Youth Teacher: April- June 2020

By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corp

Youth Teacher is a quarterly resource for instructors that assists with discussing issues pertaining to youth ages 12-17. Sections such as Biblical Emphases give background knowledge of the lesson. All lessons include relevant life concerns and lesson applications to help the teacher relate the Bible to the lives of young people. It is used for Seekers for Jesus and Teen Scene.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Mar 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781681676555

Book preview

Lesson 1 for Week of April 5, 2020

ARE YOU THE RIGHT ONE TO LEAD?

UNIFYING TOPIC:

God’s Just Servant

LESSON SECTIONS

I. The Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 42:1–4)

II. A Light to the Nations (Isaiah 42:5–9)

KEY VERSE

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. (Isaiah 42:1, NRSV)

BIBLICAL EMPHASES

1. God introduces His Servant, who will bring forth justice for everyone.

2. God’s Servant will bring justice through gentleness and faithfulness rather than violence.

3. God’s Servant will serve as a light to the nations.

UNIFYING PRINCIPLE

People seek a champion of justice. Who can and will defend and uphold the cause of justice? In Matthew 21, Jesus upholds God’s justice in the temple, fulfilling Isaiah 42’s vision of the Messiah.

LESSON EMPHASES

•To help youth understand God’s promise to provide a Servant Savior to bring forth justice for everyone.

•To help youth identify Jesus as the promised Messiah.

Consider Your Students

SEEKERS FOR JESUS: With guidance, younger teens learn to serve the disadvantaged.

TEEN SCENE: Older teens have experienced the rewards of serving someone in need.

Materials Needed to Teach

For further reference, see today’s lesson from Boyd’s Commentary, and The New National Baptist Hymnal, 21st Century Edition.

Need more teacher helps?

Visit http://www.rhboyd.com.

Suggestions for Effective Teaching . . .

SEEKERS FOR JESUS

STEP 1: — Bring card stock, markers, and other craft items to class. Also bring four sets of the words from today’s key verse (each word on a separate index card). Begin class with prayer. Ask students to call out the first words that come to mind when they think of the word servant. Write their answers on the board.

STEP 2: Intro Activity — Ask students to list any characteristics of Jesus that they can think of. Write them on the board. Did they list the word servant? If it was missing, discuss possible reasons.

STEP 3: Today’s Word — Ask a volunteer or two to read the print passage for today. Discuss how the passage describes God’s Servant. Have students note any correlations between the description of Jesus in the Scripture verses and those listed in the Step 2 activity.

STEP 4: Consider This — Discuss the Consider This section in the student books. Explore together how the story relates to today’s lesson. Divide the class into four groups and give each group one set of the words from the key verse. At your signal, groups must sort them into the correct order. Who was fastest/most accurate?

STEP 5: Last Thoughts — Ask students to correct any misconceptions they might have had about what a servant is. Hand out the card stock and craft items, and give students time to write thank you notes to God for sending Jesus. Encourage them to read their notes out loud to God each day during this next week leading to Easter.

STEP 6: Closing — Allow for prayer requests, and close in prayer.

TEEN SCENE

STEP 1: — Begin class with prayer. Then divide students into groups and have each group make an acrostic with the word SERVANT by thinking of a descriptive phrase or sentence regarding servanthood beginning with each letter. Allow groups to share their acrostics.

STEP 2: Intro Activity — Have students repeat the exercise by creating acrostics using the name JESUS. Compare and contrast the acrostics. What elements do they share? Is Jesus described as being a servant? Why or why not?

STEP 3: Dissect and Digest — Ask a few volunteers to read the lesson passage, and others to read the Dissect and Digest section. Lead a discussion about Bible prophecy, explaining that many verses are about not just the most obvious subject but also the coming King. Discuss similar representations in works of literature, e.g. the lion Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia as a symbol of Jesus.

STEP 4: Heart of the Matter — Discuss the Heart of the Matter section in the student books. Discuss how the story is relatable to a situation in students’ lives.

STEP 5: Activity — Tell students to imagine that they are introducing Jesus, God’s Servant, to a friend who knows little or nothing about Him. How will they describe Jesus? What details will they share? Allow for students to rehearse how they might begin and then carry out the conversation.

STEP 6: Closing — Encourage students to commit to sharing their faith with someone this week as you prepare for Easter. Ask if there are any prayer requests, and close in prayer, asking for the boldness to declare Jesus to the world.

— Lesson Overview —

Introduction

The book of Isaiah is broken up into two main themes: the book of judgment (chapters 1–39) and the book of comfort (chapters 40–66), according to the NIV Study Bible (Baker, 1008-1009). Today’s lesson centers around the comfort God instructed Isaiah to proclaim to the people.

As we celebrate Palm Sunday in preparation for Easter week, it is appropriate to look at the Servant promised by God in Isaiah. We know that Jesus is the fulfillment of this promised Servant whom God proclaimed through the prophet in the Old Testament. A careful study of the description of the Servant gives us insight into just who Jesus was and His mission while on earth. As we review His purpose for coming to earth, we will better understand why we celebrate His sacrifice this week. Knowing more about Jesus’ mission can also better equip us to walk in His ways and seek the justice He came to establish.

I. The Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 42:1–4)

Although God often proclaimed judgment on the disobedient people of Israel, He also promised comfort. Despite their seemingly endless cycle of turning away and then back to their God, the Lord promised to provide for them. As a loving and merciful God, He promised to send help in the form of a Servant—the chosen One who was also the delight of God’s soul. The Servant would be a representative, or an envoy, for the very One who sent Him (Baker, 1069). God’s complete trust was placed in Jesus, who carefully followed the details of His assignment.

According to Isaiah’s description, the chosen One would not come loudly, crying out in the street; He would not draw attention to Himself. Instead, the Messiah would bring peace and justice. His plan was not to hurt but to restore. His perspective would be opposite that of the world. He would not hurt those without defense; instead, He would be a voice for the voiceless and strength for the weak. He would come to set things right, according to God’s plan for His people. The Servant would not grow weary of His mission—to bring about justice and order on earth—and would carry it to completion.

We see that all peoples awaited the Messiah’s coming—even the coastlands (v. 4). They anticipated His teaching and ministry. Likewise, we know He will once again be sent by the Father to the earth. We eagerly await the day when He comes and sets things right forever! The coming of the Messiah is something we should greatly anticipate, especially during times of injustice and suffering. The promise of all that He will do gives hope to the oppressed and those who are treated unfairly. This passage by Isaiah produces great hope and gives us much to look forward to, just as it did for its original audience.

II. A Light to the Nations (Isaiah 42:5–9)

As Isaiah prophesies about the Servant, he reminds his listeners of just who God is: He is Lord and Creator of the heavens and the earth. All of creation was formed by God; we humans were given His breath and Spirit.

Consider the first part of verse 5 for a moment. There are approximately one hundred billion