These lessons continue what Jesus said to Nicodemus. They contain the most often quoted verse in the Bible. Nothing is more important for kids to know than the love of God. This passage gives us the Gospel in a nutshell. The law condemns and confuses us, and when we focus on the tiny details of rules or regulations, we miss the big picture of Jesus and His love. People in His time (and in ours) often fail to understand the good news of His grace and fulfillment of God’s promises.
We might not always understand what God is doing in our lives, but we can trust His “big picture” promises since we know He gave us Jesus! Use the download buttons below for print-ready lesson plans. We’ve included some bonus coloring pages and even a decoding worksheet.
Video Bible Story
Children’s Sermon
This children’s sermon is focused on recognizing the importance of who Jesus is in relation to God’s great plan for the salvation of all people. Children may be familiar with the John 3:16 passage, but might not fully understand what it means and why it is so important. The object lesson in this message uses images at unique angles to explain the importance of seeing Christ in light of the whole story of the Bible.
Bible Craft Directions
John 3:16 is a familiar passage for many people. In fact, we sometimes recite it so regularly that we forget to contemplate the deeper meaning of the words. God loved the world enough to become human, live with us, and die for us. That is powerful! Because of that, we recognize that Jesus is the light of the whole world. If we want to know what is true and right and good, we look to Christ. We look to Him for hope and inspiration. These crafts celebrate those beautiful truths. A cross cut-out can serve as either a card or a window hanging, to shine light through the cross representing Jesus. A decorative “globe” reminds us that God loved the world enough to send His son to die.
Nicodemus: John 3 Coloring Pages
John 3:14-21 ESV
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
John 3:14-21
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