2. INTRODUCTION
People in our country and in various foreign
countries have a lot of different ideas on
how to please God in their lives. We could
easily list some: helping the needy,
charitable giving, offering sacrifices and
prayers to idols, fighting for a cause etc…
Now look at each one of these and tell
whether they are God pleasing or not.
Some are and some are definitely not at all.
It all depends. That is what our lesson will
help us with today.
4. Romans 3:28
For we maintain that a man is justified by
faith apart from observing the law.
5. THE BELIEVER IS SET FREE APART
FROM OBSERIVING THE LAW - You have
maybe heard of a “whipping boy.” A prince
could not be publicly whipped but when he
broke the law someone had to be punished.
Therefore a boy was chosen to be
punished so that the prince could go free - a
whipping boy. Jesus took our place under
the law so that we could be justified. He
was our whipping boy.
6. Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith—and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by
works, so that no one can boast.
7. WE ARE SAVED BY GOD’S GRACE,
NOT BY WORKS - If you have to
work for something it is not a gift. If
you are given an incredible gift from
your parents on your birthday, but
then go and boast that you deserve it
because you have been such a good
kid, you rob your parents of the joy of
giving you a free gift.
8. Romans 9:30-32
30 What then shall we say? That the
Gentiles, who did not pursue
righteousness, have obtained it, a
righteousness that is by faith; 31 but
Israel, who pursued a law of
righteousness, has not attained it. 32 Why
not? Because they pursued it not by faith
but as if it were by works. They stumbled
over the “stumbling stone.”
9. WE LOSE OUR SALVATION IF WE
PURSUE IT BY WORKS - Again, imagine
that your mom gave you a $1000 check for
your birthday. She gave it to you because
she loved you and wants you to have it. If
you told her that you deserved that money
because you are such an awesome kid
and it’s about time she coughed up some
money for all the things that you have
done for her, she will take the check back.
In the same way, we lose God’s gift by
works.
10. On the basis of these passages, if you were
to fill in the percentages of how much our
salvation is dependant on God’s grace and
how much is dependant on our good works,
what would the percentages be?
100
Our salvation is ______________% God’s
0
Grace and ________% our good works.
11. What change in attitude did the
Holy Spirit work in us when he
brought us to faith?
12. Galatians 5:24
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified
the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
WE ARE LED TO HATE THE SINFUL
NATURE - In 2 Peter 2:2, Peter speaks of a
dog returning and eating his own vomit and
about a pig who is washed will go back and
wallow in the mud. When the Holy Spirit
brings us to faith, we are not like a dog or a
pig, rather we hate our sins like vomit or
mud.
13. Titus 2:14
who gave himself for us to redeem us from all
wickedness and to purify for himself a people
that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
WE ARE NOW EAGER TO DO WHAT
GOD DESIRES - You have heard how
some children react to their parent’s
requests. Some moan and say “Aw, mom,
do I have to?!” Others say, “OK, Dad, I’ll do
it right away!” The latter is the attitude that
the Holy Spirit has worked in our hearts
when he brings us to faith.
14. When the Holy Spirit brought us
to faith, he changed our attitude so
that we now hate sin and are eager to
do God’s will.
15. God’s Word in My Life
1. Agree or disagree and why? A
Christian does good works to show God
that he is worthy of God’s love.
2. Agree or disagree and why? The
work of Jesus Christ gives us a chance to
win eternal life by following his example.
17. Galatians 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I
no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The
life I live in the body, I live by faith in the
Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me.
18. John 15:4-5
4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must
remain in the vine. Neither can you bear
fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the
vine; you are the branches. If a man
remains in me and I in him, he will bear
much fruit; apart from me you can do
nothing.
19. THE POWER COMES FROM
JESUS IN OUR HEARTS BY FAITH
Jesus uses the example of a grape
vine to picture how we get the
power from him to do good works.
