Kids Church

LESSON FOR: July 17, 2022 – Week 3 of Series

Never Too Young: Jeremiah

POWER TRUTH: God can do mighty things through me.

POWER VERSE: Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but, by your
conversation, your conduct, your love, your faith, and your purity, be an example to those who
hold the faith. ~ 1 Timothy 4:12 OEB

OBJECTIVE: At the end of the series, the children will learn about some Bible characters who
were used by God at a young age. This will encourage them that they do not have to wait until
they are adults before they can also do mighty things for God.

INTRODUCTION

We are on week three of our series Never Too Young. Today we will be talking about another
young man whom God chose to do His will: Jeremiah! The Bible doesn’t tell us
how old Jeremiah was, but it does tell us that at one point in his life, he thought
he was too young to do God’s work.

Build Up. Tear Down, Plant

CONNECT
Materials: paper cups

Instructions: Pick 2 teams of 5 to play. When teacher says the words “Build up” the teams
must build a pyramid using the 10 cups. When teacher says “Plant,” the teams must form a
straight line with the cups facing down. When teacher says “Tear Down,” the teams must turn
all the cups on their sides.

Spiel: Great job in building, tearing down, and planting the cups! Our story for today is about a
young man named Jeremiah. He was tasked to be a prophet to the nation
of Israel during a very difficult time. God tasked him to build up, tear down,
and plant the kingdoms and nations.

WORD
Jeremiah 1:4-10 ICB
God Calls Jeremiah

Last week we learned about the young king, Josiah. This week’s young man, Jeremiah, lived
during the time Josiah was king. In fact, the Lord called Jeremiah on the 13 th year of King
Josiah’s reign. Do you remember Hilkiah the high priest in last week’s lesson, the one who
found the Book of God’s Law? He was most likely Jeremiah’s dad!

Jeremiah 1:4-10 ICB 4 The Lord spoke these words to me:

5 “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you.
Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.
 I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Jeremiah was handpicked by God to do one of the hardest things anyone could ever do! God
was asking him to be a prophet. A prophet is someone who receives a message from the Lord,
and delivers it to people, kings, and nations. God was calling Jeremiah to speak His judgment
over the kings and people of Israel. Because of that, Jeremiah got quite scared!

God is still calling people for His purpose. What do you think is God calling you to do? To be?
A prophet? A doctor? A businessman? The president of our nation?

Jeremiah 1:6-10 ICB 6 Then I said, “But Lord God, I don’t know how to speak. I am only a
boy.”

7 But the Lord said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am only a boy.’ You must go everywhere that I send
you. You must say everything I tell you to say. 8 Don’t be afraid of anyone, because I am with
you. I will protect you,” says the Lord.

9 Then the Lord reached out with his hand and touched my mouth. He said to me, “See, I am
putting my words in your mouth. 10 Today I have put you in charge of nations and kingdoms.
You will pull up and tear down, destroy and overthrow. You will build up and plant.”

And with that, Jeremiah said yes to God’s call. He was a prophet to the nation of Israel for
more than 40 years. Although he delivered quite heavy messages from the Lord because of
Israel’s disobedience to God, Jeremiah also spoke of good news. In fact, he delivered the best
news—the Messiah was coming and he was going to renew and restore the relationship of
God and His people.

POINT: God gives us the words to speak His truth.

God knew that Jeremiah was afraid, which is why He instructed him not to fear. Jeremiah had
no reason to fear because God promised to be with him and to protect him. Jeremiah’s life was
not easy. He had to go through many hard times as he faithfully delivered the messages of
God to His people. But one thing did not change—God indeed put the words in his mouth. God
did what He promised, He did not leave Jeremiah, and He protected him.

God gave us a calling. We are all called to tell people about Jesus, no matter how old we are.
You could be 5 years old or 95 years old, it doesn’t matter! Sometimes we might be scared to
speak because we feel like we don’t know what to say, especially when we’re talking to grown-
ups! But God will always give us the words to speak and He will always be by our side.

As we grow up, we will also discover specific callings God has for us. Some will be called to
serve in government, while others in hospitals, businesses, or even schools. The bottom line
is, whatever God is calling you to do today, there is no reason to fear because He will give you
the tools and the power to do His will.

POWER TRUTH: God can do mighty things through me.

POWER VERSE: Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but, by your
conversation, your conduct, your love, your faith, and your purity, be an example to those who
hold the faith. ~ 1 Timothy 4:12 OEB
 POINT TO JESUS

Jeremiah was sent by God to speak during the time when Israel kept on destroying their
relationship with God. They turned away from Him and worshipped other idols. But despite
their disobedience, God spoke through Jeremiah of His plan to fix His relationship with His
people. God was sending His one and only son not just for the people of Israel, but also for
you and me. God promised that He was going to forgive and restore His
relationship with the people who would believe in Jesus Christ, and that
relationship could never ever be broken!

PRAYER

Dear God, You are powerful and mighty, and with You by our side, there is no need to fear.
We can always trust in You even when You ask us to do difficult and challenging things. May
we always look to You for strength. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

CRAFTS Paper Mouth

Materials: colored paper (red, white, and 1 color of choice), glue, markers, craft template

Instructions: Follow instructions in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vtiiad2biU at 1:54-

2:07. Credit to Kids Art & Craft for the idea.

Spiel: Great job making your paper mouths! Remember in our story when God had to reach
out from the clouds to touch Jeremiah’s mouth and fill it with His words? He did that so
Jeremiah would know that he was not alone in doing the task God sent him out to do. God was
with Him, and He was going to tell Jeremiah what to say and do! Just like with us, God will
always give us the right words to say whenever we talk about Him to the people around us.
There is no need to fear, even when you’re sharing the gospel to
grown-ups.

QUESTIONS

Huddle Question: How do you feel about the prospect of telling someone about Jesus?

Family Con: As a family, list down 1-3 people who you want to tell the story of Jesus to. Pray
for these people and make a plan of action.

Classroom Questions: (Pick appropriate questions for your class’ age group. You can
do multiple choice questions for younger kids.)

1. What was the name of the young man in our story? (Jeremiah)
2. What was God calling Jeremiah to do? (To be a prophet)
3. What was the job of a prophet? (To speak the words or messages of God)
4. What was Jeremiah’s response when God called him? (Jeremiah said he was too young)
5. What did God promise to Jeremiah? (He will be with him, and He will protect him)
6. How did God put words in the mouth of Jeremiah? (God touched Jeremiah’s mouth)
7. How do you feel about the prospect of telling someone about Jesus?
8. List down 1-3 people who you want to tell the story of Jesus to. Pray for these people and
make a plan of action.