2015 Bible Study DEMONSTRATING_THE_CHARACTER_OF_CHRIST

TRINITY UNITED CHURCH YOUTH FELLOWSHIP BIBLE STUDY OUTLINE 2015“Demonstrating theCharacter of Christ:Humility andObedience”Philippians 2:1AGREE WITH YESHUA…..

Page |1 CONTENTSDEMONSTARTING THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST…. (Philippians 2:5)...................................... 2GODLY CHARACTER ……..................................................................................................................... 4HUMILITY; CHARACTER OF CHRIST. (PHILIP 2:8)......................................................................... 6PRIDE; “THE” ROOT OF ALL SIN…. (Ezekiel 28:11-19) .................................................................. 10OBEDIENCE; THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST (PHIL 2:5-8) ............................................................ 12

Page |2 DEMONSTARTING THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST…. (Philippians 2:5)Agree with JESUS…We thank Almighty God for another year of hope and blessings. Our first study for this year willbe demonstrating the character of Christ. Last year we looked at bearing true fruit of ourconfession which is undoubtedly in line with character of Christ. Since the Spirit of God schooledus on His fruit last year, we will look at some other characters portrayed by Christ this year. Theseinclude:  Forgiveness; Forgiveness was purchased out of the abundance of love, the love which God has for us. It is the realization of how much we have been forgiven by Christ which enables us to forgive the insignificant things that are done to us. Most relationships are destroyed because of unforgiveness. Forgiveness heals, even heals the world (2 Ch 7:14, Luke 23:24, Colossians 3:13).  Fairness; It sees a situation from the viewpoint of each person involved and not just our personal viewpoints. It seeks the best, just, and most equable (equitable) solution. It sometimes even hurts. (Mathew 7:12). In this generation unfairness is shown at our workplaces, school, to the poor in our churches.  Generosity; Generosity allows us to give to others because God has given abundantly to us. It is the wise use of stewardship and gifts. It is the attitude that all we have belongs to God and knowing we are caretakers of His purpose.(Mathew 10:8)  Purity &Holiness; Being set apart for God’s use, which is holiness in action. It does not allow us to be contaminated nor interfere with others in our growth and relationship with Christ.(Mathew 5:8)  Encouragement; Finding encouragement in God the Father as well as in Jesus Christ is how we can be lifted up as well as offer support to and help others up through difficult circumstances, all from God’s perspective(John 14:1)  Availability; It is being willing to adjust our own schedule, agenda and plans to fit the right desires of God and others. It is to reflect God’s priorities so we are always available to the needy, poor, sick as seen in the lives of His disciples (Mark 1:17-18). We can also see Paul at full service to God (Acts 16:9&10)

Page |3 Compassion; When your heart and soul feel the pain and plight of others it will enable you to convey a deep feeling of love and concern that moves you to minister to their distresses, struggles and needs. Most of Jesus’ good deeds were done out of compassion, (Mark 1:41&42). Peter also encourage in 1 Peter 3:8 that we show compassion to one another. Servant leadership; This is exercising real godly leadership identical to Christ’s leadership style. This was exemplified by Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. Christ was a servant leader and never lorded His leadership over anyone in any situation but He became the leader we needed and a servant when needed, (Luke 22:26&27) Teach; Sharing our insights and what we have learned with others, to educate and disciple them. Christ was a teacher and that was what He was mostly known for. “Rabbi” they called Him which means teacher. (Mathew 7:28&29, Mark 4:2). Some Christians only see themselves as students and never study the Bible to teach. (Mathew 28:19&20) Zealous; Refers to maintaining our enthusiasm for our faith and call, not allowing our church or us to fall into a lot of meaningless speech making. The Lord’s zeal was first introduced in scripture when He was a child (Luke 2:49). Hence passion for the Lord’s house is not only for church leaders, executives and ministers, but all believers.(John 2:17) Can you mention other characteristics of Christ not mentioned above? Fruit of the SPIRIT is an exception. How different is compassion from love? What is the first character people should notice when they look at Christians? How can you know determine genuine love, generosity and other such traits from the fake ones?

