Co-Mission Possible_Preliminary

Preliminary Draft MISSION 6: THE OBVIOUS CHANGES THE RISEN CHRIST MAKES LESSON 2: HE REPLACES FAILURE WITH FORGIVENESS (PETER) TEACHER NOTE: This lesson is Day 2 of this research project. Goal: Review the M6 L2 NOTES steps for each “transformation”, and model the process through one more example — Peter’s restoration. GUIDING LIGHT – KEY VERSE: “During the forty days after He suffered and died, He appeared to the apostles from time to time, and He proved to them in many ways that He was actually alive. And He talked to them about the Kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3 NLT). CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES: M.D.8 Commit to living a pure life; M.D.2 Grow in their relationship to Christ through regular Bible study and prayer; The prayerful goal: M.D.1. Accept Christ or acknowledge a time when this was previously done INTRO – PACKING OUR BAGS: PREP: 1. Cut out the “Call It Like It Is” cards, one for each student. 2. Prepare your “Mystery Item” and envelope as per instructions from the last lesson. INTRODUCTION: I need a volunteer to come up and play a little game with me called “Call It Like It Is”. It’s simple: Describe a word without using that word. (Yes, only words are allowed; no actions or visual clues, or that word will be withdrawn.) The goal is to get your partner to say the exact word you’re describing, to “Call It Like It Is”. Then move on to the next word. See how many words you can guess in one minute. Then switch roles, using your partner’s card. [Choose a volunteer, and run through one example.] [Hand out cards, select partners, and play through two rounds, one round per card. If that was too easy, the students can swap cards with two other students for another round, but cut the time to 45 seconds.] [After the game, for fun]: By a show of hands, what teams were able to guess all five words? At this point, this game will seem to have NO connection whatsoever to our lesson. But by the end of the lesson, you’ll see exactly why we played it. You’ll also see in the game a secret for a truly happy life as a Christian, especially in how our joy can be restored after we’ve failed through sin. 201

Speaking of failing, does anyone here like to fail? [Perhaps share a story or two of MM6_ L2_ NNOOTTEESS your own of a time when you failed at something.] What can make failure even worse is when you do it in front of someone who really matters to you. That is so embarrassing! Today, we’re going to learn about one of Jesus’ disciples who messed up big time…right in front of Jesus. His name was Peter, and he didn’t just fail in front of Jesus; he actually failed Jesus! This great failure made Peter very sorrowful. He wept bitterly, and his world became very dark, very fast. [Make your way over to the “Mystery Items”. Select the PRIVATE: DO NOT DISTURB sign, and hold it up.] As we walk through today’s lesson, think about what connection this sign has to Peter. Remember, we’re learning about lives that were transformed after coming face to face with the risen Christ. Happily, Peter’s story turned out better than he ever could have expected. And Peter’s story teaches us that failure is never final when we invite God into our mess. So, let’s begin. 1. Invite a volunteer to come and read the references: Luke 22:54-62; 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5a. 2. Based on what we’ve read, does anyone want to suggest which of the 9 Transformations on our map will best describe Peter’s experience? [The answer is Regret to Restored, but just field responses for now, inviting students to explain their reasoning.] 3. Hmmm…Not a lot of info here to fill in on our map and chart. I can tell you that this is the third appearance Jesus made, each of these three being on the same day as His resurrection. [Fill in the map. Explain that Simon was his birth name, and Peter was the name that Jesus gave Him (Mark 3:16; Luke 6:14; John 1:42). Peter means “stone” (Jn 1:42), and this pointed ahead to the stable help he would be to the early Church. Cephas is just Peter in Aramaic). 4. Let’s open this letter to discover THE REST OF PETER’S STORY. [To help the students enter into this story, invite two volunteers to come up and read the lines of Jesus and Peter.] THE REST OF THE STORY: PETER We’ve all had to eat humble pie at one point or another. But Peter’s serving of humble pie was the most bitter experience of his life. Have you ever heard professional athletes being interviewed before a big game, claiming they felt totally confident that they were going to win? But then they lost. In fact, not only did they lose, but they lost BIG. Totally humiliating! Well, Peter’s humiliation was FAR worse than that! You see, Peter was known as the bold one among Jesus’ disciples. But, even though he meant well, he often ended up saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. He was constantly putting his foot in his mouth! 202

The most epic example of this was Peter’s denial of Jesus. MM6_ L2_ NNOOTTEESS You’ve already read how Peter denied even knowing Jesus — not just once, or twice, but three times! And it wasn’t just off in the corner somewhere. It was in front of a crowd. Nor was it a subtle denial. He cursed and swore to try to convince the crowd that he really wasn’t one of those “Jesus people”. It just went from bad to worse…and then he heard a sound. It was the crow of a rooster. Wait! What? A rooster? What does a rooster have to do with this story? It may seem odd — until you realize the conversation that Peter and Jesus had an hour or two before Jesus’ arrest. Here is that conversation pieced together from all four gospel accounts (based on the Amplified Version). Setting the Stage: Jesus is announcing to His disciples that He, “the Shepherd”, is about to die. His followers, “the sheep,” would scatter as a result of the events that were about to unfold. If we were flies on the wall in that Upper Room, this is what we would have heard: Peter: “Jesus, where are you going?” Jesus: “Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now; but you will be able to follow later. As for ‘now’, you will all fall away because of Me this night, disillusioned about Me, confused, and some even ashamed of Me, for it is written in the Scriptures, ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised to life, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” Peter: “Wait a minute, Lord! Though they all [pointing to the other dis- ciples] will fall away because of You and doubt and disown You, I (pointing to his puffed out chest) will never fall away!” Jesus: “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded permission to to grind your life like kernels of wheat being made into flour; but I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith and confidence in Me may not fail; and you, once you have turned back again to Me (after being ashamed of me), strengthen and support my other followers.” Peter: “No! You don’t understand me. Lord, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death!”  Jesus: “Will you [really] lay down your life for Me? I assure you and most solemnly say to you, before a rooster crows you will deny and completely disown Me three times. Peter (now shouting loudly): “Even if I have to die with You, I WILL NOT DENY YOU!” Fast forward a couple of hours and…the rooster crows. Peter glances around in sudden realization of what just happened. And guess whose eyes meet his? The eyes of Jesus, who is being led away to His crucifixion. He looks on Peter, and their eyes lock. With all the people surrounding Jesus, and with Peter standing afar off, it’s remarkable that they caught sight of each other. It was a brief moment, but long enough for Peter to remember the Lord’s words, “Before a rooster crows you will deny and completely disown Me three times.” 203

Peter is horrified. He is overcome with shame, guilt, regret. He rushes off and MM6_ L2_ NNOOTTEESS begins to weep bitterly, deeply grieved and distressed. Then Jesus dies. He is buried — along with Peter’s hope of ever making things right. It’s too late. One day passes, two days…Peter sinks further and further into despair. How can he face another day? But, oh! The third day came…and what a day it was! The Risen Christ appears to Peter — not to scold him or tell him, “I told you so!” Not to ask, “How could you?” Jesus met with Peter to restore him, to set things right between Peter and Himself. Interestingly, Jesus arranged for this meeting with Peter to be private. Only two short verses in the Bible tell us THAT they ever met, but they tell us nothing about their encounter. This is significant. It tells us that Jesus is kind and gracious when He deals with our failures. He doesn’t broadcast them to other people. He doesn’t hang out all our dirty laundry and cause others to think less of us. Has anyone ever done that to you? Have YOU ever done that to others? Well, Jesus doesn’t do that. Once Peter was able to get things “fixed” with Jesus, it transformed him! For starters, he became a lot more honest about his own weaknesses. Later, Peter admitted that his love for Jesus wasn’t what it should be (Jn 21:15-19). (Peter declared three times that he “liked” Jesus with a brotherly love rather than loving Him with agape love. How different than the Peter who, before the cross, boldly declared his allegiance, an allegiance that proved untrue in the hour of testing.) In acknowledging his weakness, Peter was now more ready to depend on the Lord’s strength. And, for the rest of his life, he boldly served Jesus — right up to his own martyrdom. We might say that the breaking of Peter was the making of Peter! REFLECT: A little phrase in Mark 14:54 hints at why it may have been difficult for Peter to remain loyal to Christ. He followed Jesus from “afar off”, or, “at a distance”. Next, we read that Peter was warming himself at the same fire as those who were happy to see Jesus die. If you’re following Jesus, how closely are you following Him? If you’re a child of God but fol- lowing Him “afar off”, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be associating more with the world that hates Jesus than you are with Jesus Himself, the One who loves you and died for you. Follow Him closely, not from afar! _____________________________ Back to the recording sheets: So, which transformation best describes Peter’s experience with the Risen Christ? How could this sign be connected to Peter’s experience? [Field responses, and fill in chart.] LIFE APPLICATION: Generate some life applications from the Scriptures read and the article considered. 204

Some suggestions: MM6_ L2_ NNOOTTEESS ▪ Failure is never final when I get things right with Jesus. ▪ I have to be careful who I follow. “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals’” (1 Cor 15:33). MAKING IT PERSONAL: I want to finish off where we started, with the game that we played: “Call It Like It Is”. What did that game have to do with Peter and his failure? Well, becoming a child of God doesn’t mean that you will live a perfect life. In fact, just like Peter, you will likely fail Jesus at some point. Though you may not deny Jesus with your words like Peter did, maybe you are denying Jesus through your actions. I want to share a secret that can transform your life if find yourself making poor choices, choosing sinful habits, or becoming careless. Like Peter, you need to have a private meeting with Jesus. What does that look like? Let me read you a verse from 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Look at that word “confess”. Guess what it means in the Greek? It means “Call it what it is” — literally, to call the sin that you have committed EXACTLY the same thing that God calls it. In our game, you had to sort of “beat around the bush” as you were describing the word. You found all kinds of ways to describe it, right? Well, that’s what we tend to do when we get in trouble. We use all kinds of descriptions in order to avoid calling our sin what it really is. We want to make our offence “not sound so bad”. ▪ We say, “Oh, I’m sorry for kinda smudging the story a bit.” God says, “No, that is called LYING.” ▪ We say, “Oh, sorry for borrowing your bike without asking and forgetting to give it back.” “No,” says God, “that’s called STEALING.” ▪ We say, “Sorry, Mom, for forgetting to clean my room today like you asked me to.” God says, “The word you’re looking for is DISOBEYING.” This verse says that, when God’s child has done wrong and realizes it, they need to go to Him right away and “confess” it — to call it what it really is. At that moment, God says, ‘Wonderful! Now go and apologize to the person you offended, and make things right. Then get back to serving Me, just as Peter got back to serving Me’ (see Mt 5:24). Let me finish by drawing two circles on the board: 1. The first circle has a thick, solid line. We call it The Family Circle. When we are saved, God places us inside His family — the Family of God (1 Jn 3:1). Nothing we do can ever remove us from that circle, praise the Lord! Can I ask you today: Are YOU in God’s Family Circle yet? This can only happen through the forgiveness of your sins. (Elaborate as needed.) 205

