RealTimeFaith.net : 1Q Lesson 12:

Matthew 7:13, 14 (Contemporary English Version)

“Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate. But the gate to life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that only a few people find it.”

“There is a remedy for the sin-sick soul. That remedy is in Jesus. Precious Saviour! His grace is sufficient for the weakest; and the strongest must also have His grace or perish” (Messages to Young People).

Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 138

After reading page 138, please answer the following questions:

In the first paragraph, a gate is mentioned, where is it?
When were the gates closed, and what type of road lead to the gate?
Matthew 7:14, Jesus used these gates and paths in His teaching. What was He illustrating?
What type of road did Jesus say is the road to destruction?
What type of road did Jesus say is the road leading to life?

SECOND OPINIONS

While traveling around the world, John and his wife, Anne, were camping in a country far from home when John was bitten by a snake. Not knowing what kind of snake it was or what the bite’s effects might be, John and Anne jumped in to their jeep and headed for the nearest town, where a doctor examined John’s red, swollen, angry-looking snakebite wound.

“You were bitten by the most dangerous snake in this part of the country.” The doctor said, “And the bite is fatal. Without treatment, you have less than an hour to live.”

“Is there any treatment?” Anne asked, frantic to save her husband’s life.

“Yes, you’re very fortunate that I have a small amount of the antidote here in my clinic,” the doctor said, filling the syringe.

“Wait a second,” John said. “You’re saying this antidote of yours is the only cure for the snakebite venom?”

“The only known cure, sir,” the doctor said.

“Hurry up and give him the needle!” Anne insisted.

“No, I want to think about this,” John said. “I think it’s pretty narrow-minded of you to insist this is the only treatment available. What if I want to try something different? I don’t like needles. I like herbal remedies. Maybe there’s an herb I can take? Or, I’d like to try doing some exercises to see if those would make it better.”

“We must hurry, sir,” the doctor said. “Already the poison is spreading through your bloodstream. I repeat, this antidote is the only cure.”

“John, just let him give you the needle,” Anne begged.

“I’m really not sure about this,” John said. “There’s always more than one way to approach a situation. I think we need to explore other options rather than just taking his word for it that there’s only one cure.”

In real life, this situation would be unthinkable. In a life-or-death situation, most people would accept the doctor’s word that there’s only one available treatment. But many people reject the message that there’s only one way to eternal salvation—through Jesus—and only one guide to living life—the Bible. How is God’s truth like the snakebite antidote? How is it different? Is a person who rejects God’s “treatment” behaving as foolishly as John did in this story?

Romans 3:22-24 (Contemporary English Version)

“God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.

“God sent Christ to be our sacrifice. Christ offered his life's blood, so that by faith in him we could come to God. And God did this to show that in the past he was right to be patient and forgive sinners. This also shows that God is right when he accepts people who have faith in Jesus.”

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (New King James Version)

“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!”

Romans 12:8-10 (Contemporary English Version)

“If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully. Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself.”

HERE’S WHAT I THINK

Your friend Tiffany is one of the nicest people you know. She’s always cheerful and pleasant, she’s kind to everyone, she likes to get involved in activities that will make the world a better place, like raising money for the homeless or starting a recycling program. You ask if she’d like to come to church with you, but she says, “I believe Jesus was a good man, but I don’t think He was God. I think God is in all of us; God is whatever you want Him to be. And I don’t think I’m a sinner, so why do I need to be saved?”

Does Tiffany need Jesus? How do you respond to her beliefs? Is there a way to share your beliefs that would be meaningful to her?

Log on to www.guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your responses. Be up-front and honest. Say what you think. The lines below are provided as an alternative to posting. You may wish to record your thoughts and share them with your class later.

Standing on Solid Ground

Decode the message by inserting each substitute letter.

Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p.139

After you read page 139, please answer these questions or follow the stated directions.

What must be given up “if you would keep the way of the Lord”?
What is heaven’s path like?
Is the upward path hard and the downward road easy? Explain.
Highlight the sentence that starts, “It is true that Satan’s path is made to appear attractive. . .”
The downward road may look bright with flowers; however, what might you find in the path?
hat verse tells us to turn away from evil people?

Hebrews 12:1-3 (New King James Version)

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.”

1 Timothy 4:3 (The Message)

“These liars have lied so well and for so long that they've lost their capacity for truth.”

Psalm 119:9, 10 (The Message)

“How can a young person live a clean life?
By carefully reading the map of your Word.
I'm single-minded in pursuit of you;
don't let me miss the road signs you've posted.”

Titus 1:15 (New International Version)

“To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.”

SO WHAT?

