Background Passage: Ephesians 5:1-14
Lesson Passage: Ephesians 5:1-14

LESSON PASSAGE OUTLINE
1. Live in Love (Eph. 5:1-2)
2. Live Without Impurity (Eph. 5:3-7)
3. Live as Light (Eph. 5:8-14)

BIBLICAL TRUTH
Believers reflect God’s holy nature by living in morally upright ways.

LIFE GOAL
To help adults reflect God’s holy nature in their behavior

Background Passage: 1 Corinthians 5:1–6:20
Lesson Passages: 1 Corinthians 6:1-9a,11,13b-20

LESSON PASSAGES OUTLINE
1. To Help Your Church (1 Cor. 6:1-6)
2. To Exhibit Your Salvation (1 Cor. 6:7-9a,11)
3. To Maintain Your Godliness (1 Cor. 6:13b-17)
4. To Safeguard Your Well-Being (1 Cor. 6:18-20)

BIBLICAL TRUTH
We are to practice Christian morality because such behavior has a positive impact on our churches and our lives.

LIFE GOAL
To help adults practice
Christian morality

Focal Passage Outline and Scripture Passages:
Does Sin Still Shock Us? (1 Cor. 5:1-2)
How Should We Respond to Immoral Members? (1 Cor. 5:9-13)
What’s Wrong with Sexual Immorality? (1 Cor. 6:15-20)

Background Passages:
1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 6:12–7:40

Focal Passages:
1 Corinthians 5:1-2,9-13; 6:15-20

What This Lesson Is About:
God’s standards—not prevailing cultural standards—form the basis for the Christian’s morality. The church must uphold God’s standards of morality.

How This Lesson Can Impact Your Life:
This lesson will help you to examine ways you are influenced by cultural views of sexual morality and to identify ways to protect your moral integrity and the reputation of your church.

James 4:4.

 4:4.  Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Enemies of God.

The core meaning of what this passage is about is that we should seek to always be friends of God. The world view of what is right, or acceptable may drift into various directions, but when in doubt, when a world opinion varies, stick to being friends with God.

The world at large doesn’t believe in following God. As a whole, laws of society or government are good. They seek out for the general wellfare of the population. Civic laws protect the rights of a citezen, keep people from infringing on the rights of others, and generally lay ground rules for safe behavior. However, every so often, a social group, on the fringe of accepted culture grows enough to be placed in the forefront. That fringe element demands that their unique lifestyle should be embraced as normal. Or at least just as good as some alternate lifestyle. Is it really just as good? Should it be considered just as honorable?

James addresses adulterers. In his day, the Christian people were being swayed to be accepting and tolerant of this behavior. They might even have been persuaded to also take part. At least to accept it and acknowledge it as a valid lifestyle. Though Christians are called to show tender mercy to those who are ungodly, we are not called to support that kind of living. To be a friend to such things makes us enemies of God.

God doesn’t make enemies. Human beings, or any being for that matter, make themselves an enemy when they turn from God and put distance between Them and him.

God created everything that we can know about. Our univers, our world, our environment, and all the living things in it. He created it ust the way he likes. He has a special love for the part of his creation that reflects him, namely, the people who choose to live according to his word that we have in the scriptures. But he loves all of his creation, even the parts that don’t reflect his image.

To use a modern buzz word, we are to be tolerant of even sinners, as far as they are God’s creation. God made them, they have the same good qualities built into them that God put in all of us. We have that common ground. When it comes to being a friend to a sinful practice, choose God.

What is sinful behavior? The world has its own measuring stick. But as any scientist, or engineer knows, any measuring stick has to be calibrated from time to time. A scale has to be zeroed out, delicate electronic measuring equipment needs to be serviced, using precise techniques to ensure it is still accurate. Even printed lines on a yard stick can’t always be trusted. The paint may have chipped, or rubbd off, or the stick may have become worn at the ends, or bent, or nicked. Though it may be close enough for most jobs, it is no longer precise and accurate.

The bible, and the standards it lists there for human behavior are the ultimate calibration tool. When dispute arises about a world view being right, check it against the word of God. When a world view wants to be socially accepted, check it against the bible.

Acts 5:31
“Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
–NKJ

The great thing about Jesus is that no matter what we might think about him, God thinks highly of him. The Jewish leaders of the day thought so little of him that they put him to death and rejected him. God lifts him up and exalts for him. Exalt, being a word that just means to cheer for, or to say encouraging things about something or someone. Scriptures record how God will send the Messiah, how he will be rejected and held in low account. It is that very person who is also placed in full authority of all the earth and of anything in heaven.

Jesus is named as prince. The government will rest on his shoulders. It would be a wise decision for everybody, including our governmental leaders to follow his ways, his morals, and ethics. Not that anybody has to do these things right now, but a time is foretold where everybody in heaven and earth will bow to him and recognize his authority. Right now we are all spiritually blind. We have the choice to do and believe what we like. That spiritual blindness won’t last though.

