Scripture: for teacher background:
Philippians 4:8,
Proverbs 10:8, 1 Timothy 4:12, 2 Peter 3:14, 1 Corinthians 7:2
Ephesians
4:31,32 Matthew 7:13,14 Leviticus 18:22 Romans 1:26,27; 1 Cor 5, 6 and 7
Making
contact:
Have a bar of
nice smelling soap and talk about how nice and clean you feel after a bath.
Sometimes there are things we do that make us feel dirty inside and this soap
can’t clean us there.
We all enjoy T.V. but there are certain programmes that
make us feel dirty in our heart. Why is this? Our lesson today is about what
the Bible says to help keep us clean on the inside. (You could make a sign to
go on the side of a box of washing powder and call it “Soapies”)
Exploration:
There are some
programmes on T.V. that we call “Soapies”. This is a strange name for these
programmes because they actually aren’t very clean programmes. They got their
name from the old days before T.V. when there was only radio. They had stories
for all the moms who were at home. They advertised washing powder during these
programmes – so they were called “The Soaps.” Then they had these
stories/dramas on T.V.
Over the years,
unfortunately, to make them more interesting and “Spicy” they have brought in
things that are not allowed in the Bible.
(You might like
to name some current “Soapies" or other morally questionable
programmes.)
Let’s list the
problems that these “Soapies” cause in our lives:
We tend to copy
the things we see and hear, so we begin to copy things that are not pure
and lovely. These “Soapies” often show people doing and saying things that
are sinful. They make sin look nice.
If you compare
what the Bible says and what the Soapies say, they are very different.
E.g.
The Bible says marriage must be pure and honoured by everyone. The Soapies
often have married people having love affairs and breaking their marriage vows.
The Bible says that sex is only acceptable inside marriage unlike in the
Soapies, where there is always someone jumping into bed with someone else.
People begin to think that this is normal and right and sex on the first date
is acceptable. It is not for the Christian.
The Bible teaches marriage between
one man and one woman. Anything about a physical relationship between two
men or two women is not according to God or the Bible – Old Testament and
New Testament.
Another problem
is gossip and greed. The “Soapies” are turning gossip and bad behaviour into
entertainment.
They teach us
how to hate and take revenge and lose self-control.
The Bible
teaches that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are values like love, peace, honesty,
self-control and kindness.
The Soapies have dishonesty, cheating and nastiness.
There is lying, revenge and hate.
The problem is
that if you watch this kind of thing over and over, you don’t get shocked
anymore. Soapies have the ability to change your way of thinking, and even your
behaviour.
In the Bible
there are rules and guidelines to obey, which might be difficult at the time.
The Bible says we must resist temptation and be pure and holy, but the Soapies teach us that it’s ok
to do what you like as long as it makes you happy.
The Bible says
we must make God happy. He knows that the Soapy way of living is actually a way
to destruction.
That kind of living destroys people and families. When the good
values change, it is like a slippery slide to the darkness. The path that leads
to life might be hard to follow and narrower but it is safe and will get us there.
Application
The Bible has the safest, strongest set of values to follow. It promises
that if we live according to the Word of God we will have peace and joy, even
during difficult times. This is different to selfish happiness.
Jesus showed us how to follow the Bible.
Let us make choices everyday to obey and stay on the path. If we do slip
and make a mistake, Jesus has the only washing powder to make our hearts clean
again.
He died on the cross to forgive us. This doesn’t mean we can keep
playing in the mud of sin just because He is so forgiving! No, we must
earnestly follow Him, but in case one day we slip, He will be merciful and
forgive us as soon as we ask for forgiveness.
When we choose T.V. programmes to watch, we must choose ones that are
clean and that we feel comfortable with Jesus watching alongside us.
Challenge to Mission
We might need to stand alone when everyone else is watching the
“Soapies”, we might need to say: “No Thanks.”
We must then go and do something else that our conscience says is clean.
We might even need to speak out against these programmes and say that we feel
they don’t honour God and are not suitable for Christians to watch.
It might
make us unpopular, but in our hearts we know that is what God is asking us to
do.
Consolidation
There is a worksheet – showing what the Bible says using the memory
verse. There is a picture of lots of clean soap and bubbles. The children must
list T.V. programmes that are good, lovely and clean for their minds.
There is also a picture of children watching T.V. and the big question
is whether to switch it off. There is a prayer that they can pray to ask Jesus
to give them the strength to do the right thing.
Memory
Verse
“Fill your minds with those things that
are good —things that are true, noble, right, pure
and lovely.”
Philippians 4:8
Song
The
following are some different words for this lesson based on the song – “Don’t
build your house on the sandy land” from Psalty no. 2
C
Don’t build your life on SOAPY
Land
G7
Don’t build it on T.V.
C C7
Well it might look kind of nice
F
But there’s murder, sin and vice
C G7 C
And other ugly things to see
C
You`d better build your life
Upon the Rock
G7
Live for Jesus Christ around the clock
C C7 F
Although troubles may come and go
C G7 C
The blessings of God you will know
C
Don`t build your life without the Lord
G7
Don`t live just for yourself
C C7
Life will come tumbling down
F
And you`ll live with a frown
C G7 C
Cause you can`t live without the Lord
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