A Life Beyond Amazing Bible Study Guide: 9 Decisions That Will Transform Your Life Today

By Dr. David Jeremiah

Why were people in the first century so drawn to Jesus of Nazareth? His powerful miracles and challenging teachings, for sure. But it was also His character. Humanity had never witnessed someone who is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, compassionate, generous, faithful, humble, and self-controlled all the time. It was as if God Himself had become a human being to demonstrate the life that is possible–a life beyond amazing.

The traits that Jesus demonstrated in His life were traits empowered by the Spirit of God who filled Him. When Jesus returned to heaven, He sent His Spirit to indwell all His true followers so they could display the same character in their lives–not for their benefit alone but to show the world the kind of life God intended us to enjoy. The apostle Paul called these traits "the fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22–23).

In this A Life Beyond Amazing Study Guide, Dr. David Jeremiah describes the divinely empowered life that is possible for followers of Christ. Between introductory and concluding messages, Dr. Jeremiah explores each of the nine traits of a Spirit-filled life as outlined by the apostle Paul–traits that produce a life beyond amazing. Each lesson also includes:

• An outline of the main subjects and Scriptures covered during the lesson
• An overview of Dr. Jeremiah's teaching on the topic being studied
• Application questions to help individuals and small groups delve into the Bible
• A Did You Know? section that adds a point of interest to the lesson

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Oct 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9780310091189

Dr. David Jeremiah

Dr. David Jeremiah is the founder of Turning Point, an international ministry committed to providing Christians with sound Bible teaching through radio and television, the internet, live events, and resource materials and books. He is the author of more than fifty books, including Where Do We Go From Here?, Forward, The World of the End, and The Great Disappearance. Dr. Jeremiah serves as the senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California. He and his wife, Donna, have four grown children and twelve grandchildren.

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How to Use This Guide

The purpose of this study guide is to reinforce Dr. David Jeremiah’s dynamic, in-depth teaching and to aid you in applying biblical truth to your daily life. This study guide is designed to be used in conjunction with Dr. Jeremiah’s A Life Beyond Amazing book and audio series, but it may also be used by itself for personal or group study.

STRUCTURE OF THE LESSONS

Each lesson is based on one of the messages in the A Life Beyond Amazing audio series and book and focuses on specific passages in the Bible. Each lesson is composed of the following elements:

• Outline: The outline at the beginning of the lesson gives a clear, concise picture of the topic being studied and will provide a helpful framework for you as you listen to Dr. Jeremiah’s teaching or read the book.

• Overview: The overview summarizes Dr. Jeremiah’s teaching on the passage being studied in the lesson. You should refer to the Scripture passages in your own Bible as you study the overview. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture verses quoted are taken from the New King James Version.

• Application: This section contains a variety of discussion questions designed to help you dig deeper into the lesson and the Scriptures and to apply the lesson to your daily life. For Bible study groups or Sunday school classes, these questions will provide a springboard for group discussion and interaction.

• Did You Know? This section presents a fascinating fact, historical note, or insight that adds a point of interest to the preceding lesson.

PERSONAL STUDY

The lessons in this study guide were created to help you gain fresh insights into God’s Word and develop new perspectives on topics you may have previously studied. Each lesson is designed to challenge your thinking and help you grow in your knowledge of Christ. During your study, it is our prayer that you will discover how biblical truth affects every aspect of your life and your relationship with Christ will be strengthened.

When you commit to completing this study guide, try to set apart a time, daily or weekly, to read through the lessons without distraction. Have your Bible nearby when you read the study guide, so you’re ready to look up verses if you need to. If you want to use a notebook to write down your thoughts, be sure to have that handy as well. Take your time to think through and answer the questions. If you plan on reading the study guide with a small group, be sure to read ahead and be prepared to take part in the weekly discussions.

GROUP STUDY

The lessons in this study guide are suitable for Sunday school classes, small-group studies, elective Bible studies, or home Bible study groups. Each person in the group should have his or her own study guide.

When possible, the study guide should be used with the corresponding audio series. You may wish to complete the study guide lesson as homework prior to the group meeting and then use the meeting time to listen to Dr. Jeremiah’s teaching and discuss the lesson. If you are a group leader, refer to the guide at the back of this book for additional instructions on how to set up and lead your group time.

FOR CONTINUING STUDY

For a complete listing of Dr. Jeremiah’s materials for personal and group study, call 1-800-947-1993, go online to www.DavidJeremiah.org, or write to Turning Point, P.O. Box 3838, San Diego, CA 92163.

Dr. Jeremiah’s Turning Point program is currently heard or viewed around the world on radio, television, and the Internet in English. Momento Decisivo, the Spanish translation of Dr. Jeremiah’s messages, can be heard on radio in every Spanish speaking country in the world. The television broadcast is also broadcast by satellite throughout the Middle East with Arabic subtitles.

Contact Turning Point for radio and television program times and stations in your area, or visit our website at www.DavidJeremiah.org/stationlocator.

