Philippians
Lesson 3: Who Do You Think You Are?
Lesson Workbook (PDF) - Click Here for NIV Click Here for KJV
Activity/Quiz - Lasting Influence - Click Here
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Goals
1. To realize a sense of identity as a member of the body of Christ.
2. To motivate students to forsake themselves according to the example of Jesus.
3. To make joy and humility allies rather than enemies, in the student’s minds.
Topics
Availability, Body of Christ, Feelings, Influence, Joy, Humility, Serving
OPENING PRAYER (5 to 10 minutes)
GROUP BUILDING (10 minutes)
Lasting Influence (Activity/Quiz) Click Here
(These quizes can also be found in the Lesson Workbook)
Quiz 1 1. Name the last 3 World Series champions 2. Name the 3 wealthiest people in the world 3. Name 3 people who have won the Pulitzer 4. Name the last 3 Miss America pageant 5. Name the last 3 movies that won an Oscar | Quiz 2 1. Name 3 people who have helped you 2. Name 3 people who have inspired you 3. Name 3 people who have made you feel 4. Name 3 people who taught you something 5. Name 3 people with whom you can share |
GETTING STARTED (5 minutes)
(Use the questions below to get students thinking about their future and goals in life. Help them to understand how being obedient to Christ will chart a particular course that will define who they are.)
1. What do you want to do once you graduate high school?
2. What is your greatest life goal?
3. Picture your life in 20 years. What would you like it to look like?
• Career
• Family
• Social status
• Spiritual Maturity
DIGGING IN (30 minutes)
Today, we are going to talk about something that is hard to talk about…we’re going to try and figure out who exactly it is that we are. In chapter 2 of Philippians, that we will be studying today, Paul encourages us to be like Jesus. He points out that Jesus, like some of the people you named earlier, was outstanding because he took time to care. In humility, he showed obedience to God for our sakes
Read Philippians 2: 1-11
Discussion Questions
1. What is the most humbling thing Jesus did that is mentioned in verses 5-11?
2. Do you think it was difficult for Jesus to do those things? (The cross was not easy for Jesus…neither was coming to earth in the first place. It was not his nature. Jesus possessed humility as a man that dwarfs any other act of humility. Humility is not an easy thing to possess.)
3. When Jesus demonstrated humility, what happened as a result?
4. Why do you think Paul brings up Jesus here? Does it seem like an interruption to his train of thought?
5. How do you make sense out of verses 1-4 and verses 5-11?
Read Philippians 2: 12-18
What’s the therefore there for? The “therefore” in verse 12 is there for a reason…Paul is using Christ’s behavior as an example of our behavior. It’s a connecting word used often by Paul as he builds a case for a particular theological idea. So, we need to remember Jesus as we discuss these verses.
Lesson in Greek With a vague understanding of a middle verb, can you reconcile the two verses together any easier? Who is working? |
Discussion Questions
1. What does it mean to “work out your salvation?
2. Why do you think verse 12 says for us to work out our salvation, and then in verse 13 it says God works in us? (Humility is our action and God’s reaction. He can’t work out much if we aren’t working, too. But our work is the act of letting God do His thing and giving Him complete control of our lives)
3. Why do you think Paul uses the words “fear and trembling” to describe this whole process? (Humility is hard. It means giving up what you want or desire for what someone else wants or desires. Verse 13 plainly points out that it is God’s will and purposes that we should seek. That’s no easy task. Is it any wonder Paul’s next verse warns us not to complain?)
4. What is the ultimate goal in verses 14 through 18? What does Paul want us to become?
5. Verse 18 seems to indicate that despite the sacrifice of humility and servitude, joy is the result. How can humility result in joy?
6. What do you guys know about drink offerings? What is Paul getting at?
7. How is Paul’s idea here like the pouring out of Jesus’ life described in verses 5-11?
Drink Offering When a sacrifice, such as a burnt offering was presented in the temple of Jerusalem, a drink-offering of wine or olive oil might be poured over it or beside it. This was added last and completed the sacrifice. Paul is not thinking in this case of a literal libation of blood such as was poured out in some pagan cults, he is thinking of the willing yielding up of his life to god.” |
Workbook Activity (10 minutes)Most Embarrassing Moments (Activity) Start by sharing an embarrassing story that happened to you. Everyone has at least one. If not, you can use the story below from the author. “The summer after third grade, I played summer league baseball. Back then, everybody had to rotate positions to make it fair, so although I was a (fairly) decent ball player, I found myself in the outfield. It was there, in left field that one of the most humiliating things ever happened to me. It was a long inning. Before the inning had even begun, I had to go to the bathroom. But I wasn’t up to bat any time soon, and I didn’t want to have to sit out the inning, so I decided to tough out the inning and then go afterwards. The problem came as the inning continued to drag on. We weren’t too good that year, and the other team just continued to hit. I know they batted around at least once, and the inning took every bit of a half an hour. All along, there I stood, out in left field, about to wet myself. I held it in as long as I could. But the inning kept going. Mercifully, no balls were hit to me, but as I stood out there in left field, I realized I had no options. I couldn’t call timeout. I couldn’t turn around and just do my business. But one other things became certain…I could not wait. I wiggled, I swayed, I crossed my legs. And then, right in my pants. Standing there in left field, the other team scoring run after run after run, I went number one all down my legs.”
• What’s the most humiliating thing that has ever happened to you? |
Humility always precedes glorification. While a humble act does not often evoke joy in our lives, glorification certainly does. However, joy should not come from our glory, but from God’s. You are a part of the body of Christ. As a part of his great family, your identity is decided. You are not meant to live for yourself, but for the glory of God. In humility, He will be glorified and in that, we can find joy.
MAKING IT REAL (10 minutes)
It’s time to make this real to us. To close this lesson, I urge you to make a commitment as a group to do something that demonstrates humility. It’s great to talk about it, but I believe that God calls us to humble ourselves and allow Him to do His thing. I want us to do something together that is humbling to us, but reveals God’s glory. That means we don’t take credit. That means that we don’t seek honor. That means that we lower ourselves, become actively passive, and let God work out his will and purpose. What could we do?
Below is a list of ideas. Let’s pick one as a group and commit to doing it in the next month.
(if you have a very large group of students, you may want to divide up and have each smaller group pick an act of service to perform.)
List of humble acts
• Pick up trash along the road
• Go to children’s hospital and visit patients that you don’t know. Take them a small gift.
• Offer to help the janitorial staff at church with their weekly duties.
• Go as a group to feed homeless people or in a soup kitchen.
• Go to a nursing home and visit the residents
• Think of your own unique idea and get busy
SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION (5 to 10 minutes)
This Weeks Verses
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13)
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature god, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father.” (Philippians 2:5-11)
Memory Review
Students should be doing the memorizing on their own. If they struggle with last weeks verse(s), go back with them and help them at least get the short one down. Use this time to review what they have memorized thus far, and to encourage everyone to take the time to memorize this week’s verse(s).