Big Truth Unit 5 - Lessons - Editable

Theme: Big Truths Unit 5 – Our Great Salvation
Memory Verse: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift
of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Challenge Verse: “who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a
people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Titus 2:14
Bible Story: The Christian Life - Titus
The Point: Good works show that God has changed someone’s heart
Introduction – Is There a Doctor in the House? (5-8 minutes)

WHAT YOU NEED: Nothing needed
Before large group starts, play a game trying to guess different jobs, famous people, or animals based on clues.
Kids take turns giving each other clues such as… I went to school for a long time…I wear a white coat…. I
spend time with sick people… “I am a doctor.”
If you lead a younger group, you may want to be prepared with clues for the kids in your group to guess as
they’ll have a harder time thinking of clues to give each other.
SAY: “When given some clues we can usually figure out who or what someone is by what they look like, the
things they do, etc. We know someone is a doctor because they dress like a doctor and work in a hospital and act
like a doctor and talk like a doctor, etc. In large group and later in our small groups, we’re going to hear about
how people can know if someone else is a Christian. One clue is that it’s more than just hearing them say they
believe in Jesus.”
Take your group to Large Group Time.
Saved by Good Works? NO! Saved for Good Works? Yes! - Big Truths 5.5
Big Truth Bible Lessons for Kids - 2023
Large Group (25-35 minutes)
Welcome
“Good morning! We kicked off our class by giving each other clues to figure out who or what we were thinking
of. It’s never enough just to say you are a doctor or a policeman or a teacher or even, as we’ll hear this morning,
a Christian. People will know that you are what you say you are by watching you and seeing if your actions
match your words. We’ll be talking about this a lot more all morning long, but first let’s take some time to sing
some truths about God and to remember that He never changes, and He is always who He says He is.”
Worship Time
“Let’s get started by singing a song that reminds us of one of the first truths about God that we see in the Bible.
Who thinks they know what I’m talking about? Right, the truth that God created the world. A lot of people think
that’s the first truth about God we see in the Bible, since it’s in the very first verse of the Bible. But, without
even reading the whole first verse we see another truth about God; the fact that He was there before the creation
tells us that He is eternal.
In this song, we’ll be reminded that God is the Almighty Creator who created the world in the beginning, and He
is the One who recreates His people to change them from sinners to children of His.”
Almighty Creator
“In that first song, we were reminded of the truth that we were made to worship God. Although that’s what we
were made to do, sin got in the way and made it impossible for us to worship God. Nothing we could do on our
own could make us good enough for Him, because of the sin in our lives.
And just like I mentioned before the first song, another great truth to remember about God is that He is eternal
or forever. He has always been, and He will always be, and He will NEVER EVER change. Let’s sing a song
that reminds us of the truth.
Forever God
Study God’s Word

“Before jumping straight into our story and the truth we’re learning about, we’re going to play a little bit of a
game to see if we can figure out what the truth for the morning is.
(Tape a large piece of paper on the wall…or use a dry erase board with blanks for the words in James 2:17…
play a game of “guess the word” with the kids in the room- you might want to play as boys verses girls, or just
divide the group in half and offer a simple prize to the winning team).
“Let’s read together the verse that we just uncovered….
“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.’ James 2:17
This is where it seems to get a little tricky. Ephesians 2:8, which is part of our main memory verse, tells us that
salvation is by faith alone, so what’s all this about works?
The truth that we want everyone to understand this morning is that salvation is by faith alone. Salvation is a gift
from God. Salvation is all because of God’s grace and love to us while we were still sinners. There is nothing
we can do to be good enough for God. We cannot work to earn our salvation.
But, once God has given someone a new heart, once He has saved them by faith, once He has justified them and
made them right in His eyes, then, the way that Christians show that they believe in Jesus, and shows that they
are saved, is by doing good works.
No one is saved by doing good works, but believers are saved to do good works.
This morning, instead of focusing on a familiar story in large group, we’re going to think about that truth while
we study a few verses in the Bible. Then, in small groups you’ll have a chance to see some stories from the
Bible and see how various people in the Bible showed their faith by good works.
We’re going to look at some of the things that Paul says about salvation in the book of Titus to try and make
sense of this truth. (read the following verses from Titus- or have kids read them from a screen and then go
through the discussion points with them).
 Titus 3:3- -We are all sinners. There are no exceptions to this truth! Who can think of another verse that
reminds us of that truth? Right, Romans 3:23.
 Titus 3:4- - BUT…while we were still sinners…Can someone help me finish Romans 5:8? …. Christ
died for us. Paul is reminding Titus that salvation is a gift of God’s grace
 Titus 3:5-6- - Salvation isn’t because of anything we have done or anything we will do. There is
nothing we can do to make ourselves good enough for God, but God in His kindness and love sent His
Son to die in our place.
now we’re going to go backward in the letter and read something in Titus 2
 Titus 2:11- -This verse is reminding us that Jesus has come to earth and that salvation is only through
Jesus.
 Titus 2:12-13- - These verses are talking about what happens in a believer’s life after they are saved and
how God begins to change their lives and make them more like Jesus. Who remembers the big word we
talked about last week that taught us about God changing His people and making them more like Jesus?
Right, sanctification. Some of the evidence you should see in the life of someone who is a follower of
Jesus is self-control and living godly lives (doing the things that are of God).
 Titus 2:14- - a reminder that Jesus gave Himself for the salvation of His people, that God’s people are
special and set apart from the world, and that they are known as those who are eager to do what is good.
If you put all these verses together, you come up with one big truth.
Christians aren’t saved by good works, but they show they have been saved by doing good works.
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Why don’t you guys repeat that truth after me.
Christians aren’t saved by good works, but they show they have been saved by doing good works.
Let’s look back at the 2 verses we talked about at the beginning.
Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly says that salvation is the gift of God…not by works. Then, if you read on in verse 10 it
says…. ‘for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them.’
Did you catch that???? No one is saved by good works, but Christians are saved for good works.
And remember the verse from James that we uncovered this morning? James is saying the same thing. He’s not
saying that actions or good works save anyone, but what He is saying is that a Christian should show evidence
that they are a Christian and not just say that they believe in Jesus.
No one is saved by good works, but Christians are saved for good works.
As you go to your small groups in a few minutes, you’ll have a chance to look back at several stories from the
Bible and see how good works in someone’s life showed the world around them that they had faith in God.
Their good works were evidence that God had changed their heart.
Before going to small groups, just to make sure no one leaves here confused, let’s make sure we all understand
the truth of the Gospel.
We are all sinners who are separated from God and nothing we could do would make us good enough for Him,
but while we were still sinners, Jesus came to earth and died on the cross in our place so that we could be set
free from sin and live forever with Him.
Jesus Came to Save Sinners
Pray
Let’s pray.
“Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us this morning once again that we are all sinners in need of a Savior.
I pray that as we go to our small groups that you’ll help us to remember the truth that there is nothing anyone
can do on their own to be saved. We praise you for not leaving us here in our sin and thank You for sending
Jesus to take the punishment that we deserve. Help us to learn more today about what it means to be saved and
to have a relationship with you through Jesus. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.”
Dismiss kids to small groups.
Small Group (30 - 40 minutes)
Younger group – ages 5-8
Before the Session:

 Faith + Works - one set of faith + works cards, Bibles, tape
 Fruit Basket Turnover - Bibles
 Bean Bag Praise – about 10 small pieces of paper, markers, tape, and a bean bag
 Duck Duck Verse – memory verse page – Ephesians 2:8-9
FLASHBACK: Last week we heard the familiar story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. But, instead of focusing on
Zacchaeus, we looked at what Jesus did. We saw Jesus approach and seek out a sinner, we saw Jesus make
Himself part of Zacchaeus’ life and we saw the change in Zacchaeus’ life after meeting Jesus. We learned that
whenever someone meets Jesus their life will be changed.
1. Faith + Works (Review and Application)

WHAT YOU NEED: one set of faith + works cards, Bibles, tape
As you come back from large group, have kids remind you what they heard this
morning. Explain that the truth you want them to really get from this morning is
that good works don’t save anyone, but that good works show that God has
changed someone’s heart. You can know that someone is a Christian based on
their works.
Talk for a minute about how you know that something is an apple tree - it grows apples. Ask if you could sneak
out to an empty tree in the middle of the night and staple apples onto it. In the morning it would look like an
apple tree, but would it really be an apple tree? No, in a couple of days the apples would start turning brown and
falling off. The tree would prove that it wasn’t an apple tree by not growing apples.
Have one of the kids in the group read Titus 3:3-5 and then Titus 2:11-14. Discuss the truths that these verses
two passages point to… [HEART TO HEART]
(1) we are all sinners,
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(2) God sent Jesus while were still sinners,
(3) salvation is only possible through the kindness and love and grace of Jesus, not because of anything we
have done or ever will do on our own,
(4) once God saves people, He changes their hearts and out of those changed hearts come good works.
Feel free to support this point with additional passages, such as Romans 5:8, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23,
Ephesians 2:8-9, etc.
Explain that this truth is clearly seen in the Bible and that they’re going to play a little game to find examples of
people who showed their faith by their actions.
Place all the “faith + works” cards face up in the middle of the circle. Explain that you’re going to either start
telling a story (in your own words, or start reading) about someone from the Bible and that as soon as they know
which story you’re telling they should stand up. The first person who stands up (or the 2 or 3 person the next
nd rd
round if the same person is first each time) will help you finish telling the story and help you explain what this
person did to show that they believed in God. What were some works that showed their faith?
God through the stories in any order you want:

(1) Genesis 6:5-21 (Noah)
(2) Genesis 15:1-6 (Abraham -promise to be a great nation - Isaac)
(3) Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13 (Abraham and Isaac)
(4) Genesis 27:1-40 (Jacob & Esau)
(5) Genesis 50:15-21 (Joseph trusted God’s plan in Egypt)
(5) Exodus 2:1-6 (Moses’ parents hid him)
(6) Exodus 12 (Passover)
(7) Joshua 2 & 6:17 (Rahab)
Once kids have matched all the pictures with the stories you’re reading, read Hebrews 11:1 (and a few key
verses, especially those that match the stories you just retold. Make sure the kids understand that none of these
people were saved by what they did, but what they did showed that they believed in God by faith.
SAY: “Each of these people we just read about didn’t do anything to make God choose them. There was nothing
special about any of them on their own. The truth we see in each of these stories is that [THE POINT] good
works show that God has changed someone’s heart. We can know that these people knew God and followed
Him because of the things that they did.”
2. Fruit Basket Turnover (Scripture Search)

