2.12. God Is Trustworthy. February 20, Bible Passage: 1 Kings 7 11 (Solomon, Part 2) Schedule EXPLORE DISCOVER RESPOND BLESS

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1 February 20, 2019 Bible Passage: 1 Kings 7 11 (Solomon, Part 2) God Is Trustworthy 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 12 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 What does it mean to give God my whole heart? One night, as I prayed about this question, I thought about Saint Patrick s Lorica (Breastplate Prayer): Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. These words affect me deeply because they re so incredibly true. Christ is everywhere; He knows everything. The psalmist wrote, You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar (Psalm 139:1 2). The sweetness of God s presence makes it a joy to give Him my whole heart. He is trustworthy. Giving God my whole heart means acknowledging Him as part of everything I do and trusting Him with my life. He s with me when I drive to work, do the dishes, play basketball, brush my teeth, eat dinner, or talk with friends or strangers. Giving God my whole heart means asking Him to search me, God, and know my heart See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23 24). Giving God my whole heart means trusting Him to be so deeply involved in my life, my actions, my conversations, my thoughts, my hobbies, my desires, and my interactions that nothing can pull my heart away from Him. Tori Funkhouser TruStory Team 2

3 Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson's Bible passage Solomon was the son of David the man after God s own heart. Solomon was in the lineage of the Messiah, and he received the kingship because of God s unmerited choice. During Solomon s reign, God blessed him with wisdom and wealth and blessed the nation with peace. Solomon s wisdom overwhelmed the queen of Sheba, and she praised God for it (1 Kings 10:1 9). Solomon s falling away from God was very great, very tragic, and very public. God had warned him to remain strong in his faith, to follow God s laws, and to not marry women from other nations. Solomon vowed he would follow God s laws and keep His commandments and admonished his people to follow them as well. So how did Solomon s heart grow wayward? Had Solomon ever given God his whole heart in the first place? Or had he lazily fallen away from God in his old age? The Bible provides evidence for both perspectives. In 1 Kings 8, we see Solomon on his knees with his hands outstretched to the sky, passionately pleading for God s favor, protection, and blessing. However, in 1 Kings 6, we read that Solomon built a magnificent temple for God and then built an even more magnificent palace for himself in 1 Kings 7. Additionally, chapters 9 and 11 show how Solomon defied God s admonition and married the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh as well as the daughters of many other foreign dignitaries, kings, and nobles. These wives turned Solomon s heart toward their foreign gods, just as God had told Solomon they would. God had given Solomon a great responsibility and had entrusted him with His people, yet Solomon ultimately gave little regard to this privilege. We need to take Solomon s life as a fair warning to not take God s blessings lightly, to not think lightly of our sins, and to not let our hearts wander away from Him. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God's Word This week, meditate on David s prayer from Psalm 139:23 24: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. God wants our whole hearts, and we can trust Him with everything in our lives. Ask God to reveal to you what may be standing in the way of your giving Him your whole heart or where your worship may have become routine. Ask for God s guidance and assistance in creating a new heart in you for the things and people He s entrusted to you. Then pray God would show the children how He s worthy of their whole hearts. Pray that they would respond to Him with wholehearted worship. SMALL GROUP S E C T I O N 3

4 EXPLORE// 10 min. Small Group Leaders Children engage in fun, creative activities designed to pique their curiosity about the day s portion of The Big God Story. Lead kids in these activities in which they see only parts of a whole and figure out what the whole is (or was) and where the object goes (or went). Option 1: Partial Pictures (for Younger Kids) Photos of parts of objects found in the room (15 20) PREPARE AHEAD Choose 15 or 20 objects in your room, and for each one take a photo of part of that object. Try to make the photo as difficult to discern as possible. Print the photos, preferably on full sheets of paper. God blessed Solomon with wisdom, wealth, power, fame, and long life, and He wanted Solomon to love Him with his whole life. However, Solomon trusted God with only part of his life instead of his whole life. Today, we ll play a game that encourages us to figure out the whole object by looking at a photo of just a part of it. One at a time, hold up the photos to show the children. With each photo, allow the children to search around the room for the object that matches the photo. Repeat until the kids have guessed all of the photos correctly. Option 2: Puzzle without the Picture (for Older Kids) Large-piece puzzle (about 20 pieces) SET UP Place the puzzle pieces on a table or the floor. Hide the box so the kids can t see the picture on it. Solomon was the new king of Israel, and God blessed him with wisdom, riches, fame, power, and long life. God wanted Solomon s whole heart and life to be devoted to Him, but it was hard for Solomon to trust God with everything in his life. Today let s see if we can put together the pieces of this puzzle to make a whole picture without first seeing what the picture should look like. Allow the children to assemble the puzzle without referring to the picture on the box. When they re done, bring out the box and show them the picture. 4

