The second Sunday school lesson, of a series, about the parable of the sower will help the children discover how truly wonderful the Word of God is, and how we must not let fear and the temptations of this world take it away.
TOPICS
Fear, Parables, Witnessing, Hardened Heart
AS KIDS ARRIVE (10 minutes)
Have a box of dominoes on the table. As kids arrive have them set the dominoes up in a path. Stand the dominoes on end vertically. Instruct the kids to place the dominoes close enough together so that if one domino falls it will start a chain reaction. Before the class starts tell the children that people can be like a lot like dominoes, where one leads the rest will follow. For example, you may want the same type of tennis shoes that your friends have or the same type of bike. Tap the domino at the beginning of the line and watch the dominoes fall. If some of the dominoes don't fall, point out that these dominoes didn't give in to peer pressure.
OPENING PRAYER AND PRAISE (5 minutes)
Further info? Click here
MEMORY WORK (10 minutes)
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:10 NIV
Before class write each word of the verse on separate index cards. During class, have the kids find the verse in their Bibles, read it several times out loud, and discuss the meaning of the verse. Then, divide the kids into two teams. Scatter the index cards like seeds and have a race to see which team can put the cards in order so the verse reads correctly in the shortest amount of time.
SCRIPTURE READING AND DISCUSSION (15 minutes)
Introduction:
Today, in our second lesson on the parable of the sower, we will see how seeds that fell on rocky places are like people that have hard hearts and little faith in God. When life gets a little rocky, their Christian walk quickly withers and dies.
Matthew 13:5-6, 20-21 (Parable of the Sower - seed that fell on rocky places)
Give each child a copy of the handout (Click here for handout) or have the kids find Matthew 13:5-6, 20-21 in their Bibles. Ask for volunteers to read the passage or if you prefer, read the passage to the children yourself.
Discussion Questions:
1. In our story today, where did the seeds fall? (The seeds fell on rocky places.)
2. What happened to the seed that fell on the rocky places? (It withered, because it had no root.)
3. What is peer pressure? (Pressure to go along with the group, to act or do the things others do.)
4. What does the word persecution mean? (To oppress, harass, annoy or bother.)
5. What are some ways that we may be persecuted or have trouble because we are Christians? (Some people may make fun of us, call us names, pick fights, not want to be our friends.)
6. How can we help our faith withstand trouble and persecution? (Pray to God for strength, read the Bible to see how others withstood times of trouble.)
7. Should we care more about men or God? (God. In the end, it doesn't matter what others think of us. We should live to please only God.)
CLASS EXERCISE (10 minutes)
A Heart for Jesus (Object Talk) Click here
ALTERNATE CLASS EXERCISE (5 minutes)
Soak It In (Object Talk) Click here
ALTERNATE CLASS EXERCISE (5 minutes)
Sow the Word (Song) Click here
APPLICATION (2 minutes)
Some people hear the Good News about Jesus and happily accept it. As soon as someone laughs at them or makes fun of their faith, they deny everything Jesus stands for. If things get tough, they give up. When trouble comes, they quickly abandon their relationship with Jesus. They worry more about men than they do about God. Their hearts become hard, like the rocky places some of the sower's seeds fell.
NEXT WEEK
Come back next week to hear about the war of the plants! Don't miss it!
CLOSING PRAYER (2 minutes)
Further info? Click here
TAKE HOME PAGE
Give one copy to each child at the end of the class to take home. Click here for NIV or KJV [PDF]