This is the fourth lesson from the Book of Ephesians. Students will discover that believers are called to a worthy walk. They will learn what a worthy walk of a believer looks like. The lesson is prepared with older students in mind.
Learning Goal: Students will learn from Ephesians 4 what makes a believer’s walk worthy before the Lord.
Bible Passage: Ephesians 4
Bible Story Title: A Worthy Walk
Target Age Group: Ages 9-11 (3rd-5th Grade U.S.A.)
Target Time Frame: 60 Minutes
Original Teaching Context: Sunday School
Supply List: Bibles, poster board/paper to create two paths, footprints symbolizing worthy walk/new walk and footprints for old walk). The New Walk paper should be in a vertical position. The old walk is horizontal. Connecting the two walks is a red construction paper cross. We are all on the Old Walk until we are saved.)
Learning Activity #1: Spiritual gift inventory. As students arrive they can work on a spiritual gift inventory to begin exploring how God has gifted them to serve in the Body of Christ. Discipleland has a great resource from their Level 4 curriculum and is free to access if you have the curriculum at your church. If you do not have access there are many online sources and here is a sample.
Memory Verse: Ephesians 4:1-2 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Bible Lesson: A Worthy Walk
Ephesians has taught us that believers are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph.3). (For our class I created a visual with the following statements and put a blank for the words that are underlined.) Reviewing what we have learned, help me complete the following statements:
- Believers have been chosen before the foundation of the world.
- Believers have redemption through Jesus’ blood, the forgiveness of sins.
- Believers have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.
- Believers are God’s workmanship created to do good works which God prepared in advance.
- Believers can do God’s work through the power of the Holy Spirit.
If you and I are believers these statements should affect the way we live our lives. Let’s turn in our Bibles to Ephesians 4 and read verse 1. Paul urges believers to live a life worthy of the calling they have received.
What does worthy mean? (Dictionary.com “deserving of, fit for”) Paul is urging believers to live a life that is fit for the high calling of being a believer in Christ. Believers have been bought with a high price with the death and shed blood of Jesus. (1 Cor. 6:19)
The five statements we just reviewed should affect what we believe and how we walk or live in our private and public life. Ephesians 4 tells us what a worthy walk of a believer looks like. To help us visualize a worthy walk we have the two paths of life, the righteous life and the wicked. We said that a believer is righteous because of their faith in Jesus. However, when a person becomes a follower of Jesus they still have two natures, the Spirit-filled righteous nature and the sinful wicked nature. Remind me again what a believer needs to do to live a Spirit-filled life and not live a sinful life? (Walk daily with the Lord Jesus having a personal quiet time, reading His Word, praying and obeying what He teaches.)
On the two paths we will put the brown footprints on the path of the wicked/sinful and the red footprints on the righteous Spirit-filled path. When we complete our study of Ephesians 4 we will clearly see steps of what a worthy walk that pleases God looks like.
Choose volunteers to read verses 2-6. What does Paul say are attitudes that a worthy walk includes? (Humble, gentle, patient, enduring love, pursues unity)
Paul tells us what unifies all believers in verses 4-6. What are the seven things that Paul says all believers should be unified or in agreement with? (One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all)
Let’s read verse 8. What did Jesus give to men (believers)? (Gifts) When you arrived we worked on a spiritual gifts survey to help you identify the areas that God has gifted you to serve.
Let’s read verses 11-14. Why does Paul tell us these spiritual gifts were given?
1-to prepare God’s people for works of service
2-for the Body of Christ may be built up until everyone reaches spiritual maturity
If you discovered what your spiritual gifts are who are you to use them for? They are to be used for God’s service not for your own desire for fame.
Read 15-16. How are believers to speak truth? (In love) A worthy walk for believers includes speaking the truth with love.
Ephesians 4:17-32 gives us the picture of how a worthy walk for a believer includes putting away things that are from the wicked path of life and putting on attitudes and actions that please God.
Read 17-24. What does Paul tell us we need to put off? (Old self) Why? (It is being corrupted by its deceitful desires) What are believers to put on? (New self) Why should believers have a different attitude? (We were created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness)
A worthy walk for believers includes a renewed mind with Christ-like attitudes. How do you think a believer is able to have a mind that is renewed with the right attitudes that please God? (Spending time daily in His Word and prayer)
Read 25-32. (Divide the class into two groups. One group looks for the things a believer is told to put off. The other looks for things in these verses that a believer is to put on.)
Put off: Lies, Stealing, Laziness, Filthy language (Unwholesome talk), bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander
Put on: Telling the truth, Wholesome conversation (That encourages and builds others up), Kindness, compassion, Forgiveness
As we look at the two walks or paths we can walk on the more we spend time growing in our relationship with Jesus our walk will be more like the righteous path and we will living a life worthy of the calling we have received through Jesus.
As we close, if you are a believer what things do you need to put off so that you can have a worthy walk that pleases God? If you are not a believer today you can leave the wicked path and join the righteous path. You must admit that you are a sinner, believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, was buried and rose again the third day and confess before others that Jesus is the Lord (Romans 10:9-10).
Close in prayer.