2025-06-08 Zealous

Introduction

ImagineAs forwe prepare to teach this lesson, let’s reflect on the incredible zeal of God. In a momentworld awhere soldiercommitment onoften awavers, mission—prepared,God focused,demonstrates His passionate and ready.intense The soldier doesn't go into battle lazily or halfheartedly. He's all in with no thoughtpursuit of turningHis backpurposes. untilHis he reaches his goal. Zeal drives him forward with purpose and determination.

"Zeal"zeal isn't ajust word we use often in everyday conversation. When it is used, enthusiasm—it's sometimesHis inwholehearted a negative sense. People can be put off by someone who seems too passionate or intense. We might even be alarmed by zealots who pursue destructive purposes with fanatical devotion.

But when applieddedication to God andaccomplishing His perfect purposes, how wonderful that He is zealous! To see God's zeal in action, look at Jesus' passionate pursuit of sinners. His zeal to save us took Him down a path of selfless humility through unimaginable pain and suffering. Yet He never wavered. Jesus pursued His goal with His whole heart until it was accomplished!plans.

InToday’s thislesson lesson, we'll helphelps children understand that God is zealous—He acts with His whole heart toin accomplisheverything He does. He is never half-hearted or lukewarm in His purposes.actions. We'll exploreuse the story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem to illustrate how Jesus demonstrated thisJesus' zealous lovepursuit byof choosingGod's plan of salvation demonstrates God's wholehearted commitment to us.

Our goal is to help children recognize that God's zeal is directed toward His glory and our salvation. We want them to grasp that Jesus was so committed to saving us that He was willing to choose the difficult path thatof ledthe to our salvationcross rather than taking the easy waypath out.of earthly kingship.

As you teach, pray that each child will understand the depth of God's commitment to them. May they see in Jesus' journey to the cross the picture of a God who pursues them with His whole heart, and may they respond with wholehearted love and devotion to Him.

Before Service

Ensure parents take their child to the restroom before bringing them to the children's area and use the QR code to sign in their child before the service.

Praise and Worship (15 mins)

Parents: The parent and child scheduled for this week will lead us in singing on Sunday. Please take time to practice the songs together at home, helping your child feel confident and joyful as they prepare to lead.

Prayer and Offering (5 mins)

Parents: Please encourage your children to bring an offering to church. You may help your child prepare by setting aside a coin for them to bring on Sunday. This is a great opportunity to teach them about giving to God with a thankful heart and trusting Him to provide.

What is Offering?

Offering is when we give something to God to show our love and thankfulness. In church, we often give money as an offering, but we can also give our time, talents, and kindness to God and others.

Why Do We Make an Offering?

1️⃣ To Thank God – Everything we have comes from God! Giving back is a way to say, “Thank You, God!”
2️⃣ To Trust God – When we give, we show that we trust God to take care of us.
3️⃣ To Help Others – Offerings help the church teach about Jesus, help people in need, and share God’s love.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:7,
"God loves a cheerful giver!" That means God is happy when we give with a joyful heart!

Prayer for Offering

Dear God, thank You for giving us everything we need. We want to give back to You with joyful hearts. Please use our offering to help others and share Your love. Help us to always trust You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Review Verse from Last Week

Psalm 145:8 (NIV) —"'The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love."'

• “The LORD”LORD is gracious”

  (Point upward)upward to represent "the Lord" and open hands as if giving a gift for "gracious")

• “is gracious and compassionate”

  (OpenPlace hands likeover givingheart ato gift)show "compassion")

• “slow to anger”

  (ShakeMove headhands slowly)slowly and then make a calm-down motion)

• “and rich in love.”

  (CrossHug armsyourself overto chest)show "rich in love")

