AG Teens Sunday School 4th August 2024: Grief. This is a Teens Ministry of the Assemblies of God Nigeria publication.
RADIANT LIFE TEENS SUNDAY SCHOOL RESOURCE |SEASON 17| JULY – DECEMBER 2024.
DATE: SUNDAY, 4TH AUGUST, 2024.
UNIT 2: GETTING TO THE HEART OF GOD
STUDY 2: GRIEF
TEXT: 1 Sam 15:10-23; Hosea 11:1-8; Mark 3:1-6; Eph 4:25-5:7
KEY VERSE: Ephesians 4:30.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (NIV)
Teens Sunday School 4th August Focus
Pentecostal church leaders and teachers have long preached repentance, warming people that sin brings judgment. Unfortunately, some people in the church today are becoming more and more calloused toward such messages.
They now focus solely on God’s grace and mercy; and rarely acknowledge the reality of sin as something God abhors. In many cases, this has resulted in churches filled with people who simply give lip service to the commands of God and seem to fear no consequences for their actions. The Bible clearly teaches that sin destroys lives and grieves the heart of God. As you prepare for this study, think of how to communicate this truth to your individual students in a direct but gracious way.
Then pray that God will help you maintain a healthy, biblical balance in your beliefs and teachings. Students need to understand that when they sin, God is grieved by their actions. But they also needed to be reminded that God has provided a remedy for sin through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Encourage your students to give their lives completely to God, rejecting the lure of sin and embracing His grace and mercy.
Note: Your teens live in a world of compromise. They’re often told that sin is a lifestyle of choice and that God’s Word is harsh and outdated. Don’t be afraid to confront these false notions. Communicate the truth in love, and allow the Holy Spirit to confirm it in the hearts of your students.
The Basic Message: Explain to students…
* WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?
Our sin not only hurts us — it grieves God as well.
* WHY DOES IT MATTER? Disobedience hardens hearts and hinders relationships with God.
* HOW DO I LIVE IT?
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas of your life where changes are needed; then take action to please God rather than grieve Him.
Activity Option: IN THE NEWS
Bring a stack of newspapers and magazines to class. Divide the class into small groups and give each group a newspaper or magazine and scissors. Instruct them to clip articles or pictures (with captions) about things that likely grieve God (e.g., articles on drug abuse, kidnapping, family fighting or abuse, etc.).
After several minutes, ask the groups to share what they clipped and why. Explain that as much as we may be bothered by the pain, suffering, and evil in the world around us, God is more grieved.
Study Overview: Explain that today’s study considers…
• Actions and attitudes that grieve God.
* How rejecting God and His works can cause us to become spiritually hardened.
* How to identify areas of disobedience or impurity in our lives.
INFORM AND DISCUSS
a). Disobedience:
Guide: Read or have volunteers read Exd 23:23-32; Deut 6:23-7:6,24-25; 1 Sam 15:1-3. Explain that it may ‘be hard to understand how or why God ordered the destruction of entire groups of people. The need for such drastic measures possibly stems from the influence that ungodliness has on anyone associated with it. In establishing a people through whom He will reveal His salvation to the world, God required Israel to remain undefiled.
1. Read or have volunteers read 1 Sam 15:10-23. What excuse did Saul give for his disobedience? [Hint: Saul tried to rationalize his disobedience to God’s clear and specific direction by explaining that the plunder taken was the best and that he intended to offer it to God.]
2. How did God “feel” about Saul’s actions? What was His response to Saul’s sin? [Hint: God was grieved and rejected Saul as king, for partial obedience is no obedience at all. He would rather have our obedience than excuses and supposed sacrifices.]
3. How do you think God feels when we disregard His instructions? Why? [Hint: When we turn from God’s instructions, we’re really turning from God. He is hurt when we choose to reject Him.]
Note: Ignoring God commands in favour of going our own way is a form of arrogance. God compared this kind of arrogance to the evil of idolatry. There are no harmless crimes or sins. All sins grieve the heart of God and, unless it’s dealt with, will ultimately lead to separation from Him.
4. Read or have volunteers read Hosea 11:1-7. What does this passage reveal about God’s heart? What do you think He was feeling at this moment? [Hint: God had cared for the people of Israel as a parent cares for a child. He had sheltered them, provided for them, and taught them how to walk in His truth. He must have felt betrayed, disappointed, and grieved seeing them behave otherwise, and knowing the sorrow that awaits them as a result of their sins.]
