Susan Lingo
Published by Sandard Publishing, Cincinnai, Ohio www.sandardpub.com Copyrigh 2004 by Sandard Publishing All righs reserved. #05395. Manufacured in Eas Peoria, IL, USA, February 2010. Permission is graned o reproduce he indicaed maerial from his book for minisry purposes only. All Scripure quoaions, unless oherwise indicaed, are aken from he HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyrigh 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All righs reserved. Cover Design: Malwiz Design Inside Illusraions: Marilynn Barr Page Design: Andrew Quach Syllabus Developmen: Bruce Soker, Susan Lingo Lesson Wrier: Susan Lingo Projec Ediors: Bruce Soker, Ruh Frederick 15 14 13 12 11 10 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 ISBN-13: 978-0-7847-1330-3 ISBN-10: 0-7847-1330-8
Inroducion Jesus answered, I am he way and he ruh and he life. No one comes o he Faher excep hrough me (John 14:6). Welcome o an exciing and challenging growh experience for he 8-o-12-yearolds in your church! Imagine he exciemen as sudens are called o pu Jesus own eachings o work in heir lives as hey srenghen heir undersanding of God s will for hem. Think of he challenge as your kids sep ou of he ordinary and ake gian leaps of faih while discovering he fruis of puing our faih ino acion as Jesus desires. Sudy Jesus Teachings is he key o powerfully combining exciing experiences in faih wih challenging, focused sudy o creae effecive, Bible learning! Ask any suden wha he word sudy means and you ll probably hear a few moans and groans rolled ino he definiion. And when kids hink abou sudying he Bible, i ofen conjures up feelings of said boredom and slow-paced reading no he exciing, inviing, or memorable experiences mos kids crave. No so wih Sudy Jesus Teachings! This exciing, 52-week curriculum involves kids on every learning level: from reading and discussing Scripure, o using Bible-sudy ools o dig deeper, hrough engaging reinforcemen and enrichmen aciviies ha challenge kids o model heir lives afer Jesus as hey seek God on a deeper level. Sudy Jesus Teachings is organized opically around he words of Jesus and he examples He sough o each us hrough His acions and love. I s imporan for kids o profoundly undersand ha Jesus didn come simply o add o he laws and regulaions ha God firs gave he Jews. Jesus also came as a powerful, lifechanging example of how God desires us o live in relaion o Him and ohers. Jesus came o each us ha God s Word is all-powerful, all-consuming, and allhealing. Jesus own response o empaion demonsraes ha God and His Word are all-powerful and vial; no only o our spiriual lives oday, bu o our eernal lives omorrow! Jesus eachings and life examples of living as God desires are as relevan now as hey were when Jesus firs augh in Jerusalem s emple so long ago. When kids undersand he why and how behind wha hey re learning, sudying suddenly becomes explosively exciing, relevan and revealing, and, well... even cool! Sudy Jesus Teachings Benchmarks If you love me, you will obey wha I command (John 14:15). The heme of his curriculum is Jesus is our eacher. Never before or since has here been a eacher as perfec, profound, or life-challenging and changing as Jesus! He used he perfec words o each us and he perfec examples o reach us. Jesus wholly undersood ha we all learn in differen ways bu all need o learn he same ruhs. And so Jesus chose His eaching mehods carefully and ofen concreely o assure ha God s ruhs, mercy, grace, love, and desires were brough o our hears, minds, spiris, and lives. There s no beer benchmark for God s ruh han for kids o realize ha we can coun on Jesus. No maer wha happens we can urn o he words of Chris and rus hem o guide us in he righ pahs oward God. His are words o live by, in every way, every day. Sudy Jesus Teachings resounds wih his message hroughou he unis. And as kids discover wha Jesus eaches us abou God and how we re o live, hey ll undersand why our heavenly eacher leads hem o urn o God in prayer and Bible sudy in every circumsance. 3