2. But inside that circle is a dashed circle. We call this the JOY Circle. As we obey MM6_ L2_ NNOOTTEESS the Lord, we experience His joy. But when we sin, we step outside of this JOY Circle. Notice that we are still within the Family Circle. Sin causes us to lose our joy, not our family relationship. 3. The way to get that joy back (as in Peter’s case), is to “confess” our sin directly to our heavenly Father — calling the sin by its actual name — and to get the matter dealt with. Based on the promise of 1 John 1:9, we are instantly restored back into happy fellowship with the Lord. We are set back in the centre of the JOY circle! 4. Then we are to move forward in serving God. This was Peter’s experience, and God used him in mighty ways the rest of his life. CONCLUSION: So, failure is never final with God! This is the great lesson we learn from Peter’s example. You know what these items all have in common: the microwave, bubble wrap, Post-it Notes, Silly Putty, penicillin, chewing gum, potato chips, and the X-ray machine? They all started out as failed inventions. But, with some wise ingenuity, they ended up becoming everyday items that we can hardly imagine getting by without. If you are a Christian and have been following “from afar” — starting to drift spiritually — or if you have just blown it altogether and failed Jesus, then here’s what you need to do. [Hold up your PRIVATE: DO NOT DISTURB sign.] You need to have a private meeting with the Risen Christ and get the matter dealt with. One more challenge for you if you are a Christian: What about if someone fails YOU? Will you gossip about them and give the dirt on what they did wrong? That’s not the example of Jesus. He dealt with failure in private, and that’s what you should do too. And we need to demonstrate the same grace and compassion that Jesus showed Peter: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph 4:32; cf Gal 6:1). TAKEAWAY – LESSON SOUVENIR: Peter may have started out proud, but, through the work of the risen Christ, he became humble and even more effective for God. Look what he wrote when he was an old man: “Never forget that He is the God Who opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1Peter 5:5b) [TEACHER NOTE: At the end of this class, inform students that they will continue on with this project over the next couple of days either individ- ually, with a partner, or in their group (however you set it up). They will select a “Mystery Item” and begin. If time allows, they may complete two transformations in one lesson. You may wish to continue until all the students have examined all the transformations. However, if time is tight, you may prefer to assign each group two or three transformations and then present their findings, with the rest of the students taking notes on their recording sheets. Alter- natively, you may wish to send materials home for the students to complete the rest of the transformations on their own for bonus marks.] 206

207 “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” desk happy bedtime computer surprise tree clown elevator phone water mug cloud cake salad paper clock boy letter poem telephone head park mouth teacher heart “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” hiccup eyeball shirt penalty scare smile night dream advice sing hair mother idea newspaper baseball jelly sentence window arena squirrel face minute dessert story rattlesnake “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” elephant watch class puppy book man point planet van laugh answer money television door question branch lawnmower friend floor week headphones hour snow “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” father “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” sidewalk “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” voice “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” slip “CALL IT LIKE IT IS” house family beach ocean feather pool seagull pool light lip kite reindeer hammer shovel dice visit table circle gym ice roof cone shoulder



RESEARCH PROJECT: RESOURCES _____________________________________________________________________________ Introducing... • RISEN • RESEARCH PROJECT: INTRODUCTION — The — POST-RESURRECTION APPEARANCES of Jesus Christ — GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THIS PROJECT — M.K.4 Identify the relationship of Jesus to the Gospel and to one’s personal and present life; M.S.4 Use a concordance and electronic apps to locate scripture references; M.S.5 Access and use basic Bible study tools and methods as a means to accurately understand God’s word; M.S.6 Make application of scripture to daily life; The prayerful goal: M.D.1 Accept Christ or acknowledge a time when this was previously done 209

YOUR TASK: 1. Select a “mystery” item. 2. Read the passage on the envelope. 3. Complete the chart and map as best as you can. 9 TRANSFORMATIONS 4. Open the envelope to read THE REST OF THE STORY. 5. Ponder one life application. Journal this thought in the last column of the chart. 6. Fill in whatever is missing on your chart/map (if needed). Choose another item if time allows. From FEARFUL to CHEERFUL From WEAKLINGS to WITNESSES MARY Hint: “Simon” and “Cephas” From QUESTIONING to CONFIDENT MAGDALENE both refer to this man From EMPTY to FULL From SORROW to JOY From SORROW To JOY From DOUBT to WORSHIP From REGRET to RESTORED 11 ELEVEN DISCIPLES 10 From HOPELESS to “HEART-BURN” (Thomas Present) From SKEPTIC to LEADER 210 — FROM THIS TO THAT — 7 11 JAMES (JESUS’S HALF-BROTHER) PROJECT RUBRIC: Jesus also appeared to over 500 followers (1 Cor 15:6), but no other details are provided. A+ I completed all 9 “transformations” A I completed 7-8 “transformations” B I completed 5-6 “transformations” C I completed 2-4 “transformations”

PERSON/PEOPLE REFERENCE(S) “MYSTERY” ONE APPLICATION TO MY LIFE; ITEM LINK: TRANSFORMATION • THE RISEN CHRIST TRANSFORMS LIVES • 1 Luke 8:1-3; John 20:1, 11-16; GARDEN TOOL = Jesus Mark 16:1, 9-11 appeared to Mary in a garden (tomb location) RESURRECTION DAY 2 OTHER Matthew 28:1, 8-10; WOMEN Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-10 3 PETER Luke 22:54-62; 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5a 4 TWO DISCIPLES Mark 16:12-13; FROM hopeless (see v.21; (Perhaps married?) Luke 24:13-35 they thought Jesus would be king) TO… John 20:19,20; 5 TEN Luke 24:36-49 DISCIPLES (Eleven minus Thomas) 211 8 DAYS 6 Mark 16:14; LATER John 20:24-29 OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS 7 SEVEN John 21:1-8 When I obey the word of the Risen Christ, DISCIPLES I am able to do things that are impossible 8 11 DISCIPLES Matthew 28:16-20; if I rely only on my own power. (and around this time, Mark 16:15-18; to over 500 followers) 1 Corinthians 15:5b FROM… TO a church leader in 9 Matthew 13:55; Jerusalem Mark 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15:7; Acts 15:13

Lk 8:1-3; Jn 20:1, MARY MAGDALENE 11-16; Mk 16:1,9-11 If you’ve ever lost a loved one, you probably know what sorrow feels like. Let’s try to step into Mary’s situation to see these events through her eyes. FROM SORROW... A LOVE THAT GREW AND GREW: From that day on, Mary was lovingly devoted to Jesus. We A DARK PAST: The Bible says that Mary had at never actually read of Mary telling Jesus that one point been demon-possessed. I know that she loved Him, but her actions spoke loudly and sounds scary and unfamiliar to us, but God’s clearly of her love! Word says there were actually seven demons in- side of her (Lk 8:1,2). They took over her life and • She constantly helped provide practical items caused her much pain and fear. for Jesus and His disciples as they travelled around helping others (Lk 8:2,3). THE LIGHT OVERCOMES DARKNESS: A very • She was the last one at the cross and the first special day came in Mary’s life, the day when one at the tomb. Jesus, the Light of the World, set her free from darkness. With the word of His power, Jesus • She came to the tomb when it was still dark. commanded those demons to leave Mary — and Thousands of people had traveled to Jerusalem they did! for Passover that weekend. Lots of foreigners were in the city, around every corner, overcrowd- • REFLECTION: If you are a child of God, ing the streets. Yet Mary journeyed in the dark- you too have been set free! The Bible says ness to the tomb. that sinners are, by nature, prisoners of Satan. But the Bible also says that Jesus • She brought expensive spices to anoint the came for the very purpose of bringing those body of Jesus. who “sit in darkness out of [Satan’s] prison house” (Isa 42:7). When we reach out and • Thinking the body had been moved by the gar- ask for God’s salvation, He sets US free, dener, she was even prepared to get the body and just like He did to Mary! carry it to a better spot (over 250 pounds when we include all the spices folded into the linen cloth; see Jn 19:39). • Her love for Jesus was undeniable! 212

• REFLECTION: Do YOU love Jesus? You 1. JESUS…Himself! Notice, there were two an- may SAY you love Him, but if you have gels there. Wouldn’t you have been amazed by truly been set free from your sin and its that? But Mary was still sorrowful! ONLY Jesus eternal penalty, do you SHOW your love for would satisfy her heart — so that’s what she Him by serving Him and helping others? got! Just being in His presence brought joy. Do “Dear children, let’s not merely say that YOU regularly spend time in the presence of we love each other; let us show the truth Jesus? Do you listen to Him through reading by our actions” (1 Jn 3:18). His Word, the Bible? Do you talk with Him through prayer? As you do, you will experience Which brings us to this sad scene: Mary is joy: “In Your presence is fullness of joy” (Ps heart-broken. Jesus is not only dead (or so she 16:11). thinks), but now His body has been taken some- where (or so she thinks). But all of that is about 2. OVERFLOWING HEART: As we spend time to change… with Jesus, joy not only fills our heart but over- flows into the lives of others. Mary had the two- ...TO JOY! fold blessing of being the first to see the risen Christ and of being the first to carry the news Jesus honored Mary’s love: to others. Mark notes that Mary, who had her- self been weeping, took this joyful message to • Given the love that Mary had for Jesus, it’s others who also “mourned and wept” (16:10). no surprise that Jesus chose to appear to her We have good news! Let’s share it! first — even before any of the disciples. Jesus regularly honoured women in ways like this. 3. YIELD to Him: Yes, Mary called Jesus her “teacher” (“Rabboni”). But notice how she re- • Notice the THREE ingredients necessary for ferred to Him a few minutes earlier (Jn 20:13): transforming Mary’s sorrow into JOY, and re- “MY LORD (meaning, “My Master”; see also member each of these letters to remind you of v.18). Jesus was first Mary’s Lord, then He was how YOU can experience this same joy: her Teacher. That order is important. (Jesus re- inforced this order in Jn 13:13,14.) If we rec- ognize the risen Christ first as our Lord and Master, we will more readily follow His instruc- tions as our Teacher. The result? Joy! “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s com- mandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (Jn 15:10,11). FROM SORROW TO JOY 213

