The King Ascends Lesson Aim: To honor Jesus final words and to look forward to His return.

Transcription

1 Leader s Guide: Ages Kings & Kingdoms Part 1: The Life of Jesus Unit 4, Lesson 22 THE WORSHIP Who God Is: The King Who Rose THE WORD What He Has Done: Jesus ascended into heaven. Scripture Focus: Acts 1:1-11 Key Verse: Acts 1:9 Christ Connection: Daniel 7:13-14 The King Ascends Lesson Aim: To honor Jesus final words and to look forward to His return. THE WAY The Big Question: How do you see the power of the Holy Spirit at work today? UNIT 4 FOCUS VERSE Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died more than that, who was raised to life is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Romans 8:34 Unit 4: The King Who Rose Bible Story What He Has Done Lesson Aim* 18 Jesus Is Risen, Mark 15:37-39, 46-47; 16:1-8; Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15: The Road to Emmaus, Luke 24:13-35; Matthew 18:20; 1 Corinthians 2: Jesus Talks with Peter, John 21: The Great Commission, Matthew 28:16-20; 22: The King Ascends, Acts 1:1-11 Jesus rose from the grave. Jesus appeared and explained who He is. Jesus asked Peter to care for His followers. Jesus sent His disciples to make disciples of all nations. Jesus ascended into heaven. To understand Jesus conquered sin and death when He rose from the grave. To understand who Jesus is and to recognize His presence. To be invited to receive Christ as Savior and challenged to care for believers. To explore effective ways to carry out the Great Commission today. To honor Jesus final words and to look forward to His return. LEADER S ENCOURAGEMENT This week, read Psalm 47:1-9. Please join us in praying, Jesus, we praise You as the King who rose to Your heavenly throne. Fill the students with the anticipation of Your return through the clouds. Amen. Lesson Aims are based on reflecting God s character as we participate in His actions to, for, and in the world. Take Home Elements: The Journal Entry, Action Card, and Family Discussion Card may be sent home to encourage students to reflect on the lesson. The Journal Entry is an in-depth personal study. The Action Card is a visual reminder of the Bible story, God s action, and how we can join into that action. The Family Discussion Card gives parents and guardians a way to engage their students in what they are learning. Leader s Tip: For larger gatherings, teach THE WELCOME, THE WORSHIP, and THE WORD in a large group setting and divide into small groups for discussion with THE WAY. Permission is granted to reproduce these materials. Not for resale. Use is subject to the Terms of Use available at ResourceWell.org. Terms are subject to change without notice. All other rights are reserved. Kings & Kingdoms Unit 4, Lesson 22 ~ Ages ~ Page 1 of 6

2 Getting started THE WELCOME Suggestions: Choose a game that focuses on concepts related to the lesson such as final words, clouds, or heaven. ACTIVITY OPTION 1: CLOUD SCULPTURES Purpose: To introduce the idea of Jesus rising through the clouds into heaven. Supplies: Large and small marshmallows, toothpicks Have you ever looked at the clouds and seen the shape of an animal, a face, or another object? You have 5 minutes to create your own cloud shape with marshmallows and toothpicks. Directions: 1. Divide the group into teams of 2 or 3 students. 2. Give each team some marshmallows and toothpicks. 3. On your signal, students create their own cloud sculpture by connecting large and small marshmallows with toothpicks. 4. When the time is up, give awards for the sculptures, such as Most Creative, Best Use of Toothpicks, Biggest, Best Detail, Most Original, Most Realistic, Funniest, Judge s Favorite, Crowd Favorite (Students vote for a winner), and Most Complicated. ACTIVITY OPTION 2: CLOUD RELAY Purpose: To introduce the idea of Jesus rising through the clouds into heaven. Supplies: Marshmallows Teacher Tip: If your space is small, consider using a small marshmallow or allowing students to only catch with one hand. Directions: 1. Have each student find a partner. Give each pair a marshmallow. 2. Have teammates stand at arm's length apart, facing each other, so that all the students form two facing lines. 3. Before beginning the game, let teams practice tossing their marshmallows to each other. 4. When you re ready to being, instruct all the teammates on your left to hold their team s marshmallow. 5. On your signal, the students with a marshmallow toss them to their partners. 6. If the marshmallow falls on the floor, both students are out. 7. Those that remain each take one large step back and toss it again. 8. Continue doing this until only one team remains. Kings & Kingdoms Unit 4, Lesson 22 ~ Ages ~ Page 2 of 6

3 The King who rose THE WORSHIP Note to Leader: The instructions below are suggestions only. Adapt this time of worship to suit your environment, resources, and cultural expression. Encourage students to broaden their view of corporate worship by including a variety of expressions such as group prayer, group praise, silent meditation, singing, listening to music, reading scripture, collecting an offering, drama, dance, visual arts, and/or a physical exploration of nature or neighborhoods. Ideas for Optional Visuals: Today, we worship God as the King who rose. Jesus rose from the dead after dying on the cross. Forty days later, He rose up through the clouds when He was taken into heaven. Jesus ascended to His throne in heaven. Read Unit 4 Focus Verse: Romans 8:34. Sing worship songs that focus on Jesus as the risen King who ascended into heaven. Read Psalm 47:5-7. Invite students to offer sentences of praise to God by completing the following sentence: Lord, we worship You for. Kings & Kingdoms Unit 4, Lesson 22 ~ Ages ~ Page 3 of 6

