Out of Darkness, Light
GOD is Holy
Bible Times Day 4 & 5
DAY 4: BE HOLY -- GOD'S SECRET WEAPON FOR US!!
Because GOD IS HOLY (Perfect and Clean), He is able to make my dirty heart clean. I want Him to help me keep it that way.
(Scroll down for Day 5)
Memory Verse:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty - the One who always was, who is, and who is still to come. -Revelation 4:8
Read the story: Tommy and the Skunk!
Tommy was very young when he moved from the big city to the country where his grandpa lived. He had such fun playing in the barn, fishing in the pond, and exploring the woods beside the pasture. Tommy saw all kinds of animals on his adventures in the woods. One day, however, he met an animal he will never forget. The creature wasn't very tall, but the sight of its black fur and the white stripe from the tip of its nose to the tip of its bushy tail made most people turn and run! Have you guessed what it was? A skunk!!
Tommy didn't know about skunks. All he saw was a cute animal that looked like a potential pet. He walked slowly toward the skunk, and suddenly, you guessed it, Tommy got sprayed! That little skunk sent its fowl smelling spray shooting right in Tommy's direction, making a direct hit. Tommy's eyes began to water and the smell almost made him sick. He ran away from the skunk as fast as he his legs would carry him but he could not run away from the smell.
He smelled so badly that his mother wouldn't let him set foot in the farmhouse. They found a big old washtub in the barn, and Tommy's mom helped him wash the smell off with tomato juice and water. His mom took his clothes and threw them on the burn pile behind the barn.
It took several baths and lots of tomato juice, soap, and water before Tommy felt clean again and the smell was finally gone.
Tommy's mom said he had never looked and smelled so clean! Tommy decided that skunks are cool to look at from a distance, but they are definitely not pet material!!
What would have happened if, after he was all clean, Tommy had pulled his clothes off the burn pile and put them back on? (He would have been smelly again!)
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Tommy was clean, but his clothes weren't. He would still smell like a skunk because his clothes smelled like a skunk.
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Can you imagine doing such a thing?
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After we accept Jesus' sacrifice for our sins, we are washed clean once and for all. When we sin, it's like putting on old, smelly clothes. God wants us to put on clean, pure clothes every day.
Yesterday, we talked about what to do when we blow it and sin. Today we're going to talk about saying "no" to sin before we do it. This can be hard...especially if a brother or sister is involved! However, we're going to discover the secret weapon God gives to help us put on "Clean Clothes" every day and make choices that keep our relationship with Him strong.
The first thing you need to know is that Jesus promised us help.
Read Acts 1:8.
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere -- in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
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Where does the power to make good choices come from? (God's secret weapon is the Holy Spirit.)
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The Holy Spirit gives us the power to make good choices and be a light for Jesus wherever we go. (see the 4Keys 4Kids booklet).
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If you ask Him, the Holy Spirit will give you the power to throw away the "old clothes" and put fresh "clean" clothes on every day.
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What do you think God would consider "clean clothes"? (Being kind to your sister/brother, being a friend to someone at school that no one likes . . .)
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Listen to what Jesus says are the two most important things for us to do in order to live a holy life:
Read Matthew 22:37-40.
Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."
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What does Jesus say is the most important commandment? (Love God.)
How are we supposed to love God? (With all our heart, soul, and mind.) If we truly love God, we will not want to put on the dirty, smelly sin clothes.
What is the second most important commandment? (Love your neighbor.)
Why do you think Jesus said this is the second most important commandment? (The best way we can show our love for God is to love others. When we love others, they can experience God's love through us.)
We're going to close by reading Ephesians 5:2.
Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered Himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
God did not tell us to live clean lives and then abandon us to failure. He's right with us, ready to help. If you focus your heart, soul, and mind on loving God and loving others as yourself, there won't be much room for sin. The clothes you put on will be clean and pure, and you will be a bright light to everyone you meet!
TALK WITH GOD AND STAY CONNECTED TO THE VINE!
Ask God to help you leave your dirty sin clothes on the "burn pile" and put on clean clothes that help you love Him and others.
All Bible Times for God is Holy
DAY 5: REFLECT THE LIGHT OF GOD!
Because GOD IS HOLY (Perfect and Clean), He is able to make my dirty heart clean. I want Him to help me keep it that way.
Memory Verse:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty - the One who always was, who is, and who is still to come. -Revelation 4:8
A SIMPLE SMILE
At a London train station one day, a woman was stopped by an elderly man. "Excuse me, ma'am," he said, "but I want to thank you for something."
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"Thank me!" the woman exclaimed.
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"Yes'm, I used to be the ticket collector. Whenever you went by you always gave me a cheerful smile and a 'good morning.' You don't know what a difference it made to me. Wet weather or dry, it was always the same, and I thought to myself, 'Wonder where she gets her smile from; one can't always be happy, yet she seems to be.' I knew that smile must come from inside somehow."
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"Then one morning you came by and you had a little Bible in your hand. I said to myself, 'Perhaps that's where she gets her smile from.' So on my way home that night I bought a Bible, and I've been reading it, and I've found Christ. Now I can smile, too, and I want to thank you."
Isn't it amazing how something as simple as a smile can change someone's life? (Next time you see someone frowning smile warmly at them and see what happens. It's almost impossible for them not to smile back!)
Read Ephesians 5:8, 9.
For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
When we accept Jesus' sacrifice and He washes away the darkness of our sin, what are we to be full of? (His light.)
Do you know someone who shines with the light of Jesus?
Why do you think he/she shines with Jesus' light?
What does she/he do or say that reflects Jesus?
How does His light shine out in your life?
Read again Ephesians 5:8-9.
What does His light produce? (What is good, and right, and true.)
When we do something mean or sinful, it is never from God. God never produces darkness.
Read Matthew 5:14,15.
You are the light of the world -- like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.
What are you supposed to do with the pure light of Christ within you? (Let it shine!)
How can you let your light shine this week?
How can you love God more this week?
How can you show love to someone else this week?
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Because God is Holy, Perfect, and Clean, His light drives out darkness, and because He washed away our sins, His light shines out from us. Wherever you go, you can reflect the light of God like a bright candle that lights up a dark room. Let His light shine as you love God and others!
TALK WITH GOD AND STAY CONNECTED TO THE VINE!
Ask God to let others see His light shining in you and give you the opportunity to tell them about Jesus.
ACTION POINT
Because God is Holy (Perfect and Clean), I will ________________________.
(Note: Fill in the blank by sharing a specific action point.)