Stay Close to the Cross

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Matthew 5:8

Props: a line drawn on the floor and a cross positioned several feet away in the opposite direction

            Often Christians want to know how much they can get away with and still go to heaven.  Maybe you’ve wondered that yourself.  “How much of the truth can I leave out before it’s a lie?”  or “Can I just take a quick peek at the book while I’m taking my math test?  Would that really be cheating?”  It’s tempting to try to get away with as much as you can.  Lots of people want to know how far they can go without “crossing the line” and sinning. (Slowly walk up toward the line). 

            But that’s the problem: if you’re wondering how far you can go without “crossing the line,” then you’re headed in the wrong direction. 

            (Turn around and walk toward the cross).  Instead of wondering how far you can go toward sin and temptation, you need to be thinking about how close to the Lord you can get.  If you’re headed toward sin, you’re moving away from the Lord.  And if you’re getting closer to the Lord, you’re moving away from sin.

            When Joseph was tempted to sin, he RAN away.  He went in the opposite direction, and he moved closer to the Lord.  If you’re going to see your God-given dreams come true, you’re going to have to run away from sin and run to the Lord.

Sandpaper or Soft Cloth: How Do You Rub Others?

Blessed are the meek,
      for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5 (NIV)

Props:  piece of medium sandpaper and piece of silky material

            You will be blessed if you are strong in God and gentle with others.   Your attitude toward others makes all the difference in the world.  Some people have sandpaper attitudes and others have silky attitudes.  What’s the difference?  Well, to explain that, I need a volunteer.  (Choose a volunteer to join you on the stage.  Instruct him to hold out his arm.  Lightly rub it with the sandpaper.)  How does that make you feel?  Does it feel wonderful?  Couldn’t you just wear an outfit made out of this stuff?  How about using it to wash your face with?  (Allow volunteer to respond.  Then begin to rub his arm with the silky material.)  Now how does that feel?  Wouldn’t you like to wear that around all day?  Of course!  There is a big difference between sandpaper and silk, and there is a big difference in how it makes you feel.

            Your attitude is the same way: It can be like sandpaper or like silk.  If you’re always rough with people, calling them names and pushing them around, being rude to them or even just not saying anything at all, your attitude is like sandpaper.  God will not bless you if you’re rough with people.  But you can also have an attitude of silk.  You can be gentle with people, loving them and making them feel better by saying kind things.  You can be friendly to those who need it the most.  And most importantly, you can decide to have an attitude of silk even with people who have a sandpaper attitude.  When other people treat you unkindly, you can return it with kindness.  God will bless you if you have an attitude of silk, if you are gentle with others.  Make up your mind to be strong in God and gentle with others.

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.

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.

The Prison of Pride

Blessed are those who mourn,
      for they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

 Preparation:  Prepare “jail cell” bars (dowel rods or something similar) and make a stand for them.  Have a helper positioned behind the stand as the “prisoner.”  Make a giant key to use during the presentation.

             The Bible says that everyone has sinned, or done bad things.  So at one time we are all separated from God by our sins.  Some people come to God for help and others don’t.  People sometimes want to give excuses for their sin.  What they don’t understand—and what we want you to understand today—is what happens when people don’t admit they have done wrong and don’t ask for forgiveness.

            (As you go through each excuse, place another rod on the stand, trapping the helper).

            “What I did wasn’t really bad,” they might say.   

            “As long as I don’t get caught, it’s okay.”

            “These rules aren’t really fair anyway.”

            “I’m still not as bad as some people.”

            These are all excuses, and the people who make them are still doing wrong things.  And what’s worse is that they’re being trapped by sin.  They are a prisoner of the devil.  (Pantomime unlocking a door with the giant key).  The only way out is to come to God, admit you’ve done bad things, and ask for His forgiveness.  Some of you are in that trap today.  You’re doing bad things, but you don’t want to admit it.  You don’t want to feel bad about what you’ve done and ask for forgiveness.  But Jesus said that you will be blessed if you are sorry for the bad things you’ve done.  If you want to be blessed, stop making excuses, admit that you’ve done wrong and ask for God’s forgiveness.  He will forgive and bless you.

