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Something to think about before teaching:

God has made Jesus not only Lord over all, but also Judge of both the living and the dead. When the day of Judgment comes, Jesus will be the one to judge all mankind. Peter, in this speech, reminds the followers that they must warn the people that one day they will have to answer to Jesus, the Judge.

Kids will learn that Jesus is not a cruel judge, however, He is a fair judge. He will determine those who will spend eternity with Him not by favoritism, but whether they made the decision to give their lives to Him.

While teaching this lesson be careful to emphasize the hope we have in Jesus. Also, that we want others to have this same hope.

lesson two: judgeMain Point: Jesus, the Judge, will one day separate those who know Him from those who do not.

Bible Verse: And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. Acts 10:42

Bible Story: Gentiles hear the Good News, Acts 10:34-43; The Final Judgment Matthew 25: 31-33

constructing: putting together what God says about the name-Bible Story -Crazy Contraption Tales -Building the Contraption

testing: applying the name-The Invention Lab -Craft-Games-Bible Memory-Express Yourself -Snack-Building the Name Cards -Building Family Time

Each Lesson contains:

Planning: Gathering the information about the name-Minute to Build it Game-Dr. Greenberg, the Inventor-Discovering the Design-Memorizing the Plan

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Planning minute to build it game: the candy elevator PP

Supplies: 2 pencils, string, 3 candy-coated chocolate pieces

Place two pencils side by side and tie together at each end with string leaving a couple feet of string free.

Set the pencils down on a table and place 3 candies in the middle. Place each string over each ear of a contestant. The player must pull the strings-one with the right hand and the other with the left- bringing the pencils toward the mouth. At least one candy must be eaten within 60 seconds.

Dr. Greenberg, the inventor PP

Supplies: white board and markers or chalkboard and chalk, paper lunch bag with five junk type lunch items inside (chips, candy, soda pop, etc.)

Preparation: Draw a diagram on the board of a device that decides whether a food should be eaten. Start with a cake stand with one food item on it. The cake stand is placed on a conveyer belt and moved underneath an x-ray type device. The X-ray type device sends a picture to the computer. The computer, then, flashes YES or NO depending on what it has found. If it is no, the cake plate is moved by conveyer belt to a trash can and dumps the contents. If it is yes, the cake plate moves toward the person.

Dr. Greenberg arrives carrying his lunch bag.

Good morning (or evening)! So good to see you in my design area. I have been working on a crea-tion that could potentially revolutionize the way we eat food. It could change everything, I tell you! Everything!

(Places lunch bag down in an odd place.) You see I have been doing my best to eat better. To make good choices about what I am going to eat. To separate the good from the bad so to speak. But I get in such a hurry that I just don’t have time to think about it.

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Therefore, I have designed a contraption that will make the choice for me. Let me show you. You place a piece of food here (Points to the plate) and then it moves along until it gets to here (points to the x-ray type device). This machine is called my super duper food detector. It detects all the vitamins in the food. It is then sent to the computer where a choice will be made. Based on how much good food I have had to eat today, it will let me know if it is ok to eat the food I placed in the contraption. For instance, if I had two cookies at lunch it will probably say “no” to ice cream for supper. However, if I had an apple at lunch it may say “yes” to ice cream.

I wish I had the machine ready now. I had to throw a bunch of stuff in my bag for lunch and I have a feeling it may not be the best lunch for me to eat. Maybe you can help me with that. You can be my super duper food detector until my contraption is made.

(Stands looking puzzled as he looks around his office.) I don’t know what I did with my lunch. I’m sure it was here somewhere. Did anyone see my lunch? (Look until a child tells where the lunch is.)

Now, let’s see what I threw in here as I was headed out the door. You help me out and be the judge of whether I should eat this for lunch or not. (Show the items one by one asking the kids whether it should be eaten.)

Do you understand why I am in need of this contraption to help me?

I am going down to the cafeteria to get some lunch. Maybe I can find a nice turkey sandwich. Would that pass the super duper food detector?

discovering the design PP

Supplies: Box of design materials (Tinker toys, Legos, pipe cleaners, rubber bands, paper), picture of gavel, sign “Judge”

Each week our name of Jesus is going to have a symbol to help us remember the meaning of the name. Today’s name is Judge. We will have two teams try to guess what the symbol is.

