Prayer – Lesson 12: The Giver of Life
Heavenly Father, help our teachers and students today grasp the amazing truth that You do truly understand our humanity … and that You love us … and that You offer us real life. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.
Two Aspects of New Life in Christ
In "Doctrinal Discussion" Glenn McClure writes:
There are two major aspects that become evidence of one’s new life: identification (acknowledging Jesus as Christ and giving Him allegiance); and incorporation (witnessing to the world of our union with Christ).
McClure fleshes out this thought with the outline:
- Identification
- Faith's Declaration: Acknowledgment of Christ
- Faith's Dedication: Allegiance to Christ
- Incorporation
- Faith's Distinction: Union With Christ
- Faith's Demonstration: All Things New in Christ
You can find this discussion on pages 72-73 of the quarterly.
Source: Miracles of Jesus: Adult Teacher's Insights, pages 72-73.
How can we know Jesus cares during our times of trouble?
In "Biblical Perspective" Gayle Woods writes:
Jesus is touched by the feelings of our infirmities. He is moved when His people are hurting. The tears of Mary and the Jews caused Jesus to groan — to be troubled. He is no less moved when we are going through our difficult times of life. He sees every trouble, every trial, every tear, and groans with us. The word translated troubled means to be “intensely agitated.”
Discussion: How does it encourage you to know that Jesus was "intensely agitated" by the tears of Mary and the Jews?
Source: Miracles of Jesus: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 70.
Why is "Jesus wept" more than the shortest verse in the Bible?
In "Word Focus" William Sillings writes:
John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible, but it is heavy with meaning. Jesus wept (edakrusen — aorist). The word itself means “to shed tears,” but the aorist signifies that He burst into tears. While Jesus was very God of very God, He was also very man of very man. The humanity He experienced was as real as yours and mine, and the tears He shed here are likely to be nothing less than the tears of sorrow over the loss of a friend to death, the enemy of all life. They were probably tears of sympathy for the family members, Mary and Martha. These people were, after all, some of His closest friends outside of the twelve. Jesus had spent many hours in the home of these fine friends, and He was saddened by their sadness.
Discussion: How does our viewing of John 11:35 as merely the shortest verse in the Bible obscure our understanding of the importance of what it teaches us about Jesus?
Source: Miracles of Jesus: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 69.
Facing Reality
Read John 11:11-15
“Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. (v. 14)
Recently, this fifty-two-year-old played football with teens. Early into the game, I caught a pass and ran toward the goal. A teen cut me off, so I tried what would have worked years ago, which is stopping abruptly, cutting to the side and running around everyone. The stopping abruptly part worked, but cutting to the side and running around everyone failed miserably. My brain had been living in a fantasy world of how things used to be.
We drift between two worlds. The first is imaginary — how things “should” be. The second is reality. Some spend so much time in the first that they never realize their potential for the second. In verse 12, the disciples are living in a world of optimism, believing Lazarus is sleeping. In verse 14, Jesus brings them back to reality. Lazarus is dead. It was difficult for the disciples to accept this news, but it set the stage for a great miracle. (DWM)
This devotional is the Tuesday, February 16, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.
Which should we stress in Sunday School – real-life issues or Bible content?
"Which is more important in Christian teaching - dealing with real-life issues or communicating Bible content?" If you think this is a trick question, you're right! Both elements are essential for faithful Christian teaching. If the Bible is not taught, we have little authority for what we teach. If we fail to address life issues, then our lesson risks becoming stale theology. In truth, the Gospel separated from real life is truly not Good News.
These lessons have been developed with the purpose of both addressing real-life issues and communicating the timeless truth of God's Word. Yet you may need to tailor these lessons to address your students' specific needs. Furthermore, while this lesson has been developed with the intention of giving you more than enough material to teach the week's Scripture passage, further study made be needed to understand what God's Word is saying to you and your class.
Source: Haystead, Wes (2005). The 21st Century Sunday School: Strategies for Today and Tomorrow. Cincinnati, OH: The Standard Publishing Company. p.16
The Giver of Life
Lesson 12 - February 21, 2016
Focus Text: John 11:31-44
Central Truth: Jesus is our source of life.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to state ways the understanding that Jesus is the giver of life changes our search for purpose and fulfillment.
Lesson Outline:
- Great Need (John 11:1-19)
- Great Perplexity (John 11:20-37)
- Great Victory (John 11:38-44)
Prayer – Lesson 11: Faith Rewarded
Heavenly Father, bless our classes today with Your Presence. Challenge our faith. Help us to believe You for great things. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Why does God provides miracles?
In "God's Word for Today", David Fry writes:
The reason for miracles is for us to accept Jesus Christ as the true God. The greatest faith, according to Jesus, is the faith of those who simply believe Him and do not ask for signs and wonders. I am reminded that the reason Gideon asked God for a sign was because of the uncertainty of his faith. Our asking God for a sign may reflect an uncertainty in our faith, or it may be our lack of understanding of God’s will. Either way, Jesus made it clear that our faith should not be dependent on Him performing signs and wonders for us.
The nobleman is an example of simple faith... Simple faith believes what it understands and seeks understanding of what it does not know.
Discussion: What is the reason many people think God performs miracles?
Discussion: How can understanding why God performs miracles encourage our faith in Him?
Source: Miracles of Jesus: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 66.
What Does It Mean to Persist in Prayer
In "Word Focus", William Sillings writes:
This man was in earnest about his request. He went unto him, and besought him (v. 47). This construction is made of verbs of varying intensity, and when used together they convey how the man approached Jesus. The first, went unto him (apelthen), is an ingressive aorist indicative indicating that he “went off at once” as soon as he heard that Jesus had come to Galilee. The second, besought (erota), is an imperfect active indicative verb which has the sense, “he began to beg and kept it up.”
While the major purpose of this passage seems not to be intended to teach persistence in prayer, it certainly does illustrate it. This man went down to get Jesus to come back home with him, but Jesus refused with the words, “You won’t believe unless you see signs and wonders.” But this man kept up his request, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” This was a dire situation, and there was no hope outside of Jesus’ intervention.
Perhaps many of us would have given up when we were first denied our request by the Lord. But not this man. Something inside him made him keep asking. The reward for such persistence is that he got what he wanted.
Discussion: How can we learn from this man's persistence in seeking Jesus' help?
Source: Miracles of Jesus: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 64.