OUR RESPONSIBILITY (WITH THE LORD)
INTENTION:
“Take my yolk, it is
easy” says the Lord. An invitation to be along-side Him as you journey in this
world. He never wants you to do life alone. You are His personal child, and He wants
to take care of you with you.
He will lead the way,
but we must act into that direction He needs us to go in. He cannot force us,
we must move as He stays by our side. We have responsibilities here on earth
that He asks us to do, so let’s do it with Him, not alone, and neither doing it
“for Him” for some kind of acceptance or reward.
I.
TOPIC:
We want to look at what is Our Responsibility (With the
Lord).
The Lord shares with us what we have to take charge of in
our lives—things we must choose to do. But in each and every situation, He does
it with us. We must never think that what we are instructed to do, we
are left alone to do it—the Lord always teams-up with us to help us make the
choice that He desires of us.
Sadly, I wrongly believed that it was MY own responsibility
to live holy, to be righteous, to be obedient. And I did try, but failed
miserably at it each time. This was because I really did try to do it on my own
to “please” or “appease” the Lord. I have since learned that He wants to do
with me and through me using His strength and ability in me!
So, when I am instructed to do something—either directly by
the Holy Spirit or in reading scripture—I now know that He will provide me that
ability to do so. All I need to do (as we learned in the previous lesson) is to
be humble, obedient, and trust Him.
If we don’t have this kind of unified relationship with Him,
we end up struggling to do it ourselves or praying to the Lord that He do it
Himself. But in doing these latter two, the efforts become futile; and we thus
remove ourself from that intimate relationship we have with Him.
Have you ever prayed to the Lord to “move”, only to find He
doesn’t? Maybe it’s because He has instructed us to be the ones to “move” (and
with Him)—to be the one’s initiating the action with Him. Just as, when He left
this earth, He instructed for us to do (acting from belief).
II.
READING: Mark
16:1-20 (CEB) {PoG}
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother
of James, and Salome bought spices so that they could go and anoint Jesus’ dead
body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they came
to the tomb. 3 They were saying to each other, “Who’s going to roll the stone
away from the entrance for us?” 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone
had been rolled away. (And it was a very large stone!) 5 Going into the tomb,
they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right side; and they were
startled. 6 But he said to them, “Don’t be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus
of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised. He isn’t here. Look, here’s
the place where they laid him. 7 Go, tell his disciples, especially Peter, that
he is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told
you.” 8 Overcome with terror and dread, they fled from the tomb. They said
nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
9 After Jesus rose up
early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from
whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and reported to the ones who had
been with him, who were mourning and weeping. 11 But even after they heard the
news, they didn’t believe that Jesus was alive and that Mary had seen him.
12 After that he appeared in a different form to two of them
who were walking along in the countryside. 13 When they returned, they reported
it to the others, but they didn’t believe them. 14 Finally he appeared to the
eleven while they were eating. Jesus criticized their unbelief and stubbornness
{hardness of heart} because they didn’t believe those who saw him after he was
raised up. 15 He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good
news to every creature. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but
whoever doesn’t believe will be condemned. 17 These signs will be associated
with those who believe: they will throw out demons in my name. They will speak
in new languages. 18 They will pick up snakes with their hands. If they drink
anything poisonous, it will not hurt them. They will place their hands on the
sick, and they will get well.”
19 After the Lord Jesus spoke to them, he was lifted up into
heaven and sat down on the right side of God. 20 But they went out and
proclaimed the message everywhere. The Lord worked with them, confirming the
word by the signs associated with them.
III.
RELATED VERSES AND QUESTIONS:
A. Our
first responsibility is actually to make the choice to believe in Jesus Christ
(and God the Father) for salvation. He desires that everyone would come to Him
(1
Timothy 2:3-4); although He knows not everyone will.
John
3:16-18 (CEB)
God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish
but will have eternal life. 17 God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge
the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes
in him isn’t judged; whoever doesn’t believe in him is already judged, because
they don’t believe in the name of God’s only Son.
Question: Have you believed in Him to be
Born-Again for Salvation?
B. Our
second responsibility is Love—love for anyone, everyone, and yourself
(including neighbours and enemies).