The goal of his curriculum is o help children become disciples who live according o Jesus words. There s more o following Jesus han simply reading His words. Kids mus also learn ha Jesus augh us abou being disciples who acively share heir faih, seek God s will, figh evil, and serve ohers. Jesus knew ha i s no enough o be mere pew siers, bu ha i s faih in acion and ruh in moion ha empowers us o serve God as we grow closer o Him. In Sudy Jesus Teachings, kids will explore wha i means o seek God s will in heir lives and ha God has unique and equally exciing plans for each of us. They ll discover why being a disciple is imporan and how we can encourage oher Chrisians o be he bes hey can be for God. Kids will also learn why we serve ohers and how serving brings us closer o God and o undersanding how Jesus sacrifice on he cross draws us ino being His hankful servans of mercy, compassion, and love! The focus of his curriculum is equipping sudens o use heir Bibles. In Sudy Jesus Teachings, Bible passages are sudied o allow sudens o learn as hey build heir Bible skills wih he ulimae goal of helping kids feel confiden o pick up a Bible and locae a Bible verses in boh he Old and New Tesamens. Kids are encouraged o use boh concordances and Bible dicionaries o uncover he meaning behind verses and addiional verses on a opic. Bible exploraions will aid kids in finding biblical answers o everyday quesions ha challenge hem. And sudens will use heir Bibles o sudy Jesus words, commi o memory significan Bible verses o become more effecive disciples, and o esablish firm foundaions for doing wha is righ according o God and for making solid decisions ha show hey ve chosen o live as disciples according o God s Word. Abou he Sudy Jesus Teachings Lessons Each Sudy Jesus Teachings uni is a monh of sudy mos unis have four lessons, while ohers have five. Over he course of a uni, you will focus on one area of Jesus eaching such as he imporance of using Scripure o defea evil and empaions, growing closer o God hrough recognizing His ulimae power, and he imporance of praying o God. During he uni, you ll be sudying differen Bible passages in each lesson wih an overriding memory verse ying he uni heme ogeher wih he passages. Pars of Each Lesson Uni Overview. Each uni opens wih a brief inroducion and summary of all ha will be learned during he four or five lessons included. The overview liss he uni goals and wha kids will discover as hey sudy Jesus eachings for each hemaic lesson. Sep 1: Finding he Teaching. Each lesson opens wih an aciviy or brief discussion o ge kids focused on he heme. Sudens will be old wha hey ll be discovering during he lesson, hen will use Bible skills o locae he Scripure passages ha will be read and sudied. Sep 2: Exploring he Teaching. During his porion of he lesson, kids will be ineracively reading he Scripure passages and processing heir discoveries, insighs, and conclusions. A varied use of Bible-sudy ools are used as well as eaching echniques o keep kids focused. Sep 3: Trying he Teaching. This secion encourages kids o respond o he conex of he Bible passage in acive ways such as hrough small-group discussions or discovery using concordances, hrough prayer, or hrough oher creaive oules. Sep 4: Applying he Teaching. Each lesson ends wih a summary of wha s been learned and wha Jesus eachings included. Kids will enjoy reinforcemen or enrichmen aciviies such as games, crafs, songs, or creaive prayers and poems. Every lesson ends wih a prayer and expression of hanks for Jesus eachings and God s ruhs. 4 s