In those days, people put Jesus to death. Today there are many who still would like him, and his memory put to death. There are those who still reject him. All through the Bible though, Jesus is refered to as savior. His name means Yah Saves, or God Saves. It’s a salvation that isn’t only for those who believe, but even for those who don’t, won’t, and never will. The offer for salvation is there for anybody who wants to choose to take hold of it.

Jesus is the new covenant of God to humans. He is God’s gift that goes beyond who could take part in the old covenant, and includes every other person in the entire world. Jesus is a gift that opens the door to anybody who is looking for a way to God.

That day is coming where all people will for sure recognize God and Jesus for exactly who the Bible says they are. For some people it will be too late by then. For those who can recognize him now, there will be forgiveness. Remmission of sins, a washing away of impurities and shortcomings. Forgiveness of those shameful deeds or even thoughts, for any doubt we have ever had.

Will there be a part for those who are now unbelievers? Will there be a place for them in an eternal spiritual kingdom? In a word, no. What will happen to them? Where will they go? Where ever God wants them to be, but not in his kingdom. As believers we are sanctified, set apart, to enjoy what is in the next life in a place with no sorrow, no tears, only joy in God’s presence.

Will there be sorrow, tears, and agony in eternity? Yes, but not where God is. Realize now that what the Bible teaches about God and his love, and his plan for us to be part of his kingdom are real. Choose now to be a part of it.

1 Samuel 8

Summary:

By occasion of the ill government of Samuel’s sons, the Israelites ask a king
Samuel praying in grief is comforted by God
He tells the manner of a king
God wills Samuel to yield unto the importunity of the people

 8:1.  Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel.
 8:2.  The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
 8:3.  But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
 8:4.  Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,
 8:5.  and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

 8:6.  But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord.
 8:7.  And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.
 8:8.  “According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods so they are doing to you also.
 8:9.  “Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”

 8:10.  So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king.
 8:11.  And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots.
 8:12.  “He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
 8:13.  “He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
 8:14.  “And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.
 8:15.  “He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants.
 8:16.  “And he will take your menservants and your maidservants and your finest young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
 8:17.  “He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants.
 8:18.  “And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”

 8:19.  Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us,
 8:20.  that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
 8:21.  And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the Lord.
 8:22.  So the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”

Comments:

In the times of judges, we know that when God raised up a judge, the people had prosperous times. When that judge died, people fell away. Other judges at times had sons who tried to inherit the leadership that their parent had started, but usually ended up in tragedy. Why? Those sons were not appointed by God. They were not Godly.

In this passage, we read that now Samuel was old, possibly in his 50′s. Certainly not the hundreds of years old as his fore fathers like Abraham, and those preceding him. He tried to appoint his sons. Notice that Samuel did the appointing, not God. Samuels sons were evil and were unfair in dealing with the people. The people didn’t like it and neither did God.

The elders of the people came to Samuel to demand a king. God’s great desire is for each of us to worship him directly. Because we want to know him, and come to him one on one. The era of the judges was proving to be lacking in solid, continuous leadership. God would rather we didn’t have an earthly king, and instead have him as our only king. The time had come though, and he let the people have a king.

Samuel didn’t like the situation. He felt rejected. He took it to God in prayer. Samuel may have been right to feel rejected over the choice to place his sons in charge, but the true rejection was the people to desire a king, rather than trusting in God as their king.

God allowed Samuel to go about choosing a king, but he also wanted to let the people know all the downsides of what a king would demand. Did you notice all the areas of their lives the king would desire? Ten percent, does that sound familiar? That’s the amount that we are taught that we are to put into the offering plate in our worship to God.

The king would demand their sons, to serve him as he saw fit in self serving ways, in military ways, in social service and production. The daughters would be taken to serve in their own way. The land and the crops it produced would be taken to support the kings staff. Even a tenth of the seed is to be demanded. What is the significance of that? Where do new plants come from? Seeds. The king would demand not only part of what they currently had, but of the potential future production.

Things would be so burdensome in serving the king, instead of God, that when they would call out to God for mercy, he wouldn’t listen. Hey, they asked for it, and they would get it.

We ask God for things in prayer. He knows what is best and grants, or withholds our requests as he sees fit. He knows what we really need, and what is best for us. Sometimes though, God knows what we are asking for, that thing that we think will really satisfy our desires, and make us happy, and suit our needs, he gives to us anyway. Even though it isn’t his desire, even though he knows it won’t work. Sometimes we just have to learn the hard way, and he lets us. The people wanted a king to serve, rather than a true spirit God. He was going to let them have it their way.

3.      The Ten Commandments:
Exodus 20:1–17 (NKJ)

Summary:
The ten commandments are spoken by Jehovah

 20:1.  And God spoke all these words, saying:
 20:2.  “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

 20:3.  “You shall have no other gods before Me.

 20:4.  “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;

 20:5.  you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
 20:6.  but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

 20:7.  “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

 20:8.  “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
 20:9.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
 20:10.  but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
 20:11.  For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

 20:12.  “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

 20:13.  “You shall not murder.

