Sermon on the Mount

BIG IDEA: Jesus teaches us how to live like Him.

This free Bible lesson, The Sermon on the Mount, will teach preschool and elementary students about the most famous Biblical teaching. Jesus taught His followers many important lessons during His sermon.

FOCUS BIBLE PASSAGE: Matthew 5-7

All of the printable activities and digital slides needed for the lesson, as well as a full printable lesson plan for both elementary and preschool are available.

Below is the outline of the free elementary Bible lesson.

PREP & SUPPLIES

• whiteboard or posterboard and marker
• video: God’s Story: Sermon on the Mount from Crossroads Kids’ Club (link)
• printed “M-O-U-N-T” station recording sheets for each student
• printed “M-O-U-N-T” station activities #1-5 (1 set for each class)
• printed “House on the Rock” pages 1 and 2 for each student
• scissors, glue, crayons/markers

MEMORY VERSE: “In the same way, let your light shine so others can see it. Then they will see the good things you do. And they will bring glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (NIrV)

THIS WEEK’S MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY:

• Today’s lesson is rather long and the large group and small group activities will take quite a bit of time, so today students can focus on the memory verse with a partner.
• If students made up motions for the memory verse last week, instruct them to practice the motions with a partner/small group.
• If students have not made up motions for the memory verse, allow them to do so during this time.
• This activity should last for less than 5 minutes today.

LESSON HOOK ACTIVITY

(SLIDE 3) I want you to think about your favorite teacher of all time. (Give wait time.)

What are some things about that teacher that make him or her a good teacher? (Allow responses. Make a list at the front of the room on a whiteboard, posterboard, or something similar.)

Allow students to create the majority of the list, but if they do not come up with the characteristics listed below, prompt them to do so.

caring, helpful, loving, kind, knows a lot about what he/she is teaching, patient, respectful, forgiving

Today we are going to learn about the GREATEST TEACHER OF ALL TIME! Did you know that Jesus was a teacher? He didn’t teach in a classroom like the teachers that we have talked about today, but He did teach a lot of lessons while He was on Earth.

Our story today is about a really long set of lessons that Jesus taught that is called The Sermon on the Mount. A “sermon” is another word for a lesson that a teacher or preacher speaks to a group of people.

The teachings of The Sermon on the Mount were recorded, and can be found in two of the Gospel books in the New Testament of the Bible.

Can someone tell us the names of all 4 Gospel books? (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)

What do the Gospel books teach us about? (Jesus’s time on Earth.)

Our story today is found mostly in the book of Matthew, but we can also find some parts of the story in the book of Luke as well.

You may even recognize some of the lessons that Jesus taught in His sermon.

BIBLE LESSON

Show the video: God’s Story: Sermon on the Mount from Crossroads Kids’ club (LINK)

[If the video does not work, you can read this summary: One day when Jesus saw crowds gathering to hear Him teach or see Him do miracles, He went to the side of a mountain near the Sea of Galilee and across from a place called Capernaum. From there He gave a message all about God’s Kingdom and His love. We call this message The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus started by explaining who would get blessings, or favor, from God. He said the most blessed people are those who are poor, sad, or humble. He said God shows favor to people who are just or treat others fairly, and people who are merciful, or show love to those who don’t deserve it. He said the people who are pure, who bring peace, or who get hurt for doing right will be rewarded for their actions in Heaven. In other words, the people who love others even when it makes them seem weak or unimportant on Earth are like heroes in God’s Kingdom. Jesus went on to explain that when we believe in and follow Him, it’s our job to show everyone else who He is by loving them. That means going out of our way not only to comfort and help our friends but also forgive people who hurt us, love our enemies, and give to people in need. Jesus didn’t just talk about love, He showed it all the time. In fact, right after giving this sermon Jesus spent the rest of the day helping everyone He met. First, as Jesus came down from the mountain, a man with a skin disease called leprosy knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if You are willing You can heal me and make me clean.” Usually no one wanted to be around people with leprosy, but Jesus touched him and said, “I am willing. Be healed.” Instantly the leprosy disappeared. Then when Jesus arrived in Capernaum a bit later, a soldier said to Him, “Lord my servant is in terrible pain.” Right away Jesus said “I will come and heal him.” The officer said, “Just say the word from where You are, and my servant will be healed.” Jesus told him, “because you believe, it has happened.” The officer’s servant was healed. A little later Jesus arrived at his disciple Peter’s house. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. Jesus touched her hand and the fever left. Later that evening many other people who were demon-possessed or sick came to see Jesus. He brought relief to all of them. At the end of the day, Jesus got into a boat with His disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm came out of nowhere. Waves began crashing into the boat. The disciples realized that even though they were in the middle of a giant storm, Jesus was asleep. They shouted, “Lord save us. We’re going to drown!” Jesus said, “you of little faith. Why are you so afraid?” Then He told the wind and waves to stop, and they did. That day Jesus taught a lot of people how to love and showed them what love looks like. Whenever somebody took their sickness or pain or fear to Jesus, He helped them. Everybody who met Jesus got to experience His love, and when we love like Jesus, everyone who meets us can feel His love too.]

