Born Anew
Born Anew:
Becoming a Joint Heir With Christ
By c jh griffin
Griffin Publishing Co. Inc.
P. O. Box 377572
Chicago IL 60637
Born Anew
Becoming A Joint Heir With Christ
By c jh griffin
This workbook includes materials created and/ or compiled byc jh griffin. All rights are reserved, no partof this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Address all inquiries
to the Griffin Publishing Co. Inc. 6812 S. Langley Ave.
Chicago IL 60637-4121
First published May 2001 in the United States of America
Griffin Publishing Co. Inc.
P. O. Box377572
Chicago IL. 60637
ISBN 978-1-929388-38=7
2014
Introduction
The Old and New Testament give historical meaning to God’s covenant on salvation, obedience and supporting the work to be done. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have been adopted as sons (children) into the family of God. We have become heirs to the promises and rewards for the services we render, in accordance to God’s will, in the Kingdom of God.
In the family of God, children are expected to work. In the Old Testament when parents complained that their son was “stubborn and rebellious, will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.” The punishment was for the son was to be stoned to death by all the men of the city to “purge the evil from (their) midst and all Israel shall hear and fear.” Deu 21:18-21 God works; Gen 2:2, His Holy Spirit works with Jesus Christ, interceding for us in the heavens. Believers are expected to work also.
Believer’s names are “written in the book according to their works.” Rev 20:12 Believers are to be judged and rewarded according to their work. We, as individuals, cannot work at everything that needs to be done in the Kingdom of God. Our first duty is to work according to our Calling. We can work to support others in the areas to which they have been called, i.e. other missionaries, are working in the Kingdom, doing tasks we have not been enabled to do. Yet we are all working towards the same goal; the One New Man.
While growing in Christ-likeness, we are required to “serve the Lord” Gen 23:25; by “building up the body of Christ” Eph 4:12, using our time, our tithes and our offerings.
Instructions
The instructions for this workbook are the same as for any other workbook published by Griffin Publishing Co. Inc. The intent and purpose is to encourage the participant reader to ask themselves the questions as presented and to thoughtfully respond. By asking and responding to the questions the participant is guided through the exercise especially designed to help him/ her examine themselves and their relationship with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Is the relationship where he/she wants it to be? If not, why not? What can be done to make it better?
The answers are to be written in the spaces provided an in so doing will document the participant’s responses. The written responses can then be kept, examined, evaluated and re-evaluated at a later time by the participant. They can then look for signs of spiritual growth, new understanding of the texts selected and whether or not they have deepened their relationship with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In essence the participant has taken responsibility for their spiritual growth, training and development.
This workbook is designed to be used by a group, in the home or elsewhere. Scripture references are from the RSV however no one version of the Bible is more valuable than another. Using different versions can add clarity to the passage during the group’s discussion. God shows “no partiality”an in that regard there should be ‘no partiality’ shown to any group member. The goal is for everyone to grow in Christ.
The questions are as follows:
(1)What did you like best about the passage?
(2)What did you like least about the passage?
(3)What did you not understand about the passage?
(4)What did you learn about god from this passage?
(5)What do you need to do about it?
(6)What would you like to think about over the next week?
Table of Contents
Instructions4
Background Passages6
Birthright Lost7
Birthright Sold7
Birthright Unheeded7
Birthright Grieved8
Birthright redeemed8
Birthright Heeded8
Birthright Responsibilities9
Shalls9
Birthright Privileges10
Birthright Rewards10
Background Passages
Note we’ve changed three words, of verse 13, for sake of discussion to read as follows: “If I have rejected the cause of my male or female brethren when they brought complaints against my church; what then shall I do when GOD rises up?”
