Bible Lessons For The Youth of Christ - Dynamic Bible Study Outlines For The Youth With A Vision and Mission For Christ

BIBLE LESSONS FOR THE
YOUTH OF CHRIST
Book Subtitle
STEPHEN ADU-BOAHEN
BIBLE LESSONS FOR THE YOUTH OF CHRIST Copyright © 2021 by STEPHEN ADU-BOAHEN. All Rights Reserved.
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Scriptures marked KJV are taken from the KING JAMES VERSION (KJV): KING JAMES
VERSION, public domain.
Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION (NKJV): Scripture
taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION®. Copyright© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
STEPHEN ADU-BOAHEN
SEPTEMPER 2021
ISBN-13 ooo-0-0000000-1-2
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Contents
BIBLE LESSONS FOR THE YOUTH OF CHRIST
PREFACE
LESSON ONE
SEEKING AND RECEIVING YOUR SALVATION
LESSON TWO
LIFE AFTER BIRTH
LESSON THREE
YOUR LIFE AS A YOUTH IN CHRIST
LESSON FOUR
YOUR LIFE IN THE WORLD AS A YOUTH OF CHRIST
LESSON FIVE
THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER IN YOUR LIFE AS A YOUTH
LESSON SIX
LEARNING TO PRAY REGULARLY AS A YOUTH
LESSON SEVEN
LEARNING TO WAIT UPON GOD REGULARLY FOR STRENGTH
LESSON EIGHT
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BIBLE IN YOUR LIFE AS A YOUTH
LESSON NINE
WALKING WITH GOD WITH DETERMINATION
LESSON TEN
WALKING WITH GOD IN OBEDIENCE
LESSON ELEVEN
THE BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE (PART I)
LESSON TWELVE
THE BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE (PART II)
LESSON THIRTEEN
AVOIDING ALL THE SATANIC TRAPS FOR THE YOUTH
LESSON FOURTEEN
AVOIDING ALL THE SATANIC TEMPTATIONS OF THE YOUTHFUL AGE (PART I)
LESSON FIFTEEN
AVOIDING ALL THE SATANIC TEMPTATIONS OF THE YOUTHFUL AGE (PART II)
LESSON SIXTEEN
LEARNING FROM THE EXAMPLES OF SOME YOUTH IN THE BIBLE
LESSON SEVENTEEN
THE YOUTH AND SEXUAL MORALITY
LESSON EIGHTEEN
THE YOUTH AND MARRIAGE
LESSON NINETEEN
UNITY AMONG THE YOUTH OF GOD
LESSON TWENTY
SPECIAL BIBLE STUDY ON THE END-TIME PERIOD
LESSON TWENTY-ONE
LESSON TWENTY-TWO
APPENDIX
SPECIAL STUDY BASED ON EXODUS 33:14
“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest”
IS DRINKING A SIN
CHAPTER ONE
THE MEANING OF WINE AND STRONG DRINK
CHAPTER TWO
THE OLD TESTAMENT POSITION ON DRINKING AND DRUNKENNESS
CHAPTER THREE
THE NEW TESTAMENT POSITION ON DRINKING AND DRUNKENNESS
CHAPTER FOUR
THE QUESTION OF MODERATION
CHAPTER FIVE
DO THE INSTANCES OF DRINKING AND DRUNKENNESS IN THE BIBLE JUSTIFY THE USE OF WINE AND
STRONG DRINK?
LESSON ONE
SEEKING AND RECEIVING YOUR SALVATION
QUESTION 1
What is Salvation?
ANSWER:
Salvation is deliverance from the power of sin; which deliverance God gives
to all those who fulfil the conditions attached to it.
Answer
________________________________________________________________________
Matthew 1:21
“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name
JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” (NKJV)
Mark 2:17
“When Jesus heard it, He said to them, ‘those who are well
have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not
come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
(NKJV)
Luke 5:31-32
“And Jesus Answered and said to them, ‘those who are well
do not need a physician, but those who are sick. ‘I have not
come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
(NKJV)
QUESTION 2
Who are those who qualify to receive God’s salvation?
ANSWER:
The Bible says that God’s salvation is meant for all men everywhere who see
themselves as sinners who need this salvation.
1 Timothy 2:3-4
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Saviour, who desires all men to be saved and to come to
the knowledge of the truth.” (NKJV)
1 Timothy 4:10
“For to this end we both labour and suffer reproach,
because we trust in the Living God, who is the Saviour of
all men, especially of those who believe.” (NKJV)
Revelation 14:6
“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell
on the earth - to every nation, tribe, tongue and people.”
(NKJV)
Revelation 22:17
“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him
who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. And
whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”
(NKJV)
Answer
_________________________________________________________________________
QUESTION 3
What conditions should we fulfil to enable us obtain God’s free salvation?
ANSWER:
I. We must REPENT of all known sin:
Mark 1:4
“John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a
baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” (NKJV)
Luke 3:8
“Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not
begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our
father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up
children to Abraham from these stones.” (NKJV)
Acts 2:38
“Then Peter said to them, ‘repent, and let everyone of you
be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
(NKJV)
Acts 3:19
“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be
blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the
presence of the Lord.” (NKJV)
2 Corinthians 7:10
“For godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation, not
to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces
death.” (NKJV)
II. We must CONFESS all sins in our lives for cleansing in the Blood of
Christ
1 John 1:7, 9
“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ
His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.” (NKJV)
Psalm 32:5
“I acknowledged my sin to you, and my iniquity I have not
hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the
LORD,’ and You Forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (NKJV)
Psalm 38:3-4, 18
“There is no soundness in my flesh because of your anger,
nor is there any health in my bones because of my sin. For
my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden
they are too heavy for me. I confess my iniquity; I am
troubled by my sin.” (NKJV)
Psalm 40:11-12
“Do not withhold your tender mercies from me, O LORD;
let your loving kindness and your truth continually
preserve me. For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to
look up” (NKJV)
Psalm 41:4
“I said, ‘LORD, be merciful to me; heal my soul, for I
have sinned against You.’” (NKJV)
III. We must exercise SAVING FAITH in Christ and RECEIVE Him into
our lives:
Mark 16:15-16
“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is
baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be
condemned.’” (NKJV)
John 3:14-18
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes
in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life. For God did not send His son into the
world to condemn the world, but that the world through
Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not
condemned; but He who does not believe is condemned
already, because he has not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God.” (NKJV)
John 5:24
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and
believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall
not come into Judgment, but has passed from death into
life.” (NKJV)
John 6:47
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has
everlasting life.” (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
LESSON TWO
LIFE AFTER BIRTH
INTRODUCTION:
After becoming sure and certain of our salvation, there is the need also to
become certain of what to do to grow and progress in this grace in the Lord.
Salvation without a corresponding growth in grace is equivalent to giving
birth to a child without taking any steps to nurture and bring it up. “Life after
Birth” is going to show us what practical things to do to progress in our
Christian lives after being born again.
WHAT TO DO IN OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES

1. What should we aim at after our salvation to help us follow the Lord?
(Ps. 84:7; Eph. 4:13) (Spiritual growth)
Psalm 84:7
“I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who
know Me; Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia:
‘This one was born there.’” (NKJV)
Ephesians 4:13
“Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
2. What should we always try to do if we want to get daily spiritual

strength after getting saved? (Rom. 12:12; Colo. 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:17;
Acts 10:2; Dan. 6:10) (Prayer)
Colossians 4:2
“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with
thanksgiving.” (NKJV)
1 Thessalonians 5:17
“Pray without ceasing.” (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
3. What should be your new attitude towards the Word of God after
being born again? (1 Pet. 2:2; Mk. 12:24-27; Jer. 23:29; Eph. 6:17;
Ps. 119:142, 151, 160) (We should give time to study, meditate upon
it and take it in)
1 Peter 2:2
“As new-born babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that
you may grow thereby.” (NKJV)
Mark 12:24-27
“Jesus Answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore
mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the
power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they
neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like
angels in heaven. But concerning the dead, that they rise,
have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning
bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, I am the God
of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He
is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You
are therefore greatly mistaken.” (NKJV)
Jeremiah 23:29
““Is not My word like a fire?” says the LORD, “And like
a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”” (NKJV)
Ephesians 6:17
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God.” (NKJV)
Psalm 119:142, 151,160
“Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and
Your law is truth. You are near, O LORD, and all Your
commandments are truth. The entirety of Your word is
truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures
forever.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
WHAT OUR DAILY PRACTICAL LIVES SHOULD BE

1. After being genuinely converted, what change should we see in our
lives by the grace of God? (2 Cor. 5:17) (We should aim at becoming
new creatures and brand-new persons)
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away; behold, all things have
become new.” (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
2. What practical steps should we take to enable us live as new creatures

and brand-new persons? (Rom. 6:2 ,11; Col. 3:3; Rom. 6:7, 18, 22; 1
Jn. 3:6, 9) (We should be completely dead to sin)
Romans 6:2, 11
“Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any
longer in it? Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be
dead in sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(NKJV)
Colossians 3:3
“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in
God.” (NKJV)”
Romans 6:7,18,22
For he who has died has been freed from sin. And having
been set free from sin, you become slaves of righteousness.
But now having been set free from sin, and having become
slaves of God, you have your fruit to righteousness, and
the end, everlasting life
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
3. What should our daily practical lives be if we want to maintain our

salvation to the end? (Eph. 4:1; Colo. 1:10; 1 Thess. 5:22; 4:3, 7; Phil.
1:27) (Holy and sanctified lives conforming to our holy calling)
Ephesians 4:1
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk
worthy of the calling with which you were called.”
(NKJV)
Colossians 1:10
“That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing
Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in
the knowledge of God.” (NKJV)
“Abstain from every form of evil.” (NKJV)
1 Thessalonians 4:3
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you
should abstain from sexual immorality.” (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
4. What are some of the things that can help us maintain holy and
sanctified lives?
1. (Rom. 8:8-9; Gal. 5:18) (We should walk by the Spirit)
Romans 8:8-9
“So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the
Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have
the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” (NKJV)
Galatians 5:7, 8
“You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you.”
(NKJV)
2. (Rom. 8:6-7, Col. 3:1-2) (We should be spiritually minded)

Romans 8:6-7
“For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook of
the Spirit is life and peace, because the outlook of the flesh
is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God,
nor is it able to do so.” (NET)
Colossians 3:1-2
“Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep
seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the
right hand of God. Keep thinking about things above, not
things on the earth.” (NET)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
WHAT TO DO IN OUR MINISTRY LIFE

1. Where should our ministry or service for God begin when we become
truly converted? (Acts 2:1-4; 2:42-47; 10:24, 27; 44-48) (It begins with
our striving to participate in all important church programmes and
activities)
Acts 2:1-4
“Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all
together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a violent wind
blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house
where they were sitting. And tongues spreading out like a
fire appeared to them and came to rest on each one of
them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they
began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled
them.” (NET)
Acts 10:24, 27
“The following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius
was waiting anxiously for them and had called together his
relatives and close friends. Peter continued talking with
him as he went in, and he found many people gathered
together.” (NET)
Acts 10:44-48
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy
Spirit fell on all those who heard the message. The
circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were
greatly astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been
poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them
speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said,
“No one can withhold the water for these people to be
baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did,
can he?” So he gave orders to have them baptized in the
name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for
several days.” (NET)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
2. With what mind and attitude should we exercise our ministry in the
Lord when we give ourselves to Him? (Jer. 48:10a; Eccl. 9:10)
Jeremiah 48:10a
“A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the LORD ’s
work!” (NET)
Ecclesiastes 9:10
“Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all
your might, because there is neither work nor planning
nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where
you will eventually go.” (NET)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
3. With what zeal should we tackle God’s work after giving ourselves to
Jesus? (Ps. 96:2-3; Isa. 62:6-7; 1 Cor. 15:58).
Psalm 96:1-3
“Sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the
earth! Sing to the LORD! Praise his name! Announce
every day how he delivers! Tell the nations about his
splendor! Tell all the nations about his amazing deeds!”
(NET)
Isaiah 62:6-7
“I post watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they should
keep praying all day and all night. You who pray to the
LORD, don't be silent! Don't allow him to rest until he
reestablishes Jerusalem, until he makes Jerusalem the
pride of the earth.” (NET)
1 Corinthians 15:58
“So then, dear brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be
moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (NET)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
LESSON THREE
YOUR LIFE AS A YOUTH IN CHRIST
1. The Youth of God are to be sober-minded and completely self-controlled.

(Tit. 2:6; 1 Thess. 5:6; 1 Pet. 1:13)
Titus 2:6
“Encourage younger men likewise to be self-controlled.”
(NET)
1 Thessalonians 5:6
“So then we must not sleep as the rest, but must stay alert
and sober.” (NET)
1 Peter 1:13
“Therefore, get your minds ready for action by being fully
sober, and set your hope completely on the grace that will
be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (NET)
2. The Youth of God are to strive to keep their lives clean all the time. (Ps.
119:9; Isa. 1:16; 2 Cor. 7:1; 2 Tim. 2:21; 1 Jn. 3:3)
Psalm 119:9
“How can a young person maintain a pure life? By
guarding it according to your instructions!” (NET)
Isaiah 1:16
“Wash! Cleanse yourselves! Remove your sinful deeds
from my sight. Stop sinning!” (NET)
2 Corinthians 7:1
“Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let
us cleanse ourselves from everything that could defile the
body and the spirit, and thus accomplish holiness out of
reverence for God.” (NET)
2 Timothy 2:21
“So if someone cleanses himself of such behavior, he will
be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful for the
Master, prepared for every good work.” (NET)
1 John 3:3
“And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies
himself, just as Jesus is pure.” (NET)
3. The Youth of God must live to be examples of piety and godliness. (1

Tim. 4:12; Titus 2:7)
1 Timothy 4:12
“Let no one look down on you because you are young, but
set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct,
love, faithfulness, and purity.” NET
Titus 2:7
“Showing yourself to be an example of good works in
every way. In your teaching show integrity, dignity.”
(NET)
4. The Youth of God are to keep their hearts with all diligence because the
heart is the centre of life. (Prov. 4:23; Matt. 15:18; Lk. 6:45; Rom. 10:10)
Proverbs 4:23
“Guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it are the
sources of life.” (NET)
Matthew 15:18
“But the things that come out of the mouth come from the
heart, and these things defile a person.” (NET)
Luke 6:45
“The good person out of the good treasury of his heart
produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury
produces evil, for his mouth speaks from what fills his
heart.” (NET)
Romans 10:10
“For with the heart one believes and thus has
righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus
has salvation.” (NET)
5. The Youth of God are to obey the Lord in all matters both big and small.
(Deut. 32:45-46; Josh. 1:8; Matt. 7:24; Prov. 3:5-12)
Deuteronomy 32:45-46
“When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel
he said to them, “Keep in mind all the words I am
solemnly proclaiming to you today; you must command
your children to observe carefully all the words of this
law.”” (NET)
Joshua 1:8
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,
but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may
observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then
you will make your way prosperous, and then you will
have good success.” (NKJV)
Matthew 7:24
"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does
them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on
the rock.” (NKJV)
6. The Youth of God are to praise the Lord constantly for what He has done
for them. (Ps. 148:12-13; 9:11; 32:2; Heb. 13:15)
Psalm 148:12-13
“You young men and young women, you elderly, along
with you children! Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted; his majesty extends over the
earth and sky.” (NET)
Psalm 9:11
Sing praises to the LORD, who rules in Zion! Tell the
nations what he has done! (NET)
Psalm 32:2
“How blessed is the one whose wrongdoing the LORD
does not punish, in whose spirit there is no deceit.” (NET)
Hebrews 13:15
“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of
praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging
his name.” (NET)
7. The Youth of God are to obey their parents in the Lord. (Prov. 6:20-23;
23:22-26).
Proverbs 6:20-22
“My child, guard the commands of your father and do not
forsake the instruction of your mother. Bind them on your
heart continually; fasten them around your neck. When
you walk about, they will guide you; when you lie down,
they will watch over you; when you wake up, they will talk
to you.” (NET)
Proverbs 23:22-26
“Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise
your mother when she is old. Acquire truth and do not sell
it- wisdom, and discipline, and understanding. The father
of a righteous person will rejoice greatly; whoever fathers
a wise child will have joy in him. May your father and
your mother have joy; may she who bore you rejoice. Give
me your heart, my son, and let your eyes observe my
ways.” (NET)
8. The Youth of God are to have respect for the elderly and for old age.
(Lev. 19:32; Job. 32:6; 1 Tim. 5:1-2)
Leviticus 19:32
“You must stand up in the presence of the aged, honor the
presence of an elder, and fear your God. I am the LORD.”
(NET)
Job 32:6
“So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite spoke up: "I am
young, but you are elderly; that is why I was fearful, and
afraid to explain to you what I know.” (NET)
1 Timothy 5:1-2
“Do not address an older man harshly but appeal to him
as a father. Speak to younger men as brothers, older
women as mothers, and younger women as sisters-with
complete purity.” (NET)
9. The Youth of God are to avoid all hindrances in the Christian race and
always press towards the goal. (1 Cor. 9:24; Phil. 3:14; Heb. 12:1; 2 Tim.
4:7)
1 Corinthians 9:24
“Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium
compete, but only one receives the prize? So run to win.”
(NET)
Philippians 3:14
“With this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the
upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (NET)
Hebrews 12:1
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great
cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the
sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race
set out for us.” (NET)
2 Timothy 4:7
“I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have
kept the faith!” (NET)
REVIEW QUESTIONS
A. What does it mean to be sober-minded? What exhortation does the
Bible give the youth on sober-mindedness?
__________________________________________________________________
B. What does it mean to keep your life clean? Can you state this in
different words? What does the Bible say we should do on keeping
our lives clean?
__________________________________________________________________
C. In what two important ways are the youth of God advised to be
examples? How can we do this?
__________________________________________________________________
D. What is the importance of the heart to both the spiritual and the
physical life? What are the youth supposed to do about the heart?
__________________________________________________________________
E. Should it ever be said about the youth of God that they are foolish
and senseless? What are the youth exhorted to do about the wisdom
of God?
__________________________________________________________________
F. With what level of obedience should the youth of God stay in the
church of God?
__________________________________________________________________
G. What one thing should the youth of God often do to express their
gratitude to the Lord?
__________________________________________________________________
H. What important responsibility do the youth of God bear towards their
parents in the Lord?
__________________________________________________________________
I. What should be the attitude of the youth towards the aged and the
elderly?
__________________________________________________________________
J. With what spirit and determination should the youth of God run the
Christian race?
__________________________________________________________________
PERSONAL APPLICATION QUESTION

1. How am I going to live in the light of this teaching to be able to please
God? (Take the 10 points one by one and list specific things you are
going to do in each case to help you live a life that will please God).
__________________________________________________________________
LESSON FOUR
YOUR LIFE IN THE WORLD AS A YOUTH OF CHRIST
1. THE FLESH
The flesh stands for human nature which is neither regenerated nor
sanctified (Rom. 7:5). Such human nature is often deprived of the Spirit
of God and is totally dominated by sin (Colo. 2:18; 1 Jn. 2:16). When the
word “flesh” is used in regard to believers, it refers to the believer’s
sinful nature which is always opposed to his spirit-controlled life. This
sinful nature or flesh always seeks to pull believers back into bondage to
sin. It is for this reason that instead of being controlled by it, believers are
always exhorted to be controlled by the Spirit (Rom. 8:12-17; Gal. 5:16-
23).
SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING IN THE FLESH

A. Living to serve and satisfy human appetite. (Num. 11:5; Prov. 23:35; Isa.
56:12; Lk. 12:19; Lk. 21:34)
Numbers 11:5
“We remember the fish we used to eat freely in Egypt, the
cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the
garlic.” (NET)
Isaiah 56:12
“Each one says, ‘Come on, I'll get some wine! Let's guzzle
some beer! Tomorrow will be just like today! We'll have
everything we want!’” (NET)
Luke 12:19
“And I will say to myself, "You have plenty of goods stored
up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!"” (NET)
Luke 21:34
“But be on your guard so that your hearts are not weighed
down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of
this life, and that day close down upon you suddenly like a
trap.” (NET)
B. Yielding to gluttonous living. (Phil. 3:19; Prov. 23:20)

Philippians 3:19
“Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult
in their shame, and they think about earthly things.”
(NET)
Proverbs 23:20
“Do not spend time among drunkards, among those who
eat too much meat.”
C. Giving yourself over to excessively luxurious living. (1 Kin. 4:22-23; 1

Kin. 10:21; Esther 1:3-7)
1 Kings 4:22-23
Now Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of
fine flour, sixty kors of meal, ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen
from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer,
gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl. (NKJV)
1 Kings 10:21
“All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold, and all
the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were
pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as
nothing in the days of Solomon.” (NKJV)
D. Giving yourself to sexual lust. (Colo. 3:5; 1 Pet. 2:11; Rom. 13:14; 1 Cor.
6:18; 10:8; Eph. 5:3; 1 Thess. 4:3)
Colossians 3:5
“So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the
earth: sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil
desire, and greed which is idolatry.” (NET)
1 Peter 2:11
“Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to keep
away from fleshly desires that do battle against the soul.”
(NET)
Romans 13:14
“Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no
provision for the flesh to arouse its desires.” (NET)
1 Corinthians 6:18
“Flee sexual immorality! "Every sin a person commits is
outside of the body"-but the immoral person sins against
his own body.” (NET)
1 Corinthians 10:8
“And let us not be immoral, as some of them were, and
twenty-three thousand died in a single day.” (NET)
Ephesians 5:3
“But among you there must not be either sexual
immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not
fitting for the saints.” (NET)
1 Thessalonians 4:3
“For this is God's will: that you become holy, that you
keep away from sexual immorality.” (NET)
E. Being dominated and controlled by outbursts of sinful emotions. (Gen.

4:5; 1 Sam. 18:7-9; Lk. 4:28-30) (Jas. 1:19; Prov. 19:11; 14:17; Ps. 37:8;
Eccl. 7:9)
Gen. 4:5; 1 Sam. 18:7-9; Lk. 4:28-30)
Genesis 4:5
“But with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. So
Cain became very angry, and his expression was
downcast.” (NET)
1 Samuel 18:7-8
“The women who were playing the music sang, "Saul has
struck down his thousands, but David his tens of
thousands!" This made Saul very angry. The statement
displeased him and he thought, "They have attributed to
David tens of thousands, but to me they have attributed
only thousands. What does he lack, except the kingdom?"”
Luke 4:28-29
“When they heard this, all the people in the synagogue
were filled with rage. They got up, forced him out of the
town, and brought him to the brow of the hill on which
their town was built, so that they could throw him down
the cliff.” (NET)
James 1:19
“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every
person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.”
(NET)
Proverbs 19:11
“A person's wisdom makes him slow to anger, and it is his
glory to overlook an offense.” (NET)
Proverbs 14:17
“A person who has a quick temper does foolish things, and
a person with crafty schemes is hated.” (NET)
Psalm 37:8
“Do not be angry and frustrated! Do not fret! That only
leads to trouble!” (NET)
Ecclesiastes 7:9
“Do not let yourself be quickly provoked, for anger resides
in the lap of fools.” (NET)
2. THE WORLD/WORLDLINESS
The word “world” is often used in the Bible to signify one of three
things. It is often used to stand for the entire whole human race (Ps.
9:8; 96:13; Acts 17:31). Other times, it is used to stand for the whole
of God’s created universe (Jn. 1:10). In ethical teaching, it is used to
stand for non-regenerated human beings - human beings in the world
who are not saved, sanctified and born again (Jn. 15:18; 1 Jn. 2:15).
The world which believers should not conform to in order to be able
to maintain their salvation and remain forever with the Lord Jesus is
this last one which refers to the customs, dressings, amusements, evil
desires and other negative attitudes of these people ruled and
controlled by the devil.
THE BELIEVER’S ATTITUDE TO THE WORLD

1. He should not conform to it. (Rom. 12:2; 2 Tim. 2:4; 1 Jn. 2:15)
Romans 12:2
“Do not be conformed to this present world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may
test and approve what is the will of God-what is good and
well-pleasing and perfect.” (NET)
2 Timothy 2:4
“No one in military service gets entangled in matters of
everyday life; otherwise he will not please the one who
recruited him.” (NET)
1 John 2:15
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If
anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in
him.” (NET)
2. He is commanded to be separated from it (Jn. 15:19; Acts 2:40; Eph.
5:11; Ps. 119:115; Titus 2:12)
John 15:19
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own.
Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out
of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (NKJV)
Acts 2:40
“And with many other words he testified and exhorted
them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation."”
(NKJV)
Ephesians 5:11
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness, but rather expose them.” (NKJV)
Psalm 119:115
“Depart from me, you evildoers, For I will keep the
commandments of my God!” (NKJV)
Titus 2:12
“It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires
and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the
present age.” (NET)
Answer
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THE NATURE OF THE UNREGENERATED WORLD

1. It is a world filled with violence (Gen. 6:13; Ps. 55:9-11; Ps. 73:6;
Prov. 4:16-17; Isa. 59:3-8)
Genesis 6:13
“And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come
before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through
them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.””
(NKJV)
Psalm 55:9-11
“Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues, for I have
seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go
around it on its walls; iniquity and trouble are also in the
midst of it. Destruction is in its midst; oppression and
deceit do not depart from its streets.” (NKJV)
Psalm 73:6
“Therefore pride serves as their necklace; violence covers
them like a garment.” (NKJV)
Proverbs 4:16-17
“For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; and
their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.
For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of
violence. (NKJV)
Isaiah 59:3-8
“For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers
with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has
muttered perversity. No one calls for justice, nor does any
plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies;
They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity. They hatch
vipers' eggs and weave the spider's web; he who eats of
their eggs dies, and from that which is crushed a viper
breaks out. Their webs will not become garments, nor will
they cover themselves with their works; their works are
works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.
Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent
blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and
destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they have
not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have
made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way
shall not know peace.”
2. It is transient and passing away. (1 Cor. 7:31; 1 Jn. 2:17; Ps. 102: 25-
26; 2 Pet. 3:10; Isa. 34:4)
1 John 2:17
“And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he
who does the will of God abides forever.” (NKJV)
Psalm 102:25-26
“Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the
heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but
You will endure; yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
like a cloak You will change them, and they will be
changed.” (NKJV)
2 Peter 3:10
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night,
in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise,
and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth
and the works that are in it will be burned up.” (NKJV)
Isaiah 34:4
“All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens
shall be rolled up like a scroll; all their host shall fall
down as the leaf falls from the vine, and as fruit falling
from a fig tree.” (NKJV)
Answer
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THE DANGER THE WORLD CAN POSE TO BELIEVERS
1. It is useless and brings no profit. (Eccl. 2:11; Matt. 6:19; Lk. 9:25)
Ecclesiastes 2:1
“I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with mirth;
therefore enjoy pleasure"; but surely, this also was
vanity.” (NKJV)
Matthew 6:19
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where
moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and
steal.” (NKJV)
Luke 9:25
“For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole
world but loses or forfeits himself?” (NET)
2. It fights against our spirituality. (Gal. 6:8: Phil. 3:19; 1 Tim. 5:6;
Matt. 24:38-39; 2 Tim. 4:10; Jas. 4:4; Lk. 21:24)
Galatians 6:8
“For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap
corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit
reap everlasting life.” (NKJV)
Philippians 3:19
“Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and
whose glory is in their shame-who set their mind on
earthly things.” (NKJV)
1 Timothy 5:6
“But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.”
(NKJV)
Matthew 24:38-39
“For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day
that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood
came and took them all away, so also will the coming of
the Son of Man be.” (NKJV)
2 Timothy 4:10
“For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present
world, and has departed for Thessalonica-Crescens for
Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia.” (NKJV)
James 4:4
“Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that
friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever
therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself
an enemy of God.” (NKJV)
Luke 21:21-24
“Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let
those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those
who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of
vengeance, that all things which are written may be
fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those
who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be
great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And
they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away
captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by
Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
(NKJV)
3. It chokes the growth of the Word of God in us (Matt. 13:22; Mk.

