DATE: – 6TH FEBRUARY, 2022
TOPIC: – THE RAPTURE (Part 6)
BIBLE PASSAGE: – Luke 21: 25 – 28
MEMORY VERSE: – “And take heed to yourself lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares” (Luke 21:34).
INTRODUCTION: – As we see the day fast approaching with all the signs around us; we as Christians must always be alert against sin and be in constant communication with God through meditative study of the Word of God and prayer so that our love for Christ will not fade and their faith in Him will remain strong. This is the only way to “escape” all the terrible things coming on the world in the last days.
LESSON OUTLINES
1) WAYS OF ESCAPE
The day of the LORD is a day of wrath, and of judgment. But only the saints in Christ shall escape that day that is coming by and by through the rapture.
Therefore, to escape this day of the Lord and to participate in the rapture:
– Do Not Sleep: –Every Christian that will partake in the rapture must not live carelessly, in differently, indulgently and unfaithfully. The warning is that we should not sleep and go back to sin (Matt.25:5; 26:45; Rom.13:11-14; Eph.5:14; 1Thess.5:6-8).
– Watch: – Everyone of us expecting the coming of the Lord to gather the saints home must be always alert and live godly in Christ, we must not permit self to be overthrown by temptation (Matt.24:42-51).
The Word watch is in the present imperative tense meaning this is a continuous action at the present time. That is, we must always be prepared right now and from here on – ready for the Lord’s return at any time. There will be no instant warning signs, so we must always live as if He could come today (Mk.13:33-37).
– Be Sober: – As we wait patiently for the trumpet sound, we must not be intoxicated, but live soberly and righteously (Tit.2:11-13; 1Pet.1:13; 5:8) and watch (2Tim.4:5; 1Pet.4:7). It was counted a disgrace even among the heathen to be drunk in the day, hence the admonition to live as children of light and of the day (1Thess.5:5-8). We must say “No” to anything that might compromise His standards or take us away from our devotion to Him.
– Put on the Breastplate of Faith and love and the helmet, the hope of salvation (1Thess.5:8; Eph.6:10-18). We are not only to be sober and watch, but we are called to fight of faith and lay hold of eternal life (1Tim.6:12; 1Corint.9:24-27). We need to “Fight” i.e. have intense struggle that requires perseverance and also lute loyalty to Christ as we battle against spiritual forces and defend the faith from those who would distort the truth. As we engage in “the good fight of faith”, we must keep in mind that our primary opposition is not from other people, but rather from spiritual forces of evil who would not want us to make it to heaven (Eph.6:11-12).
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
In view of the fact that we are the children of the light and if the day, and that God has not appointed us to wrath but to obtain deliverance from this day by the rapture, let us meet the conditions of escape from that day of wrath and from the sudden destruction coming on the earth (1Thess.5:6-11).
QUESTIONS
- What are the conditions of escape?
- What does it mean to “watch”?
DATE: – 13TH FEBRUARY, 2022
TOPIC: – THE RAPTURE (Part 7)
BIBLE PASSAGE: -1 Corinthians 15: 51 – 58
MEMORY VERSE: – “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed” (1Corinthians 15:52).
INTRODUCTION: – There is a mystery that will be revealed soon on the earth. When the Lord Jesus returns from heaven for His Church, the bodies of those believers who are alive at the time will be immediately transformed and made permanent, indestructible and immortal.
LESSON OUTLINES
1) The Aspect of The Rapture
Just prior to the rapture, as Christ is descending from heaven for His Church, the resurrection of the dead in Christ shall occur (1Thess.4:16). This is not the same resurrection described in Revelation 20:4); which is an even occurring after the second advent of Christ, destroys the Anti-Christ and confines Satan to the bottomless pit (Revelation 17: 11-20:3).
At the same time as the dead in Christ rise, followers of Christ who are alive and still in Christ on earth will be transformed, their bodies becoming imperishable and immortal (1Corint.15:53; Phil.3:21). This will happen in the twinkling of an eye.
Both the resurrected Christians and those who are instantly transformed “will be caught up together “to meet with Christ in the air.
