Use this Children’s Sermon message and Sunday School lesson to teach kids how “joy” is a Fruit of the Spirit. We have just shared some new Bible crafts on JOY to accompany this lesson pan. You may also enjoy our comprehensive 9-Week Curriculum on the Fruit of the Spirit for Kids.
Count it All Joy – The Fruit of the Spirit Part 2: Joy
Main Objective: What is joy, and where does it come from? We often think of joy as a feeling, much like happiness, and demonstrated by smiles or cheer. It’s helpful to communicate to children that the joy Jesus gives us is deeper than that, and can be experienced even in difficult situations. We don’t need to be happy or constantly smiling to have joy. This message explains just what that joy means and how it’s part of the fruit of the spirit. The story of Paul and Silas provides an example of how the peace and joy found in Christ can be with us no matter what.
Law/Gospel Theme: We have joy knowing that Jesus is present with us in all times and places. We know that He redeems us and saves us, and that He cares for us and is near. This understanding is what allows us to find lasting joy. Our circumstances and emotions can vary greatly, but the Holy Spirit reminds us that He is our source of joy and comfort.
Note: This is the second in a series of lessons on the fruit of the spirit. The focus this week is on joy, using Paul and Silas to exemplify that trait.
Optional Materials: Items or pictures of things that would bring joy (music, toys, food, etc.)
Bible Passage: Acts 16:19-34;James 1:1-2; Psalm 95:1-2
Message: Note: As with most messages, the details of how you choose to communicate this are adaptable and should cater to timing as well as to your audience and student needs.
Greet children, and talk about things that bring joy…
Hello, children of God!
Can you think of some things that might make you feel joyful? What brings joy into your life? These might be big or little things, visible or invisible. List some examples as kids bring up their own, holding up objects or pictures as you describe. I love spending time with people I care about, or having close relationships. I also enjoy warm sunny days. I also feel joyful when I think of music, playing it or listening to it. Do you like music? That can be a source of joy. Maybe you feel joyful when you have something to celebrate, like getting good grades. Or perhaps you feel extra joyful when you know there’s something yummy for supper! All of these things can make us feel happy or excited. Now, can you think of some things that might NOT make you feel joyful? Maybe even sad or scared? Discuss and display some of these items.
You know, the Bible talks a lot about joy. In Psalms, we are called to make a joyful noise to the Lord, and bring Him worship and praise. The apostle Paul says we are to rejoice in the Lord always. And in James it says we are to count it all joy when we face trials. Wait a minute, that part sounds a little strange…joy in trial? Usually we think of joy as happiness or being cheery about something. How can we have joy when something is challenging? Well, true joy is more than just a feeling based on our circumstances. Joy comes from knowing the Lord, and understanding that Jesus is present with us and loves us. When we face things that are difficult, it can help our faith grow and remind us that God is at work. Joy is listed in the description of the Fruit of the Spirit. It is evidence that the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives. We can have God’s peace, comfort, and joy, even if we don’t feel cheerful.
This reminds me of a wonderful account from the Bible about a couple of missionaries named Paul and Silas. They were traveling around and telling people about Jesus, and they got arrested. They were beaten up and thrown into prison, just for helping someone and preaching the good news. Now, I’ve never spent the night in jail, and hopefully you haven’t either, but I don’t think I would be too joyful in that situation. I would probably be crying, or complaining, or pouting. But that’s not what Paul and Silas were doing. In fact, quite the opposite. They were singing! They were praying and singing hymns to God. I’ll bet those prayers and songs brought them comfort, even if they weren’t feeling very happy about the situation. And something amazing happened. As they were praying and singing, there was a big earthquake! It broke open the doors of the prison, and broke the chains off the prisoners. The jailer, who was supposed to be guarding them, was pretty upset, because he would have been in huge trouble if any of the prisoners escaped on his watch. But Paul and Silas told him not to worry. No one had left. Then they told the jailer all about Jesus. He invited them over for dinner and his whole family believed and was baptized! The next day, Paul and Silas got to go free from the prison, but I’m sure the guard and his family never forgot them.