Powerful Take-Home Page. Afer every lesson kids will receive a fun-o-complee ake-home page filled wih Scripure puzzles and challenges ha encourage kids o keep sudying Jesus eachings long afer hey leave church. Kids are encouraged o reurn heir papers he following week o share heir insighs and discoveries wih he res of he class. Abou Eigh- o Twelve-Year-Olds Here s a brief look a middle and upper elemenary kids ha will help you respond more readily o your sudens and provide you wih valuable insighs as you share his exciing year of sudying Jesus powerful eachings! Characerisic Memorize easily Enjoy problem solving Have good coordinaion Enjoy social ineracion Desire o help ohers Are highly creaive Need God s guidance Implicaion for curriculum Provide challenges and coness o encourage Bible memorizaion. Provide aciviies ha le kids discover heir own answers by looking hem up in he Bible. Provide acive games ha es physical as well as menal skills. Include opporuniies for discussions in large and small groups and wih parners. Provide ime for prayer, and plan involvemen in service projecs. Include aciviies ha encourage individual expression. Include opporuniies o make decisions based on lesson conen. 5
Table of Conens s Scope and Sequence...8 Uni 1: Jesus Teaches Us Abou Who God Is...10 Lesson 1: God Is Good...14 Lesson 2: God Is Perfec...19 Lesson 3: God Knows Our Hears... 24 Lesson 4: God Forgives... 29 Lesson 5: Jesus Is God... 34 Uni 2: Jesus Teaches Us Tha God Loves Us... 39 Lesson 6: God Takes Care of Us... 43 Lesson 7: God Loves Sinners... 48 Lesson 8: God Loves His Children... 53 Lesson 9: God Sen His Son... 58 Uni 3: Jesus Teaches Us How o Love God... 63 Lesson 10: Love God Compleely... 67 Lesson 11: Talk o God... 72 Lesson 12: Give o God...77 Lesson 13: Seek God... 82 Uni 4: Jesus Teaches Us Abou Himself... 87 Lesson 14: Jesus Came o Fulfill Scripure...91 Lesson 15: Jesus Came as a Ligh o Shine... 96 Lesson 16: Jesus Came o Represen God... 101 Lesson 17: Jesus Came o Call Sinners...106 Uni 5: Jesus Teaches Us o Do God s Will...111 Lesson 18: Do God s Will... 115 Lesson 19: Accep God s Salvaion...120 Lesson 20: Seek God s Care...125 Lesson 21: Pray for God s Will...130 Uni 6: Lesson 22: Lesson 23: Lesson 24: Lesson 25: Lesson 26: Jesus Teaches Us o Love Ohers...135 Love Ohers as God Loves Us...139 Love Ohers as We Love God...144 Forgive Ohers as God Forgives Us...149 Help Ohers as God Helps Us...154 Love Ohers as Jesus Showed Us...159 6 s
Uni 7: Jesus Teaches Us Abou God s Kingdom...164 Lesson 27: The Kingdom Requires Repenance...168 Lesson 28: The Kingdom Rewards Faih... 173 Lesson 29: The Kingdom Is Wih God... 178 Lesson 30: The Kingdom Mus Be Shared...183 Uni 8: Jesus Teaches Us How o Live Righ...188 Lesson 31: Follow he Son of Man...192 Lesson 32: Follow he Shepherd... 197 Lesson 33: Follow he Ligh... 202 Lesson 34: Follow he Servan...207 Lesson 35: Follow he Narrow Road...212 Uni 9: Jesus Teaches Us he Truh... 217 Lesson 36: Obey he Truh...221 Lesson 37: Follow he Truh... 226 Lesson 38: Remember he Truh...231 Lesson 39: Seek he Truh... 236 Uni 10: Jesus Teaches Us Abou Forgiveness...241 Lesson 40: God s Forgiveness Heals... 245 Lesson 41: God s Forgiveness Is Merciful... 250 Lesson 42: God s Forgiveness Is Paien... 255 Lesson 43: God s Forgiveness Through Jesus... 260 Uni 11: Jesus Teaches Us Abou God s Power... 265 Lesson 44: God Provides... 269 Lesson 45: God Conrols...274 Lesson 46: God Heals...279 Lesson 47: God Conquers... 284 Lesson 48: God Judges... 289 Uni 12: Jesus Teaches Us Abou God s Word... 294 Lesson 49: Jesus Is he Word... 298 Lesson 50: Jesus Knows he Word... 303 Lesson 51: Jesus Shares he Word... 308 Lesson 52: Jesus Builds on he Word...313 7
Uni Tile Scripure Applicaion Memory Verse Uni 6 Uni 5 Uni 4 Uni 3 Uni 2 Uni 1 Jesus Teaches Us Abou Who God Is Jesus Teaches Us Tha God Loves Us Jesus Teaches Us How o Love God Jesus Teaches Us Abou Himself Jesus Teaches Us o Do God s Will Jesus Teaches Us o Love Ohers Mahew 19:16-26 (he rich young man) Mahew 5:43-48 (loving our enemies) Mahew 6:1-8 (Sermon on he Moun) Mahew 18:21-35 (Parable of he Unmerciful Servan) John 10:22-33 (Jesus and he Faher are one) Luke 12:22-34 (God s providence) Luke 15:1-10 (Los Sheep and Coin) Luke 15:11-32 (Prodigal Son) John 3:1-17 (God sen Jesus ou of love) Mahew 22:35-37 (greaes commandmen) Luke 11:1-4 (Jesus prays) Mahew 22:15-22 (giving o God wha is His) Mark 1:35; 6:46; Luke 5:16; 6:12 (our relaionship wih God) Mahew 5:17-20 (Jesus fulfills he Law and Prophes) John 12:37-50 (Jesus auhoriy) John 5:31-47 (esimony abou Jesus) Mahew 9:9-13 (Jesus