Supplies Needed

• Bible - Open to Isaiah 42:13 and Luke 19:30, 35-30-38
• Blessing BoxCandy containing:-
  A
  • Asmall piece offor candydemonstration
  • A washWash pail and scrub brush - For demonstration
  • Reward"Reward" visual (picture- Picture showing various rewards (vacation, new bike, money,games, etc.)
• Palm leaf visuals - Paper palm leaves (one per child if possible)
• VisualThrone aids:chair
  - A chair draped with nice fabric
  • Z-ZealousCrown - A simple crown or picture of a crown
  • Garbage pail - With crumpled paper to represent sin
  • Letter Z visual - Large letter "Z" for "Zealous"
  • Ten Plagues visual (from previous lessons)
  • Palm Leaf visual (or real palm leaves)
  • Triumphal Entry visual
  • Crown visual (or inexpensive costume crown)
  • Sin visual
• Props:
  • Large chair covered with cloth (to represent a throne)
  • Jewelry box (placed on a small table or stand)
  • Pail with crumpled paper/trash (to represent sin)
  • Cloths to cover the throne, jewelry box, and garbage
• Memory Verse - Isaiah 42:13 written on a slide or posterboard
• Craft supplies - "Z" worksheets, crayons, markers
• Game materials - BiblePaper, eventsticks/straws, cardstape andfor matchingpalm pictureleaf cardscrafts

Additional Scripture References

• Isaiah 42:13 (NIV) - "The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes."
• Luke 19:30, 35-38a (NIV) - Jesus'"Go triumphalto entrythe intovillage Jerusalemahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here... They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!'"
• Hebrews 12:2b (NIV) - "For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
• Psalm 69:9 (NIV) - "For zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me."

Bible Story (10 min): God is Zealous

Introduction (1 min)

(TakeHold outup a piece of candy and a scrub brush with a pail from the Blessing Box.enthusiasm.)

Boys and girls, I have a question for you. If I gave you a choice between these two things—eating this piece ofdelicious candy ORor scrubbing the floor with this brush—which would you choose?

(Let children voteanswer by raising hands. Most will likely choose candy.briefly.)

Now,Most of you would probably pick the candy because it's easy and fun! But what if I told you that if you choose to scrub the floor,floor instead, you would get aan specialamazing reward:reward? You would get a vacation trip anywhere you want to go, a new bike, five new games, $100, AND all the candy you want! Now which would you choose?

(TakeLet achildren voteanswer again. Show the Reward visual.)

SometimesIf peopleyou chooseknew toyou'd doget athat hardergreat thingreward, becausewould inyou scrub the end,floor itlike givesthis?

a

better

(Demonstrate andscrubbing greaterlazily, reward!without Andenergy)

if

the

Or rewardwould isyou somethingscrub welike reallyTHIS?

want,

we'll

(Demonstrate workscrubbing very hard to get it—with great eagernessenergy and energy.enthusiasm)

We'll

When something is really important to us, we don't do it "wholeheartedly"!halfway—we put our whole heart into it! Today we're going to learn about a special word that describes how God acts. He always puts His whole heart into everything He does. This special word starts with the letter Z.

Story Telling (5 min) - God'sJesus ZealEnters in ActionJerusalem

(Open

Whatyour about God? When He decidesBible to doLuke something,19 doand youIsaiah think42:13. HeHave goesthe aboutthrone itchair covered and ready, the palm leaves, and a garbage pail with greatcrumpled eagernesspaper and energy? Does He do things wholeheartedly?

For example, when the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt, did God want them to be free? Did He decide to act and free them? Did He do it in a "ho-hum" lazy kind of way? No!

(Show the Ten Plagues visual.nearby.)

GodFirst, acted wholeheartedly with great eagerness and energy to free His people. God acted wholeheartedly to defeat the Egyptian armies and Pharaoh.

There'let's alook specialat wordwhat the Bible usessays to mean thatabout God acts wholeheartedly with great eagerness and energy to bring about His plans. It's a word that begins with the letter "Z".

(Have the children turn toin Isaiah 42:13 in their Bibles. Read it aloud.)13:

"The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes."

What word beginsbeginning with theZ letterdo Zyou hear in this verse? That'sYes, right—zeal!"zeal"! God actshas likezeal. aThat mighty soldier going out to battle. He acts with ZEAL—with His whole heart, never in a "ho-hum" or lazy way.

(Show the Z-Zealous visual.)

God is zealous.means He acts with His whole heart.heart—like a mighty soldier going into battle with energy and determination!

AsNow muchlet's ashear Goda was zealous to free the people of Israel from Egypt, there is something He is even more zealous about. Let me tell youstory about a time whenhow Jesus showed HisGod's zeal.

(Begin telling the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem.)

Jesus had spent three years telling people about who God is and whatdoing amazing miracles. He is like. During that time, Jesus worked many miracles: healing thehealed sick andpeople, blind,made feedingblind 5,000people see, fed thousands of hungry people, and even makingmade dead people come to lifealive again!

