SERMON ON THE MOUNT: FIRM FOUNDATION

5/2/2021

SERMON ON THE MOUNT: FIRM FOUNDATION

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We’re learning about the Sermon on the Mount. It’s Jesus’ most famous sermon! It’s called the Sermon on the Mount because Jesus stood up on a hill—or mountain—to preach. Today we’re learning that following Jesus is the best way to live.

SUNDAY SCHOOL WORSHIP

We’re learning that following Jesus is the best way to live. Jesus taught that following him is like building a house on a solid foundation. But our friend Awesome Andy is about to build something, and that doesn’t sound like the way he would build! Let’s find out what happens.

Why didn’t Andy’s doghouse work out?
What did this video show you about why a foundation is important?
How is Andy’s doghouse like not following Jesus?
How is Genesis’ doghouse like following Jesus?
Andy’s doghouse might have looked more comfortable, but it was flimsy and lacked a firm foundation! We need a firm foundation for how we live, and following Jesus is that foundation. Following Jesus is the best way to live.

BIBLE LESSON

Building sandcastles and other structures is fun, but you probably know what happens when water comes along. They get washed away! Sand is not a good foundation—and that’s something Jesus talks about in today’s Bible story. Let’s find out more about what Jesus said in God’s special book, the Bible. The Bible is full of true stories that can help us follow Jesus.

Matthew 7:24-27
Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.

In today’s section of the Sermon the Mount, Jesus talked about building. So let’s do some building!

You will need:

Bible
index cards or playing cards
towels

           You’re going to work with your family to build as tall a tower as you can out of cards. If they’re index cards, you can fold them so they support your structure better, but here’s the catch: Your foundation will be the stomach of your youngest family member.
            Have the youngest person in the family lie on the floor while the others build on that person’s stomach. Because of kids’ breathing, the foundation should be pretty shaky, but make it even shakier by telling jokes or making goofy faces to get kids to laugh. You can also ask kids questions to get them to talk--anything that will get their stomachs moving more.
• How many levels high did you get your tower?
            • What made it difficult to build your tower on the foundation of someone’s stomach?
Jesus talked about a man who built his house on sand—not a strong foundation.
• What are some examples of things people could follow that wouldn’t be very good foundations for how to live?

Following Jesus is the best way to live. When we don’t follow Jesus and choose to follow other things like money, popularity, other religions, or our own selfish interests, it’s like building a house on sand…or someone’s laughing stomach. But let’s try firmer foundations.

Build a House on a Stronger Foundation
            Have families lay the towels flat so the grooves of the terry cloth support the cards. (If families have carpeting, the grooves of the carpet will take care of the support.)
            Let families try again to build their towers. (We found we were able to go from three levels high on someone’s stomach to eight levels high on the carpet.)
            • Compare this foundation to the one you built on before.
            • What difference did that make in how high you could build your tower?
Here’s what Jesus said that if we follow him, it's like building our lives on a solid foundation. When storms come, our house won't collapse.

  • What are examples of 'storms' that happen in our lives? I don’t mean tornadoes and hurricanes; what are bad things that happen to people?

Life here on earth isn’t happy all the time. Things don’t always go the way we want. Sometimes we face really bad storms. When we follow the things we named before, we’ll collapse under the pressure because we don’t have a firm foundation.
            But following Jesus is the best way to live, because even in the midst of storms, he gives us a firm foundation of peace and love to build our lives on.

PRAYER

Let’s commit to following Jesus and building our houses on the rock, not the sand. Talk to Jesus silently about that decision.

Jesus, help us build our houses on the rock by following you and your Word, not building them on the sand by choosing to follow other things.
In your name, amen.

Thanks for joining us for online Sunday School! See you next week!

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