Fall 2015 ~ Religious Instruction Lesson #9 Learning Objectives The Foolish Rich Man/The Rich Young Man Luke 12:13-21, Matthew 19:16-24 1. The children will relate the stories of The Foolish Rich Man and The Rich Young Man. 2. The children will reflect on the things they treasure and whether they are heavenly or earthly. Memory Verse: Getting Started But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. --Matthew 6:33 (Choose One Activity) Memory Verse Fun Write the words of the memory verse on separate pieces of paper or index cards. Give one set to each student (or pairs of students) all mixed up. Write on the board: What do we seek first? AND Instruct the students to try and put the words in order. At first, do not let them use their Bibles. After a few minutes, allow them to look up the memory verse so they can put the words in the correct order. Then fill in the blanks on the board. (The answers are: God s Kingdom and His Righteousness.) What is important to you? Give the students index cards with the following words on them: Having Money Being Famous Having Cool Clothes Having Good Friends Loving your family Doing your Best in school Being in God s Kingdom. Ask the students to put them in order, from the least important to the most important. After they do the exercise, they should have Being in God s Kingdom as the most important of all, even above family. Tell the students: That is what God asks of us, that we put him first. 1
Bible Lesson with Discussion Questions Message: Strive first for the kingdom of God. Luke ~ Parable of the Rich Fool: 13 Then someone called from the crowd, Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father s estate with me. 14 Jesus replied, Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that? 15 Then he said, Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own. 16 Then he told them a story: A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, What should I do? I don t have room for all my crops. 18 Then he said, I know! I ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I ll sit back and say to myself, My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry! 20 But God said to him, You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for? 21 Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God. Matthew ~ The Rich Man: 16 Someone came to Jesus with this question: Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life? 17 Why ask me about what is good? Jesus replied. There is only One who is good. But to answer your question if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments. 18 Which ones? the man asked. And Jesus replied: You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. 19 Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself. [c] 20 I ve obeyed all these commandments, the young man replied. What else must I do? 21 Jesus told him, If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. 22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24 I ll say it again it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God! Discussion Questions: 1. In the Foolish Rich Man parable, what mistake made him foolish? (He didn t prepare for his eternal future, i.e. he didn t worry about it. He thought that he could enjoy his riches and not have to work anymore; he was greedy.) 2. Why did God call him a fool? (Because he built up things for this earth, but didn t do anything for his soul in Heaven. All his possessions wouldn t matter after he died.) 3. In the parable of The Rich Young Man, what had he done that was good? (He kept all of God s commandments.) 4. Jesus asked the man to do one thing. What was it and why couldn t he do it? (Jesus asked him to sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Him. But the man couldn t do it; he was too attached to his wealth on earth.) 5. What can we learn from these parables? (We have to prepare for our eternal life, not just our life on earth! We have to strive FIRST for the kingdom of God.) 6. Does God not want us to be rich, or healthy, or have nice cars, or nice jobs? (No, God says seek FIRST the kingdom of heaven. It does not read Seek ONLY the kingdom of heaven. ) 2
Application to Real Life Have the students look up in their Bibles: Matthew 6:21 ( For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. ) Talk about what treasure is, why is it valuable (usually, you have to look for treasure; once found, it is locked up or kept safe from harm). (You could talk about real life treasure found deep in the ocean maybe a specific story that has been in the news, etc. bring in a newspaper clipping or Internet article with a picture) Then talk about: What kinds of things do we treasure (or think that are so important) in our lives? Make a list with the students on the easel or board. Which things are really important on our list. Star those items that will help us to gain heavenly treasure. Discuss. Review the memory verse and message statement. Memory Work Suggestions 5 minutes 1. Recite the memory verse. 2. Practice finding the memory verse and/or Bible text in their Bible! 3. Play a game to review an article of faith (toss the bean bag/stuffed animal, the person who catches it says the next word try to go faster and faster). 4. Allow a volunteer (child) to lead the class in an opening/closing prayer. Activity Ideas Earthly vs. Heavenly Treasures: Explore the idea of earthly treasures verses heavenly treasures with monopoly money. Give each student $1000 and tell them they could spend it on whatever they want. Give them a chance to think about what they would buy, then allow them to share. Give each student a copy of the worksheet What Could I Buy? (see below) Tell them: We could buy these things, but what will happen to these things in 10 years? In 50 years? Have the students write under each picture what would happen to it in 50 years. (Answers might include: They will break, won t matter or be so important, will be obsolete.) Discussion: Talk about the pictures and how they are material/earthly things and that when we die, they aren t coming with us. But if we spend time trying to acquire heavenly treasures/attributes, those will last us forever because they are eternal. On the back of the paper, have the students brainstorm together about some of these heavenly treasures or characteristics we want to acquire (helping others, being kind to others, putting God first, following his commandments, etc.) Take time to discuss their responses. Before It s Over Activity: Give each student a copy of the Before It s Over handout. (see below). The students are to read and discuss together how they would respond to each scenario. After discussing #5 together, reiterate the difference between the heavenly treasures and those things that are material and temporary. 3
Journal Reflection Questions - What is something you treasure in your life? Why is it important to you? Is it a heavenly treasure or an earthly treasure? Write about it. - In light of today s lesson, what now would you change about your life in order to be ready for the Lord when He comes? Why? Write about it. Homework Ideas - Read: Luke 19:1-10 about the story of Zacchaeus. - Learn the Memory Verse: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. --Matthew 6:33 - Learn the Article of Faith - Did you ever think about things you would change about yourself if you could? What one physical thing would you change about you? Why? What one non-physical thing would you change (characteristic, attitude, etc.) about you? Why? Write about it and bring it to Religious Instruction next week. 4
What Could I Buy? 5
Before It s Over 1. Suppose you came home and found your house on fire, and you only had time to save three things. Assuming family members and pets are all out and safe, what three things would you save and why? 2. Suppose you went to the doctor and found out you only had one month to live, besides being with loved ones, what three things would you like to do before dying, and why? 3. Supposed your best friend forever is moving away to another country in one week. You may not see each other again for a long time. What three things would you definitely want to say to your friend before he or she leaves, and why? 4. Suppose something way beyond your control came up and you had to give up some things in your life. From the list below, what would be the three hardest things for you to give up and what would be the three easiest, and why? Material Possessions (my car, home, nice clothes) Health (my physical strength and energy) Self-esteem (my self-worth) Your reputation (my popularity and respect) Political freedom (fair government, right to vote) Religious freedom (my right to worship God, free from persecution) Family (my parents, grandparents, siblings) Good Job (my career desires, earning a good living) Friends (my close friends) Faith (my faith and trust in God) 5. Suppose the Lord was going to come tonight. What would you do? Is there anything you could do during the day that would ensure your worthiness for the Lord? Discuss. 6