1.12. God Is Victorious. November 18, Bible Passage: Exodus Schedule. (The Exodus, Part 2) CONNECT GATHER RESPOND BLESS REMEMBER VERSE

Transcription

1 November 18, 2018 Bible Passage: Exodus (The Exodus, Part 2) God Is Victorious REMEMBER VERSE The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14 Schedule CONNECT GATHER 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 I was going through a time when I felt tormented by my own fear and loneliness. I couldn t sleep. I isolated myself from people. During that time, God fought for me. He miraculously changed my mind and my heart. He healed my fears. No matter what our circumstances may be, no matter what difficult things we may face, God is with us. We see His deliverance, care, and love in our lives. God can win the battles we fight inside our own minds, bodies, and emotions. We re often enslaved by our own sin, fear, worry, regret, or anger. But we have good news: God has already won the battle against the consequences of sin. Through Jesus, we ve been freed and adopted into God s family. Because of Jesus, we re children of God and will live with Him forever, freed from the pain and brokenness of this world. As 1 Corinthians 15:57 says, But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Tori Funkhouser TruStory Team Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson s Bible passage Before God won the victory for His people, God formed them into a special nation a nation loved by Him, fought for by Him, claimed by Him. By enacting Passover, God was moving the Israelites from forced manual service under the Egyptians to commanded spiritual service to the Almighty. God gave the Israelites special rules for how to be a part of that family. He instructed them on how to celebrate their deliverance once they sat safely in the Promised Land to celebrate Passover because of 2

3 what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt (Exodus 13:8). God knew the deliverance of His people from slavery was such a monumental event that it would be the foundational act of the nation. After the mass exodus, the Israelites identity was forever changed. They were finally a people free to celebrate. They were finally a people free to worship the Lord. They were finally on their way to the Promised Land, where they would live together as God s chosen people. Now, they were free to celebrate Passover together, year after year, as a way to remember together how God had won the battle to free them. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God s Word In Exodus 15, we can read the songs written by Moses and Miriam (Moses and Aaron s sister) celebrating their deliverance from the Egyptians. In Exodus 15:20, the Bible says that Miriam took a tambourine in her hand and danced with all of the women and sang songs. In verse 21, she sang, Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea. I can imagine that this celebration at the side of the sea was unlike any celebration we have ever experienced. God truly showed His power and His love by winning the battle to free the Israelites from the Egyptians. Just as the Israelites celebrated on the banks of the sea, celebrate with your kids! Lead them into a time of joyful praise to the God who still wins the battle for His people so we can be free to celebrate Him. CONNECT// 10 min. Children develop relationships with their leaders and one another through simple activities and conversation starters. CONNECT QUESTION: Welcome and greet children. Open your time by asking this question: If you were leaving on a trip and could pack either a toothbrush or a hairbrush, which one would you choose and why? Travel Trivia Index cards (5) Pens Small suitcase or duffel bag Upbeat music (suggestion: Celebrate, TruWorship Sincerely Yours) PREPARE AHEAD On each of the five index cards, write a different question for kids to discuss. Below are some sample questions, or you can use some of your own: 3

4 What is one thing that you never travel without? Have you ever moved? Where to/from? What is the farthest away from home you have traveled? If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? If you were moving and could take only three of your favorite things with you, what would they be? Put the index cards with questions in the suitcase or duffel bag. When you are going on a trip or moving, it is important that you pack your suitcase with everything you could possibly need. Today, invite your fifth and sixth graders to spend some time talking about traveling and packing. To begin, invite your kids to sit together in a circle and pass around the suitcase as the music plays. When the music stops, have the child who is holding the suitcase reach inside and pull out an index card. Then have her read the question out loud and respond. Have her put the index card back into the suitcase. Start the music again and have the kids start passing the suitcase to repeat the process. If a child chooses a question he has already answered, he can reach inside and grab a different one. GATHER// 30 min. Children experience and learn more about God through memorizing Scripture, storytelling from The Big God Story, prayer, and discussion. Remember Verse Each week children will spend time memorizing a portion of Scripture together. The Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that s highlighted in today s portion of The Big God Story. Remember Verse cards (see Resources) The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14 Game: Beanbag Toss Remember Verse cards (see Resources) Masking tape Beanbags (2) SET UP Using masking tape, make a two-foot by two-foot square on the floor. Then, using more tape, connect the opposite corners of the square to make an X. The square will have four sections when you are finished. Assign each section a different point value of one, two, three, or four. Then take a small piece of tape and create a line about 10 feet away from the square to mark the starting line. 4

