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God’s Revelation to Man (Christmas)
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
Change Things Up
We all love our routines, but sometimes it is good to challenge our brains by doing something different. We all like to sit in the same spot and so do others, so we end up sitting by the same people which can lead us to interact to some extent with a smaller percentage of the group. A quick way to change things up and encourage new discussion is to change where your members sit. Divide your group up by gender or color of clothes or birthday months/seasons. Other ways to change things up could be to rearrange your classroom. Instead of rows of seating, bring in a table and gather around it. If your classroom is not very attractive, fix it up a bit with fresh paint and pictures. On a simpler scale, start the Scripture reading at the back of your class instead of the front, or move your prayer time to the beginning instead of the end.
A Vision of Pentecost
Read Joel 2:21-32
“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call” (v. 32).
We are introduced to God in the very first verse of the Bible. And then when man comes into the picture, we suddenly see the “Lord God.” He who inhabits eternity is right down here on earth to be near and dear to man; to meet every need and bless man in every way, and fellowship with him. Man has failed God many times, but God has been faithful. He created man with a conscience; then He made a covenant with Noah promising His goodness; afterward He gave the law; next, He gave His Son to take our punishment, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to speak to every man. Thank God, there is a bright side of history repeating itself. There have always been those who have responded favorably to God. God has never overlooked them. He has a “name,” and whoever calls on “the name of the Lord” shall be delivered. This “name is an appellation; it identifies Him.” It is a memorial, a reputation that describes His individuality. Whenever we call, He delivers. We don’t even have to bring a lamb; He provided Himself! He is as near and dear as He was to Adam, and He is more precious than you can explain. This is His identity — no one else is like Him! (L. Wayne Covert)
“What music is to the ear, what beauty is to the eye, what fragrance is to the nasal organs, what air is to the lungs, what water is to the fish — these and more also is divine love to the life of man” (Anonymous).
The Accuracy of Bible Prophecy
Focus Text: Daniel 2:28-35, 44, 45; Revelation 11:15
Central Truth: Fulfilled Bible prophecies are an evidence of its divine authorship.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to list some fulfilled prophecies of the Bible.
Lesson Outline
1. God of Kingdoms
2. Earthly Kingdoms
3. The Eternal Kingdom
Break Into Small Groups
If your classroom is anything like mine, it can sometimes be too quiet. You might be waiting for a response to a question, and nobody is willing to answer. Let’s face it, not everyone coming into your classroom is fully awake and ready to interact (maybe that’s just me). If you end up answering your own questions very often, give this a try. Break into small groups. You can do this a couple of different ways depending on your class size. For the small class, ask your members to turn to a partner and share what they think. For a larger class, you can divide into groups of three or four. This causes your members to interact more with each other and not just rely on the few members that are willing to answer. I do not recommend doing this for every question but more frequently on questions where there is not such a cut-and-dried answer.
The Coming Messiah
Read Malachi 3:1-4
“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts” (v. 1).
This prophecy was given about four centuries before its fulfillment. It is very obvious that John, the Baptist, was the fulfillment of this prophecy. He was promised to a childless couple who had long past given up on any hope of having children. The incredulous Zacharias was struck dumb because of his unbelief. His son John became a very important part of laying a foundation for the future ministry of Christ. Indeed, John baptized Jesus in Jordan and introduced Jesus as the one who would take away the sin of the world. Jesus came as the fulfillment of this prophecy. He came to satisfy the need for a perfect sacrifice. His initial entry into this world was not recognized by many of His own people, but His soon-to-be second coming will be seen by all and recognized by all when He comes on a white horse with tens of thousands of His saints. (Lonnie R. Witt)
The infant Christ came to redeem us from sin. He’s coming quite soon His reign to begin. — Lonnie R. Witt
Keep looking above; the King is coming.