Session 10 FOR THE LEADER Forgiveness Sought Psalm 51:1-17 Psalm 51 is one of the penitential psalms whereby David petitioned God s forgiveness and reconciliation. This Psalm provides detailed insight into David s repentance after Nathan confronted David with his sins of adultery and murder (2 Sam. 12:1-15). Using a story similar in proportion to David versus Goliath (1 Sam. 17), Nathan told David of a large land owner who stole and consumed the only lamb of a much smaller land owner. Outraged, David promised swift retribution for the calloused man. Whereupon, Nathan revealed the hardhearted man in the story was actually David, who had stolen another man s wife, Bathsheba, and then covered his theft by having her husband Uriah killed in battle. Our modern culture glamorizes sinful lifestyles. David s transparency reveals how sin breeds rebellion, guilt, shame, disappointment, condemnation, and heartache. The good news of Psalm 51 is that God s forgiveness can create a right heart, restored fellowship, renewed joy, a rejuvenated yearning for service, and a responsive desire for worship. Like David, if your life has veered off course, come before the Lord in honesty, humility, and a hunger for God. Whether confronted or convicted, immediately confess and repent of all sin. Sometimes forgiven believers wrestle with feelings of shame. Guilt (what we have done) must be distinguished from shame (who we are). Guilt is the normal response of the sinner to his or her sin. However, the forgiven sinner should no longer live in shame because there is no condemnation in Christ (Rom. 8:1). Jesus became sin so we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). Session 10: Forgiveness Sought 77
OVERVIEW SESSION FOCUS CORE PASSAGE: Psalm 51:1-17 CONNECTION PASSAGE: 2 Samuel 12:1-15 FAMILY MEMORY VERSE: Psalm 51:10 TEXT TRUTH: When we sin, we should repent and ask God to restore us. GET STARTED 10 MINUTES BIBLE STUDY 35 MINUTES SMALL GROUP 30 MINUTES GET STARTED TOOLS Balloon Review: Allergy Alert (enhanced CD), balloons BIBLE STUDY TOOLS Jumping In: Family Cards, Bibles Examine the Text: Bibles, Christ in Context: Psalms (Poster Pack), The Gospel (enhanced CD) The Bible Story: Text Truth Strips (Poster Pack), The Gospel (enhanced CD) Video: Explore the Bible on Location videos Memory Verse: Psalm 51:10 (Poster Pack) Prayer: Text Truth Strips (Poster Pack) SMALL GROUP TOOLS Explorer Guides: Bibles, Explorer Guides, pens Move: long sheet of paper, markers Examine: notecards, pens Make: pencils with new erasers, paper, washable stamp pads in various colors, Heart Template (enhanced CD), scissors, markers NOTE: Downloadable versions of DVD items are available in the Digital Video Bundle. Downloadable versions of enhanced CD items are available in the Music and Print Extras Bundle. For free online training on how to lead a group, visit ministrygrid.com/web/explorethebible. 78 Explore the Bible: Older Kids
BIBLE STORY DAVID SINNED CONNECTION PASSAGE: 2 Samuel 12:1-15 God sent the prophet Nathan with a message for King David: Two men lived in a city. One was rich and the other man was poor. The rich man had many cattle and sheep, but the poor man had one small lamb. The lamb grew up and stayed with the poor man and his children. Now a visitor came to see the rich man. The rich man decided not to take one of his own animals to prepare dinner for the visitor. Instead, the rich man took the poor man s lamb and gave it to his guest. When King David heard the story, he was angry. The rich man was not kind. He should pay four lambs for the one lamb he took. Nathan told David, You are the rich man! God made you king over Israel. He protected you. God wants to know why you have sinned? You had a man killed and took his wife to be your wife. CHRIST IN CONTEXT: The Book of Psalms reveals our need for a Savior. Psalms includes prophecies about Jesus, the Messiah and Savior. Jesus explained in Luke 24 that the Book of Psalms taught people about Him. Psalms highlights our need for salvation and that God, our Redeemer, provides salvation to those who trust in Him. CONNECTION STATEMENT: God restores His people when they seek His forgiveness for their sin. David was sorry. He said, I have sinned against the Lord. Nathan told David that God had forgiven David. After this happened, David wrote a psalm. He asked God to make for him a clean heart and a new spirit that would help him obey God. David promised to teach others about obeying God and asking for forgiveness. KEY CONNECTIONS TO PSALMS CORE PASSAGE: Psalm 51:1-17 David knew he had sinned and asked God for forgiveness. Sin hurts our relationship with God. We can teach others about God. Session 10: Forgiveness Sought 79