Mt 28:1,8-10; Mk THE OTHER WOMEN 16:1-8; Lk 24:1-10 It’s easy to doubt the word of a liar. But, sad to say, we can also choose to doubt the word of Jesus, who said, “I Am the… Truth” (Jn 14:6). And that’s exactly what these women did. FROM DOUBT… PAUSE TO REFLECT: Have YOU ever doubted the word of Jesus? Perhaps you’ve How many times before His death had Jesus read a verse like, “In the beginning, God promised, “I will die. But then I will rise again”? created the heavens and the earth” (Gen He had taught this over and over and over. Here 1:1). And, even though these words come are a few examples you can read for yourself: from God, you think to yourself, “Hmmm… Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 26:32. can that really be true?” Yet, when these women came to the tomb, they We begin to D.O.U.B.T. when we Distort Our fully expected that Jesus would still be dead in Understanding of Biblical Truth. It’s been that tomb. How do we know this? said, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it.” But that’s not quite how it works! We 1. They brought spices to anoint what they should be saying, “God said it, so that set- thought would be a decomposing body. tles it.” Whether or not I believe something, or even understand it, “God is not like 2. They asked each other, “Who will roll the stone people, who lie; He is not a human who away from the entrance of the tomb?” (Mk 16:3 changes His mind. Whatever He promises, NIV). He does; He speaks, and it is done” (Num 23:19 GNT). The best thing we can do is 3. Once they arrived at the tomb, one of the an- trust His Word, undoubtedly — no matter gels stated point-blank: “You are looking for what! Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified” (Mk 16:6). In other words, “You’re looking for a dead THEY CAME, THEY SAW, THEY REMEM- Jesus.” BERED! The angels gently rebuked the women: “He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He There’s no doubt about it: told you…?” (Lk 24:6). these women doubted! 214

“Come and see!” (Mt 28:6). The angels invited PAUSE TO REFLECT: Every person who the women to take a look inside the tomb. Guess has “come and seen” the wonderful risen what they saw? No body (pardon the pun)! The Savior has also been commissioned to “go body was gone — but what they did see was and tell” others about Him. Who have you truly astounding! In fact, John records that, told lately? when he personally saw this, he became an in- stant believer in the resurrection of Jesus (Jn …TO WORSHIP 20:8). As the women raced off to share the good news What did they see? The grave clothes of Jesus with Jesus’ disciples, guess who they met? The — but not as you might expect. They were risen Christ! They fell at His feet and wor- “lying” there. The word used in the Greek shiped the risen Christ. They were trans- means “undisturbed”. In other words, those formed. grave clothes were lying exactly as they had been when Joseph of Arimathea had wrapped What is worship? It’s more than a word. It’s them around Jesus’ body for burial. Due to the more than a song. It literally means “to ac- spices, the grave clothes had hardened like an knowledge worth”. These women, bowed at the encrusted cocoon in the shape of a body! feet of Jesus, were declaring that the risen Christ was “worth” more than anything or In seeing this evidence and hearing the angels’ anyone else in their lives. reminder that Jesus had promised to rise three days after his death, the women “remembered What or whom do YOU worship? Here’s an easy His words” (Lk 24:8). way to find out: Just ask yourself, “What thing or person in my life would I say is worth the Now it was all crystal clear! What were they to most to me?” Is it your friends? Your hobbies? do with this exhilarating news? The angels who Your sports? Entertainment? Some celebrity? had invited them to “Come and see” now Your looks? Your grades? The answer to that charged them to “Go and tell”! question will tell you the object of your worship. Sure, we should appreciate or admire certain people, but there is only One Person worthy of worship — and that’s the risen Christ! Why is He alone worthy of worship? 1. He created you (Rev 4:11). 2. He died to pay your sin-debt (1 Cor 15:3). 3. He rose again, proving His victory over sin, death, and the grave (Matt 28:6, 9). Who is greater than Jesus? No one. So, like those women, let’s worship ONLY JESUS. FROM DOUBT TO WORSHIP

Lk 22:54-62; 24:34; SIMON PETER 1 Cor 15:5a We’ve all had to eat humble pie at one point or another. But Peter’s serving of humble pie was the most bitter experience of his life. FROM REGRET... Wait! What? A rooster? What does a rooster have to do with this story? It may seem odd — until Have you ever heard professional athletes being you realize the conversation that Peter and interviewed before a big game, claiming they felt Jesus had an hour or two before Jesus’ arrest. totally confident that they were going to win? Here is that conversation pieced together from But then they lost. In fact, not only did they lose, all four gospel accounts (based on the Amplified but they lost BIG. Totally humiliating! Version). Well, Peter’s humiliation was FAR worse than Setting the Stage: Jesus is announcing to His that! You see, Peter was known as the bold one disciples that He, “the Shepherd”, is about to die. among Jesus’ disciples. But, even though he His followers, “the sheep,” would scatter as a re- meant well, he often ended up saying the wrong sult of the events that were about to unfold. If thing at the wrong time. He was constantly put- we were flies on the wall in that Upper Room, ting his foot in his mouth! this is what we would have heard: The most epic example of this was Peter’s denial Peter: “Jesus, where are you going?” of Jesus. Jesus: “Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now; You’ve already read how Peter denied even know- but you will be able to follow later. As for ‘now’, you ing Jesus — not just once, or twice, but three will all fall away because of Me this night, disillu- times! And it wasn’t just off in the corner some- sioned about Me, confused, and some even ashamed where. It was in front of a crowd. Nor was it a of Me, for it is written in the Scriptures, ‘I will strike subtle denial. He cursed and swore to try to con- the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scat- vince the crowd that he really wasn’t one of tered.’ But after I am raised to life, I will go ahead of those “Jesus people”. It just went from bad to you to Galilee.” worse…and then he heard a sound. Peter: “Wait a minute, Lord! Though they all [point- It was the crow of a rooster. ing to the other disciples] will fall away because of You and doubt and disown You, I (pointing to his puffed out chest) will never fall away!” 216

Jesus: “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded Interestingly, Jesus arranged for this meeting with permission to to grind your life like kernels of Peter to be private. Only two short verses in the wheat being made into flour; but I have prayed for Bible tell us THAT they ever met, but they tell us you, Peter, that your faith and confidence in Me nothing about their encounter. This is significant. may not fail; and you, once you have turned back It tells us that Jesus is kind and gracious when He again to Me (after being ashamed of me), deals with our failures. He doesn’t broadcast them strengthen and support my other followers.” to other people. He doesn’t hang out all our dirty laundry and cause others to think less of us. Has Peter: “No! You don’t understand me. Lord, I am anyone ever done that to you? Have YOU ever done ready to go with You both to prison and to death!” that to others? Well, Jesus doesn’t do that. Jesus: “Will you [really] lay down your life for Me? Once Peter was able to get things “fixed” with I assure you and most solemnly say to you, before Jesus, it transformed him! For starters, he became a rooster crows you will deny and completely dis- a lot more honest about his own weaknesses. Later, own Me three times. Peter admitted that his love for Jesus wasn’t what it should be (Jn 21:15-19). (Peter declared three Peter (now shouting loudly): “Even if I have to die times that he “liked” Jesus with a brotherly love with You, I will NOT deny You!” rather than loving Him with agape love. How differ- ent than the Peter who, before the cross, boldly de- Fast forward a couple of hours and…the roos- clared his allegiance, an allegiance that proved ter crows. Peter glances around in sudden real- untrue in the hour of testing.) ization of what just happened. And guess whose eyes meet his? The eyes of Jesus, who is being In acknowledging his weakness, Peter was now led away to His crucifixion. He looks on Peter, more ready to depend on the Lord’s strength. And, and their eyes lock. Peter is horrified. He is over- for the rest of his life, he boldly served Jesus — right come with shame, guilt, regret. He rushes off up to his own martyrdom. We might say that the and begins to weep bitterly. Then Jesus dies. He breaking of Peter was the making of Peter! is buried — along with Peter’s hope of ever mak- ing things right. It’s too late. One day passes, two days…Peter sinks further REFLECT: A little phrase in Mark 14:54 hints at and further into despair. How can he face why it may have been difficult for Peter to remain another day? But, oh! The third day came…and loyal to Christ. He followed Jesus from “afar off”, what a day it was! or, “at a distance”. Next, we read that Peter was warming himself at the same fire as those who ...TO RESTORED! were happy to see Jesus die. If you’re following Jesus, how closely are you following Him? If The Risen Christ appears to Peter — not to scold you’re a child of God but following Him “afar off”, him or tell him, “I told you so!” Not to ask, “How it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be associat- could you?” Jesus met with Peter to restore him, ing more with the world that hates Jesus than you to set things right between Peter and Himself. are with Jesus Himself, the One who loves you and died for you. Follow Him closely, not from afar! FROM REGRET TO RESTORED

Mk 16:12-13; TWO EMMAUS DISCIPLES Lk 24:13-35 Your favourite sport’s team is heading to the championship game! They’ve won practically every single game all season. There’s no way they are going to lose! You let everyone know it. And then…they lose. You feel half humiliated, half devastated. But guess what? Life goes on. You’ll be fine. FROM HOPELESS... stantly set up His glorious kingdom that all the pro- phets of old had promised. Well, these two disciples of Jesus didn’t feel “fine,” that’s for sure. They were absolutely certain that But now their joy and their confidence were dead Jesus was going to win big — that, as some great and buried in that tomb along with Jesus. These two military leader, He was going to crush the big, bad disciples were totally hopeless. Roman Empire that was ruling over Israel. One of these disciples said with a heavy heart: “But we ...TO HEARTBURN were hoping that it was He who was going to re- deem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the As they walked in despair, a “Stranger” appeared third day since these things happened” (Luke and walked with them on the road. Little did they 24:21). know that this Person was actually the risen Christ. He even asked them questions about what had taken That word “hoping” in the Greek doesn’t mean place over the weekend. They wondered how anyone “wishful thinking” like we use it today. This particu- could NOT have known what had happened to Jesus. lar word meant “to wait for salvation with joy and full confidence”. But now, get ready for this thrilling transformation: the One who opened the tomb was about to open two Fully confident — and then…Jesus was arrested, more things. tortured, and crucified. 1. The SCRIPTURES were opened — “How could this possibly have happened?” they Question: Do you recognize this person likely reasoned as they slowly walked along the to the right? If you do, that’s impres- dusty eight-mile road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. sive! Most people would have a hard “He was a Prophet mighty in word and deed before time identifying this person because God and all the people!” They figured that He could we see only part of the picture. wipe out the Romans with a simple thought and in- Answer: It’s Mona Lisa!

