Palm Sunday | Sunday School Lesson

Palm Sunday is often overlooked by many Sunday school teachers. Yet, it is the story that leads to the cross and needs to be told. It's not only an amazing story, it contains miracles and every kid and kid-at-heart loves miracles.

Focus on the miracles and some 'over turned' tables of the Palm Sunday story for the Sunday school lesson below.

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'Palm Sunday' Sunday School Lesson

Begin the class by asking, "Does anyone know what day it is today?"

Many churches have their annual egg hunt on Palm Sunday, so you may get answers like: egg hunt, Sunday, someone's birthday and even Easter (you may even hear Christmas from smaller children - it's true).

Start your lesson by telling the kids the importance of Palm Sunday. It is the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the day that began his journey to the cross.

Here is the story...

One week before Jesus died on the cross, he made his way to Jerusalem. Just outside the city, Jesus and his disciples stopped. He turned to two of his disciples and said, "Go into the village. Inside, you will find a donkey. Untie him and bring him to me."

Jesus also told the disciples that if anyone asked what they were doing or why they were taking the donkey to tell them 'the Lord needs him, but will send him back soon'.

The disciples walked into the city and found the donkey as Jesus had told them. Just as they untied him, the owner saw them and asked what they were doing. The disciples answered like Jesus had told them to and the owner allowed them to take the donkey.



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Miracle Number One - This is the first miracle. God had already prepared the donkey for Jesus to ride. He also prepared the owners heart to allow the disciples to take him.

When the disciples brought the donkey back to Jesus, they laid their robes over the donkey's back to give Jesus a nice soft place to ride.

Miracle Number Two - This donkey had never been ridden. Think about this for a minute - donkey's react like horses do. They buck and kick the first time someone gets on their back, but not this donkey. (Luke 19:30 KJV)

Jesus entered into Jerusalem riding on the donkey's back. As he entered, the people spread their garments in the road for him to ride over while others cut palm branches from trees and laid them down.

The people began to cry out, "Hosanna, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."

Hosanna is a sign of praise and means 'save'.

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When Jesus made it to the temple, he saw people inside selling items. The temple was like a church and should have been holy. The people should not have been buying, selling, and trading inside.

Then, Jesus began to drive them out. He overturned their tables and their seats and made them leave. The bible tells us that one of the things they were selling were doves.

After Jesus cleansed the temple, he healed blind and the lame. Even the children cried out, "Hosanna, Hosanna!", for even they knew to praise God.

Jesus love each and every one of us and we should love him back. He doesn't make us love him, but because of his amazing love for us, it is hard not to.

 

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10 Commandments - Sunday School Lessons Part Two

Here is the second part of our 10 Commandments Sunday School lessons. If you didn't read the first part of the lesson, go to 10 Commandments part one now.

For those who are ready for the second part of the Sunday School lesson, keep reading.

Sunday School Lessons - 10 Commandments
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10 Commandments

** Have the kids move under the number five.

 

Commandment Number Five:

 

Honor thy father and mother.

 

Honor means more than just to mind and do what your parents say. It also means to love and respect them. Let the kids think about this for a minute. In today's world, it is hard to teach respect to children as many children do not know or are not taught what the meaning of respect truly is. Teach the kids that respecting God's property (the church and the church grounds) means we are to keep it clean, not stand on pews, no running, wiping shoes before entering the church, cleaning up our messes, and so on.

 

NOTE: Some children have abusive parents/guardians. If this is the case in your class, be sure to elaborate on the fact that if parents are asking kids to do something wrong or anything that goes against God, then they need to look to their heavenly father for guidance. He will bless them for doing what is right in cases such as these.

 

 

** Have kids move to stand under the number six.

 

Commandment Number Six:

 

Thou shalt not kill.

 

Most kids will understand this one without elaborating on it.

 

 

** Have kids stand under the number seven.

 

Commandment Number Seven:

 

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

 

Committing adultery is more than just a husband or wife not being faithful in marriage. It also means that you shouldn't lust after another person because in doing so you have committed adultery in your heart. (Matthew 5:28 KJV)

 

This is a good time to say, "If you are married, you are not to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend too. You are to have the one husband or wife that you chose to marry - that's it."

