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Appendix
-- Lesson 10
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What was the most dangerous thing that
ever happened to you? |
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I Peter 5:7 (NT 421) |
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When a person seeks God’s kingdom, he is
seeking the things that God values and
accepts His authority over his life.
Since God is our Creator, He knows what
is best for us and we should submit to
Him. Only then can we experience true
happiness and purpose in life. |
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Even if we receive all the things we may
seek besides God, will these things
bring us real satisfaction? Why or why
not? |
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A gift is by definition something you
receive for free. You don’t pay for it,
nor do you have to do something
afterwards to deserve receiving it.
Suppose someone gives you a nice present
on your birthday and then afterwards
asks you to pay for it or do them a
favor in return! The present would no
longer be perceived as being a gift, but
rather something you earned either by
money or by labor. Salvation, or the
forgiveness of sins is described as
being an absolutely free gift from
God. There are no strings or
conditions attached other than faith.
If we had to earn it, none of us would
be qualified to receive it, because we
have all sinned. |
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Faith, according to the Bible, does not
mean that we have to throw away our
intellect and do something foolish.
All of us exercise faith to some degree
every day in various situations. Based
upon what we know or have experienced,
we make decisions that in the end,
require faith because we cannot
completely predict or control the
results. For example, if you buy stock
in a certain company, you are exercising
faith that it will increase in value
because you have studied the market.
Having faith in Jesus for salvation, is
built upon what you understand about
God, yourself and Jesus. The results
are beyond your control, but based upon
what you know, you can trust God by
receiving His gift of salvation. |
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Although the strength of your faith is
important, the object of your faith is
far more crucial. You may have faith to
walk on very thin ice on a nearby pond,
but unless that ice is strong enough to
support your weight, you will fall into
the icy water! The strength of your
faith will not protect you because you
placed your faith in something that was
unreliable. God asks us to place our
faith in Him for salvation, because He
is reliable. |
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According to Japanese custom, if someone
does you a favor or gives you something,
you are obligated to do something for
that person or give them something in
return. To receive something for
nothing is almost unthinkable!
However, the Bible requires us to do
exactly that, as salvation and the
forgiveness of sins cannot be ‘paid’ for
by anything we do. It is available to
us for free, but it cost God a great
deal ~ the death of His only Son. If
we could earn it through our own
efforts, then we wouldn’t need to
receive it as a gift from God. But the
problem is that we can’t earn it. God
must provide it for us. |
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John 5:24 (NT 166) |
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