Review of Lessons 1-4
In Lesson 1, we learned that Jesus was a man but also God. He had a special birth. He was named Jesus which means “God saves.” An angel told His human father Joseph to name Him this because He would save His people from the punishment of their sins. Simeon also saw that Jesus was the Chosen One sent to do this. Simeon saw that Jesus was sent to save not only Jews but everybody.
Lesson 2 helped us understand why people need to be saved from punishment for their sins. We learned that Jesus taught some very difficult things. He said that sometimes what we do is bad. But just our thoughts can be bad, too. He said that we should love those who hate us. He also said that we must be perfect if we want to be with God. But our sins keep us away from Him. Jesus said that at the end of time He will judge everybody. Those who have sinned will be sent away from God forever.
In Lesson 3, we learned how much God did to save people. We learned that Jesus went to Jerusalem knowing that He would be killed, but that He would rise from the dead. The Jewish leaders wanted Him killed because He said that He was the Son of God. He did not try to stop the religious leaders and Pilate from killing Him on a cross. He told Pilate that God let this happen. He also told Pilate that He (Jesus) was a king but that His kingdom did not belong to this world. His death was very painful. The Roman soldiers and others saw that He was dead. His body was put in a grave with a large stone over the door.
Lesson 4 helped us understand the power of God. We learned that the followers of Jesus did not expect Him to rise from the dead. He had said that He would rise again, but they did not believe Him. There was no body in His grave. The religious leaders paid the soldiers to lie. The lie was that the followers took the body. The risen Jesus came first to some women followers, then to the first twelve followers, and then to many other followers. He even came to 500 people at one time. At the end, He told His followers to tell everyone the good news about Him. Then He went up to heaven.
Now we are ready to learn more about Jesus and God’s plan to help people today.
Lesson 5, Section 1
Read Luke’s report. Look at the vocabulary list for help with new or special words and phrases (bolded words are defined below). Then write answers to the questions.
An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south. Take the road that goes down from Jerusalem to the country of Gaza. It goes through the desert.” Philip got up and went. A man from the country of Ethiopia had come to Jerusalem to worship…He cared for all the riches that belonged to Candace who was Queen of Ethiopia. As he was going back home, he was sitting in his wagon reading about the early preacher Isaiah. The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to that wagon and get on it.” Philip ran up to him. He saw that the man from Ethiopia was reading from the writings of the early preacher Isaiah and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man from Ethiopia said, “How can I, unless someone teaches me?” Then he asked Philip to come up and sit beside him.
He was reading the part in the Holy Writings which says "He was taken like a lamb to be put to death…"
The man from Ethiopia said to Philip, “Who is the early preacher talking about, himself, or someone else?” So Philip started with this part of the Holy Writings and preached the Good News of Jesus to him (Acts 8:26-32, 34-35).
- desert - An area that is hot and very dry.
- Gaza - An area next to the Mediterranean Sea and to the southwest of Judea. (See Map 2.)
- Good News* - This is the Gospel, the good news or information about Jesus Christ.
- man from Ethiopia - A government leader in Ethiopia. This is a country in northeast Africa. Part of the big Nile River starts here and runs north to the country of Egypt and into the Mediterranean Sea. (See Map 1.) His job was treasurer, to take care of the riches of Candace, queen of Ethiopia.
- Philip - A follower of Jesus.
- wagon - A wooden box on wheels pulled by one or more horses or other big animals.
1. How did Philip meet the man from Ethiopia?
2. Why did the man ask Philip to come up and sit beside him on his wagon?
3. What happened after Philip got on the wagon with the man?
Lesson 5, Section 2
Read Isaiah’s words about Jesus. They are what the man from Ethiopia read and asked about. They were written 700 years before Jesus was born. In a museum (a building where old writings and art are kept) in Jerusalem, you can see a copy of these words. That copy was written 200 years before Jesus was born. Look at the vocabulary list for help with new or special words and phrases (bolded words are defined below). Then write answers to the questions.
For sure He took on Himself our troubles and carried our sorrows. Yet we thought of Him as being punished and hurt by God, and made to suffer. But He was hurt for our wrongdoing. He was crushed for our sins. He was punished so we would have peace. He was beaten so we would be healed. All of us like sheep have gone the wrong way. Each of us has turned to his own way. And the Lord has put on Him the sin of us all.
Men made it very hard for Him and caused Him to suffer, yet He did not open His mouth. He was taken like a lamb to be put to death…He was taken away as a prisoner and then judged. Who among the people of that day cared that His life was taken away from the earth? He was hurt because of the sin of the people who should have been punished…He had done no wrong, and there was nothing false in His mouth.
