Category Archives: Object Lessons

Object Lessons: Ken’s favorite word pictures to teach Biblical principles and stir the imagination of your youth. They also make great Children’s sermons. Christ often used them in his teaching, using common objects like a mustard seed, a fig tree, a grain of wheat, a drink of water, stony soil, and more.

Object Lessons

Exchanges

July 18, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Ask youth a questions from recent lessons for a review. As a reward for correct answers they will be given 10 cent coins. There will also be film canisters with various prizes inside that can be exchanged for their coin. Number the canisters. Some canisters will be empty, others will have useless items, and others will have bigger rewards, or a coupon to be exchanged for a larger prize.

Lesson:
Everyday we make exchanges. We exchange time with God for time watching our favorite tv show or for study time. We choose time with one friend over time with another. Sometimes we make wise choices and exchange something of worth for something worth more. Other times we exchange something of worth for something worthless… The difficulty lies in the fact that we often have difficulty choosing what is good and what is best. We are often confused about the comparative worth of different things or are unable to see which is most valuable. Yet in every decision we make, we make our choices based upon what is worth the most to us – the acceptance of friends, enjoyment, entertainment, good marks in school, pleasing God.

As a start to your lesson you might have youth list the things that are important to them and some examples of decisions affected by these things.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
Learn More…

Object Lessons

The Gospel According to a Tea Bag

April 16, 2006 kensapp 7 Comments

Use a tea bag as an object lesson to tell the story of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.

Materials

A tagged tea bag, two saucers, a clear glass of hot water, and a match or lighter.
NOTE: Please test first as not all brands of tea bags will float when lit.

Scripture

Ephesians 2:5-10

Objective

Use a tea bag as an object lesson to tell the story of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. It’s the Easter message for children and adults.

Object Lesson

The Label

Remove the tag/label and hold it up for the children to see.
Explain: The label identifies the tea. Jesus was labeled with many tags. He was called Christ, Messiah, teacher, Savior, the King of Kings, the man from Galilee, the carpenter, the Son of God, Redeemer, friend of sinners, good shepherd, Great Physician, King of the Jews and much more. Then at the cross, a sign was placed over his head – “King of the Jews.” Jesus was in the very nature God, but he wasn’t concerned with titles. He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Instead, he took the nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. He emptied himself and made himself nothing.

The String

Remove the string and show it to the children.
Then explain: People often become attached to things here on earth. They are often attached to possessions, pleasure, and power. Jesus was tempted by Satan after 40 days in the desert with the very same things. But Jesus was not attached to these things. Instead, his focus was on doing the will of God. He came to earth with a purpose. And that purpose was yours and my redemption.

The Staple

Carefully remove the staple and show it to the children.
Explain: This tea bag was pierced and has holes from a staple. Jesus was not pierced with a staple but with nails and a spear. Soldiers nailed his body to a cross.

The Tea

Carefully open the tea bag without tearing it. Display the bag of tea leaves to the children.
Then explain: Tea looks like dirt. If you put it in water, it will change the water to the color of the tea. It will no longer be clear and pure.
Demonstrate by dropping a bit of tea into the glass of hot water and stirring it around.
Explain: Like this tea bag, we all have dirt in our lives. We are not pure. The Bible calls this dirt, this impurity, sin. We need help from God to remove the sin from our lives. That’s exactly why Jesus came – to help us remove the sin from our lives. We must trust Jesus to remove the sin from our lives. When we ask him for forgiveness, he will make us clean and pure again.
Then empty the tea leaves into the saucer.

The Tea Bag

Carefully open up the tea bag completely. It will open into a long tube that you can stand on the second saucer.
Explain: When Jesus removes the sin from our lives we can stand pure and proud in the sight of God. We will become a light for God. Philippians 2:15 says that among the perverse generation we will shine as lights in the world.

Lights for Christ

Light the bag from the top and allow it to burn.
Explain: As you shine for Jesus you become closer to God in your Christian walk, and one day your soul shall join him for eternal life. Just as Christ was resurrected and went to be with the Father, we will also rise up to be with him. We will be exalted and raised with him.
The tea bag floats up as it burns.

