Lesson 9. God Saves. Based on: Genesis 42 47; 50

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1 Lesson 9 God Saves Based on: Genesis 42 47; 50 Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 TruStory CRE: 1st 2nd Grade Lesson Prepared by Bill Stahler Tru Sun, Wedgwood Baptist Chuch

2 2 Leader Preparation 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 9 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. (!) Allergy Alert When you see a (!) listed next to a resource or activity, note that potential allergens are suggested that may affect children with particular sensitivities. Please check with parents before their children participate. Inspire Shares personal stories from fellow ministry leaders about how God has worked in their lives I have a friend who tried to help a struggling family buy a house. In the end, she and her husband lost tens of thousands of dollars because the other family swindled them. This painful situation didn't make sense at the time. However, other neighbors had been watching it unfold.

3 3 They had seen the faith of my friend and her husband in the midst of everything. These neighbors came to know the Lord because of it! Hebrews 11 talks about believers who suffered even though they'd done nothing wrong. These were tortured, stoned, imprisoned, "destitute, persecuted and mistreated" (verse 37) They "were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised" (verse 39). In our lifetime, some of us may see the outcome of our faith. Others may not. Bad things may happen without reason. Even so, God is sovereign. We have to believe that even though we might not understand why things happen, God knows why and intends to use these situations for good. Our faith can be used by God for "the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20). Tori Funkhouser TruStory Team Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson's Bible passage God saves. He saved the life of Joseph, only one of two major characters in the Bible about which nothing negative is mentioned (the other person is Daniel). Just about every other person in The Big God Story had some kind of flaw or issue he was dealing with. But it seems Joseph really knew who he was. He was confident in his God and knew that God saves. Even the arrogance some attribute to him in his youth can be seen simply as youthful honesty and naïveté. At every opportunity where Joseph might have fallen, he reaffirmed his faith in the power, sovereignty, and salvation of God. One lesson he would learn through life experience is that the road to glory leads inexorably through suffering and trials it is the way God grows our faith. Throughout Joseph's enslavement, he knew that God saves. Throughout all the false accusations and imprisonment, Joseph knew God saves. And throughout the severe famine, Joseph knew God saves. Through these trials, Joseph was learning obedience and endurance. It was this confidence in who he was (and whose he was) that helped Joseph avoid the temptation of sin with Potiphar's wife, of taking credit for the interpretation of dreams, and of taking revenge on his brothers when they learned who he was. Joseph knew God's plans are higher than ours. When we trust in who God made us to be and we trust that He is the One who saves, we can learn that suffering is not always bad. It is a tool God can use to shape and refine

4 4 us for His use. And we can learn that regardless of our circumstances, God is in control, and He is working for our good and His glory (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28). Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God's Word Joseph's life gives us a powerful testimony to the greatness of God's saving power as well as His wise plans. What a roller coaster sold into slavery, then granted the privilege of running an important official's household, then falsely accused of attempted rape, then thrown into prison, and then ultimately elevated to second-in-command of Egypt! From our perspective, it's easy to see God's sovereignty and salvation in Joseph's life. We have the whole story. But, of course, Joseph didn't. Imagine bouncing along a dusty road, captured by slave owners who'd ripped you away from everything you'd ever known. Or imagine sitting in a jail cell, falsely accused of attacking a prominent man's wife. Imagine the hopelessness and fear of those moments when you have no idea what's ahead. Today, as you read through a passage of Scripture you've likely heard before, ask God to give you fresh insight. Ask Him to give you a new appreciation and awareness of His control over every situation in your life. Pray that your children would know God's presence as they walk through difficult circumstances in their own lives and trust that He knows exactly what He's doing. Pray that they would take comfort in knowing that they're God's beloved children and that He is mighty to save.

5 5 10 minutes CONNECT Supplies -Piggy bank or clear jar (any size) -Coins (4 per child) -Whiteboard and dry erase markers Children develop relationships with their leaders and one another through simple activities and conversation starters. Piggy Bank God used the difficulties in Joseph's life to save his family and many others from starvation. In today's activity, each kid will insert a coin in a piggy bank as it's passed around and answer questions about saving. Set Up Write the following questions on the board: -If you could save your money to buy something, what would it be? -How long do you think it would take you to save for what you want? -Have you ever saved your money to buy something special? If so, what was it? -What are some other good things for which you could use your money? Any people you could help or needs you could meet? Relate CONNECT QUESTION: Welcome and greet children. Open your time by asking this question: What do you like to collect (examples: rocks, stuffed animals, stamps, action figures, etc.)?

