February 28, 2012

NT 37 Jesus is Crucified

Reference: Matthew 27

Big Idea: Jesus died to pay for our sins.

Verse: John 3:16 - For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (ESV)

Motions for the Big Idea:
Jesus - make a cross with your forearms
Died - make an “X” with your forearms over your chest
To pay - pretend to swipe a debit/credit card
Sins - two thumbs down

Motions for the Verse:
God - point up
Loved - place your hands over your heart
World - draw a big circle in the air with your hands
Gave - cup your hands together and gesture away
Son - pretend to cradle a baby
Believes - fold your hands together, fingers interlocked
Him - point up
Perish - cross your arms over your chest
Eternal life - twirl your finger repeatedly in the air (representing life going on and on...)

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week

  1. How does God feel about sin? // He hates it
  2. How many times did Jesus sin? // Zero. He never sinned
  3. Who was Pilate? // The governor
  4. What did Pilate ask Jesus? // Are you the king?
  5. Who did the people let go instead of Jesus? // Barabbas
  6. What did the soldiers do to Jesus? // Whipped and made fun of him
  7. What was Jesus nailed to? // A cross
  8. What happened to Jesus because he was nailed to a cross? // He died
  9. Where was Jesus buried? // In a stone tomb
  10. What is today’s big idea? // Jesus died to pay for our sins
  11. How can we be saved by Jesus from our sins? // Say with our mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead
  12. What is today’s verse? // John 3:16 - For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (ESV)

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February 20, 2012

NT 36 Peter Denies Jesus


Reference: Luke 22:54-62

Big Idea: Believe in Jesus to be forgiven.

Verse: ...forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. - Eph. 4:32 (ESV)

Motions for the Big Idea:
Believe - Fold your hands as if pleading
Jesus - Make a cross with your forearms
Forgiven - hold up four fingers for a second, then cup your hands together and gesture away from you

Motions for the Verse:
Forgiving - hold up four fingers for a second, then cup your hands together and gesture away from you
One - hold up one finger
God - point up
Christ - make a cross with your forearms
Forgave -hold up four fingers for a second, then cup your hands together and gesture away from you
You - point to another person

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
  1. Who was Peter? (One of Jesus’ disciples.)
  2. What did Jesus say Peter would do? (Say he didn’t know Jesus three times.)
  3. What happened to Jesus at the beginning of the story? (He was arrested.)
  4. How many times did people ask Peter if he knew Jesus? (Three.)
  5. What did Peter say to these people? (I don’t know him, I don’t know what you are talking about.)
  6. What happened after Peter said he didn’t know Jesus the third time? (A rooster crowed.)
  7. What did Peter do after Jesus looked at him? (Began to cry.)
  8. Did Jesus forgive Peter for saying he didn’t know him three times? (Yes.)
  9. What did Jesus do to pay our punishment? (Died on a cross.)
  10. How can we be forgiven by God? (Believe that Jesus died and rose again for our sins.)
  11. What is today’s big idea? (Believe in Jesus to be forgiven.)
  12. What is today’s Bible verse? (...forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. - Eph. 4:32)
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February 12, 2012

NT 35 Jesus is Betrayed


Reference: Matthew 26:47-56

Big Idea: Jesus died for us.

Verse: Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (ESV)

Motions for the Big Idea:
Jesus - make a cross
Died - Hang your head and look dead
For - hold up four fingers
Us - point to yourself

Motions for the Verse:
God - Point up
Demonstrates - Point to your eyes (since demonstrate means “to show”)
Love - tap your heart
Us - point to yourself
Sinners - two thumbs down
Christ - make a cross with your forearms
Died - roll your eyes and stick out your tongue
For - hold up four fingers
Us - point to yourself