Summary
That’s the story of Easter. Jesus set aside his titles and emptied himself and became one of us. He came with a purpose, to cut us free from the things of the world. He was pierced for us. And when we ask his forgiveness, he will take away the dirt from our lives and make us pure. We can stand strong and become his light to the world. And, just as he has risen we will also rise to be with him.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200-page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
Learn More…

Easter Collection
Games and Activities in celebration of Easter.

Get more than 80 creative ideas for planning a Youth Easter celebration or Easter Party. You can immediately download my best Easter Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Easter activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Easter Collection

Object Lessons

The Cross or Hell?

April 16, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
A piece of paper and scissors

Description
(drama/object lesson, visual – Use caution when discussing Hell with young kids)

The Background Story
A Japanese man was in prison for his faith. He was told by his interrogator the next day he was going to be executed. But since they were such experts in origami he could go free if he could make a cross with only 1 cut in a piece of paper. The man asked for a piece of paper to practice on but he was told that he could not have one. He went and prayed and the next morning he was brought before his interrogator who was all smiles. He was given a piece of paper and a pair of scissors. The prisoner took the paper and folded it as follows.

Preparation
Fold the top right corner to left side of paper, forming a triangle, then the point at the top left over to the right side of the paper. Now it looks like a house with a pitched roof. Then folded it along the horizontal so that it looked like an arrow. Fold it again along the horizontal to make a thinner arrow. Now cut the paper vertically down the middle as indicated below.

The Lesson
After unfolding all the pieces he found he had a cross. He was free and would have an opportunity for a new life of freedom,, but he wasn’t finished. He put all the other pieces together to make the word HELL.

Easter gives us the choice of the CROSS or HELL.

Application
Jesus suffered and sacrificed Himself for our sins and offers us the only way to heaven.

Easter Collection
Games and Activities in celebration of Easter.

=> Tell me more about the Easter Collection

Object Lessons

Jelly Bean Salvation

March 19, 2006 kensapp 6 Comments

Materials
Jelly Beans of each color below: Yellow, Black, Red, White, Green. You can choose to place all of one color together inside a plastic Easter egg, or place one of each color inside an egg.

Gospel According to Jelly Beans: The meaning and explanation for each color is as follows:

Yellow Jelly Bean
The yellow Jelly bean reminds us of Heaven. Do you know what Heaven is? Heaven is God’s home. Heaven is filled with the glory, the shining brightness of God. There is no night ther The Bible says, “God is The Light and in Him is no Darkness at all”(I John 1:5). The Bible tells us that in Heaven, the street of the city is pure, clear gold-like glass (Rev.21:21). God tells us many other things about His home. No one is sick there. No one is crippled or blind. No one ever dies. Every person in Heaven will be perfectly happy-always (Rev. 21:4-2Psalm 16:11). The most wonderful thing about Heaven is that God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus will be there. God made Heaven. He made you too. He loves you very much. Because he made you and loves you, He wants you to belong to Him and be with Him in Heaven someday. Jesus promised long ago, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 3:16; John 14:1-3).

Black Jelly Bean
There is one thing that can never be in Heaven. That is sin. Because you and I are sinners we want to have our own way instead of God’s way. Wanting our own way is sin. Doing, or saying, or thinking bad things is sin. Sin is anything that displeases God. Sin has caused sorrow and sadness in our world. God tells us in the Bible that all have sinned (Romans 3:23). All means every one of us.

This dark jelly bean reminds us of our sinful way (Proverbs 4:19). When it is dark, you stumble and cannot find your way. Because of your sin, you cannot find God. Your sin separates you from God, who is holy (I John 1:5). God cannot allow sin where He is. I am sure you can think of a sin which you have done. God has said that sin must be punished. The punishment for your sin is death-to be separated from God forever (Rev. 6:23). The Lord Jesus, God’s Son, said that if you die in your sin, you cannot go to Heaven where He is (John 8:21, 24). God knew there was nothing you could do to get rid of your sin. He knew you could not be good enough to please Him. But He loves you and He made a way for you to be forgiven.

