TM

Bearing gods Image

fall 2013: Personal Study Guide Ed Stetzer General Editor Trevin Wax Managing Editor

the gospel project for students

personal study guide, Fall 2013 volume 2, number 1 PRODUCTION and MINISTRY TEAM Vice President, Church Resources: Eric Geiger General Editor: Ed Stetzer Managing Editor: Trevin Wax content editor: Andy McLean DIRECTOR, STUDENT MINISTRY PUBLISHING: Jeff Pratt DIRECTOR, student ministry: Ben Trueblood Send questions/comments to: Content Editor, The Gospel Project for Students Personal Study Guide, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0174, Or make comments on the Web at www.lifeway.com Send questions/comments to: Publishing Team Leader, The Gospel Project: Personal Study Guide, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0102; or make comments on the Web at www.lifeway.com. Printed in the United States of America

The Gospel Project for Students (ISSN 1939-0742; Item 005508013) is published quarterly by LifeWay Christian Resources, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President. 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources. For ordering or inquiries, visit www.lifeway.com or write LifeWay Church Resources Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0113. For subscriptions or subscription address changes, e-mail subscribe@lifeway.com, fax (615) 251-5818, or write to the above address. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, e-mail orderentry@lifeway.com, fax (615) 251-5933, or write to the above address. We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LifeWays doctrinal guideline, please visit www.lifeway.com/doctrinalguideline. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved. Photos: iStockphoto and Getty Images

TGP Personal Study Guide

SESSION 5

Created to Rule

e have an amazing capacity to learn, to think creatively, and to build. Just look around you at all the amazing things humans have built. Everything from a airplane to an iPhone requires amazing technology and creativity to create. But at the end of the day, we are only discovering the work of a far more brilliant mind. When we discover that manipulating airflow creates lift, allowing us to sail into the wind or take a 747 into the clouds, were only thinking Gods thoughts after Him, discovering the wondrous way He has built this world. Such creative discovery and development is exactly what God had in mind for us when He made the world and put humans in charge of it. We were created to walk in our Creators footsteps. We were made to discover the wonders of His handiwork and put it to use, ruling and reigning over His world as His image-bearers.

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Ready Your Heart

Bosses vs. Leaders

Genesis 1:26-28 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. And God blessed them. And God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth. Having worked several jobs in my life, Ive had the opportunity to witness various types of leadership. For instance, Ive had a boss who stayed in the office and spoke negatively about other employees behind their backs. Ive had a boss who would barely say hello to you when you walked into the room. Ive had a boss who would yell at me nearly everyday. On the other hand, Ive also worked for a leader who made me feel like he genuinely cared about me. Ive worked for a leader who invited me over for a holiday meal with his family because, otherwise, I would have been by myself. Ive worked for a leader who invested in me and taught me how to be a better employee. The main difference between these people is some of them wanted to be the boss and others wanted to be a leader. At first glance, you may be asking whats the difference between the two terms: boss and leader? A boss just bosses people around, demands respect and authority, and shows little concern for the people that are working under him. A leader invests in people, desires for people to follow in his footsteps, and demonstrates genuine concern for his team. If you work for a boss, you dread going to work, your production is unmotivated, and you feel dissatisfied with life. If you work for a leader, you enjoy your work environment, youre willing to work hard, and you feel like your work has purpose. The Bible says that God has given us authority over creation, but how we use our authority matters greatly. If we use our authority for our own gain and purposes, little thought will be given to the repercussions of our decisions. However, if we use our authority wisely, others will benefit from our decisions. With authority comes great responsibility. We must be good stewards of the authority and the creation that God has entrusted us.

Pause and Reflect

What makes a great leader? In what ways do those characteristics describe your life? What steps can you take to develop your leadership skills?

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Ready Your Heart

When Power Spoils

Mark 10:42-45 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. One of the darkest chapters of human history is the Holocaust, which occurred during World War II under the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler. Nazi Germany sought to create a world filled with people of the master race. According to their beliefs, the Jewish population was part of an inferior race, and the Nazi regime spent twelve years trying to eliminate as many Jews as possible. By 1945, the Nazis had murdered six million Jews. In addition to the Jews, the Nazis also persecuted, tortured, and murdered millions of Romani people, Soviet prisoners of war, Polish and Soviet civilians, and individuals with special needs. Because of the scale of their vile mission, the Nazis needed large holding areas for their prisoners, which were called camps. Several different types of camps existed including hostage camps, labor camps, POW camps, rehab camps, collection camps, and the most notorious of all, the extermination camps. Some of the camps were designed to punish criminals or detain political prisoners, but the extermination camps were designed only for one purposegenocide. Like me, you may be wondering what would drive people so far that they would feel it necessary to commit such senseless violence. Some may suggest brainwashing, fear, anger, or hatred, but the root of the issue is sin. Because of a sinful nature, people do the most mind-boggling things. The truth is that a sinful nature resides in all of us. No one is immune from its effects. When God created us, he gave us authority over His creation, but our sinful nature leads us to abuse our authority. The only way we can experience victory over sin is by having a new nature, which is exactly what happens through a relationship with Christ.

