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 Sermon > Cell Bible Study |
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Title |
Lesson 11-[2014 Cell Group Service] What Do You Wish? |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
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Date |
2014-09-14 |
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Reading Scripture: Matthew 20:20-23
Verse to Memorize: Mark 11:24
Reference James 1:6-8
Goal: to help believers receive whatever they ask by asking God the Almighty in faith
God the Almighty wants to fulfill His children뭩 hearts?desires and share true love with them. He asks them what they wish and likes to grant their wishes. God뭩 children have nothing to fear for even in hardship because they can receive answers from God who wants to give the best things to them. Then, what should we do in order to receive whatever we ask?
1. We can receive answers only when we act in the will of God
In Matthew 20:20-21 is a scene where the mother of John and James came to Jesus with her two sons. Then, Jesus said to them, 밯hat do you wish??She said, 밅ommand that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on Your right and one on Your left.?She believed that He had such great authority, so she asked high positions of Him.
What aspect of Jesus caused them to ask Him to grant this kind of favor? They had heard Jesus?amazing teachings and seen the truthfulness of His deeds. They believed that the signs and wonders He performed couldn뭪 be done by human power. That is why they trusted Him.
In the Bible, Jesus changed water into wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee as recorded in John chapter 2 and in chapter 9 He opened the eyes of a man who had been born blind. In Mark chapter 9 He healed a boy who was deaf and mute under demon-possession and fell into convulsions. He also revived Lazarus who had been dead in the tomb for four days (John 11). He also fed a great number of people with five loaves of bread and two fish and walked on the sea (Matthew 14).
What is the ultimate purpose that Jesus performed signs and wonders? It was to give eternal life to those who believe the Lord and guide them to the eternal kingdom of heaven. His disciples learned about Heaven many times while following Jesus. They understood how great the authority of Jesus, the Son of God, was in Heaven and they believed that they would receive whatever they asked of Jesus.
That is why the mother of John and James came to Jesus and asked Him to have her two sons become great in Heaven. She wanted to receive a word of guarantee from Him. Jesus said, 밄ut to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.?It means that it is not Jesus letting someone sit around Him, but it is that only those who become eligible for it by acting in the will of God can sit there.
2. We can receive answers only when we ask in faith
Today many people seek God. Some come to and rely on God alone when they are faced with problems beyond their control. Others feel spiritual thirst in recognition of the Deity. Some others come to God to receive healing when they are dying of many diseases. Still others come to church in others?guidance out of idle curiosity.
Hence, if the Lord says to them, 밯hat do you wish??then each one would have a different heart뭩 desire to request of Him. Some seek the evidence that proves God is the only true Deity. Others may say, 밐eal me of my disease, please?
In the Bible times were people who sought the proof of God as the true Deity. Judges 6 says that the Israelites were in suffering, plundered by the Midianites and God gave Gideon the mission to save them. At that time, Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. He did so due to fear for them, so he doubted about his eligibility to take over the duty and asked God for two signs.
He said, 밒 will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken.?And it was so. To make sure, he asked once more, saying, 밚et it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.?In the manner, God shows signs to those who ask with faith in Him and manifests He is the one true God.
Even when people seek God to solve their problems beyond their ability, God works for them with answers. When Moses and the Israelites reached the Red Sea after the Exodus from Egypt, the Pharaoh뭩 armed troops followed them. Moses cried out in prayer to God. God answered him. As God told him, Moses lifted up his staff and stretched out his hand over the sea. Then, the sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on dry land. God is almighty, so when His children show faith and pray He answers whatever they ask for.
In Jesus?time, there were people who came to Jesus to be healed of their diseases. The centurion did it for his servant to be healed of paralysis (Matthew 8), a woman to be set free from hemorrhage that had troubled her for 12 years (Mark 9), and also a Syrophoenician woman to ask Jesus to cast the demon out of her daughter (Mark 7).
They showed their faith in deeds and received answers immediately. But the centurion received the answer only by his profession of faith. Jesus felt his beautiful heart of love for his servant and said, 밒 will come and heal him.?Then, the centurion professed amazing faith. 밄ut the centurion said, 멛ord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 밎o!?and he goes, and to another, 밅ome!?and he comes, and to my slave, 밆o this!?and he does it.뮅 He trusted Jesus completely and had faith to obey Him. Hearing his confession of faith, Jesus said, 밎o; it shall be done for you as you have believed.?And the servant was healed that very moment. In the way, when we come to God with faith, we can receive answers to whatever we ask for.
3. The cases where we can뭪 receive answer though we ask
Then, why can뭪 people receive answer though they come to God the Almighty? The biggest reason is that they don뭪 believe completely and doubt being a double-minded man. James 1:6-8 says, 밄ut he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.?
Therefore, in order to receive God뭩 answer we need to demonstrate faith without doubt and to ask in accordance with the will of God rejoicing and giving thanks in any kind of situations. When hardship occurs, if one doesn뭪 believe God and doubts, he will blame God for the hardship or deny Him with groaning, and won뭪 show faith until the end. Moreover, they give excuses saying, 밒 complain and blame because God hasn뭪 answered my prayer though I prayed and fasted. I could not have grumbled with groaning and complained if He answered my prayer??
The sons of Israel who came out from Egypt were such a case. The first generation of the Exodus grumbled against God and complained, so they couldn뭪 enter the Canaan and ended up dying in the wilderness. In other cases, we find some people receiving answers though they seem to have little faith. This is because God foreknows their unchanging hearts.
God sometimes gives answer to someone even though He knows he will betray Him. This is because He prevents him from giving any kind of excuses before God later. Such people can뭪 avoid the judgment of justice on the day of justice. God will say, 밒 gave you answers but you denied Me. Why do you think you can be saved??
Also, God uses different ways to give answers to each one. God gave answers to some people at once and to others little by little. All the process is for letting them stand on the rock of faith. One person뭩 mind may corrupt if he gets answers right away. In such a case, God gives him answers to the extent that he changes and grows up in faith. According to the growth of his faith, he can gain answers little by little.
God is omnipotent and omniscient who can do anything for us. Whether we receive answers or not depends on our hearts. Thus, we should believe God, and show deeds of true faith.
● Evaluation and Application
Write the names of biblical figures who brought down the works of God by showing faith.
1. Even though she was treated as a dog, she showed her faith with humbleness until the end. By doing so, she received the answer of healing of her daughter who had been cruelly possessed by a demon.
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2. He was the judge who, with his three hundred men, defeated the Midianites and the Amalekites who were 멲s numerous as locusts and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore.?
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3. He professed such amazing faith that his servant could be healed just by Jesus?command. By his profession and love for his servant the servant was healed of paralysis.
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● Weekly Assignment
Read pages 133 to 143 of I Will Do It and highlight important sentences.
● Let뭩 Learn about It
Gideon
Midianites were people who oppressed the sons of Israel during the times of Judges. God called Gideon who was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites to save the Israelites. He received two signs from God that confirmed that God was calling him as a person who would save Israel. Seeing the signs, he was assured of his duty. God allowed Gideon and three hundred men to defeat the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east who were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. |
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