The Dig for Kids: Luke Vol. 1 (9 page)

The Treasure:

God gives to us so we can give to others! Money isn’t always bad. It’s only bad when we want money and stuff more than God! The “rich fool” was given a lot of stuff, but he didn’t want to give to others. He was being greedy! Instead of giving to others what he had been given, he built bigger barns for himself.

The Display:

Have you ever given your money or something you had to someone else? How did it make you feel? Has someone ever done that for you? What are ways you can give to others what God has given you?

Lesson 49:

Don’t Worry

Key Verses:
Luke 12:22-23

And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”

The Map:

When I was going to college in Israel, I had a friend who used to worry about getting sick all the time. The funny thing is that he never did get sick in the four years I knew him! He worried about something that he didn’t need to worry about. Sometimes it’s easy to get scared about things we really shouldn’t be afraid of. In this lesson, Jesus is going to teach us why we don’t need to worry.

The Dig:
Luke 12:22-34

What does it mean to worry?

What are some things that Jesus says people worry about?

Why does Jesus tell us we shouldn’t worry?

What should we be focused on? For a hint, take a look at verse 31. 

What does Jesus promise us if we seek to obey Him first?

The Treasure:

Treasure Jesus today and trust Him for tomorrow! God wants us to focus on loving Him each day. When we do this, God promises that He will take care of what we need. There is no need to worry when we are walking with Jesus!

The Display:

How can you focus on treasuring Jesus each day? What can you ask God to help you not worry about?

Lesson 50:

Watch and Work

Key Verses:
Luke 12:22-23

And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”

The Map:

Have you ever waited a long time for something? What was it? In the last lesson, we learned that God does not want us to worry. During this lesson, we’ll see that Jesus wants us to watch and be ready for His return! He doesn’t just want us to watch for Him; He also wants us to work for Him while we are waiting. Let’s dig! 

The Dig:
Luke 12:35-48

How does Jesus want to find us when He returns? Take a look again at verse 37.

Do we know exactly when Jesus will come again? For a hint, look at verse 40.

What does Jesus say some people will do while they are waiting for His return? If you need help, take a look at verse 45. 

The Treasure:

Don’t just watch, but work for Jesus! Jesus teaches us that when He returns, He will find some people who aren’t ready. They will be doing whatever they want to do instead of obeying God. The Bible teaches that Jesus is going to return again someday. He wants us to be ready! 

The Display:

How can we be ready for when Jesus returns? Why do you think some people give up watching or waiting for Jesus to return?

Lesson 51:

Divided Over Jesus

Key Verses:
Luke 12:22-23

And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”

The Map:

Have you ever had to make a really hard choice? What were you choosing between? In this lesson, we are going to learn how some people will choose to believe in Jesus and some won’t. Instead of bringing peace, this will bring division. Let’s take a look at what Jesus means in this passage.

The Dig:
Luke 12:49-59

What does Jesus say He came to bring? 

What example does Jesus use to teach us there will be division?

What does Jesus say they can do? Look again at verses 54-56. 

The Treasure:

It is more important to make God happy than it is to make people happy! Jesus knew that living for Him might make other people upset or even mad. As Christians, we know that living for Jesus might cause division. Some people will believe in Him and others won’t. It’s okay! Live to make God happy.

The Display:

Do you have friends that aren’t Christians? Remember that some people aren’t Christians because they don’t want to be, but others just have never heard about Jesus. Are there friends of yours that you could invite to church or pray for?

The Oasis

Congratulations! You have finished the first volume. I know it was a long journey, but you did it! I hope you have learned a lot about Jesus during this study of Luke. Way to finish strong! 

Review Key Verses:
Luke 12:22-23

Take a minute and tell your mom or dad the key verses. Remember, you are not allowed to look! 