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
  1. Who was Judas? (One of Jesus’ disciples.)
  2. Why did Judas meet with the chief priests? (To help them arrest Jesus.)
  3. How much money did they give Judas to hand Jesus over? (30 coins.)
  4. How did Judas show the people in the crowd which one was Jesus? (He kissed him.)
  5. What happened to the crowd when Jesus spoke? (They were knocked to the ground.
  6. What did Peter the disciple do? // Chopped off a guy’s ear with a sword.
  7. What did Jesus tell Peter to do? // Put away his sword.
  8. What did Jesus do to the man’s ear? // Healed it.
  9. Why didn’t Jesus run away from the people trying to arrest him? // Because he came to die for us.
  10. Name one thing we learned about Jesus. // He’s the King, died and rose again, saves sinners, He’s God, never sinned
  11. What is today’s big idea? // Jesus died for us.
  12. What is today’s Bible verse? // Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (ESV)


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February 6, 2012

NT 34 Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane


A Quick Note:
Here's a simple way to reinforce this week's big idea, which is "Jesus died to pay our punishment"...
I'm sure at some point this week, you'll have to discipline your child. You'll ask them to do something and they won't do it, or you'll tell them to not do something and they'll do it. In addition to providing consequences for their behavior, remind them of a couple things.

1. God commands children to obey their parents. See Ephesians 6:1.
2. Disobeying God is called sin, and God hates sin.
3. The punishment for sin is very serious. See Romans 6:23a. (You might need to use discretion about how you share this based on your child's age.)
4. God doesn't just hate sin; he also loves us. See Romans 5:8.
5. Jesus, who never, ever sinned, died to pay the punishment for sins like disobeying your mom and dad. See 1 Peter 3:18a, which is this week's memory verse.
6. We can be saved from our punishment for sin if we confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead. See Romans 10:9.

Remember, mom and dad, you are a great picture of our just and merciful God when you both discipline and offer loving forgiveness to your child when they sin.

God bless!
Pastor Andy

NT 34 Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

Reference: Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:43-44

Big Idea: Jesus died to pay our punishment.

Verse: 1 Peter 3:18a - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous... (ESV)

Motions For the Big Idea:
Jesus - make a cross with your forearms
Died - roll your eyes and stick out your tongue
Pay - pretend to swipe a debit/credit card
Punishment - put one hand on your hip and wag your finger

Motions For the Verse:
For - hold up four fingers
Christ - make a cross with your forearms
Suffered - droop your shoulders and put a pained look on your face
Sins - two thumbs down
Righteous - two thumbs up
Unrighteous - two thumbs down

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
  1. What time of day was it when this story happened? // Night time
  2. Where did this story happen? // The Garden of Gethsemane
  3. What did Jesus tell his disciples to do? // Stay here, keep watch, pray
  4. What to things did Jesus pray? // Take this cup from me, not what I want but what you want
  5. What was Jesus talking about when he mentioned the cup? // Suffering for the sins of the world
  6. What were Peter, James, and John doing when Jesus found them? // Sleeping
  7. How many times did Jesus pray the same prayer? // Three times
  8. Who came and helped Jesus? // An angel
  9. Because he was so sad and troubled, what happened to Jesus? // He sweated drops of blood
  10. How did Jesus pay the punishment for the sins of the world? // He died on a cross for our sins
  11. What is today's big idea? // Jesus died to pay our punishment
  12. What is today's verse? // 1 Peter 3:18a - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous... (ESV)
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January 30, 2012

OT 36 The Ark and the Tabernacle


Reference: Exodus 25:10-22, 26:1-37, 28:1-2, 41

Big Idea: God is holy, holy, holy!

