TEACHER

LEADER’S GUIDE

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

The BIG IDEA

Jesus is a good God who is worthy of my trust and obedience.

The PROBLEM
We may hear Jesus’ words, but we don’t always act on them.

Our RESPONSE
Because Jesus is a good God with ultimate authority in our world and lives, I can surrender to him and follow his teachings in the power of his Spirit.

Why THIS MATTERS
The goal is to help the students understand Christ’s authority as God. Because Christ is God, his teaching is truth and has power that no other teaching has. Because Jesus is God, He is the most firm foundation we could ever build on.

I WANT MY STUDENTS TO:

KNOW: Because Jesus is God, his teaching is truth, our ultimate authority, and has power to change our lives based on how we respond to it.
EXPERIENCE: Excitement that God would speak to us and that we can act on his words to build a solid foundation for life.
DO: Recognize his goodness, surrender to him, and act on his words in the power of his Spirit.

The idea box is a place where you can find some creative ideas for leading this study. You might find videos, activities, or great illustrations that really bring the main point home. The ideas come from small group leaders like you, so if you have an idea that isn’t in there, click below to share it with the community!

GET AN IDEA I SHARE AN IDEA

*WHAT DO YOU THINK?

The picture at the top of the page is a climbing instructor holding the rope for a climber. If you were the climber in this picture, what traits would you want your instructor to have? (Example: You would want him to be strong.)
Help the students come up with traits. Other answers might be: experienced climber, fast, experiencing teaching others to climb, kind, loud voice, equipped, moral.

*WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT THIS?

*Read Matthew 7:24-27.

*1. This passage talks about weathering the storms of life. What analogy does Jesus use?
He compares a wise person who hears and acts on his words with a person who builds a house on a rock foundation. He compares a foolish person who hears but doesn’t act on his words with a person who builds a house on a sand foundation.

2. What is the difference between the two houses?
One house stands and the other house falls when the storm hits.

*3. What point is Jesus making with this analogy?
It’s not enough to hear God’s word. It’s important to hear it and put it into practice in order to weather life’s storms.

4. What is so great about Jesus that following his teaching gives us such a strong foundation in life?
He is God so he knows everything. While human teachers could be wrong about things, God knows everything and is completely wise, so his teaching is always true. He also created us, so he knows what is best for our lives.

HOW DO WE APPLY THIS TO OUR LIVES?

*5. From studying Jesus’ life, we can know that Jesus is loving, good, and powerful. How could knowing those things about Jesus help you trust his teaching more?
If I know that he loves me, I can trust that he genuinely wants what’s best for me. If I know he’s good, I can trust that his teachings will be good. If I know that he is powerful, I can trust that he can help me overcome the problems in my life. Those qualities make him a more reliable teacher than a selfish, bad, weak teacher.

6. In your life, whose advice do you value and why?
Allow the group to discuss. Some students may mention their parents and how they value their advice because they know of their love. Help your group see the connection between valuing parents’ advice and valuing God’s advice, which is even better because it’s always true, reliable, and from a heart of love.

7. Think about a part of your life where it’s hard to submit to Jesus’ teaching. How does this discussion encourage you to put Jesus’ words into practice in this area?
Allow the group to discuss. Help your group see that it’s easier to put Jesus’ words into practice in any area when we realize his teaching is always true, reliable, and from a heart of love.

*8. You can’t follow Jesus’ teachings if you don’t know what they are. What can you do this week to understand more of Jesus’ teachings?
Let them discuss, but lead them toward their need to read Jesus’ teachings for themselves. Encourage them to read Matthew 5-7 this week and write down a few observations or questions to discuss next week.

Our review cards are an excellent way to review your past lessons with your students before each study. Not every lesson has one yet but if we have them, you can find them on the PRINT page. Check them out and use them each week to help your students grab hold of the truths in these studies.

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.

FEEDBACK