Don’t Get Bound by Sin

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

Props: rope (several feet long) with a large loop that can be tightened

 Place rope on the floor and stand inside the loop as you begin the lesson.  Arrange ahead of time for a helper to stand beside you.  Step outside the loop and gradually lure him in (corresponding with the lesson), then lift the loop up around his waist, tightening it more and more as you teach.  

             One of the reasons people get trapped in sin is that it usually doesn’t start out looking so bad.  The devil will try to get you to start small.  (Begin luring helper inside the loop).  He’ll say something like, “Oh, come on.  You can watch this show.  It only has a few bad words in it.”  So let’s see what happens to our friend here.  He starts out by watching a show on TV that he knows isn’t “really bad.”  It’s only got a few bad words.  (Lift loop around helper’s waist).  Then a while later, one of his friends invites him over.  Everyone’s watching this great new movie.  This one has even more bad language, and all the guys in the movie are beating each other up and shooting at each other.  He doesn’t think he should watch it, but everyone else is, and he doesn’t think it’ll hurt to do it just one time. 

            Remember!  God wants you to live a life of purity, free from sin.  It’s the only way you can fulfill your destiny for Him.  God has great plans for you; you must learn to run from temptation if you’re going to see your dreams come true. 

            A few more weeks go by, and this time he stays up late on a Friday night.  His parents told him he wasn’t allowed to watch TV after they go to bed, but he’s bored and he doesn’t see how watching TV late at night can hurt anything.  He starts flipping through the channels and sees and hears all kinds of bad things.  But no one else is awake to see him watching.  He decides to just keep watching for a little while.  (Tighten loop around his waist).   Soon he finds himself watching late-night TV and bad movies constantly.  (Continue tightening loop as far as you can, then wind the remainder of rope around his arms).  This is exactly the way the devil likes to trap people.  He always starts out with the “little” things until he has control.  He robs people of their destiny by trapping them in sin. 

            Don’t let the devil trap you.  Run away from temptation.