Stephen’s Sermon- Sunday January 17, 2021

Sunday January 17, 2021 (Vol 10, Unit 29, Session 2)

Welcome back! Or if you're new here, welcome! The following blog is here to be a tool for you to help your kids grow in their faith. Please feel free to use as much of it as you choose. You know your kids and are the best possible teacher for them. God has given you the power of the Holy Spirit to enable you to do more than you think possible (Eph 3:20).  

Parent Devotional: This week’s lesson is found in Acts 6-7.

Stephen was one of the seven men chosen to serve as leaders in the early church at Jerusalem. (See Acts 6:1-7.) God blessed Stephen and gave him power to do wonders and miracles like some of the apostles.

Some of the Jews accused Stephen of blasphemy and dragged him to the Sanhedrin, a group of Jewish leaders who acted as a legal counsel. Stephen addressed the group. He drew from the Jewish history, which the leaders of the Sanhedrin would have known well. But Stephen taught from the Old Testament things the Jewish leaders had likely never realized.

As Stephen preached, he showed how the Old Testament pointed to a coming Savior and how that Savior was Jesus. Stephen pointed out that the Jews’ ancestors had rejected God’s prophets. And they were just like their fathers; they rejected the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. Not only did they reject Jesus, they killed Him!

The Jewish leaders rushed at Stephen. As he faced his enemies, Stephen looked into heaven and saw God’s glory. Jesus was standing at God’s right hand. The Jews forced Stephen out of the city, and they stoned him.

Remind kids of Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:22: “You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Following Jesus will include difficulty and suffering. Jesus gives words of both warning and comfort: “Don’t be afraid” (Matt. 10:26).

Stephen was killed because he was a Christian. Jesus told His followers that they would be persecuted—hated, hurt, or even killed—for loving Him. (Mark 13:9-13; John 16:2) Jesus also said that those who suffer for Him would be blessed. (Matt. 5:11) Stephen was not afraid to die because he saw Jesus waiting for him in heaven. We can face suffering in this life because we know great joy is waiting for us in heaven.

As we begin to explore this week’s lesson, take a moment to remember the verse from Deuteronomy about teaching your children the scriptures. Deuteronomy 6:9 says: "You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Maybe you don't have time to sit and have an hour of Bible time all at once, or maybe your children are to young to sit for that long. Consider the key points of the lesson and ask God to give you opportunities to speak them into the hearts of your children throughout the week. Let the Bible become a part of your day to day. Be blessed this week my friends!  

Each week we include songs, activity pages, the bible lesson video, memory verses and possibly a craft or 2. We pray this will help you find ways to engage your kids spiritually. It is written in script form from the K-2nd grade lesson so you can read directly from it or change it up to suit your children. Take some time to look at and print the activity pages as well as the additional activities and information (found in the links at the bottom of the page) also to review the lesson so you can make adjustments as needed. I have included the Bible and Discussion questions along with a breakdown of the Gospel in the Older Kids Activities pages and loads of activities and crafts on the Preschool Extra Activity Pages. Once you are ready,go ahead and start with these songs if you'd like or pick some of your favorite worship songs and then jump right in! Have fun! And remember, this does not need to be done in one sitting! Feel free to break it up over the course of the week. Please contact me if you have any questions or suggestions. I'd love to hear from you!

So, let's get started. I like to begin each week with Blessings and Bummers. Tell me, what have you seen the Lord doing in your lives this week? What have your greatest blessings been? How about your biggest challenges? 

Parents share your blessings and bummers and encourage the kids to do the same. 

Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father God, Thank you. Thank you for providing for our needs. You are so good to us even though we don't deserve it! Thank you for continuing to bless us Lord. Thank you for being patient with us. Thank you for our friends as well as our families. Most importantly, we thank you always, but especially during the Christmas season, for sending Jesus to live a perfect life and die to pay for our sins. Thank you for raising Him from the dead and promising us life with you forever if we believe. Help us to appreciate all you do for us and to look to you in all that we do. In Jesus name, Amen. (please add to or customize prayer time to fit your family)

Praise the Lord for hearing our prayers! 

Prompt kids to tell stories about times they spoke in front of a group. Perhaps they had to make a presentation at school or had a speaking part in a church play.

Say • Speaking in front of others can feel a little scary to some. Today we will learn about a man whom God used to preach a message to religious leaders who hated the message of Jesus. How do you think they reacted? We’ll learn more soon.

Optional Session Starter Activity Pick one of two options, or do both, this is your party. These are found in the activity pages attached below.