They will be visibly united with Christ (1Thess.4:16-17), taken to heaven (John 14:2-3) and reunited with loved ones who have died in Christ (1Thess.4:13-18).
They will be removed from all suffering and distress (2Corint.5:2, 4; Phil.3:21), from all persecution and oppression and from the entire realm of sin and death (1Corint.15:51-56). The rapture also rescues the saints from “the wrath to come” (Thess.1:10; 5:9) – the great tribulation.
The hope that our Saviour will soon return to take us out of this world to “ever be with the Lord” (1Thess.4:17) is the blessed hope of all who yielded their lives to Christ and remain steadfastly in Him to the very end (Titus 2:3, 1Jhn.3:3). And it is a major source of comfort for suffering Christians (1Thess.4:17-18; 5:10).
However, those who professed to be Christians and part of the Church, yet are unfaithful to Christ and do not truly have a genuine personal saving relationship with the Lord or living a double standard life will be left behind (Matt.25:1; Luke 12:45). They will be left with only a false system of religion (Rev.17:1) and will partake of the wrath of God during the great tribulation period.
Following the rapture “is the day of the Lord” referring to a time that brings distress and judgment on the ungodly (1Thess.5:2-10). That will be followed by the second stage of Christ’s coming, when the literally returns to earth for a thousand years and reigns at the end of time as we know (Matt.24:42;44).
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Since the time of Christ’s coming is unknowing and unexpected time, it behooves every Christian to constantly examine their own spiritual condition on a daily basis (2Corint.3:5). They must remain true to their faith in Christ no matter what, so that when the day and hour arrive they will be ready for Him and He will receive them when He returns. Failure to be in a devoted personal relationship with the Lord when He returns will mean being left out of His kingdom.
QUESTIONS
- Describe briefly, the rapture?
- What should be attitude of Christians now?
DATE: – 20TH FEBRUARY, 2022
TOPIC: – THE DANGERS OF UNEQUAL (Part 1)
BIBLE PASSAGE: – 2 Corinthians 6: 11 – 18
MEMORY VERSE: – “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?” (2Corinthians 16:14).
INTRODUCTION: –The concept of separation from evil and from all that contradicts, opposes and defies God’s relationship with His people. Scripturally, separation invites departing from one thing and dedicating to a new thing; separating from one and consecrating to another.
Separation also involves two dimensions; Negative (i.e. relating to what we should seek after or must be deliberate and purposeful.
LESSON OUTLINES: –
1) The Aspects of Christian Separation
From the beginning God laid much emphases on concept of separation. In the creation we saw Him putting a difference, separating one from the other; light from darkness (Gen.1:4), day from night (vs.5), firmament dividing waters from waters (vs.6-8), earth from seas (vs.9-10), sun and moon to device the day from the night, for signs, seasons, days and years (vs.14-18).
In the Old Testament, respiration was an ongoing requirement for God’s people (Ex.23:24); Lev.11:44; Deut.7:3; Ezra 9:2). They were expected to be holy, living in a way that is distinct and different from those who did not follow God. Though it may seems like extreme measure, God typically required Israel to remain separate from people of other nations whose corrupt lifestyles and religious practices would influence His people to rebel against Him and abandon their faith in Him.
The failure to separate and led the Jews to rebel against God by turning to worship false gods and engaging in immoral acts, which eventually caused their captivity and exile (2Kings 15:29, 17:6, 24:1, 2Chro.36:14-21).
As God in the time of old commanded His people not to adopt any religious or moral practices of the societies around them (Ex.23:24; Lev.19:27-28) is He in this new dispensation under the New Testament, commanding Christians today not to adopt worldly attitudes, philosophies and behaviours as embracing such would lead to loss of god’s presence, promises and protection. We cannot embrace sin and also enjoy God’s blessings and presence.
God calls His people to be like Him (Lev.19:2) and to reflect His character of love and holiness. To do this requires separating themselves to the ungodly and worldly customs, behaviours and practices of the people around them and doing only what God says is right.
This call to separation and a life of holiness was first given to Adam and Eve, who were created in God’s image; so they could reflect His character and relate to Him (Gen.1:26). Every generation of believers should “be followers of God “be ye holy for I the Lord your God, am holy” (Lev.19:2).
