PAYMENT

– The Jesus Series –
NEW  .  TEACHER  .  PAYMENT  .  RESURRECTION

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

• Are most people in the world good or bad? Why?
• How good is good enough? 
• Was Jesus a good person? Why?
• Why did Jesus have to die?
  Jesus lived a good life, taught many people about God, did miracles, and healed people. He didn’t do anything wrong, but the religious leaders of the day were jealous of him and were upset that he claimed to be God. They had him arrested and put to death even though he was innocent. (If you want to learn more, check out John 19.)

WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT THIS?

Let’s take a look at each of the questions we asked and see what the Bible has to say about them.

1. HOW GOOD IS GOOD ENOUGH?

There are so many people doing so much good in the world. Doctors & nurses saving lives, social workers serving the poor, and you being a good friend. But when we ask how good is good enough, we have to ask, “enough for who?” In the end, God is the one who will determine if we were good enough so we need to ask him what his standard is. Let’s see what God says about this.

2. ARE MOST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD GOOD OR BAD?

• Read Romans 3:10-11 and Romans 3:23.
• What do these verses say about this?
• According to these verses, who is good?

Many of us think of ourselves as good people because we are comparing ourselves to others. But when we compare ourselves to the Holy God, we come up short. This doesn’t mean you don’t do good things, but since we are all sinful, there really are no good people compared to God. 

3. WAS JESUS A GOOD PERSON?

• Read 1 John 3:5 and Hebrews 4:15. 
• What do these verses say about Jesus being a good person?
  
• How is Jesus different from the rest of us?

Jesus is God and that is why he can live a perfect life without sinning. Jesus is truly the only “good person” that ever lived. 

4. WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO DIE? 

• Read Romans 6:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT).
• What do these verses say about why Jesus had to die?
  
• What do these verses say about you?

The word “death” in Romans 6:23 means eternal separation from God – which the Bible calls “Hell.” If Jesus did not die for our sins, we would have to pay for our own sins and face a separation from God forever. Jesus loved us too much to let that happen, so he died to pay the penalty for our sins. 

HOW CAN WE APPLY THIS TO OUR LIVES?

5. What meant the most to you from this lesson?

6. If someone asked you, “Why did Jesus have to die?” What would you say?

7. Jesus died for you, how can you live your life for Him?

Wanting to live our lives for God is an important step, however, you will find that none of us have the power to live completely for him. Our sin keeps getting in the way. That’s why God has given us the Holy Spirit. He lives in us and can help us live our lives for God. Let’s pray and…

• Thank Jesus for dying for our sins.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to help us live our lives for God.  

Pray together. If you have enough people, divide up and have everyone pray for each other.

What ideas do you have that could improve this study? Are there creative things you do to bring this topic home to your students? Please share with the community clicking the FEEDBACK button or leaving a comment below.