A Life Beyond Amazing

INTRODUCTION

Jesus of Nazareth wasn’t the only influential figure who appeared on the Judean scene in the two centuries surrounding His birth. But He is the only one who changed the world because He was the only one from God (Acts 5:33–39).

Why were people drawn to Jesus? Why did they follow Him then, and why do they still follow Him today? For at least three reasons: His miracles, His teachings, and His character. Jesus’ miracles and teachings have received ample attention through the years, much more than His character. Ironically, it is His character that Christians have been called to develop. He has not charged His followers with producing miracles or creating teachings of their own. (We have His miracles and His teachings in the Scriptures.) But we have been empowered to display His character.

What was His character like? The people in first-century Judea were not used to a person who lived a life of love, joy, peace, endurance, compassion, generosity, integrity, humility, and self-discipline day in and day out. Everyone is loving sometimes, joyful on occasion, and peaceful when in non-stressful circumstances. Said another way, everyone has moments, or days, when they demonstrate the opposite of Jesus’ character. The people of that day were not used to someone demonstrating those and other godly traits all the time. Jesus’ character, as much as His miracles and teachings, caused people to continually ask, Who is this Man?

Fast forward to Paul’s letter to the Galatians, where he draws a distinction between normal people and Spirit-filled people. We know what the character of normal people is like (Paul gives some examples in Galatians 5:19–21). But then Paul does what Jesus’ biographers didn’t do: he gives a list of nine character traits that born-again people can cultivate in their lives, calling them the fruit of the Spirit (verses 22–23). Jesus was anointed by, and filled with, the Holy Spirit and manifested these traits in His life—the fruit of the Spirit of God in a human being who was submitted to the Spirit’s lordship. And the same can be true in the life of a Christian who is submitted to the leading of the Spirit of God. We can have the character of Jesus Christ. We can manifest the fruit of the Spirit.

Paul later wrote that the ultimate purpose of the Christian’s life is to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). As we submit to the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, we allow Christ to live His life through us: It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God (Galatians 2:20). How do we know when Christ is living His life fully through us? When our lives show the fruit of the Holy Spirit; when our lives are loving, joyful, peaceful, enduring, compassionate, generous, faithful, humble, and self-disciplined.

When we live a life like that, we will be living a life that is beyond amazing—a life that the world is not used to seeing and a life we cannot experience on our own. It is the purpose of this A Life Beyond Amazing study guide to paint a picture of a life that displays the fruit of the Spirit. It is a life yielded to the Holy Spirit so He is free to reveal Christ in us to the world around us.

The world today needs the same thing the first-century world needed—the presence of God in our midst. And when the followers of Christ today manifest the fruit of His Spirit, the world today will be drawn to history’s most beyond-amazing life: Jesus Christ.

LESSON 1

A Life Beyond Amazing

SELECTED SCRIPTURES

In this lesson we are introduced to the theme of a Christian life beyond amazing: the roadblocks, roadmaps, and results.

Jesus Christ lived an amazing life and attracted followers wherever He went. But the same can’t always be said of His followers today, the Church. When we understand that our salvation is more than just a past event, we catch a biblical vision for the amazing life God wants us to experience.

OUTLINE

I. The Roadblocks to a Life Beyond Amazing

A. A Misunderstanding of Salvation

B. A Misapplication of Works

C. A Mistaken Idea of Spirituality

II. The Roadmap to a Life Beyond Amazing

III. The Result of a Life Beyond Amazing

OVERVIEW

In a recent book, I asked the question, Is this the end? The answer to that question is, No, but you can see it from here. Meaning, every day we are getting closer to the return of Jesus Christ. That raises another question: What kind of people do we need to be to live in an increasingly chaotic and unpredictable culture? In other words, regardless of what is going on around us, what kind of people does God expect us to be?

The answer is in this series of lessons. We need to be the kind of people described in Galatians 5:22–23—people who manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That is the kind of person Jesus Christ was. The indwelling Holy Spirit wants to manifest the presence of Christ in and through us as well.

I call such a life a life beyond amazing—the abundant life Jesus came to give us (John 10:10). It is an impossible life apart from the Holy Spirit. But it is possible by His power and presence. In this series we will examine each of the nine dimensions of the fruit of the Spirit, one at a time.

The Roadblocks to a Life Beyond Amazing

Are you, or the Christians you know, living a life beyond amazing? If not, what is getting in the way? How can we remove the impediments? I know three obstacles that can stand in our way.

A Misunderstanding of Salvation

First, we mistake the nature of salvation by thinking of it only in the past tense—something that happened back then. But the Bible views salvation in three tenses: past, present, and future.

First, we have been saved. At a moment in the past we placed our faith in Christ and were saved. Second, we are being saved continually and daily delivered from the power of sin. Finally, we will be saved for all eternity in God’s heavenly kingdom. So our salvation is three-fold: from the penalty of sin (past), the power of sin (present), and the presence of sin (future) (Romans 13:11).

Unfortunately, too many Christians are stuck in the past. They fail to walk in the ongoing blessings and benefits of salvation in the present. They know they were saved from something, but they have failed to realize they were also saved for something. And what we have been saved for is