GET STARTED TOOLS: Balloon Review: Allergy Alert (enhanced CD), balloons OPTION: Substitute beach balls for balloons if allergies are a concern. GET STARTED (10 MINUTES) BALLOON REVIEW Say: We re going to play a little game, but before we begin, we have to prepare. Explain that you will be reciting the books of the Bible in unison. Demonstrate by reciting the first few books loudly, and clap slowly three times before saying each book. It should create a slow rhythm for everyone to follow. If necessary, practice together before introducing the balloons. Because they will be reciting the books of the Bible during the game, ensure that everyone understands the rules. Invite a volunteer to join you in front of the group. She will be responsible for tossing the balloons. The rest of the group should remain sitting throughout the game. Begin reciting the books together. Invite the kids to clap with you if you think it will help maintain the rhythm. Instruct your volunteer to toss a balloon to someone. She is the only one allowed to stand, so any dropped balloons that fall out of reach become hers to throw again. At her discretion, she will toss another balloon over the group. The person who received the first balloon will attempt to deflect her balloon by throwing or waving his. If he makes contact with it, he gets his balloon back and selects someone in the group to receive the second balloon. Now they can work together to deflect her next balloon. If he does not make contact with her balloon before it reaches someone else, she takes his to toss again. If there are any interruptions that interfere with the ability to recite the books of the Bible, start over with Genesis. If kids are not finished saying the Bible books before all the balloons have been used, the kids can transition the goal of the game to trying to keep them in the air. Gather the balloons, and encourage the kids to keep learning the Bible. Transition to Bible Study. 80 Explore the Bible: Older Kids
BIBLE STUDY BIBLE STUDY (35 MINUTES) JUMPING IN Say: There s something unusual that happens to people when they get baptized. Does anyone know what happens? Allow the kids to respond. If necessary, address any glaring misconceptions. Clarify: I ll tell you what happens when a person gets baptized. He gets soaking wet! There isn t anything special about the water, and nothing happens to make the person different when they get out of the water. It s actually a way to publicly show love for Christ. It s a symbol of His death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism is a way to share that we have repented of our sin and trusted in Jesus as our Savior. Distribute the Family Cards and describe the object. Note that the water font is inscribed with Psalm 51:7. Invite someone to read the verse aloud. Say: Today we are going to examine Psalm 51. This psalm was written by a man who was repenting of his sin. He knew that he had sinned and he was praying for God to forgive him and help him in the future. EXAMINE THE TEXT Encourage the kids to open their Bibles to Psalm 51. Say: This Psalm deals with a very serious issue. It was written by King David after he was confronted for committing some terrible sins. He recognized how wrong he was and turned to God in repentance. Read or have the kids help read Psalm 51:1-9. Say: These verses show how sin separates us from God. Only He can restore us. If time allows, select phrases to review so the kids recognize David s attitude. He was fully aware of the devastating impact of his sin and longed for God s forgiveness. Read or have the kids help read Psalm 51:10-17. Say: These verses reveal that David was not only eager to be reconciled to God, but he was also expecting to be transformed. He didn t want to return to the same behaviors. He wanted God to completely rescue him from his sin. Reference the Christ in Context: Psalms poster and The Gospel to relate how we can repent and be rescued from sin as well. TOOLS: Jumping In: Family Cards, Bibles Examine the Text: Bibles, Christ in Context: Psalms (Poster Pack), The Gospel (enhanced CD) The Bible Story: Text Truth Strips (Poster Pack), The Gospel (enhanced CD) Video: Explore the Bible on Location videos Memory Verse: Psalm 51:10 (Poster Pack) Prayer: Text Truth Strips (Poster Pack) OPTION: Display the Psalm 51 Water Font visual from the DVD- ROM when you discuss the object. THE BIBLE STORY Say: Now that we ve discovered David s plea for cleansing, it s time to examine what led him to such repentance. Tell the Bible story using the included script as a guide. Help the kids understand that David was not guilty because of the type of sins he committed, but because he sinned against God. In that way, we can all relate to his need for repentance. Say: We ve all disobeyed God. Whenever you think of your own sin, you might feel upset. Sin causes many distressing emotions. Sometimes people avoid thinking about their own sin, because they don t want to have those negative feelings. Session 10: Forgiveness Sought 81
BIBLE STUDY Mention Nathan s willingness to address King David s sins, as well as David s willingness to listen to him. They were probably extremely uncomfortable with the situation, yet they persevered through obedience. Continue: When King David finally acknowledged his sin, he felt terrible. In his remorse, he turned to God, admitted his sins, and asked to be restored. Post the Text Truth Strip on the wall and ask a volunteer to read it to the group. When we sin, we should repent and ask God to restore us. Review The Gospel. Challenge the kids to think of how their sins impact their relationship with God. Say: There s so much for us to learn from David s example. One of the most important things we can know is that God can forgive us. He can help us obey Him and give us renewed purpose. When we repent, He will not leave us where we were. We can be transformed by God s forgiveness. Praise the Lord. PLAY THE VIDEO Play the Session 10 video. Ask: What was Joel s plan to get forgiveness? Did his plan work? Why or why not? What should we do when we sin? Review the Text Truth: When we sin, we should repent and ask God to restore us. MEMORY VERSE Review the previous week s verse, Psalm 146:6. Ask: Did that verse help you trust God more last week? Allow the kids to share examples of any time the verse came to mind or how they worked to memorize it. Display the Psalm 51:10 poster. Offer someone the opportunity to lead the group in reading it together. Discuss how memorizing this verse can be a reminder that when we sin, we should repent and ask God to restore us. PRAYER Say: We all sin, and it impacts all of us the same way. It comes between us and God. Thankfully, He s a forgiving God and provided a Savior to rescue us from our sin. Refer again to the Text Truth: When we sin, we should repent and ask God to restore us. Close in prayer and dismiss to Small Group. 82 Explore the Bible: Older Kids
