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Preliminary Draft MISSION 1: THE MAN, JESUS: WHO HE REALLY IS LESSON 1: JESUS DIDN’T “BEGIN” IN BETHLEHEM! KEY TEXT: John 1:1-5  MEMORY VERSES: 2 Tim 1:9, 10 CURRICULUM: M.K.1 Begin to understand and articulate the Bible as one M1 L1 NOTES story by seeing the relationship of key Bible stories to The Re- Scan or click link demptive Story.; M.K.2 Know the key elements of the Redemptive Story; M.K.3 below to watch a 3-min Know the person and role of the Holy Spirit clip of the nativity. https://youtu.be/0n5mepQInGA OUR MISSION We will think about Jesus’ PRE-EXISTENCE in eternity past: Jesus is a real Person who lived long before time even began. [1: John records only the number of men who were APPLICATION: My story began before I did: It started in Heaven, in the heart of God. present, so the actual number is much larger. GETTING READY 1. Have blank pieces of chart paper ready for the Opener. 2. See the same account in Draw correct shapes on the board for game and cover. Matthew 14:21 where we read of women and children LIGHTS ON 1. Welcome students and challenge them to assemble also being present. If most according to their “teams” that were assigned last class. When of those men had a wife and children, there could they’ve done this, it’s time for their first official “MINI MINUTE-MISSION” — MEMORY! well have been 10 to 20 As a team, try to list on chart paper as many of the names and interesting facts shared thousand people. John also about their classmates from the previous class. Give teams only three minutes for this records in 21:25 that Jesus mission. Count up total number of facts and award points from first place to last (each performed so many miracles team should get some points). 2. [Have students return to their seats and say]: It’s that the world could not so great that we are getting to know each other pretty well! Today, we are going to contain all the books that spend more time trying to learn more about Jesus. Last day, I told you we were going could be written to describe to be learning about Him from one of His closest disciples. Did anyone take up my them. But for now, let’s just challenge and try to figure out which disciple I was talking about...and why? [Field use “5,000”.] responses]. [2: In selecting these three for such special occasions, MOVING ON We are going to learn about Jesus from John’s writings. Why Jesus was not playing John? Let me draw it for you! [Draw circles like the diagram to favorites. In fact, God says that “favoritism” is a sin the right to show that John was]: (James 2:9). Jesus was likely preparing these three for A. One of 5,000 people1 who witnessed Jesus’ miracles (Jn 6:8-12) the leadership roles they would have in the early days B. One of 500 eyewitnesses who saw Jesus after His resurrection (1 Cor 15:4-6) of the Church after Jesus returned to Heaven.] C. One of 12 disciples who followed Jesus for 3.5 years (Mk 3:14; Lk 6:12-16) D S)L EVENTS D. One of 3 disciples who were invited to accompany Jesus on special occasions2: LES SSES ▪ When Jesus was transfigured (Mk 9:2, 3) I ▪ When Jesus raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead (Lk 8:49–56) ▪ When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mt 26:36–38) S E. John was called…“the disciple whom Jesus loved”. See John 13:23; 19:26; C 21:7; 21:20. Interestingly, while John is mentioned about 30 times in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, he never refers to himself by name in the I gospel that he himself wrote. Instead, he uses this phrase, “the disciple whom Jesus loved”, which shows his great bond with Jesus. In pride, P John once asked to sit next to Jesus in a place of prominence in His com- ing Kingdom. So Jesus had to teach John a lesson in humility. When John RESU PEO LE S: SP ECIA wrote this gospel 50 or 60 years later, we see by John’s omission of his own name that he had learned this lesson. D LES (3. 5 C 15 I EYE YR WIT S I P R R E CTION N E LE P TO SEE JESUS’ MIR A C

KEY TEXT: What is the very FIRST thing God led John to write about M1 L1 NOTES Jesus? In chapter 1, verse 1, John catapults us back to ‘the time before time’ with just one sentence: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1:1). Wow! Sixteen one-syllable words (and one three-syllable word) — but FULL of amazing facts! Before I send you off to work with your team, I want us to think for a moment about an important word from this sentence: the word “Word”. THE WORD “WORD” Are there any thoughts about what, or maybe even who, this is referring to? What, or who, is “the Word” in this verse? [Field responses: “This is a tricky question! Any ideas?”] Guess what! We don’t have to guess. Verse 14 actually TELLS us the answer to my question. [Have them read the verse to see if they can figure it out. Answer: Jesus. “The Word became flesh...” God became a man — Jesus.] This leads to another question: Why? Why is Jesus given the name “the Word”? [Field responses.] Simply put, our words communicate our thoughts and feelings. Similarly, Jesus came to Earth to communicate God’s thoughts and feelings to us, to reveal to us the mind of God. We might say that He “translated” Himself into human flesh. Here’s an illustration: I’m going to perform an amazing feat. I have a picture in my brain, and I’m going to transport it to your brain. I won’t use any technology or trickery. Here I go. Ready? [Say a single word:] “Eagle.” In an instant, my idea travelled to your brain through the vehicle of a single word. Your brain saw an eagle. Just as words are used to communicate ideas, so too, Jesus Christ communicates God’s mind to us. Here’s another illustration: The smallest known insect brain sits inside the head of a fruit fly. Imagine a fruit fly trying to understand a genius like Albert Einstein. Impossible! It’s no different than us, mere humans, trying to understand, on our own, the mind of Almighty God. His thoughts are much, MUCH higher than our thoughts (Isa 55:8, 9). So Jesus, the Word, came to Earth to make known to us the mind of God. He could say, “All things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (Jn 15:15). INVESTIGATION: Send the students off in teams to play “CRACK THE CODE”. When finished, have representatives from each team come up and draw their “sequences” on the board. Remove your covering to reveal the correct sequences. Then discuss... DISCOVERIES Let’s review what you discovered about Jesus, “the Word”. [Field responses.] Pre-existent: “In the beginning was the Word.” That’s right! Jesus did not come into existence at Bethlehem. He has existed eternally — before time. And Jesus is the One who created everything and who holds everything together (see Jn 1:3; also review Col 1:15-17). 16