 

** Have the kids move to stand under the number eight.

Commandment Number Eight:

Thou shalt not steal.

Stealing doesn't have to mean something big. It could be as small as someone's special rock, an eraser, a pencil, a crayon, or even a juice box. Just because someone isn't using the item or hasn't used it in days, doesn't mean it is alright to take it.

Also, you should never take anything with the thought, "I'll give it back when I'm done." Many times, we forget to give it back and find it in our pocket or backpack later. Always ask before borrowing anything that way you won't 'accidentally' steal it.


** Have the kids move under the number nine.

Commandment Number Nine:

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour (or for younger kids - Do not lie.)

Plain and simple - NEVER tell a lie. It is better to tell the truth and get into trouble than to lie and go against God.


** Have the kids stand under the number ten.

Commandment Number Ten:

Do not be jealous of what others have.

This is a simple way to put commandment number 10. You can find the exact wording in Exodus 20:17 KJV.

Being jealous of the things other people have is a big no-no. We often find ourselves wanting the latest toy or phone that a friend has, but God gives us what we need. Jealousy can make us do things we normally wouldn't do including lying to get what we want or even stealing.

Never be jealous of what others have. We should pray that God will give us what we need instead.

To read more about the 10 Commandments visit our website Christian Magazine Today.

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10 Commandments - Sunday School Lessons Part One

Just standing in front of your Sunday School class talking about the 10 Commandments may be fine for older kids or adults, but for younger kids, you'll have to be a bit more creative.

Sunday School Lessons - 10 Commandments
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For this Sunday School lesson, we're going to be more interactive with the kids to get them moving and learning at the same time.

 

Before class starts, write the numbers 1-10 on several sheets of paper. The paper only needs to be big enough for the kids to see well - about 3" x 3" or so works great. You'll also need tape to hang them on the wall or you can just lay them down on seats or the floor. You'll see what I mean in a minute. We've played this both ways and both way are fun and the kids learn fast!

If you want to get straight to this part of the Sunday School lesson, skip down the page to the heading "Interactive Part of the Sunday School Lesson".

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10 Commandments Sunday School Lessons

For smaller kids, you may want to break this lesson about the 10 Commandments into two lessons as it can be hard for them to learn all ten at the same time. The whole lesson follows:

You may want to begin the class by taking prayer requests. Often kids will ask prayer for other kids at school. Sometimes you may be able to use those prayer requests as examples. For instance, in our Sunday School class, kids will ask prayer for a child at school who often lies or takes other kids pencils or erasers.

Both are good examples of two commandments (lying and stealing).

If no child brings these things up, you can begin with asking the questions, "Have you ever told a lie?" or "Have you ever took something that didn't belong to you?" or "Do you know someone who does these things?"

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Lesson:

Did you know that God has given us 10 Commandments we are to live by? A commandment is a rule that God expects us to follow.

Do you know any of the 10 Commandments? Wait for kids to answer, then continue.

How many of you know who Moses was? He was the baby that his mother put inside the basket in the river to keep him safe. (If you've not told the story of Moses yet, just skip this part). When Moses grew up, God gave him a special job to do. His job was to lead God's people to a new land. Along the way, God gave Moses the 10 Commandments on top of a mountain. The mountain was called Mount Sinai.

We can find the 10 Commandments in the bible in the book of Exodus chapter 20. Let's turn there now. Wait for kids to turn to this chapter in their bibles. If children are too little, just turn to the page in your bible and let the kids see.

You can either read the verses word for word, or follow along with the interactive lesson below.

 

Interactive Part of the Sunday School Lesson

Remember the part above where you were to write down the numbers 1-10 on a piece of paper and hang them on the wall or lay them on the floor? This is where they come into the story.

** Have the kids stand under the number one while you read the first commandment:

Commandment Number One:

Thou shalt have no other God's before me.

