God wants us to confess our sins.

Jesus Blood Cleanses Us From Our Sins Jesus Blood Cleanses Us From Our Sins Lesson 9 Bible Point God wants us to confess our sins. Bible Verse But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (1 John 1:9). Growing Closer to Jesus Students will n see how sin can burden them, n understand that confession brings them back to God again, and n experience how God can take their sins away. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n Jesus blood cleanses us from our sins. 1 John 1:7-9 Just prior to today s passage, in 1 John 1:6, John establishes that no matter what we claim, if we habitually walk in darkness that is, things that are evil, sinful, or wrong we don t really have fellowship with God. Today s passage launches into the positive side of the issue habitually walking in the light demonstrates that Jesus blood has purified us from our sins. But how does blood purify anyone? The primary explanation for that metaphor is found in Leviticus 17:11. An animal s blood represented its life. When an animal was sacrificed, its blood and therefore its life was poured out on the altar. God accepted the sacrifice of the animal s life in place of the person s life: the animal s death atoned for the person s sins. Today, the ultimate sacrifice for sins has been made by Jesus when he poured out his blood his life on the cross for us. The wonderful part of all this is found in 1 John 1:9. All we need to do to receive that atonement forgiveness of sins is to confess our sins before God and believe in Jesus. What a joy it is for sinful people such as ourselves to be cleansed from all unrighteousness! We don t deserve it, but God does it! Other Scriptures used in this lesson are Psalm 66:18; Proverbs 11:5; 29:6; Isaiah 59:2; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:11-12, 23; and 1 John 1:5-6; 2:1-2. Prayer Read Ephesians 1:7. The shedding of blood is not a pretty thing but it is a beautiful thing! Reflect on what Jesus shed blood means in your life. Pray: Lord, help me to communicate effectively to my class the concept of forgiveness through Jesus blood. Help them to 99

Lesson 9 Before the Lesson n Collect the necessary items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed on the chart. n Make photocopies of the Hands-On Fun at Home handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your students. n Pray for your students and for God s direction as you teach the lesson. This Lesson at a Glance Attention Grabber What Students Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Detective Confess to holding a heart lock or key. CD player Bible Exploration & Application Restrictive Relay Run a relay with gizmo restrictions, and discuss Psalm 66:18; Proverbs 11:5; 29:6; Romans 6:11-12, 23; and 1 John 1:7-9; 2:1-2. Bibles, index cards, pen, four soft balls Closing Mending What s Broken Cut paper to learn what happens when we sin, read Isaiah 59:2 and 1 John 1:5-9, and make crosses to symbolize forgiveness. Confession Session Explore the consequences of confession in true-to-life situations, and then read Acts 2:38 to learn what true confession requires. Take It Away Discover how God can take their sins away when they confess them. Bible, markers, scissors, bottle of glue Bibles CD player, index cards, pens, trash can 100

Welcome Jesus Blood Cleanses Us From Our Sins As kids arrive, ask them how they applied last week s lesson to their lives. Ask questions such as How did you experience God s free gift of love last week? and Who did you tell about God s free gift? Tell the kids that whenever you sound the hand groan tube, they are to stop talking, raise their hands, and focus on you. Explain that it s important to respond to this signal quickly so the class can do as many fun activities as possible. Attention Grabber n Detective SUPPLIES: CD player Before class, cue the CD to Heart Locks Music (track 28). track 28 Have kids stand in a circle. Randomly distribute the two heart locks and their two keys around the circle; then choose a volunteer to stand in the middle. Say: While the music is playing, you ll pass the heart locks and keys to the left, but you must pass them behind your back. The person in the middle is our Detective and will try to discover who s holding the heart locks and keys. The Detective will have his or her eyes closed while the music is playing. When the music stops, the Detective will open his or her eyes, point to someone, and say, You re holding a heart lock or key. If the Detective points to you and you re holding a heart lock or key, you ll say, I confess. I m guilty. If you re not holding a heart lock or key, you ll say, I m not guilty and hold up your empty hands. The Detective can point to two people; then we ll choose a new Detective, and the mystery will start again. Play Heart Locks Music for a few seconds. Then push Pause, and let the Detective point to two people. When those two have responded, choose a new Detective, and begin the music again. When everyone has had a turn to be the Detective, collect the heart locks and keys, and have kids sit down. Ask: Did you really feel guilty when you were caught holding the heart lock or key? Why or why not? (Yes, because I didn t want to get caught; no, because I knew I didn t do anything wrong; no, because it was just a game.) How does confessing about holding a heart lock or key compare with confessing a real sin? (Confessing about holding a lock was easy because this was just a game; confessing was easy because we didn t really do anything wrong; confessing a real sin is hard because we have to admit that we did something wrong and maybe hurt someone; when we confess a real sin, we might get punished.) Say: Confessing that you re guilty of holding a heart lock or key was just a game, but confessing our sins isn t a game. God wants us to confess our sins when we really are guilty. Let s see what can happen in our lives when we re guilty of sin. Get to know the students in your class. When you meet your students for the first time, call them by name. Find out about their lives away from church. Learn and recognize their strengths. Make affirmation a regular part of your class. Be sure to compliment your students when you see them practicing what they ve learned. If you have fewer than 8 students in your class, use only one heart lock. If you have more than 14 students, have kids form two circles and give each circle a heart lock and a key. 101