came o call sinners) Mahew 7:15-23 (obeying God s will) John 6:1-15, 25-40 (Jesus is he bread of life) Luke 18:1-8 (God s care for His people) Mahew 26:36-44 (Jesus prayer in Gehsemane) John 13:34, 35 (Jesus new commandmen) Mahew 22:34-40 (he wo grea commandmens) Mahew 6:9-15 (forgiving ohers) Luke 10:25-37 (Good Samarian) John 15:1-17 (he vine and he branches) Apply God s sandards o our own houghs and acions as we worship and follow Him Trus God o provide for our needs wih his love and for our salvaion hrough Jesus Recognize how God s love changes us and how we can draw closer o God Trus Jesus eaching, auhoriy, and power o ake away our sins Pu faih ino acion and seek God s will in every area of our lives Express faih by loving and forgiving ohers as Jesus loves and forgives us Mahew 19:26 John 3:16 Mahew 22:37 John 12:44 John 6:29 Mahew 22:38, 39 8 s
Uni Tile Scripure Applicaion Memory Verse Uni 12 Uni 11 Uni 10 Uni 9 Uni 8 Uni 7 Jesus Teaches Us Abou God s Kingdom Jesus Teaches Us How o Live Righ Jesus Teaches Us he Truh Jesus Teaches Us Abou Forgiveness Jesus Teaches Us Abou God s Power Jesus Teaches Us Abou God s Word Mahew 4:12-17 (he kingdom requires repenance) Mahew 5:1-12 (Beaiudes) John 14:1-4 (our heavenly home) Mahew 28:16-20 (Grea Commission) John 9:35-41 (overcoming spiriual blindness) John 10:1-6, 14, 16 (he Good Shepherd) John 8:12; 12:42-50 (following Jesus ligh) John 13:1-17 (Jesus serves his disciples) Mahew 7:13, 14 (following he narrow road) Mahew 15:1-11 (obeying Jesus insead of humans) John 8:12-18 (Jesus is he ligh of he world) John 14:23-26; 16:13 (he Holy Spiri eaches us) John 14:5-12 (Jesus is he way, ruh, and life) Mark 2:1-12 (Jesus auhoriy o heal) Luke 6:27-36 (forgiving our enemies) Mahew 18:21, 22 (forgiving wihou measure) Luke 23:32-43 (forgiveness hrough Jesus deah) Mark 6:30-44 (feeding he five housand) Mark 4:35-41 (calming he sea) Mahew 9:27-30 (God s power o heal) Mark 5:35-42 (raising Jairus s daugher) Mahew 21:18-22 (Jesus curses he fig ree) John 1:1-15, 14; 7:14-18 (Jesus is he Word) Mahew 4:1-11 (empaion of Jesus) Mahew 13:1-23 (he Sower and he Seeds) Mahew 7:24-29 (wise and foolish builders) Realize ha our eernal home is wih God and hank Him for preparing a place for us Idenify Jesus voice and discover ways of becoming Jesus servan Use Scripure o undersand God s will and explain ha Jesus is our only pah o eernal life Recognize ha only God forgives us and seek o forgive ohers who have wronged us Praise God for His power o heal us, o forgive us, and o offer us vicory over eernal deah Respond o God s Word by puing Scripure o work o defea empaion and o grow in faih Mahew 4:17 John 8:12 John 14:6 Mahew 18:21, 22 Mahew 21:21 John 1:14 9
Uni 1 Jesus Teaches Us Abou Who God Is Lessons 1-5 Uni Overview s Uni Aims Know Examine aribues of God ha help us o know Him beer. Feel Feel closer o God hrough undersanding wha He desires for and of us. Do Change how we perceive God and His power as we work o forgive ohers, pray for hem, and honor God for His goodness. Memorize Mahew 19:26 Why Undersand Who God Is? For any relaionship o ake fligh and become friendly or familiar, you mus ge o know he oher person on even he mos basic of levels. Wha does he oher person like and dislike? Is ha person o be rused, and if so, how much? Is ha person good, forgiving, paien, and compassionae? And mos of all, does ha person have he capaciy o love and be loved? If we ever hope o reach such a level of inimacy in a person, imagine how much more so we desire o know God! Afer all, He knows every hough and feeling we have and is wih us consanly. We wan o know God as well and as deeply as possible because our very life and eernal spiri are in His hands! Children desperaely wan o know ha God is loving and forgiving and no some divine bully whose only hough is o be puniive and judgmenal. Kids wan o undersand ha God is supreme and in conrol when hey know hey re no. They desire he securiy of a loving bu firm Faher who gives hem a sense of purpose and hope in a someimes hopeless world. And kids need o