by Alvin Masarira | 12 September 2022 | As I write this article, I am traveling across the African continent on a trip that has taken me from Southern Africa to the beautiful East African country of Ethiopia, then across the continent to Ghana (in West Africa) and then to the small nation of Liberia. […] Source: https://atoday.org/the-queen-is-dead-long-live-the-king/
12 Dying Like a Seed – Teaching Plan
Key Thought: Submission to God’s will comes as we die to our own desires and ambitions. This opens the way for true service to others.
September 17, 2022
1. Have a volunteer read Romans 12:1,2.
- Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
- How do we present our bodies as a living sacrifice? Why does it say it is our reasonable service?
- Personal Application: What things might you have to give up in order to become a living sacrifice?. Share your thoughts.
- Case Study: One of your relatives states, “How do we get transformed by the renewing of our minds? How does one renew their mind? We can’t change who we are, what we think. How does a transformation take place?” How would you respond to your relative?
2. Have a volunteer read I Samuel 3:10-19..
- Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
- What contrast is here between those who listen to God and those who don’t?
- Personal Application: Are there any Hopnea’s and Phinea’s in the Christian churches today? In what ways are they disrespecting and disregarding God’s counsel? Share your thoughts
- Case Study: One of your friends states, “Why does God allow prophets and phony, greedy, power-hungry, sex-driven pastors to prosper while they defame and disgust people against Christians and the Christian message?” How would you respond to your friend?
3. Have a volunteer read I Samuel 13:9-14.
- Ask class members to share a short
- What did Saul do that led to his own downfall?
- Personal Application: Why do we still try to rely on ourselves? Why is it hard to trust in God and put self aside? Share your thoughts.
- Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “What was Saul’s sin? Because he offered an offering to the Lord? What’s wrong with that? I don’t see what the problem was.” How would you respond to your relative?
4. Have a volunteer read Zechariah 4:.
- Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
- How could a building project be affected by the Holy Spirit?
- Personal Application: When stress comes, what is your first reaction? Food? Television? Prayer? Shopping? Reclusiveness? Share your thoughts?
- Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.
(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).
Amen!
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Monday: Dying Comes Before Knowing God’s Will
Many Christians sincerely seek to know God’s will for their lives. “If only I could know God’s will for my life, I would sacrifice everything for Him.” But even after promising God this, we still may be confused about what His will is. The reason for this confusion may be found in Romans 12:1-2. Paul is describing how we can know God’s will, and he makes an important point: if you want to know what God’s will is, you have to sacrifice first!
Read Romans 12:1-2. Paul writes that we will be able to “test and approve what God’s will is” (Romans 12:2, NIV) when:
- We have a true understanding of “God’s mercy” for us (Romans 12:1-2).
- We offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God ().
- Our minds are renewed (Romans 12:2).
Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com
It is only the renewed mind that truly can understand God’s will. But this renewal hinges on our death to self first. It was not enough that Christ simply suffered for us — He had to die.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you any areas in which you are not completely “dead.” What things does the Holy Spirit need you to give up in order for you to become a “living sacrifice” for God?
When areas of our lives are not completely dead to self, God permits crucibles to bring them to our attention. However, our suffering not only helps us confront our sin — it also gives us an insight into Jesus’ giving Himself up for us. Elisabeth Elliot writes, “The surrender of our heart’s deepest longing is perhaps as close as we come to an understanding of the cross … . our own experience of crucifixion, though immeasurably less than our Savior’s, nonetheless furnishes us with a chance to begin to know Him in the fellowship of His sufferings. In every form of our own suffering, He calls us to that fellowship.” — Quest for Love (Grand Rapids, MI: Fleming H. Revell, 1996), p. 182.
| Read and pray over Romans 12:1-2. Think about the things you need to give up in order for you to become a sacrifice. How does this help you to understand the sufferings Jesus faced for you on the cross? How can this knowledge help you enter into fellowship with Jesus and His sufferings? |
Amen!(0)
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David
Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. 2 Samuel 23:1, 2.