5. Read or have a volunteer read Hosea 11:8. What does this tell you about God’s feelings toward us? [Hint: God loves us more than we can imagine. When we allow sin to stand in the way of our relationship with Him, He is hurt. He doesn’t want to give us up. He will go great lengths to bring us back. Yet, it’s up to us to decide how to respond to His great. Compassion.]
b). Hard-Heartedness:
1. Read or have volunteers read Mark 3:1-6. Discuss how some people in the synagogue saw the disabled man not with compassion, but as an opportunity to entrap Jesus and accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath laws. [Hint: They were practically hard-hearted, unsympathetic, unresponsive, and lacked understanding of what’s truly right.]
2. What was Jesus’ reaction to the hard-heartedness of those people? [Hint: Jesus was angered and deeply distressed because they were so caught up in religious tradition that they knew nothing about God’s heart. They didn’t seem to care at all for the man with the shrivelled hand, nor rejoiced about his healing.]
Guide: Explain that Jesus came to save people, not to preserve man-made traditions. Many of God’s standards will not be appealing to people.
But we are misusing rules and traditions if they keep people from seeing God as He is and from coming to Him as they are —so He can change them.
3. Discuss with students some of the ways in which our attitudes can get in the way of God’s work — in our own lives or in other’s lives. Talk about how we must be sure our attitudes are in tune with God’s. [Note: Stubbornness grieves God. He cannot transform the hearts of those who deny Him the opportunity.]
c). Impurity:
1. Read or have volunteers read Eph 4:25-5:7. What do you think Eph 4:30 means when it says “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God”? How and why would the behaviours listed grieve God?
2. What does it mean to be imitators of God (5:1)? How can we do this according to this passage? [Hint: We must cultivate truthfulness, build others up, exercise compassion and forgiveness, love one another, be grateful, etc.]
Involve Them: Discuss with students the following questions:
* How might some of your attitudes and actions in church hurt others or displease God? [Note: Some teens act like it’s not so bad to do a few things they know aren’t right as long as they stay away from “big sins,” such as murder, fornication, stealing, etc. They figure that telling lies, using rough language, or showing a little attitude won’t hurt anyone. But in reality, sin hurts God, others, and ourselves.)
* What steps can you take to change these attitudes and behaviours?
Inspire Them: Remind students THE BASIC MESSAGE of this study (pg 027), even as you explain WHAT’S the Big Idea behind the study is; WHY it matters; and HOW we can live the lesson captured in this study.
Ministry Activity:
Give your students time to think about today’s study. You may want to play a worship song. Encourage students to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to search their hearts and reveal attitudes or actions of disobedience, hard-heartedness, or impurity. After they’ve prayed, give them note cards, ask them to record anything the Holy Spirit revealed, and write a brief plan for developing actions and attitudes that pleases God. Encourage them to keep the cards where they will see them often.
Invitation Option:
Remind your students that the greatest grief we cause God is when we refuse to believe in His Son. If any of your students __ are still in a place of rejection, but would like to move into a place of acceptance, encourage them to make Jesus the Forgiver of their sins and the Leader of their lives. Pray with those who respond.
Teacher Hint: Ask Yourself…
1. Do students understand how disobedience grieves God?
2. Can they explain what it means to be hard-hearted?
3. Have they had the chance to examine their own attitudes and actions and respond to God accordingly?
DAILY DEWDROPS
- Mon: Supporting God’s Project – Exodus 36:1-7
- Tue: Mercy – Exodus 37:1-9
- Wed: The Presence – Exodus 4-:26-35
- Thu: Your Best Effort – Lev 3:6-17
- Fri: Called to Ministry – Lev 8:14-24
- Sat: Healing in God’s Hands – Lev 13:1-11
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THIS PUBLICATION IS THE PRODUCT OF GENERAL COUNCIL TEENS MINISTRY ASSEMBLIES OF GOD NIGERIA
Read and Study previous AG Evangel Daily Meal Here
Jesus Trends Salvation Prayer
Heavenly Father,
I come to You in humility and repentance, acknowledging my sins and my need for Your grace. Lord Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God, who died for my sins and rose again to give me eternal life. I confess You as my Savior and Lord.
Forgive me, cleanse me with Your precious blood, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I turn away from my sinful ways and open my heart to You. Take control of my life and guide me in Your truth.
If you joined in that life-changing prayer, congratulations! We are happy that you have surrendered your life to Jesus!
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THIS PUBLICATION IS THE PRODUCT OF GENERAL COUNCIL SUNDAY SCHOOL DEPARTMENT ASSEMBLIES OF GOD NIGERIA.
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