12:13 Class



12:13 Teaching Notes – September 6, 2009

AGENDA

• Welcome!

o Find two people you don't know…

o Introduce yourself and ask them what their favorite thing they did over the summer was.

• Explain notebooks and pens

o Hold up sample

o Write name inside of cover

o Explain how to take notes on your own. We will give you 12:13 notes/overview for you to go over with your parents at the end of the class. Use these as a guideline to see what you didn't write down in your notebook.

• Administrative Announcements

o Through The Bible in A Year – who has kept on track over the summer? - Explain new bible reading challenge- we have hard copies for you to take when you leave.

o Pens – free one today, on loan in future. Keep it in your binder.

o Offering

• Introduction to 12:13

o Welcome! Why this class?

▪ You’re in a unique season of your life

• Pastors saw a great opportunity to provide something in the middle – a class that was active, high energy, fun, sometimes loud…but one with teaching that would challenge you to think, get you asking questions, help lay a solid foundation of biblical truth

o What to expect each week

▪ Teaching

▪ Contests (candy jar)

▪ Games

▪ Service opportunities (mention Starting Point set-up crew)

o Our verse

▪ “Fear God and keep his commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

• God rules as invisible King over the entire universe and holds all people accountable for all their actions. One day we will appear before Him and give an account for everything we have done.

• Fear God!

o Our motto

▪ 1 Fear

• World has a motto that says, “No Fear!” We know better.

▪ 1 Hope

• The One we should fear most is the One who loves most. That’s our hope! That’s the core of the gospel.

▪ 1 Gospel

• Rather than destroy us for breaking his laws, God gave his own Son to die in our place, to take our punishment.

• The more we fear God and realize how truly awesome he is, the more we love the good news of Jesus Christ.

o Our guides

▪ Scripture

▪ Holy Spirit

▪ Parents

o Our rules

▪ Need to use the bathroom? Ask a parent volunteer

▪ Need to borrow a pen? Loan us your shoe

▪ Need to talk to a friend? Wait till after class

▪ Brought and electronic device? Look up your Bible but nothing else.

▪ If you are being a distraction in class or not following the rules, a parent volunteer will politely ask you to stop doing what you are doing and to pay attention. If you continue the parent volunteer will relocate you and give you a different seat. If you continue in your disruption you will be taken to see your parent in the main service upstairs and your parent will receive an email from me within the next week.

o Our attitudes

▪ Focused (pay attention; don’t be distracted or distract others)

▪ Eager (come hungry to learn)

▪ Active (participate – ask questions, take notes)

▪ Resolved (I am going to get something out of every class!)

o Our goals (GROW!!!)

▪ Grow in dependence on the gospel (learn to see it everywhere!)

▪ Grow in knowledge of Scripture

▪ Grow in love for God and his church (hearing from others)

▪ Grow in service to others

▪ Grow in vision for reaching the world

▪ This is not play time! God’s Kingdom is advancing!

• There is a Bible jam packed with wisdom for us to read, study, memorize, and obey

• There is a church to love, to serve, to build for the future

• There is a community, a state, a nation, a world to reach for Jesus

▪ By the grace and power of God, let’s GROW!

o 12:13 Activities:

▪ Fall Bonfire/Hayride

▪ Christmas Party- Outreach

▪ Spring Community Outreach

▪ 12:13 Special Viewing of CLC Spring Drama

▪ End of Year Cookout

▪ Summer Book Club

• Game: What did you do this summer? (5 minutes)

o Put initials in square

o Only one person per square

o Prizes!

▪

• BUILD – Level 1: Core Convictions About ME

o Introduce teaching plan for this year

▪ This year the main teaching will about seven core convictions that every young Christian should have – “BUILD”

• Convictions about myself

• Convictions about God

• Convictions about friends

• Convictions about family

• Convictions about the culture/the world

• Convictions about church

• Convictions about my calling

▪ Three 6 week periods –– will be spent studying one book of the Bible, ending with…Bible Bowl!

o For September, we’re going to look at the first area in these important areas of conviction – we’re going to look at core convictions about ME (and you!)

o SLIDE: Big Idea

▪ Each week we are going to talk about a different “core biblical conviction” – and then try to explain the big idea it represents.

o Why Build Core Biblical Convictions?

▪ Have any of you ever been around a house being built? What is the first thing that they do when building a house that requires building something? They dig a footer for the foundation to be laid. And what is the foundation of a house made of? How well do you think your house would stand if the foundation was made of sand?

▪ Jesus gives us some insight to this in Matthew 7:24-27,

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

o Today’s main point: I am created in the image of God!

▪ What’s the Big Idea? God created me like him and calls me to reflect his character in the world.

▪ Anyone notice the full moon last night? Beautiful!

▪ You know how the moon lights up…it’s reflecting the light of the sun

▪ When the earth’s shadow gets in the way, it only reflects the sun partially

▪ But once a month it reflects the sun completely

▪ That’s how we are to be when it comes to reflecting God’s character – not a half moon or a crescent moon, but a full moon

o Biblical Truth

▪ “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Gen. 1:26-27)

o Basic Points

▪ Why did God create me in his image?

