Miracles

Memory Verse

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

Day 1-Jesus Casts Out Demons

• Pray.
• Introduce the new memory verse. This one is super short, but super important to remember.
  • Talk with your kids about how the world around us may change, our circumstances may change, but Jesus will never change. He is constant. We can always count on on Him.
  • Write the verse down and hang it up somewhere.
• Today’s lesson deals with some intense stuff, so it may not be age-appropriate for younger children.
• Read or tell in your own words Matthew 8:28-34.
• Talk about it.
  • What was wrong with these men?
  • Explain that these men were possessed by demons. A demon is an evil spirit. Who does an evil spirit listen to-God or Satan? These evil spirits made these men very violent and out of control.
  • It is very important to understand that, “Demons can only go into people who don’t believe in God. God protects His followers from demons. God’s followers can’t have demons inside them because the Holy Spirit is living inside of them, and the Holy Spirit doesn’t let any demons come into you.” (This quote is taken from Lesson: Jesus Casts Out Demons | Ministry-To-Children (ministry-to-children.com)
  • Even though demons listen to Satan, they know that Jesus has the ultimate control. In this passage, we see that they knew He was the Son of God and that Jesus will determine their fate.
• Focus on Jesus.
  • What miracle did Jesus do that day? Remember, a miracle is something that only God can do.
  • How does Jesus show His ultimate power and authority?
  • What about the men that Jesus rescued?
  • Read about one of them in Luke 8:35, 38-39.
  • How was the man different after His encounter with Jesus?
  • Jesus completely changed this man’s life; he was like a new man.
    • Instead of being violent and crazy, the man was sitting calmly at Jesus’ feet in his right mind.
    • He wanted to stay with Jesus.
    • He went all around the city telling others the great things Jesus had done for Him.
• Read 2 Corinthians 5:17.
• Pray. Thank God for His Holy Spirit that lives in the hearts of followers of Jesus. Thank Jesus for being in ultimate control, and thank Him that He has the power and authority to change our lives for good.

Day 2-“Little Girl… Get Up!”

• Pray.
• Practice the memory verse.
  • Come up with a little tune or some simple motions to go with the verse.
• Read Mark 5:21-24.
  • There is a short pause after this part of the story because just as Jesus was leaving to go to Jairus’ house, the woman who had been sick for 12 years came up to Him and touched His cloak and He healed her. (Mark 5:25-34)
• Read Mark 5:35-43.
• Talk about it.
  • What words can you use to describe Jesus after reading this story?
  • How did this miracle point people to God? How did it show Jesus’ authority?
  • Miracles like this one show us that Jesus is who He claimed to be-He is God’s Son. Just like Jairus, we can believe that He is able and what He says is true.

Day 3-5,000+ Hungry People

• Pray.
• Practice the memory verse.
• Read John 6:1-14.
• Talk about it.
  • What do you like about this story? Can you imagine what it may have been like to have been there on that day?
  • Did this sign help the people understand Jesus more?
  • The people had just seen Jesus do a great miracle and they were amazed, but they didn’t really understand exactly why He had come. They wanted Jesus to help them physically and save them from Roman control, but they still didn’t quite see that Jesus had come to save them from their sin and heal them spiritually above anything else.
  • The next day the crowd came looking for Jesus, and He explained things a little further to them.
• Read John 6:35-36, 40.
  • Jesus gave the people bread the day before that satisfied their physical hunger, but today He explained to them that He was Bread of Life. What does that mean?
  • He used the miracle to help them understand Him more.

Day 4-Jesus Walks On Water

• Pray.
• Practice the memory verse.
• Explain that what we are getting ready to read took place right after Jesus fed the 5,000 with only five loaves of bread and two fish.
• Read Matthew 14:22-33.
  • This story is also found in Mark 6:45-52 and in John 6:15-21. If you have middle school or high school age kids, you could have them read all three accounts of this event to see how each author writes a little differently, and how each gives us a little different perspective into the event that took place that night.
• Talk about it or have elementary age kids put on a play for you.
  • Who is involved in this event?
  • What was happening in this story?
  • Where were they?
  • When did all this take place? The fourth watch of the night was from 3:00-6:00 a.m.
  • Why were they scared?
  • How did Jesus help them?
  • How did this event help them understand more about Jesus?
• Younger kids-
  • Have them act this story out in the bathtub with some of their toys. Have them think about the characters in this story and have them gather up the supplies they need to put on their “play”.
  • Or if you want to get outside, fill up a tub with water and have them reenact this story outside.. My kids love when we get to bring our inside toys or bath toys outside to play.

