Preschool July 12, 2015 10:15am
Leader BIBLE STUDY Use Week of:july 12, 2015 1 Jesus had set out on a journey. He and His disciples were likely heading to Jerusalem. (See Mark 10:32.) Suddenly, a man ran up to meet Jesus. The man knelt before Jesus and asked Him a question. Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus reminded the rich young ruler of the commandments. Perhaps the man had kept the commandments relating to others, but Jesus revealed the man s failure to keep the first commandment Do not have other gods besides Me by asking him to give up his wealth. The man went away sad because his wealth was his god. Jesus said, How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! The disciples were surprised. Wasn t wealth a sign of God s favor? Wealthy people could freely give in the synagogue and make sacrifices. If a rich person could not enter God s kingdom, who could? Jesus said, 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. What was Jesus saying? Pushing a piece of thread through the eye of a needle is hard enough, but a several hundred-pound mammal? Impossible! Being wealthy is certainly not a sin in itself; everything we have is a gift from God. But as the rich young ruler shows, wealth can be a great hindrance when a person loves his wealth more than he loves the One who gave it to him. But Jesus pointed out that all things are possible with God. God has the power to change people s hearts. Salvation comes by His grace, which enables sinners to repent and follow Jesus. Then Peter said, We have left everything and followed You. The disciples sacrificed a lot to follow Jesus, but Jesus assured them that anything they left behind would pale in comparison to the fellowship of believers and the treasures that awaited them in heaven. Jesus is better than anything He asks us to give up to follow Him. Not only does He offer us Himself, He offers eternal life. Preschool Worship Guide Unit 31 Session 1 1
Preschool WORSHIP OVERVIEW Session Title: The Rich Young Ruler Bible Passage: Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30 Big Picture Question: Why was the rich young ruler sad? He loved other things more than he loved Jesus. Key Passage: Luke 18:31 Unit Christ Connection: Jesus life and teachings are examples for His followers of true holy living. U N I T 31 1 Opening Group Activities Large Group Worship Small Group Activities Large Group Closing 2
The BIBLE STORY The Rich Young Ruler Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30 One day, Jesus was leaving to go on a trip. All of a sudden, a young man ran up to Jesus. The man was a leader for the Jewish people. The man rested on his knees in front of Jesus and said, Good Teacher, I want to live forever with God. What do I have to do? Jesus said, Why do you say I am good? Only God is good. Jesus was testing the young man to see if he believed Jesus was just a good man, or if he believed that Jesus is God s Son. Then Jesus reminded the man of God s commandments. Long ago, God gave rules to Moses: Do not kill; do not steal; do not lie; honor your father and mother. The man said, I have obeyed all of these rules since I was a boy. Jesus said that the man still needed something. Jesus told the man, Sell everything you have. Give the money you earn to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me. The young man was very sad. He was very rich, and he owned a lot of things. He would have to give up a lot to follow Jesus. Jesus looked at the man and saw that he was sad. The young man decided not to follow Jesus. Then Jesus told His friends, It will be hard for people who have a lot of money and things to enter God s kingdom. In fact, Jesus said, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God s kingdom. Jesus friends were surprised! Camels are too big to go through the eye of a needle! They said to each other, Then who can be saved? Jesus said, With men it is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God. Then Peter, one of Jesus friends, said, Look, we have left everything and followed You. Jesus made a promise. He said, Anyone who gives up things to follow Me like his house or his family will get more than he left behind. He will get eternal life: life forever with God. Preschool Worship Guide Unit 31 Session 1 3
Christ Connection: The rich young ruler loved his things more than he loved Jesus. Jesus wants us to be happy to give up anything to follow Him. Jesus is better than any treasure on earth. When we trust Jesus, we get eternal life. 4
Small Group ACTIVITIES Session Title: The Rich Young Ruler Bible Passage: Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30 Big Picture Question: Why was the rich young ruler sad? He loved other things more than he loved Jesus. Key Passage: Luke 18:31 Unit Christ Connection: Jesus life and teachings are examples for His followers of true holy living. Opening Group Activities LOW PREP Footprints masking tape Explore tight spaces Arrange the furniture in the room so that it is really close together. Leave a small space that the kids may safely squeeze through without getting injured or stuck. Invite them to try to get through the space. Say Was it hard to squeeze through this small space? Jesus said it is easier for a camel to squeeze through a tight space than for a rich man to go to heaven. Jesus didn t mean that rich people can t go to heaven, but that only God can change a person s heart to make him love Jesus most of all. Why was the rich young ruler sad? He loved other things more than he loved Jesus. Transition to large group Small Group Activities Follow footprints 10 to 20 footprints from the template. Create a path around the room by taping them to the floor. Invite the children to hike along the path. Say There is only one path to eternal life: trusting in Jesus as Savior. Why was the rich young ruler sad? He loved other things more than he loved Jesus. Preschool Worship Guide Unit 31 Session 1 7
