The Gospel Project Unit 23:1 The Sermon on the Mount
Today’s Bible Lesson is from Matthew 7-9.
Jesus taught people what it means to follow Him. He taught how people should live, how they should treat one another, and how to love God. People who trust in Jesus live to honor God and show what His kingdom is like.
Big Picture Question:
What did Jesus teach when He was on earth? Jesus taught about God and His kingdom. He taught that all Scripture is about Him.
Key Passage:
John 14:25-26- “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
Worship ideas that connect with today’s lesson:
- Build Your Kingdom Here- Rend Collective Experiment
- God Made A Way- Kidspring
- This Is Love- Doorpost Songs (You can find this on RightNow Media as well)
Bible Story Lesson:
Questions for kids:
Why did Jesus say those who mourn are blessed? (because they will be comforted, Matt. 5:4)
What did Jesus compare believers to? (salt and light, Matt. 5:13-16)
What did Jesus come to do with the law? (obey it perfectly, not get rid of it; Matt. 5:17)
What are some ways God’s kingdom is different from worldly kingdoms? Guide kids to give examples about how God’s kingdom is the opposite of what our hearts naturally desire. In God’s kingdom, we love our enemies and consider ourselves blessed even in difficult or sad times. We give generously even to those who cannot repay. We trust in God instead of ourselves, and we do good to glorify God, not to look good in front of others.
Why does God care so much about what’s in our hearts? Help kids understand that sinful actions always begin as sinful thoughts and desires. Remind them that it is not enough to simply avoid doing bad things. Obedience to God means we do not even think evil thoughts. Help them see that we need Jesus because only He can meet God’s standard of perfection.
Where did Jesus’ authority to teach come from? Guide kids to think about Jesus’ identity as God the Son. Remind them that He was present at creation and that He is the King of kings. His words are God’s own words. His teaching is perfect.
Take-away • Jesus taught people how to live in God’s kingdom. We can only enter His kingdom by faith in Jesus. Then God transforms our lives to look like Jesus. We cannot live the way Jesus said to, but Jesus fulfilled the law for us. We are saved by Him alone.
Activity Ideas:
The wide and narrow goals (Elementary)
Use traffic cones to make two goals: one very wide, the other very narrow. Provide a foam ball and instruct the kids to take turns kicking the ball toward one of the goals. Award 1,000 points to any kid who kicks the ball through the narrow goal. Award half a point for each kick that rolls through the wide goal. After a few minutes, announce that now kicking it through the wide goal will result in a loss of points.
Say • What did Jesus teach when He was on earth? Jesus taught about God and His kingdom. He taught that all Scripture is about Him. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke about two gates, one wide and one narrow. Jesus said the wide gate leads to destruction, and the narrow gate to life. [See Matt. 7:13-14.] Jesus was talking about two ways to live.
It is easy to live for yourself and to only do the things you think you should do, but that way of living does not honor God. It is much harder to live for God’s glory and to put Him first, but that is the way to experience God’s best for us. When we have faith in Jesus, God forgives our sins and gives us new hearts that love Him. The Holy Spirit comes to help us remember Jesus’ words and obey Him.
Obey happily (Preschool)
Give children a fun command to obey. Encourage them to respond with “Yes, ma’am” or “Yes, sir” and obey quickly. Reward quick and happy obedience with a sticker.
Say • When Jesus lived on earth, the religious leaders thought a person could go to heaven if they did all the right things. In today’s Bible story, Jesus said that why a person does the right thing is just as important as doing the right thing. Doing the right thing is hard, but doing the right thing for the right reason is even harder! Listen to today’s Bible story to hear how Jesus came to earth to do all the right things for us!
Shine a light (Preschool)
Give each child a flashlight and dim the lights. Play “I Spy” by shining your flashlight on an object as you describe it. Guide children to point their flashlight at the object when they guess it. Once everyone has his or her light shining on the correct object, allow a child to take a turn spying. Continue playing as time allows. Finish by “spying” a Bible.
Say • Jesus said that believers are a light in a dark world. He taught how people who believe in Him should live to show people what God and His kingdom are like. What did Jesus teach when He was on earth? Jesus taught about God and His kingdom. We read Jesus’ teachings in the Bible. The more we read the Bible, the brighter our lives will shine for God’s glory!