Lesson 11 Found: A New Life Scope and Sequence Doctrinal Truth: Salvation Lesson Objective Students will be introduced to the possibility of a new life in Christ and how that decision changes everything. Sticky Statement Being born again allows us to begin again. Key Verse John 3:3 Definitions Born again: the new birth to spiritual life that a person experiences by trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior Salvation: the deliverance from the power and effects of sin through the person and work of Jesus Christ Checklist 1. A PowerPoint is available for this lesson. 2. Kristen Anderson s Story Video https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/11-1/ (5:16). 3. Instruction Manuals a board game instruction; DVD player manual; blueprint for building a patio google build patio blueprints images will have a simple plan 4. Small cup of salted water 5. An empty cup to spit water into 6. A cup of ice cold fresh water 7. The 3x5 cards to pass out for The Decision time project. 8. Writing utensils Found Page 109
Resources 1. A Kristen Anderson s Story https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/11-1/ 2. Kristen Anderson: Suicide Interrupted Article http://www1.cbn.com/700club/kristen-anderson-suicide-interrupted 3. Nicodemus and the Sanhedrin Chuck Smith https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/11-3/ 4. The Sanhedrin https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/11-4/ 5. Suicide Statistics https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/11-5/ 6. Tom Brady https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/11-6/ Lesson Overview I. Nicodemus was not satisfied Religion never satisfies. No matter how religious you are, it will never fill the void in your life. The world never satisfies. II. Nicodemus began searching When Nicodemus began his search, he went to the right Person. III. Nicodemus found a strange answer. Born Again is the new birth to spiritual life that a person experiences by trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior. A. To be born again is a supernatural experience. Salvation is the deliverance from the power and effects of sin through the person and work of Jesus Christ. B. To be born again is a spiritual experience. C. To be born again is a simple experience. Being born again allows us to begin again. Hook Teacher s Note: Have YouTube video Kristen Anderson s Story ready to play prior to lesson https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/11-1/ (5:16). Caution: This video shares Kristen s story including brief comments of her being raped and the emotions she felt after. Depending on your audience, you might want to have the video paused at 1:44 so that you skip those comments but still hear about her suicide attempt and resolution. The entire video is 5 minutes; if you skip ahead it ll be just over 3 minutes. Her story is also typed below if you prefer not to have the video at all. I want to share with you the true story of a girl named Kristen Anderson. When she was 17 years old, she felt so overwhelmed with life that she decided to end it or at least try. This video shares her story. [Play video Kristen Anderson s Story. ] Found Page 110
Teacher s Note: If you are not able to play video use the following narrative of her story. Kristen vividly remembers the night she tried to take her own life. She said, Right before it got there, I made the impulsive decision to lay down on the tracks. I wanted the pain to end. I just wanted it to be over. According to the police report, 33 freight train cars went over her body at 55 mph. She laid awake and conscious on the tracks as it happened. While the train did not take her life that night it did take her legs it left her a double amputee. Kristen s life leading up to this looked fine on the outside. People were shocked by her suicide attempt. She had great parents. She was popular, smart, and successful. Unfortunately, when she went to high school her life seemed to fall apart. She lost four friends one died with a brain tumor, two in car accidents, and one hung himself in a cemetery. After all this, her grandmother died. She said that she just began to lose hope and hated life. The train was supposed to end the pain but it seemed to just add to it. She had never felt so bad. While there was a part of her that wished she had died, she said that deep down she was thankful to be alive. She was not quite sure what was waiting in the afterlife. Kristen began to reach out to God and eventually was led to the Lord by a friend of hers. This new-found faith helped her to discover a new outlook on life. She might be a double amputee but she is happier now than ever before. Kristen tells people that even though the train took her legs, God gave her a new life. There s a lot of pain in this world. Whether it is the loss of a loved one, a bad breakup, or being bullied at school, we all know what it means to experience heartbreak. It could be loneliness, depression, anxiety, guilt, etc. No matter what it is people often try to overcome their hurt in all the wrong ways. Some people respond by making light of it trying to hide their pain by being the class clown. Some people fill up their time with work or sports so they don t have to think about it. Others respond by going to sex, drugs, and/or alcohol. What are they doing? They are trying to convince themselves and others that they are stronger than the problem. What do they do when nothing seems to help? They keep trying to fill up their lives with the same stuff they go deeper and deeper into their addictions. They find new friends and sometimes cut off the friends that actually care about them. They do whatever they can to avoid, hide, or minimize the real problem which is their pain. People everywhere, including some of you here now, have been looking for this new life. You need not look any further. No matter what situation you are in please know this: being born again allows us to begin again. Found Page 111
