About this lesson

This page is one free, ready-to-teach lesson from Free Grace Kids: Eternal Series, a one-year kids and youth curriculum from Free Grace International based on Lucas Kitchen's Eternal series books. You're looking at Week 1 of Unit 1, Eternal Life, which follows the book Eternal Life.

Kristah Kitchen wrote it for Free Grace International. It's made for church kids ministries, Sunday school teachers, homeschool families, and parents leading groups of students ages 6–18. A session runs about an hour: games and worship, the Root Truth and a Gospel Moment, a short Bible study, small-group time in Root Groups, and a hands-on Branch Out project.

To lead it, download the free printable leader PDF below. It has everything you need. Or scroll down to preview the whole lesson right here on the page. More weeks in this unit are on the way.

The one sentence we want every student to leave with: Eternal life is a free gift you receive by believing in Jesus.

What this hour covers

Here's the flow for Week 1:

• 15 min — Games and Worship. Pick 1–2 games (Bump Tag or Ninja Showdown) and 2–3 songs (Psalm 8 (Hallé) by Phil Wickham, Way Maker by Leeland).
• 5 min — Root Truth and Gospel Moment. John 6:47 and the John 3:16 drawing.
• 15 min — Bible Study and Brief Lesson. John 3:16, John 6:47, and John 3:36.
• 10 min — Root Groups. Discussion questions for ages 6–12 and ages 13–18.
• 15 min — Branch Out Project. Teams start a four-week project to share the message.

Supplement video (25 min): watch on YouTube. Full game instructions are in the PDF.

This Week

This week we will be starting with the basics. How do we receive eternal life?

Eternal life is a free gift you receive by believing in Jesus.

Bible Study

Before getting into Scripture, ask everyone to answer the following question silently to themselves. How do you get eternal life?

We will come back to this question at the end of the lesson, but let’s see what we can learn from God’s Word about it first. Pray.

Have students mark their Bibles as you go: circle and underline the words shown with each question.

1. Read John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16, NKJV)

• Ask | What did God do? Circle “loved” and “gave”
• Ask | What can people do? Underline “believes in Him”
• Ask | What do believers get? Underline “everlasting life”

2. Read John 6:47

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life." (John 6:47, NKJV)

• Ask | What can people do? Underline “believes in Me”
• Ask | What do believers get? Underline “everlasting life”
• Ask | When do believers get everlasting life? Circle “has”

3. Read John 3:36

"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:36, NKJV)

• Ask | What can people do? Underline “believes in the Son”
• Ask | What do believers get? Underline “everlasting life”
• Ask | When do believers get everlasting life? Circle “has”

Takeaway

Let’s all think about how we answered the question at the beginning, “How do you get eternal life?” Has your answer changed based on the verses we read together?

Eternal life is not something we can earn. The moment a person believes in Jesus, they HAVE eternal life. It cannot be lost or taken away. Eternal life is a free gift you receive by believing in Jesus.

Root Truth

Verse of the Month

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” John 6:47 (NKJV)

Gospel Moment

Share the gospel using the John 3:16 drawing:

Root Groups

Use the question set that matches your group. Follow interesting comments. Push gently into real life—school, friends, sports, family, screens—while protecting Free Grace: eternal life is a free gift by believing in Jesus.

Ages 6–12

1. Tell about a time someone gave you something free. How did that feel different from earning a prize or paying for it?
2. When kids talk about “being good enough for God,” what do they usually mean? How does John 3:16 sound different from that?
3. Jesus says the one who believes in Him has everlasting life. If you already believed in Jesus, what changes about fear, trying harder, or wondering if God still wants you?
4. Where in your week (home, school, team, friends) do you most need to remember that eternal life is a gift, not a score?
5. What questions have you had or do you still have about what it takes to get eternal life?

Ages 13–18

1. Where do you hear a “pay God back” or “prove it” version of Christianity—online, church talk, friends, your own head?
2. Read John 6:47. If everlasting life is something you have when you believe, how does that collide with using grades, performance, or church involvement as proof you are in?
3. What would it look like this week to rest in Jesus’ promise instead of performing for assurance—and what would still be hard about that?
4. Who in your real life (not a textbook unbeliever) needs to hear that eternal life is free by believing in Jesus, and what muddy message might they already believe instead?
5. What questions have you had or do you still have about what it takes to get eternal life?

Branch Out Project

Divide into teams of 3–4. Assist younger teams.

Prompt

Many people do not know the simple truth: Eternal life is a free gift you receive by believing in Jesus. Design a tool or event to help spread the Word. This should be something you would feel comfortable using or doing. You will work on it with your team for 4 weeks, then share your project with the rest of the group. Use your Root Group leader for questions and help getting materials needed.

Begin by forming teams and brainstorming ideas this week. Here are some questions to get you started.

• What is the message?
• Who do you want to share it with? (kids, adults, neighbors, teammates, school friends, waitresses/waiters…)
• What would stop you from sharing it?
• What would help you move past the “blocks”?

If you'd like to lead a group of kids or teens through this lesson, download the free Week 1 leader curriculum (PDF). It has the full schedule, game instructions, worship ideas, Bible study questions, Root Group questions for both age groups, and the Branch Out project, all in one printable packet. We encourage you to take what is written and make it your own for your group. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us through the contact form on our website: www.freegrace.in. Whether you lead a Sunday class, a midweek group, or your own kids at the kitchen table, we're glad you're here.

Curriculum by Kristah Kitchen for Free Grace International. Based on Eternal Life by Lucas Kitchen (Section Five: The Objective, Chapter 20, "The Objective: Everlasting Life"). Scripture quotations from the New King James Version (NKJV).