Bible, the manual of maturity
TEACHER
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Lesson 1
BASIC BIBLICAL TEXT
Psalms 119.97-105
2 Timothy 3.14,15
BASIC BIBLE TEXT
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.
I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
Psalms 119.97-105
BASIC BIBLE TEXT
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,
and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3.14-15
GOLDEN TEXT
Deuteronomy 6.17
Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you.
AIMS
* Always seek knowledge of the Word of God;
*Use the Bible as the main source of teaching;
*Practice in your daily life the fundamentals of the Bible.
INTRODUCTION
The Bible is the Word of God. She has the right answer linked to the most important questions about the nature of man and his relationships. His message is, par excellence, the manual of maturity.
The aim of every Christian should be to know the Lord more deeply. To achieve this goal, it is imperative that one carefully search the Scriptures. Only in this way will it be possible to understand what is in God's heart about the ethical conduct of every Christian and, thus, apply his teachings to the daily challenges of life.
1. THE SCRIPTURES REVEAL WHO GOD IS
The Bible reveals the person of God in many ways. That is, His character, His nature, His attributes. Knowing it also helps us discover how we should be.
1. 1. The living and true God
Unlike idols that have no life, the God who can save is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. He is the eternally living God (Ps 90:2b)!
1.2. The God who loves
Socially, man was created for communion. This reflects the triune nature of God and His love. The best way to describe God's character, nature and person is to understand His love.
The Bible says that God always keeps what he promises, being just and kind in everything he does (Psalm 145:17). Waiting is tiring. But the act of believing that God is faithful leads to the understanding that waiting is a time of preparation. This makes the wait less agonizing and uncomfortable.
1.3. God’s purpose regarding the created being
The Lord, with all His perfection and holiness, has every right to judge and condemn human beings. However, the Scriptures say that He does not treat being made in His image and likeness according to the sins they practice (Ps 103:10). It is through the Scriptures that the human being, limited and subject to sin, can know what God thinks about him.
1.4. God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises
Since the first book of the Bible, it is possible to find thousands of promises made and pronounced by God, destined for the progress, growth and maturity of all who so desire. The promises of the Lord are faithful and true. All have been completely fulfilled down to the smallest detail. A comparative study of the Old Testament promises with the New Testament reveals the truth of the Lord’s words.
2. WHAT THE WORD OF GOD WORKS
2.1. New spiritual nature
God makes a person born again, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3-5). The new birth is God's solution to man in order to free him from eternal damnation (Luke 23:40-42). From the new spiritual nature generated by the Word of God, man receives three miracles:
justification (Rom. 5:1);
regeneration (2 Cor 5:17);
and worship (John 1:12, 13).
2.2. Real and abundant life
We believe that man is a trichotomous being, that is, endowed with body, soul and spirit. The body, the physical and material part of the human being, cannot survive without the soul and spirit (Deut 8:3).The words that proceed from the mouth of God are powerful to produce abundant life in body, soul, and spirit.
2.3. Lighting for the eyes
Many people, right now, are doing everything they can to feel joyful. Some don't know it, but they may be making bad decisions in an eagerness to feel good.
Everyone wants a happy, motivated and joyful heart. However, it is these attitudes that produce immediate joy in the heart: obedience and constant communion with God and with the brothers; daily meditation, study and systematic examination of Scripture. Just as the body needs food, so the spirit needs the Word of God to grow and develop (Jer 15:16).
The truth of God's Word is the sure foundation on which men rest, take refuge, feed, exercise faith, grow, renew, are strengthened, and, above all, are sanctified.
2.4. Truth that sanctifies
"Open my eyes is the psalmist's earnest request in Psalm 119:18.If the desire is to progress and advance in maturity, it is necessary to pray like the psalmist. God is the only one capable of tearing the blindfold off the spiritual eyes, so that the correct vision of His will and will may be had."
2.5. Inner purification
Christ told His disciples that they were already cleansed by the power of the Word that He had ministered to each of them (John 15:3).
The apostle Peter taught how to keep your heart, soul, and spirit clean until you reach maturity. (1 Pe 1.22; Psal119.9)
The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit Spirit (Eph 6:17). As such, it is able to reach deeply into the area of the human spirit and, there, perform an operation of purification (Gal 5:22,23).
The entire Bible is inspired by God. This means that He revealed through it His own being, as well as His desires and plans for men.
* It teaches the truth
* It condemns mistakes.
* It corrects the faults.
* It prepares the ones who serve God.
2.6. Multiple benefits
3. FAITH LEADS TO MATURITY
3.1. Faith in the true God
The desire to be successful, prosperous and fulfilled in life must necessarily pass through the decision to obey the Word of God and daily manifest faith in the blessed person of the Lord Jesus - the true God.
3.2. Intelligent faith
Jesus healed a woman who had been bleeding for 12 long years. One day this woman heard about Jesus (Luke 19:10; Acts 10:38 ). In that suffering life, through the intelligence of faith, she reflected: I am not worthy to speak with the Son of God. I don't need to tell you what I've suffered during these last 12 years. I'll go behind the crowd, because I don't want to attract attention. The only thing I want is to touch him. The miracle happened publicly. The whole crowd beheld that woman kneeling before the Son of God, relating the miracle and declaring the whole truth. The Lord Jesus established a family relationship with her, saying: daughter, your faith has healed you!.
3.3. Essential faith for everyday life
Jesus warned of the afflictions that the saved would face in the world (John 16:33).
In the struggles of each day, the servant of God is blessed with the assurance of faith (Heb. 10:22, 23). The certainty of faith does not allow discouragement, it does not fade, it does not give up and never backs down. The certainty of faith has its solidity and firmness in the Word of God (Rom. 4:20).
3.4. Faith that sees the invisible
No one can become a mature Christian without faith.
Faith sees the future. Today, more than any other time, it is necessary to have faith that sees the invisible. The life of a human being before God can be summed up in just two letters: faith (Heb 10:38).
3.5. Faith that leverages maturity
The victory that overcomes the world is our faith (1 John 5:4). It is a powerful spiritual weapon given by God to overcome any and all difficulties. It is faith that makes the Christian mature, true, strong and overcome in the face of adversity and tribulations of life.
CONCLUSION
The love of God must never be replaced by the values of this world (1 John 2:15). Remember that you are not the only one going through trials, temptations and struggles. If the saved seek Christian maturity through the Word, they will walk in the Spirit and will know how to act in every situation.
In the power of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of God, the world will be crucified to the saved (Gal 6:14). Firmly believing in this principle is fundamental to the development of maturity.
God bless you!
EBD ADVEC
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