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.
Make copies of the Steps
to Reconciliation handout so learners can remember how to handle conflict.
Caring Through Influence (Matt. 18:6-7)
Ask learners to read Matthew 18:6-7 and circle the words
little ones, downfall, and millstone.
Define these words for the learners:
Little Ones: This not only referred to the child mentioned
in 18:2, but it also included all those with whom Jesus' followers have
an influence.
Downfall: This originally referred to a small stumbling
block over which someone might trip. Here it meant to cause a person to
sin or go astray.
Millstone: This was a stone moved by an animal because it
was too big for a human to move. It helped grind grain.
Say: By using the contrasting stones, Jesus cautioned us about
the power of our influence over others. If we place a small stumbling block in
others’ lives, it would become a huge millstone in our lives.
Ask learners to think of three or four people over whom they might have
influence. Encourage them to evaluate the effectiveness of their influence by
noting the ways they influence others positively and the ways they influence
others negatively.
Read the sidebar from It’s Already Tomorrow by Stephen
Kendrick:
Losing a Generation
Research shows that 90 percent of born-again kids today
are rejecting the absolute truth their parents embrace. Josh McDowell
explains, “You can be the greatest explainer of truth. But if the very heart
of your son or daughter does not believe, ‘My daddy loves me,’ [he or she]
will walk away from your truth.”
McDowell believes children will embrace the truth taught
by their parents only if it’s given to them through a loving heart-to-heart
relationship.
Source: Homelife, November 2007, p. 41.
Ask:
What do
McDowell’s findings say about parents’ influence in the lives of their
children?
According to
McDowell, what is the most important part of influencing our children?
How does a
loving heart-to-heart relationship help us to influence others?
Caring Through Attention (Matt. 18:10-14)
Enlist a volunteer to read Matthew 18:10-14.
Identify the little ones again as those over whom we have influence, but notice
that this passage also identifies them as those who had wandered from the
sheepfold.
Ask learners to list adjectives that describe Jesus’ attitude toward the sheep
that needed attention. Ask them how our attitudes are similar to and different
from Jesus' toward those who have gone astray.
Read the following blog excerpt from DallasNews
Religion:
Cooking the Books
A Southern Baptist pastor in Cape Coral, Fla.,
questions his denomination's claim of 16.2 million members.
“The reality is, the FBI couldn't find half of those
[members] if they had to,” said the Rev. Thomas Ascol.
He says a report by the Southern Baptist Convention
shows that only 6 million Southern Baptists attend church on an average
Sunday. And when the SBC has its annual meeting next month in San Antonio,
he plans to offer a resolution calling for “integrity in the way we regard
our membership rolls in our churches and also in the way we report
statistics.”
The Baptists are hardly alone in touting membership
numbers that are, at best, difficult to verify.
"Vast differences in theology and accounting practices
make it nearly impossible to really know how many members a church body has,
whether active or occasional worshippers," writes Amy Green of Religion News
Service. "That, in turn, makes side-by-side comparisons nearly impossible.
"She quotes an official of the National Council of
Churches as saying: "Church membership is not as straightforward as it
seems. It's not like, who's a member of Costco?”
How are
Baptists struggling with the issue of straying sheep?
Should
the focus be on identifying accurate numbers or reclaiming lost
sheep? Explain your answer.
What can the
members of your church do to show that they care for those who have fallen
by the wayside?
Caring Through Reconciliation (Matt. 18:15-20)
Read Matthew 18:15-20 and ask learners what caused
the breach in relationship Jesus described in this passage.
Write steps to reconciliation on the board, and ask learners to list
the steps to reconciliation in the proper order:
Private meeting
Meeting with
witness(es)
Involvement of
the church
Treatment like
an unbeliever
Ask:
Is this the way
you usually handle reconciliation? Why or why not?
How might
conflict be resolved easier and more readily if we followed Jesus’ steps
to reconciliation?
What role does
prayer play in the reconciliation process?
Distribute the copies of the Steps
to Reconciliation handout. Ask learners to describe why the following cases
did or did not follow the instructions in these verses.