(Choose two kids, one from each team. Show them the picture of the symbol in case they do not know what a gavel is. Instruct them to use the materials in the box to make a gavel. As they are creating the gavel, the teams can try to guess what they are making. The first team to guess wins.)

What do you think a gavel has to do with Jesus’ name, Judge? (Give the kids some opportunities to guess.)

A gavel is used by judges in court. When they make a decision, they bang the gavel down as a sign that they have spoken and made their final decision.

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Jesus, as Judge, will make a final decision one day about who will spend eternity with Him. He will separate those who know Him from those who do not. Jesus is not a mean judge, howev-er, He is fair. We can trust Him to make that decision based on the free gift that He has offered to us. Those who have decided to take the free gift and to follow Him, will spend eternity with Him.

Option: Display: Place the gavel in the display. Make sure to print out the name “Judge” from the file to label the gavel.

memorizing the plan PP

Read Acts 10:42 together:

And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

Let’s say the verse again with some motions to help us remember it.

And he commanded (Put out finger and shake up and down a few times.)Us to preach (Place hands around mouth as if talking loudly.) To the people (Sweep arm from right to left.)And to testify (Point to eyes and mouth.)That he is the one (Put out finger for number one.)Appointed by God (Point to sky.)To be judge (Hammer fist into hand like a gavel.)Of the living and the dead. (Put hand to one side palm up and other hand to the other side palm down.)

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investigatingbible story PP

Gentiles hear the Good News, Acts 10:34-43; The Final Judgment Matthew 25: 31-33

Supplies: Piece of paper, marker

Preparation: On the piece of paper write a big “7.2.” Recruit three kids to act out the parts of the judges.

Have you ever thought about how many different kinds of judges there are? Let’s look at some judges and hear what they say, then we will try to guess what kind of judge they are.

Judge #1: Guilty as charged. Ten years in prison. (Pretend to bang a gavel down on a table.)

Judge #2: (Holds up the 7.2 sign without saying anything.)

Judge #3: The song was good. Your voice is good. But I don’t know. It just didn’t seem to move me, you know. There just wasn’t any feeling behind it. So I have to say no.

What kind of judge was Judge #1? He was the judge of a court. He decides the sentence that people will get when found guilty. In some cases, he also decides who is guilty and who is in-nocent. There are lots of rules that help the judge decide what is best. However, when it comes to giving the sentence, the judge can make a decision based on his opinion.

Judge #2? This is a judge for a sporting event such as gymnastics or diving where there is a score. It could also be a dance competition. The judge has some rules they go by but some of the judging is their opinion.

Judge #3? This judge is for a song competition, for instance, on a television show. This judge really has no rules. He can show favoritism all he wants. It is all dependent on what he likes and what inspires him.

Do you think Jesus is the kind of Judge who makes decisions based on how much He likes you? Or on what He likes and does not like?

At one time people thought that Jesus was only a Savior for the Jews. Anyone who was not a Jew was called a Gentile. The Jewish people thought that the Gentiles were unclean and not a part of the plan. However, God showed Peter in a dream that this was not true.

After Peter had the dream, he told the people what he learned.

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“Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

This means that God is not going to show favoritism to you because you were born in a cer-tain country. It is not based on the country you come from or the situation you are born into. Anyone who follows Him is acceptable to God.

Peter explained to the people about Jesus and His life. Peter told them that Jesus had been baptized and was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then, Jesus traveled doing good and healing people. He was put to death, but on the third day he appeared again. People who witnessed Him alive, ate and drank with him.

Peter said, “And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ap-pointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.”

Peter told the people that everyone who believes in Jesus will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.

What does it mean to be the judge of the living and the dead? One day, there will be a Great Judgment Day. Matthew 25:31-33 tells us about it:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on his left.”

How do you think Jesus will judge? How will He separate those on his left and those on his right? By one thing. Not by how much he likes you. Or how talented you are. Not by what you deserve or do not deserve. Not by how nice you are. But by whether or not you made the deci-sion to believe in Him, to ask Him for forgiveness of your sins, and to trust Him with your life.

Jesus, as Judge, is a loving Judge but a fair one. One day Jesus, the Judge, will separate those who know Him from those who do not. Those who know Him will spend eternity with Him in heaven. We can make the choice to believe in Him and to trust Him with our lives. We do not have to be scared of Jesus as a judge but rather understand that He wants everyone to live with Him forever. However, to do so, we must be willing to ask Him for forgiveness of our sins and to believe in Him.

