Gospel-centered lesson summaries

In most cases, the notes on these pages are brief summaries I initially wrote for parents to let them know how I taught a particular lesson. They tend to stress the gospel elements of the lesson, since that’s usually what I end up adding to pre-packaged lessons.

I post them here because it often helps to see how someone else has taught the gospel from a particular Bible story. Please don’t think these brief notes contain all one should teach from the passage, or that they’re the only way to approach the gospel from that passage—or necessarily even the best way. They all celebrate Jesus, though.

(Obviously, I don’t have notes on every Bible story you might want to teach. I’m sorry to say that entire sections of the Bible are left out because I simply haven’t taught those lessons since I started keeping notes.)

 

God and Jesus 101 lesson notes (an overview of the Trinity and the person of Jesus)

Genesis 1 (Creation)

Genesis 1 (Created in God’s Image)

Genesis 3 (Adam and Eve Sin)

Genesis 4 (Cain and Abel)

Genesis 6 (Noah and the Flood)

Genesis 11 (The Tower of Babel and Abram’s Call)

Genesis 12-14 (Abram in Egypt and with Lot)

Genesis 15 (The Covenant with Abram)

Genesis 22 (Abraham’s Faith is Tested)

Genesis 23 (Sarah’s Death)

Genesis 24 (Isaac’s Wife)

Genesis 28 (Jacob’s Dream)

Genesis 32 (Jacob Wrestles with God)

Genesis 37-41 (Joseph in Egypt)

Genesis 44 (Joseph and His Brothers)

Genesis 46-50 (Jacob in Egypt)

Exodus 1 (Baby Moses)

Exodus 3 (The Burning Bush)

Exodus 5-12 (The Ten Plagues)

Exodus 14 (The Red Sea)

Exodus 16 (Manna in the Desert)

Exodus 19-24 (The Covenant at Mount Sinai)

Exodus 20 (The Ten Commandments)

Exodus 25-30 (Tabernacle Instructions)

Exodus 32-33 (The Golden Calf)

Numbers 21 (The Bronze Snake)

Numbers 22-24 (Balaam)

Joshua (whole book overview)

Joshua 10 (The Sun Stands Still)

Judges (whole book overview)

Ruth 1 (Naomi and Ruth Return to Bethlehem)

Ruth 2 (Ruth Meets Boaz)

Ruth 3-4 (Ruth Marries Boaz)

1 Samuel 16 (David Anointed King)

1 Kings 2-16 (Solomon through Jeroboam)

More to come once I get around to transfering more of my notes to this site.

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There are 23 comments for this article
  1. Tracy C. at 4:19 pm

    What a blessing; thank you for sharing! My husband just got your book for me and after reading the first little bit, I am eager to get started with some of your ideas… and am so glad I found your goldmine of a blog!

  2. jim delver at 4:59 am

    Hi Mr Klumpenhower, thanks so much for your work. I finished your book Show Them Jesus a while ago and really enjoyed it. Do you have any notes for teaching Daniel and the Lions Den? thanks jim

    • Jack Klumpenhower at 11:29 am

      Thank you, Jim, and thanks for reminding me that I need to get around to posting the rest of my lesson notes on this site!

      Most recently when I’ve taught Daniel 6 (the lion’s den), I’ve done so as a companion lesson to chapter 3 where Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo refuse to worship the statue. These are good lessons for our own times, because believers in Jesus are often pressured not to be exclusive in their devotion but rather to treat him as one religious option among many. The lion’s den and fiery furnace teach us that God will save those who stay faithful, and he will one day resurrect them from the dead. All four of those guys were, in a sense, brought back from the dead, being called out of the fire and pulled out of the pit. Another huge theme throughout Daniel is the Kingdom of Christ. Daniel chooses to serve God because he is looking forward to a better kingdom than Babylon or Media, as chapters 7 and 8 show. Daniel makes good choices because his eyes on Christ and his kingdom, which is important for us as well.

      The book of Daniel is a good example of how gospel-centered teaching doesn’t always have to aim primarily at teaching about the atonement (how Jesus died for us). In the case of this book, it’s more about our future hope: resurrection, victory, and kingdom (how Christ will raise us from the dead, defeat our enemies, and establish his kingdom on earth).

  3. Heather Jensen at 9:16 pm

    I would love your notes on the book of Daniel. My church is staring a study through Daniel and having your notes would be a help in teaching the kids the book of Daniel! I am reading your book right now and have gotten some great ideas!
    God Bless!

