Finally, why were they here? John went before Jesus and rejoiced with Him. (John 3:28-29) Jesus came to give eternal life.

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1 Leader BIBLE STUDY Use Week of: Following His encounter with Nicodemus, Jesus went with His disciples into the countryside of Judea. Jesus oversaw His disciples as they baptized people. (Jesus Himself did not baptize. See John 4:2.) At the same time, people came to John, and he was baptizing them. These baptisms were an outward sign of cleansing for people who had repented from their sins. 2 Some of John s disciples came to John. They had noticed that the man John had reluctantly baptized was now baptizing others. Perhaps they felt the need to defend John s ministry, but John explained the purpose God had for his life. John had been chosen by God long before he was born to be a forerunner one who prepares the way. (See Mal. 3:1; Isa. 40:3.) John the Baptist understood who he was and who Jesus is. Consider these comparisons as John explained that Jesus was greater than John. First, who were they? John was clear: I am not the Messiah (John 3:28). John was not the bridegroom, but the groom s friend. Jesus is the bridegroom. (John 3:29) Where did they come from? John was from the earth, and he belonged to the earth. Jesus comes from above and is above all. (John 3:31) Next, what did they do? John said, He must increase, but I must decrease. As the predecessor, John was a witness to the Light. (John 1:7-8) He was a voice in the wilderness, and Jesus is the Word. (John 1:14,23) John baptized with water, but Jesus baptized with the Spirit. (John 1:33) Finally, why were they here? John went before Jesus and rejoiced with Him. (John 3:28-29) Jesus came to give eternal life. (John 3:36) In the scope of God s plan of salvation, it was time for John to step aside for Jesus to do His work on earth. Jesus earthly ministry had begun, and He would obediently do God s will to bring salvation to sinners. 18 Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 25 Session LifeWay 1

2 Preschool BIBLE STUDY OVERVIEW Session Title: Jesus and John the Baptist Bible Passage: John 3:22-36 Big Picture Question: Where did Jesus come from? Jesus came from heaven. Key Passage: John 3:16 Unit Christ Connection: Jesus was revealed as the fulfillment of Scripture, the promised Savior. U N I T 25 2 Small Group Opening (15 20 minutes) Large Group Bible Study (10 15 minutes) Small Group Activities (20 25 minutes) Snack and Transition (20 minutes) Jesus Early Ministry LifeWay 2

3 The BIBLE STORY Jesus and John the Baptist John 3:22-36 Jesus and His friends, the disciples, left the city of Jerusalem. Jesus spent time with His friends in the countryside. People came to see them, and Jesus taught the people about God. Many people were baptized. John the Baptist was nearby. He was baptizing people too! John had people who followed him around and learned from him. These people started to argue. They had a question for John. Teacher, they said, remember the man you talked about, the One who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River? He is baptizing people, and people are starting to follow Him. John s followers were talking about Jesus. John answered them, A person can only have what God gives him. I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am the messenger who goes before the Messiah to announce that He is coming. It was good that people were being baptized and following Jesus. That s what they were supposed to do! Jesus is the Messiah God promised. John told his followers to think about a wedding. When two people get married, the man who married the bride is called the groom. His friend stands with him at the wedding, and the friend is happy to be there and to hear the groom s voice. This was how John felt like a groom s friend and Jesus was the groom. John was happy that Jesus, the Messiah, had come. John also knew that a wedding is the groom s special day. The groom s friend should not make it about himself. John said, Jesus must become greater, and I must become less. But why was Jesus more important than John? Well, John was from the earth, and he could only tell people about things on earth. Jesus came to earth from heaven, and He could talk about things in heaven because He had seen them! John said, God sent Jesus to earth, and Jesus speaks God s words. 20 Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 25 Session LifeWay 3

4 Everything Jesus says is true because God always tells the truth. Then John said, God the Father loves His Son, Jesus. He has given Jesus power over everything. Whoever believes in Jesus will live forever with God in heaven, but whoever does not believe in Jesus will not live forever. Christ Connection: God gave John the Baptist a special job. John told people, Get ready for Jesus! Jesus is coming! God sent Jesus to earth from heaven. When Jesus was older, He went out to teach people about God. Jesus was here, and John s job was finished. Jesus Early Ministry LifeWay 4

