White Rock Baptist Church Easter Story

White Rock Baptist Church Sunday School Easter Story for Children

By Lori Flowers and Dr. Irene Perry

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FOREWARD The Easter Story is at the heart of Christianity, and this easy-to-understand booklet supports parents in guiding and mentoring your children towards a relationship with Jesus and understanding the message of salvation. Simply worded, this Easter storybook intended for your 4-7-year-old’s follows Jesus’ last days as He triumphantly enters Jerusalem, the Passover meal (referred today as the Lord’s Supper or Communion), Jesus praying in the Garden, His sacrifice, crucifixion, and Resurrection. The doctrine of salvation is also discussed in simple terms to help win children to Christ and guide them into maturity in the Christian faith.

As you share the Easter Story, we pray that you will have an enriching time with your children discovering God’s wonderful truths and learning to share these truths effectively with your precious sons and daughters.

Together, may parents and children use this wonderful tool to bring glory to His name as we seek to bring children to the Savior.

Rev. Dr. Irene Perry Director, Discipleship Development Ministry

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This is a special week. It is a week reflecting on the greatest gift we have been given--salvation through Jesus Christ. Each day beginning with Palm Sunday you can read and remember the events leading up to Christ’s death and resurrection.

THE CROWD WELCOMES JESUS--PALM SUNDAY MATTHEW 21: 1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19 Jesus traveled to Jerusalem. He sent two disciples ahead to find a colt for Him to ride into the city. Jerusalem was filled with families preparing for Passover, the year’s biggest holiday.

When Jesus entered into Jerusalem riding on a young donkey the people saw Him coming and ran to see Him. They welcomed Him like a king because of the miracles they had seen Him do. Many of the people spread their coats on the road for Jesus to ride over. Back in Jesus’ day, spreading clothing on the road was used to honor someone of royalty, like a king.

Other people including children covered the street with palm branches or waved them in the air and shouted “Hosanna!” which means, “save us”. What a wonderful celebration of Jesus and His ministry.

Jesus rode into the city like a king and the religious leaders didn’t like it at all. They were so angry that they decided to kill Jesus. Jesus’ coming stirred up the whole city. Jesus headed to the temple which was a special house built for worshipping God. Jesus was angry at what He saw. The people at the temple were not respecting God. They were using the temple to cheat people and make money. They were using God’s temple as a store instead of a place to worship God. Jesus ran through the temple, knocking over tables and ordering the merchants out. Jesus wanted God’s temple reserved for ONLY those who went to worship God. Page 3 of 11

KEY POINT: The Easter story is about God’s love for us.

Review Questions 1. What did Jesus ask His disciples to do when they were near Jerusalem? To get a donkey and her colt.

2. What word did the people shout, which means “save us” as Jesus entered the city? Hosanna 3. What did they put in His path? Their coats and palm branches THE LAST SUPPER (TODAY: THE LORD’S SUPPER OR COMMUNION) Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-23; John 13:1-17 As the Passover celebration was approaching, the chief priests and teachers were looking for a way to get rid of Jesus. The attention Jesus was getting brought out the religious leaders' hatred and jealousy. Their jealousy caused them to want Jesus dead. At the same time all of this was happening, Satan entered Judas, one of the men who claimed to be a disciple of Jesus. Judas went to the chief priests and officers of the temple guard and talked with them about how he might turn His back on Jesus, and bring Him in to the authorities. The Priests were excited about this and agreed to pay Judas 30 pieces of silver, if he agreed to help them.

On the night of the Passover Feast, Jesus met with His disciples in the upper guest room of one of His followers.

Jesus gave instructions to His 12 disciples about communion, and how they should remember Him, when He was gone. The bread and wine of the meal commemorated deliverance from Egypt. But now, Jesus symbolized the bread and wine as His body and blood as the true Passover sacrifice. The disciples did not understand what Jesus was talking about, even though He had told them over and over again that He was preparing to die.

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The death of the world’s only perfect man- Jesus (who was also God in a human body) was the only way that people like us could be saved from our sins. Jesus was getting ready to die for us, so that we did not have to die to pay for our own sin. Simon-Peter, the disciple, promised Jesus he would be faithful to Him, but Jesus knew better. He predicted that Peter would pretend that he didn’t know Jesus three times before the rooster crowed the very next morning. And even that night, Jesus already knew what Judas was planning.

KEY POINTS: Jesus redefined the bread and wine of the Passover meal into a sacrament for Christians today.

