Matthew 14:22-27; Mark 6:45-52: John 6:15-21
Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid (Matt 14:27, NIV).
To help the child realise that Jesus is with him or her at all times even in the face of danger.
During and after the lesson, each child will show that he or she understands the lesson by:
It is happening again on the Sea. Do you remember what happened to Jesus and His disciples on the Sea of Galilee a few weeks ago how they were in a storm and how Jesus calmed the storm by rebuking it?
Today, the disciples are on the sea not where a storm comes and threatens their lives. But this time, Jesus was not with them in the boat to rebuke the storm. What were they to do? They needed Jesus to help them just as we need Him in our lives to calm our own storms.
Jesus had to meet them in the middle of the sea where they had reached but how? There was no boat to take Him there. Will He fly or swim or jump? But Jesus got there all right. How did He do it, and what happened afterwards? Find out from this lesson. Jesus will also get to where your problems are if only you let Him do so.
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Jesus had just fed 5,000 men, beside, He had talked for a long time teaching the people about God. He had also healed the sick ones among them. Now, He was very tired and needed some rest. He also needed to pray. But the people were still around. What Jesus did was to ask His disciples to get into a boat and sail across the sea to the other side. He, then, would send the crowd of people back to their homes. After dismissing the crowd, He went up the mountain to pray.
Even though Jesus is God, He still needed to pray when He lived in this world. From the time He sent the crowd away that evening. He continued to pray till very late in the night. Meanwhile the disciples had started for the other side of the Sea of Galilee that once threatened to drown them. It took Jesus to rebuke and calm it. Today they are in it again, this time without Christ. What will happen? Will the Sea remain as calm as it was when they started off? And when will Jesus join them? They needed to have Him present with them.
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Having taken off, the disciples continued rowing across the sea steadily. When the boat got out into the middle of the sea, a strong wind began to blow it. It blew harder, and the boat was rocked back and forth by the waves. The disciples rowed very hard but the wind and the waves pushed their boat away from the route they were going. The waves grew bigger and bigger. The disciples then realise that they were in a storm. Before long, water began to splash into the boat as the storm grew worse. The disciples did not know what to do. They were helpless and Jesus was not with them physically.
The disciples rowed and rowed and rowed. Time passed and they continued to struggle against the winds and the waves. They must have been worried. If only Jesus had come with them, He would have done something about the storm.
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Between three and six o’clock in the morning, something happened. The disciples saw a strange sight on the sea. Someone was coming towards them. How? In a boat or what? The person was walking right on top of the stormy water. “Who was it?” They wondered. “It is a ghost!” They cried out. They became really afraid. Just imagine seeing a ghost on a sea and being inside a boat that was rocked to and fro by waves. They were in a fix – no way out. They could not run and they could not hide. What were they to do? They did not know. But the figure continued to come towards them.
Remember Jesus was supposed to be on the mountain. While He was still praying He knew that His disciples were in trouble because He knows everything. He knew they needed His help. So, when He finished praying, He went down the mountain to go and deliver His disciples from drowning. Coming to the sea, He didn’t stop to look for a boat. Rather, He kept on walking, right on top of the rough water. It was as if He was walking on the road. His disciples, however did not recognise Him, but thought they were seeing a ghost.
Knowing that His disciples were afraid, Jesus spoke to them. He said, “It is 1. Do not be afraid!” They recognized His voice and were happy.
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The wind began to blow. The sky darkened and lightening flashed from one end of the sky to another. Dark clouds moved quickly across the sky as the sound of thunder rent the air. Suddenly, it began to rain. It rained so hard that Okon began to be afraid for the safety of his mother who went to farm. She was not back yet.
At that moment, Okon remembered that in Sunday school, they were taught that Jesus has power to control storms. He knelt down and began to pray for his mother. He asked the Lord to stop the storm long enough for his mother to come home. He got up and began to sing a song of praise. As he was singing, the rain stopped suddenly. After about fifteen minutes, his mother returned.
“O mother!” said Okon crying. “Thank God you are safe. | have been praying for you. What happened?” His mother explained that as soon as she noticed that a storm was coming, she quickly gathered her things and started going home. But, before she got far, It started raining. It rained so hard that she couldn’t see her way. She became so scared that she even forgot to pray. Just then, she heard a voice which said, “Don’t be afraid”. And immediately, the rain stopped suddenly. Okon knew that Jesus answered his prayer.
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Where did Jesus go when the disciples entered the boat?
(A) He went to His house.
(B) He went into another boat.
(C) He went to the hill to pray.
(D) He entered the boat with them.
What happened to the disciples on the sea?
(A) Nothing happened to them.
(B) A strong wind blew and there was a storm.
(C) There was a heavy rainfall.
(D) A great thunder stroke the boat.
Why did Jesus walk on the sea to the boat?
(A) It was the road to reach the boat.
(B) He wore floating boot.
(C) He went to deliver the disciples from drowning.
(D) The sea was not deep.
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Mon: Fear No Storm (Psalm 23:1-6).
Tue: God Stills Every Storm (Psalm 107:28-30).
Wed: Jesus Our Shelter (Isaiah 4:5-6).
Thu: Assurance of Victory (Isaiah 43:1-2).
Fri: Disobedience Brings Storm (Jonah 1:4-12).
Sat: You Are a Conqueror (Romans 8:35-37).
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This lesson is the exclusive production and publication of the Sunday School Department, General Council Assemblies of God Nigeria.
It is published in a hard copy, June 2024 the lessons will cover till the last Sunday of December 2024. There is no individual author in any platform or social media sites who can claim ownership except the Sunday School Department, General Council Assemblies of God Nigeria.
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