I Will Value Jesus!

Welcome to Winter To The Max! We want to start your new year out with a bang. The best way to take this new year “to the max” is to be connected to Jesus. The more closely you follow Jesus, the more you know Jesus, and the more you live your life doing what Jesus says, the more your year will skyrocket to the max!

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Dropkick!

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What are you doing?

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This is a present I found behind the tree as I was taking it down. I guess I forgot one on Christmas day. Go long!

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You totally could have caught that. Not my fault.

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Isn’t that present important? Someone obviously meant to bless you with a gift.

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All presents are important. (Shakes the present) I wonder if someone got me pieces of glass as a present.

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Does it seem like our friend values this gift? No way. If you value something, you take care of it and treat it as something special. That’s what we’ll learn in our Big Point today.

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(Shakes it again) I’m worried now. How about we just check out today’s Big Point. Let’s bring up an assistant to help us reveal it.

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You are in charge as we count down from three, then read the Big Point.

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Let’s all say it together, I Will Value Jesus! Jesus and His kingdom are so valuable that we should make Jesus the most important person in our life. Nothing and no one should ever matter more to you than Jesus.

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What would you trade me for a “slightly used” present?

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Let’s say our Big Point again,

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I Will Value Jesus!

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You show who or what you value the most by who or what you make the most important in your life. Let’s say that your parents said you and your siblings were the most important people to them in whole entire world.

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But they spent most of their time shopping without you, playing golf without you, hanging out at friends’ houses without you, not listening to what you had to say and basically showed up for an hour or two on major holidays.

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Would you feel like you mattered to them? Why? (Allow for answers) They said it, but they didn’t show it.

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Let’s see what the Bible says about how to show Jesus that we value Him by looking at the Big Verse.

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Help us count down from three, and then read the verse.

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Matthew 6:33 (NIrV) says, “But put God’s kingdom first. Do what He wants you to do.” Another way to put it is, “Seek first God’s kingdom.” To value Jesus, you can’t let anything else distract you from getting to know Jesus, following Him and doing what He wants.

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Let’s test your ability to seek without getting distracted. In the Where’s Waldo books, you scan the pages to see if you can find Waldo in the middle of a big crowd. We’ve chosen a volunteer to play Waldo. (Bring out the kid in the Waldo costume)

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We’re going to blindfold you and have “Waldo” hide. You in the audience will stay seated right where you are. You can’t move from that spot, but I want everyone to raise your hands and wave them from side to side to see if you can distract our contestants. You will have 15 seconds to find “Waldo” and run to where he/she is.

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Finding Waldo in the middle of so many distractions was challenging. There are a lot of things that could distract you from following Jesus, but if He really is the most important person, you choose to ignore the others and make following Jesus your number one mission.

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Some people struggle with that. Let’s see what happened when a rich guy asked Jesus if he could join the group.

The rich young leader missed out on God’s kingdom because he believed that his money was more important than Jesus. His choice to walk away showed what he valued the most. I guess that’s really the question you have to think about today: What or who do you value the most? Is it Jesus or is it something else. That’s a tough question, but if your answer is anything other than Jesus, then you’re not doing what Jesus asks. The good news is that you can change your direction in an instant. You can make a different choice today. Take a moment to quietly talk to Jesus right where you sit. Tell Jesus that you want to value Him, let Jesus know you’re sorry if you haven’t, and ask Jesus for help making the wise choice to live your life following Him. (Pause) Now, I’ll pray for us all.

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The Bible says in Proverbs 3:9 (NIrV), “Honor the Lord with your wealth. Give Him the first share of all your crops.” Giving to God is a great way to show that you put Him first and that you value God’s Kingdom.

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As you begin this new year, what better way to take your winter “to the max” than to follow our Big Point,

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I Will Value Jesus!

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That’s not just a one-time decision. Each day, remind yourself to value Jesus the most and make the choices to show it.

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That brings us to this week’s Big Do.

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Search your kitchen for some delicious snacks. Then have each person in your family rank the three best snacks. See if your list matches everyone else’s list. Then enjoy the snacks and talk about why Jesus should always be number one.

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Let’s play a game of “This or That.” In this game we’re going to see what the majority of kids in this room prefer. If it’s number one, raise one arm. If it’s number two, raise two arms.

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A new year for a new you begins with following the Big Point. Let’s say it again,

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I Will Value Jesus! Let’s check out what fun activity we’re doing next week.

Small Group is optional as time allows. Gather the kids into small groups and discuss the following.

• What does it look like to value someone?

• Tell me about a time someone valued you. How did it make you feel?

• What question did the man in the story ask Jesus?

• Did he do what Jesus told him to do?

• What is one way that you can choose to value Jesus?

• What is our Big Do this week? Search your kitchen for some delicious snacks. Then have each person in your family rank the three best snacks. See if your list matches everyone else’s list. Then enjoy the snacks and talk about why Jesus should always be number one.

• Our Big Point says, I Will ______ Jesus!

  • Value

  • Like

• The young man in the Big Story was ______.

  • Poor

  • Rich

• The rich young man wanted to be part of God’s _______.

  • Kingdom

  • Army

• Jesus compared God’s Kingdom to what thing?

  • Prize

  • Treasure

• Jesus wanted the rich young man to become His follower.

  • True

  • False

• Matthew 6:33 (NIrV), “But put God’s kingdom ____. Do what He wants you to do.”

  • Near the top

  • First

• What are some things that people might put before Jesus?

• The young man did not become a follower Jesus.

  • True

  • False

• What is one way you can put God first in your life?

• What is this week’s Big Do? Search your kitchen for some delicious snacks. Then have each person in your family rank the three best snacks. See if your list matches everyone else’s list. Then enjoy the snacks and talk about why Jesus should always be number one.