THE REAL DEAL It’s hard for us to imagine the depth and scope of God’s love for us. It is easy to understand the love of a parent, a relative or a friend because we can see them, talk to them, hug them and experience life alongside them. But when it comes to God’s love, it’s a bit harder to comprehend. The Bible does an amazing job of comparing God's love to the relationships that we have with people here on Earth, creating a beautiful picture of how His unfailing love is the REAL DEAL.
News Flash | Scripture Ephesians 2:10 NLT For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Story Meeting | Welcome This morning we will continue to act as reporters and investigate the many ways that the Bible uses relationships to paint a picture of God's love and care for us. Do you remember who we compared God's love to last week? Yes, He is the shepherd and we are the sheep. How does God love us like a shepherd? Today, we are going to talk about how God loves us as a Master Artist. Play News Story | The Master Artist
Story of The Day | Video Message That’s exactly how God sees us. He is the Master Artist who designed each one of us before we even physically existed. He made us into unique creations. We may look different, act different, sound different, have different likes and dislikes and we were made that way for a specific plan and purpose. God knows us and loves us despite any of our damage or brokenness. And because he is our creator, He has the power to heal us and restore us. I’m Anita Bathe and that’s the REAL DEAL.
Digging For Facts | As a part of our investigation this morning, we are going to work with pennies. I brought a lot of pennies with me today. (Lay the pennies out on the floor and let the kids touch them and look at them.) What do you notice about how these pennies look (some are shiny, some are dirty, some are older, some are newer etc.) Which ones do you think are worth more? (make the arguement that the shiny ones or newer ones must be worth more than the dirty ones - eventually give up your argument and ask how they know that each one if worth the same?) What does each penny say on it? If you look closely you will see that each penny says, "one cent." They are all worth one cent. Let's think back to our video. Did the Master Artist love one of his creations more than another? What about the one that was damaged? How did he react when it was returned? Yes, he loved it no matter what! We are broken, damaged and dirty too because of our sin. And just like the painting and just like the pennies, we all have the same value, we are seen as beautiful masterpieces. Nothing we could ever do could change God from seeing us and loving us as His most treasured pieces of art. And that kind of love is the REAL DEAL. But don't take my word for it. Any good reporter will check the facts and the only place to check these facts is the Bible. Fact Check | Let's read Ephesians 2:10 NLT For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Read Isaiah 64:8 NIV Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Read Psalm 139:13-14 NIV For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Read Romans 2:11 For there is no partiality with God. NASB For God does not show favoritism. NLT Read Genesis 1:27 NIV God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Read Romans 5:8 NIV But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Read Acts 2:23 NIV This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. Read John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Breaking News | The 5 W's It is our job as reporters to get to the bottom of the story. A good place to start is by asking Who, What, When, Where and Why. We are going straight to our story board to fill in the facts of our story. Let's use the scriptures above to answer our questions by matching the scripture with our questions. Write Who, What, When, Where and Why on the white board to track the facts.
WHO | Who is the Master Artist? Who is the masterpiece? That's right. God is the Master Artist and we are his greatest creations. He knows each hair on our heads and made us to be in His own image. If God has created us then we are all treasured artwork in His eyes. Which scriptures answer the question of WHO?
WHAT | Now we know the WHO of our lesson, let's move onto the WHAT? God created us to look differently, act differently, to have different strengths, talents and weaknesses. We are all beautiful to Him. We may compare ourselves to other people or become jealous of the gifts that God has given them, but that's not how God sees us. He does not compare His creations. God has marked each of us with His image. Which scriptures answer the question of WHAT?
WHEN | Let's review. We have identified the Master Artist and the masterpiece as the WHO. WHAT God was planning when He made us was thoughtful and personal. We are each unique and loved equally. WHEN God loves us is all the time regardless of our sin. Just like the pennies, our value remains the same despite our mistakes. We can never do anything that would make Him loves us less. He has made a way for us to be in relationship with Him even though we don't alway make the best choices. God deemed each of us worthy of sending His son to die for our sin. Which scripture answers the question of WHEN? WHERE | The WHERE of our investigation is perhaps the most important fact of the day. God sent Jesus to die on the cross to take on our sin. The cross is the WHERE. Which scripture answers the question of WHERE?
WHY | WHY because when you love someone, you want them with you. Because we are of such value and worth to God, He sent Jesus to die in our place because of our sin. Jesus took our punishment. All God asks is that we believe and trust in Jesus. Which scripture answers the question of WHY?
Jesus Cleanses Us From Sin Experiment | You need 3 dull pennies, 2 paper cups, vinegar, liquid soap and paper towel.
Ask the kids which liquid will make a penny shine. Set one penny aside. Put each of the other two pennies into its own paper cup. In one cup, pour enough vinegar to cover the penny. Jesus is the vinegar. In the other cup, pour enough liquid soap to cover the penny. We are the soap. Wait ten minutes. (Complete the while you are waiting and come back to it at the end.)
Penny Craft | Have the kids draw either a cross or their initial on the canvas then glue on pennies. The pennies remind us of how God values each one of us.
Finish the Experiment | How It Works Take the penny out of the liquid soap, rinse, rub with a paper towel and and observe. Is it clean? How clean? We are like the liquid soap. We can make good choices, change our ways and attitudes and generally look better but this is still a dirty penny. Take out the penny that was in the vinegar, rinse, run with a paper towel and observe. What is different about the penny that was in the vinegar? The vinegar made this penny shiny and new. Only Jesus can make us new creations through His death and resurrection. Want to know the science behind the change? Pennies become dull over time as copper on the surface reacts with oxygen from the air. The two elements combine to form dark chemicals called copper oxides. The acetic acid in vinegar dissolves these chemicals and leaves the copper surface of the penny looking shiny. Soap can clean lots of things, but it can’t dissolve copper oxides.
That's A Wrap | Let's take one last look at the pennies. Earlier we discovered that the pennies say, "one cent." Theyhave something else written on them, do you see it? "In God we trust." The Bible says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship (His masterpiece), created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." We have this amazing future available to us because the love of Jesus is the REAL DEAL. 5 W's of Reporting God is the Master Artist and the WHO that created us. WHAT God loves about us is everything. We were created in His image. WHEN God loves us is all the time regardless of our sin. WHERE we received redemption was at the cross. WHY God sent Jesus to die and rise again was to spend an eternity with Him in heaven.
Communion and Prayer