“Jesus” Series Lesson 3: Jesus Is Our Shepherd

“Jesus” Series

Lesson 3: Jesus Is Our Shepherd

Shepherd (Mark 14:27; 1 Peter 2:25, 5:4; John 10:11; Hebrews 13:20; Psalm 23)

Power Point: Jesus takes care of us.

Lesson Introduction: The Sheep and the Shepherd

Props: Vaseline, cotton balls, shepherd’s staff, club

Preparation: Have a helper dressed as a “sheep” (wearing a white or gray sweat suit).

Teacher: Good morning, boys and girls. This morning we’re going to continue our series on Jesus. Today’s lesson is about how Jesus is our Shepherd.

Helper: So, what’s my part in all of this?

Teacher: Well, to help the boys and girls understand what it means to be a shepherd, and how Jesus is our Shepherd, I’m going to play the part of a shepherd.

Helper: And….?

Teacher: And you’re going to play the part of one of my sheep.

Helper: You’re kidding.

Teacher: Nope. (Display Vaseline and cotton balls). Now if you’ll stand still, I’ll put some wool on your face.

Helper: That’s not wool! It’s Vaseline and cotton balls.

Teacher: Oh, well. Same effect.

(Teacher begins applying cotton balls. Continue script during application).

Helper: I can’t believe this.

Teacher: First of all, sheep are stupid.

Helper: Hey! Who you callin’ stupid?

Teacher: No offense. It’s just that you’re always trying to go your own way, and sometimes I have to bring you back.

Helper: So what’s the problem if I want to go my own way every now and then?

Teacher: You might get stuck in the rocky mountains somewhere and die out there.

Helper: We’re nowhere close to the Rocky Mountains!

(continued)

Teacher: No…not the Rocky Mountains, the rocky mountains…you know, mountains that are rocky. Oh…never mind! Anyway, if you wander away from me and get lost, you would die out there by yourself. You wouldn’t have me to take care of you. So every now and then I have to poke and prod you with my staff to bring you back.

Helper: I know, and it hurts!

Teacher: Better than being torn to shreds by a wild animal.

Helper: Uhh…I suppose. Those wild animals scare me to death! Lions and bears….lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! With their big teeth and their sharp claws…just the thought of those claws tearing in to my sensitive skin.

Aaaahhhh! (Really over-do the fear thing and embrace the teacher, refusing to let go).

Teacher: Get a grip, I’m right here. You know I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. I always watch out for you.

Helper: (Regains composure). Yeah, you’re right. Like the time that lion came into the sheep pen. You raced down the hill, jumped the fence in two seconds flat, and beat that lion senseless with your club.

Teacher: Always watching out for you.

Helper: You know what, shep, you’re not too bad.

Teacher: Thanks. Just stick by me and you’ll be okay.

Today’s power point is: Jesus takes care of us. Repeat that after me. (Say the power point and have the kids repeat it after you). Just like a shepherd takes care of his sheep, Jesus takes care of us and watches out for us.

Memory Verse: “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11

Memory Verse Activity: Team Scramble

Tape the segments of the memory verse on the backs of the team members. Have the captains arrange the members of their team in the correct order. The first team done is the winner.

Bible Lesson: David Cares for His Sheep, Jesus Cares For Us (1 Samuel 17:34-37; Psalm 23)

Synopsis: David was a shepherd boy. He loved his sheep very much and did everything he could to defend them and watch over them. Jesus watches over us in the same way.

Object Lesson 1: The Shepherd Provides (Ps. 23:1)

Props: plugs of grass (or “Easter” grass) and clear container filled with water; food and bottle of water

One of the things that shepherds do is make sure that their sheep have everything that they need. A shepherd must make sure that he is taking his sheep to places where they will have enough food and water. (Show grass and water). Sheep eat grass, and if they don’t have enough grass, they will go hungry. The shepherd takes them to places where there is plenty of grass.

Jesus is the Great Shepherd. He will always make sure that you have everything you need. (Show food and water). He takes care of us when we need food. He also takes care of everything else that we need.

Sometimes, though, a sheep may run away from the shepherd. When that happens, the sheep is away from everything the shepherd gives that it needs. Boys and girls, Jesus will always make sure that you have what you have to have, but you must stick close to Him. Don’t run away! Stay close to Jesus, and He will give you everything you need.

Object Lesson 2: The Shepherd Leads (Ps. 23:3; 1 Peter 2:25)

Props: shepherd’s staff (or cane)

Another job shepherds have is to lead their sheep. Sheep love to run away and go in the wrong direction, to places that are dangerous or bad for them. Shepherds have to make sure that they stay with them where it is safe. Sometimes a shepherd has to use a staff to bring his sheep back. (Display staff). This is a staff. It probably wouldn’t feel very good to get pulled back in line with this. But it’s better than getting lost, stuck in the rocks somewhere or killed by a wild animal.

