Worship:
- Deeper Still (YouTube Link)
- We Stand Forgiven (YouTube Link)
- Praise Your Name (YouTube Link)
Bible Story: Hebrews 3; 5; 7
Text Truth: Jesus is our great High Priest—He paid for our sin once and for all.
Memory Verse: Hebrews 7:25
The last several weeks have been talking about Jesus’ last few weeks on earth as he was crucified, buried, and then rose again the third day. Today, we get to explore part of the book of Hebrews as it gives us more amazing news about Jesus and who He is. Before we dive into this New Testament book, we need to talk about a few things from the Old Testament.
Question: What are some things you know about Moses?
Moses was used by God to help the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt. The Israelites traveled through the wilderness to reach the land they were promised by God. But, if you remember, the Israelites liked to complain. They complained to Moses a LOT! They did not trust God and follow Moses’ lead. Their disobedience caused them to have to continue to wander in the wilderness for 40 more years!
In the wilderness, God told them how to set up a tabernacle, an altar and have a high priest. The tabernacle was the place where people worshiped and the altar was the place to make animal sacrifices. Before Jesus came to earth, animal sacrifices had to be made so that people could be forgiven of their sins. The high priest was the only person who could go to God and make sacrifices for the people.
The writer of Hebrews compares Moses and Jesus (Hebrews 3:2-6). He wanted to help God’s people understand that Jesus is better than anything the people had before including Moses and the high priest. Just like the Israelites were supposed to follow Moses, we are to follow Jesus. We also don’t need a high priest like in the Old Testament because Jesus is our High Priest.
Question: Do you think the high priest in the Old Testament sinned? (Yes!)
The Old Testament high priest was human like you and me. He sinned just like everyone else. Because of this, he not only had to offer sacrifices for the people, he also had to offer sacrifices to seek God’s forgiveness for his own sins.
Question: Did Jesus ever sin? (No!)
Jesus lived a perfect life on this earth. Since he never sinned, he never had to offer an animal sacrifice to God. Instead, He gave Himself as our sacrifice once and for all. He did this by dying on the cross. Since the Old Testament high priests were human, they eventually died like everyone else. When Jesus died, He did not stay dead! He rose again the third day so he could permanently be the great High Priest. Jesus is able to save those who ask for forgiveness and place their trust in Him as Savior and Lord.
Read and Answer: Hebrews 5:1-4–What was the job of a human high priest? (to make sacrifices for the forgiveness of his sins and the people’s sins)
Read and Answer: Hebrews 7:25-27–Why is Jesus a better high priest? (He is the perfect, holy sacrifice for our sins that is good once and for all)
Family Activity:
1)Object Lesson
Supplies: Unbreakable objects both light and heavy (For this object lesson, objects such as feathers, paper, or balloons that will be hindered by air resistance are NOT good.)
Do & Say: “Romans 3:23 tells us that everyone sins. You, me, your friends, your parents, your pastor, and even the high priests in the Old Testament sinned. Every sin is a problem because sin separates us from God. God cannot ignore any sin.”
Give the child a heavy object. “This object will represent big, serious sins. What are some big, serious sins?” Then, give the child a light object. “This object is light. It will represent the smaller sins which some people think are not as important. What are some examples?”
“Hold both items in front of you at the same height. On the count of three, I want you to drop both items at the same time. Which item do you think will land first?”
“One, two, three, drop the items. Did you think the heavier item would land first?”
“Although one item is heavier, they both fall at the same speed. That is how sin works. All sin has the exact same result–we are separated from God forever. No animal sacrifices will once and for all clean us of our sins. No matter how many good things we do, we will never be able to reach heaven on our own. That is why everyone needs the forgiveness only Jesus provides. Only Jesus, our perfect High Priest, can save us from sin.”
2) Minute To Win It Bible Skills Games
Game 1 Supplies: Bag full of Scrabble Tiles
Do: The bag in your hand contains a complete set of letters from a game of Scrabble. In this challenge, you must scoop letters from the bag and quickly assemble those letters into three books from the Bible. You can spell any three books from the Bible you like, from Job to Lamentations, but you must spell three in 60 seconds or less to win.
Game 2 Supplies: A big pile of pennies/coins
Do: The book of Hebrews is an epistle which means it was originally a letter written to a specific group of people. There are 21 epistles in the New Testament and 121 chapters of epistles. Your challenge is to separate 121 coins from the pile in 60 seconds or less to win.
ACTIVITY SHEET LINKS (Click the link to download a printable pdf)
1) Explore the Bible Guide
2) Hebrews Crossword Puzzle
3) Names of Jesus Word Search
4) Jesus Coloring Page
5) Color By Number
