GOD S BIG STORY Week 4: New Creation A New Life Has Begun 1. LEADER PREPARATION

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1 This includes: 1. Leader Preparation 2. Lesson Guide GOD S BIG STORY Week 4: New Creation A New Life Has Begun 1. LEADER PREPARATION LESSON OVERVIEW This is our fourth lesson exploring God s Big Story. God s plan of redemption means that we don t have to experience eternal separation from God but it also means we can experience a significant, meaningful life here on earth. We aren t perfect. As Christ-followers, we need to continue growing. We re works in progress who look forward to the day when that work is finished and we experience eternal life with God. LESSON OBJECTIVES 1. WHAT: God wants to give everyone a new life, both here on earth and someday in heaven. 2. WHY: Teenagers have the opportunity to experience the meaningful life God desires for them and share the good news of that life with others. 3. HOW: Students will examine what it means to have a new life now and eternal life in heaven, and they ll consider ways to continue growing spiritually. PRIMARY SCRIPTURE 2 Corinthians 5:17 SECONDARY SCRIPTURES John 3:16, 10:10; and Titus 3:3-7 TEACHING PREP The short overview below is designed to help you prepare for your lesson. While you may not want to convey this information word-for-word with your teenagers, you ll definitely want to refer to it as you lead your lesson. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. This is the final part of God s Big Story. This week s primary verse focuses on how we become new creations, new people through Jesus Christ. As you know, each lesson of this series has two key words associated with it. This week s words are New and Grow. It s important for students to understand that the new life we have in Jesus has two aspects: meaningful, abundant life here on earth, and perfect, eternal life in heaven. Following Jesus isn t just about getting into heaven it s also about having the satisfying life that Jesus promises. This understanding gives us purpose for our lives today, not just a hope for eternity. It s also important that our students recognize the necessity for ongoing growth. Becoming a Christian today doesn t mean you become perfect or complete. You still need to develop habits and patterns and disciplines that keep you growing.

2 If you re using the flowerpot illustration, you ll want to display all four pots. You should have an unbroken pot in position one. You ll then need to break a second pot (before your group meets) for position two, to represent the second part of God s Big Story. For the third position, display the pot you originally broke but glued back together. This week, you will talk about the fourth pot. This pot needs to be another unbroken pot exactly like the first one. These pots will remind students of the four parts of God s Big Story. THE BEFORE & AFTER [optional] Text Message Questions We ve provided a couple of different text message questions to send out to your students prior to your meeting. Feel free to use one or both of the questions below. As with the rest of the curriculum, edit these questions to fit the needs of your ministry. Would you rather have a cool new gadget or something that s old and used? Let s talk about it tonight at small group. Did you know that God wants you to have a meaningful, satisfying life? Come to small group tonight and learn more. Parent We ve provided you with an below that you can send to your parents following the lesson. Our hope is to encourage parents to continue the conversation at home. Feel free to edit and customize the to fit your ministry needs. Dear parents, Our small groups have finished their four-week series on God s Big Story. In this final lesson, students examined what it means to experience the new life God has for them both a meaningful life here on earth and eternal life someday in heaven. Our conversation was built around the key words of NEW and GROW. Following Jesus isn t just about getting into heaven it s also about having the satisfying life that Jesus promises. This understanding gives us purpose for our lives today, not just a hope for eternity. It s also important that our students recognize the necessity for ongoing growth. Becoming a Christian today doesn t mean you become perfect or complete. You still need to develop habits and patterns and disciplines that keep you growing. Here are some questions you might want to ask your teenager to get conversation flowing about this week s lesson. What are some changes you might expect to see in the life of someone who becomes a follower of Jesus changes on the outside AND on the inside? What are some good habits that can help you continue to grow spiritually in other words, continue to become more like Jesus? What is your role as a Christ-follower in telling other people about the new life God wants to give them? As always, thanks for your prayers for our small groups! Have a great week!