Page |4 GODLY CHARACTER ……“Character is what you are in the dark”- D. L. MoodyDo we really know what Christian character is all about? Real, authentic character isformed by our commitment to Christ. God gave us His Word, the Bible, so that He canhave a personal relationship with you. As you get to know God better, you will becomeoverwhelmed by His character. You will also become more aware of your own failures asa human being – your selfishness, pride and lack of concern for others. As a result youwill desire to see your own character change so that you become more like Christ.Let’s look at Paul before he became a Christian, he was a zealous Jew. He had studied allthe Jewish teachings so that he understood them perfectly and followed that faultlessly.According to the standard of the Jewish religion, he would have been considered perfectand righteous. Paul was a persecutor of Christians (Acts 8:1-3). When Paul became aChristian, he changed completely with hopes of fulfilling his new call; that I may know him,and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable untohis death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I hadalready attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that forwhich also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto thosethings which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in ChristJesus.(Phil 3:10-14). Paul left his old nature and character to achieve the nature andcharacter of Christ. Paul looked to Christ to achieve God’s character since no one has seenGod except Christ. (John 1:18) We need to cultivate the character of Christ anddemonstrate them so as to stand the test of time. One major way God builds and mentorsus is through character Bible studies. In character Bible study you focus on specific peoplein the Bible. You learn about their personal relationship with God and how theirrelationship with God changed them. You may be thinking this is Sunday school stuffs,but NO; this is God’s engrafted word.The ability to demonstrate godly character depends on your relationship with God. Prayersolidifies our relationship with God and through our discipline in prayer our intimacywith God unveils God’s true nature and character in us. (Jer. 29:13) God is not finished

Page |5with us. We are still His workmanship. He is creating in us “righteousness and trueholiness”. Our availability is all He needs.  Why is Godly character important?  What other ways can one build his or her character apart from Bible study and prayer?  Is God actively creating character in humans (both saved and unsaved)? Eph 2:10  Can God change our hearts? Ezekiel 36:26&27 what about if we don’t want Him to?  In general what standards are Christians living by today?

Page |6 HUMILITY; CHARACTER OF CHRIST. (PHILIP 2:8)Christ is the Humility of God embodied in human nature. That is, we will have to look to andstudy Christ to know how God is humble. Humility is understanding our fallen nature and thetendency to think we are better than we actually are, and lifting up ourselves above others andGod. It is admitting that others, and more importantly God is responsible for our achievements.This minimizes arrogance and removes pride. “Humble yourselves, therefore under the mightyHand of God”… (1 Peter 5:6). Humility is a command. One character or title of Christ “the lamb”… describes His character. He is the Lamb inthat He is meek and lowly in heart (Mathew 11:29). When the Father’s will and the malice of menpointed to Calvary, the Lamb meekly bowed His head in willingness for that too. If you believeJesus was a super God walking around, you are mistaken. Though He was God, He emptiedHimself of His divine privileges and became man (Philippians 2:6&7). That was the first instanceof Humility demonstrated by Our Lord. Humility does not come by pure intellectual knowledgeof Christ but born-out of a growing and alive relationship with Him. The Humility of our Lordwas demonstrated throughout His life. So He said to His disciples “Come to me” and “Learnfrom me” but there is a condition: “Take my yoke upon you” (Mathew 11:29). You cannot learnfrom Him unless you take His yoke. What does His yoke represent? In the old testaments, animals(bulls, cattle) had yoke placed over their necks. The rear of the animals had several burn markson them like stripes. The burn mark was a sign that they are broken and submissive. When Jesussaid “Take my yoke” it means He had a yoke. He was broken and submissive. We can imitateHumility but we will never actually become humble until we take His yoke. Once we are willing(Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus-Phil 2:5) we begin to manifest thecharacter of Christ. According to the gospel of John we have the inner life of our Lord open to us. Jesus speaksfrequently of His relation to the Father, of the motives by which He is guided, of Hisconsciousness of the power and Spirit in which He acts. To Jesus we shall see how both as the sonof God in Heaven and as man upon earth, He took the place of entire subordination and gaveGod the honour and the glory which is due to Him. And what He taught so often was made truein Himself. “He that Humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Phil 2:9-11). Let’s look at some acts of

Page |7humility displayed by our Lord and Master in words and deeds. Now we shall see howunceasingly He uses the words not, and nothing of Himself.  “The Son can do nothing”… (John15:9) but He was the Son of God (Luke9:3)  I can of my own self do nothing, “My judgement is just, because I seek not mine own will” (John 5:30)… but had the power to Judge… (John5:27).  “I seek not Mine own glory” (John 8:50) but He was the King of Glory (Luke 24:26).  “Why calleth thou me good” none is good, save one that is God. (Luke 18:19)… but He was God (and the good shepherd. John 10) (John 1) and did good things. (Acts 10: 38). One of the greatest characters Jesus demonstrated can be found in John 13:1-17 – Read. Jesus showed that Humility goes with service. Hence He commanded the disciples to do same. (John 13:14). Jesus the “Lamb” of God. What are some characteristics of God? Who is the greatest in the Kingdom?(Mathew 18:4) Why is Humility important in our Christian walk? How different is meekness from Humility? How can we know the humble ones?