Review Questions:

1.  Who does Jesus say we are to pray to?

2.  What are some things Jesus mentions we should ask God the Father for?

3.  Whose power does Jesus day He was using to defeat evil?

4.  What are the Pharisees doing wrong?

5.  Why does Jesus tell us not to be afraid of people?

6.  What is greed?

7.  Why does Jesus tell us not to worry?

The Oasis
Activity

Each Oasis Activity is a fun and creative project for children to complete that will help them remember the key verse from each section.  To download and print your copy, please visit:

http://thedigforkids.com/oasis-activities

Login to the page with this password:

RaisingDisciples

In Closing

Congratulations!

You have finished Luke Volume 1. I hope you continue to enjoy reading and studying the Bible as much as I do. The Bible is not just any normal book. It is God’s Word, but it is also God’s Story! 

The Bible tells us how in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Everything and everyone belongs to Him! God created us to live in a loving friendship and relationship with Him. The bad news is that just like Adam and Eve, our sins separate us from God. But the good news is that because God loves us, He sent us a Savior, Jesus, to rescue us from our sins.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” The news is that good! When we believe in Jesus, God forgives us of our sins and gives us everlasting life! As Christians, we do not go through life alone. We know that God loves us and is always with us no matter what happens. And best of all, some day we will be together in Heaven with God. Now that is something to look forward to!

I hope you will continue reading and studying God’s Word. But most importantly, I pray that as you learn more about God it will help you to love God more. He is truly amazing and worth living for!

There is a lot more to dig for, so be sure to check out Luke Volume 2. It tells the rest of Jesus’ amazing story. 

Happy Digging,

Doc

Key Terms

Angel
: Angels were created by God to be helpers or messengers. They do not have a physical body, but are created spiritual beings.

Chief Priests
: These were a group of Jewish leaders who served as priests in the Temple. 

Christ (or Messiah)
: Christ or Messiah means God’s anointed or chosen savior. This is Jesus!

Demons
: These are bad or evil angels who sinned against God and who now work against God in the world.

Fast (or Fasting)
: A fast is when someone does not eat and instead focuses on prayer, repentance, and the study of God’s Word. Before, and even during the time of Jesus, the Jewish people fasted during the biblical holidays. They would often fast and pray for forgiveness, for God to come and save them, and when they were sad. A fast could last a day, several days, or even several weeks!

Holy Spirit
: The Holy Spirit is not just a power or force. He is God, by His power and presence, living in us as Christians. The Bible teaches that God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit all work together as One. 

King Herod
: Herod was the King over Judea during the time of Jesus’ birth. 

Leprosy
: Leprosy was a skin disease that caused the Israelites to be unclean according to God’s commandments in the Old Testament book of Leviticus. An Israelite with leprosy had to move out of the camp until they were clean. 

Pharisees
: These people were a group of Jews during Jesus’ time who were very concerned with obeying God’s commandments. They believed God had given Moses all of these commandments at Mt. Sinai to write for all of the Jewish people to obey. These commandments were called the Written Law and are the first five books of the Old Testament. Not only did they believe God gave Moses these commandments to write down, but they also believed that God spoke other commandments to them that they called the Oral Law. Eventually the Oral Law was written down in a book that is today called the Mishnah.

Repent (or Repentance)
: Repent means to turn away from sin and turn to God.

Sabbath
: Sabbath means “to cease.” The Sabbath is a weekly day of rest. It runs from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. It is a special day each week to cease from working and focus on worshipping God.

Sadducees
: This was a group of Jewish leaders during the time of Jesus. Most scholars believe they helped to run the Temple in Jerusalem. They had slightly different beliefs than the Pharisees. For example, they only accepted the first five books of the Old Testament, the Written Law, as God’s Word. Unlike the Pharisees, they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, or in angels (Mark 12:18; Acts 23:8).

Satan (or the Devil)
: Satan, or the Devil, is the leader of all fallen and bad angels.

The Temple
: The Temple was a large building, like a church, where the Jewish people worshipped God. It was located in Jerusalem.

About the Author

Patrick Schwenk is a husband, father, and pastor. He is married to Ruth Schwenk, the creator of
The Better Mom
(
www.thebettermom.com
). They met while attending the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. Pat and his wife have been married for fourteen years and currently have four children ages three to ten.