1. LEADER PREPARATION

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1 apologetics: Jesus christ Lesson 4: Sin and Salvation This includes: 1. Leader Preparation 2. Lesson Guide 1. LEADER PREPARATION LESSON OVERVIEW This lesson will engage your students in a conversation about the reality of sin and how sin affects relationship with God. We ll also examine the great lengths God went to so humanity had an opportunity to experience salvation, forgiveness, and a restored relationship with God. We must understand the lengths God went to for our sins to be forgiven including having Jesus take the punishment for sins he never committed. LESSON OBJECTIVES 1. WHAT: Jesus death on the cross frees us from the debt that we owe because of our sin if we accept that free gift. 2. WHY: For teenagers to understand what sets Christianity apart from every other religion or worldview, they must learn what Christianity teaches about salvation and how only the sacrifice of Jesus is sufficient for the forgiveness of sin. 3. HOW: Students will discuss the reality of sin, what Jesus did on the cross and what that meant for our sin, and where they stand in relation to a holy God. PRIMARY SCRIPTURE 1 John 1:5 2:2 SECONDARY SCRIPTUREs Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, 22-24; Isaiah 53:6; Matthew 5:21-22; John 1:10-13; Romans 1:29-32; 3:23; 5:6-11; 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 2:1-3, 8-10; Hebrews 10:1-18; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 3:4, 15 TEACHING PREP The overview below is designed to help you prepare for your lesson. We have included lots of content to help you prepare for the discussion on apologetics. While you may not want to convey this information word-for-word with your teenagers, you ll definitely want to refer to it as you lead and some of the content can help with further conversations with students.

2 Read 1 John 1:5 2:2. Any study of sin must cover a wide range of Scripture passages, going all the way back to Genesis where we see Adam and Eve in unique fellowship with God. This relationship continued uninterrupted until the fall of man and the entrance of sin into the world. This fateful event in human history separated us from God. However, God is a loving God who wanted his creation to be in relationship with him. God instituted the Mosaic Law, which was observed by the Israelites. This first covenant established through Moses could not be put into effect without the shedding of blood. The Mosaic Law included festivals and offerings to God, all designed to provide an opportunity to correctly worship God. One such event was the Day of Atonement, when blood would be spilled on the Mercy Seat, the plate of gold that covered the Ark of the Covenant. Year after year the people of God would worship in this fashion, but this sacrifice was not sufficient to cleanse the people of their sin. Only a divine sacrifice provided by God could accomplish this. That s why Jesus came to this world, to be with us and to pay the price for our sins and for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). When Jesus was crucified, his spilled blood became the holy and divine sacrifice needed to cleanse humanity of sins and give us the righteousness that would allow us to be in relationship and fellowship with God. The writer of Hebrews articulates this very well by contrasting the Old and New covenants: Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 9:13-14). The writer then goes on to tell us that Christ s sacrifice is sufficient for us once and for all (Hebrews 10:10). As we enter into this New Covenant relationship and accept the work of Christ as our ransom (or atonement), we are able to experience relationship with God as was first intended with Adam and Eve. This sinful world still attempts to interfere with this relationship, but the hope that is in Christ because of his resurrection points us to a day when we will have that uninterrupted fellowship once again. We can be sure of our salvation because the work of Christ is final and he did not lay his life down so that we would be able to earn his love by our good works. Scripture says that

3 those who are in Christ (have been redeemed by the blood of Christ) have been sealed by the promised Holy Spirit, and this seal means we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). THE BEFORE & AFTER [optional] Text Message Questions We ve provided a couple of different text message questions to send out to your students prior to your meeting. Feel free to use one or both of the questions below. As with the rest of the curriculum, edit these questions to fit the needs of your ministry. Parent What would be different if Jesus didn t die on the cross? Join us tonight and share your answers! What s your personal definition of sin? Be prepared to share your thoughts when the group meets this week. We ve provided you with an below that you can send to parents following the lesson. Our hope is to encourage parents to continue the conversation at home. Feel free to edit and customize the to fit your ministry needs. Dear parents, We ve wrapped up our four-lesson apologetics series focused on understanding Jesus foundational topics that will help teenagers as they explain and defend their faith in Christ. In this final conversation, we had a vibrant discussion on sin. As our students are preparing to learn about other worldviews and religions, it is imperative that they understand why Jesus death is one of the truths that set Christianity apart from every other religion.

