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Sunday School Lesson: Jesus Casts Out Evil Spirits
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Elementary Sunday School Lesson: Jesus Casts Out Evil Spirits

Use this free Sunday school lesson to teach kids that God has power over evil. Find more great Sunday school lessons to help kids grow in their faith.

Elementary Sunday School Lesson: Jesus Casts Out Evil Spirits

1. Sculpt It!

Say: Do you want to hear about something gross? Just wait until you hear about some pigs in the Bible.

Give each child two different colored rolls of clay and a Bible. Have kids open their Bibles to Luke 8:26-39.

Say: Our Bible passage starts out with some demons having power over a man. Choose one color of your clay, and pull off a small blob to represent the man. As I read about the demons, use the same color clay to add another blob to your lump each time you hear about a way the demons had power. Read the second and third sentences of Luke 8:29 and then the last sentence of Luke 8:27.

Say: But then the demon-possessed man met Jesus. Get your other color of clay. As I read about Jesus, put a piece of clay on top of your lump each time he shows power. See if you can cover the whole lump of clay with the new color. Read Luke 8:27-32, skipping the parts you already read.

Say: As I read what happened next, pull your demon clay out, and squish it. Read Luke 8:33.

Ask:

  • How did Jesus show ultimate power in this event?
  • How does God’s power over evil affect your life today?

Say: When the pig herders saw Jesus’ power, they ran to spread the news. But when everyone realized how powerful Jesus was, they were afraid. We know God has power over evil, and we don’t need to respond in fear. God has power to help us with any problem.

Have kids sculpt a blob to represent a problem they have. Then have kids pray silently about the problem, covering their blob with a different color of clay as they pray and seek Jesus’ power. Softly play music in the background as kids pray.

2. Act It!

Have kids form pairs. Say: With your partner, think of something that gives power to something else, and then think of a way that the two of you can silently act out that power source. For example, if you choose the sun, one of you could be a growing flower while the other is the nourishing sun shining down on the flower. You’ll have a few minutes to think of your own power source and how to act it out.

Walk around the room offering help as needed. If kids need suggestions, help them think of electricity, coal, windmills, gasoline, and other power sources. After several minutes, have each pair silently act out its idea. After every presentation, lead kids in a round of applause.

Say: Thanks for those ideas—and for your acting abilities! You came up with some great power sources.

Ask:

  • How would you compare the power sources you thought of with God’s power?
  • What’s so important about God’s power?

Say: The power sources you thought of are important. But not as important as God’s power! We know God has power over evil. No other kind of power can overcome evil the way Jesus did when he sent the demons into the pigs.

3. Guess It!

Cut sheets of paper into quarters, and write one of the following on each piece of paper: possessed man, a demon, Jesus, pig herder, and townspeople. (It’s okay to repeat names if you have a larger group.) Have kids form pairs, and tape a piece of paper to each child’s back. Don’t let kids know who you’ve taped on their backs.

Say: Look at the paper on your partner’s back. Then talk to your partner as if he or she is this person in the Bible, but don’t let on who the person is. Try to guess which person you are by the way your partner talks to you. When you think you know your person, raise your hand.

When everyone’s hand is raised (or after five minutes), let kids take the papers off their backs.

Say: Look at who is on your paper, and talk about this question with your partner.

Ask:

  • How did God’s power over evil affect your person?

Pause for pairs to discuss, and then have kids share answers with the whole group.

Say: God’s power impacted everyone around—even the people who just heard about it. And God’s power can be just as real in our lives, because we know God has power over evil.

4. Write It!

Point: We know God has power over evil.

Set out Bibles, paper, and pencils. Say: The Bible tells us that it caused quite a commotion when Jesus ordered the evil spirits into those pigs. The people back then didn’t have any way to quickly spread news. But what if they did? Grab some paper, and quickly write what you’d text your friends if you saw something like this happen.

Give kids a little time to write their texts. If kids have cell phones, they can enter in real text messages instead of writing them on paper. Encourage them to refer to the Bible passage as they write. When everyone has finished writing, have kids find partners and have pairs take turns reading their texts to each other. Then ask willing kids to share their texts with the large group.

Ask:

  • How do you see God’s power at work in our world?

What can you do to spread the word about God’s power?

Say: We know God has power over evil. God had power over evil back in Bible times, and he has power over evil today. With cell phones, Internet, and TV, it’s easy to spread the news that God’s power is stronger than anything— stronger than evil, sin, and even death.

5. Pray It!

Say: We’re not possessed by demons like the poor man in the Bible passage was. But we do sin—each one of us. And sin is evil because it goes against God. But we know God has power over evil.

Have kids spread around the room so they can sit as quietly by themselves as possible.

Say: We’re going to spend a little quiet time with God. Think of something wrong you’ve done lately—a sin you’ve committed. Then silently talk to God about it. Thank him for having power over your sin. Thank him for sending Jesus to take the punishment for that sin. Then ask him to forgive you, and he will. That sin will be gone just as surely as those evil spirits left that man.

Play music quietly in the background. After a few minutes,

Ask:

  • How can God’s power over sin change your life this week?

Pray for your kids, saying each child’s name and thanking God for his power in that child’s life.

Say: After Jesus healed him, the man wasn’t controlled by demons anymore. And with Jesus’ power, we’re not controlled by sin. We still sin sometimes, but Jesus can help us overcome sin because we know God has power over evil.

Looking for lessons to keep your Sundays simple? Check out Group’s Simply Loved curriculum! You can also heck out these ideas!

2 thoughts on “Elementary Sunday School Lesson: Jesus Casts Out Evil Spirits

  1. I am looking for a good pre-teen curriculum and this looks goodI Is this the Grapple program?

    Diana T.
    Director of Children’s ministry
    Iglesia Betania Bautista

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