4:19; Lk. 8:14)
Matthew 13:22
“Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who
hears the word, and the cares of this world and the
deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes
unfruitful.” (NKJV)
Mark 4:19
“And the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches,
and the desires for other things entering in choke the
word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (NKJV)
Luke 8:14
“Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when
they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches,
and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.”
(NKJV)
4. It can lead us to reject the Gospel. (Matt. 22:2-6; Lk. 14:17-24; (Gen.
19:26)
Matthew 22:2-6
“The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who
arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants
to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they
were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other
servants, saying, “Tell those who are invited, ‘See, I have
prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed,
and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.’” But they
made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm,
another to his business. And the rest seized his servants,
treated them spitefully, and killed them.” (NKJV)
Luke 14:17-24
“And sent his servant at supper time to say to those who
were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.' But they
all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said
to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go
and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And another
said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to
test them. I ask you to have me excused.' Still another said,
'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So
that servant came and reported these things to his master.
Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his
servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the
city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the
lame and the blind.' And the servant said, 'Master, it is
done as you commanded, and still there is room.' Then the
master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and
hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be
filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were
invited shall taste my supper.'" (NKJV)
Genesis 19:26
“But Lot's wife looked back longingly and was turned into
a pillar of salt.” (NET)
Answer
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MANIFESTATIONS OF WORLDLINESS IN PRACTICAL LIVING

1. It manifests in having worldly ambition which is neither God-centred,
nor Christ-centred. (Gen. 11:4; Jas. 4:1-2; 1 Jn. 2:16; Lk. 4:5-8)
Genesis 11:4
“And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a
tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for
ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the
whole earth."” (NKJV)
James 4:1-4
“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do
they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in
your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and
covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not
have because you do not ask.” (NKJV)
1 John 2:16
“Because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh
and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by
material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from
the world.” (NET)
Luke 4:5-8
“Then the devil led him up to a high place and showed him
in a flash all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to
him, "To you I will grant this whole realm-and the glory
that goes along with it, for it has been relinquished to me,
and I can give it to anyone I wish. So then, if you will
worship me, all this will be yours." Jesus Answered him,
"It is written, 'you are to worship the Lord your God and
serve only him.'"” (NET)
2. It manifests in having worldly cares and anxieties contrary to faith in

Christ. (Matt. 6:25-34; Lk. 12:22-28; Phil. 4:6; 2 Kin. 5:20-27)
Matthew 6:25-34
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what
you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will
wear. Isn't there more to life than food and more to the
body than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky: They do
not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Aren't you more valuable than they
are? And which of you by worrying can add even one
hour to his life? Why do you worry about clothing? Think
about how the flowers of the field grow; they do not work
or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory
was clothed like one of these! And if this is how God
clothes the wild grass, which is here today and tomorrow
is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, won't he clothe you
even more, you people of little faith? So then, don't worry
saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or
'What will we wear?' For the unconverted pursue these
things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need
them. But above all pursue his kingdom and
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well. So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow
will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its
own.” (NET)
Luke 12:22-28
“Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do
not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the
body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the
body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they
neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor
barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are
you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add
one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the
least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies,
how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to
you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like
one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today
is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how
much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?”
(NKJV)
Philippians 4:6
“Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every
situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving,
tell your requests to God.” (NET)
3. It manifests in indulging in worldly pleasures as the unsaved and the

unregenerated persons do. (Eccl. 2:1; Isa. 22:12-14; 1 Pet. 4:3; Lk.
8:14; 1 Tim. 5:6; Isaiah 5:11-12)
Isaiah 5:11-12
“Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may
follow intoxicating drink; who continue until night, till
wine inflames them! The harp and the strings, the
tambourine and flute, and wine are in their feasts; but they
do not regard the work of the LORD, nor consider the
operation of His hands.” (NKJV)
Ecclesiastes 2:1
“I thought to myself, “Come now, I will try self-indulgent
pleasure to see if it is worthwhile." But I found that it also
is futile.”” (NET)
Isaiah 22:12-14
“At that time the sovereign master, the LORD who
commands armies, called for weeping and mourning, for
shaved heads and sackcloth. But look, there is outright
celebration! You say, "Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,
eat meat and drink wine. Eat and drink, for tomorrow we
die!" The LORD who commands armies told me this:
"Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you
live," says the sovereign master, the LORD who commands
armies.” (NET)
1 Peter 4:3
“For the time that has passed was sufficient for you to do
what the non-Christians desire. You lived then in
debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness, carousing, drinking
bouts, and wanton idolatries.” (NET)
Luke 8:14
“As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones
who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by
the worries and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit
does not mature.” (NET)
1 Timothy 5:6
“But the one who lives for pleasure is dead even while she
lives.” (NET)
Isaiah 5:11-12
“Those who get up early to drink beer are as good as
dead, those who keep drinking long after dark until they
are intoxicated with wine. They have stringed instruments,
tambourines, flutes, and wine at their parties. So they do
not recognize what the LORD is doing, they do not
perceive what he is bringing about.” (NET)
4. It manifests in worldly conduct, worldly living, worldly dressing and

appearance
a) Dressing to place emphasis on the outward appearance. (Isa. 3:16-
24)
Isaiah 3:16-24
“The LORD says, "The women of Zion are proud.
They walk with their heads high and flirt with their
eyes. They skip along and the jewelry on their ankles
jingles. So the sovereign master will afflict the
foreheads of Zion's women with skin diseases, the
LORD will make the front of their heads bald. At
that time the sovereign master will remove their
beautiful ankle jewelry, neck ornaments, crescent
shaped ornaments, earrings, bracelets, veils,
headdresses, ankle ornaments, sashes, sachets,
amulets, rings, nose rings, festive dresses, robes,
shawls, purses, garments, vests, head coverings, and
gowns. A putrid stench will replace the smell of
spices, a rope will replace a belt, baldness will
replace braided locks of hair, a sackcloth garment
will replace a fine robe, and a prisoner's brand will
replace beauty.” (NET)
b) Women wearing men’s dresses and vice-versa. (Deut. 22:5)

Deuteronomy 22:5
“A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor should
a man dress up in women's clothing, for anyone who
does this is offensive to the LORD your God.”
(NET)
c) Dressing without regard to modesty and inward beauty. (1 Pet.

3:3-4) (1 Tim. 2:9)
1 Peter 3:3-4
“Let your beauty not be external-the braiding of
hair and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes -
but the inner person of the heart, the lasting beauty
of a gentle and tranquil spirit, which is precious in
God's sight.” (NET)
1 Timothy 2:9
“Likewise the women are to dress in suitable
apparel, with modesty and self-control. Their
adornment must not be with braided hair and gold
or pearls or expensive clothing.” (NET)
d) Manipulative dressing which incites sexual feelings in others. (1

Tim. 2:9-10)
1 Timothy 2:9-10
“Likewise the women are to dress in suitable
apparel, with modesty and self-control. Their
adornment must not be with braided hair and gold
or pearls or expensive clothing, but with good deeds,
as is proper for women who profess reverence for
God.” (NET)
Answer
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LESSON FIVE
THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER IN YOUR LIFE AS A
YOUTH
INTRODUCTION
This is a “thoughtful Bible Study” whose purpose is to guide us to think
deeply about the important subject of prayer and urge us to pray more than
we have ever done! The main reason is that prayer is totally indispensable in
everything we can do both as Christians and as a church! So we must pray
and motivate every other person to do the same!
PRAYER AND SUCCESS

1. Many Christians are defeated in their Christian lives because they pray so
little. (Lk. 21:36; Matt. 26:41)
Luke 21:36
“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be
counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to
pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (NKJV)
Matthew 26:41
“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit
indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (NKJV)
Answer
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2. The secret of all spiritual failure is our failure in secret prayer. (Matt. 6:6;
1 Kin. 17:19-20; Dan. 6:10; Acts 10:9)
Matthew 6:6
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when
you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the
secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will
reward you openly.” (NKJV)
1 Kings 17:19-20
“And he said to her, "Give me your son." So he took him
out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where
he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. Then he
cried out to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God, have
You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge,
by killing her son?"” (NKJV)
Daniel 6:10
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he
went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open
toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times
that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as
was his custom since early days.” (NKJV)
Acts 10:19
“While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to
him, “Behold, three men are seeking you.””
Answer
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3. All failure in our spiritual work, spiritual walk and spiritual life is due to
insufficient prayer. (Jn. 15:5; Ps. 127:1)
John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in
Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can
do nothing.” (NKJV)
Psalm 127:1
“Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain
who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The
watchman stays awake in vain.” (NKJV)
Answer
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4. We can accomplish far more by our prayers than by our mere

“workaholism” without prayer. (Lk. 5: 15-16); Lk. 22:41-44)
Luke 5:15-16
“However, the report went around concerning Him all the
more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be
healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often
withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” (NKJV)
Psalm 127:1
“Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who
build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays
awake in vain.” (NKJV)
Luke 22:41-44
“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw,
and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your
will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will,
but Yours, be done." Then an angel appeared to Him from
heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed
more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of
blood falling down to the ground.”
Answer
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5. All fruitfulness in Christian service is the result of both persistent

personal and intercessory prayer. (John 15:16; 2 Thess. 3:1; Heb. 13:18;
Ps. 2:8)
John 15:16
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed
you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit
should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My
name He may give you.” (NKJV)
2 Thessalonians 3:1
“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord
may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you.”
(NKJV)
Hebrews 13:18
“Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good
conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably.”
(NKJV)
Psalms 2:8
“Ask of Me, and I will give you the nations for your
inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your
possession.” (NKJV)
6. It is not an overstatement to say that the success of everything in the

Christian life depends upon prayer. (Eph. 6: 18; Phil. 4:6)
Ephesians 6:18
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and
supplication for all the saints.” (NKJV)
Philippians 4:6
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made
known to God.” (NKJV)
Answer
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PRAYER AND POWER

1. Prevailing prayer is the greatest power on earth. (Matt. 21 :22; Acts
16:2526; Jn. 15:7)
Matthew 21:22
“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you
will receive.” (NKJV)
Acts 16:25-26
“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing
hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the
foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately
all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were
loosed.” (NKJV)
John 15:7
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will
ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (NKJV)
Answer
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2. The power to live aright comes from prayer. Unless we pray aright,
we cannot live aright. (Jas. 1:6-8; Ps. 66:18; Jas. 4:1-4)
James 1:6-8
“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who
doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the
wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive
anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man,
unstable in all his ways.” (NKJV)
Psalm 66:18
“If I had harbored sin in my heart, the Lord would not
have listened.” (NET)
James 4:1-4
“Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among
you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that
battle inside you? You desire and you do not have; you
murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and
fight. You do not have because you do not ask; you ask and
do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend
it on your passions. Adulterers, do you not know that
friendship with the world means hostility toward God? So
whoever decides to be the world's friend makes himself
God's enemy.” (NET)
Answer
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3. Prayer releases the omnipotent power of God. It can do anything

which accords with God’s will. (Ex. 15:24- 25; Jonah 2: 1, 2, 7; Acts
12: 5 -17)
Exodus 15:24-25
“So the people murmured against Moses, saying, "What
can we drink?" He cried out to the LORD, and the LORD
showed him a tree. When Moses threw it into the water,
the water became safe to drink. There the Lord made for
them a binding ordinance, and there he tested them.”
(NET)
Jonah 2:1-2, 7
“Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of
the fish and said, "I called out to the LORD from my
distress, and he Answered me; from the belly of Sheol I
cried out for help, and you heard my prayer. When my life
was ebbing away, I called out to the LORD, and my prayer
came to your holy temple.” (NET)
Answer
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4. It is only when we pray that God moves and works. Prayer is the only
spiritual exercise that moves God’s mighty hand! (Ex. 2:22-25; 3:7-
10; Gen. 21:2; 1 Sam. 1:10-17, 19-20; 2 Chron. 18:31; 20:6-27)
Exodus 2:22-25
“And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom,
for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land."
Now it happened in the process of time that the king of
Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of
the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to
God because of the bondage. So God heard their
groaning, and God remembered His covenant with
Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked
upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.”
(NKJV)
Exodus 3:7-10
“And the LORD said: "I have surely seen the oppression
of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry
because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I
have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the
Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good
and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to
the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the
Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the
Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of
Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression
with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now,
therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may
bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
(NKJV)
Genesis 21:2
“For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old
age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.”
(NKJV)
2 Chronicles 18:21
“So he said, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the
mouth of all his prophets.' And the LORD said, 'You shall
persuade him and also prevail; go out and do so.'”
(NKJV)
Answer
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PRAYER AND VICTORY
1. There is nothing the devil fears more than prayer because it always
defeats him! (1 Kin. 18:36-37; 1 Chron. 4:10; Mk. 9:28-29; Jas. 5:16-
17)
1 Kings 18:36-37
“And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the
evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and
said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be
known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your
servant, and that I have done all these things at Your
word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may
know that You are the LORD God, and that You have
turned their hearts back to You again."” (NKJV)
1 Corinthians 4:10
“We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ!
We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished,
but we are dishonored!” (NKJV)
Mark 9:28-29
“And when He had come into the house, His disciples
asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" So
He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but
prayer and fasting."” (NKJV)
James 5:16-17
“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one
another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent
prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man
with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it
would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three
years and six months.” (NKJV)
2. Satan laughs at our incessant but powerless human toiling but

trembles when we pray. (Lk. 10:19; Jas. 4:7)
Luke 10:19
“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents
and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and
nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (NKJV)
James 4:7
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee
from you.” (NKJV)
3. All true spiritual revivals are the outcome of times of intensive

prayer. (Zeph. 1:6) (Acts 1:12-14 with 2:1-4; 4:23-31)
Zephaniah 1:6
“Those who have turned back from following the LORD,
and have not sought the LORD, nor inquired of Him.”
(NKJV)
Acts 1:12-14
“Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called
Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey.
And when they had entered, they went up into the upper
room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and
Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew;
James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and
Judas the son of James. These all continued with one
accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and
Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” (NKJV)
Acts 2:1-4
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all
with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a
sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there
appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat
upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit
gave them utterance.” (NKJV)
Acts 4:23-31
“And being let go, they went to their own companions and
reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to
them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to
God with one accord and said: "Lord, You are God, who
made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,
who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: 'Why
did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things? The
kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were
gathered together Against the LORD and against His
Christ.' "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom
You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the
Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together
to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined
before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats, and
grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may
speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and
that signs and wonders may be done through the name of
Your holy Servant Jesus." And when they had prayed, the
place where they were assembled together was shaken;
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they
spoke the word of God with boldness.” (NKJV)
Answer
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CONCLUSION
For these and many more reasons, God wants you to pray and pray and pray!
(Matt. 7:7; 26:41; Lk. 18:1; 1 Thess. 5:17; Colo. 4:2; Rom. 12: 12)
Matthew 7:7
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened for you.” (NET)
Matthew 26:41
“Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into
temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
(NET)
Luke 18:1
“Then Jesus told them a parable to show them they should
always pray and not lose heart.” (NET)
Colossians 4:2
Romans 12:12
“Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing
steadfastly in prayer.” (NKJV)
LESSON SIX
LEARNING TO PRAY REGULARLY AS A YOUTH
PRAYER
This is a call to prayer. Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath which sustains
him and gives him daily spiritual strength to be able to fight the battles of the
Christian life, and continue on the Christian journey. It is a must for every
serious Christian.
1. What instructions are given to us on the number of times we should

pray in the following references?
Psalm 92:2
“To declare your loving kindness in the morning, and your
faithfulness every night.” (NKJV)
Daniel 6:10
“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been
published, he went home to his upstairs room where the
windows opened towards Jerusalem. Three times a day he
got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his
God, just as he had done before.” (NIV)
Psalm 119:55, 62
“I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and I keep
your law. At midnight I will rise to give thanks to you,
because of your righteous judgments.” (NKJV)
Luke 6:12
“Now it came to pass in those days that he went out to the
mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to
God.” (NKJV)
Answer
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2. What specific instructions are generally given to all sincere believers

on prayer?
1 Chronicles 16:11
“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his face evermore!”
(NKJV)
Psalm 105:5
“Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His
wonders, and the judgments of His mouth.” (NKJV)
Isaiah 55:6
“Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while
he is near.” (NKJV)
Philippians 4:6
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made
known to God.” (NKJV)
Colossians 4:2
1 Timothy 2:8
“I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting
up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” (NKJV)
Hebrews 4:16
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that
we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of
need.” (NKJV)
Answer
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3. What help should we seek from God to help us pray regularly?

Zechariah 12:10
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the
inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and
supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced.
Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only
son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”
(NKJV)
Romans 8:26
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we
do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the
Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groaning
which cannot be uttered.” (NKJV)
Answer
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4. What warning should we take as we go before the Lord in prayer?

Proverbs 15:8, 29
“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the
LORD, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. The
LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of
the righteous.” (NKJV)
Psalm 66:18
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.”
(NKJV)
Isaiah 59:2
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
and yours sins have hidden his face from you so that He
will not hear.” (NKJV)
Answer
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5. How best can we pray to get positive results from God?

2 Kings 19:15-19
“Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said; “O
LORD of Israel, the one who dwells between the cherubim,
you are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth.
You have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O
LORD, and hear; open your eyes O LORD, and see; and
hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to
reproach the living God. Truly, LORD the kings of Assyria
have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have cast
their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the
work of men’s hands, wood and stones. Therefore they
have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD our God, I
pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the
earth may know that you are the LORD God, you alone.”
(NKJV)
Isaiah 38:2-3
“Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and
prayed to the LORD, and said, “Remember now, O LORD,
I pray, how I have walked before you in truth and with a
loyal heart, and have done what is good in your sight.”
And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” (NKJV)
Luke 18:1-8
“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought
to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain
city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now
there was a widow in that city; and she came to him,
saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he
would not for a while; but afterward he said within
himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet
because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by
her continual coming she weary me.’” Then the Lord said,
“Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not
avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him,
though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will
avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man
comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”” (NKJV)
Answer
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LESSON SEVEN
LEARNING TO WAIT UPON GOD REGULARLY FOR
STRENGTH
SPECIAL BIBLE STUDY ON ISAIAH 40:31

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall
mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they
shall walk, and not faint.”
PART 1 (But they…)
I. Why does this verse begin with the word “but”? (Isa. 40:30)
Isaiah 40:30
“Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young
men shall utterly fall.” (NKJV)
Answer
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II. Do you think verse 30 of chapter 40 is true of the Youth of Christ

today? What about you as an individual?
Answer
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III. What does the little phrase “But they” suggest? Does it suggest
voluntary action or compulsion?
Answer
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IV. Can a pastor or a church force somebody to seek the face of the Lord
or wait upon Him?
Answer
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V. Before somebody can successfully wait upon the Lord, what important
condition should he fulfil concerning his will and his heart? (Ezra
7:10; 2 Chron. 17:16)
Ezra 7:10
“Now Ezra had dedicated himself to the study of the law of
the LORD, to its observance, and to teaching its statutes
and judgments in Israel.” (NET)
2 Chronicles 17:16
And Amasiah son of Zikri, who volunteered to serve the
LORD, led 200,000 skilled warriors.” (NET)
Answer
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VI. What promises are there for “they” that will care to seek the Lord on
their own all the time without anybody forcing them? (Deut. 4:29; 1
Chron. 28:9; 2 Chron. 15:2; Ps. 34:10; Ps. 145:18; Matt. 7:7-8)
Deuteronomy 4:29
“But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and
you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and
with all your soul.” (NKJV)
1 Chronicles 28:9
“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your
father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing
mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands
all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be
found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off
forever.” (NKJV)
2 Chronicles 15:2
“And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: "Hear me,
Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you
while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found
by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”
(NKJV)
Psalm 34:10
“The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who
seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.” (NKJV)
Psalm 145:18
“The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who
call upon Him in truth.” (NKJV)
Matthew 7:7-8
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks
receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it
will be opened.” (NKJV)
Answer
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PART 2 (that wait upon the LORD…)
1. What does it mean “to wait upon the Lord?

The expression wait upon in the King James version has three
meanings:
(a) It means to serve or take care of somebody. (Num. 3:10)

Numbers 3:10
“So you are to appoint Aaron and his sons, and they
will be responsible for their priesthood, but the
unauthorized person who comes near must be put to
death.” (NET)
(b) It means to stay cool, patiently and hopefully and expect from
God (Ps. 145:15)
Psalm 145:15
“The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You
give them their food in due season.” (NET)
(c) It means to act as a servant to somebody and fetch and carry

things to him (Mk. 3:9)
Mark 3:9
“So He told His disciples that a small boat should
be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest
they should crush Him.” (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
2. Which of these three meaning is applicable in Isaiah 40:31?

Isaiah 40:31
“But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they
shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
Answer
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3. With what heart and attitude of mind should believers wait upon the
Lord? (Ps. 27:7-8; Ps. 40:1; Ps 42:1-2; Phil. 3:12-14)
Psalm 27:7-8
“Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy
also upon me, and Answer me. When You said, "Seek My
face," my heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will
seek.” (NKJV)
Psalm 42:1-2
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul
for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living
God. When shall I come and appear before God?”
(NKJV)
Philippians 3:12-13
“Not that I have already attained, or am already
perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for
which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do
not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind and reaching
forward to those things which are ahead.” (NKJV)
Answer
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4. What spiritual standards are required of those who sincerely want to

wait upon the Lord in the following areas?
(a) In the area of spiritual hunger? (Ps. 107:4-6, 9)
Psalm 107:4-6, 9
“They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; they
found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul
fainted in them. Then they cried out to the LORD in their
trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. For
He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with
goodness.”
Answer
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(b) In the area of spiritual thirst? (Isa. 55:1; Ps. 143:6)

Psalm 55:1
“Give ear to my prayer, O God, and do not hide Yourself
from my supplication.” (NKJV)
Psalm 143:6
“I spread out my hands to You; My soul longs for You like
a thirsty land.” (NKJV)
Answer
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5. What can waiting upon the Lord involve according to the picture
given by God in
Exodus 17:8-13
“Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go
out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of
the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as
Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses,
Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it
was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed;
and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But
Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put
it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur
supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the
other side; and his hands were steady until the going down
of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with
the edge of the sword.” (NKJV)
Answer
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6. What else can waiting upon the Lord involve according to the
following passage?
Daniel 9:3-4
“Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request
by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and
ashes. And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made
confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God,
who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love
Him, and with those who keep His commandments.”
(NKJV)
Answer
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7. According to the following references, how, when and where should

we wait upon the Lord? (1 Thess. 5:17) (Ps. 5:3: 88:13) (Ps. 92:2)
(Ps. 119:55, 62) (Dan. 6:10) (Lk. 6:12)
Psalm 88:13
“But to You I have cried out, O LORD, and in the morning
my prayer comes before You.” (NKJV)
Psalm 92:2
“To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your
faithfulness every night.” (NKJV)
Psalm 119:55, 62
“I remember Your name in the night, O LORD, and I keep
Your law. At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You,
because of Your righteous judgments.” (NKJV)
Daniel 6:10
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he
went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open
toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times
that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as
was his custom since early days.” (NKJV)
Luke 6:12
“Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the
mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to
God.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
8. What should we do with the Word of God when waiting upon the
Lord? (Isa. 34:16) (Josh. 1:8; Ps. 119:15, 97, 99)
Isaiah 34:16
“Search from the book of the LORD, and read: Not one of
these shall fail; not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth
has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them.”
(NKJV)
Psalm 119:15
“I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your
ways.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
9. When everything is said and done who qualifies by the Biblical

standards to wait upon God? Sinners or saints? (Prov. 15:8, 29; Prov.
28:9; Ps. 51:17)
Proverbs 15:8, 29
“The LORD abhors the sacrifices of the wicked, but the
prayer of the upright pleases him. The LORD is far from
the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”
(NET)
Proverbs 15:9
“The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,
but He loves him who follows righteousness.” (NKJV)
Psalm 51:17
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a
contrite heart-these, O God, You will not despise.”
(NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
10. What do you think will happen to you both physically and
spiritually when as from today you refuse to wait upon the Lord
regularly?
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
PART 3 (…the LORD)
“O MIGHTY AND FAITHFUL IS JEHOVAH GOD”
INTRODUCTION
Who is this LORD/GOD that we are supposed to wait upon for renewed
strength? What is His nature? Is He dependable? Has He got the power to be
able to supply the strength we all need from Him? What assurance do we
have that when we have sincerely done our part of waiting upon Him, He will
not disappoint us but keep His part of the covenant? The nature of the God
we are waiting upon which we are going to discuss in this third study is
summed up in the statement: “O MIGHTY AND FAITHFUL IS JEHOVAH
GOD.”
MIGHTY GOD
1. Mighty means powerful. What does it mean to say that the LORD is a
mighty God? (Job 42:2; Gen. 18:14; Lk. 1:37)
Job 42:2
“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours
can be thwarted.” (NET)
Genesis 18:14
“Is anything impossible for the LORD? I will return to you
when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a
son.” (NET)
Luke 1:37
“For nothing will be impossible with God.” (NET)
Answer
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2. What is the meaning of the word power? (The dictionary defines

power as the energy or strength in a person or in a thing that enables
him/it to act, do and move)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
3. When we say that God is all Powerful, Almighty or Omnipotent, how

much strength, or energy are we talking about? (Isa. 26:4; Ps. 62:11;
Ps. 147:5)
Isaiah 26:4
“Trust in the LORD from this time forward, even in Yah,
the LORD, an enduring protector!” (NET)
Psalm 62:11
“God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power
belongs to God.” (NKJV)
Psalm 147:5
“Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His
understanding is infinite.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
4. To what can we compare God’s power in the world, in heaven or

under the earth? (Job 36:22; 37:23; 2 Chron. 20:6; Ps. 66:3; Ps.
59:11)
Job 36:22
“Behold, God is exalted by His power; who teaches like
Him?” (NKJV)
Job 37:23
“As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; He is excellent
in power, in judgment and abundant justice; He does not
oppress.” (NKJV)
2 Chronicles 20:6
“And said: "O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God
in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the
nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so
that no one is able to withstand You?” (NKJV)
Psalm 66:3
“Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Through the
greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit
themselves to You.” (NKJV)
Psalm 59:11
“Do not slay them, lest my people forget; scatter them by
Your power, and bring them down, O Lord our shield.”
(NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
5. Who controls the use of God’s power? Is it true to say that God uses
His power exactly as He chooses? (2 Chron. 25:8)
2 Chronicles 25:8
“But if you go, be gone! Be strong in battle! Even so, God
shall make you fall before the enemy; for God has power
to help and to overthrow.” (NKJV)
Answer
____________________________________________________________________
6. In which areas is God’s power displayed in His creation
according to the following references? (Isa. 42:5; 44:24;
45:12, 18; Rev. 4:11) (Heb. 1:3; Acts 17:25, 28)
Isaiah 42:5
“Thus says God the LORD, who created the heavens and
stretched them out, who spread forth the earth and that
which comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it,
and spirit to those who walk on it.” (NKJV)
Isaiah 44:24
“Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and He who
formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who makes
all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who
spreads abroad the earth by Myself.”” (NKJV)
Isaiah 45:12,18
“I have made the earth, and created man on it. I – My
hands – stretched out the heavens, and all their host I have
commanded. For thus says the LORD, who created the
heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it,
who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who
formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no
other.” (NKJV)
Revelation 4:11
"You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and
power; for You created all things, and by Your will they
exist and were created." (NKJV)
Hebrews 1:3
“Who being the brightness of His glory and the express
image of His person, and upholding all things by the word
of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat
down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (NKJV)
Acts 17:25, 28
“Nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed
anything, because he himself gives life and breath and
everything to everyone. For in him we live and move about
and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For
we too are his offspring.'” (NET)
Answer
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7. Through whom has God revealed His great power to the world? (1
Cor. 1:24; Lk. 9:43; Matt. 28:18; Colo. 1:17)
1 Corinthians 1:24
“But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
(NET)
Luke 9:43
“And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But
while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did,
He said to His disciples.” (NKJV)
Matthew 28:18
“Then Jesus came up and said to them, "All authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (NET)
Colossians 1:17
“He himself is before all things and all things are held
together in him.”
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
8. What makes God’s spoken and written Word unique and effective in
the whole world? (Ps. 29:4; Gen. 1:6, 7, 9, 11, 14, 15: Jer. 23:29; Eph.
6:17; Heb. 4:12)
Psalm 29:4
“The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the
LORD is full of majesty.” (NKJV)
Genesis 1:6-7, 9, 11, 15

“Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of
the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."
Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters
which were under the firmament from the waters which
were above the firmament; and it was so. Then God said,
"Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together
into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.
Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb
that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit
according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth";
and it was so. And let them be for lights in the firmament
of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so.”
(NKJV)
Jeremiah 23:29
“"Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "And like a
hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (NKJV)
Ephesians 6:17
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God” (NKJV)
Hebrews 4:12
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper
than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of
soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
(NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
9. What is the power of God available to help believers to do in their

weaknesses and troubles? (Ps. 68:35; Isa. 40:29; Rom. 16:25)
Psalm 68:35
“O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places.
The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to
His people. Blessed be God!” (NKJV)
Isaiah 40:29
“He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no
might He increases strength.” (NKJV)
Romans 16:25
“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my
gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the
revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world
began.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
10. What did the power of God do for both King David (2 Sam.
22:2, 33) and Apostle Paul (2 Cor. 12:9, 10) in their afflictions? What
do you learn from this?
2 Samuel 22:2, 33
“And he said: “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and
my deliverer; God is my strength and power, and He
makes my way perfect.”” (NKJV)
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
“And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for
My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore
most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take
pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in
persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I
am weak, then I am strong.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
11. What does God’s power do within believers who care to wait
upon Him regularly? (Eph. 3:20; 6:10; Colo. 1:11)
Ephesians 3:20
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that
works in us.” (NKJV)
Colossians 1:11
“Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious
power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.”
(NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
12. From all that you have gathered from this study, is God worth
waiting upon? Does He have all the necessary resources to give us
what we require? (Open discussion with supporting references from
the study)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
PART 4 (FAITHFUL GOD)
1. A faithful person is one who is trustworthy, dependable and

absolutely reliable to do exactly what he says at the right time, at the
right place and to the right people. Based on this, what does it mean
to say that God is a faithful God? (Ps. 119:86, 138)
Psalm 119:86, 138
“All Your commandments are faithful; they persecute me
wrongfully; help me! Your testimonies, which You have
commanded, are righteous and very faithful.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
2. If God is absolutely trustworthy, and His Words never fail, then what
should we do with His promises when we fulfil the conditions
attached to them? (Num. 23:19; Deut. 4:31; Josh. 21:43-45)
Numbers 23:19
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man,
that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
Joshua 21:43-45
“So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had
sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of
it and dwelt in it. The LORD gave them rest all around,
according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And
not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the
LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a
word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken
to the house of Israel. All came to pass.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
3. What are the characteristics of God’s faithfulness according to the
following sets of references?
(a) Ps. 36:5
Psalm 36:5
Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to
the clouds. (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
(b) Ps. 119:90

Psalm 119:90
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
You established the earth, and it abides.
(NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
(c) Ps. 143:1

Psalm 143:1
Hear my prayer, O LORD, Give ear to my supplications!
In Your faithfulness answer me, And in Your righteousness.
(NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
(d) Ps. 89:2

Psalm 89:2
Hear my prayer, O LORD, Give ear to my supplications!
In Your faithfulness answer me, And in Your righteousness.
(NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
(e) Ps. 89:8

Psalm 89:8
O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your
faithfulness also surrounds You. (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
(f) Ps. 89:23-24

Psalm 89:23-24
I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague those
who hate him. “But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be
with him, and in My name his horn shall be exalted. (NKJV)
Answer
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(g) Ps. 89:33

Psalm 89:33
Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from
him, Nor allow My faithfulness to fail. (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
4. What are some of the things God’s faithfulness leads Him to do for us
as His children according to the following references?
a. Isa. 25:1
Isaiah 25:1
O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You,
I will praise Your name, For You have done
wonderful things; Your counsels of old are
faithfulness and truth. (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
b. 1 Cor. 1:9
1 Corinthians 1:9
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the
fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
(NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
c. 1 Thess. 5:23-24
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your
stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.
Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to
judgment, but those of some men follow later. (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
d. 1 Cor. 10:13
1 Corinthians 10:13
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
e. 2 Thess. 3:3
2 Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you
from the evil one. (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
f. 1 Jn. 1:9
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
g. 1 Pet. 4:19
1 Peter 4:19
Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit
their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator. (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
5. What important things should we be reminded of each time we see

daylight? (Lam. 3:23)
Lamentations 3:23
“They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
(NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
6. Looking at the extent of God’s faithfulness, is He worth relying

upon? What makes you sure from this study that God can never fail
us in anything when we do our part by remaining loyal children?
(Open discussion with supporting references from the study)
PART 5 (JEHOVAH GOD)
INTRODUCTION
“Jehovah”, often translated LORD in the English Bible is God’s covenant
name (i.e., the name with which He enters into agreement with people).
Anytime the Word Jehovah is used, it reminds us of a God who was, who is,
and is to come – the Eternal God. In entering into a covenant with people,
God always requires His people to be what He wants them to be. When they
do this He also does what He has promised to do for them under the terms of
the covenant – be it protection, provision of needs, deliverance from enemies
etc.
There are several Jehovah – covenant – names in the Bible each describing
God’s part in the covenant agreement and how He came down each time to
fulfil His part of the agreement.
1. What covenant name is given to God in Exodus 15:26? (JEHOVAH

RAPHA) What does it mean? Do we qualify to claim it as the youth
of Christ?
Exodus 15:26
“And said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD
your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His
commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of
the diseases on you which I have brought on the
Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What other covenant name is found in Exodus 17:15? (JEHOVAH

NISSI) What does it mean? Is it for the youth of Christ today?
Exodus 17:15
“And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-
LORD-Is-My-Banner.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
3. What Jehovah – covenant – name is found in Judges 6:24?