So how could they find the strength to pray and sing in such tough circumstances? They knew that God was with them no matter what, even in a jail cell, and that gave them joy. We can have that joy, too. We know that God is with us. We know that He loves us and sent Jesus to save us. And we have the hope of life in Heaven with Him someday. That gives us abiding joy that can last, no matter what circumstances come our way. We don’t have to be cheery and smiling all the time to show joy. We demonstrate it in the way that we act towards others, and in the peace we have. And if we don’t feel any of that, we can always ask God for help, that we would know His joy and show it to those who see us.
Why don’t we say a prayer now, and ask God to help us have joy that comes from loving Him?
Prayer:
(Have kids repeat each line)
Dear God,
Thank you for your presence and love.
Please help us to have the joy that comes from knowing you
And help us pass that joy onto others.
Help us to have peace in your presence.
Thank you for your love
We love you, God!
In Jesus name, Amen!
Bible Verses/story to Reference:
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! -Psalm 95:1-2
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. -James 1:1-2
But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. -Acts 16:19-34
The Fruit of the Spirit is Joy! Sunday School Lesson on the Joy of Paul and Silas
Lesson focus: This lesson describes what it is to have joy, and provides meaningful inspiration for finding joy in any situation. It also reminds students that God is always with us and cares for us. Joy is more than an emotional response to circumstances. There might be times that we feel hopeless or sad. Being a Christian doesn’t mean slapping a smile on constantly, but we can find peace in the Lord’s presence. Anything is possible with God in control!
This lesson is the second in a nine-week series on the Fruit of the Spirit. To examine an example of joy, this lesson focuses on the account of Paul and Silas in prison, along with other joy passages.
Passage: Acts 16:16-34; James 1:1-2; Psalm 95:1-2; Philippians 4:4
Target Audience: Kindergarten-6th grade
Materials Needed: Paper, beads or dry pasta noodles, markers/crayons, decorative supplies, paper towel tubes, cups, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, ropes or chains, Middle East maps, noisemakers.
Lesson Opening: This lesson focuses on joy: what it is and how we can demonstrate it. One highlighted example story is the account of Paul and Silas, which lends itself to several fun connection activities. Kick off with some musical fun, “jail-break” inspired games, or even a mock “earthquake”. Here are some activities to get kids thinking…(select the best ones for your audience and age group):
- Open up the topic of joy by singing the song “I’ve got the Joy…” (Learn and teach it if you’re not familiar!).
- Play “Joy Pictionary” by having students draw out things that make them feel joyful. Other students can guess what is being drawn.
- Karaoke time! Have students pick songs and sing and dance to them on YouTube or Spotify. You might even turn this into a “freeze dance” competition!
- Play “Jail Break”: This is essentially capture the flag. On a large playing area, split a group of children into two teams, and place teams on either side of a line. Designate an area on each side as the “jail.” Students will cross the line to try gaining access to a special item. When tagged, kids must go to “jail” in the assigned area. If other teammates can make it to the “jail” without being tagged, they can free the prisoners with a jail break and gain safe passage back to their area. Play continues until the item is captured and brought over the line, or until all players have been captured.
- Do it in chains! Have students complete challenging tasks such as an obstacle course race or relay, but with a catch: their hands and/or legs must be tied! (Older students can have both tied; younger ones can do with just one or the other). Discuss how hard it is to be “chained up.” Paul and Silas were in chains, until God’s earthquake saved them!
- “Earthquake”! Gather students together in a small area. On signal, have all of them jump up and down in place or shake as though the Earth was quaking.
- Make a joyful noise! Use a variety of noisemaker instruments to create a happy cacophony of sound.
Bible Lesson: Begin the lesson with some general verses and discussion on joy and how it is one part of the Holy Spirit fruit you have been discussing. The Paul and Silas story that follows is an excellent one to act out, if possible. Select students to take on parts as you read or describe what is happening to Paul and Silas. Puppets would work for this, as well. You might also have older students take turns reading the verses of the story, and pause to explain and discuss it.
