CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL |DATE: 22ND DECEMBER, 2024 | TOPIC: THE SUPREMACY OF CHRIST
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CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL
CENTRAL THOUGHT:
Christ is before all things and in
Him all things consist
DATE: 22ND DECEMBER, 2024
HYMN: S.S& S. 203. All Hail the power of Jesus Name
TOPIC: THE SUPREMACY OF CHRIST
TEXT: Col. 1:15-23; Deut.10:17
INTRODUCTION:
Supremacy means holding the first place, having pre-eminence over everything. It is a state of having ultimate authority especially a position of unquestioned authority, dominance or influence. Supremacy
also means that which is above or over others, greatest in power,
authority or rank.
Therefore, the supremacy of Christ connotes that Christ is the only one who is qualified to occupy the first place in our lives. He has redeemed us with His precious blood through
the death on the Cross. We ought to give Him the pre-eminence in our lives for all He has accomplished for us. In this study, we shall be examining how
our understanding of Christ’s supremacy gives us a more accurate view of Him.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this lesson are to:
- explain the meaning of supremacy and what is meant by the supremacy of Christ;
- discuss why Christ has the right to be supreme in the lives of believers.
3.examine the possibility of Christ being present in our lives but not
supreme; - examine why Christ does not always occupy first place in the lives of some believers; and
- discuss what our response to Christ’s supremacy should be.
BIBLE TRUTH:
Q. la WHAT DOES THE WORD “SUPREMACY” MEAN?
Supremacy is the state of having
ultimate authority especially a
position of unquestioned authority, dominance or influence. Supremacy also means that which is above or over others, greatest in power, authority or rank, holding the first place
Q. 1b WHAT DO WE MEAN BY SUPREMACY OF CHRIST?
The supremacy of Christ simply
means recognizing ising and acknowledging Christ as the one who occupies the first place, has ultimate authority especially a position of unquestioned authority, dominance or influence over and above all others. He is the greatest in power, authority or rank and He controls all. It is by
Christ that all things were created, both in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, be they thrones or dominion or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him.
Christ has been before all things and all things hold together in Him. He is the head of the body the Church. He is the beginning. the first born from the dead, that in everything He might have the pre-eminence. ( Col. 1:16-18)
Q.2 WHY DOES CHRIST HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE SUPREME IN OUR LIVES?
Christ has the right to be supreme
in our lives for so many reasons.
Some of these reasons are discussed below:
- He made all things and us:
Col. 1:16; Prov. 16:4; Isa. 43:7
By Christ all things were created and He is over all things whether in heaven or on earth. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein'” (Ps. 24:1). We are part of His creation. He has formed and made us for a purpose which is to show forth His glory. - He redeemed us: Col. 1:12-14;
1Cor. 6:20; 1Pet. 1:18-19
He delivered us from the domain of darkness and brought us into His kingdom. Christ redeemed us and has forgiven us our sins through His precious blood shed on the Cross which, was at a great price. We are now called the children of God. Therefore Christ has the right of supremacy in our lives - God has given Him supremacy: John S:23; Col.1:15-20
Christ is the express image of the
invisible God. Christ is the first born of every creature. By Him all things were created, those in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. All things were created by Him and for Him, Christ is before all things, the head of the body, the church and in Him all
things hold together. “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name”, (Phil. 2:9).
God has commanded that all men
should honour Christ, the Son as they honour the Father. Anyone who does not honour the Son does not honour God who sent Him.
Let the class mention others
Q.3a IS IT POSSIBLE FOR CHRIST TO BE PRESENT IN OUR LIVES AND NOT BE SUPREME? DISCUSS
It may be possible for Christ to be
present in the lives of some believers and not be honoured as Supreme. However, such presence will be short-lived. Initially, some believers might have given Christ the first position in their lives but when they are faced with challenges, cares and pleasures of this world they relegate Christ to
the back stage of their lives. This
may just be the beginning of driving Christ out of their lives. It is either Christ is present in our lives and has the supremacy or He is no longer present at all. Christ rightly deserves the first place in our lives. As soon as we push Him aside, He leaves. Therefore, for Christ to be present in our lives He must be accepted as supreme.