(JEHOVAH SHALOM) What meaning does it carry today? Do the
youth of Christ qualify to claim this?
Judges 6:24
“So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it
The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the
Abiezrites.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What covenant name is mentioned in Psalm 23:1 (JEHOVAH

RA’AH) What does it mean to say that God is your shepherd? What
makes this promise applicable to you? What makes this promise
applicable to you as a youth of Christ?
Psalm 23:1
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
5. What covenant name does Jeremiah 23:6 contain? (JEHOVAH

TSIDKENU) What does it mean? When do we have to claim it as the
youth of Christ?
Jeremiah 23:6
“In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell
safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
6. Genesis 22:14 contains another covenant name (JEHOVAH JIREH)

What is it? What does it mean? When should it work for us as the
youth of Christ?
Genesis 22:14
“And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-
Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the
LORD it shall be provided.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
7. There is another covenant name in Ezekiel 48:35. What is it?

(JEHOVAH SHAMMAH) What does it mean? When do we need to
claim this promise?
Ezekiel 48:35
“All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits;
and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE
LORD IS THERE.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
8. What other covenant name is found in Exodus 31:13? (JEHOVAH

YEKADDIA) What does God do for us under this covenant name? Is
it for the youth of Christ today?
Exodus 31:13
“Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My
Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and
you throughout your generations, that you may know that I
am the LORD who sanctifies you.’” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
9. If God is such a faithful God who keeps covenant with His people,
then with what faith, confidence, and assurance should we henceforth
wait upon Him?
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
PART 6 (…Shall Renew their Strength)
1. What type of strength has the theme promised those who wait upon
the LORD? Is it physical or spiritual? Does it dwell in the soul and
spirit or in the body or all? (Lk. 24:49)
Luke 24:49
“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but
tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with
power from on high.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What is the source of this strength and power being talked about? (Jn.
7:38-39; Acts 1:8; 2:2-4)
John 7:38-39
““He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of
his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He
spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him
would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given,
because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
Acts 1:8
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of
the earth.” (NKJV)
Acts 2:2-4
“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a
rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where
they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided
tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak
with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
(NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
3. For which people has God prepared this great strength and power?
(Acts 6:8, 10; 1 Cor. 4:19-20)
Acts 6:8, 10
“And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders
and signs among the people. And they were not able to
resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.”
(NKJV)
“But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will
know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the
power. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in
power.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What should you do to claim your portion of this great power and
strength? (Gen. 32:24-28; Lk. 24:49; Acts 1:14 with 2:1-4)
Genesis 32:24-25
“Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him
until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did
not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip;
and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He
wrestled with him.” (NKJV)
Luke 24:49
“And look, I am sending you what my Father promised.
But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power
from on high.” (NET)
Acts 1:14
“All these continued together in prayer with one mind,
together with the women, along with Mary the mother of
Jesus, and his brothers.” (NET)
Acts 2:1-2, 4
“Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all
together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a violent wind
blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house
where they were sitting. All of them were filled with the
Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as
the Spirit enabled them.” (NET)
Answer
____________________________________________________________________
5. What should we use this power for? (Acts 4:33; 6:10; 1

Thess. 1:5)
Acts 4:33
“With great power the apostles were giving testimony to
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on
them all.” (NET)
Acts 6:10
“Yet they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit
with which he spoke.” (NET)
1 Thessalonians 1:5
“In that our gospel did not come to you merely in words,
but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with deep
conviction (surely you recall the character we displayed
when we came among you to help you).” (NET)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
6. How best can we use this power in the spiritual warfare? (Jer. 1:10,
17-19)
Jeremiah 1:10,17-19
““See, I have this day set you over the nations and over
the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and
to throw down, to build and to plant. Therefore prepare
yourself and arise, and speak to them all that I command
you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, lest I dismay
you before them. For behold, I have made you this day a
fortified city and an iron pillar, and bronze walls against
the whole land – against the kings of Judah, Against its
princes, against its priests, and against the people of the
land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail
against you. For I am with you,” says the LORD, "to
deliver you."” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
7. What spiritual weapons are available to us to enable us fight this fight

successfully? (2 Cor. 10:3-4)
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according
to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal
but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
8. In which specific area should we use this renewed strength to fight?
(a) Eph. 6:12; Jas. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8
Ephesians 6:12
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness
in the heavenly places.” (NKJV)
James 4:7
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and
he will flee from you.” (NKJV)
1 Peter 5:8
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil walks about like a roaring
lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
(b) Rom. 7:23; 1 Cor. 9:25-27; Gal. 5:17

Romans 7:23
“But I see another law in my members,
warring against the law of my mind, and
bringing me into captivity to the law of sin
which is in my members.” (NKJV)
“And everyone who competes for the prize is
temperate in all things. Now they do it to
obtain a perishable crown, but we for an
imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not
with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who
beats the air. But I discipline my body and
bring it into subjection, lest, when I have
preached to others, I myself should become
disqualified.” (NKJV)
Galatians 5:17
“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary
to one another, so that you do not do the
things that you wish.” (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
(c) Jn. 16:33; 1 Jn. 5:4-5

John 16:33
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may
have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be
of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (NKJV)
1 John 5:4-5
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And
this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith.
Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God?” (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
(d) Ps. 38:19; Ps. 56:2; Ps. 59:3

Psalm 38:19
“But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; and
those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.” (NKJV)
Psalm 56:2
“Those who anticipate my defeat attack me all day long.
Indeed, many are fighting against me, O Exalted One.”
(NET)
Psalm 59:3
“For look, they lie in wait for my life; the mighty gather
against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O
LORD. (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
LESSON EIGHT
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BIBLE IN YOUR LIFE AS A
YOUTH
THE PURPOSE OF THE BIBLE
I. TO SHOW THE GLORY OF GOD

Ps. 19:1 (Heavens declare His glory)
Jer. 13:11; Isa. 43:7, 25; 60:1, 3, 21 (Israel, God’s glory)
Rom. 9:23 (Salvation is unto His glory)
Psalm 19:1
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky displays his
handiwork.” (NET)
Jeremiah 13:11
For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused
the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to
cling to Me,’ says the LORD, ‘that they may become My
people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would
not hear.’ (NKJV)
Isaiah 43:7, 25
Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for
My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” “I, even
I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;
And I will not remember your sins. (NKJV)
Isaiah 60:1,3,21
Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the
LORD is risen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your
light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. Also your
people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the land
forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands,
That I may be glorified. (NKJV)
Romans 9:23
And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the
vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for
glory (NKJV)
II. IT IS A BOOK OF SALVATION

(a) Its Purpose is not scientific
(b) Its Purpose is not literary
(c) Its Purpose is not philosophical
ITS PURPOSE IS MAINLY SALVATION

It shows Man’s Origin
It shows how sin came
It shows how sin destroyed us
It shows God’s plan of redemption throughout the various
dispensations
It shows how Christ finally came (Lk. 1:68-75)
Luke 1:68-75
“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and
redeemed His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation
for us in the house of His servant David, As He spoke by the
mouth of His holy prophets, Who have been since the world
began, That we should be saved from our enemies And from
the hand of all who hate us, To perform the mercy promised
to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He
swore to our father Abraham: To grant us that we, Being
delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him
without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all the
days of our life. (NKJV)
It shows how His disciples later took up the message of salvation and
explained it (Rom. 8:24; 8:21; 1 Cor. 15:28)
Romans 8:24
For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not
hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? (NKJV)
1 Corinthians 15:28
Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son
Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under
Him, that God may be all in all. (NKJV)
III. IT IS THE BOOK OF CHRIST

a) The salvation the Bible talks about is available only “through faith in
Christ Jesus.” (Acts 4:12)
Acts 4:12
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name
under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
(NKJV)
b) Therefore the presentation of Christ is the third major purpose of the
Bible. Heb. 1:1-3)
Christ Is in the Law (TORAH) (Lk. 24:27; 24:44) (Deut. 18:15, 18b)
Luke 24:27
“Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he
interpreted to them the things written about himself in all the
scriptures.” (NET)
Luke 24:44
“Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to
you while I was still with you, that everything written about
me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must
be fulfilled."” (NET)
Christ Is in the Prophets (PROPHETS) (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings etc)

(2 Sam. 7:8-17; Isa. 9:6-7)
Isaiah 8:6-9
“These people have rejected the gently flowing waters of
Shiloah and melt in fear over Rezin and the son of Remaliah.
So look, the sovereign master is bringing up against them the
turbulent and mighty waters of the Euphrates River-the king
of Assyria and all his majestic power. It will reach flood stage
and overflow its banks. It will spill into Judah, flooding and
engulfing, as it reaches to the necks of its victims. He will
spread his wings out over your entire land, O Immanuel. You
will be broken, O nations; you will be shattered! Pay
attention, all you distant lands of the earth! Get ready for
battle, and you will be shattered! Get ready for battle, and
you will be shattered!” (NET)
Christ Is in the Writings (WRITINGS) (i.e. Psalms, Wisdom Literature)

(Ps. 2:7; Ps. 110:1; Jn. 1:1-3; Colo. 2:3) (Christ is God’s wisdom) (1 Pet.
1:11)
Psalm 2:7
“The king says, "I will announce the LORD's decree. He said
to me: 'You are my son! This very day I have become your
father!” (NET)
Psalm 110:1
“Here is the LORD's proclamation to my lord: "Sit down at
my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool!”
(NET)
John 1:1-3
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the
beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from
him not one thing was created that has been created.” (NET)
Colossians 2:3
“In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge.” (NET)
1 Peter 1:11
“They probed into what person or time the Spirit of Christ
within them was indicating when he testified beforehand
about the sufferings appointed for Christ and his subsequent
glory.” (NET)
Christ Is in the New Testament

The Gospels talk about His birth, ministry, death and resurrection.
Acts 2:47
“Praising God and having the good will of all the people.
And the Lord was adding to their number every day those
who were being saved.” (NET)
Colossians 1:19
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the
Son.” (NET)
Colossians 2:9-10
“For in him all the fullness of deity lives in bodily form,
and you have been filled in him, who is the head over
every ruler and authority.” (NET)
Philippians 4:13
“I am able to do all things through the one who
strengthens me.” (NET)
Hebrews 7:25
“So he is able to save completely those who come to God
through him, because he always lives to intercede for
them.” (NET)
Revelation 22:17,20
“And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let the one
who hears say: "Come!" And let the one who is thirsty
come; let the one who wants it take the water of life free of
charge. The one who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I
am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (NET)
Answer
_________________________________________________________________________
THE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE

It mainly has to do with the question of final authority in all matters of faith
and conduct. Should this final authority be given to the Holy Bible, Church
traditions, or human reasoning and philosophies?
This has been the cause of great confusion in the Church. It has also been a
source of disagreement and discord. But the sure, unfailing way to go is to
make THE BIBLE THE FINAL SOURCE OF AUTHORITY AS WE HAVE
IT IN THE CHURCH TODAY. In dealing with this question of authority
three great words come up:
THE THREE (3) GREAT WORDS
REVELATION
1. From Latin “unveiling”.
2. God had to take the initiative to make Himself known (Job 11:7).
Job 11:7
“Can you discover the essence of God? Can you find out
the perfection of the Almighty?” (NET)
3. We couldn’t have known God until He had first taken the initiative to
make Himself known.
INSPIRATION
1. Indicates the mode through which God chose to reveal Himself to us.
2. He revealed Himself in three ways:
a) Through Nature (Rom. 1:19-20)
Romans 1:19-20
“Because what can be known about God is plain to
them, because God has made it plain to them. For
since the creation of the world his invisible
attributes-his eternal power and divine nature-have
been clearly seen, because they are understood
through what has been made. So people are without
excuse.” (NET)
b) Through Christ (Heb. 1:2)

Hebrews 1:2
“In these last days he has spoken to us in a son,
whom he appointed heir of all things, and through
whom he created the world.” (NET)
c) Through His inspired writers (God breathed. 2 Tim. 3:16; Heb.

1:1; 2 Pet. 1:21)
2 Timothy 3:16
“Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for
training in righteousness.” (NET)
Hebrews 1:1
“After God spoke long ago in various portions and
in various ways to our ancestors through the
prophets.” (NET)
2 Peter 1:21
For no prophecy was ever borne of human impulse;
rather, men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from
God.” (NET)
3. Inspiration was both plenary (2 Tim. 3:16) and verbal (1 Cor. 2:13)
2 Timothy 3:16
“Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in
righteousness.” (NET)
1 Corinthians 2:13
“And we speak about these things, not with words taught
us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit,
explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.” (NET)
4. Inspiration was not just a mode through which God revealed Himself
to us but the chief mode through which this revelation came to us.
AUTHORITY
1. It is the power or weight inherent in Scripture and backing it for it to
be accepted as carrying God’s authority.
2. If the Bible was given by divine inspiration through divine revelation,
then it must have authority over the traditions of men as the word
coming from God.
3. “Behind every word stands the person who spoke it” (John Stott). So
God’s Word carries God’s authority (Lk. 5:4-5).
Luke 5:4-5
“When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put
out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon Answered, "Master, we worked hard all night and
caught nothing! But at your word I will lower the nets."”
(NET)
CONCLUSION
(a) God has revealed Himself by speaking through inspired men
(God-breathed).
(b) What He spoke has been written down and preserved as
Scripture.
(c) So the Bible is God’s Word which is written down.
(d) If this is so, then the Bible is absolutely true and reliable and
has divine authority over men and over all man’s traditions. It
must therefore be accepted as the final source of authority in
all matters related to Church Life.
ILLUMINATION
Definition
1. To illuminate is to throw light on or to give light to something.
2. If the Scriptures came by Divine Revelation through Divine
Inspiration making it fully authoritative because it is God’s Word
backed by God’s power, and authority, then we will need God’s help
before we can understand it fully.
3. This calls for SPIRITUAL ILLUMINATION. Scripture must be
illumined in the heart of the believer by the Holy Spirit before it can
become meaningful to him.
Scriptures On Illumination
Peter (Matt. 16:15-17)
Matthew 16:15-17
“He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon
Peter Answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God." And Jesus Answered him, "You are blessed, Simon son
of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you,
but my Father in heaven!”” (NET)
Two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk. 24:27, 31, 45)

Luke 24:27, 31, 45
“Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he
interpreted to them the things written about himself in all the
scriptures. At this point their eyes were opened and they
recognized him. Then he vanished out of their sight. Then he
opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures.”
(NET)
Christ’s promise (Jn. 16:13)

John 16:13
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you
into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority,
but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is
to come.” (NET)
Paul’s experience (1 Cor. 2:9-10)

“For this reason also I wrote you: to test you to see if you
are obedient in everything. [10] If you forgive anyone for
anything, I also forgive him-for indeed what I have
forgiven (if I have forgiven anything) I did so for you in
the presence of Christ.”
The Holy Spirit must always illumine Scripture in a person’s heart

before it becomes meaningful
NB: The Holy Spirit illumines THE WORD OF GOD (Eph. 6:17) and
nothing more.
Answer
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SOME EFFECTIVE WAYS TO STUDY THE BIBLE
CHAPTER SUMMARY
BIBLE STUDY
INTRODUCTION
When the Bible was written there were no chapters or verses.
It wasn’t until 1228 AD that a certain bishop call Stephen Langton
added chapter divisions to it.
There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible – ie the Protestant Bible.
If you study one chapter every day you can study all the 1,189
chapters in about 3 years.
If you study two chapters a day you can finish all the 1,189 chapters
in about 20 months (1 year 8 months).
You can either study from Genesis to Revelation or pick chapters at
random provided you stick to your plan.
DEFINITION OF CHAPTER SUMMARY BIBLE STUDY METHOD

It is the method which involves reading a chapter of the Bible several
times, to gain a general understanding of its contents by asking a
series of questions and summarizing its main teachings.
There are ten known steps to doing a chapter Summary Bible Study.
S TEP 1
Read through the chapter several times in different modern
translations.
Finally, read it aloud quietly to yourself. It will help you to
concentrate and to focus your attention on the chapter.
STEP 2
After noting the contents of the chapter, give it a short descriptive
title e.g., 1 Cor. 13 – Love; Heb. 11 – Heroes of faith.
Next describe, summarize, paraphrase or outline it to get a list of
the major points of the chapter in a simple form. (Use any of these
methods without making any attempt to interpret the chapter)
STEP 3
Go through the chapter and make a list of all the characters which
appear in it. (Nouns or pronouns)
Then ask the following questions about them:
a. Who are the main people in the chapter (the list)?
b. Why are they brought into the story of the chapter?
c. What is significant or important about them in the chapter?
STEP 4
Try to find a verse or a group of verses (not more than three)
which summarize the whole chapter or summarize the writer’s
arguments.
STEP 5
Write down what you see as the key idea or key words of the
chapter.
Find their denotative meaning as well as their theological meaning
and their importance to the chapter.
STEP 6
List difficult verses in the chapter as well as verses which will
require a more detailed study and research.
STEP 7
Look up other verses (cross-references) that can help you to
understand the chapter.
Look out for both internal and external cross-references.
STEP 8
Christ is central to the Bible and He is seen in every chapter of the
Bible.
So find out what that chapter reveals about the Lord Jesus Christ
(CHRISTOLOGY)
Then go ahead to find out other things the chapter has to say about
GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE BIBLE, THE CHURCH,
SALVATION etc.
STEP 9
Write a chapter value. This is a summary of all the major teachings,
principles, insights and lessons you will get from the chapter.
Always ask the question (“What has God taught me or shown me in
this chapter?”)
STEP 10
Apply all the teachings, principles and insights to your own life first.
Write out how you are going to use them to help others in your family
and in your ministry.
LESSON NINE
WALKING WITH GOD WITH DETERMINATION
INTRODUCTION
To determine is to decide firmly to do something. Deciding firmly means
looking at the problems involved in doing what is planned, the price needed
to be paid to do it and yet deciding and being firm to go through all these
things so that you can achieve your purpose. The determined person does not
waver but has counted the cost and is ready to do all to attain what he has
decided. A picture of determination is found in the life of Christ in His going
to the cross. He knew all the suffering involved in going to the cross yet the
Bible says that He set His face resolutely to go and face it in Jerusalem for
the sake of mankind. If you want to be able to live successfully as a Christian
to the end, then walk with determination. What are some of the things you
should determine to do to help you finish the Christian race successfully?
1. Determine to walk with God, to stay with Him, and to fellowship with
Him all through your life. (1 Pet 1:14-15; 1 Thess. 4:2-5; 1 Thess.
4:7; 1 Jn 1:5-7)
1 Peter 1:14-15
“Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges
you used to follow in your ignorance, but, like the Holy
One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your
conduct.” (NET)
“For you know what commands we gave you through the
Lord Jesus. For this is God's will: that you become holy,
that you keep away from sexual immorality, that each of
you know how to possess his own body in holiness and
honor, not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not
know God.” (NET)
1 Thessalonians 4:7
“For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness.”
(NET)
1 John 1:5-7
“Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him
and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no
darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him and
yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not
practicing the truth. But if we walk in the light as he
himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another
and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
(NET)
2. Determine never to say yes to the devil wherever he may try to attack
you. (Matt 13:19; 2 Cor. 4:4; 2 Cor. 11:3) (Matt. 24:13; Matt 10:22;
Jn.8:31-32)
Matthew 13:19
“When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and
does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches
what was sown in his heart; this is the seed sown along the
path.” (NET)
2 Corinthians 4:4
“Among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of
those who do not believe so they would not see the light of
the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.”
(NET)
2 Corinthians 11:3
“But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by
his treachery, your minds may be led astray from a sincere
and pure devotion to Christ.” (NET)
Matthew 24:13
“But the person who endures to the end will be saved.”
(NET)
Matthew 10:22
“And you will be hated by everyone because of my name.
But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (NET)
John 8:31-32
“Then Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him,
“If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my
disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set
you free.”” (NET)
3. Determine to stay only in a good fellowship of genuinely born again

and converted Christians. (Ps. 149:1; .1 Pet. 5:2; Ps. 1:5; Eph.5:27;
Rev. 19:8 Heb. 10:25)
Psalm 149:1
”Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song! Praise
him in the assembly of the godly!” (NET)
1 Peter 5:2
“Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving
as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for
dishonest gain but eagerly.” (NKJV)
Psalm 1:5
“Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” (NKJV)
Ephesians 5:27
“That He might present her to Himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she
should be holy and without blemish.” (NKJV)
Revelation 19:8
“And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen,
clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of
the saints.” (NKJV)
Hebrews 10:25
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is
the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so
much the more as you see the Day approaching.” (NKJV)
4. Determine to live by the Word of God and avoid all things that go
contrary to the Scriptures. (1 Pet. 2:2; Jn. 15:4, 7, 9, 10; Ps. 119:105)
1 Peter 2:2
“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that
you may grow thereby.” (NKJV)
John 15:4
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you,
unless you abide in Me.” (NKJV)
John 15:7, 9
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask
whatever you want, and it will be done for you. Just as the
Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain in my
love.” (NET)
5. Determine to walk in the fear of the Lord always without wavering.

(Ps. 31: 19; Gen 12: 1-4)
Psalm 31:19
“How great is your favor, which you store up for your
loyal followers! In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on
those who take shelter in you.” (NET)
Genesis 12:1-4
“Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go out from your
country, your relatives, and your father's household to the
land that I will show you. Then I will make you into a great
nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name
great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing. I will
bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you
lightly I must curse, and all the families of the earth will
bless one another by your name." So Abram left, just as
the LORD had told him to do, and Lot went with him.
(Now Abram was 75 years old when he departed from
Haran.)” (NET)
6. Determine to trust in the Lord like Job no matter what knowing that
He who called you is faithful. (Ps 62:1-2, 5-8; Ps 32:10; Jer 39:17-18)
Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8
“For God alone I patiently wait; he is the one who
delivers me. He alone is my protector and deliverer. He is
my refuge; I will not be upended. Patiently wait for God
alone, my soul! For he is the one who gives me confidence.
He alone is my protector and deliverer. He is my refuge; I
will not be upended. God delivers me and exalts me; God
is my strong protector and my shelter. Trust in him at all
times, you people! Pour out your hearts before him! God is
our shelter!” (NET)
Psalm 32:10
“An evil person suffers much pain, but the LORD's
faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him.” (NET)
Jeremiah 39:17-18
“But I will rescue you when it happens. I, the LORD,
affirm it! You will not be handed over to those whom you
fear. I will certainly save you. You will not fall victim to
violence. You will escape with your life because you trust
in me. I, the LORD, affirm it!” (NET)
7. Determine to pay every price necessary to be able to walk with God

and finish the Christian race. (Lk 14:25-33; Mk 9:43-44, 47-48)
Luke 14:25-33
“Now large crowds were accompanying Jesus, and
turning to them he said, "If anyone comes to me and does
not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children,
and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot
be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and
follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you,
wanting to build a tower, doesn't sit down first and
compute the cost to see if he has enough money to
complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation
and is not able to finish the tower, all who see it will begin
to make fun of him. They will say, 'This man began to build
and was not able to finish!' Or what king, going out to
confront another king in battle, will not sit down first and
determine whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose
the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he
cannot succeed, he will send a representative while the
other is still a long way off and ask for terms of peace. In
the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if
he does not renounce all his own possessions.” (NET)
Mark 9:43-44
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for
you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two
hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be
quenched- where their worm does not die and the fire is
not quenched. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it
out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with
one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell
fire- where their worm does not die and the fire is not
quenched.” NKJV
8. Determine to be patient in Tribulation, and during moments of the

internal and external attacks from Satan. (Mk 13:9, 11-13; Rom
12:12b) (Rom 12:21; 1 Cor 15:58)
Mark 13:9,11-13
“But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up
to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You
will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a
testimony to them. But when they arrest you and deliver
you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you
will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak
that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Now
brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child;
and children will rise up against parents and cause them
to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My
name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be
saved.” (NKJV)
Romans 12:12b
“Patient in tribulation.” (NKJV)
Romans 12:21
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with
good.” (NKJV)
1 Corinthians 15:58
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that
your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (NKJV)
Answer
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LESSON TEN
WALKING WITH GOD IN OBEDIENCE
INTRODUCTION
Obedience to God, and to all His commandments is not optional in the
scriptures. It is commanded and demanded by God without any option. The
Scriptures mention several specific areas where obedience is demanded by
God. We are going to examine a few of these areas in this study.
PART 1
1. God demands obedience to His instructions concerning our working
out our salvation daily. (Phil. 2:12; Lk. 14:33; Matt. 24:13)
Philippians 2:12
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not
as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
(NKJV)
Luke 14:13
“But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed,
the lame, the blind.” (NKJV)
Matthew 24:13
“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (NKJV)
2. What things are involved in saying that we are working out our
salvation with fear and trembling?
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
PART 2
1. God demands absolute obedience to His commandments which forbid
sacrifices to, and fellowship with demons, or anything demonic (Lev.
17:7-9; Lev. 20:1-6; Lev. 20:27; Deut. 4:15-19; Deut. 13:1-5)
Leviticus 17:7-9
““They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons,
after whom they have played the harlot. This shall be a
statute forever for them throughout their generations.”
Also you shall say to them: “Whatever man of the house of
Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who
offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, and does not bring it to
the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to offer it to the
LORD, that man shall be cut off from among his people.””
(NKJV)
Leviticus 20:1-6
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Again, you
shall say to the children of Israel: Whoever of the children
of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who gives
any of his descendants to Molech, he shall surely be put to
death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. I
will set My face against that man, and will cut him off from
his people, because he has given some of his descendants
to Molech, to defile My sanctuary and profane My holy
name. And if the people of the land should in any way hide
their eyes from the man, when he gives some of his
descendants to Molech, and they do not kill him, then I will
set My face against that man and against his family; and I
will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute
themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech. And
the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to
prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that
person and cut him off from his people.”” (NKJV)
Deuteronomy 4:15-19
“Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form
when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of
the fire, lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a
carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of
male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the
earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the
air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or
the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the
earth. And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and
when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host
of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them,
which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples
under the whole heaven as a heritage.” (NKJV)
2. What things can be interpreted as demon worship in the world today?
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Should we be involved in these?

Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What should be the church’s attitude to people who get involved in

these and refuse to repent and turn back to Christ?
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
PART 3
1. God demands total obedience to His instructions concerning honest
business (Lev. 19:35-36)
Leviticus 19:35-36
“You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of
length, weight, or volume. You shall have honest scales,
honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the
LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”
(NKJV)
2. What are some of the dishonest business practices that some

Christians are involved in today?
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
3. What are some of these dishonest practices in your own business

areas? What are you going to do about them from today?
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
PART 4
1. God demands obedience to all His instructions concerning sexual
purity and purity in all sexual relationships. (Lev. 20:7, 10-21)
Leviticus 20:7
“Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am
the LORD your God.” (NKJV)
2. Are some of these illicit sexual relationships not going on nowadays?

