Follow In His Steps - Lesson 9
LESSON 9
We Exemplify—Part 2
Background Information for the Teacher
Objectives:
- The student can identify specific qualities which he/she wants to improve to exemplify Christ.
- The student can identify specific opportunities which he/she has in which to exemplify Christ.
Preparation:
- Have access to the board.
- Have the sheets on ways and places to “exemplify” ready to distribute.
- Have copies of the song “Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen in Me” available.
- Put four of the footsteps on the wall just as a reminder.
Theme: To walk in His steps, I must exemplify Him to those around me.
Lesson Plan for Teaching the Class
Introduction: (12 minutes)
- Check the roll and welcome visitors.
- Read slowly the words to “Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen in Me” and ask the class to look at the footsteps on the wall as you do this. Then sing the song slowly and quietly.
- Pray for God to help us to be more like Jesus and for class needs.
Learning Experiences: (20 minutes)
- Read Matt. 5:14-16. Q: What does it mean to “let your light shine before men?” A: To show people the qualities of Jesus by having those qualities in our lives. Q: Why does this passage say we are to let our light shine? A: To the praise of God. They will see how wise God is because our lives will show them the best way to live.
- Read 1 John 2:5-6. Q: What are the results when we obey what Jesus says? A: God’s love in made complete in us. God’s commands are connected to His love for us. Since He loves us, He wants our lives to be the best they can be. So when we follow His commands, our lives will be the best they can be. This is how they are made complete—they are put into action. God does not give instructions about how to live just for people to admire because of their wisdom. He gives instructions about how to live, rather, so our lives will be better. Thus the commands are made complete when we obey Him. Q: What is the way we can know that we are “in him?” A: We walk as He walked. Did you ever see a child who walks just like his/her mother or father? People should see Christ in our lives because we walk (act) like he walked (acted).]
- In Rodney Stark’s book, The Rise of Christianity, he tells how the lives of Christian people, even during times of persecution, were an attraction to outsiders. When they saw how Christians loved others by caring for them when they were sick, by helping the poor, by taking in abandoned babies, and by refusing to engage in some of the popular entertainment of the day, people saw something different and were attracted to it. What they were seeing was Jesus living in His followers. Even when they were taken to the arena where they were forced to walk out to be eaten alive by wild lions, they went singing hymns to Jesus. And people marveled at how they could face death. How could they do this? Because they knew how Jesus had faced death. So let’s be like the Christians of the early centuries by living in such a way that our lives will picture Jesus to those around us and, when we do that, we will demonstrate how to be a Christian.
- Last week, we asked you to be on the lookout for occasions when you did something to show a quality of Jesus or when you saw it in someone else and to write that on a card. So, who has an example to share? (Spend as long on this as you think useful and then move on to the application.)
Application: (13 minutes)
- (Hand out list.) Here is a list of some possible opportunities to let our light shine as we exemplify Jesus. Read this list and mark with an X those items you are already doing and with a checkmark those you would like to begin to do.
Assignment:
- Find ways this week to exemplify Jesus both as you have been doing that and as you have thought of new opportunities.
- Write on your card what you are doing and we’ll take a few minutes in class next week to share what we have done.
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