Leader Guide
Teaching
- Zacchaeus Turn Away Page
- Whiteboard and marker or chalkboard and chalk
- Eraser
- Cardstock—one sheet
- Scissors
- Tape
- Painter’s tape or masking tape
- Bibles or the Superbook Bible App
Discipleship Challenge materials:
- Zacchaeus Coin Pouch, Coin Page, and yarn for any children who missed Lesson 1
- Sample craft made in Lesson 1
- Bibles craft made in Lesson 1
Make one copy of the Zacchaeus Turn Away Page on cardstock. Carefully cut the page in half to separate the SIN and GOD signs.
Tape the SIN sign on the wall opposite the whiteboard.
Write SIN in the middle of the whiteboard as large as possible but small enough to be completely covered up by the cardstock.
Carefully position the GOD cardstock on the whiteboard over SIN and tape it in place.
Write the SuperVerse near the bottom of the board. 1 John 1:9:
But if we confess our sins to God, He can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.
Discipleship Challenge materials for children who missed Lesson 1.
Make copies of the Coin Page and the Coin Pouch Page. See Lesson 1 for details.
Give a piece of yarn to each child.
No Cover-up: Discuss how God takes our sins away.
Let’s say the SuperVerse together. See the board. 1 John 1:9:
The people in Jericho grumbled when Jesus stopped to talk to Zacchaeus. They could not believe Jesus would speak with such a sinner, and even more, be a guest in his house! Didn’t Jesus know that Zacchaeus was a terrible sinner? There were so many good people Jesus could have chosen to spend time with.
Jesus knew exactly what He was doing—He came into the world specifically for lost people like Zacchaeus. After spending time with Jesus in his home, Zacchaeus didn’t try to hide his sin. He admitted that he had been dishonest by taking more money from people than he should.
Zacchaeus turned from His sin and decided to follow Jesus! How do we know this? Zacchaeus not only admitted his sin, but he also pledged to return more than he had taken and to give to the poor. He turned away from his old ways and did something completely the opposite. No one in Jericho could have thought this was possible—probably not even Zacchaeus!
Point out the SIN sign and the GOD sign. Stand in front of the GOD sign and slowly walk toward the SIN sign as you talk.
Before Zacchaeus met Jesus, he was not serving God. He was more interested in filling his pockets with as much money as he could. Then Zacchaeus met Jesus and had a change of heart. He didn’t just admit his sin and keep pursuing or doing it.
Turn around and begin to walk the opposite direction toward the GOD sign. He confessed his sin and turned away from it. He began to follow Jesus and come closer to God. This is called repentance—to turn away from sin and toward God.
True repentance is more than just admitting your sin or saying you’re sorry. Turn around and walk slowly toward the SIN sign again. That is like doing this. As you walk say, “I just sinned... oh, I did it again, sorry. There I go again, oops!” Do you think God is pleased with that; why or why not? No, you haven’t turned away from your sin.
That’s correct! Confess the sin, and say you are sorry. Then turn away from it and walk the opposite direction toward the God sign. Is this true repentance; why? Yes, you admitted your sin and turned away from it and toward God.
True repentance involves a decision to stop sinning and to change direction. God can always be trusted to forgive us!
Erase the SuperVerse from the board. Now, here is another very powerful part of today’s SuperVerse. In the Old Testament, the priests made sacrifices to God to cover the sins of the people. This did not take the sins away; it only temporarily covered them. Can you see the word sin written on the board? No.
It really is there, but you can’t see it; it’s covered up. Carefully remove the cardstock. Can you see it now? Yes!
Place the cardstock over SIN again. This is what took place in the Old Testament. The sacrifices only covered the people’s sins.
Partially lift the cardstock. Yes, it’s still there!
When Jesus died on the cross, everything changed! He sacrificed His own life, not to just cover our sins, but to take them away completely. Remove the cardstock and totally erase SIN. Isn’t that amazing?
Acts 3:19 (NLT) says:
Only Jesus can wipe away our sins! Now, let’s do our Discipleship Challenge to apply what we have learned about Jesus’ forgiveness and turning from our sins.
Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application
Give any child who missed Lesson 1 a Coin Page, Coin Pouch Page, and a 30-inch piece of yarn. Show children the sample craft made in Lesson 1, and have them assemble the craft at home.
Use the model craft as you discuss the challenge. The challenge last time was to learn Romans 3:23. Can anyone say it from memory? Allow volunteers to say the verse.
We were also challenged to pray for people who may not realize their need to know Jesus. Raise your hand if you remembered to do that. Children respond. That’s a good thing to keep doing every day!
Have a child pull out Coin #3 from the bag and read it. 1 John 1:9b:
That is part of our SuperVerse. So your challenge is to read the whole verse in your Bible or Superbook Bible app, every day. For an added challenge, try to memorize it.
Have a child pull out Coin #4 and read it. Determine each morning to follow Jesus. Pray for strength to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading. Pray each day and ask Jesus to forgive you of any sins you may have committed. Then, try to follow Jesus closely by being obedient to the Holy Spirit’s leading every day.
For example, you may see a classmate sitting alone at lunch, and you may sense the Lord speaking to your heart, showing you to be friendly and go sit with that person. Be open to doing what God wants you to do. He will never lead you astray! We will discuss your experience with these challenges next time we meet!