Sunday Lesson for Sec 1's (13/03)

Sunday Lesson for Sec 1’s (13/03)

How does the certainty of Death Bring meaning to Life (Are you kidding!)

Key point: God promises eternal life for those who have a personal relationship with Jesus. Knowing this fact gives us a hope for the future and should drive us to live passionately for God in our current lives!

HOOK

For the hook I think we can follow the book’s suggestion on page 88. Let’s write our own obituary entry YAY! Ask a few of them to share how they will envision their obituary to be like (i.e. [Insert Name] was a very cute boy and he loved to play his xbox, even to his death he remained the undefeated champion of all kinds of RPG games and he brings this honour to his grave…something like that haha)

Go on to ask these questions after this short activity:

1) We often do not talk about death outside; why do you think this is so? Have you thought seriously about what death brings/holds?

2) Was it weird to write your obituary? How does the fact that we will all die someday make you feel? Is how you going to be remembered after you die important to you? Why?

Go on to draw a timeline on the board (indicating the periods of their lives one at a time, feel free to add in wacky stuff that your students want in between) and ask them what is their perspective on their life? Do we take the myopic view of seeing life in terms of the first 100 years only or do we consider what happens after the 100 years to infinity? If we view life form the long-term perspective (to infinity) – would we change how we live our life at the present?

VS

BOOK

After this activity ask them to Read John 11:17-44.

Suggested questions to ask:

1) What does this passage tell you about Jesus?

- Basically Jesus demonstrated that he was had supernatural powers!

- He had compassion for his people

2) Why do you think Martha said what she said in V21?

- One way to see it is that she believed that Jesus would be able to heal Lazarus (if he was around that is)

- In the context of our lives sometimes it seems as if like saying: “If God, you have been here all these bad things would not have happened or so-and-so would not have died”. Do we feel this way at times?

- Go on to explain that very often we think God’s job is to be our personal body guard to protect us from harm/death. However, the fact is that our life on earth here is limited and short – We will die someday somehow.

- In the case of Lazarus do you think he eventually died anyway?

- Thus, while we know we will all face definite physical death, we should be more concerned about another kind of death – spiritual death.

3) What is spiritual death? And how is it different from physical death?

- Physical death is our earthly death

- Spiritual death refers to eternal separation from God after our physical death without any hope for a brighter future.

4) Should we thus be super scared of dying??!!

Refer to verse 25-26.

What does Jesus say?

Ask the students: How come Jesus seems to contradict Himself in this passage? He says that those that believe in him “will live even though he dies”? and “everyone who believes in me will never-ever die”? So will we die or not! What is Jesus saying!

- Jesus was talking about not having to die a spiritual death if we believe in Him. We will all die a physical death eventually.

5) Refer to verse 44.

- Tell the students that at that time, when you died, you are heavily mummified (imagine wrapping rolls of toilet paper tightly around yourself).

- Ask the students: After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, how do you think Lazarus might have felt (being wrapped up in toilet paper). Why do you think he asked the people to “Take off the grave clothes and let him go”?

- In effect, not long before, we were like Lazarus being restricted by the grave clothes, always being restricted to living a fruitful and fulfilling life because of our fear of death/unknown. But in actual fact we need not! Jesus has removed our restrictive grave clothes and transformed our lives by showing that we need not fear death because of the power of the resurrection!

- What Jesus did for Lazarus is a demonstration of God’s power over death (WE NEED NOT FEAR DEATH and what we are doing on earth now should be in preparation for eternity with God in heaven!) and an illustration of what is to come to everyone who believes in Christ!

- Ask the students: The question is are you one who believes in Christ? As we live life on earth, do we see our timelines like in the first figure (life on earth is to aim to be successful, pursue our own personal desires/wants and I don’t bother about eternity, is there even one?!) or the second figure (life on earth ought to be in preparation for eternity with God – to love one another, sharing God’s love with others and to do God’s will)?

TOOK

1) Jesus promises eternal life for those who believe in him. Are you one of those?

2) Does your life reflect your belief in eternity? Do you live a selfish life?

3) How are you going to change how you live this life if you believe there is an eternity with God?

I think it’s important for all of us (even as leaders) to ponder over these questions. Can we confidently proclaim what Jim Elliot has said “He is no fool, he who gives that which he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose”. Are there ‘things’ that we know won’t last of which we are pursuing like it is our everything? Are we having the right perspective on life?