Don’t Look Down

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverbs 10:4 (NIV)

 Props: ladder

             Today I’m going to do something that’s not a big deal:  I’m going to climb this ladder.  Now to me it’s no big deal, but climbing a ladder scares some people.  It doesn’t bother me at all.  I learned a little trick when I was younger that helps me deal with heights:  Don’t look down.  It’s just that simple.  When I climb or I work from heights, I don’t look down.  (Begin climbing ladder).  Notice that the whole time I’m climbing, I’m watching what’s above me, not below.  (Teach the remainder of the lesson from the ladder).  If I were afraid of heights, I’d never make it this far.  But I can climb the highest mountain if I just keep looking up.

            We’re talking about ambition today, about wanting something and being willing to do what it takes to get it.  There are a few things that keep people from doing what it takes to get what they want, and fear is one of those things.  Fear will keep you from getting what you want and what belongs to you in God.  Think about what Caleb had to do to get what belonged to him. (Joshua 14:6-15, 15:13-17)  He had to face the enemy and fight them.  He had to drive them out of the land before he could take it over.  Whenever you want to do something great, you will face fear.  Maybe you’re afraid of trying out for a team because you don’t want to get cut.  Or you could be afraid of taking harder classes in school because you think you will fail.  It could be that you don’t want to tell your friends about church or God because you’re afraid they won’t understand or they will make fun of you. 

Ambition is wanting something and being willing to do what it takes to get it.  Fear is the enemy of ambition.  Don’t let fear keep you from doing great things for God, and don’t let it hold you back.

Don’t Drift Away

We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. Hebrews 2:1

 Props: two small chairs, ocean waves (cut from cardboard), paddles, life vests, small cooler

             Two helpers enter wearing life vests and carrying a small cooler with food.  They are preparing to take their rowboat out for a day on the lake.  They enter and sit on the chairs (rowboat). 

            They discuss the importance of keeping their eye on the marker:  it is their only way of finding land again, they will be lost if they don’t keep a careful watch on it, etc.  They engage in small talk while still intently eyeing the marker.  After a minute or two they break for lunch.  They become preoccupied with preparing and enjoying their meal.  Soon they discover that they have lost the marker.  After a few moments of panic, the coast guard comes to the rescue.  The three exit in his imaginary boat.

 Teacher follow-up:  The Bible says that one reason it is so important to pay attention to God’s teachings is because it’s easy to drift away.  People will try to tell you all kinds of things and tell you what they think is right.  They will give you their own ideas, and many times those ideas are different than God’s ideas.  If you’re not paying careful attention, you’ll drift away from the truth.  You will lose sight of what the Bible says and start believing lies. 

Paying attention is not always easy.  You have to constantly listen to God and read the Bible often in order to stay with what is true.  You have to pay close attention and listen to what we, your church teachers, are telling you.  Attentiveness is watching closely and listening carefully to God and others.  Make up your mind to pay close attention to the truth today.

Don’t Budge

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.  1 Corinthians 16:13 (NLT)

Props: tug-of-war rope

Presentation: “Interrupt” the lesson and announce that it’s time for games.  Call forward the same number of boys and girls (4 or 5 per team) to compete in a game of tug-of-war.  When the game is finished, continue with the lesson:

            What did the winning team do to help them win?  (Allow for response).  The key to winning tug-of-war is simple: stand your ground and don’t get pulled to the other side.  Instead, try to tug the other team over to your side.

            During your life, people will try to pull you into doing wrong things.  They may try to pull you into lying, stealing, cheating, doing drugs, disobeying your parents or having a bad attitude.  There are many things they may try to get you to do.  If you stand for what is right, they won’t be able to change your mind.  But if you start to give in, they will pull you over and talk you into things you never thought you’d do. 

            Did you notice that the teams were standing strong and firm even before we said “go”?  You have to do the same thing.  You have to make up your mind no that you are not going to join in the sin of others, no matter what.  You must decide that you will stand strong when the pressure comes.  Stand for what is right, even if you stand alone. 

            Finally, understand that you may be the only person in a group standing for what is right, but there are millions more on earth that join with you.  And most importantly, God will stand with you.  He will give you the strength to do what is right.  He will fight for you and keep you strong, you just need to keep standing.  Stand for what is right, even if you stand alone.

Don’t Add to the Truth (Lemonade Stand skit)

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.  Exodus 20:16

             Begin with a skit in which two girls are selling lemonade.  When the lemonade starts to run low, they decide that in order to continue making money, they should simply add water to the little lemonade that is left.  With more water and less lemonade in each glass, the customers begin to complain.  The girls try to justify their actions by stating that there is still lemonade in each glass.  The customers finally leave in disgust. 

 Teacher Follow-up:  Today we are talking about the ninth commandment:  be truthful.  As we talk about what it means to be truthful, think about what happened to the girls and their lemonade stand.  They tried to add water to the lemonade so they could sell more.  When they added water, people began to notice that it wasn’t true lemonade anymore.  Yes, there was still lemonade in it.  But that didn’t make it the real glass of lemonade that the girls claimed it was.     

