21 Jesus is A through Z ~S, Part 1~ Savior, Salvation, Servant, Stone the Builders Rejected All Staff Pre-Class Arrange tables and chairs. Pray for tonight s class. Have music playing. Take attendance. 20 min. REVIEW Review previously learned adjectives and titles of Jesus. Ideas: o Hand out A through (current letter) sheets (from A-Z Mini Posters ) to pairs of students. Have them work together to memorize every adjective/title on their sheet. Then have them come up front and recite them to the class. o Have a student come to the front of the class and pick a letter, A through (current letter), out of a bag and then try to remember all the adjectives/titles that go with that letter. o Play Bingo with adjectives/titles. Ask review questions from previous lessons. See Jesus is A through Z Review Questions. Ideas: o Toss out candy for correct answers. o Form teams and play Bible baseball. o Form teams and play tic-tac-toe. (A correct answer allows a team to place its X or O. ) o Play musical chairs. If student answers a question correctly, he/she is NOT out. All Staff 20 min. BIBLE MEMORY WORK Students will work on memorizing doctrinal verses. Each student will have his/her own list or book to work from, containing a chart for teachers to initial as students quote the verses one at a time, two at a time, etc. (Teachers: Please read instructions on the Bible memory work charts.)
Remind students that there will be prizes for those who pass with a score of 80 percent or better. Remind students that during Bible Memory Work time, everyone must be working! Encourage them to work together to memorize verses, as opposed to distracting each other. Divide the class into four groups: two each for 5- to 7-yearolds and 8- to 10-year-olds, one teacher with each group. To cut down on the confusion and noise, two groups may leave the room to practice verses in another classroom, the hallway, etc. Coloring pages with the 10 Commandments or other Bible verses are available to help occupy visitors (or younger/distracted students) while their classmates are quoting verses. 5 min. RULES & PRAYER Review Power Hour Promises with the students, reminding them of proper behavior during class. Pray together, thanking God for your time together and praying that each person will understand and obey God s Word and grow into a strong Christian. 20 min BIBLE LESSON Teacher Prep: Read Luke 2:8-11, Matthew 1:21, Acts 4:12, Philippians 2:7-8, Matthew 20:28, Matthew 21:42, and 1 Peter 2:7-8. Pray for anointing. Items Needed: Letter S posterboard; Bible; large rock/stone; printed words/pictures of Savior, Salvation, Servant, and Stone the Builders Rejected ( Jesus is Letter S, Part 1, Words-Pics visuals). Introduction Show the letter S posterboard. We are learning about Jesus character (who He is) and power (what He does) by exploring His titles and adjectives from A to Z. Today we re going to talk about some of Jesus titles and adjectives that begin with the letter S. Lesson 21 Jesus is ~S, Part 1~ Annette R. Evans All rights reserved. Page 2
Lesson Where were you born? (allow quick responses) Where was Jesus born? (Bethlehem, the same city where His great, great, great (etc.)-grandfather David was born) When you were born, did your parents announce it to the world? (welll, maybe not to the world but I m sure they made phone calls and mailed out birth announcements, letting friends and family know you had arrived!) When Jesus was born, the angel of the Lord announced His birth to an usual group of people. Do you know who they were? (shepherds) Listen to what the angel said to the shepherds: Read Luke 2:10-11 from your Bible. What S title for Jesus did the angel mention? (Savior) What does Savior mean? (a person who saves, rescues, or delivers) Earlier an angel had told Joseph what Jesus was coming to save people from: Read, or have a student read, Matthew 1:21. What did Jesus come to save people from? (their sins) Have a student attach the words/picture for Savior to the S posterboard. This next word goes along with Savior: it s Salvation. What does salvation mean? (the act of saving, rescuing, delivering, or protecting from harm) A Savior does Salvation, kind of like A creator does creation. A surgeon does surgery. A protector does protection. So how does a protector (like a police officer) do protection? (he patrols the streets of your town, keeping watch, looking for trouble, arresting law breakers, etc.) Lesson 21 Jesus is ~S, Part 1~ Annette R. Evans All rights reserved. Page 3