Matthew
5:43-45;48 (CEB)
“You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbour and hate
your enemy. 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who
harass you 45 so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in
heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on
both the righteous and the unrighteous.
48 Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love
to everyone, so also you must be complete”.
Matthew
22:37-40 (CEB) {PoG}
{Jesus} replied, “You must
love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all
your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is
like it: You must love your neighbour as you love yourself. 40 All the Law and
the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
Question: How are you learning about
love—whether to the Lord, Him to you, Him to others, you to others, others to
you, and you to yourself?
C. We
are to “work out our own salvation”. This is not that we can save ourselves
(make ourselves right with God), but the saving (healing) of the parts / areas of
your being that don’t yet align with what the Lord desires for you.
Philippians
2:12-13 (CEB) {PoG}
Therefore, my loved ones,
just as you always obey me, not just when I am present but now even more while
I am away, carry out {work out} your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13
God is the one who enables you both to want and to actually live out his good
purposes.
Question: What areas of your life do you need to
acknowledge and have the Lord help you to heal / make right?
D. This
goes along with the instructions for us to “renew our minds”. There are
strongholds in our minds that go against the way the Lord operates. Thus, we
have to allow Him into our minds to help to think as He thinks.
2
Corinthians 10:3-5 (CEB) {PoG}
Although we live in the
world, we don’t fight our battles with human methods. 4 Our weapons that we
fight with aren’t human, but instead they are powered by God for the
destruction of fortresses {strongholds}. They destroy arguments, 5 and every
defense that is raised up to oppose the knowledge of God. They capture every
thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Ephesians
4:21-24 (CEB)
Since you really listened
to him and you were taught how the truth is in Jesus, 22 change the former way
of life that was part of the person you once were, corrupted by deceitful
desires. 23 Instead, renew the thinking in your mind by the Spirit 24 and clothe
yourself with the new person created according to God’s image in justice and
true holiness.
Question: What thinking do you have that you
need the Spirit to help you with?
E. We
are told to focus on the good, not on the bad. Our mind and imagination are
often “going down the rabbit hole” into those worst-case scenarios. For me,
this is the Lord acknowledging that our “default” is more often negativity—that
with so much hurt around us, we need to cherish the good that does come.
Philippians
4:8-9 (CEB)
From now on, brothers and
sisters, if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your
thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just,
all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise. 9
Practice these things: whatever you learned, received, heard, or saw in us. The
God of peace will be with you.
Question: Do you find it easier to think and
dwell on the negative or the positive?
F. We
must get rid of the Law and works. To be caught up into thinking and believing
that the Law must be followed is to reject the Faith of Jesus. The Law is a
curse and opposition to faith. And the strength of sin is the Law (1
Corinthians 15:56).
Galatians
2:16 (CEB)
However, we know that a
person isn’t made righteous by the works of the Law but rather through the
faithfulness of Jesus Christ. We ourselves believed in Christ Jesus so that we
could be made righteous by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of
the Law—because no one will be made righteous by the works of the Law.
Galatians
3:10-14 (CEB)
All those who rely on the
works of the Law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone is cursed
who does not keep on doing all the things that have been written in the Law
scroll. 11 But since no one is made righteous by the Law as far as God is concerned,
it is clear that the righteous one will live on the basis of faith. 12 The Law
isn’t based on faith; rather, the one doing these things will live by them. 13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us—because
it is written, Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed. 14 He redeemed us so
that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,
and that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Question: What are ways you unintentionally (or
intentionally) get caught up thinking the Law applies to you?
G. We
are to address our own unbelief by exposing and removing it—some of which through
fasting and prayer.
Matthew
17:19-21 (CEB) {PoG}
Then the disciples came to
Jesus in private and said, “Why couldn’t we throw the demon out?”
20 “Because you have {unbelief},”
he said. “I assure you that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you
could say to this mountain, ‘Go from here to there,’ and it will go. There will
be nothing that you can’t do. This kind {of unbelief} doesn’t come out
except through prayer and fasting.
Question: What does prayer and fasting signify
to you?
