Questions For Band of Brothers

LESSON 1

What was creation like in the beginning? (Genesis 1)

v. 10­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_______________________________________
v. 12_______________________________________
v. 18_______________________________________
v. 21_______________________________________

How many commands did God give Adam and Eve? (Genesis 1)


What was God’s command to the first human beings? (Genesis 2:16-17)




Read Genesis3:1-13 to find out what happened next.

How did Adam and Eve respond to God’s command? (Genesis 3:6-7)
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In light of this, do you think you would have responded any differently?

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Think about what God attempted to shield Adam and Eve from: the knowledge of evil. What loving parents today don’t do everything possible to protect their children from dangerous material—on television, on the internet or anywhere else?

Who tempted Eve? (Genesis 3:1)
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Adam and Eve ate the fruit God had told them not to eat— in essence saying to God, “We don’t need you or your rules.” They disobeyed God. They sinned.

How did Adam and Eve react after their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked? (Genesis3)

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v. 10____________________________________________________________

Why do you think they reacted this way?

How did God respond to Adam and Eve’s sin? (Gen 3:8-9)

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Notice the 2 very different responses to humanity’s sin:

Humanity covered up and hid from God.
God sought after man.

Things have not changed much since the beginning. After thousands of years and billions of people, human beings still hide from God—and God still seeks. This is the starting point for understanding salvation.

Application & Reflection
What did you learn from this lesson? How will you apply it to your life?
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LESSON 2

THE RESULTS OF SIN

The act of disobeying God is called sin. One definition fo sin is to “miss the mark,” as when you fail to hit the targe in a sporting event.

Obviously the Bible’s understanding of sin is much more serous than that. In fact, Scripture has a couple different ways of expressing this idea. Sis is some times described as a “trespass,” something that involves crossing forbidden lines or boundaries that God sets upfor our protection.

What state does the Bible describe us as being in? (Ephesians 2:1)

Why ultimately is our sin so serious to God? Leviticus 11:44


What does iniquity do to our relationship with God? Isaiah 59:1-2
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Describe sinful humanity’s desperate condition. (Romans 3:9-20;23)
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What are the “wages” (consequences) of sin? (Romans 6:23)

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What does the Bible say happens after we die? (Hebrews 9:27)

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How does the Bible describe eternal Judgment

Matthew 25:41_________________________________________
Revelation 20:11-15_____________________________________
Revelation 21:8_________________________________________

What does Paul, the writer of Romans, call himself? (Romans 7:24)

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In Romans 7, Paul describes his own state and cries out on behalf of all humanity with the most important question ever asked: “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Humanity’s deepest need is for salvation—not just from the evil in the world, but from the evil in our own hearts.

Obviously God takes sin very seriously. What about you? What do you think you deserve for your sin?

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LESSON 3

GOD’S SOLUTION FOR SIN: JESUS’ DEATH AND RESURRECTION

The penalty for sin is death, both spiritual and physical. God’s ultimate solution for sin was foreshadowed in the original story. After Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to hide themselves with their own covering—and humanity has been hiding from God ever since. God, however, provided the real covering, and he did so by spilling the blood of an innocent animal.

The concept of sacrifice (the idea that because of sin, someone has to pay the penalty) is seen throughout the Bible. Sin was forgiven only as a result of shedding blood, a sacrifice offered in the place of sinful human beings. The sacrifice had to be one without effect.


What is necessary for the forgiveness of sins? (Hebrews 9:22)

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Why was Jesus “pierced”? (Isaiah 53:5)

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What did Jesus’ blood (sacrificial death) do for us?

Ephesians 1:7_______________________________________________

I John 1:7 ­­­­­­­­­­­­__________________________________________________

What did Jesus do for us on the cross?

I Corinthians 15:3-4__________________________________
2 Corinthians 5:21____________________________________
Galatians 3:13-14____________________________________

According to the Bible, what makes Jesus unique that he can do this for us?

John 1:18______________________________________________________
Colossians 1:15-20______________________________________________


Jesus’ blood—his sacrificial death—is God’s solution for humanity’s sin. He pays the penalty for your sin. He wants to wipe the slate clean—forgiveness. But Jesus didn’t just stay in the grave. He rose from the dead.

6. What is the significance of Jesus’ resurrection? What if there was no resurrection? (I Corinthians 15:14-19)

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What makes God’s gift of grace so costly is that Jesus paid for it with his life. What makes it so powerful is that he came back from the dead—providing that he is the Son of God and showing that God accepted his sacrifice as payment for our sin.
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. --Romans 4:25

God’s law demands that sin be punished by death. Year in and year out, innocent animals would die in the place of God’s people, reminding them that is costly. However, God’s plan was to send his ultimate sacrifice, Jesus Christ, as a “lamb” to be offered for the sins of the whole world. Even more amazing is the fact that the Bible calls Jesus “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” God became a man in Jesus Christ and died for the sins of his own creation.

APPPLICATION

What did you learn from this lesson and how will you apply it to your life?
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LESSON 4

RECEIVING GOD’S GIFT: A NEW HEART

As a result of receiving God’s sacrifice, Jesus Christ, as the payment for our sins, we not only experience forgiveness from the past, but we are given a new heart and a new life as God’s children.

