Bridge Group Easter Lesson

Intro Game

Supplies:

2 equal sized boxes

1 dollar bill (or some sort of money that will fit under one of your boxes)

2 index cards

One says “Tell the truth”

One says “Tell a lie”

Instructions:

Select two students at a time. Student A will place the money under a box while the Student B looks away.

Show Student A one of your index cards. They will either need to tell the truth about where the index card is, or they will need to lie about it.

Student B can ask Student A questions about where the money is, trying to figure it out.

If Student B finds the money, they win the round.

If Student A was instructed to “tell the truth” and Student B found the money, they get a point. If Student B was instructed to “tell a lie” and student B did NOT find the money, they get a point.

Play round robin such that all the students get up there a couple of times

Discussion

How do you know when someone is telling the truth?

How can we know that Christians are telling the truth about what they believe in?

How do you know when someone is telling the truth about Jesus? We’re going to look at how the Bible answers that question today.

I Corinthians 15:1-11

Split the reading of this passage between two students. Have one student read 1-5, and another student read 6-11.

What does the word gospel mean? (A: “good news - it was the type of good news that someone would go out and proclaim”)

Verses 1-3 tell us three parts to the gospel. What are they? (A: Jesus died, he was buried, he rose again)

Jesus died - Can you think of any reasons why this is good news?

We all deserve to be judged for our sin. Just like a criminal deserves to be punished for the laws he has broken, we too have broken Gods’s laws. When Jesus died on the cross, he took that punishment for us on himself. Now we can have a restored relationship with God.

Jesus was buried - What does this tell us about Jesus dying on the cross?

He really died. Some people try to explain away Jesus’ resurrection by saying he didn’t really die. Maybe he just looked like he died, or maybe there was a conspiracy to make it look like Jesus died. But the fact that Jesus was buried in a tomb confirms that Jesus really died.

Jesus rose again - Why is this so important to the good news? What would it be like to tell someone the gospel if Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead?

By rising from the dead, Jesus proved that he wasn’t just a religious teacher. Buddha, Mohammed, and Abraham were all religious teachers, but they are dead now. Jesus is the only one who rose from the dead. And we can trust his message because of his resurrection.

Over 500 people saw Jesus after he rose from the dead.

Application

Head

1 Corinthians 15:17 ESV

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Our faith is not just based on the words of a pastor, the teachings of a church, or an ancient book. Our faith is based on the resurrection of Jesus. If Jesus was not raised, then we have no assurance that our faith is the right one, and we have no assurance that our sins are forgiven and we are right with God.

That’s why Jesus’ resurrection is part of the gospel. It is good news! Because Jesus rose from the dead, we have confidence that our sins are forgiven.

Heart

1 Corinthians 15:32–34 ESV

What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

Just as Jesus rose from the dead, we too will live a life after this life. We will rise from the dead. This encourages us to focus on what really matters.

Have you heard the phrase YOLO? “You only live once.” People say that when they think about all the things they want to do in life. But as Christians, we know that we will live twice. Once in this current life, and again when we are raised to be with Jesus forever.

So it’s important to live for that second life now. We live for God’s Kingdom and His mission rather than to have our “best life now”.

Hands

1 Corinthians 15:54–58 ESV

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

The resurrection gives us the confidence we need to follow Jesus.

What if your parents told you, “If you do the dishes every day until you’re 15 and a half, I’ll buy you whatever car you want.” You would probably do the dishes, right?

What if your parents told you, “If you do the dishes every day until you’re 15 and a half, maybe I might buy you a car.” That “maybe” changes things. You probably wouldn’t be as motivated.

We don’t rely on a “maybe” when it comes to living our lives for Jesus. Jesus rose from the dead. So will we. We have confidence that our future is to live with Jesus forever.

And because we have that confidence, we that the sacrifices we make now for his Kingdom are worth it. We can abound in God’s work, whether that means serving the poor, or telling other people about Jesus, or reading God’s Word. We can abound in the work of the Lord because we know that our labor is not in vain.