Holy, But Still Human

2 Corinthians 4:7-15

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹ For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

¹³ It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”^[a] Since we have that same spirit of^[b] faith, we also believe and therefore speak, ¹⁴ because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. ¹⁵ All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Galatians 2:11-14

¹¹ When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹² For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. ¹³ The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

¹⁴ When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. 

1.      Why do you think Paul would say we are jars of clay?

a.       Clay always has a certain amount of impurities within it.

b.      Sometimes inferior products are made by insufficiently burning vessels. The vessels were not left in the fire long enough.

c.       Clay jars have an amount of fragility and can be easily broken.

2.      What does it mean to be human?

a.       Talking about our humanity makes us feel vulnerable and weaker than we like to think we are.

b.      Saying we are human jars of clay points out our weakness, and fragility; we get tired and old.

3.      In what way do we reveal Christ through our humanity?

a.       When we accept Christ, He does not remove our humanity. He merely enhances it, sort of like light through a stained glass window.

b.      In our humanity and fragileness, show the power of Christ through these weaknesses.

c.       Leslie B. Flynn, Dare to Care Like Jesus, illustrates the importance of living a Christlike life in a story. He wrote, “A Christian baroness, living in the highland of Nairobi, Kenya, told of a young national who was employed as her houseboy. After three months, he asked the baroness to give him a letter of reference to a friendly sheik some miles away. The baroness, not wishing to houseboy to leave, just when he had learned the routine of the household, offered to increase his pay. The lad replied that he was not leaving for higher wages. Rather, he had decided that he would become either a Christian or a Muslim. This was why he had come to work for the baroness for three months. He had wished to see how Christians acted. Now he wanted to work for three months for the sheik to observe the ways of the Muslims. Then he would decide. The baroness was ashamed as she recalled the many shortcomings in her dealings with the houseboy. She could only exclaim, “Why didn’t you tell me at the beginning!”

4.      How can we reveal Christ through our weakness?

a.       We can reveal Christ through our weakness by not focusing on our humanity, but on His sufficiency.

b.      We can know our weaknesses because of the power of Christ; we can be stronger in our times of weakness than when we are operating under our own strengths.

c.       Because we accept Christ, we do not instantly become perfect. “Christians are not perfect. They are just forgiven”.

d.      How can that person claim to be a Christian and act like that, is hard for unbelievers to grasp.

5.      How is what Paul is saying in 2 Corinthians 4:7 an indictment against humanism?

Humanism

* an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems.

a.       Humanism essentially says that man is his own god; therefore, man has no weaknesses, but is a paradigm of goodness and can solve his own problems by rational reasoning.

b.      A humanist would not need to rely on an outside force, such as a Supreme Being.

6.      How do verse 8 and 9 fit?

a.       ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

b.      Everywhere we go, we will have trouble and problems, but with God’s help, we can keep going.

c.       Sometimes we do not know what to do or which way to take, or where we will get the supplies we need. We may also have perplexing thoughts, doubts, and fears.

7.      Can anything other than what is put into the jar come out?

a.       Consider when Jesus turned water into wine. It was still water until the servants took some out to give to the master to taste, and then the master called it the finest wine.

b.      Note that the water to wine that Jesus helped with went into stone jars, not clay. Ceremonially, clay was impure, therefore, for ceremonial purposes, stone needs to be used. Although, if you think about it, the water the servants put into the jar was not ceremonially clean either.

c.       The treasure in the jar of clay is unseen until it is poured out for others.

d.      A hidden treasure is of no value to anyone.

e.       God poured the treasure in. It is our job to pour out the treasure.

8.      It is because of our humanity we must be confronted by Christ. Why is that?

9.      What does being confronted by Christ mean?

a.       “To have experienced the Christ, to have encountered Jesus of Nazareth, to have run headlong into the person of God in the flesh must have been like stepping into the path of a hurricane. No one would do it intentionally. Human beings do not seek out hurricanes. Hurricanes happen. Suddenly. Often without much warning. If we can avoid “being there,” we do. If we can’t, we don’t. It is really almost as simple as that. To experience the Christ is to run headlong into the path of a hurricane. Yet the experience of the hurricane itself is scattering, disassembling, chaotic, violent motion.” (The Way of the Wolf: The Gospel in New Images, Martin Bell)

10.  Explain why it is in the context of our humanity that we live out our new life in Christ.

a.     Note: Just because within a human context something is impossible, we need to remember that the word “impossible” is not in God’s dictionary.

