Sin

OBSERVATION:

 Sin will always be judged by God. Consequences from our past sins often come back to haunt us.
Sin brings judgment. Turn away from the sin that you enjoy. Seek help to remove the sin that reoccurs in your life. Don’t let patterns of sinfulness destroy your life; repent and seek Christ’s help.

GOOD NEWS FROM GOD! Part 2

Who Is God?

Why we should worship God?

• The true God is the creator of all things. He had no beginning and will never have an end. (Psalm 90:2) He is the Source of the good news found in the Bible. (1 Timothy 1:11) Since God gave us life, we should worship only him. (Read Revelation 4:11)

What is God like?

• No human has ever seen God because he is a Spirit, which means that he is a higher form of life than the physical creatures who live on earth. (John 1:18;  4:24) Nevertheless, we can discern God's personality from the things he has made. For instance, the variety of fruits and flowers tells us of his love and wisdom. The size of the universe tells us of his power. (Read Romans 1:20) We can learn even more about God's personality by reading the Bible. For example, it tells us what God likes and what he does not like, how he treats people, and how he reacts in different situations. (Read Psalm 103:7-10)

 Does God have a name?

• Jesus said: "Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified." (Matthew 6:9) Although God has many titles, he has only one name. In each language, it is pronounced differently. In English it is usually pronounced "Jehovah." But some people pronounce it "Yahweh." (Read Psalm 83:18) God's name has been taken out of many Bibles and replaced with the titles Lord or God. But when the Bible was written, it contained God's name some 7,000 times. Jesus made God's name known when he taught people about God. (Read John 17:26)

 Does Jehovah care about us?

• Does widespread suffering mean that Jehovah is a God who does not care about us? Some people claim that he makes us suffer to test us, but this is not true. (Read James 1:13) God has granted man the dignity of free will. Do we not appreciate our freedom to choose to serve God? (Joshua 24:15) But many choose to do bad things to others, so suffering abounds. It saddens Jehovah to see such injustice. (Read 2 Peter 2:9; 3:7, 13.)

  How can we draw closer to God?

• Jehovah invites us to draw close to him by speaking to him in prayer. He is interested in us individually. (Psalm 65:2; 145:18) He is willing to forgive. He recognizes our efforts to please him, even if we sometimes fail. So despite our imperfection, we really can enjoy a close relationship with God. (Read Psalm 103:12-14; James 4:8) Since Jehovah has given us life, we should love him more than we love anyone else. (Mark 12:30) As you express your love for God by learning more about him and doing as he asks, you will draw ever closer to him. (Read 1 Timothy 2:4; 1 John 5:3)

 


 

GOOD NEWS FROM GOD! Part 1

What is the Good News?
  

1.  What is the news from God?  God wants people to enjoy life on earth. He created the earth and everything on it because He loves mankind. Soon He will act to provide a better future for people in every land. He will relieve mankind of the causes of suffering. ( Read Jeremiah 29:11). No government has ever succeeded in eliminating violence, disease, or death. But there is good news. Shortly, God will replace all human governments with His own government. Its subjects will enjoy peace and good health. (Read Isaiah 25:8; 33:24; Daniel 2:44).
2. Why is the good news urgent? Suffering will end only when God clears the earth of bad people. (Zephaniah 2:3) When will that happen? God's Word foretold the conditions that now threaten mankind. Current events indicate that God's time to act is close. (Read 2 Timothy 3:1-5).
3. What should we do? We should learn about God from His Word, the Bible. It is like a letter to us from a loving father. It tells us how to enjoy a better way of life now and how to enjoy everlasting life on earth in the future. True, some may not like it that you are receiving help to understand the Bible. But the opportunity of a better future is too good to miss. (Read Proverbs 29:25;  Revelation 14:6-7). 

What is the Kingdom of God?

Would you say it is . . . 

• something within your heart?
• a figure of speech?
• a government in heaven?

THE BIBLE SAYS:
"The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed." -Daniel 2:44
"A son has been given to us; and the government will rest on his shoulder." -Isaiah 9:6

WHAT THAT CAN MEAN FOR YOU:

• A righteous government that can benefit you personally. -Isaiah 48:17-18.
• In a coming new world, life in perfect health and happiness. -Revelation 21:3-4.

CAN WE REALLY BELIEVE WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS? 
Yes, for at least two reasons:

•   Jesus showed what God's Kingdom will accomplish. Jesus taught his followers to pray for God's Kingdom to come and for God's will to be done on earth. (Matthew 6:9-10) Jesus demonstrated how that prayer will be answered. While on earth, Jesus fed the hungry, healed the sick, and restored life to the dead! (Matthew 15:29-38; John 11:38-44) As the future Ruler of God's Kingdom, Jesus provided a beautiful preview of what that Kingdom will do for its subjects. -Revelation 11:15
• World conditions confirm that God's Kingdom will soon come. Jesus foretold that just before the Kingdom brings peace to the earth, our world would be plagued with wars, famines, and earthquakes. -Matthew 24:3, 7. We see those very conditions today. So we can be confident that God's Kingdom will soon bring an end to all such problems.