That’s sort of how it was with these two disciples. Christ! That is the power of God’s Word. Sure, Yes, they believed SOME of what the prophets wrote evidence is helpful. But you could spend your about Jesus — namely, the parts about His CROWN entire lifetime examining “evidence” to con- (His coming power and glory). But, in Jesus’ own vince you about Jesus, but, in the end, “faith words, they failed to “believe in ALL that the pro- comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of phets have spoken!” (v.25) — namely, the parts God” (Rom. 10:17). Do YOU believe God’s Word? about His CROSS. So Jesus had to rewind to remind! He went all the 2. Their EYES were opened — Once they all reached way back to the writings of Moses — who wrote the Emmaus, the two disciples invited Jesus in for a first five books of the Bible — reminding and then meal. He accepted. Sitting down at the table, Jesus explaining what the prophets had written — which gave thanks for the food, broke some bread, and is a big chunk of the Old Testament. He explained passed it to the two disciples. And, at that moment, how Christ would first suffer, and then reign in it all clicked: “Then their eyes were opened and they power and glory. knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.” Imagine Jesus explaining Jesus to us? No wonder Wait! Jesus passed them the food? Did they happen they later declared: “Did not our heart burn within to see…His hands? It’s possible. After all, a whole us while He talked with us on the road, and while week later, the risen Christ said to Thomas, “Put He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Lk 24:32). your finger here, and see my hands…Do not dis- believe, but believe” (John 20:27 ESV). So, Jesus’ REFLECTION: These two disciples had wounds were still visible and were likely seen by received word from witnesses (the women and these two at the table. A little later on, we read, the apostles) that the tomb was empty. Angels “[The risen Christ] was known to them in the break- had even declared that Jesus was alive (part ing of bread” (v.35). No sooner had Jesus handed of the witnesses’ testimony). But even this ev- out the food and *POOF*…He literally vanished. idence was not enough to convince these two. Gone! And in that instant, they knew Jesus was What was it that started to open their eyes? It alive. Their hopeless despair was replaced with spir- was the Word of God — without even realizing itual heartburn! that the “Stranger” was actually the risen Opened Scriptures led to opened eyes. And opened eyes led to open MOUTHS! They ran eight miles all the way back to the very city they had just come from — Jerusalem. There, they found ten of Jesus’ disciples (Thomas was absent) and announced the great news: “The Lord is risen indeed…” (v.34). REFLECTION: What wonderful truth have you re- cently discovered from the Bible? Don’t keep it to yourself! Open your mouth and share it with others. Who knows? It might be just what God uses to help open someone else’s eyes to see their need of Jesus! HOPELESS TO HEARTBURN

Jn 20:19,20; THE TEN DISCIPLES Lk 24:36-49 What are you most afraid of? A Survey on American Fears by Chap- man University ranks the most common fears people experience. Yes, in this order: public speaking, heights, death, flying, and blood/needles. Amazing, isn’t it? Public speaking causes greater fear them the wounds in His hands and side as evidence than dying! And if it isn’t enough that we have all that it really was Him. He ate with them to prove He these common fears to cope with, many people have was not merely a spirit. But notice what He did next. to contend with a whole slew of uncommon fears, Just as Jesus did with the two disciples walking to known as phobias. Like what? Oh, like: Arachibutyro- Emmaus, He opened the Scriptures and explained phobia (the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof God’s Word, showing how all the events of His death of your mouth), Nomophobia (the fear of being with- fit together in God’s master plan (see 1 Peter 1:10– out your mobile phone), Arithmophobia (the fear of 12). numbers), and even Ablutophobia (the fear of bath- ing). The most ironic phobia? Hippopotomonstroses- The result? John 20:20 tells us they regained 20/20 quippedaliophobia…the fear of long words! vision: “The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord” (NIV).The word “overjoyed” in the Greek is FROM FEAR… chaírō, meaning “cheerful”. Yes, their fear was trans- formed into cheer! That’s what happens when we re- Ten of Jesus’ disciples (along with some others) had alize the presence of the risen Christ in our lives. locked themselves in a room. Why? Fear upon fear! Yes, adults too experience fear. First, John records Did you know that this risen Christ wants to do the that these disciples feared for their lives. They were same for you? He wants to bring three special kinds marked men: the Jewish leaders who crucified Jesus of “cheer” into your life! Let’s do what Jesus did and could very well hunt them down next. Luke also turn to the Word of God to learn about this cheer: records that, when Jesus appeared suddenly in their locked room (without even using the door!), they As to our PAST: The cheer of GOD’S PARDON were afraid, thinking that He was a ghost! Add all this to the traumatic events that had taken place a Jesus once spoke these words to a paralyzed man: few days before, and these men were, quite literally, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you” a wreck. (Matthew 9:2). …TO CHEER What was the first thing Jesus did? He spoke peace Why would God’s forgiveness bring us cheer? Because to them, helping to calm their nerves. He then showed sin is our most serious disease: it infects our soul. It 220

makes us unclean; it “contaminates” us before a They were terrified and must have wondered if this holy God. And our guilt results in eternal separation voyage would be their last. Then Jesus appeared, from God and Heaven: “ The wages [payment] of sin showing His power over the storm, walking on the is death” (Romans 6:23). waves of the sea declaring: “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” This death means eternal separation from God. That is a fearful thought! But the good news Jesus has What a comforting promise Jesus makes to His own, for you, today, is that He can pardon you from this during the sunniest of days or the darkest of nights guilt. Yes, He can declare you righteous and make — “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews you fit to live in God’s presence forever. How could 13:5). Whatever storm you may be experiencing this ever happen? You simply need to receive the right now, Jesus promises His presence to all who gift God is holding out to you — His own forgiveness. belong to Him. If you receive that gift, you’ll experience this cheer: As to the FUTURE: The cheer of GOD’S PROGRAM “Happy are those whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned” (Psalm 32:1). Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” As to the PRESENT: The cheer of GOD’S PRESENCE (John 16:33). Yes, even now — though things seem chaotic and evil seems to be unstoppable — Jesus “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew Christ is in Heaven, perfectly working all things to- 14:27). gether (the good, the bad, and the ugly) in such a way as to fulfill His fail-proof program in His perfect These words were spoken to Jesus’ disciples when timing. And in the end, God wins! How this should they were caught in a storm on the Sea of Galilee. cheer the heart of God’s child. And it was quite a storm! The sea is only about 13 km (8 miles) at its widest point, yet, after rowing A Holocaust concentration camp survivor named for three-fourths of the night (from evening till Corrie ten Boom put it this way: “When a train goes around 3 a.m.), they had only reached “ the middle through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw of the sea” ! away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.” We can “trust the engineer” — the risen Lord Jesus Christ — because He has perfect knowledge of what lies ahead. “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9,10). The Lord Jesus is calling out to you personally: “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you” (Mark 10:49). Let the risen Christ transform your fear into cheer! FROM FEAR TO CHEER

Mk 16:14; TEN PLUS THOMAS Jn 20:24-29 Do you have a nickname? If you do, you’re probably not a fan of it. Over the years, one of Jesus’ disciples named Thomas picked up the nickname “Doubting Thomas”. Let’s find out why... FROM UNCERTAIN… Answer: How do you know that man at the door is Uncle Hank? You look out a window and see a man He is called “Doubting Thomas” because he didn’t be- that doesn’t quite resemble the pictures you’ve seen. lieve that Jesus had risen from the dead, even after He’s much taller than you always imagined him to be. hearing eyewitness accounts from the other disciples. For a moment, you doubt that it’s Uncle Hank. In that sense, we might say Thomas doubted. Jesus even said to Thomas in John 20:27, “Stop doubting Now, is that kind of doubting a bad thing? Not at and believe.” all! In fact, your parents have always taught you not to interact with strangers, and, at this point, the man Let me follow that up with another question: Is all on your doorstep is technically a stranger to you. doubting wrong? Opening the door could potentially mean danger for you. So you wisely (and quickly) call a parent and de- Before you answer that question, let me paint a sce- scribe the man on the doorstep. They confirm that nario for you. Imagine your parents were expecting it’s Uncle Hank, so you let him in. your great Uncle Hank for a weekend visit. You’re looking forward to this visit because you’ve never Thomas’s situation was not all that different from met Uncle Hank. You’ve seen some old pictures and this example. How so? Rewind to just before the heard lots of stories about him, but it will be fun to death of Jesus. Listen to His warning, which Thomas actually spend some time with him. had obviously taken to heart:“Watch out that no one misleads you. For many will come in my name, say- He’ll be flying in and getting dropped off before ing, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead your parents get home from work, so they tell you many...Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is to come home right after school to greet him, show the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe him. For him to his room, and get him a snack. false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive…” (Mt True to your word, you rush home after school and 24:4,5, 23,24 NET). await his arrival. Then you hear the doorbell. All of a sudden, you realize you have a bit of a dilemma. Luke records: “[Jesus] said, ‘Watch out that you are Do you know what it is? not misled. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them!” (Lk 21:8 NET).

