Object Lesson for Kids: Heaven's Mail Room

An Illustration of Prayer

The angel Gabriel was giving a newly arrived Christian a tour of heaven.  The two of them were walking side by side inside a large mailroom filled with other angels.

Gabriel stopped in front of the first section and said, "This is the Receiving Section.  Here, all the petitions sent to God in prayer are received."

The Christian saw that the section was a very busy one with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous sheets of paper from all the people of the world.

They resumed walking until they reached the second section.  Gabriel told the Christian, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section.  Here, the blessings of God in answer to prayers are packed and delivered to the those who are praying on earth."

The Christian saw how busy it was.  There were a great many angels working in that room because countless blessings were being packed and delivered to earth.

Finally, at the farthest corner of the room, they stopped at the last section.  To the surprise of the Christian, only one angel was there and he was idle.

"This is the Acknowledging Section," Gabriel told the Christian.

"How is it that no work is being done here?"

"That's the sad thing," Gabriel answered.

"After people on earth received the blessings they asked for, very few of them bother to send their acknowledgments."

"How does one acknowledge God's blessing?" 

"Simple," Gabriel answered.  "Just say, 'Thank you, Lord.'"

Variation - An object Lesson or Children's Sermon on Prayer

This could easily be converted into a sermon for kids, or an object lesson for youth on "answered prayer."   Collect a bunch of postcards and write prayers to God on them. "Dear God...  A Prayer... then sign it with a name.  Then in another box have deliveries that match the different requests.  (Note some of the deliveries might be different than the actual request because God provides what we truly need and not what we think we need.)  Finally, have an empty box for the messages of Thanks.  To create a more balanced perspective on prayer, have messages of Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (A.C.T.S.) Adoration is simply praise to God for who he is.  Confession is an acknowledgement of sin. Thanksgiving is of course a response to answered prayer and for the blessing of God in life.  Supplications are requests.  Many times we only see prayer as requests. The simplest definition of prayer is "Talking to God" so have lots of messages that are simply conversations with God.  Have only one or two of thanks.  Close by giving the children or youth postcards and asking them to write notes of thanks to God and fill up the last box.

Scriptures for For Famous prayers in the Bible

• Abraham, for Sodom – Genesis 18:16-33
• Daniel – Daniel 9:1-19
• David – 2 Samuel 7:18-29; 1 Chronicles 17:16-27
• David's Confession - Psalms 51:1-17
• David's Thanks - 2 Samuel 7:18-29
• Deborah – Judges 5:1-31
• Elijah's at Mount Carmel - I Kings 18:36-39
• Ezra – Ezra 9:5-15
• Habakkuk - Habakkuk 3:2-19
• Hannah – 1 Samuel 1:9-20; 1 Samuel 2:1-10
• Hezekiah – 2 Kings 19:14-20:3
• Hezekiah when Sick - Isaiah 38:2-8
• Hosea – Hosea 6:1-3
• Jabez - 1 Chronicles 4:10
• Jacob – Genesis 32:22-32
• Jehoshophat – 2 Chronicles 20:1-30
• Jeremiah – Lamentations 3: 21-26
• Jesus – Matthew 6:5-15: Luke 11:1-13; John 17
• Job – Job 1:20-21; 3; 42:2-6
• Jonah – Jonah 2:1-9
• Jude's Praise - Jude 1:24-25
• Moses – Exodus 15:1-18;  33: 12-23; Numbers 14:13-19
• Nehemiah – Nehemiah 1:4-10
• Paul – Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 1:15-23; 3:14-21; Philippians 1:9-11; Collosians 1:9-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, 2:13-17
• Paul, Knowing God's Will - Colossians 1:9-12
• Paul, Partners in Ministry - Philippians 1:3-11
• Paul, Spiritual Growth - Ephesians 3:14-21
• Paul, Spiritual Wisdom - Ephesians 1:15-23
• Solomon, dedication – 1 Kings 3:5-15; 8:14-61
• Stephen at His Stoning - Acts 7:59-60
• Tax Collector's Prayer - Luke 18:13

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Object Lessons: Burdens and Rest

A speaker raises a glass of water and asks the audience "How heavy do you think this glass of water is?"

His answer: "It depends on how long you hold it"

• "If I hold it for a minute, it is Ok."
• "If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my right arm"
• "If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance"

"It is the exact same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes"

If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, we will not be able to carry on, the burden becoming increasingly heavier.

