Not Ashamed - FINAL SPEAKER GUIDE 2022

Dear Speakers/Directors: These lessons are built on the acrostic “G.O.S.P.E.L”— God’s Only Son Provides Eternal Life. This resource is certainly not comprehensive. You are encouraged to read the text and prayerfully seek the Spirit’s leading in what to share from each lesson. Consider this booklet a “toolbox’ — use whatever tools “fit’ your approach. If you have other techniques that the children might find engaging, great! So long as we are true to the Message. Thank you for your willingness to let the Lord speak His truth to youth through you! LESSON ONE LESSON TWO LESSON THREE LESSON FOUR LESSON FIVE “GOD” GOD’S “ONLY SON” “PROVIDES” “ETERNAL LIFE” “ASHAMED?” KEY LESSON: Our Cre- KEY LESSON: In order for KEY LESSON: Jesus came KEY LESSON: Jesus used KEY LESSON: We all have ator-God made: the universe, God to communicate with us, as the Light of the World so the death of His friend to been given the facts of God’s us and the way back into re- He sent His “only begotten we, stumbling in darkness, teach that those who believe gospel. What is our response? lationship with Him. Son.” What a miracle! could receive spiritual sight. on Him receive eternal life. Pilate’s example is considered. KEY TEXTS: Various — KEY TEXT: Galatians 4:4-5 KEY TEXTS: Jesus gives KEY TEXTS: Jesus raises KEY TEXTS: Pilate’s deci- Romans 1:20, Revelation (read from the NLT) sight to the man born blind Lazarus from the dead (John sion regarding Jesus (mostly 4:11, John 14:6 (John 9) 11) from Luke 23) KEY VERSE: “Remember KEY VERSE: “For God so KEY VERSE: “[God] has KEY VERSE: “We know KEY VERSE: “The fear of now your Creator in the loved the world that He gave sent Me to heal the broken- that all things work to- man lays a snare, but days of your youth, before His only begotten Son, that hearted, to proclaim liberty gether for good to those who whoever trusts in the Lord is the difficult days come...” whoever believes in Him to the captives and recovery love God, to those who are safe” (Proverbs 29:25 ESV). (Eccl 12:1 NKJ). should not perish but have of sight to the blind” (Lk the called according to His everlasting life” (John 3:16). 4:18 NKJ). purpose” (Rom 8:28). PREP: Needed items: a bal- PREP: Cut out Title Cards PREP: Get a blindfold, a PREP: Gather items for the PREP: Gather items for loon, a pin, a branch, pic- (see last page of this lesson); hula-hoop, a card with the la- “Taste Test” (see top of les- opening demonstration (see tures of the Titanic and its have on hand the following bels FRIENDS/FAMILY on son) and set out the “Test top of lesson); photocopy captain, Edward John Smith, candy treats: Starburst, Al- one side and GOD’S PRES- Taste Table”; cut the ques- three scripts (PILATE ON a globe, a mirror, a map, a mond Joy, Milky Way, Twix, ENCE on the other; display tion sheet into eight puzzle TRIAL at the end of les- marker; get pictures or actual Lifesavers; have a picture of on a table the following items pieces for opening activity son). If possible, get cos- items: Superman, trampo- Albert Einstein, and perhaps (or pictures of them): a mask, (see last page of lesson), and tumes/props for skit and line, snowmobile, Christmas some images of his inven- a magnifying glass, a balance tape these under the seats of pre-select your three vol- lights, earmuffs, a popsicle; tions (listed below); have a scale, a gavel eight students/campers. unteers. Strong readers cut a piece of paper into sev- stopwatch and a sound clip recommended! eral small pieces of a crying baby.



LESSON ONE: “GOD” KEY VERSE: “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come...” (Eccl 12:1 NKJ). PREP: Needed items: a balloon, a pin, a branch, pictures of the Titanic and its captain, Edward John Smith, a globe, a mirror, a map, a marker; get pictures or actual items: Superman, trampoline, snowmobile, Christmas lights, earmuffs, a popsicle; cut a piece of paper into several small pieces INTRODUCTION: Let me ask you a question: Raise your hand if you like receiv- NOTES ing good advice from a trustworthy source. [Response.] Some people actually think that taking advice is a sign of weakness. So they ignore advice and carry on their own way, often with disastrous results. Post a Picture of the Titanic and its captain, Edward John Smith. Edward John Smith was the captain of the RMS Titanic, hailed as the “unsinkable ship”. Surprisingly, not only did the Titanic sink, but it sank fast — in only 2 hours and 40 minutes! Tragi- cally, 1,500 people perished, including Captain Smith. Yet the saddest part of all was that Smith had been warned at least six times by other ships in the area about the iceberg that was on its path! Instead of listening to their advice to slow down and proceed cautiously, he kept speeding along in an attempt to keep his schedule. The Bible contains wise advice for young people, penned by a king who received wis- dom directly from God: “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure” (1 Kings 4:29 ESV). In fact, God declared that King Solomon would be the wisest human to ever walk this planet: “I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be” (1 Kings 3:12 NIV). And what is that advice? “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the dif- ficult days come...” (Eccl 12:1 NKJ). In other words, “Start out your life on the right track. Get to know your God before you end up too distracted by life’s great challenges.” Ignoring this advice results in a tragedy far greater than the Titanic’s sinking. It results in eternal banishment from God’s presence, separation forever from the God who made us. So I think it’s a good idea to take King Solomon’s advice, don’t you? We need to understand our Creator God and His marvellous plan for our life.

INTRODUCING THE THEME — NOTES So here’s what we are going to learn this week. [Write or reveal on the screen each term from the GOSPEL acrostic as you explain each.] 1. Today, in our first lesson, we are going to get to know a little about God. 2. In our next lesson, we are going to learn about God’s Only Son, Jesus, and why He came to Earth. 3. In our third lesson, we will see what God’s Only Son Provides for us. 4. In our fourth lesson, we’ll focus on one of those things He provides: Eternal Life. Let me pause here. Who’s extra smart this morning? Did you happen to notice the first letters of the words I just wrote? [Spells “GOSPEL”. Read bold words together.] That’s right! This week, we are going to discover God’s best news to us. It comes through the message called the gospel (which means “good news”). So what will our last lesson be about? Great question! I’m glad you asked! We will finish by asking ourselves one question: What will be MY response to the gospel? This leads me to our theme verse for the week: Romans 1:16 — “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” Will you embrace this good news for yourself and share it with others who need it? Or will you be ashamed of it and leave here unchanged by it? SO LET’S DIVE IN TO TODAY’S LESSON: GOD! OPENER: I have a prize here for the person who can tell me what these things all have in common? I’m only taking 5 responses. [Display these items: Superman, a trampoline, a snowmobile, Christmas lights, earmuffs, and a popsicle.] ANSWER: They were all invented by teenagers! Except for the popsicle — that was invented by an 11-year-old! How cool would it be to actually meet the people who made these things? So how much more amazing would it be to personally know the God who made ALL things! I want to spend just a few minutes thinking about three amazing things God made — things which only He could make because He alone is God! [Display the three following items: a globe, a mirror, a map.]

