TOPIC 3: THE LIFE OF JESUS.

Preparation for the coming of Jesus.

JOHN THE BAPTIST.

Preparation means to make ready.

John the Baptist prepared people for the coming of Jesus Christ. He told them to repent their sins.

Parents of John the Baptist were Zachariah and Elizabeth.

The teachings of John the Baptist in preparation for the coming of the Messiah.

1. The message of John the Baptist from Luke 3:3 is, “turn away from your sins and be baptized and God will forgive your sins.”
   1. According to John the Baptist, God wants us to turn away from sin and be baptized so that He can forgive our sins.
   1. Baptism after repentance is a way of turning away from the past and setting towards a new life for the future.
   1. John the Baptist addressed the people, tax collectors and soldiers.
   1. To the people he instructed them that, “whoever has two shirts must give one to the man who has none and whoever has food must share it.”
   1. Instructions to the tax collectors “do not collect more than is legal.”
   1. To the soldiers he said, “do not take money from anyone by force or accuse anyone falsely. Be content with your pay”

Values taught by John the Baptist.

• We should share with the needy.
  • We should be contented with what we have.
  • We should be honest always.
  • We should practice; kindness, caring, justice and faithfulness.
  • We should also practice values such as responsibility, humility, charity, love and honesty.

The baptism of Jesus.

Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist in River Jordan. Through baptism, Christians get forgiveness of sins.

John preached and baptized people in River Jordan. After his baptism by John, Jesus began to preach.

Events that took place during the baptism of Jesus Christ.

Read Luke 3:21 – 22

Baptism is a Christian rite of admission and adoption into Christianity. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the forehead or by immersing in water.

1. Jesus was baptized.
   1. Jesus prayed.
   1. Heaven opened.
   1. The Holy Spirit, in form of a dove, came down from heaven.
   1. A voice was heard saying, “you are my own dear son. I am pleased with you.”
   1. Jesus was baptized to fulfill the will of God.
   1. He showed the value of obedience.

Importance of baptism in the life of a Christian.

• Through baptism, one becomes a Christian.
  • Through baptism, Christians show their faith in God.
  • It’s a way of showing humility before God.
  • It’s a way of showing the value of obedience to God.

God’s power over nature.

God is powerful. We should always rely on him.

Miracle of calming the storm.

Read Mark 4:35-39

The boat was about to sink due to the strong wind and waves.

Jesus Christ commanded the wind to be quiet and the wave to be still.

The disciples felt that their live ware in danger.

They were sure that Jesus would help them overcome their problem.

Lesson learnt from the miracle of calming the storm.

▪ The wind and the waves stopped after the command from Jesus Christ.

▪ Jesus Christ was able to calm the strong winds.

▪ We should rely on God to help us solve our problems.

▪ We should have faith and believe in the mighty power of God.

Ways of overcoming challenges by Christians.

1. Christians can help each other overcome challenges.
2. They can pray to God to help them overcome.
3. In case of sickness, we should go to the hospital.
4. In case of hunger, we should get something to eat.
5. To avoid getting infected with Corona virus disease we should:
   1. Wash our hands with soap and water regularly.
   1. Keep away from crowded places.
   1. Wear a mask.

Compassion for the needy.

Compassion is sympathy and concern for the suffering of others. We should always express love for the needy.

The feeding of four thousand men.

Read Matthew 15:32-38.

• Jesus fed people because he looked at them and saw that they were hungry.
• He felt sorry for the people because they had been with him for three days.
• It is the responsibility of every Christian to give food to the hungry and help  those with varied needs.
• Examples of needy situations are: the hungry, the sick, the poor, the homeless, the orphans.
• The bible teaches us to take care of the needy.
• Jesus used seven loaves and a few fish to feed 4000 men.
• The disciples collected what had remained.
• Jesus demonstrated the values of: I. Charity. II. Love.

                 III.     Compassion.

Ways through which Christians show compassion for the needy.

1. Share food with those without.
2. Visit children homes and offer clothes. iii.      Offer basic needs available to the poor. iv.         Practice love and care towards the orphans.
3. Visit the sick in hospitals.
4. Help the old in the society.
5. Pray for the needy.

Importance of helping the needy:

• It boosts self-esteem.
  • It makes the needy feel loved.

