Jesus is Better - Sunday March 21, 2021
Sunday March 21, 2021 (Vol 11, Unit 31, Session 3)
Do you have a church home? If you are local to the SoArNoCa region (Southern Anne Arundel/Northern Calvert) we would love to meet you and Easter would be the perfect time to see what we are all about. We offer a sunrise service overlooking the Chesapeake Bay at the Rod and Reel Resort in Chesapeake Beach at 6:30 as well as an in-person service at our facility at 10:30. We hope to see you there!
The following blog is here to be a tool for you to help your kids grow in their faith. Please feel free to use as much of it as you choose. You know your kids and are the best possible teacher for them. God has given you the power of the Holy Spirit to enable you to do more than you think possible (Eph 3:20). So, let’s have some fun and teach our kids from the scriptures.
Parent Devotional
This week’s lesson teaches that Jesus is better than anyone and anything. Read this over for insights and suggestions on how to help your kids grasp the concepts taught throughout the lesson.
Hebrews was a letter written to encourage believers to not only stand strong in their faith, but also to grow in their faith. More than anything else, though, the writer of Hebrews preached the superiority of Jesus: Jesus was present at the creation of the world. He is the heir of all things and God spoke to the people through Him.
Because the writer of Hebrews was writing to a mostly Jewish audience, he used the history and heroes of the Old Testament to show how Jesus fulfilled all of God’s promises to send a Messiah to save His people. As you introduce kids to the Book of Hebrews, concentrate on a major theme found in chapters 1–8: Jesus is better.
Jesus is better than angels. He is the Son of God. He is better than Moses and the Mosaic covenant. Jesus completely fulfilled the covenant of the Old Testament; that made Jesus’ new covenant far better. Jesus is better than the tabernacle and the priests.
Because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, the people no longer needed priests to speak to God for them or to offer sacrifices to take away their sins. These Old Testament figures, laws, and traditions pointed forward to someone better: Jesus.
Emphasize to kids that Jesus is better than anyone and anything. He is the better Prophet, the better Priest, and the better King. Everyone who trusts in Jesus has salvation from sin through His perfect life, death, and resurrection. As the church, Jesus calls us to share the gospel with the world. Jesus is the superior solution to the problem of sin. He is all that is needed for salvation.
Parent Guidance and Instructions
As we begin to explore this week’s lesson, take a moment to pray and remember the verse from Deuteronomy about teaching your children the scriptures. Deuteronomy 6:9 says: "You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Maybe you do not have time to sit and have an hour of Bible time all at once, or maybe your children are too young to sit for that long. Consider the key points of the lesson and ask God to give you opportunities to speak them into the hearts of your children throughout the week. Let the Bible become a part of your day to day. Be blessed this week my friends!
Each week we include songs, activity pages, the bible lesson video, memory verses and possibly a craft or 2. We pray this will help you find ways to engage your kids spiritually. It is written in script form from the K-2nd grade lesson so you can read directly from it or change it up to suit your children. Take some time to look at and print the activity pages as well as the additional activities and information (found in the links at the bottom of the page) also to review the lesson so you can adjust as needed. I have included the Bible and Discussion questions along with a breakdown of the Gospel in the Older Kids Activities pages as well as loads of activities and crafts on the Preschool Extra Activity Pages. Once you are ready, go ahead and start with these songs if you would like or pick some of your favorite worship songs and then jump right in! Have fun! And remember, this does not need to be done in one sitting! Feel free to break it up over the course of the week. Please contact me if you have any questions or suggestions. I would love to hear from you! - Melissa
Opening
“Blessings and Bummers”
So, let's get started. Tell me, what have you seen the Lord doing in your lives this week? What have your greatest blessings been? How about your biggest challenges?
Parents share your blessings and bummers, encourage the kids to do the same.
Prayer
Let's go to the Lord in prayer: Father God, Thank you. Thank you for providing for our needs. You are so good to us even though we don't deserve it! Thank you for continuing to bless us Lord. Thank you for being patient with us. Thank you for our friends as well as our families. Most importantly, we thank you always for sending Jesus to live a perfect life and die to pay for our sins. Thank you for raising Him from the dead and promising us life with you forever if we believe in Him. Help us to be thankful of all you do for us and to look to you in all that we do. In Jesus name, Amen. (please add to or customize prayer time to fit your family)
Praise the Lord for hearing our prayers!
Let's chat!
Prompt kids to tell you about their most prized possession. Where did they get it, and what makes it so special?
Say • Your most prized possession could be something with great sentimental value—like a toy from a loved one—or something to show for a great accomplishment—like a trophy or prize ribbon. Today we will learn about the One who is more valuable than anyone or anything else.
Optional Session Starter Activity
Pick one of two options, or do both, this is your party. (These are found on page 2 of the optional activity pages attached at the bottom of the page.)
