Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life BIBLE PASSAGE John 18-20:18 (Jesus Rises) REMEMBER VERSE How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth! Psalm 47:2 SCHEDULE Anticipate 5 10 minutes Celebrate & Respond Large Group 35 55 minutes Respond & Bless Small Group 20 25 minutes Environment: KNOWING Nothing could be more important than knowing and being known by God. We live in a world that denies absolute truth and yet God s Word offers just that. As we create an environment that upholds and displays God s truth, we give children a foundation based on knowing God, His Word, and a relationship with Him through Christ. God is holy, mighty, and awesome, yet He has chosen to make Himself known to us! 1

Equipping Volunteers The Old Testament records hundreds of prophecies about the coming Messiah. Many striking examples of these prophecies are found in the book of Isaiah, particularly in the four servant songs, which the prophet wrote 700 years before Jesus birth. In Isaiah 53, the prophet describes a Savior who would take upon the iniquity of us all, would be a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering, and someone with no beauty or majesty to attract us to him (vv. 2 3). Also prophesied in these servant songs, none of Jesus disciples or followers would defend Him in His trial, saying, By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? (v. 8 TNIV). Isaiah even prophesied specifics about Jesus death. He used terms like pierced and crushed, and described the Messiah as disfigured beyond that of any man marred beyond human likeness (52:14). We often depict Jesus body on the cross looking relatively unaltered, but the Romans were brutal in their crucifixion process. Considering the beatings and torture Christ was subjected to, we can easily assume He was disfigured beyond recognition. Jesus death fulfilled many more of these specific prophecies, including that He would be buried with the rich in his death. Joseph of Arimathea, a rich disciple of Jesus, begged Pilate for Jesus body and buried Him in a tomb reserved for the wealthy. But His death also fulfilled prophecies that foretold the glorious purpose in it. Isaiah prophesied that, on the cross, Jesus would [bear] the sin of many. Then, after He had suffered, God would see the light of life and be satisfied [and] justify many (v. 11). Through His death and resurrection, Jesus proved that He is the source of life, the way to the Father, and the truth of God s love. 2

Anticipate// (Small Group) 5 10 min 1. Symbols SUPPLIES- images of symbols, markers, paper (1 sheet per child) SET UP- Tape images around the room. Set out paper and markers. ENGAGE- We see the symbol of the cross as a representation of what Christ did for us, how He saved us, how He gave us life, and how He showed us the way to the Father. The cross has become a symbol for our faith in Christ. In today s world, we see all sorts of symbols. For example, what does this symbolize? (Point to image of a peace sign.) Right! It means peace. What about this? (Hold up image of heart.) Exactly! This heart symbolizes love. We re surrounded by different symbols. Today I want you to get a little creative and invent your own symbol. Come up with a picture that symbolizes something special to you. When you re done, hold onto it. We ll use it later in large group. Give the kids some time to create their own symbols. Make sure the kids bring their symbols with them to the large group time, to use in Connect. 2. Earning Rocks See if any children have earned any rocks for the Rock Wall today. Children who memorized last week's memory verse, children who brought their Bible, or those who brought a friend. Pass out the rocks and let the kids write on the rocks their name, or the verse they memorized. (kids add rocks to rock wall at beginning of next section). 3

Celebrate// (Large Group) 20 35 min 1. Welcome & Traditions ROCK WALL CELEBRATION- Open up Celebrate time by celebrating all of the rocks that the kids have earned this week! Let them add them to the rock wall and encourage everyone to keep working on their verses, remembering their Bible and bringing friends! WELCOME VISITORS- Use this time to also welcome any new visitors. Give them a big round of applause for coming! And have a nearby leader give each visitor a high five! BIRTHDAYS- First weekend of the month, invite the children with birthdays this month up for a groupsinging of a birthday song and a blessing/ prayer from the leader. Make this a tradition in which the children feel loved by their faith community! CONNECT- To finish up welcome time, let kids engage in today s connect question! Show Connect Slide for kids to view. Encourage them to ask someone they might not know yet. After a minute or two, ask several kids to tell their friends answers to the group- WHAT DOES YOUR SYMBOL MEAN TO YOU AND WHY DID YOU CREATE IT? 2. Remember Verse Pass out Bibles to any kids who don t have one to use during today s lesson. Introduce kids to this week s Remember Verse. Open your Bibles and read it together. When finished pass out Memory Verse cards to take home. How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth. 3. Prayer of Release Next, pray a Prayer of Release. This is a time for kids and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet their hearts and minds. Encourage kids to quiet their voices and take a seat. Then ask them to pray with you. 4. The Big God Story- Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life SUPPLIES- Bible, images on flash drive: nature scene, Adam and Eve, Israelites in Egypt, Passover, garden, trial, cross SET UP- Though this part of The Big God Story can be delivered verbatim, read it before the lesson, so you can personally interact with the material. Before teaching, point out that what they are about to hear is true and is recorded in the Bible. Open your Bible, and encourage kids to do the same, to the passage and leave it open and visible throughout The Big God Story. Encourage adult volunteers to keep an eye out for kids who need help finding the Scripture passage. You may even want to write the reference in large print on a whiteboard. ENGAGE- Before we get started, let s take a look at where we ve been over the past year in The Big God Story. In the very beginning of time, God created the universe and everything in it. Animals, plants (show image of nature scene), mountains, stars everything! When God was almost finished, He chose to create one more thing: people! And people are His most valued creation. He loves them more than anything else. The first people, Adam and Eve (show image of Adam and Eve), had a perfect relationship with God. But Adam and Eve made a big mistake and disobeyed God. Because of this, their relationship with God was broken. They could no longer live in the garden and have a relationship with the holy God. But God wasn t okay with this. He was deeply sad. So He made a promise that one day He would send a Savior to restore perfect relationship with all people. He would repair the brokenness of the world once and for all. The Promise would be Jesus. This year we ve heard The Big God Story and how God s promise moved throughout the entire story, even back to 4