This means that there is only one God - the one true God. We are to put him first above anything else.

** Let the kids move under the number two.

Commandment Number Two:



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Worship God only.

This means you are not to make an idol out of wood, god, metal, or anything else and bow down to it. God is the only God who is real. No idol that is made by a person can help you can it? The walls are made of wood, can it answer your prayers? No. Someone made earrings and necklaces out of gold. Can they help you? Of course not!  

** Let the kids move to stand under the number three.

Commandment Number Three:

Do not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain (or, for smaller kids - Keep the Lord's name special).

This means we are only to use the name of the Lord God or Jesus Christ in a nice way. We can use it to tell people about him, or we can read about him, or we can talk to him, but we are NEVER EVER suppose to use his name carelessly.

For example, we are not to say, "Oh my, G _ _." When we use God's name in this manner, we are misusing it and breaking commandment number three.


** Have the kids move to stand under the number four.

Commandment Number Four:

Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy (or, for smaller kids - Keep the Lord's day special).

The bible tells us that we are to rest on the sabbath day. The sabbath day is the Lord's day, the day we take time to worship God, normally Sunday.

>>>Click here to read the second part of this Sunday School Lesson >>>

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Attributes of God | Get Organized | Sunday School Lessons

Attributes of God are something people look for often. Sometimes people want to know just how great He really is while others want to become more like Him. Me - I want to become more like Him.

Get Organized! Sunday School Lesson
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Known fact - I am horrible at getting organized. I get off to a good start, then before I know it, I have started something else and have left the organizing behind. Are you like that?

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It's true - one of the hardest things for people to do is to get organized. Of course, some people have that natural instinct (I wish you could buy natural instincts. Oh, well). Since buying the natural instinct to get organized is out of the question, we'll just have to look at the attributes of God to see just how getting organized is important to Him and how we can become more like Him.

Attributes of God Sunday School Lesson

 

Today we're going to learn about one of the attributes of God. Does anyone know what an attribute is or what they think it might be?

 

An attribute means a quality or characteristic someone has.

 

For example, if you say that someone has good attributes, you are saying someone has good qualities or characteristics about them.

 

One of God's attributes is he is organized. I bet your wondering how we know that God is organized.

Well, we can look at many things in the bible that tells us how He is organized. Take the books of the bible, for instance. Each book is perfect. Each book is written so that the words work together with other books of the bible.
 

How Jesus is Organized

 

One bible story that helps us understand God's attribute of organization is Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand. Do you know that story? If the kids do not know the story of Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand you can touch on it just a bit. You can find this bible story in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. To get all the details of the entire story, you'll need to read it in all four books.
 

In the book of Mark, verse 39 and 40 we read this:
 

39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.
 

40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
 

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Why didn't Jesus just tell everyone to sit down? Why was it important for the those people to sit down in groups?
 

Because He is organized.
 

The people sitting down in groups of 100 and in groups of 50 allowed the disciples to distribute the food easily. It also allow the disciples to gather the left over food quickly. In every word of the bible and in every lesson of the bible we can pick up on amazing things God tries to teach us. Nothing in the bible is useless. Everything is important.
 

What does this one attribute of God tell us? We need to get organized.
 

If organization wasn't important, He would have left this part out of the bible. But, he didn't.
 

Imagine if you went to school and the teacher let all the kids in your classroom sit wherever they wanted, go to lunch whenever they wanted, and talk whenever they wanted. The teacher wouldn't get anything done during the day much less teach the class what they needed to know.
 

Being organized helps keep the day running smooth, it helps keep chaos down, it helps us to learn order and respect. Without being organized, life would be crazy.
 

How many of you keep your homework where it should be? Does mommy or daddy gather it up for you every morning or do you take care of it yourself? How about your room? Is it neat, tidy, and organized?
 

Organizing Our Christian Life

 

Did you know that we need to organize our Christian life too?
 

We should have a time everyday that we read our bible. Some kids may be too young to read the bible by themselves, so say, 'a time of day when mommy, daddy, or sissy, reads the bible to you'.
 

