Month: April 2021

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Romans, lesson 3

Lesson 3

Romans 1: 16-17, justification by faith, Part 1.

VV 1-17, 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Paul was not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God to save lives, first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. The gospel revealed God’s righteousness and justification is by faith in Jesus Christ. Pail quoted Habakuk 2:4, “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him, but the just shall live by his faith”.

1 Cor 1:18, ‘’For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God’’.

Romans 3:21-24, ‘’But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus’’.

Romans 10:9, ‘’if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved’’.

Romans 1:17 was one of the verses that converted Martin Luther from an Augustinian Monk to a protestant reformer in the 15th centrury.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank You for salvation and justification by grace through faith in Christ. We pray for empowerment and boldness to share the gospel with others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Romans, lesson 2

Lesson 2

Romans 1: 8-15., Paul’s prayer

VV 8-9, “8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,

Paul thanked God for the faithfulness of the Romans Christians, praying for them persistently and continuously.

VV 10-13, 10 making request if, by some means, now, at last, I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established, 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. 13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles

Paul prayed that God would allow him to visit Rome in person to impart spiritual gifts, teach, preach, minister, and encourage them. Paul wanted to visit Rome but his plan had not materialize yet.

V 14-15, 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also”.

Realizing God’s grace on his life, Paul acknowledged a debt of gratitude to everyone, Greeks and barbarians, the wise and the unwise. Greek for barbarians is “barbaros” which means non-Greek speaking foreigners. He was ready to preach the gospel to them.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You that the gospel is God’s power of salvation for everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. Thank You for the universal scope of the gospel message, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Romans, lesson 1

Lesson 1

Romans 1: 1-7, Introduction, Gospel, Grace, and Peace.

According to Romans 1:1, Paul is the author of Romans. He wrote this book during his third missionary journey in Corinth in AD 56. According to Romans 1:7, his audience were the Christians in Rome, whom had had not met before. Paul expounded the foundational doctrines of Christianity in this book. The theme of this book is the righteousness of God.

V1, 1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God

Paul, the author of Romans, was a bond servant of Jesus Christ. Greek for bond servant is “doulos”. which means slave. Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ. Greek for apostle is “apostolos”, which means a messenger. Paul was separated to preach the gospel of God. Greek for separated is “chorizo”, which means to set apart.

V2, which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures

The gospel of God had been prophesied by prophets in the Holy Bible.

V3-4, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection form the dead.

The gospel is about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Greek for gospel is “euaggelion”, which means good news. It is the good news concerning Jesus Christ, a descendant from the lineage of David. God, the Father declared Jesus Christ, His Son, and resurrected Him by the power of the Holy Spirit.

V5, Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have received grace and peace form God the Father, through Jesus Christ. Grace precedes peace. Before justification, we faced the wrath of God. After justification by grace and reconciliation with God and we received the peace from God, the peace with God and the peace of God.

V 6-7, 6 among whom you are also the called of Jesus Christ. 7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul addressed his audience, and us, beloved of God and saints. Greek for saints is “hagios”, which means consecrated, holy, or sanctified. In Pauline theology, all Christians are saints. Paul pronounced grace and peace to us from God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Father, thank You the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news for all mankind irrespective of race, social class, geographical location, and times. Thank You for the gift of salvation and eternal life, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Ephesians, lesson 20

Lesson 20

Ephesians 6: 21-24, closing words

V 21, But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you;

Paul sent Tychicus back to Ephesus to give an update regarding his situation in Rome. Tychicus was a beloved brother and a faithful minister in the Lord.

V 22 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.

Paul sent Tychicus back to Ephesus to reassure and comfort them.

VV 23-24, 23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Paul ended the epistle of Ephesians with a doxology, benediction, and prayer. He pronounced to his listeners, and us, peace, love, faith, and grace.

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Ephesians, Lesson 19

Lesson 19

Ephesians 6:17-20, spiritual warfare, part 3.

