Confidence Only in Christ

Memory Verse: “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10, 11, NKJV). INTRO: There are many believers that remain reluctant about salvation in Christ by “faith alone,” apart from the “works of the law.” For some reason, we seem to confuse obedience to Christ with works of the law as if it could ensure our salvation. Let’s begin our discussion today with question about the difference between “salvation by works” and ...

Memory Verse: “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:14, 15, NKJV). INTRO: This week’s Bible lesson focuses on how the members of the Philippian church were to conduct themselves as followers of Jesus. It seems clear that their reputation in the community was an important component of their witness to the power of Jesus Christ in contrast to the corrupt “generation” surrounding them, including both the citizens of ...

Memory Verse: “Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:2, NKJV). INTRO: In this week’s lesson we are reminded again of Paul’s emphasis on unity among believers through commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. To do so, Paul uses a poem, which perhaps also became a hymn in the early church to describe the humility or condescension it required of Jesus to provide the pathway for unity among all believers who claimed to be His followers. Here is how Paul introduces this poem: Memory Verse: “Fulfill my ...

INTRO: In perhaps one of Paul’s most puzzling statements about spiritual growth as we follow Jesus, the Memory Verse this week challenges our thinking, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). This week’s lesson focuses on how disciples (or apprentices) of Jesus are confronted with this paradox of the spiritual life: how do we “live” though we are “dead.” Q: What did Paul mean by his declaration in this verse in Philippians, chapter 1, verse 21? What does his perspective reveal about “unity” between heaven and earth? Why would Paul choose to present ...

INTRO: This week’s Bible Lesson turns from the focus on Paul’s suffering in prison for preaching the gospel of Jesus to reasons Paul gives for thanksgiving and prayer despite such challenges which are also facing Philippian and Colossian believers. Note this emphasis in the suggested Memory Verse for this week’s lesson from Philippians Chapter 1, verse 6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Q: When Paul reminds his readers of the “good work” God has begun in them, to what work ...

Memory Verse: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, NKJV). INTRO: This week’s lesson theme is “Persecuted but Not Forsaken.” Our “memory verse” for this week is chosen in light of the hardships Paul suffered. Memory Verse: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4, NKJV). “Rejoice always”? What does Paul mean by that phrase? How are we supposed to do that? Someone you love is sick or dies. You lose your job. You are in great physical pain. Perhaps the key to understanding this is to ask, “Rejoice always” in what? ...

Lesson Guide, Introduction: "Shechem was the place where Abraham had built an altar upon his arrival in the land, and where God first gave him the promise of the land (Gen. 12:7). Now, when the promises given to Abraham have been fulfilled, Israel renews the covenant with God at the very place where the first promise had first been given….
 "Israel's existence as a nation is not the merit of any of its ancestors but the exclusive work of God’s grace. The fact that the Israelites are settled in the land is not a ground for boasting but the very reason ...

Text: Joshua chapter 13: 1 When Joshua was an old man, the Lord said to him, you are growing old, and much land remains to be conquered.
 2 This is the territory that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and the Geshurites,
 3 and the larger territory of the Canaanites, extending from the stream of Shihor on the border of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron. It includes the territory of the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. The land of the Avvites
 4 in the south also remains to be conquered. In the north, the following ...

Texts: Psalms 37:3–6, 34, 37. 3Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.4Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desires.
 5Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. 6He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
 34Put your hope in the Lord. Travel steadily along his path.He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed. 
37Look at those who are honest and good, for a ...

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."—2 Corinthians 3:18 Let us suppose that in each of our minds is a natural law: "By beholding, we become changed." —Christ's Object Lessons, p. 355. What themes might we choose to behold? God has offered us a tremendous variety of literature, in style and content. Here is a summary report published in the Review and Herald, June 16, 1994, and written by Marilyn Thomsen, Southern California Conference communication director: John ...