GROWING CHILDREN IN FOLLOWING JESUS
Welcome!
Today’s lesson we are talking about that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins because he is God.
Read the Bible story first and then watch the lesson video.
Bible Reading
One day Jesus was teaching the people. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were there, too. They had come from every town in Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. The Lord was giving Jesus the power to heal people. There was a man who was paralyzed. Some men were carrying him on a mat. They tried to bring him in and put him down before Jesus. But because there were so many people there, they could not find a way to Jesus. So the men went up on the roof and made a hole in the ceiling. They lowered the mat so that the paralyzed man was lying right before Jesus. Jesus saw that these men believed. So he said to the sick man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
The Jewish teachers of the law and the Pharisees thought to themselves, “Who is this man? He is saying things that are against God! Only God can forgive sins.”
But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said, “Why do you have thoughts like that in your hearts? Which is easier: to tell this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up and walk’? But I will prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, stand up! Take your mat and go home.”
Then the man stood up before the people there. He picked up his mat and went home, praising God. All the people were fully amazed and began to praise God. They were filled with much respect and said, “Today we have seen amazing things!”
Questions to ask
- What are the hard words?
- What did not make sense?
- What questions do I have?
Lesson
Discussion
After you have watched the lesson and completed the bible reading, discuss these questions together:
Were you surprised that the religious teachers were angry about what Jesus said?
- Only God could forgive sins, so they thought Jesus was saying he was God, which of course, he was!
What didn’t they believe about Jesus?
- That he was God’s son
Why is Jesus able to forgive sins?
He is the son of God
Prayer
Thank you Jesus that you love us and you have heard our prayers. When we think about the way you healed a man and forgave his sins we feel so blessed and thankful that you forgive our sins also. Please help us to say sorry when we have sinned. Thank you for never giving up on us and always loving us.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Resources
Memory Verse Romans 8:38
- Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from the love God has for us. Not death, not life, not angels, not ruling spirits, nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us, nothing below us, or anything else in the whole world will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Challenge
- What is one thing you could do this week
- Why not join our Bible Verse challenge! We are memorising Romans 8 this month. For more information read here.
- Ages 4-7 Romans 8:38
- Ages 8-11 Romans 8:37-38
- Ages 12-13
- Adults – teachers/helpers. All of Romans 8!
Sermon Notes
- Sermon notes page to follow along with
Activities
Special Treats
Worship Song
Through the Roof – By Andrew McDonough (© Lost Sheep)