IF THEY OFFER YOU THE WORLD, TAKE IT!

Transcription

1 PRIMARY SCRIPTURE Matthew 5:5 SECONDARY SCRIPTURE Genesis 13; Numbers 12; 1 Samuel 26; 1 Corinthians 2; Matthew 26 OBJECTIVES 1. Defi ne meekness and see it illustrated in the lives of great Bible characters. 2. Discuss what a humble teenager looks like. 3. Challenge the group to move towards humility. OVERVIEW Jesus said the meek would inherit the earth, not the proud. As disciples, it s our job to believe him and put ourselves in a position to receive what he s promised. GETTING THINGS STARTED He used to be nothing more than a villain. It was his job to serve as the hero s punching dummy. Dish out a few shots, but absorb a whole bunch more. Get pummeled, stagger around in a stupor, and endure the crowd s hate. But then in a pre-fi ght interview he said these magic words: Austin 3:16 says I m going to kick your fanny. (Or something like that.) Wham-o: Instant fame. Steve Austin becomes the WWE s greatest hero almost overnight, drawing more fans, generating more interest, and selling more merchandise than Hulk Hogan did in his heyday. So much for meekness. Clearly arrogance is more attractive. Or is it? Consider this five-man dream team containing prodigious amounts of the endangered virtue of meekness. Abraham: In Genesis 13 he could have asserted his rights in a land dispute with his nephew. But he didn t. Instead, Abraham gave Lot the best of the territory and settled for the leftovers. Moses: In Numbers 12 his leadership position is challenged by those who should have been most loyal. Does Moses retaliate? No, he intercedes for the offenders when God punishes them.

2 David: In 1 Samuel 26, he could have killed his enemy Saul who had attempted to murder David numerous times. David could have eliminated this wicked king and taken his rightful place on Israel s throne. Instead he spares Saul and demonstrates kindness toward him. Paul: In 1 Corinthians 2, he could have wowed the church with gaudy miracles and showy speeches, but he didn t. Instead, he exalted Christ, speaking the gospel simply but clearly. Jesus: In Matthew 26 he could have called a dozen armies of angels to rescue him from the cross. Instead, he laid down his life without a fi ght, and even asked the Father to forgive his killers. Now in whose footsteps would you rather follow? Would you rather be king of cable for a day, or ruler of the earth for all eternity? Take a brief poll of your students and have them write their responses on a sheet of paper: How would you rate your overall leadership ability? Top 1%... 10%... 50%... or lower? How well do you get along with others? Excellent... very well... average... or below average?

3 Compare your responses to those of nearly 1 million high school seniors recently surveyed: How would you rate your overall leadership abilities? About 70% said they were above average. 60% said they were in the top 10%. Only 2% said they were below average. 25% said they were in the top 1%! How well do you get along with others? Out of 829,000 respondents, exactly zero said below average. TEACHING GUIDE Read and discuss Matthew 5:5. In this session we come to step three in the path to real happiness. So far, the progression is clear. We begin by standing empty before God. We have no righteousness, no merits to offer. Morally our gauge is below E; the cupboards are bare; the account is in defi cit. We re poor in spirit and that hurts. We ve come to realize the damage sin has done. We acknowledge that our pitiful condition is one of our own making and we mourn. Being in such a sad and empty state has a wonderful softening effect. The old swagger melts away. Ego gets chopped down to size. Our once proud hearts fi nd nothing to glory in. We become meek and gentle. The kingdom of heaven is taking root in our lives, and in our humbled state we fi nd ourselves ready to serve under God s sovereign rule. We no longer have to strive to make a buck, climb the ladder, or achieve success. The world is not ours to conquer. It s ours to inherit. Testing for Meekness Is it in you? Are you gaining a growing share of this valuable kingdom quality? Or do you still suffer with the delusion that apart from Christ you re somebody in your own right? Don t be fooled! Jesus said, Apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5), and the Apostle Paul said, I am nothing (2 Corinthians 12:11). The only real Christian is a meek Christian.

4 1. The Speech Test Has your mouth been informed that you re now a humble person? You say only what is in your heart (Matthew 12:34), so it logically follows that if your heart is meek your mouth will be too. So keep close tabs on your speech for a few days. How often do proud or bragging words roll off your tongue? How well proportioned are your speaking and listening? Someone once said that God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason. 2. The Servant Test Greatness in the kingdom of God is measured by the quality of one s humble service (Matthew 23:11). So ask yourself, How do I feel when people treat me like a servant? Most of us don t mind being servants, if it s on our terms. Just don t treat us like servants! Our attitude betrays our hearts. Boys don t mind being treated like boys. Doctors don t mind being treated like doctors. So what does it tell us if we do mind being treated like servants? The substance of a servant may be missing from our lives. We ll play-act the part from time to time, but we won t take on the character. 3. The Success Test Do you have to be fi rst to be happy? How do you handle the success of your peers? We pass the success test when we fi nd ourselves able to rejoice with those who rejoice, genuinely enjoying their good fortune. But if another s promotion galls you, if riding in the backseat demeans you, if losing angers you, retrace your way through the fi rst three beatitudes. The experience of God s grace ought to give you enough sense of Jackpot! to carry you through life s disappointments. Just because you re passed over right now doesn t mean you re forever the loser. God has given you the kingdom and proclaimed you heir of the earth. You don t have to try to win it, earn it, or beat it to the ground. You can humbly sit back and wait to inherit it. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time (1 Peter 5:6).

5 DISCUSSION How would you defi ne meekness? This third beatitude follows naturally after the fi rst two. Can you see the logic of the fl ow: poor in spirit to mourning over sin to meekness? What Bible characters or stories can you think of that illustrate meekness in action? Why do you think Jesus says the reward or blessing for meekness is inheriting the earth? What does he mean by this? Is he offering us the world? In what way? How does this strange reward, the meek inheriting the earth, fl y in the face of conventional wisdom? How do you think you can test yourself for meekness? What are its tell-tale signs? APPLICATIONS Talk about the three meekness tests from the Leader s Study. How do these challenge you to make changes in your attitude or actions? Come up with one or two practical ways you could take on a more meek demeanor in the next 24 hours.