Stability

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One does not gain control over the emotions by pretending that they do not exist.  Emotional stability comes through frank and honest recognition of the fact that God created every individual with emotions.  These emotions are bad only when we allow them to control us.  But, when we are able to show our emotions in constructive and creative ways, they are a means through which God can show His love in our life.

Jesus became very angry when He saw the High Priest's dirty market place in the Temple.  He became angry when He saw the hypocrisy of the teachers of the law and Pharisees.  However, in Matthew 23:37 we see that He released these emotions in a way which showed the for the people of Jerusalem.

There are Two Things which ought to be done with your emotions.

First of all, we must lift our eyes from the immediate circumstances and place your faith in the which means that we must live by and not by as II Corinthians 5:7 tells us.
We should pray, seeking something that we may DO to release our emotions in a way which will show the .
In other words, our emotional reactions can be used to honor God when they are released under the right circumstances.  For instance, you can channel anger in a way which would show God's love and His kindness?

Take a walk and pray for the person who made you angry.
Play with your children for a while.
Do something kind for the person who causes the anger.
Think about how God loves you and praise Him for all that He has done for you..
If you have been feeling depressed for some time, which of the following might you do to handle your emotions in the right way?

Go out and visit a friend who is sick or in need of help.
Give praise to God for the good things that you have.
I Corinthians 13:4-7 says: "Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preservers."

Who demonstrated this kind of love to the people of Jerusalem and their religious leaders?
Is Jesus able to make this kind of love real in your life?
Why not take time right now to give your emotions over to the Lord?  Ask Him to take control of Them and show His love through Yours.  Perhaps you can use this ancient prayer:

"Almighty God, You are the only one who can control the rebellious will and emotions of sinners: grant your people the grace to love your commands and to aspire to your promises so that in this way, even though we are surrounded with the events and changes of this world, our hearts may be fixed on the only mansion of true delight through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen."

Think about a recent time when you FAILED to control your emotions as you should.  Decide what you could have done differently to show the love of God instead of just your own emotions.

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Love

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The Song of Solomon states:  Many waters cannot quench love, rivers cannot wash it away." (Song of Solomon 8:7) At this point it is necessary to emphasize something very important.

When we say that believers should live by faith and not by sight, we are NOT saying that our natural human emotions will be done away with.  Neither do we mean that we will never again experience anger or sadness or joy.  But, instead of these emotions remaining uncontrolled and even controlling us, they will be placed under the control of God's love.

It would be a sad thing if our emotions were done away with.  God created man with emotions which were "very good".  If these emotions were now done away with, we would become like without emotions.

Jesus Christ was the perfect man and our example.  he was not unfeeling nor insensitive to the things which were around Him.  He felt the same emotions that we do, as we can see in the following verses.  Write the emotion which can be seen in Jesus (compassion, sadness, anger, tears, joy, etc.) beside each of the verses in the list below.  Some of them may be used more than once.

Matthew 9:36.
Matthew 21:12.
Mark 3:5.
Luke 7;13.
Luke 10:21.
Luke 19:41.
John 11:35.
John 11:36.
We must remember that it is perfectly normal for people to react emotionally under certain conditions.  Fear, anger, joy, and sadness are typical of the reactions Jesus had and of the reactions that all men have.  These emotional reactions are just as normal as the sudden jerking of one's hand when it touches something too hot.

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God's Plan

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Read Matthew 24:1-2.  Although Jesus prophesied that these events would take place and it was in God's plan that this happen, they actually came about because of the uncontrolled emotions of the people of Jerusalem.  The same emotions which caused them to kill the prophets and to crucify Jesus Christ brought about the fulfillment of the prophecy.

Compare Jesus' emotions.  How different they were!  He also felt very deeply about things, but His emotions were under God's control.  Jesus describes His feelings in Matthew 23:37-39.

What did Jesus wish to do for the people in Jerusalem?
Jesus is using symbolism here.  What does this mean that Jesus wanted to do?
Steadiness best describes emotions which are placed in God's control.  Uncontrolled emotions are changeable.  Often a believer's control of the emotions is far behind the development of the intellect.  This is not as it should be.  We must each work to give control of our emotions to Jesus Christ so that we develop Emotional Stability in our lives.  We ought not to suffer spiritually because we keep our own Uncontrolled Emotions!  The question is, of course, how can a believer do this?  Read II Corinthians 5:7.  According to this verse, one of the keys to Emotional Stability is to walk by and not by .

