(8-10 minutes, easy set-up)
Learners will discuss the danger in trying to prove oneself to God through righteousness.
(8-10 minutes, easy set-up)
Say: One of the sports movies that has become a classic is Rudy, the story of a young man who spent years trying to make the Notre Dame football team. Ask: How many of you remember the movie? How did the movie end? (Rudy’s teammates and the Notre Dame fans forced the coach to let Rudy play; Rudy made an amazing play when given the opportunity.) Do you remember why Rudy worked so hard at making the team? (One reason was to earn the pride of his father.)
Ask: Why is it dangerous to have a works-based attitude toward our Heavenly Father? (It creates self-righteous pride and dishonors God’s love and grace shown on the cross.)If the cross proves God’s love for us once and for all, where does obedience fit in our lives? (We must live rightly not to earn His love, but in response to it.) What is the danger of reading the Old Testament without Jesus in mind? (Much of the Old Testament contains laws God gave Israel to set them apart from other nations. When read without understanding Jesus, it’s easy to miss the point.) Encourage learners to keep this in mind while studying the Old Testament. Close by asking them to think of whether or not they try to earn the love of their Heavenly Father.