X3181

Adult SS Quarterly

X3181

Adult SS Quarterly

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Godly Activities of God’s P eop le

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Godly Activities of God’s P eop le

Godly Activities of God’s P eop le

Supplemental Helps for Fall Quarter Studies

Supplemental Helps for Fall Quarter Studies

EXPLORING PSALMS Volume OneJohn Phillips hb 9780825434921$37.99

A GUIDE TO THE PSALMSW. Graham Scroggie hb 0825437733$48.99

EXPLORING PSALMS Volume OneJohn Phillips hb 9780825434921$37.99

A GUIDE TO THE PSALMSW. Graham Scroggie hb 0825437733$48.99

EMOTIONS IN THE PSALMS G. F. Crumley pb 0892113103$11.95

THE PSALMS Pearls and Praises Old Testament CommentaryAlbert Garner hb BH33$14.95

EMOTIONS IN THE PSALMS G. F. Crumley pb 0892113103$11.95

THE PSALMS Pearls and Praises Old Testament CommentaryAlbert Garner hb BH33$14.95

Study in Psalms 1–72

Study in Psalms 1–72

TREASURES FROM TREASURED PSALMSDr. Rod Mattoon

Volume One hb LLBC15$20.00

Volume Two hb LLBC33$20.00

TREASURES FROM TREASURED PSALMSDr. Rod Mattoon

Volume One hb LLBC15$20.00

Volume Two hb LLBC33$20.00

Adult QuarterlySUNDAY SCHOOL SUMMER QUARTER, 2014

Practical Christian Living—How To Live for Christ Today

A Study in James; 1 and 2 Thessalonians

Written by David Robinson

EDITOR IN CHIEF:Larry E. Clements larryclements@bogardpress.org

BUSINESS MANAGER:Wayne Sewell wsewell@bogardpress.org

PRODUCTION EDITOR: Sally McInvale

ADULT EDITOR: Jim Jones

CHILDREN’S EDITOR: Libby Gill

ILLUSTRATOR: Connie Spears

GRAPHIC ARTISTS:Shawn BlaseJeff AllenGreg Hilterbrand

LAYOUT DESIGNERS: Kyle ElkinsCindy Butler Ashley Elkins

CONTENT EDITORS: Terry McKellarDeby TurrentineCarolyn BurksJoni CurtisBecky Bazar Cordell

PRINT PRODUCTION: Charles Easley

Copyright © 2014Vol. 101, No. 3

Bogard Press4605 N. State Line Ave.Texarkana, TX 75503-2928www.bogardpress.org1-800-264-2482

QUARTERLY AIM: The student will learn biblical and practical ways to live for Christ in this world.

1—Living Victoriously . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

8—Loving Impartially . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

15—Serving Dependably . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

22—Speaking Wisely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

29—Submitting Compliantly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

6—Praying Devotedly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

13—Proclaiming Diligently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

20—Witnessing Authentically. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

27—Standing Staunchly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

3—Walking Honestly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

10—Watching Consistently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

17—Enduring Patiently. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

24—Believing Bibically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

31—Following Faithfully . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

Dr. David Robinson was born in Greenville, Mississippi and grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He was saved in 1956 and was baptized by Cones Road Missionary Baptist Church. He graduated from Hot Springs High School, attended the University of Mississippi and graduated from the Missionary Baptist

Seminary in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1966 earning the Master in Bible Languages and Doctor in Bible Languages Degrees. He surrendered to preach in 1960 and was ordained to the gospel ministry in December of 1962. He has pastored churches in central and southern Arkansas. From 1967 to 1999 he served as an instructor in the Missionary Baptist Seminary. He served as Registrar at the school from 1978 to 1988, and as Chancellor and Editor of the Missionary Baptist Searchlight from 1988 to 1999. He served as Chaplain for the Pulaski County Sheriff ’s Offi ce from 1992 until 2007. He served on the Baptist Sunday School Committee of the ABA from 1987 to 1998 and as President of the ABA in 1999 and 2000. He has served as Parliamentarian for the ABA since 2001. Presently he is pastor of Landmark Missionary Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he has served since 1971. He has written Young People’s Sunday School literature and the BTC Adult Quarterly. He currently writes the Adult Sunday School literature used in the churches of the American Baptist Association. He may be contacted at dcrobinson@aristotle.net.