The people of Jerusalem were not like this.  They lived by Sight and not by Faith.  When they saw Jesus riding into the capital city on a donkey's colt at the Triumphal Entry, they were happy to welcome Him as their king.  But, just a few days later, when they Saw Jesus tied up and accused by their religious leaders before the Romans, they rejected Him.  They depended upon the changing circumstances of Life which can be seen with the physical eye.

Unfortunately there are many believers who also live by Sight and not by Faith.  Their emotions change according to what they see and experience at the present and this always changes.  They have not yet learned to give their uncontrolled emotions to God and allow Him to Control them.  On the other hand, faith rests upon the eternal love of God which does not change.  That love produces a steadiness in the human personality, including the emotions.

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Control

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It is very important then that our emotions be controlled, AND that they be controlled by God.  This is why the Lord Jesus encourages us to give all of our emotions to God in love when He said: "Love the Lord your God with ALL your ."

Read Matthew 23:27 again.  In this passage we can see both the Emotions of Jesus and the Emotions of the people of Jerusalem.  According to verse 37,

How was the Hatred of the people of Jerusalem shown?  By   the and those who were sent to them.
How was the love of Jesus shown?  He loved to gather them together as a gathers her under her .
Here in this verse we see examples of the two strongest human emotions.  Hatred, which is often a result of fear, is an emotion which can rule a person's entire life.  It will show itself in any number of ways.  It may be shown through anger, jealousy, envy, and even feelings of inferiority.  In what way did the hatred of the people of Jerusalem show itself?

The anger of the crowds as well as the teachers of the law and Pharisees was uncontrollable.  We can see this reflected in Jesus' sharp criticism of the Jewish leaders in the Temple.  For instance:

Read Matthew 23:35.  Who was killed near the altar in front of the door to the Holy Place?
In what building did this take place?
So we know that the people who killed this man were those who lived in the city of .
Read John 8:58 and 59.  This episode from John's gospel is a part of the Year of Passion.  It took place at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles.  What did the Jews do when Jesus declared: "I am"?

Uncontrolled emotions eventually bring harm to the person himself as well as one's family, friends, and even to the society where that person lives.  An example of this can be seen in the prophecy that Jesus makes about the future of Jerusalem.

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Compassion

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What a difference between a sermon which is preached by a man who is full of compassion for people, and a sermon which is merely repeated mechanically by a machine!  Were it not for man's emotions, he would indeed be very much like a .

We should keep in mind that our emotions, like the rest of the human personality were created by God and that they were in the beginning.
The effects of man's fall into sin are, however, felt in the emotions just as much as the intellect and the will.  Man's emotions have been by sin.
Tension is very hard on the emotions.  Modern life is full of many such stresses and modern people suffer as a result.  Many people are emotionally unstable; some depend upon drugs to escape from the reality of everyday living.  Hospitals are full of people who suffer from emotional illnesses, nervous breakdowns, and serious mental problems.  In all of these cases, which part of the human personality has been damaged?

John Stott is an English scholar and preacher.  He writes in this regard:

"Sin has much more dangerous results upon our faculty of feeling (emotions) than upon our faculty of thinking (minds) due to the fact that our opinions (minds) are more easily faced and regulated by revealed truth than our emotions."  (Adapted from Believing is Also Thinking, page 18)  

According to Stott, which part of the human personality is more likely to be effected by sin?

Every honest believer knows that this is true.  Our emotions are distorted by sin.  They are like the molten lava that pours out from an active volcano, erupting at any moment in terrible and harmful ways which harm our whole personality.  It is extremely dangerous and harmful.

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The Emotions

Image by Lawrence OP via FlickrThe Emotions

Now that we have seen the need to give our minds completely to the Lord, we shall now look at a second part of the Human Personality: The Emotions.  The Tensions of modern life have had a great effect upon this area of the Human personality.  Today more than ever believers need to be ready to minister to the needs people have in this area.  They must also be able to achieve emotional stability themselves.

Tuesday Evening
Tuesday evening, after a long tiring day in the Temple which was filled with argument, Jesus returned to Bethany.  He had been questioned by the teachers of the law, Pharisees, and Sadducees.  Finally, Jesus denounced the religious leaders of the Jews for their hypocrisy.  This was to be the last time that Jesus would leave the Temple a free man and on His return to Bethany He wept over Jerusalem.  Read this episode in Matthew 23:37-39.  Which of the three parts of Jesus' human personality is shown in this episode?

