Juniorsecondar

yschool2ndt
erm chr
ist
ianr
eli
gion
studiesnote

RELI
GION
A.Themeani
ngofr
eli
gion
Reli
gionist
hebel
iefi
nandworshi
pofsuperhuman
contr
oll
ingpower
,especi
all
yaper
sonalGodor
gods.
B.Maj
orr
eli
gioni
nNi
ger
ia
1.Chr
ist
ianRel
igi
on
2.I
slam Rel
igi
on
3.Tr
adi
ti
onalRel
igi
on
C.i
mpor
tanceofr
eli
gion
1.I
thel
pst
obr
ingpeopl
etoget
her
.
2.I
tprovi
destot
alcohesi
ont
ohelpmai
ntai
nsoci
al
sol
idar
it
ythr
oughsharedbel
ief
s.
3.I
toffersmeaningandpur
poset
oanswerany
exi
stenti
alquest
ions
4.I
tisanexpr
essi
onofourcol
lect
ive
Consci
Ousness,
whi
chcr
eat
esar
eal
it
yofi
tsown.

A.Def
ini
ti
onoft
henat
ureofGod
Godi
sdef
inedast
hesupr
emebei
ngofJudai
sm,
Chri
sti
anit
yandlsl
am,creatorandruleroft
he
uni
verse.Heist
heuncreatedspir
itbeingwho
exi
stedbefor
ethebegi
nningoft i
me.
Godist
heTri
nit
ythati
s;Godt
heFat
her(
Godi
s
God)
,Godt
he
Son(GodisJesus),Godt
heHol
ySpi
ri
t(Godi
sHol
y
Spi
ri
t).Godi
sev er
ythi
ng.

B.At
tri
but
esofGod
Att
ri
but
esarechar
acter
ist
ics,
val
uesorqual
it
iesa
per
sonort
hingpOSsesses.
Ther
efor
e,t
heat
tri
but
esofGodar
e;
1.Godi
sinf
ini
te-hei
ssel
f-
exi
sti
ng,
wit
houtor
igi
n.
2.Godi
ssel
f-
suf
fi
cient-hehasnoneeds.
3.Godi
sOmni
pot
ent-hei
sal
l-
power
tuI
.
4.Godi
sOmni
sci
ent-hei
sal
l-
knowi
ng.
5.Godi
sOmni
present-hei
sal
way
sev
ery
wher
e
C.Meani
ngofGodi
ndi
ff
erentNi
ger
ial
anguages.
Engl
ish-GOD
Yor
uba-Ol
odumar
emeansGodt
heSupr
emeBei
ng
I
gbo-Chi
neke,
ChukwumeansHewhoknowal
l
t
hings
Hausa-Al
lah,
Ubangi
jimeansSupr
emeBei
ng.
Cr
eat
ion
-meani
ngofcr
eat
ion
Cr
eat
ioni
stheactofmaki
ngthingst
oexi
st.I
tis
al
soawayofdoi
ngsomethingnew.
B.Bi
bli
calaccountoft
hecr
eat
ionofgenesi
s1and2

