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

Image of an Invisible God

April 23, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Image of an Invisible God

Materials
TV set

Activity
Explain that while we are surrounded by television signals, we cannot see them. In order to see this signal we need a TV to show it to us. Different channels are on different frequencies. Demonstrate the TV set to the children.

Application
A TV in some ways represents Christ. God is all around us but we cannot see him. But Christ came and brought the message of God to all the World in a visible form that people could see. Colossians 1:15-20

Variation or Addition
Demonstrate the use of a balloon or have competitions and games involving balloons. For application, explain that while we are surrounded by air, we cannot see it. When we blow up a balloon, we cannot see the air, but we can see the change it makes in the balloon. In the same way, others may not be able to see Jesus or God around them, but they will be able to see the change he makes in us. (Colossians 3:10)

This activity illustrates the truth that while God is all around us, it is through Christ and other Christians that we are able to see 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.
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Object Lessons

Packages

April 19, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Wrap up several empty boxes in bright wrappers. Try to use boxes that are from items the participants would enjoy such as toys, snacks, etc. If the box obviously looks like object participants like, this object lesson is more effective.

Activity
Give participants a lot of play monopoly money and then hold an auction for the gifts. As you hold up gifts allow the students to try to guess what is wrapped up. (Don’t let them touch the gifts or they will guess the boxes are empty) You might suggest that some of the students can team up to buy an item and pool their money together. After all gifts have been auctioned off, allow everyone to open their gifts. Of course they will all be disappointed that the boxes are empty. Then bring out a treat for everyone.

Debrief
We often spend a lot of time, money, and effort for things we think are going to be so wonderful and when we finally get them we still feel empty and disappointed like these empty boxes. Yet Jesus promises us a gift of eternal life to everyone. We don’t have enough money to pay for it, but he paid for it with his life on a Cross. That’s what Easter is about. That’s what salvation is about. Jesus paid the price so we could have the gift of eternal life. We can try to find enjoyment and happiness in life through all kinds of things, but they can only be found in God.

This object lesson can be adapted for all ages and used as a children’s sermon, a teaching illustration or as an object lesson. Most people at some time or another have spent time, effort and money on things that did not satisfy, that left us feeling empty and maybe even cheated. Only the pursuit of God will bring true fulfillment in life.

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

Children's Sermon, Object Lessons

Freedom

April 17, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

“You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free” -John 8:32

Materials
Orgami Paper Bird and paper cage.

Discussion Starter
Would you like to be a bird? Why?

Activity
Place the bird in the cage. Ask, how do you think the bird feels now?

But its a gold cage. He doesn’t need to worry about food or water. He doesn’t need to worry about rain or snow.

Application
What if the bird always lived in a cage?
In a way this describes us. The name of our cage is “sin.” We are born in sin. But if we know Jesus, (the way, the truth, and the life) then we will be set free from sin.

Variations
Use other keys and locks as object lessons, Trick handcuffs, combination lock, magician’s rope trick.

Key point
Only one key fits each lock
If you know the secret you can escape from the handcuffs. If you know the combination you can open the lock. If you are tied up, if you know the trick you can escape from the ropes which bind you.

Object Lessons

Waiting on God

April 7, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Egg timer, stop watch, alarm clock, wall clock, a metronome and anything else used to tell time.

Begin with some questions:
What are some things you really would like to have, but don’t have yet?
What are some things you would like to do, but haven’t done yet?
Where are some places you would like to go, but haven’t gone yet?

Discussion
It’s often hard to wait on things. For some things we are not old enough yet? For other things we don’t have the money yet? Maybe we don’t even have the ability yet. You are not old enough to drive a car. You may not have enough money for a new bike. You may not have the skills to be a doctor yet.

God has plans for everything, but not everything may be ready yet. Sometimes we have to wait until God has everything ready. We have to trust he knows the right time for everything.

Show children all the time devices. Explain how each works.

Application
God says that learning to be patient is good for us. We can’t expect everything we want immediately. We must learn to wait on God’s perfect timing. (Hold up a clock) God has a set time for everything to happen, according to his plan. (Ecclesiastes 3:1) We must trust God completely, because we know he has a perfect plan for each one of his children. Sometimes doing God’s will means waiting for his timing. See also Romans 5:3-4; Hebrews 10:36

Object Lessons

Out of Tune?

March 31, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Guitar that is intentionally “out of tune”

Activity
1. Choose a song that everyone is familiar with and begin singing it with a guitar that is badly “out of tune”. Participants are sure to stop you or say something about the “out of tune” guitar.

2. Get someone to tune only the first guitar string using a tuning fork, piano, electronic tuner, or a pitch pipe. Sing again!

3. Keep trying until you have tuned each string.

Debrief
Christians are like this “out of tune” guitar. Everything has to be right, each string right, so that we are in tune with God. A string can’t be too tight or too loose or it will not be right. All of us have to make choices in life. Some things are right and some choices are wrong. When we make bad choices we get out of God’s will – out of tune and our life sounds terrible to God.

What are some things you might be too tightly strung about? What affect does that have on your relationship with God?

What are some things you might be too loose about? What effect does that have on your relationship with God?

What did we use to correctly tune the guitar strings?
A standard for comparison. A pitch fork et. al. is already set to the correct pitch. By comparing the sound of the string to the sound of the pitch fork we can set the string to the right tune.

What is the standard we need to determine if our life is correct or not?
Our standard is the bible. We compare our life to what the Bible says is right and wrong and we can discover if our life is in tune.