Some people try to add to the truth.  There’s no such thing.  Adding to the truth changes it, which means it’s not truth any more.  You can say something that is completely true, but if you add lies or made-up ideas to the story, it’s not true anymore.  For example, let’s say you go fishing and catch a fish that is 9 inches long.  Then you go tell your friends you caught a fish that was 18 inches long and you had to wrestle him into the boat.  That’s adding to the truth, which makes the story a lie! 

            The ninth commandment teaches us to be honest in everything we say, especially when we’re talking about others.  Truth must be left alone; you can’t add to it or take away from it.  So choose today to be truthful in everything you say and do. 

Responsibility Means Doing Your Best

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart…  Colossians 3:23

 Props: dishrag, dishpan filled with water, dirty

             (Display props and hold up dirty plate as you begin).  We began our lesson time today by talking about different responsibilities, or jobs, that some of you have.  Many of you have had to do the dishes at least once; some of you have to do them at least once a week and a few of you may have to do them every day.  Doing the dishes isn’t the most fun job to do, but it is an important responsibility.  When doing the dishes, just like with any job, you have a choice to make: you can do your very best or you can just do enough to get your parents to leave you alone.  Let’s look at this dish for an example.  It’s an ordinary dirty dish with food left on it.  (Begin to “wash” the dish in the dishpan).  You could really scrub this dish and get it sparkling clean, or you could leave a few “leftovers” on it because you’re in a hurry to get done.  So let’s say you just rush through and don’t get the dish completely clean.  And then the next time you wash it after a meal, you do the same thing.  And you do it again and again.  By the fourth or fifth time, you’d have enough food left on this plate to feed your family. 

            Responsibility is doing your very best in all your work.  If you don’t do your work well, it will show up sooner or later.  Be responsible enough not just to get it done, but to do your very best.  As you go throughout this week, practice doing your best at home, at school and with your other activities.  Be responsible!

Doing Nothing = Destroying Something

One who is slack in his work
       is brother to one who destroys.  Proverbs 18:9

Props: toy building blocks and table (use table to help display blocks, if necessary)

            Have two helpers stand by the table, one on each end.  They should start out with half the blocks forming an incomplete wall, and the other half laying level on the table. 

 

            (Address the helpers).  Okay, guys, you have a job today.  Your job is to finish this wall.  You have one minute.  Are you ready?  (Helpers acknowledge that they are ready).  Get ready…and go!  (One helper begins to remove the blocks one by one, while the other helper stands still and does nothing.  At the end of one minute, tell them to stop.  Then continue your lesson.)  What did you guys do?  You were supposed to build the wall, not destroy it! 

            (Address the children).  Which one of these guys is worse?  (Allow for response).  This might surprise you, but they are both equally bad.  While the one destroyed, the other did nothing to build.  So the end result was the same for both of them: nothing!  You may not see the danger in being lazy, but laziness is the enemy of ambition.  Laziness will keep you from doing what you have to do to get what you want.  Laziness brings poverty, ruin and shame.  Ambition—wanting something good and working hard for it—will bring you true success.  Caleb had to work hard to get the land that God promised him, but in the end it was his to keep. (Joshua 14:6-15, 15:13-17)  Don’t let laziness keep you from getting what you want.  Fight laziness with ambition.

Compassion Means Meeting the Needs of Others

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

Props: bowl of rice, box of food, large box filled with clothing and blankets

            We just learned that people all have the same needs on the inside—we all need to love and be loved.  We also all have the same needs in our physical bodies, too.  What are some things that we all need in order to survive?  (Allow for response and follow up on each student’s answer).  We all need food, everyone needs clothing and we all need a place to live.  Those are the three basic things that we need in order to survive. 

            All over the world there are people who do not have enough food to eat.  (Show bowl of rice).  For some children, this is all there is to eat.  They may get a bowl of rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Or they may only get one bowl for the whole day.  Some people don’t have enough clothes to wear.  Others don’t have a place to stay.  There are also families right here in your own neighborhood who do not have enough food to eat or clothes to wear, or who do not have a home to live in.  The Bible says that we are to have compassion for others, to care about them.  That means that we are supposed to help them when they are in need.  So if you know of someone who doesn’t have food to eat, give them some of yours.  (Display box of food).  Now, it’s not a good idea to empty out your cabinets and refrigerator without your parents’ permission, but there is always something you can do.  If your school has a canned food drive, bring in a can of food.  When we collect offerings here at church for needy people around the world, bring in the best offering you can.  (Show clothing items).  Ask your parents if you can give away the clothes you’ve outgrown to someone who needs them.  (Show sleeping bag).  Or maybe you can collect blankets and pillows for a homeless shelter. 

            There are many ways to show compassion.  Compassion is showing that you care about others.  This week, pray and ask God to give you ways you can show that you care about those who are in need.

