2.10. God Is Sovereign. February 6, Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 2; 5 7 (King David) Schedule EXPLORE DISCOVER RESPOND BLESS

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1 February 6, 2019 Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 2; 5 7 (King David) God Is Sovereign REMEMBER VERSE How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. Psalm 31:19 Schedule EXPLORE DISCOVER RESPOND BLESS 1

2 Leader Prep Each week you ll find a list of resources along with encouraging articles that help you prepare your heart to present the lesson. Further Resources A Small Group Enhancement is available for this lesson. Download the following resources to help you plan and lead TruStory lessons: Customizable copy of Lesson Scope and Sequence TruStory How It Works document HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 10 is provided for this lesson. The weekly for the next lesson to be sent home for preteaching by parents is found in BLESS. If you have questions about Tru curriculum or are looking for great training, blogs, and other support resources, visit truministry.com. Inspire Shares personal stories from fellow ministry leaders about how God has worked in their lives It was 4:20 p.m. on a Friday, and I was on my way to my wedding rehearsal when my phone rang. Drive to the courthouse, my dad said. You need a marriage license. What? How could I have forgotten this detail? The courthouse was at least half an hour away and closed at 5 p.m. I burst into tears. Our family and friends arrived at the church for the rehearsal and went through the motions of the ceremony without us. Everyone except my dad, who was outside pacing and praying we would make it to the courthouse on time. As he prayed, we drove frantically toward the courthouse. I was crying, my fiancé was speeding, and my maid of honor was trying to bribe a courthouse staffer to keep it open. The courthouse was actually to close at 4:30 p.m., no exceptions. That was half an hour earlier than we had thought! It was 4:40 p.m. when we finally arrived. Fortunately, my dad s assistant was there already. She had filled out the paperwork and begged the county recorder to stay open and let us in. At 4:44 p.m. (a minute before the computers shut down), we raised our hands, took our oaths, and signed the marriage license. When we arrived at the church, everyone cheered and hugged us. My dad said it was a miracle the courthouse stayed open. In the 30 years he had been an attorney, it had never stayed open past closing time. It was also a miracle that his secretary just happened to be in the area of the courthouse and was able to help. In this situation, God was in control of the traffic, the courthouse, the whereabouts of my dad s secretary, and the recorder s computers. God was completely sovereign, and it was only through His power, over everything, that we obtained the license. In the grand scheme of things, this was very small but it was important to me. I will never fully understand, but I will praise Him for His love again and again. Tori Funkhouser TruStory Team 2

3 Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson's Bible passage In 2 Samuel 7:2, David said, Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent. David was so overcome with love and respect for the God who had given him and his people rest from their enemies that he wanted to give God a gift of gratitude: a house for Him to dwell in. Though God approved of David s intentions, He did not allow David to build a house for Him. Instead, God promised something amazing: Christ, the Savior, would come through David s family line! 2 Samuel 7 describes God s covenant with David. Although the word covenant doesn t appear in this passage, David uses it many times in the psalms to describe the experience in 2 Samuel. For instance, in Psalm 89:3 4, David says: You said, I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations. This passage also uses the word house multiple times to describe many different concepts, including dynasty, bloodline, kingdom, an actual house, and a temple. God fulfilled this promise to David. His son Solomon built a temple (or a house) for the Lord for Him to dwell in. Also, David s house, or kingdom, continued even when the kingdom of Israel split and the kingdom of Judah remained. Most importantly, Christ came from David s family line through Joseph. David s descendant, Jesus Christ, will one day establish His kingdom on earth. Through God s covenant with David, we see God s plan was far-reaching, masterfully crafted, and motivated by love. We know this because Christ s life, death, and resurrection fulfilled God s covenant with David. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God's Word As you think about God s covenants, what comes to mind? The covenants can be somewhat confusing to us, but they re such important, beautiful parts of The Big God Story. Spend time reading 2 Samuel 7 and think for a moment about what this covenant means to you personally. How does it make you feel to know God gave David this covenant with the knowledge that Jesus would fulfill it? How does it make you feel to know Jesus isn t just the fulfillment of this covenant but also your personal Savior your personal Good Shepherd? After you ve spent some time meditating on God s use of covenants in Scripture, spend time praying for your children. Pray they will begin to comprehend God s sovereign plan how masterful, beautiful, and loving it is and how they are a part of it. Pray they see God as the Shepherd King, the One who controls everything in the universe and loves them like a nurturing caretaker. EXPLORE// 10 min. Small Group Leaders SMALL GROUP S E C T I O N 3