If a branch is broken off a vine it
dies and on the vine it produces
fruit. As long as we are connected
to Jesus we will be able to do good
works.
20. Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.
GOD HAS CREATED US IN JESUS TO
DO GOOD WORKS - When you are
training a child to do things on their own,
you lay out their clothes in front of them
and help them put them on and then praise
them for doing such a great job. God lays
before us good works and helps us do
them to give him honor.
21. CHRISTIAN VOCABULARY
Good Works - a deed that flows
from faith in Jesus and gives God
glory
Justify - (review word) to be
declared “not guilty”
22. Understanding Good Works
Think about apple trees. Why is it that they
produce apples? Is it because they’ll feel
guilty if they don’t? Is it because they will
be in some sort of trouble if they don’t
produce enough fruit? That’s foolish! Apple
trees produce apples because that’s just
what apple trees do. It’s natural.
23. Christians produce good works, not
because they’ll feel guilty if they don’t, and
not because they’re afraid that otherwise
they’ll get in trouble with God. Christians
produce good works because Christ gave
them the power to do so. It’s what
Christians do naturally now!
24. God’s Word in My Life
1. Agree or Disagree and why? People
without faith can still do good works.
2. Which of these three illustrations best
pictures the works in your life? Why?
a. A small branch on an apple tree
loaded with perfect fruit.
b. A branch on a dying apple tree that
has some withering fruit.
c. A branch on an apple tree that has
some good fruit and some fruit with
worms in it.
27. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
14 For Christ’s love compels us,
because we are convinced that one
died for all, and therefore all died. 15
And he died for all, that those who
live should no longer live for
themselves but for him who died for
them and was raised again.
28. THE LOVE CHRIST SHOWED TO US
Two people who love each other don’t
have to be forced to do things for each
other. They naturally do them. If one
needs the other, they go. Love shows
itself in actions. Neither does God
have to force us to do good works.
We are compelled to live for him rather
than ourselves.
29. Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, whether in word
or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through him.
30. WE DO GOOD WORKS TO THANK
GOD FOR HIS GOODNESS - If you
were drowning and someone pulled
you to safety, you would feel that
you should thank them somehow.
You might pull out some soggy
money from your pocket. You are
not paying him back for saving you -
he already did that. You are
thanking him. We do good works not
to pay God back for saving us, that’s
already done. We do it to thank him.
31. We are motivated to do good works
out of love for Jesus and out of
thanks to God.
33. WE CAN USE GOD’S WORD AS A
TEST TO SEE WHETHER A WORK IS
GOOD OR NOT- In a factory, there are
usually some tests that a product must
pass before it can go out on the market.
Ropes have to be a certain strength.
Automobiles have crash & breaking tests.
Baby cribs have safety tests. God’s word
is the test we use for everything—no
popularity polls, not our friends opinions,
or what we want. God’s Word determines
whether it is good or not.
34. God’s Word in My Life
1. Agree or Disagree and why?
Because we are saved by grace, through
faith, God doesn’t care whether a Christian
does good works or not. He cares whether
or not we have faith.
2. What do you think? If I am saved
entirely by God’s grace and my good works
have nothing to do with it, why can’t I go out
and commit whatever sins I want and then
ask God for forgiveness later?
35. ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT TIME
REVIEWING THE LESSON
1. Review your notes; be sure you understand them. Be prepared for a written or oral
quiz. Don’t forget about the vocabulary words!
2. Make a flashcard for and memorize Colossians 3:17 and Ephesians 2:8-9. Be
able to put the passages into your own words.
PREPARING FOR THE NEXT LESSON
Ask your parents to help you with the following activity:
1. Read Matthew 19:16 - 26
2. Complete the Bible History Worksheet.
BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
Memorize the books of the New Testament: Matthew - Revelation
37. INTRODUCTION
How many of you have been to Africa? How
many of you have a relative who lives in
Africa? Then how do you know there is a
place called Africa? (maps, globes, pictures,
TV, books, etc.) None of you has ever been
to Africa, but you know it is there. You have
found out about it from other sources.