A. GOD MADE THE UNIVERSE! [Hold up the globe.] NOTES “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). Now you can expect some of your friends and perhaps your science teachers to snicker at this idea. That’s because they are following another religion called Evolution. And I call it a religion because, though they say evolution is based on science, it is actually based on faith. They are believing something that can’t be proven, namely, that everything in our universe came from an explosion that came from a chemical reaction “somewhere” out there. Nor can they explain where those chemicals even came from. IF this were truth, do you know what that would mean? It would mean that: 1. That great explosion resulted in order? Demonstration: “I’m going to do a trick that will amaze you. I am going to put these pieces into this balloon, blow up the balloon, then pop it. All of the pieces of the puzzle are going to fit themselves to- gether so that it will be in perfect order.” Have a camper pop the balloon. Explain that to believe in evolution is just like that: a belief in something impossible. The other option is to believe in a Designer who brought about the amazing order in the uni- verse. And what amazing order it is! a) We can see order when we look through the telescope: It is obvious to anyone who looks at the universe that there is order. Everything is positioned exactly right: • Earth’s exact location in the galaxy: Too close to the sun, it would get too hot and boil away our oceans; too far from the sun, we would freeze; if Earth didn’t move in a circular orbit, Earth would crash into other planets or stars. • The moon’s gravity controls the tilt of Earth’s axis: Without it, the planet would wobble and mess up the climate to the point that we would not be able to live on the planet. • Giant outer planets to protect the inner planets (especially Earth, the only planet which has the proper conditions for human life) from comet impacts: As comets zoom toward Earth, for example, they will either hit those big planets or be pulled in toward those large planets by their stronger gravitational force. An example of this: A comet named “Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9” was travelling toward Earth at 133,000 miles per hour. The gravitational force of Jupiter drew in the comet, and it collided with Jupiter with the strength of one million hydrogen bombs. (This happened in March, 1993.)

b) We can see order when we look through the microscope: NOTES Within each cell are many working parts which help to keep us alive. Each cell, under a microscope, actually looks like a little factory with assembly lines of mov- ing parts. Each part is needed for the whole of the cell to work. Where do these moving parts get the information to know what to do and when to do it? The in- formation is stored right inside that cell. Guess how much information is inside that cell? About the same as 1,000 books, each 500 pages. That’s a lot of infor- mation in one cell, isn’t it? To say that this all came from an explosion requires far too much faith for me to believe it! 2. Evolution believes that LIFE came from NON-LIFE. Demonstration: Hold up a rock. (Make a little face on the rock with a marker.) “Everyone, I want you to meet Rocky. Say ‘Hi Rocky’. [Students echo.] Now what if I told you that Rocky here told me the other day what he wants to be when he grows up. He wants to be a mighty eagle. He’s tired of laying around on the ground. So, when he grows up, he wants to soar the skies!” “What do you think about this? Does this seem reasonable to you? Yet, someone who believes in evolution believes just that: that something that has no life can — over bil- lions of years — somehow become a living thing.” “On the other hand, we can believe that there is an Intelligent Designer who is behind this wonderful universe. Boys and girls, listen to the Word of God: Creation is God’s way to show us He is really there and that He is an all-powerful God. God’s problem with man is not that they don’t know God: He has put this knowledge into every per- son: ‘…although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful...’ (Rom. 1:21).” “One scientist said (anonymously): ‘It would be insane [for scientists to say they] don't believe evolution. All government work, research grants, papers, big college lectures— everything would stop. I'd be out of a job... I couldn't earn a decent living.’* God’s creation shows us He is real and all-powerful. But men ignore Him because of how it would affect their lives. “Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qual- ities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Rom 1:20, NLT). * This quote is from an article entitled “The Biologist” that ran on February 17, 2000, in The Ledger (Lynchburg, VA). B. GOD MADE YOU! “Yes, this amazing God who made this amazing universe…also made YOU! Maybe you think you’re not very special — you’re not as good-looking or as athletic or as smart as the next person. But here is what you need to understand: What gives you your value, your worth, is the fact that you were made by God Himself !”

ILLUSTRATION: An unsightly violin might well be considered worthless. But if it NOTES were discovered that its maker was Antonio Stradivari whose 300-year-old violins sell for millions of dollars, we would suddenly recognize and appreciate its value! Don’t ever buy the lie that this universe — or you, for that matter — are an accident, the result of some gases forming and exploding. NO! God made you ON purpose and FOR a purpose. What is that purpose? To have a relationship with Him. God says so in Revelation 4:11, \"You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for You have created all things, and for Your pleasure they are and were created.” Emphasize the phrase “for[God’s]pleasure”. The Greek word translated here as “pleasure” is translated elsewhere in the New Testament as “will” or “desire”. God didn’t merely create all things according to His will, as several translations put it. What He willed into being, by means of creation, was according to what He truly desired — “what one wishes”(Strong’s Concordance). His will and His desire were in perfect agreement. How amazing is this! God — Self-existing, needing no one else or nothing else to make Him happy — made us because He desires a relationship with us! Jesus Him- self declared, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (Jn 17:3 NIV). BUT...we have a problem! God enjoyed an unbroken relationship with Adam and Eve as they “walked” together in the Garden of Eden (see Gen 3:8) — until sin entered the heart of man. This se- vered mankind’s relationship with God and spoiled our enjoyment of Him. Holding up a broken branch, say, “However, we have the same problem as this branch. We might say that the ‘purpose’ of this branch is to grow leaves, to produce oxygen for us to breathe, fruit for us to eat. But its problem is that it is ‘broken’; it is disconnected from its life source. Because of this, it cannot fulfill the purpose for which it was designed.” “Because of our sin, we too are ‘broken’. We are disconnected from the only Source of eternal life — the Lord Jesus.” “The wages [payment] of sin is death [separation from God]” (Rom 6:23). “But your iniquities have separated you from your God” (Isa 59:2). “In this state, we cannot fulfill this purpose for which God made us: to know and enjoy our Creator-God. THANKFULLY, God made something else:

C. GOD MADE A WAY… NOTES “There’s only one Person who can bring us back into the right condition so that we can fulfill our God-designed purpose. Only the Lord Jesus can ‘re-connect’ us to our God [like re-connecting this branch back to its source of life, the tree]. And this happens the moment we place our faith in the Lord Jesus. Listen to these words: ‘Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except THROUGH Me’ (Jn 14:6; you can also refer to 1 Tim 2:5).” “When you place your faith in the Lord Jesus, God is pleased, and you receive the great pleasure and joy of knowing that your sins are forgiven, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and of entering into this mutual, joyful relationship with God. You immediately begin to fulfill the purpose for which God originally created you. Then you can declare, ‘Oh, what JOY for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!’ (Ps 32:1 NLT).” CONCLUSION: So today we followed King Solomon’s advice and have spent some time getting to know our Creator God! We have learned about three things He made. What are they? [The world, us, and the way back to Himself through the Lord Jesus Christ] Is this anything to be ashamed of ? Absolutely not! We pray that you all will come and receive God’s forgiveness today! ______ FYI: Here are some details about those teen inventions — 1933 – Superman: This short story (the precursor to the superhero) was created in 1933 by two 17-year-olds, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, but took five more years to actually get pub- lished. 1930 – Trampoline: George Nissen was 16 when he invented the trampoline. His inspira- tion came from watching trapeze artists land in the safety nets beneath them. George figured it would be more fun if people could bounce on those nets. The trampoline was born! 1922 – Snowmobile: Joseph-Armand Bombardier, 15, took four skis, a car engine, and a propeller and strapped them all together. 1917 – Christmas lights: There was a time when Christmas lights were literally lit candles hung on the branches of a Christmas tree! As a result, many houses burned down. But 15- year-old Albert Sadacca invented strings of light bulbs which fixed that problem! 1905 – Popsicle: 11-year-old Frank Epperson left a cup outside overnight containing soda powder, water, and a stirring stick. They froze together to become — the very first popsicle! 1877 – Earmuffs: 15-year-old Chester Greenwood loved to ice skate but was annoyed by always getting cold ears. So he attached a piece of beaver skin to each end of a wire and wrapped this over his head to keep his ears warm. These were the first earmuffs! — Source: https://www.rd.com/list/things-kids-invented/

