FIRST TERM LESSON NOTE ON CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (CRS) FOR WEEK 1

NAME OF SCHOOL: GABUS INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE

CLASS: JSS 2
TOPIC: THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

CONTENT

THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST (Isa. 7:14, 9:6-7,

Joel 2:32, Matt. 1:21, Luke 1:31, 3:16)
The word “annunciation” means an act of proclamation or to foretell situation
ahead its manifestation.

Before the actual birth of Jesus Christ, series of announcements were made by
Angels, prophets and servants of God. In the Old Testament, Prophet Isaiah,
Prophet Joel, Daniel, Micah etc announced His birth while in the New
Testament, Angel Gabriel and John the Baptist announced His birth.

The plan of God for man at creation was to make man comfortable in all areas
of life: (Gen. 1:26)

But the disobedience of man by eating the fruit in the midst of the Garden of
Eden made God change his plan by sending man out of the garden of comfort
into the turbulent world. (Gen 3:6)
Hence, the sin of man in the Garden of Eden separated him from God and His
Kingdom but because of the love of God for man, God then prepared the birth
of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of the sins of man and that the good
relationship between man and God can be restored. (John 3:16)

The birth of Jesus Christ;

1) gave man forgiveness of sin and redemption,

2) it also broke the yoke of sin and Satan,
3) It removed the burden of guilt and corruption,
4) It broke the yoke of ceremonial law,
5) It gave man deliverance from the power of the enemy (Satan)
6) It gave man spiritual strength and restoration of God’s Kingdom and
His righteousness
MORAL LESSONS
1. God is Alpha and Omega therefore He knows the end of everything from
the beginning and He also sees the future. Our future is in the hands of
God.
1) The birth of Jesus Christ did not happen by chance, God happy made
several preparations by speaking through prophet Isaiah, Angel Gabriel
etc, therefore nothing happens to man by chance.
2) The name of “JESUS” means savior and it was given to Joseph by the
holy Angel Gabriel through a dream.
3) It is a good practice to always plan ahead of any activity for good
success, the birth of Jesus was as a result of God’s good plan for man.

FIRST TERM LESSON NOTE ON CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (CRS) FOR WEEK 2
NAME OF SCHOOL: GABUS INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE
CLASS: JSS 2
TOPIC: THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

CONTENT
THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-7)
In a small city called Nazareth in Galilee, there lived a young virgin called
Mary. This young lady was espoused to a man called Joseph. Joseph and Mary
were living in the same city but Joseph is from the house of David. During the
period of their courtship, an Angel of the Lord (Gabriel) appeared to Mary and
said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God and behold,
you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call His name
Jesus”. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high, and the
Lord will give to Him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the
house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end.

Everything looked like mystery to Mary and impossible because she has not
been fully married to Joseph, likewise she has never had sex with any man.
Then, the Angel said to her again, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the
power of the highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy one who
is to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35).

Before the joining of Mary and Joseph as husband and wife, which is called
“marriage”, Mary had already conceived by the Holy Spirit. This was so
strange to Joseph. He, being a good did not want to disgrace Mary. Therefore,
he decided to divorce Mary secretly because he thought she had been
unfaithful to him. That very night, Angel Gabriel appeared to Joseph in a
dream and explained everything to him.

When Joseph woke up from sleep, he did as the Angel of the Lord commanded
him. He changed his action and looked after Mary from that time onward.

A decree went out from Ceasar Augustus (Roman Emperor) in the eight month
of Mary’s pregnancy that everyone should be registered i.e. there should be
census in the whole of the Roman Empire. Quirinius was the man governing
Syria when the census took place. Therefore, Joseph and Mary went up from
Galilee out of the city of Nazareth to the city of David (Judea) which is called
Bethlehem for the census. When they arrived in Bethlehem, there was no inn
or house for them to stay because everywhere was occupied. That same night,
Mary went into labour. Then, they decided to visit a stable where animals are
kept because Mary’s time to give birth to her baby was near. Mary brought
forth her son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a
manger.