Day 5-Jesus Heals the Blind Man

• Pray.
• Practice the memory verse.
• Read John 9:1-12.
• Many people who heard what had happened were divided on what they thought about the Man who had healed this guy. Some thought He couldn’t be from God because he violated the Sabbath law and healed on that day. Others wondered how a regular sinful man could perform such signs; they wondered if Jesus really was God because only God could do things like this. To get some more information, they decided to talk to this guy’s parents.
• Read John 9:18-23.
• They called the man back and asked him to go over things one more time.
• Read John 9:24-25. The man who was healed then began to prove that Jesus was from God. He began to teach the teachers, and they were not happy about that. They made him leave the synagogue.
• Read John 9:35-41.
• What did the man who was healed learn about Jesus that day?
• How were the Pharisees like blind men? What were they not seeing?
• Jesus changed this man’s life by opening his physical eyes and his spiritual eyes. How has Jesus changed your life?

Parables

Memory Verse

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

Day 1-The Persistent Friend

• Pray.
• Practice the memory verse.
  • Write down different types of people on some scratch paper, throw them in a bowl and have your kids draw a card. Whatever person is on the card, they have to say the verse like that person would.
  • Examples:
    • cowboy, English person, cheerleader, coach, old lady/old man, robot
• Review with your kids what a parable is. A parable is a story that Jesus told to help people understand more about what He was teaching.
• In the beginning of Luke 11, we read that Jesus had been praying by Himself. When He was finished, one of His disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. Read the prayer in Luke 11:2-4. Jesus then went on to tell His disciples a parable to help them understand how to pray a little bit better.
• Read Luke 11:5-13.
• Have your kids act it out.
• Talk about it.
  • Why did the guy eventually give his friend the bread?
  • In the parable, who is Jesus and who are we?
  • How does this story help us understand how Jesus wants us to pray? See verse 9.
  • Ask your kids what they want for their birthday or Christmas. After they tell you, say, “Okay. I hear that, but I’m going to give you a toilet brush (or something super weird and not a good gift).” What would you think about that if I really did that?
  • God knows what is best for His children. He wants to help us and give us what we need. When we trust Jesus as our Savior and give our lives to Him, He gives us a very wonderful gift: the Holy Spirit. When we keep coming to God, and asking and seeking Him for what we need, the Holy Spirit will will guide us and show us what God wants for us.

Day 2-The Lost Sheep

• Pray.
• Practice the memory verse.
  • We will be talking about lost things today and tomorrow. If you have time for an activity, write each word of the verse on a separate sticky note and hide them around the house. Have your kids hunt for them, bring them back and put the verse in order.
• Talk about how Jesus told us in Luke 19:10 (after He had visited with Zacchaeus) that He came “to seek and to save that which was lost”. What does our Bible verse say about Jesus (Hebrews 13:8)? Jesus hasn’t changed. He still seeks out people who are lost (sinners who haven’t accepted God’s gift of salvation through Jesus and who haven’t yet put Him in charge of their lives).
• Read Luke 15:1-7.
• Talk about it.
  • Who does the shepherd represent in this story?
  • Who does the lost sheep represent?
  • Explain that just like the shepherd was so happy when he found his lost sheep, Jesus is so happy when a person repents of their sin and gives their life to Him.
  • We can be really “good” and follow the rules like the Pharisees did, but that is not what saves us. To be saved, we must recognize that we are sinners and we must believe that Jesus came to save us. Just like that little, lost lamb was safe with His shepherd, we are saved when we put our trust in our Shepherd (Jesus) by repenting of our sins and turning over our lives to Him.

Bonus Lesson-The Lost Coin

• Read Luke 15:8-10.
• Ask:
  • What does this parable mean? What did Jesus want the people (and us) to understand better?
  • How does God feel when one person accepts Jesus as their Savior and chooses to make Him Lord?
• Activity Idea
  • Play “Find the Coin”.
    • Super easy, but my kids love it.
    • It goes like this: someone hides a coin while the others close their eyes. When the hider gives the go-ahead, the eye-closers open their eyes and search for the coin. When the coin is found, everyone celebrates together (cheesy…yes), and a new person hides the coin.

