For teaching plans and full explanations of all the verses in today’s lessons,
consult the Explore the Bible leader guide or commentary.
Make sure each learner has his or her own Explore the Bible learner
guide.
Agree to Help Freely (Gen. 25:29-34)
Read Genesis 25:29-34 and explain the importance
of the birthright in the culture of that day.
Ask:
What motives
might have been behind Jacob’s taking advantage of Esau?
Why was it
wrong to take advantage of vulnerable Esau?
Read the following excerpt from the history of Keith
Green:
I repent of ever having recorded one single song,
and ever having performed one concert, if my music, and more importantly, my
life has not provoked you into Godly jealousy or to sell out more completely
to Jesus! — Keith Green
Keith Green was 15 the first time he ran away from
home. He started a journal that ran for years as he looked for musical
adventure and spiritual truth. Keith had a Jewish background, but he grew up
reading the New Testament. He called it "an odd combination" that left him
open minded, but deeply unsatisfied. His journey led him to drugs, eastern
mysticism, and free-love.
When Keith was 19 he met a fellow seeker/musician
named Melody. They were married a year later -- but his spiritual quest
continued. Then when he had nearly given up hope, Keith found the truth he
was looking for. He was 21 and he never looked back.
What once
confused him now made sense as he proudly told the world, “I'm a Jewish
Christian." As soon as Keith opened his heart to Jesus, he and Melody opened
their home. Anyone with a need, or who wanted to kick drugs, or get off the
street, was welcome. Of course, they always heard plenty about Jesus.
Not only did
Keith's life take a radical turn, but as an accomplished musician and
songwriter, so did his music. His quest for stardom ended. His songs now
reflected the absolute thrill of finding Jesus and seeing his own life
radically changed. Keith's spiritual intensity not only took him beyond most
people's comfort zones, but it constantly drove him even beyond himself.
Somewhat
reluctantly, Keith was thrust into a "John the Baptist" type
ministry—calling believers to wake up, repent, and live a life that looked
like what they said they believed. Keith felt he would have met Jesus sooner
if not for Christians who led double lives. He made audiences squirm by
saying, “If you praise and worship Jesus with your mouth and your life does
not praise and worship him, there's something wrong!"
The radical
commitment Keith preached was also a desire of his own heart. He said,
“Loving Him is to be our cause. He can take care of a lot of other causes
without us, but He can’t make us love Him with all our heart. That’s the
work we must do... Anything else is an imitation.”
Keith's songs
were often birthed during his own spiritual struggles. He pointed the finger
at himself, penning honest and vulnerable lyrics—but he left room for God to
convict the rest of us too. He knew the journey to heaven often winds
through muddy valleys, and saw no value in portraying things as otherwise.
With Keith's
honesty, he would have chafed against a glossed-over reading of his own
life. After all, Keith was in the spotlight as he grew in Jesus. He made
mistakes. We miss something essential when we overlook the frailty and
humanity of those who've gone before us. Keith was far from perfect, but he
honestly hungered after righteousness—constantly asking the Holy Spirit to,
"change my heart, convict me of my sin." And when he was convicted, he took
action. If he needed to repent, he repented. If he needed to phone someone
to ask forgiveness, he did.
For Keith,
meeting Jesus was one thing. Becoming more like Him was another. After
striving for years to measure up to God's holiness, at times questioning his
own salvation, Keith came into a deeper understanding of the sacrifice of
Jesus on the cross—both to forgive his sins, and to clothe him in His own
righteousness. It wasn't that Keith became less concerned with purity and
holiness. But he was now motivated more by love and less by fear in His
pursuit of Jesus.
While on earth,
Keith struggled with the same things we do—discipline, deadlines, problems
crying for attention. He had music to write and a growing family. And he was
also discipling the 70 believers who had come to be part of Last Days
Ministries—the ministry he and Melody expanded from the outreach that began
in their home. But he learned, in the midst of it all, the importance of
pausing simply to behold the glory of God and to enjoy His presence. That is
perhaps, more than anything, the legacy Keith would have wanted us to
remember.
In seven short
years of knowing Jesus, the Lord took Keith from concert crowds of 20 or
less—to stadiums of 12,000 people who came to hear only him. His recordings
were chart topping—and when he began to give his recordings away for
whatever people could afford, some misunderstood. His views were often
controversial but never boring. Television and radio appearances became the
norm. Still, Keith's heart was to please the Lord and build His kingdom, not
his own.