3 GOD S BIG STORY Week 4: New Creation A New Life Has Begun 2. LESSON GUIDE GETTING THINGS STARTED [optional] Welcome your students and invite them into your meeting area. Open in prayer, and then What are some of the biggest changes people experience in junior high? How does being in junior high feel new compared to being in elementary school, which now may feel like it s old? Why are new things so much cooler than old things? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: We ve come to our fourth and final week of talking about God s Big Story, and we re going to spend a lot of time today talking about how we become new people through Jesus Christ. Our two key words today are NEW and GROW. If you came up with an opening activity, movie clip, or game that worked well with your group, and you d like to share it with other youth workers, please us at ideas@simplyyouthministry.com. TEACHING POINTS The goal of the Teaching Points is to help students capture the essence of each lesson with more discussion and less lecture-style teaching. The main points we have chosen here are (1) God wants to give you a NEW life today, (2) God wants you to continue to GROW, and (3) God wants to give you a NEW life for eternity. Remember: All throughout these lessons, it s up to you to choose (1) how many questions you use, and (2) the wording of the main points keep ours, or change the wording to make it clearer for your students. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17 together as a group. Consider allowing one or more of the teenagers to read the text. SAY SOMETHING LIKE: In this final part of God s Big Story, we see what it means to experience the new life God has for us a more meaningful life now and eternal life with God in heaven someday. 1. God wants to give you a NEW life today What do you think 2 Corinthians 5:17 means when it says we are new people once we choose to follow Jesus? What are some changes you might expect to see in the life of someone who becomes a follower of Jesus changes on the outside AND on the inside? What changes have YOU experienced as a follower of Jesus? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: God gives us a new life by helping us change and become more like Jesus. It s important that we focus on both the inside and the outside of our lives. Our

4 actions and deeds matter, but God also cares about our hearts our motives, our thoughts, and our attitudes. 2. God wants you to continue to GROW Give me one example of how you re different today compared to a year ago but it has to be an area where you did something that contributed to that change. You don t have to give us a super spiritual answer just one way you ve changed because of choices you ve made. What was the last big goal you set for yourself, and what did you do to strive for it or achieve it? What are some ways you see God differently today compared to when you were a little kid? How and why has your perspective changed? What are some good habits that can help you continue to grow spiritually in other words, continue to become more like Jesus? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: One of the greatest truths about being a follower of Jesus is that you re never done growing. God wants to challenge you and help you to grow for the rest of your life. It s similar to being an athlete or musician or artist or writer no matter how good you are, you can continue to grow and practice and learn. God wants to give you a new life through Jesus, but God also wants you to continue growing as you travel the journey of faith with Jesus. Display the four flowerpots. SAY SOMETHING LIKE: In many ways, these flowerpots represent our lives. We started out perfect and complete, like the first pot, but our lives became broken because of sin even when we were little kids, we sinned. That s the second one, which is broken. But God gives us a remedy through Jesus to become fixed and repaired and redeemed, like the flowerpot we repaired in our last lesson. Still, you can see the cracks and the evidence of our brokenness. We remain imperfect. But that s OK because it doesn t mean we re worthless to God. We re still valuable, even with our flaws and imperfections. This pot still could be used for many things, just like our lives still have purpose and meaning, even if we aren t perfect. 3. God wants to give you a NEW life for eternity Focus students attention on the fourth flowerpot the one that is complete and whole, just like the first pot. SAY SOMETHING LIKE: In many ways, this fourth flowerpot represents the life God wants to give each of us one day a perfect, complete, eternal life. That day isn t here yet, but we can look ahead and look forward to it as something valuable. And it s something we re promised if we ve chosen to follow Jesus. What s your response to seeing all four of these flowerpots illustrating God s Big Story? What stands out the most for you? What do you imagine heaven to be like? How would you describe that experience? Read John 3:16. How is the gift of eternal life an expression of God s love for you?

5 What is your role as a Christ-follower in telling other people about the new life God wants to give them? ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION [optional] Read John 10:10. What might your life look like if it s a truly rich and satisfying life or life to the full? What part does Jesus play in your experiencing that kind of life? Read Titus 3:3-7. Verse 7 talks about having confidence that we will inherit eternal life through Jesus Christ. When do you feel most confident in your faith and your relationship with Jesus? Why? When do you feel least confident in your faith and your relationship with Jesus, and why? APPLICATION Have each student pair up with another person in the group for these questions. What habits are you developing that will help you continue to grow as a follower of Jesus? How can we encourage each other in this area? What are some ways we can tell our friends about the good news of Jesus and how God wants to give them a meaningful life and eternal life? How can we pray for each other this week? Bring your students back together. Who can tell me all eight key words we ve shared in this series on God s Big Story? [Creation, Good, Choice, Broken, Fix, Receive, New, and Grow] Which one of those words has been most meaningful to you, and why? After your discussion, take time to pray as a group. Thank God for the ongoing work in your lives and for his work in our world how he provided the remedy of Jesus, how he gives us new life, and how he has promised us eternal life someday. Be ready to focus your prayer toward choosing to follow Jesus, if you have students who haven t made that decision yet. SUMMARY End your small group lesson here. Provide your teenagers with a quick summary or takehome challenge based on (1) the content of this lesson, (2) the dialogue that took place during the lesson, (3) your understanding of the issues and struggles your teenagers are facing, and (4) the big picture of your youth ministry and what your leadership team wants accomplished with the teaching and discussion time.

6 FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE] Encourage and/or challenge your teenagers to memorize the verse below. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17).