September 9, 2018 – John 1:19-51

Lesson Date: September 9, 2018

Focal Scripture Passage: John 1:19-51

AIM: To lead students to discover several different ways Jesus Christ was identified, and to accept His sacrificial death as the sufficient price to pay for their sins.

Before class: Read the notes on John 1:19-51 found in the Sunday School Teacher Book. Bring your driver’s license to class. Have enough copies of the “Who is Jesus Christ?” worksheet for your anticipated attendance. Have some pens or pencils on hand for any who might need one.

INTRODUCTION (Create Learning Readiness): Hold up your driver’s license so the students can see it. Ask them what it is (a driver’s license). Ask them what it is used for (identification and as proof that you have the legal right to drive a motor vehicle).

Tell the class your driver’s license is an official legal document showing that the state of Georgia believes that you are who you say you are. Because of its use as a legal form of identification, the state of Georgia requires us to prove who we are before issuing a driver’s license. Ask: “What forms of identification must I produce to prove my identity before the state will issue me a Georgia driver’s license?” Allow time for student responses, then read the following list of required documentation found on the Georgia Department of Driver Services website:[1]

• An original or certifiedBirth Certificate, US Passport, or Certificate of Naturalization.
• YourSocial Security Card.
• Two Documents showingGeorgia residency, such as utility bills or a phone bill.

Tell the class the state requires multiple forms of identification in order to make very sure you really are who you say you are.

Ask: “Do you remember what we learned last week about why John wrote his gospel?” Read John 20:31. John clearly states that he wrote his gospel so his readers would believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and have everlasting life by trusting in Him.

HEART OF THE LESSON (Bible Study):

1. Review.
   • Remind the students that we have just begun a six-month study of the Gospel of John.
   • Be sure everyone has a copy of the Sunday School Member Quarterly.
   • Ask: “What was last week’s lesson about?” (the identity and mission of Jesus Christ, and how people responded to Him).
   • Ask if any volunteer would be willing to recite last week’s memory verses (John 1:1, 14).
2. How John the Baptist Identified Jesus Christ.
   • Give each of the students a copy of the “Who is Jesus Christ?” worksheet (and a pen or pencil if needed).
   • Ask a volunteer to read John 1:19-20.
   • Tell the class the priests and Levites came to John the Baptist and asked who he was.
   • Ask: “How did he answer them in verse 20?” (he said he was not the Christ).
   • This answer puzzled the priests and Levites.
   • Read John 1:21-24.
   • Tell the class the priests and Levites next asked if John was Elijah or the great Prophet (who was prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:15-19).
   • Ask: “How did he answer them?” (he said he was not either of those people).
   • The priests and Levites asked John again who he was.
   • Ask: “How did he answer?” (he said he was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness,” as prophesied by Isaiah).
   • Read John 1:25-28.
   • Ask: “What did John say about the one who was coming after him?” (He is far greater).
   • Direct the class’ attention to Bethabara on the map, the location of these events.
   • Ask a volunteer to read John 1:29.
   • Ask the students to answer the first two questions on their worksheet (the Lamb of God; take away the sin of the world).
   • Remind the class of the Old Testament sacrificial system, in which lambs and other animals were killed and sacrificed to cover the sins men committed. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away sin. Remind them also of the scapegoat that symbolically carried away Israel’s sin on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:8-10).
   • Read John 1:30-34.
   • Ask: “How did John know that Jesus was the Lamb of God?” (he saw the Spirit of God descend upon Him in a physical form – see Matt. 3:16-17; Mark 1:10-11; Luke 3:22).
   • Ask the students to answer the third question on their worksheet (the Son of God).
   • Ask a volunteer to read John 1:35-36.
   • Ask the students to answer the fourth question on their worksheet (the Lamb of God).
   • Summarize: Ask: “How did John the Baptist identify Jesus Christ?” (the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world, the Son of God).
3. How Andrew Identified Jesus Christ.
   • Remind the class that two of John the Baptist’s disciples were standing with him when he identified Jesus as the Lamb of God (v. 35-36).
   • Read John 1:37-41.
   • Tell the class the two men who followed Jesus were Andrew and John (the writer of the Gospel of John).
   • Ask: “What did Andrew do after meeting Jesus?” (he brought his brother Simon to Jesus).
   • Ask the students to answer the fifth question on their worksheet (the Messiah, the Christ).
   • Explain that Messiah and Christ both mean “the anointed one;” Messiah is Hebrew, while Christ is Greek.
   • Tell the class the Jews living in the First Century were looking for the Messiah to come from God to deliver them from bondage and rule over them.
   • Summarize: Ask: “How did Andrew identify Jesus Christ?” (the Messiah).
4. How Philip Identified Jesus Christ.
   • Ask a volunteer to read John 1:42.
   • Explain that when Jesus met Simon He changed his name to Cephas, which was an Aramaic word meaning stone. The Greek translation of that word is “petros,” from which we get the name Peter. Andrew’s brother was Simon Peter, whom we know as the Apostle Peter.
   • Read John 1:43-45.
   • Tell the class Jesus called Philip to follow Him, and Philip obeyed.
   • Ask: “What did Philip do?” (he went and told his friend Nathanael about Jesus).
   • Ask the students to answer the sixth question on their worksheet (the one promised and prophesied in scripture – the Messiah).
   • Summarize: Ask: “How did Philip identify Jesus Christ?” (the promised Messiah).
5. How Nathanael Identified Jesus Christ.
   • Tell the class Nathanael was skeptical at first, but he learned an important lesson.
   • Ask a volunteer to read John 1:46-51.
   • Ask: “What did Jesus say about Nathanael?” (he was not deceitful or tricky; Jesus had seen him earlier sitting under the fig tree).
   • When Jesus revealed His supernatural knowledge to Nathanael, Nathanael’s skepticism immediately melted away.
   • Ask the students to fill in the four blanks on the next question on their worksheet (Son, God, King, Israel).
   • Ask: “What does ‘Son of God’ mean?” (Jesus is equal to God).
   • Ask: “What does ‘King of Israel’ mean?” (He is sovereign and has a right to rule).
   • Summarize: Ask: “How did Nathanael identify Jesus Christ?” (the Son of God and King of Israel). One more thing – in verse 51 Jesus identified Himself as the “Son of man” – a well-known messianic title (Dan. 7:13, 14).