Lesson Content The main point you should take from this lesson is that we have the promise of a new life in Jesus Christ. We are going to look at the life of a man in the Bible that made that discovery. Turn in your Bibles to John 3:1. As we read these verses we will see a man named Nicodemus. Here are a few things we learn about him. First of all I. Nicodemus was not satisfied [Read John 3:1.] According to this verse he was a Pharisee. Does anyone know what a Pharisee is? [Wait for a response.] It was an elite group of religious leaders that were highly respected among the people. Nicodemus was a servant of God or at least he thought himself to be. He studied the Old Testament law with great zeal and intensity. He was surrounded by spiritual leaders, mentored by one, trained in the best schools, and seemed to live the perfect religious life. If all this is true, then why did he choose to come to Jesus? Whether he knew it or not his life was nothing more than religious. Although he had his rituals, doctrines, and service down he had the realization that he was still empty. Why? Religion never satisfies. No matter how religious you are, it will never fill the void in your life. Coming to church, reading your Bible, and having good Christian friends are all great things but those things will not bring you satisfaction. You cannot exchange a relationship with God for religion and expect to be fulfilled by it. Nicodemus also realized that he was not satisfied by the world. It says that he was a ruler of the Jews which means he was likely a part of the Sanhedrin. This was a group of 71 men that made up the judicial system in Jerusalem. This would have been a very prominent and powerful position. Popular, respected, influential these are only a few things that would have described anyone in the Sanhedrin. Apparently, he was also a very rich man. After the crucifixion the Bible tells us that Nicodemus came with a friend to embalm Jesus. The amount and type of spices that he brought were those that only a wealthy person could afford. Nicodemus had power, money, popularity, respect, and the love of the people, yet he wasn t satisfied. What do we gather from this? The world never satisfies. Do you know anyone that seems to do everything they can to make sure that everyone loves them? They behave in certain ways around certain people so that those people will accept them. Are you that person? Do you constantly search for approval from other people? Their approval will never suffice. It will never be enough. In an interview with 60 Minutes, Tom Brady, NFL superstar quarterback, asked, Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there s something greater out there for me? Nicodemus and Tom Brady have two things in common: (1) they both experienced success; (2) neither were satisfied by it. John is now going to introduce us to a woman who discovered that relationships were not enough to satisfy either. Found Page 112
John 4 tells us about a day when Jesus met a woman at a well getting water. Jesus began talking to her and we soon find out that she was a religious person in her own eyes. Why then had she been divorced five times and was living with someone she wasn t married to? Apparently, she was the type of person that craved the love and acceptance of other people. The religion didn t satisfy; the love and affection didn t satisfy; nothing would satisfy the deep need she had. Why? [Read John 4:13-14.] She had been thirsting for something greater than this world could offer. Can you relate to her? Do you ever feel like if you just had a boyfriend all your problems would go away? If she just liked me then I d feel complete? If yes, you need to hear what Jesus told this woman. He told her that He was the only one that could truly fulfill her emptiness the same is true for us. Seeking fulfillment through anything other than Jesus would be like trying to quench your thirst for water by drinking from the sea. Yes, it is water but it will not ease your thirst. Yes, it is plentiful but no matter how much you drink, it will only make you thirstier and if you drink too much it will kill you. Teacher s Note: If time permits, consider having a small cup of salted water and cup of cold ice water. Have a student come and gargle the salt water not to swallow; spit into empty cup to show how it dries out the mouth. Then have him/her drink the ice water. Is anyone thirsty? I need a volunteer to come drink this water. The first cup is salt water. I want you to gargle this cup for 15 seconds and then spit the water out into this cup. How did that feel? Did it satisfy your thirst? Did it dry out your throat? Was it nasty? Now drink this nice cup of cold, ice water. How did that taste? Which would you prefer after a long workout? Can you imagine trying to drink salt water when you re thirsty? Many people are trying to quench their thirst with the wrong drink. The woman at the well did; Nicodemus did it; many of you today are trying to do that. Unsatisfied with life, Nicodemus needed something greater. He would soon discover this truth: being born again allows us to begin again. This lack of satisfaction pushed Nicodemus to do something we should all do. II. Nicodemus began searching [Read John 3:2.] Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. This could have been because he was ashamed of Jesus, he was afraid of what his peers would say, or he might have been afraid of what Jesus would have said in front of his friends. As we said before, he had so much power, wealth, and popularity if people saw him talking with Jesus what would they think? There are many possibilities there but we cannot overlook one thing that is positive. When Nicodemus began his search he went to the right Person. How about you? Ask yourself who it is that you go to for advice when you are looking for answers? Found Page 113
