Sheep Fold day 5

The Sheep Fold(Bible Lesson)

Day

Supplies needed:

• glass of plain water
• food coloring
• glass of bleach water
• the present and invitation for each child
• hand outs for each child

Advance preparation:

• Familiarize yourself with the story and theme of the day 
• I would highly recommend practicing this story with some bleach water at home first
• This might be a good class to have the pastor or some church elders available in case there are children who need some one on one.

Introduction:

All week we have been learning about how we are like sheep and God is our Good Shepherd.  We have heard stories about Shepherds in the bible so we could understand how much

The Good Shepherd Knows us

The Good Shepherd Protects us

The Good Shepherd Provides for Us

The Good Shepherd Loves us

BUT

There is a BIG problem. The Good Shepherd is GOOD. Another word for Good is also Holy. The Good shepherd isn’t just a little bit good or holy, like when we get a good grade or act good one day.  The good shepherd is ALL THE WAY good and holy! That means that there isn’t a place for anything thing bad near him.

If I have a cup of water. And it is all the way clean. And I put just one tiny drop of food coloring into it. Is it still clean?  God is the same way. He is all the way Good (pull out  a thing of bleach water.) He won’t let ANYTHING bad come into him!

Bible Time:

 Another word for ‘bad’ is also sin.   A sin is doing something that God says is wrong…like stealing or lying or disobeying our parents. The Good shepherd is so Good that the punishment for sin is death.

Lets read some verses:

Romans 3:23 NKJV  – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 3:10 NKJV  – As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;

Romans 5:12 NKJV  – Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned–

Romans 6:23 NKJV  – For the wages of sin [is] death, but the gift of God [is] eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Now you can see why this is a problem. Because all of us have ‘bad’ or sin in us.  So each one of us deserves the punishment of sin, and none of us can really get close to the Good Shepherd (God)

But the Good Shepherd loves us SO MUCH that he made a plan to save us from our own sin and  take away our ‘bad’ or sin so we could come to him and know Him.

Do you know what his plan was?

The Good Shepherd became a sheep. Not a real sheep that says baaa, but one of us…God the Good Shepherd became a person. That person’s name was Jesus.  Jesus the Good Shepherd came to earth and never ever sinned. Then when he grew up to be a man he took the punishment that we should have had and died on a cross, so that he could save us from our sins. 

Romans 5:8 NKJV  – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

And then there is our memory verse John 1:29

Behold

(pointing)

the Lamb

(cradle a baby)

of God

(pointing up)

Who takes away

(act like your are taking something with both your hands)

the sin

(make ‘devil’ horns with your fingers on your head)

of the world

(make a ‘globe’ with your hands)

John 1:29

Because Jesus came to earth and took the punishment for our sins, when receive his gift, and ask him to forgive us for the wrong things we have done, He comes into our lives and makes it clean.(pour God water into the dirty cup). Then we can know him because he has made us clean.

Now I have something for each one of you. (Open the box that the announcer had and give each child a ‘gift’.

I want you to open this Christmas present. (in each present there will be a manger scene and a invitation) you see the Good Shepherd became the Lamb of God for each one of you, and He wants to invite each one of you to know him and follow him. He wants to be your Savior and friend. He wants to make you clean like the water so you can know him.   It is his free gift to you, but he won’t make you accept his invitation. Its your choice.

If this is a choice you would like to make then I would ask you to say this simple prayer with me.

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for becoming the Lamb of God so you could save me from my sin.

I accept your invitation.

Please be my friend and my savior.

Please forgive me of the wrong things I have done.

Help me to get to know you more and more each day.

In Jesus name

Amen

For closing encourage the children who have prayed that prayer with you for the first time to talk to you or one of the leaders about their decision. 

Let the kids work on their take home sheet if there is extra time.