Topic: Invitation To Greater Works — Sunday 10, December 2017.

Memorise: Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. – Luke 10:19

Read: Matthew 14:23-29 (KJV)

23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

Bible in One Year: Psalm 135-141, Zephaniah 3:9-20, Hymn: Sing Hymn 14 – Take My Life

MESSAGE:

On one of their journeys by sea, the disciples saw Jesus walking towards them on water. Astonished to see this wonder, Peter asked the lord Jesus Christ if he could join Him, and the Lord invited him to come. Peter’s fellow disciples watched in amazement as he walked towards Jesus on the water. If only they too had responded to the Lord’s invitation, they would have partaken of this awesome experience, but they were not courageous enough to step out. Nevertheless, that invitation to do the impossible was not limited to them. It is still open to you and me today. In John 14:12, Jesus said,

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

Beloved, the call to do the works of Jesus and even perform greater works than He did is a call to do the impossible. To be able to do this, you must be prepared to believe in Jesus Christ with all your heart, leaving no space for doubt. Do you believe in Him? Why then do you still leave room for doubt? Don’t you know that the Lord never fails?

Furthermore, Jesus invites us to follow Him. John 8:12 says,

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

As the Light, if you follow Jesus, you will not walk in darkness, and neither will you stumble. Also, if you follow Him, He will make something great out of your life. He will make you what you never dreamt you could become. Consider a person like Peter: he would have died an unknown fisherman if he had not accepted Christ’s invitation to follow Him (Matthew 4:18-19). Have you accepted that invitation to follow Jesus? Today, some people give various excuses for not following Him. One of such excuses is that they do not want to be disturbed or distracted from their life’s goal or ambition, failing to realize that if only they accepted the Lord’s invitation, they would have had a greater future and they would have enjoyed His backing in all their life’s endeavors. Have you heeded his invitation?

Key Point: The call to follow Jesus is a call to true discipleship. Are you His disciple?

Hymn 14: Take My Life

1. Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.

2. Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

3. Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.

4. Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

5. Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.

iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.

TOPIC — THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: JOY AND PEACE [SUNDAY, 10TH DECEMBER 2017]

OPENING PRAYER:

Father, Let the church experience joy and peace through this lesson.

BIBLE PASSAGE: James 3:13-18

13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

MEMORY VERSE: Romans: 14:17: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

LESSON INTRODUCTION:

Literally, the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ is the what happens when the Holy Spirit indwells a believer. The ‘fruit’ is the product of the Holy Spirit’s cultivation of character in a heart. Gal5:22-23 describes what that fruit looks like. The second and third characteristics listed are joy and peace respectively. We are to submit our wills to God’s leading and our actions to God’s word, but the actual results are up to Him. Only God can give true joy and create peace through the work of the Holy Spirit.

TEXT REVIEW: James 3:13-18

James 3:13-18 identifies two categories of wisdom: the earthly wisdom and the wisdom which is from above. The wisdom which is from above i.e true wisdom has the following characteristics:

1. Produces good conversation. James 3:3a

2. Meekness James 3:13b

3. Purity James 3:17

4. Peaceable James 3:17

5. Gentle James 3:17

6. Easy to be entreated James 3:17

7. Full of Mercy James 3:17

8. Good fruits James 3:17

9. Sincerity and justice James 3:17

10. Truth James 3:17.

Believers who allow the Holy Spirit to manifest the above-stated fruits in their lives will experience various categories of joy and peace on every side. However the worldly wisdom carries the red signal of:

1. Bitterness, envy and strife in the hearts. James 3:14

2. Shame and lies. James 3:14

3. Sensual and devilish tendencies James 3:15

4. Confusion and evil work. James 3:16

The carrier of these inglorious attributes of the flesh and the devil can never experience joy. They will rather experience sorrow and war. James 4:1 states that war and fighting comes from list i.e from the father of lust, the devil. Peace comes from the Holy Spirit. James 3:17

LESSON OUTLINE 1: JOY

i. Greek word for joy is ‘Chara’

ii. Joy is an expression of gladness to the fulfilled promises of God

iii. The Greek word ‘Charis’ which means ‘grace’ or gift’ is closely related to ‘chara’

iv. When believers yield to the Holy Spirit, He will release grace upon such believer which produces joy. Roman15:13

v. Experiences/categories of joy:-

a. The joy of deliverance: when God sets someone free, rejoicing is in order.1Sam2:1; Acts12:14

b. The joy of salvation: our greatest reason to be joyful is that God wants to save us and spend eternity with us.Lk15:7; Acts8:8; 15:3

c. The joy of spiritual maturity: As the Holy Spirit works in us to bear more fruit, we become confident in God’s promises and rejoice in our walk with Him and with other believers .2Corinth1:24; 1Thess.2:19-20

d. The joy of God’s presence: The Holy Spirit draws us to God, in whose presence we can know true joy. Without the Holy Spirit, no one would seek God. PS16:11; Matthew2:10

CLASS Activity 1:

Each student should mention one thing/event which had given or still gives them joy.

