The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock
Children's sermon
Ping-Pong Words
And 30 More Children's Sermons
Object:
Scripture Reference
Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell -- and great was its fall!
-- Matthew 7:24-27
Materials Needed
Printed music for "The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock" (at the end of this chapter) for the accompanist to follow
Poster with the lyrics to "The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock"
The wise man built his house upon a rock (3X)
and the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods came up (3X)
and the house on the rock stood firm.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand (3X)
and the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods came up (3X)
and the house on the sand went splat!
Telling The Story
(Show the poster printed with the lyrics and lead the children as they sing "The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock.") The wise man built his house upon a rock and the foolish man built his house upon the sand. Why are we singing about beach construction?
This is an old song that children have been singing at church for a long, long time, but it isn't really about beach construction. This song uses symbolism to help us understand what Jesus is teaching. Symbolism is when one thing represents or stands for something else. Sometimes, Jesus used an easy-to-understand symbol to help people understand more difficult ideas.
Let's think about the words to this song. The wise man really is a wise man, and the foolish man really is a foolish man.
In both verses, rain came down and floods came up. The rains and the floods represent the problems and temptations that we face. Both the wise man and the foolish man had problems and faced temptations. We all do. It's just a part of life. What do you think the house might represent? (Let the children suggest ideas.)
The house is a symbol for our lives. Building a house in this song reminds us of making decisions, reacting to the things and people around us, and living our lives. The two men built their houses in different places, didn't they? This represents living their lives in different ways.
The wise man built his house on the rock. What do you think the rock might represent? (Let the children offer ideas.) The rock represents God's teachings. The wise man makes his decisions by checking with the Bible first. When he has a problem, he tries to react in a way that Jesus would want him to. When it rained, when problems came, the man's house was still sturdy and strong.
And what about the foolish man? He built his house on the sand. When the rain came, it washed away and under the house. When he had decisions to make, the foolish man didn't consult the Bible. When his decisions caused problems, his house fell down.
What does this mean for us? If we'd like to be wise, like the wise man, we'll build our lives -- that means we'll make our decisions -- based on what God teaches us. When we have problems, we'll trust God to take care of us. If we do this, we'll be like the wise man and our lives will be sturdy and firm.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you for loving us so much. Thank you for helping us through our problems and guiding us when we look to you. Please help us to learn to trust you more and to remember to build our lives on what you teach us.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
To see the printed music and words for this song, refer to pages 115 and 116 in the printed book.
Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell -- and great was its fall!
-- Matthew 7:24-27
Materials Needed
Printed music for "The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock" (at the end of this chapter) for the accompanist to follow
Poster with the lyrics to "The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock"
The wise man built his house upon a rock (3X)
and the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods came up (3X)
and the house on the rock stood firm.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand (3X)
and the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods came up (3X)
and the house on the sand went splat!
Telling The Story
(Show the poster printed with the lyrics and lead the children as they sing "The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock.") The wise man built his house upon a rock and the foolish man built his house upon the sand. Why are we singing about beach construction?
This is an old song that children have been singing at church for a long, long time, but it isn't really about beach construction. This song uses symbolism to help us understand what Jesus is teaching. Symbolism is when one thing represents or stands for something else. Sometimes, Jesus used an easy-to-understand symbol to help people understand more difficult ideas.
Let's think about the words to this song. The wise man really is a wise man, and the foolish man really is a foolish man.
In both verses, rain came down and floods came up. The rains and the floods represent the problems and temptations that we face. Both the wise man and the foolish man had problems and faced temptations. We all do. It's just a part of life. What do you think the house might represent? (Let the children suggest ideas.)
The house is a symbol for our lives. Building a house in this song reminds us of making decisions, reacting to the things and people around us, and living our lives. The two men built their houses in different places, didn't they? This represents living their lives in different ways.
The wise man built his house on the rock. What do you think the rock might represent? (Let the children offer ideas.) The rock represents God's teachings. The wise man makes his decisions by checking with the Bible first. When he has a problem, he tries to react in a way that Jesus would want him to. When it rained, when problems came, the man's house was still sturdy and strong.
And what about the foolish man? He built his house on the sand. When the rain came, it washed away and under the house. When he had decisions to make, the foolish man didn't consult the Bible. When his decisions caused problems, his house fell down.
What does this mean for us? If we'd like to be wise, like the wise man, we'll build our lives -- that means we'll make our decisions -- based on what God teaches us. When we have problems, we'll trust God to take care of us. If we do this, we'll be like the wise man and our lives will be sturdy and firm.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you for loving us so much. Thank you for helping us through our problems and guiding us when we look to you. Please help us to learn to trust you more and to remember to build our lives on what you teach us.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
To see the printed music and words for this song, refer to pages 115 and 116 in the printed book.