Review Questions: 1. Why did religious leaders want to kill Jesus? Jesus was a threat to their way of life.

2. What do we call the Last Supper today? The Lord’s Supper or Communion.

3. Why do we continue to celebrate the Lord’s Supper? By keeping the Lord’s Supper, we show our dependence upon Christ and our spiritual participation in His death.

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JESUS PRAYS IN A GARDEN MATTHEW 26:36-56; Mark 14:32-50; Luke 22:40-54; John 18:1-15 After Jesus and His apostles had finished eating their last supper together they went to the Mount of Olives and into a small garden called the Garden of Gethsemane. This was the place where Jesus spent time in prayer with God the Father. Three of Jesus’ disciples Peter, James, and John went with Him into the garden. Jesus asked them to watch over Him while He went further into the garden and prayed. Jesus prayed that if it were possible He might not have to die on the cross but that if God wanted Him to do this, He was willing to do it. As Jesus prayed, His friends were very tired, and they fell asleep.

While they were in the garden, one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas, had gone to the religious leaders and told them he would lead them to where Jesus was so they could arrest Him. Judas was given 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus. Jesus had finished praying and returned to be with His apostles. Judas came into the garden, followed by a company of soldiers. When he saw Jesus, he kissed Him on the cheek. That was the secret sign for the soldiers to grab Jesus and arrest Him. The disciples woke up and wanted to fight to protect Jesus and themselves, but Jesus said no. The soldiers took Jesus, tied Him with ropes and led Him away. As Jesus was being taken away the disciples were so scared that they ran and hid.

Key Point: The Easter story is all about God’s love for us. God sent His son down to Earth so that we could live a better life and could live eternally with Him in Heaven.

Review Questions 1. After Jesus and His apostles had finished eating their last supper together, where did they go? To a garden; To the Mount of Olives and into the Garden of Gethsemane Page 6 of 11

2. What happened when Jesus left Peter, James, and John to watch? All three fell asleep 3. How did Judas betray Jesus? Judas led the soldiers into the garden, and he told the soldiers that the one he kissed would be Jesus.

JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS Matthew 27:29-66; Luke 23:25-56 The religious leaders gathered together and developed a plan to kill Jesus. The guards and priests said it was wrong for Jesus to say that He was the Son of God. They even paid people to not tell the truth about Jesus. The Roman governor, Pilate, wanted to set Jesus free but the people kept yelling “Crucify Him, Crucify Him”. Finally, Pilate gave in and handed Jesus over to the Roman soldiers. The guards were very mean to Jesus. They hit him, and beat Him and even spit on Him. They made a crown out of thorns and put it on His head and put a robe on Him and made fun of Him. Then they forced Jesus to carry his own cross to the place where he would be crucified. Later that day they brought Jesus to a place outside of Jerusalem called Calvary. There they nailed Jesus to a cross in between two criminals. As Jesus was dying the crowd watched.

As Jesus was dying, the religious leaders mocked Him and made fun of Him. People laughed at Jesus and they said, “He saved others let Him save himself”. Jesus knew He could do it if He wanted, but He also knew that the world could not be saved from their sin if He didn’t follow through with His Father God’s plan. As Jesus was dying, the soldiers gambled for pieces of His clothing. Jesus prayed “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”. During this time, one of the criminals realized that Jesus is who He says He is, and asks Jesus to save him. Jesus promises the criminal that he will go to heaven because of his faith.

KEY POINT: God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for our sins.

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Review Questions 1. What did the soldiers place on Jesus’ head? A crown of thorns 2. Where was Jesus crucified? At a place called Calvary outside of Jerusalem 3. Who were crucified with Jesus? Two thieves, one on each side of Him JESUS IS ALIVE! A TIME TO CELEBRATE Matthew 28:1-15; Mark 16:1-11; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-18 The people in the crowd thought this was the end; their hope for a Savior was gone.

But it wasn’t. God had a plan that would surprise everyone, even Jesus’ family and disciples.

After Jesus died, His body was wrapped in linen cloths and placed in a special grave called a tomb. A tomb is like a small cave cut in the rock. The Roman soldiers came and rolled a large stone across the entrance and sealed the tomb shut so no one could get in and take Jesus’ body. They were afraid that someone might steal Jesus’ body and say that He was raised from the dead. They placed Roman soldiers outside the tomb to guard it day and night. Those who hated Jesus figured He was dead, and this was the end. Those who loved Jesus were very sad.

