Bible Study Guide

Purpose of This Bible Study Lesson

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This lesson will lead you to understand that suffering is part of God’s plan to purify you.

 

Learning Goals

This lesson will guide the participants to:-

1. Discover the Biblical view and hope of suffering as a Christian
2. Discover the process and attitude God expects from us in the midst of suffering.
3. Discover the promises God gives about suffering from His Word.

Introduction

One day, while at the Island of Patmos the apostle John was given a glimpse of eternity; John heard a loud voice from the throne telling him that “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There won’t be death anymore. There won’t be any grief, crying, or pain, because the first things have disappeared.” (Rev 21:4Rev 21:4
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
4 and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away.  

). God, who is all merciful, will deal with suffering once and for all by creating a “holy city” (Rev 21:2Rev 21:2
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven of God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.  

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).

Begin Today’s Lesson by Reading: John 9:1-4John 9:1-4
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
9 ¹ And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. ² And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? ³ Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. ⁴ We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.  

, 2 Cor. 1:1-10 and Psalms 23:1-6Psalms 23:1-6
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
23 ¹ Jehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want. ² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside still waters. ³ He restoreth my soul: He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. ⁴ Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. ⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou hast anointed my head with oil; My cup runneth over. ⁶ Surely goodness and lovingkindness shall follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of Jehovah for ever.  

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Pressure Makes Diamonds

A certain man was shown a vision of his life by the Lord; he saw himself walking on the shores of a sea and on the sand; in a flash, he noticed that during those times which were the most difficult of his life, only one set of footsteps appeared and this troubled him a lot. He turned to the Lord and asked Him “Lord, how come you left me to walk alone when I needed you the most during the most difficult moments of my life?” and the Lord gently replied to him, “son, I did not leave you, I have promised never to leave you nor to forsake you, when you saw only one set of footsteps, those are My footsteps because it was during the most difficult moments of your life, that I carri

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ed you”.The Psalmist also wrote saying “Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. (Psalms 23:4Psalms 23:4
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
4 Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.  

). The apostle Peter writing to the saints scattered all over Asia Minor told them ” After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you in Christ Jesus to his eternal glory, will restore you, establish you, strengthen you, and support you.”(1 Pet 5:101 Pet 5:10
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
10 And the God of all grace, who called you unto his eternal glory in Christ, after that ye have suffered a little while, shall himself perfect, establish, strengthen you.  

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.).

Throughout the ages, Christians have continued to ask the same question “why does a good God allow suffering?” the simple answer to this question is that when sin entered the world, then evil was introduced. Adam and Eve were the first casualties because they had to endure the loss and pain of losing their son Abel, when he was murdered by his own brother Cain. Job is another example of a person whom God allowed to undergo a lot of suffering yet he was innocent. Satan is the author of evil and because of him; the world has continued to reel under the weight of evil. And Christ himself still bears the scars of the suffering that he received on the Cross in order to pay for the sin that came through the first Adam.

Scientists discovered that when coal which is trapped under the stratosphere of the earth is pressurized to a certain degree, it hardens over a period of time and the coal is transformed into diamonds due to the process of carbonization. In this regard, suffering is the pressure that causes us to be transformed and be glorified by God. Our hope now rests on the fact that if God has glorified Christ through suffering, then He will also glorify us because we are joint heirs with him. (Rom. 8:16).

Sometimes our own sins cause us to suffer, but sometimes suffering comes so that God will be glorified, just as we read in John 9:1-4John 9:1-4
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
9 ¹ And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. ² And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? ³ Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. ⁴ We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.  

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Bible Study Questions For Discussion - Week 34

1. What is your understanding of suffering? Do you think the process of suffering helps you to become a better Christian? Please explain how
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2. Why do you think it is important for you today to endure suffering as a Christian? Please explain using 1 Peter 2:21-231 Peter 2:21-23
   English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
   21 For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps: ²² who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: ²³ who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered threatened not; but committed [himself] to him that judgeth righteously:  
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   , Rom 5:3-4Rom 5:3-4
   English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
   3 And not only so, but we also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness; ⁴ and stedfastness, approvedness; and approvedness, hope:  
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   and Rom 8:16-17Rom 8:16-17
   English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
   16 The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified with [him].  
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3. Why do you think suffering occur in the world today? Please explain
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4. Do you think that every suffering in a Christian’s life as a result of sin? Please use John 9:1-4John 9:1-4
   English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
   9 ¹ And as he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. ² And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? ³ Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. ⁴ We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.  
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   to explain
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5. What kind of attitude should we have towards those who are experiencing suffering? Please explain using 2 Cor 1:42 Cor 1:4
   English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
   4 who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.  
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6. Is it possible to “boast (rejoice) in our sufferings”? What does suffering produce in the end? Please explain using Rom 5: 3-4Rom 5: 3-4
   English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
   3 And not only so, but we also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness; ⁴ and stedfastness, approvedness; and approvedness, hope:  
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7. Do you consider corruption as a form of suffering? How can Christians react to the vice of corruption found in our society today? Please explain
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8. Please share any experience you may have on suffering and how God helped you endure/overcome? Please explain
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Memorize Romans 8:18Romans 8:18
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward.  

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us”.

