Lisa Wolf

Q14. (Matthew 23:7-12) Why do the Pharisees love to be called “Rabbi.” How can titles and recognition exalt our pride? When people fail to recognize our work or accomplishments, why does it hurt? How much of our motivation is to puff up our ego? In the area of seeking recognition and praise, how can we meaningfully humble ourselves? While Jesus spoke directly to the Pharisees who were working so hard to follow the Mosaic Law and the cultural Laws that their sect set in motion around the Laws, He truly includes any of us that want to be recognized for what we do. Titles and recognition can jade us. If we get used to being recognized when we are not, it can be hurtful because we think we 'deserve' the recognition. Our unchecked ego continues to puffs-up and grasp for personal glory. Isaiah 64:8 is important for our perspective, "Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." Apart from the Lord we can do nothing. Colossians 3 reminds us that our focus needs to be on Jesus--that we need to be humble. In verse 17 we are reminded to keep our eyes on the Lord and reminded to be thankful, "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." While we may not be slaves, we are reminded in verse 24 that, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters," If we keep both of these at the forefront of our thinking and ask the Holy Spirit to help us, there is hope that we will remain humble.

Q13. (Luke 18:9-14) How does the Pharisee in this parable exalt himself? How do comparison and looking down on others reflect pride? How does the tax collector humble himself? Jesus says that the tax collector is “justified before God.” Is deep repentance or humbling oneself before God necessary for salvation? Does repentance have anything to do with faith or “believing in Jesus”? The Pharisee starts off his 'prayer' with thanking God he is not like....comparing ourselves to others and looking down on them is basic pride. On the other hand, the Tax Collector is mortified before the presence of God and asks for God's mercy. Faith is critical to believing Jesus. Hebrews 11:6 states, And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him." Faith that Jesus is real brings us to repent--to know we are sinners as we see ourselves next to Jesus and His Holiness. When we read 1Peter 1:24 we know that Jesus paid our debt; He was on the cross for our sin, not His. This brings us to deep, humbling repentance. “He Himself bore our sins” in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.”

Q12. What is the basic sin that drives all other sins? Why is it so important who is truly in charge of your life? Why are repentance and humbling so vital? The basic sin that drives all sin is to be our own god and not let God be the King and Lord of our life as He truly is Lord of Lords. It is so important who is in charge of our lives because we know in Romans 8 that God works all things for our good when we love Him. if we want the best life, we let Him be in charge. He orchestrates best. Repentance and humbling ourselves are critical because both remove SELF from the throne of our life and places God in the Highest place. In Luke 24:45-49, Jesus, "opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” If repentance was not vital, He would not have told us. True repentance requires humility.

Q11. (Philippians 2:5-11). In which two ways does Jesus humble himself according to this passage? Why did Jesus humble himself? What is his motivation for humbling himself? What is the result of Jesus’ humbling of himself? According to the passage in Philippians, Jesus humbled Himself by becoming a human and a slave. He humbled Himself to die for our sins, in our place to become the only way to God. His motivation was God's Glory. The result was our Freedom.

Q10. Does being in a place of authority, such as a rabbi, police officer, or parent prevent you from correcting with humility? How does Jesus use rebukes to form disciples? No, coming from a place of authority does not prevent you from correcting with humility. When your focus is power over others there is no humility. When our focus is on God and His Glory, there is humility in our correcting. Colossians 1:28 and 3:16 both speak to Believers as if admonishing (gentle correction) was part of disciple life. Jesus uses rebuke to focus His disciples on God's Will. Colossians 1:27b-29, "which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me." and Colossians 3:16-17, "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 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." When Jesus spoke, 'Get behind me Satan!' to Peter, He was doing His best to keep the disciples from assuming that the Will of God was only going to be roses and joy--sometimes God calls His disciples to really hard things.

Q9. Which of Jesus’ examples of ministering to the hurting stands out to you the most? Which shows the greatest degree of humbling? The example of Jesus ministering to the hurting that stands out to me the most is the section Matthew records of Jesus quoting Isaiah. A bruised reed...a smoldering wick... This example of Jesus' compassion stands out to me the most because every person with no matter how small of a bit of faith, He has compassion on them. Likewise, we need to remain humble in the face of human need with no judgment--only extending the compassion of our Lord. The example showing the greatest degree of humbling is that when He healed, He said nothing of His Power, but everything about the recipient's faith.