undersand who God is before hey can worship God for wha He does in heir lives! Use hese five powerful lessons o help kids undersand on a deeper, life-changing level who God is and how we respond o His characer and purpose. Summary Lesson 1 eaches kids ha God is good. As hey read abou he rich young man seeking Jesus advice on how o receive eernal life, hey ll discover ha only God is ruly good and ha we mus rely on His mercy and goodness. Lesson 2 presens he imporan ruh ha God is perfec. Jesus eaches kids ha we mus pray for ohers and forgive hem, as God forgives us, even when i s very hard o do. Lesson 3 explores he way God knows our hears. Kids will explore how our moives don always mach our acions and ha God knows exacly wha houghs, moives, and feelings are inside of us and how we use hem. Lesson 4 eaches kids ha God forgives. Kids will explore he relaionship beween repenance and forgiveness and how change mus accompany repenance so ha i s no hollow and wihou value. Lesson 5 is a powerful lesson ha eaches kids ha Jesus is God. Kids will explore examples of how Jesus spoke ruh, helped and healed ohers, and used miracles o reveal His diviniy. 10 s
God is perfec he is like no oher, And he calls for us o forgive one anoher. For when we forgive as God wans us o, We move closer o God and o his perfec love, oo! (Ephesians 4:32) God is perfec he is like no oher, And he calls for us o forgive one anoher. For when we forgive as God wans us o, We move closer o God and o his perfec love, oo! (Ephesians 4:32) 11
How Forgiving Are You? s Circle he word ha bes applies o you. Do you avoid geing even when ohers do wrong hings o you? When someone calls you a bad or hurful name, are you willing o forgive? Do you forgive ohers before hey even apologize for wha hey ve done? A mean neighbor broke your bike and can pay o fix i. Do you forgive? Afer he umpeenh ime your friend has been mean, are you sill forgiving? The mean kid in class ook your bes pencil and won give i back. Do you forgive? How Forgiving Are You? s Circle he word ha bes applies o you. Do you avoid geing even when ohers do wrong hings o you? When someone calls you a bad or hurful name, are you willing o forgive? Do you forgive ohers before hey even apologize for wha hey ve done? A mean neighbor broke your bike and can pay o fix i. Do you forgive? Afer he umpeenh ime your friend has been mean, are you sill forgiving? The mean kid in class ook your bes pencil and won give i back. Do you forgive? 12 s
Jesus Is God Or Is He? Truh or Lies?? Wha does Jesus say will happen in Mahew 26:34? Did He ell he ruh? (John 18:27) Wha did Jesus ell he robber on he cross in Luke 23:43? Did He ell he ruh did he man die (John 19:31, 32)? Wha does John 1:17 say abou Jesus as being he ruh, no lies? According o Jesus, who gave manna from heaven? (John 6:32) Did He ell he ruh? (Exodus 16:32)? Crazy or Caring?? Wha kind of men did Jesus mee in Mahew 8:28? Wha did he insane demons call Jesus in Mahew 8:29? How did Jesus help he men? (Mahew 8:31, 32) If Jesus was a lunaic or insane, would He have helped he men? Explain. Jesus Is Lord!! Wha did ohers have o say abou who Jesus was, and who said hese hings?! Mahew 16:15, 16: Mahew 1:23: If Jesus old he ruh and was no lying, if Jesus cared and cured ohers and was no an insane lunaic, hen... Jesus is Lord and God! 13
Lesson 1 Jesus Teaches Us Abou Who God Is Mahew 19:16-26; Ephesians 2:8, 9 God Is Good s Bible Focus Jesus eaches ha only God is good and ha hrough Him all hings, including eernal life, are possible. Life Focus Recognize ha no amoun of money or good deeds ges us o heaven. Classroom Supplies Bible gif bag and bow wrapped candies markers or pens Curriculum Supplies copies of he icke paern from page 11 Finding he Teaching s Before class, place a wrapped candy for each child in a fesive gif bag. Seal he bag closed and add a bow. Place he gif bag a he fron of he room. Phoocopy he icke paern from page 11. Cu he ickes apar, making sure you have one for each child. As children arrive, gree hem warmly and hand ou markers and ickes as kids