Conversation Starters: Redeemed from Crippling Doubt
Posted by Karah
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: As Jesus continued to teach through His Sermon on the Mount, He came to the subject of anger. But anger isn’t just a surface issue. Like everything else in Jesus’ sermon, anger is a matter of the heart. When we fail to look at the heart behind the anger, we are treating deep, internal issues with surface-level band-aids. The way we handle anger and respond to conflict on our own is not always best—He has given us His Word and has set Jesus’ followers apart from the rest of the world. And God has not left us to figure this out on our own. He has given us the Holy Spirit to convict and teach us to respond in a manner that honors Him.
Concept: Redeemed from Crippling Doubt
Preschool
Luke 1
LIFE POINT: A priest named Zechariah had a wife named Elizabeth. Both of them loved God very much and obeyed His commands. Zechariah was working in the temple. An angel appeared to Zechariah. The angel told Zechariah that his wife would give birth to a son whom they would name John. Zechariah could not believe this would happen because he and his wife were older. The angel, named Gabriel, then said that Zechariah would not be able to speak until after the baby was born because Zechariah did not believe the angel’s words. Zechariah left the temple and could not talk to the people. Even though Zechariah could not speak, Elizabeth was very happy and knew God was giving her a child to be born.
LIVE IT OUT: Wrap a baby doll in a blanket and ask your child to rock the doll. Comment that an angel
told Zechariah his wife would have a baby and the name of the baby would be John.
Kids
Luke 1
LIFE POINT: Zechariah was a priest. He and his wife followed all the commandments. While Zechariah was in the temple, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. The angel said, “Your wife will have a son. You are to name him John. He will prepare for the Messiah.” Zechariah did not know how he could have a son because his wife was very old. The angel told Zechariah that he would not be able to speak until the baby was born since he did not believe what the angel said. Elizabeth became pregnant and when the time came, she had a boy. They named him John just as the angel had told Zechariah to name him.
Zechariah could speak once again and praised God for what happened. The child grew up and lived in the wilderness until it was time to begin his ministry.
LIVE IT OUT: Has your child ever gone with his own plans instead of yours? How often do you go with
your own plans instead of God’s? Help your child understand that God wants us to follow His plans for
our lives.
Students
Luke 1:11-20, 63-65
THE POINT: God’s Word can be fully trusted. Whose word do you always trust? When has your obedience to God led to joy? Discuss the following quote:
“Faith is born and sustained by the Word of God, and out of faith grows the flower of joy.”1 —John Piper
LIVE IT OUT: Encourage your student to do one or both Live It Out activities. Here are some suggested ways to help your student:
If he or she plans to complete Throwback:
• One of the most powerful things a student can hear is truth spoken into their doubt. Encourage your student to share their biggest doubts, no matter how big or small. Remind them of God’s faithfulness in their lives.
If he or she plans to complete Daily Reading:
• Help your student look up Scriptures about doubt in a concordance. Encourage them to read one verse each day this week.
1. “John Piper > Quotes > Quotable Quote,” Goodreads [online], [accessed 17 July 2015]. Available from
the Internet: www.goodreads.com/quotes/701102-faith-is-born-and-sustained-by-the-word-of-god
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