Red Jelly Bean
The red jelly bean shows the way God made for you to have your sins forgiven-taken away. God loves you. He sent His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, from Heaven to take the punishment for your sin (John 3:16). Wicked men nailed the sinless Son of God to the cross, but while He hung there God put all of your sins on Him. The Bible says, “…God bath laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). (Iniquity is another word for sin). All your bad temper, all your lies, your meaness-all your sin-was laid on the dear Son of God, and He suffered and suffered until He cried out with a loud voice and said, “It is finished.” When you finish a job, how much is left? Nothing. What did the Lord Jesus come to do? He came to save us from punishment for sin, didn’t He? And He finished the work. When He was nailed to the cross, what came from His hands, and His feet? His blood. God calls it the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and He says “…the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin” (I John 1:7). There is no other way, for God says, “Without shedding of blood there is no remission [of sin]”-no forgiveness, no payment (Hebrews 9:22). Jesus not only died for you, but He was buried, and He rose again. He is a living saviour (ICorinthians 15:3, 4). God showed His love for you by sending His own Son to die for you. Now he says there is one way for you to be saved from your sin.

White Jelly Bean
Tears cannot wash away sin. Prayers cannot wash away sin. Doing good cannot wash away sin. But the blood of the Lord Jesus can wash away all sin (Psalm 51:7; I John 1:7). This white jelly bean reminds me that you can be made clean from sin. Did Jesus die for everyone? (YES!) Is everyone going to Heaven? (No, because some do not believe that Jesus died for them. They have not received Him as their saviour from sin.) God’s word says, “…as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name” (John 1:12). God has promised you when you receive the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, you become a child of God. The Lord Jesus Christ died to save you from your sins. He wants to live in your heart and give you power to obey God. Are you sorry for your sin? Do you believe Jesus died for your sin? Would you like to receive Jesus today? You must decide. (Ask the Holy Spirit for discernment. Question the person to respond carefully. Encourage them to express to you before they pray: why they need to receive the Lord Jesus; what the Lord Jesus has done for them; what they want to tell God. When dealing with a group, emphasize what each person must personally believe and receive the Lord Jesus. Give opportunity for prayer. If possible, question each person individually after the prayer to clarify the meaning of His decision. Where is Jesus now? Where are your sins? What took them away?) (Any one of the following verses can be used effectively in helping to know what God has done: John 1:12; I John 5:13; Rev. 3:20.) God promises to you when you receive Him, “…I will never\leave nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Ask Him to help you each day to please Him. When you do sin, tell God that you have sinned. He will forgive you right away (I John 1:9). Ask Him and trust Him to help you not to do it again. (Lead the person in offering a prayer of thanks).

Green Jelly Bean
The green jelly bean reminds me of the new life, everlasting life, you have received from God. The color green reminds me of things which are growing outdoors, like leaves, grass, flowers, and trees. when you receive the Lord Jesus as your saviour from sin, you are like a newborn baby in God’s family. The Bible tells you to “grow in grace in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18).

(As the time permits, talk with the person about those things which help him grow as a member of God’s family. Explain you are not talking about growing taller or gaining weight, but the kind of growing which will help others know that he loves the Lord Jesus.

* 1. Listen to God- Learn God’s Word reading and memorizing it (II Timothy 2:15; Psalm 119: 11).
* 2. Talk to God. Pray (I Thessalonians 5:17).
* 3. Talk for God. Witness or tell others (Mark 16:15).
* 4. Worship God. Go to Sunday School and Church (Hebrews 10:25).

Blue Jelly Bean
Optional
Some will add a Blue Jelly bean to represent Baptism

Applications
1. Use the various colors of the Jelly Beans to present the plan of salvation.
2. Use this as a presentation of the plan of salvation for easter.
3. Instead of Jelly Beans, you can use balloons or other items of the different colors… even simply colored pieces of paper (sometimes known as the “Wordless book”) and beads for bracelets (sometimes known as the “Wordless Bracelet”)

Easter Collection
Games and Activities in celebration of Easter.

=> Tell me more about the Easter Collection

Object Lessons

Yo-Yo’s

March 10, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials

2 or 3 yo-yos

Objective

Life is full of ups and downs, mountains and valleys, depressions and mountaintop experiences, difficulties and triumphs.

