Lesson Overview: GENESIS 1-3 BROKEN PERFECTION, INCREDIBLE PROMISE

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Lesson Overview: GENESIS 1-3 BROKEN PERFECTION, INCREDIBLE PROMISE"

Myrtle May
6 years ago
Views:

BROKEN PERFECTION, INCREDIBLE PROMISE GENESIS 1-3 Goals: Students should understand the story of the fall of man and the promise God made to redeem mankind.

1 BROKEN PERFECTION, INCREDIBLE PROMISE GENESIS 1-3 Goals: Students should understand the story of the fall of man and the promise God made to redeem mankind. Lesson Materials: Fruit for each student Lesson Overview: In this lesson, we will begin our overview of the Bible story. We will be taking a survey of the first 3 chapters of Genesis. Encourage students to read the chapters later. In this lesson, we will lay the foundation for the entire Bible story. There is a lot of doctrine in this lesson, so let me encourage you with this: This lesson is meant to give a basic understanding of the entire story. Just hit the high points. In this lesson, the doctrines of the Fall of Man, Original Sin, Substitutionary Atonement, and Creation are all prevalent. Be aware that going too deep into these subjects will undermine the purpose, which is to give a foundation for the entire Bible story. All these doctrines are important, but they are not the purpose of this lesson. We will begin with a survey of Creation. We will attempt to quickly describe the perfection of Creation before sin. Next, we will look at the Fall of Man. God gave Adam one rule, and because he broke that rule, all of us are sinners. Lastly, we will take an in-depth look at the first prophecy in the Bible. God promised Satan that the Seed of the Woman (Jesus) would destroy him and bring life to mankind.

2 Lesson Procedure: Let s Move: Begin the class with a game of Simon Says. Be sure to have fun. To the Lesson: Begin the lesson by giving students fruit for a snack. In today s lesson, we will be looking at a story about a deadly fruit. It may be hard to believe that a little fruit can be so important to us, but we will see how one small mistake leads to a broken perfection. While playing Simon Says, a person can follow instruction perfectly for a while, but one mistake is enough to be removed from the game. We will also see how broken perfection led to a perfect promise. In order to understand all the stories of the Bible, we must understand the main story of the Bible. This story begins with a perfect creation, turns into the fall of an entire species, and ends with a promise of salvation. We will see the entire Bible story today, and we will not leave the book of Genesis. Days of Creations: Day One-Light Day Two-Sky or Atmosphere Day Three-Land and Vegetation Day Four-Sun, Moon, and Stars (He made light before He made the Sun!!) Day Five-Fish and Birds Day Six-Animals and Man Day Seven-He Rested. The Back of the Book Lesson 1-2 I. Read Genesis 1:1 and 2:1 and ask the students, From what you remember, how many days did it take God to create everything? It only took 7 days to do all of this. The first chapter says that he created one part of creation each day. a. Let s make a list. Day One-Light, Day Two- Sky or Atmosphere, Day Three-Land and Vegetation, Day Four-Sun, Moon, and Stars (He made light before He made the Sun!), Day Five-Fish and Birds, Day Six-Animals and Man, Day Seven-He Rested. (One idea: have students split into groups. The first to name all seven days wins.) b. This creation was perfect. No part of what was created in our list was tainted by sin. Everyone was a vegetarian. Animals and man

3 were friends. Let s take a look at a quick description of how this world worked in Genesis 2:4-14. We see here that there were no storms. God watered the land. Earth was a utopia that needed no help and had no trouble. c. Have you ever realized that God always wanted us to have this world? In other passages in the Bible, heaven is described in a very similar way. Lions will sit down with lambs. Children will play with snakes. There will be no sin. II. Read Genesis 2:15-17 and ask the students, What one rule did God give to Adam? Of all the greatness in the earth at this time, God only had one restriction. Adam could not eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. We know very little about this tree except that it caused a person to see Good and Evil. Another tree called the Tree of Life caused a person to live forever. Adam was created with a mind that did not even consider sin. a. Adam was created with a mind that did not even consider sin. He had the ability to choose, but he never considered the sinful alternative first. God wanted mankind to never experience the struggle with sin. Can you imagine a mind that always chooses to do the right thing first? So many times, our first desire is to do the wrong thing. b. Read Genesis 3:1-6 and ask the students, Who was tricked and how? The woman was tricked by the serpent. He convinced her that eating the fruit would make her like God. She looked at the fruit and wanted a taste. She knew the rule, but we should remember that The Back of the Book Lesson 1-3