Page |8 HUMILITY; IN THE TEACHING OF CHRIST, (MATHEW 11:29)Jesus did not only show humility but He also taught it and showed His followers its importance.We’ve seen humility in the Life of Christ. Let’s now see how He spoke of it and how far He expectsHis disciples to humble themselves. Look at the beginning of His ministry;  He speaks: \"Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.\"Mathew 5:3&5. The very first words of His proclamation of the kingdom of heaven reveal the (only) open gate through which we enter. The poor, who have nothing in themselves, to them the kingdom comes. The meek, who seek nothing in themselves, theirs the earth shall be. The blessings of heaven and earth are for the lowly. For the heavenly and the earthly life, humility is the secret of blessing.  \"…Learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest for your souls.\" Mathew 11:29. Jesus offers Himself as Teacher. He tells us what we shall find in Him as Teacher, and what we can learn and receive from Him. Meekness and lowliness is the one thing He offers us; in it we shall find perfect rest of our soul. Humility is to an essential spiritual trait in working out our salvation with fear and trembling.  The disciples had been disputing who would be the greatest in the kingdom, and had agreed to ask the Master (Luke 9:46-48). He set a child in their midst, and said, \"Whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, shall be exalted\" \"Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?\" The question is indeed a far-reaching one. What will be the chief distinction in the heavenly kingdom? The answer, none but Jesus would have given. The chief glory of heaven, the true heavenly mindedness, the chief of the graces, is humility. \"He that is least among you, the same shall be great.\" (Luke 9:48)  The sons of Zebedee had asked Jesus to let them sit on His right and left, the highest place in the kingdom. Jesus said it was not His to give, but the Father's, who would give it to those for whom it was prepared. They must not look or ask for it. Their thought must be of the cup and the baptism of humiliation (death and resurrection). And then He added, \"Whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of Man came to serve.\" (Mathew 20:20-23) Humility, as it is the mark of, will be the one standard of glory in heaven: the lowliest is the nearest to God. The primacy in the Church is promised to the humblest.

Page |9 Speaking to the multitude and the disciples about the Pharisees and their love of the chief seats, Christ said once again (Mathew 23:1-12), \"He that is greatest among you shall be your servant.\" Humiliation is the only ladder to honor in God's kingdom On another occasion, in the house of a Pharisee, He spoke the parable of the guest who would be invited to come up higher (Luke 14. 7-11), and added, \"for whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.\" The demand is inexorable; there is no other way. Self abasement alone will be exaltedIn the presence and worship of God, everything is worthless that is not pervaded by deep,true humility towards God and men.  Why does Jesus compare humility to that of a child?  Who is a servant?  How was Jesus a servant to i. Disciples ii. Multitudes What does it mean to be “Poor in Spirit”? Do Humility and service always go together? Should Christians (especially those in authority) allow themselves to be served?

P a g e | 10 PRIDE; “THE” ROOT OF ALL SIN…. (Ezekiel 28:11-19)It is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since theworld began. From this point on in the Bible, we see the outworking of pride and unbelief in theaffairs of individuals, families, nations, and cultures. As people lose or suppress the knowledgeof God, spiritual darkness grows and a psychological inversion occurs: in their thinking Godbecomes smaller and they become larger. The center of gravity in their mental lives shifts fromGod to themselves. They become the center of their world, and God is conveniently moved to theperiphery, either through denial of his existence or distortion of his character. Self-importanceand godless self-confidence grow stronger. The cycle that follows is familiar: people exaltthemselves against God and over others.A study of pride from a Biblical perspective presents you with a tremendous opportunity forthoughtful reflection and spiritual growth. Pride and arrogance is conspicuous among the rich,the famous, the successful, religious (faith) leaders as well as ordinary people. From the book ofEzekiel, you will realize pride is the major cause of sin in scripture. “I want to be like God”, Satanpurposed in his heart. As time went on I believe he might have said “I will be God”. Eventuallypride took over and he said “I am God and deserve the throne”. Pride grows with our spirit if wedon’t allow God to deal with it. Now Satan is the least among God’s creation fulfilling scripture.(Prov. 29:23). Jonathan Edwards said:The first and worst cause of errors that abound in our day and age is spiritual pride. This is the main doorby which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of Christ. It is thechief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit to darken the mind and mislead the judgment. Pride is the mainhandle by which he has hold of Christian persons and the chief source of all the mischief that he introducesto clog and hinder a work of God. Spiritual pride is the main spring or at least the main support of all othererrors. Until this disease is cured, medicines are applied in vain to heal all other diseases. Your view ofpride might be simple. Some people are proud yet find it hard to discern it. Pride may come indifferent forms which include: “Pride of the eyes”…… (Psalm 101:5, Isaiah 5:15) “Pride of the heart”….(Ezekiel 28:2&5) “Pride of the Spirit”….(Prov. 16:18, Eccl 7:8)Which is difficult to discern?

