The Nathan Project
Luke Chapter 3
7:00 – 7:10 – Worship
7:10 – 7:15 – Break out into small groups – ice breaker

• Tell your name and What is your favorite thing to do in your free time? 
• What is one thing that you learned last week that you didn’t know before? 

7:15 – 7:20 – Lesson Introduction
Tonight we’re going to look at Luke Chapter 3 which tells about the coming of John the Baptist, his message of repentance and the baptism of Jesus.
How many of you have been baptized?  Why did you get baptized?

• Take a minute to talk to your students about what baptism is.  Baptism is not salvation.  Baptism is a way of physically demonstrating to others the work that Jesus has already done in your heart.  That you have been washed clean of your sin and that you are a new person in Christ Jesus

7:20 – 7:40 – Read Luke chapter 3 together in small

Small Group Questions

• Why do you think God would choose someone like John to be the one to prepare the way for Jesus?  Maybe because of John’s strong personality?  He was proclaiming a message to repent that would be difficult for many people to embrace.  Maybe it was because John didn’t seem to care about what other people thought of him?
• The main message that John taught was repentance.  What do you think it means to repent?  Remember that repentance is more than confession.  To repent actually means to “have a change of mind” or to “turn and go another way”. 
• As a group reread Luke 3:10-14.  What are some of the ways that John is telling the people to repent, to turn and go another way?
• Why do you think that Jesus wanted to be baptized by John?  Remember Jesus was without sin, so for Jesus, there was no need of repentance.  Jesus was identifying himself with us a bunch of sinners and that he ultimately would be the one that would take the penalty of our sin upon himself.

7:45  – Gather back together for closing song and wrap up