Deceitful Devil – Where is True Happiness Found? | Object Lesson
This is an object lesson that can help you teach your class about where you can REALLY find happiness in life. The devil will lie to you and tell you it is found in all the wrong places but it is only REALLY found in living for Jesus with your whole heart!
Deceptive Devil: Super Absorbent Polymer Instruction
Needed: Get three large Styrofoam cups, bigger is better here, trust me, your Super Absorbent Polymer [SAP], and a small container of water, enough to fill each cup about halfway.
Prep: Line your three cups up in a row in front of you. Into the bottom of only one of those cups, you’re going to pour the Super Absorbent Polymer. Don’t be stingy; you need enough to solidly coat the bottom, maybe about a tablespoon. If you’re questioning the amount, throw a little extra in there. That special cup is your target, and the audience can’t know it’s pre-loaded.
Start with the positive: Everyone can be used by God! Drill it into these 5–11-year-olds that their age doesn’t matter. They can live for God right now, no matter what anybody says. They don’t have to wait to be a preacher. They can be musicians, Sunday School helpers, or, most importantly, Soul Winners, to their friends NOW!
But here’s the rub. There’s a sneaky, slimy creature out there, the Devil, and his main job is to discourage them and stop them from living for God. His absolute favorite trick? Deceit. Ask the kids if they know what that is. It means telling us one thing when the truth is something totally different.
The “Force” Trick: Now, you have to execute the “force” to guarantee you end up with the cup containing the SAP. Have one of the kids verbally pick one of the three cups. Once they choose, ask if they want to change their mind, it’s just part of the drama.
Here is the sequence:
- If they pick the cup WITH the SAP: Simple. Say, “Okay, you chose it… this is the cup we are going to use for our demonstration.”
- If they pick a cup WITHOUT the SAP: Say, “Okay… so you wanted this one to be taken out.” Eliminate that cup, leaving two. Have them pick again.
- If they now pick the cup WITH the SAP: Easy. Say, “Okay, you chose it… this is the cup we are going to use.”
- If they pick the second cup WITHOUT the SAP: Say, “Okay… so you wanted this one to be taken out also.” With two eliminated, the cup remaining is the one you wanted all along.
No matter what they choose, you always end up with the SAP cup. That’s the force.
The Demonstration: Fastest Hand in the West
Pour water into that SAP cup. Now, play it up! Tell the kids you’ve been practicing and that your hands are the fastest around. They’ll never be able to follow the cups because the hand is faster than the eye.
Begin to switch the cups around very, very slowly, making sure the movements are subtle but not so fast that the kids can’t track the water. Be careful here, the cup with the water will feel and handle differently than the empty ones, and you absolutely can’t knock over an empty cup.
Stop the switching and ask the audience which cup has the water. Make this a big, dramatic reveal. When they guess, pick up the cup they say has the water. They will probably be correct. Now, here’s the magic moment: Dramatically dump the cup over your own head! The kids will be astonished. Nothing will come out, because the Super Absorbent Polymer has already hardened and clung to the cup.
Leave that empty-but-wet cup turned upside down. Ask them to pick between the two remaining cups. Take the remaining cups, and uneventfully dump them on your head one by one until all three are upside down on the table. Finally, explain the core truth: The Devil doesn’t play fair. He lied to them about the cup, and he lies to them about living for God. He tells them cool people don’t live for God, or that it’s okay to sneak in video games, say bad words, or act out when their parents aren’t around. BUT IT’S ALL A LIE. Living for God is the BEST LIFE!
*Tags: Confusion, deceitful devil, happiness, the devil lies, tricks of the devil, true happiness, true happiness is found in Jesus, worry, look in the right places