LESSON TWO: GOD’S “ONLY SON” KEY VERSE: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). PREP: Cut out Title Cards (see last page of this lesson); have on hand the following candy treats: Starburst, Almond Joy, Milky Way, Twix, Lifesavers; have a picture of Albert Einstein, and perhaps some images of his inventions (listed below); have a stopwatch and a sound clip of a crying baby. INTRODUCTION: Show a picture of Albert Einstein. “Does anyone know who NOTES this is?” After properly identifying him and what he is best known for (not just his hair, but his brain!), say: “Albert Einstein is considered ‘one of the foremost geniuses of the 20th century’. One scientist wrote that Einstein ‘accelerated the development of the world like never before...From nuclear energy production to synchronization of GPS satellites to computers to many everyday consumer products; all can be traced or linked to Einstein’s work... Albert Einstein changed the world perhaps more than anyone...in...history.’” (https://learnodo-newtonic.com/albert-einstein-accomplishments) “Yes, Albert Einstein had one of the greatest brains of all time.” (Sidenote: No less than eight hours after he died, scientists removed Einstein’s brain to study it, and since that time it has been the subject of much scientific research!) “Now, imagine we took a wee little fruit fly — known to have the smallest brain on the planet — and put him in the same room with Albert Einstein. ‘Okay, Dr. Einstein, go ahead and teach this little guy about your Theory of Relativity. Or explain how GPS satellites work. Or teach him that E=MC2 thing.’” “This would sound ludicrous! Impossible! Well, here’s something that would be far more impossible than that: God putting His ideas into our minds! God Himself de- clares, ‘“My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts”‘ (Isa 55:8,9). In grand understatement, Paul states, ‘The foolishness of God is wiser than men’ (1 Cor 1:25), and he concludes, ‘Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! “For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?”’ (Rom 11:33,34).” “Yet we read that God actually says to us, ‘Come now, let us reason together...’ (Isa 1:18). Wait a minute! Did God really say that? Does He actually want to ‘reason’ with us? How could God, who is infinite Wisdom, ever communicate with us? Our minds are pathetically small next to His. How can we possibly understand the true Mastermind of history?”

“Here’s how — God “translated” Himself into humanity! Yes, God sent NOTES His Son, as a man named Jesus, to our planet. His goal? To reveal to us the mind of God! ‘For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’ (2 Cor 4:6).” “And THIS is what we are going to think about today — the miracle of God’s ONLY SON coming into this world!” TRANSITION: “I want everyone to be very quiet for 40 seconds. I will set my timer. At the end, you will hear a wonderful sound — a sound far more important than you might realize.” Begin the 40 seconds of silence. Hopefully the students will begin to feel a slight awk- wardness. After 40 seconds, quietly play the sound of a baby crying. Hold up your Bible at the page separating the Old and New Testaments: “The day Jesus arrived as a baby came after not 40 seconds of silence but after 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testament. That’s right! This one single page here represents 400 years! God didn’t send a single prophet to His people in all that time. Pagan empires rose — and fell. The world grew in darkness and despair. But the world actually waited even much longer than that for Christ’s arrival: not 40 seconds, not even 400 years. But [pointing to the whole of the Old Testament], 4,000 years! That’s right, for 4,000 years, this world had gotten darker and darker as evil grew worse and worse and hope became less and less.” “Until ... one night, the silence broke — with the cry of a newborn baby. God’s amaz- ing rescue mission unfolded before our very eyes. And His plan was, we might say, SWEET! Let me explain how sweet it was with these ‘sweet treats.’” — OBJECT LESSON — [NOTE: The combined Title Cards form the acrostic JESUS. As you post these Title Cards on the board, make sure the cards are placed vertically, but not perfectly aligned. You do not want the word JESUS to be obvious to the students yet.] 1. STARBURST — “This candy reminds us that Jesus arrived at... JUST THE RIGHT TIME. [Post this Title Card.] Listen to Galatians 4:4-5, ‘But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law’ (NLT).” “Based on that verse, does anyone want to guess how this starburst connects to the birth of Christ?” ANSWER: A special star “burst” into the night sky that special night: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East

came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen NOTES His star in the East and have come to worship Him’” (Matt 2:1-2). [Sidenote: It’s possible they connected this star and the birth of the “King” with  Numbers 24:17, which describes a star coming from Jacob and a King (“scepter”) from Israel.] “Yes, after 4,000 years of waiting for the Savior to arrive, He finally came! But why?” 2. ALMOND JOY — “This candy reminds me that Jesus arrived not just as a man but as the…ETERNAL GOD!” “Get this: Even before time began, there was joy in Heaven! Listen to Psalm 16:11 — ‘In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.’” “But God wanted US to enter into His joy! Remember in yesterday’s lesson, we learned this was the very purpose for which God created us: “‘ou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for You have created all things, and for Your pleasure they are and were created’ (Rev 4:11).” “So there was JOY in Heaven. He created us to share in that JOY. So He sent Jesus, the ETERNAL SON, to bring that JOY to us. It’s no surprise that when He arrived in Bethlehem, the angel’s message to the shepherds was, ‘I bring you good tidings of great JOY which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord’ (Lk 2:10).” “So this ALMOND JOY reminds us that Jesus is GOD’S ETERNAL SON who came to bring us JOY!” 3. MILKY WAY — “What do you suppose this sweet treat reminds us of ? Hint: In John 6:38, Jesus says, ‘For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.’” “Yes, this chocolate bar can remind us of how far Jesus had to travel to get here. Being from Heaven, He left that perfect place and STEPPED INTO TIME! Notice: He was not the result of Mary and Joseph’s marriage. He was placed inside Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 1:18). So Jesus did not ‘begin to exist’ at His birth — or even nine months before. He was the eternal Son of God! In other words, He lived in Heaven before coming to Earth. And when He came, He remained who He had always been — God — but also became something He had never been — Man (and a sinless one at that!).” “He came a long distance because we had a serious problem...”

4. TWIX — NOTES “Has anyone ever heard the word ‘beTWIXt’? It’s an old English word for ‘between’? So this TWIX reminds me that something had come beTWIXt us and God. What was it?” [Field responses.] “Listen to these verses! ‘But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear’ (Isa 59:2).” Draw two simple cliffs, man on the left, God on the right, separating man from God. “According to Ephesians 2:13, our sin has resulted in our being ‘far off ’ from God!” “But, thankfully, that’s not where the verse ends. It tells us that Christ ALSO came ‘beTWIXt’ us and God, to take on Himself the sin that had come ‘beTWIXt’ us and God. Now, through His death and resurrection, we can come back into relationship with God. Listen to the whole verse: ‘But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ’ (Eph 2:13).” “This officially makes Jesus the world’s only…what?” 5. LIFE SAVER — “Can anyone guess what I’m thinking? Yes, Jesus is the world’s only LIFE SAVIOR! Listen to what the angel announced about the birth of Jesus: ‘And [Mary] will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins’ (Matt 1:21).” “This means that every person who receives Jesus and the forgiveness He alone offers can call Him their true Life Saver (Life Savior)!” — TAKING AIM — “I have one more task for you all. Looking at all these Title Cards up here, do you happen to notice anything special? LOOK CLOSELY!” [Point out the acrostic for JESUS.] “Perhaps you hadn’t noticed that. Jesus just ‘blended into’ all these other words. And that is precisely what happened when Jesus was born. In one sense, He just came quietly and ‘blended in’ — the Creator of the universe was born in a smelly cattle shed, surrounded by animals!” “He entered humanity as one of us — with a human nature, but without a sin nature — in order to rescue us!” Simply read each title card in order. It explains one of the most amazing miracles this world has ever witnessed: “At Just the right time...the Eternal God...Stepped into time...to Unite us with God.

He is the Savior of whoever receives His Gift!” NOTES “Listen to the lyrics of a compelling song called Mary, Did You Know?” (by Mark Lowry): Mary did you know that your baby Boy would one day walk on water? Mary did you know that your baby Boy would save our sons and daughters? Did you know that your baby Boy has come to make you new? This Child that you've delivered will soon deliver you. Mary did you know that your baby Boy will give sight to a blind man? Mary did you know that your baby Boy will calm a storm with His hand? Did you know that your baby Boy has walked where angels trod? When you kiss your little Baby, you kiss the face of God. The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again; The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the Lamb. Mary did you know that your baby Boy is Lord of all creation? Mary did you know that your baby Boy will one day rule the nations? Did you know that your baby Boy is Heaven's perfect Lamb? That sleeping Child you're holding is the great “I AM”. CLOSING: “Jesus came as a GIFT for us all. In closing, I want you to turn to the most well-known verse in the Bible: John 3:16. Once again, LOOK CLOSELY, and you’ll see this GIFT right there in this verse!” [Write GIFT as an acrostic on the board.] Every GIFT is: GIVEN (obviously, or it wouldn’t be a gift) “For God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son.” INTENDED FOR SOMEONE (If I bought it and kept it for myself, it wouldn’t be a gift.) Who was God’s gift for? “...that WHOEVER” This gift is for whoever wants it! Do you want it? FREE (It wouldn’t be a gift if I made you pay for it or earn it.) “...Whoever BELIEVES in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” This gift cost you nothing, but it cost Jesus the highest price: His own life. All God asks is that you BELIEVE in Him!