P a g e | 11A humble person will not try to draw attention to himself but his Lord and others. The essenceof humility is always other-centeredness. Conversely, a prideful Christian will cover all theattention he can get and do whatever he can to make a name for himself. No matter how manymasks he has to put on and no matter what he must say and do, he’s committed to maintaininghis own bad reputation and position. Thus he must continually keep up a pretense, hide hisinsecurities and master his failures because he has a very difficult time. If Christians are notconstantly growing into humility , denying themselves and elevating Christ, then they will beswelling up in pride-parading their own image, gifts and anointing. Hence Paul let us know inPhilippians 2 that no one has the right to exalt himself or herself and if anyone had a legitimateright and reason to be proud, then it is Christ.  What is Pride?  How does this kind of attitude affect;  You  Your relationship with God  Your relationship with your fellow Christian and even unbelievers  What does God say about pride? Prov.8:13 Prov.16:5  How does God resist the proud?  Why do you think people can’t stay humble?  Is pride always negative?

P a g e | 12 OBEDIENCE; THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST (PHIL 2:5-8)\"Though he was a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered\"(Hebrews 5:8)He humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross\"(Philippians 2:8)The \"obedience\" (hupakoe) of Christ can be seen as an element of conduct and character.From the Greek translation it means attentive hearkening, compliance or submission.Christ’s subjection to His parents as a child (Luke 2:51) was a necessary manifestation ofHis loving and sinless character, and of His disposition and power to do the right thingin any situation. ); Philipians 2:6,8 states: “Existing in the form of God .... He humbledhimself, becoming obedient, even unto death.\" As Son of God, His will was never out ofaccord with the Father's will. What we need to recognize is that in true obedience thereis an element of real humility. An obedient person is also a humble person. Why? Becausehe puts the will and the desires of the one he serves above his own will and his owndesires. We could see the demonstration of the obedience of Christ in so many places inthe gospels. \"Lo, I am come (in the roll of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, OGod.\" It was His law of life: \"I do always the things that are pleasing to him. I do nothingof myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things (John 8:29, 28); \"I can of myselfdo nothing. .... I seek not mine own will, but the will of him that sent me (John 5:30). Itwas the indispensable process of His activity as the \"image of the invisible God,\" theexpression of the Deity in terms of the phenomenal and the human. He could be a perfectrevelation only by the perfect correspondence in every detail, of will, word and workwith the Father's will (John 5:19). Obedience was also His life nourishment andsatisfaction (John 4:34). It was the guiding principle which directed the details of Hiswork: \"I have power to lay it (life) down, and I have power to take it again. Thiscommandment received I from my Father\" (John 10:18); \"The Father that sent me, he hathgiven me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak\" (John 12:49);compare 14:31, etc.). We all realize that God has every right to expect certain behavior of

P a g e | 13us, and throughout the Bible, He exercises that right. We all realize that there arecommandments He has given us which apply to us as a whole. We should love eachother. We should all abstain from immoral behavior. We should give. We should not getdrunk. We should pray. We are accountable to Him for the way we raise our children.Besides those commandments which we should all obey, there are times when He givesus commands on a more personal basis. He may tell an individual that He wants him orher to handle a situation a certain way. In the Old Testament obedience in Hebrew meant“to hear”. The Greek and Hebrew words translated into \"obedience\" both are centered onthe concept of trust. If you don't obey God when He speaks to you, you are essentiallysaying, \"God, I don't trust Your will for my life. I don't think you have my best interestsat heart. I know better than You, so I will handle this one myself.\" As you can imagine,this sort of attitude can upset the Lord greatly. Hearing God in the secret place is one ofthe greatest keys to living the Christian life. However, it must be linked with its effect:radical obedience. We hear, and then we do. \"But be doers of the word, and not hearersonly, deceiving yourselves\" (James 1:22).By \"radical obedience,\" I mean immediate obedience that fulfills the commandment to itsfullest measure. Radical obedience does not seek to comply with the minimal standardsbut pursues extravagant, lavish fulfillment. If Jesus says, \"Sell all,\" then we sell all!Immediately.  Sometimes, we don't obey Him because it will make us uncomfortable. Discuss?  Is our love for God all about obedience?  Let’s differentiate between obedience and holiness?  Who should we obey?  Prophet Samuel said “to obey is better than to sacrifice”. How essential is statement to the Christian.