
SUPPLEMENTAL SCRIPTURES
- Matthew 28:1-7
- John 5:30; 7:17
- Galatians 4:4-5
- Ephesians 6:6
- 1 John 2:17
Seemingly, one of the hardest things for man to do is to submit to the will of God. The Apostle Paul says the carnal mind is enmity against God and is not subject to the Law of God (Romans 8:7). For those who wish to make Heaven their home, it is absolutely necessary to conform to God’s will; not only when their lives are first surrendered to the Lord, but they must submit daily to the will of God.
QUESTIONS
- How many disciples accompanied Jesus to Gethsemane, and which three did He select to be with Him as He went to pray? Why do you think Jesus asked these three to go with Him?
- Do you think the sorrow Jesus felt was only because He knew He was going to the cross? Explain.
- Who came to strengthen Him? Luke 22:43
- Explain in your own words what “this cup” (verses 39-42) refers to.
- Why didn’t the Father in Heaven spare His own Son? Romans 5:8-21
- What condition would the world have been left in if Jesus had called for more than twelve legions of angels to come and deliver Him (Matthew 26:53-54)? How was His submission an example to us?
- We have many Biblical examples of those who were willing to submit to God’s plan for their lives. Tell about one and what might have happened if he or she had refused to obey God.
- What are some of the ways we can ascertain whether a certain course of action is in the will of God for us?
THOUGHT PROVOKER: Jesus Christ, who is equal with God, submitted to the will of His Father even unto death. Shouldn’t we, who are His creation, be willing to conform to His will in our daily lives?
THEME THOUGHTS
The purpose of this quarter is to focus on the meaning of complete consecration. Keeping this in mind, we started this quarter with a lesson on the heart, “for out of it are the issues of life.” We continued with various members of the physical body, showing that each member can be consecrated and can be used in the service of the Lord. In order to be totally committed to Christ, we should not only consecrate the parts of our physical body, but also our will, time, money, relationships, and future. As you study these lessons, you will find that in many cases they overlap. For instance, the lesson which deals with the tongue relates closely to the lesson on the heart, “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” We are not suggesting that each part can be consecrated as a segment, or in a certain progression, but rather endeavoring to stress that total commitment to Christ involves all of these aspects. Consecration begins with salvation when one dedicates his life to God, but total commitment to Him involves day-to-day decisions. You might say that we have taken one lesson on total consecration and divided it into thirteen sections in order to give an in-depth coverage.