• Not because he was lonely…not because he needed us…

• To glorify him (Isaiah 43:7)- Just like the moon brings glory to the sun and reflects its light.

o Is. 43:7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

o Every creature exists to honor and exalt the Creator

• To enjoy him (Psalm 16:11)

o Psa. 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

o God made us to have a relationship with him

• To be enjoyed by him (Zeph. 3:17)

o Zeph. 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

o He rejoices over you – he sings over you! That is how much God loves us!

• Grudem quote (Systematic Theology, p. 441)

o “When we realize that God created us to glorify him, and when we start to act in ways that fulfill that purpose, then we begin to experience an intensity of joy in the Lord that we have never before known.”

o You were made to give your life to something. This is it!!!

▪ In what ways am I like God?

• The Bible tells us we are created in the image of God

• Most scientists will tell you that you’re created in the image of a monkey – the next step down in the evolutionary ladder

• It’s a lie – a terrible lie, a destructive lie

• Let’s look at 5 ways that you are like God…and different from all other animals

• Moral

o You know the difference between right and wrong-

▪ I heard about this movie called “chimp” and in it this monkey runs up attacks another monkey and starts to eat him.

▪ Animals know the difference between punishment and reward, but that’s different

o You will stand before God and give an account for your life, for your choices

• Spiritual

o You have a spirit as well as a body – God is spirit

o Your spirit is immortal, like God – though your body will die and return to dust, your spirit will live forever

• Mental

o You have the ability to reason and think logically

▪ Chimps don’t sit around and debate theology; they don’t argue over whether the Redskins are better than the Cowboys

▪ They aren’t developing computers, Smart phones, or fighter jets either like humans, who keep developing greater skills

o Use of complex, abstract language

o Creativity – art, music, literature, technology

• Relational

o Depth of relationships

o Marriage – unique reflection of God

▪ God is one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

• A married couple is one couple in two persons: husband and wife

▪ The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal – each one is God – and yet they have different roles (Son submits to Father; Spirit glorifies Father and Son)

• In marriage, husband and wife are totally equal in God’s sight, yet they have different roles (wife submits to husband)

• Physical

o Note: God does not have a body – “God is spirit” (John 4:24)

o But our physical bodies reflect important things about God

▪ We see, hear, and speak – so does God

▪ Women bear children like themselves – this is a very important way in which we are like God

o Other created things reflect some of God’s characteristics as well, but only man can be described as being made “in his image”

o SLIDE: The Bottom Line

▪ Because other people and I are created in the image of God…

• I am not a random product of evolution

o I didn’t just happen

o I was created by God himself

• I have dignity and significance

o God spoke the universe into being

o The angels bow before him and cry, Holy, Holy, Holy!

o I am created in his image!

o No matter what I look like…

o The fact is, God created me in his image – I am a reflection of him! And that gives me dignity.

• Last point: Because other people and I are created in the image of God, I should treat others with respect

o Old and young

o Skin color or ethnic background

o Male and female

▪ Boys, let’s take the lead in this – serve these girls and honor them!

o Cool and uncool

▪ A Christian isn’t going to be a bully, isn’t going to put others down, isn’t going to leave others out or make fun of them.

▪ A Christian will treat others with respect because they are created in the image of God.

• “..being in the image of God is not only about who we are, having qualities that are like God’s qualities. Its also has to do with acting in the ways God would act, living in a way that represents him. Jesus was the perfect image of God in both ways. His character was like God’s character, and he always did the will of his Father, living as God would have him live. Since we fail in both ways, God is at work remaking his own people to be like Christ in their character and in their conduct. Only by God’s grace can this happen. And as it does God’s people enter in to more of the joy of what it means to be re-created in the image of Christ, the perfect image of God.” Bruce Ware

• Gospel Application –

o God created Adam and Eve perfectly in his image

o But they sinned – and God’s image in them was shattered

▪ Not completely lost, but really messed up

o Then one day in the little town of Bethlehem a baby was born – a baby who perfectly reflected the image of God. His name was Jesus.

o He grew up facing all the challenges and temptations that we face, but he never sinned – he shined for God every moment of his life. He reflected God’s character perfectly in the earth.

o Heb. 1:3 – “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature”

o After three years of doing miracles and teaching the people about God, he was arrested one night – beaten, spit upon, flogged beyond recognition. He hardly looked like a man, much less like God.

o Then he was nailed to a cross and died.

o A horrible tragedy? Yes – but an incredible act of power and love, because with his death he gave each of us the ability to be restored to the image of God.

o SLIDE: Photo Contest for Next Week: Created in the Image of God!

▪ (E-mail a photo by noon this Friday that shows your unique personality, interests, or abilities – most unique will win the prize)

• Assignment For Next Week

o Discussion with parents (see handout)

o Starting Point Set-up

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