H. Our
flesh has a desire of its own. Yet we are told to be “living sacrifices”—not
that we must sacrifice ourselves everyday, but that we were sacrificed once and
for all time at the Cross when we believed. Our duty now is to live as someone
that HAS sacrificed their “old self”, living now as a “resurrected new self”
(raised with Christ). For we live as Jesus in the here and now (1
John 4:17b).
Romans
6:13b (CEB)
Present yourselves to God
as people who have been brought back to life from the dead, and offer all the
parts of your body to God to be used as weapons to do right.
Romans
12:1-2 (CEB)
So, brothers and sisters,
because of God’s mercies, I encourage you to present your bodies as a living
sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. This is your appropriate priestly
service. 2 Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will
is—what is good and pleasing and mature.
Question: Do you consider your “old self”
(flesh) already dead and without power in your life?
I.
Anything that goes against the Lord (and us in Him)
is the Devil. We must resist those opposing, slanderous, maliciously false
accusations (statements), and the injury faced by misrepresentation. These can
be from our upbringing (nature and nurture) that can show up as our programming
(iniquities)—often revealed as “unhealed” areas in and of ourself.
James
4:7 (CEB)
Therefore, submit to God.
Resist the devil, and he will run away from you.
Question: Do you find it hard to discern what
you hear as being opposing and misrepresenting to the Lord?
J.
To help against those attacks by the devil, we
must put on the Armour of God. He provides it for us (His Armour), but it is up
to us to wear it!
Ephesians
6:10-17 (CEB)
Finally, be strengthened
by the Lord and his powerful strength. 11 Put on God’s armour so that you can
make a stand against the tricks of the devil. 12 We aren’t fighting against
human enemies but against rulers, authorities, forces of cosmic darkness, and
spiritual powers of evil in the heavens. 13 Therefore, pick up the full armour
of God so that you can stand your ground on the evil day and after you have
done everything possible to still stand. 14 So stand with the belt of truth
around your waist, justice as your breastplate, 15 and put shoes on your feet
so that you are ready to spread the good news of peace. 16 Above all, carry the
shield of faith so that you can extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s
word.
Question: What does it mean to you that you get
to wear the same God-Armour as Jesus had?
K. We
are to demonstrate the Gifts of the Spirit. Each and every one can manifest
through us (as Jesus did), but we have to choose to listen to the Holy Spirit
to gift each one out to the people who need the gift. Realising, that we are
being the vessel of delivery; the gift is not for me, but through me to the
person needing to receive the gift.
1
Corinthians 12:4-11 (CEB)
There are different
spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; 5 and there are different ministries and
the same Lord; 6 and there are different activities but the same God who
produces all of them in everyone. 7 A demonstration of the Spirit is given to
each person for the common good. 8 A word of wisdom is given by the Spirit to
one person, a word of knowledge to another according to the same Spirit, 9
faith to still another by the same Spirit, gifts of healing to another in the
one Spirit, 10 performance of miracles to another, prophecy to another, the
ability to tell spirits apart to another, different kinds of tongues to
another, and the interpretation of the tongues to another. 11 All these things
are produced by the one and same Spirit who gives what he wants to each person.
Question: Have you seen yourself ministering any
Gifts of the Spirit to anyone?
L. As
our previous Bible Lesson shared, we are to submit to the Lord, humbly, and in
trust. And when in partnership with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, we will be
doing “as on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew
6:10). And though we have the freedom to do anything we want, we have to
choose to submit all we do in line with the Lord.
Romans
6:16 (CEB)
Don’t you know that if you
offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, that you are slaves of the one
whom you obey? That’s true whether you serve as slaves of sin, which leads to
death, or as slaves of the kind of obedience that leads to righteousness.
1
Corinthians 6:12 (CEB)
I have the freedom to do
anything, but not everything is helpful. I have the freedom to do anything, but
I won’t be controlled by anything.
Question: Who or what do you find yourself
submitting to (obeying) over the Lord?
M. As
our opening scripture says in Mark
16, we must heal the sick, cast out demons, and all the things Jesus showed
us to do (and more). All we have to do is believe, ask, and act. We have that
authority (Luke
10:19).
John
14:12-14 (CEB)
I assure you that whoever
believes in me will do the works that I do. They will do even greater works
than these because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask for
in my name, so that the Father can be glorified in the Son. 14 When you ask me
for anything in my name, I will do it.