About the Writer

American Baptist AssociationThrough-the-Bible Series Sunday School Lessons

2019 John 11—21

Ezra; NehemiahHabakkuk; HaggaiMalachi; Esther

1 Peter2 Peter

1, 2, 3 JohnJude

2020

DanielEzekiel

ZechariahRevelation 1—11 Revelation 12—22

Genesis 1—11Job

2021 Genesis 12—50 Matthew 1—13 Matthew 14—28 Exodus

2022 Romans

LeviticusNumbers

DeuteronomyHebrews

JoshuaJudgesRuth

2023 Acts 1—14 Acts 15—28

1 Samuel2 Samuel 1—41 Chronicles

1 —10

Mark 1—8

2014 Mark 9—16

2 Samuel 5—241 Chronicles

11—291 Kings 1; 2

James1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians

Psalms 1—72

2015 Psalms 73—150 Galatians

1 Kings 3—222 Chronicles 1—24

2 Kings 1—13Joel; Obadiah

1 Corinthians

2016

ProverbsEcclesiastes

Song of SolomonLuke 1—13:21 Luke 13:22—24

Hosea; Amos;Micah; Jonah;

2 Kings 14—162 Chronicles 25—28

2017 2 Corinthians

Isaiah 1—392 Chronicles 29—32

2 Kings 17—20Nahum

Isaiah 40—662 Kings 21—23

2 Chronicles 33—35Zephaniah

PhilemonPhilippiansColossians

2018 Ephesians

1 Timothy2 Timothy

Titus

JeremiahLamentations2 Kings 24; 25

2 Chronicles 36

John 1—10

Winter Spring Summer Fall

Living VictoriouslyText: James 1:1-27Focus: James 1:2-6, 12-22, 27

Key Verse:“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

James 1:12

Sunday Devotional: Walk in the Light, Ephesians 5:8.

Application: Saints can live vic t orious Christian lives with God’s help by enduring trials, overcoming temptations and obeying the truth.

A FIRST LOOK

In the book of James, we fi nd the practical problems of behavior that confront Christians. The book, addressed to the twelve tribes scattered abroad, had a very personal and immediate application to those who fi rst read it. From the middle of the fi rst century AD, and on into the beginning of the second, a time of great persecution came on the people of God. These years saw the death of all the apostles of Jesus and a formal attempt by the Roman government to outlaw and eliminate Christianity. James offered divine advice for such troubled times. One key to the book of James is about faith that works; this is practical as well as theoretical. Christians of all ages face times of temptation and trials, and in James we fi nd the correct response to both. The basic instruction God gives through James is for believers to return to the basics of applied Christian behavior. The ideas we read in this book are bedrock truths that have

4

Daily Devotionals

M. — Trials for a Season, 1 Peter 1:6-8.T. — The Working of Affl iction, 2 Corinthians 4:17.W. — The Word of Truth, Ephesians 1:13.T. — God Is Faithful, 1 Corinthians 1:9.F. — Power in the Word, Hebrews 4:12.S. — The Freedom of Truth, John 8:31, 32.

1June 1, 2014

been tried, tested and illustrated in the lives of many of God’s people. This is practical truth for everyday living. We know, as we move nearer to the second coming of our Lord, that we will once again face times of trial and testing of our faith. This is why we need to study these truths and build our service for the Lord on the fi rm foundations of understanding and practice of the Word of God. Understanding can be the difference in happiness and misery. It can even be the difference in success and failure in any endeavor. In our relationships with the Lord, proper understanding of the Word of God means everything. As we begin this six-part study of the book of James, we will not be examining this book in depth but rather examining some of the very practical life-changing doctrines taught here.