6 6 Collecting and saving things can be very fun. Do any of you collect money? How many of you save money, maybe in a piggy bank, so you can buy something special? Who doesn't yet but would like to? Interact with responses. In today's portion of The Big God Story, we'll hear more about how Joseph had a difficult life. But, after a series of hard events, his time in Egypt turned out to be what God used to save his family and many others from starvation. He stored up lots of grain so people could stay alive during a time with very little food to eat. Give four coins to each child, and invite the kids to sit in a circle and read the questions on the board. Then begin to pass around the piggy bank or clear jar. When a child gets the piggy bank or jar, she'll drop one of her coins into it and answer one of the questions. Have kids continue to pass around the piggy bank until each child gets to answer each question. Optional: Assign one question to the bank for each time it travels around the circle having each child answer the same question as the bank goes from child to child.

7 7 30 minutes GATHER Children experience and learn more about God through memorizing Scripture, storytelling from The Big God Story, prayer, and discussion. Remember Verse Supplies -Lessons 6 9 Remember Verse Image: Phil 1:6 TruStory Year 1 Fall 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. Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 Game: Domino Verse Supplies -Dominos (26) -Blank stickers or address labels (26, each the size of a domino or smaller) -Fine-tipped marker or pen Prepare Ahead Write each word of the Remember Verse as well as the verse reference on a sticker. Place each sticker on a domino Place the dominos on the floor, sticker-side down, and mix them up. Relate

8 8 Invite the children to learn the Remember Verse by using dominos. To begin, review the verse with the class a few times. Then encourage the kids to work together to turn over the dominos and put the words of the verse in order. Once they've done this, they can set up the dominos in a row and knock them over. Storytelling Supplies -Bibles -Paper (2 sheets) -Marker -Double-sided tape -Optional: laminator -Lesson 9 Investigate TruStory 1st 6th CRE Year 1 Fall -Joseph TruStory 1st 4th CRE Year 1 Fall Lesson 9 -Joseph's Brothers TruStory 1st 4th CRE Year 1 Fall Lesson 9 -Jacob TruStory 1st 4th CRE Year 1 Fall Lesson 9 Bible Passage: Genesis 42 47; 50 Storytelling Technique: Journey around the Room God Saves Prepare Ahead Write "Canaan" on one sheet of paper and "Egypt" on the other sheet. Print the Joseph, Joseph's Brothers, and Jacob images. Place a couple of pieces of double-sided tape on the back of each image. Optional: Laminate the images. Set Up Designate one area of the room to be Canaan and tape the "Canaan" sign to the wall. Designate an area opposite Canaan (at least 10 feet away) to be Egypt and tape the "Egypt" sign to the wall. In the Canaan area, tape the Joseph's Brothers and Jacob images to the wall. In the Egypt area, tape the image of Joseph to the wall.

9 9 Relate Do any of you have a brother or brothers? What kinds of fun things do you like to do together? Allow and interact with kids' responses We heard last week in The Big God Story about a man named Joseph who had several brothers. But these brothers didn't like Joseph; they were jealous of him because he was their father's favorite. What did the brothers do to Joseph? Pause for responses. Joseph's brothers sold him to some traveling businessmen who took him to a different country. What country was it? Allow responses. Right Egypt. Motion toward the Joseph image in the Egypt area of the room. After working for a man named Potiphar, Joseph was thrown into prison even though he had done nothing wrong. But God had a plan to save Joseph and use him to save God's people. Let's pray and ask God to teach us today. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts and minds. While Joseph was in prison, God helped him to interpret dreams. So when the king of Egypt, Pharaoh, had strange dreams, he called Joseph to help. Joseph told Pharaoh that his dreams meant there would be seven years of good crops of food followed by seven years of bad crops and that Egypt should store up grain during the good years. Pharaoh promoted Joseph to second-in-command of the land of Egypt and put him in charge of storing the grain for a time when there would be very little food for people to eat. The seven years of good crops came, and people had a lot of food to eat. Then, just as Pharaoh's dreams had showed, no food grew for the next seven years, and people began to starve! What do you think happened next? Allow kids to respond. Then have kids open to Genesis 42. Joseph's family lived in the land of Canaan. Walk to the Canaan area of the room and point out the Jacob image. When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he told his sons to go get food. Read Genesis 42:1 2 while kids follow along. The sons obeyed their father, and Joseph's brothers set out to buy food in Egypt. Invite a volunteer to move the Joseph's Brothers image to the Egypt area and tape it to the wall. When the brothers arrived in Egypt, they came to the person in charge, Joseph, but the brothers did not recognize him! Joseph recognized his brothers and made them explain why they had come to Egypt. He accused them of being spies. Read verses aloud. The brothers didn't know that God had saved Joseph, but Joseph knew he had belonged to God throughout the years both in prison and the palace.