How did Keith
Green resolve the issue of “charging” for the gospel?
Did his actions
imply that it was wrong to charge for the gospel or wrong to exploit
those who could not afford it? What is the difference?
What are ways
that your church is freely helping others?
Rejoice in Others' Good Fortune (Gen. 27:6-8)
Read Genesis 27:6-8 and describe how Rebekah and Jacob were jealous
because of Esau’s blessing.
Read and distribute copies of the article by Cyprian of Carthage who
died in A.D. 258 :
To be jealous of what you see to be good and to be
envious of those who are better than yourself seems in the eyes of some
people only a slight, petty wrong. Being thought a trifle of small account,
this sin isn't feared. Not being feared, it's not taken seriously. And not
taken seriously, it's not readily shunned. In this way it becomes a dark and
hidden mischief. Since the prudent don't see it as something to guard
against, it can secretly trouble the minds of those who don't take
sufficient precautions against it.
So let's consider where, when, and how jealousy begins.
We'll more easily shun this mischievous evil if we recognize both its source
and its magnitude.
The Devil's Envy
The devil was the first to injure himself and others on
account of jealousy and envy. Before he had ever hurled anyone else down by
the impulse of his envy, he himself was hurled down by it. Through envy, he
himself became a captive before he had ever taken anyone else captive; he
himself was wrecked before he had ever wrecked others. How great an evil is
it by which an angel could fall, by which such lofty and illustrious
grandeur could be defrauded and overthrown—by which the one who deceived was
himself deceived! Ever since then envy has raged on earth. Those who are
perishing through jealousy are simply obeying the author of their ruin,
imitating the devil in his envy.
From this, in short, began the primal hatreds of the new
brotherhood of men; from this came the abominable murders of brothers by
brothers. Unrighteous Cain was jealous of righteous Abel, and the wicked
persecuted the good with envy and jealousy (Gen. 4:1-16). Jealous Esau was
hostile to his brother Jacob. The latter had received his father's blessing,
and so the former was inflamed to a persecuting hatred by the burning brands
of jealousy (Genesis 27). Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery because of
their envy (Gen. 37:1-27). And Saul hated David and sought to kill him
because he was spurred by jealousy (1 Sam. 18:5-16).
The Terrible Effects of Jealousy
Considering these things, we must with diligence and
courage fortify our hearts against such a destructive evil. Jealousy is the
root of all evils, the fountain of disasters, the nursery of crimes, the
material of transgressions. From it arises hatred; from it proceeds
animosity (Titus 3:3). Jealousy inflames greed when those who see others
more wealthy than themselves can't be content with what they have (Jas.
4:1-2). Jealousy stirs up ambition when one person sees another more exalted
in honors (Jas. 3:14-16).
What a gnawing worm of the soul it is to be jealous of
another person, whether in regard to his virtue or his happiness. To envy
his virtue is actually to hate what is admirable in him; to envy his
happiness is to hate the blessings God has given him. Either way we're
turning the advantages of someone else into our own injury. We're being
tormented by the prosperity of someone who is glorious, turning his glory
into our own punishment. We're welcoming into our own breast the
executioner, the tormentors of our thoughts and feelings, so they may tear
our insides apart.
The damage is actually less serious and the danger less
from a sword wound. For in that case, the cure is easy because the injury is
obvious. When the medicine is applied to a wound that can readily be seen,
the injury is quickly healed. But the wounds of jealousy are hidden and
secret; they aren't accessible to the remedy of a healing medicine because
they've shut themselves up in blind suffering within the lurking places of
the conscience.
No wonder, then, that the Holy Spirit says we must not be
envious of the one who prospers (Ps. 37:7). If you envy, you're the enemy of
no one's well-being more than your own. Whomever you persecute with jealousy
can evade and escape you. But you can't escape from yourself. Wherever you
may be, your adversary is with you. Your enemy is always within your own
breast, your mischief shut up within you. You're bound with the links of
chains from which you can't free yourself, and you're captive under the
tyranny of jealousy.
Christ's Cure for Jealousy
Concerned about this risk, the Lord—not wanting anyone to
fall into the snare of death through jealousy—gave a careful answer when His
disciples asked Him who among them would be the greatest. Jesus replied: "He
who is least among you all—he is the greatest" (Luke. 9:48). With this
reply, Jesus removed all grounds for jealousy. He plucked out and tore away
every cause and occasion for gnawing envy.
A disciple of Christ must be neither jealous nor envious.