(SLIDE 4) Our Big Idea this week is JESUS TEACHES US HOW TO LIVE LIKE HIM.

That is exactly what He did during His Sermon on the Mount. He spoke about many different ways that we can love like He does and how we can live like Him every day.

Jesus was preaching to a large group of Jewish people who had heard about Him and all of the miracles He was performing, but some of them were probably still unsure if they believed He was the Savior that God promised to send.

Let’s think back. What happened in the Garden of Eden? (Adam and Eve disobeyed God, so sin entered into the world.)

Sin separates us from who? (God)

Because Adam and Eve sinned and brought sin into the world and separated us from God, what did God promise? (God promised to send a Savior, a Messiah, to defeat sin and take the punishment for our sins so that we could live with Him again.)

That is what Jesus was doing while He was on Earth. He had come to save all of humanity from our sins. Anyone that believes in and trusts Jesus can be saved. That means that everyone who believes in Jesus and is saved will live forever with God in Heaven!

During Jesus’s sermon, He taught the people, and us, all about the Kingdom of God where believers and followers of Jesus will live forever, and He taught about His love.

When we love like Jesus, everyone we meet can feel His love. Then they will want to know Jesus just like we do!

Jesus begins His sermon by talking to the people about how they can receive blessings from God. Does anyone know what “blessings” are? (good things; gifts from someone; something that makes us happy)

Jesus says that the people who receive blessings, or good things, or gifts from God are people who need Jesus. He says that sad people will be comforted. He says that people who don’t brag about things they have or things they know will be blessed. He says that people who want to do what is right will be blessed. He says that people who show others kindness and forgiveness will also be shown kindness and forgiveness by God. He says that people who have hard times even though they are doing the right things will be blessed by God.

This part of the sermon is called The Beatitudes. These are all special lessons from Jesus that teach us that even when it’s difficult to be kind, or peaceful, or forgiving, or not braggy, if we obey Jesus, then we will have true happiness and we will be close to God. How exciting is that?

After The Beatitudes, Jesus teaches about so many more great ways that we can live like Him.

He says that we should try our best to make the world a better place by living like Him.

He says that we should be kind to others.

He says that we should love people even if they are unkind to us.

He teaches us how to pray to God.

He teaches us not to worry because God will take care of us.

He says that we should not judge other people.

(Big Idea) He teaches us how to live like Him.

(SLIDE 5) Jesus ends His sermon by giving the people an invitation to make changes in their lives. In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus says, “So then, everyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like a wise man. He builds his house on the rock. The rain comes down. The water rises. The winds blow and beat against that house. But it does not fall. It is built on the rock. But everyone who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man. He builds his house on sand. The rain comes down. The water rises. The winds blow and beat against that house. And it falls with a loud crash.”

(SLIDE 6) Think about that. Think about a house built on a strong rock, and then think about a house built on sand.

Jesus was trying to get the people to understand how they should live. What do you think He meant? (Allow responses, but be sure students understand by giving them the explanation that follows.)

A “foundation” is the part of a building that holds up the weight of the building.

Jesus was teaching that when we have a STRONG FOUNDATION, or part that holds us up, like ROCK, then our house won’t fall down. He was using the house and the rock as a symbol for our lives. If we follow Him and live like the Bible teaches us to, then we have a strong foundation like a rock, so our lives will be strong.

Think about sand. How many of you have ever built a sandcastle? Sandcastles can be really big and special, but as soon as the water comes up to the beach, the sand washes away.

So, if our foundation is like SAND, then is it going to support the weight of a house? Definitely not! Jesus is using the house and the sand as a symbol to teach us how if we don’t follow Him and we don’t live like the Bible teaches us to, then we won’t have a strong foundation and our lives will not be strong.

How can you “build your house on the rock”? (go to church regularly, read the Bible, pray, learn more about Jesus) When we build our house on a rock, we also will automatically show the love of Jesus to everyone around us!

