Focus Text: Romans 10:1-17
Central Truth: God has made the steps to salvation simple and plain so all may be saved.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to clearly explain how a person may be saved.
Lesson Outline
1. The Person
2. The Pattern
3. The Proclamation
This past year our church started having a family game night every third week of the month. We get together with our board games and finger foods and hang out together. It is nothing fancy. We don’t put a lot of effort into the food. We just get together and fellowship. It has been fun to get to better know some of the people I have attended church with for several years. And while we have not had anyone start coming to church because of it, we have had people come to the game night who do not regularly go to our church. You can do this with your Sunday school class, too. It does not have to look like what we do. It could be a breakfast, barbeque picnic at a park, eating out, etc. Whatever you do, do not make it stressful. Emphasize having fun together, and set it on a schedule so everyone knows when to come.
Read Luke 15:11-24
“But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet” (v. 22).
In the final drama in this chapter of “lost things,” Jesus introduces a new element into the narrative. This element is the active role of the runaway boy and the matter of intentionality. Obviously, the sheep was just a stupid animal that wandered off and became lost. There are people, likewise, who wander away and become lost. The coin was an inanimate object that, perhaps, experienced a sudden fall from a pocket into an unseen corner. Unfortunately, there are people who become lost through a sudden moral fall. The son, however, had consciously and deliberately rebelled against the “established order” of the home and marched off to “do his own thing” which was both wasteful and, if the elder brother’s accusation be true, wanton as well. When the money ran out, so did his “friends” and he experienced ruin and, doubtless, ridicule. After his epiphany in the pig pen, he had to move intentionally to change his circumstances. The result was a reunion with the father, a reunion in which there was no rebuke or recrimination, only great rejoicing. What a glimpse into the infinite love of our Father! It all began with the resolution, “I will arise and go to my father!” (Michael R. Williams)
Are you praying for a lost child? God can awaken the lost — even in a pigpen.
Focus Text: Romans 5:1-17
Central Truth: God provided a remedy for sin through Christ’s death.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to list several things salvation does for a person.
Lesson Outline
1. Redeemed
2. Reconciled
3. Reigning
There are times in every person’s life when we just need to ask for help. If you are a parent with children still at home, you may be rushing from this event to that or just staying up all night with a teething baby. You may be caring for an elderly parent or going to a Saturday birthday party for your grandchildren. Maybe you want to go visit your children and worship with them one Sunday. We all have events in our lives that require our attention and make it harder to be ready to teach Sunday school with our eyes open. If you are feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, do not be afraid to ask someone else to teach. If you do not have an assistant Sunday school teacher, ask someone else in the class. Try to give them at least a week to prepare, and realize that your class will make it without you.
Read Acts 17:29-31
“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent” (v. 30).
Waxing eloquent, Paul stands to speak on Mars Hill to the worshipers of the “unknown god.” Definitely a God-moment, he senses the yearning from the religious leaders’ hearts. Given the opportunity of a lifetime to describe WHO the unknown god truly is, the message he delivers is completely relevant today. We must all repent! Notice that wink is in the past tense. This is the day of salvation; God is not only a merciful Father, but will soon be the Judge of all the earth. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for our souls through a torturous death at Calvary. Not sparing the life of His only Son, God will not continue to “wink” or overlook sin. We must repent! Think of the benefits we receive when we are truly repentant before God. Peace for today and everlasting life just ahead! Sharing the good news of salvation through holy living is a command for every believer. God wants a loving relationship with us and reveals His abundance through extended mercy, delivery from seemingly impossible troubles, and peace derived from total forgiveness. He is not a mysterious being locked away in the clouds, but an understanding and compassionate Father. He buries our sins in the sea of His forgetfulness. As we prepare for a new year, ask God for forgiveness and cleansing. Share your Savior with the world in which you live. Let Him be your guide as He leads you to new opportunities. Grasp His hand and NEVER let go! (Beverly K. Tatum)
With Him, my soul’s eternal Guide, What can I wish or want beside?
In life or death, my song shall be, My loving Savior leadeth me.
He leadeth me, He leadeth me, Let this my theme of rapture be!
He leadeth me; He leadeth me, My Savior’s guiding hand I see. — Fanny Crosby
“I know not the way God leads me, but well do I know my Guide” (Martin Luther).
Focus Text: Romans 3:7-26
Central Truth: Every person stands before God as a sinner.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to list several reasons why every person needs salvation.
Lesson Outline
1. The Sinner's Condition
2. The Sinner's Character
3. The Sinner's Cure
Not everyone in your group will be interested in coloring or doing something artsy, but you might be surprised to find out that doodling actually improves your recall by as much as 29%, according to a 2009 study by psychologist Jackie Andrade. Often meaningful connections are being made with what is said when we are actively doodling. And if your class members are drawing something that actually symbolizes a part of the lesson, they are even more likely to remember what was taught in the lesson. It is also beneficial to be able to write down a verse or thought that might otherwise be lost if there was not a place to write it. Set out some colored pencils or regular pencils and some paper and invite your class to doodle if they would like. Perhaps they will recall something during the week that they might otherwise have missed.
Read Galatians 4:1-7
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (v. 6).
My three sons can’t help it. I can’t help it. My dad couldn’t help it. The Woods all look alike. (Don’t tell them I said so, but even the lady Woods look like the men Woods!) We all have the same high forehead, the same long, narrow English nose. If you have seen one you have seen all. I am never surprised when a person sees one of my sons and says, “He must be your son. He looks just like you.” My father’s image is stamped on me, and my image is stamped on my three sons. I see it in my grandson as well. In a sense, it is a genetic affirmation. “This is my son.” There is no denying that they are my sons. They have my likeness. In like manner, God has given His affirmation to each of us who know the forgiving grace of Jesus Christ. We are not mere objects of a creative God; we are His sons through birth and possession. We bear His likeness. His Spirit invades our being. We have become as Martin Luther stated, “Little Christs.” “Like Father, like son.” (L. Gayle Woods)
God has given His affirmation to each of us who know the forgiving grace of Jesus Christ. We bear His likeness.
Focus Text: Luke 2:1-16
Central Truth: The virgin birth of Christ was God’s visible revelation of Himself to a sinful world.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to suggest some effective ways to spread the good news about Jesus’ birth.
Lesson Outline
1. The Decree of Caesar
2. The Birth of Jesus
3. The Announcement to Shepherds
