elements |God’s Sovereignty

Lesson 2:Servant King

What we want students to learn:That Jesus set aside His rights as sovereign King to come and suffer on behalf of sinners.

What we want students to do with what they’ve learned:To practically define what it looks like for them to follow Christ’s example of humility towards others.

Scripture Focus:Colossians 1:15-18; John 10:17-18; Mark 10:41-45; John 19:30; Philippians 2:4-11

Overview:

The idea that God is sovereign is a really big concept for our students (and for us) to grasp. For some, it makes God seem removed and distant from the world. They may see Him as a king that rules over creation, but they don’t think He’s a king that’s intimately involved with our lives. As we continue to dig through Scripture, however, we find that this couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is that Jesus, who is fully God, willingly chose to set aside His rights and entered our world to suffer on behalf of those that completely turned their back on Him. He truly is a servant king. In Lesson 1 students learned that God is almighty, sovereign, and good. They learned that they can confidently trust and obey Him. In Lesson 2 you’ll teach them that Jesus set aside His rights and privileges as King to come and suffer on behalf of His creation.

Teacher Prep Video

The elements Teacher Prep Videos are short videos designed to help you grasp the main points of the lessons as you prepare to teach.

To access your “God’s Sovereignty Teacher Prep Video,” click on the URL below.

Bible Background

The Bible Backgroundis designed to help you provide some context for the Scripture you’ll be studying. The Details gives you background info for each book, while The Main Point gives you an overview of how the passages are used in the lesson.

  • What do we mean by “context”?In every ym360 Bible study lesson, you’ll notice we make a point to encourage you to provide the context for the passages you study. By “context” we mean at the very least helping students know who wrote the book, when it was written, and why it was written.
  • What’s The Big Deal? When we teach the Bible without giving context, students don’t get a “big picture” understanding of the story of the Bible. But this view is vital to grasping the story of God’s plan of redemption for humankind. As you teach, use the Bible Background to help summarize the context.

The Details

John

  • Author:The Gospel of John was written by John, son of Zebedee, a fisherman who left his trade to follow Jesus. John also penned the book of Revelation as well as the three letters in the New Testament that bear his name.
  • Time frame:The Gospel of John was probably written between 85 and 95 AD. John most likely wrote his gospel in Ephesus before he was exiled to Patmos.
  • Purpose: John’s stated purpose for writing this book can be found in John 20:30-31, the last two verses in his Gospel: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John’s goal seems to have been to clearly communicatea full theology of Jesus as the Messiah, the promised Son of God.

Mark

  • Author:The Gospel of Mark was written by its namesake. Mark, also known as John Mark, is believed to have received most of his information for his Gospel from Peter’s firsthand accounts.
  • Time frame:Mark is thought to have written his Gospel in the mid 50’s AD.
  • Purpose: Mark was writing primarily for a non-Jewish audience. His Gospel explains Jewish customs to non-Jews in an effort to get them to see the big picture of Jesus’ identity.

Philippians

  • Author:The Apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians. Of course we know Paul as the one-time chief enemy of the Church. After his miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul would go on to have a position of great importance in the early Church and beyond. He wrote13 of the 27 books of the New Testament.
  • Time frame:Philippians was one of the last letters Paul wrote before he was martyred, sometime around A.D 62.
  • Purpose:Philippians was written to Paul’s close friends at the Philippian church, thanking them for their kindness and prayers while he was in prison. And he was encouraging them not to lose their faith because of his persecution.

Colossians

  • Author:The Apostle Paul identified himself as the author of Colossians.
  • Time frame:
  • Most people believe Colossians was written sometime between A.D. 61 and 63, during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28:17-31).
  • Purpose: Ultimately, this letter’s purpose is to emphasize the supremacy of Christ over everything. Paul was writing to combat the spread of false teachings among the church at Colossae. The exact heresy being refuted is not certain and may have been a blend of multiple influences. The legalism, mysticism, and asceticism corrupting the pure faith in Colossae were moving attention away from Christ, placing it instead on self-discipline and the awe of other spiritual things.