Power of Jesus over life.

We should entrust our lives to God through Jesus Christ. He is the giver of life.

The healing of the paralyzed man.

Read Mark 2:1-5

A paralyzed person suffers from the inability to move some body parts or the whole body. The men who carried the paralyzed man made a hole in the roof right above where Jesus Christ was.

They demonstrated faith by:

▪ They did all they could to get to where Jesus was.

▪ They did not fear what the crowd would say.

The values learnt from the men who carried the paralyzed man include:

• Kindness.
  • Compassion.
  • Love.
  • courage.
  • responsibility.

Lessons learnt from the healing of the paralyzed man.

1. We should have faith in the healing power of God.
   1. We should help those who are disabled.
   1. We should practice love, courage, compassion and responsibility.
   1. We should strive to support the disabled in the society.
   1. Jesus can forgive our sins.
   1. Jesus has power over illness and diseases.

Teachings of Jesus Christ.

God wants us to live according to the teachings of His son, Jesus Christ. This enables us to set a good example to others.

Recovery of the lost Human Beings.

Jesus Christ teaches us to have concerns for others. He wants us to help those lost in sin to get back to him.

The Parable Of The Lost Sheep.

Read Luke 15:1-7.

• The lost sheep are the people who have left the ways of God and are disobeying His commandments.
  • A good shepherd is a person who when he loses one of the hundred sheep, leaves the ninety-nine to look for the lost one.
  • We should look for the people who are lost in sin.
  • We should live righteous lives.
  • We should pray for those lost in sin.

Lessons learnt from the parable of the lost sheep.

1. God never gives up on His people even when they get lost.
   1. God is happy when one person repents his or her sin and starts a new life.
   1. When we sin, we should repent and get back to God.
   1. God is always willing to take us back.
   1. We should bring back lost members of the church by talking about the importance of the church.

Responsible Living.

Good relationships help us to live peacefully and in harmony with God and others.

Virtues Jesus Christ taught in the Sermon on the Mountain.

Read Matthew 5:7-9.

A virtue is a particular good habit.

Virtues Jesus taught in the sermon on the mountain include: Merciful, purity of heart, working for peace.

Benefits of observing the moral teachings of Jesus.

Practicing the virtues taught by Jesus helps us to avoid sin.                

It also helps us to live an upright life.

It helps us to have a peaceful co-existence. 

Through observing these virtues we help the needy.

God will bless those who observe the virtues.

Those who work for peace keep themselves and those around them from trouble and disagreement.

Jesus promised that the pure in heart will see God.

Empowering the needy.

There are varied needs in the society.

It is our duty as Christians to help the needy joyfully.

The Rich Young Man.

Read Matthew 19: 16 – 22.

• The rich young man asked Jesus Christ what good thing he must do to receive  eternal life.
• Jesus told him to keep the commandments if he wants to receive eternal life.
• Jesus Christ also told him to go and sell all he had and give the money to the poor, if he wanted to be perfect.
• Eternal life is the ability to live forever, a life that continues after death. ● We should be willing to share what we have with the needy.

Relevance of the teachings of Jesus in the story of the rich young man.

▪ To obtain eternal life, one should be:

1. Respectful.
   1. Obedient.
   1. Compassionate.
   1. Kind.

▪ We should practice virtues of honesty and hard work just as the rich young man.

▪ We should keep the commandments of God.

Ways in which Christians apply the teachings in the story of the rich young man.

1. We must obey all the commandments of God.
2. We must share what we have with the needy it the society.
3. Build houses for the homeless.
4. Visiting the poor and taking food items and clothes to them.
5. We should be willing to help the needy.

Persistence in Prayer.

Persistence means not giving up.

Persistence in prayer is praying without giving up.

The Story of A Friend At Midnight.

Read Luke 11:5-13.

▪ The friend visited at night because he had no food to give to his friend who had come to his house from a long journey.

▪ We should be persistent in prayer.

▪ We should help others.

The Value of Friendship.

• We should seek guidance from God to give us good friends.
• The story of a friend at midnight teaches us to pray without giving up.
• Good friendship makes us to live well with others.
• We talk to God through prayers.
• True friends will always be there for us.
• Good friends help us to behave well.

We should share what we have with friends.