Following Jesus’ steps
key words
biblical reference
Matthew 7:24
lesson objective
To help the children understand that if we follow the teachings of Jesus, we too can be wise
memory verse
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27b-28, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave guidelines for the Christian lifestyle. He finished with a story that illustrates the importance of practicing his teaching, and the consequences for not doing so. For those who do not believe, it may not be until late in life that they figure out the consequences for defying God ... a life in ruins.
Jesus told a story about two men who built their own houses: one was wise and one was foolish. The wise one was a true builder and knew that his house would need a sturdy foundation to be able to withstand the weather conditions in Palestine. Most years it was very dry, however when the rains came, they came in storms and destroyed everything that was not designed to stand firm.
The key to the story is that the wise man built his life on Christ, who should be our foundation as well. The foolish man built his life on the morals and ideas of the world. Each of the men encountered storms and troubled times in their lives, but at the end of it all, the house (the life) that the wise man built stood firm whereas the house that the foolish man built collapsed.
While there are many children who do not have a good spiritual foundation, the young children who attend your sessions regularly should already have a good spiritual foundation that they can base their decisions on and obey God. Problems come up when people do not act according to what they have heard. Many have heard, but few obey.
To follow Christ means to carry out his teachings. This does not mean that one will always have success when facing hard times. They should understand that obeying God does not guarantee a life free of problems. There will come a time when their beliefs are challenged. They need to discover that true security comes from God, and that the world will pass away, but the love of God is forever.
introduce the lesson
Activity: Signs of the times
Ask someone to read the page in Student Activity Sheet #304-A.
Ask, “Do you like that there’s always someone telling you what to do? Do you know someone who has broken the rules and was not punished? What happens if people ignore rule breaking?”(Let them discuss the consequences of ignoring what you are told to do.) Then ask, “What are some rules that parents give to children? What about the rules at school? What happens when you do not obey? Why does it annoy some people to follow rules? Why do you think there are so many rules?” (So, we are safe and away from danger, to help us get along well with others, take care of our environment, etc.)
Say, “Many rules exist but how can we decide which ones are important?” (Let them answer.) Show them that some people violate the rules. However if they do not think the rules are important, they could suffer terrible consequences ... even death.
Continue, “In the story that we’ll be reading today, we’ll see what happens to people who do not pay attention to important rules. And also, what happens to those who obey Jesus.
teach the lesson
Building blocks
Divide the children into two groups. Provide each group building blocks. Have the first group build a house on a firm foundation (like a firm board), and the second group build a house on a towel. Let the groups discuss what would happen if the house had a “bad time.” Ask them to pick up the firm foundation/board and the towel to try to move the houses without making them fall. It will be difficult to move the house on the towel. They probably cannot do it, as it will shake enough to fall. Talk about what happened and why.
Is everything secure?
Distribute Student Activity Sheet #304-B and #304-C. Ask the children to read along in their activity sheets while you relate the story, or let them take turns reading aloud.
Jesus had dedicated many hours to teaching his disciples and the rest of the people who would listen to him. He told them not to worry about their food or clothing. He reminded them that God loved them all and would supply their every need.
He also told them to love their enemies, for if they only loved the people that loved them, they were not any better than the people who did not love God.
He also told them not to judge others unfairly. He reminded them that they should look at their own wrong doings before telling others about theirs.
Jesus knew that people forgot his teachings easily. Because of this, he told them this story:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
If Jesus were here today telling the same story, he would probably say something like this…
Two friends met up and this was the dialogue:
“Hey, Hugo! What’s going on?” asked John.
“Hi, John! What’s new with you?” responded Hugo.
“Do you remember that house that I was planning on building? Well I finally found a good foundation, a solid rock, where I can build it. I’ve worked a long time on building it and soon, once I’m finished, I can move in!” said John.
“Wow! How great is that!” responded Hugo. “I’ve also been building a new house. I found a sandy place where it is easy to build. I will be done building soon and then I will be able to move in. Yeah, I guess I did not really take too much time to plan it, but I think it is going to be great!
“Yeah, probably,” said John, “I just hope your house can resist the strong winds and rain.”
“John, there is one difference between you and I,” continued Hugo, “I want to do everything the fastest and easiest way. I mean, my house is practically done. You’ll figure it out pretty soon.” And he left. Both men finished building their houses and moved in. Soon the rains came and the winds blew strongly and the waters hit the houses crazily. John’s house withstood the strong winds, rain and floods because he built his house on the rock. But Hugo’s house fell.
In his story, Jesus warned those who listened that it was important to love God and build their lives on his teachings. If they did not, they would not feel secure when they faced difficulties; they would collapse, just like the foolish man’s house.
When Jesus finished his story, the people admired the way he taught because he taught with authority, not like scribes. (Matthew 7)
Ask the group: “What do you think Jesus wanted to show His followers?” (Let the children respond and show them that he was not necessarily showing us how to build a house but how to build our lives.)
Distribute Student Activity Sheet #304-D entitled “Bible commentary for students.”
connect the lesson
Ask those with Bibles to find James 1:22-23. Then have everyone say these verses aloud with you. Ask, “What similarities can you find between this verse and with Jesus’ story about the wise man and the foolish man? (Each of them talk about the importance of not just hearing the Word of God but obeying it.)
“What is James trying to say with regards to the men who only hear the Word but do not follow it?”(The foolish man who built his house on the sand deceived himself by thinking he was safe in building his house there. Some people deceive themselves into thinking that they should not do what God says.) During their discussion, show that those people deceive themselves when they do not follow the Truth.
practice the memory verse
Challenge the children to say their Bible verse by memory. Give a star to each child who can do it.
Show that it is easier to listen to the teachings of Jesus than to live them. He shows us how we should live. Explain to them that if they have disobeyed God, now is a great time to ask for forgiveness.
wrap-up
Pray
Lead the group in a prayer of confession. Allow them to have a private moment talking with God confessing what they have done wrong. Ask the Lord to help them live according to what Jesus taught and not just to hear the Word.
Encourage
To end the lesson, show appreciation for the students’ attendance and ask them not to forget what they learned.
Invite
Announce that the next session will begin a new unit of lessons to increase the group’s interest. Tell them that this is a good time to invite new group members.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™