Discipline Is Good!

Co-Host Welcome to my new action sports YouTube channel. Light that hula hoop on fire! I’m headed to the roof.

(Co-Host turns to leave.)

Host What are you doing? This isn’t a YouTube film studio. This is the lab, where we learn truth from God’s Word.

Co-Host We’re totally going to do that. But first I’m going to climb on the roof of the church and jump through a flaming hula hoop.

(Co-Host turns to leave.)

Host Have you ever practiced this before? Wait, are you trying to be like Dude Perfect? I see the DP on his/her shirt.

Co-Host Sort of, but this is not Dude Perfect. The DP stands for “Dude/Dudette Pretty Good.” No one’s perfect. To answer your question, no I haven’t. The guys on Dude Perfect get it right all the time on the first try. As the clips play, I want you to cheer loudest for your favorite trick.

Host Those guys are definitely good at what they do, but they don’t get it right the first time. They try and fail and learn from it. That’s how they get good enough to nail the tough shots. The Dude Perfect guys admitted one trick shot took them two days to get down.

Co-Host What?! Ugh! That’s not fun. I just want to get it right all the time, on the first try.

Host Everyone gets it wrong at some point, but wise people listen and change direction. They learn and grow. That’s what we’re going to discover about a king in the Bible. Let’s stand to our feet. Turn to someone and tell them which trick was your favorite.

Host Do you think that Rusty, Ethel, and Sophia are overreacting?

Co-Host That’s usually how I react when I’m disciplined.

Host Have you guys ever reacted that way to your parents or teachers? Do you think that’s a helpful way to act?

Co-Host They’re right; it usually makes things worse.

Host Let’s check out our Big Point. I think it’s going to surprise a lot of you guys. Let’s choose an assistant to help us reveal it.

(Host and Co-Host choose a kid to volunteer.)

Co-Host After we count down from three, you can read the Big Point.

Co-Host Let’s all say it together, Discipline Is Good! Bleh! I can’t believe I just said that. Yuck! Why did you make such vile words come out of my mouth? I need to gargle with some chocolate milk to get the nasty taste to go away.

(Co-Host takes a drink of chocolate milk.)

Host It is good because discipline helps you become a better person.

(Host pushes the Co-Host)

Co-Host Hey! What did you do that for? That was kind of jerky.

Host Do you agree that wasn’t nice for me to push him/her? How do we know pushing isn’t kind?

Co-Host Well, obviously, I did it when I was little and found out that was wrong. (Pause) Wait, you tricked me!

Host That’s the value of discipline. It helps us grow and learn. Let’s change our view of discipline with a little game. I call it “Musical Timeout Chairs.”

(Choose kids to play the game.)

Co-Host What are these tiny chairs for?

Host They’re timeout chairs, and you’re not allowed to get out of a timeout chair early. When we play the music, you have to stand up, holding your chair, and walk around these X’s. When the music stops, sit your chair on the spot. The person who doesn’t get a spot is out.

Co-Host Way to go. Let’s see if the gang at the lab change how they view discipline.

Host Did Herman deserve to be treated like that by his lab mates? Was Herman being mean when he told them the things that needed to improve at the lab?

Co-Host Sometimes when I was a kid it felt like my parents or coaches were being mean to me. That feeling made me feel really bad about myself.

Host Have you guys ever felt bad about yourself when someone corrected you? If you made a wrong choice, like hurt someone or you were disrespectful, that in itself might make you feel sad. God wants you to know that you don’t have to stay that way.

Co-Host He wants us to learn and do things differently, right? I guess that’s why our Big Point is true,

Co-Host Discipline Is Good!

Host The Bible says in Hebrews 12:11 (NIrV), “No training seems pleasant at the time. In fact, it seems painful. But later on it produces a harvest of godliness and peace.”

Co-Host Discipline has a lot of benefits.

Host It does IF we listen to it. Let’s check out some scenarios in which a kid might be corrected. You tell us how it will benefit that kid later on. You also can share your own experience, if it’s happened to you.