Notice the two strong warnings about someone claim- Look carefully now. A week earlier, Thomas had said, ing to be Christ: DON’T BE FOOLED BY HIM. DON’T “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and FOLLOW HIM. put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” If you think about it, a week earlier, the other dis- ciples had seen someone claiming to be the risen Now, a week later, Jesus said, “Reach your finger Christ. But Thomas had not yet verified this for him- here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand self. So Thomas stated, “Unless I see in His hands the here, and put it into My side.” The Lord used the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of very words of Thomas, spoken a week before. This the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not be- Man knows all things! He truly is God. lieve” (v.25) HOW ABOUT YOU? Having doubts is not a bad thing I ask you again: Was Thomas’ doubting a good thing as long as they are healthy doubts. Doubting God’s or a bad thing? In this context, it was a very good Word because you’re trying to avoid the truth will thing. It appears that he was trying to be careful in lead you down a dangerous path. But if your doubts what he believed, especially given the Lord’s warn- are causing you to seek truth and avoid lies and ings about others who, through the display of impres- deception, then you’re doing exactly what the Bible sive acts, would claim to be Christ. says to do. Listen to these verses: …TO CONFIDENT “Test all things. Hold fast to what is good” (1 Thes 5:21). And, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but Amazingly, a week after Jesus had appeared to the test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for group (when Thomas was not present), Jesus ap- many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 peared again. “And after eight days His disciples were Jn 4:1). again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, If you come to God sincerely seeking truth as Thomas ‘Peace to you!’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your did, He is more than willing to show Himself to you. finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your “He who comes to God must believe that He is, and hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbe- that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek lieving, but believing’” (vv 26,27). Him” (Heb 11:6). Do you see the key word there? “Believe.” If you come with a heart willing to believe The risen Christ was now standing before Thomas. In that what God says in His Word is true, and if you an instant, any uncertainty Thomas had was gone. It are prepared to submit to His authority (cf John was replaced with total confidence that this Man was, 7:17), you will be even more blessed than Thomas was indeed, the risen Christ! (see v.29)! Thomas declared with joy: “My Lord and my God!” What is the Lord calling on you to believe today? (v.28). He no longer had those healthy doubts. He was That you need to be saved? “Believe in the Lord now fully confident. Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). If you’re already one of God’s children, “as you have received What was it that convinced Thomas that this was the Christ Jesus as Lord [salvation through believing same Jesus who had been crucified three days ear- God’s Word], continue to walk in Him [continue to be- lier? It’s not that he merely saw Jesus or that he lieve God’s Word in your day-to-day walk with Him]” touched Him — the text doesn’t indicate whether or (Colossians 2:6). not Thomas even did that. UNCERTAIN TO CONFIDENT

Jn 21:1-14 7 FISHING DISCIPLES Have you ever studied super hard for a test? Then, when it came time to write it, you totally blanked? Or have you ever finished shovelling a load of snow from your driveway just in time to watch the snow plow push most of it right back to where it was? Perhaps you’ve trained hard for a big sporting event and then got sick or broke a bone and had to miss out. It can be so frustrating when all your hard work seems Just like that, John knew exactly who that Man was: to get you nowhere. Well, that’s exactly how seven of He was the risen Christ! Now the net wasn’t the only Jesus’ disciples felt one night… thing that was full; so were the hearts of those dis- ciples. Peter was so excited that he jumped into the FROM EMPTY… water and made his way to shore as fast as He could. These seven disciples had been toiling all night to The net was full. Their hearts were full. And this story catch some fish. They were back in Galilee (waiting for is full — full of wonderful lessons about our wonderful the risen Christ to come to them, as He had promised Savior! in Matthew 28:7 and Mark 16:7). They weren’t sure when He would show up, so they went fishing, perhaps JESUS IS THERE. They didn’t know the risen Christ to earn some money to provide for their families. was on the shore — but He was! What a comforting promise Jesus makes to His own. Even when we feel Now, these were experienced fishermen. But, for some alone, He guarantees: “I will never leave you nor for- reason, they couldn’t catch a single fish! Every time sake you” (Hebrews 13:5). The original audience they pulled up their net, it was absolutely empty. reading that verse in Greek would have noticed the double negative: “I will never, never leave you.” Even That is, until, Someone called out to them: “Sirs, you better was the triple negative that followed: “I will don’t have any fish, do you?” never, no never, not ever forsake you.” It takes a lot of humility for even a casual fisherman to JESUS SEES. The disciples couldn’t see Jesus (v.4), admit he didn’t catch anything. How much harder for but He saw them. His eye is always on His child. “The seven trained fishermen! Their simple response: “No.” eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry” (Ps. 34:15). Consider this ...TO FULL illustration: Early Native Americans would try to de- velop bravery in their young men. So, having learned Then this Man in the distance called out and told them basic survival skills like hunting, scouting, and fishing, to cast their net on the right side of the boat. They a 13-year-old boy was taken on his birthday into the did as He said, and, instantly, their empty net was middle of a forest — blindfolded, several miles away transformed into a net bulging with fish! from security. In the black of midnight, his blindfold

would be removed. As the boy stood there, gripped with But He demonstrated His care for you in a far greater fear, every noise seemed magnified. The threat of a wild way than what we see in this story. Now, He doesn’t just animal attacking loomed large in his mind. say, “Come and have breakfast with Me.” He says, “Come to Me, and I will give you eternal life.” He does- Then, hours later, at the end of this night of lonely terror, n’t simply provide fish. He provided Himself as the Lamb the sun would rise, and the boy’s spirit would rest and be of God who went to the cross in order to deal with our at peace, for there, just a few feet away, was someone who sin problem. So, now… had been there the whole time, totally unseen by the boy. It was his father, bow and arrow in hand! Our Heavenly JESUS WAITS. Remember, the purpose for John writing Father watches and protects us. this gospel is that we might “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have JESUS KNOWS. What some versions present as a ques- life in His name” (20:31). Jesus is waiting for you to be- tion in verse 5, “Sirs, do you have any fish?” should lieve and obey His gospel. It’s interesting that the first really be a statement: “Sirs, you don’t have any fish, do miracle in John’s gospel was when there was no wine you?” Jesus knew they had worked hard all night and (Jn 2). The last miracle of John’s gospel was when there were tired. And Jesus knows everything about you — was no food (fish). What made the difference in each your joys and your sorrows, your successes and your case? In the words of Jesus’ mother, “Whatever He says failures. to you, do it.” Obeying Christ will transform our empty hearts into full hearts! Receiving Christ as Savior places JESUS IS ABLE. Sometimes Jesus allows us to fail to you in the Royal Family of Heaven and bestows on you help us see what He had taught His disciples earlier: all the blessings that come with knowing Jesus per- “Without Me, you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). When those sonally, just a few of which we’ve listed above. men admitted they had “nothing”, Jesus directed them to throw the net back into the water. Then He directed There is one other lesson we can take away from this those fish into that net. How amazing is that? Christ is account, a very special truth for every child of God who is willing to strengthen us when we admit we need Him. sins or fails the Lord: JESUS NEVER GIVES UP ON US. JESUS CARES. We see Jesus’ care in so many ways. For Look at verse 9. As those disciples made their way to example, when the disciples had all made their way to shore, we read that “they saw a fire of coals there.” shore, He had breakfast prepared for them. He didn’t use Think for a moment: When is the only other time we read their fish. He used His own. How did He get them? We’re about a “fire of coals” in the Bible? It was after Jesus not sure. But it teaches us that God never runs out of was arrested and brought to trial. “And the servants and supplies. Also, it’s no coincidence that the text states officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it that they caught 153 fish. Jesus could have rounded the was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood number down to 150, or He could have just said that with THEM, and warmed himself” (Jn 18:18). there were “a lot of fish”. Instead — 153. Jesus cares about even the smallest details of your life. Did you know Did that fire remind Peter of how he had failed Jesus? that He has “numbered” the hairs on your head? He It may have. But it certainly was not in the mind of doesn’t just have them “counted”, but “numbered” — Jesus, for Peter and Jesus had already met privately each hair is assigned a number! He cares about all the and had cleared up that matter. If you read the rest of issues in your life, big or small. the chapter, you’ll discover that Jesus is about to assign an important job to this once-failing Peter — to help feed (teach) God’s people. And the Lord has a special job for you too! “He who has begun a good work in you will com- plete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). FROM EMPTY TO FULL



MISSION SEVEN: NOW WHAT? JOINING HIS MISSION



MISSION 7: NOW WHAT? JOINING JESUS’ MISSION Preliminary Draft LESSON 1: GROW HIS CIRCLE! M7 L1 NOTES BIG IDEA: KEY TEXT:  CURRICULUM: M.S.2 Share the Gospel with greater detail, using key memory verses along with a visual aide; M.K.7 Articulate key aspects of the life of Paul, including his missionary heart for the world; M.K.8 Know the major worldview questions with a basic answer from a biblical perspective; M.D.10 Know the role or purpose of the church in the life of the believer TAKING AIM: APPLICATION: MY MISSION — Jesus invites us to carry on the work that He began — building His Church through the power of the Holy Spirit. PREPARE: Have enough pieces of blank paper for each student; make labels that read Galilee, Jerusalem, Judea/Samaria; get a flashlight OPENER: We’re going to play an art game. It’s easy and fun! You just have to: 1. Fold your blank piece of paper into three equal sections (portrait, not landscape), make two lines over the top fold to show where the neck is, and two lines on the next fold to show where the waist is. 2. Your task then is to “create” a head on your sheet, and then the body and legs on two other students’ sheets. At the end, we’ll unfold the papers to see what kind of creations we’ve come up with! [Allow about ten minutes for this, stating that you are only giving two minutes of drawing per section, then time at the end to showcase the creations.] TRANSITION: It’s kind of fun continuing on where someone else leaves off, and to see where others finish what you started. That’s similar to what Jesus has done with us, but in a truly amazing way. He started a mission — a mission to bring His life to a lost world — and He invites to continue where He left off. Listen to this verse, written by a different gospel writer (not John), named Luke: “In my first book [the gospel of Luke], O Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach” (Acts 1:1). So the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) record all the things Jesus BEGAN to do and teach. ACTIVITY: For your activity, we are going to kind of recap a lot of the things we learned together this year. How? I’m going to give you Jesus’ passport! Obviously, it’s not a real passport. But you are going to trace the line Jesus BEGAN while He travelled for 3.5 years on this earth. INSTRUCTIONS: Review the instructions at the top of the activity sheet. NOTE: Complete ONLY pages 1 to 4. 229