Activity

Invite someone skilled with a yo-yo to give a demonstration.
And/ Or have a yo-yo competition and invite all who have yo-yo’s to bring them to the meeting.

Application

Each yo-yo looks a little different, but all yo-yos are made the same way.
Hold up a dangling yo-yo, string unwound. This string is attached to a post inside the yo-yo. When you hold on to your string and drop your yo-yo, the yo-yo spins up and down the string.
This yo-yo reminds me of the Christian life. God puts us down on earth. (Spin the yo-yo down.) We spin around for awhile, but eventually we need God’s power to keep on spinning. (Take the yo-yo up). Like the string, we are connected to God by prayer and worship.
Even though we’re on earth, God wants us to aim for the things in heaven. God wants us to remember that we belong to him. If we run out of strength down here (let the yo-yo stop its spin), God reaches down and gathers us back up (wind the yo-yo up). And one day God will take us up to heaven to be with him forever.
In the meantime, as Christian yo-yos we keep spinning around, living on earth (spin the yo-yo down), but always connected to God up in heaven (take the yo-yo up).

Object Lessons

Jesus is the Key

February 20, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Object
Lots of different kinds and sizes and shapes of keys: old-fashioned keys, keys on quirky key rings, a two-footlong honorary key (as “a key to the city”), hotel keys (both the traditional kind and the plastic card kind with the electronic code), etc. Also have a lock which can be opened by one of the keys.

Object Lesson
Each of these keys suggests an appealing quality. This key lets you into an ornate hotel room…this old key is itself ornate…this one hangs on a key ring you could never lose…this one promises shelter…this one is a ticket to a prestigious vehicle. (Explain the fantastic places and opportunities that each key offers.)
Then explain that only the one key will fit this lock.

Application
Some people judge their lives by the keys they possess. An education is the key to a good job, a good job is a key to power and wealth, a car key to a new sports key shows you are going places, a key to a large house reveals security and comfort.

But according to scriptures there is only one destination that is important and one key that will open that destination to you. That final destination determines where you will spend your eternity and the only key to open the way to heaven is Jesus Christ.

Some say there are many different ways to God, and many ways to experience God. There are many ways to get to different places, but if your destination is God, there is only ONE WAY! This is what Jesus meant when be said, “I am the way.”

He made claims about himself that no other leader has made. Jesus didn’t say he pointed to the way, or that he knew the way, or even that he could teach the way. He said he is “the way.”

Scripture
John 14:5-14

Object Lessons

Jesus is the way

February 18, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
A compass

Learning Activity
1. As a small game, stand in the center of the room and let students arrange themselves in lines next to you to form a cross “+”.
2. Designate one line of the cross as “North.”
3. Designate the remaining three lines the other directions of the compass (East, etc)
4. Then using the compass, let youth / children rotate themselves so that the correct line is facing north. Ask them to freeze.
5. Move to another place in the room.
6. On your signal they are to reform the compass at the new location you have selected, pointing themselves in the correct directions of the compass. (To make it more difficult, stand in a doorway, next to a wall, squat under a table, etc.)
7. First line of the cross to get in the correct position wins, making sure they are all facing their respective directions of the compass.

Application
Ask the children to point to north at a given signal. Check who is right with the compass. Then try to confuse the youngsters by turning round, going to a corner or standing on a chair and asking where north is from those positions.

Whatever position we are in, a compass will direct us accurately to north.
And whereever we are, Jesus points us toward God.

Scripture Text
John 14:5-14

Object Lessons

Spot the Differences

February 16, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
* Find a few of the puzzles which display two pictures where there are differences between the pictures.
(If you cannot find such puzzles, photocopy a children’s coloring book then “whiteout” lines and add additional lines etc. to make your own puzzles. )
* As a variation, you can copy a couple puzzles to transparency sheets and place them on the overhead projector for kids to find the differences.

Objective
Kids must identify the differences in the two pictures.