MORAL LESSONS
1. The name “Emmanuel” called Jesus in Isaiah 7:14 means “God with us”.
Therefore, the birth of Jesus means the presence of God.
2. The birth of Jesus Christ through Virgin Mary without the involvement of
man is called “Incarnation” which is the coming down of God in form of a
human being to fulfill His purpose.
3. Christmas is the day set aside for the celebration of the birth of Jesus
Christ. As a Christian, we should always thank God for coming down in
form of a human being to save mankind.
4. God is not an author of confusion. Whenever He gives you an instruction,
always carry it out accordingly. Mary and Joseph believed God’s
instruction through Angel Gabriel for the birth of Jesus.
5. Mary was chosen as the mother of Jesus because of her virginity. Students
should strive to keep their virginity till they get married
FIRST TERM LESSON NOTE ON CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (CRS) FOR WEEK 3
NAME OF SCHOOL: GABUS INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE
CLASS: JSS 2
TOPIC: THE VISIT OF THE WISE MEN AND THE SHEPHERDS

CONTENT
THE VISIT OF THE WISE MEN
BIBLE REFERENCE: MATTHEW 2:1-12
Immediately after the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem of Judea during the
reign of Herod, there came wise men from the east of Jerusalem. They met
Herod, the king of Jews and asked him “Where is he who was born King of the
Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him”.

When King Herod heard this, he was disorganized and troubled because the
birth of another king will soon disqualify his leadership over the Jews and so
he gathered all the chief priests and inquired of them where the Christ was to
be born. They told him that Christ would be born in Bethlehem in the land of
Judea according to the prophecy of Micah. Then Herod told the wise men to go
and search carefully for the young child and when they have found him,
should bring back report to him, so that he may come and worship him also.
The star they had seen went before them till it came and stood over where the
young child was born.

They were filled with joy. They went inside the manger, saw the baby with
Mary and fell down and worshipped him with three gifts.

The three gifts were:

1. Gold
2. Frankincense
3. Myrrh

Gold represents the royal kingship of Jesus Christ.

Frankincense represents the divine nature of Jesus Christ.
Myrrh represents the death of Jesus Christ to save mankind.
The three wise men departed to their own country following another way, for
they had been warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod again.

THE VISIT OF THE SHEPHERDS (Luke 2:8-20)

In the same country where Jesus Christ was born, there were certain
shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. This happened on the
night that Jesus was born, an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory
of the Lord shone around them and they were greatly afraid. The Angel said to
them: “Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which
will be to all people: for there is born to you this day in the city of David a
savior, who is Christ the Lord”. (Luke 2:10-11).

Suddenly when the angel finished speaking, many angels came to join them
praising the Lord saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace,
goodwill towards men”. (Luke 2:14).

Immediately the Angel departed from the shepherds, they said to one another,
let us go to Bethlehem and see these things that have come to pass and they
came with haste and found Mary and Joseph with a baby lying in a Manger.

The shepherds explained their encounter with the angels and everything that
was said concerning Jesus. All the people who heard it wondered at what the
shepherds were saying but Mary kept everything to herself because she has
full knowledge of all the happenings because of her personal encounter with
Angel Gabriel.

The shepherds then returned to the field, glorifying and praising God for the
birth of the savior of all mankind.

THE VALUE OF VIRGINITY BEFORE AND AFTER MARRIAGE

Premarital sex is sex before marriage. One of the reasons why God used
Mary to fulfill His redemption and salvation plan for man was because she
abstained from pre-marital sex, that Is, she kept her virginity and never
slept with any man before her marriage.

The following are some of the values of being a virgin before and after
marriage.
1. It reassures the husband that the girl he is marrying has never has
never been wayward.
2. He/she is free from STDs, HIV/AIDS.
3. It gives the girl the confidence that she has none of the sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs) before marriage.
4. It prevents the girl from having unwanted pregnancy.
5. She is free from Abortion and untimely death.
6. He/she is free from guilt and bodily defilement before God and
men.
.

FIRST TERM LESSON NOTE ON CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (CRS) FOR WEEK 4
NAME OF SCHOOL: GABUS INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE
CLASS: JSS 2
TOPIC: JESUS AND HIS FAMILY

CONTENT
JESUS AND HIS FAMILY
Family is a group of people living together who are united by the ties of
marriage, blood or adoption.
MEMBERS OF JESUS’ FAMILY
Mary conceived Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and became
His mother. Joseph being Mary’s husband became Jesus’ earthly father
although he wasn’t responsible for the Jesus’ conception. After weaning Jesus,
Joseph later impregnated Mary at certain intervals to have other children.
This tells us that Jesus had brothers and sisters. Below is the list of the
immediate family of Jesus:
Father – Joseph
Mother – Mary
Brothers – James, Joses, Simon and Judas
Earthly grandfather – Jacob
Aunty – Elizabeth
Cousin – John the Baptist
Note: Jesus also had sisters but the Bible didn’t tell us their names and
number.
The Bible told us that Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, and favour with God and
man (Luke 2:52). Despite His spiritual power over everybody in the family, he
was submissive and obedient to His parents.
EXAMPLES OF JESUS’ OBEDIENCE
1. His earthly father advised and enrolled him in synagogue school to learn
more about God and His laws. Despite the fact that he came from God, he
humbly agreed and learnt from His teachers. He also learnt carpentry
from his father although he knew that it was not part of his earthly
assignment
2. One day, he decided to stay back in the temple without the awareness of
his parent. When they came looking for him, he didn’t argue with them.
He only explained to them why he stayed back and obediently followed
them.
MORAL LESSON
1. If we must succeed in our pursuit in life like Jesus, we must be obedient
and hard working.
2. To be part of God’s family, we must do His will.
3. Jesus valued His family and His earthly father’s profession. We also need
to be proud of our family and represent them well always.

