Sermon Tone Analysis

! What The Bible Teaches \\ Unit 3 \\ Is There Life After Death?

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! Lesson 13 \\ Conclusion: God’s Answer to Life’s Most Important Questions

 

 

We come to the end of our study on /What the Bible Teaches/ in response to the most important and most asked questions of life.

Who is God?

Is there a God?

Who am I?

Is there life after death?

Scriptures teach the divine answers to each of life’s ultimate questions about God’s nature, man’s nature, and life after death.

Your answers to these questions can help each of your students order his or her thoughts about their own individual life.

Hopefully, if any in your class are unsaved, these lessons will help them come to a saving grace in God.

Psalm 19:1 (NKJV) \\ 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Psalm 14:1 (NKJV) \\ 1 The fool has said in his heart, “/There is/ no God.”

They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.

*Teachers:  *This week’s lesson is a review of the last twelve weeks.

Ultimately, the key to these lesson might be summed up in the concept that “it is all about application.”

These lessons have been studied in order to gain a better understanding of God in order to help the believer answer, in a biblical framework, life’s most important questions.

These answers should drive the believer to be a better person and to be more effective for the kingdom of God.

What follows is my version of the leader’s guide outline.

I really would vary this lesson a great deal depending upon the actual needs and make-up of your individual classes.

!! Getting Attention

 

How important have these lessons been for you?

Do you agree with the lessons?

Who do you think God is?  Who are you?

Is there life after death?

Matthew 16:15 (NKJV) \\ 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

 

 

!! Knowing and Practicing the Bible

 

Genesis 1:1 (NKJV) \\ 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:26 (NKJV) \\ 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Romans 10:13 (NKJV) \\ 13 For /“whoever calls/ on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

!!!! I.  Who is God?

 

Are you a “fool” or a believer?

Who is God?

This is the first great question of life.

!!!!! How can I know that God exists?

We have seen that all men know deep in their hearts the existence of God.

Over time they may dull, blunt, and bury this knowledge, but it is there.

Genesis presupposes the existence of God and no where in Scripture do the writer’s of the Bible attempt to prove God’s existence.

Such proofs are merely the work of the hands of mankind.

These arguments included:

 

Cause and Effect – power, presence

Design -- intelligence

Morality -- morals

History -- worship

 

Each of these proofs point to one or more of the attributes of God.

By considering both the arguments and the attributes, we can find a picture of God and understand the need for His existence.

Remember that none of these arguments point to the Christian God or lead to a relationship with God.

These steps must be accomplished by faith.

!!!!! Does God make Himself known?

Since mankind is reprobate and denies the existence of God, God must take steps to make Himself known.

Thus, God has communicated with mankind in two ways – general revelation and special revelation.

General revelation is God’s being seen in creation itself and history.

His power (Rom 1:20) and His goodness (Acts 14:27) may be seen in nature.

Mankind is also a picture of such revelation, since man is created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-28).

Psalm 19:1-6 (NKJV) \\ 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.

3 /There is/ no speech nor language /Where/ their voice is not heard.

4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which /is/ like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, /And/ rejoices like a strong man to run its race.

6 Its rising /is/ from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

General revelation is insufficient to point people to the Christian God.

More is needed.

Man may seen God in nature.

Man may discover morals, intelligence, personal relationships, and rational thoughts in his own image.

This may draw man to seek God, but nature will not reveal the grace of God.

For God’s love, grace, and mercy to be known, more is needed.

So first God provided the Bible, communications with men about who God is and how He controls history.

The Bible is given to a variety of men over a number of years.

He spoke to them by means of visions, dreams, direct communication, miracles, and prophetic utterances.

The Bible is the perfect, true, life-changing, word of God.

Psalm 19:7-11 (NKJV) \\ 7 The law of the Lord /is/ perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord /is/ sure, making wise the simple; 8 The statutes of the Lord /are/ right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord /is/ pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 The fear of the Lord /is/ clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord /are/ true /and/ righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired /are they/ than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, /And/ in keeping them /there is/ great reward.

 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV) \\ 16 All Scripture /is/ given by inspiration of God, and /is/ profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Bible is the story of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the second great special revelation of God.

He is God in the flesh.

The Incarnation demonstrates the strength at which God is willing to go to save mankind.

The revelation of God shows God to be a personal being Who desires to communicate with mankind.

!!!!! How can I understand the Trinity?

God is one Being in three coequal, coeternal Persons.

God is both three and one.

The abstract nature of the doctrine of the Trinity should not discourage the student of Scripture.

The teaching has practical value in highlighting the personal nature of God, showing God’s desire to create the world, revealing the greatness of the Christian God, and modeling the submissive role without viewing oneself as inferior.

God is one (Deut 6:4).

God the Father is God (1 Cor 8:6); God the Son is God (John 1:1); and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:1-4).

Each Person of the Godhead has distinct roles in the work of God with men (Eph 1:3-14).

While the Trinity may be difficult to understand, it is easy to accept and realize how this Three-in-One structure allows God to work in our lives.

!!!!! How powerful is God?

 

Re-review Psalm 139.

There you will discover God is:

 

Omniscient – all-knowing

Omnipresent – all-present

Omnipotent – all-powerful

Sovereign

Creator

Loving

Forgiving

Eternal

 

We also looked at the problem of evil.

God did not create evil and suffering.