WHAT YOU NEED: Bibles
Remind kids that the truth you want them to understand when they leave today is that good works show that
God has changed someone’s heart.
Discuss how when you see someone doing things they didn’t do before, or talking about God or the Bible more,
or telling people about Jesus more, or being more loving or showing more self-control, that these are the kind of
fruit in someone’s life that help us to believe that someone really is a Christian. With older kids you might want
to explain that just because it looks like someone is a Christian it doesn’t always mean that they are (they could
be pretending), but that someone who is a Christian will always look like a Christian.
Remind the group of the game you played before large group and how your used clues of what someone does or
what they look like to help figure out who certain people were. Ask if they’ve ever heard the saying, ‘if it looks
like a duck, and walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck it must be a duck.’ Explain that the same is true when
you’re observing fruit (or behavior) in the life of someone who claims to be a believer or a follower of Jesus.
It’s not enough for someone to say they believe in Jesus or to say that they are a Christian, you should be able to
look at their life and say; they look like a Christian - they’re doing things that Christians do, they sound like a
Christian- they’re talking about the things that Christians talk about, so they must be a Christian. Read James
2:14-23 and briefly discuss this passage.
Explain that the opposite is also true. If someone says they are a Christian, but their life doesn’t show this truth
they might need to question if they are truly saved. Read the following quote from the Big Truths for Young
Hearts book.
“…when we are truly saved, God begins a new work in our hearts and inner lives, giving us power to turn more
and more from sin and to desire more and more to please Him. If we say that we have trusted Christ, but we
have no desire to obey Christ or please Christ or do the good works God wants us to do, then it may be that we
have not fully trusted Christ. We are saved for good works, and those good works will begin to show more and
more in the lives of Christ’s real followers. So, do good works have a place in the Christian life? Yes they do.
Good works, done in God’s power, please God and show that we really belong to Him.”1
[HEART TO HEART] This may be a good time to share an age-appropriate example of church discipline or
of someone in the church holding you accountable as a reminder of the practical ways that Christians check
each other’s fruit.
Then, tell the kids that you’re going to play a little game to help them think through the kinds of things that are
evidence that someone is a believer and the kinds of things that might be evidence that someone isn’t really a
believer.
Have all the kids sit in a circle. Tell them that you’re going to name a piece of evidence and if they think it’s
fruit of someone being a believer they should name a kind of fruit…like apple, pear, grape, etc. and if they think
it’s not evidence they should cross their arms in front of their faces making a big X. Randomly go through some
possible evidences…obeying your mom the first time she asks you to do something, fighting with your brother,
watching TV, reading your Bible, telling friends about Jesus, lying to a friend, taking cookies to your neighbor,
loving people, holding a grudge against someone for something they did a long time ago, etc.
Make sure the kids in your group understand that showing fruit doesn’t make someone a Christian and that all
Christians still sin, but someone who is a Christian will feel sorry for sinning and over time will show more and
more fruit of being a Christian. This is VERY abstract and will need to be repeated several times throughout the
lesson. At the end of the session, make sure to ask again how someone becomes a Christian and correct anyone
who says, ‘by being good.’
1
Bruce Ware, Big Truths for Young Hearts, Crossway, 2009, 186.
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SAY: “The point we’ve been talking about all morning is that [THE POINT] good works show that God has
changed someone’s heart. When you look at someone who claims to be a Christian, you should be able to tell
that they are a Christian by the things they do, the things they say, the way they live their lives, etc. Those things
don’t make someone a Christian. We need to always remember that salvation is by faith alone. But those things
are like the evidence that a lawyer would use in a court case to convince a jury that someone is a Christian.”
3. Bean Bag Praise (Prayer)

WHAT YOU NEED: about 10 small pieces of paper, markers, tape, and a bean bag
Have your group sit in a circle on the floor. Either have them tell you things we should praise God for (who He
is) or thank God for (what He has done), write their suggestions on pieces of paper and put them in the middle
of the circle. One at a time kids will take turns tossing the bean bag onto one of the pieces of paper and say a
sentence prayer of praise or thanksgiving based on the card that they tossed the bean bag on.
Once all kids have had a chance to voice their sentence prayers, close the prayer time by leading in a prayer of
praise and pray for the kids in your group that God would give them hearts that want to praise Him.
SAY: “In large group this morning, we were reminded of the truth that we were made to worship God, but that
is completely impossible on our own. We need God to change our hearts so that we can worship Him. Someone
truly worshipping God and honoring Him with their words and deeds is fruit or evidence that they have a new
heart. Praising God is one of the many [THE POINT] good works that show that God has changed someone’s
heart.”
4. Duck Duck Verse (Memory Verse)

WHAT YOU NEED: one memory verse page
**Before this activity, tape the memory verse page up on the wall where all the kids can see it easily.
Ask how the kids in your group are doing on learning the verse for this unit (Ephesians 2:8-9). Read
through the verse once as a group in way of reminder.
Have all the kids in the group sit in a big circle on the floor.
Explain that you’re going to play a game called “Duck, Duck, Verse” which is a lot like “Duck,
Duck, Goose.” Choose one kid to be IT. That child (IT) will walk around the circle saying the words
of the verse (or a phrase of the verse) while touching the other kid’s heads. When they get to the last word of the
phrase, they will tap that child on the head, and he will get up and race them around the circle back to their spot.
Then choose a new kid to be IT and play again. Play as long as you have time and the attention of the kids.
To make the game move along faster, you may want to play with a short phrase (5-10 words) at a time.
SAY: “Our memory verse reminds us of the good news that Christians are saved by God’s grace, not works.
This verse reminds us that even though works don’t save anyone, [THE POINT] good works show that God
has changed someone’s heart.”
Conclude the session with a review and prayer.

Extra Time or alternative activities:
1. Draw a Story:
WHAT YOU NEED: one piece of blank paper per kid, Bibles, and markers
If you need an alternative activity for younger kids, consider giving them each a blank piece of paper
and reminding them of the stories you talked about back in the first activity, have them draw one of the
stories of how someone showed evidence of their faith by their actions. Once all the kids have drawn
their pictures, give them a chance to share them with the rest of the group.
2. Using a set of books of the Bible cards to play a simple game called “Starts With A….” Hand out Bibles
and have kids open them to the table of contents page. Call out a letter and have kids race to find a book
that starts with that letter. Kids can either find books on their own or use the table of contents to help
them find the book. If your whole group is non-readers, you might need to write the letter on a piece of
paper and show them, so they all know what letter you’re talking about.
1.
Older group – ages 8-12
Before the Session:

 I Can See Your Faith - one set of faith + action cards, Bibles, tape
 Check Your Fruit – Bibles
 Post It Praise – a stack of post-it notes for every 3-4 kids, markers, Bibles
 Eager Beaver – Bibles, blank paper, markers, or pencils.
FLASHBACK: Last week we heard the familiar story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. But, instead of focusing on
Zacchaeus, we looked at what Jesus did. We saw Jesus approach and seek out a sinner, we saw Jesus make
Himself part of Zacchaeus’ life and we saw the change in Zacchaeus’ life after meeting Jesus. We learned that
whenever someone meets Jesus their life will be changed.
1. I Can See Your Faith (Review and Application)

WHAT YOU NEED: one set of faith + action cards, Bibles, tape
Have the group remind you what they heard in large group. Explain that the truth
you want them to really get is that good works don’t save anyone, but that good
works show that God has changed someone’s heart.
Ask one of the kids to read Titus 3:3-5 and then Titus 2:11-14 (verse 14 is our
challenge verse for this week).
Discuss the truth that these verses two passages point to… [HEART TO HEART]
(1) we are all sinners,
(2) God sent Jesus, while were still sinners,
(3) salvation is only possible through the kindness and love and grace of Jesus, not because of anything we
have done or ever will do on our own,
(4) once God saves people, He changes their hearts and out of those changed hearts come good works.
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Feel free to support these points with additional passages, such as Romans 5:8, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23,
Ephesians 2:8-9, etc. Or with older groups, ask them to think of verses that they’ve learned recently that
point to these truths.
Explain to the group that this truth is clearly seen throughout the Bible and that they’re going to play a little
game to find examples of people who showed their faith by their actions. Hand out the cards (one per kid), with
half the kids getting picture cards and half of the group getting Bible verse cards.
If your group is small, you may want to tape all the picture cards on the wall and hand out all the verse cards and
have kids make their matches that way. Either way, kids will try to find their partner or their match by looking
up the verses and figuring out who they verse is talking about and how they showed their faith through good
works. Play until all the matches have been made and then bring the whole group together and have them share
with each other what they learned.
SAY: “Each of these people we just read about didn’t do anything to make God choose them. There was nothing
special about any of them on their own. The truth we see in each of these stories is that [THE POINT] good
works show that God has changed someone’s heart. We can know that these people knew God and followed
Him because of the things that they did.”
2. Check Your Fruit (Scripture Search)

WHAT YOU NEED: Bibles
Remind kids that the truth we want them to understand is that good works show that God has changed
someone’s heart. Discuss how when you see someone doing things they didn’t do before, or talking about things
in the Bible more, or telling people about Jesus more, or being more loving or showing more self-control, that
these are the kind of fruit in someone’s life that help us to believe that someone really is a Christian.
Remind the group of the game you played before large group and how your used clues of what someone does or
what they look like to help figure out who certain people were. Ask if they’ve ever heard the saying, ‘if it looks
like a duck, and walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck it must be a duck.’ Explain that the same is true when
you’re observing fruit (or behavior) in the life of someone who claims to be a believer or a follower of Jesus.
It’s not enough for someone to say they believe in Jesus or to say that they are a Christian, you should be able to
look at their life and say…they look like a Christian- they’re doing things that Christians do, they sound like a
Christian- they’re talking about the things that Christians talk about, so they must be a Christian. Read James
2:14-23 and briefly discuss this passage.
Explain that the opposite is also true. If someone says they are a Christian, but their life doesn’t show this truth
they might need to question if they are truly saved. Read the following quote from the Big Truths for Young
Hearts book.
“…when we are truly saved, God begins a new work in our hearts and inner lives, giving us power to turn more
and more from sin and to desire more and more to please Him. If we say that we have trusted Christ, but we
have no desire to obey Christ or please Christ or do the good works God wants us to do, then it may be that we
have not fully trusted Christ. We are saved for good works, and those good works will begin to show more and
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more in the lives of Christ’s real followers. So, do good works have a place in the Christian life? Yes they do.
Good works, done in God’s power, please God and show that we really belong to Him.”2
Briefly discuss with your group the practice of church discipline. Explain that in many churches when someone
says they are a Christian and they want to be part of a church someone will ask them questions about how they
became a Christian, maybe what they believe about the Gospel and then will look at their life and see if they see
fruit or evidence of this person truly being a Christian. Then over time, as different people in the church get to
know this person, someone might notice something that doesn’t make sense; some behavior that doesn’t look
like a Christian. Explain that all Christians still fall and sin and mess up and that no one is perfect while here on
earth. So, just because someone sins this doesn’t mean that they aren’t a Christian. But, a true Christian, when
they realize what they’ve done, or when someone points out the sin in their life, they’ll feel sorry, they’ll repent
and ask God for forgiveness, and they’ll strive to live again like someone who is truly following Jesus.
However, sometimes in a church there will be someone who says they are a Christian and maybe they showed
fruit of being a Christian for a while, but at some point, they might start showing behaviors and doing things that
a Christian wouldn’t do and they don’t feel sorry for it, they don’t want to stop doing it and they don’t want to
repent and turn back to Jesus. In these cases, that person might need to question if they are truly a Christian and
if they have truly been saved, because the evidence shows otherwise.
[HEART TO HEART] This may be a good time to share an age-appropriate example of church discipline or
of someone in the church holding you accountable as a reminder of the practical ways that Christians check
each other’s fruit.
SAY: “The point we’ve been talking about all morning is that [THE POINT] good works show that God has
changed someone’s heart. When you look at someone who claims to be a Christian, you should be able to tell
that they are a Christian by the things they do, the things they say, the way they live their lives, etc. Those things
don’t make someone a Christian. We need to always remember that salvation is by faith alone, but those things
are like the evidence that a lawyer would use in a court case to prove that someone is a Christian.”
3. Post It Praise (Prayer)