With us there can be no contest for exaltation. It's from humility that we
grow to the highest attainments. In this way, Christ taught us how to be
pleasing to God.
Write these three words on the board: Source,
Effects, Cure. Ask learners to identify and list the source,
effects, and cure for jealousy as found in the article.
Act with Integrity (Gen. 27:15-19)
Encourage learners to read Genesis 27:15-19 and
list the ways Jacob and Rebekah did not act with integrity.
Read the story of an accounting mix-up in the Miss
California pageant:
Wrong woman named pageant winner
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- An accounting mix-up led
to the wrong woman being crowned Miss California USA, and she's relinquished
her crown to the rightful winner, organizers said Monday.
Christina Silva, 24, was declared the winner of the
annual state beauty pageant, but she gave up the title to Raquel Beezley,
who was originally named the second runner-up. Beezely, 21, will represent
the state at the Miss USA pageant next April.
The pageant's state director, Keith Lewis, said several
judges questioned the results of the November 25 competition at the Orpheum
Theater in Los Angeles. Lewis said the error was discovered the next day
after the ballots were opened and recounted.
"It was a simple human error," Lewis said.
Silva has hired an attorney and is weighing her legal
options, according to her manager, Tony Brewster.
In a news release, Silva said she felt pressured to step
down.
"They never could explain their accounting error, but
told me that if I didn't give up my crown to Miss Barstow, my personal
integrity could be questioned, and my career could potentially suffer," she
said.
The contestants were scored by five celebrity judges who
independently ranked them. The mix-up occurred when the points were
reversed, with the lowest point given to the winner and the highest to the
fourth runner-up, Lewis said.
Roger Neal, who represents the Miss California USA
pageant, said Beezley is the rightful winner. The pageant allowed Silva to
keep her crown, sash and necklace and returned her $1,500 entry fee after
the error was discovered, Neal said. Duplicates were being made for Beezley.
Why is integrity such a valued trait in competitions
such as the Miss California pageant?
What actions taken attempted to restore integrity to
the process?
Why is transparency a valued part of living with
integrity?
Avoid Causing Harm (Gen. 27:34-36)
Read Genesis 27:34-36 and write the following four
stages on the board: Harm, Grudge, Bitterness, Harm. Note that when
someone harms us, it can lead to a grudge, which can lead to a recurring
bitterness. That eventually leads to more harm, both for ourselves and the ones
that harmed us.
Read the news article on the reunion of the Hatfields and McCoys:
The Reunion They Said Would Never Happen
One of the most notorious family feuds in history may
finally be put to rest this summer. The rivalries between the Hatfields and
the McCoys began about 1863 and ran off and on for nearly 30 years.
Descendants of these famous families hope that any lingering effects will
disappear at the first ever Hatfield and McCoy national reunion to be held
June 9-11, 2000 in Pikeville, Kentucky.
History of the Feud
The Hatfields and McCoys were prominent families who
lived along the Kentucky-West Virginia border, on opposite sides of a stream
known as Tug Fork, off the Big Sandy River. Both clans were part of the
first wave of pioneers to settle the Tug Valley. The McCoys, led by
patriarch, Randolph "Randel" McCoy, lived on the Kentucky side of the river,
while the Hatfields, led by William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield, occupied
the West Virginia side. Though it wouldn't have been readily apparent from
their crude log cabin homes deep in heavily forested mountain territory,
both men were prosperous farmers.
The true origins of the feud between these two men and
their families are lost in the mists of history, but legend has it that the
bitter feelings began in 1878 when Randolph McCoy accused Floyd Hatfield of
stealing one of his hogs. Such an offense was taken very seriously in those
times as hogs were an extremely valuable part of the farming economy of the
valley. Tempers flared and soon the two faced off in court.
Trouble already existed between these two families prior
to the incident with the hog, however. Some people attribute the beginning
of the feud to animosities which developed during the American Civil War.
Others say that competition between the families in the timber market
sparked the hostilities. Whatever the origin, the peak of the hostilities
came when three of Randel McCoy's sons, Bud, Tolbert, and Pharmer McCoy,
fatally wounded Ellison Hatfield after he insulted Tolbert on election day
in 1882. Devil Anse Hatfield retaliated for the killing of his brother by
executing the three without a trial.