Q.3b WHY DOES CHRIST NOT ALWAYS OCCUPY FIRST PLACE IN THE LIVES OF SOME BELIEVERS?
(Luke 9: 59, 61: 3 John :9; Matt.10:37; Luke 18:23)
Some believers do not give room for Christ to always occupy first place in their lives. This is because of many encumbrances. These tend to take the attention of such believers away from Christ and make them to always focus on whatever challenges they may be confronted with at any given point in time. Some may want their
family ties and family responsibilities in the form of care for family members to take pre-eminence in their lives over total allegiance to Christ. As long as we give Christ the first place in our lives, He is able to fix all other things for us. This is because
whatever we commit to Him, HE able to keep even to the uttermost without exception.
Another reason may be that some
believers love to have the pre-eminence and vain glory rather than allowing Christ to take pre-eminence in their lives. Some may give their riches the first place in their lives such that they do not have any room for Christ.
None of these nor any other reason should prevent believers from making Christ’s presence supreme in their lives.
Q.4 WHAT SHOULD BE OUR RESPONSE TO CHRIST’S SUPREMACY?
The supremacy of Christ has been
established all through the scriptures. Therefore, we must acknowledge this eternal ruth. The realization of this would require response on our part. Our response should include the
following:
a) Supreme love of His Person:
John 21:15: Matt. 22:37-38
We must love Christ more than any other thing the world affords and presents to us. We ought to love the Lord with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind. Simply put, our love for Christ should be above our love for any other thing or being. “We love Him, because He frst loved
us” (1 John 4:19).
b) Unquestioned obedience to His commands: John 14:15; John 2:5; Acts 9:6
An unquestionable obedience to Christ’s commands is an evidence that we acknowledge His Supremacy in our lives. He expressly instructed that if we love Him, we must keep His
commandment. Mary, the mother
of Jesus also reiterated this to the
servants at the marriage in Cana of
Galilee when she told them
“Whatsoever he saith unto you do
it”.(John 2:5).
Saul [Paul the Apostle] responded
to Christ’s love during his encounter with Christ on his way to Damascus which finally led to his conversion. Saul immediately responded by asking “Lord, what wilt thou have ne to do? (Acts9:6). As we can see from the scriptures, Paul obeyed all the Lord mandated him to do even to
the minutest detail.
c) Complete submission to His will: Matt. 26:39, 42, 44; Luke 22:42
Another way we should respond to the supremacy of Christ is complete submission to His will for our lives at any point in time.
Christ exemplified this during His
time of agony before His crucifixion. Even when He was carrying the burden of the sins of the whole world. despite the sorrow and the weight. Christ kept praying to the Father not my will, but let Thy will be done. This
should be the attitude of every
believer to our Lord Jesus Christ to whom the Father has committed all things..
d) Endure hardship: 2Cor.l1:22-33: 2 Tim. 2:3.)
Hardship is one essential feature which must be seen in the life of
believers who are completely sold out to Christ. The world’s system and standards are at variance with the standards of the Kingdom of God and of His Christ. If we must live by kingdom standards and for Christ to take pre-eminence in our lives, we should be ready to face persecutions, oppositions and hardship. Therefore, enduring hardship as good soldier of Christ must be a way to respond to the supremacy of Christ
LIVING DALY APPLICATION
The supremacy of Christ is neither
in doubt nor questionable. AlI through the Scriptures we have seen all that God did to establish this eternal truth of Christ’s supremacy. Christ is the express image of the invisible God. Christ is the firstbom over all creation.
In Him all things were created, through Him and for him. He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.
The more fully we understand the
depth of His love, the more we are
able to honour Him as Our
supreme Lord.
MEMORY VERSE: Col. 1:16 ESV
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things were created through him and for him”
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE:
MON:Reflect on Col.1 :16-18.
TUES:Created for His Glory.Prov. 16:4; Isa.43:7.
WED:Redeemed with the precious Blood of Christ.Col.1:12-14: 1Pet.I:18-19.
THU:Christ is before all things.Col.1:15-20.
FRI:Commanded that all men should honour the Son. John.5:23.
SAT:Our response to Christ’s Supremacy. Matt. 22:3 7-38;
John. 14:15; Lk.22:42:2 Tim.2:3.
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