LESSON OUTLINE 2: PEACE

i. Through lust, human race declared war on God. James4:1

ii. God through grace and mercy, declared peace on human race by sending the Prince of Peace. Isaiah9:6

iii. The Lord Jesus restored human race to peace and abolished hostilities through His life. Isaiah53:5

iv. Through the Prince of peace believers have lasting relationship with God of peace and made us do what is pleasing in the sight of God. Heb13:20-21

v. The Holy Spirit brings believers into sweet relationship and maintains us in His Presence. Eph2:11-18

vi. Through the Holy Spirit, we have confidence before the Lord and have become His friend. Heb4:16 and John15:5

vii. The peace which God gives the believer goes beyond any earthly peace and anxiety. Phil4:4-7

viii. The believer’s peace is not scanty. It is rather abundant and available in every circumstance. John14:27

ix. Those who are filled with the fruit of joy have overcome fear, anxiety, doubt, alarm and dread.

CLASS activity 2:

Class should identify reasons why we have wars and conflicts among nations today.

SUMMARY:

Believers have right to joy instead of sorrow and peace instead of war. These rights are conferred on them through the Holy Spirit.

CONCLUSION:

As believers, we must allow God to work in our hearts and in our relationships by laying down our own schedule and trust in God. Through the help of the Holy Spirit we can experience and manifest true joy and peace.

CLOSING PRAYER:

Father, let war cease in every home and nation. Let joy and peace return in abundance.

ASSIGNMENT:

Mention 5 things which the church can do to bring to end hostilities among nations.

TOPIC — THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: JOY AND PEACE [SUNDAY, 10TH DECEMBER 2017]

MEMORY VERSE: “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” – Romans 14:17

BIBLE PASSAGE: James 3:13-18

INTRODUCTION:

Literally, the “fruit of the Spirit” is what happens when the Holy Spirit indwells a believer. The “fruit” is the product of the Holy Spirit’s cultivation of character in a heart. Galatians 5:22-23 describes what that fruit looks like; the second and third characteristics listed are joy and peace respectively. We are to submit our wills to God’s leading and our actions to God’s word, but the actual results are up to Him. Only God can give true joy and create peace through the work of the Holy Spirit.

LESSON OUTLINES:

1. JOY

2. PEACE

JOY

The Greek word for joy is chara. Joy is the natural reaction to the work of God, whether promised or fulfilled. Joy expresses God’s kingdom – His influence on earth (Romans 14:17). The Greek chara is closely related to charis, which means “grace” or “gift”. Chara is the normal response to charis – we have joy because of God’s grace. Possessing joy is a choice. We choose whether to value God’s presence, promises and work in our lives. When we yield to the Spirit, He opens our eyes to God’s grace around us and fills us with joy (Romans 15:13). The Spirit’s production of joy can manifest in several different ways:

1. The joy of deliverance: When God sets someone free, rejoicing is in order (1Samuel 2:1; Acts 12:14).

2. The joy of salvation: Our greatest reason to be joyful is that God wants to save us and spend eternity with us (Luke 15:7; Acts 8:8; 15:3).

3. The joy of spiritual maturity: As the Holy Spirit works in us to bear more fruit, we become confident in God’s promises and rejoice in our walk with Him and with other believers (2Corinthians 1:24; 1Thessalonians 2:19-20).

4. The joy of God’s presence: The Holy Spirit draws us to God, in whose presence we can know true joy. Without the Holy Spirit, no one would seek God (Psalm 16:11; Matthew 2:10).

PEACE

At birth, our sinful nature has already declared war on God and His truth. However, God’s methods of warfare are not what we expected. Instead of a battle, He sent us the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus’ goal in coming to earth was more than simply to cease hostilities; He came to bring about a full and abiding relationship of restoration and love. The cost of this peace was His life (Isaiah 53:5). Hence, the fruit of the Spirit includes a peace that goes beyond that of salvation. It is a sweet relationship. We are called to His presence (Ephesians 2:11-18) and called to be confident in that presence (Hebrews 4:16) because we are His friends (John 15:15). God’s peace transcends earthly matters and it is void of anxiety (Philippians 4:4-7). The Spirit-filled Christian has a peace that is abundant, available in every situation, and unlike anything that the world has to offer (John 14:27). The alternative to being filled with the Spirit and His peace is to be filled with alarm, doubt, fear and dread.

CONCLUSION:

As believers, we must allow God to work in our hearts and in our relationships by laying down our own schedule and trust in God. Through the help of the Holy Spirit we can experience and manifest true joy and peace.

QUESTIONS:

1. The spirit’s production of joy can manifest in several different ways. Mention them?

2. Describe true peace.