Session 1

Session 1 Introduction

In the Presence of God Being Fully Devoted to the Lord

Overview

For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Romans 14:7–8

God hath given to man a short time here upon earth, and yet upon this short time eternity depends. Jeremy Taylor, The Rules and Exercises of Holy Living

The first session of this study explores our responsibility to God. No person can live a life of maturity and responsibility unless they understand that they are answerable to God. God knows every detail about our lives. He is fully aware of our past. He is intimately acquainted with our present. He knows everything about our future. As we mature in our youth, God calls us to take our relationship with him seriously. No other relationship is more important. To be estranged from God is to compromise every other relationship in our lives. But to live faithfully in a reconciled relationship with God is to establish a firm foundation in life and faith. As we explore this session together, let us consider what it means to live our lives in the presence of God.

Key Idea

I am answerable to God.

Community Study

Community Confession

As you open this session, restate this summary statement as a community.

By God’s grace and through faith in Christ, I am no longer a child. I am answerable to God. I am accountable for my own life. I am called to my family. I belong to the church community. I am commissioned into the world. I am charged with the care of the marginalized. I am enlisted in the fight of faith. For God’s glory, for our good, and for the sake of the world! Amen and amen!

Corporate Song

Sing to the Lord, joining your hearts together in a spirit of praise and worship.

Be Thou My Vision

Verse 1

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art— Thou my best thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Verse 2

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise, Thou mine inheritance, now and always: Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, Great God of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

Verse 3

Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word; I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord; Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

Brief Overview

Use this introduction to preview the session.

For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and the Lord examines all his paths. Proverbs 5:21

Both men and women ought to face more fully the things they do or cause to be done; face them or leave off doing them. Gilbert K. Chesterton, What’s Wrong with the World

You are answerable to God. To take personal responsibility for your life, you must take your faith seriously. Your relationship with God is the fountainhead out of which all other life priorities flow. You only have one life to live, and you must answer to God for how you live your life. He is your Maker, Sustainer, Judge, and Redeemer. All that you have belongs to him: your possessions, your talents, your relationships, and your time. You are a steward—a caretaker—of all that God has given you. In fact, the joy of your life will be measured by how fully you submit to him, how sincerely you trust in him, and how passionately you seek his glory. As you transition into your next phase of life, you are invited to embrace a wholehearted commitment to the Lord. This is the most fundamental step to maturity and adulthood. A faithful guide to our life with God, the Bible alone carries the wisdom for what it means to walk faithfully in God’s presence, living a life fully devoted to the Lord.

Opening Prayer

Spend time praying, dedicating your community and these next moments to the Lord. Use this time of prayer to focus your minds, prepare your hearts, and ready your wills to seek and serve God together.

All-Knowing God, we come into your presence as a community of faith. We want to live daily in your presence, living lives of duty, responsibility, and faithfulness. We enter your presence humbly, acknowledging your great power and immeasurable worth. We remain in your presence contentedly, knowing that you alone are our lasting comfort and highest good. We rest in your presence patiently, depending upon your loving mercy and transforming grace. We abide in your presence expectantly, hopeful that we might be conformed to your character, aligned with your will, and established in your ways. Help us, O God, we pray! Amen!

Faith Foundation

Read the following biblical proverb and discuss the question below as a community. Record thoughts from the discussion in the space below.

Biblical Wisdom

The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is set securely on high. Proverbs 29:25

Core Principle

The foundation of personal responsibility is genuine trust in God. The biblical proverb above teaches us a very important truth. First, it says that “the fear of man is a snare.” This means that those who care most about what other people think will act in a way that is contrary to God and harmful to themselves. We cannot be faithful to God when we are obsessed with pleasing other people. On the contrary, the person who “trusts in the Lord is set securely on high.” People who place their whole faith in God find safety, security, and protection. We grow into adulthood and Christian maturity when we wholeheartedly trust God and sincerely aim to please him above all else.

Group Discussion

Record Your Thoughts

Biblical Exploration

Scriptural Narrative

Read the following biblical text together as a community.

