Real Life

St u d i e s
N E W HO P E C HU R C H

End times

03/27/2008

Simple Lessons
On
Important Issues

By
Pastor Mark
Page 2
Attitude
Phil. 2:5 KJV
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

Fact: Right thinking produces right actions.

Fact: Thinking and being like Christ are requirements for believers.

Luke 15:25-32 NLT

Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned
home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the
servants what was going on. “Your brother is back;” he was told, “and your
father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe
return.”
The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and
begged him, but he replied, “All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once
refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave
me even one goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes
back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the
fattened calf!”
His father said to him, “Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me,
and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your
brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!”

List the older son’s attitudes.

_______________ --- The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in.

_______________ --- you never gave me even one goat for a feast ---

_______________ --- Yet when this son of yours --- squandering your
money on prostitutes,

The older brother:

Seemed to think himself better than his brother because of position and
privilege.

He measured his position upon his outward actions. He was dutiful,

industrious, and thoughtful to his father.

He was willing to serve his father faithfully. But was not in fellowship
with his brother or father.
 Attitude Page 3

What kept the older brother away from fellowship with his family?

Read Gal. 5:22-23 KJV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Listed are the things that bring about a good attitude, with each word write it’s
opposite.

Love --- _______________

Joy --- ________________

Peace --- ______________

Longsuffering --- __________________

Gentleness --- _____________________

Goodness ---- _____________________

Faith --- ________________

Meekness --- _____________________

Temperance --- _____________________

Using the list above, circle the words which best describe you!

Is there any areas you need to work on to change?

Phil. 2:5 KJV

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
Page 4
Becoming Holy
Becoming Holy:
Means that when others look at you they see God too.

Memory verse: Eph. 1:4 NLT

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to
be holy and without fault in his eyes.

The facts:
We can’t really be holy on our own.
But we can choose to allow God to put good things in us.
Only God can make us holy.
We make choices every day, but do we choose to be holy?

Scripture: II Pet. 1:3-11 NLT

3. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for a godly
life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called
us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

4. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious
promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine
nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

5. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises.

Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence,
and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and
self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,
and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love
for everyone.

8. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be
in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9. But those who fail to develop in this way are short-sighted or blind,
forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.

10. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are
among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will
never fall away.

11. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal kingdom of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
 Becoming Holy Page 5

What is meant by:

 Supplement your faith with a generous provision?

 Moral excellence

 Knowledge

 Self-control

 Patient endurance

 Godliness

 Brotherly love

 Love for everyone

What will be the outcome if you don’t grow in these areas of your life? v.9

1. you will be less useful

2. short-sighted, or blind

How hard are you willing to work to prove you are a Christian?

Does it mater to you if you enter into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ?

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
It is my desire to be more like you. Please help me to exercise myself in each
one of these seven areas. Where I am weak strengthen me, where I have
slipped help me be sure-footed, and show me your direction before I act.
A-Men!
Page 6
Being Faithful
Deut. 32:3,4 (NLT)

3. I will proclaim the name of the Lord;

How glorious is our Lord!

4. He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.

Everything he does is just and fair.
He is a faithful God who does no wrong;
How just and upright he is!

Gods faithfulness is more than just a characteristic!

It is actively carried out in our lives.

Look up these verses and describe the different ways God is faithful to us.

1. 2 Pet. 3:9 _____________________________________________

2. 1 John 1:9 _____________________________________________

3. 1 Cor. 10:13 _____________________________________________

4. Psalm 119:90 ____________________________________________

Fact:
Our faithfulness is possible because, God is faithful to us.
We can trust him that he will keep his promises.
He knows we are not perfect, yet He desires that we remain actively faithful.

The following verses speak of four biblical reasons why we need to be faithful.

Read each one and identify any areas you have as a weakness or strength.

1. I Tim. 1:12 to be qualified for ministry

2. Prov. 28:20 to guarantee God’s blessings on our lives

3. Neh. 7:2 to prepare me for a leadership role

4. Matt. 25:21 to receive God’s reward for faithfulness

If God were testing you on your faithfulness, would you pass or fail?
 Commitment Page 7

Commitment = is keeping promises --- no matter what!

Memory verse: Psalm 37:5 NLT

Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.

Commitment is action on your part.

Daniel 1:8
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself ---

 Not only Daniel did this but three of his friends also.

 How did this help them later in life as well as the present time?

1. Daniel 1:8-9,12,17,20

2. Daniel 3:16-18, 23-25

3. Daniel 6:1-6, 15-23

Can you be like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego?

1. What commitment are you willing to make?

2. Be willing to make that commitment ---

 Before God
 Before and with man
 Before the church

3. Stand by that commitment even when it is not popular in the eyes of

others.

Prayer:
God, today I want to commit myself to you. I want to give you my
time, my energy, and all that I am to do your work. I pray that you will
remind me of my commitment, and that you will use me in my daily
walk of life.
In Jesus name. A-men!
Page 8
Compassion
Compassion = sympathetic feeling of other’ distress with a desire to
alleviate it.

Questions:
 Do you think you can ever really feel exactly what someone else is
feeling?
 How can you get to know your friends and family members so well that
you understand what they are feeling?
 Does compassion stop with just feeling for someone else, or should you
do something about it?
 What are some things you can do if you feel compassion for someone
else?
 Can you think of a time when you felt what someone else felt? What did
you do about it?

Memory verse: 1 Pet. 3:8 KJV

Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as
brethren, be pitiful = kind hearted, be courteous:

Thinking about compassion and what it means!

1. Compassion requires being with people and looking for their needs.
2. Compassion requires identifying with the people’s situation and what
they feel.
3. True compassion results in action.

Think about how you treat others.

Would others consider you a compassionate person?

Do you identify with what other people are going through?

Do you have true compassion that would result in action?

Read Psalms 111:1-4

Prayer Time:
“God, help me to be aware of what others are feeling this week. Bring my
mind to people who need my compassion. Bring to my mind ways I can
demonstrate compassion. Help me to show them that I care and am praying for
them.” A-Men!
 Confrontation Page 9

Eph. 4:14-16 NLT

14. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed
and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be
influenced when people try to trick us with lies so cleaver they sound
like the truth.
15. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more
and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the Church.
16. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its
own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body
is healthy and growing and full of love.

Can you remember a time when you had a confrontation with someone?
What was the outcome?
Who – where --- why

This scripture speaks of our place in confrontation:

Think about each of those listed.
What changes do you need to make?

1. We will no longer be immature like children.

2. We won’t be tossed and blown about ---.

3. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies.

4. We will speak the truth in love.

5. Growing in every way more like Christ.

6. Doing our part (special work) to help others grow.

7. Doing all these so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of
love.

Does this sound like you?

Can this be you?

How can you do your special work?

And what is it?