WHAT YOU NEED: a stack of post-it notes for every 3-4 kids, markers, Bibles
Divide kids into groups of 3-4 kids and give each group a stack of post-it notes, Bibles, and markers. Explain
that sometimes when we sit down to pray, we can’t think of what to pray about. Or we do a good job of thinking
of things to ask God for, but we forget to spend time focusing on Him- who He is and what he has done. We
forget to praise God. Ask kids what post-it notes are usually used for. They’re usually used to keep some
important information somewhere visible, so you won’t forget it. They are a way to help you remember
something important.
Explain that as a group they’re going to work together to write some praise reminders. Each note should have a
verse written out, or a verse reference and a statement (like ‘God, I praise you because you made the world’).
Encourage groups to flip through their Bibles to find references for verses that are good reminders of what to
praise God for.
2
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Once groups have had time to work, bring groups back together and give kids a chance to share some of the
post-it notes that they wrote in the form of sentence prayers. Then, divide the notes up among the group and
encourage kids to take their set of post-it notes home with them and put them up somewhere to remind them of
the truths they should be praising God for every day.
Close the prayer time by leading the kids in a prayer of praise and praying for the kids in your group that God
would give them hearts that want to worship Him.
SAY: “In large group this morning, we were reminded of the truth that we were made to worship God, but that
is completely impossible on our own. We need God to change our hearts so that we can worship Him. Someone
truly worshipping God and honoring Him with their words and deeds is displaying fruit or evidence that they
have a new heart. Praising God is one of the many [THE POINT] good works that show that God has changed
someone’s heart.”
4. Eager Beaver (Memory Verse)

WHAT YOU NEED: Bibles, blank paper, markers, or pencils.
Ask kids in your group if they’ve ever heard the phrase… “he’s an eager beaver.” Have them try and figure out
what they think that phrase means. Explain that beavers are known for working hard and for being eager to get
their work done…they don’t let anything stand in their way when they have work to do. Remind the group of
some of the verses you read earlier about how believers should be eager to do good works - Titus 3:1 and Titus
2:14. Talk briefly about how both verses remind us of the truth that believers should be eager to do the good
works that God has prepared for them to do.
Ask how the kids in your group are doing on learning the memory verse for this unit (Ephesians 2:8-9). Read
the verse together and talk about how you want them to work like eager beavers to learn their memory verses.
Remind them that our main verse for the unit reminds us salvation is a free gift from God and not something we
can work at, but that one God saves His people they should do the good works He has planned for them to do.
Hand out blank paper and pencils and encourage kids to be “eager beavers” creating memory verse puzzles for
their friends. Give kids time to work creating either a code, or wordsearch, word pictures, or maze or some other
kind of puzzle and then trade with a friend for them to try and solve it.
If there isn’t time to complete and trade puzzles in class, kids can create the puzzles and ask a parent or sibling
to try and solve it at home.
SAY: “Telling someone the good news of Jesus and sharing with other how God has changed your heart and
made you new is one of the [THE POINT] good works that show that God has changed someone’s heart. It’s
true that not everyone who talks about Jesus and what He did when He died on the cross is a believer, but true
believers will talk about the gospel of Jesus Christ more and more often as they go through their lives.”
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Discussion Questions:
1. We are not saved BY good works, but we are saved FOR

good works. Please explain in your own words.
2. If someone is a Christian, does it matter how he or she lives

their life? Do Christians have to do good works?

Using a set of Bible book cards, play a simple game called “Get in Order.” Deal out all the cards evenly among
the kids. Then, work together to play the cards in order… the person who has Genesis plays their card, then the
person who has Exodus, etc. You might want to have the whole group say all the books together, or you may
want to have one kid saying (or reading) the books and not watching the game play and challenge the kids to
play their card before the next one has been called out.
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Theme: Big Truths Unit 5 – Our Great Salvation
Memory Verse: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift
of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Challenge Verse: “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
Bible Story: Paul teaches in Athens – Acts 17
The Point: Jesus is the only Savior and people must know Him to be saved
Introduction – I’ve Got a Secret (5-8 minutes)

WHAT YOU NEED: nothing needed
Before large group, play a simple game of “2 Truths and 1 Lie” with your group. Kids should take turns sharing
2 things about themselves that are true and 1 that is false.
Example: My favorite subject is science, I don’t like chocolate cake, and I’m going to visit my grandma this
summer.
The rest of the group must guess which one is true. Play as long as time allows before the start of large group.
SAY: “For the past month we’ve been learning truths about salvation. This morning we’re going to uncover one
last truth and I think it should make us want to share the good news of Jesus with everyone we meet.”
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Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

Welcome
“Good morning! As we got started this morning you were trying to figure out what was true and what wasn’t
true in the lives of some of your small group buddies. Sometimes it’s hard for us to tell the difference between
the truth and a lie, but we can know without a doubt that everything we read in the Bible is true.
Psalm 33:4 says, ‘For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.’ and
Psalm 119:160 says, ‘The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.’
This morning we’re going to be talking about some pretty big truths that we see in the Word of God, but let’s
get started by singing some big truths about God.”
Worship Time
“As we read the Bible, we see some amazing truths about who God is and what He is like. God has given us His
Word so that we can know Him and understand how much we need Him and how far away from Him we are
because of our sin. Let’s get started this morning by singing a song to remind ourselves of some truths of who
God is and what He is like and praise Him for the truths about Him that we see in His Word.
Leviticus 19:2 says, ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.’
Let’s sing and praise the Holy God now.”
For You Are Holy
“When we think about God’s holiness, we can’t help but think of our sinfulness and how the two stand as such
complete opposites. The Bible tells us in verses that we’re all familiar with, like Romans 3:23 and Romans
6:23 that we are all sinners who deserve punishment, and in Romans 5:8, we read that while we were still
sinners Christ died for us.
Let’s sing a song that reminds us that we all need a Savior and Jesus is the One who came to rescue us from our
sin by dying on the cross in our place.”
Mighty Mighty Savior
Study God’s Word

“This morning we’re talking about truth that we clearly see in the Bible. We said before we started singing that
the Bible teaches us who God is and what He is like, and that we can believe all the truths that we read about
Him in His Word - like He is holy and good and righteous and love and just and merciful and the creator and the
provider and and, and, and.
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The Bible also tells us that because of sin, we are all sinners, and we are all separated from God. As we’ll see
this morning, the Bible teaches us that the only way we can be reunited with God; the only way we can be
forgiven of our sins and brought back into a right relationship with God is by believing that Jesus took the
punishment that we deserve so that we could be made righteous in God’s eyes.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve talked about these truths individually, but as we put them all together, a HUGE
question comes to the surface.
What about all the people in the world who have never even heard about Jesus, isn’t there another way for them
to be saved?
Let’s see if we can get an answer to that question straight from the Bible. Let’s read Romans 10:13-15 together.
(display for kids to see)
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they
have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to
hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How
beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:13-15
These verses tell us that people are saved by calling on the name of Jesus. In fact, Jesus Himself said in John
14:6 that He is the WAY, and now here in Romans, Paul is saying the same thing. Then, the verse goes on to tell
Christians what must be done. Since the only way to be saved is by calling on the name of Jesus, someone needs
to be sent to preach to them, so that they can hear and believe the truth about Jesus and then call on His name
and be saved.
The truth of the matter is that there are people all around the world, and even here in our town, who have either
never heard of Jesus or have heard only lies about Jesus. They’ve never heard the truth about Jesus so they can’t
believe in Him, call on His name and be saved. Later in small groups we’re going to talk more about how these
verses in Romans should encourage those of us who know the truth and believe the truth about Jesus to get out
there and tell others.
But first we’re going to look at a story from the Bible and see how Paul handled the truth that Jesus is the only
Savior and people must know Him to be saved. We’re going to read from Acts 17.
The background on the story is that Paul was in Athens (Greece) and he was waiting on Silas and Timothy.
Let’s read and see what happened while he was there
Acts 17:16-34
Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was
full of idols.
He must have walked around the city, and he would have seen all the temples and statues designed for people to
worship the Greek gods.
So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with
those who happened to be there.
17

He talked to people everywhere. He wanted them to HEAR the truth so that they could BELIEVE and be
SAVED.
Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler
wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus
and the resurrection.
Did you catch that? The men in Athens thought Paul was telling them to worship foreign gods. But he was
preaching about the One True God.
And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you
are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things
mean.” Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except
telling or hearing something new.
They gave Paul an opportunity to speak the truth. They were curious what he was talking about, and he took the
chance to tell them the truth about Jesus.
So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very
religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this
inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
He pointed out all of their idols and told them that he wanted them to know about a God that was unknown to
them but was known to Paul. He wanted to introduce them to the One True God.
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples
made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all
mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the
face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they
should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one
of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we
are indeed his offspring.’
Listen again to some of the truths about God that Paul made sure that the men in Athens heard that day. God
made the world, God doesn’t live in man-made temples, God needs nothing, God provides all things, God gives
us our breath and life, God made us all from Adam, God is sovereign over all things and times and places for all
people, and all of this is to remind us that we need Him.
Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image
formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all
people everywhere to repent,
Because of all of these truths about God, we can be sure that God isn’t one of the idols that Paul saw in Athens.
Then, Paul tells them what they should do now that they’ve heard the truth. They should repent. They should
turn away from their sin, turn away from their idols, and turn to Him.
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because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed;
and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
And then Paul gives the reason why people should repent and believe in Jesus; because God raised Jesus from
the dead and Jesus is coming back to judge the world.)
Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again
about this.” So Paul went out from their midst. But some men joined him and believed.
What was the reaction of the people? Some people sneered and made fun of him. Others wanted to hear more.
And a few men who had heard the truth about Jesus, believed in Him and became followers of Jesus.
After hearing this story, I wonder something. What would have happened if Paul hadn’t spoken to the men in
Athens and told them the truth? They wouldn’t have heard; they wouldn’t have believed, and they wouldn’t
have been saved.
That’s the big truth from the Bible that we want to make sure everyone takes home with them today. To be
saved, people have to hear the truth about Jesus, and that means that someone needs to tell them the truth.
We’ll talk about this a lot more in small groups, but first let’s sing a song that summarizes the truth that we’ve
been talking about. None of us on our own can ever be good enough for God, we all need Jesus to rescue us
from our sin.
Pray
Let’s pray.
“Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us once again this morning that we all are sinners in need of a Savior.
Thank You for helping us see the truth that people need to hear about Jesus in order to be saved. Help us to learn
more today about what it means to know you through Jesus and help us to be bold to tell our friends the truth
and you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.”
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Before the Session:

 The Unknown God - one set of “guess the word” pages per group, markers, Bibles
 Praise the Known God – nothing needed
 Have They Heard - one large world map, a set of people prayer cards (20 cards per group), markers or
colored pencils, Bibles, an “unreached people group” map
 Confess with Your Mouth – one set of memory verse pages
FLASHBACK: Last week we learned that good works are the fruit (result) of a life that has been changed by
God. We looked at several examples from the Bible and saw that they lived their lives differently to the world
around them because they knew God.
1. The Unknown God (Review and Scripture Search)