Lesson 9 Caution kids on the second team to wrap the bendable noodle around their ankles so that no excess hangs down to trip them. Bible Exploration & Application n Restrictive Relay SUPPLIES: Bibles, index cards, four soft balls, pen Before class, write the following references on index cards: Card 1: Psalm 66:18 and Romans 6:23 Card 2: Proverbs 11:5 and 1 John 1:7-9 Card 3: Proverbs 29:6 and 1 John 2:1-2 Card 4: Romans 6:12 and Romans 6:11 Have kids form four teams, and have teams line up at one end of the room to run a relay race. Tell the kids that each team will have a special way to run the relay to the opposite wall and back. Give the first team the glitter tie, and tell team members that walkers must strap the elastic band of the glitter tie around their heads so the tie rests in front of their faces. Give the bendable noodle to the second team, and tell team members that walkers must wrap the bendable noodle around their ankles. Give the uninflated Tube-a-loon to the third team, and tell kids they must wrap the Tube-a-loon around their wrists. Give the telescope to the fourth team, and tell kids they must tuck the telescope under one arm, pirate-style. Have the first person on each team put on his or her gizmo, and give each person a soft ball such as a tennis ball or rubber ball. Say: For our relay, you must walk to the other end of the room and back. Plus, you must toss the ball into the air and catch it at least three times on your way to the opposite wall and three times on the way back. If you drop the ball, you need to find it again and then start where you left off. When you get back to your team, hand the ball and the gizmo to the next person in line. That person has to put on the gizmo first and then continue with the relay. When everyone understands the instructions, sound the hand groan tube to start the relay. When the relay is over, collect the glitter tie, bendable noodle, Tube-a-loon, and telescope to use in a later lesson. Collect the balls, and put them out of sight so they re not a distraction. Then have kids sit down in their teams to discuss the following questions: What was it like to run this relay with those gizmos? (It was hard; it was a pain.) How did the gizmo burden you as you tried to run the relay? (The gizmos got in the way; I couldn t see; I couldn t catch the ball with one hand.) How does sin burden us as we try to live our lives? (Sin can distract us; sin can lead us in wrong directions or slow us down.) How is running a relay with those restrictions like going through life pretending that our sin isn t there? (They both slow us down; they make us do things awkwardly; they make us look stupid; it would be easier to run the relay without the gizmos and to go through life without sin.) What do you think God would say about trying to ignore our sin? (It s not very smart; ignoring our sins doesn t make them go away; our sins still get in our way, even if we pretend that they re not there.) Say: When we sin, it s as if we re carrying extra weight. We may try to go on with our lives, but we can t ignore our sin. God wants to get rid of our sin so we can move on and start fresh. God wants us to confess our sins so he can get 102