Question: Have you performed any of the same
“signs and wonders” that Jesus demonstrated for us?
N. We
manifest the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians
5:22-23) as being connected to Jesus, feeding from His vine!
John
15:1-8 (CEB) {PoG}
“I am the true vine, and
my Father is the vineyard keeper. 2 He {raises up} any of my branches that
don’t produce fruit, and he {cleanses} any branch that produces fruit so that
it will produce even more fruit. 3 You are already {cleansed} because of the
word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch
can’t produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can’t
produce fruit unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches.
If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me,
you can’t do anything. 6 If you don’t remain in me, you will be like a branch
that is thrown out and dries up. Those branches are gathered up, thrown into a
fire, and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for
whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified when
you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my disciples.”
Question: As
you are always connected, what are ways the Lord cleanses and elevates you to
produce much fruit?
O. We
must also forgive—not only others, but ourselves. This doesn’t mean “ignoring”
or “dismissing” the wrong, but acknowledging and addressing it (Matthew
18:15). The Lord has completely forgiven you and the others who have hurt
you or been hurt by you; so, let us also forgive as He did. Forgiving yourself
can also let go of guilt.
Colossians
3:12-14 (CEB)
Therefore, as God’s choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness,
humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Be tolerant with each other and, if
someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave
you, so also forgive each other. 14 And over all these things put on love,
which is the perfect bond of unity.
Question: Is it difficult for you to forgive
others? What about forgiving yourself?
P. We
all make mistakes (faults). To help us and others heal from pain caused, we
need to admit to our mistakes.
James
5:13-16 (CEB) {PoG}
If any of you are
suffering, they should pray. If any of you are happy, they should sing. 14 If
any of you are sick, they should call for the elders of the church, and the
elders should pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 Prayer that comes from faith will heal the sick, for the Lord will restore
them to health. And if they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 For this
reason, confess your {faults} to each other and pray for each other so that you
may be healed. The prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can
achieve.
Question: Do you find that unforgiveness or
guilt affects your mental, emotional, or physical health?
Q. When
we do find ourselves making mistakes (faults), we can live this life “without
offence, not troubled and distressed by a consciousness of sin” (G677).
Acts
24:16 (CEB)
On account of this, I have
committed myself to maintaining a clear conscience before God and with all
people.
Question: Do you feel you hold onto your sins /
faults / mistakes?
R. It
is also from a clear heart that we should give, knowing that the Lord will
supply for your giving.
2
Corinthians 9:5-8 (CEB)
This is why I
thought it was necessary to encourage the brothers to go to you ahead of time
and arrange in advance the generous gift you have already promised. I want it
to be a real gift from you. I don’t want you to feel like you are being forced
to give anything. 6 What I mean is this: the one who sows a small number of
seeds will also reap a small crop, and the one who sows a generous amount of
seeds will also reap a generous crop. 7 Everyone should give whatever they have
decided in their heart. They shouldn’t give with hesitation or because of
pressure. God loves a cheerful giver. 8 God has the power to provide you with
more than enough of every kind of grace. That way, you will have everything you
need always and in everything to provide more than enough for every kind of
good work.
Question: Is it sometimes hard for you to give,
especially when you feel you don’t have enough to give?
S. Prayer
is a necessity. Remember, even Jesus prayed. So, let us pray too! Yet, don’t
limit prayer to an “occurrence”, but let your own openness and transparency of
heart and mind be present with the Lord. They know everything anyway, and are
safe to let your emotions or situations be known from you to them—even all the
things in you that you dislike.
Acts
4:29-31 (CEB)
Now, Lord, take note of
their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with complete
confidence. 30 Stretch out your hand to bring healing and enable signs and
wonders to be performed through the name of Jesus, your holy servant.” 31 After
they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken. They were all
filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking God’s word with confidence.
Question: Why do you think prayer (simply
communicating with the Lord) is important?
IV.
FURTHER THOUGHT:
A. Matthew
11:28-30 (CEB)
“Come to me, all you who
are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Put
on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest
for yourselves. 30 My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.”