I. Victory in Trials

This passage offers us four positive ways to deal with negative situations. One word we use to describe such situations is trials.A trial is a situation where something or someone is tested. Of course, the fi rst thing we need to realize is we are being tested, and these tests are the only real indications of the depth of our commitments. Simply put, a faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. So, our fi rst way to deal with trials is to be happy that they have come our way. Count it all joy or be very happy that we have an opportunity to fi nd out the depth and reality of our beliefs

A CLOSER LOOK

James 1:2-62. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. 5. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all menliberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Text: James 1:1-27 5

(James 1:1). Obviously, we can be happy if we pass any season of testing, but we should also learn from our failures. If we fail in some way, we should view it as an opportunity to grow stronger and make any corrections needed. Often we remember the answers to the questions we missed long after having forgotten the answers we readily knew. God uses many means to impart His truth to our souls. The second way to handle trials is to be patient. God’s children can truly afford to be patient. We know every problem we face has an expiration date included with it. Our troubles can only last throughout our life spans, then, we will go home to be with Jesus, and our trials will all be over. Patience is the product of tribulation (Rom. 5:3), and we should allow patience to work so that we can be complete in Christ. A patient person will eventually not want for anything. Our trials are intensifi ed when we dread them and imagine that they will last forever. If we approach life with patience, we go a long way toward handling diffi cult situations. Then, we are to apply wisdom to trying situations. Wisdom is not the same as knowledge. Wisdom is the ability to make right choices, and this does not come from human reasoning; it comes from God. Notice carefully that, when we ask God for wisdom, He gives it to us liberally and never rebukes us for asking Him to help us make good choices. The Bible is a book of wisdom and understanding and applying the principles we learn from it will yield great wisdom in our lives. We should also pray that God will help us make good choices. It is never right to do wrong, and it is never wrong to do right. This should be the basis of every choice we make. Finally, we are to have an unwavering faith. This means real faith is never experimental. We can never try faith to see if we like it, then, have some more if we do. We either believe, or we do not believe. Faith can be increased as we exercise it, but it must be absolute in the beginning. We cannot pray as if God might not be real or as if He might not be listening. We have to have unwavering faith believing God loves us and is leading us in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake. These principles are available to every believer in Christ, and they will help him emerge in victory from every trying situation in his life.

6 Living Victoriously

Text: James 1:1-27 7

II. Victory in Temptations

Now we come to temptations. This word needs no defi nition. Everyone knows what it means to be tempted, whether the temptation is small or great. We know right from wrong and for some reason we want to choose to do wrong. Paul dealt with this in his great discussion of human and divine natures (Rom. 7:19-25). Evil is always there when we would do good. We often fi nd ourselves doing what we do not want to do and leaving off what we know we should do. How can we deal with temptations? First we can realize that enduring temptations is a path to a crown of life. The person who is in charge of his own life and his own soul has learned how to deal with temptations. We cannot eliminate temptations entirely, but we can learn how to handle moments of weakness. Then, we should understand the source of such temptations. God does not send evil into our lives as a means to entice or lure us into sin. Carefully note the difference in temptations and trials. God will allow our faith to be put to the test, but He will never tempt us to do evil. These are two very different experiences. Temptations are not born in Heaven; they are born in our own hearts. Yielding to temptations comes from the lusts already present in our hearts. Lust is the desire to get what we want no matter what. Lust is the ultimate expression of selfi shness. We want our way, and we do not care about anything or anyone

