Jailbreak

Chuck: (Chuck runs holding a large bag of gummy bears)

Leader: Hey Chuck! How’s it goin’ today, buddy?

Chuck: OOOOOOH I am doin’ GOOD!

Leader: What’s going on?

Chuck: My mom packed a snack for me today, and she usually does somethin’ weird like pickled oreos or dehydrated bologna, but TODAY she packed MYYYY FAVORITE!

Leader: What’d she give you? ANYTHING’S gotta be better than what you just mentioned.

Chuck: She got me GUMMY BEARS! (gets out two gummy bears and starts using them like puppets, doing their voices and everything) Oh, hello there Mr. Gummy Bear! Hello Mrs. Gummy Bear! Oh Look! A cave! Let’s check it out! (shoves both of the gummy bears into his mouth)

Leader: Wow, you must REALLY love gummy bears.

Chuck: They are the BEST. CANDY. EVER!! (holds up another one) Wanna know what I call this one?

Leader: Um..okay…what do you call that one?

Chuck: Delicious. (eats the gummy bear)

Leader: Those DO look really good, can I have one? (reaches for the bag)

Chuck: WHOAH!! (goes into a fighting pose and hisses at the Leader like an angry cat) BACK. OFF. BUCKO!

Leader: Chuck, what is your problem? All I wanted was a gummy bear!

Chuck: CORRECTION! You wanted one of MY gummy bears! They belong to ME!

Leader: Chuck you’re not usually like this! What’s wrong with you?

Chuck: I’m sorry, I just…I just love gummy bears so much! Whenever I have them I can’t let anyone else have them! It’s like…it’s like I can’t live without them! It’s like I’m stuck in a gummy bear prison! (holds up the bag of gummy bears to his face) Just look at them! Their squishy little faces….what do you WANT FROM ME???

Leader: Chuck it sounds to me like you’re in serious bondage!

Chuck: I don’t need a band-aid, I’m good, thanks.

Leader: NOT BAND-AID. I said BONDAGE.

Chuck: I appreciate the compliment but I look NOTHING like James Bond.

Leader: Noooo! BONDAGE! It’s when you feel stuck, like you’re in a prison and can’t do anything to get out! It doesn’t have to be an actual JAIL, but sometimes our sin can make us feel trapped, kind of like Peter in our story today!

Chuck: Are you telling me that giant gummy bears kidnapped Peter?

Leader: No. Pete was actually in jail, and he felt trapped! BUT, he prayed for God’s help, and something AMAZING happened! I can’t give it all away just yet, but what I CAN tell you is that if you don’t want to be in bondage anymore, you have to PRAY, OBEY what God tells you, and NEVER LOOK BACK!

Chuck: Okay….I’ll try it…(bows his head) Dear Lord…please save me from these tiny multi-colored critters of gummy goodness…AMEN. (looks up and tosses the bag over his shoulder across the stage and begins to walk backwards towards the stage exit)

Leader: Chuck, what are you doing?

Chuck: I’M NOT LOOKIN’ BACK! I’ll see you later boys and girls! I'm Chuck Foo! KICK IT!

Have you ever had a habit that you just couldn’t break? Maybe you had a bad habit of lying, stealing, cheating, talking back to your parents, or maybe even using bad language. We have all had situations and habits in our lives that seemed to be impossible to break. It’s almost like we were in a prison of sinful habits and couldn’t break free.

God doesn’t want us to have to live like this. God doesn’t want us to live in a prison of sin. He wants us to live FREE. Today, we are going to look at a time when Peter needed to be free—of a REAL prison. We are going to learn some very important lessons about how each one of us should respond when we find ourselves in a prison of sin.

Peter was placed in prison simply for preaching about Jesus.

He had been shackled and placed between two guards. Even if he wanted to try to get away, there was no way he could escape without dragging these two prison guards along. It seemed like a hopeless situation. But, on the other side of town, there was a group of Christians meeting together in a house. They were praying for God to deliver Peter.

Prayer is powerful. When we find ourselves in a prison that we can’t break free from, the first thing we must do is…

There is power in prayer. Peter knows this is true. Peter is in prison, but the church is praying. Facing death, he had prayer support from the church – they were praying for him to be set free. They knew what could happen and they were joining together to pray for Peter.