FIRST TERM LESSON NOTE ON CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (CRS) FOR WEEK 5
NAME OF SCHOOL: GABUS INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE
CLASS: JSS 2
TOPIC: THE BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST

CONTENT

JESUS’ BAPTISM
Baptism is a Christian rite of admission and adoption, almost invariably with
the use of water, into Christianity. It is the act of immersing a Christian’s
entire body into water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on
the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally
three times for each person of the Trinity.
John the Baptist was the person first to baptize people in the Bible. John the
Baptist was given birth to by Zechariah and Elizabeth according to the
promise of God for them through the mouth of an Angel. The angel also told
Zechariah (John’s father) the child’s ministry on earth and the name they
could call him.
John the Baptist is the forerunner of Jesus i.e. he came to prepare people and
lay foundation for the coming of Jesus Christ and His ministry here on earth.
John the Baptist was the one who baptized Jesus Christ in river Jordan. One
day, as John the Baptist was baptizing people at river Jordan, Jesus went to
him to be baptized too but John refused. Jesus Christ told him to do it in order
to fulfill all righteousness. After Jesus’ baptism, the heaven over Him was
opened and the Spirit of God descended on Him like a dove. Then, a voice from
Heaven said, “This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased”.

FIRST TERM LESSON NOTE ON CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (CRS) FOR WEEK 6
NAME OF SCHOOL: GABUS INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE
CLASS: JSS 2
TOPIC: THE BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST II

CONTENT
THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST (MATTHEW 4:1-11)
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where He fasted for forty days
and forty nights. After the fasting, He was very hungry and the devil came to
tempt Him three times.
1. First Temptation: The devil told Jesus to turn stone to bread but Jesus
answered and told him that it is written man shall not live by bread alone
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
2. Second Temptation: Satan told Jesus that if He is the son of God, He
should jump down from a very high mountain but Jesus replied and said
to him, “It is written, thou shall not tempt the Lord your God”.
3. Third Temptation: At the third attempt, the devil showed Jesus all the
Kingdom of the world and its wealth and said to Him, “If you bow and
worship me, I will give you everything”. But Jesus said to him, “Get behind
me Satan because it is written, thou shall worship the Lord your God and
him alone shall you worship.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST

1. Jesus’ temptation has shown to us that it is possible to overcome
temptation.
2. It also proves to us that we can conquer the devil through God’s word.
3. Nobody is above temptation.
4. All Christians have power to overcome temptation.
5. Being tempted is not a sin but yielding to the temptation is sin.
6. Meeting our spiritual needs is more important to Jesus than miracles.

IMPORTANCE OF THE BAPTISM OF JESUS CHRIST

1. Jesus laid good example for us to follow. As Christians, it is important that
we follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ. We should all be baptized just as
He was baptized.
2. He was able to receive the Holy Spirit for the success of His ministry. He
received the Holy Spirit after He was baptized by John the Baptist. He
couldn’t have fulfilled His ministry on earth without the Holy Spirit.
3. He was confirmed as the Messiah.

FIRST TERM LESSON NOTE ON CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (CRS) FOR WEEK 7
NAME OF SCHOOL: GABUS INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE
CLASS: JSS 2
TOPIC: THE BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST III

CONTENT

TEMPTATIONS IN NIGERIA TODAY

Below are some of the lists of things that tempt an average Nigerian:
1. Adultery
2. Fornication
3. Stealing
4. Internet fraud
5. Armed robbery
6. Suicide bombing
7. Examination malpractice
8. Quarrelling and keeping malice
9. Joining bad company
10. Corruption

WAYS TO OVERCOME TEMPTATION

The following steps when followed properly would help us to overcome
temptation always:
1. Study the word of God always.

2. Ask for the help of the Holy Spirit when temptation comes.
3. Praying always.
4. Living a disciplined life.
5. Rejecting bad advice immediately.
6. Make friends with good Christians.
MORAL LESSON
1. Christians can overcome the devil and all of his temptations.
2. We can do without falling into temptation.
3. No one is above temptation.
4. The Word of God is very powerful.