"What you have to do is to put the glass down, rest for a while holding it up again."

We have to put down the burden periodically, so that we can be refreshed and are able to carry on.

When you return home from work, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up
tomorrow. Rest and relax. Take one day at a time!!!!!

Take It to the Next Level

Although from a secular source, the principle behind it is biblical. That s why Jesus told us to cast our burdens on Him, instructed us to pray Give us our daily bread And even in Psalms 23 though it is not clearly stated, the Shepherd leads His sheep besides green pastures and still waters day to day. We really ought to live one day at a time and really rely on nothing and no one else except on the Faithful Providence of God. He will give us the strength to carry on again.

Don't borrow from tomorrow' s sunshine for it s skies may turn to gray . Tomorrow is not our problem but God 's perfect plan. Therefore if any of us are yoked, are burdened, are held back by problems, don t hesitate to put it down and go to Jesus for
rest. He will give us the strength to carry on again.

Bible Scripture

• "Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." (Psalm 55:22)
• "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)
• Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

Optional Object Lesson, Creative learning Activity, or Sermon for kids (Children's Sermon)

Bring in several items of equal weight.  Empty plastic milk jugs filled with water or empty 1 liter soft drink bottles work well.  Ask for volunteers among the children or youth to join you in a friendly competition.  Let them pick up the items and ask them if the item is heavy?  You could also ask them to guess the weight.  Most will say that they are not really that heavy.  Then line the students up in a line and tell them they must hold the items straight out from their body at a right angle or 90 degrees. There will be a prize for the teen who can hold it there the longest.  The teenagers may not have considered the items heavy, but the longer they hold them, the heavier the items get.  If you want to add a little discussion to the process, ask the youth to share some of the burdens that people carry in life or share some of the burdens you have experienced for yourself.  Some examples of burdens could be: a hurt you needed to forgive, personal failure, worries, responsibilities, doubts, struggles, lost dreams, mistakes, a poor sense of self worth, abuse, etc.  Burdens are those things that tire us out and that cause us to worry.  Then share the story and talk about the scripture references.

Discussion Questions

• How can you know if something is a burden?
• What are some of the burdens youth experience?
• We do we often carry our burdens instead of setting them down?  Why do we hold on to these burdens?
• How can we let go of burdens? What are some of the ways we can place these burdens in the care of Jesus?
• What is the benefit of placing our burdens into the care of Jesus?
• What is a burden you need to let go of this week? How can you do that? What this give you freedom to experience or do?

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Object Lesson for Kids: Growing in Godliness - 2 Peter 1:1-11

Description

This Object Lesson for youth, uses a nested Russian doll to illustrate our growth as Christians.

Materials

A Matryoshka doll (ideally with at least 8 nested dolls)
A Russian Matryoshka doll is a set of hollow wooden dolls which split open into a top and bottom half to reveal additional dolls of decreasing size each placed one inside the other. The outer doll is traditionally a woman, as reflected in the name which means "little matron". The inner dolls can be male or female. The innermost doll, made from a single piece of wood is typically a baby. While they are smooth rounded wooden carvings, the painting of each doll can be very intricate and often follows a theme.

Scriptural Background

• Approximate Date: 63-68 A.D. - shortly after 1 Peter. Nero's persecution began in 64 A.D., and Peter was martyred approximately 67 A.D.
• Place of Writing: Babylon
• Three-Fold Purpose: 1) Encourage growth, 2) To correct against false teaching, 3) Promote holy living.
• Theme and Key Word: Knowledge.
• Key verse: 3:18 - "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Chapter 1 has been labeled "The Bible's Arithmetic Chapter"

• Multiplication - "Grace and peace be multiplied to you ... " (1:2)
• Addition - "Add to your faith ... " (1:5-7)
• Subtraction - He has been cleansed from his past sins ... " (1:9)

Outline:

• 2 Peter 1:2-3 God's Provision - Describes God's provision and the believer's enablement
• 2 Peter 1:5-7 Our Responsibility - Describes our human responsibility of seeing to it that the various Christian virtues are included in our lives.