Violence ebbed and flowed for the next several years. In
1887 the feud was revived by a lawyer named Perry Cline, a distant cousin of
Randolph McCoy, who used his influence to have the five year old murder
indictments against the Hatfields reissued and to start the extradition
process to bring them to Kentucky for trial. When people got frustrated with
the slowness of the legal system, a raid into Hatfield territory was
organized and several Hatfield supporters were captured and brought back to
Kentucky. The news of this successful raid inflamed the Hatfields and
resulted in an attempt by them to eliminate Randel McCoy on January 1, 1888.
This tragically resulted in the death of two more of his children and the
burning of his home.
The violence was now not only between the Hatfields and
the McCoys, but between the states of Kentucky and West Virginia. Both
governors called in the National Guard as more raids were staged by the
McCoys into Hatfield territory. The governor of West Virginia, E. Willis
Wilson, accused Kentucky of violating the extradition process by kidnapping
the Hatfields and appealed the matter all the way to the Supreme Court of
the United States. In May of 1889, the Supreme Court ruled against West
Virginia and the Hatfields stood trial in Kentucky. All eight were found
guilty of murder. One of them was publicly hanged for the murder of Alifair
McCoy, the daughter of Randel McCoy killed in the January 1888 raid on his
home, and the other seven were sentenced to life in prison. The feud, which
lasted for over a decade and claimed the lives of twelve men, was finally
over.
EXTRA! is a supplement designed
to enhance and expand the effectiveness of printed curriculum provided by
LifeWay Church Resources.
EXTRA! is produced by Publishing
Services and Multimedia, LifeWay Church Resources, Copyright 2007, LifeWay
Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
SPECIAL NOTE: Some Internet
addresses given in EXTRA! are outside the LifeWay Internet domain. Because of
the changing nature of the Web, EXTRA! editors cannot be held responsible for
content on pages outside their control. At the time of this posting, the
specific pages mentioned have been viewed and approved by the EXTRA! editorial
staff. However, at the time of your viewing, the information on these pages may
have changed. Links from the specific page addresses referenced in this material
possibly could link to inappropriate material.
EXTRA! Weekly Supplemental Teaching Plans
Adult
Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life EXTRA
February 24, 2008
The Model
Dana Armstrong
John 4:4-10,13-18,24-26
Before the Session
For teaching plans and full explanations of all the verses in today’s lesson,
consult any of the Bible Studies for Life leader guides or
commentaries.
Make sure each learner has his or her own learner guide.
John 4:4-9
Enlist a volunteer to read John 4:4-9.
Read the following excerpt from a sermon titled "Grace
Relations" by Steve Andrews.
On August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King delivered one of
the most inspiring speeches ever given on American soil. From the steps of
the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, King preached about freedom for all
men and denounced the chains of segregation and discrimination that crippled
so many of our nation’s citizens. His closing exhortation “for all of God’s
children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentile, Protestants and
Catholics to join hands and sing the old Negro spiritual, Free at last! Free
at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last, remains an ongoing
struggle in the United States.
As followers of Christ, we must take the challenge of
Martin Luther King one step further. While he dreamed of a society where
“children would not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content
of their character,” Christians have a higher calling that directs our
relationship with others. We are called to go beyond the content of
character and to relate to individuals on the basis of God’s grace. From
this story of Peter’s transformation from race relations to grace relations
we discover several important principles that guide us in developing a
mature faith.
Source: Andrews, Steve. Grace
Relations. Full sermon available at
www.lifeway.com.
Say: Dr. King affirmed the message Jesus
taught in today's verses. God loves all people, and all people need the gospel.
Like Jesus, Christians must reject any form of prejudice that causes us to avoid
initiating contact with certain people.
Ask:
What excuses
hinder you from sharing Jesus with others?
What will you
do to overcome the obstacles so that you will be able to fulfill
your God-given assignment to witness?
John 4:10,13-15
Read John 4:10,13-15.
Summarize and discuss the interesting facts about
water consumption in the following article:
How long can a person live without water?
The human body is a very complicated thing and everybody thinks
differently when you ask them, "How long do you think a person could
live without water?". Some people will say weeks, and others will reply
a few days or even hours. Nobody knows exactly what it is but they have
some guesses.
As the many researches have found out that a human body
is made anywhere from 50% to 70% water. Water plays a big role in your
organism. If there is no water the organs will not work properly and
dehydration will start.
The approximate amount of days that you could go without water in
your organism is anywhere from eight to fourteen days. It all depends on
the person and how fast the water and liquids are going out of the body.
Sweat, urine, and tears go out of a humans body and it is very hard to
predict how the water inside of you is being reduced and by how much.