But it was the will of the Lord to crush Him, causing Him to suffer. Because He gives His life as a gift on the altar for sin, He will see His children…He will see what the suffering of His soul brings, and will be pleased… (Isaiah 53:4-8, 10-11).
- crushed - Made flat or dead.
- sorrows - Very sad feelings.
- soul - The real, but unseen, person you are inside your body.
4. Does Isaiah say that every person needs help from God? Explain your answer.
5. Isaiah writes: “He took on Himself our troubles and carried our sorrows.” What does Isaiah mean? Use the other words of Isaiah to help you.
6. What does Isaiah say will happen because Jesus gave His life as a gift for our sin? What else does Isaiah say will happen to us because Jesus suffered and died for our sins?
Lesson 5, Section 3
Read John’s report of a meeting between Jesus and a religious leader named Nicodemus. Look at the vocabulary list for help with new or special words and phrases (bolded words are defined below). Then write answers to the questions.
There was a man named Nicodemus. He was a proud religious law-keeper and a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Teacher, we know You have come from God to teach us. No one can do these powerful works You do unless God is with Him.”
Jesus said to him, “…Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the holy nation of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? How can he get into his mother’s body and be born a second time?” Jesus answered, “…Unless a man is born of water and of the Spirit of God, he cannot get into the holy nation of God. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh. Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
“Do not be surprised that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wants to and you hear its sound. You do not know where it comes from or where it goes. It is the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can this be?”
[Jesus continued to explain:] “…The Son of Man must be lifted up. Then whoever puts his trust in Him will have life that lasts forever. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Whoever puts his trust in God’s Son will not be lost but will have life that lasts forever. For God did not send His Son into the world to say it is guilty. He sent His Son so the world might be saved from the punishment of sin by Him. Whoever puts his trust in His Son is not guilty. Whoever does not put his trust in Him is guilty already. It is because he does not put his trust in the name of the only Son of God.
The Light has come into the world. And the light is the test by which men [and women] are guilty or not…” (John 3:1-9, 14-19).
- lifted up* - Put on a cross and raised above the earth.
- trust - To put your trust in someone is to be sure that a person will be good, honest or helpful to you; to have faith in someone.
- religious law-keeper* - A Pharisee. This group of Jewish leaders had a long list of rules. Some of these rules were from God but many more were not. They followed all these rules. This was not easy. They said that people needed to follow all these rules. The Pharisees thought that the outside of a person was more important than the inside. But Jesus taught that the bad things that we do start from inside us. Review his teaching in Lesson 2, Section 1.
7. What did Nicodemus think about Jesus’s teaching, “you must be born again”?
8. What did Jesus say to help Nicodemus understand His teaching, “you must be born again”?
9. Using Jesus’s words, explain how a person can be born again.
10. What happens if a person is born again?
Lesson 5, Section 4
Jesus talked to Nicodemus about the need to be born of the Spirit of God. To be born again in this way saves us from punishment for our sins. But it also gives us a new life now. Read what Jesus said to His followers about this new life that He gives. The gift of the Holy Spirit is very important in this new life. Read also what Paul said to other followers of Christ. Look at the vocabulary list for help with new or special words and phrases. Then write answers to the questions.
[Jesus said about people who put their trust in him:] “I came so they might have life, a great full life” (John 10:10).
[Jesus said to his followers:] “If you love Me, you will do what I say. Then I will ask My Father and He will give you another Helper. He will be with you forever. He is the Spirit of Truth...The Helper is the Holy Spirit. The Father will send Him in My place. He will teach you everything and help you remember everything I have told you” (John 14:15-17, 26).
I thank God I can be free through Jesus Christ our Lord!…those who belong to Christ will not suffer the punishment of sin. The power of the Holy Spirit has made me free from the power of sin and death. This power is mine because I belong to Christ Jesus…He took away the power sin had over us…We do not do what our sinful old selves tell us to do anymore. Now we do what the Holy Spirit wants us to do. Those who let their sinful old selves tell them what to do live under that power of their sinful old selves. But those who let the Holy Spirit tell them what to do are under His power. If your sinful old self is the boss over your mind, it leads to death. But if the Holy Spirit is the boss over your mind, it leads to life and peace (Romans 7:25; Romans 8:1-6).
11. What kind of a new life does Jesus say that He gives to people who put their trust in Him?
12. What does Jesus say that people who love Him must do?
13. What does Jesus say that the Holy Spirit will do for them?
14. What does Paul say that those who belong to Jesus must not do?
15. What does Paul say will happen to people who let their old selves be boss over their minds?
16. What does Paul say those who belong to Jesus must do with the Holy Spirit? How will the Holy Spirit help them have a good, full, new life and peace with God?