14 For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey. 16 The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more. 17 Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those servants returned to settle accounts with them. 20 The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ 22 The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’ 23 His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ 24 Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’ 26 ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest. 28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Matthew 25:14–30

Group Discussion

After reading this biblical passage together, discuss the following questions. Explore these questions as a large group, small group, parents, or mentors.

Searching the Text

Seeking the Truth

Evaluating Our Lives

Biblical Commentary

Use this commentary as a way to get oriented to the basic teaching of this biblical text. This explanation will help in the above discussion.

Basic to the Christian life is a belief that people are answerable and accountable to God. Creator of all things, God is also the Judge of all humanity. While all people will eventually stand before God to give an account of their lives, disciples of Christ have already reckoned with their status before God. By placing their faith in Christ and receiving forgiveness of their sin, Christians enjoy acceptance with God. In addition to this new relationship with God comes a new status: believers are servants of God, called to be faithful and obedient stewards with their whole lives. Rather than living a life in opposition to God, Christian disciples faithfully obey God’s commands, humbly submit to God’s will, and sacrificially serve God’s work in the world. In Matthew 25:14–30, Jesus tells a parable that illustrates what it means to live a life that is faithful, responsible, and devoted to God.

Relationship with God. The first thing to note in this parable is the relationship between the characters. The story identifies three “servants” (25:14; cf. 25:16, 18–24, 26, 30) who are responsible to their “master” (25:19; cf. 25:18, 20–24, 26). These servants have have been entrusted with the master’s property while he is away “on a journey” (25:14; cf. 25:15) for “a long time” (25:19). Eventually, the master “returned” (25:19; cf. 25:27) and expected each of his servants to give an account of what they did with his property. When we think about Christian responsibility, these characters helpfully depict our relationship with God. As believers, we are to view ourselves as servants and God as our master. While God is always present with us, the long journey of the master represents the time of one’s life (and human history) when people are tasked to live in faithfulness to God. One day, there will be a reckoning: a final judgment in which we will all give an account to God.

Responsibility to God. Given the reality of divine judgment, this parable highlights what it looks like to be faithful and responsible to God. In the story, the first servant demonstrated commitment and devotion to the master in that he “at once and put them to work and gained five more” (25:16; cf. 25:20). The second servant did “likewise” (25:17; cf. 25:22) and doubled his talents. Each of these servants is commended for his work: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (25:21; cf. 25:23). In contrast to these faithful stewards, was the third servant who “dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money” (25:18). Later, this servant tells the master that he hid the talent because he was “afraid” (25:25). Whatever his motivations, the third servant was not faithful to the master. Instead, the master called him a “wicked, lazy servant” (25:26) and “worthless servant” (25:30).

The immediate, proactive, and venturesome behavior of the first two servants exemplifies responsibility to God. These servants recognized that they were “called” (25:14) and “entrusted” (25:14; cf. 25:20, 22). Everything they possessed was ultimately the master’s property—“his possessions” (25:14) and the “master’s money” (25:18). The measure of faithfulness was not the final amount that each servant gained, but the diligence to invest what was given to them. After all, the master entrusted talents to each servant “each according to his own ability” (25:15). Each servant was not measured by what was entrusted to another servant. Each servant was measured by their own specific stewardship. When we consider our lives, we are all temporary caretakers of our resources, abilities, and time. Each thing that we possess—even life itself—is a gift from God. Because God has entrusted these to our care, our service to God is that of a faithful steward. Just as the mark of the faithful servant was measured by what he “gained” (25:20; cf. 25:22; 27), so our lives are measured to the extent we invest ourselves in God’s work.

Rewards and Consequences. Because all the talents belonged to the master, it was fitting for him to eventually “settle accounts with them” (25:19). In this settling of accounts, the master rewarded those two servants who were “faithful with a few things” (25:21; cf. 25:23). They were put “in charge of many things” (25:21; cf. 25:23) and given a share in the master’s joy (25:21; cf. 25:23). The master punished the unfaithful servant. Irresponsible, afraid, passive, and disobedient, this servant lost the talent entrusted to him (25:28) and was condemned to eternal punishment in “outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (25:30). Faithfulness to God holds the promise of great reward. Faithlessness brings consequences of loss and punishment.

