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Christ’s Victory
Read Luke 4:1-13
“And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season” (v. 13).
We have all been in situations where it seemed like the best thing that could happen is for someone — the troublemaker — to leave. Jesus was there! Of course, Jesus could simply have commanded Satan to leave, but that was not the plan. Instead, the plan was for Jesus to withstand everything Satan could throw at Him until, in the end, Satan left by his own choice. Perhaps to the human side in Jesus, it seemed that Satan would never leave. And it often seems that way to us as well. But Jesus just kept parrying Satan’s thrusts until Satan decided it was no use to try anymore. There is an old adage that “he who turns and runs away, lives to fight another day.” And it is true; some things are just not worth fighting for. But when we are up against Satan, as Jesus was, the best strategy is to keep using the Word of God until Satan realizes that continued fighting is useless. Jesus must have felt relieved when Satan turned and walked away. But He must have also felt grateful that He had learned to trust in His Father’s Word. (Gordon L. Snider)
If we are in Christ, we are always victorious.
Class Project
Part of building the church comes with reaching out to others who are not yet part of the Body of Christ. One way you can reach out to others and build your Sunday school class community is to pick a project to do as a class. The possibilities for this kind of ministry seem endless. You can work together to serve the homeless, clean up an elderly or needy neighbor’s yard, visit the nursing home on a regular basis, fundraise for a special need with a spaghetti supper, clean a city park, have a food pounding for a new neighbor or family in need, make blankets for orphans, etc. If you look closely at the people who live in your church’s community, I am sure you can find a way to reach out to others and be an extension of Jesus. “The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service” (Billy Graham).
How to Live Victoriously
Focus Text: 1 Corinthians 9:24 — 10:13
Central Truth: Victorious living is the fruit of being united with Christ.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to list some evidences of victory in the Christian life.
Lesson Outline
1. Maintaining the Mastery
2. Learning from the Past
3. Trusting for Victory
Understanding God’s Word
Read Nehemiah 8:5-12
“So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading” (v. 8).
I love to read the Jesus Storybook Bible to my grandchildren. From the first Genesis story, it points to Jesus. The story of redemption is woven throughout the entire Bible. As they say in an advertisement for a popular cell phone plan, “It’s not complicated!” However, we sometimes get bogged down in some of the harder-to-understand details. As Ezra read the Word of the Lord to the people in our passage, several appointed men explained it and helped the people understand what was being read. If you struggle to understand the Bible, don’t allow the enemy to convince you to use that as an excuse to neglect daily time in the Word! If you truly desire to understand it, there are steps you can take to do so. First, ask. Ask the Holy Spirit to break up any stony ground, to illuminate your mind, and to reveal His Word to you. Next, find some good study helps. A commentary will explain the content, context, historical background, and language used in the text. Websites (such as thebibleproject.com) and rich Bible studies are also available to help you. Don’t be haphazard, grabbing a Biblical “snack” here and there; be purposeful and organized when feeding on the Word. Finally, engage your mind. Remove distractions and get serious about studying! It will require effort; it may even require sacrifice. But the rewards are well worth it! (Faith M. Trussell)
“Help me to understand the meaning of your commandments” (Ps. 119:27).
Obeying the Bible
Focus Text: Nehemiah 8:5, 6, 8-10; 9:1-3; 10:28, 29
Central Truth: The godly life is instructed by God’s Word.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to adopt a simple plan for effective Bible study.
Lesson Outline
1. Reading the Word
2. Obeying the Word
3. Practicing the Word
Admit Lack of Knowledge
Have you ever been in a class where you really wanted to ask a question, but felt like you were the only one who did not know the answer? Sometimes it can be a bit intimidating to ask for clarification when we do not understand something. One way to help your class members to not feel awkward asking questions is to admit that you do not know it all either. If while preparing your lesson you run across something you do not know, share that with your class members. If you are teaching class and someone does ask a question and you do not know the answer, readily admit it. You can look up an answer together or you can commit to finding an answer before next Sunday. There may be times when there really is not an answer and you can admit that, too. You may be surprised how more open your class members become when they realize you do not know it all.