READ ALL OR PARTS OF Matthew 23:1-36 FROM YOUR BIBLE OR WATCH THE BIBLE STORY VIDEO.

DISCUSSION: Look around where you are right NOW! Do you see anything that isn’t really what it appears to be – a fake version, or a representation of something else? (Maybe there is a plant that is fake, an animal figurine, or an eraser that looks like the Eiffel tower.)

STORY: Have you ever heard the phrase “putting lipstick on a pig”? It might sound like a rough job for a farmer, but it’s actually a way of describing the useless things people do to make something look better than it really is. No amount of lipstick can make a dirty pig look pretty, and no amount of good deeds can make up for a heart that loves itself more than Jesus. The religious leaders said they loved God, but they failed to love others. They wanted people to praise them for how well they obeyed the laws, but they didn’t obey what Jesus said was the greatest commandment. Jesus said that anyone who followed these religious leaders was being lead further from God, not closer. Those who trust in Jesus receive a new heart with new desires. They desire to obey God for the right reasons: to honor Him and to share Him with others. Their love for God is shown through the ways they love others.

QUESTION: Do you know what integrity means?

ANSWER: It means to be honest – to be undivided. You don’t have different costumes you wear to prove or impress, but you are yourself (although God did make us very complex). To stick to what you’ve said.

QUESTION: Is it difficult or annoying when someone gets credit or praise for something we did; like scoring a goal, coming up with an idea, or doing a chore?

ANSWER: It definitely can be, because you did whatever that thing was.

QUESTION: Is it difficult to understand that God deserves all the praise?

ANSWER: It definitely can be. We don’t see God or his actions at least not like we see other people and the rest of the world. It can be easy to get caught up in our own abilities and the things around us.

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11

WORK ON MEMORIZING OUR SCRIPTURE VERSE!

God,

Help us to show our love for You by loving the people You have placed in our lives. Remind us of Your amazing love that was shown to us through Jesus. We want that love to overflow from our hearts so that we can love others as You love them.



AMEN