TO THINK ABOUT:
What will life be like under the rule of God's Kingdom? The Bible answers that question at PSALM 37:29 and ISAIAH 65:21-23. 

Will suffering ever end?

Would you say . . . 

• yes?
• no?
• maybe?

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:

"God . . .  will wipe all tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death, suffering, crying, or pain."
-Revelation 21:3, 4 Contemporary English Version

WHAT THAT CAN MEAN FOR YOU:

• Assurance that God does not cause our problems. -James 1:13.
• Comfort from knowing that God feels for us when we suffer. -Zechariah 2:8. 
• Hope that all suffering will end. -Psalm 37:9-11.

CAN WE REALLY BELIEVE WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS?

Yes, for at least two reasons:

• God hates suffering and injustice. Consider how Jehovah God felt when his people in Bible times were cruelly mistreated. The Bible says that he was distressed because of "those who were treating them abusively." -Judges 2:18

God has strong feelings about those who harm others. For example, the Bible says that "hands that shed innocent blood" are detestable to him. -Proverbs 6:16, 17.

• God cares for us as individuals. Not only does each person know "his own plague and his own pain" but so does Jehovah! -2 Chronicles 6:29, 30.

Through his Kingdom, Jehovah will soon end the suffering of each individual. (Matthew 6:9, 10) In the meantime, he tenderly comforts those who sincerely look for him. -Acts 17:27; 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4.

TO THINK ABOUT:

Why does God allow suffering? The Bible answers that question at ROMANS 5:12 and 2 PETER 3:9.

God's love never ceases. Never. Though we spurn him. Ignore him. Reject him. Despise him. Disobey him. He will not change. Our evil cannot diminish his love. Our goodness cannot increase it. Our faith does not earn it anymore than our stupidity jeopardizes it. God doesn't love us less if we fail or more if we succeed. God's love never ceases.

Struggles

Think back to a struggle. Can you see something to be thankful for because of it?

Acts 5:41
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name

Hindsight is 20/20
Obviously, we can see things easier when there has been some distance of time between an event and the time that it happened. Only then can we later understand that we should have been thankful for it. I remember being with a man who was with me sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, and one lady slammed a door in our face in great anger. I thought like he did at the time, “Wow, that was rude,” but only later did we realize that we should be thankful because we were being rejected not because of who we were but because of Who Jesus is. It was a very hot and windy day. We were both thirsty and tired, and this door-slamming event didn’t feel good at the time, but only later did we feel joy about having been obedient to the Great Commission and being rejected for His sake (Matt 28:18-20/Acts 1:8). Looking back we saw that we both could be thankful for it (Matt 5:10-12; James 1:2).

Strength in the Struggle
I remember a young boy finding a cocoon. He took it home and said he wanted to wait for the butterfly to come out, so his parents put it in a jar with some holes punched into the lid so that air could get to it, but when the butterfly started opening the cocoon, the boy started helping it along. He tore part of the cocoon open so that the butterfly would have an easier time getting out. The butterfly did get out easier, as it didn’t have to struggle as much, but shortly after that the butterfly died. It seems that in the struggle to get out of the cocoon, the butterfly strengthens its wings, and it gives the wings time to dry out, too. When it received help, the wings were not strong enough to fly because there was less of a struggle for the butterfly to get out, and its wings were so weak that it simply lay down and died.

Strength in Adversity
In a biosphere experiment that a group of scientists had many years ago, they started having problems with the trees inside the self-contained unit. The trees started dying, and they couldn’t figure out why. Finally, after scientists could find no explanation for the trees dying, they came to understand that there needed to be some sort of wind in the biosphere. It seems that the trees grew so weak without having any wind resistance that the weight of their branches frequently pulled them off of the tree trunk. Scientific observations show that trees don’t grow most rapidly during times of rain or during times of sun. It seems that trees grow at their fastest rate and become the strongest during times of persistent and strong winds. The lesson is clear: When we think back to a time that we had struggled, maybe we should thank God for it because it’s likely made us stronger (1 Pet 1:6).

A Closing Prayer
Righteous God in heaven, I thank You for allowing me to face adversity, knowing that even the storms make me stronger, even if I don’t know it at the time (Acts 14:22). You know just how much is too much and the exact amount of struggle that is needed for me (1 Cor 10:13), so I thank You for the storms and praise You in all of this. In Jesus’ Holy Name I pray.
Amen