Knocked Down

Central Teaching Truth
Sometimes when it seems like life is knocking us down, God is there to pick us up. Though we are all fallen, God takes our place and renews us unto life.

Bible Text
2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 5:8, Isaiah 53:5-12

Resources
Get the softest ball you can find- something that will not injure a person no matter how hard youth throw it.

Preparation
Take youth to an open area. Toss the ball into the center and then explain the rules of the game.

The Rules

• This is a typical game of dodge ball -- you pick up a ball, toss it, and if someone gets hit by the ball they must sit down where-ever they are.
• If someone catches a tossed ball, the person who threw it must sit down.
• When someone is hit, they are not completely out of the game. They can still grab a ball rolling by and throw it at someone still standing. However, they may NOT move around to get a ball but must stay sitting in the same place once they have been eliminated. If you want to make the game last longer, when someone sitting down hits an active player, they get to switch places and the person sitting down can get back up and continue playing.
• When everyone is sitting down except one person, that person is the winner.

Take it to the Next Level
The circumstances of life, people, and even Satan may knock us down, but God helps us back up! We have all fallen, but God lifts us up. Christ, in his death on the cross, exchanged places with us. He died in our place that we might live. (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 5:8, Isaiah 53:5-12)