Application
* We use the Bible as our standard in which to evaluate our life. When things are missing that should be there, or things are added that should not be there, it is called sin. Sin is when our lives do not exactly match God’s standard.
* There are two types of sin in the Bible since of ommission (leave out something) or sins of commission (adding something that we shouldn’t do).
* Can you spot the mistakes in your life? The key to finding the differences is to compare our lives to the Bible. If we are not doing the things the Bible commands then we are sinning. If we are doing the things the Bible forbids then we are also sinning. Only through comparing our lives to God’s Word will we know if we are living rightly.

Object Lessons

Image of the Father

February 6, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Object
A large mirror and a small mirror

Questions
(Pass around the small mirror for kids too look at themselves in it while asking a few questions)
Q: How many of you like to see yourselves in a mirror?
Q. How many of you would like to see God?
A: Lots of people want to see God. It is sometimes difficult to believe in someone you cannot see.

Discussion
One of Jesus’ followers also found it difficult to believe something he could not see. In John 14:8, Philip said to Jesus: ‘Show us the Father, that is all we need.’ Jesus’ replied: ‘Whoever has seen me has seen the Father’ (Jn 14:9).

Application
(Turn your back on the children and look in the mirror. Turn the mirror so that everyone is able to see your reflection.)
Just like you can see me in this mirror we can See God’s reflection in Jesus. When we look at Jesus we see God. Jesus was God’s perfect reflection. If we want to see God clearly, we should read all about Jesus to get a complete picture.

Variations
Ways to make this option more active:
* Have children write thier names while looking into the mirror.
* Print some things backwards (e.g. the scripture verse) that children must use a mirror to read.
* Have children use the mirror to shine light around different areas of the room. (Jesus is the light of the world)
* Have kids list things they do with mirrors
* Have two images that are mirror reflections of each other but with changes. Children must identify the differences in the two images. (Spot the Differences)
* Make several lines across the floor using tape, chalk or floor tiles equal in number to the number of teams. Obtain a car side mirror or makeup mirror. Children must hold the mirror above their heads, and then look up at the mirror positioning it in a way that shows the floor. If they look down they will be disqualified. While looking up at the mirror so that it reflects the floor, kids must walk the line to the end of the room then return. If they miss stepping on the line they must return to the start. Using a stop watch, time the team in getting all members to walk the line (relay style) Team with the quickest time wins.

Object Lessons

The Way to God

February 4, 2006 kensapp Leave a comment

Objects
A world map, a geographic map of your country; a street directory or detailed map showing your church location

Activity
1. Bring out the world map or a globe. Give children places/ countries to find on the globe. Reward the children who find them first.
2. Then pretend you have been invited to someone’s house which is in a small road not too far from the church. Explain that you do not know exactly where it is.
3. Ask the children to find it for you on the globe — Look first at your world map, and then your country map. These do not help you.
4. If we want to find out where a particular street is in our town we need a map with an even smaller scale: a street map. These maps give details right down to houses, churches and parks.
5. Show the kids a map and ask them to find the street or show them the location of the friend and the location of the church.
6. Ask kids to show A WAY between the church and the place where the person lives. It does not have to be the smartest, shortest, or fastest way. Each kid can actually come up with a way to get there. In fact there will be lots of ways to get from point A to point B.
7. Then ask the kids to show you THE WAY to get from point A to point B. They will look confused. Usually, they will ask, “Which way?” The use of the word THE implies that I have a certain way in mind.

Read the Scripture Text: John 14:5-14
Jesus identifies himself as “the way, the truth, and the life.” All have relevance. The “way” speaks of a connection, of the link between God and man. Jesus not only shows us the way, but he IS the way. The “truth” reminds us of the complete reliability and trustworthiness of Jesus in all that he is, he does, and he says. Jesus not only reveals the truth, but is the embodiment of truth. The “life” stresses the fact that mere existence matters little. The only life that is meaningful is that which Jesus brings, for He is life itself. Because of these three things, no one can come to God except through Jesus.

Application
Many people see the road to heaven as a map with many possible routes. They say that it doesn’t matter which way you go. We will all end up at the same place. In John 14:6, Jesus said I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life. Not A way, A truth, and A life.

Of course, the best way to get there would be to find someone who knows the place and follow him there. That’s Jesus!

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