Bethany Young Adults' Group

Text – Psalm 29

A System of Faith: The Kingdom of God

Psalm 29
“The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood,
And the LORD sits as King forever.
The LORD will give strength to His people;
The LORD will bless His people with peace.”

1. The theme of Psalm 29
“The voice of the Lord”     Psalm 29:3-9

2. Significance of this phrase

a)      God’s power

b)      God’s sovereignty

c)      God’s Judgment

3. Reference to The Flood

a)      Reference to the Global Deluge                     Genesis 6-9

b)      He sat enthroned as the King-Judge of sinful mankind

4. Theological significance

a)      He is King forever                                Psalm 29:10

b)      He will give strength to His people    Psalm 29:11

c)      He will bless His people with peace   Psalm 29:11

5. Relating to the Lord as King

a)      To ascribe glory and strength to Him Psalm 29:1

b)      To give Him holy worship                    Psalm 29:2

c)      To stand in awe of the glory of God     Psalm 29:9

DISCUSSION

1. How may we improve our worship of the Lord as King?

2. How may we appreciate His glory better?

3. How may we reflect His glory in our life?

4. How may we know that we are “His people?”

Text – Psalm 5, 10, 24

A SYSTEM OF FAITH: THE KINGDOM OF GOD                                                     

THE DOCTRINE OF THE LORD AS KING

Psalm 5:1-2
“Give ear to my words, O LORD.
Consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.”

Psalm 10:16
“The LORD is King forever and ever;
The nations have perished out of His land”

Psalm 24:7-8
“Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
He is the King of glory.”

 

1. Identifying the King

a)      He is God

b)      He is Lord

c)      He is the King of glory

2. Relating to the King

a)      Prayers are to be made to Him

b)      Praise is to be given to Him

3. Features of the King

a)      Full of glory

b)      Strong and mighty

c)      Eternal

DISCUSSION

1. Do we think of God as King?

2. Do we consciously apply the idea of God as King when we pray?

3. What are some ramifications of the Kingship of God?

a)      He is Sovereign

b)      He is Lord

c)      His power will prevail

4. How do we cultivate our relationship as subjects to this great King of glory?

Text – Matthew 2

A System of Faith: The Kingdom of God

The Search for the King of the Jews

1. The quest of the Wise Men from the East            Matthew 2:1-12

2. Their question

“Where is He born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”            Matthew 2:2

a)      Recognition of Jesus as King

b)      King of the Jews

 c)      Worthy of worship

3. Finding Jesus

a)      They saw the Young Child with Mary His mother                Matthew 2:11

b)      They fell down and worshipped Him                                      Matthew 2:11b

i)                  Recognition of Jesus as Deity

ii)                 Confirmation of knowledge and faith

iii)                Expression of homage to Jesus

c)      They offered Him precious gifts                     Matthew 2:11

i)                   Gold

ii)                  Frankincense

iii)                 Myrrh

4. Prophecy of the Messiah-King

a)      Knowledge of the Scriptures                                                   Matthew 2:4

b)      Citation of the Scriptures: “It is written”                              Matthew 2:5

i)                   Birthplace of the Messiah in Bethlehem             Matthew 2:6a

ii)                  A ruler will come forth                                          Matthew 2:6b

iii)                 He who shepherd My people Israel                    Matthew 2:6c

 5. Prophecy of Jesus as King

a)      A Divine Decree                     Psalm 2

b)      God’s beloved Son

c)      He is anointed King

d)     He will rule the world

e)      There will be many who will resist this Decree of God

f)       Ultimately, God’s decree will prevail

g)      Jesus will be the Lord over all the earth

GOALS FOR 2012

1. Cultivate Knowledge of Jesus as Messiah-King

2. Deepen appreciation of Prophetic literature

3. Expand knowledge of the Kingdom of God

4. Cultivate understanding of the relevance of the doctrine of the Kingdom of God

5. Encouragement to apply the Kingdom concept to daily life and ministry

Text – John 15

REVIEW

1. I am the Bread of Life                                   John 6:35, 48, 51, 58

2. I am the Light of the world                          John 8:12; 9:5

3. I am the Door                                                 John 10:7, 9

4. I am the Good Shepherd                               John 10:11, 14

5. I am the Resurrection and the Life             John 11:25

6. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life         John 14:6

I AM THE TRUE VINE

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser”.         John 15:1

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”         John 15:5

IMAGERY OF THE VINE

1. Jesus is the true Vine                         John 15:1a

2. The Father is the Vinedresser          John 15:1b

3. Believers are the branches               John 15:5b

THE ISSUE OF BEARING FRUIT        

1. Fruit of the Spirit                Galatians 5:22-23

a)      A transformed life

b)      Evidenced in works

2. Fruitlessness

a)       Fruitless branch will be taken away/ cast out         John 15:2a; 6b

b)       It ultimately withers away              John 15:6

3. Bearing fruit

a)      Natural result of abiding in the vine

b)      Pruning of the branch to bear more fruit              John 15:2b

c)      The Father is glorified when we bear fruit           John 15:8

UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS OF BEARING FRUIT

1. Concept of Abiding

a)      In Christ                            John 15:5

b)      In His word                       John 15:7

c)      In His love                         John 15:9-10

2. Praying while abiding in Christ

a)      Prayers will be heard and answered

b)      Abiding in Christ has direct bearing on answers to prayer

Discussion

1. How have we been abiding in Christ as the true vine? Do we see ourselves abiding in Christ as we have studied the “I am” statements of Christ

2. How fruitful have we become? What kind of fruits are we bearing?

a) Fruits of the Spirit

b) Works

3. How has abiding in Christ affected our prayer life?

Memory verses

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser”.         John 15:1

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”         John 15:5

Text – John 14

REVIEW

1. I am the Bread of Life                               John 6:35, 48, 51, 58

2. I am the Light of the world                      John 8:12; 9:5

3. I am the Door                                             John 10:7,9

4. I am the Good Shepherd                           John 10:11, 14

5. I am the Resurrection and the Life          John 11:25

I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”                        John 14:6

CONTEXT OF THIS TEACHING

1. The departure of Jesus

2. The death of Jesus

INTERACTION OF TWO DISCIPLES

1. Thomas
He did not understand what Jesus had said about “The way”           John 14:1-5

2. Philip
He did not understand Jesus’ reference to the Father                        John 14:8

CLARIFICATION BY JESUS

1. The Way

a)      He had come to show the way through teaching

b)      The way to the kingdom of God

c)      His teaching was called “truth”

d)     Through faith in Jesus there is “life eternal”

e)      Jesus not only taught, He lived out what He taught

2. The Father

a)      To know Jesus is to know the Father              John 14:7a

b)      To know the Father is to “see” Him                John 14:7b

c)      To see Jesus is to see the Father                      John 14:9

3. Relationship between The Father and the Son

a)      Jesus is in the Father               John 14:10a

b)      The Father is in Jesus              John 14:10b

c)      The words of Jesus come from the Father      John 14:10c

d)     The works of Jesus come from the Father also           John 14:10d, 11

CHALLENGE BY JESUS

1. To believe in Him  without any aid           John 14:11a

2. To believe in Him because of the works Jesus did           John 14:11b