One’s View of God. Fundamental to the faithfulness of the servants was their view of the master. The first two servants not only recognized the master’s authority but also confessed his goodness (25:14, 20, 22). The master not only had the right (and duty) to judge his servants, he also demonstrated goodness by entrusting his valuable treasures to their care. (Note: At this time, one talent equalled about twenty years of income for a laborer.) Showing the master’s generosity and benevolence, the faithful servants were allowed to share in “the joy of [the] master” (25:21; cf. 25:23). In contrast, the unfaithful servant hid his talent because of his fear of the master. He considered the master a “hard man” who was known for “reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed” (25:24). Interestingly, this is a characterization that the master does not forcefully accept or wholly deny (25:26). This does not mean this characterization of the master was accurate. It does, however, highlight the fear-based passivity of the third servant. Even if his characterization of the master were true, the servant should have sought to be faithful. In an argument from lesser to greater, the fact that the servant’s characterization is assuredly not true of God means that we should all the more seek to serve God in faithfulness and responsibility.

We are called to be faithful servants of God. He is a good, righteous, generous, and benevolent master. He deserves our full devotion and loyalty. Let us remove fear from our hearts and doubt from our minds in order to serve God as a faithful and obedient steward. All that we possess—even our lives—are gifts from God. One day we will be judged for how we lived. May we become God’s servants in responsibility and faithfulness so that one day we too can hear the most blessed words: “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Spiritual Disciplines

We grow as responsible Christians as we develop spiritual discipline. Review the weekly activities for this session. Talk with your leaders and other members in your community about which activities you plan to do this upcoming week. Be prepared to report to your parents, mentor, and church community about your experiences. Identify the activities below that you are most excited about.

Session Summary

Review the session summary as a community.

• We are all answerable to God. We are God’s servants. God is our master. All that we have, even our very life, has been entrusted to us by God. We will all give an account to God based on how we lived our lives.
• We are in relationship with God. God calls us to be devoted servants who serve him faithfully in all areas of life.
• We enjoy great blessing by being faithful to God. We cause great pain and difficulty when we are unfaithful to God.
• Our view of God affects the way we live our lives. It is very important to have an accurate view of God’s character.

Memorization

Commit a biblical verse to memory. You can either memorize the following verse or use one from the Biblical Passage List at the end of this session. Practice memorizing it as a community. Review this verse throughout the week and be prepared to share it next meeting.

The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is set securely on high. Proverbs 29:25

Concluding Prayer

Group Prayer

Divide into smaller groups. Share with your group something that challenged you in this session. Spend time praying for one another as a small group. Use the space below to record prayer requests of those in your group so that you can continue to pray for them.

Corporate Prayer

Pray this prayer together as a community.

Weekly Disciplines

Scripture Reading

This week, use the biblical passage studied in this session to guide your time of prayer. Consider using the parallel passages for other times of prayer throughout the week.

Prepare Your Heart

Pray this prayer to the Lord to prepare yourself to meet with the Lord. Spend a few minutes in silence, quieting your heart and focusing your mind.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23–24

Read the Passage

Reread the biblical passage studied in this session. Read it slowly and reflectively. You will use this passage to guide your time of prayer.

14 For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey. 16 The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more. 17 Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those servants returned to settle accounts with them. 20 The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ 22 The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’ 23 His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ 24 Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’ 26 ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest. 28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Matthew 25:14–30

Parallel Passage: 1 Samuel 3:1–21

Consider the Truth

Meditate on the meaning of this passage for the Christian life. Think about what the specific details of the passage teach you about living a life that is responsible and accountable to God. Ask God to show you what he wants you to learn from this passage. Record any thoughts below.

Pray the Text

Use the biblical text as a guide for prayer. In the space below, write your prayer to the Lord or write specific portions of the biblical text that will guide your time of prayer with the Lord.

