But God - Lesson 1: Salvation

Outline:

• Salvation is needed (v. 1-3) • Salvation is available (v. 4) • Salvation has a purpose (v. 6-7)

How far can you jump flat-footed?

[Allow time for responses … surely you will have some students who will swear they can jump to the moon.]

[Author Note: Before the lesson, place two strips of tape on the floor about 10 feet apart (the distance does not really matter; you just want to make sure students cannot jump across). Have students take turns trying to jump flat-footed from one piece of tape to the other. Unless you have Olympic long-jumpers in your student ministry, they will fail to make it. Use it to jump into the following illustration.]

IMAGE: River

Imagine a river half a mile wide. When you look at the bank of that river, you see a very diverse group of people. Each one of those people has the same goal: to make it to the other side of the river. The older people try to jump and do not get very far. The younger adults try and make it a little farther, but still fail to make it to the other side. The younger people and the athletes try it, as well. They make it farther than anyone else, but they still fail to make it to the other side.

As humans, none of us are good enough to make it to the other side. We all sin; we all fall short. Therefore, none of us will make it to heaven on our own. We need some help. Thankfully, God offers that help to us.

[Pick someone to read Ephesians 2:1-10. After they have read the verses, get the whole group to read verses 4 and 5 together aloud.]

[Ask students to call out all the words that describe how we were BEFORE Christ.These words include: dead, trespasses, sins, disobedient, fleshly desires, and wrath. Use this time to help students understand just how bad we were. We had no hope. We had no potential of ever having a right relationship with God. We could not do anything to change or improve our situation.[

Share a time when you were really sick? Did you get better?

When we are sick, we almost always have a chance to get better. That’s not how we were before Christ. We were DEAD, which means that we had no hope of getting any better. There is nothing we can do to change our situation … that’s why we need Jesus!

Tonight, we will be starting this series by talking about salvation. We will be discussing three different aspects of salvation that I hope will help us in our everyday lives.

We need Salvation

1. Salvation is needed (v.1-3, HCSB).

[Get a student to read verses 1-3 again.]

What do you think the word "trespasses" means?

To "trespass" is to slip, to fall, to stumble, or to go in the other direction. That’s why we need salvation. These verses show us that we are constantly going to slip up, we are constantly going to fall, we are constantly going to stumble, and we are constantly going to go in a different direction than God wants.

[Optional Activity: Before the session, create some kind of target with a small bull’s-eye in the middle of it. Have your students take turns trying to hit the target. It could be something as simple as throwing pennies at it. You will want to back them up and make the bull’s-eye impossible to hit. Give students a couple of tries to just prove that it’s impossible to hit.]

That’s what sin does to us. On our own, we can never hit the target that God has for us. We are all going to sin, we are all going to mess up, we are all going to stumble, and we are all going to slip up from time to time. That’s why everyone on earth needs salvation!

It would be pretty rough if those verses ended right at that moment. Paul tells us how bad off we really are. He says that we are dead in our sin …we are dead in our trespasses … we are disobedient … BUT God, who is abundant in love, makes salvation available.

Salvation is Available

2. Salvation is available (v. 4, HCSB)

[Get a student to read verse 4 aloud.]

[Insert a story here of a time where you needed something but could not get it. Maybe ask the students to share a similar story. (e.g., locked keys in car)]

Think back to just a moment ago when all of you failed to hit the target in the activity. Here in verse 4, it’s like God is saying, “You are going to mess up, you are going to sin, you are going to slip up, and you are constantly going to miss the mark. BUT now, I am going to help you hit the mark!”

What is your favorite kind of donut? Why is it your favorite?

Krispy Kreme, the largest donut chain in the world, has one thing that sets them apart from the rest of the pack. Any idea what it is? [Some students might know right off that it’s the “Hot & Now” sign.]

At that moment, when you drive by Krispy Kreme and the red “Hot & Now” sign is on, hot, fresh donuts are available to you.

But what must you do to get them?(drive in, order, pay, etc.)

It would be amazing if you just drove by Krispy Kreme, and the donuts appeared in your car. But donuts will not just appear in your car. We must do our part if we really want those donuts.

Salvation is similar. It’s available and it’s needed by everyone, but we must do our part to make it happen. It’s not just going to happen on its own!

So, what is “our part” when it comes to salvation?

How was salvation made available to us? How do we know that?

BUT GOD came to save us

“BUT GOD” changed everything for us. We were hopeless, we stumbled, we were disobedient, we fell short …none of us could make it on our own. BUT GOD sent His son and made salvation available to us!

So salvation is needed, salvation is available, and lastly, salvation has a purpose.

Salvation has a purpose

3. Salvation has a purpose (v. 6-7, HCSB)

read verses 6-7

What is the purpose of the different positions on a sports team? Soccer goalie, catcher in baseball, QB in football, etc.

Each of them serves a purpose on the field. They each have a job to do that is vital for the success as a team. Just like every sports position has a purpose, salvation has a purpose, as well.

What is the purpose of salvation?

So think about the awesomeness that is said in these verses: we were dead in sin, and now Jesus wants to make us alive through salvation.

What do you know about heaven?

Now, is that somewhere you would want to go? That only comes through salvation. That only comes through giving your heart to Jesus and living for Him every day.

We are sinful people who need salvation. Jesus made it available to us by His death, and salvation has a purpose: for all of us to live with Him in heaven one day.

Even in our lives today, our salvation has a purpose.

You cannot save you, BUT GOD can save you.

1. Why do you think some people are not worried about getting saved?

2. What are some sins that you feel control you?

3. Why is giving your life to Jesus so important?

4. Why is sharing Jesus with other people so important?

5. Why are those two words―“But God”—so important in these verses?

6. Do you think everyone can have “But God” moments in their lives, or are some people just wrapped up in too much sin?

7. What are some practical ways students can live out their salvation each day?

[Note: Before you leave, you may feel the need to give some sort of invitation. It’s highly encouraged if you have a group full of lost students. An invitation may even be beneficial for the students who do attend regularly. Everyone can be better at sharing their “But God” salvation story with others.]