1. LEADER PREPARATION

Transcription

1 apologetics: jesus christ Lesson 2: Knowing Who Jesus Is This includes: 1. Leader Preparation 2. Lesson Guide 1. LEADER PREPARATION LESSON OVERVIEW In this lesson, we will discuss the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. No one in history has claimed the things that he did, and no one else in history has had as many followers, foes, and books written about them. There are some concrete things we can know about Jesus from looking at the pages of the Bible. This lesson will help your students examine truths about Jesus that affirm his deity and Messianic ministry. LESSON OBJECTIVES 1. WHAT: We can uncover who Jesus is and can look at evidence that affirms his statement that he is the Son of God. 2. WHY: There is much confusion and misinformation about Jesus, so it is important for teenagers to develop a foundation for who he truly is. 3. HOW: Students will look at prophecies that surround Jesus, along with the statements he made, and they ll discuss who he truly is. PRIMARY SCRIPTURE John 1:1-13 SECONDARY SCRIPTUREs Genesis 12:1-3; 49:10; Psalm 24:7-10; 78:2-4; 41:9; Isaiah 7:14; 53:12; Jeremiah 31:15; Hosea 11:1; Matthew 1:1; 2:14-18; 4:7; 7:21-23; 8:20; 11:19; 12:6-8; 13:10-15; 16:13-19; 26:2; 27:38; Mark 2:5; 14:61-64; Luke 1:26, 31; 3:33-34; 7:34, 48-50; 9:58; 19:10; 22:47-48; 24:44, 51; John 6:35; 8:12, 24, 54-59; 10:9; 11:25; 17:4-5; 18:5-6; Colossians 1:15-20

2 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. Read John 1:1-13. Jesus Christ is the divine God, and in this passage John refers to him as the Word who existed from the beginning. He is the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary the high priest who intercedes on behalf of his people and sits at the right hand of the Father. To understand Jesus, we must examine how he lived, what he taught, who he was, and what he did. Jesus Christ is actually the combination of a personal name and a title. Jesus is the name the angel told Joseph and Mary to name the anointed child, and Christ is the title, meaning anointed or Messiah. The significance of this name became clearer and clearer as Jesus began and fulfilled his ministry. The life of Jesus was unique, and just as his life was unique, so were his teachings. Jesus teachings exposed a new and fresh perspective on the Law that Moses had brought to the people of God. And the way Jesus taught was also incredibly innovative. Jesus often used real-life examples of people who were looked down upon as lower-class citizens and often exalted them above the religious leaders who had so much prestige in that culture. Jesus taught a number of distinctive spiritual truths that set him apart from any other teacher of that time. Over and over, Jesus proclaimed the message of the good news of the kingdom of God. When Jesus referred to himself, he often used the title Son of Man. He may have used this description because this was not a recognized title already known by the people of his culture. This title essentially means The Man. But as Jesus used it, it took on new significance. Jesus applied this title to himself in three ways. First, he used the title as a substitute for the pronoun I when he referred to himself. Second, he used the title to emphasize the fact that the Son of Man must suffer. And finally, he used it when referring to himself as the only one who had full authority from God the Father.

3 Jesus life work was filled with many signs, wonders, and miracles that he performed. Many details of his life confirm the ancient prophecies of the Messiah that were written, spoken, and shared for generations before Jesus birth. During his ministry Jesus proved his dominance over nature by calming storms (Mark 4:35-41); over death (Mark 5:35-42 and John 11:30-44); and over sickness (Mark 5:25-34). An Old Testament prophecy found in Isaiah 35:3-6 that tells of the work of the Messiah was consistently before the culture Jesus ministered to and no doubt was a catalyst for his disciples as they chose to follow him. 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 In one sentence, can you explain who Jesus is? Think about it and be ready to share your response when the group meets. Why do some people think that Jesus was a liar or a lunatic? Join us tonight as we talk about who Jesus really is. 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 are continuing our apologetics series that focuses on understanding Jesus foundational truths that will help teenagers as they explain and defend their faith in Christ.

4 In this lesson we explored who Jesus is and how the prophecies of the Old Testament affirm Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. Our desire with this week s study was to give the students a clear picture of who Jesus is and why he is the Messiah and can claim to be the Son of God. As a parent, you can keep the conversation going at home by asking these kinds of questions: What are some specific ways Jesus was a regular person, just like any other person in the history of the world? How was he different? What are some statements about Jesus you have heard that you know are not true? How do you know those statements are not true? Who do you say Jesus is and why? As we continue through this series, please contact me if you have any questions or would like additional resources to help answer your teenager s questions. Have a great week!

5 apologetics: Jesus christ Lesson 2: Knowing Who Jesus Is GETTING THINGS STARTED [optional] 2. LEsson guide Welcome your students and invite them into your meeting area. Open in prayer, and then lead students in this opening activity: Have students form groups of three or four, and ask each group to think of historical figures they have studied in school people who would be considered great revolutionaries. (Depending on your group, you may want to ask them to NOT choose Jesus as their answer you want them to think of other examples from history.) In their groups, have them share who they would choose and discuss the following questions: What characteristics make someone a revolutionary? What did your selected person do to make him or her a revolutionary? How can we see the effects of this revolutionary today? Bring everyone back together, and ask a few students to share some of their revolutionary selections and how we see the effects of their revolutionary person today. SAY SOMETHING LIKE: There is no more remarkable or fascinating person in history than Jesus Christ. Nobody in history has inspired more hope or stirred more civilizations than Jesus. Every town he set foot in was impacted, crowds of people followed him, many mocked him, and through the centuries the number of his disciples has exponentially multiplied. 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) Was Jesus a regular man?, (2) Who do people say Jesus is?, and (3) Jesus fulfilled prophecy.