Our emotions (Anger, Fear, Love, Guilt feelings. Joy, Worry, etc.) are those deep feelings within each of us which stir us and cause us to be excited or depressed, happy or sad.  

Without our emotions, man and women would be much like machines.  We would be exactly the same every day without depth to our personalities.  For instance, 

A love song can easily be played on a tape recorder, but it is impossible for the machine itself to feel and respond to it.
Insults and hate-filled words may come from the speaker of the recorder, but the machine itself does not feel the toward something else.
The emotions are a precious gift from God which give flavor to all of life.  It is really not so much the intellect as it is the Emotions which carry man to the full height of his true purpose.  Man's emotions elevate mankind to the full glory of the image of God.

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Twisted by sin.

Image via WikipediaTwisted by sin.

In Isaiah 5:20 God, speaking through the prophet, gives a description of the mind which is distorted and twisted by sin.

Isaiah says that they call and .  They substitute and and they substitute and .
So we can safely say that man, by himself, cannot discern between and .
The reason for this is that man's mind has become and by sin.
Since the human intellect has been twisted and darkened by sin, it is necessary to have a standard of measurement to determine what is good and evil.  Such a standard of measurement is called a Scale of Values.  The Scale of Values is used to decide which is incorrect or correct, true or false, right or wrong.  Actually, man uses many different Scales of Value in different areas of life (Minutes-The time; Degrees - Temperature; Yards - Distance; Gallons - Amount of liquids.).  

Now let's apply this to the spiritual realm again.  How can a believer evaluate whether or not his spiritual life is good or bad?  Read Psalm 119:105.  By using the as a scale of values for Christian living.

Because the Bible is the inspired Word of God, it contains all that is necessary for the evaluation of doctrine and life.  Using the Bible's teaching as our scale of values, we can now evaluate any teaching.  As an example the doctrine of the virgin birth can be discerned whether or not it is right or wrong, good or evil.  

"We find ourselves face to face with one of the most discussed doctrines of the Christian faith: the Virgin Birth.  The Church does not insist that we believe this doctrine." (William Barclay - Commentary on Luke, page 17)

Note that Barclay is saying that many people within the church today do NOT believe that Jesus was born of a virgin.  Using the Scripture as your Scale of Values, evaluate Barclay's teaching.

Is it true or false?
What is the hidden error in this statement?
What does the Bible teach about this subject (Matthew 1:18-25)?
Barclay says that the Church does not insist that we believe the doctrine of the Virgin Birth of Jesus.

However, we have learned in the Apostles Creed: "I believe... in Jesus Christ... who was conceived by the and born of the Mary."
Is Barclay's statement that the Church does NOT require believers to accept this doctrine true, or is his teaching false?
Read the quotation from Barclay's commentary on Luke which is found earlier again.  Now, in your own words, write an Evaluation of Barclay's words as compared to what we have learned in Matthew 1 and in the Apostles Creed.

Evaluation

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Today we are going to look at the last of the techniques of Bible study, the technique of evaluation.

The Technique of Evaluation is the one technique of study which would help us to discern the difference between what is good and what is evil, and it requires the most careful thought.

The Technique of Evaluation is the last of six techniques (Observation, Interpretation, Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation, Application) that you will learn in these subjects.  The technique of comparison is really an application of the technique of observation to other parts of the Bible which talk about the same thing that you are studying. 

When we Evaluate something, we are trying to tell the difference between it and another thing.  As the Bible reference in Hebrews 5:14 indicates, believers must learn to Evaluate in order to tell the difference between good and evil.

EVALUAtion means to find the VALUE of something.  Examples:

The person who says: "The dog in my house is good."
The woman who says: "I do not like dogs in my house."
Some things are easy to evaluate.  Even without thinking there are some things that we already know are good or bad.  But, it is a different story when one must evaluate what lies behind a beautiful and convincing mask.

Remember the Pharisees and teachers of the law?  What was the lovely mask that hid their true intention to rob the homes of widows?
What technique did Jesus use to discover their true motives?
In cases like this it is hard to tell the difference between what is good or bad, right or wrong.  We must always remember that, ever since man fell into sin, his ability to use the intellect God has given him has been .  The Bible says that the mind of man is .

Actively Cooperate

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If our minds are to be renewed as God desires, we must Actively Cooperate with His Spirit.  Of course, Satan wants us to be completely Passive and to think about nothing at all so that he may have complete freedom to fill our minds with the things of this world.