Pause and Reflect

How do you think God feels when we look down on someone who is different from us? Is there evidence of racism and/or sexism in your speech, jokes, texts, etc.? How can seeing others as being made in the image of God change the way you view them?

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Ready Your Heart

The True King

Revelation 5:9-10 And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. One of the all-time classic movies is Disneys The Lion King. This movie followed the life of a lion, named Simba, from his birth to his reign as King of the Pride Lands. Even though he was in the lineage of royalty, he did not grow up living the royal life. Because of Simbas birth, he became the rightful heir to the throne, but his uncle, Scar, became jealous and plotted to kill Mufasa, Simbas father, so that he could become the King of the Pride Lands. Even though Scar killed Mufasa, he convinced Simba that he was responsible for his fathers death. Out of guilt, Simba retreated from Pride Lands and eventually formed a friendship with Timon, a meerkat, and Pumbaa, a warthog. As a young adult, Simba was accidentally found by Nala, a childhood friend, who informed Simba of the fallen Pride Lands and begged him to return to fight Scar to reclaim his rightful place as the King of the Pride Lands. In the course of his battle with Scar, Simba learned that Scar actually killed Mufasa and that he was not responsible for his fathers death. Following his victory over Scar, Simba took his rightful place as King of the Pride. Simba was not the rightful king because he was the cutest or most popular. Simba was the rightful heir because of his relationship to the king. A day is coming when the heavens and the earth will pass away, but the heirs of Christ will remain throughout eternity. This eternal life is not a reward for good deeds or good behavior. It is only granted to those who have a relationship with King Jesus. Jesus is coming again, not to die, but to reign forever, and his faithful followers will reign with him.

Pause and Reflect

What excites you most about Christs return? Who do you know that needs to hear the gospel before Christ returns? Have you ever had any uncertainty about your eternal destiny? If so, I encourage you to talk to your pastor and/or student pastor to help clarify any concerns you may have.

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The rule over creation God gives has been...

Another way we reflect God is through our ruling over creation wisely. God gave us authority in the world and called us to represent His loving rule. Due to sin, we either abuse or abandon our rightful position of authority. Because of Christs death and resurrection, the world once again has a human King, and the Bible promises that the citizens of Christs kingdom will reign with Him. The surviving children of Israel remained faithful to God while living in captivity.

Authorized.
When God made human beings, He gave them a mandate for ruling and reigning. Our design as rulers is both a privilege and a responsibility. God wanted the order of the world to be established by men and women who oversaw it with wisdom and love, reflecting the way God Himself would oversee that world.

W  hat are some

areas of authority you have? What are some ways people demonstrate their authority over creation, ways that bring order and peace to the world?

Along with humanitys general authority over creation, God has established a variety of other relationships of authority, including family relationships between husband and wife, parents and children, teachers and students, brother and sister. In the world without sin, all these relationships were marked by love and joy.

 Why are most heroes in movies and TV known for resisting authority? In what ways do Christians sometimes adopt worldly ideas about authority and control?

Abused.
The beautiful exercise of authority in the Garden of Eden was twisted as soon as sin entered the world. The creation rebelled against the rulership of man. Plants grew thistles, animals grew stubborn, and predators looked at us and smelled blood. The creation rose up against us with tsunamis and tornadoes, sending us running and hidingdesperate for help.
Discuss whether you struggle more with abusing authority or abandoning authority? Share a time when you have experienced the consequences of someone else abusing or abandoning his or her authority in your own life?

 e see the effects of abused authority W on display all the time. In some families, men become tyrants, dominating women and children with abusive power. Authority gets abused in schoolyards and online as bullies lord strength or position over others.

Some go to the other extreme and choose to abandon authority. Fathers and husbands become passive, and families suffer without godly leadership. In such circumstances, other rulers naturally arise, filling the vacuum left by leaders who fail to lead. Likewise, family authority is inverted whenever parents fail to discipline their children and let the kids rule the house with tantrums.

 What are some areas of your life that call for humble leadership? What opportunities to sacrifice for others are before you now? Are you resistant to humbling yourself? Why?

reestablished.

We were made rulers of creation, but that meant a responsibility to love and care for it. Jesus demonstrated this kind of selfless authority throughout His life. His very birth was an act of humility and submission, relinquishing the glory, power, and authority that was rightly His. The future kingdom will have none of the sinful stains we now endureno injustice, no prejudice, no selfishness, and no tyranny. Instead, the world will be ruled by a servant-king, a Lion and Lamb who rules from a throne of grace and whose subjects are co-heirs and co-regents of this glorious, happy kingdom.  What are some ways you see humanitys authority work for the good of others in the world?  How are you challenged by the call to rule and reign? Where are you being called to exercise authority? In the classroom, on the field, in the student club, in your home?

Conclusion The image of God in

humanity has taken a beating under the reign of sin and death. Humanity, at times, appears to be full of glory and wonder. Great achievements in art, sciences, and charity have been evidenced alongside horrific abuses, social decay, poverty, and global war. We are called to be good stewards and good managers of the household of earth we live in as we represent King Jesus by showing what His loving reign looks like in the world.

