Leader Guide

Teaching

Tags:

  • Flat rock, landscaping stone, or brick that’s large enough to securely stack blocks on
  • Five wooden building blocks or Jenga-style blocks
  • Tray
  • Small box or bag of dry sand
  • Table
  • Bible (printed copy)
  • Whiteboard and marker or chalkboard and chalk
  • Lego-style building kit or model car/plane kit—in the box with instruction manual inside

Discipleship Challenge materials:

  • Sermon on the Mount Lighthouse Craft, printed on cardstock if possible— one per child, plus extras
  • Children’s scissors—one pair per child
  • Fast-drying child-safe glue or glue sticks if needed
  • Pencils
  • 5th or 6th-grade volunteer
  • Bibles or the Superbook Bible App
  • If children do not have Bibles at home for the Discipleship Challenge, consider giving away
    children’s Bibles or tracts with the Gospel of John. Plus, tell them about the online Bible available for free on the Superbook Bible App.

Secretly instruct an adult or 5th or 6th-grade helper to disobey your instructions the first time—instead of placing the five blocks on the rock, he/she should stack them on the sand, so they fall over—but then to obey your instructions the second time you give them.
Place all the items you gathered from the list above on the table.
Carefully pour the dry sand on the tray in a loose mound—do not pack tightly.
Write the SuperVerse near the bottom of the board: “Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” Matthew 7:24 (NLT).
Note: It will be needed in this position on the board for the SuperVerse activity, so don’t erase it.

Discipleship Challenge:
Make copies of the Lighthouse Craft in color or black and white on cardstock—one per child, plus extras.
Make a sample craft to display in class.

Hear and Do: Discuss the Sermon on the Mount.

Point to the board. In today’s SuperVerse, can you see two things that are important to do when Jesus speaks? Listen and follow.

James 1:22 says:

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

Speak to the helper you chose earlier and say loudly so the class can hear: Please stack five blocks on the rock. The volunteer stacks the blocks on the mound of sand instead. The blocks should lean or topple over.

To the class: I know that [helper’s name] heard me. Do you think he/she is acting wisely? No, he/she listened but didn’t follow your instructions. He/she ignored you and chose to stack them on the sand.

When Jesus tells us to do something, it’s not enough to simply listen—we also must obey!

Let’s read the SuperVerse and the verses that immediately follow it. Matthew 7:24–27 says:

24"Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears My teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Sand is unstable because it can be blown away by a breeze or washed away by a tiny wave. Can that happen to a big, solid rock? No.

What does Jesus say we are if we disobey and build on sand? Foolish.

Ask the volunteer to stack the blocks on the rock; this time, they should obey. Is [helper’s name] acting like a wise builder now? Yes.

This time [helper’s name] not only listened but also obeyed. The structure is built on a solid foundation, which represents God’s Word, and that rock will not move.

Now, I’ll tell you a secret. Before class, I told [helper’s name] to disobey my instructions at first so we could show what happens when we disobey God. Let’s clap for [helper’s name] for being such a good actor! The helper may go sit down.

Jesus compares our lives to a house. What do the storms represent? Problems, difficulties, struggles, fears, obstacles, temptations, trials, suffering, adversity, persecution.

Storms are anything we face that can come against our faith. If we’re not careful, they can shake us up and hold us back from trusting and serving God. As long as we build our faith on Christ and His Word, we can stand strong. What are some things that people may build their lives on that aren’t trustworthy? Children answer.

Some people spend their whole lives trying to get money, have fun, or become popular or famous. They follow what the world says is important instead of what God says is right. That is like building a house on the sand.

The apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:11:

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.

Hold up the Lego-style building kit or model car kit. Raise your hand if you have ever built something with a kit like this. Children respond.

How did you know where to begin and how to build it? I followed the instructions.

Take out the instruction manual and show it to the children. In this manual are specific instructions that guide you to build what is pictured on the box.

Do you remember what Chris said Jesus’ teachings are like? An instruction manual for living a Christian life or a life like Christ.

Hold up the Bible. The Sermon on the Mount is in the Bible, along with other teachings Jesus gave. The Bible also contains God’s words that were written down by people as they were guided by the Holy Spirit. That’s why the Bible is our instruction manual for living our lives like Christ. In addition to giving us the Bible, God also gives us His Holy Spirit to live inside us and guide us into all truth! Just like a model car or model plane doesn’t come out of the box already finished, we don’t automatically look and act like Christ the minute we choose to follow Him. We grow to be more like Him, one step at a time.

Optional: “The Solid Rock*” is an old hymn written many years ago, but the words are still true today. The chorus says, “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.” [*” The Solid Rock”. Text: Edward Mote. Music: William B. Bradbury.]

Remember, there is only one true foundation for us to build our lives on—Jesus Christ. Let’s move to our Discipleship Challenge, where you will all have a chance to be wise builders!

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give each child a Lighthouse Craft, scissors, glue stick, and a pencil. Have children write their names on the base, then carefully cut the pieces and follow the assembly directions. Display the model you made and assist the children as necessary. OPTIONAL: Have the children assemble the first part of the craft today, the second part when you do Lesson 2, and the third part when you do Lesson 3.

What is our SuperVerse that is written on the foundation? Matthew 7:24:

“Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.”

Your first challenge is to memorize this verse, which we’ll work on in a minute. The second challenge is to begin reading the Gospel of John in the New Testament. If you don’t have a Bible, see me after class.* Jesus said that when we listen to His teaching, we are wise. Try to read at least a few verses a day. If possible, read a whole chapter each day. If your Bible is a red-letter edition, Jesus’ words are written in red. As you read God’s Word, you will grow in faith, strength, and wisdom!

The next time we meet, I will ask for volunteers to say the memory verse by heart and ask if anyone would like to share something from your Bible reading.

* Try to arrange to give Bibles to any children who do not have them; or, if they have access to digital devices, they can download the free Superbook Kids Bible App, which has a complete Bible.

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