LHIM Weekly Bible Teaching

By [wbt_preacher_link preacher=”Jerry Wierwille”]

Galatians 5:13-18

For you, brothers and sisters, were called to freedom; only do not use the freedom for an opportunity to indulge the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, in the command, Love your neighbor as yourself. 15But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

16Now I say, walk by the spirit and you will absolutely not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For the flesh sets its desire against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, with the result that you are not doing what you want. 18But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law.

“Freedom” means freedom from the powers of the old age—the power of sin, the cosmic forces of evil, and the law. “Christian freedom in the Spirit means voluntarily offering oneself in service to one’s fellow Christians, in opposition to living in line with the self-centered and self-serving orientation of the flesh.” (DeSilva, NICNT)

“Flesh” refers to the power that is in us from our life connected to Adam and his fall. It presses us to satisfy our desires and inclinations in ways that are totally devoid of God. “It is the sum total of the impulses, urges, and desires that lead human beings away from virtue toward self-promotion and self-gratification, often at the expense of the interests and well-being of others, of the harmony of community, or of the accomplishing of the purposes of God in our lives, communities, and world.” (Desilva, NICNT)

Romans 8:1-8

John 15:4-5

Galatians 5:24-26

Be encouraged if you feel the battle raging inside you. The sign of the spirit at work in your life is not that you are free from bad desires but that you experience the war that is going on inside you.

By [wbt_preacher_link preacher=”Vince Finnegan”]

Romans 11:33-36   Today, we understand in part.

Genesis 18:25; Psalm 58:11; Psalm 89:13-14; Psalm 97:1-2; Deuteronomy 32:3-4; Deuteronomy 10:17-18; 2 Chronicles 19:17   God is righteous and has the just plan to redeem humanity.

Genesis 3:14 and 4:4   From the beginning, God’s righteous plan was that innocent blood must be sacrificed for the sins of the guilty to be remitted.

Hebrew 11:17-19   Abraham, the father of faith, offered sacrifices including his son.

Exodus 12:27-31   The innocent blood of the lamb protected Israel from the angel of death and freed them from their bondage.

Leviticus reveals the sacrifices necessary for the temporary release of sins.

Hebrews 9:1ff   Examples, shadows, types, and patterns are words that reveal the righteous plan of God with Jesus on the cross.

Romans 3:9-18; Ephesians 2:1-3   We were dead in trespasses and sins, hopeless and helpless.

Romans 3:21-26   We are redeemed, reconciled, justified, made righteous with the blood of Jesus by the God

Romans 5:1, 6-21   Adam’s influence on humanity was also a type for Jesus’ influence on those who believe.

Romans 8:28-39   This is now our reality because Jesus died for our sins.

By [wbt_preacher_link preacher=”Sean Finnegan”]

Genesis 2:8-9   God’s original habitat for humanity was a luscious garden full of delightful food. There were two special trees: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:15-17   God made clear to the man that eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would result in death.

Genesis 3:1-24   The serpent’s cunning temptations turned God’s words against Him, making Him seem like He was holding Eve back from being like a god who knew good and evil. In the end, the question was one of trust. Did Eve and Adam trust God or the snake? Our first parents chose rebellion and independence over obedience and submission. This one action resulted in devastating consequences. God cursed the serpent, the woman, the ground, and the man. The whole world (and humanity in particular) is now fallen.

Romans 5:12-21   This brief section provides masterful insight into how original sin affected subsequent humanity. Death is the consequence of sin that we all suffer due to our original parent’s rebellion. Beyond this, the one man’s disobedience resulted in many being made sinners.

Ephesians 2:1-3   So fallen is humanity that Scripture calls us dead. We are by nature the children of wrath who follow the world’s course and the prince of the power of the air. We are all in desperate need of saving.

Romans 8:19-22   Beyond humanity, our whole world was subjected to futility and is in bondage to corruption. When at last God resurrects His children, He will likewise heal the world, bringing about a reversal to death and corruption once and for all.

By [wbt_preacher_link preacher=”Brian Kelly”]

Psalm 27:14; Psalm 37:7-9   “the Lord” = “YHWH”

1 Thessalonians 1:9b-10a

Revelation 21:1–4 …”Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,…”

Historical Background of Isaiah

Prophet to Judah 740-685 BC

David becomes king 1011 BC

Kingdoms divide 931 BC

Israel defeated and dispersed 722 BC

Judah carried away starting 605 BC

Judah returns starting 538 BC

Isaiah 40:1-31

8   Contrasts frailty of humanity with the enduring nature of the Word of God

13   “Spirit” implies the mind, thoughts, and influence of God.

14   1 Corinthians 1:25   God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

20   Our greatest idol today is self.

23   Compared to God and the Lord Jesus Christ who is called the Lord of Lords and King of Kings; the nations and rulers are nothing.

28   2 Peter 3:8 …with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.

God can give us the strength and vitality to endure, remain faithful, and remain loyal.

Let us turn from idols, serve the living and true God, and wait.

By [wbt_preacher_link preacher=”Sean Finnegan”]

Matthew 6:33   Jesus told us to seek first God’s Kingdom and righteousness. What does this mean? What is God’s Kingdom?