After the guitar has been tuned, sing through several songs the youth know that deal with following God.

Object Lessons

Grains of Wheat

March 30, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Set up a checker board or chess board with grains of wheat according to the following story.

Illustration
Some time ago there was a display at the museum of Science and industry in Chicago. It featured a checkerboard with 1 grain of wheat on the first square, 2 on the second, 4 on the third, and 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, etc. A few squares down the board there were so many grains of wheat they couldn’t fit on one square. Above the display was this question: “At this rate of doubling every square, how much grain would you have on the checkerboard by the time you reached the 64th square?” Ask youth how much grain they think that would be?

After they finish giving their answers, give them the correct answer: “Enough grain to cover the entire subcontinent of India 50 feet deep.”

Debrief
Our faith may start out small, but as God uses it, the end result can be very large! 2 Corinthians 9:6

Application
Give each youth a grain of wheat and ask them to visualize it as a representation of some area where they need to trust God. They must take it home and place it in a prominent place where they will see it regularly and be reminded to pray.

Variation
Leave the board in place, but remove the grains of wheat and place them in a bowl next to it. Every time a prayer is answered youth must place a grain of wheat on the board and grab another grain of wheat to place with thier previous one at home. As prayers are answered the grains will grow and youth will have a visible reminder to pray and that God answers our prayers.

Object Lessons

Sand Dollar

March 23, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

The markings on a sand dollar represent aspects of Christ’s birth and death.
1. The five-point outline on the front of the sand dollar represents the star of Bethlehem.
2. The five holes in the sand dollar represent the pierced hands, feet, and side of Christ.
3. When the sand dollar is opened, it yields five small objects that look remarkably like doves in flight, thus representing the Holy Spirit.

Easter Collection
Games and Activities in celebration of Easter.

=> Tell me more about the Easter Collection

Object Lessons

Easter Cookies

March 18, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Ingredients
1 cup whole pecans, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 3 egg whites, pinch salt, 1 cup sugar, 1 large plastic zip bag, wooden spoon, mixing bowl, cookie sheet, wax paper, tape, Bible.

Directions
Preheat your oven to 150 degrees Celsius.

1. Place the pecans in a large plastic zip bag and let the youth beat them with the wooden spoon to break them into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, the Roman soldiers beat him.
Read John 19:1-3.

2. Let each youth smell the vinegar. Put 1 teaspoon of vinegar into a mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink.
Read John 19: 28-30.

3. Add egg whites to vinegar. Explain the eggs as representing life and that Jesus gave his life to give us life.
Read John 10:10-11.

4. Sprinkle a little salt into both hands of each youth. Let them taste it from one hand and brush it from the other hand into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers and the bitterness of our own sin.
Read Luke 23:27.

5. Say “So far the ingredients are not very appetizing.” Add 1 cup of sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because he loves us. He wants us to know and belong to him.
Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

6. Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain the color white as representing the purity God sees in those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
Read Isaiah 11:8 and John 3:1-3.

7. Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto a wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.
Read Matthew 27:57-60.

8. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven off. Seal the oven door with tape. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed.
Read Matthew 27:65-66.

9. Wait a couple of hours. If you do this in the context of an overnight meeting, wait until the next morning. (Make sure the oven is off). Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven, and in the same way Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.
Read John 16:20 and 22.

10. Open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow. On the first Easter Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.
Read Matthew 28:1-9.

Easter Collection
Games and Activities in celebration of Easter.

=> Tell me more about the Easter Collection

Object Lessons

Roses and Thorns

March 18, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
A Rose

Activity
1. Pass around a beautiful rose, with the thorns still intact, to the youth. Talk about how fragrant and pleasing it is.

2. Next bruise some of the rose petals and point out the thorns. Jesus Body was bruised for our iniquities and a crown of thorns was placed on his head.

3. Now Enlist someone to be a timekeeper and someone to take the rose and see how fast he/she can pull all the petals off the rose. (Make this into a fun contest). At the end of the “race” announce the time it took

4. Ask for another volunteer. Get the timekeeper ready and then announce – “Ok, let’s see if you can beat that time. Are you ready? Ok, get set….put it back together.”

5. This is an interesting moment.

Application
Sometimes things may seem hopeless. Christ was crucified, his body bruised, his blood shed and he was dead. While only God can make a rose, we can destroy it. In the same way, Christ’s was God in flesh, flesh created by God and then crucified by men. It seemed impossible to bring him back to life. But with God all things are possible. No matter how hard one tries, you cannot rebuild a rose. It’s ruined. But God can restore life through Jesus Christ. Give each person a rose to remind them of the Easter story.

Easter Collection
Games and Activities in celebration of Easter.

=> Tell me more about the Easter Collection

Object Lessons

Clear Marbles

March 12, 2005 kensapp Leave a comment

Materials
Give a clear marble to each student and ask them to look through it. The image of whatever they are looking at will be upside down.

Use this to introduce Romans 12:2—”Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Our faith can cause us to turn the things of the world upside-down—and the world can turn our faith upside-down too.

Discussion
What are some ways that Christ turns our world upside down?
What are some events that cause people’s faith to be turned upside down?
Describe a time when your faith was turned upside down?
Many of Christ’s teachings were opposite of what people expected. What were some things that Christ taught that turned the world upside down for the early believers?
How is looking through the marble similar to looking at things through spiritual eyes?
What things affect the way we view life? Has your view on anything changed since you became a Christian? What things have changed?

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