We often like to go our own way, the opposite of where God is trying to lead us. We think we can do our own thing and still be okay. But Jesus loves us so much that He tries to bring us back. It doesn’t always feel good, but it is for our best. Jesus won’t use a staff like this to bring you back. He may give you a bad feeling on the inside when you do something wrong.

He may use your parents or teachers to let you know you’re going in the wrong direction and you need to come back. However He does it, listen closely for Him and follow wherever He leads you. Jesus takes care of us, so let Him lead you to places that are best for you.

Object Lesson 3: The Shepherd Protects (Ps. 23: 4-5; John 10:11)

Props: club (or large stick), slingshot

We’ve already learned that shepherds make sure that their sheep have what they need, and that they lead them where they will be safe. Another job that shepherds have is to protect their sheep from wild animals that try to attack them. Bears, lions and other animals may try to get in to where the sheep are to attack them. A shepherd is always watching for such animals and is always ready to fight them off. (Display weapons). He may use a club like this or a slingshot to kill or at least scare away the attacking animals.

Our Shepherd is Jesus. He is always ready to fight off our worst enemy, satan. Satan may try to attack us with sickness; Jesus brings healing. Satan may try to attack us with fighting in our home; Jesus brings peace. Satan may try to attack us by trying to get us to do something we shouldn’t; Jesus gives us the power to do what’s right. Jesus—our Great Shepherd—will always be stronger than our enemy, satan. Jesus takes care of us.

Running In the Right Direction (Skit)

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:22

 Props: starting line, finish line banner (one side of the banner says “evil desires;” the other side says righteousness, faith, love and peace), numbers for all the runners to wear  

            A number of runners are preparing for a race.  They are given instructions and pointed toward the finish line (righteousness, faith, love and peace).  They take their marks, the gun is sounded, and the race begins.  Half the runners run toward the finish line, the other half run the opposite direction (toward “evil desires”).  Even though the second half reaches the banner first, they are disqualified.  Everyone who reaches the correct finish line is rewarded.  

Teacher Follow-Up:  The Bible says, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace…” (2 Timothy 2:22).  To flee means to run away from.  The Bible says run away from evil desires.  Run away from the bad things you want to do.  Go in the opposite direction.  Don’t even hang around those things.  The Bible also says to pursue (run toward) righteousness, faith, love and peace.  Move in God’s direction.  Go toward what is right. Chase what is good. 

            Half of these runners were simply running in the wrong direction.  They were surprised when they reached the end to find out they were disqualified from the prize.  That’s what happens when people run in the wrong direction.  If you’re not going toward God in life, you have nothing to look forward to.  But if you follow after God, you will be rewarded.  The other runners ran away from what was wrong and ran in the right direction.  Running toward God will get you to the right place every time.  Today’s power point says run in the right direction!

Run from Evil

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live!  Amos 5:14 

Props: teddy bear and picture of black or grizzly bear, cigarette ad and alcohol ad 

            I’ll never forget one time when I was on vacation in the mountains.  The mountains were beautiful and there were lots of tourists who would visit.  There were many parks set up for the tourists to stop and have picnics.  But they weren’t the only ones who liked to eat there.  There were also many black bears in the area.  (Display pictures of bears).  There were many signs up that read: Danger!  Don’t feed the bears!  Beware of bears!  The park rangers had to post signs because people didn’t realize that bears can be dangerous. 

            People forget how dangerous bears can be because a bear looks cute.  And when everyone is little they have teddy bears.  (Display teddy bear).  Isn’t it cute?  It couldn’t hurt anyone!  Bears must be so loving and cuddly and fun to play with, right?  Well, teddy bears might be cute, but real bears are wild animals that are capable of badly hurting or even killing someone.

            There are many things in the world that are dangerous, things that can hurt your body, your mind, your feelings and your relationship with God.  There are things like cigarettes that could kill you.  But the people who make cigarettes try to make them look cool so people will try them and get addicted.  (Display cigarette ad).  Does this cigarette look dangerous in this picture?  Of course not—but it hurts a person’s lungs every time he or she smokes one.  God acts like the park rangers who warn tourists about bears when He says in the Bible, “…run from evil…”  (Display alcohol ad).  Don’t these people look like they’re having a great time?  They’re drinking alcohol.  And what the alcohol companies don’t say in the ad is that over 17,000 people die each year in our country from alcohol-related car accidents.  (Insert current statistic for your area).  Drinking alcohol doesn’t make life more fun, it can be very dangerous—even deadly. 

            There are many dangerous things that the devil will try to make look good.  He will try to get you to think there’s nothing dangerous about gossip, disrespect, rudeness, bad movies, drugs, and many other things.  But it’s like the prophet Amos taught the people; if you do evil, you will get caught.  So the key is to keep running in the right direction.  And running in the right direction means running toward God and away from evil.  Think about the bears and stay away!