As we get into the story, let’s remember our big picture question and answer. What is the church? The church is all Christians everywhere, who gather together in their communities to worship and serve God. That means that the church is people. Local churches are groups of believers who gather in their cities or neighborhoods, and the global church is all Christians all over the world. Individual believers make up one united church, and our goal is to glorify God, care for one another, and spread the good news to new people so the church will grow.

Last week we talked about the early church’s generosity toward one another and learned that Ananias and Sapphira lied about their gift to the church. When they died, fear of the Lord spread, and the church was stronger as a result. This week we will learn about another man who died. But his death was for a very different reason, and God used it for good in a very different way. Our story is called “Stephen’s Sermon.”

The men Stephen preached to needed Jesus to save them from their sin, but they did not want to believe the truth. They refused to accept that they needed a savior or that Jesus was the Savior God had promised. They hated the truth so much, they killed Stephen to try and keep people from hearing it. Even so, Stephen asked God to forgive them. 

Stephen preached about Jesus no matter what, even when it cost him his life. He cared more about giving lost people the opportunity to have faith in Jesus and be saved than he did about his own safety. Stephen’s death is a reminder of Jesus’ death. Jesus allowed the religious leaders and the Romans to crucify Him so that He could be the perfect sacrifice for sin, and the one way for us to be reunited with God. 

After Stephen was murdered, the believers living in Jerusalem began to scatter. They left their homes to escape persecution, but they carried their faith with them. They spread the gospel further than it had been before. God used Stephen’s death to strengthen and grow His church.

Stephen was killed because he was a Christian. Jesus told His followers that they would be persecuted—hated, hurt, or even killed—for loving Him. Jesus also said that those who suffer for Him would be blessed. We can face suffering in this life because Jesus suffered first. He died and then rose again, and He is waiting for us in heaven.

Bible Time! 

Distribute a Bible to each kid. Help them find Acts 6–7. Remind them that Acts is the only book in the History division of the New Testament. Ask kids if they know who wrote Acts. (Luke) Consider pointing out Jerusalem on the New Testament Israel Map. (H5)

 Ask the following questions. Lead the group to discuss:

What was Stephen accused of? (blasphemy, saying something untrue and dishonoring about God; Acts 6:11)

What did Stephen preach about? (Stephen used Israel’s history to explain Jesus is the Messiah; Acts 7:51-52)

What did the religious leaders do to Stephen as a result of his preaching about Jesus? (killed him, Acts 7:57-60)

Have you ever faced persecution for your faith? Guide kids to think about ways they may feel persecuted. Be sensitive to their experiences while taking care not to minimize the harsh persecution Christians face in other parts of the world.

How can we stand up boldly for Jesus in the face of persecution? Discuss the strength and power available to believers through the Holy Spirit. Remind kids that He can help us be bold in hard times. Encourage kids to trust God and have faith that He turns all things to good, even when we don’t see the good results.

What should we do if we are persecuted? Talk through what Stephen did. Help the kids see that Stephen did not fight his enemies, but instead asked God to forgive them for killing him. Remind kids that Jesus promised troubles and persecution would come. Encourage kids to pray for boldness in hard times, not just for things to get easier. 

Say •Stephen preached about Jesus no matter what. We may not face the same kind of persecution. But whatever we face, trusting God is the best option. We can pray for boldness in the face of persecution and that God will use our trials to bless His church.

(Read the verse together) 

Paul wrote these words to the church in Rome. He wanted them to know that, even though many different and diverse people make up the church, the church is united by Jesus. We are one body and Jesus is the head. He leads us, and without Him, the church would not exist. That’s why we worship and serve Him together.

Memory Verse Activity:

Instruct the kids to stand. Tell kids to stand on one leg and begin saying the key passage in unison. If anyone wobbles and puts their foot down, stop the group and start them over from the beginning. Challenge the kids to see how many times they can say the key passage while balancing on one leg.

Say • Surprisingly, it can be tough to do something as simple as balancing on one foot if you are occupying your brain with something like remembering something you have memorized. It doesn’t take much to make our bodies struggle to work together! Paul knew that was true about the body of Christ too, so he wrote our key passage to remind believers that they should be united as one in Jesus.

That's it for this week!

Let's pray:

Father God, we pray for the believers all over the world who face persecution because they follow You. We pray You would give them comfort and strength. Guide them as they work to tell others about You. You are worth any suffering we face in this life, and we look forward to the day we will be with You face-to-face. Amen.

Thanks for joining us! I hope to meet you here again next week!

Additional Activities and Information