Privileged by God

Blessed are the pure in heart,
      for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 (NIV)

Props: Various school passes (e.g., “hall pass,” “runner,” “library pass,” etc.)

            Time to test your knowledge: Beatitudes is a word that means…(Allow the students to respond) blessings!  Who wants God’s blessings?  Let’s start off by learning more about what it means to be blessed by God. 

            All of you go to school and you know that one of the favorite things for most students is leaving the classroom, especially when no one else gets to go.  Sometimes the teacher may give you or someone in your class a pass like this one.  (Display “hall pass”).  It says “hall pass” and it means that whoever is carrying it has permission to be in the hall.  Probably the person who is carrying the hall pass is mature and grown-up enough for the teacher to trust.  She wouldn’t let just anyone out on their own.  This one can also be fun.  (Display “runner”).  It says “runner” and it means that the boy or girl carrying it is running errands for the teacher.  The teacher really has to be able to trust a runner.  He or she carries important information.  How many of you like to do that?  (Allow for response).  And one more type of pass that you may get is a library pass, like this one.  (Show pass).  It may mean that you finished your work early and you get to go spend some free reading time in the library.  You’ve worked hard and now the teacher is giving you a special privilege. 

            When God blesses you, He gives you special privileges.  You will be blessed if you keep a clean heart.  You will be blessed because God said you will see Him if you keep a clean heart.  Just like you may be privileged with a hall pass at school, God will give you a “pass” to be able to see Him.  Not everyone can see God, only those whose hearts are pure and clean.  It’s an incredible, wonderful privilege to see God.  And if your heart stays pure, you’ll be able to see Him yourself.

Plant a Seed of Mercy

Blessed are the merciful,
      for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7

Props: pot of soil and package of seeds

Matthew 5:7 says, “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”  In other words, if you are kind and forgiving to others, God will be kind and forgiving to you and He will send other people to show you kindness.  If you want God to be kind and forgiving to you, though, then you have to do the same for others. 

            Think of it like this package of seeds that I have here.  If I want flowers, what do I have to do with the seeds?  (Allow for response).  Right, I have to give put them in the ground, plant them.  I have to give them away if I want to get anything back.  I can’t hold on to my seeds if I want flowers.  And you can’t hold on to kindness if you want to receive it; you have to give it away.  You will be blessed if you show kindness and forgive others.  Don’t hold on to the kindness that you have.  Give it away to others!

Open Up!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
      for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6 (NIV)

Props: glass jar with lid, pitcher filled with water

            Begin the lesson with the lid on the jar.  I’m need to fill this jar with some water from this pitcher.  (Show the jar, making it obvious to the kids that the lid is still on.  As you speak, wait for their response; they may try to tell you that the lid is still on, you can’t fill the jar yet, etc.  Continue trying to fill the jar.  Base the direction of your lesson on their response.)

             I don’t understand why I have a mess here.  What went wrong?  (Allow for response).  Ohhh…(remove the lid and fill the jar).  Things seem to go much better when the jar is open. 

            This reminds me of today’s lesson.  God wants to fill us up, but we have to be open to Him and to what He has for us.  When you do things that are wrong and you disobey God, you keep Him from blessing you.  When you don’t spend time praying and reading the Bible, you keep God from blessing you.  But when you obey and do what you know is right, you are open to all that God has for you, and He will give it to you.  Just as a jar must be opened to be filled, so we must be open to what God has for us before He can fill us. You will be blessed if you want all that God has for you.  Stay open to Him!

What a Mess!

Blessed are the pure in heart,
      for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 (NIV)

 …you may be sure that your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23 (NIV)

 Props: newspaper, bottle of chocolate milk

Tape a copy of the following news story into the inside of the paper.  Read the article as if reading from the paper.  While reading the story, make sure the kids understand the events and emphasize that the whole ordeal was traced back to a locker that needed to be cleaned out. 