“If I have rejected the cause of my male or female slaves, when they brought a complaint against me; what then shall I do when God rises up? Job 31:13
“When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer Him? Did not he who made me in the womb make them? And did not one fashion of in the womb? v. 14
“If I have withheld anything that the poor desired, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, or have eaten my morsel alone, and the orphan has not eaten from it -- for from my youth I reared the orphan like a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow -- if I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, or a poor person without covering, whose loins have not blessed me, and who was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; if I have raised my hand against the orphan, because I saw I had supporters at the gate; then let my shoulder blade fall from my shoulder, and let my arm be broken from it’s socket. For I was in terror of calamity from God, and I could not have faced his majesty. v. 16-23
“If I have made gold my trust, or called fine gold my confidence; if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, or because my hand had gotten much; if I have looked at the sun when it shone, of the moon moving in splendor, and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth has kissed my hand; this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I should have been false to GOD above.” Job 31:24-29
Do we not owe it to ourselves and to each other, to love one another as Jesus Christ LOVES his church?
Born Anew:
Becoming A Joint Heir With Christ
A Birthright Lost
“…she took of its fruit and ate... and he ate.”
‘So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was desired to make one wise she took of its fruit and ate, and she gave some to her husband and he ate. v. 7The eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons” Gen 3:6-7
A Birthright Sold
“, of what use is a birthright to me?”
“Once when Jacob was boiling pottage, Esau came in from the field and he was famished. v. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red pottage, for I am famished!” (there for his name was called Edom.) v. 31 Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” v. 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” v. 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. v.34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. thus Esau despised his birthright.” Gen 25 29-34
A Birthright Unheeded
“, make friends for yourselves by... “
“The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation that the sons of light. v. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitation.” Luk 16:8-9
A Birthright Grieved
“…who sold his birthright for a single meal.”
“Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your week knees, v. 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. v. 14 Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. v. 15 See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness spring up and cause trouble, and by the many become defiled; v. 16 that no one be immoral or irreligious like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. v. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” Heb 12:12-17
A Birthright Redeemed
“For God sent his Son into the world... “
“For God so loved the world he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. v. 17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. v. 18 He who believes in his is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. Joh 3:16-18
A Birthright Heeded
“Repent,”
“From that time Jesus began to preach saying. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Joh 4:17
“You must be born anew..”
“Jesus answered. ‘Truly, truly, I say to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. v. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. v. 7 Do not marvel that I say to you, ‘You must be born anew.’” Joh 3:5-6
“If anyone serves me, he must follow me;”
“And Jesus answered him, ‘The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. v. 24 Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth, and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. v. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. v. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.’” Joh 12:23-16
Birthright Responsibilities
“I have made you a watchman...”
“And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: v. 17 ‘Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them a warning from me. v. 18 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surly die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. v. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you will have saved your life.”v. 20
“Again, if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require of your hand. v. 21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surly live because he took your warning; and you will have saved your life.’” Eze 3:16-21
“Shalls”
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Joh 4:4
You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” Joh 4:7
“You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.” Joh 4:10b
“This is the first and great commandment.”
“Teacher which is the great commandment in the law? v. 37and he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind. v. 38this is the first and great commandment. v. 39 and a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. v. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.” Mat 22:36-40
“Put on as Gods’ chosen ones”
“Put on then, as Gods’ chosen ones, holy and beloved; compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness and patience, v. 13 forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. v. 14and above all these things put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. v. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body, And thankful. v. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. v. 17 And whatever you do, in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through him.” Col 3:12-17
“, so I have sent them into the world.”
“I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one. v. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world, v. 17 Sanctify the in the truth: thy word is truth As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. v. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth. Joh 17:15-19
Birthright Privileges
‘; for he who is in you is greater than...”
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. v. 2 By this you the Spirit of God; every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, v. 3 and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already. v. 4 Little children you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 Joh 4:1-4
“greater works than these will he do,”
“Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. v. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the father may be glorified in the Son; v. 14 if you ask anything in my name I will do it.” Joh 14:12-14
Birthright Rewards
“they may be one even as we are one,”
“The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, v. 23 I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one even as we are one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved me. v. 24 Father, I desire also that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world. v. 25 O righteous Father, the world has not known thee, but I have known thee: and these know that thou hast sent me. v. 26 I made known to them thy name, and I will make it known that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.” Joh 17:22-26
“We must obey God rather than men.”
“And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, v. 28 saying, ‘We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.’ v. 29 But Peter and the apostles answered ‘We must obey God rather than men.’ v. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. v. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. v. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.’” Act 5:27-32
“He who conquers,”
“He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. v. 22 He who has as ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Rev 3:21-22
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