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
There is need for courage and the ability to make wise decisions to resist and oppose worldly trends in the present day Church. Every heaven bound believer must “be strong and courageous” to stand for Christ without compromising His standards even if it means standing alone.
QUESTIONS
- What is the purpose of the call of God to His people?
- Cite some examples of separation God did.
DATE: -27TH FEBRUARY, 2022
TOPIC: – DANGEROF UNEQUAL YOKE (Part 2)
BIBLE PASSAGE: – 2 Corinthians 6: 14 – 18
MEMORY VERSE: – “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God’ (2Corinthians 7:1)
INTRODUCTION: –As Christians we must make a clean break from every form of ungodly behavior and compromise, and we must continually resist the sinful desire of our own bodies. We must put to death our sinful nature, refusing to satisfy ungodly desires by avoiding situations that might tempt us to offend God (Rom.6:6,11,8:13; Gsl.5:16).
LESSON OUTLINES
1) COMMON AREARS A CHRISTIAN MUST ADHERE TO SEPARATION
In the New Testament, God commanded Christians to remain separated from:
a) Behaviours that compromise God’s standards of purity and integrity (Jh.17:15-16; 2Tim.3:1-5; James 1:27; 4:4) and corrupt world system (i.e. the benefits, lifestyles and God – defying way of doing things.
b) Those that are in the Church, particularly those who say they are Christians but still disobey and defy God and refuse to turn from their own ways and follow Christ with passion (Matt.18:15-17; 1Corint.5:9-11, 2Thess.3:15-16).
c) False teachers, Churches and religious systems that promote ungodly beliefs, immoral acts and deny the truth of God’s word as reveled (Matt.7:15; Rom.16:17; Gal.1:9; Tit.3:9-11; 2Pet.2:17-22; 1Jh.4:1; 2Jh.1:10-11; Jude 1:12-13).
2) CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE IN SEPARATION
Our attitude as we are separated must be one of:
a) Hatred toward sin and the corrupt world system (Rom.12:9; Heb.1:9; 1Jh.2:15).
b) Opposition to false religious teachings (Gal.1:9).
c) True compassion for those from whom we must be separated in perspective and behaviour, which includes a willingness to pray for and reach out to them with the love and message of Christ (Jh,3:16; 1Corint.5:5; Gal.6:1; 2Corint.2:1-8; 11:28-29; Jude 1:22).
d) A respectful fear of God ( i.e. a holy awe and reverence that makes us aware of our accountability to the Almighty Omniscient God) that will cause us to remain pure, holy and true to His purpose (2Corint.7:1).
3) CHRIST’s PURPOSE OF CHRISTIAN SEPARATION
The purpose of Christian separation is that, we as God’s people might hold fast to the way of righteousness through Christ and grow in:
a) Our spiritual life (1Tim.4:16; Rev.2:14-17), Our faith (1Tim.1:19; 6:10, 20-21), and our personal purity and holiness (Jh.17:14-21; 2Corint.7:1).
b) Our service and devotion to God as our Lord and Father (Matt.23:37; 2Corint.6:16-18)
c) Our ability to influence and convince others of the truth of Christ’s message and the blessings of following Him (Jh.17:21; Phil.2:15).
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Separation does not mean that we refuse to communicate with or reach out to sinners. Certainly we must avoid relationships, activities and behaviours (even with people in the Church 1Corint.5:9-11; 2Thess.3:14) that would cause us to compromise or defy God’s commands, principles and standards. Yet with God’s guidance we also must find ways to reach out to people in love and communicate the message of forgiveness and new life through faith in Christ. However, in doing so we must not foolishly expose ourselves to ungodly temptations and evil influences that could lessen our influence for and relationship with God.
Many once committed Christians have made regrettable choices in building close relationships with those who choose to live without God and His standards. As a result, they have discovered the truth and reason behind Gods repeated warnings about avoiding spiritually questionable activities and close association with people of poor character (1Corint.15:33).
QUESTIONS
- What are the purpose of Christian separation?
- What should be our attitude in separation?