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Know Thyself 5

Living my Identity in Christ Lesson Objective: That students commit to living in a way that reflects their true identity in Christ. Bible Passage: Col. 3:1 1! Bible Truth: "aving died to our sin we get rid of sin in ourselves and #ut on Christ like $ualities. Memory Verse: Colossians 3: %& 3 What you need: PREPARE AHEAD OF TIME: notes of encouragement 'see (closing) for directions* and e+tra ,lank notes for une+#ected students- e+tra .i,les for students who don/t have one with them& #ens& co#ies of handout (Living like a Child of 0od). Opening "ave everyone #ut their chairs in a circle while one #erson& (it)& remains standing without a chair in the middle of the circle. 1ame four or five different ty#es of fruit and assign every #erson one of those fruits. 2hen the #erson who is (it) says the name of one of the fruits everyone who chose that fruit must get u# and find a new seat while the #erson in middle tries to take a seat. The #erson left standing without a chair ,ecomes (it.) If the #erson in the middle says (fruit ,asket) everyone has to change #laces. 2hen you decide to $uit& e+#lain that 3ust like a fruit tree #roduces things that show what kind of tree they are like ,lossoms and then fruit& children of 0od will #roduce fruit that shows who they are. Interactive Learning 4ead the creative reading then ask&

Why do you think Rose had stopped playing the piano? Rose let the laziness; the pressures of daily life, and her feelings of inadequacy keep her from enjoying what she was made to do. What are some of the things that keep you from really living out who you are in hrist?

5+#lain that like 4ose got ,ack into #laying the #iano through the gentle encouragement of a friend who hel#ed her e+#erience again the 3oy of #laying which she had lost& the grou# is going to come u# with several concrete e+am#les of how they can rediscover the 3oy in their relationshi# with 0od and overcome the ,arriers to their living out their identity in Christ mentioned in the second $uestion. 0uide the students to ela,orate on any general answers 6i.e. read the ,i,le& #ray7 until they ,ecome s#ecific 6get u# 18 minutes early every morning so I have time to read a section of the .i,le. 1ot hit my little ,rother when he ,ugs me.7 Bible Application
!ast week we saw that people who have "een "orn into #od$s family "ecome %is children and are descri"ed "y him as holy, righteous, pure, and dearly loved saints. &he 'i"le says that our (new "irth) is a gift from him that we do not do anything to earn; (*or it is "y grace you have "een saved, through faith+and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of #od+not "y works, so that no one can "oast.) 65#h. %: 97 We call that act of salvation (justification) and it determines who we are. ,f you have "een justified "y hrist$s death, you are part of #od$s family; if you have not "een justified and saved from your sins, you are spiritually dead and the 'i"le says that you are a slave to -atan. &he pro"lem is that those of us who know we are part of #od$s family often find it hard to understand how we can "e called holy and pure when we know that we sin every day. What we see when we look in the mirror is not what #od says that %e sees. 'efore we can go any farther in our study we have to decide who we are going to "elieve+#od or ourselves? ,f our point of view differs from #od$s, some"ody is right and some"ody is wrong. Whenever we have a different point of view than #od does it usually means that there is something %e understands that we don$t. *rom the very "eginning of this series we have said that the world tells us that what we do determines who we are. &hat is why we keep thinking that if we sin it means we are still sinners and cannot "e saints. 'ut #od says that who we are will determine what we do, that if he has given us a new life we will change from the inside out, we will start to "ecome like %im and love what %e loves and hate what %e hates. We are going study what this life should look like, as .aul descri"es it in his letter to the olossians.

:ass out handout (Living like a Child of 0od) and make sure all students have a .i,le and something to write with. ;sk them to answer only the first eight $uestions ,ased on the verses s#ecified on the sheet. 2hen they have finished ask them to share why we should fi+ our eyes on heavenly things ' ,ecause we have died to our old life and have ,een raised with Christ and our life is now hidden with Christ in 0od. * "ave several students