Lesson 5, Section 5
Read this teaching by Jesus found in Matthew and a teaching about Jesus found in John. These teachings will help you to know more about how to be born again, about how to have this new life that Jesus gives. Look at the vocabulary list for help with new or special words and phrases (bolded words are defined below). Then write answers to the questions.
At that time the followers came to Jesus. They said, “Who is the greatest in the holy nation of heaven?” Jesus took a little child and put him among them. He said, “For sure, I tell you, unless you have a change of heart and become like a little child, you will not get into the holy nation of heaven. Whoever is without pride as this little child is the greatest in the holy nation of heaven” (Matthew 18:1-4).
This true Light, coming into the world, gives light to every man [and woman]…He gave the right and the power to become children of God to those who received Him. He gave this to those who put their trust in His name. These children of God were not born of blood and of flesh and of man’s desires, but they were born of God. Christ became human flesh and lived among us. We saw His shining-greatness. This greatness is given only to a much-loved Son from His Father. He was full of loving-favor and truth (John 1:9, 12-14).
- holy nation of heaven - Another name for the Kingdom of God. (See Lesson 3, Section 3 and Lesson 4, Section 5.) The people who put their trust in Jesus are in this kingdom. It is the family of God.
17. What does Jesus say that you must do to get into the kingdom of God, to get into God’s family?
18. John says that Jesus Christ gives the right and the power to become children of God. What must you do to get this right and power from Jesus?
19. Do you want to receive what Jesus has done to save you and to give you new life?
If your answer is “yes,” then you can tell Him so right now if you want. (You do not have to write this. But lines are given below if you want to write what you say to Jesus.) He is right here to listen to you and help you. You can just tell Him quietly with your voice right now. He understands your own words in your own language. You can say something like this: “Dear Jesus. I know that I have gone my own way. I have sinned. I am sorry for this. But I want to put my trust in you. You died on the cross for me. I want to receive you as the One who saves me. You rose again from the dead to give me new life. I receive you and the new life that you give. I will follow you the rest of my life. Thank you for giving me your Holy Spirit to help me do this. I say this from my heart.”
Lesson 5, Section 6
If you said “yes” to the last question, then this last section will help you know that what you did is the right thing to do. Read these wonderful words and then write answers to the questions.
[Jesus says:] “See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him [or her] and we will eat together” (Revelation 3:20).
[John writes:] God gave us life that lasts forever, and this life is in His Son. He that has the Son has life. He that does not have the Son of God does not have life. I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God. Now you can know you have life that lasts forever (1 John 5:11-13).
[Jesus says about the future:] “Then the King will say to those on His right side, ‘Come, you who have been called by My Father. Come into the holy nation that has been made ready for you before the world was made’” (Matthew 25:34).
20. Does Jesus say that He will come into the hearts and lives of only some people who open the door? Explain your answer.
21. John says that he has written his words for a reason. The reason is this: He wants people who believe in the name of the Son of God (who have put their trust in Jesus) to know that they have life that lasts forever. What is John’s answer to this question: How can they know this for sure?
22. What does Jesus say He (the King) will do for those people who have been called by His Father (have put their trust in Jesus)?
Final Words
If you received Jesus during this bible study, you should do several things.
- Tell someone you trust about what you have done.Try to choose someone who has followed Jesus for many years and who knows the Bible well. This person can help you grow in your new life with Jesus.
- Get a Bible in your own language if possible. Also get a Bible written in a level of English that you can understand. The New Life Version was used for this Bible study. You can find information about where to get a copy at the beginning of this Bible study.
- Read the Bible and pray to Jesus every day. Ask Him to help you learn and do what the Bible teaches. Start with the first five books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts. They will tell you more about Jesus and His first followers.
- Find other followers of Jesus so that you can worship Jesus with them. Be sure that they believe Jesus is God and that the Bible is true.
- Tell others about your new life with Jesus. But you may need to be careful! Perhaps you come from a country that does not want people to believe and follow Jesus. It may not be safe for you to write or tell people in your home country about your new life with Jesus. This may include your parents and other family members. You may need to be careful with some people from your country who live here, too. Get information about this from someone you can trust. After several months you will have more understanding about what Jesus wants you to do. Perhaps it is only your members of your family who do not follow Jesus. Again you should pray and talk with someone you trust about when is the right time for you to tell your family about your new life. After some time, Jesus will show you which people to tell, when to tell them, and how to tell them.