But there is one more thing that makes a gift a gift: It must be... NOTES TAKEN! Someone can buy a gift, give it to you, its intended recipient, and demand no payment for it, inviting you to take it for free. But it is still not officially a gift until you RECEIVE it. “Sadly, the night that Jesus was born, the innkeeper told Mary and Joseph that he couldn’t take them in. He had no room for them.” “There are many today who have chosen to not receive Jesus. They have ‘no place for Him’ in their hearts. Sadly, all those who reject Him and die without His salvation will, one Day, hear Him declare the same thing to them: ‘I’m sorry, there is no place in My Heaven for you.’” ————— ENDNOTE: If you have time and the ability, watch this 2-minute clip to summarize much of what is taught in this lesson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkOJV95Uq-M (or search “The Gospel Project Chronological” in YouTube).

JUST THE RIGHT TIME Read Galatians 4:4,5; Luke 2:1,2 ETERNAL GOD Read Psalm 16:11; see Luke 2:10,11 STEPPED INTO TIME Read John 6:38 UNITE US WITH GOD Read Isaiah 59:2; Ephesians 2:13 SAVIOR OF SINNERS Read Matthew 1:20,21



LESSON THREE: “PROVIDES” KEY VERSE: “[God] has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind” (Lk 4:18 NKJ). PREP: Get a blindfold, a hula-hoop, a card with the labels FRIENDS/FAMILY on one side and GOD’S PRESENCE on the other; display on a table the following items (or pictures of them): a mask, a magnifying glass, a balance scale, a gavel OPENER: Address the campers/students while wearing a blindfold: “Hi everyone! NOTES So good to ‘see’ you today! Hey, I obviously have a little problem here. I actually can’t see anything. So may I have a volunteer come up and read a little poem for me? Maybe I can get a leader to pick someone who is sitting and listening well.” When the volunteer comes up, have them open an envelope with the following poem: Picture two people: one blind and one not. But their true conditions are not what you thought: The blind one can see, and the seeing is blind. I wonder: Can you sort this out in your mind? Have the volunteer read it again. This time point with your finger at yourself when reference is made to “the blind” and to the volunteer when referring to the one who can “see.” Can anyone figure out this riddle? [Have another leader pick “quiet hands”.] Answer: This riddle is referring to spiritual sight/blindness, not physical sight/blind- ness. Today’s verse teaches us that Jesus came to give us — to PROVIDE — among other things, spiritual sight! Listen to this. [Begin quoting the verse as you slowly remove your blindfold]: “[God] has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind” (Lk 4:18, NKJV). The Bible explains that we have two sets of eyes! It’s true. Obviously, we have eyes in our head that allow us to see physically. But the Bible says we also have eyes…in our heart! Of course, I’m talking about spiritual eyes. Ephesians 1:18 refers to “the eyes of your hearts” being “enlightened, that you may know…” (ESV).

So, back to our riddle: The Bible teaches that it’s possible to be blind physically [put NOTES the blindfold back on] but to still be able to see spiritual truths [point to your heart] — truths from God that someone who can see physically cannot see at all. As Jesus put it, “Seeing, they do not see” (Mt 13:13 NIV; cf 1 Cor 2:14). So I have GOOD NEWS and I HAVE BAD NEWS — • The Good News is that, if you are still spiritually blind, Jesus desires to give spir- itual sight to you — today. Again, Jesus declared: “[God] has sent Me to heal the broken- hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind” (Lk 4:18 NKJ). • The Bad News is that, sadly, we have an enemy named the devil. And guess what he desires? [Place the blindfold on the other student and read]: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Cor 4:4, ESV). Happily, the choice is ours! We can choose either to remain blind or to receive spiritual sight. So I ask each of you: Are you spiritually blind today? Or have you received spiritual sight? — TAKING AIM — In today’s lesson, we’ll see someone receiving physical sight as a picture of receiving spiritual sight. But we’ll also see several people who, though they could see physi- cally, chose to remain blind spiritually, meaning that they refused the light that was clearly presented to them. Today’s activity is called How Well Can You “C” JESUS? [Create a visual aid like the one to the right.] Jesus is about to perform His sixth miracle in John’s gospel — giving sight to a man who was born blind — and He chose to do it in a most unusual way. To get started, let’s read the beginning of the story together and open in prayer. [Read John 9:1-5. Pray.] Now, I am going to need four volunteers to help demonstrate the four different ways the people in this account chose to “C” Jesus — and they all begin with the letter C. So, as we dig into this story, I want you to challenge yourself to “C” which of the four best describes you. [Pick volunteers who are willing to read a few verses in front of the group. Begin with the first one...]

1. Blind Man: I am going to give this volunteer a balance scale because this man NOTES “weighed up the evidence and was CONVINCED that Jesus really was the Son of God. Have the volunteer read verses 6 and 7. Point out the following: • Trusted and obeyed Jesus immediately, even when His demands made little human sense (clay on eyes, wash at the pool) • Received sight — How wonderful to see the faces of loved ones for the first time! To see creation! • Finally had a chance to see Jesus face to face! He was convinced Jesus was God’s Son. He believed, and so he received spiritual sight. • What did he “see”? ONLY Jesus could heal him because Jesus is God (v.33). 2. Neighbours: I am going to give this volunteer a magnifying glass because this man’s neighbours were CURIOUS and had lots of questions. See if you can spot them. Have the volunteer read verses 8-13. Point out the following. • Asked questions: “Isn’t this…?” “How…?” “Where…?” • But instead of seeking out Jesus for themselves, they brought the man to the religious leaders. • We may have questions, but Jesus is more than a topic to be studied. He is a Person to be known. Come directly to Him through His Word. 3. Pharisees: I am going to give this volunteer a judge’s gavel because these religious leaders actually liked going around pointing out the guilt in other people — while they themselves were guilty! Have the volunteer read verses 14-17, 24. Point out the following: • Like to interrogate people! — yet cared little for the man who needed help • They hated Jesus; they determined that He was guilty for claiming to be God.* • Even worse, they tried to prejudice everyone else regarding Jesus. Not only did they say Jesus was “not from God” (v.16), but they went as far as to say, “We know that this Man is a sinner!” (v.24). • Do you let other people’s opinions of Jesus shape how you “see” Him? Again, the best place to learn about Him is in His Word (see Jn 5:39). [*Sidenote: The three purposes of Jesus’s miracles were: 1) to meet a physical need, 2) to teach a spiritual lesson, and 3) to prove He was God’s Son. The Pharisees accused Jesus of claiming to be Someone who He truly was — God!] 4. Parents: I am going to give this volunteer a mask because this man’s parents were CAUTIOUS; they based their answers on how much the truth would cost them.