WHOLE GROUP: [Briefly discuss the observations made during the activity.] M7 L1 NOTES How many find it unusual that during the short time Jesus walked this earth, He basically travelled only in a small circle within Israel? Famous mu- sicians often embark on a “world tour” to promote their work, but not Jesus. He stuck to one small circle, which He travelled only 2.5 times. That’s it! Yet that “tour” has forever impacted our world in what I call MISSION 04-03-16 (which I’ll explain at the end). Now REMEMBER: Luke wrote that all these things Jesus did and taught was only the BEGINNING of His work. What does this mean? It means that the small circle Jesus travelled in — the line He started — is meant to be continued. TO BE CONTINUED? By whom? Jesus went back to Heaven already! Ah! This is where it gets REALLY exciting. Can I please have four volunteers? To help you ‘see’ what I’m getting at, I’d like for us to create a “human map” that you see in your passport. The rest of you, get the last two pages of your passport ready! Invite one student up. Have them post a label on their head/chest that says “Galilee”. ▪ Give the second student a label “Jerusalem”. ▪ Give the third student a label “Judea/Samaria”. ▪ Position students according to their location on the passport map. ▪ Give the fourth student a lamp/flashlight representing Jesus, “the Light of the world”. Now: Let’s follow the Light to see the circle Jesus travelled. [Turn the lights off so that only the flashlight can be seen pointing to each label fas- tened to the students. Follow the route on the passport pages 1 to 4, the flashlight moving to each new location] Now jump down to Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem [where Jesus left off], and in all Judea and Samaria, and...” And to where? Back up to Galilee? No! “... to the end of the earth.” [Emphasize with the flashlight.] SEE? Jesus “began’ His work with one small circle. Then, like the rings of a tree trunk, He wants His followers to keep growing His circles wider and wider until they reach places like [name of your city]! NOW: Go back and draw those lines on the last pass- port page. HERE’S THE BIG IDEA: Jesus invites His followers to continune what Jesus started. This is partly what He meant when He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, be- cause I go to My Father” (Jn 14:12). Jesus only chose to reach one small circle but then He continues to reach ever-growing circles through His children all over the world! WHICH LEADS US TO THE NAME OF THIS MISSION: MISSION 04-03-16. Read the 4th book of the New Testament [find]. Go to the 3rd chapter and verse 16. Read together. CONCLUSION I assure you, if you step into this journey with Jesus — the Light of the world who brings people out of darkness and into God’s Kingdom — and if you do this with a heart that genuinely desires to know Him per- sonally, you WILL discover that He is the most amazing Person ever to live. And He wants to be your Savior and your Best Friend! For those who do know Him as Savior, we will finish our last two lessons on how we can effectively used by God to grow His circles! For those who haven’t yet chosen Him as Savior, I challenge you: What is one good reason to pass this offer up? 230

ADDITIONAL TEACHER NOTES U_ L_ NOTES ABOUT JESUS’ JOURNEYS: CIRCLE #1: Jn 2:1 – Galilee: Jesus attended a wedding, as stated above. Jn 2:13 – Jerusalem (Note: It says Jesus went “up” to Jerusalem even though Jerusalem is south on the map. Explain that Jerusalem’s elevation is about 1,000 feet higher than Cana’s. For effect, have the student labelled “Jerusa- lem” stand on a stool.) Here, Jesus confronts people trying to get rich from religion, and He answers some honest questions from another religious man. Jn 3:22 – Judea: Jesus’ disciples are baptized to publicly identify with Him. Jn 4:4 – Samaria: Jesus speaks with a sinful woman — then forgives her sins! Jn 4:46 – Jesus completes Circle #1 by returning to Cana in Galilee. CIRCLE #2: Jn 4:46 (same as above) – Here in Galilee, Jesus heals the dying son of a royal official. Jn 5:1 – Aha! Jesus goes “up” again to Jerusalem! Here, he heals a disabled man. Jn 6:1 – Then He circles right on back up to Galilee. Final HALF-CIRCLE Jn 6:1 – Here in Galilee, Jesus miraculously feeds thousands of people — per- haps as many as 15 or 20 thousand [5,000 men + women and children]. He also walks on water and performs lots of other miracles. Jn 7: 10 – Then He goes back to Jerusalem for a Jewish feast (Feast of Booths). He pops over to Bethany for a very brief visit (across the Jordan, 10:40-42) where He raises a dead man, Lazarus, back to life! Jn 12:12 – Finally, He travels back to Jerusalem. Here He remains until He dies on the cross. 231

YOUR TASK: 1. Briefly skim the Bible references and notes on the maps to refresh your memory. • 2. Place the correct numbers into the circles on the map to show the order in which Jesus visited those places. • 3. Jot down a note or two in the box to the right of something that “stuck” in your mind from those lessons. DO ONLY PAGES 1 to 4. 232 1 3 2 4 1. Jesus performs His first miracle at a wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11)

5 6 233



MISSION 7: NOW WHAT? JOINING JESUS’ MISSION Preliminary Draft LESSON 2: GO TELL OTHERS! M7 L2 NOTES BIG IDEA: KEY TEXT:  CURRICULUM: M.S.2 Share the Gospel with greater detail, using key memory verses along with a visual aide; M.K.7 Articulate key aspects of the life of Paul, including his missionary heart for the world; M.K.8 Know the major worldview questions with a basic answer from a biblical perspective; M.D.10 Know the role or purpose of the church in the life of the believer TAKING AIM: APPLICATION: MY MESSAGE — Know what the gospel message is and be prepared to share it. PREPARE: Get enough ice-cubes for either every student, or one per team; get giant numbers 1, 2 or 3 (or print them on the board during the lesson) OPENER: OPENING MISSION POSSIBLE CHALLENGE: Operation MELT [Give an ice cube to each student who wants to participate. The one with the most ice melted (the smallest ice cube) after two minutes wins.] [Then say]: Raise your hand if you’d be willing to jump into a freezing cold pool of water full of ice cubes just for fun?* [You’ll likely get a few tough kids who will put up their hands.] Who would absolutely NOT jump in? [To those students, continue the conversation. Ask several of them]: “Why wouldn’t you?” Now, to those who said they wouldn’t jump into that freezing cold pool, let me add one small but important detail. What if, in that pool, someone you loved very much was drowning? You’re the only one around. You don’t have long to decide. Would you jump in? In a moment, your hesitation would be replaced by motivation. You would become motivated by love and concern for the danger your loved one is in. So, another question: Why do you think so many Christians don’t “jump in” and share the good news of salvation with others? Is it because it might make us uncom- fortable? So then, how can we overcome our hesitation? By motivation! We need to be motivated by love for the person in DANGER! If they die in their sin, they will be forever lost. They truly will perish — forever — in the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:15). [* A well-known evangelist frequently asks Christian young people this question.] 235

Can I let you in on a secret? We THINK that most people don’t want to hear about M7 L2 NOTES Jesus, right? But that’s not really true. They might give that impression, but, down deep, most people who are honest with themselves actually long for peace. In fact, many unbelievers find it ODD that so many Christians don’t share God’s good news with them. ILLUSTRATION: One celebrity magician was approached by a Christian after one of his shows and given a Bible. This magician was an atheist. How did he respond to this gift? Let’s just say his response should be a serious challenge to any true Christian. I’ll read what he said, then YOU can respond. [Note to teacher: If time is short, just read the bolded sections.]: “I believe [the man giving me a Bible] knew that I was an atheist…I don’t respect [Christians] who don’t [tell others about Jesus]. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there is a heaven and a hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life…and you think it’s not really worth tell- ing [someone] this because it will make it socially awkward…how much do you have to hate somebody to not [tell them about Jesus]? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean, if I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you and you didn’t believe it — but that truck was bearing down on you — there’s a certain point where I tackle you. And this [warning people about God’s judgment] is MORE important than that.” [Get some student responses Emphasize the point with another illustration if you have time]: A condemned criminal named Charlie Peace was on his way to his ex- ecution, and a chaplain came to see him before his death. Charlie seemed to speak with more passion than the chaplain: “Sir, if I believed what you and the church of God say that you believe, even if England were covered with broken glass from coast to coast, I would walk over it, if need be, on hands and knees and think it worthwhile living, just to save one soul from an eternal hell like that!” TAKING AIM: WHOLE GROUP: Today I want to share ONE VERSE, TWO WAYS, and THREE LESSONS about telling others about Jesus. [For fun, you can do this as a sword drill: “Bibles up in the air. Verse 15, Chapter 3, 1 Peter…GO!”] ONE VERSE “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with humility and fear” (1 Pet 3:15). 236

The word answer means a “verbal defense”. Paul used this word when he was taken M7 L2 NOTES to court at the end of his life, where he spoke of giving a “verbal defense” or explana- tion of his faith: “At my first defense, no one stood with me…” (2 Tim 4:16). So this verse is a challenge for every Christian: Are you prepared? Always prepared? Always pre- pared to give a verbal defense of your faith in Christ? LET ME PAUSE HERE... This may sound obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: You can only have an answer for your faith in Christ…IF you HAVE faith in Christ. If you’ve never made a decision to trust only in Jesus in order to be accepted by God, I pray that, by then end of our class today, you WILL know for sure that God has accepted YOU and that YOU are going to Heaven. THEN you’ll be able to explain to others how they can do the same. For those who HAVE been forgiven by Christ and who ARE certain of a home in Heaven, would you be able to explain the way of salvation to someone else? Let’s do a little exercise called “The Elevator Talk”. Let’s pretend you have the average time it takes to travel up a few floors on an elevator. Jot down what you would say to a person in that elevator if you were to share God’s good news with them. Remember, you only get a couple of minutes. And, hey, you never know — it might actually happen one day! [Hand out slips of paper, and give the students three or four minutes to try to write out the gospel.] WHOLE CLASS AGAIN: Okay, now tuck that sheet in your pocket and keep it there. We’ll return to it a little later. Having thought about this one verse, I now want to teach you two very “handy” methods — literally, using your two hands — for sharing Christ with others. You don’t need any fancy props. These can help you easily share the gospel with anyone at any opportunity: The hand of God provides the gift. The hand of Faith receives it. The hand of Love will pass it on so others will believe it. TWO WAYS A) “GIMME FIVE” [Hold up your hand.] It looks like my hand is empty. But it actually holds the most im- portant message anyone can hear. 1. Hold up your index finger: ONE: There is only ONE way to Heaven — JESUS CHRIST…plus nothing! Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). 2. Hold up two fingers: TWO: We have TWO choices — BELIEVE HIM or DO NOT BE- LIEVE HIM! 237