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Know Thyself 5

share some s#ecific things that they should and shouldn/t focus on. Then ask what similarities they see ,etween clothing and the actions and attitudes these verses mention. ' The clothing we wear doesn/t change who we are ,ut it changes how others see us. Clothing is something you choose to #ut on or not*
/ust like we choose what we are going to wear every day, we also choose what we think a"out, what we say, and how we treat others. What we wear, and how we act, doesn$t change who we are; , am my parent$s child no matter what , have on. 'ut most of us have e0perienced that people treat us differently depending on what we have on and sometimes our clothing or our haircut may even cause pro"lems in our relationships with other people. 1ur goal as children of #od is to (dress ourselves) with the characteristics of /esus so that we look like %im. ,t is important to notice that many of the qualities and attitudes listed here in olossians that we are supposed to (put on) are called in #alatians 2 (the fruit of the -pirit), which means that they come from #od$s -pirit, not from our willpower. !et$s spend a few minutes looking at how #od$s power and our efforts can work together as who we are determines how we live.

ommitment
*requently we struggle to understand how #od$s power and our efforts work together. &o help us see how two things can work together at the same time, each one necessary "ut not independent from the other, #od has given us e0amples in the world around us.

;sk someone to e+#lain how a ,ird flies& allowing other students to add anything they might have missed. If there are still #oints to ,e made fill them in from the following ideas:
The #oint here is to show that ,irds fly as a result of the working together of their efforts and the air. ; ,ird cannot fly in a vacuum without air- it needs the air going over its wings to give it lift. .ut even a hurricane of wind cannot make a ,ird fly 6tum,le may,e ,ut not fly7 if the ,ird doesn/t stretch out its wings& take off& and catch the air. <light re$uires ,oth air and effort on the ,ird/s #art. ; ,ird can choose to sit on the ground& or even walk& ,ut as soon as he lets the wind under his wings his small efforts are enhanced ,y the currents under him. In his flight he fla#s& he glides& and he turns& ,ut we know that the success or height of a ,ird/s flight is not only de#endent on its efforts or strength. Instead all of his movement is a #lay ,etween two forces=him and the wind.

5+#lain that in the same way& the (wind) of 0od/s s#irit works with our efforts in the #rocess of sanctification=our coming to act more and more like the children of 0od that we are. "ave a student read out loud :hil. %:1%& 13 and ask them to e+#lain what they understand the verses to ,e saying 'that we work at looking more like >esus& ,ut that the desire and the #ower to do it come from 0od.* ;sk someone else to read and e+#lain % Cor. 3: 19. '?ou might have to e+#lain that (with unveiled faces) sim#ly means that we reflect 0od/s glory clearly. In this #assage em#hasi@e that even though we may not always feel it& 0od says that we are ,eing transformed into his likeness.* Then have the students refer ,ack to their handout and look at the statements at the ,ottom. 5+#lain that understanding the need for them to ,oth make an effort and rely on 0od working in them& they should write down some s#ecific things that they can do and some s#ecific ways they can rely on 0od. :rovide them with some e+am#les to get them thinking 'they can: stay away from #eo#le or situations that tem#t them to sinremind themselves that greed and coveting is ,asically worshi#ing an idol- ask a friend or someone they trust to ask them a,out how they are doing in an area of their life they struggle with. They allow 0od to (re dress) them ,y: #raying and asking for his hel#reading the .i,le every day to kee# them in touch with 0od- surrounding themselves with Christian friends *

2alk around the room encouraging anyone who isn/t writing anything. 2hen you see that the students have finished close in #rayer where each student asks for 0od/s hel# in one of the s#ecific activities they have written down. losing
'.efore class write a note of encouragement to give to each grou# mem,er. ;s much as #ossi,le focus on ways that student reflects Christ& using the verses in Colossians 3:1% 1! and 0alatians 5:%%& %3. <or e+am#le: ( Mark, I want you to know that I appreciate the way you are patient and kind, especially with your little rother! "ou are fun to e around and ha#e a $ood sense of hu%or and I especially appreciate the way you are lo#in$ and encoura$in$ to the other students in our $roup! I thank &od for who you are and what you are allowin$ Hi% to do in your life! "our sister in 'hrist, Annette ) 1ote: .ring some e+tra #a#er to write on in case there are students you did not antici#ate ,eing there. Aake sure that each student receives a note even if they are 3ust visitingB*

:ass out the notes of encouragement and ask that the students wait until they are alone to o#en and read them.