What should be our attitude towards them?
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
PART 5
1. God demands absolute obedience to our vows and pledges to Him no
matter our situation. (Num. 30:2-4; Ps. 76:11)
Numbers 30:2-4
“If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to
bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his
word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his
mouth. Or if a woman makes a vow to the LORD, and
binds herself by some agreement while in her father's
house in her youth, and her father hears her vow and the
agreement by which she has bound herself, and her father
holds his peace, then all her vows shall stand, and every
agreement with which she has bound herself shall stand.”
(NKJV)
Psalm 76:11
“Make vows to the LORD your God, and pay them; let all
who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to
be feared.” (NKJV)
2. What things constitute vows and pledges in our day? What should we
do about them?
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
PART 6
1. God requires unquestioned obedience to all His commandments by all
His children (Deut. 4:2, 5, 6, 9; Prov. 7:1-3; Eccl. 12:13) (Deut.
10:12-13; 11:8-9, 32; Deut. 32:45-47; Josh. 22:5; 23:6-7)
Deuteronomy 4:2, 5-6, 9
“You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor
take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the
LORD your God which I command you. Surely I have
taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my
God commanded me, that you should act according to
them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be
careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your
understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all
these statutes, and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise
and understanding people.' Only take heed to yourself,
and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your
eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the
days of your life. And teach them to your children and your
grandchildren.” (NKJV)
Proverbs 7:9
“In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark
night.” (NKJV)
“Moses finished speaking all these words to all Israel, and
he said to them: "Set your hearts on all the words which I
testify among you today, which you shall command your
children to be careful to observe-all the words of this law.
For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life,
and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land
which you cross over the Jordan to possess."” (NKJV)
Joshua 22:5
“But take careful heed to do the commandment and the
law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded
you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways,
to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to
serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
(NKJV)
Joshua 23:6-7
“Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that
is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn
aside from it to the right hand or to the left, and lest you
go among these nations, these who remain among you.
You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor
cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them
nor bow down to them.” (NKJV)
2. What are some of the specific things we are commanded by God to

obey in these references? Make a list of all of them in your note book.
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
PART 7
1. God demands obedience to the Moral Law by all New Testament
Christians (Deut. 5:7, 11, 12-14, 16-21)
Deuteronomy 5:7, 11-14, 16-21
“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not take the
name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him
guiltless who takes His name in vain. Observe the Sabbath day, to
keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you
shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath
of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son,
nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant,
nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your
stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your
female servant may rest as well as you. Honor your father and your
mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days
may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the
LORD your God is giving you. 'You shall not murder. You shall not
commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; and
you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, his male servant,
his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your
neighbor's.” (NKJV)
2. Is God justified in demanding that New Testament believers also
observe the Moral Law? (Matt. 5:17-19)
Matthew 5:17-19
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the
Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For
assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away,
one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till
all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least
of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be
called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does
and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom
of heaven.” (NKJV)
Answer
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PART 8
1. God demands obedience to the command which says that we should
give all the honour and glory for all our successes to Him, and never
forget Him in time of prosperity (Deut. 8:11-20)
Deuteronomy 8:11-20
“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not
keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His
statutes which I command you today, lest-when you have
eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and
dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks
multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and
all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted
up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you
out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who
led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in
which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land
where there was no water; who brought water for you out
of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with
manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might
humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in
the end- then you say in your heart, 'My power and the
might of my hand have gained me this wealth. And you
shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives
you power to get wealth, that He may establish His
covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your
God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship
them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely
perish. As the nations which the LORD destroys before
you, so you shall perish, because you would not be
obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.” (NKJV)
2. Who is the source of all wealth according to Deuteronomy chapter 8

verse eighteen?
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
3. What are some of the things that can lead us to forget God in times of
victory, plenty and success? (Deut. 8:12, 13, 17)
Deuteronomy 8:12-13, 17
“Lest – when you have eaten and are full, and have built
beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds
and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are
multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; then you
say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand
have gained me this wealth.'” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What are we encouraged to do instead of forgetting God? (Deut. 8:11,

18, 15-16)
Deuteronomy 8:11, 15-16, 18
“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not
keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His
statutes which I command you today, who led you through
that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery
serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was
no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty
rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which
your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and
that He might test you, to do you good in the end. And you
shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives
you power to get wealth, that He may establish His
covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this
day.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
5. What things can happen to us when we are tempted to forget God and
disobey Him after He has lifted us up in life? (Deut. 8:19b; 8:20)
Deuteronomy 8:19-20
“Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD
your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and
worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall
surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroys
before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be
obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
PART 9
1. God demands absolute obedience to His commands to stand for Him
as unique people. (Deut. 26:16-19)
“This day the LORD your God commands you to observe
these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be
careful to observe them with all your heart and with all
your soul. Today you have proclaimed the LORD to be
your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His
statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that
you will obey His voice. Also today the LORD has
proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He
promised you, that you should keep all His
commandments, and that He will set you high above all
nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in
honor, and that you may be a holy people to the LORD
your God, just as He has spoken.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What conditions and commands go with our making ourselves special

unto God’s glory? (Deut. 26:16-17)
“This day the LORD your God commands you to observe
these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be
careful to observe them with all your heart and with all
your soul. Today you have proclaimed the LORD to be
your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His
statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that
you will obey His voice.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
3. What special privileges go with our making ourselves a special

people of God? (Deut. 26:18-19)
“Also today the LORD has proclaimed you to be His
special people, just as He promised you, that you should
keep all His commandments, and that He will set you high
above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name,
and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the
LORD your God, just as He has spoken.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
PART 10
1. God demands unwavering obedience to all His commandments for
ever and ever (2 Kin. 17:37; 1 Sam. 12:14-15, 20-22, 24-25)
2 Kings 17:37
“And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the
commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be
careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods.”
(NKJV)
1 Samuel 12:14-15
“If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice,
and do not rebel against the commandment of the LORD,
then both you and the king who reigns over you will
continue following the LORD your God. However, if you
do not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the
commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD
will be against you, as it was against your fathers.”
(NKJV)
1 Samuel 12:20-22, 24-25

“Then Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear. You have
done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from
following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your
heart. And do not turn aside; for then you would go after
empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are
nothing. For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His
great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to
make you His people. Only fear the LORD, and serve Him
in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things
He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall
be swept away, both you and your king."” (NKJV)
2. Is there a time when believers can say that they have advanced
enough in the Lord not to obey Him fully? (1 Kin. 11:7-11)
1 Kings 11:7-11
“Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the
abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem,
and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon.
And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned
incense and sacrificed to their gods. So the LORD became
angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from
the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he
should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what
the LORD had commanded. Therefore the LORD said to
Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept
My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded
you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give
it to your servant.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
3. What can happen to us if we start disobeying the Lord at any point in

our Christian lives? (1 Sam. 12:25; 12:15)
1 Samuel 12:25
“But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both
you and your king.” (NKJV)
1 Samuel 12:15
“However, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD, but
rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the
hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against
your fathers.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
LESSON ELEVEN
THE BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE (PART I)
INTRODUCTION
Obedience to God and to His commandments has its rewards. It is rewarded
by several things including prosperity and longevity. If we are able to obey
the Lord in all the major areas mentioned by the Scriptures, the inevitable
result will always be long life and general well-being. (1 John 3:22)
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. What general well-being can come to us if we always remain
obedient to God? (Deut. 7:9, 11)
Deuteronomy 7:9, 11
“Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the
faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand
generations with those who love Him and keep His
commandments; therefore you shall keep the
commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I
command you today, to observe them.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What can happen to us if we walk in disobedience before God? (Deut.

7:10)
Deuteronomy 7:10
“And He repays those who hate Him to their face, to
destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates
Him; He will repay him to his face. And He repays those
who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be
slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his
face.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
3. What special type of prosperity is promised to all those who always

walk before the Lord in obedience in these verses? (Deut. 7:12-15;
15:5-6)
Deuteronomy 7:12-15
“Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these
judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your
God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which
He swore to your fathers. And He will love you and bless
you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your
womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new
wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the
offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to
your fathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all
peoples; there shall not be a male or female barren among
you or among your livestock. And the LORD will take
away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none
of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known,
but will lay them on all those who hate you.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What is the secret of success in ministry, success in business, or

success in life? (Josh. 1:8; 1 Kin. 2:3; 2 Chron. 26:3-5)
Joshua 1:8
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,
but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may
observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then
you will make your way prosperous, and then you will
have good success.” (NKJV)
1 Kings 2:3
“And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in
His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His
judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law
of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and
wherever you turn.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
5. What special type of obedience is demanded by God in Malachi 3:10?

What are its promised blessings? (Mal. 3:11-12)
Malachi 3:11-12
“"And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he
will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine
fail to bear fruit for you in the field," says the LORD of
hosts; "And all nations will call you blessed, for you will
be a delightful land," Says the LORD of hosts.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
6. Can you make a classification of the following blessings promised all

those who walk before the Lord in obedience? (Lev. 26:3-13; Deut.
28:1-15)
Leviticus 26:1-13
“You shall not make idols for yourselves; neither a carved
image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves;
nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land, to
bow down to it; for I am the LORD your God. You shall
keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the
LORD. If you walk in My statutes and keep My
commandments, and perform them, then I will give you
rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the
trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall
last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till
the time of sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full,
and dwell in your land safely. I will give peace in the land,
and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; I
will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go
through your land. You will chase your enemies, and they
shall fall by the sword before you. Five of you shall chase
a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to
flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you. For
I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply
you and confirm My covenant with you. You shall eat the
old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new. I
will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not
abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and
you shall be My people. I am the LORD your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not
be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and
made you walk upright.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
7. What one important blessing is promised all those who walk before
the Lord in obedience all through their lives? (Deut. 4:1, 40; 32:47; 1
Kin. 3:14; Prov. 3:1-2; 19:16)
Deuteronomy 4:1
“Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments
which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in
and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers
is giving you. You shall therefore keep His statutes and His
commandments which I command you today, that it may
go well with you and with your children after you, and that
you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD
your God is giving you for all time.” (NKJV)
Deuteronomy 32:47
“For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life,
and by this word you shall prolong your days in the land
which you cross over the Jordan to possess.” (NKJV)
1 Kings 3:14
“So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My
commandments, as your father David walked, then I will
lengthen your days.” (NKJV)
Proverbs 3:1-2
“My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my
commands; for length of days and long life and peace they
will add to you.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
8. If somebody does not see the prosperity and blessings of God in his
life, is it God’s fault? (Job 36:7, 9-13)
Job 36:7, 9-13

“He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous; but
they are on the throne with kings, for He has seated them
forever, and they are exalted. Then He tells them their
work and their transgressions – that they have acted
defiantly. He also opens their ear to instruction, and
commands that they turn from iniquity. If they obey and
serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and
their years in pleasures. But if they do not obey, they shall
perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.
But the hypocrites in heart store up wrath; they do not cry
for help when He binds them.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
LESSON TWELVE
THE BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE (PART II)
INTRODUCTION
Obedience to God brings a lot of blessings to believers as we saw in the
previous study. But that did not exhaust God’s rewards for continuous
obedience. Victory over enemies and over adversities are some of the other
blessings that follow a life of continuous obedience to God.
In addition, God’s special divine favour (good will, support, generosity and
special kindness) follows all His obedient children all the time. The purpose
of this Bible study is to show us the type of victory and special favour that
follows God’s obedient children.
QUESTIONS
Victory over enemies
What type of victory is promised all the obedient children of God in these
references? (Exod. 23:22-23; Prov. 16:7)
Exodus 23:22-23
“But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak,
then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary
to your adversaries. For My Angel will go before you and
bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the
Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the
Jebusites; and I will cut them off.” (NKJV)
Proverbs 16:7
“When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his
enemies to be at peace with him.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
Victory over adversities

What other victory is promised all believers who always walk before God
in obedience? (Matt. 7:24-27; cp Lk. 6:46-49)
Matthew 7:24-27
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does
them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house
on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and
the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall,
for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears
these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a
foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain
descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat
on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
He will make us special people with special blessings

What type of special favour can come to us from God if we remain
obedient to Him according to these references? (Exod. 19:5; Jer. 7:23;
Exod. 12:28)
Exodus 19:5
“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep
My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me
above all people; for all the earth is Mine.” (NKJV)
Jeremiah 7:23
“But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My
voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people.
And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that
it may be well with you.'” (NKJV)
Exodus 12:28
“Then the children of Israel went away and did so; just as
the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they
did.” (NKJV)
Answer
He keeps mercy and covenant with them

What other special favour do the righteous and obedient receive from
God? (Exod. 20:6; Deut. 5:10; 1 Kin. 8:23; Neh. 1:5; Ps. 103:17-18)
Exodus 20:6
“But showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me
and keep My commandments.” (NKJV)
What special divine favour do the following parables say God
bestows upon all those who obey His Word and take it exactly as it is
given? (Matt. 25:20-23; Lk. 12:37-38)
Matthew 25:20-23
“So he who had received five talents came and brought
five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five
talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'
His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant;
you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler
over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' He also
who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you
delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more
talents besides them.' His lord said to him, 'Well done,
good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a
few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter
into the joy of your lord.'” (NKJV)
Luke 12:37-38
“Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he
comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he
will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will
come and serve them. And if he should come in the second
watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so,
blessed are those servants.” (NKJV)
Answer
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LESSON THIRTEEN
AVOIDING ALL THE SATANIC TRAPS FOR THE YOUTH
INTRODUCTION
Satan always goes round seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8) This
does not exclude the youth of today. There are several traps Satan sets the
youth to get the opportunity to destroy them. In this study we want to discuss
some of the commonest and most dangerous ones.
TRAP NO.1.
A. DISRESPECT FOR PARENTS
To get the chance to get the youth, Satan first makes them
disrespectful to parents and their advice so that they will be without
any guidance. (Prov. 15:20; Deut. 27:16)
Proverbs 15:20
“A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man
despises his mother.” (NKJV)
Deuteronomy 27:16
“Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with
contempt. And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'” (NKJV)
QUESTIONS
1. What do wise children do to show their wisdom in Prov. 15:20a?
Proverbs 15:20
“A wise son makes a father glad.” (NKJV)
Answer
______________________________________________________________
2. What do foolish children also do to show their folly in Prov.

15:20b?
Proverbs 15:20
“But a foolish man despises his mother.” (NKJV)
Answer
_______________________________________________________________
3. What danger can come to us as boys and girls if we show

disrespect to our parents? (Deuteronomy 27:16)
Deuteronomy 27:16
“Cursed is the one who treats his father or his
mother with contempt. And all the people shall say,
'Amen!'” (NKJV)
Answer
_______________________________________________________________
4. What is a curse? Will it be good to start life with a curse as a

youth?
Answer
_______________________________________________________________
5. What practical things should we do to avoid the curses mentioned

in Deut. 27:16?
Deuteronomy 27:16
“Cursed is the one who treats his father or his
mother with contempt. And all the people shall say,
'Amen!'” (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
TRAP NO.2
B. DISOBEDIENCE TO PARENTS
Disobedience is failure to do what you are told to do or what you are
required to do. This is the second trap Satan often gets the youth so
that he can get the chance to separate them from their parents and
destroy them. (Deut. 21:18-21; Prov. 13:1; Prov. 15:5; Prov. 30:17)
QUESTIONS
1. What sign does a son/daughter give that he/she is wise according
to Prov. 13:1 and Prov. 15:5?
Proverbs 13:1
“A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a
scoffer does not listen to rebuke.” (NKJV)
Proverbs 15:5
“A fool despises his father's instruction, but he who
receives correction is prudent.” (NKJV)
Answer
______________________________________________________________
2. What punishment and judgement are predicted to follow all those

who show constant disobedience to their mothers and fathers?
(Prov. 30:17)
Proverbs 30:17
“The eye that mocks his father, and scorns
obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will
pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.”
(NKJV)
Answer
______________________________________________________________
3. What punishment was prescribed for disobedient children under

the Law? (Deut. 21:18-21)
” If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who
will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of
his mother, and who, when they have chastened him,
will not heed them, then his father and his mother
shall take hold of him and bring him out to the
elders of his city, to the gate of his city. And they
shall say to the elders of his city, 'This son of ours is
stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice;
he is a glutton and a drunkard.' Then all the men of
his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you
shall put away the evil from among you, and all
Israel shall hear and fear.” (NKJV)
Answer
_______________________________________________________________
4. Why do you think God prescribed such a harsh, severe

punishment for the youth who disobeyed their parents?
Answer
_______________________________________________________________
5. What can God do to us spiritually today if we also walk in

waywardness and disobedience like these children? (Eph. 5:6; Heb.
2:2)
Ephesians 5:6
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for
because of these things the wrath of God comes
upon the sons of disobedience.” (NKJV)
Hebrews 2:2
“For if the word spoken through angels proved
steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience
received a just reward.” (NKJV)
Answer
______________________________________________________________
TRAP NO.3
C. LIVING IN IMMORALITY
To live in immorality is to refuse to follow accepted standards of
sexual behaviour such as refusing to have sex before marriage or
refusing to have sex outside marriage. Other forms of immorality are
homosexuality, lesbianism, masturbation and so on. This is one area
where Satan always seeks to destroy the youth and their future life. (1
Sam. 3:11-14 with 1 Sam. 2:22-25) (1 Thess. 4:3, 7; 1 Cor. 6:18)
QUESTIONS
1. What judgement did God pronounce on Eli, his children and his
entire household after he himself had worked faithfully for the
Lord as a priest? (1 Sam. 3:11-14)
1 Samuel 3:11-14
“Then the LORD said to Samuel: "Behold, I will do
something in Israel at which both ears of everyone
who hears it will tingle. In that day I will perform
against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his
house, from beginning to end. For I have told him
that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity
which he knows, because his sons made themselves
vile, and he did not restrain them. And therefore I
have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of
Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or
offering forever."” (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
2. What brought such a severe judgement upon him and his house?
(1 Sam. 2:22-25)
1 Samuel 2:22-25
“Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his
sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the
women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle
of meeting. So he said to them, "Why do you do such
things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the
people. No, my sons! For it is not a good report that
I hear. You make the LORD's people transgress. If
one man sins against another, God will judge him.
But if a man sins against the LORD, who will
intercede for him?" Nevertheless they did not heed
the voice of their father, because the LORD desired
to kill them.” (NKJV)
Answer
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3. What can we bring upon our mother, father and the entire family
when we also live in immorality like Eli’s children?
Answer
_______________________________________________________________
4. What warnings has the Bible given us today on immorality? (1

Thess. 3:7; 1 Cor. 6:18)
1 Thessalonians 4:3, 7
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that
you should abstain from sexual immorality; for God
did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.”
(NKJV)
1 Corinthians 6:18
“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does
is outside the body, but he who commits sexual
immorality sins against his own body.” (NKJV)
Answer
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TRAP NO.4
D. REBELLION AND BACKSLIDING
One other serious trap Satan often sets the youth is causing them to
rebel against their parents and thereafter causing them to backslide
and to refuse to follow the ways of their godly mothers and fathers.
(Lk. 15:12-13; 1 Sam. 8:3)
QUESTIONS
1. What did Satan put into the heart of the young man to do in Lk
15:12-13? Was it a wise decision?
Luke 15:12-13
“And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father,
give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he
divided to them his livelihood. And not many days
after, the younger son gathered all together,
journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his
possessions with prodigal living.” (NKJV)
Answer
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2. Why did he do it contrary to his father’s advice? (THIS IS THE

ACT OF REBELLION) (Prov. 17:21, 25)
Proverbs 17:21, 25
“He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow, and
the father of a fool has no joy. A foolish son is a
grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore
him.” (NKJV)
Answer
_______________________________________________________________
3. In what ways are you also seeking to rebel like this boy against
your parents to fall into the same problems he met?
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
4. What lessons should you learn from this boy’s life and stop these
acts of rebellion immediately? (Eph. 6:1; Colo. 3:20)
Ephesians 6:1
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is
right.” (NKJV)
Colossians 3:20
“Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is
well pleasing to the Lord.” (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
5. What sad story of backsliding is recorded for us in 1 Sam. 8:3?

1 Samuel 8:3
“But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned
aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and
perverted justice.” (NKJV)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
6. Are you also not refusing to walk in the godly way of your
mother and father? What should you do immediately? (Isa. 55:6
7; Ezek. 33:10-20)
Isaiah 55:6-7
“Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon
Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his
way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him
return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him;
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”
(NKJV)
Ezekiel 33:10-20
“Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of
Israel: “Thus you say, ‘If our transgressions and
our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how
can we then live?’” Say to them: “As I live,” says
the Lord GOD, “I have no pleasure in the death of
the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way
and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why
should you die, O house of Israel?” Therefore you,
O son of man, say to the children of your people:
“The righteousness of the righteous man shall not
deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the
wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because
of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness;
nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his
righteousness in the day that he sins. When I say to
the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts
in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none
of his righteous works shall be remembered; but
because of the iniquity that he has committed, he
shall die. Again, when I say to the wicked, ‘You shall
surely die,’ if he turns from his sin and does what is
lawful and right, if the wicked restores the pledge,
gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the
statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall
surely live; he shall not die. None of his sins which
he has committed shall be remembered against him;
he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely
live. Yet the children of your people say, ‘The way of
the Lord is not fair.’ But it is their way which is not
fair! When the righteous turns from his
righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die
because of it. But when the wicked turns from his
wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he
shall live because of it. Yet you say, ‘The way of the
Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, I will judge
every one of you according to his own ways.””
(NKJV)
Answer
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LESSON FOURTEEN
AVOIDING ALL THE SATANIC TEMPTATIONS OF THE
YOUTHFUL AGE (PART I)
LUST
Lust when used theologically in the Bible stands for the sinful desires,
cravings, and longings which often drive us either to do that which we
shouldn’t do, or to have illicit sexual intercourse with the opposite sex. The
Bible gives a strong commandment to all the youth of God to flee youthful
lusts.
Why Should We Flee Youthful Lusts?

1. Because lust (evil desires) is sinful
Job 31:9-12
“If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have
lurched at my neighbor’s door, then let my wife grind for
another, and let others bow down over her. For that would
be wickedness; Yes, it would be iniquity worthy of
judgment. For that would be a fire that consumes to
destruction, and would root out all my increase.” (NKJV)
Matthew 5:28
“But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for
her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
(NKJV)
2. Because lust is a sign that we belong to the world and not to Christ
1 John 2:16-17
“For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is
of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust
of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
(NKJV)
3. Because lust can kill the growing seed of the Word of God in us
Mark 4:19
“And the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches,
and the desires for other things entering in choke the
word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (NKJV)
4. Because lust can tempt us to sin against God.

Genesis 3:6
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,
that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to
make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave
to her husband with her, and he ate. (NKJV)
James 1:14-15
“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his
own desires and enticed. Then when desire has conceived,
it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings
forth death.” (NKJV)
2 Peter 2:18
“For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness,
they allure through the lust of the flesh, through
licentiousness, the ones who have actually escaped from
those who live in error.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
How Can We Deal With The Problem Of Lust?

1. By heeding what the Bible says
“Now these things became our examples, to the intent that
we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And
do not become idolaters, as were some of them. As it is
written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose
up to play. ‘“(NKJV)
2 Timothy 2:22
“Flee also youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith,
love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure
heart.” (NKJV)
2. By learning to exercise temperance (self-control) in all things and in

all situations.
Romans 13:14
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision
for the flesh, to fulfill its lust.” (NKJV)
“Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch
and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and
those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are
of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and
love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” (NKJV)
Titus 2:11-12
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared
to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and
godly in the present age.” (NKJV)
“And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in
all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown.
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection lest,
when I have preached to others, I myself should become
disqualified.” (NKJV)
3. By relying upon the Holy Spirit to help you live a pure and holy life
Romans 8:26
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weakness. For we do
not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the
Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning
which cannot be uttered.” (NKJV)
2 Corinthians 3:17
“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is liberty.” (NKJV)
1 Corinthians 6:11
“And such were some of you. But you were washed, but
you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” (NKJV)
“But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you,
brethren beloved by the Lord because God from the
beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification
by the Spirit and belief in the truth.” (NKJV)
Answer
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LESSON FIFTEEN
AVOIDING ALL THE SATANIC TEMPTATIONS OF THE
YOUTHFUL AGE (PART II)
1. The Youth of God must heed the Biblical admonitions against lust (2
Tim. 2:22-23; Gal. 5:24).
2 Timothy 2:22-23
“But keep away from youthful passions, and pursue
righteousness, faithfulness, love, and peace, in company
with others who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But
reject foolish and ignorant controversies, because you
know they breed infighting.” (NET)
Galatians 5:24
“Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh
with its passions and desires.” (NET)
2. The Youth of God must take God’s warnings on wine serious and
avoid it totally (Prov. 23:20-21, 29-35; 21:17).
Proverbs 23:20-21
“Do not spend time among drunkards, among those who eat
too much meat, because drunkards and gluttons become
impoverished, and drowsiness clothes them with rags.”
(NET)
Proverbs 23:29-35
“Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions?
Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who
has dullness of the eyes? Those who linger over wine, those
who go looking for mixed wine. Do not look on the wine
when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes
down smoothly. Afterward it bites like a snake, and stings
like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your
mind will speak perverse things. And you will be like one
who lies down in the midst of the sea, and like one who lies
down on the top of the rigging. You will say, "They have
struck me, but I am not harmed! They beat me, but I did not
know it! When will I awake? I will look for another drink."
(NET)
Proverbs 21:17
“The one who loves pleasure will be a poor person;
whoever loves wine and anointing oil will not be rich.”
(NET)
3. The Youth of God must heed the Biblical teaching against loving the
world, and avoid all forms of worldliness (1 Jn. 2:13-17; 1 Pet. 3:3-4).
1 John 2:13-17
“I am writing to you, fathers, that you have known him
who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you,
young people, that you have conquered the evil one. I have
written to you, children, that you have known the Father. I
have written to you, fathers, that you have known him who
has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young
people, that you are strong, and the word of God resides in
you, and you have conquered the evil one. Do not love the
world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world,
the love of the Father is not in him, because all that is in
the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes
and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is
not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world
is passing away with all its desires, but the person who
does the will of God remains forever.” (NET)
1 Peter 3:3-5
“Let your beauty not be external-the braiding of hair and
wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes – but the inner
person of the heart, the lasting beauty of a gentle and
tranquil spirit, which is precious in God's sight. For in the
same way the holy women who hoped in God long ago
adorned themselves by being subject to their husbands.”
(NET)
4. The Youth of God must be vigilant against the snares and traps of
harlots and immoral girls and women (Prov. 5:3-14; 6:24-35; 7:1-27-
28; 31:1-3).
Proverbs 31:1-3
“The words of King Lemuel, an oracle that his mother
taught him: O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my
vows, do not give your strength to women, nor your ways
to that which ruins kings.” (NET)
5. The Youth of God should guard against being enticed by sinners into
wrong doing (Prov.1:10-16).
Proverbs 1:10-16
“My child, if sinners try to entice you, do not consent! If
they say, "Come with us! We will lie in wait to shed blood;
we will ambush an innocent person capriciously. We will
swallow them alive like Sheol, those full of vigor like those
going down to the Pit. We will seize all kinds of precious
wealth; we will fill our houses with plunder. Join with us!
We will all share equally in what we steal." My child, do
not go down their way, withhold yourself from their path;
for they are eager to inflict harm, and they hasten to shed
blood.” (NET)
6. The Youth of God should avoid living hypocritically and deceitfully

in the church of God (1 Sam 16:7; Matt 23:27; Jn. 7:24; 2 Cor. 5:12).
1 Samuel 16:7
“But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don't be impressed by his
appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God
does not view things the way men do. People look on the
outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
(NET)
Matthew 23:27
“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees,
hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look
beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of
the dead and of everything unclean.” (NET)
John 7:24
“Do not judge according to external appearance, but
judge with proper judgment.” (NET)
2 Corinthians 5:12
“We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again,
but are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that
you may be able to Answer those who take pride in
outward appearance and not in what is in the heart.”
(NET)
7. The Youth of God should break with, and avoid all evil companions
(Prov. 2:12-16; 4:14-15; 24:1-2).
Proverbs 2:12-16
“To deliver you from the way of the wicked, from those
speaking perversity, who leave the upright paths to walk
on the dark ways, who delight in doing evil, they rejoice in
perverse evil; whose paths are morally crooked, and who
are devious in their ways; to deliver you from the
adulteress, from the sexually loose woman who speaks
flattering words.” (NET)
Proverbs 4:14-15
“Do not enter the path of the wicked or walk in the way of
those who are evil. Avoid it, do not go on it; turn away
from it, and go on.” (NET)
Proverbs 24:1-2
“Do not envy evil people, do not desire to be with them;
for their hearts contemplate violence, and their lips speak
harm.” (NET)
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What is lust? What warnings has the Bible given young people on this
sin? In what ways can the devil use it to destroy young girls and
boys?
Answer
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2. At what age do most people start drinking? What warnings has the
Bible got on wine for the youth?
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
3. What has the Bible got to tell the youth on the danger of loving the
world?
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
4. In what ways can young men and women maintain vigilance against
the snares of immoral women and men? What has the Bible got to say
on this?
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
5. How do most young people enter into sin? What does the Bible say
we should do when we are being enticed by sinners?
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
6. What one effective trap does Satan often use to destroy the lives of
most young men and women? What warning does the Bible give
young people on evil companions?
Answer
7. How does the devil sometimes lead some young men and women to
live their lives in the church of God to deceive themselves? What
should we do about this problem?
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
PERSONAL APPLICATION QUESTIONS

1. Take all the seven (7) youthful temptations discussed above and ask
the following questions about them.
I. Am I free from all these sins and negative attitudes mentioned?

_______________________________________________________________
II. Am I taking any daily practical steps to avoid all these snares and
traps in my life?
_______________________________________________________________
III. What specific things should I do to help me avoid all these
temptations? And live, as God wants me to live?
_______________________________________________________________
THOUGHT QUESTION
Is it possible in our present generation for young men and women to live
righteous lives, and avoid all these evil tendencies listed above in the Church
of Christ? (General Discussion)
LESSON SIXTEEN
LEARNING FROM THE EXAMPLES OF SOME YOUTH IN
THE BIBLE
THE YOUTH OF GOD MUST BE GOOD EXAMPLES IN THE CHURCH

OF CHRIST
The Young men must be good examples of hard work, boldness, godliness
and devotion to Christ
I. The example of Joseph (Gen. 41:38; 41:46).
Genesis 41:38, 41
“So Pharaoh asked his officials, "Can we find a man like
Joseph, one in whom the Spirit of God is present?" "See
here," Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I place you in authority
over all the land of Egypt."” (NET)
II. The example of David (1 Sam 17:33; 17:37).

1 Samuel 17:33
“But Saul replied to David, "You aren't able to go against
this Philistine and fight him! You're just a boy! He has
been a warrior from his youth!"” (NET)
1 Samuel 17:37
“David went on to say, "The LORD who delivered me
from the lion and the bear will also deliver me from the
hand of this Philistine!" Then Saul said to David, "Go! The
LORD will be with you."” (NET)
III. The example of Joash (2 Chr. 24:1-2).

2 Chronicles 24:1-2
“Joash was seven years old when he began to reign. He
reigned for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother was
Zibiah, who was from Beer Sheba. Joash did what the
LORD approved throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada the
priest.” (NET)
IV. The example of Josiah (2 Chron. 34:1-3).
2 Chronicles 34:1-3
“Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he
reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. He did what the
LORD approved and followed in his ancestor David's
footsteps; he did not deviate to the right or the left. In the
eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began
to seek the God of his ancestor David. In his twelfth year
he began ridding Judah and Jerusalem of the high places,
Asherah poles, idols, and images.” (NET)
V. The example of Jesus (Lk 2:49).

