The Ten Commandments
Theme: Obeying God’s Commandments
Scripture: Exodus 20:1-17
Get Ready: Click here to get your complete supply list for this lesson.
The Children’s Sermon:
You’ll Need:
● The 10 Commandments Coloring Page - two copies
● Crayons
Get Ready: Color one picture carefully, staying in the lines. Color outside the lines
on the other picture, making a colorful mess.
Do This:
SAY: Do you remember when you first started to learn how to color? If you were
like most children, you probably colored all over the page without staying in the
lines. I imagine that some of your pictures looked a lot like this. (Show kids the
messy picture.)
As you got older, your pictures probably looked more like this. (Show kids the neat
picture.) You began to stay in the lines and your color choices were much better
too.
These pictures remind me of the way some people live their lives. God gave us the
Ten Commandments to tell us the things that we should and should not do. (Show
the neat picture.) Some people don't pay any attention to these guidelines that God
has drawn for them. (Hold up the messy picture.) They just do whatever they want to
do; that’s called sin. Often their choices are not very good. They color outside the
lines. They think their life is beautiful, but when God looks at it, He sees that it’s just
a big mess.
(Hold up the neat picture.) There are other people who read the Bible and follow
God's rules. They try to stay within the guidelines that God has set. Oh, they may
still get outside the lines at times; getting outside the lines is called sin. That is
why we all need Jesus. None of us stay inside the lines 100% of the time.
Do you want your life to be like this one? (Hold up the neat picture.) Or do you want it
to look like this one? (Hold up the messy picture so you’re holding up both.)
God wants us to obey His Ten Commandments. The great news is we have a Savior
in Jesus who loves us even when our lives are messy. When we trust Him as Savior
He is our help and gives us strength to obey His laws. Let's ask God to help us obey
Him.
PRAY: Dear Lord, help us to remember that You set boundaries for us. Help us to
stay within those boundaries so that our lives will be pleasing to You. In Jesus’
name, amen.
“Staying Within the Lines” Video Lesson
You’ll Need:
● “Staying Within the Lines” video lesson
● Something to play the video
Do This:
Tell kids to be prepared to move a bit as they follow instructions in the video.
Show them the video.
ASK:
● Was it easy or hard to follow all the rules?
SAY: God’s rules are important for us to live our lives how He has planned. God’s
ways are best. But we can’t be perfect all the time. Aren’t you glad God forgives us
when we go outside His lines and He sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins once
and for all?
Commandment Snacks
You’ll Need:
● Unfrosted Pop Tarts (2 per child)
● Gel Icing
● Paper plates
● Napkins
Do This:
SAY: In today’s Bible lesson, we learn about obeying God’s commands. How many
commandments did God give Moses? (Allow kids to answer.) The first four
commandments are about our relationship with God. The last six commandments
are about our relationships with others. Today you get to make your own edible
commandment tablets. Let’s get started.
● Give each child a paper plate, a napkin, and two unfrosted Pop Tarts.
● Explain to the kids that they will use the gel icing to write “God” at the top of one
Pop Tart and number down 1-4 in the center of the Pop Tart.
● On the other Pop Tart, they will write “Others” at the top and number 5-10 down
the center.
● After they finish, let them enjoy the snack.
SAY: God gave us these rules to obey and live by, but remember not one of us is
perfect and can stay within the lines all the time. That’s why we need Jesus. He
came to pay the price for our sins because we are not perfect.
Line Prayers
You’ll Need:
● Masking tape
Do This:
Place a masking tape line down the middle of the classroom. Invite the kids to line up
on the right side of the line.
SAY: Today we’re going to pray and ask God to help us to live our lives within the
lines He has given. We will start on the right side of the line.
PRAY: God, thank You that You love us enough to give us rules. You know these
rules are for our best and You know all. You are Lord and we are not.
Invite kids to step over the line to the left side.
PRAY: God, we confess that we don’t always stay inside the lines. We choose to go
our way and that is sin.
SAY: Bow your heads and silently confess to God times you have sinned and
strayed outside the lines.
Give the kids plenty of quiet time to silently confess their sins and then invite them to
step back to the right side of the line.
PRAY: God thank You for loving us and forgiving us when we sin. Give us eyes to
see when we do stray outside the lines. Thank You for sending us Jesus to pay the
price for our sins. We want to live inside Your lines, so we ask for Your help. In
Jesus’ name, amen.
Complete Supply List:
● The 10 Commandments Coloring Page - two copies
● Crayons
● “Staying Within the Lines” video lesson
● Something to play the video
● Unfrosted Pop Tarts (2 per child)
● Gel Icing
● Paper plates
● Napkins
● Masking tape
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