Staying Humble—Genuine Humility

Jesus lavishly and unconditionally loves us. He does this for our benefit, but also for the benefit of others. As we live out the Four Acts of Love, we find that other people are drawn to Jesus, too. This lesson will focus on the third act of love: practicing genuine humility. Teenagers will explore what this kind of humility is all about and how it impacts the lives of those around them.

Lesson Objectives

1. WHAT: Because of Jesus’ incredible love for us, we can choose to pursue and practice genuine humility.
2. WHY: Teenagers can discover how staying humble draws them closer to Jesus and helps them impact other people’s lives.
3. HOW: Students will explore how to practice humility as they make room for Jesus and his life-changing work.

Primary Scripture: Matthew 23:1-12

Secondary Scriptures: Romans 12:1-3

1. Be honest about your strengths

Tell us three things you can do well—and then tell us which of those three is your greatest strength.

What’s the difference between being honest about your strengths and bragging about them?

When have you exaggerated your strengths—or told others you have certain abilities that you don’t really have?

How do you draw closer to Jesus when you think about the skills, abilities, and strengths that God has given you?

Look at verse 11—how can you use your strengths to serve others?

Some of us think we’re better than we really are—and some of us don’t think we’re as good as we really are. Maybe it sounds weird to talk about our strengths in a lesson about humility, but we aren’t truly humble if we pretend that God hasn’t given us skills, talents, and abilities. The key is to ask for Jesus’ help in not becoming arrogant or proud about our strengths.

2. Be honest about your weaknesses

Based on Jesus’ words in these verses, what are some weaknesses that the religious leaders had?

As you follow Jesus, what’s the danger of not recognizing your areas of weakness?

How do your weaknesses draw you closer to Jesus?

We all have strengths—but we also all have weaknesses. We sometimes try to hide our weaknesses, or pretend they don’t exist. Jesus knows you have weaknesses, and he knows exactly what they are. And guess what? He still absolutely, totally loves you. Humility involves admitting what we can and can’t do—and we can turn to Jesus for help with our weaknesses.

3. Be honest about other people

If we’re being real, it can be tough to see the value in every person. Some people challenge us, annoy us, or anger us. Despite all that, we need to remember that God created every person in this world, just like God created you and me. As an act of love, we can choose to not see other people as better than us—and we can choose to not see ourselves as better than other people.

What’s the danger of seeing other people as better than you—or seeing yourself as better than other people?

What’s so crazy about what Jesus says in verse 12?

How does serving people help you have a more Christ-like attitude toward others?

BGroup Questions

1. Don’t mention any names, but when have you seen people display “fake humility”? How is that different from genuine humility?
2. What are some specific ways you can humbly serve other people this next week?
3. How do you want Jesus to help you lead a life of humility?

TAKE ACTION: Memorize this Scripture this week! “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12).

**Leaders, leave 3-5 minutes for prayer at the end of your group time.