4 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to every person, because everyone has sinned. Romans 5:12 YFV God actually told Adam the rule. She didn t know the rule too well because she misquoted it to the snake. God never said they could not touch the tree. He only told them not to eat it. So, she took it, ate it, and gave some to her husband. At that very moment, all of mankind was cursed. They felt shame because they were naked. In the next verse, we see that they even hid from God. This is the first instance of guilt and shame in the history of mankind. c. Read Romans 5:12 YFV and ask the students, Who is the one man mentioned in this verse? Adam s sin destroyed the perfection God gave us. Now, because we all come from Adam, we are sinners and doomed to death. One interesting tid-bit: if Adam had never sinned, he would have lived forever. Sin=death. Remember Romans 6:23? The payment for sin is death. III. In Genesis 3:14-19, God talks to the entire party involved. He cursed the serpent and made him crawl on his belly. He told Adam that he would have to sweat for his food and that he would die and return to the dust. He told the woman that she would have pain in childbirth. But, in the midst of all these horrible consequences of their sin, He makes an amazing promise. Sin is the reason we must work to eat! a. Read Genesis 3:15 and ask the students, To whom is God speaking? He is talking to the serpent. This serpent was Satan. It is at this point that we see God, our Hero, promising to defeat Satan, the Enemy. Let s break this verse into a few parts to understand what The Back of the Book Lesson 1-4

5 He is saying. Enmity: Space or Separation b. Enmity: Enmity just means space or separation. In every baby, there are 2 parts: the mother s part and the father s part. Adam s part is marked by Satan and sin. But, God tells Satan that there will be separation between him the woman s part. So, if man s part is sinful and woman s part is not, a baby without the man s part would be sinless, right? Can you think of anyone who was born without an earthly father? God is promising Satan that Jesus Christ will come, born of a virgin! From this point forward in the Bible, Jesus will be known as the Seed of the Woman. c. Crushed Head, Bruised Heel: To understand this, we must see Satan as he was in the garden: a snake. This person who will be born with only the seed of the woman will crush the head of the snake. He will take away the snake s power and utterly defeat him. While He stomps on the head of this snake, the snake will bruise His heel. On the cross, Jesus was bruised but not defeated because He rose again 3 days later. Satan was defeated completely. He no longer has any power. d. Read Genesis 3:20 and ask the students Why did Adam change the name of the Woman to Eve? He heard God s promise. Adam listened as God told the snake that a person born from the woman s seed would defeat him and bring life to the world. He heard the message of the gospel and put his faith in this gospel. Adam was saved! Because he trusted God to bring spiritual life back to mankind The Back of the Book Lesson 1-5

6 Eve means Mother of the Living. through the woman, he changed her name to Eve-Mother of the Living. Just like Adam, we receive this life through putting our faith in the promise of God. Adam trusted that God would fulfill His promise and we trust that He did fulfill His promise. IV. Draw the Story of the Bible Chart and add to it the Genesis Promise. This story is one of the main themes of the Bible, if not the main theme. This chart will help us as we read the Bible. The Old Testament is no longer just the confusing front half of the Bible, but the story of God setting the stage for His Son, the Seed of the Woman! The Old Testament is the story of Jesus Christ putting His family tree together. The Bible makes more sense when we see the idea as a whole. Conclusion: This lesson is the foundation for the entire Bible story. God gave mankind a perfect creation with only one rule. Mankind broke that rule. Because God wants mankind to return to perfection with Him, He promised to send a sinless man to defeat sin and Satan. Now that we understand this story, we must look at the entire Bible with this in mind. The Old Testament is not just a collection of stories, poems, and prophesies. It is the story of God forming a nation and a people in which He could bring His Son to fulfill this promise to Adam, Eve, and Satan. The New Testament is no longer just a group of histories and letters, but the story and the consequences of the Promise being fulfilled. Before we look at the rest of this story, let s be sure we have the life that is offered to us by Christ. If you have never been saved, be saved. Put your trust in the Sinless Man who died in your place to defeat sin and Satan. The Back of the Book Lesson 1-6

7 BROKEN PERFECTION PERFECT PROMISE GENESIS 1-3 Genesis 1:1, 2:1 Creation: Day One Day Two Day Three Day Four Day Five Day Six Genesis 2:15-17 Adam was created with a not even sin. that did Genesis 3:14-19 Enmity just means or. Eve- of the 2011 Youth Frameworks, Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

Why Is Life So Hard?

Hebrews 11:6 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Why Is Life So Hard? John