Dear God,

Thank you for the true story of the Sermon on the Mount that was given by Jesus and recorded in our Bible. We are so grateful that we get to learn about you by reading our Bibles. Please help us to show Your love in everything that we do and to everyone that we talk to. We know that Jesus showed His love when He was here on Earth and we pray that you will help us to love others like Jesus did so they can feel His love.

We love you and we pray all of these things in Jesus’ sweet name, Amen.

LARGE GROUP ACTIVITY

PREP: Set up the 5 “stations” around the room.

(SLIDE 7) Remember back at the very beginning of our time together today when I told you that you might even recognize some of the lessons that Jesus taught about during His sermon?

We are going to look at some of those lessons now.

Around the room there are 5 stations set up. At each station you are going to read and look at pictures of one of the lessons that Jesus taught, and think about what the lesson means and how you can use the lesson in your own life. You can talk about what you are thinking with the other people at the station. There is space on your recording sheet to write your thoughts.

If you haven’t heard about some or any of the lessons that is ok. But the lessons that we are looking at are some of the most well known lessons from the Bible.

Remember, Jesus taught A LOT of lessons while He was on Earth, and A LOT of lessons during the Sermon on the Mount. So, the ones that we are looking at today are just a small sample!

Pass out the M-O-U-N-T recording sheets and pencils to each student.

Options for Rotations:

(1) Split students into 5 equal groups and assign each group a starting station. Set a timer and tell them when to rotate to the next station. They can rotate in the order of the word

M-O-U-N-T.

(2) Allow students to visit the stations independently, with a friend, or with a group. Allow them to spend the amount of time that they need at the station. *You might want to set a timer, and give them prompts to rotate.*

(3) Work through the stations as a whole group. (This is a good option for non-readers.)

**STUDENTS SHOULD SPEND ABOUT 3-5 MINUTES AT EACH STATION.

LEADER’S DISCUSSION GUIDE IS ON THE NEXT PAGE.

AFTER the activity, students should be gathered together as a large group and led in a discussion about their reflections on the 5 lessons from The Sermon on the Mount.

LEADER’S DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR M-O-U-N-T STATIONS:

At each station, students were given the passage from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, and asked two questions:

(1) What lesson is Jesus teaching? (2) How can you use this lesson in your life?

The following are discussion points that should be made AFTER the students have had the chance to reflect on these passages independently.

M (Station 1): “Light of the World” – Matthew 5:14-16 [You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill can’t be hidden. Also, people do not light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand. Then it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine so others can see it. Then they will see the good things you do. And they will bring glory to your Father who is in heaven.]

• Students should recognize part of this lesson as their memory verse for the month. (Matthew 5:16)
• In this lesson, Jesus is teaching that as believers in Him we should be shining “HIS LIGHT” to the dark world. When we share Jesus’s love and light with the world, people who don’t know Him will be curious about the joy that we have and they will want to know Jesus too.
• We must be careful as followers of Jesus to shine the light of Jesus and give Him the glory. (This is a good place to discuss humility – not being boastful of our own works, but giving all of the praise and glory to God.)
• LIFE APPLICATIONS: sharing the good news of Jesus with friends, helping someone in need, showing kindness to someone, working on changing a bad attitude

O (Station 2): “Turn the Other Cheek” – Matthew 5:38-39 [You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.]

• In this lesson, Jesus is teaching about revenge. He says that we shouldn’t seek revenge on anyone who does wrong to us.
• Revenge: “getting back at someone”; wanting to hurt someone because they hurt you first
• Jesus says “You have heard that it was said, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’. He is referring to the old law that Moses gave the Israelites. Recorded in Exodus 21:23-25 is this part of the old law. [An eye must be put out for an eye. A tooth must be knocked out for a tooth.]
• Instead of doing the same thing to someone that they did to us (eye for eye; tooth for tooth), Jesus says that we should not try to “get back at” someone who hurts us.
• LIFE APPLICATIONS: staying quiet when someone says something mean to you, not taking something from a sibling because they took something from you, not talking bad about someone even if they have talked bad about you

U (Station 3): “Love Your Enemies” – Matthew 5:43-44 [You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor. Hate your enemy.’ But here is what I tell you. Love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.]

• In this lesson, Jesus is teaching that instead of not loving people who we consider an “enemy”, we should love them and pray for them.
• Enemy: someone who doesn’t like you or someone else you care about; someone who tries to hurt you or cause you trouble; someone who is against you
• The Old Testament law of Moses does NOT teach us to hate our enemies. In fact, in Leviticus 19:18, it is recorded “Do not try to get even. Do not hold anything against any of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
• When Jesus says “you have heard that it was said to love your neighbor and hate your enemy” he was addressing a misunderstanding that people naturally have! It does not feel natural to humans to love people who are not nice to us, or want to do us harm.
• Acknowledge that this is sometimes difficult to do.
• LIFE APPLICATIONS: helping a person who has been mean to you, saying a prayer for a kid that has been mean to you or one of your friends, giving a compliment to a person who has not been kind to you

N (Station 4): “Treasures in Heaven” – Matthew 6:19-21 [Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.]

