Teacher s Guide 1 Peter We Have a Living Hope!

Teacher s Guide 1 Peter We Have a Living Hope! This set contains... Student Lesson Copy Masters Teacher s Guide CD with Student Lesson Copy Masters and Teacher s Guide in PDF and RTF files Lesson 1: My Living Hope in Christ Lesson 2: Joy in Trials Lesson 3: Precious Prophecy Lesson 4: Perfect People Lesson 5: A New Life of Love Lesson 6: Picture Living Stones Lesson 7: Attractive Obedience Lesson 8: Like Jesus When Facing Injustice Lesson 9: Witness in Marriage Lesson 10: Doing What Is Right Lesson 11: Baptized into Christ s Victory Lesson 12: Done with Sin Lesson 13: In View of the End Lesson 14: Affliction... Again Lesson 15: Shepherds of God s Flock Lesson 16: Humble in God s Grace Lesson 17: A Comforting Conclusion ISBN 0-8100-1132-8 Suggested for Grade 12 www.nph.net 74N9061

Curriculum Developer: Prof. David Kuske Project Director: Gerald Kastens Writing/Editing Team: Owen Dorn, Donald Helwig, Rev. John Miller, Rev. Earle Treptow, Rev. Dan Witte Design Team: NPH Design Services Authorized by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. We extend our thanks to the many employees of Northwestern Publishing House and WELS Parish Services who have contributed to this project. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society. All hymns, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal. Copyright 1993 by Northwestern Publishing House. Northwestern Publishing House 1250 N. 113th St., Milwaukee, WI 53226-3284 2005 by Northwestern Publishing House Published 2005 Printed in the United States of America ISBN 0-8100-1132-8 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of Northwestern Publishing House. Printed with soy inks on recycled paper.

Introductory Pages COURSE FORMAT This course contains 17 lessons. You may spend as many days as you wish on each lesson. LESSON FORMAT Each lesson contains four to five copy masters for use with the students. These student copy masters may be reproduced. The teacher s guide contains copy master text, answers, and other instructions. Each student should have a three-ring binder to store and organize all the student lesson pages. Overview This page contains the information the teacher needs to understand the lesson. Lesson title Bible references Theme Spiritual goals: We pray that the Holy Spirit would help our students learn these spiritual truths and adopt these spiritual attitudes and habits. Suggested memory treasures: Assign these as you see fit. Be sure to discuss their relationship to the truths in the lesson. The students will have learned almost all the suggested memory treasures in their Christ-Light lessons at Lutheran elementary school or Sunday school. One asterisk designates those memory treasures that are part of the Sunday school core. Two asterisks designate what is additional core for Lutheran elementary schools. Suggested commentary readings: Read these to review Scripture or to add depth to your instruction. Introduction ideas: Use these to interest the students and to help them see their need for what they will learn in the lesson. Copy Masters The Bible lesson guides the students in their study of specific portions of the Bible. It begins with an Aim question and ends with a Truth that answers that question. Key Points are emphasized along the way. You may hand out the Bible lesson copy master and have the students fill it in as you teach the lesson, or you may have the students work in small groups to complete a portion of it before you discuss it. Please note that the student pages will lose their effectiveness if assigned as homework before class. The Ponder the Point page contains questions related to the Bible lesson directly preceding it. Each option is designated to the specific Key Point to which it is most closely connected. The discussion options require a variety of learning skills, such as analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and application. At least some of these questions should always be used because they help the students apply the lesson to their lives. Plan in advance which questions you will use and where the questions fit best. Then vary your use of these questions: ~ Discuss some questions as a class. ~ Have students write answers first before discussing the questions as a class. ~ Have students discuss the questions in pairs or small groups before discussing them as a class. ~ Assign some questions as homework. The remaining pages contain activities to help the students learn the Bible lessons and apply them. The pages may include additional Bible studies of many kinds, real-life situations, skits and roleplays, simple doctrinal studies, hymn and memory treasure studies, illustrations, writing activities, simple art activities, and so on. They may be done in class or outside of class, independently or in small groups. Select those activities best suited to your class, and limit the number of activities to fit the time allotted. Plan in advance at what point in the lesson you can most appropriately and effectively use the selected activities. iii

