Children's Church: God's Commands: Jealousy

Opening

Thank you for coming!

God’s Commandments.

Not rules; street signs

We’re not jealous.

Good attitude.

Attitude Avenue

Share

Share about Brandon and Josh playing Pikmin and not allowing me to

Ask: When did a friend or sibling do something that you wanted to do?

Summarize

Open a Bible to Exodus 20

Jealousy = easy

But we’re not jealous.

Take a closer look in Bible to explore why.

We know everything in the Bible is true and is from God, so let’s take a moment to talk with God as we get started.

PRAY

Core Bible Discovery

God’s Commandments: Jealousy (Exodus 20:17; Genesis 37:1-11)

Tell about a time you felt like a teacher or parent was playing favorites.

When play favorites, natural reaction = jealous.

Exodus 20:17 NLT

17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

Covet = hard word

It means to be jealous.

This commandment = we’re not jealous.

Brothers, dad playing favorites

Act Out the Bible Story

Genesis 37:2–3 NLT

2 This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing. 3 Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.

Tear off colorful paper to form a “coat.” Put it around someone

Ask: What’s a cool gift that you’ve gotten from your parents?

Joseph’s brothers= not happy

We’re not jealous, but can understand why

Genesis 37:4 NLT

4 But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.

Joseph has dream

Jealousy gets worse

Genesis 37:5–7 NLT

5 One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. 6 “Listen to this dream,” he said. 7 “We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!”

Have kids wave pool noodles, pretending they are grain.

Their jealousy = hatred

Genesis 37:8 NLT

8 His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.

Joseph = another dream

Genesis 37:9 NLT

9 Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!”

Give kids star stickers

God commands us not to be jealous,

But tough situation

The clear favorite

and God gave him these drams

They didn’t like that.

Genesis 37:10–11 ESV

10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

Be Grateful

Say: Negative commandment: what not to do

Ask: What are some words that are the opposite of jealousy?

Gratitude.

Grateful = not jealous

Ask: What could Joseph’s brothers have been grateful for in this story?

Joseph’s brothers = wealthy family

Close your eyes and think of a situation where you’ve been jealous.

Pause.

Now replay that situation, and think of all the things you could’ve been grateful for.

Call out your ideas as they come to you.

When focus on what others have, jealousy = natural

But when we focus on God’s blessings to us, we’re not jealous.

Instead, focused on being thankful .

Always something to be thankful for!

You’re each my favorite!

High five each kid

📷

Craft

Gratitude Jars

Talk About It

Tella bout some of the things you put in your jar.

Ask: Why are you thankful for those things?

Ask: How does it help you to focus on what you have instead of what others have?

There will always be people who have things we don’t have.

But we also have a lot of things other people don’t have!

Instead of comparing, we can be thankful that God gives us what we need.

That way, we’re not jealous.

Have kids take their gratitude jars home and have their families help them continue to add slips of paper to the jars until they’re full.

Life Application Wrap-Up

Thank You, God

Thank God

We’ve been learning that we’re not jealous and that we can be thankful instead.

Try exercise in thankfulness.

Have kids form pairs and take turns naming something they’re thankful for.

After each child names something, the partner will pray, thanking God for what he’s given the other person.

· Repeat until each child has named 5 to 10 things.

Wrap Up

When we see people with something we want, we’re not jealous.

Instead, thankful that God loves and cares for those people

Let’s ask for his help to do that.

PRAY

Thank kids for coming, and encourage them to come back ON WEDNESDAY