WHAT YOU NEED: one set of “guess the word” pages per
group, markers, Bibles
As kids come back from large group, have them review the
story that they just heard. Have them remind you what Paul
spent his time in Athens doing. He was reasoning with them and preaching the good news of Jesus. Remind
them that the people in Athens are Greek and they worship all the Greeks gods. As Paul was looking around
town, he saw idols to all these gods and even saw a statue to the “unknown God.” He used that statue as an
opportunity to preach to them about the God who was unknown to them, but who is the one true God and is
known through His Word, through the world He created and through Jesus.
Read Acts 17:23-32 to remind the whole group what Paul preached about God.
Then, show kids the “guess the word” pages one at a time. Show kids that each page has blanks representing the
letters of a word that tells us something about God and a Bible verse where we read that truth about God. Post
all the pages on the wall in your small group area. Have kids guess one letter at a time and fill it in on whichever
of the pages contain that word. Once a word is completed (or guessed- especially in some of the older groups)
20

have one of the kids in the group- or you if you have all non-readers- look up and read the verse indicated on the
page. Continue until you’ve uncovered all the truths about God and remind kids that these are the things that
Paul taught the people in Athens when he told them the truth about Jesus.
[HEART TO HEART] After going through all these truths about Jesus, remind kids of the truth they heard
in large group that people must know Jesus and believe in Him to be saved. Make sure your group is clear on
the truth of the Gospel. God made people to be in a perfect relationship with Him, but we are all separated
from Him because of sin and the only way we can be forgiven of our sin and brought back into relationship
with God is through Jesus.
SAY: “The truth of the matter is that [THE POINT] Jesus is the only Savior and people must know Him to be
saved. Acts 4:12 says, ‘And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved.’ That verse clearly tells us that it’s important to know and believe the
truth about Jesus and that Jesus is the only way to be saved.”
FYI: The words on the pages are:
 Genesis 1:1 – Creator

 Deuteronomy 3:24 – Sovereign
 Isaiah 42:5 – Gives
 Psalm 75:7 – Judge
 Genesis 1:27 – Made man
2. Praise the Known God (Prayer)

Remind students of the previous activity and how Paul introduced the One True God to the people in Athens.
Ask kids to each choose one of the attributes of God that you discovered in Acts 17 and through the ‘guess the
word’ game. Then, take a few minutes saying sentence prayers of praise, praising God for who He is and what
He is like. Encourage each of the kids to say a simple prayer… God, I praise you because you are______.
Close the prayer time with your own prayer of praise and then pray for the kids in the group that they would get
to know the One True God and worship Him alone.
[HEART TO HEART] Share with the kids in the group how one or more of the truths about God seen in Acts
17 helps you to understand the truth of the Gospel and your need of a Savior.
SAY: “When Paul was in Athens, he took the opportunity to speak the truth of the Gospel to everyone he met.
Paul knew and understood that [THE POINT] Jesus is the only Savior and people must know Him to be saved.
Paul didn’t want the people of Athens to be confused and keep on worshipping false gods and an unknown God.
He wanted them to know the One True God and worship Him alone.”
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3. Have They Heard? (Application/ Prayer)
WHAT YOU NEED: one large world map, a set of
people prayer cards (20 cards per group), markers or
colored pencils, Bibles, an “unreached people group”
map
Start out by reading Luke 24:46-47. Explain that Jesus is talking to the disciples after coming back to life and is
reminding them of the truth of the gospel and the importance of them sharing the gospel with the world.
Then, briefly talk through the following points

1. Everyone in the whole world is a sinner and needs to be saved.
2. To be saved you must turn away from sin and turn to Jesus.
3. To turn to Jesus, someone needs to tell you about Jesus.
4. When we tell people about Jesus, we need to tell them that Jesus died and rose again to pay for our sin
Take a few minutes to discuss the truth that Jesus Himself said that people need to hear about Him and believe
in Him to be saved.
Then ask: Are there still people today that haven’t heard about Jesus? Yes. How can they be saved? Only by
hearing the truth about Jesus, repenting of their sin, and turning to Him. Where are these people that have never
heard? Well, let’s play a little game to find them.
Post the world map on the wall in your small group area. Show kids the stack of people prayer cards. Explain
that some of these people are unreached, which means they are a group of people who have either never heard of
Jesus, or heard very little of Jesus, or groups where some people have heard but very few- if any- have
responded by repenting and believing in Jesus.
Then have kids one at a time choose a card and pin/ tape it to the map approximately where these people are
from.
Kids should notice after a few cards that most of the people groups are around the middle of the map. Explain
that the most unreached people in the world are in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Show kids the green/
yellow/ red map. Talk about the map:
 RED represents places with very few Christians if any at all. Many of these places it is against the law
to tell people about Jesus and dangerous for Christians.
 YELLOW represents places where there are Christians and there are churches, but a lot of people don’t
really understand the good news of Jesus. Many of the people in these places would say they are
Christian because they aren’t Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist, but they don’t really know Jesus.
 GREEN represents places with many Christians and churches that teach the Bible. Being a green area
does not mean that everyone is a Christian, but only that there are enough Christians there to tell people
about Jesus. For example, much of North America is green, but there are MANY, MANY people in
America who don’t know Jesus and need someone to tell them the good news.
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Then, have one of the kids in the group read (or quote) Matthew 28:19-20. Remind the kids that Jesus
commanded His disciples to go and preach the good news of Jesus to all nations, Jesus told His disciples that
people needed to hear the truth about Him to repent and believe and yet, 2000 years later there are still people
who haven’t heard.
Read Romans 10:13-15 and ask them what we should do based on those verses. Pray that someone will be sent
to tell all these unreached people the good news, pray that they would hear, and if we are followers of Jesus, we
should be bold and tell people everywhere the good news about Jesus, because we know that hearing the truth,
repenting, and calling on the name of Jesus is the only way that they will be saved.
Have each kid choose one of the people prayer cards to take home with them and encourage them to pray for
these people and to pray that God will send someone to tell them the truth of the Gospel.
SAY: “The truth we’ve seen all morning is that [THE POINT] Jesus is the only Savior and people must know
Him to be saved. And yet, all around the world are people who have never heard the truth.”
4. Confess with Your Mouth (Memory Verse)

WHAT YOU NEED: one set of memory verse pages
Ask the group if they have ever heard cheerleaders at a football game
or some other game get the crowd to help them cheer by saying a few
words and then having the crowd repeat the words back to them.
Explain that you’re going to do something like that to help them learn
this month’s memory verse. Post all the memory verse pages in order
along the wall in verse order. Have the kids all say the verse together.
Explain that you’re going to randomly say one part of the verse and then point at them to say the next part. Mix
the verse up and say all the parts in different orders a couple of time. Then, close by having the whole group say
the whole verse together.
SAY: “Our verse reminds us of the truth that [THE POINT] Jesus is the only Savior and people must know
Him to be saved.”
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Before the Session:

 Tell Me About the ‘Unknown’ God - one poster board/ large piece of paper for every 3-4 kids, Bibles,
pencils/ markers
 Praise the Known God – nothing needed
 Have They Heard – one large world map, a set of people prayer cards (20 cards per group), markers or
colored pencils, Bibles, an “unreached people group” map
 Confess With Your Mouth – one piece of blank paper per kid, Bibles, markers
FLASHBACK: Last week we learned that good works are the fruit (result) of a life that has been changed by
God. We looked at several examples from the Bible and saw that they lived their lives differently to the world
around them because they knew God.
1. The “Unknown” God (Review and Application)

WHAT YOU NEED: one poster board/ large piece of paper for every 3-4 kids, Bibles, pencils/ markers
Have kids review for you the story that they just heard and remind you what Paul spent his time in Athens
doing. He was reasoning with the people and preaching the good news of Jesus. Remind them that the people in
Athens are Greek and that they worship all the Greeks gods. Talk briefly about how as Paul was looking around
town, he saw idols to all of these gods and even saw a statue to the “unknown God” and that he used that statue
as an opportunity to preach to them about the God who was unknown to them, but who is the one true God and
is known through His Word, through the world He created, and through Jesus.
Have one of the kids in the group read Acts 17:23-32 to remind the group what Paul preached about God. Then,
divide the group into teams of 3-4. Give each team a Bible, a poster board, and markers/ pencils. Explain that
their job is to illustrate truths about who God is and what He is like. They can include truths that Paul mentions
in this sermon, or other truths in the Bible. They can draw a picture representing different things that are true
about God, they can fill the page with word graffiti, they can write a poem, anything to show that we can truly
know God through the Bible.
24

After a few minutes bring all the groups back together to discuss the truths about God that Paul preached and the
truths that they illustrated.
[HEART TO HEART] Remind kids of the truth they heard in large group that people must hear about and
believe in Jesus to be saved. Ask kids to share with you some of the things that some of their friends (or
people they know) believe about Jesus. As they share things, talk about the importance of know the whole
truth…knowing the truth that God made us to be in relationship with Him, but we rebelled against Him and
sinned and could never be good enough for God on our own, so God sent Jesus to earth to die on the cross in
our place so that everyone who believes in Him will be saved.
SAY: “The truth of the matter is that [THE POINT] Jesus is the only Savior and people must know Him to be
saved. Acts 4:12 says, ‘And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved.’ That verse clearly tells us that Jesus is the only way to be saved.”
2. Praise the Known God (Prayer)

Remind kids of the previous activity and how Paul introduced the One True God to the people in Athens. Ask
the kids to each choose one of the attributes of God that you uncovered through Acts 17 and the crossword
puzzles. Then, take a few minutes saying sentence prayers of praise, praising God for who He is and what He is
like. Close the prayer time with your own prayer of praise and then pray for the kids in the group that they
would get to know the One True God and worship Him alone.
[HEART TO HEART] Share with the kids in the group how one or more of the truths about God seen in Acts
17 helps you to understand the truth of the Gospel and your need of a Savior.
SAY: “When Paul was in Athens, he took the opportunity to speak the truth of the Gospel with everyone he met.
Paul knew and understood that [THE POINT] Jesus is the only Savior and people must know Him to be saved.
Paul didn’t want the people of Athens to be confused and keep on worshipping false gods and even an unknown
God. He wanted them to know the One True God and worship Him alone.”
3. Have They Heard? (Scripture Search/ Prayer)

WHAT YOU NEED: one large world map, a set of
people prayer cards (20 cards per group), markers or
colored pencils, Bibles, an “unreached people group”
map
Start out by reading Luke 24:46-47. Explain that

Jesus is talking to the disciples after coming back to
life and is reminding them of the truth of the gospel and the importance of them sharing the gospel with the
world.
25

Discuss the following questions and help the kids in the group answer the questions from the verses you just
read. (The following questions and discussion points come from “Big Truths for Young Hearts” page 188).
 What is the present condition of the people as Jesus describes them here? - - They are sinners in need of
forgiveness. They haven’t been saved yet.
 What must happen for them to be forgiven/ saved? - - They must repent
 What is needed for them to repent? - - Someone needs to preach the truth of Jesus to them.
 What should be the content of the message that they need to hear? - - That Jesus died and rose again.
 Who does this apply to? Who and where are the unrepentant sinners? - - In all nations; all over the
world, beginning in Jerusalem (even the Jews in Jerusalem who believed in God under the law needed
to hear about and believe in Jesus in order to be saved.
Take a few minutes to discuss the truth that Jesus Himself said that people need to hear about Him and believe
in Him to be saved.
Then ask: Are there still people today that haven’t heard about Jesus? Yes. How can they be saved? Only by
hearing the truth about Jesus, repenting of their sin, and turning to Him. Where are these people that have never
heard? Well, let’s play a little game to find them.
Post the world map on the wall in your small group area. Show kids the stack of people prayer cards. Explain
that some of these people are unreached, which means they are a group of people who have either never heard of
Jesus, or heard very little of Jesus, or groups where some people have heard but very few- if any- have
responded by repenting and believing in Jesus.
Then have kids one at a time choose a card and pin/ tape it to the map approximately where these people are
from.
Kids should notice after a few cards that most of the people groups are around the middle of the map. Explain
that the most unreached people in the world are in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Show kids the green/
yellow/ red map. Talk about the map:
 RED represents places with very few Christians if any at all. Many of these places it is against the law
to tell people about Jesus and dangerous for Christians.
 YELLOW represents places where there are Christians and there are churches, but a lot of people don’t
really understand the good news of Jesus. Many of the people in these places would say they are
Christian because they aren’t Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist, but they don’t really know Jesus.
 GREEN represents places with many Christians and churches that teach the Bible. Being a green area
does not mean that everyone is a Christian, but only that there are enough Christians there to tell people
about Jesus. For example, much of North America is green, but there are MANY, MANY people in
America who don’t know Jesus and need someone to tell them the good news.
Then, have one of the kids in the group read (or quote) Matthew 28:19-20. Remind the kids that Jesus
commanded His disciples to go and preach the good news of Jesus to all nations, Jesus told His disciples that
26

people needed to hear the truth about Him to repent and believe and yet, 2000 years later there are still people
who haven’t heard.
Read Romans 10:13-15 and ask them what we should do based on those verses. Pray that someone will be sent
to tell all these unreached people the good news, pray that they would hear, and if we are followers of Jesus, we
should be bold and tell people everywhere the good news about Jesus, because we know that hearing the truth,
repenting, and calling on the name of Jesus is the only way that they will be saved.
Have each kid choose one of the people prayer cards to take home with them and encourage them to pray for
these people and to pray that God will send someone to tell them the truth of the Gospel.
SAY: “The truth we’ve seen all morning is that [THE POINT] Jesus is the only Savior and people must know
Him to be saved. And yet, all around the world are people who have never heard the truth.”
4. Confess with Your Mouth (Memory Verse)