James 1:12-1712. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 13. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is fi nished, bringeth forth death. 16. Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

else. These ideas are already in us, and, when they come to the surface, they follow a predictable course. Understanding that course will help us deal with lust. Lust has a kind of conceptive moment, and the product of that moment is sin. Jesus taught that, whether sin is in our hearts or expressed in our actions, it is still a sin (Matt. 5:21-32). When the sin has run its full course, the result is death. This is a spiritual law, and it is immutable. Just as the sun comes up in the east and water runs downhill, lust produces sin, and sin produces death. Many people do not see lust as deadly, but it is. When we control our lusts, we will not commit the sins that lead to death. Understanding this will help us get control of our hearts. This is important and that is why we have the stern warning in James 1:16. We will err or be very seriously mistaken if we think we can entertain lust for something or someone without eventually having that lust morph into sin. The great way to deal with temptation is to know the source of real goodness. We all want to fi nd satisfaction and goodness in our lives, but those things never come from following our lusts; they come as gifts from the hand of our loving Father. God wants us to be as happy as we possibly can be, even in this sinful world. He gives us good things, and He never tempts us or teases us. God is constant and consistent in His love for mankind. We must accept the good things God sends us to fi nd real blessings in our lives.

III. Victory in Truth

James 1:18-22, 2718. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of fi rstfruits of his creatures. 19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20. For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21. Wherefore lay apart all fi lthiness and superfl uity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

8 Living Victoriously

Text: James 1:1-27 9

The perfect antidote for lies is truth. Those who know the truth are immune from falsehood. Satan is a liar and he deals in half-truth and untruth. He will tell us that our trials will destroy us and that we can never successfully resist temptation. These are lies. Through truth we can emerge more than conquerors through Jesus who loves us (Rom. 8:37). We must apply this divine truth to our hearts and lives. We do this by being quick to hear, especially the Word of God, and slow to speak, especially to give our opinions on any matter. We should watch out for what we call temper or the selfi sh desire to be angry about everything. The wrath of mankind never produces the righteousness of God. If you want to be godly, you will have to be long-suffering, and this is one wonderful way to deal with your trials. Then, you can deal with temptations by knowing you can lay aside or discard the things in your life that bring you problems. It may sound simplistic, but it is true; if it hurts when you do something, quit doing it. Filthy defi led thoughts should be put out and kept out of your mind. You cannot roll around in the mud and suddenly stand up and be clean and fresh. Apply the truth of Philippians 4:8 here. To avoid temptations we should avoid concentrating our energy on things we really do not need. Before we get our hearts set on certain things, we should carefully consider how these will help us in our service to God. We may decide that we do not need it at all. When we learn to avoid things that are bad for us, we can concentrate on things that are good for us. We should receive the Word, apply the Word and practice the Word. We receive the Word when we study our Bibles, attend our churches to study in Sunday School or listen to God’s men preach. Every child of God should be involved in a regular diet of good biblical preaching. We apply the Word when we move from being hearers to being doers. Many hear the truth, but never apply the truth to their own lives. This will produce hypocrisy in

27. Pure religion and undefi led before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affl iction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

our hearts, and hypocrites are never truly happy. Let the Word of God change our minds, change our hearts and change our lives.

You know these changes have taken place when you begin to act positively in response to those who are going through trials and temptations. James specifi cally mentioned widows and orphans. In the day these verses were written, it was a great problem to be a widow or an orphan. Such people were often alone and without help in a rather cruel society. A Christian should know that he has applied the principles of his faith to his heart when he reacts in love and support for those who are less fortunate. Not only was the widow and the orphan going through trials and facing temptations, a Christian who came into contact with them was as well. Everyone’s faith was being put to the test in these situations and anyone who emerged victorious knew and practiced the eternal truths of God’s Word.

1. What are some positive benefi ts trials bring to life? Share experiences of how you have been blessed through trials. 2. Describe the difference between trials and temptations. How are they similar? How are they different? 3. Read James 1:14 and 15 and discuss the progression and effects of temptation. 4. What is the difference between doing and hearing the Word? What specifi c activities does a person do, who is a “doer of the word”?

FOR CLASS DISCUSSION

A FINAL WORD

10 Living Victoriously