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! -Psalm 95:1-2
This is not the only place in the Psalms where we are called to “make a joyful noise” to the Lord. God wants us to give Him praise and worship. When we use music to glorify Him, we bring Him an offering from the talents and gifts He has already given to us. Knowing that He loves us and what He does for us, our natural response should be joy, and we can express that with noise!
Ask: What are some of your favorite songs? (These could be ones sung in church or other songs.) Do you play any instruments?
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. -Philippians 4:4
This simple verse is a command from Paul. He emphasizes it twice to remind us how important it is to rejoice in the Lord. We might not always feel happy, and we might not always understand what God is doing in our lives. But we can still rejoice in knowing His power and strength, and remembering the great things He does for us. We can do this in the quiet of our hearts, in prayer, or in spoken words out loud.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. -James 1:1-2
This passage might seem confusing. We often think of joy as being based on our circumstances and situations. Being joyful in tests and trials sounds contradictory. But there is an explanation: testing of our faith brings steadfastness. That means that when hard things happen, we become stronger in our faith and draw near to the Lord. We can have joy, even in the midst of challenge, because we know Jesus.
Describe the background of the story a little. This story takes place near Philippi, where Paul and Silas were staying with a woman named Lydia. There are some remarkable things that happened to these men, and we’ll pay close attention to how they handled some bad situations!
Explain that Paul and Silas met a girl with an evil spirit inside of her. She was calling out things not on her own power, and Paul could tell that the demon was taking over. He ordered it out of her, and she was healed! But that meant she could no longer do fortune-telling tricks and earn her masters money. This made them quite upset, and they looked for an excuse to have Paul and Silas arrested.
But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. -Acts 16:19-24
Wow, it didn’t take much to get the people riled up! The crowd attacked Paul and Silas, for really no reason except what the angry slave owners claimed. They got so upset that they chained Paul and Silas and put them in Jail (It might help to have a picture of stocks or of an old prison, to give an idea of what things looked like).
Ask: Have you ever gotten in trouble for something that wasn’t your fault?What do you think you would do if you got in trouble like this? What kinds of punishments do you normally face when you do something wrong?
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.
-Acts 16:25-26
This is quite the turn of events! Paul and Silas, beaten and imprisoned, weren’t licking their wounds. In fact, they were in a way rejoicing that they had the opportunity to suffer for Jesus. Normally, we don’t think of making music or giving praise when bad things happen. But that is what Paul and Silas did. They sang songs and prayed to God, thankful that He was near to them. Naturally, everyone overheard this mini-concert. And then something remarkable happened: an earthquake shook the jail itself, and freed everyone from their chains!
Ask: Would you run out of the jail if this happened?
It might seem the natural reaction to escape, but that’s not what Paul and Silas did! They stuck around for the sake of the prison guard. He despaired when he saw what happened, because if the prisoners escaped, that would mean he failed his job and would be executed! But that didn’t happen…
When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. -Acts 16:27-34
Wow. This is an awesome story! Paul and Silas prayed and sang, even in the darkest and dreariest of places. Through wrongful accusation, they had been beaten and thrown in jail, but they continued to follow God and hope in Him. God allowed them to escape their imprisonment, but also used the circumstance to save the jailer and his family! Amazing and positive things came from an apparently bleak situation.
Ask: How can you give thanks during a hard or challenging time?
It’s important to also point out that we don’t have to feel or act “happy” all the time. Sometimes we might feel sad, and that’s okay. And even when we do the right thing, our stories might not seem like they have happy endings right away. But God loves and cares about us, and He wants us to remember His presence and live mindful of it. We can be thankful and joyful, even in tough times, remembering that in the end all things work for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Review questions about the story:
- Why were Paul and Silas arrested?
- What did they do in jail?
- What happened as they were singing and praying?
- What did they tell the jailer?
Close with prayer, thanking God for using us to spread His good news throughout the world. Ask God for help in sharing His love with all people.