Q8. (John 5:41, 44) How is Jesus’ refusal to seek men’s praise an example of humility? How does this free him to do God’s will? How can seeking approval from others cripple our discipleship? In John 5:41 Jesus states clearly, “I do not accept glory from human beings," to show that He is not on earth for temporary praise. He has an eternal view. In verse 44, Jesus asks the Pharisees (and us, too) "How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?" As Believers, our citizenship is in the Kingdom of Light. (Colossians 1:12) The glory we pursue is to glorify our Lord and King. If we pursue the worlds' glory, we will be crippled in our discipleship because our heart will be divided--creating an idol for ourselves, and we may miss God's incredible blessing in our lives.

Q7. (John 5:19, 30) In what sense is Jesus powerless on his own? What is the key to Jesus’ power and effectiveness? How does this demonstrate his basic humility? How can we emulate Jesus in this? How does that demonstrate our humility? In John 5:19 Jesus talks about the strong connection between Himself and the Father. "Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." We know from Philippians that when Jesus came to earth, He humbled himself to take the form of a human. This passage in John shows that He is not putting forth His own agenda, rather doing what He sees the Father doing. In John 5:30, He repeats the message that He does not work on His own, but in complete alignment with the Father. He goes a step further to demonstrate humility by stating He does not please Himself, but instead seeks pleasing the Father. "By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me." As Jesus is sent by the Father, He sends us to also bring glory to God.

Q6. (Matthew 11:28-30) In what sense is Jesus “gentle and lowly in heart”? What does this tell us about him? How does this make him comfortable for struggling people to be around? These verses from Matthew truly highlight Jesus' invitation to us to let him teach us. No judgement. Come and learn. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Power: I WILL GIVE YOU... Purpose: taking His yoke and learning from Him. Presence: learn from ME. Promise: find rest for our souls. He includes all who struggle. We are welcome, and we will receive His care.

Q5. (Philippians 2:2-5) How can we rationally consider others’ concerns more important than our own? Does agapē love for others make good sense? What does adopting this viewpoint do for humility in us? What aspects of Christ’s example of humbling himself (verses 5-11) should be instructive for us? Humility is key to our walk with Jesus as He was humble (Matthew 11:28-30). “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I appreciate that Jesus invites us to take His yoke and learn from Him. The verse in Philippians 2 that gives me hope is verse 13: "for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." I praise God that He will help me learn humility. In the Philippians passage, we learn that Jesus "made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." So, as far as rationally considering other's needs more important than our own, we can do that on a limited basis and slowly build that time to more. We can choose to make our needs less important. Agapē love for others does make good sense because sometimes others are difficult to love and only God's Love for them will triumph in the situation.

Q4. (Romans 12:3-5) Why is an accurate self-assessment of our spiritual state so important? Why is discovering our spiritual gifts so important? How might pride and anger arise if we imagine we fit somewhere that God didn’t design us for? When we are in a situation God has planned for us to enter, all flows incredibly! (Ephesians 2:10) I have also been in some rotten situations, and I implored God in prayer to tell me if I had sinned or made a wrong step--sometimes that is the truth and we re-calculate together, so I can regain my footing on the path He has for me. But in one situation He clearly reminded me that I gave Him my life. Sometimes I am used for someone else's benefit. Pride that we are doing it could come in if we take the reins...or anger if the situation became to difficult for us to handle.

Q3. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18; 1 Corinthians 4:7) What happens in our heart when we attribute success to our own strength and abilities? How does a realization that everything we have is a gift affect our ability to humble ourselves? The section of scripture from Deuteronomy included here chapter 8:10-18 spells out clearly what will happen if we FORGET that it is the LORD who brought us out of a hard, evil place and say it is ourselves. I suspect that is what happened with Gideon in Judges. At first, he was cowering from Israel's enemies (Judges 6:11), then the Lord brought victory with Gideon leading (Judges 7), finally Gideon says the Lord will rule over Israel (8:23), but Gideon takes plunder from all and creates an idol (8:24-27) and Israel heads back to disaster. The Lord God gives us all good things. We need to keep this in mind, so we do not become prideful, selfish, and self-focused. The realization that EVERYTHING we have is a gift reminds us that ALL belongs to Him; we are stewards. We praise Him for His generosity to us and we become eager to share the abundant blessings He has blessed us with.