5 LARGE GROUP S E C T I O N DISCOVER// 30 min. Host/Worship Leader/Storyteller 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 Would you rather eat a whole pizza, a whole tub of ice cream, or a whole box of cookies? Activity: Would You Rather? Connect Activity image (see Resources) Connect Question image (see Resources) PREPARE AHEAD Ahead of time, select three leaders, one willing to eat some pizza, one willing to eat some ice cream, and one willing to eat some cookies onstage. Inform these leaders that they will only be eating for about 15 seconds at 5

6 the beginning of the Storytelling time, but that it will appear that they re attempting to eat the entire portion. Instruct each leader to join a group of kids on the basis of their responses to the Connect question. Invite the children to walk around the room asking one another if they would rather eat a whole pizza, a whole tub of ice cream, or a whole box of cookies. When they find people who answered the same way, instruct the kids to stick together, eventually forming three groups, who will sit together during Storytelling time. As described above, have a leader join each group. The Big God Story Bible Passage: 1 Kings 6:12 13; 7 11 Storytelling Technique: Pantomiming Building the Temple God Is Trustworthy Timeline image (see Resources) Timeline animation (see Resources) Images: Money, Fame, Long Life, Wisdom (see Resources) Bibles Upbeat music (suggestion: Jesus Saves, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) Pizza (medium or large) Ice cream (1 gal. or ½ gal.) Cookies (1 box) Spoon Table (about 6' long) Tablecloth (plastic) Napkins or hand wipes Wood boards (about 2 3, 2" x 4") Rock (about ) Statue or sculpture Hammer Chisel SET UP Place the table in the center of the stage and cover it with the plastic tablecloth. On the table place the pizza, ice cream and spoon, cookies, and napkins or hand wipes. Set the boards, statue, hammer, and chisel near where you ll be Storytelling. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. Inform the children that you re going to invite three leaders to participate in an eating contest (see Connect activity). Then invite the preselected leaders to stand behind their respective foods and see who can eat his food item the fastest. Start the music, and, on your signal, unleash the leaders to eat quickly while the kids cheer them on. After about 15 seconds, tell the leaders to stop eating. Wait! Is it wise to eat that much pizza, ice cream, or cookies in one sitting? Pause for responses. You re right probably not. Thank leaders and allow them to clean up with napkins or hand wipes and sit down. Eating that much junk food can make you sick! Who was the wisest man who ever lived? Pause for responses. Right: Solomon. Do you remember with what four things God blessed Solomon? Pause for responses. Tech: Cue the images corresponding to the kids responses: Money, Fame, Long Life, or Wisdom. Solomon asked God for wisdom, and God gave it to him. 6

7 God is trustworthy. Invite kids to say, trustworthy aloud with you. What does trustworthy mean? Pause for responses. Great thoughts. It means being honest, truthful, and dependable. If someone is trustworthy, it means you can trust him to follow through with his promises. God always keeps His promises, and we can trust Him with every part of our lives. Solomon began his reign as king by trusting God with everything in his life. For Solomon s first big project, he built a beautiful temple for God. A temple is a place of worship, and in this temple the people of Israel could come to pray and be close to God. Invite kids to open Bibles to 1 Kings 6:12 13 and follow along. God made a promise to Solomon: As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel (1 Kings 6:12 13). Wow! What a promise! To start building the temple, 30,000 men cut down trees (show wood boards), pounded out rocks (show rock), and designed sculptures for the temple (show sculpture or statue). Pull out hammer and chisel and pretend to be constructing as you speak. They lined the temple with beautiful wood, built many rooms, and covered the floors and walls with gold. Imagine how magnificent that looked! When the temple was finished, Solomon gathered priests and leaders together to dedicate it to God. The priests brought the ark of the covenant, which represented God s presence, and put it in the most important room the Holy of Holies while all of Israel worshipped God outside. Invite kids to turn to 1 Kings 8:11 and follow along with you. The Bible says, The priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple (1 Kings 8:11). God s presence was so thick the priests couldn t see! God approved of the temple! Solomon remembered the promise God had made to David the promise that Solomon would build a house for God and that David s family line would continue forever. Then Solomon turned and blessed the people. He got on his knees, spread out his hands toward heaven (if possible, kneel and lift hands), and prayed, There is no God like you you who keep your covenant of love with your servants You have kept your promise to your servant David (1 Kings 8:23 24). In that moment, Solomon seemed to trust God with his whole life. Later, God appeared to Solomon again and told him that He accepted Solomon s temple and his prayers. Invite kids to turn to 1 Kings 9:4, 6 7. But God reminded Solomon to do all I command But if you or your descendants turn away from me I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple (9:4, 6 7). God told Solomon that if he or his sons turned away from God, the temple would become a big, empty building. God made it clear that He accepted Solomon s gift but that He wanted Solomon s whole heart forever. What did Solomon do? Pause for responses. Sadly, King Solomon eventually disobeyed God and allowed people to worship false gods. Solomon even built altars to false gods and offered sacrifices to them. Invite kids to open Bibles to 1 Kings 11:9, 11. So, the Bible says, the LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away (11:9). God said, Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you (v. 11). How sad! Solomon had been blessed with so much! How could he turn away from God? God did as He had warned. He took His presence from the temple and His protection from the people. The nation split in two. But God is trustworthy and remembered His covenant with David. He protected 7