walk hrough he door. Say: Welcome o class. Today you need a icke o ener he room. You also need a icke o be eligible for sharing in he gif bag a he fron of he room! And oh, wha a rea here is for you! When kids are seaed, hold up he gif bag and say: This nify surprise sack will help us during our lesson oday o discover some imporan ruhs Jesus eaches us. Jesus is our bes eacher when i comes o learning abou God and His goodness and geing o heaven. Your ickes will also help hroughou our lesson, so keep igh hold of hem! Now le s sop for a momen and hink abou wha being good means o you. Does i mean you obey your parens? Does i mean you re very smar or you ve given a lo of money in he collecion plae. Or does i mean you haven solen, lied, or cheaed? Flip your ickes over and lis hree reasons why you believe you re good enough o share in our wonderful gif bag. Allow ime for kids o wrie heir reasons, hen have hem flip he ickes back over and sign heir names on he appropriae space. Then say: Before we discover wha Jesus eaches us abou being good, we need o go on a Scripure hun! Our Scripure verses oday are found in he New Tesamen in he book of Mahew. Open your Bibles and look for he book of Mahew. When you find i, wave your icke high in he air. When all of he kids are waving heir ickes, say: Good for you! Now le s close in on he Scripure passage. Find chaper 19 in he book of Mahew. Remember, chapers have he larger numbers beside hem. When you find chaper 19, ouch your icke o your nose. When all kids are ouching heir noses, coninue: Now skim down he smaller numbers unil you find verse 16. When you find i, place 14 s Uni 1, Lesson 1
your icke in he crease of your Bible, like a bookmark. When everyone has found he beginning of he passage (Mahew 19:16), say: I s fun finding verses in he Bible. I s like going on a special reasure hun where God s Word is he reasure! Before we discover all God s special reasure holds for us in His Word, le s share a prayer asking God o help us learn all ha Jesus eaches us abou God s goodness. Pray: Dear Lord, we hank you for your Word, which brings ruh and undersanding o our lives. Please help us be open and ready o learn all ha Jesus eaches us abou who God is. Help us learn ha God is good and uses His goodness o lead us. In Jesus name, amen. Exploring he Teaching s Gaher kids and have hem hold heir ickes. (Keep he Bibles open o Mahew 19:16.) Say: Le s suppose I have a rain icke and wan o find my way o he saion. I m no sure wha s he bes way o go or how I find he sraighes way. Wha should I do? Allow ime for kids o respond. Suggesions migh include Check a map or Ask someone for direcions. Say: When we have an imporan place o go, we wan o make sure he direcions on how o ge here are clear and correc. Tha s exacly wha a rich, young man in he book of Mahew discovered. This young man had everyhing money could buy, bu he waned o ge o heaven and have eernal life and didn know how. He figured he bes one o ask for direcions would be Jesus! Le s see how Jesus answered he young man s imporan quesions. Invie voluneers o read aloud Mahew 19:16-19. Ask kids wha Jesus responded o he man s quesions, hen ask: Classroom Supplies markers Curriculum Supplies none Wha did Jesus mean when He said, There is only One who is good? Can we do a cerain good deed or good hing o reach heaven and eernal life? Explain. In wha ways did he young man hink he was good? Was he righ? Explain. Why was he young man wise o seek Jesus answers o his quesions? Say: Jesus warned he young man o recognize ha no human is good enough o ge o heaven on his own nor can we find eernal life hrough any good deed or good acion. We mus rus God for His grace and goodness o have eernal life. And we mus be willing o obey God and His Word. The young man wen on o ask Jesus anoher imporan quesion. Le s see how Jesus answered his ime. Invie voluneers o read aloud verses 20-22. Ask kids o ell how Jesus answered he man when he asked wha more he could do o gain eernal life. Say: Jesus old he rich, young man o sell wha he owned, hen follow. In oher words, Jesus waned he young man o focus on Him and no his money. Why was he young man sad when he walked away? How can money or oher hings in life draw us away from following Jesus? Uni 1, Lesson 1 15
