be alive to You and live in obedience. Lord, I consider my old sinful life dead and buried with You in baptism. I now consider myself alive with You in resurrection by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, please help me know and feel this as reality in my heart with all understanding. Please lead me and train me to follow You from this point forward. In Your name, I pray, Amen."
IV. DEVELOPING A GREAT AND INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT
Once we have learned about God the Father and God the Son, it is equally vital that we understand our relationship with the Holy Spirit. He is our counselor, comforter, and guide.
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:26-27 NIV)
A. You have been Born-Again of the Holy Spirit
1. You can only become a child of God.
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." (John 1:12-13 NIV)
You aren’t born that way. Like begets like. An eternal God begets eternal children. In the human family, conception and birth are not dependent on the baby but on the parents. So it is with God. The difference between natural and spiritual birth is that spiritual birth gives spiritual life.
"Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:5-8)
2. The Holy Spirit, the incorruptible seed, is the source of your new birth. “For you have been born
again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1
Peter 1:23)
B. You have been Washed In The Rebirth.
1. This washing took place at the Cross through the shed blood of Jesus.
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." (Titus 3:5 KJV)
2. This is a once and for all experience.
"And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor 6:11). Notice that this verse says that you were (past tense) washed.
Jesus taught us that to have fellowship with Him, you don't need to repeat the complete bath of the new birth. You only need daily cleansing of your soul because it becomes dirty due to walking in a sin-cursed world.
Listen to what Jesus said to Peter after Jesus told them He was going to wash his feet:
"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you."
(John 13:8-10 NIV)
This is why Jesus said 11 of them were clean (saved through the complete washing of the new birth), but not Judas, who had never experienced the new birth. What you need when you sin is not to be reborn all over again but to experience the daily cleansing through confession and repentance of the sin.
C. You have Been Baptized in the Holy Spirit.
You have been permanently immersed in the Spirit and forever enclosed by Him. You are identified not only with the Holy Spirit but with all Christians.
"For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." (1 Cor 12:13 NIV)
D. You Have Been Given The Guarantee Of The Holy Spirit.
1. The Holy Spirit is in the heart of every Born-Again believer, guaranteeing their inheritance.
"set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, <guaranteeing> what is to come." (2 Cor 1:22 NIV)
It is like an engagement ring that signifies the promise of marriage. It is an advance payment for things to come.
E. You Have Been Sealed With The Holy Spirit.
1. A seal is a sign of ownership and authority.
He has set His seal “of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Cor 1:22 NIV)
2. The proof that the Holy Spirit has sealed a person is if there is a desire to stop sinning.
3. The presence of the Holy Spirit causes Your body to become a holy temple.
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own." (1 Cor 6:19 NIV)
4. He enables you to understand and comprehend spiritual truth in the Bible
"We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” (1 Cor 2:12 NIV)
F. You Have Been Filled With the Love of God
1. You now have God’s love constantly pouring into your heart, no matter where or what you do.
"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Rom 5:5 NIV)
2. His love, in turn, motivates you to love Him back in gratitude.
a. Because you are His child, “God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts.”
b. This love causes you to cry "Abba, Father." towards Him. Abba means daddy.
What an intimate way of calling to our heavenly Father.
3. Because you are filled with His love, the inner conviction that you are truly His was created within you.
4. If a person does not have the Holy Spirit in them, then they can not be a Christian.
"You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." (Rom 8:9 NIV)
G. You Have Been Redeemed.
1. Only the shed blood of Jesus can redeem us.
"and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Rom 3:24 NIV)
2. Jesus provided the ransom payment. He bought you. He paid the price with the infinite, eternal value of His blood.
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace" (Eph 1:7 NIV)
3. He bought you out of the marketplace of sin, and you now belong to Him by right of purchase.
4. Once you are purchased by Jesus, you will never be sold back because Jesus has set you free, and now, “you will be free indeed." (John 8:36 IV)
H. You Have Been Freed From The Curse Of The Law.
1. Jesus redeemed you from the curse of the law because He actually became the curse.
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." (Gal 3:13 NIV)
2. We are no longer under the law but under grace.
“For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." (Rom 6:14 NIV)
3. Sins dominion was through the law. Our inability to keep the law manifested his sin and brought him under the curse of the broken law.