Luke 2:49
“But he replied, "Why were you looking for me? Didn't
you know that I must be in my Father's house?"” (NET)
VI. The example of Timothy (2 Tim 1:5; 3:15).

2 Timothy 1:5
“I recall your sincere faith that was alive first in your grandmother
Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am sure is in you.” (NET)
2 Timothy 3:15
“And how from infancy you have known the holy writings,
which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through
faith in Christ Jesus.” (NET)
VII. They must learn from the example of Jephthah’s daughter (Judges
11:36).
Judges 11:36
“She said to him, "My father, since you made an oath to
the LORD, do to me as you promised. After all, the LORD
vindicated you before your enemies, the Ammonites."”
(NET)
VIII. They must follow the example of Ruth (Ruth 1:16).
Ruth 1:16
“But Ruth replied, “Stop urging me to abandon you! For
wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you live, I will live.
Your people will become my people, and your God will
become my God.”” (NET)
IX. They must copy the example of Esther (Esther 4:16).

Esther 4:16
“Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa and fast
in my behalf. Don't eat and don't drink for three days,
night or day. My female attendants and I will also fast in
the same way. Afterward I will go to the king, even though
it violates the law. If I perish, I perish!” (NET)
X. They must learn from Mary Magdalene (Mk 15:47; 16:1).

Mark 15:47
“Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw
where the body was placed.” (NET)
Mark 16:1
“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the
mother of James, and Salome bought aromatic spices so
that they might go and anoint him.” (NET)
XI. They must be like the Virgin Mary (Lk 1:38).

Luke 1:38
“So Mary said, "Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this
happen to me according to your word." Then the angel
departed from her.” (NET)
XII. They must learn the example of Mary of Bethany (Lk 10:39; Jn 12:3)
and her sister Martha (Jn.11:24).
Luke 10:39
“She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet
and listened to what he said.” (NET)
John 12:3
“Then Mary took three quarters of a pound of expensive
aromatic oil from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus.
She then wiped his feet dry with her hair. (Now the house
was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil.) Martha
said, "I know that he will come back to life again in the
resurrection at the last day."” (NET)
XIII. They must learn to be like the daughters of Philip (Acts 21:9).
Acts 21:9
(He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.)
(NET)
Answer
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The Youth of God must always strive to avoid the sinfulness of some sinful
Youth in the Bible. They are listed as warnings to us
I. They should let the life of Cain warn them (Gen 4:8).
Genesis 4:8
“Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field."
While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother
Abel and killed him.” (NET)
II. They should let the life of Esau warn them (Gen 25:31-34; Heb 12:16-
17).
Genesis 25:31-34
“But Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."
"Look," said Esau, "I'm about to die! What use is the
birthright to me?" But Jacob said, "Swear an oath to me
now." So Esau swore an oath to him and sold his
birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread
and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went
out. So Esau despised his birthright.” (NET)
Hebrews 12:16-17
“And see to it that no one becomes an immoral or godless
person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single
meal. For you know that later when he wanted to inherit
the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity
for repentance, although he sought the blessing with
tears.” (NET)
III. They should let the life of Rehoboam and his foolish counselors warn
them (1 Kin 12:13-14; 12:8-11).
1 Kings 12:8-11
“But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the
young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown
up. He asked them, "How do you advise me to respond to
these people who said to me, 'Lessen the demands your
father placed on us'?" The young advisers with whom
Rehoboam had grown up said to him, "Say this to these
people who have said to you, 'Your father made us work
hard, but now lighten our burden.' Say this to them: 'I am
a lot harsher than my father! My father imposed heavy
demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father
punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with
whips that really sting your flesh.'"” (NET)
1 Kings 12:13-14
“The king responded to the people harshly. He rejected the
advice of the older men and followed the advice of the
younger ones. He said, "My father imposed heavy
demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father
punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with
whips that really sting your flesh."” (NET)
IV. They should let the mistake of the rich young ruler warn them (Matt
19:16-22; Mk 10:17-22).
Matthew 19:16-22
“Now someone came up to him and said, "Teacher, what
good thing must I do to gain eternal life?" He said to him,
"Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one
who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the
commandments." "Which ones?" he asked. Jesus replied,
"Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do
not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,
and love your neighbor as yourself." The young man said
to him, "I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws. What
do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be
perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come,
follow me." But when the young man heard this he went
away sorrowful, for he was very rich.” (NET)
Mark 10:17-22
“Now as Jesus was starting out on his way, someone ran
up to him, fell on his knees, and said, "Good teacher, what
must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "Why
do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not
commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,
do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'" The man
said to him, "Teacher, I have wholeheartedly obeyed all
these laws since my youth." As Jesus looked at him, he felt
love for him and said, "You lack one thing. Go, sell
whatever you have and give the money to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
But at this statement, the man looked sad and went away
sorrowful, for he was very rich.” (NET)
V. They must also take a warning from the life of the Prodigal Son (Lk
15:11-32).
VI. They must also take a warning from the sons of Eli (1 Sam. 2:12).
1 Samuel 2:12
“The sons of Eli were wicked men. They did not
recognize the LORD's authority.” (NET)
VII. They should let the life of both King Jeroboam (1 King 13:33-34) and
King Manasseh (2 Kin 21:1-2) warn them.
1 Kings 13:33-34
“After this happened, Jeroboam still did not change his
evil ways; he continued to appoint common people as
priests at the high places. Anyone who wanted the job he
consecrated as a priest. This sin caused Jeroboam's
dynasty to come to an end and to be destroyed from the
face of the earth.” (NET)
2 Kings 21:1-2
“Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king,
and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His
mother was Hephzibah. He did evil in the sight of the
LORD and committed the same horrible sins practiced by
the nations whom the LORD drove out from before the
Israelites.” (NET)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Make a list of the good qualities of hard work, boldness, goodliness
and devotion to Christ that you can learn from the following
characters as young men: Joseph, David, Josiah, John, Jesus,
Timothy.
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Check the listed qualities with your own life and ask the following
question! Do I meet the standard?
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
3. The young women should also make a list of the good qualities of
godliness, spirituality and devotion to Christ that they learn from the
young women discussed in the study and ask themselves the same
questions.
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What warnings should the youth of God take from the lives of the
foolish young people discussed in this study? Can you make a list of
warnings from each of the characters?
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
PERSONAL APPLICATION QUESTIONS

1. When I examine my life in the light of this study where do I fall? Am
I a good or bad example in the Church of Christ?
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
2. According to this study, what is still left to be done?
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
LESSON SEVENTEEN
THE YOUTH AND SEXUAL MORALITY
Sexual/moral purity is commanded by the Lord

2 Corinthians 11:2
“For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have
betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a
chaste virgin to Christ.” (NKJV)
Titus 2:5
“To be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to
their own husbands, that the word of God may not be
blasphemed.” (NKJV)
1 Peter 3:2
“When they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by
fear.” (NKJV)
To be advised by the Lord to maintain moral and sexual purity connotes the
following ideas:
Freedom from sexual taint (sexual acts and attitudes which will spoil
the purity God wants about sex before it occurs in marriage).
Freedom from lewdness (behaviour, dressing etc which excites sexual
feeling in others and is therefore socially bad and unacceptable).
It connotes controlling our bodies in a holy and honourable way (1
Thess. 4:4) and avoiding passionate lust (1 Thess. 4:5).
1 Thessalonians 4:4
“That each of you know how to possess his own body in
holiness and honor.” (NET)
1 Thessalonians 4:5
“Not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know
God.” (NET)
Answer
_________________________________________________________________________
Biblical Teaching Concerning Sexual Morality

The Bible is our guide in everything we do as Christians. Even though there
are many wayward youth in the Church of Christ today as well as wayward
and destructive teachings concerning sexual morality, we should never forget
to go the Bible way with the help of the Holy Spirit if we want to be able to
continue to walk with God and maintain His presence. What is the acceptable
sexual behaviour prescribed by the Bible for the youth and all true believers
in the Church? It is as follows:
(a) Biblically approved sex is sex which takes place only within marriage.
Through marriage, the husband and wife become one flesh spiritually
and physically through sex. (Gen. 2:24; Heb. 13:4) (The first sexual
act in the Bible occurred between a husband and a wife (Gen. 4:1-2)
(Song of Sol. 4:12; 1 Cor. 7:1-5, 9)
Genesis 2:24
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be
joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
(NKJV)
Hebrews 13:4
“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled;
but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” (NKJV)
Genesis 4:1-2
“Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and
bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the
LORD." Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel.
Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of
the ground.” (NKJV)
Song of Solomon 4:12

“A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a spring shut
up, a fountain sealed.” (NKJV)
1 Corinthians 7:1-5,9
“Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: it is
good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless,
because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own
wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the
husband render to his wife the affection due her, and
likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not
have authority over her own body, but the husband does.
And likewise the husband does not have authority over his
own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another
except with consent for a time, that you may give
yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again
so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of
self-control. But if they cannot exercise self-control, let
them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with
passion.” (NKJV)
(b) Premarital or extra marital sex produces an illegal and dangerous

oneness which the devil exploits through sexual soul-ties to bring
familiar, generational and parental curses upon us to harm and
destroy us spiritually; especially our future marriages, progress and
prosperity. (1 Cor. 6:15-17)
“Do you not know that your bodies are members of
Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make
them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not
know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with
her? For "the two," He says, "shall become one flesh." But
he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”
(NKJV)
(c) The Bible therefore condemns all forms of sex – before, after or
outside marriage as totally displeasing to God and capable of bringing
God’s judgement and wrath upon us. This includes homosexuality,
lesbianism, bestiality, kissing, fondling, telephone sex and all the
others. (1 Cor. 6:18-20; 1 Thess. 4:3; 1 Cor. 6:9-10)
“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is
outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality
sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your
body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom
you have from God, and you are not your own? For you
were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body
and in your spirit, which are God's.” (NKJV)
1 Thessalonians 4:3
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you
should abstain from sexual immorality.” (NKJV)
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor
sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”
(NKJV)
(d) With the help of the Holy Spirit, believers are told to exercise self-
control in all sexual matters before their marriage (Gal. 5:22-24; Dan.
1:8; 1 Cor. 9:25-27)
Galatians 5:22-24
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who
are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and
desires.” (NKJV)
Daniel 1:8
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile
himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with
the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the
chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”
(NKJV)
(NKJV)
(e) Finally, believers (especially the youth) must do everything to avoid
sexual temptations and acts that will draw them into sex. What are
some of these temptations to avoid? Here are a few of them:
i. Avoid manipulative dressing – that is dressing which uncover certain
sexually sensitive parts of the body like the breasts, the thighs, the
buttocks and evoke sexual feelings in the opposite sex at sight.
ii. Avoid holding hands for too long and also hugging for too long.
iii. Avoid kissing the opposite sex. Kissing has now become part of
sexual expression so when it takes place before marriage, it can tempt
into fornication.
iv. Avoid pornography in sex magazines, on TV, in films, in books, in
videos and so on. They will inflame your sexual desires, plant lust in
you and lead you into immorality.
v. Don’t be too overconfident to be presumptive about sexual sin. Take
precautions against it. (1 Cor. 10:12)
1 Corinthians 10:12
“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he
fall.” (NKJV)
vi. Don’t listen to the lies from Satan meant to deceive people into
immorality such as friends saying, “if you don’t have sex you will fall
sick.”
vii. Avoid all forms of bad company because the Bible says evil
communication corrupts good morals.
viii. Avoid gifts from persons seeking to have sex with you.
ix. Avoid visiting such people alone in their rooms or standing in dark
secret places with them.
Answer
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LESSON EIGHTEEN
THE YOUTH AND MARRIAGE
SEVEN (7) STEPS INTO MARRIAGE
STEP 1
Decide and determine to seek your future husband or wife only from among
God’s genuine children in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. IT IS THE
BEST. Though others can be good. (2 Cor. 6:14-18; Deut. 7:3-4; Neh. 13:23-
28)
“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for
what fellowship does righteousness have with lawlessness?
And what partnership does light have with darkness? And
what agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what
part does a believer have with an unbeliever? And what
agreement does a temple of God have with idols? For you
are the temple of the living God, as God has said, “I will
dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their
God, and they shall be My people.” Therefore come out
from among them and be separated, says the Lord, and do
not touch the unclean thing. And I will receive you and I
will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and
daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (NKJV)
Deuteronomy 7:3-4
“Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not
give your daughter to his son, nor shall you take his
daughter to your son. For they will turn away your son
from following Me, so that they may serve other gods. So
the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and will
destroy you suddenly.” (NKJV)
Nehemiah 13:23-28
“In those days I also saw Jews who lived with women from
Ashdod, Ammon, and from Moab. And their sons spoke
half Ashdod’s speech, and there was no caring to speak
Jewish, but according to the language of each people. And
I contended with them, and cursed them, and struck
certain of them, and plucked off their hair. And I made
them swear by the name of God, saying, You shall not give
your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters to
your sons, or for yourselves. Did not Solomon king of
Israel sin by these things? Yet among many nations there
was no king like him, who was beloved by his God, and
God made him king over all Israel. But women from other
lands caused even him to sin. Shall we then listen to you,
to do all this great evil, to sin against our God in living
with foreign women? And one of the sons of Joiada, the
son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to
Sanballat the Horonite; and I chased him from me.”
(NKJV)
STEP 2
Start the process of seeking your wife or husband by seeking God’s will in
prayer in collaboration with your Pastor. (Pro. 19:21; Gen. 24:10-18)
Proverbs 19:21
“There are many purposes in a man’s heart, but the
counsel of the LORD shall stand.” (NKJV)
Genesis 24:10-18
“And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his
master, and departed. For all the goods of his master were
in his hand. And he arose, and went to Mesopotamia to the
city of Nahor. And he made his camels kneel down outside
the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, the
time that women go out to draw. And he said, O LORD,
God of my master Abraham, I pray You, send me good
speed this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
Behold, I stand by the well of water. And the daughters of
the men of the city come out to draw water. And let it be
that the young woman to whom I shall say, let down your
pitcher, please, so that I may drink; and she shall say,
drink, and I will give your camels drink also. Let her be
the one that You have appointed for Your servant Isaac.
And by it I shall know that You have shown kindness to my
master. And before he had finished speaking, it happened,
behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son
of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her
pitcher upon her shoulder. And the young woman was very
beautiful to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man
known her. And she went down to the well, and filled her
pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and
said, please let me drink a little water of your pitcher. And
she said, drink, my lord. And she hurried and let down her
pitcher upon her hand, and gave a drink to him.” (NKJV)
STEP 3
After being sure of God’s will concerning your partner, break the news to
him/her and give him/her time to pray for a confirmation of God’s will. (Eccl.
4:9; Gen. 24:50 with Gen. 24:57-58)
Ecclesisates 4:9
“Two are better than one; because they have a good
reward for their labor.” (NKJV)
Genesis 24:50
“And Laban and Bethuel Answered and said, the thing has
come forth from the LORD. We cannot speak to you bad or
good.” (NKJV)
Genesis 24:57-58
“And they said, we will call the young woman and inquire
at her mouth.And they called Rebekah, and said to her,
will you go with this man? And she said, I will go.”
(NKJV)
STEP 4
When the other partner prays for a confirmation of God’s will and informs
you, let the two of you carry the message to the local marriage panel for
counseling and assistance. (Prov. 24:6; Prov. 11:14; Prov. 15:14; Prov. 12:15;
Prov. 13:10)
Proverbs 24:6
“For by wise counsel you shall make your war; and in a
multitude of wise men there is safety.” (NKJV)
Proverbs 11:14
“Where there is no wisdom, the people fall; but in the
multitude of wise men there is safety.” (NKJV)
Proverbs 15:14
“The heart of him who has understanding seeks
knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.”
(NKJV)
Proverbs 12:15
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who
listens to advice is wise.” (NKJV)
Proverbs 13:10
“Only by pride comes argument, but with those who take
advice is wisdom.” (NKJV)
STEP 5
1. At this stage bring both parents into the marriage and inform them
about your intention to marry. (That is, around the same time that you
will inform the marriage panel). (Gen. 24:22; Gen. with 24:28)
Genesis 24:22
“And it happened, when the camels had finished drinking,
that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight,
and two bracelets for her hand, weighing ten shekels of
gold.” (NKJV)
Genesis 24:28
“And the young woman ran and told her mother’s house
these things.” (NKJV)
2. Don’t make any plans with them without the knowledge of the
marriage panel. Everything must be done in collaboration with the
marriage panel and your local pastor.
3. Seek information from them on what they will take as customary
rites. (Plead to make everything monetary. If possible avoid drinks)
STEP 6
a. Together with the marriage panel or at least some members of it, go
and perform the customary rites that will give social recognition to
your marriage. (Gen. 24:53)
Genesis 24:53
“And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels
of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also
gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.”
(NKJV)
b. Seek to have the marriage registered and legalized under Ghana civil
laws either immediately after the customary rites or just before it
comes on. (Rom. 13:1-7; Tit. 3:1)
Romans 13:1-7
“Let every soul be subject to the higher authorities. For
there is no authority but of God; the authorities that exist
are ordained by God. So that the one resisting the
authority resists the ordinance of God; and the ones who
resist will receive judgment to themselves. For the rulers
are not a terror to good works, but to the bad. And do you
desire to be not afraid of the authority? Do the good, and
you shall have praise from it. For it is a servant of God to
you for good. For if you practice evil, be afraid, for it does
not bear the sword in vain; for it is a servant of God, a
revenger for wrath on him who does evil. Therefore you
must be subject, not only for wrath, but also for
conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes.
For they are God’s servants, always giving attention to
this very thing. Therefore give to all their dues; to the one
due tax, the tax; tribute to whom tribute is due, fear to
whom fear is due, and honor to whom honor is due.”
Titus 3:1
“Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to
obey, to be ready for every good work.” (NKJV)
STEP 7
Finally, bring the marriage before God in the church for it to be blessed by
your pastor. (1 Jn. 2:1-5)
I John 2:1-5
“My little children, I write these things to you so that you do
not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He is the
propitiation concerning our sins, and not concerning ours
only, but also concerning the sins of all the world. And by
this we know that we have known Him, if we keep His
commandments. He who says, I have known Him, and does
not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in
him. But whoever keeps His word, truly in this one the love
of God is perfected. By this we know that we are in Him.”
(NKJV)
LESSON NINETEEN
UNITY AMONG THE YOUTH OF GOD
THE BASIS OF UNITY AMONG THE CHILDREN OF GOD

a. Christian Unity is based upon our being in Christ. (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor.
10:17; Gal. 3:28).
Romans 12:5
“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and
individually members of one another.” (NKJV)
1 Corinthians 10:17
“For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for
we all partake of that one bread.” (NKJV)
Galatians 3:28
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor
free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one
in Christ Jesus.” (NKJV)
b. Christian Unity is based upon the brotherhood of all believers (Matt.

23:6-8; Ps. 133:1; Acts 4:32).
Matthew 23:6-8
“They love the place of honor at banquets and the best
seats in the synagogues and elaborate greetings in the
marketplaces, and to have people call them 'Rabbi.' But
you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher
and you are all brothers.” (NET)
Psalm 133:1
“Look! How good and how pleasant it is when brothers
live together!” (NET)
Acts 4:32
“The group of those who believed were of one heart and
mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his
own, but everything was held in common.” (NET)
Answer
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THE BIBLICAL COMMAND ON UNITY FOR ALL BELIEVERS

a. Unity is enjoined upon all genuine children of God (1 Cor. 1:10; Eph.
4:3; Phil. 1:27; 2 Cor. 13:11; 1 Pet. 3:8).
1 Corinthians 1:10
“I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, to agree together, to end your divisions, and
to be united by the same mind and purpose.” (NET)
Ephesians 4:3
“Making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace.” (NET)
Philippians 1:27
“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the
gospel of Christ so that-whether I come and see you or
whether I remain absent-I should hear that you are
standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending
side by side for the faith of the gospel.” (NET)
2 Corinthians 13:11
“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, set things right, be
encouraged, agree with one another, live in peace, and the
God of love and peace will be with you.” (NET)
1 Peter 3:8
“Finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic,
affectionate, compassionate, and humble.” (NET)
b. Christ prayed for, and expects perfect unity among His children in the
Church (Jn. 17:11, 21-23).
John 17:11, 21-23

“I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world,
and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe in
your name that you have given me, so that they may be one
just as we are one. That they will all be one, just as you,
Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be
in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. The
glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may
be one just as we are one- I in them and you in me-that
they may be completely one, so that the world will know
that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have
loved me.” (NET)
c. The Bible has a stern warning for those who cause divisions in the
Church (Rom. 16:17).
Romans 16:17
“Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for
those who create dissensions and obstacles contrary to the
teaching that you learned. Avoid them!” (NET)
Answer
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THE BENEFITS OF UNITY TO GENUINE CHILDREN OF GOD

a. It brings us several spiritual advantages (Eccl. 4:9-12; Exo. 17:12;
Judg. 20:11; Matt. 18:19; Mk. 2:3).
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
“Two people are better than one, because they can reap
more benefit from their labor. For if they fall, one will help
his companion up, but pity the person who falls down and
has no one to help him up. Furthermore, if two lie down
together, they can keep each other warm, but how can one
person keep warm by himself? Although an assailant may
overpower one person, two can withstand him. Moreover,
a three-stranded cord is not quickly broken.” (NET)
Exodus 17:12
“When the hands of Moses became heavy, they took a
stone and put it under him, and Aaron and Hur held up his
hands, one on one side and one on the other, and so his
hands were steady until the sun went down.” (NET)
Judges 20:11
“So all the men of Israel gathered together at the city as
allies.” (NET)
Matthew 18:19
“Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree
about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for
you.” (NET)
Mark 2:3
“Some people came bringing to him a paralytic, carried by
four of them.” (NET)
b. It brings us spiritual victory over Satan and his forces (Exod. 17:8-
16).
Exodus 17:8-16
“Amalek came and attacked Israel in Rephidim. So Moses
said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out, fight
against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill
with the staff of God in my hand." So Joshua fought against
Amalek just as Moses had instructed him, and Moses and
Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever
Moses would raise his hands, then Israel prevailed, but
whenever he would rest his hands, then Amalek prevailed.
When the hands of Moses became heavy, they took a stone
and put it under him, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands,
one on one side and one on the other, and so his hands were
steady until the sun went down. So Joshua destroyed Amalek
and his army with the sword. The LORD said to Moses,
"Write this as a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in
Joshua's hearing; for I will surely wipe out the
remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” Moses built
an altar, and he called it "The LORD is my Banner,” for he
said, "For a hand was lifted up to the throne of the LORD-
that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation
to generation."” (NET)
c. It brings success in ministry (Exod. 4:14-17; Lk. 10:1; Acts 13:1-3).
Exodus 4:14-17
“Then the LORD became angry with Moses, and he said,
"What about your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that
he can speak very well. Moreover, he is coming to meet
you, and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart. "So
you are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth.
And as for me, I will be with your mouth and with his
mouth, and I will teach you both what you must do. He will
speak for you to the people, and it will be as if he were
your mouth and as if you were his God. You will also take
in your hand this staff, with which you will do the signs.”
(NET)
Luke 10:1
“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent
them on ahead of him two by two into every town and
place where he himself was about to go.” (NET)
Acts 13:1-3
“Now there were these prophets and teachers in the
church at Antioch: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius
the Cyrenian, Manaen (a close friend of Herod the
tetrarch from childhood) and Saul. While they were
serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set
apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I
have called them." Then, after they had fasted and prayed
and placed their hands on them, they sent them off.”
(NET)
Answer
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THE CAUSES OF DISUNITY IN THE CHURCH OF CHRIST

a. It is caused by baseless hatred (Prov. 10:12).
Proverbs 10:12
“Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all
transgressions.” (NET)
b. It is caused by foolish pride (Prov. 13:10).

Proverbs 13:10
“With pride comes only contention, but wisdom is with the
well-advised.” (NET)
c. It is caused by contentious spirit (Prov. 26:21).

Proverbs 26:21
“Like charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is
a contentious person to kindle strife.” (NET)
d. It is caused by bad temper (Prov. 15:18).

Proverbs 15:18
“A quick-tempered person stirs up dissension, but one who
is slow to anger calms a quarrel.” (NET)
e. It is caused by false accusation (Prov. 3:30).

Proverbs 3:30
“Do not accuse anyone without legitimate cause, if he has
not treated you wrongly.” (NET)
f. It is caused by envy and self-seeking (Jas. 3:16; 1 Cor. 3:1, 3).

James 3:16
“For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is
disorder and every evil practice.” (NET)
g. It is caused by carnality (Col. 3:1-2, 8-9).

Colossians 3:1-2, 8-9
“Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep
seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the
right hand of God. Keep thinking about things above, not
things on the earth, but now, put off all such things as
anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your
mouth. Do not lie to one another since you have put off the
old man with its practices.” (NET)
Answer
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THE SOLUTION TO DISUNITY IN THE CHURCH

a) Stop the devil before he sows the confusion and disunity (Prov. 17:14;
20:3; Matt. 18:15-17).
Proverbs 17:4
“One who acts wickedly pays attention to evil counsel; a
liar listens to a malicious tongue.” (NET)
Proverbs 20:3
“It is an honor for a person to cease from strife, but every
fool quarrels.” (NET)
Matthew 18:15-17
"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell
him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you,
you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take
with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or
three witnesses every word may be established. And if he
refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses
even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen
and a tax collector.” (NKJV)
b) Conquer disunity with love (Prov. 10:12b; Matt. 5:43-48).

