Date: February 19, 2023
Does It Honor God?
The Point: God’s voice always leads us to glorify Him and accomplish His purposes.
Get Into the Study
Share the following after discussing The Bible Meets Life:
Just as people are awed by Michelangelo’s David, there are many master artists whose name alone makes a piece worth large sums of money.
A painting by the Florentine artist known as Bronzino recently sold for $10.7 million, which is the highest recorded sale for a Bronzino piece. This painting, titled Portrait of a Man , Facing Left, With A Quill and a Sheet of Paper was originally thought to have been painted by the less famous Jacopino del Conte. Once this piece was confirmed to have been done by Bronzino, the perceived value of the painting skyrocketed, which experts say allowed the painting to sell for double the estimated value.
Even in the fashion world, the person who wears an outfit makes the piece just as famous as the designer. A deep purple strapless gown worn by Princess Diana was just sold for over $600,000. The gown was worn by the princess in a painting that now hangs at the Royal Marsden Hospital, where she served as president.
The name and skill of an artist or celebrity adds weight to anything they touch. Similarly, knowing that we are created by God in His image adds value to us. We are called to live in a way that honors God as our Maker.
Get Into the Study [Option from the Adult Leader Guide, p. 139]
In advance, play a video of an important medal or award being given. Then ask Question #1.
Study the Bible
Share the following after discussing John 17:4-5:
NFL players Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are both outspoken Christians who try to keep God at the center of everything they do. Both players praise God for their current situations and thank God for blessing them in their recent games. Their teams (Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, respectfully) will be facing each other in Super Bowl LVII.
Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on January 21st. He thanked God for the healing so far and for getting him through the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 29th, saying that “God gave [him] the strength to be out here.”
While not injured, Hurts also thanks God for his teammates and being able to play in the NFL. He says that God is the center of everything that he does.
These two men publicly thank God for allowing them to do what they do and recognize that without God, they would not be where they are today. They honor God by playing to the best of their abilities. As Christians, we should seek to glorify God with our actions and all that we are called to do.
EXTRA was written by Emily Duncan, a Southern California native currently living in West Georgia with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. She became a Christian when she was sixteen at a youth retreat. Now, she’s a self-described homemaker and semi-professional baker who dreams of eventually finishing all the projects in her workroom.
Additional Questions
Icebreaker
- What’s the greatest honor you have received?
- What are some ways our culture honors individuals?
- Where do you see honor and glory given out by our culture?
John 17:1-3
- What does Jesus’ prayer show us about a God-centered approach to life?
- What does this prayer reveal about Jesus’ heart?
- What are some commonplace things we can do to glorify God?
John 17:4-5
- What is an example of work God has called you to complete?
- What steps can we take to identify the specific work God has called us to do?
- What causes us to resist doing the work God has given us?
John 17:6-9
- If our words and actions do not align, how can this impact the work we do for the Lord?
- Who are some people God has placed in your life that have been transformative in your life?
- What are practical steps we can follow to help others hear and discern God’s voice?
For Those in Your Group
Send the following link to your group members as either a teaser before the group meets or as a follow-up thought:
You Were Created for the Glory of God
Podcast
Click here for a 20-minute podcast for both the group member and the leader.
Podcast (adultsleadertraining): Play in new window | Download
I’m struggling to see how this week’s Bible study aligns with the unit title, how to discern the voice of God. As I continue to pray for God’s guidance, can you give me any tips to see how it relates to hearing God’s voice? Thank you!
A lot of people claim to speak for God, but how can we know and discern if what a person is saying is truly something God led him or her to say? With each of the six sessions, we’ve addressed that question by examining six other questions. This fifth session addresses the importance that what is communicated honors and glorifies God.
A lot of people who claim to speak or preach in God’s name speak in a way that glorifies themselves. The message is all about them. And equally bad are those messages that are simply “feel good” messages that make us feel good about ourselves—without addressing sin or the call to live for Christ. Our joy is found and wrapped up in Christ, and when we lose ourselves in Him, we are drawn to praise and glorify Him.
Our goal with this whole study is to help us see that, any word or message to be truly considered as something God led the person to say or write, it must not contradict what God has already said in His Word; it is one that may lead to conviction over unconfessed sin; it calls us to look to God and trust Him (rather than putting our trust in ourselves or another person); it is in line with the character of God as revealed in Scripture; it draws up to glorify Christ; and as we shall see next week, it encourages our growth in Christ.
This is certainly a reminder to not “glorify” ourselves, but God. However……how exactly does this — personally — help anyone to discern the voice of God other than to not voice oneself as an authority. Particularly in this week’s study?
How do we discern the voice of God with so many other voices calling out to us … and so many of those voices claiming to be speaking for God? Each of the six questions (sessions) in this study are designed to help us pick out a true word from God from all the other voices. One of the distinguishing traits is that what God speaks also glorifies Him. A lot of people who claim to speak or preach in God’s name speak in a way that glorifies themselves. The message is all about them. And equally bad are those messages that are simply “feel good” messages that make us feel good about ourselves—without addressing sin or the call to live for Christ. Our joy is found and wrapped up in Christ, and when we lose ourselves in Him, we are drawn to praise and glorify Him.
I hear and understand what you are saying here but I still feel as though the teaching in this lesson does not convey that message. You have the Unit How to Discern the voice of God, and the lesson, Does it honor God?. Yet the lesson does a marvelous job of an expositional teaching of John 17:1-9 with out clearly connecting the expositional teaching to the Topic – Does what we are hearing presented as from God bring Him honor?. Thanks.
Lynn,
My wife and I listen to your podcast every week in preparation for our Bible study. I teach a class, 60 and over adult couples at Mid-Way Baptist in Raleigh, NC. I have been struggling this week to understand the point of the lesson and quite frankly, motivated to even study. This podcast, like always, gave me the boost I needed to prepare! Thank you for all you do!