In the space below, write a list of some positive things which you could do to help renew your mind and fill it with the love of God.
Now make a list of the negative things which you must put out of your own mind so that you may be renewed in His love.
Too many of us ignore the principles of God's Word.  Some of us do not even know some of the basic things God requires of us!  In his letters to the Romans and the Corinthians, Paul writes the simple question: "Don't you know?" ten times!  Twice he states "I do not want you to be ignorant."  To how many of us would Paul say the same thing?  Return to Matthew 22:29 and read Christ's words to the Sadducees.  What was the problem that Jesus said they had? 

Again the Apostle Paul, when he wrote to Timothy, said: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." (II Timothy 2:15) And this he wrote to someone who had known the Scriptures from the time that he was a child! (See II Tim. 3:15-16).  In the space below, write down the name of a person who must "do your best" in their study so that YOU, YOURSELF may be able to use the Word of God effectively in YOUR ministry.

Now Read John 8:31 and 32.

What does Jesus say is one sign of a true disciple? 
If we do this thing and remain in His word, what will be the result?
What will this truth do for us?
According to John 14:6, who is the truth?
So then, With the Help of Jesus Christ, and ALL of our strength, we can start to obey His commandments and make them real in our lives.  Especially the Commandment which says:Love the LORD your God with all your mind.

What can the people in your ministry do in order to discipline their minds and fill them with thoughts of positive things which will glorify God?

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What does God want to do for the MINDS of His children?

Image via WikipediaWhat does God want to do for the MINDS of His children?

In order for this to happen within us, the Bible says that we must: "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up ; against thee knowledge of God"  and take "captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (II Corinthians 10:5)  So then, if our minds are to be renewed as God wishes so that we may love Him with ALL our minds, we must: Freely give all of our thoughts to Christ in obedience.

Here are things which Help us to RENEW our mind:

Reading books about the lives of God's people.
Reading Christian magazines.
Studying the life of Christ with an open mind.
Seeing films about the miracles of the world around us in nature.
Studying science and biology so that we know more about the world around us.
Watching Christian Television.
Listening to Christian Radio.
Surfing the Internet for Christian Sites.
Here is a list of things that do the reverse:

Listening to and telling off-color jokes.
Reading Playboy magazine.
Watching whatever happens to be on the television.
Watching programs and movies which show violence, crime, and sex.
Using words which may be taken in two ways, one of which is dirty.
Refusing to allow the truth to do away with the prejudices that we have.
The process of renewing one's mind has both a Positive and a Negative side.  Both of them are equally important.  We must Reject everything that is impure and not of Christ's Lordship of our minds.  That is the Negative side.  But, on the other hand, we must also Take Hold of those things which are pure and good so that every thought can be taken captive to Jesus Christ's Lordship of our minds.  Read the following verses carefully.  They show us the Positive side of renewing the mind.  Note: They are all commands.

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." (I Peter 1:13)
"... whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:2)
It is rather easy to see that all of the verses which were quoted are COMMANDS to believers.  They demand ACTION on our part.  We are to prepare our minds, we are to think, trust, and set our minds upon the truth of God.  In other words, our minds are renewed as we Keep Them Occupied with the things of God.  If we do NOT, then Satan has opportunity to place other thoughts into our minds.  According to Hebrews 8:10, where should God's commandments be?

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Led Astray

Image via WikipediaIn today's subject we have seen something about our minds and what can be done to them by Satan or by Christ.  Of course, Satan still try's to plant wrong ideas and half-truths in the minds of God's people today.  When Paul wrote too the BELIEVERS in the Corinthian church he said:  But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." (II Corinthians 11:3)  What part of the human personality does Satan try to deceive in order to draw God's people away from their faith in Jesus Christ?

As we know, Satan try's to deceive people with regard to the Word of God in two ways which are represented by the Pharisees and Sadducees.  What is Satan's double activity in the human mind with regard to the Word of God?

To the Word of God.
To the Word of God.
Often Satan try’s to deceive believers with questions like those asked by the Pharisees.  The purpose of those questions is to:

Cause the believer to fall.
Create doubts and weaken the faith of the believer.
God had created man perfect in every way and in His own image.  But, when man sinned, the image of God was twisted and distorted.

