Leader Guide

Teaching

Tags:

  • Life jacket or life ring
  • Rope
  • First aid kit
  • Cross or Nicodemus Cross Image
  • Sheet of paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick or tape
  • Bibles or the Superbook Bible App
  • GizmoNote (optional take-home note)

Discipleship Challenge materials:

If you don’t have the actual safety items, you can print images from the internet.
If you do not have an actual cross, print the Cross Image.
Cut six strips from the sheet of paper.
Make a paper chain with the strips of paper. Thread each strip through a ring and tape or glue them.

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


Discipleship Challenge:
Make copies of the Jesus Reveals Truth Craft on cardstock—one per child, plus extras. You may copy them in color or black and white.
Make one model craft to show the class as an example.

Jesus Came to Save Us: Discuss our need for a Savior.


Hold up the life jacket or life ring. What is this used for? To save someone from drowning.

Hold up the rope. How could this be used to save someone? Pull someone out of a hole or pit; pull them up a hill or ledge when climbing; pull them from the water.

Hold up the first aid kit. How could this be used to save someone? Bandage an injury after a fall or cut; protect from infection.

These items can be used to save people in an emergency or a life-threatening situation.

Let’s say our SuperTruth together: Jesus came to save us.

So, we know Jesus came to save us, but from what? What was so important and life-threatening that God had to send His only Son, Jesus, from heaven into the world? I would like to hear your ideas. Children respond.

The answer is sin. Romans 3:23 says:

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

Who has sinned? Everyone!

Who can tell me what sin is? Sin is disobeying God’s Word in the Bible.

Sin is doing, saying, or even thinking anything that doesn’t please God. And on the flip side, sin is NOT doing what we know we SHOULD do. (See James 4:17.)

The Bible tells us that the punishment for sin is death and being separated from God forever. So how many sins are too many? One thousand? One hundred? Ten? One.

God’s standard is no sin at all—even one sin is too many! That is why Jesus came to save us.

In the Bible story, the religious leaders didn’t believe they needed to be saved. They had it all covered—so they thought! They believed that by making the necessary sacrifices, keeping the law, and doing good deeds, they were safe. After all, everyone saw how righteous they were; God must see it, too!

Have you ever heard of the Apostle Paul? He was a Jewish Pharisee who thought he was a pretty good person—until he met Jesus and realized he needed a Savior. In Romans 3:9 (NLT) he said:

Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.

Hold up the paper chain. Paul said that everyone is under the control of sin. The Bible also says that we are prisoners of sin. (See Galatians 3:22.) That means we are trapped and helpless to do anything about it by our own power. Jesus came into the world to set us free from sin! Dramatically break or tear the chain.

The Jewish religious leaders needed to be saved, whether they believed it or not!

The SuperVerse says that Jesus came not to judge the world but to save it. Yet when Jesus returns to the earth the second time, He will have a different purpose. He will come to judge the world! (See John 12:47–48.)

Hold up the safety items. We discussed the purpose of these and how they could be used to save someone who is in danger. God knew we were in danger because of our sins.

Hold up the cross or an image of it. Jesus came to save the world by paying the price for our sins. He did it by taking our punishment for sin and dying on the cross. All we need to do is believe in Jesus! Believing in Him is the only way for us to be saved!

The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:18:

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

Conclusion: God demonstrated His love for the world by sending Jesus to save us. Let’s move to our Discipleship Challenge to learn about salvation truths that Jesus revealed to Nicodemus.


Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give each child a Jesus Reveals Truth Page, scissors, and a pencil. Have children separate the house from the strips. Have children cut out the three strips. Demonstrate how to carefully poke a hole in each window’s corner with the pencil and then cut the dotted lines at the top and bottom of the three windows. Children then insert the strips into the top and bottom of the matching numbered windows. If inserted correctly, the image of Nicodemus, Jesus, and Gizmo will show through the windows. The children can then write their names on the back. Display the model you made before class and assist the children as necessary to complete their crafts.

For these three lessons, you will learn three of the truths that Jesus revealed to Nicodemus when they met at night. Use the model craft to illustrate what you say.

The first window has a picture of Nicodemus. Let’s pull up the Nicodemus strip to reveal the first truth. What Bible verse do you see in the window? John 3:5.

The challenge for the lesson is to look up John 3:5 in your Bibles and to learn the truth that Jesus revealed to Nicodemus. God’s Word will never change or lose its power. What was true in Bible times is true today! In Matthew 24:35, Jesus says:

“Heaven and earth will disappear, but My words will never disappear.”

Read and learn the verse and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what Jesus is saying and how you can apply it to your lives. We will discuss your thoughts the next time we meet.

If time allows, look up the verse together. John 3:5:

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.”
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