8 the nation of Judah, where King David had ruled, and where the Messiah would come from one day. We can always trust God to keep His promises and to care about every area of our lives. He is the only one we can count on all the time. God is trustworthy. Share a personal story of a time that God showed Himself trustworthy. 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. Heart cutouts (see Resources) Wooden cross (about 3' tall) Scissors Pencils or pens Tape Worship music (suggestion: Chasing After Me, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) PREPARE AHEAD Print enough copies of the Heart cutouts so that each child gets one heart. Cut out the hearts. Put the cross in a place where the kids can reach it, and place the tape nearby. God blessed Solomon with so much, but Solomon eventually became distracted by people and things and allowed the people to worship false gods. This made God sad and angry because God is trustworthy and he had blessed Solomon out of His abundant love. Pass out the hearts along with pencils or pens. Psalm 139:23 24 says, Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. In this psalm, the writer is asking God to show him any places in his heart that he hasn t yet trusted to God. What are the places in your heart you haven't trusted yet to God? Give the children a few minutes to think about the verses and to ask God what parts of their lives they want to trust to God. Encourage each child to write on the heart a word or draw a picture that expresses a place in her heart that she wants to give to Him. If she wants to give God her whole life, she can write her name on the heart. Start the music, and invite the kids to tape their hearts to the cross. (You might have leaders model this for the kids first by writing a word on a heart and taping it to the cross.) 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. 8

9 Reflect: God Is Trustworthy Encourage the kids to open their Bibles and read the suggested passages. Questions for Younger Kids What does trustworthy mean? What is the promise God made to Solomon's father, David? 2 Samuel 7:16 What did Solomon build for God? How has God shown Himself trustworthy in The Big God Story? How can you trust God with your whole life? Questions for Older Kids What does trustworthy mean? What is the promise God made to Solomon's father, David? 2 Samuel 7:16 What did Solomon build for God? What does it mean to give God your whole heart? 1 Corinthians 7:35 How has God shown Himself trustworthy in The Big God Story? How can you trust God with your whole life? God of My Whole Life Children will consider various aspects of their lives and invite God to be part of every area. Calendar Heart template (see Resources) Paper (1 sheet per child, red) Markers or pens Optional: scissors, magazines, glue PREPARE AHEAD Print the Calendar Heart template onto the red paper and make one copy for each child. Make sure you print the template front and back. God is the only God. He is trustworthy, and He alone is worthy of our whole hearts and lives. Because of who He is, we can make God a part of everything we do and share our entire lives with Him. Give a Calendar Heart to each child and point out the markers or pens. Invite the kids to write words or draw pictures of things they do and people they see in a given week. Encourage them to write things or people they care about and things they dream about what they want to be when they grow up, what they want for their lives or families, etc. Let them know that our schedules are full of things that matter to us things that are a part of our hearts. (Optional: Older kids can cut out things that matter to them from magazine pages and glue them to the calendar.) When the kids finish, have them hold up their paper hearts, and lead them in a prayer. Ask God to help them surrender all of their activities, hopes, relationships, and interests to Him. 9

10 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 13 (see Resources) Bible Optional: Calendar Hearts (from RESPOND) Encourage the kids to hold their hands in front of them, palms up, in a posture of receiving what God might have for them today. Then open a Bible and read Luke 10:27: [Jesus] answered, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ; and, Love your neighbor as yourself. Optional: Invite the children to place their Calendar Hearts in the center of the group as a way of demonstrating that they want to surrender their hearts to God. Then offer this blessing over the group: May you seek God with your whole heart and life. May you follow Him and trust Him each day. Allow the kids to take home their Calendar Hearts to remind them throughout the week that God desires their whole heart. Send home Remember Verse cards and the HomeFront Weekly with your kids. 10