Case Study 1: Benny
was offended by the casual style of clothing some people wore to church. He
immediately went to the pastor to see if the pastor could do something about
what these new members and guests were wearing.
Case Study 2: Julia did not like the
praise choruses the worship leader introduced. In her opinion, the
choruses were loud and shallow. She brought it up as a topic of
discussion in her Sunday School class to see what everyone else thought.
Case Study 3: The pastor became
sidetracked during the sermon, going way beyond what the text said. Johnny
scheduled a lunch meeting with the pastor to sit down and ask him about the
direction he took in the sermon.
Case Study 4: Carol's friend at work
borrowed some money but never repaid it. Carol sent an anonymous e-mail to
others at work warning them about loaning money to that friend.
Ask: In the cases that were handled incorrectly, how would
following the proper steps to reconciliation have helped?
Caring Through Forgiveness (Matt. 18:21-22)
Enlist a volunteer to read Matthew 18:21-22. Summarize the two
positions concerning forgiveness as found in the article Forgiveness: The
Jewish Tradition:
In the Talmud, Rabbi Jose ben Hanina taught that people
should not seek forgiveness but three times: “One who asks pardon of his
neighbor need do so no more than three times.” Rabbi Jose ben Judah cited
Amos 2:6 as a basis for limiting God’s forgiveness: “Thus says the Lord:
‘For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the
punishment.’” Rabbi Jose ben Judah taught, “If a man commits a
transgression, the first, second and third time he is forgiven, the fourth
time he is not forgiven.” Peter, aware of this tradition that even divine
forgiveness has its limits, asked Jesus about the limits of human
forgiveness.
Jesus’ response to Peter reflects another tradition, a
precedent for mercy overcoming judgment. Woven like a thread through much of
the Old Testament is the formula that first appears in Exodus 34:6: “The
Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in
steadfast love and faithfulness.” Repeated seven times more, it heralds the
gracious forgiveness in the character of God. Abundant forgiveness is a
divine attribute. So when Jesus addressed discipline and forgiveness side by
side in Matthew 18, He was repeating traditions and tensions of long
standing in the Jewish world.
Source: Roark, C. Mack (Fall 2007).
Forgiveness: The Jewish Tradition. Biblical Illustrator, pp. 56-58.
Ask:
According to the traditions of the Rabbis, how would
you characterize Peter’s offer to forgive seven times?
How did Jesus’ command to forgive compare with the
rabbinic tradition?
Pick one to three words to
describe your approach/your church’s approach to forgiving others. What
words did you choose and why?
Why is the refusal to forgive ultimately a lack of
understanding God’s grace?
Conclude by asking the Sunday School class to examine their “Care Quotient.” On
a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest score, how would they rate the class'
care for one another? Challenge learners to list ways the class can become a
more caring community and devise a plan for accomplishing these goals.
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.
Adult
Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life EXTRA
November 4, 2007
Seeking Your Father's Approval
Dana Armstrong
Matthew 6:1-18
Before the Session
For teaching plans and full explanations of all the verses in today’s lessons,
consult any of the Bible Studies for Life leader guides or
commentaries.
Matthew 6:1-4
Say: In last week's lesson, Jesus taught us about respecting
others by practicing honesty, going the extra mile, and demonstrating
unconditional love. In today’s lesson, Jesus teaches about giving, praying, and
fasting with a pure heart.
Instruct learners to mentally list the activities they are involved in
at church.Ask the following rhetorical questions:
Why are you
involved in these activities and ministries?
Did God call
you to the areas in which you are involved, or did you make the decision
on your own?
Are you
involved because you want the approval of people or because you have
difficulty saying no?
Do you follow
Jesus for the right reasons?
Note: If learners want to share their answers with the
class, allow them the opportunity to do so.
Say: These are difficult questions for us to ask ourselves, but
the answers help us discover our true motives.
Enlist a volunteer to read Matthew 6:1-4.
Ask:
What are alms?
Whom does Jesus
caution His followers not to be like?