4 Your teenager may have more questions or may just need to process some of the material we talked about. We covered a lot of ground and saw how the ways of dealing with sin in the Old Testament preceded God s ultimate act of sending Jesus Christ to die on our behalf and pay the penalty of sin. Here are some questions you might want to ask your teenager this week: What are some similarities and differences between a broken friendship and our broken relationship with God? Why is it important to confess our sins, even if we re already followers of Jesus? How is your life different because of what Jesus did on the cross? How would things be different if he hadn t made that sacrifice? If you have any questions about our lesson or any upcoming topics, please give me a call. I look forward to answering your questions! Have an amazing week!

5 apologetics: jesus christ Lesson 4: Sin and Salvation 2. LEsson guide GETTING THINGS STARTED [optional] Preview a video clip from the movie Catch Me If You Can. You will need a video player and copy of the movie, or an Internet connection and a computer or tablet to display the video for your participants. Begin the clip at 2:01:15, as Frank Abegnale Jr. approaches his mother s house. Stop the clip at 2:03:57, as the Christmas song ends. Welcome your students and invite them into your meeting area. Open in prayer, and then SAY SOMETHING LIKE: In the movie Catch Me If You Can, con artist Frank Abegnale Jr. sends the FBI on a worldwide chase as they pursue him for countless fraud charges. In this scene Frank is finally arrested, and as he begins to serve his prison term, we hear his sentence. Play the clip for your students, and then You ve probably never been arrested by the FBI after being chased around the world, but think of a time you faced punishment for something you did. What was that like? What would you have willingly done to avoid the punishment? How would you have felt if someone else volunteered to take the punishment that you knew you deserved? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: God s standard for humanity is holiness. To be in relationship with a holy God, we must be holy and without sin. But that isn t possible for any of us because we have already sinned. If God loves us and he is holy and we must be holy in order to be in relationship with him, then we must understand the lengths God went to for our sins to be forgiven including having Jesus take the punishment for sins he never committed.

6 TEACHING POINTS The goal of the Teaching Points is to help students capture the essence of each lesson with more discussion and less lecture-style teaching. The main points we have chosen are (1) What is sin?, (2) How has sin impacted us?, and (3) How did Jesus deal with sin? Remember: All throughout these lessons, it s up to you to choose (1) how many questions you use, and (2) the wording of the main points keep ours, or change the wording to make it clearer for your audience. Read 1 John 1:5 2:2 together as a group. Consider dividing verses among your students so everyone has a chance to read. SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Let s see what we can learn about sin and salvation from this passage and other portions of Scripture. 1. What is sin? Tell us your personal definition of sin and how you came up with your definition. The Apostle John wrote this letter to people who were followers of Jesus, not non-christians, so how is it possible for a Christian to claim to have no sin? Look at 1 John 1:9. What is significant about the two things that happen to us when we confess our sin? What does confession look like for you? To whom can you confess your sins? Why is it important to confess our sins, even if we re already followers of Jesus? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Put plainly, sin is missing the mark that God intended for us. Humanity was created to have fellowship with God, but sin broke that relationship with God. Sin is more than cheating, lying, or being sexually immoral. These and other actions are results of an attitude of sin. It has been said that sin is doing what we want instead of what God wants. In this passage, John talks about confession, the

7 act of verbally acknowledging that we have sinned. When we confess our sins to God, we are recognizing that we have wronged God. Confession is agreeing that what we did was sin or rebellion toward God. Read Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7, and 3: You may be familiar with these passages of Scripture, but what do they reveal about how sin entered the story of humanity? What is significant about the punishment God handed Adam and Eve, and how does that punishment impact us today? Our sin can be categorized in different ways. Read these verses: Matthew 5:21-22, Romans 1:29-32, 1 John 3:4, and 1 John 3:15. How have you seen these verses play out in your life? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Humanity was created without sin, morally inclined to do good, and in perfect, right standing with God. But because of this act of disobedience by Adam and Eve, sin entered into the human experience. The Bible teaches that because God established Adam as the head and beginning of the entire human race his sin affected all future generations. Every one of Adam s descendants is marked with this sentence, and out of our sinful nature come our disobedient actions. 2. How has sin impacted us? Think about a time you experienced a broken friendship. You don t have to share all the details, but what was that experience like? Read Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, and Ephesians 2:1-3. How are physical death and spiritual death similar? How are they different? What are some similarities and differences between a broken friendship and our broken relationship with God? Is God s response to our sin fair or just? Why or why not? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: The Bible tells us that because of our sin, we have earned the punishment of spiritual death. Just as physical death is separation from physical life, spiritual death is separation from life with God. The law that God instituted in the Old Testament book of Leviticus required that a price be paid for our sin, and that payment involved the spilling of blood. Under the Old Covenant, animals were

