Matthew 26:30-56; Mark 8:27-33; 14:26-50; John 13:33-38

Learning Objectives

• Students will recognize that they are sinners in a way that is specific enough that they localize the lesson to themselves.
• Students will recognize that as sinners they need God's forgiveness.

Introduction

Materials

• A copy of the included choose your own adventure story.
• A 3x5 note card with the word "in the cave" and "outside the cave" one each side for each individual in class.

Main Idea

• Narrate the following story giving kids the opportunity to make a choice at each point. As the kids make choices they turn their cards over. Those who make it to the end get a piece of candy.

The Great Cave Dive

It is a hot summer day, and ______ explorers have decided to explore the forbidden cave. The explorers boldly enter the cave. After an hour of exploring, the explorers come to a fork int he road. To the left they hear the sound of rushing water. To the right they hear nothing. The explores have run low on water and need to make a decision, some decide to go right and some decide to go left.

What decision will you make?  Right or left?
Those who went right took a step and the floor gave way, they were rushed away in a stream of water that traveled out of the cave.

As the rest of the team dives deeper into the cave they notice a cool gently breeze. ____________ begins to think, "you know, this isn't so bad, it is cool down here." All of a sudden the group hears a low growl to there right. ____________ turns her flashlight and see a big grizzly bear. Several of the members of the team quickly take off their pack, pull out their food and offer it to the bear. However, a few members of the team just freeze.

What decision will you make, do you freeze in place, or do you take off your pack and offer your food?
It turns out the bear isn't interested in food and so he starts chasing all of those who offered food, the bear chases them clear out of the cave leaving those who froze in place to continue on.

Now it is getting really dark and to the team's surprise there is another fork in the road. However, this time one goes up and the other goes down.

What decision will you make?  Do you go up or down?
Those who went up find an nice gradual walk back to the surface.  However, when they get to the surface they lose track of the cave and can't get back in.

The remainder of the team proceeds deeper into the cave for the next three hours. Finally, a few start to say this is a waste of time.

Is this a waste of time?  Do you decide to keep going or turn back now.

Finally, at the end of the cave the team of explorers finds the treasure.

Transition

Making decisions is an important part of life. Some decisions are really important, others are less important. As we go through the lesson today I want you to pay attention to each decision that was made.

Main Body

• What is the hardest decision you have ever made?

The Question

• Ask a student to read Mark 8:27. What did Jesus ask his disciples?
• If Jesus asked you that same question, how would you respond?
  • Write the students answers on the board. Don't write anything down that is blatantly wrong but do write down things that don't go far enough. i.e. if a student says Jesus was good you can write that down. If a students says Jesus was a lunatic (c.f C.S. Lewis) you should leave that off the list.
• Read Mark 8:28 to the students
• Who did the disciples say that Jesus was?
  • John the Baptist, Elijah, one of the prophets.
• Ask a student to read Mark 8:29.
  • Who did Peter say that Jesus was?

The disciples were at a cross roads. Jesus asked them to commit, who was this Jesus, the disciples were in a position where they needed to make a decision.

• do you think Peter made the right decision? Did he get the question right?

The Prediction

Shortly after the events we just talked about Jesus began to teach his disciples. Jesus taught the disciples that a time was coming when Jesus would suffer, be rejected, and killed.

• Do you think the disciples were excited about the idea that Jesus was going to suffer and be killed? How do you think they responded?
• Have a student read Mark 32 and 33
  • How did Jesus respond when Peter told Jesus that he didn't want these things to happen to Jesus?
    • Note: be prepared to reign this question in quickly. The students may go in the wrong direction with this one.
  • Why do you think Jesus responded so sharply?
    • Jesus came to save the disciples and you and me. Peter did not realize why Jesus had come. Jesus responded sharply because Peter needed to understand God's perfect plan. God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins, to live perfectly so that He had no sins to pay for. That way, when Jesus died he could pay for our sins.

A Second Prediction

Peter wanted to serve Jesus. In fact, Peter wanted to serve Jesus to badly that he was willing to tell Jesus that he would follow him wherever he went no mater what happened.

• Have a student read Matthew 26:33-35. What prediction did Jesus make about Peter's ability to follow Him?

Jesus then took his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Jesus asked three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, to come with Him a little further into the garden to pray. Jesus was about to suffer a horrific death and he wanted his closest friends to be with him.

• do you think the disciples were able to help Jesus in his time of need?
• Read Matthew 26:40 to the students.
  • No!, the disciples failed, they were so tired that they fell asleep. Jesus was about to be tortured and die, yet he was all alone the disciples had failed Him.

The Arrest

Jesus approached the disciples and asked "could you not even stay awake with me to pray?" "Your spirit is willing but your heart is weak." Jesus reminded them to stay awake and pray with Him but when he came again they were sleeping. Then the mob with clubs and swords came to arrest Jesus. I am sure that even in the darkness Peter could see the mob approaching with torches in hand. Choose broke the guards took Jesus to arrest Him and Peter grabbed his sword. He swung and cut the ear off a servant of the High Priest. Jesus told Peter to put his sword away.

• Now Peter was faced with a most difficult decision. Should he stay with Jesus and be arrested too or should he run away and hide?
• Have a student read Matthew 26:56-58
  • Peter chose to abandon Jesus.

Conclusion

For this activity you will need slips of paper with the following verses on each slip of paper.  Number the slips of paper and hide them around the classroom.  You can either create your own file or you can use the following file File:RomansRoadSlips.docx
Romans 3:10 As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one;
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Roman 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the [a]gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 10:9, 10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

• Before the lesson on this day cut out the slips of paper and hide them around the classroom.
• At the end of the lesson tell the students that you have hidden five slips of paper around the classroom. Ask the student to go around the classroom and find them and every person who finds a slip of paper can have a piece of candy.
• Once all the slips of paper are found have the students read what is on their paper.
• Tell students that like Peter we all have failed to make the right choice and have sinned. However, we each have a choice, we can trust in Jesus' death on the cross ays payment for our sins.
• Use the ABCs of salvation poster to walk through the gospel and give an invitation.