This Lesson is a great illustration of how God placed sin into a cup that Jesus bore for us. It also has an visual that shows that by what Jesus did it takes away sin for those who believe.
For this lesson you will need Styrofoam cups, a Large Sharpie, a mid-sized pot and acetone. (Be sure to pour the acetone in the pot before the lesson starts so the kids don’t see what it is. Make sure to keep in a well ventilated area as well.
The Cup of Sin
The Bible has a lot to say about cups. The Bible lists different kinds of cups:
The cup of the wicked: Psalms 11:6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
The cup of Salvation: Psalms 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
The bible describes us as a vessel or cup, we get to choose what we will put into our cup…
The Bible has some other names for these cups:
- The Cup of God’s Fury
- The Cup of Consolation
- The Cup of Astonishment and Desolation
- The Cup of Blessings
- The Cup of His Indignation
So many seek to fill their cups with the ways and sins of the world: (have them list sins and write them on the cups)
The Last cup write “SIN.”
You see God knew that sin would keep the world from going to Heaven… But God so loved the world that He sent His son Jesus to pay for our sin and whosoever believed in Him, would have everlasting life.
Just as we have a choice of what cup we are and what we want to fill our cup with… we also can choose whether or not we want to go to heaven… or hell.
So God gathered up all the sins and placed them in the cup of sin… and gave them to Jesus. It was a heavy burden to bear:
Take all the cups and stack them.. then place the in the SIN cup
Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
Jesus knew:
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
But Jesus made a way to take away our sins:
(put the cups into the acetone) – The cups/sin will melt away.. as they watch this tall column of cups vanish.. read the verses:
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 3:1 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Some in here have made the choice to accept the gift that Christ gave…
Others have not.
Some maybe like to play Church trying to be a Christian on Sunday… but acting poorly on other days:
1 Corinthians 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.
Which cup are you drinking from today?