My Ways Are Not Your Ways Syllabus obcmw1
OBC My Ways Are Not Your Ways Lesson 1
God’s way is walking in love. Man’s worldly way is walking in hate
Isaiah 55:8 &9
“For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”
Today
we will examine God’s way which is to walk in love. We will define Christian
love and look at some scriptures that tell of the love
that
Christians are to have for one another. Then we will contrast God’s way of love
with worldly hate. We want to see that God’s way is higher than man’s way.
God has shown His great love for man by sending His son to die for our sins.
John 3:16,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
I John 3:16,
”Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us:
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
1. The second part of I John 4:8
says ___________ is _______________.
2. The first part of I John 4:8
says “He that ____________ not knoweth not ___________."
3. Jesus said in John 13:34,
“ A new commandment I give unto you , That ye _____ _____ ______________; as I
have ___________ ___________, that ye also ________ _______ ______________.
4. John 13:35 says, “By this
shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have _________ one to
another.”
The love that is often spoken of by Jesus is called “agape love“. When we say to
a brother or sister in Christ, “I love you” do we really consider all that
phrase should mean. It means more than "I have warm and fuzzy feelings about
you." For “agape love” is far more than feelings. Let us examine I Corinthians
13:4-7 and think about the things that Paul said were characteristic of true
Christian “agape love“. In the King James version of the Bible the word
“charity” is used in I Corinthians 13. I prefer the reading of the American
Standard Version, for it uses the word “love” instead of “charity.” Let's
examine verses 4-8 using the word “love,” realizing that we are speaking of
agape love.
The Greek word agape means desiring the best for others, even those you do not
know.
It is not just the love we should have for other Christians, but we
should have this love
for ALL people. It is the highest form of love.
Agape is unselfish love of one person for another, with pure motives, desiring
the best for the person.
Lets turn to I Corinthians 13:4-7 using the American Standard Version and
study “agape love“.
Please read the scripture references that are given.
In "is kind" section, I would suggest either leaving this out "for our brother
or sister in Christ" or put for others, instead, in order to stay with the true
meaning of the Greek word agape.
Verse 4:
Love suffers
long
(If we love
others with agape love, we are patient with them.)
and is kind
(If we have love
for our brother or sister in Christ,
we will be kind, Eph.
4:32.)
envieth not
(True Christian love is happy for good things to happen to another, Rom. 12:15.)
love vaunteth not
itself
(Agape love is not boastful.)
and is not
puffed up,
(Christians are not haughty or proud, Pro. 16:18.)
Verse 5:
does not
behave itself unseemly
(Agape love requires good manners and
good morals, I Pet. 3:8.)
seeketh not
its own
(Real
Christian love is unselfish, Rom. 15:1-2.)
is not
provoked (Love is
not easily offended or not easily roused to anger, Pro. 14:17.)
taketh not account
of evil
(Love does
not keep a list or score of wrongs nor render evil
for evil, I Peter 3:9.)
Verse 6: rejoiceth
not in unrighteousness
(Sin is
something to be sad about, not happy about.)
rejoiceth
with the truth
(Christians
do not lie to one another, but triumph in truth, Col. 3:9.)
Verse 7:
Beareth
ALL things
(Love protects; it covers the failings of others and is not eager to disclose
the failings of others. Love takes transgression privately to the offender,
Matt.18:15.)
believeth
ALL things
(Love is not
distrustful and suspicious. This does not mean that love is naive
or gullible, Pro. 14:15.)
hopeth ALL
things
(Agape love
is optimistic rather than gloomy and despairing. We know that
God can work all things for good to those who love him, Rom. 8:28, That gives us
reason to hope.)
endureth ALL things
(Love bears up
under suffering or persecution patiently, Rom. 12:2;
I Peter 3:14.)
5. Whatever we do as Christians must be done from a heart of “agape love,” or it
profits us ___________. (I
Cor.13:1-3)
Each time we choose to follow after “agape love,” we choose God’s way. Following
God’s way will cost us time, maybe money, and definitely effort. But we know
that what we sow we shall reap (Gal. 6:7-8).
If we sow Christ-like love, we will reap Christ-like love. As we bless others,
we will be blessed.
Now let's look at hating one another, which is a worldly way of man. How does it
effect us?
6. I John 4:20, “If a man
say, I love God, and _________ his brother, he is a ________ for he that
____________ _______ his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he
hath not seen.”
7. I John 3:13, "Marvel not,
my brethren, if the world __________ you.”
8. John 15:18, “If the world
________you, ye know that it ______________ me before it ________ you.”
9. Examine Galatians 5:19-21. We call these the works of the flesh. Do you think
any of these works of the flesh are tied to hate? ________ As Christians, can we
walk in these works of the flesh and still be walking in love? _____ If we walk
in the flesh, whose way are we following?_____________.
10. Which makes sense: God’s way of walking in love, or man’s way of walking in
hate? ________
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