YouTube Discussions

Becoming God’s Masterpiece

May 18, 2012

Main Point: God’s purpose for our lives is not to just save us, but to have us become like His Son, Jesus, a true masterpiece.

Discussion Starter:
The Skit Guys are well known in youth ministry circles. Tommy and Eddie are not only best friends, but also partners in the Gospel. They travel the world and teach about God’s love and His call through the power of drama. More often than not, they are side-splitting funny. Occasionally, though, they go in a serious direction, as in the case of God’s Masterpiece.

This is one of their classic bits, but it’s been lengthened by a few minutes with some additional material. Take a look as Tommy asks God (played by Eddie) to make him into His masterpiece. Though it’s intended to be serious, and make a powerful point, the two of them can’t help but build in some humor.

The Clip: You can watch it online at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QCkBL2DfVg&feature=youtu.be

Transitional Statement:
I like just about anything from The Skit Guys, and now you know why. They not only make me laugh occasionally, but they make me think about God in my life. I hope you got the big idea from their little drama: it’s not easy to have God chisel you into His masterpiece, but it’s always going to be worth the pain and sacrifice. In fact, unless we go through that procedure, we miss out on God’s purpose for our lives, which is to become like His perfect Son Jesus, a true masterpiece. Let’s talk about some specific ways we can do that.

Divide into Small Groups:
Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

AROUND THE CIRCLE: As we get started, let’s all take a second to share our names and our favorite piece of art.

ASK A FEW: How painful do you think it would be if God literally used a chisel to make us the way He wants us?

ASK A FEW: What did the God Character say He was trying to chisel Tommy into the image of? (Leaders – He said He was trying to make Tommy into the image of Jesus, His Son. That’s what the masterpiece is.)

ASK A FEW: Tommy said that the more he looks like Jesus, the more people become uncomfortable around him, including his church friends. Does that happen to you? Why?

ASK A FEW: When the God Character started chiseling on Tommy, He pointed out a few things like lust, anger, laziness, lying, etc. Do you struggle with any of those?

ASK A FEW: The God Character said that becoming God’s masterpiece isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon, meaning it’s a lifelong process. That’s true, but why doesn’t God just “fix” us all at once instead of working on us for a lifetime?

ASK A FEW: Why do you think God wants us to look like Jesus in the first place?

Read the following passage:

Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. 2 You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God’s anger just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, 5 that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms– all because we are one with Christ Jesus. 7 And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

ASK A FEW: In this passage, the Apostle Paul talks about the old life. In what ways does he describe it?

ASK A FEW: How does Paul say God saved us from that life? (Leaders – God saved us through Jesus.)

ASK A FEW: Now that we’ve read this passage, let me ask you the same question I asked you a moment ago: Why does God want us to look like Jesus in the first place? (Hint: The answer is in verse 10.)

ASK A FEW: Think about a “masterpiece” for a moment. What is a masterpiece?

ASK A FEW: Do you think that any of us can become God’s masterpiece, or is it reserved for the best and brightest among us? Why?

ASK A FEW: In the skit, the God Character said, “Through my Holy Spirit, I’m going to bring up some things for you to work on.” What do you need to be working on in order to become God’s masterpiece?

ASK A FEW: Tommy accuses the God Character of not understanding him. Do you really think that God understands our troubles and sorrows? Why or why not?

ASK A FEW: What are some of the things that’s holding you back from becoming God’s masterpiece?

AROUND THE CIRCLE: What steps will you take immediately, to let God start chiseling away on you?

Wrap Up:
I really liked the message behind that clip from The Skit Guys. It taught us that ALL of us can become God’s masterpiece if we simply allow Him to continually work in our lives.

You see, so many of us think that once God saves us from our sin through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave, He’s done changing us. The truth is, He’s only just getting started. After God saves us, He wants to change the way we talk, the way we think, the way we believe, the way we live, and so on. For Him to be able to do that, we have to let Him “chisel” on us, so to speak.

So, do you want to talk or chisel? Talk or chisel? Talk or chisel?

I hope you choose to let God chisel on you. Yes, it’s gonna hurt. You’re gonna lose some friends. It’s gonna cost you time, money, energy, love, and tears. I promise you, it won’t be easy. But I promise you it will be worth it.

In the end, if we let God have His way with us, we will look like Jesus, God’s Masterpiece. That’s right! We get to look like Jesus; we get to look like a masterpiece! We get to serve God and make Him look good through our lives. That’s because when we look good, it makes God look good.

I hope you will not just pray about becoming God’s masterpiece, but that you will let God form you into His masterpiece. If you are afraid of how hard and costly that’s gonna be, you’re in good company. The adult leaders in the room can tell you how difficult it is to become God’s masterpiece, but they can also tell you how important it is to become God’s masterpiece.

But the best thing is, they will tell you that you are not alone. We can – and should – do this together. We can pray together, lift one another up, help each other, and support one another. I’m going to close us in prayer, asking God to help us become His masterpiece. If you want to talk more about this, just hang around and talk with one of our leaders.

Close in Prayer

Written by David R Smith