Thefirstaccountofcreati
onaccordi
ngtoGenesis
chapter1and2, Godcr eat
edtheheavenandthe
eart
h.Theear thwasv oid,
wit
houtform anddar
k.
Thespi r
itofGodmov edupont hewater
s.God
spokeandt hethingshewantedt ocr
eateappeared.
Therewer esiİ
Xday sofcreat
ionandeachdaywas
dev
otedtot
hecr
eat
ionofapar
ti
cul
araspectof
nat
ure.
1stdayLi
ghtanddar
kness(
Gen.1:
1-5)
2nd-
dayf
ir
mament(
Gen1:
6-8)
;
3rd-
dayDr
yland,seasandv
eget
ati
on,
incl
udi
ng
tr
eesandgrasses
(
Gen113)
;
4t
hDayGodcreat
edt
hesun,
themoonandt
he
st
ars(
Gen1:
14-
19)
;
5thGodcr
eat
edbi
rdsandal
lki
ndsofseacr
eat
ures
(Gen1:
20-
23)
;
6hGodcr
eateal
lki
ndsofani
mal
s,cr
eepi
ngt
hings
andman(Gen
1:
24-
31)
;
7thGodblessedt
hisday
,cal
ledi
ttheSabbat
hand
rest
ed(Gen.
2:
1-3)
.
Thesecondaccountoft hecreat
ioninGen.
2:
7-25nar
rat
est
hecreat
ionofAdam andEv
e.God
cr
eatedmanoutoft
heear
th(
clay
)andbr
eat
hed
i
ntohis
nost
ri
lst
hebr
eat
hofl
if
e.Thi
smademanal
iv
ing
soul
.
ThenGodmadeGar denofEdenandbeaut i
fi
edit
wi t
heveryt
hing,forAdam andEvetol i
vein.
Insi
de
theGardenwasat reeoftheknowledgeofgood
andev i
l.GodtoldAdam toeatallt
hef rui
tsofthe
treesexceptthetreeofknowledgeofgoodandev i
l.
Adam wast oldifheatefrom t
hattree,hewoulddie.
TheLordGodmadeAdam f al
lasl
eep.Hepull
edOut
oneofhisribsfrom whi
chhemadeEv e.When
Adam sawher ,hewasveryhappy.Hecalledher
woman' becauseshewast akenoutofman.
A.
Purposeofcreati
nghumanbei
ngs(
knowhi
m,
worshi
phim,servehim)et
c.
Godcreat
edmanbecauseheneededsomeonet o
l
oveandcheri
sh.Hedi
dthi
snotbecausehewas
l
onel
ybutbecausehewant
edtohavearelat
ionshi
p
wit
hsomeoneal
itt
lel
owerthanhi
m andt
heangel
s
(
toknoweachot
herbett
er)
.
Godcr eat
ednotonl ymanbutot hercreat
uresin
ordertoexpresshimself,
but,Godcreatedmani n
Hisowni magewher eby,man'sposit
ioninGod's
creat
ionisrefl
ectedinthepowerandaut hori
tyGod
gavehim overtherestofcreati
on.
Godcreatedmanwi ththespir
itofl
ife,wisdom,
abi
li
tytothi
nk,feel
,andexpresshimsel ffreelyand
asenseofjusti
ce-somethingtheotherani mal sdo
nothave.Thi
smeanst hatallt
heattributesgi vent
o
manwi l
lenabl
emant oworshipGodbysi ngingand
t
ohi
m.
Themanwasalsocreat
edt Oser
veGodby
fol
lowi
ngGod'
sinst
ruct
ionsandtodowhat
ever
GodaskSofhi
mt odo.
B.Songaboutt
hecr
eat
ion
Songsandhy mnsarenott
heonlywaysthatman
canusetoexpresshi
semotionsaboutGod'
s
creat
iveandawesomepower
butisoneofthebestway
stowor
shi
pGod.I
n
creat
ingandsing
songsmanrev
eal
edt
hecr
eat
ivepowerGodpl
aced
i
nhimtoo.
Examplesar
e;Hol
y,Hol
y,Hol
y,Al
lthi
ngsbr
ightand
beaut
if
ul.
Thet
hingsi
nvent
edbyman
Themanwascreat
edinGod'si
mage.Heal
sSohas
thepowert
ocr
eatethi
ngs.
Alookatthedivi
necommandgi ventohi
mt o
subduetheeart
hconf i
rmst hispoint
.Overtheyear
s
manhasusedhi screati
vit
yt oobeythiscommand.
Themanbeganwi t
har udi
ment aryknowledgeof
hisenv
ironment.
Intheol
denday s,manusedtalki
ngdrums,guns,
smoke,gongset ctocommunicatewithone
another
.Later
,thetel
ephoneandt hecomputer
wereinvent
edandi nf
ormati
onwasst oredand
sentt
opl aces.I
ntheoldendays,
manusedleav
es
tocoverhisnakednessandli
vedincav
es.Now,we
wearfinecl
othesandhomes.Themankeeps
harnessi
nghiscreativ
epowert ocompl et
ely
subduetheearthandont heot herhand,t
hishuman
powerhasbeenmi susedgreatly
.Theseare;
cl
imatechange,polluti
onnuclearweaponsetc.
A.Themeani
ngoft
hebi
ble
ThisisaChr isti
anbookconsi stingofbot holdand
newt estament s.Chri
stiansbel i
ev ethatthebibleis
i
nspiredbyGod, iswithouter roranddoesnot
misrepresentthef act
s.I ti
sent irel
yt r
ustworthyand
i
sthef i
nalauthorit
yonev eryt
hingi tteaches.The
bi
bler ecordsthedr amaofr edempt ioninthe
hi
storyofI sr
aelandt hel if
e,deat handr esurr
ection
ofJesusChr ist.
B.l
dent
if
ybooksi
nthebi
ble
Thebibl
eisdi
vi
dedint
otwopar
ts;
theOl
d
Test
amentandtheNewTest
ament.
TheOldTestamental
soisknownast
heJewish
Tanakhist
hefi
rst39booksi
nmostChri
sti
an
bi
bles,
whichar
e;
Genesi
s,
Exodus,
Lev
iti
cus,
Number
s,
Deut
eronomy
,
Joshua,
Judges,
Rut
h,
1Samue,
2Samuel
,
1Ki
ngs,
2Ki
ngs,
1Chr
oni
cles,
2Chr
oni
cles,
Ezr
a,
Nehemi
ah,
Est
her
,
Job,
Psal
ms,
Pr
over
bs,
Eccl
esi
ast
es,
SongsofSol
omon,
I
sai
ah,
Jer
emi
ah,
Lament
ati
ons,
Ezeki
el,
Dani
el,
Hosea,
Joel
,
Amos,
Obadi
ah,
Jonah,
Mi
cah,
Nahum
Habakkuk,
Zephani
ah,
Haggai
,
Zechar
iah,
Mal
achi
.

