SERMON ON THE MOUNT: JUDGING

We’re learning about the Sermon on the Mount. It’s Jesus’ most famous sermon! It’s called the Sermon on the Mount because he stood up on a hill—or mountain—to preach. Today we’re learning that Jesus preached about how God’s the judge…not us. 

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SUNDAY SCHOOL WORSHIP

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Jesus said that God’s the judge…not us. But it can be tempting to judge other people for not acting the way we would! We’re going to watch a video about a boy who gets to help make sure the rules at school are being followed…but adds a few of his own.

            • If you could add a rule to your school, what would you add?
        Let’s see what happens when Cody adds his rules to his school hallways.

What was wrong with Cody’s rules?
            • What did you think about Cody getting in trouble, too?
            • What does this video show about why God’s the judge…not us?
           God’s the judge…not us, because God makes the rules and he’s the only one who can keep them perfectly. Cody added a bunch of rules that made it impossible to avoid getting in trouble. Even he couldn’t keep his own rules! That can happen when we try to be the judge. So remember, let God be the judge!

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BIBLE LESSON

Have you ever been in a competition? Maybe a sports game, or a cookie baking contest, or a dog show? Competitions need judges to determine winners. But when it comes to living life, God’s the judge…not us. We can help others get better, but pointing fingers and picking out flaws in people isn’t God’s plan. Jesus talked about that in the Bible, which is God’s true message for us. Let’s find out what he said! 

Here's what you will need:

• hand mirror
• paper
• scissors
• tape
• wet paper towels or washcloths

A Trial:
Let’s start our Bible time with a mock trial. I want to tell you about Joey. As you hear what Joey has done wrong, you’ll get to decide what his punishment should be. So listen and decide what you think is fair.

• Yesterday Joey had a soccer game. He kicked the winning goal at the last second! However, he knew he stepped out of bounds when he was dribbling the ball down the field. But the ref didn’t notice, and Joey didn’t say anything because it would cost him the game! Joey thought it was better to cheat and win.
• Then Joey went home and had to write a book report. But he was tired from the soccer game! He found the book report his older sister wrote when she was in his grade, and he copied that.
• When it was time for bed, Joey pretended to fall asleep, then played games on his phone under the covers until midnight.
• Because he was up late, Joey overslept. When his mom asked why, he said he felt like he was sick, even though that was a lie.
• Because he said he was sick, Joey’s dad had to skip church and stay home with him.
• While his dad was outside washing the car, Joey sneaked into the kitchen and stole three cookies from the cookie jar…even though the house rule is no cookies except after dinner.
• When Joey does go to church or school, he’s always goofing off and talking over the teacher.
• Joey also picks on the smaller kids at school, calling them “shrimpies” and laughing at them.

           • So what do you think? What should Joey’s punishment be for all those things he has done wrong?
           

Thanks for your input! I think we should give Joey all the punishments you suggested. And by the way, you have a picture of Joey so you know exactly who we’re talking about.

            Pass around mirror so everyone can look at their own image.

        • What did you think when you saw the picture of “Joey” was actually you?
           
Joey cheated, disobeyed, lied to his parents, stole, disrespected his teachers, and said mean things to other people. But you’ve probably done most of those things, too, at least once! We all judged Joey for his actions…even though we’ve done a lot of the same kinds of things. Here’s what Jesus said about that.

            Matthew 7:1-2 -- Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

            • How would you like to be judged the same way you judged Joey?
           
God’s the judge…not us. That’s because God is the only one who’s perfect! We can point fingers at Joey all day…but when you point a finger, you have three pointing back at yourself. 
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The fact is, we’re not qualified to judge others because we need judgment, too.
 
Wipe Arms and Feet
            Have family members cut 3-inch tall strips of paper to be “logs.” Then have everyone tape the strips in front of their eyes by putting a piece of tape on the top of the strip and their forehead, and two pieces to secure the bottom to each cheek. People should barely be able to see through a slit in the bottom.
           
 Sometimes we say that we’re pointing out the wrong things people do because we want to help them. So now you’re all ready to help your family clean up! Everyone grab a wet paper towel or washcloth. Try to scrub each other’s arms and feet without removing the log from your eyes. No scrubbing yourself—just try to clean up your family’s arms and feet. 

             • How well did you clean your family?
            • What would’ve made it easier to help your family?
         
 God’s the judge…not us. That doesn’t mean we can’t help our friends when they’re doing something wrong, if our hearts are truly focused on helping them. But we need to be more concerned about God working on our hearts. Your top priority when it comes to pointing out sin is letting God point it out in you. Listen to what Jesus said.

            Read Matthew 7:3-5 -- And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

           
Sometimes we focus on something small in someone else’s life, when there’s a big problem or sin in our own lives. So let’s focus on letting God judge our hearts. Spend a couple of minutes asking God to show you something in your life that he wants to work on. When he has shown you a few things, take the “log” off your eyes and write or draw on it what God told you. If you need help getting started with your prayer, you can ask God to show you if you have been disrespectful, have said mean words, have a short temper, or struggle with being too proud.
            Allow time for silent prayer. When everyone has removed their logs and written on them, continue.
          
​Let’s give our logs to God and ask him to deal with those issues in our lives. ​

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PRAYER

God, thank you that you’re the judge…not us. Help us deal with the sin in our own lives instead of judging other people. We give you these issues so you can start to clean up our hearts. Thank you for forgiving all the wrong things we do. Help us see other people through your loving eyes. 
​In Jesus’ name, amen.

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