4 Children engage in fun, creative activities designed to pique their curiosity about the day s portion of The Big God Story. God chose David to be the next king of Israel, and, at a young age, David was anointed to be king. But more than 15 years passed before David could take the throne. It must have seemed like God was taking a long time to fulfill His promise! But David trusted that God has power over everything and that God would fulfill His promise at just the right time. Today s activities require trust trust that someone will come through for you at just the right time. Option 1: Lean on Me (for younger kids) Optional: pillows or floor pads SET UP Clear a space in the room where the children will form a circle. Optional: Place pillows or floor pads on the floor in the middle of the space. Have kids form a circle. (Optional: If you re using pillows or floor pads, have kids form the circle around the outside of those items.) Invite one volunteer to stand in the middle of the circle and perform a trust fall, with you catching him. Have the child face away from you while you face the child with your arms extended. Encourage the child to keep his body straight and fall back into your arms while saying, I trust you. Catch the child as he begins to fall and then stand him up. Make sure everyone gets a chance to fall. Option 2: Group Catch (for older kids) Sturdy chair or bench (about 12" to 24" high) Optional: pillows or floor pads SET UP Clear a space in the room and place the chair or bench in the middle of the space. Optional: Place pillows or floor pads on the floor behind the chair or bench. Ask one volunteer to go first. Invite her to stand on the chair or bench, and have the rest of the children line up immediately behind her, in two equal rows facing each other. Have them extend their arms so they form a basket to catch the child on the chair when she falls. Instruct the child to keep her body straight and fall directly back into the group s arms, saying, I trust you as she falls. Make sure everyone gets a chance to fall. DISCOVER// 30 min. Host/Worship Leader/Storyteller LARGE GROUP S E C T I O N 4

5 Children participate in discovering God s Word through Bible verse memorization, interactive storytelling techniques, and worship as response. Traditions and Remember Verse Remember Verse image (see Resources) Remember Verse animation (see Resources) Mementos for your church Traditions (rocks, marbles, gum balls, etc.) Give the children mementos (such as rocks, marbles, or blocks) for accomplishments such as memorizing the Remember Verse or bringing their Bibles. Have them put the objects into a clear container or add them to a structure, and celebrate when it s complete. This week s Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that s highlighted in today s portion of The Big God Story. How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. Psalm 31:19 Connect Encourage the members of your community to get to know one another through engaging questions, energizing games, and creative activities. Question What is one thing in your life you would like to control if you could? Activity: Clothespin Wars (for Younger and Older Kids) Connect Activity image (see Resources) Connect Question image (see Resources) Clothespins (2 3 per child) Upbeat music (suggestion: Celebrate, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) Give each child two to three clothespins. Explain that while you play music, they will try to pin their clothespins onto their friends clothes. When the music stops, they will freeze. The child with no clothespins on his clothes wins the round! Play as many rounds as you d like. Note: Assign volunteers to facilitate the game so the children don t become too rowdy. 5

6 The Big God Story Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 2; 5 7 Storytelling Technique: Props and Images God Is Sovereign Timeline image (see Resources) Timeline animation (see Resources) Images: Ark of the Covenant, Ephod (see Resources) Bibles Plastic bin (large) Crown (homemade paper or plastic) Robe (purple) Toy sword or scepter Oil (bottle or jug) Chair (large) or throne PREPARE AHEAD Search the Internet for a few facts about kings: what countries have kings today, who was the youngest king ever, etc. SET UP Put the crown, toy sword or scepter, purple robe, and bottle or jug of oil in the bin. Place the large chair or throne in the center of the stage. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. What do you know about kings? As kids respond, pull crown, robe, and sword or scepter out of bin. Put on the crown and robe and hold the sword. Sit on the large chair or throne. What s a good king like? Allow responses. Great thoughts. Good kings care about their people. They lead, guide, and protect their people. Also, kings are sovereign. Invite kids to say, sovereign with you. Sovereign means having complete power, authority, and control over someone or something. If you ve ever seen a king, tell the kids about it, or share any facts you found on the Internet about kings. Then stand up and place the crown and sword on the throne. God was victorious over the giant Philistine warrior Goliath. He used David, who was just a young boy at the time, to kill Goliath with a simple slingshot and a small stone. That young boy would one day become the king of Israel. God worked through David s life to show the people that God is sovereign. He is in control of everything! Invite kids to say, sovereign with you. As a young boy, David was anointed in a special ceremony to be the king of Israel. But at the time, there was already another king Saul. But even when Saul died, David still wasn t allowed to be king! One of Saul s sons thought that he should be king. It makes sense, right? David wasn t one of Saul s sons, and only the priest, Samuel, and David s brothers had seen David anointed as king. David chose to trust that God was sovereign. What does sovereign mean? Allow responses. Good thoughts. David took his family to a place named Hebron. Have kids look up 2 Samuel 2:4 and follow along. There the rulers of Judah anointed David king over the tribe of Judah. To anoint something means to smear it with oil. Take bottle of oil and pretend to pour it over your head or the head of one of the 6