Amos 9:13-15   Amos envisioned a day full of such abundance that the plowman would overtake the reaper and the mountains drip sweet wine.

Isaiah 2:2-4   Isaiah prophesied of a mountain to which many people would come to learn God’s ways. At that time, God will judge between the nations, bringing eternal peace on earth.

Jeremiah 23:5-6   Jeremiah predicted coming days when Yahweh will raise up for David a righteous branch to reign as king, deal wisely, and execute justice in the land.

Ezekiel 37:12-14   God spoke to Ezekiel about a time when He will open the graves and raise His people from the dead, so that they will once again live in their own land.

Daniel 2:31-35, 44-45   Daniel interpreted the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. The stone that destroyed the statue and became a mountain represented the Kingdom that the God of heaven will establish forever on earth.

Putting this together, the Kingdom is when God will establish His rule over the earth through the son of David in order to bring about lasting justice, peace, and prosperity forever for His resurrected people. This Kingdom and the righteousness that belongs to it are what we are to seek today. Thus, we are not just citizens, but ambassadors who, like Jesus, experience and exemplify a foretaste of what God plans to do with the whole world.

How then should we relate to the world? Jesus calls us to be separate from the world (John 17:13-17), but also to follow his example of testifying to the world (John 17:18-23). He was accessible and involved in people’s lives but did not allow himself to get entangled in worldly disputes (Luke 12:13-14; 13:1-5; 20:20-26).

By [wbt_preacher_link preacher=”Vince Finnegan”]

Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 3:10-18   Sin is a problem for everyone.

Acts 2:38; 3:19-26   The only antidote for the sin problem is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:22-26   Jesus paid the price for our redemption and the forgiveness of our sins.

1 Kings 8:46-51; Ezekiel 18:27- 32   God has always made a way for His people to escape from sin.

David, Manasseh, Nebuchadnezzar, Judas, and Paul are all examples of our gracious, merciful, forgiving God.

Luke 15: 7, 10, 20-25   Joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. God loves it when we repent and come home to Him.

Ephesians 4:17-24   We still have the old you alongside the new you, so we struggle with sin.

2 Corinthians 7:8-11   Godly sorrow (mourning) leads to repentance, whereas condemnation does not.

1 John 1: 8-10   God is not shocked that you sin and made a pathway for forgiveness and cleansing.

Matthew 6: 9-13   Judas remained sin conscience and therefore gave up.

1 John 3:21-23   If our heart condemns us, we will not have confidence before God.

Romans 8:1-9   Dwelling on your sin, guilt, condemnation does not resolve your sin; rather, it causes you to stay in sin. Light dispels darkness.

If you are dogged by habitual sin, seek help from God and a brother or sister.

By [wbt_preacher_link preacher=”Sean Finnegan”]

Fellowship comes from the verb koinoneo, which means “to share” or “to take part in a thing with another.” Fellowship is a community encounter wherein the participants experience companionship, comradery, and a sense of belonging.

Fellowship was an integral aspect of the Christian experience in the early church (Acts 1:13-14; 2:42, 46-47; 4:18-24; 5:12).

Romans 15:5-7 – Our goal is to live in harmony with one another, so that together with one voice we can

1 John 1:3, 6-7 – We fellowship with each other, but the basis of our communal unity is the fellowship we enjoy with God and His Son.

Fellowship opportunities include Sunday worship, small groups, ministry events, volunteering, having people over for dinner, and sundry fun activities done with others.

Colossians 3:5-11 – By turning away from our sinful impulses and putting on the new self, which is renewed after the image of its Creator, we can have fellowship with those who are completely different from us.

Hebrews 10:24–25 – Meeting together is integral to perseverance. When we are together, we can stir one another up to love and good works.

By [wbt_preacher_link preacher=”Jerry Wierwille”]

John 13:12-17 — Jesus left us the ultimate example of being a servant and commanded that we do likewise for each other. If we follow these instructions, he said that we will be blessed.

Matthew 25:31-46 — When Jesus comes in his glory and judges the nations of the earth, the basis for his judgment will be that when we serve one another, even the least of us, we are in fact serving our Messiah. What we do for each other is a representation of our attitude toward Jesus.

Proverbs 3:27-28 — Waiting to serve one another until it is convenient for us or that will provide some advantage to our lives is self-centered service. Why wait if you can do something good for someone right now?

By [wbt_preacher_link preacher=”Vince Finnegan”]

John 8:31-36   The word “continue” is from the Greek “meno” which is also translated stay, remain, abide, dwell. Jesus’ disciple is one who stays in his word.

Luke 8:11-15   There are four responses to our Lord’s word.

But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

Matthew 28:18-20   Discipling includes helping others to be immersed in Yahweh our Father, Jesus Christ our Lord, and the holy spirit.

1 Thessalonians 2:3-13   We are to handle people like a nursing mother and concerned father would do.

Galatians 6:1-10   People ultimately decide their own walk; however, we can all use the help of others.

2 Timothy 2:24-26

Matthew 28:18-20   The best way of learning is one on one.

John 10:11   Jesus is the good shepherd and our example of how to disciple others.

One on one teaching is the best because it is according to the person’s pace and there is dialog.