Jesus Is Alive!
Young kids (7-8) · leader guide · Anchor: Matthew 17:22-23· preview
From the sermon Distressing Prophecy
Today we heard about a time Jesus told His friends what was going to happen to Him. The Bible says:
The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.
— Matthew 17:22-23
Jesus' friends were very sad and upset because they did not understand why Jesus had to die. But we know the rest of the story! Jesus died to take the punishment for our sin, and He rose again to show He is the King. Because of that, we can trust Him even when life is hard or scary.
## Question 1: How did Jesus' friends feel when He told them He would die? Leader tip: Expected answers: sad, scared, upset, worried, or distressed. If a child goes off-topic, say: That is interesting, but let us think about the story. Jesus told His friends some hard news. How do you think they felt? Time: 2 minutes.
## Question 2: What happy part of the story did Jesus tell them? Leader tip: Expected answer: Jesus said He would rise from the dead on the third day / come back to life. If off-topic: Let us look at the Bible verse again. It says He will be raised on the third day. What does that mean? Time: 2 minutes.
## Question 3: Why can we feel joy even when hard or scary things happen? Leader tip: Expected answers: because Jesus is alive, because He rose again, because we know the rest of the story, because we get to be with Jesus forever, or because dying means we go to heaven to be with Him. If a child goes off-topic: That is a good thought. Let us remember what the pastor said. Since Jesus rose again, we know the best is yet to come. Time: 3 minutes.
## Activity: Draw the Rest of the Story Give each child paper and crayons. Ask them to draw a picture about why we can be happy because Jesus rose again. They might draw the empty tomb, a sunrise, or a big smile because we know Jesus is alive and heaven is waiting. Leader tip: Time estimate 5-7 minutes. If a child draws something unrelated, praise their picture and gently redirect: Can you add something to your picture that shows Jesus is alive?