5 Read the Remember Verse to your group and invite them to repeat it together a few times. Then invite kids to compete against one another in a beanbag toss. To play, divide the group into two teams. Choose one player from a team to go first. The first player will stand at the starting line and toss a beanbag into the square. Then she will have to try to recite the verse. If she does it correctly, her team receives the number of points for the space that the beanbag landed in. Then the next team will take a turn. Continue until everyone takes a turn. The team with the most points wins. Storytelling Bible Passage: Exodus Storytelling Technique: Play Dough Molding God Is Victorious Bibles Play dough (2 4 containers) Index cards (4) Marker or pen Table PREPARE AHEAD Write the following scenarios on four index cards. Scenario 1: God sends 10 plagues to Egypt, and then Pharaoh finally lets the Israelites go free. Scenario 2: Pharaoh changes his mind, gathers his army, and begins chasing after the Israelites. Scenario 3: The Israelites are trapped at the Red Sea, but Moses raises his staff, and the waters of the sea begin to part. Scenario 4: The Israelites cross the Red Sea on dry land while Pharaoh and his army chase after them, but the water falls on the army. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. Help the children split into four groups. Give each group a scenario and invite them to use the play dough to create characters and objects that represent their scenario. The kids can attempt to guess what the other groups are creating. Once each scenario has been created, invite all of the children to sit down. We have learned how God chose Moses to help lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses would go to Pharaoh and ask him to let the people go, but Pharaoh always said no. How did God show His might in Egypt so that Pharaoh would let the Israelites go? Invite the children to respond. Yes, God sent plagues to Egypt, which showed that He was fighting for His people and was more powerful than Pharaoh! Point to the Scenario 1 play dough scene the children created. Finally, after the last plague, which took the firstborn sons throughout all of Egypt, Pharaoh was willing to let the Israelites go. That night, the Israelites celebrated the very first Passover, which reminded them that God had protected them and kept His promises. They quickly gathered all of their things and left Egypt. Just imagine millions of people with all of their belongings and animals! What an amazing night for the Israelites as they left their slavery under Pharaoh just as God had promised they would! God led the Israelites out of Egypt. As they traveled, God s presence was with them in a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire by night. Encourage the children to turn to Exodus 14 in their Bibles. God led the people to the edge of the Red Sea. Then He told Moses that Pharaoh would come after 5

6 them. But God was going to do something miraculous so that everyone would know that He is Lord! God is victorious. What does it mean to be victorious? Invite the children to respond. That s right it means to win! At first, Pharaoh wanted the Israelites to leave because God had brought so many plagues to Egypt. But then Pharaoh wasn t sure about his decision. He decided he wanted his slaves back. Invite a volunteer to read Exodus 14:5 7 aloud. Pharaoh took his whole army and began to chase after the Israelites. He wanted to bring them back to their slavery in Egypt. Point to the children s Scenario 2 play dough sculpture. Pharaoh never stopped defying God! The Israelites were stuck at the edge of the Red Sea. They saw Pharaoh chasing after them, and they became very afraid. Invite a volunteer to read Exodus 14:11 12 aloud. Although they had been so happy to leave Egypt, they quickly forgot to trust that they belonged to God. They began to yell at Moses and tell him it would have been better if they had stayed in Egypt! But Moses knew God s promises. He knew that God is victorious. He knew God had chosen them to be His people. He had been fighting for the Israelites up to this point, and He wouldn t stop now. Invite a volunteer to read Exodus 14:13 14 aloud. Moses was confident in God. The Egyptians who were coming to get the Israelites would never be seen again. God would have the victory! God told Moses to raise his staff. What happened after that? Invite the kids to respond. Yes! God began to part the waters of the Red Sea! The Bible says that a great wind began to blow all night long and a path of dry ground was created on the bottom of the sea. Point to the Scenario 3 play dough sculpture. God also moved His presence behind the Israelites so that the Egyptians could not pass through the pillar of cloud that protected the Israelites. The Israelites walked through the middle of the sea on the dry path God had created for them. What an amazing sight that must have been! How do you think the Israelites felt as they walked through the sea? Invite children to respond. After the Israelites passed through the sea, the Egyptian army began again to chase after them. The army drove their chariots into the sea, but God caused their wheels to get stuck. Then God spoke to Moses again and told him to raise his staff over the sea. When he did, the waters of the Red Sea came crashing down, covering the army. The Israelites had crossed over and safely reached the other side. Point to the Scenario 4 sculpture. God delivered His people and had victory over Pharaoh! The Israelites danced and sang for joy on the edge of the sea. They finally trusted God and knew that He fought for them. He had been victorious! They understood that He was their God and they were His special people. They knew that they belonged to the Lord. God still has the victory today. He has been victorious through Jesus death and resurrection. And when we trust in Him, He gives us victory too. When we have difficult things in our lives, we can rely on God and the power of the Holy Spirit. We can know that we are His people and that God is always victorious! Share a time when you experienced God s victory in your life. Discussion Questions Why were the Israelites finally able to leave Egypt? Exodus 12:31 How did God save the Israelites at the Red Sea? Exodus 14:21 22 What does victorious mean? What do you think it was like for the Israelites to see God s victory? 6

7 Can you think of some other times in The Big God Story when God was victorious? What are some ways God brings victory in your life? RESPOND// 15 min. Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond through games and creative activities. Victory Banner Children will think about some fears that they would like God to have victory over. They will work together to create a victory banner, including pictures, words, or prayers that represent God being victorious in their lives. Butcher paper (4') Markers Tape Jesus Saves, TruWorship Sincerely Yours When the Egyptian army was pursuing the Israelites, the Israelites came to a point where they were trapped at the edge of the Red Sea. How do you think they felt? Allow responses. Good thoughts! They felt afraid and even started to ask why they were there. But God fought for them and gave them victory over the Egyptian army as He opened the Red Sea and made a way for His people to cross safely to the other side. God literally washed away their fears as they crossed the Red Sea. After this happened, God s people immediately changed from being slaves in Egypt to free people who would soon have their own land again. God has given us victory too victory over sin and death. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He made the way for us to spend eternity with Him and become children of God. As believers, we will face hard situations, just like the Israelites did when they were afraid and unsure of what God was going to do. But God can have victory over our greatest fears and worries. He alone has the power to wash away our fears! Invite your kids to spend some time pondering some fears they have that they would like God to have victory over. When God miraculously parted the Red Sea and allowed the Israelites to cross safely, they knew God had given them victory over their greatest fears, and they responded with praise. Invite your kids to work together to create a victory banner. They can draw pictures or write words or prayers that represent God being victorious in their lives. When the banner is finished, use tape to hang the banner on the wall to serve as a reminder of how God has been victorious in the lives of the children. Then invite kids to spend some time in worship praising God for being victorious in their lives. Play Jesus Saves from TruWorship Sincerely Yours as you praise Him together. (Optional) Reverse Tag 7

8 Children will chase the person who is it. The person who tags her first is then it, and so on. The Egyptian army chased the Israelites as they left Egypt. As the Egyptian army approached, the Israelites became afraid, but God gave them victory. Today, invite your group to play a game of Reverse Tag in which the entire group will chase one player. To play, choose one child to be It. As soon as he is chosen, he will immediately run away from the rest of the group as they run after him and try to tag him. The first child to tag the child who is It will become the next It, and then she will immediately run from the rest of the group as they chase her. Developmentally Speaking Kids in fifth and sixth grade enjoy being social and playing group games. Boys in general can be a bit rougher during group play. Remind kids to be respectful as they tag one another and to try not to physically hurt anyone during the game. BLESS// 5 min. Children receive a blessing from their leaders and sometimes one another. A blessing can be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. Victory Flag template (see Resources) Recipe Cards and Parent Invitations (see Resources) HomeFront Weekly: Lesson 13 (see Resources) Remember Verse cards (see Resources) Bible Card stock (1 sheet for every 2 children) Straws (1 per child) Tape PREPARE AHEAD Print or copy the Victory Flag template onto card stock to make one flag per child. Tape a straw to each flag as a flagpole. Give a Victory Flag to each child. Tell the kids that when you say, Victory, they should wave their flags in the air. I love getting together with you and learning more about The Big God Story. Before we leave today, I would like to bless each of you with a reminder that our God is victorious. Invite kids to wave flags. Invite your children to stand together as you read the blessing from 1 Corinthians 15:57 over them: But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Children, may you know that God is victorious, and He will care for you. 8

9 Now have each child find a partner and take turns blessing each other with the following blessing: (Child s name), God has given you victory! As they bless one another, invite the kids to wave their flags again. Invite Your Families Next week we ll remember and celebrate God as our Redeemer through the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Encourage the parents in your ministry to participate in the celebration by preparing and bringing food. Recipe Cards and Parent Invitations can be found in the Resources. Make sure to send these home along with the HomeFront Weekly as children leave today. Send home Remember Verse cards and the HomeFront Weekly with your kids. 9