rid of them. The Bible tells us what can happen when we have sins in our lives. Give each group a Bible and one of the index cards you prepared before class. Give groups a few minutes to read the passages and talk about what they mean. Then each group should choose a Reader to read the first Bible passage to the class and a Translator to explain to the class what the group thinks the passage means. Groups should also choose a Reader and a Translator for the second passage. Have Readers read the first passage on the cards for the class. Have Translators explain what the groups think the passages mean. Then ask: What do these passages say about the consequences of sin? (God doesn t listen to us if we don t confess our sins; wicked people fall under the burden of sin; sin traps evil people; sin can control the way we live.) Say: We ve seen how dangerous sin can be in our lives. Let s discover how confession takes away that heavy, dangerous sin. Have the second group of Readers read their verses, and then have Translators explain the verses to the class. Ask: What happens when you confess your sins to God? (We have forgiveness and eternal life; we can live for God s glory; we get along with each other; we have complete forgiveness.) Say: Let s read 1 John 1:9 again. It s our key Bible verse for today. Have students find 1 John 1:9 in their Bibles, and have a volunteer read the verse aloud while the others follow along: But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. Then ask: How is your relationship with God different after you confess your sins? (I m right with God again; God forgives my sins, so I don t need to be embarrassed or ashamed; I don t feel guilty; my sins are gone so they don t get in the way.) How does confessing your sins change the way you feel? (I don t feel guilty anymore; I feel God s love again.) How do those feelings compare with the feeling of being weighed down by sin? (God s love feels way better; I feel more free.) Say: God wants us to confess our sins. In exchange for our sins, he ll fill our lives with feelings such as love and happiness. Let s see what happens to our relationship with God when we sin and when we confess our sins. Jesus Blood Cleanses Us From Our Sins n Mending What s Broken SUPPLIES: Bible, markers, scissors, bottle of glue Before class, cut one small rectangle of cloud paper for each person. It s important that you cut rectangles. Save the remaining cloud paper for a later lesson. Have kids sit in a circle, distribute markers and cloud paper rectangles, and say: First, let s think of things we ve done that would be considered sins. When you ve thought of a sin, write your initials on your rectangle of cloud paper. Pass a pair of scissors around the circle, and have each person cut his or her pink cloud paper rectangle in half the long way. When the scissors have come back to you, have a volunteer read aloud Isaiah 59:2. Ask: How does cutting our cloud paper reflect what happens to our relationship with God when we sin? (We re cut off from God; we re separated from God.) 103

Lesson 9 Have another volunteer read aloud 1 John 1:5-6, and then ask: Why does sin affect our relationship with God? (Because it separates us from God; because it s like being in the dark and not being able to see.) Ask a third volunteer to read aloud 1 John 1:7-9. Ask: What can we do to make things right with God? (We need to confess our sins and accept Jesus forgiveness; we need to choose not to sin.) How does Jesus bring us closer to God? (Jesus died on the cross so our sins could be forgiven; God proved his love for us through Jesus; Jesus gives us a chance to live new lives.) Say: Sin splits our relationship with God just as our scissors cut apart the pieces of cloud paper. But God wants us to be with him. Let s take a few moments to remind each other of God s love. Hold up the bottle of glue. We ll pass around this bottle of glue. When the bottle comes to you, turn to the person to your right, put a dab of glue on his or her strip of cloud paper, and say, God wants to be a part of your life again. Then that person can glue the strip horizontally across the other strip of cloud paper to make a cross. Pass around the bottle of glue, and have kids each glue the strips of cloud paper to make a cross. After everyone has finished, ask: How does confession mend our broken relationship with God? (When we confess our sins, God forgives us and we are made right with God again; when we confess, we think about sins and decide not to do them anymore.) Say: When we confess our sins to God, he is faithful and forgives us. Because Jesus died on the cross, our relationship with God is made whole again. God wants us to confess our sins so that he can forgive us. Now let s take a closer look at the result of confession. Have the kids set aside their cloud paper crosses until the end of class. n Confession Session SUPPLIES: Bibles Have kids remain in the circle. Say: I m going to read some true-to-life situations about people who need to confess. After I read the first situation, I ll pop a critter popper toward someone. If it lands closest to you, tell us what you think would happen if the person confessed what he or she did wrong. Then you can pop the critter popper to someone else to tell what would happen if the person didn t confess. Read the following situations. After each situation, use the critter popper to allow two kids to share their ideas. 104

