Tag Archives: Who do you say I am?

June 27, 2012 · 2:37 pm

The WHO and the DO (LESSON)


 

Time

30 minutes

 

Description

This lesson teaches that the most important question to answer correctly in this life is the question Jesus asked of His disciples, “Who do you say I am?”  Answering that question correctly changes who we are and makes us children of God, and who we are to God matters even more than what we do in this life.

 

Scriptures

  • Matthew 16:13-18
  • John 1:42
  • 2 Corinthians 5:17
  • 1 Peter 2:9-10

 

Materials

  • The following supporting materials can be found at www.teachingthem.comon the Lesson and Material Downloads page.
    • “Dot and the Line, The (OBJ LESSON)” (Object lesson that you will teach in the middle of this lesson to explain the difference between our life on earth and eternity.  There are a few optional supplies you might want to gather for this part of the lesson that are mentioned in the document.)
    • “Who and the Do, The – Signs” (This file also includes a slide with one of the main teaching points.  You can project this if you are using PowerPoint.)
  • Bible

Preparation

  • Print out “The Dot and the Line” object lesson, and review it to make sure you are ready to teach it.
  • Gather any props for “The Dot and the Line” if you intend to use them.
  • Print out the “WHO” and “DO” signs.
  • Put markers in the Bible in the place where you want your volunteers to read the Scriptures for the lesson.
  • Practice the script.

Procedure

  • “Jesus asked his disciples a very important question one day.  ‘Who do people say that I am?’  (Have volunteer read Matthew 16:13-14.)
  • “They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist.’”
  • “That was strange.  How could Jesus be John the Baptist?  John the Baptist was a good friend of Jesus’, but he had been killed by an evil king named Herod not long before.”
  • “Even if it were possible for people to come back from the dead, Jesus couldn’t have been John the Baptist, because they lived at the same time.”
  • “Then they said, ‘Some say you are Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’”
  • “All these people were dead long before, but they had all been godly men who had shared God’s word.  Elijah was even able to do miracles like Jesus.”
  • “They thought Jesus might be one of these people because of all the miracles they saw Him do and the truth they heard Him speak.”
  • “Then Jesus asked them an even more important question.”  (Have volunteer read Matthew 16:15)
  • “Jesus asked them, ‘Who do you say I am?’”
  • “This is the most important question you will ever answer in your entire lives!”
  • “It’s more important than questions on a test at school.”
  • “It’s more important than questions your parents ask you.”
  • “It’s more important than a question a police officer or a fireman might ask you.”
  • “It’s even more important than a question a game show host would ask you if you were about to win $1 million!”
  • “Touch your neighbor, and say, ‘Man!  That IS an important question!’”
  • “This question is so important, because it determines where you will spend eternity.”
  • “And maybe you’re thinking, ‘Huh?  What’s eternity?’”
  • “I’m glad you asked!  Let me show you!”
  • (Facilitate “The Dot and the Line” object lesson.)
  • “So what was the question that I said was so important?”  (Expected response: “Who do you say Jesus is?”)
  • “Right!  And our friend Peter is going to help us with the right answer.” (Have a volunteer read Matthew 16:16.)
  • “Who is Jesus?”  (Expected response: “The Christ, the Son of the living God.”)
  • “What does that mean?  Does anyone know what a Christ is?”  (Expected responses: “Savior, Expected Deliverer, Messiah”)
  • “He was the One that the Jews had been waiting for!  The One the Scriptures talked about!”
  • “He was the One who they expected to be their King!”
  • “That’s the right answer to the question, ‘Who do you say Jesus is?’”
  • “Jesus is our Savior, our Lord, our King and our God.”
  • “If you get this answer right, it will make your Dot better and your Line very, very good.”
  • “Jesus was really happy that Peter got the question right.” (Have volunteer read Matthew 16:17-18.)
  • “This is not the first time Jesus has given Simon the name Peter, remember.”  (He also did it in John 1:42.)
  • “Jesus said Peter was a ‘rock,’ because he wanted him to become someone all the others could depend on – someone who was strong and unmovable in his dedication to God.”
  • “And you know, Simon is not the only one who got a new name in the Bible.”
  • “Can anyone remember any of the others who got new names?”  (Expected responses: “Saul-Paul, Abram-Abraham, Jacob-Israel, Sarai-Sarah…”)
  • “The Bible says, ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!’” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
  • “When God changes your name, it’s because He sees you as He knows you will be, not as what you currently are.”
  • “Peter didn’t act like a ‘rock’ when Jesus gave him his new name.  It took many years for him to change.”
  • “But God looks past your behaviors to your relationship to Him.”
  • “He cares more about your WHO than what you DO.”  (Invite two volunteers to the front and give one the “WHO” sign and one the “DO” sign.  It might be better to have one girl and one boy for comedic effect because you will be giving them a big hug a few times that squishes them together.)
  • “Touch a neighbor and say, ‘He’s cares more about my WHO than what I DO!’”  (Point to each volunteer as you mention their sign.)
  • “No matter what bad stuff you DO, God will always love you because of WHO you are to Him.” (Point to each volunteer as you mention their sign.)
  • “Before you ask Jesus into your heart, you are God’s incredible creation, and He loves you because of that.”
  • “But after you ask Jesus into your heart, you become a son or daughter of God!  A child of the King!  A prince or a princess!  You’re royalty!”
  • “Turn around and tell somebody, ‘I’m royalty!’” (You may want to have a volunteer read 1 Peter 2:9-10.)
  • “When you ask Jesus into your heart, you move from being someone who isn’t one of God’s people to someone who is one of God’s people.  That’s SO awesome!”
  • “Now just because God cares about your WHO more than what you DO doesn’t mean that He doesn’t care at all about what you DO.” (Point to each volunteer as you mention their sign.)
  • “He does care a lot.”
  • “He says that because of your new WHO (child of God) when you accept Jesus as your Lord, what you DO should get better and better every day.” (Point to each volunteer as you mention their sign.)
  • “Peter didn’t act like a ‘rock’ when Jesus gave Him the name, but Jesus expected him to work toward becoming more and more like a rock every day.”
  • “And the same is true for you.”
  • “Children of the King act in a different way that those who aren’t children of the King.”
  • “The King expects more out of you.”
  • “That means that you have to follow your leader – DO what you see Him doing in the Bible.”
  • “You won’t be perfect.  You’ll make lots of mistakes, but keep trying every day.”
  • “You goal is to make what you DO match your WHO.” (Bring your two volunteers close together, and give them a big squeeze for comedic effect.)
  • “When they don’t match (push volunteers apart) people get confused.”
  • “They say, ‘I thought he was a child of the King, but he’s telling lies.’ or, ‘I thought she was royalty, but she is acting nasty to her friends.’”
  • “It’s hard for them to understand how your WHO and what you DO can be so different.” (Point to each volunteer as you mention their sign.)
  • “So bring those two together (bring volunteers in close for another big hug!) so that no one will be confused.” (Thank and dismiss your volunteers.)
  • “Touch your neighbor, and say, ‘I’m gonna make what I DO match my WHO!’”
  • “And what is your WHO again?” (Expected response: “Child of the King or Child of God!”)
  • “So remember, the most important thing in life is WHO you say Jesus is.”
  • “If you get that right, it will change your WHO forever and make you a Child of God.”
  • “And every day, we should work at making what we DO match our new WHO!”  (You might want to reinforce the lesson by having  everyone saying the Rhyme Time below several times.)