SMALL GROUP SMALL GROUP (30 MINUTES) EXPLORER GUIDES Instruct the kids to open their Explorer Guides to Forgiveness Sought and review the Text Truth. Ask a volunteer to read aloud the information about today s object, the Water Font. Invite the kids to open their Bibles and briefly review Psalm 51:1-17. Discuss the study and persuade the kids to ask any questions or share any thoughts they might have. Help kids examine the Word to Know and locate it in Psalm 51. Select volunteers to read Who Was Nathan? and The Different Types of Psalms. Lead kids to find the verses in Forgiveness and to quietly complete Your Response. TOOLS: Explorer Guides: Bibles, Explorer Guides, pens TECH CONNECT (OPTIONAL) Prior to class, download the Explore the Bible: Kids Family App. Use the activity labeled Explorer Plus on the app. PRAYER TIME Ask the kids if they ever avoid talking to God about things. Explain that God already sees our lives and is not surprised by anything we do or think. Assure them that they can talk to God about anything. Pray that the kids trust God with their most difficult prayers. ACTIVITIES Select one or more of the activities to complete as time allows. MOVE WRITING RELAY Tools: long sheet of paper, markers Post a long sheet of paper on the wall either in sections or with a line distinguishing each team. Review any necessary rules. For example, if a word is too messy to read, it might not count. Since this is a brief activity, it might be a good opportunity to take a moment to remind the kids to be aware of how they interact with others. Discuss appropriate competitive attitudes. Form two or three teams with an equal number of kids on the teams. A player from each will stand at the designated section of paper. They will race to write the first word of the Text Truth: When we sin, we should repent and ask God to restore us. Once the first word is written, they will hurry to their teammates to pass along the markers to the next players who will write the second word of the Text Truth. Play continues until a team has written the entire Text Truth. In order to win, the player who writes the final word must yell forgiven loud enough to be heard by everyone. Repeat the activity as many times as possible using things such as the Connection Statement and the Memory Verse. Session 10: Forgiveness Sought 83
SMALL GROUP MOVE MAKE WHAT CAN I DO? Tools: notecards, pens Initiate a discussion about ordinary challenges the kids are likely to encounter, such as getting angry when people interrupt, not understanding the sermon, wanting more attention, and so on. These types of difficulties should be written on notecards and set aside. Once the problems have been discussed, begin sharing ideas for solutions. Enlist the kids to write specific solutions on notecards that will be kept separately from the difficulty cards. At some point in the discussion, talk about those times when we do not do things the way we should. Remind the kids of God s forgiveness, and refer to the Text Truth: When we sin, we should repent and ask God to restore us. After enough solutions have been recorded, ask each kid to imagine a problem an animal might have. For example, a dog might not be able to reach his treats. Have them each write at least one solution to such a problem, and include those notecards with the rest. Select a difficulty card to read aloud, then randomly choose a solution card. It is likely that they will not match and create a fun solution to each problem. If time allows, repeat the activity with different solutions. PENCIL STAMPING Tools: pencils with new erasers, paper, washable stamp pads in various colors, Heart Template (enhanced CD), scissors, markers Give each kid a Heart Template to cut out. Guide kids to place their templates on their papers. Help boys and girls take a pencil and stamp the eraser in the ink, then press the eraser around the edge of the heart template. They will want to stamp two or three erasers thick to create a border of small circles around the template. When kids finish stamping and the ink is dry, encourage them to remove the Heart Template. Provide markers for girls and boys to print the memory verse, Psalm 51:10 inside the stamped heart. Say: Sometimes we do the wrong things. There are many reasons why we choose to do wrong, but there s never a good excuse. If God doesn t want us to do something, we shouldn t. It s that simple. Unfortunately, even though we might know that, we still sometimes do the wrong things. Continue: Thankfully, God is patient. He helps us learn from our mistakes and offers forgiveness. We should always remember to turn to Him, even when we do wrong. Read today s Text Truth: When we sin, we should repent and ask God to restore us. 84 Explore the Bible: Older Kids