Big Picture Question
Let’s go over our big picture question: What is the gospel? The gospel is the good news that God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to rescue sinners. God’s plan wasn’t just to rescue certain kinds of sinners, but all sinners who have faith in Jesus. There was no way we could have earned salvation, so God’s giving it freely to everyone who believes is very good news indeed. It takes a very perfect God to enact such a perfect plan.
Review
A few weeks back we learned that part of the church’s early growth came when God revealed that the gospel is for all people. As Gentiles began to hear and believe, the church spread further than it had before. However, along with this growth, the early church faced a lot of persecution. That’s why it was important for leaders to encourage new churches. Barnabas went to Antioch to encourage believers. In addition to traveling, many church leaders wrote letters to encourage and instruct new believers. This week, we will be learning from one of those letters written to Jewish believers. Our story is called “Jesus is Better.”
Bible Lesson
Hebrews was originally written for Jewish believers who would have been very familiar with the stories of God’s work in the Old Testament. Throughout the history of Israel, God used different kinds of leaders for different roles. All these leaders helped to protect and guide the people to live under the old covenant.
Prophets, like Elijah and Moses, received messages from God and delivered them to His people. Kings, like David and Solomon, helped the people obey God by helping to enforce the rules God had given them and by ensuring the people had safe places to worship God. Priests, like Aaron and Eli, acted as the go-between to make sacrifices on behalf of the people. They spilled the blood of the animals needed to pay for sin.
Jesus is the perfect prophet, priest, and king. He is better than any other leader, and He perfectly fulfilled all the duties of all three main kinds of leaders. Jesus, our great High Priest, brought a better covenant. A covenant is a special kind of promise, often between God and humans.
In the old covenant, people had to offer sacrifices again and again to cover their sins. In the new covenant Jesus’ perfect sacrifice is enough for all sins, forever. In the old covenant, people who had faith in God’s promises still had the burden of the law weighing them down, reminding them that they could never earn God’s love. In the new covenant, Jesus’ perfect righteousness frees us from the burden of the law. We can rest in God’s love for us, knowing that we are saved by faith, not works.
Christ Connection
Jesus is better than anyone and anything. He is the better Prophet, the better Priest, and the better King. Everyone who trusts in Jesus has salvation from sin through His perfect life, death, and resurrection.
Bible Time!
Distribute a Bible to each kid. Help them find Hebrews 1–8. Hebrews is in the General Letters division.
Ask the following questions. Lead the group to discuss:
· How did God speak to people long ago? (through prophets, Heb. 1:1)
· Who is the perfect Prophet through whom God has spoken? (Jesus, Heb. 1:2)
· How is Jesus a better high priest? (He lived as a human, but never sinned; Heb. 5:1-10)
· Why is the new covenant better? Guide kids to see that under the new covenant, we are declared righteous by God. Remind them that Jesus’ sacrifice was perfect, and we don’t need to keep offering more and more sacrifices. The old covenant was sufficient to show people their need for a Savior, but it is the new covenant that provides salvation from sin.
· What are things you sometimes value too highly? Encourage kids to answer honestly and think about the people, things, or events that they may make idols in their lives. Remind them that Jesus is better and help them think through ways to adjust their lives to make Him their priority.
· How can we hear from God? Guide kids to understand that God’s Word, Scripture, has been preserved for us. We can read the Bible to see Jesus’ teachings from when He was on earth, as well as the teachings He gave through His apostles after returning to heaven. Help them remember that the Holy Spirit helps believers understand God’s Word.
Say • Jesus, our great High Priest, brought a better covenant. We worship Him because of who He is and what He has done for us. His life, death, and resurrection made the way for us to be forgiven of sin and declared righteous before God to live forever.
Memory Verse
Read the verse together
Say • The gospel is good news for all people. God wants to rescue everyone and will save all who have faith in Jesus. Someday, Jesus will restore the world to be perfect again, and all of creation will rejoice and sing praises to God together.
Memory Verse Activity:
Instruct kids to stand on opposite sides of the room. Select a side to start the game by saying the first word of the key passage. The other side will have five seconds to say the next word. If they succeed, the first side will have five seconds to say the third word. Play continues in this way, alternating back and forth, until the whole key passage has been said. Each time a side is unable to provide the correct word, award a point to the opposing side. Then provide the word and restart the game from the beginning.
Say • God is the Lord of all creation, and the gospel is reason to rejoice. What is the gospel? The gospel is the good news that God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to rescue sinners. His plan is to save people from every tribe and nation. All those who are saved will worship Him. When Jesus returns, all of creation will worship and rejoice.
That is all I have for this week. Let's pray together:
God, thank You for sending Jesus. Help us to see and believe all the ways He is better than anything and anyone. Give us faith to worship and obey Him. Fill us with Your Spirit so we can live according to Your Word as we wait for the day Jesus will fix everything. Amen.
Thanks for joining us! I hope to meet you here again next week!
Thank you, Lifeway’s Gospel Project, for allowing us to publish this material.
Additional Activities and Information
