God is not the same as you and me. Here are two words God uses to tell us about Himself. Listen to God’s Word and stomp your feet when you hear the words power and glory. These words tell us what God is like. (Read 1 Chronicles 29:11.) God is greatest of all. His glory is when He shows His incredible greatness. God shows His glory in many ways. He is so powerful that He made the Earth and everything in it. He is so good that He is completely perfect. He is so loving that He loves every person in the whole world. That includes you. No one but God has this kind of glory and power! God is not the same as you and me.
We cannot know God on our own. He is too wonderful for us to understand or explain. So God chose to teach us about Himself. He used men to write down His message to people in the Bible so we could know Him, but He did something more. (Read Hebrews 1:1-2.) God showed Himself through Jesus!
God the Son, Jesus, left Heaven and came to Earth. He was born in Bethlehem then grew up like you are growing up. Let’s pretend to do some things kids do while they are growing up. Let’s eat. Let’s play. Let’s sleep. (Do with children.) Jesus probably did lots of things you like to do while He was growing up because He was completely human. He is also much different from you because He is also completely God. He is all the way God and all the way man at the same time. This made Jesus the perfect person to teach people about God. He completely understood what it’s like to be God and what it’s like to be human. Jesus made the way for people to get to know God.
If you have believed in Jesus as your Savior from sin, you can enjoy close friendship with God. When you believed in Jesus as your Savior, you became part of God’s family. God doesn’t just want you to know things about Him. He wants you to get to know Him better and enjoy His love and friendship. (Read Jeremiah 9:23-24.) Getting to know God is the best thing you could ever do—it is better than being smart, strong, or rich! He is the best friend you could ever have. Friends spend time with each other. They get to know each other by talking and listening to each other. You can do these things with your friend, God, by reading the Bible and praying. If you read the book of Mark (show the book of Mark in Bible) you will read about the things Jesus said and did. Talk with God about what you read and ask Him to help you learn about Him through Jesus.
Friends spend time with each other. They get to know each other by talking and listening to each other. You can do these things with your friend, God, by reading the Bible and praying. If you read the book of Mark (show the book of Mark in Bible) you will read about the things Jesus said and did. Talk with God about what you read and ask Him to help you learn about Him through Jesus.
Jesus Taught People That
He Is God.
Jesus made the way for people to get to know God. When Jesus was about 30 years old, He began to teach people God’s ways. He taught so well that huge crowds gathered to hear Him teach. People walked for miles and sat for hours just to hear Him.
One day Jesus was walking in the temple and some people asked if He was really the Christ (Savior) God had promised to send. Jesus said He had already told them who He is. The powerful miracles He did were things only God could do. He said He could do the exact same things as God because He is God. (Read John 10:30.) Many people became angry when Jesus said He is God. They didn’t think God Himself would come down to save them. They thought Jesus must be lying. But Jesus was telling the truth! He is God the Son. Let’s look at some other things Jesus taught.
Jesus taught that
God makes the rules.
Some other teachers who lived at the same time as Jesus made up books full of their own rules for how to please God. They had rules about exactly how to wash dishes. They even had rules about washing your hands a certain way. These teachers didn’t follow God’s rules but they were very upset that Jesus did not follow all their rules. Jesus reminded them that they had made up their own rules, but it was God’s rules that really mattered. They were ignoring God’s rules! God is the boss of all things because He is the Creator of all things. It’s His universe so He gets to make the rules. God’s rules are always good for us but people don’t always obey them. When you think, say, or do things that disobey God’s rules, it’s called sin. Put your hands on your head if you can think of one example of something that is a sin. (Allow several children to share.) Lying, whining, and disrespecting parents or teachers are all sins. God says all people are born knowing how to sin. (Read Romans 3:12b.) Breaking God’s rules separates you from friendship with God. That’s why God talks about sin so much in the Bible. He wants to warn you that breaking His rules is a big problem that will separate you from friendship with Him forever. People don’t always obey God’s rules, but His rules are always good for us. God’s rules are important but the other teachers were acting like their rules were more important than God’s rules. Jesus wasn’t like these other teachers. He taught people that God makes the rules and following God’s rules is important. Let’s look at something else Jesus taught.
Jesus taught that
He is the only way to God.
One night Jesus was eating dinner with His disciples. He began to teach them about Heaven, where they could be with God forever. Thomas, one of the disciples, said they didn’t know the way to Heaven. (Read John 14:6.) Jesus was saying He is the only way for people to be with God and enjoy forever friendship with Him!
Jesus taught that He is the only way to God. Jesus is the perfect Son of God. He didn’t deserve to be punished for anything because He never did anything wrong. But Jesus let Himself be punished for your sin by bleeding and dying on a cross. (Read Revelation 1:5b.) Now everyone who believes in Him can be freed (saved) from their sin because Jesus has already taken their punishment. He proved He really is the Savior by coming back to life after He died. He could do this because He isn’t just a man—He is God of power and glory! Jesus is alive and ruling in Heaven today. He made the way for you to be with God forever. You can know God through Jesus!
“I can know God!”
Jesus is the only way for people to know God.
We have talked about some of the things Jesus taught, but He didn’t just teach each of these things one time. He used His words and actions to teach these things and many others to many different people for three whole years! You can read the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in your Bible to find out even more things Jesus taught!
The people who heard Jesus teach were amazed—even people who didn’t like what He said. No one had ever taught like Jesus! The Bible says Jesus taught with authority. That means He taught with power because He understood everything He taught. He could teach about God with authority because He is God!The teaching of Jesus will never be forgotten and will always be true because Jesus is God and He taught with authority. He is the greatest teacher who has ever lived!
Jesus still teaches people today! As you learn about the things Jesus said and did,
you will learn more about God.
“I can know God!” For the next several weeks we will learn more ways
Jesus showed He is God of power and glory.
It’s time for church improvement, and we are not talking about the facilities. We are talking about YOU.
The Church Efficiency Conference is hosted by Dr. Glenn Riggs and features guest speakers Terry Anglea, Ken Pledger, Scotty Drake, Sam Riggs, and Dwaine Johnson.