What did God promise he would give his people? Ezekiel 36:26

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What does God do when he rescues us from our state of spiritual death? Ephesians 2:4-6


What happens when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior? John 1:12-13


What did Jesus say must happen before we can enter the kingdom of God? John 3:3-7


What do the following passages tell you about being “born again” or “born of God”?

John 1:12-13 _______________________________________________
I Peter 1:23 ________________________________________________
I John 3:9 __________________________________________________
I John 4 :7 _________________________________________________

What is the destiny of those who are “born of God?” I John 5:4


Application & Reflection

What would you do if someone could offer you a brand-new start in life? Have you received God’s gift of new life?

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LESSON 5

GRACE THROUGH FAITH

It is critical to understand that we cannot save ourselves. The foundation of our faith is Jesus’ death and resurrection. That’s what paid the penalty for our sins. As a result of God’s work in Jesus, we are a new people with a new heart and a new Lord.

Is it possible to be saved by the good things we do – our “works”? How are we saved? Ephesians 2:8-9

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Does God save us because of the good things we do? If not, why does he save us? Titus 3:4-5

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What does God’s grace teach the believer? Titus 2:11-12

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Shall we continue to sin because of God’s forgiveness and grace? Romans 6:15

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What are we created for as new Christians? Ephesians 2:10

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What did Jesus say to those who believed in him? Matthew 16:24

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As we have learned in this chapter, we are spiritually dead and cannot save ourselves. Regardless of who we are, we need a Savior. Jesus Christ is the only true Savior. By receiving Jesus as Savior and Lord, we can be delivered from the power of sin and its consequences. Our salvation is based on what Jesus did for us, not on our own efforts.
We must therefore…

Realize that we are sinners without excuse (Romans 1:20) and that it is only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we can be saved.

Respond by turning from sin and putting our faith in him and then following him as Lord.

Honor Your Father and Mother

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Camping Trip: On Monday, March 31 the Band of Brothers are going on a camping trip to North Carolina. This is going to be an incredible time of fun and building relationships as spiritual brothers. The cost is $75 (to pay for food and transportation). Don’t miss out on this!


Girls Bible Study: Saturdays at 11am Shelby Reeder leads a Bible Study for the middle school girls. This is a great way to lay down the foundations of Christianity and at the same time get connected into Godly friendships. If you want your daughter to get involved with this call Shelby @ 904 553 6524 or email her @ Shelbinater17@bellsouth.net.

Band of Brothers: This week we are playing paintball! We will meet at the church at 10 am and then transport to the paintball field. Cost is $20 to $30. Jason Rue is leading this trip. Please contact him if your son plans on going. Jason – 904 251 4732.


THE MESSAGE

TITLE: Honor Your Father and Mother


In Exodus 20 God gives us the Ten Commandments. As you read these commands you will find that there is one command that is different than the others: “Honor your father and mother that it may go well with you and enjoy long life.” This is the one command that comes with a promise. If we honor our father and mother, God promises us a blessed life. Why did God make this one command that promised a blessed life if we obey it?

To answer this question I asked for six volunteers, 3 guys and 3 girls. We then played a game called parent challenge. The guys were dads and the girls were moms while the crowd played the role of the kids. The moms and dads had one task. They were to make the rules of the house. When the list of rules for each parent was finished the kids (crowd) would pick their favorite parent.

Each parent gave their list of rules. The majority of the parents came up with rules, such as no spankings, can run freely around the house, stay out as late as want, eat whatever, no cleaning, have fun and no punishment for poor grades. The good parents said that there should be a limit to what you can watch on T.V. and there should be accountability for grades.

We then picked the favorite parent and there was a tie between a good parent and a bad parent. I then explained how to pick the right parent. Everyone in this room wants a happy and blessed life, right? By a blessed life I mean that you make wise decisions, have a good character, good friends, success, confidence and a Godly family. Which parent would you pick for this life? You would pick the good parent. You would not pick Mr. no rules, do whatever you want. You would pick a parent that set up boundaries that disciplined you when you made a mistake that made you study and go to church. You would want someone that disciplined you when you were lazy and not doing your homework or reading your Bible. This is what my parents did for me and I am experiencing this blessed life that God promises because I have tried my best to honor my parents. Every time I have failed to honor them I have missed out on this blessing. Do you see now why God made this rule? It was so that we would experience a blessed and joyful life.

I then asked everyone to be honest and give me 10 qualities of what they felt defined a good parent. The list included: goes to church, listens and talks to you, involved in education, gives some freedom, gets involved with what you like, unconditional love, helps you not make same mistake, cooks good, takes you to Moe’s, and sets boundaries.

This command is more than just about respecting and obeying your parents. It is a principle God is trying to teach us. Basically, God was telling us to respect authority in general. When you respect authority (parents, teachers…) you are respecting God. What does this mean? First you must understand that we are all sons and daughters of God if we have given our lives to Jesus (Heb 12:5-7). Why do your parents discipline you when you mess up? Because they want what’s best for you (Heb 12:9-10). God disciplines us because he knows what is best for us and he wants us to have it (Heb 12:10). He is our Father. We are his sons. He wants to give us what’s best for us. This is why “honor your father and mother” is the one command with a promised blessing if we obey it.

God was trying to teach us this principle because if we learn to respect our parents and authority in general, we learn to honor our heavenly father ant that his discipline for us is for our own good. Authority was given to us because we cannot live this life on our own!

Ryan Austin
Element Youth Leader