Jesus Blood Cleanses Us From Our Sins Situation 1: When Jessica got her science report back, she noticed her grade was a C. The teacher had written, You could have done better! Jessica felt angry because she thought she had worked hard and done a good job on her report. After school, Jessica saw that the teacher wasn t in the classroom. Jessica went into the room and grabbed a DVD that the teacher needed for class the next day. She stuck the DVD inside a closet in another classroom. The next day, her teacher searched and searched for the DVD. She even had everyone in the class look. Finally, a student from the other room discovered the DVD in the closet. Jessica s teacher was angry and wanted to know who had hidden the DVD. Ask: What would happen if Jessica confessed? (Jessica might be punished; her teacher would probably talk to her to find out what was bothering her and why she did it.) What if Jessica didn t confess? (Jessica s whole class might be punished; Jessica might feel guilty for a long time; Jessica might be mad at her teacher for a long time and be embarrassed to be around her or talk to her or look at her.) Situation 2: Craig went to the movies with his buddies. After he bought popcorn, Craig noticed that the cashier gave him too much change. He didn t tell the cashier about the extra money. After Craig got home, he felt guilty because he hadn t told the cashier that she d given him too much change. He hadn t actually stolen the money; the cashier had given it to him. Still, he felt bad. Ask: What might happen if Craig confessed? (He would give the money back; he might get to keep the money.) What if Craig didn t confess? (He would get to keep the money, but he would always feel bad about it; he might be scared to go to that theater again or buy popcorn there.) Be sure to help kids tie each experience to the lesson s Bible Point, which is identified by the arrow icon each time it occurs in the text. The Bible Point is worded so kids can easily remember and apply it. Be sure to repeat the Bible Point as it s written each time it appears. You may feel you re being redundant, but you re actually helping kids remember an important Bible truth. Studies show people need to hear new information up to 75 times to learn it. Repetition can be a good thing! Situation 3: Carlos and two other boys were spending the night at their friend Brent s house. While Brent and the other boys were in the kitchen getting soft drinks, Carlos accidentally broke one of Brent s new toys. Carlos was upset and scared and quickly hid the toy under a pile of comic books under Brent s bed. When Brent and the boys returned, Carlos was playing with some of Brent s other things. Two days later, Brent mentioned that one of his new toys had mysteriously been broken. Ask: What might happen if Carlos confessed? (Brent might forgive him; Brent might be really mad or ask him to buy a new toy.) What if Carlos didn t confess? (Brent might be suspicious; Carlos would always feel guilty about it; the friendship might not last because of bad feelings.) Situation 4: Annie always played with her friend Elizabeth at recess. One day a new girl, Lindy, came to school and was put in their class. Annie s teacher asked Annie and Elizabeth to play with the new girl and help her fit in at school. For a week they all played together. The next week Elizabeth said to Annie, 105

Lesson 9 Bible Insight In his first epistle, John countered the emerging influence of Gnosticism, a philosophy that held, in part, that matter was evil and spirit was good. Therefore, sin was a result of the body, not the spirit, and salvation was a result of knowledge, not faith. John wrote against these theories, insisting that salvation is possible only through faith in Jesus as the risen Son of God. Encourage kids to bring their Bibles to class with them next week. Bringing their own Bibles will help kids become familiar with using and turning to the Bible. I don t want to play with you today. I only want to play with Lindy. Annie felt hurt. She told Elizabeth, I don t like you anymore! I don t want to play with you ever again! The next day Annie was sorry about what she had said because it wasn t really true. Ask: What would happen if Annie confessed? (Annie and Elizabeth could be friends again.) What if Annie didn t confess? (Elizabeth would have a new friend and Annie would be all alone.) Collect the critter popper for use in later lessons, and ask: From what you ve heard, why is it better to confess? (If you confess, there s a chance that the other person will forgive you; if you don t confess, the other person might already suspect you but probably won t forgive you.) Why is it so hard to confess? (It s hard to admit when we ve done something wrong; it s scary to think about what might happen.) How is confessing our sins to God different from confessing to friends and family? (When we confess to God, we know that God will always forgive us, no matter what, but people might not forgive us.) Say: The book of Acts tells about Peter explaining to many people what it means to follow God. Let s take a look at part of what he said. As we re reading, think about how Peter s words might affect the people in the situations we just heard. Distribute Bibles, and have kids read Acts 2:38 together. Then ask: What does Peter want the people to do to be forgiven? (Turn from their sins and turn to God; be baptized.) What attitude do we need to have when we confess? (We need to be truly sorry about our sins; we need to decide to never do them again.) Does confession make it OK to do that same sin again? Explain. (When we confess, we should truly not want to do the same sin again; God will help us not to keep doing the same sins, but sometimes we might keep doing it anyway.) How would that verse help the people in the situations we just heard about? (They all needed to admit what they did wrong and turn to God instead; they would know God would forgive them.) Have kids form pairs. Say: Reread Peter s words in Acts 2:38. Then share with your partner one way you ll change your heart or your life this week to be more like Jesus. Take turns saying a short sentence prayer for your partner. Ask God to help your partner keep his or her commitment. When pairs have finished praying, say: God wants us to confess our sins. When we confess, we need to commit to changing our hearts and lives so we don t sin like that again. Let s take a closer look at what happens when we confess our sins to God. 106

