Jesus Obeyed God by being Baptized
Hi there parents! Welcome back! Or if you're new here, welcome! The following blog is here to be used as a tool by you to help your kids grow in their faith while we can't be meeting weekly during this pandemic. 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). I'm praying for you all.
Each week we will 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 a few moments to print the activity pages as well as the additional activities and review the lesson so you can make adjustments as needed. I have included the Bible and Discussion questions along with a breakdown of the Gospel in the Older Kids Activities pages and loads of activities and crafts on the Preschool Extra Activity Pages. Once you are ready, go ahead and start with these songs if you'd 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'd love to hear from you!
So let's get started. I like to begin each week with Blessings and Bummers. Tell me, what have you seen the Lord doing in your lives during this time at home? What have your greatest blessings been? How about your biggest bummers?
Parents share your blessings and bummers, and encourage the kids to do the same. Here are mine. This week I saw my kids really enjoying the sunshine (on the days we had some). They used jump ropes, hula hoops, roller blades and bicycles and had a great time outdoors. God has blessed us all with such great toys! What are you're favorite toys?
Let's pray. Father God, you are so good to us! Thank you for continuing to bless us Lord. Thank you for toys as well as our families. Help us to appreciate all you do for us and to look to you in all that we do. Be with our friends and families while we can not be with them in person. In Jesus name, Amen. (please add to or customize prayer time to fit your family)
God is so good and he hears the prayers of His people!! He will always take care of us. Just like your parents take care of you. What are some things we can do to please your parents? let kids respond. Those are great ideas!
In today's story we have a lot to talk about! The story is about John and Jesus, wait, who's John? We'll get to that in a minute. John and Jesus, the Spirit of God and God the Father. That's a lot of characters!
Before we do that, let's take a look at our Big Picture Question!
For the next few weeks, we’ll be looking at a big picture question that will help us better understand the stories we learn. Why did Jesus become human? Jesus became human to obey His Father’s plan and rescue sinners.
We’ll see in this story that everything Jesus did was to obey and glorify God. Jesus stepped down from His rightful place in heaven in order to live as a human and make the way for humans to live forever with God.
You see, in the beginning, God created a perfect world and had a perfect relationship with Adam and Eve, the people He created to live in His world. When they chose to sin, it broke their relationship with God and messed up everything in creation. God still loved them though, and He had a plan to fix everything. God raised up a nation—the Israelites—and promised to send a Rescuer through them.
After thousands of years, the time had come, and Jesus was born into the world. He was fully human and fully God, and He grew into a man. When the time was right, He began His public teaching and ministry by being baptized. I’ll tell you about it.
Let's watch this weeks video to learn more...
Bible Time!
This weeks story is found in all of the first four books of the Bible. Can anyone tell me what those books are called? The Gospels that's right! Open your Bible to Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3; John 1.
In those days, baptism was used as a symbol to show that you needed to be cleansed of your old sinful choices so that you could obey God better. John told people to repent, or turn away from, their sin and be baptized.
John’s job was to prepare the way for Jesus. John reminded people that the Messiah would come soon. John’s preaching was getting people ready to meet Jesus and hear from Him. He knew that Jesus was the most important, and John wanted people to know that too.
When Jesus showed up, John knew who He was. Jesus’ request to be baptized shocked John. Jesus had no sin to repent of. But Jesus knew baptism was part of God’s plan. Jesus obeyed God by being baptized, and Jesus’ baptism led to God’s announcement of Jesus’ identity as His Son. The Holy Spirit rested on Jesus, and God’s rescue plan entered a new phase.
In this moment all three members of the Trinity were present at the same time. Jesus was baptized, the Spirit rested on Him like a dove, and God the father shown from Heaven and told the people that this was His Son, He loved Him and was well pleased.
Jesus never sinned, but He obeyed God and was baptized like sinners are baptized. Baptism reminds us of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It reminds us that when we trust in Jesus, we turn from sin and start a new life—a life lived for Jesus. Baptism also shows the world that we are part of Jesus’ family.
When a person has decided to love and worship Jesus as her Savior and King, she will choose to be baptized to show the world outwardly the change God has done inside her heart. Going into the water and coming back out shows a picture of Jesus’ burial and resurrection. The Bible teaches us that believing in Jesus means we “die” to our old lives and are raised to life as new creations.
Help them find Matthew 3. Remind the kids that Matthew is the first book in the New Testament in the Gospels division. You may use the New Testament Israel Map to show where Galilee is
Ask the following questions. Lead your kids to discuss:
Who was John the Baptist? (the one Isaiah prophesied about, the voice crying out in the wilderness; Matt. 3:3)
How did John respond at first to Jesus’ request for baptism? (John tried to stop Jesus at first, Matt. 3:14)
What happened after Jesus was baptized? (God spoke from heaven, and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove; Matt. 3:16-17)
Does baptism save us? Guide the kids to understand that baptism is important, but it is only a symbol of what Jesus has done for us. A person is baptized because she is saved, not in order to be saved. Suggest an analogy, such as dressing like a doctor versus being a doctor. Dressing the part can suggest you are a doctor but cannot make you a doctor if you are not one.
Why is baptism important? Help kids understand that God has commanded believers to be baptized, and Jesus provided an example of baptism for us to follow. We do not obey God to earn our salvation, but we want to obey Him out of love and worship. Baptism is a beautiful picture of our sinful lives dying with Jesus and our new life beginning when we are “raised” from the water. It shows the world we trust Jesus and identify with Him.
When should someone be baptized? Discuss with your kids whatever policies your church has in place regarding baptism. Remind kids that baptism is a way to show they have trusted Christ; anyone who has not trusted Christ should not be baptized. Direct kids to continue the discussion with their parents to decide if or when they should be baptized.
Say • Jesus obeyed God by being baptized. When we trust Jesus for salvation, we obey God this way too.
Let's look at our key memory verse together:
Work with the kids to develop hand motions that go with the key passage. Say the key passage multiple times using the hand motions to help kids remember the passage. You may use the suggested motions below.
Suggested motions:
He [Point up towards heaven.]
must increase [Move hands apart.]
I [Point to yourself with both thumbs.]
must decrease [Move hands together.]
Say • This key passage is short, but very important. John the Baptist spoke these words about Jesus when many people who were following John began to follow Jesus instead. John knew that his job was to point people to Jesus, not to take glory for himself. That’s our job too!
Let's sing to praise God and learn our verse together.
That's it for today. Thanks for joining us. Let's pray:
Father, thank You for sending Your perfect Son to live a perfect life, be baptized, and die the death we deserve. Help us to see Jesus, the Word made flesh, more clearly today. Help us love Him more and obey Him. Amen.
Thank you all and thank you to Lifeway's Gospel Project for providing this material. I am publishing this with their permission. Please also feel free to use any of the additional activities provided here. They can be plugged in to help emphasize the lesson point. Thanks again and God bless!
