Give Me A Clean Heart: Psalm 51 Bible Lesson

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Here is a Bible lesson for children based on Psalm 51 where David asks God to give him a clean heart. The focus is to help the children be aware and mindful of their sinful heart so they see their need for Jesus.  It can be followed up by any craft activity involving a heart to remind them of how Jesus can give them a clean heart. It could be used in Sunday School or in a small children’s church setting.

Bible Passage: Psalm 51
Bible Story Title: Give Me a Clean Heart
Target Age Group: K-6th graders
Target Time Frame:20 minutes
Original Teaching Context: Children’s Church or Sunday School
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Learning Objective: The children will reflect upon the sinfulness of their heart and how Jesus can give them a clean heart.
Target Age: K-5th
Time Needed: 20 minutes (without using a craft activity at the end)
Materials Needed: Marker board or poster board to draw a large heart. You might look for extra heart-themed craft activity if you need a longer lesson.
Hook:

  1. Draw a large heart on the board.
  2. Ask the children, “What do you think of when you see a heart like this one?”
  3. Spend time receiving answers and brainstorming with the children.
  4. Ask the children, “What do you think God thinks about when He sees your heart?”

Book:

  1. Today we will look at what the Bible says about our heart in Psalm 51.
  2. Open your Bible to Psalm 51 and I will read the first fifteen verses out loud.
  3. Read aloud the passage while the children follow along.


Look:

  1. “First, let’s look at verses one through six.  These verses talk about sin a lot.  We see the words transgressions, iniquity, sin and evil.”  Point out where each of these words is used to demonstrate to the children how important the subject of sin is in this passage.
  2. “What are some sins that a child could commit?”  Take suggestions and ideas from the children and write a list on the board.
  3. “Think to yourself, ‘Have I ever committed one or more of these sins?’”
  4. “Our hearts are full of sin!”
  5. “Now look at verses 7-10.”  Read aloud these verses.
  6. “How can we have a clean heart that is washed clean of its sin?”
  7. “If we repent by admitting and turning away from our sins, trust in Jesus’ dying on the cross to wash our sins away and then our heart can be clean.”
  8. Read aloud Psalm 51:13-15.
  9. “In this psalm, David is so happy to have his heart washed clean of his sin that he bursts into praise to God.”
  10. “A person with a clean heart cannot help but praise the Lord for their salvation.”
  11. “If you have repented and trusted in Christ for a clean heart is your heart thankful?  Does your heart overflow with praise to God?”

Took:

  1. “Let’s go back to one of my first questions.  What does God see when He looks at your heart?  Does He see a heart full of sin or a heart which has been washed clean?”
  2. “Psalm 51 teaches us three things: to think about our sinful heart, to see how we need Jesus to wash our hearts clean, and, if our hearts have been washed clean, to have a thankful heart full of praise.”
  3. “How is your heart today?  Is it full of sin or full of praise?”

Closing: Lead the children in prayer asking God to you and the kids a clean heart.

Need More Ideas? Browse our free coloring pages for Sunday School or check out these 10 easy Bible memory verses for children.

New Sunday School Curriculum: Our Bible lessons are designed to keep the kids’ attention and show how God's Word makes a difference. Every series is flexible enough for a wide-age group and affordable enough for small churches. Download a free Bible lesson in pdf or view our latest Sunday School curriculum for small churches.


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