Thename( OldTest ament)standsfort heori

ginal
promisewithGodt othedescendant sofAbr aham
i
npar ti
cul
ar.TheOldTestamentcont ainsthe
creat
ionoftheuniverse,
theexOdusf rom Egypt,t
he
formati
onofIsraelasanat i
on, t
heprophet Swho
spoketoGodandt hewisdom book.
TheNewTest amentisacol lectionof27books,
usual l
yplacedaf tert
heOl dTest amentinmost
ChristianBibles.Thesear e;Mat thew,Mark,Luke,
John, Acts,Romans, 1Corinthians,2Cori
nthi
ans,
Galat i
ans,Ephesians, Phil
ippians,Colossi
ans,
1Thessal onians,2Thessal onians,1Timothy,
2Timot hy
,Titus,Phil
emon, Hebr ew,James,1Peter
,
2Pet er,1John, 2John, 3John,
Jude,
Rev
elat
ion.
Thename( NewTestament)referstothenew
covenantorpromisebetweenGodandhumani t
y
thr
ought hedeathandresurr
ectionofJesusChrist
.
TheNewTest amentchroni
clesthelif
eandministr
y
ofJesus,thegrowthandimpactoft heearl
ychurch,
andinstr
uctivel
ett
erstoearl
ychur ches.

Mar
ri
age

Marr
iageisthelegal
uni
onorrel
ati
onshi
pbetweenamanandawomant obecomehusband
andwife.Marr
iagewasi
nst
it
utedbyGodr i
ghtf
rom t
het
imeofcr
eat
ion.

Funct
ionsofMar
ri
age.

1.
)Compani
onshi
p–Godsawt hatmanwasaloneandi
twasnotgood.SoHecr
eat
edt
he
womanasahelperandcompani
onformansothatmanisnotl
onel
y.

2.Procr
eat
ion–Godcommandedmant obef
rui
tf
ul,
mul
tipl
y,repl
eni
shandsubduet
heear
th.
Throughmarr
iageandchi
l
dbear
ingGod’
spl
anisbei
ngf
ulfi
l
led.

3.Chasti
ty–Marri
ageistoprev
entmanfrom l
i
vingl
ikeani
mal
s.I
tdi
scour
agesal
lfor
msof
best
ialbehav
ior
,pr
osti
tut
ionandsexual
immorali
ty.

4.
Raisi
nggodlygener
ati
onf
orGod.Godi
ntendt
orai
seGodf
ear
inggener
ati
ont
hroughmar
ri
age
astheypr
ocreat
e

5.
Prevent
ionofTerr
ibl
eDiseases–Mar ri
agei
stoprev
ental
lfor
msofsexuall
ytransmi
tt
ed
di
seasessuchasgonorrhea,syphi
l
is,Her
pes,
HIV/
AIDSandformsofdeadl
ydiseasest
hatar
e
at
tacki
ngdisobedi
entpeopletoday.
6.
Responsi
bil
i
ty:
Ther
earer
esponsi
bil
i
tiesordut
iesf
orhusbandandwi
fei
nmar
ri
agei
nthe
homeandinthehomeandi
nthecommuni ty(
ReadEphesi
ans5:21-
31)

Mor
alLessons:
Manistoencour
agel
i
feandnott
oter
minat
eli
fe.SoChr
ist
iansar
etoav
oidanddi
scour
age
abor
ti
ons.

Godhascr
eatedal
lthi
ngsthatwi
l
lmakemanenj
oyt
heear
th,
sot
her
eisnoneedf
oranyl
ack
orf
ormantobecomeself
ishorgr
eedy
.

Marr
iageisani nst
it
uti
onestabli
shedbyGodf ormanandwomant ocomet oget
herashusband
andwife.Otherfor
m ofhumanr el
ati
onshi
pslikehomosexuali
ty,
lesbi
ani
sm orgaymarri
ageetc
arev
erysinfulandshouldbediscour
aged.Sexuali
mmor al
it
yisnotpartofGod’spl
anforman.It
i
sasinbef oreGodandshallattr
actpuni
shmentfrom

Ty
pesofmar
ri
age

Maj
orTy
pesofMar
ri
ages

1.
Chr
ist
ianmar
ri
age

2.
Isl
ami
cmar
ri
age

3.
Tradi
ti
onalmar
ri
age

4.
Cour
tmar
ri
age.
5.
OtherTy
peofMar
ri
agesar
e:

Pol
ygamy:(a)Pol
ygy
ny:Thi
sisat
ypeofmar
ri
agei
nwhi
chamanmar
ri
es
morethanonewif
e

Pol
yandry:Thi
sisat
ypeofmar
ri
agei
nwhi
chawomanmar
ri
esmor
ethan
onehusband.

Monogamy
:Thi
sisat
ypeofmar
ri
agei
nwhi
chamani
smar
ri
edt
oone
woman.

