Jesus spent a short time on earth after his resurrection before ascending into heaven to prepare our heavenly home. Kids will learn that Jesus is still with us on earth, through the Holy Spirit that he sent to us to live in all believers.
Object Lesson-Holy Spirit as Guide
ITEMS NEEDED:
A compass
If you were lost in the woods, and you didn’t have any signal on your phone, how would you find your way out? How could you get moving in one direction and keep moving until you found your way to the edge of the woods? Since we can’t always rely on getting phone signal in the woods, it’s a good idea to take an old fashioned compass. The compass doesn’t need a signal or a battery. It always points to true north so we can navigate our way.
Today we’re asking one final question: where is Jesus? The Bible tells us He is in Heaven, preparing a place for everyone who believes in Him to live forever. The Bible also tells us His Holy Spirit is here on Earth. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence. In a way it is our compass and our guide, pointing us to Heaven so we can move closer and closer to Jesus while we live here on Earth.
Jesus is alive. He is preparing a place for us, and He sent His Spirit to guide us home.
Some people think the story of Jesus rising from the grave is a made up story, like a UFO landing, but its not!
Lesson Snapshot
BOTTOM LINE:
Jesus is not dead; He is alive!
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will learn that Jesus truly rose from the dead, giving him power over death.
KEY PASSAGE:
Matthew 28:1-14, The Resurrection and The Guards Report
MEMORY VERSE:
“May you have power with all God’s people to understand Christ’s love. May you know how wide and long and high and deep it is.” Ephesians 3:18 (NIrV)
SUMMARY:
Many people wonder if the resurrection really happened or if it was just a story or hoax. Kids will learn that this hoax idea dates back to the resurrection itself, when the rulers bribed Roman soldiers to lie about Jesus coming back from the dead.
Story Short Version
“The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said….So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples….While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money,telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
Object Lesson
ITEMS NEEDED:
An Amazon Echo (or similar device)
Do you know what a conspiracy theory is? A conspiracy theory is the belief that something dark or secret is going on, something someone doesn’t want us to know about.
Some people think that Amazon is actually listening to us, all the time, through devices like this Echo. They also think that Apple is listening to us through our iPhones and that Google is listening through the Google Dot. How many of you have one of these devices at home? How many of you have heard your mom or dad say, “I think they are listening to us?”
I don’t know if Amazon is listening to us or not, but I’m okay with them hearing this – the resurrection is no conspiracy. From the day Jesus rose from the grave, people have tried to say it was a lie, but the real lie was one of the soldiers made up when they were bribed to say the body was stolen. No one would die for a lie, and the fact that so many people saw Jesus alive and were willing to die for Him proves there was no conspiracy to hide Jesus’ body.
Did Jesus really rise from the grave? Yes, He did, and He has conquered sin and death. We can place our faith in Him knowing that we will live forever with Jesus.
Since we spoke about the love of God on Easter, and Hope as a Christian virtue last week, I thought I should round out the series with a sermon on faith, and what more natural place than the Book of Hebrews.
Kids will learn that Jesus can comfort us because he faced the same challenges we do.
KEY PASSAGE:
Matthew 4:1-11, The Temptation, Matthew 26:36-46, Gethsemane, Hebrews 4:14-15, Without Sin
MEMORY VERSE:
“May you have power with all God’s people to understand Christ’s love. May you know how wide and long and high and deep it is.” Ephesians 3:18 (NIrV)
SUMMARY:
Because Jesus is God the Son, it’s hard to imagine he had to deal with the same things we have to deal with, like hunger, fear, and temptation. Kids will learn that Jesus experienced the same struggles we do, yet without sinning.
Bible Quiz
Let’s Move
Object Lesson
ITEMS NEEDED:
Rubick’s Cube
There are many challenges you face as a kid. How do you make new friends in a new school? How do you handle difficult classmates? How do you deal with people who do not believe in God like we do? And of course… how do you solve a Rubick’s Cube? Anyone who picks one up can’t help but be baffled by it – at least at first. How many of you kids have tried to solve one of these? Okay, adults in the room, how many of you have tried to solve one?
Kids, look around. You are not alone!
There’s comfort in knowing we are not alone. There’s comfort knowing our parents, our older siblings, and the people we look up to know what it’s like to be a kid and struggle with so many things. We can rest assured Jesus knows as well. The gospels show us that Jesus was no super-human. He knew hunger. He knew tiredness. He knew sadness. He knew fear. He knew pain. Jesus knew what it was to be popular and to have the whole world reject Him – even His best friends. He knows how badly it can hurt to be rejected too.
Jesus can comfort us not just because He is God, but because He knows how we feel at all times. Jesus lived it all, just like we are living it now. If you’re tired, hurt, sad, afraid, Jesus understands, and He can give you peace.
Romans 8 tells us that we are saved in hope, but for many hope seems to be a bridge too far. So from time to time the people of God need to have their hope refreshed.
Kids will learn that Jesus is the Son of God, sent by the Father to save us from our sins.
KEY PASSAGE:
Matthew 16:13-23, Peter’s Confession
MEMORY VERSE:
“May you have power with all God’s people to understand Christ’s love. May you know how wide and long and high and deep it is.” Ephesians 3:18 (NIrV)
SUMMARY:
Most people have heard of Jesus, but many don’t really understand who he is. Even when Jesus walked the earth, most of the people who he met didn’t “get it.” Kids will learn that Peter was one of the first to truly recognize that Jesus is God’s Son.
Object Lesson
“Hello My Name Is” name tags
Have you ever been some place where they made you wear one of these? We often wear name tags on the first day of school so our teachers and classmates can get to know our names. But knowing our names doesn’t mean they know who we are. We are not just Sarah or Adam or Melinda or Daniel. We are soccer players, artists, musicians, writers, basketball players, sons and daughters, and so much more!
Most people know the name Jesus, but not everyone knows who Jesus is. The Bible teaches us that Jesus is God’s Son. It tells us that Jesus gave up His throne in Heaven to live as a man on Earth. It tells us He died for our sins so that He could give us eternal life.
Jesus has changed the lives of millions of people over the centuries. Though no one living today has seen Him face to face, many know Him as their Savior and will tell you He changed their life. Who is Jesus? He is the Christ. He is the Son of God. He wants to save you from your sins!
We all know that God is love, and that Jesus is the ultimate demonstration of God’s love for humanity, but God’s love for us did not begin or end with Jesus earthly ministry. Join us today as we consider this divine/human love affair.