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Know Thyself 5

Living your Identity!

reative "eading

>ohn could hardly stand his e+citement the first day of school. Cince he was very young he had loved music& es#ecially the #iano and had s#ent the #ast few years working his hardest with the ,est teachers his #arents could afford. ;t last it had #aid off and he had ,een awarded a scholarshi# to the school with the most acclaimed #iano #rogram in the country. "e would finally ,e a,le to learn from the ,est teachers and have access to the ,est facilities. .ut there was another reason >ohn couldn/t wait to get to school: he had found out that 4ose& the daughter of the world/s ,est concert #ianist& would ,e in his class. Dnce when >ohn was very young his #arents had taken him to a concerto and he had heard 4ose #lay a duet with her father. "e had ,een entranced listening to a girl his own age #laying something so ,eautiful. <rom that time on >ohn had ,een com#letely infatuated with learning to #roduce such ,eauty. Dnce at school& >ohn went first to the #ractice rooms to look at the #ianos he would ,e a,le to use. ; teacher showed him the chart of rehearsal times and he was sur#rised that he didn/t see 4ose/s name on the list. Throughout the day he eagerly looked for her and finally saw her when a teacher called her name in class. Later when he saw her eating her lunch alone he sat down with her and the two ,ecame friends. ; few weeks later when they knew each other ,etter >ohn ventured to ask what kind of #iano she had at home and was sur#rised to hear that she didn/t have a #iano in the a#artment she rented near the school. "e had always assumed that she didn/t #ractice at school ,ecause she had a ,etter #iano at home. "e was even more sur#rised when she told him that she hadn/t #layed for several years. "e couldn/t restrain himself any longer and ,urst out telling her a,out the concert where he had heard her #lay and how that had ,een his ins#iration all of the years he had studied #iano. 2hen he finished she 3ust sat and looked at him sadly. Then he asked& (2hy don/t you #lay anymore.) Che sighed. (I/m not $uite sure. I used to love to #lay& es#ecially with my Ead. I think that as I got older I reali@ed that you have to #ractice a lot.) >ohn re#lied& (Cure there are times when I/m not in the mood to #ractice& ,ut there are other times when I #lay for hours and don/t even notice the time.) (That/s true&) she said& (,ut also I reali@ed that even though #eo#le told me I was good& when I listen to my dad I know that(s good. I(% not that good.) (1o,ody else is that good right now&) answered >ohn& (,ut may,e you could ,e that good someday. I would like to ,e& ,ut even if I can/t I still love #laying and there are #eo#le who en3oy listening to me& even though I/m not #erfect.) Che shrugged her shoulders and said& (I guess you/re right.) The two sat in silence until finally >ohn said& (Eon/t you miss itF) Che answered& (I don/t really think a,out it& you know& with school and all.) Then he asked& (;re you ,usy tomorrow afternoonF) (Gm& not really& 3ust have some homework.) (2ould you ,e willing to come to rehearsal with me thenF Dne of my life long dreams is to #lay a duet with you. It doesn/t have to ,e anything fancy.) Che finally agreed and the ne+t afternoon met him at his rehearsal room. ;t first 4ose seemed almost scared to touch the #iano keys ,ut once they started #laying they were having so much fun that they only sto##ed when the ne+t student knocked insistently on the door. (>ohn& thank you so much.) Che said. (I can/t ,elieve it has ,een so long. 1othing makes me feel that good.) (Df course not)& he smiled. (?ou/re a #ianist. ?ou are made to #lay.)

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Know Thyself 5

Living like a Child of God

Look u# Colossians 3 1. ;ccording to Col. 3:1 H you should set you heart and mind on IIIIIIII IIIII and not IIIIIII IIIIII. 2hyF

%. 0ive two s#ecific e+am#les of what you should set your mind on.

6Look at 3:15 1! for hints7

3. 0ive two s#ecific e+am#les of what you shouldn/t set your mind on.

H. ;ccording to Col. 3:5 18& list the (old clothing) that you should take off:

5. Df these list the (old clothing) you still wear.

6this will not ,e shared with anyone7

J. ;ccording to Col. 3:1% 15& list the (new clothing) you should #ut on.

!. 2hich (new clothing) is the hardest for you to #ut onF

9. 2rite down the name of one #erson you need to (,ear with) or forgive

6v. 137F

)hat I can do to *re+dress, %yselfHow I can let &od *re+dress %e,-

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness though our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1: 3