Levi
rat
e:Isamar
ri
agei
nwhi
chamanmar
ri
est
hewi
dowofhi
sdead
brot
her.

Sorogate:I
sat
ypeofmar
ri
agei
nwhi
chawi
dowermar
ri
esoneofwi
fe’
s
si
ster.

Gay
(samesexmar
ri
age)
:(a)Homosexual
:Isat
ypeofmar
ri
agebet
ween
amanandaman.(
b)Lesbians:Thisisatypeofmarriagebetweena
womanandawoman.

SUBTOPI
C2:
Impor
tanceofMar
ri
age:

1.
)I
tisor
dai
nedbyGod

2.
)I
treducesf
orni
cat
ion

3)Ital
sohel
pi nreducingt
heinci
denceofHI
V/AI
DSandot
hersexual
tr
ansmitt
eddiseases.(STDS)
.

4.
)Mar
ri
agedi
scour
agest
eenagepr
egnancyChi
ldr
enr
aisedi
ngodl
y
homear
elessl
ikel
ytobecr
imi
nal
s.

5.
)Mar
ri
ager
educeshat
redanddi
scr
imi
nat
ionamongdi
ff
erentt
ri
bes

Di
sobedi
enceI
A.Meani
ngofdi
sobedi
ence
Di
sobedi
encei
sanactofbr
eaki
ngGod'
slaworanybehav
iourt
hati
sagai
nstt
hepr
inci
pleof
moral
i
ty.

Exampl
esar
est
eal
i
ng,
kil
l
ing,
ret
ali
ati
onet
c.whenev
erwedoanyoft
hese,
wehav
edi
sobey
ed
God.

B.Bi
bli
calaccountoff
ir
sthumandi
sobedi
enceGen.3:
1-19.
Thefir
stdisobediencethatledtosini nt
hebi bl
ewascommi ttedbyAdam andEv eAftercreating
Adam andEv e,Godpl acedthem intheGardenofEden.Theywer et ostaythereandr uleOv er
theani
mal sandbi r
ds.Amongt hetreesi
nt hegar denwast het reeofknowl edgeofgoodandev i
l.
Godtoldthem theycoul deatanyoft hefr
uitsoft hetr
eesint hegar denexceptt hatofthet r
eei n
themiddl
eoft hegar den.Thiswast hetr
eeofknowl edge.Godsai d, Thedayy oueatoft het ree,
youshall
sur el
ydie.Adam andev eli
vedhappi l
ytogetherinthegar den.Onedayt hedev i
lcamei n
for
m ofaser pentanddecei vedeve,hetoldhert hatshewoul dnotdi ebutherey ewoul dbe
openedandshewoul dt henknowt hedif
ferencebet weengoodandev il
.Thef r
uitont hetree
l
ookstempt i
ngEv etookoneofi tandatepartofi tandgav ether emai ninghalftoAdam.
I
mmedi atel
y, t
heyopenedandt heysawthattheywer enakedt hent ookl eav
est ocov ertheir

nakednessandhide.Godknewwhatt heyhaddone,hecal
ledthem t
oknowwher et heywere
thenAdam repl
ied1heardyourvoiceandIwasaf rai
dbecauseIwasnakedandhi d.Godasked
him'whot ol
dyouthatyouarenaked?Her epli
edsayingt
hewomangav ehi
mt hefruitt
oeat,
Evesaiditwastheserpentt
hatdeceivedher.Godgotangryandsentthem awayfronm the
beauti
fulgar
denandcausedt heserpent.

Mor
all
esson:
Di
sobedi
enceisal
wayspuni
shed.Deat
hcameasaresul
tofAdam andEve'
sdisobediencet
o
God.Wemustlear
ntobeobedientt
oavoi
dpuni
shmentsandi
tsnegati
veef
fects.Thereisa
bl
essi
nginobedi
ence.
Di
sobedi
enceI
I
A.ConsequencesofAdam andEv
eGen.3:
14-
19
Thej udgmentofGodonAdam' sdisobedi
enceresul
tedinhar
dwor k.Adam'spleasantwork
turnstohar dworkbecauseGodcausedt hegroundbecauseofAdam' ssi
nandt hisi
swhyt i
ll
todaymanmustwor khar dt
oeat.Evewascausedt ogivebi
rt
hinpainsInsorrowshallyoubri
ng
forthchil
drenandyourdesir
eshallbeforyourhusband,andheshallr
uleoveryou'Today,
womensuf fert
hepainofchil
dbir
thasar esul
tofEve'sdi
sobedi
encetoGod.

Becauseoft heirdisobedience,deathent er
edi ntothewor l
d,t
heearthGodtookthem fr
om.As
Adam andev edescendanti ncreasedonear tht herewasmor eevil
.Peopl
edowickedthings
againstt
heirneighbour s,foughtthem andki l
l
edt hem,thi
sevilmadeGoddestr
oyt heworldwi
th
afloodinGen. 6:11-22.Today ,
oursoci et
yisfull ofevi
ldeedsli
kerit
ualki
l
li
ngs,r
ape,corr
upti
on
etcandthisbroughtaboutt hebr eakdownofl awandor deri
nsociety.

B.Lear
ner
s'di
sobedi
enceandconsequences
School
sandreli
giouspl
acesarewher
estudent
sgotolear
nandthislear
ningcoul
dbeformalor
i
nformali
nnatur
e.Theschoolchur
chandparent
ssetmoralst
andardsandmodelsforst
udents

andchildr
en.However
,schoolshaverul
esandr egulati
onsmeanttoguidet hestudentsand
parentssetexampl
esfortheirchi
ldr
entoexhibitoutsi
de.Despi
teal
lofthis,west i
ll
have
studentscomingl
atetonschool,maki
ngnoiseinclass,fi
ghti
ngandindulginginculti
sm.

Theconsequencesi
ncl
ude;
1.Sev
erepuni
shment

2.Suspensi
on

3.Deat
h(f
orcul
ti
sm/
robber
y).

C.Di
sobedi
encesagai
nstt
henat
ionall
aw
Lawsar
emeanttocontr
olt
hecit
izensofasociet
y.Theyl
aiddowntoensur
epeace,
orderand
har
monyint
hesoci
ety.Howev
er,theconst
it
uti
onisacompi l
ati
onoft
hevari
ousl
aws

meantt oprotectandgui detheciti

zensandsocietyatlar
ge.Examplesofnat
ionall
awsare;
varndali
sati
onofpublicpr oper
ty,moneylaunder
ing,fr
aud,di
srespectingt
henati
onalant
heand
fl
aget c.f
ines,j
ailt
erm andconf i
scat i
onofthecri
minal'
spropert
yar esomeofthe
consequencesofbr eakingnationallaws.

Mor
all
esson:Wemustl
ear
ntoguar
dagai
nstdi
sobedi
encet
obe

i
ngoodr
elat
ionshi
pwi
thGod

A.Themeani
ngofr
econci
li
ati
on
Reconcil
i
ati
onistheactofcausi
ngtwopeopletobecomefr
iendl
yagai
naft
eranargumentor
di
sagreement;
therestor
ati
onoffri
endl
yrel
ati
ons.I
tisal
sotheacti
onofmaki
ngoneviewor
bel
iefcompati
blewit
hanother.

B.Condi
ti
onsnecessar
yforr
econci
li
ati
on
Bef
orer
econci
l
iat
ioncant
akepl
acesuccessf
ull
y,peopl
emustobser
vet
hef
oll
owi
ng;

1.Si
ncer
it
y:Peopl
einv
olv
edi
nanydi
sagr
eementmustbesi
ncer
ewi
theachot
herandbe
r
eadyt
oacceptt
hei
rwr
ongs.

2.I
mpar
ti
ali
ty:
Peopl
eset
tl
inganydi
sagr
eementmustbef
airi
nthei
rjudgment
sand
shoul
dav
oidanyf
orm ofpar
ti
ali
ty.Theyshoul
dbewomenandmenofi
ntegr
it
yandhonest
y.

3.
Humi
li
ty:Thetwopeopleinvolvedmustbehumbleenoughtoapologizewhenfound
gui
l
tywhi
letheoffendedshouldbereadytof
orgiv
eandf or
get
.Ther
efor
e,ther
eshoul
dbe3
par
ti
esonthereconcil
iat
ionl
ist
;theoff
ender
,theoff
endedandtheset
tl
ingpart
y.

C.Thepr
odi
galson(repai
rsabr
okenr
elat
ionshi
p)Luke15:
11-
32Ar
ichmanhadt
wo
sons,onedaytheyoungeronecal
ledhi
sFatheranddemandedhi
sownshareofhi
sinher
it
ance,
thefat
herdidn'
tar
guebutquiet
lygavehi
m hisport
ion.Af
ewdayslat
ert
he

youngersontookall
hispossessionsandlef
tthehouse,
helavi
shedallhispossessionswi thhi
s
f
riendsbylivi
ngl
argeinnot i
mehehadnot hi
ngandbecamepoort othest ateofbeggingf or
f
ood, hefedonfoodbelongingt
oani mal
s.Onedayhecamet ohissensesandsai dtohi mself,
I
will
rathergohomeandr econci
l
ewi thmyfather
,hegothomeandsaidf atherIhavesi nned
againstuandheav en,Iam nol
ongerwort
hytobecal
l
edyourson.Hi
sfatherpul
l
edhi
m up,
embr acedhim andkissedhim,
hisfat
herf
orgav
ehim.Thi
sisanexampleofawonder
ful
reconcil
iat
ion.

D.Way
sofr
econci
li
ati
onwi
thof
fender
s

1.Mut
ualheal
ing:Whentherei
sdeepheal
i
ngi
nther
elat
ionshi
p,t
her
ewi
l
lanamaz
ing
t
ransf
ormat
ionandt
hisi
sagi
ftt
obecher
ished.

2.Shi
ft
ingy
ourexpect
ati
ons:Inthi
sty
peofr
econci
l
iat
ion,
onechangeshi
s
expect
ati
onsoft
heot
herper
son,
whet
herornott
heot
herper
sonchanges.

3.Agr
eei
ngt
odi
sagr
ee:
Inst
eadofpr
ovi
ngt
ober
ight
,theyt
ryt
oagr
eet
oDi
sagr
ee
byf
indi
ngacommongr
oundt
hati
snotconnect
edt
o

t
hedi
sput
e.

4.I
nnerr
esol
uti
on:Inthi
scase,
wegr
iev
efort
her
elat
ionshi
pbecauset
heot
herpar
ty
mi
ghtbehur
ttor
econci
l
eorev
endead.

Mor
all
esson
AsChr
ist
ians,
weshoul
dnotbegr
eedyandr
econci
l
ewi
thev
ery
onewhowr
ongedus.

Cal
ltor
epent
ance
MEANI
NGOFREPENTANCE.

Tor epentmeanstoregr
et,besorr
y,feelsorr
oworfeelashamedf oranywrongdone.Theref
ore,
repentancei
stheactofregret
ti
ngorf eel
ingsor
ryorashamedf oranywrongdoi
ng.Iti
sthe
reali
zati
onthatwhatwehav edoneisbad/ wr
ongandwear ereadytoapologi
zeandaskf or
forgiv
eness.

A.KI
NGDAVI
DOBEYSGOD'
SCALLTOREPENTANCE.2Sam.12:
7-13,
Ps.51:
1-19

Davi
dwasthesecondKi ngofIsr ael
.TheI sr
aeli
tearmywasf ightingagai nsttheAmmoni tes.
Davi
ddidnotgotofightthewar .Onedayashewaswal kingont her ooftopofhi shouse, he
sawabeaut
if
ul womannextdoort aki
ngherbat h.Davidaskedhisser v antswhot hewomanwas.
Theytol
dhi
mt hatshewasBat hsheba, thewi f
eofUr i
ah,theHitti
te,oneofhi ssoldier
sfight i
ng
i
nthewaragainstt
heAmmoni tes.Later,hetoldhisserv
antstobr i
ngt hewomant ohispal ace.
ThewomancameandDav i
dsleptwi thherandshebecamepr egnant .Dav i
dcall
edUr iahf rom
thebat tl
efi
eldandt ri
ckedhi mt ogohomet osl eepwithhiswi f
esothat(he)Dav i
dcoul dmake
himr esponsibleforthepr egnancy .ButUri
ahr efusedandintheendDav i
dhadhi m kill
edint he
battle.Davi
dt henmar riedBat hsheba,wholatergav ebir
thtoason.Dav iddidnotf eelsorryfor
thewr onghehaddone.Ther efore,Godsentthepr ophetNathantocallhimtor epentance.
Nat hantoldDav i
dt hest or
yofapoormanwhohadonel ambandar i
chmanwhohadpl entyof
sheepandgoat s.Oneday ,ther i
chmanhadav isi
torandhet ookthelamboft hepoormanand
kil
ledi tf
orhisv i
sit
or.reali
zedt hatwhathehaddonewaswr ong,herepented.Hef eltverysorry
andaskedGodf orforgiveness; andGodf or
gav ehim.Thecal lofDavi
dt orepentanceandhi s
responsei sfoundi nPsal m 51.

B.ZACCHAEUSRESPONDEDTOTHECALLTOREPENTANCE(
LUKE19:
1-10

Zacchaeus,ashor tman, wasachi eftaxcollectori

nt hetownofJer i
cho.Heusedt ocheatthe
peoplebycollecti
ngmor ethanthet axhewassupposedt ocoll
ect.Hemadeuseoft hesurplus
taxforhi
msel f(fr
aud).Oneday ,Jesuswaspassi ngthroughJerichotoJerusal
em.Manypeopl e
camet oseehi m.Zacchaeuswasamongt hem.Butbecausehewasshor t,hecli
mbedat reeto
seeJesuspassby :whenJesusr eachedwher eZacchaeuswas, heaskedhimt ocomedown
from t
hetree.Jesustoldhimt hatHewi llspendt henightinhishouse.Zacchaeuswasv ery
happyandwal kedJesustohishouse.Butt hepeopl ewerenothappybecauseZacchaeuswasa
badmanwhodi dnotfeelsorr
yf orcheati
ngt hepeopleandso, t
heyprotest
edandsaid'Jesus
hasgonet obeaguestt oabadman.Bot hJesus

C.THEPEOPLEOFNI
NEVEHREPENTEDOFTHEI
RSI
NS.(
JONAH3:
1-10)

Thepeopl eofNi nevehwer eev ili

nt heirways.Theydi dmanyev i
lthingst ooneanot her.They
werewi cked.Theydi dnothel pthosei nt r
ouble.Theydidnotf eelsor r
yf orallt
hewr ongt hat
theyhaddoneandt heycontinuedt odo.Godt oldthePr ophetJonaht ogoandcal lt
hepeopl eof
Nineveht orepentanceot her
wi seHewoul ddest roythem.Atf i
rsther efusedandr anawayf rom
God'sdirecti
vet oTarshishbutl aterwentt othet ownofNi nevehandcal ledthepeopl ethereto
repentance.Godsai dthroughJonaht hatNinevehwoul dbeov erthrowni nf ort
yday stime.The
peoplefeltsorryofallthebadt hingst hattheyhaddone.Theyr epent edbypr oclaimingaf ast,
putti
ngonsackcl ot
h,thekingar osef rom histhrone,remov edhisrobe, andcov eredhimsel fwit
h
sackclothandsati nashesandaskedGodf orforgiv
eness.And, Godf or
gav ethem

D.JOHNTHEBAPTI
STCALLSFORREPENTANCE.

GodsentJohnt heBapti
sttotheJewst ocal
lthem torepentance.Hepreachedtothem the
bapti
sm ofrepent
ancefortheforgi
venessofsins.Thepeopleregr et
edthei
rwrongdoings.They
camet oJohntoconfessthei
rsins.JohntheBaptistbant
izedallthepeoplewhorepentedof
thei
rsins
 CONSEQUENCESOFLACKOFREPENTANCE
(
|SAMUEL3:
18,
4:10-
21)

Hophni andPhi
nehaswer et hesonsofEl i
-aPr ophetinIsraelinchargeofthehouseofGodat
Shiloh.Hissonswer eassistantPri
estswhohel pedhim witht hewor kofGod.Hophni and
Phinehasdi dsomanyev i
linthesightofGodwi thhardenedhear t.Attimes,theydesir
edtheir
shar eofthemeatf orsacri
fi
cer awandev enf orceful
ly.Atothertimes, t
hewoment hatcamef or
sacr i
fi
cewer efor
cedintosinr i
ghtatthealtarofGod.Godi nhi sinfi
nit
emer cysentmessaget o
ElithroughSamuel .Herepli
edSamuel "
Iti
st heLor d;l
etHi m dowhatseemet hHim good".I
nthe
l
ongr un,Godpunishedthem becauset heyfailedtorepentf rom thei
rsins.t
hesamedayEl idi
ed,
histwosonsdi ed,hisdaught er
-i
n-l
aw-Phi nehas' wif
edi eddur i
ngchildbir
th(namedt hechil
d
Ichabod) ,andt
hear kofGodwast aken.

Thef
oll
owi
ngi
sthesummar
yoft
heconsequencesofsi
n:
1.Deat
h:asi
nthecaseofHophni
andPhi
nehas.

2.LackofRev
elat
ion:
God'
swi
l
landpur
posecannotber
eveal
edt
oasi
nner

whor
efusest
oconf
esshi
s/hersi
ns.

3.Unf
ulf
il
ledpur
poseofGodf
orone'
sli
fe:
asi
nthecaseofSamson(
Judges16)

4.I
ncur
ri
ngt
hewr
athofGod.

5.Lackofanswer
stopr
ayer
.

MORALLESSONS:

1.KingDavid,
Zacchaeus,thepeopleofNinevehandtheJewsinthet i
meofJohntheBaptist
,
respondedtothecal
ltorepentance.Thus,y
oumustl ear
ntorespondtothecal
ltorepent
ance
bypr ay
ingt
oGodt ogivey out
hemi ndtosaysorryandaskforforgi
venessl
i
kethe
aforementi
onedpeopledid.

2.Godpuni
shest
hosewhoshowlackofrepent
ance.Theref
ore,
youmustl
ear
ntopr
ayt
oGod
tohel
pyoushowrepent
ancesoastoav
oidbeingpunishedbyHim.

3.Theconsequencesofwrongdoi
ngaffectanddest
royus.Hence,y
oumustlearntoprayto
Godtogiveyouspiri
tual
powertoavoi
dwr ongdoi
ngi
nordertoescapei
tsconsequences.
 Cal
ltoobedi
ence
Obedi
encemeansdoingwhaty ouaret
oldtodo.I
tist
ocomplywi
ththerul
esandregul
ati
onsat
homeandatschool
,andwiththelawsinthecommunit
y.I
tist
oadheret
oinst
ruct
ionsgi
vento
usort
oactuponanyorderorcommandgi v
entous.

