The Big, Red Self-Destruct Button - Proverbs Youth Sunday School Lesson

Brief: We bring negative consequences on ourselves when we sin.

(Printable Student Sheet)

Scripture: Proverbs 26:27; 20:17; 22:5; 21:16; 17:11; 18:3; 19:3

 

Read Proverbs 26:27.

What does this verse mean? 

There are consequences, potentially negative consequences, for everything we do.

 

Read Proverbs 20:17.

Why does sinning give us pleasure?  

As humans, born with a sinful nature, we enjoy giving in to our desires. We’re selfish and greedy, and we like to get things without having to give anything up. And we like to see what we can get away with. Sinning is fun, at least for a time.

 

What does Solomon mean when he says we end up with a mouth full of gravel?

The pleasures of sin are short-lived. We do something wrong and then, it’s over, and we realize that the thing we did wasn’t that great after all. We’re not satisfied. It doesn’t make us any happier. We’re right back to where we started.  And we probably feel guilty too.

 

Read Proverbs 22:5 and 21:16.

What happens when we sin? 

We pay the negative consequences. There are thorns and snares waiting for us. If we sin, we’re going to get ourselves into trouble. There’s going to be consequences. We could even end up dying as a result of our sin.

 

What are some examples of how we can die as a result of our sin? 

Smoking leads to lung cancer. Premarital sex leads to STDs. Doing drugs leads to overdose. Losing our temper or offending people leads to fights.

 

Read Proverbs  17:11.

What is this verse saying will happen to us if we continue to sin?  

We could get ourselves in trouble with the authorities. Society makes rules for a reason, and if we are breaking those rules, we will not be allowed to get away with it. The police will stop us. Or we could apply this to a job situation. If we’re doing something we’re not supposed to at work, we’ll be disciplined for it. The same thing happens at home or school. Our parents and teachers are the authorities there. If we’re doing things we shouldn’t, we’re going to be punished.

 

Read Proverbs 18:3.

When we sin, who has contempt for whom? When we sin, who is disgraced? 

This verse points out that those who do wrong are looked down upon or disliked or even worse.  How do we feel about Hitler?  How do we feel about someone who always lies to us?  How do we feel about someone who’s always bragging or making fun of others?  One of the consequences of sin is that others learn not to like us very well. They will have contempt for us, and we will be in disgrace.

 

Read Proverbs 19:3.

When we sin, who should we blame for the negative consequences? 

Our first reaction when we find ourselves dealing with the consequences of our sin is to get mad at God or our parents or teachers or the policeman or our boss or someone else, just as long as it’s not us. But as we have seen throughout this lesson, we are the only ones to blame for the negative consequences of our sin.  We are the ones who dug the pit so that we could fall into it.

We’re the ones who rolled the stone so that it could roll back on us. If we don’t want trouble, we shouldn’t start it. Then, we won’t have to worry about feeling empty after our sin and feeling guilty and having negative consequences and getting in trouble and having people not like us.