When your grandparents were teens, most people around them probably believed that the Bible set the standard for what was right and wrong, even if they didn’t follow it themselves! We live in a different world. More and more people today believe the truth is something that comes from inside you. People question the authority of the Bible and of God, and look to other sources or to themselves for truth. A lot of the old standards of right and wrong don’t seem to apply anymore. How do you make decisions about what’s right and wrong when it seems there are more choices than ever before?

Though we need to respect others who make different choices, as Christian young people we still need to stand firm on the Bible as our authority. It doesn’t change. Basing your beliefs and our actions on God’s Word will give you solid ground to stand on in a world where everything seems to be changing so fast, it’s almost impossible to keep up with it.

Many Bible verses have been used in your lesson this week. To help you review the verses for the week, look through your lesson and answer the questions below:

What Bible verses tell about the straight and narrow way?
Which Bible verses tell about the gift God gave us?
Which Bible verse tells us not to cast our pearls before hogs? What does that mean?
Which Bible verse mentions liars? What is it talking about?
What verse talks about being pure?
What verse talks about being clean?
What verses tell you to follow God’s voice?
What verses tell you to trust in God?
What verse tells you to seek God first?
What verse says God does not want anyone to perish?

Choose your favorite verse and memorize it! Record the text here.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (The Message)

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track.”

Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p.140

What do feel this sentence means? “The road may be rough and the assent steep; there may be pitfalls upon the right hand and upon the left; we may have to endure toil in our journey; when weary, when longing for rest, we may have to toil on; when faint, we may have to fight when discouraged we must still hope; but with Christ as our guide we shall not fail of reaching the desired haven at last?”
Highlight the paragraph that starts, “And all the way up the steep road leading to eternal life are well-springs of joy to refresh the weary.”
What is the above paragraph trying to tell us?

Matthew 7:5-6 (Amplified Bible)

“You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother's eye.

“Do not give that which is holy (the sacred thing) to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before hogs, lest they trample upon them with their feet and turn and tear you in pieces.”

1 Corinthians 10:12-14 (New International Version)

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

2 Peter 3:9 (New International Version)

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Matthew 6:33 (New International Version)
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

You face choices every day. Whom do you trust to give you guidance with those choices? Your inner “gut feeling”? Your friends? The media—TV, movies, music? Your parents? Your church?

While all those factors will influence you, it’s important to have one authority that backs up all the others, one that doesn’t change with the latest trends. You’ll hear many people today saying that there’s no such thing as “absolute truth.” What’s right for me may not be right for you. While this can certainly be true in matters of personal taste (the green striped biking shorts may be OK for you, but not for me!), in matters of faith and morality, you need a solid foundation. That can only be found in God’s Word, the Bible.

What about friends who don’t believe in the Bible as God’s World? Is it “true for you, but not true for them”? No, the Bible is for everyone. But that doesn’t mean we shove it down the throats of those who don’t believe. We live in a world today that offers more diversity in terms of people’s beliefs and cultures than ever before. In a world like this, we need to respect others and remember that they have the same right to their beliefs as we do to ours—while at the same time keeping our feet firmly planted on what we do believe.

Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p.142, 143

Our reading today states that, “The victory is not won without. . . .” What is this paragraph talking about?
What is the only thing that can be done to make you a Christian?
How can God accomplish the work for you? (Be sure to read page 142; you will find the answer there.)
Why will “many seek to enter in but shall not be able.”? (page 143)
What is our only hope? (page 143)

“For every class of temptations there is a remedy. We are not left to ourselves to fight the battle against self and our sinful natures in our own finite strength. Jesus is a mighty helper, a never-failing support. . . . None need fail or become discouraged, when such ample provision has been made for us” (Our High Calling, p. 88).

HOW DOES IT WORK?

In this section you will be drawing 8 circles in three rows.

In the first row draw a small circle, a medium circle, and a small circle. Place two lines under each small circle.

In the second row, draw a small circle, a large circle (putting the large circle at the center of the page.), and a small circle. Place two lines under each small circle.

In the last row, draw two lines (under the previous row’s small circle), draw two small circles (under the previous row’s large circle), and draw two lines (under the previous row’s small circle).

In the center large circle, write a few words or draw a picture to represent a question or problem in your life right now. Then, in the smaller circles, draw stick figures to illustrate parents, friends, teachers, etc. Next to each figure, write briefly what you think that person would say about your question or problem.

In the medium-sized circle (in the first row), write what God’s Word has to say about your question or problem (you may need to look up some Bible verses). Draw a line from that circle to the “problem” circle, and then compare what’s written there to what you think others would have to say. Are the voices of important people in your life giving you the same advice God’s Word gives you, or are they leading you in different directions?