"The divine nature works at its best efficiency when the believer cooperates with it in not only determining to live a life pleasing to God, but definitely stepping out in faith and living that life." ~Kenneth Samuel Wuest

Key Lessons

1:5-7 - Peter begins with "for this very reason (because you are a partaker of the divine nature) make every effort (pareisphero)" - that is, "add or contribute on your own part" the necessary actions to confirm your profession of faith by godly living. The verb rendered "add" (epichoregeo - "to supply in copious measure") is not simply to add one virtue to another. Rather, the meaning is to develop one virtue in the exercise of another, with each new grace springing out of and perfecting, or tempering the other.

• In the exercise of faith, believers are to generously provide goodness.
• In the exercise of goodness, believers are to copiously provide knowledge.
• In the exercise of knowledge, believers are to lavishly provide selfcontrol.
• In the exercise of self-control, believers are to plentifully provide perseverance.
• In the exercise of perseverance, believers are to abundantly provide godliness.
• In the exercise of godliness, believers are to bountifully provide brotherly kindness (philadelphia).
• In the exercise of brotherly kindness, believers are to generously provide agape love.

1:8-9. Peter's promise is that those who possess these virtues and build on them will grow spiritually and will not be idle in pressing toward a fuller knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who do not are "spiritually nearsighted", having forgotten his initial salvation experience.

1:10-11. Verse 10 is the key to this section. The believer will "make his calling and election sure", that is, he will satisfy himself that he is saved, or confirm his salvation by his godly living. There is some debate of the security of the believer, which some say is objective and cannot be disturbed, and the subjective experience of knowing and feeling you are saved because you are "doing your part" in allowing the Holy Spirit to produce the kind of virtues characteristic of a Christian.

Icebreaker Questions to Stimulate Discussion

• What did you want to be when you grew up?
• What are your current dreams for the future? What kind of person do you want to be? How do you want your life to be remembered by others?
• What are some of the qualities you admire in others? Other youth? Parents? Adults? Leaders? Famous people?
• If you had a magic lamp with a genie and he could grant you three personal qualities, what would you wish for?

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:1-11

In 2 Peter 1 Chapter 1, Peter talks about our growth as Christians. This growth begins with faith and culminates in love. Like the innermost Matryoshka doll we begin as babes in Christ. We are spiritually born again through saving faith in Christ. But to live life forever as a baby would be a tragedy. Peter says that if we fail to grow, it is akin to being nearsighted and blind and forgetting that our sins have been forgiven.

This list of qualities are things that are added to our godly character as we grow in Christ. Each new quality does not replace the one before it, but adds to it. These are not things that we possess then give up, as a child outgrows old clothes. These qualities are not marks on a growth chart, but things that we hold inside our hearts and that we carry forward with us as we continue to mature in Christ.

Here's the list:

1. faith
2. goodness
3. knowledge
4. self-control
5. perseverance
6. godliness
7. brotherly kindness
8. love

NOTE: As you mention each quality, add a new shell to the inner doll so that it continues to grow in size. "As we add each one, we become more effective and productive. "

Take it to the Next Level

Questions for discussion

• How do you define each quality/ characteristic?
• How does each character quality relate to the one before it?
• Why is each quality important to living a godly life as a youth?
• For each of these qualities, what would the effect be if a Christian youth was missing that quality in his or her life?
• What are some of the possible ways that each quality would be expressed in the way a youth lives his or her life? Are these qualities something we possess or something that we do?
• For each quality, what are some things youth can do or practice the make that quality part of who they personally are?
• As we grow in Christ, there is always a combined effort with God, to live the Christian life. We have to make decisions and choose to act, but God empowers us, guides us, and provides for us. What are the things that God does for us according to this passage?
  1. Gave us faith through Christ (2 Peter 1:1)
  2. Grace, Peace and Knowledge of God and Christ (2 Peter 1:2)
  3. Everything we need for life and godliness (through his divine power) (2 Peter 1:3)
  4. Called us (2 Peter 1:3)
  5. Knowledge of God (2 Peter 1:3)
  6. An example - God's Glory and Goodness (2 Peter 1:3)
  7. Precious Promises (2 Peter 1:4)
• What are some of the promises of God that might help youth to grow in each of these qualities?
• How do the actions of God listed in this passage apply to each of these qualities that we grow into as Christians? How do they help us to live life as a youth to reflect these character traits?
• Why has God given us all these things?
  1. To participate in the divine nature (becoming Christlike) (2 Peter 1:4)
  2. To Escape the corruption of the world caused by evil desires (2 Peter 1:4)
  3. To be effective and productive in our walk (2 Peter 1:8)
  4. To reinforce our faith (2 Peter 1:10) so that we are secure in faith - know that have been saved.
  5. So that we will not fail (2 Peter 1:10)
  6. To be richly welcomed into heaven (2 Peter 1:11)

