Lesson 115 - Elementary

Memory Verse

"I will come again, and receive you unto myself" (John 14:3).

Notes

Alive Again!

One day eleven of Jesus' best friends were together in a home in Jerusalem. Cruel men had taken Jesus and put Him on a cross just outside Jerusalem a few days before and he had died. But Jesus was alive again – many of His disciples had seen Him!

Jesus' Good Works

They no doubt talked about the many beautiful words Jesus had said to them, and the kind things they had seen Him do. He had raised the ruler's little daughter. She was very sick and her father asked Jesus to come. He thought: If Jesus comes He will make my little girl well. She died before Jesus reached her home, but He brought her to life again. They remembered the day they walked with Jesus along a country road in Galilee. As they came to the gate of a little town, they saw a woman weeping. She was a widow and her only son had died. Jesus felt very sorry for her and raised her son to life again.

Another day Jesus was talking to more than 5,000 people out in the country. It was past supper time when they were ready to start home. Jesus wished they had something to eat so they would not be hungry and tired on the way. A little boy was the only one who had any food. He had five loaves of bread and two fishes. Jesus made enough food out of this small lunch so that everyone had plenty to eat.

Some of the disciples thought maybe Jesus would become their king and set them free from the Romans who ruled over them.

The Nailprints

Thomas, who was one of the disciples, had not seen Jesus after He rose from the grave, and Thomas had thought maybe the others had only seen someone who looked like Jesus – how could He be alive? He had said, "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Suddenly Jesus appeared to them. He did not open the door – He was just there. Jesus knew what Thomas had said. He showed him His hands and His side. Thomas knew it was Jesus, and that He was the Son of God. Jesus knows today what we say and what we think. If we always remember that, it will help us to be good and kind.

Jesus' Love

It was time for Jesus to go back to His beautiful home in Heaven where the streets are pure gold, clear as glass. There is a river of water of life in Jesus' Home, and by this river is the tree of life, on which there are twelve different kinds of fruit. Jesus loves us and wants every one to come to Heaven and live with Him some day. He said that He was going away to prepare a home for us, but only those who are good and holy can live there.

He left His home, His loving Father, and the angels, and came to earth to make it possible for us to be good and pure so that we could go to be with Him. He told us to love one another as He loves us. We should love our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and playmates enough to leave our play to help them when they need us. Jesus left His home in Heaven to help us, and we want to be like Him. We know Jesus loves little children. When He was on earth He took them in His arms and blessed them. Sometimes we wish we, too, had been here then. But Jesus is the same now and blesses us today. We do not see Him with our eyes. We must learn to "see” Him with our hearts.

All the good things that come to us are from God [JAM:1:17]). Our mother's and father's love, our home, our clothes, the food we eat, and the flowers, birds, and pets we enjoy are some of the many things Jesus gives us. His goodness to us makes us want to be good and kind, and we feel bad if we have been naughty and selfish. When we tell Jesus we are sorry because we have done wrong and ask Him to forgive us and make us good, He blesses us with the greatest of all blessings – salvation – and then we belong to Him.

Coming Again

A few days later as Jesus talked to His disciples, they walked along the narrow streets of Jerusalem, and out through the city gate. When they came to the little town of Bethany, just beyond the Mount of Olives, Jesus lifted up His hands and blessed them. He began to go up toward Heaven, and as the disciples looked in wonder, Jesus disappeared in a white cloud in the sky. As they stood gazing up where Jesus had disappeared, two men dressed in white – probably angels – came and said, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Wouldn't it make you happy to see Jesus come out of a cloud in the sky and lift up His hands and bless you? How wonderful it will be when Jesus comes and takes us to be with Him in the beautiful place He is making ready for us!

Jesus' Command

Jesus told His disciples before He left that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days. He told them to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came to live in their hearts. When the Holy Spirit came they would be able to go into all the world and tell people about Jesus. They would tell everyone that Jesus lived a beautiful life and never did anything wrong; that He died on the cross, and that He rose from the grave. The disciples would tell the people that any boy or girl, man or woman, who does what Jesus tells people to do may live with Him in Heaven forever.

Questions

1. How did the disciples know Jesus was alive? [ACT:1:3].

2. What were the disciples to do first after Jesus went to Heaven? [ACT:1:4].

3. What were they to do after the Holy Spirit came to live in their hearts? [ACT:1:8].

4. How did Jesus leave this world? [ACT:1:9].

5. How is He going to return? [ACT:1:11].