There are a lot of people that get caught up in the party scene not because it is what they want but because they surrounded themselves with people that lived that way. We cannot expect to discover spiritual truths about life from people that are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1). The book of Psalms tells us that we are blessed if we do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly (Psalm 1:1). Teacher s Note: Bring a few instruction manuals from old DVD players, a board game, and a TV guide. The point is to have a bunch of things that tell you how to do specific things. Print off a quick diagram or blueprint of how to build a patio. Tell the students about the different manuals you have there. Then tell them that you plan to build a patio at your house. I have here a bunch of different manuals. I have a DVD player manual, a TV guide, a list of rules for a board game, and a patio blueprint. I would really like to build a patio at my house. [Hold up TV guide.] Do you think this TV guide will help? [Wait for a response.] [Hold up another manual.] Do you think this will help? Why or why not? [Wait for a response.] This can t help me because it has nothing to do with building a patio. What I need is this. [Hold up patio blueprints.] It doesn t make sense to try to build something using instructions from something totally unrelated but people do it all the time when it comes to spiritual issues. The young lady we talked about earlier, Kristen, got caught up with some people that were all searching for more in this life but none of them knew where to look. Following those people led her to a place of depression and suicidal thoughts, which she eventually acted on. Not much can be said about Nicodemus but this can be said: when he began searching, he went to the right Person and he would soon find out that being born again allows us to begin again. III. Nicodemus found a strange answer. [Read John 3:3-4.] You may have heard a term tossed around throughout this passage and lesson. What term sounds strange to you? [Wait for a response; Answer to be born again. ] What do you think that means? [Wait for a response.] Born Again is the new birth to spiritual life that a person experiences by trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior. There are a couple things to know about this new birth. A. First of all, to be born again is a supernatural experience. [Read John 3:5.] In this verse, we see the phrase born of water which speaks of physical birth. You had nothing to do with your physical birth. You didn t decide one day that you would be born. You were just born. The same verse then speaks of being born of the Spirit. What does this mean? It means being born again salvation is something that is beyond us. Found Page 114
Christians use terms like salvation and born again to explain the experience that they have when they become Christians. Salvation is the deliverance from the power and effects of sin through the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is the new life that Jesus gives us. We cannot attain this new life on our own. It is of the Holy Spirit of God. It is by His power that we are born again. Many people try to find salvation on their own. They look to start their lives over by changing the way they live; they fill up the emptiness with whatever they can but it never works. When it comes to salvation, God is not interested in our works. [Have student read Romans 3:27-28.] Have you ever felt like you had to fix yourself up for God? Do you know people at school that you re afraid to bring to church because they might not behave the right way? Or maybe they don t want to come because they don t think they are good enough. God wants us to come the way we are. Christians sometimes get confused on this because we hear verses like Ephesians 2:10. [Have a student read.] God created us for good works so that we walk in them. This shows that God is interested in our works and He wants them to be good or righteous. When it comes to salvation or being born again, our works are useless. It is entirely by God s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, after we are saved, God wants us to begin living the new righteous life He created us to live. That s the point of Ephesians 2:10. B. Secondly, to be born again is a spiritual experience. [Read John 3:6.] Jesus builds on what He previously said by saying, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. This birth is a spiritual birth. Jesus used this term to help us see what salvation is like. The Bible tells us that we are born as sinners and we are dead in our sins until we are quickened, made alive, or as Jesus said, born again. [Have a student read Ephesians 2:1.] So even though we walk around as if we are living, we are spiritually dead. Although everyone has experienced this first birth of physical life, only believers (Christians) have experienced the spiritual birth. Anyone here like zombie movies? Teacher s Note: Slowly read the next few statements as you point out that those without Christ are spiritually dead. This is a sad truth I want you to consider. Do you realize that every time you go to school, the mall, work, or any place there are non-christians, you are surrounded by zombies? They are the walking dead. They are up and moving but inwardly, spiritually, they are dead. They need to be told about Christ, they need to realize that being born again allows us to begin again. Found Page 115
C. Thirdly, to be born again is a simple experience. [Read John 3:14-16.] God s plan is not hard for us to follow. The Bible tells us that He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for us so that we could be saved from our sins. He did the hard part. He lived the sinless life, suffered on the cross, died, and rose from the grave. He did it all for us because He loved us. The only thing we have to do is accept His free gift by faith. That means you purposely place your trust in Jesus alone for salvation. It s not about your works, the prayer you say, baptism, or your church membership. Those things are all great and they are very important but they do not earn your salvation. Whether you are fed up with life, like Kristen, or rich and powerful like Nicodemus, it doesn t change God s view or feelings for you. That s the beauty of Jesus ministry. He didn t care if you were religious or an atheist; He didn t care if you were popular or picked on. The truth that Jesus taught crossed all those lines. He said that unless a man is born again he cannot enter heaven. When He said a man He was not speaking of gender but of humanity. No matter what your status is, it doesn t change the fact that you must be born again. Many have said, The ground is level at the cross. That is because Jesus isn t impressed by our behavior, popularity, grades, home life, etc. He looks at all of us the same and gives us all the same opportunity to accept His free gift of salvation. We all long for a redo at times. Maybe you look at your life and you see it as a