Fulfilling God s Purpose! Bible Study

Transcription

1 Fulfilling God s Purpose! Bible Study Prayer: Dear good and gracious heavenly Father, we give you humble and heartfelt thanks for the grace and love you lavish upon us. By the power of your Holy Spirit, let us reflect your presence in our lives through the lifestyles we live. Thank you for calling us into relationship with you, a relationship that sustains us in faith, equips us for service, and empowers us to love others as you love us. Open our minds to receive through this study the blessings you have for us to nurture us in faith and love toward you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Theme verses: Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man (Proverbs 3:3-4). Introduction The title of this study presupposes the need for building relationships. In other words, relationships don t just happen. Even in families where blood relationships exist, spiritual, emotional relationships must be built. How do we go about doing that? What are the criteria for such a construction? Let s look to the master of relationships: our Lord Jesus. Jesus, the incarnate Christ, lived in a relationship with his earthly family. The Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, and John say nothing at all on this subject, and, although Luke s remarks are brief, they are worthy of pondering. When his parents became separated from their son on the return from Jerusalem where they had attended the Feast of the Passover, they were distraught. When they were reunited, Mary asked, Son, why have you treated us like this? He gave his well-known reply: Didn t you know I had to be in my Father s house? Then, we re told, He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them... And [he] grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:48-52). The Son of God, the Savior of the World, lived in obedient relationship with the earthly parents his heavenly Father gave him. 1

2 It is in the early days of his ministry that Jesus starts gathering to himself his disciples, the Twelve who would sleep at his side, share their food with him, endure the variances in the weather (as they were often outdoors), hear and try to understand his words, and seek to emulate him, their Rabbi and Master. From Jesus we learn about building relationships. The criteria include quality time together, the opening of hearts to one another, trust and forgiveness, and interdependence. Just as he called his disciples into relationship with himself, so he initiates that closeness with us. He calls us with his Gospel words, Come to me... and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). He invites us, Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19). He abides with us (John 15:4); he shares his heavenly food with us (Matthew 26:26-28); he speaks to us in his Word and through his called servants (Hebrews 1:1-2); he presents us to his Father as holy in his sight (Colossians 1:22). Secure, then, in our relationship with Jesus, we come to understand both our identity and purpose as his stewards, and, as a result, we are transformed into people who fulfill God s purpose. Equipped by his Word and empowered by his transforming love, our stewardship is no longer limited to specific acts occurring here and there, but encompasses our entire lives. With a growing awareness of Christ s redeeming love, we are motivated to express our faith by the way we live our lives. God calls us into a relationship in which he is Lord where we are willing to do and be anything he chooses. Joyful in our relationship with our Lord, we no longer live according to our sinful nature (Romans 8:4). Instead our hearts and minds are set on doing what the Spirit desires for us. He makes us new in the attitude of [our] minds (Ephesians 4:23), so that, in love, we reach out to all people as brothers and sisters for whom Christ died, building relationships that last into eternity. Jesus First It is fitting in this study that we focus on the theme Jesus First. Unless we have an intimate relationship with Jesus, our lives have no value, direction, or purpose. Without Jesus, we live our lives only for ourselves. Without Jesus, there can be no faithful stewardship. Even though God, through his Son, seeks a relationship with each of us, God gives us the freedom to choose whom we will serve. Unfortunately, many of us reject him and never allow him to be in control of our lives. Even if we don t overtly reject him, we often put him in the margins of our lives making decisions without seeking his guidance and living to please ourselves rather than him. Yet, in spite of our sinfulness and rebellion, God still wants an intimate relationship with us. If we foolishly choose to serve something or someone other than our heavenly Father, we live in idolatry, and we violate the first commandment: You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in Heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God... (Exodus 20:3-5). Jesus reiterates the Old Testament command: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5), and he adds, This is the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-38). There is no greater joy than experiencing a close relationship with Christ. Unfortunately, our sinful selfishness prevents us from experiencing that close relationship with Jesus, but he breaks into our lives with his love. By the power of his Holy Spirit, he forgives our sins and creates a relationship with us. Because of Jesus, God calls us 2