V 17, And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

The fifth component is the helmet of salvation. The helmet protects against head injury. The spiritual helmet of salvation is the hope of salvation. The assurance of salvation strengthens our faith.

1Thessalonians 5:8, “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation”.

VV 18- 19, 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,

The sixth component is prayer, the sword of the Spirit. Prayer is a weapon of defense as well as a weapon of offense. Prayer protects against demonic attacks and tears down demonic strongholds. We must pray persistently and with perseverance for all Christians. Even Paul requested his audience to pray for him for boldness in preaching the gospel.

Hebrews 4:12, ‘’For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart”.

Rev 2:12, “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this”.

Ezekiel 22:30, “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one”.

2 Chronicles 7:14, “ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land”.

V 20, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Paul was an ambassador for Christ and preached the gospel boldly even when he was chained to a Roman guard under house arrest.

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Ephesians, Lesson 18

Lesson 18

Ephesians 6:14-16, Spiritual warfare, part 2.

The armor consists of 6 components, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel shoes of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

V 14, Stand, therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

The first component of the spiritual armor is the belt of truth, (NIV). We must wear the belt of truth on our waist. The belt of truth is Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and life. Jesus is full of grace and truth. Knowing the truth about Jesus will set us free from deception and false doctrines. Jesus, the word of God is truth.

John 1:14, John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth”.

John 14:7, “I am the way, the truth, and the life”. Jesus is the breastplate of righteousness.

John 8:32, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 17:17, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth”.

The second component is the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness is the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ to us.

Romans 1:17, For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith”.

2 Cor 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”.

Matthew 6: 33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”.

V 15, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

The third component is the gospel shoes of peace. The gospel is the good news of peace. To wear the shoes of the gospel of peace is to do evangelism. We are to be ready to share the gospel with anyone, in season and out of season.

2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching”.

1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear”.

John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

V 16, above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

The fourth component is the shield of faith. The shield of faith is our faith in God. We are to be strong in faith. The shield of faith will block off the fiery arrows of doubts that satan threw at us.

Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”.

Hebrews 11: 6, And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Ephesian 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith”.

Psalm 35:1-2, “Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me. Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help”.

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Ephesians, Lesson 17

Lesson 17

Ephesians 6:10-13, spiritual warfare, part 1.

V 10, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Paul encouraged his listeners, (and us) to stand firm in the Lord in the power of His might, not ours. We are weak but He is strong, and our weakness is perfected in His strength.

2 Corinthians 12:19 a, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

V 11, Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

God provided us with spiritual armor. We are to wear this armor to defend and attack against the demonic onslaught. These are the spiritual weapons to fight spiritual warfare.

2 Cor 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”.

VV 12-13, 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Our battle is not physical but spiritual. Our battle is against the hierarchy of satanic demons called the principalities and powers, the rulers of darkness, and the spiritual wickedness in high places. Paul commanded his audience (and us), to wear the whole armor of God and stand firm in the faith. We must win the battle in the spiritual realm before we can see a breakthrough in the physical realm.

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Ephesians, Lesson 16

Lesson 16

Ephesians 6:1-9, children, father, slave, master.

VV 1-3, 1 Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

Children are to obey their parents. This is a commandment with a promise of long life, Exodus 20:12.

Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you”.

V 4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Fathers must not provoke their children to anger, but teach, raise, and train them in the Lord’s when they are young.

Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it”.

VV 5-8, 5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

Slaves, servants, or employees are to obey their masters, just as they obey the Lord. They must obey with fear, trembling, sincerity, goodwill, devoid of hypocrisy, as if doing a service to the Lord and not to men. The Lord who sees everything from heaven will reward them for their deeds.

V 9, And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

Masters or employers are to treat their slaves or employees with kindness, sincerity, fairness, and goodwill knowing that their Master in heaven who sees everything will reward them for their deeds.

Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him”.

1 Cor 10:31, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God”.