The Main Point

You’ll start the lesson by helping students see that as part of the Trinity, Jesus is fully God, which means He is the sovereign creator king. All things exist for His glory. You want to establish the fact that Jesus is God, was active in creation, and is sovereign over all of creation. You’ll make the point from Colossians 1:15-18. This is a great passage to use because of how specific it is in talking about Jesus and creation. Then you’ll guide students to see that Jesus willingly set aside His rights as king, entered our fallen world, and suffered on behalf of those who had rebelled against Him. Jesus is the Head, the Creator, the King . . . and He sets all of those privileges aside to come and save His creation. And it’s not just the fact that He came to save His creation, it’s the fact that His creation needed saving in the first place because it rebelled against Him. The John passage is crucial in making the point that Jesus did this willingly. His arm wasn’t twisted. He wasn’t forced to do it. He had every right not to do it.

Finally, show students that as Christ followers, we’re called to imitate Jesus’ humility, which was ultimately demonstrated in His obedience to the point of death on the cross. This is the application of what you’ve been talking about. Philippians 2:3-11 really affirms the previous two points while driving home how it impacts our lives. All of these points really tie together. Jesus is king. Jesus humbly became a servant on our behalf. Because we’ve been redeemed by Jesus and given new hearts, we can go out into the world and live like Christ and point others to him.

Lesson Plan

The Lesson Plan contains three elements:An introductory activity called The Lead In; the Bible study section called The Main Event; an application-focused segment called The Last Word.

The Lead In

  • Goal:Students will identify how others have served them this week, which in turn will prepare them to see how Jesus serves them.
  • Set-Up:Print enough copies of the “Helping Hand” PDF (located in your Lesson 2 folder) so that each student can have one. (The PDF is designed so that two handouts are on one page to save paper. Each student only needs one hand. Thus, you’ll need to cut out the sheets before you distribute to our students.) Provide something to write with.

FIRST, distribute the “Helping Hand” PDF so that each student has a sheet with one hand on it, and make sure students have something to write with. Instruct students to take a moment and, at the top of their page, come up with their own definition of what it means to serve someone. If you need to, instruct students that they can consult dictionaries on their phones or tablets if they need or want to. The idea is to get them thinking of what it means to serve. After allowing a moment for students to do this, call on volunteers to share their definitions. Tell students that they are free to write down something one of their peers says if it stands out to them.

THEN, tell students to take 30 seconds or so and write down on the left or right side of the hand, something someone has recently done for them that would qualify as serving them. (For example, “My mom made me dinner,” “My dad paid for my cell phone bill” or “My brother made my bed.”) Challenge them to think hard and come up with at least one thing. If they have two, they can write these on either side of the hand.

NEXT, use the following questions to generate a brief discussion:

  • Why is it sometimes easy to overlook when it comes to how others serve you?
  • Answers will vary.
  • When someone serves you, do you feel you’re more motivated to serve others? Or does it not seem to have much of an effect on you?
  • Answers will vary.

FINALLY, let students know that today you’ll be continuing your discussion on God’s Sovereignty by looking at Jesus’ role. As they might have guessed, it’s going to involve an aspect of serving. Say:

  • We’ll never fully realize all the different ways people around us serve us. Some do it without hoping to get anything in return, while others get paid or hope that you will return the favor for what they’ve done. What all of them have in common is that they set aside what they want or need to help you with what you want or need. We’re going to uncover today how Jesus also set aside His rights as sovereign King to come and suffer on behalf of sinners.

The Main Event

  • Goal: The idea is for students to learn that Jesus set aside His rights as sovereign King to come and suffer on behalf of sinners.
  • Set-Up:None

FIRST, spend a moment reviewing what you learned in God’s Sovereignty Lesson 1. Ask if anyone can recall what you covered in your previous meeting. Use the bullet points below to help you flesh out the discussion:

  • God is the almighty, sovereign creator of the entire universe. As such, He is the ruler over all things.
  • Since we’re God’s creation, we’re subject to His reign and rule over the world and our lives.
  • We can confidently trust that God’s sovereign rule over creation will work together for our good.

Once you’ve caught students up, transition into your time of Bible study. Remind students that you studied passages from the Old Testament last week. If you need to, explain that this was thousands of years before Christ walked the earth. Give the context for today's verses by saying something similar to the following:

  • The Bible says in John 1 that the “Word” of God, who we know as Jesus, was a part of creation as much as the Father and Spirit were.
  • Although Jesus was physically born on this earth, He’s always existed and will continue to exist as a part of the Trinity.
  • If we remember this when we think of what He did on earth, we can better appreciate that Christ left the splendor of a perfect place to live among us, and be beaten and crucified for our sins.