When Sorrow Will Flee Away-Isaiah 35:1-10

Isaiah 35:1-10 ¹The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, ²it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. ³Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; ⁴say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." ⁵Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. ⁶Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. ⁷The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. ⁸And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. ⁹No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, ¹⁰and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

New International Version , Copyright 2011-2017 Biblica

1.      Do you ever get discouraged? Why might someone get discouraged? How might someone keep from getting discouraged?

2.      How does discouragement affect your life? What do you do when you find you are discouraged?

3.      Can we have joy and be discouraged at the same time? How would you explain your answer?

4.      What is it about joy that changes our outlook on life? How is the joy of the redeemed the product of their faith?

5.      Have you ever felt like your life was a desert? Can you describe the feeling?

6.      Why do you suppose Isaiah used the crocus as the example? When does the crocus usually appear? How do you feel when you see a crocus? What happens when your life “breaks forth into bloom”?

7.      What is the design of the gospel?

8.      What does the “then” of verses 5 and 6 refer?

9.      Are verses 5-7 speaking literally or figuratively? (see Isaiah 6:9f; and 32:3-4) Is Isaiah referring to the work of the Messiah and the Holy Spirit?

10.  What is unique about:

a.       A highway in the desert

b.      This particular highway

Why might someone wish to use this highway?

11.  Jesus said, ‘I am the Way…” How might verse 8 be read now? How are you doing on the highway to holiness?

a.       Cruising on auto-pilot

b.      Running out of gas

c.       Broken down

d.      Driving distracted

e.       Going the wrong way

12.  How can you be helped to get on the highway and make progress?

                             

Doing an Inductive Bible Study

Inductive Bible Study

       I.            Observation

    II.            Analysis (Interpretation)

 III.            Application

Observation (If I were there, what would I see/hear?)

Ø  What does the passage really say?

Analysis (Ask, why is this here/why did this happen this way/ Meditate on the passage.)

Ø  Cultural context

Ø  Word meanings

Ø  How would those to whom the passage was written think it meant?

Ø  What does it mean to us today (in general)?

Application (Therefore)

Ø  How does this apply to me as an individual?

Ø  What is God saying to me through this passage?

Ø  What is new to me?

Ø  What requires a change in my thinking?

Ø  Where do I go from here?

Example

John 5:1-15

I.                   Observation

a.       This was feast time. What do you hear and smell? What is the atmosphere? There would be many people around Jerusalem.

      The pool was near the Sheep Gate where sheep were taken to the Temple for sacrifice. According to an ancient tradition, Bethesda is also where Jesus’ maternal grandparents, Anne and Joachim, lived — and where his mother Mary was born. http://www.seetheholyland.net/pools-of-bethesda/

b.      A great number of disabled people used to lie at the pool. How would you picture the invalid?

c.       The pool had five porches.

d.      The purpose of the pool was to collect rainwater for Temple use.

e.       The angel stirring the waters was a superstition.

f.       The man there was an invalid for 38 years.

g.      When Jesus asked him if he wanted to get well the man did not say yes.

h.      Jesus told the man to carry his mat on the Sabbath.

i.        Immediately, the Jews questioned why the man was carrying his mat.

j.        The man did not know his healer until later.

k.      Jesus saw the man at the Temple and said, “You are well, stop sinning or worse may happen to you.

l.        The only place in Scripture this story you will find this story is in the Gospel of John.

m.    It does not mention if there was more than one person there.

n.      The Pool of Bethesda may have originally been a mikvah, or ritual-bathing place.

o.      This is not the only time Jesus healed at a pool. The Pool of Siloam is where He healed the blind man.

p.      Jesus did not touch the man or ask him to enter the water. He commanded the man.

II.                Analysis

a.       The Gospel of John was written to inspire faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

b.      Bethesda means house of mercy.

c.       At that time, there were no sacrifices happening at the Temple, so the Romans probably controlled the Pool as a healing shrine.

d.      The Pool of Bethesda may have been a healing center (shrine) for the Greco-Roman god of healing, Asclepius. We encounter Asclepius as related to the Hippocratic Oath, which our medical professionals take.

e.       Jesus brought about a confrontation with the pagan healing belief system. He also healed here without the man even touching the water. Who does the healing here, an angel who only comes occasionally, or Jesus who can heal anytime, anywhere?

f.       Jesus had to purpose to go to the Pool of Bethesda, since it was outside the city walls and was about 100 yards from the Sheep Gate.

g.      “Do you want to get well?” seems to be an obvious question. If you were an invalid for 38 years, would you not want to get well? There are times in our lives when Jesus asks us if we want to get well (physically, mentally, or spiritually) and instead of jumping up and saying, “Yes, what do I have to do?”We do just as the man did and say, “Other people always beat me to the healing. I am doing the best I can, but it does not help.” We may say, “No, I think I can handle the situation, it has not gotten any better in 38 years, and therefore, it must be God’s will for me. The man thought that the stirring of the waters was his only hope when at that point Jesus was his only hope.

