Date: 2 & 3 April 2016 GKidz Barnabas Club Journeys with R2D2 Series Lesson 4: MALACHI We Are His Chosen People! Key Verse: On that day they will be my special treasure. I will spare them just as a father loves and spares his son who serves him. Then once again you will see the difference between godly people and sinful people. And you will see the difference between those who serve me and those who do not. Malachi 3:17b- 18 (NIrV) Lesson Objectives: Children will learn that: God wants to remind us that we are His chosen people We respect God by being whole- hearted in our devotion to God and His Kingdom The only way to be godly is to allow Jesus to refine our hearts of apathy and indifference NOTE TO LEADERS Background on the Book of Malachi NOTE: The following information is to help give you a holistic perspective on the themes and messages found in this book. However, we are going to contextualize and frame the conversation according to the learning objectives as stated above. i) Historical Setting Malachi is and always has been placed last in the Minor Prophets. The book is often classified together with Haggai and Zechariah as part of the three postexilic prophets. The prophet likely wrote sometime after Ezra around 515 B.C., with scholars suggesting that the book s setting is around the period from when the second temple was finished, to the administration of Nehemiah in Jerusalem. ii) Central Message Respect and Revere the Holy Name of God The people had lost their sense of chosen- ness. The priests were apathetic to the temple ritual and stopped respecting His codes and regulations. God raised Malachi up to shake His people. The strong words in the book were for the spiritual upbuilding of the people. God wanted a righteous nation and a pure and devoted priesthood. He still believed that His people would be defined by truth, integrity, fidelity and hope. Though Malachi s message was largely negative, it also offered a glimmer of hope and alluded to a brighter day that the faithful could take heart in. GKidz Barnabas Club 1
iii) Key Teachings Israel was numb to God. The people doubted God s love (Malachi 1:1-5). They had disrespect for His name (Malachi 1:6-2:9) and dishonoured the marriage covenant that God had instituted (Malachi 2:10-16). But they did not stop there. These same people distorted God s justice (Malachi 2:17-3:6), grew increasingly distant in their relationship with God (Malachi 3:7-12) and showed disdain towards serving the Lord (Malachi 3:13-15). God rebuked them for their apathy and complacency. But instead of repentance, Israel responded in ignorance. They acted as if they were innocent and were without fault. God cannot be fooled. He specifically pointed out the areas where they had neglected to honour Him in. God requires His people to be set apart, to recognize that they have been chosen and to live in a way that would allow Him to commune with them. In Malachi 3:1-4, God reveals that there will be a refining of His people. He previews the ministry of John the Baptist, and the arrival of Jesus. It is revealed that the day of His coming would be any day that God steps into history to do a special work, whether of judgment or deliverance. It would be a day where His people and priesthood would be refined. As a result, God would have an approved and accepted priesthood to carry out the sacred ministry in the right spirit. It is important to realize that God will draw a distinction between those who remain faithful to Him and to His kingdom, and those who would be found to be goats among sheep (Matthew 25:31-46). The totality of the Christian faith does not only amount to saying the sinner s prayer and doing the right things so you can be assured of your road to heaven. It is living a life of obedience to the Lord, fulfilling His very purposes for us and for His people. If we have been lulled into apathy and indifference, then we must come before the Lord in humility to repent, knowing that He will be gracious if we are sincere in wanting to transform our hearts and mindsets. He will redeem us for we are still His chosen people! GOD CHOOSES TO R2 REDEEM, D2 NOT DESTROY WE SHOULD CHOOSE TO REPENT, NOT DISOBEY GKidz Barnabas Club 2
SMALL GROUP TIME (55 MINUTES) A. Connect (15 minutes) Logistics Needed: Emotion cards (GKidz will provide) Note to Leaders: The small group time will come after the Pastor spends some time on the platform to process the efforts of your children to invite their friends for Easter. You would already have identified those who successfully or unsuccessfully invited their friends, and those who did not invite at all. Using the emotion cards, ask the children to share with you and with the group their thoughts on the following questions: How did they feel when they were asked consistently over the past couple of weeks to invite their friends for the GKidz Easter Is... program? How did they feel when their friends rejected their invitations? If they didn t invite anyone to GKidz for Easter - why? If they successfully brought someone to GKidz for Easter how did they feel? Your children may make statements that would need further processing. It is important that you make a mental note of what they shared but do not use this moment to process. You will have the time to do that later in the lesson. Instead, give your children the space to share their thoughts honestly and remind the children that it is important to be honest and to know that we are sharing our feelings with one another openly. Transition to Into The Word: Some of us have been diligent in doing our part to invite our friends to GKidz for Easter Weekend. But there are some of us who have decided to not take action and invite our friends proactively. Some of us have the attitude of wanting to be faithful to God in praying and inviting our friends. Some of us have the attitude of not caring, or praying and inviting half- heartedly. Well, this is not the first time God has seen the attitudes of apathy and indifference amongst His people. In fact, we see these same attitudes in the Book of Malachi. B. Into The Word (15 minutes) Logistics Needed: Emotion cards (GKidz will provide) Tell the children that we are going deep into the four chapters of Malachi to understand how God feels about the attitudes of apathy and indifference. Malachi 1 Begin by reading to the children Malachi 1:2-5. Explain to the children that God had chosen the people of Israel to belong to Him. God loves the people that He has chosen. But Israel doubted God. They doubted that they were His chosen people. Using the emotion cards, ask the children to guess how God must have felt about His people s doubts. GKidz Barnabas Club 3
