DATE: JUNE 18, 2023
Topic: “God’s Servant-King”
LESSON TEXT: Ezekiel 37:15-28
Memory Verse: My dwelling place will be with them, I will be their God, they will be my people. (Ezekiel 37:27)NIV
Lesson Aims
To enable us:
- state the identity of “my servant”.
- Defend that identification.
- Make a plan to change one area of your life that Is inconsistent with being one of God s people.
INTRODUCTION
There is an old story of a man who comes to two great teachers and
demands of them, ” each m_e the Law of oses while I stand on one foot ” The first one tells him that 1s request Is unreasonable and sends him awa y. The second one tells him that the Law of MosesIs about loving God andneighbor. “All the rest is commentary. Go and learn.”
Jesussaid much the same thing in Mark 12:29- 31 But behind the elegant simplicity of that observation lies the hard fact that learning the ways of God requires work. And for that work to yield valid and frui tful results, the seeker must demonstrate honestyand open-mindedness.
Like a shepherd seeking a lost sheep, God always seeks to bring us back to Himself whenever we strayed. He also requires we should repent from our sins, and consciously follow His laws, always.
QUESTIONS
A. RETURN TO THE LAND (EZEKIEL 37:21- 25)
i. Recite last week’s Memory Verse (Isa 65:25)
ii. God said in our passage today that He would bring the exiled children of Israel back into the land. What lesson does that teach about the character of God? (Deut. 4:31, Eph. 2:4, Titus 3.5)
iii. How would you explain ‘God’s Judgment’ and ‘God’s Mercy’ to a new believer? (Deut. 32:4, Gal. 6:7, Col. 1:14)
iv. God assured he would bring the Israelites back to their own land and give them a ‘Servant King’ in the order of David.
- A. List some of the characters of King David that end
him to God (Acts 13:22, Psalm 62:1-2, I Samuel 18.1ar ed - B . Why are the characters listed in (a) above essential for national development? (Proverbs 14:13, I Timothy 6:6-10, Psalm 32:1-2)
B. COVENANT OF PEACE (EZEKIEL 37:26-28)
i. God promised to make an everlasting covenant of peace with the returnees. How has the coming of Jesus Christ fulfilled the covenant for mankind? (John 14:27, Acts 10: 36, Phil. 4:6-7)
ii. List some signs that can show unbelievers that God is present in church? (Mark 16:17, 2 Tim 4:2, Romans 12:15, Galatians 6: 2 a
iii. In what areas on the list in (ii) above is your church lagging? Suggest ways it could improve on the areas.
CONCLUSION:
God loves us beyond measures and would go any length to prevent us from straying away from Him. Although He chastises us when we sin, He also makes a way for us to come back just like He promised the children of Israel in our lesson today. His rod and staff protects even while we walk through the valley of the shadows of death.
But before assuming that “God is on our side,” we should ask, “Are we on His side; are we truly born again?” Posing the questions would make us engage in a soul-searching exercise. It would always challenge us to be “perfect in every good work, to do his will … through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever” (Hebrews 13:20-21).
Only then can we fully claim the promises in our lesson today: My dwelling place also will be with them: I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Ezekiel 37:17)