Application to Youth

1. What are some ways you can practice these as a youth?
2. When you look at this list of qualities, which ones do you possess and practice most? Which are most lacking in your life? Which do you find most difficult?
3. What are some ways you can express these qualities this week as you encounter others at school, at home, or in church?
4. How do these qualities prevent us from being in effective and unproductive?
5. How can those in the youth group support each other and encourage one another toward growth in these areas?
6. What can the youth ministry and parents do to help you to grow?
7. If you were to have all these godly qualities in increasing measure, how would it effect your life, your testimony, your actions?
8. What are the benefits of pursuing godliness?

Closing Prayer
Go through each of the qualities in prayer with God. Ask him to reveal the truth about these qualities in your own life. Ask him to make clear opportunities to express your faith to through these qualities as a living testimony to Christ.

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Object Lesson God's Love: Fathers Are a Gift from God

Fathers are a voice of wisdom.

• My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass." "We're not raising grass," Dad would reply. "We're raising boys." ~Harmon Killebrew
• Fathers represent another way of looking at life - the possibility of an alternative dialogue. ~Louise J. Kaplan, Oneness and Separateness: From Infant to Individual, 1978
• When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. ~Author unknown, commonly attributed to Mark Twain

Fathers are examples for youth

• He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. ~Clarence Budington Kelland
• I love my father as the stars - he's a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart. ~Terri Guillemets

Fathers inspire youth to greatness.

• Love and fear. Everything the father of a family says must inspire one or the other. ~Joseph Joubert
• The words that a father speaks to his children in the privacy of home are not heard by the world, but, as in whispering-galleries, they are clearly heard at the end and by posterity. ~Jean Paul Richter

A Father's true wealth is found in his children.

• A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. ~Author Unknown
• Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance. ~Ruth E. Renkel
• A father carries pictures where his money used to be. ~Author Unknown
• Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope. ~Bill Cosby

Fathers are a gift from God

• The greatest gift I ever had Came from God; I call him Dad! ~Author Unknown

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Object Lesson For Kids: Earth! Water! Air! Fire!

Description
In this active game, youth are asked to evaluate how a person's testimony is affected by the things we do, our character, and even our background or characteristics. Youth Ministers can use this as an introduction to living a life that points others to God, sharing our testimonies, or to discuss the life of Paul, his testimony, and the accusations made against him in the Book of Acts.

Resources needed

• Bible
• A chair for each youth
• A handkerchief
• Bibles

How to Play the Game

1. Ask your youth group to form a circle of chairs facing inward then take a seat.

1. Take a handkerchief and knot it at one end so it can be easily thrown back and forth between the teens. Give the handkerchief to one of the youth instructing him/ her to throw it into the lap of someone else in the circle. As he/she throws it he/she must call out “Earth!” “Water!” “Air!” or “Fire!”

1. If “Earth!”, “Water!” or “Air!” is called, the youth into whose lap the handkerchief has been thrown must name some bird, animal, or creature that lives or moves about in that environment. Each animal can only be used once during the course of gameplay.For example, if “earth” is shouted then the youth who receives the handkerchief might answer. “Worms!” It would be just as correct however for him to name any beast which lives upon the earth.

1. If the handkerchief is thrown, and the youth who throws it calls out “fire!” then the youth that receives the handkerchief must remain perfectly silent. If he/ she does not he/she must response to one of the questions (listed below) before passing the handkerchief on to another youth.

1. As soon as a handkerchief lands in someone’s lap the one who threw it begins to count rapidly to 10. If an answer is not given to one of the three words except “fire”, then that person must answer a question before passing the handkerchief on to the next person.

Take It to the Next Level

Questions
Questions can be on any topic, making this a fun game for youth leaders and Sunday School / Bible study teachers to introduce just about any topic.

For this example, my topic is a person's “personal testimony.”

The questions that youth must answer all involve whether the action/ attitude/ characteristic stated

harms one’s testimony (Harms)
• benefits one’s personal testimony (Helps)
• has no effect on a person’s testimony. (No effect)

To make it easy, you might want to write the answers on newsprint or a large sheet of paper in front of the room. You want questions with a simple answer, but that also allow a more detailed explanation or opinion later.

