Lesson Four

LESSON 4: JESUS IS UNRIVALED IN POWER

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: MARK 4:35-5:20

14:43

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LESSON OBJECTIVES

Students will explain how Jesus has power over the natural and spiritual worlds.

Students will identify that they can trust Jesus because nothing is impossible with him.

SCRIPTURE BACKGROUND & CONTEXT

Jesus Calms the Storm:

In the Old Testament, only God has power over the seas (see Psalm 65:7). In Mark 4:39, Jesus speaks to the wind like God does in Job 26:11. Jesus calming the storm means he should be identified with the God of the Old Testament.

Miracles and the Kingdom of God:

Miracles are demonstrations that the kingdom of God has come. In Mark 5:1-20, Jesus casting out demons proves that God’s kingdom is driving out the evil in the world. There is still sin in the world, and Satan still carries out evil. But his time is short. The time will come when God’s kingdom removes all evil when Jesus returns.

INSTRUCTION

WELCOME & REVIEW

Welcome, everyone! I hope you all had a good week. We shall focus on Mark4:35-5:20 in today’s lesson. What parable did we study last week?
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(Allow students to respond. Answer: Parable of the Sower.)

Jesus described four kinds of soils: soil on the pathway, soil on the rock, soil with the thorny bushes, and the good soil. What kind of soil receives the message of the kingdom of God and becomes fruitful?

(Allow students to respond. Answer: The good soil receives the message of the kingdom of God and becomes fruitful. This refers to hearts that joyfully receive the Word of God and allow it to influence all the areas of their lives.)

God wants our hearts to be like the good soil that receives the message of the kingdom and produces much fruit. He invites us to trust him and live our lives aligned with the truth he has shown us.

INTRODUCTION

The lesson for today is entitled “Jesus is Unrivaled in Power.” We all love stories and movies about superheroes.

Who can name some superheroes that we admire?

(Allow students to respond. Possible answers: Superman, Batman, Ironman, Captain America, Spiderman, Supergirl.)

Why do we admire superheroes?

(Allow students to answer. Possible answers: Each can single handedly fight a multitude of bad guys. They are courageous. They overcome evil. They protect people. They have powerful weapons.)

The lesson today is about one who is greater than all the superheroes put together. He is unrivaled in power and has charge of the natural and spiritual worlds. His name is Jesus.

VIDEO CLIP

Let us watch the video clip entitled “Jesus is Unrivaled in Power.” Watch keenly how Jesus commands the wind and the evil spirits.

(After the video clip, release the students to sit together in their small groups for group discussion.)

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360p, 205 MB

SMALL GROUPS

Imagine being in a boat as one of the disciples and the “superhero” Jesus is sleeping unbothered by the strong winds. How would you react?
(Allow students to respond. Possible answers: Conclude that he is not really powerful. Imagine that he does not care. Say my last prayers. Tell him to wake up and do something. Scream in fear. Jump off the boat.)

What do you learn about the power of Jesus? (Hint: look at Mark 4:39 for help.)
(Allow students to respond. Answers: The natural world obeys him. He commands it, and it obeys him. That means he is in charge of the natural world.)

By stopping the strong winds, Jesus saved the disciples from drowning. Similarly, Jesus cares for us in difficult situations. Nothing is too hard for him. We just need to cry out to him for help.

How does the Bible describe the demon-possessed man and Jesus’ restoration of him into his right mind? (Hint: look at Mark 5:3-13 for help.)
(Allow students to respond. Answers: The demon-possessed man had an evil spirit, lived in the tombs, was very strong and could not be restrained, cried out day and night, cut himself with stones, and had many demons. He cried out to Jesus for help. Jesus asked the man his name after which he commanded the demons to go into a herd of pigs. The pigs then rushed into the lake and drowned. The man was freed from the demons, dressed up, and started talking normally.)

The demon-possessed man had many demons. He was too strong for anyone, but when Jesus commanded the demons to leave him, they obeyed immediately. They recognised him as “the Son of the Most High God”. The demons were subdued by the same Jesus in whom we believe. No matter the level of challenges we go through, we can trust Jesus to rescue us. He is unrivaled in power.

