God saves us by grace, through faith, for good works
Sun 13 November 2016
| Bible Bite | God saves us by grace, through faith, for good works |
|---|---|
| Date | 2016-16-13 |
| Passage | Ephesians 2:8-10 |
| Passage Text | You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve.[a] This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. 9 It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about. 10 God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That's why he sent Christ to make us what we are. (CEV) |
| Tags | Grace, Faith, Works, Salvation, Glory |
| Other Refs | Eph 1:3-8 (God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing), 11-14 (in Christ we have obtained a sure inheritance), 2:1-7 (we were dead, but God has brought us to life). |
| PTC lesson 3 1.3 | |
| Key Points | Saved by grace |
| Not by our own works, not from us | |
| God is glorified | |
| Props/Materials | Blender |
| Preparation | |
| Debrief |
I'll you trust me when we see you using the gift to help others -- like I meant it.
Gift: expensive, helpful. Torch,
[ Introduction: leader picks child to knock on bin, everyone calls 'come out Stinky!', Stinky comes out singing his intro tune ]
STINKY: Hello little monkeys!
LEADER: Hello Stinky! How are you?
STINKY: Tired! And worried!
LEADER: Oh, why?
STINKY: Well, you know that blender you gave me? [Show it to kids]
LEADER: Yeah! Your early Christmas gift! It's really good quality - and helpful! I know you like cooking.
STINKY: Yes. I've been working really hard so I can pay you for it.
LEADER: [Confused] Eh?
STINKY: But I'm worried. I don't know how much work I have to do, so I know it's really mine. Maybe I'll lose it if I don't work hard enough...
LEADER: Stinky...
STINKY: Oh, I'm tired! And worried!
LEADER: Stinky, hang on. That blender was a gift! I paid for it -- you don't have to. You can't afford it anyway. That's why I gave it to you as a gift.
STINKY: Really?
LEADER: Really -- trust me!
STINKY: So what should I do?
LEADER: You don't have to work to earn it. Trust me. Accept the blender as a gift instead of trying to earn it.
STINKY: So if I don't have to work for it, I can just put it away in a box and do nothing with it...
LEADER: Ah, wait -- I gave you this gift for a reason. So you can do good things with it, and help people.
STINKY: Oh, I get it! I get to use your blender to cook cakes for others. That's a bit like a gift too!
LEADER: I know- that was my plan!
STINKY: You're really kind Mr Nathan!
LEADER: I love being a good friend to you Stinky!
STINKY: Hey Mr Nathan, I have a question.
LEADER: Yes?
STINKY: What do we have to do to be God's friends? How much work do we have to do earn that?
LEADER: They're big questions Stinky. Let's see what the Bible says:
[Slide (verse): You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about. God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That's why he sent Christ to make us what we are. Ephesians 2:8-10\ [ Leader reads aloud.] ]
LEADER: See? Our friendship with God doesn't come from us and we don't have to work for it. It is a gift from God. We call that grace.
STINKY: Amazing! But how do we receive this gift?
LEADER: By trusting God. We call that faith.
STINKY: But if we don't have to work to be friends with God, people won't bother being good to each other -- no?
LEADER: Well, God gave us this gift so we can help others. We call that good works.
STINKY: Oh... Why did God do it this way?
LEADER: So that no one can show off about how hard they worked or how good they are. God gets all the glory. Everyone can see how kind He is.
STINKY: Wow! Amazing!
LEADER: Yes! Let's see our Bible Bite:
[ Slide: Bible Bite: God saves us by grace, through faith, for good works ]
LEADER: OK Stinky, let's hear you say it.
STINKY: Ah... Stinky cooks by gas, through the blender, for good cakes. [TODO]
LEADER: Oh Stinky! Come on kids, let's help Stinky and say it together.
[ Read together. ]
STINKY: Thank you for teaching me about God's grace.
LEADER: You're welcome.
STINKY: Oh, I better go now. Bye bye little monkeys!