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, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources 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.
“But what about you?” [Jesus] asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:15–16
When Jesus asked this question of His disciples, His true identity was revealed in Peter’s response. Not long after, Jesus died, was resurrected, and ascended to sit at God’s right hand. Because Peter understood who Jesus truly was and asked for forgiveness for his sins, his life was changed forever. He was no longer separated from God by the sin of the world. Instead, his relationship with the living God was restored. Jesus was the bridge, and Peter was forgiven. He began his journey of learning to live the way Jesus taught him to live.
When you made this same confession, you joined the family of God. And once those family bonds have been established, they cannot be broken. You are a son or daughter of the One True God, who loves you so completely that He sent His Son to die in your place. And Jesus, the Christ, willingly gave His life to bring you back to His Father. So who do you say Jesus is? Take some time to reflect on how knowing Him has changed your life. Then celebrate and thank Him for being everything you could ever need—today and always!
Encourage the teens to share with their families the story of how Jesus brings us back to God. They can even share all 3 parts of the story to practice retelling it.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Welcome each student warmly as he arrives. Ask the teens if they retold the 2 parts of God’s story they have learned to anyone. Give 2–3 students a chance to share about their experiences.
As we have learned, the Bible tells us God’s story. And God is still at work in the world! Our lives and the lives of everyone who has ever lived and everyone who will ever live are all part of God’s story. We have learned the story of how God created the world. Who can tell us that story?
Invite a volunteer to tell the story of creation. Hold up the God Is Our Loving Creator poster from Lesson 1 to help him as he shares the story. Lead the class in clapping for him. Then ask them to add any details the volunteer missed. Lead the class in doing the God Is Our Loving Creator motions from Lesson 1.
We also learned the story of how sin and death entered the world and separated us from God. Who can tell us that story?
Invite a volunteer to tell the story of how sin entered the world. Hold up the Sin Separates Us from God poster from Lesson 2 to help her as she shares the story. Lead the class in clapping for her. Then ask the rest of the students to add any details the volunteer missed. Lead the class in doing the Sin Separates Us from God motions from Lesson 2.
Today we will learn the next part of the story. This story tells us about how God created a bridge so we would no longer be separated from Him. Let’s start by doing an activity to teach us about bridges.
Divide the class into 2 groups: 1 group of boys and 1 group of girls. It is okay if the groups do not have the same number of students. Choose 3 volunteers from each group to cross the bridge. It is best if 1 of them is smaller. Ask those 3 students to stand to the side until you give them directions.
Each group will create a human bridge. The teens in each group should stand side by side with their shoulders touching. The 2 lines should be facing each other with about 2 meters between the lines. When you tell the teens to start, the students in the lines will bend down and put their hands on the ground so they are on their hands and knees.
The smaller volunteer from each group will cross the bridge by walking on the backs of the other members of her group. The other 2 students who are not part of the line will hold her hands to support her as she crosses the bridge and walks across the backs of the students.
As soon as the bridge crosser walks across the back of a student, that student should quickly go to the other end of the line, bend down, and put her hands the ground. This will extend the bridge. The players on each team should continue to extend the bridge by moving to the other end of the line. The idea of the game is to get the bridge crosser all the way across the teaching space more quickly than the other team. The team that gets their bridge crosser to the other side of the teaching space first wins.
If time allows, repeat the game a few times. The students will get better at it if they do it a few times.
Bridges help us to cross over natural obstacles that we could not walk or drive across. Sometimes bridges are built over large rivers or deep canyons. They connect 1 side of the natural obstacle to the other side.
In the last lesson we learned that our sin separates us from God. We need a bridge to help us to get back to Him. Even though we continue to sin, God loves us, and He wants to have a close relationship with us! So He created a bridge to allow us to be with Him again. Jesus is that bridge!
Show students the Jesus Brings Us Back to God poster from the end of the lesson. Give them a few minutes to create motions for Jesus Brings Us Back to God. Repeat the motions a few times as a group to help them to remember the motions.
After Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden, thousands of years passed. God’s people continued to sin and fall away from Him. But many faithful men and women followed God and shared the message of His love.
God gave His people laws to follow so that they would know the right way to live. Over and over they broke these laws, turned away from God, and worshipped idols and false gods. Sin continued to separate people from God.
Then, through a miracle, God sent His Son, Jesus, to be born as a human and to live among us. He was fully God and fully human. Jesus had come to fulfil God’s plan and to restore His people.
The Bible tells us that as Jesus grew, He grew in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and man. He lived a perfect life without sin. He taught people to love one another and to follow God. He showed honour to all people and always spoke the truth. He performed many miracles and taught people how they could live forever with God.
Optional: If possible, share the images from The Action Bible.
Many people began to follow Him to learn more about living the way God intended. But other people distrusted Him. They accused Him of doing things He had not done. They had Him arrested. He was tried and wrongly convicted. He was sentenced to die as a criminal even though He had never done anything wrong. Listen to what happened.
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
Luke 23:32–34
Soon after Jesus said these words, the sky grew dark. Then Jesus died.
