Is sin a big deal?

What do you think of these questions? Even more important is what God thinks of them. Do the two of you agree or disagree? We will discuss these topics in next.

1. Was Eve was deceived in the Garden by Satan?
2. Was Adam was deceived in the Garden?
3. Is man responsible because God holds him accountable?
4. Is breaking one commandment equivalent to breaking them all?
5. If I do something that is right in the sight of God, but I believe it to be
wrong, is it sin?
6. If I am ignorant of a sin that I commit, am I guilty?
7. Was what happened in the Garden catostrophic?
8. Is God angry with unbelievers?
9. Can unbelievers do anything that is not sin?
10. Can unbelievers understand the things of God?
11. Can unbelievers love God?
12. Can unbelievers do things that please God?

When Men Were Men

Were the men of the Bible 100-pound weaklings with spindly legs and pasty faces? Well, they were probably really nice and kind and gentle, but weren't they so spiritual that there was no way they could handle themselves in the real world?

The Bible gives us a completely different picture.

We see Samson, the muscle-man.

Gideon led a daring suprise attack! His significantly-outnumbered army defeated the enemies of God's people through a daring raid. He must have been a real leader to convince his men to follow such an unconventional plan! The surprise attack was all light and noise, but it was enough to destroy the enemy from within. The angel of the Lord called Gideon a "mighty man of courage" (Judges 6:12). He dismantled an entire pagan stone altar by himself, and then built up a stone altar to the Lord God all by himself, to the astonishment of the men in his town.

What should men be like?

1. Courageous


2. Able to endure and persevere through difficulties


3. Strong


4. Leaders


5. Set examples to follow


6. Determined


7. Helpful because of their strength and courage


8. Kind


9. Friendly


10. Courteous


11. Cheerful

Men, God will hold you responsible for being a man. Not to live out your masculinity it to live in sin.

Read the sermon notes

Does Doctrine Unite or Divide?

When I was a teen we sang this song:

We are One in The Spirit,

We are One in The Lord.
We are One in The Spirit,
We are One in The Lord.
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
And they'll know we are Christians by our love.

We will work with each other,
We will work side by side.
And we'll guard each man's dignity
And save each man's pride.
We will work with each other,
We will work side by side.
And we'll guard each man's dignity
And save each man's pride.
(From "We are One in the Spirit" by Peter Scholte, 1966, F.E.L., licensed)

Life in the church doesn't always live up to these high ideals. Lack of unity is disappointing. Unity is a tricky problem in the church, isn't it?

In Bible study the other day, we discussed the relationship between doctrine and unity in the church.

We decided that doctrine has a strong tendency to divide rather than unite.

What do you think?

Listen to Pastor Bob's lesson here.
Read the study notes here.

How can I know God?

1. God revealing Himself to us is the only way we can know Him.
2. God has revealed Himself through the Bible. You can't know the God of the Bible without studying the Word of God.
3. We need the Holy Spirit dwelling in us to know God.
4. God sovereignly decides when to reveal Himself.
5. God's wrath will be poured out on those who do not know God.

Hear Pastor Bob's teaching on "Knowing God (Part 1)"

Read the study notes

From Loser to Winner

My own bad decisions stand between me and God. What can I do when I realize that I'm living like a loser?

Samson was a loser spiritually (Judges 13-16). What was that guy thinking? What was the matter with him?

He didn't take God seriously. He let people manipulate him. He failed to live by his principles. He compromised. He didn't take his commitment seriously.

Yet Hebrews 11:32-40 tells us that God approved of Samson because of his faith! Yes, God did discipline Samson because of his sin. But when Samson humbly repented, the Lord God once more empowered him. He died a winner!

How do I make a turn-around like Samson? Hebrews 12:2 tells us that we can rid ourselves of the sin that so easily holds us back us by keeping our eyes on Jesus.

I repent of being a loser by turning back to the gospel.

1. I remember that I have always been a sinner.
   
2. I have always been unable to rescue myself from the consequences of my sin.
   
3. And Jesus, whose Spirit is in me, not only rescued me in the past, but is able to live powerfully in me today.
   
4. I submit to Jesus and deny myself, because his strength is most clearly manifest when I am weak (2 Corinthians 12:9).
   

Hebrews 12:3 tells me to remember all the terrible things that Jesus had to endure at the hands of sinful men. When I turn my thought there I don't get tired and give up--I don't live like a loser.

Read the sermon notes.

Why should I care about doctrine?

Even the word sounds boring: "doctrine."

It sounds like whatever is coming next is confusing, hard to understand, something for "professional" Christians.

Why should I bother with learning doctrine? I already know that I am redeemed and that I have repented. I'm already trusting in Christ that His Spirit is working through me.

Well, I thought that way before, but not now.

1. First of all, doctrine just means "teachings." That's not so bad. As a Christian, I really love to learn about God, His character, and my relationship with Him. So, actually I really love doctrine, without using the "D" word.
2. I want to keep on learning so that I can become more like Jesus every day. Without the teachings (doctrine) of God's Word, living the life of faith would be like trying to play football without goal posts, lines on the field, or even a set of rules.
3. Most importantly, my eternity depends on it. If I learn something that is a lie, and I believe it wholeheartedly, I could be excluded from heaven.
   

The Bible says that those who don't love truth will perish. It doesn't offer me a waiver because maybe I wanted to believe the truth but someone taught me lies instead. In fact it says that God will allow those who don't love the truth to be deceived. Then He will judge them. (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12)

Do you yearn to know the truth? Is it important for you to know God on a deeper level day by day? Do you really want to know how God worked throughout history so that you can understand how He is working today? Are you eager to enter into His presence and hear "Well done, good and faithful slave?"

If so, doctrine is for you. In fact, if you love the truth, I think you are going to start loving doctrine.

Hear Pastor Bob's teaching on "Why Study Doctrine?"
Read study notes

Do I have faith?

How can I have faith that God will come through for me when it seems hopeless? When it seems intellectually ridiculous? When I think my plan is better than God's?

And how can God really expect me to live by faith when everything seems to be going against me?

In Judges 4 and 5, the Israelites were in a rough spot, with no way out. Everything was against them. Realistically, there seemed to be no solution. It would have been easy to give up.

The Lord God told them to face the enemy head-on and they would win. That probably looked like a bad idea to the Israelites. If it were you, how would you have responded?

That's the question today.

We have a real-life example to follow in this passage. God didn't just make the depressing problem go away. And he didn't give them victory until His people did what He told them to do.

This is when we are really living by faith: when we are in the middle of a big problem, but nevertheless respect, trust, and love God enough to do what he tells us in his Word.

I know I have faith when it's hard, but I do what God says anyway.

Read the sermon notes here.
Listen to Pastor Bob's sermon here.

See you Sunday!

Hannover International Bible Church meets at 17:00 every Sunday at Schackstrasse 4 in Hannover, Germany. We invite you to come along and pray, sing, learn, and worship God together with us. Your children can enjoy age-graded classes during the service. Afterwards, stay for refreshments and get to know us.

Contact me if you have a question. Go to my complete profile, and then to the e-mail link.

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