What does the
word hypocrite mean?
How do people
"sound a trumpet" (v. 2) today?
Explain that Jesus referred to two kinds of rewards for giving. When we give in
order to impress those around us, we are rewarded with their temporary
admiration and accolades. However, when we give with right motives, quietly and
secretly, we will be rewarded by our heavenly Father openly. Pretending to honor
God while intentionally drawing attention to ourselves is hypocrisy.
Matthew 6:5-15
Enlist a volunteer to read Matthew 6:5-8.
Say: Jesus repeated some of the same things He said about
giving when He addressed how we should pray. Careful reading of the text makes
it clear that the essence of genuine prayer is to seek God, not to impress
others or to appear more religious. Prayer should always be as inconspicuous as
possible, but public prayer is also appropriate when practiced for the right
reasons. One of the early fathers of the church, Clement of Alexandria, said
"Prayer is keeping company with God.” Prayer is for us. It is our act of worship
of an Almighty God. It is our human way of building a relationship with an
omnipotent God. There is no way to exist as His child without it.
Enlist another volunteer to read Matthew 6:9-15.
Read or paraphrase the following article:
“Jesus, Teach Us to Pray”
Our little neighborhood Bible study group finished our
meeting last night with prayer. The group is a great mix of people from many
different walks of life. There are “professional” Christians, new
Christians, normal Christians and non-Christians that attend each week.
One beautiful thing that we all have in common is that we
can all do better with our prayer life. All of us can improve, increase and
intensify our personal prayer life, no matter how long we have been praying
to the God of all creation.
The final comment during our closing prayer was
something like “Lord, help us improve our prayer life.” The disciples of
Jesus said something similar at least a couple of times in the New
Testament.
Recently, I had the privilege of listening to a series
of sermons by pastor Andy Stanley of Northpoint Baptist Church in Georgia
titled “Permission to Speak Freely.” The messages were all about Jesus’
teaching on prayer. What follows is a very rough explanation of how the
truths revealed in that series have changed my prayer patterns in the last
several months.
The disciples of Jesus were, for the most part, young Jewish men who had
grown up hearing prayers, reading prayers from the Old Testament texts,
memorizing prayers, and witnessing the countless prayers of the priests and
religious leaders of the day. They had a working knowledge of how prayer was
done. But after spending time with Jesus and noticing how HE prayed, they
felt compelled to ask Him to “teach us to pray.”
It’s interesting that Jesus didn’t tell them that they already knew how to
pray. Instead, he instantly began teaching them what is important and what’s
not important when it comes to prayer. One of these instances is recorded in
Matthew 6:6-12:
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your
Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like
pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask
him.
I have missed the importance of the beginning of this passage for years.
There is a great deal of teaching being done in these few verses that has
the potential to vitally change your prayer life. Jesus was telling His
disciples that if they really want to pray like He prays, then they need to
take some time to pray in private.
We know that Jesus didn’t always go to the same room and close the door
behind Him when He prayed, but He did consistently find private places to
spend time in intimate prayer with His Father. How many times a week do we
do that? How many times in a year? If we want to learn to pray like Jesus,
finding a private place on a regular basis seems to be a very important
example of His to follow.
Jesus then told His disciples something that messes up my prayer patterns
completely. In essence, Jesus told them (and is telling us) that our words
are not really that important to God. Neither are the lists of things that
we consider “needs,” because God knows about these even before we ask. Under
normal circumstances, asking God for things accounts for about 98% of my
prayer time!
If, in order to pray more like Jesus, I am supposed to go someplace private
but not worry too much about telling God about the things He already knows I
need, what am I supposed to be praying about? I can just imagine the
disciples coming to that same confusing conclusion. So Jesus proceeds to
answer their question in the next few sentences.
Those next few verses compose what we commonly refer to as the “Lord’s
Prayer.” Are you as mystified as I am when I hear someone repeat or recite
the Lord’s Prayer in times of trouble? Occasionally, people admit that they
recite the Lord’s Prayer as some sort of last resort to gain God’s
protection and/or guidance. I am not sure that was the intent of Jesus when
He spoke these words to the disciples.