Jesus’ forgiveness teaches us about God’s grace. “Grace” is forgiveness that is unexpected, unearned, and undeserved. God extended grace to all of us through Jesus.
When sin entered the world, we were separated from God. The Bible tells us that the penalty for sin is death. But through Jesus, we can once again have a relationship with God. When Jesus died, He took the punishment for our sin—all of it. His sacrifice paid the price for the sins of all people. He has redeemed those who believe in Him!
Do the motion for Jesus Brings Us Back to God. Hold both arms straight out to your side, like Jesus hanging on the cross. Then do the motions from the first 2 lessons together with this motion.
Jesus’ death was part of God’s plan. But it was not the end of the story. After Jesus died, He was buried in a tomb. Three days later, some of His followers came to visit the tomb. Listen to what the Bible tells us happened next.
Have students read the following verses aloud from the Bible, switching readers after each verse. If that is not possible, the verses are printed here.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Matthew 28:2–10
Is it important to know that Jesus rose from the dead? Why or why not?
Allow 2–3 students to share their thoughts. Do not correct them. They will learn more about this later in this lesson.
After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to some of His followers. Listen to what He told them.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
Acts 1:8–9
Jesus was taken up to heaven. “Ascend” means to rise through the air or to go up. Jesus now sits at the right hand of God, and He speaks to God on our behalf. God sent the Holy Spirit to live in those who believe in Him to help them. And God is with His people always.
When Jesus died, He paid the price for our sins. When He rose again and went up to heaven, He reconciled us to God. Through Jesus’ death, resurrection, and return to heaven, God created a bridge to bring His people back to Him. Listen to what the Bible tells us about how Jesus allows us to be in relationship with God.
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
What do you think it means that Jesus is the way?
The Bible tells us there is only 1 way we can live with God forever. We ask for forgiveness for our sins and accept God’s gift of grace. When Jesus rose again and went to heaven to be with God, He became the bridge that allows our relationship with God to be reconciled. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we no longer have to be separated from God!
Divide the students into pairs and have them tell the story to each other. Encourage them to make the story interesting by expressing emotion with their faces, bodies, and voices. Put the poster from the end of the lesson somewhere the students can see it. This will help them to remember the details. Be sure they include:
Some people accused Jesus of crimes He did not commit. He was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for things He did not do.
Jesus died on a cross to pay the price for our sins. Then He rose again and went up to heaven. Because of his death, resurrection, and return to heaven, we are reconciled to God.
Give the students about 5 minutes to tell the story. Then gather the class for the closing activity.
Spread out the blanket or tarp. Put one side of it near the wall that you used to represent God in the previous lesson.
Last week, we imagined that this wall represented God. Touch to the wall or line. Our sin separates us from God. Take several large steps away from the wall (or chair or table). We cannot reconcile our relationship with God on our own. So Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. His sacrifice makes it possible for us to live with God forever. Though we cannot ever go back to the beautiful garden that God gave to Adam and Eve, we can walk closely with Him as they did. Jesus is our bridge back to God. (Show the teens the blanket or tarp; this represents a bridge. Then walk back to the wall using the bridge and touch the wall.)
We can choose whether or not we want to accept God’s gift of forgiveness. We can accept Jesus and move across the bridge back to God, or we can remain separated from Him. Listen to what the Bible says about accepting God’s gift of grace:
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9
According to this verse, what do we need to do to accept God’s gift?
When we believe in Jesus, ask for forgiveness for our sins, and choose to live our lives for Him, we are saved. Our sins are forgiven, and we can live forever with God. Jesus becomes our bridge back into relationship with God!
Close your eyes and think about how you want to respond to what Jesus has done for you. If you have already chosen to follow Jesus, you can quietly walk across the bridge. Touch the wall to show that you have a relationship with God because of what Jesus did for you. Pray and thank Him for what He did for you!
If you have never accepted God’s gift of grace through Jesus, you can do that now. Jesus is your bridge to God! No matter what you have done and no matter what has happened to you, God loves you. If you want to live with Him forever, you can declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Then you can know that He has saved you. If this is your heart’s desire, then quietly walk to the wall and touch it to show that you have accepted God’s gift of salvation from sin and have begun a relationship with Him.
If you are not ready to accept God’s gift, remember that God knows you and cares about you. You can talk to Him like you would talk to a friend. If you have doubts or fears about following Him, you can talk to Him about your feelings.
After several minutes, gather the students together. Have 3 students hold up the posters from the first 3 lessons.
We have learned 3 important parts of God’s story: God Is Our Loving Creator, Sin Separates Us from God, and Jesus Brings Us Back to God. But God’s story is not finished yet! Next time, we will learn about your part in God’s story.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, give the teens time to complete the activity.
Close with a blessing based on Romans 5:8–9:
Blessing: May you always know that God loves you so much that He sent His own Son to die for you! The blood of Jesus will justify you, and you can spend eternity with God. May you seek to find your place in His amazing story!
Family Connection: Encourage the teens to share with their families the story of how Jesus brings us back to God. They can even share all 3 parts of the story to practice retelling it.
Lead the teens 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.