5 Small Group OPENING Session Title: Jesus and John the Baptist Bible Passage: John 3:22-36 Big Picture Question: Where did Jesus come from? Jesus came from heaven. Key Passage: John 3:16 Unit Christ Connection: Jesus was revealed as the fulfillment of Scripture, the promised Savior. The Only Name (Yours Will Be) song offering basket Allergy Alert favorite toys LOW PREP Compare Jesus and John activity page, 1 per kid pencils or crayons Small Group Visual Pack (optional) paper plates napkins plastic spoons Welcome and Session Starter (15 20 minutes) Play the unit theme song in the background as you greet preschoolers and follow your church s security procedures. Set an offering basket near the door to collect at an appropriate time. Post an allergy alert, if necessary. Set out a few favorite toys, such as puzzles and blocks. Activity Page: Compare Jesus and John Encourage preschoolers to complete the activity page. You may need to reference the small group visual pack to help kids remember previous Bible stories featuring John the Baptist. Say God had a special plan for John the Baptist. John the Baptist told people to get ready for the Savior, Jesus! When Jesus began to do what God had sent Him to do, John happily stepped aside so people could follow Jesus. Prepare for a visitor Give each child a paper plate, napkin, and a plastic spoon. Invite them to practice arranging a place setting. Talk with the kids about what they would do to prepare for someone coming to visit their house. Would they make dinner? Would they pour lemonade? Would they clean their rooms? 22 Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 25 Session LifeWay 5

6 Say In today s Bible story, we are going to learn about a man God used to prepare for arrival of God s Son! Here comes a friend Invite the children to sit on the floor. Choose one child to stand outside the room with an adult helper. After a few moments, as the adult helper ushers the child into the room, guide the other preschoolers to cup their hands around their mouths and announce together, Here comes [child s name]! Continue playing so each kid may have a turn being welcomed. Say John the Baptist was God s messenger. God told John to announce something very special to the people. John announced that Jesus was coming! Timeline Map or Small Group Visual Pack megaphone (optional) countdown video (optional) Review John and Jesus Point to the Bible stories about John the Baptist from the units John s Birth Was Predicted and John Was Born on the timeline map or small group visual pack. Invite kids to tell you what they remember of these Bible stories. If your church has not previously told these stories, briefly describe the stories to the kids. Say God had a special plan for John the Baptist, but John was not the Messiah the Savior God had promised to send. John s job was to prepare the way for the Savior. Who is the Savior God had promised to send? (Jesus!) Transition to Bible study Lead the kids to move to the Bible study. To gain attention, show the countdown video, flip the lights, or clap a simple rhythm for the children to copy. Since we are talking about John the Baptist announcing Jesus arrival, consider using a megaphone to announce to the children that they will be moving to Bible study. Jesus Early Ministry LifeWay 6

7 Large Group BIBLE STUDY Session Title: Jesus and John the Baptist Bible Passage: John 3:22-36 Big Picture Question: Where did Jesus come from? Jesus came from heaven. Key Passage: John 3:16 Unit Christ Connection: Jesus was revealed as the fulfillment of Scripture, the promised Savior. Large Group Bible Study (10 15 minutes) Bible paper and tape Key Passage Slide or Poster God So Loved song Jesus and John the Baptist video Bible Story Picture Slide or Poster Introduce the Bible story Ask the children to come and sit down around you. Choose a child to stand carefully on a sturdy chair or other platform and give him a megaphone. You can make a simple megaphone by rolling up a piece of paper and taping it to form a cone shape. Invite the kid to announce the topic for today s story: Jesus came from heaven. Let several children come up and make the announcement. Say Today we are going to hear John the Baptist announce that the Messiah is here! Messiah means anointed one, like the Savior. Jesus is the Messiah. He came from heaven to save us. Open your Bible to the key passage as you read the words from the key passage poster. Remind kids that Jesus said these words to Nicodemus to explain God s plan to save people. Sing God So Loved together, using any hand motions you have created. Watch or tell the Bible story Tell the Bible story with your Bible open to John 3 or watch the video Jesus and John the Baptist. 24 Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 25 Session LifeWay 7

8 Say God had a special plan for John the Baptist. John s followers were confused about Jesus, though. John explained that Jesus is God s Son. We should follow Jesus, not John the Baptist. John joyfully stepped out of the way so people could follow Jesus. Timeline Map Big Picture Question Slide or Poster Talk about the Bible story Refer to the timeline map as you review the Bible story. 1. What did John announce? (The Messiah was here.) 2. Who did John say was the Messiah? (Jesus) 3. Where did Jesus come from? Jesus came from heaven. 4. What did Jesus do when He was older? (He taught people about God. He died on the cross to save people from sin.) 5. How can you live with God forever in heaven? (I can love and trust in Jesus as my Savior.) Say God gave John the Baptist a special job. John told people, Get ready for Jesus! Jesus is coming! God sent Jesus to earth from heaven. When Jesus was older, He went out to teach people about God. Jesus was here, and John s job was finished. Transition to small groups Return to small groups, where the children will do activities to reinforce the session. Do activities one of these ways: As a group, all at the same time In small groups that rotate through each activity In centers, allowing preschoolers to browse and choose Jesus Early Ministry LifeWay 8

