Elementary // Hope Week 2

Memory Verse:
"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 (NLT)

Definition

Hope: Having confidence in God’s promises

Teaching Truth

The world offers us stuff, but God’s promises are better

Questions to Ask Your Child

READ LUKE 18:18-23 

1. What did the rich young ruler ask Jesus? (What did he have to do to get eternal life?)

2. What was the one thing Jesus told him to do that he didn’t want to do? (Give all his possessions to the poor) Why do you think hearing that made him so sad? What did that reveal about his heart? (He cared too much about his stuff)

READ LUKE 19:1-10 

1. Zacchaeus was rich according to the world’s standards but what was he missing? (He didn’t have a relationship with God) What did Zacchaeus do with his stuff after he met Jesus? (He gladly gave away his stuff and paid back those he had cheated four times the amount he took.)

2. Look at verse 9. What did Zacchaeus get that was better than his stuff? (Because of his faith in Jesus, he received salvation, rescue from the punishment, power, and presence of sin!)

3. Which of these two men understood the Gospel and what Jesus was trying to teach? (Zacchaeus) How did or didn’t it change each man’s heart and actions? (When the rich young man heard Jesus say he had to give away everything he was sad. However, Zacchaeus joyfully offered to give his stuff away.)

Activity

Play “Spot the Lie” as you drive around this week, focusing specifically on stuff vs. God. Whether it’s billboards, talking about movies or shows you’ve watched, or thinking about each of your destinations, where do you see the world trying to convince you that you should put your hope in stuff the world gives? What truth from God can you use to combat those lies?