Leader Guide
Object Lesson
- Focus Signs (2)
- Two sheets of cardstock
- Marker
- Magnifying Glass
- Scissors
Make one copy each of the two FOCUS SIGNS on cardstock.
Cut the Troubles and Persecution Sign in half on the dashed line.
DO NOT cut the God and Christ's Love sign.
Give the Persecution Sign and the Trouble Sign to two different children
I’m
going to read a verse that comes before our SuperVerse in the Bible, Romans 8:39:
In this verse, Paul wrote many things we may face that could cause us to think that Christ no longer loves us. He lists even more (17+) in the verses afterward! Paul declares that he is convinced that nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God revealed in Christ—NOTHING!
Have the volunteer stand and read TROUBLE aloud, show the class, give it to you, and sit down again.
One of the things Paul lists that we will have
is TROUBLE. We all have faced different kinds of trouble; even some we have
caused ourselves, right? When we face troubles, even ones we caused, does that
mean God will abandon us and Jesus will withdraw His love from us? NO!
Have the other volunteer stand, read PERSECUTION aloud, give it
to you, and sit down again.
Another thing Paul lists, is PERSECUTION. At times, we may wonder if Christ no longer loves us when we suffer persecution, maybe it means He has left us all alone; is this true? NO!
Look at the signs through the magnifying glass. Time permitting,
allow the children to view them, too.
When
you look through a magnifying glass at an object, what happens to it? It looks bigger.
Did the object itself actually grow? No, it only appeared to, it
stays the same.
The reality
is that when we focus on our present situation; it can become bigger or is
magnified in our eyes or minds, just like these signs in the magnifying glass. At
times, the troubles can seem so big that the situation seems hopeless and like
it will never end. We can feel like we are separated and isolated from God and
Christ’s love.
Here is
what the Apostle Paul told us we must do in 2 Corinthians 4:18:
Look at
the TROUBLE SIGN through the magnifying glass. Did Paul tell us to focus on
this? No!
Wow, this
trouble seems even larger now! He said NOT to focus on them because they are
temporary and will soon be gone.
Do
you remember what he said we must look at or focus on? Things that cannot be seen.
Now,
that sounds a bit odd, doesn’t it? If I tell you all to look at what you can’t
see, would you wonder if I was feeling OK?
Hold up the GOD Sign. Paul is
talking about focusing on God and Christ. We cannot see them with our physical
eyes, but they exist and are eternal; they will last forever!
Who did
God allow Stephen to see in heaven as he was being persecuted and stoned? Jesus.
Jesus
and His love are permanent, they will never go away. Stephen fixed his gaze on heaven
where God and Jesus live for all eternity. He chose NOT to gaze on his
circumstance, but rather on His Lord and Savior who he would live with forever.
Hold up the TROUBLE and PERSECUTION SIGNS. Whenever we focus on our hardships and
suffering, they begin to steal our joy and make us feel unloved and alone.
Place the GOD SIGN in front of the two other signs. Remember to shift your focus to God and
heaven above. Just like this sign covers and blocks the other signs, GOD is
above and beyond and infinitely bigger than anything we may face—no matter how big something appears in
our mind. God transcends everything in this world and beyond.
Let’s say today’s SuperTruth together: “Nothing can separate me from God.”