How much of man was affected by sin?
How many of the parts of man's personality were affected by sin?
According to II Corinthians 4:4 and Ephesians 4:17-18, what is the condition of man's mind BEFORE he comes to know Jesus Christ? (Use your own words.)
In Romans 12:2 Paul writes to believers, saying: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...." Before a person becomes a Christian his way of thinking is wrong because that person's is conformed to this world.  However, when a person does come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord, the is to be .  This will result in being or changed in one's way of living.

Paul writes similar words in Ephesians 4:23.  According to this verse, what is it that must be renewed in the life of the believer?

What God wants is for us to love Him with our mind.  We are not to give place to the devil and allow ourselves to be deceived.
Our minds were first created in the of .
Ephesians 4:23 says that God's image is to be renewed in us through the renewing of the of our .

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The Third Question

Image via WikipediaThe Third Question
Since we examined the Third Question (Matthew 22:34-40) in our last subject, we will not study it in detail at this time.  However, we should make special note of how Jesus answered the question?

The Pharisees and Sadducees asked their questions for the purpose of trapping Jesus so that they could find an excuse to arrest him.  During the rest of the arguments in the Temple Jesus asked the questions.  Of course, His purpose was different.  Jesus asked questions which would allow the light of the truth to reach minds which were darkened by Satan.

The Fourth Question
Read Matthew 22:41-46.  Until now, all of the questions were asked by the Jewish leaders for the purpose of trapping Jesus into answering in a way which would give them a legitimate reason to arrest Him.  However, at this point Jesus began to ask questions.  Jesus questions were intended to make them think about their wrong way of thinking and change their ways.

Read verse 42.  What was the question that Jesus asked?
What did the Pharisees answer Him?
The Jewish people wrongly believed that the Messiah, the Son of David, would come as a prince who would lead Israel to victory over all of her enemies.  They expected the Christ to lead them in battle against the nations of the world.  Jesus asked His question in order to correct this wrong idea.  Who was Jesus talking to when He asked the question?  People who knew the Scriptures and therefore should have  had a good understanding of who the Messiah was to be.

The Pharisees' first answer was correct.  The Messiah was to be the Son of David.  Having gotten the correct answer, Jesus now asks a second question.  What Psalm does Jesus quote in this second question?

The point of Jesus' questioning is found in verse 45: "If then David calls him 'Lord', how can he be his son?"  In other words, Jesus is showing the Pharisees and Sadducees that it is not enough just to think about the Messiah as the Son of David.  He was not only the SON of David but He is also said to be David's LORD.  This could only be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  In His human nature He is a descendant of the line of David and so may be called the of David.  But, by His divine nature He is also the Son of God and for this reason He is called David's .

Look carefully at the difference between the questions which the Jewish leaders asked and the questions that Jesus asked.  The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians asked questions for the purpose of Jesus.  Jesus, on the other hand, asked questions to make people think about the .

Jesus put an end to all the questioning.  According to verse 46, who was silenced, Jesus or His enemies?

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The Second Question

Image by humberpike via FlickrThe Second Question
Read Matthew 22:23-33.

Who asked Jesus this second question?
What was this question about? (See verses 28 and 30.)
Now turn to Acts 23:8 and read this verse.  We have already learned that the Sadducees made the error of taking away from the Word of God.  We know from the verse in Acts that they did Not believe that there would be a of the dead.

The answer that Jesus gave to the Sadducees went straight to the point. (See Matthew 22:29)  Jesus said that the Sadducees were wrong about the .  Their mistake was due to their ignorance of the and of the of .

How many people today are mistaken because they do not know the Bible or the Power of God.

Who darkens the mind so that people cannot understand the Scriptures?
Who brings light to the mind so that we can understand the Scriptures?
The Sadducees were looking at things from the standpoint of only the material and natural instead of viewing things from a spiritual and super-natural perspective.

The main point of Jesus' answer can be found in Matthew 22:32.  God, Jesus says is not the God of the but rather the God of the .
How did the people react to Jesus' answer?

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The First Question

Image via WikipediaThe First Question
Read Matthew 22:15-22. 

According to verse 15, what group of the Jews sent their followers to question Jesus?
Verse 16 says that there were some from another party of the Jews as well.  Who were they?
What was their purpose in asking this question?
According to verse 17, what was their question?
How do we know that their question was not a sincere one? (See verse 18.)
It had really been inspired by who is always in opposition to Christ.
Even though the question was asked for the purpose of trapping Jesus, His answer contains some very important teaching.

