WHY WORSHIP CHRIST?

JESUS THE SAVIOR

Christian and Missionary Alliance Churches of the Philippines

Lesson 2

WHY WORSHIP CHRIST?

Aim:  That the learners will worship Jesus Christ.

Scripture: John 1:1-14

Memory Verse: John 1:14 – The Word Became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NIV)

In Advance

1.      Pray

2.      Memorize: John 20:31

3.      Study John 1:1-14

4.      Introduction to the passage:

John began with heavenly facts before coming down to the earthly realm which could be perceived by the human senses. Unlike the other Gospels, he went beyond human history for his starting point.  He drove directly to the most important truth that Christ was God – The Creator who became man.  This truth was laid as the basic foundation for the recorded teachings and works of Christ that followed.  The deeds and teachings were presented as the deeds and teachings of Christ the Creator and God.

A story is told about a young mother who narrated to her four year old daughter several miracles that Christ performed.  Seeing her causally taking in all her stories, the mother paused and said, Dear aren’t you surprised? Perplexed, the girl answered, But mother, He’s God!

CLASS SESSION

ENTRANCE

ASK: Who is Jesus Christ according to different people?

            Accept all answers without comment.  Ask a learner to write on the board key words that represent the responses of his classmates.

Transition Sentence: Today we will know who Christ really is.

SUBSTANCE

            Give the class about five minutes to read John 1:1-14 silently, and write the question on the board for everyone to consider.

Question: How is Christ described in the following verses?

1.      verse 1 (cf. John 1:18; Romans 9:5)

2.      verse 3, 4 and 10 (cf. John 14:6; John 8:12)

3.      verse 14a (cf. Philippians 2:6,7; 1John 4:2; Hebrews 4:14-16)

4.      verse 14b (cf. John 2:11; Romans 3:23; John 14:6)

Answers:

Verse 1 – Christ is identified as the Word, With God, and God.  He was in the beginning.

              Word – This term was used by the Greeks to refer not only to the spoken work but also the word not yet spoken or the word still in the mind – the reason. The Greeks used it to refer to the rational principle governing the universe. The Jews on the other hand, used it as a way of referring to God. The term was thus meaningful to both Jews and Gentiles.

              With God- the Word, or Christ was distinct from the Father.  God – Jesus Christ was God in the fullest sense. John 1:18 calls Him God the One and Only. See also Romans 9:5 which describes Christ as God over all. (NIV)

              In the beginning – This speaks of Christ’s eternal being.  His existence did not begin when He was born as a babe to Mary. He was In the beginning.  There is no time earlier than that.  There was no time before the beginning. Jesus Christ ever was!

vv. 3,4,10 – Jesus Christ is the Creator. In Him was life. He is in fact, the life in John 14:6. He was the light of men (v.4). He said, I am the light of the world (John 8:12).  From Christ comes all spiritual illumination.

v.14a – Jesus Christ became flesh, or human. Man does not have the power to transform himself into God. But Christ the Creator had the power to become man and to dwell with His creation.  This also speaks of his humility (Philippians 2:6,7). The humanity of Christ has serious theological implications.  Only if He truly human could He die on the Cross for us. The importance of recognizing the humanity of Christ is emphasized in 1John 4:2. Because Christ became flesh and made His dwelling among us, He is our sympathetic High Priest and we can approach the throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:14-16).

v. 14b – The disciples saw the glory of Christ. He was full of grace and truth.  Grace and truth came through Him (John 1:17). Christ revealed His glory to His disciples by the miracles He performed (see John 2:11) and by His death and resurrection.

                        He was full of grace.  Man is a sinner justified only by the grace or mercy of God in Christ (Romans 3:23-25).

                        Jesus is the truth (John 14:6) He was truth personified.  In Him there is no falsehood or error.

General Truth: Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man.

Significance

Questions:

1.      Whom do people worship besides Jesus Christ?                (Celebrities, other gods, saints, statues, career, money etc.)

2.      How do these objects of worship compare with Christ as He is described in the passage studied?

(accept answers)

Comment: A Biblically-informed person has confidence that when He worships Christ, He is worshipping the true God.

      When we put Christ center stage in our personal and collective worship, we can never make a mistake. The evidence of a Holy Spirit guided worship is that Christ (not only the Holy Spirit) is glorified (John 16:14)

PERFORMANCE

            Give the class opportunity to worship Christ by singing songs of worship (e.g. Thou Art Worthy, Majesty) and by a conversational prayer of adoration. Challenge them to express their worship of Christ during the week by serving Him and telling others who He really is.