God's Eternal Plan - Lesson 7
Background for the Teacher
- The student can review the unfolding of the mystery so far by reciting the lesson titles to this point.
- The student can tell about the coming of John the Baptist and about Jesus' baptism.
- The student can tell the story of Jesus' temptation by Satan.
- The student can describe the mission of Jesus.
- The student can tell the basic message Jesus brought and how He taught it.
- The student can recount some of the miracles of Jesus and why these accounts are believable.
- The student can describe the lifestyle of Jesus as He lived without sin.
- Have ready the Written Review on Lesson 6 and the Worksheets on Lesson 7.
- Have ready the song Footsteps of Jesus.
To further develop God's mystery, Jesus had to proclaim His message, prepare others to proclaim it, and live each day without sin.
Lesson Plan for Teaching the Lesson
Introduction: (8 minutes)
- Welcome all visitors.
- Pray for class members.
- Review some memory verses.
- Say together the lesson titles so far.
- If you have time, sing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing."
Learning Experiences: (28 minutes)
- Read Matthew 3:1_2. Q: What is the significance of the preaching of John the Baptist? A: He was to prepare the way for Jesus, which means that he reminded people of the Old Testament prophecy that one would come to get people ready for the coming Messiah. He also testified of Jesus as the Lamb of God. And he built a following of people who could be shifted to follow Jesus when John was off the scene.
- Q: Why did Jesus want John to baptize Him? A: To obey God's will as John was teaching it. To make His first public appearance. To connect with John's disciples as He began to gather His own following. To give God a chance to endorse Him from heaven. To be an example for us about being baptized.
- Read Matthew 4:1_11. Q: In what way was each temptation of Satan a threat to the mission Jesus came to fill? A: To use His powers selfishly, to collect His following by the wrong means, to divert His kingship from spiritual to material.
- Imagine you are Jesus, you are thirty years old, you are ready to embark on the work the Father has sent you to do of dying for the sins of the world and then getting the message of your work spread to all the world so people can obey you.Q: What methods might Jesus have considered to do this? A: Working among the rich and famous, the highly educated, those in high political office and in the centers of power. Q: Instead of this approach, what does He do? A: He gathers around him some fisherman, a tax collector, and others. He even starts His ministry in the obscure "backwater" villages of Galilee. And He will tell His apostles to "preach the gospel to every creature."
- Read Matthew 4:17; Matthew 14:13; Matthew 5:1; Luke 5:19; John 4:7. Q:Describe some of the preaching occasions of Jesus and to whom he spoke. A: To individuals, houses full of people, and great crowds. His basic message was that"the kingdom of heaven is at hand." He was not only doing preaching and teaching, but He was also demonstrating to His apostles how to do this.
- Q: What were some of the teaching methods Jesus liked to use? A: He used parables, spoke in striking statements as in Matthew 5:3_12, and used strong illustrations such as "cutting off your hand" and "plucking out your eye"(Matthew 5:27_30).
- Read John 20:30_31. Q: Besides teaching, what other method did Jesus use to further His purpose? A: Working miracles of healing, producing a large amount of food from five loaves and two fish, raising people from the dead, and even stilling a storm. Q: But why should we accept the accounts of these miracles as true statements? A: Those who travelled with Him and saw many such events left their testimony. And the truth of their testimony is demonstrated because they published their account in the place and time where it could be refuted if such were possible and because they were willing to stake their lives on the accuracy of their account. Such was even true of the apostles' miracles (Acts4:16). Go back to John 20:30_31. Would John have made such a statement if the accounts of Jesus' miracles were easy refuted?
- Q: What do we know about how Jesus treated others, about His personal life,about His moral life? Tell of some events in His life that will demonstrate the kind of person He was. A: He kept all of the Jewish feasts and laws to perfection. He never committed an immoral deed. He was kind and respectful of other people. Peter says of Him: "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth" (1 Peter 2:22). He was the only person ever to live without committing any sin.
- Look at the words of the song "Footsteps of Jesus." See if they describe Jesus well and then apply the message of the song to our lives today.
- Practice the memory verse from 1 Peter 2:22-"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."
Assignment and Evaluation:
- Study the Worksheet for Lesson 7 to prepare for the next written review.
- Review memory verses and practice saying them aloud.
- Practice saying the lesson titles to help you to be able to tell the story of the mystery.
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