Lesson 10 – John Prepares the Way
As John pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, so our pastors point us to this same Jesus, who grants us forgiveness, life and salvation.
Opening
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
This lesson will use the Bible, the Bible Exploration Guide and the Lesson 10 Leaflet from the Student Pack. The front cover shows how the artist sees John the Baptist preaching to a crowd. Also paper and colored pencils or crayons will be needed.
This lesson is about the forerunner of Christ, John the Baptist. A forerunner is a sign that something is going to happen, or a person who comes ahead of another. Early in the Gospel of Luke, we read this verse from Zechariah's prophecy.
Read Luke 1:76.
The verse is about John. What will he do? Prepare the way of the Lord.
Review the Faith Words on the last page of the lesson leaflet.
John was the preacher that God sent at the right time. In John, God graciously provided for Zechariah and Elizabeth, and all creation received the forerunner of the Messiah. He came before Jesus to prepare God's people to receive the Savior. He baptized people in the Jordan River and preached the repentance of sin. He came to prepare us for "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). As John pointed people to Jesus, we also are led to see Jesus through God's Word preached and His Sacraments administered.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, prepare our hearts that we may learn and grow in faith as we study Your Word. In Your name we pray. Amen.
Read the information about John the Baptist in the Bible Discovery Guide on page 10.
Then read Matthew 3:1-12.
The following paragraphs discuss some of the information in the scriptures.
Matthew 3:5 "Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to [John]". Many people were coming to hear John preach. He taught with authority, like the prophets of the Old Testament
Matthew 3:6 "And they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” God called the people to repent of their sin, and they were baptized. John's Baptism was to prepare people for the Baptism of Christ, in which faith and forgiveness are given.
Read Acts 2:38
Paul delivered these comforting words to the jailer in Philippi.
What is the gift of the Holy Spirit? Saving faith in Jesus.
Matthew 3:7 John calls the Pharisees (FARE uh sees) and Sadducees (SAJ uh seez) (the religious leaders) a "brood of vipers!" The religious leaders did not love God with their hearts. They did good deeds to make themselves look good and to earn their own salvation. John was calling on them to repent.
The faith given by the Holy Spirit through His Word and the Sacrament of Holy Baptism is a living and active power in our lives, bearing the fruit of good works. We must do good works. God commands them. However, they do not save us. They are always the result of saving faith.
Saving faith is bound to bring forth good fruit. Even good works point us to Jesus and what He has done for us.
Matthew 3:9 John tells the religious leaders, "Do not presume to say to your selves, We have Abraham as our father." The religious leaders believed they could never be rejected by God because they were God's chosen people, the descendants of Abraham. John proclaimed that salvation comes only through faith in Christ, not because of who your ancestors are.
Matthew 3:10 John tells the religious leaders, "Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down". John explained that the Savior would come and condemn anyone who trusted in their own good works rather than in the grace and mercy of God. Bad fruit is self-righteousness. Good fruit is Christ-righteousness.
Matthew 3:11-12 "He who is coming after me is mightier than I. . ..[He will]l gather His wheat into the barn, but the chaff He will burn. The promised Savior is coming. He will gather His believers but condemn unbelievers.
We Live
The Pharisees and Sadducees in today's story had very hard hearts. They were self-righteous. Self-righteousness means we always depend on ourselves and what we think we can do to be saved. But we can never be good enough. The Pharisees and Sadducees did not think they needed a Savior. They thought that they kept the Law of Moses and were chosen by God because they were descendants of Abraham. That's why John spoke so harshly to them. He wanted them to repent of their sins and be forgiven.
Sometimes we have hearts hardened by sin; we think, "Oh, I don't do any really bad sins" or "I’m a lot better than that other person." We often act and feel self-righteous just like the Pharisees did. That's why our pastors, teachers, and parents point out our sinfulness. Sometimes we think they are being mean to us, but they aren't. It's an act of love when these people and others who care about us help us see where we have sinned. It's an act of love because then we see that we need Jesus. Jesus came for all sinners, including you and me.
Follow the directions on page 2 of the leaflet to solve the Broken Commandments puzzle.
When completed the puzzle, should show the word LAW. Even the words forgive, respect, love, and others are commands (Law) from God-commands that we break every day.
The Law shows us that we are sinners who need a Savior. God calls us to repent. When God's Word works in our hardened hearts, it causes us to feel the need to repent. We feel the need for confession.
Read What Is Confession? on page 3 of the leaflet, then read the Confession of Sins on the bottom of page 2 followed by the The Absolution on page 3.
Every day of every week, we sin. That's why every Sunday, we confess our sins; then, God's forgiveness is announced in the Absolution. These are the words spoken in church by the pastor, who has Christ's authority to tell you that God has forgiven your sins. We don't have to hide our sins. We bring them to the cross, where Jesus died to take our punishment. Jesus' perfect life, death, and resurrection give us His righteous ness, and we are made heirs of heaven.
Sometimes, a sin plagues our conscience so much that we cannot see how God would forgive us, even after the Absolution the pastor speaks to everyone in the church. At such times, we may wish to go to our pastor and privately confess aloud the sin that troubles us. Then we can hear God speak His forgiveness to us through the pastor as he delivers the words of Absolution to us. There is much comfort in hearing forgiveness for specific sins that trouble us.
Read the Bible Words from the back of the leaflet.
When you know you have done something wrong or disobeyed your parents and you tell them you're sorry, how do you usually feel? Happy, at peace, perhaps a little sad.
What do you want to do? Most people want to do loving deeds for the person they have hurt and have been forgiven by. The fruit we bear grows out of our faith, which God gives us.
It’s only through God's gift of the Holy Spirit that we can bear fruit in keeping with repentance. If we take credit, we are falling into the sin of self-righteousness. It is only through the Holy Spirit that we can say and do things that are pleasing to God. God gets all the credit for the good things we do.
Print out John Prepares the Way at the end of the lesson. Cut the page apart following the directions. Mix up the pieces and put the scriptures in order and match the correct description with each scripture.
Closing
Listen to "On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry".
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for pastors and teachers who point out our sins and point us to You, our Savior from sin. Thank You for living a perfect life, dying on the cross, and rising again to make us righteous. Thank You for preparing us for the kingdom of heaven so we can rejoice with You forever. In Your name we pray. Amen.
