Lesson 9: General Letters (Hebrews-Jude)
Lesson 9: General Letters (Hebrews-Jude)
Specific Objectives
By the end of this session, the student will be able to:
- Name the fourth division of the New Testament;
- Tell the books of the fourth division of the New Testament;
- Understand the major message of the General Letters in each book;
- Recite the memory verse.
Bible Reference
2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”
Joshua 1:8 “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
Words to Remember
- General- means universal
- Epistles – another term for letter intended to be published and read by individuals or groups of people.
- Peter – one of Jesus’ disciples and eyewitness of Jesus’ ascension
- John – one of Jesus’ disciples and eyewitness of Jesus’ ascension
- James – brother of Jesus and eyewitness of Jesus’ ascension
- Jude – another brother of Jesus
- Persecution – hostility and ill-treatment, persistent annoyance or harassment
- False teachers – those who teach contrary to the word of God
Pre-Session Activity
Begin with a prayer. Encourage the kids to lead in prayer. Greet the children as they arrive. Make certain that you know their names. As they arrive, have each child join in a circle or around a table.
- Beginners – Coloring activity
- Primary – Word Search
- Intermediate – Word search
LESSON PROPER
- PREPARATION and MOTIVATION
Teacher, review the students on what they have learned so far about the Bible.
(Make sure that all students will be able to answer all the questions correctly)
- What are the two primary divisions of the Bible? (Old & New Testament)
- How many books does the Bible consist of? (66 books)
- How many books does the Old Testament consist of? (39 books)
- How many books does the New Testament consist of? (27 books)
- What is the first division of the New Testament? (Gospel Books)
- Name the Gospel Books (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
- How many of the Gospel Books detail the birth of Jesus? (Four)
- Tell how Jesus was presented in each Gospel Books
Matthew – Jesus is the Messiah
Mark – Jesus is the Servant of God
Luke – Jesus is the Son of Man
John – Jesus is the Son of God - Who wrote the book of Acts? (Luke)
- What is the Book of Acts all about? (Church History)
- What are the Epistles of Paul? (Romans , Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians)
Teacher: Last time, we have learned about Paul’s letter. We have learned that Paul was a Pharisee, he has persecuted the early church and hated the early believers. But when Jesus spoke to him, His former name Saul was changed to Paul. He became a great missionary who wrote most of the books of the New Testament. He encouraged the believers of the early churches and even our church today.
- INTRODUCTION
Teacher: Have you ever received encouragement and instructions from those who were more knowledgeable and experienced people?
*wait for them to respond*Why do we need to be encouraged and receive instructions? Are they useful to us?
*wait for them to respond*If we listen to the encouragement and instructions of people who are more knowledgeable and experienced, what will be the result? *wait for them to respond*
Teacher: Our lesson for today is the fourth division of the New Testament called the General letters. This letters were written by various authors mostly those who were the eyewitnesses of Jesus’ ascension and those who were associated with Jesus. They wrote letters to encourage Christians because in the old times, many Christians have suffered persecution because of their faith. The letters also give instructions on Christian living and warn about false teachers. Kids are you ready to learn more about the general letters of the Bible? Let’s study them one by one.
- LESSON
In the General Letters, we learn that sometimes God uses persecution to purify our faith and that following Jesus may bring hardship. But we can trust Him to do what is right because the day is soon coming when evil will be greatly punished and faith will be rewarded. There are eight General Letters:HEBREWS
The Epistle of Hebrews is unique among the New Testament letters as the letter does not state who has written it. It is addressed to believers who have become believers through the testimony of eyewitnesses of Jesus. It is also called “The Faith Book” as no other New Testament letter has much to say about faith than in Hebrews 11. One remarkable explanation about faith is found in Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists.” While we don’t see God for He is an invisible God, we must believe in His existence.JAMES
It’s the oldest letter in the New Testament, written to Jewish believers who were scattered throughout Judaea and Samaria during the persecution. This letter was written by James, the brother of Jesus, who initially misunderstood Jesus’ mission but became a leader of Jerusalem church shortly after Jesus’ death and resurrection. The letter gives a variety of instructions to guide Christians in their belief and behaviour.
