LESSON FOUR - YOU AND YOUR CHANGING LIFE
How to Live As a Christian in a Sinful World
God did not save you simply to take you to heaven but to make you "conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29). The greatest privilege you now have in your new life is the opportunity to represent Jesus Christ and to have fellowship with God. If you will yield yourself to Him and obey Him, He will change your life to accomplish this purpose.
The Believer's Different Life
1 Your life before you were saved is repeatedly contrasted with your life after your salvation. List the contrasts in the following verses:
II Corinthians 5:17 - old things contrasted with ___________________________________
Ephesians 5:8 - darkness contrasted with _______________________________________
1 John 3:10 - the children of the devil contrasted with ______________________________
2 Difference is a key aspect of holiness! Conversation in the old English language meant lifestyle. To what extent does God intend for your new life to be different, according to I Peter 1:15?
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3 We should reflect outwardly what we are inwardly. What do the following verses say about a Christian's appearance?
I Corinthians 11:14 _______________________________________________________.
Deuteronomy 22:5; 1 Peter 3:3-4 ___________________________________________________________________
4 In II Corinthians 6:14-17, what promise is given to those who decide to obey God by separating from evil?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
The Believer's Destructive Enemies
5 Your primary enemy is an invisible spirit, nevertheless a real person.
What is his name? (I Peter 5:8; John 8:44) ______________________________________
What two terms describe his character and indicate his methods according to John 8:44?
_____________________________________________________________________________
6 Your second enemy is internal. It is your own sinful nature, which the Bible calls "the flesh."
Your flesh is a servant to what? (Romans 7:25) __________________________________________
Why is it impossible for the "carnal," or fleshly, mind to ever be right with God? (Romans 8:7)
_______________________________________________________________
7 Your third enemy is external, but it is organized by the devil to appeal to your flesh. The Bible calls this enemy the world. Notice the three components of worldliness in I John 2:16:
The lust of the _____________________
The lust of the _____________________
The ___________________ of _______________________
The Believer's Devotion to Christ
8 What must you deny to follow Christ? (Matthew 16:24)
___________________________________________________________________________
9 What are you told not to love? (I John 2:15)
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10 How can you avoid being pressed into the mold of the world? (Romans 12:1-2)
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11 To whom do you belong now? (I Corinthians 6:19-20)
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12 How do you demonstrate your love for God? (John 14:15)
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The Believer's Deliverance from Temptation
13 What does God promise to those who are tempted? (I Corinthians 10:13)
______________________________________________________________________________
14 How can you avoid many temptations? (Romans 13:14)
______________________________________________________________________________
15 When Satan tempted Jesus, what did Jesus use to defeat Satan?
(Matthew 4:4, 7, 10) ____________________________________________________________________
16 What is your spiritual weapon against sin and Satan? (Ephesians 6:17)
______________________________________________________________________________
17 Has there been a noticeable difference in your life since you accepted Christ? Explain.
______________________________________________________________________________
18 Check any area(s) in which you now fail to bring glory to God because you are being pressured by the world, drawn away by your own desires, or tempted by Satan:
[ ] Attitudes [ ] Drugs [ ] Entertainment [ ] Sexual Conduct [ ] Music
[ ] Language [ ] Appearance [ ] Other
19 Should you wait for some "special conviction" by God before you obey what His Word says about your attitudes, appearance, and actions? (James 1:22; 4:17)
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MEMORIZE
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.