thousands of years ago. That s when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt (show image of Israelites in Egypt) and God used Moses to free them. Do you remember what happened on Passover? (Show image of Passover.) The night before the Israelites were set free, God told them that each household needed to sacrifice a perfect lamb and use its blood to paint over their doorways. (Ask younger kids if anyone can describe sacrifice. Help them elaborate). Because the Israelites did that, God protected their firstborn children from death, which passed over the houses marked with the sacrificial blood. The Israelites were then led from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land. But that wasn t the end of God s plan for His people. God promised to bring them a Messiah. And while they waited, they heard many, many prophecies about the promised Messiah to come. Finally, the promised Messiah was revealed to the world, and it was Jesus. As a man, Jesus traveled through Israel, teaching everyone about God. During this time, Jesus gathered a group of people to follow Him and learn from Him. These people were known as His disciples. As we know, Jesus performed many miracles and turned people s hearts toward God. But some people didn t like the things Jesus was teaching. They wanted God to send someone who would destroy their enemies and make the nation of Israel powerful. They didn t want to hear Jesus teachings, so they planned to kill Him. But this was all part of God s plan the plan to save all people. So, one night, Jesus gathered His disciples for one final meal together. He knew His time with them was coming to an end, and He wanted to prepare them. That night Jesus and His disciples remembered and celebrated Passover together. They took time to remember how God had once freed the Israelites from slavery. And God had a plan to free the whole world not just from a ruler or slavery, but from sin. God was going to make a way for all people to live in perfect relationship with Him forever! And just like the Passover required the sacrifice of a spotless lamb, this freedom also required a major sacrifice: Jesus sacrifice on the cross. So as He ate with His disciples, Jesus told them exactly what would soon happen to Him: He would die on the cross and rise again in three days. Later that night, Jesus went away to be alone and pray. He knew He didn t have much time left, and He wanted to spend time with His heavenly Father. The people who had turned against Him came to the garden (show image of a garden) where Jesus was praying and had Him arrested. Several times Jesus was put on trial (show image of a trial). He was sent before many different government officials, and every single one declared Him innocent. But the crowd who had turned against Him kept shouting out for Him to be crucified, one of the worst and most shameful deaths imaginable (show image of a cross). Can you imagine that? Jesus! The Messiah! The Promised Savior! Sentenced to die in shame. What s even more unbelievable is that many people in the crowd knew about the prophecies written in the Old Testament! They knew them by heart. When they were kids, they had been required to memorize them, word for word. Still, they absolutely, totally missed it. The Creator of the world was right before their eyes, and they missed it. Of course, Jesus is God! He could have taken over at any time and stopped this shameful death. But He chose not to. He chose to face death. He chose to make a sacrifice, for our sake. But why? (Encourage the kids to give answers.) He knew this was God s plan from the beginning of The Big God Story. This moment, Jesus death, was the whole purpose of The Big God Story. Because God loves us so very much, He wanted to be close to us and forgive us. The only way to do that was by making a major sacrifice. And Jesus sacrifice on the cross, dying for our sins, made a way for us to know Him and have eternal life with our Father in heaven. Here s the amazing thing: Three days after Jesus died, He rose again! He defeated death! He even talked to many people. The first person to see Him was a woman named Mary, who met Jesus right outside of the tomb where His body had been laid! And here s the most unbelievable and best part of what happened: Because Jesus rose from the dead, He revealed His power over death and His authority to give life to everyone who believes in Him. It s amazing how God so clearly laid out His plan through promises, prophecies, and Jesus explaining everything to His disciples. But even with all of that, God s people and even Jesus disciples didn t get it right away. The Jews had been told about the Messiah, and again, they missed it. The good news is that we don t have to miss it, and we can know God today. God has given us His Holy Spirit to live inside us, to guide us, and to give us wisdom. And we also have God s Word, the Bible, to read and learn all about The Big God Story. So we can have a new life in Him because we have heard The Big God Story, we know the truth through God s Holy Spirit, and we can choose to believe in Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life! Respond// (Large Group) 15 20 min. 1. Worship Response Stations Spend 5-10 minutes in Worship Response Stations, letting children respond to the lesson they just heard in their own way. Assist younger children and guide when necessary. 5