Instead, it seems evident that He was offering those
words as an example of how to pray and what to pray for. It’s pretty clear
that these words were not the same words that Jesus used EVERY time He
prayed. In fact, in Luke 11, we see a different instance where some of the
disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray and the words that Jesus used
were slightly different. The pattern was the same, however.
In both instances, Jesus taught the disciples to start with God and
acknowledge how great God is.
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,”
This is in stark contrast to how my prayers usually begin. Most of the time,
I jump right in with my list of requests and my list of things that I would
like God to do something about. Jesus showed us that instead, we should
start with God.
He then proceeded with the next principle of
prayer….aligning your will with God’s.
“your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
This is where praying can sometimes get tough. We all have our ideas about
how God “should” answer our prayers and how things “should” work out in our
lives. But that is not always what God has in mind. When these two “wills”
are in contrast (and they seem to almost always be) it is important that we
do what Jesus is teaching here: submit our will to God’s.
Jesus’ final statements in His model prayer have to do with acknowledging
our dependence on God for provisions, forgiveness, and safety.
After hearing Andy Stanley’s messages and thinking about the truths revealed
in this passage of Scripture, I realized my own prayer life needed an
overhaul!
What about yours? Are your prayers similar to the model prayer that we find
in Scripture?
If you are not already doing so, I want to encourage you to find a private
place where you can escape to spend some intimate time with your Father. Let
Him know that you realize how great He is. Spend whatever time it takes to
align your will with His. Then talk to Him about the needs that you have and
your dependence on Him to provide those things for you.
When we pray like Jesus taught us to pray, it will change our routine prayer
life into one that provides intimacy, fulfillment and direction to our lives
and ministries.
Source: Coday, Brian. “Jesus, Teach
Us How to Pray.” Retrieved October 23, 2007, from
www.crosswalk.com.
Ask:
How should we
pray according to these verses and Coday’s article?
What are the
components of the Model Prayer?
What do verses
14-15 teach about forgiveness?
Matthew 6:16-18
Enlist a volunteer to read Matthew 6:16-18.
Notice that Jesus said “when” you fast, not “if” you fast. Just as He expected
His followers to give and pray, He also expected them to fast.
Read the following article excerpt about fasting:
Prayer and Fasting
When you think of fasting, what image comes to mind? A
self-righteous Pharisee? An ascetic monk? For many of us, these are cultural
stereotypes of a person who abstains from food and prays. Often we are
confused about the purpose of fasting. Fortunately, Scripture provides many
examples both in the Old and New Testaments of how fasting can make a
difference in our lives and ministries.
God considers fasting important, and His Word contains
92 passages mentioning it Many of our heroes of the faith, including Moses,
Elijah, Esther, Nehemiah, Daniel and Paul, fasted at crucial points.
Jesus both taught and modeled fasting. After being
anointed by the Holy Spirit, He was led into the wilderness to fast and pray
for 40 days (Matthew 4:2). During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave
specific instructions on how to fast (Matthew 6:16-18). Jesus knew the
followers He addressed would fast. But what is the purpose of fasting in the
life of the believer today? Here are some answers.
Showing Humility and Repentance
One reason we fast is to demonstrate humility before
the sovereign Creator of the universe. God responds when we diligently and
wholeheartedly seek Him (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Sometimes this
involves confession and repentance from sin. This was the case of the
Ninevites when Jonah reluctantly told them God was going to bring judgment
upon them (Jonah 3:5,10), 50 they called a fast and repented of their sin.
Fasting demonstrates humility by acknowledging our dependence on God. In
Psalm 35, David laments his enemies' harsh treatment of him in contrast to
how he cared for them when they were ill. He humbled his soul by fasting and
praying for their recovery (Psalm 35:13).
Seeking
God's Face More Fully
A second reason
we fast is to respond to God's love toward us. It is as if we are saying to
God, "Because You are righteous and holy, and loved me enough to send Jesus
to die for my sins, I want to get to know You more intimately."