Have the volunteer read verses 18-23. Point out the following. NOTES • Knew the truth or, at the very least, thought Jesus may well have been telling the [Sidenote: “[Being put out of the syn- truth (or John wouldn’t have mentioned v.22), but were afraid of the consequences agogue] refers to excommunication from of testifying to the truth the synagogue. Among the Jews there were • Feared being “put out” of the synagogue like the Pharisees later did to their son, two grades of excommunication; the one v.34 (this would put them in danger of losing their livelihood [income] and would for lighter offences, of which they men- have brought shame on their family); tried to cover their fear by deflecting the question tioned 24 causes; the other for greater of- to their son fences. The first excluded a man for 30 days from the privilege of entering a syn- MAKING IT PERSONAL: HOW DO YOU “C” JESUS? agogue, and from coming nearer to his wife or friends less than 4 cubits. The As you evaluate your own heart today, which of these four groups would you most other was a solemn exclusion forever from closely identify with? the worship of the synagogue, attended with awful maledictions and curses, and • Like those neighbors, you have questions. There’s nothing wrong with that. But an exclusion from all contact with the if your questions lead you away from Jesus instead of to Jesus, you will remain in the people. This was called the curse, and so dark. thoroughly excluded the person from all • Like those Pharisees, you have no interest in Jesus. To you, He is just some man. communion whatever with his coun- You prefer to focus on making a reputation for yourself by trying to impress others. trymen, that they were not allowed to sell If so, you too will remain in the dark. to him anything, even the necessaries of • Like the parents of the blind man, you have some knowledge of the truth, but life (Buxtorf). It is probable that this latter you’re afraid of what others might think of you if you commit to Christ, just like they punishment was what they intended to in- were afraid of being “put out of the synagogue” (v.22). flict if anyone should confess that Jesus was the Messiah: and it was the fear of ILLUSTRATION: Being “put out of the synagogue” was a big deal to a Jew. Their this terrible punishment that deterred his identity was all wrapped up in their religious life. No more synagogue meant no more parents from expressing their opinion” religion and no more friends, and maybe no more job or income, and maybe even (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible).] no more family! Everything that mattered to them was on the line! You’ve been learning about Jesus and what He wants to do in your life, and maybe you’ve come to realize that your sin is a barrier standing between you and God. But the one thing that is preventing you from dealing with your sin is what others will think of you. [Place a hula-hoop on the floor by the chalkboard. Step inside it, and post the label FRIENDS/FAMILY on the board.] You might, in one sense, be “put out” of your circle of friends. [Step out of hoop, then back in again.] In some parts of the world, people are even cast out of their families when they receive Christ as Savior. [Step out of hoop, then back in again.] But may I challenge you with this question? Yes, our families and even our friends may mean an awful lot to us, and we might love them dearly. But how does being cast out of ANY social circle compare to being cast out of GOD’S presence — forever?

[Turn label around to read GOD’S PRESENCE. Step out of the hoop.] NOTES Revelation 20:15 says, \"And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” — also called “the blackness of darkness” (Jude 13). Now THAT’s eternal blindness! This isn’t a happy thought, but we need to ask: What kind of people will be in Hell? Those who condemned Jesus and died in their stubborn rebellion, for sure, as well as those who couldn’t be bothered with Him and so gave Him no time nor thought. But there will also be many people in Hell who simply remained curious or cautious and who never stepped out and came to Jesus. But you know who won’t be in that horrible place? The blind man! — and all those like him who were convinced that Jesus is the only Way to Heaven and who, in simple faith, “stepped into” God’s family by receiving His forgiveness. [Step back into the hoop, and read the rest of the story: John 9:35-38.] DESTINATION: (The Truth in our Hearts) I want to leave you with a clear picture of the pathway this blind man travelled as he allowed God’s light to open up his spiritual eyes and give him sight. Let’s SEE what he S.A.W. [Print these three letters on the board.] Situation was hopeless. Born this way. Could do nothing to fix it. Us: We have the very same problem: we are born in sin. “For I was born a sinner — yes, from the moment my mother conceived me” (Ps 51:5 NLT). How is this pos- sible? A baby hasn’t done anything wrong! A baby isn’t a sinner because they sin. They sin because they are sinners. They are born with a sin nature, and so they commit acts of sin. Though this man’s blindness was not directly linked to any person’s sin (vv 2,3), it is true that all sin and all the trouble in this world can be traced back to the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, who sinned in the Gar- den of Eden (see Rom 5:12). “The fountainhead was polluted and ran down the river of time” (Anon). Their sin has infected all of humanity. All others failed! The religious Pharisees cared more about the trivial details of the law (which they, not God, had devised) than they did about this man. Even his parents couldn’t help him, nor the people passing by while he begged on the streets. Not even any Old Testament prophet had ever restored sight to a blind man. Surely this man had no hope for his healing. Us: Likewise, we can do nothing to fix our sin problem, and no other person can help us. Wonderful Opportunity! — Christ the Healer passed by, stopped, and restored this man’s physical sight. But, much greater, He opened this man’s spiritual eyes! This man simply responded to the light given to him about Jesus. First, he understood Jesus

to be just a “man” (v.11). Then, he recognized that He must be a “prophet” (v.17), NOTES someone who had been given power by God to do miracles, like Moses and Elijah had done. The light grew brighter! In verse 33, he acknowledged that Jesus must be from God. Finally, he believed and declared Jesus to be “the Son of God” (vv 35-38). CONCLUSION: I want to leave you with one final thought: Jesus longs for you to receive Him, just like this man did. How do we know that? Turn back a chapter, to the end of John 8. (Something to keep in mind: chapter and verse divisions were added to our Bibles later, by man, to help us find our way around.) Look at the end of the last chapter to see how much Jesus loved this man. In 8:59 we read, “Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.” And 9:1 – “Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.” While others were trying to kill Jesus, He stopped to help this poor, blind beggar! What love and compassion! And He feels the same about each one of you. While He is busy holding the entire universe together, He is also here with us today. We might say, “He has passed by” in our very midst! Don’t “pass up” this opportunity, because it might be your last. You never know when you will pass from this life to the next — and then it will be too late.

LESSON FOUR: “ETERNAL LIFE” KEY VERSE: “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). PREP: Get the following — “Taste Test” items below; if possible, cupcakes for the whole class (at the mini- mum: four cupcakes or pictures of cupcakes); tape to fasten puzzle pieces to the board ALSO: Cut the question below into eight puzzle pieces for opening activity (see last page of this lesson), and tape these under the seats of eight students/campers. Set out a “Taste Test Table”, and cover it with a cloth; include: butter, sugar, one whisked egg, flour, milk, food colouring, salt, vegetable oil, icing, baking powder. QUICK REVIEW: Wow! We’ve learned a lot about God’s Gospel this week! WE NOTES learned that there is a GOD — who made the universe, us, and a way to bring us back into relationship with Him. This meant sending His ONLY SON to Earth. We thought about His birth, and we considered a little about His life, how He came to PROVIDE spiritual sight to all of us because we are lost in the darkness of sin. Today we come to the last two letters of GOSPEL. Does anyone remember what E-L stand for? ETERNAL LIFE. Yes, those who allow Jesus to open their eyes spir- itually are also provided with ETERNAL LIFE, and God promises that they will spend the rest of forever in Heaven! Before we begin, let’s open in prayer. [Pray]. INTRODUCTION: “Normally I open with a little object lesson, but I’ll get to that a bit later. [Point to the mysterious Taste Test Table, covered by a cloth.] Today I want to begin with a difficult question — not a math question or a science question, but a “God question”. In fact, it’s a question that has “puzzled” many people through- out the generations. I’ve taped puzzle pieces under eight chairs. Let’s see how long it takes you to assemble this “puzzling question” here on the board. Question: “Why does God allow bad things to happen to those He loves?” We find ourselves today in John 11 where we discover a man named Lazarus whom — the Bible says very clearly — the Lord Jesus loved. Now, we know that He loves each of us very much. But I think God really wants to make sure we don’t forget about His love as we read this account. Notice the three times this love is mentioned: • By Lazarus’s sisters, in verse 3 (phileō, “brotherly love”) • By the apostle John who is telling us this story, in verse 5 (agapaō, “God’s sacrificial love”) • By the Jews at the gravesite, in verse 36 (phileō, “brotherly love”)

And yet — Jesus waited and allowed Lazarus to die. Read verses 6 and 14. NOTES TRANSITION: How could Jesus allow this to happen? Is this what true love does? Today we hear of many adults who were taught about Jesus when they were young — this Jesus who healed, forgave, and loved. But then some terrible thing happened in their lives. Their family fell apart. Someone they loved became really sick or died. All of a sudden, their faith was severely put to the test. “If God is real and loving,” they reasoned, “how could He ever have allowed something so terrible to happen?” As they got older and discovered how much tragedy and heartbreak fill this world, they allowed their hearts to become hard against God’s love. Do you know what an atheist is? It’s some- one who says they don’t believe that God exists. Well, many of today’s leading atheists have been through this kind of experience. So how can we answer their question? If God really loves us, why DOES He allow terrible things to happen? In fact, maybe you have asked the very same thing. If so, this story is for you — so listen up! Not surprisingly, Lazarus’s sisters felt exactly the same way. Read verses 21 and 32: “If only…” (NLT). How many times have you said that to God? “If only You had (fill in the blank), this mess wouldn’t have happened!” Even those attending Lazarus’s funeral were thinking pretty much the same thing (v.37). LET’S READ OUR KEY VERSE. Warning: It might not make much sense to you at first! But as the story unfolds, I think you’ll begin to understand. This verse actually gives every child of God a very strong and wonderful assurance that He really does know what He’s doing — and it’s GOOD — even when we don’t understand His reasons. To Key Verse: “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). Let’s dive in and see how God is going to transform this seeming “hopeless mess” into a “message of hope!” Our question is, “Why does God allow bad things to happen those He loves?” But let’s take it one step further: “Why does God allow bad things to happen to those He loves…when He COULD have prevented it altogether?” As you journey further into the text of this story, you’ll realize that the situation is even seemingly worse than it first appears.