Proverbs 10:12b
“But love covers all sins.” (NKJV)
Matthew 5:43-48
“You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your
enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who
hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and
persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in
heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the
good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if
you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do
not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet
your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do
not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be
perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (NKJV)
c) Know that disunity does not befit you as a child of God (2 Tim. 2:24;
Matt. 5:13-16).
2 Timothy 2:24
“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle
to all, able to teach, patient.” (NKJV)
Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor,
how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to
be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the
light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be
hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket,
but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the
house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
(NKJV)
Answer
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LESSON TWENTY
GENERAL THEME:
“As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of
Man.” (Matt. 24:37 NIV).
STUDY 1
THE DAYS OF NOAH - A TIME OF GENERAL SINFULNESS,
WICKEDNESS AND REBELLION.
(GEN. 6:5-7.11-13)
1. What was the general spiritual condition of the antediluvians just

before the flood? (Gen. 6:5)
Genesis 6:5
“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of
his heart was only evil continually.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What was the general condition of the earth in the period just before
the flood? (Gen. 6:11-12).
Genesis 6:11-12
“The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth
was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth,
and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their
way on the earth.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Is there any difference between the conditions prevailing in Noah’s

day just before the Flood and our own day? (2 Pet. 2:1-3, 10b-16; 2
Tim. 3:1-5).
2 Peter 2:1-3
“But false prophets arose among the people, just as there
will be false teachers among you. These false teachers will
infiltrate your midst with destructive heresies, even to the
point of denying the Master who bought them. As a result,
they will bring swift destruction on themselves. And many
will follow their debauched lifestyles. Because of these
false teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. And in
their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words.
Their condemnation pronounced long ago is not sitting
idly by; their destruction is not asleep.” (NET)
2 Timothy 3:1-5
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will
come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of
money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving,
slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather
than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying
its power. And from such people turn away!” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What is God’s fixed attitude towards people who live this way?
(Prov. 6:16-18).
Proverbs 6:16-18
“There are six things that the LORD hates, even seven
things that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a
lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart
that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift to run to
evil.” (NET)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
5. What became God’s attitude to the antediluvians when they decided

to live this way? (Gen. 6:6-7, 13).
Genesis 6:6-7
“The LORD regretted that he had made humankind on the
earth, and he was highly offended. So the LORD said, "I
will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face
of the earth-everything from humankind to animals,
including creatures that move on the ground and birds of
the air, for I regret that I have made them."” (NET)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
6. If there is no difference between what is taking place in our day and

what took place in Noah’s day then what can be God’s possible
attitude towards our sinfulness if we do not repent? (Malachi 3:6;
Acts 10:34; Lk. 13:1-5).
Malachi 3:6
“Since, I, the LORD, do not go back on my promises, you,
sons of Jacob, have not perished.” (NET)
Acts 10:34
“Then Peter started speaking: "I now truly understand
that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people.”
(NET)
Luke 13:1-5
“Now there were some present on that occasion who told
him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed
with their sacrifices. He Answered them, "Do you think
these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other
Galileans, because they suffered these things? No, I tell
you! But unless you repent, you will all perish as well! Or
those eighteen who were killed when the tower in Siloam
fell on them, do you think they were worse offenders than
all the others who live in Jerusalem? No, I tell you! But
unless you repent you will all perish as well!” (NET)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
7. What special grace did God give to the people of Noah’s day through
Noah before their destruction? (2 Pet. 2:5).
2 Peter 2:5
“And if he did not spare the ancient world, but did protect
Noah, a herald of righteousness, along with seven others,
when God brought a flood on an ungodly world.” (NET)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
8. What special grace has God given to us in this dispensation after all
our sinfulness, wickedness and rebellion? (Romans 5:8); (Matt. 4:16-
17).
Romans 5:8
“But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while
we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (NET)
Matthew 4:16-17
“The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
and on those who sit in the region and shadow of death a
light has dawned." From that time Jesus began to preach
this message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is
near."” (NET)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
9. What should we do about this special grace of God freely provided
for us? (Jonah 3:5-9)
Jonah 3:5-9
“The people of Nineveh believed in God, and they
declared a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to
the least of them. When the news reached the king of
Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe,
put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes. He issued a
proclamation and said, "In Nineveh, by the decree of the
king and his nobles: No human or animal, cattle or sheep,
is to taste anything; they must not eat and they must not
drink water. Every person and animal must put on
sackcloth and must cry earnestly to God, and everyone
must turn from their evil way of living and from the
violence that they do. Who knows? Perhaps God might be
willing to change his mind and relent and turn from his
fierce anger so that we might not die."” (NET)
10. What blessings await us if we listen to God now and repent

before the evil days come upon us? (Jonah 3:10; Ps. 32:1-2, 5).
Jonah 3:10
“When God saw their actions-they turned from their evil
way of living!-God relented concerning the judgment he
had threatened them with and he did not destroy them.”
(NET)
Psalm 32:1-2, 5
How blessed is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven,
whose sin is pardoned! How blessed is the one whose
wrongdoing the LORD does not punish, in whose spirit
there is no deceit. Then I confessed my sin; I no longer
covered up my wrongdoing. I said, "I will confess my
rebellious acts to the LORD." And then you forgave my
sins.” (NET)
Answer
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LESSON TWENTY-ONE
GENERAL THEME: “As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the

coming of the Son of Man”
(Matt. 24:37 NIV).
STUDY 2
THE DAYS OF NOAH - A TIME OF UNIVERSAL JUDGEMENT ON
SINFU0L HUMANITY
1. What came upon the people of Noah’s day when they persisted in
their wickedness? (Gen. 6:5-7) (Gen. 6:13, 17; 7:1,21-23; Matt.
24:37-39) (ANSWER: TOTAL DESTRUCTION).
Genesis 6:5-7
”But the LORD saw that the wickedness of humankind had
become great on the earth. Every inclination of the
thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time. The
LORD regretted that he had made humankind on the earth,
and he was highly offended. So the LORD said, "I will
wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the
earth-everything from humankind to animals, including
creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for
I regret that I have made them.” (NET)
Genesis 6:13,17
“So God said to Noah, "I have decided that all living
creatures must die, for the earth is filled with violence
because of them. Now I am about to destroy them and the
earth. I am about to bring floodwaters on the earth to
destroy from under the sky all the living creatures that
have the breath of life in them. Everything that is on the
earth will die.” (NET)
Genesis 7:1, 21-23

“The LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all
your household, for I consider you godly among this
generation.” And all living things that moved on the earth
died, including the birds, domestic animals, wild animals,
all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all
humankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of
life in its nostrils died. So the LORD destroyed every living
thing that was on the surface of the ground, including
people, animals, creatures that creep along the ground,
and birds of the sky. They were wiped off the earth. Only
Noah and those who were with him in the ark survived.”
(NET)
Matthew 24:37-39
“For just like the days of Noah were, so the coming of the
Son of Man will be. For in those days before the flood,
people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. And they
knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away.
It will be the same at the coming of the Son of Man.”
(NET)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
2. In our dispensation called the dispensation of grace or the church age

what special responsibility has been entrusted to all men on earth?
(Jn. 6:29; 6:47; 5:24; 1:12; 3:3, 16; Eph. 2:8-9).
John 6:29
“Jesus replied, "This is the deed God requires-to believe
in the one whom he sent.” (NET)
John 6:47
“I tell you the solemn truth, the one who believes has
eternal life.” (NET)
John 5:24
“I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message
and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will
not be condemned, but has crossed over from death to
life.” (NET)
John 1:12
“But to all who have received him-those who believe in his
name-he has given the right to become God's children.”
Job 3:3, 16
“Let the day on which I was born perish, and the night
that said, 'A man has been conceived!' Or why was I not
buried like a stillborn infant, like infants who have never
seen the light?” (NET)
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that
not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest
anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Like the people of Noah’s day what has God planned to bring upon us
at the end of this period of grace if we also fail in our responsibility as
mentioned above? (Lk. 17:26-32), (2 Thess. 2:7-12; Matt. 24:21-22;
Dan. 12:1).
Luke 17:26-32
“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the
days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they
married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day
that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and
destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of
Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they
planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of
Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and
destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the
Son of Man is revealed. In that day, he who is on the
housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come
down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in
the field, let him not turn back. Remember Lot's wife.”
(NKJV)
“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only
He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of
the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom
the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and
destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of
the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with
all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all
unrighteous deception among those who perish, because
they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be
saved. And for this reason God will send them strong
delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may
be condemned who did not believe the truth but had
pleasure in unrighteousness.” (NKJV)
Matthew 24:21-22
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not
been since the beginning of the world until this time, no,
nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened,
no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days
will be shortened.” (NKJV)
Daniel 12:1
“At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who
stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall
be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a
nation, even to that time. And at that time your people
shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the
book.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Looking at the following references will you say that we are fulfilling
the special responsibility in question (2) or we are failing and
rebelling? (Jn. 1:11; Jn. 12:46; 8:12; Jn. 3:19-20).
John 1:11
“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”
(NKJV)
John 12:46
“I have come as a light into the world, that whoever
believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” (NKJV)
John 8:12
“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of
the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness,
but have the light of life.” (NKJV)
John 3:19-20
“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into
the world, and men loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil
hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his
deeds should be exposed.” (NKJV)
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
5. What promise and rewards are there for people who will repent and
turn to Christ before the dispensation of grace ends? (Isa. 55:1; Rev.
22:17; Rom. 6:23; Jn. 6:37), (Rev. 22:21; Matt. 16:27).
Revelation 22:21
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen.” (NKJV)
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NKJV)
Matthew 16:27
“For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory
of his Father, and then he will reward each person
according to what he has done.” (NET)
Answer
___________________________________________________________________
6. What danger awaits people who go to church and follow Christ only
with their lips but not their hearts? (Acts 8:13, 21; Matt. 25:11-12;
Matt. 22:11-13; Matt. 7:22-23; Heb. 10:38).
Acts 8:13, 21
“Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was
baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing
the miracles and signs which were done. You have neither
part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right
in the sight of God. (NKJV)
Matthew 22:11-13
“But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he
saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here
without wedding clothes?' But he had nothing to say. Then
the king said to his attendants, 'Tie him up hand and foot
and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth!'” (NET)
Matthew 7:22-23
“On that day, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we
prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons
and do many powerful deeds?' Then I will declare to them,
'I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!'”
(NET)
Hebrews 10:38
“But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks
back, I take no pleasure in him.” (NET)
Answer
___________________________________________________________________
7. What must you do immediately to avoid the judgement that is coming

upon us at the end of the church age? When must you do it? How
should you do it?
LESSON TWENTY-TWO
GENERAL THEME:
“As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man”
(Matt. 24:37 NIV)
STUDY 3
THE SYMBOLISM OF NOAH’S ARK (GEN. 6:13-22)
INTRODUCTION
The Ark Noah was instructed to build was like a large sea vessel capable of
taking a load of over 43,300 tons! The ark was 300 cubits (450 feet) long, 50
cubits (75 feet) broad, and 30 cubits (45 feet) high. These dimensions given
in Genesis chapter 6 shows that Noah’s ark was capable of taking all the load
described in the Bible. Noah’s ark under the New Testament stands for four
important things. Let us find out from this study.
1. What one important thing connected with our salvation does Noah’s
ark stand for? (Jn. 1:29; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:22, 28; Jn. 5:24).
(ATONEMENT FOR OUR SINS)
John 1:29
“On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and
said, "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
the world!” (NET)
Hebrews 9:22
“Indeed according to the law almost everything was
purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood
there is no forgiveness.” (NET)
John 5:24
"I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message
and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will
not be condemned, but has crossed over from death to
life.” (NET)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
2. According to 1 Peter 3:21 what other important thing does the ark
symbolize under the New Testament? (Romans 6:3-6; 6: 11-24)
(BAPTISM AND NEW LIFE).
Romans 6:3-6
“Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we
have been buried with him through baptism into death, in
order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through
the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life. For
if we have become united with him in the likeness of his
death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his
resurrection. We know that our old man was crucified with
him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us,
so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” (NET)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
3. In what way can we say that the ark stands for the genuine church of
Christ which upholds the truth of the Scriptures and portrays the
holiness of God? (Matt. 5:14-16) (Psalm 111:1; Psalm 149:1).
Matthew 5:14-15
“You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill
cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it
under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all
in the house.” (NET)
Psalm 111:1
“Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my
whole heart, in the assembly of the godly and the
congregation.” (NET)
Psalm 149:1
“Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song! Praise
him in the assembly of the godly!” (NET)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
4. What important attributes of God does Noah’s ark remind us of in the

following references?
(a) Psalm 117:2; Psalm 146:6 (TRUTH)
Answer
_______________________________________________________________
(b) Psalm 104:24; Prov. 3:19-20; Jer. 10:12 (WISDOM)

Answer
________________________________________________________________
(c) 1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Tim. 4:18; 2 Per. 2:9. (PRESERVER OF THE

RIGHTEOUS).
Answer
_______________________________________________________________
5. In what ways can we say that all genuine Christ-centred New

Testament Churches can be likened to Noah’s ark into which all who
are serious to walk with God must enter? (Isa. 59:14-15), (Pro. 12:22;
1 Tim. 3:15; 3 Jn. 3-4).
Isaiah 59:14-15
“Justice is driven back; godliness stands far off. Indeed,
honesty stumbles in the city square and morality is not
even able to enter. Honesty has disappeared; the one who
tries to avoid evil is robbed. The LORD watches and is
displeased, for there is no justice.” (NET)
Proverbs 12:22
“The LORD abhors a person who lies, but those who deal
truthfully are his delight.” (NET)
1 Timothy 3:15
“In case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought
to conduct themselves in the household of God, because it
is the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of
the truth.” (NET)
3 John 1:3-4
“For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and
testified to your truth, just as you are living according to
the truth. I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my
children are living according to the truth.” (NET)
Answer
__________________________________________________________________
APPENDIX
SPECIAL STUDY BASED ON EXODUS 33:14
“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest”
INTRODUCTION
God’s presence is any place where He chooses to manifest Himself in a
special way either to provide support or to demonstrate His power to fulfil a
special purpose. Even though He fills the whole of creation with His general
presence, He manifests HIS SPECIAL PRESENCE in the midst of His
people and in the company of His specially chosen vessels and messengers as
He promised Moses and Israel during the Exodus.
When we receive such an abiding presence of God, what benefits do we get?

There are several benefits we receive including the following:
1. It brings down God’s special glory

Leviticus 16:2
“And the LORD said to Moses, Speak to Aaron your brother, that
he does not come at all times into the sanctuary within the veil
before the mercy-seat, which is on the Ark, so that he will not die.
For I will appear in the cloud on the mercy-seat.”
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
2. It makes us hear God’s voice

Exodus 25:22
“And I will meet with you there, and I will talk with you from above
the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubs on the ark of the
testimony, of all things which I will give you in commandment to the
sons of Israel.”
Exodus 29:42-43
“This shall be a burnt offering forever throughout your generations,
at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD,
where I will meet you, to speak there to you. And there I will meet
with the sons of Israel, and Israel shall be sanctified by My glory.”
Numbers 7:89
“And when Moses had gone into the tabernacle of the congregation
to speak with Him, then he heard the voice of One speaking to him
from the mercy-seat on the ark of testimony, from between the two
cherubs. And He spoke to him.”
Exodus 33:9-10
“And it happened as Moses went into the tabernacle, the cloudy
pillar descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the
LORD spoke with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar
stand at the tabernacle door. And all the people rose up and
worshiped, each man in his tent door.”
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
3. It brings us divine guidance

Exodus 13:21-22
“And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to
lead them the right away, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give
them light, to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar
of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the
people.”
Exodus 40:36-38
“And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the
sons of Israel journeyed on in all their journeys. But if the cloud
was not taken up, then they did not journey until the day that it was
taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by
day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of
Israel, in all their journeys.”
Nehemiah 9:12, 19
“And You led them in the day by a cloudy pillar, and in the night by
a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way in which they should
go. Yet You in Your great mercies did not forsake them in the
wilderness. The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day
to lead them in the way, nor the pillar of fire by night, to show them
light and the way in which they should go.”
Psalm 78:14
“And in the daytime He led them with a cloud, and all the night with
a light of fire.”
Psalm 139:7-10
“Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your
presence? If I go up into Heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in
Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning and
dwell in the furthest parts of the sea; even there shall Your hand
lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
4. It brings us firm assurance

Genesis 28:16
“And Jacob awakened from his sleep. And he said, Surely the
LORD is in this place, and I did not know.”
Isaiah 57:15
“For so says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity; whose
name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, even with the
contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to
revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
5. It brings down God’s omnipotent power to help us

Deuteronomy 4:34-36, 39
“Or has God gone forth to take a nation for himself from the midst
of a nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by
a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors,
according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt
before your eyes? It was shown to you so that you might know that
Jehovah is God, and no one else beside Him. He made you hear His
voice out of Heaven so that He might teach you. And He showed you
His great fire upon earth. And you heard His words out of the midst
of the fire. Therefore, know this day and consider within your heart,
that the LORD is God in Heaven above and on the earth beneath.
There is no other.”
2 Kings 19:14
“And Hezekiah received the letters from the hand of the messengers,
and read it. And Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and
spread it before the LORD.”
Isaiah 37:16
“O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, who dwells between the cherubs,
You are He, God, You alone to all the kingdoms of the earth. You
have made the heavens and the earth.”
Numbers 11:25
“And the LORD came down in a cloud and spoke to him, and took
of the spirit on him and gave it to the seventy elders. And it
happened when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But
they never did so again.”
Answer
6. It brings us sure victory
Psalm 80:1
“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock;
You dwelling between the cherubs, shine forth.”
Exodus 14:19, 24
“And the Angel of God, the one who went before the camp of Israel,
moved. And he went to the rear of them. And the pillar of the cloud
went from in front of their face and it stood behind them. And in the
morning watch it happened that the LORD looked to the army of the
Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled
the army of the Egyptians.”
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
7. It brings us God’s blessings and protection

Exodus 20:24
“You shall make an altar of earth to Me, and shall sacrifice on it
your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your
oxen. In all places where I record My name I will come to you, and
I will bless you”
Isaiah 4:5
“And the LORD will create over all the site of Mount Zion, and on
her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a
flaming fire by night; for on all the glory shall be a defense.”
Answer
_____________________________________________________________________
8. It brings us the rest promised by God

Exodus 33:14
“And He said, My presence shall go with you, and I will give you
rest.”
Matthew 11:29
“Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in
heart, and you shall find rest to your souls.”
Hebrews 4:3
“For we who have believed do enter into the rest, as He said, “I
have sworn in My wrath that they should not enter into My rest;”
although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.”
Revelation 14:13
“And I heard a voice from Heaven saying to me, write, blessed are
the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they
shall rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”
Answer
IS DRINKING A SIN
INTRODUCTION
The question of drinking and drunkenness has become one of the most
controversial topics in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ today. This has
come about partly because of the popularity of social drinking which is
gradually making inroads into Church life. This has produced two results:
apathy towards the strong teachings of the Bible on the use of wine and
strong drinks; and compromise on the use of wine and strong drinks by
individual Christians.
But what the Bible says is the same in all generations irrespective of the
type of social pressure a society may experience. We cannot say that social
drinking has become popular in our day and for that matter we are going to
water down the biblical teachings on drinking and drunkenness. In the same
way, we cannot look at the upsurge of social drinking and compromise on or
not stand against the excessive use of wine and strong drinks as Christians.
It is to help us tackle this problem from the biblical perspective that this
book - “Is Drinking A Sin?” – is being written. The main purpose is to
establish the strong biblical basis against excessive drinking and
drunkenness, and discuss some of the problems posed by this position in our
day frankly. It is hoped that this book will help clear all the confusion
surrounding this controversial topic in the Church today.
4th December 2000
CHAPTER ONE
THE MEANING OF WINE AND STRONG DRINK
There appears to be a lot of confusion today on whether it is scriptural for

Christians to drink strong drink, wine and alcohol or not. People often quote
isolated passages from the Bible to try to justify the use of strong drink by
Christians. Groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses have aggravated the problem
by seeking openly to justify, and even to prove from the Scriptures that there
is nothing wrong with taking in strong drink, wine or alcohol. The confusion
has deepened among Christians for lack of consistent, coherent and clear-cut
teaching on drinking in the Church as we, for instance, have on moral issues
like fornication, adultery and so on; and as a result of the numerous instances
of drunkenness in the Bible leading to the popular misconception that once
these instances of drunkenness are found in the Bible, they are not wrong.
A clear example of this confusion and misconception comes from

Deuteronomy 14:26 which is often quoted by many who want to drink as
justifying drinking and the use of strong drink by Christians. Libations of
wine poured on the altar in Exodus 29:40 is also often added to this passage
to claim that the use of strong drink is not sinful. Yet Leviticus 10:8-9 also
issues a stern warning against people who use strong drink – especially
priests. The Book of Proverbs also issues strong warnings on the use of wine
and strong drink in passages like Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-38.
So what is the Bible’s position on the use of strong drink and wine? Does it
permit it? Does it forbid it? Does it take a middle position and encourage
moderation rather than total abstinence? If you are a Christian today under
the New Testament and you want to know what the Bible teaches exactly on
drunkenness and the use of liquor, wine or strong drink what should you do?
Where and how can you find the Bible’s position on drunkenness and the use
of wine and strong drink? It is to help you find Answers to these questions
that this book is being written.
Whenever the use of wine and strong drink is mentioned, three positions
arise. First, there are those Christians who take the stand that there is nothing
wrong with drinking. Secondly, there is that group which believes that even
though drinking should not be totally banned, believers must be encouraged
to exercise moderation in the use of strong drink and wine. In other words,
these people favour the use of strong drink, wine and alcohol by Christians
but further think that these should rather be used moderately so that the
believers do not get drunk to misbehave and disgrace Christ. Finally, there is
the third group of Christians who believe that looking at the consistent
teaching of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation on the question of
drunkenness and the use of strong drink and wine, Christians must abstain
totally from the use of any strong drink, wine or alcohol. To find out which of
these three groups is the best, we want to start by examining the complete
Old and New Testament teaching on drunkenness and the use of strong drink
to be very certain of the exact teaching of the Bible on this subject before we
draw any conclusions. We will then look at the question of moderation
whether it is biblical and can be helpful to serious Christians or not.
Standing upon these same conclusions, we will then finally try to establish
that the best option for any serious-minded New Testament Christian
concerning the use of strong drink, wine and alcohol is total abstinence if he
seriously wants to maintain his salvation to the end. Before we start looking
at both the Old and the New Testament teachings, however, let us try to
define and understand what the terms wine and strong drink mean in the Holy
Bible.
THE MEANING OF WINE AND STRONG DRINK IN THE BIBLE

Traditionally, wine is any alcoholic drink made from the fermented juice of
grapes. But today, wine also generally stands for fermented drink made from
other fruits or plants like the palm, out of which we, for example get palm
wine. Putting these two meanings together, we can say that the two terms
“wine” and “strong drink” as used in the Bible refer to all the fermented
beverages common and in use during the Bible era. Strong wine, because
it is fermented and alcoholic always has intoxicating effect. This can be
deduced from passages like Leviticus 10:8-9 and Proverbs 20:1.
Leviticus 10:8-9
“Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: “Do not drink wine
or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you
go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a
statute forever throughout your generations.”
Proverbs 20:1
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is
led astray by it is not wise.”
We see in these two passages that wine is always mentioned together with
intoxicating drinks. In the first passage quoted from Leviticus 10:8-9, Aaron
and his sons were expressly forbidden from tasting wine or any intoxicating
drink while ministering before the Lord in the tabernacle of meeting. This is a
reference to all other fermented and alcoholic drinks, which can make one
intoxicated. Proverbs 20:1 also talks about this type of wine and strong drink
saying, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler”, to classify wine among
all other known intoxicating drinks.
So today when we also say “wine” or “strong drink”, we are referring to all
forms of intoxicating beverages which have undergone fermentation and have
become alcoholic. This will include the various brands of alcoholic beer,
local fermented drinks like pito, palm wine, and strong alcoholic drinks like
“akpeteshie” and other strong drinks of its like on the market. If any form of
drink has undergone fermentation or contains a high level of alcohol, it can
be classified among the strong drinks.
Another term which occurs about thirty-eight times in the Bible and is
variously translated “wine” or “new wine” in the Authorized King James
Version refers to a differenype of wine also in use during the Bible era.
Strictly speaking, this term refers to the freshly squeezed grape fruit which
has not undergone the process of fermentation. Because this wine is not
fermented and has not become alcoholic, it has no intoxicating effect on those
who drink it. It is soft drink as opposed to the strong alcoholic drinks.
Having now fully understand “wine” and “strong drink” as used in the Bible,
let us comb through both the Old and the New Testament to try to find out
what specific things they say about wine and strong drink; and whether
Christians are being encouraged to drink or not.
Having fully understood what wine and strong drinks are, we can now define
drunkenness. It is the state of having taken in an excess of strong drink to
make one intoxicated. An intoxicated man is someone who has been made
stupid, and has been caused to lose self-control as a result of taking strong
drinks or alcoholic drinks. Does the Holy Scriptures allow sincere and
genuinely born again Christians to take in strong drinks and alcoholic
beverages to get into this state and still claim to be serving the Lord Jesus
Christ and undertaking the Christian journey to heaven? Let us first find out
the Answer from the Old Testament in the next chapter.
CHAPTER TWO
THE OLD TESTAMENT POSITION ON DRINKING AND
DRUNKENNESS
There are many people who look at the few isolated cases of drunkenness in
the Old Testament to create the false impression that the Old Testament
favours drinking and drunkenness. But this is wrong. There are about four
things the Old Testament does to show all lovers of God’s truth that it
strongly stands against drunkenness and drinking. First, it strongly forbids
drunkenness; secondly, it denounces it in very strong terms; thirdly, it warns
drunkards by spelling out all the evil consequences of drunkenness and
drinking, and fourthly, prescribes some of the strongest penalties for
drunkards and for drinking. Let us now look at these one by one.
(1) The Old Testament forbids drinking and drunkenness

When we say that the Old Testament forbids drinking and drunkenness
what we mean is that it orders true Children of God not to drink to
get drunk; and further orders that drinking and drunkenness should
not be practised or encouraged. It also means that it does not allow
the drinking of strong drinks and wine at all. What is the Scriptural
evidence for this?
Proverbs 23:20-21
“Do not mix with winebibbers, or with gluttonous eaters
of meat; for the drunkard and the glutton will come to
poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.”
Proverbs 20:1
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and
whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”
Proverbs 31:4-5
“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink
wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; lest they drink
and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the
afflicted.”
Leviticus 10:8-10
“Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: “Do not drink
wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you,
when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It
shall be a statute forever throughout your generations,
that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and
between unclean and clean.””
Numbers 6:1-3
“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the
children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When either a man or
woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a
Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, he shall separate
himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink
neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from
similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor
eat fresh grapes or raisins.’””
If we really want to know the Old Testament stand on drunkenness and

drinking, then the five Old Testament passages quoted above among
many others show us that it strongly forbids it. It does not allow
Christians and God’s men in responsible positions, and in other high
ecclesiastical positions to get involved in it at all.
Beginning with the first passage quoted from Proverbs 23:20-21, we see
it specifically stated for serious believers that, “Do not mix with
winebibbers.” A winebibber is a man who either drinks too much wine
and alcohol or drinks wine and alcohol too often or does both. If we are
being told not to mix with such men, then the purpose is to help us avoid
becoming winebibbers like them. If what they are doing by drinking
alcohol, wine or strong drink too much and too often is good, why are we
being told by the Bible not to follow that practice? This is a strong Old
Testament passage forbidding the use of wine and strong drink.
The second passage quoted from Proverbs 20:1 also forbids our taking in
strong drink and all other forms of alcoholic beverages. It does this
indirectly by telling us that anybody who drinks wine and other
intoxicating drinks and is led astray by this practice to become a slave to
such strong, alcoholic beverages is not wise, why? It is because of the
evils associated with this. This is another way of saying that it is the wise
Christian and the wise children of God who avoid the use of wine,
alcohol and other strong drinks. If you are being encouraged to avoid an
action because it is evil then the wisest thing to do is to avoid it totally so
that you can also avoid all the troubles and woes that go with it. Will this
not be the best course of action for any serious Christian?
The next set of three passages quoted from Proverbs 31:4-5; Leviticus
10:8-10 and Numbers 6:1-3 are of special importance to our discussion
of Old Testament condemnation of drinking and drunkenness because of
the characters and personalities involved. Three of the most important
personalities in God’s theocratic rule in the Old Testament were His
Kings, Priests and Vessels. They were people who were always very
important to Him. But in these three passages, because of the evil nature
of drinking and drunkenness, Kings, Priests and special Vessels like the
Nazirites are all strongly forbidden from tasting any strong drinks, wine
or any alcoholic beverages – a thing which shows that God is never
happy with His children in whom His Holy Spirit dwells going to get
involved in any acts of drinking and drunkenness.
The first passage quoted from Proverbs 31:4-5 talks to Kings. It forbids
God’s chosen Kings from taking in wine, strong drink or alcohol by
clearly saying, “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink
wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink”. The statement “It is not for
Kings” which contains the actual words forbidding the drinking and the
drunkenness is repeated two times for emphasis! The reason why God is
not pleased with His chosen Kings drinking wine and other intoxicating
drinks is given in the quotation to conclude the warning as, “lest they
drink and forget the law”.
If drinking and drunkenness because of the evils connected with them are
not good for Kings, are they good for the subjects? Will drinking then
help New Testament Christians who have been called and brought into
the royal Kingdom of God to remember the Law, that is, God’s Word
and follow its precepts alright?
We read in the passage quoted from Leviticus 10:8-10 that when God
called Aaron, because of the evils connected with drinking and
drunkenness, and the evil effects this could have on the ministry of the
priesthood, He forbade him and his children from drinking strong drink
and alcohol forever! God did this in very strong language. He said, “Do
not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when
you go into the tabernacle of meeting”. “Do not drink” is a direct
command forbidding the use of wine, strong drink or alcohol. God takes
time to give all the details to Aaron that this instruction includes all
intoxicating wines and all other intoxicating drinks. A strong penalty is
prescribed for Aaron and his sons for violation of this commandment. It
says: “lest you die”. Death was prescribed for drunkenness to show the
importance God attached to this instruction to the priests. Thereafter, two
strong reasons are given concerning why Aaron and his sons should
forever obey this commandment.
The first reason is because the anointing oil of the Lord symbolizing
God’s power, authority and presence was upon them. This is a truth
which modern day Christians should learn that drinking and drunkenness
can never help you to maintain God’s power, presence, and the anointing
of the Holy Spirit. If it did not help Aaron and his sons to maintain God’s
special anointing, can it help today’s Christian to maintain the fullness of
the Spirit seeing that he is also called to be part of God’s royal
priesthood? This is a strong Old Testament case against drinking and
drunkenness. It will never bring good to any Christian today who gets
involved in it and makes it his habit.
The second reason given by God in the passage for forbidding Aaron and
his sons from drinking wine, strong drink and alcohol was to make them
make a distinction between what is holy and unholy, and between what is
clean and unclean. It is stated in the quotation: “that you may distinguish
between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean”. What lessons
should we draw from this?
The first lesson is that drinking and drunkenness are unclean acts before
the Lord. These are acts which desecrate us as God’s children, vessels
and royal priesthood. The second lesson is that drinking is an unholy act
which soils the garments of holiness and purity put on us by the Lord
Jesus when we come to Him. If it was not good for Aaron and his sons as
priests because it was an unclean and an unholy act, can it be clean and
holy for us today in this dispensation of grace? Has God changed? Has
His holiness and His attitude towards that which is impure changed? Can
we therefore get involved in drinking and drunkenness in the Church
today? That will displease God and make us appear impure before Him.
In Numbers 6:1-3, Nazirites like John the Baptist, Samson and others
who were to be used by God to accomplish special tasks for Him by
being given a special endowment of His power were also forbidden all
through their lives from taking in alcohol, wine and strong drink. This
commandment to Nazirites, forbidding them from drinking, or taking in
wine and fermented beverages like that of the priests was also very
strong. This was what God specifically said: “When either a man or
woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate
himself to the Lord, he shall separate himself from wine and similar
drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made
from similar drink.”
It was the responsibility of Nazirites to separate themselves from wine

and all similar drinks which could make them intoxicated all through
their lives. There was to be no compromise on this. Why did God bar
such Nazirites who included men like Samuel from drinking any strong
drinks? It was because His special power always come upon them for
special acts and special deeds; and also because drinking and
drunkenness were unclean and unholy acts. God never permitted it but
rather strongly forbade the use of strong drink, wine and alcohol by His
people.
When we read in the Old Testament that some people disobeyed this
clear will of God and got drunk, it does not mean that their examples are
to be copied. They are rather bad examples which must be avoided and
which must warn us that violations of God’s instructions and
commandments do not bring any blessings to us but rather troubles and
woes.
After going through these few Old Testament passages on the use of
wine and strong drink, can we say that there is any case for the use of
such alcoholic and fermented beverages by genuinely born again
Christians who are serious and determined to work out their salvation
with fear and trembling? Let us now move on to some of the Old
Testament denunciations against wine and strong drink:
(2) The Old Testament denounces drinking and drunkenness

To denounce something is to speak publicly and openly against it and
further give specific and detailed information against it. Apart from
forbidding drinking and drunkenness, the Old Testament also denounces
drinking and drunkenness in very strong terms. The following passages
do show us some of these denunciations to warn us never to get involved
in this evil habit of drinking.
Isaiah 28:1, 3, 7-8

“Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim,
whose glorious beauty is a fading flower which is at the
head of the verdant valleys, to those who are overcome
with wine! The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim,
will be trampled underfoot. But they also have erred
through wine, and through intoxicating drink are out of
the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through
intoxicating drink, they are swallowed up by wine, they are
out of the way through intoxicating drink; they err in
vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of
vomit and filth; no place is clean.”
Isaiah 56:12
““Come,” one says, “I will bring wine, and we will fill
ourselves with intoxicating drink; tomorrow will be as
today, and much more abundant.””
Habakkuk 2:15-16
“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbor, pressing him
to your bottle, even to make him drunk, that you may look
on his nakedness! You are filled with shame instead of
glory. You also—drink! And be exposed as uncircumcised!
The cup of the Lord’s right hand will be turned against
you, and utter shame will be on your glory.”
In the first passage quoted from Isaiah 28:1, 3, 7-8, drinking and
drunkenness are denounced as some of the things which Satan uses to
destroy God’s plan and purposes for nations, the leaders of nations and
other useful vessels. Verse 1 of the passage begins with a woe to all such
drunkards, and warns that through excessive drinking, the glorious
beauty of Ephraim which stands for Israel is fading away. This will
continue until God’s judgement which will come in the form of a tempest
of hail and a destroying storm, as well as a flood of mighty waters brings
them down to the earth. Then we are told in verse three that God’s next
severe judgement will come because, “The crown of pride, the drunkards
of Ephraim, will be trampled underfoot”.
This is a strong denunciation of drinking and drunkenness among God’s
people. If this evil habit brings God’s judgement to a nation like Israel,
and leads God to trample His own people underfoot, is this a practice
which should be encouraged in the Church today? It could corrupt a
whole nation to bring God’s judgement upon them. So what is good and
enticing about it? When we look at that portion, the passage which is
quoted from the same chapter 28 verses 7 and 8, we see that drinking,
drunkenness and drunkards are denounced in even stronger terms. The
verses talk about the failure of God’s leaders in Ephraim to do God’s
will, to administer justice, to do the work of the priesthood, to give
genuine prophecies and to see clear visions. All these serious failures
which set the nation on a downward course are attributed to drinking and
drunkenness as well as the excessive use of wine and strong drink.
Verse 7 begins with a sad statement which says, “But they also have
erred through wine, and through intoxicating drink are out of the way”.
The leaders have erred because of the long hours they spend drinking,
and because of drunkenness. They are also described as being out of the
way! They have gone outside God’s will, plan and purpose!
Next, it is specifically stated in the passage that: “the priest and the
prophet have erred through intoxicating drink.” Priests who were
forbidden under the law to taste wine have now joined the drunkards and
have consequently erred. Prophets who are supposed to be sober to be
able to hear God’s voice were also getting drunk! The combined effect of
this drinking habit upon both the priests and the prophets is that: “they
are swallowed up by wine, they are out of the way through
intoxicating drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.”
All these statements are denouncing drinking and drunkenness and are
discouraging people from wine and strong drink. If drinking can destroy
God’s people and God’s holy vessels to this extent, is it a thing which
should be permitted and encouraged in the Church of the Lord Jesus
Christ made up of people who are described as a Royal Priesthood,
God’s holy nation and God’s own people? The denunciations against
wine and strong drink in the Old Testament are so strong that nobody can
look at any isolated, sinful cases of drunkenness in it and teach that it
justifies the use of wine, strong drink and other common intoxicating
drinks.
Another passage which gives a strong denunciation against wine, strong

drink and drunkenness is Habakkuk 2:15-16. It denounces drinking in
such strong and absolute terms that that passage alone in the Old
Testament never encourages the use of wine and strong drink let alone
justifying it. It begins with a woe and says: “Woe to him who gives
drink to his neighbour…even to make him drunk”.
It warns such people who give drinks to others to make them drunk and
also drink themselves that, “they will be exposed as uncircumcised; and
the cup of the LORD’S right hand will be turned against them, and
finally that utter shame will be their glory” Is this a passage which is
encouraging drinking and the use of wine and strong drink? Is it not
rather denouncing drunkards and even those who offer drinks to others to
get them drunk? It is such Old Testament denunciations of drinking and
drunkenness which testify that it is never in favour of the use of wine and
strong drink. Let us now move to the third Old Testament case against
drinking, drunkenness and the excessive use of wine and strong drink.
(3) The Old Testament draws attention to the evil consequences of

drinking to warn us against the use of wine and strong drink.
Nowhere does the Old Testament speak well of drinking or drunkenness.
Most of the time, it rather draws our attention to the evil consequences of
drinking and drunkenness as these few passages quoted below show us:
Proverbs 23:29-30
“Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions?
Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the
wine, those who go in search of mixed wine.”
Proverbs 23:31-33
“Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles
in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; at the last it
bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper. Your eyes will
see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse
things.”
Proverbs 20:1
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever
is led astray by it is not wise.”
Proverbs 23:29-30 quoted as the first of the passages quoted above

condemns drinking and drunkenness by spelling out some of the woes
and troubles they bring upon drunkards and winebibbers. Taking them
one by one, we can count the following woes which always result from
drunkenness. The first woe put in question form is:
Who has woe?