Jeremiah 29:13
says we will find God when we seek Him with all our hearts. We may want to
take extra time to seek and praise God by missing a meal or abstaining from
food for a day or more.
When we
deliberately set aside time for fasting, we are showing we want to seek God.
Asking
for Something You Desire
Sometimes we
fast to demonstrate our sincerity to God concerning something we truly
desire. Ezra proclaimed a fast to ask God to protect His people as they
journeyed to Jerusalem from exile. God responded by leading them safely to
Jerusalem, delivering them from their enemies and ambushes along the way
(Ezra 8:21 31).
Although fasting
may show our sincerity, it does not guarantee we will receive what we
desire. Maybe our request is not within God's will, or we may be asking with
the wrong motives. David fasted for seven days when God struck with illness
the child Bathsheba conceived by David. David repented of his adultery with
Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. He humbled himself, fasted and
prayed, but the child still died (2 Samuel 12:15-18).
Through fasting
we can determine the sincerity and correctness of our requests.
Fasting
to Know God's Will
Seeking God's
will or direction is different from petitioning Him for something we desire.
When the Israelites were in conflict with the tribe of Benjamin, they sought
God's will through fasting. The entire army fasted until evening, and "the
men of Israel asked the Lord, 'Shall we go out again and fight against our
brother Benjamin, or shall we stop?"' (Judges 20:26-28).
Acts 13:1-3
implies that church leaders were seeking God's direction for their ministry
through prayer and fasting. The Holy Spirit responded by saying, "Set apart
for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." In both
instances, people fasted and prayed to determine God's will.
Developing Discipline
An important
benefit of fasting is that it promotes self-control by disciplining our
bodies. When we say no to our natural appetite for food, we develop the
willpower and discipline to say no to other fleshy desires (1 Corinthians
9:27).
Other reasons
people in the Bible fasted include deliverance (Second Chronicles 20:3),
mourning the loss of a loved one (1 Samuel 31:13), healing the sick (Psalm
35:13), spiritual strength (Matthew 4:2), and the appointment of elders in
the church (Acts 14:23).
Losing weight is
NOT the emphasis when fasting for spiritual reasons.
Men of
God Continue to Fast
Fasting is not
limited to believers the Bible mentions. Most of the church's
reformers-including Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Knox-fasted. Knox
fasted and prayed so much that Queen Mary said she feared his prayers more
than all the armies of Scotland.
John Wesley, the
renown English preacher, missionary and founder of Methodism, fasted twice
weekly from sun up until late afternoon. Charles Finney, a revivalist of the
1800s, fasted regularly week and would often go three days without eating
when he felt any diminution of spiritual power at his meetings.
Two
common pitfalls:
First,
we can become legalistic about fasting. It is essential to remember God
loves us and is not displeased with us when we do not fast.
Second,
we can take pride in our fasting. We can avoid this problem by focusing on
God's character and all He has done for us. Most of us do not need to worry
about having the wrong attitude or motive while fasting. A more likely
problem is we may not fast at all.
Fasting is a
commitment to seeking the Lord. It is not reserved for the self-righteous,
but it is a privilege from which each of us can benefit.
Our sincerity
and attitude play important roles in biblical fasting. Before beginning ask
yourself, "Am I confident that my desire to fast is God-given? What are the
spiritual objectives in this fast? Personal sanctification and consecration?
Intercession? Special burdens? Is there any hidden desire to impress
others?" when you've honestly answered these questions you're ready to
begin.
Do not give,
pray, or fast as the hypocrites—in order to pretend to be something you
are not in order to receive praise from others.
If you give,
pray, or fast for the wrong reasons, you will receive your reward from
people, not God.
When you give,
pray, or fast, do so discreetly, honoring God and not yourself.
Say: We all long for approval. It somehow validates what we do.
When we receive praise from others, it gives us the reward of instant
gratification, of being highly esteemed. However, we receive our Father’s
approval for doing the right things for the right reasons, we receive an eternal
reward that is indescribable.
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.