Let’s read the first three verses and, as we do, we’re going to play a simple game NOTES called...[wait for it...]...TRUE OR FALSE? I am going to make a statement. You tell me if you think it is TRUE or FALSE. I will then read the passage. If you’re right, you get a prize afterwards. Okay: I have SIX STATEMENTS. True or False? 1. Jesus never allows those He loves to go through hard times. (Read v.3. FALSE.) 2. Jesus was in Bethany, the same town as Lazarus, when He heard that Lazarus was sick. (Read 10:40 which happened just before this story, and refer to the map. FALSE. He was about 25 km away in another town called Bethany!) 3. Jesus did not know that Lazarus was sick prior to receiving the message. (Read v. 4,14. Jesus knew the moment Lazarus had died with no mes- senger. Therefore, FALSE. He is all-knowing.) 4. Jesus loved Lazarus, so He rushed to Bethany right away. (Read 11:6. FALSE. He waited two days.) 5. Jesus did not have to be physically present to heal Lazarus. (See, for ex- ample, the nobleman’s son, John 4:49-51. TRUE.) 6. Jesus felt sorry for His disciples because they didn’t make it back in time for Jesus to help Lazarus. (Read v.15. FALSE. He was glad they weren’t there!) HOLD ON, HOLD ON. So far, this is what we’ve learned: • Jesus lets His loved ones go through hard times. • Jesus was a day’s journey (or two) away. • Jesus knew Lazarus was sick, even without needing the report brought to Him. • Jesus didn’t rush back to heal him. • Jesus could have healed Lazarus without even going back — but He didn’t. • Jesus was glad they didn’t make it back in time. WHAAAT? Didn’t we read three times that Jesus loved Lazarus? Is this what love does? In fact, I want to stress this point. Look again at 11:5,6 – “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So…He stayed two more days…” (John 11:5,6). Loved = Greek, agapaō – love that is perfect, unending, unconditional, sacrificial. So = “Therefore”

NOTES When we substitute the words for their meanings, we can read it like this: Now Jesus perfectly, unendingly, unconditionally, sacrificially loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Therefore…He stayed two more days in the place where He was. How does that make sense? ILLUSTRATION: To illustrate Jesus’s thinking, I need two volunteers to do a taste test. [Be sure that neither of them have food allergies. Alternately, you can use two leaders if you’re un- sure about dietary issues.] Call up one volunteer, blindfold them, then pull back the cloth a little to show the class ONLY the one item being sampled. Feed the student a sample of the food item. “Can you guess what this is?” Continue until all items have been tasted. Be sure to note the volunteers’ reactions. Some items may draw pleasant re- actions (e.g. sugar, icing). Several may draw little to no reaction (e.g. the “boring” flour, milk, food coloring). Some may elicit negative reactions (e.g. egg, butter, salt). Taking Aim: Imagine being fed a steady diet of one of these items for your entire life: Only salt. Only butter. Only sugar or icing. We might like the idea of only sugar or icing, but they would rot your teeth in a hurry! Now imagine if life consisted only of “salty” experiences, like the death of loved ones. Or what if it were all “sweet” ex- periences, like winning every single sports game? Or how about every single experi- ence being mundane and boring, like mowing your lawn, studying for tests, doing chores? But let’s think through what God is really up to. Let’s look back at our key verse: “We know that all things [we might say, “all the ingredients of our life”] work together [mixed in the same bowl of God’s perfect will — this is the “messy” part; then, to top it off, we’re put into the heat of life’s trials, just like ingredients are put into an oven] for good [hold up a delicious cupcake] to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). So, back to our question: WHY DID JESUS WAIT? The people that day were fed a great big spoonful of “salty”, unsavoury ingredients. But Jesus was blending all the circumstances — the sickness, the concern, the delay, the waiting, the death, the sorrow, the questions — together, IN ORDER TO produce something wonderful, something better than the people had wanted or expected. They wanted sick Lazarus to be kept alive. Jesus wanted to reveal to all these people

NOTES — and to us — His perfect power over death! He wanted to bring him out of the tomb in perfect health! [Hold up the cupcake.] And He had even more wonderful things in store! [Hold up a different cupcake for each of the following three points]: 1. God would be glorified. [Read verse 4.] This miracle was going to display the greatness of God’s power. Jesus had raised Jairus’s daughter (an only daughter) when she was still on her deathbed (Mt 9:18-26). Jesus had raised a widow’s son (an only son) during the funeral procession (Lk 7:11-17). Both of these miracles took place within hours of death, and some would suggest these people weren’t actually dead. But Lazarus had been dead four days!* He stank of rotting flesh! No doubt about it — he was DEAD. In raising him, Jesus was showcasing the amazing power of God. God was clearly glorified! [*Sidenote: The pervading Jewish belief at that time is described in the Jerusalem Talmud: “For the first three days after death the soul floats above the body, thinking that it will return to the body. When the soul sees the body, that the appearance of the face has changed, it leaves the body and goes its way” (Yebamot 16:3). https://weekly.israelbiblecenter.com/why-did-jesus-wait/ ] 2. People would believe. If only God is capable of raising the dead to life, then those witnessing the miracle would have an easier time believing that Jesus was, in fact, God’s Son. [Read verse 45 and 12:10-11.] 3. We would discover a truth that has the potential to change us forever! Those who “believe” and receive Christ as Savior are promised that they shall “never die”. [Read vv. 25,26.] Such an amazing truth would never have been made so clear if Jesus had healed Lazarus the way others wanted Him to. What did Jesus mean when He said He is “the Resurrection”? Jesus Himself would soon die and be resurrected, but there would be some important differences between His resurrection and Lazarus’s. When Lazarus came out of the tomb, what did he bring with him? [His grave clothes; see v. 44. He would need them again because he would die again.] What did Jesus leave behind when He emerged from His tomb? His grave clothes* (Jn 20:6). Jesus wouldn’t need those anymore because He rose to die ‘no more” (Rom 6:9). He rose in the power of an endless life, and now He promises us something far better than what He gave Lazarus. * John saw Jesus’s grave clothes “lying…” This does not mean they were on the floor. The word John used means that they were “lying precisely as the body had lain in them.” The grave clothes formed a body shell appearance in the very position as when the body was wrapped in them.

