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, gather items the teens can use for a game about observation. These might be pencils, fruit, clean water bottles, buttons, string, leaves, sticks, etc. Many different types of items will make the game more challenging. Set the items out and cover them with a cloth so the students cannot see them.
He [Jesus] replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
Luke 11:28
Reading the Bible gives us a glimpse of God’s heart for us. But studying the Bible takes us even deeper. Jesus says that if we love Him, we will apply what we have learned in our everyday lives. Applying the Word means that we understand what God desires and we try to obey. Obedience may sound difficult, but it is always good. We can believe that what God has planned is good. But obedience itself is not the goal. We seek to know God. When we obey Him, we align our lives with His Word and can know Him better.
Is God calling you to obey Him in anything in particular? Will obedience be difficult or painful for you? Remember that Jesus said those who love Him will obey Him. And as we do that, He will reveal Himself more and more to us (John 14:21).
Encourage the students to share what they have learned with their family members. They can ask, “Have you had a hard time figuring out the truth?” The students can then share that the Bible is God’s truth for everyone.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet your students. When everyone has arrived, explain that you will show them some items. They need to remember the items and as many details about them as possible. Reveal the items you laid out before class. Give the students about 1 minute to look at them. Then cover the items up again.
Allow students to share their thoughts. They may remember a few items but probably not details.
You remembered a lot of the items, but I think you can remember even more. We will look at the items again to see if you can remember more details. To help your memory, ask yourself the following questions when you look at the items again.
Show the items to the students again for a minute. Then cover the items again.
The students should be able to share more detailed information about the items, such as color, size, or placement. They may even remember more items because of the details they attached to each 1 based on the questions.
Who, what, where, when, and why
When we asked ourselves questions to help us remember details about the items, we practiced something called “observation.” This is a good approach to use when we study God’s Word. Today we will learn several things that will help us study God’s Word so we can know Him better.
Optional: If you do not think that your students know how to find a Bible verse, explain the following to them.
When you read the Bible, you usually begin by finding the verses you are looking for. To find a verse, first look for the book name, such as Acts or Exodus. Then look for the chapter number. Finally, find the verse number. Try looking up John 14:21.
If possible, write John 14:21 on a whiteboard or large paper. Point to each part of the verse as you tell the students about it.
End of Option
Before we begin to learn about studying God’s Word, let’s talk about why we study the Bible.
Allow students to respond, and do not correct their comments.
The amazing thing is that God, who created everything we see, who is holy, all-powerful, and all-knowing, wants us to know Him. In the Bible, God reveals Himself to us. As we study the Bible, we know Him better. Knowing Him better changes us. Listen to what Jesus said:
Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.
John 14:21, NLT
Digital Resources: All additional resources available for download and printing can be accessed at the end of each lesson.
Because when we study and obey the Bible, we show we love Jesus. Because of this, God the Father will love us, and Jesus will reveal Himself to us.
The first thing to do when we study the Bible is to pray and ask God for His guidance. The Holy Spirit will help us understand what God is saying to us. Let’s do that now.
Lead the students in a quick prayer asking the Holy Spirit to help you understand God’s Word.
After praying, start with observations about the passage. Just as we did with our game, we ask 5 questions:
Sometimes the answers to the questions are obvious. But these observation questions can guide our thoughts and allow us to understand God’s Word better. Also, taking time to consider the passage carefully will help us to remember it later.
Divide the students into groups of 3–4.
Often we need to go to the beginning of a chapter, or even a book, to find the answers to some of these questions, especially the Who and Where questions. Although we will study Colossians 1:9–14, we need to go to the beginning of the letter so we can answer the Who question. Listen as I read Colossians 1:1–2.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
Colossians 1:1–2
In your group, talk about the following questions:
Paul and Timothy wrote this to the believers in Colossae, a town in what is now Turkey.
It was intended for the believers in Colossae.
It is not clear from these verses, but we know it must have been during Paul’s ministry, which was when the church was still relatively new.
Give the groups a minute to talk about their answers. Then ask different groups to share with the class their answers for each question. Tell them that they will use the other observation questions to study some other verses from Colossians 1.
If possible, have a student read Colossians 1:9–14 aloud from the Bible. If others have Bibles, they can also look up the verses and follow along.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:9–14
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, ask the students to mark the answers to the question by circling or underlining words in the verses. This will help them to prepare their paraphrases of the verses.
Have the students discuss the questions below in their groups. If they do not have Bibles available, repeat the verses several times. You can also write the verses on the board or a large paper.
Paul is encouraging the church and instructing them.
The next step in studying the Bible is called “interpretation.” During this step, we discover what a passage means. We ask the questions from the observation step again to help us understand the main idea. Answer this question in your groups. You may have different ideas.
Paul prays that the believers would be filled with wisdom and knowledge so they can honor God with their lives. God has power to give believers endurance, patience, and joy. He wants us to thank Him. He has given us the right to share an inheritance from Him. He has delivered us from darkness and brought us into the light. He has forgiven us.
The answer to “What do I learn about God?” often helps us to understand the passage, because God is always at the centre of His Word! Because we have answered the observation questions, we can now interpret what these verses mean. Answer this next question in your groups.
That believers would be filled with wisdom and knowledge and honor God with their lives.
Answers should include: we are forgiven from our sins, we are believers and part of God’s kingdom, we no longer live in a dark world of sin but can be part of God’s family.
Now let’s paraphrase the passage. “Paraphrase” means saying something in your own words. Not only does paraphrasing help you to understand the passage, it also helps you to remember it.
Give the students a minute to think about how they would say these verses in their own words. Give the groups about 5 minutes so each person can share their paraphrase. Ask 3–4 students to share their paraphrases with the whole class.
When we study the Bible, observation and interpretation are important steps. But there is 1 more very important step: application. We ask, “What should I do with what I have learned from the passage?”
Give the groups a few minutes to discuss how to apply the main idea of Colossians 1:9–14 to their individual lives.
We know that God gave us the Bible so we can know and love Him. Knowing and loving God changes us. Our hearts are transformed, and we desire to walk in ways that please Him. We do not have to use our own strength to apply what we learn in the Bible. The Holy Spirit lives in Christians and strengthens us with His power to do this.
When we interact with God through His Word and obey Him, our lives become different.
Pause briefly after each question for students to think of how they would answer.
Studying the Bible using observation, interpretation, and application can help us to understand more about God. As we learn more of who God is, we will want to respond to His great love by honoring Him with our lives. If you ever feel confused by something you read in the Bible, you can pray and ask the Holy Spirit for help. You can also ask adult believers to help you.
Let’s pause for a moment and respond to what we have learned today about studying the Bible. Remember that the Bible is how God reveals to us who He is. He shows us His character and how we should live.
I will give you some instructions and then allow you a few moments to choose how you want to respond to what you have learned today.
If you are a Christian and would like to ask the Holy Spirit to help you know more about God, place your hand on your heart.
If you are not a Christian but have questions about God or His Word, open your hands and rest them on your lap.
Allow the students to think and pray quietly about what they learned today. Then stand together and pray this blessing based on 1 Corinthians 2:6–10 over them.
Blessing: May the Holy Spirit teach you all things and cause you to be drawn into a deeper relationship with God. May He help you to discover and understand the truths written in His Word and apply them to your life.
Lead your students 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.