large sheet of paper with camel outline marker 2 tan camel humps cut from construction paper tape blindfold (optional) Tip: If a child doesn t want to wear a blindfold, she may close her eyes. Pin the hump on the camel Tape an outline of a large camel without the humps on the wall.. Blindfold one child at a time. Gently turn the child three times, and then point her in the direction of the camel. She will try to tape the two humps to the camel. Continue playing so that each child gets a turn. Say Jesus said it is easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter heaven. That s impossible, but God can change people s hearts to make them love Jesus more than things. Why was the rich young ruler sad? He loved other things more than he loved Jesus. paper art supplies Draw a picture Give the children a blank piece of paper and art supplies for drawing. Invite the children to draw some of the things they would buy if they had lots of money. Say The rich young ruler had lots of things that he loved very much. The thought of giving up his things to follow Jesus made him really sad. Why was the rich young ruler sad? He loved other things more than he loved Jesus. Play Red Light, Green Light Play the game Red Light, Green Light, but pick two kids to call out red or green light at the same time. Talk about the difficulty of trying to follow two leaders. Say If we want to live with God forever, we can only follow one leader Jesus! Following Jesus means loving Him most of all. Jesus told the rich man to follow Him, but he did not. Why was the rich young ruler sad? He loved other things more than he loved Jesus. Transition to large group closing 8
Large Group CLOSING Session Title: The Rich Young Ruler Bible Passage: Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30 Big Picture Question: Why was the rich young ruler sad? He loved other things more than he loved Jesus. Key Passage: Luke 18:31 Unit Christ Connection: Jesus life and teachings are examples for His followers of true holy living. Large Group Closing Bible Timeline Map Key Passage Poster We re Going Up to Jerusalem song Big Picture Question Poster Lift My Life Up song Review As kids gather, point to the timeline map and briefly review today s Bible story. Ask the following review questions: 1. Whom should we follow? (Jesus) 2. What did the rich young ruler love? (his money) 3. What did Jesus tell the young ruler to do? (sell all that he owned and give his money to the poor) 4. Why was the rich young ruler sad? He loved other things more than he loved Jesus. 5. What did Jesus say is easier: for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle or for a rich person to go to heaven? (a camel to walk through a eye of the needle) Say Jesus friends were surprised to learn that having lots of money doesn t get someone into heaven. Getting into heaven sounded impossible! They asked Jesus, Then who can be saved? Jesus said God makes it possible for people to be rescued from sin and go to heaven. Jesus died on the cross and came back to life again so we can be forgiven when we trust in Him. Sing the key passage song or unit theme song. Preschool Worship Guide Unit 31 Session 1 9
Pray Invite kids to tell you any prayer requests they may have. Pray for the kids, mentioning their prayer requests. Say Dear God, when it was impossible for anyone to go to heaven, You made it possible. We can only go to heaven by trusting in Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for showing us in the Bible the only way we can be rescued from our sins. Help us to love You more than the wonderful things You give us. We love You! In Jesus name, amen. Missions story Talk about how important it is to tell our friends and family that the Bible says the only way to get to heaven is by trusting in Jesus to forgive us of our sins. That is called the gospel, or good news about Jesus. You may also show the missions video Dream. Say Some families believes being good is good enough to get to heaven. The rich young man thought he did a good job keeping God s laws. He thought that was enough to get him into heaven with God. The Bible says no one is good enough. All of us sin, except for Jesus! Jesus said the only way to get to heaven with God is by trusting in Jesus and following only Him. strips of paper markers gift bag Follow church security rules for dismissing children. Play a game Preschool-friendly versions of the Ten Commandments on paper strips and put them in a gift bag. Kids will draw out a piece of paper. Read the strip to the kids and talk about what it means. Say Only Jesus kept all of God s rules. We all mess up. To be with Jesus forever, we need to trust Jesus to rescue us. 10
We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man will be accomplished. Luke 18:31 Unit 31 Key Passage Poster (ESV) OK TO PRINT
Why was the rich young ruler sad? UNIT 31 Session 1 Big Picture Question OK TO PRINT
Why was the rich young ruler sad? He loved other things more than he loved Jesus. UNIT 31 Session 1 Big Picture Question OK TO PRINT
Unit 31 Session 1 The Rich Young Ruler OK TO PRINT
Footprints Instructions: Print and use as directed in the leader guide. UNIT 31 Session 1 Preschool Worship OK TO PRINT
Footprints Instructions: Print and use as directed in the leader guide. UNIT 31 Session 1 Preschool Worship OK TO PRINT