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-10; Colossians 3:10-12). Why do you think that virtues flow from humility and vices flow from pride? Why are humility and pride so central to character? To support Jesus' teachings in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5) the Colossians verses remind us that God is building an every-nation-congregation for His church described in Revelation. When we interact with people of different cultures and with different languages, humility needs to be central because we look at things differently: time, family, work...to name a few. Since Genesis, pride has been central to character. It is not a good thing when it becomes central and selfishness reigns in our lives. If we are proud, we see our way as the only way. That is not Jesus' way; if we are truly His disciple, we need to live as He lived. (1John2:5-6)

Q1. (Matthew 22:36-40) How does a two-part definition of humility correspond to the two greatest commandments? In what sense is humility “a low self-focus combined with a high other-focus”? What does that look like in a disciple? The table you included in the first lesson makes it so clear that humility corresponds to the two greatest commandments Jesus reminded us. Love God=humbling ourselves, so that HE is in charge; Love your neighbor=being other's focused and serving their needs. A disciple of Jesus looks like Jesus. He had His Heart and His Eyes always on the Father, we should, too. Jesus was always ready to meet the needs of those around Him--sometimes on a different time plane than they wanted (Lazarus sickness, death,...resurrection), but always (the woman who touched the hem of His garment for healing). Sometimes the smallest gesture for another speaks loudly to them of our Savior's Love and Care.

Q4. (Matthew 6:12, 14-15) Why should we continually ask forgiveness? How can unforgiveness on our part block God's blessing? How can unforgiveness block God's forgiveness? Jesus spoke of forgiveness and forgiving SO MANY TIMES. The parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18 should be enough teaching for us to know, understand, and grasp exactly what he meant. In Matthew 18:35 Jesus says, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” Unforgiveness blocks blessings we could be receiving from God because we allow ourselves to replay and replay the wrong and we are tormented rather than freed as He wills us to be. As we dwell in unforgiveness, we are not forgiven because we do not ask Him.

Q3. (Matthew 6:11) Why do we seek to be independent of asking anyone for help? Why do we seek to be independent of God? Why should we ask God to "give" us daily bread so long as we can earn a living for ourselves? Independence permeates our culture. We seek to do everything ourselves. From the first Garden in Genesis, Satan asked, "Did God really say?" tempting Adam and Eve to act independent of God. Somehow this independence from God becomes ingrained in us, but it is not God's plan. He designed us for relationship (John 14:20, 15:9-10) and for fellowship. (1John 1:5-10) We need to ask God to "give" us our daily bread so that we don't move toward independence from Him, but rather move toward Him trusting Him as our true provider of all things.

Q2. (Matthew 6:10) In what sense are we asking that the Father's kingdom should come? Why are we asking for the Father's will to be done here on earth? How should this prayer affect our living? We are asking the Father's Kingdom to come in the full sense. We've read the end of the book, we know what we ask, and we ask. Jesus told us He would come back (through two men dressed in white in Acts 1:11) , and we know He will. We are asking the Father's will to be done here because we know that heaven is a place of no sickness or pain. (Isaiah 65) Jesus had compassion on people and if we are His disciples, we have that compassion, too. (ex. Matthew 9, 14, 15, 20) We do not want to see anyone suffering--so we pray His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. This prayer should affect our living in a constant reminder to keep our eyes on Him, on His Kingdom. I'm reminded of Stephen in Acts--though his earth situation was deplorable, He SAW Jesus. Acts 7:56

