Jesus' 2nd Coming and Judgement Day Creed #7

Jesus’ 2^nd Coming and Judgement Day

Entrance Craft for Kids: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291678513349638649/

Transition: 

            We will start with a Relay Race to gather cards that will spell a phrase that we need to remember as we think about the End Times and the uncertain events to come. The only Letter Card you can have two of is “T”

            The phrase is “Trust God”. The big thing we need to remember any time you study Revelation and Jesus’ 2^nd Coming is that there are things the Bible just doesn’t tell us. So we need to Trust God! It is OK to DISAGREE about each other’s interpretations of the End Times – it shows that we are digging and processing the scriptures BUT it is NOT ok to DIVIDE because of our interpretations. THERE ARE NO CLEAR ANSWERS for all the events to come in the End of Satan’s reign on earth. Proverbs 3:5 – look up and read

Large Group:

Your next task today is you look up the scriptures on the back of your letter cards. Read them and as a table decide which ones are talking about Jesus’ 2^nd Coming vs Judgement Day. Be ready to share with everyone what the point or fact we can gather from each scripture is.

2^nd Coming: Matthew 24:26-31, 1 Thes 5:1-11, 1 Thes 4:13-18 and Luke 12:35-48

Judgement: Matthew 16:24-28, Romans 2:5-11, Rev 20:11-15 and Rev 21:6-8

Share after

End Illustration: Have adults stand up on one side of the room with the youth and children on the other. We are going earn medals based on our good deeds this week. (Have a handful of individuals assigned before-hand to say something like “Ha no thanks – I quit now” and they will sit down in the front to watch.) State various good deeds like “Read the Bible at least 2 times this week” or “Said meal prayers”. If someone has done them they can stay standing, but if not they come to the center to receive their medal. The first group who is “out” receives the bronze medals. The second group the silver and the last group the gold.

Point out to everyone – those who choose not to “play” or have Faith in Jesus will go to Hell on Judgement day – they won’t receive the prize of Heaven. Those going to Heaven will then be judged on what they did with Jesus in their lives – did they make a difference? They will receive different rewards based on their earthly deeds. NOTE our DEEDS do not save us!! FAITH ALONE saves us.

(Medals can be ordered off from Amazon.)

Take Homes: Everyone can take a medal home to hang up to remind themselves to let their faith make a difference in their actions.

Jesus' Resurrection Creed #6

Jesus’ Resurrection

Entrance Craft for Kids: Easter Foldable http://paththroughthenarrowgate.com/easter-finger-puzzle/

Transition: Today’s section is “and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;

            Today we are going to act out various skits to decide whether Jesus’ resurrection was truth or fiction

Large Group:

Leader can be the Narrator or you can assign someone to be the Narrator

Lawyer – has questions on each Witness sheet, so print two of each

WITNESS SCRIPTS

Witness #1 – Roman Soldier at the Cross

Witness #2 – Roman Guard

Witness #3 – Thomas

Witness #4 - Paul

**Each person has an Evidence Worksheet to fill out as they listen

Discuss what they wrote down after the skits

Jesus' Crucifixion, Death and Burial Creed #5

Jesus’s Crucifixion, death and burial

Entrance Craft for Kids: Easter Buns – kids will assemble their own Easter Bun (marshmallow is sinless Christ – cinnamon is our sin He took on – bread dough is the tomb) and put in oven so ready at the end.

Transition: Today’s section is “and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried,”

            Why did Jesus have to be crucified? Have everyone put a red dot on top of their hand with a marker and then write their name under it.... As we go through the journey of the cross today, look at the dot to think of all Jesus did for you so that you could be in heaven with Him.

Table Time: Journey of the Cross Worksheet – will take each table through Bible verses explaining why: crucified, Pontius Pilate, Suffering and Buried. Each section also has a small snack to assemble

Large Group:

Talk thru each point on worksheet:

            Crucified – Gentiles were crucified while Jews were stoned

            Pontius Pilate – Historical creditability – stops the debate that Jesus’s death was only a Spiritual issue); Also that God can use evil people for His good

            Suffered – Jesus is our Passover Lamb

            Buried – Normally those crucified were thrown into the garbage heap – the burial shows God’s acceptance of the sacrifice

Atonement video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVQgSlfJ6hg

Take Homes:

Good Friday Nature Walk http://www.theunlikelyhomeschool.com/2014/04/good-friday-nature-walk-free-printable.html

Jesus Son of God Creed #4

Jesus Son of God

Entrance Craft for Kids: Stick Nativity Puppets http://www.biblestoryprintables.com/BibleCraftsChristmasNativity#.WU8IWYzyvIV

Opening: 5 different tables get a Heavenly Signs card to act out to review quickly the signs from heaven showing Jesus was from heaven to various individuals so that they could be witnesses. You could add more like Jesus’ dedication at the temple or any others you think of. 

Transition: Today we are looking at why it is important to acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. Why does it make a difference?

            C. S. Lewis, who was a professor at Cambridge University and once an agnostic, understood this issue clearly.  He writes: "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg ‑ or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the son of God: or else a madman or something worse."

Then Lewis adds: "You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

Table Time: Only’s Poster and Worksheet: the Creed says Jesus is the “only BEGOTTEN Son of God” What does BEGOTTEN mean? In Greek it is “monogenes” which means one of a kind or unique; only.

Each table will do one of the verses from the Only’s worksheet and decide what “Only” it explains about Jesus. Then someone will write a list of the Only’s that Jesus fulfills.

Large Group: Jesus is God on Earth as a person – ONE person with TWO natures – He was God’s divinity placed in Mary’s womb to obtain human flesh so that He could become Jesus the man…SO if Jesus IS the Son of God – How does that change your life??

