Parent Connection - 1.31.2021

Objective: Students will learn the dangers of self-righteousness and will choose to turn away from the desire to impress God with their religious performance.

Key Scripture: Luke 18:14b

Key Thought: The way up is down.

Summary:

Sunday's lesson is the second of a four-part series on the topic of sin. Our series is called “Nailed: The Death of Sin.” We talked about how self-righteousness is an offensive stench and if we are not careful our lives can reek with pride. 

Just as your teen may go “nose blind” (become desensitized) to the odors of their gym clothes or armpits, so any sinner can go “nose blind” to the spiritual odors of pride. The Bible calls this smell “self-righteousness.” Interestingly, those who struggle with it the most are usually the last to realize it. 

We made it our aim today to recognize the terrible smells of self-righteous pride and how to get rid of it. We also sought to create a desire for heart-level change (humility). As you follow up with your student, consider asking about some of the ways they’ve learned self-righteous pride creeps up in our lives and what they can do to get rid of their spiritual odor. 

While it can be good and healthy for your teen to take pride in his or her work (doing their best) or to have pride in others, beware of the temptation to take pride in themselves. This is a big struggle for teens, but also for parents. To foster humility in your home and kill self-righteous pride, try practicing two spiritual exercises this week: 1) Confess your faults to one another and seek forgiveness when merited. 2) Try giving thanks and not complaining about others’ faults for at least one hour. 

At the end of the lesson, we challenged your student to volunteer to be the person who takes the trash out of the house for the next month. They were encouraged to spend time talking to God about self-righteousness every time they collect the trash. If guilty of self-righteousness, they were challenged to spend time confessing. As the trash is thrown away, they are to remind themselves that self-righteousness is no better than what is being thrown away. Finally, your teen was encouraged to thank God for the righteousness of Jesus Christ that was applied to their lives by trusting Christ as Savior.