“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:8
By the Written Word and Preached Gospel:
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.
II Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
By Divine Revelation:
Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
I Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit.
Hebrews 8:10a For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.
By Living Examples of Christ and His People:
John 14:9b He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.
II Corinthians 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.
3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
II Corinthians 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
MEMORY VERSE: And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.—Hebrews 8:11
CENTRAL THOUGHT: The requirements of God’s law were made known to His people, exemplified by Christ, revealed by the Holy Spirit unto the disciples, preached to the entire world, divinely inscribed upon the hearts of believers, and finally, lived out in their everyday lives in holiness and godliness.
WORD DEFINITIONS
Romans 1:17, “faith”: Assurance; belief; fidelity. Faith also refers to a warranty or guarantee. From a Greek root word peitho, meaning “to be persuaded” hence, divine persuasion, or the persuasion of His will; credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation. —Strong’s Concordance.
II Timothy 3:16, “given by inspiration of God”: breathed out by God. “doctrine”: instruction; teaching; properly, applied teaching. “reproof”: proof; conviction; evidence. “correction”: setting right or straight again; reformation. “instruction in righteousness”: education or training; discipline; chastisement. “Instruction which aims at the increase of virtue.” —Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
Matthew 16:17 “Simon Bar-jona”: Simon, son of Jonas; a surname of Peter. “Revealed”: uncover; revealing what is hidden (veiled, obstructed), especially its inner make-up; (figuratively) to make plain (manifest), particularly what is immaterial (invisible).—HELPS word studies.
II Corinthians 3:2-3 “epistle; epistle of Christ”: letter; message; hence, message of Christ. “fleshy”: human; physical; by analogy, soft. This word is lacking the derogatory sense of “carnal” (which means under the control of the animal appetites; governed by mere human nature, and not the Spirit of God).
LESSON BACKGROUND
Our lesson today is set against the backdrop of the entire history of the human race, and how God has made clear Who He is and what He requires.
His law was first passed down by word of mouth from father to son. Basically, it contained the simple elements of right and wrong behavior and the importance of faith. Later God wrote with His own finger unto Moses ten vital commandments which were not done away at the coming of Christ, but were fulfilled and applied more deeply into the heart. The civil and ceremonial law, written by Moses, while now replaced with the “better” covenant, revealed the character of God, the judgment He places on wrong, and the need man has for atonement for his sins.
The gospel set forth by Jesus expanded upon the old law. It was revealed unto the disciples by the Holy Spirit, and as they preached and wrote, it spread throughout the whole earth. As it spread, it “turned the world upside down.”
Now He seeks to write His law into the very mind and heart of man, causing him to walk in His way and present to the world a LIVING edition of His Divine Law.
—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck
DISCUSSION:
1. The power of the Scriptures: How has God’s written Word changed the lives of mankind in history?
2. The work of the Holy Spirit: What are some of the spiritual truths that are only revealed by the Spirit of God?
3. The influence of example: How have godly men and women helped you to more clearly see what God requires?
COMMENTS AND APPLICATION
The history of God’s revealed will to man is an exciting study! We are limited in this booklet by time and space, but it is worth some real digging into—read and meditate upon the “wheels” of God as He has rolled out His plan throughout history. D. S. Warner was thrilled in his heart with the vision as he wrote the words to the song, “Louder, Louder” (Number 60 in Evening Light Songs).
All has been fulfilled—the Word made flesh, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the preaching, the writing—now what is left to do is live it before the world. Even more than that, we must SHOW that it is the most attractive, logical, practical, and beneficial plan of life available. People must SEE in our lives what God requires and what He can do!
—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck
REFLECTIONS
Oh Precious Bible, bread of life for my soul! One dear and godly woman struggling with cancer wrote these beautiful words about the Word of God: “Words I had long ago stored in my heart and mind went to battle for me. Those words sang when I thought despairing thoughts and reminded me I was not alone. When my mind said, ‘God, I think you dropped me along the way somewhere. You’ve left me behind. Have you forgotten about me?’ The words that sang were ‘I am with you always.’ ‘Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.’ When my mind said, ‘I can’t do this. This is too much for me,’ the words that answered were, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me….come unto me, all ye that labor, and I will give you rest.’ Scripture after scripture rose up to combat negative thoughts. They will sing when you are afraid, they will fiercely battle the hard thoughts, they will gently blow away the haunting doubts, they will guard you from despair, and rise up even when you don’t have the ability to call them up yourselves.”
Do you have precious and special places where God has extraordinarily met and divinely spoken to you? While our Christian walk is not marked by day-in-and-day-out startling revelations from God, we do have them on occasion and value them. Greater still, however, is the voice behind us saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” Yet a third confirmation of the voice of God in our lives is through other people. Many, many times, others have been God’s hand extended to bring comfort and hope into my own life. C.H. Spurgeon stated, “A man’s life is always more forcible than his speech. If his life and his doctrine disagree, the mass of lookers-on accept his practice and reject his preaching.” Oh, that we would live so close to the Lord and let Him reveal himself to us in such a way that the influence we have on other people would reflect Christ and His message.
–Sis. Julie Elwell