10 10 Joseph was able to trust and obey God no matter what because He knew God is always good and always loves His children. After seeing his brothers, Joseph put one of them in jail and told the other brothers to go home and bring back their other brother, Benjamin, to prove they weren't spies. The brothers did as Joseph asked. Invite a volunteer to move the Joseph's Brothers image to the Canaan area and then move it back to the Egypt area and tape it to the wall again. When the brothers arrived in Egypt again, they went to talk to Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin, he ran out of the room and began to cry. After that, Joseph washed his face and provided a feast for the brothers. Then Joseph had his servant put his special silver cup in Benjamin's bag without the brothers knowing. The brothers left the next morning, heading home to Canaan. Invite a volunteer to remove the Joseph's Brother image from the Egypt area and start walking toward the Canaan area. Allow the volunteer to only take a step or two, and then have her stand still. The brothers hadn't gone very far before Joseph's servant came after them to arrest them for stealing a silver cup. The brothers promised they hadn't stolen the cup, but the servant searched Benjamin's bag and found it there! It looked like Benjamin was guilty and would be put to death! Have the volunteer bring the Joseph's Brothers image back to the Egypt area and tape it to the wall. Everyone returned to Egypt, and the brothers begged Joseph not to put Benjamin to death. If Benjamin died, they said, their father Jacob would be heartbroken. Joseph couldn't take it anymore. He commanded everyone to leave the room except his brothers. He cried so loudly that people outside heard him. Then Joseph told his brothers who he really was. Read Genesis 45:3 5 aloud while kids follow along. Joseph knew that his family would continue to need food from Egypt in order to survive, so he invited them to live in Egypt. Invite a volunteer to move the Joseph's Brothers image to the Canaan area. The brothers went back to Canaan and told their father that Joseph was alive and that he wanted the family to come to Egypt. Jacob was so happy! Ask another volunteer to remove the Jacob image from the wall. Encourage the two volunteers to walk the Jacob image and the Joseph's Brothers image together to the Egypt area and tape them next to the image of Joseph on the wall. Years later, when Jacob died, Joseph's brothers worried that Joseph had stayed mad at them all these years for everything they'd done to him. But Joseph wasn't angry; he knew God had used everything that had happened in his life to save many

11 11 lives. Read Genesis 50:20 aloud. If you have strong readers in your group, you might ask a volunteer to read the verse. In The Big God Story we see God rescuing and saving His people over and over again. In fact, through Joseph's family line, the ultimate Savior, Jesus Christ, came to earth to die on a cross to save us from our sins. The Bible tells us that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). When we trust and obey Jesus, we become His beloved children. No matter what evil happens in our lives, Jesus will save us and one day bring us to heaven to live with Him forever. Knowing this, we can trust that even though others might try to harm us, God can use it for good, because He is mighty to save. Share a personal story about knowing that God saves. Discussion Questions - Why did Jacob send his sons to Egypt? Genesis 42:1 2 - What did Joseph's brothers do when Joseph told them who he was? Genesis 45:3 - Why wasn't Joseph angry at his brothers for treating him so badly? Genesis 50:20 - In what ways did God work in Joseph's life to save his family?