“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son M7 L2 NOTES shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (Jn 3:36). To not believe in Him results in eternal wrath. So what are we to believe in order to escape God’s judgment? 3. Hold up three fingers: THREE: Believe these THREE facts — JESUS DIED. HE WAS BURIED. HE ROSE! “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4). Those who be- lieve this need to turn to God in simple faith and personally ask for… 4. Hold up four fingers: “FOUR”-GIVENESS — “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You” (Ps 86:5). From that point on, that person never has to worry again about their eternal soul because Christ speaks… 5. Hold up five fingers: FIVE WORDS of ETERNAL SECURITY — “I give them eternal life…” (Jn 10:28). Once you are in God’s family, you are in for eternity! [You may want to review these with prompts: “There is only ONE _______”; we have TWO _____”; etc.] And here is a second method of telling others about Jesus. I call it: B) “IN GOOD HANDS” 1. [Hold up one fist.] Sin is raising a fist to God and declaring: “I will do what I want to do” (see Isaiah 53:6). 2. [Hold the other hand open, over top of that hand, wiggling your fingers.] John 3:36 says that the anger of God “hovers over” those who refuse God’s forgiveness. 3. [Gently bring the open hand down, making a fist as with your other hand, and have that hand “bump” the first one out of the way.] But instead of God’s righteous anger landing on us, Jesus came and took our place… 4. [Take the hand that was bumped out. Let it now become the “wrath hand” hover- ing over the hand that represents Jesus. Then, with a thud, slam down the wrath on Jesus.] ...and allowed God’s anger to land on Him, taking the FULL punishment for our sins on the cross. 5. [Move the hand representing Jesus out from under from the hand covering it, and make it ascend upwards.] But Jesus didn’t stay dead! Three days later, He rose! This was absolute proof that all our sins were paid for; otherwise, He would have remained dead, in the grave. See 1 Corinthians 15:17. 6. [Hold out one open hand.] The Bible says that the person who comes and receives forgiveness of sins is securely placed in Jesus’ hand… [place a little item in the hand and close it tightly] …and also in the Father’s hand, “who is greater than all”. [Clasp the one hand in the other.] The forgiven person is IN GOOD HANDS — because they are in GOD’S HANDS. 238

[If time allows, practice this together. Afterward, have the students go with a friend M7 L2 NOTES for about five minutes and practice both of these methods, one doing GIMME FIVE and the other doing IN GOOD HANDS.] ope eart Now, pull out your slips of paper from the Elevator Talk exercise. Are you missing any umility important parts of the gospel message? THREE LESSONS In closing, I want to share three little but important lessons for when we GO and TELL others about our wonderful Savior. Back to our key verse — we often hear people quote PART of this verse: “Be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within you.” [Draw a ladder with three rungs. At the top, write GOD. On the bottom, write SINNER. Explain that we, like this ladder, can be used to introduce sinners to God. As you write each “H” word below, erase part of each of the two vertical lines of the ladder to make the first “H”. Continue with each successive “H” word.] Lesson One: Our HOPE — “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you…” The word hope is not used in the Bible the same way we use it. We say, “I hope my team wins”, or, “I hope we don’t get too much homework.” Our use of the word hope is wishful thinking based on uncertainty. But when the Bible uses this word, it means the exact opposite! It means a 100% guar- antee that something’s going to happen; it’s a confident expectation. This verse is a charge — meaning a command + a responsibility — for every Christian to be able and ready to give an answer — a verbal explanation — of HOW they can have a 100% guaranteed assurance of going to Heaven. If you are a Christian, and if someone asked you how you can be so sure, what would you say? The two methods I shared with you will help you to recall the facts in your head so that you can present the gospel message clearly. But this sentence is smack dab in the middle of two “bookend” statements which are often ignored. Let’s look at those. Lesson Two: Our HEART — “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts…” Yes, we must have a heart for the lost. We need to be genuinely concerned for them, as that person drowning, or as someone in a burning building or about to fall off a cliff. We don’t want people to be eternally lost. But THAT’S not the heart this verse is talking about. Look carefully: “But sanctify the Lord God in your heart.” What does this mean? Sanctify is a verb. It requires action! It literally means “to set apart for God”. In other words, this verse is telling Christians to set their heart apart for God in such a way that God feels at home there. 239

Can you imagine visiting someone in their home and they say,“Welcome! Just a few M7 L2 NOTES things: Please don’t go into that room, or that room. Don’t sit in that chair. And please, whatever you do, do NOT eat any of our food! You aren’t planning on staying too long, are you?” You’d hardly feel at home! Yet, so often, that’s exactly how we treat God. We’ve learned that God’s Spirit lives, or resides, in every Christian. But He wants more: He wants to preside; He wants us to yield to Him. Yet we say, “Oh, You’re not allowed in my Movie Room, or my Music Room…mmm, and You should probably stay out of my Internet Room too, I guess. Oh, and You might want to plug your ears when I’m speaking with my friends…” God did not move into our hearts to be only a Resident. He came to be President of our lives. He wants full access to every room, to every corner, to every piece of our heart. What does this have to do with telling others about Jesus? It’s simple: If God is comfortable in your heart and you are allowing Him to work freely IN you, then your life will give evidence that the gospel you’re sharing is the real deal! Imagine taking health advice from a guy who eats all his meals at fast-food restau- rants. Imagine getting tutored in math by a guy who doesn’t know how to multiply and has flunked — twice. Imagine being coached in some sport by a couch potato. This doesn’t mean that God only uses perfect Christians to tell others about Jesus. There actually aren’t any of those here on Earth. But He does use yielded Christians who take seriously their sin and God’s call for us to live holy lives. So we are to guard our hearts and seek to honor God in our lives. We are to be able to explain why we have hope — a confident expectation — that we are on our way to Heaven. But how are we to do this? Look at the second bookend. Lesson Three: Our HUMILITY — “with gentleness [same word as humility] and fear.” When we get talking about things that mean a lot to us — sports, politics, music — we’re bound to find people with very different opinions. Sometimes we can get into heated talks or even debates about these things. And when it comes to sharing Jesus, it’s no different. Many people will try to debate with you. So we must be on guard! The Bible says we are to “declare” the good news, not get in heated debates. Declare simply means to tell it like it is. Never forget, we’re not out to win arguments; we’re out to win souls for Jesus Christ. And so we need to remember this third lesson: When sharing the good news of our hope, we must do so humbly. We’ve seen many examples of Jesus dealing with people. He was always gracious. And this is how we must communicate with others. We may feel the urge to “win the debate”, to “prove ourselves right”, but we must not allow our own pride to step in. 240

DEMONSTRATION: M7 L2 NOTES [Hold up an empty glass and ask]: Is this glass empty or full? [Field responses.] It’s ac- tually full — full of air! This air represents our pride and our own way of doing things. Now let this glass of water represent Christ in our lives. John said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). The way to “displace” our pride is to “replace” it with Christ’s humility. [Slowly pour water into the glass.] This way, when we share Christ with others, we’ll deliver the right message, and we’ll do it with the right attitude. What happens after that is entirely up to the Lord. Close in prayer. ENDNOTE: If you have time at the end, here is a video that provides an overview of the gospel. It’s called “From Fear to Cheer”: https://youtu.be/x0m9ANFaW0Q 241



MISSION 7: NOW WHAT? JOINING JESUS’ MISSION Preliminary Draft LESSON 3: SHOW CHRIST TO THE WORLD! M7 L3 NOTES BIG IDEA: KEY TEXT:  CURRICULUM: M.S.2 Share the Gospel with greater detail, using key memory verses along with a visual aide; M.K.7 Articulate key aspects of the life of Paul, including his missionary heart for the world; M.K.8 Know the major worldview questions with a basic answer from a biblical perspective; M.D.10 Know the role or purpose of the church in the life of the believer TAKING AIM: APPLICATION: MY MOTIVE — Making Jesus visible in every part of my life can result in others coming to know Him too. PREPARE: a)For the opening game – Cut out five paper circles, and place them in various locations around the room. Have on hand a working flashlight and a large mirror. b) For the whole group activity – Write the provided verses on single slips of paper. c) For the concluding demonstration – Get three glasses, and do the following: In the first glass, pour a couple inches of baby oil; in the second glass, pour a couple inches of corn syrup with purple food colouring, and stir; in the third glass, fill one- third with water and add/stir in red food coloring. You will also need bleach. OPENER: Game: “Beam X-treme” – [Choose two people, one to hold a large mirror and the other to operate the flashlight. State the goal: The pair must work together to reflect light from the flashlight off the mirror so it lands on the five paper circles located in various parts of the room. Point out the five circles, then turn off the light. Time the team. Invite another pair to try to beat their time. Continue this process until all the students have had a turn or until you must move on because of time.] TRANSITION: All year, we have been learning about Jesus who declared [hold up the flashlight]: “I am the Light of the world” (Jn 8:12). He “beamed” His pure, holy light into the darkness of so many lives through His love, miracles, and teaching — but most importantly, by going to the cross to deal with our sin. Now, all who have been rescued from “the kingdom of darkness” and brought into a personal relationship with Christ, the Light, have a special call on their lives by Jesus Himself: “YOU are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14). Christ has gone back to Heaven, so how does He continue to shine His light into this dark world? …through His people. [Hold up the mirror.] If you belong to Him, you have the privilege of reflecting His light into your “circles”, which include your home, your school, your community. Why should you do this? 243

OUR KEY VERSE: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good U_ L_ NOTES works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16 NKJV). As Christ’s light reflects from your life, it shines into the lives of others who are still in darkness. This may result in their being saved — which grows, or expands, Jesus’ circles on Earth so they increasingly spread across the whole world. You’re going to complete an activity which looks at Jesus as THE Light [hold up the flashlight]; then we’ll return to think about [hold up the mirror] His children as lights in this world, reflecting His light. Let me read one more verse, then open in prayer. John 1:9 says that Jesus is “the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” [Pray.] Here is your challenge: This verse says that God gives light to “every” person who comes into this world. Any thoughts on how He has done this? [Field responses.] Thank you for all these thoughts. Now I want to share four wonderful ways that God has given light to every person so that, as the Bible says, NO person has an excuse (Rom 1:20)! ACTIVITY: [Post these pictures on the board vertically, in this order: a heart, a night sky, a manger, a clock.] • I will divide you into four groups and give you each a verse to read. Decide which of these pictures goes with your verse, and how God’s light is shown through these. • In a few minutes, I’ll ask a volunteer or two from each group to come up, place your verse to the left of the picture, read the verse, and explain how God shows Himself through your picture. WHOLE GROUP: GROUP ONE: ROMANS 2:15 (HEART) [After the verse is fastened to the left of the heart, print on the right side the word HEART. Note, if aligned properly, the four “H” words you’re going to write beside each word will include the vertical acrostic REST.] TEACHER TALKING POINTS: 1. HEART: God has built into every heart a knowledge of God. Wait a minute! Doesn’t the Bible say that there are some people who do NOT know God? It says so here in 2 Thessalonians 1:8 – God is going to punish people who “do not know God”! That doesn’t sound fair at all. But there’s a very important lesson for us here. The Greek language has two different words that we translate as knowing. In English, to know describes knowledge or abil- ity. For example: I know how to play tennis. I know it’s wrong to kill. But in Greek: a) One word that we translate as knowing means “acquired knowledge — to know something through GROWTH”. This type of knowing is learned through doing, like learning to do a lay-up or learning math or learning to play an instrument or learning to ride a bicycle. (This is the Greek word ginosko.) 244

