The Ten Basic Steps: Lesson 1-God's Ownership Over All
Objective: To surrender everything we have to God because we can rest in His ownership of all.
Read: Genesis 1-3
Memorize: I Chronicles 29:11
1. Creation and fall of Man
2. Reconciliation
3. Our Responsibility
4. Life Application
As Christian stewards we must realize that in Christ "we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). In this lesson, you will see the basis of God's claim on your life.
Jesus Christ created us (Colossians 1:16). He bought us with His precious blood (1 Peter 1:18,19). And God anointed Him as our Lord (Ephesians 1:20-23; Acts 10:36; Romans 10:12). Thus, the whole of our life - our personality, influence, material substance, everything - is His, even our success.
The Bible tells us that since Christ died for us, "those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again" (2 Corinthians 5:15).
Not to acknowledge and act upon God's total ownership of everything we are, have, and will be is to rob ourselves of His blessing and make ourselves unfit for His service (2 Timothy 2:15,16,19-21).
Creation and fall of Man
After what pattern
did God create man? (Genesis
1:26)
Theologians have long debated just what it is that constitutes the image of God. That image seems to include the basic characteristics of personality; intellect, emotion, and will. Adam and Eve had intellect (Genesis 2:19), emotion (3:10), and will (3:6), just as God does.
What did man do
to bring about separation between himself and God? (Genesis
3:1-7)
Note: This passage gives important insight into the character of sin. Adam did not get drunk, or commit immoral acts. He and Eve merely asserted their independence from God, rebelled against His command, and took control of their own lives. Sin is being independent of God and running your own life.
How did the sin
of man affect his: intellect (II
Corinthians 4:2-4), emotions (Jeremiah
17:9), and will (Romans
6:20)?
How did this act
of rebellion affect the world? (Romans
5:12)
Reconciliation
How did God bring
us back and reconcile us to Himself? (Romans
5:8-10)
What has God given us to enable us to live for Him? (John 14:26)
Our Responsibility
God now has restored
us to a position of fellowship similar to what Adam had. What does that
declare about our present relationship with God? (I
Corinthians 6:19-20)
What, then, is
to be our response to God? (Romans
12:1-2)
Many people attempt
to compromise and give God less than full allegiance. How did Jesus
regard that practice in Matthew
12:30?
In Revelation
3:15-16, how did Jesus describe His attitude toward those who will
stand neither for nor against Him?
What logical choice
did Elijah present to the people? (I
Kings 18:21)
If Elijah's logic is true, we must take one of two positions. If we determine that Jesus Christ is Lord and God, we must serve Him loyally. If He is not, He is an imposter and Christianity is obviously a hoax. If this were true, we should dissuade men from being Christians. It is one or the other! We must stand either with Christ or against Him, but never try to stand in between.
Life Application
Read Isaiah
48:17-19. What blessings would you lose by going your own way and
failing to recognize God's ownership?
How much of your
life are you willing for God to control? How much of it does He control?
Is there something
in your life that you have not surrendered to the control of your heavenly
Father? What is it, and how will you now deal with it?
What do you think God will do with your life if you surrender it all to Him?
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