Live Holy A
Posted by: Buffalo Dream Center
Topic: Christian Character
Verse: Whatever is true, whatever is right, whatever is pure…think about such things. Philippians 4:8
Props:
1 clear drinking glass
1 dirty drinking glass
Instructions:
Discussion:
Introduction:
-Today we are going to learn another characteristic of a Christian
Live Holy
-What do you think it means to live holy?
-To live set apart for God’s service
-To live according to God’s Word
-To not do bad thing intentionally
-To be pure
Discussion: Who has to wash dishes at home? Who likes to wash dishes at home? Who hates doing dishes at home? When you wash dishes what do you put in the water to help make the dishes clean?
It is important to wash the dishes with hot soapy water, and then you have to rinse them really well. If you don’t do this your dishes may still be dirty. If you don’t wash glasses well sometimes the dirt doesn’t come off properly and they are full of spots. (Hold up the dirty glass). Can you see how this glass is dirty? It has lipstick around the rim etc . . . Who would want to drink out of this glass? If you were doing dishes in my house, I would make you rewash this glass.
Unless dishes are clean we really can’t use them.
The Bible doesn’t talk about spotty glasses but it does talk about how a person can be spotty. How do you think we get spotty?
-Doing bad things
-Disobeying the Bible
You may have decided to live for Jesus but your life still looks like this spotty glass because you are not living holy. Just like none of us would want to use this dirty spotty glass – God can’t fully use a person whose life looks like this glass. God wants us to decide to live a holy life. This glass is clean (hold up the clean glass). Who would take a drink out of this clean glass? God wants our life to look like this glass. He wants us to do our best to follow the Bible, and to stay away from sin. If we do then God can use us for special things He has planned.
Bible Story:
Ashpenaz was in a pickle. King Nebuchadnezzar had captured the Israelites (God’s people). Now the king wanted some of them to work for him. It was all up to Ashpenaz to train these men. Ashpenaz wasn’t sure about this. The Israelites had strange laws and a strange God. He had no choice these were the king’s orders.
The king ordered Ashpenaz to teach these men their language, and their way of life. They were to be fed the best food from the king’s kitchen. Now that may sound very good because the king always had the best food. The food in Babylonian was very different from the food the Israelites ate. The cooks made all the kings favorite foods. What are some of your favorite foods?
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo sat at the dinner table, and the best food was brought to them. They looked at it, and looked at it. Then they said, “I am sorry we cannot this food. God has given us special laws about the food we must eat. We will not disobey God.”
Ashpenaz ordered the cooks to prepare something else. This time they brought out one of the best meals Ashpenaz had ever seen. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abendigo looked and looked at the food. They said, “I am sorry we can’t eat this food. We don’t want to disobey God.”
Ashpenaz was getting pretty mad by now. He said, “So what will you eat?”
Daniel said, “Bring us vegetables and water.”
Ashpenaz was shocked “Just vegetables and water. If you get weak and sick, the king will be so mad at me.”
Daniel came up with a plan. “Why don’t you let us try our diet for ten days? Let the other men eat your food. At the end of ten days we will see who looks better.”
Ashpenaz gave the four men all the vegetables they wanted for ten days. At the end of the ten days Ashpenaz examined all the men. Daniel and his friends definitely looked a lot better. So Ashpenaz sent the men to the king. The king examined them and questioned them. The king said, “These men are definitely wiser than anybody else in my kingdom. I want them in charge of everything important.”
Conclusion:
God had a special and important job for Daniel and his friends in Babylon. They decided to set themselves apart for God’s service. They decided to obey God. The king was so impressed with the men that they were made great leaders.
Pledge:
I promise to do my best to live holy. I will live my life according to God’s Word. I will not intentionally do bad things. I will live my life set apart for service to God.
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