Now,

Now Jesus hadneeded anto go to Jerusalem for a very important mission,mission. and to do it, He had to enter the city of Jerusalem.

Before entering Jerusalem,the city, Jesus gave two of His disciples a special job to do. He told them:job.

(Read from Luke 19:30, 35-36.)

"Go intoto the village in frontahead of you, whereand onas enteringyou enter it, you will find a colt tied,tied onthere, which no one has ever yet sat.ridden. Untie it and bring it here... And theyThey brought it to Jesus, and throwingthrew their cloaks on the colt,colt theyand setput Jesus on it. And asAs he rodewent along, theypeople spread their cloaks on the road."

(Show the Palm Leaf visual and Triumphal Entry visual.)

OtherThe people in the crowdalso cut palm leavesbranches and laid them on the road too. As Jesus came near, all His followers began to rejoice and praise God with loud voices for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:road.

(HaveShow the palm leaves and invite children sayto thiswave partthem together:if you have enough.)

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the people were so excited! They shouted:

"Blessed is the Kingking who comes in the name of the Lord!"

Let's all say that together: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"

(UncoverHave the thronechildren chairrepeat andthe crown visual.phrase.)

The people believed that Jesus was the promised King of Israel. In Jerusalem, there was a palace, a throne, and a crown. They thought Jesus had come to Jerusalembe their king—to sit on thea throne,throne and wear a crown, and be the king they had been expecting.

But Jesus was on a different kind of mission.crown.

(Uncover the garbage"throne pail/trashchair" and jewelryshow box.the crown.)

ThisIt jewelrywould boxhave remindsbeen useasy thatfor GodJesus isto glorious—Hebecome showsthe His greatness and worth. Is there anything or anyone greater or more valuable than God? No! But do we always act like we treasure and love God mostkind of all? No, we don't.

That's why this pile of dirty, stinky garbage is here—to remind us of what sin is like. And God feels anger toward sin. He is right to punish sin.

(Place the Sin visual on the pile of trash.)

When Jesus entered Jerusalem that day, it was a little likeking the people inwanted. theHe crowdcould werehave holding outhad a piece of candy for Him—"Jesus, come and sit on this nicecomfortable throne and wear thisa beautiful crown." Everyone would have served Him!

But just like how many of you changed your mind about wanting the easy-to-get candy when youJesus knew there was a better reward for doing the hard work of scrubbing, Jesus knew something similar. While it would have been easier and more fun for Jesus to go sit on a throne, wear a crown, and be treated like a king, there was a reward that was much, much more important to Him—do. He had come to take away the greatest rewardsin of all.

(Point to the jewelry box.)

Jesus was going to show the glory of God by saving His sinful people. That is the greatest reward of all! So, do you think Jesus would go about doing it in a "ho-hum" or bored kind of way?world.

(Show the Z-Zealousgarbage visualpail again.with crumpled paper.)

No!Sin is like this ugly garbage. It separates us from God. Jesus isknew God,that to save people from their sins, He would need to do something very hard. He would need to die on the cross.

Jesus could choose the easy way—become an earthly king with a crown—or He could choose the hard way—die on the cross to save us. What did Jesus choose?

Jesus chose the hard way! He was so zealous—so committed with His whole heart—to save us from our sins that He was willing to suffer and Hedie.

That's what it means that God is zealous. He is zealous to show the glory of God by saving sinners like you and me. But todoesn't do it,things halfway or without energy. He had to do the hardest, most painful job of all—He had to go and die on a cross. And He would do it with zeal—acting withputs His whole heart.heart into saving us because He loves us so much!

Wrap-up & Discussion (4 min)

(Sit with the children in a circle or relaxed posture.)

What special word didToday we learnlearned aboutthat God today? That's right—God is zealous. That means He acts with His whole heart. Jesus showed God's zeal by choosing the hard path of the cross instead of the easy path of being an earthly king.

Just like ayou goodwould soldierclean whothe goes into battlefloor with greatlots of energy andif determination,you Godknew doesyou'd everythingget witha Hiswonderful whole heart. He never gives up. He never gets lazy or bored.

When God decided to save His people from Egypt, He did it with zeal! Whenreward, Jesus camepursued toGod's save us from our sins, He did it with zeal! Even when it was hard—even when it meant dying on a cross—Jesus was zealous to do what would bring glory to God and save people from their sins.