Reflection

Helen Keller, blind and deaf from early childhood said “I thank God for my handicaps, for through them I have found myself, my work, and my God”

Action

Begin to thank God for anything that you consider as suffering today.

Tags: Bible study, Bible study guide, Bible verses, Christ Jesus, suffering

Purpose of This Bible Study Lesson

This lesson will help you to know that it is God’s will that you become Christ-like in the life of faith that you live and that you imitate Christ’s nature of excellence.

Learning Goals

This lesson will guide the participants to:-

1. Discover the qualities that distinguished Christ’s character of excellence
2. Discover the process of becoming a man or woman of excellence
3. Discover the price and sacrifice of spiritual excellence

Introduction

As you mature and become intimate with God, you will discover the ways of God, as the Psalmist wrote in Psalms 103:7Psalms 103:7
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
7 He made known his ways unto Moses, His doings unto the children of Israel.  

that “He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.” God wants very much to reveal His ways to us because we are His children whom He has called unto righteousness and holiness. It will take strict discipline on our part to understand and follow the path of excellence that Christ has set for us. Excellence was a trade mark of the men and women of old listed in Hebrews 11 who walked with God by faith and pleased Him by faith because “without faith, it is impossible to please Him” (Heb 11:6Heb 11:6
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
6 And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing [unto him]; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.  

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Therefore, in order to grow in excellence, we must live a life of faith because it pleases God and also believe that we “can do all things, through Christ which strengthens” us” (Phil 4:13Phil 4:13
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
13 I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me.  

).

Begin Today’s Lesson by Reading: Daniel 6:1-5Daniel 6:1-5
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
6 ¹ It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, who should be throughout the whole kingdom; ² and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one; that these satraps might give account unto them, and that the king should have no damage. ³ Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. ⁴ Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but they could find no occasion nor fault, forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. ⁵ Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.  

, Heb 11:1-11Heb 11:1-11
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
11 ¹ Now faith is assurance of [things] hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. ² For therein the elders had witness borne to them. ³ By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear. ⁴ By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaketh. ⁵ By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God translated him: for he hath had witness borne to him that before his translation he had been well-pleasing unto God: ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing [unto him]; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that seek after him. ⁷ By faith Noah, being warned [of God] concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. ⁸ By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. ⁹ By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a [land] not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: ¹⁰ for he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God. ¹¹ By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive seed when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised:  

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Spiritual Exercise Gives Birth to Spiritual Excellence

Jesus talking to one of his disciples Phillip after he had asked him to show them the Father told him that “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? The person who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14:9John 14:9
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, Show us the Father?  

).

In telling this disciple that whoever had seen him had seen the Father, Jesus is teaching his disciples the lesson of faith because they need to believe that Jesus was sent from God, and in John 14:12John 14:12
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father.  

Jesus stressed again this fact by saying that “Truly, truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father”.
The emphasis by Christ himself in this portion of Scripture is that whoever believes in him will do greater works than those that Christ had done while he walked on the face of this earth. There are three things that distinguished Christ’s ministry here on earth:

1. He always did things to please his Father; i.e. he was not a man-pleaser. When we do ministry, we should not do things to please men, but the One who has called us.
2. He was a humble man, because he wanted God to get credit or glory for the things that he did. God will not share His glory with anybody and that is why many Christians today lack excellence because they want to do things that bring glory unto themselves and not glory for God.
3. Jesus withdrew to a lonely place for prayer because a life of spiritual excellence is a life of prayer. Many great men of God like Daniel, Elijah and Moses were disciplined in a life of fasting and prayer. James says that “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”. (Jam 5:17Jam 5:17
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   17 Elijah was a man of like passions with us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain; and it rained not on the earth for three years and six months.  
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   ). Prayer strengthens our spiritual muscles and disciplines us to perform the “great works” that Christ has said we will do

Bible Study Questions For Discussion - Week 31

1. What are the three main things that distinguished Christ’s ministry on earth? Please explain
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2. Why do you think it is important for us do works that please God as Christians today? Please explain.
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3. What role do you think humility plays in becoming like Christ in excellence? Please explain
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4. Why do you think we should become prayer warriors if we are to excel in becoming like Christ? Please explain
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5. How does faith help us in attaining spiritual excellence? Please explain using Heb 11:1-11Heb 11:1-11
   English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
   11 ¹ Now faith is assurance of [things] hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. ² For therein the elders had witness borne to them. ³ By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear. ⁴ By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaketh. ⁵ By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God translated him: for he hath had witness borne to him that before his translation he had been well-pleasing unto God: ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing [unto him]; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that seek after him. ⁷ By faith Noah, being warned [of God] concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. ⁸ By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. ⁹ By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a [land] not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: ¹⁰ for he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God. ¹¹ By faith even Sarah herself received power to conceive seed when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised:  
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6. Why should faith become our trademark in seeking excellence? Please explain using Heb 11:6Heb 11:6
   English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
   6 And without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing [unto him]; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.  
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7. What is the evidence of an excellent life according to Daniel 6:3Daniel 6:3
   English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
   3 Then this Daniel was distinguished above the presidents and the satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.  
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   ? Please explain
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8. In your own words please explain briefly why you think you should cultivate a spirit of excellence in your Christian walk today. Please explain
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Memorize 1 Corinthians 9:241 Corinthians 9:24
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
24 Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may attain.  

“Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize.”

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