How did Jesus do salvation for us? (He died on the cross, shedding His blood in the place of ours, so that we can be forgiven of our sins) Because Jesus is the one who did the acts necessary for our salvation, His NAME is very important. Can someone who is working on memorizing Baptism in Jesus Name verses quote (or sing) Acts 4:12? ( Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved ) We are baptized in Jesus name because Jesus is our Salvation. Have a student attach the words/picture for Salvation to the S posterboard. The next S title of Jesus that I want to talk about is Servant. What is a servant? (a person who serves [works for, waits upon] others) Show words/pictures for Servant and read Philippians 2:7-8 from the page. It s amazing to think that the God of Heaven humbled Himself so much! Matthew 20:28 (NKJV) says: the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Since Jesus, who is everything wonderful (A through Z), is a Servant, how much more should we be servants! We should never think we are above others, but we should work for and wait upon each other with love. Have a student attach the words/picture for Servant to the S posterboard. Lesson 21 Jesus is ~S, Part 1~ Annette R. Evans All rights reserved. Page 4
Show large rock/stone. Last week we talked about Jesus being the Rock. What s another word for rock that begins with the letter S? (stone) What do we use rocks or stones for? (to build things with or on) Why do rocks or stones make good building materials? (they are strong, long-lasting, protective, weather resistant, etc.) How do we build our lives on Jesus, the Rock? (we listen to Jesus words and do them) Jesus knew some people would reject His words. Listen to what He said in Matthew 21:42: Read Matthew 21:42 from your Bible. A builder would be foolish to throw away his strongest, best stone. Someone else would be sure to pick up that rejected stone and use it as his chief cornerstone. What is a chief cornerstone? (the main stone that connects two walls at the base [foundation] of a building) Listen to what Peter says in 1 Peter 2:7-8 (NKJV): Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone, and A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense. They stumble, being disobedient to the word Show large rock/stone again. I can use this rock to build something with, or I can toss it aside and then trip and fall over it. (Demonstrate.) Have a student attach the words/picture for Stone the Builders Rejected to the S posterboard. Lesson 21 Jesus is ~S, Part 1~ Annette R. Evans All rights reserved. Page 5
Life Application Jesus is the Stone the Builders Rejected. Those who toss Him aside stumble and fall over His words. Let s pray that we will always listen to Jesus, obey His words, and build our lives on Him. Lead the kids in prayer response to lesson. 10 min. BIBLE SKILLS Use the Books of the Bible display board to point things out as you ask these questions: How many books are in the New Testament? (27 [3 letters in the word New x 9 letters in the word Testament = 27]) How many Gospels are there? (4) Name the four Gospels. (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) Hand out Bibles. Remind students to handle Bibles carefully and to help younger students find verses. We are going to look up a verse in the first Gospel: Matthew. Find Matthew 21:42 in your Bible. Have a student read this verse out loud.) In this verse, Jesus was quoting an Old Testament Scripture from Psalms. Do you remember the quickest way to find Psalms in your Bible? (open it in the middle [if you end up in Job, turn a few pages towards the back of your Bible; if you are in Proverbs, turn a few pages towards the front]) Find Psalm 118:22-23 in your Bible. (Have a student read this verse out loud.) Jesus studied, memorized, and quoted Bible verses just like you do. Choose a couple of students to carefully collect the Bibles. Lesson 21 Jesus is ~S, Part 1~ Annette R. Evans All rights reserved. Page 6
15 min. ACTIVITY/SNACK Supplies: Something to eat Something to drink Plates Napkins Cups Bring a snack and have the students serve it. Divide them into groups and give them assignments; e.g., some to set the tables, some to serve the food, some to serve the drinks, some to offer a prayer, some to clean up afterwards. Remind them: Tonight we talked about Jesus being a Servant. If Jesus, who is the King, is willing to serve, how much more should we be humble and willing to serve others? Lesson 21 Jesus is ~S, Part 1~ Annette R. Evans All rights reserved. Page 7