On the second day (Saturday) after Jesus was buried all was quiet. But God’s big plan was not done yet.

Something amazing was about to happen. On the third day (Sunday), after Jesus was buried two women, Mary Magdalene and another Mary went to the tomb to place spices around the body. It was a custom for women to come and put sweet smelling spices on the body of the person that died. They had heard about the huge

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stone in front of the tomb. The women worried who would move the stone so they could put spices on the body of Jesus.

When the women arrived at the tomb to their surprise the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. An angel had rolled away the huge stone covering the entrance to the tomb and sat on it. The angel of the Lord told them to not be afraid. The angel said to them “why are you looking for the living among the dead? He is not here. “He has RISEN just as He said.” God’s big plan was done! God had brought Jesus back to life. The women were so happy! They ran to tell the disciples the good news. We should be excited to share the good news of the Resurrection with others too. After Jesus rose from the dead he spent forty days with many of his friends and others. Then, he did not die but went straight up to heaven.

KEY POINT: The good news is that Jesus died on the cross for us. He loves us and does not want us to have to be punished for our sins. Dying on the cross and coming back to life showed that Jesus has power over death. He has the power to save us from death, too.

Review Questions Is the statement true or false?

1. The religious leaders wanted to place guards at Jesus’ tomb because they cared about protecting Jesus’ body. False 2. The angel moved the stone away from the tomb so Jesus could come out. True 3. The women were the only ones who saw Jesus after he rose from the dead. False 4. Because Jesus died and rose again, we can have forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. True

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GOD’S PLAN FOR SALVATION First, know that God loves you and has a great plan for you (Psalm 139:13-16). You are important to God and He wants you to believe in Him (Matthew 18:1-14; Mark 10:14), and God wants you to be saved. The Bible makes it plain that you are not saved by your good works, but by acknowledging that you are a sinner and receive salvation as a free gift from our Lord Jesus. Because God made you and loves you, He wants you to be a part of His family and be with Him in heaven someday. It is important to remember that God is perfect. He has never thought or said or done anything wrong. That is why His home, heaven, is perfect, too.

But there is one thing that can never be in heaven, and that is sin. Do you know what sin is? Sin is anything we think, say, or do that does not please God. Sin causes sorrow and sadness in our world, and separates us from God. Examples of sin are stealing, lying, disobeying your parents, saying bad or mean words. The Bible says, “For all have sinned…” (Romans 3:23). ALL means every one of us. It means me--and you too.

How do you think God feels when you sin? First, know that God loves you even when you sin. God knows every sin you commit. Still, God wants you to tell Him about it, and ask for forgiveness. You learned earlier in the Easter Story, that Jesus is God the Son (John 20:31) who willingly died for your sins, was buried, rose again, and is living today, and promises that He will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5, 6). Jesus gave His blood for your forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22b). Jesus died on the cross for your sin. He took the punishment for your sin.

Jesus invites you to receive Christ personally for salvation. He will give you everlasting life. Hear His words, 1. “…to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God “ (John 1:12).

2. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) To accept His invitation, you must: 1. Recognize and confess that you are a sinner. The Bible teaches, “Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God” (1 John 3:4).

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2. Be willing to turn from sin and believe with all your heart that Jesus alone has taken your place in dying for your sin. Hear these encouraging words from Ephesians 2:8-9: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

3. Trust (believe) in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior.

• “…to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God “ (John 1:12).

• “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (Acts 16:31) Terms to Understand: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Sin is anything that displeases God. Confess means that you acknowledge; admit; recognize your actions.

To be “saved” means to be delivered from the punishment of sin.

“Everlasting life” is life forever with God in heaven someday.

To “believe in Jesus” (John 3:16) means to choose to take Him as the One who died for you.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I have done wrong things. I believe You died for me. I receive You now as my Savior and ask You to forgive my sins. Thank You. Amen.

As God’s child, there are four things you can do to learn more about Jesus and serve Him:

1. Pray or talk to God every day. You can talk to Him anytime and anyplace.

2. Read and obey the Bible, the book He has given us. A good place to start is the Gospel of Mark.

3. Go to church and Sunday school. You can learn more about God by attending church and Sunday school each week.

4. Share what you know about Jesus with others. Jesus last command to us: “Go everywhere in the world. Tell the Good News to everyone.” (Mark 16:15) Page 11 of 11