Sample Lesson Plan The following lesson plan is for Lesson 1: My Living Hope in Christ. 1. Introduce the first lesson with the Introduction option (Divide the class into groups, and assign arecorder...). 2. Hand out Copy Master 1 (My Living Hope in Christ). Read and discuss the first section, concluding with Key Point 1. 3. To apply this Key Point, hand out Copy Master 2 (My Living Hope in Christ), the Ponder the Point page, and discuss applications 1 and 4. 4. Return to the lesson on Copy Master 1. Put the students into small groups to read and discuss the second section, concluding with Key Point 2. Discuss the section together as a class. Then answer the Aim question with the Truth of the lesson. 5. To apply Key Point 2, use applications 5 and 6 on Copy Master 2. 6. To further apply the lesson, use Copy Master 3 (Chosen by God). Suggestion: The class could be divided into several groups and each group assigned several of the Bible selections. Then discuss as a class the biblical encouragements that each group discovered. 7. To further apply the lesson, use Copy Master 4 (Just Visiting). This exercise might be used to provide students opportunity for roleplay. 8. Assign Copy Master 5 (My Christian Hope in Age and Youth) as homework. Give a reasonable deadline, and then ask students to share their thoughts regarding the videos of their lives. Characteristics of Twelfth-Grade Students Spiritual Development They think more deeply about spiritual truths they have already learned. They can understand the interrelatedness of Bible events. They want to know how to apply spiritual truths to their lives. They may need additional guidance if they do not come from homes that model Christian living. Emotional and Volitional Development They are quite independent in their attitudes and habits. They are still greatly influenced by the actions and opinions of their peers. They are often governed by role models they have consciously or unconsciously chosen to follow. They are greatly influenced by television, movies, music, and magazines. Sexual Development Their sexuality is an important aspect of their lives. Relationships with Parents They are in the process of leaving their parents in order to develop independent lives. They share fewer of their experiences with their parents. They are still influenced by their parents, especially if their parents respect their growing independence. Learning Style They can study one topic in depth over anumber of class periods. They still enjoy a variety of learning experiences: ~working independently and in peer groups ~ learning by listening and by doing ~ learning by reading and by writing ~ learning by answering questions and by asking questions ~analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, and creating They question things they have previously accepted without question. iv

Some Teaching Strategies Meet the students where they are and then stretch them: Recognize that your students have different levels of Bible knowledge and spiritual development, even when they might have received similar spiritual training in elementary school and the early high school years. Do not make assumptions about their previous learning. Start with the simple. Review the basics. Then move on to more complex concepts, deeper understandings, and applications of Bible truths relevant to their teenage years. Create an open, responsive environment: Recognize that as your students develop independent thinking skills, they may question things they previously accepted without question. Maintain a classroom in which it s good to ask questions, even spiritual questions. You are a spiritual leader. If they have questions, you want to give them truthful and appropriate answers. Encourage them to search the Scriptures, not look to worldly experts for answers. Allow them to work together on some exercises: Occasional cooperative-learning activities yield many positive results. Your students may enjoy their work more when they do it with their peers. They may become accustomed to discussing spiritual issues with their peers a skill we hope they take with them outside the classroom. And when they have already tried out their ideas on a small group of their peers, they will feel more confident discussing an issue in front of the whole class. To keep chatty students focused on the task at hand, give the students definite and fairly short time limits. v

My Living Hope in Christ 1 Peter 1:1-5 Goals We pray that the student knows this spiritual truth: Every believer has a new birth and living hope through Jesus Christ. develops these spiritual attitudes and habits: I rejoice that God in his mercy has made me his own. I daily praise God for the sure hope of eternal life. I live as a stranger in this world because heaven is my eternal home. To Memorize Hebrews 10:22 1 Peter 1:3-5 Hymn 417 Suggested Commentary Reading Pages 55-75 in Jeske, James, 1,2 Peter, 1,2,3 John, Jude, The People s Bible series Introduction Idea Divide the class into groups, and assign a recorder for each. Give the groups five minutes to work independently listing as many things as they can about what they know about Peter. Have a recorder from one group read that group s list while others cross off duplicates from their lists. Continue until every item listed has been mentioned. Examples: was an apostle and in the inner circle of Jesus disciples (Peter, James, and John), was also named Simon and Cephas, had a brother named Andrew, was a Galilean fisherman from the towns of Bethsaida and Capernaum, had a wife and mother-in-law, became a bold leader of disciples, denied Jesus, cut off servant s ear at Jesus captivity, walked on water, was present at Jesus transfiguration, preached Pentecost sermon, healed a lame man, raised Dorcas from the dead, preached to Cornelius and family, and so on. Today we re going to begin a study of Peter s first epistle, a letter he wrote from Rome late in his life to people who were experiencing persecution. He wrote this letter a short time before his martyrdom to people in provinces of what was in his day the northern corner of the Roman Empire and today comprises Turkey. Peter s own experiences of failure, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration prepared and qualified him for encouraging struggling believers of all time. He wrote this letter to help his brothers and sisters look past their temporary trials and sufferings to God s goal for his children in this world. Let s explore today how God in his mercy comforts his elect (his chosen people). 1 Peter We Have a Living Hope! Lesson 1 1