How does the calming of the storm and the healing of the demon-possessed man relate to God’s kingdom?
(Allow students to respond. Answers: God himself has come to earth to bring in his kingdom in the person of Jesus Christ. The calming of the storm shows this as well as the casting out of the demons. In his kingdom, Jesus has unrivaled power.)

What do you learn from the actions of Jesus?
(Allow students to respond. Possible answers: He has power over the natural and spiritual worlds. We are comforted and hopeful that no matter what we go through, we can cry to Jesus. He hears and answers us. Nothing is impossible with him, and we can trust Jesus in all situations.)

What goes on in your mind when you see a mad or mentally sick person? Do you ever imagine that you can pray to Jesus to heal such a person?
(Students do not need to answer in class.)

Thank you for all your responses. Let us join the other groups so that we can conclude together.

APPLICATION

Jesus is unrivaled in power. He is in charge of natural and spiritual worlds. In times of floods, storms, earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and drought we can pray to him to change the situation.
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Jesus can also protect us from evil spirits, curses, spells, charms, and sorceries. No other power is greater than Jesus’ power.

REFLECTION

What difficulties are you facing as an individual or in your family? Take some time this week and ask Jesus for help.

PRAYER

In your own words, pray in Jesus’ name against evil spirits, curses, spells, charms, and sorceries. Pray against the fear of natural disasters and ask Jesus for courage to trust in him at all times. Trust him for victory.

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Introduction

Alexis: Hey everyone, it's Alexis. Last session, Eli talked about how Jesus gave his life to restore us to God. But he did more than that. Jesus established a kingdom that is still going today. And that's what I'm talking about, the Kingdom of Heaven in the Here and Now. After Jesus rose from the dead, he spent about 40 days with his followers. After that, he gathered his closest friends and said this to them before ascending back into heaven:

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Jesus’ final words to his followers are what we know today as the “Great Commission”. With those words, the followers of Jesus knew exactly what to do, and they went straight to work. Just kidding. No, they didn't. They kinda just stood there looking up. Take a minute to put yourself in their shoes - What would you do? God shows up and does something amazing; now it's your turn. What is your first reaction? Are you excited? Scared? A little bit of both? Describe how you think you might feel.

Empowered by the Spirit for Kingdom Living

I think one question Jesus' followers asked was, "What are we supposed to do?" Which is fair. It might be a question you’re asking. Maybe you're wrestling with something God’s doing in you, and you can't quite figure out what to do next. You're in good company. Jesus' followers went back to the place where they had been staying, and they waited for days. Imagine how that felt. Waiting on God can be tricky. It’s hard to tell if you're waiting in faith or hiding in fear. I'm sure many followers have prayed for God to give them a sign. Well, they got one. Listen to this:

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:2-4)

The Holy Spirit came and filled the people in that room, and crowds from all over came running. And what happened next is really cool. The followers of Jesus emerged and began speaking to people from every nation in their heart language. In Acts 2, we read that about 3000 people joined God's kingdom that day!

So what does it look like to live in God's kingdom on Earth? Well, it means following the way of Jesus, our King. Think about that for a moment. Read Galatians 5:16-26. What does it mean to walk by the Spirit? Can you relate to the tension between your flesh and the Spirit that this passage describes? How do you see the Holy Spirit working in your life to produce the fruits listed in verses 22-23? Write down your thoughts.

Being the Church

Living in this freedom to follow Jesus, we are able to be what Jesus called “His Church.” The Church is the embodiment of God’s kingdom on Earth. Imperfect, but becoming more like Jesus every day. The Church isn’t a building or institution - it’s millions of followers of Jesus who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, do two things: They love God, and they love others. That’s simple to say, difficult to do, trust me. But we’re not alone. The Holy Spirit is working through us to build God’s kingdom on Earth and make us more like Jesus every day. I trust in God’s big mission, and I hope you do too. See you next time.

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