6 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 John 1:1-13 together as a group. Consider dividing verses among your students so everyone has a chance to read. SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Let s see how Scripture can help us gain a clear picture of who Jesus is and how we can know he is the Son of God. 1. Was Jesus a regular man? What are some specific ways Jesus was a regular person, just like any other person in the history of the world? How was he different? Why is Word capitalized in John 1:1? Who is the Word that John is referencing in this passage? What evidence do you see for this? What does the life of Jesus bring to everyone? How have you seen this play out in your life? What does light do to a dark room? How does Jesus do this in the lives of his followers? What is the significance of what this passage says happens to those who believe Jesus and accept him? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: There is no way a regular human being could accomplish the things Jesus has done. Jesus has rescued us out of the darkness of Satan s kingdom and brought us into his kingdom. When we accept his gift of forgiveness for our sins, we receive the benefit from his sacrifice on the cross. No mere human could accomplish this. 2. Who do people say Jesus is? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: As we see in John 1, Jesus was with God the Father from the very beginning of time. He is the creator of all things and grants life to all. Many people see Jesus as the greatest teacher in history, but someone who is just a teacher could not claim all of these things.

7 Don t answer this out loud but in your mind think about who you believe Jesus to be. How did you come to that conclusion? If we walked around your school and asked people who they believe Jesus is, what are some answers I might hear? In your friendships and conversations, what do people say about Jesus? What are some statements about Jesus you have heard that you know are not true? How do you know those statements are not true? Read Matthew 16: What did Peter s statement reveal about his friendship and interaction with Jesus? Why is it significant that Peter said that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of the Living God? What do you think Jesus meant when he said that he would build his church on the statement that Peter made about him? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: The impact Jesus made goes far beyond any teacher. Someone who is a teacher cannot inspire the loyalty and allegiance that Jesus received. The four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the main sources for the biography of Jesus life, plus the account of his teachings, actions, and healings. The Gospels also give us insight on how Jesus was received by others. As you read through the Gospels you get a picture of how Jesus came to fulfill his purpose recorded in Luke 4:18-19, as he fulfilled the prophecy Isaiah spoke of when referring to the coming Messiah. Tax collectors, sinners, prostitutes, and even people who had died but came back to life they were given new life through Jesus. A good man, a teacher, or a prophet could not do the things Jesus Christ did in the lives of people. As C.S. Lewis said, Jesus is either a liar, Lord, or lunatic. 3. Jesus fulfilled prophecy SAY SOMETHING LIKE: The Old Testament of the Bible contains many passages about the Messiah, all of which Jesus Christ fulfilled. Some Bible scholars identify around 325 prophetic statements concerning the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Consider the following statements Old Testament prophets said about the coming Messiah and the Gospel accounts that fulfill each prophecy.

8 Consider asking students to look up and read each passage. Genesis 12:1-3 Descendant of Abraham Matthew 1:1 / Luke 3:34 Genesis 49:10 From the tribe of Judah Luke 3:33 Isaiah 7:14 Born of a virgin Luke 1:26, 31 Jeremiah 31:15 Slaughter of young when Jesus was born Matthew 2:16-18 Hosea 11:1 Escape to Egypt Matthew 2:14-15 Psalm 78:2-4 Messiah would teach using parables Matthew 13:10-15 Psalm 41:9 Messiah would be betrayed Luke 22:47-48 Isaiah 53:12 Messiah would be crucified with criminals Matthew 27:38 Psalm 24:7-10 Messiah would ascend to heaven Luke 24:51 In light of these Old Testament prophecies and their subsequent fulfillment in the New Testament, how would you explain to another person why the Old Testament is still important, even though we now have the New Testament? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: We sit on a side of history where we can tangibly see how the Old Testament corresponds to the New Testament through miraculous Messianic prophecies that Jesus himself fulfilled. Every book in the Old Testament tells of a God who will go to the depths of the earth to redeem his people, and because of this we can infer that every one of the books in the Old Testament points us toward the anointed one translated Christos in Greek who came to redeem God s creation from the kingdom of darkness. ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION [optional] Ask students to form groups of two or three for these questions. Depending on the size of your group, assign each small group two to four chunks of Scripture from the following list. Then have each group discuss the following questions for each of those passages. What is significant about the things Jesus said about himself? What do these verses reveal about Jesus? Why are these passages important in understanding the person of Jesus?

9 Able to forgive sins Mark 2:5; Luke 7:48-50; John 8:24 The Son of Man Matthew 8:20; 11:19; 26:2; Luke 7:34; 9:58 The judge of the world Matthew 7:21-23 The fulfillment of Scriptures Luke 24:44 The bread of life John 6:35 The light of the world John 8:12 The I Am John 8:54-59; 18:5-6 Divine Matthew 4:7; 12:6-8; Mark 14:61-64 Able to save the lost Luke 19:10; John 10:9; 11:25 Eternally sinless John 8:58; 17:5 Able to accomplish God s work John 17:4 Bring everyone back together, and ask for volunteers to share answers to the previous questions, as time permits. Read Colossians 1: If everything was created through him, what does that mean about Lucifer, kingdoms, and nations? How would you explain the portion of Scripture that says Christ is the head of the church? How is everything reconciled to God through Jesus? APPLICATION What is one of the biggest barriers you face in following Jesus? Based on what you have studied about the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, why was it significant that Peter in Matthew 16 said Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God? Who do you say Jesus is and why? How do you view Jesus differently after taking a look at who he is, what others said about him, and the prophecies he fulfilled that were written generations before he was on the earth? How can today s conversation help you when talking to other people about Jesus?

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 verse below. In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).