This first tells us that drunkenness brings a lot of troubles and woes. If
you claim to drink because you have problems, you only create
additional problems for yourself without solving the old ones. So you
really have woes when you resort to drinking and to the excessive use of
wine and strong drink as this quotation says. The second question the
quotation poses is:
Who has sorrow?

This next tells us that some of the things the modern advertisements on
drinks and drinking tell us that we are going to be among the happiest
people on earth when we take to drinking are not true. Drinking rather
increases our already compounded problems and our sorrows. How many
drunken people do we meet happy and rejoicing? They either weep or
brawl. There is no happiness in the bottle as we are daily being made to
believe. This leads us to the next question in the quotation which says:
Who has complaints?

This fourth woe of drinking and drunkenness also emphasizes that
drinking and drunkenness only increases our problems. The more you
drink, the more you complain about your problems because the drinking
habit creates additional problems for you. One of such problems is found
in the next question which says:
Who has wounds without cause?

This further makes us aware that drunkenness and drinking, in addition
to all their numerous woes also cause people to have wounds without
cause. Wounds and plasters never leave the bodies of perpetual
drunkards because they never stop falling into gutters, trenches and
stumbling over stones.
Are these statements we have read from Proverbs 23:29-30 encouraging

us to drink? Can we honestly and sincerely convince ourselves after
reading all these that the Old Testament encourages us to drink and to
resort to the use of wine, strong, intoxicating drinks and alcohol? No!
The passages are rather condemning drinking by pointing out some of
the evil consequences they bring upon us. The quotation draws its own
natural conclusion for us that those who get all these problems listed
above are, “Those who linger long at the wine” and “those who go in
search of mixed wine.” The Old Testament truly condemns the use of
intoxicating wine and other strong drinks in very strong terms by
showing us some of the evil consequences of drinking and drunkenness.
Proverbs 20:1 also adds its voice to the condemnation of drinking and
drunkenness by bringing out additional evil consequences of this habit. It
calls wine a mocker. A mocker is someone who ridicules other people
and pours contempt upon them. The simple meaning of this passage is
that as you take in the wine and strong drink, nothing initially happens to
you but once the alcohol enters your stomach and your system, it starts
making mockery of you, making you a laughing stock, giving you an
unsteady walk, making you fall, stupefying you, and exposing you to
total contempt and ridicule!
Another evil this passage brings out about intoxicating drinks is that it
leads to brawling. Brawling is noisy quarrel over unnecessary things
which often leads to fighting. Is it not common to see brawling in
drinking bars and among perpetual drunkards? Is this an encouragement
to take to drinking? Should this act which always leads to brawling,
quarrels and fights be permitted in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ?
More of these evil consequences of drinking and drunkenness are also

spelt out by the passage quoted from Proverbs 23:31-33. We are told in
this passage that wine “bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper”. This
is deliberate exaggeration which draws our attention to the truth that
drinking and drunkenness can be destructive and harmful in the end. In
addition because it works on your central nervous system, “your eye will
see strange things and your heart will also utter perverse things”. This
leads the passage to advise us concerning wine in the words: “Do not
look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it
swirls around smoothly.”
(4) The Old Testament prescribed death penalty for drunkards

The general conclusion we can draw after looking at all these Old
Testament passages is that contrary to what most people wrongly believe,
the Old Testament strongly condemns drinking, which leads to
drunkenness as well as the use of wine, strong drinks and other
intoxicating beverages. This was why under the law it prescribed the
death penalty for those who broke God’s commandment not to drink
wine and strong drink as these passages say:
“And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘this son of
ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our
voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men
of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you
shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel
shall hear and fear.”
Leviticus 10:8-9
“Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: “Do not drink
wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you,
when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It
shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.””
The first passage quoted from Deuteronomy 21:20-21 shows us that in

extreme cases of drunkenness under the Law, the death penalty was
prescribed for such drunkenness because they were a shame both to their
parents and to the society. Such drunkards could be brought by their
parents to the elders of the city, and after they had heard their complaints
and certified that that son is truly a drunkard and a nuisance they had the
right to pass the verdict of death upon him. After this, the quotation says:
“Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones”.
In the same way, the death penalty was prescribed for Aaron and his sons
for violation of God’s commandment to the priesthood never to taste any
wine or strong drink throughout their lives. If the Old Testament
favoured the use of wine, strong drink and alcohol even in very small
quantities, why did it prescribe such a serious death penalty for
drunkards in Deuteronomy 21:20-21 and for mere drinking in Leviticus
10:8-9? Does the Old Testament encourage drinking and drunkenness by
doing this?
In the next chapter, we shall look at what the New Testament also has to
say on drinking before we look at the question of moderation and discuss
some of the unfortunate instances of drinking and drunkenness in the
Bible.
CHAPTER THREE
THE NEW TESTAMENT POSITION ON DRINKING AND
DRUNKENNESS
The New Testament, like the Old Testament also condemns drunkenness in
very strong terms and forbids true children of God from ever getting involved
in it. The New Testament does this in six main ways: First, it gives a direct
command against drunkenness. Secondly, it warns that drunkenness can
exclude us from heaven. Thirdly, it warns us that drunkenness can make us
miss Christ’s coming at the rapture. Fourthly, it gives the warning that
drunkenness can exclude us from the fellowship of saints. Fifthly, it
associates drinking and drunkenness with the deeds of darkness, and finally
equates drinking and drunkenness with the evil practices of paganism and
idol worship. Let us look at each of these separately:
(i) The New Testament specifically commands believers not to drink.

At least one New Testament passage makes it specific that true
believers should never drink wine to get drunk. This is found in
Ephesians chapter 5:18 which reads:
Ephesians 5:18
“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but
be filled with the Spirit.”
“Do not be drunk with wine” is a direct command and warning to all
true believers not to take in strong drink, fermented wine, or any
alcoholic beverages which can make them drunk. The power, strength
and stimulant we need as believers to help us get along with the Lord
and to run the Christian race successfully is the Holy Spirit. So the
passage advises us that instead of being filled with wine to get drunk,
which can lead us into trouble by getting us involved in several vices,
we should be filled with the mighty Holy Spirit.
With this passage, the New Testament clearly declares its stand on
the true believer’s use of wine, strong drink and other alcoholic
beverages. Is there any suggestion in this passage to encourage
genuinely born again Christians to take in even small quantities of
wine and alcohol? Not at all! Let us look at the second thing the New
Testament does to condemn the believer’s use of wine and strong
drink.
(ii) The New Testament warns that drinking and drunkenness

can exclude us from the Kingdom of Heaven.
One important truth the New Testament brings out to discourage
believers from ever drinking strong drink and alcohol is the serious
warning it gives that no drunkard has any place in God’s Kingdom; or
to be specific, in heaven where the full presence of God the Father,
God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are felt. Let us read some of the
New Testament passages which do mention this:
Galatians 5:19-21
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred,
contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,
dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries,
and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told
you in time past, that those who practice such things will not
inherit the kingdom of God.”
These two passages quoted from the epistles of Apostles Paul contain
a list of some of the vices that can defile us and exclude us from
God’s holy Kingdom. The first passage quoted from 1 Corinthians
6:9-10 lists some of the vices as fornication or pre-marital sex,
idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, stealing, covetousness, reviling and
extortion. More importantly for our discussion, it also lists
drunkenness among these vices. It says specifically “nor drunkards,
nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”
The whole passage begins by asking the question: “Do you not know
that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?” This
means that all the vices mentioned thereafter are all classified as acts
of unrighteousness.
Consequently, they have the potential to exclude us from the kingdom

of God since it is a Kingdom of righteousness, holiness and purity
reserved solely for those who have been washed by the blood of the
lamb. If drunkenness is considered as an act of unrighteousness
capable of excluding a saved soul from God’s holy kingdom of
righteousness, should it be a thing that should be indulged in by truly
born again believers?
We are born again to gain admission into God’s kingdom as Christ

told Nicodemus in the words: “Except a man be born again he cannot
see the Kingdom of God”. If by God’s grace the New Birth given to
you by grace opens the way for you to enter the Kingdom of God,
should you drink strong drink, wine and alcohol for these to take you
out of this Kingdom?
To make believers fully aware of the danger of drinking and

drunkenness, the second list of vices presented in Galatians 5:19-21
also makes mention of drunkenness. While this passage make
mention of some of those vices already listed in the first passage such
as adultery, fornication and idolatry; and here includes new vices like
envy, murder and so on, it also specifically says that drunkenness is
one of the sins which can exclude someone from the kingdom of God.
It says in part: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness … envy, murders,
drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand,
just as I also told you in time past.” And then the warning follows it
in the words; “that those who practice such things will not inherit
the kingdom of God.”
This quotation does not speak in probabilities but in specifics. It says

those who are involved in the sin of drunkenness and in any of the
other vices listed will not inherit the Kingdom of God. What can
those who are saying that the Bible encourages drinking and
drunkenness say about this? If we say that drinking is not sinful but
drunkenness is sinful then what leads to drunkenness? How does
someone get drunk to fall into this serious sin which can exclude him
from the Kingdom of God? Is it not through the drinking of alcohol,
wine or strong drink?
If something carries the potential danger of being able to kill you, will
you go and taste a little of it to see how fast you can die? Will you
rather not abstain from it totally? If the sin of drunkenness carries the
potential danger of being able to destroy your salvation, to take you
out of God’s holy Kingdom totally will you say that the Bible
encourages drinking and drunkenness?
(iii) The New Testament warns that drunkenness can make us

miss Christ’s coming at the Rapture to take us home.
Whether we are waiting for Christ’s coming at the Rapture or for the
Second Coming, one thing is necessary. It is soberness. In talking
about Christ’s coming to the believers in Thessalonica, this was what
Apostle Paul told them in 1 Thessalonians 5:6:
1 Thessalonians 5:6
“Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and
be sober.”
We are commanded in this passage to wait for Christ’s
coming with watchfulness and soberness. The passage tells us
in relation to the coming of Christ, “but let us watch and be
sober”. In talking to His disciples about His coming, Christ
also makes mention of this in Luke 21:34. It reads:
Luke 21:34
“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed
down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and
that Day come on you unexpectedly.”
According to this passage quoted above, what are some of the things
that can make the coming of Christ come upon us unexpectedly and
unprepared? What will make His coming burst upon people when
they are not ready and when they are totally unprepared for it? Three
things capable of doing this are mentioned as carousing,
drunkenness and the cares of this life. Carousing is almost
synonymous with drunkenness because carousing means people
coming together to drink in a boisterous and rowdy manner. This then
means that Christ Himself mentions that one of the most dangerous
tools Satan will use to make a lot of people unprepared for His
coming will be drunkenness and carousing.
Drinking, leading to drunkenness and carousing therefore have the

potential danger of making you miss Christ’s coming! Which sincere
Christian, who has given himself to Christ and has lived for Him all
through his life, will want to miss Christ at His coming either at the
Rapture or together with His holy saints at the Second Coming? Is
Christ by this statement not telling the whole Church and all believers
to abstain from strong drink, wine and alcohol totally? What should
believers have to do with something they have specifically been
commanded to avoid; with something that carries the potential danger
of excluding them from the Kingdom of God and worse of all making
them miss an event as important as the coming of Christ?
Is there anything in the New Testament or in the Bible to encourage

drinking? Christ Himself says that the best thing for any child of His
to do is to abstain from drinking totally so that he can wait for His
coming with watchfulness and soberness. When Christ appears and
someone has taken in wine, strong drink or alcohol to get drunk, does
he stand any chance of being caught up by Him? Watch and be sober
does not mean drink and be rowdy. They are two different things. Let
me now move to the fourth stand of the New Testament against
drunkenness.
(iv) The New Testament says that perpetual drunkards should

be taken out of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
One strong stand the New Testament has taken against drinking and
drunkenness in the Church of Christ is the strong injunction it has given
that those who join the Church and persist in disgraceful acts like
fornication, idolatry, covetousness and drunkenness must be excluded
from the fellowship of the saints and put out of the Church. Let us read
this from the Scriptures:
“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with
sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the
sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous,
or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go
out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep
company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually
immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a
drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a
person. For what have I to do with judging those also who
are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But
those who are outside God judges. Therefore ‘put away from
yourselves the evil person.’”
This is one of the strongest passages in the New Testament which
deals with sin and immorality in the Church. Paul wrote a first letter
to the Church at Corinth which was misunderstood to mean that he
was teaching them to break fellowship with all persons involved in
fornication, idolatry, drunkenness and the like irrespective of whether
they belong to the Lord in the Church or they are in the world. So this
particular letter was written to correct that wrong impression and set
things right for them. Paul explained that he still maintained his
position that those involved in such shameful acts must be dealt with
as he originally taught but it should not be extended outside the
church since this will mean the believers leaving the world altogether
and going to live somewhere in seclusion.
He further clarified his position that what he meant was that the
Church should “not keep company with anyone named a brother, who
is a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a
drunkard, or an extortioner. Paul goes further to warn that the
believers “should not even eat with such a person”. Paul concludes
with a quotation from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy
which says that such drunkards and evil doers must be put out of the
fellowship. The quotation specifically says, “Therefore put away
from yourselves the evil person”. Deuteronomy 17:17; 19:19; 22:21,
24; 24:7 all mention the necessity of putting out evil doers from the
fellowship of the righteous so that they do not spread their evil
influence over God’s people.
Can the New Testament command that drunkards should be put out of
the Church and excluded from fellowship if they do not stop drinking
and at the same time permit drinking and drunkenness in the Church?
Why should sincere and genuine believers have anything to do with
an evil habit like drunkenness which carries the evil consequence of
being able to exclude them from the fellowship of the Church? If the
Church today will be faithful to God’s Word, there are many people –
to be specific – many drunkards in the Church who deserve to be put
out of the fellowship of the holy saints because they have vowed to
continue in drinking forever.
This punishment prescribed by the New Testament for habitual

drunkards is so strong that we cannot read this and still draw the
conclusion that the New Testament is silent on the question of
drinking and drunkenness. It forbids it totally among believers and in
the Church of Christ at large. Drinking leading to drunkenness is not
good for you as a Christian. Avoid it totally. Let us now move to the
fifth stand that the New Testament takes against drinking and
drunkenness. It is that:
(v) The New Testament associates drinking and drunkenness

with the evil deeds of darkness out of which believers are called.
When we come to the Lord and we obtain His salvation, we are
described as coming out of darkness into the light of Christ.
Consequently, we are commanded not to have any fellowship with
the unfruitful works of darkness. The Bible classifies drunkenness
among such unfruitful works of darkness out of which we must
totally withdraw when we give ourselves to Christ. Let us look at
some passages on this:
Romans 13:12-13
“The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us
cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor
of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry
and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife
and envy.”
“For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get
drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be
sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a
helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us
to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ.”
The passage quoted from Romans 13:12-13 is an exhortation to

believers to continue to stay in the light and walk in the light into
which they have been called by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This can be deduced from several statements made in the passage.
First, believers are told in the passage “to cast off the works of
darkness” and instead “put on the armor of light”. This is another way
of saying that all true believers must walk in such a way that
wherever they appear, they will be seen as wearing the garments of
light that portray them as totally belonging to Christ. Besides,
believers must always walk properly as people who belong to the day
where the full light of sunshine is always present.
After this, the passage brings out some of the deeds of darkness
which all true believers must cast off if they are truly born into the
light of Christ. The list includes revelry which is making merry with
drinks and other beverages; drunkenness, licentiousness, lewdness,
strife and envy. Stated in different words, we can say for sure that all
these sins together with drunkenness are classified as deeds of
darkness which belong to those who have not seen the light of Christ,
and who cannot therefore walk in the light of the day.
So when a true believer resorts to drinking and drunkenness, he is

practising some of the deeds of darkness which belong to the world of
unbelievers, sinners and those perishing! Should drinking and
drunkenness therefore be encouraged in the true Church of the Lord
Jesus Christ? On what basis? It is even interesting to note in the
passage that drunkenness is often the cause of all the other sins listed
in the quotation.
It is drinking and drunkenness which give rise to revelry. It is again at

drinking parties that strife, envy and quarrels go on. Licentiousness,
immorality and lewdness (obscene and shameful acts) are also known
to be practiced more among drunkards and those who stay long with
drinks than with any other groups of people. So when we take
drunkenness out of the list, all the other sins can be avoided. Is it
proper then for Christians to drink? Do they belong to the darkness?
Are they part of the evil kingdom of darkness of Satan and his
demons? The passage clearly teaches that it is sinful for any truly
born again Christian to drink.
The other passage quoted from 1 Thessalonians 5:7-9 is also very

important to our discussion of drunkenness and excessive drinking of
wine, strong drink and alcohol belonging to the evil deeds of
darkness. The passage begins by telling us that “those who get drunk
are drunk at night”. What is the implication of this? It is simply
associating drinking and drunkenness with the deeds of darkness.
Night is a symbol of darkness. So if those who get drunk get drunk at
night, then that is another way of saying that drinking and
drunkenness are activities which belong to the darkness and must be
totally avoided by all truly born again Christians who are born into
the light of Christ.
This is why soon after making this statement, the difference is drawn
between true Christians and drunkards who drink in the night with the
statement, “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the
breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.”
Drunkards drink at night because drunkenness is a deed of darkness.
But true Christians belong to the day and so they must avoid acts like
drunkenness and instead pursue virtues and ideals like faith and love,
and work out their salvation by ensuring that every day their helmet
of salvation is firmly on. As the passage concludes for us, we are to
be more careful to work out our salvation than seeking the
justification to drink as believers because; “God did not appoint us to
wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ”.
In consequence of this, we should always strive to walk in the light,
to pursue faith, to pursue love and to grow in the grace of the Lord
Jesus instead of resorting to the activities of darkness and sins such as
drunkenness. There is no justification for drinking and drunkenness in
any part of the New Testament. God expressly forbids it! Let us now
look at the sixth reason why we can confidently say that the New
Testament does not in any way encourage drinking and drunkenness.
(vi) The New Testament equates drinking and drunkenness

with the evil practices of idolatry and paganism.
In addition to all that we have already learnt, the New Testament
further looks at drunkenness and all its associated activities as evil
acts which belong to the Christian’s past life in the world, and equates
Christians who indulge in it with pagans who have never heard the
Gospel and accepted Christ and are practising idolatry. Let us read a
New Testament passage on this. It is quoted from two different
versions of the Bible.
1 Peter 4:3
“For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the
will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts,
drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable
idolatries.” (NKJV)
1 Peter 4:3
“For you have spent enough time in the past doing what
pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust,
drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.”
(NIV)
What Apostle Peter wrote to these believers in dispersion was to

encourage them to break totally with the past, to break totally with
their past evil friends with whom they were organizing drinking
parties, and rather be serious and watchful to pray to be able to work
out their salvation daily. This was why Peter began by reminding
them that, “You have spent enough time in the past doing what
pagans choose to do”. What are these things that pagans and those
who do not know God, and who do not follow His ways choose to
do? These are the activities listed in the NKJV translation as
licentiousness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties and
abominable and detestable idolatries.
What is Apostle Peter trying to do by presenting this list to us? First,

he wants to remind us that drinking, drunkenness, orgies, drinking
parties and revelries all belong to the pagan world of unbelievers who
because they do not know Christ, nor have come out of the darkness
take pleasure in these evil things. In other words, believers who have
come out of the world and out of the darkness must never in any way
get involved in drunkenness and drinking parties. When they do this,
it is a sign that they are relapsing into their past evil and sinful life!
Secondly, Peter by this statement wants to remind us that
drunkenness is mentioned together with lust, revelries, drinking
parties as well as what the NKJV calls “abominable idolatries” and
the NIV also translates “detestable idolatry”.
Christianity and idolatry are like light and darkness. We cannot at the
same time claim to be having fellowship with God in the light and at
the same time have fellowship with the demons behind idolatry. If
you will not think of following idolatry as a truly born-again
Christian, then never think of drinking or drunkenness for the Bible
places them on the same level.
In short, drinking is not good for us as Christians because when we

drink, it portrays us more as pagans who still belong to the world of
evil doers and sinners than true Christians who have accepted Christ
and are living and walking in the light. Excessive drinking,
drunkenness and drinking parties also classify us among those who
practise detestable idolatries because drunkenness is always
associated with idol worship. Drinking is not for you O dear
Christian!
CONCLUSION
What conclusion can we draw on the New Testament position on drinking
and drunkenness after examining these six essential points? It is simple. The
New Testament like the Old Testament also condemns drinking and
drunkenness and discourages true believers from ever getting involved in
these evil habits.
Having now clearly seen the Old and New Testament positions on drinking
and drunkenness, let us now move to the question of moderation which is
often proposed by some Christians as a compromise between those who
advocate total abstinence from drinking and those who feel they can drink
without getting drunk to get into the state of drunkenness which the Bible
condemns.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE QUESTION OF MODERATION
What is moderation? Moderation is striving to exercise self-control to be able
to take in tolerable levels of alcohol, wine and strong drink which cannot
make one intoxicated to sin against the Lord. Some believers capitalizing on
the fact that some of the Bible’s strongest condemnations on the use of strong
drink and alcohol are on drunkenness and not on drinking per se argue like
the Jehovah’s Witnesses that if one can exercise self-control, and can be
moderate in his consumption of wine, alcohol and strong drink such that he
does not get drunk, he has not sinned.
In other words, they are advocating moderate use of alcohol instead of

practising total abstinence. But is it possible for a sinful human being to
exercise strict self-control over his appetite to be able to take in only tolerable
levels of alcohol all the time? With what are such proponents of moderation
going to measure the levels of alcohol in them all the time to help them avoid
taking in the last drop of alcohol before they get drunk? While this argument
to practise moderation may sound plausible to some people on the surface, it
is not possible and cannot be recommended for the following reasons:
REASON 1
(I) Wine is habit-forming so its levels cannot be controlled
When we say that wine, strong drinks and alcohol are habit-forming,
we mean that the moment one starts drinking, the drinking will soon
become part of you; a custom and a habit which will become very
difficult to depart from. Once it becomes part of you and it becomes
your custom and everyday habit, your appetite will always crave for a
little bit more. So if you started with level one this week, next week
you have to increase the level you took last week and before you
realize, within a short time, you will be taking more than five or ten
times the level you started with.
So the nature of wine, alcohol and strong drink does not make it
either easy or possible to exercise any moderation. No drunkard
begins by taking in large quantities of alcohol. He begins by taking in
only small quantities but soon finds himself drinking large quantities
before he gets drunk. The song of the miserable drunkard quoted
from Proverbs 23:35 reminds us that wine is habit-forming. It reads:
Proverbs 23:35
“They have struck me, but I was not hurt; they have beaten
me, but I did not feel it When shall I awake, that I may seek
another drink?”
Hosea 4:11
“Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart.”
The passage tells us that when people linger long at the wine and go
in search of mixed wine and they get drunk, these are some of the
things that either go on in their minds or become the songs they sing.
They say that because of the drink, “They have struck me, but I was
not hurt”. They also say because of the drunken state that “they have
beaten me, but I did not feel it”. But they may be dying of pain. The
drinks dull their senses and they become totally stupefied.
In spite of their being struck and being beaten, whilst they are still in
pain their desire is, “when shall I awake that I may seek another
drink?” Why is it so? Why can’t they rather say, “when shall I awake
that I may stop drinking?” Because wine is habit-forming, it creates
an insatiable desire in them so with all the wounds and bruises they
sustained in the previous drinking party, when they awake, the desire
is for more drink! So how can such a drunkard say that he is
practising moderation? Wine is habit-forming so it neither makes
moderation possible nor advisable and commendable.
The passage quoted from Hosea 4:11 also lends credence to the fact
of alcohol being habit-forming. The passage reminds us that once we
start drinking, the drinks have a strong capacity to enslave our hearts.
To be enslaved is to be brought under the control of alcohol and wine
such that you cannot stay without daily taking in fresh doses of the
wine, strong drink and alcohol. This proves that when you start
drinking by even taking in only small quantities initially, you can
soon be enslaved by the wine to continue to drink and even to drink
greater quantities. Moderation can therefore be as dangerous as it is
impossible.
REASON 2
(II) True Christians will expose themselves to unnecessary danger by
practising moderation.
There are certain principles of life which are impossible to violate
because always their results and consequences are inevitable and
totally unavoidable. In the same way, there are certain acts which
when we get involved in, we will receive the inevitable unfavourable
results. The practice of moderation is one of such acts. The claim to
the exercise of moderation is actually exposing oneself to
unnecessary risk whose results and consequences will certainly be
evil and unfavourable as this reference tells us:
Proverbs 6:27-29
“Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be
burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be
seared? So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife; whoever
touches her shall not be innocent.”
The quotation raises two main questions and leaves the Answers to
readers. First, it poses the question, “Can a man take fire to his
bosom, and his clothes not be burned?” When we put on clothes, the
clothes cover the entire body and touch every part of the body. So it is
impossible for you to take fire in your bosom without the clothes
which touch the body catching the fire and being burnt. Secondly, the
quotation poses the question, “Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet
not be seared?” The Answer is obvious. Anybody who decides to
walk on live, hot coals bare-footed must understand that his feet will
be seared and there will be burns under the feet.
The first analogy the writer draws after asking these questions is that
just as it is totally impossible for someone to take fire to his bosom
without his clothes being burned; and it is also impossible for
someone to walk on hot coals bare-footed without sustaining burns,
so is it absolutely impossible for someone to touch another person’s
wife without being guilty of adultery. Though the immediate
application of this reference is to adultery, it also has a general
application. If we were to apply it to drinking, we could frame the
question as: “Can someone take in alcohol without being
intoxicated?” and “Can someone start drinking without ending up as a
drunkard?” These are two impossible things.
Once you take alcohol into your body you will get drunk because it is
difficult to determine what quantity in the stomach can make you
drunk to limit the consumption. So why expose ourselves to this
danger? If you know that a bottle contains poison with the inscription,
“If you can, drink any quantity you want but if you take beyond your
bodily limit you will die instantly”, will you attempt to take a little of
it to see whether you will die when you do not know your bodily limit
and you have no way of checking it once the poison gets inside you?
Alcohol is equally dangerous because the Bible has labelled it as
being capable of taking you out of God’s kingdom totally. So if you
won’t take risks with poison, then do not do so with alcohol, wine and
strong drink for the Bible has labelled them as being equally
dangerous spiritually.
This is why we are saying that the practice of moderation is exposing