PERSONAL APPLICATION: Hold up your driver’s license once again. Remind the class that your driver’s license is a legal document that identifies who you are. Tell the class in today’s lesson we have discovered several different ways people identified Jesus Christ. Direct the student’s attention to their completed worksheets. Ask them how John the Baptist, Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael identified Jesus Christ, and then ask them to answer the last question on the worksheet.

Remind the students that John the Baptist identified Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Ask: When lambs were sacrificed in the Old Testament sacrificial system, had those lambs done anything wrong? Were they guilty of any sin?” (no, they died for someone else’s sin). Tell the class Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who died to pay the price for our sins so that we could be right with God.

Ask: “Imagine you went into a store and found a $40 article of clothing that you wanted to purchase. Imagine you took that clothing item to the cashier and offered to pay one penny. Would that penny be sufficient to pay for the $40 clothing item?” (no). Ask: “What if you offered the cashier $1,000; would that be sufficient to pay for the $40 article of clothing?” (yes).

Tell the class the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was the sufficient price to pay for our sins. No one else’s death would have been sufficient, but Jesus’ death was. That’s why Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, Son of God, and King of Israel, came to earth be the Lamb of God.

Ask: “Have you ever accepted the fact that Jesus’ death on the cross was sufficient to pay for your sins, save you, and keep you saved?” This scriptural truth is contrary to the false doctrines of salvation by works and of losing one’s salvation.

Ask everyone to bow their head and close their eyes. Encourage them to thank Jesus Christ for dying for them. Urge any who have never been saved to turn from their sins and ask Jesus to save them now. Lead a closing prayer of commitment.

CONCLUSION: Ask everyone to memorize John 1:29. Tell them whenever they commit a sin this week to picture in their mind Jesus Christ – the Lamb of God – dying for them. Tell them to confess their sin and thank Jesus for dying for them.

[1] https://dds.georgia.gov/SecureId