God is zealous for things that matter most—His glory and His people. He loves youplan with His whole heart andbecause actsHe withknew greatthe energyjoy andthat determinationwould tocome takefrom caresaving of you.us!

Ask a few gentle, reflective questions:

1. IfWhat adoes soldierit isn't zealous about winning a battle, what might happen? (He might lose, give up easily, or not try his hardest)
2. Why do you think it's goodmean that God is zealouszealous? (It means He acts with His whole heart, with energy and determination)
3. What hard thing did Jesus choose to do instead of lazybecoming oran half-hearted?
earthly
4. Whatking? does(Die iton tellthe you about Jesus that He was zealouscross to save people,us evenfrom whenour it meant dying on a cross?sins)
5. What are some thingsWhen you feelreally zealouslove about—thingssomething, do you pursue withput your whole heart?heart into it? (Allow children to share examples of things they do with zeal)

(Bring it together with this summary.)

God's zeal means He doesn't do anything halfway. When He decided to save us, He was all in! Jesus was willing to leave heaven, come to earth as a baby, live a perfect life, and then die on the cross—all because He is zealous to save us!

When we knowunderstand thathow zealous God is zealous,for us, it giveshelps us greatwant comfort.to Itbe meanszealous for Him too! We can put our whole hearts into loving God, obeying Him, and telling others about Him.

Here are some ways we can show zeal for God:

• Reading the Bible with excitement to learn about God
• Singing praises to God willwith neverour givewhole upheart
on
• Praying Hiswith plansenthusiasm
or
• Telling Hisothers people.about HeJesus pursueswith whatcourage
• Obeying God completely, not halfway

Remember, God doesn't just love us a little bit—He loves us with His whole heart!

The most amazing thing is that GodHe is zealous for YOU. Just like a soldier charges into battle with determination and energy, God is zealous to bring you close to Him and make you part of His family. He wants you to know Him and love Him.

Remember, God always acts with His whole heart. He never does anything halfway or with a bored attitude. And nothing can stop God from accomplishing what He has planned!us!

Memorizing Verse: Isaiah 42:13

Isaiah 42:13 (NIV)
"The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes."

"Now let'Let's learn a specialtoday's Bible verse that tells us about God's zeal. Listen carefully as I say it.carefully."

(Read slowly and clearly, pointing to the words if displayed):

💡 Break It Down & Explain

Let's say it together—repeat after me!

(Say in short phrases and have kids echo):

• "The LORDLORD" goes(point out" (march in place)upward)
• "goes out like a mighty man,"man" (flex muscles)
• "like a man of war" (stand attall attentionand like a soldier)strong)
• "he stirs up his zeal;"zeal" (make stirring motion)motion with hands)
• "he cries out,"out" (cup hands around mouth)
• "he shouts aloud,"aloud" (raise hands up)up high)
• "he shows himself mighty" (flex muscles again)
• "against his foes."foes" (make a pushing away motion)

(Say it again a little faster as a group.group with the motions.)

Now let's talk about what this means.means:

• "The LORD goes out like a mighty man" - God is strong and powerful, like a warrior!brave soldier
• "Helike a man of war he stirs up his zeal" - God gets excitedHis energy and determineddetermination about what He's doing.ready
• "Hehe cries out, he shouts aloud" - God doesn'tis actnot quietlyquiet or half-heartedly.shy about His plan
• "Hehe shows himself mighty against his foes" - God willdefeats alwaysanything winthat stands against His enemies!good plan

Craft & Game (10 mins)

Craft (5 min) - Zealous "Z" Project

DownloadMaterials andneeded: printPaper thewith large letter "Z" worksheetprinted foron children.it, crayons, markers, stickers

(Hold up a large printed letter "Z" and say cheerfully):

Now we'We're going to domake a funspecial craft to help us remember that God is zealous. 'Z' stands for Zealous!

(Hand out a copy of the large 'Z' on paper to each child, along with crayons, markers, or stickers.)

I want you to decorate your letter "Z" towith bright, vibrant colors and lots of energy—just like God's zeal! Inside your "Z," draw pictures of things that remind you thatof Godtoday's acts with His whole heart. You could draw a soldier, a crown, orlesson—like Jesus riding into Jerusalem!Jerusalem, palm leaves, or a soldier ready for battle.

