Lesson 7 – Extreme Life: Jesus Rose Again and Ascended
Series: The Life of Jesus
Extreme Life—For Older Students
LESSON OVERVIEW
Key Point: Jesus Gives Us a Reason to Celebrate
Bible Story: Jesus Rose Again and Ascended to Heaven
Challenge Verse: John 14:2-3— “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Younger option:John 14:2-3– “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
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ITEMS NEEDED
Each class needs the following:
Masking Tape
1 bed sheet per class
4 pool noodles or yardsticks
Slips of paper (About 1/8 size of regular paper)–enough for one per student
1 helium balloon per student
Bible Verse Poster
BEFORE CLASS
– Set out the hula hoops for the opening activity and mark the floor with masking tape “X”s.
– Find out from your leader where to get the helium balloons.
– Pray for each student by name.
AS STUDENTS ENTER
– Greet each student by name as they enter.
– Give each student an attendance sticker for the attendance chart, and feel free to add guest names to the chart. This will give them a sense of belonging.
– Be sure to smile.
OPENING ACTIVITY
Control Tool
Leader: What’s Number One—Kids: Keep God First!
The Rolling Stone Game*
Younger Version
Use masking tape to mark a line behind which your class’ teams will line up. Across the room, use masking tape to mark an “X” on the floor for each team in a line around which the students will race. Explain that when you say go, the first person in line will roll the hula hoop around the “X” and back to their team, give the hula hoop to the next person and then go to the end of the line. The first team to finish needs to sit down in a straight line and raise their hands to show that they are finished. Keep going until everyone has gone.
When you’re finished, play the game one more time.
Older Version
Instead of making one “X” for them to race around, make several “Xs” in a line from the starting point out around which they have to weave the hula hoop as they roll it.
Ask the students: Was it hard or easy to roll the hula hoop?
SAY: Those who had followed Jesus were shocked when they came to the tomb on the third day after Jesus died. The stone that had sealed the grave had been miraculously rolled away and his body was gone. This stone wasn’t light-weight like a hula hoop, but a heavy stone—so heavy, it would be like trying to push away a pick-up truck.
Ask the students: What do you think some of them thought had happened?
SAY: Today we’re going to find out what happened to Jesus after He died.
Ask the students: Where in the Bible can you read about Jesus’ life? (The Gospels–Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)
Ask the students: Who can tell me some other stories about Jesus’ life? (Take a few answers—the lessons they’ve had recently involved Jesus calming the storm, walking on water, healing a blind man, overcoming temptation, and the story of His birth.)
BIBLE LESSON, part 1
Assign the following parts to help in today’s Bible Lesson:
(NOTE: If you have only boys or girls in your class, have one side say, “That’s us!” and the other side say, “That’s not me!”)
Anytime you say “women,” all the girls will stand up, say, “That’s us!” and then sit back down.
Anytime you say “men,” all the guys will stand up, say, “That’s us!”and then sit back down.
Anytime you say “tomb,” everyone will stand up, say, “The grave!”and then sit back down.
Anytime you say “Jesus,” everyone will stand up, say, “He’s alive!”and then sit back down.
Read the story below but be sure to tell the students that even though you are reading it out of the lesson book, it is from the Bible in Luke 24:1-8.
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women (That’s us!) took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb (The grave!). They found the stone rolled away from the tomb (The grave!), but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus (He’s Alive!). While they were wondering about these this, suddenly two men (That’s us!) in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women (That’s us!) bowed down with their faces to the ground but the men (That’s us!) said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then they remembered his words.
Control Tool
Leader: What’s Number One—Kids: Keep God First!
CHALLENGE VERSE
Preparing a Place*
Explain that today your class is going to build a home in your room using only the pool noodles or yardsticks and a sheet. The hut doesn’t have to be able to stand on its own. Student can hold the noodles or yardsticks upright with the sheet draped overhead (some students may be needed to hold the corners of the sheets) and see how many of your class you can fit inside.
Discussion
Ask the students: How would you describe the home we just made? (Fake; funny, flimsy)
Read John 14:2 from your Bible
Point to the Memory Verse sign and have your students repeat the verse after you.