Today we’re going to learn how we find out
about God. None of us have ever seen him,
yet we know he’s there.
39. Psalm 19:1
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the
skies proclaim the work of his hands.
40. I LEARN SOME THINGS ABOUT GOD
FROM NATURE. The pyramids in Egypt
(show picture on overhead) didn’t just drop
out of the sky. Someone had to build them.
The same can be said about your house.
The same can be said about the created
universe. Someone had to build it. That
someone is God. You can’t look directly at
the sun, but you can look at it’s reflection in
a pond. We can’t look directly at God, but
you can see his reflection in nature.
41. Acts 14:17
Yet he has not left himself without
testimony: He has shown kindness by
giving you rain from heaven and crops in
their seasons; he provides you with plenty
of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
42. FROM NATURE I LEARN ABOUT GOD’S
KINDNESS. Perhaps you have a friend
whose room is filled with nice things: a
TV/VCR, computer, nice clothes, sports
equipment, etc. Those things tell you he has
generous parents (I’ll bet the same can be
said for your parents!). All of the blessings
of nature—rain, sun, crops, etc.—show us
how kind our God is.
43. Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God’s
invisible qualities—his eternal power and
divine nature—have been clearly seen,
being understood from what has been
made, so that men are without excuse.
44. FROM NATURE I ALSO LEARN THAT
GOD IS ETERNAL, POWERFUL, AND
DIVINE. God is eternal. That means he
has no beginning or end (like an unbroken
circle). To create everything he has is to
be powerful. Imagine the power of
Niagara Falls. That’s nothing compared to
the One who created those falls.
Obviously, nature was created by
someone divine, not human we human’s
don’t even really know what light is—a
particle or a wave!
45. Psalm 104:24
How many are your works, O LORD! In
wisdom you made them all; the earth is full
of your creatures.
FROM NATURE WE ALSO LEARN THAT
GOD IS WISE. In fact he is the wisest of all.
Take a look at your family car. You can tell
a lot about the inventor of that car. You can
see that he is logical, orderly, smart and
wise. Look at the orderliness, design and
beauty of nature (like the human hand). A
wise God created it!
46. One way I learn about God is from
nature. Nature shows me that God is
kind, eternal, powerful, wise and
divine.
What is a second way that I can learn
about God?
47. Romans 2:14,15
14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not
have the law, do by nature things required
by the law, they are a law for themselves,
even though they do not have the law, 15
since they show that the requirements of
the law are written on their hearts, their
consciences also bearing witness, and
their thoughts now accusing, now even
defending them.)
48. I LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT GOD
FROM MY CONSCIENCE. The gauges
on an airplane let the pilot know when
something is wrong. Our conscience is
like those gauges. It tells us when
something has gone wrong with our
conduct. It’s that little voice inside that
condemns us for our sinful actions. It’s
the accusing finger that points our sins.
49. Romans 1:32
Although they know God’s righteous decree
that those who do such things deserve
death, they not only continue to do these
very things but also approve of those who
practice them.
50. MY CONSCIENCE TELLS ME THAT I
DESERVE DEATH. Because all people
have a conscience, all religions in the world
—except Christianity—try to avoid God’s
anger over sin by DOING something that
will make God happy. Because of
conscience, everyone knows that he is
responsible to God for his sins.
51. A second way that I learn about God
is through my conscience, which
tells me that I am responsible to
God for my sins and deserve his
punishment.
52. GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE
What do the following tell you about
God?
A spring garden in bloom.
Our bodies’ ability to heal and develop
immunity to disease.
The various cycles of the earth—water
cycle, cycle of the seasons, etc.
54. Acts 16:25-30
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were
praying and singing hymns to God, and the
other prisoners were listening to them. 26
Suddenly there was such a violent
earthquake that the foundations of the
prison were shaken. At once all the prison
doors flew open, and everybody’s chains
came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and
when he saw the prison doors open, he
drew his sword and was about to kill himself
because he thought the prisoners had
escaped.
