| LESSON OBJECTIVE |
In this lesson, the children will discover that Jesus
is God's answer to our sin. They will learn that Jesus died on the
cross for us, and purchased our place in Heaven. Jesus got what he
did not deserve, to keep us from getting what we do deserve, that
is eternal death and separation from God.
|
| AS KIDS ARRIVE (15 minutes) |
Work Folders:
Have the children's work folders available as they arrive.
Finish the Story (Activity)
Click
here
After the children complete this activity, have them place
it in their folders.
|
| OPENING PRAYER AND PRAISES
(10 minutes) Further info? Click here |
After prayer, ask the class about their homework assignment. They
were to read Romans 5:6-11.
Discuss
the following question:
1. Why
would it be hard to die for a real "bad" person, someone
who sins against you? (you might consider them as your enemy, not worthy)
2. How did God demonstrate His love for us? (He sent His only
begotten son to die in our place, even though we were sinning against Him)
|
| MEMORY WORK (10 minutes) |
"But God demonstrates his own
love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans
5:8
Have all the kids sit in a
circle, and pick someone to start. That child will say the first part
of the verse. The child to his or her left (clockwise) must say the second
part of the verse, and the next child to the left say the reference.
Do this several times, challenging the kids to go faster and faster.
You may also want use a stopwatch to time their progress.
|
| CLASS EXERCISE (10 minutes ) |
Sin Gets Heavy (Object Talk)
Click here
|
| SCRIPTURE READING AND DISCUSSION
(15 minutes) |
Introduction:
Today, we will be reading a familiar passage from the Gospel of John.
It starts with an older man named Nicodemus asking Jesus a very important
question. The answer Jesus gives is a lesson for everyone about the
gift of Salvation.
Read John 3:1-21
(If possible, choose two good readers to read the parts of
Nicodemus and Jesus)
Discussion Questions:
1. Nicodemus called Jesus a teacher from God. Who is He really
according to these scriptures? (The son of man, verse 13; God’s
one and only son, verse 16; savior, verse 17; light, verse 19.)
2. What does it mean to be born again? (To enter into Heaven
requires a rebirth, something impossible for man, but possible for
God. To be born again means we become a new person spiritually,
a person forgiven of sin and involved in an intimate relationship with God.)
3. What is being born of the water and of the Spirit? How are they
different? (Being born of the water probably refers to the physical
birth, while being born of the Spirit refers to when we awaken to
God’s Spirit working in us.)
4. What does Jesus mean when he says, “The Son of Man must
be lifted up?” (He must be lifted upon the cross to die
for us, and when we turn our faith to him, we will be saved from
our sins.)
5. Read verses 16-18 again. What does it really mean to believe?
(It means to trust in Christ alone, and letting Him become the
Lord of your whole life. That means living a life in obedience to
His Word.)
6. How do you think Nicodemus came away from his conversation with
Jesus?
a. Totally confused
b. With a clear understanding
about being born again
c.
Convinced to trust and follow Jesus
d.
With more questions than answers
7. How about you?
|
| CLASS EXERCISE (10 minutes) |
Throw Away Your Sins (Game)
Click here
|
| CLOSING EXERCISE (10 minutes) |
Verse Worksheet 2 Click here [PDF]
Have the children take Verse Worksheet 2 from their folder, and have
them paraphrase the first three
verses (Isaiah 53:6; 1 Peter 2:24; and James 2:19).
The remainder will be completed at the end of lessons 2 and
3. When finished, have the kids place the worksheet in their folders
for next week.
|
| APPLICATION (10 minutes) |
| So far, we learned that no matter how hard we try, we will never
be good enough to get to Heaven on our own. Yet, it is a free gift.
We also learned that we are sinners. Sin is keeping us from having
a relationship with God in Heaven. God is a just God, and must punish
this sin, which is eternal death. However, God is also merciful. He
loves us and does not want to punish us.
Today, we discovered how God solved this by sending His only begotten
Son to die for us. Jesus was completely without sin. He got what
he did not deserve, to keep us from getting what we do deserve,
that is death.
The Grace of God can be described in this way (Write the following
acrostic on the board and encourage all the kids to copy it somewhere
on their folder.)
G –
od’s
R – iches
A – t
C – hrist’s
E – xpense |
|
In our next lesson, we will see how we can take hold of the Grace
of God and receive eternal life by putting our faith and trust
in Jesus.
For homework this week, I want everyone to read from the Gospel of
Matthew. Matthew 8: 23-27. It is a very familiar passage, but this
time I want you to read it several times, and think carefully about
what is going on. When we meet again for our next and final lesson
on Salvation, have an answer to the following questions:
1. Why did Jesus tell the disciples
they had little faith?
2. How is faith related to not being afraid? Afraid of what?
|
| CLOSING PRAYER (5 minutes)
Further info? Click here |
Prayer Box
Once again, have each child take one card out of the box. (If they
draw their own name, have them put it back and try again) Have a few
minutes of silent prayer, so each child can pray for the person on
their card. After praying, have them write their name on the back
of the card. Close the lesson with prayer.
Then return the card to the owner. Each card should have several names
on the back, so each child can see who had prayed for them during
the week.
|
| NEXT WEEK |
Encourage all the children to return next week, for the final and
most important lesson on Salvation.
|
| TAKE HOME PAGE |
Give one copy to each child at the end of the class to take home. Click here for NIV or KJV
|