 20:14.  “You shall not commit adultery.

 20:15.  “You shall not steal.

 20:16.  “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

 20:17.  “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Comments:

As God gave the commandments, he began by emphasizing who he was, Yahweh (the self existing, or living and breathing one), and what he had done for them lately. These ten commandments are the foundation of all the rest of the commandments in the Old Testament. However, Jesus summed them all up in just two commands. Love the Lord, and love your neighbor.

The first five commandments deal with giving honor to God.

1. No other Gods. God is the one and only true God. Anything else is no god at all.
2. No idols. Don’t let man made objects rule you. If it is a tangible thing made from rock, wood, gold, gems, steel, rubber, plastic or silicone, or whatever, don’t let it take away from or stand between you and God.

When a lifestyle of sin takes hold, it can go on for the second and third generations. Why does God punish the children of the sinner? Consider this, each person is responsible for their own sin. But those behavior patterns rarely affect only that person. A child of an abusive person is affected and learns that behavior. the second generation.  Then that child is likely to act that way and be abusive to his children, the third generation. The pattern is set and passed on. Eventually a child is born who recognizes bad behavior and though being raised wrongly, decides it’s time to break away.

Here’s the blessing in that downward spiral. Notice it says here that it only lasts to the second and third generations. How long will the blessings last for those who do behave well, and follow God’s commands? Thousands. Who are these people? Those who love God, even the ones who formerly hated him can join this bunch when they also learn to love God.

3. Don’t use God’s name in vain. God himself will judge this. It’s important to him. When a word is often said, or a deed often done, it begins to lose its meaning and value. It becomes familiar. Attitudes become loose and casual. Worship, awe, and reverence are lost. We begin to think we are more lie God, but we are not.

4. Remember the Sabbath. A day made for the benefit of people. Physical bodies need rest. Break away from work. The world won’t end when you do. Spend that time relaxing, but in anything you might do, do it to honor God. The universe moves in cycles, and the Sabbath is one of them. It is the first holiday and it is ordained by God to observe.

Follow the above commands. Why? Because God said so. To not follow them is directly between you and God. He will judge over them and a person carries the full weight of responsibility. There is not justification for not keeping them.

5. Honor parents. The first command with a promise. Long life. When we are young our parents care for our needs. Honor them by obeying them. When we are older, our parents may need our care as they decline. Obey by caring for them.

But what about parents who are not so lovely? The ones who are God haters? Still honor them by being obedient, but continuously take the situation to God in prayer, asking for guidance and forgiveness, strength and protection. They are still your parents and deserve some degree of respect. God loved each of us before we were very loveable, before we loved him. Try to model that behavior, returning good for evil.

6. Don’t kill.
ratsach – Hebrew. a primitive root; properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. kill
– Strongs Greek and Hebrew Dictionary.

kill – English. verb.
a. To put to death.
b. To deprive of life: The Black Death was a disease that killed millions.
– Yahoo Online Dictionary

It doesn’t matter what the justification might be, war, legal punishment, self defense, or anything. To end the life of another is wrong. But the punishment for many commands that come later say that they deserve death. Yes, but God leaves the performance of punishments to men. Allowances were made for cities of refuge. Killing is wrong, we all di anyway, and God’s judgements in heaven are final.

Later Jesus would declare that even hating someone is the same as killing them. Hatred is the emotion where killing starts.

7. Don’t commit adultery. Having sex outside a marriage relationship is not right. If you are single, you are not married, so this applies to you as well. Just as with murder, Jesus later declared the emotion behind this action. To lust after someone is where this sin begins, and is wrong.

8. Don’t steal. If it isn’t yours, don’t take it. If you didn’t buy it or if something wasn’t given to you, don’t take it.

9. Don’t lie. More specifically Don’t speak non-truths as a witness. We shouldn’t withhold truth and we shouldn’t speak falseley when we are called to be a witness. We shouldn’t lie to get people in trouble.

But what about when telling the truth will reveal a sensitive secret, or hurt someone’s feelings? Good question. There are times to be evasive, or just keep silent. It’s hard to plan a surprise party and not have secrets, for example. If it involves outright lies that hurt the person to be surprised, is it worth it? You decide.

10. Don’t covet. Or Don’t desire that precious thing that isn’t yours. To include tangible personal property, personal relationships, workers, or work property. 

Do you notice that all the things listed above are actions to do, or not to do. Coveting seems to be a desire, an emotion. It goes further than that, it is the action you take when you desire after a thing. Desiring your neighbor’s home and strolling in as if you own it. Desiring your neighbor’s wife and being a little too familiar with her, whether it crosses the line to adultery or not, don’t treat her as if she’s your own wife. The same extends to the other classes of property mentioned in the verses.

The old testament contain hundreds of laws and commands. These 10 are the basis for all the rest. To make things even more simple, Jesus broke it down to simply: Love God, and love others as you love yourself.