Jesus Blood Cleanses Us From Our Sins HANDS-ON BIBLE You ll need coffee filters, highlighter markers, and lemon juice. Make sure children have their Hands-On Bibles. Say: God wants us to confess our sins. Open your Hands-On Bible and turn to the Goodbye Sins! activity found near 1 John 1:9. Kids will do an experiment to see what happens to their sins when they confess them to God. After the experiment, lead kids in a short prayer, asking God to forgive the sins they confess to God. Encourage kids to confess their sins to God during the coming week. Next week, ask kids how confessing their sins made them feel and how it changed their outlook. Closing n Take It Away SUPPLIES: CD player, index cards, pens, trash can Before class, cue the CD to If We Confess Our Sins track 29 (1 John 1:9) (track 29). Have kids form a large circle so that they re at least an arm s length apart. Give an index card and pen to each person, and say: Think of a sin you ve committed in the past week or so. Then write that sin on your index card. No one will read your card. When everyone has finished writing, hold up the big eraser, and say: Now try to get rid of your sin by erasing it. Pass the big eraser around the circle. After kids have tried erasing their sins, put the big eraser away. Then ask: What do you notice about your sin? (It s still there; I couldn t erase it.) How is this like the sin in our lives? (I can t get rid of it myself.) Say: We can t erase our sins from our lives, just as we couldn t erase the sins from the paper. Now fold your index card in half, and pray if you d like to confess your sin and ask for God s forgiveness. When you re ready, you can quietly tear up your index card and throw it in this trash can. Play If We Confess Our Sins (1 John 1:9) (track 29) on the CD while kids pray and throw away their index cards. When the song is finished, stop the CD player. Ask: What happens to our sins when we confess and ask God for forgiveness? (Our sins are forgiven; it s as if they never existed.) How do you feel when God takes away your sin? (Good; happy; thankful.) Say: God wants us to confess our sins because he wants to forgive us. God s forgiveness gives us a chance to start over and live again in God s love. Let s thank God for his forgiveness and love right now. If kids erase the writing somewhat, point out that their sins are not completely gone. Then add that it s only through God s grace that our sins are forgiven, not through any action of our own. 107

Lesson 9 Have a volunteer close in prayer, thanking God for loving us enough to forgive our sins. Tell kids to take their cloud paper crosses home to remind them of God s forgiveness. Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Hands-On Fun at Home handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your kids. Encourage kids and parents to use the handout to spark meaningful discussion on this week s topic. 108

LESSON 9 God wants us to confess our sins. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (1 John 1:9). It s been said that confession is good for the soul. Does anyone in the family need to confess to any other family member? There s no better time than the present! Does your family have any confessions to make as a group? Read 1 John 1:8-9. What effect does sin have on your life? Why should you confess when you sin? Read Psalm 51:15-17. What does God want us to offer him? What are some ways you can do that? Have family members think about sins they need to confess to God. Have each family member use a washable marker to write one or more of those sins on a plastic foam meat tray or on a stiff piece of plastic. After family members have written their sins and silently confessed to God in prayer, put the meat trays or pieces of plastic in the sink or in a dishpan. Pour water over the written sins or wipe over the writing with a wet sponge as a reminder that God wipes away our sins. Cut out this heart, and give it to someone you need to confess to. Tell that person you re sorry for whatever wrong you ve done. When the person forgives you, have him or her turn the heart over to show you that your heart is pure again. I m Sorry Dip a cotton swab in lemon juice, and use the swab to write something you ve done wrong. Allow the paper to dry for a few minutes. Then turn on a light and hold the paper near the light bulb. Watch as your invisible sins suddenly become visible. Think about the following questions: How do you try to hide your sins? Do your sins ever just become invisible? How does confession help your sins really disappear? Permission to photocopy this page from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com 109