8 sacrificed, and when their blood was spilled God s wrath was satisfied. But the next time people sinned, they were right back where they started separated from God, and another sacrifice was required. Something had to be done to deal with our sin once and for all. 3. How did Jesus deal with sin? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: God is not the author of sin, but his plan for our redemption includes dealing with the reality of sin. Jesus is the only one who could deal with our sin and bring us back into relationship with God. Atonement is the way God restores a right relationship between himself and humanity. In Old Testament times God understood that his chosen people, the nation of Israel, were helpless to pay the penalty for the grievous sins they committed against him. He gave them a means of reconciliation through Old Testament covenant law. This system was based upon animal sacrifices where the death or blood of an animal was accepted by God as a substitute for the death the sinner deserved. But Jesus changed the system. We talked a few minutes ago about our experiences with broken friendships. What was it like to having that friendship restored? Or if you never experienced restoration, how did that affect you? Read Hebrews 10:1-18. What are some of the reasons referenced in this passage that the old law the old way of dealing with sin was insufficient? What are some of the reasons the New Covenant is more desirable, according to these verses? Read Romans 5:6-11. What s the most loving sacrifice you ve ever made for another person, and how is that similar to how God displayed his love for us? Read Isaiah 53:6, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 3:13, and 1 Peter 3:18. What do these verses say about what happened at the cross and how Jesus sacrifice frees us from the condemnation we deserve? Read Ephesians 2:8-10. Which word in this passage do you find most profound or meaningful, and why? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Jesus came to fulfill the work of salvation on the cross, and to give his life for each of us. God laid on him all of our sins, yet Jesus because of his great love for us gave himself up for us. His sacrifice means that anyone who believes in him can receive redemption and can be saved from God s condemnation. The relationship with God can be restored. Developing an understanding of

9 salvation the work that Jesus did for us is essential in developing your Jesuscentered worldview. Understanding this truth will help you when you talk with people of other religions or worldviews. ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION [optional] Ask students to form groups of two or three for these questions. Read John 1: Why does God require that we choose if we will believe in Jesus and follow him? Why not force us to accept the gift of salvation through Jesus? If the gift of salvation is a gift given to anyone who receives it, why do some people refuse this gift of eternal life? What about people who try to reach God through living a good, moral life? Are they separated from God? Why or why not? Bring everyone back together, and ask some students to share their answers to the previous questions, as time permits. SAY SOMETHING LIKE: A religiously inclusive person might say, Christians are so arrogant because they claim to have the only way! The argument seems to claim that all religions except Christianity believe that all roads lead to heaven and that Christians need to get with the times. Our topic today is an important piece in understanding why Christianity is different from any other religion and how the way Jesus dealt with our sin sets Christianity apart from every other religion or worldview. APPLICATION If you were standing before God and he asked you, Why should I let you into heaven? what would you say? Why? How is your life different because of what Jesus did on the cross? How would things be different if he hadn t made that sacrifice? How can today s conversation help you as talk with people of other religions or worldviews?

10 SUMMARY End your lesson here. Provide your teenagers with a quick summary or take-home challenge based on (1) the content of this lesson, (2) the dialogue that took place during the lesson, (3) your understanding of the issues and struggles your teenagers are facing, and (4) the big picture of your youth ministry and what your leadership team wants accomplished with the teaching and discussion time. FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE] Encourage and/or challenge your teenagers to memorize the passage below. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins and not only our sins but the sins of all the world (1 John 2:1-2).