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LESSON 1: SERVE ONE ANOTHER

“You Should Do As I Have Done For You” – Jesus

The dusty and dirty conditions of the region necessitated the need for foot-washing. Although the disciples most likely would have been happy to wash Jesus’ feet, they could not conceive washing each other’s feet. This was because in the society of the time foot-washing was reserved for the lowliest of menial servants. Peers did not wash one another’s feet, except very rarely and as a mark of great love. Luke points out (22:24) that they were arguing about who was the greatest of them, so that none was willing to stoop to wash feet. When Jesus moved to wash their feet, they were shocked. His actions serve also as a symbol of spiritual cleansing (vs. 6-9) and a model of Christian humility (vs. 12-17). Through this action Jesus taught the lesson of selfless service that was supremely exemplified by His death on the cross.

LESSON 3: LOVING YOUR FAMILY AS CHRIST LOVES THE CHURCH

As we started this section on loving our neighbor in the family, or “Family Ties,” we focused on how, in His wisdom, God created for us a physical picture of the spiritual family He had in mind for all who would call on the name of Christ. We’ve also looked at how that earthly family, whether biological or adopted, is a training and proving ground – bettering God’s children for life with our spiritual brothers and sisters.

LESSON 2: HONOR YOUR PARENTS – THE BRIDGE

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12. ‘Honor’ is a word that has fallen out of favor in our modern western culture. This is particularly the case when it comes to the giving of honor to parents by children whether grown or still at home. The fifth command is the first of six commands that God gives concerning our behavior towards our fellow man. It is the “bridge” between the commands about loving God and those about loving our neighbor. So it is fitting that in our study we will begin here. This week we will look at what it means to “honor” our parents. We’ll consider how this is a picture for how children relate to their Heavenly Father. As you prepare this week take some time to consider how you “honor” your own parents, even if they may not be very “honorable.”

LESSON 1: GOD’S FAMILY AND MINE

God uses many metaphors (parallels) in the Bible to describe how He relates to us, how He relates to the church, and how we relate to one another. One of these is the metaphor of “God’s family.” In this picture God is the parent and we the children. Jesus is our brother, and we, the church, saved by grace through faith, are the adopted brothers and sisters in this family (Ephesians 1:5 and Galatians 3:26, John 1:12-13). How does the Father want us to love our family? To answer this question we must first look to how He has loved us and also how the Son, our adopted brother, has loved us. Jesus said, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” It is at the source of divine love that we must begin and end our Quest.

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

A number of years ago, Tina Turner sang a song titled, “What’s love got to do with it?” According to the scriptures, love has everything to do with it! The love you are to have for God and for one another holds a preeminent place in the sight of God.

1 Corinthians 13 asserts that one can possess spiritual gifts, great faith and all knowledge but if he does not have love, he is nothing. Think about that for a moment.

LESSON 3: THE PURPOSE OF STRENGTHS

Remembering back to our first lesson on strength we said that, “First, He is the fountainhead of our strength. Second, He stands ready to renew our strength if we will seek Him, trust Him, and wait on Him. Third, God gives us strength not for our own selfish interests or nonsense but to glorify Him and do the good works of the Kingdom that He has prepared in advance for us to walk in.” Let’s talk this week about that last point. The Bible teaches that as followers of Christ we have been given the right to be called “children” of God. It goes on to teach us to imitate God, “as dearly loved children.” In what ways can we imitate God?

LESSON 2: KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

There are many wonderful theological messages to be gleaned from the account of David’s defeat of Goliath. One message that should not be taken from it however is that David was a skinny kid, unprepared for battle, who, despite his overconfidence, was used by God to miraculously defeat an experienced warrior. Many times the way we teach this to children leaves them with the idea that they to can face the metaphorical “giants” in their lives if they just believe. Let’s take a closer look at the account before we get the children in our care metaphorically body slammed by their giants.

LESSON 1: STRENGTH TRAINING

What is strength? How is the word used in scripture? It can mean our physical strength or energy, strength of character, strength of the will, perseverance, capacity or ability to perform work, or emotional strength. These are all different aspects of strength, but they all have two things in common: their source and their purpose.

“You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

LESSON 3: REMEMBER WHEN?

Why is it that God spends so much time in the Bible telling His children to “remember” Him? I’d like to venture four reasons I believe are grounded in scripture. When we fail to remember God we risk…

1. Falling into idolatry/trusting ourselves or our possessions (Deut. 8:13-14)
2. Never growing in trust of/faith in God (Isa. 40:20-21)
3. Stumbling into sin and suffering the Father’s discipline (Deut. 8:19)
4. Forfeiting a generation to the enemy (Judges 2:10-11)

So how can we use our minds to remember God? Here are five ways, listed below, that God has ordained for us to remember Him, who He is, and all that He has done. Help your kids use their memory to love God
this week.

LESSON 2: TEACH THE CHILDREN WELL

When we think of Daniel we think bravery, good looks, government leader, survivor of the lion’s den, prisoner of war, advisor to kings,  child… What? Where did child come in? Let’s think about it for a moment.

We know from Scripture that Daniel was a youth, probably about 14 years old (think 8th grader), when he was taken from his home in Israel and into captivity in Babylon. Upon his arrival he was offered the best food and wine in the palace, but thought of a plan to keep himself kosher. Already as a young teenager Daniel was knowledgeable about his God and his faith. I’m fairly sure that the King of Babylon didn’t have any Hebrew schools at the palace.