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Prayer PP

Give kids an opportunity to ask for forgiveness of sins.

crazy contraption tales: food contraptions PP

We are going to look at some crazy contraptions that were invented to help people with their food. You be the judge whether you think that these contraptions would be helpful or not.

The first one is for those meals that need to be cooled down a bit before eating. Why wait? Just use this contraption:

Fan blowing on the food PP

Do you have a hard time spreading butter on your toast? No more problems. Now we have a whole new meaning to stick butter:

Stick butter PP

Do you love to dip your cookies in milk? However, you find that your fingers get into the milk? We have an answer for that:

Oreo dippers PP

Now you be the judge. Give each contraption a thumbs up or a thumbs down. (Call out each inven-tion one by one making note of whether the majority liked it or not.)

When you judged each invention, it was based on your opinion. There was some favoritism involved. You might have even voted like the person next to you.

Is this the way Jesus will judge us? No, we do not have to worry about Him judging in a random way. He is a fair judge and has told us in His word how we will be judged. Those who have asked for forgiveness of their sins, believed in Him and followed Him will spend eternity with Him.

PP Our Bible verse says, “And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.” Acts 10:42

Let’s make the choice to not just believe in Him, but to also tell others about Him so they too can make the choice to follow Him.

building the contraption: moving the cereal PP

Supplies: pipe cleaners, drinking straws, paper clips, bowls, round oat cereal, square cereal

Divide the kids into groups. Give each group two bowls with one bowl half full of a mixture of the two kinds of cereal, a handful of pipe cleaners, drinking straws and paper clips.

Each group should work together to transfer five pieces of round cereal from one bowl to the other. The bowls should be placed on the ground. The kids may not touch the bowls or the content of the bowls. Only the supplies given may be used to build a contraption to transfer the cereal. The cereal must not touch the ground as it is being transferred.

Was it hard to separate the round cereal from the other kind of cereal?

Remember that Jesus, the Judge, will one day separate those who know Him from those who do not. Those who know Him will spend eternity with Him in heaven.

We want to not only be among those who spend eternity in Heaven with Him, but we also want to have others there with us. What can we do to tell others about Him so they will be ready to spend eternity with Him? (Give kids an opportunity to answer. If time permits, divide the kids into pairs and let them practice telling each other about Him.)

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debriefing the invention lab: cereal box prizeSupplies: Legos, empty cereal boxes, paper, markers, tape

It used to be that boxes of cereal had prizes in them. As you used up the cereal, the prize would eventually come out with the cereal you were pouring. Or if you were impatient, you might pour the cereal into a large bowl to find the prize, then put the cereal back in the box.

Today you have a choice of inventions to make. You can either design a new kind of cereal advertising a crazy contraption prize inside or you can make a crazy contraption that fits inside a cereal box.

The crazy contraption must somehow tell others about Jesus. It might be from a Bible story or it might show His love some way. When you get finished, explain why your crazy contrap-tion could show someone who got it in a cereal box something about Him.

Cereal Box: Cut the paper to fit on the front of the cereal box. Design the cover along with an advertisement for the contraption. Tape to the box. (If enough boxes are not available, just use the paper.)

Contraption:Place a box of Legos out for the kids to design. The more specialty parts available, the better (wheels, people, etc.).

craft: “jesus is” posterSupplies: cardstock, markers, crayons, old magazines, glue

To be able to tell others about Jesus, a child needs to be able to articulate who Jesus is. This project will help kids think about who Jesus is and be able to write in words or draw in pictures, making a collage.

Have the kids think for a bit about who Jesus is. What would they want to tell someone about Jesus? Write in large letters “JESUS IS” on their paper. Then have them write words or phrases to explain Jesus. Also, draw pictures of events from Jesus’ life or symbols that remind them of Jesus. They can cut pictures out of magazines and glue them on the paper. Make a collage using all or just one of the methods. When finished, have them practice telling each other about their poster.

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game: pick a categoryOne person is “it” and the caller. They pick a category of food. Then they pick three choices for the category. Each kid picks one in their mind. When “it” calls out one of the three choices, everyone who picked that choice runs to the other end of the room trying to avoid being tagged by “it.” Anyone tagged joins the “it” people and tries to tag during the next round.