oneself to unnecessary danger which the Bible does not encourage us
to do as Christians. It is also a serious act of disobedience. If we will
not joke with sins like adultery, idolatry and fornication because they
can pave the way for Satan and his demons and disqualify us from
entering heaven, then why should we joke with wine, strong drink
and alcohol which can make us intoxicated seeing that drunkenness
has been classified with these other sins as being capable of excluding
us from heaven? Let us now look at the third and final reason why
moderation cannot be good for any Christian. It is that:
REASON 3
(III) The practice of moderation is exposing ourselves to temptation
instead of praying for God to take us out of it.
The Lord’s Prayer encourages all true Christians to pray every day
that God will not lead us into evil but will always deliver us from all
temptations and all the evils that the enemy plans against us. We
cannot pray every day for God to deliver us from all temptations and
then make deliberate attempts to walk into these same temptations
every day. This will tell God that we are neither serious with the
prayers we are offering to Him nor serious to avoid any temptation.
This is why the New Testament tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 to
“Abstain from all appearances of evil”.
If drunkenness is evil and the Bible has forbidden and condemned it,
nobody should tell you to avoid drinking whether you will drink
wine, alcohol and strong drink moderately or in large quantities
because it is the drinking which can draw you into drunkenness when
it is allowed in your life. If drinking is the doorway to drunkenness,
and you are serious to avoid the temptation of drinking, should you
dream of practising moderation to drink a little each time to see
whether you will get drunk? Is this not exposing yourself to
temptation and tempting God too? Can we fight against temptation by
meeting it and creating the opportunity for it to come to us?
Why could Satan tempt Eve to eat the forbidden fruit and give some
to her husband to bring the whole mankind into trouble and bondage?
Was it not because she drew close to the forbidden fruit, looked
closely at it, and gazed at it for a long time? This is the Scriptural
evidence we have that Eve drew very close to the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil and brought herself to the point where
Satan could tempt her as he did: “So When the woman saw that the
tree was good for food, and it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree
desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave
to her husband with her, and he ate.”
How could Eve have seen that the tree was good for food, and
pleasant to the eyes if she wasn’t close to it? And when she drew
close to it contrary to God’s instructions, did the inevitable not
happen? We read the sad commentary that, “she took of its fruit and
ate.” This even led to another sin for we read, “She also gave to her
husband with her, and he ate.” How can you avoid drunkenness
which the Bible condemns and forbids by starting to drink? Can you
make a container empty by starting to pour in little drops of water?
The practise of moderation is perhaps more dangerous than the
drunkenness itself. Let us pray to the Lord to give us the strength to
avoid both.
CHAPTER FIVE
DO THE INSTANCES OF DRINKING AND DRUNKENNESS
IN THE BIBLE JUSTIFY THE USE OF WINE AND STRONG
DRINK?
Many people who are addicted to wine, strong drink and alcohol have two
clever ways of using the Bible to justify and strengthen their position. First,
they often cite Old and New Testament instances of drinking and
drunkenness as proof that it is neither wrong nor sinful to drink wine and
strong drink. They normally argue that if it were sinful to drink wine and
other fermented beverages, the Bible would not have recorded these
instances.
Secondly, they quote isolated passages on drinking from both the Old and the
New Testament, twist their meaning, and use them to strengthen their
position in drinking and drunkenness. We will try to explain most of these
passages in this chapter to help us to know exactly what they say.
Do these people not have a case? If the Bible does not favour drunkenness
why does it contain so many cases of drunken people? To Answer this
question before we even tackle the specific instances of drunkenness in the
Bible, let us make it clear that it is not everything in the Bible which is meant
to be copied as good. There are verses which are attributed to the devil. Bad
men have their statements recorded in the Bible, and even the statements
some demons made are recorded in the Holy Book. We will naturally not
quote such statements made by the devil and his demons as good examples to
follow.
A lot of the things recorded in the Bible are there as warnings and not as
good examples to be copied and followed. This principle applies to the
numerous instances of drunkenness in the Bible. The fact that Noah and Lot
got drunk at one point in time does not mean that we should copy them. The
troubles that came out of their sinful act after they had disobeyed God’s clear
instructions are the lessons we should learn so that we do not fall into the
same trap.
David, for instance committed adultery in the Old Testament. This does not
give believers the open license to indulge in adultery. The record of this sad
incident is to warn us to shun adultery because God will not gloss over it. But
David’s faith, courage, penitence and love for God are good examples to
copy. A careful study of each of the instances of drunkenness in the Old
Testament reveals that the aftermath was not pleasant at all. It either led to
death, crime, incest, curses or some other nasty things. If we have anything to
learn from them, then they should rather speak to us that since drunkenness
always leads to something bad, evil and shameful, it should be avoided and
shunned completely.
Following this, in this last chapter, we want to quote, analyse and discuss all
the important Bible passages that are either some of these instances of
drinking and drunkenness or touch on wine, and the use of strong drink and
alcohol. To do this effectively, we want to divide the message of the chapter
into two parts. Part 1 will deal with drinking and drunkenness as they affect
and touch on God’s people like Lot, Noah and the rest. Part 2 will deal with
drinking and drunkenness affecting unbelievers and backsliders in the Bible
whether it involved Kings, or sinners. Passages mentioning the limited use of
wine and strong drink among God’s people will also be discussed to help us
understand what is really being said.
Let us now start our discussion of the various passages.
Part 1 (Instances of Drinking and Drunkenness involving God’s people)

One popular passage all drunkards want to quote to justify their drinking
habit is the popular New Testament passage in the Gospel of John where the
Lord Jesus Christ turned water into wine. Let us quote it in full from John
2:1-11.
John 2:1-11
“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His
disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out
of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no
wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern
have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother
said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Now
there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the
manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty
gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with
water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to
them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the
feast.” And they took it. When the master of the feast had
tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where
it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water
knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he
said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good
wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior.
You have kept the good wine until now!” This is the beginning
of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His
glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”
The main problem about this passage is not Jesus turning water into wine; but
rather, into what type of wine did Jesus turn this water, fermented or
unfermented wine? There were two types of wine in Bible times: wine which
has been allowed to undergo the process of fermentation to become alcoholic;
and freshly squeezed grape juice which has not as yet undergone
fermentation to be able to make one intoxicated.
Generally, it took between 5 to 7 days for the first fermentation of grape juice
to be completed. So which of these two types of wine did Jesus provide to
help this wedding at Cana? There are about four reasons which can be drawn
from the passages to prove that the wine Jesus provided was sweet
unfermented wine. The first reason is that this wine came out of ordinary
water instead of being drawn from the grape juice. It could therefore be
argued scientifically that this wine could not have undergone fermentation
even if it had been left for days since it was not drawn from a substance
which was capable of undergoing fermentation. Water cannot ferment. So the
logic is simple. Wine made out of water cannot also ferment! So because of
the common substance water that Christ miraculously used to produce this
wine, it couldn’t have been fermented wine!
The second reason which makes it impossible for this wine Christ produced
to be fermented wine is the nature of Christ who worked this miracle and the
nature of the Holy Spirit who helped Him to bring about this miracle. The
Bible teaches us that Christ was the only person who lived on our sinful earth
without sinning. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us this about Christ to prove His
sinlessness: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousness of God in Him”. The verse bears testimony
to the truth that all through His life, Christ was a person “who knew no sin”.
If He had turned the water into intoxicating wine, He could have been
affected with sin because the Bible spells a woe for those who offer wine and
strong drink to their fellows. This teaching Christ Jesus knew very well from
the Old Testament book of Habakkuk. The Holy Spirit who helped Christ
produce this miracle is also holy and therefore incapable of sin so how could
they have combined to produce fermented alcoholic wine?
The third reason which makes it impossible for the wine produced by Christ
to be fermented was the time lapse between the time it was produced and the
time it was used. Between five and seven days were required for even freshly
squeezed grape juice to undergo the first stage of fermentation. It did not
even last for one hour. So even if the wine was produced unfermented and
could become fermented intoxicating wine, it needed time to go through the
process of fermentation. But it was consumed before the five to seven days
needed for the fermentation to occur.
The fourth and final reason why it cannot be accepted that the wine Christ
produced was fermented wine is the reaction which followed the
consumption of this wine. After it had been used up, we do not see people
wobbling and reeling but we rather hear praises. The master of the feast
called the wine produced by Christ, “good wine” as opposed to the strong,
alcoholic, inferior wine normally served at the end of such feasts. The master
said to the bridegroom: “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine,
and when the guests have well drunk, then that which is inferior; but you
have kept the good wine until now”.
When any drunkard comes to tell you that he is drinking because Christ
turned water into wine, tell him that he should go back to the Bible and study
it well to know that there were two types of wine in Bible times – fermented
and unfermented wine and that the circumstances surrounding the wine
Christ produced at this wedding feast could not have made it fermented wine!
The Bible is a plain book which does not cover the sins and mistakes of
people – not even those of God’s specially chosen vessels like Adam, Noah,
Lot, Abraham, Moses and many others. If the wine Christ produced was
fermented wine, it would have recorded it for us and shown us why it was so.
Christ did not produce any strong wine or alcoholic beverage that day at the
wedding.
Let us now move on to consider the instance of drinking and drunkenness in

the Old Testament affecting Noah, the only righteous man saved from the
flood.
Noah and drunkenness

Let us look at the record from the Book of Genesis. That is:
Genesis 9:20-27
“And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard.
Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became
uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw
the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their
shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of
their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not
see their father’s nakedness. So Noah awoke from his wine,
and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he
said: “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants he shall be to
his brethren.” And he said: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of
Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge
Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; and may
Canaan be his servant.””
Does the fact that Noah drank and got drunk in this passage justify the
excessive use of wine, strong drink and alcohol by Christians today? Not in
any way. First, we must understand that Noah lived under a dispensation
where the full will of God concerning drinking and drunkenness had not been
fully revealed as we have it from both the Old and the New Testaments under
this dispensation of grace. So Noah could be pardoned by God for a lack of
the knowledge of His full will concerning the use of wine, strong drink and
alcohol. But we cannot be given this chance today because we have the full
will of God revealed to us.
That aside, Noah’s case of drunkenness does not still permit the use of wine
and strong drink because when we look at the things that followed this act of
drunkenness, there is nothing in it to encourage us to drink even if the Bible
had not openly spoken against it. What were some of the evils this act of
drunkenness brought to Noah and his family as a warning to us to abstain
completely from the use of wine and strong drink? First, the drinking brought
disgrace to Noah himself. In his stupefied state, he lay naked and uncovered
in his tent without knowing it.
In the same way today drunkards go semi-naked or in tattered and worn out
clothes to disgrace themselves. Some are often found sleeping by roadsides
and at the wrong places. In short, drinking brings disgrace upon people as it
brought upon Noah. Noah’s act of drunkenness should warn us to avoid such
disgrace instead of encouraging us to drink to fall into it. Another evil that
followed this single act of drunkenness in Noah’s family were the curses
brought upon some members of the family. Curses Noah would not have
pronounced upon some of his children were pronounced upon them because
of the shame, bitterness and anger that came upon him after he had learnt that
when he got drunk, he lay naked in his tent and exposed himself to his
children.
From verses 24 to 25 of the quotation, we know that Noah cursed his son
Canaan with this serious curse out of anger and bitterness which were all
brought about by this drunkenness. We read from these verses the words: “So
Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him.
Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants he shall be to his
brethren”. Does Noah’s act of drunkenness justify drinking in the Bible? Not
at all! The record of it is a warning to us. The Bible is a holy and true book
and is always careful to record both the faults and virtues of God’s people.
Noah sinned by drinking and getting drunk and exposing himself to such
disgrace. This one act of drunkenness even brought curses upon some
members of his family. This should warn us that nothing good comes out of
drinking. This case of drunkenness involving Noah should seriously warn us
to shun and avoid the use of wine, strong drink and alcohol completely. Let
us next move on to consider the other instance of drunkenness involving Lot.
Lot and drunkenness

Let us read the reference form Genesis chapter 19: It reads:
Genesis 19:30-39
“Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains,
and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to
dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.
Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and
there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom
of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and
we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our
father.” So they made their father drink wine that night. And
the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not
know when she lay down or when she arose.
It happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, “Indeed I
lay with my father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and
you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.”
Then they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose
and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. The firstborn
bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this
day. And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he
is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.”
Even though we are not specifically told the type of wine Lot drank as in the
case of Noah, we know it had strong intoxicating effect. For when he got
drunk, he could sleep with his own daughters without knowing what went on.
How will Lot feel when later he learns from his own virgin daughters that
because of the strong effect of wine and alcohol upon him, he could sleep
with them and impregnate them without his knowing anything? That is the
extent of the shame and the disgrace to which the excessive use of wine,
strong drink and alcohol can drive us!
Like Noah’s case, this is a clear case of sin and deviation from God’s plan
and purpose for His people. There is nothing in the bible to use to justify
Lot’s sin of drunkenness as a good example to follow. Is there anything
pleasant about this incident to encourage us to drink today? Drinking always
leads to disgraceful and shameful acts as Lot’s example shows us. This is
giving us a clear message that we will do better as Christians by practising
total abstinence from all forms of alcoholic and intoxicating beverages.
Lot’s case is one of the nastiest incidents of incest in the Bible and yet it
could come about only through drunkenness. To get their father to commit
incest with them, the two daughters of Lot managed to get their father heavily
drunk and slept with him in turns. They both became pregnant as a result of
this shameful act and gave birth to children who formed the ancestors of the
Moabites and Ammonites. The son of the first daughter became the father of
the Moabites and the son of the second daughter became the father of the
Ammonites.
Later in history, these two nations became some of the bitterest enemies of
the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham and were always at war with them.
Nothing good, pleasant, healthy or useful comes out of drinking and
drunkenness. It will be better for every serious Christian to abstain from this
practise totally! Let us now move on to explain another Old Testament
passage often quoted to support drinking and drunkenness. It comes from
“the celebration tithe and drinking”.
The Celebration Tithe and Drinking

“Then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go
to the place which the Lord your God chooses. And you shall spend that
money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar
drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord
your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.” (NKJV)
“Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in
thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy
God shall choose: and thou shalt bestow that money for
whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for
wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth:
and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou
shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household.” (KJV)
This quotation is a reference to the celebration tithe which the law prescribed
for all Israelites. The celebration tithe was a different type of tithe which was
to be brought from all over Israel to the sanctuary where it was eaten together
with those of the other Israelites to celebrate God’s divine provision for them.
It was a special time of fellowship for all Israelites.
The law, which established this tithe allowed the conversion of the tithe, paid
in the form of food, grains and other farm produce by those living far from
the sanctuary, into money (silver) to be later reconverted into goods when
they arrived at God’s dwelling. This was to prevent their carrying loads of
grain and other farm produce over long distances. When they arrived at the
place of celebration, such people were free to buy whatever they wanted to
buy because the money was their tithe.
In listing some of the items they could buy for the celebration, “wine or other
strong drink” is mentioned in the Authorized King James translation and
“fermented drink” is also mentioned in some of the modern translations like
the NIV. Some people see this as a contradiction of the general teaching of
the Bible that all true believers and children of God must refrain totally from
the use of wine, strong drink and alcohol. But this is not a contradiction at all.
First, there is a controversy over the correct rendering of that Hebrew word
translated “strong drink” or “fermented drink”. To most Hebrew scholars, the
word should not be translated as “strong drink” or “fermented drink” because
its literal meaning says, “other drink like the wine”. So the Israelites were
free to buy wine or any other drink like the wine with their money to join in
the celebration. There is thus no specific mention of strong drink or
fermented drink in the original Hebrew. The wine could therefore be non-
fermented wine.
Secondly, even if it is taken that what is said in this quotation is a reference to

the use of actual strong drink and fermented wine, this will not contradict the
general teaching of both the Old and the New Testament on drinking and the
use of strong drink and alcohol because in Israel, apart from drinking wine
and strong drink other domestic uses of wine not for the purpose of
intoxication occasionally made it necessary for all the Israelites to have some
strong wine close at hand.
For instance, strongly fermented wine was sometimes poured into wounds to
bring down the pain as in the case of the Good Samaritan. So if some of the
Israelites needed wine and strong drink for such acceptable medicinal
purposes, what prevented them from using that money which belonged to
them to buy such drinks? It was absolutely normal.
Thirdly, even if it is taken that the reference was to actual strong drinks and
alcohol, there is still no inference that at these feasts excessive use of wine
and strong drink leading to intoxication was permitted. It was a holy
convocation which put a difference between how the Israelites were to do it
and how the pagan, unbelieving nations surrounding them were also to
celebrate their joy. For this reason, even though they were free to buy and eat
whatever they desired, they had to do it within the limits of the Law in order
not to get drunk in the presence of the Lord.
Moreover, the excessive use of wine and fermented beverages is not one of
the things suggested by the occasion. After those who had travelled from afar
had bought whatever they wanted to buy with their money, the occasion
reminded them that the main purpose of the celebration was “to eat there in
the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice”. So far from justifying the
use of strong drink and wine among true believers, this passage together with
the other numerous warnings given about wine and strong drinks as we have
already discussed from the Old and the new Testaments should urge us to
pray to enable the Holy Spirit to help us to practise total abstinence.
The Scriptures on medicinal use of wine

Two other passages often used by drunkards to justify their use of alcohol,
strong drink and fermented wine are Proverbs 31:6-7 and 1 Timothy 5:23. Let
us quote them:
Proverbs 31:6-7
“Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those
who are bitter of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty,
and remember his misery no more.”
1 Timothy 5:23
“No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your
stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.”
Almost every drunkard who wants to disobey the Scriptures and continue to
drink strong drink and alcohol knows these verses. To them, it is a clear
permission from a man of God and from the Bible itself to drink and get
drunk. They forget that Timothy was instructed to drink only “a little wine”.
But the question is, do these two passages justify the use of wine and strong
drink by true Christians? The Answer is emphatic no!
All that these references are showing us is that the Bible does not forbid the
medicinal use of alcohol. If small quantities of alcohol are to be used for
medical purposes, the Bible does not forbid this. So, far from giving an open
license to drunkards, or justifying the excessive use of alcoholic beverages,
the quotation from 1 Timothy 5:23 only allows the use of small quantities
of wine diluted with water as medicine.
There was no way diluted wine was going to make young Timothy
intoxicated before the congregation. In much the same way, most of the
modern drugs we take today, especially, the cough mixtures contain small
quantities of alcohol incapable of making us drunk. The use of such drugs is
not sinful if the purpose is medicinal.
The second quotation taken from Proverbs 31:6-7 like that of Timothy also
allowed the medicinal use of stimulants, including wine for those perishing
among the Jews. It was normal in Bible times when medicine had not reached
its present level to give stimulants to people in anguish because it was felt
that this could in some way alleviate their pain and bring down their
suffering. This is why the passage is specific in saying, “Give strong drink
to him who is perishing”. The reason why such drinks are to be given to
such people is given as, “Let him drink and forget his poverty and
remember his misery no more” – In other words, let him drink
peradventure this will alleviate his suffering and pain!
This passage does not therefore give any green light for excessive drinking.
People who get involved in social drinking and drunkenness do not do so
because they are going through any pains and physical sufferings or are
perishing. Besides, modern medicine has given us modern alternatives to the
use of wine and strong drinks either as stimulants or to bring down our pain
today.
It was because it was normal in Bible times to give stimulants to people in

anguish that probably wine was offered to Christ on the cross when He said I
thirst. We read from Matthew 27:34 the words: “They gave Him sour wine
mingled with gall to drink, but when He had tasted it, He would not drink”.
The Gospel of Mark also confirms this by saying: “Then they gave Him wine
mingled with myrrh, but He did not take it”.
Christ knew that the purpose of His being offered the wine was to help
alleviate His pain and suffering, and help Him die a painless death on the
cross. This He saw would be contrary to God’s plan and purpose because He
was to suffer in our place to set us free from sin. He knew very well that the
quantity offered Him was not as could make Him drunk on the cross but He
still refused it. John tells us the quantity of wine they wanted to offer Christ
in the words: “Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they
filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth”.
A sponge-full of wine cannot make one intoxicated. Why then did Christ
refuse to take it? He came to suffer and to die for us. The suffering went with
the cross and the cross itself was a symbol of suffering. Why should He allow
wine to tone down this suffering which He was supposed to go through at all
costs for the sake of humanity? There is therefore nothing in these two verses
which contradicts the general biblical teaching on drinking, and on total
abstinence from the use of strong drink and wine.
Drunkenness among the degenerate Christians at Corinth

One unfortunate passage which is also often quoted to justify social drinking
among Christians is 1 Corinthians 11:21 where it is stated that some of the
Corinthian Christians were in the habit of getting drunk before the love feasts
often came on. Let us read it together before we discuss it.
“For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of
others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do
you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise
the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What
shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise
you.”
What some people pick from this passage to justify their drinking in the
Church is Paul saying: “Do you not have houses to eat and drink in” and also
his stating, “and one is hungry and another is drunk”. To them, what was
wrong was the believers bringing the drinks into the Church to drink and get
drunk. So if they can drink in their own houses as Paul is saying without
coming to Church to misbehave, then there is nothing wrong with their
drinking strong drinks and alcohol to get drunk.
Is Paul justifying drinking in this passage? People who say he does that are
totally out of context. He was writing about the general conduct of the
brethren at the Lord’s Supper and at their love feasts. They were to be united
at such gatherings and not eat without paying attention to each other. What is
Paul saying in these verses to correct the abuses? They were to be orderly!
They were also to examine themselves very well before partaking of the
Lord’s Supper otherwise they could bring trouble and judgement upon
themselves as 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 tells us the words, “Therefore whoever
eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be
guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and
so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in
an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the
Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many
sleep.”
Paul neither encouraged nor advocated social drinking. He was rather

correcting the abuses that went with some of the Church’s activities like the
Lord’s Supper and the love feasts which brought division instead of bringing
unity and oneness.
Furthermore, Paul was the apostle who was used to show us that drunkenness
is capable of excluding us from God’s holy kingdom. How could he have
encouraged drinking and drunkenness in the same letter he wrote to the same
people at Corinth? Drinking and drunkenness are condemned and forbidden
by the Bible as we have seen in this and the two previous chapters. The best
thing to do now is to pray to God to give us the strength and power to be able
to practise total abstinence and not to seek any justification for our drinking
habits.
PART 2
Instances of Drinking and Drunkenness among unbelievers
Apart from these instances of drinking and drunkenness affecting God’s
people, and the few Bible passages falsely interpreted to justify drinking and
the use of strong drinks, there are other instances of drinking and
drunkenness in the Bible touching on unbelievers, backsliders and others
whose names are found in the Bible but cannot be called the people of God.
We need not waste time to discuss these instances to see whether they justify
our use of wine and strong drink as Christians today or not because as already
said at the beginning of this book, it is not everything in the Bible which is
good and is meant to be copied as a good example by believers.
As Christians, if unbelievers get drunk and misbehave in the Bible, it is less

our concern even though it is recorded in the Holy Writ. If we want to make
anything out of such stories, they should rather make us aware that as the
New Testament teaches, drinking and drunkenness belong to the pagan world
of unbelievers and not to the members of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ
which He purchased with His own blood to be without spot and blemish.
Some of these instance include the drunkenness involving Amon in 2 Samuel
13:28; the one involving Elah in 1 Kings 16:9; that involving Benhadad and
the thirty-two confederate Kings in 1 Kings 20:16; that touching on
Belshazzar and the use of the golden vessels of the Lord taken from the
Temple in Jerusalem in Daniel 5:1-6 and that involving foolish Nabal which
led to his death in 1 Samuel 25:36-38.
CONCLUSION
What conclusion shall we draw on drinking and drunkenness after going
through these chapters? It is simply that there is nothing we can do to let the
Bible turn to say that drinking and drunkenness are good for us today! From
Genesis to Revelation, we have seen that it is evil and a gross act of
disobedience for any serious Christian to take to drinking whether he drinks
in large quantities or in small quantities. To help us refrain from drinking and
be able to break with this evil habit completely, we should end this last
chapter of this book by resolving to pray to get deliverance from the sin of
drunkenness. Deliverance is the only thing we need to pray for if we are
serious to enter the Kingdom of God as Christians.
DELIVERANCE FROM THE SIN OF DRUNKENNESS

The Bible teaches us that the devil’s only aim is to steal, kill and destroy.
Therefore, it cannot be denied that he is actively pursuing these goals through
drinking too. It is not uncommon in our society today to see very respectable
people in respectable positions reduced to slaves by the demon of alcohol. As
long as these people remain non-Christians, though they could be
churchgoers, the devil has full control over them and will continue to use
them the way he likes.
For this reason, before one can get over the habit of drinking, he must first
make sure that he has become a child of God. Specifically:
1. He must repent of his sin of drunkenness.
Acts 2:38
“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you
be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
2. He must confess the sin to God for forgiveness and cleansing.

1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
3. He must believe that Christ came to save him from all sins
including the sin of drunkenness.
Romans 5:8
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while
we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
4. He must pray to invite Christ into his heart as saviour and Lord,
and deliverer.
Revelation 3:20
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My
voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with
him, and he with Me.”
This, when sincerely done will open the way for him to become the child of
God. After becoming the child of God, the next thing to do is to claim the
promises of God for his deliverance. Three of some of the promises he can
stand on to pray and claim his deliverance are the following:
1. Claim it to break your enslavement to alcohol.

1 John 3:8
“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested,
that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
2. Claim your victory in the name of Christ over the demon of

alcohol
1 Corinthians 15:57
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ.”
3. Stand upon this verse and determine as from today never to taste
any wine or strong drink again through the power of Christ.
Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
4. Then Pray this prayer by faith:

Lord Jesus. You are my saviour and deliverer. Today I have seen that
drunkenness is evil. But I lack the power to break from it. I therefore
do repent of this sin right now, ask you to wash and cleanse me with
your blood and forgive me totally. I do invite you into my heart as
saviour, Lord and deliverer. Break the power of drunkenness in my
life. I renounce drinking totally in my life as well as the demons
holding me in this evil practice. Set me free by your power Lord
Jesus. I do offer myself wholly to you. AMEN.

Bible Lessons For The Youth of Christ - Dynamic Bible Study Outlines For The Youth With A Vision and Mission For Christ

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Bible Lessons For The Youth of Christ - Dynamic Bible Study Outlines For The Youth With A Vision and Mission For Christ

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BIBLE LESSONS FOR THE

WHAT TO DO IN OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES

2. What should we always try to do if we want to get daily spiritual

WHAT OUR DAILY PRACTICAL LIVES SHOULD BE

2. What practical steps should we take to enable us live as new creatures

3. What should our daily practical lives be if we want to maintain our

2. (Rom. 8:6-7, Col. 3:1-2) (We should be spiritually minded)

WHAT TO DO IN OUR MINISTRY LIFE

1. The Youth of God are to be sober-minded and completely self-controlled.

3. The Youth of God must live to be examples of piety and godliness. (1

PERSONAL APPLICATION QUESTION

SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING IN THE FLESH

B. Yielding to gluttonous living. (Phil. 3:19; Prov. 23:20)

C. Giving yourself over to excessively luxurious living. (1 Kin. 4:22-23; 1

E. Being dominated and controlled by outbursts of sinful emotions. (Gen.

THE BELIEVER’S ATTITUDE TO THE WORLD

THE NATURE OF THE UNREGENERATED WORLD

3. It chokes the growth of the Word of God in us (Matt. 13:22; Mk.

MANIFESTATIONS OF WORLDLINESS IN PRACTICAL LIVING

2. It manifests in having worldly cares and anxieties contrary to faith in

3. It manifests in indulging in worldly pleasures as the unsaved and the

4. It manifests in worldly conduct, worldly living, worldly dressing and

b) Women wearing men’s dresses and vice-versa. (Deut. 22:5)

c) Dressing without regard to modesty and inward beauty. (1 Pet.

d) Manipulative dressing which incites sexual feelings in others. (1

PRAYER AND SUCCESS

4. We can accomplish far more by our prayers than by our mere

5. All fruitfulness in Christian service is the result of both persistent

6. It is not an overstatement to say that the success of everything in the

PRAYER AND POWER

3. Prayer releases the omnipotent power of God. It can do anything

PRAYER AND VICTORY

2. Satan laughs at our incessant but powerless human toiling but

3. All true spiritual revivals are the outcome of times of intensive

1. What instructions are given to us on the number of times we should

2. What specific instructions are generally given to all sincere believers

3. What help should we seek from God to help us pray regularly?

4. What warning should we take as we go before the Lord in prayer?

5. How best can we pray to get positive results from God?

SPECIAL BIBLE STUDY ON ISAIAH 40:31

PART 1 (But they…)

II. Do you think verse 30 of chapter 40 is true of the Youth of Christ

1. What does it mean “to wait upon the Lord?

(a) It means to serve or take care of somebody. (Num. 3:10)

(c) It means to act as a servant to somebody and fetch and carry

2. Which of these three meaning is applicable in Isaiah 40:31?

4. What spiritual standards are required of those who sincerely want to

(b) In the area of spiritual thirst? (Isa. 55:1; Ps. 143:6)

7. According to the following references, how, when and where should

9. When everything is said and done who qualifies by the Biblical

“O MIGHTY AND FAITHFUL IS JEHOVAH GOD”

2. What is the meaning of the word power? (The dictionary defines

3. When we say that God is all Powerful, Almighty or Omnipotent, how

4. To what can we compare God’s power in the world, in heaven or

Genesis 1:6-7, 9, 11, 15

9. What is the power of God available to help believers to do in their

1. A faithful person is one who is trustworthy, dependable and

(b) Ps. 119:90

(c) Ps. 143:1

(d) Ps. 89:2

(e) Ps. 89:8

(f) Ps. 89:23-24

(g) Ps. 89:33