Why did Jesus wan he young man o follow Him and in wha ways? Say: Wha imporan quesions ha rich, young man asked! And Jesus answers help us see ha no amoun of money or good deeds will buy or earn us eernal life in heaven. I s only because God is good and chooses o give us His grace and His Son, Jesus, as our Savior! Le s see wha Jesus disciples asked afer he young man wen away. Invie voluneers o read aloud verses 23-26, hen say: Wow! Think how hard i would be for a big, lumpy camel o go hrough he eye of a needle! And ye Jesus said his would be easier han a rich person geing o heaven! Jesus mean ha we ofen ge oo wrapped up in earhly hings ha we hink maer, such as how much money we have, how famous someone is, how smar we are, or even how good we hink we are. God is he only ruly good One. And Jesus eaches us ha i is by loving and obeying God and by following Him ha we find he way o heaven and eernal life. No amoun of money can purchase a icke o heaven! As a reminder of his imporan ruh, le s wrie, God is good on our ickes. Show kids where o wrie God is good (o finish he line ha says, This icke is only valuable because... ) Say: Jesus eaches us ha having eernal life is impossible hrough humans bu ha all hings are possible hrough God, who is good and filled wih grace. Le s ry somehing ha seems impossible bu ha, wih he righ direcions, becomes possible. Classroom Supplies scissors index cards markers Curriculum Supplies none Trying he Teaching s Give everyone an index card and a pair of scissors. Hold up an index card and say: Here s a card ha is much like a icke. I s recangular, solid, and impossible o sep hrough or is i? Jesus showed us ha wih he righ direcions, all hings are possible wih God. And now I ll show you how we can sep hrough hese ickes wih he righ direcions! Have kids follow along wih each of he following seps. Firs, fold he card in half lenghwise, hen make a series of cus 1/2-inch apar down he lengh of he card and hrough he folded side. (Cu o wihin 1/2-inch of he open side of he card.) Repea he process from he open side of he folded card, cuing beween he firs se of cus o wihin 1/2-inch of he edge. Then carefully open he card so i is laying fla on he able. Cu he srips down he cener of he card on he crease wihou cuing he firs and las srips. (The ends mus remain uncu.) Now srech open he card and i should be large enough o carefully sep hrough! Afer kids have all sepped genly hrough heir cards, say: Jesus augh His disciples and us ha by human power alone i is impossible o receive eernal life bu ha wih God all hings are possible. Jesus eaches us ha God is powerful and ha He alone is good. Le s look up a few verses o discover more abou why God is so good. Then we ll wrie hose reasons around he edges of our cards. Look up he following verses o discover why God is good, hen wrie he words in parenheses around he edges of he sreched-ou index cards: Daniel 9:9 (God is forgiving; God is merciful); Psalm 62:11, 12 (God is srong; 16 s Uni 1, Lesson 1
God is loving); Psalm 89:8 (God is mighy; God is faihful). Finally, have kids wrie Mahew 19:26 around he cards. You may wish o le kids work in pairs o locae verses ha use he word goodness in he book of Psalms. Have kids use heir concordances o look up he verses, hen wrie hem around he edges of he card before reading hem aloud in class. When he verses are read and he phrases wrien, say: Hang your card where i can remind you ha only God is ruly good and filled wih migh, grace, power, and love! Then see if you can work o memorize Mahew 19:26 as a grea reasure o remind you of God s goodness. Now le s see if you have your ickes and if hey can help you share in he reasure of he gif sack! Applying he Teaching s Have kids hold heir ickes and read he backs of hem o hemselves. Ask kids if heir liss would earn hem a icke o heaven, hen o explain heir answers. Say: We ve learned hrough