How did Jesus answer the Pharisees?
How did the Pharisees and Herodians react to this answer according to verse 22?
The Pharisees and Herodians thought that they had trapped Jesus with their question.  Had Jesus said that they should pay taxed to Caesar He would have made the Jewish crowds angry.  They hated the Romans.  But, had Jesus said that the taxes should not be paid, then the Romans would find Him guilty of treason.

Believers must obey the laws of the nation in which they live so long as they do not go against the Word of God.

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Without Christ

Image via WikipediaWithout Christ?

How does II Corinthians 4:4 describe the mind of the person who is without Christ?

Now Read II Corinthians 3:14-16.  These verses are part of a passage where Paul is talking about the Jewish people.  It explains why they did not even understand their own Scriptures.  According to verse 16, when is the veil taken away from our minds?

In the spaces below, write the word SATAN or CHRIST in the ones which apply to each.

Father of lies.
The source of all truth.
A mind which is full of light.
A mind full of darkness.
The source of all false doctrine.
The source of all that is opposed to God.
We have already seen that there are two ways in which Satan deceives the human mind about the things of the Lord.  He ADDS TO or TAKES AWAY FROM the Word of God.  The Sadducees and Pharisees were often the tools that Satan used to try to cause Jesus to fall.  he also used them to deceive those who were sincerely looking for the truth of God.

Which of the two groups was guilty of adding to the Word of God?
Which group took away from the Word of God?
Who prevented both of these two groups from properly understanding the Word of God?
The practices of the Sadducees and Pharisees are good examples of the two ways in which Satan deceives the mind of man.  What are the two means that Satan uses to blind the mind of man to the truth of God's Word?

In our last subject we saw that Jesus showed His great intellectual ability by overcoming His enemies during the arguments which they began.

Where did these arguments take place?
On what day of the week?
Which part of His personality did Jesus use to overcome the arguments of His enemies?
Our analysis of these arguments must be divided into Two Parts.  Remember that they began when the high priests and Jewish leaders questioned Jesus' authority. 

The first part of the analysis includes Jesus' Three Parables.  Review Matthew 21:28.
The second part of the analysis includes the Four questions and their answers.  They are found in Matthew 22:15-46.  Look over this passage quickly.

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Goals

Image by Lawrence OP via FlickrGoals

At the end of this unit, you will be able to:

Give the main theme of Matthew 23:1-36.  List the seven errors the Pharisees made in this passage.  Discuss the motive, mask, and result of their actions.
Define the word "Emotions".  Give one example of how Jesus and the Jews expressed the two strongest human emotions.
Give one word which describes the chief characteristic of emotions which are controlled by God and those which are not controlled by God.  Tell why they can be described that way. 
Explain to someone who has a very bad temper how he can consecrate his emotions to God.  Suggest some ways in which he can channel his anger and show God's love and kindness. 
Arguing in the Temple

In this subject we shall study the argument between Jesus and his enemies in the Temple.  

In our last subject we saw that the three aspect of the human personality are the emotions, the intellect, and the will.  In the Great Commandment Jesus describes the personality which is given totally to God in love.

like the rest of these parts of the personality, the human mind had been created perfect.  But, through the effects of sin which entered into man after Adam's fall, the mind became out of and .

Today's subject has to do with the Consecrated Intellect.  Before we look at the way Jesus handled the arguments in the Temple, we will study the effect that sin has had upon the mind more closely.  Turn to II Corinthians 4:4 in your Bible and read the verse.  (Keep your Bible open to this passage.)

According to this verse, who is the god of this world?
What does he do to the minds of those who do not believe?
Why is it hard for unbelievers to understand the gospel?
Mark your place in II Corinthians and look up Ephesians 4:17-18.  What is the condition of the human mind before it is renewed by the lord Jesus Christ?  (list three answers.)

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Let Him use your abilities

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"Our life is full of brokenness - broken relationships, broken promises, broken expectations.  How can we live with that broken expectations.  How can we live with that brokenness without becoming bitter and resentful except by returning again and again to God's faithful presence in our lives. - Henri Nouwen

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we aurselves are comforted of God." - II Corinthians 1:3, 4 (KJV)

Although it appears to be the worst of times, something seems to be happening across the world - people are searching for a "better quality of life."  We're reminded of Isaiah 6:8, when the Lord asked, "and whom shall I send, and who will go for me?"

God's desire is to use His people to carry the message of hope in Christ to a searching and hurting world.  If there is ever a time for Godly leadership, servanthood and Christian Lifestyle training - it is now.