WHAT YOU NEED: one piece of blank paper per kid, Bibles, markers
Have one of the kids in the group read Romans 10:9-15. Explain that this passage begins with our challenge
verse for the week (Romans 10:9). Discuss together the truths you see about salvation in these verses. Then,
explain to the kids that you want them to design a poster with the truths from these verses on it. They can write
out the whole thing, they can write out verse 9 or the whole passage, they can illustrate the concept/ truth behind
the verses, they can write some and draw some or do whatever will help them to learn the verse and to grasp the
truth behind the verses.
Give kids time to work and then have them share their posters with the rest of the group. Say verse 9 together a
couple of times.
SAY: “Our verse for the week reminds us of the truth that [THE POINT] Jesus is the only Savior and people
must know Him to be saved.”
1- Who needs to hear about Jesus? Is there anyone who

doesn’t need to hear about Jesus?
2- Romans 10 says that people need to hear the gospel to be

saved? How important then is it for us to tell people about
27

Jesus?

Using a set of Bible cards, play a simple game called “Get in Order.” Deal out all the cards evenly among the
kids. Then, work together to play the cards in order. The person who has Genesis plays their card, then the
person who has Exodus, etc. You might want to have the whole group say all the books together, or you may
want to have one kid saying (or reading) the books and not watching the game play and challenge the kids to
play their card before the next one has been called out.
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Theme: Big Truths Unit 5 – The Church of Jesus Christ
Memory Verse: “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three
thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of
bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:41-42
Challenge Verse: “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” John 10:14
Bible Story: What is the Church? – Ephesians 1 & 1 Corinthians 12
The Point: Jesus is the Lord of the Church
Introduction – Who’s the Boss? (5-8 minutes)

Before large group, spend some time chatting with the kids about who the leaders are in various situations.
Name a situation or a group of people; class, school, church, country, army, herd of sheep, etc. and have the kids
in the group name who (or what) is in charge in that situation. Have the kids help you think of other groups or
situations and discuss the leaders in those various groups. With older groups you may want to name specific
leaders- like presidents of countries.
SAY: “Every situation we find ourselves in has a specific leader. Someone is always in charge. This morning
we’re going to be talking about a specific group and who the leader is of that group. Listen closely and see if
you can figure out what group we’re talking about and who that leader is.”
Jesus is Lord of the Church - Big Truths 5.7

Welcome
“Good morning! This morning we started out by talking about who the leader is in different situations or places.
Everywhere we go, we’ll always find someone who is in charge. And, as we see in the Bible there is one leader
who is in charge or in control everywhere. I’m sure you guys figured out that I’m talking about God.”
Worship Time
“What is the word that we use to describe the fact that God is in charge? Right, we say that He is sovereign -
which means that He reigns or rules over all things. Let’s sing a song that reminds us of that truth along with
several other truths about who God is and what He is like.”
Awesome God
“When we think about the truth that God is awesome, I think one of the most awesome truths about Him is that
He sent His Only Son to earth to die in our place. Romans 6:23 tells us that all of us deserved punishment. We
had all sinned and the punishment for sin is death, but Jesus took the punishment that we deserved and died on
the cross in our place. Let’s sing a song that remind us of that verse and the truth that Jesus died for His people.”
Hey Man
Study God’s Word

“For the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about salvation and what it means that salvation is through Jesus
alone. This week, we’re going to switch gears a bit and for the next few weeks we’re going to be talking about
the church.
When you hear the word church, what is the first thing that pops into your head? (Pause for responses).
If you went out on the street and asked people what they think of when they hear the word church, some of the
responses you’d likely get are: old buildings, lots of stained-glass windows, a place where people talk about
God, a place where people sing songs, etc.
What we’re going to see over the next few weeks is that while some of those things describe what happens in a
church, none of those are real descriptions of the church.
The Bible tells us that the church is a gathering of God’s people. In the Bible we can also find several examples
or illustrations that help us make sense of what the church really is. We’re going to talk about one of these
illustrations here in large group and you’ll have a chance in small group to talk about a couple of other
illustrations.

Let’s get started by reading Ephesians 1:22-23. (have the verse displayed throughout the lesson)
And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his
body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
God put Jesus in charge of all things, including the church. Jesus is the head, and the church is His body. (Hold
out your hand and wave)
What did my hand just do? Right, it waved. How did it wave? Muscles twitched and moved the bones and the
whole thing became a wave.
What made it wave? My brain sent a signal to the muscles to make them move. I waved because my brain (or
my head) told my hand to wave. Without my brain, my hand could not have waved. My brain is in charge of my
body, just like Jesus is in charge of the church.
Let’s go on and read another passage in the bible that talks about the parts of the body and how the church is the
body and Jesus is the head - 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.
1 Corinthians is a letter written by Paul to the church in Corinth.
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one
body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free
—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
Paul starts out his explanation of the church by saying that just like a body has many parts and is one body, the
church has many parts and is all one church. The human body, even just counting muscles, bones and major
organs has about 900 parts, then there is hair and skin and blood and each of the parts is many up of thousands
of cells. Our bodies are amazing creations and God has put all our pieces together in just the right order to make
a body.
14
For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand,
I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say,
“Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If
the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would
be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If
all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The body has many different parts and each one is important. No one part is more important than the others and
if the whole body was made up of the same parts it wouldn’t be a complete body.
What would it be like if everyone in the church was a preacher? Who would listen to God’s Word being
preached? Or, what if everyone in the church was a listener and there was no one to preach? We need all the
parts and all the parts work together to make the body of Christ.
21
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of
you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of
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the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated
with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body,
giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members
may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored,
all rejoice together.
So, Paul goes through all these explanations of the body where sometimes you can’t be sure if he’s talking about
a human body or the church and then he gets to the point in verse 27.
27
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Remember he’s talking to the church in Corinth here. He’s talking to the church, and He says, you are the body
of Christ and each one of you is a part of it.
That’s the point that we want everyone to take home with them today. Jesus is in charge of the church. Just like
the head is in charge of the body, Jesus is in charge of the church. Jesus is the Lord of the church. He reigns
over the church.
As we go to small groups in a few minutes, you’ll have a chance to talk more about this illustration of the
church as well as discover a couple of other illustrations about the church that we see in the Bible, but they all
have one thing in common. They all point to the truth that Jesus is the Lord of the church.”
Before we go to small groups, let’s close by singing a song that reminds us of the truth behind the church; the
reason that we have a church. That reason is that Jesus came and died on the cross in the place of his children so
that we could live forever with Him.”
The Gospel Song
Pray
Let’s pray.
“Heavenly Father, thank you for Your Word and for the way that Your Word teaches us about who You are and
who we are in relation to You. Help us as we go to small groups to learn more about what the church is and
what it means to be a part of the church or a part of the body of Christ. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.”

Before the Session:

 What is the Church? - 3 “what is the church?” puzzles, clear tape, Bibles
 Pray for the Church - one set of “around the church” prayer cards, Bibles
 Follow Your Leader – one set of verse cards (different color per group) for every 4-6 kids and one
blindfold per group…Try to have at least 2 groups if possible
 Draw the Church – Bibles, one piece of blank paper per kid, markers
FLASHBACK: Last week we finished up our unit on salvation by looking at the story of Paul preaching to the
people in Athens and telling them that God is the only true God and that the only way to be saved is through
Jesus.
1. What is the Church? (Review and Scripture Search)

WHAT YOU NEED: 3 “what is the church?” puzzles, clear tape, Bibles
 To prepare for this activity, print puzzle pages double sided and cut
each puzzle page into 6-8 pieces
After large group, explain that what they just heard is one of the illustrations
used in the Bible to teach about the relationship between Jesus and the church,
and that as a group they’re going to review that one and the discover two
others.
Divide the group into 3 teams and give each team one of the sets of puzzle pieces. Explain that they should work
together to put the puzzle together and then they should use the clear tape to tape it together so that they can turn
the whole page over. On the back of the puzzle, they’ll find a Bible verse reference. They should read the verses
together and try and figure out how these verses describe the relationship between Jesus and the church.

Once all 3 groups have finished their puzzles, either read the passages together as a group, or at least be
prepared to discuss the illustrations used in the 3 passages. Help kids to see that all three illustrations show a
leader and a follower, and all three illustrations show connection; things that are made to be together and can’t
be separated.
If you have non-readers: Have them work in teams to put the puzzles together, then you can read the passages to
the whole group and discuss them as a group. Let kids know that if there is time at the end of the session, they’ll
get a chance to draw the illustration that they just read about.
[HEART TO HEART] Using the example of the sheep and the shepherd help kids to see the truth of the
Gospel. Remind them that in John 10, Jesus refers to Himself as the Good shepherd who cares for His sheep
and provides for them and ultimately lays down His life for His sheep. Ask the kids why Jesus laid down His
life for His sheep and discuss how sin had poisoned all our lives and separated us from God, but Jesus came
and laid down His life (Romans 5:8), taking the punishment that we deserved to bring us safely into the fold
and present us before God as spotless. Also point out the fact that Jesus knows His sheep (and His sheep
know Him) before He calls them. Remind them of the discussion from a several weeks ago when we
discussed how God chose His people before the creation of the world and then Jesus came to call them to
Himself and lay His down for them.
SAY: “The word church literally means called out ones. The church is the people whom God has called out of
the world to be His. Those He has chosen to be separated from the world and to live as His. Those He has
chosen to live under His leadership. All three of the analogies about the church that we’ve discussed this
morning all point to the truth that [THE POINT] Jesus is Lord of the Church.”
2. Pray for the Church (Prayer and Scripture Search)

WHAT YOU NEED: one set of “around the church” prayer
cards, Bibles
 Before this activity, tape the “around the church” prayer

cards around the room.
Ask the kids to tell you the things that they usually pray for when
they pray. Then ask if any of them ever pray for the church. Have kids in the group read the following verses
which are all examples of things that Paul prayed for the church: Romans 1:8-12, 1 Corinthians 1:4,
Ephesians 1:15-19. Point out the kinds of things that Paul prayed for the church.
Then point out the prayer cards on the walls around the room. Explain that you’re going to go on a prayer walk.
Divide the kids into as many groups as you have leaders. Walk from card to card. Have one of the kids read the
card when you get to it. Each card is a specific prayer for the church based on the prayers of Paul. After reading
the card, either you or a volunteer from the group should say a brief prayer for that situation before the group
moves on to the next card.