Rhyme Time            

When I trust in Jesus

He changes my WHO.

Now I try every day

To improve what I DO.

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June 11, 2012 · 5:41 pm

Bigger Than Your Box (OBJ LESSON)


Time

20 minutes
Description

This object lesson teaches that Jesus is bigger than many have thought Him to be.  Some thought He was just a carpenter or a teacher or a prophet or a miracle worker, but He is bigger than all of these.  He is God, and He won’t fit inside any box we try to put Him in.

 

Scriptures

  • Matthew 16:13-20

 

Materials

  • 5 boxes of different sizes with different labels.  All the labels should be on one side with large lettering so that they can be seen clearly by the audience:
    • A small box (maybe palm-sized) labeled “Friend,” “Brother,” “Neighbor,” “Carpenter’s Son.”
    • A noticeably larger box labeled, “Rabbi” “Teacher”
    • A noticeably larger box labeled, “Prophet” “Miracle Worker”
    • A noticeably larger box labeled, “King of the Jews”
    • A large box (big enough for a grown man to sit inside and close), labeled with ALL the other labels from the other boxes.  The man put inside this box will break out of it at one point.  You should cut through the seams and then tape them back together from the inside.  This will allow Jesus to break out of the box explosively.
  • Utility knife (to cut the seams of the largest box)
  • Masking Tape (wide – 1 roll)
  • Permanent marker (black – thick tip – 1)
  • Costume for Jesus character (optional)
  • Bible

 

Preparation

  • Recruit someone to play Jesus, and have him dress in costume if you would like.
  • Recruit two strong people to lift “Jesus” and try to put Him into the box each time.
  • Share the general flow of the object lesson with all your volunteers so that they know what will be expected of them.
  • Hide the boxes out of sight from the audience.
  • Have the masking tape and the permanent marker close-by, where you can access them quickly.
  • Practice the script.

