In this Sunday school 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.
TOPICS
Salvation, Baptisim, Faith, Grace, Believing, Heaven, Sin
AS KIDS ARRIVE (10 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 PRAISE (5 minutes)
Further info? Click here
After prayer, ask the class about their homework assignment. They were to read Romans 5:6-11.
Discussion Questions:
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 (12 minutes)
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 NIV
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 CLASS 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 (4 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?
NEXT WEEK
Encourage all the children to return next week, for the final and most important lesson on Salvation.
CLOSING PRAYER (2 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.
TAKE HOME PAGE
Give one copy to each child at the end of the class to take home. Click here for NIV or KJV [PDF]