4. Faith in Jesus releases you from the obligation to a broken law and any obligation to keep it.
"So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." (Rom 7:4-6 NIV)
G. You Have Been Released From A Relationship With satan
1. Satan's grip on a person who is not a Christian is awesome and powerful.
"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves." (Col 1:13 NIV)
2. No one could ever release their self or escape from such power.
3. Only Jesus can save them.
4. The lost person is a slave to sin. They are owned and bound by it.
5. By forgiving all your sins by shedding His blood, Jesus took away the enemy's accusations and “canceled the record that contained the charges” against you. Jesus “disarmed the evil rulers and authorities” and “shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.” (Col 2:13-15 NLT)
6. When you humble yourself before God in prayer, repent of your sin and seek His face, He “will hear from heaven”…“and heal” the land. (2 Chron 7:14-16 NLT)
H. You are the Dwelling Place of the Holy Spirit
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Cor 6:19-20 NIV)
1. Two words in the New Testament are translated as “Temple.”
a. ‘Naos’
The word used to describe your body as a “temple” of the Holy Spirit is “naos.” This word is also metaphorically used to describe the physical body of Jesus.
b. ‘Hieron’
“Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." “The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" But the temple he had spoken of was his body.” (John 2:19-22 NIV)
The other word translated in the New Testament is ‘hieron,’ which signifies the Temple's entire building or outer courts where everyone had access. This is the area in the Temple where Jesus taught His lessons.
Your spirit dwells in your body, and the Holy Spirit dwells in your spirit. Your body is the very shrine, the Holy of Holies, where the Spirit of God dwells. Only the high priest, clothed in penitential garments, amid a cloud of incense, and with the blood of sacrifice offered, could lawfully enter the Holy of Holies (Lev 16 - compare Heb 9:7).
“For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.” (2 Cor 6:14-16 NIV)
I. Jesus “is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5 KJV)
1. Light and darkness can’t dwell in the same place.
Only what is “good and perfect comes to us from God,” He is the “Creator of all light, and he shines forever without change or shadow.”
2. His light is so brilliant that light is His shadow! (James 1:17-18 TLB)
3. NO demon has the ability to produce darkness, causing you to stumble.
"Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble." (1 John 2:10 NIV)
Jesus taught us that "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall” (Luke 11:17-18 NIV)
4. Your body can not hold God’s eternal light and the eternal darkness of Hell because there is NO darkness in God’s holy Temple – you!
5. The most Holy, Creator God of the Universe lives IN you, and He “is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:1-5 NIV) This verse doesn’t say, "Greater is the Spirit of God in you than the demon who may also be in you." The demonic spirits of the enemy live "in the world," NOT in you.
6. When Jesus dealt with the Jews, He said they belonged to their father, “the devil.”
He didn’t say they were demon-possessed or under the oppression of the devil. He said they belonged to the devil and did “not belong to God.’ (John 8:42-47 NIV). This is the sense in which John wrote:
"He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning." (1 John 3:8 NIV)
Paul says that “you were dead in your transgressions and sins” when you “followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Eph 2:1-9 NIV)
7. Paul indicates that Born-Again Believers do not live among disobedient people, those IN whom the devil is actively at work.
a. If the enemy cannot be at work IN you as this verse teaches, then the believer cannot be indwelt and possessed by demons.
b. Those found in the kingdom of the Son, that is, Born-Again Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, are not under the rule or authority of demons because God “has rescued us from the dominion of darkness” (Col. 1:13 NIV)
PRAYER- CAN WE COME TO AGREEMENT ON THIS SECTION? (see Phil 1:6)
Holy Spirit, Thank you for living and working in me daily. Thank you for sealing me. I am confident that You began a good work in me and will finish it until the day of Jesus Christ. I am sorry for misunderstanding You. In Jesus' name – Amen.