NEXT, ask students to share a time that someone gave up something significant for them, but perhaps they didn’t realize it at the time. For example, a parent who gave up money they could have earned at work to go on a trip with them, a coach who donated his or her time so they could play a sport, or someone at church who committed to be there for them every week instead of being somewhere else. Then ask:

  • If the people you mentioned were to one day be rewarded, such as getting what they deserved, what would they get for their service?
  • Answers will vary.
  • Do you see yourself more as the kind of person who doesn’t recognize this or someone who tends to be thankful for what another person gives up for you?
  • Answers will vary.

THEN, read or ask a student to read Colossians 1:15-18. While students are locating the book, you might choose to fill in a little of the context using the Bible Background. Once the passage has been read, allow students to try and put the passage in into their own words. Ask for volunteers to tell you what the passage is saying. Invite others to likewise share what they think it means. Guide students to focus in on a few points:

  • Verse 16 makes a powerful point that all things (literally, everything) were made through and for Christ. That in itself means He was never created because He is fully God.
  • Paul’s use of the word “firstborn” here isn’t a reference to birth or creation, but hints at the status and privilege of a firstborn son.
  • This means that Christ was the agent of creation, and the goal of creation is His glory.
  • If the Lord was selfish, this would be bad for us. Since He is good, Him elevating Himself is a statement of truth. It’s like the President of the United States, “Well, yes – I am the Commander in Chief. Like it or not, that’s who I am.”

After they’ve all shared, explain your first teaching point. Say something like:

  • As part of the Trinity, Jesus is fully God. But when He willingly chose to come to this earth, He added the nature of a human. So, fully God, fully human Jesus lived on our earth for 33 years. While He was born to earthly parents, and lived an earthly life, He was at all times still the sovereign creator King. All things exist for His glory. While this can be a little tricky to wrap our brains around, it doesn’t make it any less true.

NEXT, transition into your next teaching point. Read or ask for volunteers to read John 10:17-18 and Mark 10:41-45. Afterward, lead students in a short discussion. Ask:

  • In light of how we’ve defined Jesus so far in this lesson, what is remarkable about what Jesus is saying in verse 17 and 18?
  • Answer: That He, the sovereign King, willingly gave up His life for us. The Creator sacrificed the privileges of Heaven to come to earth to save His creation.
  • Why is this so powerful?
  • Answers will vary. Lead students to see that Jesus did what virtually no one does: willingly gives up power and position to save those unworthy of being saved.
  • In Mark 10:45, Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man, a title He used often. What does He say He came to do?
  • Answer: Give Himself as a ransom.
  • What does Jesus imply here that He rightfully could have come to do?
  • Answer: He would have been within His rights as sovereign God to come and be served by His creation. After all, we have life because of Him! But, instead, He came to serve us, to bring us life through His sacrifice.

Wrap up your discussion by saying something like:

  • The point I want to drive home here is that Jesus willingly set aside His rights as king, entered our fallen world, and suffered on behalf of those who had rebelled against Him. The Colossians passage we looked at showed how Jesus is the head, creator and King. And yet He set all of those privileges aside to come and save His creation. Jesus never stopped being King. His godliness was never changed. But because of His great love, He stepped away from the perfect peace of heaven into our broken world. In doing so, Jesus showed us that He was a true King, the Servant King, come to save His people.

THEN, instruct students to find Philippians in their Bibles. Explain that you want them to follow along while you read Philippians 2:3-11. When you’ve finished explain to students that as Christ followers, we’re called to imitate Jesus’ humility, which was ultimately demonstrated in His obedience to the point of death on the cross. Ask for a volunteer to point out where Jesus’ humility was demonstrated in this passage (verses 7-8). Ask what stand out to students from these verses in light of what you’ve discussed so afar. Allow for students’ responses.

FINALLY, ask if anyone has any more thoughts or questions. Then, say something like:

  • This passage gives us our action steps because Jesus’ example is inspiring. He was willing to lay aside His rights as king, come to earth, and suffer death on a cross. It’s why the Apostle Paul who God used to write this calls believers to have that same humility in how they interact with others. That’s an incredibly high calling that we can’t accomplish on our own!

Begin to wrap-up the lesson by transitioning to The Last Word.

The Last Word