It is very different from the food situation because in the case of
food, a human body is able to hold on as long as three months or even
longer. It all depends on the person's shape and structure. If the
person is heavy and lifts weights a lot then it is most likely for them
to survive for a while. But if the person is skinny and out of shape,
that person will have less chance to surviving for as long the the fat
person.
Water and drinking is a very important part of your body running and
growing. If you reduce the amount of water that you get every day, you
are going to see some results like dizziness and headache. It is very
important to have enough water every day. That is why when you are sick,
you need as many liquids as possible because the water will clean out
your organism and help you fight the decease.
Say: Have you ever been extremely
thirsty? Nothing satisfies a dry, parched throat like a glass of water. However,
one glass does not satisfy it forever. At some point you will thirst again. Only
Jesus can satisfy a person's thirst for God.
Ask:
How do people sometimes try to fill our thirst for
God with other things?
Can a person ever be satisfied with a human solution
for a spiritual thirst? Explain your answer.
Like Jesus, how will you seek to communicate the
gospel using terminology and concepts with which people can identify?
John 4:16-18
Read John 4:16-18.
Ask:
Why do you
think Jesus suddenly asked the woman to go get her husband?
Why was it
necessary for Jesus to help her recognize her sin and to help her see her
need?
Ask a volunteer to read Romans 3:23.
Say: We all have sinned. We all have to realize our sinfulness
before we will realize we need God's saving grace.
Ask a volunteer to read I John 1:9.
Say: We are promised that if we confess our sins, God is
faithful to forgive us.
Ask a volunteer to read Romans 10:9-10,13.
Say: If we confess with our mouths, "Jesus is Lord," and
believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. This
offer is extended to everyone who calls on the name of the Lord. But this
process begins only when we acknowledge we are sinful in God's sight.
John 4:24-26
Enlist volunteer to read John 4:24-26.In response to the woman's bringing up the popular religious
argument about the right location for worship, Jesus guided the conversation to
a more important matter--the object of worship--and He revealed himself as the
Messiah.
Play the worship song "Heart of Worship" by Matt Redman and
ask students to pay attention to the words.
Say: Let me share with you the story behind
this song:
Song Story: Matt
Redman's "The Heart of Worship"
The song dates back to the late 1990s, born from a
period of apathy within Matt’s home church, Soul Survivor, in Watford,
England. Despite the country’s overall contribution to the current worship
revival, Redman’s congregation was struggling to find meaning in its musical
outpouring at the time.
“There was a dynamic missing, so the pastor did a pretty
brave thing,” he recalls. “He decided to get rid of the sound system and
band for a season, and we gathered together with just our voices. His point
was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart
would be to strip everything away.”
Reminding his church family to be producers in
worship, not just consumers, the pastor, Mike Pilavachi, asked, “When you
come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering
to God?”
Matt says the question initially led to some
embarrassing silence, but eventually people broke into a cappella songs and
heartfelt prayers, encountering God in a fresh way.“Before long, we
reintroduced the musicians and sound system, as we’d gained a new
perspective that worship is all about Jesus, and He commands a response in
the depths of our souls no matter what the circumstance and setting. ‘The
Heart of Worship’ simply describes what occurred.”
When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I
simply come / Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will
bless your heart… / I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all
about You, Jesus
Redman remembers writing the song quickly in his
bedroom soon after the church’s journey together, with no grand intentions,
by any means, for it to become an international anthem. He viewed the words
simply as his personal, subjective response to what he was learning about
worship.
Source: Schrader, David. Song
Story: Matt Redman's "The Heart of Worship." Full article available at
http://www.crosswalk.com/1253122/. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
Say: Jesus must be the focus of our message and the object of
our worship. We must be fully committed to Jesus so we can challenge others to
commit themselves to Him.
EXTRA! is a supplement designed
to enhance and expand the effectiveness of printed curriculum provided by
LifeWay Church Resources.
EXTRA! is produced by Publishing
Services and Multimedia, LifeWay Church Resources, Copyright 2007, LifeWay
Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
SPECIAL NOTE: Some Internet
addresses given in EXTRA! are outside the LifeWay Internet domain. Because of
the changing nature of the Web, EXTRA! editors cannot be held responsible for
content on pages outside their control. At the time of this posting, the
specific pages mentioned have been viewed and approved by the EXTRA! editorial
staff. However, at the time of your viewing, the information on these pages may
have changed. Links from the specific page addresses referenced in this material
possibly could link to inappropriate material.