 What would good stewardship over the environment look like in your own life?  How have you been challenged to better exercise the authority you have been given in your own areas of influence?

Encore

created to Rule The rule over creation God gives has been...
1. authorized (Gen. 1:26-28). When God made human beings, He gave them a mandate for ruling and reigning. Theres no mystery in the hierarchy of creation, is there? God clearly stated that man and woman were created to rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, and all the earth. We were made to have authority over these creatures. Our design as rulers is both a privilege and a responsibility. God wanted the order of the world to be established by men and women who oversaw it with wisdom and love, reflecting the way God Himself would oversee that world. Our best glimpse of this kind of rule is in Genesis 2:19, when God brought a parade of animals before Adam. Adams naming of the animals demonstrated that he had authority over them. Like naming a child, he exerted a fatherly, authoritarian power over the creatures in the midst of that perfect world, differentiating and defining each one as the Lord brought them to him. The naming of the animals was creative work. Following Gods own actions, Adam used words to give shape to this new world. Like the Creators own inventive work, the image-bearer imagined and thought things up. He invented names as he explored the variety and wonder of creation, noticing the connections between the various species that crawled, hopped, and lumbered past him. 2. abused (Mark 10:42-45). The beautiful exercise of authority in the Garden of Eden was twisted as soon as sin entered the world. The creation rebelled against the rulership of man. Plants grew thistles, animals grew stubborn, and predators looked at us and smelled blood. The creation rose up against us with tsunamis and tornadoes, sending us running and hidingdesperate for help. Even though sin corrupted human authority, it didnt remove it. Mankind remains powerful and influential, able to do astonishing and terrible things. That authority and rule over creation is evidenced in the way that creation has been tamed and manipulated to build cities and nations. Its seen in the way we care for animals and prove mathematical theorems. Even so, in a world of sin, our mismanagement of authority can have devastating consequences. Jesus recognized the worldly way of exercising authority. In a quiet rebuke to His disciples as they elected themselves for position of authority in His coming kingdom, Jesus exposed the sinful use of authority and then pointed to Himself as the example of servant leadership. Notice that Jesus mentioned rulers and kings who abuse authority. We see this kind of abuse on display all the time. In some families, men become tyrants, dominating women and children with abusive power. Authority gets abused in schoolyards and online as bullies lord strength or position over others. All of these are signs that authority has gone wrong. We abuse authority. Our ability to rule wisely over creation has been severely hampered by sin. In a world dominated by this kind of authority and destruction, what is the way forward? What is the hope for a world of petty tyrants, bent on dominating for their own selfish gain? What is a better way to live than just bickering and clamoring for space at the top of our ladders and food chains?
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Encore

The answers to these questions are found in Jesus. In a world dominated by sinful scrambling for power, Jesus told us that its better to serve than be served. This isnt the abandonment of authority, but the restoration of its proper exercise. 3. reestablished (Rev. 5:9-10). Jesus humble sacrifice changed the way authority works in the world, and it sends the course of history in a new, hopeful direction. Instead of a steady march to destruction, we see a steady flow of resurrection. Where death reigned through Adam, life reigns through Christ. One day, creation will be restored, a glorious kingdom with Christ at the center, ruled and reigned over by Gods redeemed. Look how the apostle John described the day of restoration: This passage opens up the veil of the future to us, allowing us a brief glimpse of the glory that awaits the children of God. Jesus blood has not only satisfied Gods wrath against sin; its purchased His followers and brought them into Gods family, making a new kingdom of priests that will rule the new-made world. Through His blood, we will once again reflect the glory of God rightly. While preaching about the wonder of that new world and the glorious inheritance the saints have as heirs and co-rulers of that new-made world, Charles Spurgeon declared: We shall see his face; the devils in hell cannot hinder it; we shall possess the promised rest, still the fiends that are beneath shall not rob us of the heirloom. And, believer, there is no fear that Christ shall be the possessor of nothing or heir of little things. He is the Son of God the infinitely rich, and God will not give to his Son a petty dowry or a trifling portion. Weigh the riches of Christ in scales and his treasures in balances and then think to count the treasures which belong to the saints. Reach the bottom of Christs sea of joy, and then hope to understand the bliss which God hath prepared for them that love him. Overleap the boundaries of Christs possession if you can, and then dream of ending a limit to the possessions of the elect of God. All things are yours, for ye are Christs and Christ is Gods. The creation project, which went off the rails with Adam, will one day be complete with Christ. The garden will be replaced with a city, and the children of Adam and Eve, redeemed in Jesus, will become a kingdom of rulers. Conclusion The image of God has taken a beating under the reign of sin and death. Humanity, at times, appears to be full of glory and wonder. Great achievements in art, sciences, and charity have been evidenced alongside horrific abuses, social decay, poverty, and global war. As Christians, we have an incredible hope. Jesus promised to return and reign forever. We can experience foretastes of it now, as we live sacrificially and humbly in his footsteps, and with saints throughout history, we can look forward to the day when those foretastes are fulfilled with a feast in the New City. So what better way to anticipate that day than to beckon others to repent and believe, to join us for the feast? Lets declare the excellencies of King Jesus as we represent His loving reign in our world.

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