Verse: Isaiah 6:3 - Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory! (ESV)

Motions For the Big Idea:
God - point up
Holy - hold your hands up and bow forward (do this three times)

Motions For the Verse:
Holy - hold your hands up and bow
Lord - point up
Whole earth - trace a circle with your hands in the air
Full - squeeze your belly as if you’re full
Glory - hold your hands by your head and wiggle your fingers

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week

  1. What is today’s big idea? // God is holy, holy, holy!
  2. What does holy mean? // Never sin or do anything wrong
  3. What is sin? // Disobeying God
  4. What does God think of sin? // He haaaaaaaaaaaates sin.
  5. What is the name of the place God gave the people of Israelites to meet him? // The Tabernacle
  6. Name one of the special things in the Tabernacle. // Ark, Lampstand, table
  7. What was the name of the chest in the Tabernacle? // The Ark of the Covenant
  8. What did God promise to do above the Ark of the Covenent? // Meet with the people of Israel.
  9. Why don’t we need a Tabernacle today? // Jesus died for our sins.
  10. Why did Jesus have to die? // To pay the punishment for our sins.
  11. What is today’s Bible verse? // Isaiah 6:3 - Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory! (ESV)
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January 23, 2012

OT 34 Wandering in the Desert Part 2


Reference: Num. 11:4-35, 20:1-13, 21:4-9

Big Idea: Believe in Jesus to be saved.

Verse: Acts 16:31 - And they said ,“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved...”

Motions For the Big Idea:
Believe: hold your hands together and put an earnest look on your face
Jesus: make a cross with your arms
Saved: make the baseball “safe” sign with your arms

Motions For the Verse:
They said - move your hand like a puppet
Believe - fold your hands in front of you as if pleading
Lord Jesus - make a cross with your forearms
You - point to another person
Saved - make the baseball “Safe!” sign

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
  1. What did Israelites want to eat instead of manna? // Meat
  2. How did God feel about their complaining? // Angry
  3. What meat did God send to the Israelites? // Quail
  4. What was their punishment for complaining and not trusting God? // Plague
  5. What else did the Israelites complain about needing? // Water
  6. What did God tell Moses to do to find water? // Speak to a rock and God would make water come
  7. What did Moses do with the rock and what happened? // Hit it with a stick and water came out
  8. What  was Moses’ punishment for not listening to God? // Can’t go to the promised land
  9. What punishment are we supposed to get for sin? // Death, being apart from God
  10. How did God save us from that punishment? // His Son, Jesus, died for us
  11. What is today’s big idea? // Believe in Jesus to be saved.
  12. What is today’s Bible verse? // Acts 16:31 - And they said ,“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved...”


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January 16, 2012

OT 33 Wandering in the Desert Part 1


Reference: Exodus 15:22 - 16:36

Big Idea: Don’t complain. God will take care of you.

Verse: Psalm 107:1 - Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (ESV)

Motions For the Big Idea:
Don’t complain: pretend to be a crying baby
God: point up
Take care: hug yourself
You: Point to another person

Motions For the Verse:
Oh - Make the Letter “O” with your hands above your head
Give thanks - Place your hands together and bow
Lord - Point up
Good - Two thumbs up
Love - Place both hands over your heart
Endures forever - draw circles in the air with your index finger
Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
  1. Where were the Israelites wandering? // Wilderness, desert
  2. What was wrong with the water they found? // It was bitter, tasted bad
  3. What did the Israelites do when the water tasted bad? // They complained
  4. What did God tell Moses to do with the water? // Throw a stick into the water
  5. What happened when Moses threw the stick into the water? // It tasted sweet, it was good
  6. What did the Israelites do when they were hungry in the wilderness? // They complained
  7. What did God give them to eat in the wilderness? // Bread from heaven, manna
  8. What does the word “manna” mean? // What is it?
  9. What happened to the manna when people tried to save extra? // It smelled and was filled with maggots
  10. Why did the people collect twice as much manna on the sixth day? // Because God wanted them to rest on the seventh day
  11. What is today’s big idea? // Don’t complain! God will take care of you
  12. What kinds of ways does God take care of us? // He saves us from sin, gives us food and clothes, etc.
  13. What is today’s Bible verse? // Psalm 107:1 - Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (ESV)
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