Lesson 8 Bible Basis: Revelation 4:1-6, Students will discuss ways they can give God the honor, glory, and power He deserves.

Transcription

1 / April 22, 2018 Give God the Glory By Dick Lentz Focus: Our holy God is worthy to receive honor, glory, and power. Bible Basis: Revelation 4:1-6, 8-11 Memory Verse: You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. Revelation 4:11 Students will discuss ways they can give God the honor, glory, and power He deserves. OPENING ACTIVITY: Honoring Those We Respect Ask students to share ways we honor people we highly regard or those who have done something significant in life. Write the responses on a sheet of newsprint or whiteboard. Their answers could include giving the person a medal or trophy, offering to take the person to dinner, giving a monetary award, or praising the person s achievements either privately or publicly. This week we look at people who are giving God the glory, honor, and power He deserves. OPENING STORY: [Read the story aloud or make copies and pass them around.] GIVING GOD THE HONOR AND GLORY There are many ways to give God the glory, honor, and praise He deserves. One of those is through faith and perseverance in the midst of suffering and focusing on what s good about life. Scotty Smiley and his wife Tiffany have tried to exhibit all of these in response to a traumatic and physically debilitating event he experienced. Smiley was injured April 2005 while serving with the army in Mosul, Iraq. A suicide bomber blew himself up as Scotty approached a car the bomber was sitting in. The last thing Smiley remembered was seeing a man raising his hands in the air as he exploded. Smiley woke up a week later in Walter Reed Army Medical Center partially paralyzed and totally blind. Smiley s transition from an active military man and gifted leader to a life without sight

2 has been extremely difficult. That darkness just overwhelmed me, Smiley said in an interview. I felt I couldn t do anything. Being able to do anything you wanted to do, and now you can t even move. Let alone, you can t see, you will never be able to see again. I chose to be angry at my wife, my family, my friends, at everyone I just got deeper and deeper and darker and darker. But though Smiley found himself in an ever-deepening pit of despair, he knew that there was hope and light in God. I knew what the truth was. For me, it was to make a choice to choose Him. When I didn t, it was dark. Scotty and Tiffany now focus on what is good about their lives rather than what is missing. Scotty noted that the blessing that God has given us is that He uses us if we want to be used. Tiffany added, This isn t the life I would have even said I wanted. But it is the perfect life for us. Actor, writer, and producer Daniel Roebuck honors God by making faith-based films that will help people live every day like it s their first, to the Glory of God. Roebuck s career spans 35 years and includes credits in over 220 films. But lately Roebuck says he s been on a faith movie roll. The newest of these is Getting Grace, a film he hopes will serve as a reminder that God s grace is available to all. However, Roebuck doesn t just want to reach Christians with this film. I want to reach the audience that s not our audience. I want to reach everybody else. What is my job as an evangelist: is it to tell you exactly what to believe? Or is it to live a life by example and present you an opportunity to consider a different point of view? An actor with a similar mindset is Jim Caviezel. Caviezel portrayed Jesus in the movie The Passion of Christ and is currently depicting Luke in a film titled Paul, Apostle of Christ. Caviezel told the Christian Post that he feels called to share the love of Jesus Christ throughout his industry. Certainly, in my industry I ve seen so many that are wealthy but dead, he said. My Lord s message to me was, Ok, you felt My love come through you. You can t judge them. You have to be love for them because that s the only Christ they re going to know. And then there s Felix. In a blog titled Scrubbing toilets for the glory of the Lord, Evie Polsley admits that there are times when she doesn t want to go to work days when the tasks ahead just seem too overwhelming. During these moments of hairpulling frustration, Polsley remembers her friend Felix. I can t think of one time when I haven t seen Felix smiling as he diligently goes about his work. Vacuuming the stairs amazingly done with a smile. Polishing the drinking fountain it shines like nobody s business, and Felix did it with a smile. Polsley has learned through Felix that what matters most is not what we do, but that we do it for God s glory. And her prayer? So, whatever I do whether I m eating or drinking, or scrubbing toilets, or finishing one more spreadsheet I can pray: How am I honoring God? Lord, may everything I do be for Your Glory. Ask your students to form small groups to discuss these questions. How have you seen other people give honor, glory, praise, and power to God? How have you done so?

3 Why is important that we give God the glory and honor He deserves? What can happen if we don t do that? (When you are finished with the questions, go on to Step 2 in your Adult Teacher s Guide.) News Sources: Evie Polsley Blog Scrubbing Toilets for the Glory of God

4 / April 22, 2018 Give God the Glory Focus: Our holy God is worthy to receive honor, glory, and power. Bible Basis: Revelation 4:1-6, 8-11 Memory Verse: You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. Revelation 4:11 DO ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD This week s lesson can be summarized in the verse from 1 Corinthians: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). Whether we are suffering from debilitating or painful circumstances, or enjoying the fruits of a successful (though sometimes frustrating) career, or scrubbing toilets, we can and should find time and ways to give God the honor, glory, and power He deserves. We can do this by persevering in the midst of our difficulties and thanking God for what is good about our lives. We can give Him credit for our talents, opportunities, and resources; find ways to show others how much God loves them; and honor Him as the almighty Lord of the universe. Ask students to return the groups they had in Step 1 so they can respond to this question. How can you give God the honor, glory, praise, and power He deserves this week? Close the class by thanking God for His grace and love, and pray that you all will find ways to glorify God not only this coming week but always.

5 (We are not affiliated with and do not endorse any website or any other media listed on these pages. At the time of writing, our editors carefully review the referenced material and non-referenced web page content. However, due to the nature of the Internet, noncited content on the website [including pop-ups, links, and ads] changes frequently and is beyond our control. Please review carefully before showing links in the classroom.) THE BIBLE IN THE NEWS Israel is removing land mines from around the traditional site of Jesus baptism: