God Loves Us No Matter What!

Host and Co-Host enter.

Host Welcome to the Lab! We’ve had a lot of fun discovering the truth about God’s love.

Co-Host And getting rid of some of the wrong thoughts we might have had about God and His love.

Host I have a question to begin today. What is something you would sit outside to watch no matter what the weather was like?

Co-Host You mean how fans will sit through rain or snow to watch a football game? What would you do? Even if there was a thunderstorm? Tornado? Sharknado?

Host You guys must really like those things to brave that kind of weather. We’re going to dig into the idea of “no matter what” today, but first, I wonder what Herman and Rusty are up to.

Co-Host Would you have let Rusty grab hold of Herman’s top-secret invention?

Host Me neither. (To the kids) If you were Herman, how would you respond to that?

Co-Host Let’s do a little audience poll and see what you think.

Host We’re going to give you a list of disastrous things a friend might do. You have to decide whether you would keep the friend or dump the friend. Give a thumbs up to keep or make an “x” with your arms to dump the friend.

Co-Host Do you ever wonder if we could do something bad enough to cause God to stop loving us?

Host Let’s turn to the Big Point for the answer. We will ask our assistants to help us reveal it.

Co-Host We need you to help us count down from three, and then you can read the Big Point.

Co-Host Let’s all say it together, God Loves Us No Matter What! No matter what?

Host Yep, we can be sure that God will always, always love us.

Co-Host I hope Herman has the same philosophy. Let’s see what happens.

Host Ethel and Rusty messed up again. Do you think that’s the end of their friendship with Herman?

Co-Host You think he might still forgive them? They’ve messed up twice now.

Host Is it ever hard for you to believe the Big Point,

Host God Loves Us No Matter What?

Co-Host Yeah, sometimes. I hear that, but it just doesn’t seem possible.

Host We didn’t make up that Big Point. It comes straight out of the Bible.

Co-Host I see where you’re going with this. It’s time to check out the Big Verse. Let’s choose a lab assistant to come up here and help us reveal it.

Host Help us as we count down from three, and then you can read the verse.

Co-Host Wait a second. I thought we learned in here that sin separates us from God.

Host That’s true. Let’s bring up a second assistant to help us explain the verse. (Bring up second assistant) You (assistant 1) will represent us, and you (assistant 2) will represent God. Just don’t get a big head about it. Our sin has pushed us away from God.

Co-Host I’ll take you all the way over here. (Move the kids apart) See, they’re separated.

Host True, but God hasn’t stopped loving them.

Have the kid representing God hold one end of the rope, and have the other kid hold the other end. (The rope has a heart attached in the middle)

Host No matter how far we push God away, He still loves us. That’s how Jesus was able to die for us while we were still far away from Him. God never stops loving.

Co-Host That makes me feel a lot better to know that God loves me, even if I make two mistakes.

Host He still loves you even if you make a hundred mistakes. I hope you won’t, but you’d still be loved. And knowing you’re loved that much makes you want to honor and worship God with your whole life. I think now would be a great time to worship Jesus.

Sometimes our minds get filled with negative words. The more they roll around in our brains, the more we believe them. That’s why God wants you to fill your heart and mind with good and true words, His words in the Bible. Let’s take a moment to meditate on our Big Verse. At your seat, quietly repeat the Big Verse after me. We’ll repeat it a couple of times, and then I’ll show you how to use that verse as a prayer. Romans 8:39, “Nothing at all can ever separate me from God’s love.” (Repeat 2x) Now I’ll pray the verse.

Co-Host I can’t believe that Herman forgave them a second time.

Host I’m still amazed that God forgives us after so many of our mess ups. That’s just shows you how amazing God is. Let’s say the Big Point again,

Host God Loves Us No Matter What!

Co-Host Herman mentioned that we could gather our families to ask a question for the Big Do this week.

Host That’s right. Have each person discuss a time that God forgave them. The Bible says in the book of Micah that God casts our sins away into the deepest sea.

Co-Host In Psalms it says He removes our sins as far as the east from the west. We could play a game where we have to see how far away we can toss something.

Host We have these paper airplanes that represent wrong choices. We’re going to bring up different lab assistants to see who can toss one the farthest.

(Allow several kids to fly the planes.)

Co-Host I’m glad that, even when I mess up, I don’t have to wonder if God still loves me.

Host God prefers for us to make the right choices. But if you don’t, go to God, let Him know you’re sorry, and remember that He still loves you. That’s the Big Point,

Host God Loves Us No Matter What! We’re going to take a moment to gather with our small groups and discuss today’s lesson.

1. How would you have reacted if Ethel and Rusty had broken something valuable to you? Has something like that happened to you before?
2. How do you think the woman felt as she stood there staring at the crowd and Jesus? Have you ever wondered if God still loved you? How do we know He does?
3. What did Herman tell us to do with our families in the Big Do? Have each person discuss a time that God forgave them.

1. Our Big Point says God Loves Us _____! a. No Matter What

b. When We Do Good 2. Who was supposed to watch Herman’s top-secret invention? a. Ethel b. Hannah 3. True/False: The woman brought to Jesus had done nothing wrong. a. True b. False 4. What did the guys who brought the woman to Jesus want to do? a. Punish her b. Let her go 5. How many times did Ethel mess up while watching Herman’s box? a. 1 b. 2 6. Complete the Big Verse: Romans 8:39 (NIrV), “_______ at all can ever separate us from God’s love.” a. Nothing b. Many things 7. What did the religious teachers do? a. Threw rocks at the woman b. Left her alone 8. True/False: God loved us even before we ever made a good choice. a. True b. False 9. How does it make a difference to remember that God never stops loving us? 10. What challenge did Herman give us as this week’s Big Do? Have each person discuss a time that God forgave them.