Q1. (Matthew 6:9) What about our lives and words "hallows" the name of our Father? What desecrates and besmirches it? How should we "hallow" the Father when we begin to pray? Hallow=Holy My life and words keep HOLY the name of my Father when I am aware of His Presence and give honor to Him in both words and actions. I desecrate and besmirch that holiness when I make an unkind remark toward anyone at any time. To keep His Name truly Holy, I should repent of all sin before I officially enter His Presence. I know in my mind He is always present, but sometimes my life and words do not live like I know that. God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all. 1John 1:5

Q6. (Matthew 5:48) In the context, what do you think verse 48 means for the Christian? Is perfection taught here? Does maturity express the idea best? How about the doctrine of "sinless perfection"? How does verse 48 relate to verse 45? Ah, being perfect. No, we can never attain it, but yes, we must strive. Strive for maturity--the mature man is described well in 1John. Sinless perfection is only God, but He calls us. If we are called, then He will dispatch His Spirit to help us in that direction. I think verses 48 and 45 do relate: we are called to be perfect in v48, and v45 reminds us we are God's children. If we are God's children, we want to act like He does, responding in love even when someone is horrible.

Q5. (Matthew 5:39-44) If the principle that underlies verses 39-42 is found in verse 44 and 22:39, are there times we must defend ourselves physically against evil men in order to fulfill the principle? What might be some examples? Yes, I believe we always defend ourselves against evil people by first of all starting with prayer. Perhaps it is an SOS prayer as an immediate response, or it is longer prayer asking God remove or transform to His image an evil 'boulder' in our lives, or in our community, or country. If an evil someone is demanding sex in a rape situation or trying to kill us, we defend ourselves. Loving someone as in Matthew 22:39 does not mean tolerating, condoning, or encouraging evil in their lives or actions ever.

Q4. (Matthew 5:38-42) If we were to assume that Jesus is teaching on retaliation and revenge rather than pacifism in verses 38-42, how would you sum up his teaching in a single sentence? I would sum up Jesus' teaching on retaliation and revenge with merging parts of verses 44 and 45 where Jesus says, "I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven."

3. (Matthew 5:39-42) What do Jesus' examples or tiny cameos in verses 39-42 have in common? Someone has said that if we were to carry out verses 39-42 literally, we would aid and abet evil. Do you agree? How should we take these examples: As case law? As hyperbole? As a series of aphorisms or adages? In another way? The final call of Jesus in this section following the cameos comes in verse 48, "Be perfect therefore as your Heavenly Father is perfect." Can we actually become perfect? no... but we can be sanctified; we can be transformed by the Spirit to look, act, and think a lot more like our Heavenly Father than we do on a daily basis. It seems the commonality of these cameos is Go Above and Beyond even if the person asking (probably demanding) of you is evil. In each cameo case Jesus brings up, we need to pray and hear exactly what God wants us to do. Trusting in His Word in Isaiah 30:20-21, "Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Q2. (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:15-21) What was the purpose of the "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth" regulation? Is this law designed to be administered by a court or judge, or by an individual? Is it designed to govern judicial action or personal action? It seems the purpose of an "eye for an eye" was to reign-in man's vindictiveness. The judgements were to be carried-out in a court of law. God reminds us in His Word that vengeance is His--it belongs to Him alone. As followers of Christ, we need to listen to Jesus' words on forgiveness and loving our enemies.

Q1. (Matthew 5:33-37) What does it mean: Let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no? If we obeyed this command, what would be the result in our speaking? In our credibility? Let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no means to speak clearly and truthfully always. If we obeyed this commandment, our speaking and credibility would be solid. People would believe what we said.

Q6. The Church has always been supportive of those who are hurting or scarred. In Christ, we help people make the best of what is sometimes a difficult situation. What can you do to extend Christ's healing love to someone who is struggling in his or her marriage? What can you do to bring healing to someone who is or was divorced? Each marriage, each divorce, each situation is different. Sometimes I listen. Sometimes I encourage counseling. Sometimes I am not a happy camper over the situation--I disagree with the choice. ALWAYS I pray. I pray and thank God that He is the JUDGE, not me. I pray to see with His eyes and pray with the person when they permit me to do that. SO many need healing from rugged, raw, situations or the choices they have made. Always when I pray for them, I pray they choose to seek His wonderful, incredible, amazing, LOVING, will for their life.