• In this lesson, Jesus is teaching that instead of focusing on money and collecting lots of “stuff”, we should be doing good things and living for Jesus now, on earth, so that when we get to Heaven we will receive our “Heavenly rewards”.
• Believers and followers of Jesus don’t HAVE to do good things. Sometimes doing good things is called “good works”. Some people believe that doing good things is what gets a person into heaven. But that is not true. Remember, Jesus came to the earth, lived a life without any sin so that He could take the punishment for your sins. All we have to do to get into Heaven is BELIEVE in Jesus and ask Him to save us from our sins! We cannot EARN our way to Heaven by doing good things.
• When we truly believe in Jesus and choose to follow Him, we begin to WANT to do good things. But remember we don’t HAVE to do good works to get into Heaven.
• Jesus teaches in Matthew 25 that if we are a “good and faithful servant” of Jesus here on the earth, then we will be REWARDED in Heaven. That is also what this lesson is teaching. We shouldn’t focus on building up a lot of wealth here on earth because those things will not last, but our treasures in Heaven will last FOREVER!
• Jesus says “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” He is saying that if we know we are working towards living in Heaven, we will WANT to do good things because our HEARTS will be focused on the things of Heaven.
• LIFE APPLICATIONS: helping people in need, showing kindness, serving others with your talents and gifts, not focusing on money or stuff, spending your time learning about Jesus.

T (Station 5): “The Golden Rule” – Matthew 7:12 [In everything, do to others what you would want them to do to you.]

• In this lesson, Jesus is teaching what has been called “The Golden Rule”. It is called that because gold is very valuable and special, and so is this lesson. We should treat others the way that we want to be treated.
• No one truly wants to be treated badly. Everyone wants to be treated with kindness. So, since we want to be treated with kindness, we should live in a way in which we treat others with kindness.
• LIFE APPLICATIONS: helping a friend with homework, giving someone a gift, not talking bad about or to people, not physically hurting anyone, not ignoring a friend

SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY

If time permits, you can instruct students to complete the small group activity. However, you should plan to spend ample time on the discussion of the M-O-U-N-T station reflections.

You will each get 2 papers. With these 2 papers, you are going to “build a house on the rock”.

One of the papers has many different parts of a house that you can cut out and glue together to build your house. You will glue your house to the other paper which has a “rock foundation”.

Remember that Jesus taught that when we have a STRONG FOUNDATION, or part that holds us up, like ROCK, then our house won’t fall down. He was using the house and the rock as a symbol for our lives. If we follow Him and live like the Bible teaches us to, then we have a strong foundation like a rock, so our lives will be strong.

The house you are “building” today is to help you remember the lesson that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount.

BREAK INTO SMALL GROUPS TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY.

Discussion Prompts for Leaders:

• What is the rock a symbol for? (a strong foundation; building a life centered on Jesus and His teachings)
• What did Jesus teach about the person who “builds a house on the rock”? (when we have a strong foundation and our lives are centered on Jesus as we live like the Bible teaches, our lives are strong.)
• What did Jesus teach about the person who “builds a house on sand”? (when we have a weak foundation because we don’t follow Jesus and live like the Bible teaches, our lives are weak and at risk of failing)
• Which of the lessons from the Sermon on the Mount that we talked about today seem to be the most difficult to follow?
• Which of the four Gospel books do we find the lessons that Jesus taught during His Sermon on the Mount? (Matthew and Luke, but mostly Matthew)
• What are some ways that you can “build your house on the rock”? (go to church regularly, read the Bible, pray, learn more about Jesus)

CLOSING REFLECTION

We learned that Jesus gave a very important lesson that is recorded in the book of Matthew called The Sermon on the Mount. In this lesson, he taught about many different ways that we can live and love like Him. Jesus showed His love all the time when He was here on earth and He still shows His love today. The lessons he taught during the Sermon on the Mount are some of the most well known teachings in the Bible.

Reflection Questions:

• Which of Jesus’s lessons that we talked about do you think is the most difficult to follow? Why?
• Do you feel like you are “building your house on a rock” or “building your house on sand”?
• Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?

Find other free Bible lessons for kids: