Lesson 1The Beginning

Introduction:To everything there is a beginning. This is the beginning of our study in Church life. It is our Lords expressed desire that we have a new beginning in our spiritual birth and then continue to grow up in Him. In order to do that, we must understand Him. The Masters plan is a systematic study of His plan for our lives. This study will take time, and a commitment to the search of Gods word. In this lesson, we will discover who God is, who the Angels are, and who man is.I. WHAT ABOUT GOD?

A. Who is God?1. The word God means one who is WORSHIPPED.2. The title used by men to describe the SUPREME BEING.3. Thought of as one who has all power to CREATE and MAINTAIN all things.

B. What is God?1. God is a SPIRIT.God is a spirit: and they that worshipped Him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)2. A spirit being that has INTELLIGENCE and FREE WILL but has no BODY and therefore cant be DESTROYED!Behold my hands and my feet, that it is myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye have me. (Luke 24:39)C. What qualities belong to God?1. God is ETERNAL (unlimited by time)Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting, thou art God. (Psalm 90:1,2)2. God is UNCHANGEABLE (unaffected by circumstances)For i am Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6)3. God is OMNIPOTENT (Almighty, all powerful)And i heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thundering, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (Revelation 19:6)4. God is OMNISCIENT (all knowing)Forif our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. (1 John 3:20)5. God is OMNIPRESENT (present everywhere)Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see Him? Saith the Lord. Do not i fill heaven and earth? Saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:24)6. God is HOLY (sinless, hating sin)Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy. (Leviticus 19:2)7. God is JUST (fair and impartial)He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all His ways are judgements: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. (Deuteronomy 32:4)8. God is FAITHFUL (keeping his promises)If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:13)9. God is BENEVOLENT (good, kind, desiring our welfare)The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. (Psalm 145:9)

10. God is MERCIFUL (full of pity)And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the childrens children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. (Exodus 34:6,7)11. God is GRACIOUS (forgiving)For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? And it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear ; for I am gracious. (Exodus 22:27)12. God is LOVE.He that loveth not knoweth not God: for God is love. (1 John 4:8)

D. What is the mystery of the triune God?1. God has revealed himself to us the FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY GHOST.2. Though they are revealed to us as THREE, they are ONE.3. The Bible declares this so in DEUTERONOMY 6:4Hear, O Israel; The Lord God is one Lord. (Deut. 6:4)

For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. (Col.2:9)

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were open unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Mat.3:16,17)

E. What forms has God revealed himself to man?

1. ROCKAnd did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Cor.10:4)2. CLOUDAnd the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; (Exodus 13:21a)3. PILLAR OF FIREAnd by night in a pillar of fire to give them light; to go by day and night: (Exodus 13:21b)4. ANGEL OF THE LORDAnd the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. He said, Here am I. (Exodus 3:2-4)5. JESUS CHRISTAnd without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Tim.3:16)6. HOLY SPIRITAs God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (2 Corinthians 6:16b)

II. WHAT ABOUT ANGELS?

A. What are angels?

They are INVINSIBLE ministering SPIRITS created by God to do his will.

Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord, all his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. (Psalm 103:20,21)

B. What happened to the angels?

They were divided into two groups. The GOOD and the BAD angels. The good, of course, are Gods; and the bad work for Satan.

And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:4,7,9)

C. What instruction does the Bible give us concerning good angels?

1. They have great POWER.

Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. (Psalm 103:20)

2. They carry out His COMMANDS.

Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord, ye all his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. (Psalm 103:20,21)

3. They serve CHRISTIANS.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. (Psalm 91: 11,12)

D. What instruction does the Bible give us concerning bad angels?

1. They were created HOLY, but SINNED, and were rejected by God.

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgement; (2 Peter2:4)

2. They are cunning and POWERFUL.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (2 Cor.11:14)

E. Do we worship angels?

NO! We should not even become angel conscious. We are only to worship God. Thou shalt have no other gods before thee! (Exodus 20:3)

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (Gal1:8)

Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things wich he hath seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind. (Col.2:18)

F. Who is Lucifer?1. Lucifer was the HIGHEST angelic form in Heaven.2. He was the ANNOINTED cherub of God that had access to the throne of God.3. He was the CHIEF among angels and was perfect in BEAUTY and WISDOM.4. His job was to:a. COLLECT praise from all the universe.b. GIVE it to God totally.Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. (Ezk.28:13-15)G. What happened to Lucifer?

1. Wickedness in the form of PRIDE was found in him.2. He attempted to overthrow the throne of God. God THREW him and his FOLLOWERS out of heaven.3. They now are known as the DEVIL and his DEMONS.How art thou fallen form heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Is.14:12-14)H. Where is the Devil and His demons now?

1. Some are in EVERLASTING CHAINS awaiting judgement.2. Others roam the earth with their LEADER.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about to seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. ( 1 Peter 5:8,9)

I. Who has power over Satan and his demons?GOD and his CHURCH!

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. (Eph.1:20,21)

III. WHAT ABOUT MAN?A. Was man created?

YES! Man was created in the IMAGE OF GOD.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Gen.1:26,27)And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Gen.2:7)

B. Why was man created?1. To FELLOWSHIP with God and give Him PLEASURE.

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (Rev.4:11)

2. To have DOMINION over everything God has made.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Gen.1:26)3. To have CHILDREN and POPULATE the earth.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, replenish the earth and subdue it: (Gen.1:28)

4. To be the KEEPER of the Garden of Eden.

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. (Gen.2:15)

C. Was man given any warnings?

YES. Not to eat the tree of the knowledge of GOOD and EVIL.

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Gen.2:16,17)D. What were the three temptations used to temp Eve?1. Lust of the FLESH.2. Lust of the EYES.3. Pride of LIFE.

But of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. (Gen.3:3-6)

E. Are the same temptations around today?

Yes! Even after fallen man has returned to the Lord Jesus Christ, Satan will try to bring him back into bondage.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (1John 2:16)

F. Were there any penalties for the sin?YES. Each who were part had a curse put upon them and is also passed on from generation to generation.1. The Serpent GEN. 3:14-152. The WomanGEN. 3:163. The ManGEN. 3:17-19

G. What is enmity?1. HATRED2. SEPARATION3. DIFFERENCES4. ATTITUDE5. HOSTILITYEnmity was placed into both man and woman at the time they broke fellowship with God.IV. What have I learned from this chapter?A. God is the Supreme Being and has total charge and authority over all Heavens and Earth. He displays himself in many ways to man and is fully alive.B. Angels have a definite purpose for being created. Through the fall of Lucifer, we learned that we have an adversary. He is Satan and his demons.C. Man and Woman were created in the image of God. Man lost his place in the garden and now God is teaching us that we have the ability through Christ to regain our place.Memory verse:In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4)