Introduction:
Ice-Breaker Questions:
1. Who’s the most Christlike person you know presently or in
the past?
2. What things have been helpful to you in your quest to become more like Jesus?
Overview of the Lesson:
When
we become Christ-followers, our faith journeys have just begun. Our faith
continues to grow as we desire to become like Jesus in our thoughts, words, and
deeds. As we pursue Christlikeness, let us not forget that the devil (Satan),
the world and self are constantly waging a spiritual war against us. The three
entities seek either to derail or dishearten us, so we do not follow Jesus
closely. Let us, therefore, submit to God and draw near to Him so He can help
us resist the devil and not yield to his temptations (cf. James 4:7-8; Matthew
4:1-11). When the love of the Father is in us, we will not love the world or
worldly things (cf. 1 John 2:15-17). We
will also not focus on ourselves but on Him and, like John the Baptist, we
would want Jesus to increase and ourselves to decrease (cf. John 3:30).
Consequently, we will put God and His kingdom first (cf. Matthew 6:33). At the
same time, we will put the interests of others before our own and, thus, we will
less and less do things out of a self-serving attitude and more and more out of
a self-giving attitude. Overall, we must not let up, but rather press on toward
the goal of Christlikeness by fighting faithfully until “faith shall be sight.”
Amen!
Points to Ponder:
1. Submit
to God (Romans 12:1-2; James 4:1-10; Ephesians 5:15-21; 6:10-18)
a)
What does it mean to
submit to God? What encouragements do we find in James 4:1-6 and Ephesians
6:10ff for submitting to God?
b)
How is seeking God’s will
and following His ways part of our submission to God?
2. Resist
the Devil (James 4:8; Ephesians 4:27; Matthew 4:1-11)
a)
“Sin will take you farther than you wanna go;
Slowly but wholly taking control; Sin will leave you longer than you wanna
stay; Sin will cost you far more that you wanna pay.” (Harold McWhorter). Do you
agree or disagree with the words of this quote/chorus?
b)
What temptations did
Jesus face and how did He triumph over them?
3. Overcome
the world (1 John 2:15-17; 1 John 4:20-5:5)
a)
What does “the world”
mean?
b)
What are some worldly
things we should avoid and how do we overcome them?
4. Deny
Yourself (Luke 9:23; Philippians 2:1-8; John 3:30; 10:11)
a)
What does it mean to deny
oneself?
b)
In what ways does,
“Self,” hinder our being shaped into the Image of Christ?
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