2. Response Activity/ Worship Through Music SUPPLIES- flash drive with TruWorship songs, musical instruments SET UP Cue the songs and set out musical instruments around the room. ENGAGE Many people throughout The Big God Story, even Jesus closest friends, didn t understand the truth that He had to die for our sins or why He had to do it. But we can understand it today because once we believe in Jesus, God gives us the Holy Spirit to help teach and guide us in all things. Today we re going to celebrate what Jesus did for us through His death and resurrection: He made a way for us to be in relationship with God forever! So let s praise God by singing and dancing together in a spirit of joy. If you want to use a musical instrument, come choose one at a time. Make sure you share with friends and switch occasionally. Encourage the kids to dance and sing in worship. Model this for them as leaders. Finish large group Celebrate with a time of singing music. 1. Good News 2. Forgiven 3. Happy Day Then exit Large Group to spend time applying the things from today in a small group setting. 6

Respond// (Small Group) 15 20 min. 1. Reflect: Jesus is the Way Jesus is the way to the Father; He showed the truth of God s love for us; and He showed that He has the key to life. Jesus went through all of this because it was God s plan since the beginning that a Redeemer would come and die for us. He also went through all of this because of His extravagant love for us. (Leaders: Encourage the kids to open their Bibles and read the suggested passages.) Questions for Younger Kids What did God promise to do after the first people left the garden? (Jeremiah 31:31 34) How was that promise fulfilled? (Matthew 1:21; 5:17) Why did Jesus choose to die for us? (Romans 5:8) How does this part of The Big God Story make you feel? Sad? Joyful? Thankful? How does it feel to know that God knows you and still forgives you? Questions for Older Kids What did God promise to do after the first people left the garden? (Genesis 3:15; 12:3; 22:18; Jeremiah 31:31 34) How was that promise fulfilled? (Matthew 1:21; 5:17) Why did Jesus choose to die for us? (Romans 5:8; 1 Timothy 1:15; Acts 13:38) How does this part of The Big God Story make you feel? Sad? Joyful? Thankful? How is Jesus sacrifice similar to Passover? (Exodus 12:11 13; John 1:29; Ephesians 1:7) Why do you think the Israelites and Jesus disciples didn t fully get Jesus message? What do you think caused them to miss it? (John 16:12 33; Mark 6:52; 8:17 21) What does the symbol of the cross mean to us as Christians? (Mark 8:34 35) What are some things you know about God because of the sacrifice He made? (Micah 7:18) How does it feel to know that God knows you and still forgives you? 2. Engage: Twenty Questions Game SUPPLIES- none ENGAGE- What Jesus did for us on the cross is amazing, isn t it? We re forgiven because He died for us. He didn t have to, but He did because He loves us! How awesome that Jesus died and rose again so we could know God! And when Jesus went to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to explain the things of God to everyone who believed and to reveal more about the heavenly Father to His children. Today we re going to consider what we know about God, what He did for us, and some of the amazing things we receive through faith in Him with this classic game. Referring to the question sheet, explain to the younger kids that you will give them a clue and they should try to guess each word by asking up to 20 yes or no questions. Have the older kids try to figure out each word without a clue. Remind the kids that their questions can only have yes or no answers! 1. THE BIG GOD STORY (Younger and Older Kids) Clue: God is the main character, and we are a part of it 2. PROMISES (Younger and Older Kids) Clue: God makes these and keeps them 3. ISRAELITES (Older Kids) Clue: God s chosen people 4. RESURRECTION (Younger and Older Kids) Clue: from death to life 5. PROPHECIES (Older Kids) Clue: knowledge in advance 6. HOLY SPIRIT (Older Kids) Clue: we are the temple of this Person 7. NEW LIFE (Older Kids) Clue: what we receive in Christ 8. THORNS (Younger and Older Kids) Clue: Jesus crown was made of these 9. REDEEM (Older Kids) Clue: to buy back 10. PRAYER (Younger and Older Kids) Clue: talking to God Bless// (Small Group) 5 min. 1. Blessing 7

Encourage the kids to hold their hands in front of them, palms up. This posture is meant to symbolize a willingness of heart to respond to God s Holy Spirit and receive what God has for them. Open up a Bible and read Psalm 68:19 20: Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death. May you be always thankful for God s willingness to give everything so you can be in relationship with Him. May you desire to grow to know Him more each day and to be more and more like Him because of Jesus sacrifice on the cross. 2. HomeFront HomeFront Weekly: Be sure to send home the HomeFront Weekly for next week s lesson! This preteaching tool for parents encourages families to spend time in God s Word together before children arrive at church. 8