For example:Category: Breakfast foodChoices: Oatmeal, eggs, cereal

Caller: Oatmeal

Everyone who chose oatmeal runs to the other side.

Another option: The caller can say “Everyone eat Breakfast food” and everyone runs to the other side.

Remind the kids that they were separated by their choice. One day, Jesus will separate those who know Him from those who do not. We have a choice whether we will choose to follow Him or not.

bible memoryAnd he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. Acts 10:42

Supplies: craft sticks, markers

Divide the kids into groups of 4-5. Give each group a handful of craft sticks. They write the Bible verse on the craft sticks, a couple words to each stick. When completed, trade with another group. Mix up the sticks and then place in order. Keep trading until everyone has put together each groups’ sticks.

express yourselfSupplies: Copy of questions for each small group

1. What kind of judge is Jesus? 2. How will Jesus judge people one day?3. Will some people be judged different than others based on favorites?4. How do we know if we will spend eternity with Jesus?5. Why is it important to tell others about Jesus?

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6. What are some ways that you can tell your friends about Him? Do you feel confident telling them or are you scared? 7. Take some time to practice telling each other about Him. The more you practice the easier it is to tell others outside your church about Him.

snack: gavelSupplies: Rice Krispie squares, craft sticks, melted dipping chocolate, sprinkles

Preparation: Place the craft sticks on the bottoms of the squares before they cool. These should look like gavels.

Melt the chocolate. Let the kids dip the “gavel” in the chocolate and roll in the sprinkles.

Review why the gavel is a symbol of the name Judge.

building the name cardsSupplies: printed card for each child, markers or crayons (optional)

Name: JudgeSymbol: Gavel

Verse: And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. Acts 10:42

Give each child the card. If using the coloring cards, use markers or crayons to decorate them. Go over the verse together and review the symbol.

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Supply List

minute to build it: ☐2 pencils ☐String ☐3 candy-coated chocolate pieces

Dr. Greenberg: ☐White board and markers or chalkboard and chalk ☐Paper lunch bag with five junk type lunch items inside

discovering the design: ☐Box of design materials ☐ Picture of gavel ☐Sign “Judge”

bible story: ☐Piece of paper ☐Marker

building the contraption: ☐Pipe cleaners ☐Drinking straws ☐Paper clips ☐Bowls ☐Round oat cereal ☐Square cereal

The Invention lab: ☐Legos ☐Empty cereal boxes ☐Paper ☐Markers ☐ Tape

craft: ☐Cardstock ☐Markers ☐Crayons ☐Old magazines ☐Glue

game: ☐None

bible memory: ☐Craft sticks ☐Markers

express yourself: ☐Copy of questions for each small group

snack: ☐Rice Krispie squares ☐Craft sticks ☐Melted dipping chocolate ☐Sprinkles

building the name cards: ☐Printed card for each child ☐Markers or crayons (optional)

Family Discussion:

1. What does it mean that Jesus is the Judge? Is He a mean judge, fair judge, loving judge?2. How will Jesus separate people at the final judgment? 3. Why is it important to tell others about Him?

Family Imaginative Thinking:

Gather light and dark socks. Roll them into balls. Turn off the lights or blindfold someone. Have them try to separate the socks into light and dark colors. Turn on the lights or take the blindfold off. Were they success-ful? Separate the socks now with the light on. Jesus will separate those who are walking in the light, in other words, following Him from those who are not.

Family Building Activity:

Using things found around the house build a contraption that will separate round objects (marbles, balls, uncooked peas, cereal) from rectangular ones (Legos, square shaped cereal). Have fun testing the contraption.

Crazy Contraptions: Building family time

Main Point: Jesus, the Judge, will one day separate those who know Him from those who do not.

Bible Verse: And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. Acts 10:42

Bible Story: Gentiles hear the Good News, Acts 10:34-43; The Final Judgment Matthew 25: 31-33

express yourself

1. What kind of judge is Jesus?

2. How will Jesus judge people one day?

3. Will some people be judged different than others based on favorites?

4. How do we know if we will spend eternity with Jesus?

5. Why is it important to tell others about Jesus?

6. What are some ways that you can tell your friends about Him? Do you feel confident telling them or are you scared?

7. Take some time to practice telling each other about Him. The more you practice the easier it is to tell others outside your church about Him.