Once your group has made it around to all the cards, close the prayer time by praying for the church. Pray for
specific needs in your church and pray that God would help you learn more about what it means to be part of
His church.
3. Follow Your Leader (Memory Verse)

WHAT YOU NEED: one set of verse cards (different color per group) for every 4-6 kids and one
blindfold per group…Try to have at least 2 groups if possible
 Before this activity, tape the verse cards for all groups randomly around the room
Start the activity by having one of the kids in the group remind you of some of the truths about
Jesus and the church that you see in John 10 where it talks about Jesus being the Good Shepherd.
Point out the references in the passage to the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd. Make sure they
notice that the sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd and follow him and the truth that the shepherd knows
his sheep and the sheep know their shepherd. Then, compare this illustration of the sheep and the shepherd with
the other illustrations of the church that they’ve talked about this morning; body/ head and bride/ bridegroom.
Point out how all these illustrations point to one leading and the other following. [Wives are called to submit to
their husbands who are called to lead them. And nothing in the body works without the head (the brain) telling it
what to do.]
Explain that you’re going to play a game to illustrate this idea (of the shepherd leading his sheep by the sheep
listening to his voice) and help us learn this week’s challenge verse. Divide into groups and assign colors.
Each group should choose one caller (someone who can give clear instructions to be followed by others in the
group) and blindfold the first player from each team. Blindfolded players will go out into the room listening to
their callers to collect one verse card each. Once they collect a card, the caller will instruct them to take off their
blindfold and return to the group area. They’ll give their blindfold to the next player who the caller will instruct
out into the room to get the next card. Play will continue until teams have collected all their cards.
(If time is short- - have kids collect multiple cards each time they’re out).
Once groups have collected all their cards, they should race to put the verse together and read it out loud
together as a group.
SAY: “Our verse for the week talks about the truth that believers listen to and follow the voice of their shepherd
(Jesus). This verse helps us to remember that [THE POINT] Jesus is Lord of the church.”
4. Draw the Church (Scripture Search)

WHAT YOU NEED: Bibles, one piece of blank paper per kid, markers
After discussing the illustrations that teach that Jesus is the Lord of the Church, have one of the kids in the
group read Matthew 16:13-18 and then talk through the passage.
7

Let kids know that this was the first time that Jesus’ disciples knew who He was (although they continued to be
confused until the very end). In verse 16, Peter clearly states that He believes Jesus to be the Christ - or the
Messiah - and that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus then responds to Peter by saying that He (Jesus) would build
His church on this rock. The rock is the truth that Peter just stated. In these few short verses, we learn several
truths about the church.
Discuss these points based on the other truths that you’ve discussed today:
 Jesus is the Lord of the church. The church belongs to Jesus. He is the shepherd- the church is His
sheep. He is the bridegroom- the church is His bride. He is the head- the church is His body. These
things belong together and cannot be separated.
 Jesus is the one who builds the church. We can and should tell people about Jesus. We can and should
preach the Gospel. But we cannot make someone become part of the church, that’s God’s job. God is
the one who calls His people. God is the one who makes someone one of His sheep or part of His body.
 The church is built on the truth of Peter’s statement. The church is built on the truth that Jesus is the
Messiah, He is the One who came into the world to take the punishment for His people (John 1:14, Luke
19:10, Romans 6:23).
Then, give each kid a blank piece of paper and ask them to draw the church. After talking about the church
using various illustrations, remind the kids that the church isn’t a building, but the church is God’s people, the
church is the sheep who follow Jesus as their shepherd, the church is the bride waiting for her bridegroom
(Jesus), the church is a body that takes its orders from its head (Jesus) and wouldn’t exist without Him, and the
church is built on the truth that Jesus is the Messiah (the One who came to earth to die for His people).
Give kids time to draw and discuss their drawings with them while they work, while reminding them of the truth
that Jesus is the Lord of the church.
SAY: “The truth we’ve been talking about this morning is that [THE POINT] Jesus is Lord of the church. It’s
His church. Everyone around the world who has ever lived and who ever will live who believes in Jesus belongs
to Him and is part of His church.”

Before the Session:

 Body, Bride, and Sheep - 2 large pieces of paper/ poster board, markers & Bibles
 Pray for the Church - one set of “around the church” cards, markers, Bibles
 Follow Your Leader – one set of verse cards (different color for every 3-5 kids) and one blindfold
group
 Whose Church Is It? – Bibles, a copy of your church’s Statement of Faith (or something that shows
what your church teaches)
FLASHBACK: Last week we finished up our unit on salvation by looking at the story of Paul preaching to the
people in Athens and telling them that God is the only true God and that the only way to be saved is through
Jesus.
1. Body, Bride, and Sheep (Review and Scripture Search)

WHAT YOU NEED: 2 large pieces of paper/ poster board, markers & Bibles
After large group, have your group review the truth that they just heard about the church. If you have any kids in
your group who weren’t there for large group, you might want to very quickly review the truths seen in 1
Corinthians 12 about the church being the body of Christ and Jesus being the head of the church. Explain that
this is just one of the analogies (or examples) used in the Bible to explain the relationship between Jesus and the
church, and that as a group they’ll research some of the others.
Divide into 2 teams and give each team a large piece of paper and make sure that each group has at least one
Bible and some markers. Assign Ephesians 5:22-27 to one group and John 10:1-5, 11-18 to the other group.
Explain that they should read their verses together as a group and discuss how this analogy illustrates the truth
that Jesus is the Lord of the church. Groups should then work together like a team of advertisers working on an
ad campaign and make a poster/ billboard ad or a storyboard (like a comic) for a commercial ad that illustrates
9

Jesus being Lord of the church using their analogy. Give groups time to work and then bring the groups back
together and have them present their ads explaining what they illustrated and why.
[HEART TO HEART] Using the analogy of the sheep and the shepherd help kids to see the truth of the
Gospel. Remind them that in John 10 Jesus refers to Himself as the Good shepherd who cares for His sheep,
provides for them, and ultimately lays down His life for His sheep. Ask the kids why Jesus laid down His life
for His sheep and discuss how sin had poisoned all our lives and separated us from God, but Jesus came and
laid down His life (Romans 5:8), taking the punishment that we deserved to bring us safely into the fold and
present us before God as spotless. Also point out the fact that Jesus knows His sheep (and His sheep know
Him) before He calls them. Remind them of the discussion from a several weeks ago when we discussed how
God chose His people before the creation of the world and then Jesus came to call them to Himself and lay
His down for them.
SAY: “The word church literally means called out ones. The church is the people whom God has called out of
the world to be His; the people He has chosen to be separated from the world and to live as His, the people He
has chosen to live under His leadership. All three of the analogies about the church that we’ve discussed this
morning point to the truth that [THE POINT] Jesus is Lord of
the Church.”
2. Pray for the Church (Prayer and Scripture Search)

WHAT YOU NEED: one set of “around the church” cards,
markers, Bibles
Ask the kids to tell you the things that they usually pray for when
they pray. Then ask if any of them ever pray for the church. Have kids in the group read the following verses
which are all examples of things that Paul prayed for the church: Romans 1:8-12, 1 Corinthians 1:4,
Ephesians 1:15-19.
Point out the kinds of things that Paul prayed for the church.
Then, based on the verses you just read, help students come up with things to pray for concerning each of the
“around the church” cards. Help them focus on things that would be in accord with the kinds of things that Paul
prayed for the church, focusing on heart issues more than physical needs. Once you’ve written prayers (or
prayer needs) on each of the cards, display them where the whole group can see them and have students in the
group take turns praying for the church based on the cards.
After all students have prayed, close the prayer time by praying for the church using the prayer prompts on the
cards. Pray for specific needs in your church and pray that God would help us to learn more about what it means
to be part of His church.
10

3. Follow Your Leader (Memory Verse)
WHAT YOU NEED: one set of verse cards (different color for every 3-5 kids) and one blindfold
group
Before this activity, tape the verse cards for all the groups in the room randomly around the room
Start by having one of the kids read John 10:1-18. Have kids point out the references in the
passage to the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd. Make sure they notice that the
sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd and follow him, as well as the truth that the shepherd knows his sheep
and the sheep know their shepherd.
Then, compare this reference of the sheep and the shepherd with the other analogies of the church: body/ head
and bride/ bridegroom. Point out how all these analogies point to one leading and the other following: sheep are
led by a shepherd, wives are called to submit to their husbands who are called to lead them, and nothing in the
body works without the head (the brain) telling it what to do.
Explain that you’re going to play a game to illustrate this phenomenon (of the shepherd leading his sheep by the
sheep listening to his voice) and help us learn our memory verses. Divide into teams of 3-5 and let the teams
know which color belongs to their team.
Then, each team should choose one caller (someone who can give clear instructions to be followed by others in
the group) and blindfold the first player from each team. Blindfolded players will go out into the room listening
to their callers to collect one verse card each. Once they collect a card, the caller will instruct them to take off
their blindfold and return to the team area. They’ll give their blindfold to the next player who the caller will
instruct out into the room to get the next card. Play will continue until teams have collected all their cards. (if
time is short- - play with only one of the verses or have kids collect multiple cards each time they’re out).
Once groups have collected all their cards, they should race to put both verses together and read them out loud
together as a group.
SAY: “Our challenge verse talks about the truth that believers listen to and follow the voice of their shepherd
(Jesus). This verse helps us to remember that [THE POINT] Jesus is Lord of the church. To be a part of the
church you need to know your shepherd. And our main verse for the unit reminds us what the first church did
and how they worked together to worship God and love others.”
4. Who’s Church Is It? (Scripture Search)

WHAT YOU NEED: Bibles, a copy of your church’s Statement of Faith (or something that shows what your
church teaches)
After discussing the analogies that point us to the truth that Jesus is the Lord of the Church, have one of the
kids in the group read Matthew 16:13-18. Talk through the passage. Let kids know that this was the first time
that Jesus’ disciples knew who He was (although they continued to be confused until the very end). In verse 16,
Peter clearly states that He believes Jesus to be the Christ- or the Messiah- and that Jesus is the Son of God.
11

Jesus then responds to Peter by saying that He (Jesus) would build His church on this rock; on the rock of the
truth that Peter just stated.
In these few short verses, we learn several truths about the church.
Discuss these points based on the other truths that you’ve discussed this morning…
 Jesus is the Lord of the church; the church belongs to Jesus. He is the shepherd- the church is His
sheep. He is the bridegroom- the church is His bride. He is the head- the church is His body. These
things belong together and cannot be separated.
 Jesus is the one who builds the church. We can and should tell people about Jesus. We can and should
preach the Gospel. But we cannot make someone become part of the church, that’s God’s job. God is
the one who calls His people. God is the one who makes someone one of His sheep or part of His body.
 The church is built on the truth of Peter’s statement. The church is built on the truth that Jesus is the
Messiah- the One who came into the world to take the punishment for His people (John 1:14, Luke
19:10, Romans 6:23).
Talk about the fact that your church is built on this same truth (the truth of the Gospel) and that we see that in
the church’s statement of faith. A statement of faith is a document that tells us what the church believes to be
true.
If time allows, read through your church’s statement of faith, and have kids look up a few of the scripture
references.
SAY: “The truth we’ve been talking a lot about this morning is that [THE POINT] Jesus is Lord of the church.
It’s His church. Everyone around the world who has ever lived and who ever will live who believes in Jesus
belongs to Him and is part of His church.”
1. How important to God is the church?
2. What are some pictures of the church in the New