b) But the other word for knowing means “inherent knowledge — to know some- UU1_ LL5_ NOTESS thing from BIRTH”. This type of knowing is hard-wired by God into each person’s brain. (This is the Greek word oida.) We know it’s wrong to hit someone in the face, or to steal a bike.We just know, intuitively, that we should not do these things. No one has to tell us, because that knowledge is already in us. How did it get there? Not by evolution.The Bible says that God has written His law in our hearts: “They demon- strate that God's law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right” (Rom. 2:15 NLT). That’s right! WHAT CAN BE KNOWN HAS ALREADY BEEN SHOWN: “What can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them” (Rom 1:19 ESV). It’s this second word that we find in 2 Thessalonians 1:8. So this means that God is going to punish all those who choose to “unknow” what they already know — that there IS a God. They deny what every person is born knowing; they deny their God- given knowledge of a Creator-God. Paul describes this in Romans 1:28, “They did not like to retain God in their knowledge.” In other words, they opened the door of their brain and kicked God out! So what happened to their hearts when they did this? The Bible says their “foolish hearts were darkened” (Rom 1:21). It just makes sense: If you kick the Light out of your life, all you’ll have left is darkness! APPLICATION: This is serious business. So what have YOU done with this knowledge that God placed in your heart and mind? Notice, the Bible does not say that people go to Hell because they don’t believe in God. “Although they KNEW God, they did not honor Him as God” (Rom 1:21). Those who are lost for eternity are lost because they MADE THE CHOICE to reject what they knew in their hearts to be true.The Bible says they “suppress [hold down] the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom 1:18 NKJV). It’s just as foolish as saying,“I don’t believe this building exists.” If you searched your heart and were honest, you’d have to acknowl- edge that you just KNOW that God exists. But God, who is eager for us to know Him, has revealed Himself to us in even more ways. Sword drill (two verses)… GROUP 2: Psalm 19:1 / Psalm 97:6 (Night sky – Beside the picture, write HEAVENS.) “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Ps 19:1 NIV). “The heavens proclaim His righteousness; every nation sees His glory” (Ps 97:6 NLT). TEACHER TALKING POINTS: Creation is another way that God has shown Himself to us: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things 245

that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without ex- UU1_ LL5_ NOTESS cuse” (Rom 1:20 NKJV). To deny that God is the Creator of this universe is to believe that: - Everything came from nothing? - Life came from non-life? - Order came from chaos? Hmmm… What would you think of someone who believed that this building came from nothing? That a bunch of wood and nails just happened to form into this sturdy, organized structure? Maybe, if we give it enough time (like billions of years), this build- ing could become a living animal? Of course, this sounds ludicrous — because it is! A design MUST have a designer. So creation MUST have a Creator. But why did the Creator create this creation? (Say that 5 times fast!) The Bible tells us that creation is like a stage where God wanted to dis- play something spectacular... Which brings us to… GROUP 3: Galatians 4:4,5 (Manger – Beside the picture, write HIS SON.) TEACHER TALKING POINTS: This has been the heart cry of man throughout the centuries. The ancient prophet Isaiah cried out, “Oh, that You [God] would rend the heavens! That You would come down” (64:1). Well, that day did come! God revealed Himself to us by visiting us. He sent HIS SON: God came to earth in human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus said,“Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9; see also Heb. 1:3). And we have at least 837 pieces of evidence that Jesus truly was God. [Write 837 on the board as a sum, with a horizontal line above it. Above that line, write the number 37.] Does anyone know what this number stands for? [Answer: The number of recorded miracles Jesus did which proved that He was God, for only God can do the supernatural, Jn 10:37,38] [Above 37, write the number 300.] What about this number? [The number of ancient prophecies which Jesus fulfilled perfectly. Maybe you remember that at the begin- ning of the year we watched a video which showed the statistical possibility of one person fulfilling only eight prophecies. That was one in one quadrillion (1 with 17 zeros). This is incontrovertible evidence — meaning, you can argue it, but really?! — yes, incontrovertible evidence that God revealed Himself to us through His Son!] [Finally, ask]: What number does that leave us with? [Answer: 500.] Would anyone 246

like to guess, or does anyone recall, what this number represents? [Answer: The M_ L_ NOTES number of eyewitnesses who saw Jesus after His resurrection] GROUP 4: Hebrews 1:1 (Clock – Write the word HISTORY.) TEACHER TALKING POINTS: God has shown Himself on a grand scale in the ways in which He has worked throughout history. He has worked “in various ways and in various times.…” (Heb. 1:1). [You may wish to turn back to the activity for Mission 1, Lesson 2, showing the 4,000 years leading up to the birth of Christ.] Do you remember how God worked through one family tree, revealing pictures of His Son? And all those prophecies, pointing to the coming of Christ? And how He worked quietly behind the scenes in those 400 years between the Old Testament and New Testament, making preparations, per- fectly setting the world stage so that Christ would come “at just the right time” (Gal 4:4,5)? In summary, God has gone to great lengths to shine His light on “everyone…coming into the world”! And for what purpose? So that God could bring us true… [CIRCLE THE LETTERS R-E-S-T in the four words you have just written down.] Listen to MATTHEW 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (NKJV). This isn’t the physical rest that we need after playing sports or after completing a big project. Rather, it’s the spiritual rest that God experienced after creating the universe: “God…rested” (Gen 2:2,3). No, God didn’t need a nap, because God never gets tired: “The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary” (Isa 40:28 NKJV). God’s rest is “divine satisfaction in a completed work”. Those who receive God’s forgiveness enter into this same rest — a deep inner peace because of the work Christ completed on the cross. There is nothing left for me to do but to believe that His death is sufficient to give me life. Ah! What a relief! What REST! [Put down the flashlight and hold up the mirror.] Now, guess what happens when this rest, this peace and contentment, this “light” of Jesus shines from YOUR life to those around you — to people who know nothing of this kind of rest and peace but who desperately want it? Very often — though they may not admit it — they become…curious…maybe even interested! 247

That’s right. Once someone has believed this evidence (the four Hs), they then be- M_ L_ NOTES come evidence! Your unsaved friends and family might want to argue about all sorts of things related to the Christian faith. But they can’t dismiss a life transformed by the peace of God! Do you remember the blind man who was healed by Jesus? The religious leaders in- terrogated him, asking who did it and how it happened. That man had no idea about any of those things. But he did know one crucial thing: “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see” (Jn 9:25 NIV). What a powerful testimony we have when we can say, “I can’t answer all your ques- tions, but one thing I do know is this: I was blind, but now I see. I was dirty with sin, but now I am clean, forgiven! I was anxious about my soul, but now I have peace be- cause I know that all is well between me and God. I know that, when I die, I will go to Heaven forever!” The rest, the peace, the transformed life Christ has given you will be a powerful display to others of the reality of God’s work in you and through you. And THIS is what Mat- thew 5:16 is all about: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16). That’s right. Others will notice, and some may even ask the secret of your spiritual rest. WHAT’S THE SECRET OF KNOWING GOD’S REST? Use the four letters of REST to explain how they too can have God’s peace. As we con- sider these four letters, I want to remind you of an object lesson we did a couple units ago: R: RELATIONSHIP...God built you to have a relationship with Him! • [If you have time, you can perfom this object lesson. If time is short, briefly mention each of the words for the acrostic REST. Object Lesson: Hold up the glass containing the baby oil.] Question: Can anyone remember what this clear liquid represented? [God in His purity, His holiness. We learned that, before time, God existed: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They needed nothing and no one else to exist or to be fully satisfied. But God desired to share His love and joy. So He made mankind — Adam and Eve. • [Hold up glass with purple liquid.] Question: And what about this purple liquid? [Roy- alty: Adam and Eve were like royalty because they got to walk and talk with God every day.] • [Pour purple liquid into the glass with the baby oil.] They enjoyed this lovely rela- tionship with nothing between them, until… E: EVIL…entered the picture. [Pour in the red water.] I used red because the Bible says our sins are red like crimson dye, meaning that we are stained by sin and nothing we do can get out that stain. You can see that sin brought death, spiritual separation from God. And no amount of effort or good works on the part of mankind could ever reconnect them to God. 248

We needed a… U_ L_ NOTES S: SAVIOUR…God sent Jesus to save us. [Hold up the bleach.] He went to the cross, took our sins on Himself, and paid for them by suffering God’s righteous anger for them and dying our death. But then, three days later, He rose as the true Champion, the Captain of our salvation! Now, all who… T: TRUST in Christ by admitting their sins and receiving Him as Savior can be saved. [Pour in bleach.] The sin barrier is removed, and we are, once again, brought into a right relationship with God. This results in true REST, PEACE with God. CONCLUSION: Yes, God has shown Himself to us in many ways. He has built right into our HEARTS a knowledge of Himself. He has shown His eternal Godhead and power in the HEAVENS and in all of creation. He has given us HIS SON who revealed the Father to us in all that He did and said. And He has shown His mighty power by sovereignly ruling (and overruling) throughout HISTORY. My question for you: What have you done with this LIGHT? God holds us accountable for how we respond to the light He has given. You’ve been given an abundance of light this year just in this class. We’ve spent much time considering these truths and many others. But if you’re still rejecting the light, the Bible warns, “If…the light that is in you is dark- ness, how great is that darkness!” (Mt 6:23 NKJV). This means that if you’re rejecting the light you have, greater darkness will set in so that it becomes increasingly more difficult for you to see any spiritual light at all. What should you do? Respond to God’s light today! Don’t let another day go by without stepping into the light of God’s salvation and allowing Him to expose your sin and cleanse you from it. If you are a Christian, you’ve been given the mission to GROW His circles. He has com- manded you to GO tell others about Him and to SHOW His light by allowing your life to reflect Jesus. Look at the five circles on the wall that we used during our opening game. I want you to see those five circles as five people in YOUR life, right now, who are still in darkness. Then prayerfully think about how you can intentionally shine the love of Christ into their lives — and resolve to do it this week. Next week could be too late! They need the light, and you have it. 249