Quickened With Christ

Children’s Lesson

Before beginning this lesson, explain to the children that we will be using yeast, an ingredient for making bread, as our example today for Quickening. But whenever they read their Bibles, God gives us the example of yeast as what sin does to us. So today, we are going to have fun with the bread, but always remember that when God was talking to us, yeast meant sin.

Memory Verse:

Even when we were dead in sins, (God) has quickened us together with Christ (by grace are you saved;) Ephesians 2:5

The lesson today will begin with a hands on learning experience. By having the children make bread, they will understand that when yeast is added to the flour, it quickens the dough to rise.

Today we are going to do things differently. We are going to start out by making bread!

This works well if you have access to a kitchen, because the bread can be baked and used as the snack later. If not, the children can still make the bread to see it rise. Have all the ingredients for making bread.

Follow a bread recipe allowing the children to add the ingredients and mix. Stop when it is time to add the yeast.

Children, now comes the most important part of making bread. We add the yeast. If we don’t put yeast in the flour, the bread will not rise and it will be hard and not very good when you eat it.

This yeast here is kind of like what happened to us when we were in Christ in His death. Jesus had been in the grave for three days and three nights. But on the third day, God quickened Jesus with new life.

The yeast is going to quicken the bread and kind of make it come to life. Add the yeast and finish having the children do the preparations for making the bread. Place the oiled dough in a bowl and lightly cover with saran wrap, so as the bread rises, the children can see it.

Break for praise and worship.

When the dough is doubled, have the children watch as it is divided and placed in the pans and put in the oven to bake.

Talk to the children during this process. This one big lump of dough is Jesus. But the whole time the dough was being made, do you know where you were? In Christ! The dough is divided into two loaves and now you can see that you came out of Christ. We’re going to bake two loaves of bread, but without Christ, you would not be who you are. In actuality, we are still in Christ. The Bible says we are hidden in Him. People see our bodies, but it is Christ’s life and Spirit that they see through us.

While the bread is baking, the lesson can be taught. Use a timer to know when to take the bread out of the oven.

In the first three lessons, we learned that God did away with whom? Answer: Our old man. Our old man has been crucified; he died and was buried with Christ.

We are now going to learn what happened with our new man when Jesus was quickened, raised and seated on the right side of God, our Father.

Let us all look at our memory verse and say it together.

Does anyone know what the word quickened means? It means to be made alive. Your memory verse is from the King James Version of the Bible. Most of you have a different version. I want everyone to turn your Bibles to Ephesians 2:5 and each one take a turn reading your memory verse and see what your Bibles say.

Do you see the difference? Some of your Bibles say ‘quickened’, most of you have a version that says ‘made alive’.

Now let’s look at another Scripture that says the same thing. Everyone turn to Colossians 2:13. Choose a few children to read this Scripture from their Bibles to compare the differences in Scripture.

Remember when we buried our seed in the dirt? In order for that seed to bring forth a stem, it must first die and then it comes to life in that soil and starts to grow. The seed is made alive while it is buried in the dirt and then the life in the seed begins to grow and it rises up out of the ground.

That kind of pictures what happened when we were in Christ while He was buried.

What do you think happened during the three days and nights that Jesus was dead spiritually and buried in a dark place? Allow the children to discuss what Jesus might have gone through.

Why do you think Jesus went through all that? Remind the children how much Jesus loves us, and that He is the Lamb of God.

Why do you think Jesus is called the Lamb of God? He is called the Lamb of God because He was the perfect sacrifice of atonement. That is a big word isn’t it? The word atonement means several things to us. It means to cover, to cancel, to cleanse, to forgive, to pardon, to reconcile. That is everything that Jesus did on our behalf.

Begin a discussion with the children to get them thinking about what Jesus has done for them.

How has Jesus covered us?

What has been cancelled for us? Sin and the effects of sin.

How have we been cleansed?

What does forgiven mean to us?

How have we been pardoned? The penalty of death has been paid.

How does reconciliation affect us? We can come to Father God in relationship without fear, knowing He loves us and wants the best for us. He is never judging us, He is not angry with us. He wants to hold us and comfort us and be a Father to us.

Now let’s look at what God saw when Jesus was in death’s darkness for us and as us. Turn your Bibles to Isaiah 53:11. Everyone read together.

Most of you have probably heard Pastor say this verse. God saw the travail of Jesus’ soul and He was satisfied. Here again is another word that changes in different Bible versions. The word travail means labor or to work at something that brings great pain, like when a woman gives birth to a baby.

What happened when God looked down and was satisfied? Answer: He then quickened Jesus with new life. God Life.

And because we were in Christ, we were quickened with God Life. So while we were in Christ in death, what happened to us? Answer: We were made alive in our spirits.

Today we are certain that our old man is dead and buried and our new man is made alive in Christ. We are new creations.

Doesn’t the bread smell good? Who can tell me what happened to the bread after the yeast was added? Answer: It was quickened and it raised up.

Next week we will learn about us being raised up too!

Snack: Fresh baked bread and grape juice. Remind the children of the significance of Bread and Wine.

Do ahead tip: The bread for the snack can be made the day before. To make the preparation even easier, frozen bread dough can be bought and the directions for baking followed to give that home made appearance.

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