Who can measure the results of those years of toil and wandering among the lonely hills? The communion with nature and with God, the care of his flocks, the perils and deliverances, the griefs and joys, of his lowly lot, were not only to mold the character of David and to influence his future life, but through the psalms of Israel’s sweet singer they were in all coming ages to kindle love and faith in the hearts of God’s people, bringing them nearer to the ever-loving heart of Him in whom all His creatures live.
David, in the beauty and vigor of his young manhood, was preparing to take a high position with the noblest of the earth. His talents, as precious gifts from God, were employed to extol the glory of the divine Giver. His opportunities of contemplation and meditation served to enrich him with that wisdom and piety that made him beloved of God and angels. As he contemplated the perfections of his Creator, clearer conceptions of God opened before his soul. Obscure themes were illuminated, difficulties were made plain, perplexities were harmonized, and each ray of new light called forth fresh bursts of rapture, and sweeter anthems of devotion, to the glory of God and the Redeemer.
The love that moved him, the sorrows that beset him, the triumphs that attended him, were all themes for his active thought; and as he beheld the love of God in all the providences of his life, his heart throbbed with more fervent adoration and gratitude, his voice rang out in a richer melody, his harp was swept with more exultant joy; and the shepherd boy proceeded from strength to strength, from knowledge to knowledge; for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him.—Patriarchs and Prophets, 642.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 262
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Prayer Requests
—-I have a job interview this Monday. Please pray that I will get the job according to God’s will. RJ
—-Please pray that God will lead, provide, and guide E and children and keep all evil influences away. R
—-Some friends of mine his mother had a heart attack and is in ICU with brain bleed and she doesn’t want surgery she just turned 79 in July. her name is Pat lovely lady always helping others. M
—-Please pray for Mike and Eileen as his father passed away last week. Also pray for Mary whose friend passed away. Also pray for my cousin’s family as he passed away last week. Also pray for Susan whose husband passed last week and the funeral is tomorrow. Rose
—-Please pray for my autistic son. He is very very sick. And he won’t go for help. He’s told me in the past that he doesn’t want to live anymore. And I can’t make him go for help he is an adult. Thank you so much for your prayers for him. Connie
—-My 2nd cousin (and her mother) need prayer.. they lost their pets due to extreme heat and the power going out when they weren’t home. She is devastated as these animals were like children to her. Johanna
—-Pray for my 91 year old Mother. She had fallen and fractured her hip, and did make a good recovery. However, the screws in her hip have shifted and the surgery must be redone.Aleta
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Sunday: Submission for Service
Read Philippians 2:5-9. What important message is there for us in these verses?
Contemporary culture urges us all to demand and assert our rights. And all this is good and is often the way it should be. But as with Jesus, the will of God may ask us to give up our rights freely in order to serve the Father in ways that will make an eternal impact for God’s kingdom. This process of giving them up may be difficult and uncomfortable, creating the conditions of a crucible.
Image © Greg Walker at Goodsalt.com
Look at how Jesus did this (Philippians 2:5-8). These verses describe three steps that Jesus took in submitting Himself to the Father’s will. And at the beginning, Paul alarmingly reminds us: “Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5, NIV).
In order to be in a position to save us, Jesus gave up His equality with the Father and moved to earth in the form and limitations of a human being (Philippians 2:6-7, , NIV).
Jesus did not come as a great and glorious human being, but as a servant of other human beings (Philippians 2:7, NIV).
As a human servant, Jesus did not live a peaceful and long life but became “obedient to death.” But He did not even die in a noble and glorious manner. No, He was “obedient to death — even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8, NIV).
In what areas of life is this example of Jesus a model for us? If rights and equality are good and should be protected, how would you explain the logic of sometimes needing to give them up? Now read Philippians 2:9. In what way does this verse help us to understand the logic of submission to the Father’s will?
| Pray for wisdom from the Holy Spirit, asking, “What rights am I holding on to right now that actually might be a barrier to submitting to Jesus’ will in serving my family, my church, and those around me? To what extent am I willing to endure discomfort to serve others more effectively?” |
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