The Good News- Sunday January 24, 2021

Sunday January 24, 2021 (Vol 10, Unit 29, Session 3)

Welcome back! Or if you're new here, welcome! 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).  

Parent Devotional: This week’s lesson is found in Romans 5-6.

After Jesus returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to the apostles, the gospel began to spread. Those who heard the good news at Pentecost included visitors from Rome, and they were likely among the three thousand who believed. (See Acts 2:10,41.) When Paul wrote his letter to the Romans in AD 57, he had never been to Rome. But by that time, Roman believers were meeting in house churches. 

Paul wrote his letter in part to explain the essentials of the Christian faith and what it means to live for Jesus. Paul’s words are helpful to Christians today. As you guide kids through Romans 5–6, help them grasp the good news of the gospel. This is the message for which Jesus’ followers gave their lives. This good news changes everything.

First, help kids understand the benefits of believing in Jesus. To appreciate the good news, kids need to understand the bad news: Apart from Jesus, we are dead in our sin—separated from God. We need to be rescued. God sent Jesus into the world to rescue sinners. When we trust in His death and resurrection, we are made right with God and are saved from sin and death.

Next, compare and contrast the first Adam with Jesus—“the second Adam.” Adam represented all people, but he sinned. Sin brought death into the world, and death spread to all people because all people sinned. Jesus came to bring us life. He obeyed God perfectly. All who trust in Him are forgiven and have eternal life.

 Finally, introduce how believers deal with sin in view of God’s grace. Since our sin is forgiven, should we keep on sinning? Paul was emphatic that the answer is no. When we are in Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin. Sin will still be a struggle in our fallen world, but we have power through the Holy Spirit to resist sin and live a life that honors God.

As we begin to explore this week’s lesson, take a moment to 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 don't 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 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 this week? What have your greatest blessings been? How about your biggest challenges? 

Parents share your blessings and bummers and encourage the kids to do the same. 

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. Help us to appreciate 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! 

Prompt kids to tell about a time they got to share good news with someone else. 

Say • It feels good to tell someone happy news. Whether it’s the announcement of a new baby’s birth or telling your parents about the good grade you got, good news feels good to share. Today we will learn about a letter Paul wrote to explain the best news of all—the gospel—to believers in Rome.

Optional Session Starter Activity Pick one of two options, or do both, this is your party. These are found in the activity pages attached below.

Jesus did not save us to live alone. He saved us to live alongside other believers as part of the church. What is the church? The church is all Christians everywhere, who gather together in their communities to worship and serve God. Believers meet together to encourage one another, teach each other about God, study God’s Word, and live on mission to grow God’s kingdom.

Last week we learned about Stephen. Stephen preached about Jesus no matter what. When religious leaders killed Stephen because of his preaching, the believers living in Jerusalem began to leave and spread out to get away from persecution. As they spread out, they told more people about Jesus, and the gospel reached further and further. Eventually it reached Rome. Paul, an apostle of God wrote a letter to the believers in Rome to make sure they understood the gospel. Our story today is called “The Good News.”

Paul’s comparison of Adam to Jesus is really important. Looking at Adam before and after he sinned helps us see both what God’s creation is supposed to be like, and how sin has damaged God’s good work. 

Adam was supposed to choose obedience to God, but instead chose to rebel against God. Adam rejected God’s authority and tried to become wise by eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. His sinful choice brought pain, sadness, death, and destruction into the world.

Jesus, on the other hand, chose not to sin. He lived a perfect life. He showed us exactly what God is like by displaying God’s power and glory. Jesus submitted to the Father’s authority and, despite being God the Son, died on the cross—the death we deserve. His righteousness and sacrifice made the way for joy, peace, life, and restoration to come into the world through faith in Him.

Because God created everything, He is in charge of everything. Everyone sins or disobeys God. Our sin separates us from God. The good news of the gospel is that God sent His Son, Jesus, to take the punishment we deserve. Everyone who trusts in Jesus will be saved.

Bible Time! 

Distribute a Bible to each kid. Help kids find Romans 5–6. Explain that Romans is the first of Paul’s Letters, a division in the New Testament containing letters Paul wrote to believers in cities all over the Roman Empire. In total, Paul wrote 13 of the 21 books of the New Testament! Point out Rome on the New Testament Mediterranean Map. (B1)

 Ask the following questions. Lead the group to discuss:

How is a person justified—given a right relationship with God? (by faith in Jesus’ sacrifice, Romans 5:1, 9)

Through whom did sin enter the world? (Adam, Romans 5:12)

Through whom does righteousness and justification come? (Jesus, Romans 5:18-19)

Does it feel fair or unfair that Adam’s sin led to sin for all of us? Guide kids to see that all of us have sin. We aren’t guilty simply because of Adam’s sin, but also because of our own sins. Help them see this truth through the lens of Christ’s sacrifice making righteousness available to all despite our sin.

Does it feel fair or unfair that Jesus’ righteousness leads to righteousness for all who have faith? Help kids see that this, too, is a picture of God’s perfect justice. He showed us mercy when Christ became our perfect substitute. Help the kids wrestle with the difference between human ideas about justice and fairness in contrast to God’s perfect justice and mercy.

If God forgives all our sin when we have faith in Jesus, why is it necessary to live like Jesus? Guide kids to remember that God’s plan for our lives is better for us than our own plans. Obeying God is good for us, because He knows what we need before we need it. Help them see obedience as a blessing, not a chore. Explain how sin may feel fun, but it leads to destruction, pain, and death. 

Say • God sent Jesus into the world to rescue sinners. The Bible is clear that we all are sinners and we all deserve death and separation from God. His choice to send Jesus proves His justice and mercy.

(Read the verse together) 

In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he also explained the nature of the church. Many individual people come together to make one body. And Jesus is the head of that body. Because of Jesus, we can all have equal standing before God. We are all sinners and we can all be saved by grace through faith in Jesus.

Memory Verse Activity:

Inflate a balloon and tie it off. Challenge the kids to work together to keep the balloon in the air by bopping it one at a time. No kid may bop the balloon more than three times total, no kid may bop it more than once consecutively, and each kid must say a word of the key passage to bop the balloon. Each time the balloon hits the floor, stop the game and start it over. 

Say • Paul wrote these words as part of his letter to believers in Rome. That’s the letter our story came from today! In addition to making sure they understood the gospel, Paul wanted them to know that believers form one body, united together by Jesus. That’s still true for believers today!

That's it for this week!

Let's pray:

Father, thank You for sending Jesus. We are sinners and we desperately needed Your love to save us. We know that there is no one who can earn salvation. Thank You for giving it freely to everyone who has faith. Help us to live for Your glory. Amen.

Thanks for joining us! I hope to meet you here again next week!

Additional Activities and Information