Posts with the category “impact-kids-archive”

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says there’s a wide path that leads to hell but He’s the only way to get to God’s kingdom, heaven. Jesus is the only way, the truth, and the life! Ask everyone in you...  Read More

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says to treat others the way we want to be treated. This adage is known as the Golden Rule. Later, Jesus illustrates the Golden Rule with a story about a debtor who i...  Read More

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking in prayer. When we pray, God will give us good gifts, just as a father gives good gifts to provide for his children. Tre...  Read More

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that the way we judge others is the way we will be judged. He tells his listeners to focus on getting themselves right with God first, rather than pointing out t...  Read More

Jesus tells his listeners not to store up treasure on earth or love money, which adds more worry to our lives. Instead, we don’t need to worry about anything! Just as God clothes the flowers and provi...  Read More

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns about doing good things like giving just to be noticed by other people. Hypocrites call attention to their gifts, but Jesus wants us to give pri...  Read More

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about how to treat our enemies. Even though most people think it’s okay to hate their enemies, Jesus says to love our enemies and pray for peop...  Read More

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus takes the complexity out of making vows or promises. Often we add qualifiers to our promises, such as “I swear by heaven” or “I really mean it.” But ...  Read More

Jesus says that the command not to murder goes beyond simply not killing; harboring anger and speaking in anger means we’re subject to judgment. Instead, we should settle matters with people quickly. ...  Read More

Jesus says to be the salt of the earth, bringing flavor to the world around us. He also says to be the light of the world and not to hide our lights. Our good deeds can be like lights that point out G...  Read More

Jesus begins his most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, with something known as the Beatitudes. In this section of His sermon, Jesus lists kinds of people who seem lowly or down and out and name...  Read More

God commands His people not to want other people’s stuff. Joseph’s brothers are jealous because their dad likes Joseph best and gives Joseph a fancy coat. Plus, Joseph brags about dreams in which his ...  Read More

God commands His people not to lie. When Ananias and Sapphira sell their property, they lie about how much money they sell it for so they can keep some money but make it seem like they gave it all. Bo...  Read More

God commands His people not to steal. Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples, is the treasurer for the group. Instead of being responsible with the money, he secretly steals some for himself and then criticiz...  Read More

God says not to commit murder. In a brotherly feud between Cain and Abel, Cain is jealous of his brother, Abel. God warns Cain not to fall into sin’s trap by being angry and dejected. But Cain doesn’t...  Read More

God says to honor our parents, and He promises a long life for those who do. We can honor our parents by listening to them, not saying mean things to them, bringing them joy, and obeying them. Think b...  Read More

Jesus came to earth for us. Although Christmas is a celebration of Jesus’ birth, sometimes Jesus can get lost amidst the glistening lights and the excitement about presents. In Luke 2:1-20, we see Mar...  Read More

We have a special day for God. God says to observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy, in Exodus 20:8-11. A Sabbath is one day each week that we set aside to rest, recharge, and focus on God. This comma...  Read More

We respect God’s name when we talk. God commands us not to misuse His name. The Bible is full of different names for God that describe His holiness, mightiness, and eternal nature. We will look at sev...  Read More

There’s only one real God. After finding and reading God’s law, King Josiah starts taking the worship of the one real God seriously, 2 Kings 23:1-20. He goes from place to place in Israel burning and ...  Read More

We put God first. God begins the Ten Commandments by saying not to have any other god but Him. In Acts 17:16-34, Paul visits Athens and sees the people have so many gods that they can barely keep them...  Read More

Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. In Matthew 26:47- 27:44, we see Jesus hung on a cross. Although he has the power to come down from the cross, and people taunt him to prove he’s really God by ge...  Read More

Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit. In John 8:1-11, the religious leaders tried to trap Jesus by bringing a woman who was caught in sin. The law said she should be stoned to death. Jesus handles the ...  Read More

Faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit. Faithfulness can refer to faithfulness to God and faithfulness to friends. But faithful friendships are hard to find among kids. In the example of David and Jon...  Read More

Goodness is a fruit of the Spirit. Goodness can seem like a neutral word. “How was school today?” “Good.” “How’s dinner?” “Good.” It’s a word we typically use to indicate something is not especially ...  Read More

Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit. In Genesis 18:1-15, we see Abraham show kindness to people he thought were strangers. Turns out it was really angels and God! Wow! What is the kindest thing someone ...  Read More

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. Patience is particularly difficult for kids. In a world where instant gratification is highly prized, patience doesn’t seem like an appealing fruit. Jacob falls in l...  Read More

Peace is a fruit of the Spirit. Most kids would rather be right than make peace. Faced with a situation similar to Isaac’s in Genesis 26:12-35, it’s natural to try to stand up for what we feel w...  Read More

Joy is a fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22. In Nehemiah 8:1-3, 10-12, we see Nehemiah and his friends read from God’s word as they complete the giant task of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. ...  Read More

God is strong. Kids love to demonstrate their physical strength. Whether it’s a preteen boy jumping to hit a door frame or a preschooler carrying a heavy bag, kids value strength. Help them see that i...  Read More

Jesus is forever. Forever is a hard concept for kids (and adults!) to understand. And for some kids, the idea of heaven might seem boring, and thinking about being there forever could be a little inti...  Read More

God is miraculous. Most kids probably haven’t seen such amazing miracles as someone coming back to life! This lesson may raise questions about how God can work through us as he worked through Paul. He...  Read More

God is the only God. Kids probably can’t relate to Paul and Barnabas’ experience exactly—they’ve probably never mistaken them for a god, and they probably never mistook someone else for a god. However...  Read More

Jesus is powerful. The Holy Spirit can be a bit mysterious, especially to kids. Who is he? What does he do? Because of this mystery, it can be tempting to avoid talking too much about the Holy Spirit....  Read More

God wins. Kids love winning. They celebrate victory in a soccer game or even a board game. There’s just nothing like the feeling of victory! Help kids see that even though we win some games and lose s...  Read More

Jesus does hard things. Nobody wants to do hard things, and that includes kids! Hard things for kids could be as small as eating their broccoli or cleaning the bathroom, or they could be more signific...  Read More

Jesus stands up for God. One distinction this lesson makes is that standing up for God isn’t about judging what everyone is doing; it’s about standing up when people do things in God’s name that don’t...  Read More

Jesus knows us. One of the greatest cries of the human heart is to be known, understood, and loved. That goes for kids, too. Help kids take comfort in the fact that Jesus knows them, loves them, and i...  Read More

God cares about our details. Most kids know that God cares for them in general, but they may be surprised to hear that God cares about the details of their lives. Help kids take comfort in the fact th...  Read More

Love is a fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22. We also see God’s loving heart in the story - Jesus tells about a father whose son leaves to live wildly in Luke 15:11-32. When the son returns home...  Read More