Remember, zealous means doing things with your whole heart, so put your whole heart into decorating your "Z"!

(While kids draw, walk around and chat with them individually, prompting reflection)

• What doesare ityou meandrawing thatinside Godyour is"Z"?
zealous?
• What's something you do with your whole heart, with lots of energy?
• Why do you think Godit's is like a soldier going into battle?
• What was Jesus zealous about?
• Can you think of a time when you were zealous about something—when you really, really wanted something?
• How does it make you feel to knowgood that God actsis with His whole heart to take care of you?zealous?

(After 4–5 minutes, invite kids to share their art aloud if time allows.)

These are beautiful!wonderful! EachYour 'Z'"Z" remindsletters remind us that God is zealous—Hezealous actsand withputs His whole heart!heart into everything He does, especially saving us!

Game (5 min) - Palm Leaf Parade

Setup (before class):

• PreparePaper 12palm Bibleleaves event(one cardsper thatchild describeif times when God acted with zealpossible)
• PrepareStrips 12of matchingfabric pictureor cardspaper thatfor illustrate each event"cloaks"
• TapeClear thespace Biblefor eventchildren cardsto onmove the wall
• Place the picture cards in a gift bagaround

(Gather the group and explain):

Let'sNow we're going to play a game called God'sPalm ZealousLeaf ActionsParade! OnWe're going to act out Jesus' entry into Jerusalem with lots of zeal and energy!

Each of you will get a palm leaf (or we'll take turns). When the wallmusic arestarts, cardswe'll parade around the room waving our palm leaves with lots of energy—remember, we're being zealous!

Some of you will get fabric strips to be the "cloaks" that tellpeople aboutlaid timeson the road. You can place these on the floor for our pretend Jesus to walk on.

When the music stops, everyone shout "Blessed is the king who comes in the Biblename whenof Godthe actedLord!" with zeal—with Hisyour whole heart.heart! InThen this bag are pictures that match each event.

When it's your turn, you'we'll pick a picture from the bag and try to matchdo it again with theeven rightmore Bible event on the wall. We'll talk about how God showed His zeal in each event!zeal!

(LetPlay lively worship music and have children takeparade turns matchingaround the picturesroom with energy, stopping occasionally for them to shout the Biblephrase. events.Encourage them to show more and more zeal each time.)

GreatWonderful job! AllYou theseshowed storiesa showlot of zeal in our parade! That's how Godexcited actsthe withpeople Hiswere wholewhen heart.Jesus came into Jerusalem. And Jesus showed even more zeal when He ischose zealousto aboutdie everythingon Hethe does!cross to save us from our sins!

Response Song

Optional Activity: MemoryZealous VerseHeart GameBookmarks

Materials needed (if time allows):

• ChooseCardstock acut Memoryinto Versebookmark Reviewshapes
Game
• Markers fromand yourcrayons
curriculum
• Hole resourcespunch and yarn/ribbon
• Stickers (optional)

IfLet's wemake have some extra time, we're going to play a fun gamebookmarks to help us remember that God is zealous and acts with His whole heart! On one side of your bookmark, write the letter Z for "Zealous." On the other side, write our versememory aboutverse: God's"The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal."

Decorate your bookmark with bright colors and designs that show lots of energy and zeal! When you use this bookmark, you'll remember that God is zealous for you!

Closing Prayer & Snack Time (10 mins)

Dear God,

Thankthank You for being zealous.
Thanka Youzealous forGod actingwho acts with Your whole heart.
 Thank You for notloving givingus upso whenmuch thingsthat get hard.
Thank You for Jesus, whoJesus was zealouswilling to save us,
even when it meant dyingdie on the cross.
cross for our sins. Help us to be zealous for theYou things that matter to You.
Help us too—to love You and serve You with our whole hearts,
justhearts. asIn YouJesus' lovename, usAmen.

with

Now Yourlet's wholeenjoy heart.
Thankour Yousnack thattogether! As we eat, let's think about one way we can trustshow You because You never do anything halfway.

Now, let us thank Youzeal for the snack we’re about to enjoy.
We fold our hands.
We bow our heads.
We thank You, God,
forGod this daily bread.
Amen.week.

Free Time & Children Pickup (15 mins)