Theme: Jesus Shows the Way
Today’s Lesson: He Sets Us Free
Scripture Reference: John 8:31-47
Memory Verse: John 8:36
(Compiled and written by Martin W. Wiles)
Objective:
During the month of July, children will learn how Jesus shows us the way. He shows us the way to be set free through salvation, He shows us how to be obedient by His baptism, He show us how to be victorious over temptation, and He shows us how to trust God the Father.
Say:
Today, we will read a story about how Jesus can set us free. The Bible tells us we are all sinners. We have done bad things that make God sad. The only way God will forgive us is if we believe and accept what Jesus did on the cross.
Say:
Let’s say our memory verse together. If the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free. John 8:36 NLT
Activity Time:
Game: Tied Up for Snack Time
Materials Needed:
Bandanas
Snack Pack Pudding Cups
Spoons
Paper Towels
Directions:
Tell children the bandanas represent sin and eating the pudding represents obeying God.
Loosely tie children’s hands with bandanas.
Have them try to eat pudding using a spoon.
Then untie bandanas and let them see how much easier it is to eat.
Explain that sin ties us up so we can’t obey God. Only by believing in Jesus can we be untied and have the ability to obey God’s commands.
Bible Story Time:
Icebreaker Questions:
Was it difficult trying to eat with your hands tied?
How do you think you’d feel if you had to eat all the time with your hands tied?
How do you think sin ties us up? (makes us want to do things we know are wrong)
How can Jesus help us? (He helps us want to obey God.)
There was once a time when the United States of America was tied up or ruled by another country.
Reflection: Does anyone know what that country was?
The country’s name was Great Britain or England. While the Indians were the first people to live in America, the early colonists came here because they didn’t want another country telling them what church they had to attend or taxing them to support that church. Great Britain was doing that.
Even after the colonists settled here, Great Britain still tried to rule them and tell them what they could and couldn’t do. Finally, the founding fathers of our country got together and wrote the Declaration of Independence. In it they said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
When England heard what the colonists had done, they wanted to fight them…and did. Though England couldn’t believe it, the colonists won the war, and America won her freedom. But not all in the young nation enjoyed every freedom. Women couldn’t vote for people to hold office 1920. Native Americans (Indians) and African Americans (blacks) legally won the right to elect people to office in 1870 with the Fifteenth Amendment but didn’t realize it in practice until 1924 and 1965.
Reflection: How do you think you’d feel if you lived in a country where you weren’t allowed to do something everyone else could do?
Just as the colonists were tied up by Great Britain, so every person who is born is tied up by something even worse: sin.
Say: Who can tell me what sin is?
All people have a tendency to want to do things God says are wrong. Without God’s help, we will always do wrong things. If we don’t ask Him to help us do things that please Him, the Bible says we will go to a terrible place called hell after we die. But if we love God and obey Him, we will go to heaven.
Only Jesus can set us free from sin. He died on a cross to pay for our sins so we wouldn’t have to. When we ask God to forgive us, He does because His Son has paid for those sins. Forgiveness sets us free to obey God. Jesus says if we love God we will obey His commands.
The people Jesus was talking to didn’t think they were sinners or bad people because they went to church and did good things. Jesus told them that wasn’t enough. They had to believe in Him. We have to as well.
Reflection: Invite children to talk with you or the preacher if they would like to ask Jesus to be their Savior.
Transition:
God wants us to trust His Son as our Savior so He can set us free from sin.
Song:
The wise man built his house upon the rock
The wise man built his house upon the rock
The wise man built his house upon the rock
And the rain came tumbling down
Oh, the rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
And the wise man's house stood firm.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
The foolish man built his house upon the sand
And the rain came tumbling down
Oh, the rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
The rain came down
And the floods came up
And the foolish man's house went "splat!" [clap hands once]
So, build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ
And the blessings will come down
Oh, the blessings come down
As your prayers go up
The blessings come down
As your prayers go up
The blessings come down
As your prayer go up
So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Activity Time:
Let children color the Jesus and the Children coloring sheet.
Wrap Up:
Let each child tell one thing they learned about how Jesus sets us free from sin.
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