Co-Host Correction and discipline can definitely pay off. Our Big Verse explains what you must do so that it will pay off. Let’s choose an assistant to help us.

(Host and Co-Host choose a kid to volunteer.)

Co-Host Once we count down from three, please read the verse.

Host Proverbs 19:20 (NIrV) says, “Listen to advice and accept correction. In the end, you will be counted among those who are wise.” Wise people listen to parents, coaches, and teachers. They don’t think, “I’m always right.” They learn.

Co-Host It’s most important that we receive correction from God. He will never steer us in the wrong direction.

Host Yep, wise people definitely listen to God. That’s the challenge a king faced in the Bible, and we’ll hear more about him in our Big Story. But first let’s stand to our feet and worship God.

Accepting correction is like admitting you can’t get it right every time by yourself. That’s exactly what God wants us to admit if we want to be a follower of Jesus. The first step is to admit we’ve made the wrong choices and ask Jesus for the help only He can give.

If you have never said, “Yes, I want Jesus to forgive me, be my best friend, and I will follow Him for the rest of my life,” then today is your day! I’d like everyone to close your eyes and bow your heads, so no one is distracted. If you have said, “Yes” to Jesus, give me a big thumbs up. Awesome! You can put your thumbs down. If you’ve never said, “Yes” to Jesus before, and you want to say, “Yes” to Him right now and ask Him to forgive you, raise your hand. We’re going to pray altogether. Those of you who are already friends and followers of Jesus can join in, too. Repeat after me, and let’s pray...

Dear God, I know everyone needs a Savior, and I know I can’t save myself. Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You died on the cross for my sins and God raised You from the dead.

Right now, I say You are my Lord, my Savior, and the One who forgives me. Thank You, Jesus, that You are my best friend, because I’ve said “Yes” to You. Amen

If you said “Yes” to Jesus for the first time today please talk to one of our adult volunteers before you leave this room. We are so proud of you and we want to help you take the next step.

Co-Host I think they would have avoided a lot of problems if they had just listened to Herman’s correction from the beginning.

Host That’s what David did when Nathan confronted him. He had messed up about as big as a person can mess up, but when God confronted David, David listened and changed. That’s a great example of what it looks like to follow our Big Point,

Host Discipline Is Good!

Co-Host That’s exactly what we can practice in this week’s Big Do.

Host Try something new you’ve never done before. You can write a story for the first time, attempt to fix something, learn a new skill, or try a new sport. Then ask someone to help you learn to do it better.

Co-Host Why don’t we try that now with our very own “Dude/Dudette’s Pretty Good” challenge? We’ve chosen two teams of competitors. You will try to knock down as many targets as you can in 60 seconds, and you will get triple points if you face away from the target and shoot over your shoulder. Each team will have a chance to play.

Host Great job to our winners! Let’s turn and connect with our small groups and talk about what we’ve learned.

• Have you ever reacted like Rusty, Ethel, or Sophia when someone disciplined you? Why? Was it the right choice?

• Do you think it was hard for Nathan to confront King David? Were you surprised to see how David reacted? How did King David’s response help him?

• How can you respond differently when you are corrected this year in school?

• What did Herman tell us to do with our families in the Big Do? Try something new you’ve never done before, then ask someone to help you learn to do it better.

• Our Big Point says Discipline Is ______! Bad Good

• When Herman offered correction, his team thought he was being _____. Helpful Mean

• How had King David dealt with his sin? Hid it Told others

• Who did God send to confront King David? Nathan Solomon

• What did David do after talking to Nathan? Kill the prophet Admitted what he did

• Proverbs 19:20 (NIrV), “Listen to advice and accept correction. In the end, you will be counted among those who are ______.” Foolish Wise

• Discipline always feels good. True False

• God disciplines you because He doesn’t like you. True False

• What happened to David after he admitted his sin? He was forgiven He was killed

• What challenge did Herman give us as this week’s Big Do? Try something new you’ve never done before, then ask someone to help you learn to do it better.