h.      Jesus told the man to do 3 things:

                                                              i.      Get up

                                                            ii.      Pick up your mat

                                                          iii.      Walk

1.      If you are an invalid, you generally cannot walk.

2.      Invalids are usually too weak to carry things.

3.      Years of not walking on muscles would essentially be impossible due to atrophy.

i.        Jesus asked the man to do three things that the man normally would find impossible to do, yet the man did them.

j.        There were very strict rules about working on the Sabbath, and carrying your mat was working. The Jewish leaders were more concerned about a rule being broken than with the fact the man received healing.

k.      Jesus several times “worked” on the Sabbath. Usually He worked as a healer and in this case, He told the man to “work” by carrying his mat. Perhaps Jesus was trying to show that the Sabbath rules as found in the Talmud were more restrictive than the original intention in the Law of Moses (Gen.-Deut.). The Pharisees were following the letter of the Law rather than ascribing to the spirit of the Law. (See Mark 7:6-13)

l.        When questioned, the man told the Jews that he was told to carry his mat. At that point, as they intensely questioned him, the man could have started to doubt whether or not his healing was from God. The Jewish leaders were powerful people and considered the teachers of the people. Whom should the man believe? Should he believe the man who healed him, (he at that time did not even know who it was), or the Jewish leaders whose authority was recognized throughout Judaism? Would not it be easier to trust someone you know over a perfect stranger? The one thing he did know was that he received healing; however, there may have been some questions in his mind for when Jesus found him at the Temple, He stated another obvious fact. “You are well again”, removing any of the questions the man may have had for the man did not seem afraid to encounter the Jews again and to declare the name of his healer.

m.    Why did Jesus tell the man to stop sinning or something worse might happen?

                                                              i.      Had sin caused his original illness? Probably not, since in other cases Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven”. In this case, He did not.

                                                            ii.      Sin would take him out from under God’s protective umbrella.

                                                          iii.      Was the man thinking about what he could do now? Perhaps the things he missed for the last 38 years and some of the things might have included sin. (See Gal. 5:13)

n.      There was no mention of any other people in the Pool area as clamoring for healing from Jesus after they saw the man healed. Jesus slipped away almost as quickly as He came, otherwise, the man would have had time to discover His name. Obviously, Jesus had not healed anyone else in the pool area before the man; otherwise, the man would not have said what he did. It almost looked as if Jesus went to the Pool to heal one man, then left.

o.      Now that he received healing, what changes will the man see?

III.             Application

a.       We often only see one way in which we feel God can solve our problem (the stirring of the waters), when God actually has another plan in view (Jesus)

b.      Do we desire health enough to go with God’s alternate plan?

c.       God is the one to go to for healing and relying on superstitions gets you nowhere.

d.      We must be willing to do what we perceive is impossible to effect healing. (Get up, pick up your mat and walk)

e.       The choice is ours. Jesus did not force the man to receive healing.

f.       Sometimes our fellow Christians will attempt to shake our faith in the fact we have received healing, but we need to realize who healed us, and that He has the ability and power to do it.

g.      When you realize you have received healing, also realize that does not mean you will never be sick again. Sin opens a door for illness and problems (whatever kind, spiritual, physical, emotional_.

h.      Jesus is interested in you as an individual.

      How badly do we want healing?

i.        Do we operate a certain way because the Bible tells us we should or because of love and compassion for those involved?

j.        Do we intensely question those who are trying to follow God’s direction not because it is not God’s direction, but because it does not fit into our scheme of things?

k.      Because God chooses to operate in a different manner then we are used to does that:

                                                              i.      Make it any less God doing it

                                                            ii.      Shake up our preconceived notions

l.        Are we sometimes more concerned with the technicalities than with the fact that the man received healing after 38 years?

m.    Would we have rejoiced with the man for his healing or condemned the man for carrying his mat?

n.      How does this healing at the Pool affect me?

o.      Responsibility comes with healing. If I allow God to heal me, am I willing to now get a job, go to college, and change my clothes? Which is easier, being healed or being well? Why is that? If I receive healing, I no longer expect to rely on others for my every need.

p.      How do people today try to be healed spiritually outside of Jesus?

q.      Have you ever had someone challenge your healing, whether it is spiritual, physical or mental? How did you feel and how did you respond?

r.        It is more difficult, to receive a challenge by the church than by someone outside the church. Do you agree?

s.       Think about how the rules of the Sabbath fit here.

t.        How can I allow this to change me?

u.      Where do I go from here?

What might you add?

It is a good idea to keep a journal of your studies and dating the entries makes them act as a diary of God working in your life.

