NT 07 John the Baptist

Reference: Matthew 3:1-12, Mark 1:1-8

Story Summary:
     Before John was born, an angel told his father that he would be a messenger who would prepare the way for the Lord. Hundreds of years before John was born, the prophets Isaiah and Malachi wrote about John, that he would be God's messenger, who would prepare the way for the Lord.
     When John grew, he lived in the wilderness and people came to hear him preach. He wore camel-skin clothes, and ate locusts and honey. When John preached, he told the people to repent, or turn from, their sins. When they did, he would baptize them in the Jordan River, dipping them under the water and bringing them out again.
     One time when John was preaching, he said that someone greater than him was going to come, someone who was so great that he wouldn't be worthy of untying his shoes. That person was Jesus, God's Son, who came to earth to die for our sins.
     Because John baptized so many people, we call him John the Baptist. He was a messenger who helped prepare the way for Jesus by telling people to repent of their sins.

Big Idea and Motions: Repent of your sins and be baptized.
Repent - take a step in one direction, pivot your feet and turn around
Sins - two thumbs down
Baptized - pretend to take hold of a person’s body, dunk them under the water, and bring them back up

Verse / Motions: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, ESV - Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day...
Christ Died - form a cross with your forearms
Sins - two thumbs down
Scriptures - pretend to open a book
Buried - pretend to dig with a shovel
Rose - gesture upward with both palms
Third - hold up three fingers

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Where did John preach? // In the wilderness.
What did John wear? // Camel-hair clothes.
What did John eat? // Honey and locusts.
What did John tell the people to do? // Repent, be baptized.
What did John say God would do if people repented? // Forgive their sins.
What does it mean to be baptized? // Dunked under water in God’s name.
What special name do we give to John? Why? // John the Baptist, because he baptized people
What does baptism show us? // Our sins have been washed away, Jesus died and rose again for our sins.
Who is baptism for? // People who’ve repented of their sins and believe in Jesus.
What does baptism show us? // Our sins have been washed away, we’ve died and risen with Jesus

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/w00CLX
Resources - http://goo.gl/aQzML5