Testament that help us understand how Christ is
the Lord of His church? How do they show the
relationship between Jesus and His people?
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Theme: Big Truths Unit 5 – The Church of Jesus Christ
Memory Verse: “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three
thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of
bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:41-42
Challenge Verse: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares
the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they
shall be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33
Bible Story: 10 Commandments – Exodus 20
The Point: God is in a covenant relationship with His people
Introduction – Broken Promises (5-8 minutes)

Before large group, talk a few minutes about deals that they have made or might make with their friends.
Examples: we’ll take 5 minutes turns on the bicycle, or if you win the game, I’ll let you borrow it. Then, talk
about deals that teachers or other people in authority might have made with them. (Ex: if you listen carefully, I
have a special treat at the end of class).
Ask the kids if they see the difference between these two types of deals. When you make a deal with a friend,
the two of you are equals and you both must keep your end of the deal. When someone in authority makes a deal
with you, they get to be the one to decide if you’ve kept your end of the deal. Explain that this morning we’re
going to talk about some deals or agreements that God has made with His people, and they should listen to
carefully to figure out if the deals were made between two equals or one in authority over the other.
SAY: “Whether we know it or not, we make deals all the time, with our friends, our parents, our teachers, and
even ourselves. This morning we’re going to hear about a deal or agreement that God made with His people and
how God kept His end of the deal even though the people did not.
13

Welcome
“Good morning! As we got started, we were talking about making deals with our friends. I’m going to make a
deal with you right now.
Hold up a large bag of candy.
The deal I’m going to make is that if you listen and participate well this morning, I’ll make sure everyone gets a
piece of candy at the end of large group. But there’s one catch to the deal, your small group leader (or you if
you’re a sole teacher) will get to decide if you can have it at the end of small group. It’s a double deal, and it
takes you doing something and me doing something.”
Worship Time
“We’ve all made deals or had deals made with us at some point in our lives, but this morning we’re not going to
be talking about deals that we make with other people, we’re going to talk about the deals or the covenants that
God made with His people.
What we’re going to see this morning as we talk about God making covenants with His people, is that when
God makes a covenant with His people that it’s a one-sided agreement. God didn’t sit down with His people and
ask for their opinions and ideas for making the deal. God didn’t give His people a choice between two different
deals. He simply told them what He expects from His people and how He will respond to His people if they
keep their end of the deal or not. What we’ll also see is that no matter how His people respond, God always
keeps His end of the deal. God is faithful. Let’s sing a song that reminds us that God is faithful.”
God is Faithful
“God is always faithful. He always does what He says He will do - no exceptions. God’s faithfulness is seen
clearly in Jesus coming to earth to save sinners. God kept the promise that He made in the very beginning to
rescue His people and He did it by sending His Son to earth to die in our place. Let’s sing to remember that
amazing truth.”
Study God’s Word

“Like I said earlier, this morning we’re talking about the relationship between God and His people and the
covenant that God made with His people. A covenant is deal or an agreement or a promise between two people,
or in the case we’re talking about this morning, between God and all His people.
14
A People of the New Covenant - Big Truths 5.12

We’re going to talk this morning about one of the covenants that God made with His people. The covenant that
we’re going to talk about this morning is a very familiar story, but it’s not something that a lot of people would
necessarily think of as a covenant. Some people might call it a list and some people might call it rules for how to
live, but it is a covenant between God and His people.
God had led His people out of slavery in Egypt. He had brought them through the Red Sea and out into the
dessert and then He called Moses up onto Mount Sinai and gives Moses stone tablets on which are written the
10 commandments. These commandments are a covenant between God and His people. We said earlier that a
covenant is an agreement between two or more people that specifies what each party will do. In the case of the
10 commandments, it also specifies what will happen of God’s people don’t keep their end of the deal.
Who can tell me where in the Bible we can read about the 10 commandments? Right, it’s in the book of Exodus,
after God has led His people out of Egypt. Let’s read from Exodus 20 starting in verse 1.
(Call 10 volunteers to come up and each read one of the commandments. They can either read from their own
Bibles, or you can have the verses printed out for them. If you print the verses out for them, consider have a
large # matching the commandment on the back of the page so they can hold it up after reading the verses.)
And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of slavery.
Before beginning the commandments, or the covenant with His people, God starts out by reminding them who
He is and why they should keep this covenant.
Then, God begins the commandments.

(#1) “You shall have no other gods before me.
God establishes Himself as their One and Only God. He alone deserves the #1 spot in their lives.
(#2) You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that
is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them,
for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the
fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep
my commandments.
God tells them not to bow down and worship anything else, not to make any idols to worship. And then He tells
them why they shouldn’t worship idols. God explains that He is jealous.
Remember back when we talked about why God made people? Who remembers why He made people in the
first place? Right, God made people to worship Him and to reflect Him to the world around them, so if His
people are worshipping idols, they aren’t doing what they were made to do, and God is jealous for their worship.
Then, He tells them what will happen if they do worship idols. He gives them the grounds of the covenant. If
they break this commandment, He will punish them and their children. We see this over and over in the history
of the Israelites as they worship Him for a while and then shift their focus to the idols of the world around them
and then God sends another nation to attack them or take them into slavery….and then they repent and turn back
to God.
(#3) “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who
takes his name in vain.
15

Next, He tells them that His name is Holy and again lays down some grounds for the covenant.
(#4) “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the
seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your
daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your
gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the
seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
He reminds them to keep one day a week Holy and set apart to Him. He reminds them that He made the world in
six days, so they should only work 6 days a week.
(#5) “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is
giving you.
God tells them to honor their parents, and again lays down some grounds for the covenant. He tells them that if
they honor their parents, they’ll live a long time in the land He’s giving them. If we move forward a bit, one way
we see the people not honor their parents is by forgetting God and His covenant with them quickly after entering
the land and what ends up happening is God’s people are taken into captivity several times.
(#6) “You shall not murder.

God tells them not to kill other people. In the New Testament, Jesus clarifies this commandment by saying that
they shouldn’t even be angry at someone, because they’ve already killed that person in their heart.
(#7) “You shall not commit adultery.

Next, God tells them to keep their promises to their husbands and wives.
(#8) “You shall not steal.

Then they’re told to respect other people’s property by not taking things that don’t belong to them.
(#9) “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Do not lie
(#10) “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male
servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”
Finally, don’t be jealous of what other people have. Be content in what God has given you.
If you just look at any of these verses individually, they just seem like a random list of rules, but if you put them
all together you see a covenant between God and His people. God tells His people that they should be different
and set apart from the nations around them and living in accordance with these rules will help them do that. He
promises to be their God and tells them that they will be His people. But the grounds for that deal are following
these rules and keeping the covenant. In Leviticus 19:2 God calls His people to be holy like He is.
But we all know that’s it’s impossible to keep this covenant. None of us can keep even 10 rules because our
hearts are sinful. When you go to your small groups in a few minutes you’re going to have a chance to talk
about why God gave this covenant and to talk about the new covenant that God has now made with His people.
But first, let’s close by singing a song that reminds us that no one can keep God’s law. No one is perfect. That
reminds us that Jesus is the only one who has ever lived a perfect and holy life.
For You Are Holy
16

Pray
Let’s pray.
“Heavenly Father, thank you for Your Word. Thank You for the way that Your Word exposes the sin in each of
our lives and shows us how far short of Your glory and Your perfection each of us have fallen. I pray that as we
go to our small groups that you’ll teach us what it means to know You through Jesus. In Jesus name I pray.
Amen.”
17

Before the Session:

 Old or New - one “OLD vs NEW chart”, Bibles
 Covenant Praise – nothing needed
 Written on Their Hearts – one fill in the blank page per kid, one missing word page for the group,
Bibles, markers
 Jesus Came to Fulfill the Law – one stone tablet page per kid, Bible, markers, or crayons
FLASHBACK: Last week we talked about the start of the first church in Acts 2. We learned that the church is
God’s people who have gathered to worship Him and learn about Him.
1. Old or New (Review and Scripture Search)

WHAT YOU NEED: one “OLD vs NEW chart”, Bibles
Ask one of the kids to define the word covenant for you. The most basic definition of the
word is a deal or agreement between two parties. Remind them of the discussion you had
before large group about deals and agreements between equals or friends and how they
differ from deals made by someone in authority and how even those deals differ from
covenants between God and His people. Make sure the kids in the group are clear on the truth that when God
made covenants with His people that he was to one who set both sides of the agreement and that His covenants
with His people “explain what God’s people are responsible to do before God, and they also state what God
promises he will do.”3
Briefly tell the kids in your group the differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant in your own
words. You may want to look up the verses on the older kid’s “Old vs. New Chart” and think through the
questions that they’ll be answering. Basically, explain that the Old Covenant was a picture of God and His
people and how God’s people should be set apart and different from the people around them. But the people
3
18

couldn’t keep the law and God knew they were unable to keep the law, so He gave them the covenant to point
out the sin in their lives. The law (or the old covenant) showed the people that they were sinners who need a
Savior. Then, the New Covenant is the relationship that God established with His people through Jesus.
Play a brief review game. Explain that you’re going to make a statement or read a verse that’s about either the
Old Covenant (law) or about the New Covenant (Jesus). If they think the statement is about the Old Covenant,
they should make an O with their arms and if they think it’s about the New Covenant, they should put their arms
out to the sides like Jesus on the cross.
Use the verses on the chart and or make statements such as:
 the law
 be holy as I am holy
 Jesus took the punishment we deserve
 God’s people are made righteous through faith alone
 do not murder
 do not make idols
 the law shows us our sin
 written on stone
 written on the hearts of God’s people
[HEART TO HEART] After playing, make sure your group is clear on the truth that the law points out the
sin in our lives. Remind the kids over and over that no one is saved through the law, but that the law shows
us our need of salvation because it uncovers the sin in each of our lives. Make sure that at the least everyone
in the group is clear that the law was given to point to Christ and our need of salvation.
SAY: “From the moment that God made Adam and Eve, He has been in a covenant relationship with His
people. Throughout Biblical history we see that [THE POINT] God is in a covenant relationship with His
people. Although it may seem as if the covenants have changed, the truth that they all boil down to is this. God
tells His people that he will be their God and they will be His people, and then he reminds them what it means to
be His people.”
2. Covenant Praise (Prayer)

Read, or have kids read 1 Samuel 15:29, James 1:17 and Hebrews 13:8. These verses remind us that God is
unchanging. After discussing the old and the new covenant, it may seem to some of the kids in the group that
God has changed His plan over time; that He tried plan A with Adam, then the law, then Jesus.
[HEART TO HEART] Make sure the kids in your group are clear on the truth that it was God’s plan all
Along to redeem His people through Jesus and that God and His plan have never changed. If there is any
19

confusion on this, read Ephesians 1:3-10 and discuss how God chose His people before the creation of the
world, or look back at some of the early promises of redemption in the Old Testament, such as Genesis 3:15.
Lead the group in a time of praise. Encourage them to think of attributes of God and say sentence prayers of
praise and after each child in the group has said a sentence prayer of praise, the whole group should respond
with “and You do not change.” Continue as long as there is interest and then close by praying your own prayer
of praise and praying for the kids in your group that the discussion about the covenant today would help them
see their own need of salvation and the truth that salvation is through Christ alone.
3. Written on Their Hearts (Memory Verse)