 

Procedure

Use the following script (or modify to suit your needs):

  • “Jesus once asked His disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’” (You might have a volunteer read this Scripture (Matthew 16:13-20) out loud if you like.)
  • “Before Jesus started doing miracles and teaching, people just knew Him as Joseph the carpenter’s son.”
  • “They liked Him that way, because they thought they knew everything about Him.”
  • “He was safe and easy to understand.”
  • “We have a term that describes what we are doing when we make judgments about someone.”
  • “It’s called, ‘putting them in a box.’”  (Pull out the smallest box, and hold it where everyone can see it.)
  • “If you can ‘put someone in a box,’ you make them smaller in your mind.”
  • “When we think we have people figured out, they seem smaller and easier for us to deal with.”
  • “The people who knew Jesus growing up had a very small box for Him.”
  • “It was a box that thought of Jesus as just a ‘Friend,’ a ‘Brother,’ a ‘Neighbor,’ or a ‘Carpenter’s Son.’”
  • “Those things were true, but they weren’t the only things that were true about Jesus.” (Motion for your volunteers to come up.)
  • “This is Jesus, and these are people who knew Him.” (Put the box on the ground where everyone can still see it.)
  • “They thought He would fit inside this box.” (Have the volunteers lift Jesus up by the legs and arms and try to fit Him in the box.  He should sit on it and crush it.)
  • “Guess Jesus was bigger than their box!” (Have volunteers stay in front with you.)
  • “When He started going around teaching in the Jewish churches (synagogues), everyone recognized that He spoke with authority unlike any other teacher.”
  • “They realized that they needed a bigger box.” (Bring out the second-smallest box.)
  • “They decided that Jesus was more than just a ‘Friend,’ a ‘Brother,’ a ‘Neighbor,’ or a ‘Carpenter’s Son.’”
  • “Now, they realized that He was a ‘Teacher’…a ‘Rabbi.’”
  • “This was an important role in Jewish culture and came with lots of honor.”
  • “They thought Jesus should be satisfied with this box.”  (Have volunteers lift Jesus as before and set Him down on the box, crushing it.)
  • “Guess He was bigger than that box, too!” (Volunteers stay.)
  • “You see, Jesus didn’t just teach.  He also did miracles like healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and raising the dead.”
  • “He condemned the religious leaders for not leading the people well.”
  • “When everyone saw Jesus do these things, they decided that they needed a bigger box.”  (Bring out 3rd smallest box.)
  • “He wasn’t just a ‘Teacher,’ or a ‘Rabbi.’ He was a ‘Miracle Worker’ and a ‘Prophet.’”
  • “Miracle Workers and Prophets are only sent by God.  This made Jesus a REALLY important person!”
  • “They felt that Jesus should be really happy with this box!” (Have volunteers lift Jesus as before and set Him down on the box, crushing it.)
  • “Hmmm, This doesn’t seem to be working!” (Volunteers stay.)
  • “It wasn’t working, because Jesus was more than just a Miracle Worker or a Prophet, and people began to see that.”
  • “One day, He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to the cheers and adoration of all the people.”
  • “They shouted, ‘Hosanna to the son of David!’ and “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
  • “Now it was obvious to the religious leaders and all the people.”
  • “They realized that Jesus wanted to be King of the Jews!”  (Bring out 4th smallest box.)
  • “But this was too much for the religious leaders.”
  • “They didn’t like Jesus, and they didn’t want Him to be their king.”
  • “So, they decided to destroy this box themselves.  They arrested Jesus, tried Him illegally, turned Him over to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, and convinced him to crucify Jesus.”  (Have Jesus character spread his arms wide and hang his head to represent his crucifixion.  Have the other two volunteers stomp on and otherwise destroy the ‘King of the Jews’ box.)
  • “The religious leaders destroyed the King of the Jews box by killing Jesus.”
  • “And in doing so, they thought that they had finally found a box that would hold Him.” (Bring out the largest box, and have the volunteers put Jesus inside of it.)
  • “They put His body in a tomb in a garden, closed it off with a giant stone and sealed it.  Then they stationed Roman soldiers to guard the tomb so that no one could steal the body.”  (Have the volunteers tape Jesus in the box with the masking tape.  They should do several strips across the front where they can be seen by the audience and then write, ‘JUST A MAN!!’ several times across them.  They should be careful not to tape across the seams, because that will make it difficult for Jesus to break out.  While you are talking, Jesus should carefully peel back some of the tape from the inside.)
  • “Even Jesus’ closest followers were convinced that this box would hold Him.”
  • “They were devastated that their Friend, their Teacher, Their Prophet, The Miracle Worker, their King was gone forever.”
  • “But what they didn’t realize is that Jesus put Himself in that box.”
  • “He did it for you and for me and for everyone who has ever lived or will ever live to take the punishment for our sins so that we could join Him in heaven some day.”
  • “Jesus put Himself in the box of that garden tomb….and three days later….He took Himself back out!”  (Have Jesus volunteer break out of the box as explosively as possible for the greatest impact.)
  • “Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to all His followers to let them know that there was no box that could hold Him.”
  • “Jesus is bigger than any box we could try to put Him in.”
  • “Touch your neighbor and say, ‘He’s bigger than any box!’”
  • “Touch your other neighbor and say, ‘You can’t put God in a box!’”
  • “Be careful not to limit God.  He’s a BIG God.  He’s bigger than your problems; He’s bigger than your fears; He’s bigger than your hopes, and He’s bigger than your dreams.”
  • “There is nothing that God can’t do.”
  • “If you have been limiting God in any way in your life, I encourage you to take your box to Him and let Him crush it for you.”
  • “He’s bigger than your box!”

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