Rude Wardrobe

[Love] is not rude… 1 Corinthians 13:5

 Props: oversized mismatched and ugly clothing

             (As you teach this lesson, gradually put the ugly clothing over your own).  We were created by God to be like Him.  The Bible says that God is love.  So if God is loving, then we should be ______ (Allow the children to “fill in the blank”).  Something about true love is that it looks good on.  Today I’m wearing an outfit that looks good on.  It fits me.  It matches.  That’s the way it is with love.  We were meant to love others, so when we do, it “looks good on.” 

But sometimes we choose not to show love to others.  Instead of saying or doing courteous and respectful things, we choose to speak or act rudely toward others.  Rude words and behavior cover the love of God inside of you, like the clothes I’m putting on cover the nice outfit.  Rudeness will make you look bad.  It will keep others away from you.  None of you would want to go out looking like this.  In the same way, you shouldn’t go out “wearing” rudeness.  It just doesn’t look good.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

…faith without good works is dead. James 2:26 (NIrV) 

Props: office chair (with wheels), 2 oars (or something that could act as oars)

Set up the chair on the stage or floor of the room with the 2 oars beside it.   

            I’ve often seen people in rowboats, rowing peacefully down a river.  I thought I might try it, but it’s probably safer to try it on land first.  If I can get the hang of it on land, it will be easier once I do try it in the water.  Okay, let’s see.  (Sit down in chair).  First things first: I have to get in the boat.  (Pick up “oars”).  Now I have to pick up the oars and get ready to (sing) “row, row, row my boat, gently down the stream.”  Oh, nevermind.  Okay, here I go.  (Begin “rowing”).

            Wow, this is harder than I thought.  I think I’ll just give one of my arms a break.  (Continue rowing with just one oar).  What’s wrong?  Why am I going in circles?  I guess I need to row with both oars.  Otherwise, I’m not going to get anywhere. 

            The Bible says that faith without good works is dead.  That means faith is just part of the process.  You have to get involved.  It’s not always enough to just believe.  You have to do something.  (Demonstrate moving forward with both oars and going in circles with just one oar).  When you’re praying in faith for something, God will do His part.  But you also have to do your part.  If you don’t, you’re going to go in circles in your walk with the Lord. 

            You can’t row a boat with one oar; you’d go in circles.  And you can’t have faith without good works.  Faith means getting involved.  Get involved by doing good works for the Lord!

Rewarded by God

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3 (NIV) 

Props: wallet, a few dollar bills, noise maker 

            Today we’re beginning a group of lessons about the beatitudes.  “Beatitudes” is a big word that means blessings.  One day, Jesus was teaching a group of people on a mountain.  He began to preach and teach the people about the Kingdom of God.  Part of his sermon was about being blessed by God.  This part of the sermon is known as the beatitudes.

            How many of you would like to be blessed by God?  God will bless you in many ways if you do what is right, and one of the ways he will bless you is by rewarding you.  Everyone likes to be rewarded, and there is no reward as great as God’s.  A reward is given to someone to show that they have done something good.  If you find a wallet and return it to its owner (display wallet), the owner may give you a reward (display money).  If you behave well in school, you may be rewarded with a class party at the end of the week (blow noise maker).  There are many ways we can be rewarded for the good things we do.  Jesus said that if we understand that we need God, we will be given the Kingdom of Heaven.  That’s worth more than all the reward money in the world, and better than a million class parties.  The Kingdom of Heaven–think about it!  If we come to God with nothing and let Him give us everything, that is exactly what He will do.  Our reward will be His Kingdom.  You will be blessed if you understand that you need God.

Rely on God’s Strength

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.  1 Corinthians 1:8-9 (NIV) 

Props: sturdy rope 

            Lots of people will start living for God; only the people that stay strong in God will last.  Sometimes, though, it’s hard to stay strong.  When you have lots of problems or people pressuring you to do the wrong thing, you might think, “I can’t stay strong enough to keep going.”  You know what?  You’re right.  You can’t stay strong enough.  No one is strong enough in his own power.  In times when you feel like giving up, learn a lesson from the mountain climbers. 

Probably none of you have ever climbed a mountain.  Some people climb mountains all the time.  They are experts: they know just how to use their hands to hold on to the rocks when the mountain gets steep, they know how and where to place their feet and they have built up strong muscles to help them climb all the way to the top.  The experts have also learned something else: they know the importance of using a safety rope.  They tie one end of the rope around their waist and the other end they anchor to the rocks high above them.  They know that they might come up on a tough area that even they can’t handle.  There might be problems too big for them.  The rope will save them if they run into such problems. 