9 Small Group ACTIVITIES Session Title: Jesus and John the Baptist Bible Passage: John 3:22-36 Big Picture Question: Where did Jesus come from? Jesus came from heaven. Key Passage: John 3:16 Unit Christ Connection: Jesus was revealed as the fulfillment of Scripture, the promised Savior. Tip: Set up activities that work well for your kids and your budget. LOW PREP Small Group Activities (20 25 minutes) Talk about the big picture question and answer, Christ connection, or details from the Bible story in each activity to reinforce God s big story. Follow-the-leader Line up the children and appoint a leader to be John. Tell the children to play follow-the-leader, following John on a walk around the room. At a certain point, introduce another kid to be Jesus and say, Jesus is here. Follow Him. Invite John to go to the back of the line, and Jesus will lead the kids around the room. To restart the game, invite the kids to sit down and then stand up again. Appoint a new John and Jesus for each round until each kid takes a turn being the leader. Say In our Bible story today, we learned that John the Baptist was a messenger who told people that Jesus was coming. John s job was finished when Jesus began teaching. John was not sad that his job was over. John was happy that people were following Jesus! Where did Jesus come from? Jesus came from heaven. 26 Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 25 Session LifeWay 9

10 Jesus/God Puzzle heavyweight paper crayons and markers child-size scissors ziplock bags (for kids to take the puzzles home) Map of Jesus Early Life construction paper crayons paper crayons and markers The Only Name (Yours Will Be) song (optional) God So Loved song (optional) Make a two-sided puzzle Print the Jesus/God Puzzle onto heavyweight paper, using a two-sided printer setting. Provide each child with a puzzle. One side should say Jesus, and the other side should say God. Allow the children to color the puzzle and, if they are able, to cut apart the puzzle pieces. Invite kids to mix up the puzzle pieces and put them together. Say Where did Jesus come from? Jesus came from heaven. Jesus is God. He came down from heaven to teach people about God and God s plan to save the world through Jesus. Explore Jesus early ministry For this activity, use the provided map and show the children where Jesus was born (Bethlehem), where He grew up (Nazareth), and where He performed His early ministry (Judea, Samaria, Galilee). Invite kids to draw maps of the street where they live or the inside of their home. Say Jesus lived in places with people, buildings, and houses just like you and me. He even had brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends! But unlike you and me, Jesus came from heaven. Jesus is God s Son. He came down to earth to live with people and teach them about God. Draw a picture of heaven Read Revelation 21:3-4 to the children. Give each child a piece of paper and encourage him to draw a picture of what heaven might look like. Play music while kids draw. Say Heaven is a place that is like nowhere else. There is no crying or hurting or hunger or thirst. It is perfect. Jesus left that perfect place to come and live on earth and teach people about God. He came to show people what God is like. Where did Jesus come from? Jesus came from heaven. Jesus Early Ministry LifeWay 10

11 large craft sticks fine point markers small googly eyes (optional) construction paper scraps (optional) Make craft stick puppets Give each kid a craft stick. Guide kids to draw faces on their craft sticks and add other details such as hair, beards, and clothes. When everyone has finished, put on a puppet show. Retell the Bible story and encourage kids to use their puppets to perform the actions. Decide which puppets will represent John and Jesus. If time permits, retell the Bible story again, choosing new puppets to be John and Jesus. Say John s disciples were confused about whom to follow, John or Jesus. John told his disciples that he is not the Messiah; Jesus is! John s job was to get people ready for Jesus. John was very happy to point everyone to Jesus. Jesus is God s Son! Jesus came to save us from sin! Where did Jesus come from? Jesus came from heaven. 28 Preschool Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 25 Session LifeWay 11

12 Jesus/God Puzzle Instructions: Print this two-sided puzzle for each kid onto heavyweight paper. Invite kids to cut out and assemble the puzzle. GOD UNIT 25 Session 2 Preschool Bible Study 2014 LifeWay OK TO PRINT Jesus Early Ministry