Thoughts: Bible Study of Galatians 5:13-26

A Course in Christian Freedom

Galatians 5:13-26 

Book of Galatians

Written:  A.D. 47-55

            What was happening in the world during that time?

·         Buddhism begins to spread from India into Central Asia

·         54 AD Claudius Murdered, Nero made Emperor

·         Claudius' expulsion of the Jews from Rome

·         Romans learn the use of soap from the Gauls.

·         Ananias, a high priest in Jerusalem, is sent to Rome after being accused of violence

·         Saint Thomas, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, is believed to have landed in Kodungallur, India to preach the Gospel 

Why written: To combat circumcision and keeping of the Law of Moses

Written to: Christians in Galatia

Theme: A protest against legalism with a  focus on the justification of faith

Key text: 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. 

Galatia

Named Galatia for the Gauls. They were originally Celtic tribes. Galatia became part of the Roman Empire in 25 BC.

Could be written to Galatia proper or the whole province including Antioch, Iconium, Derbe and Lystra. The capital was Ancyra, which is now Ankara, the capital of Turkey. The peoples of Galatia were described as fickle and easily influenced. 

http://www.mysteriousgrace.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/secondjourney1.png 

Concept #1 Liberty is not license (Galatians 5:13-18) 

1.      Since we have been called to be free, what do the terms “Christian liberty” or “Christian freedom” mean?

a.       When we have freedom to choose, we become responsible for the consequences of our choices.

b.      We have been freed from the penalty of sin, but not free to do anything we want.

2.      Where and how is such liberty or freedom to be found?

3.      How do we live by the Spirit?

4.      Considering the background of the book of Galatians, why is it important for Christian study today? 

What do you do when others “cut in on you” (in line, traffic, when speaking)? Could anyone ever accuse you of “road rage”? 

Concept #2 The Works of the Flesh Spring from the Sinful Nature (Galatians 5:19-21) 

1.      Into what four categories do the acts of the sinful nature fall?

a.       Sexual immorality

b.      Religious sins

c.       Sins that create chaos in our relationships

d.      Sins in the realm of drink

2.      What exactly are the acts of the sinful nature?

a.       Is this list inclusive?

b.      What is debauchery?

                                                              i.      Immorality is any kind of sexual irregularity

                                                            ii.      Impurity is the abuse of sex, but also applies to other forms of evil that can spread its influence

                                                          iii.      Debauchery is sexual sin committed without any shame or fear and without any regard for the rights and feelings of others

                                                          iv.      Idolatry is any substitute for the true God

                                                            v.      Witchcraft is the use of drugs in sorcery

                                                          vi.      Hatred is hostile feelings or acts

                                                        vii.      Discord is a spirit of quarrelsomeness

                                                      viii.      Jealousy is a feeling of resentment because of the success of another

                                                          ix.      Rage is an angry spasm for no rational reason

                                                            x.      Dissensions are divisions caused by pitting person against person or group

                                                          xi.      Factions are the formation of smaller groups or cliques within large groups ( the Greek word from which we get our word, heresy)

                                                        xii.      Envy is a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck

3.      Paul has warned the Galatians more than once. What was his warning?

a.       Those that live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

b.      We have liberty or freedom, but Paul says that does not mean we are free to practice the acts of the sinful nature.

4.      How does Paul navigate between the dangers of legalism and license?

5.      Paul says we are no longer under law, but also that we are to fulfill the law. What is the difference between the two?

6.      How have you seen Christian freedom abused?

Concept #3 The Fruit of the Spirit are Unitary, not Fragmentary like the works of the Flesh. (Galatians 5:19-26) 

1.      What does concept #3 mean?

a.       Notice that there are the acts of the sinful nature and the fruit of the Spirit.

b.      One is plural (acts), the other singular (fruit).

2.      Can the fruit of the Spirit be categorized? How?

a.       Love, joy, peace addresses our attitude toward God

b.      Patience, kindness, goodness describes what should be our attitude toward other people

c.       Faithfulness, gentleness, self-control refers to personal qualities

3.      What does Paul mean by the term “crucified” in verse 24?

a.       Where else in Galatians has he referred to the word, “crucified”?

                                                              i.      2:20 I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

                                                            ii.      6:14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

b.      This crucifixion is something done BY us not TO us

c.       The tradition is that Peter was crucified upside down and that Paul was beheaded because Paul was a Roman citizen (Acts 22:28), and Roman citizens were normally exempt from crucifixion.

d.      Illustrate practically what it means to “crucify” the sinful nature. 

4.      How do we keep in step with the Spirit?

a.       Keep in step means to march in line with, or follow another’s footsteps or example

5.      How has this study influenced your approach to Christian liberty and being led by the Spirit? How might your week be different?