After the question is answered continue with the game. You can use questions more than once so that you get different opinions for later discussion.

You may do the questions in order, or just ask them randomly. Personally I prefer random as it is less an interruption to the game. Also limit the number of questions to those most applicable to your group of youth.

Discussion
Keep track of the answers and who gave them to stimulate a discussion later. Later you can say, "John, you said ________ doesn't affect a person's testimony. Could you explain why you said that?"

A Personal Testimony - Being a withness for Christ

Here's my list of things that could affect a persons testimony. Some of the choices involve things that happened to Paul in the book of Acts. Others involve things to which a typical teen might be exposed,

• Anger
• Athletic
• Being a follower of the Way (Paul)
• Being in Jail (Paul)
• Being Responsible
• Belief in an afterlife (Paul)
• Causing a public disturbance (Paul)
• Ceremonially clean (Paul)
• Challenged to fight someone
• Cheating
• Clear conscience (Paul)
• Customs (Acts 16:20-21)
• Dancing
• Dating
• Disagreements (Acts 25:18-20)
• Disturbing the Peace (Acts 24:1-8)
• Drinking
• Envy
• Falsely accused of a crime (Acts 25:7)
• Giving gifts to the poor
• Going to a party
• Going to an RA movie
• Going to church
• Good looks
• Gossip
• Hanging with the wrong crowd
• Having a consistent devotional life
• Having fun!
• Having personal problems
• Having to appear in court (Paul)
• Helping those in need
• Insisting on your rights (Paul)
• Integrity
• Kissing someone in public
• Listening to country music
• Listening to ONLY Christian music
• Listening to Rock music
• Losing your temper
• Loving one’s enemies.
• Lust
• Making good grades
• Memorizing your testimony
• Obeying parents
• Pointing out the sins of others
• Praying daily (Paul)
• Preaching (Paul)
• Quoting from Scripture (Paul)
• Rudeness
• Saying table grace
• Serious about life
• Serving others
• Sharing your belief with someone else (Paul)
• Showing your answers on a test to someone
• Shy
• Singing (Paul)
• Smoking
• Sneaking out of the house to go to church
• Speaking to a leader with great authority (Paul)
• Taking a stand for what you believe (Paul)
• Taking responsibility for your actions (Paul)
• Teaching against worshipping idols (Acts 19:22-27)
• Telling Jokes
• Telling the truth, even if it hurts someone (Paul)
• The clothes you wear
• Theft
• Thinking about sex
• Trials (Paul)
• Trust
• Wealth
• Worshipping God in a place where it is outlawed (Acts 18:12-16)
• Your nationality (Paul)

Scripture Passage
If you want to focus on one passage, Acts 16:16-38 is a great one to look at.

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Youth Ministry Object Lessons: The Contradictions of Jesus

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.
Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.
Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.
Had no army, yet kings feared Him.
He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

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Object Lesson God's Love: Easter Candy

• 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are made for Easter each year.
• Each day, five million marshmallow chicks and bunnies are produced in preparation for Easter.
• 16 billion jelly beans are made for Easter
• 63 percent of Americans would most like to receive a chocolate bunny on Easter morning, followed by marshmallow bunnies (10 percent).
• The world's largest jar of jelly beans weighed 6,050 pounds.
• 75 percent of kids are willing to do extra chores for extra Easter candy
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest Easter egg ever made was just over 25-ft high and made of chocolate and marshmallow. The egg weighed 8,968 lbs. and was supported by an internal steel frame.
• 88 percent of adults carry on the Easter tradition of creating Easter baskets for their kids & 90 percent of adults hope for their own treat from the Easter Bunny. Who wouldn’t want chocolate?!
• The first chocolate eggs were made in Europe in the early 19th century and remain among the most popular treats associated with Easter.
• Kids first grab for chocolate bunnies (76 percent) when checking out their Easter baskets, followed by marshmallow treats (18 percent), malted milk balls/eggs (17 percent) and jelly beans (16 percent).
• When it comes to knowing which types of bunnies please the palate, the majority of Americans say a solid chocolate bunny (42 percent) first and foremost, followed by a hollow chocolate bunny (21 percent), marshmallow bunny (10 percent) and other types of Easter bunny candy (9 percent).
• Red jelly beans are kids’ favorite.

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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!

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