Use this children’s Sunday School lesson to teach kids about the need to have faith in Jesus.
Needed: Bibles, Faith vs. Doubt cards, “Faith” slips of paper
Intro Game: Faith vs. Doubt
Print out or write the words Doubt or Faith on a set of index cards. You should have an equal number of cards that say Faith as Doubt.
Divide students into two teams, and have the teams line up on separate sides of the room in single file lines. Mix up the cards and give each student a card that says Faith or Doubt. Set a timer for 3-5 minutes, depending on how many students you have. When you say “Go!” the first two students run toward each and show each other their cards.
If one says Faith and the other says Doubt, the student with Faith scores a point for their team. The person with Doubt does not score. If both say Faith, both score a point and if both say Doubt, neither does. Both return to the back of their lines and trade their cards for a new card.
As soon as they leave the center, the second two players run up and do the same thing. Play continues until the timer runs out. The team with the most points at the end wins.
Lesson
Read Matthew 9:18.
“While He was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, ‘My daughter has just died. But come and put Your hand on her, and she will live.’”
What was the problem? (The man’s daughter had just died.)
Did the man have faith that Jesus could bring his daughter back to life? (Yes.)
What is faith?
Faith is believing in something. The man had faith because He believed that Jesus could help his daughter.
(Read Matthew 9:19-21.)
“Jesus got up and went with him, and so did His disciples.
“Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the edge of His cloak. She said to herself, ‘If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed.’”
What was the problem with the woman? (She had been bleeding for twelve years, and no one could help her.)
Did she have faith that Jesus could heal her? (Yes.)
(Read Matthew 9:22-24.)
“Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ He said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed at that moment.
“When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, He said, ‘Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.’ But they laughed at Him.”
Did the people have faith that Jesus could bring the little girl back to life? (No, they laughed at Him.)
Why do you think Jesus said the girl was asleep when she was really dead?
Being dead and being asleep is the same thing to God because He can bring someone back to life just as easily as waking someone up.
(Read Matthew 9:25-28, or read it yourself.)
“After the crowd had been put outside, He went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region.
“As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, calling out, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’
“When He had gone indoors, the blind men came to Him, and He asked them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’
“’Yes, Lord,’ they replied.”
What was the two men’s problem? (They were blind.)
Did they have faith that Jesus could heal them? (Yes.)
(Read Matthew 9:29-32.)
“Then He touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you’; and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, ‘See that no one knows about this.’ But they went out and spread the news about Him all over that region.
“While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus.”
What was the man’s problem? (He was possessed by a demon that made it so he couldn’t talk.)
It says that someone brought the man to Jesus. If someone brought the man to Jesus, does that mean the person had faith that Jesus could help the man? (Yes.)
(Read Matthew 9:33.)
“And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.’”
Jesus healed a sick woman who couldn’t stop bleeding for 12 years, He brought a dead little girl back to life, healed two blind men, and a demon-possessed man who couldn’t talk. What did each of those people have to do for Jesus to help them? (They had to have faith that Jesus could help them.)
Do you have faith that Jesus can help you with your problems? (Yes.)
Jesus can help us with any problem we have. It doesn’t have to be just when we’re sick. Jesus doesn’t help us the way we want Him to all the time, but if we want Jesus to help us, we need to have faith.
How can you ask Jesus to help you? (Pray.)
You can pray and ask for Jesus’ help whenever you want to, wherever you are, and He will hear you.
Game: Finding Faith
Before class, hide strips of paper around the room with the word “Faith” written on them. Then, divide students into two or more teams. When you say, “Go!” the team members search the room to find the slips of paper. Once someone finds a slip of paper, they return to their team’s starting area and wait for the others to find theirs. The first team to have all their members find a slip of paper and make it to their team’s starting area wins.
When the game is finished, remind students that we all need to have faith, and we all need to have our own faith, if we want Jesus to help us.
Game: Heal Tag
Pick 2-4 students to be It. When they tag someone that person must freeze and pretend to be the dead girl, the sick woman, the blind man, or the man who couldn’t talk by acting out these characters as best they can. Other players can be “Jesus” and go tag them to unfreeze (heal) them.
Closing Prayer
Jesus, we thank You that You can help us no matter what problem we have. Help us to have faith in You. Amen.
You can also find this lesson for Kindle or in print in my book, The Miracles of Jesus.