Rest in God’s Presence

After praying to the Lord, sit in silence for a few minutes. Rest in God’s presence. Recognize his full and complete knowledge of you. Bask in his deep and abiding love for you. After a few minutes of silence, pray this prayer to close out your time of prayerful meditation.

Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; all day long I wait for You. Psalm 25:4–5

Topical Study

The list of biblical passages focuses on the session topic. Use this topical collection to help reinforce your understanding of this session’s teaching.

Verse Collection

The following passages teach us about the priority of our relationship with the Lord. Read these passages a few times. Then, mark any verses (or portions of verses) that you find interesting or insightful.

But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. Matthew 12:36-37

For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done. Matthew 16:27

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Romans 4:12

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:12

But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 1 Peter 4:5 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men. Colossians 3:23 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind. Luke 10:27

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5–6

I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8

No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24

Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be achieved. Proverbs 16:3

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. Exodus 20:2–3

Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only. Matthew 4:10

Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you. Deuteronomy 6:13–14 You are to follow the Lord your God and fear Him. Keep His commandments and listen to His voice; serve Him and hold fast to Him. Deuteronomy 13:4

If you ever forget the Lord your God and go after other gods to worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. Deuteronomy 8:19

If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. Luke 9:23–24

For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and the Lord examines all his paths. Proverbs 5:21 For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees his every step. There is no darkness or deep shadow where the workers of iniquity can hide. Job 34:21–22

Concluding Reflection

Review and reflect on the passages you just read. Identify verses that you find convicting, challenging, and comforting. Rewrite these verses in the categories below.

Art Observation

The following artwork is a depiction of the biblical story studied in this session.

Scriptural Reading

The following biblical passage describes a basic essence of the Christian life. Read the biblical passage before you observe the painting.

So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. I care very little, however, if I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges me. 1 Corinthians 4:1–4

Painting Reflection

Take time to observe the painting, imagine yourself in the story, and reflect on what it teaches about the Christian life. Use the following questions as ways to prompt your reflections. Record observations, insights, or questions in the space below.

Spiritual Practice

The following activity provides a concrete way to realize your responsibility before God. Set aside enough time to complete this activity in its entirety. Follow each step of this exercise as a guide.

Getting Quiet Before God

Read the following verse out loud. Then, spend several minutes in silence before the Lord, acknowledging his presence.

Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. After all, God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:2

Confessing God as All-Knowing

After several minutes of silence, offer this prayer to God. Pray with open hands facing upwards to symbolize you stand before God in complete openness.

Great God, “all my ways are before You” (Psalm 119:168). Your eyes “are in every place, observing the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). You look on “the ways of a man” and you see “his every step” (Job 34:21). You alone make “known to me the path of life” and only “You will fill me with joy in Your presence” (Psalm 16:11). In this moment, help me to sense your presence and understand what it means to be responsible and accountable to you. Amen!

Recognizing Your Place in God’s World

Find a place where you can look up into the sky or observe a beautiful view of nature. Reflect on how big God is: his power, his knowledge, his beauty, and his wisdom. Then, consider what it means to live in God’s world. Spend time reflecting on these two questions. Record any insights you have from this time of reflection.

Humbling Yourself Before God

After reflecting on what it means to live in God’s presence, humble yourself before God. Find a place where you can kneel before God. Then, pray this biblical passage to the Lord.

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O Lord. You hem me in behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea, even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:1–10

Living Life in God’s Presence

Think about what it means to live in God’s presence on a daily basis. Imagine what your life would look like if you had a constant awareness of being accountable and responsible to God.

Seeking God’s Help

Ask for God’s help to embrace a life of devotion and commitment to the Lord. After praying to God, use the following verse as a way to close your time with the Lord.

When I remember You on my bed, I think of You through the watches of the night. For You are my help; I will sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:6–8

Record Final Thoughts

After this spiritual practice, record any insights, questions, observations, or clarifications you gained during your time with the Lord.

Journal Reflection

Reflect on what it means to live your life as a servant accountable to God. Specifically, evaluate your present commitment to the Lord and express your desire for a life of wholehearted devotion.