Ask the students: How would you describe the home Jesus is preparing in heaven for those who have given their lives to Him? (Perfect, special, awesome)
Ask the students: Why is Jesus preparing a home in heaven for those who have given their lives to Him?
Ask the students: Why should we tell others that Jesus will prepare a place for them in heaven too?
Ask the students: Could everybody fit in the hut we built?
Ask the students: Will heaven ever get so full that there won’t be room for others? (No. There’s always room in God’s heart for anyone who is willing to give their life to Him.)
SAY: It’s fun to imagine what heaven is like and the great things Jesus is preparing for us there. The Extreme Life Jesus offers gives us a reason to celebrate. We know that Jesus loves us and died and rose again so He could make a place for us in heaven with Him forever.
Control Tool
Leader: What’s Number One—Kids: Keep God First!
BIBLE LESSON, part 2
Ask the students: Does anyone know what happened to Jesus after the resurrection? (He appeared to His disciples and to more than five hundred other believers at one time.).
SAY: In a moment we’re going to find out what happened several weeks after He rose from the dead.
Get ready for a Bible Drill.
Ask the students: Who can find the book of Acts on the Bible Book Chart? (Point out that it is right after the Gospels.)
SAY: The book of Acts stands for the Acts of the Disciples (or what the disciples did) after Jesus went to heaven. Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about Jesus going up to heaven.
Ready…Find Acts 1:8–Go!
Read Acts 1:8-11 from your Bible
Ask the students: What did Jesus say the disciples would do? (Be witnesses to all the world. In other words, to tell others about Jesus.)
Ask the students: How can you be a witness?
Ask the students: Where can you be a witness?
Ask the students: How do you think the disciples felt when Jesus ascended (went up) to heaven?
Control Tool
Leader: What’s Number One—Kids: Keep God First!
SPECIAL ACTIVITY—Balloon Launch
Find out in advance from your children’s leader where the helium balloons will be.
SAY: Today we are going celebrate Jesus’ resurrection (which means that He rose from the dead) and ascention (which means He went up), by going outside and releasing some helium balloons. But before we do, we are going to write a message about Jesus on one of these slips of paper, and then we’re going to tape each of them to the string of a balloon. This way, if someone who doesn’t know Jesus finds it, they’ll see a message about the Good New of Jesus.
Have the students write a message on a small slip of paper.
Special Prayer
After the students are finished writing their notes, attach them to the balloons, and pray with them that God will guide these messages into the hands of people who don’t know Him and that He’ll use them to touch people’s lives.
Lead your class outside to release their balloons.
Control Tool
Leader: What’s Number One—Kids: Keep God First!
BIBLE SKILLS
Get your Bibles ready for some Bible Drills
Ready…John 20:1
Ready…Matthew 28:1-4…Go!
(After they find it, you’ll need to read it.)
Ready…Luke 24:1-4
(After they find it, you’ll need to read it.)
Ready…Mark 16:1-3…Go!
(After they find it, you’ll need to read it.)
Ask the students: What did you notice about all these verses?
SAY: They are all telling the same story. The story of Jesus is retold in all four of the Gospels. Each one tells about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and although all four tell the same story, they all tell it from a slightly different angle since they were written to four different groups of people. For example, Mark was writing to people who lived in Rome, far away from Israel (where Jesus had lived), but Matthew was writing to the Jews, Jesus’ own people.
Ask the students: Did you know that only two of the Gospels tell about Jesus’ birth? Which two do you think they are? (Matthew and Luke)
Control Tool
Leader: What’s Number One—Kids: Keep God First!
PRAYER TIME & WRAP UP
IDEA: Ask a student to write down today’s prayer requests.
Be sure to pray specifically for each request.
EXTRA TIME
Use any extra time to help your students memorize the verse for today.
NOTES*
Opening Activity: “The Rolling Stone Game”take from Jesus is Alive! Word Action Publishing Company, 1984, p.47.
Challenge Verse Activity: Adapted from Group Publishing’s Lava, Lava Island VBS curriculum, 2004, Day 5.
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