    • Jack Klumpenhower at 7:38 pm

      Thank you, Heather. Yes, I really need to finish putting my notes online. When I started I had good intentions, but I have gotten bogged down! I will try to add the rest of my Old Testament notes, at least, next week after I’m done with a conference that’s keeping me busy right now. Thanks for encouraging me to finish. I need that.

      • Luvena at 12:10 am

        Hi Jack, your book is sooo good.. God is really speaking to me through your book. I never want sunday school to be moralistic, raising little pharisees with lots of head knowledge but don’t have personal connection with who Jesus is. Thank you for writing the book. Do you also write curricula that can be used from preschool all the way to year 6? Please finish the list if you have time. Thanking you.

        • Jack Klumpenhower at 12:20 am

          Thank you. I helped create Elementary What’s Up, which is a 12-lesson course aimed at the lower elementary grades. That’s the closest I’ve come to writing any published curricula for younger kids.

  4. Nicole at 2:55 pm

    Jack, love your book and look forward to accessing more of these lesson notes when you get them posted! Every week I check back, hoping they will be here! 😉

  5. Lisa Lait at 9:37 am

    Thank you so much for writing “Show Them Jesus” and also posting your lesson notes. I will attempt/”insist” that our teachers read this book. The adults need to understand this idea as well as and before they start teaching children. Parents often think if a curriculum is using stories from the bible then it must be “biblical” but most children’s curriculum is moralism and not about the gospel.

  6. Sarah B at 6:51 pm

    Jack, thank you so much for all your hard work! We love your book and are using it to train CE teachers at our church. We’re promoting it not only as a tool for teachers but also parents too! We also have a time for younger kids during the sermon that we call “Training In the Pews” (a version of Children’s Church), and our teachers are utilizing these notes as well. We’re so blessed by your resources and framework you’ve put forth to help shift our paradigm for teaching and interacting with kids. Keep up the good work (and keep posting these awesome notes!)!

  7. Christine Szeto at 12:23 am

    Thank you for this! I’ve started reading your book and it’s helping me teach Sunday School with Jesus as the central message. Will you be adding to your list? I’d love to go through the bible using this as a base. Maybe we can trade? I have a curriculum team made up of school teachers who have been coming up with supplemental small group and large group activities – I’d love to share those for anyone who would benefit. I.e. Teaching on creation, God as creator, allowing kids to “create” slime so there’s something to take home and talk about, verse is Isaiah 64:8.

  8. Kim at 5:10 am

    Just a reminder to you how incredibly useful your notes are to those of us talking about Jesus with young people! Please be encouraged to continue to add the rest of them. I check this site faithfully at least once a month.

  9. Kristin Dobrowolski at 10:41 am

    We are currently reading through Show Them Jesus with the teachers in our church. The book has been a great conversation starter and has helped us communicate the mindset we hope to have as a church. I also check these lesson notes (and your book) every time I am teaching a story. There are few resources I’ve found like this. More would be wonderful! Thank you!

  10. Kutloano at 9:24 am

    This book! I thank God for showing me the book. I recently got a hold of it when I was in a christian bookstore. Really learning a lot from it. I’m buying amd sharing it with other SS leaders.

    May God be praised through you.

    Kutloano, from South Africa

  11. florence Kitchen at 11:06 pm

    Florence Kitchen

    Thank you, thank you so much….these are great resources. I am an RI teacher. I spend so much time to make sure that I say the right thing at all times. It is an absolute joy to be with the children in my class…a day of the week I so look forward to. I am also looking forward to securing a copy of your book that I may encourage my church and fellow teachers for an in-depth discussion …that we can better help in the understanding of our young children about Jesus. For you to have us a copy of your resources shows your generous heart ..Bless you Jack.

  12. Karin Walter at 8:24 pm

    Will you be posting anymore of your notes? I just came across “Show Them Jesus” and want to start tailoring our family devotions using our children’s bible with more of a gospel focus.

    • Jack Klumpenhower at 9:31 pm

      I’d like to. I always intended to, but I have gotten busy in the past few years and have put it off, and don’t really update the site at all anymore. Thank you for reminding me that what’s here can still be helpful to people. It encourages me to get back to it.

      • Dawn Norman at 8:03 pm

        I, too, would love to see more of your notes. 🙂 I’ve read and reread your book and have passed it on to several of the staff at our church. I’ve recommended that the teachers at my children’s school be assigned your book to read over the summer and it’s slated to be assigned this coming summer in 2020. Thank you for everything that’s already in the book and on here. It has revolutionized the way I teach and look at Scripture!

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