Thoughts: We are always WITH Him, and He WITH
us—we are inseparable in our entire life-journey.
He will never leave you
nor forsake you. Whether you let Him lead (you going with Him), or you lead
(Him going with you), you will always be together with Him.
And no matter where you go
in this life, He is not ashamed, nor faults you—no guilt, no condemnation, no
hate, no disgust, no revulsion, no expectations, no accountability… Nothing but
Love.
B. 1
Corinthians 13:4-8a (CEB) {PoG}
Love is patient, love is
kind, {love} isn’t jealous, {love} doesn’t brag, {love} isn’t
arrogant, 5 {love} isn’t rude, {love} doesn’t seek its own
advantage, {love} isn’t irritable, {love} doesn’t keep a record
of complaints, 6 {love} isn’t happy with injustice, but {love} is
happy with the truth. 7 Love puts up with all things, {love} trusts in
all things, {love} hopes for all things, {love} endures all
things. 8 Love never fails.
Galatians
5:14 (CEB)
All the Law has been
fulfilled in a single statement: Love your neighbour as yourself.
Thoughts: Too often I hear people objecting to
self-love; that it is a sin to actually love ourself. But why?
There’s the adage, “how
can you love your neighbour if you can’t love yourself”. This has some truth to
it, but I like to think that the way we love our neighbour is often a
reflection of how we love ourself. When we heal our own hurts, overcome our
triggers, and stop projecting, we can remove our restrictions and open our
depths of love for others. Yet, so much of healing our own self requires a love
of self.
If the Lord’s definition
and expressions of Love (the Agape Love) is what we read in 1
Corinthians 13:4-8a, then how would that kind of love be a sin? And if it
isn’t a sin to love others this way, why would we think it would be a sin to
love ourself in the same way? Well, it isn’t!
Since it is the Lord that
demonstrates this Love to us, as Him being this Love (1
John 4:16), as we being created of the Lord in and as of Love, as He Loves
Jesus in this Love, and Jesus Loving Himself in this Love… then this is how we
need to treat our own self too!
I am often my own worst
enemy (in how I mentally, emotionally, and physically treat / harass myself),
and we are told to Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute / harass
us (Matthew
5:44). So, another reason to Love myself in THIS type of Love.
So, it isn’t that we are
not supposed to Love ourself; for what I feel some mistakenly interpret as
“love” is not this Love (really love). We are the priceless pearl and treasure
He gave Himself for (Matthew
13:44-46). If He values us so much, let us value our own self as such.
·
Refer also: Bible Study Lesson 033 – Loves
C. Hebrews
5:11-13; 6:1-2 (CEB) {PoG}
We have a lot to say about
this topic, and it’s difficult to explain, because you have been lazy and you
haven’t been listening. 12 Although you should have been teachers by now, you
need someone to teach you an introduction to the basics about God’s message.
You have come to the place where you need milk instead of solid food. 13
Everyone who lives on milk is not used to the word of righteousness, because
they are babies.
1 So let’s press on to
maturity, by moving on from the basics about Christ’s word. Let’s not lay {all
over again} a foundation of turning away from dead works, of faith in God, 2 of
teaching about ritual ways to wash with water, laying on of hands, the
resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgment.
Thoughts: We are always growing in our
relationship with the Lord. We come to new or deeper understandings. We start
living the Life of Christ in and through us. We recognise the Lord more in the
everyday. We do with Him the things He asks. We even commune with others in our
progression.
In doing so, we become
mature (growing) in our knowledge of the Lord—getting past the milk that is the
“elementary principles of Christ” and eating real “meat”. And as we grow, we
can also immerse (baptise) others in the same correct knowledge of the Lord;
thus, making disciples as we are instructed to do as well:
Matthew
28:18-20 (CEB) {PoG}
Jesus came near and spoke
to them, “I’ve received all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing {repeatedly immersing} them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to
obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every
day until the end of this present age.”
·
Refer also: Bible Study Lesson 052 – Moving
Forward…
V. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & SUPPORT:
A thank you to Kelly and Joshua who are inspirational in this life-journey. And to all the family, friends, sponsors, and donors who have fed into this ministry and outreach.
If you would like to support this ministry and outreach, you may do so via our website or at:
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