Jesus eaching ha no one good hing is our icke o heaven, nor is being rich able o buy us a icke o eernal life. Eernal life comes as a gif from God! Read aloud Ephesians 2:8, 9. God desires us o be kind and o do good and loving deeds ha please Him, bu hey don promise us eernal life. Only God is good, and only God gives us he gif of eernal life hrough His Son, Jesus. We canno earn or buy eernal life, and no icke will help us ino heaven. This isn possible wih humans, bu because God is good, all hings are possible hrough Him. And jus as a icke isn needed for God s gif of eernal life, a icke isn necessary o share in our gif of goodies! Bu before we share in nea reas from he gif bag, le s share a prayer hanking Jesus for eaching us ha God is so good. As we pray, we ll each ell one reason why we know God is good. Pray: Dear Lord, we re hankful you offer us eernal life hrough your love and grace. We praise you because you alone are good. We know you are good because... (have kids ell why hey know God is good). End wih a corporae amen. Close he lesson by inviing kids o each choose a piece of candy, hen sing God Is So Good. Add oher verses ha ell why God is so good, such as God is so rue, God is so srong, and God is so wise. Disribue he God Is Good ake-home pages and remind kids o reurn hem nex week for discussion. Classroom Supplies none Curriculum Supplies copies of he God Is Good ake-home page from page 18 Uni 1, Lesson 1 17
Take-home page Lesson 1 God Is Good Memory Verse: Jesus looked a hem and said, Wih man his is impossible, bu wih God all hings are possible. Mahew 19:26 Today we discovered ha God alone is good and ha our focus mus be on Jesus as we seek o serve Him, o obey God, and o realize i s only by God s grace ha we are offered eernal life. For a fun review complee his page, hen bring i o class nex week o share wha you ve discovered. verse scrambler s Unscramble he following words and wrie hem in he correc spaces o complee he Memory Verse, Mahew 19:26. hem dlokeo sibleops usjes singh hiw bilesomspi a and said, man his is, bu wih God all are. God s goodness s Think abou how good God is in your life and of all he wonderful hings He does for you. Then each day his week, wrie one way you ve noiced God s goodness in your life and how i affeced you or hose around you. (Begin oday!) Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saurday 18 s 2004 Sandard Publishing. Permission is graned o reproduce his page for minisry purposes only no for resale.
I remember your ancien laws, O Lord, and I find comfor in hem. (Psalm 119:52) Guide your kids on a year-long journey hrough he Bible! There s nohing more imporan o each our children han how o build a relaionship wih God, and here s no beer way o do ha han o each kids he Bible. Roue 52 is a Bible-based journey ha will ake kids hrough he Bible in a year every year from age hree o welve. Using all en iles, you can schedule a complee wo-year cycle for four differen age levels. Throughou he various age levels, kids will learn abou God, Jesus, and oher men and women of he Old and New Tesamen. They will examine he hisory, poery, prophecy, and he good news of God s Word. Through age-appropriae, hands-on aciviies ha are culurally relevan, kids will invesigae God s plan for his creaion and how i includes everyone. Sudy Jesus Teachings includes 52 Bible lessons ha help kids ages 8 12 rus God s Word, rus ha God will provide our needs, and rus God in all circumsances. Check ou hese applicaion-boosing lesson feaures: Scripurally sound lesson hemes Culurally relevan, hands-on aciviies Age-appropriae memory verses and memory challenges Reproducible life-applicaion ake-home pages Finally, a reproducible Bible sudy curriculum for all ages! Roue 52 Bible lessons will help kids learn he Bible and how o apply i o heir lives a heir own level of spiriual developmen. Roue 52 Bible lessons are appropriae for Bible school, children s church, youh group, kids club, or mid-week Bible sudy programs. RELIGION / Chrisian Minisry / Children ISBN 978-0-7847-1329-7 EAN 9 780784 713297 42078