ILLUSTRATE: NOTES [Have two volunteers form an arch with their arms that someone can walk under. Explain]: When Lazarus died, he literally stepped into death. [Have another volunteer walk under the arch and stand on the other side.] When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He pulled him back into this world, so to speak — back into the same kind of life. And one day he would re-enter death. [Gently pull the student back.] [Now have two more volunteers form a second arch a short distance from the first. Explain]: When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He too entered death. But when He rose, He didn’t merely step out of death and back into this life. He BROKE THROUGH DEATH to the other side, to a new kind of life — an endless life! He defeated our last enemy, Death. [Have the student enact this.] In doing this, He opened the way for all who believe in Him to “never die” — spiritually, that is. Yes, they may enter Death’s door physically. But death for them will be the very door that leads right into Heaven! This is what Jesus meant in verse 25: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” CONCLUSION: Can I ask you this very serious question? If you were to step through Death’s door TODAY, would it mean eternal separation from God? Or would Death’s door lead you into Heaven? The only way that can happen is for you to “believe in” Him (v. 26). Before Lazarus could come out of the tomb, that big stone had to be rolled away. I wonder, do you also have a stone that needs to be rolled away? Is there something preventing you from believing? Maybe you’ve formed a certain view about God that isn’t true. Or maybe you feel you aren’t that bad. Or maybe you believe that you can get to Heaven if you work hard enough. Or maybe you’ll put off your decision until you’re older. All of these are like stones preventing you from receiving new life in Christ. Today’s the day to roll those stones away and ask God’s forgiveness. Today, the Lord Jesus is not calling Lazarus to come forth to receive life. He is calling YOU! PERSONAL APPLICATION: We began by tackling a big question: “Why does God allow bad things to happen to those He loves?” We saw that ultimately God is using every life circumstance to accomplish something bigger than the circumstances themselves. But the bigger question is this: Are you prepared to meet God when this life is over? He has defeated death. He has made it possible for you to live with Him forever in Heaven. But you must believe and receive Christ as your Savior. [SIDENOTE: If you feel it appropriate, expand the discussion on things that trouble students. There are a lot of troubling things going on in the world and, likely, in your students’ lives. How encouraging to read that Jesus Himself “groaned in the spirit, and was troubled” at Lazarus’s graveside (Jn 11:33). With the great burden of the cross before Him, the Lord declared, “Now is my soul troubled” (Jn 12:27). And when a “close friend” was about to “lift up his heal” in betrayal (Ps. 41:9), Jesus was “was troubled in spirit” (Jn 13:21). Maybe your students are troubled for similar reasons: bereavement, burdens, betrayal. How beautiful that, as troubled as the Lord was in those last moments before Calvary, He turned to His own and said, “Let not YOUR hearts be troubled” (Jn 14:1). His primary concern was never for Himself but ever for His people. He cares about your students’ troubles today and provides the only remedy: “…believe in Me.”]

“Why does God allow bad things to happen to those He LOVES?”



LESSON FIVE: “ARE YOU ASHAMED?” KEY VERSE: “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe” (Proverbs 29:25 ESV). PREP: Get these items or pictures (or a combination), at your discretion — • nail polish remover • hair dye • household cleaner • rat poison • gasoline • battery acid • insecticide • paint • road tar. ALSO: Photocopy three scripts (PILATE ON TRIAL at the end of this lesson). If possible, get costumes/props and pre-select your three volunteers. INTRODUCTION: Briefly recap each of the letters in the acrostic: G.O.S.P.E.L. NOTES Say together: “God’s Only Son Provides Eternal Life.” The question I’d like to put to each of you is this: What are you going to do about it? If you haven’t yet accepted the gospel, are you prepared to now? Or are you ashamed of the gospel? Ask: “Why do you suppose that some people — especially young people — knowing all we know from this week, would remain ashamed of the gospel and would reject God’s free offer of forgiveness? [Field responses.] One of the greatest reasons young people have for not becoming Christians is that they are afraid of what their friends might think. Well, NEWS FLASH: Peer pressure is something that affects everyone, not just young people. In fact, in our lesson today, we are going to learn about a full-grown man who was confronted with the very same decision that I just put before you: to either embrace Christ or to be ashamed of Him. What did this man choose? I’ll get to that in a bit. But first...an open lesson! OPENER: Hold up a mug with some kind of covering on it. “What if I were to tell you that, in this mug, is a concoction made up of about 600 ingredients. [Display on the table some of the items from the PREP section above.] “What’s even more interesting is that burning this mixture of ingredients creates 7,000 chemicals, 69 of which have been proven to cause cancer.” “Question: What would someone have to give you to convince you to take one sip of this?” [Field responses.]

“Some of you might say, ‘Anyone in their right mind would never take a swig of this NOTES stuff.’ Yet there is one thing that may just have the power to persuade you — some- thing more irresistible than fame or fortune. There is something that might actually convince some of you to taste this, even with full knowledge of the facts. What is that one thing? Peer pressure.” “All of the household products that I mentioned earlier contain some of the ing- redients found in every single cigarette. And yet, even though there are graphic warn- ings and pictures plastered all over cigarette packs, the reality is that youth are among the highest users of cigarettes. In fact, most of today's adult smokers started to smoke before they were 18 years old. And did you know that an average of over 5,700 teens start vaping — every single day?” “All of this is the result of people’s desire to ‘fit in’. Peer pressure is a potent power!” [Facts taken from the American Lung Association, https://www.lung.org] TRANSITION: “The longing to be accepted is built into every one of us. God designed us to be re- lational creatures, people who desire to be connected with other people.” “But the danger comes when someone’s desire to ‘fit in’ with their peers overrides his or her desire to ‘fit in’ to God’s remarkable plan for their life!” “I want to share a true story with you about a man in the Bible who cared so much about fitting in that he turned his back on Jesus. It’s a sad story, but what is also sad is that so many people today fall into the very same trap.” KEY VERSE: Proverbs 29:25 ESV — “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” “Perhaps some of you find yourself in this very place in your life right now. Even here, in our times together, you’ve heard about God’s offer to forgive you and to make you His child. But maybe you’re afraid of what your friends — or even your family — might think if you become a Christian and they find out about it.” “Let’s see what we can learn from someone named Pontius Pilate who was in that very position. Pilate was a real man who was the Roman governor in Judea while Jesus was on earth. Judea was the region where Jesus was tried, so Pilate presided over the case. But, today, we are going to put Pilate on trial! Was he or wasn’t he ashamed of Jesus?”

We will be looking mostly at Luke 23. We’ll also pick up some more details from the NOTES other three gospel writers to gather our evidence.” DRAMATIZATION: “PILATE ON TRIAL” [Use the script found at the end of this lesson]. Following the dramatization: You thought only kids gave in to peer pressure! Pilate wanted ‘...to please the crowd’ so he ordered Jesus to be crucified in the end.* It’s so sad to think that, for all of Pilate’s scheming so he would be accepted by the people and the ‘powers that be’, the only real legacy he left were a few coins he had minted and the Pilate Stone (a stone with his name Pontios Pilatos etched into it). That’s all! If he died without Christ, he will now spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. ‘The road to hell is paved with good intentions.’ ” And here’s the point: It’s one thing to know the facts, to even make a decision, a good and right decision, based on the facts. But it’s another thing altogether to follow through with that decision. Pilate had good intentions, but he did not follow through on what he knew to be right. He handed Jesus over to the crowd to have Him cru- cified, despite the evidence — all because he was ashamed to identify with Jesus! “Pilate’s life is a cautionary narrative that teaches the truth of Proverbs 29:25 ESV: ‘The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.’” PERSONAL APPLICATION: We can’t stress just how dangerous it is to let other people’s perceptions and opinions hinder us from doing what we know is right before God: repenting of my sin and plac- ing my faith in Christ and what He accomplished on the cross. Remember, it’s been said that “friends can laugh you into hell, but they can’t laugh you out of hell.” If you find yourself just now confronted with the facts of the Bible but hesitating to take that step of faith because of what others might think, maybe this illustration will help.” [*SIDENOTE: Of course, Jesus was not “killed” against His own will. Jesus willingly laid down His life to pay for our sins (Jn 10:18). He stated this clearly to Pilate, too (Jn 19:11). Before time began, Jesus knew that He would go to the cross (Rev 13:8) and that all the events leading up to His crucifixion would unfold the way they did. But this knowledge did not force Pilate to act the way he did. Pilate was not acting as a robot, fulfilling pre-determined events scripted by God. God simply knows the end from the beginning and knew that Pilate, of his own free will, would choose the way he did (see Isa 46:10). Therefore, Pilate is guilty of rejecting the truth and condemning Jesus to death. Each of us is equally responsible for how we personally respond to Jesus.]

