Leader Guide

Teaching

Nicodemus Signpost Cards
Three sheets of cardstock or paper
Optional: tape
Bibles or the Superbook Bible App
GizmoNote (optional take-home note)

Discipleship Challenge materials:

Nicodemus Jesus Reveals Truth Craft—one per child who missed Lessons 1 and 2
Cardstock
Sample craft made in Lesson 1

Copy the three Signpost Cards onto cardstock if possible, in color or black and white. Give the Discipleship Challenge materials to children who missed previous lessons; see Lesson 1 for details.

Optional: Print the GizmoNote—one per child to take home after class.

No Ordinary Man: Jesus came to save us.

Have a child select the first Signpost Card and read it aloud. Tape the card to the wall or prop it up so children can see it. Lead a discussion with the information below. Repeat for the other two Signpost Cards. Additional material is included for Grades 4–6 to look up and discuss.

Signpost 1 No Ordinary Man

The Pharisees were not impressed with Jesus’ physical appearance. They believed He was just an ordinary man. The Bible tells us that while in the Pharisee’s home, He was carefully _____. (Watched)

They wanted to see if He would break one of their laws or traditions. Jesus did not disappoint them! He showed them that He was no ordinary man by healing a man who had a disease that caused his legs and feet to swell. The reason the religious leaders were upset is that Jesus healed the man on the ____ day. (Sabbath)

Their religious laws and traditions considered this to be work, which was forbidden on the Sabbath.

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 Luke 14:3–6 (NIV):

³Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” ⁴But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, He healed him and sent him on his way. ⁵Then He asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” ⁶And they had nothing to say.

Signpost 2 You Must Be Born Again

Most of the religious leaders were stuck in their way of thinking. They refused to accept Jesus’ message of love and salvation. Nicodemus was unusual. He wanted to know more. He came to Jesus one night to speak with Him alone. Jesus wasted no time in speaking the truth to Nicodemus in John 3:3 (NLT):

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus was surprised. He thought Jesus was speaking of natural birth, one in which he would need to be born again as a human baby. But Jesus was not talking about earthly things; He was talking about heavenly or spiritual things and the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus explained to Nicodemus what he must do to be a true follower of Him and enter God’s kingdom. Jesus said in John 3:5–7 (NLT):

⁵“I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. ⁶Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. ⁷So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’”

Jesus said the first step is to be baptized in water. This is an outer representation of asking for forgiveness of sins and having them washed away. The second step is to be spiritually reborn to be changed on the inside. This is a supernatural work that only the Holy Spirit can do. The Prophet Ezekiel had predicted this, saying God would give them a new heart and Spirit.

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 Acts 22:16 (NLT):

“What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.”

Ezekiel 36:26–27 (NLT)

²⁶“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. ²⁷And I will put My Spirit in you so that you will follow My decrees and be careful to obey My regulations.”

Signpost 3 Jesus—Our Savior

Nicodemus understood that everyone has sinned and is spiritually unclean. The sacrifices the religious leaders made for sin were temporary. They had to be done over and over again. The sacrifices covered the sin but did not remove it. Because of this, Nicodemus did not understand how Jesus could say someone could be made into a whole new spiritual person.

In our Superbook adventure, we saw a young man reading a passage from the Bible—but it wasn’t written in a book. What was it written on? A scroll.

What was the book of the Bible he was reading from? Isaiah.

In the passage, people are compared to what animal? Sheep.

Yes, it talks about people who are like sheep that have gone astray. They have wandered away in their disobedience to God. God sent Jesus to save the world from their sins. Jesus carried every sin from the beginning of the world until the world ends—and took all those sins to the cross!

He paid the penalty of sin for us with His life! He was the perfect sacrifice, once and for all. We will never need a sacrifice again! Hebrews 10:14 says:

For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

God loved us so much that He sent His only Son to save us! Through Jesus’ death on the cross, He made the perfect sacrifice. Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:14–15:

¹⁴“And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.”

Jesus paid for our sins on the cross so that we could become spiritually clean in God’s eyes. When we look to Him, we are healed and made whole—emotionally, physically, and spiritually—from loneliness and guilt, heartache and shame, and sadness and sin. Jesus came to take our pain away—now and forever! All we must do is believe in Him! Now, that’s Good News!

OPTIONAL VERSES FOR GRADES 4–6 Hebrews 10:10–12:

¹⁰For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. ¹¹Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. ¹²But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

Isaiah 53:6:

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on Him the sins of us all.

1 Peter 2:24:

He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed.

John 3:17:

“God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.”

Romans 10:9:

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Now, it’s time for the Discipleship Challenge, where we will learn another important truth that Jesus revealed to Nicodemus!

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give any child who missed Lessons 1 and 2 a Jesus Reveals Truth Page. Show children the sample craft made in Lesson 1 and have them assemble the craft at home. Hold up the sample craft.

Last time, your challenge was to learn the second truth that Jesus revealed to Nicodemus when they met one night. What scripture were we supposed to learn? I think it was Genesis 3:16; yes, that’s it! No, it’s John 3:16. I don’t know, let’s see.

Pull up the second strip to reveal John 3:16. Oh, you are correct again; I need to do this challenge all over again! Who learned John 3:16 and can say it from memory? Allow volunteers to try to say the verse.

John 3:16 (NLT):

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Did anyone receive any new or deeper understanding of the verse from the Holy Spirit? Children respond.

Hold up the model craft. Our last challenge is on the third strip. What is Gizmo doing in the window? He sure gets around, doesn’t he? Pull up the strip to reveal the verse. Where in the Bible is our next truth revealed? John 3:6.

Your challenge is to look this verse up in your Bible at home and to learn it. Where does the Holy Spirit live? Inside us! Yes, you remember! He is our teacher and will reveal the truth to us. Ask Him to give you a deeper understanding of this verse. You will have a chance to share what He shows to you the next time we meet. If time permits, look up and discuss John 3:6:

“Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”