The Rich Ruler; Zacchaeus
Wednesday, February 13th & Sunday, February 17th
Key Passages: Luke 18:18-27, 19:1-10
Basic Truth: God knows our hearts
Memory Verse: The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7b
Think About it:
In a land where the name of
their god is “Money”, the goal of life is to get as much money as possible;
doing that wins the favor of the Money god and his followers. Loyal citizens of
that land use every circumstance and every person to get more money. The life
theme there is “Love money - use people”.
But the citizens of a
different kingdom love the Creator God because He first loved them, and He
loves people through them. Folks
there think of whatever money they may have as being on loan from their God for
use in sharing His love. The
financial theme there is “Love God - use money for His glory”.
Of which kingdom are we
citizens? We cannot be loyal to
both. “No one
can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he
will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and
Money.” (Matthew 6:24).
Ask It:
All Levels
Q: What does the Bible mean by "heart"?
A: My heart is the center of who I am; the inner self that controls my thinking, feelings and choices.
Grade 1-2
Q: Why does God look at our hearts?
A: God looks at our hearts to see if we love something else more than we love Him. There's nothing more precious than Jesus because He gives us eternal life.
Q: Why would the rich ruler not receive eternal life?
A: While the man's behavior seemed good, Jesus knew that in his heart he loved something else more than he loved God (his money). He wasn't willing to give away his money because it was precious to him.
Q: What happened when Zacchaeus realized how much Jesus loved him? Why would he do that?
A: Read verse 8. His money was precious to him, but he loved God more!
Grade 3-4
Q: What does God See when He searches a heart?
A: Thoughts and motives (1 Chronicles 28:9b)
Q: Can you change your heart? Can you successfully tell your heart to always think kind thoughts?
A: No! Only God is able to change the condition of our hearts. He starts by showing us that we've sinned.
Q: Why does God reveal a sinful heart? Why does it matter if my heart is sinful?
A: God shows us our sin so we will repent and be forgiven. A sinful heart will separate us from God!
Grade 5-6
Q: How can we know what we really worship?
A: Our hearts were meant to worship, but we are inclined to worship things other than God. valuing something else more than we value God will cause us to make wrong choices.
Q: Why is God the only One who can search our hearts? If our hearts are so deceptive, how can we know what we really worship?
A: He's the only One who can see our hearts...He's the only One who will not be deceived. We can know what we worship by asking God to show us, and to listen to what he tells us! (Jeremiah 17:9-10a)
Q: Read 1 Timothy 6:17-18. What are some things God tells us to do and not to do?
A: We should be generous, share, hope in God- know that everything comes from God, do good. We shouldn't be arrogant or trust in riches.
Family Activities:
1) Make a "Valentine" for Jesus. Tell Him why you want to give Him your heart.
2) Read and discuss Mark 7:21-23 or Psalm 139: 24-25 or 1 Chronicles 28:9
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