Compassion Means Looking On the Inside

Be kind and compassionate to one another… Ephesians 4:32

Props: chocolate chip cookies wrapped in different packaging (three cookies in a paper bag, three in a plastic container and three wrapped in fancy packaging); several pictures of people with different features

            (Display three different packages and call forward a volunteer).  Our volunteer today gets to choose a treat.  Here we have three packages.  He gets to keep what is inside of the one he chooses.  (Have the volunteer choose the package and remain where he is, without opening it).  I need another volunteer to choose between the two remaining packages.  (Have volunteer follow same procedure as the first).  I need one more volunteer to take the last package.  (Once the package is taken, have all three volunteers open their packages simultaneously).  All three packages had the same thing inside.  Very interesting….  (Thank the volunteers.  Allow them to eat a cookie and return to their seat). 

            How many of you thought the prettiest package had the nicest gift?  (Allow for response).  Many people think that way because we often judge things and people by how they look on the outside.  (Display pictures of people).  You may think, “Oh, she’s not dressed very nicely.  She must be poor.”  Or, “Oh, he’s white (or black).  I can’t play with him.  I can’t trust those people.”  We judge people by their hair color or by how much they weigh or by how pretty or handsome we think they are. 

            Compassion is showing that you care about others.  The Bible says to show compassion to others, no matter what they look like.  Remember the story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible?  (Luke 10) He cared for a Jew, even though Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along.  The Samaritan was willing to help a man who looked different than him, acted differently than him and spoke a different language.  He ignored all of that and did whatever he could to help.  That’s the kind of compassion God says to have.  Learn to look on the inside of people.  No matter what we all look like or how different we all are, we all have the same basic needs for love.  Just like the three packages all had cookies inside, we all look different, but we all need to love and be loved.  Learn to love others and care about who they are on the inside, not just what they look like on the outside.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (skit)

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16 (NIV)

The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful. Proverbs 12:22

            Two girls are selling chocolate chip cookies.  The girls decide that they need more money, so they start making chocolate chip cookies without chocolate chips to save the extra cost.  They didn’t want to spend more money to make a new sign, so they leave “Chocolate Chip Cookies: 50 cents” on the sign.  Once they start to sell the cookies without chocolate chips in them, customers protest and the sales go down.  So the girls come up with a new idea; they decide to sell chocolate chip cookies with raisins, because raisins are cheaper than chocolate chips. Again, to avoid spending more money, they don’t change the sign.  After they start selling the “new” chocolate chip cookies, more customers come and start protesting.  The girls argue back saying that raisins are the new chocolate chips and that they aren’t lying.  The customers don’t agree and keep protesting. Eventually, after much arguing, the customers leave in disgust. So the girls decide to shut down their cookie stand because they just aren’t cut out for the cookie business.

Teacher Follow-up:  Today we are talking about the ninth commandment:  be truthful.  We’ll learn what the Bible says in just a moment, but first let’s look at what it means to be truthful.  Think about what happened to the girls and their cookie stand.  The first thing they tried to do was take away an ingredient in the cookies.  They found out that chocolate chip cookies aren’t chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips.  That reminds me of people who try to take away from the truth.  There’s no such thing as taking away from the truth.  When you take away from it, it’s not the truth any more.  Then the girls tried to add something to the cookies.  When they added raisins, they had raisin cookies, not chocolate chip cookies.  Some people try to add to the truth.  And again, there’s no such thing.  Adding to the truth changes it, which means it’s not truth any more.

            The ninth commandment teaches us to be honest in everything we say, especially when we’re talking about others.  Truth must be left alone; you can’t add to it or take away from it.  Today’s power point says, be truthful.  Repeat that after me.  (Repeat the power point and have the kids say it after you.)  As we continue the lesson, pay attention to the importance of being truthful.

Can’t Go There

Revelation 21:8, 27; 22:15

Props: various signs depicting requirements for entry into different places (e.g., “Members Only,” “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service,” “No Children,” etc.); “No Liars” sign

Have you ever not been allowed to go somewhere? Maybe you were too young, too old, or not tall enough. All kinds of places don’t let people in for different reasons. (Display signs as you speak). Some places, like certain clubs, don’t allow non-members in. Many stores don’t let people in unless they’re wearing shoes. Some offices and businesses don’t let children in. Maybe you haven’t thought about it, but there is also a list of people who can and can’t go into heaven.
The list of people who can get into heaven is very long. It includes everyone who has asked God to forgive their sins and has let Jesus be in control of their life. It is everyone who has lived for God and has obeyed Him. You can make sure that your name is on the list of people allowed into Heaven by turning your life over to God.
God also has a list of people that He won’t let into Heaven. That list includes everyone who does not live for Him. But God makes it very plain in the Bible that no liars will get into Heaven. (Display “No Liars” sign). He takes lying so seriously that He made it a part of the list of people that can’t get into Heaven.
I don’t want to do anything that would keep me out of Heaven, and I know that you don’t want to either. You have to make up your mind to live for God and to live a life of honesty– being truthful in everything you say and do.

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