NEW TESTAMENT 2019
Come, Follow Me
with
Built Upon the Rock
Scripture:
Matthew 7:24-27
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Song:
The Wise Man and the Foolish Man Children’s Songbook page 281
Video Clip:
The Animated New Testament: Built Upon the Rock, The Lord’s Prayer, and The Righteous Judge
Lesson:
After Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount, He taught that those who heard the things He taught and did them were like wise men building a house upon a rock. By doing the things Jesus teaches us, we are building our testimonies and our own family on a strong foundation.
What are some things Jesus teaches us to do in His Sermon on the Mount? One thing He taught the people was how to pray. He reminded the people not to pray using “vain repetitions”, and gave them an example of a prayer, which has become known as The Lord’s Prayer. (See Matthew 6:9-16)
He taught the people not to judge unrighteously. He compared a person judging someone else unrighteously to someone who has a beam stuck in their eye, while they’re trying to get a tiny mote out of someone else’s eye. (See (Matthew 7:1-5)
Jesus also taught us that we should seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). As we do these things, we build strong testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ that will help our family withstand the storms of life, just like the house built by the wise man upon a rock is able to withstand the rain, wind and floods.
Quote:
“…If you make your home a house of prayer and fasting, faith, learning and glory, and order, it can become a house of God. If you build your homes on the foundation rock of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and the gospel, they can be sanctuaries where your families can be sheltered from the raging storms of life.”
Joseph B. Wirthlin
Q&A:
What does it mean to build your testimony upon the rock of Jesus Christ?
What can we learn about prayer from the way the Savior prayed? (Discuss ideas.)
How can we use His prayer as a model to improve our own prayers? (Discuss ideas.)
Is it wrong to judge others? (Discuss ideas.)
“Some scriptures command us not to judge and others instruct us that we should judge and even tell us how to do it. But as I have studied these passages I have become convinced that these seemingly contradictory directions are consistent when we view them with the perspective of eternity. The key is to understand that there are two kinds of judging: final judgments, which we are forbidden to make, and intermediate judgments, which we are directed to make, but upon righteous principles.” Dallin H. Oaks
What guidance has the Lord given us in making judgments? (Read Matthew 7:2–5 and Discuss thoughts.)
How can we individually “first seek the kingdom of God”? How can we do this as a family? (discuss ideas)
Activity idea:
The Mote & the Beam / House Built on a Rock
Use these object lessons about the mote & the beam and the houses built upon the rock and the sand to reinforce the lessons Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount.
Treat idea:
Praying Arms Pretzels
Prayer is an important part of the gospel of Jesus Christ and will help us build our homes upon the rock of Jesus Christ. These shape of these soft pretzels remind us of praying arms.
These lessons are perfect for Family Home Evening at the beginning of the week, or to recap the following Sunday. Or use portions of the lesson throughout the week to enhance your family scripture study.
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