55. Acts 16:25-30
28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself!
We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for
lights, rushed in and fell trembling before
Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them
out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?”
56. I CANNOT LEARN FROM NATURE
HOW I AM SAVED. The “Service
Engine Soon” light on your car’s dash
can tell you something is wrong, but it’s
not specific. Your conscience tells you
something is wrong between you and
God, but not how it is fixed.
57. 2 Timothy 3:15
and how from infancy you have
known the holy Scriptures, which are
able to make you wise for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
58. ONLY THE BIBLE CAN TELL ME HOW I
AM SAVED. The riding lawn mower won’t
start. Bad wiring? Out of gas? Dead
battery? Only when you look in the manual
do you realize the problem. You need to
depress the clutch when starting. People
have lots of suggestions about getting to
heaven: be nice, do good works, don’t hurt
anybody. But only in the Bible do we see
that Jesus is the only Savior.
59. The third way I learn about God is
from the Bible. Only God’s Word tells
me that God saved me from my sins.
60. CHRISTIAN VOCABULARY
Eternal: Without beginning or end.
Divine: Not human, but God. Able to do what
only God can do.
Conscience: The little voice inside us that tells
us when we are sinning.
Natural Knowledge of God: What I can
know about God from nature and conscience.
Revealed Knowledge of God: What I can
know about God only from the Bible (that Jesus
is my Savior, that he’s triune).
61. GOD’S WORD IN MY LIFE
1. Agree or Disagree and why?
People could come to saving faith if they
would only look closely at nature and listen
to their conscience.
2. Agree or disagree and why? There
really is no such thing as an atheist.
62. STUDYING GOD’S WORD
What are two different ways that
God’s nature is different than mine?
63. Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit,
God is Three persons in One - Father,
Son and Holy Spirit - A tricycle has
three wheels. In the term tri-une, the
first part of the word “tri” reminds us that
God is three persons.
64. Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the
LORD is one.
God is also one God - A unicycle has
one wheel. In the term tri-une, the
second part of the word “une” reminds us
that although God is three persons, he is
one God. This is one basic way that
God’s nature is different than ours.
65. John 4:24
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship
in spirit and in truth.”
God is Spirit - Children sometimes have an
imaginary friend. They talk to that friend,
make believe he is eating something they
give him, etc. Their friend doesn’t have a
body and can’t be seen. As a spirit, God
doesn’t have a body and can’t be seen. But
he is not just imaginary. He is living and
real.
66. The two basic ways that God’s nature is
different than ours are that He is triune
and spirit.
Diagram of our Triune God
God’s Math
1 + 1 +1 = 1
Our Tri-une God!
67. Object Lesson - Light a candle
What comes first when the match touched
the wick - Light or Heat?
(Father, Son, & Holy Spirit)
Our triune God is three-in-one
simultaneously throughout all eternity.
68. God’s Word in My Life
1. Agree or Disagree and why?
We have one God, but sometimes he acts
like the Father, sometimes he acts like the
Son, and other times he acts like the Holy
Spirit.
2. The New Age Movement teaches
that all things are god. Mormons believe
that some day they will become gods and
inherit their own planet. In what ways do
these ideas not square with what the Bible
says?
69. ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT TIME
REVIEWING THE LESSON
1. Review your notes; be sure you understand them. Be prepared for a written or oral
quiz. Don’t forget about the vocabulary words!
2. Make a flashcard for and memorize 2 Timothy 3:15. Be able to put the passage
into your own words or answer questions concerning it.
PREPARING FOR THE NEXT LESSON
Ask your parents to help you with the following activity:
1. Complete the Bible History Worksheet.
2. Help you learn the whole Apostles’ Creed by heart.
Learn the Confession of our Faith
Memorize: The Apostles’ Creed