Day 3-A Man and His Two Sons

• Pray.
• Practice the memory verse.
• Today we will read one of the most well-known parables. It is a story about a dad who had two sons. As we read, be listening for the lessons Jesus is teaching.
• Read Luke 15:11-32 or tell the parable in your own words.
• Discussion ideas:
  • What stands out to you in this parable?
  • Tell me about the younger brother.
  • Tell me about the dad.
    • Who does the dad represent?
  • Tall me about the older brother.
  • What do we learn about God through this parable?
  • What does God want you to do?
  • Why did Jesus tell this parable? What is He helping us understand better?
• If your kids enjoy acting out stories or using their toys to retell a story, this is a good one for that!

Day 4-The Unforgiving Servant

• Pray.
• Practice the memory verse.
• Parents, think of a time you have needed to forgive someone. Tell the story to your kids sometime today.
• Read or summarize Matthew 18:21-22. Have older kids tell you what 70 x 7 is. Jesus wasn’t meaning keep track of all the times that someone offends you, and when it finally gets to the 491st time, you can stop forgiving that person. He was meaning we should forgive over and over again. He told a parable to help teach this lesson.
• Read Matthew 18:23-35.
• Talk about it.
  • The first slave owed a LOT of money, but the king showed great compassion and forgave the entire debt.
  • How do you think that slave must have felt?
  • What happened next?
  • What should the slave had done differently? Why?
  • Who does the king remind you of?
    • The king is meant to teach us about God, who is forgiving and compassionate and full of grace. When someone comes to Him, recognizing that they could never pay the price that sin has cost but that the only way for their sin to be paid for is through Jesus’ death, God graciously forgives that person of their sin and makes their relationship right.
  • So, knowing that God offers forgiveness to us, what then should do? Forgive others.
  • How important is forgiveness to God? How do you know?

Day 5-Hidden Treasure and an Expensive Pearl

• Pray.
• Have each kid recite the memory verse. We will start memorizing a new one next week.
• Ask
  • If you went on a treasure hunt, what would you hope to find?
• Read Matthew 13:44-46.
• Talk about it.
  • What do you think these two parables mean?
  • Both the treasure and the pearl represent salvation. It is something so valuable that when someone realizes what it cost Jesus and the eternal reward they get for trusting in Him, he/she is willing to give up everything else to obtain it. It becomes the most important, precious thing to that person.
  • How can we receive this treasure?
• Activity Ideas
  • Hide a “treasure” for your kids to find today. It can be something small (book, toy, pen, pencil, candy, money, flashlight, ball), even just a note. You don’t even have to have an official treasure hunt; just put the treasure somewhere you know they will find it. The goal is that when they find it, they will be reminded of the parable.
  • Have an official treasure hunt with a treasure map and everything. There are some fun ideas on Pinterest.

Bonus Lesson-The 10 Bridesmaids

• Ask
  • Have you ever been to a wedding? What’s your favorite part? Weddings back in Jesus’ day were different then than they are now.
  • We are going to read a parable about some bridesmaids (my Bible [NASB] says virgins) who are waiting with the bride for the groom to come so they could start the wedding. The wedding must have been at night because they needed lamps (torches) to light their way as they proceeded to the grooms house for the rest of the festivities. The groom took little longer than expected, and as we will read, some of the bridesmaids were prepared and some were not.
• Read of tell in your own words Matthew 25:1-13.
• Talk about it.
  • What is this parable teaching about?
    • We need to be ready for when Christ returns. When He does return, He will take believers with Him to Heaven. Those who have not trusted in Jesus as their Savior and Lord will not be given any second chances.
    • Do we know when Jesus is coming back?
    • How are we to be prepared for His return?
• Pray. Thank Jesus that He will one day return and bring those who have trusted in Him to our eternal home in heaven. Ask the Lord to help your kids understand what they must do to be prepared for His return. Pray that if they haven’t yet chosen to accept God’s gift of salvation, that He will speak to their hearts and draw them to Himself.