RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL
LESSON TWENTY-NINE
SUNDAY, 19TH MARCH 2017
TOPIC: THE PURPOSE OF LIVING
MEMORY VERSE: ‘’And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again." - 2Corinthians 5:15
BIBLE PASSAGE: Luke 12:13-21
INTRODUCTION:
We see from the scriptures that our God is a God of purpose (Ephesians 1:11). He has a purpose for your life right from when you were conceived in your mother's womb (Jeremiah 1:4-5). However, since the fall of Adam, survival and preservation became the strongest instincts of the natural man. At the same time, the natural man wants to make a name for himself (Genesis 11:4). These tendencies manifest in the desire to possess. It shows that the natural man is living for himself. However, there is the need for us to discover the purpose of living now that Christ has come.
LESSON OUTLINES
1. The purpose of living by the natural man
2. The purpose of living for the regenerated soul
THE PURPOSE OF LIVING BY THE NATURAL MAN
The natural man is the unregenerated human being. He is not controlled by the Holy Spirit of God (1Corinthians 3:3). The natural man is living for himself. Everything is considered a possession and an achievement (Luke 12:13-21). This includes the spouse, the children, land, houses, education, status, power, fame, titles etc (Matthew 6:31-32; 19:27-30). He can take advantage of people or even kill in order to possess these things (James 4:1-3). The bible calls it the lust of eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life (1John 2:15-17). Greediness, corruption, wars and killings are all the ways of the natural man i.e. to possess. This is why our Lord Jesus admonishes believers to be careful because a man's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses (Luke 12:15).
THE PURPOSE OF LIVING FOR THE REGENERATED SOUL
Now that Christ has come (John 8:42), God expects that:
1. Everyone would come to Him and be saved (John 3:16; 6:37).
2. Those who come would not live for themselves but for Him (2Corinthians 5:15; Philippians 1:21).
3. Believers should be dead to the demands of the natural life (Ephesians 4:22; Colossians 3:3)
4. Believers should be like Christ in this present world (Romans 8:29; Titus 2:11,12) by seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness above all things (Matthew 6:33).
5. Believers should be filled with the word of God (Colossians 3:16; John 8:31) and with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
6. Believers should abide in Christ in order to be fruitful because this is the purpose of our election (John 15:5,8,16).
7. Believers should reverence, worship and glorify God in all things and at all times (Ecclesiastes 12:13; Colossians 3:17).
CONCLUSION:
When a person is regenerated, his purpose of living is changed completely to living for Christ. To live for Christ, the ambitions of the natural man must die (Galatians 2:20).
QUESTIONS
1. Highlight some of the features of the natural man.
2. Differentiate between the purpose of living for a natural man and the regenerated soul.