12 12 15 minutes RESPOND Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond through games and creative activities. Child of God Supplies -Uncooked rice (3 4 c., depending on how many colors you choose to make) (!) -Rubbing alcohol (½ tsp. per c. of rice) -Food coloring (3 4 colors) -Bowls (glass or metal, small to medium-sized, 1 per cup of rice) -Baking pan (about 9" x 13") or cookie sheet -Newspaper, plastic tablecloth, or tarp -Construction paper (1 sheet per child) -Pencils -Glue (regular or rubber cement) -Cotton swabs (2 3 per child) Children will create colorful response pieces by gluing uncooked rice onto their construction paper. Prepare Ahead At least a day before class, dye your rice different colors. Mix a half teaspoon of rubbing alcohol and a few drops of food coloring in a glass or metal bowl. Then add one cup of uncooked rice and mix everything together. Pour the colored rice into a glass or metal pan or onto a cookie sheet to dry overnight. Set Up

13 13 Cover the table with newspaper (or other covering) and place the supplies on top of it. Relate Before Joseph was born, God chose him. Joseph belonged to God, and God saved many lives through both the hard times and the good times Joseph faced. God knew how He wanted to use Joseph in His plans. God made the way for us to be saved by using Joseph as part of His plan. Through Joseph's family line, God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. When we trust and obey Jesus, we can become a member of God's family. We can be God's children! In our lives, we may have difficult times we don't understand. But we know that no matter what happens, God will continue working out His good plans because we're His children! Invite the children to spend a few moments thinking about what it means to be saved by God and made His child. After a few minutes of prayer and reflection, invite kids to create works of art using the colored rice. Encourage each child to take a sheet of construction paper and a pencil. Have the kids write a word or draw a picture on each paper and then use a cotton swab to spread glue over the word or a portion of the picture. Next, kids can apply rice to the areas with the glue. Encourage the kids to use different colors of rice to make their pictures colorful. When the children finish, help them put their pictures together in one area of the room to serve as a reminder that they're children of God. If possible, you might arrange the rice pictures into a "patchwork" design on one wall and keep the design there until the next Remember & Celebrate lesson. (Optional) Rice Relay Supplies -Tape (masking or painter's) -Bucket (1 gal.) -Uncooked rice (enough to fill bucket) (!) -Buckets (small, 2 of same size) -Cups (3 oz., disposable, 2)

14 14 Today, lead your kids in a relay during which they'll see which team stores up the most rice. Set Up Use masking or painter's tape to create a start line on the floor and place the pails or buckets on the line. About 15 feet away or on the other side of the room, place the bucket full of rice. Relate As second-in-command of Egypt, Joseph helped to store up grain so people would have food to eat during a famine. We're going to play a relay game. I'll divide you into two teams and each team will line up behind the starting line. The first person in each line gets a disposable cup. On my signal, the first person in each line will run to the big bucket of rice, fill his cup with rice, race back to his team, and dump the rice in his team's small bucket. Then he'll pass the cup to the next person in line, who'll run to the bucket of rice and return, and so on. The first team to fill its pail with rice wins. After the game, discuss the following questions together. How did gathering grain help the people in Egypt? How do you suppose the people felt when the years of famine came and they had food stored? Developmentally Speaking First and second graders are competitive and constantly desire to be in motion, whether they're running, skipping, or dancing. Encourage kids to get their energy out as they run and race each other in this rice relay.

15 15 5 minutes BLESS Supplies -Bible -Lessons 6 9 Remember Verse Cards: Phil 1:6 TruStory Year 1 Fall -Lesson 10 HomeFront Weekly TruStory Year 1 Fall 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. Relate Invite your children to sit together and close their eyes as you pray the blessing from Psalm 91:14 16 over them: "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation." May you know that God loves you. He saved you. He protects you and will always be with you in difficult times. After you bless the entire class, take some time to bless each child individually. Choose different phrases from the blessing and use them to bless each child. For example, you might say, (Child's name, may you know that when you pray, God will answer you or (Child's name, may you feel God protecting you this week. Send home Remember Verse cards and the HomeFront Weekly with your kids.

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Lesson 7. God Is Faithful. Based on: Genesis 27:41 28:17; 32 33

Lesson 7. God Is Faithful. Based on: Genesis 27:41 28:17; 32 33 Lesson 7 God Is Faithful Based on: Genesis 27:41 28:17; 32 33 Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6