Surrender Your Status | King of Kings | Week 2
Opening
Consider opening your group discussing the difference between damage control and ownership. Pray for each member of your group to take a deeper ownership of their lives.
Overview
Many of us are devoted to our own status. We are concerned about what other people think about us and we fall into culture’s way of maintaining our status. We deceive. We destroy others. We practice damage control when our deceptions are revealed. But selfishly managing our status with the tools of culture will lead us to build ourselves up rather than living in God’s purpose for our lives.
The story of Joseph in the narratives of Jesus’ birth shows us another way. Joseph had the chance to protect his status but he chose instead to embrace his place in God’s plans. Any other choice would have forfeited his divine assignment and he would have lost his chance to participate in God’s work.
Discussion Questions
- Where are you most tempted to protect your status?
- Where is God inviting you into His work?
Practice
Philippians 2: 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form 8he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Read this passage from Philippians 2 out loud and allow people to share ideas of how this passage connects to the sermon. When we stop protecting our status, we are following the example of Jesus. Spend time discussing the following questions with your group. How does Jesus’ example help us live in God’s purpose instead of protecting our status? What is the ultimate goal of our lives? How do we live with that goal in mind instead of all the things that distract us?
Closing
Pray for the Spirit to transform everyone’s hearts so that they can choose to embrace God’s invitation instead of attempting to build their own status. Pray over specific requests and circumstances that came up during the conversations.