What Can I Do? - Week 2
What’s your dream job? Do you want to be a pilot or astronaut? A teacher or musician? There are so many incredible jobs for us to pick from! God has given each of us special talents and skills that can help us discover what we want to do. But God gives us another job, too. It’s the chance for us to follow God right now! In this four-week series from the Gospels, we’ll read about Jesus starting out his ministry and how he invited his followers — and us — to listen to God’s voice, trust Jesus knows us, trust God’s plans for us, and include people who aren’t like us.
BIG IDEA: I can trust Jesus knows me.
BIBLE: John 1:43–51; Psalm 139:13–18
MEMORY VERSE
Elementary: "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
Toddler Twist: "Jesus helps me do everything." Philippians 4:13
WATCH:
Preschool- teaching video
Elementary- teaching video
SONG: Super Duper Kid and Jesus I Will Trust You
DISCIPLE: Read Psalm 139:13–18.
This psalm tells us just how well God knows us. God knew all about us long before we were even born! God knew how tall you would be, what school subjects you’d like best, what kind of personality you’d have, and all of the wonderful and maybe not-so-wonderful things that make you, you.
This psalm tells us we were “fearfully and wonderfully made” . . . which means God put so much love and care into designing each one of us. That’s how God knows you better than anyone else knows you.
God knows what you ate for breakfast today. God knows what you like to do in your free time. God knows what you want to do when you grow up. In fact, God knows what you’re actually going to do when you grow up. God even knows the secret thoughts we never share out loud, and let’s face it, sometimes they’re not kind things. But God knows. God still loves us anyway. And that’s the thing that drew people like Philip, Nathanael, and countless others to Jesus. It’s not just that Jesus knows all these facts about us. But he uses that knowledge to show that he
understands us and loves us. And just like we can trust Jesus knows us, we can do our best to know more about Jesus, too.
Pray: Jesus, thank you for knowing me better than I know myself. Even though you created the world, you still make time to know and love me. Everything you make is special, including me. Please help me to know and love you as much as you know and love me. Amen.
DISCUSS:
What did Phillip say about Jesus to Nathanael? (That he found the one all the prophets had been talking about — Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior.)
What did Jesus already know about Nathaniel? (That he was a man without deceit, that he was under a fig tree.)
Why do you think this convinced Nathanael that Jesus was the real deal? (Possible response: Jesus knew things nobody could have known unless he was sent by God.)
Read Psalm 139:14. How did God make you? What do you think that means? (Fearfully and wonderfully. God made us and designed us with care and purpose and loves us exactly the way we were created.)
Have you ever felt like nobody knew you or understood you? What made you feel that way?
Can you think of something you want to talk to God about that you might not feel comfortable sharing with anyone else?
What is something you can do to know Jesus more?