Many who oppose the Bible’s message argue that, if everything in the universe M1 L1 NOTES was “caused” or “created” by God, then who created God? [*See Teacher Note.] As you walk through this But God was NOT created. He always was: “Before the mountains were brought section, perhaps a simple forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to drawing of a circle will help. everlasting, You are God” (Ps 90:2). (Adjust the little markings as you move from one word Or this: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the to the next.): Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His under- standing is unsearchable” (Isa 40:28). PRE-EXISTENT Co-existent: “The Word was WITH God.” The word with literally means “facing”. Like a circle, Jesus had no We can only be “with” someone, or “facing someone”, if there is someone to face. beginning and has no end. Here, we learn that Jesus was with Someone before time began. Who was He with? He was “with God”. Look at Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning, GOD created...” CO-EXISTENT: Here, the word God is “Elohim”, the plural form of El-, meaning “God”. This does not mean more than one God; it means that God is 3-in-1, a Tri-unity, three Three Persons in one unique Persons in one single Being: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit — all equally God, but each with distinct roles that are always in SELF-EXISTENT: perfect agreement together. Needs no one or nothing How can three be one? Though it’s impossible to per- outside of Himself to exist fectly illustrate this idea, allow me to try. Here’s some- thing that might help us grasp in some small way the *OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS OF concept of the Trinity: Neapolitan ice cream! [Remind THE TRINITY: Look at that the students of the treat you enjoyed last class (if ap- clock. Time is a three-in-one plicable), how all three flavors are combined into one.] trinity too — past, present, Though this isn’t a perfect analogy, it kind of helps us future. How does it work? understand how God is one Being [God], expressed in Time comes out of the future, three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. meets us in the present, and travels into the past. But [If you feel it would be helpful, use other illustrations it’s all time. Or, for another from the margin note.*] example, this room is made up of length, width, and Self-existent: “The Word WAS God.” As God, Jesus is not like us. He does not need height. They are all different anyone or anything outside of Himself to exist or to keep on existing. He IS the dimensions, but this room very source of life! couldn’t be a room without all three of them. SELFIE RFELCTION Now, for the big question: What does all of this have to do with us today? This is exciting! Here we are in this Time Machine, back before the beginning of time. And what do we see that God — Father, Son [Jesus, the Word] and Spirit — was planning? A special mission to rescue us from sin and its penalty! Listen to this: This plan was “according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Tim 1:9, 10). 17

Do you understand what this means? It means that the great, almighty Creator- M1 L1 NOTES God had already set into motion His eternal plan to rescue mankind (which includes us!)…before mankind even existed! He — Father, Son, and Spirit — determined before time that He would send the Son to Earth to be our Savior. ILLUSTRATION: It’s your birthday. You wake up. No one says “Happy birthday!” You go to school. No one says “Happy birthday!” All day long, no one seems to acknowledge your special day. You go home and…? Nothing. You feel forgotten, unloved. After supper, you’re asked to take the garbage out to the back shed. Yeah, garbage…perfect ending to the day! You turn the corner to your backyard, and suddenly, “SURPRISE!!!” All your family and friends are there, and this whole party has been in the works for weeks. All through the day, you have felt insignificant only to discover that there was actually a plan in the making behind the scenes — with YOU in mind — that you knew nothing about. In a similar way, you may be going through life feeling like your life doesn’t matter much to anyone. But you need to understand this: Even before time began, God had you on His mind and heart. He knew that you would need to be rescued from your sin (even though that was the fault of mankind, God’s creation), so He prepared everything to do just that. And then came that special day! Read John 1:14. This was the day when the pre-existent, co-existent, Self-existent Son of God came down to Earth. Why? His ultimate purpose was to go to the cross, to die in our place as payment for my sin and your sin, so He could forgive every person who desires to be made right with God. When you choose to take sides with God against your sin, God gives YOU a brand new beginning! “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor 5:17). CONCLUSION: This is THE most important decision you will ever make in your life. In fact, the wisest person to ever live (besides Jesus) was a king named Solomon. Listen to his advice to young people: “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’” (Eccl 12:1). Traveling back to before time began helps us to understand more of our BONUS ACTIVITIES: Creator’s heart. He made me ON purpose and FOR a purpose, so I will only find true purpose in a living relationship with Him. Jesus said so Himself: “This is Every now and then, feel free eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom to send home review sheets as You have sent” (Jn 17:3). a way to: a) consolidate im- portant ideas and; b) allow We began by thinking about what you know about Jesus. But God wants you to students to earn extra points know more than just ABOUT Him. He wants you to know HIM, personally. Do you? for their teams. A couple sam- ple sheets are provided for [TEACHER NOTE: As an optional bonus activity for extra marks, you can send this lesson. These are totally home the activity page explaining John’s close relationship to Jesus.] optional and simply provided as an additional resource. 18

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21 BONUS ACTIVITY: REVIEW