Remember, while bible story books are great, children need to be introduced to God's word early in life. They may not understand what they hear or read completely, but God will open up His word to them when the time is right. They need to keep reading just as we as Sunday School teachers need to read the verses aloud for the kids to hear.
 

Always use the King James Version of the bible. Just because a bible has be written so that kids can understand better, it doesn't mean you should use it. God wrote His words the way He wanted them to be written and to be read. We should NOT try to change it.
 

We should always put God first. Not just say, 'I put God first'. We need to actually do it!
 

As Sunday School teachers, we need to study the attributes of God, get organized, and become more Christ-like every day!
 

May God bless you on your journey of teaching Sunday School.

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Romans 12: Feed Your Enemy | Sunday School Lessons

Sunday School Lessons can be taught through bible verses that help children prepare for everyday life. The bible isn't just filled with wonderful stories, miracles, and history. It's filled with help for our daily lives.

It teaches us how we should live, how we should act, and how we should treat others. Today's Sunday School lesson comes from Romans 12:19-21 (KJV).

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Feed Your Enemy

The last three verses of Romans 12 can teach us many things. First, begin by reading the verses or let the kids take turns reading them. Here they are for your reference right now.

¹⁹ Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

²⁰ Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

²¹ Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

After reading these verses, ask the kids, 'Have you ever gotten so angry that you did something you shouldn't?'

Give the kids time to answer. Sometimes when you hear an answer that you've not thought of it can lead you to explain things in a way that will help the kids understand better.

Once the kids have finished, talk about the first verse you read (verse 19). It says, ...avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

If needed, you can re-read the verse for older kids or just jump right in for younger kids.

Feed Your Enemy Game

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Sunday School Lesson

Have you ever wanted to get back at someone who was mean to you? I'm sure we all have. Maybe your sister or brother took your favorite toy. You may want to go into their room and take their favorite thing and hide it or even do something bad to it.

 

Or, maybe a kid at school is stole your favorite pencil. You may want to sneak into their desk and take their pencil or pen just to get them back.

 

Did you know that the bible tells us we are not suppose to do that? It says that we are not suppose to be mean to someone or do something to someone just because they did it to us first. The bible tells us that vengeance, or punishment (revenge), is left up to God.

 

When someone does something to us, we are to let God handle it. That doesn't mean if someone is hurting us or bullying us we shouldn't tell. We should tell a teacher or a parent because God has put them here to take care of us too.

 

We are to pray for that person and tell God what has happened, then we are to let God do His will with the situation.

 

So, what can we do besides pray and leave it it God's hands?

 

The bible tells us in verse 20...

 

²⁰ Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 

 

We are to be nice to that person. The bible says if that person is hungry we should feed them or if they are thirsty we should give them something to drink. We may not always be able to give the person being mean to us something to eat or drink, but we can be nice to them. God doesn't want us to act stuck-up or spiteful to anyone.

 

By showing kindness, God says it is like heaping coals of fire on his head. What does that mean?

 

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One thing it means is that if you are nice to that person they will begin to feel guilty for what they've done. This isn't always the case, though. Some kids are very mean and don't feel bad about anything they do. This is where praying for them and letting God handle it is important.

 

In the last verse, verse 21, it says...

 

²¹ Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

When things don't go our way, we shouldn't let anger and hate consume us. We are to let the good shine through even when it's tough. Getting angry, yelling, and screaming is human nature, but remember it's not what Jesus would do, is it?



This Little Light of Mine Song Lyrics

We should always think about what Jesus would do and try to act as much like Him as we can. Put a smile on your face and let the good shine through.

Have you ever heard of the song, 'This Little Light of Mine?'

We are to let God's light shine through all the time.

Take the time to sing This Little Light of Mine as a reminder of how we should act.

 

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Enoch: Walking with God | Sunday School Lessons

It's never too early to teach kids about 'walking with God'. Actually, the younger the better. When you think about walking with God, what do you think of? If we lived in bible times, we would probably think of God coming down to literally walk with us, but we aren't in bible times and that's not something that we've seen.