4 Jesus ascended into heaven THE WORD Presentation Note to Leader: Adapt this segment to your setting (Sunday School class, youth group, multi-age gathering, youth camp, retreat, etc.). In some settings, you may choose to have a student read the scripture aloud, and then have the leader, in his or her own words, briefly communicate the Teaching Points, the Christ Connection, and the Big Question. In other settings, a teacher, pastor, or other experienced speaker may present a lecture or extended message that includes those same elements. Ideas for Optional Visuals: You may choose to include an object lesson, video clip, drama, dance, song, or work of art to illustrate the teaching points. Option 1: Option 2: TEACHING POINTS Consider current culture and influences impacting your students, and adjust the teaching accordingly. Read the suggested scripture and communicate each of the points noted. The leader or a student reads Acts 1:1-11 aloud. Witnesses saw Jesus die and be buried. Then, over a period of forty days, Jesus appeared to people proving He had risen from the dead. In today s story, we see another key event witnessed by His disciples. Jesus was lifted up to heaven. All who follow Jesus are His witnesses. A witness is someone who tells others the truth about what they have seen. We, too, can be Jesus witnesses of what we read in the Bible and what we see in our life and the lives of others. Jesus told them to be witnesses in their city (Jerusalem), their region (Judea), the nearby region where people had a different faith (Samaria), and to the ends of the earth. Reread Acts 1:8b aloud and replace the words Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria with your local town, region, and a region with people who are considered very different from your own. Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the gift His Father promised, which they had heard Him speak about. That gift was the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would give them the power to be His witnesses. Matthew and Luke describe angels as men who suddenly appeared in clothes as bright white as lightning. Some scholars believe the two men who appeared in bright white clothing were angels. They said Jesus would return through the clouds. When the two men in white asked, Why do you stand here looking up into the sky? it is as if they are telling the disciples to get started on what Jesus told them to do. They were to trust He would return just as He ascended physically, with power and glory. Knowing Jesus will return encourages believers to continue following Jesus and inspires us to be His witnesses everywhere they go. The leader or a student reads 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 aloud. Kings & Kingdoms Unit 4, Lesson 22 ~ Ages ~ Page 4 of 6

5 THE WORD Presentation continued Connecting the Old Testament, the New Testament, and Us CHRIST CONNECTION In the whole story of God, what's the connection between this New Testament story and the Old Testament? Hundreds of years before Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about Jesus return, God gave Daniel a vision of what Jesus return would look like. The leader or a student reads Daniel 7: Daniel called Jesus the Son of Man and God the Father the Ancient of Days. He used words like sovereign, dominion, and authority to describe the almighty ruling power of King Jesus. In Acts 1, witnesses report they saw Jesus ascend to heaven. From his throne in heaven, He prays to God the Father for us. He will rule over heaven and earth until the day He returns. On that day, He will come through the clouds and return to gather up all who believe in Him and take them to heaven to be with Him forever. THE BIG QUESTION Introduce and elaborate on this question. Students will answer it in their discussion group. How do you see power of the Holy Spirit at work today? Kings & Kingdoms Unit 4, Lesson 22 ~ Ages ~ Page 5 of 6

6 Being His witnesses THE WAY Discussion GETTING STARTED Display and review the Discussion Group Covenant below: We will include everyone here, treating one another with respect and kindness. We will encourage everyone here to express their thoughts and opposing views. Every student shares his or her best experience or greatest challenge of the past week. READ IT AGAIN Read Acts 1:1-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 silently or aloud. What instructions did Jesus give to His followers? What did He promise would happen to them in a few days? What did the men in white explain? THE BIG QUESTION Invite students to share their answers. How do you see the power of the Holy Spirit at work today? TAKE ACTION Lead students in a discussion using the questions below. How do you think Jesus followers felt as they saw Him go up into the clouds? Why do you think, before Jesus told them they d be His witnesses, He promised they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit? If you had heard Jesus instruction to be His witnesses and then watched as He was lifted up to heaven, how might that have affected your life? How would you feel if you saw Jesus return from heaven today? Ask each student to complete this sentence: God calls us to be His witnesses SO THAT others might. PRAY Share prayer requests and answered prayers. Have students pray with partners, or have the whole group pray together. FINAL FIVE MINUTES When only 5 minutes remain, begin this segment. Give each student Action Card #22 and Journal Entry #22. Take home today s Action Card as a reminder of how we can join in what God is doing. Use the Journal Entry as your personal devotional study. Complete your Journal Entries at home and keep them together in a notebook or in your Bible. Optional: Provide parent or guardian with Family Discussion Card #22. Kings & Kingdoms Unit 4, Lesson 22 ~ Ages ~ Page 6 of 6

7 KINGS & KINGDOMS JOURNAL ENTRY #22 The King Ascends Acts 1:8b-11 WHAT DOES IT SAY? Pray!!! Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what He wants you to learn from this passage. Now read Acts 1:1-11; 1Thessaloninas 4:16-18; Daniel 7:13-14; Job 19:25, 27. What instructions did Jesus give to His followers? WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Acts 1:9 tells us Jesus was taken up or lifted up to heaven. Who do you think took Him there? Who do you think the men in white were? How do you think the disciples felt after Jesus left? WHAT CAN I DO? How might 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 encourage you and others? What did He promise would happen to them in a few days? List a few places where Jesus might want you to go and be His witness? What did the two men in white explain? List a few ways someone could be a witness to others that Jesus is his or her Lord and Savior. Who does Job tell us he will see after his physical death?

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