In Malachi 1:6, it is thus revealed that the people did not give God the respect He deserves. Assign the children to look at the verses from Malachi 1:7-14 and identify what are the ways that the people disrespected God. Malachi 2 Read Malachi 2:7 to the children. Explain to the children that this is what God expects from His priests. But as we see in Malachi 2:8-9, the priests did not obey the Lord s instructions. Further down in the chapter, God also mentions specifically that the people have disrespected Him in their own marriages and in how they treat others. Using the emotion cards, ask the children to identify how God might have felt when He saw all the ways that the Israelites have disrespected Him. Malachi 3 Read Malachi 3:8-9 and Malachi 3:14-15. Explain to the children when the people hid these attitudes in their heart, they were really disrespecting God, and that made Him upset. Thereafter, get the children to read Malachi 3:17. Using the emotion cards, ask the children to guess how God feels about this group of people, and why He feels different toward them. Malachi 4 Get the children to read Malachi 4:1-3 together. Explain to them that there are two groups of people described in these verses. The first are people who are proud and have no respect for God, and the second are people who love and respect the Lord. Ask the children to identify how God will treat these two groups. C. Going Deep (15 minutes) Logistics Needed: R2D2 placard (GKidz will provide) Having briefly gone through the entire book of Malachi with the children, state to them that you are going to identify a few points for them to learn. Begin by asking the children if they remembered why the people of Israel are so special to God. It is because they are His chosen people. Explain that God chose the people of Israel to demonstrate to the rest of us how He would want to relate to, and love us. And just as how God has chosen the people of Israel to be His children, so He has chosen us to be with Him for eternity as well. At this point, ask the children if they have ever doubted that they are God s chosen people. While being doubtful of things is part of growing spiritually, yet it is dangerous to remain doubtful. Challenge the children that they must choose to come to God, and remind themselves that the Father loves them and they belong to Him. Their doubts can only be resolved when they choose to come GKidz Barnabas Club 4
back to the Father, for He has already chosen by sacrificing Jesus to die on the Cross for us. Remind the children that the priests and people of Israel were not only doubtful of their identity as the chosen people of God, but they were also half- hearted in their devotion to the Father. They were lax in the way they gave their offerings to the Lord. They did not maintain the standards for offering sacrifices. Their offerings of sickly animals were a direct offense to the rules that God had for His people in bringing animal offerings. This behaviour was unacceptable to God. In Malachi 1:10, God even goes as far as to say that if they were to continue being half- hearted in their devotion to God, they should just not bother giving any offerings in the first place. The people were lulled into thinking that their half- hearted actions were winning God s approval. At this point, get the children to reflect if they have been half- hearted in praying the 3x3 prayers or committing to inviting their friends to GKidz for Easter. Emphasize that while their efforts to pray or invite is commendable, God is more concerned about their heart for doing it. Do they really believe that God can use them to reach their friends, who may never get another opportunity to hear the Gospel and to meet this wonderful person called Jesus? Or are they just doing it half- heartedly, and thinking that by just going through the routine of praying and inviting, they are winning God s approval? God detests a lukewarm heart. Revelation 3:15 mentions how God would rather we d be either passionate or dispassionate about our faith, and not stay undecided. At this point, you may choose to share with them some of your thoughts about having a lukewarm heart. You can choose to refer to your sermon notes from the Revelation series on this topic. Encourage the children that all hope is not lost. Read for them Malachi 3:17-18 again. Share with them that you still believe in them and that they are God s chosen and can be the godly, faithful people that is mentioned in this passage. Read Malachi 3:2-3 for the children. Explain that the only way that they would be found to be godly, faithful people, would be if they allowed Jesus to refine their hearts, to purify them and make them clean. God has not given up on the children, and so they should not give up hope that they can enter into a deeply personal relationship with God. E. Application (10 minutes) Logistics Needed: Ministry music (GKidz leaders to use suggest ministry music) Break the group into smaller groups if possible, with you and your co- leader taking a group each. Begin to process and pray through the following areas: - Do you have doubts that you are God s chosen and beloved? Has that affected your ability to share Jesus with others? Come before God and ask Him to renew your mind and remind you that you belong to Him. GKidz Barnabas Club 5
- - Have you been half- hearted in your prayer and invitational efforts to your friends this past Easter? Confess and repent. Ask Jesus to refine and purify your heart, to fill it with a passion to see your friends to come to know Jesus. If you are not doubtful and half- hearted, start to thank God that you are able to be faithful to Him and to His Kingdom. Remind yourself of how He has been faithful to You and renew Your commitment to Him, that you will not give up until you see your friends saved. Suggested ministry time music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm_znxxucvy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awzbtbeopfs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgdse25lvlw GKidz Barnabas Club 6