 Spoiled Milk Sparks School Evacuation

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

(10-25) 13:26 PDT Swartz Creek, Mich. (AP) –

A plastic bottle with foul-smelling contents that was found in a men’s bathroom at Swartz Creek High School two weeks ago prompted an evacuation and a visit by the bomb squad. But lab results show that the bottle contained spoiled milk.

The bottle had been sitting in a student’s locker and was left on the ledge in the bathroom, The Flint Journal reported Tuesday. It was found Oct. 9 and officials initially said they believed it contained a mix of household chemicals.

“It looks like it was chocolate milk, old, spoiled and under pressure,” Superintendent Jeff Pratt said.

Pressure from the spoiled milk apparently caused the bottle to expand, making it look more suspicious. Pratt said school officials erred on the side of caution, noting that possible threats can’t be taken for granted.

“Two police officers and three members of the bomb squad refused to go near it or touch it, and that was good enough for me,” Pratt said.

Students were evacuated to the football field and later dismissed. It turns out a student had cleaned out his girlfriend’s locker, found the bottle and accidentally left in the bathroom, the newspaper said.

Swartz Creek Police Chief Rick Clolinger said the milk was inside a clear, nearly 16-ounce water bottle.

“I know that after the fact it makes us look on the silly side, that we sent kids home because of spoiled milk on the shelf,” Clolinger said. “But all of the right decisions were made.”

___

Information from: The Flint Journal,

www.flintjournal.com

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/10/25/national/a132652D91.DTL

Teacher follow-up: An entire school was evacuated because a girl left chocolate milk in her locker for who knows how long!  Her boyfriend cleaned it out and left it in the bathroom.  The smell was so bad that it made it seem suspicious and not even the bomb squad would go near it! 

This story should be a good lesson to us that we need to keep a clean heart.  I’m sure that for awhile, the chocolate milk stayed in the girl’s locker and no one even noticed.  But after time, everyone could smell it.  Sin acts the same way.  Sometimes you can “hide” sin for a little bit.  Then time passes and it becomes obvious to everyone.  The Bible says, “…you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23).  In other words, as hard as you try to hide your sin, you can’t hide it forever.  And you can never hide it from God. 

So what’s the answer?  Keep a clean and pure heart!  Come to God every day and ask Him to clean and purify your heart, to forgive you for your sins.  Read God’s Word and obey it.  Don’t do what you know is wrong. 

If that girl had cleaned out her locker often, the whole school could have avoided being evacuated. 

If you keep a clean heart, you will save yourself lots of trouble and Jesus promised, “You will see God.”

Let Go of the Junk

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
      for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6 (NIV)

Props: $100 bill, and a variety of “cheap” toys

            Before beginning this lesson, have one of the children prepared to help you.  Have her raise her hand when you call for volunteers.  Choose her and instruct her in advance to keep holding the toys and refuse to let go, even when you offer her $100.    

            I need a volunteer who would like to try to win $100.  (Choose your “planted” volunteer.)  Now, in order to win this $100 bill, all you have to do is take it from me and hold on to it.  (Display $100 bill).  Sounds easy enough.  But first I need you to hold this (give the volunteer toys as you speak)…and this…and this…and I need you to hold this, too.  (Continue until the volunteer’s hands and arms are full, with no chance of holding anything else).  Now are you ready for the $100 bill?  Don’t forget, you have to be able to take it from me and hold on to it.  (Volunteer says, “I can’t.  My hands are full,” etc.)  What should she do?  (Allow for response).  If you want the money, you’ve got to let go of the toys.  (Volunteer refuses).  Then I’m sorry, you can’t have the money. 

            Boys and girls, our volunteer wouldn’t really give up $100 for these toys.  She was just helping me out.  But there are people who give up a whole lot more than $100; they give up the blessings of God.  Be careful that you are not one of those people.  You see, you can only hold on to so much at one time: If you want to receive the blessings of God, you must let go of other things first.  You have to let go of your pride before God will bless you.  You have to let go of grudges that you hold against other people.  You must let go of greed, anger, rudeness and selfishness.  Let God replace all that with His blessings.  I promise that what He has for you is better than anything you could imagine.  Remember, you will be blessed if you want all that God has for you.

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