Lesson Five Answers
1. An angel told Philip to leave Jerusalem and travel on the road that goes through the desert to Gaza. On the road, he met a man from Ethiopia. This man had worshipped God in Jerusalem. Now he was sitting on a wagon and reading a part of the book of Isaiah from the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit told Philip what to do. He went and saw what the man was reading.
2. Philip asked the man if he understood what he was reading. The man said that he needed help and asked Philip to sit next to him on the wagon.
3. The man from Ethiopia was reading about a person “who was taken like a lamb to be put to death.” The man asked if Isaiah was writing about himself or someone else. So Philip told the man that Isaiah was writing about Jesus. Philip told the man the good news about Jesus. More information: Philip told the man much of what is also in this bible study. And the man decided to put his trust in Jesus. (See Acts 8:36-38.)
4. Yes, Isaiah says that every person needs help from God because of sin. Isaiah says, “All of us like sheep have gone the wrong way. Each of us has turned to his own way.” More information: The Bible teaches that we were made to enjoy the love of God. We can choose to love Him. We can also choose not to love Him and to go our own way. But our own way is the wrong way. This is sin.
5. Isaiah says that Jesus was taken away as a prisoner. He was beaten, punished, hurt, made to suffer in body and soul, crushed, and killed. This did not happen because of his wrongdoing. He had done no wrong and had not lied. This happened because of our wrongdoing. We should be punished. But God put on Jesus the sin of us all. It was the will of God to crush him, causing him to suffer for our sin.
6. Isaiah says that Jesus gave His life as a gift for our sin. Because of this He will see His children and be pleased. This means that Jesus must rise again from the dead. He must be alive again to see His children and be pleased. Because Jesus suffered and died for our sins, we can have peace and be healed of our sin. (All of this will be explained more in the following Lesson 5 Answers.)
7. Nicodemus could only think about what he could see. He asked how someone who was old could enter his or her mother’s body and be born a second time. Jesus tried to help Nicodemus. But Nicodemus asked, “How can this be?”
8. Jesus said that the first birth was “of water” or “of the flesh.” But the second birth was “of the Spirit of God.” This cannot be seen with our eyes. Jesus talked about the wind. We can hear it and feel it. But we cannot see it. Yet it is there.
9. A person puts his or her trust in Jesus (“the Son of Man”), the one who died on a cross for his or her sins.
10. When a person puts his or her trust in Jesus for his or her sins, then the person is not lost or guilty anymore. He or she will not be punished by being separated from God in hell. The person will have life with God in heaven forever.
11. Jesus gives people who put their trust in Him a great, full life.
12. Jesus tells them to do what He says.
13. Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will be their helper forever. The Holy Spirit will teach them the truth. He will teach them everything they need to know and help them remember all that Jesus taught.
14. Paul says that they must no longer do what their sinful old selves tell them to do. They must not live under the power of their sinful old selves. They must not let their bad old ways of thinking and doing be the bosses over their minds.
15. Paul says that they will die. More information: They will die because they do not truly trust in Jesus. They are trusting in their old sinful selves.
16. They must let the Holy Spirit tell them what to do. They must let the Holy Spirit be the boss over their minds. If they do, the Holy Spirit makes them free from the power of sin and death. He teaches them what to do and gives them power to do it.
17. Jesus says that you must have a change of heart and become like a little child. You must put away your pride. More information: Jesus means that children know that they need someone to lead them. You must see that you are helpless because of your sins. You must accept God’s gift to you. This gift is Jesus’s death for you. You must not want to go your own way any more but want to go God’s way.
18. You must receive Jesus. You must trust in His name. More information: This means that you must receive Him as the One who saves you from the punishment for your sins. You must receive Him as the One who gives you a new, full, good life. With this new life the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) comes into your life to lead you and to give you His power.
19. This very important answer comes from the reader’s heart and thoughts.
20. No, Jesus says “anyone.” This means that He will come into the hearts and lives of all people who open the door.
21. John says that if they have Jesus, that is if they have received Him, and put their trust or faith in Him, then they will know for sure that they have life that will last forever.
22. Jesus says that in the future He will welcome into heaven those who have put their faith in Him. He will keep them close to Himself forever. More information: This is what makes God happy. He is sad about what happens to those who do not put their trust in Him. Read again Lesson 2, Section 5. Then read these words from the Old Testament book of Ezekiel. “‘Am I pleased with the death of a sinful man?’ says the Lord God. ‘No, instead I would like him to turn away from his sinful ways and live’” (Ezekiel 18:23).
