JOSHUA

World Evangelism

                "THE LIFE OF VICTORY"

                                           LESSON  3

           SALVATION AND RESTORATION

                                                      By: Hans Hofman

Dear friend,

Do you remember the first question of lesson 1 with which we started? "What is

God's will for your life?". You saw that it is God's will for you to receive eternal life.

Not just a lite, but a NEW AND PURIFIED LIFE, that . RESURRECTED LIFE 'of

Jesus our lord, which He obtained for you and me at Calvary's Cross.

Christ Jesus conquered sin and death and LIVES!! He is alive to Iet you

experience abundant life in peace with God the Father daily.

A life which goes from victory to victory.

A life that, in spite of the worries and problems facing us daily, proves to be

unmoveable as you live in Christ and walk with Him.

You also learnt that we are confronted with a continual fight between light and

darkness, between living with God in holiness and purity and living with Satan

in sin, depression, fear and death, being separated from God.

In the preceding lesson (2) we read that God has given us a complete armour, and

that we are hidden in God with Jesus. NOTHING will be able to separate us from

God's love. later on we will learn more about the armour of God.

The key to a victorious Christian life is hiding God's Word in our hearts and acting

according to His word through the power of His Holy Spirit.

Pray daily for God's presence in your life.

" Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and

harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse

nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life;

that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured

in vain." Philipp. 2:14-16.

In Christ, God has given you a PURPOSE TO  LIVE FOR, living and serving the

living God. Creator of heaven and earth. Satan keeps trying to take our eyes from

Jesus towards the earthly things. Our circumstances, worries, iIIness, deficiency.

but also materialism and things which take our time and money for so-called

"healthy" living. However, God says in His Word: "look to Me and live!" God does

not say: "Just pray and I will take your problems away". No, He teaches us to

DEAL with our circumstances, so that we can be MORE than conquerors in and

through Christ, and live thankfully to His glory in spite of negative circumstances.

Sometimes problems can accumulate in such a way that it all becomes too much

for us and we are feeling down (this happens when you look to the circumstances

instead of looking to God). David said: "For by Thee I have run through a troop; and

by my God have I leaped over a wall !" Ps. 18:30. It is the Word and God's Holy

Spirit which bring about this powerful life, TOGETHER with submission to the Word

and God's Spirit. In this lesson we will go one step further and you will receive new

blessings to be thankful for, as well as new weapons from the word, the Sword

of the Spirit, to deal with circumstances in your life as a VICTOR in

GODS POWER. 

Questions:

1. What was Paul fully convinced of? Philipp. 1:6..................................................

2. Paul prayed that love might grow and become abundant among the Christians

    in Philippi. Which aspects of God's love does he mention in Philippians 1:9?

    .....................................................................................................................

3. What purpose does this knowledge and clear judgement serve in the life of a

    Christian? Philipp. 1:10 ...................................................................................

       4. This love and righteousness are fruits of a life with Christ. It is He who causes

           these fruits to grow in your hearts, as long as you listen to Him and act

           according to His Word.

           What is the ultimate goal of these fruits in your lite? Philipp. 1:11

           .....................................................................................................................

       5. Paul and the brothers who helped him in his work did what God commanded them,

          and they taught SPIRITUAL principles the purpose of which are perfect love of God

          and fellow man. As a result, they often came into conflict with the natural (unsaved)

          man, and with Christians who were still carnal and made work difficult for them.

          It frequently happened that they were put into prison because of the obscure

          practices and lies of these people.

          The same still happens today in many countries of this world because many

          people are still living in darkness without Jesus Christ, the Light of the world.

          John 8:12 What was the effect of these persecutions on the preaching of

          the gospel? Philipp. 1:14 ..................................................................................

          .......................................................................................................................

6. Following the Lord Jesus can also result in losing friends, family or a job.

    This is one of the reasons why God wants us to be edified in God's love.

   Patience, tolerance and compassion ought to grow in us as Christians.

   As human beings, we often tend to look on circumstances and to think in a human

    way and act accordingly. However, God the Father wants us to look to Jesus and

    to follow Him. He is perfect and only He can give perfect answers, perfect love and

    perfect solutions in EVERY situation, and even in interpersonal relationships.

    What does Paul do in Philipp. 3:14? ...................................................................

7. What did he look towards? Philipp. 3:14 ..............................................................

8. The purpose ot these lessons on A Victorious Christsn Life' is to show you GOD'S

    perfect will for your life. God does not want you to stumble every time and suffer

    defeats against Satan.

    God loves you and wants you, as His child, to radiate His glory and love in truth

    and love. What does Jesus tell us NOT to do if we follow and serve Him?

    Luke 9:62 .........................................................................................................

       9. If we keep looking back to our old errors and mistakes and keep looking back to

           what people have done to us in the past, we will always be influenced and kept

           prisoner by old frustrations and wounds and we wil! be prevented trom radiating

          God's perfect love. Fear or new pain and hurt will keep us apart in relationships

          and separate from this perfect love. What does 1 John 4:18-21 say?

          .........................................................................................................................

      10. So if there are still wounds in your life caused by problems, grief or what others

           have done to you, bring them to the Lord Jesus in prayer now.

           He loves you (John 3:16); you are God's child (John 1:12) and He wants to heal

           you!  Exodus 15:26 Jeremiah 30:17. Take a few moments for prayer now.

           Open up your heart before God and allow Him to heal even the deepest and most

           hidden wounds in your heart and make you FREE.

           Speak out everyfhing that has hurt your heart in the past and present before God

           in prayer. Pray in the name of Jesus.

          He is the ONLY Mediator who can help and heal you.

          If there is bitterness in your heart, CONFESS it as a sin, and God wilI forgive you

          and cleanse you. (1 John 1 :9).

    What, according to 1 John 3:21, do we have if our heart cannot condemn us and

    we are free trom bitterness about old hurts?  ......................................................