mess. Remember what Kristen said? The train took my legs, but God gave me new life. Nicodemus found that same reality. It is true for everyone. Being born again allows us to begin again. Connection So how does this apply to us? How can you take this home? Here are a couple of things that you should remember. You will never be satisfied with your life apart from a thriving relationship with Jesus Christ. Have you spent your life fighting for acceptance? Do you find yourself struggling thinking there s got to be more to life than this? You ve been seeking satisfaction in all the wrong things. Stop basing your approval, fulfillment, and happiness on the things of the world. Be careful where you find your advice and who you accept it from. Everyone is searching for something in life but so often we go to the wrong people and the wrong places in that search. When people don t live like they are in the Word of God, it s probably because they are not in the Word of God. The odds are they are not very well equipped to offer you profitable advice. You want the people that are counseling you to be filled with the Spirit as they offer you their advice. Place your faith in Jesus Christ and begin living your new life. Maybe you ve already done that first part you re born again but what about the second part? Have you begun living that new life or do you constantly beat yourself up over your past? Your righteousness does not save you. We are not born again by any merit of our own. Found Page 116
This is great news because we already face a lot of pressure from the world to fit into every mold it throws at us. God is not doing that with us. He isn t telling you to change and then He ll accept you. He wants you the way you are. He will do the changing. He will shape you into the person He created you to be. You simply follow His lead. People need to know that we are promised a new life in Jesus Christ. That means when He becomes Lord, we become new. Being born again allows us to begin again. Salvation is a big issue, and we are going to continue unpacking all the amazing things that God has done for us over the next few weeks. We will see some of the many ways we are able to begin again. We will deal with things like the fear of God s wrath; the feeling of unworthiness; and shame over past mistakes. Decision If you have never been born again, I challenge you to do that tonight. Come talk to me or a small group leader about it. Maybe you have questions that have been holding you back from making that decision. That s okay! We would love to sit and talk with you about those things! We won t embarrass you or judge you; we just want to talk it through. Maybe you have already been born again but you feel like there s something hindering you from enjoying this new life in Christ. Write NEW LIFE on the top half of a 3x5 card. Then write whatever it is that is hindering you from living this new life on the bottom half. Pray about it and commit to living the NEW LIFE. Tear the bottom half off and throw it in the trash. Carry the NEW LIFE statement in your pocket, tape it to a binder, or put it on your bathroom mirror as a daily reminder for you to live the NEW LIFE you have been given in Christ. Remember, being born again allows us to begin again. Each day is a new day with Jesus. Sticky Statement Being born again allows us to begin again. Found Page 117
Small Group Discussion Questions 1. What do you think it means to be born again? (Allow your students to think about this for a few seconds. It is the new birth to spiritual life that a person experiences by trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior. If you ve heard Christians talking about being saved, being a believer, or sharing a testimony about how they became a Christian that s the same thing as being born again. A good follow-up question would be: Why do you think Jesus chose to use this phrase instead of just saying that we need to be saved? Possible answers: He knew we could relate to the concept of being born; He wanted it to catch our attention.) 2. Have you been born again? (Small Group Leader be sensitive to students that may not be born again. It may be that not all of your students have been born again. The point here is not necessarily to force an answer but to get them thinking about the question. If you have a really shy group or you want to be careful not to embarrass any kids, consider having the kids close their eyes and raise their hand. Be sure to remind them that you are not going to embarrass any of them, you just want to pray for each one where they are at. Thank students for being honest with their answers. If no one is willing to share, consider giving a two-minute testimony of your own salvation.) 3. What is the significance of being born again? How does it affect us? (Remind your students of how Nicodemus, Tom Brady, and the woman at the well were all people that tried to find satisfaction in things other than God. Nicodemus religion; Tom Brady wealth and fame; the woman at the well relationships. Ask your students if they have ever tried to find satisfaction in things other than God. Ask if they thought it worked and if so, how long.) 4. What are some things that can hinder people that have been born again from enjoying this new life? (Allow students to think about it. It s okay to have a few seconds of silence while they think. Maybe you could share something that has hindered you in the past, but be sure allow the students to share. Possible answers: personal addictions, sins, shame/regret, misplaced priorities, etc. Remind students of the Decision they were challenged with at the end of the lesson. Encourage them to go ahead and write NEW LIFE at the top of the 3x5 card and what is hindering them at the bottom. Tell them that if they feel like they need to talk about it but don t want to share with the whole group, you are available to talk about it in private. Remind them of the power of the phrase New Life, no matter what previously hindered them, they can be made New in Jesus. Some students might not want their friends to see them talking to you in private so after everyone leaves maybe just stay in the room alone and clean up. Basically, stall for time so that anyone who wants to come back can do so without their friends seeing.) Found Page 118