You need prayer. I need prayer. We all need prayer. You will not get out of this prison without help from people praying. When you find yourself in a prison that you can’t break free from, ask your pastor, your parents, and Christian friends to pray for you. Prayer changes things!

Peter is sleeping in a prison cell chained to two prison guards. All of a sudden, an angel appears.

The angel wakes Peter by smacking him on the side. Can you imagine how that went? I wonder if Peter was one of those heavy sleepers who wakes up all groggy. He might have slowly woke up, rubbed his eyes, looked at the angel, paused, looked at the angel again, then freaked out. We don’t know exactly.

What we do know is that the angel told Peter, “Quick, get up!” Peter had a choice to make. Would he argue with the angel? Would he say, “Listen, angel. I am sure you mean well, but can’t you see that I am chained to two guards? How am I supposed to get up?” Peter didn’t do that. He obeyed, did his part, and got up. That’s what you and I need to do when we are caught in a prison...

We can ask for prayer, but when God speaks to us and tells us what we need to do—we can’t argue with Him and tell Him why we just can’t do it. Instead, we need to do our part and obey. We can’t expect God to do ALL the work. There’s a part for you and I to play in our deliverance. If you are caught in a prison of lying, do your part and obey—start telling the truth. If you are caught in a prison of bad attitudes, do your part and obey—start looking at things in a positive way.

We must obey God, follow His commands, and obey. Peter obeyed the angel and stood up. When he did, the Bible says the chains fell off his wrists. Then, the angel told Peter,

“Put on your cloak and sandals.” Guess what? That’s what Peter did. He didn’t argue. He obeyed.

The angel led Peter down the long hallway of the prison.

They passed several guards along the way. It’s as if the angel blinded the eyes of the guards. They never saw Peter and the angel walk by. The angel led Peter all the way out of the prison and into the street. Then, suddenly, the angel disappeared.

Do you think Peter sat around thinking about the prison? “Man, I sure loved that prison. I was awfully comfortable there in my sleep, chained between those two guards.”

NO WAY! Peter walked away from the prison and walked straight to the house where the people were praying for him.

Peter did what we must do when God sets us free from our prison...

Many times God delivers us and we go back to the same situation by our own decision. If God has delivered you from lying, don’t go back to it. Don’t even tell a “white lie.” If he has set you free from stealing, stay as far away as you can. Don’t even “borrow without asking.” Peter decided: freedom is better than prison! It’s true. Freedom is better. Don’t look back. Don’t go back to prison. Get to God – as fast as you can! Move forward and don’t turn around. NEVER LOOK BACK. Remember, freedom is better than confinement! Some of you have been facing the same problem way too many times. It’s time to quit going back.

(take the handcuffs, have a pre-determined volunteer come up and allow you to put the handcuffs on them—make sure they know how to push the lever and get out of them) You may be in a prison today. I don’t know what your prison may be. All you have to do is ask for prayer, obey God, and He will set you FREE! (have the volunteer undo the handcuffs the moment you say “FREE”) When He does, NEVER look back!!!

Peter got the opportunity to celebrate and rejoice with the people in that prayer meeting. They had been praying for him to be set free, and he was free. Today, we are going to pray that God will set you free from the prison that has been holding you down.

1. What was today’s Big Idea?

   • Answer: “Jesus came and died for me, and from sin he sets me FREE!”

2. What was Chuck Foo’s favorite kind of candy?

   • Answer: Gummi Bears

3. Where was Peter at the beginning of our Bible Story today?

   • Answer: in prison

4. Who appeared in the prison cell with Peter?

   • Answer: an angel

5. How did the angel wake Peter up?

   • Answer: struck him on his side

6. According to our lesson today, when we find ourselves in a prison we should “Ask For _________.”

   • Answer: Prayer

7. According to our lesson today, when we find ourselves in a prison we should “Do Your Part And __________.”

   • Answer: Obey

8. According to our lesson today, when we are freed from a prison we should “Never _________ Back.”

   • Answer: Look

9. Where did Peter go after the angel disappeared?

   • Answer: to the prayer meeting at the house

10. Where was our Power Verse found?

    • Answer: John 8:32