Watch this video:
Our world is always changing. Books, products, phones, cars, and fashion are constantly becoming “better” or “cooler” or more efficient or updated. But God never changes—he’s a constant who has always been, is relevant today, and always will be. God is timeless and present. This lesson will help teenagers explore the importance of God’s timeless existence. God was in the past, is in the present, and will be in the future.
Lesson Objectives
- WHAT: God draws us toward him by being consistent, faithful, and trustworthy—God is present, and he has always been and will always be.
- WHY: While teenagers may struggle with trusting people, they can discover how God is trustworthy and present in their lives.
- HOW: Students will explore Scriptures that reveal God’s timeless presence, and they’ll consider how this truth can draw them closer to Jesus.
Primary Scripture: Revelation 1:1-8
Secondary Scriptures: Hebrews 13:8-9
The book of Revelation can be a bit tricky sometimes, but it’s full of beautiful and mysterious imagery that reveals how amazing God is.
1. God existed in the past
Think about the oldest building or object or document you’ve ever seen. How old was it, and what was most surprising about it?
Think of something in your house that’s old and outdated—how has its purpose changed with time?
What is the most surprising verse or phrase from our passage in Revelation 1? Why?
God describes himself as being the beginning and the end. Why is it important that God has always existed?
John 1 tells us that the Word has existed since the beginning of time—and that “The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word is a “nickname” in John for Jesus, God the Son. He’s been around since the beginning of time. You can trust Jesus because he has always been present. And he wants to give you wisdom, to lead you, to spend time with you, and to give you opportunities to impact other people’s lives.
2. God exists now
Give me an example of something that is timeless—it is as valued or stylish or important today as it was many, many years ago. [NOTE: Encourage students to avoid such churchy answers as “the Bible” or “God.”]
How is God involved in your life today like he was in the lives of people in the Bible?
Why is it important that God is present—that he will always be present at every major and minor event of your life?
What would it be like if you could see God right next to you all the time?
Tell us about a recent God Sighting—evidence that he is doing something in your life or in the lives of people around you.
Believing in God’s existence can be a struggle for some people because we can’t see God with our eyes. Sometimes we think that seeing God would make it easier, even though there’s constant evidence of God at work in our lives. As we talked about in the first lesson in this series, look for the big things and even the little things that would only matter to you—those God Sightings that remind us that God is here.
3. God will exist in the future
Would you want to know all the details of your life from now until you die? Why or why not?
What scares you most about your future? What excites you most?
When do you find it easy to trust Jesus with your future? When is it difficult?
There’s no beginning or ending to God. There’s an incredible comfort in the fact that God is. Period. We can have great hope for the future because God is victorious and walks with us. And because Jesus is God, you can trust him to continue to be present in your life—tomorrow, 10 years from now, and even 50 years from now. He promises to remain a consistent and trustworthy presence in your life.
BGroup Questions
- How long do you think that was? [NOTE: After a few guesses, tell the students you set the timer for five (or three) minutes.]
- What was that experience like for you? How was it meaningful? How was it weird?
- Five minutes of silence can seem like a long time. How does this remind you of the way God sees time?
TAKE ACTION: Memorize this Scripture this week! “ ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,’ says the Lord God. ‘I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One’ ” (Revelation 1:8).
**Leaders, leave 3-5 minutes for prayer at the end of your group time.
Youth Small Group Series
To fully understand the story of Scripture, we need to start at the beginning. Genesis gives us that window into God’s loving care for his creation and the freedom he gives his children is abundantly clear from the beginning. But Satan had plans to exploit that freedom and replace it with chains. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection reflect God’s full-circle plan to make things right after sin entered the world. When we approach Scripture and human history as a story, it helps us more clearly grasp what God has done and what God is doing today. This series will focus on God’s originally perfect plan, how humanity went off course, and how God is making things right again.
