During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide and Student Page, can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
Before class, wrap the stone in an empty box with at least 10 layers of newspaper. For the outermost layer, you can use pretty paper or decorate it to look like a gift. If you do not have a box available, just wrap the stone instead. You can use old newspapers, rags, or anything else you have available.
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
Romans 5:17
Do you ever feel empty—as though you are in a battle and you cannot win? Do the troubles of the world ever make you feel as though you have been completely defeated? Rest assured—God has triumphed over sin and death through Jesus Christ. The fullness of His grace is sufficient for you.
As you celebrate Easter, think again about death of Jesus, who suffered on the cross for the sins of all. Then think about the moment the empty tomb was discovered. How would you have felt? Amazed? Confused? Afraid? You might have struggled to understand until you realized what that empty tomb really meant—victory! The power of death overcome! All the sins of the world defeated! Jesus is victorious! If He has power over sin and death, is He not strong enough for whatever you lay at His feet? Jesus is victorious!
Optional: If you are using The NIV Action Study Bible, you can show the students the illustrations of Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection (found after page 982) at an appropriate time during the lesson. You can also have them read the “What About This?” section near on page 1122.
Encourage the students to ask their family members to share a surprising or important victory in their lives. They can then share that Jesus’ death and resurrection brought victory over sin and death and that He can fill all our empty places.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet the students with a special Easter greeting. When you say, “He is risen!” invite them to respond with “He is risen indeed!”
Today we will celebrate Easter! Easter is about victory—Jesus’ victory over sin and death. As part of the celebration, I have brought a beautiful gift with me.
Allow 6–8 students to answer the following questions.
Ask the students to stand in a circle. Tell them you will pass the gift around the circle while you clap a rhythm. When you stop clapping, the person holding the gift will unwrap 1 layer and say, “He is risen!” Continue until you get to the last layer of wrapping. The person holding the box will then open the box and show everyone the stone inside.
Who was surprised by this gift?
This stone represents a gift that was revealed when a much bigger stone was rolled away—the most amazing gift that humanity has ever received: Jesus’ victory over sin and death. His victory is for everyone—every single person who has ever lived and who will ever live.
Have the students sit down for the lesson.
We are going to hear the amazing story of Easter. Some of you may know this story well. Listen carefully though because God’s Word is living and active. He can show you new things each time you read or hear His Word.
When the world was first created, God had a good relationship with the first people, Adam and Eve. But when they sinned, that good relationship with God was broken. The penalty for sin is death. That is a high price to pay! Something had to be done in order to restore the relationship. So God made a promise to send His Son to restore it. After many years, God sent His Son, Jesus, to make the way.
Jesus, God’s Son, came to earth as a baby and lived a life without sin. He never did or thought or said anything wrong. He taught us how to live as God wants us to, and He performed many miracles to bring glory and honour to God. He spent His life sharing God’s love with others. Many people followed Him and learned from His teachings. But many others did not believe what He said. He was eventually arrested and charged with crimes He did not commit.
He was beaten, mocked, and nailed to a cross. When He died, His body was buried in a tomb behind a large stone. It seemed like death and sin had won. But listen to what happened next.
Optional: If possible, share the image from The Action Bible.
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.
John 20:1–8
Mary Magdalene had been a follower of Jesus while He was alive. What did she discover when she visited the tomb?
It was empty.
Why do you think an empty tomb would be important to Mary and the other disciples?
Allow 2–3 students to share their thoughts.
The empty tomb is wonderful news! It meant that Jesus had risen to life just as He had said He would. He is more powerful than even death! There is nothing in this world that is more powerful than He is—He has claimed victory over death! Listen to what the Bible tells us about Jesus’ victory over sin and death.
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:55–57
What do these verses tell us about Jesus’ victory over death?
Death and sin have been defeated by Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Because Jesus died and rose again, He claimed victory over death. Besides Jesus, who never sinned, every person who has ever lived has sinned. The penalty for our sin is death, as these verses tell us. But Jesus paid the price for our sin. When He died, He paid the penalty. And when He rose again, He restored our relationship with God. This is an amazing gift! If we accept it, our relationship with God can be restored, and we can live forever with Jesus.
The empty tomb also proves that Jesus is the Son of God. How, you ask? Listen to what Jesus told the disciples before He died.
[Jesus] then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.
Mark 8:31
How do you think these verses show that the empty tomb proves that Jesus is the Son of God?
He fulfilled the prophecy He had made about His own death and resurrection. Only God could
do that.
When Jesus fulfilled this promise, He showed that He was who He said He was—the Son of God. And just as He kept that promise, we can trust that He will keep all His promises.
The empty tomb also shows us that God’s gift of grace is for everyone. Jesus died for every single person who has ever lived on the earth and for every single person who ever will live. His gift of grace was enough for all of us! Listen to what the Bible tells us.
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2
God’s gift to us through Jesus was even greater than sin. Jesus claimed victory over all the sin of the whole world. And when we receive His gift, we can live in triumph over sin and death, too!
Finally, the empty tomb is forever! Jesus died and rose again once to save all of us from our sins—everyone who ever lived and everyone who will ever live. He loves us that much! When Jesus died and rose again, it was not just for 1 person or 1 time. It was forever.
The empty tomb—God’s gift of grace to all of us—is good news. It proves that He is the Son of God! This gift is for everyone, and this gift is forever!
Some of us feel empty at times. We do not have the things we want and need. We do not feel our lives have purpose. We do not believe that we are important or loved. This kind of emptiness is not good.
Some of the emptiness we may feel is because we know our relationship with God is broken. Without accepting Jesus’ sacrifice and victory, our relationship with God cannot be restored.
Pause to allow the students to think quietly about the empty places in their lives.
God wants to fill all your empty places with His love and forgiveness. Here is what the Bible tells us about being filled with the fullness of God.
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:14–19
Easter is all about victory. Jesus claimed victory over sin and death—and His victory is for us, too! You can receive the gift and become a child of God. Let me tell you how to receive Jesus’ gift.
We will have a few minutes of quiet to consider this marvellous gift. I will now share how to receive this gift of life through Jesus. If you want to follow these steps, listen carefully and pray silently as I share this with you. If you are not yet ready, quietly consider what is keeping you from accepting God’s gift.
Share the Salvation Path with your students. If students are interested in learning more about Jesus and what it means to follow him, you can download the Salvation Path below and share it with them. Review the verses and explain the steps for accepting Jesus as Saviour. Then offer to meet after class with any students who would like to claim victory over death through Jesus and be filled with the fullness of God.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, your students can complete their pages as you review the Salvation Path.
Close with a blessing based on Ephesians 3:14–19:
Blessing: As you bow before the knees of your Father, may you be strengthened with power through His Spirit. May Christ dwell in your hearts always, and may you know how wide and long and high and deep His love for you is. And may your emptiness be filled with the fullness of God.
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
