Leader Guide

Theme
Healing

Objective
Students will understand that God can rid them of the pain that they feel and replace that pain with His love.

Warm Up
Before the meeting starts, find a volunteer to help you with this game. Explain that you have candy for everyone, but your volunteer needs to “sacrifice” his or her piece of candy and will have to eat something gross in order for the whole group to get candy. (You might need to have extra incentive for the student to participate.) Once the meet- ing starts, explain to the students that you have a surprise for them. It doesn’t have to be extreme, just a small piece of candy will be fine. Next, begin tell- ing the students how you care about them, love them, and only want the best for them. Tell the students, “I love you so much, and I want to give you a gift to show my love.” After praising the students and talking about the gift, explain that there is a catch: in order for them to all have candy, one of their friends is going to have to eat some- thing nasty! The student will come forward and say, “Because I love all of you, I am eating this gross stuff so that you can all eat the sweet treat.” When the student is done, have him or her pass out the candy to the rest of the group. Remember to reward the one who ate the gross alternative for being such a team player!

Transition
Explain that the activity is an example of what Christ did for us. He experienced the cross so that we could all receive the biggest and best gift in the world – eternity in heaven. He took the pain so that we could receive everlasting love. Not only that, He replaces all the pain we have and replaces that with love.

The Song
Hand out the Student Guides. The guides will have the lyrics to the song Approaching the Throne with some missing words. While the song is playing, have the students fill in the missing lyrics and circle the words or lines that stick out to them. If necessary, play the song twice. The missing words are: delivered, tears, breath, regrets, debt, vain, received, animates, forged, glorify, place, everything, forgiven.

Transition
Ask, “What are some of the things that stuck out to you in the song?” “Do you see how the song connects to what we were just talking about?”

Bible Study
Say something like, “Just as in the activity where a friend paid the price so that all of you could have candy, the song mentions how Christ paid our debt and now we are set free!” Read Colossians 2:13-14. Ask the students to rewrite in their own words this verse in the space provided on the Student Guide. Have one or two of the students read aloud what they wrote down. There are no wrong answers.
Explain that we were once considered dead because of the sin in our lives. A price has to be paid when sin is committed. Jesus paid that price on the cross. His death meant our life. He died so that we too can “approach the throne.” God is a God of deliverance and salvation, and to God belongs escape from death.
Read Psalm 68:20. Remember the words “you deliver me from death” from the song? Those words came straight from the Bible. God is a God of deliverance. He wants to take us from our pain and wrap us in His loving arms. Have the students write on their Student Guides some of the struggles or heartaches in their life that they need God to help them through. Maybe it’s a class in school, a bully, or a strong temptation in their life. Suggest making what they write into a short prayer.

Wrap Up
After giving them a minute or two for personal reflection, encourage the students to open up with God about their struggles. He can only deliver us if we let Him. Ask the group if anyone has any specific struggles – they can be as vague as they want – that they would like you to pray for. Encourage the students to pray for each other’s struggles this week as well. Pray with the group about their struggles asking God to deliver them from the difficult situations that they face.

Salvation Segue
A “salvation segue” for this study can be found at interlinc-online.com/ studentguides/ylo93