Sunday School Lesson: Enoch

I'm sure some of the answers that came to mind about walking with God were reading your bible, studying His word, praying, going to church, and telling others about Him.

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The one answer that comes to my mind when I think about walking with God is making God my best friend. Yes, I mean that in every sense of the word. We should not only read our bible, pray, and witness to others, but we need to work at making God our best friend.

We'll talk more on this in a minute.

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Sunday School Lesson: Enoch and Walking with God

The story of Enoch is found in Genesis 5:21-24 (KJV). The bible doesn't tell us much about Enoch, but what it does tell we can use for a great Sunday School lesson.

To begin Sunday School, talk about the first book of the bible - Genesis. Since the story of Enoch is found in Genesis, it is a great time to get kids/adults used to finding the books of the bible. Too many people are turning to online bibles and have no clue where to find them when using a printed copy.

For older kids, let them read along with you either quietly or aloud. Here are the verses:

²¹ And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:

²² And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:

²³ And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:

²⁴ And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

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In just four verses, two of them say, 'And Enoch walked with God'. Point this out as you begin the lesson. Read these two verses over again or have a child re-read them.

This lets us know that walking with God was the important part of Enoch's life. God doesn't tell us what he did for a living, what he wore, what he ate, or even his wife's name. God put this in the bible to teach us that we need to walk with Him.

Earlier I said we would talk about making God our best friend.

We need to strive for this as teachers and pass it along to our Sunday School class. Without guidance, kids won't know how to talk or to walk with God.

Tell the class:

To make God your best friend, think about all the things you do and say with your best friend here on earth. Maybe your best friend goes to school with you, maybe it's your cousin or even your mother, father, or sibling.

What do you talk to them about? Do you tell them about your day? Do you tell them you love them? Do you show them things you make? Do you want them to watch you play a sport?

These are the same things that will help us make God our best friend. We should tell Him what we've done during the day. Yes, it's true, God knows everything and He already knows what you've done, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't tell Him anyway. After all, isn't that something you would tell your best friend?

Remember, praying and talking with God can be quite different. Talking out loud or even by thinking in your mind what you want to tell God will start you on the right path to walking closer with Him. Don't be ashamed. I've seen grown men walk outside, look up to heaven and hold a conversation with God.

I never heard God answer them back, but those men seemed to be pleased with the conversation.

What can you do?

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When you are on your way to a baseball or soccer game, tell God - 'I'm getting ready to play my game. I want you to watch me. Can you help me do good and be nice to the other players? I really want to show them that you're with me.'

Of course, this is just an example, but by getting used to talking to Him, your walk with Him will begin to feel more comfortable and a lot more frequent. Soon, you'll find that you are walking with Him every second of every day.

The End of the Sunday School Lesson

The amazing thing about the story of Enoch is that God took him to heaven without dying! How did He do this? The bible doesn't tell us whether or not the angels came to get Enoch or God himself came down to earth to walk Enoch home to be with him.

What it does say is found in verse 24:

²⁴ And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

If you look down to verse 27,

²⁷ And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.

the last part says, 'and he died'. This is how God lets us know that a person died. He tells how old they were and lets us know they died. In Enoch's (and Elijah's) case, they did not die. Both went to heaven to be with the Lord with having to experience death.

If we are living and have Jesus in our hearts when the Lord comes back, we will get to go to heaven without dying! Isn't that wonderful? Actually, it would be amazing!

Extra! Extra!!

Sometimes coming up with new Sunday school lessons is hard. Or, maybe you've had a week that hasn't allowed you to study your lesson as much as you'd like. We have all been there even if we don't want to admit it. That's why having a book to follow sometimes helps.

This teacher's book is for ages 4-12. This is the same age kiddos that I have in my classroom and I know it can be difficult to keep the attention of all ages at the same time. Thankfully, this book helps with that problem.

If you want to find out more about what's in the book and if it is right for you, click on the book and it will take you to Amazon. You can read the reviews of others and see more about what is inside it's pages! 

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