My Living Hope in Christ 1 Peter 1:1-5 AIM What comfort do I have as God s chosen child? In the opening verse of his first letter, Peter identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ. The Lord chose Peter to hear Christ s teaching and witness his resurrection and then sent Peter to be a witness to others to feed his sheep and lambs (John 21:15-17). Peter humbly called himself an apostle of Jesus Christ so that his readers could know that God himself inspired what he wrote. That is Peter s identity. What does he say about ours? 1 Pe 1:1,2 a. Peter says we are God s elect, chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit. Explain why God s choosing, or predestining, you to be counted among his elect is already a comforting reminder. (See also Ephesians 1:4-6.) Being counted among God s elect has everything to do with God s grace in Christ and nothing to do with anything in me. God chose me by grace in Christ before the creation of the world (before I had ever done a single thing), and the Holy Spirit brought me to believe it. My election is a fact already accomplished through the grace of the triune God. b. In what sense are believers in Jesus strangers in the world? Believers in Jesus realize they are only passing through life in this world on the way to their home in heaven a comforting truth for Peter s first readers who had been displaced from their homes because of their connection with Christ. c. According to verse 2, for what two purposes did God choose us? Explain each one. (1) God chose us for obedience to Jesus Christ. This means that God has chosen us to come to faith in Jesus Christ. Those who trust in Jesus Christ are obeying the gospel. For additional instances of Scripture using obedience in this way, see Romans 6:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Hebrews 5:9; and Revelation 3:3. (2) God also chose us for sprinkling by his blood. This means that we have been forgiven through Jesus blood. In him our guilty consciences have been cleansed. The Old Testament draws this picture when God s people were sprinkled with the blood of sacrificial animals to ceremonially cleanse them. This cleansing pointed ahead to the real cleansing from sin the Savior would bring by his own blood, which he shed on the cross. God was teaching them that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. See Hebrews 9:13-22 and 10:22. d. How does Peter s twofold blessing at the end of his greeting relate to how he addresses us? God s grace and peace are two special blessings enjoyed by God s elect. In God s grace we have his persistent determination to love and forgive us. And in God s peace we have the beautiful and quiet satisfaction of knowing that all is well between God and us. KEY POINT 1 What comfort do I find in Peter s greeting? I am God s chosen child, a stranger to this world, and I live in the grace and peace that is mine in Christ. 1 Pe 1:3-5 a. Peter encourages us to praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for giving us a new birth into a living hope. What is Peter talking about? (See John 3:5-7 and 1 Peter 1:23.) Our new birth is our being brought to faith by the Holy Spirit through the means of grace Word and sacrament. Our living hope is the hope of our resurrection to eternal life made sure by Christ s resurrection on Easter Sunday. b. Why does God remind us that he has given us this living hope? Because of our sinfulness, we deserve eternal condemnation and are by nature spiritually helpless to do anything about it. In his great mercy, he gives us a living hope. God reminds us that he has given us this living hope so that we will remember with thanksgiving his great mercy to us. On our own we would only have the hope of death because of our sin. That we have the certain hope of life with God is only and exclusively because of his rich mercy. We are reminded both of our sinfulness and of his rich mercy. c. In verse 4 Peter says that God has caused us to be born again into an inheritance. How is this inheritance different from any earthly inheritance 2 1 Peter We Have a Living Hope! Lesson 1 Copy Master 1a

