NBC SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR DECEMBER 6, 2020 : TOPIC – CALLED THROUGH HERITAGE

By | December 5, 2020

NBC SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR DECEMBER 6, 2020 : TOPIC – CALLED THROUGH HERITAGE

 

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SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR YOUR PREPARATION

NBC SUNDAY SCHOOL OUTLINE

Date: Sunday, December 6, 2020.

A. SUNDAY SCHOOL PREVIEW

DECEMBER

Thanks be to God Almighty for His unfailing love and for making it possible for us to see the last month of the year. Our general theme for the month is “The Beginning of a Call.” The Bible texts shall be taken from the book of Hebrews and the gospel according to Matthew. Some of the main points to be highlighted in the lesson are:

• How the book of Hebrews affirms the ultimate origin of Jesus Christ.

• Jesus as the exact representation of God’s being.

• How Joseph was called to form a family with Mary.

•  The visit of the wise men and how they worshipped Jesus.

•  John prepares the way for the coming of the Messiah.

God has called every one of us into different ministries but Jesus Christ is the foundation of all calls. He received a call to proclaim the good news of salvation to humankind. Later, He extended a call to His followers. We, therefore, implore teachers to pray, prepare and ask for divine inspiration as they teach these wonderful lessons that will bless the lives of God’s people.

A. NBC SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

TOPIC: CALLED THROUGH HERITAGE.

Devotional Reading:

Psalm 102:12-22.

Background Scripture:

Matthew 1:1-17; Hebrews 1.

Lesson Scripture:

Hebrews 1:1-5; Matthew 1:1-6, 16-17.

GOLDEN TEXT:

but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. Hebrews 1:2

Primary Learning Outcome/Indicators:

Learners will recognise God’s call and indicate achievement of this by:

•  Listing four ways Jesus Christ is superior to angels;

•  Enumerating how the biblical genealogy of Jesus gives them a good heritage and calling;

•  Tracing their family trees, based on the information available to them.

INTRODUCTION

Many people go to church and claim to know Jesus as the Messiah. They have been baptised into the membership of the church, yet they lack the understanding of the superiority of Jesus. In comparison with the Old Testament revelation that was fragmented, Jesus Christ is the final and complete revelation of God, according to the author of Hebrews. He is superior to the angels, Moses and Joshua through whom God spoke to His people in the past. But in this new age, God has chosen to speak to us through His Son (Jesus Christ) with whom He created the universe. The author further describes Jesus as the reflection of the brightness of God’s glory, the image of His own being who possesses the power to sustain the universe. In the Jewish culture, the firstborn son had the honour and privilege that were recognised and valued. Therefore, Jesus Christ, the firstborn and only Son of God is far greater, more excellent and superior to all the angels and creation. The gospel according to Matthew introduces His genealogy through Abraham and David (Matthew 1:1-16). He proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, who has been promised from the line of David. Therefore, Jesus is God’s fulfilment whose reign as the King and the Messiah will never end.

Today’s lesson focuses on the greatness of God’s Son, Jesus and His genealogy, who though being fully God came in human flesh through the Abrahamic and Davidic line to fulfil the Scriptures. Therefore, we (believers) have been called to share in His heritage as God’s sons and daughters by virtue of our faith in Jesus Christ.

THE LESSON EXPLAINED…

A. JESUS, AS GOD’S INHERITANCE: [HEBREWS 1:1-5]

From time immemorial, God always communicate His mind and purpose to humankind through various means, not necessarily through the prophets as mentioned in the passage. Specifically in time past, the word of God came to our fathers through prophets, judges, priests and kings in various ways and by His sovereign power and authority, He spoke the world into existence (Genesis 1ff). Nevertheless, God’s method of speaking His mind and will, under the New Testament dispensation, is through Jesus Christ, the revelation of God “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe (v. 2). Therefore, Jesus is God’s inheritance, the reflection of His glory and His exact image. After purging us of our sins, He sat at the right hand of God; the place of honour (v. 3). In verse 4, the author affirmed that Jesus Christ is greater than the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs.

Verse 5 outlines ways Jesus is superior to the angels:

• He is the only Son of God and has inherited a more excellent name than the angels. After all, no angel or believer has ever been addressed as “the Son of God”. The title exclusively belongs to Jesus and it signifies His Deity.

• There has never been a Father-Son relationship between God and the angels. But when God was about to send His Firstborn into the world He said, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” (v. 6)

• Jesus is the only reflection of God’s glory and the exact image of God (Colossians 1:15, 19).

• He is the ultimate revelation of God to humankind who was both active in creation and not the angels (John 1:1-3).

• He is seated at God’s right hand (v. 4). This refers to a position of authority that makes Him better than all others, and is continuous (Hebrews 5:10a). It exceeds that of the prophets, priests or angels.

• Jesus has the power to pass unto His followers (believers) this inheritance, which is rooted and founded in Him

However, the fact remains that Jesus is superior to angels because they worship and serve Him and not vice versa. He is a greater messenger than the angels and prophets because though the prophets revealed the mind of God, they themselves did not have the nature of God neither were they ever active in the salvation of humanity. As the Heir of all things, He sustains all things by His divine power. He is the Mediator and through His death and resurrection, He completed the redemptive work as the Saviour of the world. Therefore, He has passed an eternal inheritance to those called to follow Him (Hebrews 9:15). The only way we can respond to Him as the inheritance of God is to worship, serve and obey Him in all things.

DISCUSSION TIME:

1. Describe other ways Jesus is superior to the angels.

2. How will you convince those who believe in the worship of angels that it is not biblical?

3. Discuss the significance of Jesus as the Saviour of the world.

B. JESUS’ GENEALOGY EXPLAINED: [MATTHEW 1:1- 6]

The issue of knowing and identifying with one’s descendants is very important in the history of humanity. The coming of Jesus Christ into the world had been anticipated from the beginning. In the early days of human history, God had chosen the family of Abraham through whose descendants He would bless the whole human race (Genesis 12:3), and later through the family of David. Verse 2 of the passage attests to the fact that Abraham is the origin of the genealogy of Jesus. He was the father of Isaac, the father of Jacob, the father of Judah and his brothers. The list of Jesus’ ancestors continues until verse 5 where Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, and Obed the father of Jesse, whose mother was Ruth were all identified as part of Jesus’ descendants. Although it is not stated in the passage but it is most likely that the essence of the comprehensive nature of the genealogy is designed to show that Jesus is the Messiah, the Jewish King through whom God’s divine purpose for humanity would be accomplished (Matthew 1:21). It is also to prove that Jesus was both the Son of Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation through whom the world was to be blessed (v. 2; Genesis 12:2). He is also the son of David, the father of the Jewish kingdom and this gives Him kingship rights. However, there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to Jechoniah; and another fourteen from Jechoniah to Jesus (v. 17).

A careful study of the genealogy of Jesus will help us to understand God’s plan of salvation to imperfect humans. It will also remind us of the importance of knowing our family history and connection as well as remind us of our inheritance and calling as God’s children. It is sad to note that many people are not aware of their heritage neither do they know their family history. From this passage, Christian parents should endeavour to make their children know their ancestral history as much as they know and possibly connect with one another as part of God’s family. If possible, such history can be documented for posterity so that our children will grow, read and know their family tree.

DISCUSSION TIME:

1. Discuss the benefits of knowing our genealogy as Christians.

2. Jesus had Abraham and David as His ancestors in His family tree. Do we need to trace our family trees today? How should this influence our behaviours as parents or potential parents?

C. JESUS’ RICH HERITAGE: [MATTHEW 1:16-17]

Jesus had a rich heritage as it is stated from verse 1 to 17 of the passage. Altogether, there were fourteen generations from the time of Abraham to the time of David, fourteen from David to the period of their exile in Babylon and another fourteen generations from the time of the exile to the birth of Jesus Christ. The biblical account of Jesus’ birth is explained in verse 18. His birth confirms the fulfilment of God’s promise through Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 7:10-16). His mother, Mary was already engaged to Joseph, but before they came together as husband and wife, Mary was found to be with a child through the Holy Spirit (v. 18). In other words, the child which Mary conceived was only made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit because there was no sexual relationship between Joseph and Mary before then. According to the Jewish culture, an engagement stage of a marriage relationship was legally binding, and could only be broken by a formal act of divorce (Luke 1:27). Jesus, with His rich heritage, gave all humans the opportunity to become members of the kingdom and, therefore, partakers of the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants (Ephesians 2:11-14). The implication is that believers also have rich heritage through their salvation relationship with Jesus (John 1:12).

DISCUSSION TIME:

1. Discuss how Christians can enjoy the benefits of Jesus’ glorious riches.

2. Enumerate ways believers can present Jesus to others as rich in inheritance.

Commitment Based on Today’s Lesson:

👉My Personal Commitment________________

👉Commitment to My Church_________________

👉Commitment towards My Relationship with Others________

PRAYER POINTS:

• Pray and ask for God’s help to correct mistakes in your family history.

• Ask God for the grace not to miss out of the inheritance in store for believers.

• Pray against every veil covering the eyes and minds of humankind from knowing Jesus as God’s final revelation.

Fellowship and Ministry Building Activity:

•  Ask a few of the members to share what they know about an ancestor of theirs and how it has affected their relationship with their family members.

TAKE HOME:

•  Those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour are qualified for then inheritance He offers.

•  No one else can represent God better than Jesus.

• Jesus is more superior to the angels, prophets and priests.

•  No prophet or priest can offer us salvation. It is the exclusive right of Jesus.

• Every believer has a rich heritage in Christ Jesus and this should give us confidence to live well.

• Jesus is God’s final Word.

Remain Inspired & Be Lifted!

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