WHAT YOU NEED: one fill in the blank page per kid, one missing word page
for the group, Bibles, markers
Start by asking if anyone has memorized all of this unit’s main verse and say it
together a couple of times in the way of review.
Then, hand out the fill in the blank pages. Ask them what the shape reminds
them of. Talk about how this is the shape we often think of when we think of the stone tablets that God wrote
the 10 commandments on. Remind the kids in the group that God wrote the old covenant on stone tablets, but
He wrote the new covenant on the hearts of His people.
Read the verse in the middle of the tablets in context - Jeremiah 31:31-33.
[HEART TO HEART] Discuss how these verses remind us that the people of Israel broke their covenant with
God because they were unable to keep it with sinful hearts, but how through Jesus, God gives His people new
hearts (Ezekiel 36:26) that can follow Him, and God writes His law on their hearts and gives them His Spirit
to enable them to follow Him. Remind kids of what we talked about a few weeks ago about how our works
can never save us, but that our works show that we have been saved.
Then, help kids figure out what words are missing on their verse pages and help them fill in the blanks using the
missing word page.
Once the whole group has completed the verse, read it together a couple of times.
SAY: “The truth we’ve been seeing all morning is that [THE POINT] God is in a covenant relationship with
His people.”
4. Jesus Came to Fulfill the Law (Scripture Search)

WHAT YOU NEED: one stone tablet page per kid, Bible, markers, or crayons
Ask kids if God’s plan to save His people changed when Jesus came. Remind them once again
that God’s plan from the beginning was to redeem His people through Jesus and that He gave the
20

law and made that covenant with His people to remind them that He is holy, and His people should be holy too,
and to expose their sin and their need of salvation through the law.
Then, explain that when Jesus came, He came to fulfill the law. He came to use the law to show the people the
sin in their hearts and tell them that He is the only One who can perfectly keep the law, so He would keep the
law for them and then die for the punishment of their sin, so that they could be made right with God through
Him.
Read through the following verses in Matthew 5 as an example of Jesus’ explanation of the law - Matthew
5:19-20 (God requires righteous people), Matthew 5:21-22 (do not murder also means don’t be angry with your
brother), Matthew 5:48 (God calls His people to be perfect as He is perfect). Make sure the kids in the group
are clear on the truth that God still require holiness and perfection from His people, but that Jesus came because
we cannot be holy on our own and we all need a Savior, the only one who can be holy.
Hand out the stone tablet pages. Encourage kids to write or draw something in the open space in the middle of
the page that will remind them of what we’ve been talking about today. They could draw God giving the 10
commandments, or Jesus saying to be perfect, or Jesus dying on the cross for the sin of His people, etc.
Give kids time to draw and then have them share their drawings with the rest of the group.
** If you have extra time, let them draw more pictures from the morning on the back of the stone tablet page or
the back of the dot-to-dot page.
SAY: “Throughout the Bible and through all our activities this morning we have seen that [THE POINT] God
is in a covenant relationship with His people. God calls His people to be different and set apart. He promises to
be our God and show us what it means to live in this world as His people through His Word and His covenants
with His people.”
21

Before the Session:

 Old or New - one copy of “old vs. new” covenant chart (enlarged if possible), markers and Bibles
 Covenant Praise – nothing needed
 Written on Their Hearts – one memory verse page with blanks, “missing word pages” (1/2 as many
as kids in the group), blank paper (1/2 as many as kids in the group) and markers
 Church Covenant – a copy of the church covenant (or the sample provided) and Bibles
FLASHBACK: Last week we talked about the start of the first church in Acts 2. We learned that the church is
God’s people who have gathered together to worship Him and learn about Him.
1. Old or New (Review and Scripture Search)

WHAT YOU NEED: one copy of “old vs. new” covenant chart (enlarged if possible),
markers and Bibles
** if you have a large group and they are mature when it comes to activities like this, you
might want to have 2 copies of the chart and have them work in 2 groups and then come
together to discuss what they learned.
Ask one of the kids to define the word covenant for you. The most basic definition of the word is a deal or
agreement between two parties. Remind them of the discussion you had before large group about deals and
agreements between equals or friends and how they differ from deals made by someone in authority and how
even those deals differ from covenants between God and His people. Make sure the kids in the group are clear
on the truth that when God made covenants with His people that he was to one who set both sides of the
agreement and that His covenants with His people “explain what God’s people are responsible to do before
God, and they also state what God promises he will do.”4
4
22

Work together as a group to fill in the blanks on the “old vs. new” chart.
Volunteers from the group will need to read the verses and then they’ll need to
work together to fill the blanks to compare the old covenant (or the covenant
of the law) with the new covenant (the covenant of grace). Discuss the various
verses and truths learned from the chart as you go through them.
[HEART TO HEART] As you go through the chart, or after you’ve filled it

in, make sure your group is clear on the truth that the law points out the sin
in our lives. Remind kids over and over that no one is saved through the law, but that the law shows us our
need of salvation because it uncovers the sin in each of our lives. (Depending on the maturity level of the kids
in your group, you might want to read through Galatians 3:1-25 and discuss it as a group, or be prepared to
share some of the truths from that passage.) Make sure that at the least everyone in the group is clear that
the law was given to point to Christ and our need of salvation.
SAY: “From the moment that God made Adam and Eve, He has been in a covenant relationship with His
people. Throughout Biblical history we see that [THE POINT] God is in a covenant relationship with His
people. Although it may seem as if the covenants have changed, the truth that they all boil down to is this - God
tells His people that he will be their God and they will be His people, and then God reminds them what it means
to be His people, and God keeps His covenant and saves His people.”
2. Covenant Praise (Prayer and Scripture Search)

Have kids read 1 Samuel 15:29, James 1:17 and Hebrews 13:8. These verses remind us that God is
unchanging. After discussing the old and the new covenant, it may seem to some of the kids in the group that
God has changed His plan over time; that He tried plan A with Adam, then the law, then Jesus.
[HEART TO HEART] Make sure the kids in your group are clear on the truth that it was God’s plan all
Along to redeem His people through Jesus and that God and His plan have never changed. If there is any
confusion on this, read Ephesians 1:3-10 and discuss how God chose His people before the creation of the
world, or look back at some of the early promises of redemption in the Old Testament, such as Genesis 3:15.
Lead the group in a time of praise. Encourage them to think of attributes of God and say sentence prayers of
praise and after each child in the group has said a sentence prayer of praise, the whole group should respond
with “and You do not change.” Continue as long as there is interest from the kids in your group and then close
the prayer time by praying your own prayer of praise and praying for the kids in your group that the discussion
about the covenant today would help them see their own need of salvation and the truth that salvation is through
Christ alone.
3. Written on Their Hearts (Memory Verse)

WHAT YOU NEED: one memory verse page with blanks, “missing word pages” (cut into as many strips and
1/2 as of the kids in the group), blank paper (1/2 as many as kids in the group) and markers
23

Have your group pair off and sit so that one kid’s back is to the other kid. Give the kid in the front a piece of
blank paper and a marker. Give the kid in the back one of the “fill-in-the blank word cards.” Explain that one
letter at a time they’re going to trace the words on the cards onto their partner’s back and their partner will guess
what letter was being traced and write it on the paper.
To keep this part of the activity silent, use the following signals:
(1) to say start the next word they should put both hands on their partner’s shoulders and
(2) to say wrong letter or try again, they should tap them on the top of the head.
Partners continue until they’ve figured out the words on their cards. Once all pairs have completed the words,
the whole group should work together to fill in the blanks in the verse and read it together. Explain that this is
the challenge verse for the week.
Then, have one of the kids in the group look up the verse and read it in context - Jeremiah 31:31-33.
[HEART TO HEART] Discuss how these verses remind us that the people of Israel broke their covenant with
God because they were unable to keep it with sinful hearts, but how through Jesus, God gives His people new
hearts (Ezekiel 36:26) that can follow Him and write His law on their hearts and gives them His Spirit to
enable them to follow Him. Remind kids of what we talked about a few weeks ago about how our works can
never save us, but that our works show that we have been saved.
SAY: “The truth we’ve been seeing all morning is that [THE POINT] God is in a covenant relationship with
His people.”
4. Church Covenant (Scripture Search)

WHAT YOU NEED: a copy of your church’s covenant (or the sample provided) and Bibles
After all this discussion with the kids about covenants between God and His people, switch gears a bit and talk
about covenants that God’s people make today. Explain that in many churches, people make a covenant with
each other to agree about what it looks like to live as one of God’s children in this church. And
that by making this covenant together as a group, it’s also a way for the people of the church to
respond to God together as a church as say, ‘this is how we promise to live as your children in
this place.’
Spend any remaining time in the session discussing the church covenant. Have a copy available
for the kids in the group to see and have them take turns reading one of the statements and the
accompanying scripture references. As you go through the covenant, discuss how these
statements identify God’s people as being set apart and different from the world around them.
** If your church doesn’t have a covenant, use the sample church covenant provided and talk about how in
some churches people covenant together (agree together what they will do as a church). Or, if you are part of a
church that would be opposed to church covenants, discuss traditional marriage vows as an example of a
covenant that people make and talk about how those vows explain how the marriage will operate.
24

SAY: “Throughout the Bible and through all our activities this morning we have seen that [THE POINT] God
is in a covenant relationship with His people. God calls His people to be different and set apart. He promises to
be our God and show us what it means to live in this world as His people through His Word and His covenants
with His people. As a local church, our church covenant is our way of responding to Him and identifying
ourselves as His people in this place.”
1. What is a covenant? How do covenants help us explain

the relationship between God and His people?
2. What is the difference between the old covenant and the

new covenant?
25


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Theme: Big Truths Unit 5 – Our Great Salvation

Introduction – Is There a Doctor in the House? (5-8 minutes)

Take your group to Large Group Time.

Study God’s Word

Let’s look back at the 2 verses we talked about at the beginning.

Jesus Came to Save Sinners

Dismiss kids to small groups.

Before the Session:

1. Faith + Works (Review and Application)

God through the stories in any order you want:

2. Fruit Basket Turnover (Scripture Search)

3. Bean Bag Praise (Prayer)

4. Duck Duck Verse (Memory Verse)

Conclude the session with a review and prayer.

Before the Session:

1. I Can See Your Faith (Review and Application)

2. Check Your Fruit (Scripture Search)

3. Post It Praise (Prayer)

4. Eager Beaver (Memory Verse)

1. We are not saved BY good works, but we are saved FOR

2. If someone is a Christian, does it matter how he or she lives

Conclude the session with a review and prayer.

Introduction – I’ve Got a Secret (5-8 minutes)

Take your group to Large Group Time.

Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

Let’s sing and praise the Holy God now.”

For You Are Holy

Mighty Mighty Savior

Study God’s Word

Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

Dismiss kids to small groups.

Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

Before the Session:

1. The Unknown God (Review and Scripture Search)

Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

FYI: The words on the pages are:

 Genesis 1:1 – Creator

2. Praise the Known God (Prayer)

Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

Then, briefly talk through the following points

Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

4. Confess with Your Mouth (Memory Verse)

Conclude the session with a review and prayer.

Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

Before the Session:

1. The “Unknown” God (Review and Application)

Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

2. Praise the Known God (Prayer)

3. Have They Heard? (Scripture Search/ Prayer)

Start out by reading Luke 24:46-47. Explain that

Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

4. Confess with Your Mouth (Memory Verse)

1- Who needs to hear about Jesus? Is there anyone who

2- Romans 10 says that people need to hear the gospel to be

Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

Conclude the session with a review and prayer.

Must People Believe in Christ to be Saved? - Big Truths 5.6

Introduction – Who’s the Boss? (5-8 minutes)

Take your group to Large Group Time.