God develops Christian character through:
-
- Trials and suffering- “the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” 1;3
- The word of God -“receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your soul” 1:21
- Practical obedience- “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” 1:22-25
- Drawing near to God-“ Draw near to God and He will draw near you” 4:8
- Humility- “Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you” 4:10
1 PETER
Peter wrote this letter to encourage Christians who were experiencing relentless persecution and oppression. Peter wrote to encourage them to continue in the faith, with the absolute assurance of eternal life at Christ’s return. Hope in the promises of God is one of the major themes in the epistle, together with their obligation to patiently endure sufferings and hardship while exhibiting godly conduct. Accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour will not exempt us from any trials, we are called out of the world to be holy, to be set apart as God’s special people. That calling entails many hardships in this life and requires submission, self-sacrifice and patient endurance. But thankfully, all this prepares us to receive an eternal “crown of glory” when Jesus Christ returns.
2 PETER
Peter warns his readers that they are in danger of lapsing into immorality if they listen to false teachings. These false teachers seem to have claimed that they have special knowledge that they could dispense with certain Christian teachings. Peter’s warning is summed up in 3:17 “Do not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position”. Peter also encourages the believers to be diligent to live according to Jesus’ teachings, for if we practice His teachings we will never fall and it will keep us from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this way also, we will be provided an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
1 JOHN
John wrote to warn his readers against the false teachers. If they heeded their teachings, their fellowship with God the father and Jesus would be in danger of being upset. The false teachers claimed that Jesus could not really have been a human being, so John emphasizes the reality of Jesus’ humanity. John also counteracts false teachings on spiritual aristocracy who looked with contempt and even hatred on lesser men, he counteracts this by emphasizing that God expects his children to demonstrate love towards others “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar. … And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” (4:20-21)
2 JOHN
In the first two centuries, Christians were used to welcoming travelling Christian evangelist into their homes. John wrote 2 John to warn Christians to be discerning about this and not to allow any false teachers to enjoy their welcome and hospitality. He described false teachers as those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh and called them antichrist.
3 JOHN
John has messages to 3 individuals. He warns against the malicious teachings of (1) Diotrephes and encourages (2) Gaius to show hospitality to genuine Christian travellers. John holds (3) Demetrius in high regard and states that he “has a good testimony from all and from the truth itself.”
JUDE
Jude tells us he was planning to write a more general letter concerning “our common salvation,” when he heard the news that false teachers had infiltrated the Church (“crept in unnoticed”) and were teaching contrary to established doctrines. Jude reminded the believers that they have to take responsibility for the gospel, which includes defending it.
Memory Verse
2 Tim 3:16
- Beginners : “All Scripture is breathed out by God,”
- Primary : “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”
- Intermediate : “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”
Questions to Ponder
- What are the General letters? (Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude)
- What is the oldest letter in the New Testament which is written for the Jewish believers? It also gives a variety of instructions to guide Christians in their belief and behaviour. (James)
- What are the letters that warn believers about false teachers? (2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Jude)
- This epistle is also called “The Book of Faith” (Hebrews)
Life Application
Constantly reading and studying the bible is an essential part of being a follower of Jesus Christ. The Bible gives us instruction on how to discern right from wrong like how most of the General Letters gave warnings to the believers, the Bible is also a source of our strength and encouragement. Most especially, the Bible is one of the ways that we can hear God’s voice so we will know which way to go. So kids, we need instructions and encouragement, let’s make it a habit to read and study the Bible everyday!
Activity
- Beginners – Hide Words in Your Heart
- Primary – Little Bible
- Intermediate – Little Bible
Close in Prayer
Lord, thank you for today. Thank you for the giving us the Bible so we can hear your voice. Jesus, please help us to constantly seek you and obey your words. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