            There will be times when you will have problems bigger than you can handle and you can’t keep going on your own.  You need to trust in God’s strength to keep you going.  Trust in Him and lean on His strength like the mountain climbers lean on their ropes.  Endurance is having the power to keep going no matter what.  Let God’s power keep you going, and you will endure.   

Recognize Your Need

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3 (NIV) 

Props: a picture that has been hand-drawn by a preschooler and a large professional painting 

            Display preschooler’s picture first and keep the large painting hidden. 

            This picture was drawn by a preschooler.  Didn’t she do a great job!  She used lots of color and made it pretty.  (Describe good qualities of picture).  Compared to most preschoolers, this girl is an excellent artist.  She might even win a prize for the best picture in her class, maybe even the best in the school.

            But imagine with me that this picture was in the same contest as this painting.  (Display large painting).  Would there be any contest at all?  No way!  These two pictures aren’t even close to the same.  This small one is good for a preschooler, but it can’t compete with this professional picture. 

            Some people think that they don’t need God.  They think that they can get to Heaven by being good on their own.  They are forgetting that to get into Heaven, a person has to be perfect.  And the only way to be perfect is to have your sins washed away by God.  Your goodness compared to God’s perfection is like this preschooler’s picture compared to this professional one.  There is no comparison.  Your goodness might look great to you and it might be wonderful compared to other people around you, but God is looking for His perfection.  And the only way to gain God’s perfection is by coming to Him.  You will be blessed if you understand that you need God.  You can’t make it without Him.

READ God’s Word

How I love your teachings!  I think about them all day long.  Psalm 119:97 (NCV)

 Props: 2 beach buckets, sign or slide with READ acrostic 

Begin with a skit in which 2 helpers are headed to the beach.  The one is carrying a beach bucket, the other says he’s ready but his hat (another beach bucket) is giving him trouble.  He says it’s not big enough, the strap doesn’t fit around his chin, it doesn’t have a rim to protect his ears and face from the sun, etc.  The first helper points out that the second is wearing a beach bucket and it’s not meant to be a hat.  He needs to learn how to use it properly.  The second is enlightened and the two head off to the beach.     

If you’ve been in church for very long, you know that we always tell you to read your Bible.  That sounds simple enough, but sometimes it can be a little difficult to know where to start and how to understand the Bible.  You need to learn how to use the Bible, just as our helper had to learn to use a beach bucket.  So we’re going to take time to explain some steps that will help you understand the Bible as you read it.  There’s an easy way you can remember the steps to Bible reading: just remember the word READ.  

Reflect on it: The “R” reminds you to reflect on the Bible.  In other words, think about it.  Sometimes you might read the words, but have no idea what you’re reading. Take time to stop and read the words carefully, thinking about the meaning.  Think about what God is trying to say to you and how you can use it in your everyday life.  

Experience it—every day: “E” means to experience it every day.  Don’t just let the Bible sit on your shelf, read it.  Read it often.  The Bible will not change you if you never pick it up, read it, think about it, and obey it.  However, when you get into God’s Word and let it get into you, you will never be the same.  God’s Word will change you and make you more like Him. 

Ask questions: As you read the Bible, you will find things you don’t understand.  The “A” stands for “ask.”  Ask your parents or church teachers what the Bible means.  Don’t just ignore the things you don’t understand.  Most importantly, ask God’s Holy Spirit to lead and guide you into all truth as you read the Word.  He will show you things you don’t know in the Bible.  

Do what it says: The Bible says it does no good to read the Bible if you don’t obey it.  The letter “D” reminds you to do what it says.  Obey the Bible.  When you read a command from God in His Word, obey it.  Don’t just hear it—it’s not even enough to memorize it—you must choose to obey God’s Word. 

If you remember to reflect on the Bible, experience it, ask questions and do what it says, you will grow in God as you read His Word.

Take It to the Maker

And the prayer that is said with faith will make the sick person well.  The Lord will heal him.  James 5:15

 Props: laptop computer

             When this computer was created, it was in perfect working order.  Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world.  Sometimes things go wrong.  And so it did with the computer.  It doesn’t run anymore.  I have to decide where to take it to be fixed.  I have two good choices:  I can take it to the repair shop or I can take it back to the person who put it together in the first place.  Which do you think is best?  (Allow children to respond).  The best choice is to take it to the person who put it together: the creator.  The repair shop will be able to fix it, but no one can do the job better than the creator.

            Sometimes when we get sick we go to the doctor.  That’s like taking the computer in to the repair shop.  Doctors can tell you what’s wrong and how to fix it and medicine can help you get better.  But the one who knows you best is your Creator: God.  No one or no medicine on earth can make you better like God can.  He created you so He knows everything about you.  Only He can bring true healing.

            Today we’re talking about healing.  God is able to heal.  Learn to trust Him to heal you today.       

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