9 Lessons
1.God is a God of order (1 – 4; 1st Corinthians 14:40..."But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner." (NASB))
2.Live and obey by faith—Faith application and Faith-Rest (11, 13, 14; Hebrews 3 – 4)
3.Spiritual Cowards (grumble and unbelief) and Spiritual Heroes (11, 21, 13 – 14; 2nd Timothy 4)
4.Authority, humility, and rebellion, in ministry (12, 16; 1st Corinthians 4; 3rd John 9 – 10)
5.Divine Discipline (11, 14, 16, 20, 21; Hebrews 12:5 – 13..."...and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES." It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom {his} father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He {disciplines us} for {our} good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that {the limb} which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed." (NASB); 1st Corinthians 11:3-31; Acts 1 – 11)
6.Failure does not stop service (20; Luke 22:54 – 62..."Having arrested Him, they led Him {away} and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, "This man was with Him too." But he denied {it,} saying, "Woman, I do not know Him." A little later, another saw him and said, "You are {one} of them too!" But Peter said, "Man, I am not!" After about an hour had passed, another man {began} to insist, saying, "Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too." But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, "Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly." (NASB); Act 1:15..."At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said..." (NASB); Act 2:14..."But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: "Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words." (NASB); Act 10:5..."Now dispatch {some} men to Joppa and send for a man {named} Simon, who is also called Peter..." (NASB))
7.Salvation by faith (21; John 3:14 – 16..."As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (NASB))
8.Passing the mantel: transition of authority and leadership (27; Titus 1:5..."For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you..." (NASB); Philippians 2:19 – 30..."But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. For I have no one {else} of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child {serving} his father. Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things {go} with me; and I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly. But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned {about you.} Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me." (NASB))
9.Importance of spiritual heritage (8, 16, 34 – 36; Philippians 1:27 – 30..."Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by {your} opponents--which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that {too,} from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear {to be} in me." (NASB))
2.Live and obey by faith—Faith application and Faith-Rest (11, 13, 14; Hebrews 3 – 4)
3.Spiritual Cowards (grumble and unbelief) and Spiritual Heroes (11, 21, 13 – 14; 2nd Timothy 4)
4.Authority, humility, and rebellion, in ministry (12, 16; 1st Corinthians 4; 3rd John 9 – 10)
5.Divine Discipline (11, 14, 16, 20, 21; Hebrews 12:5 – 13..."...and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES." It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom {his} father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He {disciplines us} for {our} good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that {the limb} which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed." (NASB); 1st Corinthians 11:3-31; Acts 1 – 11)
6.Failure does not stop service (20; Luke 22:54 – 62..."Having arrested Him, they led Him {away} and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, "This man was with Him too." But he denied {it,} saying, "Woman, I do not know Him." A little later, another saw him and said, "You are {one} of them too!" But Peter said, "Man, I am not!" After about an hour had passed, another man {began} to insist, saying, "Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too." But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about." Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, "Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly." (NASB); Act 1:15..."At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said..." (NASB); Act 2:14..."But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: "Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words." (NASB); Act 10:5..."Now dispatch {some} men to Joppa and send for a man {named} Simon, who is also called Peter..." (NASB))
7.Salvation by faith (21; John 3:14 – 16..."As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (NASB))
8.Passing the mantel: transition of authority and leadership (27; Titus 1:5..."For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you..." (NASB); Philippians 2:19 – 30..."But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. For I have no one {else} of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child {serving} his father. Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things {go} with me; and I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly. But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned {about you.} Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me." (NASB))
9.Importance of spiritual heritage (8, 16, 34 – 36; Philippians 1:27 – 30..."Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by {your} opponents--which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that {too,} from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear {to be} in me." (NASB))