7 kids. Oil represented God s Spirit. If you remember, David was anointed king as a young boy, so when he was anointed at Hebron, this was the second time he d been anointed with oil to be king. But still he wouldn t become king just yet! As David waited, war broke out within the country over who would be the next king of Israel. After seven years, the people of Israel finally decided they wanted David to be their king. All the elders of the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and anointed him as king (2 Samuel 5:3). How many times was David anointed? Allow responses. Yes, three times! About 15 years passed from the first time David was anointed to the last time. God could have made David the king sooner because He is God and He is sovereign. Invite kids to say, sovereign with you. But God was in control, and He knew exactly when He wanted David to become king. As king, David put God first, so David decided to go get the ark of the covenant. Tech: Cue Ark of the Covenant image. You might remember that the ark of the covenant was a wooden chest that held the Ten Commandments. But this was no ordinary box. It was the place where God met with His people. It represented God s presence and blessing to them. When the ark led them into battle, the people knew that God was there, fighting their battles. Other nations also knew that it meant that God was with them. They were afraid to fight against Israel because of the ark. So when the ark fell into enemy hands, God s people were devastated. But when David had the chance to bring the ark to Jerusalem, the people were overjoyed! And as they travelled back to Jerusalem, they stopped every six steps to worship the Lord. Wow! Let s see what happened when David and his men arrived in Jerusalem with the ark. Invite kids to turn to 2 Samuel 6:14. Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might. An ephod (Tech: Cue Ephod image) was kind of like an apron men wore over their clothes. Remove your purple robe and place it on the throne. In fact, David s dancing looked more like leaping. Leap a few times. David showed the people how to worship God freely and with a joyful heart. God had made David king, just as He had promised. God had won battles for David against his enemies. God had also brought back the ark of the covenant to Israel. David was so overjoyed by what God had done for him throughout his life that he wanted to build a temple to honor God. But this wasn t God s plan for David. Instead, God made a covenant with David. What s a covenant? Allow responses. A covenant is a very special promise, and when God makes a promise, He keeps it! God promised that David s family line would last forever. Invite children to turn to 2 Samuel 7:14, 16 and follow along. God said, I will be his father, and he will be my son Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever. How do you think David s family line would last forever? Who do you think that king would be this Son of God, whose kingdom would last forever? Allow responses. That s right! It would be Jesus Christ! Jesus earthly father, Joseph, and Jesus mother, Mary, came from the family line of King David. David s family line will last forever because Jesus will reign as the sovereign King forever! What does this show us about God? Pause for responses. Have kids look up and read Matthew 28:18. Every part of The Big God Story points to Jesus. Jesus chose to come to earth and die on the cross for our sins so we can be forgiven and live forever with Him. This was all a part of God s plan and His promise to David. We can trust God because He is faithful to keep His promises, and David s life gives us an example of God s goodness and His sovereignty. God loves us, keeps His promises, and is always sovereign. Share a personal story about God as sovereign in your life. 7

