Building for EternitySample

The Cornerstone

Biblical Story: The Parable of the Lost Sheep - Luke 15:1-7

Theme Verse: John 3:16

In the greatest act of love ever—Jesus gave His life on the cross so we can have eternal life with God. In John 3:16, the Bible tells us how much God loves us: He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for us so that we can live with Him forever. Jesus did this because He knew we could never earn our way to heaven on our own. His love is so great that He made the ultimate sacrifice for us.

Let’s look at the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Jesus describes a shepherd who has 100 sheep. When one goes missing, he leaves the other 99 to search for the lost one. The shepherd is willing to do whatever it takes to find and rescue that one lost sheep. That’s how Jesus sees each of us. Even when we feel lost or far from Him, He loves us so much that He was willing to give His life to save us.

Remember when you finished a very complicated lego construction? What if your brother needed some special pieces to help with his project, but you had to take apart your creation to do it? Most of us would not have taken apart our finished construction. But Jesus left the 99 to go find the one that was missing. He gave up everything—including His life—so that we could have eternal life with God.

Can we follow His example? Can you make small sacrifices this week for others? It could be helping a friend, being kind to someone who’s having a tough day, or not arguing with someone even though we completely disagree with them. Jesus gave everything because He loves us, and we can show His love by caring for others, even when it’s not easy.

Remember, Jesus died for us because He loves us more than we can imagine. And because of His sacrifice, we have the incredible gift of eternal life with God!

Questions:

1. What does it mean to you that Jesus gave His life for you?

2. How do you feel knowing that Jesus loves you so much that He made the ultimate sacrifice for you?

3. How can you show Jesus’ love to others?

Theme:

The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross provides us with the way to have eternal life with God.