Take Homes:

Magnify Glasses and Wordsearch for kids along with Nativity coloring book from Oriental Trading.

God our Father Creed #2

God Our Father

Entrance Craft for Kids: We made Father’s Day crafts with the kids as they came in.

Opening: Have notecard with quote and instructions to make a list on a clean sheet of paper the thoughts, words or images shared around the table: AW Tozer said, “The most important thing about you is what you think when you think about God.”

Our thinking is influenced by the world around us – our culture – our parents – our experiences and our church

Share what each table put on paper.

Transition: Our task today is to see God as OUR Father based on what the Bible tells us. A good place to start is to look at WHY it was controversial in the first place that not only Jesus but Christians called God “Father”.

When OT Jewish children were taught to pray, they were given 32 different titles to call God, and Father was NOT one of them…in fact it wasn’t until 10AD do we find a Jew calling God Father in Hebrew!

Matt:3:13-17 God claims Jesus

John 5:16-18 Jesus claims God

Table Time: Tables will work thru What Kind of Father worksheets – adults and older children will read the verse while children of all ages can draw the kind of father the verse shows us.

Large Group: What does it look like to accept God as our Father? Have various tables look up the following verses.

1.    1 John 3:16 Realize and Cherish the thought that God sent His Son Jesus for us

2.    John 3:16-17 See the Cross where God redeems our mess; where we KNOW God’s love for us

3.    Galatians 4:4-7 Receive our share as His children who will inherit His kingdom and love

4.    1 John 3:17-20 Love Others so as to pass on God’s blessings so other’s can see Him.

Take Homes:

Recommend Louie Giglio’s Seeing God as the Perfect Father

Journal on Giglio’s quote – “Remember God isn’t a bigger version of your earthly father. We are worshipping a PERFECT father.”

Craft for kids- Child of God necklace from Oriental Trading (their craft kits rotate so any Child of God craft project would work.)

Jesus is Christ - Creed #3

Opening: Jesus is the Best Gift Ever Object Lesson (based on pin from Group Publishing)

            Each table will have a tray with a large glass and then 4 Dixie cups with and labeled: honey, milk, dish soap and vegetable oil.

            The Bible tells us we should love Jesus Christ more than anything else – so He should always be the first thing in our life and hearts…someone at each table pour the vegetable oil into the glass

            There are other things in our lives that take our time and attention though – what are some? What do you think happens when I add other things to my life or glass? Someone at each table can pour in a second cup of their choice. Note that no matter what liquid we put in, the vegetable oil will rise and settle on top…this is the way our life is supposed to be also.

            Then there are the things other people in our families like to do with us and around us…sometimes these things change what I get to do with my time. Have someone else at the table pour in a cup of their choice. Again note the oil will rise to top.

            So why do you think the vegetable oil or Jesus always rises to the top of our hearts calling for our attention and wanting to be first?

Transition: Today we are going to learn about the title that is most used for Jesus in the NT and the first reference to Him in our Creed – One Lord Jesus Christ

            Jesus was the name given to Him at birth – Jesus of Nazareth

            Christ is His title – in Greek it means Messiah or the Anointed One

Read 2 verses: Philippines 2:10-11 and Matthew 16:16

Table Time: At our tables today we are going to play the Portrait of Christ game. Your goal is to collect one of each of the 5 Portrait Cards.

The writers of the NT and job of the disciples was to show people that Jesus was the Christ, and so they often referred to the prophecies in the OT. There are 5 basic traits of Jesus Christ the Messiah.

1.    Mediator of the New Covenant

2.    Suffering Servant to bear our sins

3.    Descendent of David to restore the Kingdom of Israel

4.    Heavenly Being sent to earth to judge

5.    High Priest to represent us before God

As you play the game, someone will read a Bible verse to you, and you have to decide which trait it represents.  If you guess correctly, you get that trait card.

Closing Time: Which Portrait was easiest for you to identify? What was something new that caught your attention today?

Take Homes: Life of Christ Kit for kids from Oriental Trading

                

Why a Creed of Faith - Creed #1

Opening: Have index cards on each table and as a group write down your top 3 things a Christian needs to believe

Groups have Creeds so all members are on the same page - ask for examples from groups they have been in. 

Example: Girl Scouts

1.    To serve God and my country

2.    Help people at all times

3.    Live by the GS Laws

Share table lists

Transition: So why are creeds important? We need to know what our Faith is in and all believe in the same thing to keep the church pure and true to Christ.

Faith T-Chart on white board or poster board

            Faith on top with Knowledge on bottom left ant Experience on bottom right

1.    Knowledge is what we know with our mind – There is a God but James 2:19

2.    Experience is what we experience with our senses – This becomes our testimony John 20:29

3.    These result in what our Faith is in – Believe not just IN God but believe GOD – Faith Hebrews 11:1

Nicene Creed

1^st written in 325 AD in Nicea in a meeting called by the Emperor Constantine (this was before the NT was even finalized) and then revised in 381 AD in Constantinople

Table Time: Creeds in the Bible

Have verse cards on each table and as a group write down the must-beliefs from each on a sheet of paper

            Jews used the Shema – Deuteronomy 6:4-9

            Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 8:6 and 1 Timothy 3:16

Have Believe color sheets for the younger children

Large Group Time: Why Study the Creed?

Peter warns us – 2 Peter 2:1-2

Paul warns us – Romans 16:17

Jesus warns us – Matthew 24:23-24

Take Homes

            Tetris Creed (color before making copy) http://looktohimandberadiant.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-creed-tetris.html

            Journals – What do you believe about God, about Jesus, about the Holy Spirit and about the church?