we might receive? Our inheritance in Christ will never perish, spoil, or fade. Earthly inheritances wear out or deteriorate over time. Even if we could enjoy an earthly inheritance our entire lives, we would have to leave it behind at our deaths. We will enjoy our spiritual inheritance forever. d. What does Christ s resurrection have to do with our Christian hope and inheritance? (See also 1 Corinthians 15:12-21.) We have our hope and inheritance only through Christ s resurrection from the dead. Christ s resurrection means that our sins are forgiven and that we too will rise from our graves. Had Christ not arisen, we would still be in our sins. We would not rise from the dead with glorified bodies, nor would we have eternal life. e. What does God promise to do for the people to whom he has given an incorruptible inheritance? God promises to use his power to shield us from the attacks of the devil, the world, and our flesh, so that we are able to stand in faith until the end. Those who lose their inheritance have no one to blame but themselves. Knowing God s power and his promise, we can confidently look forward to the Last Day. f. God says he will protect us by keeping us in faith until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. To what time is he referring? He will keep us in faith to the end, whether that is the end of our lives, at which time our souls go to heaven, or at the end of the world when he returns in glory. KEY POINT 2 What comfort do I have through Christ s resurrection? Jesus resurrection assures me that I will live forever and that the Lord will preserve me in faith until the end. TRUTH What comfort do I have as God s chosen child? I am God s chosen child, a stranger to this world, and I live in the grace and peace that is mine in Christ. Jesus resurrection assures me that I will live forever and that the Lord will preserve me in faith until the end. 1 Peter We Have a Living Hope! Lesson 1 Copy Master 1b 3

MY LIVING HOPE IN CHRIST Ponder the Point 1. KEY POINT 1 : Someone asks you, How can you be sure that God chose you to be his forever? Respond. Jesus lived and died for all people. Therefore, Jesus lived and died for me. God s Word says he chose me through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. The fact that he has given me faith is evidence that he has chosen me to be his own forever. 2. KEY POINT 1 : (Illustration) Being chosen as the captain of a team or as the lead in a musical is a great honor and privilege. Why is it even greater to have been chosen by God to be his own? A stint on a team is short-lived, and a dramatic production eventually comes to an end. That s not the way it is with God s chosen in Christ. The forgiveness and life we have in him last an eternity. 3. KEY POINT 1 : Mr. Geldlieb s once-thriving business is failing, and he is about to lose his multimillion-dollar estate and the luxuries his wealth afforded him. What comfort from the opening verses of 1 Peter could you offer to this devastated Christian? Mr. Geldlieb s true riches are not the riches of this world. Earthly wealth comes and goes, but heavenly riches cannot perish; they do not spoil; they never fade. The Lord will preserve him in faith through his Word until he leaves this strange land and enters his heavenly mansion. 4. KEY POINT 1 : (Illustration) Many Christians love the hymn I m But a Stranger Here (417). Some even choose it to be sung at their funerals. Why is it such a fitting hymn for a funeral? The hymn is a reminder that we are, in fact, strangers in this world, merely passing through on our way to the heaven Jesus won for us. What an excellent way to remind our survivors that we haven t left home but rather have gone home! In our heavenly home, we will be eternally comfortable and eternally joyful, because we will stand at our Lord s right hand. Picking this hymn as a funeral hymn also reminds our survivors to look forward to the heavenly home awaiting all those who call on Jesus in faith. 5. KEY POINT 2 : Mike said, The term born-again Christian is from the Department of Redundancy. What do you think he meant? There is no difference between being born again and being Christian. If you are a Christian, that is, a believer in Jesus Christ, you are born again. Since all people enter the world spiritually dead, only by a rebirth can they believe in Jesus as their Savior. If you are born again, you believe in Jesus as your Savior. The term is often used by Christians who are trying to take credit for asking Jesus into their hearts. Some use the term to try to make a distinction between Christians who are really saved and those who are Christians in name only. The focus is thus placed on a person and his or her response to the Lord instead of on the Lord s rich grace in Christ. 6. KEY POINT 2 : Agree/disagree: Juan said, I think Christians ought to celebrate their Christian birthdays (the day of their baptisms) as well as birthdays. Students might agree with Juan, considering that on the day of our baptisms the Lord put his name on us, made us his dear children, and worked faith in our hearts through the Word connected with the water. Students might disagree, however, if they think that the goal of such a celebration is just to get more presents or to have another party. 7. KEY POINT 2 : (Illustration) Mr. Glockkaput was heartbroken. The pocket watch he had inherited from his great-great-grandfather shattered when he dropped it on the floor. It would never keep time again. How does this stand in contrast with our inheritance in Christ? Everything we experience in life either changes, spoils, fades, breaks, or dies. Even earthly life itself is something we leave behind. Only what we have in Christ will last. In him our life will never end. 8. KEY POINT 2 : Agree/disagree: Matthias said, If we keep hearing that we don t have to do anything to get to heaven, we may get lazy and lose our faith. It is true that our sinful natures twist the gospel message of salvation by grace and lead us to think that we can do whatever we want and still be saved. The sinful nature is lazy and rebellious. The devil also 4 1 Peter We Have a Living Hope! Lesson 1 Copy Master 2a