ILLUSTRATION: NOTES • Pretend you are walking down the sidewalk. You hear some kids calling your name. • From the top story of a house, you see some of the cool kids from school calling down from a window, inviting you to come join them. They appear to be doing things you know they shouldn’t be doing, but ... choosing to join them would automatically get you ‘in’. • You would become one of the ‘in’ crowd, part of their social circle. You’d be seen as cool too. There’s a real struggle going on inside of you. Peer pressure! But let me add one more detail to this story... • You glance downwards and see a fire on the ground level of the house. In a mo- ment’s time, you know exactly what your decision is: Not only are you NOT going to join them, but you’re also going to warn them and urge them to get out of the house.” When you start thinking of the other kids at school — yes, even the cool kids — as being in danger of eternal punishment for their sins, your focus will begin to shift from wanting to ‘fit in’ to their social circle to wanting to ‘fit in’ to God’s purpose for your life: to know God and to make Him known to others. This kind of thinking is looking at life from God’s perspective. CONCLUSION: “So the question I want to leave you with is this: In the final analysis, is it more important to you to be accepted by friends who, quite frankly, are in a ‘burning building’ — heading toward a lost eternity, or is it more important for you to be ac- cepted by God — accepted into His family through His gift of salvation so that one Day He will be able to accept you into His Heaven?” “It’s not enough to KNOW the way to Heaven or even to DECIDE that you want to go there. You need to follow through with the decision and ‘call upon [the Lord] while He is near’ (Isa 55:6). Others might think you’re foolish for doing so. But how much better to be thought a fool for time and wise for eternity than to be thought wise for time and a fool for eternity.” And I’d like to leave a final challenge for those who you have HAVE received God’s forgiveness already. Are you ashamed to share your Saviour with your friends? You know, at the arrest and trial of Jesus, there was another man — a disciple of Jesus — named Peter. He was ashamed of his connection to Jesus. In fact, while Pilate (an unbeliever) tried to stand up for Jesus three times, Peter denied he even knew Jesus at least three times — while cursing and swearing! Oh, how badly he felt afterwards. BUT when Peter met up with the risen Christ, Jesus forgave Peter. And Peter went on for many years after that faithfully telling others about Jesus. When he became an old man, do you know what he wrote? It’s Peter’s message to you today if you are a Christian: “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). You have the very message that will, if received by faith, enable your friends and family to go to Heaven one day!

PILATE ON TRIAL This demonstration requires volunteer participation. Perhaps discuss with other leaders in advance to pre- select three strong readers who aren’t afraid to read in front of the others. PARTS: Pilate, Pilate’s wife, Herod TO DO BEFOREHAND: Set a table out with chairs, one set off apart from the others for Pilate to sit in. If possible, it would be great to have costumes/props for these characters. SCRIPT: Cross Examiner: “Good day, sir. Can you please clearly state your name and professional position?” Pilate: My name is Pontius Pilate. I am the Roman governor in Judea. Cross Examiner: Ah! Judea, as in...the region where Jesus was put on trial? Pilate: Yes, yes. Don’t remind me.That was the worst case I ever presided over. It was horrible! Cross Examiner: Oh? Do tell... Pilate: EVERYONE was calling for the death of Jesus.Well, except one person.. Cross Examiner: Really? Who was that? Pilate [shouting]: I’d rather not say! Cross Examiner: Fine then. So I take that to mean that these calls for Jesus’s death bothered you? Pilate: Bothered me? It was horrible! Cross Examiner: You do know that one of Jesus’s followers, Dr. Luke (also a leading historian), carefully documented everything you said, right? Pilate [sarcastically]: Yes, I know. My whole story is there in all its “splendor and glory”. Cross Examiner: Luke writes in chapter 23, verse 4 of his gospel that your first verdict was… [Both Pilate and Cross Examiner together]:“I find no fault in this Man.” Cross Examiner: Hmm. So then you decided to let Jesus go? Pilate: Of course not! The people were in a rage! So I did what every smart politician would do: I passed the buck! Cross Examiner: Meaning… Pilate: Well, I discovered that Jesus was actually from the region called Galilee.What a relief! Legally, this was Herod’s mess because he was the ruler of that region. Cross Examiner: Ah! That would be you, I suppose? Cross Examiner, speaking as Herod:That’s correct. Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great!

Cross Examiner: Yes, your dad was the one who tried to kill Jesus as a baby, correct? Herod (smuggly): Correct again. Cross Examiner: I see. So how did you get involved in this trial? Herod: Well, I just so happened to be in Jerusalem that weekend. So Pilate, here, dumped the case in my lap! He didn’t want to be guilty of killing an innocent man. Cross Examiner: You call him innocent too? You believed He was innocent? Herod: Of course I did. I told him that I found absolutely NO cause of death in Him. Cross Examiner: Interesting.That’s exactly what Luke records in chapter 23, verses 14-16. Mr. Pilate, having received this verdict from Herod, you OBVIOUSLY let Jesus go then? Pilate [loudly]: NO! Oh, I how I wished I had listened to her… Cross Examiner: Listened to whom? Pilate: Never mind! Keep my wife out of this… Cross Examiner: Your wife? Pilate’s Wife: Yes! The crowd was getting angrier and angrier.They kept crying “Crucify Him!” My husband had to get away to clear his head and think through the whole thing. I stepped inside his office too.And that’s when I told him… Cross Examiner: Told him what? Pilate’s Wife: I told him plainly,“Have nothing to do with that just Man...” Cross Examiner: Wait...then you said, “for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.” Matthew explained that in his gospel. Pilate: How did Matthew, the tax collector, know what my wife told me? There were only two of us in the room! Cross Examiner: Actually, Someone else was in the room too. God! And His Holy Spirit guided the Bible’s writers to record these things so that we would know that the Bible really is God’s Word. But that’s besides the point.The question is: Did you or did you not listen to your wife’s advice? Pilate: Unfortunately, no…the voices of the crowd seemed to drown out her voice. But I did come up with a good idea that I thought would get me out of that mess… Cross Examiner: Let me guess — you decided to punish Jesus by physically torturing Him. Make the people happy.Then you would release Him. Pilate: How did you know that? Did Matthew write that too? Cross Examiner: Nope. Dr. Luke, chapter 23, verses 16 and 17. Pilate: Oh.Yes, well, it sounded like a good idea at the time. Cross Examiner: So did it work? Were the people happy?

Pilate: No! They kept demanding that I release Barabbas. I couldn’t stand that guy.Always causing trouble. He was a rebel, alright — a robber and murderer! I can’t believe those Jews wanted Jesus dead over Barabbas.All because of envy. I said,“No way! I’m releasing Jesus!” Cross Examiner: How did that go? Pilate: It made it worse! Three times I asked them:“Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.” Cross Examiner: So let’s see if I have this all straight.You examined the case thoroughly and found Jesus to be totally innocent.You even declared it three times. Herod found him innocent.Your wife told you he was in- nocent.Yes? Pilate: Yes. Cross Examiner: Pardon me, sir. I need to talk to these campers now. I’ll be back to you in a minute. [To the audience]: So, with a show of hands, how many think Pilate stood with Jesus and decided to release Him? [Count hands.] How many people think Pilate, down deep, was ashamed of Jesus and afraid of what people thought of him? [Count hands.] Okay, let’s find out… Cross Examiner: So, Mr Pilate, what did you decide? Pilate: I decided to…release him. [You to audience]: How many believe him? [Pause.] Actually, he is telling the truth. Luke explains in Acts (3:13), that Pilate “decided to release him” (ESV). “‘But wait!’ you say.“We know that Pilate authorized the death of Jesus. Because...Jesus actually died!” Cross Examiner: Well, Pilate, do you wish to explain? Something obviously happened in your heart and mind that caused you to completely brush aside all the obvious facts about Jesus and eventually condemn Him to death.What happened? Pilate: Well, I guess the pressure got to me.The Jews started threatening to report my so-called “rebellion” to Caesar.That would be the end of my career for sure! So I… Cross Examiner: Shall I tell you what Mark wrote in chapter 15:15 of his gospel? He said you delivered Jesus to be crucified in order to “please the crowd”. Pilate: Yes, biggest mistake of my life. Cross Examiner: Thanks, Mr Pilate.You can go take your seat. [Return to your regular teaching notes.]