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THE CHURCH ON HIGHER GROUND |
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HOMEPAGE |
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OTHER STUDIES |
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SERMON NETS short messages |
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WHAT IS IN THE NEWS?.. a Christian response |
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THE PLAN...... BIBLE STUDY |
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GREETINGS AND GUIDANCE |
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LESSON OUTLINES |
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ADAM TO BABEL |
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PAGE 1 ADAM TO SETH (1-6) |
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PAGE 2 ENOCH TO JOB ( 5-11) |
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SHORT STUDY FALSE RELIGION |
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PAGE 3 S.S./ORIGIN OF FALSE RELIGIONS #1&2 |
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ABRAHAM'S LIFE |
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PAGE 4 ABRAM/ CALL TO FALL ( 12) |
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PAGE 5 ABRAM'S RETURN/ LOT IN SODOM/ABRAM BUILDS ALTER (13) |
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PAGE 6 LOT'S RESCUE/ABRAM'S VISION/HAGAR (14-16) |
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PAGE 7 ABRAM'S NAME CHANGED/SS-PERFECTION/CUTTING THE COVENANT(17) |
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PAGE 8 ANGELS VISIT ABRAHAM (18) |
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LOT'S LIFE |
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PAGE 9 THE DAYS OF LOT (19) |
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PAGE 10 LOT'S WAY (19) |
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ABRAHAM |
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PAGE 11 ABIMELECH/ISAAC BORN/COST OF SIN (20-21) |
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PAGE 12 (21) |
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PAGE 13 (22) |
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PAGE 14 (22-23) |
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PAGE 15 (23) |
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PAGE 16 (24- |
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PAGE 17 ( |
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PAGE 18 ( |
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PAGE 19 |
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PAGE 20 |
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PAGE 2 ENOCH TO JOB ( 5-11)
LESSON #1 ENOCH & NOAH (Ge. 5-10)
LESSON #2 THE TOWER OF BABEL (Ge. 11)
LESSON #3 JOB (Job 1-2)
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LESSON #1 ENOCH & NOAH (Ge. 5-10)
In our last lesson I confidently asserted that the corruption of man took place because of an intermarrying of the godly with the ungodly. Remember, Genesis 4 is the account of Cain's family line and some of the sins they entered into. In 4:25-26 we are told that Seth was born to Adam and Eve. Eve thought that he would be the Promised One. But during his life and in his family, people began to call on the name of the LORD. In Genesis 5 we are given Seth's lineage and it is there we see the influence of a godly heritage pay off.
Enoch, the seventh from Adam (Jude14), "walked with God" (Gen.5:22). Apparently by this time the impact of intermarrying was taking it's toll. The fact that Enoch stood out from the rest of his society tells us that the "leaven" was working it's way through the "warp and woof" of the entire human family. Enoch was so close to God that he obtained this witness, "he was pleasing to God" (Heb.11:5.) Enoch became God's voice to a world in rebellion and is considered a prophet of God, with such a far reaching message that part of it has not even been fulfilled yet, "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of His saints, To execute judgment upon all..." (Jude14-15.) Because of his faithfulness, Enoch did not even die physically, he was caught away by God, Enoch "...was not, for God took him" (Gen.5:24.) This makes him an example, to show us that God can keeps His people safe from His judgments on the earth. An interesting side light is that Methuselah died in the year of the flood, so did he die in the flood or before the flood? We'll find out later, not here, but later :).
Though society continued to deteriorate, God still had His faithful ones. Genesis 6:5 tells us that the LORD saw the "wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the heart was only evil contiually." Re-read that verse again and again to get the weightiness of the thought. It was so bad God decided to execute judgment and wipe out the entire world except for a select few. Those who were saved from the flood were saved because of the grace of God and because of the righteous life of one man.
Verses 8 and 9 tell us that "Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD" and that "Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generation and he walked with God." The plan of satan to destroy was only partially successful. God still prevailed in His plan to save man from sin and destruction. We need to be like Enoch, walk with God.
Though we are in the flesh, we should not walk in the flesh (Rom.8:4), but in the Spirit. If we walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Gal.5:16). Those who walk in the flesh cannot please God (Rom.8:8).
We need to be like Noah, live righteously in our generation. Others will scoff and say it cannot be done, but with God all things are possible and we can walk as He walked (I Jn.2:6) and be pure even as He is pure (I Jn.3:3) and be righteous even as He is righteous (I Jn.3:7) and be holy even as He is holy (I Pe.1:15). Before you doubt what I say here about being pure, holy and righteous, read the Book. His power to save is the power to save FROM sin not IN sin, He shall save His people from
their sins (Ma. 1:21). We can be conformed to His image
Rom. 8:29). Read the Book.
Questions?, email me.
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LESSON #2 THE TOWER OF BABEL (Ge. 11)
The water subsided and man had a new begining. God is the God of new beginings.
From Noah came Shem, the father of the Semitic people,
(middle eastern); from Ham came the Hamites, the father of the Hamitic people, (African and Arab); from Japheth came the Japhethites (the European stock.) Each of these three branches of the faimily could have pursued God, but the fact is, they didn't. All three of these branches of the human race corrupted the truths they were taught about God and developed pagan beliefs and practices. Because man thought he could determine his own detstiny, he decided not to obey God and not to go into all of the world to repopulate it.