3 his child and we call him Father. This oneness is not only our joy, but our strength as well. Whom or what we love and follow determines how faithful we are in fulfilling God s purpose. The inner joy and peace that come from an intimate relationship with Christ will survive any trial and sustain us through all circumstances. The relationship will endure, no matter what comes our way. God has the answers for all our questions, all our needs, and our doubts and fears in his Word. Through his Son, Jesus, we receive all of the Father s riches. He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will (Ephesians 1:5). What a beautiful thought that is! God chose us before time began to be his children! In the eternal councils of the Holy Trinity, he adopted us. Because of Jesus... We belong! We matter! We are no longer outcasts! We are no longer second-class citizens! We are members of his family! By the Spirit s power, we live in an intimate relationship with God. No longer intent on serving ourselves, we realize that God pours out his blessings on us in order that we might pass his blessings on to others. Jesus said, Whoever believes in me... streams of living water will flow from within him (John 7:38). When we stay in close fellowship with Jesus through his Word and Sacrament, he will use us as his channels through whom his blessings flow. We become conduits for God s grace. Questions for Discussion: 1. What is the difference between knowing about Jesus and having a relationship with him? How will merely knowing about Jesus leave you unsatisfied? 2. What obstructs your relationship with Jesus? What did Jesus do about those obstructions (Colossians 2:6-15)? 3. Jesus seeks a close, one-on-one relationship with you. How does this relationship energize and equip you as a steward? 4. Time with Jesus enriches your relationship with him. How do you spend time with Jesus? 5. What attitudes and actions are evident in your life as you live the lifestyle of a faithful steward? 3

4 Relationships with Believers As our relationships with the Lord grow, the way we think, speak, and act changes. Paul wrote,... the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17). We develop new attitudes and new behavior. Through faith, we understand that our purpose in life is to serve and glorify God. Jesus served and glorified his Father as he lived in relationship with earthly parents and brothers and sisters. Later he developed a relationship with the twelve and other disciples, spiritual brothers and sisters. We serve and glorify our Father as we live in relationship in his family, the Church. As we grow spiritually, we have greater love for and influence with these brothers and sisters in the Lord. Our relationships with Christ compel us to reach out to all people, including believers, building relationships that build up the Body of Christ. Our relationships with fellow believers are not dependent upon external things but develop because of Jesus love for us and our love for him. In Acts 2:44-46 we find a special relationship among believers. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. Among these fellow believers, there was a willingness to share things. They looked out for each other both physically and spiritually. Equality existed because those in need received from those who had the ability to share. This love for and interest in others can come only from hearts that have been changed by God. In Galatians 6:10 Paul wrote, Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. We are to put the interests of others before our own interests. When needs exist for fellow believers, we should be especially quick to respond to those needs. Our response should even be quicker when it comes to our own family. If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8). A very important part of the stewardship of our relationships is the understanding of our need to be accountable. Do we offer kindness and compassion to others? Do we offer support? Do we share the Gospel? Do we love our neighbors as ourselves? (Matthew 22:39). Relationships with Nonbelievers In Jesus three years in ministry on earth, he spent much of his time with non-believers. Wanting all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), Jesus reached out to many who were shunned by the religious community, building relationships with them that resulted in salvation and lives lived in service to God. In the same way, Paul spent his life as an ambassador for Jesus after his conversion on the road to Damascus. Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible... I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). Having been brought into the lifestyle of faithful stewards himself, Paul dedicated his life to reaching out to unbelievers, seeking to develop relationships with them so he could plant the seeds of the Gospel with them. The examples of Jesus and Paul are models for building relationships with those needing to hear the Gospel. What is our response going to be? Are we willing to forgo some personal discomfort? Are we willing to risk our reputations by associating with those clearly identified as godless 4

5 people? One way to become more intentional about evangelism and telling others about Jesus is to make a list of some people needing to hear the Good News. Acquaintances with whom you could start building relationships in order to share your love for Jesus with them. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you can help them see how much God loves them, that he sent his Son to die for them, and that they can have eternal, blissful life forever with him. Questions for Discussion: 6. What did Paul mean when he wrote, The old has gone, and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17)? 7. What is meant by the saying, To have a friend, you have to be a friend? 8. Meeting Zacchaeus, Jesus said, I must stay at your house today (Luke 19:5). Why did Jesus spend time with Zacchaeus? What happened to Zacchaeus? 9. Explain why the following are needed to build a relationship? Know yourself and like yourself. Express care for others. Give the gift of time. 10. What is meant by the statements: There is no such thing as a self-made man. Before people care what you know, they want to know that you care. When you extract all the unnecessary things about life, all that remains is relationships. (Doug Carter) It is never a chore to spend time with someone you love. 11. As God s steward, you will experience him actively working in and through your life. Why is this understanding important? 12. What effect do relationships have in helping people stay at a church? 13. Read James 1:19. What three things are key to a successful relationship? 14. What is your relationship with the material gifts that God has given you? Prayer Dear good and gracious heavenly Father, we thank you for your Holy Spirit who transforms us into people who bear fruit for you. Continue to guide and direct us so we can be more and more fruitful. Thank you for allowing us to be your hands, mouth, and feet. In Jesus most holy name we pray. Amen. 5 Copyright Parish Publishing, LLC May not be copied without permission.