Don’t Touch!

Main Point: We become prisoners to sin when we disobey God’s warnings.

The Skit:
NOTE: You are going to need some pretty good actors for this one, as there is very little dialogue. The story will have to be told primarily with body movements and facial expressions. Here’s how you do it:

There’s a chair sitting on the stage with a sign that reads, “Sin: Don't Touch!” posted to it. (Make sure the sign is big enough to be seen by the crowd.)

The first person walks by, sees the sign, and dismisses its warning by pulling it off and tossing it aside with a shrug of his shoulders. Then he sits down in the chair rather proud of himself. (Allow the person a few moments to “enjoy” the chair. He should relax a little and change his seating position a couple of times.) But then he goes to stand up and leave, but can’t. (He needs to struggle some and show the futility of trying to break away from the chair.) No matter what he does, he cannot separate himself from the chair.

A girl comes along and sees the guy sitting in the chair. The guy frantically motions her over. She allows herself to be interrupted by the guy, and walks over to him. When she gets to him, the boy begins to signal what has happened to him. (He needs to point to the sign and the chair and show her that he cannot stand up.) The girl is a little skeptical of the boy’s “story” herself, so she grabs hold of the chair back to prove him wrong. However, like the boy, she cannot break free of the chair once she touches it. (Now the girl joins in with her own version of personal panic.)

Two friends come walking by the scene. They have looks on their faces that seem to ask, “What are those weirdo’s doing?” They are motioned over by the trapped couple. The situation is explained to the two friends by the trapped couple using their free hands. Then they spot the sign, hold it up and pretend to discuss it and its meaning. The two friends decide to try and help the couple in despair. They begin tugging on the boy and the girl, but to no avail. What’s worse is they have now gotten themselves stuck to the chair! (They, too, join the struggle for freedom.)

At this point, 4 people have been stuck to the chair because they did not obey the warning sign that was posted on it. Now you can introduce some rather random characters to add humor and/or deep meaning to the activity.

Thief – (person wearing a mask) A thief walks by and sees the group of people pleading for his attention. They “explain” the situation to him and ask him for help. Instead, he takes advantage of the situation and robs them of their valuables. (He can rifle through the girls’ purses and the boys’ wallets taking everything from money to cell phones to jewelry. He needs to proudly hold up his “loot” so the audience will see what he is getting at their expense.)

Woman Walking A Dog – (a girl walking with a leash tied around a guy’s neck as he crawls on his hands and knees) They see the people clamoring for attention and help. The dog goes over and looks at the situation. He can scratch himself behind the ears and then “sniff” for a good place to answer the call of nature. Have him lift his leg as though he was going to pee on the chair, but then gets stuck to the chair. (When he lifts his leg, everyone stuck to the chair needs to reel backwards in fear. It should prove to be a funny moment.)

Passerby – a boy or girl comes by and sees the commotion. He or she whips out his/her cell phone and snaps a picture.

Last Person – this person (boy or girl) comes walking along and sees the situation. She moves a little closer to this “interesting” situation. Then she spots the sign. She picks it up and reads it to herself silently. Then she asks the group, out loud:

Last Person: Did you see the sign?

Group: (in unison, dog included) Yes. (dog barks in agreement)

Last Person: Did you understand what it meant?

Group: (in unison, dog included) Yes. (dog barks in agreement)

Last Person: And…you went ahead and did it anyway? (in a disbelief sort of tone)

Group: (in unison, dog included) Yes. (dog barks in agreement)

Last Person: Why?

Group: (shamefully, in unison, dog included) We don’t know. (Dog barks out a couple of sad sounding syllables at the same time…then all members of the group hang their head in shame.)

Transition Statement:
The people in this skit became prisoners for disobeying the warning about sin. They could not escape, no matter how hard they tried. The same is true for you and me when we disregard God’s warning about sin in our lives.

Divide into Small Groups:
Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

1. AROUND THE CIRCLE: As we begin, tell everyone your name and the weirdest thing you’ve seen a dog pee on while out on a walk with its master.


2. ASK A FEW: Do you think the guy in the mime got what he deserved for disobeying the sign that was posted on the chair?


3. ASK A FEW: Why do you think the passersby couldn’t free the trapped people from the chair?


4. ASK A FEW: What is sin?


5. ASK A FEW: Do you think there are sins in real life that people get “stuck to” or “imprisoned by?” If so, give an example.

Sinful Statistics:
Quiz the students in your small groups with the latest statistics on sins that are typical to the lives of teenagers.

Say, “There are lots of ways in which teenagers sin these days. Sadly, too many teenagers become prisoners to their sin. They keep doing it over and over and over again. Let’s take a look at what most young people your age are dealing with on a regular basis. I will ask a question about sins in teenagers’ lives, and you give me the correct answer. Got it?


Ask, “Do MORE THAN half or LESS THAN half of students cheat in school?”

(MORE THAN HALF – 98% of students admit to academic cheating!!!)

Say, “True of False. 1 out of 5 teenagers use illegal drugs at least once per week.”

(TRUE – 20% of teenagers use illegal drugs at least once per week.)

Ask, “How many of you, by show of hands, hear foul language, swearing, or cussing at school?”

(75% of teens report hearing “adult language” in hallways and cafeterias of schools)

Ask, “Do MORE THAN half or LESS THAN half of teenagers lie to their parents?”

(MORE THAN HALF – 79% of teenagers lie to parents more than twice each year.)

Ask, “Which age group views the most online porn each day, 7-11, 12-17, or 18-30 year olds?”

(12-17 YEAR OLDS – 11 million teens regularly view online pornography.)


6. ASK A FEW: You know, guys, most of these sins we just went over are not “one time” sins. These are the kinds of sins people repeat over and over. Do you know someone that is “trapped” by a sin, maybe even one of these, in his or her life?

Read the following passage:

Romans 7:15-25
15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!



7. ASK A FEW: What kind(s) of emotion(s) do you think Paul was experiencing as he wrote this?


8. ASK SOMEONE: In verse 23, what does Paul compare himself to? (prisoner)
   
9. ASK A FEW: How does it make you feel that the great Apostle Paul struggled with being a prisoner to sin?


10. ASK A FEW: In this passage, Paul is talking about some kind of sin that he struggles with on a regular basis. In other words, this is not something he did one time; it is something that plagues him and holds him prisoner. Are there sins in your lives that make you feel like the Apostle Paul? If so, are you courageous enough to share examples? (leaders-this is a call to vulnerability, one that not everyone is comfortable in answering. It will help if you lead off with something from your own life.)


11. ASK A FEW: Paul says there is only one hope for being rescued from his prison. What?

Read the following passage:

Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.


12. ASK A FEW: This verse talks about the fact that Jesus gave His life JUST SO we could be free! What does it say we should do to prevent becoming a slave all over again, and what does that mean?


13. ASK SOMEONE: Let’s go back to those sinful statistics from a minute ago and see what it means to “stand firm.” Name one way you can “stand firm” against academic cheating?


14. ASK SOMEONE: Name one way you can “stand firm” against lying?


15. ASK SOMEONE: Name one way you can “stand firm” against alcohol and/or drug use?


16. ASK A FEW: What happens if we continue to allow sin to imprison us?

So, if you find yourself stuck to sin tonight, or wasting away in a prison that you have built around you by all of the sin in your life, know this: Jesus died to set you free. You can be free tonight! If that offer sounds good to you, simply talk with one of our adults before you leave tonight. They would be very happy to tell you how.

Close in Prayer.

Written by David R. Smith, based on a skit idea sent in from Chris Reardon