Abr
aham Obey
sGod'
sCal
l(Genesi
s12:
1-4)
Abraham'sfat
herwasTerah.Hewast hedescendant
sofoneofthosepeoplewhower
e
scatt
eredinsmall
languagegroupsaf
tert
heTowerofBabelinci
dent.HegrewupinUr

ofChal
deans.
WhenTerahdi
edi
nHaran,Abraham ay
oungmant ookov ert
heresponsi
bil
i
tiesof
hi
sfamil
y.Abr
aham l
i
vedwit
hhi
sfamilyti
l
lhewassev ent
yfi
ve-
years.Godthencall
ed

Abr
aham andtoldhim:"Gofrom y
ourcountryandyourki
ndredandyourf
ather
'shouset
othe
l
andthatIwil
lshowy ou.
Blessi
ngfrom Obeyi
ngGod'sCal
l(Gen.12:
5-9)Godpromisedt
obless
Abr
aham ifheobeyedthecallt
oleavehiscountr
y.

Godpr
omi
sedAbr
aham f
ourt
hings:

1.Anewl
and.

2.Agr
eatnat
ion.

3.Bl
esst
hosewhobl
essAbr
aham.

4.Abl
essi
ngt
oal
lmanki
ndorgener
ati
on.

From Haran,Abraham andhisgrouptrav

ell
edsouthwardsforweeksandmont hs.Fi
nall
ythey
enteredthelandofCanaanandcamet othecit
y,Shechem.Inthecentr
eofthetownwasa
sacredtreecall
edt heOakofMor eh.
'Abr
aham andhisgroupstoppedbythesacredtreeand
spentthenightthere.I
nthenightGodappearedtoAbraham inShechem Andr
ewpr omisedhi
m
theland-Canaant ogivehi
m andhisdescendants.

Rel
igi
ousandMor
alLessons
1.Youmustl
ear
ntopr
ayt
oGodt
ohel
pyout
obeobedi
nal
lthi
ngsasAbr
aham di
d.

2.Pr
ayt
oGodt
ohel
pyout
obeobedi
enti
nor
dert
obebl
essedbyHi
m.

3.AskGodf
orhel
ptoshowf
ait
hful
obedi
encei
nyourr
elat
ionshi
pwi
thHi
m.
 Cal
ltoser
vice
Servi
ceisdoingsomeworkwhichoneiscalledupontoperf
orm oronevol
unteerst
odo.I
n
serv
ice,onei
sexpectedt
odothewor kwithallhi
sorherheart
,mindandstrengt
h.Whent
his
happens,oneissai
dtohaver
enderedfai
thful,
loy
alandaccountabl
eser
v i
ce.

Exampl
esofPeopl
ewhoSer
vedi
ntheBi
lbl
e:
(
1)Josephi
sSol
dtoEgy
pt(
Gen.37:
12-
36)
Josephservedhisfatherfait
hful
l
y.Attheageofsev enteen,hewasshepherdi
ngt hef
lockwit
h
hisbrot
hers.Ononeoccasi on,hi
sfathersernthi
mt ogoandgi vefoodtohisbrot
hersonthe
fi
eld.Ongetti
ngthere,hecouldn'
tfi
ndt hem atShechem wheretheywere,hewentfurt
herto
Dothanwher ehefoundt hem.Hisbrotherscaughthim andsoldhi
mt osomeI shmaeli
tetr
ader
s
fortwent
yshekelsofsi l
ver.Thetr
adertookJosepht oEgyptwheretheysoldhisasaslave.

(
ii
)JosephSer
vesi
nEgy
pt(
Gen.41:37-
5)
Hewasdil
igenti
nPotiphar'
shouseasasl aveev enthoughhismast erwasanEgy pt
ian.When
hewasinthepri
sonalso,al
l ot
herpri
sonerswer ekeptinhi
scar e.(Gen39:22).Whenhel eftt
he
Pri
sonandhewasgi v
enappoi ntmenti
nPhar aoh'scabi
netbecausehei nt
erpretedtheking'
s
dr
eam,Josephsti
ll
disti
nguishedhimselfwit
ht hewayhecar efull
ygather
ed,storedand
pr
eserv
edenoughgraininthey ear
sofabundanceandi t
sdistr
ibuti
onandsalesi ntheyearsof

f
ami
ne.

I
nSummar y,
Josephser
vedhi
sfat
her
,br
other
s,Pot
iphar
,co-pr
isoner
s,Phar
aohandt
heent
ir
e
peopl
eofEgypt
.

(
iv)Rut
hSer
vesherMot
her
-i
n-l
aw(
Rut
h1:
7-18)
Rut hgotmar r
iedtooneofEl imelech'ssons: Mahl onwhodi edjustaft
erthemar ri
age.When
Rut hlostherhusband,Naomi hermot her-
in-
lawadv i
sedhergobackt oherpar entsbutshe
refused,shepreferr
edt obewi thhermot her-i
n-law.Sheser vedhermot her
-i
n-l
awwhol e
hear t
edlyandmadehernott of eell
onelywi t
ht hedeat hofherhusbandandhert wosons:
Mahl onandChi l
ion.Asar esultofthis,Godbl essedRut hwithanotherhusbandBoazwhot ook
careofherandshewasbl essedwi thasonObed, thefatherofJesse,t
hefatherofDav i
dthe
greatking(Ruth4:17-22).