Instead, he decided to hang around with others and build a
temple to the god of his own making (as would be done in
the days of Aaron at Mt. Siani.) Man became so accomplished that God said of him, "Behold the people is one and they have all one language; and this they begin
to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imaginied to do" (Ge. 11:6). God knew that man would attain to extraordinary levels of human accomplishment if left to himself, but the accomplishments would be seen as personal attainments without God,
therefore He changed their languages and made it impossible
to reach their Godless goals. An interesting facet to this account is, God has more confidence in man's ability to succeed without God, than man has confidence in his own ability to succeed with God. God built greatness into man at creation; man was destined for accomplishments.
In the fall, Adam's rebellion against God, the potential for success and accomplishment was not lost, but rather distorted. Mankind still dreams dreams. Mankind still strives for attainment. The difference is, he is not God directed, but satan directed. As at the Tower of Babel, men still envision reaching high goals, but they do it without loving, trusting or serving God.
Today we can travel in space and cyberspace. Today we can make the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear. Today we can manipulate life and "almost" create life. We are closer to being a "God-free" society today and getting closer everyday. Men, without faith in Jesus often have a greater capacity for faith in themselves and their own abilities than Christians have faith in Jesus' abilities. Though man may think he can live without God, the fact is he cannot. Without God and His wisdom and holiness, man's successes are laced with death and destruction. Man can take his God given potential for greatness and use it for himself and find he is bankrupt of everything in the end, or he can surrender his God given potential back to God
and let God use it for His honor and glory. When this
happens, man truly does reach to what he is destined to be
and do.
Though I have used the words "potential" and "human" in this study, it does not mean I believe in the "human potential movement." I do not believe man can lift himself by his own bootstraps. I do believe that God gave mankind certain abilities and that those abilities can either be used aside from God,
resulting in death and destruction, or he can use those same abilities under God's authority resulting in life and true success. The problems of life are rooted in man's rebellion; for instance the Garden of Eden and the Tower of Babel. Each step away from God leads downward. It is only in reversing our direction, in repentence, that we will ever move upward. If we do not choose to move in the right direction, we will suffer the consequenses and judgment of God; such as Adam's expulsion from the Garden and all of the attending aspects of The Fall and the confusion of human languages which further divided men from one another. Unity in God brings fulfillment and true success, "unity" outside of God ultimatly brings emptiness and failure.
God plans our success...not our defeat, see Jeremiah 29:11
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LESSON #3 JOB (Job 1-2)
Although the Book of Job is not located at the beginning of the Bible, Job, the man about whom the book is written, did live about the same time as these early men we are studying now. This is why I have included him in this portion of our study.
God moves, satan moves, God counter moves. This is a recurring scene in the Scriptures. This is why we call this series of lessons, The Plan. God has a plan which satan always seeks to overthrow with his own diabolic plan, only to find that God has anticipated it and provided a way to accomplish His own purposes. After satan's attempt to corrupt the whole human race to the point of total destruction, God showed His grace, wisdom, power and plan with the saving of Noah and his family and through his family the world was re-populated. A study of world history and civilizations tells about the pagan ways and worship of the people of the Indus Valley, the Ho River valley, the Cretes and the North Africans as well as the Tigris/Euphrates River Valley. It would appear that satan had corrupted the whole world again. But the Bible tells us that two men of this period were still obedient to
God. These two men lived separate lives and are found in different parts of the Bible. They were Abram and Job. We will consider Job in this lesson. It appears that the angels were accustomed to coming before God and giving a report of their activities (Job 1:6)) and satan also came and gave a report of his wicked activities (vs.7).
satan had traveled the whole world and it appears that he now claimed that there was no man who would be faithful to God. God then told satan that he could test Job, because Job was a man who was upright, blameless and feared God and
turned away from evil (vss.1&8). satan claimed that Job was so blessed and protected by God that he would not turn against God. God allowed satan to afflict Job, knowing that he would remain faithful. satan attacks Job's finances, family and fidelity. satan used wicked neighbors and natural phenomenon to bring death and destruction to Job's household. But in all of this, Job sinned not nor blamed God (vss.13-22) At a later date satan came before God again and said that Job would not sin because his body was protected. God said satan could attack his body, knowing that Job would remain faithful. Through all of Job's losses and suffering, he never blamed God and did not sin. This is an ancient, but accurate account of God overcoming the plan of satan to destroy.
God had a man who, by His grace and power, was willing to be blameless, upright, fearing God and turning from evil. Though Job was turned against by his friends and family, he remained faithful. In this account we find that we can be blameless, upright, fearing God and turning from evil. But we can only live that life by trusting and obeying God.
Notice also, satan starts his attack on the human race through only one individual such as Eve, Adam, Cain and Lamech. From the one person satan spreads his wave of corruption, as a pebble in the middle of a pond sends a
ripple to the distant shoreline. It is equally true that God chooses to reach the distant shores of humanity through the avaiability of an indvidual; Enoch, Noah, Job and as we will see, Abrhaham.
Who will you serve today? Whose bidding will you do? Will you be a stepping stone or a stumbling block, a help or a hinderance, a blessing or a burden?
"Serve the Lord with gladness."
"Delight yourself in the Lord."
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