8 Worship as Response This time allows kids to respond to God through worship. Make plans for your worship time, but prepare yourself and your team to hold them loosely if the Holy Spirit leads the group in a different direction. Worship music (suggestion: Remain, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) Optional: worship response stations of your choice God is our sovereign King. He is good and fights for His people. Many times in our lives we need God to care for us, fight for us, and show us that He s in control of everything. Today we re going to spend some time thinking about and responding to these questions: Are there any areas of my life that I need to surrender to God? If so, what are they? Is there anything I m having a hard time surrendering to God? If so, what is it? Tech: Cue music. Invite the children to take a posture of worship. As leaders, model these postures for the kids. Give them a chance to worship God with body postures such as bowing their heads, bowing down, or raising their hands as they sing. Let the children know that with each posture, they re asking God to be King of their lives their sovereign leader and simply showing God their exuberant love for Him. Also, station leaders around the room to pray with the children, and let the kids know they can receive prayer from the leaders. Allow space for the children to respond to God. You may choose to open response stations for kids to continue their time of worship. SMALL GROUP S E C T I O N RESPOND// 15 min. Small Group Leaders Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond through creative activities and games. Reflect: God Is Sovereign Encourage the kids to open their Bibles and read the suggested passages. Questions for Younger Kids How does it make you feel to know that God is your King? What is a covenant? What did God promise King David through His covenant? 2 Samuel 7:11 16 How did God fulfill His promise? Matthew 1:1 17 How does it make you feel to know that God always keeps His promises? 8

9 Questions for Older Kids What is a covenant? Who were some other people with whom God made covenants? Genesis 9:1, 15; 15:1; 2 Samuel 7:18 What did God promise David through His covenant? 2 Samuel 7:11 16 How are we a part of God s covenant with David? Matthew 1:1 17; John 1:12 What does the word sovereign mean? How does it make you feel to know that God is in control of everything? How does it make you feel to know God keeps His promises? Making Play Dough There may be times in our lives where things don t go as we plan. But we can trust that God is in control and has a plan. From this activity, children will discover through making play dough that it s good to have a recipe! Play Dough recipe (see Resources) Mixing bowls (2, large) or buckets (2, half-gallon) Mixing spoons (2) Ingredients for play dough recipe: ¼ c. salt, 1 c. flour, ¼ c. water Miscellaneous ingredients: water, flour, salt, sand, glitter, glue, etc. (4 5 c.) Hand wipes Optional: food coloring (liquid or paste) or unsweetened powdered drink mix SET UP Print the Play Dough recipe. Place one large bowl or bucket in the center of the table and place the miscellaneous ingredients around the bowl. For now, set aside the second bowl or bucket, the Play Dough recipe, and the recipe ingredients. God often chooses to do things differently than we would have done them. But no matter what happens, in all things, we can trust that God is sovereign. He is in complete and total control. Point out the miscellaneous ingredients and the bowl and ask the kids to think about how they would make play dough using these ingredients. Allow the children to assist you in adding ingredients to the bowl and mixing it up until it forms a paste. The paste will not be the same consistency as actual play dough. Use this incorrect creation of play dough to explain that we can have an idea of how things should go, but in the end, there s a right way to make play dough. Set this play dough concoction aside and pull out the Play Dough recipe, second bowl, and the ingredients for the Play Dough recipe. Place the items in the middle of the group. Read the recipe to the group and allow the kids to help you mix together the correct proportions of the correct ingredients. Once the correct play dough consistency forms, add color, if desired. What happened when we tried to make play dough without a recipe? Allow responses. Right. It didn t turn out as play dough. It was messy and useless. What happened when we followed the recipe? Allow responses. It made play dough that was fun and useful. Trusting and obeying God having faith in Him is the best recipe for our lives. He has complete 9

10 power and control. Even when things don t go the way we expect, God is good! He will always love us. He will always fulfill His promises. We can look at the examples of what God did in people s lives throughout all of The Big God Story to remind us that God is sovereign. BLESS// 5 min. Small Group Leaders Children receive a blessing from their leaders and sometimes one another. A blessing may be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. Remember Verse cards (see Resources) HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 10 (see Resources) Bible As you bless your kids, tell them they have the opportunity to also be a blessing to others. Encourage them to freely share the joy and love they have received from God. Encourage the kids to hold their hands in front of them, palms up. Then open a Bible and read Ephesians 1:16 23: I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Now bless each child individually by putting a hand on his shoulder and saying, (Child s name), may you trust that God is sovereign over everything that happens in your life this week. Finally, bless the entire group with the following: May you know God as your all-powerful King the One who is seated in the heavenly realms, far above all earthly rulers. Send home Remember Verse cards and the HomeFront Weekly with your kids. 10