RCCG JUNIOR ZEAL (AGES 13-19) – TEACHER’S MANUAL FOR DECEMBER 3, 2023: TOPIC – TYPES OF GRATITUDE TOWARDS GOD 1 (ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP)
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RCCG LOWER JUNIOR ZEAL FOR 2023/2024
AGE 13-19 TEACHER’S MANUAL
SUNDAY 3RD OF DECEMBER, 2023
LESSON FOURTEEN (14)
TOPIC: TYPES OF GRATITUDE TOWARDS GOD 1 (ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP)
BIBLE TEXT: 2 Samuel 24:18-25
[18]And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
[19]And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.
[20]And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.
[21]And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
[22]And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.
[23]All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.
[24]And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
[25]And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
MEMORY VERSE: John 4:24 – “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth.”
LESSON AIM: Teenagers should know that one of the ways of showing gratitude to God is giving Him acceptable worship.
CENTRAL TRUTH: Worshipping God in an acceptable way is a form of showing gratitude to Him.
INTRODUCTION: There’s a way by which someone can say thank you for something you have done for them that will make you accept the gratitude. Even though it’s the same words – thank you’, the tone shows the intentions of the heart. When worshipping God, our tone, intention and gesture shows how grateful we are and also determines if God will accept our worship.
STUDY GUIDE:
A) WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP?
I. WHAT IS WORSHIP?
1. Worship is to offer obeisance to someone or something.
2. Worship is to eulogize someone.
3. Worship means to offer devotion to someone.
4. Worship also means to greatly honour, reverence or give someone high regard.
II. WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP?
Acceptable worship is the acceptance of the reverence given to one from another. A typical example is an Oba in the Yoruba tribe who has people eulogizing them. The stretch of their sceptre shows the acceptance of their subject’s worship.
An example from Scriptures is the story of King Ahasuerus and Queen Esther, in Esther 5: 1 -2.
B) HOW TO OFFER ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP
1.Offer worship from a pure heart – Psalm 66:18.
2. Offer worship with the motive to glorify God and not man – 1 Samuel 15:30.
3. Offer worship in Spirit and in truth – John 4:24.
4. Offer worship as an act of obedience to God – 1 Samuel 15:22.
C)EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHOSE OFFERINGS WERE ACCEPTED OR REJECTED
1. Abel – Genesis 4:4.
2. David -2 Samuel 24:25.
3. King Saul – 1 Samuel 15:20-35.
4. The Israelites – Ezra 8:35.
5. Cain – Genesis 4:5.
6. King Solomon – 1Kings 3:4-5.
LIFE APPLICATION: Check the intent of your gratitude; is it to spite others? Is it to please others? Is it to please God? Is it to ascribe glory to yourself or to God? Your worship must be you returning all glory to God for it to be acceptable.
CONCLUSION: Why do you worship and offer gratitude to God? Is it really unto the Lord or for eye service? God accepts worship that is made genuinely from a pure heart. Offer acceptable worship to God; acceptable worship can only come from a grateful heart.
TODAY’S LESSON REFLECTION:
What truth have you learnt in today’s lesson?
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Write down one way in which you are going to apply what you now know.
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