What we want students to learn: That your students would see God as the righteous judge who seeks to set all things right.

What we want students to do with what they’ve learned: To be able to express what thoughts or emotions this truth evokes in them. 

Scripture Focus: Deuteronomy 32:1-4, Psalm 96:10-13, Psalm 9:7-11

Overview: It's OK to admit that the idea of God as judge makes us feel uneasy. It should! It's the same way you felt as a child, standing in front of your mom or dad knowing that you deserved every bit of the punishment that was coming your way. If the thought of God as the righteous judge, who perfectly and unequivocally punishes all sin, makes us shake in our boots, we're actually in a healthy place, spiritually speaking. A full understanding of God's love and salvation can only happen when we fully understand His judgment. God's judgment is the extension of His perfect sense of justice. God must see all things made right and must see all wrongs punished. And He punishes all sin perfectly; His righteousness is His standard. In the next lesson, your students will learn the beautiful truth that Christ takes God's judgment on behalf of those who believe in Him. But in this lesson, your students will have the important opportunity to soak up the idea of God's judgment and to honestly express how this makes them feel.

What we want students to learn: That your students would understand how the judgment (that we deserved) leveled at Jesus on the cross purchased life for them.

What we want students to do with what they’ve learned: To understand what this truth means for their life on this earth and in eternity.

Scripture Focus: Romans 6:23, Romans 3:21-26, John 10:10

Overview: All sin is rebellion against God. Plain and simple. All sin is wrong. And in the previous lesson, you learned that because God is perfectly righteous and just, He must exercise His judgment over those who do wrong. In this lesson, you'll see that Paul clearly states what this judgment looks like: Death. But God chose to give us a gift, an unearned surprise! God sent Jesus to die in our place so that His judgment could remain perfect, and yet still provide a way for us to live. Your students will see that Jesus' death on the cross cleansed us from the guilt of our sin, absolving our debt in God's eyes. Students will see God's faithfulness, and justice demonstrated in His desire to clear our records of wrongdoing. This clearing of our debt makes life possible. And not just eternal life, but a powerful life here on this earth, as well.

What we want students to learn: That your students would understand that being justified by God means being agents of God’s justice in this world.

What we want students to do with what they’ve learned: To flesh out what doing justice practically looks like in their contexts.

Scripture Focus: Matthew 23:23, Luke 3:7-14    

Overview: Remember what you've learned in the last two lessons: God is perfectly righteous and just. Therefore, He must perfectly respond to all sin, holding accountable all who do wrong. This response is God's judgment. The beautiful thing is that those who have professed faith in Jesus' atoning work on the cross have had their sins wiped away! In His mercy, God chose a way for justice to be met, but also for a relationship to be restored. The question for you and your students is how these truths impact your lives? Judgment is God's alone. But God's judgment flows from His desire for justice. Time and time again, Scripture calls us, God's children, to be messengers of His justice in our world. In this lesson, you'll teach your students that God expects His children to infuse their environments with His justice. This lesson will help your students identify exactly what this looks like, and challenge them to live it out.